The logic of alliance Value Creation model on case study Renault and Assignment

The logic of alliance Value Creation model on case study Renault and Nissan - Assignment Example In this manner the alliance has proved to be a success for both Nissan and Renault. However the two companies are still facing challenges in creating an organizational culture that can maximize cooperation between the human resources from the two companies. In order to create the maximum value from this alliance, Nissan and Renault need to share their core competencies to synergistic effects. This will enable both companies to improve their specifications and standards in a continuous process so that the competitive advantages of both companies are made sustainable. Strengths and weaknesses Nissan’s strength is the worldwide market share while Renault’s strength is in financial management (Glover, 2006). By forming this alliance, both companies will be able to address these structural problems. In order to maintain its financial strength, the French car maker Renault has to access new markets and this objective is met by forming the alliance with the Japanese car maker Nissan. Both companies will be able to implement the practice of benchmarking which is defined as comparing an organization’s performance against the best practices in the industry. This alliance will enable Nissan to compare its financing strategies against those of Renault and thus identify the areas of improvement. Renault will be able to compare its product development practices with those implemented by Nissan. As a result both companies can improve their efficiencies in these operational processes and thus strengthen their competitive advantages. ... The main weakness is the different focus in each organization design. Nissan places strategic focus upon supply chain management while Renault’s strategic focus is upon product development. Therefore there are structural dissimilarities which must be addressed if the alliance is to enable Nissan and Renault to capitalize upon each other’s assets. The challenge in front of the management is to create a decision making process which will enable the human resources from both companies to coordinate their efforts so that there is no duplication. This can address the company-specific weaknesses. Nissan’s financial weakness can be addressed by importing the financial management practices from Renault. Similarly Renault can access additional geographic markets in order to maximize its market reach. However in order to meet the demand from additional markets, Renault has to focus upon supply chain management which is Nissan’s strength. Nissan has embarked upon a c ost-cutting initiative to create greater demand for its products. If Nissan can reduce its cost of operations, then it will be able to price its automobiles more competitively. Because of its financial management practices, Renault has been successful in maintaining demand for its products in the market that the automaker currently operates in. However demand in these markets is shrinking. Therefore Renault needs to access additional markets in those regions which have growing demand. By forming the alliance with Nissan, Renault has been able to meet this objective. By forming this alliance, Renault will be able to access those markets that Nissan operates in. As a result, Renault will be able to sell more cars and enhance scale economies. Because of the high costs of new

The Border DisputeWar Between Umma and Lagash Essay

The Border DisputeWar Between Umma and Lagash - Essay Example The border dispute and war between Umma and Lagash has a prominent place in the history of mankind as this marked the only recorded dispute between two city states over the issue of water and agriculture. "The only recorded incident of an outright war over water was 4,500 years ago between two Mesopotamian city-states, Lagash and Umma, in the region we now call southern Iraq." (Postel and Wolf, 60) Umma is greatly famous for the important wars that it fought against Lagash and the chief motivation of these wars was to free itself from paying tributes to the other city state. Competition for the open areas in the Near East followed the expansion of the city state's zone of influence and the border dispute and war between Umma and Lagash is one of the finest illustrations of the intercity wars over agricultural land. In fact, the increased competition over land among these city states is explicit as demonstrated in the series of documents found in the southern state of Lagash. "Over a period of 150 years, from about 2500 to 2350, the kings of Lagash provided their accounts of a border conflict with their northern neighbor Umma. The war was described in terms of a dispute between Ningirsu, patron deity of Lagash, and Shara, god of Umma, over an area of fields called Gu'edena, 'edge of the plain'." (Mieroop, 45) This paper undertakes an analysis of the events that caused the dispute and war between Umma and Lagash which has got immense significance to the historians. The city states of Sumerian civilization began to build upin ancient Mesopotamia around the year 4000 BC and one of the most significant outcomes of these developments was the emergence of several conflicts among them. Following such crucial wars among the city states, the relevance of warfare also increased and factors such as wealth, the availability of transportation, irrigation, luxury goods such as timber, stone and metals etc determined the warfare of the city states. The importance of the conflict between Umma and Lagash is that it was the earliest recorded war between any city states. The city states of Lagash and Umma were on the competition the possession and agricultural usufruct of the fertile region of Guendena for several generations. The war was caused by the violation of an earlier boundary treaty by Umma and Lagash began the war with Umma. The king of Umma was defeated by Eannatum of Lagash in this war which is important for a commemorative stele known as The Stele o f Vultures. "Although it is not the earliest conflict, the first war for which there is any detailed evidence occurred between Lagash and Umma in 2525 B.C., two Sumerian cities located eighteen miles apart The importance of this war to the military historian lies in a commemorative stele that Eannatum erected to celebrate his victory." (Early Sumerian Warfare) The historical importance of The Stele of Vultures was that it corresponds to the first important pictorial of war in the Sumerian period and, thus, there are significant pictorial evidences of the border conflict between Umma and Lagash. The most important document illustrating the border conflict and war between the city states of Umma and Lagash is the account given by King Enmetena and the beginning of Early Dynastic III marks the best documented period for military history. The series of martial inscriptions by the warrior kings of Lagash (2495-2345 BC) provide a clear picture of the war history