Pages:3

ENGL 220

Peer Revision Worksheet

 

Name of reviewer (you!):      __________________________

 

    Name of writer:                      __________________________

 

  1. Rules

You must complete this assignment no later than Saturday April 25 at 1:00 pm.

It should be emailed to both your writing partner and to Peter (220writing@gmail.com).

Failure to meet that deadline will result in a 1% deduction from your grade at the end of the semester.

 

  1. Steps
  2. Make a careful reading of the writer’s paper at least two times before doing anything else.
  3. Then, look for grammar and spelling errors and make as many corrections as you can find.
  4. Please make corrections on your partner’s paper – just as I did with your paper.
  5. Finally, go through each question on this sheet and give as detailed a response as

possible. Thanks! J

 

III. Format

Make an scan or photograph the edited essay and email the digitial file, along with this worksheet,

to your writing partner and to Peter. [Note: there are a variety of free document scanning apps available.]

 

PLEASE OFFER AS MUCH POLITE CRITICISM AS POSSIBLE – COMPLIMENTS ARE NICE BUT DON’T HELP WITH REVISIONS.

 

 

  1. What is the central idea in this paper? Underline the thesis sentence. Is it a statement of fact or opinion?

Can it be improved in any way to make it clearer or more original?

 

The central idea of the paper revolves around depicting the wrong doings of European colonists during the colonial period. It is not a statement but a fact. It can be improved through further in-depth research.

 

 

 

  1. Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence?

Is the idea expressed then developed for the rest of the paragraph?

 

Despite reading it twice, I found clarity in each paragraph with respect to the topic being discussed. Each paragraph that I keenly read makes a clear statement

 

 

 

  1. What is the most confusing thing about this draft? How can it be fixed?

 

There is nothing much confusing about the draft. The writer has made a clear statement and presented an

Un-Bias analysis of Heart of Darkness but Joseph Conrad.

 

 

  1. Do you need more information or detail? Be specific. Can you think of any extra information that would improve any paragraph? Consult the short story if you wish, to help you answer this question.

 

The details discussed in the review are to the point. As per the topic, the stance of the author remains intact with how a writing like Colonialism in Heart of Darkness should be discussed.

 

 

  1. Is there anything in this paper that you think the intended reader – in this case a teacher – would find confusing, not necessary or lacking?

 

 

At some points, there are working choice of words that could be fixed like “ridiculous things of European Colonialist”. This could be written as Ridiculous acts of European Colonialist.

 

 

  1. How does the paper end? Is there a good conclusion – does it seem memorable?

Is it in harmony with the opening thesis statement from the introduction?

 

The ending presents a clear and blunt picture of the brutal inhuman acts of the European Colonialist. As quoted, they literally were this much inhuman in their conducts as described.

 

 

  1. What is the single biggest change this draft needs to make it even better?

 

In order to remove some grammatical issues, it could be proof read again in order to make it look flawless. They would help it get even better.

 

  1. Are there any questions that you think the writer should ask Peter before s/he finishes the final draft?

 

Yes, regarding the accurate referencing if that is necessary. As there doesn’t seem to be any references added.

 

 

Pages:5

Abstract

This study investigates making ethical decisions across the globe. It explores how managers can incorporate ethical issues across the world and consider them in their decision making. A Literature review was conducted from peer viewed articles, and as per the findings, ethics and rule differ from culture to culture. Rules and ethics that apply in one part of the world won’t apply in other parts of the world. Yet specific laws apply similarly, including discrimination including gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Furthermore, the realization of the value of ethics in business also needs to be enforced down to each member of the hierarchy. Even if a single team member feels that the manager’s decision was biased in any case, he/ she will not have the same loyalty with the firm again and might go as far as making a petition against that brand. Ethical concern implies realizing that missing one transaction now is better than losing even more in the future, as the business has a reputation for not being truthful. Another realization was that the potential for ethical conflict is growing as companies from the US join China for production. While knowing the essence and history of both cultures will contribute to an appreciation of the basis of their ethical process. It’s essential that Western marketers realize the cultural differences of their competitors.

Introduction

Incorporating ethical principles in the business refers to using the norms of what defines ethical or unethical conduct in that community as the foundation in terms of the strategies and policies applied in a company. Ethics influences behavior inside any firm, from the owner to the lowest-ranked team member. The actions of the business heads towards clients, staff, and creditors impacts the conduct of its workers, who look up to him to set the norm. Compliance of strict ethical practices is mandatory, resulting in consumer satisfaction, higher productivity of staff, and having a strong and exemplary reputation in the market and the society. When global business ethics issue is brought up, most people automatically concentrate on corruption and bribery. This paper investigateshow managers can incorporate ethical consideration in decisions making.

Literature Review

P.C. Wright, in an article, describes the necessary economic reforms and the existing condition of business ethics in China. He explores the ethical precepts of a group of Chinese experts who are participating in a Mainland Chinese management learning program. The study provides a standard that not only tests the existing state of corporate ethics but also looks at potential improvements over the past five years. From these results, guidelines are established that are useful for policy-makers and executives wishing to conduct business with Chinese nationals.  (Wright, 2003)

Yongsun Paik, in an article, studies the importance of ethical decision-making while managing companies. Business ethics differs apply on all societies and functions alongside culture & time.Their study addresses 2 critical questions that were raised regarding the issue.As to whether the national differences in managerial theories regarding ethics continue over the period and whether how vital is this association amongst ethical decision making and a managers thinking process. They performed a survey on ethical decision-making while takingKorean managers as sample. A cross-cultural & cross-temporal comparison was established in line with the findings of the previous studies with the same questionnaire at different periods. Their research depicted that Korean managers have become more dependent on the rules applied globally in terms of ethical decision-making. (Paik, 2019)

Wendy S Becker is an article that discusses an exercise involving new employees to teach through a moral dilemma. A predicament where two or more beliefs contradict one another can’t work together. Ethical business dilemmas affect four significant areas: human resources, trust of customers, and corporate resource use. They realized that it is most challenging to define ethical dilemmas as they mix many different fields. New workers are particularly exposedto this because they are frequently fresh and have knowledge. They have not yetmixed into the organizational culture of that company. Management of human resources by providing orientation and training to the new employees can play a critical role in fostering an ethical culture of the organization. (Becker, 2010)

Dennis A. Pitta, in an article, discuss the value of knowing cultures from across the world. The study highlights that US advertisers are familiar with US ethics & principles. However, when Americans come across the emerging market giant, China, the norm can lead to building conflict related to ethics. The potential for ethical conflict is growing as companies from the US join China for production. While knowing the essence and history of both cultures will contribute to an appreciation of the basis of their ethical process. It’s essential that Western marketers grasp the aspirations of their competitors from around the world. Realizing the cultural foundations of these different cultures is integral to ethical conduct in both the US and China will provide a marketer with the skills required to be effective in the cross-cultural industry. Implementing that information with a simple set of management guidelines will make the importance of that understanding a reality. (Pitta, 1999)

 Discussion

Ethics in management practices differ from culture to culture, especially those practices that involve human resources. Local cultures change the way people perceive the relationship between employee and employer. There are no simple social rules in many societies that prohibit discriminations that’s based on age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability. Companies that neglect the needs of the community do not automatically face adverse repercussions. A small business owner who implements innovative approaches to help community members can gain rewards in terms of making such ads and get recognition from the industry.

Some businesses also have goals for recycling, eliminating waste, and donating to some local charities in their business plans. Ethical consideration includes recognizing that the organization and its staff are community members and have a duty to be positive contributors to community well-being and to protect the environment. Yet, it is integral to follow business ethics across the board.

Conclusion

It can be concluded on the fact that Management ethics are a central aspect of corporate ethics. It is the collection of moral values & convictions which influence each team member’s behavior. Although most people believe that ethics coincide explicitly with rules, this is not always the case. It also comes under management integrity to do the best thing for staff and clients, and to show the ability to go the extra mile. The application of these ethics globally needs firstly, the realization of the value of ethics in business. Even if a single team member feels that the manager’s decision was biased in any case, he/ she will not have the same loyalty with the firm again and might go as far as making a petition against that brand. Ethical concern implies realizing that missing one transaction now is better than losing even more in the future, as the business has a reputation for not being truthful.

References

Becker, W. S. (2010). Ethics and human resources: An exercise involving new employees. Journal of Human Resources Education, 26-34.

Kolk, A. (2016). The social responsibility of international business: From ethics and the environment to CSR and sustainable development. Journal of World Business, 23-34.

Paik, Y. (2019). Convergence in International Business Ethics? A Comparative Study of Ethical Philosophies, Thinking Style, and Ethical Decision-Making Between US and Korean Managers. Journal of Business Ethics, 839–855.

Pitta, D. A. (1999). Ethical issues across cultures: managing the differing managing the differing USA. JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, 240-256.

Wright, P. (2003). Ethical perceptions in China: the reality of business ethics in an international context. Management Decision, 180-189.

 

 

Pages:12

Executive summary

Punishment and degrading treatment are collective in jails and prisons. Some studies and courts view degrading treatment against human rights. This research essay entails the degrading treatment notion important to discard for some prisoners, an exception to severe criminals. The research about human rights, dignity, and respect illustrates key concepts about societal freedom, justice, and peace that should be followed. The current essay discusses the foundations of human rights and values required to maintain human dignity, even in prisons. The constitutionality of imprisonment is determined underage by the supreme court, no matter what is the sentence, offenders are to be treated with respect and provided due rights.

The research essay illustrates the role of degrading treatment in certain prisons of the UK and the US, where overcrowding is contributing to this notion. Imprisoned people are facing unhygienic conditions and no proper system to get food and medical aid. Judiciary favors human rights and highlights that if infliction of pain or excessive force is in good faith and not in a malicious way, it may be constitutional.

Introduction

Degrading treatment is supposed to increase the social value of punishment. According to traditional research, this is true, and the punishment that comes from prisoners, any physical illness, or resentment of guards is not considered in the criminal justice system (Bersani& Doherty, 2018). In English criminal law, punishment is not explicitly defined. It is also not possible to determine the effective punishment ways. In literature, there is a long debate about criminal punishment. It is related to offenders’ perceptions and experiences. Criminal punishment is the correct amount of punishment imposed on criminals under different justifications.  A precursor to this issue is what counts as punishment or degrading behavior for prisoners (Liebling, 2008). The paper will investigate the issue that prohibition on degrading treatment and punishment should not extend to all prisoners. The paper will discuss some background information, issues of imprisonment, and the impact of prison sentences.

Research Question

The research question for this paper takes on the side, i.e., the prohibition of degrading treatment and punishment should not extend to all prisoners. The possibility of an exception is made to punish serious criminals, safeguard society, and help to improve the wellbeing of individuals.

Q: Should the prohibition on degrading treatment and punishment extend to all prisoners without exception? If so, why? If not, why not?

Background

According to international laws, torture is an accountable crime. As per all the applicable instruments, it is completely forbidden offense, and under any conditions, it can’t be justified   (Snacken, 2015). Traditional international laws can be formed due to this prohibition, which implies it is compulsory on every individual of the global community, in spite of whether a country has endorsed global treaties in which torture is specifically prohibited (Sharp & Budd, 2005). The widespread or systematic activity of torture develops an offense against humanity. The global community criticized torture and other inhuman, degrading, and cruel treatments in United Nations General Assembly by adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948  (Wright, Jasinski, & Lanier, 2012). Furthermore, in 1975, in response to the dynamic practice by non-government organizations (NGOs), the General Assembly took up Declaration on the Protection of All Persons as of being dealt with torture and other inhuman, degrading and cruel treatments  (Mowry, Pimentel, Sparks, & Hanlon, 2013).

For the purpose of successfully address the core causes of ill-treatment and other forms of torture, a straight deterrent policy should start with a comprehensive study of risk factors, such circumstances that develop the torture arising possibility (Thomson &Bernath, 2020). The common political atmosphere is a significant factor to understand, as an absence of political determination to forbid torture, the absence of clarity of governance, the absence of respect for the abidance of law and corruption of high level can be the reason of increasing the torture (Ginneken& Hayes, 2016). For the cultural and social atmosphere, the case is the same. If there is a customs of violence, or high support from the public to deal with the crime with strong hands, the torture risk can also be increased. The societal, legal setup should also be examined.

In such countries, where the law and constitution prohibit the torture, also it is taken as a particular crime under the criminal rules; the possibility of torture can be lesser as compared to the countries where no such law is present (Mowry, Pimentel, Sparks, & Hanlon, 2013). The study should also emphasize on the law and order that implement on the areas where individuals are deprived of their freedom, also, the availability of the suitable lawful safeguards. Furthermore, the process by which the legal system is applied should closely be examined. The functioning and organization of the criminal justice framework is another significant element to consider (Zimring, 2001).Human poise is the key thought behind the disallowance of debasing treatment since it just applies to individuals and grounded to the unmistakable limits. This hypothesis allows that every single person are equivalent, in which profound quality equivalents worth for all. The hypothesis stretches out to expound that mental capacities permit people to obtain unqualified worth.

The independence level of the judiciary, also the confidence level of confessions in the criminal system of justice, can have a direct effect on the increasing torture risk (Hannah-Moffat, 2003). As the torture risk is increased in the initial phase of custody, special attention should be given to the authorities of law enforcement. In this case, the institutional background, the role, and system of the law enforcement agencies and employment and training activities of the officers can all directly influence the torture risk. Also, in general, the environment of the institutions should also be analyzed to understand the increasing risk of torture (Gilabert, 2018).

The level of transparency and accountability of the authorities, the presence of public policies to deal with prevention of crime and the efficiency of complaints system are the core factors that can decrease the torture risk, with the help of external independent actors like public organization and NHRI (Simon, 2015).

Situations of risk

Any situation in which an individual denied of his or her freedom and while there is a difference of authority, where the individual is completely reliant on another, develop a condition of risk (Shapland& Bottoms, 2019). The risk of being ill-treated or tortured is increased at specific times through the period of custody, like the initial time of arrest and police detention, also at the time of moving from one place of custody to another (Hannah-Moffat, 2003).

In such situations, the risk of ill-treatment and torture increases when individuals denied of their freedom is not allowed to be in contact with others, especially incommunicado custody or solitary confinement (Ginneken& Hayes, 2016). The torture risk and other types of ill-treatment happen inside the closed facilities, not only police stations or prisons but also, for instance, juvenile custody centers, psychiatric treatment centers, immigration detention facilities, and transit regions in international ports.

Potential victims

It is quite difficult to recognize groups or individuals that are at a bigger risk of ill-treatment or torture, as it can differ considerably as per the national context. Actually, any individual can possibly be at risk  (Rights, 2007). Generally, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in culture – like as minority groups (ethnic, racial, linguistic, or religious) minors, women, disabled persons, the homeless, poor, and the migrants normally are at higher torture and ill-treatment risks(Gilabert, 2018).

A preventive policy requires special political support to be effective in combating the torture, which should be publicly presented and available for the monitoring. In such conditions where torture is especially used for political purposes, prevention programs are expected to be unsuccessful or used against the political opposition (Shapland& Bottoms, 2019). It is significant to understand that no country is free from torture risk and ill-treatment.

Punishment Impact and Imprisonment

An opaque institute of a state is the prison where a person is kept due to its crimes. If a person goes to prison, four main factors arise in the decision. These are retribution, safety, rehabilitation, and deterrence  (Ogbozor, Schoeny, & Baer, 2017). Retribution is punishing the offender, and safety is keeping threats away from the community; rehabilitation is to correct the problematic behavior, and deterrence is to ensure that the offender is scared to break the law in future (Hannah-Moffat, 2003).  Criminal prosecutors often believe that a long prison structure and punishment is necessary. For example, the US attorney general is pushing on harsh sentences to restrict drugs and violence off the streets. Tough sentence advocates put it that long punishments are the most fitted ones, so it allows prisoners to think about how they have done wrong, and when they will be free, they have to stay on the track (Foster, 2016).

The long sentences produce overcrowd prisons and also costly for taxpayers. According to a report of the New York School of Law in 2016, the US can save $200 billion in ten years if a 40% inmate population was decreased. Research indicates that long prison sentences are arbitrary. As such, it presents that giving long sentence punishment to offenders deters ex-prisoners from committing offenses because criminals value future less than non-criminals (Liebling, 2008). Less-educated criminals apparently less put off under harsh sentences. There are many theories, and theoretical evidence underlie the purpose of punishment. The main aim of the prison was to provide social equilibrium, and in studies, it is shown that prison has failed to deliver it. For example, the valid proposition in this regard is, prisons damage people on different factors and different degrees, and prisons only serve a meager purpose for keeping society safe (i.e., less than 5%) as compared to the internal threat to society.

Prisons that operate for disciplinary hearings deal allegations of rule-breaking. These adjudications are disrespect, disobedience, and property offenses (Criminal, 1981). A prisoner involved in adjudication has to face different punishments. In 2014, 438 years were imposed as imprisonment for adjudications. For children, the number of additional days imposed was increased, though the number of children imprisoned has halved. Imprisonment is the main punishment considered effective for criminals, and it should be kept for offenders to restrict future crimes (Bersani& Doherty, 2018). According to the justice policy institute 2011, it was found out that sentencing time for the same crime can be different in the world, such as, in Finland, robbery convicted people suspects in jail for 16 months, but in Australia, it was 72 months. Similarly, for assault in England, 15 months were decided and in US 60 months.

Since 1970, a number of prisoners in the US have quadrupled, so now prison is getting longer, and most people are punished an incarcerated for violence or drug-related offenses.  According to the US constitution eighth amendment, people who are accused of a crime have the right to be free of unusual punishment, no matter if they are in jail (Criminal, 2015). This situation can be explained as if criminal defendants are sentenced, and the constitution can guarantee them fundamental human rights regarding confinement conditions. The punishment that violates basic human rights and dignity is deemed a cruel and degrading treatment. In case of a challenging confinement situation, a correctional institute can provide medical and foodservice, and its officials are to act with deliberate indifference (Bridges, Crutchfield, & Simpson, 1987).

Most offenders have a common perception of excessive force. A prisoner may allege that officials use physical force against them; however, the use of physical force and restraints are common to preserve safety and order. According to the US Supreme Court, inmates do not have to show any significant beaten or injury, but excessive force should be claimed that how it was applied. For instance, if excessive force was not used in good faith, not a part to restore rule or it was based on malicious intent, this will not be permitted. Degrading treatment of punishment is commonly used by the administration, yet the process differs because it needs a form of submission about events or issues.

Why Prohibition on Punishment Should Not Extend to all Prisoners

Prohibition on punishment may not work for all kinds of prisoners. For instance, offenders involve in serious crimes should be provided punishment and sentencing in order to safeguard societal interest. Punishment to children and individuals involved in slight offends should be prohibited. For example, in local English prisons, 31% of prisoners locked in cells for more than 21 hours per day. In addition, poor conditions are increasing overcrowding. According to HM inspectorate of prisoners, 21,000 prisoners in local English prisons are in overcrowding conditions. These prisoners are facing unhygienic unsanitary and degrading treatment due to overcrowding. Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Geneva Conventions prohibited inhuman conditions, torture, and degrading treatment. Charter of UN considered inherent identity for all members of society because the human family is founded on justice, freedom, and peace (Bridges, Crutchfield, & Simpson, 1987).

According to the European Convention on human rights, no one can be subjected to degrading treatment due to socioeconomic rights. An instrument developed by EC claims to the socio-economic services to increase the standard of living and medical care for prisoners (Matthews & Richardson, 2005).  Human dignity is the key idea behind the prohibition of degrading treatment because it only applies to human beings and grounded to the distinctive capacities. This theory that all human beings are equal is, according to Kant, in which morality equals worth for all. The theory extends to elaborate that psychological capabilities allow humans to acquire unconditional worth. The idea of dignity relates to incomparable value and absolute. According to Zellick, degrading punishment is inescapably debasing or humiliating a person that reduces the essential dignity or humanity of the victim.  Degrading the dignity of humans can lead to denying the idea of human beings. Extreme punishment or severity for the human race should be discarded because it is not consistent with fundamental human rights (Bersani& Doherty, 2018). A prisoner can positively adapt the imprisonment so its status cannot be degraded. Children and people involved in fewer criminal offenses are to be confronting dignity when officials of corrective settings are treating them under human rights. In Furman vs. Georgia case, the Supreme Court of the US said that severe punishment is not acceptable because it indicates that it is not supporting human dignity. To that end, while involving in degrading treatment, the judicial objective should be considered.

Conclusion

In most of the countries, imprisoned people face degrading treatment and punishment. The degrading treatment should be prohibited to some prisoners, for instance, less serious crimes, drug-related, or violence. Prison buildings often face inhuman living conditions, poor hygiene, and sanitation, the treatment with prisoners, needs to be oriented on human grounds to maintain dignity. Different kinds of criminals, under trial, unconvinced, women, children, lifers, and young offenders, need maintenance of human rights and dignity. Human rights foundation and dignity is foremost significant to consider for prisoners.

 

References

Bersani, B. E., & Doherty, E. E. (2018). Desistance from Offending in the Twenty-First Century. Annual Review of Criminology1(1), 311–334. doi: 10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-092112

Bridges, G. S., Crutchfield, R. D., & Simpson, E. E. (1987). Crime, Social Structure and Criminal Punishment: White and Nonwhite Rates of Imprisonment. Social Problems34(4), 345–361. doi: 10.2307/800812

Criminal, O. (2015). From delinquency to desistance and back again? 1. Offending and Desistance, 146–161. doi: 10.4324/9781315755915-7

Criminal, P. (1981). A Definition of Punishment for Implementing the Double Jeopardy Clauses Multiple-Punishment Prohibition. The Yale Law Journal90(3), 632. doi: 10.2307/795920

Foster, S. (2016). 8. Prisoners’ Rights. Concentrate Questions and Answers Human Rights and Civil Liberties. doi: 10.1093/he/9780198745174.003.0008

Gilabert, P. (2018). Defending the Significance of Human Dignity. Human Dignity and Human Rights, 141–160. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198827221.003.0006

Ginneken, E. F. V., & Hayes, D. (2016). ‘Just’ punishment? Offenders’ views on the meaning and severity of punishment. Criminology & Criminal Justice17(1), 62–78. doi: 10.1177/1748895816654204

Hannah-Moffat, K. (2003). Book Review: Harsh punishment: International experiences in women’s imprisonment. Punishment & Society5(1), 119–121. doi: 10.1177/146247450300500111

Liebling, A. (2008). ‘Titan’ prisons: do size, efficiency and legitimacy matter? Tackling Prison OvercrowdingBuild More Prisons? Sentence Fewer Offenders?, 63–80. doi: 10.1332/policypress/9781847421104.003.0005

Matthews, S., & Richardson, A. (2005). Findings From the 2003 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey: Alcohol-related crime and disorder. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi: 10.1037/e422272008-001

Mowry, C., Pimentel, A., Sparks, E., & Hanlon, B. (2013). Materials characterization activities for “Take Our Sons&Daughters to Work Day” 2013. doi: 10.2172/1096449

Ogbozor, E. N., Schoeny, M. L., & Baer, A. E. (2017). Preventing torture for people deprived of freedom: The Atlantic Hope and Black Swan Prison Model. Torture Journal27(1). doi: 10.7146/torture.v27i1.26535

Rights, H. (2007). Prisoners Rights in Alberta: Challenges and Opportunities CANADAS HISTORICAL APPROACH TO THE PROTECTION OF PRISONERS RIGHTS. Human Rights Documents Online. doi: 10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-0129-20180013

Shapland, J., & Bottoms, A. (2019). Offending, victimisation and desistance. The Architecture of Desistance, 203–226. doi: 10.4324/9780429461804-13

Sharp, C., & Budd, T. (2005). Minority ethnic groups and crime: findings from the Offending, Crime and Justice Survey 2003 (2nd edition). PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi: 10.1037/e422232008-001

Simon, J. (2015, April 9). Prison is punishment enough. But in the US, inmates also face violence and humiliation | Jonathan Simon. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/09/prison-punishment-violence-humiliation

Snacken, S. (2015). Human Dignity and/or Human Rights for Prisoners? A Belgian Example. NeueKriminalpolitik27(2), 181–189. doi: 10.5771/0934-9200-2015-2-181

Thomson, M., &Bernath, B. (2020). Preventing Torture: What Works? Interrogation and Torture, 471–492. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190097523.003.0018

Wright, J. D., Jasinski, J. L., & Lanier, D. N. (2012). Crime, Punishment, and Social Disorder. Social Trends in American Life. doi: 10.23943/princeton/9780691133317.003.0006

Zimring, F. E. (2001). Imprisonment Rates and the New Politics of Criminal Punishment. Punishment & Society3(1), 161–166. doi: 10.1177/14624740122228159

 

Pages:22

  1. Please explain Corporate citizenship as part of the business model

  2. Please explain Measuring corporate social responsibility

  3. What makes a multinational company a global citizen

  4. Please explain Managing the interests of stakeholders

  5. Please explain Mutual benefit and responsible business practice

  6. Please explain Corporate governance, best practice

  7. Please explain Human rights in the global marketplace

  8. Please explain Environmental risk management

  9. Please explain Corporate social responsibility as part of the business

  10. Please explain CRS practices in the organisation of your choice

 

 

 

Corporate citizenship relates to the social obligations of business to society. Corporate citizenship is critical, considering the stake of both the owners and the employees in brand image building and being a responsible member of the community. Businesses across the world have significant ethical and legal responsibilities; the best institution builds up a solid formation of corporate citizenship, and professed an assurance to ethical conduct by making peace between the priorities of shareholders and the needs of the community. These CSR exercises help the firm to present themselves as socially responsible companies that make efforts towards society’s betterment.

Interchangeably, Philanthropy is used in place of corporate citizenship. A firm’s apprehension of public benefits and managing their business activities in line with the rules based in alliance with corporate citizenship is necessary. Terri Williams from the economist refers to the 2018 Delotte survey of 11 thousand HR’s and business leaders from across the globe, and 77& of the respondents realized and focused on the importance of CSR and Corporate citizenship. (Williams, 2020) Hence all across the globe CSR practices are being valued and followed.

Occasionally, companies operate alone in the community or towards the betterment of the environment. They work closely with different businesses and NGOs that are facing issues or influence. The approach of corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship are mostly replaceable to each other; corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also the idea of corporate citizenship that can be changed or in various forms depends on the company’s structure and type. It is integral to making it a part of the firm’s plans towards the betterment of the community.

Adam Hayes refers to it as a social responsibility of businesses across the globe that (HAYES, 2019)

Corporate Citizenship needs to be a part of the business model as then it will become a necessary thing to do. CZ provides benefits as companies leverage their core competencies to tackle the challenges, make priorities, and measure the organizational background that concerns the financial, social, and governance aspects of the (ESG). Research shows that excellent social and environmental performance in companies is no longer merely “nice to have” as a part of the overall strategy of an organization. Hence it can be concluded on the fact that it recognizes that it is not possible to reach the maximum benefit of the corporate obligations in isolation; companies need to aid all those organizations and individuals that are working for the benefit of the global environment.

There is a need for continued dialogue between businesses and community partners, managers, and individuals within the value chain of an organization. Each is an essential component for recognizing the impact that corporate citizenship can build. All stakeholders need to join hands to make the overall predicament better. The value of corporate citizenship needs to be realized by all businesses, and they need to focus on the global plight. They need to explore alternatives sources of minimizing the impact their product could have on the environment and the society as a whole.

2)

Corporate Social Responsibility stands as one of the most common and widely appreciated business practices at every level all across the globe with every brand and company aiming to support sustainability and other methods. It has become a necessity in the modern-day business world, not just as an image-building tool but also as a responsibility towards the betterment of society. Social investment funds are allocated that has emerged as one of the integral elements in modern-day businesses. To measure the impact of any CSR activity, KPI’s can be set that need to be met for the CSR activity to become successful and prosperous. (Indonesia, 2009)

Social guidelines are integral in order to view the parameters set for measuring and evaluating a patchwork of national guidelines, and global understanding has built up that currently forces businesses to consider the social and environmental implementation of their exercises. Reports are then arranged and marketed to interested parties (consumers, investors, and other companies). Sales of these reports become the primary income source for these companies. Extra incomes originate from customized studies as assumed for customers, for which field analysts visit these organizations. For example, Calvert Group depends on an internal team of specialists in labor relations, environmental sustainability, and defense-related issues, worldwide human rights organizations, organizations for the protection of wildlife that help them.  (Hopkins, 2005)

Michael Hopkins, in an article, defines corporate social responsibility and puts forth a procedure to measure CSR of a company. Prior to this KPI’s set were merely the Indicators that were chosen as per the whims rather than actual meaningful procedure. As per his understanding, CSR can be measured at three levels. A) Principles set forward of Social Responsibility that includes legitimacy, Public responsibility as well as managerial direction given by the company. Secondly, the process of social responsiveness that has adapted at the company can also be measured that includes Business Environment, Managing the stakeholder, and identifying the issues that determine the critical motivating principles of the company. Lastly, the outcomes of social responsibility are also integral that aid in seeing how the internal and external stakeholder is affected by it and finally, how much external institutional effects impact upon it. (Hopkins, 2005)

In terms of vital elements that need to be measured include,

  • Working environment
  • Product safety and effect
  • International operations and human rights
  • Public relations.

Formulating a strong CSR strategy is clearly in the excitement of an organization. A good score will yield grants, adulation, deals, and popularity. It diminishes the probability of ‘stir’ as shoppers, finance professionals, against the organization. Nonetheless, even suitable CSR activities do not guarantee stakeholder recognition. In the case of a poor strategy, it can shake the economic foundations of an organization’s operations. Then again, they will also carefully inspect the assessment methods used to ensure that the stakeholders and the companies being assessed regard them as both credible and suitable. There is a discernible rivalry between the agencies responsible for measuring the rating and the businesses that they rate.  (Márquez, 2005)

3)

Companies take an interest in the happenings across the world in other countries. Simultaneously, these companies are confronting new requests to address global issues such as environmental concerns and poverty. The nature and extent of moral obligation inside partnerships change after some time that should improve as both the companies of the company and the general public wherein enterprises implanted develop. Earlier, when corporate organizations were no more intertwined than individual family arrangements or game plans for small companies, one might typically interpret the corporate values of an independent company as being covalent with individual entrepreneurs’ moral commitments. (UNO, 2008)

Corporate social responsibility is an idea that endeavors to carry a more extensive moral comprehension to the subject of business association. Since corporate businesses are essential to the social orders in which they exist, their management takes responsibility towards the wellbeing of society by and large just as to the interests of those maintaining the business. Responding to concerns like sustainability, companies have willfully started applying worldwide corporate social responsibility methodologies to guarantee that their business is conducted while following environment-friendly practices. (Ort, 2004)

They may create sets of standard rules or observing procedures to ensure that their subcontractors produce merchandise without abusing laborers or the earth. There is, in any case, no all-around shared meaning of global corporate responsibility. Business for Social Responsibility characterizes worldwide corporate social duty (CSR) as “business dynamic connected to moral values…and regards for individuals, societies, and the environment.” (Ort, 2004)

Most business leaders want their organizations to act responsibly wherever they work. However, like most policymakers and activists, they don’t force its implementation across the board. There is no guide for worldwide corporate behavior. Also, numerous administrators accept they are just market entertainers who meet their corporate responsibility by expanding investor esteem. Others, in any case, allow that they should discover approaches to deal with their activities in a socially and environmentally capable way. (Ort, 2004)

In light of these events, governments across the world are attempting to assist businesses with advancing global responsibility towards sustainability. Citizens can’t depend entirely on advertise powers to develop moral conduct. Even though business sectors have urged more firms to act dependably in the global economy, showcase powers have not been adequate to guarantee intelligent behavior always. The correct blend of clear strategies can ensure that market powers don’t penalize responsible firms for advancing human rights and practical turn of events. (Aaronson, 2003)

Significant reforms have been made across the globe regarding CSR. Many different governments highlight the corporate prerequisites to enable corporate social responsibility. The French government, for example, updated French corporate laws in 2002 and ordered the disclosure of social and environmental organizations that towards its execution. Also, Europeans are beginning to consider whether CSR systems and that it applying the techniqueswill enable them to minimize the harms caused by such business practices. Hence across the world, not only that CSR’s value is being reconsidered but also that it has its value across the globe.

4)

Stakeholders across the world influence the accomplishments of an association’s goals. They are directly influenced by the achievement of an association’s targets and goals. Creditors, customers, directors, employees, government, and its organizations – proprietors & shareholders, suppliers unions, and the community from which the business draws its assets are the key stakeholders in a company.Managing the interests of organization stakeholders and adjusting the business practices with respect to the benefits is integral for the greater good. Corporations can be gradually receptive to society’s interests all in all by incorporating stakeholder investment into their chieftainship sheets.

The primary stakeholders have vested interests as consumers, creditors in every organization that concerns CSR implementations. Corporate directors are responsible for coordinating and negotiating with stakeholders in the light of genuine concerns across the globe regarding sustainability. Stakeholders are equally accountable in aiding to realize and emphasize upon the need and understandings regarding the CSR policy of a company. What steps need to be taken to run a company, and what part the stakeholders have to play as their part in making sure those rules and duties are being fulfilled is necessary? (Foundation, 2013)

Secondary stakeholders are indirectly affected by the organization’s steps taken towards evaluative the efforts of the organizations towards supporting the organization’s efforts of corporate social responsibilities. Significantly, CSR works in the form of self-regulation, and the secondary stake holder’s need to monitor the practices of a company. They need to make sure that the company is not breaking the rule and regulations set by the government in following the fundamental principles to ensure that CSR is possible. In the stakeholder views, the source for the obligation concerning the association’s stakeholders depends on their reality and position.

Sustainability has become a phenomenon, and even multinationals recognize that there is a concern for the atmosphere and inefficient corporate activities by stakeholders. As customers have been increasingly conscious of air pollution, as well as the eco-friendly use of the Business resources, several businesses have taken steps to keep in line with the engagement of the customers. This move by companies makes a negative impact on employees as well as the entire business sector, as demand for environmentally friendly products has been increasing with the realization of its needs. More and more big companies are being held accountable by the stakeholders in order to make them obey all the legislation regarding the environment and to help enhance the quality of life or at least not reduce it.  (Roanhorse, 2020)

The stakeholders should take an interest because these corporate practices need to be composed of the stakeholders’ commitments and understanding regarding managing these hazards. Businesses across the globe are increasingly implementing strategies that include not only the critical needs of the operations and enterprise of the company, but also comply with all the regulations put forth regarding CSR. Sustainability recognizes the potential impacts of sustainable growth. Understanding that sustainability is vital to preserving natural resources and human life is integral for the stakeholders. (Roanhorse, 2020)

5)

Ethical business practices tie-up with taking a positive approach towards following the guidelines, and stakeholders’ wishes in making an organization’s brand image better. The practical approach forward on this is to search for mutual benefit, an answer that offers the advantage to both the organization and the other stakeholders. The CSR supporters have progressively perceived that responsible companies can make a more committed to the community that they work to expand these incentives for the environment and society, and if they utilize their skills, aptitudes, and assets, they can attain the goals set forward regarding sustainability management.

In South Africa, a variety of initiatives for helping the process of sustainability have been taken by contractual workers to levels where they can fulfill the needs of running a responsible business. In one mining organization, for instance, huge amounts of hardware have been disposed of when realized that it was causing pollution and harming the natural environment.

P Ducker, in an article, discusses about the business being socially responsible and become an agent of creating benefits for the world. More and more companies are now discovering the truth regarding this assertion from management expert Peter Drucker across the globe. As per the study, Research shows a significant increase in concern among corporate leaders for connecting company practices with social and environmental issues consistently. A survey of 1200 top-level U.S. company executives was conducted, and 81 percent of them said that resolving social and ecological problems is vitally important for companies. 84 out of 100 said that it was related directly to economic competitiveness. More than 60 of 100 said that the company is obligated to behave like a socially responsible entity, and’ 73 of 100 said that these practices are an expression of values. All these facts highlight that it is integral to become socially responsible. (FRY, 2016).

For instance, a direct stock management system can help guarantee that the distributor or retailer isn’t overloaded on certain things while being unavailable on others. What’s more, adequate stock control will cause the wholesaler to have a more grounded system to make their stock management better. For example, the elements in an organization, including the activities, human relationships, or promotion, all play a mutually beneficial role in the execution of a CSR strategy. Nevertheless, one of the attributes of corporate citizenship that makes it both satisfying and test simultaneously extends to all the framework set forth. Thus, it is frequently most effectively valued by the CEO and the senior administration gathering and can discover challenges in coming through all the various capacities at the central administration level. The common advantage is a practical methodology and apparatus for the dependable company both for accomplishing more in formulating business activities and as a method for utilizing resources for corporate community inclusion.  (Fontaine, 2013)

6)

Corporate governance is the structure, rules, practices, and procedures that co-ordinate and regulate an organization. Corporate governance involves balancing the interests of various stakeholders in a business, such as shareholders, senior management, clients, vendors, financiers, administration, and the network. Corporate governance also gives the framework to achieve the objectives of a corporation; it encompasses every circle of the managers, from business strategies and manage the internal controls to business estimates and corporate disclosure.

The appropriate governance practices will emphatically affect long haul corporate performance – but companies must plan and actualize those that both conform to lawful prerequisites and meet their specific needs. Here are the leading five corporate governance best practices that each Board of Directors can connect with – and that will profit each organization.  (Subramanian, 2015) They need to,

Build a stable professional executive board and review execution. Committees should include competent and business-related managers who are qualified and capable and have ethical values and uprightness, diverse foundations and skill ranges, and ample time to reflect on their responsibilities. (Subramanian, 2015)

  • All business executives must be autonomous: not a part of management and with no direct or roundabout material relationship that could meddle with their judgment. Educate them and offer the new executives guidance to familiarize them with the company, their responsibilities, and the desires of the Board; keep time in Board meetings for the continuing company and governance training.
  • Define all the jobs and assigned duties. Build up away from of responsibility among the Executive Officers and management, create documented orders for the Board, and every council setting out their responsibilities and the terms of accountability.
  • Separate all the roles entrusted to both the company chairman and the CEO: the chair guides the board and ensures that it works in the ultimate gains sought out by the organization; the CEO controls the management, develops and reviews corporate strategies and reports to the board of directors.
  • The Board will analyze, conduct, and resolve choices about the concept of remuneration. Set the charges of the directors that will attract inappropriate up-and-comers, but do not appear to claim in the autonomy of the director or discharge his / her responsibilities.
  • Set quantifiable execution goals for officials (counting the CEO), regularly survey, and evaluate their presentation against them and attach performance remuneration.

Companies should always distinguish and study the dangers they face that are related to any department of the company and suggest appropriate solutions. The Board is answerable for the critical initiative in building up the organization’s hazard resistance and building up a structure and clear accountabilities for managing risk. Management will regularly audit the magnitude of systems and controls management puts in place to identify, assess, mitigate, and screen chance and the appropriateness of its description. Directors are able to understand the present and establish short and long haul chances facing the company and the suggestions for the show. They will challenge the presumptions of the business executives and the sufficiency of the organization’s risk management, their procedures and methods.

7)

The most impressive and refined roles at the world stage today aren’t being played by governments but by NGO’s and other companies. While some worldwide businesses show thought for the individuals whose lives they contact, many don’t. Regardless of inadequacy/plan, some companies genuinely hurt the communities around them and impact the quality of human life. A lot of the obligation to forestall and address organization driven human rights misuse lies with governments. As organizations keep on broadening their worldwide come to, their activities influence the human rights of progressively more individuals in significant manners. Governments have neglected to keep pace.

Most nations have laws, as well as the books requiring companies to stick to essential human rights gauges on their dirt. In any case, global companies work far and wide in nations that can’t or don’t give enough oversight or guideline for their human rights practices.  History straight up through the current day shows that ineffectively directed businesses can destroy the lives of the individuals and networks they sway. Human Rights Watch explore in places as various as Eritrea, Papua New Guinea, India, Bangladesh, and Nigeria has demonstrated this very obviously. Governments should haul their heads out of the sand and acknowledge their obligation to manage and control organization human rights practices.

The reasons organizations give for restricting extraterritorial human rights oversight or guideline by their home governments don’t stand up well to examination. (hrw.org, 2020)

One of the most widely recognized is the thought that such control would put them at a severe burden against deceitful firms from nations with less dynamic governments. However, in all honesty, organizations ought not to put resources into business sectors where they can’t viably contend without being complicit in particular human rights mishandles that they have to escape their governments and shareholders. Those feelings of trepidation are reasonably justifiable while numerous nongovernmental associations are pushing for sensible principles, a few activists presumably might want nothing better than to see the mining business, for example, squashed by over the top guideline. However, those voices shouldn’t direct the provisions of this conversation or blamed them for abstaining from having it.

Organizations may never wind up preferring the administration oversight they need, and they might be right in figuring that it isn’t in their rare personal circumstance to have it continually investigating their shoulder. Yet, extraterritorial oversight and guideline of organization human rights practices should be possible such that organizations can live with and get the benefit. (Cassel, 2001) Government activity need not be unduly difficult to be successful, and there is, to an extreme degree, an excess of avoidable human enduring on the opposite side of the scale to legitimize inaction.

Likewise, the possibility of human rights due diligence, which holds that businesses should find a way to distinguish, moderate, and address human rights dangers connected to their activities that would be a more grounded apparatus if governments make it required. Governments need to discover the fearlessness to make regard for human rights by corporations that must be compelled to follow the rules and regulations set by others. Human rights activists can help structure the functional administrative systems that are reasonable for organizations.

8)

Around the world, there is a clear risk in life in an acculturated culture, where people do not understand the risk, and its consequences are expected. As in every project, though, before treating threats, it is essential to know what is being dealt with. Few may claim that companies owe no non-creation duty to society; however, there is plenty amount of risk that needs to be seen, and it is the responsibility of the business community to manage all the environmental dangers being caused at their hands. In every case, the individuals who embrace CSR feel companies can fulfill a broader purpose beyond simply amplifying benefits.  (epa.gov, 2017)

Risk management is based on for points

1) Hazard Identification.

Sort the cause of hazard, and find the source of risk characterized it and make the detailed document.

2) Analysis

Before taking any action for eliminating the risk or controlling it, keep in mind the consequences and other outcomes. Determine the plan of action on how it will happen.

3) Control the risk

Assign all the necessary measures to mitigate and overcome the threat.

4) Review of control measures

At this point, review all the steps which will take place for risk mitigation and keep an eye on the residual risks and problems if more effort needed timely action shall take.

Environmental Hazard Definition

An environmental hazard is a state or event which has the potential to threaten the natural environment and also affect the health of the public. The process and method of identifying the hazards are described and all the elements of risks which can be the cause or source of hazard that needs to managed.

Job safety environment assessment

Particular procedure to work at risk or likely to the hazardous workplace, it mostly in the form of a document, many of big country now introduce the software for it.

Work Methodology

There is always a map to act about the risk or likely to hazardous; all the necessary precautions shall be adopted. Supervise every department and its role.

SWOT Analysis.

Strength Weakness Opportunity Test should be taken of the entire project that, in the future, such incidents can be tackled efficiently and effectively. Keenly understand the plan of action, complete all the legal and official formalities, mark the area in which the mitigation work will perform, and place the barrier. Take research before the operation of how the other companies managed the risk what their benchmark of work was, what measures they adopted.

Environmental risk management must be the same as all the other departments of business management or any of the different departments that make up the administrative capacity of a business. Specifically, the environmental risks and the management of the environment itself are firmly associated with that risk management is a piece of ecological management. Ecological risk assessment and management ought to be a component of each part of the business. From production to marketing to distribution and transport, the ecological effect of the company is significant.

9)

CSR means that organizations and their workers act `to the best benefit of their community and society at large. Social responsibility is known as corporate social responsibility (CSR), where it relates to companies. This also highlights the need for businesses to become suitable corporate citizens. CSR includes going past the law’s prerequisites in securing the environment and adding to social government assistance. It is broadly acknowledged as a commitment to the present-day business. (Rangan, 2015)

CSR goes the extra mile, getting money for shareholders. CSR protects the needs of all stakeholders that are included in the business, such as suppliers, consumers, staff, and the networks in which organizations operate. CSR models include getting charitable work, caring about the world, and participating in noble undertakings. (Rangan, 2015)

Some people are arguing that companies do not own any responsibility to society outside of creation; nevertheless, there is a lot of cash inside the law that could be anticipated. In either case, the individuals who support CSR agree that companies will pursue a more profound purpose beyond simply amplifying benefits. Social accountability has increasingly become important for financial professionals and consumers searching for lucrative projects as well as providing social and environmental support to the government. At the same time, the critics contend that the underlying business concept does not accept culture as a partner.

Four kinds of corporate duties.

  • Environmental efforts: Environment is a critical subject of corporate social responsibility. Organizations, paying no attention to their production techniques, lead to having an immense amount of carbon emission is highly destructive. They need to minimize these experiences and enhance their production techniques to help build both the organization and society.
  • Philanthropy: Businesses across the world practice CSR by providing finance, products, or services to philanthropic activities across the world. Organizations, in general, have immense amounts of resources that they can use to maximize the benefits of their services. It will be highly beneficial to communicate the benefits of these businesses to help them understand the value of their services.
  • Ethical labor practice: Organizations may show their social obligation by treating the workers fairly and morally. They should devise these business strategies to compete on a level playing field, which will also make them socially responsible.
  • Volunteering: Being a part of volunteer activitiesis integral and it can aid in making a great of deal of impact on the organization’s vision. Consequently, companies may express their concern for specific issues by doing beneficial things without expecting something and commit to particular associations.

Grabbing social responsibility in that capacity will support the primary mandate — an improvement in investor appreciation. There is an ethical imperative for organizing business practices that do not impact the environment. Additionally, various corporations across the globe are expected to participate in socially responsible practices before making a venture or purchase. Depicting of being socially responsible is an appropriate image practice across businesses, so is the power to be able to do so can have a negative impact on the financial record. Social accountability is usually highly successful when willingly practiced.

10)

CSR stands as an activity that evolves with the evolution of Business, integrating rational the change into the business model of a client. It is having a positive effect on the social, economic, and environmental factors. CSR encourages environmental development for both large and small businesses. If businesses seek to make the best decision for a primary interest as well as a financial profit by building trust with customers, consumers know they are supporting a brand that is socially responsible in terms of its products. CSR aids the people to invest in jobs, bring problems to light, and foster social change. (DMI, 2020)

And though hundreds of thousands of organizations do their part, the activities of large global companies have excellent effects that end up impacting all the major problems across the world that include global warming, public health, and other issues. Here’s an example of how a brand makes CSR effective. Millennials & Generation Z, socially conscious businesses, are considered progressive and vital. It is agreed that companies should invest in the search for solutions to making the world better in their overall self that supports such changes. Making efforts is essential for targeting Millennials, as these efforts can affect Millennials’ decision-making as consumers. Millennials would also like to take part in programs, such as having the option of engaging in humanitarian activities or giving donations to charitable organizations. (DMI, 2020)

If an increasing number of businesses across the globe begin to see the effect of their socially and ecologically responsible activities on a consumer’s acceptance, the higher is the likelihood that they will start taking measures on their own. Millennial activism of all ages will also affect changing CSR fashion toward workplace abuse of discrimination; diversity will continue to grow throughout the work world, welcoming individuals of all races, genders, communities, and cultures. Companies should also place their voices in response to social inequality and legislative shifts that impact the world in the opposite direction. Companies that socially more responsible can end up having more sales due to the support of all those customers that are learned about the impact of sustainability. The company is a shining example for other organizations to follow. They have become more immersive in their ways of conducting business portraying as socially responsible.

Indeed, all protection techniques can turn out to be active, and all the CSR trends need to be followed as well when an increasing number of information is being shared compromising of each data. This is only a small example of how corporations use corporate social responsibility to protect the world and make a commitment to improving the quality of life and happiness of the people they affect.  For companies across the globe, concentrating on the issues that consumers are keen about, and the impact thattheir efforts can have on the communityaround the world is essential. Companies around the world who work for the society in compliance with their obligation end up productive, and this also impacts the brand identity.

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Aaronson, S. A. (2003, 4 8). Corporations as Good Global Citizens. Retrieved from https://yaleglobal.yale.edu: https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/corporations-good-global-citizens

Cassel, D. (2001). Human Rights and Business Responsibilities in the Global Marketplace. Business Ethics Quarterly, 261-274.

CMI. (2011). Stakeholder Analysis and Management. Retrieved from https://www.managers.org.uk: https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/Campus%20CMI/Checklists%20Managerial/Stakeholder%20analysis%20and%20management.ashx

DMI. (2020). 16 BRANDS DOING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SUCCESSFULLY. Retrieved from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com: https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/corporate-16-brands-doing-corporate-social-responsibility-successfully

epa.gov. (2017). Risk Management. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov: https://www.epa.gov/risk/risk-management

Fontaine, M. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: The New Bottom Line? International Journal of Business and Social Science , 110-122.

Foundation, T. S. (2013). Stakeholders and Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved from https://resources.saylor.org: https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/BUS208-3.3.7.1-Stakeholders-and-CSR-FINAL.pdf

FRY, R. E. (2016, 6). Business as an Agent of World Benefit. Retrieved from http://www.gspeak.be: c/publications/document-3-4-june-2016.pdf

HAYES, A. (2019, 6 12). Corporate Citizenship. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corporatecitizenship.asp: c/terms/c/corporatecitizenship.asp

Hopkins, M. (2005). Measurement of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 213-231. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247831664_Measurement_of_corporate_social_responsibility

hrw.org. (2020). World Report 2013: Without Rules. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/global-0

Indonesia, B. (2009). Measuring Corporate Social Responsibility Performance. Retrieved from Bisnis Indonesia: c/2009/09/08/measuring-corporate-social-reasponsibility-performance/

Lin, C.-P. (2010). Modeling Corporate Citizenship and Its Relationship with Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 357-372.

Márquez, A. (2005, 1 1). Measuring Corporate Social Responsibility . Retrieved from https://link.springer.com: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540228

Ort, E. W. (2004). From Corporate Social Responsibility to Global Citizenship. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1058&context=lgst_papers

Rangan, K. (2015, 1). The Truth About CSR. Retrieved from https://hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2015/01/the-truth-about-csr

Roanhorse, E. (2020). Effect of Sustainability on Stakeholders. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/effect-sustainability-stakeholders-35892.html

Subramanian, G. (2015, 3). Corporate Governance 2.0. Retrieved from https://hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2015/03/corporate-governance-2-0

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Williams, T. (2020). Corporate citizenship: Your company’s role in society. Retrieved from https://execed.economist.com: https://execed.economist.com/blog/industry-trends/corporate-citizenship-your-companys-role-society

 

 

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According to several researchers and academicians, technology is an entity that serves two purposes, it complements people working jobs by improving their ability to perform certain tasks and sometimes even replaces people by automatically doing their jobs for the firm they may be a part of. For example, during a crisis situation, people tend to call out for help from their phones, whether it is reporting an incident, comment on the measures taken to deal with the incident, or explore information revolving around the crisis. The most obvious response is via social media. Hence this paper helps realize that technology is, for most situations, the first helpful tool. The data collected via this technology is logistically analyzed, and then sent to respective agencies of law and journalism so that people employed to make decisions regarding the situation can fulfill their jobs. In this way, the collection part is done by technology, the transmission bit is also done by technology, the categorization is also, to some extent done via technology and the only job that humans fulfill is that of analysis and decision making.  Humanitarian responders are then assigned according to the seriousness of crisis at hand. This data collected from technological sources has insurmountable potential , especially within command and control, and can also be exploited because it has the capacity to increase the usefulness of the crisis response.

However, the collection of data has to be optimum, too much causes confusion in decision making, and too little is not enough to reach a decision, especially on social media. Therefore, it is important that we use the computational capacity of our machines in such a way that it results in making the analysts’ jobs more convenient and present them with the key features and relationships in the data that eases the path to a final decision.

(Gibson et al, 2016)

Technology can be a very helpful tool for the organizational design of an agency, and in the impact for job design, the role of organizational design has to be discussed. The managers have framed boundaries to be barriers that should be eradicated to aid in collaborative work. These boundaries have been examined in detail and experiments carried out to make sure that results prove a relation between social distance and interaction of the people, and also come across findings that show that changing the internal architecture of the firm can create more interaction opportunities. But are these opportunities availed by employees or not? This question has been answered in quite detail keeping the intellectual ability of individuals in mind, and its relevance to their sociable ability. A group’s ability to interact and work with each other was measured, and technology was made use of, for fulfilling this task. The people involved in the study were asked to wear a sensor, known as a sociometric badge which comprised of an infrared (IR) sensor that was for capturing the person they were facing, microphones that were for capturing if they were talking or listening, accelerometer that was used for capturing bodily posture, and another sensor making use of Bluetooth technology for capturing the location of the employee in the workplace. These sensors recorded data with 10 ms intervals. With all the data collected, it was analysed and noted that there was more virtual interaction than live. In another study which set the previous one as a control experiment, replication of the same data was done and some changes made, the results showed that some decreased virtual communication while others increased, and this was irrespective of the way the workplace was designed. The final conclusion was precise, that is, electronic interaction had substituted live interaction even when the firm underwent organizational design. As a result, productivity declined to some extent, because of lack of privacy of employees which brought a dip to their individual working performance and consequently affected their collective intelligence. (Turban et al, 2018)

Techno-stress refers to the feelings of stress and anxiety which are associated with technology and usage of technology at different levels. Literary pieces like (Florkowski, 2019) are beneficial because they present literature behind workplace production and job satisfaction because they are found to analyze this technostress and assess job satisfaction according to the models behind technostress, its link to HR department in companies and the rate at which human resource technologies are perceived qualitatively. Technostress also couples with organizational design factors and their combined effects are studied and research carried out to improve the quality of work of the HR environment. In this regard, more than 160 firms from the US and Canada were taken for survey and the perceptions of HR staff taken into consideration. The survey evaluated how techno-insecurity and techno-stress impact job satisfaction among the people working, and the people who are being worked for.  There are several hypotheses mentioned in various literary pieces, most of which are studied and discussed in this paper and their findings analyzed. These include, HR technology usages instills increasing stress levels which differ with a department’s technology literacy. HR personnel not having IT knowledge face the grave issue of having to master IT interfaces and come up with ways to counter new risks that technology might be prone to with every passing year. This has a negative effect on HRT work stress impact. Moreover, HRT job-insecurity impact will affect work stress positively. Aggravating the problems that HR is exposed to as a result of technology also include the possibility that HR may be seen as being a department that dodges its responsibilities by offloading work.

The findings found in the paper consider HR-staff attitudes in technology rollouts. We can also formally assess how collaborative work in the HR department is affected by HR technologies. These also interfere with upholding the capital that HR generates. Decreased capital would result in concern regarding job satisfaction in other professionals. (Florkowski, 2019)

Technology transfer, organization structuring, and academic entrepreneurship are important keywords to have a separate discussion delegated to them entirely in the subject of technology’s impact on job design. Literary pieces discuss that technology transfer is the commercialization of research based university work, and is one of the most well researched subjects in nations worldwide because of the intensity of the benefits that come about from it. One of the main ones is economic development, which stems from innovation and products released by employing different innovative strategies which aid the progression of existing industries, and also induce the birth of new industries. As a result, professors, academicians, researchers, practitioners and authoritarians all are adamant on promoting technology transfer because of which it is a well-known process. But as many benefits as it instigates, it is an extremely complex procedure owing to its requirement for monetary resources in substantial amount. Moreover, risk assessment methods, when implemented on technology transfer ecosystems, mostly have highly consequential and probable risks in store. When coupled with organizational design, technology transfer can become a blessing because the components of organizational design are interdependent because of technology transfer and within this ecosystem, structures undergo comparisons and researches which prove that resources are effectively utilized. Despite the affluence of the TT literature, we come to the conclusion that it focuses only on the technology transfer components separately, and rarely considers the ecosystem as a whole. It is imperative to review the organizational design of the TT ecosystem and indicate parameters of knowledge gaps found in it. While literature identifies four primary components of the TT ecosystem(TTOs, Science parks, incubators, university venture funds), new methods for studying the facilitation of academic entrepreneurship, such as university-based entrepreneurial ecosystems and accelerators are also coming to the surface.(Wright et al, 2019)

One of the technologies impacting job design in organizatons is SaaS(software as a service). It was beneficial for the firms, but had adverse effects on the people working in the IT department such as stress and anxiety. SaaS brought about advantage of cost effectiveness and scalability and was a user friendly interface for users but it had long-term adverse consequences which included the IT staff burdened by tasks like getting accustomed to the infrastructure change when the firm transitions from manual interface to SaaS, being familiar with the risks that come with any technology, eradicating those risks etc. Software management both at the employees’ and the clients’ side is done by the IT staff, which adds up to their overwhelming state. To assess the these factors, appropriate research models were designed by triangulating perspectives of users and IT professionals. As the responsibilities of the cloud computing provider increase and create a higher degree of SaaS usage, the firm’s original IT proficiency and organizational IT structures prove to be inadequate. Uptil now, the stance of current literature regarding this was trivial but a study was conducted based on individual-level research making use of the socio-technical system theory. This theory is one of the most effective ones regarding exploration of IT implementations in organizations; more than 30 academic journals and literary articles were reviewed to broadly complete the study in three fields of research. The findings showed that if the socio-technical consequences were not aligned, IT personnel will experience fear of redundancy and their lack of productivity will decrease productivity in the whole organization according to thesis of STS theory. Job satisfaction of professionals all depends on how highly radical the changes due to SaaS will be; a higher level of SaaS usage causes operational as well as organizational problems. Relevance of (Jede etal, 2016) can be seen prominently to the topic in question because it includes how SaaS can increase productivity and provides details on how it can change the social structures within an organization.

Fuel technology is often assessed by the use of decentralized energy systems and the analysis of this is an important aspect to review when discussing technology’s impact on job design.  Uptil now, the electricity requirements of the world were met by use of technology in a centralized way however with changing times, decentralized energy systems are employed for bringing about the distribution of energy. Layouts of technologies are laid forward and everything required to convert the distribution system from centralized to decentralized one are catered to by data collected. Conclusions based on findings were found to be more in favor of inclining to the decentralized method despite its lack of cost efficiency, because a decentralized method has better performance statistics.

It is worth noting that a decentralized energy system brings about benefits such as reduced carbon emissions, advancement in efficiency, cost effectiveness and preservation of credibility of the firm. The energy market and infrastructures are thus left with no choice but to develop these systems further. Optimization of this decentralized energy system will turn out to be a boon because for the energy efficiency and renewable penetration by the use of multi-energy systems. However, this system is quite challenging. These challenges such as the substantial amount of technology literacy required and resources needed to support full functionality of this technology , and fulfil the industry’s energy demands have prompted academicians and researchers to come up with computational algorithms and tools to deal with these issues. The agenda for the incorporation of decentralized energy systems and multi energy systems comprises of electrolyzers and fuel cells that are primary elements of electrochemical conversion technologies. This agenda is beneficial because it provides input on the decentralized framework of technology. (Gabrielli, 2018)

 

DEA ( Data Envelopment Analysis ) is a technique which has prior approaches and models associated with it, making it a highly centralized technique across the world of technology. It also has the efficiency principle that acts as a model however there are limitations to it, which make it challenging to perform analysis. The assortment of technology often proves to be a restraint, and to overcome it, researchers make use of meta data, meta technology ratio and relocate resources so as to avail full benefits. Research proves that several different kinds of DEA models have been put forth and their application tested in different fields out of which the most notable implementations are fixed cost allocation and resource allocation. The principles which are employed to successfully carry out these approaches are efficiency invariance principle, and efficiency maximized principle. But since technology has its own fair share of limitations, both these principles are often not taken into account in the desired way. Among DMUs, several technology gaps exist and this instills negativity in such a manner that needs to be countered with effective research and strategic skill. This can ultimately present more useful approaches. Analysis of these approaches is carried out and it is assumed that DMUs have similar production technology level which is more often than not, not the case. Calculations and summation formulae are taken into account to fulfill quantitative requirements of this research and find parameters that support findings and conclusions. Subjective as well as objective ways are employed to split the DMUs in organizations into groups called macro units like the social network platforms, rather than assess individually.

However, research proved that the efficiency of technology only progresses if centralization technique is applied on the DMUS in question and the shortcomings resulting due to allocation problems can be further investigated with research in the future.

(Ding et al, 2018)

The relationship between group technology and organizational structuring is one of the most important ones worth consideration when reviewing Technology’s Impact on job design.  For companies to own a competitive edge in market, there is a need for flexibility which comes about greatly at the expense of opting for group technology strategies. Several companies in the past have benefitted from organizational structures by reduction in operating costs, machine set-up time and clarity in roles and responsibilities shared among individuals,  however there were some limitations in the scope. When reviewing these aspects from literature, it is noted that there has been a poor link between the organizational design perspective and group technology, the only way group technology is studied is from an industrial perspective. Therefore to change the rules a little, applied systems theory was employed as a layout for studying organizational design with respect to group technology. This theory aimed at answering questions revolving around the position of group technology in the design of structures for production, the capabilities and issues regarding adoption of group technology, and the type of methods which are to be used to ensure long-term benefits. Consequently, research is conducted in such a way that three different cases are analyzed via the cluster analysis approach and the product flow approach to make groups of machines and workers in the manufacturing unit of companies. To further improve this research, another five cases are taken into consideration and findings amalgamated to reach a sound conclusion. The conclusion reflects how firms are considered about group technology when a poor performance is observed in their premises particularly regarding competitive pressure, response mechanisms, and accommodation of the constantly growing demand for better. This is because as a result of group technology, firms can separate the low priority tasks and delegate them to the employees lower in hierarchy. Therefore, it has a significant position among the range of answers for design of organizational structures. (Dekkers, 2018)

Academic literature is filled with avid authors making organizational design a focal viewpoint in their pieces. The use of strategic knowledge management is always coupled with the concepts of coding and personalization of the documented information. The real target was to enlighten the belief of strategic knowledge management in such a way that the executive committee of the respective organization which deals with IT related decisions, effectively understands that within an organization, there are limits to how knowledge is to be planned and propagated. If such an approach is adopted, outcomes will be robust and there will not be an unsteadiness situation in the organization where there is high innovation capacity and low work productivity instead equilibrium will be established. Corporations like Xerox suffered the consequences of not developing ways to make use of strategic knowledge management and this is what literature like (Willmot et al, 2017) aims to avoid. In this regard, analyzing is done of literary exemplars to answer why firms are required to emphasize on an equivalency strategy between coding and customization in the milieu of strategic knowledge management. This will bring about advancement in overall performance. Research findings show that there exist three insights and two pitfalls which any company wanting to adopt strategic knowledge management should know about. These insights are, firstly, a significant highlighting of codification and personalization might result in risks regarding the propagation of knowledge. Secondly, if an equilibrium is not established, there are little to no good outcomes on the organizational part because all efforts are considered scrappy. Thirdly, managerial employees should realize the need for equilibrium establishment. The pitfalls are, firstly, overriding of coding will create an over-disciplined atmosphere where there would be no room left for innovation and secondly, substantial reliance on personalization will leave no room for relevant routines and respect for ideas of employees. (Willmot et al, 2017)

Big data analytics deserves a separate seat on the table when reviewing technology’s impact on job design. Academic literature has, in detail, explained the capabilities and structural technicalities of big data and it is used to deal with large sets of data to improve performance. (Akhtar et al, 2019) has done commendable research on big data and has investigated areas of analytics that have not been explored before. Big data is a quite useful resource because it has benefitted organizations in terms of increasing their financial reporting greatly and has given employees necessary skills and enterprises the performance which is needed in the competitive global market which is becoming more and more technology oriented with every passing day. An outline of the research methodology when laid out in front of us helps us identify some limitations too and also clarifies the need for a high monetary input so that enterprises know beforehand what they are adopting. Not every organization has the human resources (both at an individual as well as collective level), industrial resources(machinery and well equipped knowledge of usage of this machinery) and technical resources(mathematics, logistics) which are a prerequisite for carrying out big data analytics. Nevertheless, research samples were taken from agri-food industries and based on the findings, hypotheses were proposed, which said that the performance of business and the results of the actions of big data development were both positively linked to the usage of the big data-savvy teams and the skills they possess. Organizations are explicitly mentioned that experienced improved service and product quality, punctual deliveries and addressed inaccuracy challenges with utmost expertise owing to big data simultaneously making sure that environmental concerns like recycling and water efficiency are not compromised. The conclusion of the research states how it plays a key role in measuring the gap earlier research of big data analytics. The research provided thorough insight to the evolution and implementation of big data analytics in business operations. (Akhtar et al, 2019)

A basic smart phone application can be helpful in studying the safety of insulin and ICT in a centralized clinical trial system. Literary examples have included hypotheses regarding the use of these and linked it to benefits brought about by use of conventional methods. The use of PHR is encouraged, which stands for Personal Health Record, an online application which helps patients in accessing, managing, and sharing their health data and helps doctors and personnel likewise to give improved decisions and perform remote check-ups of the patients enlisted for the clinical trial.  These records facilitate clients by maximizing the insulin dose adjustments made to their routine by monitoring levels of glucose, insulin and appropriate data collection of the patient. Research conducted to determine the safety and efficiency of PHRs and its application brought forward facts such as a confirmation that the ICT-based clinical trial was a stable one. Recruitment strategies varied according to subjects and their diagnoses, and the trial went on for 24 weeks at the end of which patients were randomly placed in two groups, one the ICT based intervention group and the other was the conventional intervention group. In the latter, subjects were asked to save and send their glucose and insulin information in addition to their step count through PHR application, while in the former, subjects received valuable feedback regarding their condition. The main hypothesis was that the former group was benefitted more than the latter group. Results of the research revealed that a centralized method of sharing and using information allowed better decision making for patients and also proved the stability of collection via the PHR application to make remote patient assessment convenient. This research studied the use of a centralized data system with respect to healthcare and showed new perspectives for future research. (Kim et al, 2017)

 

 

Decentralized networks like the P2P network are overviewed in quite detail in many different academic literary pieces which demonstrate the benefits of P2P that include, but are not limited to, load balancing, fault tolerance, and rapid data exchange. Reference to the implementation of decentralized networks in the past is also made as an attempt to draw a comparison between then and now and how the layouts varied. P2P ensured safety and privacy of users information both in the public network aspect and the private network aspect by preserving privacy where required. The research study procedure employed in (Kryukov, 2018) provides apt detail on how a decentralized scheme of networks can facilitate the job performance of employees hence it is reviewed in the umbrella of topic “Technology and its Impact on Job Design”.  Research is being conducted at a global level to carefully assess P2Ps in order to reap the advantages they offer, that is, being adaptive, operating perfectly even without special administration, and allowing flexibility to the participants of joining and leaving the network as they please. They are efficient highly because they result in good work performance as there is integrated usage of advanced computing resources via the Internet as well as proper organization of decentralized data storages.  In this review, attention is given to the last part i.e creation and organization of data storages. Data storages are further classified according to what they are used for, firstly those utilized in storing, searching, and exchanging public data and secondly, those utilized in storing private data, these systems are particular about security and reliability. The concerns of clients and adequate responses of IT personnel are both effectively navigated to one another based on distribution control methods. P2P decentralized networks can be further classified into unstructured and structured networks, examples of which are Chord and Freenet. It is thus demonstrated that the field of information technology has a lot to offer to P2P networks and to deal with technical problems, more research in the future has to be conducted. (Kryukov, 2018)

Data warehouses and business intelligence are inter related terms and are reviewed in literature side by side. Data warehouses are effective for storage purposes and business intelligence is favorable in the discovery of knowledge based on three different areas namely, diversification in data services, standardization in interfaces and monitoring of services. Research comprises of sample models and reference systems whose layout’s foundation is the intelligence business model framework itself. Whereas, the models are useful in specifying job functions and characteristics.

Distributed reservation is a key concept of the organizational design within a firm. Trends like data warehousing act as an inspiring factor in considering rather subtle computing techniques to enhance business strategies. These techniques come coupled with certain rules, such as assurance of the research having a sound and persuasive conclusion, minimum usage of multimedia such as images and visual audio and maximization of usage of textual and numerical data. In accordance with this rule, the paper was greatly comprised of tabular representations of statistical details of the research as well as diagrams like charts and graphs to show the trends. Mathematical formulae give quantitative results of the research and thus support the effectiveness of the procedure put forward. When these paradigms are presented in research based studies, issues in marketing models are solved to some extent and the impact of data warehousing and the transition resulting in job design from technicalities are understood.

Consequently, overall performance gets a boost and opens opportunities for future research that will follow the implementation of the models proposed and integrate them with usage of multimedia as a transfer medium. (Liao et al, 2019)

 

Shifting to the cyber era and the transition phase from conventional to technology based is one of the most challenging and demanding areas of job design because technology has been, and is continuing to advance every single day and while these may cause the parties involved to evolve greatly, they also give birth to more complex issues. Many changes of work design are complicated and still unexplored. However, to have a full understanding of these shortcomings, more than 40 people having extreme expertise in the digital field are questioned and their opinions surveyed. Employees of firms had a long lasting connection with their respective workplace and their roles within the firm were often exchanged by more competitive ones because of artificial intelligence and teleworking catering to the less important jobs. Technology causes technostress and poses as a threat to the leadership skills of people in managerial positions, in addition to bringing substantial changes in the person’s professional as well as personal life. Four key themes were revealed which focused on work design and leadership with the first theme reflecting transition in the work life and health domain with everincreasing demands of workers and leaders. The second theme implied changes coming about due to the use of information technology that affected working media and collaborative processes. The third theme was inclined towards bettering the performance and discovering potential talent present in organizations and the fourth theme comprised of organizational hierarchies and the exchange of roles and responsibilities which happened as a result. Therefore, digitization in entirety can be very happening for an organization and academic literature acts as an assembling ground for the fragmented pieces of knowledge regarding the conversion of companies to technical ones. Thus, future research can benefit from these results and create awareness among owners of enterprises to fully equip themselves with the needed skills and resources to counter challenges of technology. (Schwarzmüller, 2018)

When technology is employed in workplaces, job design is greatly impacted and entire human roles within the workplace change.  A model is presented to study such changes in an enterprise. Job characteristics are quite complicated because certain jobs are an amalgamation of physical and technical cognitive skills. Cyber-physical systems(CPS) is the ultimate goal of almost all organizations in the business sector. Details of work design and job performance differ according to the sector where the personnel is present, that is, whether they are a part of production or managerial decision making.  Sensors and similar machinery have replaced employees because of the automation process. And the employees’ jobs have escalated to a high degree of complexity whereby they are supposed to make decisions, innovate and manage coordinated of these automated systems. It is true that literature is quite vague regarding how the transition towards CPS impacts work design.  Therefore, in our review, we aim to develop a layout in which qualitative and quantitative assessment will be carried out in great detail and will be related to the capabilities of CPS on demand and supply chain of the enterprise in addition to human information processing. Technology’s main role is to improve human productivity but when this comes at the expense of their job autonomy, it brings about adverse effects. The processes and outcomes of the structural hierarchy of work is the determining factor in individual as well as organizational success. Therefore to have an understanding of these integrated processes and systems, knowledge regarding IT, mechanics and electronics is mandatory to avoid malfunctioning systems. This analysis is useful however the limitations provide directions to future researchers.

(Waschull et al, 2020)

 

 

References :

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  4. Good, M., Knockaert, M., Soppe, B., & Wright, M. (2019). The technology transfer ecosystem in academia. an organizational design perspective. Technovation, 82-83, 35-50. doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2018.06.009
  5. Jede, A., & Teuteberg, F. (2016). Understanding socio-technical impacts arising from software-as-a-service usage in companies: A mixed method analysis on individual level data. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 58(3), 161-176. doi:10.1007/s12599-016-0429-1
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Significance of selected industry for the economy

The Moroccan economy is based on tourism, agriculture, and phosphate. The seafood and fish also play an integral role in the Morocco economy. Gross Domestic Product of Morocco is dependent on mining and industry. After China and the US, Morocco is the third large producer of phosphate. Therefore, it holds a central significance for the economy. Morocco phosphate is an important mineral that has diverse usage. Due to the production of mining n four different sectors, its significance is increased. These four sectors are Boucraa, Youssoufia, Benguerir, and Khouribga. The mining in Khouribga is carried out on the deposits of OuladAbdoun phosphate. These phosphates are found 140 kilometers southeast Casablanca.

This mine has greater potential for extraction and estimated as 17-18 million tons on an annual basis. The extracted phosphate from this mine is exported globally. The ores found here are different quality and substantial support to the chemical industry worldwide. Moreover, this is also supportive of the JorfLasfar chemical industry hugely. A state-owned company OCP is responsible for the ownership and control of Morocco phosphate. It stands for Office Cherifien des phosphate. The extraction potential is key to understand the value of chemicals. OCP operates on five continents (Update, 2019). Since 1920, its creation is set up at the international level. Later, the operations are developed into adjustment, anticipation, and flexibility capacities with the requirement of a competitive industry.

Morocco has OCP as the largest enterprise, so it has employed more than 2% population, so it has contributed significantly to reduce the unemployment level in the economy. The company also provides training to the labor force, so it is a contributing buildup of skilled people in the economy (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019). Morocco houses about two-third of the phosphate reserves of the whole world, so this is a higher league as compared to Russia, China, and the US. Morocco has four main producers of phosphate, so the reserves account for 50% of the global reserves. The consumption growth of phosphate in Morocco is estimated at as1-2% per annum. These economically exploitable reserves hold central significance in the Morocco economy, so it is taking measures to reduce the prices of phosphate in 2008 (Babali, B. 2019).

An estimated investment of $4milllion, the economy is planning to increase the production of phosphate from 30-55 million tons per annum. The analysis provides that the GDP of the economy is significantly affected by this growth and export. So the country is famous for attracting foreign investment and other countries to increase business relationships and collaboration with the phosphate industry (Update, 2019).

Political and Economic Influence of the Phosphate Industry

Morocco’s export market in Europe has faced successive shocks due to the financial crisis. The stronger position of Morocco’s economy is due to strategic advantage. On the political side, it gas faced political issues with Arab neighbors that created difficulty in maintaining growth. World economic forum reported that Morocco is a competitive economy of North Africa and stable in terms of democracy. After the constitutional changes in 2011, the elected government faced a strong role of parliament among developing countries (Rarick, 2011). The plan of government to capitalize on the strategic location was to focus on the African and American markets. The development strategies of the economy regarding mining and chemical have faced a great set of reforms and policies aiming at growth.

The phosphate industry is facing huge advantage of the growth, and its presence in Morocco’s geographical areas has created wealth, job training, and better supplier connections. Due to the wellbeing of its employees and contribution to improving GDP, political influence is increased. Peace and Security Council of Africa decided that Morocco will not enter in the contracts of exploration and exploration of natural resources of Western Sahara. The decision shows that Morocco faced criticism about not showing up at the meeting of Sahara. Morocco aims to be the large producer of fertilizers and phosphates, and by 2017, this production was increased to 12 million tones.

The big plans of OCP under construction framework and fertilizer production are elapsed at US $2.4 billion investment for a period of five years. In 2016, OCP signed a contract with the Dangote group, which is by the wealthiest person from Africa and Nigeria. These domestic and foreign plans of Sahara with Russia show political goodwill about phosphate partnership, which is relevant to the economy of Morocco. In Sahrawi and Nigerian news sources, the phosphate related collaboration can be a misunderstanding because most of the phosphate and fertilizer is sold to factories and mines. Towards political aspects, Morocco is a leader of Arab states and Mediterranean unions. The stable status of politics in Morocco has international influence. For instance, phosphorus is a chemical fertilizer, and this industry will be engaged in more than 65 new production units and by 2017-2021 (Update, 2019). The stable political status of the economy is seen in all the aspects and industries, so effective measures have been taken for universal education and securing human rights as well as employment opportunities.

Demographic Profile of the Labour Force

The living standard in Morocco is not up to the international level, and a decline is seen since 1990. People living below the poverty line are increasing, so since 1991, 19% are below the poverty line. Another reason for this is uneven development and the emergence of the affluent class. The flexibility of the labor market in morocco is not estimated, but it describes financial productivity and inflation rate. The structural changes in labor 2019 have reported that a shift in labor and productivity is seen from industry to services sector. On account of the phosphate industry, the labor force has specific records, for instance, unemployment is a challenging issue, but due to the phosphate industry, a trained labor force exists in Morocco. The North African average is estimated as 10-12% for unemployed people, while 9% of women laborers are a part of regional unemployment when measured on average (International Monetary Fund, 2019).

In Morocco, no specific unemployment gender gap exists, but data by ILO reveals that a steady rate is observed in the past decade. Youth unemployment is also increasing, while in the past ten years, this ratio is hovering over the regional average. As compared to Arab countries, Moroccan workers are manly working in the agriculture and mining sector (Rarick, 2011).

In the Morocco phosphate industry, the unemployment ratio is at a declined level as compared to other sectors. North African estimates state that 65% of the unemployed force is estimated for a year, while 52% are job seekers. The government is paying job security (social) and medical insurance to employees. If the higher education sector is observed, the unemployment rate is high, and since 2012, this ratio is increased to 6.8% (White, 2015). In the mining and quarrying sector, total employment is 67,664 in 2012, while this sectoral share was 0.6%. The ratio of men employed in this sector was 98%. The estimates show a positive result for the phosphate industry that this sector is engaging more people and increasing the employment level (Update, 2019). In addition, the Gross Domestic Product of Morocco due to mining and quarrying was 3.2%, while per-share GDP in US$ is 64,651. Different channels explain the gender gap and growth rate of employment; for instance, women’s participation in the labor force increases the talent of potential entrepreneurs. The participation rate in the labor force is 25% overall that highlights the case of lags. The Moroccan labor market experiences gender gap. There are gender disparities observed in the participation of the rural and urban areas of the labor force (Ashford, D.E.1961).The employment rates in different sectors, particularly the mining sector, face the rate of unemployment, despite training and formal jobs (Prettitore, P.S. 2015). However, this ratio is minimal, and the labor market is facing mismatch under regulation, yet this impact is acute for women.Moroccan has taken measures to reduce the prices of phosphate in the past. Though it is a large country to produce phosphate rock in the world, yet its labor force is facing different issues. Despite training, involvement, and job opportunities for the labor force in Morocco, specifically in the mining sector, there is a gap in labor force participation.

The manufacturing sector in Morocco is contributing to the GDP of the country (Watch, 2020). Raw material and transportation sectors are linked to the mining sector, and there are enormous opportunities for the labor force to participate, yet some lags exist, and a need to improve this labor force participation is inherent. Though the mining sector is attracting the attention of the private sector and other state operations as well as foreign sources. Processing of phosphate and export needs of fertilizers is a key part that needs the involvement of the labor force. The economic activity of this sector, in relation to labor force participation, is a significant attempt of government because, with the increase in global collaboration and investment, the export will be increased (White, 2015). Morocco’s economy needs an emphasis on the added value of phosphate due to the increased focus on exports. The government is attempting to control basic hurdles and challenges for the labor force to enhance their participation in the mining sector since this will enhance the GDP of the economy (Medsocialdialogue, 2016). The involvement of labor in producing phosphate is inherent for the economy, and this will transform the industry as well as its capabilities.

Evaluation of Economic Growth

The economy of morocco needs high investment as well as private sector growth to reduce unemployment and increase job opportunities for youth. There are some weaknesses in a competitive business environment for small and medium enterprises development. The role of the government to improve private sector involvement is supportive for the acceleration of mining sector growth (Rarick, 2011). These reforms are reinforcing and boosting a rich growth tendency. The public sector involvement, efficiency, and governance are linked to anti-corruption policies and transparency. For the progress, administration, and promotion of government policies, there is an increased need to reduce corruption as well as vulnerabilities in all the mechanisms. The information access law is enacted in 2019 to facilitate all feedback received from the public. The economic forces are now aligned with the communication perspectives, and national strategy implementation is focused that will increase the public trust level (Watch, 2020).

Morocco’s economy has stable politics and enormous natural resources, i.e., phosphate industry potential. This scope can easily attract foreign investment and activate anti-corruption policies. The public sector efficiency for the economy is significant. Civil service and quality of public investment are linked to reforms that can help maintain public wages (Hahn, T. and Auktor, G. 2018). These motivating factors for the labor force can increase the engagement of people and youth. In the Morocco economy, fiscal decentralization in 2018 presented transparent criteria for the public resources in the region. The public enterprises are also working for the financial management level, and it is helpful for the adoption of a strategic approach. The public investment management is linked to increasing the efficiency of public investment because of improved execution and better coordination of public, private partnership welcome labor participation (Rarick, 2011).

The Morocco economy has much potential that can be cultivated by focusing on the transparent involvement of private companies (White, 2015). The standard of life and per capita income in Africa can be increased by the increased involvement of youth in different sectors. Moreover, rural-urban migration in different areas is contributing to economic development. Young Moroccans seek employment opportunities in the economy, and if phosphate production is accelerated by advanced technology, the quality of the labor force can be improved. By improving government involvement, the political & economic spheres can be accelerated that enhance the rapid economic development and growth of certain sectors (Fabbe, K. et al. 2018). Authorities in Morocco are focusing on advanced structural reforms since it will be helpful to accelerate capital. The economy needs to reduce inequalities, remove corruption, and create job opportunities for the business environment. There should be mutually reinforcing reforms like social participation & education practices that will empower vulnerable groups.

 

References

Ashford, D.E.1961.Political Change in Morocco in Princeton. Princeton University Press. pp. 25-34.

Babali, B. 2019. Twist of Phosphate. The Business Year. Available at: https://www.thebusinessyear.com/morocco-has-worlds-largest- phosphates-resources-critical-for-global-agriculture/focus [Accessed: 20 March 2020].

China Economic Net. 2012. Reopening border between Morocco, Algeria requires deeper examination: minister. Available at: http://en.ce.cn/World/Africa/201203/27/t20120327_23193309.shtml [Accessed 26 March 2020]

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Introduction

The internationalization of industry has boomed business, yet it is not a new phenomenon of growth. Many retail sectors are experiencing growth patterns based on innovation and emerging technology (Yadav &Verma, 2015). The speed and breadth in the market expansion are unprecedented. Grocery retailers are facing emerging marketing trends in the face of current consumer demand (Chatterjee, 2017). Increased market share and capabilities are making ways for these stores to make more revenues. In some cases, companies face failure in market performance, so confront unwanted consequences (Cova & Salle, 2017). This report will discuss business marketing strategies by Walmart and Aldi and explore how both of them faced each other and their marketing strategies in the form of distinct capabilities.

Situational Analysis of case

Mainly, the Aldi is targeting consumers and learning to chart their capabilities so that it can deliver value effectively. The firm is adapting to the competitive opportunity as per its rivals. Aldi was initiated from Germany and working to strengthen its economic landscape amid Walmart (Chatterjee, 2017).

Walmart is a strong competitor of Aldi that has substantial experience in the retail industry and managing the supply chain. It came across many challenges and problems in the growth path that helped it thrive in the industry and gain experience from past mistakes (Boswijk, 2017). In 1962, it was opened in Wal-Mart discount city and started selling toys. The essence of the company as wal-martization is to sell goods and bring change around the globe. For a retail store, it is important to unlock the capacity by selling larger than its competitors. Walmart has learned to set up a big picture of its business and bring innovation like Kmart. The business model, unfortunately, did not work more than expectations, and Walmart was not successful in converting it into what the customer wanted. This business model was to achieve predictability about customers’ demand.

The goal of Walmart was to predict and mark the extended value chain for its products on shelves. This capability was managed by offering surplus inventory. In case of lack of inventory, the company faced costs, and lean working capital was started as an innovative aspect of this business model. Walmart shared its point of sale data because of its large vendors. Some of its largest suppliers are Newell and P & G, and its suppliers, as well as logistics, are working on superior precision structure with better efficiency (Hernandez & Simmons, 2006). The stores and the entire inventory of Walmart are passed through check. Its predictability is ensured with the low price mechanism under a steady flow of customers when a period is approaching ending sales.

Aldi is a shorter name of (Albrecht Discount) which established by Kal and Theo Albrecht as a self-owner general store in 1945 in Essen. Aldi is carrying a billion-dollar price competition; this situation must be horrified for the Walmart. Aldi serves 1.5 % grocery market in the U.S, whereas Walmart is 22% (Boswijk, 2017). Aldi’s sales growth increased gradually and rose to 15%, and about Walmart assumed only 2% increased till then 2017.

The business needed strategic and developmental approaches to compete with other followers—this case-based on the Walmart retailing process, and how Aldi overcame the reputation of Walmart. Walmart is a regional company that designed several working models to compete with other organizations on price detecting issues. At that time the Aldi is also making its progress and competing with other grocery stores running into the U.S. The Aldi conducted an exhibition and tried to approach the different customers, where it identified its various abilities, and adjust contentious strategies to serve its products against the competitors (Chatterjee, 2017).

Retail Competition

The Aldi was established in Germany, and now it is increasing its worth in the U.S.A. The Aldi is creating a continuous change into the economic aspects by following the various business patterns. Aldi takes several right decisions associated with its first exhibition. Its first strategy is price control to underserved customers; second is opening the super grocery stores on cut-rate prices into communities for such consumers who are conducting a financial struggle by providing a limited range of merchants (Hernandez & Simmons, 2006).

Aldi follows Walmart and creates a low price conducting business model. But the different business models presented by Aldi, create a competitive environment for Walmart and allow Aldi to open new stores, several new business models are constructed, the step one is prepared to focus on the possible customers, and fixing the competition positions into the market (Voigt, Buliga, &Michl, 2016). Step two is constructed to select a convenient business model to develop the target section. Step three is to maximize the profit constituted in different business models. Four-step is for business development, the profit ratio develops on its priorities, and focusing on different profit-earning aspects.

Walmart is enjoying the developing business model and becoming a substation of business practices. It considered for consumers to buy goods from their stores based on the point of sale (POS) data (Hernandez & Simmons, 2006). By following the industrial methods, Walmart shares its experience of POS data to the other merchants; logistic providers also allow it to start its store to create a network. Further, it established a business network to efficiently the grocery business dealings, all strategies adopted to be an aggressive force in front of its competitors. It slipped because Walmart changed its retail business model to increase its business efficiency model and got stumbled on this practice. Aldi is making its reputation as a hard discounter. It offers such prices that traditional discounters did not offer before yet (Laurenthomas, 2019).

Price-conscious customers purchase a short variety of grocery products. Aldi sells 30,000 grocery products, whereas Walmart has 15,000 items (Alxaedra, 2018).

Aldi believes in discount trade as it did on the Costco megastores chain. Both retailers have influenced the merchants by repackaging their goods to increase the demand for their goods (Manalova, 2018).

Departmental stores provide customers with every kind of product in one place and save time. A superstore provides a complete range of products on a serving pattern. The stock items collection makes it much easier. Aldi does not provide the bag and credit card facility that increases the consumer’s expenses. Consumers use a shopping cart that must be returned after shopping. Aldi connected electronic locks to a shopping cart that fixed the carts to the parking area. Although both retailers focus on the cost of products. Aldi hired experienced staff to maintain control of the price fluctuations in the market. Aldi also appointed a multitasking staff who can perform different kinds of duties on stores, minimum staff hired to perform duties. All tactics helped the retailers to possess the profit (Manalova, 2018). Aldi’s growth is increasing 8% every year, and 40 stores opened in a year from 2004 to 2010 only in the U.S grocery market, and also conscious of increasing the growth into new markets. Most new stores are privately managed. Aldi does not explain its growth to its shareholders.

Aldi focuses on its cost, which has essential performing edges, shows 9.3% in Germany, but its slow success because of its efficient business model (Nassauer, 2018). Aldi establishes its position as a 20th bigger grocer into U.S.A out of 52. All retailer strategies are mentioned in the 2nd exhibition. Product choice, supplier administration, and its workers are pivotal means for Aldi’s business model. Its business methods are easily followed (Meyersohn, 2019).

On the other hand, Walmart shares its sale data with other merchants and analyzes the demand of the consumers and prepares some predictions for its expansion for a particular period. P&G and Newell are also involved in making new and efficient manufacturing plants and to reduce product cost (Mujtaba& Maxwell, 2007). Alternately, the production volume and quantity of stores needed to increase.

SWOT Analysis

Aldi and Walmart are two strong retail brands. Aldi has larger than 1800 stores in California, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, and Mid-west. Aldi is now a strong supermarket chain after Kroger and Walmart in America (Alxaedra, 2018). The aggressive growth rate is forcing the industry to implement new changes that attract customers. Aldi is working on Walmart’s actions and approaching it in competition. Recently it opened a store in Bentonville, which is only one mile away from the corporate headquarters of Walmart. Another strength of Aldi is keeping low prices, so providing the best experience to customers regarding shopping. This privately held company is offering products without reducing quality. According to customers, ’ low priced products provideprovide a distinctive experience (Cova & Salle, 2017).

Another big advantage for Aldi is selling its own natural organic products,, so it makes customers happy, and they save time finding branded goods in the store (Boswijk, 2017). Aldi’s wage rate for workers is higher than average in the market, and it still saves labor costs by hiring few people. Its prices are about 50% cheaper than competitors such as Walmart in Chicago and Houston. Aldi is also investing in its stores to remodel, i.e., $1.9 billion is used to remodel 1300 stores. New technology is the use of zip codes with a $65,822 average household income. It is also providing smart shopping era by offering alternatives like bargain hunters. It is relying on private label brands to win Millennials, who are inclined to low prices and brand agnostic. To counter Walmart, Aldi has opted bare-bones approach under a national advertising campaign. It has pledged to improve sustainable packaging and cut plastic by 2025.

Walmart has lost its way to growth by focusing on thin profit margins and cost leadership strategy. Its key weaknesses are numerous ethical violations and lawsuits it faced against employment discrimination. Poor benefits and a less adequate working environment resulted in high turnover (Yadav &Verma, 2015). Walmart has faced failure regarding experiencing activities like other retailers or make its warehouse a large place to experience; some of its products are of inferior quality (Nassauer, 2018). The growth opportunity it has is to offer more goods to developing countries; it can seek a bargain, including large grocery stores, and offer modern formats (Hardaker, 2018). Aldi has weaknesses in terms of profitability ratio and Net Distribution, which is less than the industry average. Poor financial planning at Aldi is making it vulnerable, so liquid asset ratio and current asset ratio tell that company can use cash efficiently in the current situation. It has a high attrition workforce rat as compared to other retailers.

Aldi has future opportunities in terms of core competencies present, such as GE healthcare research. It has made new environmental policies and better market share due to new technology. This is done with the help of government agreement because free trade agreement is a big opportunity to enter into new markets. Walmart has big opportunities like providing better trendier goods, special products, and gluten-free and organic options. It has also started services like spa, optometry, and banking. Walmart is also facing competition from global retailers, and Aldi is an emerging one.

A successful business always estimates the values which are helpful in business growth. Omnichannel is helpful in examining customer experience. Omnichannel is a multi-business channel that deals with sales of the consumers, and critically analyze the customer needs and expectations and find the solution to meet the consumer’s needs and expectations (Hardaker, 2018). The Omnichannel introduced an online shopping method to give essential retailers.

The omnichannel transformation for Walmart is an advantage because this strategy will improve $1.2 billion. Increased physical stores, fulfillment centers, click and collect, and delivery services are making it successful. This is related to a fully integrated shopping experience and a big approach to marketing. Aldi is also Omni channel retailer with fast development and transformation of its supply chain in the digital growth. The integrated digitalization strategy is acting as a key to transforming it into an omnichannel retailer (Alxaedra, 2018). The financial implications of these processes will be positive and productive for companies and engage better customers.

PESTLE analysis of Aldi & Walmart

Political, economic, social, technical, legal, and economic factors work inherently for any organization. Aldi has applied an approach to analyze and catalog the macro environment and its further perspectives that are implemented on the political, cultural, commercial, environmental, and legal framework which influence a company. This investigation assists in identifying principal factors, these principals consisted of opportunities and threats into the company’s external environment and afterward to overcome these opportunities and threats. Aldi, which is a shorter name of Albert Discount, was operating grocery stores into the U.K environment. Aldi’s achievement was extremely inspired by political and juridical circumstances European Union.

On the other hand, Walmart is an American brand, and dealing with the retail industry, its associated branches render its services around the world. It provides a wider range of products to customers. Grocery, household items, garments, enjoyment, and different other varieties are manufacturing to facilitate its consumers. This company got an unbeatable position to become the world’s best retail industry around the world. Government support retailer business because it provides mixed job opportunities for unemployed people. It also provides job facilities to none experienced and highly attractive payment to experienced, encouraging the living standard of different people by providing them job opportunities.

Aldi also provides part-time job facilities to students and other needy persons. Walmart is based on the macro-environmental factors and such aspects that are directly associated with business and its development. It critically analyzes the positive and negative, direct, and indirect aspects that influence the business structure. It also is known as Walmart PEST. This term helpful to create a trustful relation with U.S.A that implemented on both retailers like Aldi and Walmart. It moderates all political risks that impact business growth, prepares such strategies through the company pay less than five %tax from the other companies, faces an economic crisis, and can control price expansion into the market.

The social factors and social-cultural aspects that impact on consumer attention and inclinations. Social factors present a healthy lifestyle aim, cultural difference, residential movement; these factors create opportunities for the Walmart and Aldi business growth. Thus the companies can increase their production by following various cultural aspects. Aldi and Walmart must follow the technical approaches, by increasing the business self-regulation, business analytics on behalf of data collection, and by providing the transport facility to consumers, these factors are helpful in the expansion of the business growth (Manalova, 2018). The company boosts its production by providing an online facility. Companies can enhance their revenue by using the source of online marketing and selling of products. Environmental protection is a common principle that influences business. According to ecological factors, the impact on business sustainability, and friendly environment is essential for Aldi. To achieve monetary sustainability, Walmart improves its business operations; technical addition also improves business performance.

Change business procedures and production systems that are present to sell into retail stores. Aldi purchased raw material from farmers or other local producers to get sustainable development. Aldi adopts a strategy to attract consumers by providing an attractive label and packaging. Aldi has received Green chill certification by using a viable refrigeration system and adopting an environmentally friendly method. Aldi has faced a copyright issue on brand operational methods. It proves successful for the Aldi brand on Aldi’s products or on non-Aldi, s products. The advertisement also encourages the business into expansion matters. Aldi is a chain of supermarket companies that need to update their technology to meet the production level. Consumers rely on their commodities rather than follow a queue (Hernandez & Simmons, 2006). These retailers provide an e-commerce platform that serves consumers by providing online facilities. Social media like Facebook, Twitter also create the consumer’s interaction with the brand. Walmart is also the largest retailer brand around the world and has a large scale of operations through which it is able to achieve a good economic scale and has developed a technical mode of websites.

Different prosecutions have faced Walmart due to unethical behavior to its workers. Walmart has huge political support. PESTEL analysis on Aldi and Walmart’s business is very valuable and helpful to take initiatives for the business growth to compete with the other business rivals. It provides a complete guideline collection of raw material to production and supply in different stores and countries. It also provides a complete guideline of economic, environmental, and political issues on how to sort out them and how to overcome these situations. It also guides the companies on how to increase productivity growth and how to satisfy the customers. Aldi and Walmart are the two largest retailers’ companies sharing their parts around the world. Thus both companies follow the PESTEL analysis and follow the business growth and focus on its strengthening aspects and gain a trustful relation to customers and making progress day by day (Laurenthomas, 2019).

Conclusion

Aldi’s newest store in Cleveland is making development that Walmart supercenter possessing. Aldi increased its customers by creating a price competition to compete with its rivals. Aldi opened its new stores that are close to Walmart and selling it8s products on discount. Aldi opened new multiple adjoining superstores to Costco in New York City. Its rivals arranged its marketing because a variety of customers trusted Aldi. This plan was constructed to operate 2000 stores into U.S markets in 2018.

Aldi adopts the strategy slowly and steadily wins the race, its slow progress gains the customer trust by providing them the preference, satisfied their expectations at a low price. Aldi and Walmart are two successful retailers performing in many economies of the world. The cut-throat competition of both companies is due to increased demand. This case study shows that Walmart is now becoming vulnerable to Aldi, which is a privately owned firm and working as a grocery chain on an innovative model. Aldi is outcompeting its competitors on the basis of pricing and become a significant competitor in the US grocery market.

 

References

Alxaedra, B. (2018). Business Valuation and Value Drivers. Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management, 507–534. doi: 10.1002/9781119491460.ch22

Boswijk, A. (2017). Transforming Business Value through Digitalized Networks: A Case Study on the Value Drivers of Airbnb. Journal of Creating Value3(1), 104–114. doi: 10.1177/2394964317697736

Chatterjee, S. (2017). Two efficiency-driven networks on a collision course: ALDI’s innovative grocery business model vs Walmart. Strategy & Leadership45(5), 18–25. doi: 10.1108/sl-06-2017-0057

Cova, B., & Salle, R. (2017). Creating superior value through network offerings. Creating and Managing Superior Customer Value Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, 317–342. doi: 10.1016/s1069-0964(08)14009-1

Hardaker, S. (2018). Retail Format Competition: The Case of Grocery Discount Stores and Why They Haven’t Conquered the Chinese Market (Yet). Moravian Geographical Reports26(3), 220–227. doi: 10.2478/mgr-2018-0018

Hernandez, T., & Simmons, J. (2006). Evolving retail landscapes: power retail in Canada. The Canadian Geographer / Le GéographeCanadien50(4), 465–486. doi: 10.1111/j.1541-0064.2006.00158.x

Laurenthomas. (2019, July 3). Walmart’s e-commerce biz is reportedly racking up $1 billion in losses and that’s only one problem it has. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/03/walmarts-e-commerce-business-on-track-to-lose-over-1-billion.html

Manalova, T. S. (2018). Small Multinationals in Global Competition: An Industry Perspective. Globalization and Entrepreneurship. doi: 10.4337/9781843767084.00012

Meyersohn, N. (2019). How a cheap, brutally efficient grocery chain is upending America’s supermarkets. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/05/business/aldi-walmart-low-food-prices/index.html

Mujtaba, B. G., & Maxwell, S. (2007). Wal-Mart In The Global Retail Market: Its Growth And Challenges. Journal of Business Case Studies (JBCS)3(2), 1–10. doi: 10.19030/jbcs.v3i2.4837

Nassauer, S. (2018, August 31). Why Walmart Shoppers are Finding More Items ‘Out of Stock’. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-walmart-shoppers-are-finding-more-items-out-of-stock-1535716801

Voigt, K.-I., Buliga, O., &Michl, K. (2016). Striving for Customer Benefit: The Case of Aldi. Management for Professionals Business Model Pioneers, 11–24. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-38845-8_3

Yadav, R. K., &Verma, M. (2015). Consumer Preference towards Retail Stores for Food and Grocery in Evolving Retail Market. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences60, 102–111. doi: 10.18052/www.scipress.com/ilshs.60.102

 

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Introduction

Mobile devices are rapidly proliferating as more than 2 billion smartphones were reportedly used back in 2014, and it is anticipated that more will be deployed for use. These penetration rates introduce the use of different applications within mobile devices (Kortum, 2015). Until 2007, smartphones were not mass-marketed and were not commercially available. However, after the launch of the first iPhone back in 2007, and android launch in 2009, the smartphones became commercially available, before 2007, a large number of selectable consumer applications within mobile phones were not available (Kortum, 2015). Users can now easily customize the applications within their mobile platforms which suit their needs. The amount of downloadable user applications for the mobile devices is large and continues to grow, with more than 1.2 million applications available in i0s platforms and more than 1.3 million available via GooglePlay in Android OS (Kortum, 2015).

Pine (1998) defines user experience as a unique set of offerings that emerge s when an organization intentionally uses its product or service offerings to engage the users in such a way that it creates customer delight. User experience encompasses the whole aspect of a service acceptance by a user. It touches all the elements inclusive; hedonic and pragmatic of a product. The instrumental or pragmatic elements of a service or product referred to the beneficial aspects such as the ease of use of an application or usefulness of the service. The non-instrumental or hedonic elements refer to the experiential and emotional aspects of service use. Learnability, security, user satisfaction and user interface are some of the factors that contribute towards user experience for a mobile application.

Mobile applications like Netflix use online personalization to enhance user experience. Online personalization via adaptive user interface means that the user interface automatically adjusts context, demands, detected changes, adjusts content, visual presentation or layout (Yang, 2016). User experience design is immensely important in developing a good mobile application since it has a huge impact on the success or failure of the application (Yazid, 2017).

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this research is to enable practitioners to use the information concluded within the research to make informed decisions regarding the mobile application and benchmark their progress for Netflix against other applications for mobile platforms.

Research Problem

Netflix application allows individuals to obtain content anytime, anywhere and through a mobile platform. Because of this specialty, individuals show immense interest in the application all over the world (Cebeci, 2019). This is why it is imperative to investigate what makes a good user experience for Netflix application and how the application is perceived by the users.

Research Objective

Previous researchers have focused mainly on Netflix as an emerging media platform or on its content. It has been observed that there is little research regarding the factors that affect the user experience for Netflix mobile application. Since it is still a gap in the literature, the research aims to investigate the determinants of user experience for Netflix application. The current research will focus on the studies dedicated to the user experience of using Netflix.

 

Research Questions

  • Is the Netflix application easy to navigate for the users?
  • Is the Netflix application interactive?
  • Is the user interface (UI) plain and easy to follow?
  • What elements of user experience i.e. ease of use, learnability, security, user satisfaction, user interface design etc. does the application follow?
  • How satisfied are the users with the user experience?
  • How likely are the users to reuse the Netflix application?
  • Can the Netflix application serve the users to achieve the end goal, i.e. stream videos, watch TV shows, movies, etc.?
  • Does the Netflix application meet its functionality?

Interview Questions

  • In your opinion, is it easy to use Netflix mobile application? Explain your answer.
  • Is the setting of your device sufficient for the use of the application?
  • Do you think that all the functionalities of the Netflix application are designed in such a way that they aid the user in performing the task?
  • Netflix interface design has elements that invite the attention of the users and provide the ease of use such as auto-play which induces binge-watching in users. What are the features that make the user interface easy for you?
  • Do you think that the recommendation algorithm in Netflix application reduces the navigation time and enhances the user experience?
  • Do you think that the Netflix interface uses a narrative to make the user believes to be in control and has the agency of controlling his or her Netflix experience through their choices?

Literature Review

Research related to user experience while using mobile applications has gained momentum as well as considerable interest from both practitioners as well as scholars. The literature within the field of user experience happens to include all factors which affect the interaction of a user as well as their experience of the product or system (Yazid, 2017). Yazid (2017) uses User Experience Questionnaire adapted from Chen’s User Experience (UX) assessment model for mobile applications which offers insight into the factors that affect the user experience. Ease of use, learnability, user Interface, security, user satisfaction etc. are some of the elements that contribute towards a fulfilled user experience. Ease of use factor covers three elements of user experience: data accessibility, usability and navigation. Yazid (2017) defines usability by how functional an application is for the end-user. This means that all the functionalities of an application must be designed in such a way that they aid the user in performing the task most efficiently compared to what they have been using or are used to before.

According to Yazid (2017) , it is imperative that the navigation pattern within an app is simple to aid the users that are new in figuring out how to move across the mobile application with ease in the fewer number of clicks. Data accessibility aspect for an application means that the data must be available readily at any location for consumption by the user to make the application reliable. Validation aspect contributes towards the ease of use elements in the context of making the users aware of the mistake that they might have made. This enables the users to check the error before they click the submit button.

Learnability happens to be the degree of ease as well as the speed with which a user gets familiar with using a specific application. High learnability refers to how users intuitively learn how an application in a mobile phone is used without checking user guide or FAQs. The user interface, according to Yazid (2017), is a touch-sensitive display present on a cellular device and is highly important for engaging the customer’s attention as it is the first thing the user observes. Selection of size, colours and icon give a meaningful impact on user perception. Another factor that impacts user experience, according to Yazid (2017), is behavioural intent which is a subjective norm.

An application with a good user experience design deploys the user with the right information and fulfil their anticipation so that the user can bookmark the relevant material and use the application again in future. Reduction of user errors influences the user’s intention to reuse the application (Yazid, 2017). Thus having suggestion tools such as listing recommendations based on previous click or views can be used as a method to improve user experience.

Yang (2016) states that machine learning and the adaptive user interface has become an effective tool for enhancing mobile user experience (UX). Popular mobile applications such as Netflix, Facebook, Google Search, Instagram, Kindle, Mail, Pandora, YouTube, Safari, Twitter etc. regularly mine user behaviour and context data to enhance personalized recommendations, predict log behaviours like sleeping or walking and filter out spam. Moreover, users now expect mobile applications to have smart systems that have intelligent interfaces (Yang, 2016). Mobile interface (UI) benefits from adaptations which specifically reduce navigation because mobile contexts and tasks vary greatly small mobile screens limit interaction as well as content space. For example, the Starbucks application learns how a user pays through their phone learn about the user payment method when the application is launched inside the store.

Furthermore, Yang (2016) states that mobile applications like Netflix use online personalization to enhance user experience. Online personalization via adaptive user interface means that the UI automatically adjusts context, demands, detected changes, adjusts content, visual presentation or layout. Movie recommendations in Netflix mobile application reduce the effort needed by the user to find the right movie or TV show. The Netflix application employs adaptive UI that uses the user profile and the set of user models to personalize the user experience as well as to address the needs of heterogeneous users. This is because online personalization benefits the service providers like Netflix and users. The term “algorithm identity” is used by (Markham, 2018) to denote how user interface adjusts content for the users and is a crucial element of the user experience catered by Netflix.

Algorithm identity is the “self” of the user that is constantly reproduced based on user interaction with the platform through clicks. This claim is authorized by a growing body of research that acknowledges the role of algorithms for generating different versions of a user’s identity online. Cheney-Lippold (2011), for example, a claim that application algorithms categorize the identity of the individuals which are inferred based on their application usage. Similarly, Markham (2018) argues that algorithms personalize and construct relational meaning and construct identity in contemporary use of the application.

Markham (2018) also focuses on what does the algorithm do and how it shapes the behaviour as well as the experience of the users. When it comes to the interface in Netflix application, over time and with routine use, it can be seen that the algorithmic identity develops. At the start, there is no typical profile page which users can refer to; instead, users can set up a small profile to inform the application regarding “who’s watching?” by choosing several avatars (Markham, 2018). The application also provides choices such as ‘maturity level’ and language topic from which caters to the need to the user.

Netflix via its mobile application successfully uses personalization in such a way that it anticipates the users’ behavioural intent and reduces the navigation time also known as the number of screens and reduces selection efforts which are the number of inputs or taps (Yang, 2016). The adaptive user interface is also beneficial for the service provider such as Netflix as it provides enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty. The research and service design community recognize personalization as an essential element in maintaining and building long-term customer relationships while enhancing customer lifetime value. Yang (2016) states that adaptive user interfaces might confuse users who have the perception that the changes within the system’s behaviour happen to be negatively inconsistent instead of taking it as personalized user experience. This is because adaptive user interfaces might decrease the sense of control for users.

Cebeci (2019) uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine the factors that influence the intention of users to use Netflix and the user’s experience of the application. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been derived by Theory of Reasoned Action, which has four main constructs: attitude, intention to use, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Cebeci (2019) states that perceived ease of use is the degree to which a user believes that using an application would be free of any effort and the perceived usefulness is the degree to which a user believes that an application would be beneficial to them. Users are having a high level of knowledge regarding application usage regard it as easy to use. Similarly, if a user has knowledge regarding Netflix application, he or she will believe it to be easy which means that Netflix is positively related to user’s perceived ease of use (Cebeci, 2019).

Similarly, Kortum (2015) uses the Technology Acceptance Model as a theoretical framework to denote the rapid adoption of mobile applications as the model suggests that technology and applications are widely adopted because of perceived usefulness. This perceived usefulness is related to the ease of use of the application such as the elements of availability, portability, low cost, ubiquity etc. contribute towards user experience (Kortum, 2015).

Markham (2018) uses a series of user journeys through the interface and critically analyzes each moment of the selected user’s Netflix experience (Markham, 2018). Over the course of the analysis, Markham (2018) ended up foregrounding different aspects of the influential, relational and infrastructural elements of the socio-technical experience of using Netflix. The researcher focused on three complexities, first being the user experience of the Netflix interface in which a complete narrative is implanted in such a way that the user believes to be in control and has the agency of controlling his or her Netflix experience through their choices. This happens to be apparent in the image of the company itself and is reinforced through the Netflix application.

Secondly, the Netflix application functions both indirectly as well as directly to condition the attitude as well as behaviours of the users. Directly, Netflix pushes to promote the original content as well as region-specific content. Indirectly, the Netflix interface design has elements that invite the attention of the users and provide the ease of use such as auto-play which induces binge-watching in users and promotes perceived ease of use.

The perceived ease of use is the degree to which a user believes that using an application would be free of any effort (Markham, 2018). Thirdly the recommendation algorithm creates an unsteady state of being in the users due to its incomprehensibility because of which users are never quite sure what the recommendation will be which enhances user attentiveness while using the application and engages them. Varela (2019) uses the user-focused approach for her study of the algorithmic culture that influences user experience. The researcher used Netflix’s recommendation algorithm to study the questions of black boxing, biases in the algorithm in terms of visibility as well as socio-technological elements of algorithms. The researcher conducted an in-depth interview methodology with users who are loyal users of Netflix in Singapore. Varela (2019) concludes that users also happen to be co-producers of the content as they contribute towards their experience as well through their usage of the application and consequently to the success of the application.

Pine (1998) defines user experience as a unique set of offerings that emerge s when an organization intentionally uses its product or service offerings to engage the users in such a way that it creates customer delight (Pine, 1998). Mobile user experience has been expanded upon using three dimensions such as device-related issues, application-related issues and communication-related issues. The device-related issues happen to be associated with hardware features that contribute towards ease of use of the accessories or the device such as a mobile phone. Communication-related issues tend to be focused on interpersonal communication, while application-related issues are linked towards the interaction of the user with the specific mobile application. The application related issues have been identified as the crucial layer which contributes towards user experience by Subramanya and Byung. Their research suggests that the application-related issues compensate for user constraints and underlying device constrains (Subramanya, 2009).

Research Methodology

The research methodology that is going to be used for this research is qualitative data collection and analysis (Hammarberg, 2016). Qualitative research is the most suitable method since the nature of this particular study is investigative. The research focuses on user experience while using Netflix application, and according to Hammarberg (2016), qualitative methods are used to explain research queries regarding perspective, experience and meaning from the standpoint of the participants. The research will employ qualitative research technique of small group discussions for investigating the concepts, beliefs as well as attitudes of normative behaviour. The quantitative technique has not been used because closed-ended questions that are asked for data collection do not provide good insight into the mind of the respondent.

 

Data Collection Technique

Focus group technique is going to be used as the data collection technique for this research because this technique provides insight into what individuals’ experience and feel. Focus groups are good for gaining a better understanding of the phenomenon being studied within the research. Data Analysis Technique used will be interviewed in which group interviews will be used that will allow the researcher the ability to capture in-depth information in a cost-effective way in comparison to individual interviews. The main benefit of this technique is that group interaction during the interviews will allow the researcher to grasp different views and will encourage the participants to make connections to various concepts of user experience while using Netflix.

Data Analysis

For each question asked during the focus group session, the researcher will summarize the main themes or the ideas that were discussed. Observations such as tone and opinion difference will also be taken into account. This procedure will facilitate a deeper understanding of the topic of the study. The discussion points that will not be coherent with the questions will also be noted and studied for a greater understanding of the topic. Data reduction will be done by summarizing the one to two-hour discussion with the focus group into manageable concepts for the development of the report. Concept map method will be used to aid in concept building during analysis (Barry Nagle, 2013).

 

References

Barry Nagle, N. W. (2013). Methodology brief: Introduction to focus groups. Center for Assessment, Planning and Accountability, 3.

Breen, R. L. (2006). A Practical Guide to Focus-Group Research. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 463–475.

Bucher, T. &. (2018). The Affordances of Social Media Platforms. In J. Burgess, The SAGE Handbook of Social Media. Sage Publications.

Cebeci, U. (2019). Understanding the Intention to Use Netflix: An Extended TechnologyUfuk Cebeci. International Review of Management and Marketing, 152-157.

Cheney-Lippold. (2011). New Algorithmic Identity: Soft Biopolitics and the Modulation of Control Theory . Culture & Society, 164-181.

Hammarberg, K. (2016). Qualitative research methods: when to use them and how to judge them. Human Reproduction, 498–501.

Kortum, P. (2015). Measuring the Usability of Mobile Applications for Phones and Tablets. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 518–529.

Markham, A. (2018). Netflix, imagined affordances, and the illusion of control. In T. Plothe, Netflix at the Nexus. Peter Lang.

Pine, J. B. (1998). Welcome to the Experience Economy. Harvard Business Review,, 20.

Subramanya, S. R. (2009). Enhancing the User Experience in Mobile Phones. IEEE 5th International Conference on Advanced Video and Sinal Based Surveillance, 200.

Varela, D. K. (2019). The Netflix Experience: A User-Focused Approach to the Netflix Recommendation Algorithm. In Netflix at the Nexus: Content, Practice, and Production in the Age of Streaming Television (pp. 197-211). Lang Publishing Group .

Yang, Q. (2016). Planning Adaptive Mobile Experiences When Wireframing. Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, 565-570.

Yazid, M. A. (2017). User Experience Design (UXD) of Mobile Application: An Implementation of a. Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering, 197-290.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Introduction

Management performance tends to handle the operational process in organizations through regular feedback. The scope of business management is enhanced when a business model is invigorated. It is vital for a company’s success that several changes should be implemented (Korsgaard, Rask &Lauring, 2007). The process of strategic management is to implement a strategy in an organizational framework that allows the accomplishment of strategic goals. This kind of operation is to get more customers who spend more, so longer retention is made. (Lechehab&Kamassi, 2016) The monitoring and planning analysis in an organization need specific processes to meet the objectives. This report will discuss international strategic business management in IKEA regarding Malaysia. The report will discuss the mission, strategic goals, and SWOT analysis.

Company Overview

IKEA is a global brand that was found in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad. The company is famous for its famous and modern stores. Its different kinds of products are eco-friendly and cost-effective. IKEA operates in 389 stores worth of 42.9 billion. It also has few branches across the world with such as KungensKurva, in Shen Zhen, and Texas. It has presented an example of trendiest with low-cost furniture. IKEA is considered a recognizable brand at the globe with best practices. The trademark of the company is well designed and functional regarding frugality experience. These practices are related to the principle that offers competitive advantage (Soh, Wong & Chong, 2015). The image, quality, and affordability of products is an asset for the company. The company has the opportunity to be streamlined about its customs, franchising, and popularity.

IKEA is successful in terms of its management operations. Its formulation processing is based on the right demographic framework. IKEA stores are customized to offer a better experience to customers in terms of fluid shopping (Hultman, Johnsen, Johnsen & Hertz, 2012). The living room and domestic style experience for customers are exciting. They need to take a code linked to the selected item when they buy furniture. The functional layout of products is seen as a mass service for a product offering that fulfills the basic needs of consumers.  Some basic features of the firm are high quality, wide variety, the flexibility of products, less disruption, and easy supervision.

Mission

The mission of the company is to build a strong culture that will deploy crucial factors for the continued success of IKEA. The concept of sustainability is inherent because furniture is considered a necessary value for people’s lives (Korsgaard, Rask &Lauring, 2007). The recognizable brand name and concept are linked to low valued price and home furnishing products. The company has a wide range of its products and allow frugality practices for being the first choice of consumers as compared to other brands. The culture of IKEA is to work within everyone, create and develop it further, so people live with this vision. This concept is building a core competency of the company against others. IKEA has established its long going capacity in Malaysia with the science and technology concept and managerial practices. The developing economy of Malaysia is offering huge potential to the company to produce furniture due to newly identified competitive advantages (Garnier&Poncin, 2019).

SWOT Analysis

IKEA is a valuable furniture brand in the world, and in 2019, its worth is estimated at US$45.4 billion. The strengths of the company are its brand image and brand name. The reputation and awareness of the company are its key strengths (Johansson &Thelander, 2009). A most significant strength is its low-cost affordable furniture because it aims to sustain in the lives of people, so it is cost-conscious. The philosophy of IKEA is to keep costs low and incorporate new technologies, advances, and innovation to allow profit margins(Arrigo, 2005). This is associated with the profitability, efficiency solutions, and cost-effectiveness methods in handling products. In Malaysia, IKEA has a competitive advantage in producing products.

The combination of effective packaging and low price furniture startup in Malaysia is a big strength for the company. The products of the company are new, different, and allow extraordinary shopping experience to people, so consumers are engaged in decision making (Soh, Wong & Chong, 2015). It is different from other brands because of the wide variety, selection, and offering a chronological order. Just as its competitors are working in Malaysia, IKEA aims to maintain long term relationships with customers, so optimizing its cost and transport timing.

Its weaknesses are less focused on improvement policies while working in less developed countries like Malaysia. It also has inadequate support policy as well as limited visibility regarding marketing and promotion. The sparsely located few stores in Malaysia can be less responsive to increased demand of the population (Minkes&Minkes, 2005). It has to employ more staff to enhance the buying experience of customers by attracting them. The packaged furniture and its technical nature is different and needs more focus on assemblage. It depends on the third party to assemble and assist in purchasing products that can be a weak point for IKEA. There is an absence of detailed instructions that can accompany products and retain consumers when they go for detailing.

There are some opportunities for IKEA to further develop and boost its concept in Malaysia. It can increase its clientele by educating people more about environmental waste and pollution. If wastes are reduced regarding furniture usage, it can develop a strong concept as an opportunity in corporate social responsibility (Hultman, Johnsen, Johnsen & Hertz, 2012). With Malaysia and other less developed counties like India and Indonesia, IKEA can fully develop its network of furniture supply. It has the advantage of working on broader concepts by developing effective solutions for business. This will provide solutions to reduce environmental pollution, so a sustainable life at home will be easy. In Malaysia, the potential exists regarding natural resources and others like advanced technology and science, so it can promote a technical friendly product (Garnier&Poncin, 2019).

Some external factors can work as threats to the company in Malaysia. There are many low-cost retailers in Malaysia that can share market value and specialty of furniture with IKEA; there is a need to produce more economical and consumer-friendly products to compete with the rivals. The financial conditions of a country are other luring threats for IKEA. Any financial crisis and economic downturn in the economy can cause threats to IKEA (Lechehab&Kamassi, 2016). The size and scale of the company is also a threat because it has to focus on the operating economy where experts believe watering down of innovation due to less targeted consumers in Malaysia. The company is steadily acquiring a household place in masses, so it has to improve quality and standard with its expansion (Fröding& Lawrence, 2017).

IKEA strategies and its associated plans

IKEA’s marketing strategy through which the organization searched out cultural and advanced customers and also searched a sufficient market to sell its products. IKEA sends its designs to concern professional people to its homes and provide them feedback(Arrigo, 2005). This strategy allows the ministers to make the market decisions that are based on people’s life’s experience; this experience might be collected from survey and data collection. IKES Strategies considered all elements that are involving around product and price into mixed marketing. IKES tries to present its best product on the lowest market rate, and it is also called the 7Ps of marketing, in which position, development, methods, characters, and material elements are taking place (Hultman, Johnsen, Johnsen & Hertz, 2012). IKEA was established by Kamprad in 1943; this term developed when the home furnishing stores are used for monetary purposes around the world. All IKEA retailers are running their own franchise business.

IKEA of Sweden concerns all product ranges, which are associated with IKEA; the entire production differentiated with tags, designs, and quality. To start IKEA’s strategies, find the solution to various questions.  IKEA knows about consumer satisfaction and how much it is important. Consumer relations influence the business significantly (Stanciu, Zlati, Antohi&Bichescu, 2019).

Different research objectives also take place in this term, like investigating the consumer demand theory. Establish a referencing and suggestion system for company development. The basic purpose of this theory is to satisfy the consumer at any cost, either the consumer belongs to any category of life. In those days’ customers have awareness about the brand and its worth; at first, the consumer judges the product, and its services afterward estimate his personal experience and, at last, make a decision whether the product is appropriate and meets its exceptional level or not. After using the product, if the product fulfills its requirements, then the customer will purchase it again. Otherwise, he contacts any other commodity. In this fast business establishment affairs, customer relations are critical to managing. Customer satisfaction shows that he will purchase the commodity afterward to satisfy the demand that would be a long-term relationship to company and customer till then the other product may not facilitate its needs. An efficient marketing program consisted of all terms and conditions to evaluate the mix marketing concerning the market objectives which a company has to occupy to compete for the other rivals (Fröding& Lawrence, 2017).

IKEA base the business success on superior marketing strategies that must be the same around the world, which consisted of the description list it must be in written form in 17 languages and color should be blue and yellow, the color of the Swedish flag. This technique applied to the customer that they are free to purchase any commodity. The price also is shorter than other brands because the consumers, first of all, focused on the price (Johansson &Thelander, 2009). To understand the IKEA business strategy, it is necessary to be based on business conception and formulation prepared by IKEA 12th January 2009. It also provides a wide variety of sketches, functional, and other home decorating products at a low price thus can purchase every kind of class. The main objective must be centralized the objectives and purposes of IKEA’s business strategy. It also provides a guideline on work; these rules implement all sectors of the strategy, whether they belong to the country or around the world. IKEA focused that the environmental designs are presented into its home decor items; for this purpose, it launched a plan in 2015(Arrigo, 2005). This plan will combine the cultural, environmental, and financial and commercial crises. IKEA follows SWOT analysis to gain its objectives (Carter, 2009). This is a developmental business tool. It also assists the business to focus on its fundamental issues. SWOT is a planning stage and focuses on strengthening and weakening and also deals with the internal and external aspects of the business, and also face all threats that are affecting the company matter and associated with other business merchants. The SWOT business plan also concerns retailing, production departments. It also can deal with economic situations, social variations, and technological advancements. IKEA also emphasizes that every business holder has to sense its strengthening aspects to overcome its future challenges. IKEA also focuses on attracting the fundamental group of customers to establish a brand in a world community. It also provides different business techniques at a low price (Alänge, Clancy &Marmgren, 2016).

To maximize the profit, the brand has to establish a trustful relation to the supplier, retailer, and customers. It also embraces several strategic techniques to create customer trust and gain worth in a market. Long term relations to customers or retailers also provide a profitable sense to the business. IKEA emphasizes making good relations with customers by fulfilling their expectations and trying to find out how the new customers ties in a long-term relationship (Baxter & Landry, 2017).

Successful Strategic Goals

The world economy is booming, so the furniture market is also going up with rapid development. 70% of the global market is acquired by traditional furniture companies. The scenario is easy to understand due to increased production capacity, technical advancement, and strategic management. IKEA has also managed to enter in China, Indonesia, and Malaysia by focusing on the key significant strengths and its strategic goals. In many less developed countries, it has developed its concept of competitive advantage and working to show greater potential. Its production is increasingly focused on matching quality standards in Malaysia and beat its competitors. The clear mission of the company is to sell a wide range of furniture with reasonable prices that allow people to buy and get involve (Baxter & Landry, 2017). The wide range offering is a keyword in functionality because consumers, in this way find a place where everything is present. The strategic goals that IKEA has considered to enter in Malaysia are creating high efficient sales department, offering best ideas for home furnishing and serving customers with the best shop of furnishing ideas.

The aim of IKEA at Malaysia to offer them successful appearances and a perfect shopping experience for whole family (Carter, 2009). The people and environment is always a concern for IKEA so its management try to manage every day’s life with a better notion of commitment. It has also responded any rising public concern regarding sustainability, choice of the communication and product range. In Malaysia, effective focus on transportation and raw material was easily maintained due to easy access and prevalence of raw material. This situation helped company get its green targets and spread impact. In Malaysia, it is working on the original approach of dealing customers, i.e. self-serving method. The catalog allow people select whatever they want so they choose their products and put and assemble at home.  The centralized strategic direction at IKEA is increased with its expansion (Alänge, Clancy &Marmgren, 2016).

The rapid internationalization has enhanced the challenges for company in a broader scenario so there is also increasing difficulty of managing and responding needs. It is considering cultural and social factors while operating in new premises so emerging demographic trends are easy to tackle with a focused strategy(Arrigo, 2005). IKEA is also focusing on varied level consumer groups by implementing its strategies. The power of strategic management is significant under the organizational structure. It is focusing on maintaining a balance between autonomy and country-level centralized intervention, which will be attributable to franchisee autonomy and subsidiaries. Its suppliers are located in low-cost countries that are an advantage for Malaysia based IKEA (Stanciu, Zlati, Antohi&Bichescu, 2019). They can access raw materials so effectively reach out to distribution channels. The suppliers are selling standard products with broader dealing at the same time.

IKEA’s brand is focusing on innovation mix, advanced, and quality furniture. A combination of low-cost high quality furniture is the business model that is further being tackled with new innovations and techniques to expand and cut costs. Its simple idea of keeping costs low for manufacturers and customers is workable because it doesn’t own its sole manufacturing facilities. The upstream innovation and research & development activities are centralized in Malaysia. The strategic and operational strategies are workable and acquired a steady scope due to global policies.

Challenges

While operating in a global market, an international brand may face some challenges. For instance, while operating in Malaysia, it has to focus on its internal capabilities, ceasing activities, and incorporate key strategies to make its reputation (Carter, 2009). It has to work in an intensely competitive environment because targeting consumers is not easy, and there are multiple brands considering similar operations. It has been facing external and internal challenges in Malaysia regarding raw material, transportation, and availability of the latest technology. Some competitors are focusing on influential corporate decision-making strategies to make effective decisions for the firms. The management team has identified key threats from this business point objective so IKEA has to implement consumer related methods. It is facing diversification issues to boost sales (Alänge, Clancy &Marmgren, 2016). Some internal cultural issues are also prevalent. Due to geographic factors, IKEA is facing different taboos in Malaysia so it has to focus on to improving furniture design.

Conclusion

IKEA in Malaysia is working on competitive strategy with low cost initiatives. It has opened new stores, with an aim to use stability strategy. This will be helpful to monitor performance of the products and allow well operating conditions for business. The stability factor increases productivity of a company so it can take profit based features. Low cost operating methods, effective decision making approach and a business formulating method for its consumers are main pillars of Malaysian market that company is focusing. IKEA is working at global level so a focus on price and differentiation is a key to maintain. The price cost of company is linked to the cost of production, under strategic management framework, this scope is maintained. Globalization is a central aspect of strategic management, so IKEA in global market places, is expanding this view by gaining better competitive advantages and profits. The trend of consumer products at global marketplace is emerging and IKEA is viewing this phenomenon in Malaysia to reap a better growth.

References

Alänge, S., Clancy, G., &Marmgren, M. (2016). Naturalizing sustainability in product development: A comparative analysis of IKEA and SCA. Journal Of Cleaner Production135, 1009-1022. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.148

Arrigo, E. (2005). Corporate Responsibility and Hypercompetition. The Ikea Case. Symphonya. Emerging Issues In Management, (2). doi: 10.4468/2005.2.04arrigo

Baxter, M., & Landry, A. (2017). IKEA: Product, pricing, and pass-through. Research In Economics71(3), 507-520. doi: 10.1016/j.rie.2017.03.003

Carter, R. (2009). Will consumers pay a premium for ethical information?. Social Responsibility Journal5(4), 464-477. doi: 10.1108/17471110910995339

Fröding, K., & Lawrence, G. (2017). Sustainability at IKEA. Linnaeus Eco-Tech, 67. doi: 10.15626/eco-tech.2010.008

Garnier, M., &Poncin, I. (2019). Do enriched digital catalogues offer compelling experiences, beyond websites? A comparative analysis through the IKEA case. Journal Of Retailing And Consumer Services47, 361-369. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.12.011

Hultman, J., Johnsen, T., Johnsen, R., & Hertz, S. (2012). An interaction approach to global sourcing: A case study of IKEA. Journal Of Purchasing And Supply Management18(1), 9-21. doi: 10.1016/j.pursup.2011.11.001

Johansson, U., &Thelander, Å. (2009). A standardised approach to the world? IKEA in China. International Journal Of Quality And Service Sciences1(2), 199-219. doi: 10.1108/17566690910971454

Korsgaard, S., Rask, M., &Lauring, J. (2007). The Diversity Management Paradox in Globalization – The Swedish IKEA Way. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1135570

Lechehab, S., &Kamassi, A. (2016). The Benefits of Implementing Lean Management System at IKEA Malaysia Company. مجلةالباحث, (16), 55-66. doi: 10.12816/0034358

Minkes, J., &Minkes, A. (2005). Decentralisation, Responsibility and Ethical Dilemmas. Social Responsibility Journal1(1/2), 16-20. doi: 10.1108/eb045790

Soh, K., Wong, W., & Chong, C. (2015). Strategic Choices: A Composite Model for Logistics Service Providers. Journal Of Southeast Asian Research, 1-10. doi: 10.5171/2015.652416

Stanciu, S., Zlati, M., Antohi, V., &Bichescu, C. (2019). The Development Analysis of the Romanian Traditional Product Market Based on the Performance Model for Sustainable Economic Development. Sustainability11(4), 1123. doi: 10.3390/su11041123

 

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In this paper, I will argue that Foucault’s position on ethics will show the importance of implementing ethics and morals and I will use the example from the novel Machete Season to further the point.

Philosophical thought deals with many aspects of life, including an important branch known as ethics. Usually, ethics and morals are used interchangeably, but it must be recognized that these two are widely different as the former deals with the portrayal and acceptance of external values, such as the laws and rules of the world, while the latter deals with the internal distinction between right and wrong. Both ethics and morals are major tools that govern human behavior, such as interacting in power relationships. I will elaborate on the work of the great French Historian and Philosopher Michel Foucault with relation to ethics and power relations. I will use arguments abstracted from his works and apply them to one of the killers’ testimonies extracted from the famous novel on the Rwandan genocide, Machete Season by Jean Hatzfeld. Lastly, I will use the architectured situation to compare my own power relationship experiences as understood by me in the light of Foucault’s works. The meaning of ethics is described in detail by the academic genius Michel Foucault and is a little different from the view of many philosophers, academics, historians, and journalists. His definition of ethics is understood“as a relation of self to itself in terms of its moral agency.” The view of ethics entails a human being opening themselves up to accept and abide by some sort of morals for behavior and, by essence leading themselves to what he termed as  “subjectivation.”Foucault’s works on ethics encompass a vast array of historical thought and ideas that are mentioned in “The Use of Pleasure” and “The Care of the Self” and in hisinterviews titled “On the Genealogy of Ethics” and “The Ethics for the Concern of Self as a Practice of Freedom.” His text “The Hermeneutics of the Subject” goes into in-depth analyses of how ancient values and ethics of identity and acutely related to the historical philosophy. In his later works, Foucault postulates that the emerging ethics stem out of the internal (moral) drives and duties of individuals; however, the modern era’s concept also maintains that absolute full knowledge cannot be perceived or grasped by being in a natural order. This statement appears to be against the human perception of knowledge, and it can be connected to power relations in the sense that the stakeholders might have incomplete or inaccurate knowledge while the interaction takes place. His writings including, “Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason,” mention how morality, if constructed only by an individual, can be inefficient and at times harmful as he mentions, “what desire can be contrary to nature since it was given to man by nature itself?”This goes on to say that humans can be trapped into doing wrong by their selves, and to avoid that, a code of ethics is necessary. He is quoted to have said, “The strategic adversary is fascism… the fascism in us all, in our heads and in our everyday behavior, the fascism that causes us to love power, to desire the very thing that dominates and exploits us.” Hence a connection can be made in how it is a human weakness to be attracted to power that has the capacity to corrupt, and hence, a code is essential for humanity’s wellbeing. Foucault has also shed light on the power relation between the state and the common people where the former are the controllers, and the latter sometimes behave as passive pupils. They normalize and accept most propaganda lines. He mentioned during “The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature,” “The real political task in a society such as ours is to criticize the workings of institutions that appear to be both neutral and independent, to criticize and attack them in such a manner that the political violence that has always exercised itself obscurely through them will be unmasked so that one can fight against them.” This approach seems to be in sync with the neo-Marxist theory of Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs), where the state applies laws that actually favor its selfish aims and actually disrupt the order amongst its people. Hence, the philosopher urges people to give that state a fight that he believes might be natural, as he mentioned in his book “The History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction”, “Where there is power, there is resistance.” Thus, a code of ethics, though, is necessary can be played around with by the people who are responsible for designing the laws, and that is where the moral duties of individuals interject. Therefore, ethics might be important; morality still ought to be present and is essential to sideline any loopholes in the state policies of ethics.

Having established the significance of ethics and morals, that play an important role, I will use real examples to support my point. I have taken the example of the testament of Alphonse who was a murderer during the Tutsi killings that took place in Rwanda and in the book Machete Season remarks in the chapter named “Hatred of the Tutsis,” “As to the Tutsis’ fancy manners, I believe that in the end we were used to them. It was all the same to us, that gossip about dainty fingers and peculiarities of the sort. I do not believe the cows presented a truly hateful problem, or else we could just have slaughtered cows. I do not believe our hearts detested the Tutsis. But it was inevitable to thinkplso, since the decision was made by the organizers to kill them all. To kill so many human beings without wavering, we had to hate with no second thoughts. Hatred was the only emotion allowed for the Tutsis. The killings were too well managed to leave us room for any other feelings.” (pp. 179)

This testament reveals the need for a code of ethics in the society that is morally binding. Firstly, the statement demonstrates the need for a moral code as Alphonse loosely states how he was desensitized to gossiping about the “dainty finger and (other) peculiarities” of the Tutsis. This evidences that the internal distinction to discern between right and wrong, known as moral values, was essentially not present or was numbed largely. Secondly, the element of human weakness is also present in the statement that cements the need for an external code of conduct, ethics. The person is constantly using personal plural pronouns such as “we” and “us” that is indicative of the human desire to not be alone during hard times or not seem to be the only one doing wrong. This also shines a light on the power relations in the sense that the narrator appears to have the need to collect the crime, that resulted from a position of supremacy, and now feels embarrassed to individualize it as a known convict, and thus, shies while in an inferior position. Thirdly, the importance of morality can also be proved by this testament as the person claims to be powerless in the face of state power that so brilliantly “managed” the killings that “hatred was the only emotion allowed for the Tutsis.” This shows that ethics should not be in conflict with individual morality and that moral values are cardinal to have as they help to improve the ethical codes of life. The power relationship between the state and its pupils is an essential theme of this statement as the state is shown to be the powerful one governing and dictating the behavior of the people. At the same time, the Hutus appear to be brainwashed to an extent as inferior beings who are not as powerful as the state.

The derived lessons from the mentioned testament teach me sublime life-lessons. For instance, the importance of moral values is extremely significant to be developed, and simultaneously ethics should be paid attention to as well, especially during power relationships when the situation pressurizes individuals to behave in a certain way.

Foucault’s arguments regarding ethics and morality help me formulate my arguments and increase my understanding of the system as a whole. Historical progression of values and ideas play an important role in bringing forward the actions of individuals on the surface and become a responsible and proactive citizen, it is a moral and ethical duty on every individual to realize upon themselves the internal distinction between what is right and what is wrong and obey the ethical codes, while at the same time challenging them time and again using internal values. However, further questions do rise related to what should be made a priority, the moral values or the ethical codes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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