Barclays Bank PLC Is A Multinational Company Essay Example for Free

Barclays Bank PLC Is A Multinational Company Essay Amenities to attract highly skilled and creative persons at all important levels ? Tradition of closeness to key customers and target customers A business can differentiate itself by performing its existing value activities or reconfiguring in some unique ways. And the sustainability of that differentiation will depend on two things: a continuation of its high perceived value to buyers and a lack of imitation by competitors. There are many alternative strategic directions in which Barclaycard could implement in their current strategy of differentiation. These may include technology innovation or product/ service differentiation. Product/service differentiation Product differentiation occurs when, owing to differences in physical attributes, ancillary service, geographic location, information, and/or subjective image, one firms products are clearly preferred by at least some buyers over rival products at a given price (, 1990, ). For firms seeking to make their demand curve less elastic, successful differentiation provides an insulated position against competitors by enabling firms to sell a larger quantity at a given price or by allowing the firm to create brand loyalty in customers resulting in lower sensitivity to price. This uniqueness may build an entry barrier for competitors to overcome (, 1992; , 1980). However, being unique may require a trade-off with investment if achieving differentiation requires costly effort such as extensive research, product design, high quality materials, or intensive customer support. Thus, the firms employing the differentiation strategy cannot ignore costs and risk (, 1980). Horizontal product differentiation focuses on differences in attribute variety among competing brands. It occurs when one brand contains more of some attributes but less of some other attributes in comparison to another brand (). Consumers different tastes will exploit differing strong and weak points among brands given identical prices (, 1992). The shift towards consumerism is accelerating with significant implications in many of the markets in which we operate. Fundamentally, our view is that consumerism involves a shift in power from institutions towards consumers. The rapid transformation of the credit card industry – first with the severing of the traditional tie between bank accounts and credit cards and second, with the emergence of credit as a true commodity in the credit card industry illustrates this so well. Consumers in the past were grateful if they received credit it was seen as a right granted to a special few by a bank and hence banks held power over individuals. The value proposition was the availability of credit. Technology Innovation In the case of Barclaycard, it is could improve its operations and competitive advantage through real time design data driven tools. This tool would improve their credit limit strategies and increase their interest earning balances. A Fair, Isaac Model Builder for the decision trees may be used as this tool uses historical data to assist in identifying optimal account management strategies. Fair, Isaac Model Builder for Decision Trees is a PC Windows based application designed specifically to support data driven strategy design. It gives lenders the power to rapidly create new strategies in real time using multiple performance dimensions, to process large datasets rapidly so strategies at any point for greater understanding of the portfolio and transfers strategies to and from production application with ease, putting new strategies into production faster. This real time, highly interactive approach dramatically shortens the time between strategy creation and roll out. With Barclaycard objectives of the new strategies to increase interest bearing balances, increase turnover, control bad debt, and address attrition, Fair, Fair Isaac can be a big help for the organization. While the average number of cards in a person’s wallet has increased over the last five years, the value to an individual of having multiple cards will diminish in an environment where credit is a commodity.

LOTTE Confectionery: Strategy Evaluation

LOTTE Confectionery: Strategy Evaluation 1. Background LOTTE Confectionery is No1.confectionery Company that holds multiple No1 selling products of gum, candy, chocolate and biscuit segments in Korea domestic market. LOTTE Confectionery stands in unrivaled position by Xylitol and occupies strong position in chocolate by Ghana chocolate and Dream Cacao. Orion Confectionery international sale exceeded domestic sale in 2009. Orion Confectionery ranks 1st in international sale among Korean confectionery companies and possesses enormous growth rate at international market, because Orion Confectionery releases gentrified domestic products to international market. Domestic confectionery market is Red Ocean, recently revenue has been decreased. Domestic confectionery market is saturated in fact (EDaily. 2011.01.11). Even Foreign confectionery companies are joining and intensifying competition in Korea. The scale and profitability of international market are larger and higher than domestic market. Thus, Korean Major Food companies decided to enter oversea markets. Among them, Orion Confectionery ranks at 1st in international confectionery business. 2. Current strategy of LOTTE Confectionery 1) Me Too strategy ‘Me Too strategy is a business strategy that following company emulates a market leading companys strategy. It is called as ‘Market follower strategy or ‘Imitation strategy. With this strategy, a follower can gain many advantages. The market leader often bears the huge expenses of developing new products and markets, expanding distribution, and education the market. By contrast, as with challengers, the market follower can learn from the leaders experience. LOTTE Confectionery is a typical company to uses ‘me too strategies for products. There are many cases that LOTTE Conf. emulates competitors successful products. Table 1. Me too products cases in LOTTE Confectionery Competitor Product (Company) LOTTE Conf. Product Remarks Competitor Product (Company) LOTTE Conf. Product Remarks Chocopie (ORION) Chocopie Pie (HAITAI) Snack Homerunball (HAITAI) Myball Snack DR.YOU (ORION) Mothers finger Premium Product Brand Source: Interview with ORION employee LOTTE Confectionery applies ‘Me too Strategy for overseas business. The Main countries where LOTTE Conf. constructed product factories by itself are China, Vietnam, Russia and India. Except India, the entry timings of LOTTE for 3 counties are recognized as ‘me too strategy. In China market, ORION entered in 1993 and LOTTE entered 1 year later. Vietnam where LOTTE entered in 2007 as acquisition of BBICA, 2nd biggest confectionery company in Vietnam, was open to ORION 2 years early. ORION established a local subsidiary company, OFV (ORION Food Vietnam Company), in 2005 and constructed local factory in 2006. In Russia market, ORION established OFR (ORION Food Russia Company) in 2003. ORION constructed a chocolate factory near Moscow in 2004 and second factory for overall confectionery manufacture in 2006. But LOTTE established LOTTE KF RUS LLC in 2007. Table 2. ORION LOTTE Confectionery Overseas entry time Country ORION LOTTE China In 1993, Establishing Beijing Office In 1994, Establishing local subsidiary Vietnam In 2005, Establishing ORION Food Vietnam Company In 2007, Acquiring 30% stocks of BBICA Russia In 2003, Establishing ORION Food Russia Company In 2007, Establishing LOTTE KF RUS LLC Source: Financial News, â€Å"LOTTE, Following ORION?† February 25.2008, LOTTE Confectionery on-line homepage, â€Å"History† (http://www.LOTTEconf.co.kr/images/company/pic_hi05.jpg) 2) MA Strategy LOTTE confectionery has invested 500 billion KRW to overseas market by 2010. LOTTE focused VRICs (Vietnam, Russia, India, China) with acquisition local companies and factory construction. Sales result was under than expectation. LOTTE oversea sales consistantly increased and last year recorded 500 bil KRW. They have a 650 bil KRW sales target this year. LOTTE sped up their global business as entering China, India, Vietnam, Belgium, Russia and Pakistan (6th largest population). 1 China LOTTE confectionery established â€Å"LOTTE China foods limited liability company† in Beijing, China in 1994 and in 2005 it acquired â€Å"Qingdao foods limited liability company† which renamed later â€Å"LOTTE Qingdao foods limited liability company†. In 2006 it also acquired â€Å"Shanghai foods limited liability company† and renamed it as â€Å"LOTTE Shanghai foods limited liability company†. The revenue in China in 2005 was about 90 billion Korean Won and slowly increased to 100 billion KRW in 2006, as the chocolate product which is main product of LOTTE Shanghai foods LLC hit its strides in 2006, the revenue jumped up to 140 billion KRW in 2008. LOTTE China foods limited liability company- Choco Pie, Gum Production LOTTE Confectionerys expansion into the Chinese Market was especially remarkable. Even through the heated competition of Global Food Industries, LOTTE was able to capture the Chinese Flavor. LOTTE indicates that it was possible because â€Å"Steady exportation and Improvement of the Corporate image from the early 80s and the supply of eminent products due to the establishment of Local plants in the Mid 90s.† Before any diplomatic relations between Korea and China, LOTTE Confectionery concentrated on supplying eminent brand products through Hong Kong. Thus LOTTE has succeeded in establishing long term faith. Lets take a look on a couple of cases. Supporting Horse Racing hosted by local merchants, production and promotion of CafÃÆ' © Coffee Gum to help Chinese quit smoking, campaign to help victims of flood damage and other activities to capture the heart of the Chinese. Through these efforts, in August of 1994, LOTTE Confectionery established the ‘LOTTE China foods limited liability company in the Economy Technology Development Zone in Beijing. Thus it has made possible to supply suitable local products. The first established local factory was completely co-operational. LOTTE Confectionery, Japan LOTTE, and Mitsui invested in the factory and are now developed in 3 divisions. The 1st factory produced Choco-pie, Cream Cake, Koalamazzi, The 2nd factory produced plate gum, and bubble gum. The 3rd factory produced Xylitol gum, Coating gum. Among these products, it can be said that GUM represents LOTTE Confectionery. Chewing gum started being produced and sold in September of 2001, Xylitol gum, plate gum in 2002 and Coating gum in 2003.Products from these factories were sold in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and other areas of China. Also the market share in China exceeded 30%. LOTTE Qingdao Foods Limited Liability Company- snacks, biscuit production In 1996 the ‘Qingdao Foods Limited Liability Companywas established at the science and technology park of Qingdao. Based on gaining the trust of Chinese, LOTTE Confectionery solely invested and acquired Qingdao Foods Limited Liability Company in 2005. Main products of that company were snacks and biscuits such as Myball, Peanut-cuttlefish ball, Choco-pie, Custard, Strawberry pie and other pies. Especially the popularity of the Custard and Choco-pie is sharply increasing and is expected to regenerate the CRAZE in Korean Market. LOTTE Shanghai Foods Limited Liability Company- Production of raw liquid of chocolate. In 2006 ‘LOTTE Shanghai Foods Limited Liability Company was solely acquired by LOTTE Confectionery, established in 1993. This factory was mainly producing the raw liquid of chocolate. In January of 2007, LOTTE Confectionery and Hersheys signed a strategic alliance to manufacture and sell the main products from this factory. And from October 2007, LOTTE Confectionery started to manufacture and supply its popular products, Ghana and Dream CaCao into all over the Chinese market. (Source: Journal ‘The Buyer 2008) 2 India LOTTE acquired Parrys in May 2004. It was a sole invest, not joint venture. LOTTE firstly acquired 60.39% stock and gained the rest later. Stock acquisition cost was about 23.2 Bil KRW. Parrys Confectionery Ltd, established in 1914, was one of the representative confectionery companies in India. Annual sales are over 22 Bil KRW. By acquiring Parrys, LOTTE could preoccupy India confectionery market as well as secured the price competitiveness making India as production base for exporting to Africa and Middle East area. (Source: 2004/5/21 food new media) 3 Vietnam In 2007, LOTTE acquired 30% stocks of BBiCa which was the 2nd largest confectionery company with annual sales 20Bil KRW in Vietnam. Using BBiCas sales network over the country, LOTTE expected to expand market presence in Vietnam, the population was about 84 Mil in 2007. (Source: 2007/10/05 Medical today media) 4 Pakistan LOTTE Confectionery acquired Pakistan Kolson companys (K. S. Sulemanji Esmailji Sons (Private) Limited) stock 69.45% (20 Bil KRW) and became the biggest stockholder. Through this acquisition, LOTTE could begin a nationwide business in Pakistan. Pakistan confectionery market size was the 1/3 of Koreans. However it was expected to grow 10% each year, since the population under the age of 14 was 37%. (Source: LOTTE Confectionary Internal Data) Kolson was founded in 1942, one of the leading company with asset 53.2 bil KRW and annual sales were about 33 bil KRW. Kolson had the 2nd largest market share (29%) in snack, 4th(6%) in biscuit, the 1st(44%) in pasta market in 2010. 3) Synergy with LOTTE groups affiliates LOTTE has a vision to make a global brand just like Samsung and Wal-Mart. One of the key strategies for achieving this goal is building â€Å"LOTTE Town† LOTTE has already opened â€Å"Moscow LOTTE Town† on last October, 2010, which is consisting of luxury hotels and department stores. That was the first oversea â€Å"LOTTE Town† Also in Hanoi, Vietnam and in Shenyang, China are under construction â€Å"LOTTE Town† which is planning to complete the end of 2013 in Hanoi, and to complete the end of 2015 in Shenyang. 1 Building LOTTE Town in China and Vietnam By 2018, LOTTE will build more than 10 LOTTE Town in Nanjing, Shanghai, Chengdu in China-, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, and Jakarta in Indonesia, etc, to serve them as a growth base for the LOTTEs global business. Additional oversea LOTTE Town will be constructed mainly focusing on VRICs (Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, China)In China, Nanjing Jenye District, Shanghai Zhabei District, Sichuan Province, Chengdu Jin Jiang District, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, Zhongshan , Shandong Weihai , Chongqing, and Wuhan, LOTTE is discussing with those cities and governments for consulting the land, building size, business information in LOTTE Town. Those complex projects are targeting to complete in 2014 to 2015. In Vietnam, following Hanoi, Ho Chi min and Danang are planning to construct LOTTE Town. Jakarta in Indonesia and St. Petersburg .in Russia -following Moscow-, are pushing ahead for LOTTE Town. 2 LOTTE Town and LOTTE Confectionery global business LOTTE group is planning LOTTE Town construction, mainly targeting on rising countries such as China. Those countries are just about to create consumer markets based on high-growing economic development and high-growing spending spree. If LOTTE Confectionery is starting global business based on LOTTE Town, it can amplify the synergy to promote sales and maximize profits. 3 Overseas company management with Japan LOTTE LOTTE Confectionery has a lot of local subsidiary companies. And most of them are operated in collaboration with Japan LOTTE. It seems to make more stable business circumstance. Japan LOTTE has more overseas experience (Established LOTTE USA in 1978, and so on) and financing capacity (Low Yen Carry interest, and so on). Therefore LOTTE could share Japan LOTTE strengths and hedge against overseas business risks. Table 3. Overseas collaboration subsidiaries Local subsidiary Country Overseas collaboration companies LOTTE China Foods Co., Ltd China Japan LOTTE, Mitsui Co, LOTTE Confectionery etc. LOTTE Philippines Foods Co., Inc Philippines Japan LOTTE, Japan Taiwan Trade, Philippines Nugget Food LOTTE Vietnam Foods Co., Ltd Vietnam Japan LOTTE, Marubeni Co. LOTTE Packaging(Beijing) Foods Co., Ltd China Japan LOTTE LOTTE Taiwan Co., Ltd Taiwan Japan LOTTE Shandong FengCheng Cold beverage Limited liability company China LOTTE Invest Limited liability company, Shandong FengCheng Food Limited liability company LOTTE Trade And Distribution. PT Indonesia Japan LOTTE Source: Korea Information Service. INC, â€Å"LOTTE Confectionery Contingent liability and Contract clause† (http://www.kisline.com/) 3. Conclusion 1) LOTTE Confectionery SWOT analysis For strategy proposal, we analyze SWOT of LOTTE confectionery as below. Table 4. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses A huge domestic and global distribution network and its affiliates A variety of No. 1 family brand held Excellent production facilities Abundant capital for investment Limitation of Me-Too strategy on premium product Poor performance in overseas investment Weak innovation strategy Centralized decision making Opportunities Threats Synergy with LOTTE Groups international strategy Target countrys (VRICs) population growth Keen competition with local and global companies Diversity of local consumers tastes 2) LOTTE Confectionerys key strategies Given circumstances and above analysis, we can find 4 key strategies for LOTTE Confectionery in terms of International Business Management. First, Strengthening MA (Brownfield method) based on abundant capital power Saving time for market penetration Risk hedging Table 5. Entry mode of Lotte and Orion Entry mode LOTTE Orion Remark Ownership MA O X Greenfield O Trading Exporting O O Importing X X Collaboration strategies Low commitment (Licensing) X X High commitment (JVs) O X Second, Synergy effect through Groups alignment Economy of scale economy of scope Cooperating with LOTTE Town Third. Decentralization for decision making Localization strategy for specific circumstances of each country Timely responsiveness Lastly, Market leading through innovation strategy Allocating investment in RD Recruiting and educating global experts

Free College Essays - Fear in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

The Power of Fear in A Rose for Emily   A Rose for Emily   Life is fickle and most people will be a victim of circumstance and the times. Some people choose not to let circumstance rule them and, as they say, â€Å"time waits for no man†. Faulkner’s Emily did not have the individual confidence, or maybe self-esteem and self-worth, to believe that she could stand alone and succeed at life especially in the face of changing times. She had always been ruled by, and depended on, men to protect, defend and act for her. From her Father, through the manservant Tobe, to Homer Barron, all her life was dependent on men. The few flashes of individuality showed her ability to rise to the occasion, to overcome her dependency, when the action was the only solution available. Like buying the poison or getting money by offering china-painting classes.   Life is sad and tragic; some of which is made for us and some of which we make ourselves. Emily had a hard life. Everything that she loved left her. Her father probably impressed upon her that every man she met was no good for her. The townspeople even state â€Å"when her father died, it got about that the house was all that was left to her; and in a way, people were glad†¦being left alone†¦She had become humanized† (219). This sounds as if her father’s death was sort of liberation for Emily. In a way it was, she could begin to date and court men of her choice and liking. Her father couldn’t chase them off any more. But then again, did she have the know-how to do this, after all those years of her father’s past actions? It also sounds as if the townspeople thought Emily was above the law because of her high-class stature. Now since the passing of her father she may be like them, a middle class working person. Unfortunately, for Emily she bec ame home bound. She didn’t socialize much except for having her manservant Tobe visit to do some chores and go to the store for her. Faulkner depicts Emily and her family as a high social class. Emily did carry her self with dignity and people gave her that respect, based from fear of what Emily could do to them. Emily was a strong willed person especially when she went into the drug store for the arsenic.

A Jewish Reading of Milton Essay example -- Biography Biographies Essa

A Jewish Reading of Milton John Milton produced some of the most memorable Christian texts in English literature. Central pieces of Milton’s work, including Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes, specifically allude to stories that Judaism and Christianity hold in common. Historically, the anti-monarchical regime Milton supported, under the leadership of Cromwell, informally allowed Jews back into England in 1655 after Edward I exiled them in 1290 (Trepp 151). Additionally, seventeenth-century British Christians looked increasingly to Jewish texts to understand their own religion (e.g. Robert Ainsworth and John Seldon), with Hebraic studies from German scholarship and Latin translations of Jewish texts entering during the interregnum (Biberman 141-42; Werman 25). Thus, critics have wondered how much of an appreciation (or lack thereof) Milton had for Jewish tradition, and how his famous texts speak to Jewish readers. This readership refers not merely to religiously or ethnically Jewish readers but to a literary approach; just as a critic may apply a feminist or Marxist approach, one may also apply questions about treatment or marginalization of Jews, or related attitudes in a text (without being Jewish, feminist, Marxist, etc.). A Jewish reading of Milton reveals that although he held intolerant views toward Jews, his explicit citations and implicit agreements with Jewish Scriptural interpretation, as well as stylistic relations to Jewish commentary, demonstrate appreciable esteem for Hebraic thought. Critics have typically focused on the debate over the extent of Milton’s access to primary sources or whether he used translations and secondary information from Christian Hebraists. Adams, Conklin, Mendelsohn, a... ...nd Law in Paradise Lost. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1994. Steinsaltz, Adin. The Essential Talmud. Trans. Chaya Galai. New York: Basic, 1976. Trepp, Leo. A History of the Jewish Experience. Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 2001. Weiss-Rosmarin, Trude. Judaism and Christianity. Middle Village, NY: Jonathan David, 1997. Werman, Golda. Milton and Midrash. Washington, DC: Catholic U of America P, 1995. Notes 1 Despite the temptation, Flannagan wisely avoids a strong philo-Hebraic reading here, interpreting the praise of â€Å"proto-Christian† art merely as an example of religious superiority over the Greeks and not artistic superiority (footnote 103). Milton continuously uses Greek styles in his work, even citing Aristotle as his guide in writing Samson Agonistes (see â€Å"Of that sort of Dramatic Poem which is call’d Tragedy,† a preface to Samson Agonistes, 799-800).

“That’s Life” An Analysis of Holden Caulfield Essay --

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger supersedes the norm by staying painfully in the deepest part of the average, for it contains topics that people can relate to (such as, cynicism, nostalgia, and bitterness of life). One of the grand topics the novel discusses is an individuals identity, and how Holden Caulfields identity is shaped through the adversity he faces. Quentin Crisp once said â€Å"The young always have the same problem -- how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.† Holdens desire to be an individual (a rebel without a cause), hatred of phoniness, and guilt over Allies death creates a substantial conflict. Conformity can be defined in many ways, depending on the person and their situation. In Holdens case conformity is the choice to grow up and move on from childish antics. Holden, however, chooses to be wedged between a world of a child's innocence and the complex world of adulthood. He deities his two younger siblings, Allie and Phoebe, as if the were contenders for sainthood because of ...

Apple Swot Analysis – 2

Apple SWOT Analysis II Cesar Diaz MGT/521 Management October 31, 2011 Erick Espinosa Abstract Apple is a company that concerned of the environment and has been working for more than 20 years to minimize the impact their products have on the environment. Apple has developed and formulate an environmental policy in 1990 and since then, Apple has continue making their products more energy efficient, eliminating toxic substances. Apple is also the only organization that all the products they sell not only meets but exceeds the firm energy guidelines of the ENERGY STAR specification. In 2009 become the first company to report their total carbon footprint giving the opportunity to their clients to see Apple progress and efforts. Studying the financial statements of Apple investors and also costumers can determinate the health of the company, with the statements investors can decide if is a good investment risk by studying them in depth because the financial statements inform all of the business assets and liabilities and also include information about how much shareholders would receive as dividends from each share of stock. Companies calculate the earnings per share by dividing their net income by the total number of outstanding stock. Apple SWOT Analysis The environment of Apple is unique in this type of industry, because they focus on all the steps that their products pass through, Apple calculate their carbon footprint establishing the impact the company has in the planet. The footprint of Apple is divide in 46% on Manufacturing, a 6% on Transportation, a 45% on Product use, 1% of Recycling and the last 2% in Facilities The vast majority of our carbon emissions come from the manufacturing, transportation, use, and recycling of our products. The rest — 2 percent — come from our facilities. The way Apple minimize the impact of their growth is designing the products using less material, ship with smaller packaging and been as energy efficient and recyclable as Apple possible can. Apple remains committed to creating products that have the least amount of impact on the environment. Since 2008, as our revenue grew 74 percent, our greenhouse gas emissions grew only 57 percent. In other words following Energy Star qualification all products of Apple go beyond the USA Environmental Protection Agency`s strict ENERGY STAR guidelines for efficiency and has become the only company that can make that claim. In the past few years has made notable reduction in carbon Emissions (http://images. apple. com/environment/ images/manufacturing_ emissions_20110909. jpg) also the CO 2 Emissions per hour of products have considerable reduce (http://images. apple. com/environment/images/product_graph_20110909. pg) Apple continues to install state-of-the-art digital controls, high-efficiency mechanical equipment, and monitoring technology and Apple have a commitment to recycle, that also have Recycling Program and with this increasing their goal all year. The goal for 2010-2015 is a 70% of weight Recycled per year. (http://images. appleinsider. com/apple-e-waste-perc-070502. gif) Apple Inc. is an American based multinational company whose stocks are listed in the  New York S tock  Exchange and NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) under the symbol AAPL. The company specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of electronic equipments like computers, software and smart  phones. The hardware related product line of the company is well known to everyone; including iphone, Macintosh and ipad and ipod respectively. While there are multiple range of software`s offered by the company to its customers that ranges from operating system to the entertainment and educational based software suits. There are several statements that can be analyzed to establish the health of Apple each one with different meaning and purpose. The income statement is for measures a company's financial performance over a specific accounting period. This is one of the three major financial statements; it also  shows the net profit or loss incurred over a specific accounting period, typically over a fiscal quarter or year. The income statement of Apple is In the last quarter the Revenue (in billion) of three of Apple products Ipod, Mac and iPhone) is of 28. 23 and the cost of Revenue is 16. 89. The gross profit is 11. 38, which leave us between the selling, administration and expenses, also the department of research and development a total operating expense 19. 56. so after taxes the income available Is 6. 62 with this information investor can identify how Apple has been growing despite the death of their executive chief. The balance sheet will give the summarize of a company's assets, liabilities and  shareholders' equity  at a specific point in  time. Knowing what Apple owns and what owes and also the amount invested by the shareholders. Seen the graphic, it’s enough to appreciate that Apple does not owes nothing and the assets are increasing more each quarter Cash ; Equivalents 9,815. 00 Short Term Investments 16,137. 00 Cash and Short Term Investments 25,952. 00 Total Receivables, Net 11,717. 00 Total Current Assets 44,988. 00 Long Term Investments 55,618. 00 Total Assets 116,371. 00 Total Liabilities 39,756. 00 Total Equity 76,615. 00 Total Liabilities ; Shareholders' Equity 116,371. 00 Total Common Shares Outstanding 929. 28 And the last statement to study is cash flow, this is a A revenue or expense stream that changes a cash account  over a given period. Cash inflows usually  arise from one of three activities – financing, operations or investing – although this also occurs as a result of donations or gifts in the case of personal finance. Cash outflows result from expenses or  investments. This holds true for both business and personal finance. This statement provides aggregate data regarding all  cash inflows a company receives from both its ongoing operations and external investment sources, as well as  all cash outflows that pay for business activities and investments during a  given quarter. As we can see in the graphic and confirm with the numbers Apple has increase their operating activities but the investing are dropping fast enough to realize that even is a good market rentable their stock are not valuable right now, we can say that one of the reason that their value have decrease in stock is because of the death of Steve Jobs. After reviewing each statement I can understand that the company is financial speaking, healthy because it have values that makes the company special, such as the quality in their products and cares about the planet, also the revenue are increasing and is a solid business because is always improving for increase the profit and reduce the cost. That concern to me because as an young entrepreneur learn to measure an investment`s risk. Management use this information to see the weak points have to strengthen and how is the company doing, is the duty of the manager make the revenue of the company always increase and find a way to reduce the cost. The stocks of Apple have a value of 404. 78 and a valuation change of -0. 04% Apple has 929. 28M of Shares and 70% of the installations Apple is the owner, comparing Apple with other companies is simple to appreciate that (see table) Apple is the most stable for investment and with more market capital to invest, also is the most active in dollar volume improving in technology and research, certificating the quality of Apple products. Key stats and ratios | Q3 (Sep '11) | 2011 | Net profit margin | 23. 43% | 23. 95% | Operating margin | 30. 81% | 31. 22% | EBITD margin | – | 32. 87% | Return on average assets | 23. 81% | 27. 06% | Return on average equity | 36. 40% | 41. 67% | Employees | 46,600 | – | Carbon Disclosure Rating | – | 80/100| In terms of technology advancement Apple is pioneer because have the brains of Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ives and other top visionaries at the company But it would be a mistake to think that only these few drive all of Apple’s vision and long term strategy. Indeed, as I understand it, the visionary conclusions they come to that drive Apple is quite a collaborative effort. A good example of technology advancement is the iPhone, that product began when some engineers showed Steve Job’s a larger touch screen version of an iPod they created in 2004, It took three years to pull off but in 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone and its apps eco system and as you know, this changed the course of smart phone history. Since then, every handset maker and PC vendors has been playing catch up with Apple. It has taken at least two years for the competition to pull alongside Apple but with each new generation of the iPhone, Apple seems to raise the bar. The 4th generation of the iPhone introduced the retina screen and a front facing camera and who knows what will be in the next generation iPhone when it comes out this summer. What Apple does is use its cash hoard to pay for the construction cost (or a significant fraction of it) of the factory in exchange for exclusive rights to the output production of the factory for a set period of time (maybe 6 – 36 months), and then for a discounted rate afterwards. This yields two advantages: First Apple has access to new component technology months or years before its rivals. This allows it to release groundbreaking products that are actually impossible  to duplicate. And second Eventually its competitors catch up in component production technology, but by then Apple has their arrangement in place whereby it can source those parts at a lower cost due to the discounted rate they have negotiated. Once those technologies (or more accurately, their mass production techniques) become sufficiently commoditized, Apple is then able to compete effectively on cost and undercut rivals. It's a myth that Apple only makes premium products – it makes them all right, but that is because they are literally more advanced than anything else (i. e. the price premium is not just for design), and once the product line is no longer premium, they are produced  more cheaply  than competitor equivalents, yielding higher margins, more cash, which results in more ability to continue the cycle. There is one other strategic advantage that Apple has that does not make them happy and that is Apple’s $60 billion cash in the bank. Although there has been suggestion from stockholders that some of that be given back to shareholders, Jobs and team have argued that they need it for acquisitions and other competitive issues. Well, it turns out the competitive issue they are talking about is the ability to pre-buy components in large quantities and at big price breaks. One example was the $500 million purchase of flash memory Apple did three or four years ago that almost wiped out the entire supply of flash at the time and drove the price f flash for competitors up. Apple is currently working on the differentiation strategy by putting unique elements in the design and development of its products. The differentiation strategy is defined as a strategy that aims to develop the products and or services that have unique characteristics that are well liked by the customers and are valued by them. This strategy enhances the market position of the companies with respect to their counterparts (Porter, 1998). Moreover, the company strategies also involve the expansion of its distribution network  in order to improve its global reach by providing high quality products and services with after  sales services to their customers. Therefore, the company is positioned uniquely in the markets to offer superior and integrated digital technologies and productivity solutions. The company faces aggressive competition from the other market players. According to Hoover (2011) the top three competitors of Apple Inc. in United States are Fujitsu Technology Solutions (Holding) B. V. , International Business Machines Corporation and Media Net Digital, Inc. respectively. The needs of the markets it caters are highly competitive in nature due to the ever changing and advancing technological environment and the rapid introduction of new technology based products. The main competitors of the company are following cost leadership strategies by reducing the prices of their products or by maintaining low profit margins to maintain their market share. There are various forces that can impact the business and profitability of Apple. These factors may include the marketing mix  ± product, price, place, promotion strategies, product  performance, the quality and reliability of the product, innovative designs as well as the availability of up to date software services. Currently, the management of the company is focusing on the expansion of its business markets related to the smart phones and other media and communication devices. Therefore, it is expected that the competition in these markets will tend to increase for the company. Conclusion Apple competitors delight in going head-to-head with Apple in hardware, because they can compete with them at this level. But it’s the combinations of its hardware that’s created specifically to be a vehicle for its software and the software itself that really sets Apple apart. And, there is another element to Apple’s â€Å"blank screen† strategy that adds to its competitive advantage. It makes Apple driven content a cornerstone of its extended software offerings. Also the study result showed that the company is doing pretty well in the global markets due the integrated resources and operative capabilities that are outcome of globalization. Apple Inc. lags only in its outsourcing associations with the other company’s at different countries of the world. In order to improve the outsourcing practices ethically, Apple can strictly ask its outsourcing partners to comply with the ethical rules, and regulations. References Apple Finance (2011, October 18). Apple Financial Result [Audio podcast]. Conference Call. Retrieved from http://stream. qtv. apple. com/events/oct/earnings/earnings_11/earnings_ref. mov Apple Inc.. (October 21, 2011). Environmental Policy. Retrieved from http://www. apple. com/privacy/ Apple an the Enviroment. (2011, Summer). Environmental Progress. Retrieved from http://www. apple. com/environment/progress/ Bajarin, T. (2011, March 5). Apple`s Strategic Advantage. Retrieved from http://technologypundits. com/2011/03/apples-strategic-advantage/ Google Finace. (2011, Octuber 31). Apple Summary Statement. Retrieved from http://www. google. com/finance? q=NASDAQ:AAPL McHugh, N. W. (2010). Understanding business (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin..

Families: Family and Long Time Essay

There were more marriages and less divorces. People got married earlier. They had more children. The husband was the bread-winner and the wife stayed at home to look after the children and do the housework. It follows that very few women had a job. A long time ago several generations lived together under the same root: the grand-parents, the parents, the children and sometimes nor yet the grand-grand- parents. Families today: There are less marriages and more divorces. There are a lot of one-parents families nd there are less children In a family. The people get married later. The couples often live together without getting married, that calls cohabitation. The woman also have a job and go out to work. The husband and the wife share the housework and look after the children together. As I write there are less children In the families. That means that there are a lot of only child. Being an only child has advantages and disadvantages too. Advantages: You have privacy, you can do what you want. You don’t have to share things with your brothers and sisters. You don’t have to adapt to anybody. The parents have more time, energy and even money for you. Disadvantages: You don’t always have someone to talk to or play with, you often can feel lonely. You are alone to do the housework and the homework. You can become more selfish, intolerant, spoilt and willful. Contrarily growing up In a big family Is a bit different. Advantages: You always have someone to talk to or play with. The brothers and sisters can halp each other e. g. at homework. You can share the housework too. You earn to cooperate, to share things with others e. g. the room, toys or books. Yo learn to make efforts if you want to get something. You learn to adapt to the others. You can become less selfish, more tolerant and understanding. Disadvantages: You have no privacy, It’s difficult to remain alone and do what you want. You have to share a lot of things, to adapt your brothers and sisters. Sometimes you have to wear handed-down clothes if you are the younger child. The parents have less time, energy and money for each children.