Bus Cap DF 9-10 Completed
Question 1
Socially responsible mutual funds are funds that usually hold different securities or stocks in firms that observe moral, ecological, spiritual, as well as social values. In attempts to ensure that firms chosen adhere to these principles, they undergo thorough screening. In other words, a socially responsible fund can only invest in organizations that follow high standards of excellent corporate citizenship. One of such funds is Vanguard FTSE, usually abbreviated as VFTSX. It was established in 2000 and focused on both large and mid-cap offerings. It also has an expense ratio of about 0.18 percent, rendering it the best option for new investors. The fund has also done over the past five years. For instance, in 2014, its total returns stood at 15.75 percent. In other subsequent years, including 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, it had a total return of 1.17 percent, 10.24 percent, 24.11 percent, and -3.45 percent, respectively. The other funds include the Eventide Gilead Fund and SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity. The Eventide fund is grounded in Christian beliefs and seeks to honor God while serving its clients. Over the past five years, it had done exceptionally well. The SPDR fund also seeks to invest and support women businesspersons and firms that put women at the forefront. Since 2015 through 2020, this fund has also recorded the best results, with its performance averaging more than 100 percent.
Question 2
There are two common reasons for car recall and related defects, including design as well as manufacturing defects. With design defects, an element of the car is not designed correctly or as securely as is should be made. Such an error could lead to unsafe cars, which might later cause accidents. For instance, the Takata airbag was among the most massive car recalls in history as it affected nearly 20 automakers and over 40 million cars in America alone. With manufacturing defects, some parts of the car might be designed properly, but a part could be assembled or made inappropriately. However, using business process engineering tools such as Sigma Six quality as well as total quality management (TQM) can help to reduce these defects. These programs could help to increase customer approval by addressing the causes of defects and reducing variability in car manufacturing. For instance, TQM can help to detect and decrease errors in manufacturing and improve customer experience. This program equally ensures that employees are trained well and have the required skills. As such, TQM will ensure that manufacturing effort is responsible for the overall quality of cars produced by aligning internal guidelines and standards to minimize errors (Cheng, 2008).
Question 3
Often, as already painted, some people dominate their companies, making such firms unable to continue surviving after their founders have died. The Apple Inc. and Virgin Records provide example examples of these individuals. For instance, after the demise of Steve Jobs, Apple’s future became uncertain. Since then, the company has been struggling to operate and make profits. By and large, what makes a difference is stewardship vs. entrepreneurship. As such, these two concepts make a fundamental difference between wealth creators and inheritors. Steve Jobs and Branson were excellent investors and not stewards. They had a passion and great imagination, often spending their resources and time to unlock capital through creativity as well as innovation. While there is nothing wrong with stewards, the world today calls for effective plans and strategies for businesses to thrive. Unlike Branson and Steve Jobs, other CEOs often fail to demarcate the difference between passion, creativity, novelty, and stewardship. Usually, many CEOs act as stewards of the companies they have been given to manage.
References
Cheng, J. L. (2008). Implementing Six Sigma via TQM improvement: an empirical study in Taiwan. The TQM Journal.