Five Competitive Forces Defined By Porter

Five Competitive Forces Defined By Porter Porters five forces analysis is an absolutely fundamental technique in strategy. Using this framework to map out environmental forces affecting the FedEx Corporation would result in the discovery of what the main sources of competitive pressure are and how strong each competitive force is in the shipping industry world. This analytical step is essential because we cannot create a successful strategy without in depth understanding of the industrys competitive character. Porters five forces model FedEx Corporation Potential Competitors LOW Existing Rivals HIGH Buyers Power HIGH Suppliers Power LOW Substitute Products LOW prproductspppp The potential entry of new competitors Established companies had managed to effectively raise the barriers to entry bringing it to a high and making it difficult for potential new competitors to enter the market. This is so due to the fact that these companies have taken competitive advantage of cost by achieving large volume of shipment and economies of scale. In addition, there is a high fixed cost associated with entering the International transportation network. For example, fleet of aircraft, ground handling, vehicles etc. Extent of rivalry between established firms There are both local and global competitors in the shipping industry i.e. UPS, FedEx, DHL and TNT. Although these companies competed vigorously for a market share in the industry, FedEx and UPS quickly gained prominence by responding to the changing environment through the use of technological advances. These companies competed by strictly focusing on lower pricing, customer segmentation, quality of service and innovation. This has caused rivalry to be intense among competitors because customers could easily switch to preferred companies with better offers. Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of large buyers in the shipping industry is high. This is because buyers can easily switch to larger shipping providers for a lower price and faster service. For example IBM which provides large volume of shipment at a lower price. Bargaining power of suppliers The supplier power within this industry is fairly low. Large shipping service provider can affect prices of supplies by placing better offers on packaging materials. This is because they buy in large quantities and can turn to different suppliers easily. Threat of substitute products There are no substitutes to shipping. In this day and age where many businesses have a strong online presence and a small physical presence, it would be difficult to find a substitute in delivering their product. Shipping services are very much similar to a commodity, in that it is not easily replaced with another service or even a similar service. Porters Value Chain Analysis The use of Porters value chain analysis will help to better understand the activities through which FedEx can develop a competitive advantage and create shareholder value. Inbound logistics The FedEx value chain begins with same day collection of packages. FedEx employees collect the packages from various locations that are convenient to the customers such as businesses or at their homes. Customers can comfortably request pickups via the internet or telephones. Operations After the packages have been picked up, they are transported to one of FedExs regional hubs for onward distribution. A hub is a central location where FedEx employees sort the packages according to their destinations. The packages remain at the hub until they are collected and shipped either by aircraft or truck. Outbound Logistics The efficient distribution of the packages by the aircraft and truck drivers to their various locations are integral to the value of the service. The packages must get to their destinations on time at anyway. Marketing and Sales Support activities such as company infrastructure e.g. truck; aircraft etc provide the enabling environment for the primary activities to function properly. Other important support activities include information systems, which allow customers to place their orders on- line and track their products. Services FedEx further facilitates customer comfort and security during the use of its service by allowing customers to track their packages while on route. Customer service is usually seen as a final primary activity and provides after sales support and service, however, it is an important part of the FedEx process. FedEx over a number of years had improved its core competencies and capabilities through the use of infrastructure, a stronger brand name than rivals and embracing new technology. Infrastructure FedEx realized that by acquiring its own transportation fleet e.g. regional hubs, trucks and aircraft would set them apart from its competitors. By doing this, the company had managed to achieve over one billion dollars on revenues making it difficult for potential and existing competitors to imitate since it took a lot of capital needed to compete with this company. Brand Name FedEx brand name was considered to be one of its greatest assets; the name had placed an image of reliable service and fast delivery in the mind of its customers. This had also made it difficult for other entrants in the market to compete because FedEx had a lot of trucks and aircraft to back them up. Innovation and New Technology Technological breakthrough and application of innovation promoted significant advances for customer ordering, package tracking and process monitoring. Example FedEx was the first company in the shipping industry to introduce the use of new technology that allows millions of people to connect via the World Wide Web through its website www.fedex.com. FedEx had also made it possible for people to track their package at the point of picking up to the stage of the delivery. Finally FedEx had built a small warehouse in Memphis. This was it first attempt at multi- client warehousing where customers can call up and place an order and the said order will be picked up on the same day.

Critical Evaluation ? Lamb to the Slaughter Essay -- essays research p

A tale of the unexpected is Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. The story has a twist in the tale ending in which a loving wife gruesomely murders her husband. Mr Patrick Maloney, a senior in the police force seemed a happy married man to his pregnant wife, Mrs. Mary Maloney. Mr Maloney comes home one night, shocking his wife with the news he is leaving her. Mrs. Maloney is in great shock, to a state that she kills her husband, with a frozen leg of lamb. In the end she gets away with it, unwittingly the police then destroy the evidence by eating the cooked lamb. Mrs. Maloney is your normal housewife, she sits at home in suspense waiting for her prized husband to return home from work. Her relationship with her husband Patrick is almost as a sunbather feels the sun. This is shown in the opening part of the story when Patrick returns home from work. Mary has his usual drink set out for him and when he comes in she is just content to sit in silence, his presence gives her a glow. Throughout the opening part of the story Mary will do anything that Patrick says, showing that she has a great love for him and would never want to disappoint him. At six months pregnant she is the one that should be resting but instead she is jumping around just to try and please her husband. At the start of the novel, Mary seems very innocent, but her whole personality changes when she kills Patrick. At the start she seems happy, loving, caring, friendly and very dependent on Patrick. After Patric...

History of Western Civilization Essay

An outstanding single event that happened in history during the ancient period was the development of the alphabet in Egypt around 2800 BC. This was in the form of hieroglyphics, which was the writing system devised by the Egyptians in order to improve their communication processes. The symbols developed by the hieroglyphics represented important messages and information that helped to clearly improve the way of living of the Egyptian people. Although the hieroglyphics are not used anymore today as part of the modern alphabet, it clearly became the basis for the establishment of the English, Greek and Latin alphabets that were further developed by people that lived during the Western civilizations. It was through the hieroglyphics that the concepts of vowels and consonants evolved, and the improved alphabets were effectively merged with different Western languages that enabled them to use better methods of communication (Budge, 2009). The legacy that the establishment of hieroglyphics has left to the modern era is the gift of improved written communication. With a recognized set of alphabet, people at present have been able to effectively express their ideas and sentiments through various forms of written communication. With the emergence of various technologies like mobile phones and computers, written communication has even become easier and able to reach people from various parts of the globe. Thus, people are given the opportunity to effectively convey their messages to one another by using a common alphabet and language system that they can understand, preventing unnecessary conflicts or misunderstandings that could potentially happen along the process of communication. The establishment of the Oxford University in 1249 is another outstanding single event that deserves consideration. Oxford University is one of the first academic institutions that were established all over the world, and it is already one of the oldest at present. The various religious sects in England had the initiative to establish an academic institution where the people can be able to get formal learning and improve their knowledge and understanding about various subject matters. Because of the massive influences of the medieval, renaissance and early Industrial Revolution periods, even the people from Western civilizations traveled to Europe and aimed to study at Oxford University where the best teachers all over the world can be found (Feingold, 2010). Music, religion, politics, science and law were the common subjects being taught at Oxford University, and the students returned to their respective countries bringing along with them the knowledge that they learned and applying them into the society. The legacy that the establishment of Oxford University has left to the modern era is that it provided the inspiration for the Western and Eastern worlds to make education of people a top priority. The significant intellectual improvements of students that studied at Oxford University paved the way for the foundation of many other universities all over the world. For example, America was able to establish its first university, Harvard, in 1636. It became clear for people that they had to get formal education in various schools and universities for them to be able to maximize their skills and capabilities and be able to become productive citizens and contribute positively to society. An outstanding individual during the ancient period was Plato. Originating from Greece, Plato’s ideas undoubtedly helped to shape the Western philosophy. His ideas on Platonic realism, theory of forms and the definition of knowledge helped to educate the people and made them think about their own perspectives about these matters. Plato also founded the Academy, an academic institution that was meant to help people to have a better knowledge and understanding about things that they were interested about. Perhaps the best contribution of Plato for the Western civilizations was his ideas on the ideal state. He believed that in order for the state to be able to function effectively, the society had to be properly organized into people that will lead, people that will serve, and people that will give recommendations and advice (Taylor, 2001). These people have to be able to work harmoniously so that the state can attain peace and progress in a sustainable manner. Plato also reminded that the people also had to make certain sacrifices whenever necessary so that the state can be able to stand strong and repulse any attempts from its enemies to destroy it. All these ideas of Plato have surely left a lasting legacy in the modern era as most governments still make use of his ideas on the ideal state to be able to guide them in the process of leadership and governance. His philosophical ideas are still being taught and debated in various academic institutions and have paved the way for people to appreciate Plato’s intellectual brilliance especially during his time where so many people were aspiring to make a huge difference in society. Another outstanding individual that lived during the Renaissance-early Industrial Revolution periods was Niccolo Machiavelli. Originating from Italy, Machiavelli’s contributions to Western civilization were mainly rooted on political science. Known for his courage and boldness in citing his opinions on various political matters, Machiavelli is well recognized for his unique ideas that even became the inspiration of other philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Leo Strauss. Perhaps the best contribution of Niccolo Machiavelli was his masterpiece entitled The Prince. This book expressed Machiavelli’s ideas regarding a more deliberate and forceful transfer of power. He believed that when the leader of the state was not performing his roles and responsibilities, the people need not to wait for the leader to step down (Ford, 2005). Machiavelli mentioned that the people can be empowered to forcefully expel the leader of the state from his position and choose the best and most suitable leader as the replacement. He thought that this was a necessary evil in order to restore balance and orderliness in the society instead of the people doing nothing and allowing the ineffective and corrupt leader to continue to stay in power and eventually become stronger in time. Thus, these ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli paved the way for the establishment of the people empowerment concept, which is his legacy for the modern era. Although people at present do not really aim to kill their incompetent leaders or incite chaos to demonstrate their discontent, they use the ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli as their inspiration to have the courage to stand up and make their voices of displeasure be heard.

George Orwell s 1984 Chunks - 2697 Words

Meesha Hussain LA 10 HONORS Summer Assignment George Orwell’s 1984 Chunks Section 1- 1. The three slogans of the party are â€Å"WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH†, (Orwell, 7). At first glance, these slogans would appear absurd but after further investigation they ironically couldn’t be more true. War is Peace means that while the country is at war the people’s attention is diverted from seeing the corruption of the government. Nobody rebels against the government because they have a bigger issue to handle, the war. Ignorance is strength meaning that the people’s ignorance causes them to not question the Party which is the party’s idea of making the country strong. Freedom is slavery means that if people are given the freedom to do what they wish and show ideas that are not for the party, everybody becomes weak. They are imprisoned by the thoughts they conjure which means they cannot stand up against even one idea from the party. 2. The program of the Two Minutes Hate varied from day to day, â€Å"but there was none in which Goldstein was not the principal figure. He was the primal traitor, the earliest defiler of the Party s purity. All subsequent crimes against the Party, all treacheries, acts of sabotage, heresies, deviations, sprang directly out of his teaching, (Orwell,13). The Two Minutes Hate is a daily ritual performed by members of the party who shout profanities at those who are enemies of their beloved party. The purpose of this is to makeShow MoreRelatedSymbolism in 1984841 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Orwell, in his dystopian novel 1984, includes many symbolic objects, themes, and characters. These symbols are important to a deeper understanding of the book and its purpose. The language in 1984 is symbolic of the Party s manipulation of its members. The development of Newspeak, although seeming to improve the civilization, depletes thought, creativity, and individualism in its speakers. This represents the Party s main goal of brainwashing and taking complete control. The termsRead MoreThe Case Of Whistleblower Edward Snowden1867 Words   |  8 Pagesjournalist Glen Greenwald and award-winning Documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, sending encrypted emails under then name citizen four to both Mr. Greenwald and Ms. Poitras for weeks before asking both to meet him in a hotel room in Hong Kong. That s meeting would be one that changed the culture of the United States. As the information, Mr. Snowden leaked showed that not only had the NSA been collecting information it had deputies US corporations to help in its collection of the metadata of US citizens