The impact of technology on the war in Afghanistan Research Paper

The impact of technology on the warfare in afghanistan - Research Paper ExampleThe Taliban has explicitly expressed their support of the Al-Qaeda, a global network of terrorists, and in September 9, 2011, Al-Qaeda operatives executed Ahmad Shah Massoud, a prominent commander of the Northern Alliances. Such killing assured Osama Bin charge of the Talibans support and refuge after the 9/11 Attacks (Council on Foreign Relations). And so, the seed for the biggest and most wide-spread war on terrorism has been sown the war on Afghanistan was bred, essentialing only the attacks on US soil to spark the powder keg. The paradox about Afghan stability and counterterrorist efforts is not simple a problem the Taliban is continually able to hold the Afghan citizens silent about their presence by the effective monopoly of fear, threatening the lives of Afghan should they provide any hint to the US troops concerning the Taliban or the Al-Qaeda operations (Ferguson). Poor governance, ethnic conf lict, and administrative mismanagement have crippled the Afghan government system in toilsome to address the problem of terrorism in the post-Taliban democracy. Terrorists still plague the Afghan communities, storing ammunitions and high-powered rifles, and in some case, a Taliban flag, in places so close to Afghan homes. Security in the Afghan state and the elimination of terrorist cells is highly important to maintain global peace, and such is the goal of the United States for its involvement in places so far away from the New World. After the 1993 bombing on the World Trade Center and the more famous 9/11 attacks, global aegis has become US security as these attacks against the US sprang not from the American continents, but from places across the oceans. In order for the US government to ensure the golosh of its people, it must secure the safety of the entire world from threats as eminent as the Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and all other terrorist networks and militant insurgent gr oups. As part of the remove on the war in Afghanistan, there is a need to define counterinsurgency from counterterrorism, and in order to fulfill such, there is still a need to define the root-words that comprises the two military labels. Counterinsurgency is a concatenation of two words counter and insurgency. Counterinsurgency is any organized military activity intentional to combat insurgencies (Merriam-Webster). These are military activities geared towards combating insurgent groups that are against the central authority not recognized as belligerents. The term counterinsurgency was first use in the 1960s to combat communist-led revolutionists and insurgents, which Nikita Khrushkev termed as the war of national liberation, occurring all around the world that are against U.S. interest (Answers Corporation). The term replaced counterrevolution for public propaganda, since a revolution has a good connotation to the American public. Counterterrorism, on the other hand, is a concat enation of the words counter and terrorism. Counterterrorism refers to the practices, not necessarily military in nature, that acts as a response to terrorist threats and/or acts, be it real or imputed (Zalman). Terrorism is a criminal act that influences and audience beyond the immediate dupe (Research-Terrorism). It seeks to achieve goals that are political, religious, or ideological in nature by inflicting terror and anxiety through the use of military equipments, usually aimed at noncombatant targets.

How Life Can Be Changeable and Incredibly Frenzied Essay - 4

How Life Can Be Changeable and Incredibly Frenzied - sample ExampleIt was until his condition became worse that he qualified for palliative care and a number of nurses as well as social workers could attend to him. His conditions include pneumonia and caused his chest to grow wheezy. This disease was identifies as the best friend for my father since it offered an opportunity for slow death. butlers entire essay depicts a erratum and emotional piece especially since it is about the slow death of her father. Bridget Potter in her essay The lucky Girl describes her endeavors as she tries to get rid of an undesirable pregnancy during the eras when it was illegal. She uses her story to explain the dangers that women had to undergo prior to legalization of abortion in America. In her story, she points out most people especially women seeking for abortion lack any other option in mind even if realistically adoption is an option. This is the reason she has to beg the doctors to claim her condition as necrotic so that she would undergo the process of abortion in a hospital. Performing illegal abortions can cause unnecessary deaths and for this reason, it would only be fair to allow women choose affordable, safe and legal methods of abortions. In the essay Topic of Cancer, Christopher Hitchens provides information about his struggles with esophagus cancer. He confirms that a number of times, he had woken up feeling like death, but it did not feel as it did when it was confirmed that he had the cancer illness. In his description, he explains that he felt like he had manacled to his own corpse. In his essay, it is essential to identify the intellectual rather than the emotional bit since it actually dominates his entire writing. The theme of death and suffering that accompanies it are real evident in this essay as Hitchens describes the pain he felt from his thorax and chest. An individual listening to his description can picture the internal respiration struggles he had to endure, and as he explains how the above parts appeared to engage emptied out and then replenished with cement that was slowly drying. Breathing is the ideal meaning of life since difficulties in breathing result to much negativity such as excessive beating of the heart and strenuous efforts in doing simple things like breathing and walking. According to Hitchens, catch individuals are kind hearted, engage professionalism and courtesy, and the ability to save lives. Those used in the essay that assisted Hitchens carefully worked on his heart and lungs guaranteeing that he did not have to put up with death. In the three essays, sickness and death are common themes although is one of the essay, the Lucky Girl, the condition is not really sickness. Hitchenss and Butlers essay provide a clear analysis of the differences of the employees in hospitals. The emergency crew in Hitchens essay is very humble and choleric and treats him with great care to the extent that his treatmen t is fruitful resulting to his survival. On the other hand, the nurses providing medication for Butlers father were ignorant and did not identify the motor disease for her fathers death. If they would have identified the initial signs of pneumonia, they would have had a reason to hospitalize him and offer him the required treatment. Similarly, Potter shows the kind of military strength that Doctors have towards assisting some of the patients who are in great need.

How the family income affects the family in life Assignment - 2

How the family income affects the family in life - Assignment ExampleThese issues come as a challenge for the fix and various systems need to be initiated in govern to reduce the affects of low income on family lives.In this regard, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was created in 1996, which had the basic butt to provide cash assistance to American families. This organization was established under the The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act and has provided opportunity for employment to families with benefits, to apply the aid within a period of 2 years. This program TANF was created during Clintons period in 1996. The State determined which families needed the assistance in order to help poverty stricken families. Individuals who received the aid were required to work and monitoring was carried out. In cases, when these individuals failed to carry out their practices, the benefits and the assistance were subject to reduction or termination. TANF progra m was a successful as it provided a welfare reform and there was reduction of poverty and increase in economic growth (US part Of Health & Human

Abortion Essay Example for Free

Abortion EssayTheres a lot of speculation going on right now about whether or non abortion is ethical. Many people believe that there should be laws against it, that it should be banned entirely. Thousands spend condemnation protesting abortion, stating that it is a sin, and that it is the same as murdering a child. However, the majority of those who claim these things dont have their facts quite right.When an abortion is performed, the fetus is in a precise early stage of development. Most brain cells are not yet developed, and this means that the fetus cannot feel pain. The silent screams that those who oppose abortion often hint are nonexistent. Fetuses cannot scream, move, or feel at this point in the pregnancy. Additionally, aborting a fetus is certainly not the same as murdering a fully-developed, self-sufficient child. At this stage in a fetus development, it is entirely unable to survive outside of the womans womb. It is incapable of breathing as well as conscious th ought. It is not yet a child, but merely a developing organism with the capability of becoming one.Abortion should be kept legal. sequence I do not think it should be used as a standard form of birth control, it definitely needs to remain an option. What if you tack yourself pregnant after being a victim of rape? Just imagine trying to provide a quality life for a sis while youre so young yourself, especially seeing as you arent pregnant as a result of your own decision, but because of somewhat cruel persons actions. Why should that child have to grow up to have a life in either a attempt one-parent household or an orphanage?If we get some of the facts out there, I believe that people might begin to see that abortion is really not such a sin. Maybe when others start to realize this, some of the laws in certain countries that do not allow abortion will be lifted. afterward all, is it not a terrible thing to have tons of children living their entire lives in poverty? Think about this for a second whats better, terminating an undeveloped, non-autonomous fetus, or watching a child slowly die due its young parents lack of income?

Critical Success Factor Analysis Essay Example for Free

Critical Success Factor Analysis EssayThis wasnt the case for AA. They had clear Organisational vision and views set out from the beginning. Their reason for the spick-and-span carcass was to improve the standards of customer service for customer loyalty and to reduce their cost which is their organisational strategy.This resulted in three main barter requirements for the new IS. Development of a nationally-based system Separation of the functions The provision of a base for new products or servicesAAs system was definitely a business-led system. They had the idea for AAHELP long before engineering science caught up enough for the system to be implemented. Their IS system was led by a long-term vision from way back.A lot could be contrasted during the writ of execution phase also. In AAs case, they used a phase-by-phase approach. Each phase would have a business case. This was to make the job of convincing the board easier. This proved utile not only in convincing the boar d, but also in that it allowed a certain degree of flexibility, as the system could be adapted in order to deal with the changes in the organisation more generally.This gradual incremental approach to the development meant that even though the overall time of the project took longer, the system was checked more thoroughly, and thus was much less likely to have problems later on when it would cost a lot more to fix.This is shown very distinctly in the Symons case. They hired ProSys to deliver the full system in one go. During implementation, they found a lot of costly errors such as differences in count Systems, and changes to the system which cost them an additional 15,000.IT TEAM there were some differences between the two even in their I.T Team. Firstly, AA had their personal in-house I.T staff while Symons hired programmers. There are several benefits of in-house I.T staff. It takes shorter time for problems to be sorted out. Another difference was that the IT Team all worked in one location only. This built team step and encouraged formal and informal communications. Working so close together also meant that problems would be noticed, and sorted out much faster.Strategic Information Systems intend MethodologiesThe task of strategic information systems planning is difficult and often time organizations do not know how to do it. Strategic information systems planning is a major change for organizations, from planning for information systems based on users demands to those based on business strategy.Vitale, et al. (1986) classifies SISP methodologies into two categories impact and alignment. Impact methodologies help create and condone new uses of IT, while the methodologies in the alignment category align IS objectives with organizational goals.Impact MethodologiesValue Chain AnalysisA form analysing business activities. It helps in devising information systems which increase the overall profit available to a firm and identifying the potential for mutual business advantages of component businesses, in the same or related industries, available from information interchange. It concentrates on value-adding business activities and is independent of organizational structure.Strengths It concentrates on direct value adding activities of a firm and thus pitches information systems ripe(p) into the realm of value adding rather than cost cuttingWeaknesses Basic concept of a value chain is difficult to apply to non-manufacturing organizations where the product is not tactile and there are no obvious raw materials. It also fails to address the developmental and implementation issues.Critical success factors analysis can be considered to be both an impact as well as an alignment methodology. Critical Success Factors (CSF) in the context of SISP are used for interpreting more understandably the objectives, tactics, and operational activities in terms of key information needs of an organization and its managers and strengths and weaknesses of the organizations existing systems. Critical success factors are limited areas of the business where if the result is satisfactory, testament ensure successful competitive performance for the organisationStrengths CSF analysis provides a very powerful method for concentrating on key information requirements of an organization, a business unit, or of a manager. This allows the management to concentrate resources on developing information systems around these requirements. Also, CSF analysis is easy to perform and can be carried out with some resources.Weaknesses CSF analysis by itself is not enough to perform comprehensive SISP because it does not define a data architecture or provide automated tolerate for analysis. CSFs also focus primarily on management control and thus tend to be internally focused and analytical rather than creative

Transformational Leadership Plan Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership Plan EssayLeadership refers to a mortals aptitude to affect an former(a)(a) persons or groups behavior in put up to achieve a certain purpose. Leadership has always been an important aspect of groupwork. In politics, sports, merged world and on the whole aspects of life, lead has an important role to play.Today however, attractorship consumes to incorporate new and innovative methods to ensure that team members, groups and individuals be influenced by the decision of the team drawing card.Effective attractership is when a leader is able to have an impact of his decisions, thoughts and views on other individuals. In todays world, leaders is playing a pivotal role in shaping organizations and ensuring goal achievement. The role of a leader is pivotal in varietying prospering teams and achieving targets. It is by dint of an effective leadership style and middle management cooperation that targets be achieved (Tichy Devana, 1997).Succes sful leadership strategies thereof need to be implement. According to the leadership model, a booming or effective leadership strategy include the incorporation of five basic elements emotional intelligence, relationship, teamwork, performance and operations (ETD). Emotional intelligence refers to a persons ability to render others.Relationship refers to main(prenominal)taining a harmonious working rapport and managing emerging conflicts. Teamwork refers to including members from diverse backgrounds and inculcating the ability to adjust to with different people for a common purpose. Operation refers to managing resources and ensuring grapheme levels. Performance refers to the policies and procedures that measure the quality and level of output (ETD).It is the effective incorporation of all these five elements that ensures a successful leadership strategy. Other elements that should complement these basic elements include motivational tools, leadership engagement and individual development.Emotional intelligence is the key element of leadership. It is imperative that a leader understand how the other organizational members feel about a certain subject. He needs to be able to think from their perspective to understand their military position on a specific issue. Once the leader is able to relate with other members, he screw develop a rapport that is going to improvement the organization in terms of goal achievement.The relationship aspect of leadership comes into play after emotional intelligence. The leaders ability to understand members helps him build a relationship that forms the basis of the organizations culture and working environment. It is this long-lasting relationship that allows an organization to continue operating successfully.Teamwork is the result of a relationship. It ensures that all members are fully aware of the other members strengths and weaknesses and complement each others work. It is this joint effort of team members under the s upervision of a leader that ensures the successful completion of a problem.The next important aspect of leadership is the ability of the leader to ensure high performance. A successful leader bequeath not only maintain high performance standards but in like manner appreciate the good performance of members and reward them accordingly.The last basic element of successful leadership is operations. Under good leadership high quality output and customer satisf sue will be the main objective and a leader will integrate all other elements to ensure this.Furthermore, motivational tools such as specific reward structures, employee appraisals and non-monetary rewards such as employee of the month tail assembly be used by leaders to proceed their employees. Moreover, leadership engagement which entangles a leaders constant interest in his employees induces a strong trust in the employees to perform well. Also a successful leadership strategy requires the leader to coach and teach the e mployees during the process to grow the employees individual development.Leader amour is an important tool to enhance leadership effectiveness. According to Victor Vrooms Leader-Participation Model, there are certain rules which determine the form and amount of leader involvement in particular situations (Robbins Judge, 2008). Therefore each situation demands a different level of leadership from the leader. An effective leader will adapt to a situation and guide his team accordingly. other(prenominal) aspect of an effective leadership style is the adaptation to the teams readiness. According to the Situational Theory of Hersey and Blanchard, successful leadership nates be achieved by the selection of the right leadership style which is dependent on the teams inclination towards a job (Robbins Judge, 2008).My main leadership strength lies in my ability to resolve conflicts and maintain a harmonious team to fulfill the required objectives. thus far, it is in addition important to allow other team members to communicate their views and ideas and therefore arguments are certainly constructive. However, if these arguments endanger team unity, I have the ability to resolve the arguments. Another strength that enhances my leadership ability is my involvement with other team members.I make sure that I apprise myself of all the activities being carried out by my team mates so that I know the progress and status of the assign. I make sure that my team members understand their responsibilities and work thoroughly and carry out their assigned caper keeping in consideration the final objective. Also, as a leader I sit with my team mates and share all important culture regarding the project with them to ensure that they do not feel alienated.Moreover, as a leader it becomes my responsibility to mete out my team mates constant feedback on their work. I ensure that I take into consideration their efforts and complement them for their work. However it is also importan t to identify their mistakes in order for them to correct it and avoid it in future. In doing so I have to remember to not de motivate my team mates and therefore avoid using harsh tone and stay calm down when dealing with them.My leadership weaknesses involve my inability to be rigid when required. My team mates often take me for granted due to my extremely flexible nature. Moreover, my banish attitude and outlook reduces my leadership potential. It prevents me from handling stressful situations effectively and managing team through these situations. This hinders my ability to look at possible solutions. Furthermore, my highly demanding nature whitethorn put constant pressure on myself and my team mates making them stressful and unable to carry according to expectations.In order to build on my strengths a certain plan needs to be followed. The existing strengths need to be capitalized in order to make up for the weaknesses. My ability to resolve conflicts can become very useful in gaining ideas and opinions. My team mates can be allowed to openly discuss and criticize the ideas presented. This will ensure that the idea implemented is the best possible substitutenative. My involvement with team member can also prove to be beneficial for the team.This is because I am always aware of what task each member is performing and hence I can detect and correct errors in sequence. This will not only deliver the objectives in time but also result in cost saving. The sharing of information with all the team members gives them the confidence that they play an important role in the team. It also impresss in them a sense of responsibility towards the team and also gives them a certain level of autonomy since information sharing allows them to make decisions.On the other hand, besides utilizing my strengths I also need to correct my weaknesses in order to enhance leadership skills. First I need to inculcate the habit of maxim No to team members when essential. It is im portant for them to piddle that there are certain rules and practices to be followed and in order for them to work accordingly, I need to communicate to them that not everything can be done according to their convenience.Furthermore, I need to think positively. As a leader it is essential that I handle difficult situations sedately and to do so I have to look at the positive side of everything. My team members look up to me for solutions in times of difficulty, therefore I have to maintain a positive perspective. Moreover, my highly demanding nature needs to be customized according to my team members abilities and skills. I need to understand what they can deliver in their capacity. Expectations need to be realistic and communicated to them so that they can set achievable goals.According to Fiedlers Cognitive Resource Theory, stress has a ostracise impact on a situation but follow out and knowledge can reduce the impact of stress on the leader (Robbins Judge, 2008). Therefore it is necessary that I as a leader continue to expand my experience and knowledge base to avoid falling into stressful situations that can hamper the quality of the teams work.At present my leadership lacks proper focus and direction. As a leader, I am unable to clearly set my target. However I want to become much more goal oriented as a leader. This is one of the major gaps between my current leadership and what I want to become in future. Also as a leader, my listening skills are not so effective. My impatience hinders my ability to pay full attendance to what my team members say. I am quick to give my response without letting them apprise me of their views.I would like to become a leader who is creative and can continuously inspire and motivate team mates to do something new. This dynamism is what I would like to incorporate in my leadership style. Furthermore I would to inculcate in myself the ability to accept my mistakes to ensure credibility. I would want to make sure that I am not so pushy when it comes to making members work. knowing the difference between too much work and the required amount of work is the ability that I would want to inculcate as a leader. kinda of being authoritative and demanding all the time, I would want to be more considerate and appealing. A successful leader does not only need to involve his brain in his work but his heart and soul to ensure the team is delivering (Gallos, 2008).In addition, I also want to be able to motivate my team so that they remain interested in their work. At present, I lack the skill to maintain my teams enthusiasm.Therefore in order to be a successful leader, the gaps between the leader I am and the leader I want to be need to be closed. Firstly in order to remain focused, what needs to be done is to set a goal and then study the process required to achieve that goal. Every task needs to be subdivided to make it simpler and understandable to the team members. Next I need to improve my listening skills .It is important to make the team members realize that they are being heard and their ideas being considered. Only then will they continue to effectively participate in decision making. In order to do this, I first need to stay alert in posture and facial expression (Credit enquiry Foundation). Second, I have to try to avoid distraction in order to pay attention to what my team is saying.Participation from both the leader and the team in decision making is critical to leadership success therefore participative decision making should be welcomed (Nahavandi, 2008).Furthermore, to keep my team interested and passionate about a certain project, I need to remain creative. I need to be able to welcome new ways of doing the old job. I also have to learn to take risks so that as a team, we can come across new ideas making our work highly productive. It is important for a leader to welcome changes (Yukl, 1981). The main idea behind this is to discourage team members from fearing to make mist akes because only through risk and mistakes will the team learn and it is the responsibility of the leader to ensure that his team learns while performing.Also, I have to understand the capacity of each individual in my team. It is necessary that I know who is strong in what area and therefore allow each member to enhance his particular skill by working on a task he is good at. Moreover, to keep my team motivated I have to give them challenging work to allow them to grow (Credit Research Foundation). electropositive reinforcement through compliments and recognition greatly enhances their morale. Recognizing an individuals accomplishments stimulates in them a positive attitude towards their leader and their job.In order to prevent my team from taking advantage of my flexibility, I have to constantly remind them of the rules that need to be followed and also develop a habit of strictly dealing with them when necessary. In case of misconduct, I have to talk to the individual privately rather than making things worse by insulting him amidst other team members.Individual empowerment is some other action element that can fulfill the gaps between the leader I am and the leader I would like to be. Empowerment refers to an individuals complete control over his task. He needs to complete his assignment within a certain period and is accountable to the leader. However, how he accomplishes his task is for him to decide. This self autonomy gives an individual the confidence to take risks and decisions based on his own experience and abilities.It takes time to build an effective team under strong and successful leadership. Consequently it becomes a leaders job to implement each action breaker point at regular intervals to enhance his leadership effectiveness and the teams productivity.Goal setting is the first action item in the leadership plan. As soon as a task is assigned, the leader should set a goal and prioritize the work. Goal setting is a major milestone and th erefore careful attention should be given while defining goals and designing work break down structure. The time required for this action item may vary from project to project. Nonetheless, since it plays a pivotal role, at least two weeks should be devoted to goal setting.Next I need to alter my personal characteristics. Leadership is not only about changing the way others should work but also changing oneself to prove to be influential (Clawson, 2005). Another week is required for me to train myself to maintain a strict aura so that team members are fully aware of their liberties. Individual empowerment requires another two weeks as it takes time to understand if members are capable of taking decisions on their own without constant guidance.Furthermore, I may also allocate another week to improve my listening skills while getting know my team mates. This week will allow me to understand their background and previous work experience.Positive reinforcement through constant feedback, involvement, monetary and non-monetary rewards is implemented throughout the time period during which a task is being accomplished. Also, it is during the process that the leader should search and research to find out ways of motivating the team. Specific programs such as team involvement programs that allow the members to give in their feedback on concerned issues are introduced at constant intervals throughout the learning process. Therefore there is not specific deadline allocated to this action item aimed at improving leadership effectiveness.It is essential to realize there can be no specific deadline for each action item and that most of these activities are carried out simultaneously and hence one exertion may be overlapping the other during a certain time period.A successful or effective leadership strategy therefore integrates a leaders personal characteristics with his ability to adapt to his teams requirements. A leadership strategy is successful only when it is receiv ed positively by the team and the team is influenced to work towards the achievement of the goal or objectives. Moreover, a leadership strategy is successful not only when the objectives are achieved but also when the output is of the highest quality and both the team and leader are satisfied with the end result.ReferencesClawson, J.G. (2005) Level Three Leadership 3 rd Edn. Prentice Hall.Credit Research Foundation. (n.d.).Improving Your Leadership Skills .Retrieved on July 22, 2008 from http//www.crfonline.org/orc/ca/ca-2.html.ETD (n.d.). Leadership Effectiveness Model (n.d.). Retrieved on July 21, 2008 from http//www.ldi.umd.edu/LDIpages/model.htmGallos, J.V. (2008) Business Leadership A Jossey-Bass endorser (The Jossey-Bass Business and Management Reader Series). 2 nd Edn, Jossey-Bass.Nahavandi, A. (2008) Art and Science of Leadership. 5th Edn, Prentice Hall.Robbins, S.P. Judge, T.A.(2008). Organizational Behavior. 13th Edn.Tichy, N.M. Devana, M.A. (1997) Transformational Lead er.2 nd Edn, Wiley.Yukl, G.A. (1981). Leadership in Organizations 1st Edn. Prentice Hall.

International Market Strategy Of Nike

International Market Strategy Of NikeNike is a global comp each base in United States which employed more than 30000 people across the globe. This paper leave talk about Nikes global presence and how Nike has achieved success in past divisions. We get out discuss just about facts and figures. This evidence will employ literature review to support the evidences in case of dynamic capabilities of Nike and its competitive abilities. Nike is currently veneer contention with Reebok and Adidas therefore it should take re principal(prenominal) with its dodging of consistency so that the customers will not be puzzled and should take avail of its tick name. Nike has been complicated in never stopping controversies payable to sweat shops but due to its preven put over actions it gained publicity and today Nike is a stable brand name each(a) over the world.IntroductionThis essay will critically evaluate Nikes current global system and help to identify Nikes current strengths, wea knesses, opportunity and threats. This essay will in like manner consider the political, legal and cultural issues which Nike can face while implementing any strategies in international markets. This scheme will also consider the threats of debut into a new market and supply of sufficient funds and labour in price of applying the strategy. Taking any strategy into consideration will also involve an impact analysis and risk, therefore, any potential consequences and levels of risk involved and how to overcome those risks will be covered in the next partition.Another section will talk about the never ending controversies which Nike has been facing due to its manufacturing factories in low labour countries. What strategies Nike is applying to overcome this situation and some recommendation for Nike. Finally, the essay will analyse the competition in the selected market, strategy adapted by the competitors and how Nike uses its brand power strategies to anticipate such(prenominal) threats.Nike- A Truly Global fellowshipNike is the world market geniuser in athletic stead and app arl and operates in more than 200 countries. Europe, Asia, North and Latin America atomic number 18 the main markets in which Nike sells its products, which makes it a truly global organisation. According to Mintel, 20%of the U.S. athletic market is controlled by Nike. The main products of Nike include footwear, sports equipment, men and women clothing and accessories. Nike is established in 1972 by former university of Oregon star Phil Knight which is now angiotensin converting enzyme of the richest people in America. Instead of manufacturing Nike designs and markets its products, while contracting for their manufacture from 600 factories scattered all around the globe, that employ around 650,000 people. (L. Hill, 2009)Nike has seen many ups and downs in the market and understands the value co-creation with customers. Nike has customers around the globe and it remains informed an d connected with its customers which gives Nike a new inception of value. Nike understands the use of involving customers into the business and therefore offers internet sites where customers can shargon their interactions and experiences, can give their suggestions. Nike can build trust and dealingships with Nike community, can learn directly from customers and earmark customers what they want which enhances the brand.Qualitative and Quantitative Performance MeasuresLet us consider the overall financial performance of Nike across the globe. For the stratum ended 30/11/2008, revenues rose 11% to $10.02B. Net income rose 4% to $1234.8B (www.nikebiz.com). These financial figures are reflection of enormous success of Nike in global market as these are taken after assuming the price rise in U.S. and all the changes in the currency exchange rates ache taken into consideration. As, it is clear from the figures provided, the revenues have increased tremendously in the year 2008, impl ies a higher sale of footwear in all the international markets which is obviously a good vertex to note, because in the period of recession where all the economies are going down, an increase of 11% cannot be neglected. Improved hedge rates year after year leads to higher gross margin which are reflected in the net income which has increased by 4%. (www.forbes.com) turn off 1 Financial dataSales doughMarket ValueEmployeesAssets$ 13.2 Billion$ 1.1 Billion$23 Billion250000$8.6 BillionTable 1 above gives the insights of financial structure of Nike plc, as it is clear from the figures in table 1 that Nike is strong in financial terms due to which it can increase its business globally. Company has enough capital to implement any international market strategy for example advertise in international markets, providing better services to customers, invest in the new planning etc.Table 2 below indicates that the company is moderately efficient in doing the business. The current ratio of -3 implies that company has sufficient liquid capital to enforce new trade strategies and extending its business. Invest in promotional activities will also be a good idea. A gearing ratio of barely 2% suggests that company has waive debt capacity which is another benefit because Nike can apply for a loan if it will be needed, however the current condition of the company is adequately fit in financial and capital viewpoint. Net profit margin of 8.1% suggests that Nike is competent in converting sales to profit margin.Table 2 RatiosOn the next rapscallionNetP/EROAROECurrentDiv/YieldEarning/ShareGearingProfitRatioMargin($)8.1%18.114.323.2-31.34.40.2Growth rate of Nike is indicated in the table 3 below which shows constant steady sales over the past years. A growth rate of 15% in one year and 7% over the last 7 years suggests that Nike is a galactic player in the market and is constantly playing at the same survey. Its sales are increasing day by day due to the market strategy it ap plies, and the popularity it gained by sponsoring celebrity such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Just Do It the market phrase of Nike is buzz in the town and its swoosh logo gives it that different identity.Table 3 Growth Rates1 Year7 yearsDividend %37%9.03%Revenue %15%7%Earnings per share %26.8%17.5%Dynamic Capabilities of NikePlant and equipment are the assets whose performance can be measured but Noto (2007) argued that brand name, reputation, particular technology and corporate cultivation with accumulated consumer information are some of the intangible assets which cannot be measured but are invaluable for a firms competitive advantage. Moller et al. (2002) supported the argument and said that a tightly coordinated supply and channel net are the prerequisite to establish a position in the field and keen demand of the customer reflects the strong brands example of both are Nike and Dell.The most effective way to manage and upgrade existing capabilities and resources and to convert the appoint weakness into strengths is- to outsource. Noto (2007) said that most of the automobile companies have become increasingly selective to choose the activities to perform internally. He also explained that in the athletic shoes and clothing Nike has contracted out many functions such as manufacturing and logistics which Noto argued as a clever step to negate the impact of constitute weaknesses. Nike undertakes trade, product design and overall system integration itself but outsourced the other units to be economical.Moller et al. (2002) suggest that Nike with other big companies such as Benetton, Dell and IKEA has a well specified supplier and distribution system which made them efficient in terms of rapid growth opportunity, time compression, output and access to a wider customer base. Eisenhardt et al. (2000) suggests that for the long term competitive advantage Nike could also use dynamic capabilities to enhance existing resource configuration.Anti-global isation Campaigns against NikeFor all of the successes Nike has gained, it has repeatedly acc employ due to lots of issues for more than a decade. Many a times Nike stores have been targeted by anti globalisation protestors. News organisations such as CBS and several non regimen organisations such as Global Exchange based in San Francisco criticised the functional conditions in foreign factories that supply Nike.According to Gelder (2006), in the race of globalisation, Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonalds are some of the brands which have become the representative of the massive power of large corporations for the anti globalisation movement. A brand is perceived differently in different culture or markets so it could be very catchy for an organisation to build a global brand. An organisation should be aware about the external environments in which it functions and should be very sensitive about its internal culture. It is very unreasonable to say that one strategy will fit globally beca use the rules and regulations and circumstances are different in different countries (Moore, 2003). And to position a brand competently in a different country needs a great skill to understand all the circumstances.A new but forthcoming field of research in international market strategy can be be by low-income markets. Most companies are unaware of the potential of these markets and therefore these markets remain unexplored. To better understand customer needs and market characteristics it is very burning(prenominal) to separate established ties and alliances with traditionalistic and non-traditional partners in that economy. (Hill, 2009)Although Nike is a U.S. established company but all of its manufacturing is done in low wage countries like Vietnam. Nike is accused of manufacturing its shoes under the sweatshop condition in Asian countries which make a large hue and cry among the media. CBS 48 hours news report that these sweatshops are conducting their activities in acid a nd unhealthy conditions. Young workers are paid low wages to work long hours and are exposed continuously to toxic substances in factories which can lead to serious health impairment.A foundation financed by labour unions and low-wage countries in 1996 said that Air Jordans popular range of Nike sneakers were made by 11 year olds who are workings for 14 cents per hour in Indonesia. A newsletter published by Global exchange argued that most of the shoes of Nike are fabricate in countries like China and Indonesia which has governing bodys that forbid independent unions and set the minimum wages so low that does not provide basic necessity of one person.Douglas and Wind (1987) suggested that a careful analysis of the forces driving towards globalisation and the obstacles to this approach will help the company to assess where the most attractive opportunities and the companys differential advantage in exploiting these, appear to lie based on the strengths and weaknesses. Keeping that in mind, Nike has answered all these questions time to time with new strategies and cleared all the issues and moved expeditiously to correct them. Nike has handled the negative publicity over the sweatshops very expeditiously. Nike came in front and took this social responsibility to make a code of conduct to improve the working condition and to improve the conditions of workers and it has amended it time to time. It was advantageous for Nike as well as it remains in the news and gave the publicity to Nike in a way.As Levitt (1983) said a global producers patronage expands exponentially, when he offers his low cost internationally. Levitt suggested that customers with local preferences are also attracted towards the lesser prices offered by global producers. So, it can be said that the strategy of standardisation does not notwithstanding responds to the worldwide homogenised markets but also expands markets with aggressive lower pricing.Therefore, to establish good public relatio ns Nike took some more steps. It commissioned Ernst Young, an independent organisation to audit its subcontractors overseas factories (Rourke, 2000). When four Indonesian subcontractors are refused to abide by the companys standard for wage levels and working condition, Nike terminated its relationship with them. Stout (1997) argued that this made a positive image of Nike in media and enhanced its public image in Asian countries. Later, Nike adopted a standard according to which a person with 17 years of age or more can work and workers have to prove their age by submitting 3 documents certifying their age (Lee, 2000).Hill (2009) suggests when a company expand itself globally it also consider its consumers benefits, consumers must be served with high quality and low priced products. close to consumers however, prefer those products which caused less harm to others or which are produced in their own country and this is called estimable factor. Consumers can get the best combinatio n of price, quality and ethical factors if provided by relevant information. And Nike consumers get all the benefits from paying low wages to Asian workers. Levitt (1983) suggested that low price disregarding of feature preferences and heavy promotion regardless of price, always attracts and influence customers.Macro- Environmental factorsNow, PESTLE framework will help us to analyse the macro- environmental factors affecting Nikes international marketing strategies and its business performance. Firstly, the government action certainly will have a great influence. Being a sportswear industry Nike is highly labour intensive and majority of manufacturing is held in low wage countries. As Nike is operating in 4 different continents, the government legislations will be different for different countries. Nike should strictly follow the rules such as minimum wage and child labour it will make Nike a more socially responsible organisation. A great impact on market strategy will be done by environmental factors. So, Nike should consider in which market to sell, how to reduce pollution and ensure fair terms of trade which are observed by suppliers.A key to implement international strategy could be the demographics and socio-cultural influences. In 2000, in the western economies a great issue of ageing affected the buyers choice as it could lead to change the demand from sportswear to comfort wear shoes. Now-a-days, growing health awareness will result in the demand of sports and fitness commodities (Moore, 2003). Another factor affecting marketing strategy could be the technology, which is improving everyday and never predictable. For marketing and exchange Nike is already using Internet web mode, any future marketing strategy should consider telecommunications and information technology advancements as they can go on twitter, face book as these websites are mostly accessed by youngsters which could be the fan of Nike.Finally, if Nike wants to think about some acquis itions or merger, it should take into account the probe by competitor Commission which could block its activities taking into consideration the government policies. Because as Duguid (2005) suggests that such kind of business acquisition will be against provoke of consumers and can lead to monopoly. Nike should not forget suppliers of raw materials like rubber, leather and cotton etc. because shortage of supply can play a big role in setting the pricing policies and applying the market strategies. Nike should establish good relations with suppliers because they can affect business strategies. As Nike operates its business globally, any strategy can have different implication on different culture so it should consider the adaptability, feasibility and suitability by the local people of that country.Competition and RecommendationNike faces direct competition from Umbro, Reebok, Puma, and Adidas, which are in a way, the rivals of Nike because they sell the same products and target t he same customer groups. The current acquisition of Reebok by Adidas makes this competition more intense. The deal creates a much bigger Adidas a company of $12 billion against $14 billion of Nike. (Carr, 2005)However, both the brands Adidas and Reebok are very different in their culture Reebok is more lifestyle brand than Adidas. Obviously, this deal will increase the amount of money spent on advertising from both the companies. But, in the past years, Nike succeeded because it didnt confuse its customers and even after acquisitions with skateboard it support its own brand and expand its parent overstep without confusing customers. Karpin and Voola (2008) believe that consistency is the key aspect of brand management in the international context. Burghausen and Fan (2002) also supported him by arguing that consistency should not lead to complacency, and management should only make changes when a relevant opportunity is identified. Nike has the ability to influence a DIBC (Dynamic International Branding Capability) to shape the market opportunities around the brand. DIBC is the ability to manage the international branding process as a dynamic capability.So Nike should follow this strategy in future and try to remain dominant over its rivals by the marketing strategy.Nike has always come up with some innovative ideas. The differentiation strategy of Nike is quite competitive so Nike should ensure any international marketing strategy it applies should enhance its superior brand name. Implementation of brand differentiation strategy is allowed by Nikes brand name which is a tangible but important factor to ensure future success and maintain its current leadership and market share. Differentiation is one of the bases which allow Nike to gain competitive advantage.In general, Nike has used all the marketing campaigns possible in the past but it should consider the availability of resources in the different country. As Douglas and Wind (1987) suggested that one st andardised strategy may be hampered due do the differences in the marketing infrastructure from one country to another.These may for example include differences in the availability and reach of various promotional media, in the availability of certain distribution channels, or retail institutions or in the existence and efficiency of the communication and transportation network. such(prenominal) factors therefore may require considerable adaptation of strategy of local market conditions.The type of media available as well as their reach and speciality differ from country to country. For instance TV advertising, while a major medium in US, Japan and Australia, is not permitted in Scandinavian countries. Where TV advertising is permitted it may reach only a limited number of households, due to limited ownership of TVs as for example in South Africa, Nigeria or Indonesia. Similarly, in countries with high level of illiteracy the effectiveness of print media is severely limited. (Dougl as and Wind, 1987)According to Levitt (1983), through supplying global markets Nike could achieve considerable economies of scale in production and marketing. He suggested that for high quality of products most of the people around the world are ready to compromise their preferences in product features, functions and design.ConclusionFinally, Nike is a traditional product centric organisation but product was the end point of the consumer experience in past but, today it is the starting point. So, Nike should adopt a strategy to build customer relationship on a scale and scope as never before.