Strategic management Essay Example for Free

Strategic management Essay Management In business there are certain things that should be done and there are things that must be done if the business wants to continue. The primary purpose of a business is to make a profit and stay profitable. At the beginning of chapter three of Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy Achieving Sustainability, there is a story about how General Mills took it upon itself to clean up an area that was near to its headquarters and that had become quite a dangerous place (Wheelen amp; Hunger, p. 0,  2010). General Mills spent millions of dollars tearing down old drug houses and helping the community afford housing with grants, the question is why did they do it? General Mills certainly was not required to spend that money the way it was spent. There was not any government agency forcing them to help the community. It seems that General Mills helped the community because of goodwill, it may be that the philanthropic actions that General Mills takes helps the management feel good about themselves. Whatever the reasoning for beginning to support poorer communities, it could be said that any person helped by General Mills will be a General Mills customer for a long time to come. Even telling their friends and neighbors about how General Mills help them or their community, thus spreading the reputation of the company. According to Milton Friedman, any company that spends money on the community is doing so under the persuasion or expectation of its shareholders. Friedman also concludes that by spending that money on the community rather than using it to cut costs or to develop new products that they organization may be doing more harm than good to its long-term efficiency (Wheelen amp; Hunger, p. 72,  2010). The arguments for these points of view make sense, by donating to the community an organization fosters goodwill with the people and can create customer loyalty. On the other hand by saving that money and creating higher quality products at lower prices, a company an create the same loyalty from its customers. There is the argument that a person who receives assistance on a regular basis will become dependent on that assistance and expect it. It seems that ethics and social responsibility do play a role in strategic planning if only for the reason that it is expected of large organizations. Even some small organizations donate to the community albeit on a smaller scale, Bolt and Nut Supply Co. in Ogden donates product for Eagle Scout p rojects two to three times a year. Whether or not the charity and donations ultimately lead to the loss of efficiency is difficult to quantify, however, it seems that the larger a company gets the more it is expected to contribute. Monsanto is a company that has been deemed the least ethical company in the world (â€Å"The 12 Least Ethical Companies In The World: Covalences Ranking,†Ã‚  2013). Monsanto started out as a chemical company and has transformed itself into an agricultural giant, creating genetically Modified seeds for farmers. Monsanto has been allowed to patent it genetically modified seeds making it possible to use lawsuits to protect those patents. Monsanto representatives have been seeking out farmers for years with threats to sue them for patent infringement. Monsanto creates seeds which are resistant to its own creation Roundup, so a farmer who purchases Monsanto seeds can safely use Roundup for weed control without harming his crop. Traditionally farmers would collect seeds from their crop for use in the coming season for the next crop. When a farmer buys from Monsanto, he will be required to sign a document stating that he will not collect the seeds for later use, instead he must purchase new seeds from them if he wants to plant the same crop (â€Å"Monsantos Harvest of Fear,†Ã‚  2008). Farmer who have never used Monsanto seeds are not safe, when they collect seeds from the previous crop they may inadvertently be collecting seed from Monsanto crops that have blown over from neighboring farms or that have been deposited by birds. The seeds look the same visually, the only way to tell is by lab testing, if a Monsanto mafia member does a little checking that can force the farmer into giving up money just to get them off his case (â€Å"Monsantos Harvest of Fear,†Ã‚  2008). It would appear that a company does not necessarily need to be ethical to be successful because General Mills and Monsanto seem to be polar opposites on the ethics scale and both are successful. However, Monsanto has a large and growing opposing force in the people whom it has wronged or who think that Monsanto needs to be stopped. If that group gets large enough it could spell the end for Monsanto.

An Analysis of Das Boot Essay -- Das Boot Essays

What is it that makes the film, "Das Boot", stand out in the plethora of war movies? Why was this film, with subtitles and about German World War 2 soldiers, popular enough in America to earn six Academy Award nominations? One possible answer is the characters. Like so many other epics, the sensation of viewing pleasure goes beyond the intense plot and into the intricacy and intimacy of the building blocks of every story: the characters. Director Wolfgang Petersen's mastery is in bringing the viewer into that unfortunate submarine, makes everyone a participant in the horror as one of the characters, creating the feeling of no escape. Then, once Petersen has the viewer "in" the submarine, he presents us with a duality in character type; there are men determined to salvage the mission and thwart disaster, as well as others who are helpless in helping their comrades, doomed to be insufficient and bothersome. Once Petersen has portrayed this conflict, it is easy to see how the level of tension is so high in the submarine. The film begins with the submarine crew drunk and jovial, attempting to enjoy their final moments before their departure. Knowing that the odds of returning alive are minimal, the men appear to throwing their intuition to the stars as they frolic foolishly and even tastelessly. Petersen is presenting the viewer with a group of rowdy boys full of life and indifferent to their future, in stark contrast with the men who arrive at the Mediterranean port later in the film. At this moment, all the men are equals, ready to confront the sea and serve their country. While in the submarine, the nature of these men changes. No longer are they a homogeneous group; rather a number of... ... thing he does like his attentiveness to Hitler's speeches, his meticulous eating habits, and promenading in his Nazi attire, all annoy the crew. His very presence is a distraction to a crew that needs total focus. Although he appears as diligent as the others, his style is different, his attitude is too unnecessary, and his demeanor is too inappropriate for the submarine. This duality is a large component of the tension that resides in the boat. Peterson seems to be making a contrast he to encourage the already mounting tension. Combine this with the life-death aspect of the mission and incredible stress is inevitable. It is a ship mostly full of ardorous men, but the few who don't fit are harpoons in the ship's side. Pederson's film is quite intense and it has to be said that this duality in character portrayal enhances this aspect of the movie.

Macy’s Inc Case Essay

Analyze the publicly-traded firm Macy’s Inc.; you are to complete a financial analysis. Complete the following steps for this portion of the project: 1. Obtain financial information for your firm for at least a 5 (2008-2012) year time period. This information should include: income statements, balance sheets, cash-flow statements. 2. Provide a brief history of the firm: You will need to do background reading about the firm in order to gain insight into its performance and behavior. Focus this section on the â€Å"who, when, where and what† questions about your firm’s history. 3. Complete financial measures of the firm for a multi-year time period (e.g. 5 years). This should include all measures concerning the income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statements. 4. Analysis of the financial performance of the firm. Once all financial measures have been determined, an analysis of this information is crucial to understanding how well the firm is performing and its current state of operations. There will be two components to this analysis: a. End-Point Analysis: Using the end-point methodology described in the document in the Reference Module of the Content Section of the course, compare the firm’s current financial performance to its financial performance in the beginning time frame. Describe, discuss, and analyze the changes you observe. b. Industry Comparison: Obtain current industry data on the various financial measures you have determined for the firm. Compare the performance of the firm to the industry and describe/discuss your results. 5. Summarize your findings. Based on the financial analysis you have just completed, summarize your findings and draw conclusions about the changes in the financial performance/structure of the firm over time and about the current strengths of its operations.

Advertisements Are Shaping Our Society - 1255 Words

got a tattoo saying ‘Made in England’ above my foot to represent that, that I felt like a doll for so long.† Said Cara Delevingne, supermodel. Why is the model industry creating this idea that all females have to look like this ‘doll’ to be beautiful? Society has moulded the ‘ideal’ body image to an unattainable goal fashioned by the criteria established through advertising. Advertisements are enforcing the standards of beauty to encourage our youths to believe and aspire to become this contemporary based view of what beautiful is. This is supported by 45% of women and 23% of men in the healthy weight range think they are overweight and 20% of women who are underweight think they are overweight. (Butterfly, FED) So why do we have such false perceptions of what should be? Advertisements are shaping our society into believing that to become beautiful you must mimic the models depicted in adverts. Advertisers have been using masculinity and femininity to sell since the early 1900’s and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This is a controversial topic and has been heavily discussed within recent years. Commercials such as ‘LG Kompressor Plus Supermodel Commercial’, paints an image into female’s minds saying you have to be the symbol of perfection to be beautiful. By using the seductive, blonde, tall, fit model in a sense of her achieving her dreams to be on a photo shoot proves that to be in this business you need to obtain these specific traits. Although at theShow MoreRelatedAdvertisements Are Shaping Our Society1253 Words   |  6 Pageslong.† Said Cara Delevingne, supermodel. Why is the model industry, creating this idea that all females have to look like this ‘doll’ to be beautiful? Society has moulded the ‘ideal’ body image to an unattainable goal fashioned by the criteria established through advertising. Advertisements are enforcing the standards of beauty to encourage our youth to believe and aspire to become this contemporary based view of what beautiful is. This is supported by 45% of women and 23% of men in the healthyRead MoreAdvertisements Are Shaping Our Society1254 Words   |  6 Pageslong.† Said Cara Delevingne, supermodel. Why is the model industry, creating this idea that all females have to look like this ‘doll’ to be beautiful? Society has moulded the ‘ideal’ body image to an unattainable goal fashioned by the criteria established through advertising. Advertisements are enforcing the standards of beauty to encourage our youth to believe and aspire to become this contemporary based view of what beautiful is. 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So, using Montaigne’s idea of self-examination, is it really possible to truly know who we are? How might we go about figuring it out? And what is it that truly shapes us today? People define themselves in many different ways: I am (my name), IRead MoreBeauty And The Beast Of Advertisement1542 Words   |  7 Pagespart of the women identity and is shaping the female gender in ways individuals can’t differentiate. The destruction of the female character has been silently shaped by men’s desires and the diminishing view of the female character. Marilyn Frye and Jean Kilbourne, two American feminists, both focused their attention on the female role in today’s modern society. 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With today’s society image is everything, and advertising uses this to their advantage. Advertising uses this as a way to make insecure people buy products they do not need. Many advertisements that are seen today on television, billboards, newspaper, and magazines are indeed harmful to our eyes and brain. Many of them make people feel like crap, that you dont have this car or that house or that body. Advertising isRead MoreT he Importance Of Childhood Obesity894 Words   |  4 Pagesfrequency of unhealthy foods and beverages advertisements to children (Hawkes Harris, 2011, as cited in Hypertension Advisory Committee, 2013, p. 8). With this information, Canada’s current system of regulation fails to protect children from the toxic information broadcasted, which may contribute to the rising rates of childhood obesity. As suggested by Scully, Dixon and Wakefield (2009), increased exposure to food advertising may be associated with shaping food choices, beliefs, and purchase requestsRead MoreVisual images Reinforce Traditional Gender and Sexuality Stereotypes948 Words   |  4 Pagesmanifestation of the masculine and feminine miens. An examination of print media advertisements highlights the social and cultural ideologies associated with traditional gender roles that are expected and imposed on by society. â€Å"Advertisements are deeply woven into the fabric of Western Culture, drawing on and reinforcing commonly held perceptions and beliefs† of gender and sexuality stereotypes. They have a strong role in shaping society by reflecting, reinforcing and perpetuating traditional societal valuesRead MoreWomen And Women s Advertising962 Words   |  4 Pages On a daily basis, the average person in the United States is exposed to roughly 3,000 different advertisements that contribute to shaping our society’s ‘ideal’ image of each gender (Baker 13). These images and texts typically represent and reinforce a fabrication of gender roles, expectations, and stereotypes. Examining and understanding the different portrayals of men and women in the advertisement industry is vital because we becoming so highly influenced by these unrealistic, fantasy-type images