Evaluating source material Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating source material - Essay Example analytical because it states social responsibility refers to action that is accepted by the society using the words, â€Å"an action that society expects.† However, the authors do not state their point clearly. Instead of using the word ‘rather,’ they would have used the term additionally. This term is more analytical than ‘rather.’ The third paragraph is analytical because the author uses the word â€Å"this process, however, is predicated on the interrelationship between business and society where each one is interdependent and responsible together for the outcomes,’ to indicate that the continuity of business ethics depends on the relationship between the society and organizations. The authors have also supported their point using a citation that recognizes the authors who argued that for the development of mutual relationship between the society and businesses (Stevenson, & Wood, 2008). I would like to ask the authors to identify the model of business ethics that they promised to deliver in the introduction. This is because the authors stated that their aim of writing the paper was to provide a business ethics model, which is lacking in previous literature. I would also like to ask the authors how many sources of literature they analyzed to conclude that no one has developed a model of business ethics. I would also ask the authors to explain whether it is only executives who should act ethically in their

E-commerce Initiative by Competing Firms Term Paper

E-commerce Initiative by Competing Firms - Term Paper Example The researcher states that commerce is often a basic economic activity that mostly involves trading or the buying and selling of goods and services. During the early days, businesses were mostly conducted face to face for example a customer would enter a bookshop, examines the books, and pays for them. In order to fulfill the customer requirements, the bookshop needs to carry out other transactions and business functions such as to process the payment. However, with the advancement in technology whose aim is to cover a larger market segment, the question is whether the commercial transactions and business functions can be carried out electronically in a more successful manner. E-commerce is therefore an important activity a firm can venture into if it wants to be successful. Thus in E-commerce there is no paperwork or personal contact. In order for a firm to be successful, it must look back to what used to be done to the traditional business, how management used to operate in those t imes and the information technology that was applied. Moreover, the company needs to evaluate its business environment and other factors such as corporate strategies, her business structure, and the resources available for the business. Ecommerce has lately changed the economy and affecting most companies on how they transact their business. Today, it is clear that no company can ignore ecommerce as it has been a more effective method of doing business and more convenient to even customers. Business strategy is a long term plan on how a given company will get enough profit to keep it in operation. However, this can be possible if the given company if the given ecommerce strategy would be able to implement the given activity in the most efficient way. Ritesh believes that for a successful ecommerce strategy, the company must consider their relationship with the consumer. Most often, the business owners neglect their relationship with the buyer and in so doing, they would be losing cu stomers. Therefore, good customer service online goes hand in hand to retaining customers as the sole aim of a business is to make a profit that depends on retaining and acquiring new customers. Moreover, supply chain management is also essential in a successful online business as it ensures good communication between the business and the consumer (98). The four companies use ecommerce which has made them take advantage of tools and techniques being provided in the ecommerce websites such as the shopping cart, use of video that are more cost effective and easier to implement by the organization. However, they have adopted in the use of business strategies due to the much competition amongst themselves. Safaricom, Zain, Orange, and Yu mobile service providers have come up with different strategies in order to gain a competitive edge over the other. 1.1 Costs The four firms located in the same environment have mostly been successful in Kenya where they have looked for ways to gain a c ompetitive advantage over them. This strategy aims at a firm becoming the lowest production company in a given industry. However, it is never an easy way so it calls for nice planning on how to do it. In the past companies often had to deal with the issue of competition with either increasing their sales or by decreasing cost in order to

Knowledge Management organizational practice Essay

Knowledge Management organizational practice - Essay Example One popular characterization of KM defines it as "the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use and exploitation, in pursuit of organizational objectives" (Skyrme, 2002, p. 4). Traditionally, two major views have been presented in the scholarly literature on KM, namely: the informational resources management (or management of explicit knowledge) and management, which creates the environment in which people could easily develop and share the knowledge. The key distinction between these two views is that they adopt different views on the importance of the two basic forms of knowledge that exist within any organizational setting. Knowledge is an abstract multilateral concept which encompasses a wide range of facts, specific skills, procedural knowledge etc. Although the elements of knowledge seem to be equally important there have been many attempts to arrange the internal structure of knowledge in a sort of order. One of the most popular classifications of knowledge widely applied in the organisational research is based on the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge Tacit knowledge as a specific form of knowledge in organizational setting was identified by Polanyi (1962). (Polanyi, 1966). Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) define tacit knowledge as "... highly personal and hard to formalize. Subjective insights, intuitions and hunches fall into this category of knowledge" (p. 40). In other words, tacit knowledge is knowledge which exists 'within' or inside individuals and, therefore, it is extremely difficult to express, transfer or share with others (Newell et al. 2002, p. 3). By contrast, the explicit knowledge is the form of knowledge that allegedly can be explained by individuals. This implies that the useful knowledge possessed by each individual can be articulated and made explicit (accessible to other members of the organization). Explicit knowledge can then be transferred across the whole organization in codified form (e.g. documents, drawings, procedures, manuals, databases, etc.) with information systems playing the key role in the transfer (Sanchez). Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) define explicit knowledge as follows: "can be expressed in words and numbers and can be easily communicated and shared in the form of hard data, scientific formulae, codified procedures or universal principles" (p. 40). Explicit knowledge in organizations is commonly stored in databases and other documents; the place of tacit knowledge is in the brains of people. Several knowledge management programmes implemented in the organisational practice paid specific attention to converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge believing such approach would result in substantial benefits. However, such attempts mostly proved useless and ineffective because no document, database or other source of explicit knowledge has the potential to adequately replicate the experience accumulated by human being over long years of work. The cognitive

Cyber Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cyber Ethics - Essay Example The topics under discussion are the downloading of songs (copyrighted and patented music content) and online published books or e-books. The idea of downloading these materials is considered illegal in the technological environment. On the other hand ethics in the society would argue that downloading of these materials is legitimate to some level and is considered right since it serves the society in an advantageous way through offering education. The revolution of the internet has seen the need for the multiple millions of online users to gain access to information (Palfrey, 2009). Cyber ethics are divided and different in different countries around the world. The involvement of the worldwide governments in the internet age is important in bridging the gap to information access. Do not think an interested, talented and passionate music artist, or a bright, intelligent genius individual should be denied access to information or material that would help them better their talents or im prove on their research skills (Palfrey, 2009). One instance of this is exemplified by the Google’s YouTube website which restricts the viewing of Videos to certain locations around the globe. This is a perfect example of denial of access to information. ... The decisions made by every single user (students) regarding the use of copyrighted material are dependent on the ownership of the particular service or good (material). Let us say, for example, one user legally purchases an artist’s album form ITunes or for the accredited stores. Well, after purchase ownership changes (Palfrey, 2009). One would argue form the above example that after the transfer of ownership after purchase of the good, the owner has all the right to do anything they want with the material they bought or purchased. The social norms and laws give the understanding for this notion. Is it questionably wrong or illegitimate to lend a friend an e-book or an album I purchased with my own funds? I do not think so. This is one of the debatable facts regarding the morals of downloading material form the internet and copy updating through pasting from one user PC to the other PC. Downloading songs over the internet has been revolutionized to the extent there is a negli gible number of artist who sell tangible albums for their audio songs on sale. Sales and marketing of commodities is being carried out on the internet in major abundance. The demand on the other hand is high, bringing the idea of online piracy to supplement the high demand for the needed material. The advantage of gaining access to information is that one derives the satisfaction of getting something thy want at a particular time and the preferred way they need it. It is majority human nature not to buy a song if they know where they can get one for free. The need for access to information, knowledge, and culture are central to human freedom and human development towards future access to technology and accurate

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Midterm Exam - Essay Example The heritage of Mesopotamian civilization consists of simple and elegant architectures that include temples where religious leader had a high position and carry out religious ceremonies. At a point in history, due to internal conflicts within the people of the region gave rise to some influential and powerful individuals, which turned out to be the rulers and their position, came under consideration as divine. The people believed that these divine rulers were the messengers of gods who has come under authorization by gods to rule over them. As the region was unprotected from the foreign invasions and attacks based on its topographical features, rich local men established a defense body to protect their land and people (Oakes, pp. 26-30). Egyptian civilization and the territory of Egypt came under situation around the river Nile. The river provided the region with natural security barrier, which protected the area and supported the irrigation and trade activities that were the basis of their economy. Due to the locality of the civilization, it provided them with tranquility and harmony in the region. The pyramids were one of the major parts of the rich heritage of the Egyptian society. In the religious context of the beliefs of the people of Egypt, pharaoh was the dominant figure that came under consideration to be ambassador of the gods with ultimate supremacy and command (Bell & Quie, pp. 6-8). Both the civilizations and cultures have many differences that separate them from each other in many aspects that include their political sector, art, and architecture, although they have played an influential role on one another, yet they are diverse and dissimilar. The language, which Mesopotamian people used to communicate, came under characterization by complex graphical and symbolic representation, whereas the Egyptian people developed the more creative language that

Ha Long Essay Example for Free

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 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 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.

Diversified in industries and electronics

Diversified in industries and electronics Introduction Initially, Samsung started out as a small export business in Korea. It then diversified in industries and electronics. The company has been responsive to change and opportunity in global business brought by the digital era with its constant innovation and attractive, marketable products.1 As a result, Samsung is now positioned as one of the world recognized leaders in the digital technology industry. The Samsung World Headquarters is located in Seoul, Korean. 1 History In 1938, founding chairman Byung-Chull Lee started a small trade export business in Taegu, Korea. In the 1970s, Samsung invested in the heavy, chemical and petrochemical industries as a foundation for future growth. Samsung also incorporated its manufacturing processes from raw materials to end products which further enhance its position in the worlds textile industry. Samsungs core technology businesses diversified and expanded globally during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Soon after, two research and development (RD) institutes were created. This boost its reach even further into electronics, semiconductors, high polymer chemicals, genetic engineering, optical telecommunications, aerospace and new fields of technology innovation from nanotechnology to advanced network architectures. In the mid-1990s, Samsung revolutionised its business aiming to make world-class products, provide total customer satisfaction and be a good corporate citizen. Samsung has constantly developed advance d technologies, competitive products and constant innovation 1. Main Technologies and Capabilities Main Capabilities Research and Development Innovation is at the heart Samsungs business success. To be competitive in the new digital age, Samsung maintains and strengthens its market dominance through the speedy introduction of new technology. The company has placed high importance to the interplay of creative, imaginative human resources, a global RD network, a strong collaboration among business partners all along the supply chain, and the commitment to ongoing investment. Currently, Samsung is making historic advances in RD of semiconductor products, especially flash memory and non-memory, custom semiconductors, DRAM and SRAM, LCDs, mobile phones, and digital appliances1 Eco Samsung Samsung has displayed its strong commitment and responsibility for the world environment. It has made efforts to develop environmentally-friendly products which consume low levels of energy and which contain no hazardous materials. The company has also modified its assembly processes to cut down carbon emissions substantially.2 Main Technologies Samsung comprises of companies that have become market leaders in a wide range of business, from electronics to financial services, from chemicals and heavy industries to trade and services. All the businesses are setting new standards in innovation, constantly generating high quality products and services.3 Owing to Samsungs large RD sector, many new technologies and innovative designs emerge. Below are a few of the newest technologies developed by Samsung. Main Markets, Products and Competitors Markets Samsung Group consists of numerous international affiliated businesses such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Samsung CT. These three multinational core businesses of Samsung Group signify their strong foothold in the electronics, shipbuilding and construction markets. Besides that, Samsung also plays a part in the financial, chemical, retail and entertainment markets. 1 Samsung reports a strong presence in its home country of South Korea as its market share in telecommunications is 18.87%. 1 Samsung appeals to the global market as it is the most popular consumer electronics brand since 2005 with 7.55% of global market share in telecommunications1. Products Samsung first started moving into businesses such as insurance, securities and retail. Later, upon borrowed foreign investments, Samsung ventured into the telecommunications industry with Samsung Electronics. With the support of South Korean President; Samsung developed the first dynamic random access memory chip. 1Most importantly Samsung are leading in the production of memory chips, chipmakers and liquid-crystal display panels. 1 Considered as a strong competitor in the world of electronics, Samsung highlighted innovative strategy and expanded production rapidly to become the worlds largest producers of DRAM chips, flash memory, optical storage and recently liquid crystal displays. In addition Samsung strives to improve by delivering innovative products such as the TV and monitor industrys thinnest LED TVs and most compact colour laser printers and multifunctional devices. Being a global leader in telecommunications equipment; Samsung plays the role in development of the next gene ration of 4G-network. 1 Competitors According to the Figure 1 below; Nokia is clearly the main competitor as it holds 37% of the mobile phones sales global market share. In 2009, Samsungs touch screen devices, QWERTY phones and smart phones drove sales in mature markets with 19% of the global market share7. LG poses 11% as a competitor as it moves into lower-tier devices which drive growth in emerging markets. It is also well positioned to take advantage of Chinas 3G Rollout as it can deliver good-value-for-money devices. Motorola has 11% market share which is reasonably smaller, however with its presence rapidly concentrated on the American it serves as a competition in the American market. Being in a competitive market, Sony Ericsson at 5% of the global market share attributes its poor performance to its uncompetitive range of handsets such as exploiting trends like QWERTY products. Therefore Sony Ericsson is a smaller competitor compare to Nokia and other phones such as Apple, HTC, and Blackberry. Nokia is Samsungs biggest competitor due to its early investments in GSM technologies therefore making the company into the worlds largest mobile producer manufacture. Up to date Nokia produced various innovative products such as the first 3G phones, Ovi internet services and N-series multimedia phone. Nokias revenue is reported to be 9.3 million Euros. 9 Its success is due to its high investment in the RD which is present in 16 countries, representing 31% of their total workforce. 8 Nokia phones are also seen as being highest quality as they have a highly recognizable packaging style which operates with an aggressive marketing strategy hence elevating them above their competitors. Samsungs Innovative Activities Samsungs ambition to become one of the worlds top companies is supported by continuous pursuit in innovative RD and building a distinctive brand. As stated in the Annual Report 2008, approximately 40 %( 42,100 researchers) of Samsungs global employees are involved in RD to develop cutting edge technologies1. Samsung Advanced Institute in Technology is the global hub of Samsungs RD organization which includes Mechatronics and Manufacturing Technology Centre and 14 overseas centres7. In 2008, Samsung obtained 3,515 patents in the US with an increase from 2007 placing them in second place in the annual patent ranking. To further push forward in a variety of market and customer focused brand marketing programs, Samsung successfully completed their role as the official wireless equipment partner of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics Games. 7 In 2008, Samsungs investment of 6.9 trillion KRW which represented 9.5% of parent company sales brings in technological breakthrough such as 256GB solid-state drive, 90nm high-performance smart card chip, 82-inch 120Hz quad-HD-resolution TV panel, and a Mobile WiMax II (802.61m) solution.1 This also enables innovations like front-load washers with time, energy and wear-saving â€Å"bubble wash† technology and the industrys most compact colour laser printers. Following these success, Samsung plans to invest 7.9 trillion KRW in RD to support future development of tomorrows technology. 7 RD Structure and Priorities Table 2: Core business research areas at SAIT10 Research in Product Areas Descriptions Computer Science Drives long term differentiation of Samsung platforms(phones, TV) by combining Computer Science with Consumer Electronics Research involves building tangible artifacts like prototypes so that we can learn from the process of building them Current research: situation awareness, Intelligent Web Media and trusted platforms Situation awareness develops novel, optimal personalized services leading the next generation of personalized mobile technology Intelligent Web Media pioneers technologies such as new phenomenon in which all TV content is available on the Internet can be streamed or dowloaded directly to the TV Trusted platforms researches on strong protection of device firmware for network providers and users Wireless Connectivity Research in developing a wide range of cutting edge wireless techniques such as beam forming to initiate ubiqitous wireless connectivity with various data requirements up to multi-giga bits per second Digital Media Solution(DMS) Advanced Algorithm: engaged in research and development related to theories, algorithm, and application of image and video processing for Samsung Digital TVs Core Platform: Actively researching to provide Internet Protocol Television to provide internet and cable connectivity Future User Experience: develop user interface designs from conceptualization through prototyping to implementation Advanced Printing Solution Research in Software Architecture Technology enabling the efficient development of increasingly complex software Research areas in System Technology involves new features protoypes and etc Current and future research areas in Solution Software Technology are core research related to Web technologies and application of Web Services to printers Storage To develop quiet hard drives with highest storage capacity and lowest power consumption Organisation of RD Samsungs RD organisation run in SAIT consists of three layers: Samsungs technology competitiveness in core business areas identifies growth engines for the future and securing, and management of technology. The RD centres of each business focus on technology that is expected to deliver the long-term results. Division product development teams are responsible for marketing products due to hit markets in a short period of time. From the Figure 2, the organisation is shown to be a hybrid between centralised and decentralised RD. It is a simplified diagram of the organisation of Samsung RD involving SAIT and two of their centres in their global network of RD. Samsungs RD network consist of six centres in Korea and 18 centres in 9 different countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, India, Japan and China. 11 These various RD centres and their distribution into research areas such as Dallas Telecom Laboratory that research on technologies and products for next-generation telecommunications systems. Innovation Strategy Firms Innovation Strategy Background and Strategy â€Å"By implementing this newly established RD plan, we can develop the technology that will drive Samsungs future.† -Hak-Soo Lee, vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics said.14 Samsung Electronics instituted many RD centres globally to enhance in-house product design. The first centre was established in Osaka, Japan, followed by another in Frankfurt, Germany to focus on products for the European markets.15 In the same year, Samsung Electronics established a research centre to address product planning needs in South-East Asian markets. In November 2000, Samsung Electronics targeted to transform itself into a â€Å"Digital -eCompany†, capable of leading in digital convergence. The company upgraded the development model from division-centric into portfolio-centri16. This aimed to multiple divisions and units to create integrated solutions for home networks, mobile networks, office networks and core-component business portfolios. With these initiatives, Samsung Electronics pursued four key areas: RD, design, brand marketing and corporate citizenship. Investment in Design and RD RD is an important innovation strategy at Samsung. RD and design centres developed technologies which is being used to produce products. Samsung Electronics employed more than 40000 engineers17 in its RD department, and 3,200 held PhDs. Samsung Electronics attributed its leading position in the industry to four main factors: creative people in the organization who could develop technologies; co-operation among business partners throughout the supply chain; the firms ability to explore and penetrate new markets; and the speed of innovation and product development18. Users-Centric Design Philosophy Samsung Electronics applied the design philosophy into its products and stressed that â€Å"design and creative strengths were at the heart of corporate competitiveness.†19 This reflected a concept of a balance between reason and feelings, from which Samsung Electronics developed a scale with â€Å"reason† on one end and â€Å"feeling† on the other to measure perfection of design. The products manufactured by Apple Computer Inc (â€Å"Apple†) occupied the â€Å"feeling† zone with an emphasis on simplicity of products, whereas Sony products tended toward the â€Å"reason† zone with lots of complex features.20 However, Samsung Electronics designers balanced â€Å"reason† and â€Å"feeling† by rationalizing the design of products using geometric and technological parameters and then enhancing the design such that products made an emotional connection with the user. Over 700 highly skilled designers in different design centres conducted various research projects in the fields of industrial design, graphic design, interaction design, human factors, lifestyle research; creative business-planning, visual brand strategy, materials exploration, colour theory and computer-aided design. Global Localization strategy Global Localization strategy is adopted, through which designers developed product design blueprints according to global design standards and themes, while remaining flexible enough to allow local design centres to accommodate specific market needs and cultural contexts.22 A simple example is explained by, Younghee Lee, vice-president of marketing, that beautiful design of mobile phones could be appreciated by a Parisian or Indian, but noted that the Indian user, who often lacked a reliable electricity supply, needed a longer-lasting battery than a Parisian.23 The Global Localization strategy helped Samsung Electronics establish itself as an innovative and first-class consumer electronics company. EXHIBIT 1: SAMSUNGS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: BALANCE OF REASON AND FEELING Fast Follower To overcome the companys image as a producer of cheap products, Samsung Electronss product diversification differentiated the company from its key competitors, many of which were focused on single or smaller numbers of products. Apple, for example, specialised in portable music players and held a major share in the global market for these devices. Nokia and Motorola were best known for mobile phones, and Sony focused on consumer electronics. The market trends and technological, also the competitive circumstances impacts on its innovation strategy, which has a lots of reason to reveal that Samsung Electron is fast follower, although some brand-new design of products were launched. Protect its innovations Samsung Electronics strategy of combining product design, RD and brand management turned the firm into a leader in the consumer electronics market. Samsung Electronics operated six RD centres in South Korea and a total of 16 centres in eight different countries. These RD centres developed technologies that could be commercialised in the near future. The CTO developed proprietary technologies, managed the deployment of key technologies and guided the overall RD process within the organisation. This highly efficiency of organization system is not easily imitated by the rivals in a short period of time. Thus, it has enough evidence to believe that a large amount of RD spending combined with brand management as well as the effective organization system is able to protect its innovations. Patents and Achievement During seven years from 2001, Samsung Electronics received 19 awards at the International Design Excellence Awards (â€Å"IDEA†). In 2006, the company registered 17,377 patents worldwide, including patents aimed at fusion technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology24. In 2007, Samsung Electronics held a dominant worldwide market share25for LCDs and TVs. The company unparalleled edge and leadership in RD and design were underscored by awards for 32 of its products at the CES Innovations 2008 Awards. Challenges for the Future Competition in the consumer electronics market was fierce, as many global players entered the market with large product portfolios. Digital convergence invited more companies from related industries such as software, PC and network services to enter the market. Entry of such new players further intensified the competition. Competitors of Samsung Electronics such as LG, Nokia, Panasonic, Sony and some Chinese firms had started investing heavily in RD and product design. All major competitors adopted the concept of localizing their product design to suit target markets. The design advantage of Samsung Electronics started to diminish as product design strategies and processes became commoditized. Samsung Electronics had to devise strategies to defend not only its position in the market, but also its profitability in the competitive environment. Advancements in technology had shortened product lifecycles and product replacement had become a key driver for revenue growth. Samsung Electronics invested about 9% of net sales in RD of newer technologies, features and designs to offer newer products and attract customers. However, some of its competitors, including Apple, Sony and LG Electronics, had significantly lower RD expenditure per product. Firms such as Philips, Dell and Motorola were adopting outsourcing of product design to lower RD costs and shorten time-to-market. These brands were buying product blueprints and technology from contract manufacturers and independent design firms such as IDEO, Quanta Computer, Premier Imaging, HCL Technologies and Wipro Technologies. Companies took varying approaches to design outsourcing. For example, HP contributed key technology and design to its computers, whereas Dell preferred to adopt entire designs from its design partners. Motorola bought complete designs for its low-end mobile phones but kept tight control over the development of its high-end cell phones, such as the Razr. However, outsourcing of product design and RD raised serious concerns about intellectual property rights, product management, integrity and incubation of new competitors. For example, Motorola outsourced the design and manufacturing of its mobile phones to Taiwanese manufacturer BenQ. In 2004, BenQ started selling the mobile phones in the Chinese market under its own brand, which resulted in termination of its contract with Motorola. Considering the immediate urge to optimise RD costs and potential concerns associated with design outsourcing. References Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/history03.html Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/aboutus/ESH/ESH.html Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/affiliatedcompanies.html Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/ourbusinesses/businessarea/devicesolutionsbusiness.html Gartner Newsroom: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1126812 Nokia Connecting People: Story of Nokia http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/company/story-of-nokia/mobile-revolution/leading-the-world Appsolutely Everything: Samsung Market Share: http://stats.getjar.com/statistics/world/manufacturer/Samsung Nokia: Mobile Revolution: http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/company/story-of-nokia/mobile-revolution Nokia: Biz Covering: http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/nokias-revenue-lowered-with-twenty-seven-percent/ Samsung Research and Development: http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ourbusinesses/researchdevelopment.html Samsung RD Center(SISA): http://www.sisa.samsung.com/default.htm Kim, Y. (1997) â€Å"Technological Capabilities and Samsung Electronics International Production Network in Asia†, BRIE Kim, Y. (1997) â€Å"Technological Capabilities and Samsung Electronics International Production Network in Asia†, BRIE Working Paper 106, p. 20 Newswire (8 November 2005) â€Å"Samsung Companies Announce 5-Year, 47 Trillion Won Investment Plan† Kim, Y. (1997) â€Å"Technological Capabilities and Samsung Electronics International Production Network in Asia†, BRIE Working Paper 106, p. 26 Samsung Electronics (2001) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung Electronics (2007) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung Electronics (2007) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung (2006) â€Å"Annual Report†, p. 41. Breen, B. (2007) â€Å"The Seoul of Design† Delaney, M., et al. (2002) â€Å"Global Localization†, Global Design and Cultural Identity Ibid., p. 44. Ewing, J. (2008) â€Å"Samsungs New Marketing Push†, BusinessWeek Samsung Electronics (2006) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung Electronics (2007) â€Å"Annual Report†.