Five essays on introduction to leadership essays

Five essays on introduction to leadership essays Introduction to Leadership Essays This assignment is comprised of five essays based on the completion of self-assessments on (1) Self-Confidence, (2) Leader-Member Exchange, (3) Trust in Leadership, (4) Job Affect, and (5) Motivation to Lead. Self Confidence The purpose of this assessment is to assess a leaders generalized self-efficacy. A leaders job is a very complicated one and leaders need to have self-confidence to overcome this. To accomplish this, leaders should avoid thinking in terms of perfection and imperfection to overcome their fears. The leadership self-assessment was done to determine leadership styles and effectiveness. Many factors were taken into consideration in this self-assessment that allowed for positive and realistic perception regarding leadership abilities. The self-assessment was characterized by many factors, such as, how disciplined and effective a leader feels at completing their work on time; how well they handle difficult situations, and how secure they feel about their ability to perform. The score on this self-assessment ranged from a scale of one through seven, with one indicating that the statement is strongly disagreed upon, and seven indicating that the statement is in strong agreement. This assessment required that a score of six or greater must be achieved to be an effective leader. The highest score on this assessment was a seven. There were seventeen questions on this self-assessment. On the question of making plans work, I achieved a score of seven out of a total score of seven. When faced with difficult situations, a score of four was achieved out of a total of seven. On this self-assessment my overall score was a 5.3. According to the criteria set for this assessment and in interpreting the scores, it was identified that the one area that I need to improve upon is when handling difficult situations. This can be gained by having confidence in the skills required for the job, and achieving set goals related to the job. The score further shows that when I am faced with difficult situations that I need to overcome my fears. By overcoming my fears, it will help me to persist in times of crisis. Leaders must also have self-esteem to boost their morale and this comes from a feeling of being accepted and approved by team members and co-workers. As a leader, I need to display a positive image by being happy, and competent. Displaying these traits will make those around us approve and accept us as being a virtuous leader. These traits were among the seventeen questions in the self-assessment to identify whether leaders have strong generalized self-efficacy. The action plan that I have set to address needed growth and to improve on this situation, is to take stock of the present, address and focus on the future. I must make a commitment to starting this action plan and staying with it so that the needed growth can be realized. In preparing for this journey, I will take a look at what I have already achieved and make a list of all the things was accomplished successfully. Among some of the things I will list will be whether I was instrumental in getting a major project done; whether I was able to increase the sales level for the company in a given period; and whether a project deadline was accomplished. I will then review this list often and spend time each week enjoying the success that was achieved, so that improvements can be built to further the growth of this success. Another technique that I will use to address needed growth is to use the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. I will use this to analyze the opportunities and threats that I am being faced with. This will lead to think about what is important, and what direction to take. Once I have accomplished this, I will then set objectives to achieve the goals that I have set. By hitting on the targeted goals, and coupled building on my self-confidence, key factors in enhancing growth areas will eventually be achieved. The leadership self-assessment was very helpful in identifying areas that I to needed to improve upon since these areas directly relate to the role I play as a leader. Since every leader must know and trust their value, the interpretation of the scores on the self-assessment provides me with an awareness of my worth as a leader. This has helped me to become more aware and confident about the skills that are important when carrying out the function of my job as a leader for instead of speculating. The findings from the self-assessment will further help me in recognizing areas that need improvement to enhance leadership ability. Enhancing on my leadership abilities will help in sound planning, and decision making which will ultimately result in attaining strong leadership qualities. . Leader-Member Exchange The Leader-Member Exchange self-assessment is to determine leadership as a relationship between leader and follower. The purpose of this assessment was to determine a leaders fairness, trust, and ethical behavior, and to determine whether leadership mediates the relationship between past and future team performance. There were seven statements that were rated on a scale from one to seven with one indicating that the statement is strongly disagreed upon and seven indicating that it is in strong agreement. Pierce and Newstrom state: A high score of (6 and greater) suggests that you have a high-quality leader-member exchange relationship with your leader. A low score of (2 or less) suggests that you have a low-quality leader-member exchange relationship with your leader. (p. 31) On this assessment my overall score was a 6.5 on each of the seven statements. According to the criteria set for this assessment, the interpretation of my score of 6.5 shows that I have a high-quality leader-member relationship. This score has connected to key concepts that are presented in the text. For example, according to Wayne, Shore, and Liden (1997), Recent evidence suggests that followers who experience a high-quality leader-member exchange relationship may help their leader by carrying out their required role activities and by engaging in good citizenship behaviors (p. 92). I agree with this statement because due to the confidence and trust I have with my leader, when ask to go extra mile, it is accepted without hesitation. The action plan that I have set to address needed growth areas is to search for answers as to what makes me a unique employee in the organization, and identify any accomplishments that was achieved that I will be proud of. Reflecting on the most important work-related values, and figuring out values that are met, and those that are not, will help me improve on areas that need improvement. When building growth areas, by reflecting and finding answers to questions such as whether I am comfortable working with people, or alone, working with data, or technology will help me identify which mixture would be most satisfying to me and why. Taking a look a look at my performance review will also help in identifying and improving on areas that need to be strengthened. This will help enhance my growth areas because an employees performance is connected to a supervisors view on that person. To further enhance on my growth areas, asking good probing questions, and avoiding ones that give only yes, or no answers will assist, and allow the best way to gain a deeper understanding of what really matters to an employer. The findings on this self assessment, and based on the scores that were achieved, shows that I have a high quality leader-member exchange relationship. The lesson learned from this self-assessment show that part of leadership is observational learning done by the subordinates. Further findings show that it is important for leaders to demonstrate ethical values and conduct at all times. If given a leadership role, I will definitely use this self-assessment to help identify areas that I need to improve upon. One of the advantages of being a good a leader is display confidence, and this can be achieved by having experience in the role you play. Applying the action plan that is set above for the improvement of leadership growth areas seems realistic based on the interpretation of the scores that were achieved on this self-assessment, and based on the findings. As part of my job responsibilities, I have to liaison with staff members on a daily basis by giving them instructions. The action plan that is outlined here will help address needed growth areas, and the findings will be used in a constructive way to improve on my leadership skills. Trust in Leadership: This self-assessment was created for the purpose of evaluating trust in leadership and team performance. This assessment consisted of nine questions that were based on the evaluation of the team leader. The questions were graded on a scale from one through seven with one reflecting that there is strong disagreement with the statement and seven indicating strong agreement. Achieving a score of six and above on this assessment reflects a high level of trust in leadership and team performance. Achieving a sore of two or less indicates a very low level of trust. On this assessment I achieved a score of eight. The interpretation of this score shows that there is a high level of trust in the leader. This score further shows that when it comes to acceptance of the leaders activities, goals, and decisions, that I will support and accept them without uncertainty. The specific plan of action that needs to be addressed to improve on my growth areas will be to become and more effective employee by gaining the trust of those around me. Since effectfive work groups are based on trust, I will work toward strengthening on this area. To accomplish this, I will first identify, and enhance on the responsibilities of my present position. Once this is clearly identified, I will use focus groups, interviews, etc., and then set short-term and long-term goals in achieving my objectives. These objectives will be set for, and focused on the improvement of trust, and team performance. The enhancement of growth areas based on the interpretation of the scores will be used to further improve on my leadership skills. The findings on this self-assessment will also help in making things happen. As a leader, one must be confident, know the job, be a role model to your team and most of all get the job done. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and being a team player, are important attributes to building trust, and having the best team. Job Affect This self-assessment measures an employees mood at work. The purpose of this self-assessment is to determine how employees felt during the past week while on the job. Pierce and Newstrom state: Mood at work, as assessed here is a state-based condition. As a state-based condition, people can express different moods, depending upon the state to which they are exposed. Mood can, however, be relatively stable across emotional states (situations) and across time. (p. 71) This self-assessment was graded on a scale from one to five with five indicating agreement with the statement and one signifying not in agreement. On this self- assessment, I achieved a score of four. Achieving a score of four and above on this assessment shows a high level of affect. A score of 2 and under indicates a low level of affect. The score that was achieved and its interpretation have given me an indication about my mood at work. This assessment also shows the various type of mood an employee display at their place of employment, and at the same time taking into consideration the environment to which they are exposed. Pierce and Newstrom state: It has been noted that some people have a sunny disposition seeing the glass as almost full as opposed to almost empty. Others nearly always appear gloomy. Affectively (to be distinguished from affect as measure by this instrument) especially reflects an individuals pervasive mood. Negative affectivity and high negative affectivity reflect negative emotionality. Those people are distressed, scornful, hostile, fearful, nervous, and jittery. Positive affectivity and high positive affectivity reflect positive emotionality. These individuals tend to feel active, excited, enthusiastic, peppy, and strong. (p. 71) These scores have helped me in figuring out why I act the way I do at work. Being a positive person, always excited to take on new responsibilities, and a team player, this self-assessment has proven to me that I have the qualities that are needed to becoming good leader. The action plan that I have set for addressing needed growth areas will be centered on becoming more assertive and compliant. Since these traits are important when making decisions, improvement in these areas will enhance my ability to perform more productively as a leader. To enhance growth areas, action needs to be taken to gain a thorough knowledge about the company and other technical matters to create suitable strategies. Once these strategies are identified, correct decisions can then be made when solving problems. This can be developed through training and experience. As a leader having confidence, being optimistic, and competent in what you do, shows that you have the drive and energy to motivate others resulting in a productive work group. This will change your employees mood so they will feel active, excited, and show enthusiasm when carrying out their duties. The job affect self-assessment will help and can be used to improve my leadership growth in such areas as traits, skills, and behavior. It was identified when interpreting and evaluating my scores that the needed traits corresponding to my leadership role must be implemented and nurtured to be a successful leader. We live in an environment that is constantly changing, and being a good leader is essential to keep up with todays competitive environment. The findings on the job affect self-assessment will be used to strengthen my skills, and behavior. This will help me to better understand how they work together to benefit the companys needs and to inspire team members. Specific training and development is needed to enhance my leadership ability to effectively deal with the challenges being faced, both competitively and economically. This will ultimately lead to the enhancement of overall business performance because I will have the ability to inspire and engage team members. Motivation to Lead This self-assessment is centered on a Leaders motivation to lead. There were 27 statements that focused on whether a leader is influential, and has the ability, and motivation to become a good leader. According to Kirpatick and Locke (1991): Leadership motivation involves the desire to influence and lead others, and is often equated with the need for power. People with high leadership motivation think a lot about influencing other people, winning an argument, or being the greater authority. They prefer to be in a leadership rather than subordinate roleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (p. 48) On this assessment, achieving a score of six and above on each of the three motivations to lead dimensions, shows that the leader has strong motivation. Achieving a score of two or less shows weakness in leadership ability based on the specified factor. The highest score is a 7 and the lowest a one. I scored a 4.6 on the affective identify-based motivation. On the non-calculative-based motivation, a score of 4 was achieved, and a score of 4.8 was obtained on social normative based motivation. An average score of 4.5 was achieved on this assessment indicating that I have the traits necessary to become a leader. According to Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦traits do matter. Six traits on which leaders differ from non-leaders include drive, the desire to lead, honesty/integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability and knowledge of the business. (p. 48) The interpretation of the scores shows that having these traits are important preconditions and the potential to be an effective leader. Although these traits are accounted for a small portion of the criterion variance, they are an important part of the whole picture. These traits must fit the leaders situation. Specific action plan that are needed to address growth areas in motivating a leader, and key traits that need strengthening were identified in this self-evaluation. For example, it was identified that having a desire to lead, and having a good knowledge of the business are important traits that need to be strengthened. Other possible characteristics that should be considered for improvement will be creativity, originality, flexibility, and adaptiveness. Knowledge of the industry, and aspects of self-confidence can be developed through experience and training. While honesty is important, it does not require skill-building because it is a virtue that one achieves or rejects by choice. A leaders trait is important and it must fit the situation. For instance, a strong relationship between intelligence and leadership exists because a person does not emerge as a leader simply by possessing key leadership traits. Being proactive is essential for a leader because they must make choices and take action that will lead to change instead of reacting to events or waiting for things to happen. Leaders must show a high level of initiative. In conclusion, the five assessments discussed in this paper were very helpful to me, and I believe should be used as a measure to determine whether a person has the right personality, and qualities to fit the required leadership role. to becoming a good leader. .

Major Educational Challenges Assessment for Kenya Education System Essay

With a total population of over 43 million, Kenya is the biggest and most advanced economy in the east and central Africa. It is well-known for its natural resource and the vast variety of wildlife, which contribute a large proportion to Kenya’s GDP in agricultural and service sectors. It’s prosperous capital Nairobi is also given the name â€Å"East African Paris†. But behind the misleading impression of affluence left by a minority of urban population, Kenya is still a poor developing country with half of the population living in total poverty. Even though with a GINI index of 42. which is only medium, the economic status inequality of Kenyans is relatively high: The rich has a condo with four private cars and two maids while the poor in shabby clothes are living in slums just two miles away. The economy of the country also leads to problems in the education sector in Kenya. The objectives of this memo is to identify three most important issues that may be challenges for Kenyan Government and Kenyan education sector, and come up with potential solutions and strategies to address them. 1, Educational inequality between urban and rural areas There’s been a significant educational inequality between urban and rural Kenya. From the data provided by â€Å"Exploring Kenyan Education† site, School Location Density (2007), most schools distributes around big cities in the southern and southwestern Kenya where the majority of the population lives in. These cities includes Nairobi the Capital, Nakuru, Kericho, Kisumu, Eldoret, Kakamega, Meru and Mombasa. Since the school density does not show any problems because it follows the demography theory, but the enrollment rate and the educational investment may tell a part of the story. In big cities like Nairobi, the gross enrollment rate of primary education is as high as 103% and the net enrollment rate is 91% (2009). But as of northeastern and northwestern Kenya the ratio is as low as 35% or even 25%. Even though the primary education is free and uniform in Kenya, there are still extra costs. One that blocks the way of education for children is the school uniform. Students drop out of schools simply because they don’t have school uniform, the situation is even worse in those tribe territories and extreme poor areas. The school uniform costs almost a thousand Ksh that many families cannot afford. Even though there has been official regulation noting that no student ought to be turned away for not having uniform, uniform is such an ineradicable â€Å"culture† in Kenya schools that either schools or parents keep students away from school for not having schools uniforms. Lacking of resources becomes another. Lacking of sufficient textbooks and necessary stationaries makes students in rural areas hard to study. Students normally depend on what their teachers can provide to them and most of the time a textbook is shared by two plus students. Even there are articles saying lacking of teachers is another problem, but according to the data by Kenya Open Data, the Pupil-Teacher Ratio in rural areas is not significantly higher than that is in developed area) -Possible solutions Providing free school uniforms targeting economically challenged students (application by student or their parents). Education ministry should also take responsibility to make sure every single student can have the textbooks they need. Unified and organized studying necessities delivery should be arranged at the start of each semester. 2, Primary-to Secondary Bottleneck The primary education in Kenya is free and an average of over 90% of eligible school-age children are enrolled into primary schools, but the net enrollment rate only ranges from 3%-50%, that means even in the best conditioned area, nearly half of the students quit studying at the age of 15. Tuition Fees remains the largest barrier for going secondary school. Data shows that a primary student cost around 3,000 Ksh (32 USD) per household per year (2005), but surges to 25,000 Ksh (270 USD) for secondary education, which accounts for more than half of Annual income per household. Despite government subsidies for secondary schools, some national and top provincial schools charge fees as high as 73,600 Ksh for one year. Such excessive education expense may be totally fine for students from privileged families, but for kids from middle class or poor families who fight all the way to those schools, that becomes a disaster. The other factor that creates the bottleneck is the poor education quality in most of the public primary schools. Primary school students need to reach over 250 points in KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) to be qualified to continue secondary education. There are better teachers teaching in private schools and students are receiving â€Å"elite† education. 77 percent of private primary school students (2007) score over 250 compared to only 45 percent among public school students. This really reveals the poor teaching quality which fails students in public schools, thus most economic privileged families send their children to private schools. -Possible solutions: More government subsidies – Though the secondary education receives governmental subsidies, more subsidies are needed to help those students with economical difficulties. Document students who need tuition aid and set up foundation targeting those students. Thus the resource can be concentrated to those in need. Further more, more money should be invested for better teachers, better infrastructures in public schools. Strengthen subsidy usage supervision – Kenyan Ministry of Education spends more than 10,000Ksh per secondary student annually. This amount of money is controlled by schools instead of directly by the students, and the tuition gets even higher each year. Many secondary schools charges suggested annual tuition standard by MOE for only one semester, and most of them cannot explain the subsidies usage. Having government nominated supervisor sent to schools regularly to make sure the subsidies are in proper use would be a potential solution. Heath problems that contribute to the dropout and poor education quality Health problem has been a huge challenge for students in Kenya and the country’s heath system has been always in a difficult time trying to provide accessible heath care for its population. Poor nutrition, underweight, intestinal worms, malaria, HIV, unexpected early pregnancies, etc. have greatly influenced students’ academic performance. In some areas such as Naivasha and Thika, own illness/disability becomes the biggest reason for not attending school. The ratio may be as high as over 70% and some time reaches over 90%. Also, early pregnancy is also a main contributor to the high dropout rate among girls. -Possible solution School heath program: a school based heath system should be set up to secure students’ health condition. Since families may not be able to provide enough food supply especially for those poor families, government should help schools provide at least one meal per day to ensure students’ nutrition supplement. Also, 3. 6 million children were dewormed in 2009 and continuing implementing deworming program has been proved to be an effective way to increase attendance. Then schools should also take responsibilities for sex knowledge education which most children could not receive at home.

GLO-BUS: Developing Winning Competitive Strategies

GLO-BUS Developing Winning Competitive Strategies Welcome to GLO-BUS. You and your co-managers are taking over the operation of a digital camera company that is in a neck-and-neck race for global market leadership, competing against rival digital camera companies. All digital camera makers presently have the same worldwide market share, although shares vary by company across the four market regions – Europe-Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and North America. Currently, your company is selling close to 800,000 entry level cameras and 200,000 multi-featured cameras annually.Prior year revenues were $206 million and net earnings were $20 million, equal to $2. 00 per share of common stock. The company is in sound financial condition, is performing well, and its products are well regarded by digital camera users. Your company’s board of directors has charged you and your co-managers with developing a winning competitive, marketing strategy, one that capitalizes on growin g consumer interest in digital cameras, keeps the company on the ranks of the industry leaders, and boosts the company’s earnings year after year.Some Background Information Your company began operations five years ago and maintains its headquarters in Lisle, Illinos,USA. It assembles all of its cameras at a modern facility in Ha Noi, Vietnam and ships them directly to cameras retailers (multi-store chains that sell electronics products, local camera shops, and online electronics firms) located in Europe-Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and North America.The company maintains regional sales offices in Milan, Italy; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Toronto, Canada to handle the company’s sales and promotion efforts in each geographic region and help support the merchandising efforts of area retailers who stock the company’s brand. Retailers endeavor to maintain ample inventories of camera models in their own stores and warehouses to satisfy shopper demand. S easonal Production and Seasonal Demand. Camera demand is seasonal with about 20 percent of consumer demand coming in each of the first three quarters of each calendar year and 40 percent coming during the fourth quarter holiday season.Retailers place orders for digital cameras roughly 90 days in advance of expected sales, so as to have ample numbers on hand to satisfy camera buyer demand in the upcoming quarter. Thus, during Quarter 1 they place orders for the cameras they expect to sell in Quarter 2; during Quarter 2 they place orders for the cameras they expect to sell in Quarter 3, during Quarter 3, they place orders for the cameras they expect to sell in the peak holiday season fourth quarter; and in Quarter 4 they order the number of cameras they expect to sell in Quarter 1 of the following year.Assembly and Shipping. The company has a staff of people engaged in new product R&D, engineering, and design; this group has the capability to develop new and improved camera models as directed by top management. Once co-managers settle on the desired specifications and performance features for the company’s line-up of camera models, the needed parts and components are obtained from suppliers having the capabilities to make deliveries to the company’s Ha Noi assembly plant on a just-in-time basis.Cameras are assembled by four-person product assembly teams at well equipped workstations. Shipping department personnel ready retailer’s orders for shipment and stack them on the loading dock for pickup by independent freight carriers. The cameras are delivered anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks later, depending on a retailer’s location and the means of transportation. The cost of boxing the cameras, packaging them for shipment, and freight averages $3 per camera. Many countries have import duties on cameras.Import duties in each of the four geographic regions currently average $5 for entry-level cameras and $10 for multi-featured cameras. Import duties are subject to change in upcoming years. Competitive Efforts. To capitalize on advances in digital technology and keep its cameras appealing to consumers, the company from-time-to-time introduces new and improved models, adds performance features, restyles its camera bodies or housings, and upgrades the internal camera software.Aside from company efforts to make its cameras lines appealing and competitive with those of rival companies, the company’s sales volume and standing in the marketplace is affected by the prices at which it sells its cameras to retail dealers, advertising expenditures, the number of retail dealers it is able to attract to carry its brand, the number and length of quarterly promotions, the size of the price discounts offered to retailers during these promotions, the length of the warranty periods on its cameras, brand image and reputation, and the caliber of the technical support provided to its digital camera users.Stock Listings. The companyâ €™s stock is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange in the United States and on several other stock exchanges. The closing price in Year 5 was $30 per share. The company’s financial statements are prepared in accord with generally accepted accounting principles and are reported in U. S. dollars. The company’s financial accounting is in accord with the rules and regulations of all authorities where its stock is traded.The World Market for Digital Cameras The industry your company competes in consists of 4 companies. All companies are on an equal footing from a global perspective, but there is one essential difference in the competitive positions of the rival companies – the percentage of cameras being sold in the four geographic regions (Europe-Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and North America) are not identical from company-to-company as follows:Percentages of Company Sales Volume in (unit sales) North America Europe-Africa Asia-Pacific Latin America Yo ur Company 40% 30% 20% 10% Competitor A 10% 40% 30% 20% Competitor B 20% 10% 40% 30% Competitor C 30% 20% 10% 40%In effect, each company presently has a strong market position in one region, intermediate market positions in two regions, and a weak market position in one region. So there are market share differences among the companies in the industry within each geographic region of the world camera market. In upcoming years, company managers can undertake actions to alter their sales and market shares in all regions, opting to increase sales and share in some and to decrease sales and share in others. Market Growth.The global market for digital cameras is projected to grow 8-10% annually for the next five years (Years 6-10) and then to grow at a slower 4-6% annual rate during the following five years (Years 11-15). These projected growth rates apply to all four geographic regions and to both entry-level and multi-featured cameras. However, in any one year, the growth rate in each r egion can deviate from the 9% average for Years 6-10 and the 5% average for Years 11-15 by as much as 1% in either direction, with different size deviations for each region. The same goes for the projected growth rates for entry-level and multi-featured digital cameras.Hence, there is an element of uncertainty surrounding just where within the 8-10% range and the 4-6% range the growth rate for a particular year will actually fall, for either a given geographic region or a particular type of camera. Ratings of Digital Camera Performance and Quality. The World Digital Camera Federation, a well respected affiliation of camera industry trade groups and camera experts, tests the performance and quality of the camera models of all competitors and assigns a performance-quality or P/Q rating of 1 to 5 stars to each company’s entry-level camera line and multi-featured camera line.Currently, both the entry-level and multi-featured camera lines of all competitors have a 3 star P/Q ratin g. Spirited competition among rivals is, however, likely to result in different P/Q ratings in the forthcoming years. Digital Camera Retailers. Worldwide, there are some 50,000 retailers of digital cameras scattered across the world; each of the four major geographic regions of the world market has 12,500 retailers, some of which are multi-store retail chains (100 per region), online electronic retailers (400 per region), and local camera shops (12,000 per region).Retailers with store locations that also sell cameras on their websites are not included in the online category. Multi-store chains account for the biggest percentage of entry-level camera sales, with online retailers second; local camera shops account for the biggest share of multi-featured digital camera sales, with online retailers second. Retail markups over the wholesale prices of digital camera makers run 50% to 100%; thus an entry-level digital camera wholesaling for $160 could retail for $300 or more and a multi-fe atured camera wholesaling for $360 might carry a retail list price of $700.Such markups give retailers the latitude to put digital cameras on sale from time-to-time at 10% to 20% off regular price and still make a decent profit margin. Retailers typically carry anywhere from 2-4 brands of digital cameras and stock only certain models of the brands they do carry, but in all four geographic markets there are around 20 ‘full-line’ camera retailers that stock most all brands and models. Chain store retailers are drawn to carry the best selling brands and mainly stock entry-level cameras.The makers of weak selling camera brands have difficulty convincing major retail chains to devote display space to their models. Local camera shops and online retailers are, however, more amenable to stocking and promoting low-volume brands, especially those with above average P/Q ratings and respected brand images. Local camera shops and online electronics retailers devote much of their mer chandising effort to multi-featured digital cameras because of their bigger profit margins.In the multi-featured camera segment, local camera shops enjoy an advantage over online retailers because many multi-featured camera shoppers prefer to â€Å"touch and try out† the functioning of the multi-featured cameras they are considering and seek out the opinions of camera savvy personnel in local camera shops before finalizing their purchase. In choosing which brands of multi-featured cameras to carry and feature in their local ads, local camera shop owners put a fairly heavy weight on P/Q ratings, warranties, brand image, and the number, length, and price discounts of manufactures’ promotional discounts.Online retailers use essentially the same criteria in deciding which multi-featured camera brands to give top-billing and search priority on their websites. Digital Camera Buyers. Digital camera shoppers are generally quite knowledgeable; many do extensive Internet researc h to educate themselves about the features, performance, and prices of competing digital camera brands and models. The World Digital Camera Federation’s much publicized P/Q atings are trusted by camera shoppers; its frequently visited website has detailed information concerning the results of its performance tests and the basis for its P/Q ratings of each camera brand. Both camera makers and online electronics retailers have extensive information on their websites about currently available models. Numerous websites and publications review new and improved camera models as they are introduced by manufactures.The buyers of entry-level digital cameras are considerably more price sensitive than multi-featured camera buyers and many do comparison shopping on price in selecting which brand to purchase. The purchasers of multi-featured cameras are much more particular about camera performance and picture quality. Many price sensitive consumers shopping for their first digital camera are inclined to wait to make a purchase until electronic retailers have special sales promotions and offer entry-level camera models at sizable discounts off the regular retail price.It is common for camera retailers to also have special sales promotions for overstocked multi-featured models. The Competitive Factors That Drive Market Share Competition among rival camera makers centers around 11 sales determining factors: – How each company’s wholesale selling price (for both entry-level and multi-featured cameras) compares against the corresponding industry-wide average price in each geographic region. – P/Q ratings. – The number of special promotions each quarter. – The length of the special quarterly promotions (in weeks). The size of the discounts off the regular wholesale price during these promotions. – Advertising expenditures. – Product selection, as measured by the number of models in each line of cameras (entry-level and mul ti-featured). – The number of retailers carrying the company’s brand. – The length of the manufacturer’s warranty period. – The ease with which users of a company’s digital cameras can obtain responsive technical support when they encounter difficulties. – Brand reputation among buyers and retailers.With these 11 competitive determinants of sales and market share in play in each camera segment in each geographic region, you and your co-managers have many options for crafting a strategy capable of producing good profits and return on investment and keeping your company in contention for global market leadership. For example, you can – Employ a low-cost leadership strategy and pursue a competitive advantage keyed to having lower costs and selling your digital cameras at lower prices than rivals. Employ a differentiation strategy that sets your company’s digital cameras apart from rival brands based on such attributes as a higher P/Q rating, more models/styles to select from, and such marketing attributes as more advertising, longer warranties, more promotions, better technical support for owners of your digital cameras, or a bigger network of retail outlets carrying the company’s brand. – Employ a more value for the money strategy (providing 4-star digital cameras at lower prices than other 4-star brands) where your competitive advantage is an ability to incorporate appealing attributes at a lower cost than rivals. Focus your strategic efforts on being the clear market leader in either entry-level or multi-featured cameras. – Focus your company’s competitive efforts on gaining sales and market share in those geographic markets where your company already has high sales and deemphasize sales in those areas where your company has a comparably low market share or where profit margins are relatively low. – Pursue essentially the same strategy worldwide or else have regio nal strategies tailored to match the differing competitive conditions and actions in North America, Europe-Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Focus your company’s competitive efforts on those regional markets where sales are highest or most profitable and either deemphasize or withdraw from one or more geographic areas where market share is low and/or profit margins are small. Thinking Strategically: The Importance of Trying to Out-Maneuver Rivals Making Decisions. The following areas should be the basis of your decision making process. They are as follows: Product Design Marketing Assembly Compensation, Training, and Labor Force Special Order Bids Social Responsibility and CitizenshipFinance What Your Board of Directors Expects. The Board of Directors has given you and your co-managers broad strategy-making and operating authority to pursue the achievement of performance objectives, subject to two primary constraints: (1) Your company may not merge with another company ; the Board wishes the company to remain independent. And (2), company co-managers are expected to comply fully with all legal and regulatory requirements and to conduct the company’s business in an ethical manner. Good Luck. R. G. Revers PhD

The Issue Of Education And Funding Over Public Education

In today’s society, we realize the importance of education and how it will benefit all to have an adequate education that will give the best opportunities. However, individual states have jurisdictions over the curriculum and funding over the public education. This means that California students may have a higher academic standing than Utah. The 14th Amendment and other various versions have brought upon the issue of equal, free and adequate education Yet, it has been denied several times because it is not federal jurisdiction and they has no power in this issue. The main reason the Amendment is being denied because of the definition of what is a citizen. Is someone a citizen because they were born in the U.S.A. or moving to U.S.A. and†¦show more content†¦The significant change made in society is the need for all to be educated to further himself in the labour force. In society of today we realized that the need of education is leading to the benefit of the country. Many Congressmen, organizations and President Obama have made remarks on the account of the education being a fundamental right. The humanitarian side of society have seen how children in third world countries cannot get adequate education. Once upon looking it has become clear that in U.S. itself does not practice the right. Having this knowledge made it clear that society needs education. The necessity of the right to education is the labour force is demanding for those to be educated by the post-secondary school system. Enable to enroll in post-secondary one must complete elementary and secondary education to have adequate knowledge to excel in the post secondary. Regarding the issue upon illegal immigrants who can be considered citizen under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program children who are enrolled in school and have certain qualifications can be considered as citizens. Lastly, it is evident in everyday life that those who have wealth in the communi ties will have greater opportunities compared to who live in poor communities. Most think it is unfair for those who do not have the financial stability to suffer in the terms of education. The American dream of being free is not being carried out because one cannot be