the Firm Strategy Structure and Rivalry

the Firm Strategy Structure and Rivalry Sialkot is known as the export city of Pakistan. Out of many cottage and small scale industries, sports industry is one of the most prominent in the city. There are total 3559 sports goods industries in Pakistan out of which over 98 percent are located in the city of Sialkot and its suburbs.[1] Imported sports brands like Adidas (Germany), Puma (Germany), Nike (USA) and Slazenger (UK) started getting their products manufactured from the Sialkot sports industry. This international collaboration was a big achievement. In 1994, official soccer balls were required for FIFA football World Cup, USA 94. Sialkot sports equipment exporters were selected for this supply.[2] However, the industry is now experiencing loss of market share because of lack of modernization that is latest technology usage, poor information infrastructure, competition with China, India and Japan, low capital for industry expansion, lack of technical education, innovation and international standards in production, frequent power outages, poor management skills and lack of coordination among related industries in the sports cluster. Using the Porters Diamond model for analysis, we can better understand the current situation of the sports industry (exhibit 1). Porters Diamond model[3] helps in understanding the role of clusters in competition and enables a government to gauge how an industry can become competitive on a global level. Demand Conditions: Sialkot sports industry had been generating major revenue by exporting sports wear and sports equipment to the international market. But there has been a recent downfall in the industry. The international market demands innovation in sports products, use of better technologies and international standards in production. Firm Strategy Structure and Rivalry: There is a strong competition with China, India and Japan. International brands like NIKE, Adidas etc. are getting their products made from these countries because of cheap labor and raw materials there. China specially is a big threat to the industry.[4] Factor Conditions: Small scale industries are run by a familys own savings. As savings are limited, expansion of industrial units is not possible and it could soon get exhausted. So, capital is a hurdle in advancement. Power outages are one of the biggest problems of Pakistan these days. It causes problems in the form of delays in production. Employees are not well equipped with the management skills. Because of obsolete technology usage, the industry is lagging behind the market. Infrastructure needs to be enhanced according to modern demands. Raw materials which are required include synthetic rubber, rubber, leather (pebble grained leather), wood, aluminum, nylon, gut etc. These are all locally produced. Related Supporting Industries: Despite the presence of big sports cluster including locally based suppliers of raw materials, the cooperation among the private-public partnerships seems to be low. Differences in prices are created because of lack of coordination among the related industries. Individuals are not well trained about the technology advancement. Entrepreneur fervor is there but innovation is lagging behind.[5] Analysis: Regaining markets share will require a number of changes. In order to analyze the importance of the sports industry and to judge whether there is really any need for upgrading the sports cluster, the SWOT analysis is carried out which shows the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by the sports industry of Pakistan (exhibit 2). According to it, the sports industry has sustained up till now because of the long history of exports which has enabled it to maintain active and reliable linkages in international markets. Though small in number, the labor force possesses multiple skills regarding production, for example, in the manufacturing of cricket bats, tennis rackets, and footballs which is keeping the industry functioning. However, sports industries are small-scale cottage industries with weak management capabilities of the employees and a tough price competition in the market, making their survival difficult. Moreover, absence of international standards and accredited testing laboratories is also adding to the weaknesses. Lack of product innovation and extensive power outages are also affecting it negatively. Furthermore, employees are not well trained about the latest technologies in the market and are thus reluctant in adopting them which is putting the industry behind day by day. Keeping the employees well trained about latest technologies will enable them to keep track of the latest trends in the market. Also, in small scale industries the investors are poor and illiterate so the production methods and machinery are outdated. Moreover, there are good opportunities for the sports industry to flourish like low rate of mark-up on working capital loans, very low income tax rates and better trade access in EU and USA. Some threats to the industry involve technical and environmental barriers to trade, licensing and international standards requirement by the international markets and producers of raw materials. Lack of education resulting in poor technology advancement has become a threat to the industry.[6] China/ East Asia production is also posing serious threat to the industry. Recommendations: In order to improve the export conditions of the sports industry, the following Five Year Plan needs to be implemented. Five Year Plan: The Five Year Plan would focus on: Addressing barriers (poor information infrastructure, lack of technical know-how, less capital, power outages, illiteracy, poor management skills, lack of modernization) Sports products innovation and diversity Educating entrepreneurs about advanced technology Labor skills enhancement to bring innovation and diversity in products Overarching Strategy: To enhance and strengthen the existing sports cluster and move it towards competitive advantage To bring reforms which would enable the sports industry to overcome the market share losses Year 1 A Cluster Monitoring Cell comprising of dedicated departments would be established by the government which would monitor the activities of the sports industry cluster and would try to bring reforms to the industry. Existing employees would be educated about the latest technology trends prevalent in the market. Technical centers would be setup under governments educational programs, launched and funded by the Education Department to provide adequate training to the employees. Workshops for counseling regarding investment and other matters would be provided to the new comers in the business. This would be taken care of by the Training Department. Research Department would point out industries in the cluster which justly require funds. Funding Department would then collaborate with the government to provide loans and easy installment facilities to the owners in order to reduce the risk of going out of business. The information infrastructure needs to be improved by the Information Resource Bureau for proper flow of information across the multiple industries in the sports cluster. Government intervention plans would be made and implemented in order to reduce threats. The Research Department would indentify when intervention is required. Human Resource Department would set criteria for hiring employees. Government would launch scholarship and exchange programs under the Education Department of Cluster Monitoring Cell in order to overcome the reluctance of employees in getting educated. Year 2-3 In continuation to Year 1 Plan: In order to cater to the needs of a wide range of markets, diversity in production would be introduced. Responsible organizations like Cluster Monitoring Cell and Government would focus on capacity building so that better advantage could be taken of opportunities available to the industry. Issues regarding World Trade Organization would be overcome through proper seminars, trainings and workshops which would be conducted at least four times a year at different locations. Strict laws would be implemented, violation of which would result in penalties. Export services provided by the government would be strengthened. Solar, wind and hydel power generating units would be installed at the industry by the government to deal with power outage problem. Year 4-5 In continuation to Year 2-3 Plan: A comprehensive national level strategy plan will be made which would involve all the stakeholders. Focus would be on sustainable development of the industry. For that, reliance on subsidies and monetary support will be discouraged. Government would intervene to limit the ever increasing number of industries by allowing only those industries to export that have a certain capacity for capital investment. Conclusion: Sports industry is one of the most revenue generating industries of Pakistan. There is an urgent need to adopt the above recommendations before it is too late. These would help in bridging the gap between the various related industries in the sports cluster. Technical know how, information about WTO issues and latest technologies need to be infused in the minds of the entrepreneurs so that they could help in better running of the industry. Government needs to intervene in the industry matters at the right time in order to control the situation before industries are met with market shares losses. Bibliography: Ghani, Dr. Jawaid A. SIALKOTS ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT, No.96-10 (September, 1996). Karim, Yasir,Sports Industry in Pakistan Porter, Michael E., Chapter 7, Clusters and Competition: New Agendas for Companies, Governments and Institutions in On Competition, (Boston:Harvard Business School Press,1998). Web Resources: DAWN Media Group (29th August, 2009) Pakistan set to recapture football market, available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/business/09-pakistan-set-to-recapture-football-marketszh-06, accessed 17th March, 2010. Sialkot Export (no date) Sports Wear, Sports Goods in Sialkot, available at http://www.sialkotexport.com/sports.aspx, accessed 17th March 2010. Dr. Jawaid A. Ghani, SIALKOTS ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT, No.96-10 (September, 1996), p.7 Sialkot Export (no date) Sports Wear, Sports Goods in Sialkot, available at http://www.sialkotexport.com/sports.aspx, accessed 17th March 2010. Michael E. Porter, Chapter 7, Clusters and Competition: New Agendas for Companies, Governments and Institutions in On Competition, (Boston:Harvard Business School Press,1998), p.211 DAWN Media Group (29th August, 2009), available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/business/09-pakistan-set-to-recapture-football-marketszh-06, accessed 17th March, 2010. Porter, Chapter 7, Clusters and Competition: New Agendas for Companies, Governments and Institutions , p.210-213. Yasir Karim, Sports Industry in Pakistan, pp.9-10 Yasir Karim, Sports Industry in Pakistan, p.11 Porter, Chapter 7, Clusters and Competition: New Agendas for Companies, Governments and Institutions , p.211 Karim, Sports Industry in Pakistan, pp.9-10

Psychology and New Technology Program Essay

ABC Corporation has made a decision to purchase a new technology program for their employees. Because this technology program is new, employees ranging from age 17- 70 needs to be train. Training must be complete with six months. Before training is implement, four fundamental principles of adult education, including psychological, sociocultural, biological, and cognitive must be analyze. Because of the age range it would feasible to divide the employee into two groups. First group is Young learners (YL) age group 17-25 and the second group is Adult learners (AL) age group 26-71. The AL group will require multiple sessions because of the number of employee in this group. Before training begins, both groups must prepare for learning, therefore an open discussion regarding the new technology program, training plan process and how it will affect the employees will be discuss, this discussion will gain support and full participation from the employees. After analyzing both groups, the biological factor for the YL group will not have a strong impact. Most young learner between the ages of 17-25 is computer knowledgeable and is familiar with the 21st century social media and is open for change with new technology. YL group would benefit from Web-Based Training (WBT) instead of the traditional classroom forum. Many young leaners prefer a teaching method that would keep them engaged, and eager. WBT is the delivery method for the YL group. The adult learners (AL) ages 26-70 may not be a computer literate and would benefit from the traditional classroom approach. The AL group would require the adult educator to have patience, slow lecturing, plenty of hands on exercise, and frequent breaks. Hands on exercise are a memory factor that would benefit the AL group two months after been train. Most adults learners tend to forget what they have learned. Information that goes into adult leaner memory is memorize if the learner practices remembering the information soon after he or she learns it. Psychological factors deals with individuals’ way of thinking and learning. Separating the groups would allow the employees to learn and collaborate within their age group. Developing two groups will allow the learners to relate to each other, and feel comfortable learning. Training both groups together would be challenging for the adult educator as well as the employees. The possibility of redundant questions would slow down the class, which could result in less participation. Cognitive factor is the process of obtaining knowledge through experiences. The Adult learner (AL) is in charge of their own learning. They focus on what will advance their career and life circumstances. The Young learners (YL) rely on others to tell them what they should learn. Both groups learning environment has an impact on how well they comprehend the new technology program. The YL group would benefit from a self pace, web base training module or a stimulation module with active interaction of practical and theory scenarios. Each module will require an assessment and a passing score of 90% or higher to advance to the next module. This learning style would allow the YL group to continue to make use of 21st technology. The AL group would not benefit from web base training. Most adult learners are not comfortable learning new technology, in this case the employees does not have an option. The AL group who is not adaptive to change would find it challenging to learn a new technology program via a computer; this would be an internal factor that may take time to overcome. The job of the trainer is to make the learner apart of the learning process, by asking for volunteers, or asking experiences related questions. The AL groups are concern with why and how to apply this new technology. Sociocultural deals with how adults deal with individual learning and how learning takes place. Dividing employees into separate groups will be beneficial at the end of training. Both groups can relate to their own learning team. The YL group want experience classroom group interaction with their team. Web-based training (WBT) is similar to distance learning. There will be online discussion, and e-mail dialogue. The AL group will build possibly new relationships, interact more, discuss challenges, and success. In conclusion, in order for the ABC Company to be effective with the new technology program, the recommendation is to divide the employees into separate groups, and categorize them as Adult Learner (AL), Young Learners (YL). This approach would be beneficial from the adult learner perspective and applying the four fundamental principles, simplifies the training plan and the assurance that training will be complete successfully within six months. Afterward employees will be able to apply the new concepts, and best practices of the new technology program.

Imperial President

‘More imperiled than imperial. ’ Discuss this view of the US presidency (30 marks) Imperial presidency is a term, popularized by the book, written in 1973, by Arthur Schlesinger, a former aide to JFK, called ‘The Imperial Presidency†. It is used to refer to a presidency characterized by the misuse and abuse of the powers of the presidency.. In particular, it refers to the misuse of power and excessive secrecy in dealing with foreign policy. The founding fathers intended the president not to initiate war but be a commander in chief and could only respond to an attack.They intended Congress to be proactive and initiate military action and that the president is reactive and supervises military action. An imperial president would misuse, abuse and ignore these powers. An imperiled presidency is virtually the opposite and is a term used when the president cannot act effectively due to continuous conflict with Congress. At least one of these two terms have been use d to describe each modern president, sometimes both have been used for the same presidency, showing the phrase can be used very flexibly, and can often be down to personal opinion.Nixon described it as a facade created by liberals and defensive congressman. The Development of the Imperial Presidency is often put down to America’s involvement in WW2 after Pearl Harbor in 1941. Before 1941, America had only been to war 11 times, and was often seen to avoid getting involved in foreign disputes and get on with there own business, but this changed obviously changed when they entered the world war. This saw a seismic shift in the importance of foreign policy, and therefore a seismic shift in what the president could do in times of war.In 1941, when Congress declared war, FDR was allowed to break free of his restraints written in the constitution. The time for the Imperial Presidency had arguably begun. Since then, America has nearly been at a constant state of war and â€Å"the Im perial presidency† continued to develop, through the presidencies of Truman, who when North Korea invaded the south in 1950 sent US troops, Eisenhower, who sent 14000 US troops to Lebanon, and JFK, who launched an attack on the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, all without congressional approval as a result.In 1964, the idea of the â€Å"imperial president† took a major step forward. The President at the time, Johnson, was given the power to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks on US armed forces, through the Gulf Agreement, also know as the Tokin Gulf Resolution. The Gulf Agreement was like a turkey voting for Christmas, as it took a sizeable power away from Congress and Schlesinger argued Congress had become a spectator.Johnson used this new power to rage war in Vietnam, and by 1969, the US had 500,000 troops on the ground there. The term Imperial President was used to describe Nixon, Reagan, George Bush Jnr and perhaps Clinton. Nixon, seen as the revolutionary p residency, made full use of his war making powers, by carpet bombing Vietnam, bombing Cambodia without even the knowledge of congress, the so called Secret War in Laos, and didn't even ask the Senate to ratify the Paris Peace accords.Reagan was seen as an Imperial President, due to his involvement in the Iran Contra Affair, in which Regan’s Administration sold weapons to negotiate the release hostages, and then used these funds, without congresses knowledge or approval, to fund anti communist rebels in the Nicaragua. George Bush Junior was seen as an imperial president as he used the fear of terrorism to gain support for the 2001 patriot act and other legislation, and went to war unconstitutional in 2001 in Afghanistan and in 2003 in Iraq.Many people argued Clinton was imperial. This was due to two reasons. First, he wrote a letter that America would follow all parts of a treaty that lost in senate, and took part in military action in Bosnia, Serbia and Haiti and approved air strikes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Schlesinger however argued that he wasn't because he was constrained by Congress. There have been, however, presidents that can be described as Imperil. Following the Watergate Scandal in 1972, Congress had finally had enough of the Imperial Presidents.They believed that Nixon had made illegal use of the CIA for political purpose, and that the white house was overly secretive. They past three major acts over 2 years, which brought power, back to Capitol Hill. In 1972, the Case Act was passed which meant that the president was required to submit executive agreements to congress, which prevents secretive agreements. In 1973, the War Making Act was passed which clarified the war making power of the president, and in 1974, the Congressional Budget and Impoundments Control act was passed which increase Congresses power of the budget.This led to Presidents Ford and Carter, being impotent in dealing with foreign policy issues such as the retaking o f Vietnam by the communist backed North, which led to the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon, which included the US embassy being overrun. Ford argued the congress was now full of 535 commanders-in-chief and this isn’t what the forefathers intended and it didn't work. He wrote that some people used to complain about what they called an ‘imperial presidency’ but now the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction.George Bush Jnr Second Term could also been seen as an imperil presidency has he was constrained by the Supreme Court and Congress. Some people say that these terms aren’t useful and do not fully sum up a presidential term. Many people argue it all depends on the situations of the time, and due to America’s involvement in nearly every country in the world, and with one of the most complex foreign policies in the world, which the Algerian Hostage Situation showed can change course in a day, it is impossible to consult on congress on ev ery development concerning its foreign policy.It also cannot be used to describe every president. George Bush Snr was seen as a cooperative presidency as he asked Congress before sending troops to Kuwait, and seeked bipartisan support, but then took the role of commander in chief from there. Obama can be described as neither, as he seeked congressional approval for the START Treaty in 2010, but didn't ask congress about the use of airstrikes in Libya. I believe that in the past 60 years, presidents have been more imperial than imperiled however, when it comes down to foreign policy.Apart from the two failed presidency’s of Carter and Ford, each president has been allowed to control foreign policy effectively and without much congressional interference, but the control peaks and troughs, therefore depending on the time even within a term, a president can change between an imperial president to an imperil president and back again. The history of presidential power over the last 60 or so years tells us that power is a variable, and that presidential power is cyclical and unpredictable. It varies according to the personality of the president, the situations in which they are in office and how well congress supports them.

The Only Thing We Have For Fear Is Fear By President...

â€Å"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.† President Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (1933) When the terrorist threat and fear politics are analyzed, there are many approaches that different school of thoughts has taken. Some of them are unbalanced and primarily critical towards what is normative in their respective societies, rather than offering a comprehensive reading of the myriad interconnected issues that relates to the nature of terrorism and political securitization. This essay, through discussing the conceptual framework of Said (1978), Kumar (2012) and Masco (2014) in investigating how fear is constructed, harnessed and used to serve the American imperial interests, will argue that the role of religion is immensely significant in the construction of terrorism/death industry, and why it is vital to include it in analyzing the war on terror. To publicly talk about the connection between an ideology, in this case Islam, and the believer’s violence and bigotry has been stigmatized by notions of racism and intolerance towards multiculturalism. Many leftist academicians, such as Kumar (2012), are involved in a growing industry of producing an apologetic and uncritical literature that seems to shield Muslims from facing the sorts of realities that their faith creates, thus Islamic extremism is never what it seems. By making the discussion lopsided and focused predominantly on the securitization industry as in Masco (2014), the jihadists cannotShow MoreRelatedThe Legacy Of Franklin D. Roosevelt1333 Words   |  6 Pagesthinking about our 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He’s one of America’s greatest presidents who accomplished more than we could have hoped for. A man of few words citizens would say, yet each word was a something to remember. 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