Dansk Designs, Ltd. :: essays research papers

Dansk Designs Ltd., founded in 1955, is a company that markets stainless steel flatware. The firm traditionally followed a strategy of differentiation. They produce high quality products for the â€Å"top of the table†. Their goal was to reach a small market segment, which consisted of upper class, prestigious customers. Dansk Designs wanted to sell the concept of the Dansk brand, and believed their consumers would purchase the Dansk products because of the prominent brand name and because the products were the very best in taste and quality. Ted Nierenberg, the founder of Dansk Designs has recently decided that he wants to keep Dansk growing at 15% to 20% per year. Nierenberg feels as if his current product line will not provide sufficient growth to meet his objectives, and believes it is in the company’s best interest to introduce a new line of house ware products called Dansk Gourmet Designs Ltd. Nierenberg believes they should market this new line to a much wider g roup of consumers at competitive prices. However, I believe that although expanding into a new market with a new product line will increase short-term revenues, in the long run it will be detrimental because the new line will dilute the brand identity of Dansk Designs. If Nierenberg wants to grow every year 15% to 20%, I believe he should consider ways to lower costs instead of increasing volume and revenues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditionally, Dansk Designs followed a strategy of differentiation. When a firm follows this strategy, they create differences in the firm’s product or service by creating something that is perceived as unique and valued by customers. Differentiation can take many forms, including prestige or brand image, which Dansk decided to implement. Their product line consists of eight product categories, which include flatware, china, linen, glass, decorator cookware, and wooden bowls and trays. Their products are of high quality and are highly priced. Dansk was able to achieve a differentiation advantage because their price premiums exceeded the extra costs of being unique. Dansk is able to create these unique products because of the talented designers they employ, including Jens Quisrgaard, Niels Refsgaard, and Gunnar Cyren. Another competitive advantage of a strategy of differentiation is the ability to deal with supplier power. There is a certain amount of statu s associated with being the supplier to a producer of differentiated products. Dansk’s principal supplier, Richard Nissen, has enjoyed working with Dansk because he believes they have been able to â€Å"preserve the handcrafted nature of the products†.

Children of the City Essay

Amadis ma Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila in 1941, hegraduated from the Ateneo de manila in 1965 from theUniversity of Santo Tomas in 1959. His short story â€Å"Children of the City† is a departure from his usual style. It won the PalancaAwards in 1971. Setting This story happened in the late 1980’s. Everything occurredin the dark perilous busy streets of Manila. Boulevard . streets of avenida Characterization -Victor He is a boy from Intramuros. At the age of eight, he loses hisfather and his mother abandons him for some other man. He ishired as a newsboy by his uncle and starts his life on the streets.Innocent and young, he ponders on the menace and vices of hiscolleagues and the people all around him. -Victor’s Dad A good-natured man and a loving father to Victor, he was apart of a worker’s strike. The man loved his son dearly and hisdeath brought a huge blow to Victor. -Victor’s Mom She loved Victor’s dad but never cared felt any affection forher son. She took her husband’s death grievously. But later on,she ignores Victor, becomes a prostitute, then leaves Victor to hisUncle to go away with her new lover. -Tio Pedring Victor’s uncle, he adopted victor after the leaving of hissister. He forces victor to become a newspaper boy. -Nacio He is a newspaper boy. He was victor’s new friend. Thoughfull of cruel vices, Victor took his death as another major loss. Summary The father of the boy Victor got involved in a strike. He actsas though it was nothing and takes Victor to night walks aroundManila. He takes Victor’s mind off vices and promises Victor abright future someday.One day, during the strike. Victor’s father was shot dead inthe heart. His wife mourned greatly and his son was subdued. Thewife began to disappear late at night and come home early dawn.She refuses to take care of Victor. And then, she comes homewith some goon, telling that the goon will be Victor’s new dad.Victor didn’t like the stranger at all. As often as possible, he triesto stay out of his mom and her lover’s way.And then, Victor just woke up with his mother and the mangone. His Uncle Pedring introduces to take care of him. Herecruits Victor to a newspaper job. The man does not treat Victorwell unless he brings home money.During his job, Victor meets Nacio. Nacio was also anewspaper boy. He taught Victor various tricks in newspaperselling. They become close friends.Victor’s job grew prosperous. Soon, his â€Å"Boss† starts to trusthim with a ration of 20 papers a day. He becomes contented withhis life until-Nacio was run over a car. He was dead. Victor grieved for hisfriend just like the way he did with his father. He gets beaten upwith the other kids.His colleagues beat him up whenever he refuses to smoke orsay curse words†¦ Victor was defiant at first. But after long, tiredof being tossed around like a stray dog-Victor finally gave up. Moral lesson The story ended when the author realized how cruel theworld is†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ And Victor, swirled the life of the city: this city, flushed withtriumphant charity campaigns, where workers were made to signstatements certifying they received minimum wage, wheremillionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday,where mothers taught their sons and daughters the art of begging, where orphans and children from broken homes slept onpavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friendsfell out and betrayed one another.† This world is mean indeed†¦ people become the way theyare, not because of fate, but of how the people around themrevolve. Children of politicians study at universities and tend toget spoiled. Whereas, orphans are shunned downwards and areleft to fill the streets and crawl under the powerful’s shoes. The story shows us the way life turns and how what webecome rests upon our defiance and decisions. This has been ahackneyed phrase through the decades but it portrays some kindof truth.

International Law †Definition Essay

There have been many attempts at codifying the laws governing international activities. An international law essentially governs international activities, or activities that have international implications, between two sovereign nations or entities by common rules, standards and conditions. The concept of legally binding agreements with an international scope was first introduced by Jeremy Bentham in the last quarter of the 18th Century (ILC, 2009). Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher who first coined the idea of an international law that would regulate all important activities or aspects of international activities like commerce, justice, high sea activity, illegal acts, sovereignty, self defense and crime (Britannica, 2009). International law is inherently different from other laws as it primarily addresses the concerns of nations and not private citizens. It can legally be categorized into three different legal disciplines: 1. Public international law deals with common law issues between sovereign states and international organizations. Legal areas that are covered under the ambit of Public international law include international crime, high sea issues and humanitarian laws. 2. Private international law also called as conflict of laws, addresses the issue of ‘private relations’ across national borders and decides on the jurisdiction of the law. It has its roots in all the conventions, model laws, sovereign laws, legal guides, and all other documents and related instruments that govern such international relationships (ASIL, 2009). 3. Supranational law also called the law of supranational organizations, governs regional agreements between two international entities and distinguishingly nullifies laws of the respective nations in a situation of conflict with their sovereign laws. Public International Law Public international law relates to the form and ‘conduct’ of individual states and various organizations across the globe. Over a period of time, there has been an increased international activity and globalization has further enabled internationalization of issues. These issues, whether, economic, geo-political, environmental, criminal or else, find their right place under the ambit of Public international law. Public international law mainly has two branches that that deal with international issues. ‘jus gentium’ or ‘Law of nations’ was initially used by the Roman empire when they dealt with foreigners. Law of nations is a common law among nations that deals with issues like peace and war, extraditions, national boundaries and international diplomatic exchanges (Wiki, 2009). The other branch of Public international law, known as ‘Jus inter gentes’, also finds its roots in the Roman law system. This branch mainly deals with international treaties, conventions and other agreements between sovereign nations and international organizations. Public international law is also used to address sovereignty issues of nations, their boundary issues and jurisdictions. They also identify the legal responsibilities of a state, their jurisdiction of a territory and other territorial issues. This may lead to a situation of conflict between the international law itself and the sovereign state. Private International Law Private international law as described earlier addresses the issues between two private international entities. This branch of law regulates all the lawsuits that involve an element ‘foreign’ in nature and ones that may result in different interpretations and judgments depending on the jurisdiction of the subject (Collier, 2001). Private international law, in a situation of conflict between two international entities, determines if the proposed forum has any jurisdiction at all over the conflict situation. It then analyses and decides on the ability of competing state laws in dealing with the dispute. This branch of international law is also responsible for enforcement of the law. The term ‘conflict of Laws’ generally refers to the disparities between laws and reflects this disparity irrespective of the fact whether the legal system is international or inter-state. The term ‘conflict of laws’ is used by countries with common law system whereas the term Private international law is used more appropriately in cases where civil law countries are involved. The term that was initially used by and American lawyer and Judge Joseph Story for a common gamut of international laws, was discarded later by the common law researchers but was adopted by civil law lawyers (Collier, 2009). Since Private international law deals with international territorial disputes and also decides on legal jurisdictions of nation states, it is generally not easy to enforce decisions. There are two different lines of legal thinking that that try to define this law. One called ‘universalism’ is a stream of thinking where the researchers believe that this branch of law is a part of international law and applies in uniformity and is legally binding to all the nation states. The other group of researchers claims it to be ‘particularism’, according to which each state has its own unique norms of private international laws and pursues them in line with its policies. There are two major areas of functioning for Private international law. ‘Sensu stricto’ or narrow sense comprises of these set of rules and guidelines that actually determine the applicability of law of a nation in relation to the dispute. ‘Sensu lato’, also called as broader sense, comprises of a set of legal guidelines that has a direct bearing on material norms crossing the borders of a state (Collier, 2009). This branch of Private international law normally deals with global issues like international insurance, realty and financial disputes. It was in 1834 that Joseph Story’s treatise on the conflict of laws introduced the contemporary field of conflicts to the system of international law. His work had a great influence on the further legal research done on English laws and thus became the heart of Private international laws for most of the commonwealth countries. Sources of International law International law has evolved over a period of time and has its roots in the Middle Eastern and European history. It was Muhammad al-shaybani who first introduced the Law of the Nations at the end of the 8th century. These were the early legal treaties that explored applications of Islamic ethical code of conduct, and Islamic economic and military jurisprudence in relation to international law. Even though these treaties were in their nascent stage as per today’s complexity of issues, they still covered a number of areas under the ambit of international law, including treaties involving diplomats and diplomatic issues, issues of war, hostages and prisoners of war, and also women, children and civilian protection issues, especially during conflicts (wiki, 2009). The first ever treaties discovered in European history were written by a philosopher, theologist and jurist, Francisco de Vitoria, a staunch Roman Catholic, in late 16th century. Most of these legal opinions by the researchers were greatly influenced by the Islamic International laws that were the only legal International law treaties that took shape in the previous few centuries. Another legal scholar Hugo Grotius in the early 17th century further researched on the international treaties governing international laws and was credited for his legal endeavors (Wiki, 2009). The concept of sovereignty further evolved from the 17th century to the early 20th century in Europe. It was in Munster, in 1648, Germany that the first such instance of any treaty governing the concept of international law called ‘Peace of Westphalia’ took shape. This is when nationalism took precedence and people started identifying themselves with a certain nation-state. It was in the United States that history saw for the first time a modern instrument of international law take shape. Lieber Code was passed in 1863 by the Congress of the United States to govern actions of US forces involved with the civil war (Wiki, 2009). This was the first ever written law detailing guidelines and rules of war that were adhered to by all the civilized nations. The sources of International law are various resource materials and the processes that have shaped it over a period of time. Most of these processes or the building blocks of rules were greatly influenced by the politics in general and the legal theories by the researchers or philosophers. The decisions taken by the judges and the writings by the jurists are considered the auxiliary sources for the development of the international law. The international treaties between nation states and organizations, and the customs are also considered international laws of equivalent legitimacy (Wiki, 2009). As per the International Court of Justice, Customs are considered a primary source for International law, along with general principles of law and various treaties. International law and Customs Customary law is already acknowledged by the International Court of Justice by a statute in Article 38(1) (b), and is also incorporated in United Nations charter by Article 92 (Villiger, 1985). Customary laws are applied by international agencies in addressing the issues related to international disputes where the application of customs is considered an equivalent to the general practice accepted a part of International law applicable to the dispute. As a thumb rule, as and when a practice becomes a custom, it is applicable to all the member states of the international community. These states are bound by these customary principles whether or not they have consented for it, unless they opposed it from the start. Customs have long been a primary source for International law. Even though codification of customary laws took place in 1899 and 1907 in the Hague and Geneva conventions, some customs that were codified, like the ‘laws of the war’, had long been the part of international customs. The new codification of customary civil laws developed over a period of time since the middle ages. The customary expressions of law that were repetitive and were widely accepted within a particular community were written into laws by the local jurists. An example of such law would be ‘custom of Paris’ that regulated the community within Parisian region (Villiger, 1985). The term ‘customary law as a part of International law, also refers to the legal norms that were developed over a period of time and with customary exchanges between two independent states either through diplomacy or with wars. Though customary laws are not considered as superior as other laws written by statute or treaties in the International law system and are loosing their influence, they still are considered and recognized as building blocks for the ever evolving international laws and given great thought in most of the scholarly works by jurists. We may find examples of strong customary laws across the globe, like the Canadian aboriginal law, that have a constitutional backing and thus have an increasing influence over deciding factors (Villager, 1985).

A Students Fast Trip to Oblivion

A Students Fast Trip to Oblivion Essay I am so full of regret. In fact, if there is one way to describe how I feel at this moment, its living in hell. I have had sleepless nights for several days, and yet I still havent finished my work for our TV production. From rehearsals, to preparations and editing canned materials, it seems like an endless chain of suffering for a CMS student like me. In our previous production, I failed. And I cried. A lot. Right now, there is only one thing on my mind: hard work doesnt always if ever pay off. If I ever failed at such a magnitude again, Id be devastated. I dont even know if Id survive. Thats how fragile I am. Push me too far and watch me shatter like a brittle sheet of glass. I ask myself if its possible that I chose the wrong degree program? Do I really belong in this CMS group? I dont dont feel as if I do. I dont feel a connection to the teachers, the other students, the lessons or the practicum. I am frustrated and confused; frustrated with myself and confused over why Ive made the decisions I have over the past two or three years. Ive asked God to lead me and lay out an obvious path for me to walk. Show me a sign, an arrow, a lighted stairway anything. So, I lay on my bed, exhausted and worn. I closed my eyes but couldnt sleep. I picked up a romance novel and began to read; my heavy eyelids fighting to close like stubborn window shades. After reading for a while and struggling to stay awake, I found myself laughing at the humor in the novel. The heroine of the story was a romance novelist, and of course, as in every penny-store romance novel, she faced some extreme challenges in her life. There are times when some people critique her work and told her that those are scraps, while others are telling her that she is a good author. But despite all that, she never gave up on her career, because according to her, when you are trying to achieve something, you must do everything. That was 10 years ago. I remembered those times when I feel frustrated and annoyed of what I am doing. It only tells me that this world is truly unfair, and there is no space for justice because for every production that we have, I always put my 101 per cent to it. However, my efforts are useless for it is not always visible in my output. Well, thank God I have shifted from BA CMS to Political Science. Now, I dont have to work for suicidal TV productions. I only have to memorize the Philippine Constitution. I have fought for justice in my country. I have defended those who are accused of crimes, cleared their names and proved that they are innocent. However, the only downside of my career is that, I always eat death threats for breakfast. Sometimes, I am afraid of my familys and my owns safety. However, for years of being a lawyer, I always feel like an empty person. I always feel that there is something lacking in me. I just couldnt figure it out. It seems like I am unhappy of what I am doing right now. I relaxed my mind and body for a while. Then, at the corner of my table, I saw a romance novel. The same novel that I have read 10 years ago. Ten years ago. What could have happened to me when I didnt shift to other course and followed the motto of the lead female character in the story? Being into a broadcast industry is my passion but because I couldnt take the pressure of the work of a CMS student, I gave up. So right now, I feel regretful.

Inspiring Policy on Disease- and Emergency-Related Issues Essay

Inspiring Policy on Disease- and Emergency-Related Issues - Essay Example cy is on the process of being revised as the policy network grapple with the issue of whether routine mammograms for women starts at the age of 40 or 50. This particular issue is dependent on the movements of the current health care reform being undertaken in America. In examining the trajectory of breast cancer policymaking beginning in the 1980s towards the 1990s, one can identify the glaring fact that a single policy could take years to be made. This is demonstrated in Lillquist’s (2001) study on breast cancer policymaking, which mapped out the timeline of the most important legislative achievement to date, The Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act. Legislative hearings on this policy began in 1984 and this stage in the process took six years before a bill was finally introduced and passed into law in 1990 (Lillquist, p.20). The period taken by the process was, as a matter of fact, short in comparison with the conventional lawmaking since breast cancer as a health problem is considered a special case with special characteristics. According to Lillquist, the breast cancer issue became an amalgamation of environmental, racial, aging and feminist issues (p.24). These characteristics entailed the political leverage that helped expedite policymaking. It must be noted that during the 1980s, the policymakers are lukewarm to the issue, treating breast cancer as part of a wider health policy. Prior position during this period did not consider services as the government’s responsibility (Lillquist, p.19). Kasper and Ferguson pointed out that even when breast cancer has been identified as a social issue since the 1970s, public policy responses were minimal (p.18). But in the course of the legislative process, this changed because of the advocacies of the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC). This group, which was composed of cancer survivors, worked tirelessly to raise the level of public awareness on the issue and get people involved. By the time a

Sustainability Consultancy Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sustainability Consultancy Report - Coursework Example The company has a good business model. In fact, the company can be described as a second wave corporation. This comes from the fact that the company, despite seeking to be profitable from the resources it has in terms of timber and employees, seeks to ensure that its operations become sustainable in the long run. In this case, one of the issues that affect the company is the availability of raw materials. In the acquisition of timber, there are many policies and by laws that the company has to abide by to ensure that it does not breach the laws. This eventually impacts on the company’s performance and productivity. Other than that, the company has to deal with the issues of employee turnovers. It is evident that out of the sixteen thousand employees that the company has, the levels of productivity are not full exploited. The company should come up with a way of outsourcing some of the services that it needs. Just as it outsources for supplies, the company can incorporate other aspects of outsourcing to improve its levels of efficiency. For the sustainability of the business even in the years to come, the company should seek to expand into other markets strategically. Currently, being located in Sweden, the company only manages to reach out to a given market niche which is not that wide. In this regards, the company should consider exploring other markets which are most promising in terms of return on investments. Therefore, the company should also embrace emerging technologies.

Current HR Practices and Insights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current HR Practices and Insights - Essay Example The article shows that inadequate practices applied by OBM management led to lack of skills and knowledge among employees. A special attention is given to assessment, creation and sharing of information and knowledge. The authors state that learning strategies are formalized and structured by the goals, activities and culture of the work practice, just as learners' experiences in educational institutions are structured by those institutions' cultures of practice. Workplaces are often highly contested, with access to the activities and guidance required for learning not being uniformly distributed. Opportunities to participate may be distributed on the basis of factors such as workplace cliques, affiliations, gender, race, language or employment standing and status. Indeed, it could be suggested that, rather than being unstructured, workplace learning experiences are structured by too many factors. Instead, the kinds of activities engaged in by individuals and the support and guidance they can access in the workplace from other workers will influence the quality of learning at work. In this way, much of the knowledge required for demanding vocational practice can be learnt through work. The article provides a clear and detailed description of the situation and allows readers to concentrate on the best practices and solutions proposed by IBM team. There is long-standing evidence of the efficacy of learning in the workplace. Prior to the establishment of vocational colleges and universities, most people learnt their vocations through their work. The evidence also suggests that workers have long produced goods and provided services with limited technology and in ways that have required understanding and robust (transferable) procedures developed through their work. The products and services of craft and other workers require combinations of creativity and functionality. Many of the world's great buildings, such as the castles, churches and cathedrals of Europe, were built by workers whose vocational practice was developed through participation in their craft (Becker 1993). The article "Organizational Learning" by D. Cayla describes the role of permanent changes and its impact on environmental interactions. the author argues that learning takes place on the job and is structured, with supervisors having the responsibility for developing the work-related knowledge of their subordinates. Much of what apprentices learn during their three- or four-year indenture is also a product of engagement in everyday work practice. This learning often generates capabilities that are transferable across tasks and situations. Learning in the workplace cannot, therefore, be described as concrete-fixed and embedded inextricably in the circumstances of its acquisition. Instead, at least some of what is been learnt in workplaces is transferable to other situations. Learning can be independent and interdependent, with the latter probably best able to be achieved through guidance rather than direct teaching. It is also inaccurate to characterize workplace learning as concrete. Learning in any environment will be more or less transferable, depending on the quality of learning processes experienced (Bateman and Snell 2004). Therefore, the same claims about the structure,