Mittal Steel in 2006

Mittal Steal in 2006: Changing the Global Steel Game Industry Analysis Although steel was a highly demanded good, the industry as a whole was largely unprofitable. One reason for this was that the industry remained highly fragmented in contrast to their suppliers and even some of their buyers, who were considerably more consolidated. Aside from the increased competition that fragmentation contributed to, it also degraded the steal industry’s bargaining power to raw material suppliers and in some cases, such as the auto industry, the buyers.The resulting high fixed costs, volatile raw material prices, and intense price competition fueled unstable profitability. Adding to the fragmentation issues was a lack of differentiation in the market. For the longest time there were really only two production possibilities. One, being vertically integrated and producing higher-grade steel at a higher cost of operation, or two, de-verticalize and focus on low cost, low-grade steel productio n. Depending on the production selected, the resulting accessible customer base was limited.This lack of differentiation further fueled the limited bargaining power of steel manufacturers. As stated above, steel was highly demanded. The problem was that the growth of that demand remained quite stagnate for nearly 20 years. It wasn’t until the explosion of growth in the Chinese construction industry, attributing to 25% of total steel consumption, that the steel industry saw any profitability. In an industry where customers demand a low cost and a consistent product, being able to maintain a reliable supply while being as cost efficient as possible was key to a firms success.Though there was a spike in Chinese demand, only those strategically positioned could access the true value of the Chinese market. This was because the steel industry operated primarily on an intra-regional basis. Many factors attributed to this, but a firm’s dependence on raw material access, and tr ying to avoid high transportation and tariff costs, as well as delivery lags, were the primary reasons for high regional trade. In order to access the benefits of regional trade, firms had to expand their operations through high FDI in the form of M&A’s.This gained them access to highly profitable regions and it allowed firms to spread their risk over a larger area, reducing the impact of demand fluctuations in one particular region. The reason many of these M&A opportunities existed was because of a major shit from government owned steel plants to privatization. Through privatization, FDI opportunities became possible in many countries, thus make intra-regional trade more accessible and attractive. Consolidation & Integration Recognizing that the dynamics of the market were changing, LNM was quick to take advantage.He was steadfast in his belief that they only way to create sustained success was through consolidation and integration. With increased privatization opportunitie s available, LNM began a series of M&A’s that would gain him access to regions that were highly profitable, had lower labor costs, and would position him to have higher bargaining power with suppliers. LNM made the first moves in the industry toward consolidation, and was this strategic initiative that has since driven the evolution of the industry to where it is today.A major source of value creation was derived from their technological lead in DRI. LNM decided early on to focus their operations around â€Å"integrated minimills†, which was untraditional at the time. Through this structure he was able to capture the maximum value of his operation, using scrap in the minimills, then reverse integrating into DRI. Once unreliable, DRI technology had advanced so much that it’s output was now comparable to the quality of integrated steel plants.This technology stronghold provided them better quality steel at a cheaper cost of production, providing them with a huge c ompetitive advantage. Additionally, It was this technology, aided by a proven SWAT team and protocol, which supported their ability to transform underperforming government owned plants to profitable ones in a short period. LMN’s initial approach was to resurrect distressed government owed plants then breath new life into them through technology sharing and smart practices.He soon sought larger targets that would provide him not only economies of scale, but also provide competitive advantages through geographic scope. Starting with Karmet, he began to shift his targeting toward plants that were either highly integrated, possessed significant mineral rights, or supplied a strategic geographic advantage. Through designing their activity architecture in this way, Mittal steel became the world's largest and most integrated steelmaker; providing strong positions in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.The result of their strategic positioning, combined with their focus of coordi nation through KIP and KMP, made Mittal the first firm in the industry to operate as a transnational organization. Each plant provided its own uniqueness, providing different capabilities and skills that could be harnessed for the good of the whole organization. There was also a heavy flow of people, materials and finances between the interdependent plants, but at the center of it all was the Mittal Steel directing tight coordination and a shared strategic decision making process. On a regional level, they operated through regional hubs.This allows Mittal’s positioning of adjacent plants to source from the same suppliers, increasing their bargaining power and reliability of supply, while not jeopardizing cannibalism of sales as each plant’s customer base was unique to their location. Mittal’s vertical integration in mining and low cost position helps support profitability and helps to  reduce capital expenditure needs. They are the most diversified steel  co mpany in the world in terms of asset  location and market presence. They also have a diverse product range, including both flat and long steel.As such, Mittal is not overly dependent on any single  region, product, or end market. These benefits are somewhat mitigated however by the risks associated with Mittal’s rapid expansion through acquisitions. These include such things as institutional risks associated with emerging markets and uncertainties regarding the integration of newly acquired assets, although Mittal's  integration track record has been successful to date. Arcelor Acquisition In light of the above information, I believe that Mittal should pursue the Arcelor acquisition aggressively.Mittal Steel & Arcelor complement each other in terms of geographical coverage and product mix, as there is no significant overlap. Mittal has strong positions in the U. S. market; low-cost operations in Central and  Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa; and vertical raw-material i ntegration. Arcelor is the leader in higher value-added products with strongholds in Western Europe and Brazil, as well as a focus on Russia, India, and China. I believe that the positioning of Arcelor’s plants and resource capabilities would integrate nicely to Mittal’s activity architecture.There would be very minimal duplications of effort, and many of the regions that Arcelor operates are in prime locations to source raw materials. The addition will only strengthen Mittal’s integrated transnational value chain. Through acquisition, Mittal would produce nearly 110 million tonnes of steel per year, making them three times as large than their next competitor. Although this can lead to diseconomies of scale, in Mittal’s case, as the largest player in the steel industry both globally and in the key markets, the combined group would enjoy significant bargaining power.Additionally, through shared expertise, the combined entity would be in a better position t o develop the high growth region of China and South East Asia. Arcelor’s alliance with Nippon and Mittal’s acquisition of Karmet and stake in Valin will provide access to critical Asian markets. Regardless of the â€Å"synergies† the acquisition will create, caution still needs to be exercised by Mittal. There are evident signs that the acquisition will not be welcomed by Arcelor, assuming that Mr. Dolle’s canceled meeting and unreturned phone call was an indication to his temperature on the proposal.If the acquisition turned hostile there is a good chance Mittal would have to overpay for Arcelor, which could have adverse affects to it investment ratings. At the current bid price Mittal would already have to leverage â‚ ¬5 billion and would be in debt by â‚ ¬11. 5 billion. Although they have a good track record of ROI and the industry as a whole has seen a spike in ROIC, they do not want to spend more than they have to. Despite the favorable history and perceived synergies, Mittal should pay at a maximum â‚ ¬27. 1 billion for the deal. They should obviously try to pay as close to the current bid as possible, but at â‚ ¬27. billion they are still in a position where they could access the capital needed given their successful history. Also, at the mark of â‚ ¬27. 1 billion their debt would raise to â‚ ¬20 billion, but with an EBITDA of over â‚ ¬5. 5 billion annually, not to mention the added revenues from the acquisition, the debt could be confidently paid off in a reasonable timeframe. If the bidding exceeds the mark of â‚ ¬27. 1 billion, the negotiations should be ceased and Mittal should pursue other opportunities to continue their global footprint expansion.

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Four

Avery was a spirit user. â€Å"Oh shit.† I sat back down on the bed, my mind reeling. I'd never seen it coming. Hell, no one had. Avery had made a good show of being an air user. Each Moroi had a very low level of control in each element. She'd just barely done enough with air to make it seem like that was her specialization. No one had questioned her further because honestly, who would have ever expected another spirit user around? And since she was out of school, she had no reason to be tested anymore or forced to demonstrate her ability. No one was there to call her on it. The more I thought about it, the more the little signs were there. The charming personality, the way she could talk people into anything. How many of her interactions were spirit controlled? And was it possible†¦ was it possible that Adrian's attraction had been compulsion on her part? I had no reason to feel happy about that, but†¦ well, I did. More to the point, what did Avery want with Lissa? Avery compelling Adrian into liking her wasn't too out there. He was good-looking and came from an important family. He was the queen's great-nephew, and although family members of the current monarch could never inherit the throne immediately afterward, he'd have a good future, one that would always keep him in the highest circles of society. But Lissa? What was Avery's game there? What did she have to gain? Lissa's behavior all made sense now-the uncharacteristic partying, weird moods, jealousy, fights with Christian†¦ Avery was pushing Lissa over the edge, causing her to make horrible choices. Avery was using some sort of compulsion to spin Lissa out of control, alienating her and putting her life in danger. Why? What did Avery want? It didn't matter. The why wasn't important. The how was, as in how I was going to get out of here and back to my best friend. I looked down at myself, at the delicate silk dress I wore. Suddenly, I hated it. It was a sign of how I'd been, weak and useless. I hastily took it off and ransacked my closet. They'd taken away my jeans and T-shirt, but I'd at least been allowed to keep my hoodie. I put on the green sweater dress, seeing as it was the sturdiest thing I had, feeling moderately more capable. I slipped the hoodie on over it. It hardly made me feel like a badass warrior, but I did feel more competent. Sufficiently dressed for action, I returned to the living room and started that pacing that tended to help me think better-not that I had any reason to believe I was going to come up with new ideas. I'd been trying to for days and days with no luck. Nothing was going to change. â€Å"Damn it!† I yelled, feeling better with the outburst. Angry, I flounced into the desk chair, amazed that I hadn't simply thrown it against the wall in my frustration. The chair wobbled, ever so slightly. Frowning, I stood up and looked at it. Everything else in this place was state-of-the-art. Odd that I'd have a faulty chair. I knelt down and examined it more closely. There, on one of the legs, was a crack near where the leg joined with the seat. I stared. All of the furniture here was industrial strength, with no obvious joints. I should know, seeing how long I'd beat this chair against the wall when I first arrived. I hadn't even dented it. Where had this crack come from? Slamming it over and over had done nothing. But I hadn't been the only one to hit it. That very first day, I'd fought with Dimitri and come after him with the chair. He'd taken it from me and thrown it against the wall. I'd never paid attention to it again, having given up on breaking it. When I'd later tried cracking the window, I'd used an end table because it was heavier. My strength hadn't been able to damage the chair-but his had. I picked up the chair and immediately slammed it into that diamond-hard window, half-hoping I might kill two birds with one stone. Nope. Both remained intact. So I did it again. And again. I lost track of how many times I slammed that chair into the glass. My hands hurt, and I knew despite my recovery, I still wasn't at full strength. It was infuriating. Finally, on what felt like my gazillionth try, I looked at the chair and saw the crack had grown bigger. The progress renewed my will and strength. I hit and hit, ignoring the pain as the wood bit into my hands. At long last, I heard a crack, and the leg broke off. I picked it up and stared in amazement. The break hadn't been clean. It was splintered and sharp. Sharp enough to be a stake? I wasn't sure. But I knew for a fact that wood was hard, and if I used enough force, I might be able to hit a Strigoi's heart. It wouldn't kill one, but the blow would stun. I didn't know if it'd be enough to get me out of here, but it was all I had now. And it was a hell of a lot more than I'd had one hour ago. I sat back on the bed, recovering from my battle with the chair and tossing the makeshift stake back and forth. Okay. I had a weapon now. But what could I do with it? Dimitri's face flashed in my mind's eye. Damn it. There was no question about it. He was the obvious target, the one I'd have to deal with first. The door suddenly clicked open, and I looked up with alarm. Quickly, I shoved the chair into a dark corner as panic raced through me. No, no. I wasn't ready. I hadn't fully convinced myself to stake him. It was Inna. She carried a tray but didn't wear her usual subservient expression. The brief look she gave me was filled with hate. I didn't know what she had to be pissed off about. It wasn't like I'd caused her any damage. Yet. I strode over like I was going to examine the tray. Lifting the lid, I saw a ham sandwich and french fries. It looked good-I hadn't eaten in a while -but the adrenaline running through me had shoved any appetite I might have to the background. I glanced back up at her, smiling sweetly. She shot me daggers. Don't hesitate, Dimitri had always said. I didn't. I jumped at Inna, throwing her so hard against the floor that her head slammed back. She looked dazed, but quickly recovered and tried to fight back. I wasn't drugged up this time-well, not much-and my years of training and natural strength finally showed themselves again. I pressed my body against her, keeping her firmly in place. Then, I produced the stake I'd had concealed and pressed those sharp points against her neck. It was like being back in the days of pinning Strigoi in alleys. She couldn't see that my weapon was a chair leg, but the sharp points got her attention as I dug them into her throat. â€Å"The code,† I said. â€Å"What is the code?† Her only response was a string of obscenities in Russian. Okay, not a surprise, considering she probably didn't understand me. I flipped through the meager Russian-English dictionary in my head. I'd been in the country long enough to pick up some vocabulary. Admittedly, it was equivalent to a two-year-old's, but even they could communicate. â€Å"Numbers,† I said in Russian. â€Å"Door.† At least, that's what I hoped I said. She said more impolite things to me, her expression defiant. It really was the Strigoi interrogation all over. My stake bit harder, drawing blood, and I forcibly restrained myself. I might question whether I had the strength to pierce a Strigoi heart with this, but severing a human's vein? Cake. She faltered a little, apparently realizing the same thing. Again, I attempted my broken Russian. â€Å"Kill you. No Nathan. Never†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What was the word? The church service came back to me, and I hoped I had it right. â€Å"Never eternal life.† It got her attention. Nathan and eternal life. The things most important to her. She bit her lip, still angry, but her tirade had stopped. â€Å"Numbers. Door,† I repeated. I pushed the stake in harder, and she cried out in pain. At last she spoke, rattling off a series of digits. Russian numbers were something I had memorized pretty solidly, at least. They were essential for addresses and phone numbers. She cited seven numbers. â€Å"Again,† I said. I made her say it three times and hoped I had it. But there was more. I was pretty sure the outer door had a different code. â€Å"Numbers. Door. Two.† I felt like a caveman. Inna stared, not quite getting it. â€Å"Door. Two.† Understanding glinted in her eyes, and she looked mad. I think she'd hoped I wouldn't realize the other door had its own code. More cutting with the stake made her scream seven more numbers. Again, I made her repeat them, realizing I had no way to know if she was telling me the truth at least until I tried the numbers. For that reason, I decided to keep her around. I felt guilty about what I did next, but these were desperate times. In guardian training, I'd been taught both to kill and to incapacitate. I did the latter this time, slamming her head back against the floor and rendering her unconscious. Her expression went slack, her eyelids drooping. Damn. I was reduced to hurting teenage humans. Standing up, I moved to the door and punched in the first set of numbers, hoping I had them right. To my complete and utter astonishment, I did. The electronic lock clicked, but before I could open the door, I just barely made out another click. Someone had unlocked the outer door. â€Å"Shit,† I muttered. I pulled away from the door immediately, picked up Inna's unconscious body, and hurried to the bathroom. I set her in the tub as gently as possible and had just shut the bathroom door when I heard the main door open. I felt the telltale nausea that signaled a Strigoi was nearby. I knew one of the Strigoi could smell a human, and I hoped shutting her away would be enough to mute Inna's scent. I emerged from the hall and found Dimitri in the living room. I grinned at him and ran into his arms. â€Å"You're back,† I said happily. He held me briefly and then stepped back. â€Å"Yes.† He seemed slightly pleased at the greeting, but soon his face was all business. â€Å"Have you made your decision?† No hello. No how are you feeling? My heart sank. This wasn't Dimitri. â€Å"I have more questions.† I went over to the bed and lay down in a casual way, just like we always did. He followed a few moments later and sat on the edge, looking down at me. â€Å"How long will it take?† I asked. â€Å"When you awaken me? Is it instantaneous?† Once more, I launched into an interrogation session. Honestly, I was running out of questions, and at this point, I didn't really want to know the intricacies of becoming Strigoi. I was becoming more and more agitated with each passing moment. I had to act. I had to make use of my fleeting opportunity here. And yet†¦ before I could act, I had to reassure myself that this really wasn't Dimitri. It was stupid. I should know by now. I could see the physical changes. I'd seen his coldness, the brutality. I'd seen him come fresh from a kill. This wasn't the man I'd loved. And yet†¦ for that one fleeting moment earlier†¦ With a sigh, Dimitri stretched out beside me. â€Å"Rose,† he interrupted, â€Å"if I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalling for time.† Yeah, even as a Strigoi, Dimitri knew how I thought and schemed. I realized if I was going to be convincing, I had to stop playing dumb and remember to be Rose Hathaway. I put on a look of outrage. â€Å"Of course I am! This is a big deal. I came here to kill you, and now you're asking me to join you. You think this is easy for me to do?† â€Å"Do you think it's been easy for me to wait this long?† he asked. â€Å"The only ones who get choices are Moroi who willingly kill, like the Ozeras. No one else gets a choice. I didn't get a choice.† â€Å"And don't you regret that?† â€Å"No, not now. Now that I'm who I was meant to be.† He frowned. â€Å"The only thing hurt is my pride-that Nathan forced me and that he acts as though I'm indebted to him. Which is why I'm being kind enough to give you the choice now, for the sake of your pride.† Kind, huh? I looked at him and felt my heart breaking all over again. It was like hearing the news of his death once more. I suddenly grew afraid I might cry. No. No tears. Dimitri always talked about prey and predators. I had to be the predator. â€Å"You're sweating,† he said suddenly. â€Å"Why?† Damn, damn, damn. Of course I was sweating. I was contemplating staking the man I loved-or thought I'd loved. And along with sweat, I was sure I was giving off pheromones of my agitation. Strigoi could smell all of those things, too. â€Å"Because I'm scared,† I whispered. I propped myself up and stroked the edge of his face, trying to memorize all of his features. The eyes. The hair. The shape of his cheekbones. In my imagination, I overlaid the things I remembered. Dark eyes. Tanned skin. Sweet smile. â€Å"I†¦ I think I'm ready, but it's†¦ I don't know. It's such a big thing.† â€Å"It'll be the best decision of your life, Roza.† My breathing was growing rapid, and I prayed he'd think it was because of my fear of being turned. â€Å"Tell me again. One more time. Why do you want to awaken me so badly?† A slightly weary look crossed his face. â€Å"Because I want you. I've always wanted you.† And that's when I knew. I finally realized the problem. He'd given that same answer over and over, and each time, something about it had bothered me. I'd never been able to pinpoint it, though. Now I could. He wanted me. Wanted me in the way people wanted possessions or collectibles. The Dimitri I'd known†¦ the one I'd fallen for and slept with†¦ that Dimitri would have said he wanted us to be together because he loved me. There was no love here. I smiled at him. Leaning down, I kissed him gently. He probably thought I was doing it for the reasons I always did, out of attraction and desire. In truth, it was a goodbye kiss. His mouth answered mine, his lips warm and eager. I held out the kiss a little longer, both to fight back the tears leaking out of my eyes and to lull him into an unsuspecting state. My hand closed around the chair leg, which I'd hidden in my hoodie pocket. I would never forget Dimitri, not for the rest of my life. And this time, I wouldn't forget his lessons. With a speed he wasn't ready for, I struck out and plunged the stake through his chest. My strength was there-sliding the stake past the ribs and straight into his heart. And as I did it, it was like piercing my own heart at the same time.

‘Eve Teasing in Bangladesh’ -Causes and Remedies Essay

London, June 16 (ANI): Eve teasing in Bangladesh has taken such a heavy toll on the country’s women that the education ministry there has voted to have an â€Å"Eve Teasing Protection Day†. The announcement was made after the increasing concern over the worrying number of girls and women who have recently committed suicide in the country to escape eve teasing, a euphemism for sexual harassment. According to figures released by the Ain-O-Shalish Kendra (ASK) human rights organisation, 14 girls and women have taken their own lives over the past four months across the country as a direct result of the insults. In addition, a father and a daughter also committed suicide together – in an incident blamed by the authorities on â€Å"eve teasing†. Police say three men who publicly protested against the harassment have been killed over the past 12 weeks. Critics argue that laws, which should prohibit sexual harassment, are so poorly drafted that victims get virtually no help from the law enforcement agencies. Families of the victims are left feeling hopeless and helpless. â€Å"Some victims find suicide is the only avenue that enables them to escape this social pandemic,† the BBC quoted Sultana Kamal, executive director of ASK, as saying. â€Å"The situation is very frightening. The suicides of 14 girls are an alarming sign of the times. If it is not controlled, we women can no longer live in society with any dignity,† she said. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid while admitting to the menace said female students and female teachers were at present not safe on the streets or schools, a situation leading to an increased drop-out rate of female students in many schools, and underage marriages. (ANI) Bengal girl commits suicide after sexual harassment Kolkata, August 14 (IANS) Subjected to regular sexual harassment by a some local youths and following an altercation with her father on the issue, a 13-year-old-school girl committed suicide by immolating herself in West Bengal’s Burdwan district, police said Tuesday. Four people have been arrested in this connection. â€Å"Ujjawala Prasad, 13, had set herself on fire last night and she succumbed to  injuries Tuesday morning. Her father has lodged a complaint against nine persons who had been harassing the girl for the past few days. Four persons have been arrested,† a police officer said. The incident happened in Hirapur in Burdwan district, 213 km from Kolkata. Police said the girl complained to her father about some boys teasing her regularly, following which he went to confront them. The boys said the girl was having an affair with one of them. The father had a heated argument with the girl Monday night. After the incident, Leader of Opposition and Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Surjya Kanta Mishra said: â€Å"Not a single day passes when an incident of an attack on women is not reported. Today a girl committed suicide in Asansol after she was harassed by men. The attacks on women, especially on minor girls, has shot up.† Rising incidents of sexual harassment and increasing public anger in protest has prompted the Bangladesh government, headed by a woman, Sheikh Hasina, to take action. In the latest incident Friday, villagers set fire to houses of some alleged stalkers in Talupara village in Sirajganj district, about 110 km northwest of Dhaka. The mob also caught a stalker’s father and handed him over to the police. In another incident, at least 10 members of a family were Wednesday beaten for protesting against stalking, and one of them died, The Daily Star reported. Abdur Rauf, son of Delwar, used to pester Kamrul’s wife Joinab, 18, every day. After Joinab brought the matter to Delwar’s attention, Rauf and his men went to Kamrul’s house and beat up his family. Kamrul’s uncle Aser Ali succumbed to injuries on way to hospital. In another incident last week, a school girl’s father, who managed to nab her stalker and hand him over to the police, could not take questions from the media and died of heart attack. The government has promised a law to prevent sexual harassment of women at work. But the problem is difficult to tackle in villages where women and young girls from broken families or with men away on work face harassment from idle, at times better off, youths. The government declared to observe June 13 as the Eve Teasing Protection Day  from this year. The resolve to raise public awareness comes from the presence of several women in public life. â€Å"In a country where the prime minister (Sheikh Hasina), foreign minister (Dipu Moni), home minister (Sajeda Khatun), agriculture minister (Motia Chowdhury) and the leader of the opposition (Begum Khaleda Zia) are female, women and girls cannot walk on the streets, use public transport, or go to school, shops, parks or other public places without often being ogled, taunted, harassed, humiliated, sexually molested, groped and assaulted – and in some cases, attacked with acid, abducted and raped,† The Daily Star lamented in a commentary Saturday. According to the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, almost 90 percent of girls aged 10-18 years are victims of sexual harassment. The perpetrators range from college students and unemployed youth to street vendors, rickshaw pullers, bus drivers, fellow passengers, colleagues and supervisors. â€Å"Sexual terrorism thrives on patriarchal attitudes, prejudices, cultural norms, double standards and discriminatory laws that devalue women and deny them their rights. Eradicating it will require transformative social change,† the newspaper said. A large number of school and college students held a rally in Dhaka to protest against ‘eve teasing’ and the sexual harassment of women. According to the BBC, the rally was the latest in a series of protests following a number of suicides and killings involving women subjected to bullying and harassment. The protestors have urged the Bangladesh government to take proper steps to curb sexual harassment and provide better protection for women. â€Å"Some right-wing parties say that if the girls wear a veil, then they can escape Eve teasing, but we don’t think so. We need tougher legislation and it should be properly implemented to stop this menace,† one of the protestors said. Young girls often face verbal abuse, taunts and stalkers, and critics are forcibly silenced. Those harassing them are often their school colleagues or men in the street, the report said. According to activists, eve teasing and sexual harassment has led to the deaths of more than 24 people, most of them women, since the beginning of this year in the country. In recent days, some who have spoken  out against sexual harassment have been murdered, it added. (ANI)

Recycled Black Berry phones Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Recycled Black Berry phones - Assignment Example Activity durations can be defined as the procedure of estimating the amount of work related periods which would be required in order to accomplish respective activities within the approximated resources. With reference to the prepared Gantt Chart of the activities, it can be determined that the entire project schedule related to recycling of Blackberry phones would require six activities to be undertaken. The first activity is collection and arrangement of all report relating to the availability of manpower and resources. This activity will require approximately four weeks’ time period. In order to complete this activity, the three major estimated resources that will be required include project manager who would manage the whole project. Apart from this, the HR manager would help the project manager by providing relevant report with regard to the competent and skilled manpower resources, who would be able to take part in this project. Production manager would also be a key pla yer and resource who would aid the project manager through rendering information about various production related activities that would be a key element of the project. Moreover, the second activity of the recycled Blackberry phones project is preparing a brief framework about the immediate tasks concerning the procurement of additional resources. For fulfilling this activity, there will be a need of around six weeks’ time and the required resources will be new technology which will help for building the framework and providing proper guidelines for the resources. With human resources manager and procurement manager’s help the project manager will be able to fulfill the activity. ... around six weeks’ time and the required resources will be new technology which will help for building the framework and providing proper guidelines for the resources. With human resources manager and procurement manager’s help the project manager will be able to fulfill the activity. The third activity is to make suitable amount of improvements in relation to the available facilities in the plant in a timely basis. In order to accomplish this activity, the required duration would be three weeks and it can be possible to be undertaken after completing the above two activities. For completing this task, there is a need of obtaining valuable inputs from site manager who can aid the project manager to design the plan for the recycled Blackberry phones. Availability of updated facilities in the plant can enable the project to regulate in a smooth manner. Apart from site manager, there is requirement of deriving valuable contributions from workers along with registering a pro per budgetary plan for completing the project. Another activity related to the project is setting provisions pertaining to the basic requirements concerning proper electricity backup, machinery requirements and technical assistance among others. For completing this activity, a work period of four weeks will be required and it will be started before finishing the third activity as the activity of improving the plant could be completed successfully only with the aid of technical assistance and machinery upgradation. For electricity backup, there is a need to ensure the availability of inverter and computer backup through UPS technology. Apart from these, in order to regulate this activity, the valuable inputs of an electrical engineer along with workers in terms of technical assistance would be

Government Public meeting about urban planing Essay - 1

Government Public meeting about urban planing - Essay Example They keenly followed the meeting and sought clarifications on some points. The meeting mainly focused on urban planning and the relevant steps the government had taken to achieve them. The meeting resolved to approve the utilization of the one-year State of Arizona contract with various companies such as Teknion Facilitec Inc., Corporate Interior and Systems Inc. among others. The decision aimed at benefiting the upgrading of the various departments in the city. The council approved the utilization for purchase of furniture products and services for different offices. In addition, the planned total expenditure to facilitate this process was quoted to be $555000 during the one-year period. An estimate of $300 of the total sum would be set aside for water/wastewater Capital Improvement Project Fund. The amount would be used for solving the water and sewerage issues in the city. That amount also funded the replacement of worn out environmental laboratory furniture. Consequently, the total budget was allocated for the expenses planned. Furthermore, the meeting approved renewal of the contract with AP Fire Station, LLC. This would ensure inspection, servicing, repairing, and upgrading all alarms and fire extinguishers in the city. This move by the council attempts to increase protection of citizens against fire and fire-related problems. Similarly, the repairing and servicing of fire alarms ensures victims of fire accidents seek instant help. Through this project, the council expects least number of fire problems in the city. The total cost of this project is estimated at $ 85000 during a year period. The council had allocated enough funds for this project prior to its approval. Moreover, according to the meeting, the committee plans to make significant repairs and improve the transport sector. Through the adoption of the one-year contract with Fabiani Painting and Decorating, Inc., the council aims

Power, Privilege, Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Power, Privilege, Security - Essay Example Privacy does not include the opportunity to cause harm. What the employee does on his personal time that does not present a danger to others in the workplace, e.g., smoking or having unprotected sex, is not the concern of the employer, not directly under the employer's rightful control, and not subject to scrutiny through any means; much less through a device as inconsistent as a polygraph. It is not the responsibility of an employer to supervise its workers on such a microcosmic level. Even Kant, in his most moralistic application of a categorical imperative would find no duty on the part of the employer to police the employees in such an intrusive manner. Employees are not children and employers are certainly not empowered to treat them as such. As far as the use of a pre-screening process whereby an employer determines what is and what is not acceptable activity in the private lives of its employees, a more arbitrary and capricious means of discrimination could hardly be imagined. Even the libertarian-especially the libertarian-would see such discriminatory practice as rife with the potential for abuse. My Position: I am for the Patriot Act in general because I feel that increasing police powers for the purposes of protecting the American public can be done reasonably and without violating anyone's constitutional rights. Amendments to section... First, it clarifies the level of detail necessary to obtain a section 206 order, particularly where the target is identified by a description rather than by name. Second, it imposes a "return" requirement on investigators, meaning that in most circumstances the government is required to provide notice to the court within 10 days that surveillance has been directed at a new facility or place. Statement in Support of Section 206. As quoted above, Section 206 provides for the issuance of "an electronic surveillance order that attaches to a particular target rather than a particular phone or computer" (DOJ 1). This section of the Patriot Act assists federal authorities in focusing their efforts on a suspect individual and monitor communication across all possible areas of communication rather than having to get court authority for each different mode. In the case of Mr. X, who intended to plant a bomb in the main terminal of Grand Central Station in New York, authorities were severely limited in their surveillance abilities. Having sufficient information from a reliable informer, authorities obtained a warrant to tap the home telephone of Mr. X. The terrorist was technologically astute, and discovered the monitoring of his conversations with the co-conspirators. He immediately began to use a series of cell phones and private chat rooms on the Internet to prevent authorities from stopping his intended attack. Section 206 allows investigative agencies to obtain a warrant for any electronic device that Mr. X might use, and thereby provide a timely response to stop him and his associates from carrying out their plans. Counter Argument. It has been asserted that

International Marketing - Viagress Marketing Strategy Case Study

International Marketing - Viagress Marketing Strategy - Case Study Example The product is suited for Germany the major factor being age. The decision of launching this product in Germany also was because of these factors.†¢ Excellent Medical Facilities in Germany.†¢ Strict vigilance over health care system.†¢ 9 huge cities to cater to.The product itself is a strong contender for its success, as it has shown highly positive results in females, that is out of every 10 women 8 have had extreme pleasure during intercourse with the use of this drug.Promotional StrategyThe major support would be given through the name Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, as this organization experienced a huge success with Viagra the drug that helped males have an enhanced erection. Advertisements, Billboards, and direct marketing would be used as an effective promotional strategy.   Explicit content would be avoided during advertisements and emphasis would be given on opinions from females who have used the drug. While formulating the promotional strategy special care would be taken about the culture and norms of the people of Germany.Pricing StrategyThe price of this product is devised by keeping in mind the production cost. Other reasons that would influence the price would be the prices of competitors. As the manufacturing would not be taking place in Germany hence the shipping and transportation costs would also be included in the manufacturing costs.PlacingThe product does not have a target audience according to socio-economic class. The basic target market is defined by age factor. As we discussed majority female population in Germany is in between 40 – 55 and the drug is most effective for this age group hence the product would be placed in greater quantity in areas where this age group exists in majority. This though does not restrict the placing procedure because Germany has nine big cities and all of them would be catered according to the demand and target audience. Channels of Distribution The distribution would be done through retailers who would supply the drug to drug outlets that is to chemists. From there it would be sold to the customers. The product would be available without a doctor’s prescription hence Super Stores would also be able to sell the product. This is due to the success of Viagress both for women who have difficulty in sexual arousals and who do not. Modes of Entry This would be not an easy task as the product is being launched for the first time and as the success rate is 8 out of 10 women it might be possible that the 20% can be the first time users, hence a safe path would be selected to penetrate the market. A major advantage to Viagress is the huge chunk of market that is available for them to take over. The organization would first show and explain the success of the drug Viagra for males and then explain functions of Viagress in order to spread awareness among the people about what the product does. Summary After the successful launch of Viagra for males in U.S. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals are really looking forward to their second product to provide them with the same kind of success. There are certain