Seagate Technology International

Introduction Seagate Technology International is one of the major Multinational Corporations (MNCs) having operations in Singapore. Currently, the technology company’s principal executive offices are situated at Cupertino, California.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Seagate Technology International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The famous technology company, which was first started as Shugart Technology in the year 1978, has been reputed as a global leader in the manufacture and production of hard disk drives and storage solutions. Ever since its incorporation over three decades ago, Seagate has attained great success in hard disk development, and this makes it a giant player in the transformative technology sector (Bay, Tang and Bennett, 2004). In Singapore, Seagate Technology premises are situated in the business oriented region of Woodlands. Sectors aligned to electronics, finance and IT are observed to have undergone a very rapid growth in Singapore in the past several years. According to market experts, business opportunities in those sectors are expected to increase tremendously in the near future, and this offers a stable business potential for Seagate Technology in the country. However, apart from the promising business opportunities presented by Singapore, Seagate, just like any other firm, is vulnerable to a number of external forces that are likely to influence the achievement of our business goals. Environmental Factors Affecting the Operations of Seagate Technology in Singapore Integrated Economic Markets The practice of economic integration between different groups of countries within a particular geographical region is increasingly gaining momentum in the modern world.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Economic integrations have the benefit of minimising commo n barriers to the steady flow of products, services, capital, and labor among other production inputs between member countries. The movement from segmented markets to the integrated markets comes with immense benefits to member countries. For instance, this would tend to affect the volume of trade activities, profits, and consumer prices in a monopoly model. Seagate Technology operations in Singapore markets have greatly benefited from Singapore inter-relationships with the US and other giant economies in the world, such as Japan and China (Contractor and Lorange, 2002). Global Consumer Preferences Consumer tastes and preferences for various products are observed to be converging, and this would determine the success and failure of companies within a particular geographical region. Seagate’s products in Singapore continue to face stiff competition, considering the wide range of hard disk manufacturers in the region. Seagate might be a global market leader in hard disks and ot her storage products, but they are yet to thrive in Singapore, due to the factor of consumer preferences, whereby different people tend to have varied tastes for products made by different companies. Management across Cultures Culture is a highly-sensitive issue that plays a significant role in influencing consumer tastes and preferences on products and services. In this regard, local businesses would tend to respond well to cultural requirements, compared to foreign investors who may not be well-informed of the local cultural needs. In that case, foreign investors are often forced to adopt new business strategies that would enable them respond accordingly to the local cultural tastes. Even though Seagate Technology would constantly try to undergo various costly adaptations in order to fit in the cultural demands of Singapore, it may never come out smarter than many local companies in the region.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Seagate Technology International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Globalised Production Modern firms are increasingly taking charge of their production levels to take full advantage over their rivals in business. Through the establishment of a global production network, corporations hope to benefit a lot by achieving quality standards at low costs. In this case, Seagate’s nature of globalised production gives us a higher competitive advantage compared to our business rivals in the region. Major Factors Affecting the Company’s Operations Economic Conditions Foreign investors venturing global markets are prone to unpredictable economic changes that may have significant impacts on their performance. These shifts may present in many forms, such as high inflation or fluctuation of currency exchange rates. However, Singapore enjoys a stable economic performance which is based on strong economic strategies. These strategies have enabled the country to swerve through serious economical and financial turbulences of the past, thus emerging as one of the major economies in the world. General Business Environment Trade is a significant activity in Singapore, with both imports and exports accounting for the largest portion of the country’s GDP. Singapore’s ability to attract and retain foreign investments can be realized from various sources. For example, the country enjoys a massive skilled labor force in almost all sectors of the economy. Other significant sources here include infrastructural wealth and the assuring directive of a corruption-free government. All these have been key attractions of MNCs from developed countries. Manufacturing and services are the key economical drivers of the country, and for that reason, the government has shown great desire in the promotion of key activities in those areas.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Effective Application of Management Functions For firms to be able to take full advantage of the vast business opportunities provided by foreign environments, they should first of all consider putting in place factors that tend to vary across regions, and which may be different from the local settings they are used to. Singapore’s favorable economical conditions have proved to be a major driving force in the success of Seagate Technology International. More importantly, the fact that Seagate Technology specialises in the manufacturing sector is an added advantage to the American Multinational Corporation. However, there are still many ways by which Seagate Technology can maximise its operations in Singapore. For effective and efficient performance in the region, Seagate Technology should incorporate the key functions of the management process. These key management functions usually play a crucial role in the overall performance of all businesses. For effective production to b e realised in the corporation, both individual and team players should work towards a particular goal aimed at achieving the intended objectives and nothing else. The following summary relates through how the management of Seagate Corporation can relate through the four major functions of managerial, for effective business success in Singapore and other international markets. Planning and Strategising Planning and strategising aspects are key requirements in the success of businesses. Planning basically involves all the activities taken in considering when designing the objectives of the business in a specific geographical region. In this regard, firms would strategise on how to go about the established plans to achieve their business objectives. Seagate Technology International can maximise the opportunities of planning and strategising in mapping their business goals within the selected region. In this line, the objectives of individuals and teams should be coordinated carefully f or effective production. Considering the many environmental factors surrounding the operation of the company in Singapore, there is need for appropriate planning and strategising by the management, and this may involve aspects such as constant assessment and analysis of the company’s performance in the region. Such assessments can be conducted by the use of credible assessment methodologies, such as the SWOT analysis. Organising This function would involve effective planning and coordination of all the company’s operational units and resources, in order for them to achieve the desired goals and objectives in business. In this sense, Seagate’s management team would have to identify and specify how the firm’s input resources needs to be arranged and coordinated for effective productivity. To achieve this objective, the firm would have to consider administering effective management strategies in all its units. This entire process may include significant inte rventions that entail good definition of tasks, resource allocation, task delegation, clarification of procedures, and determination of procedures among other processes. Leading According to Luis and Balkin (2011), this function entails the practice of encouraging and motivating workers to bring out their best performances in productivity. It is the responsibility of the management of any organisation to exercise effective leadership skills on fellow employees, for excellent performance and productivity. This is where the concept of leadership shadows comes in business management. Good leaders should always lead by example and try to enforce positive business mentality upon their subordinates. It is also the responsibility of leaders to guide the other employees below delegation through a sound focus of accountability in business performance. In this sense, the management of Seagate Technology would not only have to communicate its organisational goals to its workers, but it would a lso have to employ all the strategies in the book to make those goals achievable to all its employees. Some of the ways through which this objective can be achieved would include; effective communication among the organizational units, creation of favorable working conditions, and good leadership examples. The company’s managerial team would need to come up with leadership strategies that would encourage better working conditions for people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Controlling The only way by which Seagate Technology International can achieve its business objectives in Singapore is by taking full control of their operations and performance in the region. Key business operations always need to be controlled in a systematic manner, so as to remain in the right track. By assessing its overall performance and trying to compare it with the set business objectives, the technology company can come up with all the necessary amendments that would be needed to make a successful venture in the selected market (Ritter, Wilkinson and Johnston, 2004). Through effective assessment, the company can successfully come up with enough feedback to enable them identify potential problems and therefore taking the necessary corrective measures in addressing them. The practice of control is crucial for success of firms in the modern competitive business environment, since it can be applied to correct significant discrepancies in business. General Conclusions of the analysis and the company MNCs and SMEs are important players in the contemporary business world. Both MNCs and SMEs come with immense benefits, and are certain to guarantee for a wider disparity of income distribution to the regions where they are employed. Singapore is one of the many countries whose vibrant economic growth can be associated with the impact of both local and foreign MNCs and SMEs. Ever since she gained her independence from the British way back in 1959, Singapore has excelled economically. C urrently, the emerging East Asian economy enjoys a wide range of direct foreign investment in Multinational Corporations and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises that have roots in giant global economies. Through globalised production of its products, Seagate Technological International has featured well in many regions globally, including the developing markets of Singapore (Tang, Cheong and Goh, 2007). This success can be attributed to the company’s focused business ambition which is based on various external and environmental factors as discussed in this report. However, there is enough evidence that the manufacturing company can do even better, if it considered making some changes about the way it conducts business in Singapore and other regions. General Recommendations in the Context of Management Based on this broad analysis of the external factors affecting the operations of Seagate Technologies International in Singapore, it is obviously clear that the company already e njoys a fair business position in the region. There is more than enough evidence that the technology company can excel in the East Asian country, considering the favorable market conditions offered by the region. Most of the highlighted external factors in this report would have a positive impact to Seagate Technology, and this gives the corporation a higher competitive advantage compared to its rivals in the industry. It leaves no doubt that, the technology company has a great business potential in the East Asian region where computer technology is observed to be taking a turn to the pinnacle, owing to the incessant impacts of globalisation. However, realization of this dream largely depends on how the company’s steering board plans to execute its duties and responsibilities. In that sense, the managers should try to perform their managerial roles in an effective manner, and this can be achieved through constant application of the four management functions outlined in this r eport, in all levels of production within the firm. References Bay, B., Tang, N., Bennett, D. (2004). An empirical study of the imperatives for a supply chain implementation project in Seagate Technology International.  Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 9(4), 331-340. Contractor, F. Lorange, P. (2002). Cooperative strategies in international business:  joint ventures and technology partnerships between firms. United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing. Luis, R. Balkin, D. (2011). Management: International Version. New York: Pearson Publishers. Ritter, T.,Wilkinson, I., Johnston, W. (2004). Managing in complex business networks.  Industrial Marketing Management, 33(3), 175-183. Tang, L., Cheong, W., Goh, J. (2007). Reliability assessment for particle-induced failures in multi-generation hard disk drives. Microsystem technologies, 13(8), 891-894. This essay on Seagate Technology International was written and submitted by user Dominique Hendrix to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Intercontinental Hotels Group

Intercontinental Hotels Group Introduction Many countries in the world depend on the travel and hospitality industry as the major source of revenue. Indeed, the travel and hospitality industry plays a significant role in economic emancipation. In today’s technologically advancing world, and competitive business markets, various organizations must come up with new strategies in order to retain customers and even attract others. Additionally, many business segments focus on modalities of expanding their portfolios in order to increase their market share.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Intercontinental Hotels Group Green Engage sustainability system specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this new area of technological revolution, organizations engage in other activities in order to please their customers. In fact, the main role of corporate events in any organisation or company is to entertain clients so that they become happier than they wer e before. This is the reason why many organizations continue to employ new strategies in order to attract prospective clients (Holcomb, Upchurch Okumus, 2007, pp. 461-475). The Intercontinental Hotels Group’s corporate hospitality section is expanding at a fast rate and many clients consider it one of the best. This is simply because the sector has mastered the art of linking spectators and activities in order to offer judicious hospitality products and services to clients. Owing to these facts, the intercontinental hotels group has the responsibility of retaining and attracting new customers by adopting new strategies. This report will assess the intercontinental hotel group – green engage sustainability system as a corporate hospitality event (Paton, 2007, pp. 46-49). Intercontinental Hotels Group Intercontinental Hotels Group undoubtedly runs the biggest multinational hotels in the world. The group has its headquarters in Denham, United Kingdom. It has over 4000 ho tels across the globe and enormous accommodation spaces. It also has several brands such as Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and Even. Other brands include Intercontinental and Candlewood Suites. One of the most common features about these hotels is that they run under franchise agreements. In other words, the company runs the affairs of the hotels, but different stakeholders own them. Of all the hotels under the group, investors only own and manage ten. The International Hotels Group also has listed some of its shares in major trading stock markets. For instance, FTSE 100 index, London Stock Exchange, and New York Stock Exchange are some of the stock markets that have listed International Hotels Group shares. Primarily, the Intercontinental Hotels Group manages all hotels owned by the group.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It also performs other functions such a s franchising the IHG brands in order to attract customers. The hotel mainly involves itself in hospitality activities such as hotel management, accommodation, creation of systems, and sales and marketing of their products. The owners are responsible for the construction of new hotels and coming up of new structures to house other services. This is simply because these activities need risk profiling; require enormous management skills and capital to run. So far, the group has sixteen corporately owned hotels that use the brand (Intercontinental Hotel Group, 2013, p. 1). Green Engage sustainability system The intercontinental hotel group owns the best hotel brands in the world, but it also understands that the change of climatic conditions affects their business. Like any other organisation, IHG commits itself towards reducing energy, carbon, and other substances that destroy the environment. The group is also committed towards clean energy, as a way of minimizing emissions. For inst ance, in the past, the management has resorted to other means of energy by stopping the purchase of carbon commodities. The group has also collaborated with other developers to identify and implement not only cost-effective, but also sustainable technology. We have seen that IHG has over 4500 hotels. Furthermore, the stakeholders are doing all they can in order to introduce clean technology into their business portfolios. The stakeholders have also put in place mechanisms to ensure that the hotel not only complies with climate change patters, but also adopts sustainable technologies. We now that green technology is evolving at a fast rate. In order to meet the demands of green technology, the group has employed professionals to explore new designs that are sustainable (Intercontinental Hotel Group, 2013, p. 1). Green Engage System Some few years ago, the Intercontinental Hotels Group unveiled its online sustainability system to check compliance of sustainability. This system plays a significant role in ensuring that all IHG hotels not only conserve resources, but also save money. In order to realize this, the system proposes constant measuring and reporting of waste consumption, water consumption and hotel energy. This is important because it will reduce the skyrocketing energy costs.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Intercontinental Hotels Group Green Engage sustainability system specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In fact, energy costs have been major concerns to owners who have witnessed the rising energy prices lower their profits and threaten their businesses. The taxation of carbon fuels also threatens the operations of the hotels and therefore, there was need to look for new and sustainable ways of energy. There is no doubt that by unveiling this system, the intercontinental hotels group showed its commitment towards ensuring sustainability. Since the unveiling of the system, stakeholders have received the system without complains. There has been consensus among stakeholders and all of them believe that the system is good to their business. In fact, this has led to the certification of the system making IHG the first hotel in the world to receive such accreditation. Many stakeholders believe that the system is advantageous especially to environmental sustainability, and provides mechanisms of ensuring sustainability. Moreover, the reason why stakeholders approved the system is that it routinely creates reports and sets new energy benchmarks in order to make comparisons with other useful data. The system also plays other significant roles such as providing green solutions, and generating new and sustainable hotel designs. The system also provides information on new ways of reducing the impacts brought about by non-sustainable energy sources. Notably, the green engage system functions like a library of information to stakeholders. For instance, the green engage system has information on selecting suitable site for development, and choosing the right lighting for a particular hotel. This happens through selecting conscientious cleaning materials and training of employees on issues of sustainability. Since the adoption of the system, stakeholders continue to realize their return of investment. Additionally, the system has led to the reduction of carbon emissions and increased the number of guests thus, generating more revenue (U.S. Department of Energy, 2013, p. 1). Benefits of the Green Engage System to stakeholders The biggest beneficiaries of the green engage system are the stakeholders. To start with, the system has enabled the IHG hotels to save over 25 percent of energy. This translated to over $300 million, money that the group can invest elsewhere. So far, over 3000 hotels under the group have adopted the system and the management expects all hotels to adopt the system soon. Stakeholders believe that the green engage system offers consider able competitive edge towards ensuring sustainability. For instance, through the system, the IHG hotels have become cost-effective. This means that it is able to offer better and improved services that will only attract more prospective customers, but also retain them. There is no doubt that many clients prefer to stay in ‘green’ rooms, and this desire enabled IHG to win a contract worth  £300,000 annually for seven consecutive years (Mayock, 2011, p. 1).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Culture Shift By adopting the green engage system, the intercontinental hotel group has adopted a new culture of ensuring sustainability. Unlike the past, the green engage system provides information on the levels of sustainability, tracks the process of sustainability, and releases progress reports that indicate areas to improve. Notably, in a highly competitive travel and hospitality market, the adoption of the system marked a culture shift that not only recommends green technology solutions, but also encourages competition. There is no doubt that the system has introduced a culture shift in the hospitality industry for sustainability reasons. For instance, the green engage system provides a calculator that hotel managers can use to calculate the carbon footprint. Consequently, if it is high, then they can look for ways of minimizing it (EcoCommericial Building, 2013, p. 1). Conclusion The green engage system developed by the intercontinental hotels group is a step towards ensurin g clean energy. Since its adoption, the company has managed to reduce carbon footprints thus reducing the rising energy costs. Most importantly, many visitors enjoy staying in the IHG ‘green’ hotels. References EcoCommericial Building, 2013, The effort to be sustainable from the hotel groups,   http://china.ecocommercial-building-network.com/2013/02/21/the-effort-to-be-sustainable-from-the-hotel-groups/. Holcomb, J. L., Upchurch, R. S., Okumus, F., 2007, ‘Corporate social responsibility: What are top hotel companies reporting’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 9 no. 6, pp. 461-475. Intercontinental Hotel Group, 2013, Corporate Responsibility Report: Green Engage,   ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=742. Mayock, P 2011, IHG reaps energy savings with Green Engage, hotelnewsnow.com/articles.aspx/5089/IHG-reaps-energy-savings-with-Green-Engage. Paton, N 2007, ‘Giving something back’, Caterer Hotelkeeper, vol. 197 no. 4496, pp. 46-49. U.S. Department of Energy, 2013, Showcase project: Intercontinental Hotel Group,   http://www4.eere.energy.gov/challenge/partners/better-buildings/intercontinental-hotels-group.

The Hungry Ocean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Hungry Ocean - Essay Example By her own admission gender has never been a problematic issue in her, illustrious and legendary career on the high seas. The challenge and the accomplishments: An interesting part of the conversation is highlighted at the concluding pages of the book and Linda Greenlaw writes, â€Å"What more do you want? You make a good living doing what you love. That’s more than most people have.†(256) The story of her becoming the commander of the one-hundred-foot-long sword fishing boat, named Hannah Boden is amazing. She has a wonderful childhood and her enlightened parents are pleased to give her the liberty to choose the career of her choice. Little do they realize that she will opt for the career of a fisherman. She goes to become the legend. The life of a fisherman is tougher and the mood of the ocean is unpredictable. This is not the profession where one is engaged in the table work from 10 a.m. to 5p.m.The duration of a sword fishing trip to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland will last for a month or more. According to her, the actual job of fishing is a thrill but â€Å"the greatest challenges any captain faces are often keeping the crew focused, making sure the vessel remains mechanically sound, and returning safely to port." (p. xi) She becomes an author due to fortuitous circumstances and she writes, â€Å"I wonder daily of the opportunity to write this book has been a blessing or a curse. Writing has proven to be hard work, often painful. I can honestly say that I would rather be fishing.†(Preface) Destiny wills it thus and events in her childhood do much to support her decision to go to sea. Her family lives on an island on the cost of Maine and it is but natural that she sees high prospectus for her life and career amidst the waves on the high seas. Fish and fishermen, the life of swordboat crew: As the captain, a fisherman has got to be an excellent public relations man with enough technical and administrative knowledge. Proper understand ing of navigation, weather equipment and plotting the course and distance by hand is part of her routine work as caption of the ship. Linda Greenlaw has an excellent study of the human beings and maintains good rapport with members of the crew. About Bob, a dynamic fisherman and the owner of the ship she writes, â€Å"He was an amazingly clever person; his competence covered a wide range†¦.As for determination—he would take a boat to Mars if he thought there might be a fish to be caught there.†(3) Fishermen need to remain ever ready and mentally prepared for disasters, survival and accomplishments. This book contains the details of one such trip on the swordship boat and reveals how the lifestyles of a fisherman are entirely differed on the ocean beds as compared to plain space on this Planet Earth. She has a crew of six members Ringo, Kenny, Charlie, Peter, and Carl each with his own ideas and adventurous in one’s own right. The life in the ship is full of appointments and disappointments. As the head leading the crew Linda Greenlaw lists the advantages and disadvantages. The main attraction is the fat paycheck and respect of admiration of