Corporate Operations of the BMW Group Case Study

Corporate Operations of the BMW Group - Case Study Example The BMW Group is a global manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. According to the BMW Group website (2008) the company concentrates entirely on premium standards and outstanding quality for all its brands and across all relevant segments. The BMW Group owns the BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce brands and it defines its strategic objective: "The BMW Group is the leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility" (BMW Group 2008). . The BMW Group's headquarters are in Munich, Germany where activities in over 150 countries are coordinated. It has 8 research and development centers - BMW Group Research and Innovation Center (FIZ), Munich; BMW Group Research and Technology, Munich; BMW Group Car IT, Munich; Innovation and Technology Center in Landshut Plant; BMW Group Designworks, Newbury Park, USA; BMW Group Engineering and Emissions Test Center, Oxnard, USA; BMW Group Technology Office, Palo Alto, USA; BMW Motoren GmbH Steyr, Austria; BMW Group Technology Office, Tokyo, Japan; BMW Group Development Office, Beijing, China. It has 17 production facilities in 6 countries: Berlin plant, Dingolfing plant, Eisenach plant, Contract production in Graz (Austria), Goodwood plant (GB), Hams Hall plant (GB), Landshut plant, Leipzig plant, Munich plant, Oxford plant (GB), Regensburg plant, Rosslyn plant (South Africa), Shenyang plant (China), Spartanburg plant (USA), Steyr plant (Austria), Swindon plant (GB), Wackersdorf pla nt. Assembly is done with external partners in different countries - Jakarta, Indonesia; Kaliningrad, Russia; Cairo, Egypt; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Rayong, Thailand; Chennai, India. Sales and marketing subsidiaries are also present in many countries, helping maintain and enhance BMW's presence in key markets - Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, USA. (BMW Group, 2008). The BMW Group deals not only with automotive products, it also develops, produces and markets motorcycles, as well as comprehensive financial services for private and business customers. For its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the BMW Group it is the only "car maker to pursue a purely premium strategy for all market sectors covered by its brands, from exclusive smaller cars to top-of-the-range luxury limousines", according to the group website (2008). For motorcycles, aside from the strategy to build the best motorcycles, the company has set standards for technology, environmental protection and safety, and customer service in the pre- and after-sales phases. Seeing financial services as a key factor in BMW's successful operations, it has established financing and leasing, asset

The horse as a compainion of human being Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The horse as a compainion of human being - Essay Example To date, animal domestication has become a common phenomenon across the world. People in various communities around the world domesticate a wide range of animals for various purposes. The level of intimacy between animals and humans varies across societies and animal species. This paper analyzes the human and animal interrelationships from domestication era to present. There is no clear definition of what constitutes the bond between animal and humans. However, it is evident that the relationship between animals and humans is based on various factors. This relationship could be for predatory purpose of economic dependence, companionship, sporting purposes and domestication, among others. However, many scholars perceive human animal relationship as the companionship between animals and humans. Across history, human beings have had a wide range of relationships with animals. Evidently, humans use animals for various purposes. This significantly determines their relationships with such animals. According to Price (23) the relationship between human and animals varies depending on the significance of the animals to human life. In this regard, humans express no interest in animals that are perceived to be irrelevant to their lives. Based on this assumption, hunting societies tend to express a great interest in their animals. In such societies, people develop significant cultural practices that are aimed at ensuring their success while hunting. On the other hand, people in pastoralist societies develop a close relationship with animals that they depend on for their cultural and physical survival. In such communities, humans develop intimate relationship with their animas, usually cattle. This also the case with nomadic and those people who domesticate animals for subsistence and other commercial purposes. In addition, people who use their animal for work or sporting activities tend to develop close relationships with these animals. Research has also ascertained that the extent to which an animal impact on the survival of humans significantly influences the relationships between humans and these animals (Price 61). It is generally accepted that the more dependent people are on certain animals for survival, the more close their relationship with these animals are. For instance, modern commercial farmers may find animals important for their economic survival. For this reason, they tend to develop a strong bond and close relationship with these animals. Even so, the number of these animas may prohibit the bond and close relationship between humans and the animals. At this point, it is important and necessary to analyze the relationship between animals and humans within the above mentioned societies. In hunter-gathering societies, people tend to depend on a wide range of animas and plants for their daily survival. They depend on animals such as fish, birds, insects, reptiles and other mammals. For the humans to successfully and effectively utilize t hese animals in such societies, they have to possess a fully understanding of the behavior of such animals. Usually, this knowledge is transferred across generations (Dolins,112) For instance, in such societies, they need to understand that when it comes to harvesting honey, they have to know when the honey will be available, how to access the bee nests and how to harvest the honey while