Issues Within the Discipline of Forestry :: Environment Conservation Growth Agriculture Paper

Issues Within the Discipline of Forestry The idea of forestry in the sense that we know it today is only about four hundred years old. Forestry developed mainly out of the need for a continual supply of wood products. There were a few forest reserves for hunting or preservation in Europe, but the idea of managing a forest for a number of resources is quite new. There are four stages that almost all societies have gone through when trying to develop this idea of forestry. The first stage has to do with the unregulated abuse of forest products to be used as energy, building supplies and also to be cleared to make way for agricultural land. This creates a kind of domino effect on forests everywhere. The overexploitation of regional forests means there will be a scarcity of products that are considered valuable, which in turn leads to the abuse of more outlying forests and the overexploitation of them and so on and so forth. In the United States this stage was seen with the colonization of America. Colonization began in the eas tern U.S. and as a result led to the destruction of forests there. People needed forest supplies to build their homes and farms, and when the regional forests were almost depleted they began taking resources from outlying forests (Kimmins, 1992). The U.S. prior to colonization had an estimated one billion acres of forested land. By the year 1900 that area had been reduced to 567 million acres (Berger, 1998, p.29). After this initial stage of carelessness is recognized there is a stage of regulation in order to make certain that the forests will be maintained for resources and other values. This is the point where the idea of forestry begins. Hamish Kimmins in his book Balancing Act: Environmental Issues in Forestry states this about the second stage, "It usually involves a centralized, authoritarian, non-ecological, administrative approach based on legislation and regulation rather than on a knowledge of how forests grow, how they respond to management, and how ecosystems function" (Kimmins, 1992, p.50). This administrative approach usually ends up failing, and there is recognition that management will only work if techniques that are in tune with the ecological characteristics of the area are taken into account. This stage was evident in the United States when the U.S. Bureau of Forestry was created in 1891 (Kimmins, 1992). The third stage is the promotion of an ecologically sound method to forestry. Issues Within the Discipline of Forestry :: Environment Conservation Growth Agriculture Paper Issues Within the Discipline of Forestry The idea of forestry in the sense that we know it today is only about four hundred years old. Forestry developed mainly out of the need for a continual supply of wood products. There were a few forest reserves for hunting or preservation in Europe, but the idea of managing a forest for a number of resources is quite new. There are four stages that almost all societies have gone through when trying to develop this idea of forestry. The first stage has to do with the unregulated abuse of forest products to be used as energy, building supplies and also to be cleared to make way for agricultural land. This creates a kind of domino effect on forests everywhere. The overexploitation of regional forests means there will be a scarcity of products that are considered valuable, which in turn leads to the abuse of more outlying forests and the overexploitation of them and so on and so forth. In the United States this stage was seen with the colonization of America. Colonization began in the eas tern U.S. and as a result led to the destruction of forests there. People needed forest supplies to build their homes and farms, and when the regional forests were almost depleted they began taking resources from outlying forests (Kimmins, 1992). The U.S. prior to colonization had an estimated one billion acres of forested land. By the year 1900 that area had been reduced to 567 million acres (Berger, 1998, p.29). After this initial stage of carelessness is recognized there is a stage of regulation in order to make certain that the forests will be maintained for resources and other values. This is the point where the idea of forestry begins. Hamish Kimmins in his book Balancing Act: Environmental Issues in Forestry states this about the second stage, "It usually involves a centralized, authoritarian, non-ecological, administrative approach based on legislation and regulation rather than on a knowledge of how forests grow, how they respond to management, and how ecosystems function" (Kimmins, 1992, p.50). This administrative approach usually ends up failing, and there is recognition that management will only work if techniques that are in tune with the ecological characteristics of the area are taken into account. This stage was evident in the United States when the U.S. Bureau of Forestry was created in 1891 (Kimmins, 1992). The third stage is the promotion of an ecologically sound method to forestry.

Indian Temple Mound Essay -- Essays Papers

Indian Temple Mound In the heart of downtown Fort Walton Beach, Florida lies a magnificent hill of earth created by prehistoric Native Americans as a political and religious center. Built about 1,400 AD, this structure of earth is known today as The Indian Temple Mound. This temple mound represents one of the most outstanding artifacts left by the early inhabitants of the area. Not only is it thought to be the largest mound located on saltwater, but also it could possibly be one of the largest prehistoric earthworks on the Gulf Coast. Many events that took place so long ago in the past have been discovered due to the objects found in this mound. In 1961, The Indian Temple Mound Museum was built. This museum was the first municipally owned museum in the State of Florida. Today the museum has a two-dollar charge to enter, yet it has become one of leading recreational factors in which draws people from around the world to the area of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The museum houses interpretive exhibits depicting 10,000 years of Native American occupation. Over 6,000 artifacts of bone, stone, clay, and shell are found within this museum, as well as the largest collection of Fort Walton Period ceramics in the Southeastern United States. Although every artifact present in The Indian Temple Mound Museum offers clear evidence of cultural sophistication and artistic skill, the more interesting artifacts I encountered were the Ware Human Effigy Urn, the Buck Burial Mound Urn...

Essay Comparing Louise of Story of an Hour and Nora of A Dolls House

Comparing Louise of The Story of an Hour and Nora of A Doll's House    In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," the main character is a woman who has been controlled and conformed to the norms of society. Louise Mallard has apparently given her entire life to assuring her husband's happiness while forfeiting her own. This truth is also apparent in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. In this story, Nora Helmer has also given her life to a man who has very little concern for her feelings or beliefs. Both of these characters live very lonely lives, and both have a desire to find out who they really are and also what they are capable of becoming. Although the characters of Nora and Louise are very much alike in many ways, their personalities differ greatly when it comes to making decisions regarding the direction of their lives.    Both Nora and Louise's lives have been shaped and molded to conform to their husbands' wishes. At the time these stories took place, it was basically unheard of for women to assert their beliefs or to act upon their ideas. As a result, Louise was forced to succumb to the role of an obedient wife, in order to abide by the norms of society. This is apparent because of the way she reacts when she learns of a false rumor regarding her husband's sudden death. While in deep thought, and staring out the window by herself, she has a sudden realization of complete happiness and total freedom. As she tries hard to repress these fresh, new feelings, she speaks the words, "free, free, free" (23)! These words help the audience to understand the repression she has been forced to withstand for many years. She feels sudden exhilaration as she reflects on what her new life will bring her. She speaks of the treatmen... ...ay.   â€Å"Freedom and Desire:   The Theme of Awakening in the Works of Kate Chopin.†Ã‚   Critical Interpretations:   Kate Chopin.   Ed. Harold Blooming.   New York:   Chelsea House, 1989.   14-32.   Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed. Ed. Dorothy U. Seyler and Richard A. Wilan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990. Durbach, Errol. A Doll's House: Ibsen's Myth of Transformation. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed. Ed. Dorothy   U. Seyler and Richard A. Wilan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990. Salomà ©, Lou. Ibsen's Heroines. Ed. and trans. Siegfried Mandel. Redding Ridge: Black Swan, 1985. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism,and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40.        

An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr)

AN ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) VIEWS FROM MALAYSIAN COMPANIES ABSTRACTS Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the views of managers among Malaysian companies towards corporate social responsibility and how it influences business ethics. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses the views of Malaysian managers regarding corporate social responsibility. Interviews were conducted to 12 organizations in Malaysia comprising of major corporations as well as Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs).Findings – The findings reveal that out of 12 companies selected across the Klang Valley, Malaysia, seven companies execute corporate social responsibility for the sake of its brand image and good reputation. Majority of the managers interviewed agreed that corporate social responsibility should be implemented in order to contribute to the society. Originality – The literature review is expected to provide the link between conventional CSR concept with Islamic values and principles.This paper recommends companies especially in Malaysia to adopt corporate social responsibility as an ethical motivation rather than instrumental means. Keywords – Business, Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Organization, Malaysia INTRODUCTION Over the last recent years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been termed to be a significant issue within global business organisations. The core purpose of CSR is to fulfil a company’s responsibility towards its stakeholders in terms of economic, social and environment (Siwar & Md Tareq, 2009).However, the fundamental basis act of selfless contribution for the public has been tarnished and downgraded by huge corporate businesses when CSR began to be treated as a means to gain profit maximization which is driven by self-interest by enlarge. There are several meanings to define the concept of corporate social responsibility. First, CSR are the obligations entrusted upon bu siness organisations to utilise its resources efficiently in order to bring benefits to the stakeholders by fulfilling its duties as a member of the society itself (Kok et al, 2001; Adam & Zutshi, 2004).The conventional definition of CSR is derived from the concept of vicegerency in Islam according to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 31. Albeit the concept of CSR is defined in positive aspects, it does not disregard the possibility of being carried out and practiced in an unethical paradoxical manner. Business ethics is understood to be what is acceptable and not acceptable that can be conducted in the business based on stakeholders. The main objective of this article is to focus on the perspective of Malaysian managers towards the views of CSR and how it is implemented in the organization.LITERATURE REVIEW Based on the study of our articles, CSR manifests several business benefits, namely, good image and reputation, building a positive relationship with the customers, a better recruitment a nd retention of talented employees, positive motivation in better working environment, improving financial returns and reducing CSR related risks. These benefits are measured based on the preference of (a) consumers, (b) employees, and (c) upholding the organization’s reputable name. Firstly, consumers are one of the most important stakeholders of an organization.Firms, which are socially responsible, transparent, and trustworthy, are at a better position of gaining consumer preferences (Willmott, 2001 & Mitchell, 2001; Knox & Maklan, 2004). The higher the awareness of social contribution, the more enhanced positive effects are on consumer purchase intention (Lee & Shin, 2009). The organization can also improve their consumption experience with customers by conducting CSR activities. Customers are commonly in favour to buy products from well-established companies that practice CSR activities, giving these organizations a good marketing strategy by word-of-mouth (Knox & Maklan , 2004).They believe that the company will be ethically responsible to the product and services that they produce. Thus, this increases brand loyalty from the customers. Secondly, stakeholders of an organization also consist of its employees. When a company is known for its responsible background, people will be more attracted to be given a position in that particular organization. The ethically defined practice assists the organization in attracting and retaining talented employees in order to improve organization performance Adams & Zutshi, 2004; Knox & Maklan, 2004). Besides that, Weber, (2008) agreed that CSR can also directly motivate its employees. This shows that the practise of CSR by the company enhances an ethical working environment, which will influences the motivation level of the companies employees. Moreover, CSR will diminish employee turnover. In exploring the relationship between CSR and employee turnover, Galbreath, (2010) relies on the employee justice perception s theory. The key mechanism for this theory measures an organization’s level of fairness.The firms exhibit fairness in their actions, if the firms show concern for both internal and external stakeholders through social contribution. Thus, the employees evaluate the firm as one that is just and fair. Both directly and indirectly, employees are influenced to stay and continue to contribute to the company in reaching its main goal. Following (Reich, 2007; Devinney, 2009), an organization that practices CSR would have more satisfied customers, employees, and owners, which would contribute to long-term sustainable development.Lastly, maintaining an organization’s respectable name is just as important as preserving the welfare of its stakeholders. Performing CSR in an organization helps in building a positive image and reputation (Weber, 2008; Galbreath, 2010). A good image and reputation will help the organization to gain and retain customers easily. Furthermore, CSR can al so be treated as a means to manage and minimize CSR risks of powerful consumer boycott by external parties (Weber, 2008) as well as loss of corporate reputation (Knox & Maklan, 2004).CSR can also increase corporate revenue through higher sales and market shares (Weber, 2008). These financial returns can be achieved directly by CSR-driven products or market development or even indirectly through an improved brand image and reputation. This is however, seen from a different point of view by Friedman, (1970). He argues that CSR should not be a part of an organization’s social responsibility. This was preceded by an elaboration of focusing on profit maximization as the only importance of an organization. It is rational to oppose this theory as businesses should not lace profit maximization as its only main goal, but instead take time to satisfy the stakeholders and be socially responsible (Samy, Odemilin & Bampton, 2010). From a strategic point of view, the fact that CSR benefits the firm and stakeholders will only be true if the firms conduct it efficiently. There is a difference between doing the right thing and doing things right. Conducting CSR is doing the right thing and to conduct it efficiently means doing it right. Thus, firms must ensure that they conduct strategic CSR as it brings significant business related benefits to the firm.It supports core business activities, which contributes to the firm’s effectiveness towards achieving its mission (Burke & Logsdon, 1996). The obligations of organizations regarding the practice of CSR are not extended beyond their most valuable stakeholders. Organizations are less able to set priorities among the rest, as there is no constant approach to placing importance on their secondary stakeholders (Knox and Maklan, 2004). The downside of most organizations is that they will only take notice of current social situations when there is a possibility of gaining economic returns.Devinney (2009) has discovered f ive points of natural vices, which draw attention to the major philosophical problems with CSR. Firstly, the role of corporation is only for generating profit not to solve the problems of society. This is in line with Friedman (1970), which claimed that the only responsibility of a corporation is to maximize economic returns. Next, corporation alter the societal standards based on their own demands. Although corporations have a much better understanding of the benefits and cost of practising CSR, this gives them the advantage to make sure that the most valuable constituencies are in their favour.Besides, corporations are not representing the society as a whole. Major corporations are considered to be among the urban upper middle class, which inevitably does not cater for the poor and less fortunate ones of the society. Above and beyond of that, most of corporations are socially conservative as they resist making changes towards their organization practices unless the changes will pr oduce profit to them. Lastly, CSR allows government to forgo some of their responsibilities, thus making social services provided by private companies more distinct in the eyes of the society.CSR does not ensure the ethical behavior of the company (Mostovicz, Kakabadse & Kakabadse, 2009). Instead, the common major benefits recognized by corporate management are what distinguish between an ethical or non-ethical company as organizations are forced to be at a decision point of balancing the incurring costs of CSR activities and the impact of their ethical operations for the society. From the statement underlined, we have focused our findings on the purpose of these organizations conducting CSR and their opinions on the basis of CSR being implanted in all organizations nationwide.METHODOLOGY We chose to conduct an interview in order to collect data for our study. We posed three open ended questions with 12 companies around Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley area because our study is to explore the view of Malaysian managers towards corporate social responsibility and the influence of business ethics. We designed our interview questions based on the literature review in order to suit the Malaysian context. The questions we used for our personal interviews were; Question 1: Does your organization practice corporate social responsibility? Question 2:What motivates your organization to execute corporate social responsibility? Question 3: Do you agree that Corporate Social Responsibility should be implemented in all organizations in the country? State your reasons why? According to the 15 articles we used, we identified that the previous studies used various methods in examining significant issues on CSR. Majority of the previous studies adopted surveying method and used literature in conducting their studies. Above and beyond, there are a few authors used other distinguished methods. First of all four authors used survey as their method of studies.Galbreath (2009) exa mined three potential benefits of demonstrating CSR; reduced employee turnover, increased customer satisfaction, and improved reputation through a survey of chief executive officers in Australia. Likewise, Lee & Shin (2009) used questionnaire survey involving Korean customers to examine the positive of CSR on customer behaviour. Further, Ditlev-Simonsen & Midttun (2010) conducted a survey with three panels: a corporate leaders’ panel, a business students’ panel and an NGO panel to clarify and compare what motivates managers to pursue corporate responsibility from positive and normative perspectives.Lastly, Siwar & Md Tareq (2009) conducted a study on relationship between concepts of Islam with the Malaysian managers’ opinion regarding CSR. They used open and close-ended questionnaire to 50 listed organizations in Malaysia including multinational, government, and nongovernment and SME companies. Secondly, using literature is one of the methods that have been used by in following studies. Abul & Hjh Salma (2009) conducted a study on the current practices of CSR of the business organization as well as Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs).Next, Mostovicz, Kakabadse & Kakabadse (2009) explained the reason why CSR policy has failed to render organization more ethical and to purpose the concept of using CSR for improving the ethics of organization. Besides that, Devinney (2009) argued that the notion of socially responsible corporation is potentially an oxymoron because of the naturally conflicted nature of the corporation. Further, Burke & Logsdon (1996) examined social responsibility programs which create strategic benefits for firms. Lastly, Adam & Zutshi (2004) identified drivers which are forcing organization to adopt CSR and produces corporate social reports.Finally, the other remaining authors exercised distinguished methods between each other. Drews (2010) used two step approaches to measure and evaluate the benefits of CSR. First, a mea surement model is developed based on theoretical analysis. It is then applied in an in-depth case study. Next, Samy, Odemilin & Bampton (2010) adopted a quantitative analysis and exploratory approach to prove that CSR will maximize profit while satisfying the demand from multiple stakeholders. They study on CSR practices of 20 selected United Kingdom’s companies.Besides, Knox & Maklan (2004) used empirical study of CSR policy and practices across a number of multinational companies to examine the reasons why CSR reporting has a low impact on business decision making. Moreover, Holme (2010) used a representative selection of recently published articles to study deeply on practitioner review on the concept of CSR. In addition, Weber (2008) adopted a study which focuses on the question on how to measure the business impact of CSR activities from company perspectives using theoretical approach and literature as references.Friedman (1970) argued on the only social responsibility o f business is to increase its profits using his own views or reasoning. FINDINGS We have successfully conducted the interviews through three medium of communications; Personal interview, telephone call and email. This interview was conducted in the period between 3rd June 2011 and 10th June 2011. We have interviewed 12 managers around Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley. Based on the questions posed, we succeeded in 5 companies providing substantial answers personally, 3 companies responded based on phone calls, and 4 companies offered feedback through email.The table below provides the profiles of the 12 managers that we have interviewed that comprises of major corporations and SMEs. Table 1: Summary of the profiles of the 12 managers interviewed. Manager 1 (M. 1)| MPH Bookstore| Manager 2 (M. 2)| Signature Kitchen| Manager 3 (M. 3)| Toy R Us| Manager 4 (M. 4)| Kimberly-Clark Malaysia (Kotex)| Manager 5 (M. 5)| MediBiz| Manager 6 (M. 6)| Petronas Gas Berhad| Manager 7 (M. 7)| Skrine| Man ager 8 (M. 8)| SME Bank| Manager 9 (M. 9)| Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad| Manager 10 (M. 0)| Petronas Gas Berhad (KLCC)| Manager 11 (M. 11)| TM Berhad| Manager 12 (M. 12)| Rush Hati SdnBhd| For the first part of the interview, we examined which of the following managers practiced CSR in their respectable organizations. Based on their response, M. 1, M. 4, M. 6, M. 7, M. 8, M. 9, M10, and M. 11 proceeded with a positive feedback while M. 2, M. 3, M. 5, and M. 12 answered otherwise. Question 1: Does your organization practice corporate social responsibility? Table 2: The summary the respective answers from the 12 managers on question 1.Manager 1| Yes| Manager 7| Yes| Manager 2| No| Manager 8| Yes| Manager 3| No| Manager 9| Yes| Manager 4| Yes| Manager 10| Yes| Manager 5| No| Manager 11| Yes| Manager 6| Yes| Manager 12| No| The pattern of this question is that most of the Malaysian companies practice CSR in their organizations. The second question was posed for among the 12 managers who p erformed CSR in their organizations. The question asked was to investigate the motive of their companies in executing CSR, providing with them several choices of answers for this question.M. 1 claimed that the motive of his/her company conducting CSR is solely for the benefit of the society while M. 4 stated a different answer in which the company adopts CSR in order to create a long term value for stakeholders and to build a positive reputation and brand image. M. 5 also gave the same answer on building a positive reputation and branding image. In addition to that, M. 5 also stated other two motives of his/her company executing CSR which is to do the right thing and to contribute to long term sustainable development. Next, M. sincerely admitted that his/her company conducts CSR solely for profit maximization. Subsequently, M. 7 said that the reason of his/her company implementing CSR is to build a positive reputation and brand image while M. 8 claimed that his/her company’s motive is to create long term value for stakeholder. Then, M. 9 chose two answers from the choices which includes building a positive reputation and brand image and to do the right thing. Next, M. 10 claimed that his/her company has five motives in carrying out CSR which are; profit maximization, creating long term value for stakeholders, building a ositive reputation and brand image, doing the right thing, and contributing to long term sustainable development. M. 11 then chose five motives of his/her company conducting CSR which are; profit maximization, creating long term value for stakeholder, building a positive reputation and brand image, doing the right thing and contributing to long term sustainable development. Lastly, M. 12 said that all the choices given by us are relevant motives of conducting CSR. Question 2: What motivates your organization to execute corporate social responsibility?Table 3: The summary the respective answers from the 12 managers on question 2. Manager 1| Solely for the benefit of the society| Manager 2| -| Manager 3| -| Manager 4| To create long term value for stakeholder To build positive reputation and brand image| Manager 5| To build positive reputation and brand image To do the right thingTo contribute to long term sustainable development| Manager 6| Profit maximization| Manager 7| To build positive reputation and brand image| Manager 8| To create long term value for stakeholder|Manager 9| To build positive reputation and brand image to do the right things| Manager 10| To create long term value for stakeholderTo build positive reputation and brand imageTo do the right thingTo contribute to long term sustainable development | Manager 11| Profit maximizationto create long term value for stakeholderTo build positive reputation and brand imageTo do the right thingsTo contribute to long term sustainable development | Manager 12| All Business organizations worldwide would have their own business strategies and their strategies must not get strayed or derailed from their business principles or motives that is financial leverage or pecuniary advantage so all the facts which are given as options are significant for business strategies. |To conclude, building a positive reputation and brand image is the main motive that motivates the companies to implement CSR while there are no companies that conducted CSR to resemble others. Our last question was to examine the managers’ personal views whether CSR should be implemented by all organizations in Malaysia and if yes, why it should be implemented. All the managers agreed that CSR should be implemented by all organizations in Malaysia. Above and beyond, some of the managers gave common views on the reason why CSR should be carried out. M. 1, M. 4, M. 5, M. 6, M. 8, and M. 10 have the same opinion that CSR should be executed for the sake of giving back to the society. Next, M. 2, M. 3, and M. 1 proposed that organizations should conduct CSR in order to gain goo d reputation and brand image. In addition, M. 7 suggested that CSR is a means for major corporations to work together towards a better future for society. Plus, M. 9 gave opinion that CSR should not only be practiced by the organizations that work in line with the Islamic principles but also conventional organizations. Moreover, M. 10 claimed that the concept of CSR is quite similar with the concept of zakat. Next, M. 11 also gave four other relevant reasons; to be a GLC’s CSR, to create long term value for the stakeholders, indirectly boost revenue and to be a par ahead of other corporations. Finally, M. 2 recommended that the act of CSR should be treated as a voluntary action and government plays a significant role in ensuring the prosperity of the public. Question 3: Do you agree that Corporate Social Responsibility should be implemented in all organizations in the country? State your reasons why? Table 4: The summary the respective answers from the 12 managers on question 3. Manager 1| Yes, definitely. It’s every organization’s responsibility to give back to the less fortunate. | Manager 2| Yes, for the good reputation| Manager 3| Yes, for the trust and the good reputation for the company. Customer will have the positive view towards the company. | Manager 4| Yes, because it is every organization’s duty to give back to the society.It is much more than just taking part in a long term relationship with end users but to actually contribute back to its loyal customers. | Manager 5| Yes, because organizations should give back to the society especially for those profit making ones. It also builds a sense of belonging and responsibility towards the people and the environment where the organization is established. | Manager 6| Yes. All organizations should give back to the society especially in the area that they operate. They will then get the support and acceptance of the community around them. | Manager 7| Yes, because all major corp orations must work together towards a better future for the society. | Manager 8| Yes, because it’s good to give back to the society. | Manager 9| Yes.CSR does not only limit itself to organizations that work in line with the teachings of Islam, but to all corporations which include the conventional ones. | Manager 10| In general, yes. Where possible, organization should implement CSR. For all the positive values that it created, is it to the company, employee, and community or to the receiver. CSR is about giving back to the community and contribute to the development of others. Most of organization existences depend on the surrounding community and resources e. g. oil and gas company – base on the local resources, consumers or stakeholders. A better surroundings/resources, either physically or emotionally will contribute in strengthening ones position.In line with the â€Å"Energy Received, Energy Return† value. Spiritually, CSR practices are quite similar to the zakat concept. The more you received, the more you should return. More profit you make, bigger CSR it should be. | Manager 11| Fully Agreed. Reasons as follow: a) To build positive reputation and brand image b) Being GLC’s CSR is part of our culture c) To create long term value for stakeholder d) Indirectly to boost revenue and gain customer support e) To be at par or ahead of other corporate entity| Manager 12| All Yes.Corporate social responsibility must be classified as voluntary any attempt to make it compulsory is inappropriate. The government is to be held the sole responsible for the prosperity of the public citizen of this country. | In short, all the managers agreed that CSR should be implemented into their organization and also into the other organizations worldwide. DISCUSSION Multiple organizations from various kinds of background industries differ from its perspective on the implementation of CSR as its ethical duty towards the community. From the data collec ted, we have studied rigorously the outcome of interviewing 12 managers and were able to identify companies practicing CSR as opposed to non-practicing ones.Based on empirical performance, eight managers stated that its organization successfully conducts CSR (Manager 1, Manager 4, Manager 6, Manager 7, Manager 8, Manager 9, Manager 10, and Manager 11) while the remaining four (Manager 2, Manager 3, Manager 5, and Manager 12) have not had the opportunity to perform beneficial impacts toward the society. Although the results were in favour of CSR practicing organizations, it should be highlighted that these corporations are consisted of major branded companies where as the latter comprised of Small Medium Enterprise (SMEs) corporations. Based on our research, we have discovered that non practicing CSR companies (SME’s) justifies the study conducted by Siwar & Md Tareq (2009).They uphold the theory of SME’s to be underdeveloped and still in the working progress to grasp t he meaning of CSR and of its importance to the society today. Most of the SME’s among Malaysian organizations have no solid plan and structure of performing CSR as companies’ managers are still lacking in consciousness regarding the concept of CSR. On top of that, SME’s are in doubt of how big of an impact can its organization bring to the society as they are not likely to claim themselves as â€Å"corporate† (Holme, 2010). The third and final question posed to all respective managers resulted in a unanimous response that CSR should indeed be restored and carried out in all organizations throughout the country.Among the reasons stated by all following managers, we can part the answers based on two ethical conflicting views; stressing on the importance of giving back to the community for common basic social needs versus CSR motivated organizations’ with uplifting its brand image and reputation. Results illustrate that Manager 1, Manager 4, Manager 5 , Manager 6, Manager 8, and Manager 10 agree that CSR ought to be conducted for the benefit of the society where as Manager 2, Manager 3 and Manager 11 gave answers subjected to the positive aspects of gaining customer’s trust and loyalty when an organization withstands by a good reputation. According to the latter opinion, these managers believe that customer’s brand loyalty by enlarge relies on the ethical activities performed commercially by reputable named major companies.However, the concept of contributing back to the social, economic and environment by ethical responsible corporate management contrasts the view of Friedman (1970), who claims that the only social responsibility held by a certain organization is limited to using the resources efficiently and effectively for profit maximization. Many viewpoints exist in this study, including the conceptualization of the responsibilities of firms by Carroll (1979). Among the four social responsibilities brought forw ard by Carroll (1979), this conceptualization includes the economic responsibility of an organization to generate profits, provide jobs, and create products that consumers want (Galbreath, 2010).Indirectly, this substantiates Friedman’s (1970) theory that an organization’s interest of profit maximization does not necessarily disregard their responsibility as a firm in economic terms. In comparison to corporations which utilizes CSR as a means for gaining economic returns, organizations who are opinionated to provide beneficial impact to the society are at an ethical based level because its CSR activities are solely based on doing the right thing and enhancing the well-being of a society. Relating back to Carroll’s (1979) conceptualization of the responsibilities of firms, placing importance towards the social needs of the community is the ethical responsibility to meet other social expectations, such as respecting people’s moral rights and doing what is r ight and just (Galbreath, 2010).Through our findings, we were able to recognize the evident relationship between the main priorities of the organizations purpose in the performance of CSR and the sole personal views from the managers themselves regarding the influence of CSR in today’s corporate management. We extracted that Manager 4, Manager 5, and Manager 10 shared views that did not entirely coincide with its own corporation’s perspective pertaining to the importance of CSR. They firmly deem CSR to be a social obligation for all organizations in order to contribute back to the society in spite of its own corporate motive which states gaining a positive image and reputation as its main concern.With much relevance to our research, there are ways for us to extend our studies based on an Islamic perspective. In Islam, our actions are judged by our sincere motives (niyyah). It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyall ahu ‘anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say: â€Å"Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended.. † [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] Based on the hadith, it is compulsory to conduct our daily activities in this world for the sake of Allah S. W. T. which includes our responsibility as a vicegerent in economic terms. CSR is a manifestation of Tawhidic paradigm, serving Allah through our Fardh’ Kifayah obligations.The shahadah shows us the conditions for accepting a deed or performing an action; one, it should be for the sake of Allah because He is the only One we worship, and two, it should be in accordance with the Shariah. Employees with authority in decision making must be honest and sincere as well as ethical in their motives especially when it concerns the well being of others. According to Imam al-Harawi, there are seven types of self-desires, one of which includes seeking the wealth of others. To abstain ourselves from this selfish nafs’, it is in our power to do righteous deeds as the more good deeds we do and hence get closer to Allah, the more sincere we will be. The implementation of CSR in business organizations gives us the chance to ensure that our responsibility as a khalifah in this world is performed in an ethical manner. LimitationWe recognized three limitations throughout the process of conducting this project paper. The first limitation is the number of managers to be interviewed. We intended to interview 15 managers but unfortunately we just managed to interview 12 managers. This is due to the second limitation which is time constraint. The process of searching the contacts of the managers to be interviewed and the procedures of making appointments with major companies’ managers required a lot of time. In addition, we took quite a lot of time to get the response from the managers which we interviewed through email. Lastly, we were limit ed by the poor response from the managers especially from the major companies. Some of them claimed they could not espond to our interview questions because the information is confidential to their company and most of the managers we interviewed through email failed to reply our email. Implications for Practice We propose that the practice of CSR by Malaysian companies should be in line with the CSR policy in which it is supposed to only focus on encouraging the positive impact towards the stakeholders and not for benefits to the company itself. Apart from that, Malaysia as a Muslim country, we recommend the Malaysian companies to revise the Tawhidic Paradigm concept which claims man as a vicegerent. Hence, the companies should treat act of CSR as part of their responsibility as vicegerent.Moreover, there is supposed to be government intervention in order to encourage the practice of CSR by SMEs. Implication for Theory Our study examines the practice of CSR in Malaysian companies. W e come into the theory that most of the Malaysian companies execute CSR because of their concern to contribute back to society and for the sake of their reputation and branding. Plus, this study adds on a new idea on the theory of CSR from the Islamic perspective. In short, CSR is already part of the basic Islamic concept; vicegerency. The foundations of the CSR’s notion from conventional theories came from the values and principles that have been central to Islam since the times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad S. W. T. Future ResearchWe advocate those who desire to do the similar studies to adopt the couple of methods below to conduct this study. * Interview on the managers from each company. * Survey on customers regarding their perspectives on CSR CONCLUSION Our study concerned on business ethics and corporate social responsibility. After pursuing through this study, we discovered mixed views on CSR concept. To conclude, there are generally two basic motives of CSR; ethical m otivation and instrumental motivation. Ethical motivation is to achieve the right thing to do. If the company treats CSR as a voluntary act rather than just a compliance based act and they conduct it for the sake of creating good society, it is considered as ethical motivation.In contrast, companies which consider CSR as an instrumental motivation tend to just to achieve an economic goal. They treat CSR as a means for profit maximization. According to our findings, most of the Malaysian companies take CSR as an instrumental motivation as their core motive in executing CSR to gain good reputation and branding image. Nevertheless, from the views of the managers of the companies, CSR should be done to give back to society. We desire this project paper to end as an article for IIUM journal. REFERENCES Adam, C. , & Zutshi, A. (2004). Corporates Social Responsibility:Why business should act responsible and be accountable.Australia Accounting Review, 14(3), 31-39. Burke, L. , & Logsdon, J. M. (1996). How corporate social responsibility pays off. Long Range Planning, 29(4), 495-502. Devinney, T. M. (2009). Is socially responsible corporation a myth? The good, the bad, and the ungly of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Perspectives, 44-56. Ditlev-Simonsen, C. D. , & Midttun, A. (2010). What motivates managers to pursue corporate responsibility? A survey among key stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25-38. Drews, M. (2010). Measuring the business and societal benefits of corporate responsibility.Corporate Governance, 10(4), 421-431. Friedman, M. (1970). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine, 173-178. Galbreath, J. (2009). How does corporate social responsibility benefit firms? Evidence from Australia. European Business Review, 22(4), 411-431. Abul, H. , & Hjh Salma, A. L. (2009). Corporate social responsibility of Islamic financial institutions and busine sses optimizing charity value. Humanomics, 25(3), 177-188. Holme, C. (2010). Corporate social responsibility: A strategic issue or a wasteful distraction? Industrial and Commercial Training, 42(4), 179-185. Knox, S. , & Maklan, S. October, 2004). Corporate social responsibility: Moving beyond investment towards measuring outcomes. European Management Journal, 22(5), 508-516. Lee, K. -H. , & Shin, D. (2010). Consumers’ responses to CSR activities: The linkage between increased awareness and purchase intention. Public Relations Review 36, 193-195. Mostovicz, I. , Kakabadse, N. , & Kakabadse, A. (2009). CSR: the role of leadership in driving ethical outcomes. Corporate Governance, 9(4), 448-460. Samy, M. , Odemilin, G. , & Bampton, R. (2010). Corporate social responsibility: A strategy for sustainable business success. An analysis of 20 selected British companies.Corporate Governance, 10(2), 203-217. Siwar, C. , & Md Tareq, H. (2009). An analysis of Islamic CSR concept and the o pinions of Malaysian managers. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 20(3), 290-298. Smith, K. H. , & Nystad, O. (2006). Is the motivation for CSR profit or ethics? Retrieved 11 June, 2011, from www. crrconference. org/downloads/2006hauglandsmithandnystad. pdf. The Hadiths. (n. d. ). Retrieved 11 June, 2011, from http://fortyhadith. iiu. edu. my/hadiths. htm. Weber, M. (2008). The business case for corporate social responsibility: A company-level measurement approach for CSR. European Management Journal, 247-261.

Gate log system using rf-id reader

Chapter oneGATE LOG SYSTEM USING RF-ID READER1.1 What is RFIDShort for wireless frequence designation, RFID is a dedicated short scope communicating ( DSRC ) engineering. The term RFID is used to depict assorted engineerings that use wireless moving ridges to automatically place people or objects. RFID engineering is similar to the saloon codification designation systems we see in retail shops everyday ; nevertheless one large difference between RFID and saloon codification engineering RFID does non trust on the line-of-sight reading that saloon codification scanning requires to work. 1.2 Why RFIDIn an progressively disconnected, regulated, and unsure universe, Texas Instruments ‘ ( TI ) RFID engineering gives concerns, authoritiess, and consumers a safe, private, and unnoticeable manner to maintain path of it all. Consumers benefit from shorter lines at check-out procedure counters, in infirmaries, libraries, and gas Stationss because RFID fast-tracks them to the forepart of the waiting line. They can besides profit from lower monetary values because of the efficiencies RFID brings to the supply concatenation. Business and establishments are turning to RFID engineering as they comply with authorities product-tracking ordinances, seeking to restrict larceny, cut down out-of-stock losingss, strengthen trade name trueness, and do interaction with clients a more positive experience. RFID is a mature, exhaustively tested engineering. In most RFID applications, the period of tests, proving, and economic feasibleness surveies is over. Large-scale RFID system rollouts are underway. 1.3 RFID Application OverviewThere are about as many RFID applications as there are concern types. Titanium has established a leading place in these basic classs:Automotive– Auto-makers have added security and convenience into an car by utilizing RFID engineering for anti-theft immobilizers and passive-entry systems.Animal Tracking– Ranchers and farm animal manufacturers use RFID engineering to run into export ordinances and optimise farm animal value. Wild animate beings are tracked in ecological surveies, and many pets that are tagged are returned to their proprietors.Asset Tracking– Hospitals and pharmaceuticss meet tough merchandise answerability statute law with RFID ; libraries limit larceny and maintain books in circulation more expeditiously ; and athleticss and amusement enterprisers find that â€Å" smart tickets † are their ticket to a better underside line and happier clients.Contact less Payments– Blue-chip companies such as American Ex press, Exxon Mobil, and MasterCard use advanced signifier factors enabled by TI RFID engineering to beef up trade name trueness and encouragement gross per client.Supply Chain– WalMart, Target, BestBuy, and other retail merchants have discovered that RFID engineering can maintain stock lists at the optimum degree, cut down out-of-stock losingss, bound shrinkage, and velocity clients through check-out lines.About from the beginning, TI was there: assisting set up criterions ; back uping the RFID supply concatenation of inlay and label makers ; and systematically using leading-edge semiconducting material engineering to the nucleus of RFID, the transponder. 1.4 Why this undertaking is of importWhat we are be aftering to make is a gate log system based on the new engineering which is the RF-ID READER, the user will hold a CARD that will let him to come in the gate, when he acquire near to the gate the receiving system will observe the card and read the informations stored on the card wirelessly by mean of the rf-id reader. The microcontroller on the receiving system will read the informations from the RF-ID reader and if the user is allowed to come in the microcontroller will give the signal to open the motor ( gate ) .else a message will look on the LCD and the motor will non open. An of import portion of our undertaking is the Personal computer interfacing so all of the operations and the event will be displayed on a log tabular array. 1.5 System block diagram: –The chief constituents that will be usedmovie microcontroller ( pic16f876A )DC-motor ( little motor for simulate open/close )Consecutive interface bit ( this bit will manage the electromotive force degrees between the microcontroller and the personal computer )RF ID-readerH-bridge this is a will known circuit which have two inputs from the microcontroller to drive the motor clock wise or counter clock wiseLCD ( liquid crystal show ) that will be used to expose the user figure and any coveted notes such as ( non known user )1.6 Features that leads to take ID-12d as the rf-id reader for this undertaking:It requires 5V supply ( it can be supplied from the same supply as movie )125kHz read frequence ( compatible with most sorts of releasing factor cards )EM4001 64-bit RFID ticket compatible9600bps TTL and RS232 end product ( can be connected straight to pic microcontroller utilizing the usart faculty )100mm read scope ( good reading distance )1.7 Method of operationThe end product of the rf-id reader is consecutive which will be connected straight to pic microcontroller, when the reader detects any rf-cards in scope it will read it and direct the ruddy informations ( 64-bit ) serially, the microcontroller will have those bytes and hive away them in a twine, so it will compare whether this Idaho is existed or non, this action will be displayed on the liquid crystal display. If the user is allowed to come in the gate so the microcontroller will publish the bid to the h-bridge to open the dc_motor, wait certain clip so publish the shutting bid. Besides the microcontroller will direct the information to the personal computer ( serially ) to be stored in a log tabular array Needed packagemikrobasic compiler, this will be used to compose the codification for the microcontrollerocular basic.NET, this package will be used to compose the plan that will have the information from the microcontroller and show it on a tabular array.

Personality Development Essay

-Psychology-scientific study of human and animal behavior and human mental processes. -Logos-logic : Ancient greek philosophers. Introduce logos. Explain natural world. -Natural Philosophers-naturalistic/physicalistic explanations. Mythos: story or legend. -Empiricism-knowledge based on observable events. Instantly applied to understanding of natural world. -Personality Psychology-scientific study of unique, characteristic patterns of thinking. Feeling, acting(cognition, emotion, behavior) –Various Theories â€Å"Different focus will produce different conclusions.† Hebrew Tradition (mythos) – two basic impulses that are identified. 1. yetzer ra: selfish impulse. Drive towards survival. 2. Yetzer Tov: Selfish/altruist impulse. Moral. Christian Tradition (mythos) – Original sin. Basic Nature is selfish. Early Greek Tradition (logos) – Greek physicians: Hippocrates (460-370bc) Human health/behavior-result of bodily fluids/humors. Imbalance of humors produces illness(blood, phlegm, bile). Related to fire water wind earth air. Galen (131-200ad) Development of Theory of Impernment (personality types) 4 Types: *Sanguine (blood and air) Personalities: extraverted, social. Extreme: arrogant, indulgent, impulsive ** Cholaric (yellow bile, fire) Personality: passionate, charismatic, ambitious, energetic. Extreme: dominary ***Melancholic (Black bile, earth) Personalities: thoughtfulness, considerate, creative. Extreme: OCD ****Phlematic (phlegm, water) Personalities: kind, dependable, reliable. Extreme: inhibited, reserved. ^Continues as Trait Theory Myers Brigg personality type indicator–invented by Carl Jung E-I: extrovert/introvert S-N: Sensing/intuative T-P: thinking/feeling J-P: judging/percepting *16-17 Century:——-Essential Nature: Three Philosophies Thomas Hobbs (original Sin) – inherently selfish, egotistically, aggressive. Must be controlled by society Jean Jacque Rousseau (noble savage) – inherently good, selfless, altruistic. Corrupted by society. John Locke (tabla rasa, blank slate) – neither inherently good or bad. Shaped by society. *20 Century—–Each philosophy is going to influence a psychology (Personality Theory) Three Psychologies: Sigmund Freud (psychodynamic) – selfish, pleasure seeking, aggressive (Id). Controlled by internalized social constraints (superego) Carl Rogers (humanistic/ existential) – inherently good. Possess potential for positive growth. Basic needs not met. B.F Skinner (behaviorism) – neither good/bad. Shaped by experience, environment. Learning Sigmund Freud First comprehensive theory or personality dev. Three components: Personality structures – personality composed of 3 interacting elements. Biologically focused. Id – inborn selfish, self serving, aggressive, pleasure serving. Superego – Voice of conscience. Conflicts with Id–produces anxiety. Ego – Mediator between Id and Superego. Seeks to satisfy Id’s demands in a socially acceptable way. Reduce anxiety. Develops defense mechanisms. * Defense mechanisms – Ego and Id. Reduce tension or anxiety between the Id and Superego. Believed repression was the primary defense. Remove from conscious awareness deny existence of conflict. Developmental Stages __Anna Freud Focus on ego development. Focus on adaption to social world. Defense mechanisms facilitate social adaptation. Development of Ego Psychology – Focused on social relatedness as a motivator vs biological. Responsible for negotiating between individuals needs and outside world. *Success of defense mechanisms based on how well they work meeting needs. Adaptive vs. Maladaptive *#*# Ego Psychology – Basic Propositions: 1. Inborn capacity to function adaptively. Life long process of active adaptation to external envir. 2. Ego has autonomous functions within â€Å"conflict free zone†(interaction between individual and world). Ego mediates between the individual and the social world. __Heinz Hartman – Ego Psychology and the problem of Adaptation -Individual adapts to interactions with â€Å"real† world. Autonomous function of ego–Arise from evolution and enhances survival. >Process of Adaptation: Occurs in two domains: 1. Alloplastic Adaptation – change and choose environment. 2. Autoplastic Adaptation – change self to meet needs. __Erik Erikson – Identity and the life cycle. Epigenic Principle – development occurs in series of stages. Stages are universal. Stages unfold in pre-determined order. Each stage requires mastering of tasks. Life long process. Have cumulative effect. __Alfred Adler – â€Å"Individual Psychology†. Still considered psychodynamic. Develops as reaction to freud. Most influential unknown psychologist. Contributions: Positive psychology. Emphasis on: uniqueness of each person. Social/cognitive influences. *Active construction of self. -Based on four concepts: Striving for significance Private Logic Fictional Finalism Style of life -*-Striving for Significance – Perfection. Completeness. Self Actualization. Based on private logic and fictional finalism. Inborn sense of inferiority. Develop compensation. Failure to overcome results in inferiority complex (overcompensation). -*-Private Logic – emphasizing creative power of self. Suggest â€Å"self† is not passively determined. actively constructed. Function is served by fictional finalism and life style. -*-Fictional Finalism – future oriented. The goal towards which we strive. Exist subjectively. Goal is to satisfy striving for superiority. Individuals pursue goals through various behavioral choices. Each person develops unique patterns of behaviors.(style of life) -*-Life Style – Attempts to gain goal through various behavioral patterns/choices. Each person express striving different. Based on private logic and fictional finalism. Individually unique patterns of behaviors/responses.

Environment of Firms Essay

Environment of Firms Introduction Business environment consist of all those factors that have a bearing on the business. The term â€Å"business environment† implies those external forces, factors and institutions that are beyond the control of individual business organizations and their management and affect the business enterprise. These forces are customer, creditors, competitors, government, socio-cultural organizations, political parties national and international organizations etc. some of those forces affect the business directly which some others have indirect effect on the business. Types of Environment 1Internal Environment The internal environment is the environment that has a direct impact on the business. Here there are some internal factors which are generally controllable because the company has control over these factors. It can alter or modify such factors as its personnel, physical facilities, and organization and functional means, like marketing, to suit the environment. A) VALUE SYSTEM The value system of the founders and those at the helm of affairs has important bearing on the choice of business, the mission and the objectives of the organization, business policies and practices. B) MISSION,VISION AND OBJECTIVES Vision means the ability to think about the future with imagination and wisdom. Vision is an important factor in achieving the objectives of the organization. The mission is the medium through which the objectives are achieved. C) Organizational Structure It includes the values and expectations of your firm’s stakeholders; its mission, goals and objectives; and its resources. These factors combined  determine what your organization is trying to accomplish and how successful it is likely to be. 5 basic parts of organization: Operating core, Strategic Apex, Middle line, Technostructure, and Support staff basic organization structure: a) Functional b) Divisional c) Hierarchical d) Line and Staff Structuree) Task Force The Need for Organizational Structure Organizations needs structuring so that lines of authority along with individual duties and responsibilities can be understood by every company member. f) Matrix Structure TRENDS IN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES The growth in retailing, both on-site and off-site, has required merchants to readdress their tables of organization so that they will better serve the needs of their customers and make their companies more profitable. Some of today’s trends in organizational structuring for the fashion-retailing arena are described in this section. Restructuring to Accommodate Multichannel Expansion When department stores in particular expanded their catalog operations, many initially opted to make this division part of their brick-and-mortar operations. Similarly, when retailers saw that the Internet had the potential to increase revenues, they changed their organizational structure to reflect this and to make the overall operation function more efficiently. Today, the trend is for the major multichannel retailers to adjust and expand their tables of organization and separate the three functions into separate channels. Macy’s, for example, is one of the giants in the industry  that has changed to that format. Consolidation of Divisions The acquisition of department stores by major retail groups has become a dominant trend. May Department Stores and Federated Department Stores, for example, are two companies that have expanded their operations by purchasing other retail companies. In their pursuit of maximizing profits, these groups have, in many cases, decided to merge the new acquisitions into some of their own stores. May, for example, purchased sixteen Wanamaker’s stores and three Woodward & Lothrop stores and merged some into their Hecht’s division and some into the Lord & Taylor group. Through this practice, fewer buyers and merchandisers were needed as were other executives who previously worked exclusively for one store. As this acquisition trend continues, this staff consolidation is likely to continue as well. Decentralization Much of the growth in large-scale retailing has come about by expansion into new trading areas. Although centralization was once the forte of the chain organization, this expansion has necessitated some decentralization of functions. Merchandise distribution, for example, has now been decentralized to include regional operations. When stores were so far from the single distribution center, the time it took for merchandise to reach many of the units was both inefficient and costly. SMALL STORE APPLICATIONS The manner in which small stores are organized is unlikely to change, because these operations require few employees to run them. The key roles are usually performed by the owner or partners with the remainder of the functions such as selling and stock keeping left to the sales associates. When there isn’t a store manager on site, as is often the case, a particular salesperson should be designated to take charge and assign tasks such as handling temporary changes in sales associates’ hours. When outside tasks, such as advertising and visual merchandising, are required, outside agencies should be hired to take care of them. The need for in-house specialists to perform these tasks is limited and is too costly for small businesses to afford. Strengths and Weaknesses Strength is any attribute or ability of the organization that may help it in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision Weakness is any attribute or ability of the organization that may hinder it in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision †¢For example factors relating to products, pricing, costs, profitability, performance, quality, people, skills, adaptability, brands, services, reputation, processes, infrastructures, etc †¢Factors tend to be in the present Starbucks SWOT analysis 2013 Strengths 1.Sound financial records 2.No. 1 brand in coffeehouse segment valued at $4 billion 3.Starbucks experience 4.Largest coffeehouse chain in the world 5.Employee management Weaknesses 1.Coffee beans price is the major influence over firm’s profits 2.Product pricing 3.Negative publicity Opportunities 1.Extend supplier range 2.Expansion to emerging economies 3.Increase product offerings 4.Expansion of retail operations Threats 1.Rising prices of coffee beans and dairy products 2.Trademark infringements 3.Increased competition from local cafes and specialization of other coffeehouse chains 4.Saturated markets in the developed economies 5.Supply disruptions 2External Environment It refers to the environment that has an indirect influence on the business. The factors are uncontrollable by the business. Two types of external environment: Micro Environment The micro environment is also known as the task environment and operating environment because the micro environmental forces have a direct bearing on the operations of the firm. a) Suppliers An important force in the micro environment of a company is the suppliers, i.e., those who supply the inputs like raw materials and components to the company. b) Customer The major task of a business is to create and sustain customers. A business exists only because of its customers. c) Marketing Intermediaries The marketing intermediaries include middlemen such as agents and merchants that help the company find customers or close sales with them. d) Financers The financers are also important factors of internal environment. e) Public Public can be said as any group that has an actual or potential interest in or on an organization’s ability to achieve its interest. Public include media and citizens. Macro Environment Macro environment is also known as General environment and remote environment. Macro factors are generally more uncontrollable than micro environment factors. When the macro factors become uncontrollable, the success of company depends upon its adaptability to the environment. a) Economic Environment Economic environment refers to the aggregate of the nature of economic system of the country, business cycles, the socio-economic infrastructure etc. b) Social Environment The social dimension or environment of a nation determines the value system of the society which, in turn affects the functioning of the business. Sociological factors such as costs structure, customs and conventions, mobility of labor etc. have far-reaching impact on the business. c) Political Environment The political environment of a country is influenced by the political organizations such as philosophy of political parties, ideology of government or party in power, nature and extent of bureaucracy influence of primary groups etc. d) Legal Environment Legal environment includes flexibility and adaptability of law and other legal rules governing the business. It may include the exact rulings and decision of the courts. e) Technical Environment The business in a country is greatly influenced by the technological development. The technology adopted by the industries determines the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type and quality of plant and equipment to be used. Financial System of the Country and Selected Items of Monetary & Fiscal Policies The structure of the Philippine Financial system is dominated by a banking system. Bangko Sentral is the official central bank in the Philippines. The structure of the financial system allows the option to take debts and buy bonds or stocks. There are many private banks present for this purpose. Financial Institutions are the intermediaries that mobilize savings and facilitate the allocations of funds in an efficient manner Fiscal policy refers to the â€Å"measures employed by governments to stabilize the economy, specifically by manipulating the levels and allocations of taxes and government expenditures. Fiscal measures are frequently used in tandem with monetary policy to achieve certain goals.† In the Philippines, this is characterized by continuous and increasing levels of debt and budget deficits, though there have been improvements in the last few years. The Philippine government’s main sources of revenue are taxes, with some non-tax revenue also being collected. To finance fiscal deficit and debt, the Philippines rely on both domestic and  external sources. External Sources of Financing are: 1 Program and Project Loans – the government offers project loans to external bodies and uses the proceeds to fund domestic projects like infrastructure, agriculture, and other government projects. 2 Credit Facility Loans 3 Zero-coupon Treasury Bills 4 Global Bonds 5 Foreign Currencies Domestic Sources of Financing are: 1 Treasury Bonds 2 Facility loans 3 Treasury Bills 4 Bond Exchanges 5 Promissory Notes 6 Term Deposits In 2010, the total outstanding debt of the Philippines reached Php4.718 trillion: Php2.718 trillion from outstanding domestic sources and Php2 trillion from foreign sources. According to the Department of Finance, the country has recently reduced dependency on external sources to minimize the risks caused by changes in the global exchange rates. Efforts to reduce national debt include increasing tax efforts and decreasing government spending. Monetary policy is the monitoring and control of money supply by a central bank, such as the Federal Reserve Board in the United States of America, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in the Philippines. This is used by the government to be able to control inflation, and stabilize currency. Monetary Policy is considered to be one of the two ways that the government can influence the economy – the other one being Fiscal Policy (which makes use of government spending, and taxes). Monetary Policy is generally the process by which the central bank, or government controls the supply and availability of money, the cost of money, and the rate of interest. The Philippines’ inflation target is measured through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For 2009, inflation target has been set to be 3.5 percent, having a 1% tolerance level, and 4.5 percent for 2010, also having  1% tolerance. Also, the Monetary Board of the Philippines announced a target of around 4 ±1 percent from 2012 to 2014. Opportunities and Threats Opportunities are any issue, event or trend that may help the organization in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision Threats are any issue, event or trend that may hinder the organization in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision †¢for example, factors relating to markets, audience, fashion, seasonality, trends, competition, economics, politics, society, culture, technology, environmental, media, law etc †¢factors tend to be in the future