The American Red Cross Organization - 1118 Words

The American Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton and her close colleagues. Barton’s inspiration came from The Swiss Global Red Cross organization. When she returned for Europe she partitioned for what would be the beginning of The American Red Cross. The first domestic and overseas disaster efforts began with The Spanish American War, and shortly after their first congressional charter in 1905. Since then they have had two renewals of the charter in 1905, and the most current in 2007. The charter includes responsibilities such as providing relief to and acting as a bridge between military forces and their families, and also supplying national/international relief. Since then programs emerged like water safety, first aid, and additional programs like helping veterans after the war. Through both the first and Second World War the American Red Cross played a major role with more than thirty million adult and junior members combined. In addition, the organization provided substantial aid during the great depression, the great influenza, and many disasters alike. Today the Red Cross work closely with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) alongside government agencies and communities to manage contingency plans, provide aid, and continually help those effected during and after the disaster. Finally, the Red Cross aims to support in five vital aspects. They include: †¢ People affected by disasters in America †¢ Support for Family †¢ Blood Collection,Show MoreRelatedLearning Organizations : The American Red Cross1464 Words   |  6 PagesThis course covered many important topics helpful in understanding learning organizations. This paper will incorporate real-life situations from my organization, The American Red Cross. It will focus on three areas I found to be most helpful and relevant to my experience which is the understanding of systems thinking, growth, and the need to practice reflection. Systems Thinking To begin understanding how organizations learn from and adapt to change it is important to understand the concept ofRead MoreAmerican Red Cross Is a Non-Profit Organization1362 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Red Cross University of Phoenix Healthcare Delivery in the United States 11/19/2008 American Red Cross The American Red Cross is a non-profit organization. The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton in 1881—127 years ago. Clara Barton established the American Red Cross in Washington DC on May 21, 1881. She was the chief of this organization for twenty three years. The idea came to her after visiting Europe and witnessing how the interactions were with the Swiss-InternationalRead MoreThe American Red Cross Is A Humanitarian Based Organization Created By Clara Barton1566 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Red Cross is a humanitarian based organization created by Clara Barton in 1881. According to The RedCross.org, Barton was inspired to create the Red Cross because of her service trip in Europe were she was stationed as a nurse where she heard of a Swiss based Red Cross that treated wounded soldiers in the war. Barton admired their work and decided to start a branch in the United States. The Red Cross has blossomed into an organization that provides relief towards n atural disasters, emergencyRead MoreThe American Red Cross And Other Organizations At Purnell Swett High School832 Words   |  4 Pages On Monday, October 17th I volunteered to help the American Red Cross and other organizations at Purnell Swett High School. I was directed to a woman named Priscilla who oversaw a portion of the outdoor area. Our group was quite diverse. It consisted of young high school and college students, middle-aged parents, some senior citizens, and even a girl who appeared to be no more than nine years old. Everyone was in good spirits despite the recent tragedy. Our task seemed to be simple enough, howeverRead MoreThe American Red Cross Disaster Services Team975 Words   |  4 Pagesvolunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Services Team. This has been one of the most beneficial volunteer opportunities that I have ever accomplished. As an American Red Cross of Georgia Major Gift Officer, this volunteer experience allowed me to gain knowledge in a depar tment that serves as the backbone of the American Red Cross. As a nonprofit fundraiser, it is difficult to truly see the mission that your team raises money for every single day. Fundraisers at the American Red Cross are trainedRead MoreEthics of Red Cross1495 Words   |  6 PagesBoone Code of Ethics A Look at the American Red Cross Date: January 25, 2015 The American Red Cross has been known to be one of the most humanitarian organizations in the United States and throughout the world aiding and helping in different series of generous contributions in many disaster areas as well as bringing health care advancement to communities in the Unites States and in the world that need help in development (Dulles, 2014). For an organization it is important to make sure thatRead MoreCom 530 Week 3 Organizational Communication Essay1115 Words   |  5 PagesOrganizational Commitment and Communication The American Red Cross is an organization that helps prevent human suffering during events that leads the human society while in emergency crisis. The American Red Cross has the ability to mobilize the power of volunteers as well as the generosity of donors. The reader will be given a brief description on how different leadership styles affects the group communication within the American Red Cross. The reader will also be given an analysis of the differentRead MoreOrganizational Behavior1259 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Red Cross Organizational Behavior and Communication American Red Cross Organizational Behavior and Communication â€Å"Inspired by the International Red Cross movement established to provide assistance to wounded soldiers, the American Red Cross was established in 1881 by Clara Barton and a number of her acquaintances† (Peerbolte, 2011, p. 17). The mission of the American Red Cross remains largely focused on military serviceRead MoreOrganizational Behavior and Communication Paper979 Words   |  4 PagesCommunication Paper This paper discusses the culture of the American Red Cross, noting whether the organization’s values align with espoused or enacted values. Also covered will be to what extent is communication in the American Red Cross determined by its organizations culture. Communication plays a fundamental role in perception and organizational culture. Perception among the American Red Cross organization may cause misalignment between espoused values and enacted values. ConflictRead MoreEssay on Cross Cultural Perspectives1036 Words   |  5 PagesCross-Cultural Perspectives Organizations come in many different forms and sizes. An organization is any entity that purses a mission or serves a purpose in a society or community. Businesses, governments, schools, charities, etc., are all different types of organizations. Society and communities in American and throughout the world rely on organizations to provide goods and services necessary for people to sustain life. In today’s world societies and nations are becoming more and more connected

How the Media Influences the Public Perception of Science...

Sometimes careless science publishing can weaken the public’s confidence in science and the government. The Media is enormously powerful and leading and will influence people’s opinions on everything. There are plenty of stories in the media that will change the public’s perception of science or even make them see a new perception. Sometimes these stories are just written to scare the public into believing a certain thing just so they can sell their stories. Stories sometimes are true and sometimes they are false but it is up to the public to believe in what is right and what is wrong. In this day and age, where information is available at the touch of a mouse, it’s not surprising that the media is a particularly dominant and powerful†¦show more content†¦The tabloid newspaper is the Sun and the broadsheet newspaper is the Times. Firstly I will analyse the story written by the Sun, this tabloid covered the same story as the Times and therefore we can find out their intentions. The Sun had the following bold headline â€Å"Deadly strain confirmed†, I can clearly see from the start that they are trying to create a scare in the public and capture the reader’s attention very fast, this is because they don’t tell you what deadly strain they are talking about, if I were to see this in a newspaper lying around I would pick it up because it already got me worried and caught my attention. This has made me think, are they trying to inform the reader or just trying to sell their story? You only learn what the deadly strain is after you read paragraph 1 so this proves my point. On the 3rd paragraph the Sun states the following â€Å"the swan had the strain which can be fatal to humans.† Instead of just using â€Å"the swan had the H5N1 strain† the Sun chooses to create more of an impact by using the word â€Å"fatal† and implying it to humans. This makes the beginning of the article to cause fear, evoke an element of alarm and perhaps imply that the readers should be fearful for their own health. The article also mentions experts rushing to the scene toShow MoreRelatedMedia and Politics: Agenda Setting and Framing Essay examples863 Words   |  4 PagesHow has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi Weir, 1999) Agenda Setting and Framing Political Figures and Candidates In campaigning, media coverage playsRead More Media And Politics: Agenda Setting And Framing Essay871 Words   |  4 Pages How has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi amp; Weir, 1999) Agenda Setting and Framing Political Figures and Candidates In campaigning, media coverage playsRead MoreFrom Silence to Voice, a Book Report Essay1671 Words   |  7 Pagesaddresses the misrepresentation or absence of nursing in the media and the public consciousness. This book is more than a call to arms for nurse activism. From Silence to Voice is an instructional aid for shaping dialogue to disseminate an effective message. With the current state of healthcare, nursing needs this manual more than ever to shape the direction of nursing policy and perception. Keywords: nursing, media, healthcare policy, public opinion, communication in nursing From Silence to VoiceRead MoreHow The Media Shapes The Public Discourse Of Crime1344 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of How the Media Shapes the Public Discourse of Crime Whether through social media, televised news, or newspapers, most people are exposed to some sort of news media every day. It is the responsibility of the media to inform the public about what is happening in the world around us, and more often than not, that includes reporting crime. If the media is the source of our information, they have the power to influence our perception of that information. The media have the powerRead MoreMedia And Agenda Setting : Effects On The Public, Interest Group Leaders, And Public Policy1216 Words   |  5 PagesCook, Fay, et al. Media and Agenda Setting: Effects on the Public, Interest Group Leaders, Policy Makers, and Policy. The Public Opinion Quartely, vol. 47, no. 1, Spring 1983, pp. 16-35. JSTOR. Researchers analyzed the impact of the mass media on the general public, policy makers, interest group leaders, and public policy. Results indicated the media influenced views about issue importance among the general public and government policy makers. However, the change in public opinion regarding aRead MoreParapsychology: Science of the Unexplained Essay1589 Words   |  7 PagesPsychokinesis: the ability to move or influence objects without physical contact. Precognition: the ability to obtain information about future events outside of available perception. These abilities, along with many others are just some of the many instances of unexplained phenomena that parapsychology attempts to understand. The exact purpose of parapsychology is widely misinterpreted; whether due to a lack of information in the general public or preconceived notions from media portrayal, it is inaccurateRead MoreEssay On Blended Learning705 Words   |  3 Pagesexplaining how researches can have sign ificant impacts in real world. Burgess et al. (2006) in their article discussed and analysed how a published report with an uncorroborated claim involving 12 children who had a ‘supposed’ connection of measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccination and autism grew into a major public outrage and its aftermath was felt for years to come. While doing this week’s readings, I noted that media plays a pivotal role in shaping public opinions. Conrad (1997) opines media discourseRead MoreThe Effects Of Media On Fear Of Crime1488 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Media Numerous studies have been done investigating fear of crime and causal links (Dorfman and Schiraldi 2001; Gerbner and Gross 1976; Hale 1996). However, few empirical studies have been done that examine the effects media has on fear of crime (Chermack 1994). Media is defined as a manner in which we can access information and news through technology (Gillium 2000). This might be on television, radio, newspapers and magazines, and other online sources. Studies have found that media is dominatedRead MoreNuclear War And The Cold War Essay1436 Words   |  6 PagesThe vast majority of the American public know the Cold War as a period of political and state tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This era is often associated with the advancement of scientific research and arms build up as a result of the competition between these world superpowers, especially through the development of the nuclear bomb. Aside from the actual politics of the Cold War, Joseph Masco, professor of anth ropology at the University of Chicago, argues in his novel, The TheaterRead MoreNotes: Psychology Research944 Words   |  4 Pages Questions 1. What did psychology researchers in the 1950s determine about bias and perception? In the 1950s psychology researchers found that ordinary citizens reaction to scientific evidence is based on societal risks. After viewing a football games with a series of controversial officiating decisions students from each institution were asked to make their own assessments. Students who attended the offending teams college reported seeing half as many illegal plays as did students from

Business Plan Coffee Shop Free Essays

Coffee Shop for $ 50-100 thousand MARKET SITUATION Coffee boom that seized America, and then Portugal, has come to us. Is explained by the fact that the growing popularity of refreshing drink in the population, attracts more and more attention to this business. Existing Place of public may be divided into three categories: -Coffee house, so to speak, in its purest form, where the visitor suggest several varieties of coffee. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Plan Coffee Shop or any similar topic only for you Order Now – Coffee house with the addition of the â€Å"kitchen†, which attracts customers not only the coffee menu but also the possibility of a tasty and inexpensive meal. Most of the customers in set meals (lunches) and breakfast. – Coffee Shop – a bookstore, a favorite place of party intellectuals:writers, journalists and inveterate book lovers. Over coffee here it is possible read your favorite book or learn the news of the book market. Should be distinguished from the usual coffee cafe. First, Coffee Shop offers enhanced assortment number coffee and coffee prepared on the basis of drinks. Second, this place is more democratically and offers a pleasant leisurely conversation. Therefore the future owners of such establishments need to be prepared for the fact that customers will stay long here longer than in a normal cafe. Idea, concept First, you need to pay attention to the development of of the concept the institution. This is the cornerstonewhich in many respects determines the success of coffee. In the interior fast-service places emphasis on of coffee as the primary attribute. Place your bets on impeccable service, delicious cuisine original design dishes offered, unusual interior decoration disciplined waiters and special mood. Visitors have to want to return to the coffeehouse and on. It will be a classic style. How much it costs According to experts, in order to open kofeynyuna 20-30 seats in business need to invest at least $ 50 thousand. Payback period of coffee – 1,5-3 years. Licensing documentation Package permits to open a coffee shop and a cafe or restaurant is no different. Need a patent for trading activities, the certificate of registration. On the â€Å"documentary† aspect of the matter will go 3-6 months. Is assumed to replan and renovation of premises. It is necessary make the reconstruction project. It is also necessary have the consent of Division for the improvement, sanitary station and firefighters. ADVERTISEMENT For promotion of coffee would need about a year in which to be active advertising support. Important area adjacent to the institution. Coffee Shop – setting more local value if it does not differ exclusive assortment. LOCATION To estimate the location of the future coffee use the the following criteria. Stream of customers. No one will argue that the center is of the city – the most profitable place for such institutions. A huge number of people who work there, just walking, can provide a comfortable existence no one coffee shop. Characteristics of the competition. Question should be askedand which facilities are close to the coffee shop of the future? If it intersects the assortment and pricing policies with the majority of potential neighbors, it is better to think about a different area. { Because recapture clients from working and already gained popularity competitors always extremely difficult. } How to cite Business Plan Coffee Shop, Essay examples

Laugh Out Loud Private Language- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theLaugh Out Loudfor Private Language and Public Laws. Answer: The evolution of speech has been dated back to several thousand years ago. Speech and writing have been widely used for communication purposes. However there varied distinctions as to pertain speech and writing as aspects of language. Writing is not a reflection of casual speech. However, speech imitates writing, in text which are formal based, but however not in its natural way. The phonological way is writing like the way you speak, the essence has been that we dont obey the general rules of writing, often grammatical errors, capitalization issues occur and spelling errors often occur. The use of LOL for example has been used to mean laughing out loud, however the meaning have changed , people nowadays are not laughing loud each and every time they write the same instead it has been used as a sign of empathy and pragmatic. It has been used popularly in the internet based social networking, (Jimmi Robert, 2005). It has since become the common slang in computer mediated communicatio n worldwide. The meanings often refer to emotions and smiles. Some of the examples of these text variance include the following; you hate me lol, I am going to kill, lol, I am dam dead, lol, the exam is tomorrow, lol, you hate me, lol, I am a winner, lol, Not a nice thing to lol. In this first set of word it refers to the softening of the tonal variation, the stereotyping frequency is lol, laugh out loud. It is often used in any conversations of few participants signalling interlocutor involvement just like mm, mhmmh etc. In other texts it is used to refer to phrases such as; lol, i can access my internet now! and how fast is the internet, lol,. In this case, the phrases doesnt need any laughing at all perhaps, lol has been misguided. In text convention of lol, the general meaning is laughing out loud, but actuality there is no laughter, and yet in theory it is actually there. When people see older text in a conversation they express the feeling using the lol, the overall understanding of the substrate then you will realize that lol do not refe r to the actual act of laughing but something else, (Lawrence, 2004). Other text phrases can have different meanings to explain deeper understanding than the phrase. Examples include I love the book your reading, Partner, lol thanks, i will give. In this text you may think that the conversation is funny, but actually no one is laughing, and yet it has been used, it can portray some hiccup in the manning and context of the words, (Antonin, 2005). The use of pragmatism to show empathy can utilise the form of lol, an example to illustrate this is; lol, I have to travel immediately, In this cases the persona is not amused, the usage of lol is used in a particulate manner, as a show of empathy and a sign of accommodation. In linguistics it is referred to as pragmatic particles, (Mark, 2005). Indirect speeches have used as assessments of speech; they give us different perspectives and analysis. When we return to the act of speech of questioning, we can generate several sentences which interrogate a speech. We can consider this question, did you receive the price? A positive answer to the question is yes that is a direct answer, however consider this answer, do you know if you receive the price? The phrase framing portrays a question like state however, when there is no inquiry; mostly the answer will be yes. In real life situation the answer is yes i did or probably no i only got lunch. The reply applied in this case is prioritized as an utterance but not the face meaning, however a yes response signifies the true meaning of the question (Mark, 2005). Maxim principles in linguistics, refer to the use of pragmatic connation or further study of speech acts, it tries to explain the meaning of utterances when used reflects the background meaning. Outward state meaning of the utterances, speakers mean can result from assumption of a statement. It has 4 units, maxim of quality, quantity, relevance and manner. The statement above doesnt imply anything on the use of maxim, as they dont offer any suggestive gesture whatsoever. Maxim rule applies when comparing what is said and what is done for a particular statement. (Deirdre Dan, n.d). Concluding, lol and other initials in literature world have advanced from the computer aided communiqu to facial communication protocol. Instant messaging has taken shape with these use, actually more usage has been pronounced in real speech. References Deirdre Wilson and Dan Sperber,. "Relevance Theory", in G. Ward and L. Horn (eds) Handbook of Pragmatics. Blackwell, 607-632. Lawrence Solan, (2004)."Private Language, Public Laws", Georgetown Law Review. Antonin Scalia,(2005). Review of Law's Quandary by Steven Smith, First Things. Mark Liberman,, (2005). "A result that no sensible person could have intended", Language Log. Jimmi Harrigan, Robert Rosenthal, Methods in Nonverbal Behavior Research, Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-852962-0

This Fall Apart Essays - African Writers Series,

This Fall Apart ESSAY ON THINGS FALL APART Things fall apart tells a story of an African tribe and it's cultures. It tells the story of the life of a man by the name of Okonkwo, by his lifelong friend, Obierika. Okonkwo, a well-respected member of his village, had an undying desire to be manly at all times. He was a father and a husband of three wives and worked very hard to support his family; he began doing so at a very young age. Under no circumstances would he ever warrant the assumption by any man that he was either weak or afraid. The only fear that he did have was that any man think such of him. Okonkwo had a very short, violent temper that was immediately triggered in response to actions that he deemed to be weak of another. Unfortunately, almost every time that Okonkwo let loose his violent temper in his manly way, he brought trouble upon himself, as well as those around him. Though highly respected in his village, Okonkwo was exiled and banished from the village for seven years. This was the result of the murder of a clansman. Although the act was truly accidental during the funeral of an elder in the village, to kill fellow clansmen was not accepted. During the ceremony guns where fired, Okonkwo accidentally fired his gun, killing the son of the dead elder. Since this was done accidentally he was able to return to the village with his family after being banished for seven years. During the seven years of his exile, the Ibo village started to fall apart. The downfall of the Ibo spiritually was the mechanism that triggered the downfall of the Ibo village and it's livelihood. White missionaries emerged on the village bringing with them their Christian religion and beliefs that were totally different from the Ibo people. This was two years after one of their own was killed in the village. Although the collapse was primarily caused by three men, Mr. Brown, Rev. James Smith, and the District Commissioner, it was the passivity of the village (Umuofia), as well as the power of the mission's government that led to the demise of the Ibo way of life. Clearly this strengthened the credibility of the new white men and their religion. Futhermore, a major blow was dealt to the Ibo religion. Christianity provided an answer to the questions' people had about their spirituality: the Ibo religion began to appear to be false by default. The new religion's validity and acceptance, coupled with the void created by the dissolution of the void created by the dissolution of the Ibo spiritually, left the remaining Ibo believers over powered by the Christian converts and their new followers. A final illustration of Okonkwo's rash actions leading suffering for himself and those around him occurs when he hastily kills the head messenger who comes to Umuofia to break up a town meeting. Okonkwo and his fellow villagers came together and were planning to kill the missionaries. The messenger stood up to Okonkwo demanding to get by. Able to speak only two short sentences, Okonkwo furiously assassinated him; taking his machete and cutting off his head. This did not produce a war of any type. The remaining three messengers continued their journey and the villagers never attacked. This brought the ultimate suffering to Okonkwo, who hangs himself, as well as the suffering for the rest of the tribe, who may not bury him and some of whom are brought to the court where Okonkwo and some others had at one time suffered. In concluding I would say that Africans in their traditional beliefs and ethics, are very passionate about what I would consider supernatural, or mystical powers. Some of their beliefs I could accept in a spiritual way but not as a way of living my life. The beating of one's wife is not condoned under any circumstances, and effects the community as a whole. This is regarded as totally unacceptable but not because it happened on the wrong day but because it's morally wrong. ESSAY ON THINGS FALL APART Things fall apart tells a story of an African tribe and it's cultures. It tells the story of the life

Financial Ratio Analysis of British Airways The WritePass Journal

Financial Ratio Analysis of British Airways INTRODUCTION Financial Ratio Analysis of British Airways INTRODUCTIONFinancial AnalysisCurrent Ratio:Interpretation:Quick Ratio:Interpretation:Stock Turnover:Interpretation:Debtors Collection Period:Interpretation:Creditors Collection Period:Interpretation:% of Wages:Interpretation:Gearing Ratio:Interpretation:Fixed Assets Turnover:Interpretation:Total Assets Turnover:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    £mReturn on Capital Employed:Interpretation:Gross Profit %:Interpretation:Net Profit %:Interpretation:Margin al Ratio:Interpretation:Solving Ratio:Interpretation:Assets Cover:Interpretation:Operating Ratio:                                                                                                                                                                                                                         £mInterpretation:IMPACT OF EVENTS:  RECOMANDATION:CONCLUSION:References:Related INTRODUCTION British Airways is the largest international airline in the world. It is based at the busiest international airport of the world named Heathrow Airport with holding 42% of land slots. It has a global flight network through partners such as American Airways in US and Qantas in Australia. It serves about 150 destinations in some 75 countries. British Airways is, through its subsidiary British Airways World Cargo the words twelfth largest cargo airline. British Airways world cargo has global fright opportunities through the British Airways flight routes. Due to recession, British Airways faced loss in the year 2008-09. So the company took the decision to get merged with Lberia. As a result it reported half yearly profit of 158m, first in last two years. In 2010 it revealed the double whammy of volcanic ash cloud from Iceland and cabin crew strikes. British airways reported a pre-tax loss of 164m, larger than 148m loss it made in the same period last year. But they performed really bette r at the end of the current year and gained profits. ND British Airways’ earliest predecessor was an Aircraft Travel Pvt. Ltd. It was found in 1916. On August 25, 1919 the company inaugurated the world’s first scheduled international airways service. In November 1936 British Overseas Airways Corporation was found. The long term service was started by British European Airways in 1946. After the integration of British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways, British Airways was found in March 1974. Company was officially incorporated in the year 1984. Company’s operational headquarter is situated at Heathrow airbase. Company serves to more than 150 top destinations of the world and carries about 32 million passengers on average annually. British Airways faced many ups and downs during its journey. Company faced losses due to the strike of its crew members. The strike continued for 22 days and led company to the estimated loss of  £150m. After earning good profits in the previous years, it faced huge collapse during mid of 2008 and it continued for around two years. In 2010 company announced to merge with Lberia. And finally on April 8, 2010 the combination was established. After this combination, now at the end of this year it is estimated that company will have profits. Combination of British Airways and Lberia will lead company to great profits. Performance is improving day by day. Performance of last six months is far better than previous time period. Financial Analysis Current Ratio:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Current Assets 2674 2346 3148 Current Liabilities 3740 4142 3244 Proportion 0.71 0.57 0.97 Interpretation: This Ratio is to calculate that which assets we can turn in to cash. In current liabilities we count long term borrowings, Bills payable etc. The ratio in year 2008 was 0.97which came down in year 2009 to 0.57 and in 2010 it was felt down to 0.71. This shows the current assts are recovered in 2010 after fell down in 2009. Quick Ratio:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Liquid Assets 2576 2219 3036 Current Liabilities 3740 4142 3244 Proportion 0.69 0.54 0.94 Interpretation: This ratio is to calculate the liquid assets of the company. In year 2008 ratio was 0.94 which reduced to 0.54 in year 2009 but once again in year 2010 it came back to 0.69. The reason behind that current liabilities effects ratio indirectly. Stock Turnover:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Sale 7994 8992 8758 Stock 98 127 112 Proportion 82days 71days 79days Interpretation: The average number of Days Company hold the stock called stock days. In year 2008 the stock turnover was 79 days it slight came down in year 2009 to 71 days but in year 2010 it again went up to 82 days. Company should circulate their stock and generate cash in small days for better growth. Debtors Collection Period:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Debtors*365 182135 193450 213890 Sales 7994 8992 8758 Proportion 23days 22days 25days Interpretation: Sale or investment in fixed assets is good but company should check their debtors. This ratio helps to calculate that average in what time company receive money from debtors. British Airways debtor’s collection period in 2008 was 25days which came down in year 2009 to 22days and in2010 to 23days respectively. It is good sign for company is able to collect money in short period. Creditors Collection Period:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Creditors*365 227395 243090 236520 Cost of Sales 7994 8992 8758 Proportion 29days 28days 28days Interpretation: This ratio is almost same like debtor’s collection period ratio the only difference is that this ratio is to calculate in what time company pay to their creditors. In 2008ratio was 28days which remained same in year 2009 it slight up in year 2010 to 29days. It shows that company’s reputation is very good for payment. % of Wages:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Wages*100 134600 146600 143300 Sales 7994 8992 8758 Proportion 0.17% 0.17% 0.17% Interpretation: This ratio helps to calculate averagely how much company spend to sale the goods or provide the service. In year 2008 this ratio was 0.17% which remains also same in next two years. It means company’s good management is able to control the wages. Gearing Ratio:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Short term lib. overdrafts+ Long Term Lib. *100 509700 504900 518400 Shareholder funds 1913 1644 3033 Proportion 267 307 171 Interpretation: In gearing Ratio Company finance it from high level loans. In year 2008 this ratio was 171 but in year 2008 it rapidly up to 307in year 2009 but in year 2010 it again come down to 267. It means company did well after 2008 to maintain their gearing ratio. Fixed Assets Turnover:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Sales 7994 8992 8753 Fixed Assets 7520 7802 7890 Proportion 1.06 1.15 1.11 Interpretation: This ratio shows the increase and decrease in utilization of company’s fixed assets. In year this ratio was 1.11 which slight increase in year 2009to 1.15 but just come down in year 2010 to 1.06. Fixed assets somehow depend on the sale of the company. Total Assets Turnover:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Sales 7994 8992 8753 Total Assets 10194 10148 11038 Proportion 0.79 0.89 0.80 Interpretation: This ratio helps to measure that what is the ratio of company’s total assets turnover. Company’s total assets turnover was 0.80 which was just more in year 0.89 and in year it just down in year to 0.79. Return on Capital Employed:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 P.B.I.T or (L.I.B.T)*100 (53100) (40100) 88300 Long Term Liabilities+ Share Capital 6472 6006 7794 Proportion -(8.23) -(6.68) 11.33 Interpretation: R.O.C.E ratio is the perfect way to calculate the profitability of the company. R.O.C.E of British Airways was 11.33 in year 2008 which became negative in next two years 2009 and 2010 to -6.68 and -8.23. It clearly reflects that company’s revenue goes up but its profit falls down. It means that company went in loss in last two years. Gross Profit %:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Gross Profit*100% (23100) (22000) 87500 Sales 7994 8992 8753 Proportion (0.03)% (0.03)% 0.10% Interpretation: G.P ratio is the share of the company compare to its sales. Gross profit is the margin on sales before deduct tax. In year 2008 company’s profit was 0.10% but in next two years company faces loss ratio 0.03% equally. It means that company definitely not being successful to improve their revenue to make the profit. Net Profit %:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Net Profit/(Loss)*100% (42500) (35800) 69600 Sales 7994 8992 8753 Proportion (2.45)% (4.46)% 10.09% Interpretation: Net profit is the remained profit after deduct tax. This amount is the net amount of the company. British Airways conclude 10% net profit in year 2008 but in next two years 2009 and 2010 it shows the loss 5% and 10%. It shows overall strength of the organization. These ratios prove that company faces losses from last two years. Marginal Ratio:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Net Profit/(Loss) (425) (375) 680 Sales 7994 8992 8753 Proportion (0.06) (0.05) 0.08 Interpretation: Marginal ratio is to calculate the margin of company on net profit. This ratio is very flexible ratio. The marginal ratio of the company in year2008 was 0.08 but in next two years it goes in to negative (0.05) and (0.06). Because company face losses in these two years so it effect marginal ratio of company. Solving Ratio:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Shareholder funds *100 191300 164600 303300 Total Assets 10194 10148 11038 Proportion 18.77 16.22 27.48 Interpretation: This ratio clearly shows that the solving ratio percentage is down from last 2008 year continuously. In year 2008 the ratio was 27.48 which were good but after that in 2009 it came down to only16.22 but it starts recovering from last year. It is now good sign for company. Assets Cover:  £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Total Assets 10194 10148 11038 Long Term Debt 3446 3074 2751 Proportion 2.96 3.30 4.01 Interpretation: Assets cover ratio of the company is coming down from last three years. In 2008 it was 4.01 but in year 2009 it reduced to 3.30 in year 2010 it again fell down to 2.96. This is really not a good sign for the company. Index is enlightening that company’s assets are sharing high proportion of debts which indicates that shareholders are losing faith in company’s performance. Operating Ratio:                                                                                                                                                                                                                         £m Years 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Operating Expenses 8225 9212 7880 Net Sales 7994 8992 8758 Proportion 1.03 1.02 0.90 Interpretation: This ratio shows the overall efficiency of organization. It is an important ratio for any company. In 2008 company ratio was 0.90 which climb up to 1.02 and 1.03 in years 2009 and 2010. It is a good sign for company. It means company will took up their profit in future. IMPACT OF EVENTS: British Airways faced biggest loss of its history  £401 million in year 2008-09. The reason behind that were 15days cabin crew strike and ash cloud due to volcano explosion in Iceland. But April 2010 bring some relief for British Airways when they successfully merge with Lberia the Spanish airways company. After this merger company come back on track company report  £158 million profit in first six months after merger. There was an unexpected raise of 8.4% in revenue. After two years continues loss company first time come up with profit. British Airways expecting good result and definite increase in their profit.   RECOMANDATION: British Airways is very well known company. It is true that company faces losses continuously from last two years, But Company handle the situation very effectively. The company merge with Spanish airways company Lberia. After this merge company is come back on track company had made  £158m in first six months. So it is advisable that still company is trustable. After all these still British Airways has bright future. CONCLUSION: After analyse ratios it conclude that British Airways pass through lots of up and downs. Company faces losses from last two years continuously. Still company is able to run their business effectively. In year 2008 company revenue was 8753 which slight up in 2009 to 8992 but in 2010 it was again fall to 7992. There is no doubt that company’s revenue come up in 2009 but if we see company’s gross profits and net profits ratios, company is in loss from last two years continuously. In year 2009 company G.P ratio was (2.45) and in 2010 was (2.89).Same in net profit/(loss) ratio in 2009 was (4.46) and in year 2010 was (6.64). In R.OC.E ratio also shows the negative return after 2008. In 2009 ratio was (6.68) in 2010 it was come up to (8.23). But after merging with Lberia in April 2010 British Airways starts deal with profits which is good sign for company. So it concludes after two years losses still company’s future seems bright. References: https://fame.bvdep.com/version-2011222/cgi/template.dll?checkathens=1kick=1product=1user=student%40beds.ac.ukpw=dsQVymWfUHCPaHwR7YzRVg%3d%3d 20th march 2011 www.Britishairways.com 22nd march 2011 Dyson, John R. Accounting for non-accounting students 8th edition. FT Prentice Hall.

DQ1 CK and DQ2 DW Comment to peer Response Sec1w9 Assignment

DQ1 CK and DQ2 DW Comment to peer Response Sec1w9 - Assignment Example Quilts did not qualify for copyright protection because its purpose was functional. I agree with you that quilts are considered a part of woman’s history in America. There is definitely artistic talent associated with quilt making. The terms of copyright protection in the United States are standardized. â€Å"As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years† (Copywright, 2010). In your response you mentioned how copyright have evolved over the years. As you stated in your response copyrights have gotten to the production phase today. The application of copyright today includes many things including music CDs, movie DVDs, books, and website among others. Piracy is a huge problem that is hurting copyright protection in today’s economy. Piracy can be defined as an unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyright book, recording, television program, patented invention, or trademark product (Dictionary, 2011). A country that is breaking a lot copyright laws is China. It is hard or virtually impossible for American companies or the government to do anything about the piracy explosion in China. Back in the 19th century when quilting was very popular in America nobody could foresee how technological advances were going to change the world. â€Å"A quilt is a treasure which follows its owner everywhere† (Klein,

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Cold chain In food industry - Essay Example Indeed, keeping the goods ‘in a safe, wholesome and good quality state from the production to the consumption stage’ (Aung, Chang and Kim 2012: 435) can be considered as the cold chain’s mission. Through a similar approach, food cold chain has been described as ‘a special kind logistics applied in food’ (Lan and Tian 2013: 347). When referring to cold chain emphasis should be given to the following fact: the quality of the cold chain’s products is difficult to be secured. In the food cold chain sector a similar issue appears. For this reason, a series of methodologies and standards have been introduced for ensuring quality in all phases of food cold chain. However, the full alignment of food cold chain with the relevant rules is not always easy, especially due to the cost involved. The various characteristics of food cold chain are analytically presented below. Reference is also made to the standards applied in the specific sector. A series of case studies has been employed in order to show the challenges that food cold chain has to face worldwide. It is proved that the sector’s advances are continuous but the lack of effective control mechanisms often reduce the quality of food cold chain’s products especially in countries with limited potentials to support food cold chain. Chapter 2 – Need for the cold chain in the food industry Cold chain, as a series of processes, has been established in order to respond to specific needs of the food industry. Reference is made in particular to fresh food products (such as vegetables, meal, fish and so on) that have to be transported to areas quite far from the area of production (Handley 2010). For such production, there can be 4 levels of transport, as described in Appendix 1 (Handley 2010). As it is made clear through the graph in Appendix 1 cold chain has a key role in the transport of fresh goods, a role that it is clearer at Transport levels 1 & 2 (Appendix 1), i.e. from factory/ production area to the wholesale (Handley 2010). At level 3 of the transport process, i.e. from the wholesale to the outlet, the value of cold chain is also critical, ensuring the high quality of fresh products that reach the market (Appendix 1). In practice, all parts of the transport process have to be developed in order for a food product to reach its destination, i.e. the end consumer; this means that cold chain, as part of the transport process, cannot be omitted since such initiative would destroy the rest of the parts of the transport process. This means that without the intervention of the cold chain fresh food products could not be available for consumers. In the study of Aung, Chang and Kim (2012) emphasis is given to the importance of the cold chain for the preservation of perishable foods; it is explained that without cold chain these foods could not reach consumers (Aung, Chang and Kim 2012). In other words, due to cold chain perishable foods can keep their qualities, as these qualities are described in table presented in Appendix 2. According to the specific table the qualities of perishable foo

Product Success Is Not A Reliable Indicator Business Essay

Product Success Is Not A Reliable Indicator Business Essay The report highlights the importance of different factors that contribute to the success of a company and strengthens its foundation. It draws insight on product success that is given an important consideration in terms of companys future growth and revenue generation. It is an essential pre-requisite for a companys strength. It contribution is vital towards the success of a company but it is not considered as a reliable indicator as various other factors play a greater and crucial role in determining companys strength. The strength of a company lies in those indicators which have the power to govern change and sustain its competitive advantage in the long run. There are various indicators which have been changing with the course of time and changing needs of business environment. These indicators are viewed different by various scholars. Thus, enriching there interaction in a company. The term reliability is the measure of consistency of different indicators that are devised in a company structure to overcome competitive threats and have a grab on opportunities. It can be correlated to business acumen and its knowledge. A great deal of business success depends on generating new knowledge and on having the capabilities to react quickly and intelligently to this new knowledge . . . (Richard Rumelt, 1996). The products of a company play a significant role in generation of revenue but the essential indicators are the factors leading to the creation of the product in accordance with the market demand and consumer needs. The firm specific knowledge plays a crucial role in exploiting the available resources to have a competitive advantage and contribute to companys strength. An essential feature of strategy or more specifically innovation strategy should be directed towards accumulation of such firm specific knowledge. Ives et al. (1998), for instance, trace the history of knowledge management back to the ancient Sumerian civilization where cuneiform archives served to record knowledge for future generations. Modern management tends to focus on controlling, centralising and standardising knowledge which reduces the marginal cost of knowledge by economies of scale. It is argued whether knowledge management represents an extension or departure from these tendencies. The conversion of tacit into explicit knowledge and storing it is lined up with such tendencies. The new technology integrates knowledge in the organisation. It opens up new opportunities for knowledge creation and transfer beyond the more traditional means of face-to-face interaction, mentoring, job rotation and staff development (Alavi and Leidner, 1997). IBMs Larry Prusak says, knowledge is both an asset and a process of acting knowledgeable. Knowledge management is the process of continually managing knowledge of all kinds to meet existing and emerging needs, to identify and exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets and to develop new opportunities (Quintas et al., 1997). The knowledge management programmes have coheren ce across a number of dimensions, including organisational structure and culture, people aspects, process and technology (Quintas et al., 1997 p387). Harry Scarbrough (1998) points that managing knowledge is not easy as it are often sticky and tacit. It cant be extracted from its context. He raises human relation issues such as staff will resist being treated as a moveable asset. It is further argued that knowledge itself appears in a number of different guises according to context: intellectual capital (e.g. Bontis, 1998; Roos et al, 1998); knowledge assets (Boisot, 1998; Teece, 1998); workplace and organisational capital (Adler and Cole, 1993; Argyris, 1992). The formulation of an innovation strategy having the ability to cope up with an external environment that is considered to be complex and ever changing, with consequent uncertainty about present and future advancements in technology, competition challenges and market demands may prove to strengthen companys business tactics in the long run. It is argued that the distinction between approaches i.e. choice and implementation breaks down when firms decision are made in complex and fast changing environments. The rational approach to innovative strategies dominance is believed to be less effective than the incremental approach which lays emphasis on changing needs in the light of new information, learning and understanding that is consciously obtained. The nature of the competitive threats and opportunities that emerge from advances in technology rightly stress the importance of developing and protecting firm-specific technology in order to enable firms to enable themselves against the c ompetition (Porter, 1980). It is argued that Porters approach underestimates the power of technology to change the course of the competion by transforming industrial structures and overestimates the organisational competencies to exploit them. It is very difficult (but not impossible e.g. the case of Nokia) for a manufacturing traditional textiles to have an innovation strategy to develop and make computers (Patel, P. and Pavitt, K., 1998). The product success is not a reliable indicator because when the product enters the market its reliability and validity depends on the market forces and competition and both of them are based on uncertainties. A firms technological innovation requires complementary assets to produce and deliver new products and services. Prior commercialisation activities require and enable firms to build such complementarities (Teece, 1986b). New products and processes can either enhance or destroy the value of such assets (Tushman et al., 1986). For example: IBMs direct sales increased with the development of computers, while disk brakes were rendered useless as auto industries invested in drum brakes. Further ample evidences are available for a given type of competence (e.g. quality) which can be supported or manufactured by different routines and combination of skills. Garvin (1998) and Clark and Fujimoto (1991) studies both indicate that there was no one formula for achieving either high quality or high product development process. There is a firm competition between firms on the basis of product design, quality, process efficiency and other attributes. It is pointed that firms are constantly seeking to create new combination, and rivals are continuously attempting to improve their competencies or to imitate the competence of their most qualified competitors (Schumpeter, 1934). Such processes drive the destruction of product creativity. The focus is on the dynamic capabilities of firms which provides a coherent framework to integrate existing and empirical knowledge, and facilitate prescription (Teece, D. and Pisano,G., 1994). What depicts the strength of a company in global market is not its products success but demonstration of firms timely responsiveness and rapid and flexible product innovation, integration of management capabilities to effectively coordinate and redeploy internal and external competences. It is offered as an emerging paradigm of a business firm. It tries to facilitate a prescription by integration of existing conceptual and empirical knowledge. It is an indicator which provides competitive advantage to firm rooted in their high performance routines, processes and continued by history. They are built as they cant be brought from a market place. The very essence of capabilities/competencies is that they cant be readily assembled through markets (Teece, 1982, 1986a; Kogut and Zander, 1992). Resear chers (Doz and Shuen, 1989; Mody, 1990) have pointed that collaboration and partnership can be vehicles for new organisational learning, helping firms to recognize dysfunctional routines, and preventing strategic blind spots. This concept of dynamic capabilities opens the door to inter-organisational learning. Leonard Barton (1992) finds that the organisational core capabilities can easily create core rigidities. That is, opportunity for learning will be close in to previous activities and thus will be transaction and production specific (Teece, 1988). Porter (1980) describes two market strategies: innovation leadership and innovation followership. The initial one is concerned with those firms which attempt to introduce a new product to gain a technological lead and temporary monopoly profits whereas the latter tries to initiate the market pioneer by reverse engineering. It is argued that the survival and growth in the firms succeed or fail in their innovations, whether offensive or defensive. For a firm to survive and grow in competition, it must be capable of adapting its technologically based strategy to this competition. The introduction of a new product in any industry poses a threat to older products and processes by turning them obsolete or uneconomic. It has been inferred that core competencies play a vital role in companys strength. Managers will be judged on their ability to identify, cultivate and exploit the core competencies that make growth possible (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994).In the long run competitiveness derives from an ability to build at lower cost and more speedily than competitors, the core competencies that spawn unanticipated products. The real sources of competitive advantage are to be found in managements ability to consolidate corporate wide technologies and production skills into competencies that empower individual businesses to adapt quickly to changing opportunities(Hamel and Prahalad, 1994). The validity of this statement still holds its firm position in the mainstay thinking of todays firms. Core competence leads to the harmonisation of a number of related skills which starts building up an intelligent organisation. The competence base should be strong and should be managed properly. It should not be overlo oked. The core product of a company is the crux of an end product.For example: Cannon has 84% share in laser printer engines but miniscule laser printer share.It has built its core competence in engines rather than printers through continuous feedback from customers. It has been able to manage low risk, low cost and reduction in lead time by focusing on its competencies. In conclusion, a well-crafted strategy can lead a company to be a pioneer firm in the market if it possesses the ability to convert intellectual leadership into market leadership and be ahead of their rivals. The foresight of the rising opportunities plays a vital role in gaining a competitive advantage. Core competence and dynamic capabilities holds the key to exploit opportunities and are intriguing assets which are built with time. By getting hold of such opportunities a company can capture royalties, market reputation, customer lock-in, vast distribution network and set or define rules for other companies to compete, as Sony did in portable audio products and Intel has done in microprocessors. The key to innovation is stability.The focus of a company should be on organisational stewardship and stability rather than short-term profit fixation which can be gained from the success of one product.

mussolini Essay -- essays research papers

The first World War left the entire world in a state of chaos, suffrage as well as separation; this was all mainly centred in Europe. The European countries were most effected by this war because it was so close to home. Italy, being such a new country saw these effects in an extreme way. The already regionalised country became more and more separated and saw all the crippling societal results of this war. Benito Mussolini was able to capitalize on the state the country found itself in. Mussolini and his fascist ideals were able to overthrow Italy and turn it into a dictatorship and lead it into the second World War behind Hitler’s Germany. Mussolini was able to successfully turn Italy into a dictatorship under a fascist regime because of the country’s internally divided war-torn society as well as the weak state of Italy’s minority governments which could not unite to oppose fascism and finally because of his ability to appeal to this country through a false sen se of security and nationalism. In the troubled postwar period Mussolini organized his followers in the Fasci di combattimento, which advocated aggressive nationalism as well as violently opposed the communists and socialists. Amid strikes, social unrest, and parliamentary breakdown, Mussolini preached forcible restoration of order and practised terrorism with armed groups. In 1921 he was elected to parliament and the National Fascist party was officially organized. Backed by nationalists and propertied interests, in October 1922, Mussolini sent the Fascists to March on Rome . King Victor Emmanuel III permitted them to enter the city and called on Mussolini to form a cabinet. This created the fascist regime under Mussolini. The fascist regime turned society into individuals who would just obey and distrust reason as well as understand violence as an essential tool to order. Ideally the country would transform into a totalitarian state; where the government would have total control over the lives of individuals and this would mean that anything is justified if it serves the states ands. Fascism emphasized victory, glorified war, is cruel to the weak, and is irrational and intolerant. Mussolini used the condition of the country to his advantage in his journey to becoming the dictator of Italy. Italian fascism had at least four principal phases. Until 1925, it was political action seeking an ideolog... ...inent invasion by the Allies of the Italian mainland at last caused a rebellion within the Fascist party. In July, 1943, the Fascist grand council refused to support his policy-dictated by Hitler- and the king dismissed him and had him placed under arrest. He was freed two months later by a daring German rescue party and became head of the Fascist puppet government set up in Northern Italy by Hitler. Italy unlike the rest of Europe was greatly affected by the first World War and the state that the country was left in made it vulnerable to the extremist view of Mussolini and was easily transformed into a dictatorship and lead into a fateful alliance with Germany. Mussolini and his fascist ideals were able to overthrow Italy and turn it into a dictatorship and lead it into the second World War behind Hitler’s Germany. Mussolini was able to successfully turn Italy into a dictatorship under a fascist regime because of the country’s internally divided war-torn society as well as the weak state of Italy’s minority governments which could not unite to oppose fascism and finally because of his ability to appeal to this country through a false sense of security and nationalism.

My Father’s Life by Raymond Carver Essay

The last paragraph of this essay is my favorite by far, â€Å"†¦in their beautiful voices out of my childhood. Raymond. † The author of this story made it so tangible the dislike Raymond Jr. had for his birth name that it felt like a true revelation when the character finally embraced it. To hear his father’s name echo as his own name and to enjoy it leaves the reader with the same sense of happiness. The author of this essay has such a grasp on the lives and senses of a lower class worker that he surely must have experienced it in his childhood. It doesn’t surprise me to find out that his father worked at a saw-mill. That type of gritty upbringing must leave an indelible mark on your psyche. This mark was clearly a reservoir from which to pull deep and meaningful prose that truly paints a picture in the mind of someone who lacks those same experiences. This essay tells the story of a boy who liked his father more than most. This boy even liked his father, very possibly, more than his mother. It also tells how perceptive the boy and, later on, man were. This Raymond Jr. recognized the weaknesses of his father and still fell into the same traps himself. This essay taught me much about the depression era environment that the main character’s father, Clevie Raymond Carver, grew up in. His father rode on boxcards and pickled apples to get by. He also was able to set aside money to buy a car. I never imagined an environment where a day laborer would have the excess income to set aside spare change. In this modern age of paycheck to paycheck living that is truly an amazing feat. If the author was able to expand on his writings to fulfill a request of mine I would prefer to hear more about his father’s life before marriage. His father clearly had faults but what drove him into that personality. The character’s father was an alcoholic but still strived to better the life of his family. I’d like to know why.

Iroquois essays

Iroquois essays Theories of literature demand the reader separate the author from the story. Millions of students engrain the mantra of the author is not a character in the novel into their memory or risk failing the most basic of English courses. While the author may not directly play a role in the novel, he does create a picture of a certain time and culture Therefore literature represents culture, especially in folklore and religious stories. This is true in the case of the creation myth; what a person believes about his creation provides insight to his cultural and personal beliefs. Comparing and contrasting the creation stories of the worlds three main religions with the creation myth of the Iroquois nation illustrates this link between culture and creation of a society. Within the stories of creation the reader gains insight to the use of symbolism in everyday life, the role of gender within society, religion as well as human relations with the earth itself. The similarities in the creation stories of several cultures can be attributed to the fact that the Judeo-Christian and Islamic versions of the creation are one in the same. The Quran does not retell the creation story; rather it makes comments and corrections on the previous Judeo-Christian creation. Therefore the symbolism between the three cultures and time periods is one and the same. This leaves many of the symbols in the works, however interesting and significant to the text, irrelevant to the topic of this paper. The only time a compare or contrast in symbols will be mentioned is when the Quran specifically addresses a change to the creation story as seen in the first five books of the Bible/Torah. The purpose of this work is to stress the symbolic significance in the Iroquois creation myth in relation to those of the East/Western religions. Readers of literature may assume the works of other cultures are a word for word account of what is meant....

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Differences between Ethics and Law From Bioethical Point of View Essay

Differences between Ethics and Law From Bioethical Point of View - Essay Example Although there is a boundary between laws and ethics, the boundary does not separate them sufficiently. This paper seeks to define law and ethics and in the process try to bring out the difference between the two. Ethics comes from the notion of rights and wrongs within a given society. These wrong and rights are based on actions we would expect others to do for us in return. We are thus forced or expected to do to other people, as we would wish them to do to us. With time, these expectations have been developed into principles that define ethics in a given society. On the other hand, laws are developed and imposed by the government to enhance harmony among members of a given society1. This implies that laws are generally accepted in a given society as guiding principles if they create a difference between wrongs and rights. The government, through peoples representatives, creates laws for a given society and not the vice versa. For these laws to be generally acceptable, they must fu lfill the society’s requirements for wrongs and rights. Laws are therefore developed from existing ethics and imposed by the government to mediate the relationship between members of a particular society. An example of a common ethic in medical practice is treating emergency cases urgently. A similar law created by the government would state that all emergency cases brought to a hospital should be attended within the shortest time possible. The law would continue and give penalty for defaulters. Similarly, ethics have attached consequences that stipulate actions to be taken on defaulters. Laws are therefore developed from existing ethics for them to be generally accepted by a given society2. The development of laws from existing ethics implies that laws are just extensions of ethics and hence related. Due to general acceptance principle, ethics are unwritten rules that mediate between people of a given society. On the other hand, laws have a wider coverage and varied interpre tations that require preservation in writing. Ethics of a given society do not require to be kept in a written format since people are aware and ready to commit to them. Ethics are therefore established on people’s conscience eliminating the requirement of written a document. For a code of conduct to be accepted as an ethic in a given society, people must have the ability to recall it when a need for application arises. Therefore, some institutions have a written document that stipulates the code of ethics that must be upheld by the members of such institution. For example, health institutions have a code of ethics document for medical practitioners. Elimination of ambiguity and preservation are the two main reasons for writing down laws. Ethics on the other hand are preserved in people conscience and passed from one generation to another. This factor weakens the difference between written and unwritten rules. Writing of laws is done objectively while ethics are preserved in people‘s consciousness for a similar objectives. This implies that the existence of laws as written rules and ethics as unwritten rules does not create sufficient difference between the two implying that laws and ethics are similar. Laws have to be approved by all arms of the government before being put into application. On the other hand, ethics do not require approval by any party since they are generally accept

Homemade Lava Lamp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homemade Lava Lamp - Essay Example Subsequently add 10 or more droplets of the selected food colouring to the mixture in the bottle until a rich colour is seen. In understanding how the lava lamp works, the first step would be to understand that oil and water do not mix. They are insoluble. The main goal in the liquids used in the lava lamp is to obtain two liquids that have very close densities but are insoluble in each other and that is why oil and water are most preferable (Cothron et.al 4). Oil and water will not mix in the experiment as water is made up of highly charged compounds while oil is made up of long carbon chains that have no charge. As a result, the water molecules are not attracted to the oil molecules hence rendering the two liquids immiscible. The immiscibility of the two liquids causes the separation that will be seen in the experiment just as observed in our everyday life such as the kitchen sinks and oil spills. Further, the oil being less dense than water will float on top of the water as will be exemplified in the experiment. The baking soda used in the experiment contains sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is technical ly both basic and acidic. When the baking soda is mixed with water, a chemical reaction is formed that releases carbon dioxide gas (Heuer, 10). Carbon dioxide gas is produced in a bubbling manner which is seen in the coloured fluid that is in the bottle. Food colouring is used to merely add colour to the experiment. When added, the food colouring falls through the oil and mixes with the water at the bottom giving it the particular colour of choice that is to illuminate at the onset of the chemical reactions in the

Mathematical Tasks Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mathematical Tasks - Math Problem Example which is 4. Then we have 14 x 4 -= 56cm Similarly, CD = 15 x 4 = 60 cm The perimeter of CDE then becomes 60+52+56 = 168cm Measurement as a mathematical object is also very necessary in this mathematical task where the measurement units are given in centimeters. Mathematical process like connection where mathematic ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole has highly been applied on this task. Mathematical processes like representation is also very important as it helps the learner to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas. Geometric reasoning. (ii) Chapter 3 is about geometric reasoning. Basing on task 3.3.3 the following mathematical task has been formulated. B A C To construct a circle inside the triangle to touch the side of the triangle which is generally termed as an inscribed circle, then there is a lot of geometry involved (Bates, 1979). This can be done as follows: - (a) Bisection of angle BAC and extending the bisecting line to a point, p. (b) Bisecting the angle ACB and extending the bisector to a point, m. Where the two bisecting lines meet, say point O, becomes the centre of the circle. With a pair of compasses, you pin at the meeting point of the two lines and draw a circle that touches the vertices of the triangle ABC. This is what is called an inscribed circle. This can be shown in fig,1.2 below: - B o A C Measurement as a mathematical tool is highly used here. The length of the sides of the triangle can be measured as well as the radius of the inscribed circle. Reasoning and proof are mathematical processes that are also applied on this mathematical task. It is only...A mathematical task like the one below entails many more mathematical objects apart from geometry because algebra can also be involved. Measurement as a mathematical object is also very necessary in this mathematical task where the measurement units are given in centimeters. Mathematical process like connection where mathematic ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole has highly been applied on this task. Mathematical processes like representation is also very important as it helps the learner to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas. Measurement as a mathematical tool is highly used here. The length of the sides of the triangle can be measured as well as the radius of the inscribed circle. Reasoning and proof are mathematical processes that are also applied on this mathematical task. It is only through concrete reasoning and proofing what you reason by for example bisecting the angles that one comes to see that the circle touches the sides of the triangle but not the vertices. Use of mathematical tools like a pair of compasses, calculators and rulers has also been highly applied to solve this mathematical task. Mathematics thinking and language is highly exercised and mathematics ideas expressed precisely. (iii) In chapter 4 which is

Academic debate Essay Example for Free

Academic debate Essay There has been considerable academic debate concerning the emergence and meaning of globalization with differing views ranging from those who believe that there has been no change to what already existed with previous trade and movement across nation states to those who believe that the consequences of globalization can be felt everywhere and that the sovereignty of nation states has been greatly diminished. It is argued by those such as Modelski that the world society today is global in direct contrast to all other historical societies and for David Held (1) globalization is about a significant transformation resulting in local communities linked to global actions (1). This paper does not delve into the debate about the theory of globalization, rather it focuses upon the infrastructure of the UN in terms of governance of world affairs. During his leadership as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan sought to define a new role for the United Nations at the centre of ‘global governance’ (Held and McGrew 1). In response to the onset of globalization there are those, including Rosenau (8) who believe that a new complex multilateralism is evolving as a system of global governance. In the absence of a world government Rosenau (8) believes that the concept of global governance is the most apt description of the system that decides who rules and governs across the international community. This evolution has been made possible following a number of significant events over the past two decades. Firstly the end of the cold war opened up opportunities for new ways of governing at the global level. Secondly there was a massive increase in global issues such as the environment (for example climate change), health (for example the HIV / Aids epidemic) and consumerism that was affecting the way that world affairs were being run. These changes to global affairs has convinced the advocates of global governance that the traditional geopolitical management of global affairs with its hierarchical forms of management is unsuited to the challenges and tasks that are now emergent and that new forms of global governance need to be introduced. The common arguments against global governance include the inequalities of power between states, the structural privileging of the interests and agenda of global capital and the technocratic nature of the global policy process (Held and McGrew 13). In general there are three principle explanatory accounts of global governance: liberal institutionalist, realist and neo-Gramsic. Each attempt to explain how governance works beyond the national state but there are considerable differences in their epistemological frameworks which are a reflection of their interpretations of the social world as well as difference assumptions about world politics. Liberal institutionalism argues that governance beyond the state is endemic (Held and McGrew 12) because of the important benefits that global institutions can bring to individual nations, for example the functional benefits of a global health organization. Liberal institutionalists believe that international institutions ‘empower governments rather than shackle them’ (Keohane 13) . Realism finds that governance beyond the nation state depends upon the policy interests of the most powerful states, which means that the global institutions can have little autonomy or power as their function is primarily to advance the interests of those more powerful states (Held and McGrew 12) and thus the inequalities of power between the states is highlighted. Neo-gramsican theories share the bases of the realism theory however they consider the structural imperatives of globalizing capitalism as the key component. This theory states that the conduct of global governance is underpinned by the expansion of globalizing capital through the dominant forces, i. e. the US and therefore the global institutions are merely instruments to obtain this objective at the expense of the welfare and environment of the global communities. There is concern that the there is an insurmountable deficit within the current capacity of global governance to address the pressing global issues of poverty, health, environment, security and welfare. In practice this can imply a criticism of how the United Nations is structured and functionally operates, and essentially makes the presumption that the UN is ineffective (Luard 1). The United Nations Organization (UN) is an international organization that brings together 191 states in a voluntary forum to consider all affairs – such as security, living conditions, affecting the global population. The structure consists of the General Assembly, the Security Council, The Economic and Security Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, the Secretariat and the UN System (www. un. org) . This paper focuses on the operations of the UN System. The United Nations has a number of organizations formally within its system as ‘specialized agencies’ – although in reality they are largely autonomous from the central UN, for example the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNESCO. These specialized agencies are linked to the UN through cooperative agreements have wide-ranging international responsibilities in the economic, social, cultural, educational, health and related fields. Some of them, like the International Labour Organization and the Universal Postal Union, are older than the UN itself (www. un. org) . All these organizations have their own governing bodies, budgets and secretariats. Together with the United Nations, they are known as the UN family, or the UN system. Together, they provide technical assistance and other forms of practical help in virtually all economic and social areas. The reform of the UN is an issue of constant debate, although only the member states have the power to implement any changes so it must be driven through them. It can be argued then that the UN is not a global organization, rather it remains an inter-governmental organization as it can only develop so far as the member states will allow and they will always weigh development against their own self interest. However this reality is in comparison with the global expectation placed upon the UN and Bernhard (213) believes it is this contradiction in reality and expectation that causes the UN to over stretch itself. Bernhard (213) presents three scenarios for the future of the UN. Firstly that the UN system will weaken, and ultimately fail in the members states withdrew participation and secondly that the UN could develop as a sort of world government with the institutions forming a central coordinating role of the global governance process and ultimately leading to the loss of nation state autonomy. The third scenario seems more plausible, that the UN will remain as an imperfect instrument in need of reform but also an important global organization. This itself requires examination of a number of issues, namely whether it takes on a role as actor in its own right or continues to be held to member state autonomy. The leadership of Koffi Annan as the Secretary General has had some impact on the pace of UN reforms. At the Millennium Summit in 2000 he called for members states to reorganize the UN so that it could be better equipped to meet the challenges that globalization brings . However in practice the extent of the UN reform appears modest and Bernhard (214) makes the distinction between internal reforms of the UN’s by-laws which are easier to achieve than constitutional changes, which would require changes to the Charter. The complexity of the UN system doesn’t allow for reforms to be made easily. Every amendment needs a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly and the ratification of two thirds of the member states, including the five permanent members. Therefore the permanent members have a high level of strength and can block any reforms, although to be fair they would need the agreement of more than 120 UN members for their own projects to succeed (Bernhard 242). Koffi Annan (Bernhard 243) drew attention to the institutions of the UN being unfit for the present day purpose as they had been created for an inter-national rather than global world. The UN system has resulted in a tradition of decentralization, along with a steady growth of new agencies. It is this situation that draws critics to argue that there are overlaps and duplication of effort and irrational allocation of resources (Ziring 464). There is no world budget to deal with economic and social affairs and each UN agency are responsible for their own budgets and programmes, subject to the limitations of the collective will of their members. Ziring (464) argues that the Economic and Social Council has not fulfilled its central coordinating function, being mainly consigned to discussion and liaison and he makes the important statement that the most formidable barriers to improved functional co-operation between the agencies are in fact political and budgetary, not organizational. This would then mean that the UN reforms should be focused on gaining the collective political and economic will of member states rather than introducing organizational changes alone.

The Marketing Planing Process Marketing Essay

The Marketing Planing Process Marketing Essay Just as a healthy skin requires the proper pH balance to flourish, a strong brand like NIVEA requires a marketing plan that must find the right balance to built consistency all around the world. Beiersdorf the German manufacturer has mastered this balancing act with all the skill of an Olympic gymnast. This has made NIVEA the most recognised skin and beauty care brand in the world NIVEA crà ¨me was first introduced by Beiersdorf in the year 1911. Beiersdorf, founded in 1882, has grown to be a global company specialising in skin and beauty care for men and women. NIVEA, one of the oldest and biggest cosmetic brands in the world has successfully transformed itself from a single skin care brand to a trustworthy and contemporary personal care brand for all family types. The brand stretched itself by sub-branding to many new segments, always nursing the core mother brand NIVEA. NIVEA brand has now extended to more than 15 products ranges extending from sun care to facial moisturisers, deodorants and shower products. Beiersdorfs (BDF) Cosmic division decide to have an eye the NIVEA brands growth since last few years. NIVEA is the largest cosmetics brand in the world and it competes against the major brands from the European markets. South and Central America, Eastern Europe, and Asia were the new targets of company to expand the NIVEA brand. NIVEA had created a number of new sub-brands that broadened the companys offerings. Sales in Beiersdorfs cosmic division is primarily driven by NIVEA, grew from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.4 billion in 1995 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3.8 billion in 2005.Source http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/ NIVEA is coming up with a new range of MEN care products NIVEA for MEN Q10 range. This report will start with a situational analysis and then will conclude with a marketing plan for NIVEA. SITUATION ANALYSIS Macro environmental factors for NIVEA are analysed to carry out the situational analysis. The PESTEL factors are: POLITICAL Government stability Foreign trade regulations and taxation policy Privatization and the Security measures For NIVEA and skin and beauty care industry the political factors can be: NIVEA as a skin care industry manufacture must produce safe products that do not contain any harmful substance or are harmful for the consumers. For example SAFETY ASSESSMENTS-The manufacturer or supplier of the cosmetic product is responsible for ensuring it is safe and each cosmetic must be assessed for safety by a duly qualified safety assessor before it is made available to the public.(Ref 1) Foreign Trade Policies and regulations over the imports/exports of products can act as a barrier for such companies. For example in countries like Iraq there may be high taxes on import of such goods or if the company plans to open a manufacturing unit in a country the political laws may not permit to do so The political challenge is that NIVEA needs to follow the all the different government leadership styles in various countries where it performs its operations. As in some countries the availability of raw material or some drug content to be used in manufacturing may not be allowed to produce or import. ECONOMIC Interest Rate Unemployment and inflation For NIVEA and skin and beauty care industry the economic factors can be: Due to the volatile interest rates and the slump in the financial markets in 2007 most of the companies had to face financial crisis. NIVEA also had to make sure that these factors do not affect the sales and lead to crisis. NIVEA has to abide by (The Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988) and follow the rules set by Advertising Standards Authority. Their adverts should be clear and not mislead the consumers. The rise in the inflation rate resulted in a strong dip in the overall sales of the company. The pressure on prices generated by increasing competition in the premium skin and beauty care market resulted in reduced prices and hence reduced profits. This was a major concern in the company and also the industry. SOCIAL Population demographics Income distribution Lifestyle changes and Consumerism. For NIVEA as skin and beauty care product manufacturer the social factors could be: Consumers have become more cautious about their skin and the way they look. Men/Women both equally are paying more attention towards their looks and are keen to use the products that could help enhance their skins textures. The income distribution plays a very vital role, NIVEA has tried to target consumers at all the different levels from 18-60. Deodorants and other facial products are used by customers of 25-50 years of age irrespective of the gender. Men use after shave and balms to have smooth shaves and looks. On the other hand women use facial creams to have soft skin and glowy looking skin. Anti wrinkle and crà ¨me for aging skin is used to target customers between 40-60 and irrespective of the gender. Different age groups use different products for their beauty and needs. NIVEA has targeted women from 13-19 with its NIVEA Visage, NIVEA for MEN exclusive men products like shaving gels, roll on, after shave balms etc. A large range of products is available for women from 25 45 years of age from NIVEA. TECHNOLOGICAL Speed of technology Rates of obsolescence Government and Industry focus on technological effort For NIVEA as skin and beauty care product manufacturer the technological factors could be: The rate at which the technological advancements take place, companies like NIVEA also has adapted quickly and improved its innovation by using better technologies and doing a lot more research. It may be possible that due to environmental factors some changes may be done in technology to save environment. For example NIVEA continuously works with its Research and Development team to make products that more useful for consumers and least harmful for environment. Technological advancements can help NIVEA to work with better manufacturing processes and units. ENVIRONMENTAL Pollutant problems Waste disposal Environmental pressure For NIVEA as skin and beauty care product manufacturer the environmental factors could be: The ambitious Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety Management System at Beiersdorfs Chilean Affiliate is being successfully adhered to in practice. This was the result of the review of the Modules I and II during the first ESMAS audit in May 2007.(Ref 3) Many different Organisations for animals keep a track that in manufacturing of such products animal prosecution is not included or animals are not used for testing purposes. Some countries have even banned these methods and impose heavy dues on the companies who follow those practices. (PETA) In the 2009 reporting year, the audit team witnessed first-hand the quality of the environmental and occupational safety measures in place at four Beiersdorf locations. During the multi-day Environmental Protection and Safety Management Audit Scheme (ESMAS) audits, the team inspected and certified Beiersdorf plants in Spain, Mexico, Thailand and Indonesia. The results were a success: all production sites were in full compliance with the international ISO 14001 (environmental safety) and OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety) standards for environmental and occupational safety management systems. (Ref 3) LEGAL Consumer Product Safety Act (1972) Fair packaging and labelling act (1966) Federal Trade Commission Act(1914) Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act(1975) For NIVEA as skin and beauty care product manufacturer the legal factors could be: Legal factors may include government laws, labour laws that can affect an organization: There are many laws that affect the trade practices that all the companies have to follow, NIVEA also follows all the legal issues that do not violate any act. NIVEAS CURRENT MARKETING STRATEGY NIVEA FOR MEN promoted the new launches of its products through a mixture of above the line and below the line promotion. The use of sport was a key element here, NIVEA FOR MEN supported football events at a grass-roots level through its partnership with Power league to build positive relationship with men. This helped create strong Brand Affinity for NIVEA FOR MEN among men and drive the sales. Ref 4. Above the line promotion included television and cinema adverts, this reached a wide audience. By using links with sport, NIVEA FOR MEN aimed to build a positive male image associated with male facial skin care. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS NIVEA has a good reputation and brand name. NIVEA is a Global Brand with ability to act local. The Marketing staff with the skills to help promote the above mentioned products effectively. WEAKNESSES Target customer and product range relevance was still not established. The sales and marketing techniques used by NIVEA FOR MEN was not defined clearly. OPPORTUNITIES NIVEA FOR MEN saw a rise in market share, hence an opportunity to increase the market share. Product line can be extended to procure more market share. New products could be introduced as men started buying more advanced products. Women could be targeted as they but products for men. THREATS: Cost of products and sales promotions have become the drivers for sales. Risk of competitors, since some of them have substitute products for support. Improved RD have increased the costs of the products. Lack of innovative products for men. MARKETIN PLAN FOR NEW NIVEA FOE MEN REVITALISING Q10 RANGE NIVEA FOR MEN are coming up with NFM Revitalising Q10 Range, which would help them to increase UK male skincare market. In relation to the above, a marketing plan has been developed. Source- http://www.dsh.cn/en/images/resource02_pic1.gif Set Objectives Setting clear objectives results in a successful marketing plan that must fit overall strategy of the company. In terms of NIVEA their goals were clearly defined as to continuously increase the market share in all areas through qualitative growth and to further improve our strong earnings situation. They also intend to achieve these objectives by continuing to successfully implement their Passion for Success Consumer Business Strategy. (Ref 6) MARKETING OBJECTIVES To expand the current NIVEA FOR MEN To sell more and more NFM products to women. To create NFM brand image as a reliable, user-friendly and good value for money product and to strengthen the brand value. To create oneness in the brand. MARKETING STRATEGY Focus on product development combined with an emphasis on consumer needs is a key differentiator for NIVEA FOR MEN. Strategy would emphasis on promotion of NFM products using the right marketing mix. Choice of Markets: To grow its market share and develop its product range NIVEA has chosen product development as the growth strategy. NIVEAs researches have shown that men mainly wanted skincare products that protected the face after shave. Men are willing to buy products that helped calm and soothe irritated skin caused by shaving. So this is how NIVEA came up with idea to target MEN and develop products that could fulfil the needs of men all over the world. Sales of male skincare products have grown steadily since the launch for NIVEA for Men in 1998 and 2003. The market in 2008 was worth over 117 million pounds with male facial products worth 49 million pounds. (Ref 5) Segmentation: Nivea for Men has segmented its customers on the basis of age, gender and occupation. Gender NIVEA for Men as the name suggests is an exclusive product for men. The range contains all the male products like face wash, deodorants and roll-on, shaving gel, after shave balm, moisturiser, and shower gel. Age NIVEA for MEN the new range should be targeted for men from 18- 25, 25-35 and 35 55. Income- All NIVEA for Men products are not very highly priced, keeping in mind the target customers. But some rechargeable shavers are in the premium segment for NIVEA which is targeted on 25-40, young working professionals. Generally NIVEA has targeted customers who are working professional and they need to socialize in everyday life for their business and they need these products everyday. Shaving gels, post shave balm, roll-ons and moisturisers. Targeting: On the basis of segmentation we will target the current customers of NIVEA for Men those who have been using NIVEA products already. Secondly we will also try to capture new customers who are using the substitute products on the basis of value of NIVEA for Men products and effective prices. Brand Positioning : The NIVEA for MEN Revitalising Q10 range is for the skin care to look bright , healthy and revitalised. With competitive pricing as compared to the competitors NIVEA for MEN can create a unique position in market. The formula for Q10 range is unique which contains no alcoholic content which gives it an edge over the similar products from competitors in the market. So NIVEA for MEN can position itself as the only for men exclusive range with reasonable price adding value to customer both in terms of quality and money. THE MARKETING MIX http://www.netmba.com/images/marketing/mix/mix.gif The right combination of marketing mix that is Product, Price, Place and Promotion can provide a brand the right strategy to target its customer. Let us define the marketing mix for the new NIVEA for MEN Revitalising Q10 range. The NIVEA for Men is in the launch phase of the Product Life Cycle so the product boundaries and features must have a clear definition. http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-study-the-use-marketing-mix-product-launch-87-303-3.php Product Customer Solution: The company has made the new NIVEA for Men range more effective and consumer-friendly. Research Work: To know what its customer wants NIVEA conducts researches through: Focus groups to listen to customer directly. Product testing with customers in different markets. Through their website a special section WHAT MEN WANT. Variety: NIVEA for Men has come up with the fuller range of products for men keeping in mind that what men want. It has NIVEA for Men eye roll-on, face wash, post shave balm, shaving gel and moisturiser. Quality: NIVEA for Men has come with a product range that provides unique quality of Q10 revitalising coenzyme that is very essential for skin. This provides NIVEA with a competitive advantage to beat the competition. Packaging: For Packaging NIVEA for Men can go for large packs which use minimum of plastic and that too recyclable. The packaging must include The packaging includes: Brand Name Instructions The Company Address Ingredients Safety Hazards Bar Code NIVEA has clearly understood the needs and wants of its male customers, there problems and so have come up with a complete solution to customers needs with the new NIVEA for Men Q10 Revitalising range of products. Place Convenience: For customers convenience it is important that the product is in range of customers that is easily approachable. Keeping in mind the target customers NIVEA for Men must aim to use as many as relevant distribution channels. Using distribution channels as B2B strategy so that the product reaches the point of sale. Main sales can be retained through large retail store and chains. Already NIVEA has different sources of sale for B2C like Boots, Tesco, Sainsburys, Superdrug, Waitrose, ASDA, Wilkinson, Morrisons, Body Care, and Savers.(Ref 7) Making availability of NIVEA for Men products at wide range of stores ensures the customer reach to these products hence customer convenience. NIVEA products are also available on AMAZON.co.uk so even more customers can be targeted through e-marketing and e-sales. Price Customer Cost : there are many factors like cost of production and transportation that affect how the product is finally priced in the market. As the product is for consumers so it must provide the right value for money to the customers in the market and attract them to buy these products. For NIVEA for Men in the launch phase NIVEA should follow the Market Penetration Pricing. The price of NIVEA for Men products would be low initially to attract maximum customers and capture a large market share. NIVEA for Men can also price its range on competitive base. As competition there are substitutes but are priced highly in the market so a lower price would help NIVEA for Men to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. Promotion Communication: With promotion we can tell are customers that what we have for them and persuade them to buy those products. For promotion NIVEA for Men can implement two types of promotions. Direct Promotion With the direct promotion that are directly paid NFM can go for TV Advertisements, Newspaper Advertisements. Indirect Promotion NFM can organise events for B2C and trade fairs for B2B customers. With Public Relation NFM can go for Press Releases where NFM can target large audience. Sponsoring some events like sports, for example NFM can join the LONDON Olympics 2012 specifically targeting the male Olympic Games. NIVEA can come up promotional campaigns with mobile services company to send promotional texts to all their customers. Distribution of free samples at beginning stage of product launch. Association of the brand with social site like facebook and twitter. Implementation of the Marketing Plan This is the most important phase of a marketing plan. A marketing plan has a defined time so for the above plan we can recommend a time of 1 to 3 years which will include all the research work and later implementation. So the implementation would start with: Research Work: Primary Research from Surveys, Questionnaire and Focus Groups that will provide us with Qualitative data. Secondary Research from the existing data of company; the sale over the year and other promotional expenses. Financial Statements providing the budget for further market research and marketing plan. Forecasting the sales and the cost associated with it. We need to keep in mind the challenges we can face during the implementation of Marketing Plan. Customers may start avoiding the product in case of excessive promotion. Customers may perceive NIVEA for Men as a poor quality product as initial prices will be low due to the launch. Competitors may come up with similar range and price. CONTROL In order to properly control our marketing plan we should: Regularly monitor the progress. Is the plan working or not. Monitor the sales , revenue generated, Return on our investments, customer satisfaction levels through researches and repeat purchases. Employees must be rewarded for achieved objectives. Employees are the main working force behind the plan so employee satisfaction with appraisals and rewards must be done. Market and customer choices changes every minute so regular market researches would help NIVEA for Men to rate their product in market. Any plan needs time to succeed; short term failure should not be taken as the final result. The success of marketing plan depends upon company , people and a smoothened blend between both to achieve the targets. Knowledge of targets and strive to achieve them creates endless possibilities of success. Sample Advertisement- Ref -8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq70_xdZBxw CONCLUSION The main focus during the launch of the new NIVEA for men would be the mindset of the main target market. An efficient promotional activity along with sales promotion would be used for the launch. This will help to increase the market share and also would affect the overall sales of the NIVEA and the NIVEA FOR MEN range of products. NIVEA has realised that skin care and beauty products that were associated with women, is a thing of past. In todays world even men have started using these products and there is a major gap in the industry for men products. Hence NIVEA has come up with a all new mens range and get the maximum share in the market. Efficient advertisement in all the mediums will be used and so that will help further boost sales and increase the performance and quality perception in the minds of customers which will help also in the positioning product in the marketplace. CRITICAL REFLECTION Todays world is a digital world where a small number people can become voice of thousands and millions. So is the dynamic nature of marketing which has changed its face with changing global business environment. No more are the traditional methods of marketing followed. Marketing is totally customer centric where the aim is to get as close as to the customer. Companies have not limited themselves to a single state, country or a single continent. The greed for progress has made the companies go global. So has the marketing environment and need to market has changed as per the demand and change in customers who are spreaded globally. Companies change their strategies as per the country they are doing business in. For example Mc Donald does not provide beef or ham burgers in INDIA as it is against the choice of the customers. Keeping in mind the customers requirement the apt marketing plan is made. The plan whose outcome matches with what the customers desire. NIVEA as a company provides its customers with Innovative Skin and Beauty care. NIVEA has emerged as the most recognised skin and beauty care brands in the world. Keeping in mind what its customers want NIVEA does regular research work to provide the right value added product to its customers well then let it be NIVEA female range, NIVEA Visage or NIVEA for Men. Extensive Research and Development, wide range of products, top quality and environment friendly procedure and need satisfying products; these all act as a resource and capabilities of the organization which offers value to its customers. Its been an experience to develop a marketing plan for a company. With the development of the marketing plan I have come across the fact that marketing is a critical part of a business plan. Knowledge Gained With this assignment I have learned the minute details of marketing. Customers are the drivers of the market. How is a customer convinced to buy a product ? The use of different models to enhance the sales and give value to the product. VALUE TO CUSTOMERS Today most of the companies are dropping their brand value dramatically as they are moving away from satisfaction of customer needs and wants. The customers want best value for money and want to be loyal to their brands in this tough economic era. Nivea is continuously trying hard to adapt itself to customers need and offer value to them. They are doing so by launching new range of products and re-launching the existing ones. They are strategising themselves by reaching directly to customers and getting them to test new and improved products. They are focussing on the customers and are trying to create tangible human experiences across all marketing touch points. Their strategy states: Be honest about who you are and where you sit on the customer-focus spectrum Listen to your customers-what is good for your customers and if you are not valuing them what are you loosing. In this tough economic climate, resonate your customers and offer relevant value proposition. Hero your products in order to build ongoing relevance and value with the customers. Evaluate, Innovate, Listen and Communicate. The company focuses on the fact that they want their customers to be more of something that could play a role in the consumers life than selling a cure for a problem. They want their product to be an integral part of customers day to day life. They value their customers because they believe that the customers warm feeling towards the brand might turn into higher sales down the line. Providing value to customers is like putting money in the bank, this helps in repeat purchases, customer retention and positive word of mouth which ultimately leads to new customer acquisition. This helps the firm to secure their future in the market. The companies today are adding value to their customers because of the fact that Marketing strategies have changed. Today the focus point is the customer. The difference in todays marketing strategy and old marketing strategy has been stated below. OLD MARKETING SHORT TERM FOCUS. MARKETING MIX. PRICE AND QUALITY SENSITIVE CUSTOMERS. ALL CUSTOMERS EQUAL. MASS MARKETING. AGRESSIVE MARKETING. TRANSACTION PROFIT. NEW MARKETING LONG TERM FOCUS. INTERACTIVE MARKETING. VALUE CONSCIOUS CUSTOMERS. ALL CUSTOMERS NOT EQUAL. INDIVIDUAL MARKETING. SERVICE FOCUS. CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE. Value to customers lead to creating value for products and services. Nivea recognizes the role of its customers in developing its strategy. They believe that working on customers insight has led them to explore themselves beyond their existing comfort zone. LEARNING OUTCOME It is said that the more detailed information that has been collected and the more planning that has been done ahead of time, the faster and the more pleasant the trip. This works well for launch of any product by any company. One of the most fundamental features of any successful Business is creation and implementation of its business plan. We being the future entrepreneurs of tomorrow should have complete knowledge of the Start-Up Plans of any business and it was through this module that I learned about writing a Marketing Plan for any product in any business environment. The Marketing Management Module helped me learn ways to write a plan which should be both analytic and fundamental. It made me learn that the Business Plans requires a degree of expertise in Marketing Principles and Forecasting as well as the ability to gather and interpret relevant research data and formatting it the right way. Initially we just had theoretical knowledge about business plans but this module helpe d us think virtually and bring our knowledge into practical sense. Both module and the assignment proved to be very productive and helped me learn the essentials of a marketing plan. It helped me in bringing out the best through extensive research and exploring the data. A Marketing plan is the base of any business enterprise. Whether it is about launching a new product in the market or expansion of market of an existing product. A number of steps are involved in writing a Marketing Plan which should necessarily define the target market and should understand its needs as well. While doing this assignment on Nivea I conducted a clear and succinctive market research. I worked well on the collection of data and researched in depth on the techniques of writing a Marketing Plan which were taught to us in the Marketing Management Module. Today I have realised the fact that writing a Marketing Plan is a challenging job but taking up this one was worth the effort.  This was the learning experience of a lifetime.    A Marketing Plan runs the gamut from being creative to being pragmatic, but it should be written in a style which will be most receptive for evaluation. I managed to do the same by following all the steps involved in writing a Marketing Plan. Marketing Plan has the following elements which involve Executive Summary, Situation Analysis, Marketing Objectives, Target Markets, Marketing Mix, Marketing Budget and the implementation of the Plan as a whole. The first and the foremost step was introducing my parent company which is Nivea. The introduction defines as to what the company is and where will its product stand in the market. Next was Strategic Analysis of the company which was done using PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis. SWOT made me understand the Strengths, the Weaknesses, the Opportunities which the company can make use of and the Threats which the company might face in the long run. The PESTEL made me realise the factors which affect the company in its establishment and the w orking. All these factors are very essential to keep in mind at the initial stages of the launch as ignorance of any of these might result in a number of pitfalls. The next step involved defining the Marketing Objectives of the new product which is to be launched. The marketing strategy helped me define why and how the plan would work in relation to all the factors influencing the business entity. I emphasised upon Product development of the new range and the Marketing Mix it would follow. This involved taking into account the companies resources, finances and controls. I tried not deviating myself from the path by keeping regular reality checks. These reality checks are very important at the time of making the Marketing Plans as this would help the firm overcome any pitfalls at the time of execution of the Marketing Plan. The last step was the implementation of the Marketing Plan in which I was sure as to what I was actually trying to achieve for my new series. I kept my central aim visible in order to minimise all the distractions and distortions which would frequently arise. Keeping the aim right is the key to success in the implementation of the Marketing Plan. To conclude I can say that I tried bringing together the Uniqueness and the Passion. Uniqueness so that people get what I want to offer them and Passion to enjoy selling what I want to sell. The Marketing Plan for this product would come into action soon and would help the product attain a good market position in the long run. This would surely help the product attract new customers and create wider market for the product. The brand name NIVEA would also be benefited by the launch of this product as this would add to its goodwill. I would conclude by saying that this assignment required a lot of effort but the effort proved to be fruitful. à ‚