Thursday, November 28, 2019

Speak Essay Example For Students

Speak Essay A Voice for the Hurt High school is supposed to be a fun, new, and exciting experience. The novel Speak is about a social outcast named Melinda and her struggles to fit in in high school. She doesn’t have any true friends because no one stays around long enough to hear her story. The book is written by Laurie Halse Anderson. Throughout the novel Melinda shows her emotional discomfort through actions instead of speaking out. In the end she speaks up for herself and she finds a happier state of being. In the beginning of the novel Melinda enters high school being shunned by all of her old friends and even people she has never met before because she called the cops at a party at the beginning of the summer. Melinda hides her feelings and doesn’t speak out about what really happened that night. Instead of speaking she silences herself by her actions. An example of this is how she constantly bites her lips. The fist example of this is right in the beginning of the novel when Melinda’s ex best friend mouths â€Å"I hate you,† to her from across the room. Melinda bit her lip and tried not to think about it (Anderson 5). We will write a custom essay on Speak specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now She continues to do this to remind herself to stay silent throughout the novel. Melinda silences herself many other ways too. One of the most intense ways of this is when she cut herself with a paper clip. She says, â€Å"I open up the paper clip and scratch it across my left wrist. Pitiful. If suicide is a cry for help, then what is this? A whimper, a peep? (Anderson 65)† When her mom sees the cuts all she says is that she doesn’t have time to deal with it. This shows how Melinda is trying to speak through cutting herself doesn’t help. Her mom doesn’t care. Her whimper for help is not heard. She needs to speak up about how she was raped. At the end of the novel Melinda finds a happier state of being when she decides to finally speak. There are many factors that lead her to speak. One of ways she finds her voice is by standing up to Heather. Also she tells Rachel about how Andy Evans had raped trying to protect her, but Rachel doesn’t listen to her. After she wrote in the bathroom stall other girls also wrote about how much of a creep Andy is. This gives her confidence to speak out about Andy because she knows that she isn’t the only girl going through what she went through. At the very end of the novel when Andy tries to rape her again she finds her voice and says no. Once others hear about what happened they understand her story. In art a seniors asks her if she id OK and says way to go (Anderson 197). Speak is a powerful novel about a young girl who was raped. Melinda silences herself through her actions. She bites her lip as a constant reminder not to speak out. Also she cut herself with a paper clip as a whimper for help instead of just telling her parents and friends the truth. In the end she finds her voice and simply speak.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Minimal State Liberals Active State Liberals A Critical Discussion

Minimal State Liberals Active State Liberals A Critical Discussion Both welfare and neo-classical liberals share some similarities arising from the fact they were born from the same set of ideals, but they also have their differing viewpoints that to a large extent stem from their divergent reactions to the social effects of the Industrial Revolution.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Minimal State Liberals Active State Liberals: A Critical Discussion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In similarities, it is clear both welfare and neo-classical liberals believe in the value and promotion of individual liberty and a desire for a more open and tolerant society, not mentioning that they are guided by the twin elements of individual rational self interest and competition in their attempts to promote self interest (Dolbeare Cummings, 2009). Extant literature, however, demonstrates that the two political ideologies differ on very key issues that were pushed into the limelight by the social effects of the Industrial Revolution. Borrowing heavily on Darwin’s Theory of evolution, the neo-classical liberals, also referred to as minimal-state liberals, argue that people should not invest too much power in the government as such a move would obstruct the realization of individual liberty. Indeed, the neo-classical liberals suggest that â€Å"†¦the state or government should be nothing more than a night watchman whose only legitimate business is to protect the person and property of individuals against force and fraud† (Dolbeare Cummings, 2009 p. 71). Arising from this description, it is also clear that neo-classical liberals support minimal regulations in the pursuit of economic competition. The welfare liberals (also called the active-state liberals), however, argue from the perspective that the government should play a bigger role in ensuring the liberty of people by rescuing them from social ills such as poverty, ignorance and illness. Addi tionally, while neoclassical liberals reinforce the perspective that the strongest, smartest and most fit will survival in the competition at the expense of the poor and the weak, the welfare liberals are more concerned with ensuring that every person in the society enjoys an equal opportunity in life (Dolbeare Cummings, 2009). In the United States, it is clear that these differences led to the formation of the republican political ideology arising from neo-classical liberals set of ideals and democrat political dispensation arising from the welfare liberals set of idealsAdvertising Looking for critical writing on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It can be argued that the neo-classical liberals are more conservative than the welfare state liberals due to their quest to put in place a society that leans more toward the protection of property and its propensity to argue from the social Darwinism ori entation that only the strongest and the hardest working will survive. Neo-classical liberals come out strongly as more conservative than active-state liberals as they seem oriented to ‘conserve’ or ‘preserve’ the status quo by fighting for minimal government interference with private property. In a sense, it appears correct to argue that neo-classical liberals seem to hold a much higher value on private property and material wealth than on guaranteeing that people are assisted to achieve their liberty and full potential by providing them with a totally new framework and political dispensation to deal with a multiplicity of social ills bedeviling society, including poverty, ignorance and illness (Dolbeare Cummings, 2009). Lastly, it is correct to argue that neo-classical and welfare liberals exercise ideological and political philosophies that are clearly different from classical conservatism. While both neo-classical and welfare liberals believe in ration al human behavior guided by the value and promotion of individual liberty, classical conservatives are of the opinion that political society develops over time out of custom and human society, and that people’s capacity to reason is severely limited. Reference Dolbeare, K.M., Cummings, M.S. (2009). American political thought (6th ed.). Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Report - Essay Example This project discusses the bank’s reasons for establishing itself in the Peruvian economy and the appropriateness of its strategies to do the same. HSBC started operating in Peru as a Greenfield project. The reason to choose Peru for starting the project was that it would be free of any constraints arising from prior activities. It had not operated in this place before. There were also very few other financial service providers. Thus there would be fewer possibilities of restrictions and constraints. The organisation has also undertaken a number of successful Greenfield infrastructure projects since 1997, making investments of more than $15 billion (HSBC-g, 2010, p.2). The strategy was implemented beginning with the opening of Commercial and Global Banking services. In the next year it was followed by opening of the â€Å"Personal Financial Services† (HSBC-b, 2009). The market entry strategy began with the opening of the retail branch network in Peru. The most common st rategies confronting the organisation would be establishing start-ups or joint ventures. However the strategy chosen by HSBC was establishing a start-up retail branch in Peru. This is because the region has very few financial service providers. This method is also preferred because it would allow the organisation to keep control over its foreign venture. On the contrary the company’s major step undertaken in China was in the form of joint ventures. This is because it has operated in the Chinese economy for a long time. This strategy is not recommended for HSBC in Peru because it has minimum expertise with local knowledge which would allow it create maximum benefits for its customers (HSBC-f, 2010). Its strategy is to contribute to the economy and bring tangible benefits in the market in which it operates. The revenue generated would be used to pay dividends to shareholders, make payments to the global suppliers (INCR, 2008, p.5). The following table gives the pre-tax profit g ained by HSBC in 2008 and other geographical regions. Figure 1: Pre-tax profit by HSBC in Latin America and in other geographical region (Source: INCR, 2008, p.5) An important strategic step taken by HSBC in alignment with its objective was to increase the number of customer accounts in Latin America. This was primarily meant to maintain high liquidity levels in the organisation. The amount of loans and advances made to the customers has been presented in the following diagram (HSBC-e, 2010, p.13). Peru has also represented as one of the most liberalized regions for attracting foreign investments. This was the reason for HSBC to establish banking operations in the region. In Peru the MNCs are also protected against discrimination and are provided easy access to every sector in the economy. Moreover, MNCs are also free to remit profits and capital. The banking sector is also regulated and supervised by â€Å"Banking and Insurance Superintendency operating in the retail sector under the category of universal banking† (Yi, n.d., p.8). This provided insurance for opening new establishments in a foreign nation as a step towards global expansion. HSBC decided to establish a retail branch network as an attempt to further expand its franchisees in Latin America. It has also received approval for the same. It has been authorised by â€Å"the superintendent of banking and insurance in Peru† to establish 10 retail branches in Lima. The first step towards

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Answer to discussion board post Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer to discussion board post - Assignment Example ers aiming to effectively relay knowledge, it would be appropriate therefore, to assess the general or predominant learning styles of the students to provide the learning strategies that would maximize the students’ potentials to learn. This would also entail teaching applicable study skills like â€Å"active listening, reading comprehension, note taking, stress management, time management, test taking, and memorization† (Education Corner, 2011, par. 2), as needed. The strategies for applying study skills could be different depending on the subjects, such as English, science, history or mathematic classes since the subjects have diverse thrusts, learning objectives and focal points; but the study skills remain the same. For instance, English classes aim to develop students skills in grammar, writing, reading and comprehension which requires study skills that would develop proficiencies in these areas (note taking, reading comprehension, time management). On the other hand, for mathematics, skills could be apty developed through practice and provision of visual learning aids, such as flashcards, charts, or graphs, as needed. History requires a lot of reading and science subjects need both reading and applications, where active listening, note taking, time management and memorization would assist students in enhancing their potentials to learn. It is a matter of using the most appropriate strategy to apply the study skills deemed needed to impro ve learning and academic performance of

Monday, November 18, 2019

Ethanol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethanol - Essay Example It was mostly used industrially and for lamps until 1862, when the U.S. Congress placed a $2 per gallon tax on it to help fund the Civil War. In 1896, Henry Ford built his first vehicle, a Quadricycle, which ran entirely on pure ethanol. The first hybrid flexible engine was also built by him for his Ford Model T; made from 1908 until 1927. It could run on ethanol, gasoline or kerosene. As World War I and the depression created a need for more fuel, more research was done to provide the necessary means for energy when gasoline was not readily available. During the prohibition years, extensive taxation made it impractical to produce alcohol, although in the 1920's, the Standard Oil company started using ethanol as a fuel additive to reduce engine knocking and raise the octane of the fuel to enhance performance issues with automobiles. As the advancement of the combustion engine progressed, so did the need for ethanol research. It was also at this time that Brazil discovered a way to us e the ethanol made from sugar cane in their automobiles. It was in the 1930's that gasohol; fuel comprised of 6-12% ethanol was first used. Brazil passed a war time law in 1943 requiring automobile fuel to contain 50% ethanol, in order to reserve petroleum resources for the military use. They have continued to develop that technology into a world class economy today. Due to the oil embargo, in 1974, the U.S. began doing extensive research regarding turning organic materials into ethanol. In 1980, the U.S. placed foreign excise tax on all foreign made ethanol in an attempt to stimulate the domestic economy and reduce flooding the market with cheap imported ethanol. That tariff remains in place today, securing the place for the U.S. as the number one ethanol producer in the world. By that time, Brazil was considering fuel rationing, when Fiat built the first, ethanol only, modern car; within three years, 90% of the cars in Brazil were ethanol vehicles. Today, Brazil continues to be th e leading sugar cane ethanol producer, refining more than 40% of that country’s domestic ethanol. By 1992, the Energy Policy Act passed, requiring automakers to create and sell cars capable of using alternative fuels; also giving tax deductions to those selling those cars or ones capable of being converted with a special conversion kit. This kit made adjustments to the fuel-to-air ratio through the use of fuel sensors that determined how much ethanol was in the system to prevent engine damage. Ethanol as a fuel additive can be derived from many organic sources, such as corn, wheat, sugar cane, sugar beets, sweet sorghum, sweet potatoes, switch grass, and miscanthus. There is research constantly being conducted to search for new sources of feedstocks to produce this valuable renewable source of energy. Potential non-corn feedstocks include cotton stalks, and trees as well as certain forms of algae. This would require a special and complicated process to separate cellulose from the sugars for the fermentation process and much more research is needed in this area. There are many other uses of ethanol than just for car fuel. It is also used to make industrial compounds and solvents, antifreeze, vinegar, perfume, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paint, and alcohol wipes and antibacterial hand sanitizers. The grain alcohol that is used for human consumption is of a much higher quality and therefore a different product entirely. One

Friday, November 15, 2019

A Study Of Customer Service At Morrisons

A Study Of Customer Service At Morrisons The aim of the research project is how Morrisons create advantage through the customer service. Analysis and evaluate the company by use business models also applications. High standard service will increase customer satisfaction, and meet their expectation. Objectives: This project provides advice and an opinion on mechanisms to enhance customer service in Morrisons. The purpose of work is to analyse strategy and by using lean production system to explain how Morrisons works efficiently and benefits customers also improve performance. Porters five forces will help the retailer compete with other large supermarkets, such as Tesco, Sainsburys, ASDA and Waitrose. Methodology: The research project included a detailed review of literature and the result of customer service questionnaires. Major strategies at Morrisons: Offer the high quality of customer service by best trained staff to attract more customers shopping in Morrisons. HOT service has introduced to colleagues in all stores. Motivate staff work as a team; support each other to achieve goals. The company benefitted low cost from its own farms and factories. Morrisons background Morrisons was found at Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1899, by William Morrisons, a retailer of butter and egg. Son of William, Ken Morrisons was awarded a Knighthood for food retailing services in the 2000. The firm developed from market stalls to counter service, a small town shop centre was opened by the year of 1958. It was the first shop to offer self-service, also have prices on products in Bradford. (NGfL CYMRU, 2004). The first supermarket opened in 1961, named Victoria, converted by a cinema selling meat, grocery and others, offered free charge car park. 1967, Morrisons became a public company, over 80,000 investors tried to buy shares. After takeover of Whelan Discount stores, Morrisons has developed in Lancashire for the first time. Wakefield 41 located near the M1 motorway was the first distribution centre of Morrisons, opened in 1988. Two years later, Wakefield 41 was expanded to storage chilled and fresh food. Cheshires Gadbrook Park became the frozen food depot of Wakefie ld 41 in late 1990s. (Morrisons, 2012). The south of England in Erith (Greater London) store was opened in October 1998. After one year, Morrisons had been founded for a 100 year, celebrated the 100th supermarket started operating at Nelson. April 2001, Morrisons joined the financial Times Stock Exchange 100 for the first time after a successful 35 year sales records and increase revenue since the firm become public in 1967. March 2004, Morrisons takeover of Safeway, become the 4th largest retailer in the UK. To serve the enlarged group, Morrisons acquires and additional fresh produce pack house and distribution centre at Thrapston in Northamptonshire. (Morrisons).since then, Morrisons has reduced over 13,000 prices down in Safeway. Sir Ken Morrisons retired after 55 years of service in 2008; The Retail Week Awards honoured him with an Outstanding Contribution to Retail. Morrisons today, over 470 stores throughout the UK, more than 300 stores have petrol station and customer cafes. 132,000 staff served 11 million customers in Morrisons every week. The revenue was  £16,479 million in 2011. There are over 20,000 different products in stores (Morrisons, 2012).Morrisons strategies are continuing growth, provide better quality, service, value, and offer fresh food. Fresh choice for you, this is the TV advertising of Morrisons, to achieve this target, fresh food processed in its own manufacturing facilities and transported in temperature-controlled warehouses and production lines inside the UK and overseas. To saving costs, the company chooses local producers, also built own farms. Morrisons have more skilful bakers, butchers and fishmongers than other competitors. This project focus on Morrisons customer service, how it is different with other major large supermarkets of the UK, encourages and motivates staff to improve company performance, expand the business. A SWOT analysis was completes. Please see appendix 1. The importance of customer service What is customer service? Why is it so important for a business? Customer service is the service offer to consumer before, during and purchase products or goods. (The Times 100) For example, a consumer bought a camera, the retailer charges the wrong price, or this consumer wants change the mind. He or she went to customer service request to refund. This is the service to dealing with consumer requests. Through the customer service to improve the level of customer satisfaction, high service meets the expectation of consumers. The result of bad customer service could receive more complaints and lost sales, consumers may not come back for shopping again, and they will choose different retailers. It is a long way to build long term relationship with consumers; the business has to offer good quality of service that benefits them. In addition, satisfied consumers would help business growth. High standard customer service is hard to achieve, business need more endeavour to meet their needs. Morrisons costumer service has competitive advantages compared with other large retailers in the UK. How Morrisons implements Customer Service strategy How can Morrisons be different with other large supermarkets in the UK? Compared with Tesco, Sainsburys, ASDA and Waitrose. Develop customer service is Morrisons plan, a simple strategy. To prove the high standard service, Morrisons have well trained staffs who works at fresh food departments, such as Oven fresh, pie shop, meat counter, fish bar and delicatessen. Morrisons has spent long time on training staff to gain high quality of customer service past 2 years. The result was satisfied as more than 11 million customers shopping in Morrisons each week. To motivate staff, Morrisons have a buddy board shows colleagues photos who have done great customer service, these colleagues as models to encourage others. There is also another board in staff room, colleagues can leave a note on that board when they saw others who helped customers and met high standard customer service. Morrisons has invested in new IT facilities to continue improvement in 2011, old computing system had been served for many years, and Morrisons replaced all old checkout monitors. Customers has spent less time at tills, new computing system works very efficient, save the time and easy to use for colleagues. On the other hand, Morrisons bought new ovens for oven fresh department; these new ovens help staff reduce the cooking time, also convenience. These changes showed customers who shopping in Morrisons more satisfied with its focus on service, freshness, efficiency and new facilities, they feel valuable in Morrisons. Kids Smart Range products offered for children, help them eat healthy food, without Artificial Flavours, Hydrogenated Fats and Artificial Colours. Every product strict controlled sugar, salt and fat. Parents can easily find Kids Smart food for their children in store, such as fruit, cans, fish, meat and other items. (Morrisons, 2012) Customer service consists by 4 main factors: information, convenience, and the service after purchase, knowledge and skills. (The times100, 2011) Information: customers can check information through the Morrisons website, includes special offers, new products. Ask staff for information and details. Signs and direction given in store by different categories, customers can find products what they need easily. Brochures and leaflets available at each till include latest offers and information, even discount. Convenience: at least 300 stores have petrol station and cafà © shop in Morrisons, convenient for customers to fill their cars, also buy water and fast food. At Morrisons car park, 5% parking areas devoted to blue badge holders with disabilities. Parents with toddler have special area for ease and parking. Knowledge and Skills: in Morrisons, best trained specialists must give accurate suggestion to customers, especially fishmongers and butchers who suggest different fish or meat for cook it correctly. The service after purchase: this service includes after shopping, such as refunds, guarantees, complaints from customers, package problem and change the products. Morrisons experienced colleagues provide great service to meet customer satisfaction. Morrisons HOT service HOT means Hello, Offer, Thank you. Every colleague participates in this service at all stores. The purpose of HOT is build closer relationship between colleagues and customers, to achieve higher quality of customer service in communication. Chat with customers to help them feel that they are important for us, like a member of family. Encourage staff engage with customers by deliver great service, compete with other major supermarkets take a lead. HOT offiers a warm, natural and friendly service for customers. In 2011, Morrisons has achieved a 21% raise the degree to customers would recommend Morrisons to others, the praise rate went up by 56%. (Morrisons Annual report, 2011) Application of Lean production in Morrisons to enhance service Lean production originally developed from Japan and increase efficiency, include 4 key elements, just in time production, time based management, total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement (kaizen). Lean production aim is reduce waste by use less materials, worker, time and space. (The Economist, 2009) Morrisons applied lean production to keep the costs down, also benefit customers. Just in time (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business return on investment by reducing in process inventory and associated carrying costs. (Aldi case study, 2011) Just in time was created by Toyota, the method also called Toyota Production System. Morrisons uses just in time production to keep sufficient stocks, avoid waste, by hold less stock to increase working capital. To provide freshness experience for customers, Morrisons established its own farms and factories; shrink the delivery time offer them the freshest food and great taste. In recent years, new IT facilities have invested in all stores, self service checkouts towards work efficiency. The benefit to the customer is less waiting time at till, simplified instruction convenient to each user. One staff can operate 6 or 8 self checkouts; help business reduce the costs of labours. The aim of time based management is decrease the time waste of business. Since May of 2011, fresh counters closed early from 10pm to 8:30pm for reduce labour costs, this decision involved in pie shop, delicatessen, meat counter and fish monger. To meet customer expectation, Morrisons has extended the opening time from 10pm to 11pm to benefit consumers who shopping late, also help company to make more profit. Total quality management is a popular quality management concept. It is not just focus on assuring product or service quality. There is a phrase often connected with TQM, doing the right things right, first time. Quality involves everyone; it is an important business strategy. Morrisons seeks to leverage strongly with customer communications and remain it as core. In 2010, the firm became the first retailer to move to 100% free range eggs. Committed to quality, from field to fork. Build strong relationship with suppliers, buy food directly from them, Morrisons can control the quality and keep the price down, bring fresh food faster on shelves. In its own processing plants, every stage of the production process has been checking to ensure the high quality. To concern customers health and food freshness, fresh food such as bread, pies, chickens and pork must be reduced clear by the end of the same day; shoppers receive the valuable products, even less than half price. Motivation and investing in people People are assets of business, through the training programme and develop their skills to create better shopping experience for customers. Morrisons has long term partnerships plan by supporting people to gain qualifications and learning new skills which will benefit them for whole life. In Salford store, more than 70% colleagues who from poor backgrounds have a change to progress their careers. A series of new programmes have created to support all different levels, such as apprenticeship, leadership and young people. In 2010, 48,000 colleagues gained the QCF (NVQ) level 2 Retail Skills qualification to help them improve understanding of serving customers skills. The Morrisons Academy associate with several academic institutions, such as Bradford Business School and Bradford School of Management, who offer degree course and management training, the partnership helps colleagues from school leaver and graduate to senior roles. (Annual report, 2011). 70% managers from internal recruiting lead to efficiency. Morrisons training interventions are valuable, build on the unique culture for grow sales. People development based on three elements, communication, training and coaching. Communicate with colleagues improve their awareness of benefits and changes. Encourage and motivate staff to deliver high standard of customer service quality by training them. Coaching means support and guidance colleagues cooperate with Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Carnegie to help deliver improved service to customers. One team concept, work together as one to deliver the best service; help each other share a common target. Rewards profit sharing and discounts for colleagues who have been working many years. By the year end of every March, every one receives bonus to celebrate success of the business. (Morrisons, 2009) Maslows hierarchy needs analysis By applying Maslows hierarchy needs to identify consumers satisfaction, these theories will analysis the needs of customer in Morrisons. Physiological needs: these are important needs for sustaining the human life. Food, water, medicine are the basic physiological needs. These needs have to meet customers satisfaction from Morrisons. Safety needs: these are the needs to be free of physical danger and psychological safety concern for customers. As a provider, Morrisons offers high standards products on its shelves, including organic food, nutritional and fresh foods. For example, fresh food such as chickens and pies use by one day only. In Morrisons own farms and factories, the quality control checked by every process. (Anon, 2006) Social needs: by offer HOT service, help customers feel they are fit into Morrisons family, they need to love and to be loved. The firm awareness of this need and always providing a pleasurable shopping experience for consumers. Esteem needs: according to Maslow, once people begin to satisfy their need to belong, they tend to want to be held in esteem both by themselves and others. This relate to personal dignity, confidence. Customers want feel they are very important for supermarkets, the retail must be regard them superiorly. (Anon, 2006) Porters five forces analysis The five forces model was developed in 1979 by Michael Eugene porter; he is a strategist and professor at the Harvard Business School. These forces are based on Rivalry, Supplier power, Substitution, Buyer power, and Threat of new entry (Harvard Business School, 2008). By applying porters five forces to conduct a situation reviews to advice W Morrisons Plc., analyse the current marketing environment for the company; identify and analyse forces that affect an industry. Rivalry: the UKs retail market is oligopoly; this industry has high competition, big 4 have already occupied most markets across the country, including Tesco, ASDA (America owner Wal-Mart), Sainsburys and Morrisons. Tesco is market leader, which has 30.7% market share, followed by ASDA with 17.6%, Morrisons at the 4th position with 11.9% market share (The Guardian, 2012). Tesco and ASDA have almost 50% market due to their sizes; both of them are international companies who have business worldwide. The threat of rivalries extremely high. Threat of New Entry: global competitors have penetrated into the UK retail market, ASDA owned by Americans, French retailers. German giant Lidl has opened many stores in UK cities. However, Lidl only shared 2% market; the threat is low at the moment. On the other hand, there are also internal competitions, cooperative plans expand their business by open more shops to gain market share, Waitrose do so. The threats of new entrenchers are high for Morrisons. Buyer power: customers will compare the prices with other big supermarkets, Morrisons has price strategy to keep the price down and satisfy customers, hundreds of products offered great deals, such as special offer, buy one get one free, half price and reduce to clear. Its own brand products much cheaper than others, for instance, one bottle of coca cola is  £1.98, but Morrisons coca just 50 pence, the competitive price will reduce the power of buyers, HOT service also help to satisfy consumers. To attract new customers who come from different countries, most stores have ÃÅ'’ world foodsÃÅ'â€Å" section include Kosher, polish, Caribbean, halal and Indian goods. The firm had increased Asian World Food such as oils and rice, even special items like whole mung beans and mango pulp. In this case, buyer power is low. Substitution: nowadays, individual and franchised groceries could be challengers, such as londis, budgens, it is convenience for buyers. The companys own brand goods to be able to substitute other brands of products, some of them have low quality. For example, Morrisons has replaced pork sausage rolls from its own built factories, the taste is not satisfied, also shrink the size, and remaining the same price. Substitute level is low to medium. Supplier power: Morrisons have own manufacturing factories and farms, which can help reduce the power of suppliers. By build great relationship with suppliers to ensure the costs lower. However, this threat is very low. Literature Review This review of the literature on the companys annual reports (2011), analyses and the information relate to market share and share prices are the main indicators of companys success or failure. Through the high quality of customer service to build up competitive advantage, grow the profits and attract more customers. Group turnover was  £16.5 billion, 1.1 billion higher than last year. Profit before tax was  £874 million, compared with 2010  £858 million. Underlying profit before tax went up 13% to  £869 million. Statutory basic earnings per share were 23.9p, 5% higher than previous year. In 2011, total dividend per share reached to 9.6p, increased in 17%, making dividend cover 2.4 times. Morrisons delivered a strong performance in 2011. By continuing focus on quality fresh foods at great value made Morrisons a natural destination. In 2010, average customers numbers shopping in Morrisons were 10.5 million, the number increased 500,000 in the following year. (Morrisons annual report and financial statements 2011) Methods By using quantitative research methodology aims to review the customer service in Morrisons. Design questionnaires to collet feedback from customers, the survey will be carried out in one of Morrisons store. What is the buyers opinion? How satisfied are they? Evaluate the quality of service; has companys service reached customers expectation? This was random survey, 14 questions designed in total. The table represents service quality of staff, including ability, knowledge, helpful, friendly and polite. The survey took place in Morrisons of Acton High street 302, London. As a result, 11 customers responded my questionnaires. The table shows feedback below: Research limitation Due to time limited, it cannot interview more people, the date may inaccurate and unreliable, because of low quantity of samples. Furthermore, print questionnaire expensive if require large size of surveys. Many people refuged to fill the form, targets were unwilling to answer the questions. Conclusion Morrisons strategy based on provide high quality of customer service, good feedback from customers will motivate colleagues turn to positive side, encourage them deliver even better service. Buddy board shows staff photos who have done great service to inspire the others achieve the same target. People development successfully helped staff to improve their skills and performance to achieve consumers satisfaction. By offer HOT service to help buyers feel part of the family. The firm chose fresh foods as aim to be the best retailer, this unique strategy take advantage on its competitors, became the leading supermarket who produced the freshest products in the UK. Morrisons own controlled distribution centres and farms provided high standard products to give buyers the best experience. New IT facilities reduced every ones waiting time, lead to efficiency. Due to finance crisis, the retailer has decided do not recruit staff for save the cost, the impact of this decision, more complaints received from customers about inefficient service, spend long time in the queue. The company has not done adequate effort for non-food products, the offer is limited. For example, there is no laptop, DVD player, TV and cloth. Consumers will choice other alternative supermarkets instead Morrisons. Local convenience store just beginning, rival companies have occupied most High Streets and strongly challenged Morrisons. Design new online shopping website will help the retailer makes more profit and meet customers expectation. Appendix 1 Evaluate Morrisons by SWOT analysis Strengths: Morrisons is very different with other supermarkets in the UK, because of fresh food. It has own fresh produce distribution centres with fast delivery. Focus on customer service is other strength, the visiting numbers has been steady increased compared with past 4 years. Many buyers chose Morrisons regard to their price strategy, by offer cheaper prices than any others. Weakness: as the 4th biggest supermarket, it does not provide online shopping system, other large retailers have already benefited from their online websites, and this is also convenience for consumers. All Morrisons branches built on large size or super stores, in addition, many stores located in remote areas. It is difficult for buyers to access them. Due to long distance, they may chose local small shops instead to go to big supermarkets. Tesco has around 3000 stores in the UK; over half of them are Tesco express. As a result, Tesco has increased in market share to 30%, became the number one retailer of nationwide. Sainsburys locals are taking advantage either (Anon) Morrisons lacks of non-food products, such as electronics, clothes. By contrast, ASDA and Tesco have already successful in these areas. Opportunities: Morrisons has to focus on non-food products, the offer is limited. At the moment, home leisure and health beauty are still key business. This is the great opportunity to develop electronics and clothes, it will help the company to expand the business, give customers more choices. The first Morrisons local convenience store was opened in IIkley, Yorkshire in 2011. It was the first time to trial local format, also compete with rivals. The M local strong focus on fresh food and competitive price, it will be 4-11% cheaper than other local shops such as Tesco express and Sainsburys local (Morrisons, 2012). The new strategy will build smaller local stores to gain more market share. Morrisons has behind other large retailers for online shopping system, it is the time to design new website, and expect to grow profit in the next a few years. Threats: the retailer has very slow reaction to improve its business, include online service, non-food products, and local shops. Rival supermarkets benefited from these areas, Morrisons still not even start yet. The company must compete with two giants of the world, Tesco and ASDA. Morrisons does not have globe business, only in the UK market. ASDA plans to open smaller stores and threat key territories of Morrisons. Appendix 2 (Interpretation) Most respondents chose Excellent and Good, but question 2, 5 did not meet customers expectation, the rate less than 50%. In total, 7 QuestionsÃÆ'- 11 People (each question) = 77 People. 12 people chose Excellent, 38 for Good, 21 for Average and Fair received 6. Customer satisfaction = (Excellent+Good) à · total= (12+38) à · 77= 65%. The rest 7 questions relate to Morrisons, most respondents live nearby, only 10 to 15 minutes by walking or bus to arrive the supermarket. The products prices are valuable for money, but consumers still shopping in other local shops, such as Tesco, ADSA and Sainsburys. 10 of interviews would recommend Morrisons to their friends, 1 person is unsure. However, there are some negative sides for the company, respondents suggested that recruit more staff for counter departments, people who work in delicatessen and oven fresh always have heavy work to do, and buyers were queuing for quite long time. On the other hand, colleague should improve the knowledge for products. Some staff cannot deal with shoppers request; they do not know where the certain product is either. Overall, the companys customer service level is medium; it could be achieve higher score in the future to meet consumers expectation. Morrisons reputation is excellent; over 90% interviews would recommend their friends to shop here. They do have alternative choices, which go to rival supermarkets.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Capital Punishment :: essays research papers

Many people are split on the idea of capital punishment because it involves death. I feel that capital punishment is morally and ethically acceptable because it rids society of our worst criminals. Many people argue that killing criminals who kill is just as bad as being the criminals. For one the criminals killed innocent people who had no idea what was coming, and had no way to prevent it. The criminal who commited the crime in almost all cases had to commit first degree murder, which includes some planning of the act. To plan an act of murder and taking someone’s life is beyond emotion, it is psychological and takes some rationalization. If no rationalization takes place, then it can happen again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another reason that pro-capital punishment argument is that there are innocent men and women sitting on death row that shouldn’t be sentenced to death. Most death row inmates, unless they commit a serious multiple murder have been in and out of jail most of their life. Capital Punishment is a way for society to weed out the bad seeds that corrupt the whole. Personally I think they should be castrated, or not have a conjugal visits. Having people like that procreate makes me sick. Someone who has taken someone’s ability to procreate and enjoy life should be treated if they had killed themselves that day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also think that multiple rapists should be put to death. If they are given a chance to put their life together and they commit the same crime again then, rehabilitation was unsuccessful and they should be terminated. This may sound like a Nazi speaking of the Jews in the early 1930s, but they based the killing on a religion, not on a case by case basis, as we do in this country. Our legal system is ment to rid society of evil, and by killing the murderers and rapists it clears them out of the genetic pool and also gives an example to others of what not to do. Although it may seem cruel to systematically kill people based on one act in their life, it is justifiable because those people have the potential to kill again, and if they are going to hurt someone they should be kept from society. Capital Punishment :: essays research papers Many people are split on the idea of capital punishment because it involves death. I feel that capital punishment is morally and ethically acceptable because it rids society of our worst criminals. Many people argue that killing criminals who kill is just as bad as being the criminals. For one the criminals killed innocent people who had no idea what was coming, and had no way to prevent it. The criminal who commited the crime in almost all cases had to commit first degree murder, which includes some planning of the act. To plan an act of murder and taking someone’s life is beyond emotion, it is psychological and takes some rationalization. If no rationalization takes place, then it can happen again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another reason that pro-capital punishment argument is that there are innocent men and women sitting on death row that shouldn’t be sentenced to death. Most death row inmates, unless they commit a serious multiple murder have been in and out of jail most of their life. Capital Punishment is a way for society to weed out the bad seeds that corrupt the whole. Personally I think they should be castrated, or not have a conjugal visits. Having people like that procreate makes me sick. Someone who has taken someone’s ability to procreate and enjoy life should be treated if they had killed themselves that day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also think that multiple rapists should be put to death. If they are given a chance to put their life together and they commit the same crime again then, rehabilitation was unsuccessful and they should be terminated. This may sound like a Nazi speaking of the Jews in the early 1930s, but they based the killing on a religion, not on a case by case basis, as we do in this country. Our legal system is ment to rid society of evil, and by killing the murderers and rapists it clears them out of the genetic pool and also gives an example to others of what not to do. Although it may seem cruel to systematically kill people based on one act in their life, it is justifiable because those people have the potential to kill again, and if they are going to hurt someone they should be kept from society.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

IT-Management Essay

Assignment # 10 Question 1: Global Information Systems are the systems developed for the multinational users in order to provide free flow of information within the divisions of a single company and between the MNCs. Question 2 Think globally and act locally means a product should suit the regional and cultural preferences of the local people and at the same time the product line should be global and strategic planning needs to be centralized Question 4 Yes every website is a global IS, because there is a free flow of information through the website and almost all the websites are now catering to global customers irrespective of their location. Question 5 If I were an executive of a multi lingual website, I would strike a balance between manual interpretation and software based translation, because at the end of the day the quality and accuracy of translation is more important. Question 7 Data privacy laws are different in United States and European Union and there is a discrepancy in the collection & use of personal data in US and European countries. Question 10 It is important to provide the Time Zone converter in the Global SCM because the shipping and delivery time and the payment time should match with the time zone of the customers and the suppliers. Assignment # 11 Summary of the Case: Fairchild Semiconductor is world leader in design & manufacturing of microprocessors. It has 36 offices in 17 countries.   Fairchild ships more than 17 billion units of its products annually to as many as 45 countries. The company has assembly and testing facilities in China, Malaysia & Philippines. The work-in-progress is often shipped from one country to another and back to the original country for further processing. Fairchild integrated the software called Trade Export Solution into its ERP system. It helps automate the global logistics. The software has helped Fairchild cut costs by readily providing the trade compliance documentation, avoiding shipping delays, reducing the shipping staff and standardizing the shipping procedures worldwide. Question 1 Answer: The software reduces the risk of logistic & shipping delays due to non-compliance of export & import laws and regulations of country including US homeland security issues. Question 2 Answer: The software helps company cut the costs by shortening the shipping duration; avoiding shipping delays; minimizing the duties; by providing fastest delivery and by reducing the shipping staff. Question 3 Answer: The integration of Management Dynamics’ software into ERP system helps automate the global logistics. The digital forms are generated, the information on fastest & least costly carriers is provided, various costs related to shipping and exports are calculated automatically, the trade compliance documentation is readily available saving the labor-intensive search and shipping procedures are standardized worldwide. Question 4 Answer: The standardization of processes is important in Fairchild because the company has its global presence in 17 countries and the work-in-progress is often shipped from one country to another and back to the original country for further processing. Also it is easier to implement the benchmarked procedures in the new facilities, in future.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Athens Sparta essays

Athens Sparta essays Greek culture in 400-500 B.C.E. achieved greatness through two city-states, called Sparta and Athens. To better understand the interaction between Sparta and Athens and their desire for Greece to be a strong nation, it is imperative to know the situation of these two city-states in the early 400s B.C.E. Throughout this essay I will briefly describe Athenian and Spartan social structure in the Classical age. In particular, their culture, military, and the role of women within society. Athens had a democratic government and a dynamic society. They were culturally open to trade, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, poetry, and philosophy. Athens had become the second most powerful Greek city-state because of their wealth, trade, navy, large population, and great harmony of art and learning. Athens was made up of three distinct classes, slaves, citizens, and foreigners. Each class had a specific list of duties and responsibilities. Wealthy citizens paid to attend formalized schools in the gymnasium. Citizens could own land and slaves, but not all did because they differed in wealth. Also, citizens had equal formal rights, and participated in the year round religious festivals. Slaves and foreigners, on the other hand, did trade work and housework, but were denied citizenship. Due to the Athenian democratic government, there was a wider range of participation from the citizens. Many of them participated in public election and lotteries. Sparta had a political form of organization known as an Oligarchy, which consisted of five ephors and two kings who served as high priests and leaders in war. Their government was founded on the principle that the life of individuals, from the moment of birth, belonged to the state. Sparta hoped to ensure that only those who were physically fit would survive to become the best soldiers for the city-state. Sparta prided itself not on art and learning, but on the brave ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Conflicting Goals for the U.N. Resolution.

Conflicting Goals for the U.N. Resolution. Conflicting Goals for the U.N. Resolution(written on 10/19/2002)On Thursday, October 10th, the United States Congress voted on a resolution that would authorize President Bush to use military force against Iraq. The House of Representatives vote was 296 to 133, in support of the president. The Senate voted several hours later, approving the resolution, 296 to 133. The Republicans were firm supporters of the president; in the Senate, only one republican voted against the resolution. In the House, the majority of Democrats opposed the president. However, more Senate Democrats approved the resolution than not.One of the major goals of this vote was to put pressure on the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for the disarmament of Saddam Hussein. Up until Thursday, October 18, when the Bush administration unexpectedly agreed to compromise, the five veto-bearing members of the 15-member Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China were deadlocked over the resolution.English: The United Nations Security Council Chamb...The United States and Britain were pushing for a single resolution that authorizes both weapons inspections and, if the inspections are hindered, military force. France, supported by Russia, wanted two resolutions. The first would authorize tough U.N. inspections. The second resolution, which would be voted on by the Council only if Iraq fails to comply with the first, would authorize military intervention. France was concerned not only about Iraq, but also about America's attempt to gain the right to preemptive military force. As Paul Sanders, director of the Nixon Center, explained, France is worried that the U.S. will become "a superpower that can take military action anywhere it wants without restraint".On Wednesday, October 16th, an open debate was held, allowing non-UN nations to voice their opinions for the resolution. Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed the need for the Security Council to be...

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Great Awakening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Great Awakening - Essay Example The Puritans gained ascendency as a reaction to the perceived corruption and worldliness of the Church of England, while Catholics were a small minority. In 1670, Charles 11, followed by James 11, reestablished Catholic control. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saw William and Mary put an end to Catholicism, repress other minority religious groups and unequivocally reinstate the Church of England as the dominant religion. The Anglican clergy shunned doctrinal extremes and adopted a moderate path. Religious belief was confined to mere nominal participation in church services. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Charles and John Wesley, along with others like George Whitefield, â€Å"reacted against the coldness of religion and the deistic rationalism which prevailed† and revived the personal significance of the gospels (Great-Awakening.com, n.d.). These were the seeds of the Great Awakening. ... The political scene in England, described above, engendered an atmosphere of uncertainty in the colonies. These economic and political changes diverted the populace from religious concerns. Orthodox Calvinism was also challenged by the rationalism of the Enlightenment, which rejected the Puritan emphasis on the â€Å"inherent depravity† of human nature. The Enlightenment’s emphasis on logic and reason led to the study of theology being superseded by the introduction of math, science, law, and medicine into the college curriculums. Economic success and rational thought took precedence over religion and led to a laxity of morals. This weakening of religious commitment was further exacerbated by compromise within the Congregational Church. In order to stop the sharp decline in church congregations, the Congregational Churches of Connecticut and Massachusetts adopted the Halfway Covenant in 1662, by which churches baptized the second generation of Puritans as infants, with the assumption that they would be converted later in life. Again, the churches ignored the failure of this generation to adhere to this conversion stricture. The children of unregenerate Puritans were baptized but forbidden communion. By thus isolating the third generation of Puritans from the traditional means of receiving God's grace, this Covenant furthered the degeneration of the church. In 1690, the â€Å"halfway members† of the church were allowed to receive Communion. In effect, â€Å"the second and third generations of Puritans failed to demonstrate the same devotion and discipline that the original Puritans had practiced† (Valkenburg, 2011).  In 1708, the Saybrook Platform, or fifteen â€Å"Articles for the Administration of Church Discipline,† attempted to

Friday, November 1, 2019

Coffee Shop Retailing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coffee Shop Retailing - Essay Example The Starbuck coffee still leads its competitor, Costa in the market share. A survey conducted on the market performance of the two brands showed that Starbucks commanded a market share of 27% compared to Costa which commands 15 % of the market while the rest of the market is being shared between the small companies. In rating the market of the coffee with the substitute beverages, coffee in general comes third behind tea and Juice. 70% of the adults in UK takes coffee, 81% take juice while 83 % of the adult population takes tea (Kolk 2012). 2011 is a year where coffee experienced more innovations in its brands. The culture of taking coffee has been entrenched among the UK consumers and it is considered as the luxury which is affordable to all users. The quality of the product has been greatly improved by innovation through product development. The leading manufacturer of coffee is Nestle UK. The company’s product enjoys a market share of 42%. Basically the presence of instant coffee is the major reason behind success of the Nestle Company in the manufacturing sector. The coffee pods also have contributed to the growth of coffee consumption in general (Kolk 2012). Findings A coffee shop serves not only coffee but also tea, light lunch and some deserts. A local coffee shop can attract a large market by ensuring the frequent customers remains loyal. Commitment is required in order to accomplish a successful marketing. Usually most of the marketing and is done through the interaction with customers. Existing customers invite new customers; coffee shops provide a good social experience among the customers thus it is ideal for interaction. Some common coffee brands in the UK markets includes, Maxwell House coffee, Nescafe, Lavazza, Starbucks, Melitta, Kenco coffee among others. The market of these brands has depended mainly on the marketing of the brand. Retailers benefit from brands which have already established in the market. The main coffee brands in the U K market are Starbucks and the Costa brand. The famously world brand (Starbucks) carries the larger coffee market as compared to the Costa brand. The brand has several outlets throughout the country (Kolk 2012). A part from the coffee business, the coffee offers food together with the coffee, in order to increase income and also increase convenience to the customers. Though selling of food stuffs have been expanding among the coffee shop, the challenge is competitions from the established bakers and other competitors in selling the foodstuffs. Research shows that selling of foodstuffs within the coffee shops has been on the increase in the UK market and therefore the trend in coffee shop development has changed the marketing strategies shops rendering the services Quality of services A successful marketing would start with the kind of products and services being offered. Development of a variety of services would beneficial to the coffee shops than sticking to just offering coffee. Variety of services that are customer friendly benefits in expansion since advertisements is more efficient when done orally. Some the benefits that would ensure more customer base is ensuring the customers comfort. Ensuring that every table has a supply of electricity enables the customers to have a comfortable cup of coffee while using the laptops. Other services which are essential in increasing the customers include introducing live entertainment and uniqueness in provision of services.