LEGO Case Study - Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LEGO Case Study - Strategic Management - Essay Example In the 80-year history of the organization, the most recent fifteen years or so have been one of happenings periods throughout the entire existence of organization. From its top in the mid 90s to a genuine droop in the late 1990s and mid 2000s and afterward from that to a time of recuperation and predominance, the time of 1995-2009 has numerous accounts to tell for Lego (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, pp. 85-89, 2008). Issues for the organization began some place during the 1990s however they didn't stood out as truly newsworthy or even got the consideration of the top administration of the organization till 1998 when the organization brought about its first misfortune on its salary articulation in quite a while whole history. Lego got back on the track of making benefits during 2001 and 2002 yet that was essentially a result of the arrangements with Harry Potter establishment and when no Harry Potter film was discharged during 2003, the company’s deals diminished by 26 percent and 20 percent in the ensuing year (The Lego Group, 2012). Besides, the organization posted a record loss of more than 240 million US dollars and bits of gossip began in the market that Mattel would soon takeover Lego (Lewis, pp. 21-23, 2011). There were numerous explanations for the declining piece of the overall industry of the organization. To begin with, the toy business was experiencing a comparable unrest and serious upheaval as of the aircraft business. Numerous contenders with minimal effort and professing to be high caliber, went into the market to upset the balance. For instance, a Canadian toy organization, Megabloks was instrumental in expelling Lego toys from many racks in light of the fact that not just it was of lower cost to pull in the clients yet in addition even the retailers were paid with higher overall revenues. Second, a large number of the clients of the organization that were little fellows were as a rule more pulled in to PC games and computer games during that time in this way diminishing the deals significantly further. Third, Lego’s fundamental tasks were in Denmark, which was significant expense economy with long gracefully chains and numerous provisions. Indeed, it at one point in time, Lego had a greater number of providers than Boeing needed to fabricate airplanes (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, pp. 85-89, 2008). Systems In request to comprehend the procedures utilized by Lego during the time of 1995-2009, we should partition the period between two sub-times of 1998-2003 and 2004-2009 since the organization moved its methodology during the period. First period (1998-2003) During the primary time of 1998-2003 and even before that, Lego was following a forceful approach of item improvement. Lego was continually attempting to improve its current items with bringing new varieties. The mentality of the company’s planners was that by giving more item varieties, they would compel the clients to spend more and new varieties would carry more and new clients into the circle (Bender, pp. 55, 2010). Truth be told, it created the impression that some way or another Lego was caught in the item direction, one of the five showcasing directions. In it, the prime concentration and desire for the organization was on improving the present items, bringing more shading, plans and varieties trusting that would make the clients remain and even become prepared to pay a premium for Lego’s items (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, pp. 85-89, 2008). Also, this was where Lego occupied with numerous vital accomplices with Harry Potter, Disney and different establishments trying to co-brand their items. Truth be told, this was the prime motivation behind why Lego had the option to give some benefit during these years (The Lego Group, 2012). Second

The Economic Impact Of The Olympic Games Essay -- Olympics Economy

The Economic Impact of the Olympic Games Missing Graphs With the Olympic games being held in Sydney this year, I thought about whether maybe the presentation of the economy was being influenced to some extent by the monetary improvement gave by Olympic development in Sydney and different pieces of the nation. Australia’s economy has been performing admirably as of late, recommending that there may be some impact. In the course of the most recent five years, development in Australia’s total national output has found the middle value of 4.35%, very nearly a full point above it’s multi year yearly normal of 3.5%, and the joblessness rate is almost a multi year low. As per one gauge, the Olympics will attach an extra six and a half billion dollars, about 1.6% of the GDP, to Australia’s GDP over the 1994-2000 period. A characteristic inquiry to pose is if this development is expected essentially to the Olympic readiness, or if, rather, it is an aftereffect of some other change in approach, or maybe downright old kar ma. One approach to deliver this inquiry is to check whether other host nations have encountered increments in GDP around Olympic years. The following is a diagram of one proportion of the lift to GDP that nations get from facilitating the Olympics. Each point speaks to the normal, over the entirety of the host nations since 1952, pace of development of GDP. What this chart proposes is that preceding the Olympics and during the Olympic year GDP development is higher than normal - maximizing at about 1.5% better than expected GDP in the third year before the Olympics. This number appears to be reliable with the assessments for Sydney - at any rate preceding the Olympic year. Nonetheless, the diagram additionally recommends that development rates are lower in the years after the Olympics, than in the years preceding the games. The financial advantages of the 2000 Olympics can be delegated immediate and circuitous. Direct advantages remember the effect of the Olympics for fares, venture and business. As far as fares, the fundamental effect will be inbound the travel industry, sponsorship charges, media communicate rights, and ticket deals. The organizing of the Olympics will urge increasingly universal sightseers to visit Australia. Sponsorship expenses got from worldwide sources were solid paving the way to the Olympics and as indicated by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), communicate rights, roughly one billion dollars in esteem, were recorded as fares in September quarter 2000. Ticket deal offered to abroad visitors,... ...tself. Critically, the advantages will proceed with well into the new thousand years as Australia gets increasingly global introduction for its fares and gains from the exchange of innovation and information from the world’s best. Opportunity entices for the competitors, for exporters, for specialists, for researchers and for the entire Australian people group. Book index Arthur Anderson/CREA (1999) â€Å"Economic Impact Study of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games†. January 1999. Arthur Anderson and the Center for Regional Economic Investigation, University of Tasmania. Dabkowski, S and Ketchell, M (1999) â€Å"Olympic Dream May Not Deliver Riches.† The Melbourne Age. Gittins R (1999) â€Å"Swifter! Higher! More extravagant? Unfortunately Not With Our Games.† May 8 1999, Sydney Morning Herald. Mules,T â€Å"The Economic Impact of Special Events .† Griffith University, Gold Coast Queensland. Olympic Co-appointment Authortiy (OCA) (1999) â€Å"State of Play: A Report to the People of New South Wales† June 1999, OCA, Sydney. Hold Bank of Australia (1999) â€Å"The Economic Effects of Staging the Olympic Games† Semi-Annual Statement of Monetary Policy, May 1999, Reserve Bank, Sydney.

Honor killings Paper - 2200 Words

Honor killings (Research Paper Sample) Content: Honor KillingNameInstitutional AffiliationHonor KillingAlthough there are some massive steps made in the global fight for womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s rights by numerous women's rights movements, girls and women across the globe are still facing numerous challenges. Women and girls are still engaged into early marriages, trafficked into forced labor, and sex slavery. Women are denied admission to political participation and education, and some of them are ensnared into disputes where rape is carried out as a weapon of combat (Pope, 2012). Across the globe, there are numerous deaths associated with childbirth and pregnancy, and women are denied the opportunity to make individual choices in their personal life. The Middle East is the worst of all where women experience massive aggression on their rights. Syria refugee women camping in Lebanon suffer sex abuse while women in Saudi Arabia are banned from driving. Human Rights Watch concentrated its ability on the recognition of wome nà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s empowerment and gender parity (McConnell, 2013). The aspect of violation of women rights has also led to increased cases of honor killings. This is where a family kills another family member for disgracing it and bringing shame to the society. The organization protects the rights and advances the lives of women and teenagers on the ground. Despite that honor Killing has had its place in Middle Eastern society historically and traditionally, it is a significant impedition to the development of women's right in the region.Understanding Honor KillingHonor killing refers to a murder undertaken by a family on a fellow family member who is thought to have brought shame and become a disgrace to the family. The obvious "shame" could occur as a result of the victim declining to enter into a planned marriage or for having an association that the family regards as unsuitable. These cases have been reported in most parts of the world with the Middle East leading. Despite the effor ts of the courts to prosecute and sentence the doers, the killings are still on the rise. Women suffer most from honor killings than men as observed in the following examples.Examples of Honor Killing CasesA good example of an honor killing case is the Jordanian court hearing held on 29 January 2014. During this case, the court lessened the prison term of a man who murdered his own daughter because she ran away from home without informing her husband (Sheeley et al., 2007). The sentence was lessened from death to 10 years in detention. On the mentioned date, the court primarily destined the man to death, but it issued him a lessened jail sentence after the relatives let go of all lawful allegations against him. The man admitted to shooting and murdering his daughter who was almost 30 years. She came out of her husbandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s house and stayed away for numerous days without the consent of her husband. According to him, the killing occurred in November 13, 2013 in the town of Ruse ifeh, east of the city Amman (Sheeley et al., 2007). The criminal who is 50 years man also admitted that he murdered the woman as a means to cleanse the honor of the family.In this case, the right of the woman to live was violated a great deal because the ideology of family honor dominated the entire family. Slay is liable to be punished by a bereavement sentence in Jordan, but in what is termed as honor killings, courts normally commute or lessen penalties if the family of the victim asks for clemency (Simons Zoldak, 2010). These cases have increased in the recent past and according to the criminal reports released in the United States late last year, between 15 and 20 females are killed in honor killings in Jordan every year, in spite of the governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s commitment to restrain such offenses. The United States reports more than 300 cases of honor killings every year with women being the most affected (Husseini, 2009). According to United States criminal statics, 70 perce nt of all the citizens who die in the country as victims of honor killings are girls and women. Despite the efforts of numerous women movements and human rights organizations to fight for the rights of women and promote equality, there is still extremely extensive work to be done.Another example of an honor killing is the anatomy of an honor killing where the Palestinians ordered a father to kill his divorced daughter. Thamar Zeidan was killed by her father through chocking to death. The woman was taking a nap during the afternoon hours where the father caught up with her and choked her to death. Despite the fact that this incident was in the mind of the father, it was catalyzed by the pressure from the community which wanted Zeidan dead for divorcing her husband (McConnell, 2013). Since when did divorcing a partner become law with a harsh penalty like death? Does it mean there is no law in Palestine where civilians have to take the law into their own hands? How can the Palestine go vernment allow Palestinians to pressure Mr. Munther to kill her daughter because she divorced her husband? Honor killings are hardly ever discussed in Palestinian community, but the mother and sister of Ms. Zeidan went public to emphasize the case and disclose the huge pressure her father experienced to the extent of undertaking the crime.According to a report filed by the Media Line Extended, the family members of Thamar Zeidan blamed her of shameful and scandalous acts in an appeal that was broadly followed in her Deir Al Ghusun village located near West Bank in Tulkarem. This was a reaction to orders to re-establish the familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s honor (Simons Zoldak, 2010). The external pressure from the Palestinian civilians made Munther kill his daughter. The extended relatives from Zeidanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s family accused her of shameful and scandalous actions in an appeal that was pushed by the Palestinians. The extended members demanded that Munther restores the religious and cultural mo rals of their family. In the process, Zeidan was innocently killed due to pressure from the extended family members who demanded sanity in the family deeds. According to them, divorce was an extremely dangerous act that ashamed those in the society and the person involved had to be uprooted from the family.This news was posted on more than five regional mosques during the prayers held on Friday with above 50 relatives, engrossing Abed Al-Rahman Zeidan who is a famous Palestinian lawmaker (Simons Zoldak, 2010). Zeidanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s mother admitted that her husband was under extreme pressure to get rid of Zeidan. She added on that the family was ready to expel them from the West Bank region. Some people suggested that Mr. Munther was mentally challenged because he could not get rid of his daughter. Eventually, the man gave in to the pressures and murdered Zeidan (Husseini, 2009). After the killing, Muntherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s wife admitted that her husband was a peaceful person and what he did was totally out of temperament, but the stress was extreme.In 2013 alone, Palestine recorded 27 honor killings, which is an increase from the 13 people who were killed in 2012. This shows that the crime continues to increase regardless of the efforts of the administration to control it.Reasons for Honor KillingsHonor killing has been in existence for centuries now because the initial cases were reported in ancient times. Several people value protecting the name of the family because they do not want any form of shame brought by one or more members of the family (Pope, 2012). A family has always been respected in the society because it is the basis of proper ethnic values and cultural standards. Every family attempts to keep its name clean in the society so that it does not receive blame or become a laughing stock. Most of the honor killings in ancient times revolved around cheating in marriages, divorce issues, and failing to undertake family responsibilities among others. In all t hese cases, the blame was put on women. For example, when a married woman is caught cheating with a married man, all the blame is put on the woman and might fall victim of honor killing where the husband takes charge (McConnell, 2013). The married man caught in the same act with this woman is ignored because he is a man. This shows how biased the society was in terms of promoting equality. The aspect of equality was extremely rare in such cases because the woman was always inferior. As time went by, these biases developed into laws that are now used in some areas of the globe such like the Middle East (Husseini, 2009). The Palestinians are biased because they forced Mr. Munther to kill his daughter Zeidan because she divorced her husband.Some people might argue that the in...

The History of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra, India. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in the world  and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Every year, the Taj Mahal receives visits from between four and six million tourists from all over the world.   Interestingly, less than 500,000 of those visitors are from overseas; the vast majority are from India itself. UNESCO has designated the building and its grounds as an official World Heritage Site, and there is much concern that the sheer volume of foot traffic may have a negative impact on this wonder of the world. Still, it is hard to blame people in India for wanting to see the Taj, since the growing middle class there finally has the time and leisure to visit their countrys great treasure. Why the Taj Mahal Was Built The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan  (r. 1628 - 1658) in honor of the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved third wife. She died in 1632 while bearing their fourteenth child, and Shah Jahan never really recovered from the loss. He poured his energy into designing and building the most beautiful tomb ever known for her, on the southern banks of the Yamuna River. It took some 20,000 artisans more than a decade to build the Taj Mahal complex. The white marble stone is inlaid with floral details carved from precious gems. In places, the stone is carved into delicate vined screens called pierce work so that visitors can see into the next chamber. All of the floors are inlaid with patterned stone, and incised painting in abstract designs adorns the walls. The artisans who did this incredible work were supervised by an entire committee of architects, headed by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The cost in modern values was about 53 billion rupees ($827 million US).  Construction of the mausoleum was completed around 1648. The Taj Mahal Today The Taj Mahal is one of the loveliest buildings in the world, combining architectural elements from across the Muslim lands. Among the other works that inspired its design are the Gur-e Amir, or the Tomb of Timur, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Humayuns Tomb in Delhi; and the Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah in Agra. However, the Taj outshines all of these earlier mausoleums in its beauty and grace. Its name literally translates as Crown of Palaces. Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal Dynasty, descended from Timur (Tamerlane) and from Genghis Khan.  His family ruled India from 1526 to 1857.  Unfortunately for Shah Jahan, and for India, the loss of Mumtaz Mahal and the construction of her amazing tomb utterly distracted Shah Jahan from the business of governing India.  He ended up being deposed and imprisoned by his own third son, the ruthless and intolerant Emperor Aurangzeb.  Shah Jahan ended his days under house arrest, lying in bed, gazing out at the white dome of the Taj Mahal.  His body was interred in the glorious building he had made, beside that of his beloved Mumtaz.

Martin Luther and Phillip Melanchthons Contributions in...

Martin Luther and Phillip Melanchthons Contributions in Educational Reform in the Protestant Reformation The life of Martin Luther is frequently studied and his ideas are widely known. Accounts of the nailing of his Ninety-Five theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and his condemnation at the Diet of Worms are considered by many in the western world to be common knowledge. What is less frequently explored; however, are his vast achievements outside of his direct conflict with the Catholic Church. A major example of this is Luthers achievement in educational reform. Although at first Luther resisted new forms of education, he came to view schools as powerful tools for getting his†¦show more content†¦Luther also took notice of Melanchthon, specifically of his inaugural address at the university, which he entitled, Discourse on Reforming the Studies of Youth. Because of the mutual respect and admiration given towards one another the two became collaborators in the Protestant Reformation. Melanchthon gave strength to the Reformation in his argumentative yet rational works, like Loci Communes Rerum Theologicarum(Commonplaces of Theology, 1521). When Luther was confined to the Castle of Wartburg following the Diet of Worms, Melanchthon took over as the leader of the Reformation at the University of Wittenberg, becoming the professor of theology there and standardizing the constitutions of the reformed German churches. Melanchthon then, as the leading representative of the Reformation at the Diet of Augsburg in 1530, presented the Augsburg Confession, consisting of 21 articles of faith that he had drawn up with Luthers advice.[1] While Melanchthon was deeply influenced by Luthers ideas on religious reform, it was he who helped to shape Luthers stance on educational reform. At first, Luthers ideas and those of the education, specifically humanist education, seemed to clash. Luthers passionate teachings about faith and religion seemed to be an immediate threat to humanist schools that were more worldly and oriented towards reason and practical learning. He

Leadership Styles

Question: How would you defend the return on investment when suggesting to an incredulous leader that they develop soft skills such as being friendly or being approachable as an effective way to improve the morale in their organization? Answer: Return on investment is the ratio that renders economic benefits in relation with cost. It is recommended to an incredulous leader for developing soft skills because it will help in understanding people skills asking for return on particular investment (Goleman et al. 2013). These skills will help in describing personal attributes and indicating high level of emotional intelligence. Soft skills are mostly applicable for job titles as well as industries. Friendly attitude of leaders will help employees in expressing grievances against the organization. Therefore, morale of an organization can be built easily by transparent communication between management and employees (Northouse, 2015). Employees working in an organization should approach the leaders and easily accessible at the same time. Transformational leadership allows followers in expressing views as well as opinions in the most appropriate way. Defending return on investments demonstrates in related investments for various est hetic qualities in stimulating co-investments. Reference List Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., McKee, A. (2013).Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press. Northouse, P. G. (2015).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Weighing In Essay Essay Example

Weighing In Essay Essay In Essay Racism has repeatedly played a controversial role throughout the course of history. This is a topic fueled by the heated arguments of the parties on both ends of the matter, may it be the cry of the victim or defense of the offender. As described in the works of two members of ethnic minorities coping With the alienation they both faced in what is supposed to be the land of diversity, Froze Dumas The F Word, and Brent Staples Black Men and Public Space, racism is portrayed as a dark shadow cast upon those who may not me to conform to the norms of western culture to the typical American. Such stereotypes and predispositions should not hold the power to classify and simplify human beings to one single standard of a certain background, as one single Story or idea does not define an entire mass Of people. In Froze Dumas The F Word, she describes her life growing up as an Iranian in America. From the very beginning of her transition into western society, Dumas was exposed to the ugly world of racism at the tender age of seven, an idea almost too outlandish to even entertain. The idea that children t such a young age could feel the need to alienate someone due to unfamiliarity shows that indifference to foreign culture and background can begin at almost any age. She writes that her cousin was named Forbad, a respectable Iranian name meaning greatness, but in a land filled with Joeys and Mars, this was completely alien to his peers, resulting in his nickname Forehead. Similarly, her brother, Fairish, meaning he who enlightens became known as Farthest. A friend of Dumas sounded too similarly to an African American slur and her brothers name reminded those of a skin indention. We will write a custom essay sample on Weighing In Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Weighing In Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Weighing In Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer These children earned themselves such vulgar names solely due to the fact that they were raised and named accordingly to their culture, something that should never be disrespected or looked down upon as abnormal just because it is uncommon. When she reached the age of twelve, Froze opted for an American middle name, understandable for a young girl bearing the pressure of her surroundings, yet unacceptable for her to feel pressured to do so in the first place. She explains that she regrets this decision as it only complicated her life in the long run, even though it seemed o be a quick fix to her problems at the time. She had always received incredulous glares or horribly executed pronunciations, many without even a hint of actual effort in attempting to properly address her, a sad but common occurrence for those who are not often exposed to foreign cultures. Dumas finally settled on the name Julie and even introduced herself to her next-door neighbor using her new name. Her brothers even made fun of her for wanting to Americanize herself, who then later became Fred and Sean. In college, she did away with Julie and went back to her old name, but found that applying for jobs was a more successful venture when she used her American name, interestingly enough. Once she got married, it was almost as if she was living a double life, with family calling her Froze and most friends referring to her as Julie. This prompted her to permanently go back to her original name, forcing herself to cope with the mispronunciations and comments, which she simply now finds humor in. It is a huge relief that Dumas ended up referring to herself by her original first name, as dont feel that she should have ever felt pressured into conforming to the standards of stern culture and trying to Americanize herself. The fact that simply changing her name from Froze to Julie on job applications is mind blowing, as it is clearly not her credentials or talents that are being considered, but her American name. I appreciate that Dumas was able to come to the realization that although her American name would often allow her more job interviews and less of an intense reaction in every day life, her original Iranian name was part of her struggle growing up as an immigrant in America and was a better telltale of her story than Julie would ever be. Rather than being another Joe or Mary, people would just have to adjust to her, not the other way around. Similar to Dumas struggle in America as an Iranian, Brent Staples Black Men and public Space details the struggle of being a black man in America. There are countless stereotypes implanted in the minds of Americans of the typical black person, aggressive, dishonest, ruthless, and overall ill intentioned. The first encounter with this racist outlook on blacks Staples had was in a wealthier area of downbeat Chicago, who began to appear irksome and soon after proceeded to run from the author, who had done nothing intentionally to provoke fear in her. I agree that women should always place their safety as their first priority and should remove themselves from any situation in which they find themselves uncomfortable or at risk, but if blacks and whites cant manage to walk the same streets without one race thinking the other is going to attack at any given moment due to the misconceptions floating around in their heads, then America really isnt a land of diversity. It then becomes a land of hierarchy. As he says, Staples is too scared to even wield a knife at a chicken, let alone wield a knife at another human being, but by the color of his skin and appearance, one would never know this. Being perceived as dangerous, he writes, is a hazard in itself, and could easily land him in the back of a police car simply due to the stereotypes of the black man. Staples understands that women are vulnerable in situations involving street crime, and that blacks have a tendency to be the offenders in such situations, yet this is no excuse for the complete isolation teen blacks and whites that occurs on an everyday basis. He recalls a fascinating incident in which police attempted to arrest a black journalist whom they mistook for the murderer, further proving that many will forever have these misconceptions that almost all blacks are violent by nature. On late nights now, Staples finds himself whistling classical music, as he explains that many do not seem to think that a typical, violent black man would ever be whistling Beethoven or Vivaldi, which is one of the saddest parts of this story. It is almost disgusting to me that blacks and minorities in general feel he need to prove themselves to American society by doing White things. It is often understandably easier to do so and conform to western ways, but it is never necessary because one should not ever be ashamed of their background. No single story or stereotype or standard defines a human being. That persons actions, impact on the world, and the lives they touch are what define them. America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is often an image of hopes and dreams and opportunity for those who wish to create better lives for themselves, yet the stereotypes people tend to hold of each racial aground impede any sort of progress in continuing to paint America as this beacon of hope. Racism not only simplifies humans to one single story, but almost dehumidifies a person, as well, looking past their traits and qualities and defining them as where they come from and what their culture is. It is necessary to learn that what society may deem normal to us is not necessarily normal to others, and rather than one party adapt to the other or furthermore alienate one another, we must begin to respect and not reject the diversity which surrounds us.