Leader Research Paper Sir Richard Branson

Leader Research Paper Sir Richard Branson Introduction Strong leadership is necessary if an organization is to achieve its goal of higher performance and increased productivity. For this reason, effective leadership is rightfully regarded as a critical factor in the success of all organizations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leader Research Paper: Sir Richard Branson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There exist many leadership styles and their effectiveness depends on the particular business environment as well as the personal traits and values of the individual leader (Bartlett Goshal, 2000). One individual who has emerged as a successful leader is the Virgin groups CEO, Richard Branson. He has built himself a reputation by being a successful entrepreneur who has founded many profitable groups of companies. This paper will set out to review the leadership styles used by Branson. Specifically, the paper will analyze his dominant leadership styles and cite specific behaviors that have been critical to the success of Branson. Specific behavior by Branson that would ensure a students future life success will be highlighted. A review of behaviors from Branson that leaders should avoid will also be made. A brief biography on Richard Branson Richard Branson is an English business entrepreneur who is most renowned for founding the Virgin Group of companies. He was born in 1950 and although an underachiever in school, he had great practical intelligence and possessed numerous creative abilities. Richard Branson began his business career while studying at Stowe, an exclusive private boys school. His first venture which was a magazine called Student which became a success.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This motivated Branson to abandon school and pursue his business interests in 1968. His magazine attracted significant rea dership due to its elective style and its venture into subjects that were not addressed by the well established magazines. The next venture undertaken by Branson was mail order records and this venture was chosen since it required no up-front investment and no working capital which made it ideal for Branson who had little money at his disposal. The name Virgin Records was chosen for this commercial entity. The success of the retail store led to expansion into record publishing with great financial success for the company. A fundamental notion held by Branson is that small is beautiful and as such, when a unit grows too large it is split apart. Virgin Atlantic Airways which is Bransons grand jewel was founded in 1984 following a proposal by a Californian lawyer for Branson to start an intercontinental cut-price airline. Unlike the previous ventures, the airline business required a lot of capital and by 1985, the financial needs of the airline were creating a cash squeeze for Virgin ( Kets de Vries, 1998). This led to the Virgin Group going public so as to gain the needed capital. However, Branson was unhappy with the public status of his company and in 1987; he bought out external shareholders and therefore made Virgin a private company again.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leader Research Paper: Sir Richard Branson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By the early 1990s, the airline had become the centerpiece of Bransons interests and the capital needs of the airline made it necessary for him to acquire more capital. The capital was to be acquired by selective divestment. Specifically, Branson sold Virgin Music (which was his most profitable business) for close to $1 billion and then used the money to support new business ventures and also to expand the airline. Virgin Atlantic gained a competitive edge over the more established airlines because of its reduced prices and the superior and innovativ e customer services. Kets de Vries (1998) notes that the airline was able to offer its business class travelers amenities that exceeded those offered to first class passengers by its competitors therefore making it appealing to many travelers. Virgin airline showed innovation in customer service and for this, the airline has won numerous awards and experienced significant success on the global market. Even so, the Airline has had to constantly compete with major airlines most notably of which are British Airways. The company has relied on Bransons innovativeness to remain profitable in the tough airline industry and therefore defend its strategic position.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Branson’s Dominant Leadership Style Transformational Leader Richard Branson engages in transformational leadership where the leader â€Å"looks for potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower (Burns 1978, p.173). The most distinctive attribute of transformational leaders is that they demonstrate significant consideration of follower’s needs. Branson strongly believes in the importance of his staff as is elaborated by his maxim staff first, customers second, and shareholders third†. Kets de Vries (1998) reveals that Branson strongly believes in this concept and to him, people are the greatest asset that his business empire has. In an interview with CNBC Business (2007), Branson reveals that his leadership approach entails motivating people and looking for the best in them while at the same time keeping criticism at a minimal. Branson demonstrates his transformational style by granting his employees op portunities to exhibit great personal and professional growth. For example, when a company becomes too big, he splits it up and promotes the assistant managers of the original company into becoming heads of the new company. All employees are therefore motivated to set aside their own self-interest and work collectively to achieve organizational goals since this will help them to achieve even higher goals (London, 2002). Such a policy gives employees an opportunity to experience professional growth and it also makes the employees work harder in the hope that they will get the opportunity to be promoted or even head their own company. Branson expects his followers to achieve more than their initial personal goals and empowers them to be successful. When speaking about his staff, Branson states that Virgin staff are not mere hired hands; they are not managerial pawns in some gigantic chess game. They are entrepreneurs in their own right (Dearlove, 2010, p.104).considering the current e conomic environment, his statement addresses one of the most fundamental issues, which is success. A common goal which Branson has set for his employees is that they should aim to expand into bigger markets and gain higher loyalty among customers. Dearlove (2010) reveals that these goals are well articulated to all employees and everybody involved is expected to provide the best services to the customers and look for opportunities to expand the business. This approach works and Virgin workers are constantly coming up with proposals which Branson reviews and then follows up on if they have merit. Charismatic Leader Branson has also set himself apart as a charismatic leader. Kunstler (2008) suggests that Branson has been successful in his role as the figurehead of Virgin group, that he has grown to be more important than the brand itself. This thought is further supported by Dearlove (2010) who declares that a charismatic leader should have ample ability to sell a vision of trust, tra nquilly and dedication to a prescribed cause to all employees. Through his character, Branson has not only proved to his employees that integrity and dedication lead to success, but also, a sense of belonging and purpose. Such, virtues promote commitment, all the while propelling the belief that as employees, people have it in them to make a significant difference. A charismatic leader creates an environment that is conducive for the followers to exercise creativity and take some risks without fear of consequences. Branson encourages his staff to be innovative and creativity is rewarded in the organization, which makes the employees more likely to innovate and try new approaches. The business consultant Don Cruickshank deduced that Virgin is structured around its energetic chairman whose enthusiasm has led to the continued success of the company (Dearlove, 2010). Branson is charismatic since he shows a lot of enthusiasm and self-confidence which makes it possible for him to influenc e his followers. He is therefore able to motivate his followers to do more than they normally do and make personal sacrifices for the good of the organization. The charismatic leaders is also a visionary who is willing to take risks in order to achieve his vision while at the same time remaining sensitive to how the vision meets followers needs. The success of Virgin Airlines and Virgin mobile is largely attributed to the charisma exuded by Richard Branson. Dyck and Neubert (2008) assert that Branson used his power of personality and ability to communicate a compelling vision in order to lead his followers to take risks and achieve great success in the airline and wireless industries. Branson is the reason why Virgin is one of the worlds most recognized brands. It is as a result of his charisma that he is able to attract investors who supply the majority of the capital for his new ventures. Dearlove (2010) admits that over the years, Bransons personal reputation has been the most ef fective tool of recruiting the best staff for Virgin group. He states that many of the companys most able managers were drawn by what they had seen and heard about the way Branson runs his business. Branson is really good at motivating others and passing on his confidence and belief that every new project will succeed and by doing this, he acts as a catalyst for the development and success of new business ventures. When he set up Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Branson was going head to head with big airlines such as British Airways which held a huge market share (Kets de Vries, 1998). However, he was able to convince his staff that they could compete favorably against these giants and emerge victorious. Based on his personal convictions that they would succeed, he was able to inspire his followers to work hard and realize his high expectations. Specific Behavior that is Important to Branson’s Success Branson is well known for his risk taking attitude and his believe that one can s ucceed even in the face of numerous odds. This quality has been the reason behind the numerous success experienced by the Virgin group. One of the riskiest business ventures Branson undertook was by entering into the railway business in the late 1990s. He took over some segments of Britains railway network which was old and inefficient. By making use of technological advances, Branson was able to increase the efficiency of the railway network and hence make the railway more appealing to customers. While Virgin Trains has not achieved the monumental success that Virgin Atlantic has, it has made some progress in spite of the negative outcomes that many analysts predicted (Dearlove, 2010). The visibility of Virgin Groups products is greatly enhanced by Bransons genius at promoting his company. He does this through daring personal exploits which help him to get the attention of extensive media coverage. For example, Shavinina (2006) records that Branson has broken a number of world reco rds by crossing the Atlantic in a hot air balloon and also by boat. His latest exploit has been in successfully kite-surfing across the English Channel and therefore becoming the oldest person to do so. His flamboyant nature also generates a lot of free publicity for his companies. For example, to avoid incurring the huge costs required to advertise the new airline in the mainstream media in 1984, Branson appeared in a World War 1 flying outfit to celebrate the first flight of the newly formed Virgin Atlantic. Branson takes advantage of investment opportunities even when the competition seems high. He has also shown that one should not be intimidated by the bigger players in the market and he has proved that one can succeed â€Å"despite the odds†. For example, Branson has launched products such as Virgin Cola in a market that is dominated by the two major soft drink giants; Coca Cola and Pepsi (Dearlove, 2010). Another behavior that has led to Bransons success is that he alw ays stays in touch with Virgin customers and employees. He is therefore aware of their perception of the current commodities offered by Virgin and can gain valuable information on new needs. Sosik and Dinger (2007) state that Branson spends significant amount of time looking into complaints made by customers as well as reading and responding to suggestions made by his employees. Which behavior described, would ensure student’s future life success? Branson emphasizes on the importance of innovation among his followers. This is a behavior that can be beneficial in my future since for an organization to survive in today’s business environment, one has to expand the horizon beyond personal goals and focus more on progression, which can only be accomplished by innovation (Katsioloudes Hadjidakis, 2007). A leader should therefore foster creativity and innovation among his followers instead of having followers who only follow orders. Branson’s view in this case is ind icative of a dominant leadership style, which demands for strategic empowerment in a bid to improve self-worth among employees. Branson also demonstrates concern for the welfare of his employees and he constantly states that they are the most important asset of the organization. Alimo-Metcalfe ALban-Metcalfe (2001) reveal that the transformational leader gives priority to his followers needs which leads to the followers having a lot of respect and admiration for their leader. Delegation is another behavior by Branson that can ensure a student’s future life success. Branson takes a back seat in the running of Virgin and lets his employees engage in the day to day running of the company with little interruption. He declares that he finds the most talented people and then gives them the space to do their job. Virgin Atlantic Airways is the exception in Bransons hands off approach and he devotes a lot of time and attention to the airline. Dearlove (2010) states that such an appr oach is necessary when one is heading as many companies as Branson does since it would be unrealistic for him to involve himself in the operations of all the companies. As a student, I would want to emulate this behavior by entrusting some tasks to my followers. An effective leader should be skilled at allocating tasks and responsibilities to different followers based on their strengths. In some instances, delegation will require more than simply giving up some of the responsibilities; it may entail relinquishing of power to others. Behaviors from Richard Branson that leaders should avoid A behavior from Branson that leaders should avoid is taking too much risk in a bid to achieve goals and assuming that positive attitude and enthusiasm will lead to success. Dearlove (2010) notes that Branson rarely makes use of market research when taking up a venture; instead, he relies on his instincts as to what the customers want. He believes in risking it all to achieve his goals and maintains a positive attitude to each project he undertakes (Dyck Neubert, 2008) state that. Branson is known for making major risks in a bid to achieve his goals. This risk taking has led to some significant failures by Branson. For example, a number of his online retailing companies that were established during the dot.com bubble were failures making it necessary for the ventures to be abandoned. His venture in vodka and computers were also failures. While the Virgin Group of companies can afford to make a few unsuccessful ventures without dire repercussions, most leaders do not have the same luxury and one failure may break the company. Leaders should therefore avoid unnecessary risks in order to ensure the survivability and future success of their organizations. Branson has a reputation of acting at record-breaking speed when a new opportunity presents itself. He disregards bureaucracy and does not use time consulting with middle managers about the feasibility of his latest ideas. This impulsive approach to new ventures may be detrimental to the well being of a small or middle sized organization. Another behavior that leaders should avoid is overemphasizing personal charisma. As it is, Virgin is heavily reliant on Branson as the charismatic leader. Branson has grown to be more important than the brand and there is concern as to the future of the group since it will be very hard to find a worthwhile successor to him. Den Hartog et al. (1999) warn that charismatic leaders may have a negative impact on the future of a company as is the case with Virgin. Leaders should therefore ensure that they put they do not jeopardize the future prospects of the company. Conclusion This paper set out to review the Bransons dominant leadership styles and access the manner in which his behavior can ensure a students future life success. It has been noted that Branson began utilizing his entrepreneurial capabilities at the early age of 17 and has continued to develop many companies w ith great success. The paper has noted that Branson’s dominant leadership styles are transformational and charismatic. It has been articulated that Branson creates a challenging and exciting environment in which his followers can exercise their creativity and innovation instead of following him blindly wherever he leaders. The paper has also underscored the fact that creativity is a major driving force behind all operations by Branson and he seeks to impart the same spirit to his followers. The empowering attitude that Branson emphasizes leads to greater performance being obtained from his staff and this causes the organization to excel. This paper has come out with a number of lessons that can be learnt from Branson’s leadership styles. By putting these lessons into practice, one can become an effective leader and therefore become an asset to the organization. References Alimo-Metcalfe, B. ALban-Metcalfe, R. (2001). The Development of a new transformational Leadershi p questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 1-27, 2001. Bartlett, C.A. Goshal, S. (2000). Going global lesson from late movers. Harvard Business Review 78 (2):132-142. CNBC Business (2007). Richard Branson: Simon Hobbs meets the Virgin Group founder. Web. Dearlove, D. (2010). The Unauthorized Guide to Doing Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the Worlds Greatest Brand Builder. NY: John Wiley Sons. Den Hartog, D. N., House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Ruiz-Quintanilla, S. A., Dorfman, P.W., Abdalla, I. A., et al. (1999). Culture specific and cross-culturally generalizable implicit leadership theories: Are attributes of charismatic/transformational leadership universally endorsed? Leadership Quarterly, 10(1), 219-256. Dyck, B. Neubert, M. (2008). Management: Current Practices and New Directions. Boston: Cengage Learning. Katsioloudes, M.I. Hadjidakis, S. (2007) International business: a global perspective, NY: Butterworth-Heinemann. Kets de Vr ies, M. F. R. (1998). Charisma in action: The transformational abilities of Virgins Richard Branson and AABs Percy Barnevik. Organizational Dynamics, 26 (2), 6-21. Kunstler, B. (2008). Leadership in the Era of the Human Singularity: New Demands, New Skills, New Response. The Proteus Monograph Series, 2(4), 1-93. London, M. (2002). Leadership Development: Paths to Self-Insight and Professional Growth. NY: Routledge. Shavinina, L. V. (2006). Micro-social factors in the development of entrepreneurial giftedness: the case of Richard Branson, High Ability Studies, 17 (2), 225–235. Sosik, J.J. Dinger, S.L. (2007). Relationships between leadership style and vision content: The moderating role of need for social approval, self-monitoring, and need for social power. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(1), 134–153.

American Corporations and Internet Pornography Essay Exploratory Es

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Module 8 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 8 - Research Paper Example fuel consumption, this behaviour is different from what is observed in other countries, like the United States, where cost saving and practicality surpass brand names. This information is essential in determining the brand of cars the will make the greatest sales in china. This attraction to brand names goes hand in hand with how the consumer’s view the manufacturers’ image. Another factor in the determination of the brand is the opinion of the user’s friends. This plays a significant role in the choice of car that they will make. The use of the internet is also growing rapidly among the population, with this comes the growth of e-commerce. Monitoring the users’ preferences on products could also provide good information in determining the marketing strategy to improve on sales (Hague & Peter, 2002). The selection of field workers would comprise of a group of a certain age group and preferably from different cultures (Martin and Tamara, 2005). The training of field workers would involve, giving them guidelines to what questions to ask the consumers, the use of questionnaires to gather data and analysis of this data. The training would also show the fieldworkers how to use the analysed data to generate and compile reports about the research. The supervision would involve the use of guidelines is followed strictly, and the fieldworkers use questionnaires effectively. In the analysis, of the overall customer satisfaction, the frequency distribution indicated that the bigger percentage was satisfied with their dell computers; this came with 95.4 of the percentage interviewed. In the following question, of referring dell to a friend, 81.7% of the interviewees agreed that they would recommend it to a friend or relative. The next question was asking the interviewees the probability of making a dell purchase if they were buying a computer. The frequency was distributed towards the positive with a large percentage of 96.2 saying that they would make the choice

Artist michelangelo biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Artist michelangelo biography - Essay Example There, Michelangelo learned the technique of panel painting for a few months. He was supposed to stay there for not less than three years, but an extraordinary opportunity opened to him. At the recommendation of Ghirlandaio, he moved into the house of Florentine ruler Lorenzo the Magnificent. One of the powerful Medici family, where he studied classical sculpture in the Medici gardens. This is a great time for Michelangelo; his experience with the Medici group, permit him access to the social elite of Florence, which allowed him to learn under the respected sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, Donatellos pupil, and introducing him to prominent poets, Humanists and scholars . Piero de Medici initiates Michelangelo to the Augustinian friars from the Church of Saint Spirit in Florence, who was hosting the young talent within their convent. He was given a special permission to learn cadavers for insight into anatomy, through the introduction to corpses he had an adverse effect on his health. These combined factors laid the basis for what would become Michelangelos unique style: a muscular concept and reality combined with a touching beauty. As a sign of appreciation to the friars, Michelangelo made a wooden Crucifix, which is still inside the Church of Saint Spirit. Slightly before the Medici family were banished from Florence, Michelangelo moved to Bologna hosted by Gianfranco Aldrovandi and then to Venice, where he continued his studies of literature and sculpture practice. He returned to Florence in 1495 where he begun the work as a sculptor, modeling his style after masterpieces of classical antiquity, In 1496, Michelangelo moved to Rome as a result of the famous Sleeping Cupid affair which had made him a reputation. He hoped to find new donors for his creations. He started modeling a marble Bacchus, under the patronage of the banker Jacopo Galli. On August 27, 1498 Michelangelo signed his first break through

Maksym Berezovsky :: Musician Music Berezovsky Ukranian Essays

Maksym Berezovsky People are heroes in their own countries for different reasons. George Washington in the United States for being the first president and helping win independence, Ghandi in India for peacefull leadership, Churchill in Britian for his leadership, and Maksym Berezovsky in Ukraine. Berezovsky was not a war hero or a political figure. He was the first Ukrainian to be known throughout Europe.[2] He was the first Ukrainian to compose a symphony, opera and violin sonata.[3] To be considered the first is a special honor that he did not reieve until 2002 when a sonata of his was found in the Vatican by Steven Fox.[4] Some people say that only men of great genius can write a good symphony, and Berezovsky wrote more than a few so that makes him very special. Maksym Berezovsky came into this world in a way that befuddles historiographers. Nobody is certain when he was born. Scholars best guess from several older sources are that he was born in mid October of 1745 in the town of Hlukhiv.[5] By most, if not all, accounts he went to school at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. This academy was very well known for its musical teaching and students often made careers out of their music. Berezovsky parlaid his time there into a stint at the imperial court choir in St. Petersburg. This was the stepping stone for what was to become a storied career. After his time in the imperial choir, Berezovsky moved to Italy to sing opera for the Italian opera company in Oranienbaum. He was only about 15 at the time so this was quite impressive. Five years he stayed there and sang until the highly acclaimed Giovanni Martini took him under his wing. Along with a friend, Josef Myslivecek, he wrote an exam to compose a polyphonic work.[7] Berezovsky piece was so good that it is still kept on file to this day. In 1771 he earned the title of maestro di musica[8], which was a very high honor indeed. Maksym Berezovsky :: Musician Music Berezovsky Ukranian Essays Maksym Berezovsky People are heroes in their own countries for different reasons. George Washington in the United States for being the first president and helping win independence, Ghandi in India for peacefull leadership, Churchill in Britian for his leadership, and Maksym Berezovsky in Ukraine. Berezovsky was not a war hero or a political figure. He was the first Ukrainian to be known throughout Europe.[2] He was the first Ukrainian to compose a symphony, opera and violin sonata.[3] To be considered the first is a special honor that he did not reieve until 2002 when a sonata of his was found in the Vatican by Steven Fox.[4] Some people say that only men of great genius can write a good symphony, and Berezovsky wrote more than a few so that makes him very special. Maksym Berezovsky came into this world in a way that befuddles historiographers. Nobody is certain when he was born. Scholars best guess from several older sources are that he was born in mid October of 1745 in the town of Hlukhiv.[5] By most, if not all, accounts he went to school at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. This academy was very well known for its musical teaching and students often made careers out of their music. Berezovsky parlaid his time there into a stint at the imperial court choir in St. Petersburg. This was the stepping stone for what was to become a storied career. After his time in the imperial choir, Berezovsky moved to Italy to sing opera for the Italian opera company in Oranienbaum. He was only about 15 at the time so this was quite impressive. Five years he stayed there and sang until the highly acclaimed Giovanni Martini took him under his wing. Along with a friend, Josef Myslivecek, he wrote an exam to compose a polyphonic work.[7] Berezovsky piece was so good that it is still kept on file to this day. In 1771 he earned the title of maestro di musica[8], which was a very high honor indeed.

Nike vs Adidas Essay

My area of study for this project would be more on comparing the performances for Nike and Adidas for the past 5 years. In this project I would explain the performance such as growth in profits, revenues, market share, the company employers and employees, size of the market share, steps for increasing the social performance, products performance, dividends per share, assets and the company investment. Nike and Adidas and have been the top two leading sport companies in the sport industry over the past few decades. These two companies sell and offer wide range of products for the customers and their products offered is mainly on sports wear for men and women and caters to consumers from different age groups. Their products consist on clothing such as jerseys, shirts, t-shirts, shorts and pants. These companies also provide the customers varieties of footwear such as sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, sandals and stockings. Besides that, fashion accessories are also offered from these three companies such as bags, watch, bracelets, wallets and purse. And lastly they also offer a wide range of sport gears for their customers. Nike and Adidas have also been the top sponsors in the sport industry. Sponsoring their products is important for the companies to get brand recognition, building their brand image and to promote their latest products. Nike and Adidas have been sponsoring equipments, clothing and accessories for athletes and coaches in sport tournaments and events. For instance, these three companies sponsor their products for football, soccer, basketball, baseball and many more. These companies also include slogan and motto for their company. Nike’s motto is â€Å"Just Do It’ which is the signature of the brand which makes their products and the company recognizable to consumers. As for Adidas, their current motto is â€Å"Impossible is Nothing† which serves as an encouragement to athletes for their sports. Origins and History of Nike and Adidas Nike, originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by University of Oregeon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger, making most sales at track meets out of Knight’s automobile. The company’s profits grew quickly, and in 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between Blue Ribbon Sports and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. BRS prepared to launch its own line of footwear, which would bear the newly designed Swoosh by Carolyn Davidson. The Swoosh was first used by Nike in June 1971, and was registered with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974. Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf â€Å"Adi† Dassler, following the split of Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother, Rudolf. Rudolf would later establish Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s current official logo. The â€Å"Three Stripes† were bought from the Finnish sport company Karhu Sports in the 1950s. Objective The objective of the project is to measure and compare the marketing strategies of the top two sport fashion companies which are Nike and Adidas. So this project would be mainly conducted to resolute the similarities and differences of the two sport companies marketing strategies. Besides that, this project will compare on the performance of Nike and Adidas which include the company’s growth in revenues, profits or net income, dividends per share, size of company in the market, performances of employees, steps for increasing the social responsibility performance, products performance, stock performance and the company performances in investment. Problem Statement Firstly, the sport industry is becoming ever more competitive, with new brands competing for a share of consumers for the products in the market. Building a relationship with customers is a challenge facing for Nike and Adidas. This is because the companies need to be followed up with new trends and styles in the industry for their customers in order for them to build their products brand and image. Secondly, there was a case happened in China where a local Chinese domestic sports goods manufacturer company called Li Ning opened 6917 stores in mainland China by December 31,2008 aking it 1241 more than the year of 2007. During the year 2008, Li Ning has published its financial report which states that due to the Beijing Olympic Games, the company made total revenues of CNY 669(million) a year on-year-increase of 53. 8% compared to the year 2007. Not only that, Li Ning made an overall entry into the market of Southeast Asia. Now they have stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asia countries. This became a problem for Nike and Adidas where the two international giants see recession in their performance in China. According to the financial report of Adidas, the company’s net profit decreased by 95% to â‚ ¬ 130 million in the first half of the year. As for the sales revenue, it decreased by 2% to â‚ ¬ 5. 03 billion. As for Nike numbers of distributors were reduced in the year 2008 due with the bad performance. Thirdly, the problem that attracted me to do this project is because I would like to know why Nike had low growth in revenue in the year of 2009. Nike had only increased 3% of its revenue to $ 19176. (million), with net income falling 21% to $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, they also had the same problem. But the problem for Adidas was worst compared to Nike because at the year of 2009, the company net income is â‚ ¬ 10381(million) which decreased compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 10799(million). These two companies had their difficulties is the year of 2009. So I would eager to find out about the problems they faced during that year. Significance of Study The importance of doing this project would be very important to other parties and companies. In this case, small and medium enterprise (SME) would get the advantages and benefits because they would know how the bigger companies such as Nike and Adidas operates their businesses, how they sell their products and services to their customers, what kind of marketing strategies they use, how the companies measure their performances and the most important reason is how Nike and Adidas continues to become a big market player in the sports industry. As part of that, this project will comprise mainly of small to medium-sized companies to engage in a diversity of activities which includes manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, and construction of venues. For example, small and medium enterprise (SME) in Malaysia can take the opportunity to get involved with sport products, services, sponsorships, hosting up international sport tournaments and events. And not to forget, the involvement of (SME) would also helps our country in the tourism sector because many athletes and participants will get to travel and visit our country and this will relatively build the countries economic performances. Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) also play a role for every sport companies in responsibility to act in a way that positively contributes to their stakeholders and the communities in which they exist. In this case, it is increasingly important for the social and economic issues such as rapid technological change, a diverse and aging population, environmental changes and mounting concerns regarding the country’s growing social divide have resulted in focusing on the responsibility of firms to the communities in which they operate. (Margolis & Walsh 2003; Sagawa & Segal 2000) Justification The reason I chose this topic is because the project is interesting as sports is an important part of today’s society and plays a large role in many people’s lives. From a social standpoint, sport plays a positive role in uniting people from different social backgrounds. This can aid people’s understanding and tolerance of each other. As far as education is concerned, sport is an important part of every child’s schooling, as it plays a big role in both their physical and mental development. It teaches children how to work as a part of a team and cooperate with others, while at the same time improving physical condition. The second reason I chose sports industry because this industry is growing rapidly in Malaysia. There are continuous demands from customers, sports athletes, and models for these sport products. The Malaysian sport industry is considered as a young industry comprising of small and medium-sized businesses. The Malaysian sports industry comprises of companies engaging in a diversity of activities, from the manufacturing of sport goods, sport tourism, media, to the construction of sport facilities. The third why I chose these two companies is because Nike and Adidas has been the biggest market share player in the sports industry. Nike controls 31% of athletic sportswear which is the highest market share compared to other sport companies in the year 2007. As for Adidas, they control the second highest share of athletic sportswear which is 16% of the market in 2007. As for other companies Puma controls 7%, Reebok 6%, New Balance 6%, and Converse 4%. Expected Outcomes The expected outcome which I can conclude is Nike would have the better performance for this year 2010 because their net income/profit for the past few years have been stable. Ever since the year of 2006, Nike’s net income/profit stands at $ 1392. (million). As for the year 2007, it increased to $ 1491. 5(million). At the year 2008, Nike’s net income/profit increased with huge and outstanding amount of $ 1883. 4(million). But by the year of 2009, their company had a decreased in their net income/profit which is $ 1486. 7(million). As for Adidas, the company would not have a better performance compared to Nike because in the year 2009, their net income was only â‚ ¬ 245(million). Their net income decreased with a huge margin compared to the year 2008 which is â‚ ¬ 642(million). So the key impact from the financial statement of year 2009. The net income of Adidas reduced more than 60% in 2009. But Nike was capable of stabilizing the results with a minor reduction of only 20% in 2009. As for the performance of dividend development, Nike has shown increases in its number. For the year 2006, Nike’s dividends declared per common share stands at $ 0. 59. Their company dividend increased to $ 0. 98 in the year 2009. But as for Adidas, they showed a decline from the year 2006 to 2009. In the year 2006, Adidas dividends declared per common share stands at â‚ ¬ 0. 42. While in the year 2009, Adidas dividends declared per common share felt to â‚ ¬ 0. 5. As for the expected outcome for the year 2010, Nike would be expected to increase their dividends successfully because their dividend declared per common share has been rising steadily. As for the company’s asset assessment, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance in the year 2010 because their total assets have been increasing from the year 2006-2009. The total of assets that Nike had in the year 2006 was $ 9,869(million), in the year of 2007, Nike’s assets increased to $ 10,688. 3(million). Last year, Nike had a total of assets of $ 13,250(million). This shows that Nike’s assets have been increasing and it is expected to rise in the year 2010. As for Adidas, their company’s total asset is not stable from the year shown in 2006-2009. In 2006, Adidas totals assets stands at â‚ ¬ 8379(million). It decreased on the following year to 8325(million). As for the year 2008, their total assets were increased to â‚ ¬ 9533(million). As for 2009, their total assets decreased to a total of â‚ ¬ 8875(million). Ever since Adidas total of assets is not stable, I can expect that Nike would do better in the assets performance. References http://condor.depaul.edu/~aalmaney/StrategicAnalysisofNike.htm http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693768.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reebok

Controversy Of Sex Changes And The Rights Of Transgenders

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