Why Npv Is the Best Method for Project Appraisal

A rational capital budgeting functionality should answer two major questions. First is that, whether one particular project is a good one? Second, if we get more than one available project opportunities, but we should choose only one of them, which one should be that â€Å"one†? In real life we very frequently come across with question like whether to pick up a lump some payment of retirement account accumulated during years or receiving monthly retirement pensions until the rest of our life. In this case, NPV is the most appropriate answer out of two or three most widely used techniques in capital decision making.While doing so we also should keep in mind two major features of NPV: 1) in monetary terms, NPV is the difference between today’s market value of the investment and its original cost. 2) a financial manager should always act on behalf of the interests of shareholders through distinguishing and picking up projects with positive NPV, since it’s very clear that the ultimate target of any investment is the maximization of owners’ wealth. Another major characteristic of NPV is that they cannot be straightforwardly originated in the market, so they need to be estimated.Since there’s always the possibility of a poor estimation, financial managers need to use a number of other criterions for project evaluation for additional information regarding whether or not an investment has a positive NPV indeed. (fundamentals corporate finance) Internal rate of return and payback period are the major evaluation tools used by supervisors as an alternative to NPV. It might be feasible to use mentioned methods during evaluation process as well, however each of these methods has very significant shortcomings.For example: Major drawback of IRR is that it states the result in terms of percentage rather than through monetary amounts (variances in scale). Comparison through only percentage results while considering the overall purpose of maxim ization of shareholders’ wealth can be a misleading approach during evaluating investments. (Atrill/McLnaey) Then when assessing mutually exclusive projects IRR rule can lead to an incorrect decision making, due to its reinvestment assumptions. The assumption of reinvestment of proceeds derived from the project supports the consideration of superiority of NPV over IRR.According to the assumption if NPV is accepted then the cash flows derived from the project could be reinvested maximum as the cost of capital. But IRR assumes that all cash flows from the investment can be reinvested with the same IRR of the original project. Theory states that, a firm should take all projects which a return that exceeds the cost of capital but any other available funds could only be reinvested at the cost of capital and this assumption is consistent with NPV approach mentioned. drury) Major shortcomings of payback period can be concluded as 1) ignorance of cash flows beyond the payback period, 2) its failure to contribute to the owners’ wealth while it underlines taking projects that recover original costs most quickly and 3) its ignorance of time factor. For instance: If one borrows a student loan which has a payback period of 13 years, the full amount of the loan is due 13 years after the first payment, which occurs on an agreed-upon date. Over the course of the payback period, a borrower must either pay back the loan with his own finance take out a different loan to pay off the first.As a conclusion I would like to stress that, during project evaluation two essential facts should be considered thorugh a well-grounded method of assessment. The first one is the rule â€Å"cash is the king† (cash can be invested anyway or another when it’s available) and the second one is the time value of money. This suports the fact that the money is to be invested immediately where it could result in capital gain and. Then since purchasing power diminishes year by year due, the most correct method of the capital budgeting is the one that combines both the risk,inflation and time factors such as NPV. (management acc for business decisions)

Psychology in a Prayer for Owen Meany Essay

Thoroughly leading up until the climactic ending in A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving explains to his readers just how important it is to Owen Meany to fulfill his duties and obligations to God. Like a hobbit traveling to Mt. Doom in Mordor, he is determined and dedicated more than anyone in the novel to achieve his goals, despite his responsibilities and, what should be, his major concerns in his life. Owen completely envelopes himself in the fact that he is an instrument used by God, and doesn’t even stop to think to realize and remember his loved ones, whom are Hester, his love struck girlfriend, and John, his best friend who has been with him through thick and thin ever since they were children. It is bittersweet, I suppose, about the choices he ultimately ends up making until the end. On one hand he will miss out on the opportunities he can easily obtain through attending Harvard and making a life for himself with his most important people by his side (Hester and John); on the other hand, however, by choosing to follow God’s calling for his life, he will conclusively act upon the happening that impacts the ending of the novel altogether. Owen, as one finds out throughout the novel, is excessively brilliant, surpassing the intelligence of other people his age by far. Tabitha Wheelwright acknowledges this special gift in Owen insisting that he attend Gravesend Academy, where his brilliance be put to good use. It turns out that it was, for Owen ends up being the best student at the Academy, which almost guarantees him the ability to attend Harvard to now receive the best college education possible, but certain setbacks keep him from doing so. His careless mistake of getting caught making fake IDs for other students opens the door for the principle to seize at the opportunity to expel Owen, which severely hurts his chances to get into any worthwhile colleges. But with this, Owen understands that his purpose must lie elsewhere, because nothing happens for no reason. Even before this incident occurs, he knows his death will be undeniable for it is a part of God’s plan for him, and that â€Å"the shot† is involved in this future incident. Owen’s responsibilities to his education is nothing, however, compared to the conflicting feelings Hester and John feel about Owen’s prophecies and predictions about his death. â€Å"Owen knows that he must sacrifice his life to save others, both physically and spiritually (Rosefeldt, 1). Following this, he joins the army to go to Vietnam in an attempt to seal his fate as he believes God wants him to do. Hester practically resents Owen for his stubbornness in doing this, placing that as more important, his passion, in front of her, his implied â€Å"responsibility. † After his death, Hester becomes a hard rock sex icon in the music world in a ways to cope, and John completely unaware how he will now live his life, for Owen was always such a compass in his life, that he feels helpless without him. Owen’s obsession with his passion has completely blinded him to the fact that his responsibilities, the ones that care about him the most, need him the most, but even with them he puts his God given goals first, as always. Lastly, toward the end of the novel, Owen’s only, and I mean that literally, thing on his mind, is fulfilling his purpose, which he ends up doing in the chapter â€Å"the shot† where he sacrifices himself, as Jesus Christ did for the world, for the sake of the Vietnamese orphan children. â€Å"When Owen Meany said ‘READY? ’ I figured we had about two seconds left to live. But he soared far above my arms-when I lifted him, he soared even higher than usual; he wasn’t taking any chances. He went straight up, never turning to face me, and instead of merely dropping the grenade and leaving it on the window ledge, he caught hold of the ledge with both hands, pinning the grenade against the ledge and trapping it there safely with his hands and forearms. He wanted to be sure that the grenade couldn’t roll off the ledge and fall back in the room (Irving, 623-624). † Here Owen proves the symbolism for the concept of sacrifice, and just how much of a Christ-like figure he is, practically mirroring Christ’s life. From the mysterious secret revealed that Owen is actually from a virgin birth, to the sacrifice he makes for the sake of others, this mirror image is quite apparent. From the start Owen knew he would become a hero for those in need of one, and his lifelong passion for it is finally is proved to be worthwhile in the final chapter. Owen Meany has to be one of the most admirable characters in any novel ever written by the fact that once he sets his mind to something, there is absolutely no changing it by any means. Regardless of his loved ones, he new this is what he had to do, and did not want to disrupt God’s plans that He had for him. He knew being a sacrifice as well as a hero to others was his fate, and he learned long ago fate is not something to be messed with. This also reveals just how similar God and Owen are to each other, and how each other’s lives are identical in almost all means- they are selfless, and just want to prove to others, as well as themselves, tha t their purpose on this earth is put too tremendous use, despite the clashes with the outcome of their responsibilities.

Problems in any country in Africa except Aids ( article review ) Essay

Problems in any country in Africa except Aids ( article review ) - Essay Example ater resource from the discovered groundwater would be the opportune solution to water shortage and could augment the current sources of water for drinking, irrigation, and other agricultural use. Introduction discussed the overview of the discovery of the groundwater and asserted that â€Å"according to geologists, it could satisfy northern Namibia’s basic drinking and irrigation needs for 400 years† (Dolgow par. 1). The second point emphasized that discoveries of groundwater usually have potential effects such as greater actual underground volume than on the surface (Dolgow par. 2); providing sources of fresh drinking water, as well as improving health and assisting in relieving people from poverty (Dolgow par. 3). The third point expounded in the discovery of aquafiers where locations affect consumption and the cost of drilling affects access to the public (Dolgow par. 4). Futher, there were conflicts that were seen including control of water sources, overuse, and the need for careful abstraction to enable preservation and conservation of its effective use (Dolgow par. 6). As noted, the water supply has potentials to be transported to other African countries, as deemed possible (Dolgow par. 7). One therefore learned that discoveries of aquafier or underground water have potentials for solving the water shortage in African countries. This is an informative article that provides uplifting news as potentials for improving the welfare of men have been identified through the discovery enabling access to drinking water and potentials for irrigation of land and other human activities. The strengths of the article include the use of clear and straightforward language that is easy to understand; as well as citing credible and authoritative sources within the discourse. On the other hand, the sources of secondary information were not appropriately referenced so that readers could validate the information that was disclosed. Overall, the contents of the article were

Risk Management Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Risk Management Overview - Essay Example Risk Management is a systematic process of managing risk exposures. Risk and uncertainties affect business and investment in a number of ways. There are two possible outcomes for the risks- may be gains or loss (Merna and Al-Thani, 2008, p. 4). Fig-1 gives background information about these two possible outcomes of risks. Risk management considers not only the threats but also the opportunities that are possible gains out of risks. Risk can be taken positively or negatively. Perceiving it in positive way will be an approach to manage it and if that it is done effectively, risk can be utilized. If it is ignored and no management activities are performed, it will bring loss instead of gains. An organization can be said to have good organization wide risk management system if its risk management activities are starting from the very starting point of the projects, if risk management is integrated with other managerial function and finally if all stakeholders are actively involved in the risk management processes (Cooper, Grey, and Raymond, 2005, p. 15). According to Culp (2001), risk management is an organizational process that is separated in to five general activities that are 1) identifying the risks and determine the tolerance, 2) measure risks, 3) monitor and report risks, 4) control risks, and 5) oversee, audit, tune and re-align the risk management process (p. 210). This is depicted in the figure- 2. Risk management process comprises of set of actions taken by individuals or firms as an endeavor to alter the risks arising from their business. Each stages like identification an control are ultimately a forward-looking process as the main target is to manage risks and thus to achieve overall business success. Risk management and its functional areas may deal with both insurable and non-insurable risks like risk due to bad management or risk due to fashion change etc. According to Merna and Al-Thani

The Work, Roles and Skills of a Manager are the Same Worldwide Essay

The Work, Roles and Skills of a Manager are the Same Worldwide - Essay Example As the report declares the Eastern commercial world sparks unusual dynamics in the workplace and defines its managerial structure in significantly differing roles. Whereas Western workers tend to conceptualize their employment in terms of the organization which employs them, Eastern societies rely upon the personal relationship as a basic social structure. This paper stresses that traditional Chinese, Hui, et al. argue, relate in this fashion to a single individual rather than to an impersonal organization. Traditional behaviour emphasizes respect for authority; more-traditional Chinese would construe the activities of organizational citizenship as the actions expected of family members supporting a chief or father figure. In fact, Hui, et al., comment, â€Å"the psychological basis of this behaviour is the belief that this supervisor has offered trust, respect, protection, and support in the manner of one’s father. the role of the supervisor in Eastern countries where Confucian norms hold sway and traditionalism dictates position and activity based on wu lun will differ significantly from the role played in Western commerce where individualism is paramount and worker allegiance is to the organization as a whole, rather than to a specific individual. This is not to suggest that the Western manager has less need for interpersona l skills, nor that strong ties between supervisors and subordinates will not result in greater investment in organizational citizenship in the Western world; such skills are necessary regardless of location.

Job Application Package Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Job Application Package - Assignment Example Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Access Responsibilities Assist with the development and maintenance of accurate work measurement systems in a warehouse environment. Conduct time studies and frequency studies in distribution centers. Assist in the analysis, recommendation, and implementation of enhancements to existing work methods, workflow and processes to increase throughput. Administer and maintain productivity reporting processes and systems. Collect data to assist in the development of distribution center and capital budgets. Analysis of distribution center processes and procedures; identify operational improvement opportunities; design, evaluate and implement changes and/or revisions as required. Assist corporate industrial engineering staff as directed. Limited local travel required. Job #2 Position Engineering / Summer Internships - Industrial Engineering Sikorsky Global Helicopters (610) 883-4408 110 East Stewart Huston Dr. Coatesville Pennsylvania 19320 USA fran.newli n@sikorskyglobal.com Sikorsky Global Helicopters, a subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft, is a Fully capable Helicopter Services provider located in Coatesville, PA. Our capabilities include work as an FAA Approved Repair Station,a DAS approved station, the Sikorsky S-76 Completion Center, the Sikorsky S-92 Joins Center, EMS flight services, DAS capabilities and Engine Services Shop. Our sister company Composite Technologies Inc, in Grand Prarie TX, CTI is the only world wide rotor blade repair shop authorized by Agusta, Bell, Eurocopter, Kazan Helicopters, MD Helicopters, Schweizer and Sikorsky. Consequently, we support your entire fleet. We pride ourselves on our commitment to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply for consideration Please mention JSfirm when responding to this ad (JS Firm, 2011). Job Application Package Date: 30 June 2011 To: (Your Professor) From: Kuan Alkeyev Subject: Job Application Package Sears Holding Company: Corporate Industrial Engineer In ternship The position that is offered by the Sears Holding Company is as a Corporate Industrial Engineer Intern in which a requirement of at least Junior year status must be completed and an intention in the pursuit of a Bachelor of Science Degree in industrial engineering. Experience in work measurement methodologies, best method development and cost analysis for project justification are central to the qualifications of the potential candidate. Other requirements include proficiency in Microsoft Office programs and the ability to communicate effectively, which is most likely in concern with not only performing the responsibilities of the position, but in making sure that all departments that relate to those performances can be adequately updated on the activities. Responsibilities for the position will include: Assist with the development and maintenance of accurate work measurement systems in a warehouse environment. Conduct time studies and frequency studies in distribution cent ers. Assist in the analysis, recommendation, and implementation of enhancements to existing work methods, workflow and processes to increase throughput. Administer and maintain productivity reporting processes and systems. Collect data to assist in the development of distribution

The future of water Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The future of water - Research Paper Example The creator was aware of the importance of water on human life and he gave us great oceans, rivers, streams etc. Moreover he has kept a large stock of water at the underground also. But, unwise human activities and exploitation has spoiled water resources and the world is currently facing drinking water shortages. According to former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, â€Å"access to safe water is a fundamental human need and therefore, a basic human right. Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and social health of all people. It is an affront to human dignity† (Water as a human right). The shortage of drinking water is big problem all over the world. Most of the drinking water resources were contaminated because of heavy industrialization and the usage of powerful chemicals and fertilizers for maximizing agricultural yields. Many people believe that another world war is on card for controlling the fresh water sources. Even the recent Iraq war also suspected as a deliberate attempt by US to exploit the fresh water resources of Iraq rather than the publicly declared objectives. Water pollution affects not only the humans, but also the plants and organisms living in water, land and air. This paper analyses the future of water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that approximately 45 percent of assessed waters nationwide do not fully meet water quality standards. This means these water bodies do not meet the basic goal of the Clean Water Act – that they be safe for uses like swimming, fishing, or as a drinking water source. The EPA projects that $388 billion will be needed from 2000 to 2019 to address the nation’s clean water infrastructure problems (All Dried Up, How Clean Water is Threatened by Budget Cuts p.2). The above statistics clearly outlines the severity of the drinking water scarcity problem facing by United Sates at present. The problem with respect to drinking

How governmental entities will be affected by GASB pronouncement Research Paper

How governmental entities will be affected by GASB pronouncement - Research Paper Example This is done by several different types of documents and mechanisms that together comprise what is better known as GAAP hierarchy for governments. However, not all the mechanisms and documents used by the GASB to set accounting principles and standards have the same weight and importance, hence the need of the term hierarchy which implies that some are going to be more important than others (Fischer et al, 127). In the absence of a pronouncement or another source of accounting literature, the financial statement preparer may consider what is termed as â€Å"other accounting literature.† In this category of â€Å"other accounting literature†, it includes a variety of different sources ranging from GASB Concepts Statements that are often GASB documents that describe the conceptual framework from which GASB statements arise on the more authoritative side to accounting books and articles on the less authoritative side. Accounting for leases is one of the more technically ch allenging areas in accounting including governmental accounting. The following explanation aims to describe the accounting and financial reporting requirements for lessees (Ruppel, 68). Essentially, these accounting requirements depend on whether the lease is classified as a capital lease or an operating lease. This classification is made in the same manner by governmental entities as well as commercial enterprises. However, the difference between the two is whether the lease is accounted for by a governmental fund, or by a proprietary fund. Nevertheless, the reporting requirements differ significantly. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board provides guidance to state and local governments on applying the requirements of SFAS in a manner consistent with that of governmental accounting. In other words, governmental funds need to account for the capital assets and long-standing liabilities resulting from accounting for a lease as a capital lease consistent with how capital assets and long-standing liabilities are otherwise accounted for by governmental funds. The effect of recording capital leases on the state -wide financial statements must also be considered. The requirements of GASB can be applied by proprietary funds and in the state-wide financial statements directly, since these funds and financial statements use the same basis of accounting and measurement focus as commercial enterprises. This often results into identical accounting treatment for these leases. The accounting for leases is derived from the view that a lease that transfers substantially all the benefits and risks of ownership should be accounted for as the acquisition of an asset and the incurrence of a liability by the lessee (Fischer, 118). In recording capital leases by a lessee, there are significant differences in the accounts used by the Governmental Accounts Standards Board and proprietary funds. In the case of GASB, the primary emphasis is on the flow of financial resources, an d expenditures are recognized on the adjusted accrual basis of accounting for leases. Therefore, if a lease agreement is to be financed from general governmental resources, it must be accounted for and reported on a basis consistent with governmental fund accounting principles. Furthermore, capital assets used in governmental activities acquired

Transformation of a Korean Bank Essay Example for Free

Transformation of a Korean Bank Essay Question 4 The IT related decisions taken by the Kwangju Bank include the downsizing of the information systems and the reengineering of banking processes, headed by the then chairman of the board for the bank. These were impacted by the competition in the global market in that having employed the former information system, the bank was too was weak compete against the foreign banks in the US, Japan and Europe. The bank could not establish its individual business strategies to stand prominently in the global market for the reason that the information system employed. Hence, all these factors led to the important decisions in the area of information technology (Rainer Watson, 2012). Question 5 Risks The OLTP system is the most significant and critical system of a bank due to its direct linkage to the financial interests of the customers. Any trivial issues in the system may critically impinge on the credibility of the bank. For this reason, downsizing the OLTP system of a bank is a pioneering, yet exceedingly risky venture for any bank (Young, 2011). Opportunities * Catch the attention of customers by assisting them in managing their financial interests rather expediently; * Capable of providing banking services whenever and wherever the customers wish for; * Support electronic â€Å"wallets†, automatic teller machines, self-service terminals, home banking, and commercial banking; * Adequately flexible for helping the development of novel products and the making of more effectual banking decisions Question 6 The new system facilitates the customers in getting better service as in quality and timeliness. For instance, the transaction processing speed has been enhanced considerably from four to six seconds to 0.7-2.0 seconds for every transaction. The bank is now capable of serving customers 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, rather than the typical eight hours. Also, customers have a greater number of financial services to select from since development cycles of new product have been considerably trimmed down from months to weeks (Young, 2011). Additionally, having employed the new system, the bank was capable of reducing the operating costs with optimized performance and pursuing novel strategies of business, more effectively. The new open information system imparts enhanced freedom from the domination of vendors and flexibility, and permits more convenient espousal of new technology. Question 7 The programs had been developed in a bit by bit manner without a general outline. As a consequence, it was very costly and difficult to modify or maintain the programs. Moreover, it was very difficult to efficiently develop novel programs responding to the swiftly modifying market environment. Question 8 The vendors supplying the systems based on mainframes attempted to hinder the project for the order of protecting their potential as well as current markets. The superior personnel at the computer center of the Kwangju Bank were mocking regarding the project since they were uncomfortable with the novel technology. Moreover, academicians who were paid for evaluating the project inferred that undertaking involved a great risk because the technology was not adequately mature. Question 9 Yes, the banking process reengineering had to accompany with the development of the new information system. This is because the banking operations were obstructed by its computer vendors and computer systems. The bank was unable to establish its distinctive business approaches since the existing information systems were incapable of supporting them. Conversely, the expenses on information systems were escalating at a greater rate compared to the rate of escalation of the bank’s returns (Rainer Watson, 2012). References ICFAI Center for Management Research. Learning with cases. Retrieved from http://www.icmr.icfai.org/casestudies/learn_case.htm on Jan, 26th, 2012. Rainer, K. Watson, H. (2012). Management information systems moving business forward. John Wiley Sons, Inc. Young Moo Kang. (2011). International Case Study 3: From a dinosaur to a chameleon – Transformation of a Korean Bank. Dong-A University, Korea. Retrieved from http://www.wiley.com/college/turban/0471400750/international/dino.html on Jan, 26th, 2013.

Essay on Rape, Racism, and the Law Essay Example for Free

Essay on Rape, Racism, and the Law Essay Jennifer Wriggins analyzes the significance how race, ethnicity, and class influence a womans vulnerability to rape, the meaning and impact of the rape, and the response of family, of community, and of social institutions. Her article, Rape, Racism, and the Law, specifically focuses on the history of rape in the United States between the rapes of White women by Black men. As a feminist, she specifically focuses on two very damaging consequences of this selective blindness: the denials that Black women are raped; and all women are subject to pervasive and harmful sexual coercion of all kinds. Thorough this powerful essay, she examine the legal systems treatment of rape and how racism plays a major part in denying the rights of African Americans, as well as, deny the veracity of womens sexual subordination by creating a social meaning of rape which implies that the only type of sexual abuse is illegal rape and the only form of illegal rape is Black offender/White victim. I was exasperated after reading this article. This article highly irritated and annoyed me because of the interconnectedness of rape and racism. As a woman, it is hard not to get heated about this particular subject. Presently, there are now many struggles against rape. And, in acknowledging the struggles against rape one must also acknowledge the difference among women and the different ways that groups other than women are disempowered. In one of the many examples in this essay, racism and justice collide when in 1859 the Mississippi Supreme court dismissed the indictment of a male slave for the rape of a female slave less than 10 years old. This indictment cannot be sustained, either at common law or under our statutes. It charges no offense known to either system. Slavery was unknown to the common law†¦ and hence its provisions are inapplicable†¦ There is no act which embraces either the attempted or actual commission of a rape by a slave on a female slave†¦ Master and slaves cannot be governed by the same system or laws; so different are their position, right and duties. This ruling is disheartening in a few ways: Black men are held to lesser standards of restraint with Black women that are white men with White women; second, white men are held to lesser standards of restraint with black women that are Black men with white women. However, neither white nor black men were expected to show sexual restraint with black women. This is truly upsetting,  to me, because no man no matter what color should have the right to exercise rape or sexual coercion of any kind with any woman of any color without her consent. This reading is important to social work practice because it reflects and expansive and integrated approach to understanding rape, racism, and the law. By exploring the interconnectedness of rape and racism, I learned to analyze the assumptions implanted in and surrounding rape, racism, and social institutions. Finally, it develops understanding of the narrow focus of the black offender and the white rape victim, and the denial of the rape of black women, which engages within the cultural assumption of American society that is important to understand in the field of social work. This reading also teaches up to be receptive social work professionals able to work respectfully and competently with diverse population groups, with at the same time to understand and develop a sensitivity and respect for human rights. Through this reading, it is easy to see how stereotypes of racial and ethnic differences can have impact on a persons life in regards to consequences, rewards, and punishments. It has not fit in because examining substantive justice arguably requires that human rights to life, well-being, and the commodities essential to life and well-being, be given priority whenever a societal decision is made. Societal conditions and institutional arrangements should be recognized as grounds for justification because they may impose limits and constraints on the choices available to an individual that are as unavoidable and compelling as those imposed by chance or by another human being. It is a scary thought that your skin color or sex could work against you in the legal system, but it does happen. For this reason, it is easy to understand why many women are not reporting these incidents. Reference: Rape, Racism, and the Law by Jennifer Wriggins

How Can You Classify Welfare States Politics Essay

How Can You Classify Welfare States Politics Essay Introduction: As I have found it so difficult to structure this essay and formulate a strong line of argument, which would be outlined here, I will limit the introduction to some of my thoughts surrounding issues which may have an effect on the discussion. What authors mean by the term welfare state varies from each classification attempt. This results in different classifications which within the boundaries the author has set can be very convincing. Different measures and types of analysis are used creating different outcomes, different levels, and different understandings of welfare states. Some focus more on expenditure than others, definitions may be broader or narrower. As Cochrane points out à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a loose working definition is required to make comparison possible in the first place (1993) but there is not an overwhelming consensus about what constitutes the welfare state. This is one reason why there is so much controversy surrounding classification, as writers disagree about what the welfare state consists of, and thus use different types of evidence according to their particular view on what makes up the welfare state. However, classifying welfare states helps makes useful generalisations which can enrich our understanding of a complex and important subject. Main body: Early attempts to classify the welfare state of the advanced world did so largely according to expenditure. Wilensky (1975) analyses differences in the levels of government spending, using this criteria to distinguish the leaders from the laggards. Cutright (1965) also bases his differentiation of welfare states primarily on expenditure specifically on social insurance provision. Bonoli (1997) makes the point that This approach, by concentrating exclusively on the levels of expenditure completely neglects other dimensions of welfare provision. Esping-Anderson (1990), in his ground-breaking work The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism makes the point that within expenditure based classifications that all spending counts equally. Of course the level of money a government assigns to its welfare provision is very important in classifying states but the way in which it is spent can have implications for the provision and leads to large differences between welfare states, even if expenditure levels appear similar. Firstly in countries such as Austria, governments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦spend a large share on benefits to privileged civil servants which, Esping-Anderson points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is normally not what we would consider a commitment to social citizenship and solidarity. Furthermore, expenditure analysis has tended to neglect for instance whether benefits are means tested or universal. Expenditure can be misleading in other ways too, Esping-Andersen uses the example of Britain under Thatcher, where total expenditure grew, but that it was mainly a function of very high unemployment. Castles and Mitchell (1992) concur; ceteris paribus, an identical input of expenditure will lead to quite different observed levels of poverty and inequality, depending on the distribution of incomes prior to income maintenance expenditures and taxes. Most recent classifications agree that expenditure alone is inadequate criterion to classify welfare states. Esping-Andersen has been praised for highlighting this problem (Bonoli, Pierson Castles) The way in which money is spent is crucially important as is the rights the welfare state grants its citizens. But more than this required, according to Esping-Andersen, who argues further that welfare states can not merely be understood in terms of rights granted. We must also take into account how state activities are interlocked with the markets and the familys role in social provision. Esping-Andersens understanding of the welfare state is thus broader than many other authors in their attempts at classification. This is a major strength as it attempts to include many activities carried out by governments that have implications for the standard of living of its citizens. Esping-Andersen focuses on the notion of decommodifying the impact of diverse systems of social rights (Pierson and Castles). Decommodification is defined as the degree to which individuals or families can uphold a socially acceptable standard of living independently of market participation (Esping-Andersen 1990). As well as firmly moving the emphasis away from expenditure as the sole tool of analysis, Esping-Andersen has been praised for suggesting that the welfare state is about more than just services and transfers (Pierson and Castles 2000). Esping-Andersens three proposed welfare regimes, the liberal, social-democratic and corporatist or conservative are argued convincingly and well supported. The analysis goes beyond merely the descriptive, and attempts to provide common development of the welfare states within each regime type, largely around class and power issues. This strengthens the common characteristics identified by Esping-Andersen in todays welfare states. However, Esping-Andersen has been criticised on a number of grounds. A good classification must result in the welfare states of the advanced world being classified. That is to say, they must fit into the categories proposed, meeting the necessary criteria to be associated with a particular welfare regime of type. Esping-Andersen admits that none of the regimes he identifies can be found in a perfect or pure form. Still, even if we ignore this inevitable consequence of classification, (all welfare states are unique), further objections to Esping-Andersen remain concerning welfare states comfortably fitting into the regimes. A major problem with the three regime types is that Japan cannot be comfortably incorporated, as it possesses features of all three types, and yet it is without doubt part of the advanced world. Esping-Andersen admits this, as Japans level of expenditure is relatively low, similar to the liberal classification, but that unemployment rates are typically low too, more similar to those found in social-democratic regimes. Elements of the conservative/corporatist model may be found too, due to Japans reliance on non-state forms of support from the family and the firm for example. The failure to incorporate Japan into his analysis is clearly an unsuccessful aspect of Esping-Andersens classification attempt. Many alternative classifications have been proposed in response to Esping-Andersens The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, which highlight other deficiencies and problems with the work. Abrahamson (1991) and Leibfried (2000) both point to the difficulty of including various Southern European States into Esping-Andersens three regimes and argue for a 4th world, the rudimentary or Latin rim. According to Leibfried the Southern countries of Europeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦seem to constitute a welfare state regime of their own. Countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece would come under this banner, more easily described as rudimentary and similar to each other than grouped with liberal, social-democratic or conservative welfare states, as they display very different characteristics. Castles and Mitchell (1992), however, use different techniques to establish an alternative 4th world, which they term radical. They base a classification of countries such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom as radical because these nations equality outcomes are much more favourable than other states which Esping-Andersen describes as liberal. The above countries, according to Castles and Mitchells analysis, do more for increasing equality among their people than the Netherlands does, which according to his [Esping-Andersens] classification is a socialist, high decommodification system. Many criticisms of Esping-Andersen are the basis for new models, adding or adjusting his three worlds. But other criticisms have been launched too, which also apply to those studies stemming from Esping-Andersens three worlds. Allan Cochrane makes the point that the most striking absences from the statistical approaches and indeed (except in asides) from Esping-Andersens regimes are those relating to gender. He notes how the decommodification of labour is tarnished as a tool for classification because of failing to fully consider gender issues, many of which find no expression in aggregate statistics. (Of course this criticism also applies to most other statistics used to support classification attempts.) For instance Esping-Andersen fails to acknowledge the extent to which womens involvement in that sphere is a necessary basis for the commodification of labour. (Cochrane). Peter Taylor-Gooby developed this point arguing that analysis must include both uncommodified care work in th e home and the position of women in the formal labour market and that this will mean different struggles will develop in the various regime types in response to current pressures on the welfare states. Consequently a classification neglecting to investigate these angles will result in presenting welfare states as very different to their true nature. Many have argued that classifying welfare states without understanding issues such as this that they face greatly reduces their value. (Langan Ostner 1991, Dominelli 1991) Both Bonoli, Kemeny, and Castle Mitchell argue that whilst Esping-Andersen criticises over reliance on expenditure as a basis for classification, and that this is a valid and important claim, he is in some ways also guilty of this fault. Each of the three regimes is heavily contaminated by expenditure considerations. Kemeny notes that e-as classification does not make a complete break with the traditional quantification approach. Bonoli maintains that e-a still ends up with a classification overly based on the quantity of welfare provided by individual states. Instead of using spending to measure welfare states he measures decommodification and Bonoli argues that a consequence of this quantitative approach is a failure to reflect the substantial differences which exist in the way welfare is delivered. Other attempts at classification have placed their emphasis on how welfare states have administered welfare provision rather than how much they have spent in doing so. In Bonolis article Classifying Welfare States; A Two Dimensional Approach he notes that Ferrera (1993) and traditional French approaches to welfare state classification (commonly known as the Beveridgean and Bismarckian types) examine the ways in which provision is made, moving away from the quantitative how much approach. Ferrera openly sets out to break with the quantification approach and the French models are considered independent of the quantity of welfare it provides. Ferrera focuses on one aspect of welfare provision the coverage of welfare protection schemes, mainly distinguishing between universal and occupational schemes. Briefly, Bismarckian social policy is concerned with income maintenance for employees, whereas Beveridgean social policy aims at the prevention of poverty (Bonoli). Bonoli, however, highlights that although Ferreras classification is able to account for differences in the way in which welfare is delivered more competently than Esping-Andersen, its obvious weakness is the fact that it now fails to take into account the quantitative dimension of state welfare. Aside from the fact that knowing how much government spends on the ways on which they administer welfare as a useful element in distinguishing welfare states there are other problems. For instance, as with (ironically) some expenditure only analyses, the Bismarckian /Beveridgean approaches do not distinguish between universal and means tested benefits, a distinction which has very important connotations for welfare provision. A major point in Bonolis article is that welfare state classification requires a comprehensive two-dimensional approach considering both expenditure and the way in which that money is spent, as well as other methods such as policy measures. That is to say how welfare is administered. These vital two dimensions are found in some form in Esping-Andersens three worlds, but Bonoli argues this is not adequate, as the two dimensions are limited only to decommodification rather than to the whole analysis. Bonoli attempt at classifying welfare states takes the Beveridgean/Bismarckian approach but adds a new twist differentiating not only the two from each other but also distinguishing between higher spending and lower spending within the regime types. This addresses more fully the issue of two dimensions of analysis. Although Bonolis point that these two dimensions of analysis are required to understand the welfare state, it seems quite simplistic to imply that there are only two hows- the Beveridgean and Bismarckian. Esping-Andersens three regime types appear more convincing generally although Bonoli makes a useful methodological point. Many rival classifications to Esping-Andersens stem form his work, and similar methodology is sometimes used. However, differences in methodology are also common, perhaps due to different understandings of what constitutes the welfare state. Ferreras understanding, it could be argued, is rather narrow, solely concentrating on social protection schemes. It is difficult, apart from in very broad terms to talk in detail about the variations in methodology (although ideally this is what I would like to have done). Conclusion issues, not a comprehensive summing up. The failure to fit Japan into Esping-Andersens three worlds clearly reduces the success of the classification which in many other ways came as a crucial addition to the study of welfare states. But this is an excellent way of examining whether a classification attempt is successful in its main objective that has to allow all welfare states in the advanced world to be comfortable in the classification groups. However, this is very difficult to assess in many of the other cases. Different authors use different ways of formulating classifications, and their methodology leads to different conclusions. Therefore, often the countries discussed do fit generally well into the regimes proposed. But because the criteria for classification varies so much between authors, and because, for instance, Japans relevant statistics are not available to me, it is difficult to know whether all the advanced countries do indeed fit snugly into all the different regimes presented. One could argue however, that most of the authors discussed do succeed in creating classifications which manage to incorporate all the countries they have analysed according to the particular way they have chosen to analyse them, this is largely inevitable! Esping-Andersen has admitted that Japan is a large exception to the rule, but the absence of Japan form the discussion by other authors could also be seen as some sort of failure. Functionalism classification of welfare states is pointless, the fact they exist is the main point? It is also important to remember that although welfare states show enduring characteristics and tendencies that remain over the years, that they are not static, unchanging entities. As such, classification may only really be able to group states according to their past trends and present characteristics, and arguably welfare states could ultimately change regimes depending on government policies. For instance, it could be said that the influence of globalisation may alter welfare states make-up, and make certain classifications void or in need of adjustment.

2000 US Presidental Election :: essays research papers

The fourth principle of the rule of law state, "all persons must be given due process, that is, a fair chance to defend themselves against formal charges that they have violated the rules." The premise for this principle is the example that, the official body that hears and renders judgment on the charges may be biased against the defendant instead of impartial. The decision of the United States Supreme Court to discontinue the counting of "undervotes" in the state of Florida was not only a politically biased decision, it was also a decision that violated the rule of law. My argument is based on not so much the dissenting opinion of the minority, but of the concurring opinion of the majority of the Supreme Court. A political trial is one in which political considerations, not simply the law and the facts, affect the proceedings and verdict. Every human being has a certain set of morals and beliefs that they hold to be an important part of their character. This is no different for the judges of the Supreme Court. They too have a set of morals and beliefs that they live by. The difference is that their job description says that they have to make decisions not based on their morals and beliefs, but their decisions must be based on the rule of law. It is obvious to me that many of the judges on the Supreme Court, did not follow their job description and instead of basing their decision of Bush vs. Gore on the rule of law, they based it on who they voted for. Every conservative on that panel voted to stop the recount which in turn helped Bush win, and every liberal on the panel voted to continue the recount which would have given Gore a chance at winning. The concurring opinion of the majority seems to make it evident in some of the arguments they make that their opinion was based on politics and not on law. Much of the evidence they bring up only seems to contradict their decision more than support it. In Rehnquist's opinion, with whom Scalia and Thomas join, concurring, he brings up the case of Anderson v. Celebrezze, (1983), in which the court said ''In the context of a Presidential election, state-imposed restrictions implicate a uniquely important national interest. For the President and the Vice President of the United States are the only elected officials who represent all the voters in the Nation.

Socrates Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

In Crito, Plato recounts the last days of Socrates, immediately before his execution was to take place in Athens. In the dialogue, Socrates’ pupil, Crito, proposes that Socrates escape from prison. Socrates considers this proposal, trying to decide whether escaping would be â€Å"just† and â€Å"morally justified.† Eventually, Socrates concludes that the act is considered â€Å"unjust† and â€Å"morally unjustified.† Socrates then decides to accept his fate and proceeded with his execution. Socrates was a man who was in pursuit of the truth (Durant). In his refusal to accept exile from Athens or a commitment of silence as a penalty, he chooses death and is thrown into prison. While Socrates is awaiting his execution, many of his friends, including Crito, arrive with a foolproof plan for his escape from Athens to live in exile voluntarily. Socrates calmly debates with each friend over the moral value and justification of such an act. â€Å"...people who do not know you and me will believe that I might have saved you if I had been willing to give money, but that I did not care.† -Crito (Wolff 37). Crito believed that by helping Socrates to escape, he could go on to fulfill his personal obligations. Also, if Socrates does not follow the plan, many people would assume that his friends did not care about him enough to help him escape or that his friends are not willing to give their time or money in order to help him. Therefore, Crito goes on to argue that Socrates ou ght to escape from the prison. After listening to Crito’s arguments, Socrates dismisses them as irrelevant to a decision about what action is truly right. â€Å"Now you, Crito, are not going to die to-morrow-...-and therefore you are disinterested and not liable to be deceived by the circumstances in which you are placed.† -Socrates (Wolff 40). In the arguments that Socrates makes, he emphasizes that what other people think does not matter. The only opinions that should matter are the ones of the individuals that truly know. â€Å"The truth alone deserves to be the basis for decisions about human action, so the only proper approach is to engage in the sort of careful moral reasoning by means of which one may hope to reveal it† (Wolff 43). According to Socrates, the only opinion that he is willing to consider would be that of the state. â€Å"...if you go forth, returning evil for evil, and injury for injury,...we shall be angry with you ... ... state of Athens, constitutes disobedience against the state. He argues that obeying the state is a requirement right up until death. He says that by not obeying the state that he was raised in, it's like not obeying his parents that raised him. Socrates was a man who stuck to his commitment to truth, morality and philosophy over life. He had a great commitment to his state, therefore by disobeying it, he would be committing suicide in a sense. If Socrates had disobeyed his state, he would never be allowed to enter it again, nor would any other allow him to live peacefully. His arguments throughout the whole dialogue were very strong. Socrates looked out for his state, while Crito’s arguments were based on himself and how others would view him. Socrates’ conclusion to stay in the prison may have cost him his life, but his act saved the morality and truth of Athens. Works Cited Wolff, Robert Paul. â€Å"Ten Great Works of Philosophy†. New York: Penguin Group, 1969. Durant, William. â€Å"The Story of Philosophy†. New York: Washington Square Press Publications, 1961. Volume I, Ninth Edition. â€Å"Civilization: Past & Present†. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc., 2000. Socrates Essay examples -- essays research papers fc In Crito, Plato recounts the last days of Socrates, immediately before his execution was to take place in Athens. In the dialogue, Socrates’ pupil, Crito, proposes that Socrates escape from prison. Socrates considers this proposal, trying to decide whether escaping would be â€Å"just† and â€Å"morally justified.† Eventually, Socrates concludes that the act is considered â€Å"unjust† and â€Å"morally unjustified.† Socrates then decides to accept his fate and proceeded with his execution. Socrates was a man who was in pursuit of the truth (Durant). In his refusal to accept exile from Athens or a commitment of silence as a penalty, he chooses death and is thrown into prison. While Socrates is awaiting his execution, many of his friends, including Crito, arrive with a foolproof plan for his escape from Athens to live in exile voluntarily. Socrates calmly debates with each friend over the moral value and justification of such an act. â€Å"...people who do not know you and me will believe that I might have saved you if I had been willing to give money, but that I did not care.† -Crito (Wolff 37). Crito believed that by helping Socrates to escape, he could go on to fulfill his personal obligations. Also, if Socrates does not follow the plan, many people would assume that his friends did not care about him enough to help him escape or that his friends are not willing to give their time or money in order to help him. Therefore, Crito goes on to argue that Socrates ou ght to escape from the prison. After listening to Crito’s arguments, Socrates dismisses them as irrelevant to a decision about what action is truly right. â€Å"Now you, Crito, are not going to die to-morrow-...-and therefore you are disinterested and not liable to be deceived by the circumstances in which you are placed.† -Socrates (Wolff 40). In the arguments that Socrates makes, he emphasizes that what other people think does not matter. The only opinions that should matter are the ones of the individuals that truly know. â€Å"The truth alone deserves to be the basis for decisions about human action, so the only proper approach is to engage in the sort of careful moral reasoning by means of which one may hope to reveal it† (Wolff 43). According to Socrates, the only opinion that he is willing to consider would be that of the state. â€Å"...if you go forth, returning evil for evil, and injury for injury,...we shall be angry with you ... ... state of Athens, constitutes disobedience against the state. He argues that obeying the state is a requirement right up until death. He says that by not obeying the state that he was raised in, it's like not obeying his parents that raised him. Socrates was a man who stuck to his commitment to truth, morality and philosophy over life. He had a great commitment to his state, therefore by disobeying it, he would be committing suicide in a sense. If Socrates had disobeyed his state, he would never be allowed to enter it again, nor would any other allow him to live peacefully. His arguments throughout the whole dialogue were very strong. Socrates looked out for his state, while Crito’s arguments were based on himself and how others would view him. Socrates’ conclusion to stay in the prison may have cost him his life, but his act saved the morality and truth of Athens. Works Cited Wolff, Robert Paul. â€Å"Ten Great Works of Philosophy†. New York: Penguin Group, 1969. Durant, William. â€Å"The Story of Philosophy†. New York: Washington Square Press Publications, 1961. Volume I, Ninth Edition. â€Å"Civilization: Past & Present†. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc., 2000.

Google Strategy Plan

Abstract Google is the most recognized search engine on the internet in the world. They are a global technology company focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Google’s revenue primarily comes from delivering online advertising. Google’s is focused on areas such as search, advertising, operating systems and platforms and enterprise. AdWords is Google program used by businesses to promote their products and services with targeted advertising. Also, third parties that make up the Google Network use another Google program, AdSense, to deliver relevant advertisements that generate revenue (Lennihan, 2012).As Google has grown, they have added several new services for its users. Some make Web searches more efficient and relevant, while others seem to have little in common with search engines. The many services have entered Google into direct competition with other companies (Strickland, 2012). Google has expanded their company beyond just search and adv ertising and are looking for new ways technology can expand their business. They want to be technological innovators that people want to work for to be the leader in technology research and development.The Google culture encourages their people to explore new ideas that may lead to a breakthrough not yet discovered. The Global Strategy Plan covers from where Google first started by two Stanford PhD students back in 1998 into what it is today, a multi-billion dollar corporation that strives to be the leader in technology. They are continuously looking for ways to improve the search for users and the speed and information they receive. Google is a technology leader and continue to expand into more technology fields. GoogleGoogle provides a variety of tools to help businesses of all kinds succeed on and off the web (Google Company, 2012). They are a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Innovations in web search and advertising have mad e Google’s web site a top internet property and their brand one of the most recognized in the world (Grant, 2010, p. 350). Google’s advertising programs, with range from simple text ads to rick media ads, help businesses find customers, and help publishers make money off of their content.They also provide cloud computing tools for businesses that save money and help organizations become more productive (Google Company, 2012). Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful (Grant, 2010, p. 350). Firm Analysis Google Inc. was established in September 1998 in a friend’s garage in Menlo Park, California by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, PhD students at Stanford University. In January 1996, Page’s search for a dissertation topic led him to examine the linkage structure of the World Wide Web.Page and Brin developed a page-ranking algorithm that used backlink data (references by a Web page to othe r Web pages) to measure the importance of any Web page. They called their search engine â€Å"Google† and on September 15, 1997 registered the domain name google. com. They incorporated Google Inc. and Google’s â€Å"Page Rank† algorithm was granted a patent on September 4, 2001 (Grant, 2010, p. 340). The Google search engine attracted a rapidly growing following because of its superior page ranking and its simple design.In 2000, Google began selling advertisements – paid web links associated with search keywords. After 2000, Google experienced explosive growth and was boosted in May 2002 by AOLs decision to adopt Google’s search engine and its paid listings service (Grant, 2010, p. 341). Page and Brin’s initial funding for Google was a $100,000 contribution from Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. In June 1999, larger funding was obtained from venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. On Augu st 19, 2004 an initial public offering of about 7% of Google’s shares raised $1. 7 billion, giving Google a market capitalization of $23 billion, which fueled even more rapid development of its business (Grant, 2010, p. 341). Google is best known for their search engine on the internet, but they have been acquiring, on average, more than one company per week since 2010 (Wikipedia, 2012). Two of the major purchases made by Google have been YouTube on October 9, 2006 and Motorola Mobility on August 15, 2011 (Wikipedia, 2012). They have also purchased various other companies to build on their search engine, help improve their website and their advertisement business.Google’s quest to meet the information needs of society caused it to continually seek opportunities for accessing new information and provide it through additional media channels. Google’s quest to provide accessibility to the world’s information had taken it into new communication media (notably wireless telephony, but also radio, TV and video games) and sources of information beyond third-party web sites. These new sources of information included images, maps, academic articles, books, satellite imagery, news, patents, video, finance, and Web logs (Grant, 2010, p. 343-344). Google purchased YouTube in October 2006 for $1. 5 billion. Many writers thought since Google made a majority of its revenue from advertising, it would profit from placing video ads next to the 100 million video streams that YouTube claims users view there each month. Google, instead, kept YouTube as an independent company. Google was attempting to break into TV and radio advertising and testing the waters on the internet with YouTube seemed like a good idea that would be a cheap alternative to actually placing ads on TV. At the time of the purchase, TV advertising was the biggest ad market of all totaling $61 billion in the U. S. ompared to the Net’s $8 billion. Google executives confirmed the company bought YouTube, in part, to better position itself for getting into the business of selling traditional television advertising (Kirkpatrick, 2006). The purchase of Motorola Mobility – the spun-off phone-making wing of the original Motorola, cost Google $12. 5 billion, which is about a third of their cash reserves, as of when the purchase was made. The most obvious reason the deal was made was to give Google access to Motorola’s ability to manufacture hardware in massive numbers, something Google is painfully naive about.Google now gets access to Motorola’s design and engineering process, and this will allow it to carefully tailor both future smartphone hardware and its own Android OS software together. Making phones in-house means a Google Droid phone will likely have better battery life, slicker performance, greater reliability and fewer bugs, which is exactly what Google needed to rival Apple, with its iron-fist control over seamless integration of sof tware into custom-crafted hardware.Also, Motorola is already so huge, and long-established, it has extensive and very strong links to manufacturing partners around the world. Those relationships are now owned by Google, which means it can hone and refine them to meet future Android phone and tablet needs, which puts Google in the hardware business (Eaton, 2011). Google’s growth and capacity for innovation rested upon a management system that was unique, even by the unorthodox standards of Silicon Valley.Gary Hamel identified in the book, The Future of Management, several key features of the management system built by founders Larry Page (President of Products) and Sergey Brin (President of Technology), and their â€Å"adult supervisor† Eric Schmidt (Chairman and CEO): their hiring policy, a dramatically flat, radically decentralized organization, small, self-managing teams and rapid, low-cost experimentation. The result was a constant impetus towards creativity, innova tion and entrepreneurial initiative. Google is organized around the ability to attract and leverage the talent of exceptional technologists and business people (Grant, 2010, p. 45-346). Google keeps lines of communication open between the top people in the organization and the workers, referred to as Googlers. This open communication allows the workers to question the decision-makers about the happenings in the company and gives them a sense of ownership of the products. Google AdWords and AdSense is a pair of Web advertising services that generate revenue. AdWords allows advertisers to submit ads to Google that include a list of keywords relating to the product, service or business. When a Google user searches the Web with one of the keywords, the ad appears on the sidebar.Google gets paid by the advertiser every time the user clicks on the ad. AdSense is similar, except instead of displaying ads on the sidebar, a webmaster can choose to integrate ads into their own site. Every tim e someone clicks on an ad on the webmaster’s site, the webmaster receives a portion of the ad revenue (Google gets the rest). With both AdWords and AdSense, Google’s strategy is to provide targeted advertising to users (Strickland, 2012). In 2011, 96% of Google’s $37. 9 billion in revenue comes from advertising (Miller, 2012).Google’s International Markets is one of the most used search engines in the world, offered in approximately 144 countries. The search engine holds around a 60% market share in the world’s search engine requests. Google holds a 10% higher market share in Europe than in the U. S. Google, Inc. has approximately twenty American based offices, thirteen offices in the Asia – Pacific region, twenty-six in Europe, three in Canada, three in Latin America and five in the Middle East. Sergey Brin, Google, Inc. ’s co-founder, stated, â€Å"Google plans to quickly expand into a wide variety of new markets.The simplicity of our user interface and the scalability of our back-end systems enables us to expand very quickly† (Bailey, Gilmore, Hrones, Mendea, Peal). Google, Inc. is swiftly becoming a noticeable global brand with approximately 70 office locations as of April 2010 in the U. S. and around the world (Bailey, Gilmore, Hrones, Mendea, Peal). Google believes it is possible to organize all the information on earth and provide it to users when needed. Google started out as a search engine and later collaborated with its various products (Kumar, 2011). SWOT AnalysisStrengthsWeaknesses -Ease of use by all users to retrieve information -Speed of the search engine -Integrate with various languages -Localized searching -Google’s products -Development supports innovation-Difficult to differentiate between real good content, good content and average content -Business manipulate the system -Just a search engine that provides information to the user -Products are not well known OpportunitiesThrea ts -Technology and increase internet usage created a revolution for information and knowledge for the common man -Major revenues from advertising Constantly involved in acquisition programs -Huge user base causes any additions to immediately become more popular than even the original idea-Faces competition from other search engines like Yahoo and Bing -Baidu and Yandex in China and Russia are market winners -User preference changing -Possible failure or take time to migrate its existing technology -Don’t lose its focus with competitors -Moving away from the search engine (Kumar, 2011) Recommendations Google is constantly acquiring new businesses and ideas that allow it to provide information the users want to them at a rapid pace.One of their newest projects is Google Glasses which is in line to compete with Facebook for the social media crowd. These augmented reality glasses would bring smartphone computing straight to your eyeballs while allowing wearers to capture photos a nd videos of the world as they see it. Google glasses will have the ability to send text messages, take phone calls and give directions making it a competitor to Apple’s iPhone. We’re constantly being told these days that sitting is killing us, and that the amount of time we spend planted in a chair, glued to computers and tablets is dangerously unhealthy.Technologies that allow mobility and engagement with the world, while still connected to the Internet are going to be attractive (Hill, 2012). As a company, Google aims high. Its ambition far exceeds Internet search and advertising. It has built a powerful network of data centers around the globe in hopes of connecting users instantly with high-resolution satellite pictures of every corner of the earth and sky; making the entire text of books available online; and becoming the leading distributor of online video through YouTube.At the same time, Google has taken its advertising system offline, as it tries to capture p ortions of large ad markets in television, radio and newspapers, investing heavily in mobile phone technology to replicate its online success in the wireless world. The company continues to be dominate in its core business, search advertising, but Google faces fierce competition from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Information exchanged over the social network is walled off from search engines and lucrative territory for ads (Lennihan, 2012).Google has had many inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the European Commission (EC). The FCC fined Google $25,000 for impeding an investigation into its data collection practices. The FTC escalated its antitrust investigation of Google by hiring a prominent litigator, sending a strong signal the agency is prepared to take the case to court. The EC warned Google it must move quickly to change four business practices or face formal charges for violating European antitrus t law.The EC found, after a two-year inquiry, that Google might have abused its dominance in Internet search and advertising, giving its own products an advantage over those of others, while maintaining it offers a neutral, best-for-the-customer result (Lennihan, 2012). Having such a large share of the search and advertising market around the globe is attracting the government agencies to look into the way Google is doing business to ensure they are legitimately looking out for the best interest of the customer.The government wants to ensure Google is not giving any company an unfair advantage over any other company. Google’s future is being imagined at the company’s top-secret lab, called Google X, in an undisclosed Bay Area location. At the lab, Google is tackling a list of 100 ideas. Among them is a refrigerator that could be connected to the Internet, so it could order groceries when they ran low; a dinner plate that could post what you are eating to a social netwo rk; a robot that could go to the office while you stay home in your pajamas; or an elevator to outer space.One of the ideas – the driverless cars – may turn into a new business. Even as Google has grown into a major corporation and tech start-ups are biting at its heels, the lab reflects the company’s ambition to conduct ground-breaking research and development (Lennihan, 2012). Conclusion Google has come a long way since Sergey Brin and Larry Page networked a few computers together at Stanford. What started as a modest project is now a multibillion-dollar global organization that employs more than 19,000 people around the world.Brin and Page are still very much involved with Google’s operations (Strickland, 2012). Hiring intelligent people that fit the Google way and keeping the teams to small groups are key ingredients to keep effective teams able to get things done without too many layers. Google’s drive to remain on top of the search and advert ising industry and drive to continuously improve their products through acquisition, research and development keeps them on top of the industry. References Bailey, Gilmore, Hrones, Mendea, Peal. Google, Inc. International Strategies.Retrieved from http://www. slideshare. net/abail019/international-strategies-for-google-inc Eaton, K. (2011, August 15). Why Google Bought Motorola Mobility, And What It Means. Retrieved from http://www. fastcompany. com/1773548/google-bought-motorola- mobility-12-point-five-billion-what-it-means Google Company. (2012). Our products and services. What we do for business. Retrieved from http://www. google. com/about/company/products/ Grant, R. (2010). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. West Sussex, United Kingdom. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Hill, K. (2012, May 30).Google’s Competitor For Facebook Isn’t Plus. It’s Project Glass. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/05/30/googles- competitor-for-facebook-isnt- plus-its-project-glass/ Kirkpatrick, D. (2006, October 19). The real reason that Google bought YouTube? Fortune Magazine. Retrieved from http://money. cnn. com/2006/10/18/technology/fastforward_gootube. fortune/index. htm Kumar, A. (2011, June 25). Google SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from http://www. marketing91. com/google-swot-analysis/ Lennihan, M. (2012, July 19). Google Inc.New York Times. Retrieved from http://topics. nytimes. com/top/news/business/companies/google_inc/index. html Miller, M. (2012, January 23). How Google Made $37. 9 Billion in 2011. Retrieved from http://searchenginewatch. com/article/2140712/How-Google-Made-37. 9-Billion-in-2011 Strickland, J. (2012). How Google Works. Retrieved from http://entertainment. howstuffworks. com/hsw-shows/sysk-crowd-sourced-quiz. htm Wikipedia. (2012, July 23). List of acquisitions by Google. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_acquisitions_by_Google

Digi Marketing Analysis Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This assignment is about DIGI Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd. (DIGI) company’s strategic analysis of its daily operations. Segmenting, targeting and positioning will clearly show that how DIGI company segments its customers to different types of segments, then they targets those market that will provide profits to the company than lastly positioning them. Then SWOT analysis will provide clear details information about the company’s main strengths and exploit them through opportunities, then understand the company weakness to avoid incoming threats to the company. Just to survive within the competitive market, DIGI should also learn competitors marketing strategy as well so that they can counterattack them just like chess strategy. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS A situational analysis is where the DIGI Telecommunication Sdn. Bhd. (DIGI) provides the operation of searching an important factor to accommodate the external contingency and internal capability. Then a choice should be decided to overcome all weaknesses and threats along with maximizing the company’s strengths and business opportunity. SEGMENTATION TARGETING & POSITIONING (STP) In order to survive running a business, it is crucial for DIGI to know their market segmentation, targeting and positioning so that DIGI can target their customer accurately and efficiently. After segmentation, targeting and positioning, management will then uses the most appropriate strategies to achieve the company’s goal even faster. SEGMENTATION At this stage, DIGI will have to differentiate their customer into different segments based on their common need or their response to marketing action taken by DIGI. Each of these response will them decide which strategy mix will be used by the company. There are a few ways to differentiate market segments, like demographic, psychographic, behavioral and geographical location. For DIGI, is best to use either psychographic and geographical location segmentation. In psychographic segmentation, customers will then based on the social lifestyle like their daily lifestyle, social class and individual attitudes. DIGI in this section can differentiate customer to high income or lower income customer. In geographical segmentation, customer will then based on their behavior like prior purchases and brand preference. In this section, DIGI may provide phone packages along with well-known brand hand phone like Samsung, Apple and Sony. TARGETING After segmenting customer into different groups, DIGI now will have to choose their targets. There is no strategy suits all kinds of segments, so in order to be effective and efficient, development of the correct strategies is very crucial. There are three general strategies for target marketing and they are undifferentiated targeting, concentrated targeting and multi-segment targeting. In this situation, the appropriate targeting for DIGI to be used is multi-segment targeting. In this target is being used because DIGI has to focus more than two segments and for each of the segments, different strategies must be applied. In this targeting, there are many benefits, but it also quite costly, as it needs more efforts from management, market research and also new promotional strategies to attract more customers. POSITIONING In this stage, positioning is where DIGI will have to develop a product and provide brand image into the minds of the customers. It also involves  advancing customer’s perception to know what does customers experience. DIGI always reminds their customers that choosing DIGI is the smartest choice. DIGI is also well known for yellow man and the logo sign is yellow. To show the unique of DIGI, even the store is painted yellow and it really strikes out the customers view. An effective positioning includes a deep understanding of the competitors’ products as well. DIGI should differentiate their advantages to excel among the competitors. DIFFERENTIAL ADVANTAGES/WEAKNESSES (SWOT ANALYSIS) SWOT analysis is where helps DIGI to understand their strengths and weaknesses, find business opportunities and prevent those upcoming threats. A successful SWOT analysis helps DIGI to seek opportunities and then accomplish them, knowing company’s weakness and then manage them nicely can avoid any up coming threats. SWOT analysis for DIGI is as below: STRENGTHS DIGI always remind their customers that choosing DIGI is always the smartest choice. DIGI always provide smart plans based on customer affordability. Whenever a new electronic device launched into the market, just to catch up with the digital era, new packages will be introduce. Just like when LTE has been introduced to the world, not long then DIGI introduce LTE package to customers. DIGI also has its own customer loyalty. As nowadays, teenagers or even fresh graduate will choose DIGI for its reasonable and affordable rate along with DIGI rarely network failure happens compare to other network communications company. WEAKNESS DIGI telecommunication actually doesn’t have its own satellite yet they still need to rely MAXIS for renting satellite. It would be more appropriate that DIGI can afford a satellite on its own. Their customer service should be  enhance as networking tool its important nowadays, it will cost losses for the businessman who all of the sudden lost contact from the vendor or customers. This will unfortunately causes law cases to the company as the customer will then sue DIGI for network failure causes him all his losses. The customer service staff needs lots of training as well as their have to face many anger customers that have problems with their phone network. It will always be good that DIGI coverage covers more rural areas because they’re its still places where DIGI coverage will not able to covered. OPPORTUNITIES In the network company, due to the enhancing of electronic gadgets, more and more opportunities will automatically come towards DIGI. Once a hand phone gadget like Apple or Samsung launched a new series of smartphones, DIGI will promote along phone packages with the purchase of the hand phone. It wills attracts lots of people who have not owned a hand phone as it includes everything. DIGI telecommunications also provides usage until overseas and they also provide some reasonable overseas rate. Other hand phone supplies will also come to them for cooperation to promote their new series of electronic devices along with providing DIGI telecommunications business opportunities’. On the other hand, DIGI also provides broadband as well and it provides conveniences for businessman to uses DIGI broadband anywhere for their electronic portable computer or even provide Internet line using phone coverage to provide 3G for electronic tablets. THREATS Malaysia has an intense of competition within Telecommunications Company. Many newly entered Telecommunications Company tries to fight for s status within the market but unfortunately fail and ended up bankruptcy. They are MAXIS, DIGI, CELCOM and UMOBILE Telecommunications Company that manage to fight for years within Malaysia and managed to survive. DIGI also frequents faces imitations. When a brand new service or products is launched, a similar service packages will also be provided to the customer from the competitors. Everyone wants to grab these business opportunities but ended  up provide chance for the customer to compare which telecommunication company provides the most reasonable and yet more services for them to enjoy. Because its digital era, all those gadgets staff will obsolete quickly so the market demand its actually very seasonal. When some new stuff is newly introduced, many people wants to get their hand into it, but after a period of time, customer will then gain no more interest in purchasing or even introducing to other people anymore. RECOMMENDED OBJECTIVES AND GOALS In order to achieve the objective, it is crucial for the company to find funds for the company operations. DIGI has to get a strong stand in Malaysia/s market share in order to achieve long term business operation. DIGI has to try to improve their telecommunications skills to provide a better quality of life for the customers and also to improve their ways of living to more digital. DIGI already has its vision of its own that an Excellency of service providing will lead to committed and energetic employees that makes the whole company running fluently. DIGI’s mission is to satisfy customer’s individual needs of requirement for their own communication, connectivity and also their Internet access. The company also successfully bonds its staff together can they grew within a healthy environment and each of them fulfills their duties tremendously. DIGI also provide appropriate returns to their shareholders and they have played am important in improving Malaysian’s lifestyle by providing up to date telecommunications services. In the long term, DIGI will try their best to increase share values by giving innovations and best telecommunication services to the Malaysian’s market. RECOMMENDED MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS DIGI telecommunication competitors are MAXIS telecommunication. In order to be successfully within a market, it is also important to study competitors marketing strategy as well. DIGI has successfully established Excellency, so DIGI will continue to make things simple so that they can understand their customers truly. They also can try to balance the cost optimization exercise  just to meet higher levels of customer satisfaction. Because this is digital era, it is also important to continue improve the system by relooked at all of the business process and activities that already have been done and try to improve them by making them much more efficient. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the best and appropriate strategy for DIGI Telecommunications is product development strategy. This is because that developing new and improved products in the future or even modifying existing product and services can make them more outstanding appearances compared to the competitors. With the up to date service network provider, DIGI can continue operates smoothly by providing excellent service to the customers. This plays an important role in the long term for DIGI. Unfortunately it will still remain highly competitive due to technology advancement and competitor’s spirit, as long as DIGI keep developing and modifying, DIGI products and services will attract more and more subscriber’s customers. The point is the most important for the global consumer as the usage of mobile network is extremely important in daily life nowadays. 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AT&T’s Resources and Capabilities Essay

AT&T is one of the largest telecommunication network provider in the world and they are a market leader in United States. Besides the traditional forms of communication like local and distance telephone services through mobile lines or landlines, AT&T’s primary business is to provide a diversified of telecommunication services to American customers and their services includes: Wi-Fi, high speed internet, internet TV, fiber optics, satellites, voice and cloud services with a whole suite of IP-based business communication services. They were established back in 1876 when Alex Graham Bell first invented telephone. Together with the group of AT&T subsidiaries, they have over 105 million subscribers in 225 countries and close to 250,000 employees worldwide (AT&T, 2014). According to the (Plunket Research, 2013), the market value worldwide for telecommunication industry in 2013 was USD 5 trillion and the market value for United States alone was USD 1.2 trillion. Technology has been an integral part of our daily life; and it is widely used in all business organizations. 91% of adults in United States owned a cell phone (Pew Research, 2013) and the telecommunication industry may seems to be an attractive industry with the increase demand of such product and services. However, due to the rapidly technological evolution, this is a highly competitive market to sustain competiveness in the market. For example, AT&T’s business evolves around technologies, there is shift of demand in the consumer market; consumers have switch to use instant messaging services like ‘whatapps’ instead of talking over the phone or short messaging services. AT&T must be able to implement alternate strategies to meet customers’ need before competitors. Though there are four major players in the telecommunication industry, AT&T’s main competitor is Verizon; they have similar financial strength and market share while Sprint and T-mobile hold a very small percentage of the market share. When firm resources in an industry are homogenous, competitive advantages cannot exist (Bain, 1956). To continue as the market leader, AT&T needs to have sustainable competitive advantages against competitors. According to Barney (1991), a firm is said to have a competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors. And to sustainable competitive advantages firms have to analyze their internal environment and implement  strategies that will exploit their strengths by exploring the external opportunities while neutralizing external threats and avoid internal weakness. Porter (2005) reinstates that firms will attain competitive advantage by developing a strategy that enable them to have a unique marketing position. Kanter (1999) also argue that to sustain competitiveness in the market, firm must innovate in an accelerating rate. Resources and Capabilities Leading AT&T the Market Leader The resource-based view (RBV) strategy analyzes a firm’s internal resources that may potentially be the key resources that can have a competitive advantage. And in order to sustain a competitive advantage, a firm must have unique resources (Barney, 2004). RBV strategy is used to evaluate the internal capabilities on an organization – resources and competences (Barney, 2001). Resources are productive assets owned by the firm; capabilities are what the firm can do (Grant and Jordon, 2012). By applying Barney’s (1991) VRIN framework, we can determine whether the internal resources will contribute to the firm’s strategic capability. They four key attributes of the VRIN framework are: (1) Valuable; exploits competitive opportunities (2) Rare; they must be rare in the competitive environment (3) In-imitable; competitors cannot duplicate the sources (4) Non-substitutable; must not be easily replaceable by alternate products. The key resources AT&T possesses are t he strong financial resources, extensive network infrastructure, research and development facilities, human resources, unique culture, brand image and intellectual properties. Resources are then classified into tangible assets or intangible assets and they must be heterogeneous and immobile to have sustainable competitive advantages. For AT&T to achieve strategic capability, we need to evaluate AT&T internal resources and their capability to perform well with those resources. Just resources alone or capability alone will not lead to strategic capability. Over the decades, AT&T has built different network platform worldwide to support a range of wireless voice and data capabilities. They have the widest network coverage, with more than 18,000 WiFi hotspots in 42 countries. In the United States, AT&T’s customers can access to free WiFi services at many popular hangout places like Starbucks, Borders and McDonalds. AT&T is also financially strong to invest of their network  infrastructure. They have invested billions of dollars to install fiber optic cable nationwide to provide customer a much faster and stable network connection. Lieberman and Montgo nmery’s (1998) first-mover theory state that firm may have competitive advantages through new innovations. AT&T was the first to introduce 4G networks in the nation and they are the first and only company who has the resources and capability to restore the network issue in the event of natural disaster. They have built their reputation and brand in the industry over the years and are known as a technology leader with new innovations. Being the first-mover, AT&T has built customers’ confidence by being perceived as the industry leader who can deliver additional values to consumers thus reduce rivalry competition. For example, AT&T was certified by Department of Homeland Security for their Network Disaster Recovery program and US Navy awarded them a 10.4 million contract for the cloud-based voice-over IP recently. Financial and network infrastructure are key tangible assets to AT&T, they are extremely valuable to AT&T as these primary resources integrating with their intangible assets to achieve competitive advantage. Physical resources as such may confer little advantage to company for long term. For example, rival like Verizon, who has the similar financial capabilities may soon acquire similar assets. Verizon has already starting building the 4G networks. Acquisitions and me rgers are often strategies in big firm. Strong financial resources give AT&T the capability to acquire other companies to strengthen their portfolio by leveraging on external capabilities. AT&T has announced to acquire DirecTV, the biggest cable television provider to strengthen their portfolio. Though AT&T provides cable television services, they have less than 6 million subscriber in their ‘U-Verse’ bundle package, which include Internet, landlines and cable TV. The merger of DirecTV increase AT&T’s cable television subscriber four time more than their U-Verse and an additional 18 million cable television subscriber in South America (Forbes, 2014) by leveraging on the DirecTV’s existing network infrastructure and customer data based. There are high risks in every merger, many firms failed because company are unable to integrate. I believed that AT&T will successfully integrate these businesses together and will be able to deliver additional value to the customer by providing an integrated solution and extend to more subscribers. Unlike tangible assets, intangible assets like  human resource, branding, intellectual properties, research and developments do not have a financial value and often the intangible assets are undervalued and yet contribu te much more than the tangible assets. AT&T is the most valuable brand in Texas, with a value of 45 billion (Jean, 2014). Through various strategies, they have built a great reputation and brand recognition in the United States over the century. AT&T has the exclusivity distribution of Iphone when Apple first launched them in the market. AT&T has the upper hand in terms of business negotiation and bargaining power of suppliers are low due to the AT&T’s extensive customer base and their brand. Porter (2005) argues that differentiation strategies give the firm competitive advantages against rivals. Being unique and different will also lead to higher profitability by demanding higher price. AT&T differentiates them from rivalry by highly focusing on research, development and customer-centric approach. AT&T has invested heavily in their research and development lab and they have 1300 of the world’s best scientist and engineers. AT&T’s researcher has contributed to the industry with many new inventions since 1901 and they made major technological inventions like communication satellite and solar cell that changes the way technologies work. According to Barney (1999) ‘A firm obtains valuable and rare resources because of its unique path through history, it will be able to exploit these resources in implementing value-creating strategies that cannot be duplicate by others’ and ‘A firm with scientists who are uniquely positioned to create or explo it a significant science breakthrough may obtain an imperfectly imitable resource from the history-dependent nature of these scientist’s individual human capital’. Since AT&T is a network company, research and development will be one of the most valuable resources to the firm. Besides new innovations, understanding customers’ need is equally important. Some other key development focus includes increase process automation and consolidation, improve and enhance customer experience. Ability to deliver new technology and offer alternate products and services that better suit the customer needs is the key strategy to stay ahead of competitors. AT&T is rated as the company with the best customer service experience in the industry and AT&T’s customers are the first in the industry to have e-commerce services; they are able to view their bills online and also have  added features like bill sorting by categories, request service updates and many more. Intangible assets like intellectual property, trademarks, copyrights and patents do not have an asset value, but they extremely valuable, rare, in-imitable and non-substitutable. Having heavily invested in research and development, these patents give AT&T the exclusive right to protect their innovation s. AT&T has more than 5,000 registered patents and trademarks; they have 3 patents registered averagely per day. Grant (2005) describes human resource as the productive services offered to the firms by human being through their skills, knowledge, reasoning and decision-making abilities. Besides the scientist and engineers in the AT&T Lab, AT&T has employees from a diversify background that has different potential to contribute to the organization in different business function. Continue training and education will ensure that employees will have the essential knowledge, and the capability to perform their jobs. There are a variety of training programs specially designed for the employees of all level and functions. For example, AT&T University provides leadership training to managers at different level, skills development program design from retail sales to engineers. In 2012, AT&T spent 250 million dollars for employees’ training and development and 28 million for tuition reimbursement to increase the employees’ knowledge and skills, which can in return transform into the human resource capabilities. It is very difficult to find a right candidate for the right position and it is even harder to retain talent in an organization. AT&T has one of the best compensation packages to retain talent, to increase employees’ loyalty and decrease employee turnover rate. Barney (2005) recognized that a firm’s culture is one of the most valuable resources. Culture is the work routines and how organization operates; every organization has their own mission, vision, strategies, values, beliefs and behavior. AT&T has a unique culture, they are highly focus in technology, leadership innovation, customer-centric focus, possess high integrity and believe in collaborative teamwork. Embedded capabilities are very likely part of the organization culture and AT&T’s unique culture contributes to the strategic capabilities on the firm. Both human resource and company culture are valuable resources, rare, in-imitable, and non-substitutable. Conclusion A&T is a differentiation leadership, who has superior customer service with the most reliable and fastest services; customers are willing to pay a premium price for the best provider. Their core competencies are: ability to scale the business, creation of new innovations ahead of competitors, integration of network components, integration of software components and network integration. AT&T has sustainable competitive advantages in the telecommunication industry because they possess inimitable strategic capabilities through complexity of internal and external linkage, with their achievements and past experience in the telecommunication industry, they are able to innovate and stay ahead of competitors. The organization has accumulated knowledge through both formal system and shared experience of people and they are able to integrate into organization capabilities. Due to the complexity of the resources, another firm will able to achieve sustainable competitive advantages with the same kind of resources. For example, Continental Lite tried to imitate Southwest’s budget airline, they failed and suffered heavy losses. Similar, even if Verizon have some of AT&T’s employees like the engineers, senior management, and including the same network infrastructure, Verizon will not have able to achieve competitive advantages as AT&T because they do not know the linkage of all the core competencies which will lead to failure. References AT&T (2014) Investors Relations. Available from: http://www.att.com/gen/investor-relations?pid=5711%5B [Accessed 8 June 2014] Bain, J. 1956. Barriers to New Competition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Barney, J.B. (1991). Firm’s resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17: 99-120 Barney, J.B. (2001)‘Resource-based theories of competitive advantage: A ten-year retrospective on the resource-based view’ Journal of Management December 2001 27: 643-650, Bloomberg Businessweek (2014), AT&T Inc (T: New York). 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