Organizational Goals Essay

Organizational goals are crucial to success in the workplace. This paper entails how to incorporate organization and goals into the workplace and the benefits it secures. The first step to running a successful company is to ensure proper organizational planning has taken place. Proper planning is an obvious route that allows a manager to prepare for and foresee any future issues. Setting goals and markers ensure that all departments are working within expected time restraints and budgeting time effectively. Planning enables a manager to predict how much time and energy needs to be spent on specific tasks and prioritize as well as anticipate upcoming hiccups and take preventative measures. Managers can often reflect back on previous blunders to learn from prior mistakes, and take actions to prevent them from happening again. Planning is often the manager’s responsibility, but the entire department is accountable for their productivity and therefore need to be honest and realistic when considering strategies and creating a game plan. â€Å"Planning and controlling are inseparable parts of the management system. Standards are set in planning, and the controlling system uses those standards to identify and correct problems.† Reilly, M., Minnick, C., & Baack, D. (2011). A manager should call a weekly meeting to review the past set goals and redistribute work when necessary. At these meetings a manager will assess how much time has been assigned to tasks and assist the team in any errors or mishaps that may come along. The manager is then able to realistically see how much time is being allotted to individual assignments and revise as necessary. The team can use this time to see the big picture and express any concerns or issues they have with the work thus far. The team should maximize the time spent in this meeting to ensure their responsibilities are well understood and any lapses in communication is put to rest. Once a team is in understanding of the assignments they are aware of what is expected of them and can divide the workload amongst the team and work at maximum efficiency. Setting realistic expectations and goals are crucial to providing an operational plan. Goals clarify performance expectations, establish a frame of reference for feedback, and provide a basis for self-management (Reilly, Minnick, Baack, 2011).Both parties need to be aware of their expectations in order to operate with little oversight and micromanaging. With a solid plan in place, a manager is able to expect a smooth road to completion and the team is able to work independently to complete their tasks reducing the amount of time wasted in communication breakdowns, fusses over workloads, and incompetence. Once a plan is in place, the second most important step is the art of organizing. Without a solid foundation of organization even the best planning can be worthless. Organization is an essential tool contributing to the success in business. Knowing your team and their abilities is the first step. Directing a team is the manager’s responsibility and in order to direct a team effectively, one must understand their team’s strengths and weaknesses. A manager must be able to rely on their workers and have full confidence in their abilities. One mistake often seen in the workplace is lack of organization. Knowing where and how the information you rely on as well as the materials you need will save you time, energy and stress. A vital role in organizing is ensuring your staff is well assigned to their duties and responsibilities therefore eliminating time wasted. Materials need to be made available to employees to implement their plans and provide a well-organized flow of work. Employee organization is fundamental when assigning tasks and projects. In most professions it needs to be clear on who is running what project and where they are able to seek help as well as distribute work they are unable to handle. Working within deadlines means that everything needs to run smoothly because time is not often a luxury. Often plans can go awry; and when that happens the most productive employees are the ones who know how to â€Å"put a fi re out† as well as who to seek in case of a problem; in other words, a well-organized employee. â€Å"Planning and controlling are inseparable parts of the management system. Standards are set in planning, and the controlling system uses those standards to identify and correct problems.† Reilly, M., Minnick, C., & Baack, D. (2011). Setting realistic company standards and ensuring your meeting those standards with regular meetings and oversight are great ways to ensure your planning for success. Overseeing goals and employee performance regularly can lead to new and more efficient planning processes. Giving extra attention to what processes have worked in the past and adjusting workloads accordingly are great ways to ensure that a company is planning and organizing for the future. This type of planning and organizing helps keep the company up to maximum potential. Rewarding quality work and adjusting where improvements can be made help keep the company on track and moving towards positive goals and benchmarks. When considering all the planning and organizing we need to remember that the absolute failsafe is hiring and staffing capable and competent employees. The first step to strategic staffing is identifying needs. Assess what positions are crucial to the company’s overall functions. (Carabelli, 2011) Hiring and employing a staff that’s capable and proficient directly reflects your department’s abilities and reliability. Staff planning for your department is maintaining, balancing, and preparation for a company’s human assets. Companies need to be able to retain workers that prove valuable and balance the overall skill and talent so that there are no shortages or surpluses. Shortages and surpluses of work talent can create unhappy workers or lower motivation while maintaining worker production in the case of a surplus. Preparation is perhaps the most important aspect as far as helping achieve organizations strategic objectives. Let’s compare a company t o a baseball team. In order to be successful, you need a team made up of a balance of different talents. You can’t have all pitchers, because you’re team most likely won’t bat well. If you have too many outfielders, some will have to sit the bench or play in the infield where they make more errors. A speedy player with great bunting skill is a huge weapon in key situations, but if you had a whole lineup of bunter’s teams would guard against it and make you play to your weaknesses because there is no balance. With the right balance of talent in each area of the team, offense, defense, pitching, etc., a team will be most effective. That’s why teams have to strategize what players to bring in or sign, they need to plan how to have a balance of good talent and put in them in the best position to make the most successful team. Companies are very similar; they analyze talent and try to create the best balance and mix of it under a budget to succeed. Organizing a team is a c rucial part of planning for success. A few loose cannons or lazy workers can create a world of chaos in an already stressful work environment and therefore careful selection as well as assessing work relationships among employees is vital. Employees’ who work well together will communicate more effectively, be more willing to work as a team and help each other out, as well as distribute work evenly and fair. Positive interoffice relations are important because the work flow is such a delicate process and a simple breakdown in communication can be fatal to a time sensitive project. People need to be able to rely on one another and be able to work with, as well as over and under their team. Recruiting quality staff isn’t easy, and although someone may be qualified, they need to be manageable. Someone with an oversized ego may be overqualified but difficult to work with. Another common issue in my workplace is someone feeling overworked and underappreciated. Employees should feel as if they are each pulling t heir weight and working together for the final project. If an employee feels abused or neglected they often perform under par and can therefore cause a weak link within your department. Rewarding quality work and adjusting where improvements can be made help keep the company on track and moving towards positive goals and benchmarks. Company moral is important when considering a happy employee is a fruitful employee. Ensuring employees feel validated and appreciated isn’t easy, but a manager who oversees their staff regularly and meets often is more aware of the employee’s issues and can help to resolve them before becoming a problem. A manager who often addresses any employee concerns when conducting weekly goals and actualization of projects can help prevent putting additional stress or strain on the team by correcting the issues before they become a major issue. Employee retention is an essential goal for a company and in order to achieve that goal one must consider the reasons employees succeed. Erg is a theory constructed of needs. The abbreviation E stands for existence needs. Existence needs are physical and material welfare needs. These existenc e needs are met with basic life motivators such as food, clothing and shelter. Often these are easily met but must be considered when regarding motivators. The abbreviation R stands for: Relatedness needs. The relatedness needs are â€Å"wants for satisfying interpersonal relationships.† (Schermerhorn, 2012) Ensuring an employee has their relatedness met is important because a healthy work/life balance is a great way to ensure a happy and content employee. The abbreviation G stands for: â€Å"Growth needs are desires for continued personal growth and development.†(Schermerhorn, 2012) This is the true motivator in manager’s eyes. Giving the opportunity for advancement in the workplace is a great way to motivate employees as well as better train and develop yours staff. There are no losers in this approach and therefore a top leader choice. Most employees succeed when they are well trained and developed for their roles. An employee who has confidence and the ability to do their job well; will often find satisfaction within their job and take pride in their work. When developing an employee; management can play a major role in aiding the employee to better educate and further train themselves therefore becoming more of a company asset. â€Å"Boosting motivation within an organization is a great way to keep things moving in a positive, efficient, and effective manner.† (Yousesef, 2012) Employees who are well educated and feel as if their company is willing to support them in furthering their education will often stay with a company rather than outgrow their position. Someone who was hired in an administrative position might educate themselves further to create more opportunity within their workplace and adding skills to their resume. Ensuring the staff is well maintained, trained, and motivated is a great way to realize your goals to the best of your abilities. Employees need to be well trained and efficient as well as willing to be developed to the best of the companies abilities. Developing employees is a great way to boost company moral because it shows the managers are aware of the hard work put forth by an employee and reward that with additional resources, attention, and opportunity. Continual training is a great way to see that your staff is operating at maximum potential. Knowledge is power and a more knowledgeable staff is a more powerful staff. On the job training can be used in downtime to further develop evolving employees and help them reach their full capabilities. When evaluating to see if education and training is effective testing and feedback are great ways to assess if the investment has held value. If an employee enriches themselves through training and therefore bring more to the table for the company, the company made a good investment. If the employee was incapable of learning from the training the company may want to reconsider investing any more time and money into training someone not able to make the most from the opportunity. Employees who value the opportunity and see it as a wager in their favor will take the opportunity seriously and put forth a solid effort to make the most from it. People who appreciate and value their jobs and wish to create a future within the company will put forth the effort, dedication, and commitment to further development. By creating a team that is fully capable, educated, motivated, and happy; you are planning for success. Retaining high aspirations and goals are great for workplace organization and planning, but within moderation. Creating a plan and sticking to it is easier said than done. Adjusting your plan as needed when hiccups do arise is key. Often; when plans fail people lose patience and faith. Planning can be frustrating, but understanding how the plan failed is important when considering how to plan for the future. REFERENCE: Schermerhorn, J., Osborn, R., Uhl-Bien, M., & Hunt, J. (2012). Organizational behavior. (12th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 9780470878200 Reilly, M., Minnick, C., Baack, D. (2011). The Five Functions of Effective Management. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Carl Carabelli, Demand Media. â€Å" What Are Some Overall Strategic Staffing Functions?† Houston Chronicle. (2012) Hearst Communications Youssef, C. (2012). Human resource management. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Final Worldview Paper

Everyone has a different worldview whether it is his or her religion or law. However, just because we listen and read about other religions does not mean we follow and believe them. I will add that a worldview helps me to understand life and reality in different parts of the world. People need to have a worldview to understand their purpose in life. Questions and Answers from my Own Worldview Perspective Who is God and what are His Characteristics? Christians believe that God created the universe and all within. He is the almighty.We are welcomed into a relationship with Him so that we will get to now Him personally, and intimately. â€Å"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understand and knows me, that am Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,† declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23,24) What is a Human Being and what Happens When One Dies? The scripture reads that God created man and woman in the image of Him.When He created us, he gave us a soul and spirit. Our body exists as a shell; our soul is our inner feelings such as our emotions. The spirit is our mind, where we hear the whisper of God leading us in the right directions of our life. Believe that when we die the body is returned to the earth and our soul continues to live on with God. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastic 12:7) What is the Nature of the Universe? Christians know that God created the universe according to His will. Now my worldview affects everything I believe about God, marriage, education and he way we raised our children. He created all that is and all that will be forever in the universe. No matter what other views exist, Christians know that God created the Heaven and the earth, which is the universe. God allows His children t o see His creations according to his Word and it is up to Christians to have a relationship with Him (Salesladies, 2013). How do You Know What You Know? How do you Know what is True? While growing up my grandparents taught me the family right from wrong.I also know what I know by attending church, listening to the pastor, and reading the Bible. This class has taught me about worldviews had never heard of before. It also taught me different ways to understand and research the Bible. I know what I know because God created me to be all I can be and to follow my dreams by practicing the power of positive direction Sakes, 2008). This is how know what I know. What is Right and Wrong or How can We Know there is a Right from Wrong? Knowing right and wrong should not be an issue for any Christian. Christians know that the Word is right and that there is no other alternative.Knowing that you have a healthy relationship with God is right enough for e. People can listen to who and whatever they want to receive the Word, but until they open the Holy Bible and receive it for themselves, they will not know the difference (Wright, 2004). Is Life Pointless or is there Purpose? I believe that God created everything and everyone for His purpose. I also believe Christians given this gift of love to serve only Him for His purposes. With this said all of Gods' children are here for a reason, some find their reason sooner than others do, but as long as I believe and trust in Him will find my way in life.I believe that all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom he has called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) What Core Commitments are Consistent with my Worldview? Impact on My Life? The core commitments and consistencies in my life consist of my spiritual life, family, and education. These are the areas in my life try to keep consistent. Being a consistent person really helps because not only do I have to pay attention to my education I have to pay attenti on to my sons' as well. Do my best to keep Christ at the forefront or our life.Making this decision is meeting I try to day everyday (Jakes, 2008) My Worldview Compared to the Christian Worldview I try to take time from each day to read His word so that can continue my relationship with Him. Also try to help my family live by His word also, by sharing what have learned. There are times when I may find myself drifting away from the Word. That is when I have a little talk with Jesus. Because I know, He will keep me on the path to righteousness. Therefore, I really believe my worldview is one of a Christian worldview. Reflecting on My Worldview How does my Worldview Perform in the Tests of Worldviews?Any Christian, who knows God, knows that He is the measure of all things. In addition, we should be God-centered He is the reason why we are here today and the reason why we believe in His laws. Everyone seems to have his or her own worldview about the universe. A Christian worldview is al l know and am happy for that experience. As for the other worldviews, I cannot put myself in the position to judge them Sakes, 2008). How does my Worldview affect my Thoughts and Actions? During this class, found that my Christian worldview affects my thoughts and my actions.I know that I am whom I am because of Him and I do my est. to serve Him by being patient and kind to others, because I want others to be kind to me. I also do my best to listen to the whisper in my soul as I know it is Him talking and leading me in the right direction as make decisions during the day and night. He is the keeper of my heart and know this (Jakes, 2008). How has my Worldview Changed over the Course of this Class? My worldview advanced while in this class. This class was not as difficult as I thought once I got over the anxious feeling. Enjoyed connecting the scriptures together and summarizing the passages.There Was a lot Of reading, but I understood the questions better once read the information. I must say that learned more in this class about the Bible than had ever known and I am thankful for those seven weeks of reading, writing, and discussions. This class has helped me understand that I do have a worldview and that it is not just an opinion (Wright, 2004). Conclusion This essay has helped me open my eyes to my own worldview. First, I described the worldview assumptions as it applied to my life and me. Several questions were answered as they related to my worldview.

Jack Davis Essay

Jack Davis’s poems present a passionate voice for the indigenous people; it explores such issues as the identity problems, the wider sense of loss in Aboriginal cultures and the clash of Aboriginal and White law. This can be seen in the poems â€Å"Desolation† and â€Å"The First Born†. Both of the poems clearly emphasises the plight of the Aboriginals in today’s society. Through the first poem â€Å"Desolation†, the title already hints the poor situation they are in, with complete no recognition; they are devastating, isolated and miserable. By using first person in the Aboriginals voice, the poem is full of anger towards the whites who invaded their homes and ruined their balance with the land. â€Å"You have turned our land into a desolate place.† This was the first sentence of the poem, it is directly addressing to the reader suggesting the â€Å"white† people, this emphasises their enmity for losing their â€Å"mother† land which they have been living on for more than 40,000 years. In this piece, Davis also expressed their true conditions, feelings and emotional thoughts due to the whites’ invasion. â€Å"What are we? Where are we?† The voice is confused, helpless; they are not recognized, they are forced to live in a new way, in the white’s way, which is a torment for them to adapt and accept. â€Å"We are tired of the benches, our beds in the park. We welcome the sundown and heralds the dark.† It is suggesting they are homeless, they have not just lost their tribal life, land and rights, they do not even own a shelter for themselves, their way of living and culture have been complete wiped out by the whites, no longer have freedom, so disappointed to the society that they have no hope for tomorrow. Davis wrote this poem in the Aboriginal people’s voice, they are angry for what they are suffering, but they are also standing up for themselves, a better life and their justice, rights and recognition. The second poem â€Å"The First Born† also emphasises the poor situation the Aboriginals are in. Just like the first poem, it is also written in first person, but in a different angle, the â€Å"mother† land’s perspective. It uses lots of emotive language and negative words to present the enmity and hatred towards the whites â€Å"you whom I bore after†, whereas the first poem stated out their situation and true thoughts to emphasis the point. This poem used personification to show the inseparable connection between the Aboriginal people and their land as a mother and her child, â€Å"They were formed of my dust†, the passion towards the land is clearly

The Six Sigma Management Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Six Sigma Management Approach - Essay Example The concept of ‘six-sigma’ however dates back to the nineteenth century with Gaussian idea of the normal curve. Gauss developed a concept that measured variance in products and processes. Using the normal curve as a basis and integrating both statistical techniques and management concept, Shewhart developed the concept of three sigma as an identification of the point of standard deviation beyond which errors should not be tolerated. The actual development of the six sigma approach was however a result of Motorola Company’s initiative, spearheaded by Smith to improve quality of its product and change its image that had lost reputation in the press and industry. It was however not until the year 1995 when the approach became popular through General Electric’s Welch who made the approach his organization’s identity. The ‘six-sigma’ approach is therefore a mathematical concept that has been applied in business management to eliminate wastes for efficiency (Islam, 2006). The purpose of ‘six-sigma’ approach is to eliminate errors in processes in order to satisfy consumers’ needs. This purpose is achieved by identifying intolerable levels of errors for necessary actions (Islam, 2006). Implementation of the ‘six-sigma’ Implementation of the ‘six-sigma’ involves four major steps that are further divided into sub steps. The first step in implementation of ‘sigma-six’ is assessment of an organization. This stage involves exploration of the organization’s internal factors, a competitive organization for benchmarking, and a subsequent comparison. This is followed by deciding on the approach and allocation of responsibility. The second step involves planning in which the scope of the business, its objectives and drivers as well as its resources is identified for budgeting and approval. Implementation of the strategy, the third step, involves training, application of the approach’s concepts, evaluation, and management of results. The last step in implementing the ‘six-sigma’ involves a continuous monitoring and evaluation of processes for better quality (Harrington, 2006). The scope of healthcare and application of ‘six-sigma’ in health care The scope of healthcare involves meeting patients’ needs through diagnosing their problems and administering medication for curative or preventive purposes. Healthcare therefore aims at ensuring people’s well being. This scope provides a variety of avenues and reasons for application of the ‘six-sigma’ program. The approach, as a tool for quality improvement is effective in developing potential in technology dependent processes such as in the X ray department. The method is also used to enhance patients’ utility levels by ensuring that their needs are efficiently met. The scope of the program that allows for identification of wastes for co rrective measures also establishes its applicability in ensuring accuracy in processes such as laboratory testing and determination of results, billing and medical processes (Antony, Antony and Tanner, n.d.). Benefits of the approach in my organization The approach, based on its possible application in my organization, induces a number of benefits. One of the benefits of the strategy is its quality improvement potential that ensures customers’ satisfaction. As a result, it develops a good corporate image of an organization among consumers. The ability to reduce errors in processes also safeguards patient’

Analyze 4 real cases of directors liability and lessons learned Essay

Analyze 4 real cases of directors liability and lessons learned - Essay Example Here, the director was liable for failing to act as stated in the company’s statutes. He, therefore, was responsible for breach of duty of diligence. The second case is about Limited v. Burns. The director was found guilty of running the company recklessly. The guilty verdict came as a result of finding the director guilty of the offense. The judge decided that the duty of care was clearly violated by the director. He was, therefore, liable for failing to act in the company’s statutes. He did not put into consideration the act of good faith while dealing with the company’s affairs (Webster 46). There were certain risks that were apparent but the director knew this, but still went ahead and did these transactions. In the third case, the director was found liable for acting under fraudulent means. Fraud can lead to serving a jail term (Webster 58). This was in the case of Lexi Holdings v. Said Luqman and Others1. Luqman used fraudulent means to acquire money from the company that had entrusted him with the task of paying in receipts to one bank account. He, however, transacted money to some other bank accounts that belonged to him, and some of his associates. He was liable for breaching the trust bestowed on him by the company. After being caught, he failed to disclose all his assets for fear of being arrested and jailed for fraud. This led the court to find him in contempt of court. He was jailed for eighteen months since he had acted outside the duty of obedience. The fourth case is identified as a breach of duty of care or diligence. This is in the case of Cellar House Limited. The director was fully responsible for reckless trading. He was found to be guilty of other breaches as well, for example, breach of loyalty. He was responsible for having the company in debt, and was forced by the court to pay over 1.7 million dollars. The activities that he conducted for the company were illegitimate. He did these transactions

Criminal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Behavior - Essay Example An investigation of male and female criminal activity will see a shift in female behavior that has been influenced by social and cultural pressures, and a narrowing of the gap between male and female perpetrators. Recent decades have seen an increasing prevalence of female criminals and the crimes that they commit have become more violent. During the 10-year period from 1986 to 1997 the adult male correctional population increased by 67 percent, while the women's population increased by 100 percent (Demographic trends, 2008). Still, crime is an activity that is dominated by males as 5 percent of them are under some form of correctional supervision in the US compared with only 1 percent of the female population. However, female crimes have become more violent in nature. In 1989, 13 percent of the crimes committed by females were violent in nature, but that number had increased to 17 percent by 2002 (US Department of Justice, 2004). In addition, in the year 2000 women constituted 6.7 percent of the total state and federal prison population, and that number had increased to 7.2 percent in 2007 (US Department of Justice, 2008). Data from a variety of sources verifies that women have become more a ctive in crime in a more violent fashion. The contrast between male and female crime and the shift in demographics in recent years can help give an indication of the motivations that underlie criminal activity. Emotion has a far lesser impact on a man's decision to commit a crime than it does for a female. When men commit a crime it is often the result of learned behavior that has been the result of social interaction. Ramoutar & Farrington (2006) report that, "According to social learning theory, if individuals have ample opportunity to observe aggressive or violent behaviour, this will increase the chance that they will learn to value violence and incorporate it into their behavioural repertoire" (p.562). These behaviour patterns are learned from parents, family members, social networks, and promoted through the culture of the popular media. The male dominated society has traditionally tolerated male violence and males are responding to the motivation of perpetuating the existing social norms (Women's Aid, 2005, p.7). Soc ial and cultural norms are at the foundation of the difference in male and female demographics in regards to the types of crimes committed. Women commit violent acts as a means of reacting to their socially repressed status, while males commit violent acts as a learned behavior and minimizes the act based on society's acceptance of male domination. While social learning is a factor that impacts a male's decision to commit a crime, it is also a factor that discourages women from criminal activity. Social control theory further states that "human beings have a natural tendency to engage in antisocial behavior, irrespective of gender" and that strong community, family, workplace, and social ties all contribute to a person's reluctance to engage in criminal activity (Li & MacKenzie, 2003, p.279). According to Corbett (2007) there are significant "informal pressures and sanctions placed on women by family to conform to appropriate gender prescribed behaviours that discourage deviance" (p.258). Women have traditionally been perceived as the 'weaker sex' and sheltered from the male dominated activities associated with

Religious Education Resource Package Speech or Presentation

Religious Education Resource Package - Speech or Presentation Example It is essential for a teacher to be aware of what to teach during RE classes and why to teach it. In most Catholic schools, RE is accounted for in timetables and programs for teaching for over two hours every week. For the time spent in RE classes, the students will learn about the life of Jesus Christ and about Catholic traditions. Learning about the seven sacraments and practicing them will aid the students in exploration of the traditions of the Catholic Church and the way it works in their lives. Christian life should be about the seven sacraments (Holy Spirit Interactive, 2009). For this reason, the seven sacraments have a vital place in all Christians’ lives, which necessitates teaching them to young Christians. In the Christian journey of faith, the seven sacraments act as the signs of the presence of God (Bausch, 2003). Therefore, the community, parents, and teachers of Catholic communities must play their role and be responsible for the provision of opportunities to l earn and engage in these sacraments to Catholic K-2 level students. Sacrament of Conversion allows Catholic Christians to renew their baptism and follow Jesus Christ’s example. ... Sacraments are Jesus Christ’s extensions because they are symbolic of Jesus’ actions and extensions of the actions of God. These actions are an oath via which Catholic Christians seek witnessing and verification from God. Catholics ask for verification and witnessing that all they do is good and true, which is what the Sacraments call Christians to do (Crowe, 2005). Every Sacrament is a dispensation of life in the comprehension that we are born, or renew our Christian beliefs and life through the Sacrament (Fosarelli, 2012). The Sacrament of Conversion’s importance comes through the effect that it has on individuals. According to the Catholic Church’s Catechism, the Sacrament of Penance has several effects including (Williams, 2008); Reconciliation with the Catholic Church Reconciliation with God Increasing of spiritual strength required in the battle of Christianity Spiritual consolation and serenity and peace of conscience Reconciliation with God’ s Church Partial remission of temporal punishment that comes from sin Remission of God’s eternal punishment because of mortal sin Resources for Background Knowledge Books White, J. D., & White, A. A. (2004): Teach it: Penance and reconciliation. This book is especially meant to be used in RE programs for teachers. It follows the teachings of the Catholic Church and is based on the Bible and the Catholic Church Catechism. In addition, the authors dwell in their introduction on the role that teachers and parents have to play in preparing the children for their first and subsequent Sacrament of Penance, while also including practical ways that seek to involve teachers and parents more in the RE program. Majority of the activities in this book are easy to

Hospitality marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hospitality marketing - Essay Example Quality is the first competitive advantage building block, which is defined as the manner in which a product is perceived by the market in relation to competitor products. Superior quality gives a product a competitive advantage compared to competitor products. Superior quality includes reliability, durability, quality design, and image. Quality is essential because customers prefer organizations which are reputed for offering superior quality products. The second competitive advantage building block is efficiency, which is defined as the rate at which an organization carries out its operations. Superior efficiency means that the organization will produce and market a large number of products within a short duration using minimal amount of organizational resources. Superior efficiency is necessary because it enables an organization to produce and supply products when demanded; hence, sustaining its supply chain. Third on the list of the building blocks is customer responsiveness. This can be described as the manner and speed in which the organization meets customers’ needs. An organization with superior customer responsiveness is that which is quick to act on customer needs and ensures that they are satisfied. This is vital because it enables an organization to always meet the needs of its customers. The last principal building block of competitive advantage is innovation. This can be described as undertaking strategic activities to find new and better products, and new work routines that will increase the organization’s efficiency. Innovation is critical because it enables the organization to keep up with the ever-changing tastes and preferences of the customers. Therefore, an innovative organization has a competitive advantage in the industry because it has the potential of offering products which have not been produced before. Building blocks can be utilized in marketing techniques in various ways. To

How Can We Find Happiness from Sports Research Paper

How Can We Find Happiness from Sports - Research Paper Example Tackling the initial half first; sports can be defined as the competitive or cooperative activities, which are usually physical in nature and performed between either individuals or a team (Delaney & Madigan, 2009, 23). There are various kinds of sports, but two main categories are indoor and outdoor sports. Soccer, tennis and Cricket are a few of the most popular outdoor sports worldwide. Diehard fans that play such sports themselves physically or follow it by watching it on media are very passionate about these games and it is amongst the favourite hobbies of many people. If their teams or preferred players are victorious in their fixtures they are overwhelmed with happiness, however the opposite happens if their selection is defeated. This is so because many people derive happiness from sports by deviating their minds from other worries and stress related activities. When they do so they look for an escape where they can feel positive and gain hope and inspiration from? Victory in sports for their team gets them this happiness they look for. This is further evidenced by various scholars, who regard sports to have a direct linkage with our moods, and its ability to either make us happy or upset according to its outcome (Forsyth, 2010, 80). Here the favourable outcome is related to victory, and thus being victorious in the sport is the main aim for all the ones participating or watching it. Sports also becomes a reason for happiness when they bring about a positive improvement in one’s health, as being healthy is directly related with having a good mood according to various researches (Kahneman, 2003, 364). In order to stay abreast with the high level of competition in today’s fast- paced world, many people have the excuse that their busy schedules are the reason they cannot devote any time to exercise (Weinberg & Gould, 1995, 420). However, by being active in sports which are physical in nature even for a short session every alternate day can be the most effective way in keeping such people fit and away from a sedentary lifestyle. Another benefit of sport is that it keeps people away from unproductive activities which they might otherwise have indulged in, if they were not playing or following sports. Sports which are physical take up a lot of energy of the person and once done, people prioritise the rest of their chores and responsibilities for the day and only carry out the ones really worth doing. Consequently they skip those events which were unproductive from the start. This way they do not feel guilty by doing anything wrong and therefore feel content and satisfied with the way they spent their time. ‘Guilt’ is a very strong emotion which can really weigh us down if its cause is not identified and solved. It adds immensely to depression and can be the eventual catalyst towards many physical ailments as well. Thus being content with oneself is the process which keeps people happy and cheerful about themse lves. Sport also teaches us the importance of cooperation and through indulging in sports, men and women both learn the value of team work and collaboration (Delaney & Madigan, 2009, 22). They learn that more can be achieved through working with others and this keeps them away from being selfish or self-serving (Delaney & Madigan, 2009, 22). By working in cooperation and helping out others who are weak there is no gap left in the overall performance as all resources are utilized. Through working together, a better

Strategic Cultural Interventions at Wal-Mart Research Paper

Strategic Cultural Interventions at Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example It is against this backdrop that Louis (1980) is quoted by the Air University (2003) as explaining that organizational culture is â€Å"a set of understandings or meanings shared by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members†. The discussions above point to the fact that the organizational culture of an organization cannot be over emphasized, overlooked or underestimated in any way. As much as possible, all corporations and organizations must make it a prime priority of achieving a socially and commercially welcoming organizational culture. Because of this, this essay has been set out to critically look into the organizational culture of Wal-Mart Company, looking at the company’s present organizational culture and evaluating how the present culture has impacted on the successes of the company and if any, suggest the way forward for the company in terms of its organizational culture. Current Organizational Culture Giving a clear cut definition or description of the organizational culture of Wal-Mart may be very difficult. This is because the public and especially the media tend to portray the company and many different ways. These ambiguities not withstanding, careful review of literature and scrutiny of media reports point to some common characteristics that run through the company and can therefore be generalized to be the company’s organizational culture. In the first place, Wal-Mart has and believes in the culture of respect. The company portrays a high sense and level of respect for all its stakeholders including customers, suppliers and associates. The company also practices an open door system of governance whereby there is an open communication channel for all stakeholders; especially customers and suppliers to get their ideas through. There also is what the company refers to as the Sundown rules. With this culture, th e company answers to requests even after the company’s usual closing hours. This is done in a bid to foster the culture of respect for meeting the customer at the point of his or her needs. Finally, there is an assumed and supposed servant leadership culture at Wal-Mart whereby it is said that Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart said that â€Å""It's more important than ever that we develop leaders who are servants, who listen to their partners – their associates – in a way that creates wonderful morale to help the whole team accomplish an overall goal,†Ã¢â‚¬  (Wal-Mart, 2011). Assessment of the current organizational culture of Wal-Mart using Deep Assumption Model Having discussed the organizational culture of Wal-Mart above, this section of the write-up shall be used to give deep assumptions interpretations to assess the current organizational culture of the company. Cummings and Worley (2009) explain that deep assumptions are very important because they r epresent the deepest levels of an organization’s culture that is generally unexamined. These assumptions shall be considered because as Cummings and Worley (2009) put it, they are â€Å"tacit and shared assumptions that guide member behavior and that often have a powerful impact on organization effectiveness.† Among some unexamined assumptions behind the culture of Wal-Ma

Racial Harmony throughout Hawaii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Racial Harmony throughout Hawaii - Essay Example Harmony on other hand represents happiness or agreement and so it is important to note that the happiness of the USA is Hawaii. Having put that across, it is pertinent to heed that Hawaii has a role in representing â€Å"Harmony† in USA history and media, since â€Å"USA† means several states of America under the same rule and all of the states are governed by harmony. It is vital to note that the republic of North American represents fifty different states. Therefore, when the United States is discussed, the foremost thing to think of is the term harmony (Winters 23). The above is true because despite of the country being a comprise of several states, they live in peace and agreement. The above is only possible because of the respect the Americans have to the rule of the state, the culture, and laws followed by the definition of the American history. With the above point in mind, it is noted that harmony is a pertinent requirement to the states of America. It is intere sting to realize that Hawaii specifically represents harmony in itself among the states of America. In other words, Hawii is a model of harmony that aspire the rest of Americans. It follows that Hawaii is a link or rather a channel that enforces harmony to the states of America (Lee 14). The above is true according to the common sense that, for any given individuals of different caliber to stay together then it needs harmony. It applies to the state of Hawaii, with the relationship it has with the rest of the states of America. According to the experts, several reasons have been drawn to represent the harmonic symbol of Hawaii to the Americans. Here the first reason that makes Hawaii to have the harmonic symbol in the United States is that as fiftieth state, Hawaii joined the union on August 21 in the year 1956. It is also important to acknowledge the fact that USA respects the laws, culture and lands of the Hawaiians (Haas12). Further to the above, the whole country (united state) does not only agree but also accepts the Hawaii as one of the state member. The above evident the fact that though it is the last to be assimilated into the states of America, it has to some extent participated to the contribution of the harmonic environment to the American state. By harboring harmony and promoting peace to the whole nation. The idea that acknowledges Hawaii as a harmonic symbol of the United State is that Hawaii has a Pearl Harbor. Here, it is notable that the US Navy guards are situated in the Pearl Harbor of the Hawaii and they act as the state protectors (Liu 42). Fortunately, the guard does not protect only the states or Hawaii but the entire world, where they enforce peace and unity. Therefore, with the US Navy guard at the coast, they facilitate harmony in not only the Hawaii but also the entire world. The above is true since the guards maintain law and order and in so doing, they facilitate peace in the American country and the entire world. With its origin at the coast of Hawaii, it is enough reason to note that Hawaii is harmony motivator in the states of America. If that is not enough, the reason of tourism development to some extent acts as a symbol of Harmony. Here, tourism develops in Hawaii makes the whole of US people to think that Hawaii is a harmonic figure in the history of the US (winters, 57). It is evident that a tourist sector is always peaceful to attract the tourist. That is way; the tourist development in Hawaii gives it advantage of being a Harmonic

I.C.T Unit 3c Essay Example for Free

I.C.T Unit 3c Essay In this part of the coursework I am going to layout all the needs of a person who has mobility impairment. His name is Scott and he is a 19-year-old engineering student with muscular dystrophy. Scott needs special technologies in order to keep his life running as normal as possible. Some technologies that Scott may need are:   Tracker Ball Head Tracker   Screen Keyboard Brain Switch   Voice Recognition Tracker Ball: A tracker ball is an input device where a finger is used to rotate a ball. This moves a pointer to the screen. A tracker ball is very useful to Scott. This helps him to move the pointer around easily. The tracker ball is a replacement for a normal mouse. Scott has troubles gripping the mouse because of his deficiency. It is easier for him to use a tracker ball because this allows him to gently move the ball just with one finger. This is easier because his hands can shake quite a lot and he cannot control this so using just one finger can make life so much easier and its not as frustrating because he dont need to use up all his energy. The tracker ball also doesnt take up as much space as a normal mouse, because a normal mouse you need sufficient space to be able to move it around freely while as the tracker ball stays in one place and all that is needed is to move the ball in the middle around with your hand. A tracker ball lets Scott run an independent life without needing the help of others. A tracker ball is also needed to use other technologies such as On Screen Keyboard. Head tracker: A tracker is used with head movements, Scott can position the cursor on screen and left and right mouse clicks can be made with a suck-puff switch. To allow Scott to move around freely, communication between the head tracker and the computer is normally carried out via a wire-less infra-red transmitter and receiver. This helps Scott immensely because if his hand becomes tired because it shakes a lot and he tries very hard to keep it stable and control the tracker ball at the same time. When this occurs he can resort to the head tracker and this makes it easier as he only needs to use his head. The head tracker is also used for other technologies like the On Screen Keyboard. This technology does have its disadvantages, one of them is that he has to keep a very stable neck and he has to keep his head up right in order to be able to reach the point he wants. There are sometimes very small buttons which Scott can sometimes miss and has to try various times to be able to click on a button of some sort. This can become quite stressing after a while so the head tracker needs a lot of practice and needs getting use to. On Screen Keyboard: An on screen keyboard is easier for Scott to use because of his deficiency and his hands shake a lot he cannot control the keys properly because his hand is not stable he cannot tap the right keys and can sometimes become very frustrating. So using the onscreen keyboard he can easily access the letters by clicking on them with his tracker ball or head tracker, which he finds easier to use. Without these two technologies he could not use the on screen keyboard. He can also use all the numbers and punctuation that is needed. This can also be easier for him in terms of his head movement. He does not need to be lowering his head to look at the keyboard and then looking up again at the screen, with the On Screen Keyboard, he can keep a constant look at the screen and this doesnt need head movement. Of course, the on screen keyboard can become a bit tiring and a bit useless, because Scott has to find every letter and click on it and this can take quite a while. Speech Recognition: Voice or speech recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation. This can be so much easier for Scott, because he has trouble using a normal keyboard because of his deficiency he uses an on screen keyboard, but if Scott wants to write something long or something complex that he cant really use the on screen keyboard because he will get tired and it can get a bit annoying, because he has to type letter by letter. Speech recognition makes it easier because all he needs to do is dictate to the computer what he wants the computer to write down. Of course, he has to make his speech loud and clear in order for the computer to understand what hes saying. Obviously a lot of the technologies have their disadvantages. All voice-recognition systems or programs make errors. Screaming children, barking dogs, and loud external conversations can produce false input. Much of this can be avoided only by using the system in a quiet room. There is also a problem with words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings for example, hear and here. This technology could take quite some long to get use to, as the computer needs to get use to Scotts voice. Brain Switch: A brain switch allows a severely disabled person to control on/off devices, for example, light switches, a heating switch or other environmental controls. The switch is operated by measuring the biosignals through a contact on the forehead. Scott can be taught to operate the switch by state of mind a calm, quiet state leaves the switch off and an active, excited state switches it on. Although Scott is not severely damaged, this can make his life easier for him. He might not need it urgently or it may not be a must have in his life but this can make his life easier. If he has small light switches or the electrical alarm for his oven is too small for him to be able to get it turned off quickly then the switch can help him turn this off. Small things like this can really change his life to make it easier because these small things are what he does regularly and this way he knows that he can count on the brain switch to help him out. But I know there are people who need it more than Scott would but it can still be a technology to help Scott with his daily life. In conclusion I think that most of these technologies do make Scotts life much easier to handle with his deficiency. Obviously not all of these technologies are 100% effective and every technology has their disadvantages as I have listed above but there are more advantages to the technologies then there are disadvantages and I think that as long as it helps Scotts even a little bit, its very successful because its helping the difficulties of someones life so much easier. [A1] [A1]You need to conclude your work by saying how these technologies either meet or do not meet Scots needs.

Environmental Issues in the Car Industry

Environmental Issues in the Car Industry What are the environmental issues facing the future of the European car industry? Abstract This paper looks at the issues facing the European car industry with regard to environmental issues. This is done by looking at past and present published material that revolves around the subject matter under specified themes. Theoretical perspectives within the European business environment such as pestle, models of market structure, profit maximisation, sources of finance, market segmentation, branding strategy, European business and its effects on the environment are all explained in relation to their relevance of environmental issues. These theoretical themes are used because they all act as a catalyst to the subject matter of the problems caused by cars which are not fuel efficient or less pollutant within Europe. In addition, a recently published paper on the directive for labelling on cars with regard to CO2 emissions, awareness of consumers, and fuel efficiency types in the European Union is used as empirical evidence to support ones findings as there was a shortage of time to carry out one. Finally a critical review of matches and miss-matches is used to compare and contrast similarities between the theoretical perspectives identified to prove the latter mentioned and the empirical evidence gathered for this paper, so as to forge a way forward for the European Car Industry. Chapter 1: A Brief History of The Car Industry Introduction The European Car Industry is one that has come of age. From its early beginnings over 100 years ago, it is beginning to show signs of struggling in today’s modern society. This has come about due to the new challenges that the industry is facing in the new millennium. Issues such as air pollution, congestion, traffic jams etc., are all factors that have made the car industry rethink its goals, objectives, its marketing, and the consequences that are not foreseen. As a whole the car industry makes nearly 60 million cars and trucks every year, and employs millions of people around the world. Average profit margins have declined from 20 present or more in its hey days of the1920’s to around 10 present in the 1960’s and less than 5 present in this present day, infect some volume car makers such as Fiat, Ford, and Vauxhall, have actually been losing money. It can be stated that over century ago the car industry feasibly invented modern industrial capitalism. In the Economist (2004) the car started life in Germany and early development of the industry began in France (hence the word automobile, a French word) in the 1900’s, but it was in America that the car industry came of age with the Henry Ford T-Model of mass production which started in Chicago round about the same period(1900’s). In the 1920’s Alfred Sloan’s ideas of running General Motors provided the model for the great corporations that grew up to dominate the second half of the 20th century. General Motors soon swept past Ford as Alfred Sloan revolutionized the young car industry, and Ford never regained the dominance it enjoyed in its infancy days of mass production. The car industry can be said to be ahead of its time in many respects. For example, in ‘planned obsolescence, which is the frequent changes in design and style that tempted customers to switch to a newer model every year or so. In the 1970’s when the oil price quadrupled, the industry found itself under attack from environmentalists outraged by its products gas consuming and exhuming nature, (air pollution, etc.). It was also the first industry to come under government scrutiny, from safety concerns to environmental issues to antitrust worries in the days when General Motors had 60 present of its domestic market and could shut out competitors with a few well-chosen price cuts. However, when small economical and reliable Japanese Cars started to eat into Detroit’s market share, the American government imposed restraints on those imports. Soon afterwards, theca industry in Europe came under the same similar pressures and followed suit. Due to the sporadic recognition and existence as a pillar of industrial capitalism, the car industry also found itself at the mercy of trade unions in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Its workers increasingly pushed for trade unionisation in which a times the car factories in the Detroit area, the British Midlands, in Frankfurt, Germany, and the huge plants around Paris were the main battleground of the Class war. Although today trade union membership is still as high as ever, the power they wielded in the 1920’s to 1970’s has diminished immensely. Today, the motor car is the epitome of mass production, mass marketing and mass consumption, with some of the strongest brands in the world. For most households in rich countries, it is the second-biggest purchase after a house or flat, which makes the industry a pillar of modern industrial capitalism as earlier mentioned. Few other consumer goods industries depend so heavily on second hand market for their products. Now, understanding how the European Car Industry operates and the many pressures that it faces is essential to an understanding of the predicament the UK car buyers currently faces. Around 70 present of new cars sold in the UK are imported, with the great majority of these imports coming from the rest of Europe. The UK market is intrinsically tied into the pattern of car making and distribution across Europe. Thus the behaviour of the UK motor industry towards both its retailing and service partners and towards consumers is part of the wider behaviour of the European Car Industry. The industry can be said to be mature one. In virtually every country of North West Europe, the density of car ownership has almost reached its practical maximum. There are some opportunities for growth left in Southern and Central Europe, but they will be largely used up in the next few years. Following on, the consequences of mass production, and a slow introduction of cars that run on synthetic or alternative fuels has led to a rapid increase in environmental pollution, CO2 emissions, traffic jams, congestion, and human related diseases such as lung cancer, all of which are serious environmental issues, which the European Car Industry have found itself slow to adapt, change, amend and implement to the betterment of the wider society. This has led to directives and committees from the European Union to be setup to tackle the issued mentioned above and the latter. With this in mind a review of existing material that has been published in the press and journals will now be critically analysed. Chapter 2: Existing Literature Reviewed The need to galvanise and understand the unforeseen circumstances of mass car production and environmental issues in the European Union has been stressed by researchers for more than three decades. According to the Europa (2005), the EU is the largest automotive production region (34%) in the world and the industry comprises 7.5% of the manufacturing sector in the union. Direct employment by the automotive industry stands at about two million employees, while the total employment effect (direct and indirect) is estimated to be about ten million. It also adds that since the year 2001, the motor vehicle production has decreased in the European Union, from 17.2 million units in 2001 to 16.9 million units in 2002. The decline continued into2003, with 70,000 motor vehicles less being produced, compared to2002. This decline is due to the worsening of the macro-economic situation where consumer demand has been decreasing. Lagunas (2005)correlates with this by stating that motor vehicles have become the prime means of personal and commercial mobility in today’s world. Growing prosperity has led to a spectacular rise in car use, phenomenon being repeated in the new member states which joined the Union in 2004. In China and other booming countries with looser anti-pollution rules than the EU, trends show major increases in private transportation. This success has generated serious concerns about the environmental effects of vehicle use, in particular traffic congestion, air pollution, traffic-related diseases, and noise. In addition Lagunas (2005) states that these concerns have led the EU to formulate the objective of decoupling economic growth from transport growth. The EU has come up with legislation and initiatives to drive the change towards cleaner cars while promoting sustainable transport modes and model shift. It goes on to state that the interest in cleaner, less polluting vehicles and fuel has grown rapidly in recent years. Emissions from petrol and diesel engines have been significantly reduced in the last decade, driven mainly by European legislation and will continue to be reduced. In elaboration Lagunas(2005) states that in the EU, almost 40 present of the transport sector’s CO2 emissions are produced by the use of private cars in cities, CO2 emissions are damaging the environment and contributing to climate change; both petrol and diesel engines have their good and bedsides as regards emissions; engines working with diesel fuel emit lessCO2 than the ones working with petrol; on the other hand diesel engines are releasing more cancer causing particles in the air. Air pollution caused by car emissions has health impacts; problems include aggravation of respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases, asthma, and decreased lung functions. Gartner (2005) also argues that the effectiveness of the directive made by the EU relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions has been successful and gained momentum in some European countries but not all. Reasons being consumers lack awareness of fuel economy and environmental impacts of fuels as well as available information tools, in which one of the possibly ways to tackle this as stated by Gartner(2005) was to increase consumers awareness by standard equipment of new cars with fuel consumption indicators or cruise control. In addition Gartner (2005) argues that fuel economy and environmental impact are in general no major factor in vehicle purchase decisions and fuel consumption is mostly only important because of the cost, but not to environmental issues. ACNielsen (2005) agrees with this by saying when it comes to what influences consumer’s choice of car brand, manufacturers of luxury vehicles may be surprised to learn that image and prestige do not appear to be a top priority, in which engine size and environmentally friendly cars are regarded as the least important features to the Europeans when it comes to buying a car. Interest; however is growing slowing with a greater awareness of climate change and CO2 emission issues. Gartner (2005) also states that general awareness of label, poster/display and guide on CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency on cars is quite small and most of the information tools are not regarded as very informative or effective, although it can be said that this varies f rom one EU country to another. For example, in Austria, the label is regarded as the most informative and efficient element, compared to teak where the label was not assessed as effective in detail. In an article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that there are five major groups of car manufacturers in the world, they are General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Of these only Toyota relies on one global brand name. All the others have a web of subsidiaries spanning the world. We must understand that the real reason why the car manufacturing firms are in business is to make money and maintain their prestige as a world class car manufacturer. To do this means they (car manufacturers) will have to constantly roll-out new models, with better gadgets, with performance and style. That is why, as Madsen (2002) argues, Volkswagen launched its luxury car, ‘the Phaeton’ to compete against the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini brands. This initiative was and is deemed as a risky push by the Group. However, the Chairman of the group Rd. Bernd Pischetsrieder argues that success would not be measured by sales volumes that the key was to enhance the Volkswagen brand. It was also argued by critics from within and outside the firm that the launch of the Phaeton, delayed the launch of the Audi, which is a car from within the group. However, he was quick to mute the negative by stating that possibly, the dealers learn to be a bit quicker and not to find the competitor in-house but out-house, and this will help the business; adding it is the engineers and marketers of the Audi brand that have the serious challenge of making sure that the brand does well. With this type of attitude within car firms it shows that environmental issues are the least likely concern within the European Car Industry. In the UK, white paper by DETR (2002) stated that many towns and cities suffer from traffic jams and polluted streets and as a result, are less attractive places in which to live and do business. Reducing the negative impacts of traffic on the quality of people’s lives is a key element of improving the urban environment, as set out in the government’s recent urban white paper. Adding that emissions of air pollutants arising from road traffic are set to decline over the period to 2010 as a result of improvement s in vehicle technology and fuel quality, but are forecast to begin rising again beyond 2010 due to increased traffic growth. Indirectly, an increase in car sales that are not fuel efficient means more air pollution, increased traffic jams, and lung cancer. However, in Europe the car market has become largely a market for replacement vehicles within a largely static market rather than one driven by a growing buyer base, Consumer association (2000). In addition, the market is crowded with over 40 marques and 250 models on offer and major product innovation is rare and rapidly imitated. Notwithstanding, product branding activity is intense and advertising spends are large and directed at creating a sense of differentiation. In another article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that in the UK, car prices were still too high and one of the major reasons for this was the ‘block exemption’, which allows network of national or regional dealers selected by car manufacturers, to flourish. However, this (block exempt) has now been abolished byte European parliament. In another article by the BBC (2002), it was argued that the number of car manufacturing companies had shut down due to the fall in export demand owing to the euros weakness against the pound; this is in relation to the fact that 70% of cars driven on Roads are European Imports. In the Economist (2004), it was argued that out of the world’s top 17 car compani es, only half were earning more than the cost of their capital. The value creators in Europe were Porsche, the Mercedes bit of DaimlerChrysler, BMW, and Peugeot. In Asia, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia made the cut. But America’s big three GM, Ford, and Chrysler, were all in the value destruction group, along with Renault, Fiat, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and. In the same article GM’s boss argues that the Japanese government is providing indirect aid to the country’s car companies by holding down the yen, thereby lowering their costs of producing export models and parts for the American assembly plants and also in Europe. American and European manufacturers maintain that the Japanese do this solely to boost their exports; but it can be stated that the real reason for the Japanese government of implementing such a policy may have been to head off deflation and revive the domestic Japanese economy. In another article by Europa (2005) Verheugen, the vice-president of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and Industry argues that a legal framework will need to be created via CARS 21 High level group, in which the overall objective is to make recommendations for the short, medium and long-term public policy and regulatory framework for the car industry that enhances its global competitiveness as well as employment, while sustaining further progress in safety and environmental performance at a price affordable to the customer. Corby (2005) also argues that the environmental performance of cars has been improved dramatically over the past decade. New cars have become more fuel efficient and they emit less toxic emissions than cars in the 1970’s, adding that environmental innovation is essential for the sustainability and competitiveness of the European car industry. The previous mentioned shows that great changes are being made in the European Car Industry with regard to environmental issues. In a press release by the Auto Industry (2003), it was argued that new car average CO2 emissions fell to 174.2 g/CO2per km in 2002, 8.2 present down on the 1997 baseline and 1.9 present below the 2001 average. The rise of the superman in the UK over recent years has helped to lower average CO2 emissions through the wider appeal of smaller cars. In the same article, it was stated that Diesel fuelled cars have been a significant influence on the reduction in average CO2 emissions. Diesel models took a record 23.5 present share of the UK market in 2002, with demand up 38 present. In another published article by Lagunas (2005), it was suggested that the average new car in the EU – 15 was releasing almost 12% less CO2 in 2003 than it did in 1995, however pressure was growing, especially from Berlin, to push automakers to make further cuts. In the same article, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), a government body, blamed the European commission for allowing car makers to exceed limit values for particulate matter (pm) and CO2. It criticizes the industry’s voluntary target to reduce emissions to 120 g/km by 2012 as being too modest, saying a target of 100g/km is achievable by that date. It therefore, proposes an ‘innovation forcing strategy’ to push carmakers embarking on the global competitive race for improved environmental performance of vehicles. Balzac (1998) adds to the furore that because the Yen is one of the leading international currencies, solving the problem (devaluation of Yen) requires international answers. In the same article, as the Car industry is considered one of the key industries in Japan and Europe, a devaluation of the Yen directly affects the European Car Industry. As mentioned in the latter sections a devaluation of the Yen enables Japanese car manufacturers to sell their cars at much lower affordable prices to potential customers in Europe, and North America, in which the European Car Industry would suffer the most due to a high value of the currencies within the European Union member states. With all this in mind, the remainder of this paper proceeds as follows: Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives on the European Business Environment  and Marketing Chapter 4: Empirical Evidence. Chapter 5: Critical analysis of Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion. Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives On The European Business Environment and Marketing In order to have a clear understanding of the concept of the business environment within Europe and the marketing of the car industry, we will first need to identify the meaning of the terminologies. European business is a generic term which describes Avery wide variety of agricultural, industrial and service activities undertaken by a large number of different organisations across the continent of Europe. Examples of European business might include: Privatised telecommunications companies such as Deutsche Telekom; a French recording company based in a converted barn in Normandy, France; a farm in Eastern England, highly mechanised and engaged in agribusiness; a transnational organisation such as the German car producer Volkswagen, with factories in Germany (VW and Audi), Spain (Seat), the Czech Republic (Skoda) and the UK (Bentley) etc. European business may be run by one person or it may be a small private company. Alternatively it may be a large organisation employing thousands of people, with assets worth hundreds of millions of euros and based in many different European countries. The European business environment refers to the conditions within which European businesses operate. Typically it involves a number of different interacting forces which shape the environment, and thus how a business formulates its long-term strategy, its tactics and its daily operations within this environment. These factors may include political, economic, social, cultural, religious and linguistic forces. Now, marketing is the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others Kilter et al. (2005). For example, important terms such as needs, wants, and demands; products and services; value, satisfaction and quality; exchange, transactions and relationship; and markets are all core marketing concepts which are linked, with each concept building on the one before it. Each part of the marketing definition defines what marketing is and how it is practised. With this in mind we can now move on to discuss about the theoretical concepts used in the understanding of the business environment and marketing of the European car industry. There are several important conceptual frameworks that are used for understanding the environmental impacts of the European car industry. The ones used in this paper are: †¢ PESTLE †¢ Models of Market Structure †¢ Profit Maximisation †¢ Sources of Finance †¢ Market segmentation †¢ Branding strategy †¢ The European Business and the environment 3.1 PESTLE This means, Political factors influencing a business environment; Economic factors; Sociological influences; Technological influences; Legal factors; and Environmental/ethical issues. This framework issued to analyse the European business environment. 3.1.1 Political The political beliefs of governments and the policies they implement to pursue them have a major impact on the European business environment. This is both in their own right and also through other policies, such as economic ones; hence the re-emergence of political economy in recent years. Additionally, other political philosophies may also have an impact on EU society and hence on the business environment. In the extreme case the economic policies pursued by the former Soviet bloc, with its emphasis on central planning, clearly had massive impact on the ownership, organisational structure, operations and lack of profitability of government-owned European businesses operating in this area. Similarly, the UK Thatcher governments of the1980s created a business environment of entrepreneurship which was largely shaped by the political beliefs of Margaret Thatcher and her close advisors, which subsequently influenced other countries in Europe 3.1.2 Economic The economic policies pursued by EU governments clearly have significant influence on the environment within which European businesses operate. Since the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht was completed in 1993 EU currency (SEC), formerly called the European currency unit (ecru) but now known as the euro, as part of the moves to Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The commitment by EU governments to meet the Maastricht convergence criteria, as a precondition for acceptance to the first wave of membership of the single European currency, has obliged them to demonstrate fiscal restraint to meet the criteria relating to budget deficit (not to exceed 3 present of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP) and national debt (not to exceed 60 present of GDP). The purpose of the convergence criteria, as their name suggest, is to converge potential members’ economies to broadly similar levels in terms of the rate of inflation, the level of long-run interest rates, and the stability of their exchange rates and, as noted, government debt. In addition the ability of countries to converge to a common position in their business cycles, in practice to converge their business cycles with that of Germany’s as the leading Economy. In practice the problems of non-convergence were demonstrated in the early 1990s when Germany raised its interest rates to counter inflationary pressures. These had resulted from borrowing to fund major expenditure in Eastern Germany to redevelop the infrastructure and productive capacity after the collapse of the communist regime of the former East Germany. 3.1.3 Sociological This is examined in three broad areas: culture, language and religion. Culture: The fact that the British have a totally private sense of distance. This is most visibly seen in the shared pretence that Britain is a lonely island in the middle of an empty green sea. Culture has been described as ‘the way we do things round here’. In this sense it may be viewed as the inherent values, attitudes, social conventions and mores of a nation. In most cases these are transmitted from one generation to another, usually through the family. Increasingly, however, culture is modified by education, the media and peer influences as the pace of change accelerates in modern society. Cultural differences contribute to the diversity of the people who live in Europe and hence are an enriching experience. Cultural differences can also create barriers, however, which in turn have significant implications for European Businesses since, if they are to succeed another than their domestic market, these differences must be taken into account. Examples of cultural differences are: the business organisation, in Germany businesses are rigid in their approach and expect everything to be done through proper bureaucratic channels with full technical detail provided. In contrast, British firms involved in collaborative ventures, or who have opened subsidiary companies in Germany, are more casual and relaxed enabling them to be more flexible when sudden response is needed to market change. This difference in operational philosophy can cause problems. Class is also a major factor in determining social attitudes in the business environment, particularly in the UK but also in other parts of Europe. In contrast, in less class-divisive societies such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway attitudes may be quite different, people such as senior managers secretaries are regarded as important people in the organisation, whereas in the previously mentioned countries this would not be so tithe same extent. Business attitudes to delivery dates are also important. European businesses operating in Germany soon find that when they promise a delivery date for a new product consumers expect it in the shops on that day, not several weeks later Firms who slack on this simple rule find themselves bombarded with telephone calls-mails, and letters. In contrast, in Spain and Greece attitudes are much more causal in this respect; the personal appearance and behaviour, the French place much emphasis on establishing personal contact in business dealings and expect the people they deal with to have style. The Spanish believe in the importance of being smartly but conservatively dressed and demonstrating worldly knowledge, for example of good cuisine and wine; these are important issues when dining out, attending trade delegation receptions and so on, where business contacts are made. Scandinavians in contrast are much more casual in their dress; Cultural training programmes, these differences have implications for the training policies adopted by companies; some European businesses are now adopting recruitment policies where new employees are expected not only to have fluency in more than one language, but also to demonstrate some cross-cultural knowledge. Language: In the EU there are currently 13 EU official languages and another 35 territorial minority languages, which include Basque, Breton, Catalan, Cornish, Frisian, Galician, Letzeburgesh, Irish Gaelic, Occitan, Slovene, and Welsh. Language above all else defines group of people as distinct from all others in Europe, since it also implies culture, inherited knowledge and beliefs and terms of reference and thought specific to that group alone. In that sense there is therefore an overlap with the above. Different languages and dialects as a whole all create market differences. Religion: In the traditional Catholic countries of Europe, particularly Eire, Italy, Poland and Spain, the impact of formal organised religion on society and hence business is very important. Past controls on the sale of contraceptives in Eire are one such example. In Poland the Catholic Church has a vital role to play in the political scene with all parties having a commitment to Christian values in their policies. As a whole, businesses in Europe must bearing that increasingly the EU is becoming a society of many faiths. Certainly the large number of Jews resident in Europe has always been obvious. Now however many Muslims have entered EU countries and their religious and moral susceptibilities must also be heeded as much as another religion. 3.1.4 Technological Clearly technology has had a major impact on the European business environment, particularly information technology. The impact of its use will be so pervasive as to be hard to imagine life without it. This ranges from autopilots on aeroplanes to computer-controlled traffic management systems in our cities; from computer-controlled robots on factory assembly lines to screen trading in stock and foreign exchange markets; from the growth of consumer purchases via the internet to the use of e-mail rather than conventional letters or faxes. In this sense Bill Gates of Microsoft has argued that the internet will in effect act as a market-maker, bringing together buyers and sellers with minimum friction, and not just for goods and services but also in the Labour market. In 1994 the EU setup a first policy framework for the EU information society. These proposed initiatives to regulate the information society: it sought to bring together all those involved in creating networks, applying information technology and establishing the basic services; and it sought to raise public awareness about information technology. Most of these have now been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. This has had significant implications for European businesses by shaping the environment within which they operate. 3.1.5 Legal Inevitably legal systems can differ significantly from European country to country both in terms of their content and how they are interpreted. At the one extreme in Russia, transformation has required work, in the 1990s, to develop a legal system to come to terms with the concepts of private property (particularly ownership of land) and the legal existence of private and public limited companies with the ability to hire and dismiss labour, enter into contracts, buy, own and sell assets and so forth. At the other extreme, in the EU, Union legislation applies to all member countries and is establishing elements of a common legal framework for all, even though individual countries still, of course, have their own laws. This is based on key treaties, such as, the Treaty of Rom 1957, the Single European Act1987, the Maastricht Treaty 1993, and so forth. All these treaties will directly affect European Businesses. The main influences of country’s legal system on a business are through their impact on the business’s marketing mix and the laws affecting competition. For the most legal systems are based on civil law that is detailed rules and regulations which are strictly interpreted. In the UK, in contrast, the legal system is based on common law which is determined by past precedent and is more flexible in its interpretation. In terms of marketing a product EU countries tend to be more regulated because the Environmental Issues in the Car Industry Environmental Issues in the Car Industry What are the environmental issues facing the future of the European car industry? Abstract This paper looks at the issues facing the European car industry with regard to environmental issues. This is done by looking at past and present published material that revolves around the subject matter under specified themes. Theoretical perspectives within the European business environment such as pestle, models of market structure, profit maximisation, sources of finance, market segmentation, branding strategy, European business and its effects on the environment are all explained in relation to their relevance of environmental issues. These theoretical themes are used because they all act as a catalyst to the subject matter of the problems caused by cars which are not fuel efficient or less pollutant within Europe. In addition, a recently published paper on the directive for labelling on cars with regard to CO2 emissions, awareness of consumers, and fuel efficiency types in the European Union is used as empirical evidence to support ones findings as there was a shortage of time to carry out one. Finally a critical review of matches and miss-matches is used to compare and contrast similarities between the theoretical perspectives identified to prove the latter mentioned and the empirical evidence gathered for this paper, so as to forge a way forward for the European Car Industry. Chapter 1: A Brief History of The Car Industry Introduction The European Car Industry is one that has come of age. From its early beginnings over 100 years ago, it is beginning to show signs of struggling in today’s modern society. This has come about due to the new challenges that the industry is facing in the new millennium. Issues such as air pollution, congestion, traffic jams etc., are all factors that have made the car industry rethink its goals, objectives, its marketing, and the consequences that are not foreseen. As a whole the car industry makes nearly 60 million cars and trucks every year, and employs millions of people around the world. Average profit margins have declined from 20 present or more in its hey days of the1920’s to around 10 present in the 1960’s and less than 5 present in this present day, infect some volume car makers such as Fiat, Ford, and Vauxhall, have actually been losing money. It can be stated that over century ago the car industry feasibly invented modern industrial capitalism. In the Economist (2004) the car started life in Germany and early development of the industry began in France (hence the word automobile, a French word) in the 1900’s, but it was in America that the car industry came of age with the Henry Ford T-Model of mass production which started in Chicago round about the same period(1900’s). In the 1920’s Alfred Sloan’s ideas of running General Motors provided the model for the great corporations that grew up to dominate the second half of the 20th century. General Motors soon swept past Ford as Alfred Sloan revolutionized the young car industry, and Ford never regained the dominance it enjoyed in its infancy days of mass production. The car industry can be said to be ahead of its time in many respects. For example, in ‘planned obsolescence, which is the frequent changes in design and style that tempted customers to switch to a newer model every year or so. In the 1970’s when the oil price quadrupled, the industry found itself under attack from environmentalists outraged by its products gas consuming and exhuming nature, (air pollution, etc.). It was also the first industry to come under government scrutiny, from safety concerns to environmental issues to antitrust worries in the days when General Motors had 60 present of its domestic market and could shut out competitors with a few well-chosen price cuts. However, when small economical and reliable Japanese Cars started to eat into Detroit’s market share, the American government imposed restraints on those imports. Soon afterwards, theca industry in Europe came under the same similar pressures and followed suit. Due to the sporadic recognition and existence as a pillar of industrial capitalism, the car industry also found itself at the mercy of trade unions in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Its workers increasingly pushed for trade unionisation in which a times the car factories in the Detroit area, the British Midlands, in Frankfurt, Germany, and the huge plants around Paris were the main battleground of the Class war. Although today trade union membership is still as high as ever, the power they wielded in the 1920’s to 1970’s has diminished immensely. Today, the motor car is the epitome of mass production, mass marketing and mass consumption, with some of the strongest brands in the world. For most households in rich countries, it is the second-biggest purchase after a house or flat, which makes the industry a pillar of modern industrial capitalism as earlier mentioned. Few other consumer goods industries depend so heavily on second hand market for their products. Now, understanding how the European Car Industry operates and the many pressures that it faces is essential to an understanding of the predicament the UK car buyers currently faces. Around 70 present of new cars sold in the UK are imported, with the great majority of these imports coming from the rest of Europe. The UK market is intrinsically tied into the pattern of car making and distribution across Europe. Thus the behaviour of the UK motor industry towards both its retailing and service partners and towards consumers is part of the wider behaviour of the European Car Industry. The industry can be said to be mature one. In virtually every country of North West Europe, the density of car ownership has almost reached its practical maximum. There are some opportunities for growth left in Southern and Central Europe, but they will be largely used up in the next few years. Following on, the consequences of mass production, and a slow introduction of cars that run on synthetic or alternative fuels has led to a rapid increase in environmental pollution, CO2 emissions, traffic jams, congestion, and human related diseases such as lung cancer, all of which are serious environmental issues, which the European Car Industry have found itself slow to adapt, change, amend and implement to the betterment of the wider society. This has led to directives and committees from the European Union to be setup to tackle the issued mentioned above and the latter. With this in mind a review of existing material that has been published in the press and journals will now be critically analysed. Chapter 2: Existing Literature Reviewed The need to galvanise and understand the unforeseen circumstances of mass car production and environmental issues in the European Union has been stressed by researchers for more than three decades. According to the Europa (2005), the EU is the largest automotive production region (34%) in the world and the industry comprises 7.5% of the manufacturing sector in the union. Direct employment by the automotive industry stands at about two million employees, while the total employment effect (direct and indirect) is estimated to be about ten million. It also adds that since the year 2001, the motor vehicle production has decreased in the European Union, from 17.2 million units in 2001 to 16.9 million units in 2002. The decline continued into2003, with 70,000 motor vehicles less being produced, compared to2002. This decline is due to the worsening of the macro-economic situation where consumer demand has been decreasing. Lagunas (2005)correlates with this by stating that motor vehicles have become the prime means of personal and commercial mobility in today’s world. Growing prosperity has led to a spectacular rise in car use, phenomenon being repeated in the new member states which joined the Union in 2004. In China and other booming countries with looser anti-pollution rules than the EU, trends show major increases in private transportation. This success has generated serious concerns about the environmental effects of vehicle use, in particular traffic congestion, air pollution, traffic-related diseases, and noise. In addition Lagunas (2005) states that these concerns have led the EU to formulate the objective of decoupling economic growth from transport growth. The EU has come up with legislation and initiatives to drive the change towards cleaner cars while promoting sustainable transport modes and model shift. It goes on to state that the interest in cleaner, less polluting vehicles and fuel has grown rapidly in recent years. Emissions from petrol and diesel engines have been significantly reduced in the last decade, driven mainly by European legislation and will continue to be reduced. In elaboration Lagunas(2005) states that in the EU, almost 40 present of the transport sector’s CO2 emissions are produced by the use of private cars in cities, CO2 emissions are damaging the environment and contributing to climate change; both petrol and diesel engines have their good and bedsides as regards emissions; engines working with diesel fuel emit lessCO2 than the ones working with petrol; on the other hand diesel engines are releasing more cancer causing particles in the air. Air pollution caused by car emissions has health impacts; problems include aggravation of respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases, asthma, and decreased lung functions. Gartner (2005) also argues that the effectiveness of the directive made by the EU relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions has been successful and gained momentum in some European countries but not all. Reasons being consumers lack awareness of fuel economy and environmental impacts of fuels as well as available information tools, in which one of the possibly ways to tackle this as stated by Gartner(2005) was to increase consumers awareness by standard equipment of new cars with fuel consumption indicators or cruise control. In addition Gartner (2005) argues that fuel economy and environmental impact are in general no major factor in vehicle purchase decisions and fuel consumption is mostly only important because of the cost, but not to environmental issues. ACNielsen (2005) agrees with this by saying when it comes to what influences consumer’s choice of car brand, manufacturers of luxury vehicles may be surprised to learn that image and prestige do not appear to be a top priority, in which engine size and environmentally friendly cars are regarded as the least important features to the Europeans when it comes to buying a car. Interest; however is growing slowing with a greater awareness of climate change and CO2 emission issues. Gartner (2005) also states that general awareness of label, poster/display and guide on CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency on cars is quite small and most of the information tools are not regarded as very informative or effective, although it can be said that this varies f rom one EU country to another. For example, in Austria, the label is regarded as the most informative and efficient element, compared to teak where the label was not assessed as effective in detail. In an article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that there are five major groups of car manufacturers in the world, they are General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Of these only Toyota relies on one global brand name. All the others have a web of subsidiaries spanning the world. We must understand that the real reason why the car manufacturing firms are in business is to make money and maintain their prestige as a world class car manufacturer. To do this means they (car manufacturers) will have to constantly roll-out new models, with better gadgets, with performance and style. That is why, as Madsen (2002) argues, Volkswagen launched its luxury car, ‘the Phaeton’ to compete against the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini brands. This initiative was and is deemed as a risky push by the Group. However, the Chairman of the group Rd. Bernd Pischetsrieder argues that success would not be measured by sales volumes that the key was to enhance the Volkswagen brand. It was also argued by critics from within and outside the firm that the launch of the Phaeton, delayed the launch of the Audi, which is a car from within the group. However, he was quick to mute the negative by stating that possibly, the dealers learn to be a bit quicker and not to find the competitor in-house but out-house, and this will help the business; adding it is the engineers and marketers of the Audi brand that have the serious challenge of making sure that the brand does well. With this type of attitude within car firms it shows that environmental issues are the least likely concern within the European Car Industry. In the UK, white paper by DETR (2002) stated that many towns and cities suffer from traffic jams and polluted streets and as a result, are less attractive places in which to live and do business. Reducing the negative impacts of traffic on the quality of people’s lives is a key element of improving the urban environment, as set out in the government’s recent urban white paper. Adding that emissions of air pollutants arising from road traffic are set to decline over the period to 2010 as a result of improvement s in vehicle technology and fuel quality, but are forecast to begin rising again beyond 2010 due to increased traffic growth. Indirectly, an increase in car sales that are not fuel efficient means more air pollution, increased traffic jams, and lung cancer. However, in Europe the car market has become largely a market for replacement vehicles within a largely static market rather than one driven by a growing buyer base, Consumer association (2000). In addition, the market is crowded with over 40 marques and 250 models on offer and major product innovation is rare and rapidly imitated. Notwithstanding, product branding activity is intense and advertising spends are large and directed at creating a sense of differentiation. In another article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that in the UK, car prices were still too high and one of the major reasons for this was the ‘block exemption’, which allows network of national or regional dealers selected by car manufacturers, to flourish. However, this (block exempt) has now been abolished byte European parliament. In another article by the BBC (2002), it was argued that the number of car manufacturing companies had shut down due to the fall in export demand owing to the euros weakness against the pound; this is in relation to the fact that 70% of cars driven on Roads are European Imports. In the Economist (2004), it was argued that out of the world’s top 17 car compani es, only half were earning more than the cost of their capital. The value creators in Europe were Porsche, the Mercedes bit of DaimlerChrysler, BMW, and Peugeot. In Asia, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia made the cut. But America’s big three GM, Ford, and Chrysler, were all in the value destruction group, along with Renault, Fiat, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and. In the same article GM’s boss argues that the Japanese government is providing indirect aid to the country’s car companies by holding down the yen, thereby lowering their costs of producing export models and parts for the American assembly plants and also in Europe. American and European manufacturers maintain that the Japanese do this solely to boost their exports; but it can be stated that the real reason for the Japanese government of implementing such a policy may have been to head off deflation and revive the domestic Japanese economy. In another article by Europa (2005) Verheugen, the vice-president of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and Industry argues that a legal framework will need to be created via CARS 21 High level group, in which the overall objective is to make recommendations for the short, medium and long-term public policy and regulatory framework for the car industry that enhances its global competitiveness as well as employment, while sustaining further progress in safety and environmental performance at a price affordable to the customer. Corby (2005) also argues that the environmental performance of cars has been improved dramatically over the past decade. New cars have become more fuel efficient and they emit less toxic emissions than cars in the 1970’s, adding that environmental innovation is essential for the sustainability and competitiveness of the European car industry. The previous mentioned shows that great changes are being made in the European Car Industry with regard to environmental issues. In a press release by the Auto Industry (2003), it was argued that new car average CO2 emissions fell to 174.2 g/CO2per km in 2002, 8.2 present down on the 1997 baseline and 1.9 present below the 2001 average. The rise of the superman in the UK over recent years has helped to lower average CO2 emissions through the wider appeal of smaller cars. In the same article, it was stated that Diesel fuelled cars have been a significant influence on the reduction in average CO2 emissions. Diesel models took a record 23.5 present share of the UK market in 2002, with demand up 38 present. In another published article by Lagunas (2005), it was suggested that the average new car in the EU – 15 was releasing almost 12% less CO2 in 2003 than it did in 1995, however pressure was growing, especially from Berlin, to push automakers to make further cuts. In the same article, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), a government body, blamed the European commission for allowing car makers to exceed limit values for particulate matter (pm) and CO2. It criticizes the industry’s voluntary target to reduce emissions to 120 g/km by 2012 as being too modest, saying a target of 100g/km is achievable by that date. It therefore, proposes an ‘innovation forcing strategy’ to push carmakers embarking on the global competitive race for improved environmental performance of vehicles. Balzac (1998) adds to the furore that because the Yen is one of the leading international currencies, solving the problem (devaluation of Yen) requires international answers. In the same article, as the Car industry is considered one of the key industries in Japan and Europe, a devaluation of the Yen directly affects the European Car Industry. As mentioned in the latter sections a devaluation of the Yen enables Japanese car manufacturers to sell their cars at much lower affordable prices to potential customers in Europe, and North America, in which the European Car Industry would suffer the most due to a high value of the currencies within the European Union member states. With all this in mind, the remainder of this paper proceeds as follows: Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives on the European Business Environment  and Marketing Chapter 4: Empirical Evidence. Chapter 5: Critical analysis of Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion. Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives On The European Business Environment and Marketing In order to have a clear understanding of the concept of the business environment within Europe and the marketing of the car industry, we will first need to identify the meaning of the terminologies. European business is a generic term which describes Avery wide variety of agricultural, industrial and service activities undertaken by a large number of different organisations across the continent of Europe. Examples of European business might include: Privatised telecommunications companies such as Deutsche Telekom; a French recording company based in a converted barn in Normandy, France; a farm in Eastern England, highly mechanised and engaged in agribusiness; a transnational organisation such as the German car producer Volkswagen, with factories in Germany (VW and Audi), Spain (Seat), the Czech Republic (Skoda) and the UK (Bentley) etc. European business may be run by one person or it may be a small private company. Alternatively it may be a large organisation employing thousands of people, with assets worth hundreds of millions of euros and based in many different European countries. The European business environment refers to the conditions within which European businesses operate. Typically it involves a number of different interacting forces which shape the environment, and thus how a business formulates its long-term strategy, its tactics and its daily operations within this environment. These factors may include political, economic, social, cultural, religious and linguistic forces. Now, marketing is the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others Kilter et al. (2005). For example, important terms such as needs, wants, and demands; products and services; value, satisfaction and quality; exchange, transactions and relationship; and markets are all core marketing concepts which are linked, with each concept building on the one before it. Each part of the marketing definition defines what marketing is and how it is practised. With this in mind we can now move on to discuss about the theoretical concepts used in the understanding of the business environment and marketing of the European car industry. There are several important conceptual frameworks that are used for understanding the environmental impacts of the European car industry. The ones used in this paper are: †¢ PESTLE †¢ Models of Market Structure †¢ Profit Maximisation †¢ Sources of Finance †¢ Market segmentation †¢ Branding strategy †¢ The European Business and the environment 3.1 PESTLE This means, Political factors influencing a business environment; Economic factors; Sociological influences; Technological influences; Legal factors; and Environmental/ethical issues. This framework issued to analyse the European business environment. 3.1.1 Political The political beliefs of governments and the policies they implement to pursue them have a major impact on the European business environment. This is both in their own right and also through other policies, such as economic ones; hence the re-emergence of political economy in recent years. Additionally, other political philosophies may also have an impact on EU society and hence on the business environment. In the extreme case the economic policies pursued by the former Soviet bloc, with its emphasis on central planning, clearly had massive impact on the ownership, organisational structure, operations and lack of profitability of government-owned European businesses operating in this area. Similarly, the UK Thatcher governments of the1980s created a business environment of entrepreneurship which was largely shaped by the political beliefs of Margaret Thatcher and her close advisors, which subsequently influenced other countries in Europe 3.1.2 Economic The economic policies pursued by EU governments clearly have significant influence on the environment within which European businesses operate. Since the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht was completed in 1993 EU currency (SEC), formerly called the European currency unit (ecru) but now known as the euro, as part of the moves to Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The commitment by EU governments to meet the Maastricht convergence criteria, as a precondition for acceptance to the first wave of membership of the single European currency, has obliged them to demonstrate fiscal restraint to meet the criteria relating to budget deficit (not to exceed 3 present of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP) and national debt (not to exceed 60 present of GDP). The purpose of the convergence criteria, as their name suggest, is to converge potential members’ economies to broadly similar levels in terms of the rate of inflation, the level of long-run interest rates, and the stability of their exchange rates and, as noted, government debt. In addition the ability of countries to converge to a common position in their business cycles, in practice to converge their business cycles with that of Germany’s as the leading Economy. In practice the problems of non-convergence were demonstrated in the early 1990s when Germany raised its interest rates to counter inflationary pressures. These had resulted from borrowing to fund major expenditure in Eastern Germany to redevelop the infrastructure and productive capacity after the collapse of the communist regime of the former East Germany. 3.1.3 Sociological This is examined in three broad areas: culture, language and religion. Culture: The fact that the British have a totally private sense of distance. This is most visibly seen in the shared pretence that Britain is a lonely island in the middle of an empty green sea. Culture has been described as ‘the way we do things round here’. In this sense it may be viewed as the inherent values, attitudes, social conventions and mores of a nation. In most cases these are transmitted from one generation to another, usually through the family. Increasingly, however, culture is modified by education, the media and peer influences as the pace of change accelerates in modern society. Cultural differences contribute to the diversity of the people who live in Europe and hence are an enriching experience. Cultural differences can also create barriers, however, which in turn have significant implications for European Businesses since, if they are to succeed another than their domestic market, these differences must be taken into account. Examples of cultural differences are: the business organisation, in Germany businesses are rigid in their approach and expect everything to be done through proper bureaucratic channels with full technical detail provided. In contrast, British firms involved in collaborative ventures, or who have opened subsidiary companies in Germany, are more casual and relaxed enabling them to be more flexible when sudden response is needed to market change. This difference in operational philosophy can cause problems. Class is also a major factor in determining social attitudes in the business environment, particularly in the UK but also in other parts of Europe. In contrast, in less class-divisive societies such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway attitudes may be quite different, people such as senior managers secretaries are regarded as important people in the organisation, whereas in the previously mentioned countries this would not be so tithe same extent. Business attitudes to delivery dates are also important. European businesses operating in Germany soon find that when they promise a delivery date for a new product consumers expect it in the shops on that day, not several weeks later Firms who slack on this simple rule find themselves bombarded with telephone calls-mails, and letters. In contrast, in Spain and Greece attitudes are much more causal in this respect; the personal appearance and behaviour, the French place much emphasis on establishing personal contact in business dealings and expect the people they deal with to have style. The Spanish believe in the importance of being smartly but conservatively dressed and demonstrating worldly knowledge, for example of good cuisine and wine; these are important issues when dining out, attending trade delegation receptions and so on, where business contacts are made. Scandinavians in contrast are much more casual in their dress; Cultural training programmes, these differences have implications for the training policies adopted by companies; some European businesses are now adopting recruitment policies where new employees are expected not only to have fluency in more than one language, but also to demonstrate some cross-cultural knowledge. Language: In the EU there are currently 13 EU official languages and another 35 territorial minority languages, which include Basque, Breton, Catalan, Cornish, Frisian, Galician, Letzeburgesh, Irish Gaelic, Occitan, Slovene, and Welsh. Language above all else defines group of people as distinct from all others in Europe, since it also implies culture, inherited knowledge and beliefs and terms of reference and thought specific to that group alone. In that sense there is therefore an overlap with the above. Different languages and dialects as a whole all create market differences. Religion: In the traditional Catholic countries of Europe, particularly Eire, Italy, Poland and Spain, the impact of formal organised religion on society and hence business is very important. Past controls on the sale of contraceptives in Eire are one such example. In Poland the Catholic Church has a vital role to play in the political scene with all parties having a commitment to Christian values in their policies. As a whole, businesses in Europe must bearing that increasingly the EU is becoming a society of many faiths. Certainly the large number of Jews resident in Europe has always been obvious. Now however many Muslims have entered EU countries and their religious and moral susceptibilities must also be heeded as much as another religion. 3.1.4 Technological Clearly technology has had a major impact on the European business environment, particularly information technology. The impact of its use will be so pervasive as to be hard to imagine life without it. This ranges from autopilots on aeroplanes to computer-controlled traffic management systems in our cities; from computer-controlled robots on factory assembly lines to screen trading in stock and foreign exchange markets; from the growth of consumer purchases via the internet to the use of e-mail rather than conventional letters or faxes. In this sense Bill Gates of Microsoft has argued that the internet will in effect act as a market-maker, bringing together buyers and sellers with minimum friction, and not just for goods and services but also in the Labour market. In 1994 the EU setup a first policy framework for the EU information society. These proposed initiatives to regulate the information society: it sought to bring together all those involved in creating networks, applying information technology and establishing the basic services; and it sought to raise public awareness about information technology. Most of these have now been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. This has had significant implications for European businesses by shaping the environment within which they operate. 3.1.5 Legal Inevitably legal systems can differ significantly from European country to country both in terms of their content and how they are interpreted. At the one extreme in Russia, transformation has required work, in the 1990s, to develop a legal system to come to terms with the concepts of private property (particularly ownership of land) and the legal existence of private and public limited companies with the ability to hire and dismiss labour, enter into contracts, buy, own and sell assets and so forth. At the other extreme, in the EU, Union legislation applies to all member countries and is establishing elements of a common legal framework for all, even though individual countries still, of course, have their own laws. This is based on key treaties, such as, the Treaty of Rom 1957, the Single European Act1987, the Maastricht Treaty 1993, and so forth. All these treaties will directly affect European Businesses. The main influences of country’s legal system on a business are through their impact on the business’s marketing mix and the laws affecting competition. For the most legal systems are based on civil law that is detailed rules and regulations which are strictly interpreted. In the UK, in contrast, the legal system is based on common law which is determined by past precedent and is more flexible in its interpretation. In terms of marketing a product EU countries tend to be more regulated because the