Porters Generic Strategies Essay

Strategy concerns two factors, deciding where you want a business to go, and deciding how to get there. According to Grant (2010) â€Å"A firm can achieve a higher rate of profit (or potential profit) over a rival in one of two ways: either it can supply an identical product or service at a lower cost, or it can supply a product or service that is differentiated in such a way that the customer is willing to pay a price premium that exceeds the additional cost of differentiation.† This provides the company with a different type of competitive advantage, either cost or differentiation. To attain cost advantage, a firm must aim to be a cost leader, and minimise expenses and outlays at every stage within the value chain. Porter (1985) wrote that to achieve differentiation advantage, a firm must â€Å"provide something unique that is valuable to buyers beyond simply offering a low price† These two strategies form half of Porter’s (1985) generic strategies model, which are contained within the ‘broad’ dimension. Cost leadership requires key strategy elements such as scale-efficient plants, outsourcing abroad (such as HP computers) and a design process that is heavily focused on the manufacturing of the products. Resources and capabilities should include access to capital, tight cost control and specialisation of jobs and functions, with incentives linked to quantitative targets. Alternatively differentiation requires emphasis on branding, advertising, quality, service and new product development. To accomplish this a firm needs superior marketing abilities, creativity, and strong research and development resources. The second, ‘narrow scope’, dimension presents the other generic strategies; cost focus and differentiation focus. Companies using focus strategies will target niche markets and, by understanding the dynamics of that market and the unique needs of the customers within it, develop uniquely low cost or well specified products within that market. Tailoring their products for customers tends to lead to a strong brand image, and companies can rely significantly upon their reputation to maintain sales. This can detract new entrants to niche markets with established suppliers. The key to succeed  within the focus dimension of Porter’s (1985) box diagram is to make sure the company is adding something of value as a result of serving only a niche market. Porter’s generic strategies do have various criticisms. Firstly, it is possible for a company to perform to two strategies and succeed, whilst avoiding becoming ‘stuck in the middle’. Nissan in China, for example, try to cater for the low cost and market whilst also offering automobiles for more elite customers. This has proved hugely successful, with high performance cars such as the GT-R (retailing for as much as  £120,000) selling just as consistently as the Micra ( £10,000). This directly contradicts Porter’s claim that â€Å"the firm stuck in the middle is almost guaranteed low profitability. In addition, many companies enter the market focusing on a particular niche, but then their initial success enables them to expand and utilise other generic strategies. A great example of this is McDonalds, who initially targeted children, with the Happy Meal and the character of Ronald McDonald. They realised they were missing out on a huge segment of the ma rket – adults, so each new advertising campaign became more sophisticated until it catered for all ages. Interestingly, the food that is sold has not changed significantly, just the marketing behind it. Another problem with Porter’s model is that the strategy alone does not guarantee success. For example, a firm cannot generate consistently high profits simply by offering the lowest price due to cost leadership. Low price does not sell products without any other strategy, people may believe that if a product is significantly cheaper, it is therefore of lower quality and not worth buying. The company needs a reputable brand to ensure customers know they are getting value for money and not just being ripped off. Strong marketing is needed to portray the image that the product is at least as good a standard as its competitors while stressing the difference in price. An additional factor is that of imitability. The knowledge provided in Porter’s texts is freely available, so no differential advantage can be gained from them, unless they are interpreted in idiosyncratic ways. Treacy & Wiersema (1995) put forward an alternative approach to attaining  market value advantage. The 3 basic routes were operational excellence, product leadership and customer intimacy. Alternatively Bowmans strategy clock looks at different combinations of price against perceived value of the product. This provides a powerful way of looking how to establish and sustain a competitive position in a market driven economy. However, in a more recent paper, Bowman (2008) argues that whilst Porters generic strategies are useful, they cannot provide all the answers. He claims that at best they are â€Å"food for thought†, and at worst they are â€Å"a substitute for thinking†.

Drama Evaluation †The Ash Girl Essay

I could not find the necessary evaluation sheet for the ash girl, so I have used the sheet for Macbeth, but I believe that the questions are similar in context, and will try to include extra to compensate for parts that may not be specified otherwise. For our interpretation of the ash girl, we chose to focus on human characteristics, and what effects the 7 deadly sins would afflict them with. We chose this style of representation as the strong feature of the play is the illustration of the sins in the key characters, and why they cause certain events. To incorporate this into our piece, we acted as humans with strong features as their corresponding sins, we also included the qualities of the equivalent animals, in our intonation and presence. We felt that if we used the animalistic approach it may detract from the motif used in this piece, (the illustration of the sins in the key characters, and why they cause certain events). We used the original setting of the forest, but at the same time we tried to interpret a contemporary and simplistic approach from a very structurally complex piece, with many characters and ongoing ideas, themes and motifs. Our aims in particular, were to convey to the audience how the sins react with the characters to form a basis of understanding in context to the rest of the play. We wanted to express how important the sins were in the development of the whole play as a structure, and how the sins cans be suggested through key characters. We initially wished to use all methods of technical effects, lighting, audio, props and even our positioning on the stage and how this can be expressed through out characters. For lighting our characters all have an assigned colour, which in the right environment would create an atmosphere of that quality. We chose them according to folklore and general belief. The following are our selections; CHARECTER COLOUR Pridefly Navy Blue Slothworm Neutral/beige Angerbird Red Greedmonkey Yellow Envysnake Green We chose the colour blue for Pridefly as it has connotations of respect and hierarchy. The colour of RAF uniform is also blue; we felt this was key as the character is a fly. Slothworm is a very dull, slow, lethargic and utmost boring creature to be around, we chose a dull boring colour for him, something neutral with no bright colours. Angerbird was primarily always going to be the colour red. Obviously through connotations of the colour, we automatically respond to the colour red with anger, fear, bloodshed, war, but sometimes passion for things. In this case, Angerbird who feels so passionately about killing and destruction should have two different juxtaposed connotations side by side as they do in the right context actually compliment each other. Greedmonkey, has the colour yellow is for the most part it has connotations of happiness, brightness, quick pace, the sun, fun, however like Angerbird and the colour red there are also dualities that compliment each other such as cheeki ness, sneakiness and slyness. We interpretated Greedmonkey as someone who regularly steals and this can be shown through the combination of being a rather quick minded person, always jumping from certain ideas to another, but at the same time calculating, slow and rather sneaky physically. Envysnake was another easy combination with the colour green. We subconsciously associate green with envy, and jealousy. Possibly because of many phrases heard, such as: â€Å"sick with envy† or â€Å"green with envy†. We used these colours as lighting, so that when each character was introduced or had a significant part in the piece, we could create an aura to incorporate the theme, which in turn would strengthen our piece by helping the audience visually relate to the character. We also had decided to produce a forest setting with the lights, using a selection of plates and gel films, to create the illusion of a forest. We originally wished to use audio in our piece, out main aim was to create sounds of the forest, and also a selection of songs, which had a surreal and abstract feel to them, i.e.) some that were short listed were angel by massive attack, and a song by Iron Maiden. The use of a repeating bass line and no vocals in Angel would have not distracted the audience from the drama, and it was also a rather spooky, and very surreal song. We never got round to discussing which Iron Maiden song we might use, however in general, it would have added to the atmosphere of supernatural, as the sins are supernatural, abnormal creatures. We decided to not use a song, as we then went for a contemporary setting which focuses more on the dramatisation of the piece and not the auditory effects. Props were generally if needed, and we didn’t really go as far as to say that they were compulsory, as we felt that props were not needed to all characters. Props that we did use were to develop the story or to reinforce characterisation. For example, David Edgar who played Pridefly used a walking stick. Aynslie Carnan who played Greedmonkey stole, my characters, (Envysnake’s), jewellery, which I used as a prop. David Roberts who played Slothworm used a sleeping bag to create the sleep theme, and to produce the look of a worm. In our piece, I played Envysnake. Overall, Envysnake has snide, envious, superior personal traits. I wanted the audience to feel this through instead of being jealous with was very hard to play, being vain, superior and conceited, which would give the same kind of effect but in a more psychologically demanding way, as it involves causing the audience to become envious and to empathise with her. The secondary feature of this is that it also brings out envious features in the characters on stage. This technique is far more effective than just acting envy, as the creature inflicts envy on others, and by using the other technique that is exactly what it does. Vocally I added a very soft, innocent accent, as I believe contradiction of the intonation increases the effect of the dramatisation. I incorporated the snake idea into my accent; to do this I exaggerated the sibilance in the script, to create a hissing sound. I did not focus on movement much as an aspect of dramatisation. We felt that clear positions on stage were necessary to stop distraction from the main points, this is incorporated in out contemporary theme, this way we had less movement on stage and less confusion. However if I had used movement primarily, I would use a walk, which appeared to flow, and slink across the stage, as she is a snake. I personally dread performing, and am more of a theoretic student rather than practical. I feel that my fear of performing since my last Macbeth practical, had made me nervous and caused a great lack of my confidence in acting this affected my flow of dialogue and also my mental attitude towards performing. To improve on this, I would encourage my group to attend regular rehearsals, and make sure that we have practiced thoroughly at least 3 times before doing our final assessed performance.. I was most pleased with the contemporary attitude we took to the piece. When many students are given opportunities to include various pieces of media, whether it be auditory or just lighting, I feel it can be abused, and when overused it detracts from the actual piece. I also believe that people may use it to cover blemishes. We chose this style to make the audience focus more on the dramatisation and the feel of the piece and its meanings. The factors, which affected the sucsess of the piece, were probably lack of proper rehearsals. We couldn’t get enough practice from the time when we decided what styles we would choose. However I don’t feel it affected the piece significantly. However there were prompts needed for a few members of the group, which did break the flow in some places but only slightly. If I had unlimited resources, I would have still remained with the same contemporary style, and would not have changed anything. However unlimited resources meaning time would be greatly appreciated.

Legal, security, or privacy issues within electronic commerce Assignment - 1

Legal, security, or privacy issues within electronic commerce - Assignment Example It could lead to an electronic traffic due to the high volume of emails generated. This could affect internet speeds in that they could reduce. The outcome is that business transactions could experience delays, affecting the global economy. The other effect is the increase in the cost of online business as the incorporation of Information technology experts to mitigate the virus risk could be expensive. An organization could identify the virus through the installation of an up-to-date antivirus software. In case of emails from unknown sources, individuals within an organization should never open it, unless they have prior knowledge of such an e-mail. The organization could respond to the virus e-mails in several ways. It needs to delete any suspicious emails, especially of the source of the mail is unknown. Another response is seeking advice from a company that deals with internet security. In case of infected machines, an organization could seek the help of professional technicians for a cleanup of the

Industrial Revolution in the Late Nineteenth Century Assignment

Industrial Revolution in the Late Nineteenth Century - Assignment Example This plan, therefore, played a significant historical role because it contained communism in Western Europe (Divine G-10). Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution took place in 1964, after an American destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin was attacked by a North Vietnamese. As a result, President Johnson convinced the Congress to pass a resolution empowering him to attack Vietnam through the armed forces. This resolution was not only used by America as retaliation but also heightened its involvement in the Vietnam War. THE ESSAY Industrial Revolution in the Late Nineteenth Century In the late nineteenth century, the American economy marked a complete turnaround following the tremendous industrial revolution that took place around that time. Some of the major factors that contributed to these developments include new innovations in the business strategy and technology. These developments led to new ways of farming and manufacturing and, most importantly, increased the effici ency of these economic activities. Railroad was one of the important breakthroughs during this era of industrial revolution, which enhanced movement of people as well as goods, and stimulated a range of economic activities as well as business strategies in America. This essay will discuss the developments of the industrialization during the late nineteenth century, pointing out their benefits and drawbacks. Following the great industrial improvements after 1815, the market demand for different commodities led to innovation of speedy mass production and standardized methods of production. The first innovation in textile manufacturing was a fully developed factory system. This included invention of spinning machinery and the first cotton mills... In the late nineteenth century, the American economy marked a complete turnaround following the tremendous industrial revolution that took place around that time. Some of the major factors that contributed to these developments include new innovations in the business strategy and technology. These developments led to new ways of farming and manufacturing and, most importantly, increased the efficiency of these economic activities. Railroad was one of the important breakthroughs during this era of industrial revolution, which enhanced movement of people as well as goods, and stimulated a range of economic activities as well as business strategies in America. Following the great industrial improvements after 1815, the market demand for different commodities led to innovation of speedy mass production and standardized methods of production. The first innovation in textile manufacturing was a fully developed factory system. This included invention of spinning machinery and the first cott on mills that used power loom. This technology enabled use of a single factory to convert fiber into cloth. The technology greatly enhanced efficiency in the cloth industry.

ANALYZNG THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANALYZNG THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS - Coursework Example Vodafone is a telecom company and is headquartered at London, UK. The reason behind choosing Vodafone is that the recruitment process is very simple as compared with other multinational companies. The recruitment process of Vodafone is presented below. The company recruits on the basis of experience as well as academic background of the candidate. However in some of the vacant positions the company only hires on the basis of prior experience. The company is hugely focused towards the recruitment of diverse work force. It is a rule in the company that the recruitment of the candidates should ensure diversity. This can be cited as one of the business strategies of the company. The company strategically recruits diverse workforce keeping in mind about the diversity in their customer base. The company also pays competitive pay packages to its employees in order to make sure that the attrition rate remains minimal. However the company also uses several other techniques in order to retain their present employee strength. In this context the company carries out various employee retention programs. Also the company pays on the basis of performance. 2. Pension Scheme: - The company also thinks about the employees after their retirement from the company. In this context the company offers pension to them. Also the company has been awarded with the ‘Pensions Quality Mark Plus’ in the United Kingdom. 3. Holidays: - The company offers 28 holidays in a year apart from the regular and national holidays. The company also has the policy that states that if an employee gets older in the system he/she is entitled to get more

Body Mass Index Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Body Mass Index - Research Paper Example A BMI value that is above 30 suggests that a person is obese (Brownell & Puhl, 2005). Obesity has been identified as a major cause for concern with respect to discrimination, which has been observed in various aspects of people’s everyday life. This paper seeks to highlight and discuss instances in people’s lives, which are affected by discrimination based on obesity. Various research studies that have been conducted to investigate whether bias against obese individuals led to discrimination in various aspects of people’s everyday life. Findings from research studies have established that there exists a stereotype against obese people, in society. This stereotype is based on the negative attributes that have been pegged on their characters and appearance. One such research study was able to establish that there existed discrimination in the work place, especially when it came to hiring, promotion and remuneration (Brownell & Puhl, 2005). The findings from this research illustrated that there was bias, which evolved to discrimination of obese individuals in all aspects of employment and workplace practice. Obese people have been found to experience discrimination in the health care sector where doctors have prejudice over obese patients. This discrimination and negative stereotyping has led to a decline in the quality of health care that obese individuals receive (Brownell & Puhl, 2005). Obese people have also been found to experience discrimination in the education system from its early establishment through to college. This has been blamed for the rising cases of suicides perpetrated by school going children. Discrimination based on obesity has been increasing over the years that it has been leveled with racial discrimination (Brownell & Puhl, 2005). Discrimination based on obesity has been identified as an increasing threat to the wellbeing of the society, but at the same time, it

Social Aspects of Down Syndrome Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Aspects of Down Syndrome - Research Paper Example This is a curable disease that if identified in the early stages after birth can be managed properly to later stages in life. The different aspects for children and adults, speech, relationships with groups and how certain environments influence social skills and mental capabilities are vital signs to be considered critically (Royston 2005). This includes the developments of friendships, interpersonal social skills, leisure and play skills, self-help skills and independence and socially recommended behavior. Social skills for being independent, making friends, searching work and becoming independent through social confidence and competence is vital than academic skills. The ability to understand others feelings, emotions, and their behavior lead to success in social relations. For both children and adults suffering from Down syndrome, social understanding starting in infancy is considered as strength. The none verbal cues like voice tonal variation, facial expressions, posture and gestures indicate how someone feels, that in the event when one does not understand the spoken words used, they are suppose to pick the major messages about feelings and thus behave appropriately. Children and adults with strong social skills and empathy suffering from Down syndrome tend to enjoy better social behavior and understanding than t heir counter parts with the same stage of communication delays. On the other hand, this understanding of others behavior also enables Down syndrome children to be naughty since they have knowledge of how to provoke the reactions of the others (Evans 2009). The social development of infants with Down syndrome is influenced by their experiences in the environment by factors like family, society and schools, their tempers and the treatment they receive from others. Different behaviors in children are experienced according to their immediate environments, for instance, where a child notices negative emotions