Macroenvironment Challenges Of Swatch Group Essay Example

Macroenvironment Challenges Of Swatch Group Essay Example Macroenvironment Challenges Of Swatch Group Paper Macroenvironment Challenges Of Swatch Group Paper Contemporary organizations face changes everyday, including structural change and management change (Bestial Jargon 2014). Gerber (2013) discussed that change in the workplace is unavoidable and it should be embraced by the managers to ensure the transition process is smooth. The change is sometimes attributed to the general environment which defined as a relatively distant environment and it consists of elements such as technological and demographic that influent an organization indirectly (Laureate Florin, 2012). Since the environmental forces impact the organization significantly, the structural and technical change cannot be obtained with closed system (Danish, Minor, Karakas, Jabber Unwary, 2014). Along With the changes of general environment, managers roles have been changed. According to Integer (1 975), managers roles can be distinguished into ten basic roles which mainly classified under interpersonal, informational and decision roles (SICKLINESS, 2007). Since there will be constant changes in the general environment, the managers should be able to perform more roles and being more flexible (Pence, 2001 cited in ICELINKS, 2007). Swatch Group Ltd is a worldwide organization active in watching industry. It consists of 18 well-known watch brands such as Omega and Swatch and nearly all the watch components required by the brands supplied by the Group (Lorena, 2014). Besides, most of the third- party watchmakers of the world demand for its watch movements and components. Its headquartered located in Bill, Switzerland and 33590 employees work for it as of December 31, 2013. The purpose of writing this essay is to analyses the two general environment factors that influent the operation of Swatch Group and to discuss to which extent the work of managers would be impacted. Economic condition and technological notation are the two factors that will be discussed and the theories that will be applied are Henry Payolas Management Functions which consists of planning, organizing, controlling and leading, Roberto L. Stats Management Skills which are conceptual skills, human skills and technical skills, Payolas General Administrative Theory which consists of 14 points, as well as Henry Integers Management Roles . As Swatch Group is globalizes, it has to work with the complex and dynamic global business environment, in other terms, open system under systems approach (Anthrax Inkers, 2013). Economic condition is one of the general environments that affects the operation of the Group, for example, fluctuation of currency exchange. Since it operates its business over the globe, revenues repatriated from overseas have to convert to Swiss Franc currency. Therefore, the groups profit could be negatively affected by fluctuations of currencies against Swiss Franc like the US Dollar and the China Rene Min Bi (The Swatch Group Ltd SOOT Analysis, 2014). Throughout the first half year of 2014, 188 million Francs are shaved from the Groups gross sales because of the extremely adverse exchange rate situation (Lorena, 2014). By comparing the annual financial report of 2007 to 2014 of the Group, the gross sales increase consistently but the currency exchange rate of Swiss Francs display a very unstable rate, especially in 2011 that has an -10. 8% exchange rate. Furthermore, the group also concerns about economic recession. When there is economic recession, peoples confidence level will be lower since they have less purchasing power (Abraham, Greenness Mould, 1998). According to The Conference Board (2014) and Housing Industry Association Ltd (2014), most of the countries has achieved a peak consumer confidence level (ICP) in the year 2007 but has clines significantly since that. When people purchase less, apparently the revenue that Swatch Group can generate is lesser. Moreover, metals and plastics, as the main raw materials of a watch, are having a extremely high market prices in recent years and which ultimately leading to a high production cost and low margin of profit for Swatch Group especially Swatch since it uses plastic as the straps of watches (Essays, 2013). Conversely, when the economy is good, peoples spending on luxury range of watches will increase. For example, the gross sales of the Group have a dramatic increase n 2012 and 2013 since the ICP has recovered (Cowcatchers. Com, 2014). To raise awareness of the fluctuation of currency, top line managers of the Group performed resource locator roles by approving a significant decision which required the production line to create a plastic watch featuring with sass bank note to all the pressure groups, mainly the stakeholders (Revile, 2014). Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nick Hayes showed his figurehead and spokesperson roles by suggesting that Swiss National Banks governing bank should carry out some actions to strengthen their currency Revile, 2014). During economic recession, top line managers of Swatch Group have engaged in planning by setting the strategy of concentrating on lower-end. Since the consumers will more tempted to buy products that are relatively low in price, the decision of differentiating and dividing products with a pricing strategy is made. For example, basic range like Swatch and luxury range like Omega. Different brands target on different classes by ingratiating their favor and setting an affordable price. They also engage in organizing which including market surveys that need to be constructed in order to analyses which age group they should target on and what is their common preferences. Middle line managers on the other hand should convey the accurate message of the board to the first-line managers so that they can manage the manufacturing process and the retail sales. The sales during the economic downturn period can also be stimulated by further increasing the visibility of the brands. One of the actions that the Group has taken is that they have sponsored plenty of sporting events. For instance, top line managers of the headquarters played the role of spokesperson and figurehead by signing agreement with International Olympic Committee to become Olympic Partners sponsor and official timekeeper of the game (Themselves, 2002). On the other hand, the marketing managers, as the middle line managers control and manage the details of the events. Human skills are very important for them as the corporation with other departments and the Committee are unavoidable. They should able to communicate, lead and inspire enthusiasm. Meanwhile, to ensure that the timers are functioned properly, technical skills are inevitable and the first-line mangers have to respond to any situation changes, which comply with situational approach (Magmata Susquehanna, 2009). Secondly, technological condition also influent the Groups operation. Swatch Group is challenged by schismatic, which is highly focused when Pebble launched its kick-starter campaign in 2012 (Destroyers, 2013). Although the weaknesses of smart watch like highly dependent on smartened have not been overcame, Samsung Galaxy Gear watch has dominated 78 percent of 96 million revenue gained in schismatic market of US (Roar, 2014). This promising sales figures may be a threat for Swatch Group in a long run, especially when the schismatic passes the chasm of technology by having a better functionality. Based on a market research that took a sample size of 2577 adults in US, 63% of echo boomers, who are those who aged between 18 to 35 years old has slightly interested in owning a schismatic (Shannon- Missal, 2013). Besides, since the counterfeit watches are much cheaper and kick alike as the original watch, they occupy a huge market share. What make the situation worse is the people who wants to buy original but unintentionally buy a counterfeit watch. In a long run, peoples loyalty towards the branded products will loss and brands reputations will be damaged. In response to the new era, top line managers of the Group perform their inception skills as they made a decision to corporate with Microsoft in laughing a schismatic called Paparazzi ten years ago. Although the schismatic did not bring the expected succeed, both Research and Development departments showed their proficiency in technical skills. Moreover, the PR and marketing managers are the bridge to connect both organizations and hence human skills which used to build cooperative effort become extremely important. Meanwhile, Hayes does not agree with the says that schismatic is a threat to them, instead, he is very confident that it is a hence for them to convince people who willing to wear a schismatic try on their products (Kilowatt Potter, 2014). He did played his job well in the aspect of representing the Groups information and thought to the media, whether in another term, spokesperson. Moreover, as a leader, he has motivated and gave a clear direction to the employees during the time when the employees are worried about the future of the company due to the presence of schismatic. Although the technology advance has brought many challenges to Swatch Group, it can also treated as an opportunity. Since there are people who enjoy online-shopping nowadays, a new platform, e-commerce have been introduced to reduce the chance loss. The main jobs of e-commerce developers are to ensure that the e-business of the group are operated smoothly, the users and technical documents are established, which perfectly interpret the responsibilities of first-line manager, thus the proficiency in relative technical skills is strongly required (Swatch Group, 2014). The corporation of many departments including marketing department and IT department are required since the head of the departments, also known as middle line managers have to manage what products can be sold via the web hill the first-line manager, mainly the technicians and the salesperson have to ensure the website is updated, operated normally and the proper manner used when communicate with consumers. The top line managers like the CEO have to keep track on the online sales. Furthermore, to ensure that the employees are aware of the worlds change, the Group gives training on technical-know-how, interpersonal skills and acquisition of competencies to their employees (Cowcatchers. Com, 2014). The team leader, no matter which line of managers should show their leader role by understanding what the employees request for and are they being motivated enough. This in turn aids in promoting the esprit De corps principle that builds harmony and a united front within the organization, according to Payolas 1 4 principles (Wren Bedside, 2009). In conclusion, economic and technological are two of the general environments that affect the Groups operation in positive and negative ways. The changes are unavoidable but the ways that the managers embrace and adapt to it determine the smoothness of its operation. Therefore, managers, which are human capital of Swatch Group is one of its key success factors as they dedicates great effort to the Group according to the positions they hold ND the responsibilities they carry.

Analyze one week of world economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Analyze one week of world economy - Essay Example Prices slide the better part of the week resulting in weak sales everywhere excluding gasoline. There were declines in sales at food and beverages businesses, clothing retailers and auto dealers offset by unpretentious gains in online retailers, restaurants and bars and home improvements. The control and organize group that excludes gas, building materials, car sales and food services shows a superior consumer enough spending. Although the sizeable decline in the prices of gasoline was foreseen as to enhance general consumer spending, these never happened. Due to the falling in gasoline sales inflation rate dropped, as a gallon of gas prices fell by 18 percent in the week as a result of seasonal adjustments. Personal saving rate also jumped up to 4.9 percent. Moreover, retail sales fell unexpectedly in the week but started rising. However, China economies continue to weaken with the rate of inflation reaching zero. There was a decrease in consumer prices while producer prices plunged unexpectedly. China trade industry of export was inclining. There was a decline in imports and was contributed by the drop in petroleum prices. Japanese economy recovered from the recession and grew with 2.2 percent shaking off the stagnation. Consumer behavior remained soft as the exports increased tremendously. Inflation rate has been moved from the previous rate of 2percent. The gross domestic product noticed an increase of 0.6 percent and the depreciated yen drove up exports further high. Private consumption that takes up to 60 percent of the Japanese economy rose up 0.3 percent. Global economy is slowly and gradually growing and is estimated to grow at 3 percent in the year of 2015.The acceleration was mainly driven by mature economies such as America and the Euro Area mainly because of the decrease in oil

Significance of the Awareness of the Issue of Racism Essay

Significance of the Awareness of the Issue of Racism - Essay Example Considering the notion that had races been socially constructed, then racism would have guaranteed to be a derivative of race and the resultant from social experiences as well. Racism is defined as a belief whereby it is considered as being higher for one race as compared to the other ones. Racism is a subject that shakes the basis of the world population as it sparks off controversies left, right and center. People usually do not speak highly of this subject and would better like to be disassociated with it rather than the other way around. (Kolchin, 2003) There are two distinct schools of thought when one thinks of the racism subject. These align themselves with the question of racism in America as well as its rationales. (Weinberg, 1996) The social psychologists and the sociological theorists are the two broad categories. The scapegoat theory argues that in times gone by, members of the dominant group in the United States have protected a number of different frustrations in their desire to achieve social as well as financial success and also to find expression for these aggravations in the form of anger towards other racial groups. On the other hand, the authoritarian theory is more or less typified by a propensity to rigidly characterize people. The sociological theories focus more on the institutional role played by racism itself. Therefore it would not be wrong here to state that racism appears to be a mixture of the scapegoat, authoritarian as well as the sociological theories surrounding it. While a number of people without hum an intervention characterize the people into groups, they also have the capacity to turn these groups into a series of aggression activities. However, the reason from this may be the lack of involvement connected with the people hailed in a category or a class of their own that is known as the groups other than the one that can be classified in the true sense of the word.

Management and Negotiating Conflict Style Essay Example for Free

Management and Negotiating Conflict Style Essay 1. Hastings had a reputation of being hard headed, and not being able to take criticism. He used the autocratic style to push for his ways of doing things. They said he would sometimes embarrass employees, and roll his eyes at them. And when they had an idea he might call their ideas â€Å"dumb ideas†. He was so bad at this he actually established the nickname â€Å"Animal†. Hastings was young when he developed Pure Software, after establishing it he realized he didn’t like the man he had become or the business he had created. He sold Pure for $750 million and changed his ways when he moved on to his new company Netflix. At Netflix Hastings was a new man; he changed his use of communications in sending and receiving messages in many ways. At Netflix, Hastings was much more kind and open to new ideas. He changed his way of talking to employees and you can tell by the rise in stock and Hastings being named Businessperson of the year in 2010. 2. He changed his use of feedback by listening to his employees and thier ideas, and when he didn’t understand he would say, â€Å" help me understand your idea, tell me why this will work.† Instead of just rolling his eyes and acting high and mighty like he did and his previous company Pure. 3. Hastings coaching style at Pure was poor; he wanted to change that when he created Netflix. He defiantly improved his coaching guidelines in the following ways; He started giving praise and recognition, not criticizing, and giving specific and descriptive feedback. 4. I feel Hastings used two different styles one at Pure and one at Netflix. I feel the style he used at Pure was more of a Forcing Conflict style. When I read the case I got the impression that Hastings didn’t care what his Pure employees thought about him it was more of a I win you Lose attitude which is what the Forcing Conflict Style is all about. With Netflix on the other hand I feel like he went for more of the Negotiating Conflict Style the more I win some, you win some. He cared more about his employees and how they felt. That is just my opinion but I guess if I had to pick just one style he used in both of them I would pick the Forcing Conflict Style because Hastings still ran a tight ship and at the end of the day he was always going to end up a winner. 5. The Conflict  management style used by Netflix was Collaborating Conflict Style. It is the best solution agreeable to all parties. Joining forces with Epix was a good deal for both of them. That’s why I feel the Collaborating Approach was the style used. 6. I am currently a Netflix user; I have been for many years. They are getting better and better every year. I really have no complaints, they have every show that I like to watch, and it is always very quick for me. I think the price is fair, and they let you watch it on every device you own. I as a customer have absolutely no complaints. 7. I think the Group Level of Analysis was used. This level focuses on the relationship between the leaders and the collective group of followers. They focus on how a leader contributes to group effectiveness. Hastings used the Management paradigm by being concerned with stability, and finding out the best way to get the job done. He was able to lead through others, and create favorable conditions for success. He was a very successful leader too; there is no good manager that is not a good leader as well.

Euthanasia: Whose Life Is It? :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia: Whose Life Is It? Imagine a body slowly and excruciatingly being broken down by an unseen and uncontrollable invader. Now imagine that there is a law preventing anyone from ending that suffering. Welcome to the argument over euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as "the act or practice of killing out of mercy." Euthanasia technically exists in four categories: active, passive, voluntary, and involuntary. Passive euthanasia is the act of removing all treatments and forms of life support intended to prolong life or cure illness, and allowing the patient to die of natural causes. Active euthanasia consists of an outside force actually causing the death of the patient, or hastening the death with the use of drugs and other tools. When the patient is fully competent and capable of making this life or death decision on his or her own, it is considered voluntary euthanasia. If the decision is made for the patient, due to him or her being rendered incapable of this sentient conclusion, it is labeled as involuntary euthanasia. For the past several decades, this has been a major issue, making its way from activist groups to the Supreme Court. The debate over euthanasia was ignited publicly in 1988 with an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine about an experience in committing active euthanasia. The act of euthanasia, in either passive or active form, is acceptable in only one nation in the world. Even there, in the Netherlands, it is permitted in only certain cases as specified and supervised by the legal system, and has yet to be fully legalized. Euthanasia should be legalized because it is a personal choice. The argument over euthanasia is complex and multi-faceted; particularly dealing with the responsibility of those involved in the act. Many people, in the argument against euthanasia, claim that if euthanasia were made legal in the United States, physicians would abuse that law. They say that insurance companies would place pressure on the doctors to encourage this choice in their patients to save costs. Another claim is that the physicians may shrug off their responsibility to their patients and choose the quick and easy way out while charging a hefty cost.

“the Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Profit”

Businesses have many responsibilities, the primary role being, to make profit and then in turn grow and expand as a business in the hope that they increase profits. After all, not many people want to be in the business of losing money, it is simply the function of a business †¦ to make money. However, in saying that, I would disagree in saying that this is entirely a â€Å"social† responsibility. Businesses have a responsibility to their stakeholders and/or their shareholders to increase profits, but socially they are required to do so much more. In terms of â€Å"social† responsibility, in this current day and age, businesses have a responsibility to society. I believe consumers are generally not concerned about the profit businesses makes, they are more concerned about the quality, service and value they receive from dealing with a business, and more importantly whether the success of the business was gained by them following socially and ethically responsible business practices. In the past, businesses would forfeit their social responsibility at the cost of increasing profit. A good example of this is multinational conglomerate, Proctor & Gamble, identified by PETA as a corporation that actively participates in animal testing1 to ensure that their products are safe for people to use. Yes, they are fulfilling their â€Å"social† responsibility in ensuring that their products do not harm their consumers, but now society and organisations are pointing the finger and actively boycotting companies such as Proctor & Gamble, for ignoring their social responsibility. Businesses have had to turn things around to adapt to the views of changing society. Being socially responsible is now a costly exercise. Due to their previous poor business ethics, they have to date invested almost $250 million in alternative testing methods in an effort to abolish all forms of animal testing. 2 Not only now is it socially unacceptable to practice â€Å"bad† business ethics, but it is socially unacceptable for businesses that make too much money to ignore the needs of the needy. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft together with the efforts of his wife Melinda have established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation donates millions of dollars every year, aiding many projects with their slogan being â€Å"all lives have equal value†. It is now the duty of businesses and many large corporations to be socially responsible and contribute to society on a larger scale. It is simply incorrect to say that increasing profit is the sole responsibility of a business. It is the social responsibility of a business to be socially responsible, in all facets. Portraying a ‘socially responsible’ image is detrimental to increasing profits, this has not always been the case, many companies that were once selfless entities who’s only mission was to profiteer at any cost have realised that with the changes in society, they have had to change the way they conduct their business. Sadly, many businesses and corporations participate in â€Å"socially responsible† activities for the purpose of increasing profit, businesses are not changing their packaging to pink to ‘secretly’ support breast cancer, they do so, so that you and I know about it. These so called acts of social responsibility are a form of advertising and they are done to show consumers just how â€Å"good† they can be. It is not the social responsibility of businesses to increase profit, but it is the social responsibility of companies to be socially responsible to increase profit.

Racism in the Video Skin Deep - 1136 Words

Racism in the Video Skin Deep In the ideal world everybody is equal. In the real world there is racism. Situations stemming from racist feelings and conflicts between ethnic groups remains a serous problem. The video Skin Deep brought together college students of different races to express their feeling and beliefs about racism. The video supported the idea that the environment you are raised in is an influence on beliefs and feelings you might have towards other races. Dave’s grandfather was a confederate. He grew up listening to his grandfather talk bad about other races. Dave’s best friend is Mexican, and he said he can not bring him around his grandparents. Marc comes from a good Italian family. His father has some strong views†¦show more content†¦It is nobodies fault, but a problem that biracial people have to face. It is a major identity crisis starting at a young age. I do think that it is unfair to biracial people that society is so cruel to make them feel like they are not eq ual. Stereotyping also plays a great role in racism. The Asian students felt that other races stereotype all Asians to be the same and want to express that they are different. One Asian student stated that he thinks that whites are taught to like themself and that their race is superior. I have heard of white privilege. It is thought that White people do not feel that they are superior to other races, or that they have any other privileges than other races. I honestly have to say I believe this is true. I feel that someone of another race has the same opportunity as me. I do think I feel this way because I have not had to experience life as a person of a different race. Brian a black student, felt that White people think if one Black person does something bad, then all Black people do it. I also think that the media, movies, and music play a big role in stereotyping. Stereotyping is something that most people do. I don’t think it is done to hurt people intentionally. Overall, I thought the video was good and the students expressed their opinions and feelings openly and honestly. The video is pretty old and I do think that people are more accepting of other cultures, interracial marriages, and biracial people now. IShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Living Color By Claudia Rankine903 Words   |  4 PagesClaudia Rankine, is a book that explores racism and prejudice that is happening in the United States. Rankine incorporates personal encounters, reactions, reflections, writing and art pieces, historical events, and the media to prove the point that racism is still very prominent to this day. For a majority of the book, Rankine writes short pieces about her personal encounters that deals with some form of racism, whether it happened to her or if she witnessed racism happening to other people. 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