Significance of Lego Serious Play in creating opportunity

            Technological advancement is some of the parameters that have enabled modern business organizations to meet the needs of each customer. The reason for that is because it is the one that enables each business enterprise to understand the nature of the prevailing market niche. Ideally, research indicates that for the past few decades, advancement in technology has drifted from the conventional norms to the extent of embracing dynamic and creative research methods (Kristiansen & Rasmussen, 2015). Therefore, with the advancement of Lego^®Serious Play^®, it has become possible for various enterprises to understand the effectiveness of these platforms in enhancing the provision of products and services to potential customers.

            Ideally, Lego^® Serious Play^® is perceived as being one of the powerful and innovative tools that enable researchers to not only solve problems but to explore some of the ideologies that can aid in realizing the objectives of each business enterprise. The multi-methodological approaches that will have to be utilized in enhancing the potentials of Lego^®Serious Play^® will be based on how it has the likelihood of deepening researches (Hirschmann, 2009). With regard to the design methods or approaches that will have to be utilized, some of the empirical materials to be utilized will have to be based on some of the interpretive researches that aim at making each practitioner to understand its effectiveness.

            Nevertheless, in the process of using Lego^® Serious Play^® platforms, the information that will have to be gathered will depend on how reflexive notes, observations, and interviews have been structured. Regardless of that, it will be paramount to take into consideration some of the advantages and drawbacks that exist in the process of utilizing the two mechanisms (Catherine et al., 2017).  In the process of establishing a co-creating opportunity, it will be vital to ensure that the concerned authorities and potential customers have understood how the two platforms enable individuals to gather and convey their knowledge as the prevailing dimensional methods.

References

Catherine, B, Michael, D & Joanne, O.M. (2017). Serious Play: Literacy, Learning and Digital Games
Digital Games, Simulations, and Learning. Taylor & Francis Press.

Hirschmann, K. (2009). LEGO toys. Chicago, Illinois : Norwood House Press

Kristiansen, P., & Rasmussen, R. (2015). Il metodo Lego® Serious Play® per il business. Milano Franco Angeli

1

Dell’s Main Analytical Models

Systems and Human Relation

 Through the system analytical model, Dell can perfectly and timely integrate classical and human relation tactics. The social-technical systems ensure that the organization managed its external business market base strategically. The brilliant performance of Dell Company proved that the social-technical system is a perfect mechanism for managing its external aspects. It is vital to take note of the fact that technological upgrades influence the personal computer industrial space. The time factor gives manufacturers time to come up with specific gears such as microprocessors and storage components. The performance hardware upgrade usually comes with a multifaceted software hence driving demand for the up-to-date hardware. This implies that the time aspects play a role in two major ways- outdated personal computer gradually loses 10% monetary value per month and secondly, the latest product can gain a competitive edge due to the rising demand (Kraemer et al., 2000, p6). This way, Dell minimizes inventory and creates up-to-date items to induce demand, make a profit, and enlarge market share while retaining an edge over the competitors. These two aspects largely determine Dell Company's ability to manage inventory and launch modern-day personal computers. One way to go about this is standardization and modular nature of personal computers. Personal computers are produced from standardized apparatuses, via usual architectural interfaces influenced mainly by Intel and other giant technology companies. Personal computer manufacturers sometimes subcontract most of their inventions and purchase components from other well-to-do manufacturer networks and module part suppliers. Outsourcing streamlines Dell's ability to manufacture and launch new products in the market. Thus Dell’s system analytical model pools direct sales with productions tailored to fit the needs of its consumer base. This model is straightforward in terms of its theoretical element, however quite intricate in terms of its application. Even though other personal computer companies depend on resellers, retailers, and other mechanisms to take the marketing and sales burden, Dell reaches out to the client directly without the need for a third party. Hence, Dell fulfills each order based on consumer needs, a procedure that exerts pressure on its workforce, suppliers, logistics frameworks, and technological systems. 

            On the other hand, the human relations analytical model helps Dell meet client needs through the production of personal computers fitted with specified features. The build- to- order procedure ensures that dell meets all the client demands and create a cohesive workforce among its workers. This is seen through direct sales. Dell's direct sale design operates on two principles- direct client relations and items and services aimed at discrete client sections. Direct sales imply that Dell has to reach out to possible consumers either via sales or advertisements and supplementary promotion strategies (Lee, 2006, p3). Dells makes its sales via resellers and integrators particularly in market zones located outside the USA. Additionally, Dell's usage of direct method supposedly gives the company an estimated 6% price benefit in comparison to indirect sellers.  Moreover, direct client relations give Dell an upper hand in terms of providing it with consumer information hence making it easy to note the demand and consider the needs of the consumers. A company that uses resellers usually cannot pinpoint the final client hence this makes it hard for them to incorporate the needs of the clients into their product. This is the underlying reason a direct approach is beneficial to Dell Company as through this mechanism one can define consumer trends early enough for a proper response. In simpler terms, a direct approach helps Dell form a relationship with its consumer base.

2

Main Organizational Challenges

 A gradual slowdown in the purchase of information technology equipment which in turn affected Dell Company’s shares. The personal computer’s shares experienced a 10% decline due to fewer purchases. Furthermore, the company's assets weakened due to a universal decline in end-user demand within the first financial quarter. The USA based company claimed in its reports that a decline in IT expenditure affected its international branches where the outcome was the same. The declining sales forced the giant technology company to cut down its costs in order to boost its profit margins (Allison, and Nuttall, 2006, np). Cutting down costs would result in a $3 billion yearly cut. Consequently, the company reduced its workforce to 8500 from 8900. These alterations came with the internal restructuring of its business models so that it could compete favorably with its rivals. Besides saving costs meant investing in proper organizational frameworks and assets. For instance, Dell’s rival beat Wall Street’s approximations within the last financial quarter. In other words, Dell experienced pressure as it had to go beyond its direct-sales business framework which had been a key problem solver in the past years and this move led to selling computers in multiple retail stores. Despite this move, the company was forced to sell some of its manufacturing sites in order to offset some of its pending bills.

            Apart from cost-saving measures and combining direct and indirect business model, Dell merged with another technology firm known as EMC. The merger means that the company would take up a $45billion debt. This exposes Dell to high-interest rates as per the federal terms. The ability to integrate two different companies and generating incentives is a challenging affair for the company. In case the interest rates go up the company will find it finds it hard to stay afloat due to the outstanding debt arrears (Dell, 2020, np). Another challenge is leveraging assets. Dell keeps on acquiring other companies in an attempt to retain its relevance and increase their market share. Also, the acquisitions and mergers make it hard to push the sales up and regain a higher market position. Even though Dell is intense on balancing its commercial performance with obligatory activities, it may fail to achieve its objectives if does not accurately rethink its strategies.

Implications of Line Managers and Supervisors While Creating a Corporate Culture

            The corporate culture idea affects Dell’s primary business performance. Nevertheless, an impactful leader is instrumental in kicking off an indirect business culture. The line manager ensures that the Dell way philosophy is embedded in every company's actions. Throughout Dell’s journey, the company had a head start in terms of understanding its mission and workforce behavior (Dell'Era, and Verganti, 2010, p123). One of Dell's most outstanding qualities is the ability to adapt to a dynamic competitive surrounding in a quick, lean entrepreneurship manner. This later led to high performance in an ever-changing business surrounding. Thus, Dell developed its corporate culture through its work ethic and reputation. Additionally, the managerial accessibility made it possible for the company's workforce to believe that their ideas were valuable and welcomed in the company. Junior workers are free to communicate with anyone.

3

Dell’s Technological Sophisticated Methods for Collecting Soft Data for Both Its Performance and Consumers

 Dell's departments form a relationship with its consumers which then enables it to track down transactions and detect any other issues. Through the direct2dell platform, Dell can interact with consumer reaction and also gauge its consumer strategies based on the consumer’s feedback. Websites such as Direc2dell and Tell Dell are accessible twenty-four hours a day and inform on decision making and strategic management. Additionally, these online platforms are managed to meet consumer services. The development via distribution and maintenance has enabled Dell’s consumers to access service delivery in the company’s various client systems. Dell’s client services are designed to solve impending challenges that a consumer may encounters while interacting with Dell's personal computers or other material. Once consumer land on Dell's consumer service platform, he or she can subscribe before launching any complaints (Gamble, Thompson, and Peteraf, 2010, p141). This standard procedure facilitates the acquisition of soft information and then provides the consumer with efficient sales services.  Apart from the online platform client services, Dell offers on-site services where a vendor may help a client deal with both hardware and software challenges. Only accredited service delivery personnel are posted to a consumer whenever a challenge arises. Field services pertain to procedural analysis and repairing broken parts of the computer. In terms of departmentalization of the information system, the standardization of client platforms helps in the management of client information. As part of this mechanism, the consumer manager ensures that consumer interactions are cost-saving and shape the company's brand image which in the long term pushes up sales.

Dell divides its clients into relationships, dealings, and public intercontinental consumers. Dell's consumer differentiation assists it to react to consumer demands and alterations, come up with new consumer sections, and advance profitable sections. Consumer relationships can bring in a 1million profit yearly. This indicates the need to fully develop this consumer section. The top fifty companies worldwide have been able to cultivate client relationships account for 70% of Dell’s sales and this reflects on filling in the gap by considering consumers who bring in larger profit margins. Dell directs its resources on such clients hence providing made-to-order services to retain higher profit margins. More so, field sales agents are posted in consumer locations thus enabling the delivery of dedicated services to consumer relationships. Each sales agent only deals with a specified number of people. The sale agent is supposed to understand the information system surrounding and service requirements of a particular location where he is posted in. on the other hand, transactional consumers bring in an estimated 30% of the profit margins in most large reputable organizations (Dissanayake, 2012, p26).  Several sale agents serve a certain number of transactional consumers. Sale agents assist transactional clients to pick a suitable system to meet their specific needs. Subsidiaries and other outsourced contracts assist in the management of international consumers. Agreements with international clients are facilitated by local business policies and governmental institutions.  A more inclusive perspective is required due to direct purchases from producers. Additionally, the framework has to match that of an international approach. An international market can only be catered to via exclusive subsidiaries and contracts tailored to fit the needs of a specified consumer. This makes it more flexible and attainable.

4

Postmodernism as A Way of Comprehending the Fundamentals of Diversity

 One of the most notable ways of comprehending the transformative but subtle alterations impacts of technology is through the human way of thinking (Grinnell, and Muise, 2010, np). This way, anyone can take note of the change that has taken place over the years and try to find a solution.  Some scholars attribute postmodernism to human rationality and independence i.e. people think and act autonomously. This concept seems to be innate and quite understandable to most people. Hence this drives diversity in various human sectors. postmodernism construct is only applicable and relevant to knowledge and rationality especially in scientific matters as the direction to human liberty and fulfillment emerges from a particular order of things. Over the years, this concept has built up to explain the underlying human behavior as instrumental in the growth and diversification of human society (Kanjariya, 2010, p10). Furthermore, postmodernism is heavily impacted by societal and cultural characteristics which are closely associated with capitalism. From a critical angle is the symbolism and continuity of progress and shaping social identities (Evans, 2013, p102). Postmodernism made it's through geography when experts began mentioning spatial science as a vital aspect which influences and its impact grows in terms of evaluation and influence of diversity and accommodation of eth worlds as a global village. The current society can access tons of information which in turn influences behaviorism and target audience hence ensuring that people are carefully evaluated in terms of background and choices made. Advancement in technology, the acceptance, and learning of various cultures led to culture acquisition and specialization to different professions hence enabling the emergence of a solid postmodernism surrounding.

References

Allison, K. and Nuttall, C., 2006. ‘Dell Shares Tumble after Warning over Sales’, FT on-line, 21 July

 Dell, 2020. Dell Direct-sales and code of conduct https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/sc/laptops

Dell'Era, C. and Verganti, R., 2010. Collaborative strategies in design-intensive industries: knowledge diversity and innovation. Long range planning, 43(1), pp.123-141.

Dissanayake, D.M.N.S.W., 2012. Integrated communications, integrated marketing communications and corporate reputation: Evidences from DELL Computer Corporations. Researchers World, 3(3), p.26.

Evans, S.C., Potdar, Y.K., Dell'Anno, M.J., Markham, T.S., Klingbeil, A.E., Boring, R. and Barnett, B.G., General Electric Co, 2013. System, method, and computer software code for detecting a computer network intrusion in an infrastructure element of a high value target. U.S. Patent 8,621,629.

Gamble, J., Thompson, A.A. and Peteraf, M., 2010. Essentials of strategic management. McGraw-Hill Publishing.

Grinnell, J. and Muise, C., 2010. Dell computers: competing toward decline?. Journal of Business Case Studies (JBCS), 6(3).

Kanjariya, V., 2010 Dell Company.

Kraemer, K.L., Dedrick, J. and Yamashiro, S., 2000. Refining and extending the business model with information technology: Dell Computer Corporation. The Information Society, 16(1), pp.5-21.

Lee, L., 2006. Dell: Facing up to past mistakes. Business Week, 3989, pp.1-4.

What the fast food industry is up to

Introduction

The 'Fast Food Nation' by Schlösser and the 'Super-Size Me' by Spurlock are intriguing.  The authors reveal a scary truth that fast food is the path to obesity and Americans should make up their minds.  Schlösser  ‘talks about the practices in the fast-food industry and it is important to be aware of these practices and uncover the dark practices rather than focusing on what people love to eat. The author asserts that the fast-food industry is up to exploiting employees, increasing profit by targeting poor communities and children, and conquering the world using modern technology. The 'Supersize me' goes beyond the industrial perspective and focuses on the consumer's perspective. The author reveals the shocking truth that individuals are responsible for their health. The fast-food industry is concerned about making a profit and therefore, one should make a positive change in life. In general, the fast-food industry causes devastating consequences to health, and Americans will realize the truth after discovering how the industry produces food, disempower workers, and the role of personal choices. 

 On 'Fast Food Nation', Schlosser wants the Americans to know that the fast-food industry is up to making profits while providing poor nutrition. The corporations use manipulative tactics to improve the profit margin. Americans should be aware that American fast food contains harmful chemicals that contribute to negative health effects. To achieve the goal of making a profit, the industry employs unskilled workers who work in poor working conditions at minimum wages (Schlosser, 6). The restaurant industry has employed almost 3.5 million workers and they do not receive any benefit. For example, in 1973, women were employed in this industry to earn a living. The author says that since the majority of women are working in fast food corporations, mothers do not prepare food at home but rather, them but food from the restaurant (Schlosser, 4). They, the fast-food industry use employment as a strategy to prevent the families from making healthy food choices. The fast-food industry has created new jobs and it has also dominated the American economy. Since the industry is profit oriented, its marketing campaigns provide the customers with a feeling of reassurance. For example, Ray Kroc, a person who has a greater influence in the fast-food industry states that 'we will make conformists out of them in a hurry' (Schlosser, 5). It is important to note that the fast-food industry offers similar brands at different locations. This means that the customers will access the products at a cheap price.   Another important point is that the fast-food industry uses promotional efforts to promote the products but they do not indicate the ingredients on the food advertisements. Americans should be aware that the fast-food industry provides quantities of food at lower costs (Schlosser, 6). This is a manipulative act-this means that the cooperation use deceptive tactics to accomplish their goals. They are not concerned with the issue of obesity and other negative effects but they focus on their advertising and promotion techniques to increase profits. Thus, the fast-food industry promotes unhealthy food to increase competition and stay ahead of the competition.

The Americas should be aware that the fast-food industry is treating poor people as expendable. First, the target market for poor nutrition is poor people. What happens is that large corporations such as ConAgra and IBP remove farmers from the land and corporations gain ownership and management. This cause social stratification or in other words, poor communities are unable to access resource and power. The society now is made up of two classes' wealthier elite and working poor (Schlosser, 8) Individuals who were landowners became rural ghettos and others become prison inmates.  After creating social stratification, what happens is that the fast-food industry establishes guidelines for meat production and packing. The poor unskilled workers perform the industry practices and since they lack knowledge of food health and safety, they expose the food into dangerous pathogens. The author states that “…fast food is of much less concern to me than its impact upon the lives of ordinary Americas… (Schlosser, 9). This means that the end-users of the procedures are ordinary Americas or poor Americas and children.  Thus, a point to note is that the fast-food industry exploits the poor people in two ways; by employing them to work in the industry, and by targeting them to consume poor nutrition.  As a result, poor people become vulnerable to health issues. Another point is that they continue to be undermined and marginalized in society and the problems stem from the fast-food industry. The government also plays a role in fueling acts of discrimination in that the federal government does not have the power to regulate contaminated food (Schlosser, 6).  In other words, the government does not work together with the fast-food industry to regulate the production of food. This indicates that people have 'personal choice' and the fast-food industry lacks social accountability.  Thus, the Americans need to know that the fast-food industry has the power to sell fast food to the public and they are not accountable for using false information.

The last important point that Americas need to know according to Schlosser is that the fast-food industry i increase sales through technology. The author states that 'today's fast food conceals remarkable technological advances behind an ordinary-looking façade (Schlosser, 3).' Fast food industry is using the technology to prepare food. It is important to understand that food production is a complex process in that science and technology is allowing the fast-food industry to attract customers. The food is readily available and people are willing to purchase shelf-stable food. For example, McDonald uses technology to reduce wait times and increase competitiveness. Automation is a fast industry to increase productivity and meet the changing customer desires. The processing and packaging are done using machinery. The author states that 'Better Living through Chemistry and Our Friend to the Atom (Schlosser, 3). This means that technology is improving the customer's experiences in that they can opt for prepaid order hence improving their preference and purchasing power. Thus, Americans need to know that the fast-food industry employs unskilled workers who lack technology skills. This indicates that workers male mistakes while preparing food and their opportunities that food will be contaminated. The worker also lacks food safety skills and in the case of food contaminated, the fast-food industry is not held accountable. 

  The documentary 'Super-size me', Spurlock focuses on the food culture and sheds light on the health problems facing our society today. First, it is important to note that if an individual lacks personal responsibility, the fast-food industry takes responsibility (Dailymotion, 1). When people lack responsibility, they blame the fast food industry for their weight or health problems. However, the documentary reveals that 'you are what you eat' and every individual has a personal responsibility to make healthy choices. Americans should be aware that the fast-food industry is the root cause of obesity in America.  However, individuals make big mistakes on how they make decisions. Although the corporation is accountable for obesity, individuals make choices (Dailymotion, 1). Americans should learn that every documentary has an indirect message that people should interpret by their own. For example, in the film, rather focusing on the corporation behaviors and the role of government regulating food production, one should make a personal judgment (Dailymotion, 1). Also, individuals are responsible for their health and thus, they should make a healthy lifestyle. The corporation as well the government should prevent obesity but individuals have the biggest role.

Finally, Americans need to know that fast food is addictive. One way that the fast-food industry makes money is by producing additive products. Once you start eating the food, it is difficult to quite since the food is rich in additive ingredients such as sugars. The fast-food industry is aware that too much sugar and salt cause negative effects on the body but since they are not concerned with the health of human beings, they use misinformation and manipulative tactics to motivate customers (Dailymotion, 1). For example, Spurlock consumed 5,000 calories in a day. He developed problems such as depression, chest pressure, headaches, shakes, and other problems.  He was addicted though he says that addiction is a choice Thus, Americans should be aware that addiction is real and fast food is tasty and cheap. However, fast food is associated with negative effects and the industry is not responsible for your health. The industry will not change their behaviors but individuals can make healthy choices.  People need choice and self-control to make a healthy choice. Americans should also gain awareness that the fast-food industry uses misleading information for marketing to influence buying behaviors. Therefore, it is important to choose words wisely to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

Conclusion

 The fast-food industry has caused the obesity epidemic in that it has a toxic environment that not only misleads people toward making unhealthy choices but also focuses on making profits and using the new technology. The government as well as the environmentalists have tried to regulate the food business but all in vain. Thus, Spurlock asserts that individuals should be responsible for their health. Although the fast-food industry should play a role in improving the health of individuals, people should strive to make a difference in their lives through healthy choices. People should not blame the food business but rather they should blame their own choices. This indicates that one should exercise self-control to develop a positive image of oneself and lead a happy life.  

Work cited

Chlosser, E. (2001). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Boston:

Perennial.

Super Size Me. Dailymotion, 2020.  https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x560a74

For: Vermont Teddy Bear Company Entry in South Korea

Vermont Teddy Bears deals with designing a wide range of customized teddy bears.  The bears designed by the company are meticulously handcrafted and are guaranteed to last a lifetime. The stuffed animals make perfect gifts for all genders of any age and are crafted to suit all occasionsStep Seven: pricing strategyPromotional Pricing 

References

Schildge G, (2019) “Sales promotion: How to develop a plan that works”   Matrix Marketing Group, retrieved from,   https://matrixmarketinggroup.com/sales-promotion-strategy/

Scott C, (2019) “How to choose a pricing strategy for your small business”            Quickbooks, retrieved from, https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/pricing-          strategy/6-different-pricing-strategies-which-is-right-for-your-            business/

Thorne H, (2020) “How to develop a good promotional product strategy”   Tough Nickel, retrieved from,             https://toughnickel.com/industries/How-to-Develop-a-Good-           Promotional-Product-Strategy

 Risk Management- Scenario Analysis

As a manager of a new daycare center, I have a big responsibility of caring and ensuring safety. Thus, as a manager, I need risk management for identifying the possible risk and come up with control measures to protect the well-being of the children, parents, and the providers of child care. Thus, risk management simply means identifying the risks and making plans to protect the children, parents, and the staff.  In this case scenario, I will start by identifying two risks that the daycare center is likely to face. Once I identify the risks, I will come up with solutions to lower the risks. In other words, I will create an actual plan to protect the children, parents, and staff from danger. 

 Risks

Environmental health risks

  First, it is important to note that the new daycare center is located on busy streets.  Without doubt, children will be exposed to air pollution as a result of vehicle-related pollutants (Houston et al. 2006). Consequently, children will develop respiratory illnesses such as asthma, lung illness, and heart diseases.

 Injuries

 Since the daycare center is located close to busy roads, parents and children will be injured to as a result, there will be road traffic deaths (World Health Organization, n.d). In other words, accidents may happen near the daycare center. Parents may be injured while crossing the road, and children may be injured while playing or walking on the road. Thus, the road environment is not safe and children are susceptible to road traffic deaths

 Uncertainties in determining the risk events

 The new daycare center will provide essential services to the children but the level of anxiety is high concerning the children's well-being. Note that uncertainty does not mean failure to predict the risks. Rather, uncertainty means that the staffs have no idea how the risks will occur. In other words, parents and staff have uncertainty on how environmental health risks and injuries will occur. The biggest concern is that these risks can occur as long as the daycare center is providing the service.

 The approach toward implementing the solutions

 Before identifying the solutions, as a manager, I will communicate with the staff of the daycare center and parents. As a manager, I will use horizontal communication to ensure that all individuals that is; staff and parents play a role in offering solutions to the risks (Graham et al. 2016). This style of communication will eliminate barriers to communication and hence promote business continuity.  As a manager, the horizontal communication method will help in understanding the risks in a detailed manner and come up with the best solutions. 

 Solutions

 Mitigating approaches

• Air purifier installation- since children will be exposed to air pollution which will cause illnesses, it is important to install air purifies both indoor and outdoor. The air purifier system will provide fresh air during indoor and outdoor activities.
• The daycare center should notify the parents about the health risks as a result of air pollutants. Parents will take care of children with respiratory conditions or in other words, vulnerable children will not be enrolled to prevent risks
• Design; inform the local government about traffic concerns. The local government will implement policies and strict rules to protect the children. The policies will also control speeds around the daycare center to prevent accidents when parents are crossing the roads.

References

World Health Organization.  Children and road traffic injury.  UNICEF. https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/child/injury/world_report/Road_traffic_injuries_english.pdf

Houston, D., Ong, P., Wu, J., & Winer, A. (2006). Proximity of licensed child care facilities to

near-roadway vehicle pollution. American journal of public health, 96(9), 1611-1617.

Graham, J., Kaye, D., & Rothstein, P. J. (2006). A risk management approach to business

continuity: Aligning business continuity with corporate governance.

Monsanto Attempts to Balance Stakeholder Interests

Abstract

This paper involves two case studies which are Monsanto Attempts to Balance Stakeholder Interests and the Accounting issues that led to the collapse of Enron Company respectively. In the first study, the paper discusses the ability of Monsanto to maintain the interest of its stakeholders. It shows how Monsanto upholds an ethical culture that satisfies the interests of its stakeholders. It includes and explains the benefits of growing GMO Seeds and their impact on the costs for the farmer and the Monsanto Company. It also examines how the company manages the harm caused to plants and wildlife. In the second case study, the paper discusses how the accounting unethical issues led to the collapse of the company. It further explains how the culture of the company led to the company becoming bankrupt. It goes ahead to determine how the people involved in auditing, banking, and the attorneys led to the company’s end. Finally, it discusses the mistakes that the CFO in the Enron Company did that led the company to financial problems.

CASE ASSIGNMENT 1: Monsanto Attempts to Balance Stakeholder Interests

This is a case study about Monsanto which is a major and leading seed company in the world and its specialty is producing genetically modified seeds making use of the science of biotechnology. Insects, weeds, and famine have been a problem for the farmers for a long time and the use of pesticides and herbicides that were produced to help with this problem became expensive and consumed a lot of time (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2015). To curb this problem, Monsanto developed seeds that had the herbicide that removes weeds without damaging the crops. Over the years, the company has developed a lot of successful products. Monsanto has developed other products that have made it the most successful business in the world. 

The Efficiency of Monsanto’s Ethical Values

Monsanto has worked hard to maintain an ethical culture and values that satisfy the needs that their stakeholders have for the output of the company and the creation of products. This includes addressing the safety of GM, environmental issues, and organizational ethical issues. For the company to fulfill the needs of society, it has renovated its products and services throughout the years (Fitzpatrick & Bronstein 2006). Monsanto’s company believed that manufacturing chemicals and making scientific inquiry into chemical engineering had a lot of benefits for humanity. The company tried to apply the same techniques to other products and the impacts of these products were harmful to their stakeholders. Because the effects were so huge, the company had to pay a huge amount of money because the products caused harm to a large number of stakeholders. The company has faced ethical issues earlier concerning the products they produced and their operations. However, despite the critics and backlash that Monsanto has faced, it has strived to keep its reputation by developing products that are effective and employing a large number of people making it the most successful business in the world. Monsanto needs to continue working with stakeholders to promote the innovations it continues to create and eliminate fears about the company. 

The Benefits and Costs Growing GMO Seed

Even with the critics the Monsanto Company has, some of their supporters state that the company curbs world hunger by producing a lot of crops and increasing the food supply. Other critics have accused the company over the attempt to take over the food supply in the world and cause a decrease in biodiversity. Growing the GMO seed is beneficial to the farmer and the company. The costs of buying pesticides and herbicides are reduced when a farmer uses GMO seeds because the seed already contains them. This increases the produce because the crop will not be invaded by pests and weed. The seed flourishes and does well, therefore, rewarding the farmer with increased productivity and this increases profits for the company and farmer as well (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2015). The GMO seed is also beneficial to the farmer because it doesn’t require a large piece of land. The cost reduction and increase in production for the farmer has transformed Monsanto into a global leader in the seed industry. As the world of GMO seeds advances, the yields are greater in quality and quantity meeting the world’s growing agricultural needs. 

Managing the Harm caused to Plants and Wildlife

          The company has tried to address the issue of harm caused by the use of herbicides such as roundup by addressing environmental and health concerns. Monsanto maintains that the environmental effect of any product that it develops has been researched, studied, and approved. To manage and control any harm caused, Monsanto has taken the initiative of doing all the rightful studies to ensure that it does not harm animals and plants. The company has partnered with conservational international intending to preserve biodiversity. The herbicide is also said to be harmful to the human cells (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2015). However according to EPA, when roundup is used in the recommended does, it is not harmful to the human body. The company has partnered with relevant companies that aid and manage the growth of plants.

CASE ASSIGNMENT 2: “Enron: Questionable Accounting Leads to Collapse.”

This is a study concerning the Enron Company and its accounting disaster that led the company to become bankrupt. The only thing that the company could do at the time is to know how to return the losses to its creditors. The company distributed its assets to the creditors who were pursuing a huge amount of money. Unethical issues in the company were the lead cause of its bankruptcy (May 2012). Everyone that was linked to the company proved to have led to its demise because they all supported the illegal activities that were taking place. This case study shows the repercussions that come with unethical behaviors.

Contribution of the company culture of Enron to it becoming bankrupt

The company’s culture did not promote integrity and respect. The employees at Enron were influenced by the culture of competing rather than co-operating. This was because they were motivated by huge bonuses which made them feel scared about the criteria that were used in ranking. They did not want to get fired due to underperformance which was the norm (Sims & Brinkmann, 2003). The consequences of all these cations were unhealthy business activities that made colleagues drag each other behind rather than support each other to execute the sale agreement. The performance management at Enron proved to be a disaster and a fail for the company and ever body else that was linked to it. This demonstrates how far one can go when they are motivated by money. The company was made to appear financially okay when it was making losses and was involved in business criminal actions. Records were manipulated, information was altered and data about its growth was wrongly put. Eventually, the illegal activity at Enron was discovered, and immediately the stock price began to decrease.

Ways in which the people involved in auditing, banking, and the attorneys led to the company’s downfall. 

 The contributors to Enron’s demise did so through partiality. They all acted in ways that were in favor of the company. The primary banker of Enron facilitated its wrongdoings and fraud (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2017). Enron’s accounting firm which had the responsibility of auditing Enron’s financial statement and recognize the accounting issues in the company failed to do what was required of them. The accounting firm made Enron appear to be gaining a significant growth in profit which was untrue. During its fraudulent activities, Enron got active assistance from its bankers, attorneys, and auditors in securing major deals. They were all aware of the company’s scandals and did nothing about it. The company’s attorneys gave their full assistance by providing legal support to the company to seal deals. They even provided letters to help in those deals when the company needed them. The company was assisted by its attorneys, bankers, and auditors to get involved in malicious activities and that is how they led to the downfall of the company.

The role that the company's CFO played towards creating financial problems for Enron

When the company’s CFO was charged in court, he was charged with a lot of wrongdoings including conspiracy and fraud. He was involved in the company’s bad activities and being the CFO, he was the major contributor towards creating financial problems and debts for the company. He had hidden the correct financial condition of Enron by hiding its debt and being part of unethical accounting practices. This means that he contributed to the downfall of Enron Company. He also used unfair ways to earn his money and get his assets. He had made a lot of money through bribes and taking money that was meant to be channeled to other entities. He inflated revenues and acted in a very irresponsible way and this irresponsibility led to major problems for the company (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell 2017). The CFO lacked accountability and this caused losses and not only for the stakeholders but also for the entire community. He was responsible for the partnerships that were used to hide about the company’s debt and defrauded its shareholders making the company appear more profitable than it was.

References

Ferrell O.C., Fraedrich J., & Ferrell, L. (2017) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making &

Cases, 11th Edition. Cengage Learning.

Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., Ferrell, L., & Cengage Learning. (2015). Business ethics: Ethical

decision making and cases. Stamford: Cengage Learning.

Fitzpatrick, K., & Bronstein, C. (2006). Ethics in public relations: Responsible advocacy.

Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications.

May, S. (2012). Case studies in organizational communication: Ethical perspectives and

practices. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Sims, R. R., & Brinkmann, J. (2003). Enron ethics (or: culture matters more than codes). Journal

of Business ethics, 45(3), 243-256.

Business and entrepreneurship

             Each organization develops rules and policies that reflect its vision and mission of establishment, values, and culture. The same rules and policies are also vital because it enables the management authority to understand the need of their workers and customers. Once such policies and rules are in place, enforcing them in the right way is also important. Despite that, accomplishment of such goals can also be tougher task than it really sounds. The following are some of the best practices which can be adopted by an organization to develop better rules and policies

Best practices for developing organization policies

1. a) Identify need – an organization should to make constant assessment of its responsibilities, activities, and the nature of external environment so as to have the capacity of identifying the need for policies.
2. b) Identification of who will be taking lead responsibility – an organization should ensure that it has delegate responsibilities to a particular working group, staff members, sub-committee, or an individual according to the expertise or skills needed.
3. c) Information gathering – although the organization might be having legal responsibilities, it is paramount to ensure that concerned individuals have clear understanding of the guidelines needed to develop certain policies. That will take into account the gathering information from other organization regarding the strategies to use in developing policies.
4. d) Consulting with appropriate stakeholders – organization policies can be more effective in case constant consultations are made with those its effects. In return, it will be easier to discuss best ways to apply such a policy once it has been implemented.
5. e) Implementing, monitoring, reviewing, and revising the policies – after implementing formulated policies, it is important to monitor whether its reporting systems are up-to-date. The same take into account the need to review its usage and/or responses.

Best practices for developing organization rules

1. a) Write them – an organization should ensure that they have written in a format that can be easily understood by each person. It is important to collaborate with all stakeholders so as to ensure that the best views of each person have been captured.
2. b) Tailor it- it paramount to ensure that rules have been tailored in a manner that can provide specific information that are pertinent to the enterprise. The same strategy will take into account the importance of analyzing the problems being faced regularly so as to better formulate rules.

A rules-code is ideal for tailoring information. An organisation should consider the specific problems it faces repeatedly and include them in the code, using short scenarios or cases of actual situations as illustrations. Generic codes should be avoided since they often are token substitutes for creating a culture of ethical business.

3. Communicate it. Implementation is an open process and a code should be communicated to all internal and external stakeholders. Distribute it to all members of the organisation as well as clients, and do so regularly.

4. Promote it. Go beyond communication and promote it actively in multiple languages, using every opportunity to proclaim it to all stakeholders. Methods or vehicles of promotion are: laminated cards, business cards, brochures, official documents, framing and displaying, posting on a website. Promotion signals that ethics matters to the organisation, that values shape its culture.

5. Revise it. Developing a code is an evolutionary process. A code should be revised or reviewed every few years, because of changing worldwide conditions, evolving community standards, and developing organisational policies. This does not mean that ethics is purely relative to our whims or preferences, only that its specific demands should be sensitive to changing realities.

6. Live it. The litmus test for any code is whether members of the organisation follow it on a daily basis. If it is properly communicated, promoted and revised, it is more likely to become a living document.

7. Enforce and reinforce it. Enforcement and reinforcement are critical to gain respect from stakeholders, internal and external. For shorter values-codes, reinforcement should be the policy of choice. For longer, rules-codes, it should be enforcement, specifying rewards and punishments, which are indeed carried out. Sanctions should be proportional to the severity of the ethical transgression. For example, padding an expense account by a small amount is not as severe as accepting a substantial bribe or kickback.

Movie Studio Business

            The first asset the company will acquire is a workspace. The company is a start-up and with limited capital will rent a renovated space worth $10,000 a year. However, as employees and support staff grows, the studio will have to consider relocating to a bigger space. The current workspace will have to be a place conducive to carry out meetings with potential investors. Another asset the start-up will acquire basic equipment and gear.

The production gear will have the capability to produce films with natural lighting. The company, therefore, will have to invest in computer hardware and software, booms, microphones, and lighting. A digital camera capable of shooting decent pictures will also be a priority for the fledgling company. All these production gear will cost the company approximately $15,000. The low-budget video production gear that will fall under the budget includes Panasonic video camera, tripod, camera light, three-point lighting kit, short-gun microphone, boom pole, shock mount, wireless microphone, portable digital audio recorder, light reflector, headphones, external hard drive, and a drone.

            Among the integral costs of the business will be salaried for employees and crew. The start-up will strive to keep the salaries for employees lean as possible to ensure business continuity in the foreseeable future. Another crucial expense for the company is marketing materials. It will include developing a professional website and business cards. Licensing of the business will ensure compliance with state laws while insurance while cover against fire, theft, and liability.

            There are expenses the start-up will have to incur in the course of carrying out its business of film production. The start-up expects as the company grows the expenses will increase. Budgeting will be crucial to guarantee the company takes on more projects as funding grows. The largest overhead costs will include salaries for employees and renting workspaces. Other ongoing expenses will include expenditure on specific documentary and short films with travel expenses in-calculated into quotes to clients.

            The targeted market will be the end viewers of the produced documentaries and short films. Profiling the demographics of the target market before embarking on a project will help in securing funding. A clear understanding of the targeted viewers will not only help in reaching them but also in developing future content, producing, and distribution once the projects are complete. Another critical audience the movie studio should impress is the investors. They are a critical component to the success of the business and will include venture capitalists, commercial clients, and government grants, givers. However, as this is a new business it is most probably likelier that close friends and family members willing to invest in the venture with their discretionary income are to be the first investors.

            The start-up will make money in diverse ways. However, establishing a distribution system will determine how much income the business earns. The company will aim to distribute through the box office but this an optimistic view for a new movie studio such as this as it takes many studios years to achieve the milestone. At first, the studio will look at emerging distribution channels such as streaming services and even traditional forms such as DVD circulation. Nevertheless, the studio will aim for quality videos to achieve this objective as soon as possible by landing the large budget-movie films. Because the movie studio will concentrate on documentaries and not industrial films being paid on an hourly rate will be important. Agreed-upon rates and day rates will ensure the studio breaks even in the first six months.

            Knowing how much to the first clients of the studio will depend on the market rates. Whether availing DVDs at film festivals or delivering a project to a small business or working in conjunction with a big movie production house charging competitive rates will ensure repeat business. Income from projects varies widely depending on the project and other factors. A basic example of a start-up that has made working on simple projects is Key Moment Films that charges up to $5,000 gripping wedding events in its basic package (Moreau). Conducting thorough market research is the key to success.

            According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, individual producers and directors made a median income of $71,000 per annum in the year 2016(Madura 20). Regardless, this is just a statistic in that if a movie studio does insist on quality or identify a niche failure is the only outcome. Aspects that the new movie studio will leverage on to ensure success include location, specialty, talent, reputation, and above all professionalism.

The principle that the new business should keep in mind is that revenues earned are directly proportional to professionalism and quality. Salesmanship will be the key ingredient combined with quality to drive the growth of the movie studio. To achieve profitability and break-even within the first six months, the above factors combined with reputable distribution channels will be integral. Keep in mind that some major production companies earn revenues of $100 million and still lose make lose resulting from bulging production and marketing costs.                              

Fantastic Grip Movie Studios

                                                    Business Start-up Costs

Third Step

Fixed expenses = Rent + Insurance + Utilities + Phone + lease +health Insurance+ loan payments +taxes + Internet + Shipping + other services = 17,500

Last Steps

Estimate of salaries, employees and hired contractors = 9,7000

Works Cited

Madura, Jeff, K M. Casey, and Sherry J. Roberts. Personal Financial Literacy. Boston: Prentice-Hall, 2010. Print.

Moreau, Patrick. “5 Huge Mistakes. Still Motion. 2017https://www.stillmotionblog.com/costlymistakes/

Business policy and strategy

2. According to Thiel, competition results in mediocre performance because it sets a standard on which individuals or groups strive to achieve. An environment that favors competition operates on an idea of what it means to achieve success and this is often based on how well one outdoes the others (Hirschey, 2009). Instead of striving to reach peak performance, individuals and organizations compete to outdo each other instead. Although this creates innovation, the competitive approach focuses the innovation towards achievements that are based on what the competition has already achieved. Support for Thiel’s perspective is seen in the education and employment systems in society today (Thiel & Masters, 2014). Since careers like law and medicine are considered the most promising and rewarding, students invest their time and energy towards becoming good lawyers and doctors. They, however, neglect industries such as farming among others. Instead of striving to be the best in one field, competition drives people towards what is believed to be the most lucrative venture and this negatively affects development and innovations.

1. I support Theil’s statement that companies should try and become monopolies because this would allow them to specialize in one specific aspect of trade or service and thereby offer the best quality. Take the case of Con Edison as an example. The company is responsible for supplying water, electricity, and gas in the U.S. despite lacking a variety in terms of goods and services, the company has managed to block entry into its market thereby gaining complete control in the market (Lee & McKenzie, 2008). One advantage of this is that the company’s resources are spent on innovation rather than being wasted on activities aimed at beating the competition. The company can thus focus on improving the quality of its products and services and thereby better satisfying the needs of its customers. An added advantage is that the company has control over pricing as it has complete control over the market it operates in (Luo & Shenkar, 2008). The monopoly approach is therefore appropriate as it benefits both the organization as well as the target audience whose needs it set out to satisfy when started.

2. Thiel’s argument that companies have secrets means that different organizations keep some of the information secret to maintain a competitive advantage. It also suggests that organizations operate under policies that try to achieve an objective that has not yet been fully realized. When companies innovate, most of the developments are in a bid to either improve a product or service or replace it with a better one. Since the innovations are based on assumptions of what shape future trends will take, the full picture remains a secret to both the organization and others in its market (Thiel & Masters, 2014). Organizations keep secrets as a way of ensuring that their progress in predicting future trends remains hidden from other organizations to retain their competitive edge. Sony, for instance, is in the process of launching the Play Station 5 console. Since its an upgrade from their previous model, most of the innovations and upgrades have been kept secret, despite the company having revealed the likely release dates. Companies choose to inform the audience about the product but keep some of the information secret as a way of reducing competition (Thiel & Masters, 2014). It also has an advantage as it peaks the interest of the target audience and this positively impacts their purchase decision.

4. The definite optimist is characterized by the belief that the future will be better and therefore designs a plan to take advantage. An example is Apple inc which launches innovative products following a plan aimed at popularising them to the target audience.

    The indefinite optimist tends to be positive about future events but is yet to come up with a strategy to make that future a reality (Thiel & Masters, 2014). A good example is wall street where people invest their money in stock and hope that the stock will go up in value despite having no control over the stock market.

    A definite pessimist outlook can envision future trends but believes that the trends will yield negative results (Thiel & Masters, 2014). China, for instance, is said to be advancing so fast it could take over the world and this could have a negative outcome. China, however, does not share this belief and is focused on accelerating its growth regardless of the consequences.

    The indefinite pessimist has an idea of what future trends may unfold but has no plan on how to react when they occur (Price, 2014). The eurozone is a perfect example as countries are unable to recover after the undirected bureaucratic drift.

1. The outlook that is best suited for establishing a business startup that is likely to become a big enterprise is the definite optimist approach. The outlook focuses on the positive outcomes that are likely to occur in the future and then relies on a well-structured plan that aims to take advantage of the opportunities that will be created (Thiel & Masters, 2014). An example is an e-commerce where traders reach their customers online. With most businesses closed down due to the COVID 19 outbreak, businesses with an online presence can remain operational. Organizations can, therefore, structure their businesses such that operations can be conducted online. Since disease outbreak and other natural disasters are likely to occur in the future, establishing a strong business presence online will ensure that organizations continue supplying goods and services to their customers (Thiel & Masters, 2014). The outlook is ideal in that it teaches organizations to not only anticipate future trends but also come up with a plan to make the objectives a reality. The organizations can thus take advantage of the opportunities created and grow to become great enterprises.
2. Thiel’s framework makes sense in that it explains why some organizations perform better than others despite existing in the same market. Business operations are greatly influenced by what the organizations want to achieve through their objectives. The objectives are based on the management’s idea of what will be profitable in the future and how to go about making it available to the target audience (Hirschey, 2009). Businesses that are optimistic and base their operations on planned out strategies are likely to do better because they anticipated the outcomes and position themselves to take advantage early in advance. Those that fail to plan on the other hand are led by the pessimist outlook which either fails to inform on possible future outcomes or does not prepare organizations to benefit from the opportunities that are present in the future. There is however room for argument especially because Thiel attributes success to his framework alone (Thiel & Masters, 2014). Success is a result of more than just anticipating future trends and having a plan. There are factors such as customer loyalty and market share that influence growth that should be taken into consideration as well.

5. The question that businesses have to answer to launch an innovative product that is likely to take over the market is whether a unique opportunity has been identified that is yet to be discovered by others. Thiel advocates for organizations to stray from the approach of being the most competitive to one where organizations specialize in offering a specific commodity and become the best at it (Thiel & Masters, 2014). The secret question pushes organizations to venture into markets that have been ignored to identify opportunities for innovation. Unique opportunities are ideal as those that discover them gain an added advantage as they are the pioneers. This makes it easier for the startup to enjoy steady growth with little competition before other businesses enter the identified market (Thiel & Masters, 2014). The approach also makes it easier for organizations to prevent market entry by keeping their operations secret from the public eye and only delivering the products and services to satisfy the identified needs. The unique opportunities further attract customers that desire new products as they break the monotony of products already congesting the market.
6. The notable questions missing are;

    What is the nature of competition in the market?

    Does the startup have an unfair advantage?

Thiel fails to include the questions in his list because they go against his idea of organizations functioning as a monopoly. To answer the question regarding competition, the organization would be required to assess its competitive nature and come up with ways to be more competitive. Thiel, however, believes that such efforts should be directed towards innovation rather than competition (Thiel & Masters, 2014). The query regarding an unfair advantage may have been avoided because it also requires organizations to compare their performance against others. Thiel believes that organizations should strive to function as monopolies. This means specializing in a specific product or service, and them being the only company offering it to the target audience (Thiel & Masters, 2014). In such an environment, organizations do not have to worry about competition or having an unfair advantage because each organization has its products and services. As such, including the questions would have been contradicting as they go against what Thiel tries to advocate for.

References

Hirschey, M. (2009). Fundamentals of managerial economics. Mason, OH: South-            Western/Cengage Learning.

McKenzie, R. B., & Lee, D. R. (2008). In defense of monopoly: How market power fosters           creative production. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Price W, (2014) “Zero to one: Peter Thiel’s view on the importance of definite optism”    retrievd from, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140924171143-103827-zero-to- one-peter-thiel-s-view-on-the-importance-of-definite-optimism

Shenkar, O., & Luo, Y. (2008). International business. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage          Publications.

Thiel, P. A., & Masters, B. (2014). Zero to one: Notes on startups, or how to build the      future.

Elie Saab

Introduction

Fashion is one of the main factors which influence the culture change and lifestyle in the modern world. For many decades, different fashion designers have produced different fashion designs which have greatly influenced the way of life of most people all over the world. It is therefore necessary to acknowledge the works of fashion designers. For instance Elie Saab, has been a fashion a designer for more than a decade, and his works have greatly impacted the world. This is so owing to the fact that fashion represents beautiful ideas of a designer being transformed into the clothes, bags, as well as jewellery. For that reason, this paper will focus on Elsie Saab, whereby it will provide a brief historic timeline of the designer and provide critical analysis of cultural events related to the designer.

Historic Timeline

 As a Lebanese fashion designer, Saab became the first Arab to be acknowledged to the fashion industry’s leading body. Similarly he has participated in a numerous fashion invents, most of which he has emerged victorious due to the uniqueness of the types of designs which he presents. Saab’s became successful from time to time, and would gradually grow from one level to another from the moment he started working as a fashion designer. He opened his first atelier in Beirut at the age of 18 years, and would later on present his first collection to a group of women (Saab, n.d). Likewise, he became the only non-Italian designer to take part in Camera Nazionale della Moda. His first collection was presented in Rome which was outside his country of origin Lebanon. Later on, he went ahead and opened a fashion shop in Milan commonly known as Ready-to-wear, and made a fashion show which was graced by the Princes of Monaco Princess Stephanie.

In 1999, the Queen of Jordan, Queen Rania chose to wear her coronation from Saab’s numerous designs. This basically depicted the quality and uniqueness of the designer, a move which made the Queen to be attracted to his designs. This move led to the invitation of Saab to the Chambre Syndicale De La Haute Couture to showcase his designs in Paris where he had initially presented four collections in a single year. Six years later, he became a conforming member. Nonetheless, Saab’s breakthrough came after Halle Berry wore the burgundy gown, which was one of Saab’s designs, for the Oscar ceremony. This led to the recognition of Saab to other parts of the world. Afterwards, Saab went ahead and launched a ready-to-wear spring-summer collection in Paris, making Paris the home for his eternal ready-to-wear runway, and also set a leading boutique at the centre of Le Triangle D’or (Saab, n.d). At this point, Saab had dressed a total of 102 celebrities for popular world-wide events and installed a leading store in Dubai. Saab also ventured into other fields of design, and in the year 2011, he launched his fragrance “Le Parfum” which made history by becoming the bestselling perfume in more than 15 countries all over the world (Saab, n.d). In the year 2012 he opened a number of stores in different parts of the world, which included, Asia, Geneva, as well as Switzerland.

Critical Analysis of Cultural Events/Bands Related to the Designer

This section will basically focus on Saab’s atelier and the designer perfume Le Perfum.

Elie Saab’s was a well-known designer years before he launched his first perfume, which to many was a good idea. The perfume became successful, owing to the fact that it became appealing to the eyes of the consumer. In a bid to understand how the perfume became appealing to the eyes of the buyer, it is necessary to critically analyse the packaging design of the perfume, colour, and scent of the perfume. Saab’s has a unique strategy of designing things, which is through the interpretation of light. Most of his works are based on interpreting the light, which basically makes his brands to glow, and become appealing to the buyer. In this case, the flowery solar woody perfume was created as an ‘ode to light’ which represents armfuls of orange blossom. The Ode to light represents Saab’s Mediterranean childhood, thus the design was based on his childhood events.

The design of the glass that holds the glass is also unique, in the sense that it resembles diamond, which basically gives a person illusion that whatever is inside the glass is more than just a simple perfumer. Similarly, the curves on the glass make it more feminine, in the sense that it resembles a beautiful young lady who is relaxed. In addition, the glass is covered by a top which also represents a diamond. The colour of the perfume is also significant, in the sense that each particular type of perfume has its own colour, with pink being the dominant colour. Most women prefer bright colours and pink is one of them, likewise, colour pin is associated with beauty and feminism, which essentially creates a good impression of the perfume once a person sees it. Finally, the fragrance itself is on another level, since it is neither strong, neither is it weak. Once the bottle is opened, a nice and appealing scent comes out of which makes one to fall in love with the perfume. For instance, le parfum royal has a scent which is similar to that of the royal family (Saab, n.d). In other words, the smell of the perfume is appealing, in the sense that it makes one to create an impression of the royal family after opening the bottle. On the other hand, the smell of the perfume is relaxed, in that one can smell the nice smell from the perfume without being choked. Even though the colour of the perfume itself is pink, the smell of the perfume is more masculine hence making it preferable as compared to other perfumes.

On the other hand, Saab focuses on making his clients to not only smell nice, but to also walk down the memory lane once they smell the perfume. For example, when one listens to a song which he or she used to listen while young, there are some memories which tend to cloud the mind. Saab’s perfumes also have a tendency of making one to try and link the smell of the perfume to a similar fragrance, which basically makes the person to walk the memory lane. The perfume is basically powerful because it enters the mind, making one to think about the smell, in order to link that scent with a similar scent. In so doing, Saab has been able to make his brand attractive, hence becoming the bestselling perfume.

When it comes to dresses, Saab is not left behind, with his exceptional designs, he has been able to outperform renowned fashion designer to become one of the best fashion designers. Recently, Saab created a unique gown for her daughter in law, which she wore at her wedding. The design of the gown did not only focus on fashion and beauty, but it also focused on customary laws, which had to be followed. Hence, while designing the dress Saab made sure some parts of the body such as breasts were not exposed. The first one was 14-foot-train and lavish sparkling embroidery Haute Couture ballgown (Gardner, n.d). Moreover, the gown also featured a high neckline which depicted respected for ceremony setting according to the traditions of Lebanon. The second was a glittering gold strapless ballgown with a corseted bodice which represented the designer’s latest Haute Couture Autumn Winter 2019-2020. It was companied with corresponding veil that was spotted with an astonishing 100,000 glitters. The last one was a runway piece which exposed a huge part of the bride’s body since she was walking on the runway.

Each of the three types of dressing code were based on their functions. The designer is not only focused on making dresses which standout, but in providing quality dresses which match which the requirements of the event. For instance, in the last dress, the design did not use a lot of material, neither did he use lot of glitters. This was the final moment of the wedding, hence it was necessary to make a simple attire which could match action being taken by the bride. At this moment, the bride was walking on the runway, thus it was necessary to wear a dress which exposed a huge part of her body, in order to make her look sexy as she walked on the runway (Gardner, n.d). On the other hand, the first gown featured a high neckline which necessary for the part of the event, hence the Saab was able to incorporate the law into the design, and thus he did not go against any regulations while trying to impress the bride. Furthermore, this depicts how creative Saab is, in the sense that he is not limited of ideas and nothing can limit him from making any dress for a specific event. Lastly, in the first dress, Saab was able to visualize ideas into finished products, for the reason that the designer creates designs based on the task ahead, and cannot be limited by factors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Elie Saab is more than just a designer due to the quality of work that he presents. The designers approach to the design is unique, similarly, the designer incorporates different aspects into his designs, such as light. The perfume is based on the aspect of light, which essential leads to the design of the glass bottle that holds the perfume. The bottle is attractive and beautiful, which basically attracts most people towards the perfume. On the contrary, the designer’s ideas are not only fixed on clothes, but on other fields too, since Saab does nothing but the best. His success is known worldwide, since he has been able to dress a number of celebrities. In addition his perfume is also among the bestselling perfumes all over the world.

Work Cited

Saab, Elie. Brand Story: Fashion Gear. (N.d). retrieved from: http://fashiongear.fibre2fashion.com/brand-story/eliesaab/history.asp

Gardner, Abby. Elie Saab Designed the Mosgt Beautiful Wedding Dress for His Daughter-in-Law: Glamour. (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.glamour.com/story/elie-saab-designed-the-most-beautiful-wedding-dresses-for-his-daughter-in-law

Saab, Elie. Le Parfum Rose Couture: The Perfume Society. (n.d). Retrieved from: https://perfumesociety.org/fred-perfume/9947/

Analysis of Small Business Functions

Introduction

Silver Fashion is a high-end retail clothing business.  The business was started officially in 1980 just as a mere retail clothing vendor, however, with time the business has undergone major changes to include diversification into the wholesale distribution of high-quality clothes. Following stiff competition from Chinese wholesale distributors, the business was forced to exit the wholesale market.   The business has been able to weather turbulent times to include the devaluation of the Drachma. The company has also been able to withstand competition from already establishing multinational chain of stores.  Following a deterioration of the economic conditions in Greece, the business stakeholders are planning to expand the operations of the business and diversifying its operations to cater to middle-income earners. This paper entails an analysis of the microenvironment, meso environment as well as lays out a hiring plan that can be used to hire a new sales assistant. The paper also sheds light on the pricing strategy of the company.

Every business is affected by a myriad of factors and just like other organizations, Silver fashion cannot operate in a vacuum.  Silver fashion is part of a larger business environment that is divided into two; microenvironment, which are factors that impact the business internally while the meso environment is made up of factors that the business cannot respond to either directly or indirectly (Heckel, et al., 2008). While evaluating the microenvironment of a business it is important to examine factors including the suppliers, competing organizations as well as the customers. Silver fashion is in the high-end fashion retail business. With reference to competition, Silver Fashion is operating in a highly competitive market. When Silver Fashion was beginning its wholesale business, it procured high-quality merchandise at slightly high prices, favorable prices increased the businesses market shares with customers preferring Silver Fashion over other high-end clothes wholesale dealers. In an attempt to sabotage Silver fashion, competitors delayed their deliveries and distributions. The arrival of the Chinese clothing manufacturers brought about unmatched competition for the business and as a result Silver fashion was forced to exit this market.  Also, the retail side of the business was defined by intense competition as a result of the introduction of large multinational retail chains, Silver fashion was competing with these businesses on the basis of quality and prices.

Suppliers are part of the microenvironment and are vital for the success of the business. Suppliers are responsible for providing materials that are needed to successfully execute business functions (Heckel, et al., 2008). For a business to thrive there has to be a constant supply of resources. The constant supply of high-quality clothes has ensured the success of this business.  In 1987 the business’ wholesale operations were making large profits by supplying to approximately 400 customers, making Silver Fashion worth 80 million Drachmas in financial assets.  The availability of supplies at a lower price is also responsible for giving Silver Fashion a competitive advantage over other retailers. Silver Fashion has a constant supply of high-quality clothes at a relatively low price, they consequently sell their clothes at low prices.  The availability of supply plays an integral part in assisting Silver fashion to compete with large multinational retail stores.  However, supply is not constant and is affected by factors to include unfavorable government policies and economic changes (Heckel, et al., 2008).  Particularly, high importation tariffs imposed on supplies procured outside Greece limited the number of supplies the company was importing. Unavailability of supplies threatens the success of any business.

The customer base of a business can either be B2C and B2B. Factors to include the competition, stability of the demand, and business profitability are related to customers (Heckel, et al., 2008). Currently, the major operations of Silver Fashion are B2C, however, the shut wholesale business dealt with B2B. The company targets high-end consumers; therefore, the customer base of the business is made up of one segment.  Following recent economic changes, the business plans on expanding its customer base to include medium-class customers to maximize profits. Also, if the business is to diversify with a focus on increasing its customer base it could opt to open an online retailing store that attracts young customers, thus creating a new customer segment.

            The meso environment of a business is often analyzed to identify threats and opportunities. A business cannot be able to respond to the meso-environment either directly or indirectly. The meso environment of a business shapes the framework of business, factors that define this environment include competition, demand, and the distribution channel (Mason, et al., 2006).  The fashion industry is highly competitive. Competition from large multinational retailers and online retailers is a threat to the profitability and continuity of the business.  Following the recent economic crises in the country, businesses have been affected and the demand of products has fallen drastically, low demand for high-end retail clothes threatens the success of Silver Fashion that has majored in the retail distribution of high-quality clothes for relatively high prices. While distributing goods Silver Fashion has used methods to include door to door policy to ensure the delivery of high-quality services to customers, the use of new distribution channels presents the business with a new business opportunity that can be exploited to increase the preferability of the business (Mason, et al., 2006). These methods might include free deliveries for clients who purchase more and reduced delivery fees.

            Silver Fashion is defined by a great team environment. Team members are responsible for assisting each other to succeed and achieve business objectives and goals. Team members also provide each other with expertise on different projects and duties (Yang, et al., 1998). From the moment Silver Fashion was established it has been defined by division and specialization of labor. The first division and specialization of labor was between Michael sand Afrodite, the first two business partners. They divided roles and specialized in different business functions.  When the demand for more employees rose, more employees were brought on board.  Two employees were tasked with managing the retail stores, one more employee was tasked with managing wholesale business operations. Afrodite one of the partners was solemnly in-charge of personnel and fiancé management.  Division and specialization of labor have been an integral part of the success of the business.

            To successfully hire a new sales assistant for Silver Fashion it is important to have a recruitment process in place since the hiring of new employees requires a business or an organization to proceed through a step by step process to ensure that it has identified its needs and to ensure that the business hires the most qualified candidate (Gusdorf, 2008). To ensure that Silver Fashion hires a new sales assistant it is important to systematically follow a process. The first step should be to identify the hiring needs of Silver fashion. It will be important to identify why a new sales assistant is needed (Gusdorf, 2008). This new sales assistant might be needed to fill a vacant position, to assist in managing the workload as well as to assist in expanding the reach of organizational tasks.  Job positions are either newly formed or vacated and in the history of Silver Fashion there is no mention of sales assistant, therefore, this is a newly formed job position.

 The second step is to develop and implement a recruitment plan since the position of a sales assistant is a newly formed position, Silver Fashion should ensure that it identifies how the new job position aligns with its goals and business plan.  The existing team of employees should also be informed of the new job position at all the hiring stages. (Gusdorf, 2008).  An agreement is required among those involved in the hiring process and in the Silver Fashion case, there should be an agreement between Afrodite, George, and Angelos. These three also have to agree on clear communication channels to ensure effective coordination throughout the hiring process. The recruitment process also involves publicizing the new job position internally and externally (Gusdorf, 2008). The third step is developing a job description, this job description includes a list of job requirement, the special requirements that put an applicant in a position to get the job, the desired characteristics as well as the information on salary and employee benefits.

 To successfully attract applicants the next step should be advertising the job position.  Identifying a qualified candidate for the position is a process that begins internally, therefore the first step Silver Fashion should take is advertising the job position internally.  External public methods that will be used to advertise the job opening will include the business’ website, newspaper advertisement as well as through the use of the local TV stations.  Following advertisement, the next step is recruiting the position (Gusdorf, 2008).  The Silver Fashion hiring team should also reach out to desirable candidates via LinkedIn and other methods to include job fairs.  This process of recruitment will help in capturing the attention of the candidates who are not actively seeking employment but are qualified for the job position.

            After recruiting the position, the next step is to review all the applications. In the quest to find a sales assistant for Silver Fashion, the hiring teams will review and eliminate any candidate who does not meet the job requirements.  After careful selection, the hiring team will interview the candidates who meet the minimum requirements.  Silver Fashion can reach out to the selected candidates and conduct phone interviews with a focus on determining if the applicants pose the needed skills. Phone interviews play an important role in helping to pare down the list of interviewees (Gusdorf, 2008). Conducting the actual interviews follow after phone interviews. After successful completion of interviews, the next step is conducting an applicant assessment (Gusdorf, 2008). Silver Fashion should proceed to conduct a background check on all the successful interviewees.  Conducting a background check will involve reviewing applicants’ criminal records as well as verifying their employment eligibility and history (Gusdorf, 2008).   The next step is making a decision that involves identifying the top and most qualified candidate, subsequently, the organization should discuss the initial offer to include salary, benefits, and all policies that employees should adhere to. The next step is officially hiring the identified candidate and lastly onboarding, which includes welcoming the new employee with a focus on integrating them into the business team (Gusdorf, 2008).  To ensure that the selected employee is fully integrated into the Silver Fashion team it is important to assign the newly hired sales assistant a mentor.

Silver Fashion has been concerned with offering high-quality clothes at low prices but mostly targets high-end customers.   Developing a suitable mission statement assists in the successful running of a business (Darbi, 2012). A suitable mission statement is an important part of a business strategy.  Developing a company’s mission statement is an opportunity to define the company’s goals, ethics, norms, and decision making. A mission statement will go a long way in distinguishing Silver Fashion from competitors.  A mission statement also plays the role of defining what the business does for its customers. Quality has been an integral part of the business; therefore, the mission statement should include the company’s desire to ensure the provision of high-quality goods. A business mission statement should include what the business does for its owners. A well-crafted business mission statement focuses on the employees and the target customer segment.  A business should also ensure that its mission statement is short and concise.

“We are coloring the world of fashion by sourcing locally and internationally high-quality clothes at prices so low that many can afford them.”  The mission statement suggested states what the main goal of the company is, the company has been focused on offering high-quality goods and affordable prices.  The business serves to tell the customers why the business exists and what makes it different from the other businesses in the market (Darbi, 2012).  The proposed mission statement of Fashion Silver outlines what makes the business stand out from competitors and emphasizes that Silver Fashion places a higher value on the quality of the materials sold.

 Pricing strategies take into account various business factor to include the revenue goals, the target customer segment, marketing objectives as well as the product attributes.  Factors to include consumer demand, competitor pricing the economic trends and the overall market influence the pricing strategy used by a business (Darbi, 2012). The best pricing strategy maximizes the profit and revenue of a business.  Currently, the business is planning to introduce a new retail branch that deals with medium quality clothes; therefore, it would be advisable for the business to adopt the premium pricing strategy which is used when a company is introducing a new product in the market. Currently, Greece does not offer suitable condition that encourages business to thrive. Businesses are adapting to new pricing strategies to ensure that they survive hard economic times.

Before developing a pricing strategy, it is important to consider the selling channels that will be used to sell the products and the strategic location of the business.  Silver Fashion is in the fashion industry, value-based pricing is mostly used in this sector, prices are set according to the perceived value of a product.  Value-based pricing is used to increase the profits of business while maintaining the same volume of sales, However, throughout the history of the business, it has never used value-based pricing where they set the prices based on the perceived value the customers attach to the clothes.  The method of pricing commonly used by Silver Fashion is competitive pricing since consumers in the fashion industry are willing to shop around for the best prices in the market (De Toni, et al., 2017).  Throughout the history of the business, it has been concerned with sourcing supplies at relatively low prices with a focus on selling the same products at a relatively low price compared to their competitors. This pricing strategy has helped Silver Fashion to stay ahead of the competition.

Competitive pricing has made Silver Fashion stand out in the face of stiff competition from already established multinational retail stores. Pricing below competition means that the prices of the products are relatively low than those of the competitors. This pricing strategy works well for retailers who can source products at relatively low prices from suppliers and Silver Fashion has been able to buy supplies at lower prices.   The new store that has been proposed is likely to be placed in a city’s shopping mall, then prestige pricing that is pricing above the competition can be used (Kienzler, et al., 2017). Silver Fashion might opt to use this pricing strategy if the new retail store is located at an exclusive location.

Silver Fashion is a high-end retail business that was founded in the 1980s.  The business invested in the wholesale business but was later pushed to the point of exiting by stiff competition by manufacturers from China who had the advantage of acquiring high-quality clothes at relatively low cost as a result of low labor cost.  Silver Fashion is affected by microenvironment factors to include suppliers and competition. The meso environment of a business is defined by factors to include demand, they are threats and opportunities facing the business.  The company is defined by the division of labor and specialization and every team member plays an important role in ensuring the success of a business.  To successfully hire a new sales assistant, it is important to develop and implement a hiring process.  A mission statement plays an important role in outlining the business strategic objectives.  The business utilizes competitive strategy by pricing its products below the prices of competitors. Since its establishment, the success of the business depends on strategic management. To continue thriving in an industry defined by the stiff competition it is advisable that the business diversifies and increases its customer base.

References

Darbi, W. P. K. (2012). Of mission and vision statements and their potential impact on employee             behaviour and attitudes: The case of a public but profit-oriented tertiary institution.           International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(14).

De Toni, D., Milan, G. S., Saciloto, E. B., & Larentis, F. (2017). Pricing strategies and levels and            their impact on corporate profitability. Revista de Administração (São Paulo), 52(2), 120-         133.

Gusdorf, M. L. (2008). Recruitment and selection: Hiring the right person. USA: Society for        Human Resource Management.

Heckel, T., & Schwartz, R. R. (2008). U.S. Patent No. 7,357,316. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent   and Trademark Office.

Kienzler, M., & Kowalkowski, C. (2017). Pricing strategy: A review of 22 years of marketing      research. Journal of Business Research, 78, 101-110.

Mason, K. J., & Harris, L. C. (2006). Market orientation emphases: an exploration of macro,        meso and micro drivers. Marketing Intelligence & Planning.

Yang, X., & Ng, S. (1998). Specialization and division of labour: A survey. In Increasing returns             and economic analysis (pp. 3-63). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

FRENCH-PRESS COFFEE CARAFE

Introduction

            A French press coffee carafe is a kitchen appliance designed for coffee brewing; over the years this appliance has undergone many modifications.  A French coffee maker is used to produce coffee in a unique process where the grounds stay in contact with the water throughout the entire brewing process. The French press is more portable and self-contained when compared with other coffee brewers.  The French press is used to brew coffee without the application of a coffee brewing pot (Harrington, n.d).  Most of the French press have glass carafe. These carafes are known to vary in size from single-serving models to those that are designed to hold liquid that could fill up to four cups. Carafes are also available in a variety of different shapes to include, cylindrical shapes and tea kettle shapes.

Description of parts and functions

            Main parts of a French press coffee carafe include a plunger and liquid assembly, the plunger is responsible for allowing an individual to strain the coffee from the already finished brew, the plunger rod protrudes through the lid where the handle is added on top (Harrington, n.d). At the bottom of the plunger rod is the filter assembly which serves the purpose of filtering the already finished brew. Before pouring the plunger, rod is moved up and down while the lid is still in place. The filter screen is another major part of the French press coffee carafe, this part is made of fine mesh screen that strains most of the grounded coffee before serving. Most French press carafes are known to have two screens that have varying sizes of mesh to aid the removal of much of the grounded coffee. The filter screen is the only part of the equipment that requires periodic replacement.  The structure disc is another part of this equipment, the structure disc connects to the bottom of the plunger and is responsible for holding the filter screen in place, this disc has coiled wire around its circumference and holds the screen in place and ensures that the ground does not strain through the sides when the plunger is depressed. In a French press carafe, a handle and a pouring spout help in simplifying the serving when the brewing is finished.

Conclusion and operating cycle

            A French press coffee carafe is a device used to brew grounded coffee. The device works by steeping coffee grounds and hot water in a beaker after the grounded coffee is done steeping, the metal mesh filter presses to the bottom of the beaker where it allows the natural oils and fine particles from the coffee to pass through resulting in a richer more aromatic and flavored coffee (WebstaurantStore, 2018). The steps used to make a French press cup of coffee are very simple, the first step is adding water to the French press and swirling the water to allow the appliance to heat up, removing the water and drying the French press, adding coffee beans and boiled water just enough to cover and soak the grounds,  stirring and letting the ground settle, adding the remaining water then stirring, attaching the lid and subsequently pushing down the plunger for some few minutes and lastly pouring the coffee (WebstaurantStore, 2018).  The below presented is a well labeled diagram of a French press coffee carafe.

Figure 1 Main Parts of a French press carafe

References

Harrington J., (n.d)., “ Parts of a French Press” Retrieved from;     https://www.leaf.tv/articles/parts-of-a-french-press/

WebstaurantStore (2018). “How to Make French Press Coffee” Retrieved from;             https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/116/how-to-make-french-press-coffee.html