Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Case Study Example Hertz offer fantastic customer experience in providing best cars and comfort as par as the car hire is concern. The combination of great brand value and the potential financial efficiencies made the Hertz one of the most profitable business leaders in the business. Hertz business was matured and profitable enough to be acquired. The initiative from the CD& R financial partners David Wasserman, Micheal Baiarz and Nathan Sleeper on a capital structure which would have lowered the Hertz capital cost was really beneficial for CD&R. The Hertz was a potential investment opportunity as Hertz business was mature and competitive in all the countries where they had their business fleets. The CD&R’s Consortium is well-known as CCM which includes the Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Global Private equity; both of them are the most dominating companies in the business scenario. On August 30th the CCM submitted its final bid of five point four billion dollars including a request that Ford make a certain tax election which would step up the tax basis of Hertz asset. However, there were some several companies who had submitted the final bid on the same date and among them one is the private equity consortium, composed of Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Texas pacific

Monday, October 28, 2019

Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

Death of a Salesman Essay An essay on the use of dashes in Arthur Millers play, Death of a Salesman The dash is a handy device, informal and essentially playful, telling you that youre about to take off on a different tack but still in some way connected with the present course only you have to remember that the dash is there, and either put a second dash at the end of the notion to let the reader know that hes back on course, or else end the sentence, as here, with a period. __ Lewis Thomas How does a writer a good writer convey epiphanies exactly so that its grammatically appropriate for eureka! a dash is used placed just so to convey, establish a mood, feeling, tone a character feels whilst saying a line, monologue even an exclamation wherein characters experience a lot of feeling and dominance is implied when a line is ended by a dash interruption in short by another character allowing the reader to see feel the personality traits, characteristics of a character subtlety. This simple line the dash is a many faceted gem a treasure that can be used to highlight many ideas key terms certain events jump off the page because of the use of a dash rather than an ellipsis causes a noticeable break a sharp break unlike that of an ellipsis which immediately gives off the impression of abruptness just as it appears visually a sharp-edged line in the center of a line that breaks the fluidity of words just as the dash in a sentence breaks the flow of thought or conversation. Dashes menial as they are give substance to a pause, break charging it with emotion and meaning no number of words could do the same. Although dashes may seem like a punctuation mark so rarely used, it is an integral tool in writing conversations. The dash represents a discontinuation of an intended statement a visual representation of the abruptly derailed trail of a train of thought allows the writer to interrupt characters as is normal in an average conversation like most of Linda and Willys conversations. Lindas lines are often ended by a dash interrupted by another speaker subtlety informing the reader of Lindas subservient personality. The dashes imply the abruptness of Willys interruptions thereby insinuating that he doesnt listen to her including times when she expresses her adoration for him clarifying that Willys view behavior towards Linda is rather poor- which in turn personifies Willys personality. Linda: You are, Willy. The handsomest man. Youve got no reason to feel that- Willy: Ill make it all up to you, Linda, Ill- Linda: Theres nothing to make up, dear. Youre doing fine, better than- Willy: Whats that? Linda: Just mending my stockings. Theyre so expensive- Willy: I wont have you mending socks in this house! Now throw them out! (Page 39) This whole conversation establishes the relationship between Willy and Linda Willy being the dominant though insensible one, while Linda is the subservient although quite practical one as well as giving insight to Willys guilt over the woman all done with four appropriately placed dashes at the end of a characters lines. However, dashes are not only useful at the end of lines but in the midst of a sentence as well. Just as the dash on the page is a break from the stream of words a break in the voice is represented by a dash on the page. Thus, when a character is overcome by emotions, a dash is placed in the proper place in the sentences structure and a feeling of overwhelming portions is conveyed to the reader. In a tragic play such as Death of a Salesman, the proper use of the dash is essential to establish certain key conversations and the significance of the feelings of the character and their significance in the overall meaning of the story line. Such a conversation is seen when Willy is affirmed of Biffs love (Page 133) where there was placed four dashes upon the page in the span of the conversation each of which insinuates a great deal of emotion. It is these emotions that help build the tragedy in the story line characterizing Willy and Biff in the process. When Biff tells his mom or whoever it is he is speaking to to put Willy to bed Put him-put him to bed. the dash stresses the exhaustion that Biff feels his inability to finish his sentence implies a deep caring for his father an overwhelming emotion. It is the strength of this emotion that astonishes Willy and awakens Willy to the fact that Biff still loves him, and the following lines he says are also broken with dashes so choked with love and boundless joy is he That boy-that boy is going to be magnificent! (Page 133). These statements foreshadow Willys decision to kill himself for the sake of his sons making an impact greater or equal to that of Willys statement on page 98 where he states After all highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive. Both statements imply that Willy is going to commit suicide, playing against each other. The quote on page 98 establishes that Willy was considering the option the possibility while the conversation with Ben prior to Biffs outburst acknowledges the cause of Willys hesitance and indecisiveness the effect the suicide would leave on Biff the opinion that Biff would have of him afterward. Thus, when Willy is offered that which is all he really wants his life as it was before, with a loving relationship with his Adonis son and the admiration that this son once had for him through Biffs compassionate voice and tears Willy makes a definite choice as to what he intends to do first seen in his line That boy-that boy is going to be magnificent! (Page 133). It is this line that resolves the inner conflict that Willy feels over Biff and over his lack of success it is in this line that Willy decides to kill himself. Without the use of the dashes, the emotions would not have been conveyed to the reader appropriately losing its power and significance in the overall storyline. Another significant line dash in the play though not necessarily filled with emotion begins Biffs voyage into realization and truth. A dash can represent a hesitance changing of mind as to what must be said to convey the thoughts and sometimes feelings of the character. I tell ya, Hap, I dont know what the future is. I dont know-what Im supposed to want. The dash before what Im supposed to want, allows the reader to realize that Biffs restlessness and lack of success is not failure not in the true sense of the word, for Biff would have to truly attempt thus want success in order to fail. Biffs definition of success is different to that of his familys and this makes him uneasy insecure as to what his life really means. This dash allows the reader to acknowledge that Biff is at a loss of exact words to define what he means and the thoughts running through his head. It is this pause that changes the overall meaning of the sentence without the pause, the sentence would pass over unnoticed. The pause dash underlines Biffs uncertainty which continues throughout the play until Biff realizes the absurdity of his situation and awakens. The dash informs the reader that here lies Biffs conflict this dash is the resolution wherein the conflict is introduced. The dash is the conflict. As a modern tragedy, Death of a Salesman is when broken down an informal play, thus the dash is the perfect punctuation for the certain situations -and sentences that needed to be highlighted in the subconscious. The dash evokes an awareness that is subtle sliding beneath our minds eye to implant ideas emotions and feelings thereby creating importance to an event or phrase. When a dash is used, its used to emphasize and encourage analysis of a phrase. The involuntary response to a dash should be curiosity as to the purpose of this dash. A dash is not so easily used and is thus, so rarely seen. Therefore when a dash is used in writing be it at the end of a line or in the midst of a sentence so attention must be paid1! Bibliography: Arthur Miller (1949) Death of a Salesman Penguin Books USA Inc. 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA 1 Page 56 said by Linda. Jolene Kui September 6, 2002

Friday, October 25, 2019

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House :: A Dolls House Essays

A Doll House is considered to have revolutionized Drama in its time. Ibsen, with his play, tries to show another part of humanity to his audience. This new style consisted in situations that could and do happen in real life rather than spectacular or crazy plots. A Doll House is a dramatic piece written by Henrik Ibsen. This story is about Mr. and Mrs. Helmer, they are a happy marriage that like any other marriage is supposed to be based on trust and love. But Mrs. Helmer has a secret, she obtained some money in a shady way to save his husbands life, and now she has to pay it back. But her lender, Mr. Krogstad keeps trying to get favors from her threatening her that if she does not help him he was going to tell her husband her secret. At the end the truth is revealed and Mr. Helmer reacts in a very raging way, Nora realizes that she had been in the wrong place for all these years and decides to leave. Probably the most important part about The Doll House is the ending, when Nora realizes that she does not belong with that man and leaves the house. The other ending added later on as a condition to put this play on stage, is a very good example of the idealistic ideas that were around those times in Europe. This ending proposes that Nora will make a sacrifice and stay with her husband because of their children; this ending definitely does not belong to this play. The whole theme of this play is supposed to represent a real life situation and in real life things sometimes don’t go well. It is hard to argue whether or not this â€Å"happy ending† should have been included in the play; because it is true that in real life things can go wrong but they can also go well, and this new ending would be a good example of story in which at the end everything is fixed in some way. But there is a very big problem with the â€Å"happy ending†, and that would be that it is not the original.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Relevance of Fit Between HR Strategy and Business Strategy

Nadler and Tushman (1980) defined congruence or fit as â€Å"the degree to which the needs demands, goals, objectives and/or structure of one component are consistent with the needs, demands, goals, objectives, and/or structure of another component† (as cited in Boon, 2008). Fit between HR Strategy and business strategy According to U.S. Office of Personnel Management (1999), fit between HR strategy and business strategy means to integrate decisions about people with decisions about the results an organization is trying to obtain. To be able to achieve fit between HR strategy and business strategy, the HR Managers have to identify the real goals of the business, the business way, how to reach the goals and the real needs of the business from Human Resources (Luke, 2010). Some management tend to put the needs of their employees first, but this is not what the business usually asks for. Fit operates vertically and horizontally (Scribner et al, 2008). Vertical fit refers to the alignment of HR practices with the specific organizational context, and horizontal fit refers to the alignment of HR practices into a coherent system of practices that support one another (Delery, 1998). Relevance of fit between business strategy and SHRM The central debate about fit between HR strategy and business strategy is one of the most important to emerge in recent years (Helen Newell and Harry Scarbrough, 2002). It hinges on two broad approaches: the ‘universalistic’ and ‘contingency’ (Natalie Turner, n.d). The universalistic perspective â€Å"best practice† argues that some HR practices are universally effective; regardless in which context they are implemented (Boom, 2008). These practices include items such as (Newell & Scarbrough, 2002), employment security, selective hiring, self-managed teams or team working, high pay contingent on company’s performance, extensive training, reduction of status differences, and sharing information (Pfeffer & Veiga, 1999). Pfeffer & Veiga believe that if these policies are followed, they would always result in organisational success. The universalistic theory is also based on the assumption that HR practices observed in high-performing firms can be transformed to other companies with the same results (Armstrong, 2009). In contrast with universalistic thinking, contingency scholars argued that HR strategy would be more effective only when appropriately integrated with a specific organizational and environmental context (Chang & Huang 2005). This approach infers that the choice of HR strategy depends on the firm’s business strategy (Newell & Scarbrough, 2002). The approach is more akin to the idea of strategic fit because it claims that the optimal HR strategy choice depends on the unique characteristics of the individual organisation (Natalie Turner n.d), or the organisation’s strategy (Newell & Scarbrough, 2002). For instance, a cost-reduction business strategy would require a different set of HRM policies than a strategy based on innovation. â€Å"An HRM strategy to fit with cost reduction might require deskilling, management control and downward pressure on wages. In contrast, one aimed at innovation would be likely to foster employee skills, autonomy and competitive wages† ( Newell & Scarbrough, 2002:28). Other models have also emphasised the relevant of fit between HR strategy and business strategy. These include the Matching model, Life Cycle model, Harvard Model, and the behavioural perspective. The matching model argues that human resource strategies have a tight fit to the overall strategies of the business (Association of Business Executives, ABE; 2010). The basic premise of the life cycle model is that, as organisation grows and develops, human resource practices and procedures must change to meet it needs (Armstrong, 2009). Authors of Harvard model argue that any inconsistency between internal human resource management practices and competitive strategy is likely to lead to role conflict and ambiguity that can interfere with individual performance and organisational effectiveness (ABE, 2010). The behavioural perspective infers that firm’s business strategy must be matched with the specific HR policies and practices, which will elicit particular sets of employee attitude s and behaviours to foster success (Wang & Shyu, 2007). Baron and Kreps (1999) also argue that besides the fit between the individual practices, the HR system should fit with the broader context of what the firm is trying to do, such as the external environment, the workforce, organization’s culture, organizational strategy, technology of production and organization of work. According to Boxall (1992), â€Å"HRM cannot be conceptualized as a stand-alone corporate issue. Strategically speaking it must flow from and be dependent upon the organization’s (market oriented) corporate strategy†. Importance of fit between an organisation’s business strategy and its HR strategy Evidence have shown that to achieve superior organisation performance, there must be a distinct link between human resource strategies and organisations business strategies (ABE, 2010) An excellent example of a company that has matched its business strategy to its human resource strategy is the Lincoln Electric Company in USA. A producer of electrodes and welding machinery, Lincoln is also a cost leader. Lincoln focuses on hiring individually motivated, high performers. These individuals have their compensation tightly linked to their output with laid-down minimum quality levels. A substantial portion of the company’s profits is also distributed to employees at the end of the year based on an individual merit rating that is computed from output, ideas and cooperation, dependability and quality. Lincoln’s innovative HR strategy enabled it to gain, by 1995, a market share of 36% in the otherwise fragmented US market for welding equipment and supplies. (Source: Krishnan, 2005). Also, organisations are now using HR strategy to further strategic aims. For example, At Conventry Building Society, the strategic aim was to keep the business as it was – one of the few remaining mutual – but to reduce staff turnover. The society aligned its employee relations with its customer value, enshrined in the slogan â€Å"TLC not plc.† It switched from a traditional reward structure to a team-based pay and a benefits package called â€Å"TLC for staff† (Source: ABE, 2010). Factors that determine fit between HR strategy and business strategy Fit between HR strategy and business strategy is influenced by both external and internal factors. Some of these factors are discussed briefly below. Technological changes: Technological advances alter jobs, create new skills, make occupations obsolete, and revise what employees need to lean and be trained to do (Ozutku & Ozturkler 2009). Legislation/regulations: For example, the National minimum wage introduced by labour party in England had a significant effect on costs which has led to changes in employment practices in some industries and changes to personnel policies (ABE, 2010). Employee knowledge and skills: Employees knowledge and skills directly affect the quality and performance of the HR system (Wright & Snell 1998). Arguably, more knowledgeable and skilful employees will have competencies to understand and enact a variety of HR practices, such as those designed for a firm’s specific strategy (Wei, 2006). Culture: Several evidences have shown that culture plays a critical role in determining the right HR strategy to adopt. For example, when Lincoln Electric Company applied its HR strategy in ventures acquired outside the United States, it failed because of difference in culture both at societal and organisational levels (Krishnan, 2005). Life cycle stages: Organizations go through evolutionary life cycles, and the stage in which an organization finds itself in an industry affects the HR strategies it should adopt (Armstrong, 2009). Industry/sector characteristics: In analysing HR practices, classification of organisations as manufacturing and service firms is considered. This is because; different production processes necessitate different HR practices (Ozutku & Ozturkler 2009).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Nike Marketing Essay

Introduction Former University of Oregon track coach and co-founder of Nike Bill Bowerman once said: â€Å"If you have a body, you are an athlete!† (Nike Inc., n.d.) It is this way of thinking that describes the root of Nike’s approach to marketing. Every person is a potential athlete or â€Å"consumer†. This is a common thinking in the realm of athletics but when Bill Bowerman said this, it was in direct reference to the shoe industry. From their marketing strategies to their selling philosophies, Nike has developed one of the most recognizable and demanded names and logo ever. Nike, which is the name of the Greek Goddess of Victory, was born in 1972 when Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) launched its first branded shoe at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. A former University of Oregon track team member Phil Knight created Blue Ribbon Sports. At Oregon, Knight was coached by the legendary Bill Bowerman and then went on to become alumnus of the Stanford School of Business. BRS was crafted in 1962 when Knight made a deal with Onitsuka Tiger Company, a Japanese shoe company, to import their shoes to the United States. Knight had the idea to sell a low cost shoe with a very high quality, with high aspirations of taking Adidas out of the top spot in the athletic shoe market. In 1964, Bill Bowerman decided to join Knight as a partner at BRS to create a joint quest to be number one. Bowerman redesigned the Tiger shoes while Knight acted as the accountant/personal seller and the two went on the road to sell their newly crafted sneakers at track meets and local shoe stores. By 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened its first store in Oregon, which is where Nike is still currently headquartered. Knight and Bowerman managed the store with the only one employee, Jeff Johnson. By 1972 BRS was able to subcontract its own shoe line and began selling Nike Brand shoes. Over the next decade Nike expanded almost double its size each year from the previous year. BRS officially became Nike in 1978 and opened manufacturing plants all over the U.S. Nike was a household name for most athletes by early 1980’s. Today, Nike is the world’s leading designer, maker and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a series activities, as well as sports-inspired civic shoes. The company’s target market is in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, with its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Nike employs around 38,000 people to produce footwear for running, training, basketball and  soccer use. The company also sells tennis, golf, baseball, football, bicycling, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, aquatic activities, hiking, outdoor activities and other athletic shoes. The company provides these products for men, women and children. As the leading global footwear brand, Nike reported revenues of $7.0 billion for first quarter, 2014. Identification of Target Market(s) In its beginning Nike’s focus was primarily on track and field, and for the most part track athletes were their target market. One of the first individuals to endorse a Nike product was a man who exemplified their style and way of conducting business, Steve Prefontaine. Prefontaine was a household name in the late seventies and has gone down in history as one of the best American track and field athletes ever. Prefontaine was a friend of Knight and had been coached by Bowerman at the University of Oregon. Prefontaine embodied what Nike wanted as its differential advantage of other companies, due to his brash attitude, high talent level, and cavalier mentality. This is why Steve Prefontaine and Nike were a tremendous tandem in the early years of Nike’s existence. Athletes are still currently the majority consumers of Nike’s products. This is because of the usefulness that goes along with the items. Nike focuses on these consumers by means of agreements with sports team, college sponsorships, and endorsement with individual athletes. Through this, Nike is able to reach an extensive number of consumers and clients who are likely to purchase their products. Nike pays particular focus on the athlete more than other individual consumers. However, a secondary market came to light in the 1980s. During the period from 1985-1987, Nike dropped back down to number two in the running of the shoe market. Sales had dropped off because the running boom of the late 70’s and 80’s had begun to diminish, the NBA was becoming increasingly marketable, and consumers tended to wear their court shoes on the street. (Katz, 1993) Nike began to notice an entire market that the company had been avoiding, everyday athletic activities. These activities were things done by everyday people and not just the serious athlete. Fortunately for Nike, in 1985 their star was brought to light by a rookie basketball player with amazing talent and a nice smile, his name is Michael Jordan. Jordan came to Nike at a time when the marketability of the NBA was increasing. NBA games  were being nationally televised during prime time television hours and weekends. This gave Nike the perfect platform to develop and market their new star and the products that he endorsed. During the first few years Nike introduced Jordan to the public and Jordan familiarized himself with the American public. Nike ran a series of ads with Jordan and film director Spike Lee. These ads were aired during prime time television hours and were solely targeted for pre-teen school students. These ads displayed an expressed message to â€Å"Stay in School.† The ads presented kids with a national figure that was selling both school and Nike’s products, how could parents deny their children the shoes of such a virtuous spokesman? Jordan was a figure that children adored, looked up to and tried to the best of their ability to copy. Nike used this to display a positive image for their company and to sell their products. Consumer Decision Making Process â€Å"Consumers believe that the firm makes better shoes. Whether or not that is true, Nike has been a magician as a marketer.† (McIntyre, 2011) When a consumer purchases a product, usually there is a five step process in making a decision. The steps are need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase, and post purchase behavior. (Perreau, 2013) Nike tries to make this decision process easier with their advertisements. For example, the Nike fuel band is one of Nike’s newest products and people didn’t know much about it when it came out so Nike used an ad that caught ones attention, but that’s not all. Nike’s commercial explained what this product is in great detail. Just by watching the commercial, Nike completed the first three steps for you, making your life a bit easier. In many cases consumers skip steps one through three and buy products on impulse, as Nike would put, they â€Å"just do it†, but in this case Nike does the â€Å"leg† work for you. This is an example of the magic in Nike marketing. However, it’s obvious that Nike hasn’t actually used a wand on its customers and there is no proof which can measure that a Nike pair of shoes is better than an Adidas pair of shoes or another brand, so it must be magic, right? The answer is â€Å"No†, it’s the brand image and product position that is the driving force being Nike sales. The two concepts are why we buy Nike rather than another brand. Brand image refers to the schematic memory of a brand. (Hawkins, 2012, p. 335) Simply, it is what people think of and feel when  they hear or see a brand name and is the set of associations consumers have learned about a brand. (Hawkins, 2012, p. 335) Product positioning is a decision by a marketer to try to achieve a defined brand image relative to competition within a market segment. (Hawkins, 2012, p. 335) Lastly, the ability to benefit from a brand image is called brand equity. (Hawkins, 2012, p. 335) According to Aaker (2013) â€Å"brand equity has four dimensions – brand loyalty, brand awareness, brand associations, and perceived quality, each providing value to a firm in numerous ways.† The core of building the equity for Nike is brand association. Nike associates its brand with famous athletic celebrities that exemplify the personality of the brand; they are achievers, winners, determined, accomplishment oriented, and nontraditional. The most famous example for brand association ever was the collaboration between Nike and Jordan. This association personified Nike as a superior top performing brand. The depth of this personification became permanent, even after Jordan was no longer there. Also, Nike associates with top sport events by sponsoring many major league sports, including the National Basketball Association. Through its brand association, Nike increased its brand awareness. Nike communicated its celebrity associations through TV ads, which increased their sales dramatically. In addition, one of the most important sources of Nike brand equity is the high perceived quality. Although, in today’s market, most of Nike’s consumers are the public that use their shoes just for walking, Nike is committed to design their shoes according to the high standards of professional competition. Seeing a winning athlete wearing a Nike shoe in a professional competition authenticated the quality perception in the minds of the customers. Lastly, Nike has a good relationship with its customer, which creates s ome sort of brand loyalty. Recommendations Nike’s ideals and goals remain the same as those of the days of Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman. Nike’s Phil Knight is not slowing down as he continually signs new colleges on as Nike endorsed schools, even purchasing a portion of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Nike has reached a point where they can count on the Nike name promoting itself, and yet they continue to produce innovative ideas. These ideas have been productive and entertaining promotional tools. In the case of Nike, it should continue to market itself  towards people of all ages who wish to be active and still comfortable. This marketing strategy has been particularly successful as its capability to reach many athletes, and according to Nike that is anyone with a body. Nike focuses on the consumers who embrace product understanding and closeness, which allows the company to set a higher cost than its competitors. This is a marketing strategy of Nike which calls for superior pricing points in order to push the supposed value of the product. This strategy has also proven successful for the company. Lastly, the more reliable the distribution of the product is improves the sales and results in more profits. Product delivery at the required time to the consumer not only affects usefulness it also results in a high level of customer’s satisfaction as well as loyalty. It goes without saying that Nike’s customers are satisfied and loyal. References Aaker, D. (2013, September 13). What Is Brand Equity and Why is it Valuable? | Aaker on Brands | Prophet. Retrieved from http://www.prophet.com/blog/aakeronbrands/156-what-is-brand-equity-and-why-is-it-valuable Hawkins, D. (2012). Mp Consumer Behavior With Ddb Data Disk (12th ed.). Irwin Professional Pub. Katz, D. (1993, August 16). Triumph of the Swoosh. Sports Illustrated, 53-73. McIntyre, D. A. (2011, March 18). Nike’s Brand Strength: A Round Of Prices Increases – MarketWatch. Retrieved from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nikes-brand-strength-a-round-of-prices-increases-2011-03-18 Nike Inc. (n.d.). NIKE, Inc. – About NIKE, Inc. Retrieved from http://nikeinc.com/pages/about-nike-inc Nike Inc. (n.d.). NIKE, Inc. – History & Heritage. Retrieved from http://nikeinc.com/pages/history-heritage Perreau, F. (2013, October 25). The 5 stages of Consumer Buying Decision Process. Retrieved from http://theconsumerfactor.com/en/5-stages-consumer-buying-decision-pro cess/