BHP Billiton’s Case study for Corporate Citizenship Essay Example for Free

BHP Billiton’s Case study for Corporate Citizenship Essay Corporate citizenship focuses on the kind of responsibility companies apply toward the community they are operating in. The area of focus could be how customers and the community could be impacted by what a given company or corporation is doing. The area of concern could include the communities such companies are operating in, stakeholders that include shareholders, employees, and other businesses such as suppliers that are interacting or working with such entities. What is involved in corporate citizenship is more than statuary obligation where companies are required to meet certain standards and requirements by law. Corporate citizenship evaluates what business entities with various forms are doing to add to the quality of life of their employees and their dependants, as well as the community they are operating in, including the larger society that their community is part of. Corporate citizenship, also known as corporate social responsibility (Catalyst Consortium, 2002) has opponents and proponents where the opponents argue that focusing on corporate citizenship will derail businesses from focusing on their main concern, which is the usual role businesses are playing in the community. Others are saying, in reality the whole concept is not more than a window-dressing. There are opponents who insist that focusing on corporate citizenship will enable businesses to divert the attention governmental watchdogs are directing at them. What the proponents highlight is if corporations and similar businesses are sensitive to social responsibilities, it will directly benefit them by enabling them to avoid focusing on their short-term drive to maximize profit (Fields, 2002). What is involved in all this is the ethics of doing responsible business in communities where these numerous big businesses that could be corporation are involved, whereby being ethical in what they are doing will benefit them more, by enabling them to avoid pitfalls that could come to haunt them. At the same time, the numerous communities that are accommodating numerous businesses will be free of harm by their wrongdoing. It is difficult to quantify and to come up with some kind measurement technique concerning what should be the standard ethical conformity required from each business entity because of the varied involvement each one of them has in what they are doing (Thillmany, 2007). It is possible to mention Demngs’s Fourteen Points, Balanced Scorecards (Leadership Institute) as an effort to introduce some kind of a standard, although it is difficult to see how successfully it will do the job. Furthermore, Orilizty, Schmidt, and Rynes (2003) had demonstrated that there is a correlation between social performance that takes into consideration the environment and financial performance. The problem with such outlook had been since businesses are aware of their social responsibility they would avoid focusing on the short-term gain they would garner from their conducting business. Some of the key components of corporate responsibilities might involve charitable activities or volunteering to activities that require the input of bigger entities. It is also possible divisions such as human resources or public relations could look after corporate responsibility, while using other divisions in an organization if they are suitable cannot rule them out. It is also possible that it could involve the CEOs or the Boards. There are key areas in an organization where corporation responsibility more vivid. One of them is human resources where the kind of hiring and retaining practice that pertaining to a given firm will enable it to attract good employees and having such practice in place would enable to portray a good image in the community it is operating in. Another area that needs attention is the kind of risk management applied in a given firm, where if anything goes wrong it will be difficult to repair a damaged corporation image. Incidents such as corruption and environmental accidents could exacerbate the erosion of a corporation’s image and requires handling with the utmost care. Overall, the kinds of advantages a corporate that has a good image and is good citizen could reap could a long way and could avail a vast advantage for those that could score high marks. There is also a case where corporations would like to minimize outside interference directed at them, especially by governmental bodies that could levy heavier taxes or introduce strict regulations. Such measures could impeded the advancement corporations can make and one way to avoid that is to engage in various activities such as a concern for the safety and health of their workers, introducing diversity, making the environment their priority, and getting engaged in the community they are operating using the available various channels. In all this, it is possible that corporations will find themselves in a dilemma, because their primary goal is to maximize profit for the stakeholders and if they do not fulfill that obligation, they will not generate enough interest to attract investors. There are economists such as Milton Friedman (NYT) who had openly advocated that since the main drive of corporations is to make profit, they do not have to be worried about the society around them. Such strong-held views had been defied simply because if every corporation strives to become a good citizen, whatever it incurs for doing so will be part of doing normal business. The investors who are members of society will reward those that are good corporate citizens, while they shun away from those that are not, and that obviously affects corporations that fall behind in meeting their good citizenship role. It is also possible that some of the operation of some corporations might have a negative impact on society, on their employees, on the environments and the like, yet they could engage in a public relation campaign to distract critics, observers, or regulators. A few examples to cite are tobacco or petroleum companies whose operations cause damages and no amount of public relation could hide that. In a situation like this, those who can control such operators such as governments, investors, as well as suppliers could exert pressure on them to meet certain good citizenship requirements. Overall, it is possible for corporations to be good citizens and become effective business operators. At the same time, even if some corporations try to become good citizens, because of what they are involved in, it will take them longer time to meet the requirements. The outcome validates that if corporations are not responsible and accountable for what they are doing and have more inputs into the communities they are operating, and unless they oversee the welfare of their workers, as well as numerous partners and stakeholders, in today’s market place where information travels fast, it could cost them a lot. The high price to pay could be worse for those that are public companies, simply because they could be deprived valuable resources such as capital, expertise, manpower, and the like to make them conform. In light of that, this paper will analyze how BHP Billiton, an Australian based resource company is meeting its requirements of a good corporate citizenship. BHP Billiton The company claims that it is distinguished from the other resource companies because it has quality assets, a lineup of projects that the other companies do not have, it is claiming to be customer focused in its marketing effort, it is diversified across many countries, the commodities it deals with are also diversified and that includes the markets it is operating in. One final exception the company has is it is into petroleum business too. With its 39,000 worldwide workers, it is industry leader or near industry leader in commodity business, such as aluminum, energy, mostly coal petroleum and natural gas, copper, manganese, iron, uranium, nickel, silver, and titanium minerals. All this information and more, such as the $15. 6 billion net profit it made for the year 2007 is on the company’s website. It market capitalization from the same source is $140. 5 billion for August of 2007. The company came into existence when two dual listed companies, BHP limited and Billiton Plc merged in 2001. One other important information is the two merged companies continue to exists as separate entities, but they operate as a combined company under one board of directors (BHP Billiton, About Us). Stakeholders BHP Billiton clearly identifies its stakeholders and they start from its employees and contractors, the communities around them that use the products the company is coming up with. There are also those it claims to have influence on what it is doing and that group starts from the investment community as a whole, not only its shareholders, its business partners, organizations in the communities it is located in, unions, non-government organizations, suppliers, various governmental bodies, media, and industry associations. The company believes according to its own statement that accountability and transparency go together. Because of that, it claims that the company’s charter, its sustainable development policy, HSEC management standards, and the guide to proper business conduct is honest and done with integrity and fairness. The company claims that it is an avid believer in dialogue with its stakeholders, as it had witnessed the feedback it gets from them had enabled the management to refine their decision making accordingly, where all prevalent relation information is shared among staff that had resulted in strengthening the relationship with stakeholders. Furthermore, there had been a mechanism to address any grievance that originates from stakeholders. Company Approach to Sustainability The company claims that its sustainable development focuses on how its contributions will have a lasting effect on social, environmental, ethical and economic aspects of the company, as well of the communities it is operating in. Because of that, the company’s priority is to get it right the first time and claims that it has a holistic approach to what it is doing. One of its priorities, which is zero-harm is a requirement to all those involved in the company and they are accountable for their actions. The zero-harm drive focuses in creating a harm free work environment, as well considering the impact what it is doing would have on the environment. The reward it is seeking for accomplishing that is it wants to attract investors, by demonstrating their investment will not only be valued, but it will be made in a company that meets all its social obligations that goes beyond the mandated ones. The same applies to employees that it wants them to be attracted to it because of what it offers and because of the stand it had taken in the community. There is also getting preference from communities and stakeholders for being adherent to what the good corporate citizenship consensus requires. As far as the companies strategies are concerned, it take into account that it is a diversified company that will have to look after its cash flows, where some kind of stability is required in order to be in a position to meet financial, social, and environmental needs, while at the same time it delivers value to its stakeholders. The company admits that it also had a business dimension that it has to take into consideration because, without doing that it will find it difficult to meet its sustainability goal. However, it is with dedication to achieve that goal by making its priority the zero-harm policy that focuses on the well being of workers, communities, and the environment. Furthermore, it makes its priority an effective governance and risk management that will be part of how it operates, so that any wrongdoing will not backfire and affect its progress (BHP Billiton). Sustainability Reporting The company has a policy where it has to review its performance regularly and make its findings public. It believes that doing that will enable it to demonstrate that it is accountable and transparent. It further believes that doing so is an effective stakeholder engagement and the reporting process would become a management tool to measure performance, key company issues, and related management concerns and approaches. It claims that it uses two forms of reporting one online reporting and the other in print. To demonstrate there is a convergence between the company’s risk management and sustainability programs, the sustainability summary report is included as a chapter in the annual reports of the company. Because of the size of the company and what it is involved in, it will result in making the size of the stakeholders large, necessitating that each operation produces its own sustainability report in the locale and region that it operates (BHP Billiton, Our Business). There is a sustainability committee of the Board whose job is to oversee health, safety, environment, and community (HSEC). There are also line managers who are responsible to oversee HSEC performance. This function called HSEC function has the responsibility of providing guidance directly or through networks. It is also open for outside inputs that could originate form experts and it is possible to channel them through a forum on Corporate Responsibility. The diagram illustrates the prevalent structure for sustainable development. Accordingly, the structure demonstrates that it is possible to direct feedbacks to the highest governance body at the company. At the top of the structure there is BHP Billiton Board appointed by the shareholders to look after their interest. Then there is a subcommittee called Sustainability Committee and it main job focuses on HSEC risks, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements concerning HSEC, performance concerning HSEC matters. It is also responsible for preparing annual sustainability summary report. The members have the academic qualification that is pertinent to HSEC so that they can carry out their duty effectively. There is also a forum focusing on corporate responsibility that brings various stakeholders together to discuss and debate on social and environmental issues that are relevant to the company. The audit committee of the board has a job to make sure the financial reporting, internal control structure, risk management, and all required audit functions are in sound condition. The sustainability committee of the board and the audit committee work together, so that the overall overseeing of what takes place in the company meets the requirements. There is also a global ethics panel whose main job is to assist the CEO and to enable him meet the governance document requirement, whereby honesty, integrity, forwarding respect and dignity to others would be part of the CEO’s job. In addition, it deals with employees facing ethical issues, it reviews business conduct issues that came into existence, and it assesses new policy issues and recommendations. Healthy People The company claims that the well being of people is key to the success of what it does. Because of that, its zero harm policy is very important for the company. Safe Workplace The company here also claims the safety of those who work for the company, the contractors of various stripes, and the communities the company divisions are located in are all important for attaining its goal as a good corporate citizen. There are a host of measures that the company is introducing on an ongoing basis to safeguard the health of its employees and the communities that are hosting it wherever it operates. Environmental Commitment The company states that it operates in numerous countries operating a wide variety of business in locations that have different ecosystems. It recognizes that the businesses it is in could affect the environments. Key areas it is focusing on are emissions of gases and particulates, impact of what the company is doing on water quality, land disturbance, land-use change and habitat removal and the like that require more attention be paid on how some of the works are carried out. To deal with such problems the company has a charter that states that the company has an overriding priority to health, safety, environmental responsibility, and sustainable development. Some of the methods it is applying to attain this goal is to strive to be the leader in introducing sound industry practices, to set goals to achieve targets, and enhancing biodiversity protection by taking into consideration ecological values and the use of land. Social Responsibility The company recognizes that what it owns and what it does in various communities could affect cultures and living conditions. It strives to avoid negative social impacts as much as possible, and strives to maximize the benefits and opportunities the involved communities would get from what it is doing. Some measures it is taking to oversee the social responsibility issues are building trust and dialogue with those it believes will be affected by what it is doing, promoting human rights among its stakeholders where it would incorporate in what it does issues such as freedom of association, exclusion of child labor, prohibition of forced labor, proper and ethical use of security personnel. Building social and human capital by introducing community development, it proposes to recognize and respect indigenous people culture, belief, and traditional rights, and come up with facilities that will contribute enhancing and reserving of indigenous cultures. It also proposes to control all economic impacts it will create on others by creating economic opportunities such as employment, education in a form of training, and what it calls business spin-off, and all other impacts such as displacements, impacts on food and water supplies (CSR Network). Strength and Weakness The company strength starts from its size and its diversified asset base. As it had been the case if it plans to take advantage acquisition, it has what it takes to allure stakeholders of the targeted companies that had been true when it tried to acquire Rio Tinto for 75 billion pounds (Guardian CO. UK). As well as it could withstand market ups and downs since all its assets could not be subject to price change at the same time. It weakness stems from country risk where it has to go to many localities in order to procure what it wants and that will include undeveloped regions where the requirements could be much higher. As well as the risk of losing its investments without compensation is always because of political instability. The other areas is some of its products that it relies such as uranium and oil are hazardous for the environment and it does what it does amid pressure and opposition resulting making extracting and bringing those commodities expensive. Especially the company is under pressure to bring to a halt all its activities concerning mining uranium and there is a movement going some of it originating from some of its stakeholders who are asking to stop everything it has to do with uranium (Guardian Co. UK). External Corporate Citizenship Rating Sources When it comes to rating companies most of them had given it a very high mark. Among others, Ethics World had highlighted what BHP Billiton is doing as far as sustainability is concerned and accordingly this particular agency had approved the fact that it had a good stand in that area. (Ethics World). Another source SMH Australia had stated that according to Australia’s Responsibilities index had put Westpack a bank in Australia at the top of the index with a score for corporate responsibility of 99. 53, while BHP had come second with 93. 21 and the company it tried to acquire Rio Tinto came third at 91. 54 percent (Sydney Morning Herald). In accountability rating conducted in South Africa where BHP Billiton has interest and operation it had scored first according to Mineweb publication. It was UNISA Center for Corporate Citizenship that conducted the research, the sponsors being Barloworld and the Unisa College of Economic and Management Sciences according to the publication (Mineweb). REFERENCE BHP Billiton, â€Å"About Us†, www. bhpbillition. com-bbccontentrepositary/docs/aboutus/BGF. pdf BHP Billiton, â€Å"Our Business†, www. bhpbillition. com-bbccontentrepositary/docs/ourbusiness/metallurgicalcoal/Illawarracoal/publications/ICsustainReport. pdf

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape Essay -- essays research papers

574 words Write a 1-2 page essay that explores the paradox that when the film ends, Gilbert is in exactly the same place as when it began, yet he has traveled a long way. What’s eating Gilbert Grape is a very simple yet meaningful movie. There is no clear cut message that points out the faults of society and it may be hard to interpret a message because the movie is set around everyday life. However the one thing that is clear, is that Gilbert realises throughout the movie that his life is going nowhere and he must break the everyday routine. Gilbert sees through the people he calls his friends and realises that they influence his decisions to stay. He sees how they fill their days with hope and talk of something new and small town gossip to create interest and controversy. Due to the fact that he has already broken the routine everyday life by looking for a way out, Gilbert will never be in exactly the same place again. During the story Gilbert is reminded of his situation when Arnie repeatedly cries â€Å"where not going anywhere†. Arnie is basically speaking the words which Gilbert has pressed deep down inside himself and is afraid to admit. Later on in the movie he is reminded directly by Mrs. Carver, after he asked why she chose him out of all the men in Endora. She replies "because I knew you'd never leave." She is telling Gilbert in a very straight forward way that even she believes out of everyone in the town, Gilbert will be the least likely to leave. Fort...

One Acre Fund

ONE ACRE FUND: CASE STUDY The scene is Bungoma, Kenya; Moises Postigo is a buyer interested in purchasing fertilizer on a large scale for his not-for-profit organization the One Acre Fund (OAF). OAF’s mission is to provide fertilizer to farmers â€Å"who have nothing† on a credit like system and when the farmers produce their crops a percentage of their supplus would be returned to OAF. Eventually the farmers would no longer need a â€Å"free hand out† and will be able to support themselves and their families without putting further strain on the government and the economy.When first looking at Kenya, Postigo had five different suppliers that all met certain criteria he had for doing business. He narrowed down the suppliers by contacting them and asking them for a RFQ. He then, with his knowledge of the market and his product as well as coming to the table prepared, negotiated the fertilizer to an acceptable price that could be offered to farmers enrolled in the OAF program. 1. Fertilizer is a commodity – why did Postigo spend so much time developing a relationship? Shouldn’t he have just set up an auction?Postigo did his homework and understood that developing and building relationships is a very important dimension in the Kenyan culture. â€Å"Kenyan culture’s emphasis on relationships and hierarchy stems from the importance of family. Kenya is a place where you need to get to know people†¦in a room with twenty-five people, you need to shake everyone’s hand† (Negotiating, pg 3). Postigo realized that most of his potential suppliers we located in Kenya. He also knew that if he could make a deal with a vendor in Kenya then the transportation costs would be much lower, thus creating a little more wiggle room for his BATNA.Postigo grasped the importance of building relationships from a different, more strategic purpose. OAF’s short-term plan incorporated rapid growth with regards to the small fam ily farms, which required rapid growth in their requested quantity of DAP. Postigo recognized that in building a relationship he was really opening up their opportunities for the future. If he could guarantee larger batch orders in the future, then he might be able to use that leverage to talk the supplier into lowering the current price.Postigo knew that establishing his desire for a strong relationship would pay off in multiple ways, both satisfying the cultural status quo while also putting a strategic plan into place to realize cost savings in the future. 2. What was Postigo’s BATNA to reaching a negotiated agreement with Dehvi Medji and Sons? During the negotiations for fertilizer, Postigo was concerned with three major issues: delivery date, price, and the ability for growth into the future. Keeping these things in mind, it seems that the best alternative to a negotiated agreement would have come from the current market prices of fertilizer in the area.If he was not abl e to come to an agreement with any of the suppliers and negotiate a better contract for OAF, then Postigo would simply buy the fertilizer at regular market prices. According to the research, in Nakuru, where both the cost of fertilizer and the cost of transportation were taken into consideration, a 50kg bag could be purchased for 4,000 Ksh (Negotiating, pg 6). This cost of 4,000 Ksh would have been the BATNA for Postigo’s negotiations; However, the BATNA could also have been found in one of the other vendors that were being looked into.If these other vendors had offered him a reliable price then that value could have been seen as Postigo’s BATNA. 3. Should Postigo have spent the time and money to meet face-to-face with all five potential vendors for the purpose of telling them about One Acre Fund, rather than sending them an e-mail? Working for a not-for-profit organization, Postigo understood that he needed to save money wherever possible. Meeting with the vendors in person might have had a larger effect on empathy throughout the negotiation. He might have been able use that to his advantage, but in the end, the benefit would not have outweighed the cost.Postigo contacted five vendors, four of which came back with bids. The first scenario where the cost outweighed the benefit: had he traveled to the fifth vendor, it would have been a complete waste of time and money. Secondly, as soon as Postigo informed the potential vendors of their expected delivery date, a second vendor dropped out of the running, stating that they would not be able to make the delivery date. By sacrificing the face-to-face meetings, Postigo saved a large amount of time and money while still attracting 3 potential vendors; eventually leading to a deal that, from his standpoint, was very successful. . Followup question: Did Postigo pay particular attention to the other party’s needs in the phone calls with Dehiv Medji? Postigo did a very good job of paying attention to Dehiv Medji’s needs throughout the negotiations. They spoke about the affect the Kenyan government might have on both parties, understanding the government subsidies could cripple both parties. He brought up Medji’s opportunity to grow and wanted to be involved in their growth, â€Å"he asked about growth prospects†¦indicated that the two organizations might grow together† (Negotiating, pg 7).Postigo negotiated in a fair and cooperative manner, providing flexibility on delivery dates and transportation costs. â€Å"One of the biggest appeals of Dehvi Medji to OAF was its willingness to fix a price in November for a January delivery† (Negotiating, pg 7). Postigo was very aware of the other party’s needs and acted accordingly. He felt obliged to make the negotiation a win-win scenario and when all was said and done, he did just that. 4. What do you think about Pastigo’s sharing information with Dehvi Medji about OAF’s strategy for the future?Was this a good thing to do? Is this a good way to develop a relationship? In the situation that Pastigo was in an open discussion about the long term goals of the not for profit OAF was a valid opening strategy. It gives Pastigo a fair amount of leverage epically since OAF is planning to have a large amount of growth in the near future, that information alone allows Pastigo to negotiate much harder for present prices with the perceived promise of future growth. It is also a valid and simple way for Pastigo to begin building a relationship with the supplier.By opening with a good amount of information, especially with a local supplier, OAF as an organization can leverage the fact that they are trying to grow the amount of fertilizer used by a large amount of farmers which is good for the fertilizer suppliers. This was also an efficient means to build the relationship the OAF was hoping to have with their future supplier, by showing that they were open and upfront with bo th the plans and goals of OAF any possible relationship would from more easily. All in all by being open from the beginning Pastigo put himself in a good position to conduct the negotiations. . If Dehvi Medji’s price had been good but not the best, would you still have recommended that Postigo try to negotiate with Dehvi Medji? As we have mentioned before, Postigo was concerned with three major issues: delivery date, price, and the ability for growth into the future. Taking into consideration all of these issues, it could be seen that Dehvi Medji met the other qualifications for a good supplier in that they could meet the proper delivery schedule in January and they were a small company that had the ability to grow alongside OAF going into the future.Price was only one of the concerns that Postigo was looking at. The case study goes on to state that â€Å"in previous fertilizer negotiations between OAF and Dehvi Medji, the company had settled for 10 percent off its initial o ffer† (negotiating, pg 7). This indicates that although the initial bid that Dehvi Medji produced might have not been the best, their company was proven to have wiggle room during the negotiations process and could possibly still be convinced to lower their price to become the best price.Although Dehvi Medji might not have had the best initial price coming out of the initial requests for proposals (RFPs), their initial price could be negotiated and they met the other requirements, delivery schedule and ability for growth in the future, that OAF was looking at. Our recommendation to Postigo would be to still enter the negotiation phase with Dehvi Medji, regardless of the initial price bid, in order to further scope out the qualifications of the supplier and possibly discover all of the benefits that they have to offer. . OAF’s founder, Andrew Youn, is a MBA. Given the importance of low-priced, good-quality fertilizer to his company’s ability to achieve its goals, should Youn be considering alternatives to buying from a handful of Kenyan wholesale suppliers? What might those alternatives be? The importance of low-priced, good-quality fertilizer was a major component to the success of the companies but it is doubtful that it was the only goal of the not for profit.The goal of the OAF is to help the local small plot farmers become more self-sufficient and by choosing local wholesalers over a foreign supplier can build the fertilizer industry in Kenya allowing local farmers to have better access even if the OAF was to leave the country. It is quite likely that Mr. Youn did consider other options during the start-up process but in the end decided local suppliers would be a better option. An option that they may considered would be using a foreign wholesaler and bulk ship the fertilizer to Kenya and then ship it to the warehouses to break down and disperse to the participating farmers.This option may have saved them enough money on the base produc t to offset the increase in shipping and handling cost to get the fertilizer into Kenya. This may not have been a viable option in this opening round of negotiation due to the limited amount of fertilizer the OAF was purchasing at the time. 7. Postigo informed the case writers that the Kenyan government did implement its program of buying fertilizer in bulk to distribute at reduced prices to farmers, but that this program did not really affect OAF farmers because they could not afford to travel to government depots and did not have the cash to buy or transport the fertilizer.However, this action by the Kenyan government might have secondary effects for OAF’s negotiations with fertilizer suppliers in the future. What do you think those secondary effects might be? There are a variety of secondary ramifications for the OAF when negotiating future fertilizer purchase form local suppliers due to the government subsidized supply. One obvious problem in the risk that the a current o r future supplier may not be able to stay competitive in the fertilizer market in Kenya and will go out of business, forcing the OAF to search elsewhere for their supply of fertilizer.Another less gloomy prospect is with the government subsidizing fertilizer in Kenya the OAF may have a better bargaining position with the local wholesalers, allowing the OAF to purchase more fertilizer with the same investment helping the program to expand faster. This choice by the Kenyan government may also allow the OAF to negotiate with the government to receive the discounted price and focus instead on the transport of the fertilizer from the government depots to the farmers who need it most. 8. In what way did Postigo use his awareness of hierarchy in Kenyan culture during his negotiations with Dehvi Medji?During the second round of negotiations which were exclusively with the Dehvi Medji firm the awareness of the hieratical culture of Kenya was used to help set a price from which Postigo could begin the round of negotiations. This was seen in the sentence on page seven of the case study where Pestigo from looking previous negotiations knew that Dehvi Medji sold for roughly ten percent less than their opening offer. This was an assumption made due to the fact that Postigo was working with decedent of the former managers who made this 10 present discount a way of business.There is also the fact the before the negotiators began discussing price Pestigo first discussed the increase in the price of fertilizer and the effects it was having of the OAF, the likely hood of government intervention, and finally the growth prospects of both the OAF and Dehvi Medji. Only after all of this opening information was shared were the negotiations for price and transportation brought into the negotiation. Both of these considerations made by Pestigo showed he was prepared to enter negotiations with Jiten Patel and allowed them both to come to an agreeable solution. 9.What do you see as the s trengths and weaknesses of Postigo’s negotiating strategy for fertilizer in 2007? Postigo had many strengths and weaknesses in his attempt of his first large acquisition of fertilizer for the OAF. His main strengths were the facts that he was knowledgeable about his product and the suppliers he was dealing with as well as the fact he was prepared going into the negotiation process. His main weakness included the fact that he had not built a relationship with his Kenyan suppliers knowing far in advance that that is an essential procedure in Kenyan business culture.He also failed to have realistic expectations when asking a smaller company like Delvi Medji and Sons to potentially supply such a large customer base. The fact that Postigo did not build a relationship could have resulted in Dehvi Medji and Sons’ Jiten patel(the supplier) agreeing with Postigo only to avoid confrontation knowing far in advance they would not be able to meet his needs. Postigo’s knowled ge of the wholesale prices as well as his market and expected forecast did allow him however, to accurately predict OAF’s growth and was contributed heavily to his success of getting the fertilizer under the market price of 3,263 Ksh/50kg bag.He was able to work the suppliers down through both price competition but more importantly by providing a â€Å"win-win† situation for both him and the supplier. His main incentive was by doing business with OAF the supplier would grow with the OAF as it expanded its market to 30,000 farmers. He in return expected a supplier to reduce their costs helping the OAF. Even though Postigo had some weaknesses in his overall negotiation strategy by not meeting face-to-face,In the end, Postigo successfully worked to an agreeable solution where both parties benefited in 2007.

Allegheny College Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Allegheny College is a private  liberal arts college  with an acceptance rate of 64%. Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Allegheny is known for the personalized attention students receive and the strength of its senior capstone experience. The college has an 11-to-1  student / faculty ratio  and an average class size of 11. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Allegheny College was awarded a chapter of the prestigious  Phi Beta Kappa  Honor Society. Considering applying to Allegheny College? Here are the admission statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Allegheny College had an acceptance rate of 64%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 64 students were admitted, making Alleghenys admissions process competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 5,479 Percent Admitted 64% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 14% SAT Scores and Requirements Allegheny has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants to Allegheny may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required.  During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 51% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. Note that non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. permanent residents are required to submit standardized test scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 560 680 Math 560 660 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that of those students who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of  Alleghenys admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Allegheny scored between 560 and 680, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 680. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 560 and 660, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 660. While the SAT is not required, this data tells us that a composite SAT score of 1340 or higher is competitive for Allegheny College. Requirements Allegheny College does not require SAT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, note that Allegheny participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. Allegheny does not require the essay portion of the SAT. ACT Scores and Requirements Allegheny College has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 27% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. Note that non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. permanent residents are required to submit standardized test scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 22 31 Math 23 28 Composite 24 30 This admissions data tells us that of those who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Allegheny Colleges admitted students fall within the  top 26% nationally  on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Allegheny received a composite ACT score between 24 and 30, while 25% scored above 30 and 25% scored below 24. Requirements Note that Allegheny does not require ACT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, Allegheny participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all ACT test dates. Allegheny does not require the ACT writing section. GPA In 2018, the average high school GPA of Allegheny Colleges incoming freshmen class was 3.51, and 59% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.5 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Allegheny College have primarily high B grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Allegheny College Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Allegheny College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Allegheny College, which accepts fewer than two-thirds of applicants, has a competitive admissions pool. However, Allegheny also has a  holistic admissions  process and is test-optional, and admissions decisions are based on more than numbers. A strong  application essay  and  glowing letters of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful  extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. The college is looking for students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways, not just students who show promise in the classroom. While not required, Allegheny strongly recommends  interviews  for interested applicants. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and scores are outside of Alleghenys average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent students accepted to Allegheny College. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had high school GPAs in the A and B range, combined SAT scores of about 1000 or better (ERW M), and ACT composite scores of 20 or higher. Note that SAT and ACT scores are optional, so your grades are going to matter much more than your test scores. If You Like Allegheny College, You May Also Like These Schools Bowdoin CollegeVassar CollegeKenyon CollegeAmherst CollegeDenison College All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Allegheny College Undergraduate Admissions Office. Allegheny College Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA Allegheny College is a private  liberal arts college  with an acceptance rate of 64%. Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Allegheny is known for the personalized attention students receive and the strength of its senior capstone experience. The college has an 11-to-1  student / faculty ratio  and an average class size of 11. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Allegheny College was awarded a chapter of the prestigious  Phi Beta Kappa  Honor Society. Considering applying to Allegheny College? Here are the admission statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Allegheny College had an acceptance rate of 64%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 64 students were admitted, making Alleghenys admissions process competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 5,479 Percent Admitted 64% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 14% SAT Scores and Requirements Allegheny has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants to Allegheny may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required.  During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 51% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. Note that non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. permanent residents are required to submit standardized test scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 560 680 Math 560 660 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that of those students who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of  Alleghenys admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Allegheny scored between 560 and 680, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 680. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 560 and 660, while 25% scored below 560 and 25% scored above 660. While the SAT is not required, this data tells us that a composite SAT score of 1340 or higher is competitive for Allegheny College. Requirements Allegheny College does not require SAT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, note that Allegheny participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. Allegheny does not require the essay portion of the SAT. ACT Scores and Requirements Allegheny College has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 27% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. Note that non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. permanent residents are required to submit standardized test scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 22 31 Math 23 28 Composite 24 30 This admissions data tells us that of those who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Allegheny Colleges admitted students fall within the  top 26% nationally  on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Allegheny received a composite ACT score between 24 and 30, while 25% scored above 30 and 25% scored below 24. Requirements Note that Allegheny does not require ACT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, Allegheny participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all ACT test dates. Allegheny does not require the ACT writing section. GPA In 2018, the average high school GPA of Allegheny Colleges incoming freshmen class was 3.51, and 59% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.5 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Allegheny College have primarily high B grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Allegheny College Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Allegheny College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Allegheny College, which accepts fewer than two-thirds of applicants, has a competitive admissions pool. However, Allegheny also has a  holistic admissions  process and is test-optional, and admissions decisions are based on more than numbers. A strong  application essay  and  glowing letters of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful  extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. The college is looking for students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways, not just students who show promise in the classroom. While not required, Allegheny strongly recommends  interviews  for interested applicants. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and scores are outside of Alleghenys average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent students accepted to Allegheny College. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had high school GPAs in the A and B range, combined SAT scores of about 1000 or better (ERW M), and ACT composite scores of 20 or higher. Note that SAT and ACT scores are optional, so your grades are going to matter much more than your test scores. If You Like Allegheny College, You May Also Like These Schools Bowdoin CollegeVassar CollegeKenyon CollegeAmherst CollegeDenison College All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Allegheny College Undergraduate Admissions Office.