The Chinese Economy, Culture & Society

The social values and history have shaped and formed the economical developments and the current environment of business in the People's Republic of China. They have determined the patterns for negotiation and the Chinese perceptions of business, and their feelings towards westerners. The implicit and explicit rules that the Chinese society has on the development of businesses, and the economy in general, are very important issues for any person going into China to understand and consider. In order to achieve a successful partnership between Chinese and Western cultures it is essential to have a basic understanding of history and cultural developments that have shaped the current environment of business. The three pillars of China are economy, culture, and society. The Chinese economy has been formed as a result of centuries of history and development, which reflect the philosophy of China and its current economical position. China started as a mainly agricultural based society with the subsistence group; the family. For more than 2000 years the Chinese economy operated under a type of feudal system; land was concentrated in the hands of a relatively small group of landowners whose income depended on rents from their peasant tenants. Agricultural taxes levied by the imperial government and crop yields subject to drought and floods kept agriculture relatively underdeveloped and organized in small units with the use of primitive methods for basic subsistence. The conclusion of the Opium War of 1840 formally initiated a period of Western penetration of China from the coastal treaty ports. Railroads and highways were constructed, and some industrial development began. Such activity had little impact, however, on the overall Chinese economy. In effect, China was carved up into a number of competing colonial spheres of influence. Japan, which tried to attach China to its East Asia prosperity Sphere, was able to create only isolated nodes of a modern economy. The Chinese Communist party emerged in the 1920s in the midst of a mounting economic crisis caused by foreign intervention and increased landlord influence in the countryside. For more than two decades, it expanded its control over large rural areas by introducing an agrarian program based on the control of rent and usury, and by giving power to peasant associations. On October 1, 1949, the Communist party successfully established a unified national government and economy on the mainland for the first time since the end of the imperial period in 1912. From 1949 to 1952 the emphasis was on halting inflation and ending food shortages and unemployment. The new government initiated a land reform program that redistributed land to 300 million poor peasants into cooperative farms. In 1958 the rural people's communes were established, and these dominated agriculture in China until the early 1980s. The commune was based on the collective ownership of all land and major tools by its members, who produced mainly to meet state planning targets and who were rewarded according to the work they performed, although basic necessities were guaranteed to all members. In the urban-industrial sector, state ownership of property and of industrial and commercial enterprises was gradually extended. Industry grew steadily from heavy investment under the first five-year plan, and the state-owned sector achieved an overwhelming importance. The second five-year plan was introduced in 1958, trying to get China ahead into industrialization. This program was characterized by large investments in heavy industry and the establishment of small-scale versions of such industries as steel refining. The program, however, caused great disruptions in economic management and in rational economic growth, and in 1960 the program had to be abandoned. The Chinese economy then entered a period of readjustment, but by 1965 production in many fields again approached the level of the late 1950s. The third five-year plan began in 1966, but both agricultural and industrial production were severely curtailed by the effects of the Cultural Revolution; a fourth five-year plan was introduced in 1971 as the economy began its recovery. After eliminating the vestiges of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, China's leaders decided to move at a faster pace on all economic fronts to make up for the loss suffered in the preceding ten years. A fifth five-year program began in 1976 but was interrupted in 1978, when the Four-Modernization program was launched. It included the modernization of agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology. A ten-year plan for 1976-85 stressed improvement in economic management and a larger role for private and collectively owned (as opposed to state-owned) enterprises. This program was superseded by a more modest ten-year plan for 1981-90, but efforts to attract Western technology and investment continued, as did a program of incentives to increase agricultural production. Policies introduced in October 1984 called for further decentralization of economic planning and for increased reliance on market forces to determine the prices of consumer goods. China has potential to be the biggest market of the world with 1.3 billion people. Furthermore, it posses billions of unexplored resources and the biggest and cheapest labor force in Asia. The size and underdevelopment make it a potential monster that has created interest in every investing and developing country in the world. The Chinese economy is an increasing economic possibility for anyone. Chinese culture and society can be divided into two major periods, Imperial China and Communist China. The modern Chinese society can be defined as a combination of centuries of values and communist propaganda achievements. The imperial China had a strong class system where 90% of the people were poor and possessed limited resources to develop culturally, socially and personally. This situation led to the strength of the large family and the basis for the distinctive collectivism of China. The well being of the family and the state are the main goals for any action in society. If actions taken do not contribute to the family or the society as a whole, then the actions will not be regarded as proper. Eliminating almost any form of individualistic thinking. The Chinese Family is the main economic unit of society. The development of the Chinese economy is based on the family. The Chinese family is the economic unit in which members produce and consume in common. Also, it is the religious unit responsible for the performing of rites required for the well being of the family. The social security of the Chinese family relies on the effective performance and interaction between religion and family. These concepts strongly clash with western individualism collection of wealth for personal gain. A clear example of this is the overseas Chinese control family-run business empires that already dominate much of Asia. They invest billions in China, helping their ancestral homeland become the world's fastest-growing economy. Together, China and its approximately 56 million offshore Chinese are the most important commercial and political forces for China and reflect, again the family based economic strategy that they follow. In addition to the traditional imperial Chinese society, the Communist values shape and blend into modern Chinese philosophy. One of the early acts of the Chinese Communist party after it gained control in 1949 was to officially eliminate organized religion. Previously the dominant religions in China had been Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Most temples and schools of these four religions were converted to secular purposes. Only with the constitution of 1978 was official support again given for the allowance of formal religion in China. The constitution also stated that the Chinese population had the right to hold religious beliefs. Moreover, China has a long and rich cultural tradition in which education has played a major role. Throughout the imperial period (221 BC-AD 1912), only the educated have held positions of social and political leadership. In 124 BC the first university was established for training prospective bureaucrats in Confucian learning and the Chinese classics. Historically, however, few Chinese have been able to take the time to learn the complex language and it's associated literature. It is estimated that as late as 1949 only 20% of China's population was literate. To the Chinese Communists, this illiteracy was a stumbling block for the promotion of their political programs. Therefore, the Communists combined political propaganda with educational development. Chinese education has been strongly affected by the communism in China. Since education was for the rich and privileged during imperial age of China. One of the most ambitious programs of the Communist party has been the establishment of universal public education for their large population. In the first two years of the new government (1949-51) more than 60 million peasants enrolled in â€Å"winter schools,† or sessions, established to take advantage of the slack season for agricultural workers. Mao declared that a dominant goal of education was to reduce the sense of class distinction. This was to be accomplished by reducing the social gaps between manual and mental labor, between the city and countryside residents and between the worker in the factory and the peasant on the land. After long periods of breaks and changes in policies colleges reopened in 1970-72. Admission was granted to many candidates because of their political leanings, party activities, and peer-group support. This method of selection ceased in 1977, as the Chinese launched their new campaign for the Four Modernizations. The governments stated goals for rapid modernization in agriculture, industry, defense, and science and technology required high levels of training. Such educational programs by necessity had to be based on theoretical and formal skills more than on political attitudes and the spirit of revolution. After the revolution every thing changed in China. The stability of social values and structure where the highest achievement for the Chinese philosophy. These values where already deep in the Chinese culture; however, they were strengthened with communism and used into the development of China. The Chinese society had become a combination of strong family and moral values and a country thriving for modernization and industrialization. This concept of stability as the highest achievement obstructed the development of China in the past, and still creates problems today. The sole concept of risks disturbs the grounds of Chinese culture in contrast to western society where risk is the main drive for development and investment. The radical change from imperialism and strong class differences to the equality philosophy implemented by Mao Tse Tung created the modern China. Its development from feudalism to communism created a conservative China, with very few attempts to move towards capitalism. It was through the imperial years that mercantilism and trade took place, yet it never flourished, as the capitalistic model westerners know, until China's re-opening to the western world in the 70's. China has always had the elements for development. In fact, they could very well have had an industrial revolution before England. China possessed many key elements that transformed Europe into a modernized industrial economy (compass, printing, gunpowder, etc). Nevertheless, there is much more to China than just industrial and economical development. Thus, when considering developing a business in China one should always consider the cultural factors that makes the Chinese society so strong and differentiating it from western societies. The fact that China wants to grow, does not mean that it will do it with the western models and philosophy, rather it will be with models developed from their own culture. This is the point that can be attributed to cause most of the problems between Chinese and Western cultures, and the point to be accepted in order to be successful in developing a successful business relationship in China. Negotiating in China can be very frustrating. Differences in decision making styles and negotiating tactics cause misunderstanding and tension. Chinese culture is based on the importance of rituals and ceremonies and so is Chinese business. Business meetings are as important as the dealings during receptions. To exemplify the process of dealing with China in order to develop a productive relationship we will use the case of Kentucky Fried Chicken in China. This case includes the different problems and strategies used in the negotiation and development of business in China, specifically in setting up a foreign joint venture. However, the problems that arise and the current working environment of the Chinese economy cannot be understood without first understanding the history and the cultural revolutions that have shaped it. This brief outline of the history of China leads insight into some of the problems and the resolutions that a manager for KFC experienced during his venture with the Chinese. In 1986, Tony Wang was Vice President of the Southeast Asia division of KFC. He had an opportunity of bringing the world's largest chicken restaurant company into the world's largest populated country. Wang was an experienced entrepreneur and had been working for KFC for seven years. No other fast food companies were currently operating in the People's Republic, so Wang did not have anything to go by and had nothing to help him evaluate the attractiveness of the Chinese market. The main downsides of operating in China were huge demands on managerial resources and the low prospects of significant hard currency repatriation. The first decision that Wang was faced with was where to open the location of the first KFC. Obviously there were differences from city to city but a reliable way to evaluate these differences did not exist. Wang was interested in the enormous potential of the Chinese market, but he knew that many other companies had failed in similar ventures. Ta-Tung, (Tony) Wang was born in the Sichuan province in the People's Republic of China in 1944. He moved to Taiwan when he was young and graduated from the Chong-Yuan University with a degree in engineering. He later moved to the United States, and in 1973 completed a masters degree in management science from the Steven's Institute of Technology in New Jearsey. He then attended New York University where, in 1975, he received his post-master's certificate in international business management. Wang joined KFC in 1975 at the headquarters in Louisville. Wang was convinced of the large potential for American-style fast food in China. He attended a lecture by the mayor of Tianjin (the third largest city in China), who spoke of the many opportunities for investment in his city. Wang was asked by the mayor to sit on a council to advise on improving the fast food industry in Tianjin. KFC was currently owned by R.J. Reynolds, who was very interested in getting into the Chinese market to sell their cigarettes. American smokes were in high demand in China. Wang had the support of top management. He spoke perfect Mandarin and English and was as comfortable working in New York as he was Beijing. He also had experience negotiating with the Chinese. As Tony Wang investigated more and more into the necessary requirements his concerns began to grow. He knew that Chinese workers would have problems working under the KFC guidelines, and time-consuming, expensive training programs would be a necessary requirement. As well large capital outlays would be needed to find and negotiate a partnership, to sign a lease and gain operating permits. Wang began to thoroughly research the Chinese market. The first item that he began to look at was location. The reason that this was so important was because the location would have dramatic impact on the profitability, future expansion to the rest of China, and the managerial resources commitments. Four cities were selected as potential locations for the first store: Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Tianjin – One of the major advantages of Tianjin was the established contacts that Wang had there. As well, it was only one of three municipal governments in China that were not controlled by the Central Government in Beijing. The major problem with Tianjin was it lacked a convenient supply of grain-fed chickens. Local chickens were fed using fish meal fed chickens. This presented a problem given that the Chinese place great emphasis on freshness and taste. Tianjin also was not a very popular tourist location. Wang expected most profits to be in Renminbi, but some foreign currency would be needed for profit repatriation and purchasing needed supplies, which could only be purchased outside of China. Shanghai – Shanghai has over 11 million people, and is regarded as China's most prosperous business centre. Shanghai is home to a large variety of Western hotels, business facilities and tourists, however it also is not a very popular tourist spot, because of the pollution and loud noise. The investment could not be justified if it did not supply an adequate amount of foreign currency. Shanghai did, however, contain several feed mills and the largest poultry supplier in China. Gangzhou – Gangzhou is located in Southeast China only a short distance from Hong Kong, and is recognized for it preferential treatment for foreign investment. It has greater autonomy in approving foreign investment projects, reducing tax rates, and encouraging technological development. Many tourists visit Gangzhou because of its close proximity to Hong Kong. As well any operations could be managed directly from the existing Hong Kong operations. As well, Wang did not anticipate difficulty finding a supplier for chicken. Beijing – Beijing is the second largest city in China. It is the political and cultural centre and has relatively high levels of affluence and the education of its inhabitants. It is also the tourist centre of China, with many attractions located in and around Beijing. A Beijing location would also give a higher profile. This could be both good and bad. If they received approval from the central government, they would be able to enter the rest of the Chinese market without hassle. However, because of the higher profile, the government might decide that they would not fit in to the Chinese landscape, which would prevent them from ever succeeding. Outside of Beijing there were also numerous poultry farms. Wang knew that the location was the most important detail, and would decide whether KFC would succeed or not. There were currently no other competitors in the Chinese market, so now was the time to strike to take advantage of the situation. The risks were high, and Wang needed to weigh out these risks to estimate whether the expenses would lead to for a huge gain or a huge loss. In early February 1987, Wang decided to open operations in Beijing. This was decided because of Beijing's high amount of tourists and its autonomous municipal government. However, he was feeling more worried about the venture. KFC signed a joint venture partnership. Wang's worries were stemming from the difficulty he had been experiencing getting things done in a city governed by a bureaucracy that seemed impossible to either understand or work with. He felt that he would never be able to find a location in the city and government approval was required on everything. Wang was also concerned whether Chinese workers would be able to meet KFC's demands for cleanliness, quality and service. The establishment of a joint venture was considered essential because Wang described the chinese, â€Å"completely impossible for us to understand. In fact, trying to do so is a complete waste of time.† Trying to understand investment regulations, winning approval for operating licenses, leases, and employment contracts could certainly prevent them from proceeding. A local partner was not required under Chinese law, however Wang felt it would be beneficial in setting up operations and maintaining continued viability. Through ties R.J. Reynolds had with the Ministry of Light, a partnership was formed between KFC and the Beijing Corporation of Animal Production, a Beijing city government-controlled producer of chickens. After careful inspection KFC found that this would indeed work out, as Animal Production already produced three of the approved breeds of chicken required for operations. Negotiations with the poultry producer commenced with Mr. Jue Xia, a senior manager in the Beijing corporation. Xia felt that it would not be able to meet KFC's large demand because they did not have access to large enough reserves of grain. Xia was also hesitant about KFC's quality standards. However, they thought that a partnership with a Western firm would be beneficial for them as they would gain international experience. Xia felt that Tony Wang was unlike most American managers; he was a man he could deal with. The Beijing Corporation helped Wang find a chicken supplier but they lacked close contact with the government agencies that would be essential to setting up operations. So a third partner was needed. Both partners agreed that the Beijing Tourist Bureau would be able to meet their requirements. The Tourist Bureau was responsible for the supervision of the construction and operation of all hotels and restaurants in Beijing. They also had a lot of experience speeding up the construction of many Western hotels, and had many times participated in a joint venture in these operations. During these negotiations it happened that KFC was sold to Pepsico. During this time KFC was the second largest fast food chain in the world. It was initially thought that Animal Production had only come on board because of pressure from the Ministry of Light Industry, who wanted to win points with Reynolds, so the acquisition came at a bad time. As it turned out, however, Pepsico's connections with the government in Beijing were even stronger then Reynolds, so negotiations continued with a renewed interest. To convince the partners to become part of the venture, Wang offered a guarantee of five percent return on equity, much better than they could receive domestically. This sealed the deal in winning over the partners. KFC retained 60% of ownership, The Tourist Bureau received 27%, and Beijing Animal Production took 13%. This was the actual breakdown of assets that each partner was contributing to the arrangement. This deal was privately pre-approved as acceptable in negotiations with the Foreign Economic Development and City Planning Commissions. The approval of the partnership also required on the sharing of the corporation. With one-half coming from KFC and the other half split between the other two partners. The deal also stated that the chairman would be appointed by Animal Production and the vice-chairman would be appointed by the Tourist Bureau. This concerned Wang because of loss of control over operations. Wang countered by establishing the new store as a franchisee, with the franchiser being KFC's head office in Singapore. This would require 3% royalty payments to be paid to the head office, and require the store to purchase its seasoning mixes from the head office, both using hard currency. Wang also appointed a day-to-day general manager in Beijing, who would be appointed by KFC and have control over operations. Although it seemed like all major challenges were over, they weren't. The approval of the partnership did not give any operating authority for KFC in the city. They needed a â€Å"Licence to Execute a Business Activity.† Approval of this required the signatures of the District government, the Commerce Department, the Taxation Department, the Health Department, and the Food Supply and Logistics Department. None of these agencies had any coordination, so approval from each separately was required and this could take months or years. Tony Wang stated: † We are pioneers in China, but so are the Chinese. However, whether they want to learn or not is another story. Many Westerners make the same big mistake in China: they assume that they can just pay to have the required work done or at least expedited. This just doesn't work in China. The Chinese are not motivated by a desire to do things right simply for the sake of doing things right. They don't want your help in speeding up the process. They just want to avoid problems. And unless we can convince them otherwise, we are their biggest problem.† A license was necessary before a lease could be signed, but Wang was worried that a desirable location might not be found. All buildings and possible space in Beijing is occupied. As well, Chinese regulations stated that new tenants would have to guarantee the employment of any workers left jobless when a new tenant took over. This worried Wang because he would be stuck with a number of unskilled Chinese that he would have to employ. Wang wanted the first store that was to be opened to be big and flashy because it would determine the future success of KFC in China. This was strategically a good idea but it ran counter to the culture in China where there was a history of hostility towards Western culture. In February 1987, a license was issued by the city, allowing KFC to operate in Beijing. The Tourist Bureau played an integral role in speeding up the application. Under the license KFC was given a tax remission for two years; profits in three years, four and five would be taxed at 16.5%, with profits thereafter taxed at 33% Wang now had to select a site to open the first location. But no matter where a location was chosen KFC would still require a building permit, as well as hookups for electricity, water, gas, and heating before the store could open. Wang discovered that many of these services were difficult to obtain, and it was not uncommon for applications to not be processed for months. Another concern was the company's need to secure import licenses needed to bring equipment into the country: pressure frying machines, cash registers, blending and cutting equipment for the kitchen. Each item required a separate permit that could take months to attain. During all these negotiations Tony Wang realized that no one had thought to test market the area. It was known that the Chinese liked chicken. From KFC's success in Hong Kong, it was assumed that it would be accepted, but no one had had time to find out for sure and they were forced to cross their fingers. Another problem was finding a reliable supplier of quality potatoes. If they were unable to do this they would have to use mashed potatoes, and Wang did not know how the Chinese would receive this. The largest concern facing Tony Wang was whether or not the Chinese employees could meet the quality, service, and cleanliness requirements. The Chinese employees would have little appreciation for KFC's international standards of cleanliness or product quality. Most domestic organisations lacked any incentive programs, work was seen as something to be avoided, and service was a foreign term. The KFC organization would not allow the store to open if these levels were not met. The ironic part was that Chinese consumers would accept less then what was required. This would create conflict with the partners. Tony Wang also wondered what KFC would do with the soft currency that the venture would generate, and wondered whether or not there would even be any profits. Wang was faced with three options: 1. Pull out – cut the company losses and avoid negative publicity if the venture failed. This would allow for further research and KFC could try to re-enter in a few years when there was more complete information. 2. Go ahead slowly – taking more time evaluating the situation to make sure the partnerships were secure and the market would accept KFC, however this would invite competitor response. 3. Go ahead full – the market had high potential for success for KFC, and, with 1.1 billion people, large potential for profits. Wang decided to go full ahead. The location was finally found. The central government approved the lease because Wang sold them on the idea that the restaurant would represent a symbol and statement of the People's Republic open policy with the West. The lease was finally approved in April of 1987, however they did not have the building permit, which would allow them to make necessary renovations. They also required hookups for gas, water and heating. Applications were continually lost or just went unanswered.

Produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia Essay

This report was written to satisfy the pass requirements of Marketing in Principles at Sydney Western International College. This study is aims to produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia. The analysis of the Coca-Coal company brings an overview of how does the company has achieved its goals, their strategies and future growth. The investigation was also seek to find out how this well populated Coca-Cola products satisfied the customers and how they are different from other companies upon their marketing strategies. In order to achieve the objectives literature search was conducted by using websites, books, newspaper articles and journals. These categories help to compare the general marketing strategies with the Coca-Cola company strategies. Useful information regards to marketing help us to study the environment of the company. The final outcome of the report was that they have followed a complete theory on marketing to achieve its goals. Even the company had to face for the decline stage, the performance of the good management and advertising tools assist the organization to win the market and avoid distractions. The biggest challenge was been the Pepsi company which had a diametrical increase within a short time and populated in all over the world as Coca-Cola changing the whole marketing situation and attracting other companies consumers to their product. In conclusion this research was able to carry out current marketing situation, SWOT analysis, Issue Analysis, Company objectives, Marketing Strategy, Action Programs and Controls of the Coca-Cola Company. Strengths in Coca Cola Company (sponsorships) 1. In August 1993, FIFA working in co-operation with The Coca-Cola Company introduced a ranking system for football (soccer) men senior national teams. The system makes it possible to publish comparisons of the relevance strengths of internationally active teams at regular intervals. Since its introduction, the FIFA/Coca-Cola Ranking has proved to be a reliable measure for comparing national A-teams. To ensure that the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking always reflects the current status, FIFA primarily evaluates matches played in the 12 months prior to the date on which it is issued. Performance over the previous years is also taken into account, however. Basically, the score obtained from the current 12 months is added to that of the immediately preceding seven years with each previous year being devalued continually. The company help for sports it is a charity work 2. Healthy eating, physical activity what promotes healthy bones in growing children and youth? According to a decade of significant research, a combination of exercise and adequate calcium intake encourages good bone development in adolescents and children. To absorb calcium properly, a child also needs sufficient Vitamin D. Some parents wonder if other food and beverage ingredients could influence bone development. Studies on phosphorous and caffeine — both used in small amounts in soft drinks — have shown they have no significant effect on bone mass. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, as well as other sources, report no appreciable connection between these nutrients and an individual’s calcium balance. This position counters a small body of work that has suggested associations between soft drink consumption and bone fractures in teen girls. The company help for children’s activities 3. Community works Society advances on the strength of community: people sharing their ideas and resources to reach common goals. We seek to strengthen local communities worldwide through our support for education, through partnerships with other organizations and through acts of citizenship by the people of Coca-Cola. We support education because of its power to expand opportunities for individuals and increase understanding between cultures. We partner with national and international organizations to alleviate economic disadvantage and help improve the quality of life in local communities. Together with our local bottling partners, we strengthen communities by giving with our hands and our hearts, as partners in the promise of a better life. (Strength, 2004) Weaknesses in Coca Cola Company. The threat of Coca Cola Company is that as their business too much vast compare to this their branches all around the world are not enough. (Our company, 2004) Opportunities in Coca Cola Company In regard to opportunities of Coca Cola Company are the western Philippines island of Pal wan, poverty-stricken children at rural schools have been known to look for edible plants to eat during recess. The Philippines Division of The Coca-Cola Company has launched a community initiative called â€Å"NutriBreak† to improve the daily nutrition intake of underprivileged children who attend Little Red Schoolhouses. Under the nutrition program, the government’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute and Banquet State University have partnered to develop a nutritious snack for the schoolchildren. The snack provides kids with the daily requirement of protein and carbohydrates and is served with our vitamin-fortified Eight O’clock orange juice drink, as a part of the Philippines Division’s Active Lifestyle (AL) program. The Little Red Schoolhouse Project, the flagship program of The Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, has already built fifty schoolhouses in the Philippines’ remote areas. The â€Å"NutriBreak† nutrition program will ultimately reach all fifty Little Red Schoolhouses They try to expand children’s charity works (our company 2003) THE COCA-COLA COMPANY INCREASES ANNUAL DIVIDEND BY 11 PERCENT 40th Consecutive Annual Increase Atlanta, February 21, 2002 – The Coca-Cola Company’s Board of Directors today announced it has increased the quarterly dividend from 18 cents to 20 cents per common share, equivalent to an annual dividend of 80 cents per share. This increase reflects the Company’s significant free cash flow generation. This is the Company’s 40th consecutive annual increase of its dividend. The dividend is payable April 1, 2002, to share owners of record as of March 15, 2002. They increased their board of directors Threats in Coca Cola Company The have only one company to challenge for their products it is Pepsi cola company. But however they have a complete control over it. (Threats, 2004) Action Programs As for as new products are concerned they are looking for health-conscious consumers should as consumers first look to nutrient-rich foods to obtain their daily nutrition. In this regard their Chef Barr Hogen is working out. (New releases, 2004) Four New Products, Super Nutrition The new Odwalla juice beverages – Blueberry Smoothie, Protein Tropic ale(tm), Passionate â€Å"C†(tm) and Organic Orange Juice – are available in 1.5 litre (50.8 fluid oz.) multi-serve recyclable-plastic bottles. Blueberry Smoothie and Protein Tropic ale(tm) are also offered in a new 11 fluid oz. size bundled into handy 4-packs. Suggested retail price for the multi-serve and 4-packs are $3.99 each, providing an affordable price for such premium juice products. These new products will be stocked in the refrigerated juice case, making it convenient for consumers to find them in the store. Drink It and Thrive At Odwalla, they chosen a variety of great-tasting and nutritious fruits, as well as other ingredients call ‘super foods’ – for these new juice beverages and Smoothie,† are for healthiness and Wellness. As health-conscious consumers should first look to nutrient-rich foods to obtain their daily nutrition. Too often, consumers turn to pills and powders for what they think is an easy nutritional fix. Juices, however, are a convenient, flavourful and hydrating form of natural nutrition.† Chef Hogen’s newest product recipes include a line-up of four delicious tasting products: * Odwalla Blueberry Smoothie is a blend of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries combined with oranges, apples and bananas to make a sweet and silky Smoothie. The bluesy blueberries boast a blow to free radicals, with a rhapsody of antioxidants and anthocyanins. This 100% fruit juice blend contains no added sweeteners. * Odwalla Protein Tropic ale is a tantalizing blend of tropical fruit juices and purees such as pineapple, mango and passionfruit, combined with 4 grams of soy protein per serving. * Odwalla Passionate â€Å"C† is a scrumptious sipper of orange, apple, mango, banana, strawberry, and acerola cherry (one of nature’s highest vitamin C-packed fruits) and passionfruit. Each vibrant 8 fluid oz. serving provides 470% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. * Odwalla Organic Orange Juice, made only from certified 100% organically grown oranges, underscores the company’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and natural-resources conservation. The Coca-Cola Company objectives Marketing Objectives The company is dedicated to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, suppliers, contractors and customers. As the company is large it is hard to continue to grow at a steady space. The competition is higher than ever before. And the forthcoming competition and challenge for the company in the targeting markets leads them to be more accurate and more efficient. The company has faced for the big challenge with its main against competitor â€Å"Pepsi†. Since the time the company met this new competitor it has to change its strategies, directors, distribution methods and promotion system. As consumers are drinking more and more new beverages, coca-cola company plan to improve their products with respect to the prices. The following objectives have been taken into consideration (Coca-ColaCCA, 2003) Market Place * Improve the quality of the product and deliver that quality without any changes to every market place. * Gain the success of suppliers, distributors and retailers who connected with the coca-cola network. * Provide more jobs, facilities, and marketing in the local market as well as in the global market. * Reduce the price but remain the quality of product or increase the quality of the product. * Innovation in the products they offer, the process they use to make them, the package they develop and ways they bring them to the market will change to a proper way and increase the efficiency,. The delivery system will faster than ever before. Work Place * Improve the safety of the work place. * Make it as the most diverse organization on the earth, with talented employees who bring a variety of intellectual, professional, ethnic and cultural perspectives to the company. * Make the policies to foster an inclusive environment that encourages all employees to develop and perform to their fullest potential. Consumer Needs * Improve the tasty and provide more hygienic beverages than today. * Offer a valuable price, which satisfied the customer. * Readily available in every time in the market place, especially where in places that the product is well consumed. * Fulfil the consumer’s expectation in order to satisfy the consumers and win the market place. *Growth Drivers, which company targeting on, are; -Profitable profit generation -Cost reduction -Customer service improvement -Capital Management -The Coca-Cola company relationship Financial Objectives The company is now focusing on the earning per share. They are expecting to increase the earning per share from 12% to 15%. Also expect to increase the net profit from 10% to 15% and return on capital employed growth from 1pt to 1.5pts. The changes of financial performance over the previous years indicate the future growth of the company (Refer Appendix- A and B and C). Current Marketing Situation ? Market Situation The company has a strong place in the market. The head of the marketing Mr. Sergio Zyman develop the company strategies to promote their product more efficiently than other competitors. From the whole beverage the Coca-Cola Company has achieved market more than 78%. With its indulgency, the company has the best selling and quality assurance comparing to other beverages. ? Service Situation The company performs a standard delivery service, which runs on time basis. Services are spread into every state including NSW, Victoria, Perth, and Queensland. High quality service guarantees that the company product exists in the market better than before. Marketing executives of the company always capable and available to help for their customers and resellers. The company well conducted with their wholesalers and retailers in order to encourage them and to be with them. Attract to another competitor is neglected upon this situation. ? Distribution Situation The company has the best selling images. It reserves more on advertising and it’s been useful and beneficial to increase their profit and production. Introductions like ‘fast-lane merchandisers’ are continually increase each period. Agreements with colleges, universities and other public and private sectors help them to keep their product in one whole market and avoid entering of other competitors. (Schermehorn etal, 2004 p 46) Conclusion From all above facts and figure of the company. The strength of the company more than the weakness and likewise opportunities with compare to threats it concludes that company has strong swot analysis, which is a positive sign. As for as Current Marketing Situation is concerned with respect to market situation, service situation and distribution situation is much better than its competitors (Pepsi). The company is dedicated to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, suppliers, contractors and customers; the coca cola company also have many campaigns in markets. Financial Objectives the Coca-Cola Company objectives are increasing day by day which shows that company will increase its sale ratio annually from 11% of the previous year to 20% in next coming 5 years. Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C KEY FINANCIALS 2003 2002 2001 2000 Change in 2000-2003 Revenue ($ million) 1,882.9 1,776.8 1,675.1 1,558.1 +6.5% Volume (million unit cases) 301.2 285.8 275.1 263.3 +4.6% Revenue per Unit Case ($) 6.25 6.22 6.09 5.92 +1.8% EBIT ($ million) 377.7 317.0 288.9 272.0 +11.6% EBIT margin (%) 20.1 17.8 17.2 17.5 Capex to Revenue (%) 5.2 1.7 3.5 4.8 Reference List Coca-ColaCCA, 2003 the CCA World [online] http://www.coca colacca .com _20020301 .html (Accessed: 29-04-04) My company, 2003 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/whatsnew_20030404 .html – 24.2KB – in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, opportunities in.: 25 (Accessed: 29-04-04) New releases, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2cocacolacom/pre sscenter/nr_20030204_odwalla_new_juices.html (Accessed: 15-05-04) Our Company, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/whatsnew_20020301 .html – 23.5KB – in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, weaknesses in.: 23 (Accessed: 29-04-04) Schermehorn etal, 2004 p46. Marketing Strategies: Ed: 4 New York (29-04-04) Threats, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca cola.com /our company/whatsnew_20020301.html – 23.5KB – in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, weaknesses in.: 23(Accessed: 05-05-04)

Analysis of a Media Source’s Coverage on a Research

The Wall Street Journal published an article regarding a recent psychopharmacology study on depression done by Dr. Hunter that investigated whether pre-medication brain activity corresponded with treatment outcome. In addition, the article discusses the interesting results garnered from the placebo group v. medicated group analysis. While the news piece does a fair job in representing the study’s findings, the author does delve into extrapolations not statistically supported in the actual study. Fifty-one adults who were diagnosed with major depression were used in the study, and this was accurately reported by the news article (Wang, 2006). Hunter et al. investigated whether there were significant differences in â€Å"demographic characteristics, illness history, baseline illness severity, [and] final response[s],† and finding none, pooled the subjects for analysis (2006, p. 1427). This does give the Journal, who must condense the findings for the public, good reason to fail in reporting this. The study is experimental in nature, also using double-blind and randomized assignment to help rid the results of confounding variable input. All of the subjects were given a placebo anti-depressant for a one-week lead-in; after this, half of the individuals were continued on the placebo while the others were given one of two anti-depressants. Electroencephalograph (EEG) readings were taken at the time of enrollment, after the lead-in period, and several times later (over an eight week period). The Wall Street Journal condenses this explanation down, and while the article abandons the jargon of an experimenter, it does give the impression of an experimental method being followed. When the news article explains how the researchers defined their variables they leave out valuable information. The author states that patients with certain brain-patterns â€Å"ended up responding better to antidepressant treatment[s],† but fails to mention how this was evaluated (Wang, 2006, p. 1). A Hamilton depression scale was given to judge improvement, giving reliability to the study’s findings. However, the news piece does accurately report that EEG was also used, in an attempt to find a decrease in prefrontal lobe activity. This study uses a control group, those maintained on the placebo, and compares their EEGs to those of the medicated group, but the main focus of the research was the search for experimental evidence supporting that the commonly used one-week lead-in can predict treatment outcome via brain imaging. The Wall Street Journal article focuses on only a facet of the study, and one that the researcher’s claim to have nonsignificant support for. Wang states that, â€Å"patients who developed this brain-pattern change ended up responding better †¦ than patients who didn’t,† which is misleading to an audience that has not read the actual research (2006, p. 1). While Hunter et al. do find that their EEG scans were a good indicator of treatment success, they also caution that: Although the placebo and medication group analyses yielded different brain regional predictors of outcomes, because of the absence of statistical group interaction we cannot conclude that changes in †¦ [the differing brain regions] †¦ differentially predicted outcomes (2006, p. 430). The news article wrongly insinuates that the study provided evidence for a brain-pattern that is linked to a good treatment outcome in depression. It is certainly true that this study offered outcomes that encourage research in this direction, and that the author also seems to believe that the EEG-pattern found is â€Å"a good indicator† for success, but after reading the actual experiment, Wang seems to have inflated the actual findings. Having critiqued the insinuations of the news piece, the extrapolations made by the author do have some merit. The researchers discovered that both the medicated and the placebo groups had a similar variance â€Å"predicted by the neurophysiological changes occurring during the placebo lead-in phase† (Hunter et al. , 2006, p. 1429). They offered some possible causal factors such as â€Å"pharmacotherapeutic alliance and pretreatment expectations,† these results seem to demonstrate a placebo-treatment effect, which offers even more reason to further investigate how a patient’s treatment induction affects his/her progress (Hunter et al. , 2006, p. 1429). Though not mentioned or referenced in the Wall Street Journal item, the ethical issues surrounding this experiment are noted by Hunter et al. Providing individuals suffering from major depression placebos for eight weeks is risky, using a double-blind procedure makes it even more dangerous. While the IRB board of UCLA did require a 15-25 minute counseling session during each patient’s visit, this is a massive step down from the psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic support offered at the recruitment area (a psychiatric outpatient hospital) (Hunter et al. 2006). Conversely though, this ethical â€Å"patch† does raise an interesting question for further research, lightly touched on by the study’s authors; if this psychotherapy (however minute) was responsible for a pre-treatment neurophysiological shift, and the shifts that were indicatory of better treatment outcomes could be identified, research could be done to more effectively meld psychotherapy and medic al psychiatry. It is understandable why media reports often leave out details of a research study, often the conclusions and discussion by the author/s of the study are of more interest to the public. However, when a media piece merely latches onto a nonsignificant observation or a suggestion for future research found in the study, the true findings of the experiment are overshadowed by the speculation of the piece’s author. When a media source offers information about a study, it is vital to maintain a skeptical and critical mindset towards the findings until they are corroborated by the primary source. It is important to look for information that supports the generalizability of the study’s findings. In the piece presented above, it is worth noting that the study was done on depressed individuals, other psychopathologies may not have any correlation to the results or conclusions provided. The media also commonly jumps from correlation to causation, whether directly or implicitly. While scientific information is the goal of research, sensitization by the media will usually occur to some degree.

CASE NOTE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CASE NOTE - Essay Example I learned that Leadership styles in different culture varies in midst of cultures because it is based on values that are different. Most people have leadership in other cultures have given a promise to people that have allowed them to be leaders. Guthrie points out attributes that should be in habit to ensure that an individual becomes a successful leader. Leadership is stemmed for experience or the desire to succeed beyond others. In sports, leadership is fuelled by motivation to be the best, make peers proud, and have the gratification to be the best. Leaderships is undeniably stemmed from an inner motivation to excel and lead a group of individuals to a collaborative success. One of the main conclusions I derived from this case study is the fact that good leadership comes from empowerment, in which Dashman clearly lacks. Motivating employees is one of the major concerns of any organizations who seeks to be a dominant force in that industry. Employee morale and motivation plays a crucial role in the success of the organization. Employees became impulsive as disrupted organizational culture plagued the morality of the employees. My solution would to be embed best practices and to embed a solution that would change the logistics of the organization. In any organization, operation process management is one of the most crucial elements for organizations as they progress to 21st century. Dashman never got any notices sent to executives, which created a huge issue. The organization should focus on demand planning, forecasting, and inventory management. It is clear that organizations conducts forecasts estimate customer demand for a particular product during a time span forecasts are compared to inventory levels to ensure that distribution centers have enough products to sell but not overcrowd its inventory. So how does the organization dominate this strategy? One of the most premier things it does is create a dashboard that accommodates the needs

How will I schedule time for me everyday Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How will I schedule time for me everyday - Essay Example the next progress is to go home for my wife and kids where I have to do some relaxation activities that I have mentioned above (Dodd & Sundheim, 2005). However, there are ten ways to make the schedule better such as purchase a calendar, prioritizing my tasks, trying to complete these tasks according to priority, stick to the schedule, check the complete tasks using marks, allowing space at the bottom of the schedule for low priority items, transferring undone items to the following list, adjust the schedule as expected for personal lifestyle, selecting excellent format and filling each day with constant tasks (Newport, 2006). For me to improve my commitments, I should be realistic in order for the schedule to act as a real guide, that would help me plan time well, also I should be flexible in following the schedule because things would come up that requires me to deviate from the schedule and that I should be able to evaluate the schedule in order to observe whether it is offering go od

Hydropower Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Hydropower - Essay Example This paper also deals with the uses of hydropower as the renewable energy resources in the environment. Hydropower is also known as waterpower. In simple words, it refers to the power of electricity produced from water currents. Hydropower energy thus involves hydroelectric dams as well as reservoirs, underground waterways and tidal plants among others. Hydropower is widely considered as more efficient, as compared to other energy sources, as it helps in decreasing the cost of electricity and increasing the reliability as well as flexibility of energy produced. Hydropower is however noted to be a costly method for the production of energy (7). It is worth mentioning in this context that energy is required for the progress of mankind and therefore, energy must be available in sufficient quantities along with affordable prices for the consumers, which the hydropower plants often fail to suffice. New and advanced technologies are also required for the availability of hydropower energy as well as for the safety of the environment. However, besides the fact that hydropower is regarded as a cost consuming energy production source, it is also perceived to impose strong negative affects to the environment, especially when concerning marine biological lifecycle (7). Nevertheless, one of the benefits of hydropower is its superior ability for fossil-fuel generation. Hydropower is also considered to protect from greenhouse gas emission at large quantities. It has often been argued that the developed hydropower will have the potential of making large contributions towards improvements in the living standard of developing countries, making energy available at cheaper rates. Compulsions of the recent era to suffice rising global demand, resulting in higher costs for fuel base energy sources have further led mankind to innovate new sources of energy, one of those being the water source, which has however been in use since traditional times (8). A few noteworthy

Air Transat Internal and External Analysis (Aviation Industry) Research Paper

Air Transat Internal and External Analysis (Aviation Industry) - Research Paper Example The airline industry has a number of dominant economic features that determine the success of a company. These include:Service life cycle: the airline industry has reached the maturity stage of service lifecycle meaning no growth or decline. The industry consists of many small and large airline companies with the service being provided to local, regional, and global levels according to the size of the company. The number of buyers: buyers consist of groups, individuals and families in the airline industry with bulk buyers having more bargaining power compared to individuals. Buyers who have loyalty cards access the most bargaining power owing to discounts. Differentiation: differentiating on price, service, and quality ensures companies success in the market. Since there are many buyers in the market, low price, quality, and customer reviews are the main focus in the airline industry. Suppliers: two main suppliers, Airbus and Boeing supply the whole airline industry with aircrafts co nsisting of thousands of aircraft companies. Technological advancement aids in product improvement and development. Experience: having experience in the airline industry is the main advantage for success resulting in the inability of instant success for new entrants. Experience allows for airline companies to develop economies of scale allowing for cheaper cost and pricing strategies. Experience also allows companies to have a better understanding of costs and profitability strategies.

Unions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Unions - Research Paper Example Furthermore, the organization is committed towards advancing their mission by engaging local communities, collective bargaining, organizing and political activism through the efforts of their members (American Federation of Teachers, 2012). Although, AFT members do not work in core industrial environment, there are numerous hazards involved due to the complex situations that they work in. Teachers have greater possibilities for respiratory infections and work related asthma. Furthermore, it has been observed that many paraprofessionals leave the organization citing voice disorders. Moreover, renovation of schools, internal air quality and cleaning chemicals relatively affect the health systems of various members in the workplace (American Federation of Teachers, 2012). A Washington DC based organization First Class Education (FCE), introduced a ‘65 percent solution’ scheme, which needs to be maintained compulsorily by schools of all states. The scheme endorsed all schools to spend 65% of their budgets on ‘classroom instruction’. However, the members of AFT feel that the scheme will adversely affect schools and its students. Moreover, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) classroom instruction includes the cost of teachers and most of the classroom supplies. However, it excludes costs regarding the staff and services essential for conducting numerous programs. The services include professional development, libraries, food and nutrition, custodial work and transportation which enable classroom learning in the initial stages (American Federation of Teachers, 2012). The environment in which the members of AFT work is deemed to violate Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970 (OSHA) which states that employers should be responsible for providing secure as well as healthy working environment which is not being complied with by the leaders of the

From the novel The Good Earth Analyze Wang Lung Include his values, Essay

From the novel The Good Earth Analyze Wang Lung Include his values, what he loves, a chronology of the changes in his character - Essay Example The essay aims to analyse the moral character of Wang Lung in the novel. The essay examines the changes within his character throughout the novel and the chronology of changes in his thoughts and beliefs throughout the novel. The novel depicts Wang Lung as a poor, simple and hardworking farmer. He was born and raised in a small Chinese village. He was around twenty years of age at the beginning of the novel. He possesses great value for the Chinese traditions and gives considerable importance to duties to the family and filial piety. Wang held the belief that land brings happiness and wealth to the people and is great source of prosperity and richness. He was forced to marry a slave after which his life turned and he became owner of a land that made him wealthy patriarch. However, his success could be regarded as a mixed blessing because while achieving the piece of land, wealth and influence he lost his simplicity and values as found him unable to practice the norms calling for love for land and family. The novel shows the character of Wang marked with two important and contrary features. On one hand, he had great love for the land, traditions and family that allow him possessing good sense, work ethics, frugality and family love however, on the other hand, he had great desire for wealth and status in his heart and he want to get over his poverty and lo w social status. The novel depicts the change occurred within his moral and social status that brought several important changes in his life. As he got wealth and status, he lost his connection to the world and also found him unable to participate in the old traditions. These traditions were of great importance in his life and thus losing these values and norms was great setback for him and he experienced major transformation is his moral character. He used to give great value to the land and his live for earth keep his character on right track. Most of the part of the story shows him a person with true heart h aving great love for the earth however, his character was spoiled by his desire for land and status after which his moral character became a dark feature of his personality. In the end, he regret and decide to rebuilt his connection with the land but his desire for status was not over rather it was transferred to his sons and he saw in his old age that his sons were also making the same mistakes that he made in his life by breaking the connections with the land that actually has the tendency of providing wealth, happiness and status to the people. Wang was living a simple life as a countryman however when his father arrange bride for him he had to go to the town to bring her. He was afraid of facing the people in the town because he was a simple man living a simple life. He goes to the House of Hwang to collect his wife but he was not able to adequately behave with the wealthy people. He suffered from inferiority complex through he does not resent his low status but facing wealthy p eople made him highly conscious about his social status. This consciousness also compelled him committing certain acts against his nature and character. He was an honest person but he got involved in the stealing of wealth when he got chance to change his conditions. When it became difficult for him to manage livelihood for his family he moved towards south and tries to earn money carrying a rickshaw. During an incident he found that a rich house has been broken by mob where there was large amount of silver

Reflective journal as an appendix to the report of case study Essay

Reflective journal as an appendix to the report of case study - Essay Example d)., p. 32-37; Learning module 8: Using a reflective journal n. d., p. 1). Through writing an academic reflective journal, a student is able to monitor personal skills and experiences, which are necessary for academic development as well as growth in career development. Moreover, the reflective journal is effective in analyzing skills developed through academic practices such as the research studies. The case study analysis assignment have been very instrumental in practicing classroom learning outcomes in an academic exercise, I sought to carry out an analysis of human resource management practices within a manufacturing industry that has operation sites within various nations: a multinational. This therefore necessitated wide reading in existing literature on management practices as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the company in the capacity of production. The case study involved collection of data from the respective company, analyzing and interpreting the findings of the study for possible recommendations to the company as well as for subsequent research studies. Data collection methods employed included the survey method by use of questionnaires as well as through interview methods. Besides employing qualitative analysis tools, the study adopted the quantitative methods for the findings analysis. The case study therefore required interplay of competencies in fields of data collection, literature review as well as in data analysis. Interpretation tools were also very necessary for the success and effectiveness of the research study case. I. Description: The course of the case study involved activities, which were prerequisite to the success of the study (Boss et al., 2007, p. 1-2). Moreover, besides reading while conducting the literature review, I collected analytical data through interviews as well as survey methods. I also carried out an analysis of the data collected through statistical quantitative methods and through qualitative deductive methods (Ortlipp, 2008, p. 695). The analysis also entailed critical thinking in utilizing statistical knowledge for interpreting and making deductions from the outcomes gotten. II. Interpretation: The main reason for carrying out the case study was as a requirement or part of testing curriculum, for the business course undertaken as part of my undergraduate studies. This case study became very important for learning outside classroom and for utilizing the skills learnt within the classroom context. I learnt new ways of conducting research studies as well as for studying. Online research skills were among the new insights that were acquired through the study. Moreover, designing questionnaires and conducting pretests and actual data collection were other skills that were developed besides the classroom experience in drafting questionnaires. This experience and learning insights became fundamental in complementing the classroom experience where it served as a practice session. The ex perience gave me a strong sense of competitiveness in carrying out research studies and incorporating the classroom experience for the corporate work. This research study affirmed my feelings in competitive learning through giving me a chance to exercise learnt skill for

The Handmaids Tale Essay Example for Free

The Handmaids Tale Essay She wonders if women everywhere get issued exactly the same sheets and curtains, which underlines the idea that the room is like a government ordered prison, government issue? Furthermore the regime continues as we see the main character starting to rebel against this isolation and confinement in which they wish to get rid of. Thinking can hurt your chances and I intend to last, implies that she is stubborn and determined. She also realises that most of the women who she is with are all lucky to be there seeing as not many always survived the prisoned lifestyle as she bitterly quotes, for those who still have circumstances. Apparently there are no mirrors also, indicating identity as a whole for the handmaids and getting rid of vanity which would be making them individuals. The uniform in which they must wear is red, the colour of blood which defines them again as a whole, not as a unique person. The door of the room, not my room again suggests her rebelling and refusal to conform. The outline of the portrayed regime is now that these women have almost no status, unwomen which is lower than low are showing small signs of rebelling and willingness to be free after living on only rational amounts. An example of this is the black market, where illegal and expensive goods were sold so the handmaid yearns for a cigarette but like liquor and coffee, cigarettes are forbidden, eventhough she hints that she might therefore she is fusing to conform to the rules again. The hierarchical triangle now lies that the Marthas who are infertile women who do not qualify for the high status of Wives work in domestic roles, followed by the new character in Chapter two and three which is the Commanders wife. She wears blue suggesting connotations of the Virgin Mary, holiness, purity and virginity as she works in the garden with a detailed Guardian at her side. The Guardian is used to help aswell as being a Guard which indicates that the Regime of where the handmaids lie is considerably low compared to the Commanders wife who has her own helper because she is too powerful to be doing jobs for herself, therefore she behaves cruelly towards the Handmaids in her household. The Commanders wife has arthritis therefore she is old yet able enough to have such control. She knits to pass her time, maybe is just something to keep them busy. The handmaid is envious of the Commanders wife because she has no hobby or purpose to pass time, What does she envy me? The Commanders wife also is evil as the handmaid quotes I am a reproach to her and a necessity, implying that she is avoided by her. The handmaid later reveals that she has only been there for 5 weeks indicating that the regime is new and things arent settled yet and that the women there are playing hierarchical roles already. The Commanders Wife however is very well looked after and implications of vanity are portrayed as her fingernail filed to gentle curving point. She wears diamond rings connoting wealth and her knuckly fingers suggest she is old and also that she is unhappy; fingernails mocking her. ironic smile. She is an elderly woman with blonde hair, her chin clenched like a fist, and gives the impression that she is sterned faced and hard featured. The handmaids are continuously being bought down so that no hopes are held high for them to gain any power, for example the Commanders wife quote to her, Youre not a Martha signifying that she is even lower than that. Throughout the first four chapters we see that internal monologue is expressed, where no speech marks are present during speech, this is probably because it is a stream of consciousness or to portray a memory. The underlying message that nature carries on regardless of human life is implied as human imagery such as, fertility of soil, referring to the creation of life. We then meet another Guardian, Nick who whilst washing the car is not conforming to the rules either, he is tanned with dark hairs representing he is more rebellious than the other Guardians and suggesting he is always outside. His hat is at an angle and also he has a cigarette. Therefore he is higher status than the handmaids and Marthas who cannot get them. He hasnt been issued a woman, not even one signifies that the regime throughout contains complete lack of sexual communication. The narrator explains that she is longing to touch Nick therefore she sees him as a man and then he winks. The fact that he has made eye contact is against the rules showing that not only do the handmaids long to escape freedom but also so do the Guardians. She suggests that perhaps he is an Eye, gives us the impression that she always knows she is at risk and to be aware of everyone because they may not truly be who they appear to be. This also relates to sudden disappearances of people that come and go very quickly, on a certain day she simply wasnt there anymore. The Guardians which guard the entrance are called The Guardians of Faith, signifying that they are in secret and undercover, also named Eyes incognito. When little communication is made between the handmaids and the Guardians all that can be transferred is eye contact and nothing more. The handmaid suggests this by, Such moments are possibilities, tiny peepholes. The handmaid constantly brings up the thought of this desired wish for freedom and individuality becoming true as she questions whether the guardians think about it too. She then proves a hierarchy point by involving all the groups of characters met so far, Commanders of the faithful, their blue wives and white veiled daughters. or their dumpy green Marthas, or their red handmaids, on foot. The narrator has purposely put them in order of their power status leaving herself last as she knows that if it were to happen, it wouldnt be the handmaids who are the lowest and own no power. The regime theme of torture and unhappiness is explored further when the black vans are mentioned which pass through the entrance and she says, if there are sounds coming from inside we try not to hear them. The black vans give the reader the idea of prisoners and people facing torture whilst being taken away. The handmaid lastly suggests that handmaids can be allotted to Angels for if they were to gain enough power so that they can marry, allotted a Handmaid of their own because she knows that if the regime was different and the orders were less demanding and if lack of freedom was restricted, then she could have her desire and so could the Angels and guardians. Overall if their positioning of status and importance were to change then the handmaids know that they wouldnt be kept and controlled in the same restricted and managed way and they would gain identity in order for themselves to have to freedom and privacy when they choose. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Margaret Atwood section.

Strategy of international business pressures

Strategy of international business pressures The strategy of international business involves analysing the progression of globalization in the worlds economy and how a company responds and what measures it takes, strategy-wise to compete effectively beyond national borders. It involves business transactions crossing national borders at any stage of the transaction; it also involves dealing with many different cultures and extensive field experience. 2.1 GLOBAL EXPANSION There are many advantages for firms who expand globally which include increasing their profitability and higher growth of profits. Most basically it creates a larger market size. It allows firms to reduce their costs through differentiation. Global expansion helps realize location economies, recognize higher cost economies and earn a higher return by exploiting any valuable skills from foreign actions. 2.2 COMPETITIVE PRESSURES. The competition in the market place is not easy for the firms. Firms in the market place usually face two types of pressures. 2.2.1 PRESSURES FROM COST REDUCTION. One type of pressure is the one they receive due to pressures for cost reductions. In response to this companies try to lower the costs of their value production. Ways a firm may do this could include mass producing standardized products in a location where it is most optimal to do so and realize economies of scale and location and/or outsourcing certain functions of the job to foreign suppliers that cost less so as to reduce costs. Most companies face difficulties distinguishing commodities since differentiating non-price factors is complex. 2.2.2 PRESSURES FROM LOCAL RESPONSIVENESS. The second pressure they face is that from local responsiveness. Such pressures arise from varying differences in traditional practices, infrastructure and customers preferences and tastes. To respond to this, firms need to differentiate their products in each country to take into account all these factors. 2.3 CHOOSING A STRATEGY. Differences in the strength of pressures for cost reductions versus those for local responsiveness affect the firms choice of strategy. Firms typical choose among four main strategic positions when competing internationally. These can be characterized as a global standardization strategy, a localization strategy, a transnational strategy, and an international strategy. The appropriateness of each strategy varies given the extent of pressures for cost reductions and local responsiveness. 2.4 PROCTER GAMBLE. Procter Gamble was founded in 1837. It is one of the worlds most international companies. PG sells over 300 brands including tide pampers, Crisco and IAM pet food. Nowadays PG is a large global consumer product business that has sales of over $50 billion. Most of these sales are generated outside the United States in Canada, Britain, Western Europe, Japan and other Asian nations. These expansions led to growth opportunities, created value by transferring its business model to foreign countries and preempted other retailers that were also starting to expand globally. However the company started facing some issues and had to rethink their strategies of expanding globally. 4.0 PG REORGANIZATION. Procter Gamble, as observed were initially following an international strategy, which was possible since they had low pressures to reducing costs and low pressures on local responsiveness. However their costs were rising and in 1993, in response to the increase of costs, they initiated a major reorganization. During this they closed down thirty manufacturing plants worldwide and fired about 13000 employees. In addition to this they focused their production on lesser plants so that they could reach regional markets and achieve better economies of scale. It is apparent that PG are moving towards a global standardization strategy from their previous international strategy. 4.1 GLOBAL STANDARDIZATION STRATEGY. This strategy is appropriate if the cost reduction pressures are high but the pressure on local responsiveness stays low. Under this strategy the products are standardized worldwide. They undertake a low cost approach on an international basis. They rarely try to differentiate their product offering because often their costs increase when customization is undertaken. As a result of this strategy, PG reduced their costs by about $600 million but it still was not enough. Their profits were still not favorable and sales were slow as ever. 4.2 ORGANIZATION 2005. In 1998, PG tried yet again to control these increased pressures and embarked on its second reorganization. They named it Organization 2005. The company hoped to change the ways in which their products were being innovated, manufactured and marketed. The strategy consisted of modifying the structure of the organization, culture and work processes comprehensively. It including laying off 17000 employees within the next 3 years and it changed its organizations structure by breaking up their four geographic business units and focusing it on 7 global business units (GBUs). These units were derived according to product categories ranging from food products to baby care. Each unit was completely in charge for generating profits from their products and also their own marketing, production and product development. Their focus shifted to only few large plants, trying to build global brands where possible so as to remove differences in marketing among countries. It also intended to speed up th e developing and launching of new products. It is evident that PG is now moving towards a transnational strategy because they are faced with high pressures to cost reduction as well as high pressures to local responsiveness. The international and global standardization strategies failed to be effective since PG didnt take into account the falling barriers to trade and customers abilities to trade internationally and therefore increase in demand for variety of goods. 4.3 TRANSNATIONAL STRATEGY. A transnational strategy is one where companies try to keep their costs low while simultaneously differentiating the products they offer across national borders and fostering a flow of skills across different subsidiaries in their operations network worldwide. This strategy is difficult and involves the company in balancing the local markets demands for consumer products whilst concurrently aiming to save their costs. PGs seven units are called global business units, but function on a very decentralized way. They develop their strategies locally or regionally and implement them. In other words their product development, delivery and marketing are conducted locally whereas the background functions of finance, payroll and human resource management is carried out on a worldwide basis. 4.3.1 BENEFITS AND RISKS. There are many benefits for pursuing a transnational strategy. It enables firms to gain scale economies as well as location due to the increase in sales in global volume. It also helps transfer distinguishing competences and skills. The home country may hold many different competences and it is only right to share it with other countries as well. In addition it simultaneously lowers pressures on local responsiveness. However one risk they face is trying to differentiate the product to respond to local demands in different geographic markets raises costs, which run counter to the goal of reducing costs.

Liam McCormicks Church Architecture

Liam McCormicks Church Architecture Fig 1 Photograph: St Aengus, Burt ________________ Word Count: 2,439 Liam McCormick is one of the most recognised architects in modern Irish church architecture. He has introduced design principles in his buildings, which were not only innovative and unique, but were somewhat radical in Ireland at that time. One of the most famous churches that he designed was St. Aengus Church, Burt that was built over the period of 1964-67. When examining Liam McCormicks work at Burt we can see similarities between his ideologies and design principles that other famous architects have also employed in their architectural work. However, the question is, who and what helped inspire him? What are the ideas, materials and methods behind the overall design? All these questions culminate in the construction of this remarkable church. McCormick carefully selected a site, which lies directly below the ancient fort of Grianan an Aileach. The land itself stretches down to Lough Swilly below and benefits from the impressive views of the surrounding countryside. What I find most interesting is McCormicks distinct ability to read a site and produce remarkable buildings from that. This alone sets him apart from many of his Irish church architectural peers. It is obvious that when he designed Burt Church he had taken inspiration not only from other architects but also from the surrounding context in which the church integrates itself. With the site being located adjacent to the Grianan an Aileach fort, McCormick has taken the fundamentals from its historic design and implemented them within his modern church concept. By doing so he has blended historic precedent with the functional and aesthetic requirements of what he believes a modern church should have. There is no doubt that Grianan is the inspiration behind the circular form of the church at Burt. The idea of a circular church was radical and it had not been attempted in Ireland before.[1] With the church being integrated with the surrounding landscape, McCormick has ultimately made the church and the land at one with each other. This has a religious signification of the church being part of Gods Earth. This allows the feeling that the parishioners can be closer to their faith, or feel more at home within this type of church. McCormick himself commented on the church and how it integrated with the land and also the great attention to detail that was employed by all that worked on the building. It is not often that a building is found, such as the little country church, which speaks so clearly of the loving care which has been lavished on it by the architect, builder, client, artists, craftsmen and everyone connected with it. This is as perfect an example of integration with its magnificent site, as it is, probably possible to achieve.[2] McCormick has created a romantic relationship of form and material with the historic fort, which lies above Burt church. McCormick has sensitively merged the church into the site, by choosing to use natural stone for the walls and copper for the roof. In utilising these materials McCormick has helped blend the church into the ground in which it resides. The church has been cleverly designed so that you can approach it from both sides. There is a path from the car park directly opposite and gentle rising steps from the road below which congregate at a cobble edged circle outside the entrance to the church. In a way McCormick is using his design to symbolise bringing people together from all directions of life, something that both religion and the church have aimed to achieve. However, they might not have succeeded successfully in this venture. Fig 2 Photograph: Church approach from roadway  and car park. St Aengus, Burt. When you first approach the church you feel like you are setting foot into another world, or have simply stumbled on to some hobbits dwelling from Lord of the Rings. Though as you climb the steps you get a feeling that it is filled with delightful architectural moments, humble and honest in their appearance, but cleverly resolved in the craft of their creation. McCormick achieves a sense of arrival with this skilfully designed approach. His approach leads you to a concrete canopy where a pair of solid doors covered with beaten cooper with glazed side panels lie below. The low-ceilinged entrance lobby emphasises the height and size of the circular body of the church. McCormick has carefully thought through every little detail of this building and how each element will affect the appearance, feel and flow of the building to its recipients. The buildings circular plan has a clever second internal circular wall, which is placed loosely to the exterior; this in turn creates not only the circular external faà §ade but a circular internal layout disguising the auxiliary accommodation for the church, discretely from the congregation. Fig 3 Plan: St Aengus, Burt. The circular form of Burt means that there is no distinctive front or rear elevation; it also means there are no hidden external areas. Walking around the building reveals details that are both clever and subtle, and which contribute to the creation of a building that is at once vernacular and innovative. The external stonewall is constructed with a barrel like profile (inspired by Grianan an Aileach). A band of brightly coloured stained glass runs the entire circumference of the church on top of the inner circular wall. The outer circular stonewall carries the secondary glazing through which light penetrates the stained glass allowing the chapel to be flooded with coloured light that gives an almost kaleidoscopic effect. With the ring of glazing being positioned between the roof and the external walls there is an impression that the roof is floating, this is amplified during the hours of darkness when the lights are on. Similar to Le Corbusiers work at Ronchamp, although comparing the two would be like comparing Salisbury Cathedral to the Notre Dame. The sculpted copper roof is perhaps the most remarkable element of the building, which climaxes in an asymmetrically placed spire. The position of the spire is dictated by the location of the altar inside the church, the glazed lantern in the spire brings natural light down into the church over the altar resembling something out of a film. McCormick has purposely designed this in order to create dramatic effect within the church. The light from God so to speak, giving a very religious feel to the church. If the lantern had lit the entire church, the same effect wouldnt have been possible. This is also similar to Le Corbusiers design in Ronchamp. McCormick made the roof part of the overall composition, a piece of art in which to attract people. With the roof being visible for miles in the surrounding area, he created a roof, which took a sculptural form, with expression in material. Within the church there are a number of structural pillars placed throughout which a appear to be not in contact with the roof by making them thinner and darker at the top, this also makes the roof appear to float, as there are no lines linking the glass to the roof. To the exterior the metaphors continue, there are a number of pools strategically placed around the building to catch the rainwater from the roof that is distributed via concrete spouts placed above the stonewall. It is Christian belief that water is a blessing and with this in mind it is as if the church is being blessed when its raining. Which as many know is quite often in Ireland, some say we are born with webbed feet! This is yet another incorporation of religion within the overall design. Fig 4 Photograph: Detail of circular pool and  rainwater spout. St Aengus, Burt. McCormicks handling of rainwater demonstrates the thought process that went into making sure each detail was correct. He also took great care and consideration when selecting the materials to be used, he salvaged cobblestones locally to use for the perimeter of the church, which is paved with granite cobblestones. McCormick felt that his churches should be socially correct, that the church should reflect the society in which it was to serve both by means and nature. In other words, if the society was mainly lower class, there was no point in building a church that portrayed wealth that would make the societys congregation feel both uncomfortable and unwelcome, not to mention standing out like sore thumb from the surrounding area. McCormick carefully put forward an argument for modernism within the Irish Church architecture, he used authentic materials, which would be familiar to the community that the church would serve, and also suitable to the climate in which it was to withstand. He used modern structural techniques without becoming alien to the craftsmen employed to carry out the construction. After all, he wanted to create a piece of art and architectural beauty that was fitting to Donegal at that time, and in doing so he required excellent craftsmanship in order to achieve his masterpiece. McCormicks design of Burt demonstrates an enthusiasm to develop a modern church architecture appropriate to the Irish context. McCormicks masterly use of materials and high quality of workmanship, with the attention to detail evident in the construction of the building, are remarkable and were ground-breaking at the time. There is an essence from his designs that he draws extensively on things, which interest him outside of his architectural design. He obviously has a great love for the Irish landscape and what elements make up such landscape; the stones, rocks and the rain! Liam McCormick manages to invoke an emotional reaction from those who experience his church. In some respects its seems like he is playing God with architecture. People respond emotionally to his buildings, which is the rarest and highest praise any architect can receive.[3] It is clear McCormick was a collector of ideas. He studied and visited European works, it was the backbone of his modern approach to design; he was enlightened with architectural ideas and solution from abroad.[4] He then brought this forward thinking approach to Ireland within his church designs. His process of originality and thinking is what created the architecture that Liam McCormick produced, and what sets it aside from other architecture, in particular the tradition of Hand-me-down church architecture in Ireland.[5] Although many of his ideas where of original nature, he took great influence from other architects and allowed some of their ideologies and design principles to influence his own work. Corbusier, Gropius and Alvar Aalto were among McCormicks stated influences. He particularly admired Aaltos sense of scale, location and economy.[6] McCormicks architecture can be seen as somewhat a conversion to Functionalism.[7] His buildings are not only functional for the job they are intended for but also embrace an organic architecture that can be compared to ideologies of Alvar Aalto. To everything its proper place, a setting dictated by its owns demands, its own aesthetic. And everything should be connected with the community served by the town [8](Aalto 1924:20). In Aaltos own words: Nothing does a town greater honor than a well-developed public life and functional public places [9](Aalto 1924: 20). Both Alvar Aalto and Liam McCormick share the unprecedented idea that society lives and survives by the architecture that is created. In Aaltos article the Humanizing of Architecture[10] he examines how human beings react to forms and construction. McCormick also believes in creating architecture that pulls on the emotions of the occupant, just as Aalto designed The Paimio Sanatorium, he tried to emphasise the environmental qualities of where his architecture was to reside. Also like Alvar Aalto, McCormick believed in a total work of art, creating a picture as a whole, he was a great believer in incorporating art within his buildings and this is notably present at Burt, with prominent Irish artwork included. Even though McCormick took influence from other Architects, this did not make his work any less original. The concept that being influenced by a person or piece of work can lead to either imitation or a piece of work that to some extent can be taken to a different level. This is debated prominently in the Anxiety of Influence, of how influence doesnt necessarily have to be a bad thing nor does it mean that the subsequent piece of work will be better for it. But poetic influence need not make poets less original; as often it makes them more original, though not therefore necessarily better.[11] McCormick has not only managed to create an original piece of Irish church architecture but has also managed to avoid the pressure of influence, which could have made him imitate previous architects work. As a result he has created a lasting piece of modern architecture that has added value not only to its landscape but also the local society. The design of Burt Church actually helps enhance the religious message in which the church bestows on to its patrons. In conclusion, even the most creative of people whether they are architects or artists, all take influence from others work. In some respects, it is a degree of respect/admiration of previous work, in others it is simply a way to generate further ideas or take an idea further than before. McCormick certainly has done this with Burt Church, with his clever use of material and form to blend the church with the surrounding landscape but yet give a hint of pleasure and intrigue which the use of the sculptured roof alludes to. He has managed to not only create a radical new Irish church architecture but has developed ideas from others such as Alvar Aalto, in order to create a complete masterpiece of work. Bloom, Harold, The anxiety of influence: a theory of poetry, New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, c1997 Larmour, Paul, and Shane Toole. North by northwest: the life and work of Liam McCormick. Dublin: Gandon Editions for Irish Architecture Foundation [and] Irish Architectural Archive, 2008. Pollard, Carole, and Liam McCormick. Liam McCormick: Seven Donegal churches. Co. Cork: Gandon Editions, 2011. Websites http://archiseek.com/2009/1967-st-aengus-church-burt-co-donegal/ Accessed December 12th 2016 http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/features/heritage/liam-mccormick Accessed December 12th 2016 The Functionalist Awakening of Alvar Aalto, Alvar Aalto Museum http://www.alvaraaltoresearch.fi/files/4213/6033/3603/AAM_RN_Quecedo.pdf Accessed December 12th 2016 http://archistory.korea.ac.kr/archive_110919/Articles/09%20Aalto_and_Humanizing_(JAABE_200905).pdf Accessed December 12th 2016 List of Illustrations Fig 1 Photograph: St Aengus, Burt http://www.inchhouse.com/reviews Accessed December 12th 2016. Fig 2 Photograph: Church approach from roadway and car park. St Aengus, Burt. http://imma.gallery-access.com/intl/en/tour.php?a_id=12Accessed December 12th 2016. Fig 3 Plan: St Aengus, Burt Pollard, Carole, and Liam McCormick. Liam McCormick: Seven Donegal churches. Burt: Gandon Editions, 2011. Fig 4 Photograph: Detail of circular pool and rainwater spout. St Aengus, Burt. https://herdesignjournal.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/st-aengus-burt-chapel-by-liam-mccormick/ Accessed December 12th 2016 [1] Paul Larmour, An Architectural life North by Northwest, (Gandon Editions, 2008) P.49. Taken from RIAI Yearbook 1972 (RIAI Dublin), P.23 [2] Paul Larmour, An Architectural life North by Northwest, (Gandon Editions, 2008) P.49. Taken from RIAI Yearbook 1972 (RIAI Dublin), P.23 [3] http://archiseek.com/2009/1967-st-aengus-church-burt-co-donegal/ Accessed December 12th 2016 [4] Tracy recalls McCormicks use of literature and magazines. with his almost encyclopaedic mind. Referencing, the architectural review, Domus, LArchitecture dAujourdhui, Architectural record, Bouw and werk. Joe Tracy, Forty Years with Liam North by Northwest, (Gandon Editions, 2008) P.220 [5] McCormick describing the tradition of hand me down copies of transitory fashion comparing Ireland to the vernacular traditions of Finland by Aalto. Liam McCormick, remembrance of things present North by Northwest, (Gandon Editions, 2008) P.18 [6] http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/features/heritage/liam-mccormick Accessed December 12th 2016 [7] The Functionalist Awakening of Alvar Aalto, Alvar Aalto Museum http://www.alvaraaltoresearch.fi/files/4213/6033/3603/AAM_RN_Quecedo.pdf Accessed December 12th 2016 [8] IBID [9] IBID [10] http://archistory.korea.ac.kr/archive_110919/Articles/09%20Aalto_and_Humanizing_(JAABE_200905).pdf Accessed December 12th 2016 [11] Harold Bloom, The anxiety of influence: a theory of poetry, New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, c1997, P. Introduction 7.

Benjamin Harrison :: essays research papers

President Harrison's single term fell between the two terms of Grover Cleveland, a Democrat. Cleveland was popular with the people but unpopular with political leaders. Harrison was popular with neither. There was indeed something of a mystery in his being elected at all. He was serious and dignified, not a hand-shaking politician and not a leader of men. On July 1, 1862, Lincoln called for more troops. Harrison went to the governor, who asked him to recruit a regiment. On his way back to his office, he bought a military cap and hired a fifer and a drummer. Then he put a flag out of his office window and began recruiting. When the regiment was complete, the governor commissioned him a colonel, and Harrison set off with his troops. By day he drilled his men; at night he studied tactics. Always he looked after his soldiers' needs. They called him Little Ben. General Harrison went back to his work at the Supreme Court and his law practice. He also took over again his large Bible class in the Presbyterian church, where his wife taught Sunday school. In 1876 Harrison ran for governor of Indiana. The Democrats called him "cold as an iceberg" and nicknamed him Kid-Glove Harrison. The Democratic candidate, nicknamed Blue Jeans, won the election. Four years later the Indiana legislature elected Harrison to the United States Senate. He served from 1881 to 1887 and won the good will of veterans by supporting the many private pension bills that came to him. Great was the confusion in the Republican nominating convention of 1888. Senator James G. Blaine, the leader of the party, had been defeated by Cleveland in 1884 and refused to run against him again. The field was therefore open. Harrison was finally nominated with Blaine's support. Levi P. Morton, a New York banker, was named for vice-president. Harrison kept aloof from Congress and left lawmaking to its leaders. First on his list was the Dependent Pension Act. This provided money for Civil War veterans who had a disability, no matter where or when they got it. Extravagant appropriations were made also for the Navy and for rivers and harbors. The 51st Congress was the first to spend a billion dollars in peacetime.