Saturday, August 31, 2019

Beowulf and the Tempest-Revenge

Revenge Many comparisons can be seen between Shakespeare’s novel The Tempest and the epic Beowulf. One of the strongest similarities is the idea of revenge. Shakespeare’s novel occurs basically in order for Prospero to have revenge on his enemies from usurping his dukedom. Beowulf’s original monster, Grendel, starts acting out less due to revenge and more out of pure frustration. His death though, causes his mother to act on revenge, killing one of Hrothgar’s trusted advisor, Aeschere, causing Beowulf to kill her for revenge. The dragon got mad about a stolen article and burned down Beowulf’s home in revenge, and so Beowulf went after him.Although they have different motives, both plots are caused greatly because of revenge. In The Tempest, Prospero’s brother, Antonio, with the help of his friends Sebastian and Alonso, took over Prospero’s dukedom. He was then sent to a deserted island with just his daughter Miranda for twelve years. T hroughout his time on the island, Prospero continued to delve into his magic books. Along with he gaining new knowledge, he attained a servant Caliban, and an indebted spirit, Ariel. For twelve long years on the empty land Prospero plotted his revenge, something that was made possible due to his newfound knowledge of magic.Finally the day came when his master plan was able to finally become reality. He made a huge storm come, tearing apart the boat that held Antonio, Sebastian, Alonso, his son Ferdinand, and a few others. Ferdinand got separated from the rest and wound up, not coincidently, finding Miranda and falling in love with her. Alonso became distraught thinking his beloved son was dead. Antonio and Sebastian began to plot the death of Alonso. Finally as the novel came to an end, Prospero sent Ariel as a harpy to frighten his brother and the two other men and tell them all they have done wrong. They then were brought to Prospero.Alonso became very apologetic, while Antonio an d Sebastian remained uncaring of what they had done. Their fate rested in Prospero’s hands. This was the plan Prospero had perfected all those years, the perfect revenge plot. At that moment he had all his enemies gathered around him. He could’ve killed them or banished them to a foreign land, but he did not. He said, â€Å"The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance. They being penitent, the sole drift of my purpose doth extend not a frown further. Go release them, Ariel. My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore, and they shall be themselves. (The Tempest, Act 5, Scene 1, 28-33) He had gotten his revenge, they were sorry, and he was content. Beowulf, though, did not start out like this. The monster Grendel was a descendant of Cain. He was forced to roam the Earth an outcast due to his ancestor killing his brother Abel for no apparent reason. He heard celebration going on in Heorot and got mad. He hated happiness and noise and celebration beca use he hated the hand he was dealt in life. So as revenge for his own hated life, he decided to wreck the party and make others miserable like himself.He continued to do so for a while, scaring all the Danes, even the most powerful. Finally a brave warrior, Beowulf, came from Geatland. He went to fight with Grendel using no protective gear at all. He managed to kill the ravaging beast. The Danes thought this was finally the end of the disaster that they had been hoping for. But it was not. Grendel’s mother was furious with Beowulf for killing her son. She was willing to die in order to avenge her son’s murder. She started to attack everyone. On her rampage in Heorot, she killed Aeschere, King Hrothgar’s most trusted advisor.The entire kingdom was furious, demanding the death of this horrible monster. Beowulf states to the king â€Å"Sorrow not, wise warrior. It is better for a man to avenge his friend than much mourn. Each of us must await his end of the worldà ¢â‚¬â„¢s life. Let him who may get glory before death: that is best for the warrior after he has gone from life† (Beowulf 45). He is saying rather than mourning over Aeschere’s death, he should just avenge it. So the brave Beowulf once again came to the rescue. She lived under water so that was where he fought her and the place where she met her bitter end. Beowulf’s final battle was also due to revenge.The dragon had a valuable cup that had gone missing from the treasures. He was furious and ransacked the entire country, including burning down Beowulf’s house. Therefore Beowulf went after the dragon to avenge his lost home. This was his final battle, the fight where he lost his life. Although revenge is a major theme in both The Tempest and Beowulf, their reasons for revenge are very different. Prospero wants revenge in order to get his life back. He was thrown out of his dukedom and onto a deserted island. He wanted his enemies to feel remorse and to gai n back his dukedom and that was all.In Beowulf it was very different. Everyone wanted revenge because they were upset and wanted to hurt the nemesis. Grendel was upset with his lineage so he wanted to stop all happiness so he attacked Heorot. Grendel’s mother wanted to avenge her son’s murder so she too destroyed Heorot, including killing Aeschere. Beowulf and all the Danes wanted to avenge Aeschere’s murder so he killed Grendel’s mother. The dragon wanted his treasure back so he raided the country, and Beowulf got angry and attacked the dragon. Prospero just wanted remorse and he was happy. The characters in Beowulf wanted revenge and payback.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Modern Day Fairytale Essay

Once upon a time there were three brothers that lived with their parents in a big house for their first 22 years of their lives. Their names were Peter, a rocker, Jax, a pretty boy who only wanted to party, wear expensive clothes and drive fast cars and Brian, the big, responsible brother. Only Brian went to college to study and get his degree. Brian was the only one to get a good job. Peter just preferred to sing in his heavy metal’s band and Jax preferred to go out to parties, buy designer clothes he couldn’t afford and sleep around. When was the Peter’s Birthday, their parents went to buy a guitar-shaped cake as a surprise. Unfortunately, they were hit by a drunk driver and they died in the car accident. So, the 3 â€Å"little† boys decided to sell the house, and with the money they went to a lot of parties and clubs. Two months later they came to the realization that they really needed a house. So, with the money that they still had left over, they went to buy materials to build their own. They decided to build their three new homes in the local village. The village was peaceful with nice neighbors, very quiet with large parks and fountains. The village was perfect, but with one exception†¦in the forest next to the village lived a local politician who was incredibly greedy and very harsh with the restrictions and taxes. Peter decided to build a cabin, because he was very lazy. The cabin only took him a week to finish it. When Peter finished his cabin, he started to play his electric guitar, to scream and to shake the head jumping. Meanwhile Jax decided to build a designer ski cabin (even though it never snowed in their village). Since he too was very lazy, he hired a group of builders to build his house for him. Two weeks later, the group of builders finished the house, and Jax started to celebrate by throwing parties every night in his house. Brian on the other hand wasn’t lazy at all! He started to build his house on the weekends and in his spare time when he wasn’t working. He finished in 3 years. Meanwhile, his brothers visited him in a lot of occasions, telling him â€Å"Yo Brian! Stop working so hard. Come out and party with us!† But, Brian always said, â€Å"No, stupid, a house takes time and effort. Since I am taking my time, my house will be the best!† A few weeks later when Brian finished his house, Peter and Jax had already spent all their money on parties, food and clothes. So, when the property tax was due, they couldn’t pay it. The local politician visited the Peter’s house first for the payment. Peter said: â€Å"I didn’t have money to pay you, go away and give me a bit of time!† But the Politician said: â€Å"Too bad for you! Pay me or I am going to seize your house!† Peter was evicted the next day and his house was seized. When Peter came to Jax’s house, the Politician was visiting him already, too, demanding the property tax payment. Big brother, Brian showed up just in the nick of time carrying a large bag full of money and he gave it to the politician. When the agent grabbed the bag and looked into it, he smiled a big smile and left! Peter and Jax were totally confused. They asked to their big brother, Brian, â€Å"How is possible that you still had all that money?† Brian replied â€Å"because I know that two would end up wasting all of the money. So, I took the bulk of the inheritance from our parents and invested it over the past couple of years. The stock market has been performing well and we got lucky. I had a feeling that I would have to bail both of your sorry, lazy butts out of a jam one of these days!† So, Peter and Jax learned their lesson. They decided to buckled down and go back to school for their degrees. Now, Peter is a music teacher at the local junior college. Even though he still plays in a heavy metal band, he has a nice savings and 401k saved for a rainy day. Jax went back to the school to study to be a fashion designer. He is now well know around the world for his â€Å"club inspired† clothing designs. He still parties with the top super models, but does it responsibly and all while giving his big brother, Brian, the credit for his success.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

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

TOWS - Research Paper Example The company is listed in LSE and in FTSE 100 index. It has also got second listing in NASDAQ. Internal Strengths The company works with 354 companies of Fortune Global 500; 28 companies of Dow Jones 30, 60 companies from NASDAQ 100 and 33 companies of Fortune 50. Therefore, the international client portfolio of the company comprise of several world renowned companies. The customer centric high quality of the service offered by WPP also adds to its inner strength. Internal Weaknesses The recession phase of 2008-2009 had a negative influence on the operation of WPP. This resulted in poor revenue and constantly shrinking profitability. In 2007, the profit for the year was $1,037.2 million that declined in 2008 by $ 934.2 million and finally it reached $ 819.9 million in 2009. Again, the company’s clients are mainly from the developed nation (US and UK). This results in too much dependency on the developed nations from west. This low degree of diversification enhances business ris k of WPP. External Opportunities Considering the economic growth in the developing markets, the company has an opportunity to diversify its client base and enter in these emerging nations. China is the world’s fastest growing followed by India (BBC NEWS, â€Å"Overview†). Therefore, the Asian nations are developing at a faster rate. The companies in these nations are trying to compete with international revivals and thus WPP can offer them the required expertise knowledge and guidance. As the US economic condition is reviving, the companies are in the process to expand their marketing budget. This will result in more business prospective for WPP. External Threats In the last decade, the companies have realised importance of integrated marketing communication to attract and retain their customer base. As a result they are ready to pay high fees to the ad agencies. This made the marketing communication service sector one of the attractive industries for the new entrants and the degree of competition in this sector has grown a lot (Neff, p.2). This growing competition is a major threat for WPP. Apart from the growing competition, there is risk of double-dip recession in Euro zone (Hannon, â€Å"UN Sees Risk Of Double-Dip Recession As Europe Pursues Austerity†). This disturbs the economic recovery rate in Euro Zone and considering the fear of financial crisis, companies are hesitating to invest in marketing related activities. SO box The high economic growth in emerging market that is resulting in growing demand for international marketing communication as well as the customer centric service offered by WPP reflects healthy sigh of growth for the company in near future. Considering these internal strength of the company and the external opportunity, it can be said that the company has a sound growth prospect in these emerging markets. WO box Though the global market condition is improving but WPP’s poor financial performance can deterio rate its image as a market leader in global marketing communication industry. The company may face problem in raising fresh capital to expand its business in near future because the creditors may doubt about WPP’s ability to repay the loan. This may hamper the growth prospects of the company. ST box The customer based high quality communication service is one of the major strength of the company. This should be effectively used to face the threat from growing competiti

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Leaderless Resistance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leaderless Resistance - Essay Example The concept of leaderless resistance is also based on the idea that the participants must individually acquire the skills and information required. Based on my understanding of resistance, I find this impossible. It is challenging for a large group of individuals each operating independently to have the same knowledge and information on a given issue. Whereas such persons might have a common goal and the same philosophy, the rate at which each acquires information and the quality of such information may differ, and this might compromise the operations of the group. As a result, it might be difficult for the members of such groups to react to situations in the same way. Finally, in my understanding of resistance, the need to have interpersonal contact allows the group to grow since new members can be recruited, and in some cases, incentives provided. However, with the concept of leaderless resistance, such contact does not take place. This is likely to make it difficult for the group to grow its numbers and enhance its presence in a given region. It is likely that at some point, the group will die due to lack of

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Short answers about Introduction to Political Economy Essay

Short answers about Introduction to Political Economy - Essay Example This system also seems unfair, as it imposes different tax rates on people in the same society. The successful high-income earners in society might feel prejudiced. Monopoly is mainly caused by the presence of many barriers in the market, which prevent other business players from gaining entrance into the market. Additionally, when there is no other substitute for specific products in the market, monopoly is likely to occur. In some countries, the government may also give powers to specific companies to monopolize the market legally. Finally, the ownership of patents and copyright protection results in monopoly power for some businesses. In order to increase competition, governments should provide incentives such as subsidies to companies. In addition, small companies should be exempted from meeting the standards of the bigger companies, as these lack the facilities and financial resources to meet the high standards. Breaking down bids and making them smaller is advantageous to smaller firms, as these are comfortable with smaller contracts. If these among others are observed, more new companies will be attracted into the market. Regulation of markets is important for consumers. This involves laid down standards by the regulatory body to ensure an acceptable business practice in the supply of goods and services. This helps in price control, and controlling natural monopolies, especially in the electricity supply industries and the telecommunications sector. This benefits individual companies too, as regulation encourages fair competition in companies, while protecting the consumers. The idea of capture was developed by George Stigler and argues that, if industries capture their regulatory agencies, they can benefit from regulation. They can do this by making the regulatory agencies depend on their technology and political influence. On the other hand, public-interest theory applies in market failures, when

Monday, August 26, 2019

International Trade & Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Trade & Institutions - Essay Example Whether or not free trade is fair is a concept that demands a great deal of attention and concentration, and especially by the people who are directly involved under such aegis. The question that arises here is that whether or not free trade assists in the developing countries or it just brings about success touch points for the world’s biggest superpowers (Johnson, 2009). Free trade theory was devised by several economists for the sake of economic growth. Proponents of free trade regularly cite the theories of eighteenth century Scottish economist Adam Smith and David Ricardo, a nineteenth century British economist. They argued that if government stays out of trade, then wealth created by private businesses and trade will benefit the public at large. The gentlemen also asserted that countries need to specialize in the goods that they can produce most efficiently and cheaply. Also when countries trade their specialties, nearly all the stakeholders receive the benefits undoubte dly (Condon, 2002). Free trade theory claims that economic competition with minimal government intervention will lead to greater efficiency, productivity, and innovation; will reduce costs for consumers; and will free up more capital for further investment. First of all, the role of free trade is removal of trade barriers such as tariffs which should promote economic growth, foster a cooperative spirit among nations, help developing nations into becoming independent economies, and end poverty around the world. Free trade benefits developing countries because it provides economic opportunities, improves working conditions, and advances their technology, becoming more globally conscious. As far as the undertakings of the developing countries are concerned, free trade provides them different opportunities for economic growth. If free trade becomes a universally acceptable economic system, provisionally wealthy countries and developing countries both gain a number of benefits to grow th e worldwide economy. Quite rightly so, trade is the greatest factor that leads to economic growth across all segments within the society that one can speak of. When trade occurs as a result of true demand and supply, the economic growth that occurs also truly reflects the increase in economic welfare. Thus, free trade brings about increased economic growth, which means better and more jobs; advanced standards of living and so on. Free trade is not only beneficial for wealthy countries, but also developing ones. The growth is the solution to world poverty. Additionally, free trade improves working conditions for workers in the developing nations. Free trade can help global workers who are working under torrid conditions. In a hypothetical situation, if a person came up with an explanation that free trade was bad as the workers are laboring under life-threatening conditions to produce the goods that normal people buy, then there could be a number of reasons to suggest in the wake of s uch a discussion. Perhaps the consumer habits need to be changed or something that is totally new and comprehensive in its own right. Even though people realize a large number of workers are laboring under bad conditions, everybody wants to buy cheaper priced goods. I think it is essentially one unchangeable habit on the part of the global consumers. And there are a number of reas

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Ford Motor Group - Henry Ford Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ford Motor Group - Henry Ford - Lab Report Example Major points discussed in the report will be summarised at the end of the paper. 2.0 Findings Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford and it specialised in manufacturing automobiles. The company rose to prominence when it invented the Ford T model which attracted a lot of customers after being launched in the market. This inspired the founder to use his entrepreneurial skills to devise strategies that could improve the production process of the vehicle so as to be in a better position to gain a competitive advantage over other players in this particular case. The report will analyse the strategies used by the founder in order to establish the extent to which they contributed to the success of the company. 2.1 Entrepreneurship Basically, the concept of entrepreneurship can be defined as the process of searching the business environment to identify business opportunities for improvement or start-up enterprises to mobilise resources as well as to implement actions to maximi se these opportunities (Bowler, 1996). To a larger extent, it can be said that entrepreneurship is learnt behaviour where it can be seen that profitable business opportunities are realised after carefully scanning the environment. It is important to determine the strong and weak points before starting up a business. Henry invented the Ford car and he did not end there. He went on further to devise strategies that were to improve the production of the vehicles. The success of Ford Motor Company can be attributed to the founder’s outstanding leadership skills as well as the capability to devise strategies that could improve productivity. Henry Ford displayed great entrepreneurship skills when he invented the Model T vehicle. For instance, in 1913, he turned his attention to improving the manufacturing process in order to help meet the growing demand for the Model T car (Ford Motor Corporation, 2013). He implemented the technique that allowed workers to stay in one place and per form the same task repeatedly and it soon became the standard of production in the automobile industry. According to its official website, the strategy of moving the assembly line proved tremendously efficient and it helped the company to surpass the production levels of its competitors by far while making its vehicles more affordable. 2.2 Marketing Marketing is defined as the process used by marketers to satisfy the needs of the people in a profitable manner (Lamb et al, 2008). Essentially, marketing is concerned with satisfying the needs of the customers with the aid of using various tools in meeting the marketing mixes. It is therefore the responsibility of an entrepreneur to adapt a marketing strategy that effectively utilises the marketing mix in order to appeal to the interests of a certain group of potential buyers in the market targeted. This can be done through the effective utilization of the marketing mix so as to be in a position to attract as many customers as possible. Ford Motor Company uses various marketing strategies in order to satisfy the needs of different customers. For instance, the product is designed to suit different needs of the customers. According to its official website, the company offers a wide range of hybrid cars and these are designed to appeal to the interests of as many people as possible. The company makes an effort to keep pace with the changing demands and tastes of the consumers with

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Human Resource Development and Management D5-8 Essay

Human Resource Development and Management D5-8 - Essay Example There are a number of training models which an organization can make use of. One of these is The Systems Approach to Training (SAT) which includes different stages including need analysis, course design, delivery and evaluation or quality assurance. The environment during the implementation of this training should be supportive on part of the human resource department. The human resource departments should manage and assist the employees during all the stages of this model. Most of the employees find it difficult to adjust to changes in the workplace and therefore, in order to help them get accustomed to these changes, the management needs to provide full support to them during this process (Jay Forte, 2011). As far as the transfer environment is concerned, effective and efficient transfer of knowledge and skills should be done just before the employee has to practically implement them. This will help the employee retain and effectively use these skills taught during the training ses sions (Suzanna Simpson, n.d). a) Human Resource Planning and Training Model for Organizations Experiencing Change. (n.d.). Evan Carmichael. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from http://www.evancarmichael.com/Human-Resources/6158/Human-Resource-Planning-and-Training-Model-for-Organizations-Experiencing-Change.html b) Create a workplace learning and training environment | Mindflash. (n.d.). Create Online Training | Online Training Software | Mindflash. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from http://www.mindflash.com/blog/2011/06/why-every-great-workplace-needs-a-classroom-environment/ 2. Performance appraisal is a management tool. As such, managers may use the power of the tool in various ways. For example, a manager may use overly positive performance ratings as a reward for someone who spearheaded a project for the manager. Likewise, a manager may use overly harsh ratings as punishment for someone who objected to a project the manager promoted. As a leader in an organization, what steps would y ou take to ensure that the performance appraisal system is fair to all employees? Substantiate your opinions by using outside sources. Performance appraisal is a system through which management evaluates the performance of the employees to find areas of further growth and improvement (Performance Appraisals, n.d). This system has a number of advantages and fulfills a number of objectives for the organization including increased motivation and job satisfaction of the workers. It is a program through which manager`s expectations are communicated to the employees and their ratings are then measured. However, managers are sometimes biased towards some employees due to the recent job performances. Therefore, it should be made sure that the performance appraisals are carried out in an equitable and fair way. In order to ensure a fair and equitable system, an organization should use a multi source assessment method to prevent any biases on part of the raters evaluating the employees. The r aters should be given proper training so that they do not take out personal grudges or favor some employees. For equitable assessment, managers should relate performance appraisals to employee goals and evaluate the performance of employees based on specific criteria. This will help the managers prevent judgments based on personal biases (Can appraisal process be fair, n.d). a) Can performance

Internationalisation Strategies Taken by Xerox, Ricoh and Canon Dissertation

Internationalisation Strategies Taken by Xerox, Ricoh and Canon - Dissertation Example The case analysis highlights the approaches and strategies that these organisations had taken in the Chinese office electronics market to overcome the challenges that it poses for companies bent on internationalisation in this setting with highly peculiar characteristics. Contents Internationalisation Strategies Taken by Xerox, 1 Ricoh and Canon to Respond to Challenges 1 Posed By China's Emerging Market 1 Abstract 2 Contents 3 Chapter One 5 Introduction 5 Chapter Two 8 Literature Review 8 2.1 Internationalisation Challenges 8 2.3.1 Local Market Disadvantages 8 2.3.2 Disproportionate Operating Costs and Denial of Benefits Accorded to Domestic Firms 9 2.3.3 Cultural Distance and Market Entry Modes 10 2.3.4 Political Bargaining and Positioning 12 2.3.5 Institutional Differences and Corruption 13 2.3.6 Local Density and WFOE Performance 13 2.3.7 Organizational Capabilities 14 2.3.3 Administrative Heritage 15 2.3.4 Organisational Structure 17 2.2 Internationalisation Strategies 17 2.2.1 Exporting 19 2.2.2 International Licensing Agreements 19 2.2.3 International Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances 20 2.2.4 Wholly-Owned Foreign Enterprise 21 2.4 Doing Business in China 22 2.5 The Global Office Electronics Industry 23 Chapter Three 25 Research Design 25 3.1 Case Study Approach 25 3.2 Data Collection 26 3.3 Framework for Analysis 26 Chapter Four 28 Case Studies 28 4.1 Short-Term Challenges 28 4.1.1 Cultural Distance and Organisational Capabilities 29 4.1.2 Political Bargaining and Positioning 32 4.2 Long-Term Challenges 34 4.2.1 Administrative Heritage 35 4.2.2 Organisational Structure 37 4.3 China Strategies of Office Electronics Firms 39 4.4 Discussion 41 4.4.1 Short-Term Challenges 43 4.4.2 Long-Term Challenges 43 4.4.3...The technology for office electronics is closely associated with communications, which was perfected in the US in the 1920s. Thenceforth until the 1970s, the US was the logical world leader in this industry, after which industry leadership shifted to Western Europe. Going into the 1990s, Japan broke into the world economic elite and established dominance over this industry, including all manufacturing activities related to electronics. Now the future of this industry is in China, the world’s most populous nation with 1.3 billion people and the axis of Asia, which in turn comprises 60 per cent of the world population. Office electronics is an $88.8 billion industry worldwide as of 2004 and still growing, with Xerox, Canon and Ricoh as the global big three. The three are just part of over 600,000 multinational enterprises, represented by about 800,000 subsidiaries, that push internationalisation in the global market (Lou, 2002). Altogether, Xerox, Canon and Ricoh account for some 28 percent of the global market through operations in mostly developed countries. Such market share, large though it may be, is proving less and less secure as the office electronics industry in developed markets becomes saturated and overcrowded (Datamonitor, 2005). For continued viability and long-term growth, the companies involved have to turn their sights towards emerging markets like China where future growth opportunities lie. China is a particularly attractive market, not only for its sheer size and cheap labour advantage.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Appraisal Form Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Appraisal Form - Assignment Example The sales and marketing, IT and financial departments are the most crucial to the company’s objectives. However, the survey revealed that employees in those departments feel that they are underpaid, overworked, deserve better wages and working hours than they receive now. The organisation has therefore decided to conduct an appraisal to determine the best way forward. The problem is known, now it is time to come up with the solutions. An appraisal would be the best approach to creating a remedy. The appraisal will take place from January 2015 to February 2015. The employees will be informed beforehand prior to the commencement of their holidays, and they will be expected to avail themselves on the start date. Informing the employees beforehand is important in preparing them for the task ahead by informing them on their expected roles in the process and the possible outcomes. Ideally, the appraisal should have been conducted in the month of December 2014, but there is little allowance for preparation by the company and the employees. The appraisal will take place every week between January and February, and will include all the relevant processes and exercises that are intended to make the whole exercise a success. Various processes and sub-processes will guide the exercise from the beginning to the end, and will be conducted based on set guidelines and objectives. Employees from the relevant departments will be expected to be available in all sessions unless they have valid reasons to abstain (Stapczynski, 2014:26). All the employees who abstain because of unavoidable circumstances will join the sessions at later dates and will continue taking part in the process until they complete all the sessions. The appraisal should be conducted by the human resource (HR) department of the organisation, with assistance from other departments

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Interpersonnel Communication Essay Example for Free

Interpersonnel Communication Essay I have interviewed two individuals namely, Ana G. and Cleavon I. with regards to my interpersonnel communication abilities. They will speak about my behavior/attitude towards the following: 1) comfort with other cultures; 2) listening style ability; 3) non-verbal communication style; 4) communication gestures that I typically utilize; 5) comfort in personal relationship; 6) power displayed or conveyed in the personal relationship I am involved in. The following are excerpts from the actual interview: First Interview (Ana G. ) Interviewer (I): â€Å"Could you please briefly describe my attitude towards individuals who belong to other cultures? Do I appear to be comfortable around them? † Interviewee (Ana G. ): I have been with you for about a year already, and being a member of a cultural minority myself, I am happy to say that your treatment towards people like us is beyond belief. You have treated us fairly and you never showed bias making it obvious that you are comfortable being with people regardless of their race or culture (Ana G. , 2007). Interviewer (I): â€Å"Please comment on my listening skills and abilities†. Interviewee (Ana G. ). I appreciate the fact that you are an â€Å"active listener† (Landsberger, 2007). You focus and you listen for the sake of comprehending whatever it is that the person is talking about (Landsberger, 2007). Interviewer (I): â€Å"Do I possess any non-verbal ability? † â€Å"Do I exhibit such communication style? † â€Å"Could you please shed light on the communication gesture/s that I typically utilize? † Interviewee (Ana G. ): Yes. In fact, I have observed how you establish eye contact towards the people you speak to. Maybe that is the â€Å"flow of communication is regulated† (Stein et. al. , n. d. ). This is also why I feel your interest, concern, and tenderness towards me (Ana G., 2007). Interviewee: (I): â€Å"Did you ever feel any comfort in my personal relationship with you? † Interviewer (Ana G. ): Yes, indeed, I have felt reassurance as well that you could be trusted and can be relied upon in times of need (Ana G. , 2007). Interviewee (I): My final question is this, â€Å"did you ever see or experience a power displayed or conveyed in the personal relationship I am involved in? † Interviewer (Ana G. ): The fact that I am drawn to speak or listen to you shows the â€Å"power displayed or conveyed in the personal relationship† (Ana G. , 2007). This is the type of power that is not abusive; instead it is exceedingly helpful on my part (Ana G. , 2007). Second Interview (Cleavon I. ) Interviewer (I): â€Å"Could you please briefly describe my attitude towards individuals who belong to other cultures? Do I appear to be comfortable around them? † Interviewee (Cleavon I. ): We belong to the same culture, but I have observed how you deal with those who belong to other cultures. You go along with them very well as if you don’t feel any kind of discrimination or intolerance of prejudice towards them (Cleavon I. , 2007). Interviewer (I): â€Å"Please comment on my listening skills and abilities†. Interviewee (Cleavon I. ): Even if you do not always agree with what others tell you, I am happy that you still listen in spite of such fact (Cleavon I. , 2007). I am contented enough that you take the time to listen and understand someone else’s side just like what you have done to me in the past few months that we have been working together (Landsberger, 2007). Interviewer (I): â€Å"Do I possess any non-verbal ability? † â€Å"Do I exhibit such communication style? † â€Å"Could you please shed light on the communication gesture/s that I typically utilize? † Interviewee (Cleavon I. ): Of course, you possess such. In fact, you have shown me this countless times already (Cleavon I. , 2007). Your facial expressions which include smiling made me feel that you like me somehow, that you are a true person friend to me, and that you are happy conversing with me (Stein et. al. , n. d. ). I know that this is why we always carry out better communication as compared with my conversation with others (Cleavon I. , 2007). Interviewee: (I): â€Å"Did you ever feel any comfort in my personal relationship with you? † Interviewer (Cleavon I. ): Yes, in fact speaking with you and just being with consoles/soothes/relieves me always (Cleavon I., 2007). There has never been a dull moment with you and I greatly appreciate that (Cleavon I, 2007). Interviewee (I): My final question is this, â€Å"did you ever see or experience a power displayed or conveyed in the personal relationship I am involved in? † Interviewer (Cleavon I. ): Yes, I felt that ‘power’ when you speak to me (Cleavon I. , 2007). You inspire me to great heights; that is the power that you have over me (Cleavon I. , 2007). References Ana G. (2007). Personal Interview. Cleavon I. (2007). Personal Interview. Landsberger, J. (2007). Active Listening. Retrieved December 10, 2007 from http://www.studygs.net/listening.htm

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Food Product Analysis: Dutch Lady Full Cream Milk

Food Product Analysis: Dutch Lady Full Cream Milk Wong Jun Yik Food Product Nutritional Label Topic 1(a): List of Major Minor Food Compound Ingredient list: Milks solids non-fat, Milk Fat, Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin D3 plant origin stabilizer, Water Major Food component : Milk Solids non-fat (Protein: Casein Whey and Carbohydrates: Lactose) Milk Fat (Lipids), Water Minor Food component : Calcium (Mineral) Vitamin A, B2, D3 (Fat Water soluble vitamin) Food Additive: Plant origin permitted stabilizer Topic 1(b): Role of Food compound in Food The only food additive that are applied in the production of Dutch lady UHT full cream milk is a permitted stabilizer that are originated from plant sources. While the specific name of the stabilizer is not presented in the food label. The stabilizer could be derived from carrageenan that functions as an emulsifier in the milk product. Below describe the general functions of the plant originated stabilizer used in the production of UHT milk. Topic 2(a): Nutritional Health Claim In the content of nutritional and health claim for the Dutch Lady UHT Full cream milk, no nutritional and health claim in identifiable from the packaging of the UHT Milk. Topic 2(b): Enrichment Fortification According to the Dutch Lady Malaysia website, nutrient such as protein, Vitamin B2 and calcium are being enriched into the UHT Full cream milk during the milk production. The purpose for enrichment of the milk is to increase the nutritional value that aids in reproduction of body tissue that is essential to the growth and development. Besides, enrichment of calcium and vitamin B2 in milk would help to improve the bones development as well as to increase the facilitation of energy release. By definition, enrichment is process where food manufacturer replenish the nutrient that were lost during the processing. For the Dutch lady UHT milk, the factor that contributes to the enrichment of nutrient is highly influence by two unit of operation in the milk production: (1) Ultra high temperature preservation technique that destroy heat sensitive nutrient such as vitamin B2 and protein and (2) Recombination/ Reconstitution process that utilize milk solid and milk powder as main ingredient. Re combined milk is a type of milk emulsion produce through the combination of milk powder, milk solids, milk fat water (Walstra, Wouters and Geurts, 2006). Because the milk solid and milk powder is extracted from the raw milk by the milk product manufacturer, nutrient that are water soluble such as vitamin B and mineral are being separated from the milk solid leading to the needs of enrichment during the production of recombined milk. Besides, the enrichment of nutrient in milk is also needed to achieve the requirement set by the Food regulatory body such as Ministry of health and FDA. Topic 3(a): Factors influencing the deterioration of food Dutch Lady UHT full cream milk is a product which undergoes Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) preservation technique that are being package into an aseptic packaging that are made out of paperboard, polyethylene and aluminum foil that have the properties against pH, oxygen, light and microbial deterioration. With such, the factor that influences the deterioration of UHT Milk is mainly contributed by the physical stress toward the packaging that would cause a breakage in the packaging. In addition, the breakages caused by physical stress would increases the opportunity toward additional biological and physical deterioration factor such as changes in color and flavor causes by the exposure to light, oxidative rancidity through exposure to oxygen and contamination by food-poisoning microorganisms. Moreover, the utilization and the opening of UHT milk packaging by end-user also encourage the deterioration of the milk. Lastly, contaminated packaging and machinery in the product line could cont ribute to the food deterioration. Below describe the factor influencing the deterioration of Dutch lady UHT milk in the packaging as well post-usage deterioration. Physical factor Physical Stress: Unprofessional handling and improper storage condition are the major contribution to the deterioration of the aseptic packaging of the milk carton. With opening of the milk carton that is causes by the mechanical stress, it expose the milk toward deterioration such as oxidation and light inducted color changes that are cause the food undesirable to consume. Besides, the opening of the milk carton causes the infestation and attraction of rodent that is naturally vector that carries harmful microorganism. Oxygen: With the opening of the aseptic packaging causes by physical stress and the usage of UHT milk by end-user. Both expose the UHT milk toward oxygen which encourages the oxidative rancidity of milk lipids that leads to the formation of undesirable aroma. In addition, the expose of oxygen also provide a suitable condition for the microbial growth Light: The exposure of UHT milk toward sunlight can cause the milk to lose its nutritional properties through the disruption of vitamin B2. Moreover, milk that are exposes to sunlight also cause the milk to develop undesirable burned flavor that are due to the light inductive oxidation of fats and causes the changes in the structure of whey protein. Biological factor Growth and Activities of Microorganism: With opening of the packaging cause by physical stress and by consumer, this increase the opportunity of contamination by microorganism that is capable to cause degradation of protein, carbohydrates and fats that deteriorate the quality of the milk. Besides, foul aromas that are being developed by these spoilage microorganisms are deteriorate the quality of the milk. Moreover, other than deterioration that are causes during storage and by consumer, deterioration of UHT milk product also can be contributed by machinery used in the production line of the UHT milk such as the seal in the homogenizer as well as the air supplied to the aseptic packing unit (Tamime, 2009). In addition, the faulty seams and pinholes in the aseptic packaging box carton are major source of spoilage bacteria in the UHT milk that contribute the deterioration of the food product (Varnam Sutherland, 2001). Topic 3 (b): Principle of food preservation method used Based on the information given in the Dutch lady Malaysia website and the packaging, the principle of food preservation method being applied into the UHT full cream milk is Aseptic processing with the purpose to achieve commercial sterility. Aseptic processing is physical preservation methods that involve the utilization of heat to achieve sterility. The purpose of utilizing heat preservation method in the production of UHT Milk is to increase the keeping quality and the shelf life of the milk product. In addition, the utilization of heat treatment helps to reduce both the spoilage and pathogenic microbial population and their spore such as mycobacterium tuberculosis, salmonella species, staphylococcus aureus, etc. Besides, heat preservation treatment help to inhibit enzymatic activity that is derived natively from milk as well as to limit the autoxidation that causes the chemical deterioration of milk lipids (Walstra, Wouters and Geurts, 2006). Commercial sterility in the context of food manufacturing is define as the degree of sterilization that destroy all pathogenic and toxin forming microorganism that are capable to causes spoilage in food under normal handling and storage condition(Vaclavik and Christian, 2008). In the production of Dutch lady UHT Full cream milk, commercial sterility is achieve through aseptic processing which involve the usage of thermal processing in the form of Ultra high temperature(UHT) preservation technique followed by aseptic packaging technique. The combination of UHT treatment coupled with aseptic packaging made a fundamental improvement in term of the bacteriological safety. Moreover, Aseptic processing improve the shelf life of the dairy product from typical 1-2 weeks of the refrigerated pasteurized product to longer shelf life ranging from 6-9 months without the need of refrigeration as well as the addition of food additive to increase its shelf life. Besides, the shelf life stability of the UHT Milk product that are contributed by the aseptic packaging benefits countries where environmental temperature is high as well as the limitation of refrigeration. (Tewari and Juneja, 2007) Topic 4: Unit of Operation in food production The units of operation involved in the production of Dutch Lady UHT Full cream milk are: (1) Recombination process, (2) Ultra High Temperature process, (3) Homogenization process and (4) Aseptic packaging Recombination process: A recombined milk product is produce through a combination of milk fat and milk solids-nonfat with or without water to re-establish the consistency of natural milk. The recombination process of the milk start with the dispersion of skim milk powder in the water with a temperature ranging between 40 to 50 C. The milk powder is being fed into the water through the usage of hopper with care taken to avoid any in-cooperation of air. There are various method used to in cooperated the powder into the water, where pre emptying the milk powder in a dry room with dust removal system is commonly applied in the recombination process. After the in-cooperation of milk powder with water, the reconstituted milk is left for minimum 15 to 20 minutes of hydration with the purpose of minimizing the powdery and chalky mouth feel. In some milk product manufacturer, the reconstituted milk is held overnight at 4 C prior to further processing to ensure complete hydration. Upon the co mpletion of hydration process, the reconstituted milk is transfer for filtration to separate out any undissolved milk powder particle. The reconstituted milk is then left for vacuum de-aeration for 20 minutes to remove occluded air that are commonly found in the milk powder with the purpose to prevent the fouling of heat exchanger and excessive oxidation. Lastly, the reconstituted milk is heated to 60 to 65 C with the in-cooperation of liquid milk fat or anhydrous milk fat making a course emulsion through virtuous stirring in a static mixer (USDEC, 2005). Ultra High Temperature: The combination of UHT processing together with aseptic packaging in milk was introduced to achieve a shelf stable product, at the same time minimizing chemical change as compared to the in-container sterilized milk. There are two type of heating method involved in the UHT process: direct indirect heating. In direct heating, UHT process is achieve by mixing superheated steam with milk. While in-direct heating achieve UHT through transferring heat from plate heat exchanger(PHE) across a partition between the milk and the heating medium either through steam or hot water (Mehta, 1980; Burton,1988). The Ultra high temperature processing involve heating the milk in a continuous process system to a relatively high temperature ranging around 135 degree Celsius with a minimum two second of holding time followed by a rapid cooling. Since the sterilization and cooling process of the flowing liquid-milk in the UHT process is relatively close, the longtime heat penetrati on problem derived from the in-container sterilization is avoided. Through the rapid heat transfer technique utilize in the UHT process, undesirable changes in taste and nutritional quality of the milk is minimized. (Tewari and Juneja, 2007) Aseptic Packaging: Aseptic packaging is a form of preservation technique involved the filling of sterile milk product into the sterile container (aseptic tank) in a sterile environment. It is then subsequently sealed through a continuous process that provides a high operational flexibility as well as high stability against microbial contamination (Tewari and Juneja, 2007). Moreover, the application of aseptic packaging allowed the milk to be package into a relatively versatile container that does not require any form of refrigeration condition that can be easily distributed in part of the world where refrigeration is uncommon. The most common aseptic packages used in the UHT milk are the tetrahedral-shaped paperboard cartons exemplified by Tetra Pak that is made out from the laminated roll stock consist a combination of polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, aluminum foil, polyethylene, and a coating of ionomer resin (Potter and Hotchkiss, 1998). Homogenization: Homogenization process is a universal set of industrial practice, purpose to stabilize the fat and water emulsions against separation that are causes by the gravitational pull (Bylund, 1995). In composition of the milk and cream, milk lipids are made out of fat globule that varies from 0.1 to 20  µm in diameter that have the tendency to gather into clumps which rises due to their relatively lighter density as compared to skim milk. This separation between the milk lipids and milk causes highly visible separated layers that are undesirable and unappealing to consumer. To eliminate the separation of milk, homogenization process is applied in the production of milk to cause the disruption of fat globules in order reduce its size to a smaller one, where the new interface is covered with milk protein predominantly micellar casein. Consequently, help to minimize the creaming properties of the milk as well as the tendency for fat globules to coalesce. Moreover, the purpose of integrating homogenization process in the production of UHT milk is further supported work from Walstra, Wouters and Geurts , where the process help to counteracting the creaming of milk lipids, to improve the stability towards partial coalescence as well as to create a desirable rheological properties of the milk (Walstra, Wouters and Geurts, 2006). References Bylund, G. (1995). Dairy processing handbook. 1st ed. [Lund, Sweden: Tetra Pak Processing Systems AB. Dutchlady.com.my (2014). Dutch Lady: Nutrition: Retain Fresh Milk. [online] Available at:http://www.dutchlady.com.my/en/home.asp?page=nutritionsubpage=retain_fresh_milk [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Furia, T. (1972). CRC handbook of food additives. 1st ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Harris, P. (1990). Food gels. 1st ed. London: Elsevier Applied Science. Milkunleashed.com, (2014). Aseptic Milk Packaging UHT Milk vs Pasteurization Tetra Pak. [online] Available at: http://www.milkunleashed.com/shelf-safe-milk/aseptic-packaging-uht-milk.html [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Pereira, G. (2014). What nutrients get lost when processing milk? (EUFIC). [online] Eufic.org. Available at: http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/FAQ/faqid/nutrients-lost-processing-milk/ [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Potter, N. and Hotchkiss, J. (1998). Food science. 1st ed. Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen Publishers. Practical applications of gums and stabilisers in dairy Foods. (2014). 1st ed. [ebook] Massey university, p.10. Available at: http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/~/media/B60880F0474D4FB6967D2CFA71A5D193.pdf [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Premiumingredients.es, (2014). Dairy drinks Premium Ingredients. [online] Available at: http://www.premiumingredients.es/applications/dairy/dairy-drinks/ [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Shereen Lehman, M. (2014). What Are Enriched and Fortified Foods?. [online] About.com Nutrition. Available at: http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/enriched.htm [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Tamime, A. (2009). Milk processing and quality management. 1st ed. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell Pub./Society of Dairy Technology. Tasneem, M., Siddique, F., Ahmad, A. and Farooq, U. (2014). Stabilizers: Indispensable Substances in Dairy Products of High Rheology. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, [online] 54(7), pp.869-879. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2011.614702 [Accessed 28 Jun. 2014]. Tetrapak.com, (2014). Dairy and milk homogenization. [online] Available at: http://www.tetrapak.com/products-and-services/processing-equipment/dairy-equipment/homogenization [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Tewari, G. and Juneja, V. (2007). Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Food Preservation. 1st ed. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. USDEC, (2005). Reference Manual for US Milk Powders: 2005 Revised Edition. 1st ed. [ebook] United States Dairy Export Council. Available at: http://usdec.files.cms-plus.com/PDFs/2008ReferenceManuals/Milk_Powder_Reference_Manual_Complete2_Optzed.pdf [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Walstra, P., Wouters, J. and Geurts, T. (2006). Dairy science and technology. 1st ed. Boca Raton: CRC/Taylor Francis. Fiszman, S. M., Lluch, M. A. and Salvador, A. (1999). Effect of addition of gelation on microstructure of acidic milk gels and yoghurt and on their rheological properties. Int. Dairy J. 9:895–901. Varnam, A.H. Sutherland, J.P. (2001) Milk and Milk Products – Technology, Chemistry and Microbiology, Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg, MD. Ebola: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Ebola: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Table of Contents 1.1 Introduction on Ebola virus. 1.2 History of Ebola. 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus. 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola. 1.5 Diagnosing Ebola. 1.6 Treatment methods for Ebola. 1.7 Conclusion. 1.1 Introduction on Ebola virus. Ebola is an emerging virus even though it is not new-as it has been emerged before and can be classified as one of the most ancient viruses found and it is once again appearing (Draper, 2002). Ebola was first identified in the Democratic republic of Congo or which was previously known as Zaire, since it appeared in the town of Yambuku-central Africa in the year 1976 (Draper, 2002).The largest and the most complex Ebola outbreak since the first outbreak was in 1976, which was experienced by the people of west Africa in march 2014 (World Health Organization, 2014). This particular outbreak has gone through many cases which have lead to death more than all the previous outbreaks combined (WHO, 2014). Ebola can be classified according to its genetic antigenic characterization (Porrut, 2005). 1.2 History of Ebola. Ebola virus was first discovered and experienced in the form of two simultaneous outbreaks, first due to the E.Sudan and the other due to E.Zaire, both these outbreaks happened in places close by, in Sudan near the border with the Democratic republic of Congo (Smith, 2005).This virus further affected the towns of Nzara and Maridi between June and November 1976 which gave mortality rate as 53%: 150 of 284 victims which is the characteristic of the Sudan subtype (Smith, 2005). The second outbreak was due to the E.Zaire which occurred in the border of the democratic republic of Congo which is close to Sudan and the Central African Republic between August and November in the same year 1976 (Johnson, 2005). The virus is named after the Ebola River where the virus was first discovered in 1976 (CNN, 2014). The third outbreak occurred between July and October 1979 in the same place attacked by the Sudan virus, but didn’t cause great extensive outbreaks like the first two, this virus affected 34 people and killing 22- mortality 65% (Porrut, 2005). 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus. Among the Filoviridae virus, the two commonly found deadly viruses are the Ebola and the Marburg viruses- This viral family contains viruses with non segmented negative-sense RNA genomes (Geisbert and Jahrling, 2005,). Ebola virus is not harmful unless it fuses its glycoprotein viral with the host cell membrane (Wood-Lewis et al., 2005). There are mainly five types of Ebola viruses identified, which are: Ebola Zaire, Ebola Ivory Coast, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Bundibugyo, Ebola Reston and the one which is producing the outbreaks in 2014 was due to the Zaire species (WHO, 2014) Filovirus cell entry is supported by its class I fusion protein or the spike protein GP1, 2 (Volchkov, et al., 2011). There are seven genes in the order 3’ leader, nucleoprotein, virion-protein 35, VP40, glycoprotein, VP30, VP24, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L)-5’ trailer found in the genome (Sanchez et al., 2011). Ebola virus is transmitted to a human via having direct contact with another Ebola victim-here the direct contact includes: blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of the victim and also the surfaces and materials which are contaminated with these fluids (WHO, 2011). Usually the victims of Ebola are infectious as long as their blood and body fluid-which includes semen and breast milk is contaminated with the virus (WHO, 2011). Ebola releases number of countless chemicals like cytokines, chemokines and histamines when it infects different types of cells (Smith, 2009).this causes the number of symptoms we can observe to conclude whether the person is a victim of Ebola or not( Smith, 2009).this virus’s genome is particularly small and appears as a long worm l where it resembles a length of thread but it can also be in a U-shaped or in a shape of â€Å"6† or even at times circular.( Smith, 2009). 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola. Ebola viruses are pathogenic for humans, as they cause specific febrile hemorrhagic disease and these symptoms will be directly shown after nearly a week (Baron, 2005) usually the symptom of Ebola includes fever, headache, and abdominal pain. Nausea, fatigue and mostly an ill feeling, but this is what makes diagnosing Ebola difficult, as these symptoms are common for many diseases (Smith, 2009). But to elaborate more, first symptoms of Ebola are sudden fever, muscle pain followed by headache and sore throat along with this the rest of the symptoms are shown which are: vomiting, diarrhea, rash and even at times internal and external bleeding is shown (WHO, 2014). 1.5 Diagnosing Ebola. It is usually difficult to categorize the Ebola virus and Marburg virus as they both have got similar clinical symptoms; here the most common symptoms are severe, febrile and acute fever (Feldman et al, 2005). Recently there have been many outbreaks on Ebola in several countries of central Africa and due to these outbreaks there have been different types of field diagnostics as medical sophisticated support was required. (Feldman et al., 2003,). For an instance, the two outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever which took place in Gabon, 1996 resulted in mortality of 66% and 75% respectively in laboratory confirmed patients. (Courbet et al., 1999). Several diagnostic assays for Ebola infection are currently used and have been recently evaluated in patients in the field. (Ksiazek et al., 1999). The different species of Ebola virus seem to cause somewhat different clinical syndromes, but it’s slightly difficult to observe them under perfect conditions, and it’s very rare that observations like this are done. (Feldman, Geisbert and kawaoka, 2007, p.129) Using the symptoms Ebola can be identified, but before doing so it is investigated using so many procedures like: Antigen-capture detection tests, Serum neutralization tests, Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, Electron microscopy, Virus isolation by cell culture and Antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Handling these can be highly dangerous and can be risky as these can be transmitted through direct contact (WHO, 2014). 1.6 Treatment methods for Ebola. Due to its specific morphology, still the drugs and the therapies are not fully evaluated, however it is currently evaluating (WHO, 2014).At the same time Ebola can be prevented to its maximum if we follow necessary preventive techniques like raising the awareness of Ebola infection, safe burials and social mobilization (WHO, 2014).Different species of Ebola virus causes different symptoms but the opportunities for a good observation of the virus under good condition is very rare (Feldman et al., 2011). The virulence of Ebola virus differs according to the species or strain which attacked the humans as well as non-human primates (Sanchez et al., 2011).among the Ebola’s genus infection rate of the Zaire Ebola virus and the Sudan Ebola virus rate differs, among these the Zaire Ebola virus has the highest case-fatality rates which is 60-90% (Guenno et al., 2011).lately due to some investigations done which included the observation of some attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the Ebola virus surface glycoprotein which previously has demonstrated efficiency as a vaccine against Ebola infections in rodents and monkeys (Feldman et al., 2007). It should be highly realized that workers such as doctors, nurses, scientists’ who work with direct contact with the victim too should be under consecutive care as Ebola is a directly spreading virus (Casillas, 2003). 1.7 Conclusion. Moreover to summarize all what is said above we can say that Ebola is not a virus to be put down as it is highly dangerous and very harmful as it can easily spread which causes it to be deadly and also as it can keep rising leading to tragedy deaths. And to recall the past, it is said that Ebola was found in Africa and the name itself implies on the first outbreak which happened near the Ebola River and also there are five main types of Ebola viruses but among them the E.Zaire and the E.Sudan are the commonly found ones. Ebola is a class 4 pathogen belonging to the family Filoviridae as it causes severe hemorrhagic fever and various symptoms and this is currently incurable as there are no specific treatments or drugs available. Isolating the infected person, handling the preventive techniques carefully might reduce the spreading of Ebola, and finally to conclude it is in the future’s hand to find proper vaccine and drugs to stop Ebola. Reference list Baron, C. R., Smith, D.I.H. and McCormick, B.J. (2005) ‘The natural history of Ebola’, microbes and infection, 7, pp.1005-1006, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2005.04.006 .(Accessed: 18 October 2014) Cable news network, S(2014), Ebola fast facts. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/11/health/ebola-fast-facts/ (Accessed:3 November 2014) Casillas, A. M., Nyamathi, A. M., Sosa, A., Wilder, C, L. and Sands, H (2003) ‘A current review of virus: Pathogenesis, clinical presentation and diagnostic assessment’, Sage journals, 4, pp. 268-275 [Online] DOI: 10.1177/1099800403252603 (Accessed: 04 November 2014) Draper, A.S. (2002) Ebola. Google Books [Online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=FohdK6o-8WICprintsec=frontcoverdq=ebolahl=ensa=Xei=3ypWVNaYB8m3uQTq9IDgAQredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 30 October 2014). Draper, A.S. (2002) Ebola. Google Books [Online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=FohdK6o-8WICprintsec=frontcoverdq=ebolahl=ensa=Xei=3ypWVNaYB8m3uQTq9IDgAQredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 30 October 2014). Feldman, H., Geisbert, T. and Kawaoka, Y. (2007) ‘filo virus: recent advances and future challenges’ The Lancet, [online] available at:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673610606678. (Accessed: 18 October, 2014) Feldman, H., Geisbert, T.W., Kawaoka., Peters, C.J., Leduc, L.W., Pattyn, S.R. and Sanchez, A. (2011) ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’, The Lancet, 377, pp.849-862, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8 (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Feldman, H., S.M. Jones., K.M. Daddario-Dicapario., J.B. Geisbert and U. Stroher (2007) ‘Effective post-exposure treatment of Ebola infection’, PLOS, January [Online] Available at: http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.0030002#close (Accessed: 1 November 2014) Geisbert, T. W. and Jahrling, P. B. (2005) ‘Endosomal proteolysis of the Ebola virus glycoprotein is necessary for infection’, Science, 308, pp. 1643-1645, [Online] DOI: 10.1126/science.1110656. (Accessed 31 October 2014) Guenno, B. Le. Formenty, P. and Wyers, M. (2011) ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’, The Lancet, 377, pp.849-862, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8 (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Feldman, H., Geisbert, T. W., Jahrlring, P. B., and Netesov, H. D. (2005) ‘laboratory diagnosis of Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever’, Virology, 3, pp. 205-209 [online] Available at:http://www.pathexo.fr/documents/articles-bull/T98-3-2761-4-5p.pdf.(Accessed: 18 October 2014) Feldman, H., Jones, S., Klenk, H. D. and Schnitzler, H. J (2003) ‘Ebola virus: from discovery to vaccine’ Nat rev immunol, 3, pp. 677-685 [online] available at: http://www.pathexo.fr/documents/articles-bull/T98-3-2761-4-5p.pdf. (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Leroy, E. M., Baize, S., Lu, C, Y., McCormick, B, J., Georges, A, J., Courbet, G, M-C., et al, (2000) ‘Diagnosis of Ebola hemorrhagic fever by RT-PCR in an epidemic setting’, journal of medical virology, 60, pp.463-467 [online] available at:http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9071(200004)60:43.0.CO;2-M?r3_referer=wolshow_checkout=1#14137278393851type=checkout%3Aready (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Porrut, X., Kumulungai, B., Wittman, T. and Moussavou (2005) ‘The natural history of Ebola’, Microbes and infection, 7(7-8), pp.1005-1014 [Online] DOI:10.1016/j.micinf.2005.04.006 (Accessed: 03 November 2014) Sanchez, A., Geisbert, T. W., Feldman, H. and P. B. Jahrling (2011) ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’ Lancet, 377, pp.849-862, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8 (Accessed on 31 October 2014) Smith, T. C. (2009) Ebola. Google Books. [Online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=u22zQ669ZfoCpg=PA35dq=ebola+characteristicshl=ensa=Xei=_AZZVLWeDsLt8gXmoYGYDgredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=ebola%20characteristicsf=false (Accessed: 31 October 2014) Volchkov, V. E., Volchkova, V. A., Dolnik, O., Feldman, H., Klenk., Lee, J., Mangasarian and Tronto, D. (2011) ‘Ebola virus peptide immunoadhesins inhibit Marburg virus and Ebola virus cell entry’ Journal of virology, 22, pp.8502-8513, [Online] DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02600-10. (Accessed: 31 October 2014). Wood-Lewis, R. J., Bates, P. and Takada, A. (2005) ‘Endosomal proteolysis of the Ebola virus glycoprotein is necessary for infection’, Science, 308, pp. 1643-1645, [Online] DOI: 10.1126/science.1110656. (Accessed: 31 October 2014). World health organization (2014) Ebola virus disease. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/. (Accessed: 30 October 2014). 1

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Evaluating the Growth and Competitive Strategy of Coca Cola

Evaluating the Growth and Competitive Strategy of Coca Cola INTRODUCTION: The Coca-Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company, largest manufacturer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world and in one of the largest corporations in the United States. The Company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton at Atlanta USA, in 1886. They used to make Coca-Cola syrup by melted sugar, water, and some other ingredients (especially coca leaf and the kola nut). Frank M. Robinson, Pembertons bookkeepers, was the person who suggested the name Coca-Cola. The company has 92,400 employees in 200+ countries. It refreshes the consumers nearly 1.6 billion per day. The companys portfolio includes 13 billion dollar brands. The Coca-Cola Company is a nonalcoholic beverage brands which is the worlds largest manufacturer, distributor. It is worlds most valuable brands where the company got license for more than 500 nonalcoholic beverage brands mostly sparkling beverages and a mixture of still beverages such as water, juices, teas and coffees, energy and sports drinks. Basically, the company produces beverage concentrates and syrups which are sold to authorized bottling and canning operations (which are called Bottlers) where they manufacture the concentrates and syrups to produce finished beverage products (The Coca-cola, 2009). It has worlds largest distribution networks through bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. FINANCIAL POSITION: Revenue US$ 31.0 Billion (FY 2009) Operating income US$ 8.23 Billion (FY 2009) Net Income US$ 5.82 Billion (FY 2009) Total Assets US$ 48.7 Billion (FY2009) Total Equity US$ 24.8 Billion (FY2009) One year Growth: 3.0% Income Growth: 17.5% Employee Growth 0.4% Coca-Cola, a $62 Bn Brand (The Coca-Cola, Annual Report, 2009) COMPETITIORS: PepsiCo Nestle S.A. Dr Pepper Snapple Group Cadbury Schweppes plc Group Danone Kraft Foods Inc. THE COCA-COLA COMPANYS GROWTH: 1886-1892: The Coca-Cola Company was acquired the complete ownership of its business by Asa Candler for $2300 in 1891. In 1898 the company entered the market of Canada and Mexico. 1893-1904: An invention into a business, introduced promotion, advertisement, building plants in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles, establishing first bottling franchises. 1905-1918: Cuba and Panama became the first two countries outside the U.S. to bottle the Coca-Cola. The company started delivering a unique bottle to ensure people are getting real Coca-Cola with free of cocaine, and introduced new shape of coke bottle. 1919-1940: The Company was sold for $25 million to Atlanta banker Ernest Woodruff and a group of investors in 1919. The Company established a manufacturing operation in France in 1923. The company became the public limited at $40 per share. It delivered 53 countries worldwide. 1940-1959: Expanding in 120 countries, promoting the word COKE, setting up new Coca-Cola plants in North America and Europe. 1960-1981: Expanding with new flavors, Fanta, Sprite, TAB, Fresca, acquiring the Minute Maid Company, promoting exciting and dynamic advertisement. In 1960, metal cans were introduced first time which are now available in the market. 1982-1989: 165 countries enjoyed Coca-Cola, introducing Diet coke, Cherry Coke. 1990-1999: 200 Countries enjoyed Coca-Cola, associated with Sports including the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. 2000-Now: More than 200 countries enjoy Coke, delivering global marketing platform. Ingredients and Packaging The Coca-Colas Manufacturing and Distribution Process: Ingredients and Bulk Packaging Concentrate Plants Transport Production and Sales Facilities Third-Party Transport by Rail/Road SalesMarketing Equipment Consumers Customers e.g.Tesco, Asda (Coca-cola Enterprise, 2009, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report) THE COCA-COLA BUSINESS SYSTEM: The Coca-Cola Company and/or subsidiaries only produce syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold a Coca-Cola franchise. The Coca-Cola bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise the resulting Coca-Cola product to retail stores, vending machines, restaurants and food service distributors. The Coca-Cola Enterprise (CCE) is the largest bottler of Coca-Cola beverage who manufactures and distributes the most popular beverage brands in the world. The CCE is one of more than 300 bottling companies CCE delivered approximately 41 billion bottles and cans in 2009. It represents approximately 16 % of total Coca-Cola product volumes. It creates revenues of $21.6 billion, with free cash flow of $872 million (Coca-Cola Enterprise, 2009). In North America, it operates 46 U.S States and all 10provinces of Canada, composed of five business units. It has 59 production facilities and 314 principal distribution facilities. It also has 59000 employees in US Canada. In Europe, it has 16 beverage production facilities and 35 principal distributors facilities with approximately 11000 employees. (www.answer.com) THE COCA-COLAS USE OF STRATEGIC CHOICES: Strategic choices are concerned with decisions about an organizations future and the way in which it has to respond to the myriad of pressures and influences as a result of its immediate and macro environment. To this end there are three basic choices to be made as shown below. Strategic choices Strategic choices Methods for pursuing strategies The choices about how strategies are to be pursued Strategy directions The choices of products and markets available to an organization Bases of competitive Strategy The choices as how to an organization positions itself in relation to competitors Bases of competitive Strategy directions Methods for pursuing Strategy strategies Whittington (2008, p. 217) Bases of competitive strategy: This area has to do with how Coca-Cola has positioned itself in relation to its competitors. The Coca-Cola Company competes in the non-alcoholic beverages segment of the commercial beverages industry. The non-alcoholic beverages segment of the commercial beverages industry is highly competitive, consisting of numerous firms. These include firms that, like Coca-Cola, compete in multiple geographic areas, as well as firms that are primarily regional or local in operation. Competitive products include numerous non-alcoholic sparkling beverages; various water products, including packaged, flavored and enhanced waters; juices and nectars; fruit drinks and dilatable (including syrups and powdered drinks); coffees and teas; energy and sports and other performance-enhancing drinks; dairy-based drinks; functional beverages; and various other non-alcoholic beverages. These competitive beverages are sold to consumers in both ready-to-drink and other than ready-to-drink form. In many of the coun tries in which Coca-Cola does business, including the United States, PepsiCo. Inc. is one of its primary competitors. Other significant competitors include, Nestlà ©, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., Group DANONE, Kraft Foods Inc, and Unilever etc. In certain markets, its competition includes beer companies. Coca-Cola also competes against numerous regional and local firms and, in some markets, against retailers that have developed their own store or private label beverage brands. The strategy clock: competitive strategy option: High Differentiation 2 4 Hybrid Focused differentiation 5 3 Perceived Product/ Service 2 Low price 6 No frills 7 1 Strategies destined for ultimate failure 8 Low High Low Price Whittington (2008, pp. 225) The strategy clock above represents different positions in a market, where customers or potential customers have different requirement in terms of value for money. Coca-Cola has therefore taken the strategy option of hybrid, in which case it maintains its price but tries to differentiate itself from competitors. The Company has had a mix of pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, product innovation, increased efficiency in production techniques, the introduction of new packaging, new vending and dispensing equipment, and brand and trademark development and protection. In this regard Coca-Cola has increased its annual marketing budget substantially, launched many new products, and developed a model to help its retail customers maximize their sales while it continue to plan for the future. The risk of this choice is that one could lose market share due to its low prices but then it can be tackled through economies of scale where the company produces in large quantities to cover cost and tries to penetrate different geographies as is the case of Coca-Cola. This choice has actually proved beneficial to Coca-Cola even though its market share has not grown tremendously as one would think over the last ten years but it definitely has a much higher market share than its competitors, especially Pepsi Co. This has been possible for Coca-Cola due to its recognized brand name and strong presence in so many geographies including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Pacific spanning across 200 countries. Strategy Direction: This has to do with the scope of a company in terms of its products. Over the last few years Coca-Cola has introduced a lot of products to its portfolio, including the recent Coca-Cola zero, which sold more than 600 million cases globally. Today Coca-Cola does not only deal in non-alcoholic soft drinks, but it also makes a lot of juices and juice drinks, still and carbonated products. As a matter of fact Coca-Cola has more than 3,300 products in more than 200 countries. In general one can rightly say that Coca-Cola has gone into diversification since it has not only shifted from soft drink to juices and even energy drinks but has also ventured and penetrated larger market over the years. Diversification is simply a strategy that takes the organization away from both its existing market and its existing products. We have therefore used the Ansoff matrix below to identify the strategy direction which Coca-Cola is taking Box D, which is diversification. The Ansoff matrix provides a simp lified way of generating four basic alternative directions for strategic development. Strategic directions (ansoff matrix) Products Existing New A B Market penetration Product development Consolidation C D Market development Diversification Existing Markets New Whittington, (2008, p.258) Diversification happened to be a good strategic option for Coca-Cola as it helped the Company to break new grounds in business. For instance a new product like the Coca-Cola zero did so well in terms of sales. This therefore impacted positively on the companys market share. Again shifting from soft drinks to energy and sports drinks also gave Coca-Cola an opportunity of a larger market share. However diversification can be capital intensive as not all organizations will be able to cope with the finances involved since a lot of finances will be needed to go into research and development for the new product. For instance Pepsi-cola once came up with a new product called Meca cola but it wasnt successful and the product was withdrawn later on. Surely there will be a lot of laboratory works and feasibility studies to go with a new product and this will equally require skilled people getting involved and consequently hiring more employees so if the organization does not have enough finances it may not be able to cope. Again the organization which decides to diversify will put in place an adequate amount of public awareness in terms of advertisements and trainings. This may involve using news papers, television, internet etc. All these can be very enormous for an organization so suffice it to say that diversification requires careful planning. Methods for pursuing strategies: Most of Coca-Cola products are manufactured and sold by its bottling partners. The Company typically sells concentrates and syrups to its bottling partners, who convert them into finished packaged products which they sell to distributors and other customers. Separate contracts (Bottlers Agreements) exist between the Company and each of its bottling partners regarding the manufacture and sale of Company products. Subject to specified terms and conditions and certain variations, the Bottlers Agreements generally authorize the bottlers to prepare specified Company Trademark Beverages, to package the same in authorized containers, and to distribute and sell the same in (but, subject to applicable local law, generally only in) an identified territory. The bottler is obligated to purchase its entire requirement of concentrates or syrups for the designated Company Trademark Beverages from the Company or Company-authorized suppliers. Coca-Cola agrees to refrain from selling or distributing, or from authorizing third parties to sell or distribute, the designated Company Trademark Beverages throughout the identified territory in the particular authorized containers. The Coca-Cola Company has created and achieved a strategic lock-in such that it has achieved dominance in the industry. For instance many people will think of Coke once they think of using or taking a soft drink. Strategic Implementation: International strategic management is divided by Strategies monitoring, goal setting, strategies formulation, strategic implementation. Mostly, companies is going to face challenges when they implement their strategies. There are following challenges such as; Resistance to change and inertia Insufficient attention to context Wrong choice of style for managing the change Education, participation, intervention, direction, coercion Insufficient understanding of power and political processes Lack of clarity Lack of stakeholder support Insufficient resources or capabilities Say in example coca cola Company decided to launch a new product in the market. So they consider with how do they decide what new product to sell? And who to sell them to? After that company has to do market research through the hypothesis test. They can do research two methods. Such as primary data and secondary data methods. According to coca cola company products they can do the following research such as; Desk research which is identify their gap in the market in particular product Detailed research which is using small groups like qualitative research such as survey. Quantitative research which is a large scale surveys to collect information. This method can identify which type of product and what design of product Trial test market which is a sample that mean company launch their product in the market after finishing and if consumers like the product they can increase their production and tracking success of product and in the other hand if consumers dont like the product they can stop their new product activities. People: People are a most valuable asset and greatest liability in any organization. If people dont perform well with productivity standards, provide good service business that will affect the organization business is doomed. Mostly organization select the people who can do get more jobs done, developed implement support program to the people and sell their goods and services. Employees are the best source of competitive advantage because cant copy by the customers. In case coca cola companys employees are sacrificing their competences within organization. They treated employees as good as well. They have to maintain their organizational structure to motivate their employees. As a reason that can do their work well done company needs to implementing compensation, performance management, training, reward and retention programs. Finally they may able to stave off competitors. They wanted caliber people for this century. They would use facts and the knowledge in order to add value to the organization. In any stage everyone should have the same information in order quickly put it to effective and profitable use. They believed having right people in right place can create competitive advantage. People participate all levels of product delivery from production workers to salespeople and corporate managers in Coca-Cola Company. Rebuilding the coke bubble is important issues of people within the coca cola company. Coca cola company is unable to control their people internally because poor handling of public relations. In globalization Coca-Cola Company will increase social pressure say as community friendly. Coca cola Companys future profitability depends on societal marketing with on ethics and corporate social responsibility. Cola Company has challenge with profitability and responsibility into stakeholders such as consumers, customers, employees, communities, governments and environment. Culture is effect on Cola Company with their managers and workers. If they dont have warm and genial culture they will face among staff and managers likely say staffs will not be motivated to work say in example staff may have to lose their rest days. This cause will effect with staff will be tired from their day to day working and also not have time to enjoy with their family. I think Coca Cola Company has warm culture because success of their company mainly depends on their employees. They sacrificed their skills and ability on their particular task. Company has friendly environment and they motivated themselves. Resources: Appropriate resources are time, money, talent and tools. Water is a main source of coca cola companys products. It is a limited resource. Which is availability, quality and sustainability nature resource? In addition principal raw materials are nutritive and non- nutritive sweeteners. Nutritive sweeteners are High Fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and Sucrose. Which is form of sugar? Which are available from numerous domestic sources? Those are fluctuation of market price. Coca Cola Company has no experience in difficulty in nutritive sweetener. Coca cola bottlers sales and services (CCBSS) is limited liability Company owned by coca cola bottlers. Non-nutritive sweeteners are aspartame, acesulfame, potassium, saccharin, cyclamate, sucrose. These raw materials are ready to available from numerous sources. Aspartame is a important non-nutritive sweetener. This is used alone or mixed with other sweeteners. According to coca cola company has above production factors such as people, system, raw materials, capital and brands etc. focus on the last ten years coca cola company has changed within the production factors to improve their business efficiency and competitive with other companies. Mostly start of their production people is most part of their business. Increase the cost of production is going to affect to decrease the marginal revenue and increase the marginal cost. Coca cola has Increasing completion which that they can develop their business in globally. In the economics most part is production factors which are limited resources and scarcity. With the limited resource Coca Cola Company has many choices. They consider with opportunity cost. I suggest that Coca Cola Company is using more with their production through water. Water is unlimited resources. So they cant use without control. Because geographical condition is going to affect in the environment, that is also affected to people. Finance: Coca Cola Company is doing their business with not only their money but also they have debt. Due to coca cola is a global presence and strong capital position now. They can increase their funds through low effective cost. In order to they could achieve mix of short term and long term debt and mix of fixed rate and variable rate debt. As a result is lower overall cost of borrowing. Basically funds are vital in order invest in new asset including people, machinery. The structure change would require more funds in order to move closer to the customer. It considered how the company has been raised the fund both internally (retain profits) and externally (capital markets sources: long term loans, share issues) over ten years. Lower interest rate is increase to consumer demand in economy. In this situation Coca Cola Company will increase their debt as result of low borrowing rates. It can use of debt on innovation of new products. In the point of view Coca Cola Company has spent less cost and also sell low price to the people. Due to this low price people get feel cheaper products in coca cola. Most of the non alcoholic beverage industry particularly coca cola company has high sales due to they have got major role in success and growing market in non-alcoholic beverage industry The non-alcoholic beverage industry has high sales in countries outside the U.S. According to the Standard and Poors Industry surveys, For major soft drink companies, 32 there has been economic improvement in many major international markets, such as Japan, Brazil, and Germany. These markets will continue to play a major role in the success and stable growth for a majority of the non-alcoholic beverage industry. This analysis basically examines the local, national and world economy impact which includes issues of recession and inflation rates. Since the September 11 attack the world has been facing a rapid change with increase instability further more give to the period of recession there has been a cut in the interest rate by ten times due to which the companys can increase the use of debt as result of low borrowing rates. Cola company contracts with larger number of bottling partners in the world to increase their distribution of beverages. The Company has threatened of stability due to the dependent relationship that impact with bottling partners. GROWTH ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES: 2008-2020 Percentage of NARTD Industry Incremental Growth: Vol. Value Sparkling 17% 24% Juice Juice Drink 13% 19% RTD Tea / Coffee 18% 13% ENERGY 4% 12% Packaged Water 25% 10% Sports 5% 9% (The Coca-Cola, Annual Report, 2009) Winning with Coca-Cola TM + Core and New in Developed and Emerging Markets: COCA-COLA TM CORE AND NEW MEXICO 3% 12% TURKEY 5% 24% RUSSIA 7% 13% BRAZIL 8% 18% S AFRICA 4% 6% CHINA 11% 20% Volume CAGR 2005 2008 Coca-Cola TM Growth Potential Is Just Beginning To Be Unlocked: (2008 PER CAPITA) Delivering Through Unique Global System Capabilities: Consumer Consumer Marketing Shopper Coca-Cola Growth Franchise Leadership System Customer Commercial Leadership CONSUMER MARKETING: 1.6 Bn serving per day 1 MM per minute 206 Countries CUSTOMER LEADERSHIP: 20 MM customer per week 7 MM Coolers FRANCHISE LEADERSHIP: $64 Bn supply chain 900 + mfg operations 8500 sales centers and warehouses 500,000 vehicles KEY SUCCESS FACTORS: The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest, most successful and most widely recognized corporations in existence. Coca-Cola is a dominating force in the beverage industry and sets a very high standard of competition. Research shows that its trademark is recognized by over 94% of the worlds population. There are many factors contributing to Coca-Colas success. It is believed that their key success factors are Marketing, Innovation, and Globalization. MARKETING: Coca- Cola is seen as one of the winning business model. They were among the pioneers of advertising techniques and styles used to capture the markets. Through its intense marketing campaigns, Coke has developed an image that is reflected in what we think of when we buy Coke and what we associate with drinking Coke. This image has been subconsciously installed in our brain by the advertising campaigns that show Coca-Cola associated with good times. Marketing Strategy of Coca-Cola: Speed up carbonated soft-drink growth, led by Coca-Cola. Selectively expand the family of beverage brands to oblige gainful growth. Develop system productivity and capability together with bottling partners. Provide customers with inspiration and consistency to generate growth across all channels. Direct investments to highest potential areas across markets. Drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness everywhere. Incorporated promotional activities. (Www. Scribd.com) INNOVATION: Coca-Cola has been able to continue to exist and develop in an ever-changing market because of its ability to steadily innovate and deliver new products. Coca-Cola began to a strategy referred to as play to win innovation. The company started operating in a decentralized environment that was unfeasible in few years ago. Now Coca-Cola offers nearly 500 different products in and is still dominating the beverage industry. This is made possible by the companys ability to innovate and adapt to changing markets. Innovation brings markets faster. To satisfy the needs of older consumers, the Company made sophisticated Soda for social occasion. The Coca-Cola Company develops innovative premium brands, such as; Burn Soft Drinks- now in 85 countries. New Burn Intense Soft Drinks- Now in 7 countries. Illy Coffee- Now in 18 countries. The Company is also acquiring and expanding premium brands, such as; Making Glaceau vitamin water will be next global brand. Investing in premium platforms, such as; Innocent, Juice Smoothies, Lunch pack Smoothies, 100% NFC Orange Juice. Now they are in 11 countries in Europe. GLOBALIZATION: Todays big business takes place on a global scale, and Coca-Cola is no exception. Technology is continually changing business, and these constant changes have been making it more feasible and profitable for business to expand their operations globally in order to serve all different types of diverse markets around the world. Coca-Cola is taking advantages of the large revenue opportunities made possible by participating in global market and now offers products in 200+ countries around the world. $ 20 TRILLION GDP GROWTH BY 2020: Global Real GDP ($T) $70 $50 2020 2008 INCRIMENTAL GLOBAL GDP GROWTH RATE: COUNTRY / REGION PERCENTAGE Rest of the World 21% China, India, Latin America 39% USA 21% Japan 3% Europe 16% THE COCA-COLAS CONFIDENCE IN THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY LONG TERM OPPORTUNITIES: 5% CAGR 145 Bn Cases 4% CAGR $1,100 Bn 55 Bn Cases Incremental Growth $500 Bn Incremental Growth 90 Bn Cases $600 Bn 2008 2020 2008 2020 Industry Value Industry Volume TRACK RECORD OF PROFITABLE GROWTH: GROWTH SINCE 1977 22X 16X 13XXX 6X 9X 4XX Operating Income Net Revenue Operating Income Operating Income Net Revenue Net Revenue Total World Rest of World UNITED STATES HEALTHY SYSTEM INVESTING TO GROW: Higher Margin Reinvesting -Long term Improving Profitability Capital Expenditures Return on Invested Capital EBIT / Revenue 14.9% 14.6% 11.2% 13.8% $4 Bn $6 Bn 2005 2008 2005 2008 2005 20088 Comparison of Five Year Cumulative Among The Coca-Cola Company, The Peer Group Index and The SP 500 Index: Total Return Stock Price Plus Reinvested Dividends: KO Peer Group SP 31/12/04 $100 $100 $100 31/12/05 $99 $111 $105 31/12/06 $122 $132 $121 31/12/07 $160 $158 $128 31/12/08 $121 $120 $81 31/12/09 $158 $146 $102 The total return assumes that dividends were reinvested quarterly and is based on a $100 investment on December 31, 2004. PERFORMANCE AT-A-GLANCE: 2007 2008 2009 Unit Case Volume (in billions) 22.7 23.7 24.4 2007 2008 2009 Net Operating Revenues (in millions) $28,857 $31,944 $30,990 2007 2008 2009 Operating Income (in millions) $7,252 $8,446 $8,231 2007 2008 2009 Operating Cash Flow (in millions) $7,150 $7,571 $8,186 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total Assets (in millions) $29,963 $43,269 $40,519 $48,671 Long -Term Debt (in millions) $1,314 $3,277 $2,781 $5,059 The Comparison with PepsiCo: PepsiCo is the main competitors and threats to the Coca-Cola. (Year Ended December 31, 2009) (In Millions except per share data, and no.) DESCRIPTIONS The Coca-Cola The PepsiCo Total Assets

Monday, August 19, 2019

law :: essays research papers

Citizen Complaints and Problems Officers Examining Officer Behavior Chapter thirteen talks about the police being a public institution, that relies on a grant of legitimacy rooted in public trust and confidence. Complaints that become news events can wear away confidence among an even wider audience. This chapter provides the unique opportunity to combine citizen complaint data with actual observations. It examines the behavior of identified problem officers, as well as whose who are not labeled as such. Systematic research on police misconduct suggests most citizen complaints are generated by a handful of officers. In 1991, the Christopher Commission released its review of the Los Angeles Police Department in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, 1991). From its investigation, the Commission reported that a small group of officers were responsible for a disproportionate number of citizen complaints. Forty-four officers who had six or more allegations of excessive force or improper tactics were identified and labeled â€Å"problem officers.† It stands to reason that officers who repeatedly receive citizen complaints will be looked upon with suspicion, reflecting the saying- â€Å"where there’s smoke there’s often fire.† Perspectives on Citizen Complaints and Problem Officers As a result of the adversarial nature of the police-citizen relationship, situations arise in which avoidance of conflict is not an option. Not every citizen willingly accepts an officer’s definition of a situation: instead, he or she may choose to rebel against or challenge the authority of the police officer. Van Maanen (1978) noted this type of citizen, termed â€Å"asshole† by police, was likely to receive street justice in the form of â€Å"thumping.† Though Van Maanen’s fieldwork took place three decades ago, police continue to confront citizens they label as â€Å"assholes† who challenge their authority (Mastrofski, Reisig, and McCluuskey, 1991). More precisely, â€Å"thumping† an â€Å"asshole† has garnered an increasing amount of both departmental and public attention (Skolnick and Fyfe, 1993). At least three different perspectives on the meaning of citizen complaints are possible. First, it may be that citizen complaints tell us little to nothing because they are unreliable or invalid indicators of officer’s behavior. Two arguments can be made in this resp ect. A citizen complaint is just that- a â€Å"citizen† complaint. It is the citizen’s view or perception that the officer acted illegally or improperly, which is unlikely to be informed by rules and procedures by police departments establishing uniform operating standards.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Conflict Media vs. Internet Essay -- Web Cyberspace News Essays

The Conflict Media vs. Internet Throughout our lives we learn new things and acquire new information. Many sources can give us these things to continue on with our lives. Almost all of us either wake up with the radio, listens while driving to wherever we are going, or even at work during our day. Wherever we are or wherever we are going this is a source of information. Another yet stronger more persuasive possession would be from the media. What they tell us and show us impacts our actions and what we think about. From weather to spot stories we usually believe what they are telling us as the viewer. If the weather person says it will rain the next day we will dress accordingly. Everything we are usually told or shown we take into consideration for our daily customs. All affect us one way or another in the long run. In a close yet difficult relationship between the online word and the off line world or cyber space and real time these two places can conflict as well and combine to form our society. Each one influen cing us equally. The media can influence us in both aspects. Through the television news where Internet issues are discussed and argued and also on the web where each and almost every major station has a web site. This aspect you can read it yourself with little outside influence and come up with your own conclusions. Every person on an evening news show has a personal opinion, they only reveal it when you least expect it. This rarely happens, because they are reading what the writers and reporters have written off of a TelePrompTer and adding some of their own opinion as they are talking. Most of the time we have to believe what they are saying, because they are the ones that research the topics and stories that... ...rmation in the online communities, because I would be able to have my own opinion about the particular topic I am reading about. No person on television would be able to tell me one way or another about what I should think or side myself to. I am my own person and have my own thoughts and feelings and all people should be the same way in where they can think for themselves and be their own person. A final thought, each of these two venues presented a good argument on which was better and the advantages and disadvantages towards both, yet one might always be better in one persons eyes and the other might be better in the person next to them. This gives each person a particular individuality and distinguishes them from the rest of the world. Works Cited Rory J. O'Connor. "Africa: The Unwired Continent." Richard Holeton. Singapore: McGraw Hill, 1998. 270-274.