BMW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

BMW - Essay Example BMW's turning point came when they started to cater this market. They started producing motorbikes and expensive luxury cars branded the best in the world. Acquisition of Rover group in 1994 and the Rolls-Royce in 2003 were the other major milestones in their history. Today their annual revenue crosses 50 billion Euro's and they employ over 96,230 employees in 23 plants spread over 13 countries. They have 12 R&D centres in 5 countries. They sell over 1,341,048 cars worldwide. 78% of their sales comprise of their conventional BMW cars. BMW MINI series cars capture 16% of their sales while their stupendous sports motorcycles capture 6% of their sales (Illing, 2010). They sell over 2000 Rolls Royce cars per year too. BMW adopted various strategies to reach this position in such as short period. The company’s strategies are worth examining as they will help any company manage its competition quite effectively. PEST Analysis PEST stands for political, economical, social and technol ogical. This method is used to analyse the macro-environment of an organization. Such an analysis is done when high level of doubt prevails over the way the external environment responds to changes. It is necessary to determine whether the organizational policies are compatible and sufficient to meet the external environment. ... BMW takes care to comply with all the policies to avoid getting in trouble with the government. Economical Factors affect the automobile industry and BMW in general. The exchange rates and the economic growth of the countries like India and China make them emerge as worthy competitors in the market. Stagnancy of stock due to overproduction and economic slowdown is also a major issue. It might occur due to global economic slowdown or decrease in the exchange rate of Euro at any time. Social Factors: The recession, changing customer buying behaviour and increased eco awareness had made people look at cars as an important and useful commodity rather than a status symbol. They want their cars to give more mileage and be environmental friendly rather than just luxurious. Technological factors prevalent in the industry affect the BMW the most. They should keep upgrading themselves regarding the new technology in production as well as marketing. Everything from the latest Bluetooth facility to modern GPS systems should be incorporated in the cars to make it attractive while they still have to stick with the original design. The Key Drivers of Change From the analysis we can conclude that the major factors that contributed to change in BMW are 1. The need to advance technologically 2. Environmental regulations 3. Deployment of hi-tech infrastructure as well as qualified manpower Adaptability or changing its strategies according to the external environment is called consonance (Rumlet, 1980). It is the most important factor driving successful change in the industry. Porter’s five forces Analysis (Porter, 1985) Porter's Five Forces Analysis Threat from Substitutes: Medium BMW is associated with engineering excellence and ultimate luxury. So, the threat for

Teaching methods and strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Teaching methods and strategy - Essay Example It evolves and conforms according to the imagination and opinion of the teacher. The teacher is provided with numerous techniques that can be applied in ensuring that the learners comprehend and utilize the accumulated and assimilated knowledge. Such strategies and methods include gaming quizzes, lectures, class discussion, story and role playing, brainstorming, active learning, distance learning, and case method. The current society requires learners who are creative, proactive, and flexible in communicating ideas and thoughts, making decisions, and working effectively within groups and teams. Possessing knowledge is not enough to succeed or make a difference in the current ever-changing world; teachers have a crucial role in moulding learners to fit and be competitive through application of effective teaching methods and strategies. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of each of the stipulated methods is presented with a suggestion of the most effective level of applica bility. Gaming Quizzes Games are used to enhance competition, participation, and feedback during teaching (Accardi, Drabinski and Kumbier, 2010). They serve as a motivator and entail practical application of learning concepts. The technique is efficiently applicable when teaching children and primary level learners. In gaming quizzes, the expatriates are actively involved in the exercise. This frustrates boredom and enhances motivation and positive attitudes towards learning. Gaming promotes team work and application of collaborative efforts towards solving educational problems. The trainers are able to obtain feedback on learning progress of the expatriate candidates instantly. Practical application of theoretical concepts in the form of games instils confidence among learners in acquiring education facts. However, gaming quizzes can discourage learners who are not competitive compared to their colleagues. Gaming may lead to rivalry and unhealthy relationship among competing groups . Most members would shun creativity and device short cuts or crude methods to secure victory as most of the games are focused towards winning. Another weakness is that team work may derail the application of individual efforts. Lecture Lecture method entails the teacher solely controlling the core focus of information transfer. The instructor normally positions him or herself in front of a class and presents educational facts to the students who are listening and taking notes. Occasionally, teachers use a board or overhead projector to provide visuals to the learners. The method is normally common at all levels of learning although the use of visuals is common with higher levels of learning. Minimal exchange exists between the instructors and students in this learning method. When preparing for a lecture, the instructor should have a clear introduction and summary of the topic of discussion (Lang and Evans, 2006). Lectures should also be presented in the form of summary with time u tility. The message being relayed is made clearer through the use of examples and anecdotes. Lectures are advantageous in that the proceedings of a lecture session can be recorded for future reference. The method is a fast and straight forward way of relaying knowledge to a large,