Heinz Business Strategy

Heinz Business Strategy Heinz Company is a marketer and manufacturer of branded foods in the industry of global food. The company is recognized for its ketchup with a comprehensive presence in condiments, tuna, baby foods, soup and ready meals. Heinz is the US-based global food company, with a world-class portfolio of powerful brands holding no-1 and no-2 market positions in more than 50 countries. The Heinz brand has an estimated value of $20 billion with Heinzs top-15 power brands accounting for two-thirds of annual sales.The company has no-1 or no-2 brands in 200 countries around the world, showcased by Heinz Ketchup. Other brands in the companys portfolio include Classico pasta sauce, Ore-Ida frozen potato products, Heinz weight watchers, Plasmon baby food, and John West tuna. Heinz also uses the famous names Weight Watchers, Boston Market, T.G.I. Fridays, Jack Daniels, and Linda McCartney under license. Due to potential loss in manufacturers brand equity, large public food manufacturers face the greate st threat from the expansion of private retailer brands and the increased power of the retail sector. The H.J. Heinz Company has a long tradition in the US market of being a number one brand, retaining a dominant position in the US and the world market. Ketchup is a case in point. However, as with many large food manufacturers, the growing share of private labels is creating a challenge . In response, rather than relying solely on its long held brand image, Heinz has made a strategic decision to invest heavily in differentiating itself further from private label offerings by improving the quality of its product to attract more quality-conscious consumers, Heinz might easily be viewed as a company with a dominate product-orientation based on its Chairmans statement I am convinced that quality and innovation are the way forward for Heinz. Traill and Grunert (1997) 2-PRODUCT INNOVATION ACTIVITY Much of the innovation has been focus on what is considered core products where it has strong existing competencies and expertise. New product development constitutes an vital part of Heinzs growth strategy. Product introductions are focus on meeting consumers demand for convenience, health, improved taste, and lifestyle changes. The company has made attractive consumer products by offering packaging innovations and the promotion of the health benefits of its existing products. The health dimension is critical factor in its product differentiation strategy for Heinz.There are no of examples of recent product innovations. The company introduced a new range of soups, offering nutritious contents with alternative ingredients with less salt, sugar, and fat particles. Various specialty soups were introduced in the UK, such as Spicy Butternut Squash and Mediterranean Tomato and Bacon. Other examples are the first microwaveable French fries tasting like restaurant fries. This product is a s trong complement to its ketchup. The most successful package innovation in the US was the Heinz Easy Squeeze ketchup designed in an upside down ketchup bottle for faster and less messy dispensing. This packaging was successfully launched in 19 European countries as well as in the US and the Canadian food service. In recent years, the company has also made substantial packaging innovations in other food products with a conversion from traditional cans to more convenient solutions in single-serve microwavable packaging. Traill and Grunert (1997) 3-PROCESS INNOVATION ACTIVITY Heinz created four imperatives to gain better performance, drive profitable growth, remove the clutter, squeeze out costs, and measure and recognized performance. By removing the clutter, Heinz seeks to remove inefficiencies and reduce complexities of product portfolio and supply chain. The company execute a major restructuring initiative named Streamline aimed at reducing overhead costs. Heinz has also made a series of divestitures in an effort to refocus its business more closely on its core products. The company is focusing on its top 15 power brands, which account for 60 percent of total sales. The squeeze out the cost initiative has mainly concentrate on promotional expenditure as new systems have been execute to better track promotional spending. Through a new global procurement initiative led from World headquarters in Pittsburgh, Heinz is aiming to cut costs in both direct and indirect sourcing activities. Traill and Grunert (1997) MARKETING STRATEGY OF HEINZ COMPANY The company launch its first national foodservice advertising campaign, using the slogan Insist on Heinz. The objective of this advertisement is to attract consumers to insist on Heinz Ketchup, when it is not available in fast food restaurants or other food service establishments. Furthermore, to take full advantage of its strong position in the foodservice market, the company has created Group 57, a culinary expert team that supplies customers with new ideas and support. Heinz invests in consumer education by promoting the health benefits of lycopene in tomatoes. Heinzs advertising expenses have also increased in recent years, mainly due to the launching of a new product, Ore-Ida extra crispy fries in the US. In response to increasing competition, especially from private labels, Heinz introduced a every day low pricing initiative across many product groups. The aim of this initiative is to fight off competition by creating a positive value impression among consumers. Traill and Grun ert (1997) CORPORATE STRATEGY OF FONTERRA COOPERATIVE GROUP 1-USING RD AND INTERNATIONAL VENTURES The Fonterra Cooperative Group was formed by the merger of New Zealand Dairy Group, Kiwi Co-operative Dairies and the New Zealand Dairy Board in late 2001. It is owned by its nearly 12,000 dairy farming shareholders. Fonterra has sales of $2.15 billion and is organized in three divisions; New Zealand Milk Products (NZMP), New Zealand Milk, and Fonterra Enterprises. NZMP is the worlds largest dairy ingredients company which focuses on separating milk to its various components and then marketing these components. New Zealand Milk is the business unit manufacturing dairy based consumer and branded food products, while Fonterra Enterprises comprises an innovative venture and growth businesses supporting Fonterras core business activities. Since the merger there have been a number of acquisitions. Fonterra has a 50 percent stake in Australian dairy producer, Bonlac Foods Ltd, and has undertaken the formal merger of both companies consumer products operations in Australia and New Zealand. Other acquisitions and strategic alliances include joint ventures with Nestlà © through Dairy Partners Americas in South and Central America, Dairy Farmers of America with DairiConcepts in the US, Britannia Industries Ltd in India, and Arla Foods in the UK. A handicap of traditional cooperatives is their orientation toward producers and lack of consumer awareness. However, this is changing as cooperatives discover more suitable market-oriented strategies and increasingly operate in global markets. Although capital constraints have been a primary barrier to internationalization, risk aversion is one of the most important factors discouraging the extent of internationalization (Buccola  et al., 2001). The Fonterra Cooperative Group has successfully internationalized, breaking away from most models of traditional cooperatives. Its two distinct businesses structure, specialty ingredients and consumer milk products provides a hedge against fluctuating international dairy prices. Fonterra is a supplier of both consumer product and dairy ingredients. The consumer business, New Zealand Milk, was renamed in 2005 becoming Fonterra Brands. The name change was made to better reflect the companys core brand business. Fonterra is now pursuing a strategy called Winning Through Brands where the Fonterra name and product brand will appear on packaging as an endorsement and its worldwide reputation as a leader in dairy. Fonterra uses its expertise in dairy technology for creating value from milk as both ingredients and consumer dairy products. It is a leader in several country markets for branded consumer products such as milk, cheese, powder milk, butter and yogurt. Fonterra is ranked as the sixth largest dairy company in the world with more than two-thirds of its sales in dairy ingredients, and accounts for more than a third of international trade in dairy (Rabobank International, 2008;  Fonterra, 2007). In addition, Fonterra supplements its New Zealand product s with milk supplies from foreign affiliates to assure a stable supply of products for its customers. 2- FONTERRA PRODUCT INNOVATION ACTIVITY Fonterra views milk with sophistication, seeking to lead the race to develop its nutritional potential by meeting the needs of an increasingly health-conscious world. Science and biology underpins the dairy industry both in on-farm production and in dairy product manufacturing. Biotechnology is the technology that allows Fonterra to modify biological systems, either using natural means or more advanced tools.To develop specialized products, Fonterra uses a health and nutrition team that focus on the unique health benefits of milk-derived bioactives. This team targets specific areas in response to global consumer health concerns namely: immune health, gastrointestinal health, infant nutrition, dermatology, sports health, therapeutics, bone health and animal health. Fonterras concentration on the development of new products to drive growth is evident in both the consumer products and the ingredient business. It established new research and development facilities in 2004 to expand its p otential of new products. Fonterra also established a number of joint research projects with pioneering German vitamin producer BASF. This agreement includes developing dairy-based products for the health ingredients market, and a collaboration to develop customized, instantly-vended convenience foods for a variety of dietary needs, which will be marketed as or point-of-sale individualized foods. 3-FONTERRA PROCESS INNOVATION ACTIVITY Fonterras management states that operational excellence has to be embedded in our culture[3]. An important part of Fonterras global business operations is procurement of raw milk and gaining access to product markets. Fresh milk products, by their perishable and bulky nature, cannot be economically transported across long distances. Furthermore, high trade barriers on dairy products restrain global product movements. Fonterra established several strategic alliances and partners to increase efficiency and flexibility in its global supply chain. Fonterra and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the largest milk-collecting cooperative in the US, formed a joint venture company called DairiConcepts which combines DFAs manufacturing sites with Fonterras technological expertise and innovations. DairiConcepts both strengthened Fonterras position in the US market and offered the cooperative the ability to better exploit its new opportunities.In addition to improving efficiencies in its South Ameri can operations, Fonterra established a joint venture with Nestlà © to form Dairy Partners Americas. Comprising over 13 plants in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and the Americas, with more than two thirds of them ex-Nestlà © staff, Dairy Partners Americas has been successfully implemented in Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela (Datamonitor, 2008). These and other partnerships provide alternative sources of raw milk for its ingredients business, enable optimization of Fonterras production plan and inventory levels, and ultimately facilitate meeting customer demand in all regional markets MARKETING ACTIVITIES OF FONTERRA COOPERATIVE GROUP Fonterra focuses on conveying the message that it has high quality products stemming from research and development activity, which use healthy, natural and ecologically responsible products that are consistent with Fonterras rural roots. The company takes a science-based approach to developing and promoting these products by employing scientific results found in research studies and commissioning research papers and clinical studies to support its claims. In 2004, a report was published illustrating the positive benefit of feeding fortified milk powders to children. Fonterra aims to establish the image of its products in the minds of young consumers, viewing them as potential life-long consumers. For example, its website for children, (www.milkzone.com), offers interactive games, fun information, contests and links to other milk-related sites. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT CRITICALLY ANALYSE According to SLACK,N.CHAMBERS,S.JOHNSTON,R.2007 it refers to the listening to customers, indentifying what they want and striving to meet their requirement get it right first time-every time, with zero defects. Peter Drucker writes that The purpose of business lies outside itself-that is creating and satisfying customer. The decision process is central, and structure has to follow strategy and management has to be management by objectives and self control. The search for the genuine keys to success in TQM implementation has become a matter of deep concern to management of companies in the world. Organizational lack of information and data on the critical factors is an obstacle to implementing TQM effectively. So, research studies on the critical factors of TQM implementation are needed. In other words, more data are required so that industries can avoid and prevent the same problems from occurring (companies which adopted TQM ended up failing or dropping the system initiative before it could really take hold), (Lau and Idris, 2001).  Idris and Zairi (2006)  also stated that there is a need for more empirical research to clarify how the TQM evolutionary path is related to critical success conditions within an economic sector, industry, and era. With more empirical proof, an approach to a sustainable quality strategy could be established. More research in the form of a longitudinal approach is also needed since a snapshot d esign alone would not be sufficient to capture success conditions holistically (Idris and Zairi, 2006). However, the success of the TQM research depends on the development of valid and reliable measures which replicate actual TQM practices companies adopt in the real world. Not only should the measurement be consistent within a certain study, but also across many studies (Jitpaiboon and Rao, 2007)   TQM can be studied from three different approaches, contributions from quality leaders, formal evaluation models and empirical research.  Deming (1982,  1986). The use of statistical techniques for quality control, and proposed his 14 principles to improve quality in organizations, based on the following idea- leadership an improvement philosophy, the right production from the beginning, training for managers and employees, internal communication aimed at the elimination of obstacles for cooperation and the suppression of quantitative objectives.  Juran (1986)  pointed out the importance of both technical and managerial aspects, and identified the three basic functions of the quality management process: planning, organization and control, as the stages for quality improvement; he indicated that the aim of the management is to reduce the cost of mistakes, reaching a point where the total costs of quality are minimal improvement.  Crosby (197 9)  defined 14 steps for quality improvement, including top and intermediate management commitment, quality measurement, evaluation of quality costs, corrective action, training, a zero-defect philosophy, objective setting and employee recognition. The research by all these authors shows both strengths and weaknesses, for none of them offers the solutions to all the problems encountered by firms (Dale, 1999), although some common issues can be observed, such as management leadership, training, employees participation, process management, planning and quality measures for continuous improvement. These ideas have exerted an influence upon later studies, in such a way that the literature on TQM has progressively developed from these initial contributions, identifying various elements for effective quality management. Taking the initial research as a basis, the critical factors of TQM found in the literature vary from one author to another, although there is a common core, formed by the following requirements (Claver  et al., 2003),customer focus, leadership, quality planning, management based on facts, continuous improvement, human resource management (involvement of all members, training, work teams and communication systems), learning, process management, cooperation with suppliers and organizational awareness and concern for the social and environmental context. Alongside these factors, identified both in theoretical and empirical studies, there are standardized quality models used by firms in practice as a guide for their implementation, or in order to carry out self-evaluations of their quality practices. The main models are the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award model in the USA, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model in Europe and the Deming Application Prize model in Japan. The USA model lists in seven categories the main concepts and values in quality management: leadership, strategic planning, human resources orientation, process management, information and analysis, customer and market focus and business results. The EFQM model consists of the following principles: leadership, employee management, policy and strategy, alliances and resources, process management, people results, customer results, society results and key results (EFQM, 2000). The Japanese model is grouped into ten chapters, which are in turn divided, as in the two previous models, into a number of subcriteria, in the following way- policies, organization, information, standardization, development and usage of human resources, activities ensuring quality, activities for maintenance and control, activities for improvement, results and future plans. These principles, in general, summarize the aspects defined in the literature. Thus, issues related to the participation of employees, staff, work teams and communication, amongst others, may be included within the factor of human resource management. EVALUATE THE MIX OF CONCEPT Impact of supply chain management The maximization of firm value is an accepted goal of all publicly held firms. Value however is not a term well understood by all managers. In his book  The Power of Now, the CEO of Tibco Software, Vivek  Ranadive (1999)  explains that many business executives confuse value with profit. Ranadive makes the distinction by saying profit is a consequence of creating value. Ranadive emphasizes that creating customer value is one of the few existing differentiators that can create competitive advantage while the other classic differentiators outlined by Michael Porter and others cost leadership, quality, focus and speed have themselves become commodities. They are simply the price of market entry (Ranadive, 1999). Thus, firms must seek other avenues to build value for their customers. Many firms have turned to supply chain management (SCM) to give them a competitive advantage in the twenty-first century. A supply chain includes all the activities, functions and facilities involved (either directly or indirectly) in the flow and transformation of goods and services from the material stage to the end-user (Russell and Taylor, 2000, p. 373;  Handfield and Nichols, 1999, p. 2). SCM aims to integrate the various structures and processes of the supply chain, facilitating and coordinating the flow of goods and services and the flow of information necessary to provide the value that customers demand. The need for such coordination grows out of several trends in the marketplace. Globalization has led to the availability of a vast set of alternative sources of materials and other inputs as well as a wider array of potential customers. Customers changing expectations regarding value of goods and services, combined with advances in technology and the availability of information, have driven the formation of new forms of inter-organizational relationships (Handfield and Nichols, 1999, p. 5 ). Such factors have stimulated changes in the nature of organizations supply chains and have led to an emphasis on coordination and integration of supply chain activities.

Examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages Essay

To what extent can Hindu arranged marriages survive in a multi – cultural society In this essay I will examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages and how they are surviving in s multi – cultural society. I shall use secondary research to back up what I mention within this essay. An arranged marriage is a marriage in which neither the bride nor the groom has a say over the selection of their future spouses. However, in an arranged marriage, both parties give full consent to the marriage. Arranged marriages have been proven to be successful. Arranged marriages have been a traditional aspect of family life in Hinduism. According to Hinduism, a marriage between two people is seen to be a holy relationship, that is just not limited to this one life, but extends across seven or more lives during which, the couple will help each other grow as people and progress spiritually. Two souls come together and marry because their karmas are intertwined and they have to resolve many things together upon earth in order to ensure their mutual salvation. In Hinduism, man and woman represent the two halves of the divine body. There is no question of superiority or inferiority between them. When parents are in search for a partner for their child, they firstly look at the religion, language and caste. These are very important factors that most parents do not overlook for arranged marriages. In India, parents feel that a girl can be a potential wife at the age of eighteen and parents get worried if she remains unmarried past twenty four or twenty five. It is acceptable for a boy to remain unmarried till his late 20s, but after that questions are asked about his appropriateness as a husband. This does not necessarily apply to a growing urban middle class population. Once the families have agreed on their children’s marriage they consult a family priest or an astrologer to fix the wedding date according to their astrological charts and thereafter invitations are sent to family and friends. The Hindu marriage ceremony entails several functions before the â€Å"big day†. However the wedding day itself has many religious rituals which need to be followed and is a custom for all Hindus. Firstly there is the â€Å"Panigrahana†; this ritual is carried out by the bride’s father, where he would offer the hand of the bride to the groom. The next ritual is the exchanging of the vows with fire as the witness. A â€Å"Havankund† or fire is lit and the priest recites the relevant hymns from the scriptures. Each time the bride and groom go around the fire they exchange vows. The next ritual is the â€Å"Saptapadi†; at the end of the ceremony the couple take seven steps together; each step represents strivings for their married life. The first step is taken for God and the growing of their spiritual progress together, the others are for health, wealth, strength, children and happiness. The seventh step represents life long friendship between husband and wife. The other key feature of a Hindu marriage, which everyone is familiar with, is the marking of the bride’s forehead with red powder called â€Å"kumkum†. This merely shows the females status. Love marriages are on the increase in Britain, but there is still a lot of doubt about them amongst the elder generation. Love marriages within the same caste and financial background are favoured, compared to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages. Couples who dare cross the social conventions have to cope with a lot of social pressure within their families and outside. These problems are more acute in the rural areas compared to the urban areas and metropolitan cities. Much depends upon the family background. If parents are educated and enlightened on both sides, things would be easier for the children, who get involved in unconventional relationships. I would say one of the evils of Hindu arranged marriages in India especially is the ever- present dowry system. The amount of dowry can be a very substantial amount, even in dollar terms, depending upon the financial status of the parties involved. Sometimes greedy mother-in-laws and husbands subject the poor brides to innumerable hardships for not meeting their expectations in respect of the dowry. Cases of bride burning are not unknown. Indian penal code prescribes severe punishment for such acts. But the cases take years and decades before the courts deliver justice. Many Indian families who have settled outside of India still uphold the tradition of arranged marriage. Being part of two cultures can be hard. Young people born in Britain but from an Indian family can find this particularly difficult if their modern western lifestyles clash with their parent’s hopes and wishes.2 Many young Indian people living in Britain know that one day they will agree to an arranged marriage. To deny their parents this would be a sign of deep disrespect. Many families are able to discuss the issue and reach compromises that are suitable for everyone. For example insist that you are happy to meet with prospective partners but that you must like your match. Family, friends and relatives will be informed once they have decided to go ahead and soon meetings will be organised. They will be matched according to their education and experience, a suitable caste, or social class associated with the Hindu religion. Many non Hindu’s have a huge misconception about arranged marriages. It is important to make a clear distinction between arranged marriages that are consensual and marriages that are arranged without the consent of the individuals involved. These are sometimes called forced marriages and are against the law in this country. However in rural parts of India this idea about forced marriages still takes place even today. Although Western societies tend to ridicule arranged marriages as backward and uncivilized and old fashioned, there are positive aspects. For example, Westerners focus more on the physical aspect of relationships, and are thus obsessed with love, sex, and beauty. As a result, people get married based on these factors and then get let down by one another very easily. The divorce rate in Western countries such as the U.S. has increased rapidly. â€Å"50% of American marriages end in divorce†1. In contrast, Eastern cultures that practice arranged marriages place far more emphasis on the practical, such as integrity, diligence, ambition, modesty, and kindness. People get married based on practical reasons, and work on building affection later. Strong characteristics like the ones described above are very favourable to building love and affection in Eastern marriages. As a result, these marriages are much longer-lasting than many Western marriages. It is because the primary emphasis is not on love, sex, and physical beauty that arranged marriages are usually so successful, because the spouses get to know one another on a practical level first, looking beyond trivial issues such as beauty. I know it can go both ways, there are many arranged marriages that are just total hell, and there are marriages that started out based only on infatuation and grew stronger as time passed. But I think as long as one looks for the right characteristics in a potential spouse, then, arranged marriage can definitely work. People within the western civilisation are mistaken by the term arranged marriages. Arranged doesn’t necessarily mean â€Å"fixed†. Arranged marriages it encompasses a lot of different varieties: the harshest arranged marriages are almost forced upon the bride or groom while the most liberal ones start with just an introduction of the couple through their parents and the rest is up to the couple. If they feel they are compatible then they would go ahead with the marriage. If they decided not to get married they would remain friends. I feel that within Britain today, Hindu parents have become liberal with their children dating and â€Å"seeing† each other. Parents are now influencing their children to look for someone within University get to know them for at least a couple of years and then decide on whether they are right for you. I think if the parents know about the son or daughter’s partner and they are Hindu, have a good family background and most importantly are educated then the parents would definitely agree to the marriage. In fact, the advantages and drawbacks of arranged marriages cannot be so easily appraised. The incidence of divorce among Indian-born British/Americans is dramatically lower than among British/Americans generally, but that partly reflects the continuing disgrace of divorce. Even as the divorce rate among Indian British/Americans appears to be increasing, the topic is rarely discussed. Divorce reflects poorly on an Indian family, and some proportion of arranged marriages endures not because they are successful or rewarding, but because leaving them would bring such shame. In addition, the concept of a woman living independently is foreign to most people in South Asian culture. Also, a majority of women don’t work in rural areas of South Asian countries and hence find it difficult to have enough money to support them without getting married or after getting divorced. And many endure because the definition of success differs from Western ideas. Traditional Indians don’t expect a partner to be that improbable combination of soul mate/confidante/red-hot lover/best friend. â€Å"The husband-wife bond is one of reliability and dependability and complementary family roles – raising children, caring for elders,† explains Karen Leonard, author of The South Asian Americans and a University of California-Irvine anthropologist. â€Å"They may communicate very little in intimate ways, and it’s still a good marriage.†3. The custom of arranged marriages in India has survived migration and modernization remaining central to the fabric of society. However 95% of all marriages in India are arranged, even among those in the educated middle class. Many Indians challenge that arranged marriages are more successful than marriages in the West, particularly given the latter’s staggering divorce rates. Romantic love does not necessarily lead to a good marriage, and often fails once the passion dissolves, they argue. With most unions between individuals from the same background, the arranged marriage reflects and reinforces the social, economic, geographic and historical diversity of India itself. More like a continent than a country, India is made up of 14 states, with as many languages, thousands of dialects, three major religions, hundreds of sub-religions, an outlawed but still practiced caste system amongst Hindus. The Hindu religion, strongly intertwined in the concept of â€Å"duty,† order that parents are responsible for providing their children’s education and marriage. Once married, their sons take over the running of the household and provide for their parents for the rest of their lives. The arranged marriage has adjusted to modernization. Prospective grooms were once not even allowed to see the photograph of their prospective brides so as to protect an unmarried woman’s purity, her most valuable asset. By the 1930/40’s, such as in my grandmother’s marriage, the couple exchanged photographs, in order to decide if they liked each other. Today couples, depending on how liberal their parents are, have a coffee or meal on their own either at home, or in a restaurant, before deciding to commit. Middle-class women are allowed to reject suitors favoured by their parents. Engagements can now last six months. Western concepts of love triumphing over tradition can be seen in popular Indian films. However, many Indian women in the diaspora are in change. Freedom comes with a price. Some women, after having ended several long term relationships, find themselves in their late 30s alone, with one foot in either world and judged by both. It goes without saying that no marriage, not even an arranged one, is accustomed from basic incompatibility or abuse. But the arranged marriage does have its advantages. Living with the extended family, daughters traditionally live with their in-laws including brothers-in-law and their wives and children which means a free staff of child minders. Apart from the economic savings of a family home, shocks such as a death or the loss of a job can be absorbed. The system cares for elderly parents and grandparents who are generally isolated in Western societies. Also, because the arranged marriage tends to be a union of two families of strong moral and cultural values provides checks and balances against areas that may splinter it, such as unfaithfulness. Most people tend to equate Hindu marriage with arranged marriage. The parents in order to meet this domestic obligation prepare themselves mentally and, more importantly, financially when their child reaches marriageable age. They search for a suitable partner keeping in mind the community â€Å"rules† regarding cast, creed, birth chart, and financial and social status of the family. Traditionally it is the girl’s parents that bear the cost of the wedding and to jumpstart their daughter’s married life they shower her with gifts and ornaments to take to her in-laws. Unfortunately, this has aggravated people’s greed end in the many evils of dowry system. In the end, the discussion of arranged and love marriages comes down to which is better? Obviously, the one that leads to more successful marriages. Supporters of arranged marriages claim that it is more successful, but their definition of success focuses on divorce rates. But are divorce rates really a measure of a successful marriage? Do all the couples that don’t get divorced stay happy with each other? The occurrence of divorce in society depends on a lot of factors including the stigma of divorce. It should be a matter of great concern that we have begun to ignore the ancient and lofty ideals of Hindu marriage and are anxious to follow in the footsteps of cultures that do not value these ideals. No wonder, the number of divorce suits filed by Hindu couples is on the rise. Instead of strengthening the traditional ideals, which for thousands of years have helped us prevent marriage and family break-ups, we are misdirecting our energies towards promoting the ideal of sense-enjoyment and self-interest. In my opinion it is still not too late to be proactive to protect the sanctity of Hindu marriage. 1: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm 2: http://www.youthinformation.com/infopage.asp?snID=805 3: http://lair.xent.com/pipermail/fork/2003-March/018427.html Words – 2,582 (not including Bibliography)

The Issues Arising From File Sharing - 1728 Words

Introduction The internet is one of the most exciting phenomena to be invented in the world of technology. It was widely received and accepted by all sectors of the society, including the government, and businesses. The communication and media platforms were on the frontline in embracing the new technology. The internet is currently the largest source of music and video content. The availability of high-speed internet connections and a creation of inexpensive and easily distributable digital contents has facilitated to the high number of downloads. This has been attributed with both advantages and disadvantages. The creation of peer-to-peer (P2P) media sharing platforms led to a rise of the controversy surrounding this form of media consumption. This paper discusses the moral issues arising from file sharing. With a worldwide reach, the internet has facilitated massive downloads of copyrighted contents without the knowledge or proper compensation of the rightful author. However, the providing, s haring, or downloading content on these platforms is a violation intellectual property rights known as piracy. File Sharing Moral Issues Musicians and recording companies argue that the music and videos on the internet are their property, upon which they expect to get economic benefits, and downloading their content is wrong. However, these cries fall on deaf ears since content downloading or sharing has become part of everyday life activities. Goel, Miesing, Chandra (2010) notedShow MoreRelatedEffective Time Management Procedures : Clear Communication Processes And Procedures1100 Words   |  5 PagesAssessment and acknowledgment of team performance. Personal management As well as being organised, it is critical for the team’s success to follow set processes as outlined in company process’s manual Security Internet security Protecting information from accidental or intentional interference. 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There are many ethical issues arising by using technology in the business of IT. These issues can be classified as personal issues and organizational level issues. Privacy, private information security, web tracking etc are some of the personal issues and protecting intellectual property like software rights is organisational level issue. These issues tend to create conflicts in the

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