Amul

Thereafter, it plans to target Canada along with other European countries in future. Maul prompted the White Revolution in India, which eventually made the country the largest producer of milk in the world. Maul, which is also a world leader in producing milk products, is soon to begin manufacturing clarified butter (ghee) and cottage cheese (pander) at a New Jersey plant starting from February 2014. Maul has Joined hands with a local plant in order to manufacture milk products in the city. It has also revealed plans that it may buy milk from local farmers directly in future.Combining defense and offense, it has set forth on a multi-pronged strategy. Step 1: Increase daily milk processing capacity by 11-12 percent by 2018 to meet future demand. For this, Maul is building 9 Greenfield plants across India, and expanding capacity at some of its 245-odd plants, running up a bill of RSI 3,000 core in the process. Step 2: Innovation, so new products, improved packaging, and cost-effective solutions. For instance, Mall's flavored milk, milkshakes and yoghurt drinks will now roll out in 00 ml pet bottles costing RSI 2 less than the glass bottle.With 600,000 bottles a day, Maul wants to double revenues from a category that's growing 30 percent annually. Step 3: Better reach. Stood says, â€Å"We are also increasing our stock points or depots. We had 46 stock points across India. This year we are adding 8 stock points so that including 200 new super distributors to service 2,000 new small towns and cities. † Maul is also confident that its established brand will serve as a strong defense, as will the advantage that building a backward-integrated model like Mall's will take any competitor decades.

Protection from Harm & Abuse Essay

Throughout this work I will relate to a case study. I will provide a definition of abuse using both sociological and psychological perspectives to contribute to our understanding of the causes of abuse. I will define the types, indicators, signs and symptoms of abuse and its impact on families and individuals, identifying factors relevant to the case study, recognising and explaining current legislation making reference to Government reports/inquiries and research into failures to protect from harm and abuse. I will consider the policies and procedures that my work place use and I will identify some statutory and voluntary agencies and their roles in supporting those affected by abuse, relating specifically to the abuse of children. My understanding is abuse is an unpleasant and harmful treatment of an individual, which can effects physical and psychological welfare and may affect future development. Abuse can cause an individual a great deal of distress and fear, as well as physical injury and may affect their emotional development. â€Å"Child maltreatment is the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. see more:identify reports into serious failures to protect individuals from abuse in health and social care It includes all types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power. Exposure to intimate partner violence is also sometimes included as a form of child maltreatment† (WHO) A Psychological & Sociological Perspective into the Causes of Abuse Psychological theory focuses on the instinctive and psychological qualities of those who abuse. Believing it’s the abusers abnormalities that are responsible for abuse, abusive parents may have been abused in childhood. Psychodynamic theory claims abuse and neglect are a bi-product of maternal deprivation. The mother has suffered abuse herself, displays a lack of empathy, sensitivity and responses to her child. Mother and child relationships are the focus with the mothers’ psychological make-up key. Psychodynamic psychologists say we are born with drives which need satisfying and if not satisfied one can be psychologically stuck at a certain stage Erikson’s â€Å"lifespan† theory saw that universally people face conflict throughout stages of life, he said people faced conflicts influenced by social relationships, rather than their own psycho-sexual development. At each stage of life Erikson believed was: a conflict to resolve and a balance to achieve between the two with a possible positive outcome, creating a ‘virtue’ or ‘ego strength’ allowing competency in all other areas of life or if not resolved a negative ‘maladjustment’ causing disadvantage in the succeeding stage. For example at Stage 1 – Infancy, conflict – trust versus mistrust. A baby learns from attentive care to trust, or through neglect, mistrust in the world. Good resolution of this stage leads to the ego strength of hope about the world. The mala djustment can be either mistrust or insecurity. Erikson believes people who’ve had problems in life haven’t resolved conflict beforehand and as each stage is programmed the individual cannot relive a stage however work can be done to resolve some of the issues. â€Å"Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life has to be sustained hope must remain, even when confidence is wounded, trust impaired† Erikson, 1950. (Bingham et al. p78) Sociological theory emphasise social and political conditions as most important reason for child abuse, examining social conditions that create the climate for abuse, not individual factors. Feminist theory sees abuse as longstanding male power over women and children, believing men abuse to exert power. Brownmiller 1975, revealed sexual abuse is more than an action committed by one man against one woman; it is a imposing tool of male control over women, an exercise of power with a philosophy to instruct women to fear male violence. â€Å"A sexual invasion of the body by force, an incursion into the private, personal inner space without consent. . . . constitutes a deliberate violation of emotional, physical and rational integrity and is a hostile, degrading act of violence that deserves the name of rape† (Brownmiller, S p377) The five most common social service workers will likely see are: Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Neglect and Financial Abuse. Physical abuse is causing bodily harm it may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating or excessive discipline or family violence, use of restraints or imprisonment, denial or misuse of medication, physical aids and adaptations or when the carer feigns ill-health of a child. Some signs and indicators may be physical (several injuries in various stages of healing, repeated injuries or accidents over a period of time, injuries that form a shape like the object used to injure (buckle, hand, iron, teeth, cigarette burns), or death. Behavioural indicators include (negative self-image, deserving punishment, no recall how injuries occurred, offer inconsistent explanations, wary of others and reluctance to go home) Physical abuse can be seen in relation to John Burn (60). He claimed no recollection to a black-eye and urged for his son not to be informed, although it is important not to cast assumptions. Emotional abuse is persistent neglect with severe effects on a child’s emotional development. Can involve conveying worthlessness, detested, inadequate or valued only to meet the needs of another. It may involve the imposition of age- or developmentally-inappropriate expectations on a child or causing children fear or danger, or exploiting or corrupting them. Some level of emotional abuse is persistent in all ill treatment. Both physical (Bed-wetting/soiling without medical cause, prolonged vomiting/diarrhoea, not attained developmental milestones) and behavioural (play models negative behaviour/language, depression, anxiety, withdrawal or aggression) signs may be indicators. John Burn did not want his son to be told anymore of his black-eye as he would be annoyed, Ann reported Peter gets loud and aggressive at night and appeared apprehensive during social work visit as Peter did not want interference. Sexual abuse includes acts or behaviours where a more powerful person uses another for a sexual purpose. It may involve a stranger, however most sexual abuse is by someone known and trusted. It includes touching, fondling, sexual intercourse, exposure of private parts, or seeking to be touch for sexual gratification. Also voyeurism, pornographic photographing or involvement of children, prostitution or using internet/phone for sexual conversations with children. Indicators can be: physical: bruises, swelling or bleeding in genital/vaginal/anal area, torn, stained or bloody underclothing, and STI’s. Behavioural – cringing/flinching if touched; caregiver constantly calling ‘stupid’ or ‘dumb’ and can be displayed by child or abuser. Scottish Government acknowledges â€Å"not every case of sexual activity in under-16s has child protection concerns, but some may need support in relation to their sexual development and relationships† (fpa.org. uk). Ann (17) has learning difficulties and would have been under 16 during her first pregnancy. Due to her age and vulnerability Child Protection issues should have been raised as Peter is almost double Ann’s age and the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 states â€Å"sexual activity between an adult and someone under 16 is a criminal offence† Neglect – failure to meet basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of health or development, involving failure to provide food, shelter and clothing, or to protect from physical harm/danger, or failure to obtain medical care/treatment, failure to respond to basic emotional needs. Possible physical indicators may be: Inappropriately dress for weather, dirty, unkempt, lengths of time unsupervised, malnourished, severe nappy rash or persistent skin disorders from lack of care and hygiene. Both children in the case study are neglected they have unsatisfactory medical attendance with George (1) suffering nappy rash, inflamed skin and missed inoculations since birth. Kyle (2) has missed medicals which could’ve addressed his development needs. Financial abuse includes stealing money or property, fraud, pressure in connection with savings, wills, inheritance or personal financial transactions, embezzlement, pensions or benefits. Possible signs and indicators of this abuse: unusual & unexplained activity in bank accounts, embezzlement or unpaid bills. John Burn may have been financially abused, he has no recollection of missing money and is unable to manage without it, and again does not want his son to know. The impact and effects of the above abuse within the case study is apparent as Peter Burns has traded a dependency on heroin for alcohol which sees him sleep all day, neglecting his role within the family and becomes loudly aggressive at night, this would cause fear in the rest of the household. Protection means recognising concerns and understanding how to share concerns, investigate, assess and the steps required to ensure safety and well-being. Legislation places a variety of duties and responsibilities on services and organisations. Neglectful indicators seen in both infants within the study, social work may say that the parents breach ‘Section 5 of The Children (Scotland) Act 1995’ which states â€Å"a parent has in relation to his child the responsibility to safeguard and promote the child’s health, development and welfare†. (www.scotland.gov.uk) â€Å"State Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.† (Article 19’ UNCRC) This places responsibility on the social worker and health professionals in case study. Legislation is often formed as a response to public inquiries, highlighting poor practice/abuse that takes place with authority or private providers, government investigations highlight failures and make recommendations to prevent future incidents. Summary of Fatal Accident Inquiry Determination: The Deaths on Erskine Bridge Niamh and Georgia died below Erskine Bridge, 4/10/2009, by suicides. Having walked from the Good Shepherd Open Unit, stopping at the centre of the Bridge, both girls died on impact with the water. The Inquiry lasted 65 days and it ruled deaths avoidable had reasonable precautions been taken: ‘Staff members on duty at the Unit been higher. Had Niamh & Georgia risk assessment needs assessed and accommodated at a different location within the Unit’. Several recommendations were made following relating to: security, supervision, management, lack of information, risk/psychological assessments missing, better communication system and accurate recording /time keeping amongst others. Professor S Platt of Health Policy Research at University of Edinburgh made three recommendations which are reflected in residential policies now. 1. Local authorities to commission guidelines for staff on recognising and mitigating suicide risk in this client group. These guidelines should include the requirement to develop a detailed management protocol. 2. The management protocol should set out the procedures to be implemented when a looked after and accommodation child is considered to be at risk of self-harm or suicide e.g. by making suicide ‘threats’, by expressing suicidal thoughts or by making preparations for suicide. The protocol should cover inter alia the allocation of duties and responsibilities. 3. Professionals working with looked after and accommodated children, either directly or indirectly should have a sound understanding self-harm and suicide among their clients and of appropriate interventions to mitigate that risk. Provision of appropriate training on start of employment and regularly thereafter (as part professional development). (Scotland-judiciary.com) Results of recommendations mean frequent suicide prevention training is mandatory, new traffic light system of reporting absconders/missing people, created in partnership with Strathclyde Police and Local Authorities reflecting individual risk assessments, allowing staff to identify and prevent risks of self harm or suicide and report efficiently should they suspect an absconder is at risk. My workplace lengthy child protection policy, provides guidelines for all eventualities. In the case of a disclosure the child/young person would be informed that information would be passed on if it related to their wellbeing being harmed, allowing them to speak without interruption, listen to-do not coheres, don’t make judgement, positive praise for sharing with you and inform them that you will do all in your power to support them. It must then be reported to the child protection officer who would deal with the formal reporting if it were deemed necessary. I could be asked to help assess the child or provide statements to police. In the case of the abuser staff working in safeguarding children has a responsibility to ensure children are adequately protected and a responsibility to share information about individuals where a risk of child abuse is suspected with Social Care Service Managers. Legislation, National Care Standards and SSSC Codes of Practice contribute to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. In NCS’s for school care accommodation services standard 3.3 looks at care and protection states that workers are aware of child protection policies and procedures. Standard 3.7 ensures protection issues are dealt with using policies and procedures. The SSSC codes of practice contribute to protection code 3.2 states we must carry out the correct processes and procedures to challenge and report dangerous, abusive, discriminatory or exploitive behaviour and practice. code 3.7 states we must support service users/carers to make complaints, taking complaints seriously, responding to or passing to appropriate person. Code 2.7 states to respect confidential information. For child protection, no Schedule One offence is ever ‘spent’ in terms of Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 has sections relevant to care workers and committed against service users such as; Section 39 Care workers: causing or inciting sexual activity, Section 40 Care workers: sexual activity in the presence of a person with a mental disorder & Section 41 Care workers: causing a person with a mental disorder to watch a sexual act. The support, therapy and treatment of those affected by abuse is an important factor in ensuring wellbeing and safety. Statutory, voluntary and private/independent organisations provide diverse services some of which may overlap. Set up through government remit such as SurvivorScotland, social service and education departments, CAMHS are part of the NHS who support young people and their families with emotional, behavioral and mental health difficulties. A single shared assessment from a multi-agency partner ship of professionals not only protect but prevent with early intervention. Many voluntary agencies/charities focus on helping children such as, Barnardos, Womens Aid and the NSPCC (National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children) who work at national, regional and local level, some of their services include Childline as well as advise lines like the CTAC (Child Trafficking Advice Centre). Private services are profit driven, including home care providers and respite services. Instances of disclosure in various aspects which must be always dealt with professionally no matter how distressing. Workers/carers are offered support in the form of counselling through BACP (The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) or services such as mind, Re-think or Samaritans who’ll listen to, provide support, advice, signposts or referrals to other agencies. There will be instances where workers will support the ‘abused’ however may find themselves supporting an ‘abuser’ or ‘someone at risk of abusing’. Police, Prison Services, Local Authorities, and Social Services work closely to minimise risk and supervise offenders in the community. It is crucial not to allow personal feelings/values to conflict with professionalism. The Human Rights Act, Article 8: Right to privacy, highlights the importance of confidentiality in this line of work, however this right can be limited if it is necessary to protect public safety which Police and Social Work would determine through on-going reviews of risk level each offender poses, reducing the likelihood of further offending by providing sex offender group-work through social work services. Not all sex offenders are alike, some people have deep regrets and go on to be law-abiding whereas others have deep-rooted psychological problems requiring intensive support to manage behaviour. Workers should bear in mind that a significant proportion of sexual crimes go unreported and there are a number of sex-offenders not known to the authorities and need t o take sensible safety precautions if you should suspect such individuals. Workers will have supervision with managers where issues are highlighted or access to counselling. Bibliography BINGHAM, E. et al. (2009) HNC in Social Care. For Scotland. Essex: Heinemann. BROWNMILLER, S. (1975) Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape. New York: Simon and Schuster. CHILD MATTERS (2014) Learn about Child Abuse [Online]. Available from: http://www.childmatters.org.nz/42/learn-about-child-abuse/what-is-child-abuse [Accessed: 20th March 2014] COMPANY POLICIES & PROCEDURES. ANON (Data Protection Act 1998) SC03-Child Protection MIND (2014) How to Cope as a Carer [Online]. Available from: http://www.mind.org.uk/media/859562/how-to-cope-as-a-carer-2014-.pdf [Accessed: 3rd May 2014] SCOTTISH PARLIMENT. SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS. (2012) National Care Standards. [Online]. Available from: http://www.nationalcarestandards.org/52.html [Accessed: 7th March 2014]. SCOTTISH PARLIMENT. SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS (2010) National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland & The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 & National Guidance – Under-age Sexual Activity [Online]. Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/12/09134441/8 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/254432/0078985.pdf http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/10/20066/44708 [Accessed: 7th March & 19th May 2014] SCOTLAND JUDICIARY Fatal Accident Inquiry into the Deaths on Erskine Bridge (2010) [Online]. Available from: http://scotland-judiciary.com/10/895/Fatal-Accident-Inquiry-into-the-deaths-on-Erskine-Bridge [Accessed 9th May 2014] THE OXFORD DICTIONARY (2014) Abuse [Online] Available from: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/abuse [Accessed 17th March 2014] LIBERTY (2014) Human Rights Act Myths [Online] Available from:

Love and Pisces Woman

He is very emotional and always allow himself to be very emotional. He can have a good night sleep and be in a good mood, and less than few hours at work he can be very moody. He does not understand things or try to understand things easily. If you notice him carefully, you will notice what kind of moods he is in. He is a thinker and able to do well at work and always succeed. His normal gestures mean he always look at other people faults, but he will not talk about it. He has the ability to know your thought and able to tell you what you are thinking about. He can mostly memorize all his anger, his loves. They are his important secrets and he will keep them to himself and will never let you know. He is not a very ambition man and careless about his position in society. Wealth does not drawn his attention, because he is not greedy man and as well he thinks money is not something that will last. He could be very careless about his future. He does not like to fight against all odds, but instead following the stream and make life easier. Sometimes because he likes to take an easy path, which cause him very unsteady future. He is kind and slightly lazy, but it is his cute character. He hates rules and regulations. He will never look down on people. He is a polite guy and can be very aggressive when he is mad. He loves to think that he lives in a beautiful world and surround by nice people, so if he finds his world is cruel and not what he expects, he will live in his world instead. His other charm is that he is a funny guy, and it is his real weapon. He can tease you and yet make it looks like one of his joke. Even when he is sad, he still has that funny face, so you could hardly tell if he is mad or depress. He likes to hide his feeling and help other people especially those who need friend or lonely. He will be everything that you want and everything you do not want. He has a chance to make it as much as a chance to fail. He can determine to make it work and can do it well, except he tends to lost his energy with other important things, that’s how he miss many of his good opportunity. He can be happy and content by himself. What he think is important is not â€Å"Love† ,but firm status and stability. He has plenty of love for you. He is a good speaker, as much as he is a good listener. When he is with you, he wants to be happy. He understand his partner’s emotional. He likes to take a long rest and sometimes being alone. If he needs to be alone, try not to disturb him. He is a sensitive, quiet , shy and easily hurt. He wants to feel worthy. He can be mad and noisy, but once he calm down, he will be that happy person again. He is not a jealous or possessive guy, and if he feels jealous he will hide it. He has many friends of both sex, and he care about his friends. He likes to have lots of friends, so you can not get jealous or else you will loose him. He likes beautiful things, so if a pretty woman walk by he will look ,so do not get mad at him knowing this fact. When he is lonely or feeling sad, be close to comfort him. He does not like to take advice,so if you want him to listen or to follow your advice, you have to act as a good sample for him first. He likes a cheery and a smart woman. If you treat him like he is your special person, then he will be that special person for you. He will trust you if he is in love, but try not to over doing it and spoil him too much. You have to know yourself worth all the time too. PISCES WOMAN She likes to be in a dream world than to be in reality. She is weak and sensitive when it’s come to â€Å"Love†. She can cry if her best friend is breaking up, and she can be over excited when her friend gets a new boy friend who is a good looking and rich even it is nothing concerned her at all. You might be surprise to see that she is shy just because she is in love. More or less it will be in Pisces woman. She loves small animal and gifted in training animals. She has sixth senses and she can guess what will happen next, it’s her nature. Even she has a good sixth senses, she can not pick or foreseen her own choice of lover. She can not tell if she meet a sincere guy or a one night stand guy. She likes to buy and pick her own cloths. She likes to dress cute and be cute. Pisces woman tend to be a good looking woman and she has a nice skin. Her hands and feet are small and soft. Pisces woman loves to shop for shoes as if she collects them. She is a hot lady that everyone wants her. Whether she has a man in her life or not , she will never try to over powered any man. It’s not even in her thought. She thinks man can handle things better, and she will make her man feel that way. She is an easy going person, so being with her is easy. She is a confident woman and likes to make people who stay with her happy. She knows how to please and how to comfort a man. If something is wrong, she will try to make other people belief that it’s must be because of someone else, not because of her love one. She will not push her man to be ambition but to make him feel like he should be happy with the way he is now. She is happy with you for what you are now. A Pisces woman , if she has a bad childhood, she will always remember it and it will make her a very unhappy person. She will pity herself and feel sorry for herself. She tends to hurt herself with out knowing it and so vulnerable to drugs (real drugs or just sleeping pills). She has many choices and you can never tell which path she going to take. If you love her , then hold her tight because she never knows why she did what she did or what she will do next. A complex character. You may think she is a shy innocent type and can not hurt anyone, then you are wrong. You might think she is a fragile person who needs protection, wrong again. She has been through a lot, a tough cookie. She is a dreamer and love the word â€Å"Love†, so she is the type who will buy gift for anyone for any occasion, especially if it is a gift for wedding or an anniversary even for someone who she does not know so well. Be very careful if fall in love with Pisces woman. She can be a total different person before and after. She can be an angle before and later a witch, but everyone is not perfect, right? She will be soft and gentle most of the time, so not to worry. She is emotional and extremely sensitive when she frequently got hurt. She is the type who can cry her heart out. She can have a secret fear inside, when she says she does not need anyone. She badly needs someone to protect her, but sometimes she can hide that feeling by being stubborn. She likes to hide her shyness and her weakness from her enemy. She does not like to follow any fixed rules. She can be a good housewife if you know how to handle her. Many men will ask to marry her because she is a 100% woman. If she wants to be sweet, she is a real angles.

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Humanitarian Assistance in War Zones Research Paper

Humanitarian Assistance in War Zones - Research Paper Example As the essay stresses the humanitarian aid agencies are primarily concerned with developmental efforts focused on uplifting the displaced civilians, and helping in preventing the further spread of the conflict, in a bid to protect the loss / damage to the general public. Humanitarian aid, thus aims to rehabilitate the displaced in war torn regions, through provision of basic facilities.This paper highlights that the term developmental assistance refers to the assistance provided by international agencies or NGOs in re-constructing a nation’s infrastructure and/ or economy, which is destroyed due to war or similar internal conflicts. The basic purpose is to ensure that the nation is able to sustain its stability – both political as well as economic, despite war, and prevent it from retracting towards poverty and state of chaos. These agencies are primarily concerned with providing assistance related to governance, transporting basic supplies such as food and water to cri ses zones, and providing assistance in restructuring the economy, among others.   The international aid agencies strive to eliminate or reduce the factors contributing to creating political, social or economic rift, take active measures in blocking economic stagnation, prevent illicit trade which may facilitate further violence such as drug dealing, illicit trade in diamonds, arms and ammunitions etc., increasing employment opportunities, and reducing / eliminating economic incentives to fight.

DRAMA OF DIVERSITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DRAMA OF DIVERSITY - Assignment Example It is my personality around those I do not know well that has led to me being labeled and judged unfairly. At several different junctures throughout my life, I have dealt with people who are acquaintances or people that I come into contact with casually. Sometimes, when I engage these people in a conversation, they will tell me straight to my face that they believed I was really stuck up or arrogant before talking to me. I am always astounded and hurt at this revelation. I was brought up to be a humble and well-mannered person, so having these people label me in this fashion is extremely upsetting. I then have to tell these people that I am merely a quiet and reserved person, but this doesn’t change the fact that their words sting me. I can’t help but want to point out the fact that their actions in relaying this label to me shows me a lot about their character. In the end, I just have to remind myself that everyone judges and labels others. I think that the most unfair judgements and labels are those that are formed without knowing a person at all. Essentially, this kind of judgement reminds me of a person being sentenced in a courtroom without the ability to showcase evidence to the contrary. It is because of my own experiences with unfair judgements, that I make it a point to not judge a person, especially if I don’t know them very

Isabel Allendes An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat Essay

Isabel Allendes An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat - Essay Example Both Isabel Allende’s An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat address the theme of feminine vengeance. Despite the fact that the approaches employed by the female main characters to vengeance varying, it is important to note that one of the most underlying similarities between the two short stories is the issue of female empowerment in a society that is mostly dominated by the male. The author makes the story incredibly dramatic mainly brought out at the moment where Dulce Rosa’s father not only realizes that his friends have fallen, but that he is also forced to kill his daughter in order to spare her from men like Cespedes. The author has been successful in presenting this as not only unexpected, but also quite heartbreaking. The author has also been successful in balancing out the different emotions in the story and has most importantly been able to ensure that the audience does not feel melodramatic. Additionally, the use of imagery has been succes sful though not subtle especially at the moment where the author presentsthe image of Dulce Rosa shedding the shreds of her bloodied gown and consequently immersing herself in the water which makes her come out clean. This is a clear representation of both rebirth and baptism. Additionally, the act of holding her dying father is a clear manifestation of transformation from a girl to a woman. The author, Dulce Rosa, in the An Act of Vengeance holds not only the power of her independence, but also the power of self-sufficiency. Despite the neighbors making suggestions about her â€Å"going to live with her godmother in a different town where her story is not known after being raped† (23), Dulce Rosa opts to stay behind and instead build a life that is comfortable out of the ruins left of her fathers house. In Sweat, Delia is also presented as a strong woman who holds the economic power in her relationship with her unemployed husband. Delia still finds much comfort in the home b ought by her despite the abuse and infidelity of his husband. Delia stands her ground even when her husband, Sykes, tries to get her to leave her house to enable him move in with his mistress. She further stands her ground and leaves the husband to die from the snake bite that had earlier been meant for her. It is evident that vengeance by Delia is a decision not aimed at helping Sykes when the opportunity arises, but rather a decision that is aimed at causing Sykes direct harm herself. In An Act of Vengeances, Dulce Rosa was quite determined to kill Tadeo as a revenge for the death of her father. However, there is a twist when she later realizes that what she feels for Tadeo is love, hence making him torn between marriage and murder which are in real sense the two male expectations. Dolce Rosa later opts to kill herself instead of playing into either of these stereotypically male solutions. Her death leads into Tadeo losing all the hope he had for both love and redemption in his li fe. While the vengeance of Dulce Rosa leaves Tadeo alive, the vengeance by Delia leaves Sykes dead. These examples of feminine Vengeance is an indication of overlapping of the

Policy Brief Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Policy Brief - Case Study Example This policy brief examines the different aspects of the law and recommends several adjustments to it and their perceived benefits to the American population at large1. The push for an increased involvement of the government in Health care administration in the US started as early as 1912 when the then presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt called for an establishment of a national health insurance system for the American population. Health care reforms have from then dominated the country’s political environment and have evolved to become both a scientific, social and an economic issue2. The various decisions that have been taken both by the current Obama administration and other corporations have affected many aspects of the economy. This has included the wages and the living standards of the populace, the economic growth rate of the country and its budgetary allocations. Strategies towards improving the healthcare systems in the country have taken a center stage and have become one of the major challenges facing the government to tackle and accomplish. The health care sector of the economy has been one of the major segments receiving h igh-end funding from the country’s coffers. As a result, the sector is characterized by individual spending than any other variable3. The stakes have been very high, both economically and socially, in the health care issue as the public interest has continued to increase in it. With this, the various responsible bodies have continued to put in place different measures to satisfy what the citizenry needs. The health care systems have had numerous benefits and despite the challenges it faces, these should not be eroded4. Over the years, a lot of administrations have given different views and acted on the health care reforms with various intensities. These healthcare issues have over time revolved around increasing coverage, insurance reforms, decreasing the overall cost and the social

Adam Smith vs. Samuel Smiles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adam Smith vs. Samuel Smiles - Essay Example According to Smith, this entailed a non-interference or hands-off approach by authorities/governments towards private enterprise. His postulates were geared towards advocacy for the establishment of a laissez faire trade policy both on the local and international scene. Samuel Smiles is another free thinker whose postulates on the economic wellbeing of the society heavily echoed Smith’s postulates almost a century later. Smile’s notion was based on the need for enhanced self-actualization and development, which would ultimately lead to a more vibrant individual and societal economic prosperity. Adam Smith was focused more on self-interest and Smiles focused more on morality. This paper seeks to highlight both authors’ arguments with relation to economic liberalism before and during the industrial revolution, and how their focus influenced their works. Economic liberalism can also be regarded as fiscal liberalism because it entails the freeing up or giving a free reign to all matters pertaining to financial activities both at the individual and societal level (Perry, Peden & Von Laue, 2006). The basic aim of economic liberalization is to eliminate the involvement of organizations and institutions in making economic decisions that affect people’s economies.... He attributes the age’s productive powers and increase of quantity of work to three aspects or circumstances. He argues that division of labor enhanced every worker’s ingenuity, it saved time and the great number of machines that facilitated and abridged labor, enabling man to do the work of many (Perry, Peden & Von Laue, 2006). Division of labor also enhanced what Samuel Smiles attributes to failure of society because division of labor encouraged selfishness and individualism. These attributes according to Smiles did not do much in terms of developing societal economies, but encouraged in its stead a culture that bred social vices. These vices negatively impacted on the economic development of communities and nations. Individualism and the self-centered approach towards economic liberalization that Smith advocated for during his time did not help a lot in terms of improving the wellbeing of society. Samuel smiles on the hand, lauds division of labor as a great benefact or to the development and realization of capitalistic ethics. Smiles postulates that true growth in an individual and society in general is only possible through the spirit of genuine self help at a personal level. According to Smiles, no amount of intervention from institutions and legislation can contribute to individual advancement if the individual is not willing. Too much guidance and direction from government policy only leads an individual to exist in a helpless state (Perry, Peden & Von Laue, 2006). This is because they get used to the situation where everything is done for them, and they have no control of their decision-making in life. The prosperity of a nation is dependent upon the sum of individual uprightness, industry and energy just like national

Variables Essay Example for Free

Variables Essay Problem recognition, info search, evaluation, purchase, post purchase role of marketing in these: 1. Geographic: dividing market into different geographical units Groups: nations, regions, states, municipalities, cities, neighbourhoods Eg customizing hotels and rooms to suit the location (beach vs city). 2. Demographic: dividing the market into groups based on demographic variables *consumer needs, wants and usage rates often vary closely with demographic variables Groups: age and life-cycle stage, gender, income, family size, income, occupation, education, religion, nationality Eg different products and appeals to different target:; gender for clothes; income for luxury goods. 3. Psychographic: dividing the market into groups based on social class, lifestyle or personality characteristics Groups: socioeconomic status, lifestyle, psychological/ personality traits, values Eg socioeconomic status has strong effect on preferences in cars, clothing, home furnishings, leisure activities, reading habits. 4. Behavioural: divide market into groups based on consumers’ knowledge of, attitude towards, uses for and responses to a product Groups: purchase occasions, benefits sought, user status, usage rate, loyalty status, buyer-readiness, attitude towards product Eg knowledge of product that affects the attitude towards it, way they use it, their responses to it  Markets consist of buyers, and buyers differ in one or more ways. They may differ in their wants, resources, locations, buying attitudes and buying practices.† (Kotler et al. 2007, pg.345) List and describe in detail the four major variables used for segmenting markets. For each of the four major variables list and describe three groups within that variable. Provide examples of your choice to illustrate your answer.

Neurobiological Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on At-Risk

Neurobiological Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on At-Risk Neurobiological Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on At-Risk Populations Throughout adolescence, the brain is not fully formed. The growth occurs in Executive Functioning. Executive functioning is your ability to plan, organize, and to defer instant gratification. Its like the air traffic control center of the brain (Executive Function Self-Regulation, 2015, p. 1. It helps to regulate certain brain tasks to guard against impulsive decisions. It helps to see the big picture so you can form different hypotheses. With executive functioning, everythings not black and white. In adolescents, this form of brain functioning is not fully formed during that stage. The executive functions of the brain are not fully formed and complete until about the age of 25 (Understanding the Teen Brain , n.d., p. 1. Kids can think logically so by the time theyre fifteen and sixteen they really do know how to think logically but they dont make logical decisions. This is because of the lack of formation within the executive function of the brain. If a teen is injured during this stage of their developmental years, it could possibly be devastating for them. This is because it would change the way they view their world and their place in it. This could have serious implications for a teenager. Even a mild brain injury or MBI. A post-concussion may take 2 years for a teenager to recover. But, a more moderate or severe injury my not be fully realized. This may be true for a teen. A teenager who has experienced a brain injury not have had previous physical disabilities but they know that something has changed, something is different about them. The adolescent stage brings its own set of challenges. Even a teen with no previous physical or mental health history has to grapple with an adjustment period. During this adolescent stage of development, the teen is trying to find out who they are, where they fit in and how to cope with peer pressures. A teenagers goal at this stage of their adolescent years is to find out who they are. Its hard to imagine at the age of 16 or 17 how a brain injury can change your life drastically. As a teen, they have begun to find their place in school, their place with friends and family . They may bet thinking about college or a career, what they want to do with their life and an injury of this magnitude completely changes them, forever. The injury changes the way they think, the way they react, the way they normally would look at a situation. Although they may not understand fully, they know that something is different but may find it difficult to admit because their goal is to fit in. They may be desperately trying to find out who they are and struggle with their new reality, one dont fully comprehend. Some way, something has changed you. They may get to a point where they dont even know who they are anymore.. Friends are acting differently towards them (be it real or imagined), parents react differently to them. Tasks that once completed almost effortlessly with no problem or much though given to it, becomes a struggle. Concepts and mechanics of ADLs become arduous. Things that they could control before, now they cant. Frustration sets in and the teen starts to act out in ways they never would have. Situations they and tasks once mastered, becomes a chore. Their study habits have changed. They may not have had to study hard and tests may have been a breeze for them previously. But not now. Words dont seem to make sense any more. The star athlete has hand- eye coordination problems as well as following complex schemes from playbooks. Moderate Brain Injuries and Traumatic Brain Injuries are devastating for adolescents up to the age of 25 at this stage of their development. Functions of the Lobes of the Brain The frontal lobe the parietal lobe the temporal lobe occipital and the cerebellum associated with the frontal lobe or various control they control certain of our behaviors and when is injured that a certain consequences changes that are seen when there is an injury to frontal lobe include problems with sequencing, difficulty making decisions or perseveration. Someone can experience decisions people experienced decreased attention, changed personality, problem-solving difficulties, a decrease in their ability to verbally express oneself. A lack of spontaneity and uncontrollable emotions, social and sexual behaviors decreased initiation of voluntary movements. The changes that we see when temporal lobe is injured is that people a problem understanding the spoken word. They have problems with selective attention. There can also be sexuality changes. sexuality changes. A person with a temporal lobe injury may be found to persistently talk. With a temporal lobe injury, there is an increas e in aggressive behavior. They have problems recognizing faces, identifying objects and categorizing them. The parietal lobe is an area of the brain that where there is a higher level of functioning. Injury to the parietal lobe can cause difficulty naming objects. There can be problems processing their tactile sensations (the sense of touch) and problems processing and understanding what their fingers are telling them. A persons academic skill set declines as a result of an injury to this part of the brain. Things that they were easily able to do in the workplace or in the academic setting from a cognitive standpoint are now diminished or gone. Theres also confusion between the left and the right, a loss of hand eye coordination and a decrease orientation of where the body is from a spatial standpoint. Damages to the occipital lobe is where issues of vision defects, the loss of the visual field. One may also have problems visually locating objects. Importantly, they may also have problems identifying colors. They may also have distorted vision and even hallucinations. They can also have w hat some call word blindness. There is an additional challenge of the inability to perceive the way objects move. It would not be farfetched to connect problems with reading and writing in light of an injury of this magnitude. One may experience an overall slowing of our brains processing visual information. Now for the cerebellum, the area located in the back at the base of the brain and on top of the spinal column. With the cerebellum, there are different things that are more like areas of specialty, things that our cerebellum does for us each and every day. It controls the gross and fine motor coordination. When we decide, we want to reach out and grab a jar off the shelf, we put our arm out and do it. Thats the cerebellum in action. We are balancing our equilibrium, the ability to stand up and not fall over. The cerebellum gives us the ability to be able to ride a skateboard, bicycle or to go for a jog down the block. Our postural (causes dizziness from standing up too fast)cont rol and our eye movements, moving our eyes back and forth up and down and utilizing our eyes to obtain visual information so that it can be processed by our brain. The brainstemcontrols so much of what happens in our body. It controls so many of the different functions that allow us to survive as human beings. It is an area of the brain that really, we take for granted and we should be able to take it for granted. But, when it becomes injured through an accident or whatever, the brainstem and the injuries that flow from that have horrible consequences. When a person has an injury to the brainstem we see the damage to the regulation of our ability to hold our body temperature. It needs to be kept at a healthy temperature as opposed to getting too hot or too cold. We can lose the ability with an injury to the brainstem, efficient and effective management of our heart rate or the rate at which we breathe. Someone with injuries to their brainstem also experience problems with balance an d their movement. They have problems with swallowing food and liquid, something each of us should be able to take for granted but an injury to the brainstem would revoke that privilege. Brainstem injuries classically can be associated with symptoms of vertigo where the world spins. Often, its uncontrollable and unfixable. Theres dizziness and nausea. In summary, the different lobes of the brain carry out many cognitive behavioral and social functions in terms of all the different aspects of our physical life of our emotional life. I have summarized the lobes of the brain to illustrate the way we think, the way to process information, down to larger impacts of injuries to the brain. Talking about the brainstem illustrated functions of how we swallow food, how our body regulates our temperature and so on. The key point in describing the different areas of the brain and the different functions can be summed up this way. When any of the lobes of our brain are, damaged or injured either by accident, by a driver, by a drug, or by a Dr there are horrible consequences that are inescapable. References Executive Function Self-Regulation. (2015). Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/ Understanding the Teen Brain . (n.d.). In University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, NY (Ed.), Health Encyclopedia. Retrieved 0February 27, 2017, from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ Bay, E., Mclean, S. A. (2007). Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing,39(1), 43-51. doi:10.1097/01376517-200702000-000090692

Harley Davidson Analysis

Harley Davidson Analysis Abstract The aim of this paper is to discuss the critical evaluation of the transformation process undertaken by Harley Davidson and analyse the contribution that the transformation made to the success or failure of the Harley Davidson. This paper also highlighted the competitive analysis of the US motorcycle industry and analsye the strategies that helps the Harley Davidson to get the sustainable competitive advantage from their 2nd most powerful competitor Suzuki. All the related strategies are described in Appendix due to word limitation. This paper also focuses on the further strategies such as EPR system, porter generic strategies etc. by which Harley Davidson would get competitive advantages before 2004. As a manager, author would also recommend differently and how they could use those strategies before 2004 to get the sustainable competitive advantages and also the successful implementation of transformation process. Aims This study involves a general evaluation of Harley Davidson to assess its transformation process. The study also attempts to assess the impact of the change on their performance. More specifically, the study aims at: Identifying Harleys transformation process Justifying the transformation process To conduct a brief literature on change management relating with Harleys case Analyse the Harleys competitive advantage from their competitor To recommend differently as a manager regarding different strategies to get the sustainable competitive advantage Methodology The report has used various books, e-journals and websites. Assumption It is assumed that information collected for the purpose of the report is correct and relevant. 1. Company Overview Harley Davidson began in Milwaukee in 1903 when two partners, Bill Harley and Arthur Walter Davidson, developed a one cylinder motorcycle. Harley Davidson grew quickly. By 1912 Harley Davidson was exporting their motorcycles overseas. During WW1, over 20,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles were used. By the end of the war there were over 2000 dealerships worldwide. After WW1, the demand for motorcycles in Europe grew rapidly. Harley Davidson became a leader in innovative engineering during the 1920s. However, during WW2 Harley Davidson prospered with sales of motorcycles to the military. They earned the coveted Army-Navy award for excellence in wartime production. After WW2, Harley Davidson transformed from producing military to recreational motorcycles. By 1953, Harley Davidson was the last remaining motorcycle manufacturer in the United States. By 1960 Harley Davidson had begun a gradual decline. Harley Davidson merged with the American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF). This merger briefly raised sales. By the mid 1970s, a declining market, a sluggish economy and increasingly fierce competition from Asian manufacturers was once again taking its toll on Harley Davidson. This culminated in a 1981 management buyout saving Harley Davidson from bankruptcy. After the 1981 management buyout, Harley Davidson had to re-organize. Faced with a terrible reputation for quality and rising costs, Harley Davidson focused on marketing. It wanted to differentiate itself from its competitors by building upon its heritage and its unique American styling. These improvements turned Harley Davidson into a remarkable success story. Between 1999 and 2004 revenues grew on average 14% yearly while profits grew 23% on average yearly. Harley Davidson is now the largest American motorcycle manufacturer. They design manufacturer and sell heavyweight touring, custom and performance motorcycles. Currently the company has over 28 models of touring and custom Harley motorcycles distributed through a network of more than 1300 dealerships worldwide. They also sell motorcycle parts, accessories, clothing and collectibles. The company also makes motorcycles under the Buell nameplate. (Source: Harley-Davidson, 2009) 2. Change Management Change is constant. Change in organisations is said to often be made in three areas: 1) structure, i.e. new services or programs; 2) technology, i.e. alteration in equipment and/or automation; and 3) people, i.e. selection, hiring, training, relationships, and attitudes. Change management is a strategy designed to transition from the status quo to some new ideal way of doing business. Change management has been defined as ‘the process of continually renewing an organizations direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers (Moran and Brightman, 2001, pg. 111). According to Burnes (2004) change is an ever-present feature of organizational life, both at an operational and strategic level. Therefore, there should be no doubt regarding the importance to any organisation of its ability to identify where it needs to be in the future, and how to manage the changes required getting there. Consequently, organisational change cann ot be separated from organisational strategy, or vice versa (Burnes, 2004; Rieley and Clarkson, 2001). Due to the importance of organisational change, its management is becoming a highly required managerial skill (Senior, 2002). 3. Change Management Process Organisational change can be described as the process of moving away from a current condition to realize some future state. Change management involves managing the process of achieving this future state. According to Nickols, (2004), change can be viewed from two vantage points, that of the people making the changes and that of the people experiencing the changes. In the top-down process, or strategic viewpoint associated with management, the focus is on technical issues such as the investment required, the processes for implementing the change, how soon the change can be realised, and the outcome. In the process of bottom-up viewpoint of the employee, the focus is on what the change means to the individual, how they can cope with the change, and also how management can assist them through the transition. In this context, effective change management should be able to help individuals evolve from negative feelings such as fear and anxiety towards positive feelings about the changes be ing made. Effective change management deals with diagnosing problems and determining an alternative that involves changing the organisational structure or processes. It also identifies and deals with the individual responses to change that can hinder the success of the project. To understand change management better, we need to understand the various models and strategies that managers may follow. Some of the models include the Leadership model, Improvisational Model, Theory E versus Theory O, and the ADKAR model (Please Refer Appendix A1) 4. Harley Davidson Transformation Process The Harley Davidson transformation began with a company that was suffering. In the 10 years to 1983, Harleys market share of the 850 CC plus motorcycle category had dropped from 80% to 23%. The company was hemorrhaging cash and profits. Staffs were demoralised. The culture and environment was toxic. According to Jenkinson Sain, (2009), the Transformation process of the Harley Davidson was divided into two phases: First Phase: The first phase of the transformation involved rationalisation and tough command and control management. This was First phase of change management process. It was not enough however to create success for this positivity and commitment of Harley Davidson. For this reason Harley Davidson decided to go second phase of the change process (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). Second Phase: The second phase of the management was core-integrated marketing of Harley Davidson. Harley Davidson had to move out of financial regulation and power governance into shared marketing commitment towards vision and value based on a collective appreciation of the Harley identity (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). Harleys problems began it was the company was sub optimized internally, with many hostile management/union relationships, and failed to match the market in customer value. The Japanese did not create the problem: they exposed the problem. Many companies share this problem. They may have succeeded in avoiding the extreme problems that Harley had, often by effective first phase management. The challenge of is to move into second phase. Second phases Integrated Marketing depends first on uniting everyone around a collective vision of value that connects to the identity and purpose of the organisation/brand. This depends on a profound and shared understanding of customers and an organisation that can deliver value seamlessly throughout all customer experiences across the relationship. This also means connecting and matching spiritual with practical qualities: vision, purpose, values with information, processes, and systems (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). 5. Implementation of Transformation process There are a number of factors that affect the strategies used for change management (Please refer Appendix B1), and ultimately whether the change is effective. One set of factors is how resistant people are to change. People may resist change because they are unsure of how it affects them, misunderstand the changes, have a different assessment of the current and future environment, or simply have a low tolerance for change. A second factor is the urgency of the change. How important is it, and how critical it is to the business needs of the organization? This also affects the time frame under which the changes need to be implemented. A third factor is how ready is the organisation for the change? Does it have the skills and knowledge needed to implement the change? Finally, management will have preferred strategies for managing the change. This might be based on research and studies they have made, or from past experiences (Kotter, 1996). If we look at the various models (Please refer Appendix A1) for change, it is apparent that there are certain situations where a particular model will not be as effective. For example, I would not expect the improvisational model to work well in a rigid, autocratic environment. This model would work best in an informal, cooperative environment where the workers are encouraged to take risks and display initiative, and everyone is open to new ideas (Orlikowski and Hofman, 1997). The Theory E and Theory O models represent opposite ends of the spectrum. Theory E is more appropriate when the focus is on the short term, and the goal is to maximize the return on investment. The Theory O is more appropriate when the emphasis is on the long-term survival of the company (Beer and Nohria, 2001). The leadership and ADKAR models are both effective in situations where the change is a programmed change, and management needs to secure the buy-in and support of the employees. Both of these models emp hasize the leadership aspect of change management, and deal with the behavior of individuals in response to change. 6. Transformation Model for Harley Davidson Integrated Marketing amounts to a widening of the responsibility, potential and vision for many marketers and therefore for marketing. Rich Teerlink, CEO of Harley-Davidson, describes a leadership journey by which just such a transformation took place. Under his leadership, Harley-Davidson changed from a somewhat toxic, hierarchical, command and control organisation to something new and nimble that is the present-day foundation for its ongoing success as an Integrated Marketing leader. Initially that change did require command and control to get out of the solvency crisis. However, the sustained success that Harley Davidson has, its came from a different kind of change. Involvement, empowerment and alignment were the secret of success of Harley Davidson. The result is something called the Business Process, an extensive and ongoing programme of Harley Davidson that involved and involves everyone in the Harley Davidson from top to bottom in establishing shared values and vision, shared mission and operating philosophies, and agreed objectives and strategies (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). According to Teerlink (cited in Jenkinson Sain, 2009) and his partner in the process, consultant Lee Ozley, â€Å"Instead of demanding compliance, managers have to earn, and call upon, commitment†. The extensive change process, over several years, that led to this, known as the Joint Vision Process, also led to a radical new organisation. Instead of the conventional hierarchical structure, Harley-Davidson developed what they call a circle organisation of three overlapping elements concerned with creating demand, producing products and providing support. A leadership and strategy council at the centre has members nominated from these circles. Harley-Davidson Circle organisation Jeff Bleustein, former president of parts and accessories, describes the uniqueness of the circle organization, According to Bleustein, there are a lot of companies with self-managing work teams on the factory floor. In fact, thats where a lot of innovation comes in some companies as far away from the executive offices. He took this concept of self-managing groups and made it work at the executive level of Harley Davidson. The solution to Integrated Marketing is not to blindly copy the Harley- Davidson solution. Jeff Bleustein also give some criticism against the integrated marketing approach. He predicted that integrated marketing approach would not work, because Harley Davidson grew organically out of the process. However he has observed some other radical structures both within the marketing department of the large organisation. He was certain that to achieve best practice in Integrated Marketing there is a need for the organisation structure to grow out of and reflect the organis ing idea of value and purpose that animates the brand organisation, rather than be driven by traditional considerations of power and status (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). Ron Hutchinson, currently vice president for parts, accessories and customer service, gives a perspective on this change and its effect that relates to Integrated Marketing. He verified that this was a vision of the way people needed to be engaged in an organization, and developed a structure the Business Process of Harley Davidson that allows for theoretical alignment of an individuals job with the long-term direction of the company. Hutchinson aware of that no other organisation has built a whole process and structure around that. In the final analysis, he would say the customer service department, where a customer spent eight hours a day taking phone calls from unhappy campers, is a true test of whether the Business Process works or not. He was convinced that Harley Davidson wouldnt have the reputation that they have today in the marketplace if they didnt have front-line people excited by charismatic, visionary leadership, who can see exactly how their little piece of the organiza tion fits into the long-term strategy and direction of the company (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). According to Teerlink, to complement the organizational changes, new rewards and incentive systems were introduced. They are changing their pay system to pay for performance. They needed their people to understand empowerment. An employee must make the decision that he or she wants more training no one will tap an employee on the shoulder but once an employee are there, they will help an employee. The executive committee was the first group to go through the [Leadership] institute. They didnt want anyone to get the attitude that the executive committee doesnt have anything to learn (Nolan Kotha, 2007). Line workers were exposed to the interrelation among products, sales, and profitability. Harley Davidson also prepared nontechnical explanations of how cash flows and flexible production affected financial success. Harley made substantial changes in worker job descriptions, responsibilities, and production processes to increase job enrichment and worker empowerment. In 1993 Harley-Davidson acquired a minority interest in the Buell Motorcycle Company, a manufacturer of performance motorcycles. Through this investment Harley hoped to enter select niches within the â€Å"performance† motorcycle market, which several top executives thought would return Harley to its heritage of product innovation and development through lessons from the racetrack (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). 7. Successful Transformation process in Harley Davidson Due to successful transformation process of Harley Davidson (H-D), impressive integrated marketing strategy gave Harley Davidson a brand name that more recognized than any other company. Indeed, the strategy was not to focus on reducing the costs, or on the distribution improvement, but the main element was to create customer value. In other words, H-Ds was to give more credibility, trust, safety, desires, quality of product and service, and thus fidelity to its brand. In order to reach that goal, H-D centralised its marketing on these topics, for example creating a Harley Owners Group who rallies more than 900,000 members worldwide (Harley-Davidson, 2009). The main interest of this group is to ensure members to know each other, and become a second family who share the same interests, wills, and thoughts. This integrated marketing strategy also ensures H-D to maintain a strong relationship with its customers, and thus a strong brand name all over the world. According to customers, th e owners of H-D say that this brand understands customers needs, and also that they are always for their customer if a problem appears. These remarks can be linked with H-Ds values. According to H-D â€Å"Our values are the heart of how we run our business. They guide our actions and serve as the framework for the decisions and contributions our employees make at every level of the Company.† These values are: Be Fair, Tell the Truth, Keep Your Promises, Respect the Individual, and Encourage Intellectual Curiosity (Harley-Davidson, 2009). This integrated marketing approach can also be linked with the mission statement of H-D: â€Å"We fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles and branded products and services in selected market segments (Harley-Davidson, 2009).† In order to be successful, organizations must determine clear financial and strategic objectives (Hitt et.al, 2005). Harley Davidson gained a greater market share, achieved higher product quality than rivals, maintained a stronger reputation and a better branding strategy than its competitors, increased levels of customer satisfaction and finally attained stronger customer loyalty due to successful transformation process. In the 60s and 70s Harleys strategic intent was based on â€Å"going shoulder-to-shoulder against the predominantly Japanese companies† (Harley-Davidson, 2009). Harley could not compete on the price level, and the Japanese products were of superior quality, Harley decided to compete in other areas. Their new strategy was to connect with people on an emotional level. They are not selling a product but a way of life, a way of thinking. Due to successful transformation process of Harley Davidson changed its strategy from selling products to selling community (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). And the fact that H-D has developed a Brand stretching strategy, which was an element of Harleys success in developing relationships with customers. Indeed, owners can buy other Harleys products than bikes; it means that they can be more than a biker, they can join Harleys group buying leather accessories or clothes, and even cosmetics. 8. Competitor Analysis/Strategic Issues There are four strategic issues that H-D has to face with. The most important is the European market where H-D has to increase its sales, then, linked with the first issue, there is a fierce competition with the Japanese firms such as Honda and Yamaha. The other issues are the womens market and the accessories, which are in decline. Harley-Davidson is not very famous in Europe where Harleys market share of 650 cc plus motorcycle is less than 7% (6.6%), while in North America Harley-Davidson has a huge market share (46.4%), 21.3% for the Asian market. The main industry competitors are Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki and BMW. Harley-Davidson is the market leader in the U.S. market with 46.4% market share (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). Their domestic position is quite secure however the rival companies are all aiming to increase their impact on the North American market. Rival manufacturers such as Kawasaki or BMW have all made a serious attempt to establish them at the heart of Harleys market. The Japanese bikes were often considered to be ‘sissy cycles by Harley lovers (Mitchell, 2001). This image is slowly changing and the Japanese companies are trying to ‘out Harley the Harley models. Yamaha motor USA is starting to improve its position in its various markets. The U.S. sales have increased for 47% since 1998. Harley Davidson had a tough time in creating an image for themselves particularly in the cruiser markets. Harley continues to dominate the U.S market and is also the leader in the Asian/Pacific markets with 21.3% market share (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). Yamaha is also trying to outperform Harley and is improving its mass customization skills. The Yamaha website offers a section that allows customers to design their own bike and choose the look and functionality they desire. The interface ensures customers to choose from 75 Yamaha accessory items and makes it easy for the customer to purchase the bike online. The Yamaha V Max model, the Drag Star, and the Road Star models attract customers with their slick design and technological tweaks (Yamaha, 2009). The Yamaha sports models are also very successful and the company is still maintaining a strong position in world markets. European rivals are also trying to make an impact on this lucrative market. Italys Moto Guzzi recently introduced the V11 EV custom cruiser. BMW introduced 3 models of its R1200C cruiser and thanks to clever advertising is beginning to improve its position in the U.S. and Asian markets (BMW Annual report, 2004). 9. Harley Davidsons Strategic Implementation While Harley was booming in U.S market during the late 1950s, then the market attracted Japanese motorcycles manufacturers, beginning with Honda. Other Japanese firms, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki also followed Honda. Behind Honda, Suzuki was the main competitor for Harley Davidson and while Suzuki marketed smaller, quieter and more fuel-efficient motorcycles that required little or no maintenance and were easier to handle compare to Harleys bikes. In order to get sustainable competitive advantages, Harley Davidson implemented different types of strategies that helped them become one of the most dominant motorcycle producers in the world as well as differentiate them from their one of the most powerful competitor Suzuki. As stated earlier, strategic issues that H-D has faced is increased segmentation in the motorcycle industry causing them to shift focuses in their strategy. With the purchase of Buell Motorcycle Co. they have been successfully able to increase their market segmentation by offering high quality bikes at competitive price. This allowed H-D to have the opportunity to move from a differentiation strategy to a cost/differentiation strategy (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). Harley Davidsons use of the Cost/Differentiation as a Business Level Strategy has proven highly successful since they have been in business. They have always tried to differentiate themselves from everyone else in the motorcycle industry, by producing a brand image that many competitors have failed to recreate. Harley Davidson has two different companies built into one. The first of the two companies produces motorcycles at competitive prices against their competitors. Harley Davidson demands high standards of quality and efficiency and demand lower costs, which will add to a higher quality less expensive motorcycle. Harley Davidson has done extensive research to find out information about their average customer. Harley Davidson concluded that the average motorcycle consumer is a married, college educated, 38 year-old male earning $44,250 a year and his average income is increasing. Research also shows that females represent 10% of the new purchasers (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). The second company that Harley Davidson implemented is the Costume Vehicle Operations or CVO. This company specializes and customizes the motorcycles to suit the individual owner. Harley Davidson also offers genuine parts and accessories so Harley owners can customize their own motorcycles. The CVO tries to use the differentiation strategy to beat out its competitors. The customisation of a motorcycle can prove to be very expensive and time consuming, but Harley Davidson knows that what good is a bike if you cannot show people who you really are. The customers are willing to wait an average of 1 year after placing their order to receive their customized motorcycle. Every other motorcycle manufacturer is trying to imitate Harley and their products. Harley has the top of the industry manufacturing process with large state of the art factories, and distribution, with many small and personalized, to market dealers, who sell their products (Harley-Davidson, 2009) Harley Davidsons Corporate Level Strategy tends to favour the Related Diversification Strategy. Their two primary businesses are related to each other in some manner or another. The two divisions, CVO and the Competitive Price Division, are related by using the same suppliers. Although the two divisions serve two totally different responsibilities to the consumers, they are truly related in their strengths to differentiate themselves from all the other competition. Harley Davidson does not do much promotion at the corporate level. Primarily, the local dealers do their promotion (Mitchell, 2001). Harley Davidson Motor Co. of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin has become known for translating process innovation into business revival. A significant contributor to this growth is a new-product cost management strategy, based on design for manufacturability. The company recognized that while 70% of their product cost was determined at the design function, the cost strategy went far beyond the function of product development. Their strategy was two fold, with the first linking cost management to corporate objectives, and the second validates and measures progress towards cost targets. Cross-functional integration was paramount in implementing this strategy. Cost analysts work with development team members, while design engineers worked closely with manufacturing personnel to understand cost constraints in conjunction with an understanding of how things would be made. This strategy has helped Harley-Davidson capture nearly 50% of the U.S. market for motorcycles, while achieving double-digit reven ue growth (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). 10. Recommendations As a manager author will identify the key areas of further strategic implementation by which Harley Davidson will get sustainable competitive advantage in their industry. Author identifies that Harley Davidson still not using the EPR system. Harley Davidson can use the ERP system to enhance the integrated marketing approach. Usually ERP systems will have many components including hardware and software, in order to achieve integration, most ERP systems use a unified database to store data for various functions found throughout the organisation. The term ERP originally referred to how a large organization planned to use organizational wide resources. In the past, ERP systems were used in larger more industrial types of companies. However, the use of ERP has changed and is extremely comprehensive, today the term can refer to any type of company, no matter what industry it falls in. In fact, ERP systems are used in almost any type of organization large or small. In order for a software system to be considered ERP, it must provide an organization with functionality for two or more systems. While some ERP packages exist that only cover two functions for an organization Payroll Accounting, most ERP systems cover several functions. Todays ERP systems can cover a wide range of functions and integrate them into one unified database. For instance, functions such as human resources, supply chain management, customer relations management, financials, manufacturing functions and warehouse management functions were all once stand alone software applications, usually housed with their own database and network, today, they can all fit under one umbrella the ERP system (Tech-faq, 2009). In retrospect, author would have recommended that Harley do a few things differently. First, they could have researched the literature on what types of problems mechanistic manufacturing organizations face when they try to implement an ERP system in a highly inflexible environment. There was enough research and case analysis available to do this. While they were clearly aware of potential change resistance and the need to get all stakeholders involved, the amount of time their search and selection process required was ridiculous in todays business environment. Author speculate that the sheer demand and high prices of their product allowed them to wallow in their inefficiencies a few more years before they had to bite the bullet (Hirschboeck et.al, 2004). Second, obtaining the advice of experienced software and supply chain consultants earlier in the process probably could have saved some time and created a defined focus. Often, managers use the discipline and recommendations of consultants to reinforce the need for organizational change. With the purchasing process out of control, they could have brought in some purchasing expertise to clean up some of the mess before selecting a software system to help organize the process. According to the website, only 10% of the Harleys customers are females. But female bikers are more and more interested by bikes (www.moto-station.com). Yamaha and Kawasaki are trying to take advantage of this growing interest of female bikers and many of their ads feature women on motorcycles. Harley Davidson can take this new opportunity to get sustainable competitive advantage in their industry. Another key issue for the future is the problem of the accessories. Indeed, those products such as perfumes or cosmetics are decreasing a lot. So, Harley-Davidson should take a decision about this unsuccessful strategy of brand stretching. But, this strategy has a lot of success regards to the leatherwear and fashion area. Harley-Davidson should continue to improve this brand stretching and not leave the market of cosmetics and perfumes. Harley was successful in transforming its scattered purchasing functions into a supplier relationship management program. The supplier portal now serves 300 of its 695 suppliers. In 2004, the company was extending portal access to its accessories and merchandise suppliers. This year, Harley will have about 300 IT employees (Hirschboeck et.al, 2004). The department should manage by experienced leaders who specializing in a particular area of expertise supporting a key company function. Record earnings for the first quarter of 2004 were gained from a 13% increase in sales, the largest in its history ((Nolan Kotha, 2007)). Analysts are crediting its profit growth and margin control to improvement in its supply chain efficiencies. Harley holds a 46% market share in heavyweight motorcycles in the US. The company sponsors a club for its customers, known as the Harley Owners Group (HOG) that allows the company to do direct market research and solicit ideas for product development and testing from 600,000 members. In 2002, the company produced 28 models Harley Davidson Analysis Harley Davidson Analysis Abstract The aim of this paper is to discuss the critical evaluation of the transformation process undertaken by Harley Davidson and analyse the contribution that the transformation made to the success or failure of the Harley Davidson. This paper also highlighted the competitive analysis of the US motorcycle industry and analsye the strategies that helps the Harley Davidson to get the sustainable competitive advantage from their 2nd most powerful competitor Suzuki. All the related strategies are described in Appendix due to word limitation. This paper also focuses on the further strategies such as EPR system, porter generic strategies etc. by which Harley Davidson would get competitive advantages before 2004. As a manager, author would also recommend differently and how they could use those strategies before 2004 to get the sustainable competitive advantages and also the successful implementation of transformation process. Aims This study involves a general evaluation of Harley Davidson to assess its transformation process. The study also attempts to assess the impact of the change on their performance. More specifically, the study aims at: Identifying Harleys transformation process Justifying the transformation process To conduct a brief literature on change management relating with Harleys case Analyse the Harleys competitive advantage from their competitor To recommend differently as a manager regarding different strategies to get the sustainable competitive advantage Methodology The report has used various books, e-journals and websites. Assumption It is assumed that information collected for the purpose of the report is correct and relevant. 1. Company Overview Harley Davidson began in Milwaukee in 1903 when two partners, Bill Harley and Arthur Walter Davidson, developed a one cylinder motorcycle. Harley Davidson grew quickly. By 1912 Harley Davidson was exporting their motorcycles overseas. During WW1, over 20,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles were used. By the end of the war there were over 2000 dealerships worldwide. After WW1, the demand for motorcycles in Europe grew rapidly. Harley Davidson became a leader in innovative engineering during the 1920s. However, during WW2 Harley Davidson prospered with sales of motorcycles to the military. They earned the coveted Army-Navy award for excellence in wartime production. After WW2, Harley Davidson transformed from producing military to recreational motorcycles. By 1953, Harley Davidson was the last remaining motorcycle manufacturer in the United States. By 1960 Harley Davidson had begun a gradual decline. Harley Davidson merged with the American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF). This merger briefly raised sales. By the mid 1970s, a declining market, a sluggish economy and increasingly fierce competition from Asian manufacturers was once again taking its toll on Harley Davidson. This culminated in a 1981 management buyout saving Harley Davidson from bankruptcy. After the 1981 management buyout, Harley Davidson had to re-organize. Faced with a terrible reputation for quality and rising costs, Harley Davidson focused on marketing. It wanted to differentiate itself from its competitors by building upon its heritage and its unique American styling. These improvements turned Harley Davidson into a remarkable success story. Between 1999 and 2004 revenues grew on average 14% yearly while profits grew 23% on average yearly. Harley Davidson is now the largest American motorcycle manufacturer. They design manufacturer and sell heavyweight touring, custom and performance motorcycles. Currently the company has over 28 models of touring and custom Harley motorcycles distributed through a network of more than 1300 dealerships worldwide. They also sell motorcycle parts, accessories, clothing and collectibles. The company also makes motorcycles under the Buell nameplate. (Source: Harley-Davidson, 2009) 2. Change Management Change is constant. Change in organisations is said to often be made in three areas: 1) structure, i.e. new services or programs; 2) technology, i.e. alteration in equipment and/or automation; and 3) people, i.e. selection, hiring, training, relationships, and attitudes. Change management is a strategy designed to transition from the status quo to some new ideal way of doing business. Change management has been defined as ‘the process of continually renewing an organizations direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers (Moran and Brightman, 2001, pg. 111). According to Burnes (2004) change is an ever-present feature of organizational life, both at an operational and strategic level. Therefore, there should be no doubt regarding the importance to any organisation of its ability to identify where it needs to be in the future, and how to manage the changes required getting there. Consequently, organisational change cann ot be separated from organisational strategy, or vice versa (Burnes, 2004; Rieley and Clarkson, 2001). Due to the importance of organisational change, its management is becoming a highly required managerial skill (Senior, 2002). 3. Change Management Process Organisational change can be described as the process of moving away from a current condition to realize some future state. Change management involves managing the process of achieving this future state. According to Nickols, (2004), change can be viewed from two vantage points, that of the people making the changes and that of the people experiencing the changes. In the top-down process, or strategic viewpoint associated with management, the focus is on technical issues such as the investment required, the processes for implementing the change, how soon the change can be realised, and the outcome. In the process of bottom-up viewpoint of the employee, the focus is on what the change means to the individual, how they can cope with the change, and also how management can assist them through the transition. In this context, effective change management should be able to help individuals evolve from negative feelings such as fear and anxiety towards positive feelings about the changes be ing made. Effective change management deals with diagnosing problems and determining an alternative that involves changing the organisational structure or processes. It also identifies and deals with the individual responses to change that can hinder the success of the project. To understand change management better, we need to understand the various models and strategies that managers may follow. Some of the models include the Leadership model, Improvisational Model, Theory E versus Theory O, and the ADKAR model (Please Refer Appendix A1) 4. Harley Davidson Transformation Process The Harley Davidson transformation began with a company that was suffering. In the 10 years to 1983, Harleys market share of the 850 CC plus motorcycle category had dropped from 80% to 23%. The company was hemorrhaging cash and profits. Staffs were demoralised. The culture and environment was toxic. According to Jenkinson Sain, (2009), the Transformation process of the Harley Davidson was divided into two phases: First Phase: The first phase of the transformation involved rationalisation and tough command and control management. This was First phase of change management process. It was not enough however to create success for this positivity and commitment of Harley Davidson. For this reason Harley Davidson decided to go second phase of the change process (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). Second Phase: The second phase of the management was core-integrated marketing of Harley Davidson. Harley Davidson had to move out of financial regulation and power governance into shared marketing commitment towards vision and value based on a collective appreciation of the Harley identity (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). Harleys problems began it was the company was sub optimized internally, with many hostile management/union relationships, and failed to match the market in customer value. The Japanese did not create the problem: they exposed the problem. Many companies share this problem. They may have succeeded in avoiding the extreme problems that Harley had, often by effective first phase management. The challenge of is to move into second phase. Second phases Integrated Marketing depends first on uniting everyone around a collective vision of value that connects to the identity and purpose of the organisation/brand. This depends on a profound and shared understanding of customers and an organisation that can deliver value seamlessly throughout all customer experiences across the relationship. This also means connecting and matching spiritual with practical qualities: vision, purpose, values with information, processes, and systems (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). 5. Implementation of Transformation process There are a number of factors that affect the strategies used for change management (Please refer Appendix B1), and ultimately whether the change is effective. One set of factors is how resistant people are to change. People may resist change because they are unsure of how it affects them, misunderstand the changes, have a different assessment of the current and future environment, or simply have a low tolerance for change. A second factor is the urgency of the change. How important is it, and how critical it is to the business needs of the organization? This also affects the time frame under which the changes need to be implemented. A third factor is how ready is the organisation for the change? Does it have the skills and knowledge needed to implement the change? Finally, management will have preferred strategies for managing the change. This might be based on research and studies they have made, or from past experiences (Kotter, 1996). If we look at the various models (Please refer Appendix A1) for change, it is apparent that there are certain situations where a particular model will not be as effective. For example, I would not expect the improvisational model to work well in a rigid, autocratic environment. This model would work best in an informal, cooperative environment where the workers are encouraged to take risks and display initiative, and everyone is open to new ideas (Orlikowski and Hofman, 1997). The Theory E and Theory O models represent opposite ends of the spectrum. Theory E is more appropriate when the focus is on the short term, and the goal is to maximize the return on investment. The Theory O is more appropriate when the emphasis is on the long-term survival of the company (Beer and Nohria, 2001). The leadership and ADKAR models are both effective in situations where the change is a programmed change, and management needs to secure the buy-in and support of the employees. Both of these models emp hasize the leadership aspect of change management, and deal with the behavior of individuals in response to change. 6. Transformation Model for Harley Davidson Integrated Marketing amounts to a widening of the responsibility, potential and vision for many marketers and therefore for marketing. Rich Teerlink, CEO of Harley-Davidson, describes a leadership journey by which just such a transformation took place. Under his leadership, Harley-Davidson changed from a somewhat toxic, hierarchical, command and control organisation to something new and nimble that is the present-day foundation for its ongoing success as an Integrated Marketing leader. Initially that change did require command and control to get out of the solvency crisis. However, the sustained success that Harley Davidson has, its came from a different kind of change. Involvement, empowerment and alignment were the secret of success of Harley Davidson. The result is something called the Business Process, an extensive and ongoing programme of Harley Davidson that involved and involves everyone in the Harley Davidson from top to bottom in establishing shared values and vision, shared mission and operating philosophies, and agreed objectives and strategies (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). According to Teerlink (cited in Jenkinson Sain, 2009) and his partner in the process, consultant Lee Ozley, â€Å"Instead of demanding compliance, managers have to earn, and call upon, commitment†. The extensive change process, over several years, that led to this, known as the Joint Vision Process, also led to a radical new organisation. Instead of the conventional hierarchical structure, Harley-Davidson developed what they call a circle organisation of three overlapping elements concerned with creating demand, producing products and providing support. A leadership and strategy council at the centre has members nominated from these circles. Harley-Davidson Circle organisation Jeff Bleustein, former president of parts and accessories, describes the uniqueness of the circle organization, According to Bleustein, there are a lot of companies with self-managing work teams on the factory floor. In fact, thats where a lot of innovation comes in some companies as far away from the executive offices. He took this concept of self-managing groups and made it work at the executive level of Harley Davidson. The solution to Integrated Marketing is not to blindly copy the Harley- Davidson solution. Jeff Bleustein also give some criticism against the integrated marketing approach. He predicted that integrated marketing approach would not work, because Harley Davidson grew organically out of the process. However he has observed some other radical structures both within the marketing department of the large organisation. He was certain that to achieve best practice in Integrated Marketing there is a need for the organisation structure to grow out of and reflect the organis ing idea of value and purpose that animates the brand organisation, rather than be driven by traditional considerations of power and status (Jenkinson Sain, 2009). Ron Hutchinson, currently vice president for parts, accessories and customer service, gives a perspective on this change and its effect that relates to Integrated Marketing. He verified that this was a vision of the way people needed to be engaged in an organization, and developed a structure the Business Process of Harley Davidson that allows for theoretical alignment of an individuals job with the long-term direction of the company. Hutchinson aware of that no other organisation has built a whole process and structure around that. In the final analysis, he would say the customer service department, where a customer spent eight hours a day taking phone calls from unhappy campers, is a true test of whether the Business Process works or not. He was convinced that Harley Davidson wouldnt have the reputation that they have today in the marketplace if they didnt have front-line people excited by charismatic, visionary leadership, who can see exactly how their little piece of the organiza tion fits into the long-term strategy and direction of the company (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). According to Teerlink, to complement the organizational changes, new rewards and incentive systems were introduced. They are changing their pay system to pay for performance. They needed their people to understand empowerment. An employee must make the decision that he or she wants more training no one will tap an employee on the shoulder but once an employee are there, they will help an employee. The executive committee was the first group to go through the [Leadership] institute. They didnt want anyone to get the attitude that the executive committee doesnt have anything to learn (Nolan Kotha, 2007). Line workers were exposed to the interrelation among products, sales, and profitability. Harley Davidson also prepared nontechnical explanations of how cash flows and flexible production affected financial success. Harley made substantial changes in worker job descriptions, responsibilities, and production processes to increase job enrichment and worker empowerment. In 1993 Harley-Davidson acquired a minority interest in the Buell Motorcycle Company, a manufacturer of performance motorcycles. Through this investment Harley hoped to enter select niches within the â€Å"performance† motorcycle market, which several top executives thought would return Harley to its heritage of product innovation and development through lessons from the racetrack (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). 7. Successful Transformation process in Harley Davidson Due to successful transformation process of Harley Davidson (H-D), impressive integrated marketing strategy gave Harley Davidson a brand name that more recognized than any other company. Indeed, the strategy was not to focus on reducing the costs, or on the distribution improvement, but the main element was to create customer value. In other words, H-Ds was to give more credibility, trust, safety, desires, quality of product and service, and thus fidelity to its brand. In order to reach that goal, H-D centralised its marketing on these topics, for example creating a Harley Owners Group who rallies more than 900,000 members worldwide (Harley-Davidson, 2009). The main interest of this group is to ensure members to know each other, and become a second family who share the same interests, wills, and thoughts. This integrated marketing strategy also ensures H-D to maintain a strong relationship with its customers, and thus a strong brand name all over the world. According to customers, th e owners of H-D say that this brand understands customers needs, and also that they are always for their customer if a problem appears. These remarks can be linked with H-Ds values. According to H-D â€Å"Our values are the heart of how we run our business. They guide our actions and serve as the framework for the decisions and contributions our employees make at every level of the Company.† These values are: Be Fair, Tell the Truth, Keep Your Promises, Respect the Individual, and Encourage Intellectual Curiosity (Harley-Davidson, 2009). This integrated marketing approach can also be linked with the mission statement of H-D: â€Å"We fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles and branded products and services in selected market segments (Harley-Davidson, 2009).† In order to be successful, organizations must determine clear financial and strategic objectives (Hitt et.al, 2005). Harley Davidson gained a greater market share, achieved higher product quality than rivals, maintained a stronger reputation and a better branding strategy than its competitors, increased levels of customer satisfaction and finally attained stronger customer loyalty due to successful transformation process. In the 60s and 70s Harleys strategic intent was based on â€Å"going shoulder-to-shoulder against the predominantly Japanese companies† (Harley-Davidson, 2009). Harley could not compete on the price level, and the Japanese products were of superior quality, Harley decided to compete in other areas. Their new strategy was to connect with people on an emotional level. They are not selling a product but a way of life, a way of thinking. Due to successful transformation process of Harley Davidson changed its strategy from selling products to selling community (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). And the fact that H-D has developed a Brand stretching strategy, which was an element of Harleys success in developing relationships with customers. Indeed, owners can buy other Harleys products than bikes; it means that they can be more than a biker, they can join Harleys group buying leather accessories or clothes, and even cosmetics. 8. Competitor Analysis/Strategic Issues There are four strategic issues that H-D has to face with. The most important is the European market where H-D has to increase its sales, then, linked with the first issue, there is a fierce competition with the Japanese firms such as Honda and Yamaha. The other issues are the womens market and the accessories, which are in decline. Harley-Davidson is not very famous in Europe where Harleys market share of 650 cc plus motorcycle is less than 7% (6.6%), while in North America Harley-Davidson has a huge market share (46.4%), 21.3% for the Asian market. The main industry competitors are Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki and BMW. Harley-Davidson is the market leader in the U.S. market with 46.4% market share (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). Their domestic position is quite secure however the rival companies are all aiming to increase their impact on the North American market. Rival manufacturers such as Kawasaki or BMW have all made a serious attempt to establish them at the heart of Harleys market. The Japanese bikes were often considered to be ‘sissy cycles by Harley lovers (Mitchell, 2001). This image is slowly changing and the Japanese companies are trying to ‘out Harley the Harley models. Yamaha motor USA is starting to improve its position in its various markets. The U.S. sales have increased for 47% since 1998. Harley Davidson had a tough time in creating an image for themselves particularly in the cruiser markets. Harley continues to dominate the U.S market and is also the leader in the Asian/Pacific markets with 21.3% market share (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). Yamaha is also trying to outperform Harley and is improving its mass customization skills. The Yamaha website offers a section that allows customers to design their own bike and choose the look and functionality they desire. The interface ensures customers to choose from 75 Yamaha accessory items and makes it easy for the customer to purchase the bike online. The Yamaha V Max model, the Drag Star, and the Road Star models attract customers with their slick design and technological tweaks (Yamaha, 2009). The Yamaha sports models are also very successful and the company is still maintaining a strong position in world markets. European rivals are also trying to make an impact on this lucrative market. Italys Moto Guzzi recently introduced the V11 EV custom cruiser. BMW introduced 3 models of its R1200C cruiser and thanks to clever advertising is beginning to improve its position in the U.S. and Asian markets (BMW Annual report, 2004). 9. Harley Davidsons Strategic Implementation While Harley was booming in U.S market during the late 1950s, then the market attracted Japanese motorcycles manufacturers, beginning with Honda. Other Japanese firms, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki also followed Honda. Behind Honda, Suzuki was the main competitor for Harley Davidson and while Suzuki marketed smaller, quieter and more fuel-efficient motorcycles that required little or no maintenance and were easier to handle compare to Harleys bikes. In order to get sustainable competitive advantages, Harley Davidson implemented different types of strategies that helped them become one of the most dominant motorcycle producers in the world as well as differentiate them from their one of the most powerful competitor Suzuki. As stated earlier, strategic issues that H-D has faced is increased segmentation in the motorcycle industry causing them to shift focuses in their strategy. With the purchase of Buell Motorcycle Co. they have been successfully able to increase their market segmentation by offering high quality bikes at competitive price. This allowed H-D to have the opportunity to move from a differentiation strategy to a cost/differentiation strategy (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). Harley Davidsons use of the Cost/Differentiation as a Business Level Strategy has proven highly successful since they have been in business. They have always tried to differentiate themselves from everyone else in the motorcycle industry, by producing a brand image that many competitors have failed to recreate. Harley Davidson has two different companies built into one. The first of the two companies produces motorcycles at competitive prices against their competitors. Harley Davidson demands high standards of quality and efficiency and demand lower costs, which will add to a higher quality less expensive motorcycle. Harley Davidson has done extensive research to find out information about their average customer. Harley Davidson concluded that the average motorcycle consumer is a married, college educated, 38 year-old male earning $44,250 a year and his average income is increasing. Research also shows that females represent 10% of the new purchasers (Henshaw Kerr, 2001). The second company that Harley Davidson implemented is the Costume Vehicle Operations or CVO. This company specializes and customizes the motorcycles to suit the individual owner. Harley Davidson also offers genuine parts and accessories so Harley owners can customize their own motorcycles. The CVO tries to use the differentiation strategy to beat out its competitors. The customisation of a motorcycle can prove to be very expensive and time consuming, but Harley Davidson knows that what good is a bike if you cannot show people who you really are. The customers are willing to wait an average of 1 year after placing their order to receive their customized motorcycle. Every other motorcycle manufacturer is trying to imitate Harley and their products. Harley has the top of the industry manufacturing process with large state of the art factories, and distribution, with many small and personalized, to market dealers, who sell their products (Harley-Davidson, 2009) Harley Davidsons Corporate Level Strategy tends to favour the Related Diversification Strategy. Their two primary businesses are related to each other in some manner or another. The two divisions, CVO and the Competitive Price Division, are related by using the same suppliers. Although the two divisions serve two totally different responsibilities to the consumers, they are truly related in their strengths to differentiate themselves from all the other competition. Harley Davidson does not do much promotion at the corporate level. Primarily, the local dealers do their promotion (Mitchell, 2001). Harley Davidson Motor Co. of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin has become known for translating process innovation into business revival. A significant contributor to this growth is a new-product cost management strategy, based on design for manufacturability. The company recognized that while 70% of their product cost was determined at the design function, the cost strategy went far beyond the function of product development. Their strategy was two fold, with the first linking cost management to corporate objectives, and the second validates and measures progress towards cost targets. Cross-functional integration was paramount in implementing this strategy. Cost analysts work with development team members, while design engineers worked closely with manufacturing personnel to understand cost constraints in conjunction with an understanding of how things would be made. This strategy has helped Harley-Davidson capture nearly 50% of the U.S. market for motorcycles, while achieving double-digit reven ue growth (Teerlink Ozley, 2000). 10. Recommendations As a manager author will identify the key areas of further strategic implementation by which Harley Davidson will get sustainable competitive advantage in their industry. Author identifies that Harley Davidson still not using the EPR system. Harley Davidson can use the ERP system to enhance the integrated marketing approach. Usually ERP systems will have many components including hardware and software, in order to achieve integration, most ERP systems use a unified database to store data for various functions found throughout the organisation. The term ERP originally referred to how a large organization planned to use organizational wide resources. In the past, ERP systems were used in larger more industrial types of companies. However, the use of ERP has changed and is extremely comprehensive, today the term can refer to any type of company, no matter what industry it falls in. In fact, ERP systems are used in almost any type of organization large or small. In order for a software system to be considered ERP, it must provide an organization with functionality for two or more systems. While some ERP packages exist that only cover two functions for an organization Payroll Accounting, most ERP systems cover several functions. Todays ERP systems can cover a wide range of functions and integrate them into one unified database. For instance, functions such as human resources, supply chain management, customer relations management, financials, manufacturing functions and warehouse management functions were all once stand alone software applications, usually housed with their own database and network, today, they can all fit under one umbrella the ERP system (Tech-faq, 2009). In retrospect, author would have recommended that Harley do a few things differently. First, they could have researched the literature on what types of problems mechanistic manufacturing organizations face when they try to implement an ERP system in a highly inflexible environment. There was enough research and case analysis available to do this. While they were clearly aware of potential change resistance and the need to get all stakeholders involved, the amount of time their search and selection process required was ridiculous in todays business environment. Author speculate that the sheer demand and high prices of their product allowed them to wallow in their inefficiencies a few more years before they had to bite the bullet (Hirschboeck et.al, 2004). Second, obtaining the advice of experienced software and supply chain consultants earlier in the process probably could have saved some time and created a defined focus. Often, managers use the discipline and recommendations of consultants to reinforce the need for organizational change. With the purchasing process out of control, they could have brought in some purchasing expertise to clean up some of the mess before selecting a software system to help organize the process. According to the website, only 10% of the Harleys customers are females. But female bikers are more and more interested by bikes (www.moto-station.com). Yamaha and Kawasaki are trying to take advantage of this growing interest of female bikers and many of their ads feature women on motorcycles. Harley Davidson can take this new opportunity to get sustainable competitive advantage in their industry. Another key issue for the future is the problem of the accessories. Indeed, those products such as perfumes or cosmetics are decreasing a lot. So, Harley-Davidson should take a decision about this unsuccessful strategy of brand stretching. But, this strategy has a lot of success regards to the leatherwear and fashion area. Harley-Davidson should continue to improve this brand stretching and not leave the market of cosmetics and perfumes. Harley was successful in transforming its scattered purchasing functions into a supplier relationship management program. The supplier portal now serves 300 of its 695 suppliers. In 2004, the company was extending portal access to its accessories and merchandise suppliers. This year, Harley will have about 300 IT employees (Hirschboeck et.al, 2004). The department should manage by experienced leaders who specializing in a particular area of expertise supporting a key company function. Record earnings for the first quarter of 2004 were gained from a 13% increase in sales, the largest in its history ((Nolan Kotha, 2007)). Analysts are crediting its profit growth and margin control to improvement in its supply chain efficiencies. Harley holds a 46% market share in heavyweight motorcycles in the US. The company sponsors a club for its customers, known as the Harley Owners Group (HOG) that allows the company to do direct market research and solicit ideas for product development and testing from 600,000 members. In 2002, the company produced 28 models