Corporate Strategy †Zara Essay

The core concept of Zara’s business model is they sell â€Å"medium quality fashion clothing at affordable prices†, and vertical integration and quick-response is key to Zara’s business model. Through the entire process of Zara’s business system: designing, sourcing and manufacturing, distribution and retailing, they presented four fundamental success factors: short cycle time, small batches per product, extensive variety of product every season and heavy investment in information and communication technology. These four elements are involved in every aspect of the business. Zara’s Business Model Zara’s business model can be broken down into three basic components: concept, capabilities, and value drivers. Zara’s fundamental concept is to maintain design, production, and distribution processes that will enable Zara to respond quickly to shifts in consumer demands. Jose Maria Castellano, CEO of Inditex stated that â€Å"the fashion world is in constant flux and is driven not by supply but by customer demand. We need to give consumers what they want, and if I go to South America or Asia to make clothes, I simply can’t move fast enough. This highlights the importance of this quick response time to Zara’s operations. Capabilities of Zara, or the required resources needed to exploit the opportunities and execute this conceptual strategy, are numerous for Zara. Zara maintains tight control over their production processes keeping design and manufacturing in-house or with some strategic partnerships located nearby Headquarters. Currently, Zara maintains 80% of its production processes in Europe, 50% in Spain which is very close to La Coruna headquarters. They have strategic agreements with local manufacturers that ensure timely delivery and service. Through these strategic partnerships and the benefits brought by this proximity of manufacturing and operational processes, Zara maintains the flexibility necessary to design and produce over 12000 new items annually. This capability allows Zara to achieve their strategy of expedited response to consumer demand. Competitive Advantage Fundamental to Zara’s success is their commitment to rapid response in customer trends in fashion, producing clothing often and with short life spans (10 wears). Their commitment to this goal and the capabilities that they have developed to achieve it, have provided significant competitive advantage to Zara especially in the areas of product development, strategic partnerships and cost of production, advertising and marketing, and information technology infrastructure. The efficiencies and processes developed in these four functions differ significantly from their competitors and stand out in providing additional value and profitability to Zara. Product Development Zara’s unique approach to product development is instrumental to their success. Zara gives store managers significant autonomy in both determining the products to display in their stores and which to place on sale, and relaying market research and store trends back to their headquarters in La Coruna. At headquarters there are teams of commercials who take this information into account to design and effectively plan and produce all of Zara’s products. Zara maintains a design team of 200 people, all of which produce approximately 12,000 new styles per year for Zara. The process of obtaining market information and relaying it to design and production teams expedites product development by shortening the throughput time of a product to 3-4 weeks from design to distribution. This process is very different from its competitors. Many competitors rely on a small elite design team that plans both design and production needs well in advance. Stores have little autonomy in deciding which products to display or put on sale because Headquarters plans accordingly and ships quantities as forecasted. Zara’s speed to market in product development exceeds the capabilities of its competitors. This in itself provides additional value to stakeholders, customers, and stores in producing quality clothing at affordable prices . Zara’s product development capabilities are essential to Zara’s business strategy and future success. Strategic Partnerships and Cost of Production In comparison to competitors, Zara’s business strategy, in regards to strategic partnerships and cost of production, provide for a strategic competitive advantage. Zara, unlike its competitors such as Gap, Benetton, and H&M, does not use Asian outsourcing. Eighty percent of Zara’s materials are manufactured in Europe, with 50% made in Zara controlled facilities in the Galicia region of Spain near headquarters. Most of Zara’s competitors have 100% outsourcing to cheap Asian countries. Though the cost of production in Spain is 17-20% more expensive than Asia, Zara does have a competitive advantage over its competitors in regards to operations. The local strategic partnerships that Zara maintains with manufacturers in Europe allow for a product throughput time of 3-4 weeks from conception to distribution. To make this happen, the company designs and cuts its fabric in-house and it acquires fabrics in only four colours to keep costs low. The proximity of these suppliers gives Zara great flexibility in adapting their product lines based on up to date market trends and consumer behaviour. It also decreases costs of holding inventory. Zara’s competitors, through outsourcing to Asian countries such as China, sacrifice the benefits of proximity for low labour and production costs. Though there is a cost advantage in their approach in regards to labour, the lack of flexibility in changing orders based on current trends hinders their operational efficiencies. Inventory costs are higher for competitors because orders are placed for a whole season well in advance and then held in distribution facilities until periodic shipment to stores. This proximity effect and the flexibility that it gives Zara is fundamental to their basic concept to respond quickly to shifts in consumer demand and has provided them with a competitive edge in comparison to their peers. The striking thing is that Zara has found differences that matter to customers and differentiated itself from its competitors by performing key activities [in its supply chain] differently. It is this that sets challenges for competitors because they will not find it easy to imitate or equal Zara’s positioning and it is this achievement that has given Zara sustainable competitive differentiation and positioning. Through a clear focus and vision, Zara has tapped into the power of fashion. It has shortened conventional supply chain response from 5-7 month down to 2-2? onths and their customers are eagerly awaiting next week’s—take note, not next season’s new fashion! Zara maintains a strong relationship with their contractors and suppliers—viewing them as part of the company. Small and frequent shipments keep product inventories fresh and scarce—compelling customers to frequent the store in search of what’s new and to buy now because it will be gone tomorrow. To successfully react to consumers demands, design decisions are delayed as long as possible. In today’s competitive environment, Zara has shown that fine tuning the supply chain is no longer a strategic tool, but a necessity. It has shown that supply chain management can be managed provide sustainable competitive differentiation and positioning on the one hand and increase throughput, reduce inventories and operating expenses on the other. Decision-making is encouraged and bad decisions are not severely punished. Designers are trained to limit the number of reviews and changes, speeding up the development process and minimizing the number of samples made.

Hum/114 Wk 1 Individual – Drill or Not to Drill

To Drill or Not to Drill HUM/114 October 25, 2010 To drill or not to drill is large debate that many Americans are not sure how to answer. Many people are upset about the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and have been discussing that we could invest in alternative sources of energy more, but without knowing the facts. Unfortunately, misfortunes like this happen all of the time, it is a part of life and all we can do is discover from our mistakes and move forward. One of the main complaints is that â€Å"Offshore drilling poses environmental risks. Yes the environmental danger of off shore drilling gradually has affected our wild lives and fish stocks. Researchers argue that this is not just a short-term effect because the remaining species can obtain new diseases and not be able to fight them because of lower heterozygosity index. In addition they are afraid that it will lead to the extinction of a variety of species. Due to today’s new technology that is continuously u pdated the new drilling rigs have considerably reduced the risk of potential accidents.In the most recent situations that have occurred due to oil rigs BP being one and the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 off the coast of Alaska being another. Researchers were able to discover that there were several factors that stacked up in order for these accidents to occur. Once of the main causes involved highly negligent practices such as strained workers, unfulfilled promises of advanced technology equipment and several safety regulation violations.BP has been known to have an appalling track record concerning safety and has been fined 760 times in comparison to one of our leading oil drilling companies ExxonMobil, who has been only fined once and has had no incidents. Another argument is how long can we honestly rely on oil? In the long run researchers are saying that our dependence on oil must end entirely. This is most likely a true statement; however, it is reality that even with scrupulou s development of these energy resources they are far from eing able to produce the energy needed in today’s world. I strongly support renewable energy, but researchers are a long way away from being able to convince us that it is possible much less feasible. As we stand the reality of the matter is that we do need additional energy and while scientist are in the process of getting all of the resources together, offshore drilling is a very sensible and practical way of obtaining energy.I do realize that oil is not sustainable but believe until it is diminished we should continue using it in the most efficient way possible. References By: Stone, Brad; Williams, Elisa. Newsweek, 11/17/2003, Vol. 142 Issue 20, pE22-E25, 3p, 2 Color Photographs, 2 Diagrams; Reading Level (Lexile) By: Kintisch, Eli. Discover, Jan2007, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p20-23, 4p; Reading Level (Lexile) Congressional Digest, Sep2008, Vol. 87 Issue 7, p196-224, 4p By: Khermouch, Gerry.Architectural Record, May2004, V ol. 192 Issue 5, p169-176, 6p, 4 Color Photographs, 1 Diagram; Reading Level (Lexile By: Dresselhaus, M. S. ; Thomas, I. L.. Nature, 11/15/2001, Vol. 414 Issue 6861, p332, 6p, 4 Color Photographs, 1 Diagram By: Hartley, Frank. Offshore, Feb2006, Vol. 66 Issue 2, p32-32, 1p, 1 Chart By: TARA MAC LEAN SWEENEY; SPECIAL STAFF ASSISTANT OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR; STATE OF ALASKA. FDCH Congressional Testimony, 03/12/2003

Health and Social Care Level 3 Extended Diploma Unit 1 Developing Effective Communication in Health and Social Care Task 2 Essay

In this assignment, I will be explaining different theories including Argyle’s stages of communication and Tuckman’s stages of group interaction. Communication is the act of transferring information from one place to another. Different types of communication include spoken/verbal communication (face-to-face, telephone, television), non-verbal communication (body language, gestures) and written communication (letters, emails, books, and internet). Group members need to share a common system of beliefs and values in order for the group to communicate and perform effectively. These values may be identified when you watch a group at work. Communication is rarely simple. It can be effected easily by: the physical environment emotional factors social factors the level of communication skillindividual needs Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development (1965): Communication in groups can be influenced by how people feel they belong together. When people first meet in a group, they usually go through the process of group development. Most groups experience a struggle before they unite and communicate effectively. Tuckman suggested that most groups go through this process: Forming: this stage is important because the members of the group get to know each other and become friendly. It is the process of meeting Storming: relationships between group members will be made or broken at this stage. This stage often is the cause of tension, struggle and arguments. Norming: the group agree on rules and values. They begin to trust themselves and individual group members start to take greater responsibility so that the leader can step back. Performing: there is now a high level of respect in the group. Effective communication and performance is given. He believed that group members need to share a common system of beliefs or values in order for the group to communicate and perform effectively. Argyle’s Communication Cycle (1972): According to Argyle, socialising involves a cycle where you have to â€Å"decode† what other people are communicating and adapt your own behaviour to communicate effectively. Verbal and non-verbal communiation is not always easy. The Communication Cycle: Idea Occurs: thinking about what we are about to say and who to say it to. Message Coded: planning to say the message. Message Sent: communicating the message across. Message Received: when the other person hears what you have said. Message Decoded: when the person you are speaking to breaks down your message. Message Understood: when the other person can understand the meaning of what you have said to them. If Argyle’s Communication Cycle is used incorrectly, there is a risk that the information won’t be passed over correctly. For example, a teacher was giving his students instructions on what to do that lesson. However, one of the students was not listening and therefore did not receive the message. For this reason, the message was not decoded or understood even though the idea had occurred and the message had been coded and sent. Bibliography: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Argyles-Communication-Cycle-And-Tuckman’s-Interaction-1092710.html NVQ Level 2 Health and Social Care, Yvonne Nolan, Page 27.

International Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Marketing plan - Essay Example South African food market has been a market on the rise especially after the apartheid times dating back to 1994. McDonald's has had to adapt to the South African market in respect to its political, legal, and economic as well as the social environment. A firm wishing to operate in an international market must have the understanding that different nations exhibit different systems of operation (Kotler 1997). These systems include taxation laws, government policy, a country's inflation, interest and exchange rates, culture of the people, level of technology among others. The first consideration in this paper is the SLEPT analysis of McDonald's in South Africa. As earlier highlighted the end of apartheid in South Africa brought forth a great deal of developments in South Africa and in particular increased interest by foreign investors (Kotler 1997). In the lead was McDonald's which set its first restaurant in November 1995. The factors that have come to affect McDonald's under SLEPT analysis are legal, political, economic, technological as well as social ones. There are those factors related to language, ethnic background(s), religion of a people and values that they hold as well as perceptions. These factors are known to force firms to adopt completely different approaches to the market especially in the way the firm advertises its products. There are certain values and beliefs, societal norms and cultural orientations that the firm must put into consideration in conducting its day to day business. In the South African context, McDonald's faces a culture that is not too liberal like that of its mother country, USA. For this reason its products and their adverts must conform to the accepted norms under the African culture. There was also the perception that firms like McDonald's were established in South Africa to serve the white population (Kotler 1997). Due to the just ended apartheid regime, the black population had resented white affiliated facilities, goods and amenities. For this reason McDonald's had to take this market from a totally different perspective from that of maybe, China. The names and symbols of the products have to conform to the linguistic connotations or manifestations of South Africa. The firm in its adverts includes South African language so as to attract and make customers feel that McDonald's is part of them. Legal/political factors In all countries of the world, businesses are operated within the legislation frameworks set. In South Africa the adverts must conform to moral standards upheld in the law. Scenes that appear provocative for example nudity are outlawed as well as language use in adverts which should fall within the realms of social conformity. Failure to uphold these standards results in legal suits against a firm and as well as other harsh measures like license cancellation in more deviant cases. As highlighted earlier, the political changes that occurred in the early 1990s made McDonald's to view South Africa as a viable market (Kotler 1997). The political atmosphere has been quite stable as compared to many of its neighbours and this has enabled the firm to thrive. Corruption on the other hand has been relatively put to check which has made McDonald's and many other multinationals to have a better

Transaction and Traselation Exposure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Transaction and Traselation Exposure - Essay Example s made by both the Indian and Australian subsidiary gave back less dollars on the combined income statement i.e., translation exposure, even with no earnings remitted back to the parent company (Homaifar, 2004). Jeeves (UK) plc’s combined earnings will be reduced by the translation effect brought as a result of depreciation of the British pound against the other international currencies. Because of the fact that foreign earnings are normally translated at the standard exchange rate over the financial year would eventually mean low value of foreign currencies yielding low level of combined income (Homaifar, 2004). Existence of purchasing power parity (PPP) means higher US inflation than that of Britain. Demand for Jeeves (UK) plc products may not be affected due to price inflation from US, Canada and other euro zones aimed at offsetting the British consumer capability to obtain cheaper dollars. The British consumers’ purchasing ability on Jeeves items of trade versus other country products are not affected by rise and fall in the pound value. The economic exposure of Jeeves, a heavy exporter to the euro zone would decline since no need currency exchange is vital. Likewise, translational exposure of Jeeves would decline since Britain’s economic statements will no longer need translation. (Homaifar, 2004). Multinational companies have the obligation of ensuring that they are capable of reducing risks associated with foreign exchange. This can be attributed to the undisputable fact that their earnings are reliant on the foreign exchange rates. Because foreign exchange rates can fluctuate either up or down which would mean a constructive or destructive effect on the Company’s real profit. This calls for knowledge on minimizing risks associated with the exchange rates if they are to maximize on their profits and increase company’s equity (Homaifar, 2004). Certain strategies employed by a company to minimize foreign exchange risks include, but not restricted

Imperialism and Western Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Imperialism and Western Culture - Essay Example Firstly, with regards to some of the main prejudices that are presented, the reader can aptly point to the fact that Kipling refers to these faceless masses of brown people as half man half animal, half baby has to double, uncivilized, dangerous, and inhabiting lands full of horrors and terrors. Within such a simplistic an overly horrific definition, it comes as no surprise that the majority of the poem points to the fact that these individuals to whom Rudyard Kipling is referring are subhuman and require immediate assistance from white Europeans as a means of civilizing themselves and achieving a degree of previously forgotten or corrupted humanity. Such an understanding necessarily reduces the overall level of appreciation that any of these European stakeholders, reading the poem, could understand with regards to the depth and complexity of culture and societal dynamics that were exhibited by the individuals to whom this wide and overarching definition applied. ... etation of the white man’s burden is warped and exhibits a number of fundamental flaws, it should also be understood and appreciated that Kipling places the work, time, energy, and money of the civilized/†white† world at the behest and service of those were less fortunate (Greenblatt & Abrams, 2006). Although the means by which Kipling differentiates these individuals is unfair and ultimately prejudiced, some degree of appreciation should be had for the fact that rather than forcing one’s will or societal norms upon the other, Kipling approaches this dynamic of â€Å"burden† from the perspective of one who seeks to perform an unpaid and otherwise unappreciated service. From such an understanding, it can be realized that Kipling is in fact placing white man on a lower societal pedestal than those to which he is attempting to integrate. Although this is obviously not the primary thrust nor intention that Kipling is seeking to bring about, the realities of this dynamic are presented throughout the poem as the invocation to â€Å"take up the white man’s burden† is likened to the necessity for each and every able-bodied Christian to take up the cross and suffer on Christ’s own behalf (Klima, 2010). Within such an understanding, the reader can come to a greater appreciation for the means by which servitude and a type of humility that one might not expect is exhibited throughout the poem in question. Essay 2: With regards to the link and relationship between civilization and the individual, these two concepts and definitions although inexorably interwoven are nonetheless quite distinct. With respect to the individual, the reader can and should realize that the individual is the only through and actionable definition that exists within these two terms which will be

Tourism Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tourism Planning - Essay Example The role of governments in the planning phase of tourism both regionally and nationally is significant since it fosters growth at all levels and increases the chances of economic prosperity and wellness for the related stakeholders. (Gunn, 2003) I disagree with the premise that tourism planning is just about what will be built and where – rather it is a complete mindset which needs to be understood within the thick of things. The tourism sector must make sure that the role of government is encouraging at consistent levels and there are no hiccups in the wake of the provision of funds for the growth regimes of the tourism industry. Tourism would be conducted best if it is left to the locals as it is a thriving industry. However, the role of government is of the essence as it works as a helping agent in the whole scheme of things. In its own right, tourism planning is an art. This is because it is difficult living up to the expectations of the varied tourists hailing from different regions of the world. The local tourism measures seem more pertinent for the region under consideration since this lays the foundation stone for the upheaval of the tourism industry in a localized zone. These measures boost the economic and societal aspects which are rampant within the region and thus facilitate the common man with the provision of job opportunities, skilled labor and so on and so forth. Nationally, the economy gets a facelift and there are changes in the lines of commerce and industry since the country realizes its true potential elsewhere. (Kirk, 1997) Consequently, people come to terms with the advancements and technological changes that start to happen within such lands and thus hail the efforts undertaken by the related ministries.  Ã‚  

Captivate and Jing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Captivate and Jing - Essay Example In the dialog box that opens, click on â€Å"From MS PowerPoint† and select the presentation needed. A dialog box appears before the selected presentation is imported. This is shown on right. You can select individual slides, resolution, and the manner in which the slideshow will advance once imported into Captivate. After making your selections, click OK button. At this point the entire presentation is available inside the Captivate interface. Double clicking on any slide opens it in the â€Å"Editing† view which looks like the figure below. Press the â€Å"Edit† button to open the editing interface of PowerPoint from inside Captivate to make changes. Personal voice can be added to slides in two ways. Firstly, users can select a slide and record their voice directly into it while the project is open. Secondly, it is possible to import a pre-recorded audio file containing personal voice recorded separately at another system or at another time. A dialog box displaying options for voice recording will open. One can record over the current slide, select slide by slide number, or record for the entire presentation. Audio buttons allow begin, end, and pause in recording. Once recording is complete, it can be played back and edited as well. Additionally, user can change the target slide for recording during the recording process itself. Once recording is complete, click the Stop button in audio buttons set, and click OK to save the recording. To import a pre-recorded audio file, click F6 or the â€Å"Import to slide†¦Ã¢â‚¬  menu item. An open file dialog box will appear and the specific file required can be selected. These file would then appear in the audio section of the selected slide. Adobe Captivate can read out slide notes using the built in synthesized computer voices. To activate text to speech, open the slide in edit mode. Click on the green dot under â€Å"Text to speech† column just above

MGMT 4500 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MGMT 4500 - Essay Example This position in the airline’s context is determined by the number of domestic passengers served by the airline. The airline’s portfolio has been built by both strengths and weaknesses. While scenario is relatively a normal phenomenon to almost every business venture, the measures employed by Southwest Airlines in exploiting its strengths and addressing the underlying weaknesses are critical and unique its performance. The company primarily concentrates in domestic passenger travel services, giving it a local advantage. However, in international terms, its business performance is based on collaboration with international airlines. Prior to local, regional or international success, Southwest Airlines has outstanding strengths that maintain its top position in meeting air travel demands for the domestic market. Customer service is one of the critical areas that the airline roots its strengths in. The airline has in the past undertaken and continues to undertake service evaluation with regard to customer expectations. In this customer service practice, Southwest Airlines seeks to identify loopholes in its line of service. Customers are the primary determining factors of the success of a business venture. The management and the employees of the Southwest Airlines critically accounts for this fact by striving to meet customer satisfaction in air travel services. Customer feedbacks are presently used as a tool for designing, formulating and implementing customer service policies in the company. Employee base and the number of flights offered per day is an essential current strength. By close of business year 2011, Southwest Airlines had an employee base of 37,000, and offered up to 3,300 flights a day (Hill & Gareth, 2012). This has been realized to due to the ever rising customer volume especially in the last two years. The effectiveness, efficiency and commitment to duty by its workforce, Southwest

Airline Deregulation as it relates to Competion and Unions Essay

Airline Deregulation as it relates to Competion and Unions - Essay Example The airline deregulation provides significant benefits to an average traveler. This Act removed many of the airline restrictions and thus totally altered the concept of civil aviation in the US. Subsequent to the integration of jets into the market, the air travel industry experienced incredible growth rate. As a result of steady increase in air travel, the federal regulators were forced to deregulate the industry to meet the increasing needs of the air travelers. The airline deregulation process augmented market competition once the marketers got the freedom to determine their own prices. It also persuaded the airline providers to enter in price competition in order to dominate the air travel market. Reports point out the notable effects of deregulation; â€Å"the inflation adjusted 1982 constant dollar yield for airlines has fallen from 12.3 cents in 1978 to 7.9 cents in 1997. This means that airline ticket prices are almost 40% lower today than they were in 1978 when the airlines were deregulated† (Thierer, 1998). Since this trend offered fruitful economic benefits to passengers, the passenger miles flown tremendously grew. For instance, in 2005, there were 750 million passenger miles whereas this figure was only 250 million in 1978. The magnitude of market competition was more in Europe as compared to US.

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Freemark Case Essay Harvesting Riesling grapes immediately , or leave them on the vines despite the approaching storm the place of the vineyard. Light rain and storms are detrimental to the crop of grapes, as these cause or may develop Botrytis cinerea , a fungus that causes damage in the skins of grapes . The Freemark winery wine produced only first best grape varieties bottled 25,000 cases of wine each year as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay . The Grapes of Freemark Abbey came from an ideal environment in the central and southern California -Napa valley . The type of wooden barrel used for storing wine influences the style of wine produced. The winemaker is to harvest the grapes when they have achieved the right balance of sugar and acidity to the wine style order. But maturity is a variable process , however , and if the weather is not appropriate, the right balance could never exist . If the grapes are harvested at 20 % sugar, the wine is fermented Dry ( all the sugar alcohol is exchanged for carbon dioxide ) or almost dry . If the grapes are harvested at 25 % sugar, the winemaker can produce a wine with the same alcohol (10 % ) but with 5 % residual sugar , this wine is sweet and relatively intense . Freemark Abbey had already produced a crop of botrytis Riesling in 1973. Jaeger concluded that there was a 50% chance that rain would hit the Napa Valley. Because the storm had originated on the warm waters of Mexico , and thought there was a 40% chance that if the storm hit , would result in the development of botrytis mold . Freemark Abbey had the option to sell the wine in large quantities, or could sell grapes directly . These alternatives would bring only a means of income, but avoid the damaging reputation of the winery, which would be risky engrossed an inferior product. If Jaeger decided not to harvest the grapes immediately in anticipation of the storm , and the storm did not hit the crop , Jaeger leave the grapes to ripen fully and probably , hopefully, sugar grapes reach 25 %, resulting in a wine that is sold about $ 3. 50 wholesaler. With less appropriate climate , the level of sugar would exceed 20 % producing a lighter wine probably sell about $ 3. The same process that resulted in increasing sugar concentration also caused a 30% reduction in overall juice . The highest price was therefore offset by a reduction in part on the amount . Expenses for the winery were about the same for each of the possible styles of wine and were small compared to the wholesale price . Evaluate the facts : Light rain and storms are detrimental to the crop of grapes, as these cause or may develop Botrytis cinerea , a fungus that causes damage in the skins of grapes . The winemaker is to harvest the grapes when they have achieved the right balance of sugar and acidity to the wine style order. But maturity is a variable process , however , and if the weather is not appropriate, the right balance could never exist . If Jaeger decided not to harvest the grapes immediately in anticipation of the storm , and the storm did not hit the crop , Jaeger leave the grapes to ripen fully and probably , hopefully, sugar grapes reach 25 %, resulting in a wine that is sold about $ 3. 50 wholesaler. Define the problem : Should riesling grapes harvested immediately or leave them on the vines despite the storm that is approaching -Napa Valley ? Establish alternative solutions : A possible solution would be to hire a provider or a scientist , to help provide a pesticide. A class of microorganisms which may inhibit the fungus concentration of grapes, but this would generate overruns while better production and lower losses . One possible solution would be to harvest the grapes immediately and directly , avoiding possible contamination but a possible change in the fermentation and maturation of these . Choose the most appropriate alternative solution A class of microorganisms which may inhibit the fungus concentration of grapes, but this would generate overruns while better production and lower losses . Prepare an action plan It would have to execute a plan of action by companies and providers that help Freemark grape production using microorganisms that help break down and improve the quality of the grapes. It would be an amicable solution with the environment , and help to prevent accidents of rain and being productive .

Analyzing Pro Forma Statements Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Pro Forma Statements Essay The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement retailer. The tagline for The Home Depot is â€Å"More savings more doing that’s the power of The Home Depot.† The catchy and recognizable tagline can be heard on nearly every TV and radio station in the United States. The Home Depot realizes that in order to maintain its title as the world’s largest home improvement retailer the company will need more than its catchy tagline. Therefore, The Home Depot has decided to extend the time in which small household appliances are available to its customers. Analysis of Pro Forma Data The Home Depot does not usually sell small house appliances like coffee pots, toasters, mini convection ovens, blenders, and irons through the year. The mentioned small appliances were only sold during the Christmas season. The Home Depot has decided to extend the time frame in which small appliances could be purchased. In 2014, The Home Depot sold the small appliances from the Christmas season until March 2015. The extension of the availability of the small appliances increased sales revenue by %. The increase in revenue prompted The Home Depot to employ the idea for the 2015 Christmas season until March 2016. There was an increase in revenue of % for 2016. The same model was used for the Christmas season of 2016 to March 2017, and again there was an increase in annual sales, %. The Home Depot decided that since sales revenues were increasing each year with the extension of having the small appliance available to its customers that the store would sell the small appliance year round. So in 2017 The Depot made the decision to sell small appliance all year. There was an increase in sales for 2017 of %. There was an increase in sales for 2018 of %. Sales revenue increased % in 2019, which proved to be the most successful year. Conclusion The decision to extend the availability of small household appliances proved to be a very successful plan for The Home Depot. Annual revenue continued to increase each year that the small appliances were sold for a longer time frame to the customers. The decision to sell the small appliances throughout the year proved to be one of the best decisions that The Home Depot could have made. The company continues to run the catchy tagline â€Å"More savings more doing that’s the power of The Home Depot. The company also employed a new catchy tagline after the success of its 2014 plan. Now the new tagline â€Å"Let’s Do This† can also be heard on TV and radio stations through the United States. It is also proudly displayed on the infamous orange work buckets that only The Home Depot sells.

Coca Cola Crisis Case Study Commerce Essay

Coca Cola Crisis Case Study Commerce Essay Coca Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company with manufacturing, distributing and marketing of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates around the world. Coca Cola brand and formula was bought by Asa Candler in 1889 who integrated the Coca Cola Company in 1892. Coca Cola offers almost 400 brands in more than 200 countries. CSE had a press release which stated some 12 cold drink brands in and around Delhi contained a deadly cocktail of pesticide residue in it. The tests were conducted by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory which found 12 cold drink brands containing pesticide residue exceeding the global standards by 35 times. Since the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has an unclear and indeterminate standards for pesticide residues, CSE used the European standard for maximum acceptable limits for pesticide in package water. The pesticide that has been found, harmful for the human body, which were known to cause cancer, birth defects and severe damage to the immune system, nerves and reproductive systems. Analysis Many of the scientists have been arguing that the pesticide which is a by-product of Indias agriculture industry leaked into the groundwater which Coco Cola uses for the manufacturing of the drinks. Most of the industries in India are required to meet an acceptable amount of pesticide allowed but when tested; the level was far more than the acceptable level. In a matter of only 2 3 weeks the sale of Coca Cola dropped by 40 percent. The President and CEO of Coca Cola India, Sanjiv Gupta denied the allegations made by CSE also stated them to be unaccredited and misleading. They even challenged the credibility of CSE and their results and are planning to make the data public. On one hand the tests done by CSE, resulted in the exceeding presence of pesticide in those 12 samples but on the other hand when the government did the tests, it found no unsafe level of pesticide which was stated by the Minster of health and family welfare. CSE disputed the testing and stated that both the results cannot be right. Later Coca Cola hiked the prices by 15 percent in India giving the reasons that the hike in prices will cover up the increase in raw material, the cost of distribution and also the effect of the false pesticide accusation which led to a decline. This uproar also crossed across to the United States where the University of Michigan stopped the sale of Coca Cola products along with universities like New York University, Rutgers University New Jersey and Santa Clara University California which also stopped the sale of Coca Cola products. All these universities had a 1.4 million contract with Coke. In India, Coca Cola teamed up PepsiCo on a campaign to prove that their products were safe and they also issued a combined statement in the crisis through ISDMA (Indian Soft Drinks Manufacturers Association). They also stated that the customer safety was their priority and that the soft drinks which are manufactured in India fulfil the international as well as the national norms and regulations. Coke was under a lot of pressure by the protestors, who even attacked the shops in Delhi which sold Coca Cola products. The Indian Supreme Court also pressurized the company to reveal the secret recipe which has been kept a secret for almost 120 years, so that more testing could be done. States like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh banned the Coca Cola products and wanted a nationwide ban. Sales dropped by 40 percent and also the Coca Cola Bottling Company stock went down 5 percent. This is arguably the biggest controversy in Coca Cola Company in India. Coke concentrated more on the arguing the allegation made by CSE of the pesticide charges instead on concentrating on getting back the support of the customers, especially in India. This caused a backfire as stated by Richard.S.Lewick who specialises in crisis management. All this led to the main concern of winning back the support of the consumers, quality issue, environmental issue and political issue. THE STAKEHOLER THEORY MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES INVESTORS COCACOLA COMPANY SUPPLIERS LOCAL COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT CONSUMERS CUTOMERS The table below states the degree of importance and the power of influence of each stakeholder individually: STAKEHOLDERS DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE POWER OF INFLUENCE Employees 5 4 Investors 5 4 Suppliers 5 4 Management 5 5 Consumers 5 4 Customers 5 5 Government 5 5 Local community 4 3 Recommendations I hope the following recommendations and strategies will help Coca Cola rebuild its image and reputation in India to increase sale of Coca Cola products, improve the ratings and also earn the trust of the people in India. Internal recommendations: The first priority should be to re examine the testing amenities and update the water purification system throughout the plants in India since the company dedicates to offer healthy and refreshing products. The employees should also be regularly updated on how the crisis is being administered. A mandatory bi monthly meeting should be held which will brief on the lab results, procedure and the new policies. A toll free 800 number can be created where the customers can call and ask the operators with any questions they might have and want cleared. External recommendations: Immediately after the CSE allegations and the press release of high level of pesticide in Coca Cola products, the President and CEO of Coca Cola India should have held a news conference addressing the issue and assuring the public that the company is dedicated to offering high quality product and that the Coca Cola independent tests have resulted in the support of the standards set by the European Economic Commission (EEC), and the officials also had to take care of not admitting to the guilt but assuring that the company is dedicated and loyal to the safety of the people and always keeps on researching on improving all the products. The company should also have increased the transparency by making the lab results public on quality control etc., on their website. Instead of attacking the CSE for the allegations made by them, joining forces with them will help a lot in solving the problem which would avert the loss of customers in India and also around the world. Coca Cola Company could also have stated that the tests done by CSE, was done by a third party. The company could have been less offensive which would make the public believe that the company is taking this matter seriously and they do care about the health and safety of the public. Another recommendation can be a case of DENIAL i.e. Coca Cola India can just ignore the allegations made by CSE. Coca Cola being a powerful brand could deny the allegations, by just ignoring it because eventually after a while the people will forget about it. This is a simple alternative but it can also backfire because the reporters are known to criticise and make an issue through media. Even though the NGOs are small but the public trusts them more which could turn out to be a disaster for Coca Cola. Just as in the case of Belgium, a couple of years earlier, Coca Cola India could arrange a PR campaign which would help them regain customer loyalty. In the case of Belgium, the company there arranged a PR campaign in which vouchers, products being delivered to the house were offered which worked for Belgium because it only consists of 4.4 million households which is comparatively less to that of India. So the PR campaign plan has to be tailored to reach out to the people in India. It can also show and demonstrate that Coca Cola is not just a huge greedy company which concentrates only on profits but is a global citizen which also gives back to the people of the community. CONCLUSION It can be assured that the recommendations and strategies mentioned above will prove itself to be socially and environmentally responsible which prioritizes the safety of the public in providing safe and delicious soft drinks which will eventually lead to the sustainability of the Coca Cola India.co and its profit. The crisis spotlights on the factors that commodities like clean drinking water cannot be taken lightly and is a serious matter which need to be made a priority and the quality of the product should continually be examined and updated. The analysis of the crisis regarding socio- ecological and political changes, all are covered here as in the government taking a stand, environmental measures and public safety.

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Login sessions expire for two reasons. For your security, your Yahoo! Mail session expires a maximum of eight hours after you have logged in. If you have chosen in your Yahoo! User Information to be prompted for a password more frequently than every eight hours, your session will expire after the specified amount of time. If you do not accept the cookies set on login or your computer is not configured to accept cookies, your session will expire almost immediately. We use cookies (small pieces of site information) to assist us in user authentication and in saving configuration information. Cookies are required for Yahoo! Mail. If you see this message immediately after logging in, you should check the following: Check to see that your computer system time is accurate. Cookies are time sensitive and may not work if your computer date is incorrect by a large amount. Make sure that your browser is configured to accept cookies or that you agree to accept cookies during the login process. Turn off any third party programs or control panels that automatically reject cookies. Login sessions expire for two reasons. For your security, your Yahoo! Mail session expires a maximum of eight hours after you have logged in. If you have chosen in your Yahoo! User Information to be prompted for a password more frequently than every eight hours, your session will expire after the specified amount of time. If you do not accept the cookies set on login or your computer is not configured to accept cookies, your session will expire almost immediately. We use cookies (small pieces of site information) to assist us in user authentication and in saving configuration information. Cookies are required for Yahoo! Mail. If you see this message immediately after logging in, you should check the following:

Essay on Cruelty and Compassion in Homer’s Iliad -- Iliad essays

Cruelty and Compassion in The Iliad The Iliad, in that it is more about the Greek hero Achilles than any other particular person, portrays the Achaean in surprisingly shocking light at times throughout the story. In his encounter with Lycaon, who had previously been taken prisoner by Achilles long ago, Achilles demonstrates the extents to which his warlike demeanor can go. Yet it is equally surprising that he is capable of impressive compassion, as is depicted elsewhere in the Iliad. What seems to be an almost unbelievable fluctuation in attitude and mood is far from unexplained or contradictory, however. In fact, there is a well-defined regularity in Achilles' actions and demeanors, to the point of being capable of systematic classification. Achilles is not a loose cannon or an unpredictable firebrand. The method to his madness can be applied to his encounter with Lycaon as it can with any of his episodes in the Iliad. It is in Scroll XXI, at the height of his vengeful and destructive advance, that Achilles meets Lycaon. He has just captured twelve soldiers for sacrifice, and at the exact moment that he reaches Lycaon he is "thirsting for still further blood" (33). Lycaon entreats Achilles to have mercy on him. He mentions that he has been captured before by Achilles and has had precious little time to enjoy his regained freedom. He also distances himself from Hektor, who he knows has Achilles' enmity because of the death of Patroklos. In near desperation, Lycaon falls to his knees, declaring himself to Achilles as "suppliant" (64). Achilles' reaction at this instance is, along with his defilement of Hektor's body, among the most grim and bellicose moments in the Iliad and in Achilles' development as a character. H... ...rom being shocking, it is in fact completely consistent with the character of Achilles that we see throughout the Iliad†¹fearsome in combat, respectful of honor and courage otherwise. Works Cited and Consulted: Camps, W. A. An Introduction to Homer. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. Goodrich, Norma. Cruelty and Compassion in The Iliad . New York: Orion Press, 1962. Homer: Iliad. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1994. Richardson, Nicholas. The Iliad : A Commentary. Vol. VI: books 21-24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993. Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Veiner, George, and Fagles, Robert, eds. Homer: A Collection of Critical Essays. Twentieth Century Views, ed. Maynard Mack. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1962.

Capital Punishment Essay: Criminals Can Think Twice or Die Once

Capital punishment has been in effect since the 1600's (Cole 451). However, in 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment, which was unconstitutional according to the Eighth amendment. It was public opinion that the current methods of execution, hanging, electrocution, and facing a firing squad, were too slow and painful upon the person to be executed (Cole 451). The U.S. Supreme Court reversed this decision when a "cleaner" way to bring about death was found in 1976. This "cleaner" way is death by lethal injection, which is quick and painless if administered right (Cole 450). Since capital punishment has been reinstituted many people have argued for and against capital punishment. Some say the death penalty is what the criminal deserves while others object to it because death is irreversible. I feel the death penalty is a good form of justice because only about 250 people a year get the death penalty and they are guilty beyond a doubt a nd don't deserve living with the possibility of parole. The sentencing judge or jury are ordered by the Supreme Court to look for "specific aggravating and mitigating factors in deciding which convicted murderers should be sentenced to death" (Cole 451). Some of these mitigating factors are the defendant's motivation, character, personal history, and most of all remorse (Costanzo). Every year approximately 250 new offenders are added to death row. In 1994 there were 2,850 persons awaiting execution. Yet no more than thirty-eight people have been executed a year since 1976. This is a ridiculously low number compared to 199 persons executed in 1935 (all from Cole 451). The reason for this slow execution rate is the process of appeals, from sentencin... ... is a punishment that will remain active for a long time in the future, even with all the criticism. It is an ancient way of dealing with extremely serious offences that plague our country today. Hopefully the appeals process will be shortened, but remain effective, so more criminals can be executed, making prospective criminals think twice. Works Cited Bailey, William C., "Murder, Capital Punishment, and Deterrence" 1994. Journal of Social Issues. Cole, George F., The American System fo Criminal Justice 1995, New York. Costanzo, Mark "Attorney Persuasion in the Capital Penalty Phase" 1994. Journal of Social Issues. Death Penalty Discussion, Sept. 12, 1994. Search on Turbogopher under "Execution". Death Penalty, May 12, 1994. American Civil Liberties Union. Search on Turbogopher under "Execution". The Electric Chair, Aug 13, 1993.

Apple Chairman’ Statement and Reflective Writing Essay

Apple Inc. is a multiplier company. The California Corporation founded in 1977. Its wholly-owned subsidiaries designs, manufactures and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media equipment, and other internet applications, it provides the products to the different type of customers. The company gives the strategy is free, The Company’s business strategy leverages its unique ability to design and develop its own operating systems, hardware, application software, and services to provide its customers new products. The customer could through App store and iBook store to discover and download official software and third-party applications and books. The Company manages its business primarily on a geographic basis. The Company’s reportable operating main segments include in the Americas, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Retail. The Retail segment operates Apple-owned retail stores in the U.S. and in international markets. Each operating segment provides similar hardware and software products and similar services to customer. It unified the global organization. The company offers all kinds of products. Firstly, the Mac hardware products included desktop and portable computers. For instance, there are iMac, Mac Book, Mac Book Pro and Mac Book Air. Secondly, there are some small size products included iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV. Thirdly, the Company provides software products and computer technologies. The operating system software has Mac OS X and iOS system. The application software has iLife and iWork system. And there is other application software. Fourthly, Apple Care offers a range of support options for the Company’s customers. Such as the Apple Care Protection Plan is a fee-based service. The Company used all kinds of direct and indirect distribution channels, such as its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, and third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. The Company believes providing direct contact with its aim customers is an  useful way to show the benefit of its products. The Company sources components from a number of suppliers and manufacturing vendors. In the company competition, the Company’s ability to compete successfully is rely on its ability. The Company continues to develop new products and technologies and to improve existing products that extend the range of its product and intellectual property. The company faced some competition, there are prodigious pressures. Therefore, it needs to improve the quality of products, in the market, research and development new technology in main status. The company is focused on extend on market opportunities. Because of seasonal demand of consumer markets related to the holiday season and the beginning of the school year, it increased net sales. The Company’s operations and performance depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions. Some economic factors could affect demand for the Company’s products and services and the Company’s financial condition and operating results. The following graph shows a five-year comparison of cumulative total shareholder return, calculated on a dividend reinvested basis, and financial statement. We could found that the Apple Inc is a rise trend. Section 2: Reflective writing 1. Description Scanning the Apple Annual Report is organised into sections under the headings. I need to write an executive summary about the annual report. There are 21 headings in the first 26 pages of the annual report. For the short executive summary, it is too much to cover all of them. Therefore, I suppose. Those similar headings, we could join them together to make a single new heading. Finally, the left headings we chosen is 8. I would through those headings to complete the draft executive summary. 2. Feelings I am so interested in the Apple Company. I need to read the Annual Report,  and I need to have a general idea to write the executive summary. Since the Apple Company’s products are very popular in the world. There are many fans for Apple’s products. I want to know more information about the Apple Company. Consequently, when I finished the draft, I could get more detailed information. For instance, the Application Software, products and services. After the draft had completed, I had discussed with my partner. After exchange our ideas I find that we have different views towards the apple product, such as I inclined to choose apple product when buying certain kind of products because I like the apple company than thinking too much about the performance of it, my partner will compare three of more choices and then make decision which best meet his needs though she also like the apple product. I am more a fan than customer to apple product. Think that everyone read the annual report; there are different ideas about it. We could learn from each other. 3. Evaluation I enjoyed about writing the executive summary. Because of this documentation, I was interested in the Apple Company. Though, this summary is very short. I could learn from the management and market strategy. In order to have the market position, it needs to show some special and different facilities. When I read others’ draft and others read my draft. There is a process of mutual learning. We could exchange ideas. From reading the annual report and learnt from others draft; I could draw advantage and improve shortage. It could help me to finish the final version of an Executive Summary. 4. Analysis The draft is general summary about Apple Company’s annual report. Based on each heading, analyzing each part of the report, and I need to write the general idea. I think that writing the summary is a good way to analyze the report. If I have another similar work, I will use same way to analyze it. Every report has many parts. So I need to organize my time when I was working practices and organization. I think that we could analyze the producer, audience and text of the report. Then, I could clearly get the general idea of an article. 5. Conclusion All in all, I think that writing an executive summary need have means of each  part, and give the precise summarization of the annual report. If I have works need to do the next time, I could use the same way as by going through the headings to write the summary. I think the best side is 8 new headings; it narrows the scope of the annual report. We could clearly summarize the report. However, there still down side of doing the work like this . I might ignore some of the important information. From that decreased headings. Section 3: Final version of an Executive Summary Apple Inc. is a multiplier company which founded in 1977. Its wholly-owned subsidiaries designs, manufactures and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media equipment, and other internet applications. The Company’s business strategy is its unique ability to design and develop its own operating systems, hardware, application software, and services to provide its customers new products. The customer could use App store and iBook store to discover and download official software and third-party applications and books. The Company manages its business primarily on a geographic basis. Each operating segment provides similar hardware and software products and similar services to customer. The company offers many kinds of products. Firstly, the Mac hardware products include desktop and portable computers. There are iMac, Mac Book, Mac Book Pro and Mac Book Air. Secondly, there are some small size products included iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV. Thirdly, the Company provides software products and computer technologies. The operating system software has Mac OS X and iOS system. The application software has iLife and iWork system. Fourthly, Apple Care offers a range of support options for the Company’s customers. Such as the Apple Care Protection Plan is a fee based service. The Company used all kinds of direct and indirect distribution channels. They believe that providing direct contact with its aim customers is a useful way to show their benefit of its products. In the company competition, the Company’s ability to compete successfully is relying on its ability. The Company continues to develop new products and technologies and to improve existing products which extend the range of its product and intellectual property. The company is focused on extend on market opportunities. Because of seasonal demand of consumer markets related to the holiday season and the beginning of the school year, it increased net sales. The Company’s operations and performance depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions. It also provided graph shows the a five-year comparison of cumulative total shareholder return, calculated on a dividend reinvested basis, for the Company, the S&P 500 Composite Index, the S&P Computer Hardware Index, and the Dow Jones U.S.

Dow Chemicals

The case is about Dow Chemicals’ bid for the privatization of Petroquimica Bahia Blanca (PBB). PBB, a producer of both Ethylene and Polyethylene in Argentina, is being privatized by the local government. Dow holds a leading market position in Ethylene and Polyethylene, and wants to utilize this opportunity to expand into Argentina. Dow has developed a three-stage operational strategy for expansion of its polyethylene operations in Argentina.The acquisition of PBB represents the first stage of the strategy and provides a gateway to the second and third stage. The cash flows from each stage of the project have been valued using the discounted cash flow (DCF) approach. The discount rate for the valuation has been adjusted for the country risk premium, and a modified version of CAPM has been used to calculate a best case and a worst case estimate of the discount rate. This gives us a range of possible acquisition values for PBB.Given that the acquisition also enables Dow to benefi t from the from the high cash flows of the second and third stage of the project and that other parties are also interested in the acquisition, it is recommended that Dow bids a relatively high price of $280 million for PBB. Below is a free essay on â€Å"Dow Chemical’s Bid For The Privatization Of Pbb In† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Dow Chemical’s Bid for the Privatization of PBB in Argentina Executive summary Dow Chemical Company is considering acquiring 51% stake in Petroquimica Bahia Blanca S.A. (PBB) offered by the Government of Argentina. Acquiring PBB is the first stage of Dow’s project of expanding petrochemical business in the country. Dow is required to estimate how much it would offer to meet the requirements of the Argentinean State, overbid competitors but at the same time make the project profitable. The company should also take into account the country risk of Argentina because it is an emerging market with problems with exchange rates stability and freedom of capital repatriation. Dow should offer at least[1] $248. 7 million for PBB. Calculating of resent value of the project allows for increasing the cost of capital (15%) in comparison with similar projects in US (8-10%). The bid will meet all government requirements:       – Price is bigger than $150 million, – Dow currently has enough cash to accomplish the acquisition and offer the guaranty in favor of the Government,       – Net assets of the company are sufficient. The acquisition will allow expanding profitable business in Latin America and increasing attractiveness of the company among investors. The two current competitors of Dow for this acquisition (Perez Companc S. A. nd Copesul) don’t currently meet the requirements of the bid because of the insufficient amount of net worth ($1. 54 billion combined). It’s only 10 days left to offer price. If it is clea r that there won’t be any other bidders except for Dow and the two mentioned companies that don’t have enough time to come through all legal procedures to create new company and attract a partner with big net worth, Dow is advised to offer $150 for PBB making the NPV of the project bigger by $98. 7 million. Summary of facts: During the 1990s, the economy of Argentina started to recover after Carlos Menem took power†¦

Qualities of a Successful College Student

What qualities in a student cause him/her to be successful in college? ESSAY 3 It can be fun for a person that is starting college. Starting college can be fun because the person is in a new environment. The environment is different for one who is starting because the person has to take on a more mature responsibility than he or she would have had taken on while in high school. Although starting college is fun, there are 3 roles a student can take on in order to be successful while in college.After getting through the 2012 school year, I have come to the conclusion that in order for a student to be successful while in college, he or she has to do the following: take a College Career Success Skills class his or her freshman year, he or she has to feel the professor out, and the student has to also take down notes. Taking a College Career Success Skills course is the best class that a 1st time freshmen can take while in college.It is the best class because the student finishes the cour se, knowing that he or she is going to be successful while majoring in the career of his or her choice. The course allows the student to explore a major and write a paper about it. This is because many students enter college not knowing what he or she wants to major in. The student also learns if he or she is capable of being successful in the field through taking a personality test. This test determines if the student’s personality match the field.If the student pass the test, than he or she has found a field and has also finished, knowing that he or she is going to be successful while studying in that field. For example: If bob was a 1st time freshman and he did not know what major he would be successful in studying, taken this course would have given him the answer because he would have had found the career that he knows he is good in. So, CCSS is the best course for a student who is trying to find a major to be a pro at while in college. When the student feels the profess or out, this is another way of being successful while in college.This is because in order to past a course, the student has to think the way the professor would think. The student has to work a math problem out or write a sentence out the same way his or her professor would because that is what one who goes to school would called â€Å"thinking like the professor. † When a student receives a graded paper, the student is suppose too get up and ask him or her â€Å"What did I do wrong? What did this comment mean? † This way, the student has all the information he or she needs to pass the course.If the student was told to work on subject-verb agreement, this would be the main thing that the student would look out for while writing because this was his or her weakest point. This way, the student then thinks just like the professor by writing out sentences like him or her. Good note-taking skills are another great way to be successful while in college. It is another great w ay because every piece of note counts. Every piece of note counts because everything that was written down over the week will be on the test.A student that takes down notes all week will mostly likely say â€Å"oh, I remember this†, when it is time to test because basically it was the test the student was writing out the whole time. If a student has written down all of chapter 6, he or she is suppose too be familiar with the test after taken down notes all week. Therefore, writing notes is another quality of a student being successful while he or she is in college. What qualities in a student cause him or her to be successful while in college?Many colleges are wondering the qualities. It takes one from experience to answer such a question. After surviving the spring 2012 semester, my following qualities were: taking a CCSS course to figure out what would I be successful at studying in, feeling out the professors so we both can cooperate like teacher-student, and writing down everything the teacher wrote on the board. Those are the qualities I would recommend to any student that is asking â€Å"what qualities in a student cause him or her to be successful in college? †

Negotiation with chinese Essay

We wish to express sincere appreciation to Professor Shia Yun Chiang for his assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. In addition, special thanks to Yama (Yuehai shoe material Ltd) who’s familiarity with the needs and ideas of these team and was helpful during the early programming phase of this research. INTRODUCTION Continental Design is a company where excellence and customer satisfactory are priority. After ten years of being in business, continental now seeks to enter the Chinese market. On Thursday, June 13th 2013, some members were selected to visit the potential customers of our new shoe-soles designs to introduce and negotiate our terms. These members include Mr. Emmanuel Mlay (Financial Officer), Mr. Robin Sharma(Managing Director), Mr. Cliff Osoo (Contracting Officer), Ms. Bella Chan (General Overseer), Ms. Sandra O. K (Sales Manager). Upon arrival, we were taken in and around the factory to experience their works and then to the meeting room. In this report, we explain further our observation and findings in negotiating with the typical Chinese. This report emphasizes mainly on the observations which includes specifications, mode of conduct, styles and techniques also elaborating on how they work together as individualist or collectivism. Again the language used, what they felt at ease to say, their communication skills, relationships with clients, were also under study. However their reasoning and way of thinking was somehow fascinating and very interesting which this report enlightens ideally and strategically. A brief but very informative research was done to know our potential customers before reaching out to them. The one talked about in this report is â€Å"Yuehai shoes material†, a very renowned shoesole company in China. In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product and profits. Unless you’ve got a good team, you can’t do much with the other two. 1 1 By: Lee Iacocca 1 Chapter 1 THE CONTINENTAL DESIGN Continental design provides differentiated products that accelerate innovations in the global design market. With ten years of experience and commitment, Continental design has grown to be one of the strongest competitors in the field of designing. This company has also spent those ten years in developing its communication and negotiation skills. Its management capabilities have enabled it to technically handle the challenges and efficiently provide products that are best in the market. As Victor Papanek once said â€Å"Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order. † Continental design was founded by a team of five engineers with one primary goal of working hard helping all small and big shoes companies to succeed through professionally enhanced designs. Today, Continental design is a full-service independent company with about 10 percent of the world market share. Our services cover the whole of Africa, South and North America, Middle East and few countries in Asia. Recently we have initiated our first staple toward China market. 2 BUYERS COMPANY PROFILE Yuehai Shoes Materials Yuehai shoe material has more than 20 years of manufacturing experience and large number of qualified senior employees who are devoted to settling problems and confronting challenges. It has adopted advanced equipment from Taiwan and main land China. The production technology is matured and reliable; at the same time it uses the original material that makes its products to be famous by their high qualities. Its domestic market ranges from Guangzhou and Dongguan where there is a stiff competition that helps them to develop new and up-to date designs that meet the market demands. It then covered the whole of China before capturing Europe and America as the first target in external market. Most recently, it has expanded its external market to Middle East and Africa as a whole, where it has entered into more than 10 different countries. Shoes are human daily life necessities. Shoes industries will never perish as long as human being still exists. With the use of imagination this company is committed to continue to develop shoe industries as part of making the life of entire society in the world better off. Address: No. 39 beicun road, huangqi, nanhai district, foshan city, Guangdong province, China. Tel: 8675785938525 Fax: 867578592981 Email: tailon@21cn. net Yuehaixe. com. cn 3 Chapter 2 NEGOTIATION PREPARATION In negotiation there are few things that have to be put in place before the negotiating team or person set off for the negotiation. The factors that are mostly considered before negotiation are: ? Length of contract This is the period that the contract will take before it’s renewed again. The seller always concentrate in this factor because it affect the profit the company will make and for how long. Mostly its 1 to 3 years. This factor is important because it also influence the price to be offered to the buyer. ? Volume to be ordered After a seller has agreed on the length of contract then the next thing to talk about is the Volume that will be bought. When few goods are bought, there is a high possibility that the price will be higher unlike when a large quantity is bought; therefore these first two factors influence the price of the item. ? Price The third factor to talk about after length of contract and volume is price at which the good will be sold. In every company, there is a price offered depending on the quantity to be bought, quality and other things needed for production. The larger the quantity, the lower the price will be and vice versa. 4 ? Payment Terms and Services. The most important thing for a company going for a negotiation is; length of contract, volume and price and other things like payment terms and services comes up later. The last two remaining factors are considered to make sure that the items agreed before is taken into account in a proper manner. Payment terms are important because even if you have a long contract with large volume but payment is not done in time, you will have to lose something. Services are offered to the buyer to make sure he/she is satisfied with the goods bought. 5 SELLER’S WISH LIST. Here we made our wish list before we went to the meeting. We had decided our lowest price and the contract length. Below you can see the result of our company board meeting before going to negotiate with Chinese company ITEM2 Length of contract Volume Price Payment terms Services WEIGHT 40% 25% 20% 10% 5% RANGE 2-1 Years 500-100units/month $200-$150 10-15days 5/5-8/5 In the following table you can see that we agreed to have at least 1 year contract with Chinese company. As they are old and experience company, we believe that it won’t be any problem even if we have 2 years long contract. In terms of volume we were ready to deliver any amount till up to 500 per months. Price was the main concern of our meeting. We know that they will try to spend more time on the price negotiating and knowing we have many competitors in the market, we needed to come up with a very good price range. We also had an agreement on payment terms which should meet within the short period. Lastly, we agreed to offer them a good customer service. 2 Professor Shia Yun Chiang Power point presentation-Estimating wish list ,Power point presentation slide no. 9 & 10 6 THE AGREEMENT ZONE In every negotiation, there are two possible outcomes. The parties can either reach an agreement or not. The first situation is where the seller and the buyer don’t reach an agreement at all, either, due to the buyer or seller not agreeing with the offer given. The second situation is where the two parties (Buyer and Seller) reach an agreement and signs a contract for the business to take place immediately. For the two parties to reach an agreement, they will have to consider their Consequence of No Agreement (CNA). CNA will either make the two parties to agree or disagree. BUYER’S WISH LIST ITEM3 Price Services Payment terms Length of contract Volume WEIGHT 45% 25% 20% 5% 5% RANGE $100-$150 8/5-5/5 Cash transfer 3-1Years 50-100units/month After a lengthy discussion with the buyer, following were the outcomes of negotiation; OUTCOME ITEM Price Length of Contract Volume Payment Terms Services DETAILS $150/Design 1 Year 100 Units/month Cash Transfer in 2 days 10 Days training Professor Shia Yun Chiang Power point presentation-Estimating wish list ,Power point presentation slide no. 9 & 10 7 Chapter 3 OBSERVATION VALUES AND THINKING IN NEGOTIATION. When going for a negotiation one has to learn the buyer’s values in thinking. These values differ from one country or one region to the other and it can cause a misunderstanding between the two parties. According to the research we did about Chinese negotiation, we found out that Chinese are more relationship oriented than Africans and even other nations. As soon as we entered into the Chinese office for the negotiation, they offered us Water. This proves that they are more relationship oriented; they use this to build a rapport between their clients even before negotiation. Another thing that the company we were negotiating with did is that, they invited us for supper. In these acts we can see how Chinese people are mostly towards relationship with their clients unlike other European countries or America and even Africa. Before us reaching a conclusion, the Chinese people asked a lot of personal questions even in the middle of our negotiation. Some of the questions they asked were; When will you go back to your country? Do you like china? Is your country very hot than china? These personal questions that are not related to business are a clear picture of Chinese values and thinking in a negotiation. â€Å"As a general rule, it’s always safer to adopt a formal posture and move to an informal stance, if the situation warrants it, than to assume an informal style too quickly†4 4 As Jeswald W. Salacuse- (Ivey Business journal) 8 . During our research, we were also able to notice some of the things that are not common in African countries and even other continents. The first thing that they did is to welcome us in a very encouraging manner that made us feel at home, and with such hospitality, we were able to do the negotiation having been convinced that Chinese are good business people. This kind of hospitality that Chinese people give to their clients make them win in the businesses they negotiate in because the other party will feel so cared for that they can trust the offers given. Another thing we noticed in the research is the way they asked us whether someone has introduced us to the company or we looked it up in the internet. At the beginning I didn’t see the reason why they should be concerned with how we got to know about the company, but after we finished the meeting I had to ask and what they told us is, in Chinese (Intermediary/ middleman). This is one of the things that make us to realize how important Chinese value relationship in the business arena. The other behavior that we observed in the process of visiting and doing the negotiation is that, immediately we arrived at the factory, we were received and taken around the factory to see how they do their production and even explaining every step of production line. This really made us feel honored and we started to see them as transparent and responsible people, something that needed in business so much. â€Å"Chinese negotiating style is people oriented and permeated with such Confucians notion as guanxi, renqing, face, family age, harmony, hierarchy, li (etiquette)†5. 5 As said by Tong Fang –Chinese Business Negotiating Styles 9 CIRCULAR REASONING & TALKING In our haste to market our designs for shoe soles. We came across various ways in which Chinese carry out their business negotiation. While most of the companies we approached exhibited the sequential kind of talking, the Chinese demonstrated the circular type. Interestingly, as we tried to obtain information and answer their questions regarding our products, we realized that Chinese, when not interested in your product would rather beat about the bush than going straight to the point. This is mostly demonstrated in the time of negotiating prices. This makes it hard to determine their stance in terms of buying the product. It is almost impossible at that moment to determine the level of consequence of no agreement on the buyer’s side. As much as you try explaining and convincing Chinese buyers who are less interested in a product, you will end up just like before. It is hard for them to say â€Å"no† point blank. This I believe is because of the long courting and relationship they build up with their business partners before negotiating. For instance, in one of our interviews, the interviewee mentioned after our refusal to take lunch with him that it is the culture of Chinese people to dine with their potential business partners irrespective of their interests. He explained that not only does this emphasize politeness; it also creates room for next or future cooperation. That is why in almost every meeting with a Chinese business man, you are served tea or water even before the talking starts. As pleasing as this might sound, it is also the reason behind the average Chinese would want to beat about the bush when not interested in the product for sale. Relationship and friendship are commonly used to obtain a better price and more concessions. 10 Herbig and Martin (1998), Stark, Fam, Waller and Tian (2005), and Zhu et al. (2007) all found that the Chinese do not rush into the negotiation, but rather, spend a lot of time in getting to know their counterparts as much as possible, even including personal information in order to build guanxi and trust from the beginning. Another finding is that they would want to end the meeting peacefully and friendly just as it had started without having to ruin the relationship or hurt anyone’s feelings, yet they have to decide whether or not to purchase the product. According to Faure (1999), the Chinese focus more on relationship building during this stage, as they need to know their counterparts for any business deal to occur. This negotiation practice might cause conflict with Westerners, as Westerners prefer to start negotiations straight away after basic greetings and introductions. Rule how to be successful in dealing with Chinese: â€Å"Be fair, reasonable and diplomatic: â€Å"If your Chinese counterpart believes that you are being unreasonable, they may not openly say so, but your negotiations are likely to stall and go nowhere. If you disagree with your counterpart, don’t simply reject their position out of hand, but carefully explain your reasoning†. 6 6 â€Å"Forbes† by Jack Perkowski (Negotiating in China; 10 rules for Success 11 QUESTIONING & INTERRUPTING We’ve had several encounters with many customers throughout the years, but what makes the Chinese customers outstanding is their mode of questioning. Unlike our African customers, they tend to interrupt and chip in their questions whiles you are talking. In some cultures, this might seem rude and impolite but this is not so for Chinese. They are very cooperative, assertive and defensive. This encourages and makes the one talking feel he’s being listened to. This normally generates positive feedback. During one of the interviews conducted, it came to our realization that, the typical or traditional Chinese interrupts more than the Chinese who has been open to Western culture. Customers who deal with Westerners or Africans have adjusted to some of their negotiation skill. This we believe will go a long way to influence most Chinese business partners. Their character or attitude of seeking and asking questions is different from other people in the sense that Chinese exhibits a character of â€Å"Xenophobia which is a distrust of all things foreign to one’s own culture. Xenophile is a lust to obtain all things new and or foreign. The Chinese have become inclined to distrust anything and everyone from foreign lands due to their history of violent revolutions and government seizures and changes. On the other hand, they have also seen the new technologies and high standard of living in the West, and many Chinese struggle with these mixed feelings as they pursue business opportunities with foreigners and seek to acquire western technologies â€Å"(Pye, 1992) 12 COLLECTIVISM Under collectivism, the means of production are owned and controlled by the state or the people as a whole. Also, it describes any outlook or philosophy that stresses the interactivity between people. It is often consider as opposite of individualism. There are two basic types of collectivism: horizontal and vertical. In the horizontal type, members are considered to be as equal as possible, and share resources and responsibilities. The vertical include a social hierarchy that society member work to maintain, and people submit to those above them in the hierarchy. Collectivism in China When Mao Ze Dong came into power; he strengthens the collectivism by eliminating landowners and individualists, sending nearly everyone to work in collectivist communities. Therefore, China has been more collectivist than individualist in both ancient and modern history. Many research states that, there are many leaders in China today who believe that the days of collectivism in China will soon be gone. There are several reasons for this. First is that the â€Å"one-child-policy,† especially in the cities, it gives us many younger citizens who have been raised to believe that they hold a special place in the world. This kind of upbringing leads to individualism over collectivism. In business point, there are still many examples of collectivist thinking. For example, When we(foreigner) and Chinese, began to work together, mainly the Chinese look towards the team as 13 the reason for the company success, but on the other hand, the foreigner(us) were trying to identify individual high performers. That’s one of the different between Chinese and foreign culture. Collectivism between our culture (as a foreigner) and Chinese Collectivism is a cultural pattern found especially in East Asia, Latin America, and Africa. But nowadays societies are not purely individualist or collectivist, but some of them are the mixture of the two. Western and Northern Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are individualist. Conclusion Although there are few countries fully apply in collectivism, like North Korea, most of the countries are applying the mixture of collectivism and individualism. Those countries practicing collectivism mainly have a low GDP level, because it affects trade with the other countries. 14 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPECIFICATION OF TIME AND PRICE. The important aspects when we negotiate with Chinese: Patience is the most important qualification for successful negotiations with the Chinese. Negotiations in China often take time because of different departments within one organization tend to be involved in negotiation processes and decision-making within the Chinese bureaucracy often takes time. By Confucianism, Chinese will not rush into any serious meetings with someone whom they do not know; trust and a certain feeling of closeness. Here is the example of Chinese negotate style we found. It prove that, to negotiate a favourite price with Chinese, obviously we need time. 1. Don’t expose too much of your interest in a product you want to buy even though you’re really drawn to it. It is better to act like that it does not matter to you and you don’t have to have it. Sometimes the sales person would tell you if he or she can judge from your facial expression that you really want that item. 2. In the first time you will never get the exact item for the price. Usually the sales person would try to seduce you by offering an unfavorable price. For example, for a necklace placed at $100, if you ask the sales person for discount, perhaps for the first time she would give you a discount like $90. Don’t take it. Just think that it is too high and walk away. Sometimes the sales person would shout at your back and offer much more favorable discounts. 15 3. The second negotiation is to reach a middle point. Try to get 45-60% discount of the original price. If it is impossible, try to get somewhere around 70-85%. Try to negotiate in a friendly way. If the agreement cannot be reached, walk away again. 4. The final negotiation will be the last attempt. Be firm and try to get 40% off. Some might finally give you 40% off, while some can’t due to different price strategies involved and store renting fees, staff cost, etc. To compare with our culture(as a foreigner), in our country, all the goods had set their fixed selling price, and most of the company usually have their own rule for market selling, therefore the vacuum for price negotiate will be less. 16 LANGUAGE BARRIER Our group members come from Nepal, Ghana, Tanzania, and Hong Kong. We speak different languages. English is our second language. We often face with language barrier within and outside the group. . Language barrier often is a big problem. If this was an outsourcing job or transcription work, language would probably have a major role, as both require clear understanding of the accents, practice of speaking in a fluent way. Cause of language barrier: 1. Emails – written communication we should be able to clearly understand written instructions and reply with clear and also follow rules in a polite way. Sometimes we often wrote a business mail in a friendly tone, instead we should write in a formal way. 2. Phone Calls While working with an outsourcing partner, providing a phone number for emergencies may seem to be a good idea. However if this phone number happens to be attended by a non-English speaking person, it will serve nothing but a source of irritation. So we can think of giving the mobile number of a representative who can speak with clear and patience – even if the resolution is not attained on the call in itself. 17 Useful method between different language. Pictogram and simple image are useful method as icon or sign for almost every place. It means they are efficient to give information to people without any words. They have high possibility to support the communication between two people without spoken language. Conclusion We need to use English to communicate with each other, when we were going to Nanhai to take the video, sometimes we need to use Chinese to communicate with the local Chinese people. When people from different countries speak in different languages, we often face difficulties an understanding each other. We cannot express our meaning in a proper way. During our research, when we took the train, there was problem in translating Chinese characters. So it is quite hard for us to find the way to the shoe factory. In addition, the English level of a local Chinese are mainly still in low level, some of them even cannot understand what we are asking. I think it is what we are called language barriers. 18 Chapter 4 TIPS TO NEGOTIATE WITH CHINESE The intensive research negotiation we conducted at Yuehai Shoes Materials factory widened up our knowledge about Chinese negotiation. We believe through this report you have acquired some usefully tips on how to strategically negotiate with Chinese. Upon what you have learned here are our recommendations for you to conquer any negotiation: ? Be prepared†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Make sure you are well prepared. ? Understand the cultural differences†¦. Get to know the other culture. ? Don’t be afraid of negotiation†¦ if you can talk you can negotiate. ? Show some emotions (share some burden)†¦remember, people value them. ? Be on time†¦.. time is money. ? Be careful†¦ use appropriate language. ? Be in control†¦ don’t allow other things to distract your focus. ? Give some room for the other party (compromise whenever necessary). ? Show some vivid example†¦ a picture is worth a thousand words. 19 CONCLUSION â€Å"Deal is always better that no deal. †7 As hard as negotiation may seem to be, its outcomes are almost always worth the endurance. In different cultures where there are different goals, different point of views, different interests, different values and beliefs, different needs and different decision making styles; it takes a considerably huge amount of effort for sellers and buyers to reach the agreement zone. Both parties must be willing to give up part of their wish or lower their requirements which do not happen easily. With better understanding of both cultures of the parties involved, the negotiation will yield more significance solutions. One should keep in mind that negotiation is the cornerstone of any successfully business in the world. Despite the difficulties involved in the strategic negotiation, lets us follow the words of one of our great fathers who once said, â€Å"Let’s never negotiate out of fear, but lets us never fear to negotiate. †8 7 Professor Shia Yun Chiang class PowerPoint presentation 8a.

Home vs Apartment Essay

Ever had to wonder if either to own a house or rent an apartment? These two materialistic items that give us shelter have there comparisons and differences. Many people decide to rent an apartment because they do not have money to buy a home. On the contrary, people sometimes do not like to live in apartments because of the lifestyle it has. Whether a house or an apartment, what’s the difference and what’s similar? A house and an apartment both have similarities. One of the similarities is that they both require rent. Rent depends on where the area the apartment or home is at and how big it is. The cost of living is often high under any shelter because it protects you from the outside weather and gives you a place to sleep. In addition, the monthly rent amount is sometimes the same at a home as well. Another comparison that these two have are they both have variable amount of rooms and baths. They vary to a one bedroom and a one bath to a 5 bedroom and 3 bath apartment, in which this also applies also to a home. Although, a home has a better chance on having more than an apartment. Depending on how many rooms and bath a person would like, there is a way to get that. The most important similarity is that they both provide shelter. Shelter is important because it provides a sense of security and a place of belonging. Everyone would like to live under a roof and, a home and an apartment, both successfully accomplish this. whether it be small or big, they both provide shelter. Besides the comparisons, these two have differences. One of the most obvious differences between these two is that living in an apartment allows easy mobility to move. In order to move from a home, there is more difficulty due to signing a loan out in order to buy the house. In an apartment, the person leases for a certain amount of time and then can either renew it or move. With a home it is more difficult because it requires to sell the home and also the loan that was taken out to be paid off. Another difference is that in an apartment you do not have the option to remodel the inside. In a home, since it is the homeowners property, they can remodel all they want. For example they can knock down walls, paint and add additional rooms. Another difference are how close the neighbors are. In an apartment, the neighbors are door to door. Sometimes the people on the bottom half of the apartment hear everything you do if you are on the top floor. There also a low tolerance of loud noises. For example, turning up the radio and listening to it loud can make the neighbors mad and make a  complaint about you. In the contrary, living in a home, the neighbors are more distant. The noise level does not really matter because many people do not complain. After comparing and contrasting both an apartment and a home, they both have their pros and cons. Apartments are easy to move from but do not have more to offer. On the other hand, a house gives more options to do anything but it also limits mobility to move. An apartment and a home have their similarities along with their differences.

Myan Indians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Myan Indians - Essay Example Mayan Indians were well developed and highly skilled in the artistic jobs such as pottery, carvings, drawings and ceramics. Some carvings, sculptures, stucco reliefs and murals are found from the ruins of the Mayan civilization that represent the art of the Mayan civilization (Coe 65). The artistic pieces found are indicative of the artistic skills of the Mayan Indians. The human figures carved on stones and colors used for depicting the civilization and culture of people look so beautiful and refined that the development of arts at that time appears much better than ours. Mayan Indians also attached their names with their created artistic pieces in order to inform the viewers about their art and talent (Demarest 43). Mayan architecture is also very famous like its art. The towering pyramids with steps are regarded as the most influential architecture of Mayan civilization (Sharer and Traxler 42). Caves with carvings are also a distinctive feature of the Mayan Indians. The caves such as Jolja cave, Cave of the Witch, Candelaria caves and many others are famous for their architecture and designs (Demarest 49). Plazas, palaces, ball courts, observatories and temples are found in their architectural designed buildings. Roads were also present attaching cities together. The buildings also went through several amendments as with changing rulers, the designs also got amended according to new instructions. The architecture as a whole can be considered as reminiscent of a great civilization (Coe 78). The buildings and constructions made by the Mayan Indians are depictive of their skill at architecture and design. The Mayan civilization was quite developed as they had their own writing system. They used to write with animal hair brushes and their writing was black in color with red highlighting (Demarest 59). In the writing system, the Mayan Indians usually used phonetic symbols and glyphs in order to