Success

Due to the Wall Street Crash in 1933 the New Deal was introduced. The New Deal helped the unemployment problem but did not solve it. The New Deal stopped things from getting any worse in the short term, however in the long term only World War two solved the unemployment crisis. Some historians believe that the New Deal was partly a success and partly a failure. In the opinion I think that the New Deal was a success.

The New Deal had aimed to provide relief through the Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA), this aimed to provide direct cash to the needy. $500 million has been given to states to help the starving and homeless people. The money was also used for employment schemes, nursing schools (so parents could go out during the day to find a job), soup kitchens, and blankets. The FERA was up to some point a success, for this aim many things had to be provided, if the government had stopped providing money this aim wouldn’t be a success.

The New Deal planned to re-build the economy by introducing the Emergency Banking Act, which aimed to solve the financial crisis after the Wall Street Crash. Every bank was closed for a four-day ‘bank holiday’ and only honest, well-run banks with enough cash were allowed to re-open. The Securities Act forced companies giving out new shares to provide full information about the company to the public. The New Deal never solved the underlying economic problems and the US economy took longer to recover than most European countries. Confidence remained low. Throughout the 1930s Americans only spent and invested about 75% of what they had before 1929. When Roosevelt cut the New Deal budget in 1937, the country had gone back into recession.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) also helped relief. This aim provided temporary work for four million men, school, airport, roads and even 150000 public toilets. The Public Works Administration (PWA) was given funds of $3300 million. It was used to buy materials and employ millions of skilled workers to build schools, housing, hospitals, bridges, courtrooms and dams. The PWA also built ten ships and 50 airports. But this solution was only short-term. The New Deal laws clearly dealt with the problem of poverty among black people and the poorest sector.

The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) gave the government power to control the prices. They paid farmers to produce less and destroy some of the food they had already produced. They hoped that food prices would rise because there were short supplies. The idea worked-between 1933 and 1939, farmers’ incomes doubled. However, the government was heavily criticized for this idea, the government was destroying food and forcing up prices to help farmers at a time when millions in the city were starving. The New Deal did a lot to help agriculture, however did have some problem it helped large firms the most and the problems of ‘dustbowl’ continued.

Projects such as the Tennessee valley authority (TVA) brought work and had improved peoples standard of living to deprived parts of the city. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was made to assure that all unemployed 18 to 25 year olds were given food and shelter in the countryside. They got paid 1 dollar a week they did conservation work-planted trees, dug canals, cleared footpaths and strengthened riverbanks against flooding. The Civilian Conservation Corps provided jobs for 2.5 million men. But the New Deal was blamed for giving jobs out for the sake of it, in 1941 6 million people were still left unemployed. Only when the USA entered the war the unemployment problem was solved.

The New Deal aimed to create a fairer society by using the National Recovery Administration (NRA), The NRA aimed to improve working conditions in the industry and strengthened the position of labour unions against industrial giants. The Wagner act forced all employers to allow trade unions to operate in their companies. The New Deal saw women achieving prominent positions. Eleanor Roosevelt became an important campaigner.

The Supreme Court thought that the New Deal did too much. They had to judge whether the New Deal was in line with the terms of the US Constitution. The judges in the court were conservative and did not like the way the New Deal allowed the government to become so involved in the economy. The judges found the National Industrial Recovery Act and the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) unlawful. Roosevelt did not want the judges to dismantle the whole New Deal. A

After he was re elected in 1936 he tried to change the judges so the court was pro New Deal. This did not work, but the court realized they could not change the New Deal.

In conclusion I think that The New Deal was a success as the Federal Government got involved for the first time. As well as this acts such as the WPA and the CWA provided relief for the economy. The Banking Act and the Securities Act helped solve financial problems and the AAA helped agriculture. The NRA improved working conditions in industry and women became high achievers. However there were some failures the problem of ‘dustbowl’ continued, unemployment did not go away, most New Deal laws were designed to help women rather than men and the New Deal had a lot of opposition. It was the war that finally solved the problem of unemployment.

Answered by Jacquelline Hill

The economy of plantations was based on the export of crops, so its success depended on many factors, such as established export links and productivity of the land. Southern plantations also existed at the expense of not paid slave work; that was the reason why Southern states were against the abolition of the slave trade at the Convention in 1787.

Negotiating with firms from different cultures face many challenges, from Initiating and smoothing communication to establishing long-lasting relationships and mutual 1 org mention about Chinese negotiators, they can be at once warm hosts and friends, then turning into tough bargainers (Seventies & Asian, 2008). The unique Chinese cultural elements, influencing by Confucianism, Taoism, and war stratagems, show the heavy reliance on interpersonal relationships instead of legal instruments and are included in the complexities of foreign business negotiations, and can make the process tougher and more protracted (Fang, 2006).

As for Thai cultures, Negotiating with executives from different cultures requires an understanding and adaptability o these differences. Special approaches for particular cultures may be needed. An international business negotiation within the Thai culture, in particular, would require a unique emphasis from other cultures to achieve positive results in negotiations. Buddhism and Green Jag, a unique Thai cultural indirect form of communication, have been the most influential factors for Thai negotiators.

These factors effect on how Thai people perceive themselves (Barr, 2004) The purpose of the study is to make a comparison of the preferred negotiation style follows in Chinese ND Thai business in business situation. This provides the background to understand the cultural roots of the negotiation process. The specific emphasis in this study has been placed on the following topics; the International business negotiation, the philosophical foundation of negotiation behavior and negotiation strategies.

The investigation aimed at the finding out the differences and similarities, which illustrated across the different cultures. 2. International Business Negotiation In this section, perspectives of definition and process of international business stagnation are reviewed. As explained by Gharry (1996), deliberate interaction of two or more social units, originating from different nations that are attempting to define or redefine their interdependence in a business matter.

Generally, the process of negotiation consists of three different negotiation stages including the pre-, actual negotiation, and post- stages. First of all, the pre-negotiation stage is the first stage of negotiation emphasizes getting to know each other, identifying the issues, and preparing for the negotiation process. The negotiation stage involves a face-to-face interaction, methods of persuasion, and the use of tactics. At this stage negotiators explore the differences in preferences and expectations related to developing an agreement.

Lastly, the post-negotiation stage relates to concessions, compromises, evaluating the agreement, and following-up (Gharry, 1996). 3. Theories: Hypotheses Five Cultural Dimensions Understanding the influence of culture in negotiation reduces confusion and misinterpretations in the process. Negotiators need to be aware of such cultural differences and become well prepared for them. This study employed Hefted 1991) proposed five cultural dimensions to assess the values, which characterize specific patterns in order to analyze the cultural diversity as following explanations.

The first dimension is social inequality or power distance, which is the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a culture and accept that power is distributed unequally. The second dimension relates to the the ties between individuals are either loose (individualism) or cohesive (collectivism). Negotiators from collectivist cultures tend to have a collective decision making recess and large negotiation teams. The concepts of masculinity and femininity also relate to negotiation style.

A masculine culture emphasizes assertiveness and competition. Negotiators from a high masculinity culture are task-oriented, whereas, negotiators from feminine cultures tend to be indirect, cooperative, and display harmonious relationships. Managing uncertainty refers to the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. Negotiators from a high uncertainty avoidance culture seek more information; require more clarification and explanation of issues.

Later Hefted added a fifth dimension: long-term orientation in life versus a short-term orientation. Partners with short-term orientation expect quick results and can be influenced by time pressure, whereas, long-time orientation adapt traditions to a modern context and value the necessity to establish a relationship (Hefted, 1991). 4. Culture roots of negotiation styles 4. 1 Impact of Chinese Cultures on Business Negotiation The dynamics of Chinese business negotiating style is driven by Chinese business culture.

The cultural factors that influence Chinese negotiation style consisting of Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese war stratagems. Traditional Chinese philosophies, largely, Confucianism, Taoism, and war stratagems have played the lead roles and influenced Chinese cultures for thousands years and the duty, courtesy, wisdom and trustworthiness have become the core cultural factors associated with Chinese business ethics until today (Lather et al, 2010).

People appreciate values of harmony, peaceful coexistence, kindness, modesty and sincerity in interpersonal relationship, which manifested these characteristics of Chinese business negotiation as patience Confucian virtue), an orientation towards harmonious relationships (Concept of Taoism), and survival instinct (War stratagem) (Seventies & Asian, 2008). ) Confucianism Confucianism, a form of moral ethics and practical doctrine of interpersonal relationships, encompasses from the perspective of negotiation six core values: moral cultivation; importance of interpersonal relationships; family orientation; respect for seniority and hierarchy; pursuit of harmony and avoidance of conflict; and the concept of face (Seventies & Asian, 2008). It) Taoism Taoism emphasizes the creativity of life and harmony with nature.

Conceptually, it sits as the key to life, finding the Tao, that is the law of nature, between two changing forces Yin and Yang, the negative and the positive, of the same phenomenon, which is to find a middle ground or compromise (Seventies & Asian, 2008). Yin and Yang depend on each other, exist within each other, give birth to each to the well-known statement of win-win solution in today negotiation scheme (subsets & Asian, 2008). 4. 2 Impact of Thai Cultures on Business Negotiation Buddhism mainly influences the unique business negotiation style of This.

Three essential dimensions of Buddhist practice: Wisdom, containing right understanding ND right intention; ethical conduct, containing right speech, right action and right livelihood; and finally, mental discipline, containing right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration, are adopted as a societal norm and indirectly influence the negotiation style of Thai people. Green Jag can be defined as, “being afraid of offending others or being considerate and deferent to others’ feelings. (Importations, 2002). 0 In other word, it is a unique cultural indirect form of high-context communication that associated with Individualism paradigm in Hypotheses cultural dimensions. Green Jag is a difficult concept to translate for it is a perception that operates intricately through many aspects of Thai life but the most accepted definition is, being afraid of offending others and being considerate and deferent to others ‘feelings (Importations, 2002). 5.

Chinese View of Negotiation The Chinese negotiator routinely examines and evaluates the state of Guiana and trust between the parties at the outset of negotiation, and then calibrates his negotiation strategies in dealing with the other party based on the Confucian principle of reciprocity. Therefore, it is of strategic importance, on the part of the foreign party, to attempt to create and maintain a genuine Guiana and a high degree of trust with its Chinese partner so that negotiations will take place in which parties use the cooperation strategy to ensure the maximum win-win for both.

Hypotheses five cultural dimensions has been emphasized to illustrate and briefly explain the bargaining styles of Chinese negotiators Table 1 Chinese Cultural Dimensions and Negotiation Styles Cultural Dimensionless Negotiation Styles Power Distance 80 The less powerful members of the social group typically afraid from expressing their opinion and suppress their contractor views. Rarely, if ever, do they challenge high authority or take personal responsibility to make decisions.

Individualism 20 Human ties leading to group, rather than individual, effort in business are more common China Masculinity Chinese culture is more masculine, achievement oriented because Risk averse and make decisions after careful evaluation of a large amount of information. Change is carefully measured, slow, and incremental during the negotiation. Long-term Orientation Chinese negotiation styles incorporate, in heir values, the teachings of Confucius and in particular the importance of perseverance and thrift, the conservation of resources, and investment for the future.

Source: Hefted, 1991; Buttery & Lung, 1997; Bienville, 2013; http://egger- hefted. Com/china. HTML According to Confucianism, negotiation in China is viewed as an ongoing, dynamic process that takes into account practical matters and context. The idea of Confucian gentleman, behaving on the basis of mutual trust and benefit seeking cooperation and “win-win” solutions for everybody to succeed, is adapted to creating contract- eased absolutes, which perceived as the primary purpose of Western-style negotiations (Fang, 2010). This study categorized the Chinese negotiation styles into four major criteria. ) The Focus on Relationships As mentioned earlier, the theme of Confucianism is relationships-based, particularly, interpersonal relationships. In Chinese perceptions, any relationship between businesses is ultimately built upon relationships between individuals. The Chinese word for negotiation “tan pan” combines the characters meaning “to discuss” and “to judge. ” From a Chinese perspective, negotiation exists primarily as a mechanism for alluding trust so that two parties can work together for the benefit of both (Needed, 2010). Ii) Respect for Hierarchy Hierarchy is the key features of Confucianism relationships (Seventies & Asian, 2008).

Therefore, Failure to honor these characteristics can damage interpersonal relationships as well as mutual trust among negotiating parties. In particular, the Chinese pay more attention to hierarchy. Hierarchy is reflected in the way Chinese people address and greet each other, who speaks during meetings, and how decisions are made. The leader of the Chinese team, who would most likely be tanning in the middle of the room, would be the first to receive a greeting from the guest, otherwise it is considered as a highly impoliteness. (Seventies & Asian, 2008). Ii) Face-saving Social standing, called liana or “face” in Chinese society, is critical to the achievement of wealth and power. Failure to follow Confucius’ moral code in business will lead to public disapproval, a powerful force that can negatively affect both aspects of face, jeopardizing prestige and, by impugning character, capability, and personal integrity, which is to say, reputation, Jeopardizing as well the comfort and convenience that tends respectability (Wilhelm, 1994), which is why it is always difficult for Chinese to accept the “constructive criticism” approach during negotiation (Seventies & Asian, 2008). V) Trust and Ethics Being heavily influenced by Sun Tutu’s “art of war” and other historical war scenarios, the Chinese regard as ethical behavior the use of stratagems for handling hostile opponents or outsiders. Different interpretations of what is ethical under different circumstances constitute one of the many amorphous societal intersections that are the bane of negotiators (Seventies & Asian, 2008). Trust building in the Chinese orations on the use of hostages to engender trust might be a foreign party demonstrating long-term commitment by locating an office or purchasing real estate in China.

In order to deal with Chinese firms, three images are crucial to transforming a preliminary working relationship into a truly cooperative are a respectful individual, a sincere, trustworthy negotiator and a caring friend. All could be conducted by having Guiana (Seventies & Asian, 2008). However, the observation from this analysis is that the significant differences in negotiation style and culture can be accompanied by mutually unfavorable perceptions. Foreign firms may see Chinese negotiators as inefficient, vague, and perhaps even dishonest. . Thai view of negotiation Most Thai business negotiators have used a trial-and-error approach in negotiations. International negotiators tend to be more skillful as a result of learning through experience. Inexperienced business negotiators who want to be internationally effective have to learn more about the cultural aspect of business negotiations. Lack of preparation definitely impedes the development of an appropriate negotiation approach (Imprecations, 2006).

To facilitate better understanding of operating the equines negotiation in Thailand, the analysis of effective negotiation in this context has employed the Hypotheses five cultural dimensions to be criteria as the same as what has been conducted in China view of negotiation session. The types of outcomes relevant to successful international business negotiations are also identified. Table 2 Thai Cultural Dimensions and Negotiation Styles Power Distance 64 A negotiation team is led by a senior whoa re respected by younger members. Decisions are made at the top. Formal process and protocol are important.

Individualism 20 Compared with Westerners, This are more group- oriented. They maintain harmony and avoid direct confrontation. Masculinity 34 Thai culture is more feminine, emphasizing feelings and relationships, saving and giving face. They prefer compromise to resolve conflict. Uncertainty Avoidance 64 This are moderately comfortable in dealing with uncertainty. They are tolerant of deviation. Changes and adjustments are acceptable. Trust reduces uncertainty. Long-term Orientation 56 Thai culture is more long-term oriented than Western cultures. A negotiation will last for as long as it takes to establish a relationship.

It is not deadline oriented. Source: Hefted, 1991; Imprecations, 2006; http://egger- hefted. Com/Thailand. HTML According to this analysis, Thai culture is relatively hierarchical. The seniority of negotiators is respected. Thai culture is more group- oriented and caring. A long-term orientation is preferable. Uncertainty is also accepted, signifying a reasonable flexibility of the culture. From this perspective, Thai negotiators may perceive and conduct an international business negotiation from a very specific frame of reference, which will be substantially different from negotiators in other cultures. 7.

The Similarity and Differences of Negotiation negotiators from different countries. Cultural values can influence international business negotiations in significant and unexpected ways from the first to the last stage of a negotiation. Negotiations are the talks that take place before a contract, deal or covenant is reached. The process may or may not incorporate mechanisms for building trust so that two parties can work together for the benefit for both. The Chinese concept of negotiation rests on creating a framework for long-term cooperation and problem solving, while The Thai concept relies more on the proper aroma approaches.

Nonetheless, the successful negotiations can stem from a natural talent that is inherent to the makeup of some personalities by learning and understanding both concepts. Strategic preparation and cultural awareness can sharpen the competitive edge for companies negotiating in China and Thailand. 7. 1 Differences Cultural differences affect the process of negotiation much more than outcomes. This suggests a major divergence in the styles of Chinese and Thai negotiators related to Hypotheses cultural dimensions.

Masculinity: Consensus and harmony are more radical process factors in successful negotiations for both Chinese and Thai negotiators. Both negotiators concerns take first priority and prefer consensus between the partners before making a final decision (Imprecations, 2006). However, Chinese negotiators tend to be more driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner or best in field (Needed, 2010). On the other hand, Thai negotiators prefer consensus between the partners before making a final decision.

This creates an atmosphere which facilitates relationships, a highly valued by Thai partners (Imprecations, 2006). Uncertainty Avoidance: Foreign negotiators need to take more time than usual in preparing for negotiations (Imprecations, 2006) and gain as much knowledge about the partner’s situation, intent and capabilities when negotiating with This due to the high uncertainty avoidance culture. While, The nonverbal and personal relations are far more important than any written paper to the Chinese (Needed, 2010).

In term of logical coherence, it implies a rational approach, which can reduce the degree of uncertainty in the process. Thai negotiators identify logical coherence as a critical process factor s Logical coherence limits the uncertainty in the process, which related to the high uncertainty avoidance of the This. If the process is a more consistent, Thai negotiator expect that they can establish the clarity of the partner’s position in the process and negotiate to obtain the preferred outcome (Imprecations, 2006).

On the other hand, The nonverbal and personal relations are far more important to the Chinese than any signed contract because Chinese contract law allows contracts to be in written, oral or other forms (Gangues & Clapper, 2012). Long-term Orientation: both short-term and long-term, is considered in successful negotiations. Time is considered a resource and should be used effectively to contribute to an expected outcome. Chinese negotiators are concerned with future-oriented prospects and emphasize balanced results due to the teaching of Confucianism (Needed, 2010).

Thai executives are more involved in short-term negotiations and low sensitive to time. Thai executives are typically in short duration buying-selling negotiations (Imprecations, 2006).. 7. 2 Similarities negotiators. The findings on the process, which are not significantly different teens Chinese and Thai negotiators, include two dimensions in Hypotheses theory. Power Distance: It is customary that the foreigner shows his hand or proposal first when visiting the both Chinese and This. Protocol includes formality face, respect, and status that are important in a large power distance culture like Thailand.

Additionally, protocol helps reduce the unfamiliar or unexpected issues during the negotiations (Imprecations, 2006). Individualism: Both Chinese and Thai business negotiators significantly consider limits on the range of possible offers more important than International negotiators. The Chinese use negotiations as a way to build relationships over long extended periods of time. The signing of a contract in China signifies the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Chinese (Snakes et al, 2012).

Social mobility refers to the degree to which : members from a higher status move to a lower social category. Members from a lower social category moves to a higher status. People from emerging economies move to developed economies. People from developed economies move to emerging economies. Question 8 Political risk is associated with political changes that may negatively impact domestic ND foreign firms. Which statement about political risk is correct? Political risk only exists in communist countries.

Firms operating in democracies never confront political risk. Myth. Firms operating in democracies are subject to political risk. Political risk is a The firm that engages in foreign direct investment is: a global firm. A multinational enterprise. An international enterprise. A foreign direct investor. Question 10 What defines the field of global business more than anything else? The focus on firm performance around the globe The focus on ROI of the global venture The focus on maximizing profits while minimizing expenses The focus on global expansion Question 1 1 Which expression does the author use to describe contemporary globalization?

Global localization Total globalization Generalization Global standardization Question 12 Which of the following definitions of the international/global business represents the author’s view? A business that engages in international economic activities. The action of doing business abroad. Business around the globe including international and domestic business activities. All of these answers. Question 13 is/are measured as the sum of value added by resident firms, households, and government operating in an economy.

Gross national income Gross domestic product National reserves Question 14 Moral hazard is recklessness when organizations: do not have to face full consequences of their actions. Have to face full consequences of their actions. Are state owned. Are privately owned. Question 15 are defined as “fundamental and comprehensive changes introduced to the formal and informal rules of the game that affect organizations as players. ” Institutional transitions Opportunities Transaction costs Costs of doing business Question 16 Which of the following countries have a high-context culture?

Japan France Finland Canada Question 17 The world economy at present is an approximately: $10 trillion economy $23 trillion economy $60 trillion economy Question 18 An American firm operating in the Middle East struggles with enforcing rules against sexual discrimination against Muslim women working in its management. This is an example of: Ethical Relativism Ethical Responsibility Ethical Institution Ethical Imperialism Question 19 f globalization suggests that globalization is unable to keep going in one direction.

Opponents A long-run historical view A pendulum view A complete view Question 20 Why study global business? In order to increase one’s employability In order not to get Bandoleer or Shanghaied In order to better understand how to become a sought after, globe trotting manager All of these answers Question 21 According to the opening case, which country is the country of origin for this book? US is an individual’s ability to understand and adjust to new cultures. Cultural intelligence

Cultural awareness Cultural skills Cultural responsibility Question 23 refers to the internalized, taken for granted values and beliefs that guide individual and firm behavior. The normative pillar The regulatory pillar The cognitive pillar None of these answers Question 24 In order to answer the question: ‘What determines the success and failures of firms around the globe? “, the author introduces two core perspectives: Capability- and asset-based view Formal- and informal-rule-based view Ability- and mobility-based view Institution- and resource-based view

Whenever a company undertakes an advertising project, caution should be taken to avoid botched advertisement campaigns. Proper decisions can only be made if the company has a well laid out plan, has enough resources and has identified the target customers and their needs. Critical success factors for effective advertising and public relations assist the company to make informed choices so as to achieve the objectives of their campaigns.

Critical denotes that these success factors have to be taken seriously because failure to do so may result in poor results. The effectiveness of an advertising effort can always be measured by the results and achievement of the set objectives. To further understand the concept of critical success factors, a case study of the advertisement strategy used by ‘Jamba Juice’ is used. The paper then proceeds to scrutinize how the critical success factors were employed in this advertisement application.

Jamba Juice Case Study Summary

Jamba Juice’s specialty is the production of juices, blended beverages and snacks. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the company operates retail outlets and franchises which make a total of 700 outlets in California and 20 other states. The company’s objective was to increase the sale of its beverages and attract new customers to test their juice. An advertising campaign was set to start on June 19, 2007 and run up to July 3, 2007 (White, 2008).

Market study

Before carrying out their advertisement campaign, the company had perfected a study of the Californian market and concluded that out of every ten people, six people desired to live healthy and they would appreciate natural and nutritious beverages instead of artificial beverages. Further, the company found out that there out of the available blended beverages in the market, few companies offered real fruit varieties (White, 2008).

• Target Jamba Juice intended to increase its store sales by 11% by the end of the campaign.

Jamba Juice’s target was the redemption of 100,000 coupons within a 14-day period. The free drink offered was meant to attract more customers into the store and to reward existing customers so that they could create 65% or more repeat visits. Jamba Juice intended that at least 70,000 customers to benefit from the promotion. Since women predominate the Jamba Juice market, the campaign was mostly targeting women and hoped to add a few men into their list of customers (White, 2008).

Approach and Strategy

This was going to be a classic campaign and the strategy to be used was “BOGO” meaning Buy One Get One Free. This was an application of the free gifts campaign which was meant to attract customers to their stores. According to the head of marketing Paul Coletta they intended to attract new customers who were bound to like their juice once they tested it following the promotion (White, 2008). According to White (2008), Jamba Juice decided to do their advertisement purely on internet.

Different banner formats were created and placed in their website as well as other social sites and blogs. The banners invited viewers to click onto a web page where they could print the “BOGO” coupon to redeem their free beverage once they bought one of Jamba Juice’s products. Global web alliance was used covering over 950 web sites. The female target market could easily be reached on the Women’s Interest Vertical channel through Real Media’s 24/7 channel. Outbound emails were also sent to 62,000 Jamba Juice website subscribers (White, 2008).

Apple: Success in Global Market

Introduction and Company Background

            Established in the State of California in 1977, Apple has been one of the leading manufacturers of personal computers and software solutions in the domestic and international market. Furthermore, Apple is deemed to be the pioneer of personal computer revolution in the 1970’s with its Apple II and then reinvented the personal computer in the 1980’s with its Macintosh (Fundinguniverse.com, 2008). Apple manufactures Xserve G5 server, Mac OS X Operating System, and MacBook which serve as one of its sources of competitive advantages (Marketwatch.nytimes.com, 2008). At present, Apple expands its product lines from the manufacturing of personal computers and software solutions to media players. iPod made a great hit in the market and one of the top grosser in among the music player gadgets in the market. Since the launching of iPod in the market it has been one of the major contributors of Apple’s profit and market share leading to a more competitive company. The key of Apple success in the market lies on its innovative characteristics and advanced technologies that cope up with the present day needs of its target customers domestically and internationally.

Strengths of Apple

            Apple provides premium attention on its brand development – the area where its competitors is less focus, leading to its ‘healthy’ IT brands in the international market. Due to its stylish design yet technologically advanced personal computers and software solutions, Apple has been able to easily penetrate its target market and establish brand loyalty (Marketingteacher.com, 2008). Since the start of its international operation, Apple has become well known in the field of IT industry and competes at par with Microsoft.  Apple’s management concentrates not only on recruiting more customers but they also on focus on how to maintain the customers on their side by providing personal computers and software solutions that fits the tastes and preferences of the latter.

iPod and iTunes

            iPod – the first media player manufactured by Apple which started the entry of the latter to the media player industry and has a product line-up of iPod Classic, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, and the recent iPod touch. iPod was developed only in less than a year and was launched in October 2001 introduced as “Mac-compatible with a 5GB hard drive that put 1,000 songs in you pocket”. Medial players during those times can only store less than 100 songs, bulky, and has a low memory capacity. This is the main reason why iPod becomes “hit” since it introduction in 2001 since it is less bulky, stylish, has high memory capacity, and can store up to 1,000 songs. The total sales of iPod in the world market already reached 150 million as of April 2008 from the 120 million units sold in December 2007 making it the world’s best selling digital audio player series in history. In just 4 months, the total units of iPods sold in the international market have increased by 25 percent. As a result, Apple gained tremendous amount of profit and market share in the international market. The main reason why iPod successfully penetrates its target market and become so much in-demand in the market would be due to the fact that developers of iPod focused on the development of its user interface and ease of use rather than its technical capabilities, plus providing complementary software solution – iTune

            In order to complement iPod, iTune was developed by Apple and provides music library on the personal computer where one can rip, play, and burn music from CD. iPod users can also download songs using iTune since the latter is a software used to transfer music to other devices. Furthermore, iTune also can transfer photos, videos, games, e-mail messages and other supporting features that users can totally enjoy. In this regard, iTune successfully upgrade the ease of use of iPod users by providing downloading site and other complimentary services.

Competitive Advantage

            One of the sources of competitive advantages of Apple would be its high technology products in the market which its target customers prefer. This serve as the triggering factor why Apple’s products gains tremendous amount of sales and profit, take the case of iPod wherein in just a few years since it was introduced in the market, it already become the top selling media player in the market. Furthermore, Apple does not provide technologically advanced products in the market, it also pioneer in product innovation and development which conforms to the constantly changing tastes and preferences of today’s consumers.

            Another factor that serves to be the source of competitive advantages of Apple would be its skilled workers coming from various well-established IT companies like Steve Jobs who was a former employee of Atari – manufacturer of popular video games before becoming the CEO of Apple; Jonathan Rubinstein who was a former employee of Hewlett-Packard before becoming the chief engineer in Apple and developed the iPod. With these high skilled key officials of Apple, it is no wonder why the said IT Company has been able to produce high quality and technologically advanced personal computers, media players, and software solutions.

Conclusion

            Based from the above top selling products of Apple as well as its sources of competitive advantages, it has indeed one of the successful multinational companies in the international market and continuously producing high quality and technologically advanced personal computers, media players, and software solutions which its target consumers wanted. In the next coming years, further development on the present Apple products is predicted to dominate the market given the superb top officials of Apple and its advance technology.

References

Fundinguniverse.com (2008). Apple Computer, Inc. Retrieved May 19, 2008, from http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Apple-Computer-Inc-Company-History.html

Marketingteacher.com (2008). SWOT Analysis: Apple. Retrieved May 19, 2008, from http://www.marketingteacher.com/SWOT/apple_swot.htm

Marketwatch.nytimes.com (2008). Apple Inc. Retrieved May 19, 2008, from http://marketwatch.nytimes.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp?MW=http://marketwatch.nytimes.com/custom/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=AAPL&sid=609

Excellence vs.. Success Ohio Christian University 2 Excellence and success are two words that most people have a fear of either having or not having. Growing up in an ever changing world where technology was Just beginning, cell phones were giant radios that you would carry around in a big black box and the internet was rarely heard of by the hustle and bustle of every day common people, excellence was not even in my vocabulary. It seems to take a great number of us most of our adult life to live up to our full potential and sadly, many of us never do.

Johnston Nonstop 2004) defines excellence and success in a manner that anyone could understand. He says it is a certain life style, a manner of living, a hierarchy of values, an admirable self-imposed standard (p. 25). Excellence is determined by the individual defining it and, therefore, means for each of us the definition of excellence is different and on our own terms. According to Johnston (2004) success, on the other hand, is defined by cultural ideas, that “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’ (p. 30). The question is does success outweigh excellence in today’s society?

We are defined by our clothes, the cars we drive, the house we live in, our bank accounts and even our friends. We all strive for success, that pot of gold, but how many of us strive for excellence? Excellence and success can be prevented by a lack of confidence and fear. We seem to put unrealistic expectations on ourselves and that fear of failure prevents many of us from living up to our full potential, this I have learned from my own personal experience. For these two words 3 being so closely related, society seems to get them greatly confused. There was a time success was most important to me but not anymore.

When I was saved I began to strive for excellence Just by my actions. Living a life of Christ requires excellence which reminds me of a bible verse I read “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates”. (Proverbs 31 :31 XIV). My actions today need to reflect upon me when I reach the gates of heaven. I will make mistakes along the way because I am human but I also know that as long as I give 110 percent I am doing my best. References Johnston, J. , & Costing, K. W. (2004). Christian Excellence: Alternative to Success (2nd De. ). Franklin, TN: KOOK pub.