Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Introduction:

Online dating is a new emerging concept of the 21^st century, which is attracting a huge number of the young people of the modern generation. The online dating involves dating or mingling with people over the internet where the people introduces themselves to new people and develops personal connections over the websites (Smith and Duggan) . They connect with the people with the aim to develop different forms of romantic or sexual relationships.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

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The concept of online dating is to spend time with the specific people of personal choice in the hopes of getting involved in committed relationships. However as per the views of the general public, that the online dating sites and the applications possess a threat to the privacy of the real identity, the essay negates this and establishes the fact that the benefits of online dating over rule the risks and is safe to use.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Body:

According to Potarca and Melinda, in the age of digitalisation, the online dating has grown and developed into the best option for the young bachelors to develop their relationships. It has a lot of benefits due to which it has turned to be less of a taboo and more of an acceptance. The dating applications and the websites allow the people to create a profile and browse through the profilesof the other gender. This process is quick and it is extremely easy to start and find a match. The profiles can also be linked with the other social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram for better connection (Wilson, Proudfoot and Valacich). The profiles can even be polished and made attractive so that its easier to win the connections over. In accordance with this, Jung et.al., says that the dating sites are extremely affordable. Going on physical dates and meet-ups can be costly since it allows the people to pay over their restaurant bills.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay. Moreover, there is no such guarantee that the young couples who meet on physical dates will click together. Thus spending the hard earned money on someone who is not special are not meaningful. According to the discussion by Gavin et.al., the dating websites on the other hand, offer membership that is free. These websites allow the eligible singles to give themselves a try, by joining the network free and get acquainted with other people. The variety of the people that one meets in these websites are quite large. It gives the options of millions of people out of which they have the opportunity to choose and select. On contrary to this, the clubs or the parties allow very few people with whom the singles can have a conversation with, or connect (Smith and Duggan).Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay. Moreover, it excludes the social problems, and the singles can judge whether the person they are talking to over the internet are actually dating or flirting, this option is not in the case of the social gatherings. This is supportive of the thesis statement, that states that the dating sites are actually private. As stated by McWilliams and Barrett, they allow the people to talk privately over the internet and they even do have the time to decide whether they are actually interested in one another or not. Online dating is also very feasible since it takes lesser time and saves time instead. Physical or social meetings require pre planning, of the venue, of the attire that must be attractive, along with the journey to the destination. Online dating applications on the other hand allows the singles to talk to their special ones in their house apparels, staying at home. It requires no extra efforts.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

In accordance with the above benefits, the online dating sites also allows the singles the opportunities to be specific about their needs. They can put in their preferences with which they can choose their man or woman, based on their needs. The people can find a proper balance between what  they need and what they demand. In this manner , there would be a common ground that could be established with a person. Since the online daters share their information, it is easier for them to break the ice over the internet, which is a bit difficult in the social meetings. The common preferences and the desires or hobbies allow them to begin the conversation without any difficulty (Smith and Duggan). Moreover the online dating process is much less stressful than the offline ones. In these websites the single bachelors are in total control over their matches, their conversations as well as their time,. It is very easy to handle the online websites as it caters to their needs and interests. it also has tools such as liking a profile or reacting to it. Also the online dating sites have a number of help pages, and customer service helpline that operates 24/7 (Wiederhold). It also has the facility of encryption technology that prevents the scammers from enrolling into the website. There are even buttons that have the ability to block the abusive members. The sites also check the background of the people who enrol into the websites, thus making the process safer than the random meetings at the bar or the restaurant with a stranger.

Apart from all the benefits that online dating sites have in itself, there are associated risks that prevent a lot of users to venture it out. Most people step backwards thinking that falling in love cannot be over the internet. Most importantly the major threat that the online dating websites have, is that of identity theft (Hallam et.al.). While speaking to strangers over the internet, people tend to share their personal information such as their phone numbers, addresses, or birthdates. This becomes easier for the other person to steal their identity and use it elsewhere.  According to the statistics, there are cases where more than 25 percent of the rapist join the online dating sites just  to find their victims (Whitty). Most often the online dating sites are used by the scammers and the sec offenders.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay. This makes the online websites less trustworthy. Whitty also discusses that anyone and everyone can join the free online dating websites. There are people who join the dating sites and create fake profiles just to enjoy. This brings us to the ethical issue of the dating websites. Statistics have showed that there are almost 16 thousand cases of murders and thousands of incidents of rapes that have been initiated by the free dating websites (Cali, Coleman and Campbell). Most of the fake profilers intend to have sex on their first date that they meet online and it can be risky (Wada Clarke and Rozanova). There are often cases where the online dating sites are being used by the people who are already married or are in serious commitments. Thus the utility of the dating websites lose its  gravity since they are often been used just to have fun. The singles often tend to engage themselves emotionally with the people with whom they begin to talk and the future rejection begins to take a toll on their mental health and emotional trust (Cali, Coleman and Campbell). Most often the people tend to lie about their personality and portray a different person who is exactly opposite to him or her thus playing with other people’s minds and heart.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay. There can be cases where the singles have found their Mr. Perfect over the online websites but it is wrong if they go by the experience of the others. The most prominent victims of the online dating apps are children and the teenagers. They often tend to involve themselves into activities such as talking to people in the chat rooms, which has an impending risk over them since they do not the difference between the good and the bad and easily fall into such traps. Apart from all these there are health risks associated with the online dating sites, such as sexually transmitted diseases, which are incurable and are fatal. With multiple dating and intimacy, there can be possible health problems which do not have proper treatment (Roth and Gills).Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Conclusion:

Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that the online dating sites have risks indeed but the benefits over rule the dangers on the dating over the internet. In spite of the stories of privacy issues in the online dating websites, it keeps the users safe because it has a number of security measures. They have the facility to block the members who behave unruly and even have the customer help service available. Thus it is one of the safest medium for the young singles to venture out their relationships and to get involved into special acquaintance. Online dating sites are fun to use, as well as the relationships and the marriages do work out, since it helps the people to select their match and their better half with the individual preferences and choices.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

business Management

Introduction

The strategic analysis of a company helps in evaluation of their strategy and enables them to change and modify strategy to compete effectively with competitors. Strategic tools such as VRIO analysis and value chain analysis helps in identifying source of competitive advantage and enables a company to sustain its competitive advantage. The current report helps in strategic analysis of Carlsberg in comparison with their nearest competitor Heineken.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Discussion

Background of the company

Carlsberg is a manufacturer and marketer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage with its headquarter in Copenhagen, Denmark. As stated by Netwise Data (2016) it was established by Jacob Christian Jacobsen on November 10, 1847 and export of Carlsberg’s beer products began in 1868 and their foreign brewing began in 1968 with establishment of brewery at Blantyre, Malawi. The key competitors of Carlsberg are Heineken, Anheuser-Busch InBev and ABI Sab group Holding Limited. Carlsberg is one of the leading international brewery groups in the world currently with a wide portfolio of beer and other beverages brand. Earlier Carlsberg was considered as a big beer brand with small corporate footprints but became fourth largest beer company in world within past two decades with acquisition of various smaller brands. As opned by GlobalData plc. (2018) the main markets of Carlsberg are Eastern and Western Europe, China, India and Russia owing to high demand for beer in these markets. The global beer market is valued at around 510 Million EURO with a volume of 180 billion litres of beer.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Strategic Capability

The value chain analysis of Carlsberg :

Source: strategicmanagementinsight.com (2019)

Primary Activities

Inbound logistics- Carlsberg has breweries located all over the world which enables them to minimize shipping costs of their raw materials. They store raw material sourced from various parts of the world in their breweries which are located in various strategic locations to minimize shipping costs.

Operations- The operations of Carlsberg comprise of various reputed breweries all over the world to increase their offerings so as to cater to local needs of customers located in various parts. The operations of the company include sourcing high quality materials such as malts and other ingredients and brewing the beer based on the taste requirements of the customers. Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Outbound logistics- The breweries of Carlsberg are located in various strategic locations of the world which enables them to ship finished product to various parts with reduced shipping costs.

Marketing and sales- The marketing and sales activity has enabled Carlsberg to become one of the most popular and reputed beer companies in the world. The efforts and initiatives undertaken by them for marketing and sales has enabled to create a brand name amongst customers.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Services- Carlsberg offers top quality services to customers to ensure that they have the finest drinking experience with their beer products. The services offered also help in development of brand loyalty among customers. The services which was initially offered by Carlsberg was accounting services but later the company increased its service portfolio such as IT. Master Data, Procurement, Internal controls, HR services, Logistics, Planning, Sales Support and Controlling. The services which are offered by Carlsberg helps in creating a difference between both the company as Carlsberg by virtue of its increased services have been able to outperform Heineken who provide limited services.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Secondary activities

General administration- The general administration ability has helped Carlsberg overcome issues which were initially faced in China and Russia and helped them become profitable. By virtue of their general administration, Carlsberg was able to take control on the Chinese markets where initially they suffered heavy losses. In order to take control of the Chinese market, the company acquired breweries in China which helped in enhancing their market share. In context of Russia also it can be stated that their general administration has helped in the adoption of issue which helped to sustain high competition level and establish strong market.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Human Resource Management- The approach regarding Human Resource Management has enabled Carlsberg remain profitable and productive in market for years. Their human resources are highly skilled and productive which ensures that they can perform their tasks with very limited supervision and also ensures that they remain productive and efficient. The company focuses on continuously providing training to their staffs in order to ensure that they remain updated regarding use latest brewing technologies for making beers.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Technology Development- Carlsberg makes use of advanced technology to increase quality and standards of their products and use latest technological development in  packaging to ensure that their products are delivered in an efficient way to customers. Technological advancements also helps them in marketing and promotion of the products.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

The value chain analysis of Heineken is as follows:

Primary Activities

Inbound logistics- The breweries of Heineken are dispersed globally, therefore the raw materials can be stored in any plants to minimize transportation costs. Their raw materials are stored in warehouses which are spread throughout the world to reduce transportation costs.

Operations- As stated by Dow Jones Institutional News (2018) the operations of Heineken were limited to acquiring small breweries until 2003. Later they acquired BRAG for $2.1 billion which helped in becoming largest beer maker across seven nations within Eastern Europe.

Outbound logistics- The brewers of the company located all over the world, therefore they can ship finished product for adjacent areas to reduce transportation costs.

Marketing and sales- As opined by Millington (2015) Heineken is ranked as the 5^th most reputed brand of beer in the world and they have acquired various smaller breweries around the world to spread their label in an enhanced manner.

Services- Heineken has recently stepped into non-alcoholic malt and fruit flavoured drinks as an avenue to tap other customer segments.  The services which are offered by the company are purchasing services, business process services and technology services.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Secondary activities

General administration- Heineken was considered as the leading premium beer brand for many years and was the most popular brand in US before the arrival of Corona. As stated by Nathai-Balkissoon, Maharaj, Guerrero, Mahabir and Dialsingh (2017) due to increasing popularity of Corona, Heineken focussed on development and promotion of other brands which would help them reduce excessive reliance on the core brand. The introduction of Amstel light was considered as a right step in direction of establishing small brands as Amstel Light transformed into the most imported light beer brand in the US.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Human Resource Management- Heineken created various positions for management which were responsible for overseeing their five separate operating regions and nine distinct functional areas. Their new structure helped in encouraging risk taking and boosted energy level of their employees.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Technology Development- Heineken makes effective use of technology for storing detailed documents regarding hipping, for quality of products and to improve their shipping process of products.

Core Competencies

As opined by Knott (2015) the core competencies of Carlsberg includes mergers and acquisitions made globally, wide product portfolio through which it satisfies taste requirements of their customers and research and development capability. The main advantage which Carlsberg has over Heineken is regarding the reach of the company in developing markets. In context of developing markets such as India and China it is observed that Carlsberg has been more successful than Heineken in satisfying the taste requirements of its customers. The other advantage which Carlsberg holds over Heineken is the merger and acquisition strategy of the company by virtue of which it has acquired multiple breweries globally in prospective locations.

The VRIO analysis of Carlsberg is as follows:

The core competency of Heineken includes wide product portfolio through which it satisfies taste preferences of customers, marketing and sales initiatives adopted and high level of operational efficiency.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

The VRIO analysis of Heineken is as follows:

Innovation

As opined by Miglietta, Battisti and Campanella (2017) the recent innovation approaches of Carlsberg comprises of launching ‘World of Beer’ initiative due to rising interest of customers in beers from other countries. One of the brand that was introduced as a part of this initiative was Saku Dublin, which is a mild beer with a low level of alcohol and with a creamy foam head and sweet taste of dark lager brewed by the Estonian brewery of Carlsberg. As stated by Steinglass (2013) The other innovative approach adopted was launch of revolutionary Snap Pack packaging which has helped in achieving their target of CSR. The innovation approaches and actions which were undertaken were product innovation, introduction of new mild beer which pulled market and introduction of Snap Pack packaging which was technology push in nature.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

As stated by Morton (2016) the recent innovation approach of Heineken is the launch of Radler which is a mixture of high quality beer and lemonade which has been designed due to increasing tendency of customers towards seeking more natural products. As stated by Bresciani (2017) another recent innovation was launch of SUB which was developed in partnership with Marc Newson and engineered by Krups and it helped to deliver professional quality draught beer at home which resembled a futuristic submarine and could chill up to 2 degree Celsius. The innovation approaches and actions which are undertaken are product innovation and the innovations that are market-pull in nature.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Analysis of Carlsberg:

Brand Investment- Carlsberg has made large number of investments in their brand to change perception of customers regarding their products. They previously used to focus on brewing quantity but as a result of incorrect perceptions of customers regarding their products, Carlsberg invested heavily on its brand and increasingly focused on brewing quality instead of brewing quantity.

In case of Heineken also, they have made significant brand investment to increase their brand image which resulted in increasing brand value year after year. Their brand strength lies in commitment, consistency and presence. The brand value of Heineken as of 2018 is approximately $5500 million.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Ability to innovate- Carlsberg largely relies on its innovation capability to satisfy taste requirements of customers and to maintain its profitability in market. They rely on advanced research and development competency to remain innovative. Innovation is at the core of Carlsberg and they have high ability of innovation in developing new product which satisfies taste requirements of customers or through incorporation of innovative technologies in manufacturing and packaging of their products.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Heineken also largely relies on innovation capability to stay competitive in market. Innovation is at the heart of their business and they believe that innovation can not only come from within but also from external sources such as customers, suppliers, partners etc. They have introduced large number of innovative products in market which satisfies preferences of customers by virtue of high quality of research and development capability.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Manufacturing capability- Carlsberg has high manufacturing capability owing to number of breweries which are owned around the world. Their merger and acquisition policy has also helped in increasing manufacturing capability.

The manufacturing capability of Heineken is also high as a result of presence of large number of breweries all over the world. In order to optimize their production capacity, they have partnered with Infor to implement standardisation program across their brewery network.

Corporate Governance

Corporate Governance comprises of system of rules, practices and processes which helps in directing and controlling a company. It is also defined as the collection of mechanism, processes and relations by which companies are controlled and operated.

As stated by Singh, Aggarwal and Anand (2017) good corporate governance is considered very essential for an organization as it is core of successful businesses. It is vital for a business to accomplish goals and drive improvement in addition to maintaining legal and ethical image in front of shareholders, regulators and wider community.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

The information regarding corporate governance of Carlsberg can be found in the official website of the company in the “Who We Are” section.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

The Corporate Framework of Carlsberg seeks to ensure active management of business throughout the Group and lower risks associated. They aim to develop and maintain a relationship which is positive and constructive with all their stakeholders. The foundation of their Corporate Governance comprises in particular the Danish Companies Act, the Danish Financial Statements Act, IFRS, the EU Market Abuse Regulation, Nasdaq Copenhagen A/S’ rules for issuer of shares, local legislation and the Company’s Articles of Association.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

The Committee of Corporate Governance recommends that the Board of Directors of Carlsberg should focus on ensuring continuous communication between them and shareholders so that they can gain relevant rights and the Board of Directors become aware of their views, interests and opinions. The Committee of Corporate Governance also recommends that Carlsberg must publish quarterly reports to let shareholders know about their interim accouchements (Hatch, Schultz & Skov 2015).

CSR or Ethics

The Corporate Social Responsibility of Carlsberg comprises of an ambitious sustainability program named Together Towards Zero. As stated by Mialon and McCambridge (2018) this sustainability program expresses their vision for a enhanced future at a time where the world is experiencing vital challenges in form of change in climate, scarcity regarding water and health concerns of public. The sustainability program of Carlsberg comprises of four targets namely, ZERO carbon footprint, ZERO water waste, ZERO irresponsible drinking and a ZERO accidents culture. The ambitions of Carlsberg regarding sustainability are underpinned by individual and measurable targets which builds up to 2022 and 2030 (Verde 2015).    Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

The actions undertaken by Carlsberg for sustainability program comprises of:

Snap Pack- The Snap Pack is an innovation of Carlsberg which helped in reducing use of plastics. Carlsberg constantly attempts to make everything about their beers even better and one such result is the Snap Pack packaging which is considered as unique in the world in beer packaging. This innovation was developed in 3 years by Carlsberg in collaboration with their partners (Niero, Hauschild, Hoffmeyer and Olsen 2017).

Major efficiency gains in China- Since 2015, the efficiency of Carlsberg in thermal energy improved by more than 29%, efficiency for electricity improved almost by 11%, which resulted in a strong 37% lowering of relative carbon emissions. The Together With Zero initiative resulted in reduction of relative water consumption by 15%.

Preventing sales of beers to underage in Ukraine- The beers products of Carlsberg are only made for consumption above legal drinking age, therefore they have been working hard to prevent sales to younger people (Brusendorff 2014).

Innovative Partnerships

Carlsberg deeply believes in usefulness of innovative partnerships for delivering change and in the future, collaboration can be considered as vital than ever, as they seek to design and implement new solutions together with their partners. As stated by Broto (2016) Carlsberg has intentionally set challenging targets to increase rate of innovation and for encouraging creativity along their value chain. By means of collaborative action, Carlsberg hopes to develop a virtuous circle of improvements within the business, suppliers and business partners as they believe that together they can make it happen.

The initiatives of Carlsberg regarding zero carbon footprint comprises of:

• Increase of renewable energy share substantially in global energy scenario by 2030.
• Doubling the global improvement rate of efficiency regarding energy by 2030.
• Strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity in context of hazards regarding climate change and natural hazards.
• Improving education, developing awareness and capacity regarding mitigation to climate change, adaptation, reduction of impact and early warning

The initiatives of Carlsberg regarding zero water waste comprises of:

• Increasing water-use efficiency in a substantial manner and ensuring sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to combat water scarcity by 2030.
• Implementing integrated water resource management at all levels by 2030.

The initiatives of Carlsberg regarding zero water irresponsible drinking comprises of:

• Enhancing prevention and treatment of abuse of substances which also includes harmful use of alcohol.
• Halving global deaths and accidents from road traffic accidents by 2020.

The initiatives of Carlsberg regarding zero accidents culture comprises of:

• Protecting the rights of labour and promoting safe and secure working environments for all their employees.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Recommendation

The main recommendation for Carlsberg to improve their position in market is designing future products based on health concerns and requirements of their customers. The other recommendation is to increase their product lines in emerging economies such as India and China to tap growth and development opportunities which are offered by these markets.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.

Conclusion

From the above strategic analysis it can be stated that the source of competitive advantage of Carlsberg lies in their research and development which enables them to develop innovative products based on requirements of customers. It can also be concluded that to enhance their competitive advantage over Heineken, Carlsberg needs to increase their operational efficiency and focus on growth and development in emerging economies.

From the above strategic comparison of Carlsberg and Heineken, it can be observed that the advantage which Carlsberg holds over Heineken is regarding merger and acquisition. Carlsberg has successfully acquired many breweries around the world in various strategic locations which ensures that it has close proximity to various key markets of the company.Online Dating: Risks and Benefits Essay.