Research Paper on Programming Roles Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On Programming Roles - Research Paper Example However in order to successfully achieve the roles of software, both the programming and the non programming skills are required to be balanced together. In such organizations, agile decisions work more suitably. The working environments being healthy, the software developers tend to perform and achieve better (Alberto, 2009). The present study focuses on the programming skills that are associated with the software development teams discussing about the different roles in such teams. Also, the study would reflect on some historical discussion on how software development teams and roles have changed over time and how programming roles might be expected to change over the next ten years. Software Development Team Roles: Software being flexible, often irrational, as well as incomplete, the need for agile software development teams has been considered, that is based on the basic changes required in the roles and teams. This enables development of teams that are agile and hence know how t o remain agile in order to understand and manage the changes (Wells, 2009). There are different elements that constitute such agile software development teams. These include practices, values, roles, techniques, and tools. The specifications of the roles vary depending on the different software development teams (Dubinsky & Hazzan, n.d.). Software development is conducted in different ways at different organizations, and in all home office all over the globe. The practice that an organization or an individual employ to build up software might work for their definite surroundings and state of affairs, however it may be unsuccessful in another set of conditions (Breaking Down Software Development Roles, 2006, p.1). The common roles that exist within software development teams and their respective responsibilities are hereby discussed. The different roles of a software development team are Subject Matter Experts (SME), Functional Analysts (FA), Solutions Architect (SA), Development Lea d (DL), Developer (Dev), Quality Assurance (QA), Deployment (Deploy), Trainer, Project Manager (PM), and Development Manager (DM) (Breaking Down Software Development Roles, 2006, pp.1-2). Critical Skills of the Different Roles in Software Development Teams: Role of SME: These people are responsible for providing all the necessary information that requires for building up. SMEs are primarily required for the articulation of the different organizational needs (Breaking Down Software Development Roles, 2006, pp.3-4). Thus the direct role or skill of programming cannot be associated with this function. Role of FA: The role of a functional analyst is to capture, combine and communicate information from the SMEs to the rest of the team of software development. Although they may not require the same skills as that of the development team, yet at times they are found to be more skilled with regard to basic processing of word, spreadsheet, and general office tools that support their jobs (Br eaking Down Software Development Roles, 2006, pp.5-6). Thus this function too does not associate the skill of programming directly even though certain knowledge may be applicable. Role of SA: The programming skills may be associated with this function since the role of solution architect involves conversion of the team requirements into an architecture and design that can be used as the outline for the

Hedging An Equity Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hedging An Equity Portfolio - Essay Example 7 Reference: 9 1.0 Introduction A US equity fund manager holds â‚ ¬100m in a portfolio comprising the largest US stocks which perfectly replicates and benchmarks the S&P 500 index. The US Federal Reserve indicated that the programmed quantitative easing of purchasing $85 billion is not going to be carried out. The quantitative easing is used to stimulate the price when the corresponding interest rate decreases to 0%. The non execution of the quantitative easing is set to correct the equity market. The fund manager predicts that the reluctance of the US Federal Reserve to perform a quantitative easing is going have a profound effect on the performance of the portfolio. For this reason the fund manager as such wants to hedge the portfolio using option instead of futures. 2.0 Advantages and disadvantages of using options to hedge this scenario compared to using futures only Fund managers use both futures and options to order to hedge their portfolio. Though there are some marked diff erences in the two types of hedging tools. The choices of the hedging tools depend on the fund manager as well as the objective to hedge. In the present scenario, the fund manager has decided to use the options instead of futures (Reilly and Brown, 2000). This is because of the reason that the options provide certain leverage in comparison to futures. The most basic advantage is that an option gives the option holder the right and not an obligation. In case of the futures both the parties have equal obligations. The second advantage is that the amount of loss is limited to the buyer of option while in futures the losses can be unlimited. Option and future both provides same opportunity to the holder to minimize loss and at same time make profit. The US Federal Reserve has decided to stop quantitative easing. The quantitative easing techniques are supposed to create a stimulant which helps to ease the pressure on prices of funds. The price decreases when the interest falls or drops s harply. The sharp drop of interest is associated with a corresponding decrease in the price level. This means if the fund manager wants to invest in various funds, then the increase in the price of the various funds will limit the ability of the fund manager to invest effectively (Hearth and Zaima, 1998). The fund manager is not sure what will happen in the future but the non execution of the quantitative easing program indicates that the fund manager can only invest in limited fund with the present value of the equity portfolio, since the price of the funds have increased. If the fund manager anticipates that the share price will increase then he can buy a future. The sudden growth in the share price of equity may not find enough buyers. The problem with buying a future contract is that if the price of the funds drop then the fund manager is obliged to sell the future at the decreased price. So the future holder is in a risk, if the anticipated increase in price does not take place and instead of that the price actually decreases. So on one hand there is chance to make profit while on the other hand there is chance to incur loss. There are no restrictions to the limit of profit or loss. This is one of the greatest disadvantages of using the future contract. The advantage of the options with respect to future can be explained with the help of an example. As already explained the find manager is anticipating in increase in the p

Schools of Thought on Strategic Management

Schools of Thought on Strategic Management Strategies are among the most crucial key of an organization in order to accomplishing their specified goals and objectives. According to Mintzberg H Quin B (1997, p39) Strategy is the pattern plan that incorporates an organizational goal, policies and action successions at large. Hence, managers or the top level of an organization require to be very deliberate when choosing the strategy for them to put through in the market, to endure and to win their Rivals. In this assignment, the school of strategies which include planning school, culture school and positioning school of Minztberg will be examined to show these strategies were put into action to help organization be more active in the global market. This assignment also exemplifies some international theories which are Porters diamond, five forces and product life cycle of an organization by analyzing Tesco Plc case. School of Strategies overview It is undeniable that strategical evolution is the fundamental element for the endurance and success of every business. Evidently, each organisation ought to have appropriate strategies and conform it to the conditions that come up in a competitory market. Turner (2003) stated that in an attempt to channelize those whose task it is to put strategy into exercise, Henry Mintzberg, el at (1998) Depicted the process of a strategy campaign and has keyed out ten schools of thought in respect of strategy evolution. These schools have changed in popularity overtime. The ten different schools were separated into the groups of prescriptive, descriptive and synthesis. The difference point between the prescriptive schools and the descriptive ones is that the former concentrate on strategy preparation while the latter emphasize strategy development. The three prescriptive schools are considered the efficiency and constancy foundations which make directions as well as objectives for the growth of organisations. According to Stacey (2007), the three prescriptive schools are the design school, the planning school, the positioning school .These three schools become both profound and preconditioned factors of strategic development for each organisation.expanded to these schools, the different descriptive schools which are entrepreneurial school, the cognitive school, the learning school, the power school, the cultural school and the environmental school give deep insights in strategy preparation. All strategy views Acknowledge the relevancy of entrepreneurship. The last group is synthesis that comprises of the configuration school, which incorporates the aspects of all the other schools in terms of configurations or in term of transformations (Stacey, 2007). This school corresponds an attempt at integration which definitively recognizes the complexness of strategy. This assignment will take three schools which are the plamiing school, the culture school and the positioning school to analysis and apply to Tesco to show these models work and how an organisation apply these models to achieve their targets, objectives and be successful in global market. 2.1- The Planning School 2.1.1- Definition The planning school is a member ofthe prescriptive school which is normally more refer with how the strategy should be articulated instead of how they should be constituted. This model deals with consequences such as budgeting, scheduling and programming. Every business Demands to have program for them so to emergence and development, thus this model can be Implemented in many firms such as Tesco to help them be the global organisation. 2.1.2- Discussion Tesco was fotmd 1924 by Jack Cohen. Over many years, today, Tesco become one of the Biggest retailers in all over the world. How they become successful like theyre at present? They need to have a effective plan which is establish on predicting how the economic is going to be, what they prefer to be, what will be the market and so forth. The answer for these questions should be the planning school. Ftuthermore, the planning school retrospects the Ansoff Model which Tesco used to analyse their market and products. They want to be globalisation so they open Tesco in many countries of the world where they set up their products to acquire new markets. For example, Tesco opened stores in Japan where people prefer to buy fresh food each day, Hence, the existing hyper market formats dont meet the needs of local buyer. Tesco also has inducted big amount of money on product development. In following Ansoff marketing strategies, Tesco is attempting to increase number of customer and number of sales. This school also aspects intimately at the SWOT model, the internal strength weakness as well as the external opportunities and threat as mention in Marko Makipaa (2004). Tesco applied SWOT model which can tell them their strength such as branch name, national store network to evolve and win their challengers. It also shows them their weakness such as deficiency of Worldwide scale or menace of takeover to assist them find the way to tix it and to change it in near ihture. They recognised the extemal opportunities of Tesco can be beyond the sea growing market in Eastern Europe and Asia and financial service which might be a good opporttmity to focus on and to become progressively participate in global market. In addition to that, the threat of Tesco is the entry of Walt Mart, the evolving of local Sainsbury, etc. So by using the planning school which relates to Ansolf Model and SWOT analysis, an organisation will know the theories , plan for their new product and market , manage their budgeting, schedule, programme, select the best choices and methods to fit their aim and objectives. This model also antecedences its strategies by hierarchy. The long-run strategies is the ones, which are at highest order, accompanied by the average and then by short-term plan. 2.1.3- Limitation Nevertheless, while applying this model,company may be confronted by some disputes as this model comprises some issues which can impact on organisation. First of all, planners may focus too much on rendering newer strategical concepts, thus directing the current aims at sub standard level, amusing the attention from the original purpose directing to false beliefs. Risk is major issue in this model as people who apply these concepts could decide to try and Vie against rival challengers and therefore bring forth new strategies, which could be very risky as in Sadler P(2003). Second, planning school is all out forecast and anticipating future based on some strategies and current trend of economy, even so, it will be very diflicult and risky to make the decision and put through it before. Establishing strategy and decision on Supposition and doubts could due to the diverting the organisation original strategy and also disregard the organisations necessity of strategy. 2.2- The Culture school 2.2.1- Definition The cultural school is one of subclasses of descriptive schools. This school ascertains strategy Constitution as a corporate process. The approach of this school attempts to involve the several groups and sections within the company: strategy establishment is deemed a fimdamentally collective and combined process. The strategy thats formulated is a manifestation of the corporate culttue of the organisation. . This model centers on the all-important role the social procedures, opinions and values are playing in decision making and in strategy establishment. ln addition to this, it not only explains opposition to strategic change but helps to deal with paramount values in organisations or in regions also. 2.2.2- Discussion The culture of Tesco plays a critical part in the company; this is a great deal of concerned about the way in which people in the organisation interact with one another. If people didnt interact Comfortably with one another, this could be bad for decision making; this could also lead to poor decision being induced. Tesco have a positive culture. The type of culture of Tesco is a customer ridden culture. Customer driven culture is everywhere in the business and makes a real effort to improve customer service, marketing research, hiring right people, and training. The business is trying to update the teclmology e- commerce. It also has a positive culture where staff and workers communicate well. They also respect change as chance than not a treat. Furthermore, the culture of Tesco is seen as a dynamic one. This is proved in the way a business is looking for a change how they work better, and always anticipating new ideas to attract more customers. 2.2.3- Limitation A apportioned dedication to beliefs encotuages consistency in an organisations behaviour, and Hence by admonishes changes in strategy. Its culture that profoundly accommodated opinions and understood asstunptions that act as powerful internal barriers to fimdamental change. Also, the vague of this model is main reason leading to opposition to change. It can be missed to justify the status-quo. Consequently, each organisations attention has also been addressed at how to overcome the strategy limitation of organisational culture. 2.3- The Positioning School 2.3.1- Definition The Positioning school is where the organisation can formulate its strategic position within the industry. Put differently, positioning is oneself in competitive strategy. This model ascertains strategy structure as an analytical development. Porter (1980) was the founder of the positioning school; he revolved around the formation of industries and their effect on strategies. The positioning approach looks at the companys place in the economic market lay whose goal is to differentiate the organisation from others within the same field. (Steward C, el at ,2005) 2.3.2- Discussion This model has been applied in many firms such as Tesco to help them to positioning itself in the market so that theyll situate out amongst the rest, and how to accomplish high profit than other firms through market position. Tesco use Porters five force analysis to empathise the competition. Porters Five Forces Model implies that business are being acted upon by five forces i.e. supplier power, threat of replacements, customer power, barriers to entry and competition. This model also entails that business requirement be able to be well aware of the industry Condition in which they function. For TESCO, their main challenger is ASDA. The competition is firm between the two food retail companies as healthy as with others like Sainsbury. ASDA is possessed by WalMart which is the leading grocery succession in the United States. They are famous for low priced items. This is among the reasons why people lean to go to their stores for their frequent shopping necessitates. When they expanded in the Great Britain, they brought by way of them their cost leadership strategy. This led to the similar success that theyve in the United States. All the same, TESCO was competent to preclude ASDA last year. How Tesco conquer ASDA using Porter strategy is explained as follows: According to Porter (1985), a business position is based on its strength and strength is classified into two cost advantage and distinction. When these strengths are applied, it Leaves aftermath to three generic strategies focus, distinction and cost leadership strategy. Out of these three generic strategies, cost leadership strategy plays a important undertaking in the achievement of TESCOs competitive benefit over ASDA. Cost leadership strategy means that the business is the low cost producer or supplier of a definite quality item in a Intended industry. 2.3.3- Limitation While considering the positioning school, manager or an organisation must aware of some limitation and taking into concern regarding it. First of all, the top level in hierarchy of an organisation will be the one who fonnulate the strategies whilst execution will be done by the lower level. This could induce the problem such as incompatibility. Managers could have sets of the ideal but they fail to interpret these ideal to lower levels and due to the Abortive execution. It also creates the de-motivation for their employees. (Susanne, R 2005). The additional problem of this model is its direction. Its a bit much constrict in that its just concerned in the information thats either economic or quantifiable. The social, technological or political which is really crucial information havent taken into consideration. This model also established on the anticipation of succeeding tendency by generalising the present tendency which alters quickly in the time period for variety of reason. If th e preceding and present trends are the only reference used to anticipate the succeeding trends, the strategies are really insecure to go wrong in execution. Whittington school of strategies Nevertheless, in notion of Whittington, schools of strategies are of four types and it will be poor if we discuss the strategic management without referring the theories of Whittington. Each theory presses out the disputes about human capability to think moderately and act more efficaciously. Once each manager straightaway confronts with these conflicts, he will be better able to examine their own action and eventually select which most common theory is most appropriate with their requirements. Hence, these four views are regarded as the crucial tools for strategic management of each business. Lets look at the figure below, well see the summary about the four more common theories: It can be easily to see that Tesco remain in evolutionary part since their strategy is to keep price low, do publicity and their choice open which can appeal increasingly customer come to them. Comparing the cost of Asda, Sainbury with Tesco , it always show that the cost in Tesco is very much lower and they also do more publicity than their rivals. Furthermore, people who come to Tesco to purchase something cheaper not only buy those particulars but they also buy the other things which they require. Therefore, even do more publicity and the price is cheaper, Tesco still persist their sales and budget. So, using this strategy is the right way for Tesco and they can be progressively successful in the time to come. All the same, by a systemic view, theres no better way of strategy: only play by the local rules. Its visible that the four approaches to strategy widely dissent in their advice to management. Realising and know how to enforce each approach in the business system are the fundamental factors which prompt each organisation to participate more actively in the global market. The succeeding part will be some strategies which Tesco applied or can be applied in Tesco to accomplish their goal and objectives. Global Retail Strategic Decision Among the most debatable trends in todays retail industry is globalization. The global arena has proved highly hard for numerous retailers over the preceding two Xs. Retailers Functioning in local marketplace is extremely acted upon by fluctuation in consumer behaviour. Newcomers in market such as Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand ascertain articulated deviations in consumer testes, purchasing behaviour and expense. Several retailers have tried and failed to establish themselves into Global marketplaces. This part of assignement will help in understanding and the preparation of global strategy for Tesco Plc. The section will use Porter 5 force, Porter Diamond strategy, Porter generic and PLC model analysis to render an penetration into Tescos position in the intenational market. This will help management in constituting to correct strategical selections in terms of corporate and global strategy to keep off the trouble which could come from unfamiliar of new environment of each countryy that Tesco expand into it, such as new customer, new supplier and new competitor. 4.1- Overview of Tescos Strategy The way Tesco PLC raise revenues is by trying to make Tesco more attractive to customers, so that more people prefer to shop with them. Theyre hading best for one simple reason: globally, millions more customers have chosen Tesco with 10 million more visits a week to their stores around the world. In 1997, when Tesco first exhibited their four part, strategy; a strong UK business, non-food, retailing services and international . at present they are a truly international retailer, with arising strength in non-food and retailing services. It appears that Tesco have opted a really beneficial strategy for international marketplace , as a matter of fact Tesco still have trouble when they expand business into some countries , for example in 2002 ;Tesco had went through troubles with expansion in Poland, Tesco faced with the economic problem and that make their cost higher to market presences. Another example in Taiwan (2000), Tesco was facing rivalry from the French titan Carrefour. These days, there are suppositions about Tescos withdrawal fiom Taiwan. From these abortive experience, Tesco realized that flourishing into new international markets is harder, Hence Tesco should be aware more about market competitory environment. Poters analysis is nevertheless useful in evaluating the competitive environment of firms these days. 4.2- Porters Five Force 4.2.1- Discussion According to Porter (1980), this model can be applied to many organisations. It postulates the external environment analysing and revolving around the structure of the industry. The objective of this type of analysis is to formulate a strategy that will enable firms to develop chances and protect them from threats. By executing so, can lead business firm competitive positioning. This concept is dividing by 5 force call Porters 5 force. The threat of entry of new competitors: In supermarket retailing, barriers to entry are high. High initial investment and fixed costs are likely to preclude many likely newbies. Additional barrier to entry is economies of scale. Tesco and other large supermarket are able to buy large bulks of goods in a lower price. In contrast, smaller new entry parties are more expected to buy smaller volumes of those goods at relatively higher prices. New firms also have to be aware that Tesco already have dedicated customers. The threat of replacements: Which, Tesco threat of replacements is high because product that Tesco sell same with to the other retailing shop. which is Tesco should examine to what extent its conceivable for customers to switch to the replacement. In such cases, Tesco should make certain that buyers gratified on their products or services. On the other hand, other companies in the same industry may choose to vie on price, which will bring down margins of profit. The bargaining power of suppliers: generally, most people have a option between another supermarket chains, who contend on price and several promotions. This can make supplier have high bargaining power. Nevertheless, Tesco is ascertaining the situation by not just order from one big supplier but by accepting a number of smaller ones. In counterpoint, the bargaining power of Tesco is expanded. If a specific supplier is committing too much, Tesco can switch to another supplier. The degree of competition between existing competitors: As we seen in the market at present that all main players in Global market as Carfoure and Wal-mart trying so hard for increase their market share. Therefore, the foodstuff market is especially challenging. 4.2.2- Challenges Tescos strategy, structure and competition are established on the framework. Its strategy is authorise, with development being acted on from four areas, the core UK grocery business, non-food, international expansion and retailing services such as financial services, the dotcom business and telecom packages. Essentially, Tesco is using its strong stable core to keep the business ticking over while it contrives new more hazardous areas of growth. 4.3- Porter Diamond strategy 4.3.1- Discussion With this strategy, the aim is to become the lowest-cost producer in the industry. Tescos sections in the industry are provided with the stress placed understating costs. If the accomplished asking price can at the least equal (or near) the average for the market, then the low-cost manufacturer will enjoy the most beneficial profits. This strategy is usually affiliated with mass businesses offering standard products with comparatively small distinction that are absolutely satisfactory to the bulk of customers. At times, a low-priced leader will also give up its product to maximize sales, specially if it has a substantial cost advantage over the competition and, in doing so, it can further step-up its market share. Tesco has established afresh affordable food line in its supermarkets as it gears up to take on discounters Aldi and Lidl. Tesco have to launch its own variants of the discounters products Within its existing stores. This way it hopes it can keep its existing customers happ y while hopefully appealing new ones. 4.3.2- Challenges As the firm aspects new situations and makes little errors through trial-and-error extending, management form more naturalistic percepts of the foreign market. The need for learning by doing at the local spacial level suggests that learning from the intemationalisation process will often be a gradual, iterative process .Tesco experienced that the opporttmity to grow a mass business in France was improbable to be accomplished under the current envirornnent where planning permit is difficult and accomplishment ratings are high. Consequently, Catteau was becoming less strategically significant. Tesco have leamed that advisors can only advise but thats all. Dont trust any investment bank today, when new decreasing, particularly in European Union or UK marketplaces demand is higher and higher, overall oil price and liquidity crisis will intensify and that will pull demand back. Tesco is foodstuff retailer, so as a whole food and agriculture industry faces hike and even peoples carrying on to feed their natural necessity. Maybe Tesco need to invest more to future food supplements. The other challenge for them is about technology as all major technology today is based on oil, gas or coal. Tesco like companies will close their door like last winter another UK retailer. Even E-commerce could be a focus for Tesco. 4.4- Product Life Cycle (PLC) 4.4.1- Discussion The PLC model is useful in explaining production models for some types of products, such as exchangeable consumer goods, but is less useful in anticipating future pattems, particularly in industries commanded by some global players. The framework presents dynamic comparative advantage. The country thats the comparative advantage in the production of the product changes from the innovating (developed) country to the growing countries. Tesco is ever expanding its business in order to keep up the rivalry to a very high level, so consequently, its critical that Tesco invest in fresh services and products so that customers demands are fulfilled. Tesco is an example of a large supennarket chain can use their customer dedication to broaden and extend their product array. Foodstuffs are always attending be the core product for Tesco but in their website or in their stores, it can be seen to find information on a range of other products completely unrelated to foodstuffs. Tesco is developing these new products and selling to their existing customer base to be able to enter these new markets. There is Tesco Finance and Insurance where access to apply for the Tesco credit card and savings account, products that in the past you would have approached the bank for. Tesco Direct is a catalogue shopping service and is seen as taking on conventional catalogue brands like Argos. By understanding the product life cycle, Tesco is able to identify new areas to move in. Presently Tesco has an electronic range of goods and services that they offer, but one thing they lack is low-cost laptops. Until now, Dell and PC World are the leading retailers of low-cost laptops. Tesco needs to buy quality laptops at a competitive price to maximize sales and increase productivity. 4.4.2- Challenges According to Daniels (2007) because of very rapid innovation, have extremely short life cycles, a factor that makes it impossible to accomplish cost simplifications by moving production fiom one country to another. As it has been told Tesco is a global retail market and still being globalized around the world. Hence, Tesco needs to move some products to a new market and an environment. In this case Tesco challenges it competitions by reducing its cost and removing products. There are plenty of difficulties in this competition such as making good research about environement to make a perfect anticipation about the best products which can be used to beat the competitors in the global market. Conclusion Properly speaking, all strategy schools and patterns are looked upon a tool for strategic information from an constitutive view and as a process for comprehending a number of different futurities for a company. This level sets the business firms goals and objectives and decides on its investments and the deployment of its resources. Thanks to applying strategic models in functioning, Tesco has took part more actively in the global market. it has proved by the success and development of Tesco in many countries in the world. References Books 1. By Marko Makipaa, The roles and types of business inhrmation in school of thought strategic management. Frontiers of e- business research Available at http://www.cs.uta.f1/isliulkaisut/2004/2004_Makipaa_2.pdf 2. Daniels J., Radebough L.H., Sullivan D. (2007), International Business: Environments And Operations, 11th edition, Pearson/Prentice Hall, New Jersey, Pg 221 3. Fernie J (2005), International Retailing, Vol 33 No 1, Emerald Group Publishing, Pg 36 4. Hill C. W. L.(2007), International Business: Competing In The Global Marketplace, 6th Edition, McGraw-Hill International Edition, New Jersey, Pg 188 _ 5. Mintzberg H and Quinn B(l997), Strategic process, concept; context and case, European Edition, Prentice Hall 6. Mintzberg H, Ahlstrand B, Lampel J (1998), Strategy Safari The complete guide through the wilds of strategic management, Finance Times, Prentice Hall 7. Morrison J (2002), The International Business Environment. London, Palgrave 8. Porter E M (1985) Competitive Advantage, The Free Press , New York 9. Ttuner, P (2003), Organizational Communication: the role of the HR prokssional, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, p69 10. Sadler P(2003), Strategic Management, 2d Edition, London, Kogan Pages. 11. Stacey, R D (2007), Strategic Management and Organizational Dynamics, Prentice Hall Financial Times, 5 Edition, p23 12. Stewart Clegg, Martin Kornberger, Tyrone Pitsis, (2005), Managing and Organizations. An Introduction to Iheoiy and Practice , Published by SAGE 13. Susanne Royer (2005), Strategic Management and Online Selling: Creating Competitive Advantage with Intangible Web Goods, Published by Routledge 14. Whittington, R (2003), What is strategy and does it matter, Thomson, 2d edition, p1O. Internet 15. http://www.accaglobal.com/documents/corporate_sector.pdt, date accessed on 29.01.09 16. http://bizcovering.com/international-business-and-trade/tesco-2/s date accessed on 16.02.09 17. http://wwvv.bizcovering.corn/international-Business-and-Trade/Tesco, date accessed -on 3-0.01.09 18. http://www.12manage.com access on 02.02 .2009 19. http://www.tesco.co.uk accessed on 28 .01. 2009 20. http://www.retailweek.com/News/2008/09/tesco__introduces__new_1owcost_food_offer .html , date accessed on 12.02.09 21. http://WWw.prneWswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=l5880, date accessed on 15.02.09 22. Tesco(2008), Annual Report and Financial Statement, date accessed on 23 .01. 2009, Available at http://wwW.tescoreports.com/downloads/teseo_report_i`1nal.pdf

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos :: Argument

Strength of Argument: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos bell hooks’s essay, "Keeping Close to Home", uses three important components of argument (ethos, pathos, and logos) to support her claim. hooks develops her essay by establishing credibility with her audience, appealing to the reader’s logic, and stirring their emotions. She questions the role a university should play in the life of a nation, claiming that higher education should not tear a student away from his roots, but help him to build an education upon his background. bell hooks gains the trust and credibility of readers through knowledge of the topic at hand, establishing common ground with the audience, and demonstrating fairness. Ethos is the distinguishing moral character of a writer that instills faith in the audience. bell hooks is a well respected writer and teacher known for her strong opinion and academic background. She establishes her credentials through her personal struggles with the university system and her efforts to maintain her own individuality and background. The reader gains respect for hooks as she courageously resists the pressure to adapt to her new academic life. For` example she says, "It [is] my responsibility to formulate a way of being that [will] allow me to participate fully in my new environment while integrating and maintaining aspects of the old" (hooks 92). bell hooks writes not only to help others find strength to hold on to their pasts, but for her own resistance as well. Her audience is assured by her motives to educate and inform. Whereas hooks’s personal experience srenghtens her ethos, a certain rigidity used in addressing the audience simultaneously weakens her credibilty. For example, hooks’s tendency to label academics and groups unlike herself pushes the reader to see her as self-righteous. She separates people into classes of those she percieves as right and those she sees as wrong. Thus, she creates a smaller audience of readers and weakens her message. This tendency causes her argument to sound one-sided and prevents a formation of common ground. hooks’s efforts to help others preserve the background that "enable[s] one’s self development in the present, that sustain[s] and support[s], that enrich[s]" however, prevents her voice and opinions from being ignored (91). bell hooks’s use of logical evidence is not as strong as her ethos. With the aid of facts and studies, an author’s

Iron Crowned Chapter 3

I might have come to accept being queen of the Thorn Land, and it was hard not to grow attached to a place you had a spiritual connection to. Nonetheless, nothing the Otherworld offered would ever take the place of my home in Tucson. It was a small house, but in a nice neighborhood, near the Catalina Mountains north of the city. Gateways between the worlds existed all over, facilitating travel, but I had an â€Å"anchor† in my home, meaning once I shifted out of the Thorn Land's gate, I was able to materialize directly in my bedroom. An anchor could be any object tied to your essence. My roommate Tim, who hadn't seen me in a few days, was understandably shocked when I came strolling into the kitchen. â€Å"Jesus Christ, Eug!† he exclaimed. He'd been flipping pancakes at the stove. â€Å"We've got to put a bell around your neck or something.† I grinned and had an inexplicable urge to hug him – though I knew that would freak him out even more. After all the craziness in the Otherworld, his normality was a welcome sight. Well, â€Å"normality† might have been an exaggeration. Tim – with his tall, dark, and handsome looks – had taken to impersonating Native Americans (badly) in order to score chicks and make money selling his awful poetry. He rotated through various tribes, and last I knew, he'd been passing himself off as Tlingit, seeing as the locals got a little less pissed off by him donning the clothes of a tribe living hundreds of miles away. He lived in my house rent-free in exchange for cooking and housework, and I was glad to see him dressed in an ordinary jeans and T-shirt ensemble today. â€Å"Are you making enough for two?† I asked, heading straight for the full coffeepot. â€Å"I always make enough for two. But most of it goes to waste.† That last part came out as a grumble. He'd once complained about being my â€Å"slave† but missed my being around now. â€Å"Messages?† â€Å"Usual place.† When in the Otherworld, I left my cell phone with Tim. It forced him to play secretary, something he resented since I actually already employed one. Indeed, most of the messages he'd scrawled on the refrigerator's white board were from her. Tue. – 11 AM – Lara: two job offersTue. – 2:30 PM – Lara: one possible client needs ASAP helpTue. – 5:15 PM – Lara: still wants to talk to youTue. – 5:20 PM – Lara: needs you to finish tax paperworkTue. – 10:30 PM – Lara: won't stop callingWed. – 8 AM – Lara: who calls this early?Wed. – 11:15 AM – BitchWed. – 11:30 AM – Sam's Home Improvement: interested in vinyl siding? I admired his detailed message taking – frustration with Lara aside – but my heart sank when I saw who was conspicuously missing. Every time I came home, I secretly hoped I'd see their names up there. Sometimes, on the sly, my mom would check on me. But my stepdad, Roland? He never called anymore, not after finding out about my allegiance to the Otherworld. Tim, preoccupied with his cooking, didn't see my face. â€Å"I don't get why she keeps calling. She knows you can't get any of her messages. Why does she need more than one? It's not like a billion of them are magically going to get through to you.† â€Å"It's just her way,† I said. â€Å"She's efficient.† â€Å"That's not efficient,† he declared. â€Å"It's borderline neurotic.† I sighed, wondering not for the first time if I should just let messages go to voice mail. Despite having never met, Tim and Lara were mortal phone enemies. Hearing them bitch about each other was wearying. Nonetheless, staring at her string of calls already made me feel tired. I'd once had a brisk trade as a freelance shaman, kicking out ghosts and other annoying supernatural creatures who harassed humans. Now that I moonlighted as a fairy queen, I'd had to become much more selective with clientele. I could no longer keep up with the demand around here and felt bad about that. I suspected Roland was picking up my slack but didn't know for sure. I waited until after breakfast before dealing with Lara. Pancakes, sausage, and coffee gave me the strength to deal with this latest batch of requests. Undoubtedly seeing my number on her caller ID, Lara didn't bother with formalities when I finally called. â€Å"About time,† she exclaimed. â€Å"Has he been giving you my messages?† â€Å"He just did. I've been gone for three days. You know you don't need to keep bugging him about it.† â€Å"I want to make sure he tells you I called.† â€Å"He writes them down, every one. Besides, my phone's log also tells me you've called †¦ a lot.† â€Å"Hmphf.† She let it go. â€Å"Well, you're getting a lot of requests lately. I've thinned them out, but you've still got to choose.† It was almost February. We weren't near any major sabbats, when paranormal activity always increased. Sometimes, though, it happened for no reason. It figured now would be one of those times – right while I was in the middle of a war. Or, I realized, it might be happening because of that. My identities as queen and shaman were both well known among many creatures. Maybe they hoped they could get away with more while I was distracted. Half seemed to show up for selfish purposes in our world; the other half hoped to forcibly father Storm King's heir on me. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Let's hear the priorities.† â€Å"We need to finish your taxes.† â€Å"That's not a priority. Keep going.† â€Å"Single woman, stalked by a fetch.† â€Å"That's serious. I'll have to get on that one.† â€Å"Tree elemental. In your neighborhood.† â€Å"Yeah, that one's here for me. He won't hurt anyone else.† â€Å"Phantom-infested subdivision.† â€Å"On a graveyard?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"Schedule it, and make sure the builder's charged double. Their own stupid fault.† â€Å"Will do. Then you've got the usual weirdness. Lights in the sky. Possible UFO.† â€Å"Was that Wil again?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Damn it! Did you tell him it's just the military?† â€Å"Yes. He also said there's been some Bigfoot sightings – â€Å" I froze. â€Å"Bigfoot? Where?† â€Å"I didn't get the details. I thought it was his usual craziness. And didn't you say they don't live in Arizona?† â€Å"They don't. Has there been anything weird in the news? Deaths?† There was a pause, and I heard the rustling of papers. â€Å"Two hikers died over in Coronado, near the Rappel Rock trail. The report stated that they fell. Took a couple days to find their bodies. Nasty stuff. Some animals got to them.† I was up and out of my chair in a flash, making the dishes on the kitchen table rattle. Tim, leafing through a magazine, looked up in alarm. â€Å"Call Wil,† I told her, trying to tug on one of my boots while balancing the phone. â€Å"Find out where he heard about these Bigfoot sightings. If it's not Coronado, give me a call back. If it is, no need to call.† Wil was Jasmine's half brother, and I avoided speaking to him when I could. One reason was that he always asked me about her. The other was that he was a crazy, paranoid conspiracy theorist. This time, he might be on to something. Lara was understandably startled. â€Å"But you said Bigfoot – â€Å" â€Å"It's not Bigfoot.† â€Å"Don't forget your other job tonight!† â€Å"I won't.† I disconnected and managed to get on the other boot. Tim regarded me warily. â€Å"I don't like it when you get that look.† â€Å"That makes two of us.† He watched as I went to our hallway closet and produced a little-worn leather coat. â€Å"You're going to Coronado?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"High?† â€Å"Yup.† He sighed and gestured to where we hung our keys near the door. â€Å"Take my car. It'll handle better if you run into snow.† I slung my satchel over my shoulder and flashed him a grateful smile. He warned me to be careful, but I was already out the door with the keys, heading for his Subaru. My eyes barely saw the road as I drove toward Coronado State Park. Bigfoot. No, you wouldn't find Bigfoot out here, not even in the Catalinas. Now, tell me there'd been a sighting in the Pacific Northwest? Or anywhere in Canada? Yeah, it'd be Bigfoot hunting time. But it wouldn't be a priority. They were generally harmless. Here? When you got a Bigfoot sighting in Tucson, it was a demon bear. Yeah – I know. It was a ridiculous name, but it got the point across – and really, there was nothing funny about them. They came from the Underworld and were utterly lethal. With their tall and furry appearance, it was easy to understand why the untrained eye would mistake them for popular images of Bigfoot. Demon bears didn't fuck around either. If only two people were dead, then this one hadn't been in the area long. We were lucky – even if the hikers weren't. No rodents or foxes had fed on those bodies. In Tucson proper, we were enjoying our typically mild winter weather – mid-seventies today, if I had to guess. As I drove higher into the mountains, the temperature dropped rapidly. I soon saw snow on the ground and signs for Mt. Lemmon's ski resorts. Other signs directed me toward popular hiking and climbing areas – including Rappel Rock. In and of itself, it was a popular area for outdoorsmen. With its proximity to the ski areas, the demon bear's presence was doubly dangerous this time of year. I finally reached the trailhead and parked in a gravel lot. Only a couple other cars were there, which was a small blessing. I stepped out of the Subaru, shocked by the blast of cold air that hit me. I was not used to these temperatures. I hadn't been bred for them. Give me monsters and ghosts? No problem. But cold weather? That was a weakness. I could've used magic to adjust the air but needed to conserve my power. Instead, as I stuffed my arsenal into my belt – not comfortable but ready for easy access – I used my magic for a summoning. I spoke the ritual words, and a few moments later, a small implike creature appeared before me. He had pointed ears, smooth night-black skin, and red slits for eyes. â€Å"My mistress calls,† he said in a flat voice, â€Å"and I answer, no doubt for some mundane task.† â€Å"We're going after a demon bear,† I said, moving briskly toward the trail and trying my best to ignore the cold. My jacket wasn't suited for this weather at all, but it was the best I had. â€Å"A more challenging task than most,† he observed. I ignored his condescension as I stopped before the sign indicating the various routes and levels of difficulty for these climbs and hikes. Volusian was a cursed spirit I'd subdued and enslaved. His power made him a useful asset – and a risky one. He hated me and spent a good deal of his time planning how to kill me, should I ever lose the control needed to bind him. I closed my eyes, attempting to become one with the air rather than its victim. The world was silent here, save for the rustling of wind in the pines and chatter of birds and small animals. I spread my senses out, seeking something out of place. My abilities weren't perfect, but I could often sense a presence not from our world. â€Å"There.† I opened my eyes abruptly and pointed near a trail marked â€Å"moderately difficult.† â€Å"Do you feel anything?† Volusian studied the area, using his senses as well. â€Å"Yes. But more there.† He pointed not at the trail itself but more toward its left, off into the woods. I grimaced but knew his senses were slightly better than mine. â€Å"Off-roading. Lovely.† We set out in that direction. Volusian shifted to a more ghostly form that floated along with me, rather than treading through the underbrush like I had to. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle, but it made for slow going. Yet, as I traveled farther and farther, that magical feel increased. â€Å"It will sense you too, mistress,† said Volusian, in a rare show of unsolicited commentary. I didn't doubt it. â€Å"Will it come after me? Or will it run?† â€Å"Run? No. Hide? Perhaps.† There was a calculated pause. â€Å"It won't try to force itself sexually on you, however. The blood of the shining ones is too alluring. It will simply try to eat you.† â€Å"How reassuring,† I muttered. â€Å"I'll do the banishing. You distract it.† Soon, I needed no special senses to know we'd reached our goal. The forest had grown deadly silent. No more birds or other signs of life. A strong sense of †¦ wrongness filled the air. The worlds were stacked: human, Otherworld, Underworld. With our proximity, Otherworldly creatures could sometimes move throughout this world without me feeling anything. Something from the Underworld was too foreign. It stuck out. â€Å"We're close,† I murmured. â€Å"We're practically – oomphf!† A massive arm swung out from a cluster of trees and hit me in the stomach, knocking me painfully backward. There was nothing I could do to prevent my fall onto the forest floor of sharp sticks and rocks, but I did manage to grab hold of my wand as I went down. A giant form loomed in front of me, almost eight feet tall. Long-limbed, with clawed feet and hands, its muscled body could easily be mistaken for that of a Bigfoot. Its ears – while definitely bearlike – were flattened against its head, adding to the humanoid appearance. It roared, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. Black eyes, filled with nothing but mindless rage, peered down at me. Volusian, compelled by my orders, threw himself against the bear. The power radiating around Volusian's body had the substantiality of a ton of bricks. The creature staggered backward, eyes shifting angrily to my minion. The fact that Volusian hadn't knocked it to the ground was concerning. They were either well matched, or the demon was even more powerful than Volusian. The latter would be problematic, seeing as I wasn't strong enough to banish Volusian. Well, that is, I wasn't strong enough to banish him and fight him. If someone else subdued him, I could have sent Volusian on. If this demon bear had the means to defeat Volusian, then I'd be cake. Hopefully, the demon bear couldn't obliterate Volusian while distracted by something else – me. I scrambled to my feet, holding my wand out as I prepared to open a door to the Underworld. Volusian and the demon battled it out, neither capable of killing each other. I gathered my will, channeling the power of my soul to spread past this world and the Otherworld, on to the Underworld. On my arm, a tattoo of a black and white butterfly sacred to Persephone began to burn as I touched her domain. The air near the demon dematerialized, forming an opening to the Underworld. Grabbing my silver athame with my free hand, I approached the battle, cautious of both the combatants and the forming gate. Volusian hovered over the demon, keeping its eyes directed high. I sneaked up unnoticed. With well-practiced speed, I snaked out with the athame, drawing an arcane symbol on the demon's chest. Usually, banishing a demon back to its domain kept it from returning. A binding mark like this ensured it. I didn't want to take any chances. The demon's roar of rage echoed through the woods, and it turned toward me. I'd anticipated this and had already scrambled away, keeping out of its reach. Really, I'd been lucky the first time it hit me. It had the strength to kill me with one blow. Volusian came forward again to pull the demon's attention back – only, it didn't work. The demon recognized the threat I was and could feel the opening of the gate. Volusian, attacking and attacking, was a nuisance – a painful one – but one the demon could apparently ignore as it came toward me. â€Å"Shit,† I said. I backed farther and farther away, but the demon was quickly closing the distance. Its massive feet could trample the underbrush that slowed me so much. I worked hard to ignore just how dire my situation had become and instead concentrated on the gateway. That door grew more substantial, and soon, its power began calling to its own – sucking the demon back. The creature paused in its attack. The problem was, the gate wanted to pull Volusian too. Orders or not, he moved out of range for self-preservation, which I didn't exactly blame him for. Only, without my minion to beat on the demon, it now had just enough strength to fight the gate and keep coming toward me. It had to know that if it could take me out, the gate would go away too. Suddenly, I heard something approaching us, sticks and leaves crackling under strong feet – or, to be more precise, paws. A red fox – much larger than a normal one – sprang out onto the demon's back, sinking its teeth into the furry brown hide. This brought another shriek from the demon – and gave me a moment's respite. I threw all my power into the gate and jerked the demon toward it. The demon flailed, unable to fight being sent back to its own world. The fox had the sense to get out of the way, its services no longer needed. The demon gave one last mournful cry and then faded from our sight. I stretched the wand toward where the demon had disappeared, sending my energy through the wand's gems to banish the gate as well and reseal this world. Silence followed, except for my own rapid breathing. Slowly, birds began to sing again, and the forest's natural state returned. I leaned against a tall, leafless oak in relief. The banishing hadn't been as easy as I expected, but it certainly could have ended worse – like, with my death. â€Å"We didn't need your help,† I said. â€Å"We were doing just fine.† The fox was no longer there, as I'd already known. It had transformed into a tall, muscled man, with deep, golden-brown skin and black hair that barely touched his shoulders. He was a kitsune, a shape-shifting Japanese fox from the Otherworld. Actually, he was half-kitsune. His mother had been the kitsune; his father a mortal from Arizona. Power-wise, it made little difference. â€Å"Yeah,† said Kiyo, crossing his arms over his chest. He needed no coat and simply wore a burgundy T-shirt. â€Å"You seemed to have it all under control.† â€Å"We were about to,† I retorted. â€Å"Actually, mistress,† said Volusian, deadpan, â€Å"your death was probably imminent.† â€Å"Oh shut up,† I snapped. â€Å"You're dismissed. Go back to the Otherworld.† Volusian vanished. I turned back to Kiyo. â€Å"What are you doing out here anyway?† He shrugged, and I worked hard to ignore the effect his physical appearance always had on me. â€Å"Same thing as you. I'm on Wil's mailing list. When I heard about the Bigfoot sightings †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I sighed and turned back the way we'd come. â€Å"I don't need your help.† â€Å"I wasn't coming to help you.† He caught up with me easily. â€Å"I was coming to kill a demon bear. You just happened to be here first.† Considering the trouble Volusian and I had had, I doubted Kiyo could have taken out the demon through brute force. Kiyo was strong, yeah, but hardly all-powerful. Unfortunately, he was all-bravery. He rushed into impossible situations, ready to defend others – even at cost to himself. He'd always been reckless that way – except for once. And that was the core of our problems. Kiyo and I used to date, wrapped in a deeply romantic and physical relationship. His continual disapproval of my Otherworldly relations had begun to fracture things between us. The final break had occurred after Leith had raped me. Kiyo had come to rescue me but had refused to punish Leith. Kiyo had advised a tamer course of action: letting Otherworldly justice take its course. Dorian, however, had opted for on-the-spot justice: he'd run Leith through with a sword. Kiyo and I had broken up shortly after that. â€Å"You were outclassed,† I told Kiyo. â€Å"There are a billion other creatures running loose right now. If you want to help, go after them.† â€Å"Ah, yes. I forgot,† he said. â€Å"Tucson's former caretaker is too busy playing queen.† I came to a halt and glared. â€Å"I'm not playing at anything! Controlling the Thorn Land wasn't my choice, and you know it.† â€Å"That's true. It was Dorian's choice – one he tricked you into. Yet, somehow that doesn't matter, and now it's okay for you to shack up with him and wage war.† I started moving again, marching through the woods in a haze of anger. When we'd broken up, Kiyo had been sad and withdrawn. Over time, he'd gotten his spunk back and now – whenever we ran into each other – didn't hesitate to express his opinion of Dorian, the war, or anything else Otherworldly I was involved in. â€Å"The war wasn't my choice either,† I said at last, after refusing to respond for several minutes. â€Å"Stopping it wasn't exactly out of your control either.† â€Å"So what are you saying? That I should just stop now and surrender?† â€Å"No.† His calmness was annoying. â€Å"But there must be a peaceful way to end it. To negotiate something.† â€Å"Don't you think we've tried?† I exclaimed. â€Å"How bloodthirsty do you think I am? Every diplomat we send is either given unreasonable demands or met with death threats.† â€Å"I like the use of ‘we.' I wonder how seriously Dorian is taking the peace process.† I could see the parking lot through the trees ahead. Good. I needed to be away from Kiyo. His presence was stifling. It stirred up too many feelings, too many feelings I didn't want to deal with. â€Å"Dorian isn't running this by himself. We're in it together, and we have tried to settle with Katrice.† â€Å"And as that's failed, you're now going to march in with your allies and take her land with overwhelming force, expanding your empire.† We reached the gravel lot, and I turned on Kiyo in full anger, hands on my hips. â€Å"We don't have any allies. And I don't want another kingdom! I sure as hell don't want an empire!† He shrugged. â€Å"Say whatever you want, but everyone knows you're looking for people to join up with you.† â€Å"And Katrice is doing the same,† I said smoothly. â€Å"I hear she's visited the Willow Land quite a bit.† Ah, that broke him. Kiyo's smug, cool faà §ade faltered. â€Å"Nothing's decided,† he said stiffly. â€Å"But your girlfriend's no fan of Dorian and me. She's afraid of us. How long, Kiyo? How long until she – and you – fight against us?† I was gaining ground; he was on the defensive. He and Maiwenn the Willow Queen had once been lovers; they'd even had a daughter together. I'd never believed their â€Å"just friends† claims since our breakup. Kiyo took a step forward, leaning toward me and fixing me with that dark, dark gaze. â€Å"She's not my girlfriend. And we're staying neutral.† I gave a shrug as masterfully casual as the one he'd given me earlier. â€Å"If you say so. And I like your use of ‘we.' Except, you don't really have an equal share in it, do you? You just run along and follow her orders.† â€Å"Damn it, Eugenie!† He clenched his fists. â€Å"Why do you have to be so – â€Å" He couldn't finish, and as we stood there, so close, I became aware once more of his body and the memories of our time together. I remembered what that body could do in bed. I remembered the way we'd laughed, how easily we'd connected. The Otherworld consumed so much of my time lately, but I was still half human. The human part of me called to other humans. And as he looked down at me, the anger softening a little, I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing. If he had any lingering attraction, the animal attributes in him would make this doubly awkward. My physical appearance would trigger sexual attraction that much more quickly. Even my scent could arouse him. He looked away. â€Å"Well. None of that matters. You should go home. You're freezing.† â€Å"I'm fine,† I said automatically, like I wasn't shivering and covered in goose bumps. â€Å"Of course you are.† He glanced back at me, a small, wry smile on his face. â€Å"Be careful, Eugenie.† â€Å"With what exactly?† I asked. â€Å"Everything.† With that, he shape-shifted back into a fox – a smaller, normal one – and scampered off through the trees. Naturally, he was too hard-core to have driven up here. Suddenly feeling drained, I got out Tim's keys and turned toward the car. I'd done what I needed to, that was what counted. I didn't want to think about Kiyo or war or anything like that. I wanted to go home and rest before the next job. A tingling along my spine made me drop the keys as I felt an Otherworldly presence appear behind me. I spun around, pulling my wand back out as I did. There, before me, was a ghost. It was female, looking like she'd died in her midthirties. Her translucent form washed out any color, but her hair was curly and shoulder-length, her clothing casual. Seeing a ghost outdoors was rare; they tended to be attracted to material things. Still, location didn't matter. They were dangerous. I pointed my wand at her, banishing words upon my lips. â€Å"Wait, don't!† she cried, holding up her hands. Pleading ghosts weren't uncommon. â€Å"Sorry. This isn't your world. You need to move on. It's for the best.† â€Å"Please. Not yet. I need to talk to you, Eugenie Markham.† I frowned, wand still poised and ready. â€Å"How do you know my name?† â€Å"Because I've come to ask for your help. I need you to find out who killed me.†

Marketing Strategy for Samsung Essay

A marketing strategy is a company’s hope to achieve strong and profitable customer relationships by targeting certain customers, using a marketing mix, and implementation. In an ideal world, strategies at all levels of the organization should be well spoken and understood. Interpretations of the strategies then result in realistic, well-defined marketing plans and programs which can be created and acted upon. Organizations can have a greater chance of being successful if they develop deep understanding of markets and the customers within those markets. The marketing strategy is a dynamic document which focuses on bringing plans to life. It is a road map for carrying out marketing activities and implementing marketing plans. Every marketing strategy should be measured by its ability to directly impact and improve upon each factor that the strategy contains. With â€Å"selling† as the vital goal, marketing strategies are influenced by two core factors: first, getting hold of of customers; second, maintenance of the obtained customers. So every other strategy that is laid out will focus on the above two. A Company has to work closely towards achieving these two to attain the desired cutting edge over its competitors. There are also a few other objectives like creating awareness (informational and educational) about the product, brand-building and accelerating sales. Traditional Marketing: With the world changing at every second, marketing is also taking a rapid change. New methods of marketing like e-marketing and online marketing have been growing. Yet traditional marketing still holds influence with many corporate companies. One of the main implications of traditional marketing is the infamous model of the four P’s, formulated by Jerome McCarthy. The ‘Four Ps’ or the ‘marketing mix’ is an essential with every marketer. The ‘Four Ps’ refers to the four factors that a marketer has to think about before introducing a product or offering a service. The marketing mix comprises of Product, Price, Promotion and Placement. In McCarthy’s opinion, the first and foremost comes the Product-its production and management; second, the process of determining and affordable price; third, the promotion of the product which involves advertising, branding etc and  finally fourth, the placement or distribution of the product, its retailing and the process by which it reaches the consumer. All these four essentials have to be decided, determined and well planned before pursuing any product launch. The company that will be looked at is Samsung Electronics. The debate whether the traditional method of developing marketing strategies are still used and maintained will be looked at. Firstly an overview on the Samsung mobile phone market and how it relates to marketing strategies will be looked at. Ansoff Growth Matrix which suggests that there are four main ways in which growth can be achieved through a product strategy:(1) Market penetration – Increase sales of an existing product in an existing market(2) Product development – Improve present products and/or develop new products for the current market(3) Market development – Sell existing products into new markets (e.g. developing export sales)(4) Diversification – Develop new products for new marketsOne thing should be pointed out is how a product appears in relation to other products in the market, or how importance the brand of a product is. Brand is a mixture of tangible and intangible attributes symbolized in a trademark, which, if properly managed, permits a business to differentiate its products and services from those of its competitors, add extra value for consumers who value the brand and improve profitability. As previously mentioned, the global handset market has experienced rapid growth over the past few years. Undeniably this is a tremendous growth, and this growth has created a fierce competition among handset manufacturers. The next parts of this analysis describe how Samsung’s marketing strategy drive the company’s actions in response to such competition to be recognized as one of the leading global player in the handset industry. Samsung began sponsoring the Olympics with the 1998 winter games in Nagano. It has signed a contract with the International Olympic Committee to continue through the Beijing games in 2008, and will likely continue afterwards. The marketing strategy using this Olympic sponsorship plays a  very vital role in raising our brand awareness throughout the world. Samsung over the years had vastly increased the sales of their mobile phone handsets online. The World Wide Web is a rapidly growing industry and is an alternative way to traditional marketing strategy according to various people. Internet marketing has not completely taken over the concept of Marketing, but has incorporated it and expanded the opportunities available to marketers. Internet Marketing still uses the traditional concepts of the marketing mix (4 P’s), but the logic of them has changed. Consider ‘Promotion’, with traditional marketing businesses used a one too many process, by using mass media to transmit their advertisement to their customers. This involved no interaction with the customer. Internet Marketing changes this by using a many to many communication process, enabling customers to interact with the medium, with each other and also provide content to the medium. Thus, marketers must reconstruct advertising models for the interactive, many to many medium underlying the web. This is perhaps one of the major changes from the traditional methods of marketing. One of the most obvious advantages that Internet marketing provides is the removal of barriers in regards to location. Samsung can now reach a much wider audience; customers that were considered unreachable can now be targeted with new products (Diversification). Also Samsung do not need operate from a physical location (shop front) any more, they are able to provide all the information that a customer needs on their web site e.g. using catalogues, pictures, video clips etc. This has an effect on the ‘Price’ of their products and services as overheads may be reduced (such as rent). A disadvantage of this is that Samsung must be aware of what customers want, as the marketplace is now much wider. This is where effective marketing strategies have to be developed. In the twentieth century we have gone from a situation of scarcity of product to today having an abundance of choice. With many choices available to buyers, having a competitive advantage is vital to the company that wants to thrive. Knowing the competition is one part of understanding competitive advantage and this relies on information. Consider the corner grocery store; they need only to approximate what their customers really want because the convenience factor brings in their business. But when Samsung eliminate this advantage, as customers can use the WWW to go anywhere to get what they want, Samsung need to know exactly what they are looking for. Samsung also need to ensure that your website has good design and is able to firstly attract customers to your site and also to encourage them to revisit. Samsung have many versions of their website in dozens of languages dedicated to customers from countries all over the world. The websites gives us product and service information on all their products and on some versions of the websites gives people the option to buy online directly through them. Samsung says the lower fourth-quarter sales were part of a strategy to grab share in the first quarter, a ploy that’s worked the last two years. A spokesman for the company told The Wall Street Journal that Samsung believes holiday shoppers are extremely price-sensitive, and won’t be attracted to its pricey models. So it clears out existing inventory in the fourth quarter, and then boosts shipments in the first so as to maintain a high average selling price. Samsung says it can avoid having to slash first-quarter prices on unsold inventory this way — even though its margins were squeezed in the fourth quarter by price cuts to follow those enacted by Nokia. However, there are still criticisms of the traditional tools and approaches used in marketing strategy by. A main criticism argued by Fodness â€Å"†¦marketing strategy is all-to-frequently stereotyped as the outcome of mechanical application of traditional analytic frameworks and techniques (SWOT, Ansoff Diagram, portfolio models, etc.). problems arise when data so easily generated by these formulaic efforts are misinterpreted as simple answers to complex questions.† Comment Fodness also suggests that â€Å"†¦the exploration of strategy from new directions is now coming together in the concept of what is being called strategic thinking. (Fodness 2005) Strategic thinking is the way in which people in an organization think about, assess, view, and create the future for themselves and their associates. It is more  than responding to day-to-day as well as long-term problems, opportunities, and new realities; it is creating tomorrow. It is not reactive, but proactive. Strategic thinking focuses on how to create a better future by being proactive and adding value to society. This is more than just looking at traditional techniques such as Swot and Ansoff etc in the sense that businesses need to be more proactive (they should start changes if necessary rather than react to events). Strategic thinking focuses on finding and developing unique opportunities to create value by enabling a provocative and creative dialogue among people who can affect a company’s direction. It is the input to strategic planning-good strategic thinking uncovers potential opportunities for creating value and challenges assumptions about a company’s value proposition, so that when the plan is created, it targets these opportunities. Strategic thinking is a way of understanding the basic drivers of a business and thoroughly (and playfully) challenging predictable thinking about them, in conversation with others. Strategic thinking must take into account:Competencies and Skills: Samsung’s main strength is innovation. This can create a competitive advantage as they can offer next generation product. Samsung have a lesser reputation than Sony for reliability and quality, this can alter customer perception, however this perception can be change over time. As important as the content of strategic thinking is the process by which it takesplace. Processes are needed to ensure that strategies are: †¢Aligned: Samsungs strategies must fit with its mission, vision, competitive situation and operating strengths. †¢Goal-oriented: Strategies are the means by which a company sets out to achieve its goals. Effective strategies, then, set clear expected outcomes and make explicit links between these outcomes and the company’s goals. †¢Fact-based: The best strategies are based on and supported by real data. While strategic thinking by its very nature requires assumptions about the future, these assumptions must be educated guesses, based on facts-for example, actual performance data or results of some kind of pilot test or experiment. †¢The logic behind the strategy must be clear. Effective strategies tell believable stories. †¢Based on Broad Thinking: Companies that are strategically nimble are able to consider multiple alternatives at once and to consider a range of scenarios in making strategic choices. †¢Focused: No company can do everything or be all things to all people. Strategy setting involves making choices about what a company will do and-as important-what it will not do. Strategies provide clear guidance about how a company’s activities will be prioritized, and how its limited resources will be deployed. †¢Agreed upon: Especially in large, complex organizations, successful strategies must gain the support of multiple stakeholders. This often requires a process of developing strategies that is interactive in gathering multiple points of view and in sharing the thinking behind the strategy as it evolves. †¢Engaging: Strategies that will need to mobilize broad resources must be easily articulated so that they can capture the attention of the people who will be asked to carry them out. †¢Adaptable: Strategies need to be able to be adjusted to build on learning from experimentation, errors and new information. At the same time, there needs to be some thoughtfulness in these adjustments so that they are responsive without being overly reactive. †¢Implementable: Because effective strategies draw on the particular strengths  and skills of an organization, they include explicit considerations of how they will be implemented. Implementable strategies provide clear guidance for decision making in order to shape behaviour throughout the company. Today’s electronics marketplace is changing at a rapid pace with new technologies, economy change, and increased competition. To face these challenges, companies rely on top management to plan and formulate methods to overcome these obstacles. The primary task of top management is implementing a strategic plan. Strategic planning is the process of identifying the business of the firm today and the business it wants for the future, and the course of action or strategy it will pursue. To be effective and successful, managers must possess skills in strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is a process in which a manager can make the business vision a reality. This is accomplished by developing abilities in teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking. Strategic thinking should also be a tool to help confront change, plan for and make transitions, and envision new possibilities and opportunities. Strategic thinking should be implemented in marketing strategies adopted by corporate firms. This is because organisations in the 21st century are more like â€Å"organisms† than â€Å"machines†. Strategic thinking is not a straight forward technique like a SWOT analysis but a more in depth approach and more interactive with the workforce. It may positively affect the marketing plan they may adopt for future products. Before drawing up any marketing plan, certain things have to be clear:McDonald (1989) stated that there are ten barriers to Marketing planning these barriers were identified by McDonald, M. they are as follows:1.Confusion between marketing strategy and tactics. 2.Isolation of marketing function from business operations. 3.Confusion between marketing function and marketing concept. 4.Prevailing organisational structures along functional lines. 5.Lack of skills in in-depth analysis. 6.Confusion between process and output. 7.Lack of core marketing management knowledge and skills. 8.Lack of a disciplined, systematic approach to marketing planning. 9.Need to prioritise objectives. 10.Need for a more appropriate marketing culture.’With the right marketing team that involves key marketing analysts, Samsung should be able to overcome these barriers. However, it is easy to have some kind of conflict in their marketing plan e.g. parts in the plan which are deemed to be part of the strategy may not be a strategy but a tactic. These little hiccups can affect the marketing performance of Samsung. As the Samsung top management develops a strategic plan for their organization, there are five different factors that must be focused on. These five factors will help define the ideal outcome. In addition, it will help set up and develop the steps necessary to make the business vision a reality. The first factor that top management must consider is Samsung Electronics itself. The organization of the business involves the delegates, the organizational structure of the business, and the resources necessary to make it all work. For Samsung to have top management they will have to establish what the organization will look like and decide what type of structure will support the business vision. Any top management must also combine people, resources, and structure together to achieve an ideal outcome. Observation is the second factor. When looking down at the world from an airplane, a person can see much more than when on the ground. By increasing observation skills, top management will become more aware of what motivates people, solve problems more effectively, and be able to distinguish between alternatives. The third factor is views. Views are simply different ways of thinking about  something. Views can be used as tools to help think about outcomes, identify important elements, and amend actions to achieve the best position. The fourth factor is driving forces. What are the driving forces for Samsung that will make the wanted outcome a reality? Driving forces usually place the foundation for what top management wants people to focus on in business. Examples of driving forces might include commitment, action, effectiveness, productivity, and value. Other driving forces might include: individual and organizational motivation, empowerment and promotion Factors such as a clear vision, values, and goals, productive factors like a mission or function, and quantitative factors such as results or experience may also be driving forces. After working through the first four phases of the strategic thinking process, top management should be able to define their ideal position. The ideal position outline should include:The conditions that have been found to be necessary if Samsung is to be productiveThe niche in the marketplace that Samsung will fillAny opportunities that may exist either currently or in the future for SamsungThe core competencies or skills required in SamsungThe strategies and tactics that will be used to pull it all together. By working through these five areas, the Samsung management team will get a clearer picture of exactly how the company vision can be accomplished. As the vision becomes more focused, ideas will appear stronger and more convincing. Not only will it be easier for management to convince others that the idea is a good one, but it will also be easier to maintain their certainty and motivation when reaching upon any drawbacks or obstacles in their path. Overall, anybody can apply strategic thinking skills to any area of his/her life. But by making a concentrated effort to apply them specifically to the business project, Samsung Electronics will have a much better chance of facing challenges in the marketplace if they adopted strategic thinking. Michael Porter who came up with the Five Forces has proposed three common strategies that provide a good starting point for strategic thinking for  Samsung and any other firm: overall cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. Overall cost leadership – Samsung works hard to achieve the lowest production, administration and distribution costs so that it can price lower than its competitors and win a large market share. Differentiation – Samsung may concentrate on achieving superior performance in an important customer benefit area valued by a large part of the market. The firm cultivates those strengths that will contribute to the intended differentiation. Therefore, the firm seeking quality leadership. Focus – Samsung focuses on one or more market segments. The firm gets to know these segments intimately and pursues either cost leadership or differentiation within the target segment. According to Porter (1986), â€Å"Competitive advantage is a function of either providing comparable buyer value more efficiently than competitors (low cost), or performing activities at comparable cost but in unique ways that create more buyer value than competitors and, hence, command a premium price.† These factors can be adopted by companies such as Samsung Electronics. They can use tactics and marketing measures to gain a competitive advantage and added-value over Sony and other major rivals. It is a reality in business today that strategic thinking is one of the most difficult tasks for business leaders. Although it is easier to be tactical or task oriented, the business leader must be strategic or risk becoming very short-sighted. Therefore a clear understanding of the value and the benefits of strategic thinking are very important. Here is a list of thoughts on the value of strategic thinking for Samsung:1. staying at the front or leading edge of change and innovation2. Optimizing the ability to shape and leverage change to the company’s advantage, electronics are changing everyday3. eliminating anxiety4. Creating a sense of cohesion and unity for the company staff5. Providing proactive  leadership7. Thinking systemically with a whole systems approach8. Becoming a life-long learning organization9. Providing an effective system to solve major problems and setbacks10. Improving and understanding of the business environmentAnd now a list of my thoughts on the benefits of strategic thinking. 1. improved guidance on actions to achieve the company vision and mission2. an early detection system to warn of changes3. creation of a proactive leadership culture4. identification of competitors and opponents5. identification of business allies6. long term survival of the business7. elimination of reactive decision-making8. a competitive advantage9. agility and capacity to respond positivelyFrom looking at traditional marketing strategy techniques used by Samsung and other firms, we can see how certain tools can help the scope of a business strategy. We have also learnt that new marketing strategies are shaping up firms more over the past years, though traditional marketing (e.g., 4 P’s and SWOT) are still at the forefront of every marketing strategy. We have learnt that there is more to marketing strategy than simply systematic tools and techniques. Strategic thinking, which has been discussed by theorists and professionals such as Michael Porter, plays a new vital role in marketing and strategy development. We have learnt that Strategic thinking looks at different areas of in detail that helps us develop new ways of achieving a competitive advantage. A certain amount of the analysis involved in strategic thinking may be qualitative, which also may be time consuming and expensive. We can see that the point that Fodness made in 2005 about tools in marketing strategy being stereotyped as simple answers to complex questions as mechanical application. New directions of exploring strategy are coming together to form the concept of strategic thinking. We have learnt from Fodness and Porter that strategic thinking can boost and assist existing marketing strategy tools which can answer complex questions. We have learnt that not all methods and techniques in marketing strategy are straightforward and are simply mechanical applications. There are several ways for Samsung to adopt new and existing marketing  strategies and to implement them. The main point is that strategic thinking could benefit Samsung and help them improve their performance in mobile phone market. Strategic thinking could strip off the firm’s ideologies that falsely stereotypes marketing strategies. And seek new ways of gaining a competitive advantage, being innovative and always being in touch with consumer’s tastes, needs and changing trends. References: http://www.interbrand.com (accessed on 12/12/2008)http://www.businessweek.com (accessed on 12/12/2008)http://www.Mobile-review.com (accessed on 12/12/2008)http://www.samsunggroup.com (accessed on 12/12/2008)http://www.quickmba.com/MarketingStrat.shtml (accessed on 28/12/2008)http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/strategy_marketing.htm (accessed on 28/12/2008)http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ourbusinesses/researchdevelopment.html (accessed on 28/12/2008)http://www.samsung.com/za/aboutsamsung/companyprofile/researchanddevelopment/CompanyProfile_Overview.html (accessed on 28/12/2008)http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1648156/Michael-Porter-What-is-Strategy.html (accessed on 28/12/2008)Grant, R.M. (2005), â€Å"Contemporary Strategy Analysis†, Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford (U.K.)Hunger, J. David & Wheelen, Thomas L. (2003) â€Å"Essentials of Strategic Management†. Pearson Education Inc, New Jersey:De Mooij, M. (1998), Global Marketing and Advertising: Underst anding Cultural Paradoxes, Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA. Ansoff (1995), Advertising Management (5th ed.), Prentice Hall, NJ: Upper Saddle River. Kotler, P. Adam, S. Brown, L. Armstrong, G. 2001, Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall, NSWMcCarthy, E.J., Perreault, W.D., Quester, P.G., Wilkinson, J.W., Lee, K.Y., 1994, Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach, Irwin, AustraliaPorter, M. E. â€Å"The State of Strategic Thinking.† The Economist (May 23, 1987).

Does Punishment deter Crime Essays

Does Punishment deter Crime Essays Does Punishment deter Crime Paper Does Punishment deter Crime Paper Essay Topic: In Cold Blood Punishment has been set in place by society as a safety net. This is does not mean it prevents crime, in fact in some instances it may lead to the fabricating of more crime. By trying to punish iniquities done by others, one commits other severities. Punishment does not deter crime and can even turn others to breaking the law. One of the reasons society relies so heavily on punishments is because there is a common fallacy in place involving the benefits of having punishments set. Punishment doesnt stop crime before it happens, it doesnt discourage all from reeking laws. For example, a Missouri man named Jeff Mezzanines was sentenced to die in prison for purchasing seven pounds of marijuana. With two nonviolent marijuana convictions already on his record, Jeff received life without parole under Missouri three strikes law. Punishment did not prevent this man from committing the same crime three times in a row; therefore, the belief that punishment deters crime is invalid. Source 6 agrees with the claim that even though there is a set consequence for crime, people still violate the law. There has been crime In the past even when there was severe punishment in place. Thus this exemplifies the fact that punishment does not deter crime. Perhaps punishing crime Is not the solution. For Instance, say someone Is so ridiculed because of their punishment, their reputation is damaged. This is embodied by source 5 In which there Is an Image of a boy wearing a sign In public stating I am a thief. Say this teen was to try and apply for a Job, but because of a mistake he made and a punishment he went through In because of It, he was denied a Job. Then what? What else would this boy be able to turn to but a life of crime? Again punishment Is shown as non-deterring towards criminal actions. Sometimes we are so determined to save others we get caught up, almost entangled In a web of hypocrisy. While trying to stop crime from occurring, society can sometimes stoop to low levels to set examples for those pondering a life of. Some punishments will violate a criminals right, as a human, and a citizen of a country. In societys effort to prevent crime through punishment there are so many Injustices going on. Punishments can be so cruel, they may end up violating ones constitutional sights, and this Is a crime In Itself. For Instance the long debated theme of capital punishment ties Into this theory because here, we have society killing someone In cold blood. The Irony In this Is that now society has lowered Itself to a level In which they contribute to criminality. By punishing those who have had the misfortune of breaking the law, one can commit what they are so keen on preventing: a crime. Source 7 backs up this view by clung examples of when this has actually occurred. Therefore, punishment Is actually not deterring crime, and In this case Is even reading new crime. Although punishment does not deter crime, It may still be necessary as a consequence for those who have broken the law. Other methods may be Instituted In preventing crime over punishment, since punishment Is not effective In stopping crimes. Does Punishment deter Crime By sashays consequence for crime, people still violate the law. There has been crime in the past Perhaps punishing crime is not the solution. For instance, say someone is so embodied by source 5 in which there is an image of a boy wearing a sign in public stating l am a thief. Say this teen was to try and apply for a Job, but because of a mistake he made and a punishment he went through in because of it, he was denied Again punishment is shown as non-deterring towards criminal actions. Entangled in a web of hypocrisy. While trying to stop crime from occurring, society societys effort to prevent crime through punishment there are so many injustices rights, and this is a crime in itself. For instance the long debated theme of capital punishment ties into this theory because here, we have society killing someone in cold blood. The irony in this is that now society has lowered itself to a level in which they contribute to criminality. By punishing those who have had the misfortune of Source 7 backs up this view by citing examples of when this has actually occurred. Therefore, punishment is actually not deterring crime, and in this case is even Although punishment does not deter crime, it may still be necessary as a consequence for those who have broken the law. Other methods may be instituted in preventing crime over punishment, since punishment is not effective in stopping

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The Assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi essays Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. posed challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s through non- violent and peaceful moves and put across his message to the white Americans to help support the cause of the civil rights. After his assassination in 1968 at the prime time of his civil rights movement, King became a symbol of protest in the blacks' struggle for Early Life King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. His father served as pastor of a large Atlanta church, Ebenezer Baptist. King Jr. was ordained as a Baptist minister at the age of 18. (Badger) King attended local segregated public schools and graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from Morehouse College in 1948. He graduated with honors from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania in 1951. He earned a doctoral degree in systematic theology from Boston University. King was exposed to influences that related Christian theology to the struggles of oppressed peoples throughout his academic career. He also studied the teachings on non-violent movement of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi. Benjamin E. Mays, a leader in the national community of racially liberal clergymen, played a key role in shaping King's theological In 1954 King accepted his first pastorate at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Civil Rights Movement King became one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 and also became its President. SCLC was an organization of black churches and ministers that opposed racial segregation. The SCLC supported the NAACP's legal efforts to put an end to segregation through the courts with nonviolent direct action to protest racial discrimination. These activities included marches, demonstrations, and boycotts. The direct ...

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New Year's Greetings in German, Region by Region When you want to say Happy New Year to someone in German, you will most often use the phrase  Frohes neues Jahr.  Yet, when youre in different regions of Germany or other German-speaking countries, you may hear different ways to wish someone well in the new year.   Augsburg University in Bavaria conducted a study to find out which New Years greetings dominated certain regions in Germany. The results are quite interesting, with some areas of Germany sticking with tradition, while others offer variations of the greeting. "Frohes Neues Jahr" The German expression,  Frohes neues Jahr  literally translates to Happy New Year. It is widely used in German-speaking countries, particularly in the northern and western states of Germany. This phrase is most common in northern Hesse (the home of Frankfurt), Lower Saxony (including the cities of Hanover and Bremen),  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (the coastal state along the Baltic Sea), and  Schleswig-Holstein (the state that borders Denmark). As often happens, some Germans prefer a shorter version and will simply use  Frohes neues. This is especially true in many areas of Hesse and in the wine country of Mittelrhein. "Prosit Neujahr" It is becoming increasingly more common for many German speakers to use  Prosit Neujahr  instead of the traditional Happy New Year. In German,  prosit  means cheers and  neujahr  is a compound word for new year. This phrase is scattered regionally and is often used in the area around the northern city of Hamburg and northwestern Lower Saxony. You will also likely hear it in many parts of western Germany, particularly around the city of Mannheim. There is also a smattering of its usage in the southeastern region of Germany in the state of Bayern. This may be due, in part, to an influence from eastern Austria and Vienna, where  Prosit Neujahr  is also a popular greeting. "Gesundes Neues Jahr" The German phrase  Gesundes  neues  Jahr  translates to Healthy New Year. You will hear this greeting most often when traveling through eastern regions of Germany, including the cities of Dresden and Nuremberg as well as the Franconia region in the south-central part of Germany. It may also be shortened to  Gesundes neues. "Gutes Neues Jahr" Meaning Good New Year, the German phrase  Gutes neues Jahr  is also popular. This version is most often used in the country of Austria. In Switzerland and the German state of  Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg in the southwest corner of the country, you may hear this phrase shortened to Gutes neues. Its also possible that youll hear this saying in the state of Bavaria, which includes Munich and Nuremberg. Yet, its most often concentrated to the south, closer to the Austrian border. Standard New Year's Greeting If you are unsure of which greeting to use or find yourself in an area of Germany not described previously, you can use a few standard New Years greetings that are widely accepted. They are: Alles Gute  zum  neuen  Jahr! Best wishes for the new year!Einen  guten  Rutsch ins  neue  Jahr! A good start in the new year!Ein glà ¼ckliches  neues  Jahr! Happy New Year!Glà ¼ck und Erfolg  im  neuen  Jahr! Good fortune and success in the new year!Zum neuen Jahr Gesundheit, Glà ¼ck und viel Erfolg! Health, happiness, and much success in the new year! Use one of these phrases, and you cant go wrong, regardless of where you find yourself throughout Germany or German-speaking counties.