Organizational Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Organizational Analysis - Essay Example Moreover, there are select Nordstrom stores that have furnishing and wedding departments and it is known as one of the most popular fashionable stores in the United States. Nordstrom Inc Company is big in size and has a variety of operating stores in different states. It has 252 stores which function in 34 states which consist of 117 full line stores and 132 Nordstrom Racks (Spector and McCarthy, 2012). The Nordstrom Company has future plans of opening 5 stores in Canada by 2014. The company competes with a number of luxury retailers such as Marcus, Lord and Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, and Dillard’s are in competition with Nordstrom’s, but do not carry the same high quality merchandise (Spector and McCarthy, 2012). Nordstrom has the largest number of stores and the largest geographic footprint. All of these retailers offer items such as jewelry, cosmetics, perfume, clothing, shoes, and accessories. Nordstrom is rated as a chief department store in the United States. According to Spector and McCarthy (2012) Nordstrom’s mission statement values the prosperity that diversity contributes to the workforce; thus, efficient service to the clients (Spector and McCarthy, 1996). Nordstrom’s mission is all about supporting their employees in order to give their customers quality services. They are focused in providing outstanding services to their client in order to remain on top. They hire and train the best staff in order to realize their mission of provision of effective service at all times (Spector and McCarthy, 1996). They value both their clients and employees and that is why they will always remain on top of their competitors. The role of the HR in fostering the organization’s mission statement is by hiring qualified staff and equipping them with the right knowledge in order to serve their customers excellently (Spector, 2005). Moreover, the HR can also train the staff occasionally on how to handle their cli entele and treat them with due respect and this will create conducive environment for them to serve the clients well. Moreover, the HR should make sure that the Nordstrom employees are well paid and this will make them feel valued an appreciated and they will do their work of serving customers outstandingly. Nordstrom serves wealthy customers in the United States. It has a highly trained staff that provides customers with superior customer service that no other store can compete on their level. They strive to make every customer’s experience enjoyable and upscale, so that the customer feels as if they are treating themselves upon every visit to the store. Nordstrom’s stocks are inclined to be more fashionable and upscale for their exclusive customers. Nordstrom also offers exceptional delivery on products upon request from a customer. Nordstrom’s carries a wide-ranging inventory on its floor, offering choices for men, women, and children (Spector and McCarthy, 2 012). Nordstrom faces challenges just like other retailers face in the current retail climate. Their number one challenge would be the downturn in the economy particularly because Nordstrom sells high end products. Nonetheless, Nordstrom is able to meet this challenge head on by making a customer’s experience rousing and fashionable, so as the clients feel owned y the organization’s management (Spector, 2005). One big challenge being faced by Nordstrom is the economy. This is forcing the HR department

W.B.Yeats and Thomas Hardy Essay Example for Free

W.B.Yeats and Thomas Hardy Essay 1. Imagery: It is the use of figurative language to create visual representations of actions, objects and ideas in our mind in such a way that they appeal to our physical senses. For example: The room was dark and gloomy. -The words â€Å"dark† and â€Å"gloomy† are visual images. The river was roaring in the mountains. – The word â€Å"roaring† appeals to our sense of hearing. 2. Simile and Metaphor: Both compare two distinct objects and draws similarity between them. The difference is that Simile uses â€Å"as† or â€Å"like† and Metaphor does not. For example: â€Å"My love is like a red red rose† (Simile) He is an old fox very cunning. (Metaphor) 3. Hyperbole: It is deliberate exaggeration of actions and ideas for the sake of emphasis. For example: Your bag weighs a ton!  I have got a million issues to look after! 4. Personification: It gives a thing, an idea or an animal human qualities. For example: The flowers are dancing beside the lake.  Have you see my new car? She is a real beauty! 5. Alliteration: It refers to the same consonant sounds in words coming together. For example: Better butter always makes the batter better. She sells seashells at seashore. 6. Allegory: It is a literary technique in which an abstract idea is given a form of characters, actions or events. For example: â€Å"Animal Farm†, written by George Orwell, is an example allegory using the actions of animals on a farm to represent the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW II. In addition, the actions of the animals on the farm are used to expose the greed and corruption of the Revolution. 7. Irony: It is use of the words in such a way in which the intended meaning is completely opposite to their literal meaning. For example: The bread is soft as a stone. So nice of you to break my new PSP! Function of Literary Devices In general, the literary devices are a collection of universal artistic structures that are so typical of all works of literature frequently employed by the writers to give meanings and a logical framework to their works through language. When such works are read by readers, they ultimately recognize and appreciate them. Because of their universality, they also allow the readers to compare a work of one writer to that of the other to determine its worth. They not only beautify the piece of literature but also give deeper meanings to it, testing the very understanding of the readers along with providing them enjoyment of reading. Besides, they help motivating readers’ imagination to visualize the characters and scenes more clearly.

hero :: essays research papers

Heroes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If I had to identify someone as a hero, I would have to say that my personal hero would have to be Will Taubin, aka â€Å"Ratboy.† Will Taubin is a freestyle BMXer, like myself. We used to ride together until he moved to California two years ago. Will Taubin has taught me the three most important things in my life. The first thing that he taught me is to set a goal and never give up until you have achieved it. The second thing that he taught me is â€Å"You can if you think you can.† The third thing that he taught me is â€Å"You only get out what you put into something.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Will’s goal since about age 10 was to become sponsored by a BMX corporation. Nobody believed that he could get a sponsor. He rode his bike everyday and had people film him and sent his tapes to different bike companies in a hope to get sponsored. Three years ago at the 2-Hip Meat the Street Contest, the owner of Standard Bikes asked if he wanted to ride for them. He said yes and he set it was the best thing that ever happened to him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second thing that Will taught me is, â€Å"You can if you think you can.† One day we were riding and he did an alley-oop 180 barspin to fakie feeble grind to half cab 180 out on the mini ramp sub-box. No matter how hard I tried, I could not land the halfcab 180 out of the fakie feeble. After about a half-hour of me trying this he rode up to me and said, â€Å"You can if you think you can.† I got back onto the deck of the mini ramp and said, â€Å"I can do this.† I took off and got the first half of the trick pretty good, but on the 180, my front tire slipped out. I tried again and I landed it almost perfectly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third thing that Will taught me is â€Å"You only get out of something what you put into it.† Will told me that when we were talking about biking, but I use that saying on everything I do in my life. For example, I never expect a good grade on a test if I don’t study.

Comparing A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye Essay -- J.D. Sa

Comparing A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye The coming of age novels, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, and A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, both interpret the lives of adolescent boys journeying through their conflicts and inner confusion to reach the level of maturity. Salinger and Knowles both discern the literal ways a typical teenager grows up with the help of literary elements such as plot, setting, character development, conflicts, irony, symobolism, theme, and point of view. In both of the novels, the setting is taken place in an all boys’ school. The all boys’ school in A Separate Peace was named Devon High School, located in New Hampshire and the school in The Catcher in the Rye was named Pencey Prep, located in New York. By having both main characters being raised in a same type setting, they both can experience similarities that they might have to go through. However, each novel was set in a different timeline. A Separate Peace was actually written during the time of World War II, while The Catcher in the Rye was written after World War II. As a result, different time periods probably differentiated their lifestyles, which can produce unlike conflicts that the teenage boys might encounter. The protagonists in A Separate Peace, Gene Forrester, and The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Claufield, make them coming of age novels by the struggles that they come across as they grow up into becoming mature, adult like men. Gene Forrester attains his maturity by dealing through the confusion he has from cooperating with his best friend, Finny, and the guilt he inherits as he blames himself responsible for Finny’s death. On the contrary, Holden Claufield, in The Catcher in the Rye, illustrates his attainment of maturity by growing with the depression he possesses and his alienation from the people in the novel. The battle of Gene with himself and Holden with himself creates the similar major conflicts between the novels. In this case, Holden has it much more difficult in The Catcher in the Rye because he has to struggle with a great depression and he constantly tries to escape it through drinking, sexual intimations, his awful attitude, and attempts of being out going after he leaves Pencey Prep early. The cause of this depression is the death of his younger brother Ally. In the novel, he describes that h... ...p between Gene and Finny. On the other hand, J.D. Salinger’s theme in The Catcher in the Rye was developing through adolescence with depression and confusion in your life. Through the point of view of Holden’s place, his attitude and experience he went through discerned that stress was a big issue to him and struggling through depression as a teen and achieving maturity from it is something the most of us could relate to. Overall, both of the themes in the novels have something to do with social events in our lives and both of the themes became interesting appeals. J.D. Salinger and John Knowles both accomplished their description of their protagonists reaching their level of maturity through literary elements. They provided excellent examples of a teen growing up; and A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye have at least one moral that one can rely on. In conclusion, the conflicts in the stories were things that I could actually relate to and I can expect to experience the same things that the characters experienced. Works Cited Knowles, John. A Separate Peace Holt, Rineheart and Winston, 1960 Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye New York: Bantan books 1951

Creating a Brand Using the Low-Budget Route: Choco-Energy Essay

1. Introduction According to Mintel (2012), 49% of chocolate users stated that if the price of their favorite bar rises they would cut back on chocolate. In addition, 68% of 16-24-year-olds full-time students consider that everyday low price is one of the main factors that they would consider for a brand (Mintel, 2012). Furthermore, for those DEs and households are also the most likely groups to consider low prices as a main factor when choosing which chocolate brand to buy (Mintel, 2012). Therefore, creating a new identification brand using the low budget route in Pound City market will have a great profit space in the confectionery market. The report will base on Snickers Peanut Butter Brand to create a new identification brand. The detail explanation of new brand’s development process can be seen below, which including the new brand name, brand image, brand positioning and package design. 2. Overview of chocolate market Although there is a decreasing trend in the number of eating chocolate as the reasons of healthy eating, aging population and rising sugar prices, the chocolate market has grown slightly by 6% over 2006-2011 to ï ¿ ¡1.58 billion (Mintel, 2011). Mintel (2012) also noted that 89% of consumers continue to eat chocolate confectionery because of its position as an affordable treat. For those users chocolate as indulgent treats allow consumers to lift their mood and satisfy a sweet craving. Chocolate market is relatively fragmented with the presence of a larger number of smaller brands, such as Mars, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Nestle, Haribo and Ferrero and some own-label offerings manufacturers (Mintel, 2011). This can be seen from Appendix 1 about the manufacturers’ shares in the UK chocolate confectionery market. It  shows that Kraft Foods (Cadbury), Mars, Nestle are the three leading brands in the UK confectionary market, which taking up 33%, 27% and 16% of market share respectively (Mintel, 2011). 3. Choosing brand in the chocolate market The researcher will base on Snickers brand Peanut Butter Squared to create a new identification brand with new brand name, brand image and package to compete with current range of manufacturers’ own brand. Snickers Peanut Butter Squared is one of the famous brands of Mars Company. Mars is a US-based globally operating food and drink conglomerate company. Its brands in the confectionery segment include Lockets, Skittles, Starburst and Tunes (Mintel, 2011). Mars Chocolate is one of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers. Its iconic brands include M&M’S ®, SNICKERS ®, DOVE ®, GALAXY ®, MARS ®, MILKY WAY ® and TWIX ® (Mars Official website, 2012). 4 Brand analysis for Snickers Brand 4.1 Brand name of Snickers Brand According to Chernatony and McDonald (2003) noted that brand names are perceived by consumers as important information clues, which helps to reduce the need to engage in a detailed search for information. The name of Snickers was launched under the name Marathon chocolate in the 1990s as Mars Inc aimed at consolidating branding exercise by bringing all its corporations products under unified Mars branding and make its brand be recognized both locally and globally (Ezine @rticles, 2012). Now Snickers is one of the largest confectionary ‘single bar’ in the world and people will think of energy bar when they see the brand name of Snickers (Mars official website, 2012). 4.2 Brand development of Snickers The brand development for Snickers Brand Peanut Butter Squared both has from its average nutrition but also from its package. The calories of new Snickers Peanut Butter Squared is litter smaller than original Snickers from 1.78 oz and 250 calories, versus 2.07 oz and 280 calories for the original bar. Each of the squares are about 1.25 inches across, and 3/4 inch high (LaBau, 2010). In addition, the color of the packaging changes from brown to yellow. Inside of the package, there are two pieces of chocolate bar instead of one larger bar compared with original Snickers bar. This is a kind of brand extension based on Peanut Butter chocolate category. 4.3 Brand image of Snickers Chernatony, McDonald and Wallace (2011) stated that brand images enable consumers to form a mental vision of what and who brands stand for. Because consumers will select a brand by observing whether the images that brand convey match the needs, values and lifestyles of consumers. In the case of Snickers, Snickers focus on broadening its appeal from a largely ‘male’ base to include women and older consumers. The company pays much attention and invests heavily in maintaining and strengthening their brand image. One of the most effective and targeted marketing tools for the Snickers brand at its disposal is through sponsoring key sporting events to squarely position it as an energy booster, one of its slogan is ‘ the big eat when you are hungry’. With the effort by the Mars Company, now Snickers Bar creates its brand image as providing the fuel and energy for the body and mind (The Irish Times business, 2000). In addition, the Snickers brand represents one of the young generations’ wishes that they want to be recognized and accepted by friends around them. Therefore, they need replenish their energies to enjoy with their friends and not go behind them. 4.4 Brand personality of Snickers A brand should represent more than just utilitarian benefits but also give added values that satisfy social and psychological needs for consumers. Because intrinsic physical product with an aura, or personality will give consumers more greater confidence in choosing a brand (Riezebos, 2003). Snickers brand created its brand personality through launching celebrity endorsement campaign with words like, â€Å"Peanutopolis, Hungerectomy, Nougtocity, Substantialicious and Satisfectellent† on its outdoor billboard advertising campaign to attract the younger generation and to gain trust with popularity (The Irish Times business, 2000). 4.5 Brand value of Snickers SNICKERS Chocolate bar create its brand value by providing the fuel and  energy for the body and mind. With busy lifestyle recently and many families on the go, Snickers bar as a great-tasting snack that captures the essence of a portable snack brings consumers with great convenience and satisfies getting the most of each moment. ‘When you hungry, grab Snickers bar’ is great to reflect the brand value of Snickers. Nowadays, the brand value of Snickers brand can be seen from its overwhelming popularity, recognition as a top-quality product and the respect and admiration of consumers world-wide as a world leader in the snack food category (The Irish Times business, 2000). 4.6 Package strategy for Snickers Meyers and Lubliner (1998) illustrated that the package form can communicate images that influence consumer perception, appeal to the consumer’s emotions, and motivate desire for the product before the consumer ever reads the label or sees the actual product. In their opinion, the package is the product. In the case of Snickers Peanut Butter Squared Brand, the packaging is little flatter, shorter and wider than the standard Snickers package. The package outside for Snickers Brand Peanut Butter Squared with a golden yellow background and â€Å"Peanut Butter† clearly spelled out in big letters. Inside the package are two squares chocolate bar. All of those are 1.25 inches square and about 1.75 inches high. There’s a nice ripple on the top (CandyBlog, 2010). The detail explanation about its product description has been introduced in the brand development stage. Slogan–Snickers chocolate bar uses more than one slogan. The slogan for Snickers chocolate bar is â€Å"Hungry? Grab a Snickers!† â€Å"Don’t let hunger happen to you.† â€Å"Hungry? Why wait?† 5 Brand image transfer Chernatony and McDonald (2003) noted that â€Å"a successful brand is an identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant, unique added values which match their needs most closely. And its success results from being able to sustain these added values in the face of competition†. In order to create a successful new identification brand, the marketers will transfer the image brand from Snickers by maintaining some good elements of Snickers brand and add some elements that Snickers brand needed to improve to compete with its  competitors. 5.1 Energy booster and Offer value Figure 5.1: Chocolate confectionary brand personality-macros image, January 2012 According to the figure above, Snickers have a wholesome reputation. This might attributable to its high peanut content as Mintel (2012) stated that Snickers is a particularly divisive brand, with the high peanut content likely to be a deterrent for a number of people. Therefore, for the new identification brand, maintaining the high peanut content will be a great element to offer added value for the consumers. In addition, positioning the new identification brand as an energy booster is also important as Snickers attracts lots of consumers with this position and this also one of the reasons why Snickers brand succeed. 5.2 Ethical brand Figure 5.3: Chocolate confectionary brand personality-macros image, January 2012 According to the figure above, ethical is to be a great element for the consumers to show the brand personality for a food product. According to Mintel, (2012), consumers pay much attention on ethical sourcing of food. The impact of ethical sourcing will become a great element to influence consumer confidence. In addition, brands which source their ingredients ethically especially for those with a premium orientation product, this would be a great element to identify their brand image (Mintel, 2012). Therefore, creating an ethical brand will also be great element for the marketer to create a new identification brand. 6 Creative choice/ Brand identification 6.1 New brand name The new brand name is CHOCO-ENERGY, which is easy for consumers to member the name and easily associated with the products. Meyers and Lubliner (1998) stated that a product’s brand name is responsible for creating memorability. It helps to build brand recognition and loyalty, as well as providing product information. For CHOCO-ENERGY, this could help to inform consumers’  that this is a chocolate brand. In addition, it also notes consumers that this brand focuses on energy booster. 6.2 New brand image Chernatony and McDonald (2003) stated that brand images enable consumers to form a mental vision of what and who brands stand for. Because consumers will select a brand by observing whether the images that brand convey match the needs, values and lifestyles of consumers. The brand image for CHOCO-ENERGY brand is to inform consumers that this brand is more than just another chocolate, â€Å"it as a reflection of a way of life, where people live with energy, joyful and healthy†. For the new identification brand, CHOCO-ENERGY would like to transfer a healthy and energy image for the consumers and let consumers to be treatwise for chocolate based on GDAs (Guideline Daily amounts). This new brand aims to inform consumers to be enjoyed as part of a healthy, active lifestyle. Because some of them might consider chocolate leads to obesity issues while eating limited chocolate can also provide benefits for one’s healthy because the elements contain in peanut butter and peanuts would benefits for consumers’ nutrition. Peanut butter and peanuts provide protein, vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, arginine, and high levels of the antioxidant p-coumaric acid. All of those elements would help consumers to protect against a high risk of cardiovascular disease (HubPages, 2012). 6.3 Brand positioning According to Aaker (2002), brand position is the part of the brand identity and value proposition that is to be actively communicated to the target audience and that demonstrates an advantage over competing brands (Aaker, 2002, pp176). The new identification brand will target on young teenagers and positioning on creating an everyday low price and importance of chocolate brand to British consumers. According to Mintel (2012), 15-24-year-olds stand out as the most important demographic in the chocolate and confectionery market, with the highest share of total users (91%) and also 44% of heavy users (Mintel, 2012). In addition, 68% of 16-24-year-olds full-time students consider that everyday low price as one of their main choice factors for a  chocolate brand (Mintel, 2012). Furthermore, there is a growing numbers in the population of the high usage 25-34-year-old age group as well as Abs and C2s look set to drive sales growth in the coming years (Mintel, 2012). Therefore, the new identification brand will target on users from 16-to-34 year olds and creating an everyday low price brand in the confectionery market to attract consumers’ attention. 6.4 Brand personality Aaker (2002) noted that a brand personality represents a functional benefits or attribute that may be relatively ineffective if it lacks a visual image established in the customer’s mind. Brand personality for the new identification brand is that CHOCO-ENERGY not just another chocolate bar that provide sweet craving or energy for the consumers but also a brand that value for money. Because according to Mintel (2012), chocolate suffers from a poor perception of value with only 28% of chocolate users think chocolate bars provide value for money. In addition, 65% of users consider that brands benefit from high trust as a main choice factor when they choose a chocolate brand. Therefore, improving perception of value and creating high trust for the new identification brand is emergent and significant. In addition, according to the brand image transfer part, energy booster and offer added-value are great element for the marketer to create the new brand. Therefore, this brand aims to create an everyday low price and importance chocolate brand for consumers not only value for money on price but also on product content. The product will maintain the value of Snickers brand that providing high nut content as the high peanut content likely to be a deterrent for a number of people (Mintel, 2012). 6.5 Package strategy for the new identification brand Trott (2012) stated that package is a powerful selling tool for a company to achieve a competitive advantage because for consumers the package is the product. Before consumers select a product, they will see the package at first. Through the shape of the package, the recognition of the brand, the color and the words, the graphic style and format they will have a fundamental image for the product (Meyers and Lubliner, 1998). In addition, the name, logo or symbol of the package are all unique, appropriate, and legally ownable for the company to communicate a positive and memorable image about the product (Meyers and Lubliner, 1998). These would help to provide product information and attributes to the customers. Therefore, it is critical for the company to pay much attention on the package design. Next the detail explanation about brand’s logo, color for the package, product identification (net weight copy, benefit statement, flavor or variety identification, size, nutritional information, ingredients, distributed place, attribute description) for the new identification brand can be seen below. 6.5.1 The brand logo The brand’s logo refers to a uniquely shaped signature, which can be based on the brand name in some kind of unique typographic format or a uniquely styled configuration of the corporate initials (Meyers and Lubliner, 1998). The consistent use of the logo is one of the reasons to make a powerful brand and also is the fundamental building blocks of brand identity (Carter, 1999). For the new identification brand, the marketer will use the brand name as the brand’s logo. The researcher will use a script logo because this type of logo provides an image of casualness, fun, movement and entertainment (Meyers and Lubliner, 1998). This is more related to the image of new identification brand that CHOCO-ENERGY is more than just another chocolate: â€Å"it as a reflection of a way of life, where people live with energy, joyful and healthy†. The slogan of the new identification brand is â€Å"CHOCO-ENERGY Eat health to be a part of active lifestyle†. 6.5.2 Package inside and outside The color for the packaging of the new identification brand outside will combine both brown and yellow. Because brown is deep color and often used for gourmet food and confections to communicate good taste, warmth, and appetite appeal. In addition, this color also helps to identify the color of the product inside the package (Meyers and Lubliner, 1998). For yellow color, it looks bright and tends to communicate relaxation and joy. Inside  the package four cup shaped chocolate. The surface of each chocolate has a heart-style image. 6.5.3 Product Identification Each CHOCO-ENERGY chocolate bar will contain 210 calories with a total fat content 14 gm. In addition, for its protein, sugar and sodium content will be 4gm, 19g and 130 mg respectively. The new identification brand will also contain nougat, caramel, peanuts. All of these elements will be covered in chocolate coating. Net weight copy for CHOCO-ENERGY is 42g. The benefit statement of this brand is to be treatwise based on guideline daily amount to be enjoyed as part of a healthy, active lifestyle. This brand pays much attention to balance the flavor of the product to avoid the product more sweet than salty. In addition, the product avoids making the peanut butter layer too waxy and to make the chocolate strangely flavourless. There will four pieces of chocolate cups in the package. The package will be flowrap bags. This would help to increase the product store duration because it’s easy for chocolate to melt at a high temperature. In addition, it helps to improve the product se curity. The detail nutritional information and ingredients can be seen from A3 poster. 7. Conclusion In this report, the rise of chocolate price and the increasing growing number of own-label of chocolate brand as great reasons to explain why creating a low budget route brand is effective in the chocolate and confectionery market. In addition, the detail explanation about the Snickers brand such as the brand image that Snickers Bar provide the fuel and energy for the body and mind with slogan that ‘the big eat when you are hungry’. Snickers brand positioning â€Å"from a largely ‘male’ base to include women and older consumers. Snickers brand personality through launching celebrity endorsement campaign with words like, â€Å"Peanutopolis, Hungerectomy, Nougtocity, Substantialicious and Satisfectellent† to give a fundamental knowledge about how to create a brand. Furthermore, the brand image transfer as a great part for the report to show what elements will remain or added from the Snickers brand to create the new identification brand. At last, the new identification brand, CHOCO-ENERGY brand was created with slogan that ‘CHOCO-ENERGY Eat health to be a part of active lifestyle’ to represent an image that CHOCO-ENERGY is not just another chocolate, â€Å"it as a reflection of a way of life, where people live with energy, joyful and healthy†. CHOCO-ENERGY positions on creating an everyday low price and importance of chocolate brand to British consumers. At the same time, elements for the package design also explained to show the new identification brand. 8. References AAKER, D.A. (2002) Building strong brands. London: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd. CARTER, D.E. (1999) Branding: the power of market identity. New York: Hearst Books International. CHERNATONY, L.D and MCDONALD, M (2003) Creating Powerful Brands in Consumer, Service and Industrial Markets, Third Edition. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. CHERNATONY, L., MCDONALD, M, WALLACE, E (2011) Creating powerful Brands, BH, 4th Edition. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. CLIFTON, R and Simmons, J (2003) Brands and Branding. London: The Economist Newspaper Ltd. HASSAN, T. U (2009) Snickers Chocolate Bar-A short History. Ezine @rticles. [Online]. Available from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Snickers-Chocolate-Bar—A-Short-History&id=4102333. [Accessed 17/05/2012] LABAU, E. (2010) Snickers Peanut Butter Squared Review. About.com. Candy. [Online] Available from: http://candy.about.com/od/candyreviews/fr/snickers_pbsquared.htm. [Accessed 17/05/2012]. LAFORET, S (2011) Managing Brands. McGraw Hill. MARS Official website page (2012) Brands Chocolate. [Online]. Available from: http://www.mars.com/global/brands/chocolate.aspx. [Accessed 17/05/2012]. MEYERS, H.M. and LUBLINER, M.J. (1998) The marketer’s Guide to Successful Package Design. United States of America: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. MINTEL (2012) Chocolate Confectionary-UK-April-2012. London: Mintel International. MINTEL (2011) Sugar and Confectionary-UK-November 2011. London: Mintel International. RIEZEBOS, R (2003) Brand Management. Prentice Hall. The IRISH TIMES BUSINESS (2000) Global marketing-Building and Maintaining the M&M’S Brand. Fifth Edition. UK: Masterfoods. TROTT, P (2012) Innovation Management and New Product Development, Fifth Edition. England: Pearson Education Limited.

Emperor Galerius, A Brief History essays

Emperor Galerius, A Brief History essays Emperor Galerius was the ruler of Rome. He was born in 250 and died in 311. He served a military career and is best remembered for issuing edicts ordering tolerance of Christianity. In upper Moesia, near Florentine, there is a small Danube village where Galerius was born. His parents came from an area beyond Danube, and his father was a simple peasant. Galerius was a herdsman before he joined the army. In the army he had a successful career, and rose to become a senior officer during the reign of Diocletian. During this time, Galerius, along with Constantias Cholorus, was chosen to be one of the principal leaders by the Emperor Diocletian. Galerius received the rank of Junior Caesar and that is when he changed his name to Gaius Valerious Maximainus. He ruled over the powerful Balkan Provinces, which were located in the dioceses of Pannonia Moesia and Thraciae, along with the Diocese of Asiana in turkey, which is in Asia Minor. The most important job in this position was of guarding the Danube frontier from any incursions from the Goths, who were pressing to take hold of the Danube frontier regions. In addition, after successfully defending against the Goths, he also fought off the Samaritans and Marcomanni in AD 296-297. He then divided the lands and formed a new Province in the northern half of lower Pannonia, which he named after his wife Valeria. Then, in AD 296, Diocletian called on Galerius to help deal with the Persians' invasion of Syria. In the course of the conflict, Galerius had to cross the Euphrates River, but he suffered defeat and had to withdraw and in doing so, lost control of the province of Mesopotania. Because of his failure, Emperor Diocletian punished Galerius and publicly humiliated him. This humiliation led Galerius to attempt to defeat the Persians for a second time in AD 297. This time, he prepared a much stronger army, and with a plan to attack the Persian forces and take all they had, including th...

Prostate Cancer - Who and What essays

Prostate Cancer - Who and What essays In December 2000, CDC sought expert advice from approximately 100 medical and public health practitioners, researchers, and representatives from community organizations and volunteer associations to help develop the role of public health in prostate cancer prevention and control. Experts discussed what the public health role should be related to understanding risk factors and disease burden, primary and secondary prevention, treatment, and quality of life. Discussion focused on four areas of public health: surveillance and monitoring, research, services and programs, and communication. One of the public health concerns is with prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer, other than skin cancer, among men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer-related death among men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 189,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and that approximately 30,200 men will die from the disease in 2002. Prostate Cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the prostate. The prostate is on the male sex glands, and is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The size of the prostate is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The prostate makes fluid that becomes part of the semen, which contains sperm. Prostate cancer is most commonly found in older men. As a man gets older, his prostate may get bigger and block the urethra of bladder, which can cause him to have difficulty urinating or even interfere with sexual functions. This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of BPH, or other problems in the prostate may be similar to symptoms of prostate cancer. Some common symptoms of prostate cancer are: weak or interrupted flow of urine...

Great Wall of China Essay If You Have a Writer’s Block

Great Wall of China Essay If You Have a Writer’s Block The Great Wall of China can be righteously called one of the building miracles that survive in modern world. There is so much to say about it in your Great Wall of China essay that you might be lost at all the options. We have assembled some of them for you to consider and to choose one for your Great Wall of China essay. Great Wall of China Essay: Option #1 The Great Wall of China is a unique architectural construction, unrivalled in modern world. In your Great Wall of China essay, you can choose to conduct a historical and architectural investigation of this wonderful fortress. Trace historical sources as to when and by whom the Great Wall of China was built, as well as what function it performed. Did it accomplish its protective functions? Has it remained in the same condition through the centuries or was it rebuilt from different materials? These are just some of the many questions to consider in your Great Wall of China essay. Great Wall of China Essay: Option #2 Preservation of historical heritage is one of the key tasks for the educated people nowadays. You can dedicated your Great Wall of China essay to discussion of the state of the Great Wall of China. Has it preserved completely? Is it protected by law? Is it regularly maintained? What should be done to let our progeny see it in the same glory as it is now? Great Wall of China Essay: Option #3 There has been a lot of dispute on the visibility of the Great Wall of China from space. In your Great Wall of China essay you can track the documents on this matter and dwell on the issue. What conclusions do you reach from your research? Is the Great Wall of China visible from space or not?

Different Models of English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Different Models of English - Essay Example English has become the second language in most part of the world with an increasing interest to learn it by masses. Currently, a large number of the users and speakers of the English language are located globally, outside the main heartland where the language originated and flourished. People use the language for variety of purposes such as tourism, business, finance, entertainment, academic and interpersonal relationships and that is the only media of communication which is understood by most of the people to a certain extent. In the above perspective, the paper attempts to study the various available linguistic models for the learning of English with a special reference to Lingua Franca as the suitable model for the English learners in the China. Native-Speaker Model Kachru (2005) propounded his Three Circles Model for English learning. What he described as Inner- Circle that comprises of the countries, which are native developers of the English language such as Britain, U.S., Aust ralia and Canada. Countries such as China, Japan who according to Kachru (2005) fall under Expanding – Circle do not have matured version of their own English obviously look at native speakers for their English language programs unlike the Outer-Circle countries. Kirkpatrick (2007) is of the view that Inner-Circle norms are not necessary for countries like China and they need not follow the pattern of pronunciation prevailing in Inner-Circle countries. He is of the clear view that the distinction between native and nativised varieties of English can easily be questioned. American English is a nativised version when compared to British English because some other languages were spoken there before English from Britain arrived there. So taking the grasp of local cultures of America, English got nativised in the American context. Same is also true for Australian English which got nativised through the influence of local cultures. Kirkpatrick (2007) is of the view that all languag es routinely influence each other and evolve. Even current native English language is a mixture of so many other languages such as Greek, Latin, Germanic, French, and other Anglo-Saxon forms. Thus, it is difficult to classify any form of English as native version rather it is easy to classify them as nativised. Nativised Model Roger Anderson (1983) propounded the theory of nativization of language. According to him, the learner of a second language (English) nativises the language input in reference to their first language norm. Learners of the second language failing to identify them with the culture of the target language reject its linguistic norms and tend to nativise it. This has been confirmed by Kachru (2005) when he classifies his theory about The Outer-Circle. He classifies those countries in Outer-Circle, which have been either British or U.S colonies in the past such as India, Kenya, Africa, Pakistan, Singapore, Philippines, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. These countries have su ccessfully developed and adopted to own version of pronunciation of English depending upon their culture and linguistic style and most of them have culminated into mature varieties as described in detail by Schneider (2007). Globish Model Globish is a simple form of English devised by Jean Paul Nerriere, an Ex-vice president of IBM. It has short sentences, no idiomatic expressions and uses basic syntax. It has vocabulary of 1500 words. This was devised by Nerriere to help non-English speakers so that

Entrepreneurial Interview Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Entrepreneurial Interview - Research Paper Example The sight of bricks and blocks being placed on top of each other thus making walls and rising into structures fascinated me. I loved the smell of the wet cement as the walls were plastered and would often sit inside the cured plastered building to keep safe from the scorching heat of the sun outside. I was good in studies. After my higher secondary school exam, I got admission in an engineering university. I became a Civil Engineer in four years. When I was granted admission, at that time the scope of Civil Engineering was lesser than that of Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. However, while I was studying, the scope of Civil Engineering increased manifolds particularly as new opportunities of construction and development surfaced after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I had joined that course with the view that whether or not I would get the job, I would establish my own business utilizing the skills and experience of my father. When I graduated in 2008, I opted to seek practical experience in field before establishing my own company. I deemed it necessary to seek practical experience first in order to familiarize myself with the complications of the construction work and the way day-to-day challenges are met in construction work. I was fortunate to work at a big project â€Å"Canyon Views† by a prestigious client EMAAR in Islamabad. Meanwhile, I got myself registered with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). After about a year of experience, I decided to establish my own company. I compiled the necessary documents and applied for a company in PEC. Within a period of three to four months, I had my own company established. I set up my own office of design and consultation. My father had been constructing houses for over 20 years. I started to supervise the construction and brought improvement in the structural design of the houses so as to make them structurally safer than the old designs. After the houses were constructed,

How can tax cuts help revive the economy Explain Essay

How can tax cuts help revive the economy Explain - Essay Example Pertaining to the reduction of the gap and to take the economy out of the crisis, the package of fiscal stimulus was observed as an effective way-out for the economy. The planning of the government within the economy was not held effective enough in mitigating the problem of economic crisis. According to the plan of the US government, the amount of public spending consisted in the policy towards enhancing multiplier effect through discretionary fiscal policy was merely about 480 billion Dollars. This amount has a multiplier of about 1.5 which means government spending of each Dollar would increase the GDP of the economy by 1.5 Dollar (Shostak, 2009). With regard to the less reliance on the natural forces in the economy, successful management of the government is essential in line with the inducement of individuals’ spending within the economy. Tax cuts act as an economic booster during the times of recession when generally people decrease their level of spending in order to fi ght with the economic crisis. Tax cuts can be termed as an important aspect of the expansionary fiscal policy of the government and it helps to a greater extent in strengthening the aggregate demand within the economy and thus eliminate the slump resulted due to the economic crisis.

Marketing plan report for Masafi company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing plan report for Masafi company - Essay Example It would examine the trends and choices for marketing and running the business. The report goes on to examine some important trends in the markets and deduce the competitor positions. It would identify the marketing potential and from there, the paper would formulate and recommend a marketing plan after identifying the marketing gaps that exist in Masafi. Background Analysis Masafi is focuses on mineral water and other food products that they produce in their factory and sell to customers in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and different parts of the world. Their products are unique and are tapped from the rich oases and mountains of Masafi, a region in the north-east of the United Arab Emirates. Masafi's competitive strength is in the fact that it produces world class water and consumer goods with a high degree of natural freshness and health potentials. Masafi is also reputed for being environmental-friendly in its approach of doing things. Past History The Masafi mountains and region is a vegetated mountainous region in the United Arab Emirates. The region contrasts the area in the vast west of the region which is mainly a sandy desert area. Masafi has a reputation of being an area with numerous springs and oases which were documented in Roman times. The locals of Masafi have always made use of the water and natural resources and sent them to different parts of the country for generations. However, in 1976, Masafi was officially incorporated with the view of commercializing the sale of water from the springs of the Masafi geographic area (Masafi Corporate, 2013). Masafi started with a small portfolio of just producing bottled water to consumers around the local area. It used traditional systems and methods of collecting water and sending it out to nearby communities. In 1990, Masafi expanded to different parts of the UAE. They sold their mineral water to large cities of the United Arab Emirates. In 1995, Masafi expanded to different portfolios. They produced ju ices from natural fruits, flavoured water, potato chips, and Basmati rice. The biggest product, the 4G (Four Gallon) water was added in 2000. In 2008, Masfai gained a reputation as a natural, organic and health product when they entered the beverage market. This quest was to make the company a fast-moving consumer goods company (FMCG) by 2011. They continued to produce 100% pure and natural products for consumers in different parts of the Persian Gulf Region. Export increased with the growth of the Emirati economy. This led to the sale of Masafi products to Africa, the Middle East and different zones around the region. Organizational Setup Masafi has a capital base of $5.5 million . This capital enables it to continue to produce and fund its operations and expansion drives. The company is involved in different projects in different parts of the country. Masafi has over 1,000 employees. The primary plants are located in the Masafi regions. However, the company has different warehousi ng networks around the country which enables it to distribute the products to the various cities and the ports of UAE. Masafi maintains a major recycling system on its site which allows it to recycle the plastics and other containers that are used to carry out the activities of the company. Masafi is one of the most profitable entities in the industry. In 2008, they increased their profits by 36% from 2007 records (Zawya, 2009). This represents a revenue of $26

Short Critical Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Critical Reflection Paper - Essay Example It can store half truths that masquerade as fact. You might find a great answer to a question online, but because it is not from a reliable source, it may be inaccurate. However the libraries of the19th century were not very easy to access and it was very difficult to find the relevant information. They were also not very updated. In contrast Google is a very efficient and effective resource to search particular information. Is email dead for teenagers? Explain. Despite the influence that email holds amongst adults as a main mode of personal and professional communication, it is not a predominantly important part of the communication arsenal of today’s youth. Only 14% of all adolescence report transferring of emails to their friends each day, making it the least admired form of daily social communication on the record. Even among multi-channel youth, who are more likely to take benefit of any communication channel they have access to, just 23% declare they send email to their contacts daily. High school age doesn't utilize email at all, they send archives through AIM and converse with their cell phones, face book and IM. Once they are into the college they are enforced to use email for classes but they hardly ever use it to be in touch with friends.

Marketing plan report for Masafi company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing plan report for Masafi company - Essay Example It would examine the trends and choices for marketing and running the business. The report goes on to examine some important trends in the markets and deduce the competitor positions. It would identify the marketing potential and from there, the paper would formulate and recommend a marketing plan after identifying the marketing gaps that exist in Masafi. Background Analysis Masafi is focuses on mineral water and other food products that they produce in their factory and sell to customers in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and different parts of the world. Their products are unique and are tapped from the rich oases and mountains of Masafi, a region in the north-east of the United Arab Emirates. Masafi's competitive strength is in the fact that it produces world class water and consumer goods with a high degree of natural freshness and health potentials. Masafi is also reputed for being environmental-friendly in its approach of doing things. Past History The Masafi mountains and region is a vegetated mountainous region in the United Arab Emirates. The region contrasts the area in the vast west of the region which is mainly a sandy desert area. Masafi has a reputation of being an area with numerous springs and oases which were documented in Roman times. The locals of Masafi have always made use of the water and natural resources and sent them to different parts of the country for generations. However, in 1976, Masafi was officially incorporated with the view of commercializing the sale of water from the springs of the Masafi geographic area (Masafi Corporate, 2013). Masafi started with a small portfolio of just producing bottled water to consumers around the local area. It used traditional systems and methods of collecting water and sending it out to nearby communities. In 1990, Masafi expanded to different parts of the UAE. They sold their mineral water to large cities of the United Arab Emirates. In 1995, Masafi expanded to different portfolios. They produced ju ices from natural fruits, flavoured water, potato chips, and Basmati rice. The biggest product, the 4G (Four Gallon) water was added in 2000. In 2008, Masfai gained a reputation as a natural, organic and health product when they entered the beverage market. This quest was to make the company a fast-moving consumer goods company (FMCG) by 2011. They continued to produce 100% pure and natural products for consumers in different parts of the Persian Gulf Region. Export increased with the growth of the Emirati economy. This led to the sale of Masafi products to Africa, the Middle East and different zones around the region. Organizational Setup Masafi has a capital base of $5.5 million . This capital enables it to continue to produce and fund its operations and expansion drives. The company is involved in different projects in different parts of the country. Masafi has over 1,000 employees. The primary plants are located in the Masafi regions. However, the company has different warehousi ng networks around the country which enables it to distribute the products to the various cities and the ports of UAE. Masafi maintains a major recycling system on its site which allows it to recycle the plastics and other containers that are used to carry out the activities of the company. Masafi is one of the most profitable entities in the industry. In 2008, they increased their profits by 36% from 2007 records (Zawya, 2009). This represents a revenue of $26

Succession Planning of A.C. Milan Research Paper

Succession Planning of A.C. Milan - Research Paper Example The soccer team plays in Series A league. A.C. Milan was established in 1899 by Herbert Kilpin and Alfred Edwards among others. The soccer team has its entire history in the top Italian football flight with an exception of 1982–83 and 1980–81seasons popular as Serie A between1929–30 (Singer, 2010). The club’s owner is former Prime Minister of Italy with a controlling shareholding by Mediaset Silvio Berlusconi as well as Adriano Galliani, the vice-president. The soccer team is ranked as a wealthy and most valuable asset in the Italian, as well as world football. The soccer team was one of the founding members of G-14 group (now-defunct) in Europes leading football clubs as well as the replacement, European Club Association. Milans subsequent seasons of success were derived from the former player, Carlo Ancelotti. His November 2001 appointment allowed Ancelotti to take Milan to 2003 Champions League final. However, the soccer team was defeated Juventus through penalty shoot-out to secure the sixth European Cup for the club. The members won scudetto between 2003 and 2004 prior reaching 2005 Champions League final (Hastings, 2014). The focus also started with a beating from Liverpool through penalties irrespective of the lead of 3–0 during half time. Mission: â€Å"To maintain the balance of management and of accounts both to support sporting excellence and the activities associated with the expectations of our clients and our stakeholders. The economic and financial management oriented to structural sustainability must be in compliance with the provisions of UEFA Financial Fair Play† Changes in the soccer teams include movement in diversified lines of business, alternate global markets, and new technology demanding for new attitudes among soccer soccer team managers and with different competencies, talents and qualifications the A.C Milan soccer team believes in career development among the

Does Ethnicity and Language to the Degree of Parent Involvement in Schools Essay Example for Free

Does Ethnicity and Language to the Degree of Parent Involvement in Schools Essay Many recent studies have indicated that parent involvement can make significant differences to outcomes at schools. Why some parents become involved more than others in their childrens education has been the subject of past studies, and ethnic minority status (especially Black and Hispanic) have been associated in the past with poor involvement compared to whites. But other studies have shown completely opposite conclusions i. e. parental involvement is higher in ethnic groups than whites. The critique: This questionnaire study of teachers and parents was a multi-dimensional investigation into the role of ethnicity in parental involvement in schooling found that Black parents perceive that they take a more active role in their childrens schooling than any other ethnic group. By contrast the teachers perceptions on the issue were drastically opposite – teachers reported much lower levels of alliance with Black parents than White or Hispanic parents. The fact that fewer than 4% of teachers in this study were blacks probably has been a significant factor in this regard. One of the main weaknesses of this study is a lack of verifiability – it was entirely based on questionnaires, without any involvement of students themselves. Secondly the fact that the population consisted entirely of low-performers may have introduced a source of bias in the study. There were also inadequate measures of ruling out the effect of other confounding factors e. g. education level, incomes of households which made it difficult to compare ethnicity properly. Finally, some ethnic groups returned more questionnaire than others, making it difficult to conduct a like for like study. Conclusion : More studies are needed, carried out in a more rigorous method, before the true effect of ethnicity on parental involvement with schools can be established.

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis I choose Gate Gourmet as an organisation for use as case study. It is headquartered at Zurich-Airport, Switzerland and is the worlds second largest airline catering company, providing catering services to many of the worlds major airlines, such as British Airways, Swissair, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific to name just a few. The scale and complexity of the Gate Gourmet operations is high and it operates in global environment in an industry that is highly competitive and cost sensitive. This gives an opportunity to evaluate the macro and micro environment in line with the strategic options that Gate Gourmet has. Task1 (B) There are several practices that are used for strategic planning in the industry today and the choice of these are driven by factors such as type of industry, market realities, competitive pressures, size of the business and of course the culture and ethical practices of the organisation. Planning horizons have now considerably shortened considering the dynamic nature of business of the 21st century. The horizons have now become 2-3 years. There are however several best practices that have emerged from what is observed across industries: Stretch goals are an imperative to make strategic thinking more out of the box Planning processes are now regarded as evolving and flexible and it is to the organisations credit how quickly it can course correct. With the understanding of importance of stakeholder buy in and support there is an emphasis on communication in the strategic plan. This is an integral part of the quality planning in the strategic planning. Detailed plans are now created to tie the objectives to activities and outcomes. An organisations competitiveness is now determined by a set interconnected core competencies and not by a single core competency. This has emerged from the understanding that there are various organisational aspects that go into building a competitive advantage. In addition to the best practices mentioned above, there are some theories and frameworks that support the strategic planning: SWOT analysis for environmental analysis Porters 5 forces theory for environmental analysis Strategy as an ecology to understand the competition Balanced Scorecard approach McKinseys 7-S model to understand how the organisational factors help drive its operation strategy Ansoffs matrix to define the service or product strategy BCG and McKinsey matrix to review the product portfolio Value chain analysis as to how the organisation is adding value and interacting with its ecosystem Core Competency approach for deciding differentiation approach Top down or bottom up approach for participation and communication Strategic narratives that help in framing and analysis of strategic options Task 1(C) For Gate Gourmet to formulate its strategy, we must look the following: Environmental analysis and the position of Gate Gourmet relative to its environment. I would recommend using Porters 5 forces and SWOT as it will help us understand both the macro and micro environment and link it with the Gate Gourmets position in the competitive landscape. Since the industry of inflight catering is defined largely by operational excellence, we can use the 4-V analysis to understand the areas of operational excellence that can be used to differentiate, not merely to drive operational efficiency, but also to achieve competitive advantage. The SWOT will also then help us understand the core competency of Gate Gourmet and if that fits with the differentiation strategy that will help it achieve competitive advantage. From the core competencies, the balanced scored card can be used to outline the business objectives that will help leverage the core competencies and achieve competitive advantage. These objectives will be defined across financial, customer, human resources and knowledge management aspects of the organisation. Task 1(D) Relevant theories for the marketing plan for Gate Gourmet are product Life cycle management using Ansoffs matrix and BCG matrix, service marketing strategy and innovation based marketing strategy. Looking at the product life cycle of the inflight catering business, we understand that the business is a mature business and therefore will require innovation and service differentiation focus to compete. Also, BCG matrix will help Gate Gourmet evaluate the services and geographies that can be dropped from its portfolios and the ones that need to be consolidated and invested in. Ansoffs matrix will help Gate Gourmet to decide the innovation strategy through new product launch. This will help improve its utilization of the supply chain resources and the investments and thus help reduce its per unit costs. Task 2(A) There are 2 general strategic options that are available to Gate Gourmet: Cost Leadership and Differentiation. Let us look at the relative advantages and disadvantages: Cost Leadership: Gate Gourmets business drives the need for it to be increasingly efficient as its airline customers face heightened cost pressures due to the changing business and economic scenario. It operates in a business which is low margin and increasingly coming under further squeeze. Hence Cost leadership is a requirement for business in this industry in the in flight catering business. It cannot be a source of competitive advantage. Differentiation: Given that efficiency focus is a requirement or a qualifying criterion in the industry of Gate Gourmet, what can lead to a competitive advantage is through a differentiation strategy. Quality and flexibility are areas that can help Gate Gourmet differentiate itself to its competition. However, focus on quality and flexibility will lead to overheads that can act against the cost leadership requirement. Therefore Gate Gourmet will also need to have a robust operational strategy to drive the quality and flexibility differentiation with cost leadership. Task 2(B) The following are Gate Gourmets key stakeholders: Employees and contractors: The strategy of flexibility and consolidation will impact the employees as Gate Gourmet will have to resort to lay offs for its permanent employees and look at flexible hiring model to suit its operations. Raw Material Suppliers: Gate Gourmet will have to look at creating a deeper alliance and information sharing to implement its strategy of flexibility and quality focus. This will happen though further integration of their systems and through real time information sharing. For cost leadership, Gate Gourmet will need to get into longer term contracts and choose strategic suppliers that can offer it better unit prices. Supply Chain/Logistics partners: Gate Gourmet will need to have more integration and alignment with its supply chain partners to put in place a quality and flexibility strategy. It will need to agree with them on standard quality practices to ensure consistent quality experience creating the competitive advantage that Gate Gourmet is looking at. Airlines: Flexibility and cost leadership will require Gate Gourmet to receive information from its airline customers in real time. Gate Gourmet will also need to have Task 2(C) The following are the key areas that need to be paid special attention to by the management team implementing the strategy: Communication The communication of the strategy, its objectives and the rationale behind that needs to be clearly articulated and communicated to the employees. This is required to create the appropriate buy in from them. The communication also needs to be planned to the customers of the organisation to share with them how the organisation is changing for the better and aligning to the market and competitive requirements The partners of the organisation also need to be informed and aligned with the changes so that they too can change their work practices to align with the organisational strategy. Organisation design The organisations structure needs to support the new strategy and ensure that the execution is supported by the new organisation This will also ensure resources are allocated efficiently and minimise the waste Training and development Training programs need to be implemented for the new and existing employees to close the information and skill gap required to execute the new strategy Investments into Systems and Integration For close integration with the partners and customers of the organisation systems need to be put in place to support this. The organisation will need to invest in infrastructure and work practices to put these systems in place Contractual Strategy Serviced Based and Strategic partners The contractual relationships with the partners may need to be revisited and consolidated in view with the new strategy Also existing partners may have to revisit the service levels and scope of the contractual relationships. Task 2(D ) Communication Organisation design Training and development Task 3 Develop vision, mission, objectives and measures of these Task 3(A) Vision statement articulates how the organisation sees itself in the future, in fact it is the long term goal for the organisation which it strives to achieve. Ideally this goal should be such that it can never be achieved by the organisation and it should serve as the drive for the organisation. A mission statement is more of a goal statement for a fixed tenure of time and is usually derived from the Vision statement. From the mission statement the organisational objectives year on year can be derived. Value of the organisation defines the principles and ethics that the organisation abides by and holds dear. These could be targeted at doing business in a specific way, or giving high consideration to employees and customers. These are principles that are considered to be above the business objectives and are the fundamentals on which the company envisions its future. There are many ways in which these can be measured. A representative way of doing this is evaluating how customers and employees believe the organisation is doing business keeping in mind the vision, mission and values. Also, employees can be interviewed to determine how their individual values are aligned to organisational values and if they hold the latter close and let it reflect in their working. The prevailing organisational culture also reflects how the vision, mission and values are absorbed by the different stakeholders of the organisation. Another way of measuring the effectiveness is to determine how the organisations performance management system is aligned to the mission and goals that have been set and how these are supported by the training, development, mentoring and coaching in the organisation. Task 3(B) Gate Gourmet abides a set of brand values and that drives its vision of its business. The Gate group was established as a master brand to reflect the growing diversity of the business. The shapes making up the outline of a star in the logo symbolize Gate groups individual companies and their vast range of capabilities. The points on the star represent the brand values with which we make every effort to serve our customers: QUALITY We deliver best-in-class products and services. INTEGRITY We pledge an ethical and trustworthy relationship. RELIABILITY On-time and with a clear focus on safety. VALUE Optimizing value for you throughout the supply chain. FLEXIBILITY One size does not fit all. We are attuned to your needs. PASSION We lead through innovation and inspiration. RESPECT We celebrate the diversity of cultures among our employees and customers. RESPONSIBILITY We strive to protect the environment and to be a good corporate citizen in our communities. The companys website gives the following information on its mission statement: Customers prefer us because passion shines through everything we do. We measure our success by the success our customers enjoy. (Refer: Source 2) Task 3(C) The organisations cultural and ethical environment provides a mean for realising its vision and mission. These are execution ingredients that it requires to attain the vision and mission that it has set for itself. The culture and ethical conditions are determined by how the employees and partners of the organisation have adopted and aligned with the vision, mission and strategy. It is important to note that without these supporting factors, even the most well crafted vision, mission and strategy cannot be implemented. The stakeholders need to align with these and the McKinseys 7-S model reflects how these factors interact with each other and determine how vision, mission and strategy get implemented. Task 3(D) Gate Gourmet operations can be described as extremely complex requiring optimized efficiencies and responsiveness at the same time, where it must be able to achieve very stringent operational objectives in an extremely competitive, dynamic business environment. Some of its operations objectives are listed and evaluated below along with relative importance of criteria selected for evaluation, conflicts with other objectives and how Gate Gourmet accommodates these changes Driving lower costs through economies and processes Due to the nature of the competition in the industry, and where customers are always looking drive costs lower to increase their profitability, the cost per meal that Gate Gourmet charges to its customers would directly impact the amount of business that it is able to generate from its existing and new customers. Flexibility, responsiveness to changing customer needs and ability to operate in an dynamic environment Though the company has to offer very competitive pricing, it is also very important that the company that it is very flexible to the constantly changing customer requirements and is able to deliver the product and service that are closely aligned with customer expectations. As can be seen from the case, the final requirement for a particular flight is not known till hours before the flight and even that could change due to last minute cancellations or new booking, due to which they have to operate in a just in time fashion, of being able to come up with delivery at the moment the customer requires it. Maintenance of highest quality standards As Gate Gourmets customers are airlines that are extremely conscious of offering the best to their passengers and also ensuring that they have good branding as a company offering the highest quality experience, they would want to ensure that the food that is served on their flights is of the highest standards and that various processes are followed for maintaining quality and consistency. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Reliability and service guarantee In addition to the above discussed factors, a very important operational objective for the company to achieve would be the ensure very high reliability in the services that it provides and also providing very high service levels that would ensure its customers business work as smoothly as possible. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Seamless communication and working with a vast array of partners in a global supply chain As discussed above, the operation of the company, due to the scale at which it operates is very complex where it has to coordinate multiple aspects and work with multiple partners and customers to deliver the required level of service, it is a very important operational objective that there is a very high amount of information sharing and close working together across the entire value chain that would allow for planned service delivery. This is again an important objective and is aligned with the other objectives that ensure that the company is able to deliver. Task 4 Explore the implications of changes in the general and marketing environment for organisations Task 4(A) Let us start by analysing the typology of Gate Gourmet which will then set the context for relevant objectives for Gate Gourmet. This is the key to understanding operations and any gaps in their performance: Volume: Clearly Gate Gourmet completes a high volume of daily transactions across its supply chain with 534 thousand meals a day worldwide, on average 195 million every year. It has 115 flight kitchens in 30 different countries, in locations as diverse as Hawaii, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, New York, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Sydney and Tokyo. Also, it emphasises working in unison with cleaning staff, baggage handlers and maintenance crews to ensure that the aircraft are prepared quickly for departure. Variety: Gourmet Gate faces variety across its airline customers and also within its customers due to the geographical spread of the airline operations, the customer needs differ. Creating a high variety situation for Gate Gourmet. To summarise we the following drivers for variety: Geo disperses airline organisation Geo dispersed end customers Customizations of the end product required based on airline/geo Variation in demand: Gate Gourmet faces mediocre variation in demand that typically emerges from the change in booking status of passengers which is the nature of the airline industry. While demand variation can be high during emergency situations as had been the case during the aftermath of September 2001. Visibility: The Gate Gourmet operations are not customer facing while they supply a product and service that impacts the end customer experience for their airline customers. Task 4(B) Give the 4 V analysis, we need to look at the implications for Gate Gourmet: High transaction volume would mean capital intensive operations for Gate Gourmet which will help it drive high repeatability and lower its unit costs as the volumes increases and economies of scope kick in. Gate Gourmet will also pay attention to introduce specialisation in its operations and allocated its resources as per the areas of specialisation these will be in terms of the geographic operation of the airlines and the airline itself. High variety in its business would mean Gate Gourmet operations to be flexible and aimed to meet the customer needs. The complexity that this introduces in the operations increases the unit costs. Variation in demand is though mediocre, but the Gate Gourmet needs to be in touch with demand and have the ability to anticipate the demand fluctuations and flexibility to cater to these demand variation. Capacity redundancy may not be crucial as there is no regular high variation in the demand. This factor also drives the unit costs upwards. Visibility of operations for Gate Gourmet is low for the end customer, therefore is a delay between the production and consumption of the product of Gate Gourmet. This allows for higher standardisation and staffing with resources with low contact skills. This allows high staff utilisation and centralisation of production therefore driving the unit costs down. The analysis and implications leads us to the objectives that will be key for meeting Gate Gourmets customers and end customer expectations: Dependency of delivery Order Qualifying criterion Speed of response Order Qualifying criterion Cost Order Qualifying criterion Quality Focus Order Winning criterion Flexibility- Order Winning criterion While the high volume and low visibility of the operations help Gate Gourmet standardise the operations and resourcing driving down the unit costs through economies of scope. They have also reduced the number flight kitchens by 10% from 115, when the case was published, to 97 currently and also their daily volumes have gone up by 10% hinting at strong economies of scope driving their unit costs lower. While the need for high variety and medium variation require its operations be flexible and integrate with the customer demand scenario. This drives the unit costs upwards and creates a challenge for gate Gourmet in this low margin and low cost business. Task 4(C),(D) Organisation Design: Gate Gourmet advocates the concept that the organisational structure should reflect the core processes undertaken by the business, with a manager given responsibility for each process. Under the traditional structure, if there is a problem with servicing a flight, no one manager would be responsible-the fault might lie with the purchasing manager for not ordering supplies, the equipment manager for not having the right equipment, the production manager, or the transportation manager. So, some caterers have now organised their production units based on core processes. Gate Gourmet in Geneva (Emad, 1997) identified these as Equipment Handling, Customer Management, and Goods Supply and Preparation Speed of Response: Gate Gourmet integrates tightly with its upstream and downstream supply chain partners through transparent and real time information sharing through the SCALA and e-gatematrix ensuring that the same information is available to all the partners at the same time; demonstrating backward and forward integration for creating competitive advantage. They have integrated the SC partners giving the last mile reliability to their end-customers, though they function as different organisations the information sharing couples then tightly and helping them reach rapidly to changes in their environment. It has created standardised menus in SCALA to ensure consistency and repeatability in its menus. Quality Focus: For quality Gate Gourmets global team of talented and accredited chefs is ready to serve your catering needs and deliver on your vision. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary) Gate Gourmet has instituted a total quality management initiative that is aimed at inculcating process quality than relying on inspection quality. This initiative is called Airline Catering On The Move Global Service Excellence and has been implemented internationally across its network of operations. This program was developed through the expert support of Dr. Donald Fisher, a globally-acknowledged expert in the quality management field. Dr. Fisher, of the Mid-South Quality Productivity Center (MSQPC). Dr. Fisher has been acting as an external consultant and has been instrumental in this initiative by bringing in his global experience and expertise. This alliance has been particularly valuable as Gate Gourmet operates in an international context as well. (Source: http://www.msqpc.com/Newsletters/Spring2003.pdf) (Source: Title: High flyer Author(s): Bettye Wells Miller Journal: Managing Service Quality) Flexibility Customer requirements of Gate Gourmet are such that it needs to assemble meals as per the specific guideline provided. Also, the packing and loading onto the service trolleys are as per specification. These service trolleys are loaded onto huge coolers and into loader trucks to send to the aircraft galleys just before the take off. Gate gourmet operates nearly 1700 of these vehicles and many of these are already equipped with cooling systems, cameras and state of the art engines to meet with the strict FDA regulations and also comply with the environmental guidelines. Cost Focus: Gate Gourmet also follows aggressive HR policies to manage its human resources and ramping down based on changes in its customer demand. It also got into union issues due to these practices in the UK in 2005. (Source: http://www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/gategourmet.cfm) Gate Gourmet is also looking at moving from permanent employee base to flexible staffing practices again in an attempt to be flexible and responsive. (Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4153366.stm) It is reported to making losses globally and trying to revamp its operations to stay profitable. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/15/business/worldbusiness/15iht-gate.html?_r=1) Gate Gourmet is consolidating its partnerships and acquiring logistics companies to allow it to backward integrate focussing on driving its unit operational costs lower. It is also looking at longer term contracts with it customers to assure a business volume over time. It is also innovating and getting into new lines of business to improve utilisation of its supply chain reduce its cost of operations and also drive top line growth. Gate Gourmet has entered into an alliance with ARINC Inc. (leader in onboard retail management). They are working together to promote on board sales programs for the worlds airlines and rail systems as well. This is helping Gate Gourmet improve utilization of its resources and reduce idle time. (Refer: http://www.arinc.com/news/2008/04-30-08.html) Gate Gourmet has also diversified into non-airline catering where it can use its existing supply chain to service on-land and train passengers as well e.g it has teamed up with Starbucks and railways in Portugal. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary/non-airline-catering) (Source: Title: Developing new products and services in flight catering Author(s): Peter Jones Journal: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management) Task 5 Plan for the implementation of a general or marketing strategy. Task 5(A) The mission and goals will help determine the business objectives that the organisation needs to achieve. Also, timelines for achieving these objectives can be set based on the mission and macro environmental factors of the organisation. The objectives and the timeliness can then be broken down into lower level objectives and activities with shorter timelines. Each of these activities will be assigned to individuals with responsibilities and also resources required to complete these activities. Each of these activities will have outcomes outlined and linked to the key performance indicators. These can then be established as milestones and linked to the key performance indicators that can be used to review the milestones and activity status. Therefore the timetable will consist of the following key elements: High Level objectives Low Level Objectives Low Level Activities Estimated duration of completion Milestones Responsible individuals and departments Resources required to complete the activities Desired outcomes KPIs to be used to evaluate milestone status Task 5(B) Task 5(C) While crafting a strategy, key performance indicators can be determined at the time of planning. A balanced scorecard typically helps determine the required KPIs along the different areas of strategic importance. Also, targeted values for these KPIs can be established during the planning process and how these need to be re-visited with time. The data required for these KPIs can be collected regularly and published as per a pre-determined schedule. These KPIs can then be compared to the target and a root cause analysis be done for those KPIs that are off the targets. Corrective action can then planned based on the root causes determined. Task 5(D) Post the difficulties that the customer airlines of Gate Gourmet were facing, Gate Gourmet decided to go with an approach of flexibility and to be able to match its cost structure with the changing financial situation of its customers. It decided to model its workforce requirement to this strategy as well and laid off workers in UK and US. However, there was an immediate backlash of these lay off specially in the UK leading to major business disruptions in Heathrow airport leading to grounding and delay of several flights prominent airlines. This had not been factored in by gate Gourmet management and they had to go for significant damage control measures post this fiasco. This indicates why Gate Gourmet should have monitored proactively the effects of its flexible strategy. The decision of the Coca Cola company to expand its operations in India as ap art of its Asian strategy was faced with issues when its expansion in Southern India was faced with stiff resistance from the local population and community on the detrimental effects of the factories on the ground water table. This again demonstrated the need to the company to monitor and factor in the community aspects of a strategy.

Childhood Obesity Essay -- essays research papers

It is a shame that so many children are obese. I am shocked that 2 million deaths each year can be contributed to physical inactivity (Wharry, 2002). The "How we Grew so Big" article is about the evolutionary reasons behind obesity. I worked in a factory this past summer where there was very physical labour. I ate way more food than I had before I started working there but was a lot slimmer by the end of my contract. Even though the sudden increase in activity in my life reduced my body fat, most of the other workers there were overweight. This leads me to believe that obesity is more of a societal issue than an evolutionary issue. I've had friends who were morbidly obese; one of whom would tell me "I know when I'm full because it gets hard to breathe". Last time I checked, that means you're over full! I have personally struggled with body image issues and am now exactly the correct and healthy BMI, yet by many people's standards would be considered "festivel y plump". I think that conflicting messages sent to people through media and healthcare providers over what "healthy weight" is, is a cause of obesity. Part of esteem in our society has to do with power, possessions and high luxury. Part of luxury is being catered to, having food made for you. It is hard to achieve this luxurious life style of drinking, partying and eating out all the time when we are also crash dieting so to meet the unattainable standards set out by advertisements and celebrities. If our lives are filled with inactivity and overeating, why are our pets so fat too? "Twenty-five % of cats of dogs are heavier that they should be" (Lenonick, 2004). It seems to me that if one is so lethargic as to not play with their pet, to the point that said animal is overweight, there is more than an evolutionary explanation to obesity. Though it may seem Marxist of me to write, people would be happier and probably slimmer if they were more connected to their places of work and community and had some kind of tangible association with the food they were putting into their mouth. The move from farms to urban areas in industrialized nations has reduced physical labour and also changed the way we relate to food. Lenonick, Michael D. 06/04/04 (Online). How we grew So Big. TIME magazine. Available at: http://www3.open.uoguelph.ca/d2l/orgTools/ouHome/ouHome.... ...ar accidents which is 16 in 100 000 (Harte 2002). I couldn’t believe that! I have a higher risk of dieing from a tummy tuck then getting hit and killed by a car, yet millions or people walk the streets everyday. The fact about it is that the greater the volume of fat and tissue fluids, including plasma, that are sucked out, the greater the chance of severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalances (Greeley 2000). Daniel Morello, M.D., president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery points out that liposuction is not for weight loss but for contouring of the body. "It is designed for removing localized areas of fatty tissues--not as a substitute for proper dietary management and exercise."(Greeley 2000). So either way we look at it we still have to exercise to maintain a fit body. I guess if you have the money, anything is possible or pretty close to being possible. Harte, J. 2002 May. Tumescent Liposuction. Available from: http://www.health.state.mn.us/htac/lipo.htm Accessed 2005 Feb 20. Greenly,A . 2000. Planning To Look Flab-u-less? Know the Facts About Liposuction. Available from: http://www.fitnessmba.com/childrens_fitness.html Accessed 2005 Feb 20.

Overview of Data Encryption and Legal Issues Essay -- Privacy Legal Es

Overview of Data Encryption and Legal Issues What is encryption and why do we need it? The concept of encrypting information has been popular for hundreds of years. Revolutionaries, scientists, political activists and lovers have utilized this technique to maintain privacy and confidentiality in their communications. As kids, we would take our secret messages and shift the letters of the alphabet by a specific number to create an encrypted message. For example, by shifting the letters of the alphabet by three we could change the word cyberlaw to fbehuodz. In encryption, a message is referred to as plaintext before changing it in any way. Data encryption is the process whereby plaintext data is converted to ciphertext data. Ciphertext data can only be read by a party with a secret decryption key. A method for encrypting text is referred to as a cryptosystem. There are many uses for encryption today, particularly, with the widespread use of the Internet. Encryption is used to verify messages, validate and authenticate users and authorize transactions. Banks use encryption to secure customer identification numbers at ATM machines. All U.S. electronic funds transfer messages are encrypted. Online vendors depend upon the security of credit card transactions in conducting business. Many political groups use cryptography to protect the identity of online users. Internet users want electronic privacy; freedom from observance by the government or other parties. Anonymity is vital to both privacy and freedom of speech. Potential Abuses of Encryption: The U.S. Government is concerned with the abuse of this technology at the hands of criminals, terrorists and hostile foreign governments. Encryption could impede their effo... ...nternet. The availability of encryption codes will encourage a larger population of users to encrypt communications and will provide businesses worldwide a way to conduct transactions securely. Arguments are made that the control of source code export discriminates against software distribution as opposed to encryption in print form. This greatly limits the expression of scientific ideas and thereby limits the marketplace for ideas. The ability to remain anonymous is important to free speech and our right to privacy in communications on the Internet. If Clipper chips and escrow accounts become the standard, the U.S. government will be able to read private e-mail and determine the recipients. This would be a frightening departure from our proud tradition of preserving privacy in our communications and encouraging the free exchange of ideas and information.

Syllabus En301

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