Cooper Industries Case Study Essay Example for Free

Cooper Industries Case Study Essay OVERVIEW: Cooper Industries is a broadly diversified manufacturer of electrical and general industrial products, and energy related machinery and equipment. The company operates in three different business segments with 21 separate profit centers. These segments include electrical and electronic, commercial and industrial, compression, drilling and energy equipment. The product line is consisted of cheap fuses to $3 million compressor tribune sets along with products such as hand tools and light fixtures. The company bid a $21-a-share tender offer to acquire Champion Spark Plug, manufacturer of auto spark plugs, as a counter offer for the Dana Corp. s $17.50-a-share bid. Also, in the mean time, Cooper Industries was considering a $700 million bid for Cameron Iron Works. Even though purchasing either or both companies will give operational and organizational advantages, there were high financial risks involved. Undertaking both acquisitions would result in a 55% to 60% debt to capitalization ratio. ANALYSIS: Cooper Industries acquired more than 60 manufacturing companies over a thirty year span in order to increase the size and the scope of the company. Most of the acquired companies made it possible for Cooper to be independent of the outside environment and giving full control of the manufacturing process concerning their business while avoiding anti-trust allegations. Cooper basically purchased every company that is vital to its energy industry and all the side industries that effect it. From tools to fuses to cables to the drilling equipment was manufactured and distributed by the corporations divisions. Each acquisition is decided from a wish list that was closely examined and studied. At the time of the take over, the Management Development Planning division would implement the corporate strategy in a period of three to five years. This involves diversification and elimination of the products that are poor sellers. In some cases the production plant is relocated and the staff is reorganized for the best efficient set up. In time all these companies are turned into profit centers. RECOMMENDATIONS: One of my first suggestions will be to consider Cameron Iron Works first since all the valves and other natural gas and petroleum products will be more beneficiary. Apparently there is more demand for Camerons products than the Champions. Little adjustments in the production process along with the Cooperization adjustment will have make the company efficient in a short period of time. In contrast, Champion is considered to have 1950s production techniques and only one product line, spark plugs, which will require tremendous changes within the company. The other option may be to purchase both of the companies, regardless of the financial risks involved. By allocating all the departments such as Management Development Planning in the process, Cooper may turn things around. Since the beginning, Coopers way of acquiring companies seem to create success stories in the end. Champion still has brand name recognition in Europe and Asia (personal knowledge) which maybe taken advantage of. Major changes for the American market may take place while the revenues from the overseas sales finance the process. And once the changes are made in here, according to the demand the product line maybe readjusted for those markets. One other option for the Champion acquisition maybe to consider other possible options in the automotive parts industry. There may be other companies requiring less adjustment, and maybe turned into profit centers in less time than Champion. If buying both the companies is not possible at the time, then Cameron seems like a better option giving independence to Cooper in the valve dependence. Utilization of this company seems more of a priority at the time. However Dana may end up buying Champion if Cooper delay the acquisition.

Edith Whartons The House Of Mi :: essays research papers

Lily Bart, the central character in Edith Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth , was born into the fringes of high society in late nineteenth century New York. She developed a, “lively taste for splendour';(page 30) and a fear of, ';dinginess';.(page 35). Everything within this social circle is measured in monetary value, people and things alike are treated as commodities. This is the only way of life Lily knows, and without the financial means to sustain herself, Lily is destined to be a victim of this commodification of people and objects. Victim is defined in the Oxford Concise Dictionary , as a, “person or thing harmed or destroyed in the pursuit of an object or in gratification of a person';. Commodifiaction is defined as “the action of turning something into, or treating something as a commodity'; and commodity is defined as, “an article of raw material that can be brought and sold';. It was Mrs Bart who had raised Lily to value the finer things in life and fear the “dinginess';(page 35) that she associated with those who did not have money, or those who did not choose to spend their money on luxury. When Mrs Bart died, she died, “ ......of a deep disgust. She had hated dinginess, and it was her fate to be dingy';(page 35). But Lily’s mother alone is not solely to blame for this want, Lily says of her need for luxury, ..I suppose (it was) -in the way I was brought up, and the things I was taught to care for. Or-no I won’t blame anybody for my faults: I’ll say it was in my blood (page 226) Although Lily felt that she should not blame anyone else for her high tastes she does not blame herself. She uses the excuse that it was in her blood that her fate to live for splendour was predetermined. Lily therefore sees herself as victim, a victim because it was her fate. Mrs Barts parental guidance did help to shape Lily’s value for the extravagant. It was Mrs Bart who taught Lily to value her beauty. Lily was told by her mother, “after they had lost all their money'; (page 28) that Lily’s asset was her beauty. Mrs Bart saw the potential for trading Lily’s beauty for a rich husband, so they would have the means to sustain themselves in ‘high society’. Mrs Bart saw Lily’s beauty as:

Advantages of Retaining Older Workers

Encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce has many advantages along with some disadvantages for both the employee and the workforce in general. The term older worker refers to workers aged sixty-five and over. Older workers are an invaluable asset to the Australian workforce. Through age and life experience older workers hold great knowledge and wisdom in which they are able to pass onto the younger generation. Traditionally there was an age where people retired, however people these days people are now living longer. Therefore the time spent in retirement has also increased. This means people today will have to work longer than ever before to cover the costs of their retirement. This essay will outline why Australia needs to retain older workers in the workforce, why older people are staying in the workforce for longer and discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with encouraging older workers to stay in the workforce for longer. Australia’s decreasing birthrate and an ever-increasing life expectancy has caused the Australian Government as well as employers to become increasingly concerned about how the distribution of the population within the workforce will affect the Australian economy. Presently the net growth of the Australian workforce is 170,000 people each year. Access Economics has estimated that over the decade 2020 to 2030, the Australian workforce is expected to only grow by only 125,000 people. That averages a mere 12,500 people per year. The ramifications for Australia are clear, new entrants will simply not provide enough manpower to the workforce to meet expected demand. (Andrews, K 2003) This demographic shift means the workforce will need to rely more on older workers in the near future, as Australia can no longer afford to waste the valuable resources that older workers contribute to businesses, the economy and society in general. Older workers will be crucial to the success of many companies in the future, and contribute greatly to the profitability and the survival of these companies. Australia’s need to encourage older workers to stay in the workforce for longer, will mean employers will need to structure the work environment in such a way as to fit in with the activities that older people are wanting to do. â€Å"The main reason why older workers retire or leave the workforce is to pursue new activities. † (Future of Work) While the government is encouraging people to work longer if they can, beyond traditional retirement ages, older workers are unlikely to respond to that call unless work can be more flexible and better organised to take account of what they want to do with their time. Many older workers don’t want to give up working all together and would prefer to work part time so they can still earn an income whilst having the flexibility to peruse new activities. The Government as a policy-setter and as an employer will need to meet this demand, just as the corporate sector will, by increasing workplace flexibility in order to encourage older workers to remain in the workforce for longer. 2005 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that grandparents are delivering childcare services to more than 660,000 children nation wide. This information has lead the ACT Chief Minister Mr John Stanhope to agree with the need for the restructure of workforce practices inorder to encourage older workers to remain in the workforce for longer and in particuar older workers within the ACT public service sector. Mr Stanhope says that â€Å"Our ageing workforce, and our need to retain older workers for longer, means that over time we will need to provide working conditions that better suit mature-age workers. Mr Stanhope also believes that a side benefit of having more flexible working arrangements will also encourage retention of younger staff because they will see that their employers can be open and adaptable to change and work-life balance. â€Å"We need to ensure younger employees can also see the benefits of older workers in their workplace, not as competition for jobs, or barriers to promotion, but as the leaders who will help redefine work practices. (Changing working conditions to suit, 2007) (ACT Chief Minister Exploring Grandparental Leave, 29th August 2007) Encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce for longer has endless advantages for the workforce in general, as older workers possess more life experience and work experience than their younger counter parts. Older workers are a great on the job training resource as they have a greater willingness to share experiences with their younger co-workers and have fewer external responsibilities and distractions as their children have all grown up. According to research conducted by Australian Health Management, workers aged 55 or above are more productive than under-35s because they suffer less depression and headaches, and have no childcare problems. While the younger group of workers had an average of 19% reduction in productivity due to childcare responsibilities, allergies, depression, headaches, and asthma. A recent case study conducted by DMS Glass found that the employers considered that their older workers provided higher quality standards, which in turn encouraged younger employees to improve, as experienced staff passed on the benefit of their years of knowledge. Mature workers will also stay longer at an organisation, especially after receiving training, reather than younger workers, who are five times more likely to change jobs than a mature age worker. Older workers also have less absenteeism and sick leave and, fewer accidents than their younger colleagues. (The Australian, 2006) Influencing older people to remain in the workforce not only benefits the workforce and the economy, but it also has advantages for the worker themselves. As people age they want to remain as physically, mentally healthy and as socially active for as long as possible, and for many, work serves as a means of being able to do so. â€Å"Research tells us that there is a correlation between staying in the workforce and good health. † (Managing Your Ageing Workforce Conference, 2005. ) work also provides individuals with a sense of purpose, income and status. The reality that people today are spending longer in retirement than ever before emphasises the point that individuals will need to remain in the workforce for longer to ensure that they are financially able to live out a comfortable retirement. Some disadvantages to having older workers remain in the workforce for longer include the risk of health problems associated with older workers and their ability to perform as efficiently as their younger counterparts. As people get older they are more subject to deteriorating health, this is a part of life, and something that we have little control over. With deteriorating health these older workers may have to take time off work to attend medical appointments and may even have to restrict some of their work activities for health reasons. With older workers being restricted in their ability to perform certain tasks that are part of their job description this could prove costly to the employer as the employer will have to bare the costs of employing someone else to carry out these tasks that the older worker can no longer perform. Another problem with older workers being limited in their ability to perform certain tasks is their ability to be allocated another job within a firm or seek employment else ware as â€Å"a high proportion of older workers lack qualifications and have acquired their work skills on the job and these work skills may be specific to their occupation. (Managing Your Ageing Workforce Conference, 2005. ) Older workers are also more likely to be resistant to change, less willing to work long hours, and less willing to train. However this fact is debatable as professor McGregor from the University of Surry has found that older workers saw themselves as being â€Å"committed to the job with employees seeing themselves as eminently willing and able to be trained. † Encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce will be crucial to the success, profit, and survival of many Australian businesses in the future. The decline in Australia’s birthrate means the Australian workforce will grow an estimated 125,000 people over the decade from 2020 to 2030, which clearly it is not enough workers to meet demand. With this in mind employers will need to rely more on older workers in the future and have to find ways to restructure the work environment in such a way as to fit in with the activities that older people are wanting to do as it has become a known fact through much research that many older workers leave the workforce in pursuit of new activities. If the workplace were restructured as to fit in with the wants and needs of older workers, older workers would be able to have the best of both worlds by being able to still earn an income whilst having the flexibility to peruse new activities. Generally there are more advantages than disadvantages in having older workers remain in the workforce for longer; within the near future, older workers will prove to be an invaluable asset to the Australian workforce and play a crucial role in sustaining Australias economic stability. Bibliography Andrews, K 2003, opening address at the Ageless Workforce Symposium, Sydney, 7 August 2003, Viewed 9th September 2007, . Davies, M 2005, Labour Force Participation by Older Workers, What Influences Decision-making, Victoria University of Wellington, Viewed 29th August 2007. . Mercer Human Resource Consulting, The Productivity Commission’s Draft Report, Economic Implications of Ageing Australia, February 23, 2005, Viewed 29th August 2007, . Fr anklin, M 2006, November 14, Older workers more productive, The Australian, Viewed 10th September 2007, . Facing an Ageing Workforce, Information for Public Service HR Managers, State Services Commission, April 2004. Executive summary, updated 12th May 2004, Viewed 29th August 2007, . Hayden , C Boaz, A and Taylor, F 1999, Attitudes and aspirations of older people, a qualitative study, Viewed 6th October 2007, . Minister for Ageing, The Hon Julie Bishop, addresses the Managing Your Ageing Workforce Conference in Sydney, Viewed 29th August 2007, . Changing working conditions to suit, 2007, August 28, The Canberra Chronicle, p. 5. ACT Chief Minister Exploring Grandparental Leave, 29th August 2007, Viewed 9th September 2007. . Work and ageing 2005, Causes of our ageing population, Viewed September 9th 2007, .

The Animal Helper And The Human Hero - 1336 Words

This literary analysis will define the role of the animal helper and the theme of protection for the human hero in the fairy tale tradition. In the classical fairy tale, the â€Å"donor† or animal helper is a crucial element to the survival and success of the mina hero, since they are typically animals that provide assistance in the journey or quest. This form of intervention is an important aspect of the animal helper’s role in guiding the hero towards self-realization. The animal helper also supports the notion of a heroic human protagonist, which helps to promote the individuals’ progress through acts of good deeds and support throughout the tale. These are interlocking parts of the relationship between the animal helper and the human hero, which provide a cooperative foundation for achieving a certain goal in the fairy tales of the Brother’s Grimm and other European fairy tale traditions. In essence, a literary analysis of the role of the animal helper and the them of protection will be defined in this examination of the fairy tale tradition. The animal helper provides a longstanding tradition in the classical European fairy tale. In many fairy tales, a talking animal interacts with a human hero to help them overcome the â€Å"destroyer† that is attempting to thwart their dreams of success or achievement in the world. For example, Grimm’s fairy Hansel and Gretel utilizes a white duck that brings them across the water, since there is no bridge: â€Å"The duckling came up to them, andShow MoreRelatedFairy Tales As A Fairy Tale1065 Words   |  5 Pagesvillains, tests or tasks to perform, exaggerations, personal journeys, and human weaknesses. Special beginning and/or ending words typically start and finish the story and are phrases such as, â€Å"once upon a time† and â€Å"they lived happily ever after.† In every fairytale there is some form of royalty whether it be a king, queen, prince, or princess and there is usually also some type of magical aspect, such as talking animals and monsters. There is also the idea of traveling in order to solve whateverRead MoreEssay on Why Star Wars was such a Ground Breaking Movie1404 Words   |  6 Pagesthat are computer generated and they sue special effects for fighting scenes when they use lasers. These are some of the things that are included in that particular genre. The plot of ‘Star Wars’ is simple and easy to understand. The hero Luke Skywalker lives on the planet Tatooine and wants to get off the planet, but his uncle wants him to help for the next harvest. Meanwhile in the galaxy an evil force is destroying planets that gets in its way, the ship is calledRead MoreAre Dreams the Reason for Mythology?1160 Words   |  5 Pageseye-movements sleep, which is characterized by rapid eye movements, more dreaming, and faster pulse and breathing. Based off several studies made by scientist it showed that if humans are being deprived by this sleep by organic or chemical failures their health and well-being will deteriorate and can later die. When human beings dream their minds form archetypes, or mythological patterns or themes based off their personalities, which later divide themselves into these characters to play out the dramaRead MoreMy Ultimate Hero Essay My Hero1469 Words   |  6 PagesIrma Zamora 08/09/2017 Ramshaw My Ultimate Hero As a whole, anyone can relate to a story that inspires us to acquire a role a hero with our own capabilities. An immigrant’s hero’s journey highlights the human experiences of fear, courage, vulnerability, daring and inspiration. Despite of the nationality, we look up to hero because they fear the unknown and answer there call to adventure and leave their familiarized culture. Then go through trails that seem impossible, obstacles, and even feel likeRead MoreAn Analysis of Grendel Based on the Classic Poem Beowulf922 Words   |  4 PagesTHE FIGHT WITH GRENDAL INTRODUCTION Archetypical tales are not rare in the English literature. There are tales of fairies, dragons, witches, elves and monsters. There are a big number of audiences that likes to read about enemies or helpers from the external world. War between good and evil depicted in such stories is fascinating to young and old alike because they symbolize a lot of things for people. There is a story Grendel based on classic poem Beowulf in which there is three main charactersRead More My Pit Bull Essay1379 Words   |  6 Pagesare many reasons why we fear this particular breed and one reason is because we fear what we do not understand. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pit bull dogs are outlawed in Miami Dade County because of the inbred susceptibility to attack other animals, and because of the danger posed to humans. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One stereo type of pit bulls is that they are mean and vicious. A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pit bulls are no more vicious than golden retrievers, beagles or other popular dogs. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a recent study of 122 dog breeds by the AmericanRead MoreEssay about Movie Villains967 Words   |  4 Pagesway to easily detected them or stopping them. They come in all shapes and sizes from animals to little children to even space aliens. Each villain has his or her own particular style, usually greed. Another big reason for there evil acts is because of revenge, revenge can turn innocent people in to cold blooded killers. The term used to represent villains is antagonist, or someone who opposes the protagonist or hero of the story. Movie villains are not just plainly the main enemy in a movie as in NightmareRead MoreGreek Mythology : Gods And Goddesses1725 Words   |  7 Pagesancients Greeks were polytheistic which means they used to worship many gods. Greek gods and goddesses used to live at the top of Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. However, despite their great powers, gods and goddesses were much like humans, and sometimes they had to come down to hearth to get involved and intervened in the affairs of mortals, involving with men and women as patrons, enemies, and sometimes lovers. Greek mythology described their lives and every day actions and use theirRead MoreA Heros Journey3224 Words   |  13 Pagescome to mind as you reflect on your childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the warmest of memories. Yet for many mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept of their feet, and lions roar to their loyal place in the animal kingdom. There is no doubt that today’s entertainment has most of its touch using classical i nfluences. Walt Disney has produced animated films that have captured the heart and imagination of audiences of all ages around the world through the magicRead MoreThe Great Flood, The Epic Of Gilgamesh3526 Words   |  15 PagesSince the beginning of time, flooding has been and always will be a worldwide epidemic. Credited to mankind’s science and technological advances, the human race has acquired knowledge concerning flood occurrences; substantiating deluges are due to weather and climate changes. Excessive rainfall and winds, brought on by hurricanes or storms, can cause rivers, lakes, and the sea to overflow onto land. Despite the fact that floods are caused by natural disasters, great flood stories such as Noah’s Ark