M Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

M - Essay Example It controls roughly 90 subsidiaries in the world. It’s the second largest packaged food company in the world just behind Procter & Gamble. Its current expansion programme includes a number of acquisitions and mergers. Its smaller acquisitions like the purchase of Kwality Group’s ice cream plants in Delhi, India by Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) and bigger ones like Japans Ajinomoto Co. for $381 million. This acquisition gave Unilever the full management control and total sales and profits in seven Asian Ajinomoto owned companies. The strategic significance of these acquisitions has to be examined against the backdrop of their future revenue generating capacities. Above all they have to be considered as part and parcel of the overall Unilever operations in the world. Its organizational structure and culture have augmented this A&M drive despite a number of set-backs that it suffered in some of its operations recently. The strategic competitive environment of the global packaged food industry in particular and the consumer goods industry in general has been characterized by a series of causative factors such as demand-centric and supply-centric influences. Health worries on the part of consumers have taken a particularly worse turn for the packaged food industry while suppliers are going for mergers and acquisitions to achieve scale economies and bigger profit margins. This trend has brought with it a host of other consequences within and without the industry. Such developments have place Unilever in a particularly tight spot with regard to M&A activity. Both causes and consequences of these acquisitions and mergers can be considered on a broader set of strategic management choices and imperatives along with competitive expediencies of time and circumstance. Unilever has been operating on a uniformly defined platform of principles of which the corner stone is the strategic competitive edge over its rivals such as Nestle, Procter & Gamble and Kraft. Thus

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employment law - Essay Example 54). Question one The basic aim of labor law in all nations is to make provisions of obligation and rights to employees and employers to ensure that the mediation between the two parties is excellent. This ensures that the relations between these parties are respected, and the contract is completed is competed in good terms. The terms also play a part in ensuring that duties are executed with proficiency because no pressure is exerted. Most of these terms are put in place by relevant bodies to ensure that the legislation is honored. Road construction companies owned by Chinese and Russians are most hit by violation of labor law. The companies win most of road construction contracts in Africa. This is because their tender is low in reference to other construction companies with the same capability. These companies accept tenders under low cost, and in return they suppress their employees. This has been reported in many nations especially in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda (Duddington, 200 7, p. 36). It is quite undesirable to see young energetic, employees struggle from 6am to 10pm just to have a pay daily pay of $2.5. In reference to prevailing economy in the region, the sum can just be used to purchase their daily bread and transport. The families cannot afford taking their children in schools offering quality education, and this perpetuates poverty cycle. These constructs cost billion of shillings, yet they hardly play a part in developing societies’ living standards of living. Their scope is difficult, and has long working hours. Treatment is poor as well; they provide themselves with food, shelter, and clothing. The reason behind this exploitation is that these are developing nations. Therefore, the firms take advantage of the situation because of availability of cheap labor. Illiteracy level is also high which lead to many individuals willing to work under such poor conditions. This issue would be best addressed through international labor laws. They sho uld ensure that foreign companies remunerate their workers in reference to prevailing economy as well as cost of the contract. Governments should also work hard to protect the rights of its citizen. Question two Knights of labor Knights of labor of labor are one of the significant American labor organizations in 1880s. They were founded by Terence Powderly. They targeted uplifting cultural and social workingmen, radicalism, and rejected socialisms. They also fought for six working hours and promoted the republicans who enhanced working ethics. In the beginning, it acted as a labor union where it aimed at negotiating for employees; it did not rise to recognition. After its sudden growth in early 1880s, it later lost it members and turned out being a small organization. It was very efficient in fighting for the rights of its member, and in 1986, it had over 700,000 members. At this time, its voice was material and could influence big decisions. But in the next three years, it lost all its members from poor management (Duddington, 2007, p. 115). The organization worked hard in bringing women and black employees to equality. This is one of the reasons that had participated to its growth. It was also swift in fighting for their rights by ensuring that ward was by merit. Its roots were firm in the south, which later influenced the north to acceptance in the north (Malcolm, 2008, p. 23). American federation of labor This is among the first labor unions in