Report to the Management of Wilson, Tan Associates Free Essays

Introduction This report provides an evaluation of the performance of the performance of two U.K companies that operate in the fashion industry with the objective of identifying a suitable takeover target for Wilson Tan Associates. The report covers the financial performance of the two companies based interpreted in the context of the business environment in which they operate. We will write a custom essay sample on Report to the Management of Wilson, Tan Associates or any similar topic only for you Order Now The two companies included in the report include Supergroup Plc and Mulberry Plc. The analysis is based on the group statement of financial position as at 2011 and 2010 and the group income statement for the years ending 2010 and 2011. The rest of the report is organised as follows: section 2 focuses on analysing the financial performance of both companies in relation to their industry and economic environment; and section 3 provides conclusions and recommendations on which company to take over. Analysis of the Performance of Supergroup Plc and Mulberry Plc Appendix 1 contains the ratios of both companies over the period 2010 and 2011. The ratios cover a variety of areas including profitability, liquidity, management efficiency and long-term solvency. Profitability The ability of a company to generate a return on invested capital is a critical factor in determining the value of the company. Profitability serves as a measure of the competitive position of a company as well as the quality of the management (Penman, 2007; Robinson et al., 2009). It can be observed from appendix 1 that overall profitability of Mulberry Plc is better than that of Supergroup Plc. Supergroup Plc realised a gross profit margin of 55.82% in 2011 up by 6% from its 2010 figure of 52.58%. Despite this high ratio, that of Mulberry Plc was high. The company realised a gross profit margin of 65.4% in 2011 up 11% from its 2010 figure of 59.0%. The operating profit margin of Supergroup Plc was higher than that of Mulberry Plc for both 2011 and 201. However, Mulberry Plc realised a greater improvement in the operating profit margin from 2010 to 2011. If the company continues with this spirit it will soon outperform Supergroup Plc. In terms of the net profit margin, return on ass ets, and return on equity, Mulberry Plc outperformed Supergroup Plc. In addition, Mulberry Plc witnessed a significant improvement in these ratios from 2010 to 2011 while Supergroup Plc witnessed a significant decline in these ratios over the same period. With respect to profitability, both companies appear to be profitable. However, the performance of Mulberry Plc surpasses that of Supergroup Plc. The high profitability observed for these two companies can be attributed to positive developments in the fashion industry. Despite the poor economic climate, the U.K fashion industry is experiencing a growth in revenue. The U.K remains a major manufacturer of clothing and high quality fabrics. The combined textile and clothing industry in the U.K is valued at ?8.5billion worth of goods. Retail sales in the fashion industry in 2009 were approximately ?285billion. Export sales amounted to approximately ?7.3billion at manufacturer’s prices with the U.S.A, Japan, Russia, France, Italy the Middle East, Hong Kong and China being major export destinations (Fashion United, 2011). Rising trends in both export and domestic sales explain why companies in the industry are experiencing increasing profit margins and return on investment as indicated by the ratios of Supergroup Plc and Mulberry Group Plc. Liquidity Liquidity measures a firm’s ability to meet its current financial obligations. It is a measure of how well the firm can pay its short-term creditors with its current assets without having to liquidate its non-current assets. In order words, liquidity measures how quickly the company converts assets into cash (Myers and Brealey, 2002; Penman, 2007). Appendix 1 also presents liquidity ratios for Supergroup Plc and Mulberry Plc. It can be observed that Supergroup Plc has a better liquidity position than Mulberry Plc. Supergroup Plc had a current ratio of 2.81 in 2011 up 1% from 2.79 in 2010. On the contrary, Mulberry Plc had a current ratio of 1.62 in 2011 down 24% from 2010. The quick ratio of Supergroup Plc was 1.59 in 2011 down 17% from 1.91 in 2010 compared to a quick ratio of 0.97 for Mulberry plc in 2011 down 34% from 1.48 in 2010. Considering only the current and quick ratios, it can be observed that Supergroup plc can meet its current liabilities with its current assets b etter than Mulberry plc can do. The cash ratio for both companies in 2011 was less than 1.0 suggesting that cash and cash equivalents are not enough to meet current liabilities. This means that if both companies suffer a write-down in the value of inventory or an increase in bad debts, they would be unable to meet their current liabilities with their current base of cash and cash equivalents. Overall, the liquidity position for both companies is declining although Supergroup Plc appears to be doing better than Mulberry Plc. The deteriorating liquidity for both companies can be attributed to the current economic climate. Bank lending has declined significantly as a result of the global financial crisis. Arranging an overdraft facility has become more difficult compared to what use to be the case before the global financial crisis. Declining liquidity too can be as a result of the constant change in the fashion industry. Clothing inventory becomes obsolete too quickly. This suggests slow moving inventory can result to liquidity constraints for companies that operate in the fashion industry. Management Efficiency Efficiency ratios are aimed at understanding how well a company manages its activities especially how it efficiently manages its assets. Appendix 1 illustrates a number of efficiency ratios for Supergoup Plc and Mulberry Plc. The inventory turnover of Supergroup plc declined from by 36% from 3.13times in 2010 to 2.01times in 2011. Supergroup is able to turnover more inventory than Mulberry plc who saw a decline in inventory turnover by 42% from 3.25times in 2010 to 1.88 times in 2011. The decline in the number of times that inventory is turned over led to an increase in the number of days that inventory is outstanding by 56% from 117 days in 2010 to 182days in 2011 for Supergroup Plc and by 73 % from 112 days in 2010 to 194 days in 2011 for Mulberry Plc. This decline in inventory turnover for both companies helps to explain why the liquidity ratios declined. Both companies have increased the number of days that inventory is held thus increasing the probability that inventory may beco me obsolete and thus result to a deterioration in its value. As far as inventory turnover is concerned, the management of Supergroup Plc is more efficient. The receivables turnover of Mulberry Plc however, is better than that of Supergroup Plc. Mulberry Plc is able to collect its outstanding receivables faster than Supergroup Plc can do. This is reflected in the lower number of days that its receivables remain outstanding compared to Mulberry Plc. The purchases turnover of Supergroup Plc is higher than that of Mulberry Plc. In addition, the number of days of payables of Supergroup Plc is higher than that of Mulberry Plc. This suggests that Mulberry Plc is either defaulting on its payments or has a higher bargaining power over its suppliers. The results for Supergroup Plc suggest that it either has a lower bargaining power or does not default on its short term debts. In terms of Payables turnover and receivables turnover, Mulberry Plc outperformed Supergroup plc indicating that the m anagement of Mulberry plc is more efficient in managing its assets than Supergroup plc. Looking at the working capital, fixed asset, and total asset turnover, it can be observed that the performance of Mulberry Plc was better than that of Supergroup plc. Long-term Solvency The solvency ratios indicate that Mulberry Plc is in a better solvency position than Supergroup Plc. The company has no long-term debt which makes its debt-to-equity and debt-to-capital ratios equal to zero. Conclusions and Recommendations One can conclude from the above analysis that Mulberry Plc performed better than Supergroup plc over the 2 year period under investigation. While Supergroup plc appears to have a better liquidity position than Mulberry plc, Mulberry plc is more profitable, has a better management and is in a better solvency position than Supergroup Plc. Given its more efficient management, it can work on its liquidity position and improve in subsequent years. In the light of these findings, this report considers Mulberry Plc a better takeover target and thus recommends that the management of Wilson, Tan Associates should consider placing a takeover bid for it. References Fashion United (2011) Facts and Figures in the UK fashion industry, available online at: http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/facts-and-figures-in-the-uk-fashion-industry, [accessed: 1st February 2012]. Myers, S. C. Brealey, R. A. (2002). Principles of Corporate Finance. 7th Edition McGraw-Hill. Penman, S. (2007) Financial Statements Analysis and Securities Valuation.3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill. Robinson, T. R., Greuning, J. H., Henry, E., Broihahn, M. A. (2009), â€Å"Financial Analysis Techniques† in Financial Reporting and Analysis, CFA Program Curriculum, vol. 3, Pearson Custom Publishing. How to cite Report to the Management of Wilson, Tan Associates, Essay examples

The Influence of a Fictional Character free essay sample

A fictional character that directly influenced me was Oscar Wildes Dorian Gray. Dorian taught me to never let the influence of others deflate who I am as a person. Dorians trusting disposition was his true downfall. His looks only mattered to him once he had been fooled into valuing them. He taught me to never lose sight of who I am, or who I intend to be. The character Dorian Gray also taught me wisdom. I learned to determine who my real allies are before I allow the synthetic ones to betray me. Dorians naive attitude sealed his fate. From him I learned that trust should be the fore runner in all of my relationships. Dorians countless transgressions and iniquities taught me to always concern myself with the preservation of my own integrity. Dorians tragic tale forced me to create a code of ethics for myself out of fear that I could one day become the mishap that he became. We will write a custom essay sample on The Influence of a Fictional Character or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In life, we must all slay our â€Å"dragons†. The most important part of slaying our â€Å"dragons† is the way that we do it. We must do this in a way that does not compromise who we are as human beings. Dorian allowed his self to be transformed into his own dragon, which eventually led to him slaying his self. In summation, Oscar Wildes fictional character Dorian Gray from the book The Picture of Dorian Gray had a largely direct influence on me. Dorian Gray taught me to treat myself like a sentimental keepsake. He taught me to never allow the influence of others to taint my integrity and to trust my own moral compass. Dorian Gray made me who I am today, and without him, I shutter at the thought of who I would have been.

Womens Roles in Leadership Positions free essay sample

The roles of women have been evolving for the last 100 years. Many women have shattered the stereotype that a women’s role is to be in charge of the family and have become leaders in a walks of life. Women have proved that they can be effective as business and government leaders. Although there are still gender biases that can exist, it is much move covert then it was 40 years ago. Oddly enough, some of the characteristics that have been viewed as the most necessary for leadership in roles of men, those same traits were viewed as negative characteristics of women in leadership roles. The role of the women has been evolving for many decades. In times, way before my own, a woman’s role was to be the caregiver for her family. Although women, many have sought out an education, their main lifetime focus to be to support her husband and raise her children. We will write a custom essay sample on Womens Roles in Leadership Positions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many women still choose this role today, but the point is that now they are allowed to choose a specific pathway in life rather than being forced to carry out established roles. This change of women’s roles has been occurring in the United States for the last hundred years. Although this may seem like a long period of time, it is not. When roles are changed or reversed, this does not necessarily mean that everyone instantly converts to the new ideas and philosophies demonstrated by a group. Often times, there is a great deal of protest both within the changing group as well as those outside of the group. Despite the evolved roles of women in society, women still face many challenges in leadership positions. There are qualities that women possess that seem to help them rise to the top echelon of leadership positions, but there are still biases that exist that may inhibit women from reaching their goals. Women won the right to vote in the 1920’s; however, it wasn’t until the 1960’s that the â€Å"Women’s Movement† began. Granted women’s roles had been changing for 40 years prior to the Women’s Movement, it was clear that this was not a natural evolution. Many people, both men and women, challenged the idea of a woman as an independent, productive citizen. Many women were ready to be seen and valued differently, but just because a group wants to be seen differently, does not mean that that is going to happen. This is usually the pivotal moment for most movements in History. A group seeks changes that others are adverse to seeing happen. The women’s movement called for fundamental changes in the roles of women. No longer did women want to be seen as the caregiver of the home, they wanted to be seen as independent people who could make important decisions and choose their educational and professional pathways. Today, in the United States of America, women are on a more equal footing with men in most cases: often by necessity, where women cannot complete in the workplace for jobs that were one traditionally held my men, also in light of two –parent working households. Although most career and professional opportunities are open to women in this country, there are still major discrepancies in the leadership positions that women hold. Among the US population 25 and above, 34 percent of women have obtained a Bachelor’s degree compared with 30 percent of men. Of Graduate degree’s held, women dominate that group with 39 percent of Graduate Degrees being held by men. Versus 21% percent, which are held by men. It would be appropriate after viewing these statistics, that one could assume that women hold the same, if not more, of the top leadership positions in business and politics, but this, in fact, is not the case. Forbes Magazine (2011) created and published a study with an emphasis breakdown on women’s roles in top leadership positions. Only 6 percent of Fortune 100 CEO’s are women †¢ Only 8 percent of technology startup companies are lead by women †¢ Only 9 percent of contributors on Wikipedia are women †¢ Women account for only a tenth of the voting power on the words’ key interest rates †¢ Only 13 percent of the top 100 billionaires worldwide are women †¢ Only 15 percent of senior industry management positions belong to women. †¢ Less than 18 percent of Congressional seats are held by women. Clearly, this poses a question about why women are still not sharing equal roles with men in the top leadership positions in this country. There are many different reasons for these statistics. One reason for this â€Å"leadership gap† is that women just don’t ask. This idea is explored by Babcock and Laschever (2007) in the book Women Don’t Ask by Babcock and Laschever. When Babcock questioned many graduate male students were teaching their own course while women were taking on the roles of assistants, her dean stated, † More men ask. The women just don’t ask. † It turns out, that women are just more likely than men to ask for promotions or raises. This may be due to the facts that some women aren’t aware they should be asking and other women are fearful or damaging relationships. One interesting point to note is that a leadership characteristic that is identified differently in men and women is aggression. Many people positively define aggression as a positive leadership trait in men, but that exact same trait is viewed as negative in a women. Therefore, a women many sense that being aggressive may cause more harm than good when trying to obtain a high level position. Research published by Northhouse in his book Leadership, has also shown that women are more likely to take a passive role in obtaining leadership positions. They are more reluctant to be assertive in asking for positions, and try to obtain those roles through relationships and opportunity. (p. 357) In essence, it is a â€Å"double edged sword for a woman†. There is also no question that gender stereotypes still exist. Oddly enough, these stereotypes may produce more harm in the 21st century because they are more covert and hard to recognize. The show, Mad Men, shows how women were treated in the workplace. The sexual harassment and belittlement of women was obvious and apparent. Women were expected to fill certain roles in the workplace and men had no issues openly expressing their ideas on women’s roles. Now, there is to be no such divide between genders. In fact, gender discrimination is breaking the law, so no longer can discrimination exist in any work place. However, this does not mean that these biases and feelings don’t exist. On the contrary, there may be many people who feel like women are not capable of performing certain tasks, but because gender discrimination is illegal, these ideas are not openly shared, but that certainly doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. Despite these things, many women have found success in the political and work setting. Interestingly, Dominance, aggression and assertiveness are not viewed as positive traits in women leaders, but these are the traits most people would identify with the top echelon leaders of the world, both politically and financially. So, what are some of the attributes that are seen in successful women? Five characteristics that most successful women share are: determination, resourcefulness, ambition, confidence, and the ability to create a maintain relationships. A successful woman is determined to have it all and make things work. At www. Successful Women. com, a guest writer describes the attributes of successful women†¦ determination, resourcefulness, engagement, ambition and confidence. Determination means having a strategic plan to accomplish a goal and now allowing anything or anyone to get in the way of that goal. True leaders know their best resource is in the hearts and minds of the people they are leading. There’s not much more that causes distrust then a leader who claims to know everything about everything. A good leader must be able to be resourceful and find answers and solutions quickly. There is no question that ambition plays a large role in the making of a successful female leader. Women without ambition rarely achieve greatness. Queen Elizabeth I gave up the chance at a family (and had her own sister imprisoned) in order to rule England. Susan B. Anthony and many other suffragettes risked being ostracized and thrown in jail in order to spread the message of women’s equality. Throughout history, the most successful women have been willing to take control of their own lives and do whatever was necessary to reach their goals. Probably the most important character trait of a female leader is confidence. Of course, it is imperative for someone to have the skills, but most people will argue that confidence is the key to becoming a successful leader. Imagine trying to get a group to follow someone who lacks self-confidence and shows fear for a task. A leader with confidence acts with decisiveness and passion, which cause subordinates to feel like they can count on their leader. Another key trait is the ability to create and maintain appropriate professional relationships. Women must show enough empathy so that their subordinates feel supported, but not too much emotion as to get over involved with ones co workers, colleagues or subordinates. This is the â€Å"make it or break it† trait for many female leaders. People seem to be more conscious of the relationship that a women has with her subordinates. If a woman is seen as too empathetic, these may be seen as a weakness. If a women seems void of emotion, people may not feel comfortable or like they are able to â€Å"fit in†. Women’s roles have been evolving for over 100 years. The road has been paved for a woman to make decisions about the course she chooses to live her life. The roadblocks for women have been moved out of the way. Regardless of gender biases that may still exist, a woman can be whatever she chooses to be. This does not meet that the leadership role is easy. For men and women alike, begin an effective leader is challenging ad requires special and specific characteristics to be effective.

Pesticides Essays - Pesticides, Environmental Health, Biocides

Pesticides Essays - Pesticides, Environmental Health, Biocides Pesticides Pesticides effects on humans Pesticides are chemicals that make our produce perfect, and our yards free of pests. However, this perfection comes at a price to many different people. Pesticides are poisons with the sole purpose of killing. They are intended to kill weeds, insects and fungus. There are three types of pesticides called herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Every pesticide has an active ingredient, and an inert ingredient. The active ingredient is the poison that kills he pest, and the inert ingredient is the carrying, or spreading compound. (Honey pg. 2) Pesticides were once thought of as a miracle cure for hunger. They were supposed to keep crops free of pests, and misquitos under control. People were not aware of the dangers that these poisons possessed. DDT* was supposed to be a, benefactor for all humanity(Honey pg. 2). There were few regulations on the use of DDT use. It was even sprayed where children played. It was intended to kill misquitos, but it ended up poisoning, even killing people. (Honey pg.2) Elizabeth Rollings says that one of her teachers, Mrs. Keller, had a sister that died from DDT poisoning when Mrs. Keller was a child. People came to her house that sprayed the bushes with DDT to control misquitos, and when Mrs. Keller and her sister played near the bushes they were exposed to the deadly poison. Now a days the U.S. has seen the dangers that pesticides possess and banned many kinds from use in this country. However, the U.S. has yet to ban them from being made here and exported to foreign countries. In fact, 25 tons are exported every hour. (Honey pg. 1) There are three main problems with this: the regulations are very low in the places the U.S. exports to, many of the people in those places are unaware of the dangers, and the pesticides can return on the produce that the U.S. imports. A specific example of how unaware the people are is an incident in Costa Rica. The field workers in a sugar plantation were not told of the dangers of the pesticides that they applied, and they were not given any protective clothing. Many of them went shirtless, and in tennis shoes with no socks. They had used this pesticide for several days when many began to complain of headache and nausea; some began to vomit blood. One man died, but fortunately the problem was discovered in time to treat the rest of the workers before they died. Another of the problems that arise from pesticide exportation is getting it back in the produce we import from these countries. One third of the poison banned in the U.S. returns in what is being called the circle of poison, which is when pesticides that are exported and used on produce that return on the produce, back to the people it was being meant to keep away from. (Scanlan pg.1) To avoid this, many people are shopping at health food stores where pesticides have not been used on the food. There is a basic progression that occurs when the body is poisoned by a pesticide. First there is a biochemical inactivation of an enzyme. Next this biochemical change leads to cellular change. Then the cellular change causes symptoms of poisoning seen or felt in the particular organ where the enzyme that was deactivated was. All this changes a body's homeostasis*, and when homeostasis can not be maintained or restored, disease occurs. Most effects aren't permanent, but may take a long time to completely recover from. However, some do cause permanent damage. The damage of pesticide poisoning varies. It can effect just one particular organ system, or it can effect a number of organ systems.( GTI. Manifestations of Toxic Effects. pg 1) Another problem that pesticide poisoning possess is detection. A history of being exposed to chemicals can cause illness that can be hard to distinguish from a viral infection, such as the flu. One might go to long without treatment thinking they have a virus that they will eventually overcome, when in reality they have been poisoned by pesticides, which can lead to worse and worse damage over time. People who handle chemicals frequently in the course of

Role of Central Banks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Role of Central Banks - Essay Example Low inflation is not an end in itself. It is however an important factor in helping to encourage long-term stability in the economy. Price stability is a precondition for achieving a wider economic goal of sustainable growth and employment. High inflation can be damaging to the functioning of the economy. Low inflation can help to foster sustainable long-term economic growth 2. The central bank ensures that the money supply in the economy is exogenous and determines the monetary base accordingly for the actual values of the currency and reserve ratios etc. using the appropriate money supply formula. 3. The money supply is endogenous to the economy but is determined by the central bank according to a money supply rule, and the monetary base is changed to achieve the money supply determined according to this rule. The last assumption given above is the most commonly used operational technique, even where the central bank's intention is to focus on the monetary base or the money supply as the main determinant of aggregate demand. Under this procedure, the central bank sets the discount rate to achieve a certain level of aggregate demand in the economy and lets the financial sector determine the monetary base through borrowing or discounting bonds with it. ... rational technique, even where the central bank's intention is to focus on the monetary base or the money supply as the main determinant of aggregate demand. Under this procedure, the central bank sets the discount rate to achieve a certain level of aggregate demand in the economy and lets the financial sector determine the monetary base through borrowing or discounting bonds with it. In any case, the central bank's behaviour is captured through the specification of the monetary base, no matter which of the above procedures is used. The measures that are taken by a central bank typically involve altering the interest rate in order to control the rate of growth of aggregate demand, the money supply and ultimately price inflation. It also involves changing the exchange rates as fluctuations in the value of currency also have an impact on macroeconomic activity. All in all, these measures come under the banner of monetary policy of a country. The key result is that monetary policy governed by society's preferences produces an inefficient outcome featuring an undesired, high level of price instability. Society can improve on this suboptimal outcome in a number of ways. One way to achieve price stability without distorting the stabilization of shocks is to set new incentives for the central bank by picking a progressive central bank which cares a lot about income, making it independent of the government, and adding an inflation target to its environment.1 Monetary Policy Many economists believe that monetary policy is a more powerful tool than fiscal policy in controlling inflation. The circular flow of income and spending is kept in motion through changes in short term interest rates that in turn affect the spending and savings patterns of households and businesses

Management Assignment(LAW) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Assignment(LAW) - Essay Example Charles Fried stated that persons entering into a contract are morally bound to keep it.*4 Therefore, a contract is equivalent to a written promise to deliver a service or goods in exchange for some consideration and fairness in transactions is the goal sought to be achieved in contract law. Traditional notions of laissez faire have been eschewed in modern contract law. In interpreting contracts and determining their validity, the courts have demonstrated that it is not the meaning a person actually intended to convey but what a reasonable person would have construed it as, which is referred to as the process of â€Å"objective interpretation.*5 In order that a contract be deemed valid, the parties to the contract must be clearly specified and the terms upon which the parties agree to conduct business must also be clearly laid out. In the case of Intel’s suppliers, the contract would therefore exist between Intel and the suppliers, since the engineers are in effect, acting on behalf of Intel and not as independent agents. This would however qualify as a bilateral contract since it involves the two parties: Intel via its engineers and the suppliers. In purchasing their supplies, the engineers functioning as Intel’s agents will be deemed to have made an offer for purchase of goods*6, which will not however be enforceable unless the suppliers have agreed and indicated their agreement through a written contract. An offer which is not communicated to the offerree will be deemed to be invalid or ineffective.*7 Therefore, assuming that Intel’s engineers have communicated their offer to the suppliers and there is a counter proposal made by the supplier in regard to the purchase price of the goods, this will be deemed to negate the original offer.*8 It is then up to the offerer to either agree with the counter proposal and indicate

The Petronas Corporation Based In Malaysia Economics Essay

The Petronas Corporation Based In Malaysia Economics Essay Introduction The company of my choice is PETRONAS, the petroleum Multinational Corporation based in Malaysia. The paper will outlined the background of the company followed by identification of the actual and potential impacts of globalisation on the company. Recommendation of strategies which the company might use to respond to the impacts is covered in the last part of the paper. 1.0 Overview of PETRONAS Multinational enterprise is defined as a large company with substantial resources that perform various business activities through a network of subsidiaries and affiliated located in multiple countries. (Cavusgil, Knight Riesenberger, p.13). PETRONAS, the acronym for Petroliam Nasional Berhad is a petroleum multinational corporation headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which was incorporated on 17 August 1974 under the Companies Act, 1965. It is national oil company of Malaysia, vested with the entire ownership and control of the petroleum resources in the country (PETRONAS, 2010). Under the leadership of Tan Sri Hassan Marican, PETRONAS is transformed rapidly into a global company with oil explorations and business joint ventures with overseas partners. Over the years of effort, it has become a fully-integrated oil and gas corporation with operations in more than 30 countries worldwide and ranked among FORTUNE Global 500 ® largest corporations in the world (PETRONAS, 2010). 1.1 Integrated business of PETRONAS PETRONAS is fully integrated across the value chain from the upstream exploration, development, production, processing, and transportation and gas transmission to the marketing of liquefied natural gas and other petroleum products as shown in Figure 1.0. PETRONAS also involved in domestic refining, petrochemical manufacturing and marketing business, while managing a globally coordinated downstream operation designed to optimize product delivery to its customers through its marketing and trading operation (PETRONAS Capital, 2009). PETRONAS also engage in shipping, automotive engineering and property investment. Figure Integrated Business of PETRONAS Source: PETRONAS Annual Report 2010 1.2 Petroleum as the Core Business of PETRONAS Petroleum is the core business of PETRONAS because refined petroleum products account for 37% of the company total revenue amounting to RM80.7 billion (PETRONAS, 2010). Exports and domestic operation contributed 35% and 19.7% of PETRONASs total revenue respectively which bring positive balance of payments to Malaysia (PETRONAS, 2010). Thailand, Japan, Korea and Singapore has been the main crude oil export countries of Malaysia which account for 87% whereas over 40% of gas was exported to markets in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, most of the remainder used domestically for electricity generation (Malaysia Green Technology Corporation, 2010). Figure PETRONAS Composition Revenue 2010 Source: PETRONAS Annual Report 2010 The international operations are as important to PETRONAS which generated 45.3% (RM98.1 billion) of the company total revenue. PETRONASs production are mainly comes from Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Chad, Egypt, Sudan, Mauritania, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. Africa remains to be the companys prominent operation region which contributed 57.7% of the company international production followed by South East Asia (25.1%) Oceania and Middle East Asia (17.2%). 1.3 Organisational Structure of PETRONAS Figure Organization structure of PETRONAS Source: PETRONAS Annual Report 2010 PETRONAS adopted a centralized functional organisation structure which the executive vice president (EVC) and vice presidents (VC) have to constantly report their performance to the CEO. Each VC or EVP from respective function are responsible to monitor and controlling the overseas operation with the aids of overseas joint venture companies or partners 2.0 External Analysis of PETRONAS 2.1 Political PETRONASS oil exploration often takes place in high political risk countries such as Sudan and Iraq with abundant resources of oil and natural gas. Sudan has been in political instability and having war for more than three-quarters of its existence due to the independence, protracted conflict rooted in deep cultural and religious differences which has slowed down country economical and political development (U.S. State Department, 2010). Recently, Sudans internal war evolved from the issue of exploring more oil region outside the territory because of depletion of the existing oil reserves. Despite political instability of Sudan could disrupt PETRONAS in oil exploration, the company had strengthened its politics affiliation through Malaysian Government to mitigate the effect. For example, PETRONAS is welcome by Sudan Government to pursue exploration and development works in its, Melut and Muglad Basins which has expanded in both the upstream and downstream sectors of the countrys oil and gas industry (PETRONAS, 2010). Besides, liberalize of countries trade policy is prominent to guarantee the profitability of PETRONASs overseas operation. In Malaysian, fewer tariffs are imposed on petroleum and gas product. PETRONAS is assigned to regulate the upstream activities in oil and gas as well as controlling the foreign investment of upstream petroleum and gas industry through the form of production-sharing contracts (PSCs), between foreign investors and PETRONAS. Likewise, South Africas government also developed their national oil and natural gas company, Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA) on managing and promoting the licensing of oil and gas exploration includes onshore and offshore exploration of the country. Thus, PETRONAS set its own oil refining and marketing presence in Africa through its 80% owned subsidiary, Engen Petroleum Limited ENGEN, a leading South African refining and marketing company. 2.2 Social Islam remain as the important role in shaping Malaysias position on many international issues especially those related to the Muslim world of which the Middle East is a part (Ruhanas Harun, 2009). Middle East and North Africa account for 60.4% of the world oil reserve which are the important for PETRONASs exploration and production. Thus, Malaysian government has been proactive to build up religious affiliation by developing membership of a worldwide Islam brotherhood. The action is paid off when Malaysia oil reserves have dwindled and few domestic opportunities exist to drill for new reserves, PETRONAS has successfully to expand its operations to Iraq and Sudan which are Islamic oriented developing countries. 2.3 Economic PETRONAS is the biggest contributor to the Malaysian government budget, accounting for 39.3% of the federal governments revenues in 2008, up from 36.4% in 2007 (CIA, 2010). According to Bank Negara, 26% of inward FDI of Malaysia was channelled into manufacturing oil and gas in 2008. With the financial support of PETRONAS, Malaysian Government has been subsidizing the local fuel prices since 2004 which is different from many countries whose followed the exact fuel prices regulated by global market price of gasoline (Bernama, 2010). The fuel price subsidies is intended to protect the local welfare of middle income household but it causes 5.0 to 44% of Malaysias fiscal deficit (JATRO). The activities of the state-owned PETRONAS influence the aggregate patterns, resulting in substantial investments in exploration and extraction in the oil and gas industry which is more towards the US, Canada and Australia as the recent rapid development of unconventional gas resources. 2.4 Technology Environment In Malaysia, domestic reservoirs are maturing due to the fact that Malaysian production is depleting since oils has been produced for hundred years. PETRONAS has been expanding overseas exploration and production of resources such as South Africa, Egypt and so on. Just like many other oil companies offshore rig has caused ecological imbalances such health and reproductive problems for surrounding marine life, destroys kelp beds, reefs and coastal wetlands, and exposes the wildlife to threats of oil spills (Greening Forward, 2008-2010). In such way, PETRONASs image is harm through the directly linkages to environments pollution. Company has been focusing on green technologies and developing in-house greening solutions. In particularly, the company has an ongoing research for strengthening PETRONAS ECOPLUSà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ environmentally friendly, degradable polymer series (PETRONAS Annual Report). 3.0 Overview of Globalization According to Business Dictionary, globalisation implies opening out beyond local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and inter-dependent world with free transfer of capital, goods and services across national frontiers. As world economy globalizes the national economies integrate into the international through trade; foreign direct investment; short-term capital flows; international movement of workers and people in general and flows of technology (Najam, A., Runnalls, D. Halle, M). This has created opportunity to the rise of multinational like PETRONAS in developing country venturing to the petroleum industry that used to be the exclusivity of companies from developed countries such as Royal Dutch Shell from United Kingdom and Exxon Mobil from United States. With the globalisation effect, PETRONAS has been growing organically and through strategic partnerships, via joint ventures, mergers acquisitions and so on as catalysts for escalated performance (Dato Shamsul Azhar Abbas, 2010). PETRONAS is gaining more freedom either on exporting petroleum products or setting up oil refineries in worldwide. This enable the company to continue dominant its position in the international business environment by penetrating larger capital market that has lesser regulations on foreign direct investment. For instance, PETRONAS is included in The New Seven Sister ranking by Financial Times which considered as one of the most influential international oil and gas companies which controlled about one third of the of the worlds oil and gas production and reserves (Nicholas Vardys The Global Guru, 2010). However, globalisation is not a bonus giving for all companies but imposes certain opportunity cost to the companies operations. PETRONAS may enjoy of possessing diversified revenue base which generated from its overseas operations and marketing. At the same time, the company has the opportunity cost of facing unexpected problems of like changing economic, regulatory and political environments globally and regionally which would create a serious impact to the companys growth. The actual globalisation impact on PETRONAS will be political risk, global competition and global technology transfer. 3.10 Actual Globalisation Impact on PETRONAS 3.11 Political risk Political risks of operating countries remain as the fundamental globalisation impact of PETRONAS because 42.1% of the companys revenue derives from international operation in countries such as Iran, Myanmar, Cuba and Sudan in the fiscal years ended in 2009. PETRONAS strategy was to pick strongest partner in operating countries to minimise these risk. For instance, the company is in partnership with China National Oil Corp. and Sudans National Oil Company, Sudapet, while in Iran it has a tie-up with Frances TotalFinaElf, which has a strong relationship with the country (Leslie Lopez, 2003). 3.12 Global Competition Globalization makes it increasingly difficult for PETRONAS to rely only on national regulation to protect its local positions in oil and gas industry. PETRONAS is deemed to face intense competitions of its oil and gas and refining industries in both domestically and internationally. For instance, PETRONASs retail subsidiary company, PETRONAS Dagangan Sdn Bhd used to compete with its main competitor Royal Dutch Shell but now competing with other retail competitors like ESSO (Exxon Mobile subsidiary), Caltex and BHP (Boustead Petroleum Marketing Sdn Bhd). On the other hand, globalisation of liberalization enables oil firms to set up oil refinery in other countries which lead PETRONAS in a competition of oil exploration and production operations in Sudan. 3.13 Risk and Benefit of Technology Transfer As economies open up, more people become involved in the processes of knowledge integration and the deepening of non-market connections, including flows of information, culture, ideology and technology. New technologies move across boundaries quicker, by connecting workers and citizens across boundaries and oceans (e.g., the rise of global social movements as well as of outsourcing), but they can also threaten social and economic networks at the local level (Najam, A., Runnalls, D. Halle, M). Under the effect of globalization, technology transfer is performed from MNC home country to host countries. PETRONAS presence in Sudan has transferred its exploratory and production technology to expand upstream and downstream sectors of Sudanese oil and gas industry. This could have harmed PETRONAS in a sense that transferring its competitive advantage to Sudan because the nation can explore the countrys oil reserved through skills learned from PETRONAS. Nevertheless, PETRONAS also learn special technology skill through its overseas joint venture partners. PETRONAS learned appropriate petrochemical technology through its joint venture partners include The Dow Chemical Company (Dow Chemical), BASF Netherlands B.V. (BASF), BP Chemicals, Idemitsu Petrochemical Co. Ltd, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Sasol Polymers International Investments (Pty) Ltd, (Sasol Polymers) which possess financing capability, marketing and distribution expertise (PETRONAS Capital). 3.20 Potential Globalisation Impact on PETRONAS 3.21 Depletions of Natural Resources The rapid acceleration in global economic activity and our dramatically increased demands for critical, finite natural resources undermine our pursuit of continued economic prosperity (Najam, A., Runnalls, D. Halle, M.). Under the globalisation process, firms gain free access to exploit natural resources of one country to another without any restriction. Non renewable resources like petroleum and gas sooner will be depleted over the years through uncontrollable exploration and productions. These impose serious environmental cost as well as the influencing the future direction of oil and gas industry. Sustainability of PETRONAS and other petroleum companies is deemed to be affected as petroleum product is source of revenue of the industry. Therefore, finding replacement of these depleted resources through invention of new technology is crucial to sustain the companies the industry. 3.22 Changes in foreign environmental laws and regulation In order to protect the environments, some countries might enact additional environmental legislation and regulation regarding exploration and production of oil and gas, petroleum, petrochemical products and other activities. Environmental law and regulation would limit or prohibit the company on drilling activities within protected areas and certain other areas; and impose penalties for pollution resulting from oil, natural gas and petrochemical operations, including criminal and civil liabilities for serious pollution ( Green Forward, 2008-2010). These would incur significant unforeseen expenditures for PETRONAS to comply with such requirements, which could adversely affect on PETRONAS business, financial condition and results of operations in overseas. Therefore, PETRONAS is in disadvantage because of taking longer time to response the changes in foreign environment laws and regulation attributes to its centralised management structure which connected globally 3.23 Risk of Brain Drain During the year under review, the shortage of critical skills faced by the oil and gas industry represented the key people related challenge faced by PETRONAS (PETRONAS, 2010). With the globalisation effect, PETRONAS could have enjoyed the benefit of penetrating and extracting talents in different countries by setting up overseas operations. However, it put the company at risk of brain drain in worldwide operation. Brain drain is referring to the net loss of a countrys highly trained and skilled manpower through migration (WebFinance, 2010). This is because globalisation process improves the mobility of skilled labour to move around the world freely. This means workers are becoming active information seekers and concern about their benefits in the organisations. Conveniences of knowledge sharing like pay standards and job opportunity via Internet able to influence the workers decision on staying in the same organisations. If PETRONAS Malaysia unable to offered attractive incentive to motivate skilled workers, the company is likely to find very difficult to retain the higher skilled workers who attracted better remuneration and benefits from companies in developed countries such as UK, Middle East, and so on. 4.0 Recommendation http://www.franteractive.net/resources/Ansoff-Matrix.GIF Figure Ansoffs Matrix Strategy Source: http://www.franteractive.net/resources/Ansoff-Matrix.GIF 4.10 Diversify to innovative green technology In order to overcome the potential impact, PETRONAS should not over dependence on natural resource like oil and gas to sustain the company future. PETRONAS is recommended to acquire new market with new product line through diversification. The company could focus on developing green technology as the environment preservation is key concern of around the world. Thus, PETRONAS is recommended to develop alternative fuels such as converting plastic waste to fuels, wastewater to fuels and so on which are considered economical to consumers yet reducing the pollution and damages to environment. In Malaysia, PETRONAS should emphasize on recycle energy supply technology by turning garbage into energy because Malaysian produced 23000 tonnes of garbage each day. With this technology, PETRONAS could form partnership with local electricity producer, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) as a way to increase its competitive advantage of diversification in energy industry over other oils and gas competitors as well as improving the environment status in Malaysia. 4.20 Reposition PETRONASs image By addressing the environmental problem causing by exploration and production activities, PETRONAS has been investing on its corporate social responsibility (CSR) centred on enhancing the education and community programme in Malaysia and abroad. In Vietnam, PETRONAS contribution to the nations development through education was recognised through the Certificate of Merit in Education by the President and Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam in 2010 (PETRONAS, 2010). But still there is a limitation of the companys CSR direction which should be refocuses on preserving the environments. Therefore, it is important for PETRONAS to reposition its image to be responsible and environmental concern oil and gas corporation. The company has to be alert of the changes foreign environmental laws and regulation as well as filling Environmental Assessment (EIA) before setting up exploration, production, refining and chemical projects in overseas. The company should increase investment on its research an d development by reducing the air emission and discharges resulting from the operation of natural gas processing plant, chemical plants, refineries, pipeline system. 4.30 Retain talents with attractive incentives program and growth PETRONAS believe staff is selflessly built, nurtured and grown under the corporation share value of loyalty, integrity, professionalism and cohesiveness. PETRONAS should continue its CSR on providing quality education in each country as a way to recruit talents from amongst the local and overseas graduates. However, retaining the existing high quality staffs of PETRONAS is a prominent factor to sustain the future of the corporation. Therefore, PETRONAS should increase the human empowerments by offering occupational mobility along both the technical or managerial tracks and ample opportunities for learning and growing. PETRONAS should also launches special incentive program to motivate staff through giving bonuses, company trips and other staff benefits. In this way, staffs would find themselves appreciated and more willing to serve the company with loyalty. 5.0 Conclusion From time to time, the most distinct globalisation impact on PETRONAS is the politics instability of oil exploration and production countries followed by the global competition of building market share as well as the oil and gas resources. The trend of technology transfer under globalisation, on the other hand, has benefited PETRONAS of capturing technical skills from overseas partners but it also leads PETRONAS losses its competitive advantage through transferring patented technologies while exploring other countries. Potential impact of globalisation would be the depletion of resources, changing environmental law and regulation and loss of human capital which are needed to take account by PETRONAS of sustaining its global presence in the coming future. In order to mitigate the actual globalisation impacts, PETRONAS has to strengthen its politics and religious affiliation with oil production countries for the future benefit. As for resolving the potential impact, PETRONAS is recommended to perform diversification in innovative green technology as the world is stressing on environment preservation. In addition, the company needs to reposition its global image not only by means of its current corporate social responsibility that solely focus on regional education but it should be more focus on environment preservation. Next, PETRONASs re-evaluate their incentives plan to avoid brain drain problem which high skilled workers are poached by competitors in developed countries. As a conclusion, it is important for MNC to join hand with government to mitigate the globalisation impact. PETRONAS strategy of growth through joint venture and partnership in the global is a brilliant way of reducing business risk. But without the effort of Malaysia Government of being proactive in developing politics and religious affiliation with Middle East countries, PETRONAS can never gain the opportunity to explore in these countries. Therefore, PETRONAS has to maintain its current competitive advantage as well as keep an eye on the unknown impact of globalisation. 2897 words