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Lockheed Martin Company Analysis
Lockheed Martin
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Microsoft Corporation is a publicly traded corporation that operates internationally with its headquarters in Redmond, Washington DC. Microsoft Corporation has a mission of developing solutions that help businesses around the world realize their potentials. The corporation deals in the development, manufacturing, licensing, as well as supporting products related to computing. It was founded by Bill Gates assisted by Paul Allen in 1975 and since then, it has been the world’s leader in software products in terms of revenue. The corporation is also one of the most valuable companies in the world (Microsoft, 2013). The corporation operates in five major segments that include Windows Division, Server and Tools Division, Online Service Division, Microsoft Service Division, as well as in the division of Entertainment and Devices. Microsoft products range from operating systems used in personal computers, servers, mobile phones, server applications, and productivity applications, applications for business solutions, server applications used in distributed environment for computing, and other intelligent products / devices. The corporation offers a range of products, good working environment, and the required challenges for anyone to work in. This paper aims to look into the Microsoft Corporation and the impact of Lockheed Martin’s mission, vision, as well as the primary stakeholders on the company’s overall success. This would be done with a consideration the SWOT analysis of the Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin is a company that operates globally and majoring in five segments of business operations. The five business segments of Lockheed Martin include Aeronautics, Missile and Fire control, space systems, information systems and global solutions, as well as mission systems and training. The five business segments makes the company be in a better position of getting into contracts with as many other corporations that are traded publicly as possible. Lockheed Martin also engage in contracts with governments such as the US government like the case of 2009 when the United States government contacts took 85% of its contracts amounting to about $38.4 billion (Lockheedmartin.com, 2013). Foreign government contracts on the other hand accounted for 13%, which was equivalent to $5.8 billion. 2% of the Lockheed Martin’s contracts went to other commercial sectors among them Microsoft Corporation, A united States Company that is publicly traded.
Lockheed Martin does its business and contractual activities with respect to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC is an independent federal agency that oversees the exchange of securities to protect investors such as Microsoft Corporation. SEC uses computer systems to assign CIK, a unique number, to individuals or corporations that file disclosure-filing documents with the federal agency. The work of the SEC, a US federal agency, is to ensure security to businesses and individual in contracts. Lockheed Martin operates in a wide range of business with its business operations causing influence on other businesses and corporations (Lockheedmartin.com, 2013).
The company is one of the leading companies that deal in the manufacture of advanced technologies in terms of technology systems, products, and military application services. Its collaboration with Microsoft Corporation creates a strong base for high technology emanating from the computer or digital world (Lockheedmartin.com, 2013). Over the last few years, Lockheed Martin has witnessed a consistent top growth that formed a ground for providing the company with adequate financial stability that promises a brighter future for the company.
The company has been creating a great market for Microsoft products especially computer applications and technologies. Both Microsoft Corporation and Lockheed Martin Company have been working hand in hand towards benefiting the society both technologically and in terms of environmental conservation. The two have recently won contacts aimed to assist in shifting the EAP, fully known as Environmental Protection Agency, to Microsoft Office 365. The Microsoft Office 365 is a new system expected to save millions of US dollars over the contract period of four years.
EAP have been having a long business relationship that is fully proactive and assist in transforming the way Microsoft employees work and their collaboration in the workplace. Lockheed Martin and EAP have created a market for testing the new operating system although it is fully customized to perform a specific task in environmental conservation (REDMOND, W. & ROCKVILLE, 2012). The Microsoft Office 365 is tool of enhancing collaboration and communication services, a transition that could improve the agencies employees in accessing tools of mobility and communication thereby helping the EPA agency to save in terms of its costs.
The part played by Lockheed Martin as a global security company that also deals in aerospace is to offer several cloud services such as proven solution services and secure innovations in cloud delivery. The company would offer migration as well as ensure the provision of services in ongoing integration services and engineering services. The Lockheed Martin Company is also obligated to compile a comprehensive service delivery system to the utility customers and commercial customers. These Lockheed Martin’s activities are done alongside Microsoft services that include deliveries in various technologies such as private cloud offerings, public cloud offerings, government, and community cloud offerings, and various premise solutions in hybrid architectures (REDMOND, W. & ROCKVILLE, 2012).
Lockheed Martin operates in a business environment full of strengths weaknesses, opportunities, as well as threats. This environment of Lockheed Martin is what describes the company’s SWOT analysis. The Lockheed Martin’s SWOT analysis can be established as follows:
Strengths
Lockheed Martin is a strong company whose strength comes from its recent evidence in top line growth. The company’s strengths are initiated internally. Over the last few years, Lockheed Martin has witnessed a consistent top growth that formed a ground for providing the company with adequate financial stability that promises a brighter future for the company. Part of the company’s strength is also seen from its string inorganic growth since its operations are increasing as it grows globally (Adam, 2012). The company has also topped in the list of the United Federal Contracts on two occasions that include 2008 and 2009. It top performance resulting from its growth is also evident by the reception of the Collier Trophy on six occasions. Part of its strength is initiated by its dealings in diversified products that include five business segments of including Aeronautics, Missile and Fire Control, Space Systems, Information Systems and Global Solutions, as well as Mission Systems and Training. The company’s management is very strong that it ensures that Lockheed Martin has revenue streams that are well balanced (Adam, 2012).
Weaknesses
Lockheed Martin has some weaknesses that need to be dealt with in order to steer it growth. Compared with the company’s strengths, the weaknesses are less and could have a negligible impact on Lockheed Martin’s growth and its impact on the growth of other businesses and publicly trading corporations such as the Microsoft Corporation. One of the major weaknesses is that Lockheed Martin has high customer concentration. Customers are many and need great and constant diligence and attention, which may not readily be provided by the company (Adam, 2012). Lockheed Martin lack enough human resource to cater for the customer force such as ensuring conscientiousness in paying proper attention to all tasks needed by customers by giving the degree of care required in all situation. There are also legal proceeding that the company has to adopt when dealing in business and contractual agreements with customers and other corporations.
Opportunities
Lockheed Martin has several opportunities that may stimulate it growth currently and in the future life of the company. The company has several strategic acquisitions from which it can expand its business and contractual operations. Strategic acquisition is possible on smaller companies that deal in similar product line with the company or taking advantage of collaborative business activities with corporations having slight variations such as the Microsoft Corporation. In the US, defense spending is constantly rising, an aspect that provide ready and widening market for the company’s products and services. The accelerating United States military and the space market also broaden Lockheed Martin’s ability to broaden its services in aerospace and cloud offering services (Adam, 2012).
Threats
The company also faces threats in that the global market is increasingly slowing down. The world today is faced with economic changes with unpredictable business cycles. Economic depressions are increasingly experience by strong economies that happen to be the company’s strong markets destinations (Adam, 2012). Since the company operates globally, it faces increasing regulations from governments that are turning their foreign sector as their best sector in earning foreign income. These changes are done through government contracts and twisted regulations. There is also intense competition from other companies that are venturing into the same business lines as independent entities.
From the SWOT analysis of Lockheed Martin, the company can capitalize on its strength and opportunities while minimizing its threats and weaknesses, by employing the appropriate strategies. The company has to focus on its long-term goals and objective and use its financial strength in expanding its enterprise through application of a mixed strategy (Chandler, 1962). It should take advantage of its organic growth to spread the same to various locations across the globe. It should be careful in handling case of regulation in various governments and deal with the problem of increasing customer concentration by offering what the customer wants. The company should also take advantage of the increasing US military demands and the growth of the US requirements. These cases would freeze the available threats such as economic fluctuations, and increasing competition (Siegel, 2002 ). Using both mixed and pure strategy that focuses on a single objective such profit maximization, the company may place its level to a higher point and enhance its profitability.
On the side of Microsoft Corporation, various corporate governance mechanisms are used to enhance its business operations. One of the corporate governance is operating with a legal environment while protecting its consumers and ensuring that they get quality products (Microsoft, 2013). The Corporation also ensures that there is adequate leadership, and awareness. The management also ensures that there is a consistent product improvement through production of new operating systems. The leadership has been effective from the guidance of highly skilled managers who fully the leadership steps of the corporation’s founder, Bill Gates.
Through the effective leadership and management that combine various strategies to enhance its market, the Microsoft Corporation has been working effortlessly while ensuring ethical aspects in business operations to influence o serve individuals and other corporations such as the Lockheed Martin. Its benefit to the Lockheed Martin’s bottom line is seen through the various business operations that the two companies work together in ensuring development within the US and the global communities (Microsoft, 2013). The company ensures the maintenance of its long-lasting commitments as well as leadership in developing solutions that are innovative and accessible while holding to ethical responsibilities such as in the case of collaborating with Lockheed to help in developing environmental functions of the EAP, or the Environmental Protection Agency. This aspect is a good trend in making the Microsoft Corporation to grow stronger and make its computers easier to use, promote innovation, and build strong and collaborate efforts or relationships with various technology corporations and consumers.
References
Adam. (2012, April 8). Lockheed Martin SWOT analysis . Retrieved March 12, 2013, from freeswotanalysis.com: HYPERLINK “http://www.freeswotanalysis.com/aerospace-airline/376-lockheed-” http://www.freeswotanalysis.com/aerospace-airline/376-lockheed-martin-swot-analysis.html
Chandler, A. ( 1962). Strategy and Structure. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Lockheedmartin.com. (2013). Vision and Mission. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from lockheedmartin.com: HYPERLINK “http://www.lockheedmartin.com/uk/who-we-are/Vision-and-” http://www.lockheedmartin.com/uk/who-we-are/Vision-and-Mission.html
Microsoft. (2013, March). Microsoft Accessibility. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from microsoft.com: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/microsoft/mission.aspx
REDMOND, W. & ROCKVILLE. (2012, October 31). Lockheed Martin, Microsoft to Take EPA to the Cloud. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from microsoft.com: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Oct12/10-31EPAPR.aspx
Siegel, J. J. (2002 ). Stocks for the Long Run: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns and Long-Term Investment Strategies, 3rd, . New York: McGraw-Hill, 388. ISBN 978-0-07-137048-6.
Lockes Views on same Consciousness
Locke’s Views on “same” Consciousness
Locke is a famous philosopher who came up with claims on personal identity and specifically identity related to consciousness. He claimed that, “The same consciousness being preserved…..the personal identity is preserved”. The claims are not helpful as he did offer any explanations. Locke introduced a general account that helped distinguish the identity of living things, masses of atoms, and atoms. All individual atoms are similar at one point in time and they stay that way for a long time. The identity atoms do not create any problems because of their unique organization and this is what creates their unique identity. However, the organizations can be affected when changes are made to the atoms as well as their functions. One key function of the atoms is the continuation of life and this enables living things to have sameness Locke believes that a body stays the same for long periods of time and it is only during death that it stops being a body. This is regardless of whether the living thing is a horse or even an oak. Locke believes that human beings are animals and just like living things, they are individuated. Therefore, man refers to the living body that has a defined shape. He is quite aware and informed that there is no settled definition of the word ‘man’. This means that there is a variety of different competing meanings of the word man.
Locke has his own definition and he argues that it involves distinguishing between a ‘body’ and ‘man’. This is after using many thoughtful experiments as well as deducing certain unacceptable consequences that originate from the competing definitions. Locke goes ahead to point out that there are people who tend to differentiate man using soul possession. These people believe that man has sameness from the time they are infants even up to old age. They tend to accept the doctrine of reincarnation because of the definition that they believe in.
It is evident that it is not easy to understand what Locke means when he refers to same ‘man’ and same ‘body’. He has given some perfect examples to illustrate what he wants to be known. He wants to come up with a distinction that will be used for adopting the two terms. He does not want to accept the Cartesian claim that personal identity is born from the soul. Furthermore, as result of the distinction, the issue concerning the dead resurrecting cannot be well understood. For example, he came up with the story about what happens to a man’s body upon death. It is no wonder when a man dies; the different parts of the body disappear to various places. The dead man and his body will no longer be able to come together; hence, Locke’s concept needs further interpretation.
Same ‘consciousness’ and personal identity are quite important and the reason why Locke gives a positive account concerning the two issues. Consciousness means being aware and a sensation, as Locke seems to believe. This means that consciousness is directed inwardly and that is the reason why he claims that, “consciousness is the perception of what passes in a man’s own mind”. Consciousness exists inside the mind and body of a human being and cannot be seen or felt. Therefore, it is different from the sensory perception, which focus on what goes on outside and not inside. According to Locke, the most important aspect of personal identity is that people should be informed about themselves. As time progresses, people continue to exist and people have the option of experiencing themselves as living things. A person is able to experience their own substantiality even when changes are made to a substance. Therefore, the self will still exist continuously and can never be a substance as explained in a Cartesian sense.
The issue on personal identity was related to shared memories by Locke after providing his own unique account. All human beings have individual memories, which can either be in the form of self-knowledge or meaning-based or perception-based. This means that the only time people will have shared memory is when they perceive the same things. In turn, this enables people to have similar or shared memories because they experienced certain things together. However, personal identity is not related to shared memories as it is not unique to have similar consciousness as someone else. In fact, Locke claimed that selfhood and identity have no relation to the mind’s or body’s continuity. People who cannot remember their past have no identity and this is similar to people who have shared memories. However, Descartes is quick to object Locke’s argument on personal identity using his concept of mind-body dualism. He says that “A is the same as B if A’s body is animated by the same Cartesian mind/soul/ego as was B’s body”. This proves that we cannot always judge other people just because we think that we know them. In conclusion, personal identity, same ‘consciousness’, same ‘man,’ and same ‘body’ were well explained by Locke. He ensured that people would be more informed concerning issues related to human beings. However, more people need to do more research into Locke’s works in order to acquire more information about his philosophical insights.
Locke’s and Hobbes’s View of Government; Whose was Better
Locke’s and Hobbes’s View of Government; Whose was Better?
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Locke’s and Hobbes’s View of Government; Whose was Better?
Introduction
John Locke (1632-1704) and Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) were English philosophers that were deemed the founders of modern philosophy. They both existed in the era of enlightenment. Both Locke and Hobbes articulated and justified different views on the role of state. Hobbes subscribed to the idea of an absolute monarchy as the only true form of government. In his argument, it was the only force strong enough to keep humanity’s cruel impulses in check. In Hobbe’s view, having a wielded supreme king that has unlimited power over subjects was better than having a government. On the other hand, Locke rejected the idea of right of kings. He insisted that governments should exist, to promote public good and protect people’s liberty, life and property. In my viewpoint, Hobbes view of government is better than Locke’s view of the same.
Supporting Argument
Absolutism Guarantees a Better Feudal System
The main reason why Hobbes’ view of government is better than Locke’s is that it brings stability to a country’s feudal system. Looking closely at sovereign states with government and those that are ruled by monarchies, one can easily tell that the latter have better balance sheets and are more credit worthy. One would think that monarchs are likely to score poorly in credit rating, however, this is far from the truth. A report by Standards & Poors, a leading agency that rates credits of 129 countries, out of which 39 are ruled by a monarch, monarchies have an average credit score of A- (Lovins, 2018). Countries that are ruled by queens or kings get an average score that is below 3 rungs. Countries that observe kinship as a system of government are better at repaying their debts and making interest payments to bondholders on time earning them even a better score. The rulers of monarch nations tend to be more accountable than their counterparts in a democratic system of government. If a country’s finances are in order the company is likely to benefit because it will also provide its people with a good standard of living.
Succession is Usually Smooth Sailing
Another reason why Hobbes’s view about absolute monarchy being better than Locke’s view is that transition is usually a smooth affair. In monarch’s succession is determined by sex, religion, legitimacy, and descent. Under law, the king’s crown is inherited by the sovereign’s children or their nearest collateral line, who is childless. As such, elections are not necessary since kinship is passed down the family lane. Led by Emperor Akihito, Japan is an example of the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world. Other examples of long-serving monarchs are Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.
Counterargument Assessment
Absolute Monarchy is too Harsh
Some of the critics of Hobbes’s idea of absolutism say that the system of government has its share of advantages; it is too harsh on its subjects. Citizens rarely get a say in many issues. They do not even get a way on who becomes king as succession is passed down the family lineage. Absolute monarchs have become the subject of criticism for imposing laws that are very strict. However, the subject of strictness should not write off the fact that the benefits of absolute monarchs outweigh its disadvantages. Furthermore, all governments, including constitutional monarchies tend to be strict on its subjects. To some extent, the strictness can be justified because the rulers’ main goals are to protect their citizens.
Conclusion
In closing, Hobbes’s notion of government is better than Locke’s because it guarantees a better financial system and associated benefits such as better standards of living and healthcare. Additionally, absolute monarchies are better than constitutional ones because success tends to be smooth sailing seeing that succession is passed to children. While absolutism is advantageous, it has its fair share of critics; some people consider it too strict.
References
Lovins, C. (2018). Absolute Monarchy East and West: Chŏngjo and Louis XIV. Journal of Asian History, 52(1), 1-22.