Free Business Essays

There are an increasing number of UK organisations that outsource part of their business functions. Outsourcing is part of a business strategy that can reduce costs and increase profit. As many commentators have noted, outsourcing is one of the fastest growing and arguably most important areas of business activity (Cant and jeynes, 1998; Domberger, 1998; Gay and Essinger, 2000 cited in Burnes, B and Anastasiadis, A 2003:355).

A Quick Overview of that which is Ethical

The old story that recounts the occasion upon which three blind men encountered an elephant is a very applicable to a discussion on ethics.  In the story, the three men are asked to describe what their perceptions of the elephant and each man’s account varied radically.  One man described it as broad and flat, like a giant leaf on a tree; the second indicated that he perceived it to be much like a very pliable cord, much smaller than he was led to believe;  the third man described the same elephant as being broad like a wall with perhaps a slight curvature and seemingly immobile yet alive.  Clearly, to a sighted person one can readily see that the men were simply describing different parts of the same animal: the ear, tail and flank.  While one cannot say if in describing what is “ethical”, that we all speak about the same animal, it is certain that even if this is the case, there are multiple perspectives.

The iPod is perhaps the most talked about technological product in recent times. It has set sales records that have lave literally destroyed the predictions of all analysts by superseding everyone’s expectations. The interesting issues concerning this topic is how the iPod impacted not only the digital music electronics industry, but was also responsible for the turnaround of a company on the brink of bankruptcy. It is this very facet that makes the growth and life cycle of iPod an experience in itself and one that creates a sense of wonder at its success. But how did all this come about and just why did the iPod do so well? These are questions that we look to find answers towards whilst shedding light on the internal pressures faced by the parent company Apple.

The product is called Joyrider.  It is a robotic lawnmower measured at 800mm by 400mm by 350mm high.  The mower can be programmed via a hand held joystick control.  The product runs on batteries and not diesel or fuel.  This makes it less-pollutant to the environment and environmentally friendly.  It is intended to be predominantly marketed to married couples.  The idea is that it is a hassle free product, unlike conventional lawnmowers, which entails you pushing manually; this can be done with ease via a handheld control device.  Through the use of advertising and market research it is hope that we will be able to gain a 3% market share in the third year of operations.  The main competition will be from B&Q and Home base.