论文范例 (Sample Essays)

The most influential leaders in the history posses some characteristics of qualities. However, different leaders can have distinct characteristics. Some are born leaders and others become leader. Hence, the qualities or attributes of an effective leader is something that have been researched again and again by scholars and researchers. However, certain qualities are vital for every leader to be successful. For instance, effective communication skill is one such quality that every leader should possess. Similarly, a leader is not complete without a team. Hence, team development is another important attribute of a leader. Then, a leader must also posses the capability to change organizational climate and make it favorable. Therefore, given assessment is intended to focus on the importance of these attributes for a leader. For analysis, a great Indian visionary leader Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was selected.

This report is written in the view of two causes of the recent emission scandal by the Volkswagen group . The first problem the report looks at is the lack of diversity in the operation of the company (Bryant, 2015), while the second has to do with the unfavourable business climate that inhibited business in the firm (Cremer & Bergin, 2015; Schafer, 2015). This is attributed to a lack of  in-depth leadership skills as well as unrealistic goal setting activities in management.

The researcher goes ahead to recommend a number of methods that management can use to turn around the situation which includes an increase in the diversity awareness in the firm by the use of a more dynamic communication system. This according to the researcher can also be reinforced with the use of an extended scope and time frame in a monitoring program. In addition, the training on influencing styles and feedback platform would be necessary for the    firm amongst the employees (Kumra and Manfredi, 2012).

Some management researchers have claimed that German managers are yet to synchronise with the global leadership styles, where they are viewed as being highly demanding and lacking in tolerance and inspiration (Richardson   et al., 2014).  Researchers claim that Germans are characterised by low humane levels and relatively high levels of task-orientation (Richardson  et al., 2014).   Backed up by a masculinity mentality in the German culture, this translates to high levels of assertiveness, toughness and competitiveness at the workplace (Deresky, 2014).  With Volkswagen group location being in Germany, it could be argued that among these characteristics could be existing in the company’s management. It would be vital for the company to rethink its management styles and align them with the global fast-evolving management styles that consider a leadership characteristic.

The relationships between customers and companies have changed over the last century as consumers have gained balance power overtime. There are thousands of similar products in the market and customers have the power to purchase their preferred ones. While how to stand out from the massive competition is a question by all companies, branding has become a common way to differentiate products and services and hence sell more than competitors (Hammond, 2011). In the current dynamic market, every company is in a battle to create the best brand in its industry, not only to gain a market-share but also to dominate the market.

For a new company to have some advantages and opportunities working in its favour, a lot of work is required to pick out these characteristics in a market flooded by either competitors offering the exact same goods as the new firm or those offering substitute goods to the same market (Mukherjee, 2014). The opportunities available for any start-up business looking to brand may include;

Early brand management. (McDonald, 2012) notes that knowing the kind of services and products a new business targets to bring to the market, a start-up business has ample time to analyse what already exists in the market and plan accordingly. Having an opportunity to look around enables a business come up with a better brand and better strategies than all that exist while at the same time fitting in some already existing market niches. It gives way to analyse existing brands and know what works and what doesn’t in a certain environment (Mukherjee, 2014).

The automobile industry, as one of the present industry in the worldwide community today, has changed the way people lived and brought a significant economic contribution to many nations. Ever since the creation of first modern car by Benz and Daimler in the late 18 th century, the industry has grown into a billion pounds industry affecting so many aspects of life around the world. In the UK, the motor vehicles industry contributed 12 billion p ounds to the UK economy in 2014. The industry contributed 8 percent of the total manufacturing output in the year and employed 1.5 million people. 1.6 million Automobiles were produced and 78 percent of them exported during the operations year 2014 (Rhodes &Sear, 2015).  The chart below indicates that there was a significant fall in output in the industry during the economic recession of 2008 and 2009 experienced after the world global crisis. The following years, however, saw a steady recovery in the industry that only stagnated in 2011 before regaining the growing momentum. In 2014, the output reached the highest level than in any other year since 2006. Currently, the future of the UK automobile industry indicates tremendous growing potential. This report looks at the structure of the UK automotive industry; both micro and macro environmental structural analysis and the future of the industry.

In the face of changing micro and macro environment factors, most manufacturers in the industry are likely to be affected in a variety of ways. The macro environment is likely to negatively affect manufacturers in various ways as follows; if the political status of the country would change in terms of new policies and rules influencing how the businesses run, businesses would have to re-align their positions and adjust to the market. The economic status in the UK has significantly grown over the years. In the case that manufacturer costs are high and the cost of living relatively low, manufacturers are likely to make low returns on their products as a result. The UK economy is made up of a large population that aims at acquiring prestigious products for their consumption. The motor industry is a good indicator of this. Consumption is characterised by high-cost goods and products. In addition, there are new motor technologies emerging in the market such as solar and electric cars which require manufacturers to renovate their productions.

NHS is the national health board of the United Kingdom, tasked to work with private, public and other sectors for the purposes of improving general health which includes helping reduce health inequalities. In the past, the health sector in the region has recorded significant improvement in factors such as quality health care while on the other hand, health inequalities have been observed to have been on a steady rise (House of Commons, 2008). Seeing that healthcare is among the basic human needs in the current society, this problem contributes to the deterioration of the general social welfare of the people in the region. While inequality is manageable, it is sad that it continues to contribute to loss of lives in the sector (Ham, 2014). This paper will therefore highlight some factors that NHS would consider addressing in bringing down the levels of health inequalities in the region.

NHS can start initiate such programs through intensive campaigns that request for public assistance in the processes of eliminating inequality (Dorlin, 1999). Inequality is often equated to human rights violations. This statement or knowledge can have replicating effects to other stakeholders in the healthcare systems whether in the private, public or other related sectors. Health campaigns is one of the best available method through which NHS can learn to acquire support in initiating progressive health programs intended to eliminate inequality in the sector (Raphael, 2012). Moreover, the popular culture of social media has made it possible and easier for many organizations to relay messages to larger populations than before. This system of campaigning is effective and cheaper for NHS to publish and distribute information to the public.

Albania, a country in the Southeastern Europe has had major migration waves dating as far back as the 15th Century. History records three major waves of these migrations; the 15th century (1468 -1506) following the Ottoman conquer of Albania and the death of national hero, Skanderbeg. The second wave occurred in the mid 19th century while the latest was in the 1990 -2001 after a series of events surrounding the country’s administration mainly triggered by the Fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989-91. As at 2010, Greece held the highest number of Albanian immigrants at approximately 600,000, Italy at around 500,000 and an additional 150,000 spread across Europe and USA.  For the purpose of this paper, we look at the mass exodus in the last wave for analysis.

Initially, in 1990, the first migrants into Italy from Albania were taken as refugees. For the consequent two mass migrants, the Italian government did not offer the same refugee status. This was also similar in Greek were the first migrants in 1990-1991 were treated as political asylum seekers and subsequent arrivals were denied leading to massive yearly deportations of the Albanians. The two governments turned their former welcome into rejection (Barjaba, 2004).

Similarly, the media fraternity setup emigrants as the cause of social evils such as crimes and prostitution among others, while the political positions between both Greece and Italy changed towards Albania. For instance, a research by Russell King and Nicola Mai indicated that the Italy media had presented Albanians as undesirable criminals who engaged in human trafficking, violence, drugs and prostitution while the Greece media is quoted to have recorded Albanians as ‘Criminals, the basic cause of poverty and backwardness and the enemy within’. The stereotypes went a long way in establishing bad blood between the two administrations with the Albanian administration and hostile measures by the Greece government towards Albanians (Kosta & Joniada, 2015).

Diversification has been used as a tool for risk reduction and revenue watch for sometime in the finance sector of firms. Though theories of diversification are mainly focused on watching the risk and revenue components, diversification has been known to affect the general performance of an organization (Heikkilä et al, 2012). This could be derived from the general assumption that as risk levels fall, revenue increases and as a result, profitability also increases. Though this could be true, this is not always the case. There are two main forms of diversification; related and unrelated. Performance of a firm cannot be improved by merely diversifying. It is influenced by a number of other market components such as the motive behind the diversification and the status of the industry in which an organization choose to diversify into, the cost of the procedure among others.

The strategic management theory defines ‘strategic management’ in an organizational set up as a continuous process that involves laying out organizational goals and objectives, studying the internal business and competitive business environment, assessing business strategies while at the same time implementing them in the firm in line with the pre-defined organizational goals and objectives (Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2014).

The 3-horizon framework plots out the value of organizational strategies against time. The strategies of a business extend from the current strategies (operators) that are under the first horizon, the possible current strategies (business builders) that are under the second horizon and the visionaries that are a viable alternative for the organization in the future and under horizon three. This structure enables management to figure out each set of strategies in terms of value for the relevant period (current, possible currents and future). By so doing, it becomes important to analyse each set of strategies with a focus on the organizational future.

Organizational culture is a rock on which a business’s survival is founded. It allows the business access to not only a market but also a valuable asset of talent and skills; employees (Williams & Glisson, 2014). While organizational culture is mainly reflective to the outside, the internal leadership of a firm determines its nature and implements it through business operations. The current global banking sector is significantly made of many reputable firms with varying origins such that various cultures found in the sector are basically from different geographic regions. For instance, among the multinational banks in the market today include Barclays bank and HSBC both of the United Kingdom origin, JP Morgan Chase & Co. Bank of an American origin and ICBC of the Chinese origin among others. Competition of multinational banks in the market is in a big way driven by their cultures which mould a public image of the firms attracting both a market share and a quality employee base (O’Reilly, 1991).  On the global platform, multinational banks are affected by a variety of cultures from different regions of operations and hence have to come up with an appropriate organizational culture (Ch et al, 2013); (John, 2011).

Tesco Business Strategic Report 第一部分 Executive Summary This report provides an insight of Tesco, which is a supermarket company, with a keen emphasis on its internal and external environment analysis so as to develop a competitive business strategy. Tesco markets a wide range of food products, more than 40,000 food products to be specific, and has also introduced various non-food product lines, including clothing (Boyle 2007, p. 29). In a rapidly changing market environment that is intensely competitive, Tesco has to adopt market expansion strategy so as to spread its risks, as well as the product development strategy in an attempt to enhance better customer satisfaction. Into the bargain, the company should consistently adapt to faster-changing circumstances.  For that reason, the strategy underlined in this report should be subject to adjustment within the implementation process so as to align it to the changing facets of the market environment.   Content 1.0  Strategic Analysis……………………………………………..……………………………5 1.1 Company Profile and Market Share……………………….………….………………..5 1.2 Organizational Purpose……………………………………….……….……………….5 1.2.1 Mission statement…………………………………………….………………….5 1.2.2 Vision statement………………………………………………….…….……..…6 1.3 Financial analysis……………………………………………….…………….……….6 1.4 Financial ratios…………………………………………………………….…………..7 2.0 Ansoff Matrix…………………………………………………………………….………..8 2.1 Market penetration……………………………………………………………………8 2.2 New products and services……………………………………………………………8 2.3 Market development………………………………………………………….……….9 2.4 Diversification…………………………………………………………………………9 3.0 BCG Matrix……………………………………………………………….……………….9 3.1 Star…………………………………………………………………………….……..10 3.2 Question mark………………………………………………………………….…….10 3.3 Cash cow…………………………………………………………………….……….10 3.4 Dogs…………………………………………………………………………..………11 4.0 Global Environmental Analysis………………………………….………………..….……11 4.1 PESTEL Analysis…………………………………………………………..………..11 4.1.1 Political factors……………………………………………………..………….11 4.1.2 Economic factors…………………………………………………….….……..12 4.1.3 Socio-cultural factors………………………………………………….….……12 4.1.4 Technological aspects………………………………………………….………13 4.1.5 Environmental factors…………………………………………………….……13 4.1.6 Legislative factors…………………………………………………….………..14 5.0 Internal Environment……………………………………………………………………..14 5.1 SWOT Analysis………………………………………………………………………14 5.1.1 Opportunities………………………………………………………..….………14 5.1.2 Threats……………………………………………………………….………….15 5.1.3 Strengths……………………………………………………………….…….…15 5.1.4 Weaknesses………………………………………………………….………….16 6.0 Industry Attractiveness………………………………………………………….………..16 6.1 The new entrants’ threats………………………………………………….………….16 6.2 Suppliers’ bargaining power………………………………………………………….17 6.3 Customers’ bargaining power…………………………………………….…………..17 6.4 Threats of substitutes…………………………………………………………………18 6.5 Competitor’s bargaining power………………………………………………………18 7.0 Competitive Advantage and Resource Capabilities……………………….….…………..19 8.0 VRIN Framework…………………………………………………………..……………..19 9.0 Value Chain Analysis – Internal resource capabilities…………………….….…………..20 10.0 Basis of Competition……………………………………………………….……………20 11.0 Critical success factors……………………………………………………..……………21 12.0 Tesco’s Strategy evolution………………………………………………….….………..22 12.1 Generic Strategies……………………………………………… .……………….22 12.2 Global Market Expansion………………………………………….…………….22 12.3 Product Development and Diversification…………………………..……………23 13.0Implementation……………………………………………………………..…………23 13.1 Timeline……………………………………………………………………..………23 13.2 Issues………………………………………………………………………….…….23 13.3 Performance indicators……………………………………………………………..24 14.0 Conclusion……………………………………………………..…………….………….24 15.0 References…………………………………………………………………….…………25 16.0 Appendix………………………………………………………………………………..28       1.0 Strategic Analysis 1.1 Company Profile and Market Share Tesco company is a retailer company that operates within the grocery retailer industry. The company operates stores that offer groceries, food, clothing, among other general merchandise. Tesco also offers retail banking, insurance and financial services. Furthermore, the company is engaged in distribution, data analysis, online entertainment, telecommunication, and property operations. It is a global company with its operations in the UK, India, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Ireland, Turkey, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. The company serves its customers via its more than 7000

Tesco Business Strategic Report 第二部分 2.0 Ansoff Matrix                     2.1 Market penetration As a strategy, most companies have acknowledged that customers run after brand, but not products; as a result, they sell brand prior to the product. Tesco sells its brand before its product, and its brand has become a household name in the target market. Tesco entered the target market using a self-advertising website. In addition, the company promoted itself through the website, as well as leafleting in its stores. In 1995, Tesco transverse the Sainsbury, which made it become the largest retailer in the United Kingdom. Its club card scheme is the largest trump card in its target markets, and from this card, the company is able to gain increased loyalty from its customers, as well as to find a way of penetrating into the unexploited markets  (Brannen, Moore, Mughan 2013, p. 295).   2.2 New products and services Product development is the key strategic tool for any industry, in which 25% of the overall business performance are dependent on it. Over the years, Tesco has increasingly expanded its product and service offerings. Having commenced with food commodities during its inception, Tesco today has wide-ranging products and services, including electronics, insurance, mortgages, credit card loans, saving schemes, and it is also working to increase the food product line varieties. In addition, the company has also introduced biofuel products to replace petrol and diesel, and it is increasingly working to improve the quality of its products. Also, the company is also working to expand into the telecommunication sector through launching a variety of telecommunication products  (Plimmer 2010, p. 377).   2.3 Market development The company has been very keen on pursuing its growth and development through investments and acquisitions. Among the companies it has acquired over the years include the Scottish chain of supermarkets, William Low, as well as two Ireland supermarkets, including Quinnsworth and Stewarts. In addition, Tesco also purchased the Casinos Leader chain of supermarkets in Poland, which were subsequently reconfigured as sizeable Tesco stores. Furthermore, Tesco often continues to make remarkable changes of diversifying its businesses, which, for instance, include expanding to global markets like South Korea, Poland, and Japan.   2.4 Diversification In the recent years, Tesco has increasingly diversified its business, in which it has extended from food products to non-food items. Originally, the company mainly concentrated on food products. But later on, the company began to diversify into areas such as clothes, internet services,

Tesco Business Strategic Report 第三部分 4.1 PESTEL Analysis 4.1.1 Political factors Tesco operates in a global market environment, in which its stores can be found around the globe, particularly in Europe and Asia. The company’s performance is largely influenced by the legislative and political conditions in all the countries it has its operations. Tesco has over the years been committed to seeking to understand the political environments within its target markets, especially in the area of competition and employment. Due to the employment legalisation reasons, governments encourage large companies to promote representation of various kinds of labour demand, including offering flexible work   schedules and sufficient compensation. Most governments have also put in place measures to control competition and promote fair competition in the marketplace. Tesco has favourable relations with most governments and policy makers, wh ich has been actualized through giving high emphasis on aligning its business policies with the existing legislation and political will (Geuens, Brengman & SʼJegers 2003, p. 246).   4.1.2 Economic factors Economic aspects are of great concern to Tesco since they are potential of influencing demand, cost, prices, and profits. Factors like inflation rate, disposable income among consumers, the rate of unemployment, as well as the national economic growth rate. During the times when a country is experiencing high inflation rate or increased unemployment levels, such unfavourable economic situations decrease the effective demand of the company’s products. Worth noting, economic factors are mostly  beyond the company’s control, and their effects on the marketing mix and organisational performance can be profound. Although its global business is still growing, the recent global economic crisis affected the company’s sales performance adversely. Besides, Tesco would be significantly hurt b     y the Eurozone economic slowdown, which has characterised most European nations as a result of the debt crisis  (Geuens, Brengman & SʼJegers 2003, p. 247).   4.1.3 Socio-cultural factors The current trends in the global market indicate that customers are increasingly moving towards bulk shopping and one-stop shop, which is as a result of lifestyle changes. In response, Tesco has increased the range of non-food products available for sale. Also, there  have been demographic changes in the marketplace, such as the elderly population, the increase in female workers, as well as a remarkable decline in residence meal preparation. This means that retailers have to focus on products with value addition. Moreover, the focus in Tesco has largely been toward the own label market share and the supply chain improvements so as to drive costs out. The types of products demanded by consumers

Tesco Business Strategic Report 第四部分 6.0 Industry Attractiveness 6.1 The new entrants’ threats The grocery market of the UK, which forms the pertinent market for Tesco, is mainly dominated by a small number of competitors, primarily Tesco, Safeway,   Sainsbury’s, and Asda, which possess a total market share of 70%, while small chains like Waitrose, Budgens, and Somerfield, share the remaining 30% (Zentes, Morschett & Schramm-Klein 2011, p. 181). Most grocery markets have been transformed into a supermarket dominated businesses in the recent years. The large supermarket chains have increasingly built their power as a result of operating efficiency, marketing mix strategies, and a one-stop shop. This powerful force has a great impact to limiting small retailers to enter into the market. In consequence, new companies focusing on entering the grocery market face strong entry barriers as they lack sufficient resources to compete with the highly developed supply chains. Large companies like Tesco take advantage of its advanced technology, product differentiation and economies of scale that scare away small retailers.   6.2 Suppliers’ bargaining power The power of suppliers in the industry can easily be influenced by large grocery chains. Stores like Asda and Tesco are able to easily negotiate better prices from the suppliers, which small retail chains are not able to match. Additionally, the local suppliers are also vulnerable to the threat of the increasing ability of established retailers to source their supplies from foreign countries at cheaper prices. For that reason, suppliers tend to have a weaker bargaining power (Zentes, Morschett & Schramm-Klein, 2011, p. 179).   6.3 Customers’ bargaining power Theoretically, the more products become undifferentiated or standardised, the lower the  cost of switching, which makes the bargaining power among its customers stronger (Morschett, Swoboda & Schramm-Klein 2006, p. 285). To neutralise the bargaining power among customers within a competitive market, Tesco offers its customers with loyalty cards in order to enhance customer retention. Tesco has also been very committed towards meeting customer needs, ensuring lower prices, customising services, as well as offer  a constant flow of in-store promotion campaigns and better choices. As a result, Tesco is able to control and retain its customer base.   6.4 Threats of substitutes The availability of substitute or alternative products can significantly decrease demand for a certain product since there is a customer switching threat. This threat can also be heightened by new trends, for instance, small chains of expediency stores are increasingly emerging in the market. Another threat that faces Tesco is that Sainsbury and Asda are trying

Tesco Business Strategic Report 第五部分 10.0 Basis of Competition The following are the reasons as to why customers choose to buy consumer goods from Tesco as opposed to the competitors: v  Well-established and reputable brand v  Wide range of products in a store v  Quality 11.0 Critical success factors The evaluation of both SWOT and external analysis indicates branding and reputation, IT integration, and supplier management as the critical success factors in the industry. The table below provides a strategic relative analysis of Tesco and its major competitors in the United Kingdom grocery industry . Worth noting, the score has been given to the scale of 0 to 5. CSF Tesco Sainsbury’s Asda Safeway Brand reputation 5 5 4 4 IT integration 5 5 3 4 Supplier management 5 4 3 5 Total 15 14 10 13 The results indicated in the table above show that the major threat is coming from Sainsbury’s, which possesses a sturdy brand name and IT integration. Therefore, Tesco has to work on strengthening its competitive advantage, so as to enhance its critical success factors.   12.0 Tesco’s Strategy evolution 12.1 Generic Strategies These strategies are attributed to an individual retailer’s response to the market structure. For Tesco to gain a sustainable competitive advantage, it should follow the three generic strategies. The first generic strategy is the cost leadership strategy, in which Tesco should endeavour  to enjoy the lowest possible cost in the entire industry, and consequently offer its products to the market at lower prices. The success of this strategy is based on the company’s ability to control its operating costs effectively so that it can be able to price its products competitively so as to gain higher profit margins and stronger competitive advantage (Fernie 2005, p. 72). The second generic strategy regards the differentiation strategy, which aims at offering products with exceptional features that add value to customers. The popular approaches of differentiation include technology, the range of product offerings, customer services and special features  (Walters & Knee 1999, p. 82). The last strategy is focus strategy, which can either make use of differentiation or cost leadership strategy to pursue a specific market or specific products.   12.2 Global Market Expansion Market expansion strategy regards market development, in which the company should seek for strategic alliances or joint developments, based on the nature of the market. Notably, strategic alliances and joint development are more advantageous than foreign direct investment in the sense that Tesco can draw extensive local operating expertise and knowledge from its