Teamwork in Action

TEAMWORK IN ACTION Retail store that sells music CDs 1. In retail store that sell music CDs, the single measure best reflects the overall level of activity is Number of CDs sold. – In respect to changes in the measure of CDs sold, a variable cost is a cost that varies, in total, in direct proportion while a fixed cost remains unchanged, in total, regardless of any change. ->Examples of fixed and variable costs in respect to small changes in the measure of selling CDs: Cost| Cost behavior| | Variable| Fixed| The cost of advertising new store| | X|Number of CDs supplied| X| | The cost of renting space for store| | X| The electrical cost in store| | X| The direct labor cost| | X| The cost of delivering CDs | X| | Variable Cost Number of CDs supplied| Cost of CD| Total variable Cost – CDs| 1| 35. 000| 35. 000| 50| 35. 000| 1. 750. 000| 100| 35. 000| 3. 500. 000| Fixed Cost Monthly Labor cost| Number of CDs sold| Average cost per CD| 5. 000. 000| 20| 250. 000| 5. 000. 000| 7 0| 71. 428,6| 5. 000. 000| 150| 33. 333,3| 2. Relationship between the number of CDs sold and others: Cost| Behavior of the cost| In Total| Per Unit| Fixed cost| Total fixed cost is not affected by changed in the number of CDs sold. | Fixed cost per unit decreases as the number of CDs sold rises and increases as this number falls. | Variable cost| Total variable cost increases and decreases in proportion to changes in the number of CDs sold. | Variable cost per unit remains constant. | | | | Total cost| Increases and decreases in proportion to changes in the number of CDs sold| Average total cost per unit| Increases and decreases in proportion to changes in the number of CDs sold|

Globalization And Tesco Essay

Terms of Reference The aim of this report is to give a detailed explanation of globalisation, what its main drivers are, its undesirable effects, how big a part Tesco plays in going global and what political, economic, sociocultural, technological and legal forces a multinational organisation might face when expanding into other countries. Main Body Globalisation Globalisation is the integration of the world’s domestic economies into one single international market. It can also be defined as the ‘death of distance’ (Cairncross, 1997). Globalisation allows for the free trade of goods and services between nations; it allows workers to be employed more easily around the world; it allows businesses to benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI) and it allows markets to develop at a faster rate due to the interchange of new technological advances and intellectual knowledge. The process of globalisation is motivated largely by the desire of multinational corporations to increase profit but also by the motivation of individual national governments to tap into the wider macroeconomic and social benefits that come from greater trade in goods, services and the free flow of financial capital. * The term globalisation is generally used to describe an increasing internationalisation of markets for goods and services, the means of production, financial systems, competition, corporations, technology and industries. Amongst other things this gives rise to increased mobility of capital, faster propagation of technological innovations and an increasing interdependency and uniformity of national markets. (OECD, 2001). The process of globalisation has several main drivers apart from of course multinational companies wanting to expand. Barriers to international trade are falling, tariffs and other import controls have declined making it  cheaper and easier to trade between countries. Trading blocs allow for the free trade between countries within it, the EU has become the most powerful trading bloc in the world with a GDP nearly as large as that of the United States. There has been a major improvement in transportation, for example, containerisation greatly reduces the expense of international trade and increases its speed, especially of consumer goods and commodities, bringing prices down in the country of manufacture and closer to the prices in the export market. Deregulation of global financial markets allows for FDI and an increase in the free flow of money. Tesco – A Global Organisation Tesco is the largest chain of supermarket within the UK; it dominates the market with a share of 25%, making it a monopoly. The company has become successful through strong marketing techniques, good store location and efficient inventory management. It was one of the first to recognise that there was a gap in the market for unbranded value goods, which helped it to fast-track to the leading position in the UK in the early 1990’s. In 1995, Tesco overtook Sainsbury’s as the UK’s largest supermarket (www.corporatewatch.org) so as the company grew stronger and generated a larger cash flow, management decided that the only way to expand even further was to invest abroad. When Tesco researched into international markets they decided that entering into countries where there were already well established supermarkets would not be the best option as they would struggle with tough competition. Unless Tesco invested heavily into research and development (R+D) in these established markets, they would not be able to compete with domestic chains that would already have a clear understanding of the needs and wants of their consumers. They decided to expand into emerging economies where there was little competition such as Eastern Europe and Asia. Tesco initially expanded into Ireland and France but ‘The perceived success (or otherwise) of their early venture abroad would have been considered insignificant to the company’s fortunes at home, and as a result, this largely undermined the company’s (perceived) efforts in the eyes of the financial markets as being a peripheral and/or even a distraction to the  core UK business’ (Palmer, 2005). So in 1995, according to Tescoplc.com, Tesco’s first port of call was Hungary, this was also the year they introduced the Tesco Clubcard (www.tescoplc.com), this shows that as well as wanting to expand abroad, Tesco still wanted to build and retain a customer loyalty in the UK. Tesco expanded into Hungary as well as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland by acquiring large stakes in domestic retailers. This strategy of expanding was clearly successful as Tesco now have over 205 stores in Hungary, one of which is the biggest store in the world and over 21,000 employees (www.tescoplc.com). By merging with domestic retailers there was a lot less risk than building new supermarkets as these companies had a deeper understanding of the markets they were participating in and allowed Tesco to gain an understanding of specific consumer demands in different countries, but without the financial strength of Tesco these companies would not have been able to expand much further. In 1998, Tesco expanded again into Taiwan and Thailand, with the same business venture of acquiring shares of well knows retailers. China, being one of the world’s BRIC economies would clearly be of interest to a fast expanding western company, this is because of its advances towards capitalism and its low labour costs. The move into China came in 2004. After much deliberation with potential partners, Tesco settled on a joint venture with Hymall who had been operating in china for 6 years. This was their biggest move yet as there was so much potential to expand at a much faster rate in a growing economy. By 2007 after having investments in 46 stores, they had enough customer awareness to be to open their own branded store (www.bbc.co.uk/news). Asda is Tesco’s biggest rival in the UK, in 1999 it was taken over by the American superstore Wal-Mart. This would have influenced Tesco to increase its performance as even though Asda is not as big in the UK, Wal-Mart is the biggest company in the world and would have the financial capacity to increase the competitiveness of Asda – ‘The takeover has far-reaching consequences for British retail as other companies react to it and find new ways to compete’ (Corporate Watch, 2004). How is Tesco affected by international Political, Economic, Sociocultural, Technological and Legal forces? Tesco operates in six other countries of the EU apart from the UK so its performance is now affected by the European Union (EU). Different tax policies, trade restrictions and tariffs will apply across every border, Tesco will need to include these differences when calculating their costs. In the UK, corporation tax lies between 20%-26%, but in comparison it is 40.69% in Japan. Multinational companies will need to take into consideration how much influence the government has over the country of potential investment – i.e. whether it is a dictatorship or democracy etc., and whether there is too much state control that could prevent the company from working efficiently and producing enough profit. As Tesco continues to expand, it may encounter problems with different monopoly regulations and competition authorities. In the UK, the Competition Commission investigates all mergers and take overs and ensures that there is healthy competition to benefit consumers, companies and the economy as a whole. This is so that customers aren’t exploited by monopolies in the market – i.e. by paying higher prices and smaller businesses have a higher chance of survival. Multinational companies need to monitor the economic climate of countries they wish to expand to. During the recent economic downturn, the consumer electronics market has been one of the hardest hit, as incomes are cut the demand for luxury items has also fallen. ‘Operating losses of  £46.7million in six months’ -because of this ‘Best Buy’ has had to close down their stores resulting in a huge loss of jobs (The Guardian, 2011). Tesco may not get hit as hard when expanding because of their diversity of products but they do need to ensure that they are entering new markets with the potential to gain a domina nt market share so that they are not forced to shut down even when consumer demand is low. The minimum wage in the UK as it stands is  £6.08 an hour (www.direct.gov.uk, October 2011) however this will not be the same in every country and Tesco has faced exploitation allegations concerning this. In 2006, Tesco faced allegations over the treatment of workers in Bangladesh; War on Want alleged that wages were as low as 5p an hour and that workers were working 80+ hour weeks. However, Tesco stated that ‘Our suppliers comply with local labour laws and workers at all Bangladeshi suppliers to Tesco are paid above the national minimum wage’ (The Guardian, 2006). It may be unfair that the minimum wage is so low but it is not Tesco’s fault, however they are doing nothing in the way to  improve the situation so they will still face a lot of negative media. Consumers in every country have different demands, the food and drink supplied in the UK may be completely different to the needs and wants of people in China. Tesco need to appreciate that the food they retail in England may not appeal to other countries and so would have had to invest strongly in R+D to find out what they need to stock on their shelves. Merging with leading companies would have helped them to do this but much investment would have been needed in new raw materials and machinery to produce the different goods. ‘In the UK pies and sausages might take pride of place in Tesco’s meat refrigeration cabinets but in China, customers can browse through baskets of braised pig trotters, bundled together in fours by string’ (The Telegraph, 2011). To be successful in merging into foreign markets, Tesco has understood that they need to adapt their operations and that the way stores are run in the UK may not suit the way companies are run in different countries. Instead of sending UK staff overseas to manage stores, Tesco has employed domestic managers that will understand fully the needs and wants of their consumers. In the UK, Tesco now supplies international cuisine to apply to all areas of the market, for example there are whole aisles filled with different Indian spices and shelves stacked with Polish branded goods. Religion in different nations will affect what Tesco can sell in their stores, meat is easily sold in the UK but in some religions it is not part of people’s diet so Tesco will need to provide suitable substitutions. Expanding outside of the UK means that Tesco will be exposed to and highly influenced by other laws and legislation different to that of the UK government. The way in which vegetables and fruit are produced and grown in the UK may not comply with laws in other countries. In 2011, an investigation by Greenpeace discovered that vegetables sold in supermarkets contained levels of illegal pesticides or pesticides exceeding the maximum level that should be found in the food, making the produce illegal to sell in China. ‘Supermarket giants such as Tesco should be leading the way when it comes to shifting China’s agricultural industry to an eco-agricultural one, which includes reducing the country’s heavy use of chemicals in production. And instead they, along with Lotus and Lianhua, are seriously lax in keeping to China’s current standards’ (Greenpeace, 2011). Why would Globalisation be considered undesirable? Globalisation has been linked to a widening of inequalities in income and wealth. The benefits of globalisation are mainly going to the rich developed countries whilst the poor in the developing world are getting poorer. This is because multinational companies can exploit workers in LEDC’s as they do not have the power to fight back. Wealthy companies from any one country are only going to target expanding or rich companies in another; this reduces the chances of small businesses to become successful and forces many to shut down. As Tesco expands, it will need to increase its supply of raw materials and factories to manufacture in, this provides jobs in poorer countries because of the cheap labour pool, but because these multinational companies are so dominating they have the power to exploit workers and pay them extremely low wages. Workers in poorer countries may also lose their jobs due to the rapid technological change and the fact that machinery can remove inefficiencies from the work force. This also results in structural unemployment where many industries are weakening due to their long-term decline of use and the investment in capital-labour substitutions. The workers in these environments then find it difficult to find another job in a different industry as their skills are specific to their previous job. The biggest long term threat to arise from globalisation is the effect that it will have on the environment, rapid growth and development may lead to irreversible damage. Demand for timber, for example, has led to large scale deforestation in the developing world. Improvements in transportation is one of the main drivers of globalisation, as it is now much cheaper and far easier to transport goods around the world, however much more fuel is being used and many more emissions are being created. Pollution can have an effect not only on the environment but also on the health of people, as China continues to be the world’s fastest growing economy there are many health consequences to be aware of. A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that ‘diseases triggered by indoor and outdoor air pollution kill 656,000 Chinese citizens each year, and polluted drinking water kills another 95,600.’ Conclusion From my research I have shown the factors why Tesco went global; these include the need to dominate international markets after becoming the biggest supermarket within the UK, the success of their strategies of merging with other companies with market knowledge and the rate of technological change that has allowed Tesco to grow so quickly. I have highlighted PESTL factors that Tesco may face such as the economic climates of different countries, sociocultural issues such as adapting to the needs and wants of consumers from a different market and the negative press that such a large company is bound to face. Even though globalisation is favoured by many, its effects can sometimes be undesirable, it is changing the world at such a phenomenal pace that there is always going to be some disadvantages and sadly it is always going to be the people with less money and power that will suffer. References – BBC News. (2007). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6300993.stm – Cairncross, F., (1997). The Death of Distance – Corporate Watch. (2004). http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=21&query=asda+wal-mart#history – Directgov. (2011). http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/TheNationalMinimumWage/DG_10027201 – Nadia G., (2011). Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058494/Carphone-warehouse-closes-Best-Buy-stores-More-1-000-jobs-threat.html – OECD. (2001). http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1121 – Palmer M., (2005). A case study of Tesco. Retail Multinational Learning. 33 (33,1), 28. – Randeep R., (2006).The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/dec/08/clothes.ethicalliving – Tan M., (2011) http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/blog/banned-pesticides-detected-on-vegetables-in-t/blog/36666/ – The Telegraph. (2011). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8152422/Five-things-Tesco-sells-in-China-but-not-in-the-UK.html?image=1 – www.tescoplc.com – WHO. http://www.who.int/en/

Should people ban testing on animals based upon people unethical Essay

Should people ban testing on animals based upon people unethical research of animal - Essay Example Since decades, animals are used for the purpose of testing in order to accomplish the objectives of experiments. Scientifically, animal testing is termed to be beneficial for many inventions, but it is also not without certain ethical issues related with animal rights. The practice of animal testing has its long story, which can be found rooted since when the ancient Greek people used animal for their experiments and in many rituals to gain beauty and good health. While then the human society had limited concern about the living rights of animals, modern day philosophers and activists have been into debates as to whether animal testing should be banned with due consideration to its positive contributions towards the development of the society (PRISM, â€Å"The Connection between Animal Testing, the Environment, and Human Health†). Emphasizing this context, the objective of the paper is to argue regarding the negatives and positives associated with animal testing in order to take a stand in opposition of banning animal testing. Hence, the thesis of the paper will aim to support animal testing for innovation and for the development of medical research emphasizing its positive effects and critically assessing the negatives associated with the same. Arguments in contradiction to animal testing have long been encouraged by activists and philosophists in the society. However, it cannot be ignored that there are some fields where the experiments upon animal are mandatory in nature for the overall enhancement of the society and also for new inventions. Illustratively, the biomedical field is such an example wherein animal testing is mandatory for the research to be a success. It is evident, that scientists in the present day, with the help of advance technology, are inventing new options in the area of medical research to support the human life system. For instance, researchers, through animal

Emergency Assignment for the subject Business Law. Writer MUST be ON Essay

Emergency Assignment for the subject Business Law. Writer MUST be ON TIME. Writer needs to send me some progresses on the 20thMarch UK time for tutor's permi - Essay Example The treaty of Rome 1957 established the European atomic energy community (EURATOM). A second treaty of Rome 1957 established the European Economic Community (EEC), now contained in the treaty of European Union 1992, consolidated into the treaty of Amsterdam. These are laws approved by the institutions of the European Union through the procedures defined within the treaties. This is mainly concerned with economic matters such as free trade, agriculture and transport. They represent the bulk of community legislation. This legislation most affects business and consumers. For instance Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the council of 11 February 2004, establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and cancellation or long delay of flights. i) EU regulations: these are of general application in their entirety and directly applicable in all member states without the need for further legislation. They confer individual rights and duties which the national courts of the member states must protest. The object is to obtain uniformity of law throughout the member states. ii) EU directives: they are binding on all member states as to the objectives to be achieved within a certain time limit and member states must adopt measures to meet the stated objectives. ... es: they are binding on all member states as to the objectives to be achieved within a certain time limit and member states must adopt measures to meet the stated objectives. National authorities have the choice of form and means to be used. Directives have no legal force in member states until they are transposed into national laws. Decisions by ECJ: Are binding on all national courts in all the member states; but ECJ is not bound by its own previous decisions. In Walts v Bedford Primary care Trust, May 2006, Mrs. Walts travelled to France for hip surgery, due to a 1 year waiting list in the UK for the same operation. She argued that the NHS should reimburse her costs for the trip to France and the surgery. The ECJ agreed that in cases of "undue delay" the NHS should reimburse the costs iii) EU decisions: - These may be addressed either to member states or to an individual or institution. They are a formal method of enunciating policy decisions and they are binding on those to whom they are addressed. iv) EU recommendations and opinions: - are not binding but express the council's or commission's view on policy to the member states or to the individuals to which they are addressed. Whilst recommendations and opinions are not legally binding, they have political and moral significance and can be preliminary requirements to subsequent mandatory rules. 3. Case law - THE DOCTRINE OF PRECEDENT Case law includes judgments of the European court of Justice and of the European court of First instance, for example; in response to referrals from the commission, national courts of the member states or individuals. These types of legislation comprise the acquis communauitaire. Case law involves the following principles: 1. Stare decisis: This refers to

Your choice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Your choice - Research Paper Example hlairet (2009) pointed out the fact that there are quite a lot of practicing nurses who either failed to receive proper education or continuing education on end-of-life care; which clearly explains why most of them have insufficient knowledge and skills on end-of-life care. Often times, these practicing nurses are not prepared to meet the healthcare needs of terminally ill patients with dementia (Regan, Tapley, & Jolley, 2014). As a result, the quality of life of terminally ill patients and their family members is adversely affected. In relation to the nurses’ role in palliative care, this report seeks to determine the best ways to improve the nurses’ competency when managing terminally ill patients. As such, this report will seek to determine barriers that could hinder an effective end-of-life care. This report will also highlight ways on how nurses could practice effective communication such as active listening. All these are necessary to ensure that the nurses will be able to earn the patients’ trust and eventually build a stronger nurse-patient relationship. Informing the readers about the current research findings and trends in end-of-life care could help increase the ability of practicing nurse to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients and their family members. Several studies managed to identify that lack of education (Todaro-Franceschi & Lobelo, 2014; Schlairet, 2009) or limitations in the core curriculum on issues related to end-of-life care (Hebert, Moore, & Rooney, 2011; Malloy et al., 2006) serve as a barrier behind the ability of practicing nurses to uplift the quality of life of terminally ill patients. Other than limitations in education or training, Reynolds, Drew and Dunwoody (2013) mentioned that the high cost of end-of-life care and patient or family denial can serve as a barrier to end-of-life care. Lastly, Hebert, Moore and Rooney (2011) explained that the inability of the nurses to communicate well with the patients

Serotonin Ecstasy Drug MDMA (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine), Research Paper

Serotonin Ecstasy Drug MDMA (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine), - Research Paper Example It was termed as a youth epidemic and many cases of MDMA drug abuse were reported among youngsters. Following media reports and fatal cases of MDMA drug overdose, the drug was banned in 1985 in the US. Ecstasy has both beneficial and harmful effects. The question as to whether its benefits outweigh its harmful effects is yet to be answered. Research on the therapeutic benefits of ecstasy in humans is still in progress. The use of ecstasy is illegal and those found with the drug are heavily penalized or even jailed. This paper attempts to understand whether the criminalization and banning of the drug is justified. It argues that the drug can be exploited for various therapeutic uses and that it will do more good if released for public use. The paper further goes on to assert that criminalization of the drug is doing more harm than good. MDMA or ecstasy was first synthesized by Anton Kà ¶llisch in a Merck laboratory in 1912 (Ebitler para. 2). It was an intermediate product used in the manufacture of hydrastinine. It was patented by Merck in 1913 as a slimming agent or appetite suppressor but was not marketed by the company (IDMU para. 1). It was later used by Max Oberlin to induce adrenaline-like effects in animals. By the 1960s, it became known as the love drug because it was effective in inducing a â€Å"sense of empathy† and â€Å"deep introspective thought†, apart from â€Å"heightening the senses† (Ebitler para. 3). The effects of the drug were recorded in a book called Pihkal by Alexander Shulgin, who experimented with the drug himself (Ebitler). He recommended the potential therapeutic uses of the drug to his friend Leo Zeff, who was a psychotherapist. Soon, the drug became popular among psychotherapists for being beneficial in psychedelic therapy and in facilitating better diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric patients,

What are the main features of a bipolar world Illustrate your answer Essay

What are the main features of a bipolar world Illustrate your answer with examples - Essay Example The bipolarity as explained above was a period in which US, her allies, the USSR, and her allies held extreme views in all manner of sense; from political to economic issues. The period was also characterized with suspicion and propaganda, the suspicion that USSR or United States were in the process of developing weapons of mass destruction. It must be noted that there were no formal confirmation of this allegation rather a state of being insecure given that both USSR and the US emerged as the World super power and had Veto powers in the UN council (Hunt, 147). It can be believed that the war bipolarity was necessitated by the fact that both USSR and US emerged as super powers and were posing significant threat to each other, the only way they could deal with the situation was holding contrary view. It accentuates our belief that way because in any event, the two countries were in the same front all along from 1914-45. Even though in the bipolar world there were no direct military confrontations, most of the historian have alluded that it can be termed as the world war III. This is because the two opposing groups, USSR, and U.S were involved in indirect wars by supporting their proxies with military and economic aids. The situations were glaring in the cases of Korean and the Vietnam. The Cuban missile crisis was also a manifestation of the proxy involvement of the two antagonistic sides in 1962. Some of the factors that led to the bipolarity were; The Soviet were in a mad rush to spread communism ideology in the world as a matter of having no option to even the minority countries, this was against the American position that was hinged more on democracy. The American acquisition of the all-lethal atomic bomb made USSR restless considering that they were also super powers. In as much as the two countries emerged super powers in the concluded world wars, they had

Armstrong Gets Dumped by Shelly Banjo Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 27

Armstrong Gets Dumped by Shelly Banjo - Article Example This article gives the reader an insight into Armstrong’s doping scandal. It shows how this issue began, and its final implications, which leave Armstrong in a negative light. Most importantly, the US-Anti Doping Agency (USADA) declares Armstrong guilty of doping, based on a 200-page report with intensive details, which point to the fact that Armstrong ran a complex doping operation. It is decided that he is a drug cheat when he fails to defend himself against these allegations. What follows is the stripping off all his seven Tour de France wins. Different organizations he collaborated with deny him and promise to cut business relations with him. For example, Nike terminates his contract abruptly, while some cycling chiefs from International Cycling Union (UCI) require Armstrong to repay all the prize money from the stripped winnings from 1998-2005, and he resigns as the chairperson of Livestrong, his cancer foundation (â€Å"The Wall Street Journal†).  In this articl e, the author takes a neutral stand, as she neither supports nor condemns any of the parties involved in this whole issue. The author only reports on the facts as they are, and does not give a personal opinion on the overall issue. This is a commendable approach, essential in reporting, for bias avoidance.  Armstrong’s doping scandal raises many concerns in the cycling sport, as doping is mentioned as a trend among some cyclists. Nonetheless, doping, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency is illegal. One of the reasons is that it adversely affects the health of the involved athletes, and is considered cheating in sport (Porterfield, 2007).  

Chocolate Industry Essay Example for Free

Chocolate Industry Essay Quality Crafted Chocolate is an online business selling luxury, crafted chocolate our chocolate products are a boxed assorted chocolates for Holidays, birthdays, and more, we believe chocolate is a versatile gift for many occasions. As an online based company we have the opportunity to use our technology to tailor our packaging to our individual customers in ways never before possible. There are two good things to report about the chocolate market. Firstly: Consumer demand for chocolate is on the rise worldwide. Secondly: competition is developing steadily . The according to NCA estimates, based on the U. S. Census Bureaus annual Confectionery Report, retail sales of chocolate confectionery in all channels reached $18 billion in 2010. Annual sales have increased 3 to 4 percent per year for the past several years, and market research firm Packaged Facts forecasts the industry will grow to $18 billion by 2011. 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We first searched the broad keyword â€Å"chocolate† and below are the results with the top five keywords ranked in order of high to low based on amount of searches. |Keyword |Competition |Global Monthly Searches |Local Monthly Searches (United States) | |chocolate |0. 31 |30400000 |9140000 | |gifts |0. 77 |16600000 |9140000 | |chocolate chocolate |0. 31 |30400000 |9140000 | |the chocolate |0. 31 |30400000 |9140000 | |candy |0. 37 |16600000 |7480000 | When we then did a search in the google search engine for the highest ranked keyword â€Å"chocolate†, the company that ranked #1 was www.godiva. com a major competitor in the industry. Second was www. ghirardelli. com which is also a worthy competitor. The third was www. cadbur. co. uk but they would not be considered a competitor since their company was based in the UK and had products that were not directed towards the same consumer. This was followed by www. hersheys. com another major supplier in the industry. Another very relevant competitor was www. sees. com carrying much of the same product was ranked #7 in the searched google keyword. The second highest searched keyword from the Google AdWords results was â€Å"gifts† these results were vastly different from the previous keyword. None of the company website associated with this keyword in the google search engine were related in any way to the chocolate industry. The third searched keyword â€Å"chocolate chocolate† results in google ranked #1 www. chocolate2. com a competitor in the quality crafted chocolate market for special occasions. Then was www. chocolatedc. com another direct competitor with. Third was www. chocolatechocolate.com a close competitor with a very similar product line of molded novelties chocolate. After researching each of the searched suppliers we narrowed in on those companies that operated in the same market, offering similar products and targeting similar customers. The top three were Godiva www. godiva. com, world famous Belgian chocolates available online for the U. S. market only. Compared to Quality Crafted Chocolate this supplier is one of our toughest competitors. Godiva Chocolatier was brought to America in 1966 and has been the leader in premium chocolate ever since. Godiva owns and operates hundreds of boutiques worldwide specializing in fine chocolates and chocolate gifts. The second is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company www. ghirardelli. com, a leading manufacturer, marketer and retailer of premium American chocolates and chocolate beverage mixes, controlling the entire manufacturing process. It distributes its products nationwide. Their customized crafted chocolates make them stand out in the market. The third company is Sees Candies www. sees. com a manufacturer and distributor of candy, particularly chocolate, in the western United States. The company is known for it’s quality chocolate and chocolate gifts with their unique approach of allowing their customer to choose their own selection of chocolate to be packaged. Their motto is â€Å"Create your own assortment of boxed chocolates send chocolate gifts to family friends! † A true competitor in the chocolate market, with a similar product of gift boxes of premium quality chocolate for that special occasion. | | | | |Company Website |Rank (US Market) |Global Rank | | www. godiva. com |10,998 |37,423 | |www. ghirardelli. com | 20,916 |62,163 | |www. sees. com |13,015 |35,780 |.

British Poetry Essay Example for Free

British Poetry Essay The comparison and contrast of Wilfred Owens and Rupert Brookes approaches to the subject of war The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen were both written during world war one. War and death are the themes of both poems but they are written from different perspectives. The two poets take different approaches in portraying the effect that war has on the people involved. The Soldier by Rupert Brooke idealises and glorifies war while Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen highlights the horror and cruelty of war. Wilfred Owen gives the reader the impression that war is horrible and that dying for one’s country is not all the glory and honour that it seems, and that in reality, dying in a war, no matter for what cause, can be both painful and full of suffering, while Rupert Brooke, on the other hand, gives the reader the impression that dying in war for one’s country, is very honourable, and glorious. In ‘Soldier’, Brooke expresses his love for England and how he believes it is right to fight and die for his country. However, Brooke never knew what war was like, as he died in 1915. Therefore, his poem is very idealistic. This is expressed when he writes, â€Å"†¦ there is a corner of a foreign field that is forever England†. Here, he sees the English soldiers’ bodies as parts of England. If they die on foreign soil, that land will be forever part of England because their soul remains there along with their values and love for England. Brooke does not describe the horrible nature of death in war and only tells how the soldier honors England by dying while defending the nation. He evokes positive feelings toward the war and describes optimistically the soldiers’ thoughts once the war has finished by using words like â€Å"happy dreams† and â€Å"laughter† By contrast, Wilfred Owen uses irony to portray war not as a glorious duty but as a barbaric massacre. â€Å"Dulce et decorum est/ pro patri mori† which mean: â€Å"it is sweet and honorable to die for one‘s country†. He considers this a lie for most soldiers after they see and live the reality of the war as soldiers. War can not be called sweet but horrible. Owen opposes to the idea of fighting in a war. Wilfred Owen focuses on the tragedy of war and the conditions of the soldiers. For example, he depicts the soldiers as â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks†. Generally, one thinks of a soldier as a man full of strength, who looks brave with his uniform and marches confidently to war. In contrast, Owen tries to make the soldiers look like penniless men and gives a sense of their non-glorified reality. Their uniforms, their psychological and physical health are destroyed. That shows how the battle has severely damaged the spirits of the soldiers. As can be easily seen, Brooke’s poem supports fighting for one’s country and patriotism, whereas Owen’s poem questions the reasons for fighting a war.

Behavior Change Plan to Prevent Coronary Heart Disease

Behavior Change Plan to Prevent Coronary Heart Disease Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle Behavior to Prevent a Reoccurrence of Coronary Heart Disease James J. Speen Introduction Justification for choosing the health behavior I am a 57 year old male, diagnosed with diabetes mellitus II, and cardiovascular disease stemming from atherosclerosis. In March of 2006, I experienced an acute angina pectoris attack while testing for a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do. The angina attack led to an emergency department visit at a local health facility and ultimately culminated in a quadruple coronary artery bypass graph (CABG). My healthcare providers are continually stressing the importance of making healthy choices and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent a reoccurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD). Further, supporting my physician’s opinion, Ferris, Kline, and Bourdage (2012) state that â€Å"biopsychosocial health displayed no direct relationship to CHD risk, but positively predicted a healthier lifestyle. A healthier lifestyle was related to lower levels of CHD risk.† Over the past 6 months, I have strayed from my regimen of healthy eating and daily exercise and am beginning to feel the negative effects of weight gain, sore joints, and decreased endurance during physical activity. It is now behavior modification time. This will be accomplished by discontinuing my current unhealthy behaviors and resuming a healthy lifestyle consisting of a regimen of eating heart healthy foods and exercise. Justification for the behavior change plan I used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model, as outlined in our textbook, Health Psychology A Biopsychosocial Approach (Straub, 2012) to evaluate my current behavior. First, I determined that continuing my behavior would eventually lead to another CABG or even worse my death. Secondly, after considering my doctor’s views regarding CHD prevention through lifestyle modification; I chose to comply with my healthcare provider’s advice. And finally, I realized that I am the only one who can manage my controllable health risk factors. Method Materials and Procedure I monitored my pre-change caloric intake, blood glucose, and physical exercise levels for seven days. My caloric intake and amount of exercise was recorded using the MyFitnessPal mobile application. Blood glucose levels were measured each day with a OneTouch Ultra 2 blood glucose meter. Glucose measurements were performed twice each day at 6:00a.m. and at 10:00p.m.. This data was used to establish my base line cardiac healthy lifestyle compliance. After this period, I enacted a behavior change plan to regain control over my controllable cardiac health risk factors. I added the use of a HoMedics model KS-701 digital dietary scale to accurately measure my food portions and increased the amount of water that I consumed daily. Additionally, 1 hour of cardiovascular and strength training exercises was added to the daily regimen. Caloric intake and exercise activity were recorded using the MyFitnessPal mobile application and blood glucose was measured with the OneTouch Ultra 2 blood glucose meter. Nutritional data consisting of caloric intake, carbohydrates, fat, protein, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and fiber from the MyFitnessPal application along with blood glucose data, was imported into an Excel spread sheet for data comparison and analysis. Average daily values for each category were computed for both the pre-behavior change and behavior change periods. Results The pre-behavior change average nutrition information showed that I was consuming too much fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Additionally, both my a.m. and p.m. average blood glucose readings exceeded the National Institute of Health (NIH) blood glucose recommendations of pre- meal: 70–130mg/dL and 2-hours post meal: The modified behaviors showed significant improvements across the scope of all values monitored when compared to my behavior change goal. Refer to Table 2 for a more detailed comparison of behavior change to the behavior change goal. Additionally, Table 3 demonstrates the effect that positive health risk behavior modification has on un-healthy controllable health risk behaviors. Discussion What worked and what didn’t work with my change plan This behavior intervention was successful from the standpoint that the cycle of unhealthy lifestyle choices I was making, was interrupted. Furthermore, a modest improvement in controllable cardiac health risk factors was realized. Even though, I was unable to implement the cardiovascular and strength exercise portion of my plan; I experienced a 6 pound weight loss attributable to overall daily caloric reduction. External and internal factors that contributed to the effectiveness of my change plan External factors affecting my change plan were the abundance of family support and the inability to implement the exercise component of my plan due to a severe lower lumbar sprain requiring a lengthy time to heal. Internal factors that helped motivate me to make change were the chronic joint pain and decreased physical endurance I was experiencing. Another positive motivator was being able to see the real-time qualitative results of my daily nutritional choices. Shortà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ term and longà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ term consequences of not changing my behavior According to the South Australian Department of Health (2012),†the short-term consequences of not changing [my] behavior may include impairment of [my] daily health and wellbeing and reduce [my] ability to lead an enjoyable and active life†. Additionally, continued un-healthy nutrition choices can contribute to stress, fatigue, and can affect my ability to work. Furthermore, poor nutritional choices have been associated with increased incidences chronic medical conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. The long-term consequences of not making healthy lifestyle changes to reverse the abovementioned chronic medical conditions lead to serious life-ending diseases. Uncontrolled hypertension causes thickening of the heart muscle which reduces the heart’s pumping efficiency. Kidney failure is also caused by unmanaged high blood pressure in diabetics. Furthermore, uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia leads to increased plaque buildup in the arteries, which may form blockages, and induce a heart attack. The adverse effects of diabetes are immense. According to WebMD (2012), â€Å"complications from diabetes are caused by damage to the body’s blood vessels, nerves or both†. Damage to the vascular system causes blindness from diabetic retinopathy. Retinopathy is caused by the retina dying from insufficient blood flow. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves in the feet and can lead to open wounds that will not heal. Over time, these open wounds become infected. Left untreated, the wound develops gangrene and the limb needs to be amputated. Eventually, the cumulative negative long term effects of living an unhealthy lifestyle void of heart healthy nutrition and a regime of exercise will culminate to that moment we sometimes hear about — where we are lying on our deathbed and the most prominent thought in our mind is, — I wish I would have. References Ferris, P.A., Kline, T.J., Bourdage, J.S. (2012). He Said, She Said: Work,  Biopsychosocial, and Lifestyle Contributions to Coronary Heart Disease Risk.  Health Psychology, 31(4), 503-511. Straub, R.O. (2012). Staying Healthy: Primary Prevention and Positive Psychology. In  Health psychology: A biopsychosocial approach (pp.167-169). New York, NY:  Worth Publishers. National Diabetes Education Program (U.S.),. (2014). Know your blood sugar numbers.  Author. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Derrher/WebMD, D. (2012). Effects of Uncontrolled Diabetes on Eyes, Kidneys, Heart,  and More. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/risks-complications-uncontrolled-diabetes South Australia Department of Health. (2012, July 6). The Risks of Poor Nutrition :: SA Health. Retrieved from http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/healthy+living/is+your+health+at+risk/the+risks+of+poor+nutrition Table 1 Pre-change Health Behavior Table 2 Behavior change compared to behavior change goal Table 3 The effect of positive health risk behavior modification on un-healthy controllable health risk behaviors

The Life of William Shakespeare :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Life of William Shakespeare William Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, moved to the idyllic town of Stratford-upon-Avon in the mid-sixteenth century, where he became a successful landowner, moneylender, wool and agricultural goods dealer, and glover. In 1557 he married Mary Arden . John Shakespeare lived during a time when the middle class grew and became wealthier and wealthier, thus allowing its members increasing freedoms, luxuries, and voice in the local government. He took advantage of the opportunities afforded him through this social growth and in 1557 became a member of the Stratford Council, an event which marked the beginning of an illustrious political career. By 1561 he was elected one of the town's fourteen burgesses, where he served as constable, one of two chamberlains, and alderman successively. In these positions he administered borough property and revenues. In 1567 he was made bailiff, the highest elected office in Stratford, and the equivalent of a modern day mayor. The town records indicate that William Shakespeare was John and Mary's third child. His birth is unregistered, but legend places it on April 23, 1564, partially because April 23 is the day on which he died 52 years later. In any event, his baptism was registered with the town on April 26, 1564. Not much is known about William's childhood, although it is safe to assume that he attended the local grammar school, the King's New School, which was staffed with a faculty who held Oxford degrees, and whose curriculum included mathematics, natural sciences, Latin language and rhetoric, logic, Christian ethics, and classical literature. He did not attend the university, which was not unusual at this time, since university education was reserved for prospective clergymen and was not a particularly mind-opening experience. However, the education he received at grammar school was excellent, as evidenced by the numerous classical and literary references in his plays. His early works especially dr ew on such Greek and Roman greats as Seneca and Plautus. What is more impressive than his formal education, however, is the wealth of general knowledge exhibited in his works, from a working knowledge of many professions to a vocabulary that is far greater than any other English writer. In 1582, at the age of eighteen, William Shakespeare married the twenty-six year old Anne Hathaway. Their first daughter, Susanna, was baptized only six months later, which has given rise to much speculation concerning the circumstances surrounding the marriage.

The Breakdown And Rebuilding Of South African Society Within The Novel :: essays research papers

The Breakdown and Rebuilding of South African Society within the novel Cry, The Beloved Country â€Å"...what God has not done for South Africa man must do.† (25)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel Cry, The Beloved Country, written by Alan Paton, some major conflicts follow the story from beginning to end. Two of these conflicts would be as follows; the breakdown of the tribal community and the power hope and faith pocesses to rebuild broken relationships. Kumalo, as an indivigual, demostrates the power of this hope which mends the broken relationships of his friends and his fallen tribal community. Throughout the novel one aquires the perfect perspective about the hardships the natives went through as a society. Cry is a story about a Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and how he sets out to bring his family back to the community in which he resides. Kumalo, dealing with his family and congregation straying away from the church, does show the power of hope and faith and how it can rebuild broken relationships throughout the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tribal breakdown starts to show in book 1, with the land that the tribe must use and how the poeple of Ndotsheni have used up the natural resourses that used to lay within the community. The whites pushed the tribe out of where the community used to reside. The land was so rich that it was decribed as â€Å" holy, being even as it came from the creator†(3). In the rural areas much of this decay came as a result of the tight confinned living areas that the blacks were forced to live upon. With such a mass population and such a small place to occupy it is only a matter of time before the land is no longer able to be farmed. The decay of the tribe was not only confined to the natural resources of the land but also resulted in a moral and physical decline of the entire population. In result of these conditions, many people left the tribe to go to Johannesburg where there’s a false hope for a new start in life. A hope that almost vanished when Komalo left. Without his strong moral belief in God the people where left with nothing but a decaying landscape. Even though it may seem as if all hope is lost for a decent life in the tribal community, it is within this time that the relationships between others are tested and drawn closer through the power of hope and faith.

Brain Hiccup (Ocd)

Brain Hiccup Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior. OCD is an illness that really makes an impact in the lives of the people. This disorder traps its victims in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and behaviors. This debilitating disorder called OCD exhibit obsessive thoughts linked to compulsive behaviors and causes symptoms that are difficult to treat, but medications and cognitive behavioral therapy helps control the outbursts, enabling OCD people to live a fairly normal but challenging life.According to Dr Robinson, OCD is like a needle getting stuck on an old record. Basically he is portraying how OCD works in the brain and causes people to get stuck on a certain idea or urge. By this happening it causes the effects of being trapped in an endless cycle. This cycle is caused from recurring and distressing thoughts, fears, or images that the person is stuck on and can’t control . This makes it impossible to control, which becomes an obsession, and causes anxiety from not having control of the obsession. This leads OCD victims to an urgent need to perform certain rituals or routines that called compulsion.The whole purpose of a compulsive ritual or routine is an attempt to prevent or make the obsessive thoughts go away. This anxiety disorder is a mental illness that really affects and makes those who have it suffer. Obsession is one of the components that an OCD person will experience by having this disorder. The obsessions are involuntary uncontrollable thoughts, impulses, or images that occur over and over again in their mind. In the beginning they don’t understand the obsession and why it’s happening. Over time, they will experience it more and more, which causes them to associate it with a fear and disabling anxiety.They can be may obsess about not shaking hands or touching public doorknobs because of fear of contaminated. Those who fear h urting others will obsess about their actions and the consequences of them hurting someone. Those who fear that things need to line up or be perfect are obsessed furniture arrangement, eating habits, or cloth. This obsession causes the most anxiety for OCD people. Another obsession is inappropriate sexual thoughts, pornographic images, violent emotions, and violent thoughts. The most common obsession in OCD is hoarding, because they fear something bad will happen if they throw away things.Typical examples of things people hoard are useless items, like outdated catalogs or clothing. Obsession can be demonstrated in many ways for OCD suffers, and really impact their daily lives. The second component that is caused from OCD is compulsion. Compulsions are certain acts of behavior that people do to get rid of the anxiety that was caused from the obsession. They do so by performing certain behaviors, which are rules or routines that they have made up. OCD people display compulsive behavio r that is derived from the obsession they have.For example, those obsessed with contamination or germs will compulsively wash and clean their hands till their raw. They can be compulsive in making sure towels are all the same brand and arranged correctly. Another compulsive behavior OCD people portray is checking locks on door multiple times, for instance six times before leaving the house. People with counting and arranging obsessions have compulsive behavior in ordering and arranging things to be perfect. These compulsive behaviors can become so time consuming from the routine they need to do in suppressing the anxiety.Which can really impact a person’s life, making it hard for them to live a normal daily life Even though OCD is a disease that doesn’t have a cure for those who have it. But there is treatment for this disease and it consists of medications and therapy. Basically both of these things working together in trying to help in minimizing the obsessions and c ompulsions that OCD victims have a hard time dealing with in daily life. Because after awhile it becomes consuming and to some it takes over there life and this is why treatment is so important in focusing on using both antidepressant and Cognitive behavioral therapy.Both of these treatments give an OCD patient the chance to live a fairly normal life. The first type of treatment is medicine, which consists of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The type of SSRI medication: Celexa, Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft. The reason why SSRI is the medication used to treat OCD people is they have an imbalanced amount of serotonin in their brain. So by taking SSRI type of medications are very helpful for OCD people with dealing with the main issue of the disorder, anxiety.This medication is designed to treat and maintain that problem of keeping the serotonin level at a correct amount. The According to Dr Robinson, the main reason why SSRI are used in OCD pe ople, because they have less side effects than other forms of antidepressants, less withdrawal symptoms, less danger in the event of an overdose and overall are considered safer that other types of drugs. The Second type of treatment is Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a multiple of different therapy types, but the most important for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).This has been shown to be very effective in psychotherapy for this disorder. The reason why it is so effective is because of the technique used in this therapy that really helps OCD people. The reason why this therapy works for OCD is by person being exposed multiple times to a situation to trigger the obsessive thoughts. By doing this helps and trains them in being able to tolerate the anxiety and resist the urge of performing the compulsion. This is very helpful because people with OCD have probably confronted their obsessions or obsessions.By them trying to confront it and stop themselves perfor ming they compulsive behavior it actually back fires and makes their anxiety go way up. The only effective way is seeking help and being committed to trying to stop this disorder taking over. This anxiety disorder is such a devastating and burden disease for those who are suffering from it. They really face a very difficult and struggling disease. Even though it’s an anxiety disorder, but it’s a disorder that has control over them, having involuntary thoughts, which causes them to have compulsive behaviors. The only way to control it is through treatment because there is no cure for it.

Benefits of Pageants Essay

Nowadays, many beauty pageants are being planned and held due to their innumerable useful effects. In fact, different from earlier when pageants were only held in schools, now most communities also organize their own events as they believe it is an excellent method of displaying talents. Other than simply entertaining people, pageants offer the following benefits. 1. Develop communication skills A common standard for testing participants in pageants is basically how fluent they are. This is helpful for any future roles that the victor needs to play. Generally, most winners of pageants are given the duty of becoming ambassadors of worthy causes in the society. The winner can undertake such a duty effectively if he or she has great communication skills. 2. Boosts self-esteem The main aim of setting up a beauty pageant contest is to boost the self-esteem of the contestants, especially little children. Most organizers of pageants believe that when children develop self-assurance early in their lives, it is going to be simpler for them to conquer challenges as they grow up. Because a young girl’s intelligence, talent and beauty is recognized and lauded in the pageant, this will assist her have a smoother transition to being a strong woman. 3. Social benefits Beauty pageants assist to develop the participants’ socialization skills. When the participants interact and communicate with one another, a chance of social skill development is created. This is a place where friendships may be created that may even last for a very long time. In addition, because a participant also requires adapting to various personalities, he or she would be capable of understanding that all people are unique and ought to be respected. Nonetheless, pageants have certain drawbacks also. They can make the participants over-conscious with regards to physical appearance and beauty. Those who might desire to succeed may end up using harmful chemical products to enhance their beauty.

Genres of Literature Essay

Genres of literature are important to learn about. The two main categories separating the different genres of literature are fiction and nonfiction. There are several genres of literature that fall under the nonfiction category. Nonfiction sits in direct opposition to fiction. Examples from both the fiction and nonfiction genres of literature are explained in detail below. This detailed genres of literature list is a great resource to share with any scholars. Types of Nonfiction: Narrative Nonfiction is information based on fact that is presented in a format which tells a story. Essays are a short literary composition that reflects the author’s outlook or point. A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative. A Biography is a written account of another person’s life. An Autobiography gives the history of a person’s life, written or told by that person. Often written in Narrative form of their person’s life. Speech is the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one’s thoughts and emotions by speech, sounds, and gesture. Generally delivered in the form of an address or discourse. Finally there is the general genre of Nonfiction. This is Informational text dealing with an actual, real-life subject. This genre of literature offers opinions or conjectures on facts and reality. This includes biographies, history, essays, speech, and narrative non fiction. Nonfiction opposes fiction and is distinguished from those fiction genres of literature like poetry and drama which is the next section we will discuss. Genres of Fiction: Drama is the genre of literature that’s subject for compositions is dramatic art in the way it is represented. This genre is stories composed in verse or prose, usually for theatrical performance, where conflicts and emotion are expressed through dialogue and action. Poetry is verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that evokes an emotional response from the reader. The art of poetry is rhythmical in composition, written or spoken. This genre of literature is for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts. Fantasy is the forming of mental images with strange or other worldly settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality. Humor is the faculty of perceiving what is amusing or comical. Fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement which meant to entertain. This genre of literature can actually be seen and contained within all genres. A Fable is a story about supernatural or extraordinary people Usually in the form of narration that demons trates a useful truth. In Fables, animals often speak as humans that are legendary and supernatural tales. Fairy Tales or wonder tales are a kind of folktale or fable. Sometimes the stories are about fairies or other magical creatures, usually for children. Science Fiction is a story based on impact of potential science, either actual or imagined. Science fiction is one of the genres of literature that is set in the future or on other planets. Short Story is fiction of such briefness that is not able to support any subplots. Realistic Fiction is a story that can actually happen and is true to real life. Folklore are songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a person of â€Å"folk† that was handed down by word of mouth. Folklore is a genre of literature that is widely held, but false and based on unsubstantiated beliefs. Historical Fiction is a story with fictional characters and events in a historical setting. Horror is an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by literature that is frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting. Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread in both the characters and the reader. A Tall Tale is a humorous story with blatant exaggerations, swaggering heroes who do the impossible with an here of nonchalance. Legend is a story that sometimes of a national or folk hero. Legend is based on fact but also includes imaginative material. Mystery is a genre of fiction that deals with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets. Anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown. Mythology is a type of legend or traditional narrative. This is often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods. A body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person. Fiction in Verse is full-length novels with plot, subplots, themes, with major and minor characters. Fiction of verse is one of thegenres of literature in which the narrative is usually presented in blank verse form. The genre of Fiction can be defined as narrative literary works whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact. In fiction something is feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story. The Oxford English Dictionary is a great place to consult for any further definitions of the different genres of literature explained here.

Cultural Relativism

|Cultural Moral Relativism. Do We All Agree? | |Essay #1 Pratheep | |Sivabaalan 100266114 | |11/18/2009 | |James Connelly | I find Rachel’s arguments against the view of Cultural Moral Relativism persuasive and very convincing. Believers of Cultural Relativism have influenced the notion that cultural moral codes are culture bound. After explicating and assessing Cultural Relativism views and Rachels arguments, it is clear that there are discrepancies and inconsistencies in the views that favor Cultural Relativism. Rachels introduces a number of considerations that reject Cultural Relativism. Cultural Relativism tells us that there is no such thing as universal truth in ethics, and what does exist is the customs of different societies. Furthermore, we cannot judge a custom of another society or our own as right or wrong. Cultural Relativism simplifies its facts by employing an argument, known as the ‘Cultural Differences’ argument. ) Different cultures have different moral codes 2) Therefore, there is no objective â€Å"truth† in morality. Right and wrong are only matters of opinion, and opinions vary from culture to culture (Rachels, p18) Rachels identifies that argument as being unsound, thus an invalid argument altogether. Rachels explains that the conclusion does not follow the premise. Rachels explains that the argument’s premise concerns what people believe, and the conclusion concerns what really is the case. I agree with Rachels reasoning on the argument, the premise is motivated by observations, and not the facts and the conclusion suggests what is true. Therefore, the argument cannot be considered as a strong view for cultural relativism since the conclusion does not logically follow the premise; an unsound argument. Rachels attempts to provide stronger claims to reject Cultural Relativism through a method known as reduction ad absurbum. One of the main points that Cultural Relativism stresses is that â€Å"We can no longer say that customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own†. Rachels disagrees with this notion in contrast with less compassionate practices in other societies. Rachels brings up examples, such as the oppression of the Chinese Government upon its citizens. Cultural Relativism denies us to condemn such actions because we cannot judge practices in another society to our own. I believe Rachel has a good point on how far is too far, when it comes to customs in other societies. Situations and practices like excursion, slavery, stoning and etc raises questions on how tolerate can people be on inhuman practices. Another proposition that Cultural Relativism brings up is that â€Å"We could no longer criticize the code of our own society†. Rachel criticizes this statement by suggesting that people do not believe our society’s code is perfect, but Cultural Relativism disallows us to think of ways why our society can be better. I agree that our society’s moral code is not prefect and there are a number of reasons that suggests this. For example, animal testing and killings of specific dog breeds are questionable in our society’s moral codes. Furthermore, in our society we have different views on the topic of abortion, where people feel it is right and wrong. Like many societies and our own, we are prone to question our own moral codes and customs. Lastly, â€Å"The idea of moral progress would be called into doubt†, is the last statement Cultural Relativism conveys. The statement contradicts many of Cultural Relativism views it expressed. Rachels example of women rights can be seen as progress, yet it also means that the old ways, before the movement, are now being replace by new and improved ways. Cultural Relativism does view women rights changes as progress; however it forbids us from thinking that this is making our society better. Thus, cultural relativism views on progress makes this argument contradictory. The five tenets of Cultural Relativism undergo further explication as Rachel notes further criticism. The first claim, â€Å"different societies have different moral codes†, holds some truth, however fails to explain that there are universal values that all societies do share. Values such as truth telling, prohibition of murder and caring for the young are conceived by all societies. The only difference is the factual beliefs, not their values. I agree with Rachel, that there are some values that cultures do share. The second tenet, â€Å"The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at within that society†. Rachel assesses and explains that there is a vast difference in what a society believes and what is really true. Practices, like excision, can be very wrong and suggests does it really promote or hinder human well being. I believe it hinders a human well being, excision is a painful procedure that abolishes sexual pleasure for the individual. Scarring and tendencies to contract disease(s) are most probable in the long run. Cultural relativism believes that society’s morals of a culture can never be wrong. However, Rachels believes that we can see that societies are in need of moral improvement. I agree with Rachels statements, there is room for societies to understand and learn that mistakes can be made even in cultural customs. The third tenet, â€Å"There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one society’s code as better than another’s. There are no moral truths that hold for all people at all times†. Rachels strongly disagrees with this tenet in cases of stoning, slavery and excision. Rachels says, â€Å"it always matters whether a practice promotes or hinder the welfare of the people affected by it†(Rachels, p28). People affected by such barbaric practices do not seem to improve the quality of their lives nor their happiness. The forth tenet, â€Å"The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is but one among many†. Rachels points out that Cultural Relativism says, â€Å"it is merely one among many†(Rachels, p28) which directs an ‘open question’. A code in particular can be one of the best or one of the worse. This opens up an entirely new discussion that there are customs that are questioned to being right or wrong. The fifth tenet, â€Å"It is arrogant for us to judge other cultures. We should always be tolerate of them†. Rachels raises truth in this statement, we are often arrogant when we criticize other cultures, and tolerance is a good thing. Nevertheless, Rachels notes, we shouldn’t tolerate everything, human societies have done horrible things. Tolerance can only go so far, to a point where intervention is crucial. This claim is inconsistent with the second claim, ‘that right and wrong are determined by the norms of a society’. There are instants that norms of a society favor intolerance, for example the Nazi army invading Poland. Cultural Relativism teaches us not to criticize the Nazis for being intolerant if all they’re doing is following their own moral codes. However, cultural relativism also tells us that the norms of a culture are bound within the culture itself. Since the norms are bound in Polish society, invasion and manslaughter are not part of their norms. Work Cited: Rachels, James and Stuart Rachels. (2009). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

An Old Woman.

Having lost the promises of her past, she is reduced to her present state. As the speaker views her squarely, he, in a sort of ‘revelation’, becomes aware of the decay which has set in her person and which is extended to the decaying tradition symbolized by the hills and the temples. Without using many words, the old woman forces the narrator to look at her from closed quarters. It is then that he realizes the hypocrisy of society and the decadence of the social system that has ruined the old woman to a beggar. he finds that the social fabric is destroyed, architectural features go into ruins. Human values are forgotten. The old woman’s condition reduces the narrator to a small status when he feels as insignificant as that small coin in her hand. This poem humbles us to remember our responsibility to society. It reveals the callousness, a failure on our part to take care of the elderly, protect our heritage and preserve our values. In the rush of materialism and the desire to achieve, one takes all that one can from society, but giving the same back is largely forgotten. So the cracking hills, crumbling temples, crumbling of social order is directly a result of our negligence, our failure to act responsibly. Somewhere, the materialistic world has made man selfish, trapping him in a race to accumulate. When society has to face this onslaught, cracks appear, but selfish man forgets to repair the cracks, forgets to salvage lost values, thereby creating a dilapidated social fabric†¦. An Old Woman. Having lost the promises of her past, she is reduced to her present state. As the speaker views her squarely, he, in a sort of ‘revelation’, becomes aware of the decay which has set in her person and which is extended to the decaying tradition symbolized by the hills and the temples. Without using many words, the old woman forces the narrator to look at her from closed quarters. It is then that he realizes the hypocrisy of society and the decadence of the social system that has ruined the old woman to a beggar. he finds that the social fabric is destroyed, architectural features go into ruins. Human values are forgotten. The old woman’s condition reduces the narrator to a small status when he feels as insignificant as that small coin in her hand. This poem humbles us to remember our responsibility to society. It reveals the callousness, a failure on our part to take care of the elderly, protect our heritage and preserve our values. In the rush of materialism and the desire to achieve, one takes all that one can from society, but giving the same back is largely forgotten. So the cracking hills, crumbling temples, crumbling of social order is directly a result of our negligence, our failure to act responsibly. Somewhere, the materialistic world has made man selfish, trapping him in a race to accumulate. When society has to face this onslaught, cracks appear, but selfish man forgets to repair the cracks, forgets to salvage lost values, thereby creating a dilapidated social fabric†¦.

Consider the following scenario Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Consider the following scenario - Research Paper Example The distinctive ledgers which ledgers used within inventory recording system include Raw Materials, Work in Process and Finished goods accounts. Differences between the two costing techniques arise as costs are added up with respect to their jobs in job order costing system while in process costing system; these costs are pooled in with respect to a department’s cost incurred with respect to a specified time period. Further differences between the two costing system occur because of the nature and types of production methods employed to manufacture goods. Process costing system is used in production organizations which tend to have similar ongoing procedures to manufacture their goods while job order costing is used in companies which tend to produce special or customized goods in batches. Since our company would be producing a single version of a product, a process costing system would be best suited to analyze the costs of the product. This system would also be carried out in future as well if the production is carried out in large quantities of identical pattern in an ongoing flow. Job order costing would only be employed if the company produces tailor-made products for their customer or it manufactures standard products in batches (Lucey,

Senges Five Disciplines and Their Applications Research Paper

Senges Five Disciplines and Their Applications - Research Paper Example The Senger’s five disciplines are identified elements of a learning organization. It consists of â€Å"personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking† (Bente, 2001, p. 2). The elements form a set that was developed to facilitate learning in an organization by developing knowledge of people’s environments and strategies for future adaptabilities. Personal mastery, as a discipline, refers to an individual’s knowledge potential. It includes a person’s ability to focus, personal potentials, and attributes towards environmental awareness. It, therefore, defines micro components of an organization that cannot separately initiate or sustain organizational change but is essential towards such changes as learning. The personal mastery, for example, helps an individual to identify the need for learning and promotes a learning spirit in an organization. The shared vision is another of the Senge’s disciplines that def ine a common perspective of members of a group or a team in an organization. Such a perspective is derived from individuals perspectives that are converged to a common plan for a future development (Bente, 2001). Team learning, however, defines a process of ensuring symmetry of potentials within a team towards desired achievements. It, therefore, involves an integration of personal mastery and the developed common vision in order to crown learning in an entire organization and identifies communication for sharing knowledge and potentials that are developed at personal levels. Mental models are another set of elements that are fundamental to a learning organization. The models consist of theories and postulates that influence learning at individual levels. Consequently, they develop frameworks upon which learning can take place. The last component of the Senge’s five disciplines is the systems thinking that observes an organization as a system of distinct parts that operate in terdependently for overall results. System thinking, therefore, relates the other four elements for an all-inclusive learning in an organization through development and implementation of changes towards future adaptability. The five disciplines, therefore, work together to identify learning opportunities at individual levels, development of a common vision among members of an organization and incorporation of such developments towards an organizational approach to learning (Bente, 2001). Senge’s five disciplines and characteristics of a learning organization A learning organization, according to Robert, is a framework that is based on â€Å"systems theory† (Robert, 2012, p. 2). This identifies the systems thinking the discipline of the Senge’s model as its fundamental concept. The property of system’s thinking that links other disciplines of the Senge’s model, therefore, identifies the significance of his approach as the basis of a learning organiz ation. Robert’s idea of qualities of a learning organization also illustrates the relevance of the five disciplines an organization. The first characteristic of a learning organization is availability means for knowledge development. This may happen at individual level such as an innovative environment or at an organizational level. While at an individual level, learning opportunities correspond to the personal mastery discipline.

Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marks & Spencer - Essay Example The company's preferred method of returning cash is by using the B shares scheme. Since it does not want to use the traditional share repurchase, it has created a conversion of shares – for every 21 current ordinary shares, investors will receive 17 new ordinary shares along with 1 B share for every current ordinary share (Marks & Spencer Plc 20020). The purpose of the conversion is to decrease the company's shareholding without using the traditional repurchase approach, while the use of B shares intends to give back the cash by redeeming it under two choices (Vandermewe 2003).  This B share scheme has offered both the company and the investors with regard to payout policy. The scheme addresses both the concerns of investors when cash is distributed by using the traditional shares repurchase, as well as their concerns when funds are distributed by increasing the amount dividend payout – that is, the high amount of income taxes that investors incur when they receive di vidends (Hakanson 1982). From the point of view of the company, it also uses this scheme in order to leverage certain payout policy theories.  For one, the B share scheme addresses the issues of payout policy such as information asymmetry, residual theory, and expectations theory (Keown 2002). When the company has decided to return the  £2 billion to its shareholders, it aims to reorganize its capital structure in line with the strategic changes that aims to implement (Marks & Spencer 2002). However, if the company chooses to repurchase its stock, investors will be skeptical about the company's moves and would have a more risky perception of the company, thus affecting the company's price/earnings ratio and the value of the stock (Brealey & Myers 2003). As with residual theory, the level of the cash that should be given back to the investors should be its residual earnings, after additional profitable investments have been made (Keown 2002).

UNCITRAL Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods Essay

UNCITRAL Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 (CISG), - Essay Example However, out of the seventy-eight member states that are part of the CISG, some leading economies such as India, Brazil, and the United Kingdom are yet to join (Borges 2008, pp. 333). The United Kingdom has its own reasons for not joining the CISG. We shall explore some of these reasons in the discussion. The CISG has experienced immense success since its formation, and its relevance has been felt in several countries due to its ability to provide modern, standardized legislation in the international sale of goods that apply whenever the contracts for the sale of goods have been completed between the parties with a place of business among the contracting states. According to Ferrari (2000, p. 120), one of the key reasons that led to the success of the CISG is that it was widely accepted by states from the entire geographical region, all the vital social, economic, and legal systems, and every stage of economic development. Its aim was that it was to be created in such a way that it w as going to be easy to understand and interpret by each member states. Honnold states that the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International sale of Goods was written in an extremely straightforward and understandable language, which refers to the events and things for which there are words of universal content. The CISG is a significant legislative achievement because it has a massive influence on the worldwide trans-border business laws. Different countries have their own reservations for joining the CISG (Schelechtriem & Schwezwer 2005, pp. 45). The main reasons as to why the United Kingdom had refused to join the convention is that they lacked the time to ratify it, and at the moment it is already not a legislative main concern. The reason as to why it is not a legislative priority at the moment is because there has been slight interest shown by the United Kingdom businesses. These business entities seek to show partnership with the CISG. Unless more interest is s hown at this point, there will be no parliament action on the implementation of the act. The debate of whether the United Kingdom should join the CISG or not should be argued in both ways. In the previous years, the United Kingdom had seen it not necessary to amend its international sales regulation. However, the economic downfall the United Kingdom faced in the year, 2008, made it realize that it was time they made partnership with CISG legislation since it could be seen as denying its people of an extremely potentially useful option. Ratifying the convention so that it could be among many of the European Union nations, Africa, the United States, and the Latin American nations by the UK should also be a priority. However, there are some arguments that the Convention does not similarly benefit anybody. For this, we will also explore why there are such arguments. Countries that have adopted this legislation are capable of eliminating any vagueness in its domestic laws that deal with the international sale of goods. This has enabled the international trade to become hassle free and has also reduced dispute that may arise between trading countries. There are problems that are caused by the United Kingdom’s refusal to join the CISG (Rogowska 2007, pp.230). It has also caused troubles for the rest of the countries that trade with it because different arrangements have to be made. It is essential to realize that with the

Virtual Working Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Virtual Working Teams - Essay Example Peru is highly collectivist, in which decision-making is trusted and valued with group emphasis (geert-hofstede.com, 2). France is highly individualistic, valuing rewards and recognition for individual accomplishment of that of group affiliation and group-based norms (geert-hofstede.com, 2); the same is true for the United States. Egyptian protocols are highly social even in the business environment (Dunn, 1). As part of expatriate training, managers will be provided exceptional literature on cultural dimensions to assist in locating top talent for the virtual team role in each geographical region. Training will consist of literature and software scenarios based on customer relationship management principles and corporate social responsibility related to government interaction and business leadership. Training will further consist of inter-dependent group methodologies in the form of role play exercises to highlight scenario responses in a virtual environment. Skype and other streaming software will assist in this development with the HR manager in the U.S. who will observe and recommend solutions based on testing scores and expatriate management assessment. For issues of cost reduction, cloud computing will be the majority of software support. This system provides access to CRM software over the Internet with pay-per-use access (Burns, 11). This will avoid the need for a defined, individualized information technology support system. Communications between teams will occur via existing e-mail systems (i.e. Lotus Notes), streaming video, and teleconferencing. These are effective systems for real-time project communications. However, a recent study using a sample of 42 interviewed virtual team members from 26 different organizations indicated that face-to-face discussion is required in order to gain commitment and build productivity (Dube & Robey, 18). To facilitate this need, key personnel

Today's Crisis - 2009 vs. 2007 Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Today's Crisis - 2009 vs. 2007 Crisis - Essay Example Some of the biggest financial companies of the world, including Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, have collapsed completely during this time (Savona et al., 2011, p.295). The crisis situation involves large number of aspects from restructuring of financial markets to that of economic policies across the globe (Kent et al., 2011, p.128). This decline has caused the decline in the financial as well as monetary system of countries across the globe. The financial crisis of 2009 has been a continuation of the financial crisis of 2007. This crisis has occurred because of the failure of world financial system to cope up with the growing level of demand for different goods and services and capital accumulation. This fact has been accelerated by the fact that during this time the rate of unemployment across the globe has reached a very high level (Poole, n.d., p.442). This paper is aimed at providing an analytical perspective of the crises situations. Global effects: The world economy has be en facing a 30% risk of entering into the depression. This figure has been coined according to the â€Å"Economist Intelligence Unit†. The London consultancy has defined the fact that an economic or a financial depression as growth or development process in the developed as well as developing world averaging lower than 1% per year between the time period of 2009 and 2013. There has been a 60% chance that the fiscal as well as monetary policies now being implemented will stabilise the world economy by the next year that it said. "Deflation would be characterised as mass bankruptcies and job losses," the London consultancy argued. A third situation in which lessening assurance in the US directs to the dollar getting dumped contains a 10% probability, it argued. The â€Å"International Monetary Fund† observes the global economy contracting 2012 for the very first time since times of â€Å"Second World War†. The â€Å"Economist Intelligence Unit† has estimate d 95 nations are at "high" or at "very high" risk of economic or financial unrest (World 'faces 30% risk of depression', 2009). Several banks across the country have failed or collapsed due to the prevalence of the financial crisis situation. These banks have been acquired by other banks or financial corporations. Hence, the negative effects have been exposed to the level of customer confidence on the banking and financial system of the country (Failed Bank List, 2012). The profundity of the financial and economic recession as well as widespread deflation has suggested the fact that nominal monetary policy rates are required to fall into negative region in order to supply sufficient incentive, which is impossible. Theoretically, in the equilibrium, the cost of acquired capital in respect to the aggregate economy must roughly be comparable to the rate of growth of nominal GDP. This is used as the substitute for the rate of capital return in respect to the aggregate economy). Both the se policy rates as well as the rates of growth of GDP values have been reduced during this time of deep financial recession across the globe (A World Of Credit Easing, 2009). Also the creation of large number of tent cities across the US has revealed the severity of the crises situations which have been outcomes of greater level of job losses and loss of houses. These tent cities have been found in New York and in New Jersey to a great extent (USA tent 'cities' on rise as US economy crumbles (23Dec11).flv, 2012). Effects on UAE: The emerging market (EM) nations in the â€Å"Middle East and North Africa† (MENA) region (which also incorporates UAE and all other GCC nations) have been comparatively insulated from the effect of the crisis

Essay 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

1 - Essay Example Some people fear altercation and disobeying authority would require confrontation. Very many people want to appear rational and people with high integrity, and compliance to the authority means they are upholding their dignity. These people want to paint unadulterated picture of them to the authority and by complying with what the authority requires they are able to achieve this. Giving a phony or unjustly account of what took place will make a person obey authority in order to reverse his or her previous sentiments. When ones conscious is not at peace is it even possible for the person to have a peaceful life, knowing that one’s own version will make a person lose his or her life. How can someone live with a false accusation? Unless this person is retarded, because knowing ones version of what happened would be a reason someone innocent is likely to lose his or her life is intolerable. People have so much trust in the authority and not complying with what the authority requires would be so disrespectful on their part. From the age of childhood, people grow to believe an older person should always be respected, so obedience to authority comes naturally. When one fails to respect, authority there is the possibility of the person feeling incompetent and unreliable and it is so palpable that no one wants to be associated with such attributes. Some people comply with the authority for the wrong reasons; they find it hard to say no to the authority because of bribery. Some of them are bribed to give false accounts of what really happened. Such offers are unfeasible for some selfish individuals to turn down. They take up the offers and change their previous versions. There is the issue of threat since it is not likely that authority will be soft and understanding. Sometimes the authority uses threat on witnesses for them to do what the authority requires of

Brand management Essay Example for Free

Brand management Essay 1) What is the product mix of Trung Nguyen? What are the key attributes of its coffee? How do these attributes help Trung Nguyen to differentiate itself from its competitors? The product mix refers to the total composite of products offered by Trung Nguyen coffee. It consists of different product lines, various product items in each product line and within each item is the product depth. Firstly, the product line is a group of product or service items that are closely related because they are sold to the same consumer groups, are marketed through the same types of outlets, have similar usage or fall within given price ranges. Thus, Trung Nguyen Coffee’s product lines are: Trung Nguyen Coffee, Passiona Coffee and G7 Instant Coffee. The Passiona Coffee targets at consumers looking for low-caffeine coffee and especially women, while the G7 Instant coffees are made for people who are too busy to brew a cup of coffee themselves. Trung Nguyen Coffee has 3 different product items, namely Creative Coffee, Blend Coffee and Espresso Coffee. Passiona Coffee consists of 2 product item, Passiona roasted coffee and Instant Passiona coffee. As for the G7 Instant Coffees, the product items are G7 Pure soluble, G7 Cappuccino and G7 Instant 3-in-1 coffee. Lastly, product depth is the number of variants in a product item. Trung Nguyen’s product depth of Creative coffee includes the Weasel Coffee and Legendee Coffee. Also, some variations of G7 Cappuccino are the Mocha G7 cappuccino and Hazelnut G7 cappuccino. Different sizes of coffees are considered as product depth as well. For example, the G7 Instant 3-in-1 coffee is sold in 3 different sizes: a box of 18 cafe sticks, a bag of 22 sachets or a bulk pack bag of 100 sachets. Table1: Summary of product mix of Trung Nguyen | Product lines| | Trung Nguyen Coffee| Passiona Coffee| G7 Instant Coffee| Product items| -Blend coffee-Espresso coffee-Creative coffee Product depth: Weasel coffeeLegendee coffee| -Passiona roasted coffee-Passiona instant coffee| -G7 Pure soluble-G7 cappuccinoProduct depth:Mocha G7 cappuccinoHazelnut G7 cappuccino-G7 instant 3-in-1Product depth:box of 18 cafe sticksbag of 22 sachetsbulk pack bag of 100 sachets| Key attributes refer to the most important characteristics of a product. Trung Nguyen makes its point of difference through its key attributes like using the best coffee beans, unique brewing style and the new coffee concept. Trung Nguyen has a unique selling point because some coffees offered cannot be found anywhere else. Its coffees are authentically Vietnamese. For example, the Weasel coffee is produced based on the legend in Vietnam. To differentiate itself from its competitors, these key attributes must communicate benefits for consumers. The coffee offered by Trung Nguyen is of a higher quality compared to other coffee brands because they use the best coffee beans sourced from four of the world’s best coffee-growing regions. In addition, Trung Nguyen is awarded with the EureGAP certificate for its good agricultural practices such as having consistently good quality coffee beans and using environmentally friendly technologies. Coupled with their oriental secrets, consumers would prefer Trung Nguyen because their coffee is brewed much more aromatic and rich. Trung Nguyen used their new concept of coffee to set up a â€Å"Creative Coffee House† in order to differentiate itself and gain market share. It is now well-known for the innovative clubhouse whereby customers can enjoy coffee in a beautiful and sentimental ambience while experiencing Vietnamese cultural events and exhibitions. For consumers who value such innovative product services, they will choose Trung Nguyen’s coffee over the other â€Å"grab a coffee to go† coffee styles. 2) What are the roles of branding? What are the benefits of branding to sellers and buyers in the coffee market. The role of branding is to create an identity for the product. The identity created can have some personalities and can gain brand equity. Benefits of branding Some benefits of branding for sellers of the Trung Nguyen coffee are that they are able to accentuate the bases of differentiation from its competitors due to its distinct identity. They can obtain legal protection like trademarks to avoid copycats of their brand. The counterfeit products are capable of stealing Trung Nguyen’s sales when consumers are unsure of how the real packaging of coffee looks like. There is also a chance for the counterfeit coffee to ruin Trung Nguyen’s reputation. Consumers who bought the counterfeit coffee by mistake may view Trung Nguyen to be of a lousier quality instead. All this would be effectively prevented by branding because counterfeiting is an offense. Brand equity is created by branding and careful marketing. Trung Nguyen can in turn earn higher profits as consumers are willing to pay a higher price for this particular brand of coffee. Also, brand equity can lead to higher economic value of the brand, whereby it becomes an asset for Trung Nguyen when it wishes to sell its brand. Last but not least, Trung Nguyen can achieve brand loyalty through creating preferences towards their brand. If Trung Nguyen coffee is able to sustain a consistently good quality coffee product, consumers would remember the brand, spread the word around and continually purchase its coffee. On the buyers end, they may reap the most benefits from Trung Nguyen’s branding. Coffee is a convenience product and it is important to make it easy to find. Consumers will be able to correctly identify the products in a short period of time due to Trung Nguyen’s branding thus becoming more efficient shoppers. Furthermore, consumers may gain assurance of product quality and performance. Employees need to ensure products offered are of consistently good quality and so are specially trained to deliver this promise. Consumers will remain loyal to Trung Nguyen coffee because they are satisfied with this brand and have no need to search for another. 3) What constitutes the brand identity of Trung Nguyen? What is your evaluation of this identity? How can the brand identity be improved? Brand identity is the noticeable elements of a brand and also what the organization wants consumers to perceive the brand as. It constitutes of â€Å"Trung Nguyen† as its name, the logo and its tagline â€Å"Explore creative inspiration† A successful brand name should reflect the personality and values of the brand, be simple, memorable, positive and emotional. A logo is the image that embodies an organization. It is one of the most prominent branding elements that consumers will think of when someone mentions the company. A good brand logo should be memorable, futuristic and consistent and be able to portray the benefits to its target audience. The tagline must be simple and easy to remember. It also needs to remain short since the tagline is always incorporated into many marketing pieces. Evaluation of brand name: Consumers associate Trung Nguyen to â€Å"Central highlands† which refers to Dak Lak, the county capital of coffee where green coffee is grown. This gives an advantageous association between Trung Nguyen and high quality and fresh coffee beans. Also, the brand name represents the uniqueness and richness of the Vietnamese culture. However, the name Trung Nguyen does not hold any meaning for non-Vietnamese. This may alienate consumers from other parts of the world. Another bad point could be that its name is hard to pronounce for non- Vietnamese consumers. Possible improvements: Because the company’s name has been around since 1996 when it was founded, it cannot be changed otherwise the company has to build up brand awareness from scratch all over again. Thus, the company should work hard in educating people and let them understand the positive association between Trung Nguyen and â€Å"Central highlands†. For example, they could use their existing Internet website and include this under the â€Å"learn more† option. People visiting the website can then learn about the association and slowly adopt Trung Nguyen as their favourite coffee. Evaluation of logo In my opinion, the logo might be a little small and insignificant. Psychological influences such as selective exposure and retention affects consumer buying behaviour. For example, the appealing cup of coffee printed on its packaging of Creative coffee may distract the consumers from the brand name. The logo is also unattractive and boring due to the usage of dull and non-contrasting colours. The font used in the logo has little stylistic variations making it rather boring as well. Possible improvements Firstly, the logo should be scaled to a bigger size. Also, the marketing manager of Trung Nguyen can make use of brighter and more contrasting colours to make its logo more outstanding and attention-catching. The font could be changed to something cursive. This can better capture consumer’s attention thus leaving a deeper impression and resulting in better brand memory and recognition. For example Coca Cola, with its logo in a strikingly bright red background and white cursive words, is very successful at making sure that every consumer remembers it. Evaluation of tagline: Trung Nguyen’s tagline â€Å"Explore creative inspiration† consists of only 3 simple words hence should be relatively easy for everyone to remember. However, Trung Nguyen tagline is still quite foreign to people across the globe as they do not use much above-the-line marketing. Possible improvements Through the print media and mass media, Trung Nguyen can improve this aspect of its brand identity. The marketing manager could set up a Facebook page and make it known to people. Maintaining a Facebook page is relatively low-cost as compared to constant TV advertisements. Because millions of people are using Facebook, it is very effective for Trung Nguyen to get their brand identity across. Another point of improvement also through the mass media is through its online website. Perhaps the tagline can be added in the â€Å"history of Trung Nguyen† tab as it is currently not. On top of that, they can make use of emotional branding to elicit a favourable emotional response. Adding emotional words like â€Å"Happy†, â€Å"Healthy† and â€Å"Beautiful† could boost sales of their coffee. As consumers become increasingly aware of health and beauty these days, Trung Nguyen can market more of their Passiona coffee which is enriched with collagen, vitamin PP and other rare oriental herbs through its tagline. 4) What is the branding strategy of Trung Nguyen? What are the advantages and risks of this branding strategy? Trung Nguyen uses an umbrella branding strategy. Different types of coffees have a sub-brand which combines the corporate brand with a new brand. Trung Nguyen’s Passiona Roasted coffee and Trung Nguyen’s Espresso coffee are 2 examples. Advantages of umbrella branding: Capitalizing on the existing brand equity of Trung Nguyen, it can sell newly introduced products quickly. Consumers who have had a good experience with its coffee will transfer this favourable attitude to new items. For instance, Trung Nguyen’s Creative coffee may have been developed earlier than Passiona coffee. Consumers who liked Creative coffee would have a higher chance of buying the Passiona coffee because they are under the same brand and so would also be of an equally good quality. Furthermore, the Passiona coffee can be set at a higher price as consumers are willing to pay more for brand value. This can bring about additional profits for Trung Nguyen. Another advantage of using an umbrella brand is a lower advertising and promotion costs. Trung Nguyen only needs to come up with a single advertisement because its coffees share one identity. Also, because Trung Nguyen is used on all of the products, level of brand awareness is easy to raise. To name an example of a successful sub-branding strategy, Gatorade has developed and introduced Gatorade Frost, Gatorade G2, Gatorade energy bar, etc into the market and stayed popular being the leading sports drink brand in many countries. Risks of umbrella branding: In every marketing strategy there is bound to be a down side. Some risks of umbrella branding are that the failure of one type of coffee may affect the sales of the whole Trung Nguyen branded products. It is inadvisable to put all the eggs into one basket. For instance, if the production G7 Mocha had some discrepancy that caused the coffee to be too sweet, consumers may feel that the rest of Trung Nguyen packet instant coffees are as sweet and so switch over to Nescafe coffee instead. Secondly, sales of one product item may come at the expense of other items offered in the same product line. Lastly, the meaning of Trung Nguyen may also be diluted with an umbrella branding strategy. Apart from coffee, Trung Nguyen also has other product such as Green Tea, Oolong tea, etc. However, Trung Nguyen refers to Dak Lak, the county capital of coffee and so offering tea as an alternative beverage is not so relevant to the brand name.