12/27/2019 0 Comments America's Foreign Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 wordsAmerica's Foreign Policies - Essay Example Both the army and navy were less than 30,000 troops separately, and being situated in the midst of weak or friendly nations, no thought was given to building up an armed force for any reason (Mintz). Americans also felt badly towards expanding any holdings abroad, as the popular sentiment was that it went against the democracy that the country held dear to its heart, even more than a hundred years after winning it (Mintz). That changed, however, when European powers towards the end of the century started acquiring overseas holdings themselves, eventually becoming rulers of a fifth of the world between 1870 and 1900 (Mintz). Fearing that the United States would one day be left with nothing but the country that it had already started, sentiment changed to allow overseas diplomacy and dealings, which were brought to the forefront by the foreign policies of President Theodore Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft, and President Woodrow Wilson. Though these three had sometimes radically different views on how to handle different situations with respect to countries around the world, it cannot be denied that all had a hand in shaping the United States as a world power by the early 1920s. Theodore Roosevelt came into the presidency believing, in a way, that America was not enough for America. He believed that the United States should expand its presence in foreign countries and territories, and had a strongly “imperialistic philosophy†about where the nation stood, and should stand, in the world (“American Experienceâ€). Despite being a diplomat who was more than capable of brokering any negotiation through words, Roosevelt believed that the nation should be ready to fight to protect its own interests above everyone else, and supported war in order to make his point to other countries about the greatness of America (“American Experienceâ€). This can be seen in his main ambition while in office, which was to build a canal
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Management and Steel Industry Essay
1. List and elaborate some strategic issues facing NUCOR. Key strategic issues challenging NUCOR include legislation related to climate change, fluctuating cost and supply of iron ore and scrap steel, increasing amount of steel imports, production technology improvements and economic weakness. Changes in legislation could have severe impacts on the firm’s numerous production facilities and could be costly to become compliant. The fluctuations in both the cost and supply of iron ore and scrap steel directly impact the firm’s profitability because it is difficult to pass those costs on to the customers due to the price-driven level of competition in the steel industry. The rise of low cost steel imports increases the domestic U.S. supply which puts pressure on NUCOR. The firm must stay at the front of technological advances for the production and processing of steel in order to stay competitive. Common for many firms and industries, economic weakness is an issue that challenges NUCOR’s strategy because it can impact the demand for its reputable high quality steel products. 2. What are the key elements of NUCOR’s low cost strategy? What factors have helped NUCOR achieve a low cost position? Key strategy elements for NUCOR: Conservative financial strength Team-based culture and decentralized operations Vertical integration Diversification Innovation – information technology, speed of design process Close proximity to important customers Financially stable employees – higher than average wages and non-discretionary incentive programs Employee empowerment Honesty and openness within the company No employee lay-offs Factors that have contributed to NUCOR’s low cost position: Strong, long-term relationships with outside parties for services such as research and development, purchasing recommendations, advertising, public relations, and legal or environmental regulation compliance Stepping away from the steel industry’s tradition of equalized freight and offering all customers the sales terms of price plus actual shipping costs Not offering customers volume discounts Fleet of nearly 150 trucks for product delivery Vertical integration from joist manufacturing into steel production Steel production utilizing mini-mill technology Holding workstations responsible for identifying bottlenecks to increase efficiency Sophisticated computer program is used to compute accurate bids Improvements in the melting and casting processes for steel production including “continuous casters†Flat organizational hierarchy 3. Please apply Porter’s Five Forces model to the steel industry. While doing so, clearly identify who is behind each force and what the impact is of each force on the profitability of the industry (high/medium/low). At the end, also provide a summary of all the five forces and propose whether you think the steel industry is attractive or not. The bargaining power of buyers is high due to minimal product differentiation, low switching costs, excess capacity of steel production and large volume purchases. The threat of substitutes is medium because substitutes such as aluminum and plastic would not provide equivalent strength and durability but could still serve the same purpose as steel. The bargaining power of suppliers is low primarily due to the product being a commodity, high ratio of imported raw materials, and low switching costs. The threat of new entrants is low due to the trend toward consolidation and high amount of capital required to establish production/processing facilities capable of achieving economies of scale. Rivalry is intense because the steel industry is mature with little differentiation among products and mergers both in the U.S. and across the globe creating giant companies with deep pockets. Generally speaking, I think the steel industry is unattractive primarily due to its maturity, significant capital requirements and intense price-based competition that ultimately lead to low profitability. 4. What are NUCOR’s resources and capabilities? Resources: Team-based organizational culture Alliances with outside parties for support services Joint ventures with Physical locations of plants in proximity to key customers Loyal employees comprised of production workers, department heads, support and administrative staff, and senior management Innovative mini-mill technology Own fleet of nearly 150 trucks for distribution Computer program to generate bids Plants, mills, equipment, and machinery Reputation Financial capital Capabilities: Management’s philosophy and leadership skills Successful quality control process Flat organizational hierarchy and incentive program that keeps the workforce cooperative and productive Acquisition management Multidivisional coordination Speed of design process 5. Elaborate on some of the key lessons you have learnt from the case analysis. The most significant lesson I learned from this case analysis is that management style and culture can be key to being competitive. These really are the two things that will give NUCOR sustainable competitive advantage because they are the most difficult to find and imitate. Building such an impressive employee loyalty takes time and cannot be replicated easily. In addition, the minimization of the corporate bureaucracy is something that makes employees at all levels feel comfortable and as if they are part of a family. I think there are many companies, including the one I work for that could really benefit from adopting this management style. |