Discussion Topic: The Ethics in Outsourcing Decisions:In today's business environment, many companies have elected to outsource work overseas in order to reduce costs and increase profit. Concurrently, this reduces the number of available jobs and level of disposable income in the American economy, potentially causing a reduction in the sales of their products.Do you feel these decisions are sound business practices being employed by the company or not?Do the discussion and response each posted #1-3 down below.Posted 1Quantitatively, outsourcing is a sound business practice, It allows companies to reduce labor costs and focus their capital on their main business functions. This, in turn, can increase profits. Qualitatively, however, outsourcing is questionable. It is difficult to quantify customer trust. It seems like as the number of overseas call centers has grown, so has the number of scan artists impersonating legitimate companies. Brand and company loyalty can also be hurt by outsourcing, especially if the consumers take a harsh view on the loss of domestic jobs (Hayes, 2020). Additionally, outsourcing lowers barriers to entry and increases competition, which benefits the consumer, but hurts the companies that are unable to hold their own (Hayes, 2020). Finally, it eliminates domestic jobs in favor of cheap overseas labor, but as this continues the labor costs in the countries being outsourced to will increase, eliminating the advantage they originally provided (Hayes 2020). Overall, I think outsourcing is a sound business practice only in terms of profit for the individual company. In terms of economy and labor, I think it is questionable.Posted 2Outsourcing is a big part of business today. It does save a company, but the company must cut back on the quality of the product since the parts to make the product are cheaper overseas then it is here in the U.S. The U.S. gives the country money back for making the product in that country. Although making product in other might be good for the company in some ways it is bad for the company. Since there are people that do not want to buy product that were made in another country which can hurt a company. The decisions to come back to the U.S. will help the company grow. It will also bring back jobs as well and having jobs here will help to cut down on unemployment. Even though in the U.S. minimum wage is a lot higher in the U.S. compared to other country so that is something to take into consideration when looking at start up cost of a company.Posted 3Outsourcing work overseas has been a major issue for some time now. Many people have boycotted companies, due to their involvement with foreign sweatshops. Working conditions are hazardous and harsh. Children and adults are overworked with little pay and benefits. It's unethical for employees to be treated that way, but I believe that should be a separate issue from the business decisions being made. Unfortunately, running a successful business would require one to make tough decisions that do not please everyone. In the present day, it is unrealistic for a company to produce all of their products in the US and offer them to consumers at a fair price. If work wasn't outsourced, I'd expect the cost of goods and services to go up in value. Imagine the cost of your favorite products doubling. That doesn't allow for much disposable income. I feel that the decision to outsource work is completely thought out because it is some of the larger organizations that engage in outsourcing. They know exactly what they are doing. With high corporate taxes and desired wages in America, outsourcing will always be the most effective way to minimize expenses. It also keeps the US connected to the global market, allowing Americans to obtain foreign goods at a discounted price. Well-known establishments like Nike, Apple, Cisco Systems, Walmart, and IBM who possess strategically planned out business structures, conduct manufacturing overseas. Because of this, consumers are able to afford the electronics and goods they desire so much. If Apple products were only manufactured in the United States, it would be more expensive to produce which means that the price to buy those products would also increase drastically.undefined

Please divide paper into two. In the first page, write about how you can be happier in life. Then, in the second page, write about how you can be happier in your work life. Please separate these two parts under two main headings such as “HOW I CAN BE HAPPIER IN MY OWN LIFE,” and “HOW I CAN BE HAPPIER AT MY WORK LIFE.”

A good competitive analysis is a scouting report of the actual market terrain the industry itself must navigate in order to be successful. Competitive analysis is a tool utilized in the strategic planning process to: • Help management understand their competitive advantages/disadvantages relative to competitors • Generate understanding of competitors’ past, present (and most importantly) future strategies • Provide an informed basis to develop strategies to achieve competitive advantage in the future • Forecast the returns that may be made from future investments You may want to select your MAP industry or area of interest for this assignment but it is not required if you are still developing the focus of your MAP. Then prepare a competitive analysis of three of the largest competitors in the industry you are analyzing (or those that are of interest to you).Thoroughly research these competitors within the industry representing the following topics: Executive summary – High-level overview of the paper; this would be read by a busy executive to determine interest in the report and its findings. (One-page).Industry overview and description – Financial data, revenue size, number of competitors, industry leaders, etc. (Provide key industry stats based on IBIS or Hoover’s information (other sources are available as well). This can be a chart.Factors which drive this industry in regards to growth and innovation –Environmental Scan, social, legal, regulatory, demographic, etc. Also provide a SWOT of the three competitors in grid format. Consider how you would relate Blue Ocean Strategy to the three competitors and include an analysis utilizing Porter’s Five Forces.Analysis of top three competitors – Company financial data, major lines of business and potential divisions of interest, positioning, market share, branding, target market, company overview, products, revenue, HQ, employees, positioning, financial overview, points of differentiation, critical success factors, etc. This can be done as a grid if appropriate in total or in sections. Summarize section by answering the following questions:How do the companies stand up to the competition?What are the competitive edges of each?What does each do better than its competition?Where might each competitor be vulnerable?What is the major watch out for each competitor?How so, if not – what are the vulnerabilities?What are the market strategies utilized by each to achieve their objectives?Industry Future (this is your higher level analysis of the ‘industry facts’). What factors will impact the success or decline of this industry over the next three years? Where do you see the competitors in three years and how will the industry itself change? What recommendations would you have for each competitor based on what you have researched? This section should demonstrate how well you have synthesized the information and your analysis. This section should be two pages in length and supported by your research.Conclusion – your final thoughts on this industry. Would you recommend it as an industry to invest over the next three years? (Section 5 & 6 needs to be at least two pages – three pages with support). This paper requires solid research using credible secondary sources citing 5 – 8 credible references sources including IBIS. The annual reports and web pages of the specific competitors should be used for foundational information but present a potential biased perspective of the company. Therefore, they should not be used for support throughout the paper itself. The final paper should be approximately eight to ten pages plus references and exhibits. Paper MUST be in APA format with a Cover page, Table of Contents, Reference page and any applicable appendices. NOTE: Section 5 and Section 6 should represent a robust analysis from your background related to the stats in Sections 1-2-3-4. This is where you really drill into the analysis! (Note: Wikipedia is not considered an academic resource – applies to all papers). Students demonstrate Critical Thinking when they: SLOsExemplaryAccomplishedDevelopingBeginningIdentify the Issue and/or ProblemStudent identifies not only the basics of the problem/issue, but recognizes the nuances of the issue. Student can analyze connections between related problems/issues.Student identifies not only the basics of the problem/issue, but recognizes the nuances of the issue.Student is able to articulate the basics of the problem/issue.Student does not identify and summarize the problem/issue, is confused or identifies a different and/or inappropriate problem/issue.Articulate Multiple Perspectives and/orSolutionsStudent clearly articulates and evaluates personal and alternative points of view; student develops additional and/or more nuanced alternative points of view.Student clearly articulates and evaluates personal and common alternative points of view.Student clearly articulates personal perspective and superficially describes common alternative points of view.Student is able to articulate a single/personal perspective on the problem/issue.Identify and Assess Key AssumptionsStudent identifies and assesses validity of key assumptions and addresses the dimensions (such as, ethical, political, social, psychological, or legal) that underlie the key assumptions.Student identifies and assesses validity of key assumptions.Student identifies key assumptions but does not assess their validity.Student has difficulty recognizing key assumptions.Identify and Assess Data and EvidenceStudent conducts a thorough examination the evidence and source of evidence; evaluating its accuracy, precision, relevance and completeness. Student is able to deduce cause and effect appropriately from data/evidence and to address existing or potential consequences.Clearly distinguishes between fact, opinion and value judgments.Student follows where the evidence leads without bias.Student conducts a basic examination the evidence and source of evidence; evaluating its accuracy, precision, relevance and completeness. Student is able to deduce cause and effect appropriately from data/evidence and to address existing or potential consequences.Student clearly distinguishes between fact, opinion and value judgments.Student recognizes the need to examine the data/evidence, but incompletely examines its accuracy, precision, relevance and completeness. Student is mostly able to deduce cause and effect appropriately from data/evidence. Student struggles to distinguish between fact, opinion, and value judgments.Student takes information provided as truth or denies data/evidence without adequate justification. Student confuses data correlations with cause and effect. Student does not distinguish between fact, opinion, and value judgments.Synthesize Conclusions, Implications, and ConsequencesClearly identifies conclusions, implication and consequences considering context assumptions, data and evidence. Also includes reflections upon own assertions.Clearly identifies conclusions, implication and consequences considering context assumptions, data and evidence.Incompletely or incorrectly identifies conclusions, implications and consequences of the problem/issue or the key relationships between other elements.Fails to identify conclusions, implications and consequences of the problem/issue or the key relationships between other elements. Class discussion topics: This week will focus on competitive strategies. Examine different businesses’ strategies. How do these affect the competitive positioning? Emphasize the use of marketing to execute business strategies. As we continue to look for relevancy consider one thing you learned this week that you can apply at work Some thoughts to consider from Porter’s Five Forces include: Discuss the importance of non-customers. What are the implications?First tier – on the edge and waiting to jump shipSecond tier – refuse to buyThird tier – in distant marketsPonder yourself as a customer. Discuss Porter’s implications in marketing strategy.