De Beers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

De Beers - Case Study Example This $400 million utilizes 760 individuals, working day and night. De Beers is at present being confronted with an amount of new difficulties that are making it basic for us to accept an adjustment in the manner that they work together. With new disarray in Western Africa, where unlawful jewels are beginning to originate from war torn towns, just as different wellsprings of precious stones are being found in Russia just as Australia, clearly they truly need to begin to move into the U.S. showcase. Antitrust law allows the inconvenience of a most extreme fine of $10 million, or double the increase or misfortune brought about by a cost fixing plan. The arraignment doesn't indicate how much the plan cost buyers of mechanical precious stones. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/10/business/worldbusiness/10diamond.htmlex=1247112000&en=20aa08705cd558b8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland) A PEST examination has been performed on the current circumstance confronting De Beers. In the accompanying segment, I will concentrate on the most significant issues recognized in the PEST investigation for which we should discover arrangements and furthermore on the most significant positive powers that we should use for our potential benefit so as to keep up or gain piece of the overall industry. It would be ideal if you see Exhibit 1 for subtleties on the PEST investigation and extra data on different issues we are confronting and powers that may help or upset our piece of the overall industry in the U.S. The most significant of the issues we are confronted with are because of Political issues in the United States and somewhere else. Because of war in western Africa, precious stones are starting to spill out of the war torn fields of Sierra Leone and Angola, and in Russia, mines are being controlled locally rather than in a joint effort with De Beers. These difficulties alone represent a danger to the force that De Beers as of now holds over the precious stone industry. Because of these difficulties, we started a marking effort endeavoring to mark De Beers precious stones to the buyers. This crusade was jogged in the U.S., where lawfully, the whole De Beers gathering - its officials, its activities, its promoting structure - was infringing upon the U.S. antitrust law .This precluded De Beers from legitimately selling in the United States. Also, a policy centered issue that we have to use for our potential benefit is the U.S. international strategy towards assisting with modifying Afri ca. These policy driven issues will be additionally tended to in the suggestions segment. Monetarily, there is a normal flood in jewel deals expected to happen in the U.S. this year. This stresses

A Thousand Splendid Suns--see instructions Essay

A Thousand Splendid Suns- - see directions - Essay Example Under typical conditions, the more conventional and more established Mariam would be an improbable comrade and companion of the more instructed Laila. Both originate from various social classes yet regardless of the endeavors of the nation to abuse its ladies, these two make solid bonds as a result of that very mistreatment. Mariam was brought up in a little, run down shack outside of the fundamental city of Herat. In spite of the fact that she was viewed as a solid young lady, she was additionally educated to comprehend her place as a harami, or illegitimate kid. She comprehended this to be an ugly job, â€Å"that a harami was an undesirable thing; that she, Mariam, was an ill-conceived individual who might never have genuine case to the things others had, things, for example, love, family, home and acceptance.† (Hosseini 4). While she comprehended this job, she scrutinized those in power and the guidelines she had to follow and regularly longed for a superior lifestyle. Truth be told, she was near her dad, Jalil, who consistently addressed her in kind words powering her yearnings for something better as she knew being a harami was not her own flaw. As she got more established, she was burnt out on feeling regretful about the conditions of her introduction to the world as â€Å"it didn't happen to youthful Mariam to consider the shamefulness of saying 'sorry' for the way of her own birth.† (Hosseini 11). A more youthful Mariam acknowledged her job, however the more established one wanted more throughout everyday life. She was raised by her mom (Nana) and fell into a profound depression upon her passing, particularly as she is offered without wanting to Rasheed. He constrained her into accommodation removing every last bit of her desire for a superior life until she at long last had the fortitude to ascend in vengeance and execute him. Lamentably for her, the Taliban executed her for this homicide. Interestingly, Laila had a more joyful youth, or possibly as cheerful as it could be for a lady in Afghanistan amidst war. She was given an open door for training and to understand her maximum capacity. Her dad had

NOVA Labs on Khan Academy a brand-new way to explore science

NOVA Labs on Khan Academy a brand-new way to explore science Have you ever wondered what causes solar flares or how clouds form?  Do you have questions about computer viruses and hacking? Or are you curious about  RNA, the wonder molecule that’s crucial to life as we know it? Starting today, you can explore these topics on Khan Academy through lessons created by our partners at NOVA Labs.NOVA Labs (pbs.org/nova/labs) is a free science resource from the producers of the NOVA television series on PBS,  the most popular science series on American television. Through NOVA Labs,  teens and lifelong learners take part in real-world investigations by visualizing, analyzing, and playing with the same data that scientists use. These games and activities foster authentic scientific exploration, supported by the world-class science videos that NOVA has been making for over 40 years. Khan Academy is now excited to offer five different investigations from NOVA Labs for aspiring scientists: Cybersecurity, RNA: the wonder molecule, The Sun and solar st orms, Energy, and Clouds. You’ll learn to predict solar storms, design renewable energy systems, track cloud movements, design biomolecules and more. Start exploring today, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

The, All About Jazz, On The Learning Channel ( Tlc )

Gender can be interpreted several ways, these include: male, female, and transgender. A transgender is someone who was born with female or male bodily structures, but feel as if they have been born into the wrong body. People choose to become the opposite sex from what they were at birth by undergoing the surgery to become transgender. Today the term â€Å"transgender† is more accepted in this world and people are presented what it takes and the meaning to become a transgender. Jazz Jennings is a young teenage girl who is a transgender and has her own show called I Am Jazz that people can watch and really see how some transgender people are treated. I watched the very first episode which was called, â€Å"All About Jazz† on The Learning Channel (TLC) that was very informative, focusing in on an adolescent’s perspective on becoming transgender. The stereotype of transgender people, including adolescents should be more accepted in today’s society. Ste reotypes are generalizations meaning transgenders may be looked upon by most people wrong, but I am Jazz has brought new awareness to the public. Today’s world is becoming more accepting of all types of people and conditions. The story of Jazz was a mini-series that was shown this past summer, depicting a 14-year-old realizing about a decade prior, that even though she was born a male, felt as though she was born the wrong gender. This is called gender dysphoria. Susan Bordo, a professor and author who has writings that focus on

Is The Morality Of Abortions - 956 Words

The topic I choose to discuss is the morality of abortions. Merriam-Webster defines abortion as the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Abortion has been a very controversial matter and the ongoing controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of induced abortion. Some individuals are pro life and completely against it; they feel that abortion is immoral is because it is the intentional killing of a human being. However, others are pro-choice and believe that a woman should have the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy. This dispute has become a huge political and a legal matter. There are anti-abortion activist that seeks to develop and pass anti-abortion laws. As well, there are abortion rights supporters are seeking the put an end to laws that stop women from having the right to abortions and making it more accessible to receive abortion care. Abortion laws differ significantly be tween many jurisdictions. The legalization of abortions was payable to the United States Supreme case in 1973, Roe vs. Wade. Roe pleaded the 14th Amendment, her right to privacy and said that the Texas abortion statute was unconstitutional. The 14th Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause states that every citizen of the United States has equal protection of the law and shall not be discriminated against. Roe was a single woman who was pregnant; she was fighting the state of Texas to have anShow MoreRelatedAbortion : The Morality Of Abortion1442 Words   |  6 Pagesdebated topics in bioethics is the morality of abortion, or the ending of a pregnancy without physically giving birth to an infant. Often times abortions are categorized into either spontaneous, a natural miscarriage; induced or intentional, which is premeditated and for any reason; or therapeutic, which albeit intentional, its sole purpose is to save the mother’s life. It seems however that moral conflicts on issue mainly arise when dis cussing induced abortions. In general, people universally agreeRead MoreAbortion And The Morality Of It921 Words   |  4 PagesAbortion and the morality of it has been a hot topic for years in the United States although it has been carried out for centuries in different cultures. Abortion is a medical procedure deliberately terminating a pregnancy. Abortions usually happen within the first 28 weeks of pregnancy and are considered an outpatient procedure. The first abortion laws were passed by Britain in 1803 and by 1880 most abortions in the U.S. were illegal, except for those that were performed to save the life of a womanRead MoreMorality of Abortion1478 Words   |  6 PagesMorality of Abortion For the past couple of decades, the issue of abortion has been the most heated topic debated in the United States. When considering this topic, one must look at three things: ethics, emotions and the law; for all of these are important to this issue. Like any debate, there are two sides to this issue: pro-choice and pro-life. The people who are pro- abortion say that the mother is the ultimate person to decide to abort a pregnancy and that the government should not get involvedRead MoreThe Morality Of The Abortion Of A Fetus1948 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction: In this essay, the morality of the abortion of a fetus will be discussed in a drama involving a married couple named Deb and Derek (Smolkin, Bourgeois Findler, 2010).  For clarification purposes, we must first define the topic of this discussion; abortion is defined as the act in which a female voluntarily terminates her pregnancy where this act is legally permitted (Warren, 1973). Deb who is 16 weeks pregnant discovers that the fetus she is carrying will most likely be born mentallyRead MoreThe Morality of Abortion Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe Morality of Abortion On the question of abortion being moral, the answer is clearly that terminating a fetus life under certain circumstances is not only moral, but it is also our responsibility to terminate it if the quality of life is in question for the fetus. A second major reason is that to declare abortion immoral would mean that we would have to consider the factor of how the conception came about. This cannot and should not be done. Quality is a major factor in the questionRead MoreA Debate On The Morality Of Abortion1575 Words   |  7 Pagesthat makes sense to me and that has moral significance is clearly our ability to love, to put the needs of others before ourselves, and do it regardless of the personnel cost. Without this ability we would not even be having a debate on the morality of abortion. Thus I am arguing that the human ability to love and have a moral compass is what gives us our inherent value. Some might object that I added the potential clause to the sentence â€Å"To be human is to be at once a member of the species Homo sapiensRead MoreThe Legality And Morality Of Abortion1103 Words   |  5 Pages The legality and morality of abortion is a huge topic in today’s society. Are there ever times when it is justified? Who has a say in the matter of whether or not it is justified? How does one know how to justify abortion? â€Å"Given a particular pregnancy, who should decide whether or not it ought to be terminated?† (Jaggar, 218) People argue over whether or not the unborn child has the right to life or does the woman have the right to her own body. Other party’s possibly involved are the stateRead More The Morality of Abortions Essay2719 Words   |  11 PagesThe Morality of Abortions Abortion’s legalization through Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade, has allowed for one in three pregnancies to end in abortion. This means that 1.5 million abortions are performed in the United States each year (Flanders 3). It ranks among the most complex and controversial issues, arousing heated legal, political, and ethical debates. The modern debate over abortion is a conflict of competing moral ideas and of fundamental human rights: to life, to privacy, to control overRead MoreThe Morality of Abortion Essay examples1494 Words   |  6 PagesThe Morality of Abortion Abortion is the termination of a foetus whilst in the womb and is a constantly argued issue in todays society. Whether abortion is moral or immoral depends on many topics and on one particular topic; when does life start? In 1976 the Abortion act was made active in England and Wales. This allowed the termination of a foetus aged up to 28 weeks, and for the first time women had the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. However limitationsRead MoreMorality Of Abortion s Argument1207 Words   |  5 Pages Morality of Abortion Counter-Argument Kyle Pedigo PHI 103: Informal Logic Micheal Pelt August 29, 2015 â€Æ' Morality of Abortion This paper is written to present a counter argument. This is a counter argument to a debate that has been around for a very long time and likely will not go away any time soon. The topic I will be covering is: Does the stage of pregnancy affect the morality of abortion? In my opinion I have to say no. But, my opinion is not the subject of this paper. My original argument

Literature Has The Power Of Literature - 3178 Words

Literature has the power to free. Books have the strength to break the bondages of slavery, both literally and figuratively. Literature has the ability to give enslaved men hope for a different life and the drive to achieve it. Books have the power to shatter the racism and the prejudice found in every corner of the world and free the people who are locked into the stereotypes of their race, their religion, their family, their friends, their neighborhood. Even zealous individuals, who feel strongly about their religion or their views on racism and controversial issues such as abortion, marijuana, or LGBT rights, can be changed by one book. Prejudiced minds and racist hearts are nothing to the power of literature. Books and poems, short stories and plays have all changed lives. To some people, reading takes them to other places, places they could never afford to go to, nor have the chance to go. Books help them understand why some people think a certain way, or it helps them forget th eir problems. Books feed different perspectives, and help erase prejudices. Though, to be honest, looking at the other side of the coin, it can also strengthen biases that are already in place. Regardless of people’s stances on issues, some find solace in reading; others find solace in writing. Anne Frank said, â€Å"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.† Books inspire people. Just by Anne Frank’s diary alone, has inspired over that 25 million people.Show MoreRelatedLiterature Has The Power Of Free2443 Words   |  10 Pages Sandra Gonzalez Mrs. Enix Period 7 19 December 2014 Literature Frees Literature has the power to free. Books have the strength to break the bondages of slavery, both literally and figuratively. Literature has the ability to give enslaved men hope for a different life and the drive to achieve it. Books have the power to shatter the racism and the prejudice found in every corner of the world and free the people who are locked into the stereotypes of their race, their religion, their family, theirRead MorePullmans Ideolgy in Northern Lights1420 Words   |  6 PagesChildren’s literature has become one of the major branches of literature. The first literature written specifically for children was intended to instruct them. Critics who study childrens literature have found that what is viewed as appropriate reading for children adheres closely to a cultures notion of what a child is a notion that may change considerably from time to time. In the 18th and early 19th Centuries John Newbery - an English author and bookseller- , was the first publisher to dedicateRead MoreFrankenstein And Mary Shelly : The Definition Of Literature823 Words   |  4 PagesThere is no one definition of literature. Nothing about this term—which is so vital to our lives—can be placed into that black and white corner that this question endeavors to force it into. What is literature? What is the feeling of experiencing life through another set of eyes? What is it like having your very soul poured out and sorted out into words on a page? What is that feeling? Traditionally, when I contemplate literature, I recall the beloved classics of William Shakespeare or Jane AustenRead MoreAnalysis Of Anthem And Brave New World 883 Words   |  4 Pagesand a lust for systematic power. During this period of unrest, authors like Ayn Rand and Aldous Huxley realized the importance of individualism and freedom to a society. As a result, both books share a common message; individuality is the most important freedom we have, and the government has variou s ways to hinder that individualism. The first tactic that the government uses to hinder individualism in both novels is by moderating or banning certain literature. Literature is an important form of expressingRead MorePolitics And Literature : Politics1186 Words   |  5 PagesPolitics and literature Politics, derived from the Greek word politika meaning ‘affairs of the cities’ which is ultimately derived from the Greek word meaning polis meaning ‘city state’. From here one can derive the ultimate meaning of the widely used word politics; it is the arrangement, organisation and making of decisions relating to a populace. Politics can take many forms, from a small tribal council to international organisations such as the UN, from utopian democracies to totalitarian fascistsRead MoreA Brief Note On Business Negotiator And International Business Managerial975 Words   |  4 Pagesdedicated to business negotiator and international business managerial. The objectives of this literature are: †¢ Identify the strategies and tactics for different ways of arguing †¢ Identify how culture influences the ways of arguing †¢ Evaluate the effectiveness of ways of arguing at different cultures †¢ Identify the interaction of the two strategies when different cultures meet In this literature, most of the literature collected is through online platforms, such as UWE online library and Google Scholar whileRead More Augustan Poetry Essay830 Words   |  4 PagesJulius Caesar, some of the most powerful and influential literature in the western world was developed in that timeframe. During the Age of Augustus (approximately 43 BC – 17 AD) such great writers as Virgil, Horace, Livy, Propertius, and Ovid created epic masterpieces of literature and philosophy. It was through the collective efforts of these great poets and writers as well as Augustus himself, that the rise of a new facet of Roman literature was possible. Seeing the opportunity to foster a greatRead MoreWhy Do We Read Literature?938 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature has become an unalienable part of human life for centuries. However, it is worth asking, â€Å"Why do we read literature?† What powers does it have that we prioritize literature in our lives and culture? There can be in numerable answers to this question. I recall a famous dialogue from the movie Dead Poets Society (1989), â€Å"Medicine, law, business, engineering: these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. Poetry, beauty, romance, love- these are what we stay alive for.† LiteratureRead MoreLiterature as a Lense745 Words   |  3 PagesLiterature as a Lense Photography over the last few years has developed and changed drastically. Cameras today take pictures that cameras the year before were not capable of capturing due to their ability for larger pixels and higher frame rates. With the ever increasing and technological advancement of the camera itself, the lenses have also undergone major redesign in order to more effectively capture the photographer’s subject. Two lenses today that are very popular are the twelve and forty millimeterRead MoreNew Historicism Is A Really Good Way For Analyze Texts And Show Correlation Between Ideas And Timelines1408 Words   |  6 Pagesconcepts, beliefs, truths, and even standards of truth can be understood only in the relation to the whole moral, intellectual, religious, and aesthetic cultures of the historic periods in which they would begin to arise. A New historicist looks at literature in a more wider and more historical context and they examine how the write affected the work and the work will reflect on the writers time. It recognizes the current cultural contexts that critics have conclusions about. New Historicism was developed

Competitive Strategy of KFC-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Strategy of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Answer: Kentucky Fried Chicken Kentucky Fried Chicken is a multinational fast food restaurant chain, which is headquartered in Kentucky is currently the second largest fast food restaurant chain in the world ranked just after McDonalds. The organization was founded in the year of 1930 and the first franchise was inaugurated in Salt Lake City Utah in the year of 1952. KFC can be seen as one of the first fast food chain restaurant which expanded outside United States. The organizations main product is pressure fried chicken pieces marinated with over eleven types of herbs. KFC became the first American organization that expanded their business in China. These information sums up the fact why this organization has been chosen for this report (Morritt and Weinstein 2012). Currently KFC is the second largest fast food chain, and they achieved this success with proper marketing strategy and providing quality food, satisfying the consumers globally. Initially KFC used the same menu in various countries, but in recent times they realized that they should introduce different menus for the different places to make it more adaptable for the people of that particular region (Rexhepi 2015). KFC faces strong competition in various markets having organizations like McDonalds, Kokoriko, Kyochan and many other brands. It is seen that the majority sales, ike more than 50% sales of the organization come from developed urban regions, but regions which are developing in a rapid pace can be a potential market for the brand like KFC. KFC ranks 147 in the table of global brand ranking table. Their policy is maintaining sustained positive brand position helped a lot to create Top of Mind Awareness. KFC with their introduction of regional foods in various outlets are now c atering to the left out section which would eventually help them to build their brand value (Baroto, Arvand and Ahmad 2014). The organization thus is seen investing a lot in their marketing strategy to compete with fierce rival organizations operating in the same market. From the above discussion it is clear that KFC has a few strengths in the competitive market and those are strong brand value, huge general workforce, perfect cost structure and innovative ideas. It is a fact, that KFC has very low company liabilities, so that gives their profitability a huge boost each financial year. KFC has huge workforces who are very motivated and loyal towards their organization, so that is a huge bonus for them, as it boosts the productivity and profitability of the organization, leaving behind their other competitors in the market. The organization thus is a few miles ahead from their other rival organizations in the market, and only McDonalds is one organization they could not beat till now , but in near future they aim to turn the table by acquiring the rank one title in the market of fast food business globally (Karodia, Linganiso and Dube 2015). Thus it is evident why an organization like KFC is chosen for this report. Unilever Unilever is a Dutch-British organization headquartered in Rotterdam and London, operating in the market of food, beverages and personal care in about 190 nations all over the world. Unilever currently is the largest manufacturer of food spreads like margarine in the global market. The organization was found in the year of 1930 by the collaboration of Magarine and Lever brothers. The organization produces food, various kind of beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products which are divided into four basic categories, such as Foods, Refreshments, Home care and Personal care. The famous brands under Unilever are Sunsilk, Vaseline, Magnum, Knorr and many more (Dirisu, Iyiola and Ibidunni 2013). Unilevers strategies based on Porters model builds a competitive advantage by satisfying the needs and preferences of the consumers. From Porters model, it is seen that generic strategies are used to make sure that organizational competitiveness is important for the growth of the business and resilience. Unilevers competitive advantage is highly based on product development approaches, which integrate research to address market demands. The organization maintains their growth rate by combination of intensive strategies. Unilever uses broad differentiation as their strategy for competitive advantage in the market. The primary focus of this strategy is its emphasis on the features; those create the products of the organization in a better way than their other rival organizations. As an example, it can be said that, the organization manufactures Dove cream soap bars to satisfy the needs of their customers, and those are not at all harmful or make the skin dry (Grant, 2016). They have se t a bit high pricing of their goods, but their products are competitive in the market, as their soaps are good for cleaning and moisturizing, both the purposes where as other soaps are only good for cleaning purposes. The main objective of the organization is to get the pulse of the consumers and their managerial body and the marketing executives are really good at it. Apart from that Unilevers vision to support the global sustainability and increasing vitality in the customers lives aligns with the generic strategy (McGrath 2013). Unilever considers market penetration as their main intensive growth strategy. According to this strategy, the organization in this particular strategy increases the volume of their annual sales to generate more revenue and growth of the business. As an example, it can be said that, in the market of home care products, Unilever quite aggressively sell their products in the current market of United States and Canada, and such efforts increase the ability o f the organization to capture the consumers away from the other rival organizations (Dirisu, Iyiola and Ibidunni 2013). Apart from these, the organization is rich with abundance of motivated workforce and with ample financial stability and big brand value, so there lays the fact that they can experiment with their strategy regarding profitability of the organization, making room for various future improvement in the ever changing market. Thus from the above discussion it is proved why an organization like Unilever has been chosen for this report, as strategically they are much superior than the other rival organizations operating in the same market (Chang and Park 2012) References Baroto, M.B., Arvand, N. and Ahmad, F.S., 2014. Effective strategy implementation.Journal of Advanced Management Science Vol,2(1). Chang, S.J. and Park, S.H., 2012. Winning strategies in China: Competitive dynamics between MNCs and local firms.Long Range Planning,45(1), pp.1-15. Dirisu, J.I., Iyiola, O. and Ibidunni, O.S., 2013. Product differentiation: A tool of competitive advantage and optimal organizational performance (A study of Unilever Nigeria PLC).European Scientific Journal, ESJ,9(34). Grant, R.M., 2016.Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley Sons. Karodia, A.M., Linganiso, X. and Dube, S., 2015. Investigating Factors Impacting on Restaurants' Competitive Positioning: A Study of 3 Food Outlets at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review,4(8), pp.1-45. McGrath, R.G., 2013. Transient advantage.Harvard Business Review,91(6), pp.62-70. Morritt, R. and Weinstein, A., 2012.Segmentation strategies for hospitality managers: Target marketing for competitive advantage. Routledge. Rexhepi, G., 2015. Entering new markets: Strategies for internationalization of family businesses. InFamily businesses in transition economies(pp. 293-303). Springer International Publishing.

The Best Advice Our Mothers Ever Gave Us

Let’s face it - good advice can change your life. No matter who it comes from or on what subject it’s about, advice can give you a new perspective on something you never thought possible. With Mother’s Day fast approaching, our team at wanted to celebrate our wonderful moms by sharing the best quotes and pieces of advice they’ve given us over the years. â€Å"My mom always told me to have a balanced life. ‘Think exercise, social, continue learning. You should be out there meeting people. Keep smiling - let bygones be bygones.’ -Frances Wong Go for something that will support you and your family, you will always have the chance to do the things you love. -Jamil Al-Ghosein At swim meets, my mother used to say get off the blocks first - if you dont false start at least once this season, you arent trying hard enough. She still reminds us of this whenever were afraid of taking risks. -Lydia Fayal â€Å"Add more butter.† -Ryan Kwok â€Å"Mom always emphasized work first, then play. If I wanted to go to see friends, I needed to have my homework done and my essays finished. The cost of playing when theres work to do isnt worth it in her book. Kind of a standard piece of advice but it worked for me.† -Julia Marsh â€Å"Resilience is the most important quality you have, things will change but you’ll always be able to adapt.† -Oakley Purchase â€Å"My mom always told me to focus on my happiness. People come and go, but you’re always you, so it’s important to feel comfortable with yourself. She taught me to take my time and follow my passions, no matter where they took me.† -Drew Evans â€Å"When it comes to career decisions, you only need to remember the 3 Ls: love, learn, leave. If you dont love your job, try to learn from it. If you arent learning from it, then its time to leave.† -Steph Shyu No matter where you are or what youve done, a mothers love and support is key. Make sure to thank your mom this weekend and wish them a very Happy Mothers Day from !

5 Bad Ways to Demonstrate Your Interest in a College

5 Bad Ways to Demonstrate Your Interest in a College Demonstrated interest is an important and often overlooked piece of the college admissions puzzle (read more: What Is Demonstrated Interest?). Colleges want to admit students who are eager to attend: such students help the college get a high yield from their pool of admitted students, and students with strong demonstrated interest are less likely to transfer and more likely to become loyal alums. For some good ways to succeed on this dimension of your college application, check out these eight ways to demonstrate your interest. Unfortunately, many applicants (and sometimes their parents) who are over-eager to demonstrate interest make some bad decisions. Below are five approaches you should not use to demonstrate your interest. These methods could hurt your chances of getting an acceptance letter rather than help. Sending Material the College Did Not Request Many colleges invite you to send in whatever supplemental materials you want to share so that the school can get to know you better. This is especially true for liberal arts colleges with holistic admissions. If a college opens the door for extra materials, dont hesitate to send along that poem, performance recording, or short athletic highlights video. That said, many colleges and universities specifically state in their admissions guidelines that they will not consider supplemental materials. When this is the case, the admissions folks can get annoyed when they receive that package with a draft of your novel, that letter of recommendation when the school doesnt consider letters, or that album of photos of you traveling through Central America. The school is likely to discard these items or waste valuable time and resources mailing them back to you. What You Think Youre Saying: Look at me and how interesting I am! Im so eager to attend your school that I sent you a giant envelope full of extra stuff! What You Are Actually Saying: Look at me! I dont know how to follow directions! Also, I dont respect your time. Im sure you can spend an extra 45 minutes on my application! Trust me, when schools say they wont consider supplemental materials, they are telling the truth and you should follow their admissions guidelines. Calling to Ask Questions Whose Answers are Readily Available Some students are so desperate to make a personal contact in the admissions office that they come up with weak reasons for calling. If you have a legitimate and important question that is not answered anywhere on the schools website or admissions materials, then you can certainly pick up the phone. But do not call to ask if the school has a football team or honors program. Dont call to ask how big the school is and whether or not students live on campus. This type of information is readily available online if you take a few minutes to look. What You Think Youre Saying: Look how interested I am in your college! Im taking the time to call and ask questions! What Youre Actually Saying: Look at me! I dont know how to research and read! The admissions folks are remarkably busy people in the fall and winter, so a rather pointless phone call is likely to be an annoyance, especially at selective schools. Harassing Your Admissions Representative No applicants deliberately harass the person who holds the key to their admission, but some students inadvertently behave in ways that are unwelcome if not uncomfortable from the perspective of the admissions staff. Do not email the office daily with well wishes or fun facts about yourself. Do not send gifts to your admissions representative. Do not show up at the admissions office frequently and unannounced. Do not call unless you have a truly important question. Do not sit outside the admissions building with a protest sign that says Admit Me! What You Think Youre Saying: Look how persistent and clever I am! I really, really, really, really want to attend your college! What Youre Actually Saying: Look at me! I enjoy disrupting your day, and Im also a bit creepy with stalker-like tendencies. Having a Parent Call for You This one is common. Many parents have the admirable quality of wanting to do all they can to help their kids succeed. Many parents also discover that their kids are either too shy, too disinterested, or too busy playing Grand Theft Auto to advocate for themselves in the college admissions process. The obvious solution is to advocate for them. College admissions offices often get more calls from parents than students, just as college tour guides often get grilled more by the parents. If this type of parent sounds like you, just keep in mind the obvious: the college is admitting your child, not you; the college wants to get to know the applicant, not the parent. What You Think Youre Saying: Let me ask questions to demonstrate how interested my child is in your college. What Youre Actually Saying: My kid is so disinterested in college that Im doing all the work of choosing a school and applying. My child lacks initiative. A parents role in the admission process is a challenging balancing act. You need to be there to motivate, support, and inspire. The application and questions about the school, however, should be coming from the applicant. (Financial issues can be an exception to this rule since paying for school is often more of a parents burden than the students.) Applying Early Decision When a College Isnt Your First Choice Early Decision (as opposed to Early Action) is a binding agreement. If you apply through an Early Decision program, you are telling the college that it is your absolute first choice school, and that you will withdraw all other applications should you be admitted. Because of this, Early Decision is one of the best indicators of demonstrated interest. You have made a contractual and financial agreement indicating your unquestionable desire to attend. Some students, however, apply Early Decision in an effort to improve their chances even when they arent sure if they want to attend the school. Such an approach often leads to broken promises, lost deposits, and frustration in the admissions office. What You Think Youre Saying: Look, youre my first choice school! What Youre Actually Saying (if you break your ED contract): Im dishonest and selfish, and you might want to contact competitor colleges to inform them of my breech of contract. A Final Word Everything Ive discussed herecalling the admissions office, applying Early Decision, sending supplemental materialscan be a helpful and appropriate part of your application process. Whatever you do, however, make sure you are following the colleges stated guidelines, and always put yourself in the shoes of an admissions officer. Ask yourself, do your actions make you look like a thoughtful and interested candidate, or do they make you appear inconsiderate, thoughtless, or grasping?

The process of globalisation and its impacts on international business Essay

The process of globalisation and its impacts on international business activities - Essay Example ocess is further understood in the 20th century colonialism in Africa and Latin America, where the capitalists seek to extend their dominion and individualism ideas to the ‘new’ worlds. During this epoch, new economies emerged through the adoption of capitalistic model of governance, which catapulted the Western European countries to financial glory in the early 19th century. Mann (2006) summarises in his book that the process of Globalization was deeply founded in imperialism. Economies opened up for accrual in the First World realms at the cost of exploitation of the Third World nations. In this phase, the outlook of Globalization relied on the leadership fashion of the rulers of that time. The leadership mentality enabled the imperialists distinctively segregate people based on social strata, enabling them further exploit the Third World countries. The raw materials from these nations were extracted and utilised in military and administrative developments by the First World countries; this way, the economies continued to flourish whereas the poor nations were hard-pressed more to paucity. The next stage of Globalization centred on inter-imperial business actions. The joint trade between the European states, the United States of America and more recently, Japan founded a chain of groups on regional echelon, collectively with the governing powers. The economic alliances gave rise to collaborations and competitions in the business realm, leading to a faceoff for market share control by the multinationals. The coalition also bolstered the exploitation of the Third World markets more effective (McCarthy, 2012). Foreign trade forms a fundamental part of Globalization. Transfer of supplies on an international scale is closely interlaced with the different orders of the social ladder and the commercial markets. The nature of the relationship helps the facade of Globalization attain a class disposition (Gilbertson, 2009). As much as the morphology of

Operations Strategy Of Samsung Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operations Strategy Of Samsung Group - Essay Example To remain on a customer’s shortlist, a company has to qualify and re-qualify all through the customer decision making process. Failure to compete at any of these stages would render the firm unable to compete in the rat race. Order winners and qualifiers are both market specific as well as time specific and thus would vary from market to market and also change from time to time. Bozarth and Handfield have opined that order winners are those performance dimensions that differentiate a company’s products and services from its competitors’. Firms win the customer’s business by providing superior levels of performance on order winners. On the other hand, order qualifiers, as stated by Bozarth and Handfield are performance dimensions on which customers expect a minimum level of performance. Superior level of performance on an order is not likely to give the company any competitive advantage.Skinner has been of the opinion that the competitive criteria for a man ufacturing strategy may include the following:†¢ Quality: Manufacturing of products with high standards performance and conformance with high quality †¢ Delivery speed: Meeting of delivery schedules set by the management†¢ Delivery dependability: Responding promptly as well as efficiently to orders from incoming customers†¢ Flexibility: The ability to modify designs as per the needs of customer and react to changes in product and product mix of the firm

Effect of Ionic Pollution on Aerosol Nucleation

Effect of Ionic Pollution on Aerosol Nucleation EFFECT OF IONIC POLLUTION ON AEROSOL NUCLEATION  AND CLOUD FORMATION ABSTRACT Atmospheric aerosol particles have a strong impact on the global climate and that is the main reason for many observed events of new aerosol formation being not understood. Forwarding, to explain these events one of the theory put is that the presence of ions can enhance the formation of aerosols in the atmosphere. This theory is called ion induced nucleation and in this paper, the state of observations and theory within the field is reviewed. While evidence for ion induced nucleation is accumulating the exact mechanism is still not known and more research is required to understand and quantify the effect. Keywords: Atmospheric aerosols, climate change, ion nucleation, nucleation rate, bulk nucleation Shivani Avasthi Deptt. Of Physics, Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology Ghaziabad U.P. [emailprotected] INTRODUCTION The role of ions in the production of aerosols is among the least understood, but potentially is an important process in the Earth’s atmosphere. Observation has shown that the nucleation of aerosol particles can occur under conditions that cannot be explained by classical nucleation theory [8]. Several ideas have been put forward to solve this nucleation problem, e.g. ion-induced nucleation [11, 13]. However, experimental investigations exploring the role of ions in particle production are scarce and often at conditions far removed from those relevant for the lower part of the atmosphere [1]. Since production rates at the size of 3 nm were observed to be 1–10 cm-3s-1, and numerical simulations yielded nucleation rates of initial stable clusters (approx. 1 nm) around 0.1–1 cm-3s-1, it is suggested that ions are active in continuously generating a reservoir of small thermodynamically stable clusters that can then rapidly grow in the presence of condensable vapours [9, 10, 12]. These results demonstrate that ions probably play an important role in the production of new aerosol particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. The chemical composition of aerosols is widely varied from largest size of fine mineral dust, to soot, to sulphate and nitrate salts. Human activities, especially fossil fuel burning, produce a lot of aerosols. In general, aerosols are more abundant over continents than over the oceans, which have consequences in form of the clouds that form there. Because aerosols interact with radiation and are crucial to cloud formation, they can strongly affect climate. Not all aerosol particles can be used to form a cloud droplet: certain criteria apply. Those aerosols meeting these criteria are called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). There are 2 types of aerosol which can act as CCN: The aerosol is insoluble but wettable (or hydrophilic), and sufficiently large. A surface is wettable when water collects on it in a thin film rather than bunching into drops (the opposite of a wettable surface is called hydrophobic, the classic example being a well-waxed car). 2. The other way for an aerosol to act as a CCN is for it to be soluble and large enough. Though there is still a size restriction, it is much less stringent than in the previous case. Because there are many more small aerosols than larger ones, this is the most common way for cloud droplets to form. Aerosols are present throughout the atmosphere and affect Earth’s climate directly through backscattering of sunlight and indirectly by altering cloud properties [4]. A ternary nucleating agent such as ammonia has been proposed to enhance the nucleation process by stabilizing early cluster formation [14]. Another possibility is that ions, produced mainly by galactic cosmic rays, can play an important role to give out the observed nucleation rates [13]. In this paper the role of ions in aerosol nucleation is reviewed. Two areas: Theory and Experimental studies are described in separate sections. In theory section, the various theories are mentioned to understand the nucleation. Experimental studies covers all measurements performed in the atmosphere from studies of the general behaviour of ions to particle nucleation observations where the role of ions is considered. This section also describes laboratory measurements from nucleation events to investigations of single reactions. Finally the state of the field is summarized. THEORITICAL APPROACHES A competition between the growth and evaporation of molecular clusters is called as Nucleation. For a stable cluster to be formed an initial energy barrier must be overcome – this barrier is due to the surface tension of the cluster. The height of this barrier is determined by the temperature and concentration of the nucleating species. There are several good introductions to nucleation theory as mentioned by Curtius [2]. This section deals with how the addition of an electrical charge alters the nucleation process. Thermodynamic theory The classical approach to bi- molecular homogeneous nucleation uses thermodynamics for the nucleation rate J is given as J = J0 exp (-à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G*/kT) (1) where the pre exponential factor J0 = (2 ÏÆ' /Ï€ m)1/2 Ï 2v /Ï l depends upon the kinetics of the system and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G* is the free energy of formation of the critical cluster (the required cluster size to overcome the energy barrier), k is the Boltzmann’s constant, T the temperature, Ï v is the density of the supersaturated vapour , m is the mass of monomer molecules, Ï l the bulk liquid density. Kinetic theory One of the first kinetic models was developed by Yu et al. [17] in order to simulate exhaust plumes from aeroplanes. Coagulation processes were so fast that the thermodynamic solution did not apply and the evolution of heat in the plumes resulted in very high ion concentrations. Coagulation, condensation and evaporation were treated, and neutral, positive, and negative clusters were examined from 0.56 nm up to 0.56 ÃŽ ¼m size with individual bins for the first five molecules and bin sizes increasing by 20% per bin. All the parameters used were calculated from theory. It was concluded by the theory that the effect of changing ion concentration is highest when the ion production and Fig. 1- Gibbs free Energy barrier (Curtius, [2]) the pre-existing aerosol surface are low to begin with and when condensable gas concentrations are high. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES Ion nucleation A review of atmospheric ion formation and different mechanisms for nucleation via ions was given by Harrison [6]. Large positive cluster ions (mass 2500 amu) were detected in the upper troposphere for the first time in 2002 using a large ion mass spectrometer [3]. The most common ions measured were composed of water, acetone, and a proton. Two larger modes were also detected. The lesser of these could be explained by the uptake of sulphuric acid but there were insufficient amounts of condensable gases to explain the largest measured particles by any other means than attachment of small aerosols to the ion clusters. The required concentration of these aerosols was 2.5 * 104 cm-3 and their presence could not be explained by homogeneous nucleation, which strongly indicated that the ions participated in the formation of clusters. The particles formed during a nucleation event were overcharged with negative ions indicating the participation of negative ion chemistry in the nucleation process. However little change in the number of small cluster ions (stable ions with a diameter of (~1.5 nm) was observed during the events, contrary to what would be expected from ion-induced nucleation (INU). This was possibly due to mixing of air parcels or a decrease in the ion condensation sink to other particles previous to the events. An instrument to measure the charged fraction of particles in nucleation events has been developed by Laakso et al. [7]. Particles were passed through a charger that could be turned on and off, and the size distribution was then determined by a differential mobility particle size counter with a switchable polarity to measure either positive or negative ions. A charged fraction above the expected equilibrium was detected in many cases indicating a contribution from INU. Negative overcharging was more common than positive. In order to test the theories and understand what to look for in field studies it is necessary to do experiments under controlled conditions. There are three main approaches to experimental investigation of INU. One approach explains the ion nucleation. Second approach operates on a macroscopic level trying to determine the influence of ions on bulk nucleation. The second approach is to investigate the molecular reactions taking place in an attempt to understand each step in the mechanism of particle formation. Bulk nucleation The first of this kind of experiments are the ones conducted by Wilson [16] where an expansion chamber was exposed to various kinds of ionizing radiation, and an increase in density of the resulting fog was reported. With the advent of particle counters more detailed studies became possible, and the relation between generated particles and radiation doses of alpha rays, beta rays, and x-rays were reported [10]. The doses used were from 1 to 15 rads forming ion concentrations orders of magnitude above atmospheric levels, and using this span of doses the particle production rate was increased by more than a factor of 100. Molecular reaction By investigating directly the molecules involved in the nucleation process more information about details of the mechanism may be revealed. It was found that the mole fraction of sulphuric acid approached that of neutral clusters with increasing cluster size [15]. Small negative clusters had more sulphuric acid than neutrals and the small positive clusters had less. The clusters did not grow to the sizes expected from the rate of collision between clusters and sulphuric acid, meaning that detachment of sulphuric acid played an important role. It was also shown that growth was more effective for negative than for positive clusters. A later study using the same setup determined the hydration constants for the clusters and using the obtained data together with data from Froyd et al. [5], the authors simulated the obtained mass spectra. SUMMARY Evidence for the importance of ions in aerosol nucleation is accumulating. We have shown above experimental studies, as well as the theoretical formulations which indicate that INU is a real effect, even under atmospheric conditions. In some studies the effect of ions is seen directly [12]. Some of the studies presented here indicate that the contribution from INU is just a few percent, compared to other nucleation mechanisms [7]. On the other hand there are also studies which point to ions as being a dominant source of new particles [18]. Models also do not agree where in the atmosphere INU can take place [9].The main question being whether it can happen in the boundary layer or not, and more data is required to improve the theories. One major obstacle to overcome in order to quantify the effect of INU is to determine the exact mechanism. It is well established that sulphate species play an important role, however the participation of other compounds cannot be ruled out. However, more investigations under atmospheric conditions are required to confirm and quantify the effect at varying temperatures and pressures. To further elucidate the potential impact on cloud formation, growth from freshly nucleated particles to cloud droplets must be investigated. REFERENCES. [1] Bricard, J., F. Billard, G. Madelaine: Formation and evolution of nuclei of condensation that appear in air initially free of aerosols, J. Geophys. Res. 73(1968) 4487– 4496. [2] Curtius, J.: Nucleation of atmospheric aerosol particles, C. R Phys. 7(2006), 1027-1045. [3] Eichkorn, S., F. Arnold, R. Busen: Massive positive and negative ions in the exhaust of an aircraft jet engine at ground-level: mass distribution measurement and implications for aerosol formation, Atmos. Environ. 36 (2002), 1821–1825. [4] Forster, P., V. Ramaswamy, P. Artaxo: Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing in climate change, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007, 171–180. [5] Froyd, K. D. and E. R. Lovejoy: Experimental Thermodynamic of Cluster ions, J. Phys. Chem. A 107(2003 a), 9812–9824. [6] Harrison, R. G.: Cloud Formation and the possible significance of charge for atmospheric condensation and ice nuclei, Space Sci. Rev. 94 (2000), 381–396. [7] Laakso, L., A. Hirsikko, M. Kulmala: Detecting charging state of ultra-fine particles: instrumental development and ambient measurements, Atmos. Chem. Phys. 7(2007), 1333– 1345. [8] Lee, S.H., J. M. Reeves, J. C. Wilson: Particle formation by ion nucleation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, Science 301 (2003), 1886–1889. [9] Lovejoy, E. R., J. Curtius, K. D. Froyd: Atmospheric ion induced nucleation of sulfuric acid and water, J. Geophys. Res. 109 D (2004), 8204–8214. [10] Megaw, W. J. and R. D. Wiffen: The generation of condensation nuclei by ionizing radiation, Pure Appl. Geophys. 50(1961), 118–128. [11] Raes, F., A. Janssens, R. Van Dingenen: The role of ion-induced aerosolformation in the lower atmosphere, J. Aerosol Sci. 17 (1986), 466–470. [12] Svensmark, H., J. Pedersen, M. B. Enghoff: Experimental evidence for the role of ion in particle nucleation under atmospheric conditions, Proc. Roy. Soc. A 463 (2007), 385–396. [13] Turco, R., P. Zhao, F. Yu: A new source of tropospheric aerosols: Ion-ion recombination, Geophys. Res. Lett. 25 (1998), 635– 638. [14] Weber, R. J., P. H. McMurry, L. Mauldin: A study of new particle formation and growth involving biogenic and trace gas species, J. Geophys. Res. 103(1998), 16385–16396. [15] Wilhelm, S. D. and F. Arnold: Ion-induced aerosol formation: new insights from laboratory measurements of mixed cluster ions, Atmos. Environ. 38(2004), 1734–1744 [16] Wilson, C. T. R.: The Effect of R ¨ontgen’s Rays on Cloudy Condensation, Proc. Roy. Soc. 59 (1895), 338–339. [17] Yu, F. and R. P. Turco: The formation of aerosols in stratospheric aircraft plumes: Numerical simulations and comparisons with observations, J. Geophys. Res. 103(2008), 25915– 25934. .

Hamlets Insanity :: essays research papers

Hamlet’s Insanity…is it real?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In William Shakespeare’s Play Hamlet, many issues have been raised about Hamlet’s over all sanity. He has experienced many things that might make one think he has gone crazy, for example, his father’s murder, killing Polonius accidentally, and his mother’s abrupt remarriage. Hamlet begins to act shady towards the middle to the end of the play while talking to others. In several scenes it appears that Hamlet has gone crazy. Many critics have varying opinions of this issue. Joshua Wells wrote an article that comparing Hamlet’s sanity and insanity. Another critic, that did not mention his name, thinks that Hamlet is sane. Hamlet was not actually insane, it was simply a ploy to seek revenge for his father’s murder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wells, in his article “Was Hamlet Mentally Disturbed?'; stated that Hamlet is truly insane. In the first act Hamlet appears to be crazy when he hears of his father’s murder. He speaks irrationally to Horatio, who comments that Hamlet is speaking “ wild and whirling words';(I.v.149). Also, Hamlet plays with Horatio and will not tell him what the ghost told him. Horatio asks Hamlet about the news he heard and Hamlet replies “O, wonderful!';(I.v.130). The news is actually not good news at all. Hamlet then sees the ghost in his mother’s chambers, but she can not see it. This is strange because earlier in the play Horatio and the other watchmen could see the ghost. When Hamlet starts a conversation with the ghost, his mother says, “Alas, he’s mad!'; (III.iv.122).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet does some other actions throughout the play that give the impression that he has gone crazy. One is that his moods change abruptly for no reason. While he is talking to his mother in her chambers, they are speaking calming to each other and then Hamlet starts acting violently towards her. He also jumps on a pirate ship without a second thought or anyone to protect him. At the same time, he has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed, even though it was not part of his revenge plan. Finally, Hamlet hides Polonius’ body and will not tell anyone where it is. He tells Laertes that he killed Polonius in a fit of madness (Wells).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many good reasons to believe that Hamlet is truly crazy. He acted rashly and many of his thoughts were random. He did not act as though he had just lost a loved one; he acted like the world had come to an end.

759 store Competitive Business Strategy Essay

Introduction Strategic planning is central to management study. It defines the long term direction for the company and all other business functions orbit around their established strategies. This article studies how a company formulates business-level strategies, optimize their competitive positioning and obtain a competitive advantage over their rivals. In order to further illustrate this management issue, this article investigates into the successful competitive positioning of a leading Hong Kong imported food and daily necessity retailer, the 759 Store é˜ ¿Ã¤ ¿ ¡Ã¥ ±â€¹. Despite 759 Store has a diversified range of business, this article focuses on its major business function as an imported packaged-snacks retailer. The chain-store has grown exponentially since its establishment in July 2010. By November 2014, it has 210 stores across Hong Kong and has significantly increased its market share in the industry.1 This achievement should be credited to the unique competitive strategy the company has adopted. Michael Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategies analyzes how a company should formulate their business model to give them a specific form of competitive position in the market. The three strategies are low cost strategy, differentiation strategy and focus strategy respectively. Low cost strategy drives company to lower their cost and obtain high efficiency, so they can attract customers with lower prices than their competitors. Differentiation strategy, on the contrary, tries to satisfy customers’ needs in a way that its competitors cannot and it has the competitive advantage by charging premium prices. Focus strategy suggests firms specialize in few segments or target market to attain cost advantage or differentiation advantage in the market.2 759 Store’s competitive strategy, however, has adopted both the differentiation and the low cost strategy simultaneously to attract and retain customers. On one hand, it has successfully challenged the cost-leaders in the industry by providing more differentiated products. On the other hand, it has minimized its costs so it charges differentiated products at a relatively low price. The two sections below could illustrate how 759 Store achieves this distinctive strategy. Differentiation Strategy In the aspect of differentiation strategy, companies offer customers with the unique products which are extraordinary or high quality. The uniqueness of the products is usually highly valued by the customers. Thus, those products are competitive in the market and are difficult to be replaced. This section is going to examine how 759 Store differentiate their products from others snacks retailers. (1) Never selling the products which customers can find in chain supermarkets 759 Store differentiates itself from other competitors by providing uncommon products in the market. 759 Store cannot race their cost to the bottom when compare with ParknShop and Welcome, the two well established cost leaders. In order to survive under the oligopolistic market, the company differentiates itself by avoid selling the same products that the two major supermarkets are already selling. 759 Store would rather search for new products instead of competing directly with those supermarket chains.3 By selling different brands and types of snacks, customers cannot use the retail price to directly compare the products in 759 Store and supermarkets. Also, when compared, customers would find the products in 759 Store more trendy and unique than the products in the two traditional low cost leaders. (2) Exclusive sources of goods 759 Store differentiates its products by securing the exclusive source of goods by all means. The company first made headlines in 2011 when one of the local biggest distributor, Swire Group, refused to supply Coca-Cola to the store, claiming its retail price was too low which would harm supermarkets’ profit . After the incident, packaged-snacks imported directly from Japan accounted for over 60% of the main sales of 759 Store.4 Therefore, Coils Lam Wai-Chun, the CEO of 759 Store, have handled business connections with Japanese suppliers with great care. He has connected the first Japan snacks supplier in HKTDC Food Expo in 2011 by himself.5 In Japan, local products for domestic sales are not allowed to be sold to foreign companies. Thus, Lam even went to Japan in person searching for suppliers and set up shadow companies in Japan sourcing for any popular and fair-price snacks that are  not yet known to the Hong Kong market.6 That is the reason snacks sold in 759 Store always catch up with the trend in Japan. Thus, 759 Store provides exclusive products which cannot be found in its competitors’ stores. Furthermore, 759 Store establishes a stable and strong relationship with its suppliers in Japan, which are mostly small and medium enterprises. Some Japanese suppliers have even promised to supply their products exclusively to 759 Store as a gesture to thank the company’s support during the recovery hardship after the 311 Earthquake in Japan.7 All these business connections helped 759 Store to secure its exclusive sources of goods from Japan. (3) Higher autonomy on goods selection through bypassing local distributors Today, more than 95% of products sold at 759 Store are imported directly bypassing distributors in Hong Kong.8 Therefore, 759 Store enjoys greater autonomy on deciding the variety of products they sell. 759 Store successfully develops a new market segment providing new and popular Japanese snacks to Hong Kong people. The self-reliance nature of 759 Store in terms of product purchasing enables the company to maintain its unique choice of trendy and diversified goods, thus differentiating itself from its competitors. (4) Diversification of goods and fast moving trend 759 Store differentiate itself from others by diversifying its choice of goods and keeping its shopping shelves updated with new goods. Assuming customers from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong all share the same trend and taste, the item selection of 759 Store is based on the seasonal snack sales in Japan. The company only retains its top-500 sales items on its shelves and imports these items again.9 The rest of the products are purchased according to the sales trend of snacks in Japan every week. The sales cycle for each snack product is around 3 months only.10 As a result, customers can always be surprised and refreshed by new snacks while enjoying their preferred snacks. The company has successfully differentiated itself from some traditional differentiators, such as Okashi Landé› ¶Ã© £Å¸Ã§â€° ©Ã¨ ªÅ¾. Both snack stores differentiate themselves from the cost leaders by selling imported snacks from Japan. However, the fast market reaction, diversification and regular replacement of products make 759 Store offers a higher value to  customers than its rivals, as 759 Store’s products are more responsive to customers’ preferences. Low Cost Strategy Though 759 Store uses a lot of tactics to differentiate itself from its competitors, the company still manages to keep their operation at low cost. Hence, the company does not need to charge their customers a premium price for the extra differentiation strategies. This section would explain how 759 Store do everything possible to lower its cost structure and develop its competitive edge against the cost leaders in the market. (1) Economies of scale through rapid horizontal expansion Horizontal expansion is a growth strategy that expands within the same stage of the production process. 759 Store experienced rapid horizontal expansion which it has opened 210 stores in 4 years. Through rapid horizontal expansion, 759 Store benefits from several economies of scale – the reduction of long run per unit cost when the scale of production of a company has expanded. One significant average cost advantage is that the company has increased their bargaining power when purchasing from suppliers. If the scale of the company is small, it cannot enjoy the wholesale price offered by the suppliers.11 After enlarging their scale of operation, 759 stores received a reduction in average input price and transportation cost by more than 10%.12 (2) Cost reduction through backward vertical expansion Backward vertical expansion is another growth strategy 759 Store practices to reduce the cost. By becoming companies’ own supplier, business can control its inputs and help them to provide more secure transaction.13 Due to the exclusive culture of the Japanese snack production industry, Japanese companies only supply their goods to local companies. To address this problem, 759 Store has to set up their shadowing companies in Japan to take up the functions of distributors. As 759 stores purchase the goods directly from the snack manufacturers without passing through any distributors and wholesalers, they could enjoy a lower import price and maintain a steady input supply by themselves. This in turn reduces the overall cost of  production by integrating different business stages of business functions. (3) Effective inventory management The storage and management of inventories could be a huge source of expenditures for retailers. Packaged snacks are perishable and thus requires accurate inventory management In order to reduce inventory cost while diversifying its products, for each new product, 759 Store would first import 2400-3000 pieces of them to Hong Kong. The company then experiments the market reaction to the product and decides whether to import the product in bulk or not.14 This practice has greatly reduced the risks of stocking up unpopular goods in the warehouse, therefore reducing the cost for inventory storage. (4) Less costly shop location choice When it comes to choosing shop location, 759 Store does not chase after prime retailing locations with expensive rent. Instead, it usually opts for large, more remote and less visible shop locations in residential neighborhoods. The per-foot-square rent at these locations is generally cheaper and 759 Store can bargain for a lower rent as the shop’s presence can improve pedestrian flow nearby.15 In fact, most 759 Store’s customers are willing to sacrifice convenience for lower price of products as they usually purchase a lot of goods at once.16 According to the annual report of 2013-14, rent for shops only accounted for about 9.8% of the retail revenue. 759 Store successfully lowers its costs by choosing less popular shop location and turns it to its own advantages. (5) Motivate employee: pay more for employees to work more The 759 Store regards its employees as important assets of the company. It can help reduce the operating cost of the company by successfully motivating its staff to enhance their productivity. It always stresses the provision of a reasonable salary and fringe benefit to its staff. For example, when the existing minimum wage in Hong Kong is $30/hour, 759 Store can pay its staff up to $38/hour. A manager may get an attractive salary up to $30,000 per month. 17 The CEO of 759 Store believes that a reasonable pay will increase working incentive of the staff to provide better service performance and  deliver excellent service to the customers. According to the annual report of 759 Store, one can find that even though the company is renting larger stores, the number of frontline staff is similar as previous year which is approximately 4.1 staff per shop.18 Although the per-labor cost is higher, the overall cost on labor is reduced because the staff is more productive and the company can hire less labor. (6) Inexpensive advertising and communication strategies 759 Stores adopts useful but inexpensive marketing strategies to gain its reputation. Unlike its competitors who promote their brands through traditional advertising channels, like newspaper, radio and television advertisement, 759 Stores uses word of mouth to promote its brand. Since their CEO has a good relationship with the media, he has been repeated interviewed by numerous press and television programs. It has helped 759 Store to gain exposure in the mass media without paying a penny. Also, 759 Store utilizes the technology to communicate with its customers, especially the internet platform like Facebook and blog. These platforms provide channels for 759 Store to communicate and respond to its customer directly. All these measure are cost-minimizing, yet they are very effective. Conclusion In a nutshell, 759 Store has developed its competitive business position by adopting features from both the differentiation strategy and the low-cost strategy. On one hand, 759 Store differentiated itself from traditional cost-leaders by providing exclusive, highly diversified and trendy goods to its customers, through exclusive sources of imported goods and autonomous purchasing practice. It has also avoided direct competition with the cost leaders on identical items. In terms of responsiveness to customers’ taste and catching up with trends, 759 Store’s performance is even superior to the traditional differentiators in the industry. On the other hand, the company has adopted the strategy to lower its cost structure, therefore it does not has to charge products for premium prices even extra values has been added to its products. It has lowered its per-unit cost by economies of scale through rapid horizontal and backward  vertical expansion. Other costs are being lowered by having better inventory control, choosing less costly shop location, using unconventional advertising methods and cutting overall labor cost by incentivizing individuals to achieve higher productivity. Some scholars identify this mixture of strategies as the broad differentiation strategy.19 The competitive advantage of companies adopting this strategy is that the company can offer customers quality products at reasonable prices. As 759 Store has demonstrated, it has chosen a level of differentiation that gives the company on the market segment it has targeted. Besides, they have achieved this in a way that has allowed them to lower their cost structure over time. Though it has higher cost than the cost leader, as well as less differentiated products than the differentiator, 759 Store offers more value than its industry rivals, and therefore threatening both the cost leader and the differentiator. In the case of 759 Store, ParknShop, the traditional cost leader in the industry, has even referred to the business model of 759 Store and opened a subsidiary brand in order to compete with 759 Store.20 It is a proof that 759 Store has successfully weakened the competitive position of its rivals by adopting the right strategy. Insights The successful competitive positioning of 759 Store gives insights to future managers on strategic planning, especially regarding how to enter an oligopolistic market. 759 Store has found its unique competitive position to create a ‘third way† in the oligopolistic packaged-food retailing market, which was dominated by two traditional cost leaders. By adopting the broad differentiation strategy, 759 Store achieved rapid growth rate of stores and increased its market share steadily in a very short period of time. The successful identification of and expansion into a specific market segment has allowed 759 Store to spread out geographically in Hong Kong quickly. Also, this model cannot be imitated quickly by its competitors. Hence, it is a business model which a lot of companies in the growth stage of their business might want to model upon. We can also find the practices for 759 Store to pursue differentiation and low cost strategies are very innovative. The company’s unique understanding of market taste and purchasing culture has enabled it to come up with efficient and effective strategies never  adopted by its competitors. The differentiation by trendiness and the cost minimization through shop location choice are good example of the creative strategies 759 Store has adopted. Moreover, the company’s culture of giving genuine respect to their employees and suppliers has even given 759 Store special competitive advantages in the market. The business model of adopting broad differentiation strategy, however, is not without risks. In order to achieve this distinctive competitive positioning, 759 Store has developed a number of potential risks. The company has an unhealthy amount of debts due to rapid expansion, which makes the company vulnerable to economic downturns. Besides, when compare with the differentiators and the cost leaders, the profit margin of 759 Store is significantly narrower. Profitability could be sacrificed during the growth stage of the company, but we foresee that the company has to adjust its competitive strategy in order to create a sustainable business model in the future. References 759 Store, â€Å"About Us.† Accessed November 2, 2014. http://www.759store.com/aboutus.php?lang=eng. 759 Store Blog. â€Å"759é˜ ¿Ã¤ ¿ ¡Ã¥ ±â€¹- Ã¥ °â€¹Ã¨ ³ ¢Ã¦ ±â€šÃ¦â€° !† Accessed October 24, 2014, http://759store-personnel.blogspot.hk/. CEC International Holdings Limited. â€Å"Annual report 13-14.† Accessed October 24, 2014. http://www.ceccoils.com/doc/art/finance/2014082201/201408220001.pdf. Hill, Charles W. L. and Gareth R. Jones. Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Hong Kong Celebrity Network. â€Å"Lam Wai Chung.† Accessed November 2, 2014. http://www.hongkongprofile.com/2011/10/759.html.

Comparing Jane Eyre, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast

Many themes are brought into the readers attention in Charlotte Brontà «s Jane Eyre and when first reading the novel, we all tend to see it as a work built around the theme of family and Janes continuous search for home and acceptance. The love story seems to fall into second place and I believe that the special relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester needs to be thoroughly discussed and interpreted, because it holds many captivating elements, such as mystery, passion or even betrayal. The aim of this essay is to analyze the love story between the two protagonists and to illustrate how the elements forming their relationship resemble the ones in fairy tales. Jane Eyre has been often compared to fairy tales such as†¦show more content†¦Fairfax, Adele and of course, Edward Rochester, her master. The love relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester is not one to be called at first sight, because at their first encounter, Jane does not seem to feel any kind of attraction to wards the one who in the end will become her husband. Their love grows steady, it is not spoken and it is built with baby-steps, through gestures I believe the two protagonists are not completely aware of. Jane finds Mr. Rochester fascinating in a good and bad way, at the same time: The ease of his manner freed me from painful restraint; the friendly frankness, as correct as cordial, with which he treated me, drew me to him (Chapter 15). A new territory is revealed before Janes eyes and her strict religious beliefs seem to fade in front of her growing passion for her master. The passion I am arguing about is so strong that it eventually makes the heroin think of nothing but her ideal lover. Passion is physically present in the novel through the symbol of fire, first in the night when Rochesters bed is set fire and finally, when the castle of Thornfield burns to the ground. In the first situation the reader surprises an intimate moment between the protagonists, when Jane rescues her master and he speaks to her in a manner which confused and yet gave her wings: Strange energy was in his voice, strange fire in his look. [...] But he still retained my hand, and I could not free it. I bethought myself of anShow MoreRelated Reactions to Patriarchal Oppression by Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason3826 Words   |  16 PagesReactions to Patriarchal Oppression by Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason Missing Works Cited    Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason are both oppressed by the British patriarchal system were men are the makers, interpreters, and enforcers of social and political rules. However, these two women differ greatly in the ways that they accept and cope with the reality of their place in society, and it is these differences that ultimately determine their fate. Jane Eyre follows the rules. Although she initially revolts