Business

Business environment has been changing over time, hence, creating a need for organizations to orient themselves with better tools in managing this change. The changes include, increased volumes of product output, larger number of employees, tracking thousands of customers among others. This is the time when organizations need to introduce Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to assist in making work easier (Kremzar and Wallace, 2001). The major function of an ERP system is to attempt to bring together all departments of the organization to look like one for the simple user (Shields, 2001).

There are back-end processes that are not visible to the users of this system. This system serves people in all departments. For example, people in accounting department are able to access modules that are relevant to them. This is the same across all other departments. In essence use of ERP implies there is a single database shared by all the departments. This is necessary to ensure that they share the information more easily.

System Functional Description and Application
ERP have different functionalities depending with who are the intended user of the system. Stephen Harwood (2003) intimates that, ERP has its roots in manufacturing, although it has evolved in a remarkably short time to address many other functions and sectors (p.1). The main functionality is to assist various business segments to see each other. There are however common functions that ERP can do.  Some of the major functionalities are

First, ERP plays a major role in integrating the organizations major functionalities. This means that the accounting, manufacturing, marketing, finance and others are easily integrated with one another. This allows them to easily exchange information and give unified outcome (Shields, 2001).

Second, with proper utilization of ERP, customer service is greatly improved. Today, there are a wide variety of tools and techniques that have been designed to help companies and their people produce products better and more efficiently (Kremzar  Wallace, 2001).This is because customer requests are received and processed on time. The processing of these requests is automated. Customers are able to get response in timely manner. Services and goods are also delivered to them promptly. With improved customer services, the companys image is greatly improved. This will further boost its sales. A word always goes round about companies with good reputation. This as a result will attract more customers who will definitely be satisfied. Good customer satisfaction is the best type of marketing because it costs less.

Third, there are times when communication within an organization may seem to be a problem. Information flow may not be consistent among the various organization departments. The output of one department may be an input of another. Without proper communication, this would lead to a myriad of problems for the organization. There would be delays in production, customer response and in the long run, customers would not be satisfied (Harwood, 2003). This communication gap is therefore reduced or eliminated by introducing ERP system into the organization.

Fourth, there are companies that have more than one branch in various locations. It is important that the operations of these organizations are streamlined. This various branches or companies should comfortably exchange information without a problem.  One organization should be in a position to get records from another organization. The best example for this is the supermarket store. They should have shared database of all their clients. If a customer wants to purchase goods from one branch, it should be easy without causing any problem. All they would need to have is the customer identification, which may be his name or certain number given to him by the supermarket.

Fifth, organisations run various projects most of the time. There is need that these projects are well managed so as to get the desired outcome. Failure to do so will lead to failed projects. There are special softwares that are made to track project implementation. At every time, it is possible for the organization to determine if they are on the right track or if they are off the track.  Project managers require tools like this to see if all they are doing is according to what was planned. This software is able to combine various matrices that are involved and give an output regarding the project state (Kremzar and Wallace, 2001).

Sixth, there are problems that always face organizations like shortage of stock, delays in delivery of goods and services among many others. These problems are easily eliminated. ERPs are automated in away such that if stock goes below certain allowed threshold, it would trigger a message indicating that stock is insufficient (Harwood, 2003). A message would then be sent to the procurement department who would then order for more goods. Seventh, ERP have many modules. Not all this modules would be utilized by the organization all the time. There would be those that would be pending. This offers opportunity for the business to expend its operations. If the current modules are properly utilized, it leads to high quality results. ERP have standards that have to be maintained. This standard would automatically lead to great quality output

Below is an example of an ERP used by a University.

Fig.1.0 ERP for university
Source Kremzar, M. H.,  Wallace, T. F. (2001). ERPMaking It Happen The Implementers Guide to Success with Enterprise Resource Planning (3 Ed.). New York, NY Wiley, p. 205

This software allows the university to properly interact with the private sector, industry, education community, user community and the government. Scott Hamilton (2003) says that, the benefits of an ERP (Enterprise resource planning) system justify significant investment by manufacturing firms (p.1). Over the last two decades, the there has been a paradigm shift that has occurred in the business environment. This is because the sizes of production have improved, markets have also expanded. This therefore calls for better mechanism that can be used to adapt to the ever changing environment.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been the greatest inventions of the time. A lot of resources have been greatly put into it. This is owed to the great importance that ERP have. With time, there is an increased need to come up with goods and services that are of higher quality. High competition in the market place dictates that the quality of goods produced should be high. This is the only way the organization can brace competition. There are many costs that are involved before a company can fully implement a system. These costs determine if the investments are worth it or not. If the costs are higher than the benefits, it is not worth implementing the ERP. What are the returns gained from it
Before a company invests in the ERP, it is important that it is able to justify the costs that would be involved (Kremzar and Wallace, 2001). The management team must fully understand what the project is all about. It is not enough to get the funding the greatest hurdle is to ensure that the project is successfully implemented. Inability for the firms to justify huge investments may mean that wrong decisions may have been made. This would lead to financial losses because the system to be implemented may not function as required of it. These investments are normally in terms of millions of dollars.

There are so many ERP systems in the market today. The company should be in apposition to identify one that gives services close to what they offer. It is important to note that systems that require so much customization are not the best. A good system should capture more than 45 of what the company is offering and give room for future expansion (Shields, 2001). This selection can be done by engaging professionals and doing research in other companies that use the ERP systems.

There are so many factors that affect implementation of ERP that are worth considering  before an ERP is fully implemented. These factors include Cost of software- there are many factors that determine the cost of the shelf software (ready made software). These factors include the number of functionality the ERP will support, how many people will use it at a time, and who is selling the software. Some vendors would sale it at an exorbitantly high price depending on the costs incurred during the development stage.

Cost of hardware is also significant (Shields, 2001), before implementation of an ERP, it is important that the organization purchases hardware, software to run the machines, equipment to network various machines and put in place security measures to safeguard the implementation of the program. It is important to determine how big the ERP is intended to be.

Services to support the implementation, there are many factors that may be involved. When the ERP is bought, it is important to look at it and try to fit it with the organization needs (Harwood, 2003). It involves looking at what the organization needs are and what the ERP provides. The two are then brought together. This normally costs a lot of money. If it is done well, it would lead to success, but if not properly done it would miserably fail. Another cost that may be incurred is data conversion. Before the introduction of ERP and after, the data formats may not be the same. There is a need to make them the same.

This may prove expensive depending on the data formats. After the full implementation, it is necessary that the ERP is fully tested (Harwood, 2003). The reason for this to ensure that everything is in place and functioning as intended. Failure to do the testing may result to the system not delivering its goals. It is necessary that the users of this ERP are adequately trained to make them understand how it functions. Training is aimed at reducing failure rates. Everyone should effectively know what is expected of him when he is given the system. This to a great extend reduces system failures.

Conclusion
The great author Murrell G. Shields (2001), says that, No company can ignore the availability of new technology, that perhaps for the first time, truly support the redesign and implementation of new ways of doing business(p.3).    It is of great concern of all businesses to formulate ways that would aid them deliver services more efficiently and cost effectively. This would be one of the ways an enterprise can withstand stiff competition. Effective Enterprise Resource Planning systems lead to great results.

Owing to the fact that the company has been making losses and is therefore in a dire need for readjustment to remain competitive, the following recommendations re being made. They particularly involve how the company can go about an ambitious plan to close down at least 10 of its 27 plants in the country, with the possibility of off-shoring. Actually, among other issues, this team recommends off-shoring and outsourcing production as key measures to cut costs and improve revenue collection. The members of staff who have been very faithful to the company will be transferred elsewhere. The less technical manufacturing processes will be outsourced, while the other operations of certain plants will be moved into China. This will help realize profitability and develop a market share that can ensure this profitability is sustainable, for this is the bottom line of the entire plan.

Closing up a Plant
Introduction
The motive of every business organization is to achieve a high level of profitability as soon as it is practically possible. As result, the company or firm, regardless of the industry in which it operates, will develop strategies and adopt measures to ensure that it makes profits. If this business goal is not possible and instead the company keeps making losses, then, among other factors, closing down the entire company, some of its divisions or the sections that are particularly not viable become the only alternative (Becker, 2000). Closing down a firm is usually a very difficult operation to undertake and requires, among other considerations, a dedicated team to see it through successfully and deal with emerging issues due to the closure. When more than one firm are to be closed, then the more demanding the process will be.

The Working Team
The team that I, as the CEO of the company seeking to close down at least 10 of its 27 plants, will choose will comprise of about 45 personnel who are critical to the process. It will include, for each plant to be affected, the Plant Manager, the Public Relations Officer, the Human Resources Manager, and the Union representatives. The other people are the SalesMarketing Managers and the ProcessProgram Managers. These are essential and important to the closing process and will in one way or be required. While the SalesMarketing teams will help in informing the suppliers and customers of the intended move so arrangements can be made to either redirect their deliveries to the remaining plants or to stop them, and to inform customers of the move, the Human Resources manager and the Unions Representatives will help sort out the issues with employees. Program managers will come in handy with ideas about how best to implement such an ambitious plan. The Public Relations Officer will be responsible for the flow of information about the entire process.

Environmental Issues
Before closing, there has to be an ensuring that the vacated site does not pose any environmental or health risk. To ensure this is done, the relevant environmental impact assessment personnel will have to supervise the plants before and after close-down so that they issue a certificate of compliance as far as the required environmental standards are concerned.

The Sections to Consider for Closing
The main plants that are under considerations are those that can be outsourced or even off-shored. This is because although it is true that the company has not been making any profits but losses in the recent past, it has no plans of totally downsize its overall productions. In fact, it is planning to increase its production through outsourcing and off-shoring. Therefore, the company will only close those plants that deal with parts of the process that can be done elsewhere or by someone else more cheaply and perhaps even with more quality being added (Wall, 2004).

 These are the Wiring and Seating plants. This is because both wiring and seat fitting are not very capital-intensive abroad and do not require a lot of technical expertise. That aside, these parts of the manufacturing process will not harm the company so much when they are done elsewhere (Wall, 2004). The other plants that will be closed are those that engage in paneling because this too can be outsourced. I also believe that there ought to be a doing away of the sections that are engaged in Finishing. In essence, all the services which are able to be done at any other place cheaply ought to be closed.

The Justification for Outsourcing
This country is one of the leading car manufacturers and as such, it has a lot of experts in this field. However, all these experts have not and can never be accessed to be of value to our company because they are either into private practice or they only offer consultancy services. Such fine services, which the company lacks in its employees, can be utilized only through outsourcing. Therefore, these experts ought to be given the work. This, however, does not include all the tasks of the company. Instead, it will only involve those procedures which although not very technical enough to require a lot of expertise, they do not warrant the level of expenditure currently input there. The company has been losing a lot of revenue through the payment of personnel. These costs will be reduced significantly once the work is outsourced (Colander, 2007).

Justification for Off-shoring
The company has been affected by slumping demand due to the financial crisis and the fact that more Americans now desire more fuel-efficient car models as well as those that are environment friendly. The opposite is happening in China, where the demand for cars has for the first time in the history of the world exceeded that in the USA. More Chinese are buying cars in response to the economic boom that is being experienced there at the moment. That Chinas economy is booming is a fact, and it is time the company seriously considered outsourcing production there (Bragg, 2006).

In China, in addition to the ready and reliable market which is bound to keep growing over the next many years has a very low wage bill compared to the USA. In China, production can be undertaken at half the cost being incurred here. Labor costs are very low too, and considering that marketing and transportation costs will be reduced greatly, it will be to the companys gain if some operations are moved there. The main cultural implication is that there is likely to be language problems because Chinese is the main language. However, the company can have most of its staff being from China (Becker, 2000). Another issue of cultural implication is that the Chinese are used to Communist approaches at issues and this might present some challenges to a Western-owned company (Becker, 2000).

Community Implications
The main implication that the closure of the plant will have on the community is the loss of jobs for their family and friends (Becker, 2000). These plants have also been engaged in some community development projects such as funding schools. At the end of the day, such services will be missed. The company plans to have the employees who have been very faithful to the company for a long time accommodated in the other 17 plants whose local operations are to remain largely unaffected. The other workers are to be asked to take early retirement otherwise their contract with the company will be discontinued. This forceful termination of employees will be a very serious public relations issue. The company is likely to lose some customers as a result, but the effect is expected to die off very fast (Becker, 2000).

 Every employee that will be terminated will be compensated according to the level of training one had at the time of hiring and the length of time one has been an employee. The other public relations issue that will result if the decision to offshore is implemented is that the company is likely to be faced with many lawsuits especially those challenging its termination decision. Breach of contract is against the law and the company is preparing its lawyers so that they are ready for any eventualities. This is a business improvement strategy and even if it was not to be carried out, employees would still have to lose their jobs somehow (Becker, 2000).

Conclusion the Bottom Line
The bottom line of all this process is to ensure that the company has both a lean team that is easily manageable, as well as an ability to return to profitability. The company, more than anything else, also desires to make use of the economies of scale that is being afforded by globalization. The company realizes that the world is experiencing a totally new order as far as business operations are concerned. There is no way it can hope to remain competitive in this highly competitive motor vehicle industry without adopting strategies that utilize globalization. In this age of globalization, it is a lot easier for firms to outsource and to offshore. The company is looking forward to ensuring that its production not only increases but that this increase is sustainable. It also hopes to achieve a higher performance target than it has never done before. These and many more are the expected outcomes of this ambitious plan.

Self-managed teams hold a sense of relative autonomy where the members contribute to the success of the entire team. The members are expected to contribute their knowledge, assume leadership roles, and adopt principles of success. The characteristics are suitable for the organizations in the field of criminal justice in instances except for technical or appointed positions.

Self-managed teams are defined to be  relatively autonomous teams whose members share or rotate leadership responsibilites and hold themselves mutually responsible for a set of performance goals assigned by higher management  (Lussier  Achua, 2010, p. 296). In this kind of teams, there are several expectations from each of the members, as all of them play a critical role towards the achievement of the groups goals. The elements of the self-managed teams can be used in organizations under the field of Criminal Justice.

First, the team members are expected to share their knowledge, skills, and abilities that results to the expansion of employees KSA and levels of motivation (Cushman  King, 1995). Through this, the members of the team can play a diverse set of roles as they have an increased level of knowledge and are capable of doing more tasks using the information gained. Second, the members are expected to acquire leadership roles in order for them to effectively handle the team as everyone should be able to lead their selves and the team (Pride, Hughes,  Kapoor, 2008). Lastly, team members are expected to adopt the principles of  preparation, communication, and mutual respect,  which gave way to the success of The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Gaynor, 2004).

In organizations working under the field of Criminal Justice, the concepts related to self-management teams can be applied where relative autonomy can be given to these organizations. For example, police officers can work as a team during entrapment operations wherein everyone is allowed to take on different roles in leading. However, there are occupations with highly specialized requirements and can not be included, such as the appointed officials.

The chocolate industry has for a number of years been going through a lot of changes. Worth noting is the fact that, when dealing in the chocolates business, it is extremely important to understand the varying needs of the customers. It will be shown that the emerging breed of consumers of this product have a totally different taste. This means that if the players in this particular market are to survive, there has to be a paradigm shift. Already a shift has been made, from the production of low quality chocolates to the production of premium quality ones. Even then, there has been an even more radical shift from the demand for milk chocolates to a demand for dark chocolates, mainly for reasons related to health. This demonstrates that there are a host of contributing factors to the success, or otherwise, of players in this industry. It is a well known fact that there is a lot of competition in this industry.

Rogers Chocolates has been in the market for several years now, since the year 1885. This company has had a lot of successes as well as challenges since its establishment. As indicated, one of the greatest challenges is how to counter the high competition from other chocolate producers. Several companies have come up over the years, mostly specializing in the production of premium chocolate.

Competition has therefore been experienced in many fronts. For instance, some of the companies in this industry have come up with high quality products but at prices lower than those of Rodgers. These among many other issues are what pose challenges to Rogers Chocolates.  This study has a particular interest in Rogers Chocolates. It seeks to understand, based on a SWOT analysis, the future prospects of this company. It further seeks to probe the key resource strengths and weaknesses, as well as the competitive capabilities of the company. Due to the highly competitive nature of this industry, this study will also take a look at the competitive strategies of Rogers Chocolates and its relative position in the industry. It will further give a detailed proposal of which strategic options available to Rogers Chocolates should be given the highest priority.

Competition in the Premium Chocolate Industry
The situation in the chocolate market was that, premium chocolates were in greater demand compared with the low quality chocolates. This was partly because of the coming of age of the baby boomers, keen on quality as well as brand whenever they made their purchases. The demand for this product is highest during the Christmas festivities, roughly eight weeks to Christmas (Rogers Chocolates, 2007). This accounts for over one quarter of the annual chocolate sales. It is important to keep in mind the fact that the target market does, in many ways, contribute to the competitiveness of a product. Due to the changing social trends, consumers were increasingly asking for healthier products, thus the need for organic chocolates was also on the increase (Thompson et al., 2004). Consumers were also shifting their interest from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, arguably due to its anti-oxidant properties, which were considered important for the maintenance of healthy hearts. With this background information, it is easy to see that players in the market had a challenging journey ahead of them.

One of the main challenges to the players in the industry is whether to maintain their traditional brands or adjust according to the changing tastes of the consumers. For instance, Rogers had a tradition of making and packaging its products by hand. Some of the players entering the market, for instance Godiva, came up with very lovely packaging styles, which greatly boosted their sales (Thompson et al., 2004). Most of the brands that were competing in the market had strong establishment in the region. The competitors were few, but with very well established structures. For instance, Godiva had a well established distribution system. Three strategies were particularly the key influencing factors in the rise of this companys price points. These were the unique packaging style, its aggressive distribution strategy, and the strong advertising campaign. This was a major challenge to Rogers Chocolates because even though its products were of higher quality, Godiva managed to move fifteen percent higher in terms of price points.

Other companies were also coming up. For instance, Bernard Callebaut took on locations similar to that of Rogers (Thompson et al., 2004). Worth noting is the fact that Rogers had very strategic locations mainly tourist areas and downtown retail centers. Bernard Callebaut also introduced new flavors into the market something that proved challenging to Rogers Chocolates. Both quality and packaging were also excellent for this company. Within no time, this companys sales matched those of Godiva, but their strategy was mainly retailing.

Other companies that competed with Rogers for the market included, Lindt, a Swiss company, which was also very well established. This company offered a very wide range of chocolates with a very wide distribution mechanism. The price points for this company were about ten percent less than those of Rogers. However, it still did quite well.

Purdys was also another major competitor in the market. This company was Vancouver based. With over fifty locations, Purdys had been on a very successful trend. This company had lower price points compared to Rogers, but its chocolates were of considerably high quality.

There were as well, smaller companies that dealt with premium chocolates in Canada. These companies specialized in a variety of products, with a number of them specifically dealing with custom orders, and organic chocolates (Thompson et al., 2004).

The strongest competitive force seems to be the rivalry that persisted among the existing companies. This was so strong that each company had to keep reinventing itself or risk loosing the market. The supplier power does not seem to have been a big threat among these companies. Therefore, this seems as the weakest of the competitive forces.

Although the tourist arrival from the United States went down, the coming of age of the baby boomers is one of the most attractive forces. This is because this group of people came with a great promise of purchasing power. Each company establishes with the hope that its products would find the right market and break even. This means the presence of potential buyers is the most attractive force to new entrants.  

Changes in the Premium Chocolate Industry
As earlier indicated, a lot has been happening in this industry in terms of consumer demands and tastes. One of the key drivers of change therefore, is the changing consumer demands. There has been an increasing awareness of the need for a healthy living. The chocolate industry is no exception. This has had a great influence on what is made. For instance, in North America, there had been a great demand for milk chocolates. However, since the healthy living campaign, there has been a paradigm shift to dark chocolates (Thompson et al., 2004).

There has been a shift from the demand for low quality chocolates to the premium chocolates. This had been occasioned by the improved purchasing power. The baby boomers had a greater purchasing power, due to a better economy. At the same time, the old loyal customers had been slowly diminishing, leaving the companies in need of new customers. This meant that the companies had to adjust according to the tastes of these new customers. The choices for the chocolate companies, Rogers in particular, were very limited. They had the option of maintaining their traditional way of making chocolates while risking customer loyalty, or readjusting to the present reality in order to capture the new market demands.

The most powerful driver of change is the consumer needs. This is because if the needs of the consumers are not met in the product, there is no possibility of that product selling. If the need is met in the use of the product, there is a great possibility of creating customer loyalty. This seems to have been a very strong force, which can solely bring about change. When the tastes of the consumers change, the products must change as well. When the consumers got an increased awareness of the need for a healthy living, there was a radical shift from the need for milk chocolate to dark chocolate. Therefore players in the market ought to be very aware of this reality.

Factors Determining the Success of Premium Chocolates Producers
In order to succeed in the premium chocolate business, one has to put into consideration several factors. These must necessarily be present if success is to be realized. These factors include
Quality- the quality of the chocolate must be such that it fits the needs of the consumers. For instance, for a long time, Rogers had a consumer base that preferred the traditional way of producing and packaging. However, as this clientele decreased, it became apparent that the new generation was interested in something different. This meant that there had to be an adjustment in terms of quality. It is important therefore, to understand the needs of the people for whom these products are made.
Advertising- for any premium chocolate producer to succeed there must be proper advertising. This is the only way that these products can get popularized. It is very crucial therefore, that a careful selection be made, of the means in which this advertising is done. This has to be in line with the demands and location of consumers. It also means that the producers have to conduct the necessary study to establish the exact need of the target groups.

Distribution- this is the key to the success of any product. If the premium chocolate business is to succeed, the choice of distribution system has to be very well thought out. For instance, due to its well planned distribution, Godiva Company managed to surpass the price points of Rogers by over fifteen percent. It is very important therefore to carefully select the locations to distribute these products.
Packaging- the way a chocolate is presented determines to a very large extent, whether a buyer is going to make the move or not. Therefore it is extremely important to package the products in a way that is likely to capture the attention of the buyers. This goes a long way in the establishment of a customer base, because packaging can also give a particular identity to the buyer.

Location- premium chocolates are a bit more expensive compared to the low quality chocolates. It is important to carefully select the location of the manufacturing firms, relative to the source of raw materials. This can greatly reduce the production costs, which eventually translates into profits. The choice of the location should also be in consideration of the existing laws and regulations. This is because these regulations can affect profitability, where the tax regime is unfriendly.

A SWOT Analysis of Rogers Chocolates
An analysis of the Rogers Chocolates revealed that this company had some strengths which if properly analyzed could translate into benefits for the company. The competency of the new president was for instance a very important strength for Rogers Chocolates. The board of directors had realized the importance of having a competent president, which is the reason why they took a lot of time recruiting a new one. The new presidents empowering style and personal integrity were likely to serve the company a great deal. The move to have the new president purchase shares in the company was a very wise move, because once the president understands that his own investment is at stake, he would be more likely to put extra effort in order to ensure its success.

The fact that Rogers Chocolates made a lot of use of the World Wide Web in conducting its business is a great advantage. The young people comprised the greatest percentage of users of the internet, and this had already translated to success for the company. It is estimated that over forty four percent of customers who shopped online were young people, while about twenty percent were between the age of thirty five and fifty four. This variation is quite remarkable. It means that the company stood a great chance with this new breed of consumers. The company had understood that in the modern times, one has to go to the clients in order to make sales. The internet is a very good place to meet the clients, and this company has a lot of potential in this regard. It also served to reduce costs, because it eliminated the need for intermediaries. Over ten percent of the companys total sales were generated from orders made online or through mail orders. This was clearly an important area of strength for the company (Thompson et al., 2004). Considering that the world is still advancing technologically, this seems like an opportunity for the company to reassert itself as a giant in the chocolates industry. The new president seems to share in this opinion, which is a very important step for the companys future. It is important therefore, that the company invests more in developing its image and domain on the web. This is important if it is to override the stiff competition it seems to be facing.

The company did not depend on only one source of revenue. It had four major sources, namely wholesaling, retailing, onlinemail orders, as well income from Sams Deli (Thompson et al., 2004). This was a major point of strength for the company because there was a possibility of profitability in the future due to the diverse sources of revenue. The retail business was in particular a great source of the companys success, accounting for more than fifty percent of its total sales. The strategic positioning of these stores was one thing that worked to the companys advantage. This was greatly boosted by the award it won in the year 2000, from the Retail Council of Canada. This positive image greatly boosted the companys sales because, as indicated, most of the stores in Victoria were capable of selling anything, thanks to the positive brand image. However, the company should urgently do something about the position of the Granville Island store, because its location (near a refuse bin) seemed to have been affecting sales.

Another advantage for the company was that it had already established itself internationally. This was an important asset for Rogers Chocolates because this was a factor that promoted its wide use of the internet as a means of diversification (Thompson et al., 2004). Although the number of tourists had declined, the company still had a chance, because its quality products had already been popularized among the Americans, who formed a great majority of its customers. Therefore the option of taking the products to them should be explored further. With the rapid globalization that has been taking place, taking these products to various destinations should not pose a major challenge to the company. It has been proven to work in previous situations and as such should work in this case.

A major boost for the company was the Superior Taste Award in the year 2006. This was awarded by the International Taste and Quality Institute (ITQI) (Thompson et al., 2004). In the statement following the award, the company was considered the best, with products that were considered top of the range. This is likely to serve it well for several years to come.

Sams Deli seemed to have been unable to meet the expectations of the managers (Thompson et al., 2004). This restaurant offered quite a number of products, but it had not been able to match its potential. A major challenge with regard to this business was that of replacement of retiring staff. This is perhaps one of the reasons why this particular enterprise did not live up to the expectations of the company. This is a competitive liability to the company. However, it still remains an important establishment for the company. It is important therefore, that the companys management consider seeking replacements elsewhere if doing so is likely to promote the companys future.

Although the high cost of Rogerss products may have been a competitive strategy, it is possible that this worked to the companys disadvantage. This is because the products were only available to the affluent persons. Those in the middle class, who tend to form the great majority, did not have this luxury. It is common knowledge that when something is relatively cheaper, the sales may be much more due to the affordability. It has been argued that most of the people that bought these products were the already established customers. Those who heard of the product for the first time were reluctant or totally unwilling to try, mainly due to the premium prices charged on the products. It was found out that some of the wholesalers were scared away by these prices. One thing that is very clear is that for a company to grow, it has to be widely known. However, if this is threatened by the high prices, it means that there is a high likelihood of the company losing in the future. The management was torn between developing a cheaper product and discounting the existing products. Both of these had their own consequences. What was at stake in both of these cases was brand integrity. In other words, it was not clear how to do either of these things without necessarily compromising brand integrity.

The packaging style of Rogers Chocolates products seems to have given competitors an edge over the company. This is because their products were still hand packed, which did not appeal too much to the new breed of consumers. As already mentioned, competing companies had already noticed this and taken advantage of it. The company was still struggling with the decision on whether to change the packaging or to retain it. The longer this takes, the greater the possibility of losing potential customers. It is worth noting that, the new customers seemed to be looking for elegance. That is why the packaging mattered for them. The company must therefore look into this otherwise the future is not very promising.

Another major weakness for the company was its incapacity to invest in the production of organic chocolates (Thompson et al., 2004). It had become evident that a great majority of the potential consumers had been demanding for these products, mainly for health reasons. As aforementioned, Rogers Chocolates operated among other giants in the area. This meant that there was a possibility of the competitors taking advantage of this weakness and take away the would be customers. This was a major threat because the awareness of the need for healthy living had been on the increase. This meant that if the company was to stay relevant, it had to offer what the consumers asked for. At the same time, those who used to be the traditionally loyal customers had already passed on, meaning that their places had to be taken by new customers. These new customers comprised of young people, who came with new tastes and demands. This was a major challenge for the companys future.

For a company to have sustainable sales, demand forecasting is crucial. This helps the company to determine how much should be produced relative to the demand at particular times. If this is lacking, the company is likely to experience reduced sales. Rogers Chocolates seemed to suffer from a problem of demand forecasting (Thompson et al., 2004). This was brought about by the seasonal nature of the demand for the products. The company only made use of monthly sales forecast, which was insufficient, considering the nature of their products. If the future of this company was to be a bright one, there had to be a better developed forecasting system. This is an area therefore, where enough research should be conducted in order to develop a system of demand forecasting. It may be helpful to investigate the systems competitors used for this purpose. This would at least keep the company at par with others in the market.

Rogers Chocolate depended largely on a Chinese supplier for its packaging tins. Unfortunately the packaging was not always done in a timely manner, due to technical difficulties on the part of the supplier. This had been largely blamed on the constant electricity failure. What this meant to Rogers Chocolates in terms of sales was that profits reduced, because there was no possibility of selling without packaging the products. It was evident that sometimes production could not remain on schedule due to the constant problems with the supply of raw materials. It is needless to say that if a customer was looking for a particular product and fails to find it, they would most likely go for the next best alternative. If they discovered that the quality of the alternative was not that different from what they are used to, they would likely develop loyalty for that product. It means that the company may have been losing a lot of customers due to this problem. It is important therefore that, if the company was to remain successful, such delays be taken care of.

Another point of weakness in the company was the internal dissention that was taking place during the time. When there are disagreements within the top ranks, the challenge is that of maintaining the company at its productive levels. For instance when the marketing department fights with the production department, it means that there will be no coordination. This can very easily bring the company to its knees. The management must work together, because despite the fact that there is a president who is competent, the managers around him can easily bring down his efforts, making him to appear incompetent.

Although there were over five competitors, two are of particular concern, because they seem to have been at the neck of Rogers Chocolates. These are Godiva and Bernard Callebaut. These two seemed to be the most unrelenting external threats to Rogers Chocolates (Thompson et al., 2004). They had managed to capitalize on the weaknesses of Rogers and reaped great benefits. For this company to survive the onslaught of the various competitors, it must realize that the customer has always been on the right, meaning that if their demand is for a designer packaging, then that must be offered. This company had for a long time struggled with this decision, it is for this reason that the company should no longer deliberate on the issue. A decision should, albeit must be made, because this is a fact that exposed this company to a very major threat.

Rogers Chocolates Competitive Strategies
One very important thing to the consumers is a rational justification of the prices offered. This means that if prices of commodities are too high, the producers must rationally justify it. On the other hand, if the prices are too low, the producer must be in a position to justify it as well. In other words, the value for money paid is the most rational justification. A look into Rogers Chocolates revealed that the company had some unique competitive strategies, which had been used over the years to bring the company to its status. Four of these strategies are of interest to this study. These include
Differentiation- in this strategy, the company looks at the criteria that buyers use when choosing whatever they buy. The company then moves in an attempt to meet those particular criteria. Under normal circumstances, a higher premium is charged for a product. The reason for this is that the product is considered to be of a higher value compared to the rest in the market. This means that the amount above what is considered normal is meant to take care of the cost of production. In other words, the product is set apart (differentiated) from the rest, due to its unique value in the market. Rogers products were considered to be of very high quality (Thompson et al., 2004). As a matter of fact, it was the companys policy that the products were specifically designed for the affluent in society. Whenever people bought Rogers products, they were aware of the fact that they were buying the best in the market, thus enjoying the value for their money. This was one of their competitive strategies. However, it is important to put in mind the fact that this strategy may not have always worked to the companys advantage, because there are other companies that had remained very competitive in the market.

Cost Leadership- this means that a company is the one that leads in as far as producing at the lowest cost is concerned. There is a particular emphasis laid on the need to cut down on the costs of producing the various goods. Ideally, this strategy assumes that if a company produces at a lower cost and sells at the same price with the other players in the market, then it is likely to be the company that makes the highest profit. Being a private company, Rogers had concentrated its efforts in reducing cost of production. In particular, the taxable income was what the company sought to reduce. In line with this strategy Rogers Chocolates made a decision to offer discounts to the corporate customers (Thompson et al., 2004). This meant that there was a possibility of increased sales at no extra cost.

However, it is important to note that there are many other factors to consider when looking at this strategy, because the fact that the company produced at a lower cost does not necessarily guarantee a competitive edge. This is because in order to be competitive, there other factors as well, which come to play in order to remain competitive. This strategy is just one among many others, which should all be applied concomitantly in order for a company to remain competitive. Rogers Chocolate is not in a position to explain whether the profitability that it enjoyed was purely due to this strategy. However, it is evident that this strategy was one of the contributing factors to its competitive advantage.

Differentiation Focus- this strategy basically involves a company targeting a particular market. This means that a specific category of customers is sought after. This is informed by the understanding that every individual comes with their own unique needs. The company seeks therefore to satisfy this particular need. In most cases, this particular category of people is the affluent. The product offered must satisfy the needs that have not been satisfied by other products of similar nature in the market. Although Rogers produced a variety of products, some of those products, chocolates to be specific, were specifically meant for the people who were in search of a kind of distinction (Thompson et al., 2004). These products came in handy for those who were interested in special gifts for their loved ones. A gift that was hand wrapped and hand made was surely a special and unique gift.  Although the chocolates industry had very many competitors, there was no other company that offered a combination of both quality and uniqueness as did Rogers Chocolates. This was particularly the reason why the company was struggling with the decision on whether to change the packaging style or not. This uniqueness is known across the world, and if anyone wishes to buy a chocolate gift pack, there is this option, that is, high quality chocolate with a unique packaging, but at a slightly higher price of course.

Diversification- Rogers Chocolate was involved in a variety of products. The reason for this was not only to maximize profits, but also to provide a cushion in case of slow down in sales for one product. If it specialized in only one product, such an eventuality would mean a possible close down. While most of the competitors dealt predominantly in the production of chocolates, Rogers produced several other products. At the same time, the company did hold its own retail outlets which served to bring in over fifty percent of its total sales (Thompson et al., 2004). This was a very important strategy because besides having other retailers stock their products for them, the company did its own stocking with very unique and attractive display systems. These could only be done when the company controlled these retail outlets. This was an important step by the management of Rogers Chocolates because it did serve the company very well at a time when the returns in the industry were experiencing a decline.

Most of the companys functional strategies seem to have been consistent with its competitive strategies. For instance, the use of internet in receiving orders had been effectively developed to serve the companys competitive strategy. It was done based on the understanding that there was an increased use of this media by the potential customers. The use of the internet had been proven to provide a high rate of return for the company. The various departments had also been designed in such a way that they would ideally function as handmaids of the companys competitive strategy. However, the fact that various departments seemed not to want to function together, evidenced by the fact that various departmental heads had been engaged in some kind of conflict, shows that there was a kind of divorce between the companys competitive strategies and the functional strategy. This was very dangerous for the companys future. However, the new president offered hope that this would be put in order.

Strategic Option available to Rogers Chocolates
The question regarding the strategic option that should be given the highest priority is not a simple one, considering the nature of this market. There were a number of strategic options available to the company. The company had for instance been considering a change in its packaging style (Thompson et al., 2004). However, considering that the market was undergoing a major shift, the company should have prioritized the production of chocolates that were considered healthy for consumption. This means that although it would have been an expensive venture, the company needed to move into this direction if it was to survive. It is worth noting that the argument that it was expensive to move into this new line of production left this company with only one option, to close down. This is because the intensity with which the healthy living campaign had been preached did not leave any customer willing to risk. An interview with an old couple revealed that even the elderly who used to be traditionally loyal consumers of these products had become increasingly conscious of this reality. Although this was an option for the company, it seems like a survival option, because the company has no other option than to take up this challenge and live. Presently, people understand that living healthily is expensive but not necessarily more expensive than living unhealthily. This should have been the encouragement for the company. People were willing to spend a bit more provided they got a proportional value for what they paid. The company should put more effort to the study of the costs and the feasibility of this new market. This was perhaps the only way out for the company in the twenty first century. This option may end up overriding the demand for elegant packaging. This is because, when a product meets the needs of the consumers, it serves the most important demand. The demand for elegant packaging is only a part of the many tastes that consumers have. Most will buy a product simply because they understand it to be healthier than whatever else is available in the market.

Conclusion
The situation in the chocolate market was that premium chocolates were in greater demand compared with the low quality chocolates. Consumers were also shifting their interest from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, arguably due to its anti-oxidant properties, which were considered important for the maintenance of healthy hearts. Therefore, competition was studied putting this into consideration, because companies were very much aware of this reality. The demands and needs of the consumer are the most powerful drivers of change. This is because if the needs of the consumers are not met in the product, there is no possibility of that product making it in the market, and every producer must fight to ensure that they satisfy these demands in order to survive.

The quality of the chocolate must be such that it fits the needs of the consumers, otherwise it may end up not selling at all. For any premium chocolate producer to succeed, there must be proper advertising. This allows for the possibility of the product getting known. The manner in which a product is distributed determines to a very large extent, the success or failure of the product. Considering that there has been a change in the social consumption patterns, the manner in which packaging is done is an important aspect. Location has also been found to be an important factor contributing to the success of any producer of chocolates. This is because, for a product to attract loyalty, it must necessarily satisfy each of these criterions.

A SWOT analysis of this company revealed that the company had a lot of strengths which if properly analyzed can translate into a benefit for the company. Some of these strengths included the presence of a highly qualified president, the extensive use of the internet to take orders, the international establishment that the company already enjoyed, as well as the various prestigious awards that the company got in relation to its quality products. At the same time, the company had a number of weaknesses that ought to be taken care of in order to protect the company from losses, and possibly from collapse. The company had a major problem with replacement of retiring staff in Victoria. This should be solved by seeking replacement elsewhere in order to remain competitive.

The products or Rogers are only available to the affluent persons. This means that if this that if this particular group is no longer willing to buy, the company may end up suffering huge losses.

The packaging style of Rogers Chocolates products seems to have given competitors an edge over the company, because their products are still packed by hand, which does not appeal too much to the new breed of consumers. It is important therefore, that the company consider the option available to it in order to avert possible loss of potential customers, which is very necessary now that the companys loyal customers have turned over.

It became apparent that Rogers Chocolates was suffering from the problem of demand forecasting. The source of this problem seemed to be the seasonal nature of the demand for the products. This left the company with the option of using monthly sales forecast, which was not in any way sufficient for a company of its size. It is important therefore, to consider seriously the possibility of new methods of forecasting, especially now that technology has taken a lead role in the current world.

A look into Rogers Chocolates revealed that the company had some unique competitive strategies, which had been used over the years to bring the company to its status. Four of those strategies have been discussed. Differentiation simply meant that the product is set apart (differentiated) from the rest, due to its unique value in the market, thus the relatively higher cost. Ideally cost leadership assumes that if a company produces at a lower cost and sells at the same price with the other players in the market, then it is likely to be the company that makes the highest profit. Differentiation focus meant that the product offered must satisfy the needs that have not been satisfied by other products of similar nature in the market. The reason for diversification was not only to maximize profits, but also to provide a cushion in case of slow down in sales for one product. What this meant was that the company was in a position to survive in case of a fall in the prices of some of its products. Although most of the companys functional strategies seemed to have been consistent with its competitive strategies, it became apparent that the company needed to deal with internal dissension, which affected its ability to move forward.

In terms of strategic options, the company should seriously consider the production of organic chocolates, as well as other healthy options. Although it is an expensive venture, the company must move into this direction if it is to survive. It appears necessary that the company puts some effort towards a feasibility study in order to establish how the move would impact the market. It is a very important step, one that should be taken at all costs, because it represents not only the companys present but also the future of the company. As already mentioned, this is perhaps the only way out for the company in the twenty first century.

McDonalds Corporation is among the triumphant international restaurant chains in the world. The company generates more than US 40 billion in Systemwide sales and operates over thirty thousand restaurants in more than a hundred countries globally. It encompasses the benefits emanating from scale and a sturdier financial position. Since McDonalds foundation in 1955 in Illinois, United States, its brands have remained respected and recognized world over. It has utilized efficient, effective, and effectual global expansion and management strategies to gain access to novel markets and thus, gaining a share of the overseas fast food market (McDonalds Press Releases, 2004). This research paper presents the history of McDonalds international expansion, global growth strategies, as well as its successes and challenges of this firm on the international platform.

International Expansion
While manufacturing companies can minimize the danger they expose themselves to in overseas markets by merely exporting as well as increasing their participation only in the markets where they find sensation, a company such as McDonalds should go abroad where its consumers are if it has to sell its products internationally. Regardless of its successful and rapid growth of its hamburger chain in the United States, it has embraced the idea of international expansion in order to safeguard its competitive advantage. McDonalds opened the very first overseas restaurant in Canada on June 1, 1967 in Richmond B.C (Kramer, 1996).  Today, Canada has over 1300 McDonalds restaurants. In 1971, it opened another restaurant in Japan, where Den Fujita who owned an import firm dealing in shoes, handbags, and apparel became McDonalds joint venture partner. In July 20, 1971 Fujita opened his first restaurant and on its first day of operation over 3000 were realized. Besides, in 1993, McDonalds Corporation was recognized as Japans most triumphant restaurant chain with more than 1400 restaurants. This made the firm to nearly double the yearly sales of its immediate competitor (Kramer, 1996).  

Furthermore, in the same year of 1971 the company continued with its international expansion by opening restaurants in Australia and Germany. Today, Australia has more than 700 McDonalds locations and Germany encompasses more than 1200 restaurants. After accessing England and France markets in the early years of 1970s, McDonalds currently runs more than 1200 restaurants in United Kingdom and some 980 restaurants in France. Japan, Canada, England, France, Australia, and Germany are referred to as McDonalds big six, because when combined, they offer approximately 80 of the international operating income. McDonalds international operations are playing an escalating significant role in the profitability, as well as competitiveness of the firm in the current business globalization.  For instance, in 1995, its 7,030 restaurants in more than 89 nations produced whopping sales of 14 billion (Mujtaba, 2007).

Additionally, a number of McDonalds international operations have been very spectacular to an extent of becoming headline news in several media houses worldwide. For instance, in January 31, 1990, more than 30, 000 individuals lined up on a cold winter day in Russia just to visit a novel McDonalds restaurant. The opening of this restaurant in Russia culminated years of negotiations that had started during Montreal Olympics in 1976 and represented the gigantic joint venture agreement a food company and the Soviet Union. In its first full year, Russian McDonalds crew served over 40, 000 customers daily, totaling to fifteen million people that year. To meet this inexorable demand, the company constructed a 45 million food processing facility near Moscow.

On April 23, 1992, McDonalds opening in Beijing China crushed the Moscow opening day record by attracting more than 40,000 Chinese customers to the twenty eight square foot restaurant. Situated in the busiest shopping district, this restaurant has more than 800,000 pedestrians passing each and everyday. The joint venture between McDonalds and the General Company of Beijing Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture had been working for several years to establish the network of local manufacturers, farmers along with other supplies to support the restaurant.

Not to be done, in 1992, McDonalds opened more two restaurants in Poland and astonishing each surpassed the Beijing and Moscow records for transactions on the opening day, with Warsaw recording the highest transactions in June 1992. Other nations of the world where McDonalds has proven immensely successful, popular, and well-liked comprise East Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Czech Republic. It as well broke the ground in other novel parts of the globe when it gained access to the Middle East markets with a new restaurant that opened in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1993. Extra restaurants were further added in Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.

This indicated the long term and extensive commitment the firm had to the region. Due to value of cultures and traditions, McDonalds restaurants operating in Middle East region have maintained Halal menus that suggest conformity to Islamic laws for food preparation, especially beef. Moreover, restaurants situated in Saudi Arabia never display posters or statues of Ronald McDonald, as Islamic father forbids flaunt of idols. Also, the first Kosher McDonalds opened in the suburb of Jerusalem city in early 1995 does not serve dairy products and is always closed on Saturdays (Jewish Sabbath).

In past few years the international expansion of McDonalds has significantly slowed and this has mainly been due to declining operating margins as the company was focusing more on advancing the existing restaurants together with menu offerings. Another factor which could have spearheaded the slow down is the death of its Chief Executive Officer (Jim Cantalupo ), since he was the one who led most of McDonalds abroad expansions. His passing on due to heart attack in 2004 has remained a major setback to globalization and internalization of this company. All in all, the expansion of McDonalds both locally and internationally has proven the strength of Ray Krocs first thought when he initially saw McDonalds in operation by saying it will go any place.

Success Strategies
Since the start of the firm in 1955, McDonalds Corporation began spreading locally throughout the United States and thus establishing its brand identification (Mujtaba, 2007). Its preliminary strategy began by advertising directly to the upper and middle class citizens, as can be seen in countries like China and India. However, with its several bargain deals on a number of its food items, the company started to cater for many individuals belonging to lower class (Mujtaba, 2007). China remains one the country in the world where McDonalds carried out an extensive research prior to opening up restaurants. Indeed, during this internalization and globalization, this noble firm is capable of developing market strategies, at same time customizing them for dissimilar regions in accordance to national and cultural variations in an attempt to serve specified target markets. McDonalds believes in conducting heavy research in any region it desires to open restaurants based on a few element of cultural, social, economic, political, and technological situations. The key to success of McDonalds corporation is its business mantra of thinking global and acting locally. This has in itself permitted the firm to realize financial success in any region it opens fast food restaurants (Mujtaba, 2007).

In order to remain competitive in this era of globalization and internalization, the company came up with success strategies that include Emphasis on local management, in the world over, McDonalds delights itself by hiring locals, specifically on management post in order to gain acceptance into the nation by its people. This emphasis is based on their business mantra of thinking globally while acting locally. For example, the firm decided to came up with two joint ventures with two New Delhi local entrepreneurs, who were later selected to carry out management tasks for the fast food restaurant (Mujtaba, 2007). This strategic move permitted McDonalds to gain easy admittance to the bureaucracy linked to countrys government.

Besides local management, politically sensitive strategy is as well employed by this global company. The strategy is utilized to avoid any kind of political confrontation with countries governments. The other company concern is about being religious sensitive in dissimilar countries where it operates. For instance, almost eighty percent of Indians never eat beef, and more than 150 million Indians are Muslims and thus, do not consume pork, therefore, instead of supplying the usual Big Mac that consists of beef, the company came up with the Maharaja Mac, which is made of 2 lamb patties. Other foods, such as McAloo, Tiki Burger, and other common Indian dishes were included to non standardized menu in order to curb any conflict of interest (Mujtaba, 2007).

As a way of achieving an optimistic reputation as well as follow national and local policies of a particular country, McDonalds tries to come up with services which are environment friendly. Again, India is an example where the firm offered financial contributions and sponsored a number of community related activities as a way of promoting environmental protection. In other countries, this strategy has primarily been established in schools, thereby indicating that McDonalds as well supports local schools (Workman, 2006). The strategy of corporate citizenship is also applied by this company on the journey towards international expansion. In order to enhance its reputation, this international, global, and multinational firm gives back to local people in all nations it operates. For instance, the company offers a number of financial donations to local organizations. This strategy is aimed at encouraging local people to eat at the companys fast food restaurants, since it is a motivation which is utilized to spread the name and the companys reputation further.

The final success strategy for McDonalds Corporation is pricing. As the currency values vary all over the world, the company is frequently forced to alter its pricing strategy in accordance to the target market (Barkema et al., 1996). For example, the price of a Big Mac differs in different countries. It therefore, appears that the company attempts to retain a price range on its products based on the income distribution, location, and it is for this reason that the company opens most of its restaurants in big cities, such as Shanghai, Beijing , New Delhi, and many more. The prime goal of McDonalds Company is to primarily attract upper and middle class citizens, since they are able to afford their prices. After this, they gradually target the lower income earners. In the U.S, for instance, the restaurant has appealed individuals from all walks of life from poor to the uppermost class. Though, its recognition, popularity, and fame seem to be among the lower, middle, and upper middle class (Brenham and Reiss, 1987).

Apart from success strategies, McDonalds has got 3 major business strategies that include forecasting and responding to any changes in consumer preferences and tastes, as well as spending and demographic patterns (Barkema et al., 1996). They adjust the menu according to the desires of the target customers. Secondly, the company maximizes sales at its existing restaurants. This is mainly done through increasing kitchen efficiency, restaurants remodeling, and streamlining drive thru ordering. Finally, the company has invested much of its resources in escalating its geographical concentration by opening novel restaurants. In 2008 alone it opened about 1,000 units and this made the total number of restaurants to grow at between 1 and 2 percent annually.

Successes
Globalization, diversity, and ethics are the major factors which have made McDonalds Corporation more successful. In the current business environment, enterprises and corporations are expanding businesses in the international market. Therefore, globalization remains indispensable for success realization. McDonalds company embraced the idea of globalization and has really benefited from it (Gielens and Dekimpe, 2001). Internalization expansion and globalization have enabled the company to increase on its geographical concentration and thus augmenting revenues collection for subsequent profitability. The character of diversity on the international market has enhanced the profitability of this firm. It is believed that diversity always encompasses a direct reflection of interpersonal relationships of the company. If these relationships are optimistic, lead to a rewarding venture. On the other hand, if these relationships are negative, the companys reputation declines. However, McDonalds management encourages diversity via their programs and policies. Therefore, the firms proven accomplishment with leveraging the advantages of diversity can be accredited to their foundation values of ethics (Gerski, 1995).

Challenges
The company has experienced a number of challenges in its process of international expansion comprising Frequent blames on obesity, where many countries have associated the fast food provided by the company as a primary cause of obesity, especially among children (Gielens and Dekimpe, 2001).  The foods are said to contain high calories as well as elevated fat contents that increase the risk of obesity condition to an individual consuming them. It has as well been blamed for excessive packaging waste by environmental diehards. Though, the company tries to put in place programs to foster environmental friendliness, most environmental organizations have blamed it for these packaging wastes which are not biodegradable, thereby becoming menace to the environment. Anti globalization proponents have seen McDonalds international expansion strategy as a United States symbol of economical dominance (Camerer and Lovallo, 1999).

Conclusion
In the 21st century, every business ought to embrace the spirit of international expansion to achieve a competitive edge. In business, competitive advantage refers to possessing advantage over competitors (Porter, 1986). This advantage is that which comes as a result of smart and conscious strategic plans as compared to other factors. Success and failure of a company is highly dependent on competition and this implies that the way competition is handled is very crucial to the business process. In this century, the opportunity for all McDonalds is to increase on its international expansion in order to sustain this advantage.

When I was applying to Chinese University, I stated that my key goal is to use my experiences abroad to contribute back to the fast growing Chinese market. This has not changed and has further been emboldened by happenings in the global economy.  China is now increasingly playing a much more central role in global recovery from the present economic downturn. Chinese Universitys Chinese Business concentration undoubtedly enriched my skills regarding the emerging market.

 However, my professors and fellow classmates told me that classroom materials are not enough for me to understand fully the business arena of China. Furthermore, more and more multinational companies are realizing the ineffectiveness of staffing corporate leaders through an ethnocentric approach.  The main reason is that managing Mainland Chinese employees is becoming a more dynamic process. Many companies in China experience difficulty retaining their employees through only compensation.

Based on this understanding, I believe multinational companies will begin employing a workforce combining experienced people from abroad with employees familiar with local culture and expertise. To truly understand the targeted marketplace, one must experience the culture and social standards firsthand. Through greater exposure to China, I will be able to improve my language skills and become a more effective team player.

One of my key weaknesses is my lacking ability to communicate effectively in Mandarin Chinese. To overcome this barrier, I have enrolled in Chinese language courses at the university during the last term and this term. My language skills have improved immensely, but I realize that the classes are not sufficient to truly practice the language.

I have been seeking opportunities to speak to my fellow classmates from China or Taiwan.  Nonetheless, these conversations with classmates only provide a small amount of interaction outside the classroom. Living in a Mandarin speaking city would provide me many opportunities to practice and further develop language abilities.

Apart from developing my language skills, I hope to enhance my experience by working with people from different cultures. After working in the consulting industry for close to four years, I have gained a great deal experience from working with a variety of project teams. I have come to appreciate that each project team is composed of members with different working styles.  I have learnt to adapt and develop flexibility.

However, when I began working with my classmates in CUMBA, I realized that my prior was not enough. While I had experience working with many different professionals in the U.S., most were American. I had not worked with professionals from Europe, Korea, Taiwan, or Japan, until when I began my education, and I discovered the great value of working with individuals from vastly different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, studying at another institution will provide me greater perspective on working with diverse individuals, especially those from Mainland China.

It is my desire to move in the direction of greatly understanding the Chinese market and its unique dynamics.  Given my consulting background and my experience in working with diverse groups of people and teams, the opportunity to move into a position where I will have to make the extra effort to learn in order to positively contribute in my assignments will ultimately make me a better worker and person.  With china rising in the global corporate battlefield, where cutting edge and innovative business ideas support emerging entrepreneurs, I want to be where global language and interculturalpersonal skills make the difference.  This I believe is where I can make my best contribution.

The opportunity to study in China will give me a better and holistic understanding of the Chinese way of doing business and give me a clear picture of what to expect as a result of taking this chance to widen my scope.  I am willing to accept the challenge that will come with replacing my narrow security with broad uncertainty.  It is my choice to put all my effort in fully developing and playing out my talents.

The opportunity of learning while under the tutelage of Citicorp will expose me to practical issues of doing business in china.  The Citi Global Young Fellowship program by its very design will give me the opportunity to apply theory, models and techniques I have learnt in class and avail to me the opportunity of being part of an environment teeming with boundless innovation.  For all intents and purposes, Citicorp is the vehicle I need in order to get to my next level in intellectual development.

If given the chance to study abroad in China, I will take full advantage by being a proactive student who will learn from both my classmates and society. I will improve my language skills because of the greater opportunities to practice, and I will also expand my abilities in working with others through my interactions with a distinctive and diverse group of classmates. As mentioned above, more multinational companies will be seeking professionals with both local and international skill sets. Through CUMBAs exchange program to China, I will be better prepared for a career in Mainland China.

Over the years I have developed an intense interest in business and economics and a strong desire to further my education. My intended major is Business Administration and my second choice is economics. My motivations to continue my education and to major in BusinessEconomics are related to my family history, my culture, and my experience the following paragraphs will explain these motivations.

To begin with, one of my strongest motivations to pursue a higher education comes from my mother. It had always been her dream to obtain a higher education in the US, however this dream remained unfulfilled as her father was not able to fund this. She had always told me that it would mean more to her to see me achieve this same goal, and this has always been a primary motivation for me to obtain a higher education in the US. In the summer of 2009, my mother passed away. While she will not be able to see me graduate, I ensured her that I would achieve this objective. It would bring me great satisfaction to achieve this goal in her name and memory and would mean a lot to my family members as well.

While my motivations to pursue a higher education in the US are strong, equally strong is my motivation to obtain a higher education in Business Administration. This is the result of a strong family history of business ownership and management. Specifically, my Uncle own and operates a jewelry store which has been successfully operated for many years. I have gained firsthand experience in many aspect of business management by assisting my Uncle with his business. I have gained experience in the following business functions accountingbookkeeping, inventory management, human resources, information systems and business software, customer service, marketing, etc. The diverse experience I have acquired through his business has piqued my interest in business in general and will make my contributions to class discussions more valuable. My intentions are to continue to assist my Uncle in the operation of his business and to apply the concepts and tools I learn in school to improve the efficiency of the business and to stimulate growth. I also plan on continuing to operate this business when my Uncle retires, and I realize that a business education will provide me with the tools and skills I need to manage the business in the most effective and efficient way. While I have learned how to operate a business from my Uncle, I also realize there is great potential for growth and improvement and my business education will provide a means to this end. Within business, I have developed a particularly strong interest in accounting, finance, and marketing. I have seen how effective marketing can really grow a business and Im interested in learning the skills to grow revenue in my Uncles business. I have also seen the value the accounting and finance function plays in ensuring the operational efficiency of the firm and how it provides insight into how the business can be run more effectively. Gaining skills in marketing and accounting will allow me to grow revenue for my Uncles business and at the same time reduce costs and increase efficiency. This will result in increased profits and growth and is an exciting proposition for me and my family.

Culturally, I was born into a Chinese-Indonesian culture in which the eldest son of a family has the biggest responsibility to achieve success. This has challenged and motivated me to pursue a higher education and to successfully run the family business. My cultural heritage has also provided me with a competitive disposition that will help me greatly in the field of business. I am constantly competing with others as well as with myself to produce better work and to achieve the best results.  I also consider myself to be a very tolerant person in regard to other cultures, which is an important characteristic to have if one is to be able to cooperate, learn from, and work with individuals from different cultures. Teamwork and collaboration is critically important in business today, and I feel that I have the interpersonal skills and tolerance to work effectively with other people. This will both assist me in the classroom and professionally.

The combination of my mothers wishes, my family history in business ownership and management, my Uncles business that I will one day run, and my cultural heritage all provide me with great motivation to achieve a higher education in businesseconomics in the US. I will pursue my education with passion and commitment and will be able to apply the skills I learn in the classroom immediately in the real world, while at the same time being able to bring real world issues and challenges into the classroom. This reciprocal relationship will provide great value to me academically and professionally and will increase the value of my classroom contributions.