Challenged Questions 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Challenged Questions 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 - Essay Example 3. Forward pricing makes sense when firms are launching products and the strategy is to ensure that in the initial stages, forward pricing is competitive in the hope of increasing sales later on as well as having an outlook that is bullish on the potential of the product. 4. Centralized decision making is effective when goods are mass produced and sold on a large scale whereas decentralized decision making is effective when the products are targeted at niche segments. The lower wages in the former scenario as well as the higher wages in the latter scenario are justified by the pricing of the products. 5. The differences between these two strategies lies in the way in which marketing costs dominate for export related strategy whereas manufacturing costs dominate for import related strategies. The management control issues that these firms face would be in the sphere of having less control when they operate in nondomestic markets in a manufacturing capacity whereas they would have more control when they are operating in a non domestic market in an import related capacity. 2. It does not seem paradoxical to me because there are certain aspects of products that are not imitable and these are the patented features. Hence, the way to resolve this paradox is by making products that are have unique and distinctive features. 4. It is not the case for firms operating in monopolistic competition as the firms need to be efficient to pursue a product differentiation strategy which needs niche investments and expertise in making unique products and services. 1. Backward integration often results in maximizing efficiencies across the value chain and hence ensuring that firms gain competitive advantage. The opportunism of vertical integration is that firms can leverage upon the entire supply chain as opposed to some parts of it in backward integration. 2. The threats

Sports in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sports in America - Essay Example The English settlers that settled in the northern part of America came with different types of games. These games were the major part of their culture. They were forms of recreation. Some of the games that they loved included wrestling, horse racing, bear baiting and cock fighting. The settlers also later introduced baseball. This game became exceptionally famous among the people, something that transformed it into professional sport. Leagues were organized and formalized. In early nineteen century, different types of sports emerged. Football emerged at this time. These games strengthen young men. It encouraged them to join combat life due to the exercise they went through as part of the game. Other types of games that came into existence were tennis, polo, rowing and bicycling. However, all these types of sport underwent different changes over time. Improvement of the rules was made and everyone was to follow them carefully. Despite all these changes, sports have gone through many c hallenges in America since the cold war to the early nineteen sixties. These challenges acted as the blocks that hindered these games from progressing. Many countries at this time used sports events to be the venues of rivalry. They used to show their superiority over other countries. Other challenges included cheating, violence and drugs. During the cold war, many countries used sports to show rivalry to the other countries. Sports were meant for entertainment to the spectators but many political leaders saw sports from a different perspective. To them, sports were a tool to show their superiority. Most Americans who participated in Olympics of 1950s became the major dominants in those games. They won many medals as compared to the other countries’ participants. During this time, Soviet Union did not participate in the Olympics. This made American the favorites in almost all the Olympic Games. There victory caused public concern referring to the international image of the Un ited States (Zirin, 396). The Soviet Union later joined the Olympics games. This caused a great threat to the American participants in the games. Russians won many medals that Americans were used to win. They dominated almost all the Olympic games of that time. The United States and the Soviet Union were not in good terms. They were great rivals in the world during the cold war. This rivalry extended to the sphere of sports that they both participated. Everyone was trying to be superior to the other. Russians defeated American in many games. Russian women defeated Americans in a great range. These made Americans think of other ways of improving their performance. Different leaders who were the heads of the games gave out many ideas. Americans needed to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency in all participations. More improved and modernized management was to be put in place. The whole organization that was heading the participation needed an enlargement and modernization. All these were done to ensure that they defeat the Soviet Union. Americans later defeated them, and it was something that taught Americans that democracy was better than communist system in producing better players (Zirin, 394). During the cold war, reporting sports was influenced by rivalry between the Americans and the Soviet Union. Sports’ reports were biased. Journalists from each country favored the athletes’ of their motherlands. Russian journalist undermined American