Video Games Impact and Young People

With constant advances in technology, children are finding new ways of spending their afternoons. Instead of playing catch outside or riding their bikes to a neighbor's house, many children have resorted to sitting in front of a television and playing their favorite video game.Some people believe that video games do not have a serious effect on young children. However, research has repeatedly proven that violence in video games is having a negative effect on kids and the way they behave. Some of the games can increase a person's aggressive thoughts and make them behave very violently.Video games provoke violent thoughts and actions as the games are becoming too graphic for the kids and they're giving them knowledge about the utilization of guns and fighting skills. The video games are making kids act out violent crimes and making them very aggressive because sometimes they think it's acceptable to do what the characters do. Violent video games also have an immediate effect on a child 's mood, mind, and their brain development.Many kids enjoyed playing violent games because they were very entertaining to play and there was a lot of action and excitement in them. Also it was a rush for the kids to shoot people and blow things up. In a study that was done, which researched video game playing among 357 seventh and eighth grade students? The kids were asked to pick their favorite type of video game among five categories.The category that was most preferred was games that involved violence. Nearly 32% of the kids said they liked violent video games over any other type of game. Less than 2% of the children enjoyed playing educational games. (Funk, 86-90) The reason the students gave for liking violent video games more was that there is so much action in them and you can never get bored.Although video games are designed to be entertaining, challenging, and sometimes educational, most include violent content and many have very explicit graphics. The problem is that even though they are games, the ones involving shooting can teach some real skills about using weapons. A person who becomes good at handling a pistol or shotgun to kill fake enemies on a television screen can very easily turn those skills onto real people.And, in the process of playing the game, one becomes desensitized to the horror of real killing. Thus, if the killing ever does become real, it is carried out with a complete lack of empathy for the victims. There was an analysis done which showed that 89% of games showed some sort of violence (Children Now, 5-6), and that almost half of the video games that are out in the stores showed some extreme violence to other characters in the game. (Dietz, 425-42)Therefore, most of the games being bought by children contain some sort of violence in them. So violent video games are now becoming more popular and research has shown that these games are having negative effects on children. Kids sometimes don't realize that these games are only for fun and they shouldn't imitate what the game does. Thus, games sometimes can confuse reality with fantasy.For example, in games like Goldeneye 007 bad guys no longer disappear when they are killed. Instead they get killed in a very violent way with blood going all over the place. For example, those shot in the neck fall to the ground and blood squirts out their necks that cause them to grab their throats. Games like Unreal Tournament and Half-Life are very explicit and are very gorier.When characters get shot blood goes all over the place and when they fall there is blood surrounding the dead body. Also sometimes explosives are used and when they throw it at characters they blow up into small pieces. (APA, 78/4) Even though these games are so graphic, violent video games are the most popular games to be sold today.When these games came out kids were very addicted to them and some people believe that because the games are so graphic and violent the gamers are showing more aggressive tendencies after playing these violent games.There are many kids in which are becoming very violent and aggressive over the video games. In a study by Karen E. Dill violent video games increase aggression more then violent movies or television shows due to their interactive and engrossing nature. The two studies showed if a child is already aggressive they are now even vulnerable to violent video games and even if they get a brief exposure to the games it can increase their aggressive behavior. (Dill)There has been some research that has been done which demonstrates individual differences in response to the effects of violent video games. For example, a couple of studies showed that trait hostility might moderate the effects of playing video games.Lynch has found that the physiological effects of playing violent video games may be even greater for children who already show more aggressive tendencies. Adolescents who scored in the top quintile for trait hostility showed greater incr eases in mean arterial pressure, epinephrine, and nor-epinephrine levels in the blood than those in lower quintiles. (Lynch, 152)Therefore video games cause aggression and violence in children because they are interactive, realistically portray violence, and dangerously appeal to children. Violent video games also have an immediate effect on a child's mood, mind, and there brain development. Because they have encountered so much warfare, and gun-use in video games, children act as if they have to always be on-guard. Through many studies, scientists have observed that children develop a defiant attitude. They come to believe that every one is against them and consequently take advantage of every opportunity to create conflict.Obviously, violence is not an acceptable way of solving conflicts, especially for young children. The violence can also affect children's minds when they sleep. The article, â€Å"Media Violence† states that video games have significant effects on childre n such as nightmares when sleeping and fear of being harmed (Gentile, 19-37).The violence comes back in their dreams and severely scares them. For example, a seven-year-old boy, John Paul, played a violent video game every day after school for a month last year with his older brother. Every night, around 10:30pm, he would run into his parents' bedroom crying because he had seen the images from the game trying to attack him in his dream.These effects on a child's mind are powerful. With video games, children are repeatedly exposed to excessive violence and subconsciously fear the consequences of the enemies in their games. For young children, this fear of harm is real. In their still undeveloped minds, virtual violence is no different that actual violence. Video game violence is the most dangerous and influential in children under eight years old because their memories recall the violence as actually occurring. The first eight years of a child's life are the most important years of b rain development (Gentile, 19-37).Studies have shown that during this time, their minds cannot distinguish reality from fantasy when the events become memories (Gentile, 19-37). Therefore, when a child plays violent video games, those memories are stored in his mind as a vivid reality.â€Å"Because children younger than the age of 8 cannot discriminate between fantasy and reality, they are uniquely vulnerable to learning and adopting as reality the circumstances, attitudes, and behaviors portrayed [by video games],† (Anderson, 772-90). The violence affects children heavily, causing nightmares, anti-social attitudes, and an exaggerated fear of harm (Gentile, 19-37).Many games are limiting the amount of violence they put in their game and also many games are being banned from the shelves because they are too violent.Also parents are setting guidelines for the types of video games their children play and being aware of the content in their children's video games. Because the you nger the child, the more impressionable he or she is, and less experienced in evaluating content.† Even though a child may be chronologically a certain age, their social and emotional level of maturity may be different. Parents need to decide what is in the best interest of their children.†(Anderson, 772-90) Thus there have been many strides made, to try to restrict some of the violence in these video games and limit what is children play.As children grow up in their household, they are sometimes rewarded for kind and caring behavior. Many parents expect their children to treat one another with respect and love. By constant exposure to gruesome violence, the nature of video games makes this peaceful environment impossible to achieve.Video games cause aggression and anti-social attitudes in children because they are interactive, realistically portray violence, and dangerously appeal to children. They are having such a negative effect on kids and are becoming a major probl em in America. Society must become aware of these effects caused by video games so that we can promote a peaceful and loving generation of children that respect everyone and everything.Works Cited:Anderson, C.A., and K.E. Dill. Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and Life. â€Å"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78 (2000): 772-790.Children Now. Fair Play? Violence, Gender and Race in Video Games. Los Angeles, CA: Children Now, 2001. 5-6Dietz, T.L. (1998). â€Å"An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications For Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior. Sex Roles 38 (1998): 425-442.Funk, J.B. â€Å"Reevaluating the Impact of Video Games.† Clinical Pediatrics 32, 2 Feb. 1993: 86-90.

Jollibee – Document

Traced to this seemingly innocuous start, more Han 500,000 Sirs are estimated to exist in the world today. Jolliness's first approach to international expansion came with the hiring of an outsider, Tony Kitchener. Mr.. Kitcheners' aggressive marketing approach strategy, (planting the flag, as it was known) was Just what the company needed in order to bring brand recognition as well as attract future sales. The strategy encompassed expanding to markets with little competition; thereby, becoming a pioneer in that local market. After Mr.. Kitchener first took over the international division, he revamped it immediately.One major move of this overhaul was to fill key staff sections from personnel hired from outside of the corporation and even outside of the Philippines. He noted difficulties hiring more internal recruits because of Philippine managers' resistance to giving up employees and reluctance for Joining an upstart division. Tensions would soon arise due to relations with the Phil ippine- based operations. Some of these early issues may have been attributed to Jolliness's vertical organizational structure where ETC was the chief executive officer with all divisions reporting directly to him.The vertical organization structure ensured Mr.. Caution ad final say on all endeavors but may have led to efficiency issues. Collaboration between employees and managers on company processes such as recipe customization and new market expansion may be stifled in a vertical organization as collaboration tends to occur in a vacuum. Another type of structure that may have proven more robust is the horizontal structure as employees are encouraged to seek solutions and improvements on their own.As a result, the International Division staff reported this Philippine organization bureaucratic and slow-moving (Bartlett, 2011, p. 47). 2. Analysis and Evaluation A. Jolliness's Successful Business Model (#1) There were several contributing factors in Jolliness's rise to a dominant po sition in the Philippines fast food market. Jollied was able to concentrate resources on growth by financing their company from within. This internal growth, absent of debt or the interest of such debt allowed for a dominant position within the industry as well as allowed for suitable location and franchise choice.Additionally, the family demonstrated positive business intellect by hiring proficient supervisors the market. With the late entry of McDonald's into the Philippines market, as well as he aforementioned business knowledge of the Tan family, Jollied was a formidable competitor with an establish presence within the market well on the way to the ability of global expansion. (#1) Jollied continued to use cultural proximity to their advantage and defended their market share with the entry of McDonald's to the Philippines market in 1981.McDonald's, representing an enormous competitive threat with untouchable resource and reputable experience, Jollied relied on their expertise fo r local preferences to cement their continued dominate position. Even with the lower price point, McDonald's traditional menu choices were viewed as unpalatable to the local customer base, causing slower growth for the multinational company then first forecasted. However, by early 1983, McDonald's was able to obtain 27% of the fast food market share with the unexpected of the Big Mac.Jollied Just 5% ahead in market share then McDonald's quickly responded to the Big Mac challenge with the Champ. Jollied felt the bigger, spicier burger would better entice the Filipino preferred flavor for food; as the market research has suggested. The intended triumph of the Champ however was short lived as by late 1983, political hostility awards foreign investors from the backlash of the assassination of a political leader caused economic breakdown. This breakdown caused McDonald's and other foreign investors to slow their intended growth.Jollied preserved its positive perception within the communi ty throughout the downward turn in the economy, continuing to hone their menu choices; all geared towards the local tastes. By 1984, the fascination with McDonald was soon diminishing. At the economic up rise after 1986, McDonald's soon gasped at the growth of Jollied in their absence, now encompassing 31 stores with principal market share. B. Jolliness's First International Division (#2) According to world market reports published by IBIS World, the world's largest independent publisher of U. S. Industry research, the food service sub-sector's total revenue was about $1. 86 trillion in 2012. The global fast-food restaurants industry was estimated to take account for 38% of that revenue which was an annual increase of 3. 2% from the previous year. However, with developing nations accounting for about 83% of total global industry the industry â€Å"is approaching saturation levels in some developed countries due to an oversupply of fast food businesses and extensive franchising, whi ch is contributing to weaker revenue growth and demand in these industries† (Smith, 2012).Therefore growth in developing nations is essential for continued growth in the industry. (#2) Most experts agree that fast food business plans need to resolve around one thing and that is making money. This focus is achieved by focusing on specific areas of the business plan that pertain to the following: having a targeted initial spending plan, a narrow focus on what the company does well, growth as a result of expanding the menu for sales, marketing expansion, and excellent customer service to promote loyalty (Walter, 2010).Jollied succeeded in the Philippines by excelling in each and every one of these areas while focusing on traditional Filipino culture, by serving to the unique tastes of the Filipino consumer. This strategy has allowed the company to grab approximately 65% of the market share and become the unquestionable leader competition, most notably McDonald's, since many of th e large corporations largely export a standardized menu to the various consumers of the world. #2) Success in the developing nation the Republic of the Philippines has allowed the Jollied food company the opportunity to expand into other Asian countries to include Singapore, Taiwan, Brunet, and Indonesia. Jollied made its first attempted entry abroad in 1985, with its expansion into the Singapore market through a partnership consisting of Jollied, the local manager, and investors. The partnering was ultimately unsuccessful due to an eventual lack of trust between Jollied and the local manager.This lack of trust began when the corporate investors visited to check the local stores â€Å"quality, cleanliness, and efficiency in operations† and were denied entry by the local store managers (Bartlett, 2011). This led Jollied to revoke the franchise agreement and shut down the Singapore store in 1986. Jolliness's second entry into business abroad occurred with expansion into the Tai wan market with a 50/50 Joint venture. Sales initially boomed, but low pedestrian traffic quickly led to decreasing revenues over time.Day-to-day management conflicts again surrounding trust, and an increase in property market rent, ultimately led to Jollied dissolving the joint venture in 1988. The lessons that can be learned from these first overseas expansions have been highlighted before by Forbes magazine, highlighted observations where to match your approach to your business model and purpose, do efficient homework as well as background research, know when to localize your product, be fully aware of your international brand, and ultimately choose the right partner to do business with.As Todd Rapper, the executive vice president of Multilingual worldwide sales stated, â€Å"a [local business partner] can eliminate overhead costs and risks and can be extremely helpful†¦ However, you lose a great deal of control when you employ a rep [and] that individual and company repres ents you† (Conner, 2012). (#2) Learning from the failures of the past, Jollied is now ambitiously trying to expand into the international market, with a company vision of becoming a global player on the world stage and obtaining a 50-50 split between domestic and international sales by 2020 (Staff, 2013).Through its use of strategic expansion efforts, Jollied hopes to continue to spread the â€Å"Joy of eating, and bringing the best of Filipino family experiences, everything from food to ambiance, to [the world]†. Therefore, when company president Tony Tan Caution (ETC) decided to expand Jollied into the international market in 1993, the big managerial question that arose as how to go about making a local Philippine company into a global brand similar to one of the major players of the international scene at that time such as, McDonald's. To answer this question ETC selected Mr..Kitchener to lead the company in this endeavor, and gave him autonomy in deciding how the co mpany's international operations division used its structure and resources. Mr.. Kitcheners effectiveness as the first head of Jolliness's international division will be evaluated based upon the results that were produced from his business philosophy and leadership style in the areas of revenue growth, cost efficiency, profitability, and market share. It must be noted that market share in itself is debatable as to whether or not it should be the accepted and valid metric of market leadership.As Tom Peters of the In-search-of- measured is not managed, and what is not well measured is not well managed. † Thus, this evaluation in determining Mr.. Kitcheners effectiveness will be based solely upon framing Mr.. Kitcheners management style, which incorporates the elements of context, planning, inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes with his personal equines philosophy and professional business model beliefs. (#2) Before Mr.. Kitchener began to focus on Jolliness's external busines s environment, he decided to start internally with the company by ensuring his division would be separate from the Philippine branch.While the decision to separate the company's international branch from its domestic branch proved to be beneficial in achieving his short term goal of creating anonymity to readily make the business decisions he felt were necessary, largely his total commitment to this strategy negatively affecting his branch and the company as a whole by having the domestic ND international divisions operating on different visions and unaligned business objectives. Mr.. Kitchener began recruiting experienced personnel to his team who he thought would be able to help him achieve his goals for the company.However, whether intentional or not, his choices created the perception of â€Å"elitism† when â€Å"poaching† the individuals from within the company, and going â€Å"outside the house† for other key team positions. He claimed that greater interna l recruiting had been constrained by two factors: resistance to staffing being poached, and lack of interest. Next, Mr.. Kitchener focused on changing Jolliness's business culture in order to make it look and act like a multinational, not like a local chain.After accomplishing the internal changes he deemed it necessary for Jollied to compete on a global stage. Mr.. Kitchener then focused on the company's external strategic thrust. He did this with the ultimate goal of increasing and building upon the success Jollied had experienced to becoming one of the world's top ten fast food brands by 2000. This was an ambitious goal that he had set for himself as well as the company. The completion of the goal set rested upon a business model consisting of woo main trains of thought, â€Å"targeting expects† and â€Å"planting the flag†.The expectation at the time was that by expanding the number of stores, the franchise could build â€Å"brand awareness† which in turn wo uld positively affect sales revenue. Ongoing, market entry was accomplished by negotiating a franchise agreement through investment by the parent company. Responsibility for franchise establishment was then handed off to a Franchise Services Manager (FSML). Resources and expertise were provided as needed to start up and manage an offshore franchise until the local manager was able to then manage on their own.One innovation that Mr.. Kitchener implemented to help the transfer of responsibility be a smooth transition was to create a library of promotional photographs, rather than preparing new advertising materials for each new promotion. Mr.. Kitchener was not only concerned with helping the local managers establish the franchise for the company through strong initial support, but was also with the division maintaining proprietary control as well as each franchise maintaining company quality standards. #2) Flexibility to accommodate differences in customer tastes was deemed to be ess ential. Mr.. Kitchener and his team learned that â€Å"mass-based positioning† did not paces to the demands of the local market and after numerous market entry battles, the international team decided that other elements of Jolliness's Philippine business model needed to be modified in its franchise stores overseas. However, when it came to modifying the menus and the product itself tensions arose with the domestic side of Jolliness's operations, resulting in even less cooperation. #2) According to a research report done in the style of David Letterman top ten list, the top ten reasons for why business fail internationally are as follows: 1) â€Å"Nationalities†, 2) Lack of resources and/or budget, 3) Spread resources too thin, 4) Corporate WHQL Control, 5) Inability to localize content, 6) Treat translation of press materials as an administrative task, 7) Unrealistic expectations, 8) Conducting International PR long distance, 9) Lack of spokespeople, and 10) No action behind the words (Hoffman, 2012). Mr.. Kitchener did an admirable Job in making sure he was nationalistic in his approach to the global market.His control over the international division, allowed him to localize the food products. He was guilty of reasons 3, 6, and 7 for Jolliness's failed attempt at international expansion. Having unrealistic expectations was his biggest mistake. In the end, this was the underlying reason for his failure to achieve the company's goals. Jolliness's international division grew rapidly. However, as operations grew, Mr.. Kitchener and his staff experienced problems with the underlying strategy of the division's international expansion plan.They found not all overseas Filipinos were guaranteed potential customers. They also soon found out that only by achieving a certain amount of sales could many of the franchises afford to advertise and build the brand awareness required to meet resource requirements that became constrained by the rapid expansion into new arrest. In addition the international division could not shift responsibility gradually to the franchisee and therefore had to continually bare the majority of responsibility associated that comes along with starting and maintaining new startups.They found that the local store managers were content to let the division do the day-to-day grunt work of everyday planning and routine operations (Bartlett, 2011). Ultimately, the increasing cost of supporting the widespread unprofitable activities, and the continuing friction between the domestic and international side of operations, was unsustainable for Jollied to be able to obtain the company's vision for the future. In 1997, Mr.. Kitchener was replaced with Noel Tinning as the new general manager, International Division, in the hope of creating and implementing a winning strategy for global expansion.Present day, according to Forbes magazine, Jollied was the world's fifth fastest growing restaurant company outside the United State s, earning $102 million and a sock increase of over last year's earnings. A large part of Jolliness's success is due to the development of market leading brands across numerous categories, with experts stating that â€Å"most competitors have single rand's†¦ Having multi-food concepts enables Jollied to capture a bigger chunk of the dining-out market† (Staff, 2013). C. Noel Tension's strategy for three expansion options (#3) Mr..Tinning faced three huge opportunities for Jolliness's global expansion. First, he had to analyze the potential profitability of entering a small market in Papua New Guiana, where there's limited competition. Second, much consideration was needed over the further expansion regarding Hong Gong's Kowloon district, one of care much for the Jolliness's Philippines-based fast food model. Finally, a proposal to cackle the benefits in a U. S. Market by establishing restaurants there, starting in California, expanding quarterly. (#3) Expanding to Papua N ew Guiana brings both potential risks and benefits.The benefits of expanding to Papua include the lack of competition in the market. Papua has only one poorly managed, 3-store fast-food chain, according to Quality Assurance Manager, Gill Salvos (Bartlett, 2011, p. 51). Match the limited market, and the large population of 5 million, makes Papua a very enticing opportunity. Another benefit would be the offer from Mr.. Salvos to front the capital to launch the expansion. Additionally, suggesting co-locating with a major petroleum retailer, where there was a constant customer flow. The risks of expanding to Papua include concern about Government-Business relationships.There seems to be an issue with stability of rules, policies, and regulations. Businesses remain worried about the stability of the rules, instituted by the government. According to local analysis there's a perception of risk while doing business in Papua New Guiana. Another risk is political uncertainty. According to rep orts, during the asses, businesses in Papua experienced a great amount of instability because of frequent changes in overspent. This led to erratic and frequent changes in policies that a negative impact on the private sector (Holder, P. And Barker, P. , 2007). #3) Expanding current business further in Hong Kong is an exciting proposition, considering the potentially large market there. Mr.. Conation's brother-in-law saw instant success when he opened the first store in 1996 (Bartlett, 2011, p. 51). However, one issue with the Jollied Corporation is its narrowed market†¦ Targeted Filipino audience. The Hong Kong base relied on Filipinos living there to bring in enough business, which at stores close to major hubs where Filipinos gathered, worked out. The problem was with restaurants that were not in close proximity of these hubs; they had to rely on the local Chinese population.Other problems with the Hong Kong market included a rigid menu, which was slow to change, due to Joll iness's vertical organizational structure where all changes had to be staffed to leadership. The benefits of doing business in Hong Kong include low salaries and profits tax rates. Additionally, capital gains are not taxed. The country is bilingual, which would ease business communication, and assist with new staff training efforts. (#3) Challenging McDonald's in its home market is a daring, but potentially refutable endeavor. Mr..Tension's approach to expanding Jolliness's franchise to America could bring much respect for the rapidly expanding company. Just like opening a new franchise in Papua, and expanding operations in Hong Kong, there will be risks and benefits. The biggest risk†¦ Known for its golden arches, McDonald's. However, McDonald's would not be the only major competitor facing Jollied. America is the birth place of fast food. Several other competitors such as Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KEF), and Pizza Hut had permeated the market as well. Concerns over increasing obesity rates in recent years, also came as concern when expanding to America.Policymakers are developing new regulations on restaurants in an effort to fight obesity. For example July 2008, Los Angels lawmakers banned the more than 500,000 residents (Anderson, 2006). The incredible amount of money Americans spend towards fast food is a definite plus to expansion consideration to the United States. Consumers spent about $110 billion on fast food in 2000, which increased from $6 billion in 1970 (Closer, 2001). The National Restaurant Association forecasts that fast food restaurants in the U. S. Will reach $142 billion in sales in 2006, a 5% increase over 2005 (Closer, 2001).Bottom line, fast food is big business in America. As a fall-back, the West coast has a significant Filipino community, and other ethnic groups which are attracted to Jolliness's menu. Finally, the strong interest from local investors and Mr.. Conation's willingness to crack this market make it an attra ctive investment. D. Noel Tension's way-ahead for Jolliness's international success (#4) Mr.. Noel Tinning, has some very difficult decisions to make for the international expansion of Jollied. Fortunately, he has a great team that is well- versed at conducting risk analysis assessments, and the training under Mr..Kitchener o work with the corporation's FSML to hammer out details of a franchise expansion. It's important to capture that â€Å"quick-win† when tackling any business endeavor. The quick-win in this situation would be to improve and expand upon existing markets in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has one very successful restaurant. Recruiting Chinese employees, and rotating them through the Central district restaurant to receive training, will assist in their success. Additionally, bringing in the new employees will assist in identifying/diversifying menus for local palettes. #4) To garner any kind of profit, Jollied would have to quickly add three to four tortes to be competi tive and cover costs. The GNP in both countries, per capita, is about the same at $2,500 (Bartlett, 2011, p. 51). In the Philippines there are over 900 restaurants serving 75 million people. The PANG population is 5 million people. Starting out with three to four stores, under Mr.. Salvo's capital, will be a good gauge as to whether the company attracts the local interest. The plan is for a Joint venture with local service stations.If the effort is equitable, further expansion from the three or four stores to 20 stores is a plausible business venture. #4) Supporting operations in a small remote market will require effective communication from the main hub to the forward operating location. To ensure success, the FSML will be imperative in developing the team and monitoring sales, customer traffic, and any supply hold-ups. To assist in attracting the local populace, managers should recruit team members from the host country. This will help with any language barriers, and could be an effective marketing strategy.Finally, give managers at the remote market greater flexibility to make decisions without having to use the vertical staffing process. Being able to respond quickly to local crisis, will empower managers, and ensure the new market doesn't miss a beat. (#4) One of the â€Å"Five Ifs,† is catering to customer needs. If Jollied wants to expand its opportunities in Hong Kong, it must customize to local tastes. One of McDonald's global operation attributes is the ability to adjust menu in accordance with local tastes, and even customs, such as its operations in India where it only offers a vegetarian menu.Developing less fatty menu alternatives will be attractive in the Hong Kong market, and may also work in the U. S. As well due to greater concerns Eng in building their confidence in the company. Finally, by baking foods instead of frying them, the company will be saving money. Frying is more expensive than baking because of the oil requirement and ad ditional gas/electricity it takes to heat the oil. Jollied would be catering to local palettes while saving money, by reducing it fried food menu items. #4) Understanding and properly managing cultural differences in the workplace, especially in foreign environments, is essential to business success. When domestic companies hire foreign professionals in an effort to enhance their competitiveness in international markets, a lack of understanding may arise which may lead to an atmosphere that is not conducive to the business environment. As is the case in this situation where Chinese workers were calling the Filipinos worker's discipline lax and their style arrogant; and the Filipinos saw the Chinese managers as uncommitted.To handle this problem Jollied should solicit outside help, a third party, that specializes in helping corporations manage cultural differences. Even though this may be an expensive proposition, it could be billed as a necessary start-up cost that was essential to the process of transitioning the franchise into a sustainable operation. Once implemented, the company would establish feedback options for the employees in order to gauge the effectiveness of the program.It would also see what steps could be taken to create a do-it-yourself mediation communication tool for each individual employee. This tool could be used whenever the need arose, to limit and diffuse future staffing conflicts. (#4) While at face value the Philippine to Asian to Hispanic entry strategy appears to be positive strategic plan. This being said, Jollied also must consider to the company as a whole. The extensive stretch in current resources and failing stores abroad could destroy even the most perfect strategic plan to enter the US market.Discounting the current failures within the company however, this entry plan could place Jollied in a unquestionable positive standing to enter the US market, Just as it succeeded in the US territory of Guam. The positive lessons learne d within the Guanine market can easily transfer into the US; within the area of San Francisco and San Diego, where the Filipino expects surpass those of others demographically, giving Jollied the perception and insight it requires to expand to Asian-Americans, hen acquire Hispanic traffic in order to broaden to other populace within chosen markets. #4) If chosen to enter the US markets it will be imperative for Jollied to control the expansion while supporting the existing locations. This control and support can be established, in the beginning, by transfer current Jollied management to the US market, as it has been done in the past. The careful selection of local franchises will be imperative to Jollied successful growth within the US market, as the consumer perception must be one of consistency in regards to price, selection and customer revive.The experienced management style will permit the local management to fully understand the culture of the company while Jollied management continues to take in the local culture; working together to build a solid foundation to grow from. While the initial foundation is critical, the ongoing support is never the less vital to the company's success, particularly in regards to gaining market share in the birthplace necessary prerequisite for all locations as well as ongoing training for not only the local workers but Jollied core team as well.This training will eliminate the possibility f postulated theories of the direction of the company in addition to reducing the prospect of Jollied losing control to outsiders as it once did when choosing to bring in Tony Kitchener; in turn this will reduce the risk of company divide between Jollied core team and the international department. Jolliness's continued success relies on its ability to learn as well as grow its own business. The alternative is the failure to comprehend what is taking place within its own walls and therefore losing control of the business they have fought to build. . Recommendations The previous material illustrated successes and mistakes of the Jollied Corporation. USSR growth in developing nations was highlighted for its importance to continued growth in the industry. Jolliness's ability to maintain its superiority in its home market was explored, and keeps its closest competitor, McDonald's, at bay. Mr.. Kitchener was responsible for building an elaborate International Division, and some of its initial success. Unfortunately, his approach didn't quite match the vision of the company, and may have lead to more strife than success.His departure opened the door for Mr.. Tinning, who was immediately faced with three huge challenges of improving upon existing markets, and moving into new ones. The three opportunities were explored, with Hong Kong determined to be the relatively safest challenge to undertake. The Hong Kong market was deemed a possible quick-win situation because of the existing successful restaurant. Host country recruitm ent could help in developing a menu that fits the local customer base better.Having a staff made up of both Filipino/Chinese employees would help with any language barriers that may be preventing new customers from choosing Jollied over other options. Finally, Jollied could improve business communication and decision making by adjusting its organizational structure. It was noted that menu adjustments with the Hong Kong market took an incredibly long time to be addressed due to the vertical organizational structure of the company. All decision-making has a centralized flow to ETC.

ASDA Conclusions

In this enquiry I have spent approximately 4 months, with a lot of time, effort and energy, studying all the different perspectives, facts and opinions for the proposals made by ASDA for a new superstore to be located on the former West St Leonards School site, East Sussex. Therefore having studied this case for a considerable amount of time, I would see myself as having a reasonably in-depth knowledge of the case, and be perfectly justified and able to make a fair decision, whether the proposals, in my opinion, should go ahead. Near the beginning of this enquiry I have studied the views of the local community. From the residents surveys carried out your able to see that most people in and around the West St Leonards area appear to be largely in favour of the proposed developments. (Roughly 70%) But clearly other people also seem to be concerned for the welfare of the surrounding environment, wildlife, the impact the extra traffic may have and the construction jobs. In the second section to my enquiry I carried out surveys of the old West St Leonards school site. From my environmental quality survey and site analysis, it is evident that the environmental quality in and around the site previous to the development would be far greater than if the proposals were to take place. For the third part to my studies I carried out a traffic survey for the roads in the neighbouring areas to the site. This was to indicate whether the developments would generate any increase in traffic, and congestion. As you may have noticed from the links flows, the impact on the surrounding roads would generate a surprisingly low increase and flows and congestion. In the fourth area of this enquiry I investigated other sites considered and later rejected by ASDA; the silverhill site appears overall not entirely suitable for a superstore of this scale. This is largely because I believe the surrounding roads couldn't cope with the traffic increase. Where as the railways goods yard strikes me as more suitable, it is a very good and central location with excellent access for both cars and pedestrians (possibly having alighted from the very frequent public transport running very nearby.) But unfortunately this site would undoubtedly have competition from nearby Safeway's, and smaller convince store. Lastly I don't believe that the Bohemia road site is appropriate as the impact on the surrounding environment and roads would outweigh the advantages of the site. In my fifth and final section I have been looking at the already existing ASDA superstore in the crumbles Retail Park, Eastbourne. This ASDA, I think is in a very suitable location and scored well when I carried out a site survey. From my shoppers questionnaire, and task disk survey I have discovered that the store attracts some long distance visitors but overall it is primarily a local store. After investigating all the pros and cons for the old West St Lenoards school site, and considering possible alternatives, I believe that yes the proposed developments should get the ‘go ahead.' In my opinion it is the most appropriate site within the town, this is because it is by far the largest site. If these developments aren't to go ahead, some other development such as houses/flats would take its place, almost defiantly resulting in an equal, if not worse impact on the surrounding environment. As for the traffic, well from my research the increase of traffic on the surrounding roads would be minimal. Overall my opinion is the advantages convincingly outweigh the disadvantages, therefore, I believe the council would be justified in allowing the proposals to proceed.

Department of corrections case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Department of corrections - Case Study Example Objectives In order to go about upgrading the information systems one requirement is the identification of objectives of the department of corrections so as to determine what features will need to be included into the information system in order to achieve these objectives (Engdahl, 2010). There are a number of objectives held by this department, but the main one is the rehabilitation of convicted felons as well as the punishment of their crimes. Other objectives of the department include: †¢ Creating a safer environment for the citizens of the country by incarcerating those who project a danger to society and trying to convince them to change their ways. †¢ Providing a system that encourages the rehabilitation of the convicted felons through the inclusion of training and education programs that will provide them with skills and knowledge they can use to make a living after being released. †¢ Providing a safe environment for the felons themselves that will give them an opportunity to transform their ways during their period of incarceration (Engdahl, 2010). There are a number of measurements of accountability that can be utilized to rate the success of the department of corrections at achieving these objectives. ... The objective of creating a safer environment for members of the society and its success can be measured through studying the level of the crime rates in various regions of the country (Engdahl, 2010). A reduction in the crime rate will show that the department has managed to achieve this objective while an opposite direction will depict otherwise. The crime rate differs from region to region, but an overall perspective can also be used as a criterion of measurement. The measurement of the success of the department of corrections objective of providing a successful training and education program system can be done through follow up studies done on ex convicts who have been released (O'grady, 2011). The study can focus on whether the ex felon has been able to rebuild their life successfully and whether they used what they learned while serving their sentence. Though this may be potentially expensive to pull off, it is the most accurate way of determining the level of success of this p articular objective and the department can use volunteers who report to researchers after a period of time to reduce costs. In regard to the provision of a safe environment for the felons while in incarceration, the level of success of this objective can be determined through the observation of the level of prison crimes (that is, crimes committed by convicts within the prison) that are committed (Engdahl, 2010). A reduction in prison crimes will mean that the objective has been able to be attained. Considerations that will have to be factored into the equation include environmental with regard to the number of prisons and tactical dealing with the level of training of the prison personnel as this will affect the department’s ability to

Creative Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Creative Paper - Essay Example Since people appear to seek religious experiences in order to reduce the emotions of stress and depression, it provides a definite connection between emotion and brain activity. One of the most fundamental needs man has is the need for spirituality or religion; as a result, the more s/he focuses on a particular belief, the more real it becomes because it stimulates certain neural circuits in the brain. I would argue that emotion might function in exactly the same way and may be caused by the stimulation of certain neural circuits in the brain. I have investigated human emotions and it is my conclusion that emotions exist because they develop out of complex neural systems existing in the human brain. Contrary to the arguments that the brain is logical, I would argue that the brain is emotional because the emotion of fear at least, does originate in the brain According to my research which builds upon the research of others, fear in particular, the human body begins to show the external physical signs of fear such as sweaty palms, muscle tension and a queasy stomach even before the individual is consciously aware of fear. This suggests definitively that the emotional response of fear is hard wired into the brain, so that with the onset of the emotion the external symptoms manifest themselves. The proposition that the brain is linked to emotion does not appear to have much merit. Emotions in individuals are so wide ranging; moreover people tend to respond differently to the same kind of events - such as one person responding with fear and another responding with anger to the same incident. Twins tend to respond differently to emotion, even age differently and I believe that there would be greater levels of similarity between individuals in the way they respond to specific events if emotions were hard wired. I would cite the example of damage to the parietal lobe in the brain which causes difficulties with mathematics and language; something which

Lowe's vs Home Depot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lowe's vs Home Depot - Essay Example As a result, each brand wants to draw the customers more towards their own products and away from their competitor. In the past Lowe’s has concentrated on providing a better range of products for customers, and on improving customer service so that shopping is a pleasant experience. This matches the preferences of women and the do-it-yourself customers who want to have some choice in their purchases and who take their time to review all the products. The larger stores that Lowe’s tends to have are expensive to run, however, and so their latest plans include a drive to increase efficiency in those stores, so that there is a better return on this investment in space. Home Depot, on the other hand, caters more for serious professionals and so it has concentrated on providing a large number of stores in convenient locations. This is geared to contractors who want reliable availability of known products in the immediate vicinity. Home Depot has paid less attention in the past to the shopping experience and there has been a tendency to cram a lot of products into crowded spaces. This may be changing as competition gets tougher. Each company appears therefore to be analyzing the strengths of the other, and aiming to catch up in these specific areas with their major competitor. It is difficult to judge which company has the better competitive image. In terms of customer preference, it appears that Lowe’s has the better image, because 53% of customers stated a preference for Lowe’s against only 46% for Home Depot. Given that Lowe’s has considerably fewer stores than Home Depot, this is an indicator that they have done a better job in making their brand known to the public and attracting customers to come into their stores. On the other hand, customers spend less at Lowe’s on each shopping trip that they make. Home Depot achieves higher sales figures, which proves in concrete terms that customers rate them highly. On balance, then, it appears that

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

Commodity - Essay Example The most important oil producing nation in the whole world is Saudi Arabia. It is the biggest oil producing country of the world. In the year 2011, it has supplied 12.8% of global oil (Chakarova, 3). The country has got a oil reserve of 266 billion barrels (Chakarova, 3). Not only Saudi Arabia but Iran is also becoming a world leader in the crude oil supply. Iran is in a state of rapid development because of its oil reserves. Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of world oil is supplied, is under the control of Iran. If this passage is blocked, then it would be a great problem for the whole world. As a result of which the oil prices will definitely rise. This would also require new path of delivery of oil to other countries. However, there are other countries in the middle-east which has substantial capacity of oil production. But, there are conflicts at the moment between those countries in the middle-east. This is a scary sign for the world because any conflict between these countri es would result in huge losses which the other remaining nations of the world would have to suffer. Demand of Oil in international market There is huge demand of oil in the whole world. In this modern era of rapid industrialization, it is very hard to think of running any industry without oil. However, the supply is very less as compared to the huge demand all over the world. Each year this demand is growing leaps and bounds but it is a very critical issue now to think of where from this demand be met. In the year 2004, the OECD countries consumed 48.8 mmbpd and it was 5.2% more than in the year 2003 (Cordsman and Al-Rodhan, 31). This is just a number showing the horrific nature of demand in crude oil in the world nine years ago. But the situation today is even more horrifying. It has also been seen that due to the huge industrialization process in the upcoming economies like India and China, the demand has risen even more in the past few years. The rapid development process in thes e two Asian countries would surely increase the demand as they themselves do not have any natural source of oil. All they can do is that they can import the crude oil from the middle-east countries. A graphical data is presented below showing the demand of oil based on economic growth from 2001-2025 (million barrels per day) (Cordsman and Al-Rodhan, 34). 2001 2002 2010 2015 2020 2025 LG 78 78.20 98.60 110.00 120.60 132.30 R 78 78.20 93.60 103.20 111.00 119.20 HG 78 78.20 91.10 97.20 102.30 107.70 (Source: Cordsman and Al-Rodhan, 34) Note: LG-low-growth, R- reference case, HG- high growth case. Price of oil in international market Due to the low supply, the demand for the crude oil has increased a lot in the past few years which in turn has raised the price of crude oil in the global market considerably. The developing economies of the world like India, China, etc., they are on the verge of development. As a result they are in huge demand of crude oil for their rapid industrial growt h. They need huge supply of crude oil which has made the price of oil go high in the international market. And it’s not only the price of crude oil, but the different levels of duties, processing cost, all these add up to a level which makes it a nightmare for the consumers in this era. The prices of petrol, diesel, LPG going high on a daily basis are the consequences of this. Here is a list showing the annual

Follow the details Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Follow the details - Essay Example Like many photographs, this one is one in which my entire family is gathered about the time when I was celebrating my 10th birthday. One of the reasons that the photograph bears so much importance to me is that it has both sets of my grandparents as well as my mother and father in it. Only a few years after the photo was taken, three of my four grandparents had passed away. In this way, the photo itself is a way to remember the happiest memories of my childhood. The second object is one that I have brought with me in my travels abroad; a leather bound copy of the Holy Koran. The book belonged to my father and my grandfather before him. It was always something that was unique and holy within our household and I remember being fascinated by it since I was very young. This fascination was due in part to the fact that it was physically different than all other books that we had in our house. The leather engraving on the cover and on the back was exquisite and the Arabic calligraphy that covered it had always sparked my imagination. In this way, when my father learned that I would be going overseas to study, he entrusted me with this family treasure. This was done not as a way to keep me safe or as a good luck charm but to remind me of my culture and of the importance of my upbringing even though I would be far away in the land of different customs and interpretations of right and wrong. This type of moral compass and guiding principle of my fai th and of my ethnicity was and is something that I keep close to my heart and treasure to this very day. The final article that this brief essay will discuss is that of my high school graduation diploma. Although having a high school graduation diploma in and of itself signifies little within the current era, it is not the receipt of the diploma itself that is of the most importance. Rather, it is the strong memories that are associated with it, the friendships I made, the times I spent, and the

The Possibilities And Effects Of Raising Prices Above Competitive Assignment

The Possibilities And Effects Of Raising Prices Above Competitive Levels In Oligopolistic Markets - Assignment Example Examples of oligopoly in our economic system today include Steel industry, Aluminum, Film, Television, Cell phone and Gas among others (Perloff 2011). The probability of raising prices above the competitive levels demand a detailed understanding of the oligopolistic markets and the influential trends involved. Normally, the possibilities prevalence depends on the desire of the involved firms for success. In this piece, the mention of the possibilities would imply the probability of occurrence of raised prices above the competitive levels. In this situation, when such an issue is mentioned, many would tend to begin asking themselves on whether the probabilities are activity prompt or automatic. Again the choices by the firms in the market that attribute to alteration of the prices beyond the competitive levels have consequences. Moreover, the essential point to understand in this scenario is the essence of prices, their thresholds and the effect of status in the oligopolistic market (Mansfield 1982). Oligopolistic markets have variant features relating to the prices such as the limited number of firms selling the same commodities. If there are a number of firms dealing on similar products then it implies that there must be a significant extent of competition for which the price is a critical factor. Altering the price in a particular firm would impact the entire market since one of the market forces is altered. The provision of branding of products by different firms means that the products are distinct and each might be identical to the associated firm. The entry barriers might possess a negligible concern albeit they are considered imperative due to their significant influence and regulation in the number of firms (McGuigan, Moyer & Harris 1999). Firms in the oligopolistic market cooperate to determine prices and endeavour to uphold the price levels. The prices are regarded as monopolistic since they are the main point of concern in the market. The firms compete on the prices m in order for the prices to remain as a competitive industry model. In the situation where firms compete on prices, the desired price is regarded as the competitive level price. This implies that evident consequences can result if any firm elevates its prices beyond the actual one determined by the competition in the market (Cassimatis 1996). The monopoly as well as the competitive scale is responsible for the determination of price and the benefits involved in the market. Oligopolistic market prices and the consequential profits are indefinite since the challenges in modeling inter-reliant price productivity deliberations (Glahe & Lee 1982). Background Investigation Having looked at the oligopolistic markets, what are would be the possibilities and effects of raising prices above competitive levels? In order to have an in-depth understanding of the preceding question, we have to understand

J Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

J Two - Essay Example I think that factors such as fixed and variable cost also attributed to the decline in the revenue. 1. Use the Percentage Sales Method and a 25% increase in sales to forecast Micro Chips Consolidated Statement of Operations for the period of September 26, 2008 through September 25, 2009. Assume a 15% tax rate and restructuring costs of 5% of the new sales figure. Sales method percentage will be given by the formula 125/100 * amount for every particular in the Consolidated Statements of Operations (Duchac, et, al 2007). For instance in sales 125/100 * 8,334= $10,417.5. Net income for the year 2008 was given to be $1,570.9 and when this figure is compared to the financial year 2009 which is 1,969.9, it shows a 25% increase in sales to forecast and yet we had a 5% restructuring cost on the new sales. Assumptions made here include all costs remained as a fixed percentage of sales. This assumption is unreasonable since in the normal running of a business, the organization can incur more or less cost than stipulated cost as a fixed percentage of sales (Duchac et al,

The Three Most Important Parts of .NET Platform Essay Example for Free

The Three Most Important Parts of .NET Platform Essay â€Å"The . NET Framework is an integral Windows component that supports building and running the next generation of applications and XML Web services. † (MSDN) The objectives of the . NET framework include providing a consistent environment for local and remote execution, minimizing deployment and versioning conflicts, ensuring consistent performance across Windows and Web based applications, and promoting industry standard code that easily integrates with any other code. The three key parts in the . NET framework that make these possible are: ? Common Language Runtime ? Base Class Library ? Assemblies Parts of the . NET Framework Common Language Runtime The Common Language Runtime (CLR) manages systems services such as memory management, code execution, compilation, and code safety verification. The CLR is at the heart of interoperability by providing a common environment for different codes to run. â€Å"The incorporation of ‘language’ features into a common language runtime, rather than a particular language, allows languages to freely interoperate within the overall . NET platform. † (Sessions) The CLR provides a secure and robust environment for execution, multi-language support, simplified development and deployment. To provide the required functionality, the CLR provides cross-language integration, cross-language exception handling, support for different versions, deployment support, and debugging and profiling services. (MSDN) One of the major strides that has been made with the introduction of the . NET platform is the feature of language independence. This means that any . NET-enabled language can be used to create code, and can be integrated with other parts of the program. This functionality is achieved by . NET through the use of an Intermediate Language into which all source codes are converted to provide a common basis for execution. The CLR employs a Just-In-Time compilation (JIT) process that includes only those parts of the code that are required at runtime to be compiled. The JIT includes a feature of caching that allows it to re-use code that is used more than once within a program, making the process faster and more efficient. (Evjen et al. 8) The CLR uses metadata that keeps track of the types, members and references within the code. All common runtime executable versions contain the metadata, which tells the program where to look for classes and helps if to manage memory, enforce security and generate native code. The CLR makes it possible to share classes and methods across languages, using a common type system that is defined during runtime. (Evjen et al. 9) The metadata enables the code to run as â€Å"managed code†, which runs under the CLR following the rules set by it. This ensures that the services mentioned earlier such as code-access security, lifetime control of objects and memory management, and cross-language integration of code can be provided by the CLR. From the above it can be seen that the Common Language Runtime is basic to some of the major breakthroughs in the . NET environment, and is therefore, a very important part of it. Base Class Library The second major part of the . NET framework is the Base Class Library. The Base Class Library contains classes and types that expedite the development process, as well as allow the sharing of these, to provide easy and common means for accessing system functionality, and execute common tasks. The . NET types conform to Common Language Specifications that apply to all . NET enabled languages. This makes it possible to write code in any of these languages using these types. This represents one of the major contributions to interoperability between languages, which is at the heart of the . NET approach. Thus Base Class Library forms the second most important part of the . NET framework. The . NET framework provides a number of abstract and concrete classes that make it possible to write powerful programs in any one or a combination of the supported languages. The framework also provides a rich repertoire of interfaces. The rich functionality provided by the interfaces can be used by either using an existing class that implements these interfaces and by deriving a user defined class from them, or can be implemented by creating a class that implements these interfaces. The . NET applications, controls and components depend on the type definition, which is one of the constituents of the Base Class Libraries. This enables the framework to handle various functions such as encapsulating data structures, perform I/O and invoke security checks. (MSDN) From the above it can be seen that much of the functionality of the . NET framework is derived from, and is dependent on, the Base Class Libraries. Assemblies As we have seen, the Common Language Runtime and the Base Class Libraries represent the bases on which the crucial and differentiating features of the . NET framework are built. These provide a common framework for developing the application. The next most important aspect of an application is to run it. This is facilitated by Assemblies. â€Å"Assemblies are the building blocks of . NET Framework applications; they form the fundamental unit of deployment, version control, reuse, activation scoping, and security permissions. † (MSDN). The Assemblies contain resources and types that are required at runtime. The Common Language runtime is possible because of Assemblies, because they provide vital information that makes the runtime application aware of the types and other resources used. This makes it possible to run an integrated application that contains diverse codes written in a variety of CLR-enabled languages. The Assembly contains code that the common language runtime executes. The Intermediate Language code depends on associated assemblies to be executed. Thus the Assemblies are fundamental to the . NET framework, and allow the parts to function at runtime. For this reason, they represent the third most critical part of the . NET framework. Conclusion The . NET framework is distinguished by its ability to integrate and run code written in a variety of languages, and to operate the system securely and consistently under different environments such as remote and local execution. These features have become possible because of the three essential parts of the framework, namely the Common Language Runtime, Base Class Libraries, and Assemblies. Works Cited 1. Evjen, Bill, et al. Visual Basic . NET Programming Bible. New Delhi: Wiley Dreamtech India (P) Ltd. , 2004. 2. MSDN. 2007. Overview of the . NET Framework. Microsoft Corporation. 22 March 2007. http://msdn2. microsoft. com/en-us/library/a4t23ktk. aspx 3. Sessions, Roger. 28 March 2001. J2EE versus the . NET Platform: Two Visions for E-Business. ObjectWatch, Inc. 22 March 2007. http://www. objectwatch. com/FinalJ2EEandDotNet. doc

Article of Confederation Essay Example for Free

Article of Confederation Essay The first constitution was written in the United States was called the â€Å"Articles of Confederation. † It established a loose league of friendship between thirteen sovereign states and proposed that each state have its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. The Articles of Confederation approve in 1781, which led to a period of crisis between the years 1781 and 1789. This period refer as the Critical Period. The Articles of Confederation was the precursor of the United States Constitution because of the many reasons it had weaknesses and replaced by the United States Constitution. The Constitution of the United States comprises the nations fundamental law, providing the framework for its governance and the principles under which it must operate. When the constitution was written, it was intended to endure for ages, be flexible, and adaptable for future generations. The constitution was intended to be the supreme law of the land. â€Å"To win the required approval from all 13 states, drafters changed the plan and granted the Confederation control of western lands. After four years, the Articles finally won ratification in 1781. † (Created Equal, pg. 77) The Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781, became the first constitution. The Articles of Confederation dealt with three problems: taxation, representation, and the extent of control over western territories. First, the Articles of Confederation weakness was that the central government did not have the power to collect taxes. As the Articles of Confederation illustrate, â€Å"According to the Articles, Congress could not collect taxes or regulate trade; it could only requisition funds from the states. Shares would vary depending on each state’s free population. (Created Equal, pg. 177) Under the Articles of Confederation, the state government can only send its contribution annually to the national government but they cannot be compelled to pay taxes. Due to this huge weakness, many problems arose in the U. S, which were signs of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The trade agreements Congress had made with other nations were not always carried out. Many people soon started importing goods from other countries that they refused to pay for. Consequently, people in other nations soon became reluctant to trade with the U.  S; even Great Britain closed its commerce to it, which resulted in the loss of a lot of money because of lack of trade. There was also competition among the states, as they started levying taxes on goods passing through them to other states. Taxes are the lifeblood of the nation. Without it, no government machinery will function. Thus, the national government could not perform its functions because it did not have the funds. Second weakness was the enactment of laws. Under the Articles of Confederation, the enactment of laws needed the approval of 9 out of 13 states. The voting obligation is quite high. As a result, five states could easily prevent the enactment of laws, which seriously jeopardized the enactment of laws that needed to be passed. The Articles of Confederation note, â€Å"Moreover, the Confederation had no separate executive branch; executive functions fell to various committees of the Confederation Congress. † (Created Equal, pg. 177) There was no executive branch to institute the policies for the entire nation. As a result, the state governments did not have a cohesive policy that every state government should follow. Consequently, the state governments individually created their own policies. Since there was no national judiciary, the state courts were tasked to interpret laws. As George Mason indicates, â€Å"The Judiciary of the United States is so constructed extended, as to absorb and destroy the Judiciarys of the several States; thereby rendering Law as tedious intricate and expensive, Justice as unattainable, by a great Part of the Community, as in England, and enabling the Rich to oppress ruin the Poor. † (Mason, Paragraph 2, pg. 10) It had become clear that it was necessary to abandon the Articles of Confederation in favor of a constitution that provided for a stronger national government, created a national judiciary and strong Congress. Finally, the United States had different issues that they had to deal with. These were foreign affairs, economic conditions, and Western land. The Articles clarify, â€Å"In addition, to the dismay of land speculators, the Congress would not control the western domains that several large states had claimed. † (Created Equal, pg. 77) The government was weak due to poor economic conditions and the people still feared the power of the central government. These weaknesses posed a threat to the effectiveness of the government. Under the Articles of Confederation, there was a unicameral legislature. There was one house and there were no executive or judiciary branches. Each state had the same number of representatives and their own currency. The states taxed each other and affecting the value of money to decrease and posed a threat to the economic stability of the United States, which was already weak and in need of reformation. The Articles of Confederation was the precursor of the United States Constitution because of the many reasons it had weaknesses and replaced by the United States Constitution. It brought the colonies together as a loose confederation with the state’s rights being more important than the power of the federal government. Even though the government under the Articles of Confederation was very weak, it was still more democratic because it gave more rights and power to the states. The Articles unified the states under a loose confederation, which lacked a strong, central government. Although the Articles of Confederation had several successes, it created far more weaknesses and failures. The failures of the Articles had to be addressed, so a new constitution was created and drafted at the Constitutional Convention, which determined the many failures of the Articles, and created a strong central government. A controversial issue has been debated over whether the government under the Articles of Confederation or the Constitution was more democratic. The Articles of Confederation created a more democratic government because it gave power to the individual states and to the people.

Overview of HTTPS and VPN

Overview of HTTPS and VPN HTTPS HTTPS (originally developed by Nestscape) stands for HyperText Transport Protocol Secure and is basically similar to an HTTP but uses a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) as a sublayer for security purposes. It enables secure communication and connection between a remote user and a web server by encrypting and decrypting pages that are requested, delivered and received. For example, while using the web page that has a prefix https://, when the user clicks Send, to transmit the page back to the vendor or service provider, the HTTPS layer from the users browser will encrypt it. Likewise, the acknowledgment returned by or received from the server will also be transmitted in encrypted form, i.e., it will be delivered and will arrive encrypted, in turn to be decrypted for the user by the HTTPS sublayer of the users browser. In the likelihood that connection is compromised and intermediary hackers/attackers acquire the data being transmitted via HTTPS, the information would be undecipherable. Note that the decrypted data arriving at its destination is only as secure as the host computer. (Rouse.) Additionally, secure web sites also typically display a small padlock icon somewhere next to the URL. By clicking the lock icon, one is able to view the secure certificate that authenticates the website. (Christensen.) Not only is it the de facto protocol for conducting sensitive transactions on the web (especially ones that involve credit card and bank account information), it can also protect users from censorship by a government or an ISP.ÂÂ   (ComputerHope.com.) SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a popular implementation of public-key encryption. Once the browser sends out the public key and the certificate, it checks to make sure that (1)ÂÂ   the certificate is provided by a trusted party; (2) the current certificate is valid; and (3)ÂÂ   the certificate has a relationship with the site generating it. The public key is used to encrypt a randomly selected symmetric key. In other words, most systems use a combination of public key and symmetric key encryption. Under a secure session, one computer creates a symmetric key and sends it to the other computer using public-keyÂÂ   encryption. When the session is completed, each computer disposes the key that was created and that was used for the particular session. For any ensuing sessions, a new symmetric key is created, and the routine is repeated. (ComputerHope.com.) VPN VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a private network that uses a public network to connect remote sites or users together instead of using a dedicated line or physical network connection. The virtual connections are routed through the Internet from a private network (such as a company) to the remote site (such as an employee). The technology enables the creation of an encrypted connection over a less secure network. A well-designed VPN incorporates security, reliability, scalability, network management and policy management (Cisco.com.) Two common types of VPN: Remote-Access (or, Virtual Private Dial-up Network [VPDN]), is a user-to-LAN connection created by a company for its employees who are on various remote locations and who need to connect to the private network. Site-to-Site (categorized into intranets or extranets) uses dedicated equipment and large-scale encryption and can connect multiple fixed sites over a public network such as the Internet, or over a large distance (much like a WAN), with each site needing only a local connection to the same public network. (Cisco.com.) In order to gain access to the private network, a user must first be authenticated by using a unique PIN (personal identification number) and a password. The PIN changes according to a specific frequency, usually every 30 seconds or so. VPN technology uses complex algorithm encryption to guarantee secure and private communicationÂÂ   as well as to prevent any unintentional or unauthorized interception of data between private sites. (whatismyipaddress.com.) Commonality/Difference VPNs use IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) connection to tunnel between the two endpoints and require third-party hardware and/or software. An extra layer of security is provided since in order to access or connect to a VPN, the remote device must have an IPSec client software application installed but must also have it properly configured. In other words, although all data/traffic is encrypted, users on can only access the encrypted applications that they are configured to access in the SSL VPN connection and not the entire network. (Lifewire.com.) HTTPS relies on SSL, which is a common protocol that most web browsers have built in. The secure connection exists between the users browser and the server or a specific web site. All data exchanged between the two are encrypted. Unlike VPN, it does not provide access to anything other than what is currently being communicated. Comparatively, it does not require an authentication code or PIN. Instead it creates a temporary public or symmetric key, which is discarded as soon as the communication is finished.

Achieving Democracy and Equality Essay -- A Social Power Analysis of D

This paper shows why both democracy and equality are desirable, and why democracy, in its true sense, is an important step to achieve greater equality. There are many reasons why political philosophers need to look beyond the one person, one vote conception of democracy to understand why such theories have allowed social and economic inequality to continue to exist. While many democracies do not live up to our expectations in regards to providing equality, there are explanations for this and methods of overcoming such problems. Is equality desirable? The first thing to consider is whether equality is desirable, and if so, what kinds of equality are desirable. For example, should young children have equal voting rights? The consensus around this issue in most democracies is that there is an age where children should not be able to vote (even if there is disagreement on exactly what the age should be). However, it does not follow that it is permissible for children to be discriminated against by the law because they are unable to vote. To determine whether equality is, in the first instance, desirable we must consider what is meant by the term ‘equality.’ Equality is often considered to be important exclusively within a designated demos. This is important because it facilitates an ongoing conversation and reflection on individual preferences. The laws created by the demos are seen as binding upon them. This is partially where our obligation to follow the laws of the government arises – because we voted them in and are bound by the social contract. Of course, there will always be questions as to the legitimacy of laws and what obliges the disenfranchised minority to follow the laws of the majority. However, when there has been... ...om.au/business/a-snip-at-22m-to-get-rid-of-pm-20110201-1acgj.html. Green, P. (1985). Retrieving democracy : in search of civic equality. Totowa, N.J., Rowman & Allanheld. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2011). "Jeremy Bentham." Retrieved November 3, 2011, from http://www.iep.utm.edu/bentham/. Megalogenis, G. (2010). "Trivial Pursuit: Leadership and the End of the Reform Era." Quarterly Essay(40): 1-83. 40. Retrieved 2010 from http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=586827778419771;res=IELHSS. Myers, J. C. (2010). The politics of equality : an introduction. London; New York; New York, Zed Books ; Distributed in the USA exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan. Singer, P. (1973). Democracy and disobedience. Oxford, Clarendon Press. Verba, S. and N. H. Nie (1972). Participation in America: political democracy and social equality. New York, Harper & Row.

Arthur Millers Death Of a Salesman Exposes Morals and Values of American Culture :: Death Salesman essays

Arthur Miller's Death Of a Salesman Exposes Morals and Values of American Culture Arthur Miller's play, "Death Of a Salesman" is a very  Ã‚   elaborate play that tells the story of a man's dream to achieve greatness from nothing. It almost seems to make fun of American society's competitive nature, "Imagine? When the mail comes he'll be ahead of Bernard again!" Willy(1215)  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The title "Death Of a Salesman" leaves nothing to the imagination of how this play ends. Indeed this is a story about the noble, cowardly death of Willy Loman, a traveling salesman. Arthur Miller used the efficient idea of using flashbacks to allow the play to take place within a few days instead of years. Willy Loman as the central character, lives with his wife, Linda and has two sons, Biff (elder) and Happy. Willy Loman who is quite literally a "low man" has so many personality traits accurate to real life, this is no surprise since Miller based Willy's character on his uncle, Manny Newman. Miller said, "That homely, ridiculous little man had after all never ceased to struggle for a certain victory, the only kind open to him in society - selling to achieve his lost self as a man with his name and his son's name on a business of his own"  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy was defiantly in a struggle however, he was certainly not in a struggle to convince himself he was doing better than he really was, "I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own." Willy (1165).   Willy Loman did not want to die, he went to Ben to seek approval of what he thought would please the family"...Ben, I want you to go through the ins and outs of this thing with me. I've got nobody to talk to, Ben, and the woman has suffered, you hear me?" Willy (1210) He also proved this with his many "near incidents" and the rubber pipe. According to "Suicide:The facts and myths" by Judi Marks, "Attempted suicides are a sorrowful form of communication, but they're also trial runs for the final event."  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anyone who commits suicide actually does not want to die and reality, just wants a solution to end their problems or  pains. In this case Willy's problem was he thought he was so  well-liked by society, however what he wanted most was for  his sons to like him, and for his wife to not have to suffer his torment anymore.

The Power of Myth :: American Myth Myths Essays

The Power of Myth In the texts that we have recently read, we have seen the importance of myth in giving meaning and understanding to life. In the Beginnings of the Western Mind we read about the importance of myth in the consciousness of the oral societies of pre-classical Greece; in Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs we read about the myth of the "West" in the U.S. and its influence on the thought of many Americans; In Things Fall Apart we see the power if myth and the consequences of the break down of those myths and stories upon which a culture is structured on. I wish to discuss the importance of telling myths and stories in influencing the quality of our culture. Often, Americans look back on older cultures and try to understand them in terms of their myths and stories but, I fear, we do not question our own myths and stories. Perhaps the problem is not that we don't question our myths, but that we are not aware that we have myths and stories. If we don't recognize that as part of human nature that we are going to have myths and stories to explain who we are, we can not fully understand who we are. Traditionally, myths have been our stories about "gods." Gods have been, throughout our history, the "personifications of the transformative power" (Malloy 1998, Lecture Notes). Our archetypes are part of our myths and stories--they tell us who we are and give us meaning. Myths can be thought of as messages in symbols (archetypes), they give meaning, explain "why?" and allow us to change and to understand change. Today however, we live in a demythologized world. Our myths and stories are us. Myths and stories tell us who we are, why we are and how we should be. But we must wonder, "what happens when we stop telling good myths and stories?" Carl Jung, the famous psychologist and pioneering anthropologist, after studying the archetypes, myths, and stories of the native American peoples, went back to Europe where he began to notice that Europe no longer had archetypes, myths, or stories to give the necessary meaning to life. Thus, while early twentieth century Europe may have been technologically more advanced than the tribes of the Amazon or Kalhari, it lacked any of the stories that give us meaning and in a sense (in the context of the history of humanity), we are in a disparate way, less culturally developed. The Power of Myth :: American Myth Myths Essays The Power of Myth In the texts that we have recently read, we have seen the importance of myth in giving meaning and understanding to life. In the Beginnings of the Western Mind we read about the importance of myth in the consciousness of the oral societies of pre-classical Greece; in Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs we read about the myth of the "West" in the U.S. and its influence on the thought of many Americans; In Things Fall Apart we see the power if myth and the consequences of the break down of those myths and stories upon which a culture is structured on. I wish to discuss the importance of telling myths and stories in influencing the quality of our culture. Often, Americans look back on older cultures and try to understand them in terms of their myths and stories but, I fear, we do not question our own myths and stories. Perhaps the problem is not that we don't question our myths, but that we are not aware that we have myths and stories. If we don't recognize that as part of human nature that we are going to have myths and stories to explain who we are, we can not fully understand who we are. Traditionally, myths have been our stories about "gods." Gods have been, throughout our history, the "personifications of the transformative power" (Malloy 1998, Lecture Notes). Our archetypes are part of our myths and stories--they tell us who we are and give us meaning. Myths can be thought of as messages in symbols (archetypes), they give meaning, explain "why?" and allow us to change and to understand change. Today however, we live in a demythologized world. Our myths and stories are us. Myths and stories tell us who we are, why we are and how we should be. But we must wonder, "what happens when we stop telling good myths and stories?" Carl Jung, the famous psychologist and pioneering anthropologist, after studying the archetypes, myths, and stories of the native American peoples, went back to Europe where he began to notice that Europe no longer had archetypes, myths, or stories to give the necessary meaning to life. Thus, while early twentieth century Europe may have been technologically more advanced than the tribes of the Amazon or Kalhari, it lacked any of the stories that give us meaning and in a sense (in the context of the history of humanity), we are in a disparate way, less culturally developed.

Writting tips

Your response papers are, as the phrase suggests, Individual affairs. What I want, above all, Is your personal response to the readings, and to the questions Vive posed in the accompanying guidelines. In evaluating your papers, above all we consider their content: how well you address the thoughts and arguments presented by these documents, and the quality of ideas you express. That said, please consider these papers exercises in formal writing. That means you deed to adhere to the principles and rules of American English grammar and spelling.Yes, we will hold your feet to the fire on these matters. A few tips follow, addressing problems that arose In the first batch of papers: 1) Keep your tenses straight. Few trials In life are so agonizing as working through a paragraph In which tenses shift, like a wayward eye, from present to past and back again. When you are writing about the past, stay in past tense. The exception to this comes when you find yourself interpreting historical te xts (as you will do in these papers); in this case it is perfectly fine, indeed desirable, to write in the present.Think of it this way: use present tense when dealing with text, past tense when dealing with historical context. For example: â€Å"In this passage, Discusses argues that history is not simply the stories people tell. His approach contrasted sharply with that of Herodotus, who in his account of the Persian Wars mainly collected and retold stories already In circulation. † 2) Avoid unnecessary capitalization. High-flying concepts, such as State, Religion, or Monarchy, need not – should not! – be capitalized.They did that sort of thing back In the seventeenth century, but nowadays we use lower case for just about everything save proper nouns and titles. By the way, â€Å"Bible† should be capitalized, as it is the title of a work; â€Å"God† is likewise capitalized when used in a monotheistic context, as it is considered a proper noun. Bu t more generic usage, as when referring to the gods of polytheistic systems, for example, takes lower case – e. G. , â€Å"Thro was the Norse god of thunder. † 3) Do not use inverted commas (‘†¦ ‘) with quotations, except when you have to place a quote inside a quote († ‘†¦Do learn the difference between American and British usage In respect to quoted passages (Including the placement of periods and commas). In short: American usage requires that periods and commas be placed Inside the quotation marks (though semi-colons are placed outside). Use a pronoun, double-check to make sure you have established a clear precedent. Too often, pronouns show up unannounced in your papers, and it's only polite to have first made introductions. Whenever you use â€Å"it† or â€Å"they' or even â€Å"this,† make sure you've already provided a solid point of reference.The second issue concerns he use of â€Å"they,† â€Å"theirâ €  etc. As the pronoun for words such as â€Å"anyone,† â€Å"everyone,† and â€Å"somebody' – words that otherwise are treated as singular (e. G. â€Å"everyone in this class is crazy,† not â€Å"everyone are crazy. â€Å") Presumably this is because the old default option, â€Å"he,† is nowadays seen as disagreeably male-oriented. I agree that we shouldn't use â€Å"he,† â€Å"him,† â€Å"his† when the reference is not gender-specific. But this problem can usually be finessed with a little rewriting. For example, try using a plural antecedent – â€Å"persons,† â€Å"people† etc. – when you foresee using â€Å"they,† â€Å"their† etc. s he pronoun to follow. 5) Semi-colons can be very useful, but only when properly employed. As a rule, there are two permissible uses. One occurs when you have two grammatically self-standing phrases, but one leans on the other insofar in meaning (t hat is, one statement is derivative of or supplementary to the other). If the phrase is not-self sufficient, if it is grammatically dependent upon the other, then use a simple comma. The second use for semi-colons arises when you string together a long and complex list of things, and need help in keeping your sequencing clear.In this situation, the mi-colon serves as a kind of super-comma. 6) Finally, pay attention to paragraph organization. Introduce your paragraphs with a strong lead sentence – something that indicates the content of what will follow. When, three, four or more sentences down the page, you've finished with that particular point, make way for a paragraph break (and a new, helpful lead sentence). Your readers will thank for making your train of thought more clear. Even more, your writing will benefit from the ways in which paragraph organization forces you to collect your thoughts and organize them more clearly.

Dove’s campaign for real beauty Essay

Introduction and Problem Statement Unilever, with annual revenues of approximately $50 billion and a staff of 250,000, ranks among the world’s largest companies in consumer products. One of its most famous labels is the personal care brand Dove. In an attempt to reposition the brand and rid it from its â€Å"conservative† image, in 2004, Dove launched its radically new â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty†. In-house consumer research had revealed major insecurities among women concerning their physical appearance. Hardly any female considered herself to keep up with the standards depicted in regular beauty advertising. Based on these findings, Dove redefined beauty in a way that had been ignored by other players before. Targeting women aged 30 to 39, the campaign’s purpose was to show real female beauty, reflected in different shapes, sizes and ages. The core message was â€Å"No models – but firm curves.† The campaign received enormous attention; sales of Dove-branded products nearly quadrupled and market share increased significantly in various core markets. (for further information please refer to 5.1). Nevertheless, after this great success and image shift, Dove’s major brand management challenge for the upcoming year is how to continue the promotional campaign. The problem can thus be formulated a follows: What should Dove do to prepare for the re-launch of Dove beauty products to the next level and successfully keeping this competitive advantage for global use over time? Alternatives 1. Alternative A: Reap the benefits of brand awareness One possibility for Dove is to seize the opportunity of high brand awareness to extend the brand and enter new target markets while largely continuing  with the women’s marketing mix. A beauty care line for middle-aged men would be introduced, as this segment is not well explored by competitors yet and, age-wise, goes in line with the current female target. Products would connect the moisturizing and mild benefit with attributes like â€Å"energetic† and â€Å"self confident†. Regarding advertisement, this would be communicated using â€Å"normal, average† males and thus stay with the â€Å"Real Beauty† paradigm. However, it is assumed that men are less prone to be self-conscious about their looks. Therefore, perceptions would be assessed in further studies and advertising messages focused on the issues regarded as most critical. 2. Alternative B: Continue to evolve With the current success of the campaign, it might also be reasonable not to introduce significant changes. The idea would thus be to simply extend the brand communication and promotion for two aspects: To give consumers some new insights and keep them excited, advertisements would not merely depict happy, normal women. They would now also include storytelling, showing how average women’s self-confidence helps them in different situations (such as job interviews or dates). Additionally, Dove products would be featured more prominently in these advertisements. Their connection to â€Å"Real Beauty† and self-esteem would be communicated more clearly by showing the women use Dove products prior to making a self-confident experience. 3. Alternative C: It’s all in the product Seeing how the prevalent image in the beauty industry is still one of perfection, Dove might be well-advised to provide for the possibility that identifying with â€Å"imperfect† women loses its appeal to the customer base. Without returning to classic beauty models, the brand could hence decide on detaching the products from body images altogether. The self-esteem topic would still be key, but the main focus lies on the product. For example, women would no longer be shown in campaigns, but merely close-ups of skin and the products – packaging as well as ingredients – themselves. Issues 4. How easy is it for competitors to imitate the strategy? With Dove’s focus on â€Å"Real beauty† seeing such great success, it is likely for  competitors to try and get their piece of the cake by imitating Dove’s strategy. When utilizing a more product-focused strategy, communication will rather be on brand attributes than on the brand image that has successfully been established. As attributes are easier to copy and, consequently, convey, alternative C runs at a respectively higher risk of being imitated. For alternative A, as there will be a new target group to win over, competition is likely to be dangerous from beauty brands that already enjoy a high standing among the relevant consumers (e.g. Gillette). Alternative B builds the most on the current communication strategy, where Dove is well-established and simply needs to keep consumers interested in order to reap its â€Å"first-mover† benefits. 5. In how far are current brand associations held up? As Dove’s â€Å"Real Beauty† campaign was exclusively focused on women, it might be hard to stretch the brand associations to fit the new consumer segment targeted by the portfolio extension (i.e. men). As a consequence, prospective customers could experience difficulty identifying with the brand, whereas current customers could perceive brand values as somewhat diluted by the new attributes. Alternative B will clearly remain the most consistent with the current image; alternative C, on the other hand, runs at a risk of not diluting but rather reducing the brand image by taking away its â€Å"human† dimension. On top of this goes the fact that it is harder to convey brand values when they are not placed in a reference frame (e.g. that of curvy women enjoying themselves). While the core message and self-esteem concern will still be pursued, losing the edge of directly opposing competitive clichà © images might harm the brand’s credibility. 6. Will consumers in the long run withstand the attraction of idealized advertising? Although the move away from idealized models has brought Dove high brand awareness and appealed to many women, it is questionable whether consumers will not fall back into their â€Å"learned† habits of trying to become more perfect. The consequence would be that they are again attracted by competitors. As explained above, alternative C would somewhat prepare for that backward shift. Alternative A, with going into a new target, still has some room for maneuver to introduce slight changes back towards higher  idealization. Alternative B, however, is completely tied to alternative beauty models and thus most exposed to the risk of backward-changing consumer preferences. Conclusion The brand management faces a constrained budget, which makes conducting a combination of these alternatives unfeasible, at least in the short and medium run. The task is hence to select the one most promising alternative. Addressing the issue of sustaining a unique positioning first, it is clear that alternative C provides the least protection against copycat behavior of competitors as it even partly abandons the original concept and thus leaves more space for the rivals to also associate their brands with attributes such as genuineness or sincerity. Similarly, alternative A opens a window for imitation even though it is, arguably, not likely to happen, as the market for men’s personal care is not as profitable as to allow rivals to simply establish themselves as followers in this way. Under alternative B, Dove further elaborates on its positioning which is deeply ingrained in the minds of customers, thus rendering imitation by competitors especially hard and therefore unlikely. As already mentioned, the question of compatibility of the current brand with men’s mindset is questionable. Even though, option A does not have to necessarily alienate the current target group, provided the advertising message is adapted seamlessly and promotes the idea that real beauty comes regardless of sex as it comes regardless of age, ethnicity or shape. Alternative B stays close to the message and does not pose a threat in this regard. Alternative C, however, moves away from the concept, producing incongruity within the brand image. This fact, together with the previous issue, makes alternative C seriously undermine the strategy that Dove has been following and we hence drop it from subsequent discussion. Regarding the risk that people regress to their old habits of following an idealized concept of beauty, alternative B fares better than alternative A. While not reverting to the standard approach to fashion advertising, the  storytelling technique expands the consumers’ understanding of the issues and leads them to process the brand’s benefits more consciously. This should, in turn, inhibit the customers’ inclination towards idealized images in advertising. In this regard, Dove might be worse off under alternative A, as a positioning for two partly distinct target groups can reduce the degree to which each of them associates themselves with the brand. Also alternative B is a mere evolution of the current campaign. From an economic point of view, the fact that the target segment remains the same, the future returns are severely limited. Albeit option A is associated with a higher risk, it has to be concluded that a successful implementation would also enable Dove to unlock a whole new market, making this choice more appealing. The final decision between the two options is difficult. While being somewhat weaker on the side of economic potential, alternative B ultimately outperforms alternative A in regard to other issues. Higher revenues can still be made by expanding geographically, while the image needs to be adapted to fully resonate with the customers. Yet, these alternatives are mutually exclusive only to the extent of the disposable funds. Alternative A might hence very well be the logical extension of Dove’s efforts and the natural next step for a â€Å"phase 3† of its brand relaunch. Additionally, several other factors should be taken into account, such as a possible conflict with other Unilever brands, such as Axe/Lynx. These inconsistencies should be countered with a clear positioning in non-overlapping segments and appropriate PR measures. Also the global dimension of the decision should be kept in mind and the campaign continuously adapted to local circumstances in order to display a high level of fidelity, which is completely crucial if the brand is to sustain its image. Provided Dove manages to avoid pitfalls as these, the brand is best off by evolving its brand communication to further curb female insecurities about themselves while strengthening the link between the image the brand evokes and the products. (For further detail pleas refer to 5). Appendix 7. The company and campaign Dove was originally developed in the United States as a non-irritating skin cleaner for pre-treatment use on burns and wounds during WWII. Nowadays, Dove products are available in more than 35 countries, generating revenues of $3 billion. The Dove product line includes body washes, beauty bars, deodorants, hair and facial care products and lotions. Before Dove set up the marketing strategy, they wanted to understand the relationship of women to beauty, without a special focus on any beauty care products. Therefore the company charged a global research firm, StrategyOne to conduct a research study. Hence, StrategyOne surveyed 3,200 women from around the world. The result of the survey showed a wide disparity between the ideal of beauty pictured in the media and the perception by women themselves. Based on this report, the company redefined beauty in a way that all competitors have ignored. To launch a new campaign Dove used a new and unconventional ideal of beauty, thus they differ si gnificantly from their main competitors. To strengthen the emotional ties to Dove’s target group, the brand and not the single products should be in the foreground. The campaign was launched to increase also revenues and to re-brand Dove. Therefore the advertising budget approximately accounted for $ 27 million in Europe alone. The â€Å"Campaign for Real Beauty† began in September 2004, when a website for beauty debates was established. The main target group was 30- to 30-year-old women who could identify with the new brand mission statement â€Å"to make more women feel beautiful every day, by widening today’s stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves†. To transmit the core message Dove’s ads contained no models, but firm curves. The promotion also showed a group of women of different ages, shapes and racial backgrounds that were just having a good time in bras and knickers. Therefore the models were chosen in a â€Å"street casting† to achieve a great acceptance among the observers. Traditional television and magazine advertising was supported by outdoor ads, such as billboards, posters and signs. The results were dramatic, because the advertisement gained a massive media coverage. The brand had a sophisticated image shift and is now described by adjectives like â€Å"open†, â€Å"active† and â€Å"self-confident†. The  turnaround was really striking. [1] 2. PEST Analysis [pic] Figure 7: PEST Analysis Political factors: As Unilever and therefore also Dove are globally acting brands, there are several political and legal factors that could influence the performance of the company. For example the political stability in different countries is not as stable as in Europe. Therefore a quick change in laws can occur, like the employment laws, health and safety laws, consumer laws etc. It is also possible that new import tariffs are introduced. Hence, regarding those  changes the costs for Dove could increase and the demand for the products could be reduced. Economic factors: Economic factors can have major impact on business and future decisions. Those factors include an economic downturn, volatile exchange rates and inflation rates in the operating countries. It is possible that Dove has to increase prices due to different circumstances like increased ingredients price and therefore the demand for the products could decrease. Social factors: Social factors as lifestyle and cultural values vary from region to region. As Dove launched the unique campaign they have to be careful that they adapt it to the different cultural environments and lifestyles around the globe. But also brands have a great impact on peoples’ lifestyle and can change it. Technological factors: Technology is also necessary for Dove’s success and competitive advantage. This includes for example research and development activities and information technologies (with their interactive website). To maintain the competitive advantage being a moisturizing product, Dove has to rely on the technological progress and has to be a first mover. 3. Porter’s five forces [pic] Figure 8: Porter’s five forces Threat of new entrants: As Dove had great success with their â€Å"real beauty campaign† there is a potential risk for new entrants. But Dove is one of the best brands over the world and competitors have to face that. They have an outstanding marketing strategy and high quality products. But barriers to enter the market are low threat of new entrants can therefore be rated as medium. Bargaining power of suppliers: Dove is a sub-brand of Unilever that as lots of suppliers over the world. Therefore Unilever as the parent company has power to influence the suppliers and switch them easily. So Dove has also a sort of pressure on their suppliers and can cut down prices and establish tight relationships with suppliers. Hence, bargaining power of suppliers is low. Bargaining power of buyers: As there are many competitors within the industry, Dove’s customers can easily switch to another label. But the Dove brand stands for high-quality products and promotes real beauty in their campaigns so they rely on loyal consumers. However, you cannot only trust in the sustainability of the campaign in the long run, the bargaining power of buyer has to be rated high. Competitive rivalry within the industry: The main competitors of Unilever are Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, because their sub-brands are quite similar to Dove. In the beauty industry there is verly little product differentiation and similar product offerings, as well as little trade secrets. This leaves little room for competitive advantage, but Dove has always remained at number one, because of their loyal consumers and their moisturizing skin quality products. However, it is easily to switch to other high-end products and also to private label brands, therefore competitive rivalry is high in the operated industry. Threat of substitute products: There is a treat of replacing Dove products by competitors’ products, but people will always need toiletries and therefore cannot easily substitute the line. They can only switch within the existing industry, but as people love Dove and their campaign there is just medium threat of its replacement with present products. 9. Alternative/Issue weight |Issues |Alternative A |Alternative B |Alternative C | |Threat of imitation 50 % |- |+ |- | |Brand consistency 30 % |~ |+ |- | |Ideals 20 % |~ |- |+ | Table 2: Alternative/Issue Weight As you can see from the alternative/issue weight table above, the threat of imitation is the most serious one. As only alternative B is to be forearmed against this risk it is the most desirable one. Also in line with brand consistency alternative B scores highest, followed by alternative A that would try to win over a new target group, but with the same values. Alternative C is the most promising one if it comes to society’s ideals. As markers want to sell hope, this alternative would fight against the society’s upcoming doubts about â€Å"average, normal† models. All in all, you can see that alternative B is due to our table the most promising one. References †¢ Hips feel good† – Dove’s campaign for real beauty, Richard Ivey School of Business, Northeastern University, College of Business Administration, Canada, 2009 ———————– [1] Adapted from â€Å"Hips feel good† – Dove’s campaign for real beauty, Richard Ivey School of Business, 2009, p. 3ff ———————– Figure 1: Unilever logo, source: http://www.greenerpackage.com/certifications/unilever_adopts_paper-sourcing_policy_meet_sustainability_goals Figure 2: Dove logo, source: http://quizbazaar.blogspot.co.at/2010/07/animal-logos-trivia-series-3.html, Figure 3: Hips feel good, source: http://greatness-with-gumption.blogspot.co.at/2010/10/beauty-in-bottle-why-dove-can-kiss-my.html Figure 4: The campaign, source: http://www.adverbox.com/ads/dove/ Figure 6: The campaign, source: http://www.adverbox.com/ads/dove/ Figure 5: The campaign, source: http://www.adverbox.com/ads/dove/