Heineken Company Case Study

Heineken Company Case Study Heineken is the world 3th largest beer company based on Netherlands. It has raised significant sales throughout European countries, also their products are sold in nearly almost all countries. It has breweries in 65 countries. It bought foreign breweries or acquired licensing to cut manufacturing cost, expand product line, and facilitate local distribution. For the special case, Heineken didn`t establish it`s breweries in the united states because it considered to keep images for import beer. On the other hand, it invested in new- internet based technique to manage international distribution system efficiently. Heineken has been growing up continuously by using a joint venture with big competitors to expand into a new market. To raise global market share, it also plan special strategies for each countries. Many government leaders strongly recommend domestic firms to go international in order to create jobs and economic growth. However, some companies have trouble advancing into overseas market because of a lack of knowledge about the foreign market. 1) Economic issues directly connected to the profit (sales) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚   Population: The potential customer population of the target market quite depends on type of the product or service (that a company is marketing). To a B2B firm, for example, the number of people in the country is not a good indicator of how large the market is. Also, B2C firms usually consider the targeted population instead of the number of the whole population. Age and gender are generally considered as main variables for assessing foreign markets. Consideration about households such as average family size in that country could be also a good indicator. However, it is hard to foresee the future and compare with other markets only with simple factors such as age and sex. It could be a good way of understanding foreign markets to pay attention to population distribution using tools like population pyramids. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ Income: A critical economic factor to look into the target market is income level of the nation. Companies trying to go into foreign markets can measure the market potential through GNI or GDP. Also, they can decide which indicator to use according to the market or product type; for example GNI per capita can be a clear index to grasp the populations standard of living. Nevertheless, average values about income such as GNI, GDP are insufficient to figure out income level of the whole population. In most nations, income isnt fairly distributed among the entire population of each country; also there is no certain correlation between income level per capita and degree of income inequality. In short, using income indictors without information of income distribution can distort the result of market research. 2) Non-economic issues à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚   Cultural issues: Cultural factors such as language, race, religion, historical background, which reflect attitudes, values, and beliefs, vary among countries. Going into global market without understanding of the target markets culture brings about the failure. It is quite important for firm leaders to figure out how managers manage the firm, how employees behave and how consumers response according to each countrys cultural background. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ Government regulations: Each nation has its regulation and taxation on foreign trade. For alcoholic beverage firms, government regulations might be stricter in some countries that are especially sensitive about alcohol consumption of their people. Additionally, taxation on alcoholic beverages varies among different countries. For example, Islamic countries such as Egypt may give a harsh control to their alcoholic beverage import. Q2. Discuss the advantages or disadvantages for Heineken of exporting its beer from one country to another. Advantages à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚   Expand Sales: expanding into international market gives various chances to get profit for Heineken. The long term relationship with international market lasts, export development cost can be covered and they increase their additional sales through the market. Also, company can further create economies of scale to decrease producing cost. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ Acquire Resources and Compete with Rivals: Heineken can acquire resources by sharing and learning knowledge and experience with new marketing technique and foreign competitors. Consequently, Heineken will improve quality of products, and it can gain more market share in international market. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¢ Minimize Risk: Beer is sold certain seasons: especially summer. Thus, Heineken can utilize and avoid seasonal factors during different season in foreign countries. Also, selling product to multiple markets allows Heineken to diversify their business and spread risk. Disadvantages à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚  Complexity in Operations: Heineken need to plan various marketing strategies to meet different needs for each country. Thus, it causes increase in product cost. Also, there are a lot of unpredictable situations for Heineken such as establishment regulation to limit alcohol, natural disaster etc. Heineken has no choice but to be dependent on fluctuation other countries` situations. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ Cultural Collision: multinational companies have to consider various cultural differences among different countries. For instance, religion, customs, purchasing behaviors are things to consider. Consumption of alcohol is a sensitive matter in this sense to many countries and can cause numerous social problems. Q3. What are the key issues facing Heineken insofar as international licensing is concerned? License, is a grant by the holder of a copyright or patent to another of any of the rights embodied in the copyright or patent short of an assignment of all rights. In the case of a beer company as Heineken, this would mean to license a brewery in a country they wish to enter. The licensed local brewery then would produce Heineken branded beer with Heinekens unique recipe. This way, Heineken does not need to personally build a new brewery in that area which saves time and money. Heineken has used licensing as a way to expand its business internationally. Although this business of licensing may sound like a complete win-win situation, at times there are side effects that come along with it. For instance, despite the advantages of licensing, Heineken has otherwise restrained itself from licensing a local brewery in markets such like the US. This was for reasons that had to do with the fact that Heineken was a beer company. Reasons that people consume a certain brand of beer can be various but simply to name the two main reasons would be because first, a consumer is simply loyal to that brand because they grew up with it or, for a second reason, to drink a particular brand of beer gives the consumer a sense of exoticness. The first reason usually goes for local brands, and the second reason goes for foreign brands. Thus, to produce a beer that people drink mainly because it is a foreign brand in a local brewery would definitely drive consumers away. Moreover because consumers believe that the real Heineken beer comes from Dutch brewerie s, Heineken is able to charge double for Dutch made beers. The case of Hoegaarden illustrates the difference of perception on locally-made beer and imported beer. After Korean consumers found out that Hoegaarden, a Belgian beer was being locally produced, many complained that the taste was different. Some even started calling the beer O-garden, referring to that fact that it was licensed to Korean beer company OB. Q4. Compare the FDI between Heineken and Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch has FDIs in usually large emerging markets such as China and Mexico. It invests heavily in these markets through large local companies. In China for instance, Anheuser-Busch paid $700 million for the Harbin Brewery and in the case of Mexico, Anheuser-Busch owns 50 percent of Modelo, the maker of Corona. Heineken who was the pioneer of entering international markets for beer companies, has slightly smaller scaled FDIs. Apart from the size of the FDIs, Heineken usually entered countries that were neighboring or African countries that had historical relations with European countries. Conclusion 1. Alternatives 1) The current situation: Heineken has refused to establish a brewery in the United States, instead, they keep shipping its beer to the U.S. Thats because customers in the U.S. dont accept the fact that the beer, which is made in a brewery in there, is the same with what Heineken export from its home country. 2) Alternatives We recommend not to ship Heineken beers into the U.S. but to set up a brewery in the U.S. In the case of Asahi beer, which is the top Japanese beer, they increased in sales, using FDI when they go into the foreign market. Penetrating into the U.S. market with FDI, which is distinguished from licensing, would help American customers notice there is no difference between beer from Netherlands and from its own country. For using this strategy in the U.S. market, we suggest a couple of effective ways to cope with the potential risk. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚   Positive marketing: The failure that Heineken experienced previously results from customers recognition. In order to make this tactic successful, therefore, Heineken has to give customers perception that beer from the U.S. brewery has no difference from the original one. Heineken could actively use various marketing strategies such as blind tasting. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¡ Pricing: It has high risk for Heineken to suddenly switch its distribution channel. There is possibility to bring about the same failure with before, so they can use a gradual way to relieve risks. Pricing is a good way. At the beginning, Heineken maintain the original exported beer at the same time produce beer in the U.S. brewery. Then they differentiate the price between two kinds of beer, even if there is no change in the recipe. The original exported beer would have higher price than the other. Thus, we can expect for customers in the U.S. to make a choice between Heineken beers, not another brand. 2. Recommendation Actually, Heineken is doing a quite good job in the global market, but they tend to pursue only safe way in their marketing. Therefore, we could recommend some ways to improve their state in the international market which is getting tough. First of all, we give a recommendation of growing in the U.S. market. Even though other markets of developing countries, such as BRICs, are arising, the U.S. market is still one of the largest markets worldwide. So, it would be better for Heineken to penetrate the U.S. market more positively Secondly, it would be important for Heineken to sustain and extend its global market share. Do not stop raising the number of its worldwide breweries and the reputation in each nation. Last but not least, more aggressive and innovative advertising about its product might help to improve its sales and status in the industry. It seems that the main target of Heineken cannot include young people, so it can have a chance to capture the young who would be its large target. Additionally, Heineken needs to grasp trends such as well-being. It should lead as well as follow the trend; they can introduce low-calorie and healthy beer to follow well-being trend.

Democratic Leadership Or Participative Leadership

Democratic Leadership Or Participative Leadership The  activity  of  leading  a  group  of people or an  organization, or the  ability  to do this.In its essence, leadership in an  organizational  role  involves establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly,   providing  the  information,  knowledge, and  methods  to realize that vision, and coordinating and balancing the conflicting  interests  of all  members  or  stakeholders. A  leader  comes to the forefront in case of  crisis, and is  able  to think and  act  in  creative  ways in difficult situations. Unlike  management, leadership  flows  from the core of a  personality  and cannot be taught, although it may be learned and may be enhanced through  coaching  or  mentoring Most common qualities of leadership is seen in leaders are:- Autocratic leadership. Bureaucratic leadership. Charismatic leadership. Democratic leadership or participative leadership. Laissez-faire leadership. People-oriented leadership or relations-oriented leadership. Servant leadership. Task-oriented leadership. Transactional leadership. Transformational leadership. Autocratic Leadership Autocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactional leadership, where a leader exerts high levels of power over his or her employees or team members. People within the team are given few opportunities for making suggestions, even if these would be in the teams or organizations interest. Most people tend to resent being treated like this. Because of this, autocratic leadership usually leads to high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover. Also, the teams output does not benefit from the creativity and experience of all team members, so many of the benefits of teamwork are lost. For some routine and unskilled jobs, however, this  style  can remain effective where the advantages of control outweigh the disadvantages.  Learn more Democratic Leadership or Participative Leadership Although a democratic leader will make the final decision, he or she invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision-making process. This not only increases job satisfaction by involving employees or team members in whats going on, but it also helps to develop peoples skills. Employees and team members feel in control of their own destiny, and so are motivated to work hard by more than just a financial  reward. As participation takes time, this style can lead to things happening more slowly than an autocratic approach, but often the end result is better. It can be most suitable where team working is essential, and quality is more important than speed to market or productivity.  Learn more Transactional Leadership This style of leadership starts with the premise that team members agree to obey their leader totally when they take a job on: the transaction is (usually) that the organization pays the team members, in return for their effort and compliance. As such, the leader has the right to punish team members if their work doesnt meet the pre-determined standard. Team members can do little to improve their job satisfaction under transactional leadership. The leader could give team members some control of their income/reward by using incentives that encourage even higher standards or greater productivity. Alternatively a transactional leader could practice management by exception, whereby, rather than rewarding better work, he or she would take corrective action if the required standards were not met. Transactional leadership is really just a way of managing rather a true leadership style, as the focus is on short-term tasks. It has serious limitations for knowledge-based or creative work, but remains a common style in many organizations. Transformational Leadership A person with this leadership style is a true leader who inspires his or her team with a shared vision of the future. Transformational leaders are highly visible, and spend a lot of time communicating. They dont necessarily lead from the front, as they tend to delegate responsibility amongst their teams. While their enthusiasm is often infectious, they can need to be supported by detail people. In many organizations, both transactional and transformational leadership are needed. The transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done reliably, while the transformational leaders look after initiatives that add value. The transformational leadership style is the dominant leadership style taught in the How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You leadership program, although we do recommend that other styles are brought as the situation demands. Using the Right Style Situational Leadership While the Transformation Leadership approach is often highly effective, there is no one right way to lead or manage that suits all situations. To choose the most effective approach for you, you must consider: The skill levels and experience of the members of your team. The work involved (routine or new and creative). The organizational environment (stable or radically changing, conservative or adventurous). You own preferred or natural style. A good leader will find him or herself switching instinctively between styles according to the people and work they are dealing with. This is often referred to as situational leadership. For example, the manager of a small factory trains new machine operatives using a bureaucratic style to ensure operatives know the procedures that achieve the right standards of product quality and workplace safety. The same manager may adopt a more participative style of leadership when working on production line improvement with his or her team of supervisors Comparison of leaders and their styles Compare and Contrast Two  Business  LeadersLi Ka-shing and Bill Gates    Due to tremendous disparities in historical background and civilization between Chinese and Western countries, there exist remarkable differences between Chinese and Western business leaders. However, both of them still have similarities. This essay will take Li Ka-shing and Bill Gates as representatives to illustrate the differences and similarities between Chinese and Western business leaders.One obvious difference is background. As the most wealthy and successful businessman in Asia, Li had a miserable childhood. In order to escape the war, Lis family had to flee to Hong Kong when he was 12-year-old. Growing up in arduous circumstances, Li had to make a livelihood at the age of 14. In contrast, as the Worlds richest person, Gates was born in a better family with a lawyer father and a teacher mother. He received a decent education and started programming computer at the age of 13. Other difference comes from business scope. Lis business develops into a large amount of areas, including plastics manufacturing, real estate, ports facilities, telecommunications, et cetera. While on the other hand, Gates is taking the leading role in the IT sector. Despite the differences in background and business scope, Li and Gates share several similarities. Firstly, both of them commit to philanthropy. It was reported that Li had contributed more than $450 million to support the development of educational undertakings and medical care such as building hospitals and colleges (Investing  Value, n.d.). Correspondingly, Gates set up a foundation-The Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation-to facilitate philanthropy, covering health care, educational investment and the development of information industry. Secondly, both of them make a great achievement. According to statistics, Lis conglomerates have been a worldwide with representation in 40 countries (Investing Value, n.d.). Likewise, Gates. Bibliography edit, v. (Ret Mar 2007). leadership toolbox. Retrieved from wwww.leadershiptoolbox.com Nwlink. (2010). nwlink.com. Retrieved from www.nwlink.com/donclark/leader various. (Ret. 2009). sample assignments. Retrieved from powerfulleaders.com: www.powerfulleaders.com/sampleassignments/management.html https://www.studymode.com/join.php Essay 2 Leadership and Cultural Awareness:- Cultural awareness refers to understanding the differences between human communities based on their ideologies, values, beliefs, norms, customs, meanings and ways of life. By increasing cultural awareness leaders interacting with diverse populations will develop greater sensitivity to culture, diversity and multicultural societies. You will also improve your capability to understand, and relate to a diverse range of people in an ethical, effective, and collaborative way. Cultural Awareness can: Promote leadership development through reflection, understanding, and learning Reduce conflict through a heightened understanding of culture Enhance self confidence in dealing with diversity Build coping skills for dealing with negative emotions Reduce individual stress by promoting understanding and acceptance. Promote ethical practices by providing support and facilitating awareness MAKING DIVERSITY AN EVERYDAY REALITY IN YOUR WORKPLACE A Global Study in Diversity and Cultural Awareness developed with a learning objective to heighten awareness of how cultural, ethnic, gender and religious backgrounds can influence personal and professional identity, attitudes and behavior. The deeper impact of diversity has little to do with our physical appearances. It is our uniqueness that bridges the gap between our differences and the acceptance that as human beings we are all very deeply connected. In todays workplace people from many cultures and varied ethnicities must function well together, working as a team to accomplish the goals and  represent the core values defined  by your organization. Purpose  Plans definition of diversity addresses much more than the standard cultural, ethnicity, gender and age considerations. To reach the pinnacle requires respect, understanding and appreciation of others unique characteristics.  High performing teams are a result of self awareness, successful exploration and understanding of personality types and work styles, implementation of organizational dynamics and leadership development. New Zealand can move beyond the cultural awareness of the other to exploring ways of being diverse through acceptance rather than resistance of difference. Leadership and diversity must include ways to assist us as New Zealanders in  social cohesion. It is much  more than good behavior, or tolerance, a sort of good behavior of silent suffering in public, or understanding which implies that if you learn enough it will mask our own  prejudices. No one is prejudice free.   Its about reaching into the very way we perceive our society and seeing that diversity is a part of it, rather than a resistance for its inclusion. Its about ensuring that we must become a participatory democracy for all. Good leadership includes teaching in a not very diverse country, the language, the words and phrases, to speak about our own prejudices, to critically analyze our assumptions and expectations about new migrants and refugees into this country. We need to see who makes up the in-out groups of our society. We need to get beyond the solution of employing one ethnic person to solve all the cultural issues of that group.   Working towards a deeper understanding of, or relationship with a community requires more than an expansion of thinking, or some creative thinking. It needs spaces at a number of different levels, each a site of conversation that will enable minority voices to be heard at the appropriate volume and representation.   It means looking not just at the gains of culturally diverse conversations, but at the organizational structure and determination to share resources. The Treaty of Waitangi The  Treaty of Waitangi  (Maori:  Trite o Waitangi) is a  treaty  first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the  British Crown  and various Maori  chiefs from the  North Island  of New Zealand. The Treaty established a British  Governor of New Zealand, recognized Maori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave the Maori the rights of British subjects. The English and  Maori  versions of the Treaty differed significantly, so there is no consensus as to exactly what was agreed to. From the British point of view, the Treaty gave Britain  sovereignty  over New Zealand, and gave the  Governor  the right to govern the country. Maori believed they ceded to the Crown a right of governance in return for protection, without giving up their authority to manage their own affairs.  After the initial signing at Waitangi, copies of the Treaty were taken around New Zealand and over the following months many other chiefs signed. In total there are nine copies of the Treaty of Waitangi including the original signed on 6 February 1840.  Around 500 chiefs, including at least 13 females, signed the Treaty of Waitangi Until the 1970s, the Treaty was generally ignored by both the courts and  parliament, although it was usually depicted in  New Zealand history  as a generous act on the part of the Crown.  Maori have looked to the Treaty for rights and remedies for land loss and unequal treatment by the state, with mixed  success. From the late 1960s Maori began drawing attention to breaches of the Treaty, and subsequent histories have emphasized problems with its translation. In 1975, the  Waitangi Tribunal  was established as a permanent  commission  of inquiry tasked with researching breaches of the Treaty by the Crown or its agents, and suggesting means of redress. Today it is generally considered the  founding document  of New Zealand as a nation. Despite this, the Treaty is often the subject of heated debate, and much disagreement by both Maori and non-Maori New Zealanders. Many Maori feel that the Crown did not fulfill its obligations under the Treaty, and have presented evidence of this before sittings of the Tribunal. Some non-Maori New Zealanders have suggested that Maori may be abusing the Treaty in order to claim special privileges. The Crown, in most cases, is not obliged to act on the recommendations of the Tribunal but nonetheless in many instances has accepted that it breached the Treaty and its principles.  Settlements  to date have consisted of hundreds of millions of dollars of reparations in  cash  and assets, as well as apologies. This is the better example for leader, when they working in an environment where they have to lead people from different cultures. New Zealand business leaders also ready to aware this type of cross cultural communications to avoid confusions and misunderstandings. (Brookfield F. , 1999) Bibliography Brookfield, F. (. (1999). Waitangi and Indigenous Rights. Auckland Univercity. Brookfield, F. (1999). republic.org. Retrieved from www.republic.org.nz/treatyofwaitangi http://www.anewnz.org.nz/vision.asp?id=137 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi http://www.logosnoesis.com/Leaders/Cultural_Awareness Essay 3 Influences on Leadership There can be no leadership without influence, because influencing is how leaders lead. In their classic book on leadership,  Leaders:   Strategies for Taking Charge, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus echo this point: There is a profound difference between management and leadership, they wrote, and both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in direction, course,  action, opinion.' They add that an  essential  factor in leadership is the capacity to influence. Leaders lead by mobilizing people around a compelling vision of the future, by inspiring them to follow in the leaders footsteps. They show people whats possible and motivate them to make those possibilities real. They energize and focus people in ways that fulfill their dreams, give them a sense of purpose, and leave them with a profound sense of accomplishment when the work is done. Leaders lead by modeling ways of thinking or acting and by encouraging new ways of looking at situations, and by so doing they give people the words and the courage to make those new ways their own. The best leaders are teachers, mentors, and role modelsand they accomplish the vast majority of their work through influence, not authority. In many cases, leaders and managers are one in the same. The division vice president who leads a team of people to accomplish what they might not have thought possible is also a manager. The manager who oversees a teams task performance but also looks after the team members career  planning  and coaches them on developing their skills is also a leader. The art of management and leadership is to know when to act as a manager and when to act as a leader, when to use authority and when to use influence, when to ask and when to tell, when to take over and when to let go. In every case, it is crucial for leaders and managers to understand the range of influence techniques they can use, know when and how to use them, build their power bases so that they have the capacity to be influential, and sharpen their skills so that they can influence people effectively. Business Leader: bill gates Bill Gates is cofounder, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft, the most successful software company in the world, renowned for making software that is powerful and innovative while still being user friendly. Microsoft now employs more than 55,000 people in 85 countries. William H Gates III commonly known as Bill Gates was born on 28th October 1955 and raised in Seattle along with his two sisters. Bill became interested in programming at an early age while attending one of Seattles most exclusive schools. Gates soon befriended a student named Paul Allen and together using the schools minicomputer they practiced their skills. They turned to a computing company, in exchange for  free  use of a more powerful computer they searched for bugs in the computers system while also learning new languages. Bill went on to Harvard University and while there teamed up with Paul to write a new version of Basic programming language for the first personnel computer the Altair 8800. The company was impressed with Gates and Allens work and licensed the software resulting in Gates and Allen forming the company Microsoft to develop software for other companies. Bill dropped out of Harvard to spend more time on the new business Influencing Factors:- Motivation He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your  intelligence,  you  can  achieve  anything.  From  childhood  Bill  was ambitious,  intelligent  and competitive.  These  qualities  helped  him  to attain top position in the profession he chose. VISIONARY Microsofts vision is A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer he will  continue to  stomp out the competition until he dies. Every business and household must have a computer and must run Microsoft software, was the basic guiding vision of Bill Gates. PASSION When as a student at the Harvard University, every single student would have wanted to be part of the great institute and graduate to be successful, Bill Gates decided to stop studying and pursue his dream of writing softwares for every computer in theworldHe  was  just  passionate  about  software,  coding  and  technology  thatincidentally also made him the richest man in the world INNOVATION Gates and Allen were assisted by a staff of six, which included four  programmers.  In  late  1977,  Gates  released  a  version  of  FORTRAN Technical Mind Bill Gates is born with a highly technical bent of mind. It is a gift of god to him. Microsoft has earned lots of success through this technical mind. He Had a Vision From day one, Gates dreamed of having a personal computer in every home, in every business and in every school. Throughout his career, he never once wavered from this dream. Focusing on software as the means to popularize the PC, Gates built his empire around this central vision and steered clear of all other distractions. And, the vision continues today.We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can  be, he says. He Had a Solid Team If we  werent still  hiring great people and pushing ahead at full  speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company, says Gates. From Microsofts inception, Gates prioritized his team, bringing in only trusted friends to help him  get the company started. As the company grew, he insisted that they hire only the most capable young minds and strove to create a small and creative environment for them to thrive in .Microsoft succeeded not only because of Gates, but also because of the strong  team  that  stood  behind  him. He Took a Long-Term Approach In the decade ahead I can predict that we will provide over twice the  productivity improvement that  we provided in the  90s, said Gates. This  bold statement captures Gates philosophy behind his entire business.  Never one to chase after instant success or an immediate pay-off, Gates  began  coding  software  with  a  view  to  the  next  fifty  years.  He  hasconstantly tried to keep his company at the forefront of new technologicaldevelopments  by  funding  new  research  initiatives.  Gates  long-termapproach helped ensure Microsofts remarkable staying power. He Learned  From Failure: In hindsight, Gates early failures seem so miniscule that they are almost laughable. But, as a struggling entrepreneur, he went through the same frustration, confusion and despair that others in his situation also face. What distinguishes Gates from the rest was his ability to rebound from his mistakes and take whatever lessons he could from them. He then  became even more resolute and determined to see his vision realize. He Never Stopped Asking Questions I  believe  that  through  our  natural  inventiveness,  creativity  andwillingness to solve tough problems, were going to make some amazingachievements,  said  Gates  speaking  to  the  future  possibilities  for  medicine, education and technology. When Gates faced a dilemma, he didnt stop and give up. He asked questions about what could be done tosolve  the  problem.  From  his  business  activities  to  his  philanthropicefforts, Gates curiosity and desire to constantly be learning has been one of the key factors behind his success.If Id had some set idea of a finish line, dont you think I would have crossed it years ago? asks Gates. Showing no signs of slowing down, Gates continues to fuel his business, inspire his workers and make his contribution to the global village.At Microsoft, there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that the yell come from the top, says Gates. Im afraid thats not quite right.While Gates has be en the famous face of Microsoft for over thirty years, it took the help of numerous other trusted individuals to help realize the companys success. When Allen and Gates first met as students at Lakeside, they instantly formed a strong bond over their passion for computers. And, it was a  bond that would last for the rest of their lives. Knowing each others strengths and weaknesses, interests and passions and having a strong sense of trust enabled these two entrepreneurs to form one of the most successful working relationships of the 20th century. Gates, recognizing the importance of a solid and trustworthy team, also  brought  on  two  former  high  school  friends,  Ric  Weiland  and  MarcMcDonald, to be part of the core Microsoft group. Gates knew that if  Microsoft was going to get its feet off the ground, it was going to take the hard work and sweat that he trusted few others to put in. From day one, he understood the importance of having a small team t hat could join together each persons enthusiasm around a common goal. When Gates moved the operation to Seattle in 1979, he had a staff of 16  people. As Microsoft grew, so too did the number of employees that thecompany  required.  Gates  continued  to  bring  in  trusted  friends  of  hiswhose  characters  he  understood  and  who  he  knew  he  could  trust,including his friend from college, Steve Ballmer, who was thereafter incharge  of  human  resources.  Steve  and  I  were  kind  of  driving  the  business and Paul and I were driving the technology, recalls Gates. Our  success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning.The move to Seattle proved to be a boon for Microsoft in that it enabled the company to have a much wider range of skilled candidates to choose from. In the world of software a lot of the brilliant ideas of Microsoft come from a broad set of great people weve been able to hir e, says Gates. In one  particularly key move, Ballmer  hired Charles Simonyi, one of the original founders of the Xerox Palo Alto research lab, whose knowledge about graphical interfaces made a significant contribution to Microsofts later graphical applications.  As  their  number  of  staff  began  increasing  into  the  thousands,  thecompany typically focused on hiring people right out of  school. Most of  our developers, we decided that we wanted them to come with clear  minds, not polluted by some other approach, to learn the way that we liked to develop software, and to put the kind of energy into it that we thought was key, recalls Gates. Microsoft continues to seek out only the best in order to help it stay ahead of its increasingly fierce competition. They key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people, says Gates. There is no way of  getting around, that in terms of IQ, youve got to be very elitist in picking  people wh o deserve to write software. Ninety-five percent of the people shouldnt write complex software.  By hiring the best  and the brightest and carrying out work in  small teams that stimulate free and creative thinking, Microsoft has managed to retain its competitive edge for over three decades.

Perfect, but not too Perfect :: essays research papers fc

PERFECT, BUT NOT TOO PERFECT Once in a village long, long ago, there was a home with a family inside of it. And in that family was a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, and a grandmother. In this village it rained all the time. More than London, or the Amazon or all the rainforests in the world combined. In this village also were a church, a store, a mill, and a monument for the chief: Jades Samoa. This wasn’t a village like in Africa or Cambodia, but a very nice village. The people wore amazing clothing. Better than any fashion brand today. The buildings wore made perfectly with smooth glass, smooth brick, and the smoothest wood. These buildings could withstand anything from a simple hurricane to a giant monsoon. The villagers drank the purest water and the finest wine. They were elegant, graceful, civilized, and always stood straight up. There were fantastic parties thrown every night and the people gathered and talked and laughed bout there lives. There beautiful and perfect lives. All the children were given the finest educations by the most brilliant adults; whom were smarter than Leonardo DaVinci and Albert Einstein would ever fathom to be. The streets were made of pure diamond and the lampposts of ivory. The cars never used any energy and never depreciated. They had plush seating made of soft leather. Every home was built according to the family, but every home was very large and spacious. They contained the finest furniture and the finest robotic staff that never became tired and always completed every demand made by their masters.

Punic Wars Essay -- essays research papers

Discuss the Roman Punic Wars, in terms of their circumstances and overall effect on Rome’s economic and social development Also discuss the ensuing â€Å"Gracchan turbulence† from the same perspective. The circumstance for the Roman Punic Wars towards Rome was a simple human reaction. If an outsider such as Italy, Carthage, or Greece make threats towards Rome, Rome will simply fight. The Punic Wars lasted in 3 stages, all resulting to the obsessive pride and higher standings of Rome. Rome’s initial desire of expansion was only for farming land. Romans believed like anyone else that victory brought them honor as well as a strong, political career. Rome strongly had their victory of Italy due to their military discipline. Cowards were not welcome in the Roman Army. If a Roman fled from his standings, or left his comrades to die, they would receive severe punishment from the generals worse than the enemy could give them. The confidence of Roman soldiers grew because they knew their comrades would assure their well being if anything is to happen. The opponents were usually barbaric and disorganized. Most often, the opponents would flee leaving their comrades to die. The discipline of the Roman army was formed throughout the Punic wars. Poet Virgil Maxim best referred Romans by the quote â€Å"Yield you not to ill fortune, but go against it with more daring.† Rome’s Military form helped their enemies become allies and eventually citizens dedicated to Rome. The ...

A Critique Of American Sandwich Essay

The whole article tells a true story that happened when the author was a little kid. The Author moved from Portugal to American along with his parents. With so special family background, the author aspire to American Sandwiches rather than thick sliced ham and vegetables wrapped with large loaf of bread. Actually, it reflects the expectations of author that could be a strong desire to touch American cultures and fit into American social circles. Throughout the articleï ¼Å'Edite Cunha utilize the conversation between his mother and him as well as the mental activities behaved by him to describe his vivid dream of owning the sunbeam bread. The frequent transform of the scenes are better to draw the attention of the readers to focus on the rhythm of the story. I think each person has undergone same experience during his or her early stage of life. Take mine experience as an example, I was born in a remote town of a small city, when I was 10 years old, I moved out of the small town to the central areas of the city. I begun to study with these â€Å"urban kids†Ã¯ ¼Å'it took a quite long period for me to get rid of the loneliness. Because we are wired to feel fear whenever we stepping into an unfamiliar environment, this is why I stick to face the question and become more positive. Currentlyï ¼Å'I am logging for the American lifestyle, observing and mimicking people surround me.

Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper – Controlled assessment Alan Milne ‘The police investigative methods were to blame for not capturing Jack the Ripper’. To what extent do you agree with this statement? I think that policing methods were to blame for jack the ripper not being caught because they were heavily influenced by the public, media and press this shows us that they were scared and intimidated by them and had to control them as riots may of broke out.Although I think they were to blame, people could argue that they weren’t as people believe that they tried everything with what little technology they had and other resources they had. The first reason why I think they were to blame is that they were heavily influenced by media, press and the public this meant that they had to take extra caution when taking in suspects (e. g. eather apron who was taken in by the police as the public were after him) as it could have been taken the wrong way and a public up rage could occur which would of made life harder for the police, as they were focusing all their attention on that which was a waste of their time, however they did try and tackle these problems by carrying out I. D parades, interviews and door to door methods but most of these were ineffective as they were held weeks after the murders, and because it was the norm to be drunk at the time people would often forget about the murders appearance, â€Å"only 65% of people doing I. D parades would remember the person†. Bloody Britain) Another tactic the police used was their own officers dressing up as women or using known prostitutes to act as decoys so they could catch the killer red handed, this may have worked if they carried on using it, but something that was a problem were the locations of the murders which were badly lit and Whitechapel was full of networks of small alleys, lanes, and streets which made it very easy for Jack to commit the murder and run away/ get away extremely quickly, th e police attempted to solve this problem and sent more police officers out a quote to support this is â€Å"They followed up every lead, however tenuous, they drafted in extra men who were to remain in Whitechapel on high alert† (Crime archive/Val Horsler) this suggests to me that they had an effective method but didn’t use it to their advantage as much as they could of done e. g. have police patrolling but others observing areas on streets corners making it another reason for them to be blamed another quote is â€Å"No-one could say that there wasn’t enough police patrolling the east end† (The star – Newspaper) there may have been a lot of officers but the location of the murders and the narrow lanes did not help them in any way as they just couldn’t cover the whole of Whitechapel.Evidence that the police found was often washed away or moved from the crime scene as they thought that it would cause public/social disorder this was a major fau lt for the police as it could have been the key to catching the killer or it could have helped them in their investigation, a quote to support this is â€Å"Today the whole crime scene would be cordoned off and the victim remained there until examined by forensics, whereas in the Whitechapel murders police believed that they should get the body, evidence away as it causes social disorder† (Definitive Jack – Richard Jones Historian) this stresses the point that the police could not have their own decisions and were very weak as it seems to us that the public controlled them. The police force was very weak as they didn’t use methods that had great potential to their advantages. Another reason is because people that they asked to examine the body doctors / surgeons they were giving the police conflicting information. â€Å"Police had conflicting information from coroners and doctors† (Jack the ripper) this made it extremely difficult for the police to progre ss as they didn’t have accurate information from one person, also technology was very poor so they couldn’t have a concrete way or decision of how one of the women died.Another reason why they were weak is because a lot of immigrants lived in London but didn’t speak English so police had more pressure on finding the killer but couldn’t get further as they couldn’t co-operate with anyone, on the other hand if they did have an interpreter not much co-operation would of occurred anyway as people were often drunk, violent and the public didn’t really like the police anyway so door to door and interviewing methods were poor as they didn’t co-operate. When the police had the chance of using blood hounds they should of kept using them as they were effective proven by the police today, but the public and media pressure swayed them to not use them as it was seen to be stupid and dangerous if the dogs were to attack an innocent person.Dogs in t he police force were not used for another 70 years, this could have helped them catch Jack or lead them to clues. If the police had access to fingerprinting and blood testing I think that jack would have been caught and the police would have had a better reputation from the public and media. In conclusion I think that the police were to blame because they couldn’t think for themselves and didn’t trust their own ideas and let the public, media and the press control their actions. Also if they didn’t move evidence from the crime scenes or bodies then I think that they could have caught Jack and if they would have trusted the dogs it could have helped them a lot more.

Petroleum and Investment Grade Rating

Petrolera Zuata, Petrozuata C. A. case study â€Å"La Apertura† (The Opening) †¢ Target: Orinoco Belt heavy/extra heavy oil accumulation (biggest known in the world) †¢ Key Strategy: Opening Venezuelan oil sector to foreign oil companies †¢ How: Profit sharing agreements, operating service agreements, strategic joint-venture associations †¢ Ownership: PDVSA or subsidiaries contribute10 years), fixed interest rates, fewer more flexible covenants, larger amounts. – Cons: fund must be raised in a lump sum.Excess funds create a drag on earnings (negative carry) †¢ Rule 144A market (private placement market): – Pros: Like public bonds + speed, underwritten within six months – Cons: only qualified investors can invest in them Conditions needed: hot markets and investment grade rating What kind of debt to choose? †¢ The sponsors should use 144A (private bonds) to fund the deal because of the important advantages and the significant d isadvantages which can arise by using the other debt kinds. Rule 144A has big advantage of time – Markets seem to be going in the right direction (Hot markets) – What else is needed?†¦ (on the next slide: Investment grade) Investment Grade Rating †¢ Agencies look at 3 main factors: sponsors’ creditworthiness, project’s economics and Venezuela’s sovereign risk. †¢ Problem: Venezuela’s rating: S&P â€Å"B† Moody’s â€Å"Ba2† †¢ Petrozuata is strictly connected with country’s risks because it is controlled by PDVSA which is Venezuela’s state oil company and operates in Venezuela †¢ If Venezuela defaults on its debt Petrozuata will default too unless†¦ Conoco Inc. is a subsidiary of DuPont which operates worldwide and has investment grade rating †¢ Investing in Petrozuata is indirectly investing in DuPont †¢ If you invest in Petrozuata your real investment is also in Vene zuela and DuPont †¢ Petrozuata project has a very good structure and business projections †¢ Same comparables with other oil companies operating in other countries and having investment rate grading †¢ Ras Laffan example of oil company having higher rating than the country in which it operates(Qatar) In order to obtain investment grading it is very important to have DuPont in the deal †¢ If rating agencies consider the fact that Petrozuata will repay its debt although Maraven defaults on its part of debt because DuPont wants to mantain its good reputation it might obtain an investment grading †¢ If Venezuela is strictly linked to Petrozuata and has a â€Å"B† then Petrozuata should have at least a â€Å"B† rating plus a considerable bonus because the risk is diversified into DuPont †¢ Project’s base case DSCR would probably have to exceed 1. 0X †¢ Break-even point low enough so the project can cover all operating and financing costs if oil prices fall substantially Is it a good deal? †¢ We would invest in project bonds as they will likely yield a higher return compared to the 21% cost of equity. Factors that need to be considered: †¢ Hierarchy of payments is good (referred to â€Å"Cash Waterfall†) †¢ Balance Sheet and Income statement suggest PDVSA and DuPont are supposed to be solid companies †¢ Oil prices are not that volatile; fluctuating but arresting around a price between $20 and $25 per barrel (suggested nominal break-even price in 2008 $8. 3 per barrel) †¢ Lower operating costs with respect to competitors (cash operating cost around $3. 19 against industry median at $8. 55) †¢ More than enough heavy crude oil reserves to sustain the planned production according DeGolyer & MacNoughton (U. S. based oil consulting firm) †¢ Project’s design in accordance with good industry practice; complying with Venezuelan and International environmental laws as stat ed by Stone & Webster Overseas Consultants, a U. S. ngineering and consulting firm What should Conoco take into account? †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ True problem is not very favorable business environment Theoretically, if all contracts are respected and hierarchy of payments holds, the only entities bearing risks are PDVSA and DuPont with their capital investment Banks and whoever invests in project bonds according to the hierarchy of payments should be a safe investor Uncertainty in government’s future actions could be very harmful.Remember that in January 1976 the Venezuelan government nationalized the domestic oil industry and the compensation package was only 20% of market value!!! (according to foreign oil companies). Lending to Petrozuata is indirectly investing in Venezuela’s business environment and doing business with the government as PDVSA is 100% government owned, which has a non-investment grading by rating agencies †¢ What should Conoco do? Take carefully in consideration what has been mentioned †¢ Make an in depth analysis on Venezuela’s macroeconomic issues †¢ Try to revise the â€Å"Off take agreement† to be sure of having the right to buy the 104,000 BPCD at the pre-fixed price †¢ If benefits exceed these further costs then consider equity investment †¢ Otherwise the best move would be to take some other entity in the deal to diversify risks even more †¢ Personally, we would be very cautious with investing equity capital as Conoco.