Sunday, October 6, 2019
Do you agree that the decision in Radmacher v Granatino 'is as far as Essay
Do you agree that the decision in Radmacher v Granatino 'is as far as the courts can go' without there being legislative cha - Essay Example Sometimes pertained to as an â€Å"antenuptial agreement†, a pre-nuptial agreement is actually â€Å"a contract made betwen two individuals before their marriage to each other†2. Basically, a pre-nuptial contract contains all information or details with regards to the couple’s preferred financial or property settlement in case a divorce would occur in the future. Legally speaking, a pre-nuptial contract will only take into effect after the couple has entered a marriage. This study will closely examine the case of Radmacher v Granatino3. To give the readers a clear idea with regards to this topic, a summary of the case Radmacher v Granatino will first be provided in details. As part of the study conclusion, this study will purposely explain and discuss the most obvious reasons why I strongly agree to the idea that the decision made in the case of Radmacher v Granatino ‘is as far as the courts can go’ followed by discussing whether or not it will be a good thing for the family law in England and Wales to change as suggested will be answered in details. General Information About The Case of Radmacher v Granatino The case of Radmacher v Granatino is a good example wherein the couple agreed to enter into a pre-nuptial agreement
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Research - Essay Example ............8 6 Methodology....................................................9 7 Analysis...........................................................10 8 References.......................................................12 1. Introduction The main aim of this research is to provide important marketing data to the client which is a company seeking to introduce a new range of ready to eat nutritious meals for fixed budget customers. The client company is planning to launch nutritious food products in United Kingdom market with the students as the main target customer of the product. This nutritious food product features a variety of read to serve meals at an affordable price. Beaver’s Corn Flakes are targeted towards the student population of UK and it is a substituent for the junk food preferred because of low cost. The client is planning to conduct a research for understanding the eating habits of the specific target consumers of their product. On behalf of the client, a resea rch agency is employed to carry out all the necessary research. There are various approaches followed by the marketing company to test the launch methods that have to be adopted for launching the product in UK market. This research will help the client company in understanding the real market conditions and help them in designing an effective strategy for the launch of product. This report is prepared with the purpose of highlighting the methods that are used in research process and the importance of every single method with relevant output for the client. There will be detailed explanation for the research methods used and reason behind using those particular methods for the research. 2. Research Objectives This main purpose of this research is to understand the UK market and the food habits of the potential customers. The research is divided into different stages including consumer research, expert advice from nutrition and diet experts in UK and conducting online research campaig n for the product. The research agency will focus in finding the right methods for promoting Beaver’s Corn Flakes and getting the feedback from the targeted audience. The main objective of conducting this research is to provide important insights of the research and useful data to the client that will guide in marketing and production strategies of the company. One of the most important parts of the research is consumer participation and the inputs from direct targeted customers. The feedback from customers will be taken in form of short surveys and the satisfaction level of the customer from Beaver’s corn flakes and other range of products. It will allow the client to understand the customer’s perspective towards the product and estimate of number of customers that are willing to use this product. Some of the important results obtained from research are: a) Customer awareness of Beaver’s corn flakes product (Including data like age, socio-economic status , sex and location of customer) b) What are the possible challenges in introducing Beaver’s corn flakes and food products in UK market? c) What is the customer satisfaction level and feedback for Beaver’s Corn Flakes? d) What percentage of UK customers are willing to try this new range of nutritious food products from Kellogg’s? 3. Terms of Reference The main aim of the research is to provide information to the client that will help the company in developing a consumer base in UK market for their upcoming nutritious range of food products served as
Friday, October 4, 2019
Ethical issue and its relationship to the ethical and legal aspects of Article
Ethical issue and its relationship to the ethical and legal aspects of nursing or other health care professions - Article Example The practitioners are required to identify the legal, ethical and professional values and determine how they can be applied to enhance quality practice in the health care profession (Gillogly & Molly, 2004). According to the nursing ethics, the practitioners in the health care sector are required to demonstrate expertise however they may not be certain about their responsibilities and accountabilities in relation to the legal and ethical issues (Debra , 2009). The main responsibilities entailed in the nursing profession include autonomy, decision making, accountability and great leadership. Ion The decision making process mostly involves the qualified practitioners as they are called upon to apply their expertise skills in developing the guidelines, policies and procedures governing the practice (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). Similarly, the qualified practitioners are involved in research and learning so as to apply their expertise, ethical aspects and the policies to give advice on the rel ated area. Therefore, the nurses and all the practitioners in the healthcare profession are required to be aware of all the guidelines and policies related to the practice as well as understand the requirements of ethical decision making (Heaton, 2008). Nurses and other practitioners in the healthcare sector face various ethical and legal issues in their career as they should combine both the legal and ethical aspects of health care to enhance professionalism in the practice. It is very important for the nurses to understand the difference between ethics and law. The laws are the rules and regulations governing the practice while ethics are meant to ensure appropriate values as well as monitor the actions of the peoples. One of the issues the nurses may face in their profession is where they are faced in acts that are ethical according to the practice but are not legal according to the laws (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). For example the nurses are required to allow cancer patients to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes which are an appropriate measure according to the nursing practice ethical but illegal according to the governing laws. The nursing ethics could also allow the nurse to conduct an aborting in extreme cases so as to save the life of the mother whereas abortion is illegal according to the governing legal structure. Similarly the nurses and other practitioners could also be faced by situations where the practice is neither legal nor ethical but it has to be carried out (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). The issues faced by nurses in their practice are rapidly increasing and the resolution of the issues need careful research and assessment of all the causes and facts related to the cases. To resolve the issue faced in the nursing practice, most institutions implement ethics committees made of professional from all the related areas such as the healthcare professionals, lawyers, ethicists and the clergy among others (Sandra, 2008). This committees are assigned the task of assisting in the decision making process where they resolve the ethical issues faced by the practitioners using the developed guidelines and policies. The nurses are also required cooperate with the other professional in the healthcare sector to educate the public on the on the importance and ways to meet the health requirements so as to enhance ethical practices in the profession
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Subjective exam Essay Example for Free
Subjective exam Essay A) Selling price of bond The determination of the selling price of bonds is important because it helps the bondholders know the yield they will receive if they were to purchase the bond. Bonds can be issued at par, premium and at a discount. A Bond is said to be issued at par if the yield is equal to the coupon rate. If the current market yield is more than the coupon rate stated on the bond, then, that bond has been issued at premium. If the coupon rate is more than the yield rate currently earned by similar bonds in the market (Sheth, 2007, Slide 23, chapter 12). Bondholders receive periodic payments of interest amount, which is constant over the life of bond. Therefore the price of the bond is arrived at by discounting all these payments i.e. the selling price is the present value of all periodic payments plus the present value of the maturity amount, which is the principle amount of the bond. (Englard, 1992, Page 6, chapter 1). The formula for calculating the price of the bond is as shown below. Bond price= (PV) =p (1+r)-2 + p (1+r)-2 +†¦. +p (1+r)-n + m (1+R)-n Where =p= period receipt/payment r=required yield –effective M=maturity value (principle amount) The periodic receipts of interest amount are constant over the bond period and therefore are annuity in nature. Therefore to calculate the present value of the interest payments the annuity formula is used. Present value interest payments=                    Constant interest receipts* (1-(1 +r) –n The maturity amount (principle) is received as a single amount at the end of the bond period, thus is a single amount discounted using the single amount formula. Present value maturity value =m (1+r)-1 Therefore, the total selling price is the sum of present value of interest and principal amount. 2) Presentation of bonds in balance sheet When a bond is issued, the following factors are considered in accounting for the bonds. Recording the issue or purchase of the bond Recording the interest received during the life of the bond. -Accounting for the retirement (through calling, refinancing or conversion) of the bond. (Sheth, 2007, Slide 16, Chapter 12) Issuer’s books As seen earlier bonds can be issued at par, discount or premium. Bond issued at par- the bonds were issued between interest dates. Long-term liabilities. Bond payable                                     xxx Current liability Interest payable (1 month)                  xxx Current assets Cash (amount of bond)                      xxx Bond issued at a discount Long-term liabilities Bonds payable                                   xxx Discount on bonds payable                 xxx Current assets Cash (less discount on bond)              xxx Bonds issued at a premium Long-term liabilities Bonds payable (plus premium) xxx Current assets Cash (including premium)                    xxx Investors books The buyers’ balance sheet will be as follows At par Assets Investments in bond                            xxx Current-asset Interest accrued (1 month)                  xxx Cash (amount of bond)                       xxx At discount Assets Investment in bond (less discount)       xxx Current assets Cash                                                  xxx At premium Assets Bond investment (plus premium)         xxx Current assets Cash               (plus premium) xxx B) Income statement items The items that will be included in the income statement of Norris co. for the year 2008 include -Interest expenses -Adjustment to interest expenses (amortization) Interest expenses The amount of interest is determined using the par value and the coupon rate and not effective rate. (Englard, 1992, page 2-3) Illustration At par Using the example of Norris co. bond assuming that it was issued at par, then the interest will be 1000*xx%= interest. At discount Payment- interest = xx%*1000 Interest amount = yy% *(1000-discount) The difference between the interest payment and interest amount is amortization of discount. At premium Interest payment =xx% * 1000 Interest amount= yy% * (1000 +premium) The difference between the interest payment and the interest amount is the amortization of premium.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Regional and extra regional players
Regional and extra regional players CHAPTER IV THE REGIONAL AND THE EXTRA REGIONAL PLAYERS AND THEIR ROLES â€Å"Besides a common religion, Islam, foreign invaders- from Alexander the great to British in the 19th century and the Soviets in the 20th century have united the Afghans†. -Insight Magazine, 09 April 1990. Brief History      Afghanistan was the only country in the world to launch a strong protest in United Nations against the induction of Pakistan in 1947 and also to lodge a border dispute with Pakistan when it claimed that Durand Line is no more a binding contract as now there is no British Raj present in the region[1]. It also incited a major incursion in Bajur Agency, NWFP in 1961 with hope to have it annexed with itself and led then Prime Minister Dauod Khan to resign from his post, it plunged Afghanistan into a long spiral fall from which it has yet to recover[2]. Top of Form Bottom of Form      Afghanistan soon proved to be a tough neighbour and sided with India on every matter which could hurt Pakistani interests using an India-Soviet favouring group. In December 1979 Russia invaded the Afghanistan with the pre-text of supporting the pro-Soviet Government. The USA weary of spreading Communism, Saudi Arabia indebted to the American cause coupled with sense of Muslim power and Pakistan worried of increasingly unstable and hostile Afghanistan combined together to exploit the Islamists waged a â€Å"Jihad†against â€Å"Soviet Invaders†. The Pashtun grievances and warlordism gave way to Taliban (literally meaning students) who rose from Kandhar and took 95% of Afghanistan under control by year 2000. Taliban were the friends of Pakistan and safeguarded the Western frontier of Pakistan against not only Indians but even Soviets[3]. Environmental Realities USA have tried to render peace in Afghanistan, but it has become more complicated due to inability of U.S. and NATO forces to understand the environmental realities peculiar to this region and being alien to the culture and traditions of the people. To have peace requires patience and right priorities. Before peace is attempted we need to understand some hard facts[4] :- (a) The continuing influx of Afghan youth trained in Pakistans madrassas now comprises the bulk of Taliban and Al Queda cadres. They are hooked to glorified violence in the name of jihad, and imbued with robotic discipline. They are an army beyond redemption and reasoning. (b) The silent Pashtun majority is terrorized into submission by Taliban and Al Queda. (c) The internecine warfare between the warlords for the past decade has created an unbridgeable divide between the Pashtuns, the Tajiks, the Uzbeks, the Hazaras and the Persian speaking Shiites of Herat. The past mutual ethnic cleansing and betrayals have created visceral hatred among different tribes. (d) The Pashtun dominated Taliban still cling to the idea of Pashtuns ruling over all Afghanistan which the minorities no longer countenance. This has led to a growing friction between ethnic groups, specifically the Pashtuns and their northern Tajik and Uzbek contemporaries. Foreign Relations Before the Soviet invasion, Afghanistan pursued a policy of neutrality and nonalignment in its foreign relations. After the December 1979 invasion, Afghanistans foreign policy mirrored that of the Soviet Union. The fall of the Taliban in October 2001 opened a new chapter in Afghanistans foreign relations. Afghanistan is now an active member of the international community, and has diplomatic relations with countries from around the world. Iran Iran shares a long border with Afghanistan (900kilometres) and has provided shelter to roughly 1.5million Afghans. Afghanistans relations with Iran have fluctuated over the years, with periodic disputes over the water rights of the Helmand River as the main issue of contention[5]. Initially, due to its war with Iraq, Iran was not actively involved in Afghanistan but later the Shia groups who were bitter due to meagre support from Pakistan became close to Iran. Following the Soviet invasion, Iran supported the cause of the Afghan resistance. Iran shares a cultural, linguistic affinity with northern Afghanistans non-Pashtun elements, which suffered the most under Taliban rule. Tehran resents the atrocities regularly visited upon the Shiah Hazara minority by Sunni fanatics in Afghanistan. Its relations with Afghanistan have improved since the fall of the Taliban and has been active in Afghan reconstruction efforts, particularly in the western portion of the country[6]. Presently, Iran h as adopted a more aloof posture and appears to be avoiding overt commitments or opposition to any single Afghan faction. Iranian policy makers have long sought to prevent an alliance between Pakistan and a Sunni-dominated Afghanistan, which would destabilise its entire eastern border. Besides Irans competition with Pakistan for access to the CARs, Irans Afghanistan policy is largely motivated by sectarian ties to Afghanistans Shia minority. A territorial collapse of Pakistan, or domestic instability that threatened to draw in Afghanistan has always tended to be contrary to Irans interests. It has always been perceived that the nationalistic developments of Pashtunistan could spill over to neighbouring Iran, destabilizing its Baluch population, thereby activating the anti-Iran elements in the form of the establishment of a Greater Balochistan. Thus, Iran is against both formation of a Pashtunistan within the Afghan confederation as it would give greater dominance to Sunni Pashtuns and further deteriorate the conditions of Shias, and also of an independent Pashtunistan which would result in similar demands of independent areas within Iran by other sub nationalistic communities. Prolongation of Afghan instability restricts Pakistans capability to export its light industrial goods in Central Asia and the Caucasus, where government subsidised cheap Iranian consumer exports have proliferated. A peaceful Afghanistan would also offer an unwelcome alternative for carrying Caspian basin oil and gas across Afghanistan to South Asia. Iran may also be concerned that an Afghan settlement could provide a larger opening for American and Turkish economic and political influence in the region[7]. CAR The main concern of the three CARs (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan) bordering Afghanistan was the spill over of militants into their territories. Uzbekistan and Turkey had contacts with General Dostum who had argued that a confederation of autonomous states is the only solution for the chaos in Afghanistan. He warned that the Uzbeks will never again live under Pashtun domination and demanded a separate state, which would be a secular entity and act as a buffer for Central Asia against the spread of Islamic fundamentalism from the Pashtun-dominated area in the south[8]. Afghanistans relations with Tajikistan have been complicated by political upheaval and civil war in Tajikistan, which spurred some 100,000 Tajiks to seek refuge in Afghanistan in late 1992 and early 1993. Also disenchanted by the Talibans harsh treatment of Afghanistans Tajik minority, Tajikistan facilitated assistance to the Northern Alliance. The Karzai government has sought to establish closer ties with its no rthern neighbours in order to capitalize on the potential economic benefits of increased trade. CHINA During the 1970s, the Soviet influence in Kabul, and later their invasion of Afghanistan, has been perceived by Beijing as the purposeful encircling of China by the Soviet Union. Thus, support to Pakistans western border security has been a major feature of Beijings policy. China also has keen interests in Central Asias energy resources and, thus, supports a moderate government at Kabul, because it is believed to be least likely to foment any sort of extremism and disturbance in neighbouring countries. Chinas strategic concerns in the area are mirrored by the security of its lines of communication, which tends to counter Afghanistans rhetoric on Pashtunistan. The ethnic-religious civil wars in Afghanistan have caused rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Just as America has a vision of a modestly stable Afghanistan that will no longer be a haven for extremists, China has a vision of Afghanistan as a secure conduit for roads and energy pipelines that will bring natural resources from the Indian Ocean and elsewhere. So if America defeats Al Qaeda and the irreconcilab le elements of the Taliban, Chinas geopolitical position will be enhanced[9]. This is not a paradox, since China and America have convergence of interests with difference being that whole direction of Americas military and diplomatic effort is toward an exit strategy, whereas the Chinese hope to stay and profit. Saudi Arabia In late seventies, Saudis were facing severe criticism for their close alliance with USA from Arab governments. Saudis used the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as a springboard to portray their commitment to Muslim causes and brush up their Islamic credentials. In early eighties in close cooperation with America, Saudi Arabia provided a large amount of financial aid for military and humanitarian purposes for Afghanistan. Pakistan had close working relations with all Sunni groups, and never tried to bring Shia groups into the coalition to avoid friction with Saudis. After the cut off of U.S. funds, Saudis became the largest provider of funds for Afghan adventure. The direct role of Saudi Arabia also dramatically increased. Later, especially post 9/11, the warm relations between Taliban and Saudis hit the bottom when Taliban refused to cooperate on Osama bin Ladin issue. Saudis had funded the most conservative individuals and organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ironically, most o f them turned against the Saudi royal family and had openly criticized the royal family for its close relationship with USA. Russia Russia though major player until 1991 had markedly reduced influence since its disintegration into many independent states. It has given limited military help to the Taliban opposition and deployed troops in Tajikistan near the border of Afghanistan. It is suspicious of increasing US influence in the area traditionally seen by them as their area of influence but not in a position to challenge the USA. Since the fall of the Taliban, the Karzai government has improved relations with Russia, but Afghanistans outstanding foreign debt to Russia still continues to be a source of contention. While the campaign against international terrorism is a key area in which U.S. and Russian interests converge, Moscow is also wary of growing U.S. influence in especially the oil-rich Caspian Sea basin. Russia is providing military hardware to Afghanistan and is aware of the fact that fragile nature of central authority in Afghanistan, torn by chronic infighting among rival ethnic factions, requires U.S. presence as its disengagement would likely spur renewed competition for influence. Russia has became more interested in confining Pashtun dominated Islam to the south and creating a Tadjik and Uzbek entity as a buffer area for the Central Asian states, which also suits Russias near abroad policy. Pakistan Pakistan shares a border of some 2,400 kilometres with Afghanistan and has 10 million Pashtun citizens of its own. The main aim of Pakistans Afghan policy was to have a friendly government in Afghanistan to secure its Western border. Pakistans policy since its inception has been focused on maintaining a situation that could help it avoid controversy over the Durand Line. It has been trying to force a fusion of communities along own side and inciting separation of those on the other side of the line. Islamabad sought to offset Afghan territorial claims by supporting Afghan Islamic parties. Unfortunately, the policies, which it adopted, had exactly the opposite effects. None of the Afghan governments were willing to subordinate its actions to Pakistans wishes. Many Afghans say Pakistan has exacerbated the ethnic component of their conflict by supporting Pashtun Islamic rule. There was a domestic political incentive as well, linked to Islamabads fears about irredentism. â€Å"Pakistan saw in the Taliban, and other fundamentalists, the opportunity to undermine support for Pashtun nationalism†[10]. Pakistan was the first country to recognise Taliban rule in Afghanistan and initiated efforts to persuade the Taliban to accept a broad-based government in Kabul in which all major ethnic tribes would share power. September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the USA changed everything and presented Pakistan with a stark choice: either make common cause with Washington in its war against bin Ladens al-Qaeda network based in Taliban-controlled neighbouring Afghanistan, or persist with its pro-Taliban Afghan policy and as a consequence suffer international condemnation of guilt by association. On September 13, 2001 then President General Pervez Musharraf announced that Pakistan would lend its unstinted cooperation to the international coalition against terror[11]. General Pervez Musharraf address to the nation on 19 September is attached as appendix B. More recently, Pakistan has been alarmed by Indias growing political, military, and economic ties to Afghanistan, and sees its establishment of consulates in the Pashtun-majority cities of Jalalabad and Kandahar as provocative. Many Afghans feel Islamabads insistence on Pashtun representation in the post-Taliban political order as the â€Å"crying of crocodile tears†, reflective of an inability to give up strategic designs on Afghanistan[12]. Infact it is widely believed â€Å"When push comes to shove, Pakistan is unlikely to hold back, and will use its long border and deep ethnic links with Pashtuns to alter the balance in its favour†, says a senior Pashtun leader in the present Hamid Karzis government[13]. Even though there are more Pashtuns in Pakistan than in Afghanistan and Pakistani Pakhtuns are better educated and more affluent, Pakistan has always been nervous about its Pashtun population. Does that mean Pakistan and Afghanistan will forever remain condemned to instability and seek security by dependence on outside forces? This may not be true, but to bring stability in the region by uniting the furious Pashtuns divided by the Durand line may be a viable option. A weak non-Pashtun dominated state in Afghanistan has never posed any threat to Pakistan because it has neither had any ideological bearings or religious extra-national ambitions nor any ethnic or sub-nationalist stirrings. On the other hand, whenever there has been a strong Pashtun dominated state in Afghanistan, its government has supported Pashtun separatism (refusal to accept the Durand Line) and pose a threat to the territorial integrity and political solidarity of Pakistan[14]. Pakistan has no effective control over a large swath of territory along its border with Afghanistan primarily dominated by Pashtuns[15]. Dangerous extremist groups that are intent on attacking the U.S. such as al-Qaeda, enjoy safe haven in these border areas. United States â€Å"had we looked deeper, we might have found that the root causes behind the enduring and resilient nature of the Taliban have very little to do with religion, and much to do with an ancient ethnic struggle we [the United States] should consider the prospect of creating a Pashtunistan which reflects the tribal boundaries. This would be a new state, carved from parts of both Afghanistan and Pakistan This new area would be composed largely of ethnic Pashtuns, similar to what we have created in Kurdistan or Bosnia, and it would there fore very likely have the consent of the population on the ground†[16] -Major Michael D. Holmes Following the Soviet invasion, the United States supported diplomatic efforts to achieve a Soviet withdrawal and contributed to the refugee program in Pakistan to assist Afghans. After the Soviet withdrawal, CIA let Pak ISI deal with the ugly mess of Afghanistan. The USA initially gave a free hand to Pak to build up the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The US wanted the Taliban to develop as a counterweight to the Iranian regime and to check USSRs influence in the region. A favourable govt in Kabul would help USA in numerous ways. With the emergence of CARs as independent countries in 1991 and the prospects of availability of huge oil and gas reserves again brought that area to international focus. Meanwhile, the Taliban on capturing Kabul, imposed a strict Islamic code and practiced fundamentalist policies. This led to the USA gradually distancing itself from the Taliban. Post September 11, 2001 events of cosmic proportions have resulted in world focusing on Afghanistan with a renewed interest to deal with Osama Bin Laden, who was responsible for the acts of terror originating from Afghanistan. The Osama Bin Laden Factor. Osama Bin Laden was once one of the star recruiters of the US intelligence agency the CIA. He enrolled thousands of jihad volunteers from the Middle East for a jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Ironically after winning their jihad against the USSR, these fundamentalists turned their attention onto the other superpower. Post 9/11 led to U.S. GWOT as the Taliban refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden to the USA. Pashtun Factor. U.S. policymakers recognised early on that Pashtun support was needed to create a broader-based moment to replace the Taliban and provide a degree of stability in the region[17]. This approach appears to have long term goal of stabilising effect as U.S. has demonstrated that America supports the Pashtun desire for a stronger position in relation to the Punjabi-dominated government in Islamabad in the Af-Pak border area of Durand Line. U.S. understands that Pashtuns in FATA treasure their long-standing autonomy and do not like to be ruled by Islamabad. What they want is integration into the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and FATA to form a single unified â€Å"Pashtun†province that enjoys the autonomy envisaged in the inoperative 1973 Pakistan constitution[18]. Al-Qaeda and its â€Å"foreign fighters,†who are mostly Arab, depend on local support from the Taliban for their sanctuary. Unlike Al-Qaeda, with its global terrorist agenda, most of the Tali ban factions focus on local objectives in Afghanistan and FATA; they do not pose a direct threat to the USA. On March 1, 2007, Pakistani ambassador to Washington the Maj. Gen (retired) Mahmud Ali Durrani, said at a seminar at the Pakistan Embassy, â€Å"I hope the Taliban and Pashtun nationalism dont merge. If that happens, weve had it, and were on the verge of that.[19]†India Afghanistan remained the focus of Indian regional policy because of its geo-strategic proximity to Pakistan and the Indian foreign policy was centered on maintaining very cordial relations with it. India in 1950 signed â€Å"Friendship Treaty†to promote bilateral co-operation with Afghanistan to enhance Indian influence. In 1967, the United Pashtunistan Front (UPF) was formed in New Delhi. The then Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh told the Indian Parliament that â€Å"we are fully aware of the fundamental freedoms and natural aspirations of the brave Pashtuns which have been consistently denied to them, and their struggle has got our greatest sympathy and we will certainly support the efforts that Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan might undertake in that direction.†[20] After the Soviet invasion in 1979 India doubled up its efforts to further strengthen its relations with Afghanistan. Over the years Indian political elite maintained close contacts with Pasthun leaders on both sides of Durand line. The two countries have always shared a healthy relationship but with the Soviet withdrawal and its disintegration in 1991 and Mujahedeens control of Kabul in April 1992 the relations reached its nadir. During Taliban rule more than 30,000 Afghan refugees moved to India. India is helping Afghanistan rebuild itself and with an ever-increasing belligerence in all fields, including military, intelligence, humanitarian, and economic[21]. India is the largest aid provider to Afghanistan and in the coming few years India likely to project as a regional power is appropriately following a pro-active approach and take the right initiatives on Afghanistan. By fostering greater economic ties with the pro-Indian Northern Alliance dominant Kabul government, New Delhi has dramatically increased its involvement in Afghanistan, and is seeking to marginalize Pakistan[22]. India would prefer a separate Pashtunistan rather than a neo-Taliban ruling over Afghanistan, as this would frustrate Pakistani strategy. India has good relations with Tajikistan and would continue to have good relations with the Tajik section of Afghanistan as well as with a newly formed Pashtunistan. The geo-strategic importance of Afghanistan has a great bearing on India and its approach is primarily Pak focused. Indias economic interests in Afghanistan are secondary to its strategic interests. Apart from the desire to restore Pakistans two-front problem, some of the factors that govern Indian approach to Afghanistan are :- (a) A pro Pak government in Afghanistan is likely to support Pakistan in case of any future Indo-Pak Conflict and would provide them necessary Strategic depth. (b) Pak has been using Taliban militia to wage a proxy war in Kashmir. (c) Afghanistan is the hub of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism[23]. (d) A peaceful and stable Afghanistan will be in the economic interests of India as it will raise the prospects of Indo-Afghanistan trade and also provide greater access to the Central Asian markets and important centers for gas and oil. (e) A fundamentalist Afghanistan is likely to encourage the spread of Islamic fundamentalism in the region which would affect India. Afghanistan constitutes a new battleground for Indo-Pakistani hostility. Credible U.S. media leaks indicate that Pakistani linkages to the car bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul on July 7, 2008.India, thus needs to convince Pakistan that Islamabad instead of exporting hatred and destruction, should seek positive parity with India and others in terms of improving the quality of life of its citizens in an inclusive manner. International Perspective There is no formal international position on the Durand Line, simply a de facto one that recognizes it as a real border. No other state has accepted Afghanistans position that it is not such a border. The question arises so why should there be any international pressure on Pakistan and Afghanistan to negotiate about Durand line? The reason is that since September 11, 2001, FATA and the area alongside the Durand line has been viewed as a site of global insecurity that can be controlled only when Pakistan takes responsibility for its territory and extends the structures of the state into the region through expanding opportunities for economic development and education in the FATA region[24]. This is quite difficult because the security situation is currently poor, which makes launching large development projects difficult. Afghanistans refusal to give de jure recognition to the border therefore stands in the way of a comprehensive development program that would have much more impact th an would parallel developments in each country[25]. Having driven the Taliban and Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, the United States and its allies are particularly keen to end FATAs (and to a lesser extent Baluchistans) along the Durand Line to serve as center of Islamic radicalism that promotes international terrorism and seeks to destabilize Afghanistan. The presence of U.S., International Security Assistance Force(ISAF)[26], and Afghan troops gives the border issue some practical urgency as the insurgents they fight retreat back into Pakistan in the belief that they will not be pursued or attacked across an international boundary[27]. From the perspective of the international community the discussions limited to recognition of the Durand Line as a de jure international boundary would not bring stability in the region even if they succeeded as no government in Afghanistan would be willing to pay the political price for accepting the border unless such an agreement were part of a broader package designed to make the country more secure. P akistan also has much to gain as its economy will get a boost[28]. While Afghanistan is concerned about Pakistans support of the Taliban, in times past it has been Pakistan that has been concerned about Afghanistans tacit support of Pashtun separatists[29]. Afghan Nationalism. On a functional level, Afghanistan cannot be subjectively examined under the Western conception of either a state or a nation. The country simply does not operate in any sense of either definition at this time. Both a limited security apparatus and stalled international support have done little to cultivate ancient divisions based on ethnic and religious elements[30].This relatively low level of Afghan nationalism is a result of internal conflict of last two decades with atrocities committed by all sides on ethnic rivals and forced displacements and makes the task of rekindling the flame of nationalism more difficult. Political reconstruction is the essential pre-requisite for the economic reconstruction of the country. Afghanistan is at a major crossroad of its history today. The chain of events, which has led to the present situation, was beyond the control of Afghans. But now, it is Afghans who will have to do soul searching and make some difficult choices. Afghanistans neighbours need to understand and digest the fact that the entire region will be the net winner in case Afghanistan and Pakistan are good friends. The old theories of using Afghanistan as a pawn to open a second front against any third country need to be buried. Any state which has any motivation to incite sectarian or ethnic divisions in any of its neighbours is following a zero gain policy as far as the long term interest of the entire region is concerned. This is the age of globalisation and not of any â€Å"Forward Policies†. Afghan history has proved that great issues of the day cannot be settled by fighting but by consultation and consensus[31]. Many regional and extra regional powers are trying to retain their respective spheres of influence in Afghanistan but no regional power can afford to antagonise Washington by working openly at cross purposes with its military campaign, it has to be supportive to U.S. goals and objectives in the region to meet its asp irations. The international community, including the U.S. government, has long avoided taking a clear position on the border issue, but its ambivalence is beginning to change[32]. Ghaus, Abdul Samad,The fall of Afghanistan,Pergamon-Brasseys Intenational Defense Publishers,London1988,p109. Qureshi, S.M.M. Pakhtunistan: The Frontier Dispute Between Afghanistan and Pakistan . Pacific Affairs, Vol. 39, No. 1/2 Spring Summer, 1966, pp. 99-114. . â€Å"The future of Afghanistan and Pakistan†. WTF: What the fork? . Puri, Rajinder â€Å"Defusing Af-Pak†June 7, 2009 Ghaus,Op.cit.pp148-149. Afghanistan- Conservapedia. . Tomsen, Peter. â€Å"Geopolitics of an Afghan Settlement.†Perceptions, Journal of International Affairs Dec 2000 Feb 2001, Volume 5, Number 4. . Hussain, Hamid, â€Å"Afghanistan not so great games†Robert D. Kaplan. â€Å"Beijings Afghan Gamble†. The Center for a New American Security Khattak, Afrasiab. Interview with ICG, Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Peshawar, May 2002. Hussain, Dr. Rifaat â€Å"Pakistans Relations with Afghanistan: Continuity and Change.†The International Crisis Group, â€Å"Afghanistan:The Problem of Pashtun Alienation†.5 August 2003. . ibid. Bhatt, Garurang. â€Å"Coming Chaos in Afghanistan†.23 Aug 2006. Bokhari, Kamran and Burton Fred, â€Å" The Counterinsurgency in Pakistan†Aug 13,2009. . Holmes, Major Michael D. â€Å"Secessionist Jihad: The Talibans Struggle for Pashtunistan,†the Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, On the Horizon: MI Missions of the Near Future, July-September 2008 Zalmay, Khalilzad and Daniel, Byman, â€Å"Afghanistan: the Consolidation of a Rogue State†, The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Winter 2000), p. 74. Selig S. Harrison, â€Å"Pakistan: The State of the Union†Ibid. Owen, Bennett Jones Nationalism in Pakistan: Eye of the Storm, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002,p. 139. Bhadrakumar, M.K. â€Å"India and the Central Asian Dawn†. The Hindu. 31 Dec 2009. Zaman, Aly, â€Å"Indias Increased Involvement in Afghanistan and Central Asia: Implications for Pakistan,†Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) Journal, Vol. 3, N0.2 (Summer 2003), Bhadrakumar, M.K. â€Å"Indian Interests in Regional Security†. The Hindu. 28 Aug 2009. Subramanian Nirupama, â€Å"Gilgit-Baltistan Autonomy wins few Friends†. The Hindu. 30 Nov 2009. Barfield, Thomas, The Durand Line: History, Consequences, and Future. Conference Organized by the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies and the Hollings Center in Istanbul, Turkey November 2007. â€Å"Across the Durrand Line†. Editorial. The Dawn 24 July 2008. . Bhadrakumar, M.K. Loc.cit. Maitra, Ramtanu, â€Å"Central Asia: Dangerous Line in the Sand†.13 March 2003. . The Durand Line: History, Consequences and Future Istanbul, Turkey July 11-13, 2007 Feiser, Jonathan, â€Å"Central Asia The ghost of GreaterAfghanistan†Jul 23, 2003 Amin, Agha. â€Å"Durand Line-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Border Disputes†Journal of Afghanistan Studies Kabul, November 2004. Neumann, Ronald, â€Å"Borderline Insanity: Thinking Big about Afghanistan†The American Interest, November December 2007 issue.
Gender Diversity: Using Information Technology in Today’s Classroom. E
Gender Diversity: Using Information Technology in Today’s Classroom. What happens when your education is different from mine? When does that invisible line get erased; When youth’s, adolescent’s or adults, male or female encounter the same unique education being taught with nothing being held back just because of gender. In today’s society, teachers and students are connected by using information technology to help expand their knowledge on the issue of gender diversity in the classroom. Gender diversity is not an issue in the United States that just gets swept under the carpet, it’s greater than that, it’s something that has become a worldwide concern affecting the ways in which students are educated in most schools. Issues of diversity are not new. In fact, â€Å"contracting communities are faced with this topic a little too regular, meaning it’s time for change†(Sunderland, 2002). As the reader of this document you will discover the true definition of gender diversity, how it has affected students in numerous ways, what techniques have become greatly appreciated when reaching teachers and students inside of the classroom curriculum, various approaches toward change, a complete understanding of digital divide, a shine of hope and dedication, while striving for a new day. â€Å"Gender differences in ways of learning have been described by researchers observing children as young as three†(Tannen, 1990). When children are young they tend to fight and argue about the same play item. Amazingly, today whether the fighting and arguing is about toys, friends, etc. it’s more about computers and the ways in which people learn relating to gender differences. Every day in our society, there is given a dominant role to which peop... ...ealth Journal. Teachers College Record, 105 (2), 1-21. Risman, B (2003). Gender & Society: Valuing all flavors of feminist sociology. Sociology, 17, 659-663. Schank, R. (2003, November). FUTURE PERSPECTIVE- A Vision of Education for the 21st Century. Retrieved November 9, 2003, from http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A2598.cfm Sunderland, J. (2000). New Understandings of Gender and Language Classroom Research: Texts, Teacher Talk and Student Talk. Language Teacher Research Journal, 4, 149-173. Tannen, Deborah. (1990). You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men Conversation. New York: Ballantine Books. Babbie, E. (1999). The Basics of Social Research. California: Wadsworth’s. This book was an overall review of research performed in the past and present by both women and men about the success and downfall of diversity in education.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Corporate Strategy of Tesco
{draw:frame} An evaluation of Tesco’s competitive position within the food industry market. Corporate strategy ASB-4004. December the 14th 2009. Shahbaz Ansari- abpa40, 500 200603 Word count- 3300 excluding references, appendices, and tables. Contents page Introduction P3 History P3 Business strategy P3 Corporate strategy P3 Company values P3 Value chain P4 Joint Ventures and Mergers and Acquisitions P4 PESTEL analysis P5 Competitors P7 Figure 1: Tesco’s main competitors P7 Figure 2: Ansoff matrix for Tesco’s marketing strategy P8 Figure 3: Tesco’s sub-bran poisition in the United Kingdom P9 Figure 4: Tesco’s competition in the UK P10 Figure 5: Tesco’s internal competition P10 Core competencies P11 Human Resource P12 Recommendations P13 Conclusions P14 References P15 Appendices P17 Appendix 1: Retail Competitors Analysis by Mintel P17 Appendix 2: Leading UK food retailers, market shares, 2008 P18 Appendix 3: Tesco UK store formats, 2008/09 P 19 Introduction The company that our group has chosen to analyse is Tesco. Tesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen who began his new venture by selling surplus groceries from a stall in the east end of London; One his first day he made ? 1 profit and ? 4 of sales (Tescoplc. com [history]). Tesco has come a long way since then and is now one of the largest food retailers in the world, operating around 2,318 stores and employing over 326,000 people. Not only has Tesco managed to monopolise the food sector, they have also diversified into a number of other sectors, some of which being insurance, mobile networks, clothing, and electronics. However, this report shall have a focus of the food sector in the United Kingdom. Albeit that Tesco has 2,200 stores locally, it is categorised as operating in a globalised environment. Currently Tesco has stores in seven European countries; the United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and the Republic of Ireland. Furthermore also operates in Asia, stores can be found in China, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan (Tescoplc. com [community plan]; Tescoplc. com [core UK]). The long term business strategy of Tesco is currently fivefold; to be a successful international retailer; to grow the core UK business; to be as strong in the non-food arena as the food arena; to develop retailing services- such as tesco. com, Telecoms, and Tesco personal finance; and to put community at the heart of what they do (Tescopl. com [long term strategy]). How Tesco chose to implement the corporate strategy is via a steering wheel model; that all of the key elements of the business, customers, operations, people, finance, and community, are dealt with an equal and balanced scorecard (Tescoplc. om [CR strategy]). It has been stated by Tesco that the steering wheel has been implemented to place emphasis on the fact that corporate responsibility is not a specialist function in Tesco, it is a part of everybody’s job every day (Tescoplc. com [CR strategy]). Tesco works off the business value that their â€Å"core purpose is to create value for customers to earn their li fetime loyalty†(Tescoplc. com [our values]). Great emphasis is placed within â€Å"people†, without their customers and employees Tesco’s success would not have been possible. For the remainder of this report the variables that can affect Tesco’s competitive advantage shall be considered and evaluated. Value chain When considering the value chain of Tesco there are a number of primary variables that can either add value (+), lose value (-), or have the potential to add value (P+). For the primary activities; Inbound logistics These have an integral importance in the creation of the value chain as they provide the earliest opportunity to create value, therefore because of the elements related to the logistics Tesco try to achieve and maintain the level of consumer choice in store (+). The efficiency of distribution system of Tesco does need to be improved (+), and the quality control system should be managed by the company efficiently so that the cost of losses are not imposed upon the customers (P+). Operations Tesco’s core operations are service orientated and these services involve opening and closing the store, shelf maintenance, and replenishing the stock (+). Outbound logistics The main emphasis for this stage in the chain is delivering the product to the customer (+), the customer service that is provided (+) and the implementation of the trolley service which is convenient for the customer (+). Marketing and sales The Tesco Clubcard gives discounts and provides loyalty to customers (+), selling healthy and environmentally friendly products (+), and Tesco’s advertisements and new policies on using recycled products to help Tesco come â€Å"carbon free by 2050†(+). Joint Ventures and mergers and acquisitions In 2008, Tesco made an agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland to buy 50% of their shareholding. This allowed Tesco to build up Tesco Personal Finance. Tesco currently offer financial products such as home insurance and a credit card. However, Tesco wishes to offer a full service retail bank. The reason for wanting to embark on this new venture is because owning its own bank would not just increase Tesco’s revenue, it would also attract new customers and provide a further service for its existing loyal customers, which other competitors do not offer (REFERENCE PLEASE YOUNG). In 1999 a French hypermarket chain named â€Å"Carrefour†tried to enter the Korean market but it failed. This was due to the fact that the Korean population had a preference for domestic supermarket chains, which this was not as the owners failed to localise the store (REFERENCE PLEASE YOUNG). Interestingly Tesco attempted to enter the South Korean market in 1999 as a joint venture with Samsung. It was named â€Å"Samsung Homeplus Tesco†and was extremely successful due to the recognition by the Koreans that it was a domestic retailer. By joining forces with a Korean business Tesco was given an instant competitive advantage and the opportunity to thrive: â€Å"it has now become one of Koreas leading retailers and there are currently 30 hypermarkets and two super express stores†(Kollewe, 2004). Finally, in 2008 Tesco acquired a Korean supermarket chain named Homever which was owned by the E-land group in Korea. Tesco paid ? 958 million to take over the 36 stores that the group owned (Walker, 2008). The takeover will not only increase Tesco’s revenue, in a country that they have already been successful in, but will also enable Tesco to gain knowledge of the Far East and Asian markets through merging the two companies, this hopefully should enable them to be just as successful within these new markets. PESTEL analysis for Tesco Political Due to operating in a global environment, Tesco is largely influenced by the political and legislative conditions of these countries, as well as the European Union enforcing governing rules. The government legislation for employment encourages retailers to provide work for a variant of people, ranging from flexible, lowered paid, and locally based jobs to highly skilled, highly paid, and centrally-located jobs (Balchin, 1994). This piece of legislation also allows for the various demographics to be given work opportunities, such as students, senior citizens, disabled people, people from various ethnic backgrounds, and working parents. This gives Tesco a competitive advantage as it produces loyal employees. Economical The recession has caused the unemployment level in the United Kingdom to soar over 28. 93 million (Office for national statistics). As economical factors are likely to influence demand, cost, price, and profits, these figures should make Tesco’s management feel particularly apprehensive. Although Tescos international business does bring in a high amount of profit, they are still largely dependent on the UK market. If the unemployment rates continue to soar, the slowdown of the UK food market could have a severely detrimental effect on Tesco’s. Social British customers have become â€Å"one stop†shoppers. Due to this movement, Tesco has been able to successfully diversify their company into a range of different markets. One can now not only buy their weekly shop but can purchase personal insurance, electronic goods, clothing, and a range of other products from Tesco. com. Technological This particular variable of the macro-environment has helped to develop many of Tesco’s products and has not only been indicative of the company’s satisfaction but also that of the customer’s. Due to services such as Tesco. om, the self checkout service and the Tesco Clubcard, the customer satisfaction levels have increased due to more personalised shopping, goods that are readily available, and convenience. However, due to the modern use of technology, it does allow for job cuts as face to face services have been replaced. Environmental Tesco has put in place measures to ensure that their company helps in the fight to l ower carbon emissions. Their challenge is to achieve a 30% reduction of the carbon impact of the Tesco’s supply chain by 2020 and to become a zero carbon business by 2050 (Tescoplc. om [Press release, 2009]). Implementations in the forms of using green clubcard points in order to encourage environmentally friendly, carbon conscious purchasing; the â€Å"buy one get one free later†scheme, that allows customers to acquire their free product at a later date to reduce waste; and are striving to reduce packaging, reduced carrier bag use, and increase recycling, this year alone they have reduced carrier bag usage by 53% (Tescopl. com [Press release, 2009]). Legal There are certain government legislatives and policies that Tescos have to abide by and have a direct impact on their performance. Bodies such as the Food Retailing Commission (FRC), who prevent companies from demanding payments from suppliers and changing agreed prices without notice. Government policies for monopoly and the reduction of the buyer’s power can limit entry into the sector (Mintel report, 2004). Competitors The market leader of food retailers in UK is Tesco. It has 26. 2% (including non-retail is 31. 5%) market share, 2,115 stores and ? 34,874 million sales (Mintel, Food Retailing, 2008, details in Appendix 1). J Sainsbury which has 823 stores and 13. 5 (16. 5) % market share is in the second position. The third one is Asda group, and it gains 13. (15. 1) % market share with less than half of the Sainsbury stores number. The forth player in food retailing market is Wm Morrison Group which holds 9. 5(11. 7) % market share. â€Å"The top four account for 63% of all food retailers’ sales (after adjusting for fuel sales) and dominate the market for main food shopping. (Mintel, Food Reta iling, 2008)†â€Å"British supermarkets are typically evaluated by potential customers by two sets of criteria: the perceived price levels charged and the quality of service offered interns of range of goods, quality of merchandise, opening hours, and store environment (Bradley, 2003). {draw:g} Figure 1: Tesco’s main competitors adapted from Mintel report, 2009, (see appendix 1). As Tesco is in the middle of the position map, it has the opportunities to expand its product line to meet the up-market needs, or to have some discount products get the down-market interests, but the competition level in this position is very high. It is necessary to look at how Tesco still hold the No. 1 position in UK food-retailing industry. {draw:g} Figure 2: Ansoff matrix to analyse Tesco’s marketing strategy. Tesco started in the UK food retailing market and the business is maturing. â€Å"Sales density and market share growth are both slowing, and UK space is becoming a smaller part of the whole (Leahy, 2008). †AlthoughTesco will still plan to open more stroes in UK, â€Å"80% will open outside of the UK in 2009 (Mintel, Food Retailing, 2008)†. The opportunities for Tesco are: 1. Taking advantages of the food retailing value chain to continue to grow internationall by market development, and 2. Providing non-food products/services to the loyal customers in food retailing area by product development. Figure 3: Tesco’s sub-bran poisition in the United Kingdom. {draw:g} The above figure summaries the sub-brands of Tesco with two main factors: the customer perceived convenience and the product range (Food vs. Non-food). In order to hold and increase the market share, what Tesco is trying to do is to to set a small number of big stores which could be the best choice to purchase the products when the customer have enough time. Meanwhile, there are more than one thousand express/One Stop stores which could be convenient for the customers daily life purchase. When considering the competitive advantages, our group uses Poter’s â€Å"Five Forces†(1980) to analyze Tesco competition in the UK and international markets. In the UK, Tesco bulits the barriers for new entrants (high fixed cost and difficult to get suppliers), cooperates with local suppliers (strong relationship with farmers), uses Clubcard for retaining customers (Customer loyalty), and in the food retailing there is no specific substitutes. {draw:g} Figure 4: Tesco’s competition in the United Kingdom. draw:g} In the international markets, the situation will be different. Tesco should build relationship with the international suppliers, promote its brand to the international customers, provide products differentiation to avoid the threat from substitutes and potential entrants and compete with the international competitors which may already have strong supplier chains. Figure 5: Tesco internal markets competition. Core competencies There are two issues as the core competencies of Tesco. One is the employees, and another is the customers. The staffs determine the competitiveness through the internal of the business, whereas the customers determine the external environment the profitability of the business†(Kotler and Keller, 2009). Especially, when the business is in the downturn, Tesco needs to spend more time to do the research on how to satisfy the customers better than its competitors’. The ultimate goal of Tesco is to reduce the cost for the customers. Since Asda enter the UK market with the introduction of parity strategy, the main players in supermarkets has faced a fierce competition which based on the low-cost strategy. At that period of time (1980s), some of the main supermarkets had been replaced which was related to a low customer loyalty. People had a wide range of choice with a cheaper price. Until the Clubcard was established, customers have become more relevant to the supermarket. Although a Clubcard itself does not create loyalty, it can be a medium to produce the Tesco points (which can be accumulated and exchange the goods/money within Tesco, source from: Assen, Van den Berg, and Pietersma, 2009). Tesco notice that the total customer satisfaction experience can create the generate loyalty towards ‘a pull strategy’ which is better than a direct promotion that is based on a low-cost products (a push strategy). According to Tesco's annual report, â€Å"In the first 6 months of the club card introduction, without any advertising case, Tesco have achieved about 17% of the â€Å"customer spontaneous usage. †Based on this research, it is obviously to see that a Tesco Clubcard can not only enhance the customers’ loyalties, but also can create a customer relationship management (CRM) for Tesco. Tesco can get the information from CRM and analyze it to find those most valuable customers. On one hand it can reduce the cost and make Tesco to target more efficiently and effectively. On the other hand this may improve the company's service quality and customer satisfaction. Club card activity is successful and remarkable. Customers like these activities, as well as the store managers. It gives the opportunity to create a communication channel for the managers and the customers sharing knowledge. Tesco is trying to treat its customers as â€Å"shareholders†. In addition, Tesco must learn and adjust their marketing strategy to meet their customers’ needs. That means if Tesco can notice the changing of the customers’ needs more quick than its competitors. Their competitors will lose their customers’ satisfaction and this is one of the most important competencies of Tesco, especially the critical successful factor in UK. Human Resource Tescos distinctive strategic resources and assets can be found in its employees. The HR department in Tescos has been strategically integrated in the overall plans; management utilizes HR whenever they are making decisions (Beardwell J. 004). HR department helps in the building of the company through the following: – creating new plans and techniques to measure and reduce labour turnover. It has played a crucial role in aiding diversification into new business sectors. Their slogan ‘Every Little Helps’ is part of their ethos and is also inculcated in the training progr ams offered to their employees (Armstrong, M 2005) Tescos focuses on high commitment through the HR department by incorporating all employees; by discussing its strategic directions. The major challenge to Tescos is ensuring that all employees are aware of the roles assigned and how these various roles and actions can affect the ‘big Tescos picture’ (Whitelock, N. 2003). As a result, training has increased within the organization with high value placed on employees through the offer of basic and extended training. (Beardwell J. 2004). The increment in employee training within the organization is as a result of HR adopting a proactive strategic role and not an administrative one. The stance taken by HR is that by equipping the employees with the skills that they need to work will in the long run lead to increased growth. (Mullins, L. 2005) Career development is also looked at. This is in light of the changing employment market and employees feeling less secure in their jobs. A disadvantage of this is that since these skills are transferrable, they could in the long run be of benefit to their competitors. Though the merits of training the employees outweigh the demerits, employee shift or movement should not be overlooked. Marchington M & Wilkinson, A 1997) In terms of sustainability, developing employees through T&D and education are imperative because these are the most important factors in determining long-term business profitability. This can also be achieved by fully exploiting the wealth of knowledge within the organization; its employees. (Armstrong, M 2005) It aims to integrate learning as part of it business culture because learning is seen as an inte gral way of being flexible which has a long term organizational value thus maintaining its huge step ahead of its competition. In conclusion, Tescos integrating HR as part of its strategy and focusing on the training of its employees has made them feel a part of the overall strategy which in turn has lead to higher employee commitment. This long run effect gives Tescos the added value it needs in the competitive retail market. Recommendations There are a number of recommendations that can be specified which could enable Tesco to grow into more dominant brand and have even more success both locally and internationally. Tesco’s growth largely depends on its non-food products, these account for over 25% of its sales (not including petrol), and it is these areas that are the key to Tesco’s future success. The main emphasis should now be on developing new and innovative strategies so that these areas can blossom. Already it has been noted that Tesco beauty section is only second to boots, and their skin care range is the fastest growing range in all supermarkets. However, they do face stiff competition from Asda’s and Sainsbury’s clothing range. If Tesco wishes to be viewed as the number one â€Å"one stop shop†then more efforts need to be placed into the non-food areas otherwise customers shall use a different supermarket that do satisfy all their consumer needs. Currently there is a serious cause for concern that our carbon foot print needs to be decreased drastically. All supermarkets have a high level of waste; cardboard, plastics, paper. This problem needs to be address, although Tesco has stated that they wish to be carbon free by 2050, they need to ensure that this dream becomes a realisation. They can reduce these variables by having less packaging on products, promoting recycling, and disposing with plastic bags all together and instead implement long life bags that the customer brings to the store when they visit. Tesco have been extremely successful in many foreign markets through joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. They have acquired a lot of useful knowledge about the Korean market and now hopefully will flourish in the Asian and Far East market. This shall only happen though if they bring not only their own values but adopt the ones of the country that they are entering. Finally, further steps need to be taken into promoting Tesco’s banking service. If this venture does go ahead they will be an unstoppable force. Conclusion Tesco is a remarkable chain. Although it is leading in its market and is attempting to conquer the international world, it is the values that they uphold that are second to none. It is the emphasis on â€Å"its people†that have allowed them to be so successful; by continuously trying to provide better and faster services of a high quality, and investing time and money in its employees is why they have so many loyal customers. Tescos are known for innovation, they have now become a one stop store, not only can one acquire the weekly shop but now can obtain insurance, home furnishing, clothing, and electrical goods. It is for reasons such as these that they have always been able to stay one step ahead of their competitors. Word count – 3300 References Armstrong, M (2005) (9th Edition) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice Kogan Page, London Assen, M. , V. , Van den Berg, G. , and Pietersma. , P. 2009) Key Management Models: The 60+ models every manager needs to know, 2nd edition, Balchin A. (1994) Part-time workers in the multiple retail sector: small change from employment protection legislation? , Employee Relations, Vol. 16 Issue 7, pp. 43-57. Beardwell, J and Claydon, T. (2004) (4th Edition) Human Resource Management A Contemporary Approach Prentice Hall, Harlow. Bradley, F. (2003) â€Å"Building competitive brands†, Strategic Marketing in the customer driven organization, 1st E dition, London: John Wiley & Sons Ltd Press Kotler, P and Keller, K. L. (2009) Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control, Prentice-Hall. Kollewe, J. (2004) cited at http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/news/tesco-raises-stake-in-korean-venture-544724. html. Assessed by 28 Nov, 2009 Marchington, M. & Wilkinson, A. (1996) Core Personnel and Development IPD Publishing, London. Mintel report. (2004) Food retailing- UK, Retail intelligence, November. Mintel International Group Ltd (2008) Food Retailing, UK, November 2008 (Nov 2008). http://0-academic. mintel. com. unicat. bangor. ac. k/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=280627. Assessed 16th Nov, 2009. Mintel International Group Ltd (2009) Food Retailing, UK, _November 2009 _(Nov 2009) http://0-academic. mintel. com. unicat. bangor. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=280627/display/id=395621. Assessed 4th Dec, 2009. Mullins, L (2005) (7th Edition) Management and Organisational Behaviour Prentice Hall, Pearson Education, Edinburgh Office of national statistics cited in http://www. tatistics. gov. uk/cci/nugget. asp? ID=12. Found on the 27/22/09. Palmer, A. & Worthington, I. (1992) â€Å"Marketing: an overview†, The Business and Marketing Environment, 1st Edition, London: McGraw Hill Press. Porter, M. , E (1980) cited in Johnson, G. & Scholes, K. (1997) Exploring Corporate Strategy, 4th Edition, London: Prentice Hall Press. Tesco community plan cited in http://www. tescoplc. com/plc/corporate_responsibility_09/approach/cr_strategy/community_plan/. Tesco core UK cited in
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