Value Chain Analysis for Starbucks Essay Example

Value Chain Analysis for Starbucks Essay Global, European and Irish Markets are oligopolies; they are dominated by a few large companies. GlobalEuropeanIrish (Hot Cereals) Kellogg’sKellogg’sFlahavan’s General MillsCereal Partners WorldwideOdlum’s KraftWeetabix LtdKelkin OtherOther Breakfast Cereals Industry Profile: Europe 2009), (Breakfast Cereals Industry Profile: Global 2009) Scope of Competitive Rivalry (Appendix 3) * The scope of competitive rivalry is multinational Buyer needs and requirements(Appendix 4) * Supermarkets/Hypermarkets – need to meet consumer demand * Catering companies – need to buy in large bulk capacity * Hospitality industry – need smaller individual selection of boxes to meet consumer needs * Individual customers – all have different needs and requirements (taste preferences or health reasons) Degree of product differentiation(Appendix ) * Packaging – Different colours and styles are used to differentiate products * Taste – Different flavours of cereal are made to distinguish one product from another * Companies use huge advertising budgets to convince customers that there product is different and unique Product innovation(Appendix 6) * Success driven by innovation * Large scale budgets spent on research and development * Co-branding products with other companies * Diversifying brands in new directions e. g. Coco Pops, Coco Wheels Supply/Demand conditions (Appendix ) Supply * Farmers grow most of the ingredients that are used in breakfast cereals, such as wheat, grain and oats * Other suppliers include manufacturers of plastic and cardboard * The U. S. import sugar, so companies operating there are reliant on suppliers to supply them sugar Demand * We will write a custom essay sample on Value Chain Analysis for Starbucks specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Value Chain Analysis for Starbucks specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Value Chain Analysis for Starbucks specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Customers can change brand or buy substitutes with little cost effect * Hypermarkets/supermarkets (retailers) decide who gets shelf space * Retailers have to stock popular brands to satisfy consumer demand Pace of Technological conditions(Appendix ) * High pace of technological change in the cereal industry * New technologies are necessary to keep up with product innovation * New technologies are allowing the cereal industry to ship their raw materials globally were it can be manufactured cheaper * The internet is allowing these companies to order supplies, distribute products and communicate with customers quicker Vertical integration(Appendix 9) The Global cereal industry is a vertically integrated industry. Companies participate in more than one stage of the industry * Kellogg’s are involved in the manufacturing and marketing of their products, they operate in many countries * General Mills are involved the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of their products * Kraft Foods manufacture and market food and beverages in many different countries Economies of scale (Appendix 10) The dominant companies in the industry are able to use a low cost strategy by using economies of scale * The major players can purchase supplies in large bulk, getting a reduced price on the costs of material required and producing at a lower cost * The breakfast cereal industry also uses streamline marketing, were two companies within the industry will market products together. This cuts marketing costs considerably Learning and experience curve effects(Appendix 11) Must have knowledge of equipment required for manufacturing * Set up conta cts with suppliers to get their materials to make the products * Access distribution channels, such as negotiating with grocery stores to get them to shelf their products * Try to develop their brand into a household product, to gain brand recognition and build a customer base PESTEL(Appendix 12) When researching the cereal industry, we conducted a PESTEL analysis, these are our findings: Political * Employment laws * Food and drug laws The US have freedom of business practices and trade regulations * Global Codes of Ethics * FDA regulates trade and tariff laws Economic * Interest rates * Exchange rates * Inflation rates * Due to recession people have less disposable income * Farmers are sowing less because their incomes have dropped Social * Demographics and the social environment * Different cultural attitudes towards breakfast * High unemployment * People want value for money * Less inclined to be brand loyal * More health conscious society Technological * Presents a barrier to entry to new companies New technology makes it easier to ship cereal and products globally * The internet is allowing these companies to order supplies, distribute products an d communicate with customers quicker * Improvements in technology may help farmers grow raw materials such as grain more easily and efficiently Environmental * Comply with environmental laws and regulations * Subject to various federal, state, local laws and regulations * In the US Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation, Recovery Act and also the Superfund Legal Companies trading in the European market need to be aware of changing employment laws (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005) * Comply with packaging laws * Irish Breakfast Cereal Association new advertising code focusing on advertising for children Figure1. 3Industry Lifecycle Sales/ Revenue Maturity Shakeout Decline Growth Embryonic Time * Growth Slows and becomes stable * Remains like this for a sustainable period of time * Companies tend to develop accompaniments of the original product * This helps maintain a higher level of growth (Beginnermoney) What factors are the driving industry changes and what impacts will they have? (Appendix 13) The factors that are most likely to exert greatest influence in the breakfast cereal industry over the next one to three years are: economic factors, the economic driving forces will have a positive and negative effect on the industry. * Economic growth * Interest rates * Exchange rates * Inflation rates * Government legislation * Threats of substitutes is also a driver of change in the industry * Power of suppliers â€Å"By 2013 the global breakfast cereals market is forecast to have a value of $28. billion, an increase of 17. 1% since 2008†(Breakfast Cereals Industry Profile: Global 2009) That is impressive increase which will have a positive effect on the industry leaders regarding profitability and market share. Government legislation can affect the industry with introduction of new tax brackets this can have a negative effect on profits for the companies and buying power of the cu stomers. A change in exchange rates may affect the breakfast industry in the following ways: * Exchange rates changes can increase or lower the price of a product sold abroad * The price of imported raw materials may change The price of competitor’s products may change in the home market A change in interest rates might affect the breakfast industry in the following ways; * If the company have a series of loans then an increase in interest rates will mean higher repayments, reducing profits * If a company wants to borrow money to invest in new technology, then they are less likely to go ahead with the project when interest rates increase Inflation affects any economy in the world when it is high and volatile. To maintain the same level of living standards you would have to pay more * You would have to pay more for same amount of goods and services you had used prior to inflation. * The majority of the time, your income does not increase at the same rate as inflation * If a country is affected by high inflation they may lose competiveness and may seek to deploy their operations to a more cost friendly country Power of suppliers is only moderate in rel ation to the five forces model. This is due to the uncertainty of the raw material needed to produce the cereals. Wheat for example will vary in price because of the extensive forces that affect the growing. The driving forces are making competition more intense, with the ongoing intense battles for market share. The industry leaders will try their utmost to keep rivalry high and to retain their customer loyalty. The potential industry growth would suggest that the driving forces will lead to higher industry profitability in the future. Figure 1. 5Strategic Group Map Competitors| Competitive Characteristics of Industry Firms| Kellogg’s CompanyGeneral Mills, Inc. Kraft Foods, IncNestleQuaker OatsWeetabix| Price LocationBrand (Reputation/ popularity)QualityNutrient ValueTypesPackaging| Kraft and the other companies in the industry are clustered together indicating that there is a strong cross-group competitive rivalry between them. Kraft are probably in the worse position, they are competing directly with many others in the industry but also may struggle to reach Kellogg’s position, as Kellogg’s is a brand leader in this industry. The only way to compete is to lower prices. General Mills are in the best position on the map as they have a good reputation and are able to compete with lowest prices in the market. They also have room to improve their reputation and then have more opportunity to lower prices further. There are gaps in the lower half of the graph, new entrants could target this industry at this position, offering low prices and then with time, recognition will grow. Global Breakfast cereal industry Figure 1. 6 Strategic Moves Companies| Kellogg’s| General Mills| Kraft Co. | Pricing| $$$| $$| $$$| KeyIndustries| * Ready to eat cereal * Snacks * Convenience foods| * Ready to eat cereals * Snacks * Retail * Foodservice| * Ready to eat cereals * Snacks * Beverages * Dairy| Current Strategy| * Product innovation * Cost reduction * Invest in product research (Kellogg’s Marketing Strategy and Marketing Plans)| * Focus on gluten free market * Advertise in gluten free magazines * Products to suit the need of Celiac sufferers(Slideshare)| * New product focus * Improve core brands * Improve brand awareness| Future Plans| October 2010Considering using laser technology to stamp their logo on each individual flake in order to stamp out imitation products. If successful, it should decrease the sales of imitation products and lose private companies market share. It should also increase sales of Kellogg’s products and increase their market share. BPCouncil)| 1st April 2010 – PRHaving recognised the desire for new properties, have optioned off the rights to three of their cereals to entertainment channel. The characters will appear in 3D movies and General Mills will include 3D glasses in their cereal boxes. Production will finish in April 2011. The money that is made from optioning off the rights will be used to purchase property| 23rd March 2010 – PR by Nicola WilkinsonAim to target the British market with new breakfast cereal biscuit product. (Slideshare)21st October 2010 – PR Announce that they are to raise prices in response to the rise in the price of grain and other commodity prices (Bloomberg 2010)They are to increase the number of cities that it operates in, in China. | European Breakfast Cereal Industry Companies| Kellogg’s| Cereal Partners Limited| Weetabix Limited| Pricing| $$$| $$| $$| KeyIndustries| * Ready to eat cereal * Snacks * Staples| * Ready to eat cereals | * Ready to eat cereals * Snacks * Hot cereal| Current Strategy| * Outsourcing * Development of new products(Kelloggs 2010)| * Cost reduction * Expand market share through joint ventures * Product Innovation(ReportBuyer December 2007)| * Product research and development * Cost reduction| Future Plans| Have recently created 50 more jobs at its European HQ in Dublin, extending the number of employees to 250, and enhancing their reputation. | N/A| N/A| Figure 1. 7Cereal Industry Key Success Factors (KSFs)

The Agricultural Policy in European Union and the United State of America

The Agricultural Policy in European Union and the United State of America Brief Outline of the topic of the proposed research The European Union is one of the largest economies in the world and a considerable trade partner for the United States of America.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Agricultural Policy in European Union and the United State of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The two blocs are also agricultural trading partners and leading competitors where food market is involved. According to Haas (2007), â€Å"The European Union (EU) and Unites States’ (US) governments provide support to their respective agricultural sectors† (p.43). This strategy is one of the relevant factors in the success experienced in this sector. Several policies exist in both regions of the world. It is crucial to compare them to establish the effect that they have had on the respective countries. With the population of the world said to be over seven billion and increasing ever y day (Anatole 2012, p. 17), agriculture is increasing in significance. Countries around the world have adapted policies aimed at increasing their agricultural output and shifting balance of trade to their advantage (International Food Agricultural Trade Policy Council 2011). This is the case in the US and the EU, as they try to meet the agricultural demands of the 21st century. Therefore, how do the agricultural policies in the US and the EU compare? What effect do they have on agricultural output? Currently, the economies are experiencing budgetary issues, which continue to inform the agricultural policies being developed. Based on all these factors, it is vital to conduct a study comparing the agricultural policies in these countries.Advertising Looking for proposal on agriculture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this regard, the dissertation is proposed with the title ‘The Agricultural Policy in Europea n Union and the United State of America.’ Aims and objectives of the research The first objective will be to identify the existing agricultural policies in France, Germany, and Spain. The next objective will be to investigate the agricultural policies in the United States of America. To achieve the main aim of the study, the third objective will be to analyse the common agricultural policy in the European Union and its effects on the member countries with the use of Germany, Spain and France. To achieve these objectives and aims, several questions will need to be answered in relation to the study aims. What are the existing agricultural policies in Spain, France, and Germany? What are the existing and proposed agricultural policies in the USA? The question of the details of the common agricultural policy in the EU will also be answered. How do the agricultural policies compare for these countries. Importance of the proposed research With the integration of members and enlar gement of the European Union, the existing agricultural policies in the member countries will be overtaken by the common agricultural policy. Few investigations have been done detailing the effects as well as comparing it with the policies in the USA. As indicated above, the EU and the US are principal partners and competitors in the field of agriculture with each of the economies receiving a significant contribution from the sector. A significant government support in the countries goes to the agricultural industry. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), â€Å"the European Union and the United States together account for more than 60% of all government support to agriculture among the main developed economies† (Young Hansen 2011, p. 26). Some of the latest developments in the policy reforms in the EU include the proposed reforms in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with the US congress said to have passed significant agricultural b ills in the year 2012 including the Farm Bill (Bureau Louis-Pascal 2009, p. 5: Monke Johnson 2010, p. 12).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Agricultural Policy in European Union and the United State of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A common feature for both of these economies is the bio fuel policies, which are inseparable from the agricultural objectives of the member counties and states (Young Hansen 2011, p. 26). An attempt will therefore be made in this dissertation to compare the agricultural policies for the bloc with that of the United States to see if the two are similar. With the increase in population and geographical size that the European Union is likely to have from the member countries, the bloc could use the experience of the United States to set up relevant policies to support her growth. Summary and outline of proposed research topic Agricultural policies are statements by govern ments and authorities that are aimed at ensuring welfare, sustainability, and distribution in the agricultural sector (Young Hansen 2011, p. 26). Agriculture in the European Union specifically in Germany continues to be regulated by the existing agricultural policies, and public support is its mainstay. The European Union has adopted the CAP that is aimed at establishing a market-oriented and sustainable agricultural sector (Mewvissen, Van Asseldonk Huirnde 2008, p. 53). As an example of a member state in the European Union, Hardaker reveals that Germany’s agricultural policy is geared towards consumer protection and ‘greening’ of the policies (an example is BMVEL 2001)(2000, p. 42).Advertising Looking for proposal on agriculture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The CAP in the European Union was proposed in 1960with the founding members of the European Community such as Germany and France having emerged from severe food shortages and hence requiring food security (Study of European Union Common Agricultural Policy2008, p. 2). The agricultural policy in France has been based on the aim of boosting her economic development in the past. The adoption of the CAP in the EU could mean a standardisation of the existing agricultural policies in the member countries. The strategy could have both positive and negative impacts on this sector. According to (Garridoet al 2009), after Spain joined the EU in 1986, it is therefore party to the CAP in the bloc (p. 94). The United States has a wells of programs where support in the two countries was recorded to increase included programs for rural development and the conservation of farmland (Orden, Blandford Josling 2010, p. 97). Despite the observed changes, Dewbre, Thompson, and Dewbre (2007) point out th at the non-commodity programs still maintain a smaller percentage of the farm recipients (p. 27). The US was observed to have a slightly higher percentage of farm receipts in the above programs as compared to the EU with non-commodity shares of input being 0.7% lower than that of the EU (Young Hansen 2011, p. 26). In the United States, several laws govern the agricultural sector. A multiyear farm bill in the US provides a means of comprehensively addressing agricultural issues with several modifications being made frequently to the existing laws (Young Hansen 2011, p. 23). One of the omnibus farm bills is the P.L. 110-246, the Food, conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Young Hansen 2011, p. 26). According to CRS Report RS22131 (2008) and CRS Report RL34696 (2008), the bill â€Å"covers a range of areas, including commodity crops, horticulture and livestock, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development, energy, forestry, and other programs†. Farm sustenance in the US â€Å"consists of programs providing direct and indirect support to the producers and consumers in the sector with only selected commodities being supported† (Young Hansen 2011, p. 26). According to Potter and Ervin, â€Å"Grains, cotton, oilseeds, dairy, and peanuts are eligible for both fixed â€Å"decoupled† payments and â€Å"counter-cyclical assistance† payments: the total producer subsidy is based on past production† (1999, p. 31). Further support is provided by Young and Hansen to the producers of these commodities and those not included in the list via crop loans and subsidies related to loans (2011, p. 28). Several minimum pricing systems support the dairy and sugar industries with quotas being subjected on some commodities to limit the destruction of the local markets from imports therefore protecting the local farmers (Swinbank Josling 2012). Crop insurance is also common in the country with fa rmers receiving payments in the case of disasters (Swinbank Josling 2012). The 1985 farm bill passed by the United States congress was the first of a series of bills passed to ensure that farmers adopt farming practices that are environmentally friendly (Josling Swinbank 2011, p. 28). According to Swinbank and Josling, â€Å"Conservation programs administered by USDA can be broadly grouped into land retirement and easement programs and so-called â€Å"working lands† programs† (2012, p. 28). They go ahead to state that the land retirement and easement programs stop crop production from certain lands with the aim of converting it to the original vegetation such as forests and wetlands (Swinbank Josling 2012). This revelation is contrary to working lands programs that are aimed at encouraging environmental conservation on agricultural land that is currently used for production (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 32). As discussed above, CAP governs the policies in the EU member st ates (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). The primary use of the policy was observed in the buying of farm commodities from the member states when the prices fell below the expected thus cushioning the farmers from any losses (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). As with the US, the EU also levied a tax on imports to prevent cheaper imports from undermining the output from the member countries because of the high prices established after the interventions (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). Several problems were experienced with CAP. As Potter and Ervin state, â€Å"During the 1970s and 1980s, the CAP accounted for as much as 70% of the total EU budget. The CAP was also criticised by EU trading partners for distorting world markets and interfering with global agricultural trade† (1999, p. 35). A change in the CAP that has been experienced since 1992is the gradual move to a more market-oriented support for the agricultural sectors in the member countries (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). In line with thes e changes, the policy has changed to comply with the requirements of the World Trade Organisation (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). The CAP has also mutated to fit other requirements of the member states and international standards, which include the need to improve the rural living standards to protect the animal rights (Young Hansen 2011, p. 29). One of the similarity with the US policy is observed in â€Å"1992 (the MacSharry Reforms) and 1999 (Agenda 2000) reduced EU commodity support prices towards market levels that required that some farmland be taken out of production† (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). As indicated above, the focus of program support in the US is on only a few commodities, which have been given. The EU has an agricultural policy that provides support to a larger scope of commodities and livestock products. The existing farm structures and organisations in both countries and member states are different. According to Potter and Ervin, â€Å"the United States ha s roughly twice the farmland base of the European Union with fewer but significantly larger farms than the EU† (1999, p. 35). Comparatively, the size of land available for farming in the EU is smaller, but with a relatively larger number of farms (Hans van Frank van n.d). The researches discussed above are relevant to the dissertation and the suggested research since they will help in the making of comparisons between the agricultural policies in the EU and US. The limitation of the methodology is that most of the researches were based on secondary sources of information. The results are therefore subject to errors. The evidence supports the existence of substantial differences between the agricultural policies in the United States of America and the European Union. The two blocs have embarked on Bio fuel policies thus pushing the agricultural sector to experience critical reforms based on the observed changes (Hans van Frank van n.d). Research findings In the literature rev iew, significant differences emerge between the EU and US agricultural policies. There are also a number of similarities in the two areas. These observations create the need for analysis of the policies. In the European Union, the key component of the agricultural policies in the countries that have been discussed is the Combined Agricultural Policy. According to Potter and Ervin, the policy forms the backbone of the decisions made in relation to agriculture in the EU with members having to fulfil the requirements of the policy (1999, p. 35). The body that regulates the agricultural industry in the EU is described as being a constituent of the organisation. The aims are to protect the local farmers and consumers (Wohlleben 2006, p. 243). In the US, the policy is mainly in the form of bills and laws passed by congress concerning the promotion of agricultural sustenance and protecting the farmers (Atici 2005, p. 10). A characteristic of the policy is the provision of quotas for some o f the imports as a way of limiting the dilution of the market with cheaper agricultural goods. The farmers here receive subsidies for selected produce. Insurance companies and the government protect them from losses by insuring the crops (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 35). Due to the frequent loss of produce to disasters, a measure that the government has taken is the provision reimbursements for farmers affected by such calamities. The CAP in the EU is expected to be reformed in the next years. The US congress has also made significant changes to the agricultural policy as Potter and Ervin (1999, p. 35) report. The European Union is also discussed to have a larger number of its population being involved in farming as compared to the US, which has larger sizes of farms and a larger area of land available for farming (Potter Ervin 1999, p. 36). The policies in both countries are reported to be moving towards ‘greening’ the agricultural production process with the emphasis bein g made on environmental conservation efforts. According to Potter and Ervin, this means that more land is being abandoned strategically to allow the growth of natural vegetation (1999, p. 39). For Germany and France who are the founding members of the European Union, the CAP is a characteristic that has shaped farming with Spain joining them over the years. The agricultural policy in the US has developed over the years with reforms in the sector contributing to the observable agricultural developments in this country. The policies in the US and the EU are similar in a number of ways as discussed in the literature review. A considerable similarity is the aim and objectives, which are to protect their farmers and consumers as well as ensuring continued agricultural output. Some of the other observations in the policies in the countries are the purpose for which they were initially set up. The most recent of the reforms as Young and Hansen state are those detailed in the Mid-term Revie w of 2003 (2011, p. 26). These are also highlighted in Garrido, Bielza, and Sumpsi’s literature where they explain that they were meant to complete decoupling for cereals besides reducing support for rice with milk and sugar being spared later (2003, p. 73). These reforms were recently followed by the Agenda 2000 reforms in the year 2003 (Garrido, Bielza Sumpsi 2003, p. 73). The reforms were meant to reduce the prices of beef in the local markets with the introduction of environmental conditions (Garrido, Bielza Sumpsi 2003, p. 73). In the US, series of reforms in the policies are suggested with transformation from traditional to modern policies taking place stepwise. The traditional policies are conservative and hampered by the low levels of technological innovation in this age. The modern policies in the US are informed by the desire to cushion the population of the high consumer prices of commodities to protect the farmers from the cheap imports that are available (Haas 2007, p. 17). Under the laws and bills passed by the United States congress, a number of consumer products are subsidised with others having the quota system of management (Haas 2007, p. 17). The strategy according to Haas protects the local agricultural economy to ensure that agricultural traders are not exploited (2007, p. 17). For the European Union, the policy is broader. It covers more commodities than the United States. Farmers have the advantage of receiving price subsidies and financial support from the government with France being a prime beneficiary of the policy (Haas 2007, p. 17). Germany and France were some of the nations in the EU that Moyer and Josling noted to have multifunctional agriculture with Austria and Italy joining them. Though many countries were not noted to practice globalised agriculture in Moyer and Josling’s book, Mewvissen, Van Asseldonk, and Huirnde state that this paradigm is emerging in many of her member countries (2008, p. 53). The World T rade Organisation has contributed significantly in the way CAP is shaped in the European Union, and this is based on experiences where CAP contributed to trade imbalance between it and the trading partners (Bullock Salhofer 1998, p. 23). According to Bullock and Salhofer, the comparison between the policies in agriculture for the two blocs are incomplete without considering the protection accorded to the industry (1998, p. 23). They state that the EU’s agriculture is more protected and that the gap is narrowing each day (Bullock Salhofer 1998, p. 23). Some of the agricultural sectors in the US are reported to be progressing to being uncompetitive with sectors in the EU becoming more competitive (Haas 2007, p. 17). In most of the literature reviewed, the dairy industry and sugar industries in the countries are reported to be out of line with the rest of the sectors. Review of concepts and theories From the above literature review, several theories and concepts are suggested, and others supported. One of the concepts that emerge is consumer protection characteristics of the CAP for the European Union (Baylis, K. et al. 2005). The researches support the theory that the CAP was designed to protect the EU member states and that this strategy has served to the advantage and disadvantage of some of the members (Haas 2007, p. 17). In the example above, France is described to be a beneficiary of the CPA. In the past, it has resisted the proposed changes by various members. The benefit is in the form of subsidies, and the government here has moved to protect the citizens after some of the changes were put in place. Moyer and Josling discussed four theories that include dependent agriculture, competitive agriculture, multifunctional agriculture, and globalised agriculture where a large international chain is formed by the industry. In their book ‘Agricultural Policy Reform’, Moyer and Josling highlight some of the theories in the US and EU in the fi eld of agriculture (2002). They stated a paradigm shift from a state-assisted mode of agriculture to one that is market-liberal, with the agricultural sector in the US shifting from a small industry to a competitive one over the decades. In their book, the two authors continued to explore their proposed paradigm shifts in agriculture for the two countries by comparing them to conflicting paradigms brought about by globalisation of agriculture (Moyer Josling 2002). According to Moyer and Josling (2002), the theories that the authors discussed include dependent agriculture where the industry needed government’s support and competitive agriculture where the industry started competing for resources. These were later on followed by the multifunctional agriculture theory with the industry being able to provide public goods and the present globalised agriculture where a large international chain is formed by the industry. In the US, the competitive paradigm shift/theory is most evi dent in the non-program crops with dependent agriculture persisting in the dairy and sugar industry. The theory is supported by Potter and Ervin who state that the sugar industry relies mostly on government policy to protect farmers in a bid to maximise output (1999, p.34). In the EU, the foremost theories mentioned include the ‘MasSharry Reforms’ that took place in 1992 (Wohlleben 2006, p. 243). According to Wohlleben, these reforms introduced direct payments while at the same time cutting the prices of grains in the bloc to come close to those in the world market levels (2006, p. 243). Moyer and Josling conclude that, in the EU, dependent agriculture remains present though with reducing dominance (2002, p. 35). They also noted the emergence of competitive agriculture among the main agricultural states in the EU though the states used for comparison were not among them (2002, p. 27). Research design and methods The proposed research paper will be based on secondary ana lysis on the ground of case study research. A case study research will be the most appropriate format to establish the relationship between the agricultural policies in the European Union and the United States. The type of research will also provide a lot of information since most of the concepts to be discussed are mainly in the outstanding universal publications. Haas (2007, p. 17) states that the use of a case study in research is effective especially in fields such as international relations and real life events are to be studied. 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International Food Agricultural Trade Policy Council 2011, Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and African regional integration: Have negotiations helped or hindered regional integration?, IPC Discussion Paper, Washington, DC. Josling, T Swinbank, A 2011, The European Union. Chapter 3 in Orden, David, David Blandford and Tim Josling, (eds.) WTO Disciplines on Agricultural Support: Seeking a Fair Basis for Trade, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK. Lars, B n.d., Book review: Agricultural Policy Reform- Politics and Process in the EU and US in the 1990s. Wayne Moyer and Tim Josling (Eds.), Ashgate Publishing Limited, Aldershot, England. Marius, S 2005, Rural de velopment and agricultural policy in the context of negotiating the European union acquits, Romanian Journal Of European Affairs (RJEA), vol. 1 no. 1, p. 93. Mewvissen, M, Van Asseldonk, M, Huirnde, R 2008, Income Stabilisation in European Agriculture, Academic Publishers, Wageningen. Monke, J Johnson, R 2010, Actual Farm Bill Spending and Cost Estimates, Congressional Research Service, Report for Congress, R41195, Washington, DC. Moyer, H Josling, T 2002, Agricultural policy reform: politics and process in the EU and US in the 1990s, Aldershot, Hants, Ashgate, England. Orden, D, Blandford, D, Josling, B 2010, Determinants of United States Farm Policies†, In K. Anderson (ed.) The Political Economy of Agricultural Price Distortions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Policy Schemes and Trade in Dairy Products 2011, Agricultural Policy Schemes: European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy1, Credo Reference Collections, London. Potter, C Ervin, D 1999, Freedom to f arm: Agricultural policy liberalisation in the US and EU, vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 53-70. Regional Growth and Policies in the European Union2007, ‘Does the Common Agricultural Policy Have a Counter-Treatment Effect?, American Journal Of Agricultural Economics, vol. 1 no. 1, p. 116. Schultz, T 1964, Transforming Traditional Agriculture, Yale University Press, Yale. Scrieciu, S 2007, Economic Impacts of Adopting the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union: A CGE Approach to the Case of Romania, Journal Of Economic Integration, vol. 2 no. 1, p. 407. Study of European Union Common Agricultural Policy 2008, France agricultural policy anaysis, OAIster, West Virginia. Swinbank, A Josling, T 2012, EU Agricultural Policies and European Integration: A Thematic Review of the Literature, Harvard UP, Harvard. Wohlleben, N 2006, Agrarstrukturpolitikimvereinten Deutschland. Eine Analyse der Gemeinschaftsaufgabe Verbesserung der Agrarstruktur und des Kà ¼stenschutzes im Lichte der NeuenPo litischen Ãâ€"konomie (German), Zeitschrift Fà ¼r Politikwissenschaft, vol. 16 no. 4, p. 1479. Young, L Hansen, K 2011, Disconnections in US and EU Agricultural Policy and Trade Negotiations: A Transaction Cost Politics Approach, Estey Centre Journal Of International Law Trade Policy, vol. 12 no. 1, p. 12.

Reflection Paper on Group Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection Paper on Group Cases - Essay Example usiness practice to be operating without having a primary infrastructure as well as use of only a particular system to take care of all other necessary elements. Any company worth its salt should be equipped with an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) to ensure that its operations are carried out smoothly. This is because, without such an effective management system, a company’s business may be unable to coordinate its work across all functions, something that may lead to serious losses, even collapse of the business. The VTB case clearly illustrates this phenomenon and the company was in a terrible rush to make sure that it has its house in order just before peak seasons such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day as well as Mother’s Day. Secondly, I have learnt that it is good to always have a single centralised command from where an application can be run to manage the business functions.VTB for instance had a lot of complicated middleware as well as incompatible applications which did not provide the company with any benefits at all. Investment into a robust IT system therefore brings with it several benefits such as seamless working by eliminating lack of standard operating procedures, facilitating transfer and maintenance of information as well as allowing for strategic development of a firm’s information system. Information system therefore can be used as a tool for competitive advantage and can strategically be used to add value to a firm’s customer service by maximising the efficiency of the supply chain as well as solving operational constraints. The second case was that of IT outsourcing gone wrong. Clean & Cure, a multinational company had engaged the services of XperTrans; a provider of human resource outsourcing (HRO) to provide its services all over the world in 44 countries. However, this was never to be, and XperTrans encountered so many problems and finally had to engage a consultancy firm to bail them out. This is a case that really

Reflective summary on Managing Diversity in Business Essay

Reflective summary on Managing Diversity in Business - Essay Example Examine that how this course helps me to analyse discrimination against women and ethnic minorities. Develop a broader perspective in relation to the benefits of this course. Reflective Analysis I selected the course of Managing Diversity in Business mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, diversity has become an unavoidable characteristic of almost any work group in the countries like UK due to globalisation and immigration. Secondly, I wished to know that what effects gender has in creating diversities; or how women are treated in a demographically diverse setting. While choosing the course, I wanted to get more knowledge in the areas I stated above. However, as I covered the course I came to know about certain perspectives, theories and information which raised some questions and issues in my mind. My initial observations had already revealed that the course highlighted some practical aspects of the corporate world. I often recall the story of one of my friends, who had found a respec table job in a reputed corporation. She was skilled and sincere; and she belonged from an ethnic minority community. At work, her ethnic and sexual identity gradually emerged as her drawback. Her superior, who was also a member of the board of directors, often harassed her sexually during the duty hours. At first, she complained to the Human Resource (HR) Manager, but her application was not processed. The HR Manager took it as a trivial issue and her superior continued to harass her even before her colleagues. In the department, her colleagues were all males and those who belonged from her community were on work visa. Therefore, nobody protested either due to racial contempt or because of fear. Finally, when she warned her superior and the HR Manager that she would seek police intervention and write to the human rights groups, she was sacked on the plea of theft and a false complaint was lodged against her. Consequently she lost her job and could not proceed to court lest she was b lacklisted in the industry. The lesson learned from such stories as that of my unfortunate friend is that ethnic minority women have almost no voice in the HR management system. Through the lecture on ethnic minority women and the suggested readings, my thoughts and indirect experiences regarding discrimination against ethnic minority women were reinforced. When it comes to racial segregation and sexual abuse, HR managers often tend to neglect the victims (Kamenou and Fearfull, 2006). So the main question regarding discrimination against women is that how can we erect an unbiased corporate HRM culture and what legal, social and technical constraints it might face? Moreover, will the Government take a sympathetic approach in this regard? Organisations like Runnymede Trust, Amnesty International, etc. are tirelessly working to raise and resolve these issues. Through the lecture on race and ethnicity, I came to know that over 300 assaults on Muslims in UK had taken place since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. An interesting detail on Islamophobia further reveals that racial intolerance combined with gender discrimination creates highly complicated situation for the Muslim women in the Western countries (Runnymede Trust, 1997). Hence, public awareness is needed most. I think that this course has finally reinforced my

How employee engagement has been forgotten by many andor remembered by few Essay Example for Free

How employee engagement has been forgotten by many andor remembered by few Essay How employee engagement has been forgotten by many and/or remembered by few Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is believed that any company which unlocks the secrets of engaging their employees is likely to get very high profits. However, this has never been the case. There are always challenges and confusions which leads to misdirection hence the failure of the employee engagement. The main cause of this is the lack of congruity when talking about the definition and also measurement of the employee engagement. Furthermore, there is also lack of clear distinction between employee engagement and other closely related concepts. This paper’s aim is to conduct an in depth analysis on the importance of engaging employees in any activities of a business activity. It will also give recommendations where the importance found from the managers who practice this will be given.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lack of clear definition is one of the glaring issues that concern the concept of employee engagement. Different categories of individuals ranging academic researchers, corporations, practitioners and many more have extensive variations on how they give meanings. The harnessing of an organization’s member’s selves with aim of making them work their role; in engagement, people always express themselves physically, emotionally and cognitively during their role performance (Kahn, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An organization which is always widely associated with employee engagement because of their best-selling book, First, Break all the Rules, The Gallup Organization, have a different definition. They define engaged employee as one who works with passion and feel a profound connection to the company he or she is working for and have a drive innovation to move the organization forward. Employee engagement may also be defined as a process through which an organization aims to increase commitment of its employees as well as continuation to aid in the achievement of superior results. This definition is according to the International Survey Research. This definition however looks at employees’ commitment in three different ways. They may include affective, cognitive, and lastly behavioural which incorporates actions, feelings and thoughts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last definition that is taken into consideration by this paper is the process of translating the employees’ potentials into the employee performance as well as business success.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This as a result changes the ways in which employees perform their duty through utilizing the tools found within the armory of internal communication professional (Shaw, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before indulging further into the issue of employee engagement, it’s prudent a proper understanding of how employee engagement measurement is done. There are reliable metrics that are used to measure the employee engagement despite the rational and emotional components available. There exists several survey instruments that have been used in measuring the employee engagement. This paper however uses the Q12 survey system which was developed by the Gallup Corporation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Q12 survey involves asking 12 questions which had strong linkages to high performance and measured how well the companies were meeting core requirements for the employees. According to this survey, a high score on the 12 items always reflected the underlying emotional engagement among the employees who took the survey. This engagement leads to improvement in business results, as well as increased levels of productivity, employee retention and profitability (Walker, 2012)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When dealing with employee engagement, there are a number of related concepts which must be put into consideration. The four related areas with the employee engagement include organizational citizenship behaviour, job satisfaction, work engagement and organizational commitment. These four go hand in hand to ensure that proper understanding of the employee engagement as well as its importance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational citizenship behaviour for a long time has always been referred to as the extra role behaviour. The organizational citizenship behaviour can be defined as the behaviour of an individual which is not explicitly recognized by the formal reward system and in the end promotes the efficient and effective functioning of the organization concerned. Practically, the organizational citizenship behaviour improves efficiency and the effectiveness of an organization by supplying support to transformations, adaptations and innovations within the organization. Studying the organizational citizenship behaviour from a macro perspective, it’s found out that it helps to supply direct support to the organization and the individuals found in the organization. This indirectly supports the organization (Anderson Williams, 1991).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organizational citizenship behaviour can be divided into many subcategories that gives a common dimension. The sub components includes self-development, organizational loyalty, sportsmanship, helping behaviour, civic virtue, individual initiative and organizational compliance. When a critical review is done on the definitions of the components mentioned above, it’s realized that their definitions is more or less the same as that of employee engagement. The helping behaviour talked about shows or implies an act of voluntary helping others and thus preventing the occurrence of any work related problem. Organizational loyalty on the other hand aims at remaining committed to an individual’s work even during tough situations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the component which tends to show strong relationship with the employee engagement is the individual initiative. It can be defined as the persistence one puts on a job with extra enthusiasm or it can be said to be volunteering to perform extra responsibilities as well as encouraging others within the same organization to follow suit (Podsakoff et al, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Job satisfaction, is also another concept related to the employee engagement. A number of scholars have tried to come up with a wholesome definition of job satisfaction. According to Brief and Weiss, 2002, they described it as pleasurable or the positive and emotional state that results from recognizing one’s job or the experience from the job. There existed a number of disagreements whether the initially presumed definition was the exact one. It was found that there were so many shortcomings with the Brief and Weiss definition. This made Weiss to modify the definition. Job satisfaction came to be described as the positive or negative evaluation that a person makes about his or her job situation (Weiss, 2002). From time to time, the definition has always updated so as to include a cognitive component in the measurement of job satisfaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Work engagement is the third component related to the employee engagement. Work engagement of employees measured or looked at into different categories. It involves vigor, absorption and dedication. Starting with vigour, it can be described as being fully charged with energy as well as resilience in job even during the days when nothing serious happens. Dedication involves one being proud of their work and getting convinced that whatever activity an individual undertakes is significant. Lastly, absorption as a concept means being carried away work to the extent that one forgets everything in the surrounding (Hallberg, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, the fourth concept related to the employee engagement is the organizational commitment. This concept entails the process that is gone through when obtaining the goals of an organization’s multiple constituencies. The goals ranges from a broad organizational goals and their values to a more specific formulation. Organizational commitment may also be defined as the willingness to persist in a course of action as well as the reluctance to change plans while keeping the main goal to stay on course. Both the definitions highlight the fact that people are committed to multiple entities. These multiple entities involve emotional and rational components (Vance, 2005). The emotional concept is defined as the positive feeling towards an entity while thee rational component means the state of being conscious as well as thoughtful in planning and executing actions that fulfill commitments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having dealt with that, it’s crucial that factors which keep employee engaged are looked into in details. There are three main vital ingredients that make employee engaged. First is the leadership of any particular business organization. The leaders any an organization must set standards that in terms of dedication and then rubs it off to the rest of the employees. The leaders must be able to make difficult decisions correctly and fairly. Furthermore, they should be competent and show consistency in whatever they do. In areas where this is not displayed by the leaders, the employee always feels looked and upon and as result they are always not engaged in whatever activity they undertake. The employees always talk and so poor leadership may be used as the stepping stone to quit any particular job. Good leadership makes an organization to have a very strong employee engagement hence better results (Taylor, 2014).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Secondly, communication and transparency is also a factor or an ingredient that may make your employee engaged or not. This factor however has been underestimated by many and taken for granted. Senior people in an organization always have a notion that employees concern themselves with earning their wages to a larger extent and care very little for other things (Taylor, 2014). The truth of the matter however is that large majority of employees put a lot of emphasis on whether they are regularly being kept in the loop. It always doesn’t matter to them whether it concerns their own development or big decisions of the organization. What actually matters is that it concerns everyone. Openness and good communication makes the employees to feel highly appreciated and hence part of the organization. They don’t feel detached. This makes the organization a better place to be in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, enjoyment is also a key ingredient for engaging employees. The most important aspect of employee engagement is considering the fact that they are human beings. The organization does not run at a loss when they introduce elements of fun in the work place. The fun and enjoyment may range from a number of activities like a dress down party on Fridays, monthly trips, or any other thing that appeals to your employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The aim of such enjoyment is to make employees feel like they want to work. This will thus make them stay as long as they want. This is however not the case with many jobs. Not many employees always want to make their employees have fun. This makes people have negative attitude towards such jobs leading to very few people doing such jobs. On many occasions, work does not necessarily have to be done with a serious mood at all times. The only way an employer can make the employees feel engaged it to make them feel as if work is something that should be enjoyed rather than being a chore (Taylor, 2014).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It’s therefore clear that employee engagement can be grouped into two main broad categories or rather approach. There is the philosophical approach and the pragmatic approach. The philosophical approach deals with the management philosophy that are considered when making overall decisions of a human resource. The pragmatic approach on the other hand deals with the dedication programmes for employee engagement. Here, measurement of engagement is done. None of the approaches either is stated to provide a clear winner when trying to achieve an engaged work force (Shaw, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having placed more emphasis on the engaged employees, it’s now prudent to talk about the disengaged employees. It’s documented that stress is one of the factors that can dislodge a highly engaged worker from conducting his or her duties without other workers or the organization getting aware of the in depth of the problem. Historically, many organizations have not done an in depth survey on how to deal with stress or other emotional problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The former acting manager of the Freddie Mae, David Kellerman, committed suicide due to stress April 22, 2009. His death was attributed to the organizations failure to respond to the signs he was showing. The government seized his company after running at a loss of $108 billion. The work environment was also stressing. As if that was not enough, he always received so much criticism from the media. All these prompted him to commit suicide. This is the worst that happens when employees are not engaged. Recommendations for managers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the readings and research done, the following are some of the recommendations that ought to be considered by managers to ensure a proper way of promoting customer engagement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The managers should take specific actions or steps to achieve success. While doing this, they must always remember that each and every company is unique and therefore the action they take should be specific to that particular company. The customers should always be provided with as much information as possible to help make them engaged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The managers should always know the approach that their organization ought to take and why that approach is important. The employees should also be given the approach used by the organization. When this is done, it makes them know why it’s done. This makes them feel part and parcel of the organization and hence promotes the level of employee engagement. Mutual agreement should also be made with the employees. This makes them know what is expected of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rechanneling of extensive time and resources should be done by the employers. This always forms the basis of creating a new employee engagement initiative. A company may be working on the already made initiatives. These initiatives may be giving forth good results. Coming up with a whole new initiative might lead to misdirection in a healthy focus which has been in existence for a long time and thus would lower the progress of a company. Engaging in such activities should be avoided at all cost. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of employee engagement is one that is very wide. The engagement of employees affects different levels of an organization ranging from micro and macro levels. So as to reduce the existing ambiguity when it comes to matters of the employee engagement, a lot more need to be done in this area. Any organization willing to get better results from applying the issue of employee engagement should do so with a lot of caution. Anything done be based on the strengths and weaknesses found, any related concept as well as all the unveiled fields in the issue of employee engagemen References (2006). Gallup Study: Engaged employees inspire company innovation. Gallup Management Journal, retrieved from http://gmj.gallup.com/content/defaut.aspx?ci=24880pg=1. Hagerty, J. Fields, G. (2009). A Fallen Mortgage Titan, Tragedy amid the Turmoil. Wall Street Journal 6- 5-2009 Hallberg, U. (2005). A thesis on fire: Studies of work engagement, type a behaviour and burnout. Department of Psychology, Stockhlom University, ISBN 91-7155-171-9 Podsakoff, P., Mackenzie, S., Paine, J., Bachrach, D. (2000). Organizational citizenship behavours: A critical review of the theoretical and Empirical literature suggestions for future research. Journal of Management, 26, 51, 1-56. Shaw, K. (2005). Employment engagement, how to build a high performance workforce. Journal on Human Resource, 0-9547741-3-2.Taylor, R. (2014). Maximising employee engagement. Journal of Leadership. 23-05, 47474 Walker, S. (2012). Employee engagement and communication research measurement, strategy and action. London: Kogan Page. Williams, L. Anderson, S. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in role behaviours. Journal of Management, 17, 3, 601-617 Source document

Writing Cannot be Altered by Technology :: Teaching Writing Education Essays

Writing Cannot be Altered by Technology The term â€Å"cyberculture† is derived from the word â€Å"cyberspace†. William Gibson’s science novel â€Å" Neuromancer† predicted a world that man and machine merge to become a cyborg (Tribble and Trubek: 521). This prediction became reality during the end of study of the 1990s when cyberculture began to flourish. This culture exists within several cultures here on earth. Some may ask, what is cyberculture? Cyberculture studies cover the examination of the subject and the forming communities within the realms of those networked spaces that are being created through technological devices and amplifications (Silver). In this essay I will examine how technological advancements affect our fundamental habits of writing and reading. Our â€Å"traditional† writing was not traditional in ancient times. The birth of writing itself was a new technology. This is similar to the birth of the computers years ago. The writing process is taught in grade school. It begins with brainstorming, writing a rough draft, proofreading and completing a final draft. This process is often obsolete with modern writing. Traditionally a writer uses a writing utensil and paper to create their writings. Modern technology allows us to type as we write. This occurs when a writer begins to type their thoughts as they think. I personally design a paper structure similar to the traditional format to assist in my paper creation prior to typing; however, some people sit at the computer and type as the think. Some may argue eliminating the traditional process damages the fundamentals of writing. However, I feel we brainstorm in a different way with modern writing. As the person types, he/she deletes and rearranges senten ces to make the paper complete. The writer is able to use spell check or proof read from a printed copy. The fundamentals are not tarnished because the purpose of traditional process applies to the modern process as well. I feel we should learn the traditional format of writing in addition to using the advancements of technology. "Internet is another invention in a line of modern technologies that undermine traditional notions of civil society that require unity and shun multiplicity while giving impressions that they in fact re-create such a society" We should not rely solely on technology because we must know how to function if the technology fails.

Claudine Ly

International OrganizationAfter the inception of the United Nations, the world viewed the United Nations as the impetus of a new global order. Nations states succumbed to peaceful concessions rather than having allowed interstate problems to culminate into a third world war. The United Nations was different from the League of Nations in that it reintegrated WWII victors as well as losers and formed them into a coalition that worked towards global peace and security.However, as decolonization began to manifest in the 1960’s, the increase in the number of sovereign states expanded membership in the United Nations.  Ã‚   As the numbers of member nations grew, the United Nations reflected more diversified interests.   The major shift in interests was notably observed in one of the principal organs of the United Nations, the General Assembly.   It granted all member nations the right to one equal vote and resolutions could be passed with a two-thirds majority.   With this i n mind, the United Nations widened its scope to reflect the interests of smaller nation states such as in the areas of economic development and health.However, small state ambitions have coincided with the interests of the great power states.   For example, countries such as Rwanda or Burkina Faso would have preferred to form U.N. initiatives to aid their countries’ sustainable development rather than having spent the U.N. budget to support the U.S. aim to counter the war on terrorism.   In addition, because of this growing disparity between national interests, the United Nations has not been able to adhere to its proposed principles. In recent years, one has observed one of the greatest human rights violators, Libya, elected to chair the Human Rights Commission.   Another deplorable undertaking was Syria, a global supporter of terrorism, elected to Security Council.Today, the image of UN has suffered greatly due to repeated scandals that left the image of a corrupted a nd dysfunctional organization, incapable of performing its attributions in the new world order.UN is facing a new world order to which it must adapt in order to maintain its position and its role on the international arena. Recent years’ crisis have found UN incapable of having a firm and prompt reaction and somehow stuck in the attitudes adopted in its beginnings. UN seems unable to rise to the expectations and unable to assume a leading role in world politics. Instead of having the means to impose its position in the world, UN is faced recently with on of its worst periods, when its position on different subjects has no importance or influence.The distribution of power in today’s international order is inclining more and more towards the West, especially towards the only world power remaining – the US. The relations between UN and US are more and more deteriorated due to the differences in opinion over the war in Iraq and this inconsistency in the relation wit h US had a great cost on UN. However, UN is still seen by Washington as having an important role in the international arena on both security and humanitarian levels.This is why the US is trying to find out solutions for a reform of UN by trying to involve the organization in the ongoing crisis in the world. The challenge is therefore even greater with UN having to face a new leadership starting in 2007, and having to face the nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea. Perhaps the only reason why UN is still supported by US is that it is still seen as â€Å"a valuable forum and tool for advancing U.S. interests on the international stage† (Gardiner, 2007). Despite the shown support for UN reform, there is little trust in US that it might succeed.UN, although seen as a strong organization that regulates upon the world order, no longer has the power to enforce its sanctions and dictate in crisis. It is very unlikely that UN will be able to impose its sanctions on Iran or North Kore a in what regards the nuclear crisis, so the role of the organization is becoming more and more insignificant. This is why the gap between the capabilities of UN and its position is getting wider.The most important role of UN has been played in the past decades in humanitarian actions, as the involvement of UN in third world crisis has gained a very valuable reputation. In contemporary humanitarian crisis UN seems unable to perform its role and intervene in such a serious matter as the genocide in Sudan. Due to this incapability, the role of UN is more and more contested at the international level, as the UN proves to be as incapable of dealing with humanitarian crisis as it was with Rwanda and Bosnia. This is why there is a need for reform in the UN Human Rights Council (Gardiner, 2007).  The challenge that lies ahead of UN through the nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea is going to define the future of the organization and its role in the international arena. This is why it i s so important for UN to regain its position and influence. But in order to do so, UN must go through institutional and managerial reforms that will reinforce the organization’s role in world politics.In the actual shift in power in the international arena, UN’s decisions seem unlikely to have much influence on particular actors. Countries such as Iran or North Korea are very unlikely to be affected too much by the sanctions imposed by UN as the power of the organization is rapidly decreasing.There is an increasing opinion that UN is an illegitimate organization, incapable of facing the current international order and no longer able to impose its position in the international arena. This situation was caused by several scandals and crisis that the organization faced in the past twelve years (Gardiner, 2007). UN’s poor interfere in Rwanda, Bosnia, or Sudan, as well as cases of corruption exposed inside the UN have affected the image of the organization greatly, m aking it unable to stand up for its cause in international crisis. If UN is no longer respected and seen as the moral protector of human rights and of peace, then it cannot perform its role. As UN proved unable or unwilling to stand up for its humanitarian believes in genocides or against dictatorship, its influence and its role decreased considerably.UN’s actions have been intensively critiqued and its credibility suffered greatly after 2005, when UNESCO gave the Josà © Martà ­ International Prize to Venezuelan president Hugo Chà ¡vez, awarding the Latin American leader for his â€Å"struggle for liberty† (Gardiner, 2007). This award was clearly against the position held by the world powers and it stands as a proof of the gap created between the formal rules of UN and the international powers.Perhaps the only way in which the UN can save its credibility and perform the role it was created for is by not expanding the membership in the Security Council. In the new in ternational military context, the role of UN can be significant and by paying its cards right the organization has a chance of regaining its influential role.In order for UN to continue its work and re-impose itself it must adapt to the new world order – it must follow the leadership of US and Western forces. By increasing the number of members in the Security Council, UN would be forced to take stands against the US as the vote will likely be against US on key issues. An enlarged Security Council would be against the US, which would widen the gap between UN and world leadership (Gardiner, 2007).One of the reasons for UN’s inability to respond promptly and efficiently to world crisis such as the war in Iraq is that its operational system is far too slow and ineffective. The members of the Security Council have far too different views in order to reach an efficient agreement in time. This institutional framework of the UN proves to be inefficient in today’s chang ing world order. UN’s ability to respond in crisis will only decrease in a larger Security Council, since it already faces serious difficulty.If UN wants to reinforce its position in the international arena, it must face some very much needed reforms that are intended to shape up the organization and make it reinstate a leading role. But such reforms are very unlikely to be achieved as the influence of opposing members is quite considerable.A significant number of member states, especially those leading the G-77 group of developing countries view the reform of UN as threatening to their influence in the organization and therefore they use all their power to prevent the reform of UN. Particularly this kind of influence that some member states have upon the UN decision making process is the kind of influence that is widening the gap between the actual world powers and UN (Schaefer, 2006).In order for UN to actively participate in international relations, it must reform its inst itutional framework. But in order for UN to reform, it must have the vote of several countries that are against reformation and strengthening the role of the West. This vicious circle is the one that is stopping UN from evolving and adapting.The influence of today’s great powers in the UN decision making process is low and this is one of the reasons why UN is losing its legitimacy. Instead of being an important actor in security matters, the institutional framework of UN makes it impossible for the organization to reach a consensus in an effective time framework, leading the organization not interfering or not taking a strong enough position in important issues.Today’s international actors seem to ignore the UN and seem to take decisions disregarding the position of UN particularly because the influence of UN has decreased severely in the past decade or so. More and more voices see the UN as a future failure that will follow its predecessor, the League of Nations.In re cent years, the role of UN is more and more challenged and its decisions have less and less impact in the international arena. Designed to promote peace and worldwide security, the UN proves to be a failure 62 years later due to its incapability to evolve and develop in time. UN’s incapability to adapt to the new world order and its inability to promote its goals makes the organization seem dysfunctional and illegitimate. The major change that is needed for the future of UN lays in its ability to face the challenges of today and to aggressively take action in the matters concerning today’s threats.Bibliography:1.Gardiner, Nile, The Decline and Fall of the United Nations: Why the U.N. Has Failed and How It Can Be Reformed, February 7, 2007, available at http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/hl991.cfm;