Venture Capital Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Venture Capital - Research Paper Example As per the survey conducted by the Ernst &Young in the year 2008, there were 56 percent of exits of venture capital companies out of which 12 percent of the companies belonged to the pharmaceutical and health care sector (Ernst &Young). Healthcare companies like Novartis Venture capital division and Johnson and Johnson Development venture capital divisions earned meager amount of profits during recession. The pharmaceutical companies also make further investments in life science companies across biotech, medical devices and diagnostics. The main motive of the venture capital divisions of pharmaceutical companies is to provide startup capital to other medical companies which have a better prospect in the future. For example the Novartis venture capital division provides venture capital fund only to those companies which adhere to their corporate development plans. South Korea is an emerging market for venture capital investments in the pharmaceutical companies hence medical companies like Novartis and Johnson and Johnson have taken initiatives of providing investment to medical and life science companies who are at an early stage (Novartis Venture Funds, â€Å"Our Funds†). Venture capital funding to Pharmaceutical Industry in United Kingdom (UK) UK is considered as the second largest venture capital market in Europe. There are three types of venture capital funds being offered in UK. 1) Seed fund – This fund is offered to a novice business investor. 2) Start Up fund – This fund is offered to a company in its nascent stage 3) later stage Fund – This fund is provided to a business company who is in the maturity stage. The pharmaceutical companies in UK invest in Venture capital funds primarily because the returns of the fund are very good and it is one of the most easily available funds in UK. Some of the venture capital companies in UK provide venture capital funds exclusively to the pharmaceutical and health sector of UK. The names of these companies are as follows: 3i This company invests exclusively in the healthcare sector and provides start up funds for novice pharmaceutical companies. Abingworth It is a long established venture capital company which invests in biomedical companies. Advent Venture Partners LLP The company was established in the year 1981; it has managed to invest ?500 million in the year 2011. It invests in Life Science companies. Alta Partners The company has been funding over 130 life science companies of UK since 1996. ARCH Venture Partners The company invests in medical companies which are at an early stage and have the potential to grow into successful enterprises. The company invests primarily in companies co-founded with leading scientists and entrepreneurs, concentrating on bringing innovations in life sciences, physical sciences, and information technology. Atlas Venture Ltd Atlas Venture invests in those life science companies which are in their early stages of growth. Burrill & Co mpany This is a merchant bank in UK focusing exclusively in companies dealing with biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, devices, human healthcare and related medical technologies, nutraceuticals and wellness, agricultural biotechnology, and industrial biotechnology. The company

Texas Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Texas Government - Essay Example (Texas Politics) There are striking similarities in these two constitutions. Both are founded on the cardinal principles of justice and equality towards all human beings irrespective of race and culture. They are identical in the framework of democratic rule of law based on division of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary whilst exercising care to maintain balance of power amongst the three branches, viz. legislature, executive and judiciary, and protect the constitution from misuse or abuse of power by any individual. The background of the Texas constitution coming in the wake of its independence from Spanish rule coincides with the background of the U.S. constitution which came into being after the United States attained its independence from British rule. (Constitution of the United States) The differences lie in the areas of religion, policies on slavery, and the manner of drafting the constitution. Roman Catholicism was adopted as state religion in the Texas constitution. The United States constitution is silent on any such preference on religion although its articles and emblems principally endorse a faith in God based on reason and research. The Texas constitution consistently disapproved of slavery from its inception. The U.S. constitution dithered on the issue. The Texas constitution was drafted in a hurry and depended on U.S. constitution as source. The U.S. constitution was drafted in a pain-staking manner and required good amount of time and deliberations by the nation's founding fathers and legal experts. (Texas Politics) Texas PAC Every country, irrespective of its system of governance, has interest groups for noble causes such as education, human rights and environmental issues. The Associated Conservatives of Texas Political Action Committee (ACTPAC) supports conservative causes and forces in Texas. It is primarily engaged in raising funds for organizations and individuals espousing conservative ideals and activities. Obviously, ACTPAC has a broad agenda of social, economic and political nature. From standing up for tax cuts to waging war on terrorism, ACTPAC has the capability and resource to influence change for the better through interactions with those in power as also the ordinary citizen. Its officials are Jerry J. Mikus (Jr. Chairman), Mike McNamara (Vice Chairman and Secretary), Brian Russell (Treasurer), and Frank Alvarez (Consultant). The ACTPAC is headquartered at Austin, Texas, and by its very nature and form is beholden to the Conservative Party politically. As a political forum, ACTPAC is a multi-purpose body with a wide reach and powerful personalities to draw from. Its functions are modeled and organized to raise funds and gather support on critical issues affecting society as a whole. (Associated Conservatives of Texas PAC) Case heard by the Texas Supreme Court The case no. 03-0647 is a petition for review from the Court of Appeals for the Ninth District of Texas. The petitioner is Evanston Insurance Company and the respondent is ATOFINA Petrochemicals, Inc. Matthew Todd Jones, an employee of Tripe S Industrial Corporation contracted by ATOFINA

Nike's Global Women's Fitness Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nike's Global Women's Fitness Business - Essay Example Improve the integration levels within particular divisions. Goal â€Å"To take a more consumer-oriented approach to the market, optimizing the company’s activities to give customers holistic collection of everything they want and need in a particular sports category.† Analysis Structure Currently, Nike uses the matrix organizational structure. This type of structure groups employees according to their functions and by product type that they are involved in production. In this type of structure, there is a horizontal flow of information and skills. The following components are distinctively identified with the matrix structure of organization: there is a top manager who is in charge of the entire matrix and is charged with the responsibility of balancing the two chains of command. Then there are two matrix managers who are in charge of their respective sub-groups. One of them is the product manager and the other is the functional manager. Pros: there is coordination to m eet dual customer demands. It is suited for complex decisions. The structure is also suited for an organization with multiple products, like Nike. Cons: there are frustrations brought about by dual authority. This type of structure is time-consuming in decision making and conflict resolution. People This is a highly populated organization with more than 26,000 employees. There is specialized expertise in the organization with employees only working in their areas of specialization; such as footwear, equipment and apparel. Nike’s senior executives are supportive of the employee’s activities. For example, the executives offered support to the Change the Game team when the team made its presentation on the strategy to approach the women’s market. Most people in Nike, especially those who have been there for a long time like Darcy Winslow, know a large percentage of the community. The company, in its effort to move to a consumer-based organization from the current p roduct-based, appointed team captains who would set-up and run different categories of sport. These captains were responsible for bringing together the right people to spearhead a business plan for the particular sport category that they are in charge of. People were also supportive of the company’s ideas and it is clear that they wanted these ideas to succeed. They attended meetings with enthusiasm and commitment. Pros and Cons The support that the executive gives to the other employees boosts their morale and working spirit. The employees are motivated and the quality of their output is bound to improve. Knowing a big percentage of the community helps the company to get the necessary feedback on their products and services. The people can also give recommendations about a particular type of product. Using team captains and a group of specialists guarantees the company of quality results. There was resistance from retailers who were not willing to allocate more space to Nike . These retailers did not want to change their traditional practices. Incentives Nike worked out an incentive methodology that was aimed at motivating the performance of the employees. Most members were measured according to the results that they achieved, for example, selling shoes. In areas where there were added responsibilities, incentives were also increased to match up to the work. Cash bonuses were also offered

Assignment - Team Work in Business Essay Example for Free

Assignment Team Work in Business Essay Some management teams are bound to succeed while other are not due to a number of factors. A team, according to Adair (1986), is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaboration, working together, is the keynote of a team activity. Adair suggests that the test of an effective team is: â€Å"whether its members can work as a team while they are apart, contributing to a sequence of activities rather than to a common task, which requires their presence in one place and at one time. † Below is a discussion of some of the major factors that create a difference between winning and losing management teams . 1. Supportive Sponsor Management teams are usually formed by a sponsor who recognizes that reaching an organizational goal will require a group of individuals working together to provide the leadership necessary to move a company, division or unit towards the organizations goals. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to create a ‘charter’ that establishes the management team and its primary focus. In addition, the sponsor establishes specific goals the team is to accomplish. The sponsor will also select the team leader and gain his or her commitment to lead the leadership team in defining and carrying out the needed actions. Lack of will or proper direction by the sponsor ( e. g board of directors in a company) can lead to team failure. 2. Environmental factors These include physical factors such as working proximity, plant or office layout. In general, close proximity aids group identity and loyalty, and distance reduces them. Other environmental issues include the traditions of the organisation under which the management team operates, and leadership styles. Formal organisations tend to adopt formal group practices. Autocratic leadership styles prefer group activities to be directed. 3. Team size Small groups tend to be more cohesive than larger groups; small groups tend to encourage full participation; large groups contain greater diversity of talent. 4. Focus on Stakeholder Outcomes A shared understanding of the management team’s stakeholders, their expectations of the team, and the values the team embraces is essential to create the focus needed as the management team members plan and execute the actions necessary to achieve the team’s goals. 5. Smart Goals Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals should be established by the team’s sponsor and then broken into sub-goals by the management team. Without SMART goals, the team will lack the milestones necessary to drive action. 6. Team Leadership Team leadership is the most critical success factor for the performance management team. A leader with strong performance management skills and the ability to develop others virtually guarantees a successful performance initiative. Every management team needs a leader who focuses the members of the team on the mission, purpose, and goals of the team. This individual must be committed to the team’s results and must be willing to be held accountable by the team’s sponsor and other stakeholders, for leading the team through processes that insure the team’s goals are reached. The team leader must engage each team member in the processes of the team and build a platform of mutual trust that leads to open debate, collaboration, individual commitment, and personal accountability. 7. Mutual Trust The most important element of successful team work is the establishment of a platform of mutual trust that enables the management team to engage in open debate and decision making that leads to commitments to action by individual members of the team. Building this trust requires an openness that allows team members to know and understand the beliefs and behaviors of all members of the team so that team actions can be structured to take advantage of each members uniqueness and talents. Behavioral and values assessments are powerful tools in developing an understanding how each member of the management team views themselves and responds to others in the team. 8. Engaged Management Team Members An effective management team will have team members who are actively engaged in the work and focus of the team. This will require that each team member emotionally commits to actively and openly participate in the team’s processes in the pursuit of the team’s goals. The team member must willingly commit to carry out action plans to complete individual actions necessary for the team to reach their team goals. The team member must be dependable and carry the full weight of personal responsibility to complete their individual commitments by the date committed to. Engaged team members enthusiastically support each other and add value to other team members. They prepare for team processes and choose to engage others in a positive manner to find solutions to issues and challenges they individually or as a team face. They constantly seek to improve themselves for the benefit of the team and never, never, never quit. 9. Composition of the Team The Apollo Syndrome is a phenomenon that having too many people with a high mental abilities grouped together to solve a problem is, in many instances, detrimental to the teamwork process. Team members spend much of their time trying to persuade the team to adopt their own views as well as figuring out ways to point out weaknesses in the rest of the team’s ideas. They have difficulty reaching consensus in decisions and are focused on their own work, paying little attention to what their fellow team members agree doing. Occasionally the team will pick up on the fact they are having problems, but will then overcompensate to avoid confrontation. This leads to even more problems in making sound decisions. A knowledgeable team, skilled at group working, and with a wider range of talents is much more likely to succeed than an inexperienced group with a narrow range of talents. 10. Individual Commitments The work of a management team is carried out by individual members of the team. When a team has developed a plan of actions that are necessary to achieve their goals or overcome barriers, individual members must commit to carrying out specific actions which in many cases will include actions by the individual teams they in turn lead. The management teams collaborative processes must include steps to: * Define individual actions, * Gain the commitments by individual team members to complete the actions, * Document due dates, and * Establish status reporting processes. 11. Discipline and Accountability Team goals will usually not be realized until individual commitments are completed. Management team members must embrace a discipline to complete their commitments as scheduled. They must agree to hold each other personally accountable for completing, as scheduled, the commitments each person has made to the team. Each management team member must continuously report the status of their open commitments to the team so that barriers to completion can be identified early in order to permit the management team leader and other team members the opportunity to deal with the issues before overall deadlines are impacted. 12. Identification and Removal of Barriers Barriers to team and individual progress will occur in every management team effort and must be dealt with quickly to continue progress towards the teams goals. The team leader must continuously monitor the status of each individuals commitments and initiate barrier removal processes where appropriate. Team-based processes for developing action plans to overcome barriers impacting individual commitments should be instilled as a part of the teams culture. 13. Shared vision / approach. The ability for a management team to clearly state its goals and objectives and gain buy-in among the people they lead ( e. g. employees )along with a synergistic team that can carry out their responsibilities is vital to performance success. The vision and/or mission of the team must be accepted by all the team members and critical goals viewed as the collective responsibility of the team. If a return to profitability is a critical goal of an executive team, priorities and time commitments must be pulled from elsewhere. Focusing on results that in any way does not support the critical goal(s) of the team will lead to team failure. 14. Technology support While a skilled management team can improve performance with very little tools and only an effective approach, with proper technology to support the teams needs, and the proper data to drive decision making, there is almost no limit to the improvements an organization will yield. 15. Ability to Innovate Innovating is a key aspect of teamwork and involves challenging the way things are currently being done. Technology is changing so quickly that the way you are currently performing tasks may no longer be the best way. If you are not up-to-date in your practices, your cost structure may be too high or you may no longer be delivering competitive service. Innovating is essential for all work teams. There are always better ways of doing things if you only take time to discover them. 16. Promoting To obtain the resources people, money, and equipment to carry out your work, you have to sell what you are doing to other people. Resources to implement new ideas will only be given if your team can persuade and influence people higher in the organization. Promoting to customers or clients both inside or outside the organization is also important if you are to continually deliver what people want. 17. Developing Many ideas dont see the light of day because they are impractical. The Developing activity ensures that your ideas are molded and shaped to meet the needs of your customers, clients, or users. It involves listening to their needs and incorporating these in your plans. Developing will ensure that what you are trying to do is possible, given the resource constraints of your organization. 18. Inspecting Maintenance Regular checks on work activities are essential to ensure that mistakes are not made. Quality audits of your products or services will ensure that your customers or clients will remain satisfied. Inspecting also covers the financial aspect of work in your team, as well as the security aspects, the safety aspects and the legal aspects. All management teams need to uphold standards and maintain effective work processes. Your car will fail if it does not have its regular service. Teams can fail too, if the team processes are not regularly checked and maintained. Maintaining ensures that quality standards are upheld and that regular reviews of team effectiveness take place. 19. Linking Linking is the activity that ensures all team members pull together, and makes the difference between a group of individuals and a highly effective and efficient team. It covers the linking of people, linking of tasks and leadership linking.

The Importance of Helping Friends in Leo Lionnis, Frederick and Swimmy :: Frederick Swimmy Essays

The Importance of Helping Friends in Leo Lionni's, Frederick and Swimmy In many of Leo Lionni's children's books, one of his characters is always helping a fellow friend out. For example, in Frederick and Swimmy, there are characters that help others to survive. These characters possess human attributes and carry across important messages to the reader. Frederick shows that just because he is not working with the other mice does not mean that he is not helping out. He is just doing it in another way. While the others are working to gather food for the winter, Frederick just sits there and takes in other things such as the "sunrays for the cold dark winter days", and "colors for the winter is gray", and finally words "for the winter days are long and many, and we'll run out of things to say"(3). The other mice may not believe what Frederick is saying, however in the end when they are cold and the sky is gray, and they are at a loss for words, they turn to Frederick who in turn shares with them everything that he had been saving up. By Leo Lionni writing this, he was able to show that people can help out others in many ways. Although Frederick was not doing the same things as the other mice, in the end he helped his friends to survive the long, cold, dark winter. What Frederick achieves by gathering his supplies, Swimmy achieves by being smart. In Leo Lionni's book, Swimmy, the odd fish is the one who in the end helps the other fish from being eaten by the big "tuna fish" who is "swift, fierce, and very hungry" (75). Swimmy does not want to have to constantly worry about being eaten by the big fish, so he comes up with an idea to help all of the other little fish survive the large fish. He has them all join together to become one big fish and he is the eye. By Swimmy coming up with this idea, he is able to protect all of his friends. Without his help who knows what would have come of all the other little fish. Although not all of Leo Lionni's books portray how friends can help other friends survive in different ways, Frederick and Swimmy are great examples of this.

Motivation Problem

On our assembly lines, we were trying to implement a new design that required radically new methods to assemble to the product. At the same time the operators were locked in negotiations with the management for a pay scale review. We had to come up with ways to get the operators to be motivated to start assembling the new designs. In a vehicle assembly line, feedback you get from the operator Is extremely Important when it comes to usability of a product assembly process.Manufacturing engineers design the processes In their head (especially for products that are not yet physically available for use) and hence need the operators to start using the prototype machines and facilities and start coming out with constructive feedback that lists the Improvements that workers feel will make their life easier and the production quality and volume targets can be met. But when the worker Is disengaged due to other considerations on his mind, coming up with constructive criticisms Is very difficu lt.Actually, criticisms were shared of the new facilities and processes but they are shared in a very destructive manner. Here we have a management that is demanding that the workers change their currently comfortable work environment (at least the one which they are now used to) and take up completely new processes which may or may not be beneficial to them while being engaged in a pay dispute. Based on the findings about what drives people, usually when the money is off the table autonomy, master and purpose are the key factors.The traditional carrot and stick approach may have worked before where the work involved was highly mechanical as there was no thinking necessary due to years of practicing one type of process. But here the workers had to get used to a completely new process and they had to suggest improvements. Management has a target to limit the pay increase while still maintaining morale and motivation for the worker. They had to add incentives within the pay agreement that allowed them some flexibility in the rates while keeping the workers happy.Motivation Problem By makeover designs. In a vehicle assembly line, feedback you get from the operator is extremely important when it comes to usability of a product assembly process. Manufacturing engineers design the processes in their head (especially for products that are not yet that lists the improvements that workers feel will make their life easier and the production quality and volume targets can be met. But when the worker is criticisms is very difficult. Actually, criticisms were shared of the new facilities and

Ha Long Essay

A customer buys products based on their look and the quality inside . This is an example of how tourists choose their tourist destination and I have a wonderful destination that everyone should come once time in their life † Ha Long † . Ha Long is one of seven nature wonders of the world. Visiting Ha Long bay, you can experience the diversity of natural views, from sandy beaches to thousand year old rocky mountains. Why should you choose Ha Long bay to visit ? The word Ha Long in Vietnamese means the dragon descends into the sea and he legend says that the island of Ha Long was created by a great dragon who lived in the mountain, it sounds very interesting. First, I will let you know about the wonderful scenery. When you come to Ha Long, you can just describe as a â€Å"wow† , from great father mountain to thousand year old caves, from sandy beach to diving to discover the sea . Ha Long bay will lead you from one surprise to another. Beside that, Ha Long has had a particularly significant position because of its location o​n the important communication and trade route between China, Japan and Thailand , so you can see the great combination of culture of four countries. What will you do when you come to Ha Long bay ? As I said, Ha Long is a great combination of scenary and culture , so there are so many trips that take you to experience the beauty and culture of Ha Long . You will visit Ha Long on a cruise , which is called cruise tour that will lead you visit all places in Ha Long , it looks like you are mixing with the natural , beauty of sea , mountains and caves .Come to Ha Long bay, you will have agreat opportunity to get experience about life on water , which means people live all their life on water , we call that â€Å"fishing village on the sea†. you can also enjoy the fresh seafood, from shrimp, fish, jelly fish to many kinds of seafood that you have never eaten and if you want to cook for yourself , you can do it . Especially , you can try a famous dish of Ha Long † jelly fish noodle† . I promise that Ha Long bay is a value trip that you should try , the friendly traditional of people in Ha Long , the wonderful lanscape. Imagine you are walking up in the beautiful sunshine amid the rock, islets and caves and see  the view of Ha Long bay on the top of the mountain will give you a bird-eye view on the bay. I promise that no place in the world has the wonderful view like Ha Long bay. The experience from one to another will lead you to many surprises, the culture, the landscape, cuisine of Ha Long bay . Do not procrastinate , come to Ha Long and enjoy a wonderful gift of nature.