Main Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility Term Paper - 29

Main Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility - Term Paper Example CSR was first heard in the 1960s. At that moment very few organizations were involved in corporate social responsibility. This was the fact, CSR is a voluntary thing that only companies that want to be involved can. However, as time passed more business organizations started adapting CSR practices including CSR reporting. This is necessitated by the growth of sensitivity toward organizational social responsibility among consumers all over the world.  The principle of legal compliance: this is the principle that expects all business organizations to comply with and understand international, local, declared, written, and effected laws and regulations that are applicable in their scenario. This kind of compliance and understanding should be according to specific procedures. This implies that companies should avoid involvement in any practices that are half compliant to the requirements stated by this principle.  The Principle of Adhering to Customary International Laws: this princip le expects business organizations to governmental and international agreements, declarations, executive regulations, covenants, guidelines and decisions in the process of formulating their CSR practices and activities. A company should make sure that their policies and practices are not conflicting with any of the factors that have been discussed herein.  A policy of showing respect to related stakeholders lefts: according to this principle, companies are expected to accept and acknowledge the diversity that relates to stakeholders’ interests and lefts. Companies are also expected to accept and acknowledge the diversity that is likely to exist in their main and minor practices and products. This consideration should also include elements of business existence that might be of an effect of their stakeholders.

Spent performing tasks Essay Example for Free

Spent performing tasks Essay Steven Johnson believes that the answer to this essay’s title is a resounding yes. Although a print writer and presumably an avid reader, Johnson argues that while the virtues of reading are immense, other forms of culture such as gaming have its own intellectual or cognitive virtues that could actually be comparable to the rewards of reading. He starts his argument by stating that video games are perceived rather negatively and viewed as a complete waste of time by the society in general, more specifically by educators, cultural authorities and parents. An explanation of this would be, the flaws and imperfections of this nonliterary culture are greatly highlighted because the criteria used in judging it are the same criteria applied in assessing novels and other forms of literature. The merits of gaming apparently lie elsewhere. Johnson argues that video gaming has become increasingly challenging – by the same standards used to measure reading’s cognitive benefits – over the past thirty years. Furthermore, video games sharpen a different but equally important set of mental abilities than the ones honed by reading. There also seems to be an experiential gap between gamers and those who have no experience whatsoever about gaming. The latter believes that games are just another culture that offers instant gratification. However, those who have at some point in their lives immersed themselves in video (or online) games know that an enormous amount of time is spent performing tasks that are absolutely not fun in order to receive a certain reward. Gratification is actually so delayed you wonder if it is going to appear at all. Interestingly, the same group of people who endure tedious tasks in virtual games are disinclined to perform chores in the real world. Even more remarkable is the fact that kids seem to soak in more information when delivered to them in game form. Gaming therefore provides a powerful learning experience where kids learn without actually being aware of it. Gaming and its Benefits 3 The neurotransmitter dopamine, having a large role in the reward circuitry of the brain, is pointed to as one of the reasons for such a phenomena. When expected rewards are not met, such as when a pack-a-day smoker misses his morning cigarette, the disappointment is triggered by low levels of dopamine. Consequently, lowered levels of dopamine set off a craving for that missed experience. The same principle can be applied to gaming. The brain craves for rewards that the virtual universe is teeming with. Unlike in the real world where rewards are abundant yet not well-defined, the rewards in games are more articulated such as more life, increased level, new equipment and new spells.

Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and The Welcome Table Essay

Discrimination and Racism in â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer and â€Å"The Welcome Table† by Alice Walker Discrimination and racism is always an issue, but the hardship these women had to face and suffer is something that is still being discussed. Understanding the fear, struggle and hardship that women of color went through during this time period is very important. Both â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer and â€Å"The Welcome Table† by Alice Walker discuss race and the struggle with trying to be accepted in society. The short story â€Å"Country Lovers† written by Nadine Gordimer, who in 1991 received the Nobel Prize for Literature, writes about forbidden love and racial politics between a black girl and a white boy on a South Africa farm. This story takes place during the time South Africa was dealing with racial segregation and is filled with irony and a theme that is clear from the start and that is deeper than racism, but the love between the two of opposite race. Thebedi and Paulus have grown up playing together is childhood. He is the son of the farm owner and she was the daughter of a farm worker for the farm. As they grew older, Paulus went off to boarding school and Thebedi would eventually drop out of school and help on the farm. It was known that â€Å"once the white children go away to school they soon don’t play together anymore.† (Clugston, 2010). When Paulus went off to school, they were entering adolescence and body changes were uncommon to all. Paulus was a popular boy at school and with the â€Å"sister† school that the girls went too. When Paulus would return from school on break he would bring Thebedi gifs and she would give him a handmade bracelet in return, and this is where they grew closer and th... ...oing on in this day in age, and it will always be an issue. With so much negativity, that we see and deal with on a regular basis is a consent battle, which influences us and the way we handle things. However, we have come a long ways as to what it used to be as if people have learned to accept each other. References Chopin, K. (1894). The story of an hour. Vogue. Clugston, R. W. (2010). Country lovers (p. 3.1). San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books Racism. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism

Hypodermic needle Essay

Preface As I sat down to think about this research paper I thought about chocolate and all the things I could write about and they all seem to be the same thing. Where chocolate came from, and how it was made as well as how do you cook with it and even some chocolate recipes. I wanted to do something that I thought had never been done before, be original I hope that this is something that you haven’t seen before in a research paper. Introduction Chocolate can be constructed in many different ways. Besides of using it in sculpting and shaping, it can be imprinted with patterns and cut into shapes for cake decoration. But in today’s world many invention has taken place in the chocolate industry over the past few years. Here are some of the new ways that chocolate is being use in technology. 1. The Chocolate Whiff David Edwards a Harvard professor has patented a new way to consume chocolate: called Le Whif it is made up of a tube that sprays a mist of chocolate. It delivers one kilocalorie (calorie) per spray; this invention gives the healthy-conscious a way to satisfy their chocolate cravings without the gilt. 2. A Chocolate Printer At Cornell University a scientist has created a 3-Demintional food printer that can print using hypodermic needles filled with chocolate. The printer not only can do chocolate, but also any edible ingredient that can be put in liquid form. The needles act in combination with computer to create layers which slowly become a 3-Demintional object. 3. Chocolate meets Fashion Because of its molding capabilities chocolate Stacey Van Waldick of Promise Me Chocolates a chocolate company in New York has created chocolate gems, rings and pendants for party favor wedding and special occasion, while one a year New York City presents a Fashion show called â€Å" The Chocolate Show† where all the clothing are made up of chocolate. 4. The Chocolate that is a Vitamin Every body knows about how eating chocolate is supposed to release endorphin to the brain which helps to release stress. But now there is a company in Northern California that has begun to put polyunsaturated acids like omega-three as well as immune booster in chocolate. This will help to increase the health benefits of eating chocolate. 5. Chocolate that you can listen to. I know what you are thinking but the answers in â€Å"No† chocolate can’t speak, but Ben Milne a baker from Scotland was try to find a way to help his friends promote their album when he decided to put the band’s music on a chocolate record, after that made a playable chocolate CD. Now that is the real meaning of â€Å"the sweet sound of music†. 6. No-melting chocolate The melting point of chocolate is between 86 °-90 ° right? Wrong because there is a company in Ireland that has the patent to what is said to be the world’s first chocolate that does not melt. The clam is that chocolate has oils in it that makes it bendable and resistant to heat. The Play-dough like chocolate can easily be used by pastry chiefs, comes in three different varieties milk white and dark and, and it is totally digestible. 7. Technology meets chocolate Based out of San Francisco California TCHO (Technology+Chocolate) is an up and company that produces chocolate with an different flare Timothy Childs founder was an NASA software programmer who decided to strike out on his on with a vision to make chocolate from scratch and in doing so here created what he calls the TCHO dark chocolate flavor wheel which consists of flavors like chocolately, citrus, nutty, earthy, fruity and floral. Childs also invented an iphone app that he can log on to and control his flavor lab by remote he can control time, temperature and shut the machines off and on. Conclusion With technology changing by the day the thought of what can be done with chocolate is now unlimited. Where is chocolate going â€Å"The World will never know? † Bibiliograpy â€Å"Apple – IPhone in Business – Profiles – TCHO Chocolate. † Apple – IPhone in Business – Profiles – TCHO Chocolate.N. p. , n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Chocolate and Technology Deliciously Mix in California. † Fox News. FOX News Network, 17 July 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"5 Surprising Chocolate Innovations. † Menuism Dining Blog RSS. N. p. , n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. . N. p. , n. d. Web.

Educational Attainment Essay

Educational attainment is primarily due to individual’s goal in life. Attitude likewise has life-transforming power (Harrel, 2003) which must be in equilibrium with aptitude. Though, motivations often are the challenges to excel and achieve one’s goal. The individual’s goal in life has been set with the consistent support and management of its parents. This subsequently bore fruition with the development of the attitude necessary towards self-motivation for greater achievements. The figure shows that over all, the Asian race marked an edge on the other races in terms of scholastic achievements. It is notable that the Whites’ fell within 85. anges on High School Graduate or more, while Asian has 87. 6. This means that the Asian has more focus on high school education than the Whites’. Its implication would be that the Asian’s prioritized education. It is also remarkable that in every educational attainment level the Asians’ led overwhelmingly in academic achievements. This is because they got an overall range of 68. 3 and followed by the Whites’ falling behind within 55. 2 ranges. Commonly, it is not the educational system that has to be modified, but, there must be a program to enhance parental awareness on the relative responsibilities towards children’s academic standing. Gleaning from the social patterns (Williams, 1976) of Asians, it is usual trait as a collective society (Lustig, 1996) for family parental concern towards children’s academic achievements. Widespread, parents would tell their children that the best thing that they could have as an inheritance is education. In addition to this, prevale nce of high ranking officials, rich and successful families in third world countries have had gained aggregate education from highly industrialized countries.

Problem solving skills Training and the Workplace

Problem solving skills Training and the Workplace Introduction Effective problem solving training offered at the workplace help employees to develop problem-solving techniques. When employees develop these skills, they will operate more actively and effectively. Techniques allow employees to identify and analyze problems in the working fraternity.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Problem solving skills Training and the Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It allows them to evaluate the impact and severity of unconventional solutions to the underlying problem with the stakeholders, clients, and allies. The employees, upon training, will know how to utilize the available possessions to perform tasks properly. They will also learn to achieve organizational goals by solving problems as a team and not as individuals. Training programs include preparing employees for organization problems, and vast business orientation. Objective finding Objective finding is the segment of identifying goals, challenges, and wishes upon which a supervisor or manger wants to work upon. Specialized proficiency training programs are created and proposed to help employees adopt problem solving ideas and methods. The employees should be coached and presented with materials that will help them learn how to identify a predicament. In an organization, the supervisor divides the employees into groups and allocates pertinent tasks for them to tackle. The employees will try to solve the situations such as ineffective communication between management and stakeholders, client issues, and vendor-manager relations. Profound training skills will help employees to identify some possible causes of the ongoing state of affairs. The training program will help employees to set aside and segregate the facts. When they find the cause of the problem, they will be able to know the reasons and therefore, will come up with a strategy on how to avoid future occurrences. Fact-fin ding Fact- finding is where relevant data is gathered. The situation and background should be established. This segment also incorporates feelings, data, questions, and figures. After putting down all the appropriate information about a setback, the employees or in this case participants will have the facts required to state solutions required to curb the situation. Training seminars help employees to learn more about their experienced members. The training programs motivate employees and help them learn innovative and creative techniques required to solve internal setbacks. The employees put down the setback resolution methods, and the merits and demerits linked with the techniques. Problem finding The actual problem to be focused on should be clarified and established. Problem solving techniques supervisor instructs the employees to evaluate alternatives appropriately. When the employees learn to propagate decisions profoundly, they will handle tasks in an effective way. They shou ld analyze and review case studies, consult and dialogue with business experts, and participate in healthy business oriented workshops and competitions in order to evaluate the alternatives effectively.Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Idea finding and solution implementation Possible for solving the problem should be established. The solution should be carefully selected to know how to strengthen them. Employees ought to know how to determine the impact before implementing a solution. The employees should recall previous problem solution strategies for them to be able to handle the present situations successfully. At the training seminars, employees are taught how to perfect their capabilities to remember facts by partitioning data into groups. For them to be able to do this, they should adopt and use appropriate methods to make reminiscence and visualizing the su rrounding to recollect and categorize information. The employees also establish the importance of evaluating the triumphant alternatives. This will help in handling situations in the future by applying the same problem solving technique. Acceptance fining and what I learnt From the training program, I learnt that employees would know how to solve problems in the workplace as a team. The training program helps them to enhance their communication between each other and the management. I also learn that the recognition and support ceremony help employees to know their strengths and importance to the organization. Conclusion Every organization should ensure that their employees acquire the relevant problem solving technique. This will help maximize production and improve customer-management relations thus achieving goals of the organization.

Organization Behavior and Management Space Shuttle Challenger

Organization Behavior and Management Space Shuttle Challenger Space Shuttle Challenger Orbiter History The Challenger was initially referred to as the STA-099. The shuttle was built to work as a test vehicle for the Space Shuttle program and was named after the HMS Challenger, which was a British Naval research vessel. The HMS Challenger sailed in the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Pacific Ocean during the 1870’s.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Organization Behavior and Management: Space Shuttle Challenger specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When the Challenger was built it underwent intensive vibration and thermal testing for a year. NASA awarded Rockwell, a Space Shuttle orbiter manufacturer, a contract in 1979 to build the Challenger by converting the STA-099. The Challenger arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in July 1982, and it became the second orbiter to be operation in the center. The Challenger had been designed to be a historic craft and many were optimistic it would outlive the rest. The Space Shuttle took its maiden flight on April, 1982 for the STS-6 mission, which saw the first ever space walk in the space shuttle program. The EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) was done by Astronauts Donald Peterson and Story Musgrave. This lasted about four hours and it was also during this mission the first deployment of a Tracking and Data Relay System constellation was done. After completing nine successful missions, on January 28, 1986 the Challenger was launched on the STS-51L and after a mere 73 seconds it exploded killing all the seven crewmembers (NASA, 2011). This paper will look at the SHUTTLE 51-L MISSION, the organization that was involved in the Challenger project, the mechanical failure of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the organizational behavior and management shortcomings that contributed to the disaster and finally make organizational behavior and management changes that can be adopted to prevent a reoccurrence of the same disaster. D iscussion NASA Program As the Challenger Space Shuttle progressed, there was an increase in the demands being placed on NASA and this resulted to an increased risk of disaster (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990). The NASA team had a false sense of security having carried out 2Kramer, James, 1987 missions, which had been successful. Prior to the launch, there were many wrangles within NASA, and managers were working in a place with heavy overload and turbulence (Kramer James, 1987). The management at NASA was characterized with a disease full of decay and destruction (Kramer James, 1987 p.14).Advertising Looking for case study on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There was lack of a formal DSS program at NASA initialized before the launch for the shuttle operations. There were strong indications that decisions were being made through satisficing and short cuts. There were lots of compromise and operations were great ly affected. NASA was accused of having semi-uncontrolled decision making as they tried to satisfy the needs of the military, scientific community, industry and this led to the space shuttle being declared operational even before the development stage of the shuttle had been completed (Kramer, James, 1987). Decision making at NASA was done by default as there lacked DSS. The organizational structure at the program was political and manipulations were done to meet requirements of the political power. When the Reagan Administration declared the Space Shuttle â€Å"operational†, many employees at NASA lacked motivation and left with the impression that decision making on the project should be made by the political administration (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990). Employees began being complacent and safety of the shuttle was highly compromised, as they tried to keep the shuttle on schedule and satisfy the clients. This presents the situation at NASA prior to making the decision to launch the space shuttle (Dunbar Ryba, 2008). SHUTTLE 51-L MISSION (Challenger Flight) The 51-L mission was the 25th mission that NASA was going to undertake in its STS program. Shortly after launching the Challenger on 28, January 1986, the Challenger exploded mid air, destroying the vehicle and killing the entire seven crew members on the mission. This mission was aimed at deploying a second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite as well as the Spartan Halle’s Comet Observer. The mission was also going to be the first time there were observers or passengers participating in a program called NASA Teacher in Space Program ((Dunbar Ryba, 2008). S. Christa McAuliffe was one of the crew onboard and she was going to conduct live broadcasts that were going to be broadcasted to schools throughout the world (Dunbar Ryba, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Organization Behavior and Management: Space Shuttle Challenger specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The destruction of the Challenger and the loss of life had profound impact on the society and the way it viewed the Space program and particularly NASA. As this paper will discuss, the tragic decision that was made to allow the launching of STS 51-L was as a result of long term contributing factors that were further increased by bad or weak organizational behavior and management strategies. The outcome of this tragedy caused loss of life, resources and made people to mistrust the space program. Although the accident of the Challenger was blamed on the hardware failure of the SRB â€Å"O† ring (known as Solid Rocket Boost), the decision that was made by the management was also flawed. The decision was based on faulty organizational behavior and management and this was further aggravated by the mismanagement of initial information that suggested the launch be postponed (NASA, 2008). Other factors that besides organizational behavior and manag ement played a major role in contributing to the accident occurring. They included the demand NASA was getting from the political ruling class to deliver and launch on the scheduled day (NASA, 2008) The process of proving to the American people and the political system that there was need for a reusable space shuttle had begun in the 1960s. The Challenger was one of the ways that this could be proven and thus a lot of pressure and expectation was put on the program. Unlike the previous missions such as the Apollo, the Space Shuttle was going to be used in space operations without having a defined goal (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 3). This presents the first contributing factor in the Challenger’s accident. Without a defined role for use, the Challenger was going to be used as a utility vehicle for space operations and thus there lacked a strong support for the project, both financially and politically. In order to gain favor and political support for the project, the Challenger was sold and presented to the political elites as a quick payoff (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 8). The project also gained support by predicting that it could be used by the military as a means that could be used to enhance the national security. To the industry, it was sold as a commercial opportunity, where companies could offer clients an opportunity to visit space. Many scientists in the program told the American public that the Challenger Shuttle was going to be an American Voyage that was going to have great scientific gain (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 10). To the world, the Challenger project was sold as a partnership that was going to include the ESA (European Space Agency) as well as a means that was going to improve the relations between nations and bring together people of different nationalities, sex and races by serving as crew members during missions (McConnell, 1988).Advertising Looking for case study on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The process that was used to gain support in the economic, social and political arena for the space shuttle can be cited to be the second contributing factor that resulted to the accident (McConnell, 1988). There was use of heterogeneous engineering, which means that the engineering and management decisions in the project were structured in ways that were going to be appealing to the political, economic, and organizational factors rather than being structured into a single entity mission that was aimed at achieving specific goals (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990 p. 9). When the Space Shuttle became operational, it was faced with many operational demands from many people. It had to live up to the promises that had been given by NASA. This placed a lot of pressure on the management team as they tried to coordinate the needs of the military, political elites and the scientific community. The political pressure was to provide a space vehicle that was going to be reliable and could be reused. It w as also supposed to be difficult to achieve this as it was going to hinder the ability of creating an effective system for integration and development. It was also going to be infeasible to create a management support system that could cater for the diverse requirements. There was also a low moral within the NASA employee, which was created during the Reagan Administration when the shuttle was given the green light for operation even when the development stage had not been completed (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990). The American Congress expected that the Shuttle program was going to be financially self supportive after billions of dollars had been used to go to the moon (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990, p. 15). With this lack of support from Congress, NASA adopted and operated as a commercial business instead of a government program. It can therefore be concluded that the environment of the program prior to launching had been one mucked wih conflict, short cuts and managerial stress (Jarman Kouzmin, 1990, p.15). Mechanical failure of the Challenger Before the launching date, concerns had been raised about the integrity of carrying on with the launch when the temperatures were as lower than those expected for optimal performance. On a previous mission, 51-C, it had been noted that the booster joints were covered with soot and grease after launching on a cold weather. Tests were carried out in the laboratory on the effect of low temperatures on the O-ring resilience. It was recommended that they be replaced by steel billets and this would have meant a redesign of the field joint. By the time of the accident, the steel billets were not ready. Engineers at Alan McDonald made a presentation that detailed on the effects the cold weather was going to affect the booster performance. This was necessary because the temperatures of the launching date were expected to be lower than 350F. After the concerns were raised a meeting was convened and various heads and engineers attended. The pe ople in attendance included, engineers, top management of Marshal Space Flight Center, Kennedy Center, and Morton Thiokol. The meeting was called to discuss on the effect the cold weather was going to have on the mission especially the boosters’ performance. Engineers gave a clear presentation that argued that the cold weather would have a major effect on the joint rotator and the O- ring seating. The test carried out had only gone to a low of 530 F and this presented a problem of the unknown (Rogers’s, 1989). Thiokol provided NASA with information concerning the launch and thought that the low temperatures were going to affect the O-rings to a point they were going to be ineffective. The mission had been cancelled previously due to the cold weather and NASA was not ready for another cancellation (Kramer, James, 1987 p.23). Although information had been provided by a GDSS from another company showed that the O-rings were going to work under the predicted weather, engi neers from Thiokol were skeptical about the data they had inputted into the GDSS. This meant that NASA was relying on a GDSS that had flawed information (Kramer James, 1987). At this juncture, NASA asked for a definitive confirmation or rejection of the planned launch from Thiokol. The representatives from Thiokol responded by recommending the launch be delayed until the temperatures were favorable. NASA continued to pressure Thiokol to change their minds and NASA level three managers is reported to have retorted to the representatives, â€Å"My God, Thiokol, When do you want me to launch, next April?† (Kramer, James, 1987, p.7). It was after this that Thiokol representatives asked to be given time to rethink their recommendations. An engineer with Thiokol was asked to stop reasoning as an engineer and start thinking as a manager, which suggests that the group was placing organizational needs in front of safety of the shuttle. Thiokol representatives returned to the GDSS an d recommended that the launch be done as planned. When NASA asked if there was any objection to this no one from the GDSS objected. During the launch the O-ring were severely affected by the cold weather and this mechanical failure caused the accident and the eventual loss of the crewmembers (Kramer, James, 1987). Critical analysis of the organizational behavior and management shortcomings that contributed to the disaster The environment, organizational behavior and management which NASA and its developers operated in gave a large margin for human error. However, Thiokol and NASA had a chance to avert the accident during the GDSS meeting before the launch. The organizational behavior and management fallings can be attributed to the accident. First, the team especially Thiokol had prior knowledge that the O-ring was going to be affected by the cold weather months before the launching. However, the primary goal of the project was to meet the launch date. NASA warned about the problem , but it downplayed it. This presents the first element of the mismanagement of information and bad organizational behavior that resulted into the accident. Any suggestion and proposals of the launch-taking place were met with positive support from the management while all suggestions of delays were shot down without taking into consideration the risk involved in carrying out the launch (Turban, 1988). Third, there was a strong feeling among the people involved in the project management to live up to the promises made. Despite the fact that Thiokol engineers were skeptical about the planned launching, their management went ahead and agreed with the other members of the GDSS to continue with the launch (Turban, 1988). Fourth, there was bad organizational behavior and management on the part of Thiokol, because they agreed with the other teams although their engineers were telling them to stop the launch (Priwer, Philips, 2009). Fifth, all people involved in the top management of the project were afraid of how the political elites and the public would react if another cancellation was done. In the previous one year the launch had been postponed six times. Many in this group were starting to rationalize that if they had succeeded in the past they were as well going to succeed this time (United States Congress, 1986). Finally, the group as stated before was working with flawed data and even when Thiokol engineers began to question the integrity of this information, nobody took action. People in the GDSS meeting who were proposing that the launch be delayed were unwelcome and therefore the management had its mind made on the launching date. During the meeting, it was seen that NASA representatives were at times assertive and intimidate the other players to a point where they disregarded warnings given. The meeting is also faulted as a bad organizational behavior and management, because it was easy to downplay the personal opinions held by each member. Instead of th e speaker conversion, the meeting should have been held at a place where all members were present and maybe the outcomes would have been different. The GDSS failed the point where Thiokol asked to be given five minutes to conduct a private meeting. Before this point Thiokol had maintained that the launch should be cancelled, but after the private meeting it changed its mind. Conclusion The failure of the spaceship Challenger can be blamed on the organizational behavior. NASA has a variety of risk avoidance system. Their aim is to ensure that the missions are safe. NASA is one of the smallest federal agencies and operates under a strict budget of US$ 15 Billion (NASA, 2010). This removes any flexibility during risky situations. This agency has been known to be dependant to their history for decision making. Since their establishment in 1958, their main aim was to beat the Soviet Union spaceflights. Though their budget keeps being cut, they still stick to their mission. The cut costs made NASA realize that they could include the private business sector. This increased their pressure for success, which was also coming from the government. They had to research and develop the operations with limited time. NASA Budget in billions of American Dollar (NASA, 2010) The normalization of deviance is another short coming on the management of the NASA. This is a term, which is used to explain the way sometimes some technical flaws are not scrutinized by the various safety bodies over time. This is because they are both expensive and time consuming. Due to the pressure to produce, it is seen as absurd to spend resources on problems, which are not a risk (Launius, 1992). The postponing of the launch can be because of many reasons. Maybe the problem was the O-rings significance was not considered so much hence the problem with it was a minor one to them. The other reason would be, because the president was using the flight as a reference in his speech or maybe it was because of the much pressure, which was being exerted by both the private sector and the government. Recommendations Failures can happen no matter the safety systems applied. Though the cause of the failure was technical, the organizational failure caries a huge part in it. There are numerous things that NASA can do to avoid these types of organizational failures ever happening (Lewis, 1988). One of them is the Hierarchical power. Some of the managements personnel at the high posts have no interest in the hierarchy. Some of them would rather not make decisions that would jeopardize their work. The congress, a body of the NASA which offers regulatory oversight, has no desires to jeopardize the central district of NASA through their decisions. These are huge obstacles to the changes that should be made in the organizational behavior and management. They should create a way in which the engineers can have the ability of by passing the hierarchy and bureaucracy before launching unsafe missions . If the engineers had had their way during the Challengers disaster, the O-rings would have been replaced or the launch postponed. Though these activities would be very costly to NASA, it would not be as expensive as losing the crew and the vehicle (United States Congress, 1986). The bureaucratic procedures should be sometimes be exempted from getting some data. This is because hunch or intuitions which the engineers might have may take a long time to be researched on and analyzed (Hall, 2003). References Dunbar, B. Ryba, J. (2008). Kennedy Space Center. Web. Hall, J.L. (2003). Space Policy. Columbia and Challenger: Organizational failure of NASA. Berkley: University of California at Berkley. Jarman A. Kouzmin, A. (1990). Decision pathways from crisis. A contingency-theory simulation heuristic for the Challenger Shuttle disaster, Contemporary Crises. Kramer, C. James A. (1987). The Space Shuttle Disaster: Ethical Issues in Organizational Decision Making. Michigan: Western Michig an University Press. Launius, D. (1992). Toward an Understanding of the Space Shuttle: A Historiographical Essay. Air Power History, Winter. Lewis, R.S. (1988). Challenger; the final voyage. New Yolk: Columbia University press. McConnell, M. (1988). Challenger: A Major Malfunction. London: Routledge. NASA (2010). Kennedy Space Center. Web. NASA. (2008) Spacelink Challenger Press Release. Web. NASA. (2011). The Mission and the History of Space Shuttle Challenger. Web. Priwer,S. Philips,C. (2009). Space exploration for dummies. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. Rogers’s commission. (1989). Report Of the President Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Washington DC. G.P.O Turban, E. (1988). Decision Support and Expert Systems, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. United States Congress. (1986). Investigation of the Challenger Accident; Report of the Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representative, Ninety-Ninth Congress, Second Session. Washington: U.S. G .P.O.

Battle of Poitiers in the Hundred Years War

Battle of Poitiers in the Hundred Years War Battle of Poitiers - Conflict: The Battle of Poitiers occurred during the Hundred Years War (1137-1453). Battle of Poitiers - Date: The Black Princes victory took place on September 19, 1356. Commanders Armies: England Edward, Prince of Wales, a.k.a. The Black PrinceJean de Grailly, Captal de Buchapproximately 6,000 men France King John IIDuke de Orleansapproximately 20,000 men Battle of Poitiers - Background: In August 1356, Edward, Prince of Wales, better known as the Black Prince, began a large scale raid into France from his base in Aquitaine. Moving north, he conducted a scorched earth campaign as he sought to ease pressure on English garrisons in northern and central France. Advancing to the Loire River at Tours, his raid was stopped by an inability to take to the city and its castle. Delaying, Edward soon had word that the French king, John II, had disengaged from operations against the Duke of Lancaster in Normandy and was marching south to destroy the English forces around Tours. Battle of Poitiers - The Black Prince Makes a Stand: Outnumbered, Edward began retreating back towards his base at Bordeaux. Marching hard, King John IIs forces were able to overtake Edward on September 18 near Poitiers. Turning, Edward formed his army into three divisions, led by the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Salisbury, and himself. Pushing Warwick and Salisbury forward, Edward placed his archers on the flanks and retained his division and an elite cavalry unit, under Jean de Grailly, as the reserve. To protect his position, Edward arrayed his men behind a low hedge, with marsh to left and his wagons (formed as a barricade) to the right. Battle of Poitiers - The Longbow Prevails: On September 19, King John II moved to attack Edwards forces. Forming his men into four battles, led by Baron Clermont, Dauphin Charles, the Duke of Orleans, and himself, John ordered an advance. The first to move forward was Clermonts force of elite knights and mercenaries. Charging toward Edwards lines, Clermonts knights were cut down by a shower of English arrows. The next to attack were the Dauphins men. Advancing forward, they were constantly harried by Edwards archers. As they neared, the English men-at-arms attacked, nearly encircling the French and forcing them to retreat. As the Dauphins broken forces retreated they collided with the Duke of Orleans battle. In the resulting chaos, both divisions fell back on the king. Believing the fight to be over, Edward ordered his knights to mount to pursue the French and dispatched Jean de Graillys force to attack the French right flank. As Edwards preparations were nearing completion, King John approached the English position with his battle. Moving out from behind the hedge, Edward attacked Johns men. Firing into the French ranks, the archers expended their arrows and then picked up weapons to join the fight. Edwards assault was soon supported by de Graillys force riding in from the right. This attack broke the French ranks, causing them to flee. As the French fell back, King John II was captured by English troops and turned over to Edward. With the battle won, Edwards men began tending to the wounded and pillaging the French camps. Battle of Poitiers - Aftermath Impact: In his report to his father, King Edward III, Edward stated that his casualties were only 40 killed. While this number was probably higher, English casualties in the fighting were minimal. On the French side, King John II and his son Philip were captured as were 17 lords, 13 counts, and five viscounts. In addition, the French suffered approximately 2,500 dead and wounded, as well as 2,000 captured. As a result of the battle, England demanded an exorbitant ransom for the king, which France refused to pay. The battle also showed that superior English tactics could overcome greater French numbers. Selected Sources: The Battle of PoitiersBritish Battles: Battles of Poitiers History of War: Battle of Poitiers

Produce a 2,000 word literature review that focuses on a specific area Essay

Produce a 2,000 word literature review that focuses on a specific area of social care e.g Dementia. The literature review will - Essay Example Do the rights of the individuals receiving the care supersede those of the care givers? Are the challenges faced by the care givers justified? This research paper will seek to answer these questions and many more that will arise Social care can further be described as a sector that advances care to individuals who are incapacitated to perform their daily activities through the use of social workers. Social care is divided into two main types; child social care and adult social care. Adult social care is the fastest growing type of social care among the two and it involves advancing care to the homeless, individuals with mental health problems, the elderly and disabled individuals. Social work issues are facing the society now. This is a relevant topic in today’s society with changes proposed in the field by many governments to cut the costs incurred by many governments (UK government, The Guardian, Social Care Network) The social workers are the individuals who advance the car e to the incapacitated individuals and they can be professional or non-professional. Social care is majorly advanced to individuals with mental health problems. Individual with mental health problems majorly suffer from Dementia. ... Why are there many vacancies and high staff turnover in social care? Social care has a negative image due to the two raised questions and not much has been done over the years to repair the tainted and negative image that social care is receiving. This topic is of importance because it employs a significant proportion of employees in many countries thus providing employment. In the United Kingdom, social work employs 2.3 million adults which are roughly 6% of the total UK workforce. Dementia is further explained by cognition as a serious state of lack of cognitive ability. Cognition is the ability of an individual to perform psychological functions after the brain processes information. Most of the text on Social work is on providing help for individuals with mental health problems especially dementia. This is not an exclusive area of concern for social care but care is also advanced to the elderly and the disabled individuals. Recently, social care is moving from its original place where care was given in homes, day care centres and nursing homes to residential homes of those in need of the care. Analysis of the rights of the individual An individual receiving care from the care givers or the social workers should be aware of his/her rights which have been stipulated under the European Convention on Human Rights. These rights are the rights that a human being is entitled to due to humanity. Any human being is to be treated with respect and dignity. Some of the rights that the individual is entitled to in the care centres are; Right not to be discriminated against The care givers and the doctors need not to discriminate any individual receiving care in the care centres on either the basis of their race, sickness or age. All the individuals receiving care are

Counseling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Counseling - Assignment Example I would start by asking the freshman the reasons as to why he chose the career. This can be due to personal interest on that area, persuasion/ influence from either parents or colleagues, being cheap in terms of cost, taking a short duration of time. It can even be that the freshman chose the career not basing it on any factors. My area of interest would be to ascertain the suitability of the career from the 'marketability' point of view. He should be able to choose a career that would enable him secure a job as soon as he finishes college. I would then encourage him to change his career if I realize that the one he has chosen may not adequately serve his needs as soon as he finishes college. I will stipulate to the freshman the need for living harmoniously with colleagues in college. Living peacefully with colleagues would enable him to always have a peaceful mind and be able to concentrate in his studies. Conflicts characterized with chaos, fights would not only adverse his performance in academics, but can make him either be suspended or expelled from college. The entire life of the freshman would be greatly influenced by the kind of people/ friends he would be associating himself with. Friends are people who can easily influence someone's character, either positively or negatively. I would therefore urge the freshman to carefully choose the kind of people to associate with. He can do this by consulting the sophomores and other seniors if the people he wants to associate himself with are already known by them (sophomores and seniors). If they are fresher, then he can use his own judgment to determine whether they are good or bad, morally upright or to the contrary etc. I would further advice him to cling to people with vision and one goal - that of passing college exams and coming out successfully. In this respect I would advice him to completely avoid associating himself with students who take alcohol, smoke, and who involve themselves in other immoral activities. 4) SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY This would be a very important topic as far as the new freshman is concerned. I would tell him the need to completely abstain from sex. Sex, being addictive would deviate his mind from studies thus deteriorating his performance. It can also earn him enemies because he might be competing with his colleagues and even lecturers for sexual partners. Worst of all, I would highlight to him; the dangers of engaging in sex irresponsibly one of them being contracting of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/ AIDS. 5) OBEDIENCE & ADHERENCE TO ESTABLISHED RULES I would advice the freshman to adhere to the generally established rules and regulations of the

Information policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information policy - Essay Example More and more people turned to the internet for almost anything and everything they need, whether for academic research, for checking celebrity activities, for commerce such as buy and sell, ordering and ticketing online and the likes. Even real time communications have found its way into the homes connecting two or more people from different parts of the world through email, chat, web calls, video conference, etc. As the usage and the advantages of the internet to information and communications technology could not be undermined, it also became susceptible to misuse and abuse by unscrupulous individuals who also saw the opportunity to perpetuate crime and evil through the world wide web and prey on unsuspecting victims usually children even from half way round the world. â€Å"Child pornography, bestiality, excessive violence or sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use, and/or material that advocates (and incites) terrorism acts† (Foo, 2009) are among the common types of abuse in the internet. Often, the victims are minors or those who are under 18 years old. This became the foundation of the clamour of some citizens to censor some information available in the internet and to filter the content of websites. This is basis of the Australian government’s move to filter the information that comes in to the Australia through the information network. And the debate about internet censorship has ensued. The advocates of internet censorship promotes that this is the only way to protect the citizens from the malevolent crimes that abound the internet. They are specifically targeting the welfare of the children and the minors who are more susceptible victims because of their innocence and naivetà ©. The pro-censorship group claims that the internet has been made safer for the users because of the commonwealth government’s Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Act 1999. The other side

Media and Education Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media and Education - Personal Statement Example This report declares that there are diverse ways in which students at the college level can be able to practice serious reflections. Students should practice reflection by not utilizing internet while carrying out their assignments. They should learn to reflect on what they had learned during their class time and apply in their assignments. Assignment being part of the learning process should be given after a lecturer has tackled the topic. This will enable students think and reflect what they have been taught, and handle their tasks well. Use of technological devices such as calculator should be avoided and enable the students to reflect, think critically on tasks, and tackle them effectively. Simulation mode of study should be employed in colleges; these modes of study allow the student to apply what they had acquired during classroom and apply in an environment similar to the actual environment. This paper makes a conclusion that technology has rendered communities incapable to think and reflect rationally. Technology has come up with ways of doing things in shortcut and does not pose a challenge to individuals. Student are the ones affected most, with the presence of internet and communication system, it leads in students utilization of technology more than carrying out tasks on their own. For instances, mathematics are calculated using calculator instead of a student to think critically and reflects on what they were taught in class. Technology also has harbored individual’s creativity as most of the activities are carried through internet.

International Arbitration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

International Arbitration Law - Essay Example In normal circumstances, arbitration arises when the parties to a contract have agreed to arbitrate. Either the parties have included arbitration in the agreement as an arbitration clause or decide to adjudicate after the dispute has arisen. In both the cases, arbitration will be available to the parties to the contract to resolve a dispute. However, there are some clauses which give rise to arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution method to the parties without the fact that they have agreed to arbitrate or not. In an international arbitration clause, the primary element is international and the secondary elements form the basis of arbitration. In international contracts, it is of utmost importance that there are provisions in the contract that determine the forum, selection of law, arbitrators, seat and place of arbitration, and etcetera. According to Born (2005)2 these provisions can assume the form of arbitration agreement or forum selection agreement (p.2). These agreemen ts are followed by the choice-of-law clause which determines the choice of the parties for the substantive law that will be applied during adjudication (Ibid, 2005). The law stipulates that the arbitration agreement should give due reference to the mandatory clauses without which the matter will become uncertain and requires intervention by the civil courts having jurisdiction3. At the same time, there are non-mandatory clauses which are left at the discretion of the parties to decide. Therefore, the arbitration agreement that comprises of mandatory clauses are enforceable in law without further evaluation or decision making by the courts. The non-mandatory clauses can be adopted (1) by the parties to the contract per se or (2) they can follow their own terms and conditions or (3) adopt the rules of their respective association like UNCITRAL, International Chamber of Commerce and London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). The mandatory clauses include the following checklist which is not exhaustive in nature: seat and place of the arbitration tribunal, providing the general means of fulfilling the non-mandatory clauses, ensuring separability of the arbitration agreement, post-death of party situation, time of initiation of the arbitration proceedings, number of arbitrators and details about arbitration tribunal, procedure of arbitrators’ appointment, chairman or umpire, revocation of authority, jurisdiction, consolidation, representation, general powers, powers of civil courts, preliminary point of law, awards, remedies, interest, time periods and appeal. These clauses as mentioned in the Arbitration Act 1996 cannot be overridden by the contrary agreement agreed by the parties. However, the non-mandatory clauses of the Arbitration Act 1996 are allowed to be changed by the parties with mutual consent and in the absence of such agreement, the clauses will become applicable automatically4. In practice, there are two types of arbitration clauses whic h are commonly used by parties, namely: (1) Informal Clause and (2) Sample Clause. The informal clause is one which does not use the formal language of the law. For instance, the clause â€Å"arbitration in London - English law to apply† is an informal arbitration clause as it does not use the standard legal language5. Nevertheless, the

Media and Education Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media and Education - Personal Statement Example This report declares that there are diverse ways in which students at the college level can be able to practice serious reflections. Students should practice reflection by not utilizing internet while carrying out their assignments. They should learn to reflect on what they had learned during their class time and apply in their assignments. Assignment being part of the learning process should be given after a lecturer has tackled the topic. This will enable students think and reflect what they have been taught, and handle their tasks well. Use of technological devices such as calculator should be avoided and enable the students to reflect, think critically on tasks, and tackle them effectively. Simulation mode of study should be employed in colleges; these modes of study allow the student to apply what they had acquired during classroom and apply in an environment similar to the actual environment. This paper makes a conclusion that technology has rendered communities incapable to think and reflect rationally. Technology has come up with ways of doing things in shortcut and does not pose a challenge to individuals. Student are the ones affected most, with the presence of internet and communication system, it leads in students utilization of technology more than carrying out tasks on their own. For instances, mathematics are calculated using calculator instead of a student to think critically and reflects on what they were taught in class. Technology also has harbored individual’s creativity as most of the activities are carried through internet.

Market Continuum Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Market Continuum Analysis - Essay Example 51, No. 1, 1973 (pp. 95-124). OECD has 30 member countries in its elite panel and in that survey they have identified that Public spending (5.8 GDP) is almost identical to that of Great Britain or any other countries. It also compared Pharmaceutical spending, Health care spending by the Government and Health care status in the country etc to produce the research. While they have observed that IN U.S the spending more than other countries in Health care it is not producing the desired results. One of the main reasons for this being the relatively greater cost in US of health care services when compared to other countries. This makes Health care services in US to many of its citizens and many others who are working in their country virtually unreachable. During the mid 1990's when there is a software craze going on around the world and In US also, they recognized the need for policy modifications in their Health care systems, which is a result of crisis already existing. The problem with the policy making is that it only reveals what policies need to modified so as to design a suitable policy or them. However the important part that is how to execute these policies is never taken into count. Also in a country like U.S planning a health service suitable for the entire population it self is a big challenge. The reason being the older populations are growing because low mortality rate especially in old people. Also the older people despite the fact they are living for a longer duration are also direly in need of medical supplies. Andersons' Principles of planning: 1. Business ethics 2. Need Vs the demand 3. Economics 4. Equity theory While Anderson discussed at the length about the market penetration and Pricing models the strategies suggested by Anderson had implications on the U.S Social structure, their economy and the people's economy too. The reason for change: One of the prime reasons why the US wanted a change in the health care system is due to the low potential index of the health care system. Quality surveys done by organizations such as OECD reveal exactly these implications. In the sense, the US health care is a victim of poor monitoring and the failure of supply chain mechanism. Like in many other countries the US health care has to cater its services to large middle class section and affordability of the services is a criterion for change. Also the US wanted discrimination to end and the only way to beat it is by furthering the market potential of the health care services. The Transition: However while initiating the change process not enough study has been done according to the writer to nullify the consequences. In one way the consequences are unforeseen, even by the industry experts and to add to the existing woes the weakening of the economy caused further trouble. The Government has taken measures to ensure a certain change is possible and they thought that by maximizing the net returns on the health care can lessen the burden on the already weak and depleted economy. For this they have chosen change agents for continuous and consistent supply of the health care services even in the farthest corners of U.S. More over they have taken steps to cut down on the expenditures to minimize losses the health care is incurring for a period of time. Inorder to ensure that costs are reduced they have

Detective Archetype Essay Example for Free

Detective Archetype Essay Sherlock Holmes and the Doctor share qualities such as higher intelligence, isolation from society, and hyperactivity that shape them into the only ones capable of providing justice for the threatened. The two fit the detective archetype quite well and whether explicit or not, the archetype is prevalent in their stories as well as others. Qualities of the detective archetype are represented through each â€Å"detective’s† habits, actions, words, thoughts, and choices. It is complex, interests the reader, and is used by nearly every author of detective fiction. Holmes and the Doctor express and put forth their higher level of intelligence in everything they do. Their frequent and effective use of deductive reasoning tells them where to go and leads them in their endeavors. Before they can deduce what happened in the situation they are dealing with or find the solution to the problem at hand they must gather the facts. Both pay attention to detail, Holmes even said, â€Å"To a great mind, nothing is little.† (27) They consider everything – the unordinary to the obvious and the perplexing to the straightforward. Each of the characters has attained a myriad of knowledge which aids them in their reasoning. For the Doctor; he has learned things through experience. He has lived for thousands of years as he is not human and is like an eternal being, in that it can be assumed that he knows just about everything. Holmes’ knowledge, however, comes from experimentation that he conducts in his free time. Curiously, neither was formally educated, yet has a particular interest in sciences. When investigating a clue Agatha Christie commented, â€Å"there you go with the science stuff again!† (Dr. Who) which implies that he has already demonstrated his efficacy of science. With their arsenals of intelligence, Holmes and the Doctor will always prevail. Members of the detective archetype tend to be isolated from society and Holmes and the Doctor live up to that stereotype. In Homes’ case he chooses to be introverted and would rather spend time alone. Because he has a certain haughty narcissism it makes him believe that he is too good for others. When asked if he enjoys the literary works of Gaboriau and his detective Lecoq, Holmes â€Å"sniffs sardonically† and responds in an â€Å"angry voice†, claiming the book had made him â€Å"positively ill.† (14) The Doctor, on the other hand, would choose to be extroverted yet the circumstances of his life do not allow this. He is the last of his kind and does not fit anywhere; he is forced to live a life with few lasting relationships. Sherlock Holmes has few hobbies and most of them keep him isolated from other people. What he enjoys, other than experiments, is playing the violin while he thinks about current cases he is working on. Another hobby of his that his assistant Watson intimated is the use of narcotics. Watson suggests â€Å"On [some] occasions I have noticed such a dreamy vacant expression in his eyes that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic† (10) Not only is Watson his assistant, but he is the only true friend of Holmes. Likewise, the Doctors’ assistant, Donna, is the only one who remains with him. Theirs assistants are not just there, but they help the detectives solve problems. More importantly, they make Holmes and the Doctor not seem so out of place. Hyperactivity is another characteristic of the detective archetype that both Holmes and the Doctor share. They constantly jump from one thought to the other. When the Doctor rambles on to himself about the time he spent during Charlemagne’s rule Christie questions, â€Å"but that was centuries ago.† The Doctor replies â€Å"I have a good memory† (Doctor Who) and moves on to his next thought. As the moment has passed he quickly shifts to the next thought on his mind. Similar to this, Holmes switches subjects rather frequently. In one instance Holmes was able to deduce a man’s background before Watson would even attempt to. To Watson he was merely a â€Å"fellow† â€Å"walking down the other side of the street.† Without even thinking about it Holmes replies, â€Å"You mean that retired sergeant of Marines.† â€Å"The thought had hardly passed through [Watson’s] mind† (14) by the time Holmes had moved on. Higher intelligence, isolation from society, and hyperactivity are qualities that make Holmes and the Doctor fit the detective archetype. Higher intelligence is used by the detectives to deduce information from and interpret the problem. By separating themselves from society the two can meditate on where their focus should be. Hyperactive by nature, these individuals are perfect for their roles. Despite the negative connotations of some of these characteristics, they are able to use them for their benefit to be successful.

Creativity In The Early Years

Creativity In The Early Years Creativity in an early years setting is difficult to define, although definitions have been provided on the basis of the attempting to define the process of creativity, the product of a persons creativity or the personal attributes that contribute to creativity. Creativity has, for example, been defined as, a novel and appropriate response to an open-ended task (Amabile and Hennessey, 1992) or as very much a processà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦often with no clearly identifiable outcomes or productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(allowing children the scope) to explore new possibilities and create new and exciting connections between people, places and thingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to discover meanings in their world (Department for Children, School and Families, 2007). I believe, from my personal point of view, that creativity is actually a mixture of all three of these perspectives: people who have certain attributes are more likely to be able to think, and respond, creatively to certain situations and tasks, via certain processes than people who lack these attributes. Creativity, however, is more than the possession of certain attributes and is certainly not linked to intelligence: it is a factor that individuals can bring to all aspects of their lives, in terms of solving problems in all aspects of their lives in terms of approaching tasks in a creative manner in order to find creative solutions to these tasks, be these artistic endeavors or tasks related to music, mathematics or science. As the Department for Children, School and Families (2007) explain, creativity can transform understanding by fostering critical thinking, allowing children to review, reinvent and make new meanings for themselves. Creativity thus understood defines all aspects of a childs school life, not only traditionally artistic endeavors but also all other disciplines such as mathematics and the sciences: creatively thinking about numbers, for example, can lead children to understand the beauty of mathematics and the fascinating world of physics, which can open their minds to new worlds and new possibilities. Teaching mathematics by rote, seeking only the right answers to set questions will only lead children to hate mathematics classes and to view mathematics as an abstracted idea that is not useful to them, practically, in their lives. Creativity, in this sense, then, can be fostered by encouraging children to explore their surroundings, allowing them to seek their own questions about their surroundings and helping them to arrive at interesting answers for their questions, where interesting answers can be understood as answers that will satisfy them and lead them to further questions. Guiding childrens learning in this manner can encourage creative thinking, giving power to childrens ideas and thoughts, allowing them to creatively solve problems. Allowing children to enjoy the process of thinking, of learning, of researching, can embody creativity in them, in terms of allowing them to develop their own creative responses to their learning experiences and their own creative ways of understanding the world around them. As Amabile and Hennessey (1992) argue, people will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction and challenges of the work itself rather than by external pressures with such self-directed motivation leading to higher incidences of creativity and self-determined competence. Self-determination, as Amabile and Hennessey (1992) argue, is central to the development of meaningful creativity, i.e., creative thinking that can have real meaning in the lives of children, allowing them to produce creative solutions to all problems they encounter. Creativity can only be fostered, and used in practice to develop meaningful ways of thinking, when three components are present: domain-relevant skills (such as knowledge, experience and talent in a particular domain); creativity-relevant skills (such as independent, flexible, risk-oriented thinking); and task motivation (with intrinsic, not extrinsic motivation being more likely to lead to creative thin king) (Amabile and Hennessey, 1992). As Duffy (2006) argues, the promotion of open-ended thinking, via the use of open-ended activities, can encourage creativity in young children, encouraging the development of creative solutions via experimentation, exploration, discovery and invention. This encouragement of open-ended thinking, argues Duffy (2006) makes learning more meaningful to young children, allowing them, as it does, the scope to develop their own thoughts about themselves, their environment and their relationships, allowing them to develop their own creative responses to the questions that arise for them, from this understanding. Creativity can, thus, argues Duffy (2006) be encouraged and can, through this encouragement, be learned, with its ramifications, as Craft (2002) argues, being lifewide, equipping young children with the tools they need to develop and maintain a positive, open-minded approach to learning. As Prentice (2000) argues, it can be difficult, within the structure of early years education, with its curriculum and its goals that have to be attained, to encourage such creative thinking, in terms of not having the space to foster the conditions most likely to promote creative thought and action. In my experience, classrooms are often not conducive to the fostering of creative thinking, rather being geared towards the attainment of curriculum goals, and right answer dominated thinking, i.e., teaching, and learning, aimed solely at getting the right answer, not at teaching, or, rather, engendering, creative thinking processes. My personal view of the topic is that creativity is a fundamentally important skill to teach to young children in an early years setting, in terms of equipping children with the tools they need to approach all of their subsequent learning and to move in to the world, in order to deal, not only with their academic work, but with all the situations that their life might present to them. Creative thinking, the creative invention of solutions to problems, can better help children to face not only their academic work but also their lives, allowing them to deal creatively with problems they might encounter, equipping them with the tools they need to move positively through their lives. Conclusion Creativity is fundamentally important in the early years setting, equipping children with a whole way of viewing, exploring and understanding their world, allowing them to explore new possibilities in the ways in which they learn. The importance of creativity in the early years setting cannot be underestimated and, in my personal view, more should be done to foster creativity in young children. Although the Early Years Foundation curriculum highlights that childrens creativity must be extended by the provision of support for their curiosity, exploration and playà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and (children) must be provided with opportunities to explore and share their thoughts, creativity, ideas and feelings (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009), recent research, as highlighted in this essay has shown that the forging lifelong, lifewide, creativity in children is a more intrinsic, more involved, more holistic process than simply providing children the opportunity to learn through pla y.

Sibling Society :: essays research papers

The Sibling Society by Robert Bly is a moving call for the rediscovery of adulthood. It is not about siblings in a family. Robert Bly has used the term â€Å"sibling society† as a metaphor to suggest that we are in a culture that doesn't look up to parents or to grandparents. What are these siblings like? The description of the â€Å"sibling society† builds throughout the book. They are a society of half-adults who lack dedication to causes, justices and caring. At what point do they become full-fledged adults? We are all perpetual half-adults pursuing our own pleasure. This pleasure has become the disease of our society. The need to stay young for adults has corrupted our society. The book’s array of anecdotes and examples attempt to prove a chilling point. The point is that our nation is one of adults regressing towards adolescence and adolescents with no desire to become adults. Where have all the grownups gone? In his interpretation of social change, he sees a society adolescent in its behavior, no matter what age or geographic location. â€Å"Sibling society† acts as a lens focusing on tendencies, habits and griefs we have all noticed. Of all these griefs and tendencies none is so destructive as the absence of fathers. The role of the father has gone through a drastic change. Fathers are no longer the sole center of the family, the breadwinners. In traditional society older men played an important role in rearing boys. But in our society the elderly is locked behind the doors of nursing homes and not around to pass down their wisdom. Respect for elders has given way to the furious competition of peers who strive not to be good but to be famous. Where have all the grownups gone? With single parents working full time jobs, babies are carted off to day care centers to have someone else raise them instead of their parents. In the sibling culture that Bly describes, the talk show replaces family. Television has robbed children of their ability to use their imagination just when it should be flowering. Instead of art, we have the Internet. Bly grieves computers as well, arguing that they have caused children to withdraw into an artificial world. In place of community we have the mall. Through his use of poetry and myth, Bly takes us beyond sociological statistics and tired psychobabble to see our problem anew.

Nelson Mandela’s Fight for Freedom

Imagine yourself growing up in a country where you might get thrown in jail for drinking from the wrong water fountain; where just because of your skin color, you get paid less money than your neighbor who has the same job; where you can’t even walk on the same sidewalk just because of the pigment in your skin. For Nelson Mandela, this situation was a reality. This style of living began in 1948 and, thanks to Mandela, ended in 1994. Problems began when the National Party—dominated by Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch settlers—came to power in South Africa. Segregation and mistreatment of the less superior—non-whites–became a government policy called â€Å"apartheid,† which means â€Å"apartness† in the Afrikaans language. Nelson Mandela refused to bow down to the unjust of the government. Instead, he became one of the most important warriors in the battle to free South Africa. â€Å"We are at the beginning of an arduous and protracted struggle for a better quality of life. In the course of this struggle, we shall have immediate success; we shall have setbacks; but we shall certainly progress, inch by inch, towards our goal,† Nelson Mandela wrote in his book, In His Own Words. Most of Mandela’s life was filled with many battles, tribulations, and hardships. Born on July 18th, 1918 in Umtata, South Africa, Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela studied to become a lawyer. He then joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944. The ANC formed in 1912. It is a multiracial, nationalist organization that intended to extend voting rights to everyone in South Africa. This organization was also aiming to end racial discrimination. Even after thirty years of peaceful petitions to the government, the ANC never achieved any concessions. During the apartheid, blacks and whites had different laws that they were to follow. Blacks were not allowed to vote in parliamentary areas, for example, and they were limited in their use of most public places and institutions. Under apartheid, Africans, Europeans, and Indians all lived in separate homelands called â€Å"Bantustans. † While selected jobs were saved for whites, the leaders justified their rulings by guaranteeing that Africans would have full rights in their Bantustans. These full rights would grant Africans to have the poorest homes, schools, and hospitals. A majority of Africans disliked this system of apartheid. This also included Nelson Mandela. Protests were led by multiple leaders including Mandela. Some protests even ended deadly. For example, on March 21, 1960, an organization called, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), called for a protest against the laws. In Sharpeville, a crowd of unarmed petitioners surrounded the police station. The police opened fire in the crowd and killed sixty-nine people, while wounding many more. The government was fighting back; not even caring that the laws that they issued, and the consequences that were given for not following the laws, may or may not be proper. Protestors could also be arrested. For instance, after the South African government declared a State of Emergency, the ANC was banned. This meant that its members could be arrested and imprisoned for up to ten years. However, these activists were willing to accept the idea of imprisonment or even death, for equality was the only thing that was on their minds. Though Nelson Mandela was eventually forced to take action when the government banned the African National Congress (ANC), he remained non-violent. Mandela’s method of fighting back was a powerful weapon: his speeches and protests. He had a strong belief that all people, no matter what race, were equal. â€Å"South Africa belongs to all people, not to one group, be it black or white. † Because Mandela was so dedicated to his belief in equality, he had to pay a high price: his freedom. Mandela and his fellow leaders believed that not only should they continue to fight against apartheid, but that they should take up arms against the government. Mandela alleged that there were only two choices to make: surrender, or fight. On August 5, 1962, Nelson Mandela was arrested. He was disguised as a white friend’s chauffer. At this point in time, the government was arresting all black leaders that took part in the Anti- Apartheid movement. So, in an attempt to avoid being arrested, Mandela was forced to live apart from his family. He moved from place to place to avoid being detected by government informers and spies. Usually during important events, like rallies, he would often disguise himself as a chauffer or a gardener. Mandela was nicknamed, â€Å"the Black Pimpernel,† because he was so he was so successful at dodging the police. However, he was not successful enough. After being arrested, Mandela was charged with inciting strikes and illegally leaving the country. He had often traveled to countries in North and West Africa to gain support. He also traveled to England where he met politicians. Throughout his trial—the Rivonia Trial—Mandela carried out his own defense. In the end, Mandela was found guilty and sentenced to prison at Robben Island for five years. This jail was bleak, unwelcoming, and depressing. It is about 7. 5 miles off the coast of Cape Town. Robben Island was one of the harshest prisons in South Africa. The island was bitterly cold in the winter and scorching hot in the summer. Prisoners could only wear short trousers with no shoes. The imprisoned were to sleep on mats that lay out on their cell floor. Mandela’s cell was less than thirty-two square feet. He was confined to it for sixteen hours each day. Even while Mandela was in prison, he still gave hope to the people who carried on the struggle against Apartheid. Mandela was brought to court once more with all of the leaders of the ANC. All were charged with sabotage and attempting to overthrow government offences, which would have resulted in a death sentence. When Mandela spoke at the trial, he said that a free, ideal society was what he wished to live for and to achieve. â€Å"†¦ If needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. † No matter what the officials did to Mandela, he knew in his heart that no matter what the outcome was, he would indeed be free in the end. The judge sentenced the defendants to life imprisonment. The government anticipated that the prisoners on Robben Island would be forgotten. However, they were proven wrong. The anti- apartheid movement continued and a new movement to free Mandela even occurred. This movement actually went global. Nelson Mandela became the most famous political prisoner in the world. Leaders such as Desmond Tutu and Steven Biko continued to speak out against apartheid. Some, including Biko, paid with their lives. Some white South Africans even joined the anti-apartheid movement. Over the next months, outraged Africans rioted all over the country. Many were not willing to wait for change. During the 1980’s, the South African government offered to release Nelson Mandela multiple times. Each time the government asked, Mandela refused. In 1982, Mandela was moved from Robben Island to Pollsmoor Prison which is on the mainland in Cape Town. In 1985, Mandela was offered freedom on condition that he stopped campaigning for the ANC. Again he refused because he believed that he still was not technically free since the apartheid was still going on. â€Å"I cherish my own freedom, but†¦I will not give any undertaking when you and I, the people, are not free. † On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years. This day marked the beginning of the end of apartheid. In less than five years after his release, Nelson Mandela was granted the Nobel Peace Prize and was also elected the first African president of South Africa. In 1994, the apartheid officially ended when Nelson Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa. Today, because of Nelson Mandela’s self -sacrifice, the apartheid has been outlawed. Everyone in South Africa has equal rights and can now live comfortable, productive lives. Many see Mandela as one of the most important people in world history, and one of the strongest warriors. Even after the troubles of the apartheid are long forgotten, Mandela’s personal triumphs will be remembered. â€Å"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal the view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my walk is not yet ended. † Because of Nelson Mandela and other leaders, laws telling people what jobs they could hold, or where they could live based on the color of their skin were abolished. In 1997, observers noticed that most South African blacks continued to live in desperate poverty and in terrible conditions. Black schools still lacked basic necessities like books and chalk. Some schools didn’t have any windows. However, for the first time in years, the South African government was trying to correct the problems of racial inequality. It would take large amounts of time and money, but South Africans felt great hope that the deed of creating equality would be fully achieved.

Case Study: Starbucks’ Structure

Barista: This job contributes to Starbucks success by ensuring our service and store standards are met. We do this by providing customers with prompt service, quality beverages and products. Starbucks and partners will experience a friendly, upbeat and clean atmosphere. Key Responsibilities: Develops enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time. Welcomes and connects with every customer. Discover customer needs and appropriately suggests product with every customer to enhance service and meet sales goals. Offers customers demonstrations, and samples using brewing equipment.Howard Schultz became convinced that he could turn coffee drinking into a cultural experience. He had traveled to Italy and watched with interest as city dwellers would stop to begin the day at a coffee bar. Using the same type of model, Schultz purchased and opened his first location as Il Giornale. The company evolved into Starbucks, where multitudes of consumers began purchasing designer coffees, such as espresso, cappuccino, and coffee mocha. Store interiors encourage lounging and relaxing with a newspaper, magazine, laptop, or friends.Each cafe featured enticements such as jazz music in the background, additional merchandise to examine, and comfortable seating. (Reilly, Minnick, & Baack, 2011). Until the 2008 recession, Starbucks had continued to grow. Some of the units in larger cities experimented with selling additional products, including lunch service. Then a quickly collapsing economy, possibly coupled with other problems, including over expansion, sent the corporation on a downhill slide. Founder Howard Schultz worried that the addition of so many locations had watered down the Starbucks experience. Reilly, Minnick, & Baack, 2011).. Starbucks should be using is departmentalization by geographic region. Starbucks locations are all over the United States. According to our text, â€Å"Geographical departmentalization makes it possible to tailor managerial efforts that addres s territorial differences. †(Reilly, M. , Minnick, C. , & Baack, D. , 2011). Departmentalization can be defined as an effective organizational tool in that it involves dividing people up into different departments or divisions in which collections of tasks are placed together, such as accounting, marketing, and production.Going through Starbucks case study, the best suited departmentalization for Starbucks would be by Geographic Region. Starbucks has its financial affairs, legal affairs separated from stores. It has also added talent management, human resources and training and development as part of being specialized departments. This structure works, because it is separated from day to day business and does not interfere with store operations. This will help in the different locations to adapt the menu to accommodate. For example the Starbucks in Florida may sale more ice coffees than in Washington State where it is not as hot.When the increase of competition began the decli ne of sales for Starbucks, the leadership shouldn’t try to centralize power. With the leadership being centralized the organization may start making bad decisions because it only allows for two or three leaders to be overwhelmed and start making wrong decisions, where as if they were to have more ideas from their employees they may be able to come up with a structure that can help them through the decline of sales The configuration that best fits Starbucks would have to be the divisional organization.This is because Starbucks has different products and many business units all around the world. According to an article, Mintzberg’s Organizational Configurations, â€Å"The benefit of the divisional organization is that it allows the line managers to maintain more control and accountability. †(Mindtools, 2012). In conclusion, Starbucks organizations have been a great place for people to work, customers to hang out at, and overall a great place to have coffee.From wh at I see, the structure that Starbucks has been using, so far has been doing a good job. According to Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, â€Å"Starbucks continues to expand our global Starbucks footprint and accelerate the innovation and momentum in our CPG business† (Financial Release, 2011) ? References: CNN Money, (Feb. 7, 2011). CNN Money, 100 Best Companies to work for. Retrieved on September 10, 2012 fromhttp://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/snapshots/98. tml MindTools, (2012). Mintzberg’s Organizational Configurations, Understandingthe structure of your organization, retrieved on September 10, 2012 fromhttp://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newSTR_54. htm Reilly, M. , Minnick, C. , & Baack, D. (2011). The five functions of effective management. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Starbucks Coffee Company, (2012). Starbucks Investor Relations, 2011 Financial Release, retrieved on September 10, 2012

Strategic Marketing at Burberry

Content Page Introduction2 1. Business planning and developing a strategy. 3 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan. 3 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and mission 4 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis. 5 2. 3. 2. Vision and mission7 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 8 3. 3. Values8 3. 4. Classification of Burberry values. 8 3. 5. 3. Protect8 3. 5. 4. Explore9 3. 5. 5. Inspire 10 3.Monitoring and evaluating of Burberry strategic goals and objectives. 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction The report below tells about the history and development of the iconic luxury brand from Britain, Burberry. It reflects the company’s mission, vision and core purpose, which consequently form the values of the brand. The report indicates the key strategic goals and objectives, which form the competitive advantage of the company, how they are being monitored and evaluated.Having been found as a small shop in B asingstoke, Hampshire, by a young draper Thomas Burberry in 1856 and developed into a large world-know brand ever since, Burberry is one of the first names that springs in mind when it comes to fashion and luxury. [4] The company went through many-years history of change and development. However, the core Burberry product still remains the trench coat made out of the brand weatherproof but breathable Gabardine invented and introduced by Thomas Burberry himself in 1880. [4] Today, according to Business Weekly, Burberry is the 98th most valuable brand. 10] 1. Business planning and developing a strategy Creating the strategy of an organisation is a part of business planning, on one hand, but it is the essence of the strategic planning on the other, where the difference between the strategic plans and the business planning is only in timing of implementing and the process of evaluating the two. Different authors writing in the field of strategic marketing give various definitions of str ategic planning. However, all of them tend to agree in the fact that it always includes the major points below. Vision – developing a common â€Å"vision for the future† or a â€Å"conceptualization† of where an organisation wants or desires to be in the long-term;[10] * Assessment – appraising or determining where an organisation is currently (i. e. , its goals, objectives, activities, results, etc. );[10] * Strategies – identifying how an organisation will actually realise (via concrete and predetermined actions) its mission, goals, and objectives;[10] * Measurement – evaluating the progress of an organisation in the implementation of its action strategies. [10]The report below will be based on the resumptive understanding of the term as a process of formulating of the mission, vision and goals of the organization and choosing the specific paths for outlining and gaining the desired resources to be used in order to provide the successful f unctioning of an organisation in future. Strategic planning is a useful tool in making the decisions concerning the total management of an organisation. Its main purpose is to ensure the right amount of innovation and modification for the organisation to be able to respond to the changes on the market.However, creating a strategy does not lead to an immediate action, but it sets up the general direction for the company to follow in order for its fence-mending and growth. 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan One of the main features that characterizes the strategic plan is its possibility to be adapted to the ever changing circumstances initiated by both internal and external factors. Thus over the decades Burberry has been changing its strategy and approach to trading.So when the age of the globalization brought new strong competitors into the market new ways of winning the customers loyalty and preference were to be found. In the 2006 the current CEO Angela Ahrendts joins the company replacing Rose Maria Bravo, who managed to greatly expand the Burberry market share in the US. [6] Ahrendts modernizes every aspect of the company’s behaviour and positioning itself on the market having chosen an innovative five year strategic business plan. 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and missionAccording to the new plan the company concentrates its investment efforts on opening its own stores rather than on the wholesale, especially in London. The new CEO recognizes Burberry’s presence in its genuine way and major PR activity in this city precisely, as another way to emphasize the British heritage of the brand. However, Ahrendts points out there are 25 such â€Å"Londons †, where Burberry will strive for recognition and loyalty, which include such metropolises as Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, etc. 12] As due to the fact that the company produces luxury goods Ahrendts prefers to play more or less safe and concentrate on those parts of the world which are likely to be protected from the wider economic problems. As another crucial factor for the growth and development that Ahrendts chooses, predicting the future customer be younger, is the company to not maintain their traditional product line and merchandising way only, but to enhance it with the new design and presentation to be able to satisfy the demand of the new type of a customer.Thus the new strategy with the new vision and mission appeared that has brought changes into every area of the company. 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis According to Michael Porter â€Å"Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value†. [13]The creation and the development of a new strategy to manage such a diverse business with the global outreach as Burberry is very complex in nature. Depending on various both internal and extern al factors it often requires to be made in the uncertain situations.It also often involves the radical change in the current culture of an organisation which is always uneasy for the employees and may adversely affect the performance of the organisation. Being an international company with the Global outreach makes it challenging for the company like Burberry to develop and maintain the competitive strategy that will encourage financial growth and gain advantage on the market. Nevertheless, Angela Ahrendts chooses the most ambitious and strategic plan Burberry has had in almost 50 years. * Leveraging the franchise[4]Where the goals are brand momentum by consistent global articulation, marketing innovation and product excellence. * Intensifying the development of non-apparel[4] By focusing on the yet under-penetrated non-apparel categories, such as men’s collections, soft accessories collections and licensing the eyewear, fragrance, make-up and watches products globally. * Acc elerating retail-led growth[4] To change the static wholesale model of the company to a dynamic retail model by driving the productivity, putting the customer needs in the centre, and investment into opening new stores. Investing in the underpenetrated markets[4] The goals are engaging China, developing India and the Middle East markets and elevating the wholesale presence. * Pursuing operational excellence[4] To be recognised not only by operational excellence, but by product and marketing excellence. However, despite the most well-considered strategy a company is always dependent on both internal and external factors able to make an impact on its development and trade. PESTEL method will help to analyse the macro external environment Burberry may find difficult to deal with in order to realise its strategic plan.Political| Economical| Social| Technological| Environmental| Legal| Being an international company may create problems with possible tensions between the governments of th e countries where Burberry trading takes place| Continuous recession| Fairtrade responsibilitiesAnti-fur/ leather campaigns| New highly technological approaches to selling , buying and advertising the product appear| The impact on the Planet while manufacturing and transporting the goods | Different taxation and trading rules and regulations in different countries|However, not only the macro external factors, but the micro external factors too might cause obstacles for the company’s strategy. Michael Porter’s Five Forces analyses gives the clearest understanding of the micro external environment, which includes the threat of the existing competitive rivalry, threat of bargaining power of the suppliers, threat of substantial products, as well as the threat of the customer bargaining power and the threat of the new entrants. It can be seen from the scheme, that Burberry’s main existing competitors include Stella McCartney in the market of clothing and shoes (appar el); Hermes in the non-apparel market, e. . bags and scarfs; and Chanel to talk about make-up. Moreover there is also a threat from the substantial products, such as those produced by Sisley, Ted Baker and Karen Miller, which are not luxury brands, however do have a reputation of a great quality and they are also British. Which means in times of recession people might switch to them. There is a threat from the suppliers in case they would increase the price, as Burberry only works with those the members of the Ethical Trading Action Group.There is a threat coming from the customers too due to the fact that most of the Burberry products are fashion oriented, which means once they are out of fashion, people will refuse buying them. However, the threat of the new entrants is not essential, as even though the new brands may offer novelty, they cannot offer the name with such a rich background and heritage that Burberry has. All of these factors must be taken into consideration for Burbe rry current strategy to be successful. 2. 3. 2. Vision and missionWith the appointing of Angela Ahrendts as a CEO in 2006 when the Internet was booming bursting the opportunities of the global trade with its no-boarders possibilities, Burberry steps on a completely new path of high-tech cooperation with its customer. [5] With the core Burberry ideology of â€Å"The faster we move forward, it becomes even more critical to look back and never forget who we are and never forget where we came from. And what made this brand such a great global luxury brand today†[2] in mind Ahrends sets the new core purpose for Burberry. We had a vision† – she admits in one of the interviews – â€Å"And the vision was to be the first company who was fully digital from end-to-end†. [2] Ever since the company has been working on integrating various digital approaches to its business. Burberry’s advertising campaigns and catwalk shows became more and more technologic ally complex whereas the on-line trading on the contrary became easier and more available by the company’s partnering with various on-line selling platforms to take that vision and built the social enterprise.The experience expected was that the customer would have the total access to Burberry across any device anywhere and would get exactly the same feeling of the brand, feeling of the culture, regardless of where, when, how they were accessing the brand. Everyone now should be able come into Burberry world and see the Burberry journey and mission. The new vision enhanced the Burberry mission to sell its â€Å"distinctive Britishness† to the world with the new flavour of community that every customer is believed to become a part of buying or at least being interested in a Burberry product.Such attitude intends to create greater customer’s loyalty to the brand as this is the community, where one’s opinion in a way of a feedback is valued and appreciated. Even the personal preferences of how the core Burberry product should look like is taken into consideration from now on as the company launched www. artofthetrench. com web platform, where anyone can post their photos wearing a Burberry trench, moreover, can create their own trench coat based on the iconic trench from Burberry. Ahrendts goal is to deepen, broaden and vary the communication between the company and the customer through every activity the company is involved in.She emphasizes on the vital necessity of the cross-channel communication to be â€Å"totally connected to everyone who touches your brand†. [2] The new vision and the new additions to the established mission of the company have formed the brand’s new strategic intentions 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 3. 3. Values Burberry is a brand with over 150 years of history. [6] All that time the company has been run by the efforts of many people and, naturally, these people might have bee n of a completely different personalities, views and opinions. However, being a company, which in this case is Burberry, draw hese people together united not only by common vision of where the company is going, but also by the values, which in a context of a corporate culture set the behavioural norms of the company through years for everyone who entered it. Edgar H. Schein describes corporate values as â€Å"A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems†. 7] Burberry defines their core values as Protect, Explore and Inspire. Angela Ahrendts, Burberry’s CEO, often refers to the company as the â€Å"new and old company†[9] and such description definitely reflects the way the company constantly strives for the new opportunities, but always staying faithful to its old priorities. The essence of the Protect, Explore and Inspire company’s core values can be explained through the objectives of Burberry as an organization. 2. 2. Classification of Burberry values 2. 2. 1. Protect 1. Cultural value of the company to traditionally remain a â€Å"quintessentially British† brand.Burberry is proud of its rich heritage which has seen over a 150 years of British history. Thus the company is passionate about the the authenticity of their trade mark and core product in design and purpose, such as world-wide recognized trademark check and Prorsum horse logo and a traditional modern classic style trench coat. 2. Environmental value aims the environmental excellence of the company. Burberry is continuously aware about the environmental issues, such as climate change and carbon dioxide emissions and animal welfare, for example.The company is a member of the UN Global Compact and uses the Compact’s Ten Principles to guide its Corporate Responsibility activities. It is listed on the FTSE4Good Index and achieved the Carbon Trust Standard. [15] The work of the Business for Social Responsibility Sustainable Luxury Working Group, of which Burberry was a founding member, also continued this year, focusing on animal welfare guidelines and the exotic skins supply chain. As a result, the release of a common Animal Welfare Policy by the Group was communicated to Burberry suppliers, detailing its high expectations in respect of welfare standards. 15] Burberry is also a member of the Leather Working Group, supporting its efforts to improve transparency in the leather industry. Burberry does not utilise sandblasting on any of its products manufactured by or on behalf of the Group. [15] 3. Ethical value is in the desire of the brand to ensure the rights of their employees are highly valued and carefully followed. Burberry constantly shows its striving towards the improved C orporate Responsibility (CR) performance.To achieve long-term improvements in labour conditions, Burberry provides support and resources to suppliers to empower them to take responsibility for their factory and subcontractor conditions. The CR team delivers supplier training covering the Group’s ethical trading expectations, management systems and counsel on transparency and standards for subcontractors. [5] Burberry strongly believes that a policy of equal opportunity in employment is integral to the strength and growth of its business as a global brand with a diverse stakeholder and customer base.The company aims to ensure that the most capable job applicants are recruited and the most competent employees in the company progress. All decisions about people’s employment are based solely on an objective assessment of their suitability for the job. Burberry aims to maintain a working environment free from harassment or intimidation on discriminatory grounds and ensures that employment conditions and job requirements reflect its commitment to equal opportunities. [5] 2. 2. 2. Explore Burberry values in that area are very much business oriented.Thomas Burberry, the founder of the brand, explored the world of outerwear of his generation by inventing his sensational waterproof Gabardine and a trench coat, which none has ever seen nor worn before. Today Burberry’s aims to expand its production range to make it as diverse as possible to increase the market share. However at the moment the range already goes from the core innovative outerwear to not only womenswear and menswear, but to the non-apparel items, e. g. accessories, watches, childrenswear and even some home decoration items. 8] Burberry has always been aiming for the new markets: first sports and outdoors, then military usage and later civilian clothing. Now that the company has established itself on the different types of market, it is striving for the geographical expansion taking mar kets throughout the world, with a balance across major geographic regions. 2. 2. 3. Inspire They are the Burberry social objectives. Burberry believes that contributing into the local communities the company works with will make a positive impact.In 2008 Burberry established the Burberry Foundation charity organisation the purpose of which was to help young people realise their potential through fashion and creativity, built their confidence and self-esteem. [9] 3. Monitoring and evaluating of the strategic goals and objectives Ahrendts approach to monitoring and evaluating of the strategy execution and achieving the goals is â€Å"Divide and conquer†. According to that there were particular teams created to monitor and evaluate particular aspect of the new strategy. Design team, headed by Chief Creative Office, responsible for everything the consumer sees, including merchandising and creative media;[4] †¢Marketing team responsible for integrated advertising, PR and comm unications functions, which together focus on building and elevating brand awareness through traditional and digital media;[4] †¢Digital commerce newly-formed team, driving digital commerce globally to accelerate the brand’s digital leadership position in the luxury sector and help unlock the huge opportunities in this high-growth channel;[4] †¢Merchandising and planning team, which assorts, procures, and analyses the global collections in alignment with brand initiatives and commercial opportunities. [4] Every year Burberry reveals their annual results and achievements according to the itinerary in their annual report. ConclusionA straight forward highly innovative strategy by the new Burberry CEO caused uncertain reaction from different people in 2006 as well as it still causes doubts. Some think those were unnecessary changes, which made Burberry loose its original look and spirit, and some believe it was the best thing that have happened to Burberry in the last 50 years. However, the facts and numbers indicate that Burberry grew up to 500 stores in over 50 countries and led to increase the total revenue up to +23% in five years by September 2012 with the on-line sales increase in 50%. [3] Almost certainly the course has been changing during those five years due to the macro and micro external factors, which were indicated above.Nonetheless, it is obvious that creating a relevant and detailed strategic business plan and a consistent monitoring of its results and execution are crucial for a successful management of the company. Also, the earliest possible setting of the strategic goals and stating the company’s vision and mission and staying faithful to them makes the strategic plan effective. And in conclusion, understanding the values of an organisation will keep the corporate culture of the company stable, which is directly linked to productivity and job satisfaction among employees. References 1. Angela Ahrendts. (2011). Burberry uses salesforce com to create the ultimate Social Enterprise. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=oRpLo44nUEQ. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 2.Angela Ahrendts. (2011). The Young-Old Company – Angela Ahrendts, Burberry. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=_i50d6wiCBc. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 3. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012 4. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 5. BW staff. (2009). The 100 Best Global Brands 2009. Available: http://images. businessweek. com/ss/09/09/0917_global_brands/4. htm . Last Strategic Marketing at Burberry Content Page Introduction2 1. Business planning and developing a strategy. 3 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan. 3 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and mission 4 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis. 5 2. 3. 2. Vision and mission7 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 8 3. 3. Values8 3. 4. Classification of Burberry values. 8 3. 5. 3. Protect8 3. 5. 4. Explore9 3. 5. 5. Inspire 10 3.Monitoring and evaluating of Burberry strategic goals and objectives. 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction The report below tells about the history and development of the iconic luxury brand from Britain, Burberry. It reflects the company’s mission, vision and core purpose, which consequently form the values of the brand. The report indicates the key strategic goals and objectives, which form the competitive advantage of the company, how they are being monitored and evaluated.Having been found as a small shop in B asingstoke, Hampshire, by a young draper Thomas Burberry in 1856 and developed into a large world-know brand ever since, Burberry is one of the first names that springs in mind when it comes to fashion and luxury. [4] The company went through many-years history of change and development. However, the core Burberry product still remains the trench coat made out of the brand weatherproof but breathable Gabardine invented and introduced by Thomas Burberry himself in 1880. [4] Today, according to Business Weekly, Burberry is the 98th most valuable brand. 10] 1. Business planning and developing a strategy Creating the strategy of an organisation is a part of business planning, on one hand, but it is the essence of the strategic planning on the other, where the difference between the strategic plans and the business planning is only in timing of implementing and the process of evaluating the two. Different authors writing in the field of strategic marketing give various definitions of str ategic planning. However, all of them tend to agree in the fact that it always includes the major points below. Vision – developing a common â€Å"vision for the future† or a â€Å"conceptualization† of where an organisation wants or desires to be in the long-term;[10] * Assessment – appraising or determining where an organisation is currently (i. e. , its goals, objectives, activities, results, etc. );[10] * Strategies – identifying how an organisation will actually realise (via concrete and predetermined actions) its mission, goals, and objectives;[10] * Measurement – evaluating the progress of an organisation in the implementation of its action strategies. [10]The report below will be based on the resumptive understanding of the term as a process of formulating of the mission, vision and goals of the organization and choosing the specific paths for outlining and gaining the desired resources to be used in order to provide the successful f unctioning of an organisation in future. Strategic planning is a useful tool in making the decisions concerning the total management of an organisation. Its main purpose is to ensure the right amount of innovation and modification for the organisation to be able to respond to the changes on the market.However, creating a strategy does not lead to an immediate action, but it sets up the general direction for the company to follow in order for its fence-mending and growth. 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan One of the main features that characterizes the strategic plan is its possibility to be adapted to the ever changing circumstances initiated by both internal and external factors. Thus over the decades Burberry has been changing its strategy and approach to trading.So when the age of the globalization brought new strong competitors into the market new ways of winning the customers loyalty and preference were to be found. In the 2006 the current CEO Angela Ahrendts joins the company replacing Rose Maria Bravo, who managed to greatly expand the Burberry market share in the US. [6] Ahrendts modernizes every aspect of the company’s behaviour and positioning itself on the market having chosen an innovative five year strategic business plan. 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and missionAccording to the new plan the company concentrates its investment efforts on opening its own stores rather than on the wholesale, especially in London. The new CEO recognizes Burberry’s presence in its genuine way and major PR activity in this city precisely, as another way to emphasize the British heritage of the brand. However, Ahrendts points out there are 25 such â€Å"Londons †, where Burberry will strive for recognition and loyalty, which include such metropolises as Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, etc. 12] As due to the fact that the company produces luxury goods Ahrendts prefers to play more or less safe and concentrate on those parts of the world which are likely to be protected from the wider economic problems. As another crucial factor for the growth and development that Ahrendts chooses, predicting the future customer be younger, is the company to not maintain their traditional product line and merchandising way only, but to enhance it with the new design and presentation to be able to satisfy the demand of the new type of a customer.Thus the new strategy with the new vision and mission appeared that has brought changes into every area of the company. 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis According to Michael Porter â€Å"Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value†. [13]The creation and the development of a new strategy to manage such a diverse business with the global outreach as Burberry is very complex in nature. Depending on various both internal and extern al factors it often requires to be made in the uncertain situations.It also often involves the radical change in the current culture of an organisation which is always uneasy for the employees and may adversely affect the performance of the organisation. Being an international company with the Global outreach makes it challenging for the company like Burberry to develop and maintain the competitive strategy that will encourage financial growth and gain advantage on the market. Nevertheless, Angela Ahrendts chooses the most ambitious and strategic plan Burberry has had in almost 50 years. * Leveraging the franchise[4]Where the goals are brand momentum by consistent global articulation, marketing innovation and product excellence. * Intensifying the development of non-apparel[4] By focusing on the yet under-penetrated non-apparel categories, such as men’s collections, soft accessories collections and licensing the eyewear, fragrance, make-up and watches products globally. * Acc elerating retail-led growth[4] To change the static wholesale model of the company to a dynamic retail model by driving the productivity, putting the customer needs in the centre, and investment into opening new stores. Investing in the underpenetrated markets[4] The goals are engaging China, developing India and the Middle East markets and elevating the wholesale presence. * Pursuing operational excellence[4] To be recognised not only by operational excellence, but by product and marketing excellence. However, despite the most well-considered strategy a company is always dependent on both internal and external factors able to make an impact on its development and trade. PESTEL method will help to analyse the macro external environment Burberry may find difficult to deal with in order to realise its strategic plan.Political| Economical| Social| Technological| Environmental| Legal| Being an international company may create problems with possible tensions between the governments of th e countries where Burberry trading takes place| Continuous recession| Fairtrade responsibilitiesAnti-fur/ leather campaigns| New highly technological approaches to selling , buying and advertising the product appear| The impact on the Planet while manufacturing and transporting the goods | Different taxation and trading rules and regulations in different countries|However, not only the macro external factors, but the micro external factors too might cause obstacles for the company’s strategy. Michael Porter’s Five Forces analyses gives the clearest understanding of the micro external environment, which includes the threat of the existing competitive rivalry, threat of bargaining power of the suppliers, threat of substantial products, as well as the threat of the customer bargaining power and the threat of the new entrants. It can be seen from the scheme, that Burberry’s main existing competitors include Stella McCartney in the market of clothing and shoes (appar el); Hermes in the non-apparel market, e. . bags and scarfs; and Chanel to talk about make-up. Moreover there is also a threat from the substantial products, such as those produced by Sisley, Ted Baker and Karen Miller, which are not luxury brands, however do have a reputation of a great quality and they are also British. Which means in times of recession people might switch to them. There is a threat from the suppliers in case they would increase the price, as Burberry only works with those the members of the Ethical Trading Action Group.There is a threat coming from the customers too due to the fact that most of the Burberry products are fashion oriented, which means once they are out of fashion, people will refuse buying them. However, the threat of the new entrants is not essential, as even though the new brands may offer novelty, they cannot offer the name with such a rich background and heritage that Burberry has. All of these factors must be taken into consideration for Burbe rry current strategy to be successful. 2. 3. 2. Vision and missionWith the appointing of Angela Ahrendts as a CEO in 2006 when the Internet was booming bursting the opportunities of the global trade with its no-boarders possibilities, Burberry steps on a completely new path of high-tech cooperation with its customer. [5] With the core Burberry ideology of â€Å"The faster we move forward, it becomes even more critical to look back and never forget who we are and never forget where we came from. And what made this brand such a great global luxury brand today†[2] in mind Ahrends sets the new core purpose for Burberry. We had a vision† – she admits in one of the interviews – â€Å"And the vision was to be the first company who was fully digital from end-to-end†. [2] Ever since the company has been working on integrating various digital approaches to its business. Burberry’s advertising campaigns and catwalk shows became more and more technologic ally complex whereas the on-line trading on the contrary became easier and more available by the company’s partnering with various on-line selling platforms to take that vision and built the social enterprise.The experience expected was that the customer would have the total access to Burberry across any device anywhere and would get exactly the same feeling of the brand, feeling of the culture, regardless of where, when, how they were accessing the brand. Everyone now should be able come into Burberry world and see the Burberry journey and mission. The new vision enhanced the Burberry mission to sell its â€Å"distinctive Britishness† to the world with the new flavour of community that every customer is believed to become a part of buying or at least being interested in a Burberry product.Such attitude intends to create greater customer’s loyalty to the brand as this is the community, where one’s opinion in a way of a feedback is valued and appreciated. Even the personal preferences of how the core Burberry product should look like is taken into consideration from now on as the company launched www. artofthetrench. com web platform, where anyone can post their photos wearing a Burberry trench, moreover, can create their own trench coat based on the iconic trench from Burberry. Ahrendts goal is to deepen, broaden and vary the communication between the company and the customer through every activity the company is involved in.She emphasizes on the vital necessity of the cross-channel communication to be â€Å"totally connected to everyone who touches your brand†. [2] The new vision and the new additions to the established mission of the company have formed the brand’s new strategic intentions 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 3. 3. Values Burberry is a brand with over 150 years of history. [6] All that time the company has been run by the efforts of many people and, naturally, these people might have bee n of a completely different personalities, views and opinions. However, being a company, which in this case is Burberry, draw hese people together united not only by common vision of where the company is going, but also by the values, which in a context of a corporate culture set the behavioural norms of the company through years for everyone who entered it. Edgar H. Schein describes corporate values as â€Å"A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems†. 7] Burberry defines their core values as Protect, Explore and Inspire. Angela Ahrendts, Burberry’s CEO, often refers to the company as the â€Å"new and old company†[9] and such description definitely reflects the way the company constantly strives for the new opportunities, but always staying faithful to its old priorities. The essence of the Protect, Explore and Inspire company’s core values can be explained through the objectives of Burberry as an organization. 2. 2. Classification of Burberry values 2. 2. 1. Protect 1. Cultural value of the company to traditionally remain a â€Å"quintessentially British† brand.Burberry is proud of its rich heritage which has seen over a 150 years of British history. Thus the company is passionate about the the authenticity of their trade mark and core product in design and purpose, such as world-wide recognized trademark check and Prorsum horse logo and a traditional modern classic style trench coat. 2. Environmental value aims the environmental excellence of the company. Burberry is continuously aware about the environmental issues, such as climate change and carbon dioxide emissions and animal welfare, for example.The company is a member of the UN Global Compact and uses the Compact’s Ten Principles to guide its Corporate Responsibility activities. It is listed on the FTSE4Good Index and achieved the Carbon Trust Standard. [15] The work of the Business for Social Responsibility Sustainable Luxury Working Group, of which Burberry was a founding member, also continued this year, focusing on animal welfare guidelines and the exotic skins supply chain. As a result, the release of a common Animal Welfare Policy by the Group was communicated to Burberry suppliers, detailing its high expectations in respect of welfare standards. 15] Burberry is also a member of the Leather Working Group, supporting its efforts to improve transparency in the leather industry. Burberry does not utilise sandblasting on any of its products manufactured by or on behalf of the Group. [15] 3. Ethical value is in the desire of the brand to ensure the rights of their employees are highly valued and carefully followed. Burberry constantly shows its striving towards the improved C orporate Responsibility (CR) performance.To achieve long-term improvements in labour conditions, Burberry provides support and resources to suppliers to empower them to take responsibility for their factory and subcontractor conditions. The CR team delivers supplier training covering the Group’s ethical trading expectations, management systems and counsel on transparency and standards for subcontractors. [5] Burberry strongly believes that a policy of equal opportunity in employment is integral to the strength and growth of its business as a global brand with a diverse stakeholder and customer base.The company aims to ensure that the most capable job applicants are recruited and the most competent employees in the company progress. All decisions about people’s employment are based solely on an objective assessment of their suitability for the job. Burberry aims to maintain a working environment free from harassment or intimidation on discriminatory grounds and ensures that employment conditions and job requirements reflect its commitment to equal opportunities. [5] 2. 2. 2. Explore Burberry values in that area are very much business oriented.Thomas Burberry, the founder of the brand, explored the world of outerwear of his generation by inventing his sensational waterproof Gabardine and a trench coat, which none has ever seen nor worn before. Today Burberry’s aims to expand its production range to make it as diverse as possible to increase the market share. However at the moment the range already goes from the core innovative outerwear to not only womenswear and menswear, but to the non-apparel items, e. g. accessories, watches, childrenswear and even some home decoration items. 8] Burberry has always been aiming for the new markets: first sports and outdoors, then military usage and later civilian clothing. Now that the company has established itself on the different types of market, it is striving for the geographical expansion taking mar kets throughout the world, with a balance across major geographic regions. 2. 2. 3. Inspire They are the Burberry social objectives. Burberry believes that contributing into the local communities the company works with will make a positive impact.In 2008 Burberry established the Burberry Foundation charity organisation the purpose of which was to help young people realise their potential through fashion and creativity, built their confidence and self-esteem. [9] 3. Monitoring and evaluating of the strategic goals and objectives Ahrendts approach to monitoring and evaluating of the strategy execution and achieving the goals is â€Å"Divide and conquer†. According to that there were particular teams created to monitor and evaluate particular aspect of the new strategy. Design team, headed by Chief Creative Office, responsible for everything the consumer sees, including merchandising and creative media;[4] †¢Marketing team responsible for integrated advertising, PR and comm unications functions, which together focus on building and elevating brand awareness through traditional and digital media;[4] †¢Digital commerce newly-formed team, driving digital commerce globally to accelerate the brand’s digital leadership position in the luxury sector and help unlock the huge opportunities in this high-growth channel;[4] †¢Merchandising and planning team, which assorts, procures, and analyses the global collections in alignment with brand initiatives and commercial opportunities. [4] Every year Burberry reveals their annual results and achievements according to the itinerary in their annual report. ConclusionA straight forward highly innovative strategy by the new Burberry CEO caused uncertain reaction from different people in 2006 as well as it still causes doubts. Some think those were unnecessary changes, which made Burberry loose its original look and spirit, and some believe it was the best thing that have happened to Burberry in the last 50 years. However, the facts and numbers indicate that Burberry grew up to 500 stores in over 50 countries and led to increase the total revenue up to +23% in five years by September 2012 with the on-line sales increase in 50%. [3] Almost certainly the course has been changing during those five years due to the macro and micro external factors, which were indicated above.Nonetheless, it is obvious that creating a relevant and detailed strategic business plan and a consistent monitoring of its results and execution are crucial for a successful management of the company. Also, the earliest possible setting of the strategic goals and stating the company’s vision and mission and staying faithful to them makes the strategic plan effective. And in conclusion, understanding the values of an organisation will keep the corporate culture of the company stable, which is directly linked to productivity and job satisfaction among employees. References 1. Angela Ahrendts. (2011). Burberry uses salesforce com to create the ultimate Social Enterprise. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=oRpLo44nUEQ. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 2.Angela Ahrendts. (2011). The Young-Old Company – Angela Ahrendts, Burberry. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=_i50d6wiCBc. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 3. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012 4. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 5. BW staff. (2009). The 100 Best Global Brands 2009. Available: http://images. businessweek. com/ss/09/09/0917_global_brands/4. htm . Last