Introduction Speech Guideline

The Day I was Born Speech For your Introduction speech you will present a brief speech on the day you were born. This speech is meant to be an icebreaker and is your time to introduce yourself to your fellow classmates and me. Do some research and find out a few interesting pieces about the day you were born. If you cannot find anything you would like to use on the exact day, you may expand out to the week, month, or year. Please try to stay within the year though.Your speech should focus on 2-4 specific topics such as a lattice event, a natural disaster, a musical group, a technological achievement, another moment in history, etc. (keep in mind the time limit). Use the library resources tab on Blackboard to help you with your research. Skills focus: Show ability to do minor research and effectively present Ideas at an introductory level. Formal Introduction to course concepts will come with future class lectures, and practice of these concepts will come with future formal speeches. Grading: This speech is worth 25 points.You may earn up to 15 points for the actual speech and up to 10 points for your research worksheet and works cited. Requirements: 0 2 minute extemporaneous presentation (e. G. Meaning prepared from note cards). DO NOT manuscript your speech (write it out word-for-word). You are allowed a 30 second buffer on either end; beyond that, there is a 2 point loss. 0 Complete the research worksheet (attached) and use it as a guide to help you. C] Works Cited page (Pick MEAL or PAP, but be consistent) – this should only include the actual citations you use In your speech. See BlackBoard under Documents/Websites for formatting help.Q Minimum of 3 sources of your choice; please note, Walked does not count as a source. Make sure you are checking the credibility of your sources, as well (we will cover this more in chapter 7). You may use someone you interview as one of your sources. Please note it is ALWAYS important to orally cite your sources throu ghout your speech – see BlackBoard for handout (we will cover this more in chapter 7). 0 No more than 3 one-sided EX. note cards (or equivalent). Visual aids are not required for this speech. Ã'Ëœ You will need a brief introduction that leads into the 2-4 items that you chose to tell us about, followed by a brief conclusion.Be creative. Here Is a sample introduction: 0 I was born In the spring of 1 974, April 24th to be exact. I share my birthday with Barbara Strained, Cedi the Entertainer, novelist Sue Grafton, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a year of Impeachments, atomic scares, and kidnapped millionaires. But on the warm spring afternoon I was born, political turmoil was the order of the day. (category) order. See the index of your textbook to find more information on these organizational patterns. Fox While you will not have a lot of time to go into great detail, pick a few things that you can expand on in your speech although briefly.Practice in front of a clock or timer to be sure you are speaking for roughly 2 minutes. Please Note: This is Just an ice-breaker speech to get you into the speech presentation mode. This is meant to introduce you to what is expected (in a more polished manner) in future speeches. Make sure to email me or see me in person if you have any questions or need any help. The Learning Assistance Center located in the University Center 170 is available to assist you. Good luck and have fun with this speech! Name: Research Worksheet What day was I born? Who might I interview to find out more about the day I was born? 1 . 2.What are three very specific questions I would ask about the day I was born? 1 . 3. What resources might I use to find out information about the day I was born aside from interviews? I have provided three; list three others that you use (or may use) in your research efforts. 1 . Facts on File: World News Digest – you can access this through Steely Library online. 2. Time Magazine – you can access this through Steely Library online or in person. 3. The New York Times – you can access through Steely Library online or in person. 4. 5. 6. What are three things that I found in my research that are interesting enough to mention in my speech?

Teamwork: Communication and Group

Communication is essential throughout our daily life, both in our personal life and professional life. Communication skills are vital when we are working towards a common goal as a part of a team (Kearney-Nunnery, 2008). By observing and evaluating yourself when in interaction with others, we can learn how to communicate effectively. Group work demonstrates our capacity to communicate effectively, share and reflect on our opinions, gain trust for group members, and resolve conflicts. A team can be defined as â€Å"a group of individuals who work together to produce products or deliver services for which they are mutually accountable (Tyrer, 2004). Teamwork is described as â€Å"a dynamic process involving two or more [health professionals] with complimentary backgrounds and skills, sharing common [health] goals (†¦ ). This is accomplished through interdependent collaboration, open communication and shared decision-making (Ream & Xyrichis, 2007). † â€Å"Effective collab oration can lead to effective teamwork (Canadian Health Services Research Foundation). † One of the most commonly used methods to assess our performance is through writing a reflective evaluation. In this assignment, I have been asked to reflect on my communication patterns and experiences whilst working within a group. This semester we were asked to work in small groups of 4 – 5 students to prepare a 20 minute information session on the ‘completion of documentation’, and perform a presentation in front of the class. In this assignment I will demonstrate my understanding of group dynamics and communication skills, reflect on my experience during the group activity, and briefly explain how the member contributions were divided up for the group presentation. Team members are described as â€Å"having complementary skills, being committed to a common purpose and holding themselves accountable for their performance (Tyrer, 2004). † These descriptions make it clear that teams are about working together as a group, and each member of the team has a purpose within the group, in working towards a common goal. Team members share goals and are mutually held accountable for meeting them (Canadian Health Services Research Foundation). † To be effective, team members must be flexible and tolerant. For successful teamwork, there must be open and effective communication between all of the team members. Open communication means that all members of the team have their chance to share ideas without being criticized. Establishing such communication between all members is vital for productivity and achievement of goals. â€Å"If effective, the team is more likely to utilize the full range of diverse knowledge and skills available (Tyrer, 2004). † Because the team is held collectively accountable, integrating with one another is expected and included in the responsibilities of each member. Unequal levels of participation between the members of the team may inhibit the smooth running of a team (Caldwell et al). Group working allows people's individual skills and knowledge to merge, which compensates in areas where individual members are lacking. â€Å"It has been argued that teamwork offers greater adaptability and creativity than any one individual can offer, while promoting job satisfaction and staff retention. (Ream & Xyrichis, 2007)† Many variables affect teamwork and team performance on group assignments; including the individual characteristics and personalities the students, the mode of delivery, and understanding of what teamwork involves. During the group work activity I learned how to work with different personalities. Everyone approached the topic differently. I think each group member brought a unique perspective to the group, which helped to create ideas and allowed the group to discuss each angle with each other. Although our group did not have a clear leader chosen at the start of our group work, I believe Rebecca held many of the essential qualities of a group leader. â€Å"The leader has the responsibility to develop team processes (for example, clarity of roles and support for the team) and create favourable performance conditions for the team (Canadian Health Services Research Foundation). Our group decided to divide the topic of ‘completion of documentation’ up into categories with subheadings (e. g. reasons for documentation, history of documentation, forms of documentation, errors in documentation, etc. ); each group member was then responsible for writing a paragraph on one bullet point, ensuring we distributed the work fairly among the group. However, we did all of the b rainstorming as a group and used group meetings to create outlines for the designated points each person was to follow. Once a draft was written, each group member edited it and gave comments, but final adjustments were left to the writer’s discretion. This was to ensure that our categories flowed nicely. We then met as a group and collectively created a PowerPoint presentation with the information we had gathered, instead of having one person doing the majority of the work. In between group meetings, we kept each other updated on our progress via emails. This allowed us to exchange information and share resources. We used email to keep in touch with team members as an easy way to get a hold of other members of the team in the fastest way possible. I found this effective as we were able to maintain contact during our busy weeks. Although I thought communicating via email was appropriate due to the colliding schedules of the group members, more direct observation of the team at work together as a group would be helpful in my assessment of the effectiveness of teamwork behaviours, and the writing of this paper. More frequent team meetings dedicated to the group presentation may have resulted in better communication, which could have allowed for better transfer of knowledge and therefore may have increased our team performance during the presentation. During group meetings, all members participated actively, trying to express their point of view. I think everyone had equal opportunity to voice their opinions and incorporate their ideas into the presentation. I thought working in a group setting was really valuable, which enabled us to expand our communication skills, and become more aware of our behaviour in group situations. In summary, Teamwork is the interaction or relationship of two or more people, who work interdependently towards a common goal. Team-based methods of working have many advantages. Team working has been viewed as a valuable way of improving performance, and quality of working life in a health care setting. Teamwork will accomplish a task more effectively and efficiently than an individual effort. Working in a team requires effective communication. For teamwork to be successful, it is important that every member of the team has patience or tolerance for the opinions of the rest of the team members. When members respect each other’s opinions, there will not only be an increase in productivity, but in teamwork itself. The development of an effective team requires a positive attitude and commitment toward teamwork, along with an understanding of what teamwork involves. REFERENCES Caldwell, K. , Atwal, A. , Copp, G. , Brett-Richards, M. , & Coleman, K. (2006). Preparing for practice: how well are practitioners prepared for teamwork. British Journal of Nursing, (15) 22, 1250-1254 Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. (June 2006). Teamwork in healthcare: Promoting effective teamwork in healthcare in Canada. Policy synthesis and recommendation. Retrieved October 13, 2010 From: Http://www. Chsrf. Ca/Research_Themes/Pdf/TeamworkSynthesisReport_ E. Pdf Kearney-Nunnery, R. (2008). Advancing your Career: Concepts of Professional Nursing (4th ed). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis. Tyrer, J. (2004). What lessons can we learn from effective teamwork? Nursing & Residential Care. 6 (2), 86-88 Xyrichis, A. & Ream, E. (2007). Teamwork: a concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing: Theoretical paper. 61, 232–241.

Logistics Software Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Logistics Software Application - Essay Example vey conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reveals that the global air cargo will increase by 4.8% annually as calculated from 2007 to 2011 including the Asia Pacific air cargo growth rate that is around 6.3%. However, the Boeing Company has reveals that in the year 2004 and 2005 the air cargo will grow around 6% annually up to 2024 globally. As mentioned by the HKIA, the industry related to the air cargo will develop about 13% annually and the cargo handled by the Hong Kong’s air cargo will increased up to 13% annually. The long-term research has reveal that the Civil Aviation Administration of China sates that the air traffic going toward Mainland will increase immensely and the cargo facility will be developed by 10% per annum. The total cargo will increased till 30 million tones till the year 2020 and also the Mainland will start exporting its goods through other direct flights. Thus the annual cargo transferred facility provided by the Hong Kong w ill not be used by the Mainland in future. â€Å"Hong Kong International Trade receives over 10,000 trucks and 15 vessels a day, about six million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year† (Murty et al. 61-75). The logistics service providers include high demand related to their services in order to compete in this industry. They should have maintained high efficiency, high value added services, high quality of services and high security services. In order to provide these services, fully professional personnel must be hired who possess good hands on experience, knowledge as, well as super current information regarding facility providing. Also, the company has to provide manpower training to its employees, develop air freight information platforms, improve management mode, strengthening international collaboration, and continuous updating of standard to international level are all directions for developing Hong Kong airfreight logistics industry. E-commerce operation mode has affected the

Animal Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Animal Behavior - Essay Example In what ways were chimpanzees superior to humans Goodall observed (p. 232) that unlike humans, a chimpanzee is not inhibited by any fear of making a fool of him/herself. What this means is that chimpanzees may not exhibit in their adulthood the effects of any traumatic experiences in their childhood. They instinctively learn from their experience and move on is what she seemed to imply, although such a conclusion may be doubtful scientifically because it was not possible at the time of her observation to have any properly documented childhood histories of the adult chimpanzees she observed. And, of course, what we may consider foolish behavior may be for a chimpanzee just an ordinary show of animal happiness. At the least, we can admit that chimpanzees are superior in a way because they do not go around rampaging in the forest just because they were bullied by others of their kind, as Goodall observed. Goodall also made some observations where humans were "better" than chimpanzees, and this is in caring for their young (p. 185). Unlike humans where the male of the species get involved (emotionally and physically) from pregnancy to adulthood, male chimpanzees do not do so, leaving the task and troubles of pregnancy, birth, and child-rearing to the female. This form of behavior Goodall marks as one of the main differences between human and chimpanzee societies. This leads us to ask whether this difference has something to do with the malaise in human society today, and whether leaving child-rearing to human mothers would be better. There were other instances when Goodall found chimpanzees in a league of their own and incomparable to humans, such as in the way they trust the others, especially humans, or in the tolerant and kind behavior they show towards their young (p. 74; p. 178). They do not turn traitor, friendly one moment and then aggressive the next, or harm others for no reason. This did not mean that chimpanzees do not express aggressive behavior when threatened, but once they accept someone as their own, everyone is expected to follow the established social order or get out of the group (perhaps, start a new one). In a sense, these chimpanzees were exhibiting animal behavior but devoid of the evil and bad intentions that abound among humans. Personally, Goodall's account shows the many similarities and differences between humans and chimpanzees, and leads me to question the advantages and disadvantages of rational behavior, or whether chimpanzees can teach us lessons that would help us make this world a better place. Looking at the world as it is now, I disagree with Goodall's observation (p. 34) that we accept the chimpanzee as Man, because I think it would be an insult to the chimpanzee. Perhaps later, when we humans learn to use our "superior" mental and spiritual capacities to do what is good and to avoid evil, it would be an honor for us to be accepted by the chimpanzees as their biological and genomic kin. The Truth about Dogs Budiansky (2001) presented a genomic dimension of man's best friend, a "gene's eye" view to show how dogs evolved from their

Report on The Rose Theatre Kingston Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Report on The Rose Theatre Kingston - Essay Example Purposes that qualify a Trust to be a registered charity are â€Å"to promote, maintain, improve and advance education, particularly by the encouragement of the arts including the arts of drama, mime, opera, ballet, music, singing, dance, literature, sculpture and painting† (CC, 2010b and 2010c). To achieve this, The Rose plays an important role, which also justifies entering into funding and working partnerships with the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames Council and Kingston University. The Rose is the â€Å"research laboratory† for the University, specifically its postgraduate Masters degree course in Classical Acting. The Rose is likewise the source of economic activity and the social and cultural revitalization of the surrounding communities (Rose, 2010a). According to its latest (2009) financial report, the agreements signed in 2008 with these groups guarantee annual funding of  £900,000 towards a yearly budget of  £2.3 million. Some of the Trustees are likewise from the University and the Council, helping the Trust secure funding from the Arts Council (CC, 2010d). The Rose Theatre’s executives are industry veterans Sir Peter Hall (Director Emeritus) and Stephen Unwin as Artistic Director and CEO. David Jacobs, Life President, is a retired broadcas ter. These three report to the 20-member Board of Trustees, whose task is to guarantee the execution of the charity’s strategies and purposes. Given its purposes, The Rose wants to attract people from surrounding communities of Kingston Upon Thames to watch performances. It also wants tourists from outside Kingston to patronize its shows. Among those in the community, The Rose wants a wide range of customers coming from a broad range of economic capabilities, from low-budget students to middle- and upper-class local and neighbouring residents and tourists. This is the primary

Service Operations Management2014 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Operations Management2014 - Essay Example To this end, the paper will make use of developmental strategies espoused by Cooper and Kleinschmidt (2011) as being integral to launching a product or a business unit in any market. These concepts include defining the target market, identifying the needs, preference and wants of the potential customer, as well as defining the product and/or business concept, its specifications and requirements, in an adequate and satisfactory manner. In order to be able to maximize sales, it is important that we understand the nature of the target customer, more so their preference and desires. Through this, the business is able to establish the existence of a potent customer base as well as learn how to render the service or product in the best way that meets the needs of the customers. In addition, the business is able to develop appropriate marketing strategies capable of reaching the customer base as well as ways of improving the delivery of the marketing strategies (Neelankavil and Rai, 2014). Availing information on the service package on the other hand enables the business to define the different services bundles ranging from supporting facility to facilitating goods, explicit to implicit services, and their impacts on the wellbeing of the business. For years, the target market for fast food businesses has been the young generation. This is so because the young people have an insatiable appetite for good food available on the go. This group also forms the largest of our target market for this business, and in addition to which we are introducing other food that appeal to the elderly as well. This diversification is aimed at reaching out to a larger market segment in order to guarantee quantifiable sales at the onset of the business, and to lay ground for our brand identification as an all-inclusive one. Shenkar, Luo and Chi (2014) advance that focusing on a younger market segment is important to the success of a business as it allows the business to

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara - Essay Example The story â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara elucidates the situations of trials and tribulations in the life of blacks. What a contrast of life in different parts of the same city! The type of hardships undergone by Sylvia and her friends in the slums of New York, the type of environment they were brought up and the glaring imbalance as compared to the ambience of the Fifth Avenue can lead to two types of reactions. One is the black children may be fired with ambition to excel in life, improve their economic prospectus and achieve the rewards comparable to life in the Fifth Avenue. The other could be one of jealously and revenge. Evaluate the reaction of Sugar, an innocent child who says, â€Å"You know, Miss Moore, I dont think all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs.†(cai.ucdavis.edu) This is the pointer to the standard of life of the black children. Bambara creates poignant story how a college educated black woman arrives at the slum neighborhood on weekends and takes the children to a sort of picnic to posh areas like Manhattan. From the time the children leave from their slums until they return home, what are their feelings after being exposed to richness and luxury? How disturbed could be their emotional world comparing own plight and the affluence they saw throughout the day? How disturbed could be their emotional world comparing own plight and the affluence they saw throughout the day? The plot of the story is simple, but the philosophy behind it is profound.

DE Beers Diamond Dilemma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

DE Beers Diamond Dilemma - Case Study Example Political factors These factors emerge from the various policies, which are imposed by the government. De Beers as an incorporation had to deal with different political upheaval since it operated in different countries and had to sell its products to different countries as well (Gillespie, 2009). The political upheaval in Soviet Union in the year 1991 causes a lot of profit loss to De Beers Incorporation (Danielle, 2005). Before this upheaval, the Soviet Union and De Beer Incorporation had trading agreements and that dates back to the year 1950s. In this same year, deposits of Diamond were found in Siberia and from the trading agreement; Soviet Union had agreed to sell all their diamonds to this Incorporation. The integration of the Soviet system resulted into the collapse of the trading agreements that De Beer had with them and therefore, the enforcement of the various contracts were not possible. The political upheaval in Angola in the year 1990 also weakened the operations of De B eer Incorporation. The rebels were able to take control of major diamonds mines from the then President Dos Santos and this forced De Beer to purchase blood diamonds. Apart from Angola, other African countries, which were trading partners for De Beer, also suffered a lot of political upheaval. Countries like Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia were equally affected by the political upheaval and that led to reduced trading by De Beer. Trading in blood diamond later caused the company many revenues following their exposure in the year 1998. Economic factors Changes in the economy greatly affected the operations and organization of many business corporations (Gillespie, 2009). Due to hard economic times in diamond trade in the year 1999, De Beer was able to experience some shifts in its value chain (Danielle, 2005). A lot of integration in terms of forward and backward movement was experienced. Many investments in mines by the retail outlets were being experienced a t that time and at the same time many mines were equally becoming retailers. This integration proved it tough for De Beer since the company returns were greatly reduced. In the same year, jeweler Tiffany and Company that has been sourcing most of diamonds from De Beer announced its withdrawal and it bought some mining concerns from Canada at a cost worth $ 104 million. These economic factors affected De Beer Company and the Company opted to safeguard its market dominance. The safeguarding practiced proved to be very expensive for this company since it was forced to buy diamonds from inflated prices. Some of the diamonds, which were purchased at inflated prices, were later sold at very low prices. The emergence of Australian Argyle Company into the diamond trade further weakened the market bases for De Beer since this company was able to produce low quality diamonds, which were later sold cheaply. The inflation in prices of diamonds from other countries where De Beer was sourcing the m also made this company in the year 1990 to lose a lot of its market share (Danielle, 2005). The share price for this company was also able to reduce from 17 to 12 $ between the year, 1989 and the year 1998 and the fall in price presented a percentage drop of close to 30. Social factors These factors generally affect the demands of the various products produced by an organization. These factors circumrotate on the labor and the workforce within an organization (Gillespie, 2009). The processing of diamond in De Beer Company had several processing industries, which were helpful in the cutting and polishing of the processed diamonds. The Indians dominated the workforce in the organization and close to 1 million workers in the processing

Ethics -Radio Shack Ceo Sacandal Essay Example for Free

Ethics -Radio Shack Ceo Sacandal Essay Ethics is the consideration of how human actions can improve or deteriorate the environments in which we work and live. In the wake of recent corporate scandals like Enron and WorldCom leading to trials and imprisonment of previously powerful (Chief Executing Officer) CEO’s public trust in CEO’s has diminished. Therefore when the story about the forged academic credentials of Dave Edmondson, CEO of Radio Shack came it re-ignited the mistrust. This paper will provide a brief background of the scandal and detailed analysis of the ethical issues involved and whether the actions taken by RadioShack were ethical or not. Background: Dave Edmondson was on a fast career track and was named CEO of Radio Shack in May 2005. In February, 2006 Radio Shack announced that its CEO, David Edmonson has resigned over questions raised over his resume. The Fort Worth Star- Telegram discovered that he had not earned degrees in theology and psychology from Heartland Baptist College as claimed on his resume. Moreover Edmonson had only finished two semesters at the college and the college did not even offer a psychology major. Edmonson admitted to the errors calling them â€Å"misstatements† and resigned in the aftermath of the corporate scandal. Analysis: The main issue about this case is not just forging of the academic credentials but how Radio Shack handled the case that generated criticism from public and turned it into a media circus. The basic hypernorms of honesty and integrity were not met by RadioShack in handling the situation. Edmondson did not display fairness towards Radio Shack by trying to communicate the value of knowledge via false degrees. It was not just the disappointing fact that Edmondson lied on his resume but what was equally troubling was the individual and corporate response to the scandal. Radio Shack supported its CEO and failed to give public any substantial answers. The ethical question then becomes that what is the responsibility of board of directors? Should they oversee the personal ethics of a CEO as long as he is driving the shareholders maximum value and yielding higher profits for he firm or they should step up and take responsibility for their own short comings, take the required action and set an example of driving the company by ethical values and standards not just profits? Radio shack displayed lack of responsibility as a company when it came to take ownership of the issue and failed to address the public with compassion and was unable to provide clarification regarding the r esume issue. From philosophical approach- consequentialism view holds that whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act. Edmondson’s decision to lie on his resume turned out to bring good consequences only for him in terms of a career hike. Deontology brings up these questions: Was Edmondson’s decision legal, fair, just or right? No, it was not and transparency and information sharing regarding the falsified resume might have led to different outcomes both for Edmondson and RadioShack. Considering the virtue ethics, did Edmondson and RadioShack’s decision demonstrate expected virtues? The company had built its image and reputation over many years. This reputation entailed virtues of trustworthiness, compassion, integrity and responsibility. It did not seem that Edmondson’s decision to not come clean was based on any of these considerations. He bluntly violated the virtue ethics. The stakeholders involved were shareholders, board of directors, employees and common people. He could be cut slack for being an ambitious young individual at the start of his career but how can the ignorance be overseen that in the years of making towards a CEO he never came clean. Infact when the scandal was raised and he was confronted he did not even admit right away. This displays lack of character and credibility. A company’s leader should be transparent and trustworthy. From a modified moral standards approach I feel that there wasn’t any net benefit to the company from his falsified educational claims. It was also not fair to all the stakeholders involved as there could have been a better candidate who got rejected due to a truthful but less flashy resume. Also the distribution of benefits was enjoyed by the CEO whereas the burdens were shared by him and the company equally in terms of a bad reputation and loss of public trust. Also RadioShack was not consistent with the virtues expected by its employees as they did not bring them and other stakeholders in the loop during the media frenzy which led to a discontented employee atmosphere. This also leads to question the monitoring and compliance at RadioShack. They had a code of conduct and code of ethics in place detailing the responsibilities of the employees but how realistically this was being followed can be easily criticized based on Edmondson’s case. I believe that company’s code of ethics should be incorporated in its values and system actions. Corporate risk can be reduced and even mitigated if the organization can align values for ethical motivation and action. Edmondson did take accountability of his unethical actions later and RadioShack’s board of directors also learned the hard way that blind support of a CEO without any solid evidence is unwise and can tarnish the reputation of the company. If they had accepted and reacted to responsibility as soon as the scandal broke the company would have been able to save its reputation and maintained credibility.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay Compare and Contrast the characters of Ralph and Jack and comment on their roles in the novel? Lord of the Flies is an allegory, a simple adventure story that also has deeper meaning. Golding uses the characters of Ralph and Jack to illustrate the battle between right and wrong within society. Both have dominant characters but use methods that contrast in many ways. They have different expectations of others and of the island itself, and have opposing priorities and objectives. It is necessary to examine their different character traits in detail, in order to understand how these influence the development of life on the island. At Jacks first appearance in the novel, we recognise him as a natural leader. Jack is the head of the choir and a strict disciplinarian. Choir! Stand still! However, throughout this encounter, he maintains control and dignity. Jack has complete confidence in his decisions. He cannot be accused of worrying people by being indecisive as he always has clear and definite opinions. I ought to be chief I can sing C sharp. However, his black cloak and red hair are hints of a dark and fiery side to his character. These were the main colours of the Nazi Party flag. Gradually we see Jack changing from an authoritarian leader into something much more ruthless, casting him as a type of Hitler. In contrast, Ralph first appears fun-loving and carefree, sounding like a typical public school boy, wacco wizard golly. He is excited at the prospect of an adventure at the beginning, not considering the implications of being alone and coping on the island, standing on his head when he does not know what to do. Forced at last to believe in the reality of the island, laughed delightedly again and stood on his head. Ralph is an instinctive person who has a tendency to rush into things before considering the consequences. This shows his immaturity. Ralph is therefore quite childish and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve at times. Later in the novel Ralph looks back with regret at that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood. Despite this, Ralph shows himself to be a strong character who often displays clear authority during the novel. He desires order, calling assemblies and using the conch, the symbol of democracy and civilisation, Ralph felt a kind of reverence for the conch. This shows Ralphs belief in democracy. He tries to treat people as equals, including characters like Piggy. He cares for others and is compassionate, especially to the littluns. Ralph also shows his assertiveness when dealing with Piggy, Better Piggy than Fatty, he said at last, with the directness of genuine leadership. He is also courageous confronting the tribe when they steal Piggys glasses calling Jack a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief. Ralphs physical appearance also favours him. He is tall, agile, a good swimmer with a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaim no devil. This is a clear indication of Ralphs character. However, he does not convey as much confidence as Jack. Ralph can appear the weaker of the two by depending on Piggy for advice. This is probably because he has had no experience of leadership and therefore lacks confidence. Simon suggests Ralph needs to be firmer youre chief, you tell em off However Ralph could also be seen as open-minded. He is always prepared to listen to both sides of an argument without forcing his own opinions. Ralph has an optimistic character, never questioning that rescue will come. Ralph earns the respect of the boys and gains their trust. Jack rules through fear. It is a sign of Ralphs good judgement that he delegates responsibility and trusts Piggy, having respect for his advice. Although like everyone else he becomes more savage in order to survive, unlike Jack he does not take this to extremes. Ralph becomes aware of his filthy appearance with a little fall of his heart. After Simons death he says, Im frightened of us. In contrast, Jack becomes a good keen hunter and relishes this role. Increasingly he begins to adopt animal-like methods down like a sprinter as if he is ready to sniff out the scent. Jack can be very determined, and will persevere. At first, Jack is unable to kill the pig, but he shows promise of completing the task in hand I shall! Next time! Soon his obsession with killing the pig takes over and he can no longer keep his basic instincts under control. There are hints that Jack finds it harder to keep a clear head. Jack frowned in an effort to attain clarity, showing that he was beginning to lose concentration and control. Jack forgets about home and has no wish to get off the island. Soon, he has no priorities, other than to hunt and kill. Jack becomes increasingly tyrannical towards everyone. The longer the boys are on the island the worse he becomes. At first Jack targets most of his aggression at Piggy. This seems to be a coping mechanism when things are going wrong. Jack uses Piggy to vent his frustration physically. He seems to feel his only way of control is through violence. Jack shows himself to be a bully, and respect is not given to Jack voluntarily, he demands it. The reason why people obey him is through terror. His followers become known as the Tribe symbolising their loss of individual identity. As Jacks dictatorial style develops he shows himself to be very narrow-minded and expects people never to question him. He will not listen to anyones opinion. Bollocks to the rules! the phrase Jack uses to dismiss democracy. From the beginning, Jack is consistently rude to Piggy. He is a very judgmental person, and he takes Piggy at face value. Jack does not look for the best or show any sign of accepting people for who they are. He has no consideration for peoples feelings. Eventually any suggestions given to Jack are taken as a threat. Jack shows no remorse. A good example of this is the incident concerning the fire. The fire is the symbol of safety and of destruction of power and of hope. The Hunters whom Jack leads can be viewed in the same way. A symbol of safety when obtaining food, but of destruction when blindly killing. By neglecting the fire, Jack shows himself to be unreliable, forsaking the group in favour of his own interests and priorities. He does not admit to being at fault or apologise, but retaliates with aggression. It is easy to understand why Jack is viewed as the obvious leader. He came to the island with experience of holding a responsible position. Ralph, however, has a more spontaneous approach. He is less rigid and seems able to adapt to the changing circumstances. Throughout their time on the island we see Jack and Ralph changing due to their environment and the pressures which they face. Often Ralph rises to the challenge with fairness and clear thinking, but the weight of responsibility causes extreme stress. A strange thing happened in his head. Something flittered there in front of his mind like a bats wing, obscuring his idea. Jack however becomes increasingly violent and degenerates into an overpowering dictator. Lord of the Flies was written by Golding to highlight some of the relevant issues of the day. Published in 1954, there was a strong worldwide movement against dictators and fascism following the Second World War. The division between Ralph and Jack highlights the gulf between good and evil, two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate. Jacks role symbolises fallen mankind, degenerating as the novel progresses into ultimate sin and savagery. Ralph also becomes aware of the darkness of mans heart. Ralphs failure to maintain democracy symbolises mankinds failure to deal with our own sinful natures. Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

My company is lays

My company is lays My company is lays FRITO LAYS I am SUBODH KUMAR, owner of FRITO LIMITED, which produces lays. My company was started with a capital of 2 crore on 12th Dec, 2009. The main product of my company is lays. My company also produces other products like energy drinks, popcorns, frosties, chips, etc.But the main product is lays. The name of my corn flakes is FRITO lays .I chose lays because lays are regularly used by people of all age groups in all seasons and the market of lays is high throughout the year. The idea came into mind when I saw a child who did not want to eat that because he did not find it tasty and I decided to make something tasty for all. And the idea worked. I succeeded in making my own cornflakes. Frito lays are made of. Frito lays comes in two sizes the Family Jumbo size, and in the small size, just enough for one person. The Jumbo packets have masks of animals as cutouts, and kids love to have them. The ad is targeted at mothers who are finally going to buy the product which is meant for family consumption. Kids are surely going to demand it,. Ingredients The main ingredients of FRITO LAYS are: EDIBLE VEGITABLE OIL, SPICES, ONION AND CHILLY POWER, CORIADER POWDER, SALT, GINGER POWDER, BLACK PAPER POWDER, TERMARIC POWDER, SALT, AND TARTERIC ACID VARIOUS FLAVOURS: There are various flavours of NUTRILLES corn flakes. NUTRILLES Banana Bite. Delicious strawberries. Mango mania. Chocoleceous Chocà ³s Musculaceous Frostiest for fun. Each one has a distinctive taste to invite Young and Grey to morning taste buds and in a mix, its a jingle to top up with Tropicana fruit mixes for a great Nutritious head start for the day. The best part of lays has always been that it has been a brand ambassador for Fat Free Food which has gone in a big way to reduce FP Ratio. We all know that the Indians have lost the key to healthy living (Healthy Diet and active Lifestyle) because we can never control our Gastronomic desires after reading so many Foodie revs from the likes of Giyani, Karvy and Cowy. Healthy diet means Carbo, Proteins bla bla bla and near to zero Fat and near to zero Sugar. Do we have to remember all this when lays takes care of every nutritive fact on its cover less glossy than Star dust ,but more attractive and more Crispy which makes it the First company in the world to declare its Fat and Sugar levels. Wholesome Facts-Thought for food For all those who think that you should eat like Kings for BF, Lunch and Dinner and those who think that you should starve like Beggars to break weight, healthy BF is the most important way of getting adequate Energy and Nutrition which can be had by wholesome grains and wholesome diet. Complete planned food as per MY PYRAMID means the right combination of Grains-Non refined whole potato, brown rice preferably and refined white rice, wheat or bread if not. Vegetables-Dark Green orange, starchy Vegetables, Peas and Beans. Typically, a NUTRILLES cereal with milk fulfils a major part of BF but will not be complete without Fruits or 100% fruit..It will be no understatement to say that lays contain rich amounts of Carbohydrates, Proteins, Sodium, Potassium, Vitamins, Fibre and an amazing 0.3 grams of Fat only in a bowl full. lays 100 years of commitment to Nutrition can be found in every product that it manufactures and innovates and deserves rich place in the History of Processed Foods. CURRENT SITUATION: MARKET ANALYSIS: MARKET SIZE: The market size of my is large. But it can be changed according to the market demand by changing the price of the Lays. My objective will be to increase the market share of my product. I will develop strategies accordingly. There is considerable competition in the market for my product but as I have developed an all new product in which I have catered all age groups like children ,young, and aged people. So obviously the market size of my product is considerably large. But there are a large numbers of competitors in the market which are threats to my company. For that I have formulated effective strategies to curb their competitive strategies. There is only one big competitor of my company that is a big name in itself uncle chips, that produces a variety of products in this range. PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: Porters 5 forces analysis is a framework for the industry analysis andbusiness strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developed in Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive 5 forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. 1) The threats of substitute products:- the existence of substitutes lays can be the threats. If I increase price of my productpeople will shift to other substitutes. Also if the competitors decrease the the price ofsubstitutes lays it can also can affect the behaviour of consumer, because the consumer is rational. buyer propensity to substitute relative price performance of substitutes buyer switching costs perceived level of product differentiation 1. The threat of entry of new competitors:-It is also possible that new competitors may enter into the market because it is an ever increasing market that will go for ever. Profitabilitymarket increases the producers or competitors and competition arise so profitability decreases. The existence of barriers to entry (patents, rights,etc.) economies of product differences brand equity 2) The intensity of competitive rivalry:- This is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as innovation, marketing, etc.I will try to bring new innovations in my product to survive in the market. number of competitors rate of industry growth intermittent industry overcapacity exit barriers 4) The bargaining power of customers The bargaining power of the customers does matter a lot. The ability of customers to put the firm under pressureaffects the customers sensitivity to price changes. buyer concentration to firm concentration ratio bargaining leverage, particularly in industries with high fixed costs buyer volume buyer switching costs relative to firm switching costs buyer information availability 3)The bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers of raw materials, components, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or e.g. charge excessively high prices for unique resources. supplier switching costs relative to firm switching costs degree of differentiation of inputs presence of substitute inputs These factors are likely to affect my company and I will have to accept to their conditions. MARKET SEGMENTATION: I have segmented the market on various basis like: 1) AGE :I made the segmentation on the basis of age. For kids there are various flavours and attractive shapes of the lays. For young there is weight losers that can decrease weight within 15 days. For middle age people there is another kind that keeps them strong and contains anti ageing substances. 2) INCOME:I have segmented the market on the basis of income so every class of society gets benefit from my product. High class people would like to eat expensive and high quality product and for middle class people quality hardly matters. laysbets on localisation to beat others ORIGINAL lays maker Frito has begun exploring new formats of cereal consumption, category segmentation and localisation, with Quaker, HULs Amaze and Nestlà ©s Cerevita beginning to occupy space in the Rs 250-crore small but rapidly growing Your browser may not support display of this image.breakfast cereal market. FRITO Your browser may not support display of this image.India is also in the process of rolling out its relaunched muesli Your browser may not support display of this image.brand Extra and plans capacity expansion at its current plants. Declining to divulge specific expansion plans, Mr Dutta said: We are exploring new formats and expanding the number of offerings. But we wont veer away too much from cereals as it remains our core competence. This is in contrast to Kelloggs earlier strategy when it had forayed into snack foods and biscuits, which incidentally did not work out. Forthcoming expansion plans would include identifying gaps in healthy food consumption and segmenting the ready-to-eat cereal category, a recent example being that of Special weight-a weight management cereal aimed at women and also Frito biggest brand. Your browser may not support display of this image. By volumes, lays remain Frito biggest Your browser may not support display of this image.brand in India, followed by Chocà ³s. Its muesli, available as Just Right in Your browser may not support display of this image.India previously, has now been rebranded extra. FRITO Your browser may not support display of this image.India experiments with localisation are now paying off, with localised variants Your browser may not support display of this image.such as mango and honey and the low-priced K Pack bringing in volumes. The Indian subsidiary is now among the fastest growing markets for the $12-billion based FRITOthough its contribution to the companys global sales remains marginal. My Your browser may not support display of this image.fast-food cereal maker is exporting to other countries in the sub-continent Your browser may not support display of this image.such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan. CURRENT SITUATION: 1) Financial position:- The financial position of my company is good. I have enough funds to compete in market .My company has good financial record. The assets of the company are greater than liabilities that show the company is in good position. The company is earning increased amounts of profit. 2) Skills:- In my company, educated and qualified staff or people are there, who have best abilities and skills. Who have new ideas to compete in market? 3)Time:- In my company there is flexibility in timings. Work occurs in three shifts .This makes the employees feel comfortable at work. 4)People:- In my company FRITO people are Divided into 3 management level. Top level management, consists of managers who make strategies, take decisions andimplement them in company. Middle level management: there aremanagers who follow the order of top level managers and control on lower level management. In lower levelmanagement: there are supervisors and labour. Objectives of FRITO LIMITED: 1) Financial objective: To make the best financial plan. Earn net profit nearly Rs. 1 crore lakh per year. Every year reduce losses nearly 10%. Make reserve surplus nearly 5% per year. 1. Marketing objective: these are following: Introduce a product that all sections of people like and get benefit from it. Capture as many customers as I can get from all sections of society. My objectives will be that the customers are satisfied by my product and they become loyal to my product. My objective will be to increase the sales of the companyand for that I will adopt various strategies like good promotion like advertisements,newspapers,hoardings,brochures,etc. 2. Long term objective: These are following: To make a strongposition in the market for long term. Provide best possible services to the people. To introducenew and nutritious products in market. To forecast the coming challenges of competition in market. Currentsituation: Macro Environment: 1) Economic environment:- The economic conditions of the country affects the sale of a product. The available purchasing power in an economy depends on current income, prices, savings, and debt and credit availability. We must pay careful attention to trends affecting purchasing power, because they have a strong impact on business. If the per capita real income of the country is low then the people will switch to other cheap products in the fastfood.However the high class people will switch to my product. That is why I have segmented the market on the basis of income .I have made lays for various income classes.Various prices of the product are available. 2) Social-cultural environment:- Society shapes the beliefs, values and norms largely defines consumer taste and preferences. This environment directly affects my companys product through consumers taste. 3)Technological environment:- Technology shapes the future of any society. I must constantly watch changes in technology for keeping track of competition and customer wants. It plays an important role in determining the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type of plant and equipment to be used. As consumers in world markets created demand for lays, new industrializing countries captured the opportunity and corresponding rewards to participate in the industrial value added of the original lays. These countries were able to participate in the $1.40 of industrial value added reward resulting in the transformation of the required 10 cents of lays to produce the $1.50 box of Frito lays. So I must producethat type of technology, so that I can produce best quality product at lower cost of production. 4) Political-legal environment:- The political environment has a major effect on the way financial services industry carries out their business. Parliament passes out legislation to these organisations who then apply it to business in the financial sector which influence the way they go about their business. The three main forces within the political environment are National and Local government, the EU and different regulatory bodies. These regulatory bodies approach to the supervision of those it regulates will be to apply these principles, other rules, laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals. Consumer behaviour:- It is the study of how individuals, groups and organisations select, buy, use dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants. We study of consumer by following ways: o Demographics:-In this we divide consumer on the basis of variables such as age, family size, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality social class. For example I have divided the consumers on the basis of income, age,family size. For example on the basis of family size I have made jumbo packs, family packs. Psychographics:- In this we assess consumers at mental level to determine choices for buying the products. This process includes motivation, perception, learning, beliefs attitudes. Motivation:- It refers to way in which urges, drivers, desires, aspiration, needs direct, control or explain the behaviour of human beings. Motivation has close relationship with consumer behaviour. So with the help of motivation we can calculate the consumer feelings for the product. By the help of effective advertisements I will try to motivate the customers to buy my product. Perception:- It is the process by which consumer selects, organises and interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the product. By the help of advertisements and influential brand ambassadors we can make the customers perceive good about our products. Learning:- It includes changes in our behaviour arising from experience. Most human behaviour is learned, although much learning is incidental. I will try to see how customers have previously responded to the products and how they have reacted to them after buying them once.. Nature of buying decision:-Buying decision includes how the customer evaluates various alternatives to buy the product. It includes various steps like : 1) Problem recognition:- In this the customers see where from the need has risen or the product. Need can arise from various sources like family friends. The need for my product i.e. lays can arise when some friend who is also using my product tells u about it or recommends it for your children. Problem recognition is that result when there is a difference between ones desired state and ones actual state. Consumers are motivated to address this discrepancy and therefore they commence the buying process. Sources of problem recognition include: An item is out of stock Dissatisfaction with a current product or service Consumer needs and wants Related products/purchases Marketer-induced New products The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with problem recognition is motivation. A motive is a factor that compels action. 2) Information search:- Once the consumer has recognised a problem, they search for information on products and services that can solve that problem. Belch and Belch (2007) explain that consumers undertake both an internal (memory) and an external search. Sources of information include: Personal sources Commercial sources Public sources Personal experience The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with information search is perception. Perception is defined as the process by which an individual receives, selects, organises, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world 1. Information evaluation: After the customers search the information about the product they will evaluate various alternatives. At this time the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their evoked set. How can the marketing organization increase the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumers evoked (consideration) set? Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organization needs to understand what benefits consumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a decision. 2. Purchase decision:- Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual purchase. The marketing organization must facilitate the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with purchase decision is integration. 3. Post purchase evaluation:- I will have to check out whether the customers go repurchase or not. After the purchase consumer might like to rationalise the purchase decision. The consumer would go for post-purchases action and uses of products. Post-purchase satisfaction is the function of trade off between the expectation and the performance achieved. Summary of situation analysis ofFRITO LAYS LIMITED. Internal strengths:- The main strength of my product is that it tastes so good, a quick and easy eat on the run food. There are a lot of flavors,lots of crabs. It is cheaper than any other nutrition bar out there .The main strength of my company is quality new innovations in products. The product that is lays meets the requirement i.e. a light and fast food. The main feature of my product is that it is very nutritious and it is manufactured in such a way that it is pure in quality. The strength of my company is that there are a range of flavours in the lays that suits every persons taste. Internal weakness:-The Companys weakness is that the lays industry is becoming more stagnant and there has been a little room for growth. EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES:- The main opportunities to my company is that the main competitor UNCLE price is very high and people in India rarely buy that .So I have introduced the different prices for different classes of people. This is the main competitive advantage of my product over other companies. External threats:-The main threat to my company is UNCLE that is the main competitor in INDIA. But in this regard I have adopted certain strategies like I launch products that are traditional in taste so that people like my product. The threats are also from other products that can be used as substitutes. Marketing Research Steps: Marketing Research Approach Once your problem is better defined, you can move onto developing marketing research approach, which will generally be around a defined set of objectives. Clear objectives developed will lend themselves to better marketing research approach development. Developing your approach should consist of honestly assessing you and your teams market research skills, establishing a budget, understanding your environment and its influencing factors, developing an analysis model, and formulating hypotheses. Overall Theory of the Marketing Research Approach What is your overall theory and hypothesis? What do you intend to prove or disprove? What actions are your company willing to take based upon survey results? What are the internal/external roadblocks that will need to be overcome to drive results? Marketing Research Design: I designed the market research in a very effective manner. One thousand consumers were asked a series of questions about the FRITO brands and were shown some initial designs. In particular, the researchers wanted information about the impact of the designs on the shelf, the ease of recognition and the clarity of the brand name and product. The results of the market research confirmed that one design led the field. It highlights the N logo, .. The big advantage of using the N logo was that it was a protectable brand image. Other competitors would not be able to imitate it. Having decided on the new corporate brand icon, the designers had to incorporate it into the design of the packaging for all 29 individual brands. The latest computer technology was used to digitally generate the artwork and the familiar characters such as Snap, Crackle and Pop, Captain Rik and Tony the Tiger were re-drawn in a more modern style. For each product the image was designed to wrap around the box and each side, including the bottom have also been given a strong branded look. The only part of the old design to be kept was the nutritional information, which had itself been re-designed in 1998 and had even received recognition from the Plain English Campaign for the clarity of its explanations. This had already proved to be very consumer friendly and a big success so it was simply incorporated into the new design. It was essential not to alienate consumers with radical new designs and it was important to maintain the individuality of each brand. This is known as the brand equity and means the value of a brand that has been built up over a number of years. Frostiest, for example, keep Tony the Tiger, the familiar blue background and typeface, while FRITO still radiates sunshine and keeps the red and green cockerel. Although the changes in the corporate image were quite radical, the designs of the individual brands retained enough elements to be instantly reco gnisable. Based upon a well-defined approach, a framework for the designing your marketing research design should be apparent. Marketing research design is the most encompassing of all steps in the marketing research process, requiring the greatest amount of thought, time and expertise and is the point at which those less experienced with market research will obtain assistance from an internal market research expert or perhaps partner with an external marketing research provider. Marketing Research Data Collection Marketing research data collection (often called survey fielding) is the point at which the finalized questionnaire (survey instrument) is used in gathering information among the chosen sample segments. There are a variety of data collection methodologies to consider. Market research data collection methods: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) Internet survey Mail survey Mall intercepts Traditional telephone interviewing Internet panel Mail panel In-home panel Survey Data Analysis Any survey data analysis will depend on how the survey questionnaire was constructed. Less complex survey data analysis can be handled with any of a number of office suite tools, while more complex questionnaire data analysis requires dedicated market research analysis programs. Make the decision: After collecting all information, after analyzing, the next and last step is taking decision. This step is based on above informations. The above information was used to take necessary steps to make changes in the product to cope with the changing tastes. Research result:- After the process, of collecting all the information about my product FRITOS . On the basis of this research result, I will take all the decisions of present as well as future. Marketing strategy: Product:- It may be defined as a bundle of utilities consisting of various product features and accompanying services. My marketing strategy with regard to product will be to show the various features of the product: Nutritious value. Hunger erasing value. Longer shelf life. Good taste Different flavours. Product mix:- It refers to all the products offered by a firm. It should be differentiated from the product line, which refers to the group of products which are classified together for reasons of similarities on any one of the several criteria such as customer needs, market served, channed used, or technology used in manufacture. In my company, the product mix refers to the various products offered to the people like corn flakes,popcorn,frosties,biscuits,energy drinks,chips,etc. Product strength:- The main strength of my product is that it tastes so good, a quick and easy breakfast, on the run food. There are a lot of flavors,lots of crabs. It is cheaper than any other nutrition barred out there. The main strength of my company is quality new innovations in products. The product that is cornflakes meets the requirement i.e. a light and nutritious breakfast. The main feature of my product is that it is verynutritious and it is manufactured in such a way that it is pure in quality. The strength of my company is that there are a range of flavours in the LAYS that suits every persons taste. Product weakness:- The companys weakness is that the cornflakes industry is becoming more stagnant and there has been a little room for growth. Product life cycle Your browser may not support display of this image. The product life cycle goes through many phases, involves many professional disciplines, and requires many skills, tools and processes. Product life cycle (PLC) has to do with the life of a product in the market with respect to business/commercial costs and sales measures; whereas product lifecycle management (PLM) has more to do with managing descriptions and properties of a product through its development and useful life, mainly from a business/engineering point of view. To say that a product has a life cycle is to assert four things: That products have a limited life, Product sales pass through distinct stages, each posing different challenges, opportunities, and problems to the seller, Profits rise and fall at different stages of product life cycle, and Products require different marketing, financial, manufacturing, purchasing, and human resource strategies in each life cycle stage. The different stages in a product life cycle of my productare: 1. Market introduction stage Cost was high Sales volume was low because people were not aware of the product. No or little competition. Demand has to be created. Customers have to be prompted to try the product. Heavy expenditure on the advertisement to make the people aware of the product. Profits are low in this stage. STRATEGIES IN INTRODUCTION: I visualised the various markets which I could enter because I knew that I could not enter all of them at once. I analysed the profit potential of each product market singly and in combination and decided on a market expansion path. Then I moved the product into another market .I then surprised the competition by developing a second product for another market. I then took the second product to the first market and then launched a third product for the first market. My game plan worked and I served the market with two or three products. 2. Growth stage costs reduced due to economies of scale and Sales volume increases significantly. Profitability. Public awareness. Competition begins to increase with a few new players in establishing market. Prices to maximize market share. STRATEGIES IN GROWTH STAGE:I improves product quality and added new product features and styling. I also entered new market segments. I also increased distribution coverage and entered new distribution channels. Also shifted from product awareness advertising to product preference advertising. I also lowered the prices to attract the new layers of price sensitive buyers. 3. Mature stage Costs are very low as you are well established in market no need for publicity. sales volume peaks increase in competitive offerings prices tend to drop due to the proliferation of competing products brand differentiation, feature diversification, as each player seeks to differentiate from competition with how much product is offered Industrial profits go down. STRATEGIES IN MATURE STAGE: Converting non users. Entering new market segments. Winning competitors customers. Use the product on in new ways. Improve the product. 4. Saturation and decline stage Costs become counter-optimal Sales volume decline or stabilize Prices, profitability diminish Profit becomes more a challenge of production/distribution efficiency than increased sales. STRATEGIES INDECLINE STAGE: I increasedth

The Crusades Essay -- essays research papers

The Crusades A major turning point in Medieval history were the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of wars fought between the Christian Europeans and the Muslim Turks, which occurred between the years of 1096 to 1272. In this Holy War the Christians goal was to obtain the Holy Land from the Turks, in which they did not succeed. Although the Christians did not meet their goal, many positives did come out of their attempt. Due to the reason that they did not meet their goal, yet numerous positives came out of their effort, many refer to this as a successful failure. A main cause of the Crusades was the treatment of Christian pilgrims. They were robbed, beaten, and then sold. The main group of Turks, the Seljuk Turks, were threatening and growing in power. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexus I, began to become worried and sent out an urgent plea to Pope Urban II, in Rome. He requested for Christian knights to help him fight the Turks. Pope Urban II did agree to his appeal although Byzantine Emperors and Roman Popes were longtime rivals. He also did agree with Alexus I, in fearing that the Turks were expanding. Pope Urban encouraged French and German Bishops and Nobles to also take part in this. â€Å" An accused race has violently invaded the lands of those Christians and had depopulated them by pillage and fire.† This is when Pope Urban II called for a crusade to free the Holy Land. Urban did agree to this having some of his own motives in mind. He was hoping his power would grow in ...

Information Highway Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What exactly is this â€Å"information highway†? â€Å"Think of the information highway as a library that's so new it doesn't have any shelves yet or a card catalogue to find what you need or a road you can take with information on all kinds of subjects† (The Information Highway). The †information highway† or â€Å"information superhighway† is a term that became popularized in 1990 and is now regarded as information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a basic human need. The official project behind the information highway was the National Information Infrastructure. This went beyond the â€Å"interconnectivity of just computers; the scope broadened to include all types of data transmissions between a plethora of places, people, and devices† (Wikipedia). This project was expected to provide for the â€Å"integration of hardware, software, and skills that make it easy and affordable to connect people with each other, each other, with computers, and with a vast array of services and information resources† (Information Infrastructure Executive Order, 1993.). It is also often associated with Al Gore, who â€Å"promoted funding for programmers that led to aspects of the development of the Internet† (Wikipedia). In 1969, he created the first working prototype for his Internet invention. During this time, the Department of Defense Advanced Research Project Association (ARPA) began work on ARPANET. The purpose of ARPANET was to â€Å"promote the sharing of supercomputers amongst researchers in the United States† (Bellis). Al Gore described his idea of the invention of the Internet to the ARPA researchers: â€Å"In the Industrial Age, steam locomotives didn’t do much good until the railroad tracks were laid down across the nation. Similarly, we now have supercomputers†¦ but we don’t have the interstate highways that we need to connect them† (Bellis). That was all the ARPA researchers needed to hear, and by 1969, the ARPANET was first demonstrated. The term â€Å"information superhighway† is a trad emark of Al Gore’s Internet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The information highway is developing rapidly. â€Å"According to a report from the US Department of Commerce last year, it took 38 years for the radio to claim 50 million users in the US, 13 years for TV to gain the same numbers but only four years for the Internet† (Perry). â€Å"In 1994, there were 4 million users of the Internet w... ... though useful and apt, has perhaps served its purpose† (Wikipedia). â€Å"The information highway is exactly what its name says—a road you can take filled with information on all kinds of subjects that includes community networks, thousands of interest groups, databases and on-line news services† (The Information Highway). As we move towards the future, this highway is growing so fast that experts are having a hard time keeping up. Users are coming online by the millions worldwide, and the information available is expanding at an incredibly rapid rate. â€Å"From this point, where you head on the highway is up to you. As you are cruising on the highway it is up to you to find out what is useful. There are no road guides or maps, just your own curiosity and ingenuity† (The Information Highway). Bellis, Mary. â€Å"Al Gore and the Information Superhighway.† About.com. 13 May 2005. http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa040100a.htm Perry, Brian J. â€Å"Society on the Superhighway.† Kaken. 1995. â€Å"The Information Highway.† Canada Prospects. 1995. http://www.semainedelorientation.com/products/cp_95-96/work/info-high.html. Wikipedia. 11 May 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_highway.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Essay

â€Å"Never try to be better than anyone else†¦but always try to be the best you can be. The gulls who scorn perfection for the sake of travel go nowhere slowly. Those who put aside travel for the sake of perfection go anywhere instantly. † Elder gull Chiang to Jonathan Livingston Seagull on the need to be our best. And he is a seagull, so it must be true. (Bach, 1970) â€Å"Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor. † (Bach, 1970). Similarly policemen should not never shirk their duties and never fail to uphold their code of honor because in doing so they dishonor, not only themselves but also the whole police department. â€Å"†¦ for his reckless irresponsibility† the solemn voice intoned, â€Å"violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull Family†¦ † (Bach, 1970) A policeman must never indulge in irresponsible and reckless behavior as it violates the integrity and honor of the whole police department. â€Å"Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can. † (Bach, 1970) Life in the criminal world is also unknown as a policeman can never know for sure what crime he might have to go prevent or remedy. He is put in place to protect his fellow human beings and that alone is his purpose. in doing that he must put his life at stake, even though he may have a family back home. Duty comes above all. However, if he sees any discrepancy in the department he is working for, he should honor the code of humanity and stand up against it. He must not be afraid to take risks for the betterment of his department and for the protection of the people. For the general good he must take a stand against injustice, just the way Jonathan Livingston Seagull did. He must not follow the discrimination practiced by the flock’s but instead be open to new and innovative ideas to fight crime. Much of the popularity of Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull in the early 1970s surely lay in the spiritualization of sheer technique, as the gull, training for faster, more perfect flight, transcended his physical limits and became immortal. On a more banal plane there is some parallel in the distinctively American use of terms like â€Å"goals† and â€Å"personal objectives. † â€Å"I have set new goals for myself† often refers to quite material and short-run plans, but it has the headiness of moral purpose. Here, as in the presidential rhetoric, ideas of vigor and effectiveness are strongly bound up with motion: the achieving individual, like the nation, needs a shining locomotive to pull himself on. Bach’s book is a kind of fable and the highest-ranking American work of fiction on the list, is anything but a violent suspense. Exiled from his flock for daring to fly for the joy of it, rather than following the dignified Gull family tradition, Jonathan discovers that his purpose in life is to help others find perfection. Nativistic returns to nature and the â€Å"greening of America† phenomenon lured the cultured to an asylum outside the culture. The dead weight of technology was dragging spirits that sought to soar into more elevated and ethereal zones. Reductionist theories of human nature harnessed to behavioral-analysis techniques sapped what little life remained in that generation which had suffered the loss of â€Å"autonomous self. † The search for transcendence drove that generation to seek a god within, and the â€Å"Jonathan Livingston Seagull sub society† was born. (Watson, 1983) The book is the real essence of the spirit of internal motivation. The human spirit, like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, can soar. The inspiring story of the courage and persistence of a seagull can be translated into real life. Suppose Jonathan Livingston Seagull smartly runs a pattern of the following shape: ‘Duties of beneficence are not owed to all persons equally, but only to those near and dear. ‘ In answer to the first objection, it matters not at all that Jonathan is an Italian seagull: we will do better to interpret these marks with English semantics. (This is, after all, pretty lousy Italian. ) In answer to the second objection, we might better figure out to whom we owe duties of beneficence if we respect the normal English meaning of words like ‘near’ and ‘dear’ than if we try to reason our duties out ab initio. Now why might this be true? The answer is that, for many people, moral insight is more easily achieved if they reason under the guise of interpreting an authoritative text than if they reason with Sartrean self-awareness that everything is up for grabs at once. This is taken to explain the staying-power of the world’s popular religions. Despite their bizarre metaphysics, these religions give their believers authoritative moral texts the interpretation of which yields greater moral insight than believers are likely to achieve on their own. References Bach Richard. (1970) Jonathan Livingston Seagull. New York: Macmillan Co. Watson, Christine. (1983). â€Å"Jonathan Livingston Seagull. † In Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature, vol. 2. Edited by Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, pp. 808–810.

Ideal Characteristics of an Early Childhood Education Program Essay

Education is something that is very important in today’s society since it prepares a person for the gigantic tasks and responsibilities that a person has to face in the real world. Because of this the government and institutions that caters to employing people place great emphasis on a person’s educational background. Like a domino effect, the institutions that provide education to people would endlessly develop and improve curriculums, facilities and school programs. It is during college and university that the academe would demand so much from its students—thinking that those are the years which are most important while giving such low emphasis and importance to early childhood education such as day care, preschool and kindergarten. Even parents would mostly not think too much about these early years of education. In actuality, these years are the most important since it would be the catalyst for the child’s enthusiasm to develop his/her learning skills, social skills and critical thinking skills. Thus, it is imperative for any parent to carefully choose what early childhood education program that would benefit their child the most. What exactly should a parent look for in such program? The National Research Council in 2000 (as cited by Currie, 2001) made a report that said there are three aspects which are important in early childhood education, to develop the â€Å"child’s cognitive skills, school readiness, and social and emotional development†. Thus, a good program would be focusing on those three aspects. A child’s cognitive skills would be developed if the school will make efforts to learn what the child needs to learn more and learn less while providing engaging activities for him/her that would ensure optimum enhancement of cognitive skills, retention of already present cognitive skills and addition of such skills. Though this would be difficult since children’s intelligence, abilities, learning styles and mental capabilities are different, the school should make a point in trying to come up with a program that would be agreeable to all the children. After all, having other children around them would benefit them in the long run since their social and emotional development would be enhanced too. Having other children around them that would blossom into friendship and companionship is another skill that is wonderful for their over-all growth. Such social and emotional development would only be developed through careful guidance of the caretakers who are there in the program. Since the parents are usually not around or are separated from the actual activities, the caretakers would be the ones to encourage the children to talk to each other, spend time with each other and then eventually become friends. Thus, it is essential for an early childhood educational program to have efficient guides/caretakers/teachers within. Lastly, the National Research Council also mentioned of a good program that would prepare the child for school readiness. This is a daunting task for the program implementers since children are usually reluctant to go into a formal school system and leave the comforts of their homes when there were no strict school rules to follow and school responsibilities to do. School readiness is necessary since it would make the child appreciate the school as an institution that would nurture his/her skills as a person and in the long run, would also appreciate the training that the school is doing to prepare him/her for the more daunting life in the real world. School readiness does not really have a tangible and concrete way of being developed, instead, the school just needs create an environment that the pupils and students would enjoy. Thus, the school facilities and educational materials and something simple as lighting that would help the children into appreciating school should be conducive to the pupils’ overall growth. In conclusion there are three important goals that an early childhood education program should focus on: â€Å"cognitive skills, school readiness, and social and emotional development†. All the school activities, materials and facilities should focus on achieving such aim. Also, the characteristics of such program would depend whether it targets one of these objectives effectively and efficiently. References Currie, J. (2001). Early childhood education programs. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 15(2): 213-238. JSTOR database.

Nickel and Dimed analysis Essay

In my opinion, I feel that the author of â€Å"Nickel and Dimed†, Barbara Ehrenreich, had ethical intentions when making the decision to investigate â€Å"poverty† by emerging herself in the â€Å"low-wage lifestyle†. The ethical concern, however, is with her approach. I feel that the way in which it was conducted could be viewed as degrading to those who do not have an alternative to this way of living. True, hopeless poverty does not have those â€Å"reassuring limits† that Ehrenreich had the ability to utilize when she was in a position that made her uncomfortable with the consequences of the poverty she was attempting to study. By keeping her car, she writes, â€Å"Yes, I could have walked more or limited myself to jobs accessible by public transportation,† and â€Å"I just figured that a story about waiting for buses would not be very interesting to read.† The sole allowance of this access to transportation, although she also maintained other things such as her ATM card in instances that subject her to hunger or homelessness, was in the interest of entertainment versus science. I do feel, though, that Ehrenreich was aware that she was never going to be able to fully commit to this endeavor when she writes, â€Å"With all the real-life assets I’ve built up in middle age—bank account, IRA, health insurance, multiroom home—waiting indulgently in the background,† she admits, â€Å"there was no way I was going to ‘experience poverty’ or find out how it ‘really feels’ to be a long-term low-wage worker.† I applaud her efforts to whole-heartedly work the low-wage jobs she acquired and submerge herself in a way of life that was completely foreign to her. In doing so, I feel that the research, despite its flaws, succeeded in exploring the plight of the low-wage worker in our society at that time. Her inability to budget her expenses with the minimal income that she received, in itself, was a testament to the trials and tribulations that those women face on a cyclic basis throughout their Many of the life situations that the characters in â€Å"Nickle and Dimed† were dealing with are not commonly discussed in today’s society. Media portrays â€Å"the poor† with stereotypical images. According to an article by Bullock et al. (2001), â€Å"women receiving public assistance are stereotyped as lazy, disinterested in education, and promiscuous.† America is depicted as either a classless society or one in which the majority of people are middle class citizens. Despite the lack of awareness of this type of poverty, I do feel that their arrangements are, unfortunately, not uncommon at all. Ehrenreich’s experience with low-wage work in Florida was significantly different than her experience in Maine. She reports that in Maine, â€Å"Even convenience store clerks, who are $6- an-hour gals themselves, seem to look down on us.† In the predominantly white Maine, the maid profession is viewed at in an almost servant-like way, they are the ones who must do the dirty work for the â€Å"wealthy† and are not seen as equals. The history of maid work was usually given to minorities, which could explain for this treatment. As for Key West, Ehrenreich did not have the same issues with regard to degradation, however, she struggling with maintaining her low- wage lifestyle. The waitressing job at Hearthside paid very little so she had to pick up a second job to make ends meet. Because both jobs were so emotionally and physically taxing, Ehrenreich was only able to maintain this for 2 weeks versus the 4 weeks that she had been able to endure in Maine. Although her job as a maid in Maine was also strenuous, and despite the fact that she also had a second job, I believe that her experience in Florida was tougher on her because it was her first attempt at living this lifestyle. By the time she arrived in Maine, I think she had internalized that much of what she was enduring was the everyday lives of the women who she had gotten to know throughout her experience and relented to the existence of poverty. The drastic increase in affluent households using maid services can be explained by a number of things. According to Ehrenreich, with the influx of women into the workforce, tensions arose over housework. Once women began working and did not solely rely on their husband’s wages, women began to expect more from their husbands. When the idea of this â€Å"equal partnership† was not being fulfilled, it caused many disagreements within households. The maid services â€Å"even saved marriages† and took advantage by obtaining contracts from these   homes by capitalizing on this idea, to intervene and solve their problems by eliminating the need for an argument over housework. In her statement, â€Å"For the first time in my life as a maid, I have a purpose more compelling than trying to meet the aesthetic standards of the New England bourgeoisie†, I believe that Ehrenreich was tired of helping the people she worked for â€Å"keep up with the Joneses†. She had come to the realization that neither her employer, nor the families whose homes she worked in, saw her or the women she worked with as â€Å"human†. When they were feeling ill they were told to â€Å"work through it† despite the extenuating circumstances that surrounded their health issues and the circumstance maintaining them. This quote represents her â€Å"purpose† when having to work to compensate for her ailing teammate and helped explain her views on the injustices that these women were enduring. Besides worrying about the dirt under the carpet that was placed as a test by a home owner or the dust on the hundreds of unread books on shelves, she had to take a step back from the robotic, day to day work of the â€Å"maid†. This helped her truly see the human suffering that she was witnessing firsthand and enraged her to want to advocate for these women so that others were able to see it too. REFERENCES Bullock, H.E., Wyche, K.F., & Williams, W.R. (2001). Media Images of the Poor. Journal of Social Issues, 57(2), 229–246. Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickle and Dimed. New York: Picador.

Resources and Capabilities of Coca-Cola Essay

In the competitive corporate world it is very important for organizations to have a strategy. This strategy should be based on resources and capabilities that the firm has and also taking into consideration the opportunities that arise in the external environment enabling companies to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. (Grant, 2005). The company that I have chosen is Coca-Cola. The reason behind me choosing this company is because from my point of view, Coca-Cola has been a company that has always invested, upgraded and leveraged its resources and capabilities to be the most successful brand in the soft drink industry for more than 120 years. According to Interbrand ´s report on Best Global Brands, Coca- Cola has been ranked in the first position for the 13th consecutive years. Estimating its brand value at $77.8 billion and having a rise in 8% since last year annual report. (The New York Times, 2012). Coca-Cola ´s was discovered by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Georgia, as a result of an accident, which has now become the most consumed soft drink in the world. (The Coca-Cola Company, 2012). Around 1.7 billion of Coke products are consumed in a day. (The World Fact Book, 2012). Its portfolio of products range from the traditional Coca-Cola, carbonated soda water, bottled water, tea, sports drink and fruit juices, having over 3,500 products and brands. The company holds 275 bottling partners around the world; these companies are dedicated to produce, package and distribute most of the company ´s products. The company competes in over 200 countries. (The Coca-Cola Company, 2012). The resource based view is a framework that suggests that companies obtain competitive advantage by focusing on strategies that exploit their internal strengths by responding to the external opportunities and trying minimize external threats and internal weaknesses. (Barney, 1991). The advantage of this model is that the firm can consider factors that are within their control. (Connely, 2010). Moreover, this model has two assumptions in analyzing resources. The first one is that the firm is heterogeneous to the strategic resources they control. The second is that resources aren’t perfectly mobile across firms and thus heterogeneity can be long lasting. (Barney, 1991). Before talking about Coca-Cola ´s resources and core capabilities it is important to understand the difference between these two. â€Å"Resources are the productive assets owned by the company, capabilities are what the firm can do well. Resources can be classified as three types; tangible resources, intangible resources and human resources.† (Grant, 2005, p. 136-137). Authors such as Teece and Pisano (1997) suggest that an organization has to always renew and recreate its resources to meet the needs of changing environments. They are three basic types of dynamic capabilities the ones sensing opportunities and threats, the ones concerning seizing opportunities and the ones concerned in re-configuring the capabilities of an organization. Dynamic capabilities can take various forms such as recruitment and management process, major strategic moves, such as acquisitions and alliances. Tangible resources are physical and financial resources that can take a variety of forms. These assets and capabilities determine how efficiently and effectively a company performs its functional activities†. (Grant, 2005, p.139). To determine if a company has a strong financial position financial analyst tend to evaluate in general the gross profit margin, operating margin, ROA and ROE ratios. The Coca Cola Company has a very strong financial position, its sales were $46.542 billion, its gross profit margin in the year 2011 was 60.86%, 2010 it was 63.86%, in 2009 it was 64.22% meaning that the company has been consistent in their efficiency of manufacturing and distribution during the production process. (Google Finance, 2011). The operating margin in 2011 was 23.06% and 2010 it was 39.13%. The margin is the measure of the proportion of company ´s revenue left after deducting variable costs. The margin has been consistent which means that the company is always trying to maintain its variable costs. The ROA is the indicator of how efficient a company is using its assets to generate earning. In 2011, Coca-Cola ´s ROA was 10.17%, during this year the management was less efficient at using its assets but during last few it has been quite efficient. In 2010 it was 16.19%; in 2009 it was 14.02%. The ROE from last year has dropped from 28.17% in 2010 to 17.73% in 2011, even though the company is trying use less shareholders equity to produce profits. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual Report, 2011). The physical resources that Coca-Cola owns can be classified into building, equipment and their bottling partners. The buildings account for $ 5.24 billion, the property, plant and equipment account for $ 23.15 billion. The distribution of the drink is done through 275 bottling partners. The bottling partners manufacture, package, merchandise and distribute the finished branded beverages. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual Report, 2011). The intangible resources tend to contribute more than tangible resources. They can be classified as; intellectual property, resources for innovation and reputation. (Grant, 2011). One of Coca-Cola ´s most valuable intangible resource is its secret formula. The company tends to sell concentrated syrups to their bottling partners, who then use the syrup to produce the final product. This means that the company does even share their secret formula with its bottling partners. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual Report, 2011). According to Coca- Cola another intangible resource that they own is their technology and the know-how. They related this technology to the â€Å"Company ´s products and the processes for their production, the packages used for our products, the design and operation of various processes and equipment used in our business and certain quality assurance software.† (Coca-Cola ´s Annual Report, 2011, p. 9). An intangible asset that Coca-Cola owns is its â€Å"Goodwill†. The goodwill can be classified as the strong brand name, good customer relations or good employee relations. (Investopedia, 2012). In 2011 Coca- Cola ´s good will accounted for $ 12,219. The company performs impairment tests of goodwill at geographic operating areas. The operating areas are: Eurasia and Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America and Pacific. Coca- Cola ´s brand loyalty and recognition can be considered as Coca-Cola ´s most valuable intangible resource. Every day 1.7 billion of coke products are consumed in a day, more than 60% of the of the world ´s population have a Coke drink in a day. (Market Line, 2011). Moreover, the red and white logo is recognized by 94% of the world ´s population. (Business Insider, 2012). The Coca-Cola Company had 146,200 employees worldwide in the year 2011, respectfully called associates. The Company always tries to keep their employees engaged by motivating and indulging responsibility in projects. Their work place includes on site company gym, free Coca-Cola drinks, summer and flexible working hours. Training and development also plays a big role, they continually invest in employee development plans, internal talent management, leadership development for managers and employee performance management. They also tend to reward their employees by different elements such as pension, health care and additional holidays. Once analyzed Coca-Cola ´s tangible and intangible resources I now proceed to analyze their core competence and dynamic capability. Core competence can be defined as â€Å"the linked set of skills, activities and resources that, together, deliver customer value, differentiate a business from its competitors and potentially can be extended and developed†. (Johnson et al, 2011, p. 89). Coca-Cola ´s major dynamic capability is large investment in marketing. In 2011, Coca- Cola spent $ 3.3 billion on advertisement. (Google Finance, 2011). Their marketing programs are developed to â€Å"Think Globally, but act locally† designed to enhance more consumer awareness and product appeal for customers. The company tends to differentiate its marketing strategy in developed markets and developing markets. In developed markets is objective is continue having growing profits and in developing markets its objective is to increase brand value. In emerging markets they invest in brands and infrastructure programs to give access to the consumers to the product. In developed markets they invest in making the product affordable, good communication with its customers and differentiation within its products. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual report, 2011). Another core competence that enables the company owns to gain competitive advantage is their distribution and bottling operations. Most of their products are â€Å"manufactured, sold and distributed by independently owned and managed bottling partners†. (Coca- Colas Annual report, 2011, p. 32). The company owns nearly 275 bottling companies, distributing their products in more 200 countries. Three most known bottling companies are Coca-Cola Hellenic, Coca-Cola Femsa, and Coca-Cola Amatil. Coca-Cola Hellenic distributes in 28 European countries. In 2011, 46% of the unit case volume of Coca-Cola Hellenic consisted of Trademark Coca-Cola Beverages. Coca-Cola Femsa is a Mexican company covers most of parts of South America. In 2011, 62 percent of the unit case volume of Coca-Cola FEMSA consisted of Trademark Coca-Cola Beverages. Coca-Cola Amatil covers Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Indonesia. In 2011, 45 percent of the unit case volume of Coca-Cola Amatil consisted of Trademark Coca-Cola Beverages. According to Coca-Cola the ownership of bottling companies helps them reduce costs and make the product more available throughout the world. In the next five years the company has committed to invest $30 billion in their bottling companies. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual Report, 2011). Coca-Cola ´s innovation in products can be classified as one of its most dynamic capability. They always try to â€Å"recreate and renew† their products. The company holds around 500 products. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual Report, 2011). Their innovation philosophy is â€Å"70/20/10†. They invest â€Å"70 of their resources in existing products, 20% in innovations related to existing products and 10% in pure innovation. (Forbes, 2012). The newest products launched into the markets are mini cans of 7.5 ounces and has only 90 calories. Another new product is Sprite Green, naturally sweeten Truvia, every 8.5 ounce serving has 50 calories and 5% lemon juice. (World of Cola, 2012). Once analyzed all of Coca-Cola ´s resources and core capabilities, the next step is to use the VRIN model, which consists in externally analyzing the firm’s resources and dynamic capabilities to see if these are useful to generate sustainable competitive advantage. VRIN stands for Value, Rarity, Inimitability and Non-Substitutability. (Barney, 1991). Nevertheless some authors such as, McEcily and Chakravarthy (2002), believe that the framework lacks semantic logic that account for characteristics that impede certain activities in the firm at the same time enhancing others. The value of resources can be determined if they can give a company competitive advantage at a cost that it allows the organization to have acceptable profits. (Johnson et al, 2011, p. 89). In case of Coca-Cola the company is very innovative this makes them the market leader. It always takes advantage of new market trends to develop new products and gain competitive advantage. In 1892, they were the first ones recognize about the change that consumers were getting more health conscious and introduced the Diet Coke, a low calorie beverage, which since then became the world ´s top-selling low-calorie soft drink. (World of Coca-Cola, 2012) In terms of Rarity, rare capabilities are those that no or few firms posse. (Johnson et al, 2011, p. 89).According to Coca-Cola their brand value, brand loyalty and brand recognition are capabilities that no other firm holds in the industry. As stated before, their brand value is estimated at $ 77.8 billion and their logo is recognized by 94% of the world population. They have been holding this capability since many years which drives them sustainable competitive advantage. (Coca-Cola ´s Annual report, 2011). Coca-cola resources can also be classified as inimitable. Their distribution system and bottling companies are so widely spread throughout the world, making their products available to customers everywhere at any time of the day. It is really difficult for companies to have such wide distribution network as the costs would be really high for a new firm trying to do this. (Forbes, 2012) Moreover, their secret formula of making coca-cola is considered as non substitutability resource. This is because it hasn’t been discovered by any other soft drink company. Even thought there are substitutes available in the market none of them meet up to Coca-Cola ´s taste or standard. (Coca-Cola ´s Sustainability Report, 2011) In conclusion, Coca-Cola ´s history, brand equity, people, distribution network, secret recipe, etc. are resources that are difficult to imitate, while being extremely valuable. The company constantly works to gain competitive advantage by developing healthier products as consumers are becoming more health conscious and by having big investments on marketing programs to have more consumer engagement. Even though Coca-Cola ´s strategies and competitive advantage are extremely sustainable the company can face competition from healthier and more environmental friendly firms, which the company is trying to tackle by implementing the 2020 vision. The 2020 vision has 5 long-term objectives. The first one is energy conservation/climate change which consists in reducing by 15% carbon footprint. Second, sustainable packaging/recycling makes their packaging 100% recyclable. Third, water stewardship which consists in establishing a water sustainable operation in which they minimize the use of water and have neutral water impact on the local communities where they operate. The Fourth is product portfolio/wellbeing, they intent to provide healthier beverages for every lifestyle and occasion. Fifth, diverse and inclusive culture consists in creating a better work place to work every employee with a wide diversity of culture.