1. Write the inverse function of?

2. What is the last step for solving a logarithmic equation? 

3. Simplify: .

4. What is the first thing you do to solve the given exponential equation   ?

Write the first step that you do.

5. What is the first step that needs to be done to solve  ? Write the first step.

6. True or false?

log⁡(x.y)=log⁡x.log⁡y

If false, write the above equation with correction

7. What is the change of base formula? Or write a formula for loga⁡M.

8. Write as a single logarithm.  2log⁡x+3log⁡y.

9. Simplify: ln⁡et.

10. Simplify log⁡(110k). (Hint: Use rule 1xm=x−m)

 

 

 

 

 

IKEA Company

Values- Based Service Brand

Student’s Name

Instructor’s Name

Course Title

Date

 

 

 

 

Introduction

            On creation of values based on stakeholders and customers, A lot of keen interest has been taken by IKEA. This will help in the promotion of environmental and development of the company and the social responsibility that will assist the stakeholders and customers in accordance to the company’s success (Colvin, 2008). To promote attributes to satisfy stakeholders and customers’ needs, IKEA has ventured or taken a lot of attention on marketing. This papers demonstrates and discusses the marketing, intangible products, performance measures, customers, and Strategy of IKEA consisting Value Chain

IKEA’s Marketing

To know and understand the needs of the customers, marketing has become the main attribute that lead the company. Marketing ensures that the customers receive the wants they require for the in order to satisfy the sustainability of the stakeholders and that of the customers as well. These contribute in company development and it also ensures that the customer is totally and well taken care of by making available all the resources they require.

            Marketing assist the company to value the stakeholders of the company and the customers. This is achieved by presenting the importance of customers and stakeholders to the company. It puts more concentration on the environment as one of the important values as it values since the environment deal with most of the issues affecting the company in the world of management ((Joseph, 2002). Environment is the employees and company there and it illustrates whether they handle their customers well for the company and make them feel more comfortable make them feel more happy and contented when they are buying.

            They ensure that there are various development and assist in the company’s growth in the world of competition. Due to the income earned from the customers, economy becomes the other value which ensures the development as they ensure company’s growth in the competition world. The company is assisted by economy to make it fit in the growing economy of the world and ensures that the confidences of the customers are intact in the company as a result of its economy.

            The behaviors of the employees in the company are showed by the social values. It ensures the happiness and comfortably in the company as they work for them so that they can relate well the customers. The key that most people ensure that they have so that they can get the normal understanding of the development and show important points on how they recount/relate to the customers in their working area is communication. Communication is therefore an important attribute as it ensures that the employees and the customers have good working relationship in the company (Dr. Mark, 2007).

IKEA’s strategy

Value Chain

            In the IKEA Company, there are three value chains. They help in understanding, in the income earned and widely in company development. One of the values that promote the development of the company is economics. This is because economics promotes income generation is not out of force and is much related to the world growing economy. These are so because to the needs of the customers are known to the company management since they ensure that the needs of the customers are accomplished and that of the stakeholders as well. Social value is referred to as the community and that the people involved in these values are the customers. This also helps to develop the company farther as it ensure that there is good relationship between the customers and the employees of the company.

            The most preserved to that of the products’ nature and how they affect the customers and the employees are the environmental value (Joseph, 2002). It takes the great choice and value of the customers as they consider the environment and how they are treated whenever they come to the company.

Intangible Products

            The IKEA intangible products are designed by the company in such a way that they affect the customer, suppliers and the employees and it has interfered with the nature of the sakes of the products. Sometimes it is a benefit to the customers since they help them in identifying the value of the products and also assist them in understanding the products’ value.

            Suppliers benefit from the means of transportation of the products depending on the nature if goods that reach the customers. In all these, it also helps the company to be in position of understanding the strength of and values of their goods ((Dr. Mark, 2007). Those who are majorly affected by this are the employees since they are the ones who experience several difficulties as a result of these intangible products.

            The barriers ensures that the products produced or made are different from their competitors as they warrants that the customers get a view of various product even if they pay a visit to their competitive companies. This also certifies that the company is valued because of the fact that there is great assistance in developing world economy.

            To all the customers, employees and even the suppliers, these intangible products are of value to them since they have exceptional common nature in the market as results of the goods they supply. The benefits of the tangible products assist the company in the idea on how to enjoy good product of value and this assist in boosting the economy of the company and ensures that the development flow among the workers are maintained (Colvin, 2008). This therefore, enables the company to fit well in the world economy since they have several customers which increases the profit that is earned annually.  

Customers

Since customers help in the main development of the company, they are considered the main stakeholders. They are the ones who ensure that they very much comfortable with the IKEA values. The flow of profit and income earned is determined by the customers and the company can possibly loose the customers if they do not develop the values and these can result to the collapse or fall of the company.

Though customers maximize the profit that IKAE make in one year, they can also minimize that profit as it can result to the fall in the income. The products also determine the commitment of the customers since sometimes they may not feel contented with the kind of products being offered to them by the company. It is the customers that determine the operations of the premises.

Sometimes when customers are not pleased with the products supplied to them by the suppliers, they can reject them and this may lead to the fall of the company affecting the economy of the entire country. When the products are in good state or the products are in perfect condition, the demand of those products rises and this makes the employees and the suppliers to work extra time to meet the demand by the customers (Van, Hogan & Kaiser, 2008). This high demand boosts the country’s economy and develops the company further but the employees are affected since they don’t have time to develop their life due to lots of job that is offered to them.

Performance Measures

            It is the nature of the organization that determines the performance. These are the customers, managers and employees. One of the measures that determine performance is the attendance of the employees and the customers since it reflects the income flow. Communication is also very important measure at it promptly assist in the supervision of the taken in a certain work and the time wasted.

The commitment of a person to work is determined by regular attendance that is appointed to that particular person in the company. Focusing on customers help the customers in product nature that is offered since it also helps in resource development and still contributes in nature development. Customer service is also another measure of performance. The company may have high buying power from the customers depending on how they are introduced to the available products.

The nature of the negotiations between the customers and the company and how they relate and come up with the product is another measure of performance (Dr. Mark, 2007). Customers also contribute in boosting or raising their confidence and in solving their problem.

Interpersonal relations are also another important measure. The relationship between the management and the employees must be perfect and in good condition to motivate the customers. This will help the way employees view at themselves and the customers too and if the company is worth their services.

In the matters of development, the actions of the employees are very important and matters a lot as they view knowledge and acceptance of the employees. Responsibility is also one of the significant measures which most people lack. Both the employees and the customers should understand that the organization exists because of them. Therefore, they should have the responsibility of developing the company and raising the economy of the country (Ku, 2008).

Recommendations

            In my own view, I can recommend that IKAE should increase the number of workers/employees so that whenever there is high demand of the product, employees can be in shift. Some will be working on day shifts while others will be working on night shifts. This will make the company has a rising flow of profit.

Conclusion

Due to the different fantastic styles used by IKAE in designing and the values offered to customers, IKAE has become the largest company. This has made them to post a major challenge to their competitors hence ensuring a continuous growth of the economy and the country at large.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Journals

Ku, G. (2008). Learning to de-escalate: The effects of regret in escalation of commitment.

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 105(2), 221-232.

Van Vugt, M., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, R. B. (2008). Leadership, followership, and evolution:

Some lessons from the past. American Psychologist, 63(3), 182-196.

Colvin, G. (2008, July 21). Information worth billions. Fortune, 158(2), 73-79.

Articles

Citizen Engineers: Leaders in Building a Sustainable World

Joseph “Bud” Ahearn. (2002). SVP CH2M Hill, Denver, Colorado

Turn Your Values into Value

Dr. Mark S. Albion. (2007). Co-Founder, Net Impact, San Francisco, California

 

 

 

1. Complete the table below to solve the equation 2.5x – 10.5 = 64(0.5x).

   x	f(x) = 2.5x – 10.5	g(x) = 64(0.5x)
   2
   3
   4
   5
   6

2. A newspaper started an online version of its paper 14 years ago. In a recent presentation to stockholders, the lead marketing executive states that the revenues for online ads have more than doubled that of the revenues for printed ads since starting the online version of the paper. Use the graph below to justify the lead executive’s statement and to determine the approximate year that the two ad revenues were equal.

3. Two ocean beaches are being affected by erosion. The table shows the width, in feet, of each beach at high tide measured where 1995 is represented by year 0. 

   Year number	Western Beach width (in feet)	Dunes Beach width (in feet)
   0	100	20
   5	90	45
   10	80	70
   11	78	75
   12	76	80
   15	70	95

   1. Describe the patterns shown by the erosion data measurements shown for each of the beaches in the table.
   2. Between which years will the beaches have approximately the same width?
   3. Assuming these rates remain constant, what can you do to get a better approximation of when the two beaches will have the same width?
4. A wooded area in a state park has a mixture of different types of trees. There are 800 pine trees and 50 oak trees. The number of pine trees is decreasing at a rate of 5% per year. The number of oak trees is increasing at a rate of 15% per year. If these trends continue:
   1. Write two functions to model this situation, and graph those two functions on the same coordinate grid.
   2. During what year in the future will the park have approximately the same number of pine and oak trees?
   3. How many of each type of tree will there be at that time?

 

Introduction

            International trade can be thought as the exchange of goods and services between countries. Such trade in many countries represents a fundamental share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

International trade gives rise to a world economy in which demand and supply or prices affect and are affected by the global proceedings (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998). When participating in the international trade, the member countries ought to account for the exports and imports in the county’s current account in the balance of payments so as to determine whether they are making profits or loss from the trade

Los Angeles, as a global city’s current economy overview.

Los Angeles can be termed as an extraordinarily global, but highly disaggregated, metro area. Besides lacking a commanding downtown that is inherent in majority of global cities and its reputation for sprawl, the region’s endless towns and cities merge to make one of the most densely populated urban areas in the United States (Fontagné, 2014)

Los Angeles global reach relates to a great length to its ports, advanced manufacturing and trade, films, investments, and immigration links to the Pacific Rim, which includes Latin America and Asia. Los Angeles is positioned among the most powerful global cities in the United States.

Studies indicate that it leads the country in annual exports which are approximated to be $79.8 based on goods and services that are produced in the metro area. The city is also the leading destination for foreign direct investment particularly from Europe, Canada, and Asia. Research has established that the Los Angeles port is the leading in the United States in terms of Container Volume (Fontagné, 2014).

This port is adjacent to Port of Long Beach that ranks second with reference to container traffic. When these two ports are taken as a single unit, they are ranked among the top five port complexes globally. In the recent A.T. Kearney’s Global Cities Index, Los Angeles was placed sixth and has been a consistent top twenty performer in other major rankings (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998)

Los Angeles is a leader in the fashion industry as well as in biotechnology and health sciences. The residents of Los Angeles of which about thirty-five percent are foreign-born represent a wide variety of cultures (the University of Birmingham. Dept. of Economics, 1996).

South Korea’s Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade in city of Los Angeles

Foreign Direct Investment refers to investment in a business by an investor from another country for which the foreign investors bears control over the organization purchased. Thus, the entities that make direct investments typically have a substantial level of influence and control over the company into which the investment is made (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998). The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) terms control as owning ten percent or more of the business.

South Korea is a significant market for the United States’ medium and small-sized firms that constitute the majority of the United States business exporting to South Korea. Studies by the Migration Policy Institute have indicated that there are over one and a half million Koreans in the United States with over one hundred and sixty residents of Korean origin living in Los Angeles (Fontagné, 2014).

Major strides have been made in promotion of the United States- Korea commercial and trade relations, specifically, the passage of United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Such factors make it favorable for South Korea to participate in international trade with the United States as well as making Foreign Direct Investments in the country particularly in Los Angeles city.

            Over the past year, South Korean foreign direct investment to the United States reached $36.1 billion with the South Korea’s tech industry finding a warm reception in Los Angeles. Other foreign direct investments by South Korea in Los Angeles include banking, manufacturing, and wholesale trade sectors (Fontagné, 2014).

Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade of Mexico in city of Los Angeles

            In the year 2013, Foreign Direct Investment in the city of Los Angeles by Mexico grew to a record of $35.2 which was more than double the level that was witnessed in the previous year.

Research indicates that the city of Los Angeles hosts the largest number of Mexican-owned and–affiliated organizations including Gigante Cemex and Bimbo Bakeries. Mergers and acquisitions indicate that Mexican investment is principally focused in the United States especially the City of Los Angeles (Fontagné, 2014).

The trends South Korea and Mexico’s economic scale (FDI, Trade) in Los Angeles, and Los Angeles to these two countries.

            In the recent years, the overall Foreign Direct Investment in Mexico has been nothing short of mediocre. This is despite the country’s post-hype crises. Foreign Direct Investment in 2014 for Mexico reached $22.6 billion. This may seem as though it is a good figure until it is compared to Foreign Direct Investment of other counties such as Brazil which despite finding itself in the economic doldrums and criticized for its red tape, rigid labor market, high taxes, and protectionist tendencies has managed over $60 billion annually since 2011 (Fontagné, 2014).

Thus, Mexico can only redeem itself by carrying out Foreign Direct Investment in other countries such as it is doing in Los Angeles. Studies have indicated that in the year 2014, the Foreign Direct Investment declined sharply with a thirty-nine percent decline in capital investment and sixteen percent decline in the number of Foreign Direct Investment projects in the Caribbean and Latin America. Mexico has been in the past years been experiencing a negative regarding its economic scales in Los Angeles (Fontagné, 2014).

With regard to the International Trade, Mexico has been experiencing a trade deficit in its transactions with the City of Los Angeles considering that it has been exporting less than it has been importing from Los Angeles ( the University of Birmingham. Dept. of Economics, 1996).

 On the other hand, the study revealed that the Asian- Pacific remained the leading destination for the Foreign Direct Investment. The region attracted over thirty-eight percent of all capital investments globally. The study revealed that South Korea had increased its capital investment overseas by one hundred and thirty-nine percent in the year 2014 which translated to $23 billion (Fontagné, 2014)

            With South Korea having various businesses in the city of Los Angeles then we can say that as far as the country’s economic scale in Los Angeles is concerned, the country has been having a positive trade with the tech industry being on the lead (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998).

 On the other hand, considering that Los Angeles is a global city, the city has had positive trend in both Mexico and South Korea regarding its economic scale in these two counties (Fontagné, 2014).

As it has been indicated before, Los Angeles leads in various industries and thus by conducting Foreign Direct Investment in these two countries, it will have a competitive advantage over the native firms. This may be due to the advancement in technology by entities from Los Angeles. Studies have shown that these entities are growing steadily and thus exhibit a positive trend.

The problem, each of this two country, is facing in Los Angeles’s market and way to overcome.

            As earlier stated, when conducting both international trade and Foreign Direct Investment, member countries ought to account for the exports and imports in the county’s current account in the balance of payments (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998). This is so as so to determine whether they are making profits or loss from the trade. Both Mexico and South Korea have seen little foreign interest when it comes to investing in Los Angeles due to market characteristics or competition conditions.

            Considering that the United States’ dollar and hence Los Angeles is more stable than the currencies of these two countries, Los Angeles has an advantage as it continues transacting with these two countries since the city and hence the United States enjoys the balance of trade benefits ( the University of Birmingham. Dept. of Economics, 1996).

The trade deficit of these two countries with the United States and hence Los Angeles dictates that the companies or entities of these two countries that are unable to compete with quality goods and services from the local firms lower their prices or risk going out of the business. So as to lower their costs, these companies may start outsourcing jobs. Some of the major problems that are faced by these countries in Los Angeles’s market are discussed below (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998)

            Ideology. Typically, basic ideologies play a critical role in the way negotiations are conducted. However, these ideologies differ in various states. Thus, while planning to conduct Foreign Direct Investment in Los Angeles, these two countries should carry out a feasibility study for their intended business ventures so as to determine whether the business people in Los Angeles tend to be more adversarial in their negotiations or whether they rely on consensus-building among other aspects (Fontagné, 2014).

Foreign bureaucracies. There are well-established and accepted ways of doing business in several of countries that may seem dangerous and difficult in another country. Things such as joint ventures and silent partners which are a virtual necessity in making business deals may not only difficult but potentially illegal in another country.

Thus, it is imperative for investors from these two countries to conduct a market research before carrying out Foreign Direct Investment in Los Angeles since this would help them in making major decisions which may aid in evading possible losses (Tharakan, Bulcke, and Plasschaert, 1998).

            Negotiating environment. When conducting a business, one cannot avoid some factors such as ranging degree of culture shock. This encompasses almost everything ranging from conflicting business styles to, new food to language variations and consequently, these factors make negotiations to be more difficult. Thus, the foreign investors from these two countries should conduct a market research, determine some of these factors with regard to the citizens of Los Angeles and subsequently strategize on the ways to overcome them (the University of Birmingham. Dept. of Economics, 1996)

            Foreign Direct Investment is transforming our commercial activities and societies. Every national business environment consists of unique cultural, political, legal, and economic characteristics. Thus, when undertaking Foreign Direct Investment, the management of the companies from these countries are likely to face all these factors. Thus, the management must be attentive to the nuances and adapt products and practices as required (Fontagné, 2014).

References

Fontagné, L. (2014) Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade: Complements or Substitutes? Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Tharakan, K, Bulcke, V, and Plasschaert, R. (1998) International Trade, Foreign Direct    Investment, and the Economic Environment: Essays in Honor of Professor Sylvain         Plasschaert. Palgrave Macmillan.

 

The University of Birmingham. Dept. of Economics. (1996) Foreign Direct Investment and           International Trade Theory. The University of Birmingham.