Thursday, November 28, 2019

Emerging Market MNC Analysis Essay Example

Emerging Market MNC Analysis Paper Some of these firms were very successful and some had to withdraw back to their country of origin. In OTOH scenarios, those companies adopted to different business models, strategies analyze two different Macs, TCL and Acre, which fall in the category of electronic firms from emerging markets, in order to come out with a better understanding of their globalize process. TCL Overview TCL is one of the largest consumer electronics NC in the world. It was founded by Mr.. Lie Donnishness, the Current CEO, in 1981 in China. The company produces a wide diverse of electronic products such as TV, mobile phone and Internet access devices; in addition, it is one of the leading companies and was ranked sixth in the global TV arrest in terms of market share (TCL Annual Report, 2011), which is the main business for TCL. See figure 2. The company has a worldwide presence; it has more than 40 sales offices, 18 R centers, and 20 manufacturing bases (TCL Introduction, 2011). Many critics attribute the companys success to focusing on innovation as well as quality; as a result, TCL suppressed many leading companies such as Samsung and Sony. We will write a custom essay sample on Emerging Market MNC Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Emerging Market MNC Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Emerging Market MNC Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Acre Overview Originally known as Multitude, the Taiwanese company was founded by Stan Shih in 1976, which grew to become the fourth largest PC producer in the world and has a worldwide presence (Acre Overview, 2013). Moreover, Acre considered being one of the largest original equipment manufacturer (MEMO). The company was able to achieve this by having one of the most distinguish integrated operations, between parent company in Taiwan and subsidiaries, as well as between one subsidiary and another. Remarkably, in its globalize process, Acre took more flexible approach which differs from the control based American, European or Japanese models. Acre has a long term mission which is breaking barriers between people and technology (Acre Brands, 2013). Also, the company targets many different customer segments by having multi-brand strategy; it has 4 different brands which are: Acre, Gateway, machines, and Packard Bell (Acre Brands, 2013). 2 Market Presence (Question 1) TCL Market Presence TCL has a worldwide presence in terms of sales, manufacturing and operations. The company was able to have a big presence in all six continents through Joint venture and acquisitions (Donnishness, Lie, 2011). It distributes its products through more than 40 sales offices and agencies worldwide. Moreover, the company has 18 R centers in China, USA, France, Germany and Singapore. The company also owns 20 manufacturing bases globally, in China, Poland, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam. (Donnishness, Lie, 2011). See figure 3. The geographic growing patterns will be discussed in the following topic. Acre Market Presence Acre also has a worldwide presence in terms of sales, manufacturing and operations. Through its acquisitions, Greenfield investments, and multi-brand strategy, Acre was able to penetrate in all six continents and excel. It has four regional business units (Rabbis) in US, Europe, Singapore, and Taiwan. The main functions of those business units to sell, market and provide after sale services. Each one of those units has branches in many countries. See figure 5. 3 Patterns of Growing (Question 2) TCL Growing We can divide the company growth into four main phases. First phase (1981-1997), order to expand its business in the PRE market (Sandra Bell, 2010). Second Phase(1998-1999), expanding to neighboring country, which was having a Joint venture with Taiwan C.V. base, TCL-C.V. Computer Co. Was established (CAB, 1998). Third phase (2000-2004), expanding to the developed countries mainly in Europe; TCL had many international investment such as acquiring Schneider Electronics GAG in Germany (TCL Annual Report, 2002), a JP with Locate (Murals, D. , 2011), and a JP with Thomson (Elaine Quarterback, 2009), in this phase TCL focused on loss companies, hopefully they can turnaround those losses. However, almost all investments faced huge losses due to several reasons such as management style and the misjudged of its power to turnaround a loss company (Sandra Bell, 2010). Fourth phase (2005- present), in this phase TCL acquired partners shares in Jobs; for instance, TCL acquired Locate shares in the JP (Helen Yuan, 2005), as well as, Thomson shares in the JP (Sandra Bell, 2010). Further, they focused on building a global brand name through partnering with key distributes such KEA and Carefree. See figure 6. Acre Growing For Acre we can divide the company growth into four main phases. First phase (1976-1977), which includes the establishment of the company, and start selling to the local market (Milestones Innovations, 2013). Second phase (1978-1984), in the beginning of this phase the company started to target small neighboring markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Later on, it expanded its exporting to reach the US and some parts of Europe. This phase was remarkable in Acres life and considered to be the take-off (The Wall Street, 2007). Third phase (1985-2000), in this phase Acre started to invest worldwide (Milestones Innovations, 2013), they made a lot of acquisitions, Joint ventures, and green field investments such as the acquisition of Altos Computers Systems, a JP with Computed from Mexico to form Acre Computed Latin America (UCLA), and establishing Acre America Corporation in the US. This phase considered to be critical in the life of Acre, it went global, big losses were made, and the company was restructured more than three mimes. To summarize, the cost of learning in this period was high. Fourth phase (2001- Present), which represents the changing from manufacturing company to a service company, in another words, the company outsourcer manufacturing, and the main activities became sales, marketing, and after sales services , which is similar to NIKKEI business model (The Wall Street, 2007). See figure 6. 4 Entry Modes (Question 3) TCL Entry Modes TCL had two types of foreign direct investments; Joint venture and acquisition. They had Jobs with Taiwan C.V. base, Thomson (French company), and Locate (French many). However, the acquisitions were by acquiring Schneider Electronics GAG in Germany, Thomson shares in the JP, and Locate shares in the JP as well. Recently, they made some agreements and cooperation with Samsung (outsourcing agreement) (Marie Han, 2008), KEA (Anna Rainstorm, 2011) and Carefree (Sandra Bell, 2010). See figure 1. The Joint venture with Thomson was remarkable in terms of amount, nature and outcome. Both companies put together ?450 million (cash and assets), where TCL and Thomson shares were 67% and 33% respectively (TCL Annual 20,000 sales outlets. On the other hand, Thomson brought to the deal its factories in Poland, Thailand, and Mexico (Elaine Quarterback, 2009). The JP was not profitable and carried out losses for both companies. As a result, both companies came to an agreement, and TCL bought Thomson shares in the JP. Furthermore, the acquisition included Thomson TV plants in Mexico, Thailand and Poland, RD centers in USA, Germany and Singapore, and worldwide sales networks (Sandra Bell, 2010). Acre Entry Modes Acre had three types of foreign direct investments; green field, Joint venture and acquisition. The green field investments were mainly to establish regional operation units (in Europe, USA, Asia, etc ) which have sub-branches in many countries. The main functions for these units to sell, market and provide after sale services (Ping Lie Peter, 1998). The company also did some Jobs such as a JP with Texas Instruments to form TTL-Acre DRAM, as well as a JP with Computed to form Acre Computed Latin America (UCLA) (Ping Lie Peter, 1998). See figure 1 . Acres acquisition goals were mainly to achieve multi-brand strategy. The company acquired Gateway, machines, Packard Bell, E-ten and agree. These acquisitions enhanced Acres global presence, and made it able to target different customer segments (Acre Overview, 2013). 5 Factors for Investing Abroad (Question 4) TCL Factors for investing abroad In general, there are many factors that led Chinese companies to seek global market. For TCL there were 5 main factors: In 2000, competition inside the PRE electronics market was aggressive which led to a price war and industry margin was shrinking (Sandra Bell, 2010). In 2001, China became a WTFO member which helped a lot of Chinese companies to partner with companies from developed countries, as TCL had any agreements and Jobs. Lie Donnishness, CEO of the company, was thinking about going global since the Asian crisis in the late sasss, taking advantage of the Chinese stable economy to build a brand which was the company competitive advantage in his vision. The company also did some international investments to overcome trade barriers, such as the anti-dumping European policy (The Financial Times Limited, 2003). The company also overestimated its power to turnaround a loss company, which was a main drive for some acquisitions such as acquiring Schneider Electronics GAG in Germany (Sandra Bell, 2010). Acquiring Schneider Electronics GAG in Germany is a clear example for the last two factors. Acre Factors for investing abroad For Acre the main reason for expanding is that the market size at that time, early sasss, was small. They targeted small neighboring countries, however, as Shih stated the combination of many small markets is not small, also there was a potential since those small markets were becoming bigger. The following are some reasons for investing abroad and expanding operations to reach more regions: The industry became mature rapidly which led to an aggressive competition, price war, and giggling of the margin. As a result, all companies in the industry started to expand to less competitive regions (Acre Inc. History, 2008). The Taiwanese dollar became stronger, which made difficult to the company to make profit since its product became more expensive abroad (Acre Inc. History, 2008). Major Operational TCL Operational Difficulties It seems that all international investments made by TCL were unsuccessful and turned huge losses. This was due by many issues on the managerial and operational level, which will be discussed in the following paragraph. The main problem for TCL s that they underestimate the difficulties of managing global operation, and they also overestimate their ability to turn around a loss company, which represents a broader dilemma for Chinese companies Justine Ala, 2006). As Vincent Yang, SCOFF of ATE and TCL stated in the past three months of operations, we found out the challenges and difficulties are deeper than we thought. (Even Armadas, 2004). Furthermore, the desperate to go global and use acquisitions as a shortcut without evaluating partners and investments were a main drive for those wrongful investments, for instants, Schneider Electronics GAG, Thomson and Locate were cording losses, moreover, Schneider Electronics GAG were viewed as an old fashion brand in Europe (Sandra Bell, 2010). Moreover, TCL was slow to react to the market changes Justine Ala, 2006) lack of market know-how, lack of transparency, and lack to culture adaptation when they changed the German manager of Schneider Electronics GAG with a Chinese noel (Sandra Bell, 2010). TCL has no brand positioning issues since it managed this aspect in a very professional way, for instants, they were able to position the brand TCL to a high end clientele very successfully by sponsoring Golf ornaments three years in a row in China(Sandra Bell, 2010) , which represent the target market. The company also has many brand names such as TCL, ROW, and RCA, as well as some agreements to use others brand names such as Thomson and Locate, which serve different customer segments. Acre Operational Difficulties Acre started with 13 employees including Shih and his wife, and in ten years that number grew to reach 1000, and continued to grow. This fast growing led to create a big gap between available capabilities and capabilities needed, further, it also led to a shortage in qualified managers. As a result, Acre started to recruit many top-level and mid-level managers, where some were not qualified enough, such as Leonard Lie, former senior IBM executive who led the company to a disastrous situations. Another problem caused by the fast growing is that the company was restructured more than three times which led to more failed operations (The Wall Street, 2007). Chris Foster, an analyst at Technology Business Research in Hampton, stated The bottom line is Acre has a more volatile business model than HP or Dell (The Wall Street, 2007). Other difficulties such as changing the company name from Multitude o Acre after more than 10 years of building brand name (The Wall Street, 2007), aggressive competition which reduced the profit margin, and the shortening product life cycle, among other factors which led to more operational and managerial difficulties. However, the company in many scenarios managed those obstacles very well. The following are examples for successful managerial strategies and operations. Dependent innovation which made Acre beat IBM and offer 32-bit PC first. Employee ownership, delegated accountability, and management frugality helped in the fast growing. Overcoming the shortening of the product life cycle by developing a strategy transit. They also developed the 2-3-1 System. Two months for product introduction, three months for selling, and one month for phase-out (Ping Lie Peter, 1998). Multi- brand strategy which helped the company to target different customer segments, therefore, the company does not have any brand or positioning issues (Acre Brands, 2013). 7 Comparison Conclusion Both companies have a lot in common. Both of them started to invest in neighboring countries and later on expanded to other parts of the world. They also depend a lot n acquisitions and Jobs to penetrate international markets, which reflects their weaknesses to build an international brand and have a successful international operations. Last but not least, both of them have a worldwide presence and mainly targeted developed countries. See figure 6. It seems that Macs from emerging markets recognize brand/country image as primary problem; as a result they have used strategies to overcome this obstacle such as multi-brand strategy and global brand strategy.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Imagining the Hansen Family and Birmingham Bomb Kills Four Essays

Imagining the Hansen Family and Birmingham Bomb Kills Four Essays Imagining the Hansen Family and Birmingham Bomb Kills Four Essay Imagining the Hansen Family and Birmingham Bomb Kills Four Essay Alyssa Prior 2/7/13 English 3rd period Mr. Haydon ?â€Å"There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go† (Unknown Author). As a nation, the people will be faced with adversity but with every step we accept, learn, cherish and let go. Anna Quiden, writer for Newsweek magazine, describes the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11. She writes this for the friends and family of te victims and all the concerned Americans across the country. Her article is filled with hope, so that the people can stand together and unite as one. Another hardship that has shaped America was written in the New York Times in 1963, by Claude Sittton called â€Å"Birmingham Bomb kills 4. † This article was written about the riots and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama during the civil rights movement in thedeep south. He writes to inform the people of the events happening and to describe that there was no such thing as â€Å"separate but equal† in the radically divided town of Birmingham. In the articles â€Å"Imagining the Hansen Family† and â€Å"Birmingham Bomb Kills 4,† both authors use tragic imagery to passionately portray the devastation, destruction and death caused by hate. The article by Anna Quiden, â€Å"Imagining the Hansen Family,† she uses dramatic imagery to portray the feeling ofdevastation and destruction of the horrific event that changed America. In this article by Quiden, she relies back to the hard past. â€Å"They left behind not so much monumental mass of rub ble, but tricycles, sweater drawers, love letters, flower beds, books, video cameras, unpaid bills, untidy kitchens, mothers, fathers,uncles, brothers, sons, daughters, friends from Maine to California. 9/11 didn’t just affect the people who died, it affected a whole nation, whether you knew people that wereinvolved or not. So much was left behind, houses, families, a life. The author uses this form of polysyndeton to show that they didn’t take down buildings when they crashed those two planes, but they took people’s lives. But what they were doing was blowing families to bits. It really sets a somber tone, seeing all was lost in this one day, in these few hours. It makes it feel more real, having all the factors of, the daily routine of life. This uses logos, pathos, and ethos in just this one quote. The emotion pours out of the article, the logic in all that was lost, and the reputation of Americans. Hardships happen every day, all throughout American history, there will be some in the future, some in the present, and some in the past that have shaped us a nation. ?We often look back to our past to see where we have come. In the â€Å"Birmingham Bomb Kills 4† by Claude Sitton, he uses vivid imagery to describe the scenes of the tragic bombing on the dangerous streets of Birmingham. In the article, Sitton reports, â€Å"The blast blew gaping holes through the walls†¦ Floors of offices in the rear of the sanctuary appeared near collapse†¦ splintered window frames, glass and timbers. † Four little girls were subject t the bomb in the church. Sitton explains that three of children’s parents are teachers. He shows the true tragedy of death of innocent children in the church, a holy place of God. The article sets a sympathetic and knowledgeable tone. It has all the facts from the incident, how they found the girls â€Å"huddled under debris. † This quote paints a picture for the reader, bringing the scene to the eyes. The imagery is clear and realistic. Sitton probably entered these type of details through imagery to appeal to your emotional senses of pathos. This tragic imagery puts a feeling of sadness into the article, not only touching the reader’s heart but putting the author’s emotion into the article too. America has experienced tragedies every day, but these events are what make this nation, The UNITED States of America. In conclusion, both Quindlen and Sitton show both sides of tragic events. The imagery used in the articles sets a realistic tone, emphasizing the great emotion that came with both of these tragedies. Innocent lives were taken, four little girls and other countless blacks in the civil rights era and innocent lives in the collapse of the twin towers of 2011. Both changing a nation, shaping it and bringing the people together. Unbelievable events of sorrow still impact America to this day, as the nation honor the lives to the people that sacrificed for all we have, for America. In the articles, both authors use vivid imagery of American disasters and the loss of innocent lives to emphasize its effect on the people that rise as nation through the debris of hate. ?

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Gay marriage should not be legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gay marriage should not be legalized - Essay Example The adoption rights of same sex couples are a hotly debated topic in many countries now. Many arguments in favour and against the adoption rights are prevailing now. Supporters of such adoption believe that it is injustice to deny the adoption rights to gay couples because of their natural inability to conceive. Many parentless street children may get protection and the society is allowing the gay couples to adopt children. But it is difficult for a gay couple to provide the motherly love to the adopted children. The love and care extended by two fathers cannot be equated against the love and care provided by a mother. In the absence of mother’s love, the adopted children may not develop properly and may become antisocial elements in future which are the core reason for the critics to argue against the adoption efforts of gay couples. The gay couple should realize that the society never forced them to engage in such an anti-natural relationship and hence they have no right to argue in favour of adoption. â€Å"Obviously, gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children† (Why gay marriage should not be legalized). It is difficult for a society to survive with the help of gay community alone. Nature has enforced the marriage between different sexes in order to sustain human life on earth. Legalizing of gay marriage is against the laws of the nature which is not desirable. Straight marriages may become meaningless if we encourage the same sex marriages or gay marriages. No religion seems to be in favour of gay marriages. In other words, people can lead a free life at their own will as far their life do not cause any harm to the society. Legalizing of gay marriage will encourage people to think in terms leading a crazy life. Our society is built on the strength of the natural laws. Any attempt to dislodge the natural laws has been ended up in big failures so far and hence gay