Religious Life of Planet Earth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious Life of Planet Earth - Essay Example Finally, in traditional ceremonies, people from Ghana in Africa were noted to consult with traditional priests who act as the link between people and their gods (Brahm, 2005). This indicates the existence of some religion that makes people believe that these priests represented them before a higher power. The place of religion among the societies in the Earth would be said to be complex, fitting into social organisation as a whole and dominantly functioning in each of its part. Religion plays a critical role in fulfilling psychological needs. It helps human beings confront death and explain it. It relieves them of anxieties and fears of the unknown. During life’s crises such during serious illness, humans would turn to religion to ease their stress. It guides humans in making life’s decision, making them know what to do and at what time, thus providing the much needed psychological relief. Religion also serves to fulfil the social needs of human beings. It reinforces gr oup norms hence bringing about social homogeneity. This uniformity of belief plays a critical role in reinforcing group identity and binding people together. Hamilton (2010) further notes that religion sacralises norms and by promoting group goals, it makes social order legitimate. It plays a major role in giving identity. Finally, the social control function of religion has been appreciated, defining what would be considered as wrong or right. Rightful actions earn approval from gods while wrongful actions could cause supernatural retribution. For example, Quran, the sacred text of Islam provides a list of crimes which if committed would lead to punishment and describes mundane tasks such the specific foods to eat. Nonetheless, there have been other... The place of religion among the societies in the Earth would be said to be complex, fitting into the social organization as a whole and dominantly functioning in each of its parts. Religion plays a critical role in fulfilling psychological needs. It helps human beings confront death and explain it. It relieves them of anxieties and fears of the unknown. During life’s crises such during serious illness, humans would turn to religion to ease their stress. It guides humans in making life’s decision, making them know what to do and at what time, thus providing the much needed psychological relief. Religion also serves to fulfill the social needs of human beings. It reinforces group norms hence bringing about social homogeneity. This uniformity of belief plays a critical role in reinforcing group identity and binding people together. Hamilton (2010) further notes that religion sacralizes norms and by promoting group goals, it makes social order legitimate. It plays a major r ole in giving identity. Finally, the social control function of religion has been appreciated, defining what would be considered as wrong or right. Rightful actions earn approval from gods while wrongful actions could cause supernatural retribution. For example, Quran, the sacred text of Islam provides a list of crimes which if committed would lead to punishment and describes mundane tasks such the specific foods to eat.Nonetheless, there have been other interpretations of religion that goes against the functionalist approach.

FGM among the Maasai of Kenya Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FGM among the Maasai of Kenya - Term Paper Example Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) refers to the removal of an entire or a part of the external parts of the female sexual organ. In most practicing societies, the Maasai included, popular opinion towards FGM by the Maasai of Kenya is that its effects are more counterproductive than benevolent on the life of the innocent girl, and it should be disbanded. In the first place, there is a multiplicity of negative health consequences which are associated with FGM. First, FGM readily brings with it, hemorrhage, since the sponsors who preside over it are usually bereft of adequate surgical or clinical skills. Sponsors in this case are those who preside over this rite of passage. Again, the clandestine nature with which FGM is practiced makes adequate preparations for the ritual nearly impossible. This includes the failure to feature clinical tools to control bleeding as part of the sponsors’ paraphernalia. Largely, the legal proscription of the act by the Government of Kenyan 9 years ag o, underpins the clandestine nature of FGM practices. According to Maasai Rising (2013), the gravity of the matter above cannot be downplayed. Despite the Government of Kenya’s act of outlawing the FGM, the prevalence of FGM among the Maasai of Kenya remains at an appalling 95-97%. It is estimated that 5% of this population is lost annually, to hemorrhage sustained from the rite of passage. What exacerbates the situation is the fact that the age of eligible FGM candidates keeps reducing. Candidates are people who have been designated for initiation. The reason behind the reduction in the age of the potential FGM candidates among the Kenyan Maasai girls is that the Government of Kenya has appointed non-Maasai teachers to enlighten and conscientize the Maasai girl child on FGM and its dangers. These teachers usually teach in the upper years of primary school education, where most female students are considered ripe for circumcision. Because of this increased enlightenment among Maasai girls, the age of circumcision gets lowered to parry away rebellion from the girl child who is older and more enlightened. This means that presently, most candidates are not those at the onset of puberty, but those between 4 and 9 years. The crux of the matter herein is that the younger candidates are not strong enough to withstand to heavy bleeding and succumb to it. Because of the failure to make proper arrangements to deal with clinical complications that may accost FGM, there are other pitfalls that follow it as a rite of passage. Cases of urethral damage also highly and consistently accost FGM since sponsors who preside over FGM are not clinically or medically trained. Again, reports by Maasai Evangelistic Association (2012) show that FGM is inextricably concomitant with urinary tract infections, cervical infections, chronic pelvic infections and dermatoid cysts. Sometimes, the birth canal is interfered with to the point of causing dangerous childbirth in future. In mos t instances, the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus is easily aided by the practice of FGM since only one blade is used on all participating candidates. The blade is only wiped on grass and nearby vegetative undergrowth to wipe off blood. This makes it too easy for infections to pass from one candidate to another, should one candidate be a disease carrier. However, the Maasai Evangelistic Association (2012) observes that it is important to note that the malevolent nature FGM is not merely embodied by the health implications that accompany the practice. To argue otherwise

Obesity in African American Culture Essay Example for Free

Obesity in African American Culture Essay Obesity has more that just a physical effect on the body. Obesity also greatly affects the mental and emotional part of the body as well. Although you cannot directly correlate metal and emotional health to obesity, you can see that its effects do in fact play a role in the mental and emotional health of an obese person. While the effects of obesity do indeed reach out to all races, it is easy to see that mental and emotional problems from obesity in the African American culture are present in the culture. Depression, anxiety, and discrimination, are all results that are caused by obesity in the African American community. Many people are familiar with depression, whether it be a friend or family member that went through it or that they themselves went though it. â€Å"Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can have a negative effect on a persons thoughts, behavior, feelings, world view and physical well-being† (Salmans 1997). African American obesity has a close tie with depression in African American people. When people are self-conscious about their weight they may think that people look down on them for this. This would cause them to think less of themselves or believe that others are better then them. In turn it can cause the obese African American to have a bad view of themselves, other people, and the world in general. This is exactly what depression is. You can see that depression can be caused by obesity in the African American culture. Anxiety is another emotional distress many people are familiar with. Anxiety is know as, â€Å"the displeasing feeling of fear and concern† (Davison 2008). Many people have felt the effects of anxiety in their own lives, whether it is before an important test, a speech in front of many people, or the big gam; many people feel anxiety. Looking only at anxiety caused by obesity in African American people is a different situation. Anxiety or nervousness before a big event is common and in many ways healthy because it motivates us to do the very best we can. Anxiety in African Americans because of obesity is not healthy; in fact it can be dangerous and destructive. By feeling displeased and concerned about their weight African Americans can struggle all through out life to over come these feelings. It could limit their goals and overall make them settle for less then they really can do. Anxiety do to obesity in the African American community is not a healthy and can severely constrain someone’s life. Discrimination in the African American community has always been a problem through out history. Slavery is a very obvious product of discrimination. Taking a more specific look at discrimination of the African American community because of obesity is a different situation. When people discriminate African Americans because of their weight it seriously prohibits their chances of succeeding in life. It could be in the work place or at school. By placing these barriers we are limiting the ability of the African American community and hurting their chances of having a successful and meaningful life. These mental and emotional effects of obesity in the African American community are unfair and wrong. People should not be judged on their weight. Davison, Gerald C. (2008). Abnormal Psychology. Toronto: Veronica Visentin. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-470-84072-6. Salmans, Sandra (1997). Depression: Questions You Have – Answers You Need. Peoples Medical Society. ISBN 978-1-882606-14-6.

Carlos Ghosn At Nissan An Evaluation Management Essay

Carlos Ghosn At Nissan An Evaluation Management Essay In 1999 Renualt and Nissan formed an alliance, as both companies could benefit from each other. Renualt needed a partner that could enhance their global position and Nissan had been looking for a strategic partner because they needed financial support after their credit rating was announced to be lowered to junk status, mainly due to the Asian financial crisis. The alliance should also contribute to new management ideas for Nissan to turnaround their seven out of eight year deficit. Carlos Ghosn was the guy to help Nissan to do this. The challenges that Ghosn faced were among others resistance to change, Japanese culture and communication problems. Ghosn promised that if he hadnt changed the deficit to a profit within two years, he would step down from his job at Nissan. He managed to turnaround Nissan in just eighteen months. Evaluation of Carlos Ghosn approach The evaluation of Ghosn approach to the turnaround of Nissan is addressing the following aspects. At the end of the paper the actual evaluation will be stated. Resistance to change When strategic changes are going to be implemented in companies, resistance to change almost always appears, and Nissan were no exception. The resistance in Nissan occurred because the Japanese culture is bureaucratic and focuses on social harmony. But organizational culture also caused some resistance from the employees. With that said I dont think that the employees where that resistant. It sounds like the employees knew that the situation was serious, and they didnt want to lose their job. As stated later in the paper, the mindset of the employees change and that the changes happened very fast. Some of the main causes of resistance are unawareness of what and why things are changing and lack of communication from the leader to the employees (Ford 2009). The first thing Ghosn embrace is exactly those things, and thereby avoid resistance concerning those causes. Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 4 Reasons for resistance Despite of the things Ghosn do to avoid resistance, there is some resistance from the employees. The causes for resistance are seen below: No guaranty of lifetime employment Promotion based on performance instead of seniority and education (Nennkou-Jyoretu philosophy) Ghosn encouraged risk-taking Matrix structure The changes for the employees were thus large, as their whole business mindset had to change. The causes are described in the following: Lifetime employment was security for the employees as they knew that they would never lose the job. The Japanese government would bail the company out if they were in financial trouble. This, though, werent the case for the major financial house, Yamaichi, which went bankrupt and not saved by the government just before Ghosn came to Japan (case: C551). This changed the employees mindset so they got a sense of urgency of getting Nissan to perform well again or else they could lose their job. A big resistance from the employees was the promotion of younger leaders over older, longer-serving employees. The Nennkou-Jyoretu philosophy did no longer exist, as Ghosn wanted to promote risk-taking and personal accountability and responsibility. This was done by introducing performance based incentive systems, which included cash incentives and stock options for achievements directly linked to successful operating profit and revenue (case:C553). The change of the promotion system would course some resistance from the employees that were up for a promotion, but didnt get it because of the new system. This could create a dis-motivating problem that Nissan has to consider and exterminate. The reason for changing the promotion system was to encourage risk taking. The Nemawashi philosophy destroyed the effectiveness of decision making in Nissan and other Japanese companies. These informal meeting before information meeting was Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 5 held to protect the individual from making bad decisions, and in the previous promotion system, the only thing preventing the employee of a career advancement what failure and mistakes. This Ghosn changed as he wanted the employees to think, take responsibility and be accountable for what they did. Every report that the employees handed in had to be accurate and the employees was held accountable for what was stated in the report. Ghosn changed the organizational structure to a matrix structure. This meant that every employee will have two bosses; a functional and a regional. The often fatal weakness of this structure is the discussions among employees from different departments about resource allocation (KaplanNorton 2006), and thereby cause resistance to the change. It was not only the employees that were resistance to change. Business analysts and the media both criticized Ghosn for going against the Japanese culture by firing people that not met targets, this also let to a nickname: the foreigner (case: C552). The government responded to this change of business culture by offering subsidies and programs for the affected employees, probably because they saw the rational of not bailing companies out of their crisis, just because they didnt manage their company well. Organizational culture To turn Nissans deficit to a profit, the corporate culture had to change. The Japanese culture had a big impact on how the corporate culture was, but some of the problems at Nissan where not normally seen in other Japanese companies. On top of the problems Ghosn states (see case: C549), there are some other organizational problems. These problems were: Follow-up on decision was not effective Top management had created tunnel vision regarding market share instead of profit à   created unprofitable products Communication problems through the layers Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 6 Top management did not follow up effectively on decisions, which made it difficult to know which decisions were successful and which were bad. The consequence is that Nissan doesnt learn of their mistakes and thereby cannot use the lesson learn from bad decision or the experience from good decisions to future decision making. Top management focused on market share instead of profit, which created unprofitable products as listed in the case: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ only four out of 43 models turned a profit. (Case: C546). The reason for this focus was the maintenance of company size and staff. This corporate problem stem from the long standing partnership between the government and major businesses to ensure lifelong employment. As there was no guaranty at being bail out by the government, Nissans strategic focus has to change to regard profit instead of market share. The communication problem at Nissan concerns no shared vision or strategy throughout the company. Staff doesnt know what the top management is doing and top management doesnt know what the other managers and employees are doing. This may lead to a company that doesnt move in the same direction as the employees dont know the direction they should work. This problem stems from the national culture problem that groups dont talk to each other, and only worry about how their own department is doing. What Ghosn did to enlist support To handle the above problems Ghosn made three principles that transcended all cultures in the firm. These were: 1. Transparency 2. Execution 95%, strategy 5% 3. Communication These principles were used to give employees structure and give guidance on what to keep in mind when managing the company in the future. Ghosn was surprised how fast the employees at every level adapted to the new management process. But he also saw the cultural problem as a challenge and he Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 7 stated that it was important to respect the employees culture. This led to the following initiatives: The first thing Ghosn did was to ensure that the people that accompanied him from Renault had the same respect and attitude for Nissan and the Japanese culture as him. He initiated long discussions with several hundred managers in order to get an insight on the day-to-day operations. He turned the resistance into feedback and used the conversations with managers as a resource to find the optimal solutions (Ford 2009). After these discussions he developed a program which encouraged the employees at Nissan to contribute recommendations for the company. This replaced outside hiring and Ghosn hoped this induced motivation. This program called Cross-Functional-Teams (CFT) consisted of 10 members from different departments. The groups also contributed to better insight across the different departments, and moved away from the imploded relationships in the company (Krackhardt 2000). It also gave the employees a better insight of the company as a whole. The groups developed a new corporate culture from the best elements of the Japanese culture (case:C551). Working in these groups also helped the managers to think in new ways and share ideas across departments. Ghosn created a matrix structure so every employee had two bosses; this improved the transparency and communication between the departments and also the awareness of both functional and regional problems. Ghosn disciplined employees strongly for inaccurate and poor data; he wanted employees to take responsibility. This was to stimulate risk taking and personal accountability. Ghosn created a system of if you contribute there will be opportunity and reward (case: C553) These initiatives and the fact that Japanese respect leadership helped Ghosn to incorporate his new management process in the corporate culture. Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 8 National culture The Japanese culture is very incorporated in every company in Japan as so in Nissan, and it is hard not to affect Ghosn. The national culture has challenged Ghosn both on the personnel side and the financial side. The following are listing some of the Japanese cultures impact on Nissan: The keiretsu philosophy à   tying up capital of $4 billion Cultural consensus of group harmony creates efficiency à   no awareness of what is going on outside own group (Imploded relationship; Krackhardt 2000) Finger pointing à   no one accepted responsibility. Blamed everyone but themselves. Acceptance rather that responsibility because culture protects career advancement Nemawashi à   informal meetings before information meetingsà   no individual to blame Hampered risk-taking and slowed decision making at all levels. Routine, details and concepts with no sense of urgency slowed decision making and created no risk taking As Ghosn states: The Japanese are so organized and know how to make the best of things. The respect leadership. (Case:C550) Ghosn had a very open mind when entering the job, for instance he didnt wanted to learn much about the Japan before he came, because he didnt wanted to get any preconceived ideas (case: C546). Ghosn had also worked at four different continents and spoke five different languages, which indicates that he has an open mind to cultural differences and that he is used to work in different cultures. You can say that Ghosn is multicultural. This helped Ghosn to reduce the difference between his culture and Nissans culture, and thereby didnt induce deep cultural differences. Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 9 Culture as a helper or hindrance Culture was both a helper and a hindrance for Ghosn. The hindrance consisted of how deep Japanese culture where incorporated in Nissan, such as no responsibility, accountability and risk taking from employees and the keiretsu philosophy. The respect for leadership was a big helper for Ghosn, as the employees at every level where willing to change their mind and embrace new ideas. Ghosn himself was very surprised that the acceptance of change happened that quickly. The way Ghosn embraced the cultural difference was: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ by accepting and building on strengths of the different cultures, all employees, including Ghosn himself, would be given a chance to grow personally through the consideration of different perspectives. (case: C550). This way Ghosn made culture into an opportunity and not a hindrance for managing Nissan. Luck and timing One of the most powerful impacts on strategy execution is the capital market (BowerGilbert 2007). One of the reasons that Nissan needed help was the Asian financial crisis, where the devaluation of the yen/USD had a big impact on Nissans keiretsu investments. This meant that Nissan should find a new partner in the automobile industry to avoid a credit rating as junk. They also needed new capital and new ideas. The financial house, Yamaichi, went bankrupt at the same time Ghosn arrived to Japan, and where not helped by the government. This sent a message to Nissans employees that they should not be sure of having a job if Nissan proceed with their operations as usually. Ghosn also took advantage of the situation by using the Yamaichi example any time possible. Renault looked for a partner, as they wanted to exploit the Japanese and the North American market to enhance their global position. Another reason was to reduce their dependency of the European market. In May 1998 Renault merged with DaimlerCrysler, which led to a sense of urgency of finding a partner to compete more Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 10 globally. If Renault didnt alliance with Nissan, Ghosn would never have been COO of Nissan. Another thing is that Ghosn came to Renault in 1996, if the alliance were made before that, Ghosn would not have been the leader of the changes. If the alliance were made in the beginning of his career at Renault it is not sure that Ghosn would have got the job. All these events have resulted in the success of Nissan turning their deficit to a profit. If these events where not happening at the same time, it is not certain that the success Ghosn experienced would have happened. I dont think than Ghosn could have had the same success a few years earlier, as the Yamaichi bankruptcy changed Nissans employees mindset referring to their job security. Renault would probably not have been looking for an alliance partner (and Ghosn would not have been in Nissan), if they hadnt got the need of a global position on the world market, which they urgently got in 1998 after the merger with DaimlerChrysler. The conclusion is that both luck and timing of many elements affects the success of changes. Evaluation My opinion of Carlos Ghosns approach to turning Nissan around is that it was the right way to do it. Ghosn knew that he had to respect the national culture, and he knew that he had to lead the employees being heard. The latter is often a reason why resistance occurs, because it is the employees that know the day-to-day operations and know what can be done (Ford 2009). A key initiative he imposes was the CFT, which should enforce communication and motivation: He (red.Ghosn) felt that if the employees could accomplish the revival by their own hands, the confidence in the company as a whole and motivation would again flourish. (Case:C550) Tina Nielsen Strategy Execution 48-hour exam 050684-1216 CM-J41 Oktober 29th 2010 Page | 11 This was very clever as the CFT accepted the firing of the 21,000 employees. This was accepted of the employees because if the CFT agreed on that, then it must be right, or else they wouldnt have fired people. If it was Ghosn alone that made the decision, employees may not have been accepting that as fast, and resistance would have appeared. The way Ghosn approached the Japanese culture were with humility and respect, this was necessary in a country where culture is as important as in Japan. Literature Ford, J. D. and Ford, L. W. (2009). Decoding resistance to change. Harvard Business Review, 87(4), 99-103 Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P.(2006).How to implement a new strategy without disrupting your organization. Harvard Business Review, 84(3), 100-109 Krackhardt, D. and Hanson, J. R.(1993).Informal networks: the company behind the chart. Harvard Business Review, July/August, 104-111 Bower, J. L. and Gilbert, C. G. (2007). How managers everyday decisions create or destroy your companys strategy.Harvard Business Review, 85(2), 72-79

Socially Constructed Reality and Meaning in Notes from Underground Essa

Socially Constructed Reality and Meaning in Notes from Underground Just as the hands in M.C. Escher’s â€Å"Drawing Hands† both create and are created by each other, the identity of man and society are mutually interdependent. According to the model described in The Sacred Canopy, Peter Berger believes that man externalizes or creates a social reality that is in turn objectified, or accepted by him as real. This sociological model creates a useful framework for understanding the narrator’s rejection of ultimate reality or truth in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground. The reality in which the narrator tries to live in part II, and the reality that he rejects in part I, are both created and, as such, are ultimately meaningless. The underground man’s refusal to objectify social reality causes a feeling of meaninglessness and raises a fundamental question of purpose that confronts people of all dispositions. Berger’s theory is based on a dialectical relationship between man and society. To explain his theory he defines three terms. â€Å"Externalization is the ongoing outpouring of human being into the world. Objectivation, the attainment by the products of this activity of a reality that confronts its original producers as a facticity external to and other than themselves. Internalization is the reappropriation by men of this same reality, transforming into structures of the subjective consciousness,† (Berger 4). He believes that society is a wholly human invention created by man’s tendency to externalize. This created entity is then objectified by man, giving society and its features the appearance of true reality. His newly created reality then acts upon and shapes man through internalization. Man, his identity... ...fulfills his societal roles. Chernyshevsky’s utilitarian is happy when individual needs are met. The man of consciousness can be happy, even if his happiness comes from the rejection of happiness altogether. There is no superior happiness; there is no superior type of fulfillment. The individual achieves these ends by acting individually. No hand can avoid drawing, and man finds completeness when he fulfills the purpose that he has drawn for himself. Works Cited Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor Books, 1990. Escher, M.C. â€Å"Drawing Hands.† Cover of Norton edition of Notes from Underground. Katz, Michael R., ed. Notes from Underground. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. Chernyshevsky, Nikolai. â€Å"What Is to Be Done?† Katz 104-123. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. â€Å"Notes from Underground.† Katz 3-91

Our Time Machine :: essays research papers

Our Time Machine H.G. Wells once wrote a novel called The Time Machine, it was published in 1895. This exciting little adventure featured a device that had power over time. Who knew that in 2001 we too would have such a device? One invention that has made it evident that we have reached the twenty first century is named Tivo. With this, one has the ability to pause, fast forward, and essentially tamper with live television. This gadget is, in a sense an actual time machine. We’re living in an age where the word digital seems to come into play with every new invention. Digital technology includes all types of electronic applications that use information in the form of numeric code. This information is usually in something called a binary code—that is, code that can be represented by strings of only two numeric characters. These characters are usually 0 and 1. Devices that process and use digital information include personal computers, calculators, automobiles, traffic light controllers, compact disc players, cellular telephones, communications satellites, and now Tivo. Most of the information we sense is analog in nature—that is, it varies constantly, and an infinite number of values can be assigned to the information. For example, the brightness of a light bulb dimmed gradually from on to off could be considered analog information. This infinite number of brightnesses can be broken up into ranges. If the possible brightnesses are broken into two ranges, then the values 0 and 1 can hold digital information relating to the brightness of the bulb. However, each of the two digits still represents a countless number of analog values. The ranges of brightnesses can be divided again and again, until there are thousands of ranges of values, each of which can be represented by a numerical value. Once analog information has been broken up into digital information, it is impossible to perfectly reverse the process and re-create all of the possible analog signals from the corresponding digital signals. This is why most analog signals are represented by a great number of digital information levels. For example, the sound stored as digital information on a CD is broken down into 65,536 levels. A CD player translates the digital information into analog information so that a speaker can convert it into sound waves. Some devices process digital information using a tiny computer called a microprocessor. It performs calculations on digital information and then makes decisions based on the results.

Hershey Company Essay

Abstract The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey’s, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey’s Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894 as the Hershey Chocolate Company, a subsidiary of his Lancaster Caramel Company. Hershey’s products are sold in about sixty countries worldwide. In addition, Hershey is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation. The company has been topped to 384, compared with the previous rank 404, in 2013 (CNN, 2013). This paper is going to show the company’s international environment, exams the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats. After analyzing the strategic management for going abroad and competitive advantages, the author concluded that how the Hershey Company successes to offer the whole world’s happiness and what else can be down to move forward. Introduction to the Hershey Company The Hershey Company is the largest chocolate and confectionary product manufacturer in the North America Region. The Hershey Company Headquarters is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania founded by Milton Hershey. Milton S. Hershey in the late 1800s and the company has been a huge stimulation of growth for Hershey, Derry Township (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). As the new millennium begins, The Hershey Company continues to introduce new products frequently and take advantage of growth opportunities through acquisitions. HERSHEY’S products are known and enjoyed the world over. In fact, the company market, sell and distribute our products in approximately 70 countries. The Hershey Company’s key market includes United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and China. As of year-end 2011, Hershey employed 13,800 people and had consolidated net sales of $6.08 billion (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). Hershey’s slogan is bringing sweet moments of Hershey happiness to the world every day. Below are some of the Hershey Company’s popular brands: Hershey’s Chocolate Bar Almond Joy Kit Kat Hershey’s Kisses Reese’s Milk Duds Mr. Good bar Whoppers Hershey’s Mission â€Å"Our mission is to be a focused food company in North America and selected international markets and a leader in every aspect of our business. Our goal is to enhance our First position in the North American confectionery market, be the leader in U.S. chocolate-related grocery products, and to build leadership positions in selected international markets† (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). Hershey’s Slogan is: Bringing sweet moments of Hershey happiness to the world every day. To the stakeholders, this means: delivering quality consumer-driven confectionery experiences for all occasions to customers; winning with an aligned and empowered organization while having fun to employees; building collaborative relationships for profitable growth with customers, suppliers and partners; creating sustainable value for shareholders; honoring our heritage through continued commitment to making a positive difference on communities (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). Customers Full-time sales representatives and food brokers sell our products to our customers. Hershey’s customers are mainly wholesale distributors, chain grocery stores, and mass merchandisers, chain drug stores, vending companies, wholesale clubs, convenience stores, dollar stores, concessionaires, department stores and natural food stores (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). International Business Environment Analysis – SWOT Analysis 1. Strengths History and market share. The Hershey company exports to 60 different countries include Largest Distribution Network across North American  territory. According to market research firm Euromonitor International, the global confectionery market sits at $160 billion, and has grown at 5% annually the past five years. Meanwhile, the chocolate market in the United States is largely a two-horse race between Hershey (43%) and private company Mars, Inc. (31%). The next-largest competitor, Nestle, holds only a 6% U.S. market share (Markman, 2012). Various Products and Attractions. The Hershey has 120 years history of chocolate business. The Hershey Company develop various products such chocolate bars and bags, licorice and sugar candy, boxed chocolate, mints and gum, and specialized nutritional products. The Hershey Company has a number of Hershey’s Chocolate World attractions that provide consumers with the Hershey experience through interactive retail entertainment and merchandise. Key store locations include Hershey, Pennsylvania; Times Square in New York City; The Magnificent Mile, Chicago; Niagara Falls, Canada; Shanghai, China; Singapore; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). Professional Training for Employees. Hershey provides a variety of training and development opportunities that encourage their employees’ personal and professional development. Hershey University is an educational program that tailors its curriculum to Hershey’s evolving business environment, offering both classroom instruction and online courses. In addition, when specifically relevant to their jobs, employees may be entitled to tuition reimbursement for associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees at accredited institutions. Also, in July 2011 we launched CocoaLinkâ„ ¢, a first-of-its kind program that uses mobile technology to deliver practical—and critical—agricultural and social training to rural cocoa farmer s (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). Charity and social responsibility. Hershey is an exemplary organization in terms of business ethics and socialresponsibility; a significant part of Hershey Food’s profits go toward operatingthe Milton Hershey School for Orphaned Children. 2. Weaknesses Unhealthy Nutritional Content. Compare with Nestle and Mars’ chocolate bars, Hershey’s chocolate high in sugar. And Hershey’s chocolate contain more than twice as much as some of the others (ACALORIECOUNTER, 2013). Unhealthy nutritional content will affect customers’ choices of Hershey. Price inflation. Since 2008, Hershey Co. announced that it was raising its wholesale candy prices by 11%. This is the second price jump for them this year, in January they raised prices by 13% for select products in their line as well (ACALORIECOUNTER, 2013). In 2011, The Hershey Company says it is raising wholesale prices by 9.7% on most of its candy products. Due to price inflation of milk and sugar, the price of Hershey’s chocolate keeps rising which lower Hershey’s chocolates’ competitive ability among its competitors. Low international market share of chocolate confectionary industry. Hershey’s global market share in the chocolate confectionary industry in only 10 percent, lowest among its competitors 3. Opportunities Huge Consume Market. 81% of households consume chocolate candy. China and India are huge untapped markets. Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand also are untapped, So, Hershey has the opportunity to gain a foothold in those Countries (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). Environmentally Safety Products. There is another opportunity for Hershey to develop environmentally safe products and packages, reducing industrial waste, recycling, and establishing an environmental audit process are strategies that could benefit Hershey. Non-chocolate candies Market. Another opportunity is that Hershey diversifies more into non-chocolate candies because that segment is growing most rapidly in foreign countries like U.S &U.K. Anniversary and Festivals. The Hershey’s Company should take advantage of the holidays such as Valentine’s Day and anniversary. For example, this years’ Valentine’s Day, MM let customers customized their chocolate online. Customers can add their pictures on MM chocolates. And they can pick up the color of chocolates their like to combine a gift box. This innovation attracted a lot of customers. Charity & Foundations. As we all know, charity and foundations will bring great reputations to corporations. They can help corporations build positive brand images which will increase brand’s sales. 4. Threats Emerging competitors. The main competitors of Hershey Foods are Mars and Nestle. Mars is already a threat for Hershey, because Mars has a stronger presence than Hershey in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and Japan. At the same time, there are also many new competitors are entering chocolate market such as Whole food’s chocolate. Compare with Hershey, Mars, and Nestle, Whole Food’s chocolate aim at healthy chocolates. They provide choice to the customer wants low fast and organic chocolate. 25 percent of Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s revenues and profits come from coffee, and adverse economic occurrences in South America, particularly Brazil, affect the company. Nestle plans to continue to play to its strengths, international markets outside the United States, to combat Hershey. Social Changes about Healthy Foods. With the development of Society and Technology, people more and more focus their health and nutrition. We can find more and more organic chocolate manufacture appearing. Doctors and Researchers also have studies prove that chocolates are helpful to prevent heart diseases. Thus, more and more customers choose healthy chocolates such as dark chocolates and organic chocolates. Steady price increase of milk and sugar. The escalation of prices of the main ingredients such as cocoa, milk and sugar has forced companies to increase prices. Strategic Management Factors for Going Global Near the end of 2010, Hershey’s entered into a deal with Wal-Mart (known as Asda in the UK) to sell Hershey’s products in Europe. Hershey’s has never been sold in the U.K. However, Hershey’s will have to modify their products in order to do so. Hershey’s uses genetically modified ingredients in the U.S. and Asda does not sell products that include GM ingredients (Glaberson, 2010). Obviously, Hershey want to enter global market needs to adjust their ingredients at first. The ingredients use for North America doesn’t mean it fit European or Asian Market. These improvements have been based on understanding local culture. What’s more, Hershey should pay more attentions on their chocolate packages. They develop different series packages of chocolate in different countries. Hershey’s white and brown can be market as classic series. They can add more colorful packages to attract children’s attentions. For example, in China, Red is a strong color which means wealth and happiness. Hershey can make red packages chocolates in China. In a shot, Hershey want to expand internationally, they must integrate into each country’s culture. As a global brand, Hershey’s try to cover all people in different ages and status. However, from its advertisements, its’ major customers are children, teenagers and young generations. Actually, most of these groups of customers haven’t economic capability to buy chocolate themselves. Adults and parents usually pay money for them. Thus, healthy ingredients are very important factors may affect parents’ willingness to pay chocolates to their children. Especially in European and Asian, parents are very focus on children’s nutrition. Hershey’s products are mainly focus on young generations. However, if Hershey wants to expand international, Hershey needs more products are focus on household and adults. For example, Hershey can develop chocolate flavor coffee drinks, chocolate sauces, and chocolate gums. Now, the major of Hershey employees are from North United. To entering foreign market, Hershey has to hire more foreign employees and build international team. Hershey’s designers should know more about foreign culture. They can not only insistent of their American style. Even executives of Hershey’s should have some international backgrounds and experiences. Hershey can hire some executives who have international background and experiences. At the same time, Hershey can send their design team to the county they want entering. Having better understanding of local culture, Hershey can have better design and marketing methods to meet local customers’ needs. Hershey should has its’ online shop. As far as now, Hershey only have official website of 8 countries. As show on the picture below, they are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, India, Korea, and Japan. In today’s business world, online shopping is becoming a tendency. A large amount of households shop online daily. Hershey should build their official online store like its competitor Mar’s. Hershey can sell both regular and customized chocolates online (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). . Competitive Advantages Analysis The chocolate market share is increasing globally. Customer loyalty is competitively lower than other industry. Websites are increasing in quality and ease for all users. HERSHEY’S offers many unique products and services to many different kinds of customers by using their official websites. What’s more, Hershey has great partnership with North America wholesalers and retailers such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s club, and Walgreen. Hershey has advantages on high domestic market shares. 43% of US domestic chocolate market share provide Hershey’s stable sales. Thus, Hershey should make its’ development base on steady their US market (CNN, 2011). Community We make donations of cash and products in countries across the globe where we have a presence. For example, last week I shopped at Walgreen, the cashier asked me if I want to donate Hershey chocolate to help US army. I choose yes, and most customers donate a Hershey chocolate bar which cost them 50cent. Hershey is willing to help community and does their social responsibility. What’s more, Hershey encourages and supports the involvement of our employees in a wide range of community-improvement activities. Workplace As a global corporation, Hershey ensures a safe workplace. Safety performance is a company priority, and Hershey’s overarching safety goal is to consistently achieve best-in-class safety performance (THEHERSHEYCOMPANY, 2011). The Hershey Company has a long history of promoting health and wellness for its employees, their families and the community. Hershey offers personal training and massage and fitness room at office locations. Hershey engages employees to get fit and stay well. Environment Hershey increase use of sustainable packaging since 2009. Now they are working on a process to define opportunities to reduce the amount of materials they use by for example, optimizing seal sizes and implementing new technologies, and to identify and test sustainable packaging alternatives (Glaberson, 2010). All of these factors help Hershey build a great reputation in North America. Hershey has already get success at North America market. Thus, it’s time for Hershey focus on expanding its’ foreign market. Conclusion Culture today is heavily focused on personnel health. In the past few decades, people have become much more aware of the various factors that negatively affect their health and work hard to avoid them. As a general rule, chocolate and other candy are viewed as an unhealthy snack. Therefore, Hershey needs to continue to expand and market healthy products in order to gain a greater market share for example, low calories, low fat chocolates bars. Moreover, Hershey can put focus on dark chocolate which is popular among ladies (Jones, 2010). Second, Hershey should pay more attentions on its’ gums and chocolate flavor coffee drinks. For example, In Asia, chocolate market is competitively mature. There are already many local brands. Thus, to better entering Asian Market, Hershey only focus on its’ chocolate products is not enough. To expand global market, Hershey has to invest in advertisement. What’s more, Hershey can keep working on their charity activities, and foundations. To help people from all over the world, Hershey can set up foundations in different countries. Price and quality are two keys determine the success of entering foreign markets. Hershey should still keep its’ affordable price with best quality. Hershey can corporate with local chocolate maker with manufacture and packaging to reduce their cost. The hierarchy of Hershey Company should be more international. Hershey needs to hire more designers, executives, and employees with international background or experiences. The commercialization of many holidays is continuing to expand and the popularity of gifts for these holidays is also increasing. Hershey can provide holiday products in outlets also their website (i.e., Hallmark, Barnes and Noble). These Traditional holidays (i.e., Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween) allows Hershey to optimize the importance of their specialty gift products. By providing specialized gift products,  Hershey can increase their sales and expand quickly in foreign market. Finally, Hershey can design different product lines. For example, Hershey can use its source entering organic chocolate market. Hershey’s organic chocolate faces to European, developed countries which their cultures are more focus organic food. The premium product line can help improve Hershey’s brand images. Also, it can meet more customers’ needs. References ACALORIECOUNTER. (2013, October 16). Candy & Chocolate Bars Compared Hershey’s, Nestle and Mars Nutrition Facts. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.acaloriecounter.com/candy-chocolate.php Glaberson, H. (2010). Hershey to launch confectionery brands in UK and Europe. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.confectionerynews.com/Manufacturers/Hershey-to-launch-confectionery-brands-in-UK-and-Europe CNN. (2013). Global 500: Hershey. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2012/snapshots/2190.html THEHERSHEYCOMPANY. (2011, December 31). Hershey Corporate Social responsibility progress report 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.thehersheycompany.com/assets/pdfs/hersheycompany/Hershey2011CSRReport.pdf CNN. (2011, April 1). Hershey’s raises prices nearly 10%. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/03/31/hershey.prices/index.html Jones, D. (2010, January 26). Nestle waits for market pressures to soften Hershey. REUTERS. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/01/26/us-nestle-analysis-idUSTRE60P31A20100126 Markman, J. (2012, September 4). Hershey Starting to Suga r-Coat the World. Investor Place. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://investorplace.com/2012/09/hershey-is-sugar-coating-the-world-hsy/