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Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making
Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

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Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Please type all answers. Page numbers. Bibliography. No title page. You can have as many sources as you want. I put down a minimum of (6) sources however, that?s just a minimum. If you need to add more, please do so. Answer All Questions and Clearly Define Your Terms Place your answer to each question on a separate sheet of paper and type answers to all questions. Document your answers and show your work. Read each question carefully and answer all parts. The number in parentheses is the point weight for the question. Make sure you label your questions, ex. 1.) A:, 1.) D: ?. And so on. You may add another page for graphs or figures. Number each page and clearly indicate the question number.

(50) 1. (a) Aggregate Demand is defined as:
AD = C + I + G + NX
Where AD is aggregate demand, C is consumption expenditures, G is government (federal and state and local) expenditures, and NX is net exports (Exports ? Imports).
To encourage the growth of AD, fiscal policy can influence G through changes is expenditures, such as the fiscal stimulus of 2008 and 2009, and on C by changes in transfer payments such as Medicaid, Medicare, unemployment benefits and Social Security that change disposable income. If such changes take place, how are they transmitted to increase both GDP and employment? When are they least effective and most effective in changing GDP and Employment? Has the large fiscal stimulus in 2009 had the benefits that Congress and the Administration had anticipated?

(b) Suppose the Fed has already decided that it wants to target the money stock.
(1) Will the Fed come closer to its target by setting the interest rate at a given level, or will it do better by fixing the money supply through open market operations? In your analysis, think in terms of the Fed’s horizon from one Open Market Committee meeting to another — about 4-6 weeks. This analysis involves the relative stability of money demand and the money multiplier. Consider two alternative cases: (1) a stable demand for money allows the Fed to set an interest rate that ensures it will come close to the target money supply; and (2) an unstable demand for money.
(2) In your analysis, discuss the proposition that the Fed may need to target interest rates in the short run in order to meet its target money stock while in the long run it may need to pay attention to interest rates and bank reserves and currency growth. NOTE: Shifts in money demand may reveal themselves first in movements in interest rates — and if the Fed wants to stabilize the economy, it should respond to shifts in money demand.

(c) Within the same general context, discuss why the Fed, if it wants to stabilize and grow GDP and employment, has chosen a quantitative easing (QE) approach by growing bank reserves though purchases of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities and the monetary base rather than an interest rate policy (presently QE2 policy is to purchase $85 billion per month of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities? Why has the European Central Bank (EU) and Japan followed the same policy? How does this process work to stimulate economic growth? Has the QE policy since 2011 worked to increase GDP growth and employment?

(d) In the case of a liquidity trap, what is it that makes monetary policy ineffective in such a case? Recall that effective monetary policy requires that banks lend to willing borrowers. What does it mean for an effective monetary policy if the velocity of money declines substantially?
Velocity (V) = Price Level (P)*Real Output (Y) / Money Supply(M)
V = P*Y/M2
Or to look at it another way: P*Y = V*M2
So a change in M2 will lead to smaller changes in P*Y the smaller is V.

(50) 2. There are many views of the state of the global economy in the late Summer early Fall of 1998. Below are some of these views. From your reading of Commanding Heights (Yergin and Stanislaw), current news accounts, research into various economies and Macroeconomics (Dornbusch and Fischer), critically analyze these statements as to the type of policies that national economies and the IMF should pursue over the course of the next few years. Has the free market system of capitalism failed and the “battle between government and the marketplace that is remaking the modern world” (Yergin and Stanislaw) tilting toward government? Or, is there a middle ground that needs to be reached with a global regulatory structure created that makes countries and their financial systems more transparent and less tied to “crony capitalism”? Express your views, but back them up with fact and supporting argument.
The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The World Economy on the Edge: The risks of a deep global recession are increasing. But it can be avoided so long as policymakers heed some lessons from history.”
The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The Economist all-items commodity-price index has fallen by 30 percent since mid-1997, to its lowest level in real terms for over 25 years. The prices of industrial commodities are now at their lowest in real terms since the 1930s. This has severely hurt commodity producers, not just in Latin America and Africa, but also in Australia and Canada.” (add in the U.S. farmers).
The Economist (September 5, 1998) “Capitalism in retreat? A related and more worrying backlash against the free markets is the increasing interest on the part of politicians and economists in market intervention or capital controls as a solution to the crisis…..On September 1st, Malaysia imposed strict controls on capital movements. And respected American economists are also now arguing the virtues of capital controls. This, he (Paul Krugman) suggests, would break the link between domestic interest rates and exchange rates to get their economies growing again….Indeed, the biggest risk now to the world economy may lie not so much in a deep recession, which could be averted. It is that there may be a wholesale retreat for free markets.”
Robert Kuttner (Washington Post, September 7, 1998, p. A25) “Free Markets and a Free Fall World Economy. Economic reconstruction after World War II accepted the necessity of a mixed economy. In that era, the United States and the International Monetary Fund recognized that emergent economies could no be the prisoners of private speculative capital. The postwar system regulated private money flows and stabilized currencies to allow nations to develop. Today’s IMF, perversely demands exposure to speculators as a precondition of assistance….What we need is a program of stabilization and reconstruction in the spirit of the post-World War II years, with limits on speculative money flows and more development aid.”
Washington Post, December 22, 1997, p. A1) “IMF Credibility Is on the Line In Asia Bailout, Agency Should Rethink Rescues, Some Critics Say, ‘Since the time the IMF has signed each Asian bailout program, the respective Asian currencies have continued to plummet,’ said Jeffrey Sachs.”
Jeffrey Sachs (The Economist, September 12, 1998, p. 23) “Global Capitalism, Making It Work. “Global capitalism genuinely is the best chance for the developing world to gain a foothold on the economic-growth ladder; but with current institutions, global capitalism will not succeed widely enough or credibly enough to create a stable world system…. The IMF bought into the investment bankers’ mantra: exchange-rate stability above all else…. The more these economies tried to defend their currencies, the more they incited panic.”
George Soros (The Wall Street Journal, September 15, 1998, Op. Ed) “The Crisis of Global Capitalism. …there remains the urgent need for Congress to authorize an increase in the capital for the IMF….Bailouts did encourage foolish behavior by banks and other lenders, which could count on the IMF when a country got into difficulties (a moral hazard problem). But, the moral hazard now operates in the opposite direction, in not enabling the IMF to do its work when it is most needed.”
Henry Kissinger (Washington Post, October 5, 1998, p. A21) “Perils of Globalism, The IMF is no longer suited for dealing with economic crises. The IMF must be transformed. It should be returned to its original purpose as a provider of expert advice and judgement, supplemented by short-term liquidity support…. Regulatory systems should be strengthened and harmonized; the risks that investors are taking should be made more transparent.
John Maynard Keynes, 1931 “We are today in the middle of the greatest economic catastrophe of the modern world…the view is held in Moscow that this is the last, the culminating crisis of capitalism and that the existing order of society will not survive it.” As quoted in The Economist (September 5, 1998), page 19.

(15) 3.) The growth accounting equation is (Y is aggregate GDP in real terms):

Growth rates of K (capital) and N (labor) are weighted by their respective income shares, so that each input contributes an amount equal to the product of the input?s growth rate and their share of income to output growth. The ? indicates the change in the variable.
Growth Accounting Equation In Per Capita Terms:

(a) Define the notion of steady state equilibrium for the economy that is the combination of per capita GDP (y) and per capita capital (k) where the economy will remain at rest, or where per capita economic variables are no longer changing OR

In steady state, at what rate will GDP (Y) grow?

(b) Explain why, in the Neoclassical growth model, an increase in the savings rate does not increase the growth rate of per capita output in the long run.
(c) Explain why:
(1) An increase in the rate of growth of the population, n, reduces the steady state level of k and y
(2) An increase in n increases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output
and
(1) A decrease in n increases the steady state level of k and y
(2) A decrease in n decreases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Question one

  1. Fiscal policy

Fiscal policy is a combination of the policies of the government spending that influence a country’s macroeconomic conditions. Therefore, through fiscal policy, unemployment rates are improved, control inflation is controlled, business cycles are stabilized and interest rates are influenced by regulators in an attempt to control the economy (Dornbusch & Fischer, 1994).

Therefore, changes in government expenditures and consumption expenditures are likely to significantly influence the rate at which the GDP grows. For instance, increased government expenditures both state and federal means that the funds are either invested or directed into improvement of the infrastructure especially construction of more highways for improved movement of goods or increasing electricity supply which ensures that both companies and individuals can produce goods with ease (Krugman & Wells, 2006). As a result more companies tend to be created meaning that the GDP is eventually increased. This implies that additional government (state and federal) expenditures lead to increased GDP, creation of job opportunities as well as lowering of the unemployment rates. This a clear indication that government expenditures are directly proportional to the GDP, whereby an increase in government expenditures results to an increase in the GDP while a decrease in government expenditures results to a decrease in the GDP. A combination of increased government expenditures with increased GDP subsequently boosts production and demand as well as reducing the rate of unemployment.

Alternatively, a decrease in the consumption expenditures also translates to increased GDP and employment mainly because it reduces the proportion of funds the government consumes and which cannot be invested or directly used to improve the investment environment for both local and foreign investors. Moreover, the changes in government expenditures are most effective when a balance is achieved between the government expenditures and consumption expenditures. For example, when the government expenditures are increased and directed towards improving investment environment or invested while at the same time ensuring that consumption expenditures are maintained low (Krugman, 1990). On the other hand these changes are least effective in changing GDP and employment sometimes because the government usually obtains all its funds from the taxes i.e. from the productive activities’ of the private sector. Moreover, these changes are also perceived to disproportionately affect particular groups where, for instance, increased government expenditures greatly influence the group where the spending is directed, which in the case of government spending on building highways construction workers are significantly influenced (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

Even if not all the benefits anticipated by Congress and the Administration were accrued from the large fiscal stimulus in 2009, there are significant benefits that were achieved. According to Bartlett (2010) the entire stimulus package resulted to 2.8% real GDP growth in the third quarter as well as employment of between 600,000 and 1.6 million people as a result of the stimulus package. The stimulus package was also found to have benefits in terms of transfer payments and tax cuts, for example, tax cuts for individuals in the low-income group raised the GDP by $1.70 for every $1 or revenue loss; whereas the tax cuts for the corporations and the rich raised the GDP by about 50 cents for every $1 or revenue loss (Bartlett, 2010).

  1. Money stock
  • The Fed would come closer to its target by fixing the money supply through open market operations because the targeted supply of money is not directly related to the interest rate. Therefore, this means that an increase in the quantity of produced goods and/or the price level increases, there will be an outright increase in the demand for money. However, if there is a decline in the economic activity and/or prices go down, then there will be an outright decrease in the demand for money. The money supply through open market operations means the demand for money is unstable which implies that the interest rate cannot be set at a certain level (Krugman & Wells, 2006).
  • The Fed may need to target interest rates in the short run in order to meet its target money stock while in the long run it may need to pay attention to interest rates and bank reserves and currency growth. This is mainly because the interaction between the quantity of supplied and demanded money is the one which determines the interest rates. This is mainly because when the interest rate is too high, then people will purchase bonds meaning the money will definitely be reduced. However, a greater demand for the bonds reduces the interest rates which push them towards the equilibrium (Krugman & Wells, 1989).
  1. Quantitative Easing (QE)

In order for Fed to stabilize and grow GDP and employment, quantitative easing (QE) approach by growing bank reserves though purchases of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities and the monetary base should be the most preferred approach rather than an interest rate policy (Krugman & Wells, 2006). This is mainly because the banks target the supply of money by either selling of purchasing government bonds which results to promotion of the economic growth eventually lowering short-term interest rates while at the same time increasing money supply.  As a result of this, the European Central Bank (EU) and Japan have followed this policy since its acts as an easy way through which money supply can be increased and also short-term interest rates can be lowered (Duncan, 2009). However, quantitative easing (QE) policy usually promote economic growth mainly because it targets private sector assets and commercial banks which encourages the banks to lend money which is then invested to meet the demand created by the increased purchasing power. QE policy has significantly worked since 2011 to increase GDP growth and employment because more money has been available at low short-term interest rate which is then invested leading to increased GDP growth and employment (Krugman & Wells, 1989).

  1. Liquidity trap

In the case of liquidity trap, a monetary policy becomes ineffective on either the level of income, or the interest rate hence making it powerless to affect the interest rate. This situation occurs because the general public is willing to hold on to the amount of money supplied, at any particular rate of interest mainly due the fear of foreseen adverse events such as war or deflation. Moreover, monetary policy may also be ineffective when the interest rate is zero meaning that the general public will not be willing to hold any bond but the money in which zero percent interest rate is also accrued, but with an advantage of being usable in transactions (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

When the velocity of money declines substantially it means that there is very little money in circulation that is used to buy goods and services meaning the economy becomes less robust. So an effective monetary policy will definitely increase the interest rate in order to encourage people to release the money they are holding which eventually results to an increase in velocity of money thereby making the economy vibrant again (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

Question two

There are different types of policies that national economies and the IMF should pursue over the course of the next few years in order to effectively tackle the problem of global economy. For instance, in order to stabilize the international financial system crisis prevention as well as crisis mitigation policies need to be implemented by national economies and the IMF (Krugman & Helpman, 1985). However, the IMF needs to implement other policies which are aimed at addressing the problem of global economy entirely including implementing stringent policies on surveillance, information provision, and technical assistance in order to collaboratively contribute to the prevention of crises. Moreover, the IMF should also implement policies that encourage lending in support of an adjustment program of a country in order to eventually contribute to the mitigation of crises (Sachs, 1998; The Economist, 1998).

Considering the free market system of capitalism and how it operates nowadays, it is evident that it can not be sustained for long (Dornbusch & Fischer, 1994). For instance, free market system in capitalism is perceived to be an exploitative system where the workers are paid peanuts at the expense of companies to make large profit margins (Sachs, 1998; Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998). Moreover, nowadays we cannot attribute the existence of the “free market” mainly because gigantic corporations that are in possession of immense power dominate the market through unfair competition. In addition it is also evident that this system disregards many ethical issues in pursuit of demand and supply hence it only works in the short-term while hurting the economies in the long-run (Dornbusch & Fischer, 1994; Soros, 1998). Therefore, the current free market system in capitalism is ineffective mainly because of its vicious cycles of deflation and inflation that in most cases tend to be very difficult to control. Furthermore, the free market system in capitalism encourages non-recycling of large sum of the GDP back into the economy, thus leading to unemployment as well as a very unstable CPI (Soros, 1998; Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998).

The battle between government and the marketplace that is remaking the modern world seems to be tilted towards the side of government mainly through government regulations, tariffs as well as other infringements on pure system of free market (Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998). Thus there has been emphasis on the futility of utilizing monetary policies that are inflationary by the governments in order to influence the rates at which the economy grows. Moreover, this battle has continued through income tax reforms and policies through expansion of rebates tax write-offs, and subsidies as a way of titling the markets (Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998).

In order to have effectively working global economy there needs to be adoption of alternative to the free market system in capitalism which would encourage smaller governments with tighter price controls alongside increased minimum wage in helping to solve some of the CPI problems (The Economist, 1998). Thus, free market system in capitalism needs to be blended with other systems such as the socialism and collectivization, in the attempts of creating a fairly decent economy without vicious cycles of deflation, inflation, financial crises as well as unemployment (Kissinger, 1998).

Question three

  1. A steady state economy is an economy structured to balance economic growth with population growth whereby it seeks to find equilibrium between population growth and production growth. In a steady state economy the rate of GDP growth should be equal to the rate of population growth (Krugman & Wells, 2006).
  2. In Neoclassical growth model the reason why an increase in the savings rate does not increase the growth rate of per capita output in the long run is because a higher saving rate does result in a higher steady-state capital stock and a higher level of output mainly because there is no investment in technology and labor which are two significant factors attributable to long-term growth rate of per capita.
  4. An increase in the rate of growth of the population, n, reduces the steady state level of k and y because the population is growing at a rate higher than the rate at which the GDP and per capita are growing eventually failing to sustain them causing them to reduce (Krugman & Wells, 1989).
  5. An increase in population increases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output mainly because the output of the entire population is considered. Hence since increased population provides labor then the aggregate output is increased (Krugman & Wells, 2006).
  • A decrease in population increases the steady state level of k and y because the country produces more than it consumes and the surplus is used to invest in technology eventually increasing the GDP and per capita.
  • A decrease in population decreases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output mainly because there is a decrease in labor which is most significant factor attributable to aggregate output (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

Bibliography

Bartlett, B. (2010). Did The Stimulus Stimulate? Retrieved on 13th October 2014 from: http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/03/tax-cuts-stimulus-jobs-opinions-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html

Dornbusch, R & Fischer, S. (1994). Macroeconomics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Duncan, G. (8 May 2009). “European Central Bank opts for quantitative easing to lift the eurozone”. The Times (London).

Kissinger, H. (Washington Post, October 5, 1998, p. A21) “Perils of Globalism: The IMF is no longer suited for dealing with economic crises”.

Krugman, P. & Helpman, E. (1985). Market Structure and Foreign Trade: Increasing Returns, Imperfect Competition, and the International Economy. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krugman, P. & Helpman, E. (1989). Trade Policy and Market Structure. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krugman, P. (1990). Rethinking International Trade. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krugman, P. & Wells, R. (2006). Macroeconomics. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Kuttner, R. (Washington Post, September 7, 1998, p. A25) “Free Markets and a Free Fall World Economy. Economic reconstruction after World War II accepted the necessity of a mixed economy”.

Sachs, J. (The Economist, September 12, 1998, p. 23) “Global Capitalism, Making It Work”. Retrieved on 13th October 2014 from: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/about/director/pubs/econo912.pdf

Soros, G. (The Wall Street Journal, September 15, 1998, Op. Ed) “The Crisis of Global Capitalism”.

The Economist (September 5, 1998) “Capitalism in retreat? A related and more worrying backlash against the free markets is the increasing interest on the part of politicians and economists in market intervention or capital controls as a solution to the crisis”.

The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The Economist all-items commodity-price index has fallen by 30 percent since mid-1997, to its lowest level in real terms for over 25 years”.

The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The World Economy on the Edge: The risks of a deep global recession are increasing”. Retrieved on 13th October 2014 from: http://www.economist.com/node/163310

Washington Post, (December 22, 1997, p. A1) “IMF Credibility Is on the Line in Asia Bailout, Agency Should Rethink Rescues”.

Yergin, D. & Stanislaw, J. (1998).  The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy. London: Free Press.

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Domestic Acts of Terrorism Research Paper

Domestic Acts of Terrorism
Domestic Acts of Terrorism

Domestic Acts of Terrorism

Interaction of these agencies when preparing for, responding to, or recovering from Domestic Acts of Terrorism.

Order Instructions:

The intent and purpose of this Module is to familiarize the student with other agencies that are involved with Domestic Security and Terrorism. There are too many agencies to present; therefore, I request the student read their missions and histories.

Students are encouraged to deviate from the posted readings and look at the provided DHS organizational chart, seek the charts from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Military, the State Department, and the Justice Department to find out more. The organizations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are deliberately left out because the students should cover both of these agencies in depth in other classes. The Case questions concern the interaction of these agencies when preparing for, responding to, or recovering from an act of domestic terrorism.
The student is required to cover the required readings and apply the information provided combined with the student’s research to answer the following questions:

1. Do you agree/disagree with Thurston’s views on the role of the military in Domestic Terrorism? Why? (Thurston, 2007)

2. Explain the interface of CDC and DHS in a domestic bio-terror incident.

3. How would FEMA and the FAA integrate with the DHS, TSA, and Military if a domestic terror incident occurred similar to the events of September 11, 2001?

4. After reading (Haddal, 2010) what do you envision the role and success of the Border Patrol will be in the next five years?

5. In your view (supported by research and citation), do you believe the reorganizations of the first decade of the 21st century to combat domestic terrorism were/are effective? What changes would you recommend and why?

The following items will be assessed in particular:

1. Your ability to apply your understanding of the roles of the assigned agencies in combating domestic terrorism and their interrelationships.

2. Your ability to express the effectiveness of the changes in the entire spectrum of homeland security as applied to domestic terrorism.

3. In-text references to the modular background readings (APA formatting recommended) and a reference page. Outside background reading sources encouraged and expected.

Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking).
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.

Academic Source, Required readings:

ATF Home Page, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives website: Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.atf.gov/

Brinkerhoff, J.R. (2009). The role of Federal military forces in domestic law enforcement title. US Army Combined Arms Center, Newsletter 10(16), Ch. 11. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from: http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/call/docs/10-16/ch_11.asp

Cook, T. (2008). The Posse Comitatus Act: An act in need of a regulatory update. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.hsdl.org/?view&doc=137185&coll=limited

Haddal, C. C. (2010). Border security: The role of the U.S. Border Patrol. Congressional Research Office. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32562.pdf

Thurston, T. W. (2007). The military’s role in domestic terrorism. Retrieved from: http://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/3019/07Dec_Thurston.pdf?sequence=1

Vision, mission, core values, and pledge: CDC vision for the 21st Century (2010). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm

SAMPLE ANSWER

  1. Do you agree/disagree with Thurston’s views on the role of the military in Domestic Terrorism? Why? (Thurston, 2007)

I agree and support Thurston’s views as presented in his article ´The Military’s Role in Domestic Terrorism´, on the role of the military in deterring, combating and providing assistance in instances of domestic terrorism in the US. He asserts that to effectively counter acts of home-grown terrorism, there is need for a concerted effort between the military and the civilian security forces.  This is because protecting the lives of Americans is mandatory and the state should use all the resources at its disposal, including the military, to protect the citizens from any acts of terror. This is clearly spelt out in the National Strategy for Homeland Security, NSHS, of 2007. It states in part that ´´…the United States will use all instrument of national power and influence, diplomatic, information, military, economic, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement, to achieve our goals to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; protect the American people…” The supportive role of the military is especially relevant in situations where the civilian police is widely overstretched or overwhelmed, and so the troops act as  a force multiplier. This makes the use of the troops domestically, not to be a question of choice, but of necessity. The military’s role should however, as Thurston purports­­­­­­­­, not be a leading role but a supportive role since while they may have more airpower and substantial personnel, they do not necessarily possess the relevant training to effectively deal with domestic terrorism. This is true because the military are prone to using excessive force that may harm civilians. To counter this, they should be provided with relevant training in dealing with domestic terrorism. Their participation in countering domestic insurgents should also be short lived and their involvement halted once a situation can ably be handled by the civil police (Thurston, 2007).

  1. Explain the interface of CDC and DHS in a domestic bio-terror incident.

The twenty first century has witnessed an increase in bio-terror attacks such as the release of anthrax virus. Bio terrorist use disease causing agents such as viruses and bacterial to harm or kill people and animals by deliberately releasing them in the environment (Jones D., 2005) Both the Centre for disease control, CDC and the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, have a significant role to play in combating bio terror in the American soil. The CDC has the role of preventing and controlling bio terror, through such activities as detecting infections, conducting research on vaccines and controlling the spread of diseases such as small pox and anthrax, so as to promote the health of the public. CDC relies so much on DHS as it is the source of intelligent imminent attack so that the CDC can be put on high alert. This cooperation is vital as it can avert a possible terror incident or alleviate the effect of a bio terror as a result of information sharing. The DHS also works in partnership with relevant agencies to provide emergency support to CDC in case of a bio terror incident. This partnership between CDC and DHS helps in combating, controlling and even eradicating germs used as terror weapons. Just like the mission of CDC is to protect the lives of Americans through promotion of health security by swift response to health concerns, so does DHS, through its various departments that are created to respond to bio terror attacks.

  1. How would FEMA and the FAA integrate with the DHS, TSA, and Military if a domestic terror incident occurred similar to the events of September 11, 2001?

The DHS is adequately prepared in instances of emergencies through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. Federal Aviation Agency, FAA, and FEMA are components of the DHS. FEMA enhances disaster preparedness and provides emergency response during terror attacks that cannot be avoided, such as the September 11 attack, by reducing the impacts of a domestic terror attack and ensuring that Americans do not become victims of terror. FEMA does this by encouraging quick recovery of those affected by acts of terrorism. FAA is also under DHS and it is majorly concerned with enhancing security in the aviation industry through enhancement of screening of passengers as well as cargoes, enforcement of immigration laws so as to reduce the risk of passenger attack. In the event of terror incident similar to the September 11 attack, the DHS shall mobilize FEMA to enhance emergency services to the citizens while the FAA and TSA would be on high alert to boost security at the airport to prevent explosives from entering the country or attackers from escaping, and ensuring general aviation security as a key infrastructure. This shall be enhanced by the deployment of the military to provide support to the civilian police in restoring calm and order, and strengthening entire security of the state. The department of home homeland security shall coordinate all these agencies’ efforts since it has the overall mission of providing security in the home land.

  1. After reading (Haddal, 2010) what do you envision the role and success of the Border Patrol will be in the next five years?

The United States Border Patrol, USBP, as I envision it in five years, shall consolidate its role of protecting the states border points. Because of its expanding budget and fund allocation, the USBP will be in a better position to install more advanced and secure surveillance gadgets in both its northern and the porous southern borders. The border patrol agents, who also have an important role of not only detecting, but also deterring illegal migrants and terrorists, will be equipped with advanced skills since the huge budget allocation will facilitate training of border agents. Other shortfall such as lack of clear statistics on issues related to the border, such as availability of data on illegal migrants, and number of border agents attacked will be, in future, consolidated and more accurate statistics provided by border agents. There shall also be a consolidated integrated border enforcement team in the northern border of Canada to exert joint efforts in enhancing border patrol and security.

  1. In your view (supported by research and citation), do you believe the reorganizations of the first decade of the 21st century to combat domestic terrorism were/are effective? What changes would you recommend and why?

The 21st century has seen extensive overhaul of the security system and agencies involved in combating domestic terrorism and this was necessary if war on terrorism was to bear fruits.  These new reorganizations, especially in the Department of homeland security, have drastically improved the level of preparedness of the state. The changes introduced are very effective since there is now a department solely focused on ensuring security in the homeland and its borders (Haddal, 2010). The effectiveness has been especially achieved through the establishment of various departments and agencies that even deal with emergencies such as FEMA, by ensuring that citizens do not become victims or terrorism. Information sharing among departments and the various relevant agencies has also enhanced their cooperation, hence, improving on effectiveness and raising more public awareness on terrorism. Effectiveness is also seen since there has never been a major attack in the country since September 11 and security has been beefed up in the aviation industry (Elias, 2009). Again, numerous plots of terrorist attacks in the U.S. soil have been foiled since the reorganizations and this indicates the effectiveness of such reorganizations

However, the reorganizations will make do with some crucial recommendations such as:

  • Security alert should be strengthened. The thwarted terror attacks indicate that US is still a target for terrorists and as such increased intelligence to detect any possibility of terror in US soil should be adopted.
  • There should also be a clear way in which the military and the civil police can work together to combat domestic terrorism. This should be in place to avoid confusions during a joint task force.
  • The federals states need to establish a wider pool of volunteers as these will provide ready response to disaster and increase preparedness. This is because the local civilians can respond rapidly and assist each other after an attack before the federal can organize itself.
  • There should be integration between the local and state efforts that are geared towards countering acts of terror.

With these in place, the risks of terrorist attack within USA will drastically be reduced. It is impossible to totally avoid the threats of terror attacks but stringent and practical measures as detailed in the DHS can be adopted and implemented to keep America safer.

References

Haddal, C. C. (2010). Border security: The role of the U.S. Border Patrol. Congressional Research Office. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32562.pdf

Elias B., (2009). National Aviation Security Policy, Strategy and Mode-specific Plans. Background and Considerations for Congress.

Jones, D. (2005). Structures of Bio-terrorism Preparedness in the UK and the US: Responses to 9/11 and the Anthrax Attacks. British Journal Of Politics & International Relations, 7(3), 340-352. doi:10.1111/j.1467-856X.2005.00189.x

Thurston, T. W. (2007). The military’s role in domestic terrorism. Retrieved from: http://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/3019/07Dec_Thurston.pdf?sequence=1

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Marketing in the 21st Century Essay

Marketing in the 21st Century
Marketing in the 21st Century

Marketing in the 21st Century

Order Instructions:

Please pay attention to details hear and respond to all the question in details. and most important it is critical that the writer focus on the points mentioned at the end of the questions . all aspect must be thoroughly address in the paper.

Marketing in the 21st Century

Once again, you will utilize articles listed in the Resources section to explore the different topics for your Research Paper. Below, you will find a series of questions pertaining to each article. You do not have to answer the questions directly, but they are included to guide you in discovering the type of information that you need to complete the research paper.

After reading “Retail Marketing Trends in USA and Their Effects on Consumers and the Global Workforce,” and “Internet Retailing Quality: One Size Does Not Fit All,” consider the following questions:

• What should online retailers do to establish a clear difference from retailers that have off-line stores?

• What should be the strategies for retailers with physical locations that intend to also establish themselves online and how should these retailers seamlessly integrate their channel offerings?

• How has globalization influenced marketing trends?
Using the information you have read and any other outside resources that you have found, prepare a summary (2 pages minimum) of how these topics relate to the overall subject you are addressing in your paper. Remember to refer back to the main task of this paper, which is to describe how you believe the usage of the individual marketing mix variables is likely to change in the future and what companies must do to adapt their marketing approaches in order to achieve competitive advantage.

In particular, focus on the following aspects:

• The changing landscape of traditional advertising methods that have become less effective as consumers turn to the Internet from mass media and the evolution of newer pricing models for the Internet, including the use of channel intermediaries as retailers seek to compete with pure-play Internet retailers.
Marketing changes and adaptations that have become necessary due to the globalization of the marketplace.

Resources

Articles

• Chinta, R. (2006). Retail marketing trends in USA and their effects on consumers and the global workforce. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 1(2), 65–80. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.

This article identifies and describes current trends in the field of retail marketing,

• and sets them in the context of significant changes in the field in recent years.

Griffiths, G., & Howard, A. (2008). Balancing clicks and bricks – strategies for multichannel retailers. Journal of Global Business Issues, 2(1), 69–76. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.

This article explores the difficulties of doing business both in stores and online and describes a model for establishing the correct balance between the two approaches. The authors also identify five themes that need to be considered by multichannel retailers.

•Chinta, R. (2006). Retail marketing trends in USA and their effects on consumers and the global workforce. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 1(2), 65–80. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.
This article identifies and describes current trends in the field of retail marketing, and sets them in the context of significant changes in the field in recent years.

•Griffiths, G., & Howard, A. (2008). Balancing clicks and bricks – strategies for multichannel retailers. Journal of Global Business Issues, 2(1), 69–76. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.
This article explores the difficulties of doing business both in stores and online and describes a model for establishing the correct balance between the two approaches. The authors also identify five themes that need to be considered by multichannel retailers.

•Francis, J. (2007). Internet retailing quality: One size does not fit all. Managing Service Quality, 17(3), 341–355. doi:10.1108/0960452071074433
In this article, the author studies four dimensions of quality that should be considered in Internet marketing: the transaction, the delivery, customer service, and security.

•Gregory, G., Karävdic, M., & Zou, S. (2007). The effects of e-commerce drivers on export marketing strategy. Journal of International Marketing, 15(2), 30–57. doi:10.1509/jimk.15.2.30
This study describes a theoretical model developed by the authors to determine the effect of e-commerce drivers on the development of export marketing strategy and the results of testing this model.

•Nelson, R., Cohen, R., & Rasmussen, F. (2007). An analysis of pricing strategy and price dispersion on the Internet. Eastern Economic Journal, 33(1), 95–110. doi:10.1057/eej.2007.6
Due to the accessability of information on the Internet, consumers can now research both the price and quality of products. In this article, the authors present the benefits of keeping pricing consistent across products and over time.

•Wong, E. (2008). Nielsen: Private label deemed equal to name brands. [Electronic version]. Brandweek, November 17. Retrieved from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/nielsen-private-label-deemed-equal-name-brands-104824
This article discusses the findings of a Neilsen study dealing with the desirability of name brands compared to private labels.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Marketing in the 21st Century

Online retailing has emerged as an important retail force as consumers are purchasing online. It is now up to the conventional offline retailers to respond. In order to establish a clear difference from retailers that have offline stores, online retailers should lower their prices below the prices that offline stores ask for the same products (Chinta, 2006). This will allow price conscious consumers to take full advantage of the cost savings which could at times be considerable. Online retailers need to offer a wide variety of selection – seemingly endless selection – that offline retailers may not be able to provide. Online retailers should ensure the convenience of online shopping by enabling buyers to make a purchase of any item in seconds from the comfort of their homes (Francis, 2007).

Online retailers should also allow shoppers to compare the features and prices of their products instantaneously. Online information capture is generally more frequent and detailed. Click stream data gives complete information on how a customer shops, whilst virtual shopping carts serve as loyalty cards that capture the purchase habits of shoppers (Strzelec, 2011). Therefore, online retailers can actually increase their sales simply by targeting repeat purchases basing on individualized content of each consumer. More importantly, online retailers can extract behavior data of consumers to turn abandoned shopping baskets and/or switching decisions into operational indicators of how to stock products and serve shoppers (Chinta, 2006).

For retailers with physical stores that intend to also establish themselves online, their strategies should be to provide new services such as buy-online pick-up-in-store, in order to keep pace with preference of the shoppers. Francis (2007) pointed out that having a physical offline store wherein shoppers can engage with a product before ordering the product actually boosts demand as well as revenue. The online store would encourage consumers to align themselves with the channel that serves them better – be it online or offline – therefore optimizing the experience of the customer and reducing costs for the business (Gregory, Karävdic & Zou, 2007). Offline stores/retailers can take their brand to the web and realize immediate recognition and trust. It is of note that this value is actually true for the existing shoppers as well as aware shoppers who look for the benefits of the personalized, intimate experience and the more informative buy (Wong, 2008).

Retailers with physical stores should seamlessly integrate their channel offerings simply by introducing online shopping perks to the offline, in-store consumers. For instance by (i) allowing the shoppers to pick up online orders from the company’s physical, brick-and-mortar location; (ii) Providing free Wi-Fi. (iii) By offering in-store access to the company’s online catalog; (iv) developing an app that allows the buyers to scan product bar codes and read online reviews, and (v) accepting mobile payments through the in-store point of sale system (POS) of the company (Griffiths & Howard, 2008). In essence, companies that can seamlessly integrate offline and online offerings would be the most successful.

Globalization is essentially a trend that is typified by denationalization. Globalization has influenced marketing trends in that increasingly more companies are engaging in business-to-customer and business-to-business e-commerce that necessitates the use of online marketing strategies to attract buyers and improve sales (Nelson, Cohen & Rasmussen, 2007). Basically, the multinational firms that make use of e-commerce more intensively, engage in a wide range of e-commerce activities compared with companies that are less global.

References

Chinta, R. (2006). Retail marketing trends in USA and their effects on consumers and the global workforce. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 1(2), 65–80. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database

Francis, J. (2007). Internet retailing quality: One size does not fit all. Managing Service Quality, 17(3), 341–355. doi:10.1108/0960452071074433

Gregory, G., Karävdic, M., & Zou, S. (2007). The effects of e-commerce drivers on export marketing strategy. Journal of International Marketing, 15(2), 30–57. doi:10.1509/jimk.15.2.30

Griffiths, G., & Howard, A. (2008). Balancing clicks and bricks – strategies for multichannel retailers. Journal of Global Business Issues, 2(1), 69–76. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database

Nelson, R., Cohen, R., & Rasmussen, F. (2007). An analysis of pricing strategy and price dispersion on the Internet. Eastern Economic Journal, 33(1), 95–110. doi:10.1057/eej.2007.6

Strzelec, P. C. (2011). Online vs. Offline Shopping: Retailers Must Respond. Dallas, TX: CRC Press.

Wong, E. (2008). Nielsen: Private label deemed equal to name brands. [Electronic version]. Brandweek,November 17. Retrieved from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/nielsen-private-label-deemed-equal-name-brands-104824

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Chemical Reactions Assignment Help

Chemical Reactions
Chemical Reactions

Chemical Reactions

Chemical Reactions

Order Instructions:

will upload the questions

SAMPLE ANSWER

Chemical Reactions

 Question 1. What is the molar mass of an oxygen molecule?

Answer: (B) 32.00 g/mol (Lew 38)

Question 2.Complete combustion of a hydrocarbon (a molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen) is a reaction where oxygen reacts with the compound to yield carbon dioxide and water. Which of the following is the correct, balanced equation for complete combustion of C2H4?

Answer: (B) C2H4 + 2O2           2H2O + 2CO2 (Lew 31)

Question 3. How many hydrogen atoms are in 14.8 g of (C2H5)2O?

Answer: (B) 1.20 X 1024

Question 4. What is the mass of 0.250 mol of Mg(OH)2?

Answer: (B) 14.6 g

Question 5. What is the molar mass of calcium hydroxide?

Answer: (D) 74.10 g/mol

Question 6. What is the coefficient for O2 after you balance the following equation:

___ C3H8 + ___ O2 ➔ ___ CO2 + ___ H2O

Answer: (C) 5

Question 7. If iron reacts with oxygen to form iron (II) oxide, which of the following equations correctly represents this process?

Answer: (D) 2Fe + O2           2FeO

Question 8. How many mol of Al2O3 are present in 86.5 g of Al2O3?

Answer: (C) 0.848 mol

Question 9. What is the mass of 1.26 mol of CF4?

Answer: (D) 111 g

Question 10. How many hydrogen atoms are in 2.8 mol of ammonia?

Answer: (B) 1.7 X 1024

Question 11. How many mol of Ca2+ ions are in 2.8 mol of Ca3N2?

Answer: (B) 8.4 mol Ca2+

Question 12. If potassium reacts with bromine to form potassium bromide, which of the following equations correctly represents this process?

Answer: (C) 2 K + Br2              2KBr (Lew 90)

Question 13. How many chloride ions are in 14 mol of CaCl2?

Answer: (A) 1.7 X 1025 Cl—

Question 14. What is the coefficient for chlorine after the following equation is balanced?

___ I2 + ___ Cl2 ➔ ___ ICl5

Answer: (D) 5

Question 15. Is the following equation balanced? Na3PO4 + AlCl3              3 NaCl + AlPO4

Answer: (B) No

Question 16. How many carbon atoms are present in 25.6 g of benzene (C6H6)?

Answer: (A) 1.18 X 1024 C atoms

Question 17. What is the mass of 67,500 molecules of O2?

Answer: (B) 3.59 X 10–18 g (Lew 33)

Question 18. How many moles of O atoms are there in 0.73 moles of Ca(ClO4)2?

Answer: (B) 5.8

Question 19. If magnesium reacts with hydrogen to form magnesium hydride, which of the following equations correctly represents this process?

Answer: (C)Mg + H2           MgH2

Question 20. If you have 5.0 X 1024 molecules of water, how many mol of water do you have?

Answer: (C) 1.5 X 102 mol H2O

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Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report

Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report
Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side                                  Report

Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report

Order Instructions:

Progress Report/Information Report.

Due: Thursday October 16th

Weighting: 20%

Each member will be allocated a phase of the Marketing Project and will provide a progress report on that particular phase.

The assignment acts as a progress report of the final project to demonstrate understanding of the relevant Phase of the Group Marketing Project and as such detailed feedback will be provided by tutors.

You are required to complete an analysis of the marketing strategy of our Client Partner – Price Waterhouse Coopers, focusing on the particular marketing issue (what does PWC look like in 2-5 years?) related to the organisation. Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) will be applied to the marketing issue and the framework provided by BOS used to formulate a marketing solution supported by other marketing concepts and analytical tools.

The analysis must demonstrate:
(a) understanding of the predominant marketing systems in the Client Partner industry
(b) the potential to develop ‘blue-ocean’ strategies for the Client Partner
(c) application of the analysis to the Client Partner.

Report Phase 3 – Supply Conditions and Intermediaries, Environment and Observers

Supply Conditions including for example:
• What are the conditions for supplying the product? Number, type, size and location of direct and indirect competitors supplying the product or service (including both domestic based and international import suppliers) i.e. What are the supplier alternatives?
• What is the concentration or lack of concentration of ownership and trends in supply. Use Supplier Power analysis from Porter’s 5 Forces.
• Nature of value creation and delivery system linking producers and consumers for this type of product or service (including channels of distribution, key input suppliers, key complimentors and other relevant intermediaries that impact on the cost of the product)
• Government actors involved and their role
• Environmental Impacts on Supply – contraints and enablers: Including, socio-cultural, economic and material environment, regulations, technology, and relevant infrastructure (transport, communication, finance etc)
• Any marketing models or frameworks applied to the supply conditions you consider appropriate.
• Use appropriate Blue Ocean Strategy theory and models to evaluate the supply conditions. (See Appendix 3 for Model and Chapter Table)

Intermediaries, Environment and Observers
• Nature of Intermediaries (e.g. distributors, transportation, logistics, warehousing, retailers) predominant in the industry and their role.
• Industry Observers Outside the Firm and Service Organisations and their influence/role such as: Industry Studies, Unions, Business Press (BRW), Local Org. Chambers of Commerce, State Governments, Federal Government, Domestic Trade Bodies/Statistics and International Organisations, e.g. OECD; World Bank, etc. Service organisations such as trade associations, investment banks, consultants, advertising agencies, etc

Suppliers and Intermediaries
(Supply Side) Other Marketing Frameworks
– Relevant macro level impacts on industry competition (PESTL)
– Porter’s 5 Forces: Supplier Power
– Porter’s Value Chain

Phase 3 – Nature of Industry Marketing and Competitive Positioning Strategies

Identify the kinds of strategy selection in your industry. (e.g. six basic strategies can be the starting point for your own custom strategy :
– Cost leader with Product Life Cycle Focus
– Differentiation with Product Life Cycle Focus
– Broad Cost Leader
– Broad Differentiator
– Niche Cost Leader
– Niche Differentiator
Models to use: product Life cycle. Four basic stages
Porters Generic Strategies

Phase 3 – Competitors
Review the market positioning and differentiation of competitors.
Consider the kinds of marketing mix strategies:
– branding, before and after sales services
– product/service design, packaging
– prices, margins, finance and contractual arrangements – advertising and promotion marketing channels, logistics, margins, role of e- commerce.

Cooperative Strategies: strategic alliances, supplier, customer, distributor and complementor relations (including technical alliances, government relations, co-marketing arrangements, sponsorship, trade associations, etc.)

Other aspects of trade and marketing practices and issues not elsewhere covered
Environmental factors affecting competitive and cooperative strategies Including, socio-cultural, economic and material environment, government and regulations (taxes, tariffs, trade practices act), technology (standards bodies), professional bodies and relevant infrastructure (media, transport, finance etc.)

Any marketing models or frameworks applied to the supply conditions you consider appropriate.
Use appropriate Blue Ocean Strategy theory and models to evaluate the competitive position.

IT service industry Marketing and Competitive Positioning Strategies

IT service market (demand condition)
• – The market for green IT services is pushed by businesses to save money and improve efficiencies
• – IT services market will grow 60 percent per year into 2013
• – More enterprises are investigating hiring IT services firms to help plan and implement
• – Large number of outsourcing and hosting IT services market (e.g. “cloud computing”)
• IT Service Trend (supply condition)
– Outsourcing (offshore)
• – high-value, innovative and consultative services
• – Seeking cost savings and management centralization

competitor analysis:
• Aim: To identify market and competitive strategies of major competitors
• Implication of competitors:
• – Fast-cycle business
• – Hypercompetitive
• – Most emphasis on differentiation, cost leadership
• – Strength the relationship between company and clients
• – Value maximization
• Strategy selection (sustainable): • Cost leadership
– Lowering price relative to competitors and still create value to customers
• Differentiation with PLC focus: Provide distinguishing services through
-high awareness and easy accessibility product

-Value chain management: Cornerstone of business

Competitive advantage/ Differentiation of competitors.
Marketing Mix Strategy
Branding: Image, message, interaction, prospects
• Product/Service: Differentiation, competitive response, market testing
Packaging: Sustainable view
Before and after sales service: Building relationships with customers, handling feed backs, delivery original promises
Price: • Set up based on different variables
Advertising and promotion
Appropriate,budget,unique, design
Marketing channels and e commerce
Efficiency.
Right place, easy to use, technical control

Cooperative Strategies
– To establish strong position against external threat, minimizing weaknesses and maximizing core competencies through strategy alliance
• Customer
– Contract alliance
– Loyalty and Retention
• Distributor
– Joint Venture/partnership
– “FujiXerox’s Triangle Corporation”
• Complementor relations
– Synergistic
– E.g.HP technical alliance
Service market Matrix.
Environmental Factors
• Economic
– Domestic/Global economic climate
• Market Standards
– ACCC, ITIL, ISO
• Technology
• Corporation infrastructure – Media
– Skilled human resource – Finance
– Security

Conclusion
1. Marketing approaches: strategy selection.
Cost leadership:
Differentiation with PLC
Value chain management
2. Marketing mix strategy
-Setup 4P’s based on specific niche market
3. Cooperative strategy:
– Speeding up the development of services & market entry
– Maintaining market leadership
– Overcoming uncertainty/sharing risk
•4. Environmental factors
– Identifying external threat factors and choosing right strategies

Intermediaries, Environment and Observers
• Nature of Intermediaries (e.g. distributors, transportation, logistics, warehousing, retailers) predominant in the industry and their role.
• Industry Observers Outside the Firm and Service Organisations and their influence/role such as: Industry Studies, Unions, Business Press (BRW), Local Org. Chambers of Commerce, State Governments, Federal Government, Domestic Trade Bodies/Statistics and International Organisations, e.g. OECD; World Bank, etc. Service organisations such as trade associations, investment banks, consultants, advertising agencies, etc

This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:
• Articulate frameworks and approaches to harness the power of marketing-oriented thinking for the creation of long-term advantage of any organisation.
• Be able to conduct an industry and market analysis to assess market opportunities by analysing customers, competitors, collaborators, and other external forces

Enhance awareness of marketing’s contribution to society through discussion of ethical and professional conduct and issues in corporate social responsibility

SAMPLE ANSWER

Report: Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side

In this paper, an analysis of the marketing strategy of Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) is provided that focuses on the particular marketing issue – that is, what PwC looks like in the next 2 to 5 years – related to the organization. The supply conditions, intermediaries, the environment and observers are analyzed exhaustively. PESTL and Porter’s Supplier Power are described pertaining to PwC’s supply side. The Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) will be employed to the marketing issue and the framework provided by BOS used in formulating a marketing solution supported by other concepts and analytical tools.

1.0       Supply Conditions and Intermediaries, Environment and Observers

PwC is an international professional services network, and it is currently the second largest professional services network in the world as measured by its revenues of the year 2014. Along with Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Deloitte, PwC is one of the Big 4 auditors worldwide (PwC 2014). With regard to the conditions for supplying the service – auditing, tax, advisory, and consulting services –, the main competitors to PwC include KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Out of four biggest auditors in the world, Deloitte is the largest. In the year 2012, the world revenue of Deloitte was $32.4 billion; PwC had aggregated gross revenues of $32.09 billion; Ernst & Young had combined revenue of $25.83 billion; and in the fourth place was KPMG with worldwide revenue of $23.42 billion (Saito & Takeda 2014, p. 205).

Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young are each a network of firms, and they are managed and owned independently. They have entered into accords with other member companies in the network to share common quality standards, brand and name. Each of these networks has created an entity for co-coordinating the network’s activities. In most instances, these 3 major competitors to PwC have member firms in countries all over the world. Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young have separate legal entities in India, Europe, Americas, Africa, the Middle East, as well as the Asia-Pacific region in countries such as Japan (Strahler 2013, p. 19). As such, Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young are the main direct competitors to PwC not only nationally in Australia, but also internationally. Besides these three main competitors, PwC also faces direct competition from many small auditing firms nationally and this impacts on PwC’s financial bottom-line.

The main environmental impacts on supply consist of regulations, economic, socio-cultural environments. Accounting firms and auditors face market discipline that works towards a decreased likelihood of future accounting scandals. The Auditing and Assurance Standards Board develops guidance and standards for auditors and accountants. The regulations set by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission must be observed, which are intended to ensure that Australia’s fiscal markets are transparent and fair, supported by informed and confident consumers and investors (Francis, Michas & Yu 2013, p. 1629).

Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) theory

This theory postulates that there are unexploited markets as well as the opportunity for higher growth without having to eat away at the competitors’ profits. Competition is not relevant according to the Blue Ocean Strategy, since the rules of the game are yet to be laid down. With supply being more than the demand in many industries, to compete for contracting markets would not be adequate in sustaining high performance (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005). With the use of BOS, PwC can be able to succeed not by fighting with the competitors in the marketplace, but through the creation of blue oceans of uncontested market space. Such strategic moves would lead to a leap in value for Price waterhouseCoopers, its staffs, and clients, whilst unlocking new demand and rendering the competitors irrelevant.

2.0       Intermediaries, Environment and Observers

Industry Observers Outside the firm

There are several organizations that have a considerable influence to the auditing industry in Australia. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) administers the requirements of the Corporations Act as it pertains to auditor independence as well as audit quality. ASIC’s audit oversight activities assist with maintaining and raising the standard of conduct in the profession of auditing. It is of note that whilst these activities have both a compliance and educational focus, enforcement action could be taken when considerable non-compliance is identified (Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2014).

The other industry observers are the Australian and Assurance Standards Board and Australian Auditing Standards, which set the requirements and offer application on other explanatory material regarding: (i) the form as well as content of the auditor’s report. (ii) The responsibilities and duties of an auditor when engaged to carry out an audit of a fiscal report, or complete set of fiscal statements, or any other historical fiscal information (Auditing and Assurance Standards Board 2014). Another industry observer is the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), a statutory, independent agency with the responsibility of creating standards and guidance for auditors as well as providers of other assurance services. The Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) administers and regulates the proceeds of crime, personal insolvency system, and trustee services. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) provides board oversight of the process for establishing standards of accounting in Australia (Australian Government 2014).

            PESTL

A scan of an organization’s external macro-environment may be described in terms of Legal, Political, Economic, Technological, Environmental, and Social factors (Porter 1998). Political: at present, there is political stability in Australia and in a lot of other countries in which PwC operates in, and this is favorable to PwC and other auditors. Economic factors: the economic growth in Australia was 2.8% in 2013 and the rate of inflation is 3% (World Bank 2014). This is favorable to PwC and other auditors since it illustrates that there is a growing market and opportunity of the services offered by PwC.

Social factors:  in terms of demographics, Australia. has a population of about 23.13 million, with 89 percent living in suburbs, cities and other urban areas as of the year 2014. The rate of population growth is currently 1.4 percent, and the education level in the Australia is very high (World Bank 2014). Technological factors: technology has a substantial influence and impact on auditing. The incessant evolution of software and hardware provides auditors with the capacity to do more complex calculations with greater accuracy, speed, ease and mobility. Now, auditors can speedily collect data, produce reports, and explicitly communicate the results (Montgomery 2010, p. 50). Some of the new technology available to auditors include IDEA from CaseWare IDEA Inc., and ACL from ACL Services Ltd which are software programs for data mining and data extraction.

Legal factors: these include consumer protection, rules on monopolies and mergers, international trade regulations and restriction, as well as national employment laws in Australia and in other nations around the world wherein PwC operates in. In the Australia, PwC must pay its workers no less than the stipulated minimum wage of $16.87 per hour or $640.90 per week as mandated by the Fair Work Commission (Montgomery 2010, p. 42). Auditors must also comply with the regulations established by the government and government bodies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and the Australian Accounting Standards on auditing quality, standards, and integrity.

            Porter’s 5 Forces: Supplier Power – Low

In Porter’s 5 Forces, the supplier power is understood as the pressure that suppliers can exert on business organizations by raising the prices (Gurau 2007, p. 380). At present, the bargaining power of suppliers is not a significant force in such a fragmented industry. Essentially, universities are suppliers considering that nearly all employees in this market come out of business schools. The auditing firms can obtain workers from the many universities and business schools across Australia, and therefore this makes the supplier power to remain low.

3.0       Nature of Industry Marketing and Competitive Positioning Strategies

            Kinds of strategy selection   

Cost leader with Product Life Cycle Focus: in essence, this would entail seeking to reduce the costs through expertise and efficiency (Montgomery 2010, p. 58). The services offered by PwC would be allowed to age and alter in appeal from High End, to Traditional, and ultimately Low End clients. The firm will focus on profits, return on investment, and ROS, and the company will spend moderately on promotion and sales. Moreover, the firm will spend low on research and development, and invest in technology early enough in the life-cycle of the product (Porter 1998). Differentiation with Product Life Cycle Focus: with this strategy, the company will be seeking to be recognized everywhere as the auditing firm that provides best quality auditing and consulting services in terms of objectivity, integrity, and competence. The firm will offer several product lines in targeted segments – Low End, Traditional, and High End. There will also be high investments in promotion and sales with the aim of creating maximum awareness as well as accessibility. The focus will be on Asset Turnover and ROA (Montgomery 2010, p. 61).

Broad Cost Leader: the firm will strive to be the low-cost producer in all segments of the market. The company would enjoy good profit margins on all sales whilst keeping prices low for clients who are price-sensitive (Murray 2008, p. 390). The firm will be more probable to reposition its services than introduce new services to the marketplace, and it will tend to spend less on sales and promotion. The focus will be on profits and market share, and capacity improvements are not likely to be undertaken. In addition, the firm would finance investments using stock issues and/or debt (Porter 1998). Broad Differentiator: the firm aims at creating maximum awareness as well as brand equity, and wants to be known as an auditing firm which provides high-quality and very sought-after auditing and consulting services. The firm focuses on profits and market share, maintains a presence in every market segment, and it spends greatly on sales and advertising with the purpose of creating maximum awareness and accessibility. The firm will tend to charge higher prices for its services (Montgomery 2010, p. 62).

Niche Cost Leader: the firm will be seeking to dominate each of the price sensitive market segment, and it will aim at setting prices below that of all the competitors in the marketplace, and still remain profitable. The company focuses on profits, returns on investment and ROS, and invests in several service lines within the low-tech segments – traditional and Low End segments. The firm will also spend moderately on advertising to clients who are cost sensitive (Porter 1998). Niche Differentiator: the firm will be seeking to be recognized as the best provider of high quality consulting and auditing services in all the targeted segments. It will offer several product/service lines in segments that are high-tech, and there is little focus in the other segments (Montgomery 2010, p. 61). The business also focuses on ROI, asset turnover, as well as ROE.

Product Life cycle: this is essentially a concept of how a particular product moves through 4 basic stages which are (i) introduction; (ii) growth; (iii) maturity; and (iv) decline. Introduction: this is when the service is introduced into a marketplace. Growth stage: the marketplace has accepted the new service and demand of the auditing and consulting services provided by the company start to increase along with sales. Maturity: sales attain their peak. Decline: sales start to reduce as the product/service gets to its saturation point (Murray 2008, p. 392).

4.0       Competitors: KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young

            Market Positioning and differentiation of competitors

As noted earlier, the main competitors to PwC are KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. The 4Ps of marketing strategy include product, price, place/distribution, and promotion. Product: product is the auditing and accounting services offered by PwC’s competitors. Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Deloitte all provide high quality accounting and auditing services and consulting practice, which has contributed to their wide popularity not only in Australia, but internationally. Deloitte focuses on providing uniquely high-quality and innovative auditing and consulting services, and this has enabled it to hit global revenues record of $34 billion (Saito & Takeda 2014, p. 205). KPMG provides exceptional professional services and provides 3 basic service lines including advisory, audit and tax. Ernst & Young also offers high-quality audit services to clients in more than 150 countries worldwide (Francis, Michas & Yu 2013, p. 1644). The auditing and consulting services provided by each of these firms is virtually the same, and there is little differentiation.

Price: the pricing of the services offered by the competitors is dependent on various variables and thus it is always updated. The main consideration is costing of the service, the expenses incurred in marketing and advertising, as well as price fluctuations in the marketplace. Since the three main competitors are all prestigious and highly-respected firms, they tend to price their services highly. Smaller competitors, however, tend to charge less expensively for auditing and consulting services (Saito & Takeda 2014, p. 205). Place/distribution: this pertains to how companies get their products/services to the clients and customers. KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young have member firms throughout Australia and in countries all over the world. They have separate legal entities in India, Europe, Americas, Africa, the Middle East, as well as the Asia-Pacific region, and they use these member firms to get their services to clients worldwide. Promotion: this is when a company communicates the value and benefits of its services/products to the consumers. KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and other competitors of PwC often make use of personal selling to promote themselves (Robson & Roseman 2009, p. 76).

            Cooperative strategies

The three top competitors of PwC have established cooperation with customers and suppliers in Australia and in many other nations the world over. Ernst & Young works with various universities and business schools which supply the firm with employees. Some of these universities and business schools include Warwick Business School; Nottingham University; Leeds University Business School; Bangor University’s Bangor Business School; Pace University’s Lubin School of Business; and School of Business, University at Albany. Ernst & Young cooperates with various customers including Lehman Brothers and PNC Financial Services Group. KPMG cooperates with the University of Exeter Business School, Birmingham Business School, and also works together with Durham University Business School which are some of its suppliers. KPMG also works with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW). Deloitte cooperates with many customers and a lot of these clients are among the FTSE 250 corporations. It has also partnered with various suppliers such as Columbia University’s Columbia Business School; and School of Business, University at Albany in New York (Francis, Michas & Yu 2013, p. 16).

            Environmental factors affecting competitive and cooperative strategies

The key environmental factors that affect competitive as well as cooperative strategies include state and national governments and regulations considering that policies established by the government can enhance or impede competition strategies and cooperation strategies. All the competitors in this industry must observe the ASIC, and AASB standards, rules and regulations. The companies in this industry take into account the Blue Ocean Strategy and understand that there are unexploited markets as well as the opportunity for higher growth without having to eat into the profits of other players in the industry. KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young have been able to succeed not by fighting with each other and other auditors in the marketplace, but through the creation of blue oceans of uncontested market space (Kim & Mauborgne 2005).

 

 

5.0       Conclusion

In conclusion, regarding the conditions for supplying the service – auditing, tax, advisory, and consulting services –, the main competitors to PwC include KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Each of these networks has created an entity for co-coordinating the network’s activities both in the Australia and in more than 150 nations globally hence they are PwC’s competitors both nationally and globally. The main industry observers are Australian Accounting Standards Board, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, and Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The competitors have partnered with suppliers and clients including universities and business schools across Australia. By using Blue Ocean Strategy, PwC can be able to succeed not by fighting with the competitors in the marketplace, but through the creation of blue oceans of uncontested market space.

References

Auditing and Assurance Standards Board 2014, Australian Auditing Standards. Available at http://www.auasb.gov.au/Pronouncements/Australian-Auditing-Standards.aspx (Accessed October 14, 2014).

Australian Government 2014, Financial Regulation. Available at http://australia.gov.au/topics/economy-money-and-tax/financial-regulation (Accessed October 14, 2014)

Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2014. Financial Reports & Audit: For Auditors. Available at http://asic.gov.au/auditors (Accessed October 14, 2014).

Francis, J, Michas, P, & Yu, M 2013, ‘Office Size of Big 4 Auditors and Client Restatements’, Contemporary Accounting Research, 30, 4, pp. 1626-1661, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Gurǎu, C 2007, ‘Porter’s generic strategies: a re-interpretation from a relationship marketing perspective’, Marketing Review, 7, 4, pp. 369-383, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Kim, W, & Mauborgne, R 2005, Blue Ocean Strategy : How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant, Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press, Discovery eBooks, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Montgomery, A 2010, ‘Price Waterhouse Coopers shrinks to PwC’, Design Week Online, 2010, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Murray, AI 2008, ‘A Contingency View of Porter’s “Generic Strategies”‘, Academy Of Management Review, 13, 3, pp. 390-400, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Porter, M 1998, Competitive Strategy. New York: Free Press.

PWC 2014, About Us. Available at http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about-pwc/index.jhtml (Accessed October 12, 2014).

Robson, GS., & Roseman, GH 2009, Is Government Regulation of Auditors Redundant? Boca Raton, FL: Penguin Publishers.

Saito, Y, & Takeda, F 2014, ‘Global Audit Firm Networks and Their Reputation Risk’, Journal Of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, 29, 3, pp. 203-237, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Strahler, SR 2013, The Big Four’s New Math, Crain’s Chicago Business, 36, 40, p. 0019, Regional Business News, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

World Bank 2014, Country Profile: Australia. The World Bank.

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Software development project Assignment

Software development project
Software development project

Software development project

Order Instructions:

Please read this assignment 4 instruction.

Problems:

1. Prepare a small scale project. Use as your model one of the following:

a. Remodel project
b. Software development project
c. Events management project ( an awards banquet, or events at your choice)

Develop a statement of work for the project, using the format of: (1) background, (2) task, (3) objectives, (4) approach, (5) input source. Next, create a Work Breakdown Structure for the project.

What are the key steps, including work packages, tasks, and any related subtasks for the project?

2. Using the project you have identified in Problem 1, create a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) for it, identifying at lease six fictitious project team members.

3. Research a real project resources and develop a brief scope statement for the project, a general WBS, and any other information pertaining to the scope management for that project.

There are a total of 25 points for Assignment 4.
Grading rubrics for this assignment:

Criterion
Points
Quality and depth of analysis 20
Quality of Presentation
Effective presentation of information
Timeliness of submission

SAMPLE ANSWER

Background Information

This project provides a template to be used in software development. It includes a simple workflow accompanied with its statuses representing the tasks that go through the development project. Most software projects fail though. According to the Standish group reports, over 80% of the software development projects do not succeed. This is simply because they may be late, over budgeted, have some missing functions or a combination. The records also show that about 30% of the software projects are canceled before they are completed simply because of their poor execution. The projects that use the modern technologies such as the J2EE, XML, Java and Web Services are also no exception to this rule (Subramanyam, Weisstein, & Krishnan, 2010).

Task

It is important to carry out best practices during the project in order to run a successful software development project. It is important to put into consideration the development process and choose the most appropriate development lifecycle process because all other activities during the project will be derived from that process. Most software development projects however use some kind of spiral based methodology over a waterfall process.  The choices include the IBM Global services method, Rational Unified Process (RUP) and the eXtreme Programming (XP). What process to use in the project does not matter rather how well the process will be executed.

Gathering and agreeing on the requirements of the project is essential to a successful software project. The development team should understand what needs to be built not necessarily to all the requirements before any design and coding are done. Quality requirements could be divided into functional and non-functional requirements. The use of the use cases documents the functional requirements. Non-functional requirements on the other hand describe the characteristics of the system and performance of the application. They are important because of the major impact they have on the application architecture, performance and design.

The application architecture should also be chosen appropriately. This contributes majorly to projects failure if not chosen well. Tried and true architectural practices are known as patterns and they range from the java patterns, to EJB design patterns (Subramanyam, Weisstein, & Krishnan, 2010). The concept of antipatterns however is brought about by the projects that fail and they are valuable because of the knowledge they provide about what works and what does not.

A good design is mandatory despite having a good architecture. Most project managers either under design or overdesign their applications. Performing object oriented analysis and design using the UML is important for software projects. Code construction is the most visible task for a total project effort. It is equally important to the architecture, analysis, design and test.

Testing is an integral task in the software development project. It is not an afterthought when the schedule becomes tough. Instead, it should be done proactively meaning that the test cases are planned before coding is done and are developed while the application is under design and coding. Lastly, a successful project must be under project management. A good project manager is aware of the existence of the above mentioned tasks and applies the lessons learnt from the previous projects.

Objectives of a Software Development Project

The objectives are what give a project a clear direction and thus the most important thing that one can do in a project. Project objectives provide a measuring stick to make the project more effective. One only qualifies the venture as a success only if the project objectives are met. It is a practical way that enables the project manager to keep track of the progress made during the project and it does not matter whether what was to be done was actually done.

The project objectives should be done during the initial and planning processes of the project management. During the initial stage, the objectives are defined of what the project expects to accomplish. During the planning stage, they are just narrowly defined and they become part of the process in determining how the project will be accomplished.

The objectives should be clear and concise to communicate succinctly what the project should accomplish. Muddled objectives could show that the project was not necessary. The smaller objectives designed to help achieve a greater objective makes the task seem more manageable. However, its main importance is to ensure that members are able to make measurable processes.

The software development project is helpful in keeping the objectives in mind as it gives space for the objectives to be listed thus ensuring that the project manager is on track. By getting ideas from various stakeholders and team members, a project manager puts together a list of objectives that he or she believes will guide the project to a successful outcome.  Examples of these objectives are: Control on Project Lifecycle, standards and methodology, metrics, transparency, stakeholders’ rights among others.

Approach

The overall goal of the software development project approach is to allow clients to have total visibility all throughout the project. If the project is broken down into logical iterations, the project manager and the team are able to focus on all the aspects of business in detail without feeling overwhelmed. Examples of the software approach include: the document initial scope, draft statement of work with fixed price and schedule, among others.

Input Source

Inputs and preconditions in the initial stage of the software testing are not feasible not even with a simple product. This is the most fundamental problem in the software testing. The number of defects in a software product can be extremely large and the infrequently occurring defects could be difficult to find during the software testing. Software developer however can test everything. However, they can at the same time use a combinatorial test design to identify the minimum test number for the required coverage (Di Tullio & Staples, 2013).

Work Breakdown Structure

The analysis phase in the project has two tasks: the Glossary and the Requirements Specifications. The Requirements Specification is the divided into three sub-tasks: the Use cases, Supplementary Specification and the Reporting requirements. The sub-tasks however can be broken down further into components that could be estimated for the time, cost or the resources required (Lee & Xia, 2010).

Responsibility Assignment Matrix

OBS Units

WBS Activities

1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.1.5
Project management R
Analysis P RP
Design RP
Construction RP
Testing P RP

 

R=Responsible Organizational Matrix

P=Performing Organizational matrix

Software Project Management Resources

Resources are always limited all over projects. The human and software resources are always limited since they service multiple projects. Thus, the onus on a software project manager is to organize his project management resources carefully and use them in the right way to achieve the set objectives for the ongoing project. The feasibility to deploy more resources so as to reduce the calendar time is applicably limited in the software development projects. Thus the available resources need to be managed effectively. Example of resources used in the software development project is: time, the human resources, computer resources and money (Di Tullio & Staples, 2013).

The resources are majorly classified into four standpoints: Availability, place of availability, elasticity, and shared and dedicated. Availability could be recurring or depleting. An example of recurring is the human resources that are equally available day-after-day. Depleting resources are like time and money whereby their use depletes them. The place of availability could be classified as movable or immovable. An immovable place of availability is only available in the situated place and cannot be moved from one place to another. For example, the computer resources are not moved from one place to another during the project. A movable place of availability like the human resources and even money can be moved from one place to another.

Elasticity is further classified into elastic and plastic resources. The elastic resources are those that can have their supply either increased or decreased such as the human resources and money. Plastic resources, however, cannot have their supply extended. A good example for this is time. Lastly, the shared resources are those that are needed for only a short time such as the database Administrators. Dedicated resources are those assigned fully to the project such as the programmers.

References

Di Tullio, D., & Staples, D. (2013). The Governance and Control of Open Source Software Projects. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 30(3), 49-80.

Lee, G., & Xia, W. (2010). Toward agile: An integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative field data on software development agility. MIS Quarterly, 34(1), 87-114.

Subramanyam, R., Weisstein, F., & Krishnan, M. S. (2010). User Participation in Software Development Projects. Communications Of The ACM, 53(3), 137-141.

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Sustainability Research Assignment Help

Sustainability
Sustainability

Sustainability

Order Instructions:

Sustainability
Corporate sustainability is an issue that continues to garner increased attention and importance for shareholders, consumers, and companies alike. Since 2004, Corporate Knights, a Canadian media firm, has published a list of the top 100 sustainable companies in the world. The efforts and profits among those highest on the list demonstrate that companies are increasingly able to adopt strategies that are socially and environmentally responsible and financially lucrative. Consider Umicore, the top company on Corporate Knight’s 2013 Global 100 list.

Umicore is a Belgian-based materials technology firm recognized for its treatment of their employees, the products it produces, its profitability, and its efficiency. According to Doug Marrow, Corporate Knight’s vice president of research, “Relative to its global peers in the materials industry group, the company squeezes more revenue out of each resource input (including energy and water), while generating less externalities (greenhouse gas emissions and waste)” (Smith, 2011). However, Umicore’s efforts extend beyond its own sustainability strategies. According to Morrow, “They generate over half of their revenue by selling products that help other firms improve their sustainability performance, such as energy efficiency” (Smith, 2011). The company has, in effect, created a comprehensive business model based on sustainability.

To prepare, consider the implications of expanding the definition of sustainability to include economic and social elements. Think about how implementing a strategy for improving sustainability can benefit the organization you chose for your SSP.

Instruction

By Day 5 of Week 6, read all of your colleagues’ posts and respond to two colleague in one of the following ways:

•Offer insight into an additional systemic benefit of one of the actions proposed by your colleagues.
•Provide insight on any potential obstacles to implementing actions proposed by your colleagues.
•Provide an alternative action that your colleagues’ chosen organizations can take to implement a strategy for achieving sustainability.
•Refute or support the relationships among sustainability and other organizational goals identified by your colleagues.
•Answer one of the questions posed by your colleagues in their posts.

Colleague #1 (Lachaundra)

P&G Sustainability Goals

In 2010, Procter & Gamble (P&G), the largest consumer goods company in the world, publicized its sustainability goals with 2020 targeted as the completion year: (1) 100% renewable energy used to power plants, (2) 100% renewable or recycled materials for products and packages, (3) zero consumer and manufacturing waste related to products going into landfills, and (4) design and sell products that delight consumers while maximizing the conservation of resources (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

P&G Sustainability Goals Benefits

• 100% renewable energy used to power plants

o For P&G the plan is that by 2020 all energy powering its manufacturing plants will be obtained from renewable sources or power from a grid that is generated by renewable sources (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).. Facilities that run on renewable energy usually require less maintenance than traditional facilities because their fuel is being derived from natural resources thereby reducing the costs of operation (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).. Additionally, renewable energy does not produce carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so the impact to the environment is minimal (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

• 100% renewable or recycled materials for products and packages

o By 2020, P&G aims to use renewable materials in the construction of their products and product packaging (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). The plan is to utilize materials from traditional sources like biomass and from biological processes like fermentation (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). Using renewable materials means that production will contribute to the destruction of critical ecosystems, loss of habitat for endangered species, or other detrimental impacts on the environment or human communities (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

• Zero consumer and manufacturing waste going into landfills
o P&G plans to have all waste end up in a valued waste stream like recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy without toxic emissions (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). Currently waste is disposed of by recycling, composting, converting waste-to-energy, and landfills (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). The first three give value to the waste; however, waste in landfills have no value (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

• Designing and selling products that delight consumers and conserve resources

o No later than 2020, P&G plans to help consumers reduce their individual environmental footprint by designing products that conserve resources (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). In those instances where consumer habit changes are required to deliver the environmental benefit, P&G intends to provide consumer education as part of the sustainability solution (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

P&G Sustainability Goals & Organizational Goals: Connections

The power of P&G is not only in its large size, it is also in the company’s ability to influence the companies that supply the company’s goods, services, and raw materials (Environmental Responsibility, n.d.). Along with the sustainability goals P&G has set for 2020, it also developed a supplier sustainability assessment to help them look at the way in which their suppliers’ environmental performance is measured and evaluated (Environmental Responsibility, n.d.). Called the “Scorecard” the assessment tool also serves as a communication portal through which P&G can convey what is important to them and by extension should also be too important to their suppliers as well as gather feedback and ideas from the suppliers about P&G processes (Environmental Responsibility, n.d.).

Benefits of P&G Sustainability & Organizational Goal Connections

As a large company P&G has the technical expertise and other resources that their smaller suppliers don’t. P&G’s ability and willingness to share this expertise with their suppliers can aid in the suppliers’ performance and ultimately improve their own. While sharing expertise often requires additional investment upfront, it also leads to efficiencies that reduce costs in the long term. P&G through its Scorecard sets energy efficient targets that it expects its suppliers to meet and then offers research and consulting services to help the suppliers meet them.

P&G Sustainability Plan Ethical Implications

Though P&G enjoys considerable financial gains from their sustainability efforts and for the communities in which they operate, social equity has the clearest ethical connection to P&G, that of socio-economic fairness (Social Responsibility, n.d.). Wealthy countries have the ability to provide choices for sustainable living, while the poor countries do not. Recognizing this P&G’s sustainability plan is built upon the idea of solidarity with the poor and fostering economic development for them that will enhance sustainability (Social Responsibility, n.d.). P&G’s Pur aims to purify 2 billion liters of water in Africa and save 10,000 lives (Social Responsibility, n.d.). Its Beautiful Lengths program, under its Pantene brand, solicits locks of hair to be woven into wigs for women receiving cancer treatments (Social Responsibility, n.d.).

Extended Conversation
How much of an impact do mitigating factors like pricing impact the ability of a company to successfully implement a sustainability program? What could you contribute to the transition to more sustainable living? What ethical argument could persuade society to assume an obligation to preservation of the world for future generations?

References

Environmental Responsibility. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/environmental_sustainability/index.shtml

Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/sustainability/reports/PG_2010_Sustainability_Report.pdf.

Social Responsibility. (n.d.) Retrieved from

http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/social_responsibility/index.shtml

Colleague #2 (Geraldine)

Analyzing the Company Strategy Type

International Business Machines (IBM) Global is an IT consulting and manufacturing company, and about 431,212 employees globally including all industrialized countries. IBM focuses the great demands, competition, and technology advancement. Company strategies are business goals, customer-oriented portfolio strategy and human resource transformation (IBM.com, 2013). Their products and services serve the banking and financial institutes, public and governments, manufacturing, distribution, general industry, and other industries.

IBM revenue drop 2.3%, cut resources about 8,000 resources globally, and estimated 1.8% of the total workforce 2011. However, the net income grew 4.7% last year, due to organization change and restructuring. The rate of growth in restructuring charges has nearly doubled from $440 million to $803 million since the first year of Ginni Rometty. IBM declared cutting resources mainly resources were not qualified in particular to IBM new products and services offerings, such as storage, mobile computing, cyber security, and cloud computing (Cohen, 2013).

IBM value chain illustrates that Human Resource (HR) organization and operation is their weakest link, due to lack of differentiation between the same pool of competitor and consultants. However, IBM SWOT analysis illustrates an opportunity for IBM. As operations emerge the markets, it focuses heavily with the expansion of its presence in emerging markets, and this added significantly to its expansion and growth.

One of the company initiatives is improving the human resources process through more innovation. The time is crucial and costly, due to the risk and affect to business. Hiring skilled and qualified resources requires a standard and expedited hiring process, and as well as internal resources performance. IBM diverse workforces’ effort to implement a change initiative (Pelletier & Bligh, 2008) is vital. The company modified their hiring process, they are hiring key and qualified resources, providing resources tools to advance knowledge, promote innovation thinking to achieve shaping and driving common set of values and behaviors.

IBM business offerings are applications, data storage advancement, infrastructure management, networking enhancement, technical support, and consulting services. The consulting and services offerings are business process and IT infrastructure services, systems integration, and resources services. As these offering expand and technology advances, IBM other initiative is revisiting their current process and strategy confirming they are aligned and consistent with their customer-driven approach and objective (IBM, 2013). Trust in a continuously transformational management plan and initiative comes from expert leadership collaboration, guidance, communication and approval (Newman, 2012).
IBM strategic success is managing with proficiency in products and services. As they continue to adapt advance technologies, market and consumer needs, and maintains and continues to utilize acquisitions to expand product and services offering. As the demands produce growth in revenues, the organization exercised effective guidelines in order to sustain the industry’s performance. The guidelines are:

• The guideline is to rebuild the brand name. IBM clients and the consumers demand a product with great brand and quality, with this IBM brand name has exemplified. IBM is one of the major companies that invested to build and maintain their brand value with the help of talented leadership (Hind, Wilson, & Lenssen, 2009). Their leadership features are an advantage, but very fragile (Vassilikopoulou et al., 2009).

• The guideline is to determine and define factors to advance security management. For instance, IBM labels official website stability and opportunities for language. A change comes from the bottom, the above is not required to successfully embraced change initiatives, for framework as an opportunity to change is likely to be embrace and a framework as a threat is likely to prevent or oppose (Chreim, 2006). This guideline will assist analyzing its finding, validate compliance, and risk analysis to view the affect such as potential financial loss (Chen, Ganesan, & Liu, 2009).

• The guideline is to be more innovative and competitive. For example, IBM launched the smarter planet program; this is to provide the overall process, with the company’s co-brands services (DeSimone & Popoff, 2000). IBM’s plan is to identify and define problems in an automated process, real-time results, with this will be a great asset improving any organization infrastructure, and as well, as reduce energy, lower maintenance costs and improve data and workplace environment (Gungor & Gupta, 1999).

Stacey (2011) stated that industry model recommended taking risks and continuing to be sustainable. One of the risks is the company action of creating relationship and partnership with rival companies and another key company. IBM and Apple partnership objective is to provide broader product lines, as they restructure the company’s reputation, and explores new opportunities (IBM.com, 2013).

Extended Conversation

In regards to IBM and Apple partnership, the questions come to mind. Is it a negative or positive decision? What is the positive and negative effect to the internal resources? What will the profit show? In addition, in regards to the guidelines above, any suggestion for IBM?

References

Chen, Y., Ganesan, S., & Liu, Y. (2009). Does a firm’s product-recall strategy affect its financial value? An examination of

strategic alternatives during product-harmcrises. Journal of Marketing, 73(6), 214-226. doi:10.1509/jmkg.73.6.214.

Cohen, P. (2013). As it shrinks in a growing market, does IBM have a strategy? Forbes.com Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/06/14/as-it-shrinks-in-a-growing-market-does-ibm-have-a-strategy

DeSimone, L. D., & Popoff, F. (2000). Eco-efficiency: the business link to sustainable development. MIT press.

Gungor, A., & Gupta, S. M. (1999). Issues in environmentally conscious manufacturing and product recovery: a survey.

Computers & Industrial Engineering, 36(4), 811-853. doi:10.1016/S0360-8352(99)00167-9.

Hind, P., Wilson, A., & Lenssen, G. (2009). Developing leaders for sustainable business. Corporate Governance, 9(1), 7-20. doi:10.1108/1472070091-036029.

IBM.com. (2013). IBM power systems advantages. Retrieved from http://www03.ibm.com/systems/power/advantages/index.html

Newman, J. (2012) Organisational change management framework for sustainability. Greener Management

International, 57, 65-75. Retrieved from http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/productdetail.kmod/.

Pelletier, K. L. & Bligh, M.C. (2008). The aftermath of organizational corruption: Employee attributions and emotional reactions. Journal of Business Ethics, 80(4), 823-844. doi:10.1007/s10551-007-9471-8.

Stacey, R., (2011). Strategic management and organisational dynamics: The challenge of complexity. (6th ed.) Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited.

Vassilikopoulou, A., Lepetsos, A., Siomkos, G., & Chatzipanagiotou, K. (2009). The importance of factors influencing product-harm crisis management across different crisis extent levels: A conjoint analysis. Journal of Targeting,

Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, 17(1), 65-74. doi:10.1057/jt.2008.30.

Please take note; please respond to each colleague individually with two references each !!! Once again each colleague individually.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Order Instructions:

Sustainability
Corporate sustainability is an issue that continues to garner increased attention and importance for shareholders, consumers, and companies alike. Since 2004, Corporate Knights, a Canadian media firm, has published a list of the top 100 sustainable companies in the world. The efforts and profits among those highest on the list demonstrate that companies are increasingly able to adopt strategies that are socially and environmentally responsible and financially lucrative. Consider Umicore, the top company on Corporate Knight’s 2013 Global 100 list.

Umicore is a Belgian-based materials technology firm recognized for its treatment of their employees, the products it produces, its profitability, and its efficiency. According to Doug Marrow, Corporate Knight’s vice president of research, “Relative to its global peers in the materials industry group, the company squeezes more revenue out of each resource input (including energy and water), while generating less externalities (greenhouse gas emissions and waste)” (Smith, 2011). However, Umicore’s efforts extend beyond its own sustainability strategies. According to Morrow, “They generate over half of their revenue by selling products that help other firms improve their sustainability performance, such as energy efficiency” (Smith, 2011). The company has, in effect, created a comprehensive business model based on sustainability.

To prepare, consider the implications of expanding the definition of sustainability to include economic and social elements. Think about how implementing a strategy for improving sustainability can benefit the organization you chose for your SSP.

Instruction

By Day 5 of Week 6, read all of your colleagues’ posts and respond to two colleague in one of the following ways:

•Offer insight into an additional systemic benefit of one of the actions proposed by your colleagues.
•Provide insight on any potential obstacles to implementing actions proposed by your colleagues.
•Provide an alternative action that your colleagues’ chosen organizations can take to implement a strategy for achieving sustainability.
•Refute or support the relationships among sustainability and other organizational goals identified by your colleagues.
•Answer one of the questions posed by your colleagues in their posts.

Colleague #1 (Lachaundra)

P&G Sustainability Goals

In 2010, Procter & Gamble (P&G), the largest consumer goods company in the world, publicized its sustainability goals with 2020 targeted as the completion year: (1) 100% renewable energy used to power plants, (2) 100% renewable or recycled materials for products and packages, (3) zero consumer and manufacturing waste related to products going into landfills, and (4) design and sell products that delight consumers while maximizing the conservation of resources (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

P&G Sustainability Goals Benefits

• 100% renewable energy used to power plants

o For P&G the plan is that by 2020 all energy powering its manufacturing plants will be obtained from renewable sources or power from a grid that is generated by renewable sources (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).. Facilities that run on renewable energy usually require less maintenance than traditional facilities because their fuel is being derived from natural resources thereby reducing the costs of operation (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).. Additionally, renewable energy does not produce carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so the impact to the environment is minimal (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

• 100% renewable or recycled materials for products and packages

o By 2020, P&G aims to use renewable materials in the construction of their products and product packaging (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). The plan is to utilize materials from traditional sources like biomass and from biological processes like fermentation (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). Using renewable materials means that production will contribute to the destruction of critical ecosystems, loss of habitat for endangered species, or other detrimental impacts on the environment or human communities (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

• Zero consumer and manufacturing waste going into landfills
o P&G plans to have all waste end up in a valued waste stream like recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy without toxic emissions (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). Currently waste is disposed of by recycling, composting, converting waste-to-energy, and landfills (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). The first three give value to the waste; however, waste in landfills have no value (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

• Designing and selling products that delight consumers and conserve resources

o No later than 2020, P&G plans to help consumers reduce their individual environmental footprint by designing products that conserve resources (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010). In those instances where consumer habit changes are required to deliver the environmental benefit, P&G intends to provide consumer education as part of the sustainability solution (Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report, 2010).

P&G Sustainability Goals & Organizational Goals: Connections

The power of P&G is not only in its large size, it is also in the company’s ability to influence the companies that supply the company’s goods, services, and raw materials (Environmental Responsibility, n.d.). Along with the sustainability goals P&G has set for 2020, it also developed a supplier sustainability assessment to help them look at the way in which their suppliers’ environmental performance is measured and evaluated (Environmental Responsibility, n.d.). Called the “Scorecard” the assessment tool also serves as a communication portal through which P&G can convey what is important to them and by extension should also be too important to their suppliers as well as gather feedback and ideas from the suppliers about P&G processes (Environmental Responsibility, n.d.).

Benefits of P&G Sustainability & Organizational Goal Connections

As a large company P&G has the technical expertise and other resources that their smaller suppliers don’t. P&G’s ability and willingness to share this expertise with their suppliers can aid in the suppliers’ performance and ultimately improve their own. While sharing expertise often requires additional investment upfront, it also leads to efficiencies that reduce costs in the long term. P&G through its Scorecard sets energy efficient targets that it expects its suppliers to meet and then offers research and consulting services to help the suppliers meet them.

P&G Sustainability Plan Ethical Implications

Though P&G enjoys considerable financial gains from their sustainability efforts and for the communities in which they operate, social equity has the clearest ethical connection to P&G, that of socio-economic fairness (Social Responsibility, n.d.). Wealthy countries have the ability to provide choices for sustainable living, while the poor countries do not. Recognizing this P&G’s sustainability plan is built upon the idea of solidarity with the poor and fostering economic development for them that will enhance sustainability (Social Responsibility, n.d.). P&G’s Pur aims to purify 2 billion liters of water in Africa and save 10,000 lives (Social Responsibility, n.d.). Its Beautiful Lengths program, under its Pantene brand, solicits locks of hair to be woven into wigs for women receiving cancer treatments (Social Responsibility, n.d.).

Extended Conversation
How much of an impact do mitigating factors like pricing impact the ability of a company to successfully implement a sustainability program? What could you contribute to the transition to more sustainable living? What ethical argument could persuade society to assume an obligation to preservation of the world for future generations?

References

Environmental Responsibility. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/environmental_sustainability/index.shtml

Procter & Gamble Sustainability Report. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/sustainability/reports/PG_2010_Sustainability_Report.pdf.

Social Responsibility. (n.d.) Retrieved from

http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/social_responsibility/index.shtml

Colleague #2 (Geraldine)

Analyzing the Company Strategy Type

International Business Machines (IBM) Global is an IT consulting and manufacturing company, and about 431,212 employees globally including all industrialized countries. IBM focuses the great demands, competition, and technology advancement. Company strategies are business goals, customer-oriented portfolio strategy and human resource transformation (IBM.com, 2013). Their products and services serve the banking and financial institutes, public and governments, manufacturing, distribution, general industry, and other industries.

IBM revenue drop 2.3%, cut resources about 8,000 resources globally, and estimated 1.8% of the total workforce 2011. However, the net income grew 4.7% last year, due to organization change and restructuring. The rate of growth in restructuring charges has nearly doubled from $440 million to $803 million since the first year of Ginni Rometty. IBM declared cutting resources mainly resources were not qualified in particular to IBM new products and services offerings, such as storage, mobile computing, cyber security, and cloud computing (Cohen, 2013).

IBM value chain illustrates that Human Resource (HR) organization and operation is their weakest link, due to lack of differentiation between the same pool of competitor and consultants. However, IBM SWOT analysis illustrates an opportunity for IBM. As operations emerge the markets, it focuses heavily with the expansion of its presence in emerging markets, and this added significantly to its expansion and growth.

One of the company initiatives is improving the human resources process through more innovation. The time is crucial and costly, due to the risk and affect to business. Hiring skilled and qualified resources requires a standard and expedited hiring process, and as well as internal resources performance. IBM diverse workforces’ effort to implement a change initiative (Pelletier & Bligh, 2008) is vital. The company modified their hiring process, they are hiring key and qualified resources, providing resources tools to advance knowledge, promote innovation thinking to achieve shaping and driving common set of values and behaviors.

IBM business offerings are applications, data storage advancement, infrastructure management, networking enhancement, technical support, and consulting services. The consulting and services offerings are business process and IT infrastructure services, systems integration, and resources services. As these offering expand and technology advances, IBM other initiative is revisiting their current process and strategy confirming they are aligned and consistent with their customer-driven approach and objective (IBM, 2013). Trust in a continuously transformational management plan and initiative comes from expert leadership collaboration, guidance, communication and approval (Newman, 2012).
IBM strategic success is managing with proficiency in products and services. As they continue to adapt advance technologies, market and consumer needs, and maintains and continues to utilize acquisitions to expand product and services offering. As the demands produce growth in revenues, the organization exercised effective guidelines in order to sustain the industry’s performance. The guidelines are:

• The guideline is to rebuild the brand name. IBM clients and the consumers demand a product with great brand and quality, with this IBM brand name has exemplified. IBM is one of the major companies that invested to build and maintain their brand value with the help of talented leadership (Hind, Wilson, & Lenssen, 2009). Their leadership features are an advantage, but very fragile (Vassilikopoulou et al., 2009).

• The guideline is to determine and define factors to advance security management. For instance, IBM labels official website stability and opportunities for language. A change comes from the bottom, the above is not required to successfully embraced change initiatives, for framework as an opportunity to change is likely to be embrace and a framework as a threat is likely to prevent or oppose (Chreim, 2006). This guideline will assist analyzing its finding, validate compliance, and risk analysis to view the affect such as potential financial loss (Chen, Ganesan, & Liu, 2009).

• The guideline is to be more innovative and competitive. For example, IBM launched the smarter planet program; this is to provide the overall process, with the company’s co-brands services (DeSimone & Popoff, 2000). IBM’s plan is to identify and define problems in an automated process, real-time results, with this will be a great asset improving any organization infrastructure, and as well, as reduce energy, lower maintenance costs and improve data and workplace environment (Gungor & Gupta, 1999).

Stacey (2011) stated that industry model recommended taking risks and continuing to be sustainable. One of the risks is the company action of creating relationship and partnership with rival companies and another key company. IBM and Apple partnership objective is to provide broader product lines, as they restructure the company’s reputation, and explores new opportunities (IBM.com, 2013).

Extended Conversation

In regards to IBM and Apple partnership, the questions come to mind. Is it a negative or positive decision? What is the positive and negative effect to the internal resources? What will the profit show? In addition, in regards to the guidelines above, any suggestion for IBM?

References

Chen, Y., Ganesan, S., & Liu, Y. (2009). Does a firm’s product-recall strategy affect its financial value? An examination of

strategic alternatives during product-harmcrises. Journal of Marketing, 73(6), 214-226. doi:10.1509/jmkg.73.6.214.

Cohen, P. (2013). As it shrinks in a growing market, does IBM have a strategy? Forbes.com Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2013/06/14/as-it-shrinks-in-a-growing-market-does-ibm-have-a-strategy

DeSimone, L. D., & Popoff, F. (2000). Eco-efficiency: the business link to sustainable development. MIT press.

Gungor, A., & Gupta, S. M. (1999). Issues in environmentally conscious manufacturing and product recovery: a survey.

Computers & Industrial Engineering, 36(4), 811-853. doi:10.1016/S0360-8352(99)00167-9.

Hind, P., Wilson, A., & Lenssen, G. (2009). Developing leaders for sustainable business. Corporate Governance, 9(1), 7-20. doi:10.1108/1472070091-036029.

IBM.com. (2013). IBM power systems advantages. Retrieved from http://www03.ibm.com/systems/power/advantages/index.html

Newman, J. (2012) Organisational change management framework for sustainability. Greener Management

International, 57, 65-75. Retrieved from http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/productdetail.kmod?

Pelletier, K. L. & Bligh, M.C. (2008). The aftermath of organizational corruption: Employee attributions and emotional reactions. Journal of Business Ethics, 80(4), 823-844. doi:10.1007/s10551-007-9471-8.

Stacey, R., (2011). Strategic management and organisational dynamics: The challenge of complexity. (6th ed.) Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited.

Vassilikopoulou, A., Lepetsos, A., Siomkos, G., & Chatzipanagiotou, K. (2009). The importance of factors influencing product-harm crisis management across different crisis extent levels: A conjoint analysis. Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, 17(1), 65-74. doi:10.1057/jt.2008.30.

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Critical appraisal Essay Assignment Help Available

Critical appraisal
Critical appraisal

Critical appraisal

Order Instructions:

This critical appraisal must be written in narrative format. Use headings for each section of the paper as identified in the guidelines, such as Strengths, Weaknesses, and Evaluation. You can also use subheadings of Problem and Purpose, Literature Review, and so forth as needed to organize your paper. Do not use outline numbers in this paper (i., ii., iii., etc.) or present the paper in outline format. This assignment is worth 100 points.

Guidelines for Preparing Critical Appraisal:

A. Review the chapters of your textbook (Grove, Burns, & Gray, 2013) and other research sources (i.e., Grove, 2007, articles and assigned readings, discussion board, research textbook from undergraduate program) to determine what is quality research.

B. Compare the steps in this study to criteria established in your textbook or other research sources to determine the study’s strengths and weaknesses. You can use the questions on pages 459-462 in Grove et al. (2013) to help you identify study strengths and weaknesses.

C. Evaluate the study findings using the questions in your text as a guideline (Grove et al., 2013, p. 462).

D. Prepare the critical appraisal using the following guidelines:

  • Paper should be a maximum of 15 double-spaced pages of text (excluding reference list).
  • Use appropriate documentation and develop a reference list using APA (2010) format.
  • Write in a narrative style, not an outline format.

E. Document throughout your paper using your textbooks and other research sources to support the statements you making in your critical appraisal of the article.

Format for Critical Appraisal #2

A. Discuss the strengths and/or weaknesses of each part of the study. Compare the steps in the study with published research sources(s) to determine if the step is a strength or weakness and provide a rationale to support your decision. Document throughout. Example: The statistical conclusion design validity is a strength in this study since the researchers consistently implemented the intervention in the study based on a detailed protocol (Grove et al., 2013).

  • Purpose/Problem
  • Literature review
  • Framework
  • Objectives, questions, and/or hypotheses
  • Definition of variables
  • Study design: Strengths and threats in the areas of statistical conclusion validity, internal validity, construct validity, and external validity
  • Intervention (if applicable)
  • Sampling process
  • Measurement methods
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis
  • Discussion Section: Findings, limitations, generalizations, implications for practice, and future research.

B. Develop a final evaluation of the quality of the study. Do not just restate strengths and weaknesses. Discuss:

  • Your confidence in the study findings.
  • Consistency of this study’s findings with the findings from other studies.
  • Readiness of findings for use in practice.
  • Contribution of the study to nursing knowledge.

Document your statements with references from nursing research literature and your research textbooks.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Critical Appraisal

Cossette, S., Frasure-Smith, N., Dupuis, J., Juneau, M., & Guertin, M. (2012). Randomized Controlled Trial of Tailored Nursing Interventions to Improve Cardiac Rehabilitation Enrollment. Nursing Research, 61(2): 111-120

Purpose/Problem

The strength of this purpose section is that the problem is adequately delimited in scope so that it is actually researchable and not trivial. The problem is researchable since it is not very complex, it is important, and it can be conducted with adequate support. The other strength of this purpose section is that it narrows and clarifies the aim of the study being carried out by the researchers. It has narrowed and made clear the aim as being to establish if a nursing intervention that is focused in individual acute coronary syndrome patients’ perceptions of their illness and treatment would increase rehabilitation enrollment following discharge (Cossette et al., 2012).

The other strength of the problem is that it is significant to clinical practice and nursing. This is primarily because it illustrates whether individualized, progressive nursing interventions would lead to greater rehabilitation enrollment, and in so doing improving long-term outcome. The approach that the researchers apply in the study provides a clinical pathway to addressing the significant concerns encountered by patients following a cardiac event (Cossette et al., 2012). Equally important, this study was feasible to carry out in terms of the availability of subjects and ethical consideration. It is of note that 242 ACS patients who had been hospitalized to a specialized tertiary cardiac center were available to take part. The Research Ethics Board of the hospital reviewed and approved this research study, and there was informed consent (Cossette et al., 2012).

Literature review 

The strength of the literature review section is that it is organized to show the progressive development of evidence from previous research. This is evident from the fact that Cossette et al. (2012) have critically analyzed several actual research studies whose main objective was to increase enrollment to rehabilitation. Another strength is that a summary of the empirical knowledge in the subject of the research study is presented clearly and concisely. In literature review, Cossette et al. (2012) included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) whose aims were to increase rehabilitation enrollment. Three sorts of interventions were tested in the trials including liaison, automatic referrals, and a combination of liaison and automatic referrals. Of the four RCTs, three of them actually showed a considerable increase in rehabilitation enrollment with intervention, and one did not. The knowledge from the four RCTs has been presented in a terse and succinct manner such that the readers will find it rather easy to read and understand. Furthermore, the literature review section actually identifies what is unknown and what is already known as regards the research problem and it offers direction for the formation of the research purpose. Thus, Cossette et al. (2012) point out that there is lack of randomized and controlled trials that evaluate the effect of interventions on enrollment.

The major weakness is that the researchers focused largely on empirical knowledge in the subject matter and have not provided a summary of the current theoretical knowledge, which is of great importance for the purpose and problem of the study. Another weakness is that out of the four RCTs summarized in the review of literature, two of them are not current since they are older than 10 years. In essence, one study was conducted in 1999, the second one in 2001, the third and forth ones in 2007, hence only the last two studies that were reviewed can be considered as current.

Theory framework

The strength is that the researchers have applied a theoretical framework and it is presented in the article. Cossette et al. (2012) used the self-regulation theory, which states that people’s perception of their disease regulates their health behavior as well as risk factor management. According to this theory, cognitive and emotional processes determine disease perceptions, and thus the plan of action in a health crisis (McNamara, 2011). Ryan (2006) stated that it is essential for investigators to link the research framework they use to the purpose of the research. In this research study, Cossette et al. (2012) have linked Leventhal’s self-regulation theory to the research purpose, and this is a strength. Cossette et al. (2012) pointed out that interventions could be obtained from this self-regulation theory, and they added that nursing interventions have to strive to reframe the more conceptual representations of the event to one that are more tangible.

For research studies conducted that pertain to nursing and clinical practice, a framework should be employed by the investigators that actually relates to the body of knowledge in nursing and clinical practice (Breslow & Day, 2012). In this study, self-regulation theory applied relates to the body of knowledge in clinical practice and nursing, and this is a major strength. In this study, there is no relationship or proposition from a theory that needs to be tested; hence no proposition is identified and linked to the hypothesis of the research study.

Variable definitions

The strength of variable definitions section is that the variables are reflective of the concepts identified in the framework. It is of note that the primary outcome in this study was enrollment in the free-access rehabilitation program that was situation close to the hospital in which the patients were recruited. Enrollment for this research study was defined as having attended at least 1 session of rehabilitation within a period of six weeks following discharge from the hospital. Enrollment data were gathered in a computerized database. The other independent entry of data was also carried out by the coordinating center (Cossette et al., 2012). Secondary outcomes have been identified and included anxiety level, medication adherence, family support, and illness perception.

A major weakness of this section is that variables are not clearly defined conceptually. Nonetheless, they are clearly defined operationally. The other strength is that the variables are based on a theory, Leventhal’s self-regulation theory in particular (Cossette et al., 2012) since the 38-item Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) comprised seven dimensions of illness perception, basing on Leventhal’s self-regulation theory. Another weakness is that since there is no conceptual definition of variables in the study, the conceptual definition of a variable cannot be considered as being consistent with the operational definition.

Objectives and hypothesis

The strength of this section is that the objectives and hypothesis of the research study are expressed clearly. Cossette et al. (2012) stated that the aim of their study was to find out whether a nursing intervention focused on individual acute coronary syndrome patients’ perceptions of their illness and treatment would actually increase rehabilitation enrollment following discharge. The hypothesis is also clearly stated. Cossette et al. (2012) hypothesized that patients in the experimental group would demonstrate greater rehabilitation enrollment within a period of six months following hospital discharge after an Acute Coronary Syndrome than would patients in the control group. This hypothesis is stated to direct the conduct of quasi-experimental and experimental research, and this is another major strength of this section.

Another strength of this section is that the objectives and hypothesis are logically linked to the research purpose. In the objectives section, Cossette et al. (2012) have pointed out that the objective of the Transit-CCU clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CCU transit nursing intervention on rehabilitation enrollment 6 months after discharge from hospital in patients who had been admitted for an acute coronary syndrome. Moreover, the objectives and hypothesis are logically linked to the concepts as well as relationships/propositions in the framework.

Study design

Validity

Construct validity is understood as to whether the operational definition of a given variable in reality reflects the factual theoretical meaning of a concept. It ensures that the researcher is actually measuring the construct that she or he wants to study, and it measures how well an experiment or test measures up to its claims (Breslow & Day, 2012). In this study, some of the threats to construct validity include (i) the apprehension of study participants about being evaluated by the researchers, and (ii) bias introduced in the research study by expectancies on the part of the researchers. The strength of construct validity as applied in this study is that the study actually evaluated the effectiveness of CCU transit nursing intervention on rehabilitation enrollment within six weeks of discharge from hospital in patients who had been admitted for an ACS.

Internal validity occurs when one can make cause and effect statements basing on the research study. Internal validity is essentially the approximate truth with regard to inferences about causal or cause-effect relationships (Breslow & Day, 2012). In this study, the strength of internal validity is that the researchers were able to conclude that their intervention made a difference. From their study, Cossette et al. (2012) found that there was a considerably higher rate of rehabilitation enrolment in the intervention group compared with the control group. For the secondary outcomes, the researchers reported that the personal control dimension of illness perception was substantially improved with the intervention.

External validity as used in research addresses the issue of the ability to generalize the research findings to other persons, places, and times (Ryan, 2006). Since this study was conducted in only one setting – a specialized cardiac hospital in Montreal, Quebec – the generalizability of the findings is limited. The threats to external validity are being able to obtain similar findings if the study was carried out in a different setting, and if similar results would be found with a different sample.

Intervention if applicable

The strength of the intervention section is that the treatment is described clearly. The intervention was based upon empirical evidence that suggested a progression in disease perceptions from the acute hospital to post-discharge. The intervention comprised three encounters. Another strength of this section is that the study framework, which is Leventhal’s self-regulation framework, explains the links between the proposed outcomes/dependent variables, and the treatment/independent variables (Cossette et al., 2012). The treatment is appropriate for examining the study purpose as well as hypothesis, and this is another major strength of this section. The researchers monitored the implementation of the treatment to ensure consistency in all the three encounters.

The design is logically linked to the sampling method as well as statistical analyses, a noteworthy strength. Another strength is that two groups were used and they appear equivalent: both the intervention group and usual care group consisted of 121 participants each. Moreover, the subjects were randomly assigned to the treatment group and comparison group. Cossette et al. (2012) point out that the participants were randomized to either the usual-care group or the intervention group, and this is a major strength of this section. The comparison and treatment group assignments were appropriate for the purpose of the study since each comprised 121 participants; an adequate number of participants that is actually appropriate for the study purpose. One weakness is that a protocol was not developed for promoting consistent implementation of the treatment to ensure intervention fidelity since it is not described in the article.

Sample selection

The weakness of this section is that the sampling method was insufficient to produce a sample that is representative. This is because the subjects were not representative of the population: 85% of them were men, and there were children or minorities. In essence, this section did not include an understudied population such as minority or young subjects, since the participants comprised largely of elderly ≥ 65 years old, and adult male patients. The strength is that the sampling criteria were appropriate for the type of study conducted. The criteria for exclusion included being discharged to a long-term care or to a short-term rehabilitation center; being unable to speak English or French; living over 50 miles from the rehabilitation center. Other exclusion criteria included having psychological, physical, or cognitive problems; already receiving outpatient follow-up; referred for surgery; having a final diagnosis besides ACS; or previously completed a rehabilitation program (Cossette et al., 2012). As such, the exclusion criterion was appropriate for the type of study conducted. The potential biases in the sampling method include excluding subjects because of the aforesaid exclusion criteria, and this is a strength since it allowed the researchers to obtain a sample that is appropriate for the study. Moreover, the sample size is adequate to avoid a type II error considering that the sample size comprised 242 participants, and this is a noteworthy strength. The other strength is that the setting used in the study is typical of clinical settings since the study was carried out in adult patients admitted for a suspected ACS at the medical ward or CCU of a specialized cardiac hospital in Montreal, and this is a strength (Cossette et al. (2012). The refusal to participate rate was not a problem since only one participant refused the initial hospital encounter because of hurry to go home, and participants filled a consent form, and this is a strength.

Measurement tools

A key strength of this section is that the measurement methods selected for the study adequately measure the variables of the study; data on enrolment were derived from a computerized database that records each appointment in the rehabilitation program. One weakness is that the measurement methods are not sufficiently sensitive to detect small differences between the subjects. As such, additional methods of measurements should have been utilized to improve the quality of the study. A noteworthy strength of this section is that the measurement methods used have adequate reliability and validity; they actually measure what they were intended to measure and have consistency since with the use of the same measurements methods, the same findings could be obtained in a similar study.

Moreover, the instruments used in the study are clearly described as Cossette et al. (2012) point out that illness perceptions were assessed with the use of a 38-item Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, and basing on Leventhal’s theory, this questionnaire consisted of seven dimensions of illness perception. A 14-item Family Care Climate Questionnaire-Patient version was also used. The researchers assessed anxiety with the use of the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory comprising 20 items. Another strength is that the instrument development process has been described satisfactorily considering that the instrument was developed particularly for this study. In addition, the reliability and validity of instruments have been described amply. Cossette et al. (2012) stated that they assessed concurrent validity by examining correlation coefficients with related constructs, and there was test-retest reliability.

Data collection & Data analysis

An important strength of this section is that the data collection process is described clearly. The authors used a 14-item Family Care Climate Questionnaire-Patient version, a 38-item Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, and a 20-item state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A 4-item Self-Reported Medication-Taking Scale was also used to collect data, in addition to the “Are You Eating Healthy?” scale, which had 20 questions. The other strength is that the forms used to collect data are organized to facilitate computerizing the data. Moreover, the process of data collection is conducted in a manner that is consistent, and this is a key strength of this strength of this section.

Another strength is that the collected data actually address the research hypothesis and the research objectives. For instance, the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire comprised a total of seven aspects of illness perception, and the patients’ perceptions of the support offered by their family members and relatives relating to their health situation were evaluated with the use of the 14-item Family Care Climate Questionnaire-Patient Version. Medication adherence and anxiety were also assessed. The data gathered using the various instruments address the objectives and hypothesis. No adverse events occurred during collection of data, and this is also a strength of this section. Another strength of this section is that the training of data collectors is clearly described and is adequate. Cossette et al. (2012) pointed out that they provided the study nurses with a box of sealed opaque envelopes which they opened after every patient had completed the baseline questionnaire.

The procedures for data analysis are appropriate for the type of data collected and this is a strength. Clinical and sociodemographic variables were summarized as mean ± standard deviation for continuous variables and as percentage and count for categorical variables. The procedures for data analysis are described clearly, which is also a strength of this section. The chi-square test was applied by Cossette et al. (2012) for the primary outcome. The researchers used logistic regression to evaluate models adjusting for baseline variables that were thought to influence the findings (Cossette et al., 2012). The secondary outcomes were analyzed with the use of analysis of covariance models and including the baseline score as a covariate. The other strength is that the results are presented in an understandable way by narrative and includes participant flow, sample description, intervention description, primary outcome, and the secondary outcomes (Cossette et al., 2012). Additionally, the results of the study are interpreted aptly and this is also a strength of this section. Cossette et al. (2012) reported that the findings are in line with three of the four published Randomized Controlled Trials evaluating rehabilitation enrolment after a liaison kind of intervention.

Discussion

The key strength is that the findings are discussed in relation to the hypothesis and objective. Cossette et al. (2012) stated that the findings of the study demonstrated a virtually doubling of enrolment by the experimental group relative to the control group. They added that the findings are actually consistent with 3 of the 4 published RCTs. The other strength is that the implications that were identified for practice were appropriate based on the study findings as well as the findings from previous studies, and the findings are clinically significant. Cossette et al. (2012) reported that since the literature shows that referral is an essential requirement for enrolment in rehabilitation, their study shows that a nursing intervention is able to provide a considerable benefit beyond simple referral.

The other strength of this section is that the findings are an accurate reflection of reality and valid for use in clinical practice. Another strength of this section is that various explanations for nonsignificant and significant findings are adequately examined. Cossette et al. (2012) reported that a slight but significantly greater increase was found in perceived personal control in the experimental group compared with the usual-care group, which suggests one possible explanation for the increase in rehabilitation experiment.

Confidence in the study findings

There is not much confidence in the findings considering that a small, inadequate sample size was used and this limits generalizability of results; a small proportion of the general CCU population was used. The confidence of the findings is also limited by another weakness of the study in that the study was conducted in only a single setting and did not include minorities and children. This also serves to limit the generalizability of the research findings. The study findings could have been improved if the study was conducted in multiple settings. Furthermore, more children, minorities, and more women – there were only 35 women out of the 242 participants – should have been involved. Nonetheless, the appropriate sample/participants were used, and the methodology applied by the researchers is satisfactory. In addition, the process of data collection and analysis is adequate, and so is the review of existing literature.

Consistency of this study’s findings with the findings from other studies

There is consistency of the results. The results of this research study are in fact consistent with the those of other studies. Cossette et al. (2012) noted that their findings are actually in line with 3 of the 4 published randomized controlled trials that evaluated rehabilitation enrollment after liaison sort of intervention. Just like in the study by Cossette et al. (2012), the interventions in the three trials were bedside practice nursing staff members, or nursing staffs supervising practice nurses or peers.

Readiness of findings for use in practice

Cardiac illnesses are the main causes of mortality as well as hospitalization in industrialized nations. Acute Coronary Syndromes such as unstable angina and myocardial infarction are responsible for most of the cardiac deaths and admissions (Cossette et al., 2012). The approach used by the researchers provides a clinical pathway that can be utilized in addressing the major concerns faced by patients following a cardiac event. Nursing staffs are on the forefront of offering care to cardiac patients and they really require findings such as these on which to base their clinical as well as practice judgment. The research study by Cossette et al. (2012) is a case in point of how scientific knowledge, combined with clinical practice can actually contribute to better outcomes of patients.

Contribution of the study to nursing knowledge

The research study actually contributes to the existing literature by testing a progressive intervention that was tailored particularly to the psychological and clinical trajectories of patients following a cardiac event. Individualized, progressive interventions by nursing staffs led to greater rehabilitation enrolment, thus potentially improving long-term outcomes. The study is of major importance considering that there was a dearth of randomized controlled trials that assess the effect of interventions on enrolment. The study also contributes to nursing knowledge by demonstrating that a nursing intervention could actually offer a considerable benefit beyond referral.

References

Breslow, N. E., & Day, N. E. (2012). The Analysis of Case-Control Studies. IARC Scientific Publications, 32.

Cossette, S., Frasure-Smith, N., Dupuis, J., Juneau, M., & Guertin, M. (2012). Randomized Controlled Trial of Tailored Nursing Interventions to Improve Cardiac Rehabilitation Enrollment. Nursing Research, 61(2): 111-120

McNamara, C. (2011). Analyzing, Interpreting and Reporting Basic Research Results. Boston, MA: CRC Press.

Ryan, A. (2006). Methodology: Analyzing Qualitative Data and Writing Your Findings. Columbus, OH: Springer Publishers.

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Astor Lodge & suites Inc. Case Study Part B

Astor Lodge & suites Inc. Case Study
Astor Lodge & suites Inc. Case Study

Astor Lodge & suites Inc. Case Study

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Astor Lodge & Suites, Inc (35%) – Kerin & Peterson page 338

Part B: Competitive Strategy Questions – worth up to 17.5%

In Australia the hotel industry is in the mature growth phase of its life cycle (IBISWorld (2014) – H4401 Hotels and Resorts in Australia Industry Report_IBISWorld July 2014). In this part you are required to study the Australian Hotel industry and then develop and justify an alternative viable blue ocean strategy approach(s) for Astor Lodges if it were to set up business in Australia. To successfully complete this component you must be able to demonstrate at least a clear understanding of the application of Blue Ocean principles and methods to the Astor lodge context. To achieve higher grades you must be able demonstrate a realistic and viable (both logically and financially) Blue Ocean opportunity which is consistent with the theory.

Criteria for Part B
1. Maximum length 10 pages excluding appendices; cover page and table of contents.
2. Your write-up can be a mixture of bullet point form and essay style [Times Roman, 12 point font
single spacing, 2.5 cm margins].
3. Structure your answers using headings and sub-headings if necessary to make it clear that you
have used an analytical approach to reach your answers. The grader will be treating (apparently)
random lists of issues with caution.
4. Use of at least 7 academic sources from peer reviewed journal articles to emphasize theoretical
aspects of strategy and Harvard referencing is required

Marking Criteria:
1. Understanding of the principles and methods used to create competitive and Blue Ocean strategy: Demonstrates a sound understanding of competitive strategy and Blue Ocean Strategy and the issues raised therein. 25%
2. Critical Analysis and construction of a coherent argument in relation to Competitive Strategies for Astor Lodges in Australia: Able to accurately interpret evidence and statements. Offers analysis and evaluation of obvious alternate points of view. Demonstrates creativity, insight and imagination shown at arriving at case solutions. Able to construct a coherent line of argument throughout. 30%
3. Case decision analysis and financial outcomes. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the financial implications of alternative courses of actions and to quantify outcomes associated with specific actions 20%
4.Clarity of written expression. Consistent expression. Few spelling and/or grammar errors. 10%
5.Use of academic sources and Referencing. Mostly accurate Harvard referencing both with-in text citations and list of references. 15%

Due Date: Monday 13th October 2014 (Australia time)

BOOKS/Textbooks for reference:
Strategic Marketing Problems: Roger A. Kerin,Robert Allen Peterson
Blue Ocean Strategy (2005) W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne

SAMPLE ANSWER

Astor Lodge & suites Inc. Case Study Part B

Introduction

In today’s world of business the activities of key stakeholders is directly impacted by how specific business entities perform in their respective micro and macro environments. The key issue in the external environment is the development of strategies that will enable a business entity to successfully capture a large enough market share so as to ensure optimal and sustainable profitability. The idea here is often to beat the competition through a myriad of strategies. The most common strategies that firms use in an effort to beat their competition is through price wars, aggressive marketing and at times activities as low as smear campaigns which shed bad light on the competition. All of these are done with the hope of shepherding the finite number of potential buyers towards one’s own business at the expense of the competition. The above mentioned strategies while effective only tend to benefit the firm for a short period of time before things go back to the unpleasant normal when they are once again desperate to increase their turnover through increasing their market share. In any market or industry there can only be two kinds of products. These are either the tangible or the intangible products. These are more commonly referred to as goods and services respectively. The marketing and promotion of tangible consumer goods is fairly straight forward since the product is something that needs to be prepared then transported to establishments from where the customers can view them and make purchases. Purchases need not to be made immediately production has happened as the products can be stored for short or extended periods depending on their nature and durability. The marketing of these products is often rigid over time with little changes being made save for the packaging and maybe a few ingredients.

Services on the other hand are a completely different ball game. The Service industry’s products pose unique challenges to those who are charged with the responsibility of producing and marketing them. The challenges that are associated with the promotion and marketing of services lies in the fact that they are intangible, very much unlike the commodities mentioned above. Services have to be consumed as soon at the same time they are being produced or rendered. What this means is that customer experiences will tend to be highly subjective to the customers and the service providers. Despite these challenges, those employed in the service industry are obliged to put their best foot forward when it comes to the development of products on offer. This obligation is legitimized by the fact that the service industry is not in any way exempt from the market forces such as supply, demand and also competition. For short term gains ahead of the competition business entities in the service industry may also resort to aggressive marketing and the lowering of prices to get ahead of the competition. This, as stated above is only bound to bring about short term gains and not have any lasting impact on the firm’s market share and profitability. One of the best examples of the service industry is hotels. The reason for this is that hotels are in the business of providing hospitality to their guests in exchange for money. In this exercise an analysis will be conducted on the Australian Hospitality Industry to find out how Astor Lodges Inc. can successfully make inroads into this industry through the application of the Blue Oceans Strategy.

The Blue Oceans Strategy is an approach to marketing that steers clear of conventional competitive strategies that have proved to be largely ineffective when it comes to the impact they have on helping the market share to grow. The Blue Ocean Strategy refers to the act of a business entity creating for itself a market space that is devoid of competition. This market place is usually carved out of an already existing industry. This strategy to business is often compared to other methods of approaching the competition head-on or by going on the offensive. The latter approaches in their totality are referred to as Red Ocean which is relatively chaotic in comparison to the new alternative approach. In market environments where the Red Ocean approach reigns supreme there is usually a sizeable number of firms that fail due to the unsustainable practices that are employed. Those that manage to survive and maintain their place in the market usually do so at the cost of having to contend with constrained profits as well as a limited pool of customers to attract. The Blue Oceans strategy was developed as the result of two decades of research on the most successful strategies that had been employed by business entities over the past century. The developers of this strategy laud it for having a much higher potential for profitability than the other approaches which give false impressions such as increased sales but lower profits due to reduction in pricing or increments in various marketing strategies. With the Blue Oceans strategy a firm that is within an already existing industry may choose to take up innovation or expansion with the hope of creating for itself what is known as a Blue Ocean. It will be tapping into a part of the industry whose potential has not been realized by other mainstream players in the industry. If this is approached correctly the firm stands to benefit in the long run by having what is tantamount to a monopoly within an industry that was seemingly saturated.

For the Blue Oceans strategy to be applied by Astor Lodges Inc, it is imperative that a proper analysis of Australia’s Hospitality Industry be conducted (Roger, 2010). At the same time it is also very important to take an in depth look at Astor Lodges so as to see how it could best create for itself a Blue Ocean in Australia’s hospitality industry. This will need an analysis that is similar to the conventional SWOT analysis though in this case the most important element will be the Opportunities that exist in this industry coupled with the Strengths that can be adequately leveraged by the management of Astor Lodge to ensure that the opportunities are actually transformed into business (Friesner, 2011). The Opportunities need to be those that have not yet been tapped but actually exist. Through the seizure of these opportunities, Astor Lodges Inc will have effectively created for itself a Blue Ocean since it will have joined an existent industry and capitalized on an innovation that opened up a totally new market that is growing at an exponential rate.

Current position of Astor Lodge Inc.

Astor Lodges is a hospitality based business enterprise that was created in 1979 and have been in operation ever since. Between 2000 and 2005 the company has not been profitable. This hospitality enterprise has divided its operations into two main categories. These are Astor Lodge which specializes in the provision of services in its Economy Class hotels. The other branch of its operations is Astor Lodges and Suites. This other branch specializes in the provision of hospitality services in middle class hotels which do not provide beverages or food (Roger, 2010).

This company has made considerable investments in the hospitality sector. It has a total of 250 properties across the country. Astor Lodge has 200 while Astor Lodges and Suites has 50 facilities. Astor Lodges’ main instruments of competition are its low pricing regime, high quality customer service and also a wide range of amenities. The hotel chain’s range of services can be divided into 6 categories. These include luxury, Upper scale facilities, upscale, mid-scale with food, mid-scale without food and finally economy accommodation. The customers who patronize the company’s properties are split 50/50 with  half of the total customers being leisure guests while the other half are business travellers. Business travellers are predominantly males aged between 34 and 54 who take up singles room that cost on average 96$ per night. Leisure travellers on the other hand travel in pairs taking up rooms that cost 89$ per night. The average income of business travellers is 81,000 annually while leisure travellers earn 72000 on average a year (Roger, 2010).

The occupancy rates of Astor Lodge Suites have been relatively favorable at 67% compared to the industry’s 61%. This has been attributed to its customers exhibiting high brand loyalty. While the company’s occupancy in its properties is much higher than the industry average it is also important to point out that the average price it charges per unit is lower than the industry average. The industry average is 61$ while the company charges on average 57$.

While the company’s revenues are mainly supported by both leisure and business customers, it emerged that business customers have perennially complained about disturbances from leisure customers. As yet this problem is yet to be effectively resolved due to the complexity involved. The hotel has been striving to grow its leisure segment through the provision of special offers to families looking for accommodation on a tight budget. A strategy that is currently in place to attract more leisure and business customers is known as a ‘free night’s stay.’ While this attracted more customers it proved to be detrimental to the finances of the lodges since it ate into the revenues coming in. In light of this it had been proposed that the free night’s stay be replaced with a weekend special.

A SWOT analysis of Astor Lodges Inc.

Strengths of Astor Lodges

  • A large number of fixed assets
  • An occupancy rate that is higher than that of the industry
  • A high level of brand loyalty exhibited by the hotel’s customers.

Weaknesses of Astor Lodges

  • The main weakness of Astor Lodges its inability to generate profits for the past five years.
  • There is bad blood brewing between its business segment and the leisure travelers and this threatens the brand loyalty.
  • A low occupancy rate on weekends

Opportunities for Astor Lodges

  • Lower prices than those of the Industry is bound to attract more customers given that online portals prioritize lower prices for those who book on such platforms.
  • High possibility of repeat guests
  • Upward trend in the growth of the industry.

Threats to Astor Lodges’ business

  • International travel has significantly reduced since the 9/11 attacks
  • Large hotel chains are putting up more competitive offers to customers.
  • Potential reduction in business guest numbers due to apparent disturbance from the leisure travelers.

Australia’s Hospitality Industry

Prior to the formulation of possible strategies that can be used to grant Astor Lodges a Blue Ocean for it to conduct its business more profitably it is important to analyze the current status of Australia’s Hospitality and Tourism Industry so as to provide logical support for the innovations that need to be carried out. Australia’s accommodation sector is expected to grow by about 4% in the year between 2014 and 2015 due to a surge in consumer confidence. The country’s accommodation industry comprises of Hotels and Resorts (Ruhanen et al, 2013). Presently the industry is experiencing an upward trend in its international arrivals while the domestic customer numbers decline. The reason for the upward trend in international arrivals is the gradual improvement in the economies of source markets such as Europe and Asia, specifically China (Chon, 2013).

When business was at its worst due to the Global Financial Crisis’ impacts a large number of hotels were forced to lower their room rates and compliment their service offerings in a bid to attract customers and therefore stay afloat. The domestic market on the other hand is continuing to reduce due to the transportation element. Majority of the local travellers prefer to travel by air and this is what leads them away from the country’s hotels and resorts. There domestic flights are relatively expensive if they are compared with the outbound ones to the Asian sub-continent (Chon, 2013). This makes leisure travel to these countries an attractive prospect due to the perceived higher value for money. Nationally the revenue per room for hotels and resorts across the board is still at an all-time low but the story is different in the country’s cities where revenue is gradually increasing due to high occupancy in the hotels situated in urban area. It is estimated that the Hotel and Resorts sector of Australia’s economy is bound to experience improvement due to the shift in focus towards Asian economies that are doing relatively well. This will be the direct result of travellers from these countries coming to enjoy the country’s tourist products (Ruhanen et al, 2013).

As stated above the Blue Oceans strategy is a revolutionary approach to increasing market share while averting a scenario where the firm is involved in competitive strategies that only grant minimal short term gains (Kim and Mauborgne, 2004). Industry knowledge is important for this initiative to work out well. The Blue Ocean will only be realized when the innovation being undertaken targets the sectors of the industry that have the most promising potential for growing market share and turnover. Analytical tools that can be carried out on the industry are a SWOT analysis as well as a PESTLE analysis so as to enable Astor Lodges Ltd to figure out where it could best apply its strengths. The results of the Porter’s five forces Analysis may also prove useful for this to work since the management will be leveraging the best qualities of the company in combination with the strengths of the Australian Hospitality Industry and using them to seize opportunities that come up in this market. The porter’s analysis will however be done in a hypothetical situation given that Astor Lodges aims to make inroads into this market (Porter, 2008).

A Hypothetical Five Force Analysis of Astor’s operation in the Australian Hospitality Industry

The five force analysis will briefly analyze the different forces that have a direct impact on the ability of Astor Lodges to compete in the hospitality industry in Australia. This will also provide pointers regarding the competitive environment and where the company can thrive without going head-on against the competition. The five forces to be considered are Astor’s competitive rivalry, the threat of New entrants to the market, the customers’ bargaining power, the suppliers’ bargaining power and finally the threat of substitution. In a blue ocean business environment the competitive rivalry will be a non-entity while the rest of the forces will be greatly minimized. This is in the ideal Porter’s five forces environment. While the Porter’s five force analysis is mainly meant for application in highly competitive environments, it can also be used to analyze or in this case predict if the firm will be operating in a Blue Ocean or a Red Ocean.

Competitive Rivalry

Given that the firm is making in-roads into the Australian-market with the aim of operating in a Blue Ocean environment the competitive rivalry will not be considered. The strategy being applied seeks to avoid competing for an already existing market segment as the projected operation will be akin to a monopoly in the market segment created by Astor Lodges’ innovativeness.

Threat of New Entrants

The blue oceans approach is also characterized by a relative difficulty for other experienced operators to easily break into the market segment that the company being analyzed has carved out for itself. What this however means is that Astor Lodges needs to keep this factor in mind so as to stop its prospective blue ocean from becoming red as competition creeps in.

Theoretically it is expected that there will be zero competition in this new market segment. The reality on the ground however is that the firm will have to tale proactive measures to ensure that there is minimal competition for its market segment. This will be achieved through ensuring that the product offering that Astor has makes it very difficult for other hotels and resorts to offer the same.

Power of Suppliers

Being a largely service-oriented industry it is likely that the bulk of the supply will be labor. These are the different individuals who will be working on the front-line as well as behind the scenes to ensure that business is going on smoothly. The power of suppliers of labor will be relatively high initially since they have a direct impact on the supply and regardless of the position they hold within the establishment their input remains crucial for the supply of hospitality services to the company’s guests. Their remuneration and working conditions will have to be satisfactory to them but still within the capacity of Astor Lodges.

Other suppliers in this context are the entities that will provide marketing services, an online portal for the website and an online tool that will link the hotel’s reservation system to the internet. These providers are abundant and this serves to diminish the power they have over the organization.

Suppliers of tangible products such as food items and toiletries will have a relatively lower power since the hotel has a wide pool of suppliers to choose from.

Astor Lodges should therefore ensure that this power of suppliers remains low though it needs to be careful to ensure that it doesn’t serve to compromise on the quality of accommodation services it delivers to its customers.

Power of Customers

The Australian market can be divided in two main ways. The first approach to segmenting the market is inbound travellers on one side and domestic arrivals on the other. The second approach to segmenting this market is Business travellers and Leisure Travellers. At present the foreign tourists are abundant while the number of domestic arrivals are limited. From a marketing point of view the power of international tourists is diminished in comparison to the domestic travellers who are scarce and therefore have a greater bargaining power. This means that higher prices can be set for the international travellers as opposed to the domestic visitors who are fewer due to the prohibitive costs of flight.

From the company’s summary however it appears that its capacity to supply to leisure travellers and that to cater to the needs of business travellers is at par since their arrivals matched up on a 1:1 ratio. Business traveller were however more favorable since they spend more per person and have little qualms about paying for a higher price. The fact that their complaints were the most prevalent indicates that they have abit more power but this comes with the benefit of higher value purchases. With respect to this analysis they will be considered to have minimal bargaining power since their travel expense are often footed on a corporate account and not a personal one thus making them less sensitive to price increments (Welch et al, 2007).

Astor Lodges needs to maximize on where the power of customers is least manifested and this will be in the international arrivals segment and this is a potential candidate segment where the blue oceans strategy needs to be applied given their increasing number (Kim and Mauborgne, 2004). While domestic visitors are highly sensitive to prices this too can be eliminated through the introduction of special rates  for them or combined hotel and flight packages that are subsidized so as to ensure they remain at home instead of going to the Asian sub-continent for their holidays due to cheaper flights (Chon, 2013).

Threat of Substitution

At present the threat of substitution is very high given the fact that its current product offering is very much similar to the services that are on offer by the companies that fall under the umbrella of Australia’s hotel and resorts sector. With regard to destinations it is clear that those in the Asian sub-continent are increasingly becoming a viable option for the locally based travellers (Chon, 2013). What this does is deny the country’s hotels and resorts is to deny them a chance to provide their services to this market. For the in-bound travellers this threat is much more pronounced given the fact that operators in New Zealand, the USA and Thailand are stepping up their campaigns.

A SWOT analysis of Australia’s Hospitality Industry

The purpose of this analysis is to aid in the identification of opportunities that provide a fertile ground for the implementation of the Blue Oceans strategy (Friesner, 2011). The weaknesses that emerge from this analysis will also aid the management of Astor in ensuring it doesn’t set itself up for failure (Kim and Mauborgne, 2009).

Strengths of Australia’s Hotels and Resorts sector

  • Australia is attractive to tourists and this buoys the hospitality sector considering the tourists have to make use of the existent accommodation facilities (IBIS World, 2014).
  • A weakening local currency compared to the standard US dollar makes it economical for foreign travellers to patronize the country’s hotels due to a higher purchasing power.
  • The hospitality industry is experiencing an upward trend in its growth given that the world economy is gradually recovering from the Global Financial Crisis whose impacts included the lowest occupancy numbers in recent history for the hotels and resorts.
  • The continued shift of hospitality and tourism related enterprises to online platforms is a big plus for smaller players and new entrants who can compete on the same platform as larger more experienced players.
  • The international aviation sector is highly competitive and this grants travellers from the Asian market a chance to travel to Australia at affordable air fares.

Weaknesses of Australia’s Hospitality Sector

  • Majority of the hotels and resorts coupled with the country’s tourism sector was highly dependent on travellers from Europe. The economic challenges facing the Eurozone has limited the capacity of these travellers to visit Australia. This is a situation whose resolution is expected to take at least two years (IBIS World, 2014).
  • On a domestic front the economy of Australia is performing below par and the short to medium term challenge of this will be an increase in unemployment as well as decreasing disposable incomes thus making it difficult for the locals to patronize the existing accommodation facilities.
  • Hotels that offer business travellers accommodation facilities and other amenities are increasingly lowering their rates in an effort to sustain their customer-base as numbers dwindle.

Opportunities in Australia’s Hotels and Resorts Sector

  • Australia is located near the Asian sub-continent and this makes it very much accessible to tourists travelling from this part of the world.
  • The intense competition between low cost and full service airlines makes it possible for customers from the Asian region easily come to Australia (Ruhanen et al, 2013).
  • There is limited investment being carried out in the urban areas’ accommodation facilities and this serves to drive demand towards dispersal areas. This increases the potential for leisure travel.
  • The fact that the Australian dollar is depreciating is likely to increase the value of inbound tourism since international travellers will be attracted by a higher purchasing power.
  • The weakening Australian dollar will also benefit domestic travel since outbound travel will become more expensive due to lower purchasing power for those who hold the local currency.

Threats to Australian Hospitality Sector

  • The unresolved challenge of the United States’ debt ceiling continues to cause challenges in economies that are key to sustaining Australia’s Hospitality sector. Examples of such economies are Japan and the countries in the Eurozone (IBIS World, 2014).
  • While economic growth is bound to increase travel, the corporate segment is bound to continue being slow since this market segment’s travel behavior is not regular and what this means is that business travel is bound to remain low (Ruhanen et al, 2013).
  • The country’s hospitality is also threatened by intense competitiveness being exhibited by its neighbors such as New Zealand and Thailand.

Application of the Blue Ocean Strategy to Astor Lodges in Australian Market

The Blue Ocean Strategy will be formulated based on the above analyses with the aim of adding value for the customer while consecutively bringing down the costs of operation thus creating mutual benefits for the end consumer and the company (Chan and Renee, 2014). The company’s benefits will be realized through positive economies of scale combined with a high turnover (Kim and Mauborgne, 2009).

For Astor Lodges an ideal approach to ensuring that a Blue Ocean operating environment can be created if it were to capitalize on package tours with airlines for the leisure segment in the domestic tourist market (Hudson and Ritchie, 2002). The reason for this is the fact that the local hotels and resorts have pretty much given up on this market. The fact that they are travelling abroad to enjoy their holidays in Asian tourist attractions suggests that they have the disposable income for holidays. To accomplish this, the Astor Lodges needs to capitalize on the existent potential for travel by offering packages that combine air travel and hotel stays. The catch in this is to get into an agreement with domestic one or more domestic airlines and convince them to subsidize their flight costs on condition that the company guarantees a specified number of seats per flight. In line with this, it will also be important to rope in the existent out-bound tour operators and pay competitive commissions for their part in channeling tourists towards this new combined package (Hudson and Ritchie, 2002).

An alternative approach can be for the company to focus its energy on the provision of hospitality and accommodation strictly to the business clientele and at the same time giving them subsidized rates if they combine their flights bookings with their trips. The hotels should also find a way of covering all travel arrangements for the business travellers while they are in Australia (Welch et al, 2007). This too is a potential blue ocean since majority of the establishments that offer services to the business travellers provide only hotel services and this at times causes conflicts for them as was the case in several properties operated by Astor Lodges and Suites (Chan and Renee, 2014). Such an arrangement will save these travellers time and thus add value to their travels while lowering their costs. The current low occupancy in dispersal areas makes this ideal since it is an indication of this resource being greatly underutilized. Given that Astor Lodges has mastered the art of operating by charging lower rates than its competitors in the past, charging rates affordable for domestic travellers will not be difficult. Its experience in the hospitality industry will also contribute to ensuring the customers get quality service which translates to value for money and a potential for repeat customers. This will play a major role in aiding to grow this operation.

The two proposed strategies could be used concurrently through run independently so as to ensure one does not interfere with the other. These two are considered to be blue oceans since the markets being targeted are currently on the decline and many of the hotels and resorts are turning their attention towards inbound leisure tourists. Astor Lodges can therefore create for itself a niche in Australia’s accommodation sector by following these strategies. They promise to add value to the hotel given that it will capitalize on the revenue the industry foregoes when domestic travellers spend their holidays abroad. The second option is also a promising endeavor since business travellers will be willing to pay premium prices to ensure that they enjoy premium facilities without interruption from holiday goers (Chan and Renee, 2014).

Blue ocean strategies fulfilled by the above proposals.

By reaching out to two markets that are quickly declining the strategy is bound to redefine this market’s boundaries in real time.

The focus has been turned to business travellers as well as home-based travellers whose current numbers are not at all attractive to the industry. Once the strategy gains momentum however Astor Lodges will be reaping all the benefits.

The above approaches will reach beyond the existing demand which seems to be largely based on the influx of Asian travellers.

These proposals also get the strategic sequence right since they are based on several analyses that have been conducted on both the business and the industry.

By separating leisure and business travellers, Astor Lodges will have overcome its main organizational hurdle to the provision of quality services to its customers as personnel dealing with the respective groups will give them specialized attention.

The two approaches if executed will be in themselves strategies being implemented since they aim to steer Astor Lodges towards its own Blue Ocean in Australia’s hospitality Industry (Chan and Renee, 2014).

References

Chan, K. W., & Renee, M. 2005. Blue ocean strategy.

Chon, K. S. 2013. Tourism in Southeast Asia: A new direction. Routledge.

Friesner, T. 2011. History of SWOT analysis. Marketing Teacher, 2000-2010.

Hudson, S., & Ritchie, B. 2002. Understanding the domestic market using cluster analysis: A case study of the marketing efforts of Travel Alberta. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 8(3), 263-276.

IBISWorld 2014 – H4401 Hotels and Resorts in Australia Industry Report_IBISWorld July 2014

Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. 2004. Blue ocean strategy. If you read nothing else on strategy, read thesebest-selling articles., 71.

Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. 2009. How strategy shapes structure. Harvard Business Review, 87(9), 72-80.

Porter, M. E. 2008. The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard business review, 86(1), 25-40.

Roger, K. 2010. Strategic Marketing Problems: Cases And Comments, 12/E. Pearson Education India.

Ruhanen, L. M., Mclennan, C. L. J., & Moyle, B. D. 2013. Strategic issues in the Australian tourism industry: a 10-year analysis of national strategies and plans. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 18(3), 220-240.

Welch, D. E., Welch, L. S., & Worm, V. 2007. The international business traveller: a neglected but strategic human resource. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(2), 173-183.

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Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy
Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Order Instructions:

Sustainability
Corporate sustainability is an issue that continues to garner increased attention and importance for shareholders, consumers, and companies alike. Since 2004, Corporate Knights, a Canadian media firm, has published a list of the top 100 sustainable companies in the world. The efforts and profits among those highest on the list demonstrate that companies are increasingly able to adopt strategies that are socially and environmentally responsible and financially lucrative. Consider Umicore, the top company on Corporate Knight’s 2013 Global 100 list.

Umicore is a Belgian-based materials technology firm recognized for its treatment of their employees, the products it produces, its profitability, and its efficiency. According to Doug Marrow, Corporate Knight’s vice president of research, “Relative to its global peers in the materials industry group, the company squeezes more revenue out of each resource input (including energy and water), while generating less externalities (greenhouse gas emissions and waste)” (Smith, 2011). However, Umicore’s efforts extend beyond its own sustainability strategies. According to Morrow, “They generate over half of their revenue by selling products that help other firms improve their sustainability performance, such as energy efficiency” (Smith, 2011). The company has, in effect, created a comprehensive business model based on sustainability.

To prepare, consider the implications of expanding the definition of sustainability to include economic and social elements. Think about how implementing a strategy for improving sustainability can benefit the organization you chose for your SSP which you chose was(Brookside Dairy Company )

By Day 4 of Week 6, post a two page response. Apply systems and sustainability principles to develop a sustainability strategy. Identify three actions that the organization you chose for your SSP(Brookside Dairy Company ) can take to implement a more sustainable business strategy. Explain the potential systemic benefits of each action included in the sustainability strategy. Explain the relationships between sustainability and other organizational goals, such as managing quality, building learning organizations, and improving adaptability. Explain the benefits of the organization)(Brookside Dairy Company exploiting those relationships. Explain the ethical implications of implementing a strategy for improving sustainability for that organization (Brookside Dairy Company ).

Extend the conversation by identifying implications for practice or research, as well as for your own research agenda, where appropriate. Be sure to integrate one or two new related and engaging questions that will extend the discussion about your post in constructive ways. Try to think of a question(s) that will engage your peers in critical analysis and thinking about your organization, which may provide insight for your use as you continue preparing your sections of the major Weeks 4 and 7 Sustainable Solutions Paper (SSP)(Brookside Dairy Company ) due in this course.

Include proper APA citations and adhere to all APA style guidelines.

****** please take note, that all questions that is required to be answered in this research paper ( see instructions) has to be answered about the company I choose to do my SSP on which is Brookside Dairy Company !!!. This has been an ongoing term paper.

Lastly please follow the instructions clearly and list all the necessary information and don’t forget the question ( see instructions) that needs to be incorporated !!!!!

SAMPLE ANSWER

Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Sustainability is a rather important factor for most organizations today as many have realized the advantages it carries with it. Implementing a more sustainable business strategy requires hard work and commitment, both on the part of employees as well as their leaders. For the Brookside Dairy Company to implement a more sustainable business strategy, the organization must take some actions to ensure the process is effective. First, for the new strategy to be effectively implemented, it is important to create and internalize the corporate sustainability culture (Tàbara & Ilhan, 2008). Second, the organization needs to assess the current and prospective sustainability issues (Delong & Mcdermott, 2013). Third, Brookside Dairy Company needs to determine its sustainability strategies and goals before it can manage to implement a more sustainable business strategy (Taylor, Osland & Egri, 2012).

These actions are important for Brookside Dairy Company as they possess potential systemic benefits. The first action can greatly benefit the systems as it features the adoption of a sustainability culture within the organization. Therefore, all members of the organization will have to adapt to this culture which will ensure that all activities are sustainable (Tàbara & Ilhan, 2008). Thus, the dairy products will be produced only under the best circumstances, without misusing resources, but still ensuring that the products are of high quality (Seidel, Recker & vom Brocke, 2013). Since a sustainability culture will require the organization to always plan ahead, the long term approach will ensure that the employees work hard to ensure that their performance will also benefit the economy as well. The second action will also benefit the systems in that the Brookside Dairy Company will know which sustainability issues to expect. Thus, it will be prepared for these issues and hence the social, economic, and environment systems will not be affected by the company’s actions (Delong & Mcdermott, 2013). Lastly, it will be beneficial for all systems when the company prepares sustainability strategies and goals. The company will be aware of what its duties to the three systems (Taylor, Osland & Egri, 2012). Thus, it will be able to adapt operations by implementing the strategies, and ensuring the goals set are met.

Sustainability has a very close relationship with other organizational goals as it is also supposed to ensure the organization achieves success, but through the right procedure and actions (Kuei & Lu, 2013). For example, sustainability and managing quality are both aimed at benefiting the social, economic and environment systems. When the two are not used side by side, the systems will suffer as a result of resources being misused and consumers being provided with poor dairy quality products (Seidel, Recker & vom Brocke, 2013). Sustainability and building learning organizations also share a close relationship. This is because the organization will ensure the growth of employee skills as they work, and with sustainability, they will also be taught how to use resources responsibly.

When the Brookside Dairy Company exploits these relationships between its goals and sustainability, better performance results are expected. This is because as the employees are working towards meeting their goals, they will also be working towards ensuring that the resources necessary for the organization to run effectively are being preserved (Kuei & Lu, 2013).

The ethical implications of implementing a strategy for improving sustainability for Brookside Dairy Company are many. For example, customers will be fully satisfied from high quality dairy products. This is because the organization will not use chemicals to better the products, but instead will use pure milk. Second, the economy will benefit from better performance of this company. This is because employees will adapt a culture that ensures they work harder to improve their performance and in return increase revenue for the organization. Lastly, the environment will be free from pollution as the Brookside Dairy Company will make a point of ensuring that resources are not misused. Thus by products will be transformed into other dairy products as required.

The Brookside Dairy Company will also be able to benefit from further research. This is because milk can be used to process many products, which will eventually benefit all systems. However, the question is, “Is there a way for the waste by-products to be further processed into important products?” The implication for this research is that the company will benefit from more incomes, be able to offer more jobs, and also avoid waste which may end up polluting the environment.

References

Delong, D., & Mcdermott, M. (2013). Current Perceptions, Prominence and Prevalence Of Sustainability In The Marketing Curriculum. Marketing Management Journal, 23(2), 101-116.

Kuei, C., & Lu, M. H. (2013). Integrating quality management principles into sustainability management. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 24(1/2), 62-78. doi:10.1080/14783363.2012.669536

Seidel, S., Recker, J., & vom Brocke, J. (2013). Sensemaking And Sustainable Practicing: Functional Affordances Of Information Systems In Green Transformations. MIS Quarterly, 37(4), 1275-A10.

Tàbara, J., & Ilhan, A. (2008). Culture as trigger for sustainability transition in the water domain: the case of the Spanish water policy and the Ebro river basin. Regional Environmental Change, 8(2), 59-71. doi:10.1007/s10113-007-0043-3

Taylor, S., Osland, J., & Egri, C. P. (2012). Guest editors’ introduction: Introduction to HRM’s role in sustainability: Systems, strategies, and practices. Human Resource Management, 51(6), 789-798. https://www.doi:10.1002/hrm.21509

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