MYOB-analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MYOB-analysis - Essay Example The past three years’ accounts should be provided as a minimum, to enable a full financial assessment that reveals trading patterns and trends in the areas of liquidity, profitability, the speed of debtor and creditor payments, sales and their associated costs, as well as expenses and owner’s drawings. Information providing the reasons for the proposed expansion of the business and why a partnership approach has been chosen, rather than, say, a bank or other loan. The proposal as it stands seems to allow Chris Wren to take advantage of the increased capital base provided by a partner’s investment, without giving them any say in how the business is run or allowing them to get involved. He wants more supporting funds, and he wants to continue running the business as he has been doing for the past few years, which may not be the best way to do it. If the new partner is not to undertake any work, who will be doing the extra work that an expansion should be aiming to acquire? There are no projections for increases in sales or the associated increased cost of sales and supporting expenses. There is no business plan at all and a basic plan should be in place at the moment to provide an objective for the business to achieve. If there is no plan, then what precisely is the investment needed for? What’s in it for the potential investor, specifically? What sort of profit levels will be generated by the expanded business and what rate of return does this represent? How does this compare with other businesses in the same sector, or a basic bank savings account or perhaps a managed stock market investment plan? Why is this a good idea for the investor? Important information that cannot be provided in numbers is missing, such as the business reputation and skill and experience of staff. Non-financial information, such as firm location, supplier and customer relationships and business

Political Language Essay Example for Free

Political Language Essay Language is the life blood of politics. Political power struggles, and the legitimisation of political policies and authorities occurs primarily through discourse and verbal representations. Power can either be exercised through coercion or what US commentator Walter Lippman termed in the 1930s the manufacture of consent. Largely unable, and hopefully unwilling, to coerce; political authorities in so called democratic polities often need to manufacture consent in order to undertake their agendas. While this most obviously concerns relations between a government and its wider public, this process has profound effects on the workings inside governments and is an important aspect of socialisation into governmental work cultures. Put simply the manufacture of consent is a language based process of ideological indoctrination. While being astonishingly comprehensive, it is a remarkably subtle process. Discourse carries the very assumptions under which the things it alludes to are known and ordered in the context in which it is used. In concrete terms this means that the content of political language contains the very rationale by which it is to be framed, defined, understood and acted upon. Commonly this produces the manufacture of consent. Political language, as Michael Geis points out in The Language of Politics, conveys both the linguistic meaning of what is said and the corpus, or a part of it, of the political beliefs underpinning any given statement (p7). Whether circulating inside or outside governments this means that political discourse transmits and unconsciously reinforces the ideological foundations and the ways of knowing of the dominant political authorities. Applied to government agencies this means that the language of its official texts contains the means by which things are known and understood within these agencies. This means that official documents are shaped according to the way in which things are known and understood in the context in which they are primarily employed. What is included, excluded and how the document is structured is largely determined by these methods of knowing, understanding, and what these are ideologically deemed to encompass. None of this is to necessarily say that the contents of a document are untrue. In the case of Randolf Pauls report nothing alleged in it has been refuted. However its structure reflects the prizing of particular modes of linear rational thought, empiricism, and ideas of objectivity characteristic of the US bureaucracy. What he represented may well have been far less straightforward than how he presented it. The events Paul portrayed may well have included other significant happenings that were not included because they were either not recognised as such within the knowledge structures of the US bureaucracy, or because they may have contentiously reflected unfavourably on the ideological principles underlying the US government. On the flip side official documents can be used to identify the ideological principles of a government agency and the political authorities it represents. Where there is conflict in political discourse, there is conflict about the ideological and philosophical assumptions underlying political authority. Official texts, and their structures should be analysed to uncover the assumptions of knowledge and ideology at the foundations of the authority producing the text. According to Foucault, the most useful question in such an analysis is something along the lines of how is it that one particular statement appeared instead of another statement . Further reading : Burton, F., Carlen, P. , Official Discourse : On Discourse Analysis, Government Publications, Ideology, and the State, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1979. Fairclough, N. , Language and Power, Longman, London, 1989. Foucault, M. The Archaeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language, trans. A. M. Sheridan Smith, Pantheon Books, New York, 1972. Geis, M. , The Language of Politics, Spring Verlag, New York, 1987. HOME DOCUMENT http://teaching. arts. usyd. edu. au/history/hsty3080/3rdYr3080/Callous%20Bystanders/language. html v.

The Talented Freak Essay -- Music, Lady Gaga, Sex

The music industry has taken a wrong turn, and it affects our new generation; music videos becoming more like pornographic trailers causing men and women to objectify each other as a sex object. According to Camille Paglia (lecturer, educator, and feminist) in â€Å"Lady Gaga and The Death of Sex,† â€Å"Hollywood discovered that sex was great box office† (2). Because sex sells, it is a market technique used by record companies to sell more record. So does sex usage really empower women? In Paglia’s article, â€Å"Madonna I: Animality and Artifice,† she claims that dominatrix (used by Madonna) empowers women, and it should be praised by all female musicians (89). I agree to Paglia’s claim that sexuality sometimes empower rather than exploit women to act sluttish; however, in music, I believe the line between a woman using sexuality and promoting herself as an object is unnoticed because it changes depend on who dominate. When male musicians dominate a certain type of genre (hip-hop), many new musicians (women included) degrade women to jumpstart their career because sex sell. For instance, before Nicki Minaj gets famous, she started her career by degrading women in her mix tape, â€Å"Sucka Free,† cover picture because most people think hip-hop is only male profession, and it has little respect for women because mostly men listen to hip-hop. And so for female rappers to get the attention from those men, she has to jumpstart her career by using her sex appeal image. In addition to her degrading cover pose, that might caused young women in our society to accept it as a norm, she was criticized by many because that posture was not only inappropriate, but it was copied from Lil’ Kim. In fact, it was the same pose Lil' Kim uses on one of her older cover... ...a blame Gaga for killing sex. Personally, I think Paglia argument that blames Gaga for not being sexy did not explain enough about Gaga who know how to play piano, write music, sing great live, dance, and make fashion (Needham 2). It mostly comparison to her â€Å"long-term crush† (Needham 2) Madonna who is, as Paglia stated, â€Å"the future of feminism† (â€Å"Madonna I: Animality and Artifice† 90) now seems â€Å"marooned in the past† (Needham 2). Overall Gaga is empowering everyone respect each other and love themselves, unlike Rihanna who exploiting women to be a slave for men. I believe Rihanna not only degrading women but also exploiting kids by sing to them inappropriate song for their age. Regardless if number of musicians like Rihanna increase, I think Gaga will accomplish far more success than musicians who choose to follow rather than lead.

Make Poverty History Essay

Poverty and the related problems of unemployment, economic inequality, poor social infrastructure and inability to access basic needs and services have for long been part of the international community. In 2005, the European Union developed the slogan â€Å"make poverty history†, that was directed at uniting developed countries in formulating policies for the eradication of poverty. The policy calls for a shift of focus from massive individual industrialization to synchronized growth of wage and capital goods, from substitution for self sustained development to export led growth. The solutions to the major problems of unemployment, poverty and income inequalities for all countries lie within policies for the integration of changes in domestic production and expenditure patterns. The â€Å"make poverty history† calls for a change of attitude from the developed countries to formulate policies and establish assistance for the improvement of the economic status of the poor especially those in third world countries. The policy aims at ensuring that the real world competition fair, the mobility of labor sufficient for development purposes and the governments aware of their fiscal responsibilities to the poor within their borders. Is It Possible? Many arguments support the proposition that if all developed countries united and came under one umbrella in fight against poverty, the issues related to poverty would be eliminated in a few years. The developing countries are in need of an economic mechanism in the international world that is capable of blending the interests of economic agents with those of the state more coherently. The economic mechanism needs to recognize the prevailing growth obstacles that can be considered for economic reforms. Mawhinney (2002,p. 157)Countries that are part of an international economic order such as the international trade organization, can be thought to be a subset of the organization, with the rules and regulations implemented by the organization affecting the behavior of the nations with respect to implied international repercussions. As such the economic order consists of â€Å"explicit or implicit† principles, rules and norms around which members are expected to converge. The rules and regulations prevail on the existing practices for making and implementing policies. It follows therefore that the decisions of the umbrella body will by far have more effect on individual country policies. For this reason the â€Å"make poverty history† polices that are implemented by the economic integration bodies will have a much higher success rate and impact on individual member country policies. International trade and economic organizations have time and again prevailed upon individual governments to change their economic policies by imposing sanctions and quotas that make it difficult for the counties to trade. The economic and trade organization being one of the largest and most influential economic organization has the unique power o influence changes in the developed and developing countries. They can impose salient features and prevail upon countries to reform their economic and social policies that are enhancing and promoting the spread of poverty. There is however a growing concern among experts that questions the impact of international economic organizations such as the European Union of individual and government state policies. Although the organization may have some form of control on their members, they are not very influential when it comes to private government policies. They may therefore be unable to influence their members with economic policy changes especially if such said members are powerful within their representation in the organization. Additionally, even though the economic changes can be made by the members, economic organizations cannot influence the change by other non-member countries. This means that the impact of the policy changes will only be felt by a small percentage of the poor. The impact may in fact be so small that it does not justify the implementation of new policies. How Can It Be Achieved Improvement of the commodity market: the developing countries and low income groups are haunted by the trade policies in their countries which are characterized by duality. The main parts of such markets (e. g. in agriculture) barter forms of transactions, rather than monetary transactions take place. The â€Å"make poverty history† campaign aims at educating the government and policy makers in the states to implement policies that encourage monetary trade. The value of the products coming from these countries is often higher than the value of the products included in the barter trade. The income trickling down to the producer and his workers therefore is much smaller than would have been possible in the monetary markets. The state governments should take advantage of the quality products to demand higher prices for their individual producers and exporters. Industrialization: for more than a quarter century, the debate on industrial policy has ebbed and flowed, with it the interest and commitment of state governments. The international community has always been aware of the importance of industrialization to increase employment and per capita income of the poor. Yet even with all the evidence little has been done to improve the state of the industrial process. The focus has quickly shifted to taking advantage of the countries with not industrialization power. Industries have to be allowed the chance to develop in order for the poor countries to be able to compete effectively in the international markets. Premised on the notion of strategic trade policies, proponents of this policy argue that it is possible for governments and the international community to intervene effectively to support local and national firms. In the developing countries policies there has been an impression that industrial policy is no longer considered part of the political agenda, and that policies of privatization and deregulation have replaced them. While the latter do reflect an increased emphasis on market force, they are not key factors to the improvement of competitiveness. Therefore a change in government policies may be necessary to redefine the industrial polices and the principle tenets of the last two decades. Unemployment and income distribution: the development designs for economies have to be structured around the objectives of maximum impact on employment. In the process of implementing policies for labor absorption, its quality and productivity have also to be enhanced so that the average level of incomes is not adversely affected. Without proper training and improvement of labor production, absorption of more people to employments will only lead to adverse effects on the income distribution patterns, (Strange and Bayley 2008, P. 42). In addition, a re-distribution of originating incomes has to be achieved simultaneously with changes in the product mix which match the altered structure of demands. This implies a much larger output of basic consumer goods and essential services like education, medical care, public transport and cheaper communication. Control population growth: the full employment and higher average income cannot be realized within a reasonable time structure if the poor populations continue to grow at the present rates. Consequently it is important for governments to pursue more effective polices of family planning and population control. The most powerful aids in this policy include the spread of general education and health facilities, more working opportunities for women and higher family incomes. Nevertheless, specific measures to promote later marriages, birth control practices, and health education have to be intensified in the low income earning groups along with programmes to alter social attitudes towards family size, male progeny and women property rights. Without a change in the total matrix, the desired benefits of income distribution and poverty alleviation cannot be achieved. Income Inequality and Bridging the Gap The probability of redistributing current incomes on any scale, while at the same time having positive welfare effects in the short run, is likely to be severely limited. There may be high cost in terms of growth in the long term from potentially damaging effect on the incentives, savings and investment of the upper income group. The policies designed for income redistribution are also likely to face strong resistance from this group. There will be less resistance and hostility from the main investors in the economy if the redistribution of income does not affect their income in any way. However this then denies the logic of the income redistribution polices, (World Bank, 2008, p. 12). On the other hand investing in the human and physical assets of poverty groups is likely to have a high pay off in welfare terms as it will lead to income growth in groups that have higher welfare weights. But it may also require some sacrifice of output in the short run in so far as returns on investment in human capital take longer to develop. To this extent it may involve a short run cost to upper income groups but these groups may also benefit in the long run as the productivity and income of the poor improve. Poverty: Problem or Affluence The main issue in economic development is the discussion on whether poverty is the problem or wealth. The problem facing the economic development is the structure of the poverty scale and not the wealth. The country’s affluent contribute significantly to the national income and growth rate, while the poverty scales make it difficult for this impact to be accounted for. Personal income is spent on purchase of consumer goods and services, while a part of the same is saved. This is only possible for the wealthy who not only by their purchasing power influence the employment of others but also invest in new industries that improve the income earning of the poor. Issues to Be Considered In Poverty: Unemployment Employment generation is a major factor in curbing poverty. The employment programmes often have more impact on the poor than temporary relief during periods of scarcity. International communities have invested heavily in local industries in order to increase the employment index. By investing in local industries, the international community hopes to increase the chances for employment in the countries, (Blakely 2002, P. 57). Locally, apart from investment in industries, the government has formulated policies that encourage employment generation. The government aims at providing equal employment opportunities especially for the country’s youth by encouraging and supporting innovative self employment plans and encouraging institutional placement. Technology and Credit By making the technology available to citizens and small scale producers, experts imply that production will increase on a large scale while at the same time reducing the costs of production. The immediate impact will be higher income generation. Technology confers a superior position for small scale producers correlated by stronger willingness and capacity to bear risks. Small scale producers are transformed to large scale employers through the implementation and use of new technology measures, (organization for economic cooperation and development 2001, P. 160). To ensure that small scale producers and entrepreneurs can access the technology available to make production less costly for them, the American government has reduced the lending rate and increased its investment in the government credit programs. This means that more and more entrepreneurs can access the credit necessary to purchase new and useful technology. Assets and Skills The low income earners form a mixed group on the criteria of economic prospects and accessibility. They are less educated and therefore possess less skill to offer to the employment market. The international community has put pressure on countries with low education indexes to improve their provision of education. Additionally, implementation of adult programmes and technical colleges has seen an improvement in the human skills and as such the employment rate of the uneducated. It is a constant struggle for the American government to impose on its population the importance of education in the employment world. While in the previous years the high school dropout rate has been a major concern to education officials, it has now become the trend for high school drop outs to return to school in an attempt to acquire the high school diploma. Government policies have made the small document so glamorous and easy to achieve that more and more American citizens are being drawn by the prestige of the diploma. Welfare Programmes Welfare programmes play two different but equally important roles in removal of poverty. First, they try to provide subsidized cost or free a wide range of amenities and services which the poor would not be able o acquire for a long time given their low and slow growing incomes. The second role is that of helping the poor invest themselves to improve the attributes important for participation in economic development processes such as orientation, reception, absorption capacity and ability to take initiatives. Although internationally and locally, the welfare policies and programs have drawn a lot of attention and increased their spread to the poor populations; careful monitoring and implementation of these programmmes is a dimension calling for priority attention . The polices need to be directed and implemented only when the poor move sufficiently beyond the subsistence level to appreciate the importance and advantage of investing in themselves European Union: Competition Policy Although the pitfalls of monopoly and anti-competitive conduct have long been recognized by economists, the application of polices to curb such behavior has only been done recently. It is the uncompetitive nature of today’s markets; where the large firms are given monopoly and control of the market forces that is enhancing the poverty scale. If the small firms lack the opportunity to compete in new industries, then it means that they will either go bankrupt and the unemployment rate will continue to increase. Like in the European markets it is necessary for the government to encourage competition by providing incentives for smaller firms wishing to enter monopolized industries and formulating integrated markets, (Pinder and Usherwood 2007, p. 67). The articles in the European Union agreement discourage and often penalize the action of firms and governments that may discourage competition and influence the market structure. This means that large and influential firms and governments are not allowed to impose unfairly high or low prices, limit production or apply specific conditions that are not related to transition of goods. Governments and firms are permitted to seek aid to improve their competitive nature and promote their contribution to the economic development. Conclusion Make poverty history proposal envisages fundamental changes in the role of governments and economic bodies in development. The shift to be considered is towards the sustainable development of the community. The make poverty history campaign has taken root in a number of countries that have committed themselves to implementing economic and social policies that will improve the lives of the low income earners. The United States is among the active players in the campaign to end poverty. Not only has the country taken part in policy changes but it has also increased its budget that is aimed at providing economic assistance to countries struggling with poverty. The success of the â€Å"make poverty history† campaign has relied heavily on the economic sanctions implemented by major trade organizations and major players in international markets. Because of its ability to draw the support of major developed countries and international organizations, together with the campaigns’ global capacity, the â€Å"make poverty history† campaign is likely to be the most successful poverty eradication program to date. References 1. Blakely. E. J. 2002. Planning Local Development, Third Edition. London. Sage Publications 2. Mawhinney. M. 2002. Sustainable Development: Understanding the Green Debates. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing 3. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 2001. Sustainable Development: Critical Issues. Washington. OECD Publishing. 4. Pinder. J and Usherwood. S. 2007. The European Union: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford. Oxford University Press 5. Strange. T and Bayley. A. 2008. Sustainable Development: Linking Economy, Society, Environment. Washington. OECD Publishing 6. World Bank 2008. World Development Indicators 2008, Volume 2008. Washington. World Bank Publications

Man-made environment issue- Eutrophication Essay

Eutrophication is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances to an aquatic system. (Schindler, David and Vallentyne, John R. 2004)Most people don’ t really know about it, so I’m writing this essay to tell some facts about two major causes, the bad effect in my country – China and the prevention and reversal and how can the algae be used to make more benefit to the world and people who live on it. The two major causes of eutrophication are excess nitrates and excess phosphates in water. (e-How Jul 05, 2012)Many farmers use fertilizers to make their plants grow better, but one of the most frequently-used fertilizers is the fertilizer which contain nitrates and phosphates. Once fertilizer is applied, the nitrates, which are water soluble, will leach into groundwater or erode and end up in surface runoff. Phosphates will adhere to soil articles, and often accumulate in soil and erode, along with soil, into aquatic environments. ( Smith, V. H. ; Tilman, G. D. ; Nekola, J. C. 1999. ) Meanwhile, nitrates can also vaporize into the atmosphere, where they become a major source of acid rain. When the raindrops drop into lakes or rivers and streams, there are nitrates that come into water and cause the eutrophication. The bad effect of eutrophication in China is really serious. One of the most famous ones is the Tai River blue-green algae in 2007. Because of the eruption of blue-green algae, the water can’t be used at all. It smells like something is becoming putrid. Also some algal blooms are toxic to plants and animals. It has affected the citizen’s lives; they can just drink and use the water which was brought in shops. The urgent demand of the water has caused the price of the water to became more and more expensive. (Face to the Tai River blue-green algae 2007) It has not only brought people a lot of inconvenience but it also causes ecological consequences. â€Å"The general types of ecological consequences include: reduction in biodiversity, die-off of certain organisms, reduction in visibility and mobility functions due to biotic overgrowth. † (Eutrophication December 18, 2007) Because it causes a lot of biont to die, it breaks the balance of the natural world. Once the balance is broke, it’ll take a lot of time and plenty of human interference to fix it. In addition, it also affects the pocketbook of fishermen. There was less fish so fishermen could not catch many fish. (Face to the Tai River blue-green algae 2007) Even though eutrophication is just like an evil, there are still some ways to make it better. First of all, people can solve it by using biont that can remove or eat the nitrates or algae. â€Å"One proposed solution to eutrophication in estuaries is to restore shellfish populations, such as oysters. Oyster reefs remove nitrogen from the water column and filter out suspended solids, subsequently reducing the likelihood or extent of harmful algal blooms or anoxic conditions. †(Kroeger, Timm, 2012) And some plants, such as water hyacinth, Alternanthera sessilis, Zizania aquatica and plants like them are also helpful. ( No data,2008). The second one is a future work: minimizing nonpoint pollution. People can make riparian buffer zones which are interfaces between a flowing body of water and land. Creating riparian buffer zones nearby farms and roads is an efficient way to manage the eutrophication problem goes further. ( Angold P. G. 1997) At the mean time, government can manage this problem by promulgating policy. The policy can be broken into four major sectors: technologies, public participation, economic instruments, and cooperation. Technologies include all kinds of technologies that can prevent the eutrophication or can make it within a region. (Oglesby, R. T. and Edmondson, W. T. 1966. ) For example, the treatment of sewage is one of them. Public participation is used to make sure people do something to help reverse the eutrophication so that the policy will be effective. The economic instruments are used to give incentives to those who are eco-friendly. (â€Å"Planning and Management of Lakes and Reservoirs: An Integrated Approach to Eutrophication. † 2000) The cooperation between different organizations is really necessary to prevent it spreading further. Lastly, sponsoring people to use algae is also a good idea. China is a good example. The supply of crabs in China is always less than demand because Chinese love eating crabs. But the same crabs in Germany were so much that cause a lot of problems. The reason is Chinese eat them but German don’t eat them. This means Chinese know how to use them, but Germans don’t. However, how to use eutrophication? I’ll talk about it in next paragraph. Although there are lots of bad effects of eutrophication, it is also possible to use the algae. First, they are used as fertilizers, soil conditioners and are a source of livestock feed. People can also eat them. â€Å"It is a complete protein with essential amino acids and it contains high amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates which provide the body with a source of additional fuel. † (Uses of Algae as Energy source, Fertilizer, 2013) From this we can see, the algae not only can be eaten but it also has a high level of nutrition. They are good for humans, animals and land. As they are crude, it won’t hurt the environment and they don’t use a lot of energy. As a result, the eutrophication also has a good aspect. To conclude, although there are a lot of causes of eutrophication, there are still ways to solve the problem. By these solutions, people can be successes in managing the eutrophication and even use it as a kind of resource. This can be helpful to the short of resources and the environment. At last, I hope after reading my essay, you can learn more about eutrophication! Reference list Angold P. G. (1997). â€Å"The Impact of a Road Upon Adjacent Heathland Vegetation: Effects on Plant Species Composition†. The Journal of Applied Ecology 34 (2): 409–417. Doi:10. 2307/2404886. JSTOR 2404886. [Accessed 13 April 2013] eHOW, (2012) Causes & Effect of Eutrophication [online] Available at: http://www. ehow. com/info_8387377_causes-effects-eutrophication. html [Accessed 13 April 2013] Face to the Tai River blue-green algae (2007) [online] Available at: http://news. sina. com. cn/c/2007-06-11/172513203878. shtml [Accessed 13 April 2013] How to manage eutrophication (2007) [online] Available at: http://www. goootech. com/solutions/detail/73015891. html [Accessed 13 April 2013] Schindler, David and Vallentyne, John R. (2004) Over fertilization of the World’s Freshwaters and Estuaries, University of Alberta Press, p. 1 [Accessed 13 April 2013] Uses of Algae as Energy source, Fertilizer, Food and Pollution control (2013) [online] Available at: http://www. oilgae. com/algae/use/use. html [Accessed 13 April 2013]

Examination of the Organizational structure and logistics service innovation of Hewlett Packard The WritePass Journal

Examination of the Organizational structure and logistics service innovation of Hewlett Packard Examination of the Organizational structure and logistics service innovation of Hewlett Packard IntroductionBackground Case AnalysisWe put here graphConclusion: Related Introduction HP is one of the most famous and well known names in the whole world of IT world. It has branches in more than hundred and seventy countries in the whole world. HP does its best to find out the best ways and solutions to introduce technology and services that is applicable to help people and companies to deal with the problems and challenges they faces in the modern daily life, HP group tries to manage   possibilities, aspirations and dreams of its customers around the world. Hp company has the concept of applying what is new in thoughts and ideas, dealing with the technology that is enriched in experience and worthy ideas. So we will discus in this report about the big main problem that Hp company faced with its organizational structure, communication, customers services and satisfaction. And without these four factors the company might never success because they are the most important things the company must consider it. Background HP stands for Hewlett-Packard who are the founders of the company. When they established the company in 1939, their initial capital investment was US$538. Its an American company which producing electronic products such as laptops, printers, smart phones, scanners, monitors, electronic, accessories, photo printing service and †¦etc. From 1940s until 1990s the company started focusing on producing electronic test equipment. As the business grew and became wider in HP, they hired more product designators and they started using more accessories, supplies, software, and components. From 1999 until 2005 Carly Fiorina worked as chief executive officer of HP. She is an American businesswoman who was one of the republican nominee for the united states senate. Under her responsibility In 2002, the company united with the its competitor   computer company Compaq. Carly did many problems for HP, one of the worst problems is interrelated to organizational structure. She made 11 layers. For example, an owner of virgin store want to purchase printers from HP, he couldnt contact with the one who is responsible for this transaction , because there were many managerial levels so customers cant reach the specific demanded employee, they have to go through many steps and appointments. It takes a very long time to get their requirements and demand. So they end up disappointed and not satisfied. On the other hand, the company loss their customers which leads losing profit. For this confusing customers and shareholders which was held by carly, the company end up exposed to shu tdown . After that in 2005, she demitted as chief executive officer and chairman of HP. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carly_Fiorina Mark hurd became in replacement of Fiorina   and took the lead after she stepped down . He became the new chief executive officer and chairman of Hp from February 10, 2005 untill March 28, 2005. Robert P. Wayman was the chief financial officer and executive vice president of the Hewlett-Packard Company. He became interim chief executive officer for several months before hurd came and took the position. Hurd was assigned as the permanent chief executive officer and also appointed as the President. Somark fixed what has been damaged by carly. He tried to remove matrices at every turn, and minimize the levels of management. He did his best in turning hp IT main   interior belt up and on strengthening and modifying the real estate achievement   and performance over the   years that followed his being in the position. Also, Mark gave great intention to technology, and to set up a powerful ties and improved productions to afford to the customers around the globe. These great effort s were crowned with a massive increase in the income and enlarging of the company and raised the price stock of shareholders and dealers, and a minimized the amounts needed for the structure to help HP to have   a strong ability to face the market that has other competitors as in the international IT market. As a result and under his leadership, the company developed and became the top of   the sale of desktop computers in 2007, and   in 2006   laptop computers. Since 2008, HP developed   the market share in inkjet and laser printers to 46% and 50.5%, greatly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_hurd Case Analysis This case relates to many issues, the case shows that HP had a very long and a bad organizational structure which lead to had no communication inside the organization and between employees. And if any organization have problems in communication inside the organization it self and between employees then employees will not be able to communicate with customers to know the desires, demands and the suggestions of the customers. For this reason, employees will not be able to serve the customers. As a result, the customers will not be satisfied and the organization will lose customers and profit as well. The main issue and the most important issue in this case appear in the organizational structure.   It starts from the organizational structure, it can make the organization rises or falls by making the environment in the organization easy in communication and cooperation or hard. When managers or people want to start business or work they do planning after they done with the planning, they need to begin to work on the plan and the first step to apply the plan is by designing an organizational structure. The objectives and strategy of the organization that you want to achieve them, determine the design of an organizational structure. According to design an organizational structure, we should first know what is organizational structure ?. We can define organizational structure in one important word which is â€Å"the framework† and that’s mean to divide the jobs and duties in the organization in a way that help the organization communicate inside and outside the organization. An organizational structure determines the authority, responsibility, coordinating, overseeing the work and controlling. The creation and the design of organizational structure shows how information flows between the managerial levels which as a result affect on the work flow and productivity.   Refrences; Role sets and organization structure Carly fiorina made a very long structure . When managers create, design and change the structure , they should consider these six points which are the key elements of an organizational design. The six key elements are; work specialization, departmentalization, span of control, chain of command, centralization and decentralization, and formalization.   I feel that we have to add the definition of each one because when I read it I felt it missing we didn’t explain all these points clearly and we didn’t talk about chain of command so just read it again and let me now. logistics service shows if the organization have a strong and a good structure or not . because it helps in building the relationships with customers, switching costs and making the work performance and the market activities more efficient and effective.     Refrence ; Organizational structure and logistics service innovation We will point here how the relationship between organizational structure and   logistics service innovation capability and market performance will affect on the organization. Changes in the organization strategy will cause changes in the organizational structure for example, having a shop in dubai city will be different from having shops in all united of arab emirates and that’s will affect on the size of the organization and the technology which used in the organization. The more the size of the organization is bigger the more the technology is needed and the technology becoming more complicated. Based on that the work environment in the organization will become stable or not . A successful strategies is based on the objectives, skills and capabilities of the organization, all this will determine the structure. Therefore, managers should consider that structures not a way to show the implementation of the work as carly did , instead they should consider the structure as the basic element of strategy formulation and as the basic resource that help the organization to improve and develop their performance and activities properly.  Ã‚   Refrence ; Organizational structure and logistics service innovation If the organization have all the skills , strategies,   capabilities and resources that are valuable , it will attain and achieve a lot of advantages even a competitive ones. This achievement and attainment of these advantages will make the organization improved and developed their short-term and long-term performance.  Ã‚   Refrence ; Organizational structure and logistics service innovation Carly did a lot of issues in HP. She made a high specialization, a high departmentalization and high formalization which prevent people to be creative and innovative. Also, the span of control was narrow which made many managerial levels. she thought that making many levels in the structure would make a lot of jobs opportunity but it turned out that people lost their jobs because many levels made no communication and made a bad work performance and the right information did not get to the right person through all this levels so people couldn’t achieve their jobs so they lost it.   She did Centralization in the organization because she gave the authority for top managers to make decisions and she did not make innovation and risk taking by letting low managers make decisions. This led to poor work performance and a slow of work flow   because when a non-managerial employee need to have an approval about a task they should wait for a top manager to approve and take the decisi on and that will take a long time especially if there are many levels . so the task will move from a person to another until the top manager see it and approve, that would take a very long time and will not help any urgent cases by urgent customers. So centralization reduce discussion , sharing information and exchanging   new ideas.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Refrence ; Organizational structure and logistics service innovation Therefore, the customer service will be bad and as a result the customer will not be satisfied at the end. So what carly should understand that The organizational structure should be created   based on HP company strategies , objectives, goals , skills and etc ,that HP may wish to achieve them. The organizational structure is can be defined in one word â€Å"frame work† so it is   coordinating and overseeing the work by dividing the work into smaller tasks But not many levels which make it hard for the organization to communicate and to cooperate and that’s a bad work environment .   Ã‚   Refrence ; Organizational structure and logistics service innovation What carly did led to no communication internally inside the organization it self between employees and that’s led to no cooperation between departments and employees . therefore, this bad environment work led to poor performance because the information flows between levels of management was slow and the flow of the work was slow too. so there were no or less productivity and then no or less profit. On the other hand , there is no communication externally too. No communication between the organization at the first place led to no communication between organization or employees and customers and that’s led to no cooperation between organization and customers, corporate customer and stakeholders. So the organization will not be able to serve the customer and the customer will not be satisfied . as a result the company or the organization will lose customers and profit as well and that’s   will make the company collapse and that’s what carly did with HP. We put here graph One of the most important point that organizational structure is affecting on the organization members and their behaviors. As long as the structure is simple and organic, people will have a high attainment and will work efficiently and effectively with a high motivation.   Ã‚   Refrence ; Organizational structure and logistics service innovation If these 6 points that weve discussed are high in the organization then the organizational structure is called â€Å"mechanistic† and that’s what carly did with HP . but if these 6 points are low , then the organizational structure is called â€Å"organic † and that’s what mark hurd did to solve the problems in HP. He changed the structure and its properties from â€Å"mechanistic† to   â€Å"organic † Check high \ low Mark Hurd turned out everything upside down, when he transformed the structure to organic , he canceled   3 layers of the organizational structure it minimized from 11 to 8 layers. As a result of minimizing the levels the span of control became wider , also there were more decentralization in the organization which help to save time , costs and it helps to exchange information, discussion and increase the level of communication internally and externally. and that’s led to what it called Cross functional team which means the departments employees working all together as a team. in addition, Mark Hurd reduced the formalization in HP company . for example, there were an employee didn’t attend the meeting on time , he has an excuse but the manager didn’t accept it , although the employee is a hard worker. The manager is strict and he acted so formal and he wasn’t flexible with employees   that will effect employees creativity and they will not be motivate d. That’s mean the manager got a high level of formalization . instead of that the manager should be in between not too high formalized and not too low because it will led to have flexibility and communication between managers and employees. If we have the same example but the manager was so low formalized hell be easy to go , no one will take him seriously. When the formalization has decreased the   relationship between managers and employees became more flexible and this has made the communication high and it broke the ice between them and it help them to produce more and come up with more new ideas and that called cross hierarchical teams† +refrences in case analysis and background+ search a web for   Plagerism + add charts they r 3 + table of content + editing + fix the information 3n al cross hierarchical teams +   6 points + high \ low 6 points Questions related to the case: How did Mark Hurd decide to address his company’s structural problem? How do you think the company’s costumers responded to these changes? Hurd to terminated and sent away inefficient layers of sales management. He represents one top manger that customers can contact and be in contact with. Top sales representatives started to made better decision with his team due this low waste of time. We believe that Hurd makes a great and a good change in the company; he makes the dealers pleased by solving Hp problems. He solves the customers contacting problem. He also answered the sales people problem so they can have more time with their dealers. How do you think the company customers response these changes? After the company started new structural and eliminated all the problems, they paid big attention for the customers. Customers no longer feel the time consuming. These new strategy made customers very pleased and they help the company to become at the top of leading in computer market again. As every company knows customer are the king. Customers are why organizations became. Conclusion: What we learn from this case is ..   We therefore conclude that each company should find out the good and the best CEO depending in their educational rate and their ability to hold this challenging job. Good CEO leads to customer’s satisfaction. Good CEO takes part in the problems with staff and employees so they realize that he is helpful for every situation company needs. Good CEO creates good feelings of enthusiasm among people one hand cant clap without the other, without ambience, ambition cannot success â€Å". Here at Hp Hurd tried so hard to create the ambition. He made them trust and confide in themselves because he realized that potential is always higher than where we actually are.

Napalm and Agent Orange in the Vietnam War

Napalm and Agent Orange in the Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, the United States military used chemical agents in its fight against Ho Chi Minhs Army of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. The most important of those chemical weapons were the incendiary napalm and the defoliant Agent Orange. Napalm Napalm is a gel, which in its original form contained naphthenic and palmitic acid plus petroleum as fuel.  The modern version, Napalm B, contains plastic polystyrene, hydrocarbon benzene, and gasoline. It burns at temperatures of 800-1,200 degrees C (1,500-2,200 degrees F). When napalm falls on people, the gel sticks to their skin, hair, and clothing, causing unimaginable pain, severe burns, unconsciousness, asphyxiation, and often death. Even those who do not get hit directly with napalm can die from its effects since it burns at such high temperatures that it can create firestorms that use up much of the oxygen in the air. Bystanders also can suffer heatstroke, smoke exposure, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The US first used napalm during World War II in both the European and Pacific theaters, and also deployed it during the Korean War. However, those instances are dwarfed by American use of napalm in the Vietnam War, where the US dropped almost 400,000 tons of napalm bombs in the decade between 1963 and 1973. Of the Vietnamese people who were on the receiving end, 60% suffered fifth-degree burns, meaning that the burn went down to the bone. Horrifying as napalm is, its effects at least are time-limited. That is not the case with the other major chemical weapon the US used against Vietnam   Agent Orange. Agent Orange Agent Orange is a liquid mixture containing the 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T herbicides. The compound is toxic for only about a week before it breaks down, but unfortunately, one of its daughter products is the persistent toxin dioxin. Dioxin lingers in soil, water, and human bodies. During the Vietnam War, the US sprayed Agent Orange on the jungles and fields of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The Americans sought to defoliate the trees and bushes, so that enemy soldiers would be exposed.  They also wanted to kill off the agricultural crops that fed the Viet Cong (as well as local civilians). The US spread 43 million liters (11.4 million gallons) of Agent Orange on Vietnam, covering 24 percent of South Vietnam with the poison. Over 3,000 villages were in the spray zone. In those areas, dioxin leached into peoples bodies, their food, and worst of all, the groundwater.  In an underground aquifer, the toxin can remain stable for at least 100 years. As a result, even decades later, the dioxin continues to cause health problems and birth defects for Vietnamese people in the sprayed area. The Vietnamese government  estimates that about 400,000 people have died from Agent Orange poisoning, and about half a million children have been born with birth defects. US and allied veterans who were exposed during the period of heaviest usage and their children may have elevated rates of various cancers, including soft tissue sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, and lymphocytic leukemia. Victims groups from Vietnam, Korea, and other places where napalm and Agent Orange were used have sued the primary manufacturers of these chemical weapons, Monsanto and Dow Chemical, on several occasions. In 2006, the companies were ordered to pay US$63 million in damages to South Korean veterans who fought in Vietnam.

Become a Paid Expert by Writing Op-Eds

Become a Paid Expert Have you ever watched a story on the news and thought to yourself, I wish theyd asked me about that. I could have really told them a thing or two? Most of us are experts on something, and if were writers, most of us end up writing about what we know. We can create a positive feedback loop For instance, I was the first person to write a  book about the Upstairs Lounge fire, a terrible arson which killed 32 people at a gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Gay Pride Day in 1973. Each year, on the anniversary of the fire, newspapers and websites are interested in covering the tragedy. As an expert, I am often approached Likewise, a news story recently began making the rounds about a twelve-year-old girl who spoke in a Mormon church and revealed she was a lesbian, the bishop cutting off her microphone in the middle of her talk. As most of my fiction deals with gay Mormons, I was again an expert who had something meaningful to say on the incident. I submitted an op-ed to a newspaper in a heavily Mormon area, and my views on the importance of LGBTQ literature as a means of understanding our LGBTQ family, friends, and neighbors was published. Do you have a personal, compelling story about our broken healthcare system and why we need single-payer or some more conservative reform? Do you have a story about domestic violence? Our education system? Immigration? Has your home suffered damage in a fracking-related earthquake? Do you have a personal story involving gun violence that allows you to speak either for or against gun regulation? You do not need a PhD in order to be an expert on at least a tiny part of a major subject that newspapers want to hear about. Only a handful of newspapers pay for op-eds (Newsday, The New York Times, Boston Globe, and The Washington Post are a few), so you wont make a great deal of money writing and selling these pieces. But most papers who do publish your editorial or commentary will ask if you want to put the piece on the wire, meaning other newspapers across the country can pick it up and print it as well. You will get no additional income from this, but it does get you more exposure. Thats a bad word in the publishing industry because it basically means writing for free, but if you do your research and only write for those papers which will in fact pay you for first publication rights, then you get the money and the exposure. Publishing op-eds builds your reputation as an expert on the subjects important to you, and they build your resumà © as well. You will have a more impressive list of publications to add to your author

Argumentive Research Paper on why and how cellphones negatively affect Annotated Bibliography

Argumentive Research Paper on why and how cellphones negatively affect teenagers - Annotated Bibliography Example The teenagers use cell phones in school, at home, during dates, at meetings, and other social gatherings. The writer affirms that the visually impaired teenager should reduce the use of cell phones to allowable levels. If possible, the visually impaired teenagers should use the cell phones during emergencies. Another article shows that detrimental effects of teenagers using cell phones (Strayer 128). A research conducted on teenagers driving cars proved the use of cell phones is dangerous. With the teenagers focused on driving their cars through the busy streets, the teenager is caught between answering the cell phone while driving and trying to prevent a car accident. With the teenagers’ attention divided, the there is a higher probability that the teenager will meet an accident. The teenager who is busy answering the cell phone may not spot a pedestrian hurriedly crossing the road. When this happens, there is a bigger probability that the teenager may not be able to see the running pedestrian on time. The research shows that cell phone talking while driving will increase the probability of accidents. The article is current as most teenagers today use cell phones. Likewise, the author is an authority on teenager research. The article is very relevant to today’s teenagers. With the advent of information technology, teenagers are often distracted from focusing on the day’s priorities because they have to answer their cell phones. The writer believes that the author is correct. With cell phone conversation, the teenagers’ attention to the current activities is reduced to dangerous and unhealthy levels. Another article states that teenagers must use cell phones in order to achieve their goals or targets on time. The teenagers use the cell phones to contact their classmates. The cell phones are used to gather the latest information on certain classroom assignments. The teenagers use the cell phones to answer

People Need to Be Supportive of Arts, Movies, And Television Shows For Research Paper

People Need to Be Supportive of Arts, Movies, And Television Shows For the Innovations of Tomorrow - Research Paper Example They are responsible for making guidelines for the social structure of the society since it does not only represent the ideas of people in a society but it also directs their behavior and choices on a routine basis. This indicates that people need to be supportive in regard of art, movies and television shows since their innovative and prosperous future is dependent upon these factors of social structure (Hugh Honour). Background Human society is not just a mere combination of individuals sharing common ideas, rather it presents a complete social structure based on beliefs, customs, traditions, moral values, rituals, history, science and myths. All these components of social structure basically contribute to the development of art which is then defined as the key describing factor of any society, region or civilization. Since ancient times art has been given great importance as it has been a fundamental source of bringing change and innovations in a society which then leads to an opt imum prosperity. Therefore even today art, movies and television shows are closely associated with the innovations for future (Hugh Honour). The movies and television shows are actually the extended and much innovated version of customary art and traditions. With the advent of latest technology art has also advanced and increased its horizon which has led to the development of stage performances and then finally to movies and television shows. These drastic and significant changes in the society indicate that art is a prime source of innovation for future. However, there are individuals who actually give the credit of innovations to the scientific advancement rather than art. This is mainly because they consider... This report makes a conclusion that Rrearch and analysis of the whole topic suggest that it is the prime need of people living in the current era to support and encourage art, movies and television shows in order to get innovations for future and frequent social, technological and economic development. Life without these important components of modern social structure would be free from challenges and innovations subsequently leading to delayed progress and ultimately resulting in poor living standards. The prime focus of this position paper is to convince people regarding the need of art, movies and television shows in order to gain innovation for future. People who believe that they do not require extending any support to the art, movies and television shows think that the major contributors of innovations are scientific knowledge and technology whereas art represents itself just as a platform of entertainment. Therefore they do not feel that there is any need to supporting this idea. While on the other hand, individuals who actively participate in supporting art, movies and television shows believe that they act as the most essential components of social structure which actually drives the human motives and directs their behavior. In addition to this art and media as a whole play a substantial part in the success or failure of business strategies which are directly linked with the economic growth and development. For instance, in the past centuries when movies and television show s were not present, then people were completely unaware of their surroundings due to which there were no rapid advancements.

Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Television - Essay Example Williams looks at television in a broad sense, looking at the social history of television as a technology and the social history of the uses of television technology, as well as looking at cause and effect of technology and society. Spigel looks at television by examining how it affected domestic life in the 1950s, while also reflecting this domestic life. Adorno looked at television by how it affected the psyche and the personality. Williams (3) begins his essay by looking at looking at the general statement that television has altered our world. He argues that technology, in general, has profound social change, and television is a kind of technology that promotes this type of change. The technologies which had come along by Williams’ time, including the steam engine, the car, the atom bomb, and the television, are responsible for making modern man and making television. Or, alternatively, instead of looking at technology as changing and making the modern man, the technology is actually the consequence of a certain societal change. In this case, the new technology is a symptom of social change, not the cause of it. He also states that television, like most technology, sprung up as the result of a specific need that was expressed by society (Williams, 12). That was that technology was necessary because there was a need to spread the word of mouth communication, which is the dominant mode of getting a message out to the masses. There was an extension of the social, economic and political system, and television was a response to the crisis within this system. There came a time where there was a great complex group of technologies which were needed for society, including photography for community, family and personal life; the motion picture for entertainment; and the telephone for business communication (Williams, 12). The television, then, was the result of these needs coalescing, as the television essentially brings all of these technologies together. T herefore, the television, according to Williams (13), is a way for there to be social integration and control. While Williams viewed television in terms of how it was used, and why it was invented, Spigel (337) took a different tact. For her, television was not simply a matter of technology that is responding to different social needs, but television has also played a complex role in the individual households and individual lives that view it. Specifically, television was a representation of the gendered patterns of work and leisure in the average American home (Spigel, 337). Spigel examined advertisements that ran in women’s magazines to determine how television was integrated into the family life, particularly in the life of the woman. These advertisements provided a clue to how television was made sense of by the people and how television related to their lives. For a time, television was a way to restore the faith in the family. During the 1950s, Spigel (340) explains, th ere was much fracture in families, as the war had just ended, which left many broken homes. On television, however, there were portraits of happy and domestic people living lives that were not so fractured, so this was a way of restoring faith in the family. Moreover, women were affirmed through television, as television showed them that they were important. They often felt devalued, because their work was not seen as important in the overall scheme of things, but television helped them see that

Master Dissertation Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Master Dissertation Proposal - Essay Example (Jablonski, 1991) This dissertation proposal is about implementation of a TQM structure through information technology. The industry I have decided to choose for this particular proposal is customer service centers/call centers. Call centers are part of the business where workers answer queries of customer regarding products, services, customer service, etc. nowadays these call centers are outsourced to different organizations and in many cases they are located in different countries to save organization costs. (Bateman et al., 1999) Developed countries have seen rise of call centers outsourcing to other organizations and other countries in the past decade. However there are still loads of issues that the call centers need to overcome in terms of quality of service. (Batt and Moynihan, 2002) A lot of research has been carried out on implementation of TQM in the service industry, however little emphasis has been on use of IT in implementation of TQM. Research has confirmed that implementation of TQM and effective use of IT is far from execution in the service delivery sector. (Yasin et al., 2004) The aim of this research is to identify quality issues in call centers delivery of service and also to recommend a total quality management structure though information technology. The call centers are run and they deliver services which are very much based on IT. However little has been done to bring improvements in the structure. (Au and Choi, 1999) The IT structure is scattered and knowledge sharing is an issue in the industry. (Davenport, 1993) The above mentioned problems come from general perception and experience that customers have from call centers. The aim of this research is two sided; it will focus on both customers and staff of call centers to identify the real problems. The objective is to come up with problems that exist on both sides and then suggest a total quality

New Public Management in the Governance and Management of the NHS Case Study

New Public Management in the Governance and Management of the NHS - Case Study Example The UK is widely viewed as a lead reformer of New Public Management, with evidence of a rapid and radical reform programme introduced across the public sector in the 1980s and 1990s. It is undeniable that the UK has had a leading role in the development of NPM. McLaughlin and Osborne (2002) even suggest that there is an argument to claim that the UK was the birthplace of NPM. The adversarial style of its implementation is also a key feature of the UK model (Clark 2000) and this is linked to the political ideology of the Conservative Government, led by Margaret Thatcher, and the constitutional framework that dictates the pace of change. The UK had been viewed as managerially inept (Kingdom 2000: 34) before NPM. In the UK in the 1980s it is easy to regard NPM as a direct result of Thatcherism. There is a strong argument that the success in embedding NPM in the UK can be attached to the drive from the center, and significantly the Prime Minister. However it is still developing, following the change in government in 1997. What seems to have occurred is that the emphasis of the debate was driven initially by ideology but overtaken with debate about improving the management of the public sector, regardless of ideology. The election of the New Labour Government in 1997 could have been expected to have impacted upon the direction of the NPM movement in the UK. However many of the pre-existing agendas have continued and in some cases accelerated, for example, the move to more private finance of services in the public sector. The election of the New Labour Government in 1997 did not reverse the reform programme, although it did refocus around their policies of the modernization agenda (Bovaird and Loffler 2003). Hood (1991) (Hughes 2003: 4) coined the term New Public Management (NPM). The key concepts of NPM emerged as a challenge to traditional public administration in the 1980s In the 1980s there were serious economic difficulties that affected the western capitalized states, resulting in enormous pressures on government spending and this spurred debate on the review of public sector spending across the countries in a move to reduce the spiraling costs.     

John McCain's Proposal for Health Care Reform Essay

John McCain's Proposal for Health Care Reform - Essay Example McCain believes in allowing every American to keep their health insurance as they move from job to job or job to home. McCain believes in strengthening health care quality by promoting research and development of new treatment models, improving technology and providing best information for Americans. (www.johnmccain.com). John McCain's health reform proposal is an attempt to address the inefficiencies. The McCain proposal consists of three components. The first component is that the current implicit tax subsidy provided for employer-based coverage would be eliminated. For a worker receiving health coverage through his/her employer, the premium would be treated as part of the worker's "income" and taxed under the personal income tax. In place of this subsidy, consumers would receive a refundable tax credit if they obtain health insurance. The size of the credit would be $5000 for persons purchasing family coverage, and $2500 for persons purchasing individual coverage. This first component will make health care affordable and accessible for all since they receive a substantial refundable tax credit. The second component is that the non-group market for health... "community rating" laws). States also vary in whether they mandate coverage for different types of medical expenses. This second component will allow Americans to choose the most affordable and the most efficient health coverage plan from health care providers from other states. This plan will push health coverage rates down as the suppliers of health coverage plans compete for new consumers across state lines. This plan also pushes health companies to offer a wider range of health services for the same costs in order to retain their old customers and attract new ones. The third component is that the federal government would provide funding for states to each administer in the form of a Guaranteed Access Plan. This plan puts a premium on accessibility for all Americans and their families in all of the states.This plan will also make insurance more affordable as it would expand competition and "put families in charge of their health care dollars which will lead to expansions of health savings accounts and other high-deductible plans. References: Collins, S. R., & Kriss, J. L. (2008). Envisioning the future: The 2008 presidential candidates' health reform proposals (The Commonwealth Fund Publication No. 1092). Retrieved February 23, 2008, from http://www. commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htmdoc_id=647708 Ginsburg, P. B. (2008). PERSPECTIVE: Don't break out the champagne: Continued slowing of health care spending growth unlikely to last. Health Affairs, 27(1), 30-32. John McCain website. Available at

New Public Management in the Governance and Management of the NHS Case Study

New Public Management in the Governance and Management of the NHS - Case Study Example The UK is widely viewed as a lead reformer of New Public Management, with evidence of a rapid and radical reform programme introduced across the public sector in the 1980s and 1990s. It is undeniable that the UK has had a leading role in the development of NPM. McLaughlin and Osborne (2002) even suggest that there is an argument to claim that the UK was the birthplace of NPM. The adversarial style of its implementation is also a key feature of the UK model (Clark 2000) and this is linked to the political ideology of the Conservative Government, led by Margaret Thatcher, and the constitutional framework that dictates the pace of change. The UK had been viewed as managerially inept (Kingdom 2000: 34) before NPM. In the UK in the 1980s it is easy to regard NPM as a direct result of Thatcherism. There is a strong argument that the success in embedding NPM in the UK can be attached to the drive from the center, and significantly the Prime Minister. However it is still developing, following the change in government in 1997. What seems to have occurred is that the emphasis of the debate was driven initially by ideology but overtaken with debate about improving the management of the public sector, regardless of ideology. The election of the New Labour Government in 1997 could have been expected to have impacted upon the direction of the NPM movement in the UK. However many of the pre-existing agendas have continued and in some cases accelerated, for example, the move to more private finance of services in the public sector. The election of the New Labour Government in 1997 did not reverse the reform programme, although it did refocus around their policies of the modernization agenda (Bovaird and Loffler 2003). Hood (1991) (Hughes 2003: 4) coined the term New Public Management (NPM). The key concepts of NPM emerged as a challenge to traditional public administration in the 1980s In the 1980s there were serious economic difficulties that affected the western capitalized states, resulting in enormous pressures on government spending and this spurred debate on the review of public sector spending across the countries in a move to reduce the spiraling costs.     

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Economics - Essay Example In the mid-1960s, the international economy was prone to step away from protectionism and support more economical liberalisation; meanwhile during the next decade, quite an opposite tendency took place and various countries started to shut off from one another with the help of tariff and especially non-tariff barriers in order to secure their own inner market from foreign competition. Today’s conditions of tough competition stimulate governmental representatives to take the question of the state’s foreign-economic activity and its forms more seriously, making the right choice between two different policies that are able to exert influence on every area of government’s life. Advantages of Free International Trade The liberalisation of international economic relationships necessitates the transition to open economy having an antimonopoly character. As a rule, a lot of states are interested simultaneously in both liberalisation and protectionism. The theoretic justi fication of free trade policy, which is considered to be profitable for all states and nations, was formed by Adam Smith, Davis Ricardo, Francois Quesnay and others (Dunkley 2004). The movement of free trade proponents was founded in the last quarter of the 18th century in England, and it was connected with the industrial revolution. The position of English free traders was directed against agrarian duties, which supported high prices for farm commodities in the interest of large landowners (Schumacher 2012). In this respect, under the influence of customs reform, the free trade policy completely won in Great Britain in the mid-19th century and later on, the tendency and idea of free markets spread in France, Germany and Russia (Irwin 2009). In the 20th century, the principles of liberalisation were put into practice based on the performance of international organisations and regional economic unions. The policy of free trade supposes minimal governmental interference in foreign tra de, which develops on a basis of free market forces of demand and supply. The main methods of free trade are dumping, which means sales of products at artificially decreased prices, and non-tariff ways of regulation, which include reviewing and standardisation. The advantages of free trade are multifaceted and have been proved with theoretical aspects as well as practical results. First of all, free trade allows improving prosperity of trading nations because it opens opportunities for international specialisation of production and exchange based on the principle of comparative advantages. The gains of international trade can be measured with the difference between profits received in the conditions of international exchange and financial results obtained with the lack of foreign trade or, as Marshall suggested, comparative analysis of producers’ and consumers’ profit levels may also evaluate benefits of free trade policy. Secondly, such foreign economic attitude mitig ates the development of competition and stimulates innovations. Finally, all these consequences contribute to the improvement of product quality, which is a positive aspect for potential consumers.

Banyan Tree Case Essay Example for Free

Banyan Tree Case Essay Banyan Tree is founded in 1992 by Ho Kwon Ping.The first Banyan Tree opened in 1994 in Phuket Island.The resorts were designed to blend into the natural environment. Corporate Strategies  K. P. Ho thinks that company should consider the physical and human environment when making business decisions Business Strategies Goals : â€Å"one of the top two or three dominant players in a global space which is very niche but nevertheless very global† K. P. Ho said. Scope : Banyan Tree provides a luxury retreat for guests. The Banyan Tree target market is narrow and affluent. Competitive Advantage : Banyan Tree goes into locations that are not heavily developed and create sustainable resorts. Logic : Banyan Tree intends to expand locate in diverse locations Differentiation : Focus through a differentiation Environmental Analysis Sociocultural Factors Terrorist attacks September 11,2001 and the Bali bombings The SARS outbreak of 2003 Economic and Natural Factors The Asian Financial Crisi of 1997 The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 Porter’s Five Forces Model Customer Buying Power Tends to be moderate Customers are few in number High buying power Few readily avaible Supplier Bargaining Power Tends to be high Due to the unique locations and high quality products Only a limited number of suppliers available to provide these products and services Entry Barriers Tend to be high Large capital requirements and government regulations Substitutes Due to Banyan Tree’s niche market and concept it is important for them to be aware of readily available substitutes Rivalry Among Existing Firms Banyan Tree Competition Aman Resorts Como Hotels Six Senses Hotels One and only Resorts Angsana Competition Four Seasons Shangri-La Hotels Strategic Direction Mission Statement We want to build a globally recognized brand which by inspiring exceptional experiences among our guests,instilling pride and integrity in our associates and enhancing the physical and human environment in which we operate, will deliver attractive returns to our shareholder. Vision Statement To build on its brands, Banyan Tree and Angsana to create a diversified group of niche resorts and hotels in strategic locations throughout the world, which would be complemented by residence and property sales,spa and gallery operations. Organizational Resource Analysis Strengths Well known and reputable brand name Strong brand identity Brand visibility Customer Loyalty Weaknesses Lack of knowledge of target market in global Small talent poot to choose from because properties are in remote locations Organization Resource Analysis Physical Unspoiled,unique locations Outstanding facilities Sustainability Sensitive design Human CEO is a major source of competitive advantage Well trained and motivated employees Corporate Partners such as American Express,Citibank etc. Financial Profits have risen significantly since the 2004 Tsunami High price to cost ratio Strong links to financiers General Organizational Resources Brand and organizational reputation Aspirational brand position Knowledge and Learning Entrepreneurship strategy Diverse culture

Desiderius Erasmus, the Great Humanist :: Biography Biographies Essays

Desiderius Erasmus, the Great Humanist Desiderius Erasmus was one of the great humanists. He was well educated and practice scholasticism. He was also a great writer, who wrote books of many types. He is even called the greatest European scholar of the 16th century (Britannica Macropedia). He was also courageous, as he criticized the Church harshly. It was said by R. C. Trench that "Erasmus laid the egg of the Reformation and Luther hatched it." Erasmus was the illegitimate son of a priest named Gerard. This fact would haunt him for his entire life. He feared that, if this fact was widely known, his life would be ruined. Therefore, there has been much confusion about his early life. It has been discerned that he as born in Gouda, Holland in 1469 and that he had a brother. Erasmus tried to keep all these facts hidden, confusing modern day historians. He died in 1536. Erasmus's writings included The Praise of Folly, a satire which pointed out major problems in the clergy, saying that monks were beggars, the clergy was greedy, and that the pope had no resemblance to the Apostles. He also wrote a short satirical skit in which Pope Julius II had trouble getting into heaven. In the skit, Pope Julius II is made out to be more of a Muslim than a Catholic. Writing this had to take considerable courage, for, though the Church was in decline, it still had considerable power. He also published the Greek version of the New Testament in Latin, so Europeans could read it. Erasmus was a traveller. He lived in many places in Europe at different times. He had lived in Rome, Paris, England, and many other European countries. His worked as a writer, but was dependant on gifts of nobles as most writers of the time were. In his travels he befriended many humanists. Erasmus became a humanist because of his education. He studied both ancient Greek and Latin. He had tried to be monk and a priest, but could not. He went to Paris where he mastered Latin. He received a good education there. This education, combined with his morality, made him a great humanist. He had both the knowledge and the ethics to criticize the Church (a person who lacked ethics and criticized the Church would be a hypocrite). Surprisingly, Erasmus was both tolerant and a pacifist. He, apparently, picked up these traits when in England.

Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Essay -- Politics Political Scien

Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Freedom is one of the most central and certainly most emotive issues in political philosophy. It has been discussed since the times of ancient Greece, and is still as controversial and divisive a topic as ever. This question deals with two separate questions concerning freedom: Firstly, why we consider freedom necessary, and secondly, what exactly is meant by freedom. Clearly, the answer to the second part will greatly affect the answer to the first, but it shall be seen that it is a very challenging task to arrive at a definition of freedom. It is possible, however, to make this job easier by not strictly defining freedom, and using an examination into the desirability of freedom to help form this definition. This will be done below. One of the first issues to be resolved is the relationship between 'freedom' and 'liberty'. There has been several theses proposing a distinction between these two concepts. Theorists such as Belaief and Pitkin claim that liberty is a political term, while freedom is metaphysical. This distinction, however, is a false one. The only difference between these two terms is linguistic convenience. To illustrate, in the example above, liberty could be described as 'political freedom'. This shows the error in the apparent distinction. The two terms are synonymous, and will be used interchangeably in the remainder of this essay. We use the terms 'freedom' and 'liberty' in everyday language without giving much thought to a detailed description of the concept to which these terms refer. It is possible, to a certain degree, to examine why we see freedom as morally good, also without completely defining it. The investigation into a definition of freedom wi... ...as a whole. In answering this final question raised, the conclusion to the essay emerges. We have seen how difficult it is to simply define liberty as a single conception, but have discovered many properties that a statement of freedom must posses. In the question between the conflicts of freedom, where two persons individual freedoms create a zero-sum game, the idea of social freedom emerges, and the idea that it is possible for there to be restrictions on an individual's freedom that are morally desirable. To best, and most simply explain in what sense we want people to be free, a balance must be found between the extent to which society may restrict an individual's freedom, and vice versa. As can be seen by observing politics throughout the ages, it is finding this balance that has proven to be the most challenging aspect of the ongoing question of freedom. Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Essay -- Politics Political Scien Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Freedom is one of the most central and certainly most emotive issues in political philosophy. It has been discussed since the times of ancient Greece, and is still as controversial and divisive a topic as ever. This question deals with two separate questions concerning freedom: Firstly, why we consider freedom necessary, and secondly, what exactly is meant by freedom. Clearly, the answer to the second part will greatly affect the answer to the first, but it shall be seen that it is a very challenging task to arrive at a definition of freedom. It is possible, however, to make this job easier by not strictly defining freedom, and using an examination into the desirability of freedom to help form this definition. This will be done below. One of the first issues to be resolved is the relationship between 'freedom' and 'liberty'. There has been several theses proposing a distinction between these two concepts. Theorists such as Belaief and Pitkin claim that liberty is a political term, while freedom is metaphysical. This distinction, however, is a false one. The only difference between these two terms is linguistic convenience. To illustrate, in the example above, liberty could be described as 'political freedom'. This shows the error in the apparent distinction. The two terms are synonymous, and will be used interchangeably in the remainder of this essay. We use the terms 'freedom' and 'liberty' in everyday language without giving much thought to a detailed description of the concept to which these terms refer. It is possible, to a certain degree, to examine why we see freedom as morally good, also without completely defining it. The investigation into a definition of freedom wi... ...as a whole. In answering this final question raised, the conclusion to the essay emerges. We have seen how difficult it is to simply define liberty as a single conception, but have discovered many properties that a statement of freedom must posses. In the question between the conflicts of freedom, where two persons individual freedoms create a zero-sum game, the idea of social freedom emerges, and the idea that it is possible for there to be restrictions on an individual's freedom that are morally desirable. To best, and most simply explain in what sense we want people to be free, a balance must be found between the extent to which society may restrict an individual's freedom, and vice versa. As can be seen by observing politics throughout the ages, it is finding this balance that has proven to be the most challenging aspect of the ongoing question of freedom.

A Review of Multmodal Learning Styles Essay

Cara making, outllnes ana time lines created, ana In tne cnolce 0T pnyslcal environment used for study. A read-write learner absorbs information through written forms: lists, reading texts or handouts, detailed note taking, power points, and additional resources like paper or online articles about the subject. Student A also uses some of the strategies of this style with the additional research on the topic, multiple proof reading of written content, and reading of all assigned texts or handouts. Review of the learning strategies of both the read-write and the inesthetic learning styles shows helpful strategies not currently used by Student A. This student can also benefit by incorporating several learning strategies from each style. The kinesthetic strategy of relating the information to their own life experiences and finding real life examples would help Student A to retain and recall information as it is attached to real life references the student has already internalized. Using the read-write strategies of rewriting information several times and turning the content of a graph or diagram into a written summary would help Student A clarify and retain nderstanding of that content. Using the VARK Learning Style Assessment is a helpful tool for any learner. It gives helpful information that allows the student insights into how they learn and offers strategies to make the most of that learning style and avoid the problems that can be associated with that style. It is also very helpful for a student to understand that there are other learning styles and be aware of the focus of those learning styles. This aids in translating information given in another style in to the student’s style for optimum learning and also helps the tudent translate their style to accommodate the learning style of another when teaching information. References Deep and Surface Approaches to Learning. n. d. ). Retrieved from http:// exchange. ac. uk/learning-and-teaching-theory-guide/deep-and-surface-approaches- learning. html Fleming, N. D. , ; Mills, C. (1992). Not Another Inventory, Rather a Catalyst for Reflection. To Improve the Academy, 1 10, 137. Fleming, N. D. (2011). VARK: A Review of Those Who Are Multimodal. Retrieved from http://www. vark-learn. com/ english/page_content/multimodality. htm

Esther and Book of Job Comparison Essay

In one of the assigned readings, I came across story of a Jewish woman named Esther who had suffered from cancer. The uniqueness of her journey touched me incredibly when I learned about her own personal struggle with the disease. It is an amazing but sad story in the sense that Esther copes with her cancer in a shame related way, believing that she is suffering from her sins. Esther is unhappily married and ends up having an affair with her boss, and she perceives cancer as a punishment from God for her sin. As told in the story written by Dr, Jerome Groopman in book the â€Å"The Anatomy of Hope†, Esther waits quite a long time before seeking treatment, and her tumor is very large before she decides to receive medical attention. The author of the books shares his own experience as a resident in the hospital, getting into depth about her family issues, problems, and reactions to her illness. Esher’s character can be compared with similar reading from the bible called â€Å"Book of Job† in that both characters believe to be suffering by the hand of Satan, although this is not true in reality. In this particular reading, Satan comes to accuse wealthy Job before God. He insists that Job only serves God because God protects him, and Satan seeks God’s permission to test Job’s faith and loyalty. In Satan’s test, Job loses his wealth, family and health. Three of his friends come to try to comfort him and keep telling him that his tragedy is a punishment for past sins in his life. At this point, I was able to notice similarities to Esther’s experience in that she saw cancer as punishment for her infidelity. In the old testament of the Bible, Job’s friends tell him that he needs to remain humble and allow God to purify his life. Like Job, Esther is torn between believing in God’s punishment and willing to bet better. At first, she seeks the treatment way too late, but at least she does. She shares her secret with Dr. Groopman within a health venting session, also part of the healing process, and at this part we get to know Esther as a person not just as patient. Furthermore, after the dinner at Esther’s house and the significance of her husband’s prayer, Esther feels so guilty that she never follows up with her appointment and stops the rest of the treatment. Like Job, Esther is torn apart by her belief that she should suffer and often loses the will to place faith in God and hope for better health. The story of Esther ends tragically due to Esther’s unyielding feelings of guilt. She lost the battle with cancer and died after receiving treatment in the most advanced stage of the disease. On the other side, in the Bible, Job questions God and learns the valuable lesson about the sovereignty of God and his need to trust in Lord. After Job places trust in God, his prosperity and health returns. Here is where Esther and Job differ. While Job regains his faith and his prosperity, Esther is continually haunted by shame and consequently loses her health. I think that God’s desire was to purify Esther, and that could be reason behind her disease, but Esther not seeking treatment was her own negative way of coping with the sin. Esther did not believe in God’s will, for her to be purified, and she suffered until her death. In my opinion, Esther was so focused on the idea of punishment that she missed the whole point of purifying her soul. I think of God as the greatest, and it is hard for me to believe that our Lord would want Esther to suffer without the treatment. Job in the bible submitted himself to God and regained his lost goods, but Esther did what she believed was right but she ended up dying at the end. Esther did not want to receive chemotherapy thinking she did not deserve it, and her mind was full of doubt. Both characters achieved purity at the end, but Esther’s was not aware of it. She allowed punishment and suffering to continue. The lesson from the bible is that we need to trust and obey God. Some things cannot be thoroughly explained in human terms, but we still need to always submit to His good will.

Nestle Contadina Pizza and Pasta Essay

Executive Summary Nestle Refrigerated Food Company, in 1990, had to decide about the launch of Contadina Pizza (a refrigerated pizza), and so that it could continue the building of the refrigerated food category started by it a few years ago. It had entered this category through the launch of Contadina Pasta and Sauces, and had achieved results that exceeded its expectations. Nestle Refrigerated Food Company would cut out serious and major competition, Kraft general food, who was to make a similar launch in about 6 months; by being the first mover in this competition. Marketer studies that consists of the forecast of estimated demand show that the launch is recommended and pizza with topping are preferred as compared to only pizza. Market studies also show that the basic business requirement of $45 million, factory dollar sales, can be met by a minimum of 7% market penetration. As per studies and since the Italian ethnic food market is fast developing, the opportunity looks great, but Nestle Refrigerated Food Company should be very careful as bad results could seriously hurt the Contadina Brand Name. The price of the offering should be adjusted to be at lower levels and heavy support from advertising should be carried. NESTLE REFRIDGERATED FOODS: CONTADINA PASTA & PIZZA (A) – GROUP 2 Q1) Using the BASES model described in Exhibit 9, forecast the estimated demand (trial and repeat) for the two Pizza options under consideration: Pizza and Topping and Pizza Only. Using the BASES Model, we forecast trial and repeat purchases. The BASES Model assumes that the sample size used and the analysis of in-house product usage represents the entire target market. It also assumes that the estimated market plan is similar to the actual launch plan. If there is any inconsistency in these assumptions, it can result in incorrect forecasting of the success of the product. The estimated advertising awareness and purchase intent figures are subjected to certain limitations and these involve risks with respect to the following: The product does not live up to the promised benefits Respondents like a concept but overstate preferences or do not buy the product due to the social desirability factor High trial cannot predict product success Limited diagnostic information cannot provide insight into complex structure or interests and attitudes Q2) What can one learn from Exhibits 13, 14, and 15? We can analyse from exhibit 13,14 & 15 , that kit has huge potential of attracting customer segment consuming frozen pizza and fresh pizza from supermarket , but Nestlà © should ensure use NESTLE REFRIDGERATED FOODS: CONTADINA PASTA & PIZZA (A) – GROUP 2 of high quality ingredients and avoidance of artificial ingredients or preservatives, as this is one of the most important reason that will catalyse the switch. Therefore, branding and advertising campaign should be built around awareness of masses about two main factors: ï‚ · ï‚ · High quality ingredients Zero preservatives and additives Significant switch in heavy pizza consumers wouldn’t be seen initially since: 1. They get a huge variety through take away and deliveries T 2. The brand loyalty to already existing chains like Pizza Hut, Dominos. In the long run, Nestlà © can gain momentum in this segment if they are able to diversify the kind of pizza they will serve in the kit both in terms of crust and toppings. Q3) How does the pizza concept test data (Exhibits 19, 20, and 21) compare to the pasta concept test data (Exhibit 6)? Exhibit 6 talks about the Pasta concept. Pasta in this case was an already existent product, which acquired by Nestlà © sought to reposition itself in the market and highlight its USP. The pasta market already had many competitors of its kind and in this case, Nestlà © had a â€Å"building† ready with them which had to be â€Å"knocked down†, its â€Å"foundation† used to create a completely new brand. The concept test data clearly even in terms of its parameters like creating uniqueness in the product, negligence of the pricing and more focus on improvement or change rather than formation, establishes this fact. Looking at Exhibits 19, 20 and 21 – the predominant focus on the pricing of the product, the features / characteristics of the pizza kit itself in terms of taste and delight propositions to the customer, comparison with alternatives (emphasis on ALTERNATIVES and not competitors, because none existed) clearly proves that Nestlà © was focusing on starting from scratch, creating a market by offering something that till then did not exist. Q4) What is your reading of Exhibits 23 and 24? (include Exhibit 18 if you wish) Exhibit 23 This exhibit talks about market research analysis conducted by Nestlà ©, with regard to its pizza and toppings, with the sample size of 186 people out of which 130 had a favourable intent to purchase the product and 56 were  against. In percentage the exhibit tells us about the number of people who had particular likes (â€Å"Favourable†) about particular features/ characteristics of the product. Talking about the â€Å"Suggested Improvements† section- these were the recommendations of the people in general (both favourable and non-favourable about areas of the product which the company might work on, comprising of every characteristic of importance to a customer – price ,taste, ingredients et al. The â€Å"Unfavourable† section talks about, again in percentage, of people criticizing a certain characteristic of the product, as being bad or demanding improvements/change. This analysis, in numbers, gives an insight into the features of the product that Nestlà © had got right and where the market demanded more. A favourable value of 130 out of 186 was encouraging but still much remained and this analysis gave precise areas into which Nestlà © could look for further customer satisfaction. NESTLE REFRIDGERATED FOODS: CONTADINA PASTA & PIZZA (A) – GROUP 2 This exhibit talks about the price that Nestlà © wanted to put forward in the market with the â€Å"consent† of the customers. Again a sample of 186 people who were chosen for the in home use test was taken and they were asked – what price they would pay for the product. If we take the sum of any one column of this exhibit, we achieve the total of 100, which tells that each customer could recommend one price and this data collected along with the recommendations from the exhibit 23 and primarily the cost involved in producing the product and the target profits were the deciding factors for the price of the product. Exhibit 18 Once again the sum of each column gives a value of 100, each individual value in terms of percentage. Respondents were asked whether they tried a  particular product from an array of eight choices (frozen pizza, home delivered pizza etc.) and then whether they retry the product. The two different columns tell us how customers shifted from one product to another, some products gaining a percentage at the expense of other product. Q5) In general, how would you compare the pizza opportunity to the pasta opportunity? What are the similarities? Differences? Extensive market research by Nestlà © inferred that the market for refrigerated pizza and toppings was very limited as compared to pasta. The success of renovation of an already established pasta brand in the market could not be taken as an example or a demonstration or anticipatory results for the pizza product in the market. As is preached by the most preliminary principles of marketing, the USP of both the pizza and the pasta products were the primary and decisive factors in their popularity and sales. Both with respect to the pasta and the pizza range, Nestlà © had the chance to create a market, establish new brands, position themselves as they wanted and a major first mover advantage. However, with the pizza range, they had virtually no foundation or base to work on and they were competing with alternatives for the products, not competitors. Market survey indicated that only 15% and 4% of people consumed frozen and homemade pizzas in contradiction to the 17% and 90% users of frozen and home-made pasta. Pastas did not have any issues with the pricing while 21% and 44% of respondents who were in favour of and not in favour of refrigerated pizzas respectively felt that pizzas were quite expensive. Nestlà © plan to give to the customers, not only a pizza of good quality, taste and a reasonable price but also the freedom to customize their pizza, something not offered by the restaurants and delis. Q6) Why was the pasta product so successful? With first year sales of $ 50 million going up to $ 100 million in 3 years, NRFC’s Contadina Pasta was a great success. The factors that contributed to the same are as follows: 1. Realizing the potential of the Italian Food Segment in the US market, Nestlà © decided to launch Contadina Fresh in the refrigerated foods category. Analysis brought forward the view that competitors would be following the same cycle and all the products would reach the market at the same place, due to which Nestlà © would not be able to  gain a significant first mover advantage. It therefore acquired an established regional player in the market- Lambert’s Pasta and Cheese, to help surpass its competitors and be the first to bring refrigerated pasta to the national market. 2. Having acquired a regional player that had developed a process to extend the shelf life of the product, Nestlà © was able to establish a highly efficient distribution system. Alongside this, the decision to establish a new manufacturing facility helped Nestlà © to achieve considerable efficiencies in costs. 3. Using brokers as sales agents instead of the traditional sales force was another factor attributing to the success of NRFC. A â€Å"larger share of sales time† was achieved due to these brokers who had NESTLE REFRIDGERATED FOODS: CONTADINA PASTA & PIZZA (A) – GROUP 2 significant experience in the sales of perishable/refrigerated products. It also helped in further cost reductions. 4. Establishing a brand name that communicated an image of traditional authentic Italian food which could be distinguished from the convenience products category was another advantage. This, combined with the packaging technology of Lambert helped Nestlà © in positioning itself in a particular market segment via the PASS technique. 5. A well marketed â€Å"component approach† allowed Nestlà © to achieve high quality over the product’s shelf life as flavour did not migrate between the components. It also helped in reducing the sticker shock among customers. Q7) How do you like Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s new product development process? For pasta? For pizza? The 7 steps of Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s new product development process starting from the concept creation to the final launch of the product are very comprehensive and look over almost every matter / issue concerning the development and launch of a new product. I would definitely say this is a very good process, not only in its capacity to cover each and every aspect  of a new product but also in its versatility of application to products in virtually any industry with small tweaks here and there, and also because of its practicality and the sheer common sense of involving the right people from the right departments at different stages of the process, whilst giving them the freedom to take a different path, if deemed appropriate, for any specific product. For Pasta, because of the already established Lambert’s Pasta and Cheeses, Nestlà © skipped out on the first 2 phases of Idea Generation and Refinement. The product development stage focused on R&D and changes required to increase the shelf life to 40 days and devise various innovative ways of testing the product. Further moving on, they carried out tests in the market, extensive market research, surveys, and in-home use tests to further work out how to improve their pasta line – effectively repositioning the pasta brand itself christened as Contadina Foods. For pizza, Nestlà © had to start from the scratch. There didn’t exist any such product in the market. The Idea generation phase resulted in the refrigerated pizza as a product extension to the preexisting Contadina product-line. The Idea refinement phase went ahead with two ideas about the refrigerated pizzas that can be introduced in the market. The product development phase resulted in elimination of one of the ideas due to feasibility issues. Though Market Research was conducted for both the ideas, Nestlà © had no option right now to move ahead with only one of the idea. Q8) Would you launch the pizza? Yes, launching of the pizza will be favourable for Nestlà © as they were already successful in the refrigerated Pasta market by acquiring the Contadina refrigerated foods, reducing the time to do Market research and thereby gaining the first mover advantage. This created a positive image of the refrigerated products of Nestlà © in the market. Moreover, this was a new offering in the market. Also as per Exhibit 13, out of 200 people 128 were heavy takeout users, 115 were favourable to the concept of Top two box and 129 had purchased frozen pizza in the past 12 months; moreover making frozen product is difficult as it has to be first thawed from its frozen state before it could be cooked, as against the refrigerated product which had to be just microwaved in most of the cases.