It Week

This Is one of the main reasons organizations limit the usages of e-mails. The path once an e-mail leaves an organization is a very broad one, it goes through an IP address from sender to an IP address to the receiver (or what we call the internet). And the receiver can then take the information sent to them and resend it others without the permission or even knowledge of who in turn will receive it and what they will do with it. An e- mail can pass through many hands before ending up in the right place. Instant Messaging creates a chat service that enables both parties real time communication such like talking on the phone.It can increase productivity if used correctly. One drawback is personal usage with friends during work hours. These can blob down the system and waste revenue. It is not always the most formal way to communicate because sometimes it has its own language which can be misunderstood or not appropriate. For example, LOL stands for laugh out loud. The benefits and dra wback of web pages and search engine usages also can be harmful to a company if the searches are not appropriate for that organization. Having a web page can be a great way to advertise because in most cases it is free.Search engines can supply the organization with much needed information faster than manuals. There may be more but here is a few choices of search engine that are the most popular Yahoo, Microsoft (Bingo), and Google Search. Should organizations monitor employee e-mail and Internet usages? This can be argued on both sides. There are privacy Issues here for both sides, and it can create problems If the wrong Information Is given. But you also have to take a look at personal sites, what Is the person saying about and employee, manager or client? Is It good or bad, and who will see It later.I know of several people red because of what they posted on Faceable which Is a personal site. And rightly, they should be fired. The negativity Is viewed everywhere and by everyone a nd this could hurt an organization without really meaning to. So I guess It Is good practice to monitor e-mail and Internet usage, but there has to be something In writing first to make It known that they are being monitored to avoid the privacy laws. Lilts Week 4 By orchard I believe that e-mail usage with an organization is beneficial to all parties within an organization.Its main purpose is for communications between employees, management, and clients. It is a tool used from a PC too PC or MAC which is sent and received in seconds, As far as the downside of e-mail usage can be the information being sent and received and the privacy issues. Organizations fear that that the information being sent and or received can lead to a lawsuit or cause adverse publicity for that organization, which could be costly to an organization. This is one of internet usages? This can be argued on both sides. There are privacy issues here for both sides, and it can create problems if the wrong informat ion is given.But you also eve to take a look at personal sites, what is the person saying about and employee, manager or client? Is it good or bad, and who will see it later. I know of several people fired because of what they posted on Faceable which is a personal site. And rightly, they should be fired. The negativity is viewed everywhere and by everyone and this could hurt an organization without really meaning to. So I guess it is good practice to monitor e-mail and internet usage, but there has to be something in writing first to make it known that they are being monitored to avoid the privacy laws.

Relationship Between Drop Height and Diameter of Plasticine Sphere Essay

PROBLEM: A student suggest that there is a proportional relationship between height at which a plasticine sphere is dropped and the diameter of the flattened part after dropping. Design an experiment to determine if this suggestion is true or not. AIM:To investigate the relationship between the drop height and the flattened part of a plasticine sphere after being dropped. HYPOTHESIS: As the height of the sphere plasticine increases the diameter increases. VARIABLES: Manipulating: The drop height of the sphere plasticine Responding: The diameter of the flattened part of the sphere. Controlled: The size of the ball, the surface area of the drop height and the material from which the sphere is made. APPARATUS: Sphere plasticine, meter ruler, Vernier caliper, string, marker METHOD: Make a sphere out of plasticine and measure its size using the Vernier caliper to maintain a constant size throughout the experiment. Get a flat and smooth surface area.  Use a meter ruler to measure 60m above the surface area and hold the plasticine to the ruler at the 60m and drop it. Wrap a piece of string around the flattened part of the sphere and use a marker to mark off where the string stops. Measure the length of the string up to where the mark stops using a meter ruler. Divide the length of the string by 3.14 (pi) to get the diameter. Record the drop height and the diameter of the sphere in a table. Roll the plasticine back into a sphere using the measurements from the Vernier caliper. Measure 40m above the surface area using a meter ruler and hold the plasticine to the ruler and drop it from that height. Wrap a piece of string around the flattened part of the sphere and use a marker to mark off where the string stops. Measure the length of the string up to where the mark stops using a meter ruler. Divide the length of the string by 3.14 (pi) to get the diameter. Record the drop height and the diameter of the sphere in a table. Roll the plasticine back into a sphere using the measurements from the Vernier caliper. Measure 20m above the surface area using a meter ruler and hold the plasticine to the ruler and drop it from  that height. Wrap a piece of string around the flattened part of the sphere and use a marker to mark off where the string stops. Measure the length of the string up to where the mark stops using a meter ruler. Divide the length of the string by 3.14 (pi) to get the diameter. Record the drop height and the diameter of the sphere in a table. EXPECTED RESULTS The sphere that has a drop height of 60m should have a larger diameter than the sphere with a drop height of 40m and 20m. The results should be recorded in a table. Height  Diameter DATA ANALYSIS: The height at which the sphere plasticine is dropped and the diameter are directly proportional therefore as the height increases so should the diameter. If the sphere dropped at 60m has a larger diameter than the sphere dropped at 40m or 20m then the hypothesis is accepted. If the sphere dropped at 20m has a larger diameter than the sphere dropped at 40m or 60m then the hypothesis is rejected. SOURCES OF ERRORS / PRECAUTIONS: A source of error is parallax error and a precaution to take to prevent this error is to do readings more than once, record them and find the average. Another source of error is not reading the Vernier scale on the Vernier caliper from the zero mark a precaution to take is to make sure that you start reading the Vernier scale from the zero mark.

Assignment 2 MJTJM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 2 MJTJM - Essay Example As a result, she developed an autonomous face generating and categorizing software, with which she gave unique presentations of the human face. The artist produces and displays artworks from DNA extracts of people from leftovers of substances such as cigarettes, chewing gums, and other items. Her work depicts the importance of scientific approaches to art. For instance, Dewey-Hagborg uses computer and laboratory technology to generate 3-D images of people from the extracts that she collects from public places. This work reviews one of her artistic pieces of work called Stranger Visions, which lasted from 2012 to 2014. The portrait reveals a scientific approach to human identity and the fact that the DNA codes represent genetic information of individuals. Precisely, the DNA is a carrier of genetic information concerning information and technology can decode the information to reveal identities of people. Strange Visions is a collection of portraits that the artist made from an assembly of DNA information from collected specimen of individuals. The portraits reveal that the DNA is found in people’s bodies. Its transmission is through anything that an individual comes in conduct with. At the same time, the work indicates that many people do not have the consciousness that they leave trails of their genetic information in almost all the places they visit. Another aspect of the DNA in the artwork is the fact that it provides essential information on crime detection. For instance, there are possibilities of constructing the exact identities of individuals from an analysis of collected specimens from a crime scene. For such a reason, the artist drives a sense of caution in individuals because she confirms through her work that tracking crime is that easy. For example, the art reveals all the facial aspects of the individuals from which she collects her specimen. Strange

Annotated bibiography (euthanasia) Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bibiography (euthanasia) - Annotated Bibliography Example Mainly intended for medical practitioners and health professionals, the work contains a set of discussion cases addressed by an interdisciplinary panel, which , it is to be hoped, would lead to more work on these lines. 2. Milton D. Heifez. "The Right to Die" Putnam. New York 1975. The author, while putting forward the cases of adults and defective infants and their right to die , gives well documented examples. While the author puts forth powerful arguments on the issues of merciful death, more information could be given on organ transplants. An insightful book, "The Right to Die" is a useful tool for psychologists as well as sociologists. Being a summary of the history of the Right to die movement, the book is insightfully written. Derek Humphrey being the founder of the Hemlock Society, is well qualified to write about the various cases and aspects of the movement. Addressing an audience of adults , the book gives detailed reports of some of the most famous cases of euthanasia. While it is full of information, an easier style would have been more apt. 4. Hoefler, James. M. . "Managing Death" Westview Press (1997). Boulder. 206 pages While the book is mainly intended for the health professionals, it is well written and readable by the layman.

DQ2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DQ2 - Essay Example The payments made to the suppliers of resources are expressed and revealed (explicit) or are present but not clear (implicit). Therefore a firm incurs both implicit and explicit costs while producing products. Explicit costs of the firm are the cash expenditures or monetary payments made to the suppliers who provide materials, labor services, fuel, transportation services and other similar requirements. These monetary payments are made for using the resources owned by suppliers. Implicit costs of the firm are the opportunity costs incurred for using the firm’s self employed and self owned resources. Implicit costs are the monetary payments the self owned and self employed resources may have otherwise earned through their best alternative utilization. Economists does not use the same cost data as accountants use because economists include both implicit costs and explicit costs related to production and also include normal profit which is necessary to acquire and retain resources for a particular line of production. Economists view economic costs as the opportunity cost of resources utilized whether it is owned by the firm or others (McConnell 2005 p.155). Accountants on the other hand consider profits as the balance of revenue after deducting accounting costs (or explicit costs) only. For the economists, economic cost (explicit and implicit costs including normal profit to producer) reduced from total revenue is the economic profit (McConnell 2005 p.156). Changes in demand, supply and equilibrium occur due to fluctuations in customer income, tastes or changes in customer expectation or the changes in the price of related products. Changes in supply occur as a result of changes in the price of resources, taxes or technology. These changes can have an effect on the equilibrium of price and quantity (McConnel, Brue & Campbell 2004 p.50). Price

Opinion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opinion - Essay Example ovide the police officers with protection from the retaliation of the surprised residents as they might retaliate in self-defense, to provide the private property with protection from harm, and to safeguard the dignity and privacy of the residents. Considering the details of the Hudson v. Michigan case, it becomes obvious that the police officers did not face retaliation from the residents. They neither damaged any private property of the residents nor harmed the dignity of the residents and particularly Hudson. Although his privacy might be considered intruded into, yet this is balanced out by the fact that Officer Jamal Good did wait for three to five seconds before entering Hudson’s home, which can be considered a reasonable time considering the fact that the investigation was made fundamentally to find drugs and firearms that could have easily been hidden had the police waited any longer. Besides, the knock-and-announce rule was never employed to protect the personal inter est of a resident in hiding the evidence needed by a warrant from the government. If Hudson was granted his appeal, the negative effects of the decision would have far outweighed the positive outcomes and the decision would have led to increased and unreasonable freedom of the convicts in the future cases as well. The criminal procedure in the US is derived from a range of legal sources that include but are not limited to the US Constitution’s baseline protections, state statutes, federal statutes, state and federal rules regarding the criminal procedure, and the federal and state case laws. The criminal procedure in the US has a very rational process of presentation of evidence in which the case is first presented by the prosecution in which the prosecution summarizes its arguments through an opening statement. The defense in turn might wait for the prosecution to complete its presentation of the case completely or might give its opening statement. The prosecution calls upon the

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown - Essay Example Hawthorne skillfully uses irony, the depiction of madness, and symbolism, to heighten the effect of his story. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is replete with irony. This irony is most obvious in Hawthorne’s characterizations of the people in his story. The author peoples his narrative with Puritans, whose outward words and behavior contradict their inner motives and covert actions. Young Goodman Brown himself is the foremost example of this. The protagonist deliberately sets out on his rendezvous with the Devil. He is eager to savor the evil pleasures that await him, and makes â€Å"haste on his present evil purpose† (Hawthorne, 8). He makes several empty protestations to the Devil, and declares his intentions to terminate his evil quest. However, he does not turn back: it is only talk: â€Å"â€Å"Too far! Too far!† exclaimed the goodman, unconsciously resuming his walk† (Hawthorne, 17). He remains â€Å"conscious of the guilty purpose that had broug ht him thither† (Hawthorne, 41), but continues to travel the path to perdition. Goody Cloyse, wears the guise of the â€Å"pious and exemplary dame, who had taught him his catechism in youth,† (Hawthorne, 26) but is a witch, complete with broomstick and evil incantations. Hawthorne’s irony makes him suggest, tongue-in-cheek, that her muttering is â€Å"a prayer, doubtless† (29). The supposedly holy minster, and â€Å"Good old Deacon Gookin† (Hawthorne, 61), are equally given to vice beneath the facade of saintliness. Hawthorne paints all Puritan society with its â€Å"grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins† (57) in vivid colors of sin and dissolution. Even the hymn sung at the satanic gathering is cloaked in â€Å"the slow and mournful strain, such as the pious love, but joined to words which expressed all that our nature can conceive of sin, and darkly hinted at far more† (H awthorne, 59). This pervading irony makes the reader acutely conscious of the incongruity between the author’s depiction of his characters, and the impression they create as the narrative progresses. This irony is further strengthened by the calm ending of the story in the town, with the characters again displaying their saintly demeanors. Hawthorne’s use of irony is very effective in highlighting the hypocrisy of Puritan life. Hawthorne paints the character of young Goodman Brown with a bold touch of madness. The protagonist’s ring of defenses against the temptations of the Devil tumble down in quick succession: his forbears, â€Å"a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs† (Hawthorne, 17) are close acquaintances of the devil; the dignitaries of New England, who Goodman Brown thinks are â€Å"a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness† Hawthorne, 19) are revealed to be sinners; the pious t rio of Goody Cloyse, the minster and Deacon Gookin are exposed in their true colors of wickedness. Finally, when his belief in his wife, Faith, is demolished, Goodman Brown’s moral foundations crumble, and he abandons himself to despair and madness. The author uses vivid imagery to describe this development. The paragraph depicting young Goodman Brow

The Original Concept of the NHS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Original Concept of the NHS - Essay Example Also, the determinants of health will be included, i.e. age, sex, and other factors. Here the overall success of NHS will also be discussed. NHS Core Principles: As explained earlier, NHS was developed based on three core principles: a) To develop and provide health care across the UK at the same standards. b) Provide a comprehensive service covering all the health care needs c) Provide equal service to all and provide free service at point of delivery. Here the aim was to focus on the needs and not the ability of the customers to pay. As an attempt to bring about a uniform approach within the country, the organisation was focused on removing the system of mixed social insurances and went on to ensure that unlike previous years the old people, women and also children have complete coverage and their medical needs are equally tended to. This helped the organisation also cut the costs and helped in effective and efficient integration of the new medical systems approach within the count ry. Health: As defined by WHO, â€Å"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity† (WHO, 2003). Health is a major factor for all across the world. NHS has clearly realised this and has develop its statement, â€Å"Your Health, You Choices† (NHS Choices, 2011). ... In most cases the absence of diseases clearly indicates a healthy living. In the case of the biomedical model, here the focus is more on reports and vital signs like the pulse, blood pressure, and other such elements. However in the biopsychosoical model, the focus is more based on the above mentioned elements. Here the doctor focus on the psychological wellbeing of the individuals as well as stress related issues before putting the individual on to medical plans. The second method focuses on the methods that can help the individual improve their health by means of changes in behaviour and lifestyle. An excellent example here to differentiate among the two models of health is described below. In the case of a biomedical model, if a patient comes in with a chest pain, the doctors focus on the medical tests, vitals, and mainly the cause of the disease. Here the patient will be questioned for possible symptoms of myocardial infraction. However if the hospital follows a Biopsychosocial m odel, then the patient will be firstly questioned in terms of the psychological factors like possible stress, and also behavior. The decision of the possible issue will be based on the psychological factors as well as the standard tests from the labs. Main Determinants of Health: The WHO has developed three main areas that are the determinants of health. These include the social or economic environment, physical environment and the individual’s characteristics and behaviours. It is important to note here that factors like the income and social status has a major impact on the health of the individuals (Health Impact Assessment (HIA), 2011). Also lower levels of education has also been found to be a major reason for poor health and higher levels of stress and low self

What are the main differences between classical(or historical) realism Essay

What are the main differences between classical(or historical) realism and structural realism in the theory of International Relations Why are those differences relevant to the study of global politics - Essay Example Philosophers and thinkers such as Robert Gilpin and Kenneth Waltz have realized the shortcomings of Classical Realism in studying modern international relations. And thus a Neorealist Movement has been initiated to better evaluate and predict future international relations in the present context. Michael Charles Williams (2005, p.13) states ‘The first, and briefest, is simply to note that despite their declaration of fundamental divide between ‘classical’ and ‘neo’ realism, these thinkers (including Waltz) continue to claim the realist tradition as their own with remarkable consistency.’ There are a number of differences between views of structural realists and views of classical realists, although the aspects where both of them have similar opinions include the belief that nation-states are the most important actors in global politics; nation-states are basically rational; the interaction in the states is characterized by an anarchy and most im portantly, the pursuit of power affects the behavior of the nation-states. It was the Greek political scientist Thucydides who can be considered as the father of Classical Realism. The history of the Peloponnesian War which was written by Thucydides was probably the first example which showcased realist thought. A few of the basic tenets which were established by him included the beliefs that the state is the main actor in a war; the state is the entity which is solely responsible for its own security, progression and safety. However in the modern circumstance, it has been proved that the states do not subscribe to the idea of communal preservation as it did during the times of the Greeks. With the increase of cooperation and travel among countries, organizations which were more informal gradually developed. Hence it was more and more important for states to act in cooperation with other states, which can usually benefit both the

European imperialism Essay Example for Free

European imperialism Essay Mortimer Chambers et al define imperialism as a European states intervention in and continuing domination over a non-European territory. During the Scramble for Africa in the late nineteenth century, the most powerful European nations desired to conquer, dominate and exploit African colonies with the hope of building an empire. According to Derrick Murphy, in 1875 only ten percent of Africa was occupied by European states. Twenty years later only ten percent remained unoccupied. There were several factors which attracted European imperialists to Africa. There were opportunities for profitable investment and trade. Raw materials, which Africa possessed in abundance, were also desired. A cheap source of labour was required as it would result in higher profits. In addition, there was international rivalry among European nations. Domestic political interests and social Darwinism may also be blamed for attracting European imperialism to Africa. European imperialists were lured to Africa by the potential economic benefits she possessed. Industrialization caused a mass productivity and there became an artificial need for foreign markets to invest in. According to Brian Levack et al, with the onset of economic decline in 1873 industrialists were faced with a declining demand for their products in Europe. Imperial expansion, it was thought, would provide a solution with annexed territories seen as captive markets. It was believed that the unfavorable balance of trade that Britain and other industrial countries were experiencing could be counterbalanced by the income from overseas investments. Also, surplus capital could be profitably invested in Africa where cheap labour and limited competition would result in higher profits. Prominent European imperialists decided to use the public resources of their country to find lucrative means of using their capital. The English radical economist J.A. Hobson, argues that the intention was to level out inequalities of wealth to increase domestic consumption. Local merchants, traders and bankers were optimistic towards the idea of imperial expansion and capital investments outside of Europe became an increasingly vital sector of its economy. There was an increasing demand for raw materials in Europe in the late nineteenth century. According to Brian Levack, the new technologies characteristic of the industrial revolution meant that industrial Europe  became increasingly dependent on raw materials. European nations felt the urge to control lands that possessed great quantities of raw materials. Africa was rich with raw materials as well as many treasure reserves. As a result, many major industrial companies attempted to gain a monopoly of raw materials in Africa. Stuart Miller believes that specific trade links were important to particular industries. Some raw materials in Africa were of great importance; the vegetable oil of the Niger was vital for lubricating industrial machinery and the rubber of the Congo was not only essential for the tires on the new automobiles but also for insulating the electrical and telegraph wires now encircling the globe. The plentiful elephant herds could be slaughtered to provide the ivory for many of the new consumer goods such as piano keys, billiard balls and knife handles. In Togoland, Germans were able to cultivate plantations where they grew cocoa and rubber. Other raw materials included peanuts, cotton and tea. There were also many important minerals and South Africa possessed gold and diamonds. International rivalry among European nations contributed greatly to imperialist ventures in Africa. Britains rivalry with France and Germany accounted for a large part of the colonization. The British government wished to maintain its dominance in the colonial regions. Other European powers desired to expand their colonial spheres as well and Britain responded by seizing colonies. Certain territories were important for their location. The Suez Canal was key waterway between East and West Africa. The immense interior between the gold and diamond rich Southern Africa and Egypt had a strategic value as domination of this region was important to secure the flow of overseas trade. The British wanted to link their possessions in Southern Africa with their territories in East Africa, and these two areas with the Nile basin. Obtaining the Sudan was vital to the fulfillment of these ambitions especially since Egypt was already under British control. This red-line through Africa was made famous by Cecil Rhodes and Lord Milner who advocated for a Cape to Cairo empire linking by rail the Suez Canal to the Southern part which possessed many minerals. According to Brian Levack, there was also a certain level of nationalist competition. The unification of Germany upset the balance of power in Europe. In this climate of tension, governments looked towards enforcing national strength. The  newly formed nations of Italy and Germany now sought empires outside Europe as a means of gaining power and prestige within Europe. In the nineteenth century, a German historian Henrich con Treitschke stated All great nations in the fullness of their strength have desired to set their mark on barbarian lands and those who fail to participate in this great rivalry will pay a pitiable role in time to come. Under the leadership of Bismarck, Germany soon embarked on a quest of expansionism. Bismarcks distrust of England under Gladstone was one of the reasons he decided to do this. Germany became engaged in an arms race with Great Britain and it desired as many military and naval bases as it could obtain. France needed to restore its damaged national pride after its defeat by Germany in the Franco-Prussian war and therefore embarked upon expansionism. Their aim was to have an uninterrupted link between the Niger River and the Nile, thus controlling all trade to and from the Sahel region, by virtue of their existing control over the Caravan routes through the Sahara. Domestic political interests also contributed to European Imperialism in Africa. As stated by Brain Levack, in the age of mass politics, political leaders needed to find issues that would both appeal to new voters and strengthen the status quo. Imperialism led the ordinary European people to believe that they were part of a superior, conquering people. Bismarck used imperial issues to help him find political allies in Germany and once remarked all this colonial business is a sham but we need it for the elections. According to Lawrence James, in the 1890s witnessed a rapid expansion of newspaper readership with the appearance of a new type of daily designed to attract the working and lower middle class. Social Darwinism and missionary intentions are two excuses that are used to justify European imperialism in Africa. Rudyard Kipling characterized the Africans as sullen, new caught peoples, half devil and half child. The Europeans believed it to be their duty to civilize the wild savage Africans. Liberalism, which may be defined as a dedication to self-improvement and the belief that there were discoverable rules of general conduct that everyone could follow, contributed to the paternal manner in which Europe acted and arguments of racial and cultural superiority that pushed Europeans into  Africa to civilize the local populations. Lawrence James states that nations who had now reached the highest stage of civilization were taking control over those which had lagged behind, or races, like the Asante, who were not seen as fit to control their own affairs. In an issue of the Dublin Review in the late nineteenth century it was stated that The future of Africa under any form of Europea n tutelage must be better than the dark and evil nightmare of the past. These Social Darwinists were able to persuade the natives that what was being done was to their ultimate benefit. According to Derrick Murphy et al, there existed the idea that imperialism was a moral duty as a means of spreading Western civilization and Christian values. Many Europeans bought this excuse while others did not. Africans were forced to adopt the Christian religion. In some cases they were killed for continuing to practice their own faiths. Some historians believe that the whole motive for Christian evangelism in Africa was simply to disrupt and destroy and that it was always politically motivated. First, missionaries were brought to the continent. Secondly, after some natives were converted and there was a considerable amount of confusion among them, the troops were sent to exploit them. Their main intention was to divide to control. According to an African chieftain The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.Various factors attracted European imperialism to Africa in the later nineteenth century. Europe was changing and their colonial empires were associated with the ideas of national greatness and the survival of the fittest. This caused a massive drive for empires. There was a yearning for raw materials, national power and prestige. Each nation which possessed a colonial territory also possessed a sense of superiority. Bibliography 1.) Chambers Mortimer, Hanawalt Barbara, Rabb Theodore, Woloch Isser, Grew Raymond, The Western Experience, 1999, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., United States of America2.) James Lawrence, The White Mans Burden? Imperial Wars in the 1890s Spielvogel Jackson, Western Civilization, Mc Graw Hill, Connecticut, 1999(pgs 100-105)3.) Levack Brian, Muir Edward, Maas Michael, Veldman Meredith, The West, Encounters and Transformations, 2004, Pearson Education Inc., United States of America4.) Miller Stuart, Mastering Modern European History, 1997, Palgrave, United Kingdom, Hampshire5.) Murphy Derrick, Morris Terry, Europe 1870-1991, 2000, Harper Collins Publishers LTD, United Kingdom, England6.) The Church as a Tool of Imperialism

The Garden Company Limiteds performance in the hong kong market

The Garden Company Limiteds performance in the hong kong market Introduction According to the assignment guidelines, students are allowed to choose either a service company or a manufacturing company for this report. I have chosen a manufacturing company in Hong Kong with global supply chains the Garden Company Limited (hereinafter called Garden). Their major upstream suppliers are from the US, Canada, and Australia whereas their two biggest downstream suppliers in Hong Kong are supermarkets Wellcome and ParknShop. Although Garden products are also being sold outside Hong Kong and China, including the Northern American, Canadian, Australian markets, I would focus this report only on its market in Hong Kong. Background information of the organization The Garden Company Limited is a Hong Kong-based bakery and confectionery manufacturer. The company was one of the first Chinese owned business as created to sell Western-style food products in Hong Kong, but also has a global supply chain network. Founded in 1926, Garden has experienced rapid societal changes and technological advancement in the past 80 years. Today, they are still persisting with their paramount values in quality, innovation and advancement. Garden supplies thousands of food products to todays retail and catering markets, with many of their products internationally awarded. As one of the largest bakery production corporations in Hong Kong, they are well equipped with state-of-the-art large-scale equipment. Their technology, quality, output and market development have long reached International Standards. Gardens wide assortments of products, high sales volume and extensive market penetration have long been broadly recognized. To further cope with rising market demand, they continue to inject large sums of investment into product research and development as well as upgrading their technology and production hardware. The various production procedures are completed with the most sophisticated equipment in their factory. Computer automation is integrated in all the processes from production to packaging, fully manifesting the remarkable results brought about by scientific management. Furthermore, their principal factory in Sham Tseng with a total area of 70,000 square meters carries out the production lines for bread, cakes, biscuits, candies etc. Unlike most firms in Hong Kong, Garden was a pro-China company and had been supplying bread to Chinese army during World War II. The firm closed its operations during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945. The company expanded with the growth of Hong Kong before and after World War II and benefited from the influx of immigrants from Mainland China. In the 1980s and 1990s, Garden products were shipped overseas to Chinese communities around the world. Besides their major business in Hong Kong, Garden has also been actively taping into the Mainland China market since the 1980s. Factories had been set up in Dong Guan and Yang Zhou to introduce the advanced technology into the food manufacturing industry of the Mainland. Achieving the ISO9001 certification in 1997 was a milestone in their history. It demonstrates that Garden, with its world-class corporate management and modern operation system, is a globally acclaimed food manufacturer. Today, the company remains a privately owned family (Cheung family) business with several joint ventures with mainland Chinese firms. It is one of the few Hong Kong firms with manufacturing operations still in Hong Kong. All Garden products are made of the finest ingredients selected from all around the world, for example their barley is from Australia, flour from the United States, milk and butter from New Zealand, just to name a few. Their long-standing experience, fully-automated technology and packing equipment together with careful quality control guarantee that every product of theirs can meet strict quality testing and safety standards in many countries. With the past 80 years of excellence, Garden has successfully established itself as a distinguished brand supported and favored by many consumers around the world. Their products currently reach many major Chinese communities in as far as Europe and America. Today they are actively developing overseas markets in order to offer their quality foods to consumers in different corners of the world. With more than eight decades of experience in food production, the Garden Companys determination in offering quality products and services and its innovative spirit are as strong as ever. Looking ahead, they will continue with their commitment to producing nutritious and quality food with the pursuit of perfection. QIE, which stands for Quality, innovation, Efficiency, serves as Gardens corporate mission with the objectives to lead their staff to pursuit of superb quality, continuous innovation and achieve efficiency enhancement. It is through the implementation of QIE that the recognition and reputation of their brand have been greatly elevated. To realize their goal of QIE, the Company puts LTC Learn, Think, and Communicate into practice with all their working together to continuously improve the manufacturing of quality products, developing new technologies and new product values so as to satisfy the ever-heightening needs of consumers. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis Strengths: Garden has a global brand, it is a strong brand, strengths including brand recognition, brand quality, economies of scale, strong distribution network, strong distribution chain, supply chain, strong international operations, online growth, good reputation, reputation management, market share leadership, effective marketing strategy, experienced personnel, strong management team, effective communication, extensive customer base, loyal customers, cost advantage, asset leverage, competitive pricing, original and unique products, high research and development, advanced equipments, innovation, etc. Apart from all these company strengths, they are famous in Hong Kong. I believe that all households in Hong Kong consume their products, one or the other on a regular basis. They are considered second to none in the bakery industry. Weaknesses: Due to Gardens huge range of products, coupled with a substantial global retail network, bad communication is unavoidable, it happens from time to time. Furthermore, they experience diseconomies to scale, at times over leveraged financial position, and weak corporate governing practice. Since Gardens range of products is for the public in general, many of their competitors go to the upper end market, for example to high class customers such as hotels and delis, and leave Garden in the lower end market for many years. Opportunities: Garden basically has a healthy financial position. They did some acquisitions, merger and takeovers on a small scale basis. They also tie up with international events to capitalize on synergy opportunities for growth of the operation. They continuously look for new markets; expand in Asia, expand into online shopping; decrease its taxation through donations to charity organizations. In the era of emergence of international middle class, and change in consumer lifestyles, they are constantly changing their products to expand their customer base, and their service lines like new products such as drinks and snacks, and new service such as mail order. Threats: Although Garden has a lion share in the bakery industry, they have many competitors in the high end sector. With Hong Kong returning its sovereignty to Mainland China, Garden is facing many financially strong competitors from the Mainland. There are new competitors from the Mainland entering into this relatively small market. As far as their foreign business is concerned, foreign exchange rate changes affect its imports/exports strategies. The volatility in fuel costs, rising costs of business, pricing pressures, potentially slowing global economy, changes in demographics, change in consumer lifestyles, changing to cheaper technology, substitute products, changing consumer patterns, growing power of customers to set the price etc. are possible threats Garden has been facing during the past few years. Porters Five Forces analysis Competitive Rivalry within an industry: Since multi-market competition exists, rivalry between competitors in the industry is extremely intense. Companies in the industry have started new businesses to increase the level of competition with one another and compete heavily for geographic markets. There is no clear dominant market share player in the industry. Though the industry currently has relatively high growth, much of the business is cyclical, which leads to intensified competition in economic downturns. High fixed costs also contribute to intense competition. More recently, the continued growth of online shopping, mail orders, combined with increasing awareness of door to door logistics arrangements have been giving Garden headaches and they have been streamlining their services in this competitive environment. A few remarks are listed below to introduce some of Gardens international and local rivalries. Sara Lee Corporation Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer products company with food, beverage, and household and body care lines of business. With powerful brands, such as Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Senseo and its namesake, Sara Lee, the company has leading positions in numerous categories in the more than 180 markets in which it competes. In Hong Kong, Garden has two main competitors in its frozen and fresh breads. For frozen breads, it major rivalries are Maxims, Sara Lee. For fresh breads, Garden is facing numerous small size competitors, in particular in the western style restaurants which bake on an everyday basis for its afternoon tea customers. Competitive Rivalry is a strong force in the bakery industry because the competitors use price cuts to compete, there is a low cost product range and there is ease in switching brands, and the companies in this industry can diversify and acquire other companies for strategic growth and for synergy purposes. Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants into this industry is relatively low because of the scale required to make companies in the industry competitive. Capital demands to fund all of the assets required in the industry are extraordinarily large, making competition from entrepreneurs or small companies very difficult at this level of market competitiveness. Economies of scale are necessary for the business to be profitable and because of the intensity of rivalry, customers are difficult to attract. While the basic service of shipping goods would be relatively easy for new entrants to imitate, the competitors in the industry have created value and high switching costs for their customers through proprietary technologies. Threat of New Entrants is a weak force in this industry. Each company currently in the industry has strong brand images, leaving a harder job for new companies. The capital expenditures to start a bakery company are large, and the companies currently are achieving economies of scale by going global. Any smaller company will not be able to achieve these right away, not allowing them to compete on prices. Another factor threatening potential entrants is trade tariffs and international regulations. Most companies currently in the industry have already established relations with foreign countries. New companies will have to prove themselves to foreign companies, suppliers, and customers. Threat of Substitute Products: The threat of substitutes is currently high for the industry, but major technological or governmental foods regulations could change that. As mentioned above, although Garden has a lion share in the bakery industry, they have many competitors in the high end sector, for example Maxims, Saint Honore, Tai Pan Bakery etc. Garden is also facing many financially strong competitors from the Mainland. The latter produce substitute products such as dumplings, dim sums to suit the changing consumers taste. This is one of the many reasons why Garden has been continuously modifying the ingredients and packaging of their products during the past few years. Threat of Substitute Products is a strong force in this industry. There are plenty of substitute products in the market. Bakery retail outlets such as Maxims, Saint Honore, Tai Pan Bakery etc are conveniently located in all the 18 zones. One can literally find either one of them in almost every main street in Hong Kong. These competitors also offer very competitive prices which make potential consumers lose their brand loyalty and easy to switch to another brand. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers bargaining power is fairly low in the industry, but different suppliers have slightly different pricing strategies to fight for their survival. Competitors are also on the same footing with suppliers, as they are all subject to the same prices, although they may have hedged differently. Labour is a major factor of production in the industry and differences between companies regarding labour contracts subjects them to varying degrees of supplier power. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm, when there are few substitutes. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or, e.g., charge excessively high prices for unique resources. This is a strong force if the suppliers serve different industries with their raw materials. If a supplier only has accounts or the majority of their accounts with different companies, they will not be able to control prices and supplies. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Customers in the industry initially have power, but once they commit to a bakery, their bargaining power decreases significantly. New customers can easily shop around for price or level of service in the beginning, but once they have chosen a bakery and buy their product, they are usually loyal to them. Customers are likely to become loyal to a certain provider because of long-standing relationships or personal interaction with the company. This is a moderate force in this industry because competition keeps prices similar among the companies. The only difference is degree in loyalty. Also, the buyers of the services in this industry are reactionary. They do not know the technology before it happens. They become dependent on the technology, service and speed offered by the companies in this industry and will pay for it. SCOR (Supply-Chain Operations Reference) Model Planning activities: Gardens target customers are the public in general, whether they be as young as 2 years old, to as old as 99, they could be Gardens customers. Their pricing strategy is value for money. Their marketing slogan has been nutrition you need every day with the highest quality. These planning activities have proved to be most successful and made Garden the leading supplier in the bakery industry, in particular in the breads, biscuits and cakes sectors. Sourcing activities: According to the reading materials I searched and found, Garden has been purchasing all the baking ingredients directly themselves. However, they do outsource through logistic companies in their delivery activities. Locally, they need to deliver their fresh breads every early morning to hundreds of retail outlets. They also need to deliver fresh buns to all McDonalds franchisees. Furthermore they also deliver a range of fancy breads to airline caterers, hotels and restaurants. Internationally, they outsource transportation companies as well as freight forwarders for special orders such as wedding and birthday cakes. Internally, they outsource information technologies, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, foods testing etc. just to name a few. Make or production activities: Gardens upstream suppliers are worldwide. These included but not limited to flour, sugar, milk, cocoa, vanilla, wheat, soda powder, etc. again just to name a few. Countries included but not limited to (in alphabetical order) Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Bread Production Gardens bread production lines operate on a 24-hour basis, of which one is the first fully-automated line for hamburger buns in Asia. Apart from the retail market, they provide a huge volume of wholesale goods, which include bread, pastry and frozen dough products to major fast food chains, restaurants, hotels and airline catering services in Hong Kong. With their far-ranging businesses, they are committed to providing consumers with better choices with continuous innovations. Biscuit production Garden possesses diverse expertise, equipment and automated production lines to produce a wide variety of biscuits including wafers, cookies, sandwich biscuits, saltine, crackers and assorted biscuit gift packs to meet market demands. Cake production Their wide range of cakes has long been famous for its high quality and great taste. To cope with market demand, Garden produces cake products with highly efficient production lines, of which one is fully computerized for producing mini-cakes. With a wholehearted contribution from over 1,200 employees, Garden has established itself as the most reputable manufacturer in the local industry. Order processing information systems All market interactions, from the understanding of aggregate demand to the fulfillment of each order are not done wholly by Garden internally themselves. Some logistics are being outsourced, in particular for the overseas markets in Northern and Latin America, Australia, Europe, and Canada. Garden normally receives their orders through phone, fax and e-mail or e-order. Its IT department uploads orders to the printing invoice system. Automatically, these invoices pass to its distribution department for delivery. After deliveries, these invoices will be, again automatically, sent to its accounting department. The latter department then issues credit notes to the appropriate customers. Currently they are still using the information systems designed by IBM. Quality Control foremen in Garden are made responsible to ensure that expiry date, and appearances are properly done, and presentable. All delivery vans must have the correct temperatures for the different kinds of products. Delivery activities: Different transportation teams are required for different products. Fresh breads, frozen breads, biscuits are being delivered by the China and Hong Kong transport teams. Fresh bread team has about 60 vehicles to deliver 4,000 orders per day. These trucks are recognizable easily on the streets. Frozen breads and biscuits teams have about 20 vehicles to deliver 400 orders per day. Three trailers are being outsourced for the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets. As mentioned above, Garden does outsource through logistic companies in their delivery activities. Locally, they need to deliver their fresh breads every early morning to hundreds of retail outlets. They also need to deliver fresh buns to all McDonalds franchisees; deliver a range of fancy breads to airline caterers, hotels and restaurants. Internationally, they outsource transportation companies as well as freight forwarders for special orders such as wedding and birthday cakes. Not only that Garden wants to manufacture the best products, they also want to provide their best delivery service. Return activities: Garden guarantees its products are fresh and proper. They promise their retailers that they will replace any damaged or rotten items, that is if that happens. Garden has agreed with their retailers that they will pick up any expired items on their shelves. Assess how well the organization implements the supply chain management As mentioned right at the beginning of this report, Gardens major upstream suppliers are from the US, Canada, and Australia whereas their three biggest downstream suppliers in Hong Kong are supermarkets Wellcome, ParknShop and Mcdonalds. As far as this report is concerned, I would focus in the downstream supply chains; and before I go into how well Garden implements the supply chain management, I would like to introduce Gardens major downstream supply chains Wellcome, ParknShop and Mcdonalds. Wellcome Wellcome is Hong Kongs longest-established supermarket chain, they have an overall staff of 5,000 in more than 240 stores and serves more than 14 million customers every month. ParknShop ParknShop is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong (the other is Wellcome Supermarket). ParknShop operates more than 260 outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China. ParknShop has more than 200 stores and 9,000 employees in Hong Kong. Mcdonalds McDonalds Corporation is one of the worlds largest chains of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. Most of their breads in Hong Kong are supplied by Garden. Although Garden does supply their products to airlines catering companies, hotels and restaurants, as well as supply chains such as 7 Eleven, Circle K and etc., I am not going to introduce these supply chains on a one on one basis. Basically these supply chains are owned by substantial and listed companies with well-trained management teams. Top management, as well as middle management personnel at Garden have very good business relationships with their supply chains. They have properly done legal contracts specifying all the details in supplies and payments. I have not been able to find any past news regarding any communication breakdowns between Garden and its supply chains. I have neither been able to find any past law suits about Garden suing any of its supply chains for non-payments, nor any company suing Garden for not delivering its responsibilities although there have been rumors that Garden has been finding it more and more difficult to get their payments on time during the past few years. Based on these findings, I believe Garden has been successful in its supply chains management activities. Suggest solutions/ways to improve the organization business; especially by improvements on supply chain management of the organization Supply Chain Management (SCM) is not created to suit for every company. It can succeed only with top management commitment and managers loyalty in executing those management strategies. Gardens management teams need to spend time in evaluating whether new SCM, inclusive of international networks, is suitable to be implemented into their company and how it could be successful. Garden bread has long history in Hong Kong that the fundamental target market should be the mass public served as the stable diet. With the increasing awareness of healthy eating, the variety of healthy consciousness products have been promoted like multi-grained, whole wheat, high calcium low fat breads. It is the general social trend and also serves as one of the marketing strategies that focus on the targeted middle-class, office-ladies and health consciousness customers. The relative advantage of Garden obviously is its long history and well-developed manufacturing factories, well-connected distribution channels, competitive retailing price and, of course, the well-known and long established brand name. On the other hand, these relative advantages might contribute some shortcomings in terms of the flexibility of market positioning and variety of products in response to the ever-changing and ever-increasing market force. Personally I am disappointed with Gardens decade-long use of coconut oil as an ingredient for their biscuits production. According to certain food magazines, too much consumption in coconut oil is bad for our health. Although all the reading material I found have been saying good things about Garden, nevertheless Garden is not a listed company, it is a privately owned company. They do not have to disclose any of their operation details to the public. Particularly, they do not have to disclose their financial position apart from to the Inland Revenue. My perception of Garden is that it is a very old style traditional company. Its top management includes family members of the founder. It is purely family business. Its image is not catching up with the young generation. Their product range is also conservative. It does not give any modern flare to attract those expats from the west. They focus on Asians so far, that means there is a huge expats market for them to develop. Garden reminds me of the Green, Yellow and White Arrow brands chewing gum company. The latter company has been too conservative and has not been innovative to catch up with the new entrants. Hence, Green White Arrow chewing gums have been losing market share. Until today, they have not been able to gain back what has been lost. The image of Garden should shift to focus more clearly on each market segment. For instance, Garden should develop a Gourmet production line which emphasis on the finest ingredients, the innovative design, for example in its packaging, and its advertisements. They could consider making more choice of breads, land cakes similar to those recipes from Italy and France, or from Europe at large. In order to shave off the old stable diet image, instead, the building up of the delicate and professional crafted food and to state that not only the five stars hotels can produce but Garden can also make and even better. The efforts to make sure managers do well in the SCM program and not treat it as another flavor-of-the-month include but not limited to the followings. Firstly, Garden has to ensure that the companys SCM strategies are specifically designed. Secondly, the SCM program need to meet their customers demands and reduces the companys costs. Thirdly, the management team must buy-in the program. Also, all the benefits included from the program such as customer responsiveness, more consistent on-time delivery; shorter order fulfillment lead times; reduced inventory costs; lower cost of purchased items; higher product quality; faster product innovation and etc. must be clearly explained to all the concerned managers so that they know the importance of the program. Garden must ensure that the staff concerned understand the objectives of the program, for example to better utilize the company resources and yet with higher product quality. Finally, if managers do well in implementing and executin g the program, the company should consider giving them incentive such as bonus or additional rewards other than their normal compensation. This will give them more motivation to continue to run the program. Garden has to do detailed surveys and researches to find out what are the products that their customers demand. They should listen to the voice of their customers. Their views and suggestions could in turn help the company to produce specifically the range of products the customers need. The company could also utilize their findings for meetings and discussions with their suppliers, both upstream and downstream and production managers to reduce the order processing time and inventories. The company would also be able to produce higher quality products with lower prices and less order processing time. In this way, the company would be more responsive to both their customers and suppliers. By doing the above, the company would be able to expand its market share from other competitors. Further possible improvements can be capitalized in the advances in technological and informational environment. These improvements have major implications for all industries, particularly logistics. If used effectively such advances may be a key source of competitive advantage. The technology listed below may become a competitive edge advantage for Garden in the future. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) not ready to implement? Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. It works like a barcode, but instead of having to be passed in front of a scanner for recognition, tiny transponders (known as tags or chips) send out radio signals. Each tag is small, robust and unique so any one item can be tracked individually throughout the supply chain. Logistics and transportation are major areas of implementation for RFID technology. For example, yard management, shipping and freight and distribution centers are some areas where RFID tracking technology is used. Transportation companies around the world value RFID technology due to its impact on the business value and efficiency. The new technology is currently seen as too expensive to put on individuals products, but large companies already use it to track shipping items. RFID trials have met with mixed customer reactions. As with many such technical advances the effects can be both positive and negative. RFID technology is currently unsophisticated and largely applied to logistical operations. Training of staff and informing all internal stakeholders as to how RFID technology works and can benefit the company, stating the impact on customers so that companies are able to improve their operations. Global Positioning System (GPS) The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth which has an unobstructed view of four or more GPS satellites. GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation for aviation, ground, and maritime operations. Installing GPS systems for delivery vehicles can increase the efficiency and effectiveness in delivering products. Even though transportation companies offer tracking and insurance services to their customers, there are still chances that the customers packages might be lost or stolen. Imagine a GPS chip attached to the delivery packages; it can then be tracked anytime. Adding this technology can boost the customers confidence about Garden. Conclusion Gardens supply chains are owned by substantial and listed companies with well-trained management teams. Garden has very good business relationships with their supply chains. Garden has been successful in its SCM activities. For further improvements, Garden should keep themselves abreast of the current important trends being developed in the business arena, for example electronic commerce has been widely used. Experienced users reveal that e-business reduces costs and time. It creates less conflict between suppliers and consumers. Garden must realize that very few industries are protected geographically; competition is getting more and more fierce. Gardens determination to change as the contents mentioned-above is critical for its advancement. With Gardens top management teams commitment, together with managers efforts, I believe that Gardens staff is more willingly to change and Garden has a good chance of success in improving its current SCM program. During the process of finding reading material for this exercise and thereafter digesting the material, I became more familiar with what

Emma by Jane Austen Essay -- Emma Jane Austen

About the Author Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 at Steventon, England. She was the seventh child of the rector of the parish at Steventon, and lived with her family until they moved to Bath when her father retired in 1801. Her father, Reverend George Austen, was from Kent and attended the Tunbridge School before studying at Oxford and receiving a living as a rector at Steventon. Her mother, Cassandra Leigh Austen, was the daughter of a patrician family. Among her siblings she had but one sister, Cassandra, with whom she kept in close contact her entire life. Her brothers entered a variety of professions: several joined the clergy, one was a banker, while several more spent time in the military. Although her family was neither noble nor wealthy, Rev. Austen had a particular interest in education, even for his daughters. Although her novels focus on courtship and marriage, Jane Austen remained single her entire life. She died in Winchester on July 8, 1817. Jane Austen published four novels anonymously during her lifetime: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815). Two novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously in 1817. These novels are prominent for her satiric depiction of English society and manners. Summary of Emma Jane Austen's Emma is a novel of courtship. Like all of Austen's novels, it centres on the marriage plot: who will marry whom? For what reasons will they marry? Love, practicality, or necessity? At the centre of the story is the title character, Emma Woodhouse, an heiress who lives with her widowed father at their estate, Hartfield. At the beginning of the novel, she is a self-satisfied young woman who feels no particular need to marry, for she is in the rather unique condition of not needing a husband to supply her fortune. At the beginning of the novel, Emma's governess, Miss Taylor, has just married Mr. Weston, a wealthy man who owns Randalls, a nearby estate. The Westons, the Woodhouses, and Mr. Knightley (who owns the estate Donwell Abbey) are at the top of Highbury society. Mr. Weston had been married earlier. When his previous wife died, he sent their one child (Frank Churchill) to be raised by her brother and his wife, for the now-wealthy Mr. Weston could not at that time provide for the boy. Without Miss Taylor as a companion,... ...e is unpopular in Highbury due to her poor manners and arrogance, but becomes good friends with Jane Fairfax. Her status in society rests only on the fact that her sister married very well. She refuses to treat others with the proper respect they are accorded, including even Mr. Knightley. Mr. John Knightley - A tall, gentleman-like, clever man, respectable and reserved. Emma dislikes him somewhat for his severity and lack of patience. He is Knightley's brother and Woodhouse's son-in-law. He is married to Isabella, Emma's sister. They live in London and visit only occasionally. Mr. John Knightley is given to complaint and bad humour; his wife is submissive and devoted entirely to him. Mrs. Goddard: The mistress of a Boarding school where girls might be sent to receive a little education. Her school was in high repute. One of her former students is Harriet Smith, who now assists Mrs. Goddard. Miss Bates: The daughter of Mrs. Bates, she was neither young, married, handsome nor rich. She is a pitiable character with the worst predicament. She lacks all distinguishing traits such as intellect or cleverness, yet she was mostly happy and treated others with great goodwill.

Northeastern Co-ops :: University Work Experience Students Essays

Northeastern Co-ops The key to a well-rounded college career is having a combination of experiential education and academic studies. Having the opportunity to dapple into your field of study one year into college is an experience not offered to most students. It allows the student a chance to grow up and join the real world, for six-months at a time. Northeastern University, in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, offers just that to all of its undergraduate students. Northeastern University is ranked number one in co-ops by the Princeton Review, and offers a six-month long internship program every year. The Mission of the Division of Cooperative Education may be expressed in three parts: 1. To cultivate and maintain the position of Northeastern University as a national and international leader in Career Services and Cooperative Education 2. To provide comprehensive career planning services that support all members of the Northeastern University community in identifying, planning, and implementing sound career decisions 3. To provide Northeastern University students with cooperative educational experiences that have a significant impact on their professional lives. Most Northeastern students take advantage of the unique five-year program and use their six-months to experience more than just a new job. Every year, more students are finding co-ops outside of the metropolitan Boston area. Mike Hourihan is a 23-year-old finance major from Boston and can't say enough about the co-op program. "I worked for Merrill Lynch in San Francisco. The job itself taught me a lot about the finance industry. Merrill Lynch will look great on my resume' and the experience I gained is more than you can learn in the classroom," said Hourihan. "The people in the company were great and I got to sit with sales people and brokers on several occasions. The job taught me how trades settle and how to deal with different types of wealthy customers." The Silicon Valley and Bay Area of California is home to a plethora of businesses and companies that attract people from all over the globe. To leave school for six-months and work in your field of choice is only part of what Northeastern students gain when they take the opportunity to work across the country. Doreen Hodgkin, Senior Associate Dean for Administration at Northeastern manages a bulk of the co-op paperwork. "The students who leave the area to work have so much more to offer their employers in the workplace because of personal experiences," said Hodgkin.

womenhod Women in Darkness in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Women in Heart of Darkness  Ã‚   Women seem to be categorized into a separate group, serving as supplements to men’s actions, characters and behavior. All of them seem to live in the realm of their own, built on the idealistic conception of the surrounding world, governed by fair rules and laws. The two women Marlow encounters in the Company’s office knit black wool – they represent the Fates who guard the â€Å"door of Darkness† (Hell and Destruction) and to the â€Å"house in a city of dead†. The black colour may be associated with the Natives on whose destruction and exploitation the Company was based. Black is also equivalent to the Darkness into which Marlow descends (sin and death). The wool may signify the thread of life. Their appearance is foreshadowed by the two black hens which ‘decided’ about Fresleven’s doom. Marlow’s aunt is depicted with an underlying irony (â€Å"a dear enthusiastic soul†) which points to an illusive existence of a white woman in her civilised imagined world. She was â€Å"ready to do anything† for Marlow in the name of a â€Å"noble cause†, that is, colonising the Blacks and implementing civilisation in the Darkness of Congo. She firmly believes her nephew to be the â€Å"emissary of light†, overlooking the dark level of exploiting the Natives for financial benefits (ivory). The painting of a woman who is â€Å"blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch† which Marlow admires signifies initial intentions of Kurtz and his beliefs before he was swallowed by the tempting Darkness. He was to have been an emissary of light but remained blindfolded and did not see the consequences leading him to his self-destruction. The painting indicates the original, good nature of Kurtz, lost in the dark of the Congo. The native woman represents the whole Black community and the beauty of the wilderness, both of which were invaded by the ‘civilised’ whites. She is the passionate reality, being â€Å"savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent†, reminding the whites of the Black heritage and their own culture (jewellery). The gesture of throwing her arms into the sky may symbolise a dumb outcry to God to restore the original Time when the land was not raided and there was peace and freedom (â€Å"wild sorrow...dumb pain†). The lack of words which remain unsaid, only reiterates her appearance and the message sent by her behaviour. Kurtz’s fiancee becomes contrasted with the native woman – the Intended, as signified by the name, will remain the Intended, living with an idealistic image of her husband-to-be whom she unquestionably believed to be of impeccable character and behaviour.

Dogfight over Europe: Ryanair Essay

Ryanair was launched at a time that did not seem highly favorable to the airline industry. As a matter of facts, in 1986, the market was still recovering from the aftermaths of the OPEC oil embargo and the 1979’s oil crisis which led to an important increase in the jet oil prices, along with a recession that cut demand for air travel and thus gave an impulse to the aircrafts’ cheaper substitutes, such as trains and ferries. Despite that high bargaining power of suppliers and threat of substitution products that made the external environment unfavorable, the Ryan brothers’ wish to launch their airline did not diminish. The company’s first service was launched in 1985 between the southeastern Irish city of Waterford and Gatwick Airport, located on the outskirts of London. One year later, the newborn company started operating between Dublin and the British capital. Two majors Airlines operated on this latter route at that time: British Airways and Aer Lingus, the Irish flag-carrier company. Moreover, some strong US airlines reached out for new routes into Europe after the deregulation of the domestic US airline industry, which made the pressure of competitors even more intense in the airline industry. Last but not least, charter flights, which thrived during the 1960’s to bypass the European regulations and to tap the increasing demand for leisure travel, were transporting 60% of all European passengers by the mid-1980’s. Despite this high unwelcoming rivalry in the market, Ryanair made the choice to focus on the challenging Dublin-London route, which was reputed to be quite lucrative for both British and Irish flag-carriers. At that time, data showed that three-quarters of a million round-trip Dublin-London travelers opted to use rail and sea ferries rather than aircraft. This information, highlighting the high pressure and threat that the airline industry was undergoing on behalf of the substitution products, confirmed the unattractive character of the local market. In spite of this fact, Ryanair initiated service on the Dublin-London route in 1986, using a 44-seat turboprop during its early stages. Ryanair adopted a launch strategy that differentiated it from its competitors in two main ways. First, it employees would focus on delivering first-rate customer service; second, the company would charge a simple, single fare for a ticket with no restriction, while British Airways was offering a spectrum of ticket prices with varying restriction and the full range of classes of service. The company publicized its first Dublin-London service fare of I £98 dollars, whereas Aer Lingus’ and BA’s least expensive, unrestricted round-trip fares on the route were priced at I £208. At the same time, Ryanair would offer meals and amenities comparable to what Aer Lingus and British Airways provided. Thus, the newborn company benefited from the beginning from a distinctive business model focused on low operational costs and low fares, but which was not undermining the quality of its services. These low operational costs are partly linked to the company’s choice to operate on secondary airports, located outside London. Indeed, Gatwick and Luton airports were charging low landing and take-off charges compared to Heathrow main airport, which allowed Ryanair to keep its overhead costs at a lower level than British Airways, and thus gave it a competitive advantage toward other airline companies. However, this choice of secondary airports could also arise as a weakness of the company, since it prevents it from reaching a broader target of customers who predominately go through main airports such as Heathrow. Finally, British airways’ and Aer Lingus’ tickets for the Dublin-London round-trip were priced at I £153 higher than the cheapest rail-ferry ticket (costing I £55), which may have deterred most travelers of flying the route. When launched, Ryanair charged fares which were only I £43 higher than the rail-and-ferry ones’ for this journey. Knowing that the journey took nine hours by rail and ferry and only one hour by air, the newborn company could therefore tap into a segment of customers who might be ready to pay an additional I £43 for gaining 8 hours while travelling comfortably, which might be a valuable offer. Thus, this pricing strategy could enable the company to gain large shares in the market of these potential customers. (2) How do you expect (a) Aer Lingus and (b) British Airways to respond? And why do you expect each of them to respond that way? Ryanair’s launch is 1986 put a pressure on its two major competitors who are operating on the same challenging Dublin-London route. Indeed, the newborn company, benefiting from low costs, setting low fares, but offering a similar level of quality, would rapidly gain market shares over its competitors. British Airways and Aer Lingus had therefore to respond on an efficient way to retaliate to Ryanair’s entry in the airline industry. a) When Ryanair was launched, Aer Lingus domestic and European routes earned a modest operating profit while its trans-Atlantic flights sustained operating losses for the sixth time in seven year. Despite these difficulties, Aer Lingus, whose main profits where coming from its diversification in the hotel business (among others), was still backed by the Irish government, and aiming at its objectives of providing an air transport service that was â€Å"safe, efficient, reliable, and profitable†. Moreover, for being the only Irish airline before Ryanair, the company, which was touting the many benefits it brought to the Irish community, might have been benefiting from a good reputation and reliability in its local market. Thus, thanks to the state support but also to its reputation, Aer Lingus operations’ were well established in Europe, but also in the United States, where the airline has been operating for years. These resources and capabilities, reinforced by the recent successful introduction of a computer reservation system, therefore gave to the company a – temporary – advantage toward the newborn Ryanair. To retaliate to this latter’s entry, we expect that Aer Lingus reduces its European routes’ fares to match Ryanair’s ones. Thus, relying on its value of â€Å"safety† and â€Å"efficiency†, and implementing a low cost / low fares business model on its European and domestic flights, the company could protect its market shares from Ryanair’s prospective growing success. Besides, it may be all the more attractive to customers since it was spending tens of millions of pounds in renewing its fleet of jets, while Ryanair was just starting to operate with turboprops, and still did not have permission to fly larger jet aircraft on the route. b) As Ryanair started operating in 1986, British airways (BA) had been earning record profits for the last years, and its forthcoming privatization in 1987 was planned to improve these performances. The company’s strategy was mainly focusing on international routes and intercontinental flights. Indeed, BA was operating one of the world’s most extensive airline route networks, serving 145 destinations in 68 countries. This focus is highlighted by the fact that international journeys accounted for roughly two thirds of the seats that the company sold, and nine tenth of its revenues. One of British Airways’ advantages is its establishment in Heathrow airport, a major international transportation hub, through which 80% of the company’s passengers were passing. This focus on London’s main airport therefore arises as a competitive advantage toward Ryanair, whose flights, which are taking off and landing in secondary airports, hamper it from reaching a broader target of customers. Besides, British Airways’ large range of offers, implying from first class to economy tickets, distinguishes it from a low cost company as Ryanair, and may also arise as an advantage to some customers, looking for a better quality of service. As a result of this importance differentiation in service, and from our analysis, British Airways’ reaction to Ryanair entry should not be as thundering as Aer Lingus’ one. Indeed, BA already operates on a different segment than Ryanair, targeting business class and international customers. Since BA is mainly operating on international flights from and to main airports, Ryanair’s new focus on point-to-point flights and minimizing overhead costs should not arise as a threat to the British company. Moreover, with the prospective deregulation of the European airline industry whose foundations were laid by the 1986 Single European Act, British Airways should benefit from a major opportunity to expand to new European routes, relying on its valuable international experience. These forthcoming benefits and growth therefore make British Airways a company which does not â€Å"share the same playground† with Ryanair.

The Hunters; Scarce Resources in the Kalahari

The Kung bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa are one of the few bands of hunter-gatherers left in the world. They survive by foraging for their meals while traveling, never settling in one specific area. Hunting and gathering was the primary mode of survival until about ten thousand years ago. Anthropologists have made assumptions about the hunting and gathering lifestyle of current populations because it seems like a precarious method of living. Moreover, the Kalahari area where the ! Kung live in was perceived to be baron because it is a desert.However, a study done over a period of years beginning in 1960 led by Richard Lee disproved the common misconception of the life of these foragers, proving that they were not the uncultivated society that they were perceived to be. The ! Kung people live in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa where there is minimal rainfall, and they are physically isolated from any agricultural societies in the area. They do their fieldwork in an area with eight permanent waterholes that were about 125 miles away from a river. They do not cultivate agriculture, nor do they have livestock nor are under any heavy government authority.The ! Kung people rely solely on hunting and gathering for their survival because in the area that they live in, there is no other logical means of survival. Because of all of these observed setbacks, anthropologists of the 1960’s saw these bush people as a group living solely to find food for survival. This was not the case however. When anthropologists of the 1960’s went to study these people, they found that their perceptions were wrong. Although the people lived far away from other societies, and although they did not cultivate the land, they lived meaningful lives.Despite not having close neighbors from other societies, there was a relatively large population of other camps of hunter-gatherers that were associated with the waterholes. In addition, although the desert is a rid, there are many sources of vegetables that the people live consume. Despite what anthropologists believed, the author proved that the people did not have to live for the sole purpose of finding food. There was a six-mile radius near each of the waterholes that had copious vegetation and an assorted source of meat. This suggests that in order to obtain food, the people only needed to go a certain walking distance.It was not necessary to travel for long periods to get a small portion of food, as anthropologists thought. However, there was never a surplus of food, which could allude to the fact that there was not enough food for a surplus. This was a misconception because the bush people had more than enough food to live off, so there was no need to obtain a surplus because there was no need to store food when it was readily available. Another misconception anthropologists had was that the bush people had to hunt often for sustenance but this was invalidated.The Bushmen go out to c ollect food around every third day throughout the year. Anthropologists thought when they went out to get food, the ! Kung people went hunting. This was not the case. It was proven that around 60 to 80 percent of their diets were comprised of vegetation from the area surrounding the camp. This can be partially attributed to the fact that the men are not always successful when they go to hunt, and it also involves the fact that there is a large variety of vegetation available to the people.Previously, anthropologists thought that in a hunter-gatherer society, there was primarily hunting done to sustain the population because not much waste was found in the camps, however, the primary types of animals hunted are small and vegetation does not leave much waste. There is never a shortage of food for the ! Kung, they have their pick of what types of vegetation they wish to consume, partially based on the season, and they occasionally eat meat. The people do not have to scour for food and settle for whatever they can find, as anthropologists thought.There is actually an assorted variety of foods the ! Kung people choose from. And not every type of edible food is consumed. The people are selective in the types of food they want to eat, and sometimes settle for certain unpopular foods due to reasons such as drought. There is always food for the people to consume, but during certain times of year, the bush people have to travel farther to get to it. There is a shorter commute in the summer while in the spring, there is much more distance that needs to be covered to get food.The mongogo nut is a staple in the diet of these people because of its good nutritional value. This nut is attributed to around 50 percent of their diet of vegetation based on weight. This is a staple to the bush people, compared to rice or corn of other societies. The nut is hardy and drought resistant so it is always abundant throughout the year, and only of a fraction of it is actually cultivated. This is because of how selective the ! Kung people are with the types of food they consume. The more favorable fruits are usually consumed first, and then staples such as the mongongo nut are eaten.Anthropologists and others also believe these people eat animals such as rodent and insects because they are included in literature about the people, but the bushman actually despise these animals as food and do not consume them. Moreover, gathering never results in all of the available vegetations’ depletion. There is always food available, so the bush people do not go long without food. It was once thought that the people were malnourished because of their location, but that was not true. The bushmen eat relatively balanced diets that include enough of each food group to be healthy individuals.It was believed that the hunting and gathering way of life was harsh and rigorous, so the people who followed this lifestyle were quickly worn out and died at an early age. Some anthropolo gists even assumed that the average age a bush person would reach before they died was around 45. This was definitely not the case after research was conducted. It was also perceived that the bush people abandoned their old and sick members because they cannot provide for themselves or for the camp therefore were deemed useless. The ! Kung bush people do not adhere to any of these prior assumptions.In the population of bush people, there were a percentage of people over the age of sixty that was comparable to the percentage of those over sixty in industrialized societies. Elders were respected and were considered leaders of the camp, they were not abandoned and considered futile as once thought. Senile individuals were rare but they, along with crippled and disabled individuals were cared for and valued for skills they had. The elderly were taken care of by their children when they could no longer provide by hunting or gathering.Anthropologists also had the notion that people began hunting and gathering at a young age, so that enough food could be provided. It was discovered however, that there is a late age of assumption of adult responsibility, and that young people were not expected to provide until marriage. There was a large portion of the population that does not provide food by hunting and gathering, and there was a small population that provide for themselves and those that do not work. It was discovered that children and the elderly lead considerably simple lives.Although there is a small population of people that actually search for and gather the food, their time is not completely preoccupied with finding food. It is true that finding food is the most important activity, but that is also important to most other societies, especially agricultural societies. The people devote around twelve to nineteen hours of a traditional seven day week in search for food. The other time is used for leisure and recreation. As stated earlier, the Bushmen do not have a surplus of food, so there is no need to have rigorous seasons of work in search for food because it is usually always readily available.They obtain food to appease their necessary caloric intake and after that, their time is used for other purposes besides the search for food. Woman spend their time doing activities such as embroidery, resting, taking care of her children, visiting other camps, or entertaining visitors. A woman would also be required to take care of the home and kitchen routines. These activities include cooking, or collecting water. Men usually are involved in visiting, entertaining guests or dancing. Hunting is irregular and it is influenced by the hunter’s luck.For example, if a hunter is having bad luck for a certain period of time, they could stop hunting and participate in leisurely activities. It was assumed that everyone has to go out to get food, but that is not the case because some men can go longer than a month without hunting if their luck does not get better. Although they have large periods of time devoted to leisure, there is usually always a steady supply of vegetation and meat. Based on prior assumptions of a hunting and gathering lifestyle, anthropologists of the 1960’s thought hunter-gatherers lived â€Å"brutish† lives where all they did was search for food.With Richard Lee’s research of the ! Kung through the 1960’s he disproved these assumptions. Foragers were not barbaric individuals that lived solely off of meat and they lived for more than just finding food. Lee suggest that the â€Å"view of both modern and ancient hunters ought to be reconsidered. † And that hunting and gathering was â€Å"a persistent and well-adapted way of life. † The ! Kung of the Kalahari were an example of a set of foragers who lived lives with more meaning than just to survive through hunting.

Effects of Alcohol Abuse Essay

Alcoholism means addiction of alcohol; it could explain as a person who could not stop to drink and craving for it. In fact, alcohol abuse can damage a person’s health and life. Alcohol would affect a person’s mind and body that causes the person did wrong thing. Besides, when a person drunk, he or she might not know what they had done. Which mean, when they are drunk, they could not judge what are right and wrong. Consequences, there are many cases happened because of alcohol abuse since alcohol would impact a person’s mind and cause them loss of control and do wrong things. Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse: †¢Slurred or incoherent speech. †¢Poor balance and clumsiness †¢Delayed reflexes †¢Stomach pain, vomiting and nausea †¢Blacking-out †¢Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption Slurred or incoherent speech When a person is drunk, he or she might not be able to speak fluently. In the other words, the person who is drunk might not know what they are talking about because the impact of alcohol. Thus, those people who are drunk are usually slurred or incoherent speech. Poor balance and clumsiness The person who is drunk will get injured easily. It is because alcohol would affect our brain and cause us become clumsiness that we could not balance our body. Furthermore, when we could not control our mind and balance our body, we might fall down or bang the wall easily. As a result, the effect of alcohol abuse will cause us become poor balance and clumsiness. Delayed reflexes Alcohol will make people blur and delayed reflexes action since it impairs our brain driver. Therefore, those people who are drunk might not be able to give respond immediately since the alcohol effects. Hence, alcohol abuse could cause a person delayed reflexes action. Stomach pain, vomiting and nausea The other obvious signs of alcohol abuse are stomach pain, vomiting and nausea. Stomach pain might a sign of stomach cancer which cause by alcohol abuse. When this sign occur, it means the cancer already progressed. It is impossible to get cancer easily, only if the person is an alcoholism victim. Alcohol abuse might cause gastritis which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. In a long run, it will become stomach cancer if the person who ignores the sign. Moreover, drinking too much might also lead to serious effect like vomiting blood. As a result, alcohol is harmful to our health. Blacking-out Black-out happened when an alcoholism victim consumed a large amount of alcohol in a long period. Black out is a serious â€Å"disease† in biological that we categories as brain damage. There are 2 types of blackouts. First of all, inability to recall any memories from the period of intoxication is called â€Å"en bloc blackout†. Which mean, the person who could not remember at all what he or she had done when they drunk. In addition, the second type of blackout is called â€Å"fragmentary blackout† which has ability to recall certain part of intoxication period. It means the person who just can remember certain part of his or her memories when they took a large amount of alcohol. Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption Why people who drunk their face will red? It is because alcohol will enlarge the blood vessels whenever we drink. In addition, alcohol will enlarge the blood vessels until they lose their quality or tone then caused those people who drunk will get a redness face. Furthermore, water in our body and skin will evaporate after a long period of alcohol abuse that cause skin wrinkles. Besides that, alcohol abuse will also reduce the level of vitamin A in our body which is an important vitamin can support skin health.

Analysis of Nestle’s Business Environment

Company Overview Nestle, based in Switzerland, is the world’s leading food and nutrition company measured by revenues (Nestle, 2013). The company sells baby foods, breakfast cereals, coffee, confectionery, frozen food, pet foods, yoghurt and snacks through extensive distribution channels all over the world spreading out from facilities run by the company in over 100 countries. It owns several major consumer brands such as Stouffers, Nescafe, Kit-Kat, Carnation, Nestle water, among many others used by millions each year and which have established Nestle’s successful global brand image (Interbrand, 2013). This success can be attributed to clear focus and vision, as well as success in its continual differentiation and brand positioning which strengthen its market position (Jones, 2012). To sustain this success and thus maintain leadership in its market, the company must often audit and review its strategic position in light of changing factors in its business environment. This paper undert akes this strategic assessment employing the PESTLE framework of analysis. PESTLE analysis The PESTLE framework is a strategic tool used to measure market potential and situation of company (David, 2009). It focuses on factors in the external environment which encompass effects from the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental spheres. Political factors With operations spread out across the globe, Nestle is liable to political influences unique to various jurisdictions including applicable laws and regulations governing business operations, as well as stringent international health and safety requirements of significance in the food and nutrition sector, such as the ISO 9002 and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) preventative food safety systems. The primary goal of these regulations is the protection of consumers from poor quality, potentially health averse/harmful products (Hill, 2006). The company has suffered challenges related to contamination of its products and poor quality supplies which have led to product recalls and market concern. This has hurt the company’s image and impacted sales as well as challenging it with regard to quality control (Nestle, 2013). The company has responded appropriately to address these, to ensure quality and safeguard confidence in its products (Jones, 2012). For successful engagement internationally, Nestle should endeavour to meet these expectations and to conform to the requisite legislations and regulations applicable. Economic factors The global business environment has recently been significantly hindered by economic setbacks due to downturn and global recession. These have adversely affected demand for products through its effect on consumer spending. However, recovery has been swift and the continuing globalization and consolidation has further enhanced growth and demand for product with the convergence in consumer tastes and preferences globally (Hanson et al., 2011). The rise in emerging market economies portends surplus buying power, as well as economies of scale which proffer added economic advantage (Vandewaetere, 2012). The leverage of huge resource capital and R&D capability into continual introduction and redesign of products enables Nestle to strengthen its competitive advantage. Through the localisation of operations in over 100 countries across the globe, the company manages to address the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on import and export aspects of trade (Jones, 2012). Social factors As a producer of finished consumer goods, Nestle is hugely dependent upon customer satisfaction and desirability of its product range to achieve success (Jones, 2012). The company, thus, chooses to embark on huge spending in its competitive sectors to maintain its brand image and to enhance product desirability. Competitive advantage in the sector requires continuous research and development leading to the frequent introduction of new products and redesign of products (Interbrand, 2013). This is a significant strength of Nestle and among the notable factors upon which its industry, sector or market leadership is based (Nestle, 2013). There is an increasing trend towards healthy eating which is increasing demand for healthier food products. This is laden with potential to affect product lines such as chocolate drinks (Jones, 2012). The company has taken specific steps such as the acquisition of specialised start-ups, and successful partnerships to meet the needs of health conscious co nsumers and thereby to take advantage of emerging market trends and opportunities (Vandewaetere, 2012). Nestle is therefore considered to be well adjusted to its market segments given its focus on this growth driver as well as its focus on popularly-positioned products which aims to provide a brand to meet every need. Its more than 8,000 brands enable it to achieve this strategic focus and to compete successfully against corporate rivals (Interbrand, 2013). Technological factors The fast pace of technological development and associated capabilities portend significant challenge for competitiveness in modern industry. Nestle has endeavoured to keep up through enormous investments in research and development to enhance its capability, as well as process efficiency which have enabled its successful differentiation and enhanced competitiveness (Nestle, 2013). However, the company still experiences challenges in its quality control with its inability to provide consistent quality in food products hurting company image and affecting sales (Jones, 2012). The company’s response in this regard has been quite appropriate enabling it to weather this challenge successfully. It has endeavoured to ensure quality in the foregoing and to safeguard confidence in its products through its seal of guarantee initiative (Interbrand, 2013). Environmental factors Nestle is involved in numerous programs aimed at making the company more eco-friendly which are inherent in its C SR initiatives. However, the company is criticised for its weak approach and over the effectiveness of their programs (Jones, 2012; Interbrand, 2013). With the scale of their operations across the globe and massive quantity of output, it is imperative that the company should enhance focus on its environmental impact which is a notable concern in modern industry. This factor has capacity to ruin reputations and affect performance (Hill, 2006). Legal factors Global operations in diverse jurisdictions require astute legal capabilities which Nestle seems to be endowed with. The company’s successful operations in over 100 countries attest to this giving it an edge in unmatched geographical presence in the industry. It also has notable competency in mergers and acquisitions which have enabled it to diversify and to successfully enter new markets thereby sustaining its competitive edge (Vandewaetere, 2012). Major challenges affecting the company Three major challenges are identified and explored to gauge their effect and to find out ways in which they might be addressed. Quality of products and supplies A major challenge with huge capacity for adverse impact on Nestle’s business potential concerns the quality of products delivered and thus the quality control schemes for its products. There have been instances of contamination of products as well as poor supplies which have led to a number of product recalls from the market (Interbrand, 2013). This challenge is fundamental particularly with regard to operations in the food and nutrition industry which is subject to stringent quality, as well as health and safety regulations. The company is subject to a high bargaining power of customers for the most part due to the availability of a wide range of substitute and alternative products in the market and fierce competition from worthwhile rivals (Carpenter and Sanders, 2007). Flouting of health and safety regulations also portends risk for operations in various jurisdictions and may lead to bans in markets and/or restrictions on the use of concerned products. This would definitely be a hindrance to business and would not only adversely impact sales but also would hurt company image and brand positioning which are vital intangible assets in a highly competitive market (Hanson et al., 2011). To reduce the negative impact of this challenge, the company needs to tighten its quality control procedures and schemes for products and also needs to enforce stringent procedures in the choice of suppliers and in the procurement of raw food items from them (Interbrand, 2013). This would not only guarantee conformance with requisite legislation but would also ensure that quality is maintained and adhered to across the entire supply chain. Also essential are measures to ward off loss of consumer trust and drop in confidence in products offered. Assurances in this regard are critical for the maintenance of brand image and reputation, and as well serve to guarantee product performance in the market (Jones, 2012; Vandewaetere, 2012). Weak implementation of eco-friendly initia tives Nestle pursues eco-friendly initiatives as constituent in its corporate social responsibility (CSR). Yet, these initiatives have been subject to extensive criticism over weakness in its approach and over the effectiveness of their programs (Vandewaetere, 2012). Environmentally friendly initiatives are particularly of concern for such entities as Nestle given their scale of operations across the globe and quantity of product output considering its 8,000 product brands (Interbrand, 2013). The primary objective of the company is the delivery of the best quality in everything from primary produce, choices of suppliers and transport, to recipes and packaging materials (Nestle, 2013). However, every stage in its supply chain is bound to have adverse environmental impact which is a notable concern in modern industry given the drive to environmental responsibility. Disregard of such concerns exposes the company to risks to reputation which could have a direct impact on performance (Ha nson et al., 2011). Increasing trend towards healthy eating With the rise in diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles, food choices, and eating habits, there has emerged global awareness of their impacts on individual health. This has engendered health consciousness and regard for choice of foods and their nutritive value or possible consequences. This has led to a trend towards healthy eating which continues to drive consumer preference and demand for healthier food products (Luthans and Doh, 2012). Such a trend is bound to affect popular product lines, such as chocolate drinks, that Nestle offers impacting demand and therefore market performance (Vandewaetere, 2012). In its consumer goods business, Nestle is hugely dependent upon customer satisfaction and desirability of its products to achieve success. It is thus immensely susceptible to market dynamics and trends such as eh above which it can do very little to control and manage (Kazem and Richard, 2008). The problem is further exacerbated by the emergence of social media and global networking through the internet which continues to drive globalization and which is causing a global convergence of consumer tastes and preferences (Hanson et al., 2011; Luthans and Doh, 2012). To counter this challenge, the company needs to embark on initiatives to develop a healthier range of products to cater to health conscious consumers and thereby to take advantage of the emerging trend and opportunities. Nestle should be keen to note the various dynamics and their impact on performance, and should develop flexibility which would enable faster response and adaptability to changes in the market (Jones, 2012). With a sound financial resource base, it is prudent for the company to pursue mergers and acquisitions, which it has done quite successfully, leveraging on its competence in that regard (Vandewaetere, 2012). This way, it is able to hasten its learning curve and guarantee success of initiatives (David, 2009) particularly in light of the fact that the company has an immense range of brands and a complex operational matrix which are in themselves quite a challenge to manage successfully. Conclusion Several factors affect Nestle in its international operations among them political, economic, social, technological, as well as environmental and legal factors, which are significant influences determining the success of operations in modern business environment. Three particular challenges are identified as having substantial impact on Nestle’s operations and business potential. They include: quality of products and supplies which portends loss of confidence in product; the company’s weak implementation of eco-friendly initiatives which are essential not only to check the environmental impact, but also serve as proof for goodwill to society; and, the increasing trend towards healthy eating which is a concern for future competitiveness of the company’s products. These challenges should be addressed to guarantee success of products in markets, as well as overall competitiveness. References Carpenter, M., and W., Sanders, (2007). Strategic Management: A Dynamic Perspective. Harlow: Pearson Prentice Hall. David, F. R. (2009), Strategic management: concept and cases (12th Ed). Pearson, NJ: Prentice Hall. Hanson, D., M., Hitt, R., Ireland, & R., Hoskisson, (2011). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and globalisation (Asia-Pacific, 4th Ed). 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