Critically evaluate the role of physical activity in preventing Essay

Critically evaluate the role of physical activity in preventing lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, CVD and type 2 diabetes - Essay Example It has been observed that the prevalence of the heart diseases and strokes have declined overtime with an increase in the obesity related diseases. Excess weight gives rise to diseases like hypertension, diabetes and other cardio metabolic disease. Among the modern chronic disease, the cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and Type 2 Diabetes are the most prevalent diseases in the world. All the mentioned diseases are related to health and physical fitness. â€Å"Physical inactivity has been related to the occurrence of coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis.† (Siscovick, Laporte, Newman March 1985, p. 180) Staying fit and adopting a healthy lifestyle can avoid all these diseases. Diet and physical activity is known to play a key role in the risk of being affected with the chronic diseases. High morbidity rates were mainly associated to the underdeveloped nations, prevalent due to the unhealthy living conditions and lack of availability of proper and nutritious diet. These diseases were caused due to unavailability of proper living conditions. With the development of the nations the living circumstances of the people have enhanced significantly. The diseases like the polio, diarrhea and starvation have given a way to the diseases like diabetes, metabolic diseases and cancer. This change in the health patterns has taken place due to the change in the diet and lifestyle patterns of the people in the westernized countries. These diseases are often referred to as the rich man’s diseases. With the advent of the modern technology in the life of the human beings the lifestyles have changed considerably. The popular use of machines has decreased the amount of physical labor a person did to complete the same tasks as now. Leisure activities have increased and so have the health related problems. Research based on the affect of the physical activities on the risk factors of the chronic diseases show â€Å"the joint association

BCG Matrix and SWOT Analysis of Reebok

BCG Matrix and SWOT Analysis of Reebok BCG Matrix to analyze the product portfolio of REEBOK Overview of the Indian Footwear Sector The footwear sector is a diverse industry which covers a wide variety of materials (textile, plastics, rubber and leather) and products from different types of mens, womens and childrens footwear to more specialized products like snowboard boots and protective footwear. This diversity of end products corresponds to a multitude of industrial processes, enterprises and market structures. The footwear market consists of the total revenue generated through the sale of all types of mens, womens and childrens shoes. The market is valued at retail selling price with any currency conversions calculated using constant 2007 annual average exchange rates. The Indian Footwear Industry The Indian footwear market has seen very healthy increases in its growth over the past five years, although it was outperformed by the larger Chinese market during this period. Its value and volume are set to increase at a with double-digit annual growth rates over the forecast period. The Indian footwear industry is a significant segment of the leather industry in India. It ranks second among the footwear producing countries next to China. It produces more of gents footwear while the worlds major production is in ladies footwear. The industry is labor intensive and is concentrated in the small and cottage industry sectors. While leather shoes and uppers are concentrated in large scale units, the sandals and chappals are produced in the household and cottage sector. In the case of chappals and sandals, use of non-leather material is prevalent in the domestic market. The major production centers of India are Chennai, Ranipet, and Ambur in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai in Maharastra, Kanpur in U.P., Jalandhar in Punjab, Agra and Delhi. The following table indicates concentration of units in various parts of the country The Indian footwear industry is provided with institutional infrastructure support through premier institutions like Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, Footwear Design Development Institute, Noida, National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, etc in the areas of technological development, design and product development and human resource development. The availability of abundant raw material base, large domestic market and the opportunity to cater to world markets makes India an attractive destination for technology and investments. The Indian footwear retail market is expected to grow at CAGR of over 20% for the periods spanning from 2008 to 2011. Footwear is expected to comprise about 60% of the total leather exports by 2011 from over 38% in 2006-2007. Presently, the Indian footwear market is dominated by Mens footwear market that accounts for nearly 58% of the total Indian footwear retail market. By products, the Indian footwear market is dominated by casual footwear market that makes up for nearly two-third of the total footwear retail market. The Indian footwear market scores over other footwear markets as it gives benefits like low cost of production, abundant raw material, and has huge consumption market. The annual domestic consumption of shoes in India is 1.1 billion pairs and it is estimated that the footwear market is around Rs 10, 000 crore and will grow at 10% pa, this offers great opportunities for a company like Bata to expand. MNC Brands Sold in India are sold Adidas, Aldo, Bally, Clarks, Ecco, Florshiem, Ferragammo, Hush Puppies, Lee cooper, Lloyd, Marks Spencer, Nike, Nine West, New Balance, Reebok, Rockport, Stacy Adams, Levi Strauss , Lee Cooper, Puma, Bata. Indian Brands sold in India are Red Tape, Liberty, Khadims, Lakhani, Metro, Action, Provogue, ID, MB Footwear, Firangi Reebok: Reebok India commands a 51% market share in the premium sportswear industry in the Rs 2000-crore premium sportswear market.. It plans to increase the store count from the existing 500 to over 600 before 2008. Reebok reaches out to its target customers through its 500 exclusive Reebok Stores, 200 Shop in the shop outlets 2500 dealer outlets. The company has plan to tap tier II and Tier III ci ties. Reebok is planning to add 55 new lifestyle stores by the end of this year. It offers different segments for both men and women like sports and fitness footwear, apparel, accessories, fitness equipment and the lifestyle section. The Global Footwear Industry The global footwear market grew by 4.1% in 2008 to reach a value of $208.4 billion. In 2013, the market is forecast to have a value of $272.5 billion, an increase of 30.7% since 2008. The market grew by 4.8% in 2008 to reach a volume of 11.6 billion pairs. In 2013, the market is forecast to have a volume of 15.1 billion pairs, an increase of 30.2% since 2008. Europe is the largest footwear market, accounting for 42.3% of the global value. The global footwear market consists of the total revenues generated through the sale of all types of mens, womens and childrens shoes. The market is valued at retail selling price with any currency conversions calculated using constant 2007 annual average exchange rates. Reebok International, a subsidiary of Adidas, is engaged in the design, marketing and distribution of sports, fitness and casual footwear, apparel and equipment. The company primarily operates in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company recorded revenues of E2,333 million in the fiscal year ended December 2007, a decrease of 5.7% over 2006. The operating profit of the company was E109 million in the fiscal year 2007, an increase of 26.7% over 2006. . According to 2004 figures by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association International, Nike had about 36%, Adidas 8.9% and Reebok 12.2% market share in the athletic-footwear market in the U.S. Introduction- REEBOK Reebok is an American-inspired, global brand that creates and markets sports and lifestyle products built upon a strong heritage and authenticity in sports, fitness and womens categories. The brand is committed to designing products and marketing programs that reflect creativity and the desire to constantly challenge the status quo. Reebok India Reebok started its operations in India in 1995. Headed by Managing Director Mr. Subhinder Singh Prem, Reebok India has a pan-India presence with branch offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore and ranks at the top amongst international footwear companies in India. The Companys brand vision is fulfilling potential, its mission – Always challenge and lead through creativity. Reeboks brand values are authentic, individualistic, courageous, empowering, innovative and real. Reebok has introduced its internationally acclaimed fitness programs in India, conducted under the banner of Reebok Instructor Alliance, which is dedicated to fitness instructors, personal trainers and health club owners. Reebok has trained and certified more then 800 trainers till now. Reebok India commands a 54% market share in the premium sportswear industry according to the calendar year December 2008. Its revenue has touched 1400 Crores (at retail price) in 2008. It plans to increase the store count from the existing 500 to over 600 before 2007. Reebok reaches out to its target customers through its 500 exclusive Reebok Stores, 200 Shop in the shop outlets 2500 dealer outlets. Reebok has the single largest store in Hyderabad. REEBOKS VISION Fulfilling Potential Reebok is dedicated to providing each and every athlete from professional athletes to recreational runners to kids on the playground with the opportunity, the products, and the inspiration to achieve what they are capable of. We all have the potential to do great things. As a brand, Reebok has the unique opportunity to help consumers, athletes and artists, partners and employees fulfill their true potential and reach heights they may have thought un-reachable. REEBOKS MISSION Always Challenge and Lead through Creativity At Reebok, we see the world a little differently and throughout our history have made our mark when weve had the courage to challenge convention. Reebok creates products and marketing programs that reflect the brands unlimited creative potential. REEBOKS POSITIONING Celebrate Individuality in Sport and Life Reebok understands that people are, above all, unique. Reeboks positioning reflects this; celebrating the distinct qualities that make people who they are their unique points of view, their individual style and their remarkable talents and accomplishments. Reebok celebrates their individuality, their authenticity and the courage it takes to forge their own path to greatness. While some may call them crazy or eccentric, Reebok calls them visionary and original. REEBOKS PURPOSE To Empower Global Youth to Fulfill their Potential Commitment to Corporate Responsibility is an important legacy and hallmark of the Reebok brand.For two decades, Human Rights, through the Reebok Human Rights program, was the primary focus of this effort. Reebok has expanded on what had been built and created a Global Corporate Citizenship platform with a purpose for the brand that will help underprivileged, underserved youth around the world fulfill their potential and live healthy, active lives. REEBOKS BRAND TERRITORY Having Fun Staying in Shape Having Fun Staying in Shape comes to life through a fun, bold, provocative manner expressed through fresh, eye catching imagery signed off with a unique Reeword. The tone and manner allows the consumer to look at sport and lifestyle through our lens of Ree. HISTORY 2000 In 2000, Reebok and the National Football League announced an exclusive partnership that serves as a foundation of the NFLs consumer products business. The NFL granted a long-term exclusive license to Reebok beginning in the 2002 NFL season to manufacture, market and sell NFL licensed merchandise for all 32 NFL teams. The license includes on-field uniforms, sideline apparel, practice apparel and an NFL-branded footwear and apparel collection. 2001 In 2001, Reebok formed a long-term strategic partnership with the National Basketball Association under which Reebok designs, manufactures, sells and markets licensed merchandise for the NBA, the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the NBAs minor league. Reebok secured the exclusive rights to supply and market all on-court apparel, including uniforms, shooting shirts, warm-ups, authentic and replica jerseys and practice gear for all NBA, WNBA and NBDL teams. Reebok also had exclusive rights, with limited exceptions, to design, manufacture, market and sell headwear, T-shirts, fleece and other apparel products for all teams in most channels of distributions. In 2006, Reebok transferred the NBA rights to the adidas Brand. 2002 In 2002, Reebok launched Rbk – a collection of street-inspired footwear and apparel hook-ups designed for the young man and woman who demand and expect the style of their gear to reflect the attitude of their lives: cool and edgy, authentic and aspirational. Inspired by street fashion, Rbks marketing is culturally relevant as well. With many of the industrys most marketable and valuable sports assets on its roster, Reebok rolled-out an integrated marketing campaign that fused together sports, music, technology and entertainment, and was designed to connect the Reebok Brand to millions of new consumers around the world. The global marketing campaign was launched in early 2002 and featured select Reebok athletes paired with some of the music industrys most successful hip-hop and rap artists. Reebok tapped into something the industry had not yet seen, and became a pioneer in the fusion of sports, music and technology. 2003 2003 was a landmark year for Rbk. Reebok formed an unprecedented partnership with rap musician Jay-Z, which included the design and marketing of the S. Carter Collection by Rbk, which launched in April. With the partnership, Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to have a signature athletic footwear collection. The launch of Jay Zs first shoe was extremely successful around the world. Later that year, Reebok teamed up with another superstar of the rap world, 50 Cent. The result was the equally successful â€Å"G Unit Collection by Rbk.† 2004 In 2004, Reebok became the worlds leading producer of hockey apparel and equipment with its acquisition of The Hockey Company. The Hockey Companys brands, CCM, Koho and Jofa, are among the most respected in the sport. Reebok has a long-term licensing agreement with the National Hockey League, under which the company serves as the supplier of authentic â€Å"on-ice† game jerseys to all 30 NHL teams. It also has the exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture and market authentic, replica and practice jerseys using the names and logos of the NHL and its teams. Reebok also has exclusive agreements with the Canadian Hockey League, the American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League. 2005 In early 2005, Reebok launched Rbk Hockey, a new and innovative line of ultra-high performance hockey equipment, sticks and skates and signed hockey phenom Sidney Crosby, who has lived up to his billing as the leagues next great player. In two short years, Rbk Hockey has become one of the most visible and in-demand hockey brands on the market. In 2005, Reebok launched its largest global integrated marketing and advertising campaign in nearly a decade. I Am What I Am is a multi-faceted campaign which links all of the brands marketing and advertising efforts under the I Am What I Am umbrella. The campaign encourages young people to embrace their own individuality by celebrating their contemporary heroes. Celebrities featured in the campaign include music icons Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee and 50 Cent; top athletes Allen Iverson, Donovan McNabb, Curt Schilling, Kelly Holmes, Iker Casillas and Yao Ming; screen stars Lucy Liu, John Leguizamo and Christina Ricci; and skateboarder Stevie Williams. 2006 In January 2006, adidas-Salomon AG acquired Reebok, forever altering the worldwide sporting goods industry landscape. Shortly after the close of the acquisition, Reebok Chairman and CEO Paul Fireman announced he was leaving the company to pursue other interests, and Paul Harrington was named President and CEO of the Reebok brand. Today, the adidas Group, which includes the adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade-adidas Golf and Rockport brands is a global leader in the sporting goods industry and offers a broad portfolio of products. Products from the adidas Group are available in virtually every country of the world. Activities of the company and its more than 80 subsidiaries are directed from the Groups headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. 2007 Reebok launched Run Easy, one of the most comprehensive running campaigns in the brands history. The goal of the campaign was to inspire consumers around the world to fulfill their potential and celebrate their individuality. The message of the campaign was that while many other brands speak about the blood, sweat and tears of running, Reebok celebrated the camaraderie, joy and fun of running – Run Easy. In addition, Reeboks partnership with the National Hockey League took center stage with the unveiling the Rbk Edge Uniform System, a complete, team-wide redesign and re-engineering of the NHL uniform, and the opening of the NHL Powered by Rbk retail store in New York City. Reebok also launched its There are Two People in Everyone marketing campaign for the second half of 2007 in select regions. The global marketing campaign highlights Reeboks unique brand point of view of celebrating the individuals balance between sport and life. The campaign, featuring international sport stars such as Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, MS Dohni and Nicole Vaidisova, declared that there is more to an athlete than his or her sport. 2008 Reeboks global marketing campaign, ‘Your Move launched in March of 2008 and evolved Reeboks positioning as the brand that celebrates individuality and supports those who choose to do things their way. Expressed as a global brand campaign, ‘Your Move was an invitation to people to do it their way in sport and in life. The ‘whats your move? ad was a literal expression of this philosophy: key assets including Thierry Henry and Alexander Ovechkin showed us their moves and invited consumers to show us theirs. In the summer of 2008, Reebok and driving ace Lewis Hamilton announced a multi-year partnership at a spectacular 3-D event in Amsterdam, home of Reeboks European Headquarters. At the event, Reebok unveiled â€Å"The Athlete within the Driver,† gave media a rare insight into Hamiltons demanding fitness regime. Hamilton revealed how Reeboks Smoothfit training footwear and apparel range helped him to train better than ever before. 2009 In February 2009, Reebok launched the Jukari Fit to Fly workout, the first in a series of initiatives to come out of a new, long-term partnership with Cirque du Soleil. Jukari Fit to Fly makes fitness fun again by introducing a new way to move. The workout has been created on a specially-designed piece of equipment called the FlySet. The result is a workout that gives the sensation of flying while strengthening and lengthening the body through cardio, strength, balance and core training. Also in 2009, Reebok made a pledge to tone the butts and legs of women around the world with its innovative EasyTone footwear. Featuring first-of-its-kind balance pod technology, the shoe generates incredible results thanks to proprietary technology invented by a former NASA engineer. Brands Reebok International Rock Port RBK CCM Hockey (Worlds largest) Greg Norman Apparel Ralph Lauren Brand The Hockey Company Avia Onfield Apparel Athletic footwear DMX2000 3D Ultralite Ralph Lauren Apparel line REEBOK SWOT ANALYSIS Reebok International was a major player in the sports and fitness products market, with a particular emphasis on footwear. Its main strengths lied in its size and strong brand awareness. While footwear is clearly its core product, concerns were being raised over its comparative disinterest in the associated athletic apparel market, which is over twice the size of the footwear market. STRENGTHS Growing sales revenue As part of a strategy to grow quality market share, the company continued to invest in three key product and marketing platforms: Performance, RBK and Classic. Reebok International was the second largest manufacturer of athletic shoes in the US, behind Nike. The Reebok brand continued to drive sales pushing it closer to major competitors, Nike and Adidas. Reebok had become the number two or number three brand in most of its overseas markets. It held around 10% of the global market, compared to Nikes 34% and Adidas 15%. The company has been able to increase revenues and improve operating margins despite some challenging retail conditions in many key markets around the world in 2004. Excellent marketing strategy The company employed a strategy of reinventing its brands in order to gain market share. In order to enhance its Reebok brand, the company introduced a new street inspired product collection, RBK, in 2002, followed by an effective marketing strategy which carried into 2003 and 2004. During 2003/2004, the Reebok product offerings generated healthy sell-through performance at retail. Alongside reinventing brands, the company introduced new marketing campaigns to promote them. To support the RBK product Reebok created a marketing campaign entitled Reeboks Sounds and Rhythm of Sport, which fuses music and entertainment with sports and performance. Celebrity associated sponsorships The company expanded its product offerings into more lifestyle and performance categories, introducing new product segments for both the NBA and NFL, including NBA and NFL footwear, classic lifestyle apparel and performance gear for off-the-field activities. Reebok sponsored many top athletes in tennis; Andy Roddick and Venus Williams; as well as music stars Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and 50 Cent. Yao Zings impact in the Asian market is hugely important to Reebok. Affiliating itself to such globally renowned celebrities enhanced the company name among many different customer groups. Strong womens sector Another one of Reeboks strengths was its success in the womens sector. The market for womens athletic shoes is larger than that for men, accounting for around 46% and 40% of the sectors value respectively. In volume terms, the womens sector was even more important, 46% compared to 35%. Reeboks market share of womens athletic shoe sales was around 35%, and has been boosted by its Its A Womans World marketing campaign. WEAKNESSES Classics under fire The company had come under fire from its rivals in the classics department. In the past Reebok has controlled this shoe category without much competition, however companies such as Nike and Adidas were coming up with their own classic shoes. Reebok were still the market leaders in that area but the gap kept narrowing. Low market share in apparels Reebok controlled only about 1.4% of the apparel market. This posed a problem when squaring up with its fierce competitor, Nike. The footwear markets growth was slowing. Athletic apparel gives scope for a larger and more diverse range of products, keeping the market fast moving. The apparel market was 2.4 times larger than the footwear market. Nike took charge there, with its innovative designs, and contracts with sports teams and organisations throughout the world. Danger of stockpiling products by retailers Futures, or ordered in advance sales, represented around 60-70% of Reeboks business. This has been valuable to Reebok in the past; however five of the companys brands that represent around 60% global market share could cause problems in the future. Futures growth for these five brands was around 9.5% on a dollar-weighted basis. This growth was alarmingly fast. Reebok had to be careful as retailers may be ordering more than they can sell. This could result in a sudden cut off in orders, leaving the company with large inventories and a decrease in sales. OPPORTUNITIES Increase average shoe price Reeboks average price per shoe in athletic footwear stores, which account for around 15% of the market, was considerably lower than average. Its average price per shoe is $45, compared with an outlet average closer to $60. The companys lower than average shoe price is partly due to the high percentage of basic products sold, which is itself partly attributable to its traditional position in the womens sector. This left plenty of space for the company to muscle in on higher priced sales, as its products and promotional efforts improve. As well as raising brand awareness, Reeboks sponsorship deals helped the company increase its average sales price. Draw attention toward new technological developments Reebok had started developing its product to make it more modern and has invested heavily in added technology to enhance its shoes. Reebok had a lot to gain from a continued investment in more technologically advanced, premium products. In 2003, the company introduced new fashionable and technologically advanced products tied to new integrated marketing programs. These displayed an enhanced and prominent vector logo which ties back to the Professional athletes wearing the products on the field. This branding created a real point-of-difference for its performance products and should help to generate consumer interest at point-of-purchase. These products are supported at retail with a new performance marketing campaign, which utilises the athletes and the vector logo in new and creative ways. This campaign included television, print and in-store marketing packages. Encourage a strong brand push in Europe The company planned to enhance its European market, recruiting new management talent and initiating an aggressive program to regionalise this business utilising a consistent brand image throughout Europe. Reebok executed unified product, marketing, and sales strategies across all borders in Europe, thereby presenting the Reebok Brand in a more relevant and consistent manner. Exploit Nikes lack of high profile sponsorship Nike, the worlds most successful sportswear brand and footwear producer struggled to fill the void vacated by Michael Jordan. This was the first time in a long time that Nike did not have an eminent sports star to spearhead their marketing drive. This has left an opening for the likes of Reebok to exploit, particularly in the basketball arena. The company took the Chinese sensation from Nike, Yao Ming, hoping to increase market share by 10% to 30% by 2006. THREATS Over reliance on footwear sales Footwear is Reeboks largest division and the company relies fairly heavily on the footwear market. That was a competitive field experiencing much slower growth than in previous years and, like most other producers, Reebok felt that it must do more to increase sales. Reebok had also to be aware that the market for more expensive footwear was slowing. This could ultimately force prices down, should this trend continue for a significant period of time. With the company so reliant on footwear, it risked losses, whereas other competitors such as Nike can fall back on their apparel division. Diverted from historical markets Reeboks original success stemmed from the womens aerobics market in the 1980s. It has since become apparent that the company has shied away from its roots. Reeboks womens products represent only 25% of its athletic apparel volume. The womens apparel sector actually accounts for around 40% of industry sales, which suggests that Reebok risked losing out in the key market that transformed them into a global company. Product portfolio strategy introduction to the boston consulting box Introduction Thebusiness portfoliois the collection of businesses and products that make up the company. The best business portfolio is one that fits the companys strengths and helps exploit the most attractive opportunities. The company must: (1) Analyze its current business portfolio and decide which businesses should receive more or less investment, and (2) Develop growth strategies for adding new products and businesses to the portfolio, whilst at the same time deciding when products and businesses should no longer be retained. Methods of Portfolio Planning The two best-known portfolio planning methods are from the Boston Consulting Group (the subject of this revision note) and by General Electric/Shell. In each method, the first step is to identify the various Strategic Business Units (SBUs) in a company portfolio. An SBU is a unit of the company that has a separate mission and objectives and that can be planned independently from the other businesses. An SBU can be a company division, a product line or even individual brands it all depends on how the company is organised. The Boston Consulting Group Box (BCG Box) Using the BCG Box (an example is illustrated above) a company classifies all its SBUs according to two dimensions: On the horizontal axis: relative market share- this serves as a measure of SBU strength in the market On the vertical axis: market growth rate- this provides a measure of market attractiveness By dividing the matrix into four areas, four types of SBU can be distinguished: Stars -Stars are high growth businesses or products competing in markets where they are relatively strong compared with the competition. Often they need heavy investment to sustain their growth. Eventually their growth will slow and, assuming they maintain their relative market share, will become cash cows. Cash Cows- Cash cows are low-growth businesses or products with a relatively high market share. These are mature, successful businesses with relatively little need for investment. They need to be managed for continued profit so that they continue to generate the strong cash flows that the company needs for its Stars. Question marks- Question marks are businesses or products with low market share but which operate in higher growth markets. This suggests that they have potential, but may require substantial investment in order to grow market share at the expense of more powerful competitors. Management have to think hard about question marks which ones should they invest in? Which ones should they allow to fail or shrink? Dogs- Unsurprisingly, the term dogs refers to businesses or products that have low relative share in unattractive, low-growth markets. Dogs may generate enough cash to break-even, but they are rarely, if ever, worth investing in. Using the BCG Box to determine strategy Once a company has classified its SBUs, it must decide what to do with them. In the diagram above, the company has one large cash cow (the size of the circle is proportional to the SBUs sales), a large dog and two, smaller stars and question marks. Conventional strategic thinking suggests there are four possible strategies for each SBU: (1) Build Share: here the company can invest to increase market share (for example turning a question mark into a star) (2) Hold: here the company invests just enough to keep the SBU in its present position (3) Harvest: here the company reduces the amount of investment in order to maximise the short-term cash flows and profits from the SBU. This may have the effect of turning Stars into Cash Cows. (4) Divest: the company can divest the SBU by phasing it out or selling it in order to use the resources elsewhere (e.g. investing in the more promising question marks). THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP BOX (BCG BOX) OF REEBOK STARS  · Greg Norman Apparel Question Mark  · Athletic footwear  · DMX2000 Cash Cows  · Rock Port Dogs  · Avia Stars: [high share; high growth] 1. The Collections moisture-wicking innovative Play Dry ® technology and unique Performance. Luxury. 2. Style. combination continue to differentiate the brand. Influenced by one of the worlds leading golf professionals and identified by the four-color shark logo, Greg Norman Collection has become a complete lifestyle brand since beginning as knitwear line in 1992. India is now a major sourcing hub for Reebok Internationals golf apparel and accessories brand Greg Norman Collection. The $100 million brand which retails at $60 to $90 per piece globally sources about 30-40% of its total apparel needs from India. According to Ms Biszantz, the entire Greg Norman range was being outsourced from India including the regular knitwear polos, the fragile rain suit and even Greg Normans patented play dry technology apparel range. At present, the range is being outsourced from five vendors located across the country, these include textile majors like: Ahmedabad based Arvind Mills and Gokuldas Exports, apart from companies like Gurgoan-based Matrix and Faridabad-based Super Fashion and Gupta Exim. The design and merchandising inputs are however still comi ng from New York. The Greg Norman Collection made its debut in the Indian retail market through the opening of an exclusive brand store in Gurgaon The company plans to set

Multinational Corporations and the Destruction of the Family Essay

The pursuit of the bottom line is the goal of many businesses of a variety of sizes. The ability to buy cheaply, sell dearly and minimize costs across the board gives businesses an edge that allows them to create vast amounts of wealth for those with a stake in the business or corporation, but at what cost? Multinational corporations create great deals wealth but they propagate social and cultural inequality, poverty and environmental damage at rates to rival their gains. Multinational Corporations wield incredible amounts of political and economic clout, clout that allows them to manipulate a region without fear of recourse on the part of the localities in which they reside. The gains of corporations with respect to political and economic status are often accompanied by the withering of political and economic status on the part of indigenous populations and local labor forces. Specifically, the appearance of multinational corporations has served to aggravate the erosion of political and economic status at the familial level. The wielding of this economic and political power on the part of corporations is often characterized by violence on the part of its agents. One aspect that allows multinational corporations to survive in the business world is their lack of responsibility to the localities in which they do business. Albert J. Dunlap, a former CEO of multiple corporations had this to say about corporations : â€Å" The company belongs to people who invest in it- not to its employees, suppliers, nor the locality in which it is situated†. Even the market itself encourages corporations to be amoral and to turn a blind eye towards the needs of its employees and the regions. According to Richard Robbins â€Å"the fact is that environmenta... ...rized by the gendered conflict endured on the part of women worldwide. Female workers are appealing to multinational corporations because they are less likely to object to substandard working conditions(less likely to riot) and because corporations are able to pay women far less than what a man would make performing similar work. Women suffer physical and sexual abuse at the workplace in developing countries, trapped because they need the small wage they earn to support their families. The choice between starvation and abuse is a grim reality that many around the world suffer. Corporations have the power to pay women equally, and to pay all workers at a level that they can survive on, without threatening their profit margins by more than a few percent. Yet consider once again the Dunlap and Robbins quotes near the start of the paper, there is no motivation to do so.

Environmental Legislation And Policy Of The Eu Engineering Essay

In the 19th century, steam engine, gasoline engine and technological machinery in industry were the chief subscribers for a noisy environment. With the development of Diesel engine, jet engines, addition in usage of faster industrial production machinery including building site machinery and increased volume of route traffic, all aggravated and intensified noise pollution in the 20th century.[ 1 ] Action to cut down environmental noise was non given any precedence when compared to other environmental jobs such as air and H2O pollution. It was argued in the Commission Green Paper that this deficiency of involvement in noise pollution was due to the fact that ‘noise is really much a local job with really varied perceptual experiences in different parts of the community as to the acceptableness of the job ‘ .[ 2 ] However although there was this deficiency of legal involvement in noise pollution, people non merely regarded noise as a constituent that deteriorates the environment but recognised besides that it is ‘unjustifiable intervention and infliction upon human comfort, wellness and the quality of modern life ‘[ 3 ]. Therefore the authoritiess, back in 1969 started modulating noise in assorted legislative acts. The European Commission in the ‘Future Noise Policy ‘ ( Green Paper ) pointed out that All member provinces have similar categorizations of the beginnings of environmental noise related to the different human activities: route traffic, rail traffic, air traffic, industry, civil technology and edifice site activities, recreational activities, out-of-door equipment ( such as gardening equipment ) .2EC Legislation on Noise: the development of noise ordinance in the EU before the acceptance of the Directive 2002/49/ECOver the past 30 old ages, the EU ‘s environmental policy aims have been presented in Action Programme. The 2nd European Action Programme ( EAP ) 1978 developed the issue of noise suspension. It contained a whole chapter on steps against noise where it sets out risky effects that noise may hold on the human wellness. This EAP pointed out that member provinces have drawn up a figure of ordinances modulating noise emanations. Therefore in order to work out the job of haltering the common market, the community decided to follow an anti-noise policy.[ 4 ] Januaries hold that Community statute law on noise can loosely be divided into two classs. In the first topographic point there are a big figure of directives harmonizing national ordinances on anything from motor mowers to goods vehicles and ordering maximal allowable noise degrees. [ aˆÂ ¦ ] In the 2nd topographic point there is a certain sum of legislative activity in connexion with noise produced by aircrafts.[ 5 ] On the other manus, Miriam Markus-Johansson et Al in Handbook on the Implementation of EC Environmental Legislation, argued that the bing ‘noise control statute law can be divided into four classs: motor vehicles, airplanes, out-of-door equipment, and family contraptions ‘[ 6 ]. However the writers lack to do mention to statute law on railroad and besides industrial noise. Therefore I would state that there are five classs: route conveyance to include railroad besides motor vehicles and the 5th class would be industrial noise.Road TransportMotor vehicles Under EU statute law, motor vehicles are divided in two classs: motor vehicles with at least four wheels and motor vehicles with two- or three-wheel. Noise from motor vehicles with at least four wheels Bing the chief subscriber to environmental noise particularly in urban countries, the European Union sought to harmonize noise demands for route vehicles back in 1970, through Directive 70/157/EC. Add to this the directive introduced bounds on sound degrees of route vehicles and specific processs for mensurating sound degrees of exhaust systems and silencers.[ 7 ] Noise from two and three wheel motor vehicles Mopeds and bikes are another major route traffic noise subscribers chiefly due to reckless driving behavior and / or meddling of the fumes system. Directing 97/24/EC establishes allowable sound bounds from two and three wheel vehicles and demands for exhaust systems, including replacing parts, and provides steps to counter tampering.10 Directing 2001/43/EC regulates noise bounds generated by motor vehicles and dawdlers Surs where the Surs meet the route. ‘These bounds differentiate between vehicle type ( autos, new waves and trucks ) and tyre breadth ( 5 categories ) and will be enforced by including tyre noise trials in EC type-approval certification demands, which must be met for any Sur to be placed on the EU market ‘ .[ 8 ] Railwaies A figure of enterprises where undertaken by the European Commission to restrict railroad noise. It even set up a ‘Railway ‘ working group in order to lucubrate the proficient and economic facets of the decrease of noise emanations from rail conveyance systems.[ 9 ] Directing 96/48/EC on the interoperability of the trans-European high-speed rail system, which has been detailed further through: Commission Decision 2002/735/EC on proficient specifications for interoperability ( TSI ) associating to high-speed turn overing stock Commission Decision 2002/732/EC on proficient specifications for interoperability ( TSI ) associating to high-velocity railroad substructure Directing 2001/16/EC on the interoperability of the conventional trans-European rail system, supplemented by: Commission Decision 2004/446/EC stipulating the basic parametric quantities of the Noise, Freight Wagons and Telematic applications for freight proficient specifications for interoperability referred to in Directive 2001/16/EC Directing 2004/50/EC of 29 April 2004 amending Council Directive 96/48/EC and Directive 2001/16/EC Commission Decision 2006/66/EC refering the proficient specifications for interoperability relating to the subsystem turn overing stock – noiseAir TransportAircraft noise was foremost regulated by the European Commission in 1979 through Directive 80/51/EEC which was followed by Directive 89/629/EEC. The former trades with restrictions of noise emanations from subsonic aircraft registered in the district of member provinces ( which was later extended by Directive 83/206/EEC to include aircrafts from non-EU member provinces but winging to EU finishs ) , while the latter directive prohibited noisy aircraft from being registered in member provinces. Following these two directives was Directive 92/14/EEC which was based on criterions of the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO ) , to censor the noisiest aircraft from European airdromes, that is, aircrafts covered by Chapter 2 of Annex 16 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation besides known as the Chicago Conv ention, which aircrafts were non allowed to run in the EU after April 2002. Another directive based on one of ICAO ‘s declarations is Directing 2002/30/EC where it applies the rule of balanced attack to resound direction around airdromes. This attack comprises four chief elements: decrease of aircraft noise at beginning, land-use planning and direction steps, noise suspensions operational processs and runing limitations.[ 10 ]Outdoor EquipmentThe EU Commission drew up at least seven directives covering noise from assorted out-of-door equipment, whereby it regulated allowable noise degrees, noise degree taging affixed on the equipment, and noise measurings criterion of about 57 points ( i.e. 63 types of machinery ) . To simplify affairs the European Parliament and Council adopted Directive 2000/14/EC associating to resound emanation in the environment from equipment for usage out-of-doorss. The chief characteristics of this directive are ‘harmonisation of noise emanation bounds and criterions, harmonization of conformance appraisal processs, harmo nization of noise degree marker and digest of informations on noise emanations ‘ .[ 11 ]Industrial NoiseIndustrial noise is covered by the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control ( IPPC ) Directive 96/61/EC whereby member provinces ‘ governments must take the issue of noise into consideration when publishing licenses to operators of the big industrial and agricultural installings. This directive is applicable besides to bing installings that are to undergo a significant change.15Family Appliances NoiseAlthough the directing relating with this type of noise is rather recent and has been regulated for after Directive 2002/49 EC came into force, I think it is of import to do a speedy mention to this directive. ‘Directive 2005/32/EC established a model for the scene of eco-design demands for energy-using merchandises, provides criterions and processs regulating the proviso of accurate information on the noise degree of family application ‘ .[ 12 ]The Salient Features of Directive 2002/49/ECThe range of this directive is to modulate environmental noise to which worlds are exposed in built-up countries, in public Parkss or other quiet countries†¦[ 13 ] However, this directive does non use to resound that is caused by the open individuals himself, noise from domestic activities, noise created by neighbors, noise at work topographic points or noise indoors means of conveyance or due to military activities in military countries.[ 14 ] Article 3 ( a ) of the Environmental Noise Directive ( END ) define environmental noise as unwanted[ 15 ]or harmful out-of-door sound created by human activities, including noise emitted by agencies of conveyance, route traffic, rail traffic, air traffic and from sites of industrial activity.[ 16 ] The purpose of this directive is to specify a common attack intended to avoid, prevent or cut down on a prioritised footing the harmful effects[ 17 ], including irritation, due to exposure to environmental noise. Further aims of the said directing include that information on environmental noise and its consequence is made available to the populace, there is to be noise function and besides the acceptance of action programs by the Member States. This leads me to the outstanding characteristic of END.Noise functionDirecting 2002/49/EC set up the construct of strategic noise function whereby appraisal is made in an country which is exposed to resound due to different noise beginnings. This is extremely regulated under Annex IV of the said Directive. By 18 July 2005 member provinces were to do available to the public information sing which is the competent authorization to pull the noise maps. Furthermore, from 30 June 2005 and thenceforth every five old ages, member provinces are to inform the Commission of the major roads which have more than six million vehicle riders a twelvemonth, railroads which have more than 60,000 train rider a twelvemonth, major airdromes and the agglomerations with more than 250,000 dwellers within their district. By 30 June 2007, strategic noise maps demoing the state of affairs of the predating twelvemonth were to be drawn up – the first phase. Then we have the 2nd phase, 30 June 2008, where once more member provinces were to inform the Commission of agglomeration with more than 100,000 dwellers, major roads with three million vehicles, major railroads with 30,000 rider and airdromes remained unchanged. Then by 30 June 2012 another set of strategic noise maps are to be drawn up demoing the sta te of affairs in the old calendar old ages. Noise maps must be reviewed, and revised if necessary, every five old ages.[ 18 ]Action programsAction programs are aimed at pull offing noise issues and effects, including noise decrease if necessary. They must run into the minimal demands set out in Annex V to the Directive. Not subsequently than 18 July 2008, action programs must be drawn up for major roads which have more than six million vehicle transitions a twelvemonth, railroads which have more than 60,000 train transitions per twelvemonth, major airdromes and agglomerations with more than 250,000 dwellers. Add to this, non subsequently than 18 July 2013, another set of action programs must be drawn up for all major agglomerations, major airdromes, major roads and major railroads. The action programs are to be reviewed when a major development occurs impacting the bing noise state of affairs, and at least every five old ages. Through the action program, the competent authorization is to pull off noise issues in mapped countries and besides protect quiet countries against an addition in noise.[ 19 ]Information for the citizenMember provinces are to guarantee that a public audience is organised and the consequences thereof are taken into history before the action programs are approved. Member provinc es are to guarantee that the strategic noise maps and the action programs are made available and disseminated to the populace in conformance with Annex IV and V to Directive 2002/49/EC, thereby affecting the citizens.DecisionWhat is the chief differentiation between the directives prior to Directive 2002/49/EC and Directive 2002/49/EC itself? For more than 30 old ages, European noise policy consisted chiefly of repairing maximal sound degrees through statute law with a position to finish the individual market. As such this has non been conceived as portion of an overall environmental noise abatement plan. As already pointed out, the directives dealt with motor vehicles, aircraft, trains and railroad, industrial machinery and family contraptions. On the other manus, Directing 2002/49/EC does non put maximal degrees of noise but aims to supply a common footing for undertaking noise jobs across the EU, therefore switching from pollution control to pollution bar[ 20 ]i.e. it seeks to harmonize noise indexs and portray the information in the signifier of noise maps and do such information available to the populace. The member states competent governments ( in Malta being the MEPA ) are to pull up strategic noise maps for major roads, railroads and airdromes and agglomerations utilizing consonant noise indexs.[ 21 ]Therefore th is directive ‘does non seek to put common Europe-wide noise bounds ‘ but ‘it will organize the footing for end puting for betterment at the EU degree and for the development of an EU scheme including steps ‘ .[ 22 ] I believe that the End came approximately because during the past 15 old ages or more there was no important betterment in exposure to environment noise particularly route traffic noise. The enlargement of high velocity rail and growing in air conveyance besides played their portion to farther addition environmental noise.[ 23 ]‘The Numberss of people populating in so called ‘grey countries ‘ has increased. It has been estimated that around 20 per centum of the Union ‘s population or shut to 80 million people suffer from noise degrees that scientists and wellness experts consider to be unacceptable. Additionally over the past two decennaries leisure activities and touristry have created new musca volitanss and new beginnings of noise ‘ .[ 24 ] Thankss to statute law and technological advancement important decreases of noise from single beginnings have been achieved. For illustration the noise from single autos has been reduced by 85 % since 1970 and the noise from lorries by 90 % . Likewise for aircraft footmark around an airdrome made by a modern jet has been reduced by a factor of 9 compared to an aircraft with 1970s engineering. Another cardinal differentiation is that of shared duty between the Community and Member States. The green paper back in 1996 held that The local nature of noise jobs does non intend that all action is best taken at local degree, as beginnings of noise are non ever of local beginning.[ 25 ]

Relating Pairs of Non-Zero Simple Zeros of Analytic Functions

Relating Pairs of Non-Zero Simple Zeros of Analytic Functions Edwin G. Chasten June 9, 2008 Abstract We prove a theorem that relates non-zero simple zeros sol and z of two arbitrary analytic functions f and g, respectively. Preliminaries Let C denote the set of Complex numbers, and let R denote the set of real numbers. We will be begin by describing some fundamental results from complex analysis that will be used in proving our main lemmas and theorems.For a description of the basics of complex analysis, we refer the reader to the complex analysis text Complex Variables for Mathematics and Engineering Second Edition by John H. Mathews. The following theorems have particular relevance to the theorems we will be proving later in this paper, and will be stated with out proof, but proofs can be found in [1]. Theorem 1 (Deformation of Contour)(Mathews) If CLC and ca are simple positively oriented contours with CLC interior to ca , then for any analytic function f defined in a domain conta ining both contours, the following equation holds true [1]. F (z)adz -? CLC f (z)adz Proof of Theorem 1 : See pages 129-130 of [1]. The Deformation Theorem basically tells us that if we have an analytic function f defined on an open region D of the complex plane, then the contour integral off long a closed contour c about any point z in D is equivalent to the contour integral of f along any other closed contour co enclosing that same point z. The Deformation Theorem allows us to shrink a contour about a point z arbitrarily close to that point, and still be guaranteed that the value of the contour integral about that point will be unchanged.This property will be instrumental in the proof of a lemma we will be using in proving our main result that relates all ordered pairs (zoo , sol ) of non-zero simple zeros, zoo and sol , of any two arbitrary analytic functions, f and g, each having one of those points as a simple zero. This powerful result is both non-trivial, and counter-intuitiv e: there is no reason to think right owe that all pairs of non-zero simple zeros of analytic functions are related.The result is non-trivial because our result only works for pairs of non-zero simple zeros and does not in general carry over to more than two non-zero simple zeros. All of the statements above will be proven rigorously The author wishes to proper special thanks to Sean Apple, DRP. Edwin Ford, Ryan Mitchell, and Larry Washman for all of their insights and contributions to making this paper possible. Without each one of them, none of what is in this paper, however useful or not, would have been possible. In this paper.But before this, we wish to describe briefly one case where a more general result does hold; namely, that if the non-zero simple zeros of an analytic function g are closed under multiplication, then the non-zero simple zeros of any other arbitrary analytic function, say h, that is defined on a union of open regions in the complex plane containing all of the non-zero simple zeros of said function g, can be related using a slight modification of our main theorem to be proven. All but the last of these statements, too, will be proven rigorously in this paper, as the proof of he last statement is trivial.One particular application of this special case of our main theorem to be proved, is the reduction of the prime factorization problem down to evaluating contour integrals of any number of possible analytic functions over a closed contour. More specifically, the integral is taken over a closed contour containing information about the prime factors of a product of prime numbers. The product to be factored is contained in the argument of a product of analytic functions, f and g, each of whose only zeros in the complex plane occur at the integers, and the result is a factor of the product of prime numbers.This particular result was the main conclusion obtained via our two year research project consisting of the following researchers: Sean App le, DRP. Edwin Ford, Ryan Mitchell, and Larry Washman, math instructor at Pierce Community College. Our collaborative research on the integer prime factorization problem was of great inspiration to the author in the formation of the generalization that is the main theorem of this paper.This main theorem, itself, is a generalization of some machinery we had together developed to reduce the prime factorization problem to evaluating contour integrals of the product f two specially chosen functions in the complex plane during the two year research project. The author wishes to thank Sean Apple, DRP. Edwin Ford, Ryan Mitchell, and Larry Washman, for their inspiration and help in making this generalization possible, for without them, none of this, however useful or not, would have been discovered at this time.For the following discussion, see page 113 of [1] for a formal definition of a contour. Now we shall discuss some more theorems that will be instrumental in proving our main results. The following theorem is called Cauchy Integral Formula. It provides us a way to represent arbitrary analytic functions evaluated at a point z in the domain of definition of the function in terms of a contour integral. This highly famous result is extremely powerful, and has many applications in both physics and engineering [1].It is also instrumental in proving a most counter-intuitive result: that if a function f is determinable on an open subset of the complex plane (I. E. If f is analytic on an open subset of the complex plane), then f has derivatives of all orders on that set [1]. In other words, if a function f has a first derivative on an open subset f complex numbers, then it has a second derivative defined on the same open subset of complex numbers, and it has a third derivative defined on the same open subset of complex numbers and so on ad infinitum [1].Theorem 2 (Cauchy Integral Formula)(Mathews) Let f be analytic in the simply connected domain D, and let c be a simple closed positively oriented contour that lies in D. If zoo is a point that lies interior to c, then the following holds true [1]. adz Proof of Theorem 2: see page 141 of [1]. The following theorem is called Leibniz Rule and along with Cauchy Integral Formula is instrumental in proving what is known as Cauchy Integral Formula for Derivatives, which has as a corollary, that functions that are analytic on a simply connected domain D, have derivatives of all orders on that same set [1].Without this theorem, we would need much stronger assumptions in the premise of our theorem relating pairs of non-zero simple zeros of analytic functions. Although we shall not use Leibniz rule directly in any of our proofs, Leibniz rule together with Cauchy Integral Formula form the back-bone of the machinery in the proof of Cauchy Integral Formula for Derivatives given in [1] on page 144, which we shall only outline. 2 Theorem 3 (Leibniz Rule)(Mathews) Let D be a simply connected domain, and let I : a t 0 b be an interval of real numbers.Let f (z, t) and its partial derivative fez (z, t) with respect to z be continuous functions for all z in D, and all t 2 1. Then the following holds true [1]. B f (z, t)dot fez (z, t)dot is analytic for z 2 D, and Proof of Theorem 3: The proof is given in [2]. The following Theorem is called Cauchy Integral Formula for derivatives and allows one to express the derivative of a function f at a point z in the domain off by a onto integral formula about a contour c containing the point z in its interior.The formula shows up in the remainder term in the proof of Tailor's Theorem. The remainder term mentioned above is used in the proof of Theorem (10), our main result. Theorem 4 [1](Mathews) Let f : D ! C be an analytic function in the simply connected domain D. Let be a simple closed positively oriented contour that is contained in D. If z is a point interior to c, then n! Ads z)n+l Proof of Theorem 4: We give here a sketch of the proof appearing in [1] . The proof is inductive and starts with the parameterization C : s = s(t) ND Ads = s (t)dot for a 0 t 0 b.Then Cauchy Integral formula is used to rewrite f in the form O f (s(t))so (t) dot s(t) z The proof then notes that the integrands in (B) are functions of z and t and the f and the partial derivative off with respect to z, fez , are derived and then Leibniz rule is applied to establish the base case for n = 1. Then induction is applied to prove the general formula. The main point of this is Corollary (5. 1) in [1] on page 144, which states that if a function f is analytic in a domain D, then the function has derivatives 3 of all orders in D, and these derivatives are analytic in D.Without this corollary, we could not relate the non-zero simple zeros of analytic functions as stated in Theorem (10); instead, the best we could do is to relate the non-zero simple zeros of functions whose second derivative exists on the intersection of the domains of the functions that contain the p air of non-zero simple zeros of the pair of given functions. But with Corollary (5. 1), we need only assume analyticity of the functions in question at the non-zero simple zeros, which significantly strengthens the results of our paper.Below we will give the definition of what is known in complex and real analysis as a ere of an analytic function f of a given order k, where k is a non-negative integer. What the order of a zero z tells us is how many of the derivatives of the function f are zero at z in addition to f itself. What is known is that if two functions, f and g, have a zero of order k and m, respectively, at some point zoo in the complex numbers, then the product of the two function f and g, denoted f g, will have a zero of order k + m at the point zoo [1].