Manaement Consulting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Manaement Consulting - Essay Example This differentiating technique is a substantial tool that could transform the nature of products, processes, companies, industries, and even competition itself. Until recently, most managers treated differentiating principals as a support service. Now, however, every company and especially consulting firms must understand the broad effects and implications of the new differentiating principals and how it can create substantial and sustainable competitive advantages. (Wood, W., Lundgren, S., Oullette, J. A., Busceme, S., & Blackstone, T., 341) The principals of differentiating itself from the rest of the industry are in the process of a silent revolution and this revolution is sweeping through our economy. No company can escape its effects. Dramatic reductions in the cost of obtaining, processing, and transmitting information are changing the way we do business. (Williams, J. R. 1) Most general managers know that the revolution is under way, and few dispute its importance. As more and more of their time and investment capital are absorbed in market evaluation and their effect, executives have a growing awareness that the differentiating principals can no longer be the exclusive territory of the elite panels and theoretical niche departments. As they see their rivals use differentiating principals for competitive advantage, these executives recognize the need to become directly involved in the management of the new theories and principals. In the face of rapid change, however, they dont know how. The goal is now to analyse how the framework of differentiating principals can be combined with behavioural evidence on comparative advantage to understand the differential performance of organizations. First, we describe the emerging role of knowledge as a basis for the competitive advantage of organizations. Then we apply our framework

Sweatshop labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sweatshop labor - Essay Example The facts are evidenced in how 7 percent of trade around the globe today is with counterfeit goods. (Thomas, p 2). This type of manufacture of goods is involved with such tragedies as child labor, abusive conditions, along with ties to terrorism and organized crime. Law mentions how counterfeiting results in more than just low wages, but in manipulation and funneling of monies into illegal activities that pose as significant threats to society as a whole (Thomas, p. 2) Conditions that children workers are made to endure are horrific by any reasonable person’s standard. In fact, it should shock the conscience of U.S. consumers and businesspeople alike. One example that Dana Thomas found in Thailand was a plant that had young children who were being forced to make counterfeit handbags for sale to the more developed lands such as the United States. The children had their legs intentionally broken by sweatshop owners and placed in such a manner that no healing of the broken limbs would occur. The owners did this to force the children to work against their will in the production of counterfeit goods (Thomas, p.1). Advanced nations like America are contributing to the problem of sweatshop labor and seeking low cost goods at the expense of human health and decency issues. This is a major society problem as Jim Hightower points to in his article â€Å"The Price of Cheap Goods†. One issue that Hightower points out is that America has such a demand for low-cost labor that critical safeguards for workers are being ignored or bypassed simply due to economic demand and pressure for ever more cheaper labor costs and higher profits for the American based companies (Hightower, p.1) One example that Hightower mentions is that research at one Hong Kong area factory discovered that the workers at the plant will break or