Market Entry and Concentration Ratios, Impacts of Keystone Holdings Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Advanced Ceramics Business has facilities in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. As originally structured, the assets acquired by Keystone would have included the Latrobe facility and other assets relating to the manufacture and sale of alumina wear tiles. On December 2, 2010, however, in an effort to resolve competitive concerns relating to the original transaction, Keystone and Saint-Gobain amended their agreement to exclude from the sale Saint-Gobain's North American alumina wear tile business. Advanced ceramics is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain and the parent company is present in almost 64 countries. Advanced ceramics' sales revenue differs largely from country to country but the main source is North America with around 1 billion dollars (Ceramics and plastics). Its revenue in 2009 was 153.3 million in the Check Republic and 8.7 million euro in central and northern Europe (2009). Saint Gobain s net sales figures are 37,786 euros in 2009 and 43800 euros in 2008. The company earns 42% of the income from North America. The easiness with which a new firm can enter into an existing industry determines the structure of the market. In oligopoly markets, it is very difficult for new firms to enter and compete with existing firms. We will write a custom essay sample on Market Entry and Concentration Ratios, Impacts of Keystone Holdings or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page The size of the investment necessary to enter the market is substantial in relation to the size of the overall markets. In addition, the uncertainty that an entrant could secure the distribution necessary to make the investment profitable is highly unlikely.

The Economics Of Happiness Is An Indicator Of Economic...

For centuries, economists have deliberated on the most effective ways to promote growth, to increase employment, to boost consumption and to eliminate poverty, but where does this all lead? Surely these are all means to an end? Today, some economists may define the end as happiness. This essay will explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of using happiness as an indicator of economic success, analyze how it can be measured and examine the current theories on whether happiness can cause economic growth, or vice versa. Whilst economic growth first and foremost implies an increase in GDP per capita, increasing happiness can be attributed to many different determinants such as health, education, stability and inequality. Therefore, the economics of happiness is a multi-layered and rather subjective area that divides economists when asked whether happiness can cause economic growth. To begin with, Stevenson and Wolfers (2008) propose that as countries grow richer, their citizens report higher levels of satisfaction. This is achieved not only through higher income per capita levels, but through the expected byproducts of an improving economy such as increases in levels of education, access to healthcare, opportunities for employment and equality. Non-income determinants can be weighted against GDP levels to assess whether economic growth does impact happiness. For example, using the Corruptions Perceptions Index it was found that Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorestShow MoreRelatedEvaluation Of The Alternative Of Economic Progress1397 Words   |  6 PagesMeasuring of Economic Progress Measuring the success of a country in modern society is very important as it influences future decisions made to improve economy. The main indicator used to measure a country’s success is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP represents the total dollar value of all goods and services produced, usually annually. Just like all indicators, GDP has several limitations and may not be the best-suited indicator for sustainable success. In calculating a country’s success, GDP onlyRead MoreEconomic Growth And Its Effect On Society1737 Words   |  7 Pagesthing as economic growth to the general public. This all changed when two different events occurred that greatly impacted the course of history. The first of these being the British industrial revolution in 1750, and then the more prominent American industrial revolution in 1870. Acting like a catalyst, these two events created a boom of economic growth unlike anything the world had ever seen. As certain nations have contin ued to expand, an important question that arises is, is economic growth beneficialRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book  ¬ About The Author 2036 Words   |  9 Pagespioneered natural capital accounting in Canada and alternative measures of economic progress, including the US Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) and the Alberta GPI Sustainable Well-being measurement system. Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth All of us have common interest for happiness and love. We all have our own destiny on how to discover it in our lives. In this book, we will know the factors of happiness and our conditions of well- being- our genuine wealth. It will answer someRead MoreMisconceptions Of The American Dream1190 Words   |  5 Pagesor achievement.† Over the past century, people have been striving to achieve the rich and prosperous life that Truslow refers to in hopes that they find happiness. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. While wealth is often equated with happiness and security; however, The Great Gatsby and Into the Wild illustrate that searching for happiness through the acquisition of material wealth is chasing an illusion, because amorality and corruption often follow wealth. Jay Gatsby, Chris McCandless, andRead MoreAnalyze Globalizations Impact on Singapores Development.1746 Words   |  7 Pageshealthy life in a safe environment.† These are the wise words of Kofi An nan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Thus, there are a set of tangible criteria to help determine the development of a country, of which economic criteria tend to dominate, with indicators such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as other social and security needs of the people, with the recent Human Development Index (HDI) which measures overall well-being of the people. So, with the recent phenomenonRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And America s Tragedy1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Gatsby and America’s Tragedy The 1920’s resemble an epoch of the most significant economic prosperity that the Western world has ever seen. The Roaring Twenties, or the Jazz Age, was a period of immense change for all people after The Great War. Women could vote, cars and telephones were immensely popular, jazz music peaked, and airplanes became widely used, all things never before witnessed in world history. In the heat of this era, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby emerged, highlightingRead MoreThe United Nations And The Oecd Agree894 Words   |  4 Pagesthe individual citizens. A country’s overall wellbeing is not strictly based off of our economic wellbeing, in fact the wellbeing of your nation depends on the people who create that nation. In this essay I intend to argue that the Canadian Index of Wellbeing and Gross Domestic Product are best used together, then separate when trying to measure the overall wellbeing of a country. A large part of the success comes from the citizens and their engagement with their environment and society. One of theRead MoreEmployee Engagement Is The Buzzword818 Words   |  4 PagesEmployee engagement is the buzzword in any organization. Several articles and studies have highlighted on how to measure and manage engagement. This is an essential area in an organization to draw on because it translates into an organizational success. However, engagement is two-way process: organizations must bring about a design to engage the employee, who in turn has a choice about the level of engagement to offer the employer. Each reinforces the other. An engaged employee comes across a mixRead More Striving for Authentic Happiness Essays1396 Words   |  6 Pagesopportunities to do whatever they want. Because of the choices, people seem to be happier to make their own choices. However, Martin E.P. Seligman, the author of Authentic Happiness, would argue that they are not happy because that kind of happiness does not last long. In his book, Seligman explains that there are two kinds of happiness, pleasure and gratification. He says, â€Å"[t]he pleasures are delights that have clear sensory and strong emotional components, what philosophers call â€Å"raw feels†: ecstasyRead MoreWilkinson Picketts Spirit Level Book Essays1401 Words   |  6 Pagesby them in 2010, is one of the most influential books on social policy to date and it argues that not only does inequality affect the ones down the bottom of the ladder but everyone across the board. Affluent countries perform better when social indicators are more equal across society. This essay will assess the validity of Wilkinson Pickett’s conclusions by comparing the works of authors that support similar arguments, to the work of authors who disagree with them. A comparison of these different

Legal and Ethical Framework Issue

Question: Discuss about the Legal and Ethical Framework Issue. Answer: Introduction: There are number of workers and organizations which are related to many fields, and they are operating their work in some boundaries which includes legal and ethical framework. In other words, all industries work under some applicable laws and ethical standards. In Australia, there is an organization which is working for disable peoples and it is known as National Disability Services. National Disability Services NDS is the peak body in Australia which deals with the non government organizations providing disability service. This body represents almost 1100 organizations which provide services in disability sector (NDS, n.d.). Ethical issue in disability industry and its Impact on client: Workers in community and disability sector are regularly working under legal and political environment, but maximum time problems faced by them is ethical rather than legal or political. It is important to understand the ethical issues in disability sector. Ethical standards mean set of principles and values through which actions of individuals and organizations are judged as right and wrong. All workers perform their duties with their own values and principles, and it is necessary that they must be aware about these values because they deal with ethical issues on daily basis (Community door, n.d.). This paper examines the ethical dilemma which is faced by workers of disability industry and that is protection of clients rights. The main task of disability services workers is to provide support to clients and ensure that their rights are protected. Many rights of clients are protected by law but there are some rights which get protection through the philosophy and policies of the organization. It is the duty of worker of disability service sector to protect the rights of client which are related to confidentiality and consultancy, and they also owe duty of care towards their client. The main aspect of this duty of care involves the protection against abuse and also reports the suspected abuse to appropriate authority. This protection also includes understanding of role and responsibility of legal guardians (Community door, n.d.). Disability service workers deal with the sensitive information of the client on regular basis which are communicated to them in confidence and trust. In relation to service provision confidentiality is the most important prospect because it safeguards the privacy of client and also develops trust between client and service provider. Confidentiality means workers are not allowed to disclose the information of client which is provided to them by the client. There are number of organizations which are engaged in disability industry, and these organizations set up various policies and procedures to deal with the issue of confidentiality. This issue is an integral part of organization policy and it is considered at both ethical as well as legal level also. Different legislations are framed at legal level such as The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, The National Standards for Disability Services, The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and The Australian Privacy Pr inciples (Community door,n.d.). Impact on client- As stated above client and workers share relation of trust, and all the information provided by client to service workers is provided in confidence. It is the duty of service worker to protect the rights of client related to privacy and confidentiality. Information provided by client is confidential in nature and provided by client under confidence. In case any information which is confidential and disclosed by worker can become threat for client mentally and physically. Any disclosure of such information cause harmful effect on client. Such disclosure not only effect the client only but it also effect the reputation of organization and create legal consequences for organization. Therefore, it is necessary that organization frame policies for the protection of right of client (Community door, n.d.). Alternatives to solve this issue and most preferred alternative: Following are some alternatives which can be used by organization to deal with this ethical issue: Social workers must ensure that they do not discuss the information of client with their friends and relatives, and they also ensure that material kept in files only contain information about the services provided to clients or any factor which may affect the delivery of services and no other information. Confidential documents must be kept at safe place and not available for public access such as keep the confidential documents in locked bag or case. Information related to client must not disclose to nay relative or neighbor of the client who may contact with the organization to find out whether client is taking the service or not. Information must not be disclosed with other agencies which are not in connection with client, and must ensure that names and other personal details of clients should not be revealed in public forums such as meetings, conferences (DSS, n.d.). Organization must frame strict policies and procedures to deal with this issue. Most preferred alternative: the most preferred alternative is strict framework made by organizations for the purpose of dealing with issue of confidentiality. It is necessary that organizations framed strict provisions for those who breach the trust of client and disclose the information to other people. Policies and procedures framed by organizations must be prepared by experts so that there is no chance of any loopholes (Robbinson, 2007). Recommendations: In this paper we recommend that this ethical issue must be considered on serious note by organizations and other authorities because it can cause serious threat on client and reputation of organization. Disable people are already discriminated by the society and in case any confidential information related to them is disclosed than it might be possible that other person to whom information is revealed used that information against disable people. Organizations must frame such rules and penalties for workers and other individuals who have access to such information, so that they think twice before disclosing such information (AHRC, n.d.). Conclusion: At last we conclude, there is fiduciary relationship between client and organization, and all information disclosed by disable person to service provider is disclosed under confidence. In case any information is disclosed by service provider then it is considered as breach of trust, and organizations must frame policies and procedures to deal with this issue. This issue is not only ethical issue but it is considered at legal level also. Service providers also own duty of care towards client, and it is their prime duty that they protect the right of client. Therefore, it is necessary that service provider in disability industry ensures that they does not violate the right of confidentiality of client. References: NDS. About NDS. Available at: https://www.nds.org.au/about. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. Community door. Work within a legal and ethical framework. Available at: https://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/course/view.php?id=3. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. Community door. Work within a legal and ethical framework. Available at: https://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=55. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. Community door. Work within a legal and ethical framework. Available at: https://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=67. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. Community door. Respond holistically to client issues. Available at: https://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=156. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. DSS. National Standards for Disability Services. Available at: https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/12_2013/nsds_web.pdf. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. AHRC. Topic 8: Legal and ethical considerations of service delivery. Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/VET%20Disability%20Unit%20Trainers%20Manual%20-%20Topic%208.pdf. Accessed on 2nd March 2017. Robinson, D. (2007). Managing Ethical Dilemmas in Non-Profit Organizations. Available at: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.925.560rep=rep1type=pdf. Accessed on 2nd March 2017.

Pirates of Globalization An overview of Intellectual Property Rights Essay Example

Pirates of Globalization: An overview of Intellectual Property Rights Essay Intellectual property theft is one of the major concerns for global business leaders. In an era of globalization and fast dissemination of information, fraudulent manufacturers employ sophisticated means of acquiring patented information and exploit it for commercial gain. As Catherine Holahan notes in her article for Business Week, pirated goods now account for nearly 7 percent of all commercial activity across the world. Developing economies such as India, China, Brazil and Russia are proving to be hotbeds for this trend as Intellectual Property laws are either vague or poorly developed here. Moreover, in the era of the Internet, online commercial transactions across borders are especially difficult to bring under the purview of cyber law, as there is no consensus between different participant nations. It is due to this reason that Digital Rights Management (DRM) has been conceived and implemented. (Holahan, 2008) The rest of this essay will look into some of the mechanisms fo r protecting Inellectual Property rights, especially that of DRM. In this era of globalization, intellectual property rights face their greatest threat through the open and free transmission of information in the cyber world. The case for enterprise DRM is synonymous with the case for a well-articulated, role-based technology and data protection policy. DRM simply moves the point of data security from that of the network hardware or the computer software down to the individual document, or even right down to document-based operations (Compton, 2005). Simon Halberstam, a noted expert on the subject gives an interesting insight: â€Å"Legal protections for digital IP theft have been generally strengthened in the UK and in major jurisdictions such as the EU and US, but a lack of synchronization between them and dubious enforceability in many other markets, keeps companies looking for more proactive protections. It’s difficult to impose UK laws on someone operating in Eastern Europe or China. In other words, if you want people to respect your rights, you need technological means of achieving it† (Compton, 2005). We will write a custom essay sample on Pirates of Globalization: An overview of Intellectual Property Rights specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pirates of Globalization: An overview of Intellectual Property Rights specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pirates of Globalization: An overview of Intellectual Property Rights specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer As the current enforcement environment is full of loop holes, it becomes easy to pirate intellectual property. But the flaws inherent in the system, which is largely as a result of Information Technology industry’s lack of foresight and rigorous testing of the new business model, has been drawing concerns from commentators right from its inception. Since most business transactions take place with the aid of the Internet in the globalized era, the initiation of DRM is of special importance. The Digital Rights Management (DRM) initiative is an industry wide agreement on a robust and fool-proof data security technology. The necessity for such a sophisticated technology is the rapid growth in online commerce, especially the businesses related to entertainment. This includes downloadable movies, music albums, electronic books, etc. A very successful application of DRM technology is seen in Apple’s iTunes service. Music offered for purchase is encrypted and the unlocking the encryption is only possible by a â€Å"compatible player with the correct password† (O’Brien, 2004). For example, when a new song is bought, the buyer is required to send the unique code of his music player to the iTunes technical department. After this, the iTunes manufacturing unit encrypts the music file based on the customer’s unique music player code. This way, the file could not be opened by any other player than that of the customer’s (O’Brien, 2004). The Digital Rights Management technology was hailed as an ingenious and fool-proof method of protecting intellectual property rights when it was first proposed to online music companies. But, its practical success did not seem to match the high expectations that it created initially. What could be the reasons? Well, while there are a myriad of factors contributing toward this result, one significant one is the inadequate domain knowledge of people in the music manufacturing industry. In a world that is becoming ever smaller, specialization in one skill and ignorance in allied areas will no longer work. For example, the Information Technology gurus of music manufacturing industry are proficient in fitting high volume, high quality data in the most convenient of mediums at the cheapest of prices. But unless a broader understanding of the context of the business in terms of its legal, economic and social aspects is paid heed to, success will be difficult to achieve. Let us look a t the reasons why this is the case. The following is a classic example of creative application of technology but poor commercial results. For example, if a customer buys a film DVD from an online shop, he/she could be charged for each view of the film in a video player that does not correspond to the encryption code. While this restricts customers from benefiting from someone else’s purchase, it turned out to be a bad public relations exercise. Circulating DVDs among friends is a popular way of maintaining social contact and exchange of information. But, the fact that the customer could never really â€Å"own† the DVD unless he views it with his own player can be very offensive to the customer. Secondly, reselling is a longstanding tradition associated with all retail content – be it entertainment or information. The DRM makes it impossible for second-hand sale of the content it offers, irking the customers again. This case of failure to protect intellectual property is due to a lack of unde rstanding on part of the manufacturers (basically Information Technology professionals) about the social aspects of digital data consumption (O’Brien, 2004). A review of the scholarly literature on the subject lays open to the reader layer upon layer of poor perspective on part of Information Technology professionals. Let us leave alone all the other negative implications of the DRM systems in place presently. The least we can expect from DRM is a little progress toward curbing digital piracy in general and music piracy in particular. But DRM has failed to achieve its bottom-line in even the most liberal of evaluations. All DRM implementations ranging from Apple’s FairPlay to Advanced Access Content System employed for HD DVD versions have been circumvented by the resourceful. All entertainment content – be it music or movies – could be tapped off air. In other words, one need not hold a doctorate in electronic communication to record/copy protected content as it is playing. It is hard to believe, but nevertheless a fact, that the best brains of the Information Technology industry could not fathom this, let alo ne trying to address it (Goodman, 2007).