Business Essay Example for Free

Business Essay A. 1. As I began my journey as a new business owner of a computer company I needed to define my companys goals, decide which direction I wanted to take the company to and create a mission statement that will best represent my company. Since the company was new I needed to come up with something catchy and promising that would invite potential clients to find out more about the products we offer. Since there were more participants in this game and from my professional experience I learned that staying on the same path and making advancements is more beneficial than trying to change directions every time. In this case I remained focused on the same two groups for the remaining 3 rounds. Instead of changing and adding more products every quarters like most of the other participants I kept my two models (one for each group) and made necessary corrections and modifications based on the market needs. I verified the requirements of each group, the priorities and the price range each client is willing to pay. Since there are no specific techniques used in this part of the business analysis I used my own judgment in making sure that I create the best product with the items that are most important to the potential client group. As stated above I initially created two products (one for each group) and after the first round they both passed 70% but in the scientific group it was not chosen as one of the best. In the second round I was given an option of reviewing products of my competitors and the only difference was the larger monitor and an upgraded keyboard. I added those options to my products and in the next round both products did very well. I had to make sure that in the nest round I keep up with the new upgrades and add them to my products to make sure that I keep up with the new technology. Even after making the upgrades the prices did not change a lot and the two groups still chose my product as one of their choices and my products were receiving 100% in both categories. Out of all the categories my market performance would produce larger results if I was not afraid in estimating more clients and produce more computers in both categories. Every quarter I ended up loosing clients and sales due to shortage in inventory. My market performance, marketing effectiveness and human resource management remained slightly low even though I was very close to my competitors. As far as my salary package I paid my employees the most but I only contributed 2% of their salary versus 5% that everyone else was contributing. I believe that salary is more important than the retirement contribution. I upgraded health benefits but kept the contribution the same. 2.I would not change the targeted markets I have selected because my decision was a success. I wanted to make sure that my company will have balance between high paying clients and not as much demand and those where the profits are not as high but the demand is much higher. My analogy was right on target because with the Mercedes I was making higher profit but the number of machines was not as high as the market for general public where the profit was significantly lower. After being chosen by both markets as a preferred factory I had to make sure that I am keeping up with current technology and by adding extra features the price difference is not too high so that I would loose my lower profit clients. With that business idea I was able to survive my competition and climb up to the top. 3.When it comes to the sales locations I selected I believe that I have done enough research to make a good decision. Since I have chosen Mercedes for scientific computers and general public I wanted to make sure that I cover United States since Mercedes mainly operated in the US and their main headwaters are in Germany. Therefore I chose NY as one of the first offices along with France in Europe. My next choice was Tokyo since they have the most advanced technology and I can use that as my selling point to generate more business. My last choice was South America even though the expenses were not as high but it is less demanding since the poverty is significantly high. As expected, choosing my locations in this order was a success. 4.Marketing research could definitely be improved since I was not as successful as I was hoping to be. Most of my business was coming from direct sales and not as much from other advertising. I did not want to invest large amounts of money on the popular magazines since the fee was very high and I was concentrating on more common papers such as Science Magazines and business papers. Maybe I should have been more adventurous and invest in more popular magazines but I was afraid that I would suffer financially. Also I was not able to come up with a very catchy advertising line to attract potential clients and was scoring somewhat low on the advertising review. B.One of the most important decisions I made was to invest in international markets. Since Mercedes is from Germany and its factories are in the US I felt as investing in a European market would be a good idea simply because I come from Europe and I know that Mercedes is in demand as well as there are a lot of companies in need of a highly developed machine that can make their discoveries and creations a lot easier. I was a little hesitant about opening offices in Tokyo since their technology is very advanced and cost is very high. But because of that I decided to stand with competition face to face and use this to my advantage. By creating same quality machines for a little lesser cost I was able to survive and beat most of my competition. South America had smaller expenses but the demand was not very high considering the high number of less fortunate individuals. If investing in the international markets required large funds I would concentrate on the US market and possibly South America. Unless I discovered high turnaround and my investment would not affect my company’s future I would consider this option. Throughout my entire game I was very cautious and I was afraid of heavy investment simply because my funds were very limited and I did not want to jeopardize my company over greed and quick wealth. After reviewing my financial reports I was able to determine if additional investment is possible and how my this would effect the company overall. Heavy investment would depend on how the financial statements looked, careful review of the international markets and position of the company in the global market. If the company would not be as successful at the end of the 4th quarter as I wanted it to be I would most likely find another route to expand my borders.

Philosophers in the World :: Philosophy Philosophers Paperes

Philosophers in the World Philosophers are often thought of as hopelessly inept in the â€Å"real† world, the theoretical counterparts of the 90-pound weakling on the beach of the material world. Nothing could be more mistaken. As mentioned, Alexander the Great studied with Aristotle and then went on to conquer the world (well, the parts of the world the Greeks knew). Coincidence? Perhaps, but the extent to which other ancient figures were influenced by philosophy is far less ambiguous. To take the most obvious example, Socrates was committed to a life of social criticism and public debate, so much so that he was tried and executed by Athenian officials who felt threatened by his influence over the young. Consider also the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (the guy Richard Harris played in the movie Gladiator). As a young man, Aurelius was so motivated by his love of truth (the Emperor Hadrian nicknamed him â€Å"Verissimus†) that he turned from studying rhetoric to philosophy. Conscientious to his subjects and magnanimous to his enemies, Aurelius sold off personal items rather than raise taxes to fund the imperial expansion into Eastern Europe. Despite his dislike of violence (he made gladiators fight with blunt tips), Aurelius spend much of his reign on the battlefield fighting German tribes on the Danube front; The Meditations was written down as notes, sometimes in military camp at the end of a weary and bloody day. Like many other ancients, Aurelius took the philosophical life to be one lived in the world according to philosophical principles and values, drawing on Epictetus’ admonition: Eat like a man, drink like a man, get dressed, get married, have children, lead the life of a citizen †¦ Show us all this, so that we can see whether or not you have really learned something from the philosophers. (Discourses III, 21, 5) One important thinker who exemplified Epictetus’ ideal was John Locke. Bored with the scholastic curriculum during his studies at Christ Church, Oxford, he spent much of his time as an undergraduate reading French literature. After receiving his B.A. in 1656, Locke plunged into the study of medicine and chemistry, later supervising a surgery to drain an abscess on Lord Ashley’s liver (the operation probably saved Ashley’s life). Locke saw his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, the locus classicus for modern empiricist philosophy, as providing part of the conceptual framework for the new scientific advances of Boyle, Huygens, â€Å"and the incomparable Mr.

Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America Case Study

Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America (A) Case Study Background and Scope In 1979, Nickelodeon, â€Å"a cable channel for kids 2-11 years old, was launched in the United States†. Nickelodeon provided a wide-range of programming which including â€Å"live-action, comedy, drama, animation, music and sports and game shows†. By 1995, Nickelodeon was the highest rated basic cable network and international expansion was very realistic and just getting started. To successfully transition internationally Nickelodeon allowed the channel to have its own â€Å"on-air identity and slogan† for each endeavor.Nickelodeon used an â€Å"International Swat Team† to launch the network into other countries and once established turned it over for local personnel to operate. By 1998, Nickelodeon had already expanded and operating on 30 countries. However, back in 1993, Ms. Taran Swan, then Director of Business Development for Nickelodeon, initially entertained the opportunity to expand in Latin America. Latin American TV did not cater to children. Due to the economic conditions programs were outdated and stagnant. This would be an opportunity for Nickelodeon to introduce programs that â€Å"gave kids a voice† while still embracing their culture.The steps required to meet this goal would not be easy. Swan recognized the task at hand and the need to â€Å"prove her business plan by securing minimum distribution† (at least 2 million households). Swan believed in a â€Å"big bets† strategy and keeping the â€Å"bottom line† at the forefront of her thought process. This paper will present obstacles that Swan and her team had to deal with, not just in selling the channel, attracting advertisers but also managing each other. Swan’s style and dedication allowed her to hand-pick her team to ensure deadlines were met and meeting expectations of the network.Swan was known for her â€Å"smart and strategic business directivesâ₠¬ . In addition issues addressing personal work/life balance, succession/transition plans will be explored. Finally, recommendations not only for Swan but for Nickelodeon as a company will be presented to attempt to mitigate issues that arose while expanding Nickelodeon internationally in Latin America. Swan being so involved in every step from conception to implementation would prove to be more challenging than she anticipated both in personal and professional management ways. Current SituationAt the end of the second year of operations at Nickelodeon Latin America (NLA), Swan prepared for a Town Hall with MTV. She prepared a speech in which she wanted to promote the advancements that NLA had realized for the previous year. Days before the Town Hall, however, Swan was informed by her doctor that she was unable to continue traveling for work as her four month pregnancy showed signs of high risk. Though Swan planned to leave after the Town Hall, she was hospitalized the day of the m eeting. As she left to go back home, she considered the many challenges that still lay ahead of her.After leading the NLA project from research to launch, there remained additional tasks that needed to be completed before the project could be turned over to local management. NLA was on the verge of two crucially important deals. The first deal was with Argentina’s largest provider, Cablevision/TCI, which would add 1. 5 million subscribers. A second deal would give them access to the Brazilian marketplace through a Portuguese feed. These issues were exacerbated by currency volatility, marketing problems and advertising issues. Swan had a significant hand in resolving each of these issues.Now Swan is faced with a decision on what to do about continuing operations during her leave. Her experience showed that her team needed consistent direction but that they were able to communicate with her remotely. Thus, she considered how she may continue to lead the project from her home. A nother option she faced was installing an interim manager who would be charged with leading the station forward. She further considered installing multiple leaders for different functions. She understood that regardless of what decision she made, she would have to adapt her management style and skills.Situation Analysis Due to Swan’s medical situation, there are three critical activities that must be managed effectively in her absence: increasing advertising sales, increasing affiliate sales, and the executing the Brazil-specific feed. Advertising sales was a key concern for NLA. They had missed their goal by 11% last year. Though the overall bottom-line goal was met, this lack of revenues did not make for a sustainable business model. In addition, the Latin American economy was very rocky, and Brazil was undergoing a currency devaluation.In order for the company to continue on its path to success, the sales team was going to need to land more advertising accounts, and take a dvantage of the upcoming World Cup to drive much-needed revenues. Increasing affiliate sales was also key. In particular, the deals with Cablevision/TCI in Argentina and Telemundo in the United States were very important. These deals would expand the viewership by 1. 5 million people in Latin America and millions more in the United States. In turn, this increased viewership would help increase advertising sales, and would also strengthen NLA’s foothold within the region.It was also help to show the corporation that the NLA project was succeeding. This could lead to a larger budget and more dedicated resources from the corporation. Finally, getting the Brazil-specific feed up and running was critical. Brazil has the largest population and the largest market in all of Latin America. Though NLA had secured carriage on major Brazilian networks, they still had to develop programming for the feed. This would require a significant amount of work as the company would need to customiz e the programming for the Brazilian culture, as it differed from other Latin American countries.Creating a successful feed in Brazil would open up new advertising opportunities and new affiliate sales opportunities and would solidify NLA as a major brand in Latin America. Swan knew that she would need to manage all three of these critical activities from New York to make sure that NLA continued to progress. However, she was unsure how to do so. Recommendations Taran Swan has become pregnant at an important time in her company’s progress, when there are still several challenges to complete. Among these include attracting profitable advertisers, closing a deal with Cablevision/TCI and broadcasting to Brazil.There is no simple way to achieve these goals, and they all fall under problems that need to be addressed over time with the proper management. There are options that Swan has as it relates to the management of Nickelodeon while she is away on pregnancy. 1. Swan could give t he responsibility of managing the company to a single person. 2. Swan could have two or more people share her responsibilities. 3. Swan could manage her team remotely and possibly appoint another lower manager to handle the day-to-day tasks.If Swan decides to take option 1, she will need to carefully evaluate the candidates and select the best one, and get Viacom’s approval. The best candidates that come to mind include Donna Friedman, Valerie McCarty and Stephen Grieder. All of these candidates joined within the first few months after Nickelodeon’s project to expand into Latin America began. Stephen Grieder has had the most experience with Nickelodeon out of the three, was familiar with the Latin American culture, and was described as a creative genius. Valerie McCarty was energetic and had good communication skills.Like Grieder, she was familiar with the Latin American culture. She also had taken charge of tasks, even when they weren’t completely her responsib ility. However, she was relatively new to the company. Donna Friedman was particularly known for her creativity. For example, she developed the â€Å"Grow Down† campaign, and thought of making the Jornadas party which attracted thousands of people. Swan felt that Donna didn’t yet have â€Å"multidimensional strategic thinking† needed to take on a more managerial role at the moment, but that Donna could be taught these skills.Swan could decide to take option 2 and have the responsibilities shared by two or more people. This method seemed to work out when Swan divided the marketing roles between McCarty and Friedman. It might help reduce the amount of work each individual has to do. It could also help give the team more diverse views and skillsets. In the last option, Swan could operate the facility remotely. Most of the people working in her team already have experience communicating and working with people from different countries. Swan has already been shown to be an effective leader, and doing it this way would result in the least amount of change.The team would not need to take a risk on an unproven leader. Our recommendation is that Swan operates the facility remotely, while having another â€Å"second in command,† or day to day manager. In the event Swan was unable to run the project for any reason, the person second in command would take over. This would allow Swan to continue to run the project for as long as she was able to, and potentially throughout the entire time she was needed. She should train another person to be in charge of the project, without putting the full responsibility onto them.This would lower the chance of conflicting orders or conflicting goals that could result from shared leadership and mitigate any potential damage that might occur if Swan were suddenly unable to run the plant. Alternatives / Potential Problems Donna Friedman, Valerie McCarty and Stephen Grieder all seem like they could be great potent ial leaders on their own. However, they are not yet tested in such a position. Putting one of them in charge at such a crucial point in the company could jeopardize their progress, and puts a large risk on the company. If the responsibilities were shared, it could help mitigate that risk.However, it could result in misunderstandings, communication problems and overall confusion about the direction of the company if the managers did not always agree. The leaders would need to be careful that they maintained a consistent and clear message. Additionally, it could result social loafing. Social loafing is the phenomenon where people tend to work less in collaborative efforts than in on their own because they expect the other person to fill in the work, and also because they will not get full credit for their work (Latane, Williams & Harkins, 1979).Lastly, there is the option for Swan to operate the company remotely. She is the safest leader, since she has already proven herself. Though t he risk is that due to her pregnancy, or a medical complication, she would be unable to manage the business remotely. Additionally, there might be times when it is difficult to contact her or convey all the needed information to her without her being there in person. This would leave the project without a leader. ConclusionWe learn that Taran Swan might have some team trust issues because of her uncertainty of who to leave in charge during her absence. Every relationship among team members depends on trust. Swan feels her situation has a high level of risk and she is unsure of the best option for her team to succeed while she is gone. Working remotely will allow Swan to have some control over the situation, but that stress might further her complications and prevent her from working all together.Swan needs to trust her team and give them the tools they need to development their team roles through team building exercises. If Swan communicates effectively to the team members and passe s on all training information, she should be able to manage the company remotely without caring too much stress during her medical absence. References McShane, S. & Von Glinow, M. 2011. Organizational Behavior, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Latane, B. , Williams, K. , & Harkins, S. (1979). Journal of personality and social psychology. Retrieved from http://psycnet. apa. org/journals/psp/37/6/822/

Euthanasi An Ethical Way - 899 Words

Is physician assisted suicide an unethical way to end a life? Somebody suffering on their deathbed should not have to spend the last of their time and money on painful procedures and treatments. They should have the right to go out a more comforting way. This paper will use the background of euthanasia, and talk about many of the controversial viewpoints to support the thesis that euthanasia is an ethical way to end a life. Euthanasia is defined as the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. The most important word in the definition is that the act or omission was intentional. If the cause of death was unintentional then the act wasn’t in fact euthanasia. There are three types of euthanasia, voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is when the person who is euthanized has requested to be. Non-voluntary is when the person didn’t ask to be euthanized. That leaves involuntary which is where the person who was euthanized asked not to be. Then there are also three ways of committing the euthanasia, assisted suicide, euthanasia by action and euthanasia by omission. Assisted suicide is when someone provides the individual with the information, guidance or means need to take his or her own life with the intention that they will be used for this purpose. When it’s a doctor who helps the person it†™s called physician assisted suicide. Another way of committing euthanasia is called euthanasia