Diversion Programs Essay

Diversion programs are usually misunderstood by society, and in some cases is believe that they do not work. However research conducted by different organizations has found that they in fact do reduce recidivism amongst juveniles diverted V. those that were not. Diversion as described refers to â€Å"the attempt to divert, or channel out, youthful offenders from the juvenile justice system† (Bynum and Thompson, 1996:430). In this paper it will be discuss what are the causes of juvenile criminal behavior, and what goals does the two different diversion programs have to combat those behaviors and rehabilitate juveniles. Also it will discuss what service do they provide and witch one is the most effective. First of all when talking about juvenile delinquency research has found that no single cause of behavior accounts for all delinquency, however that study is inconclusive since the study has not been confirmed 100%. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is sponsoring the research and is focusing in serious delinquency and drug abuse as those two have been found to be the leading causeways of juvenile criminal behavior. OJJDP has conducted causes and correlation studies designed to improve the understanding of violence and drug abuse, they have looked at how a youth develops within the context of family, school, peers and their respective community. One of the challenges is to determine the longitudinal investigation since some times this juvenile’s turn into what society determines as adulthood, and the investigation is no longer valid. The way they have conducted this searches is by sampling youths in a six to nine months period one example is: Denver youth includes 1,527 youths ages vary from seven to 15, and they all come from different backgrounds but pronominally from â€Å"high risk neighborhoods† The key participants for this programs as described above are juveniles that  their age ranges from seven to 15 years of age, as per the report published by the OJJDP in September, 1999 2.8 million juveniles were arrested, since then that number has declined one of the causes for this is the improvement in diversion programs. As one of the analysts puts it â€Å"Diverting appropriate youthful offenders from detention can pay dividends for youth who are not a danger to themselves and for those remaining in detention. It also alleviates overcrowding†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Bilchik S, 1999) This paper is exanimating two different diversion programs in the Dallas area; the â€Å"Dallas County Juvenile Department believes that for certain youth, treatment rather than punishment alone is the most effective strategy in avoiding future involvement with the juvenile justice system. Diversion programs offer youth an opportunity to agree on voluntary conditions that closely resemble probation, but are imposed by the probation officer instead of the Court. First time offenders with minor offenses and indicate certain criminal behavior risk factors may be eligible for specific diversion programs. Successful completion of the agreed conditions allows these youth to avoid appearing in Court, and prevent them from permeating into the juvenile system.† (DCJV, 2014) With all that said the two diversions programs used are one is the â€Å"Diversion Male Court (D.M.C.) targets minority males with first time and minor referrals. Using community-based alternatives to empower the youth and family, D.M.C. aims to reduce the disproportionate representation of minority male youth in the juvenile justice system. Community service providers in conjunction with the probation officer focus on issues which predispose the identified minority male youth to delinquent behavior.† (DCJV, 2014) And the other is the Drug Diversion Court that; â€Å"identifies and intervenes with youth who have a history of substance abuse. Youth involved in the program participate in community-based drug treatment programs, attend weekly court sessions, submit to regular drug testing, and consistently report to their probation officer. They receive the tools and support needed to live a drug-free life and remain out of the justice system.† (DCJV, 2014) As of 2013 drug related offenses involving juveniles in the Dallas county area went up from the previous year; in 2002 there were 94 and in 2013 there were 111. As far as assaults they were down from 2012 to 2013 from 244 to 229. Trying to identify the effectiveness of these programs is complicated since they are involving two different offenses, however more often than not they are related. Assaults and drug offenses are closely tied together in the juvenile criminal world. But their goal is the same in both cases to reduce the number of youth in detention and to provide them with some sort of community based program, in order to keep them occupied and help to rehabilitate them, and in return this will reduce recidivism amongst juveniles. If we were to look at just numbers I will say that the Drug Diversion Court has had more success in the Dallas area with its programs, however that can be disproportional because the amount of offenses. In conclusion this paper covered what is diversion, how it is applied and how it does work for two different programs in the Dallas county area. It is important to remember that this as effective as it might be in the Dallas area is not the same in other areas, disproportion on the studies and in the way that some ethnicities are group, and not to forget the age, makes it hard for this studies to be 100% accurate. References: Bynum, J.E., and Thompson, W.E. 1996. Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. 3d ed. Bullington, B., Sprowls, J., Katkin, D., and Phillips, M. 1978. Critique of diversionary juvenile justice. Crime and Delinquency 24(1):59-71. Dallas County Juvenile Department (DCJV, 2014) extracted information from www.dallascounty.org/department/juvenile/drug_diversion.php

Environmental Science Essay

Gagandeep Rai Period 3/4 Criteria air pollutants assignment​ Multiple Choice 1. A pungent reddish ­brown gas often associated with photochemical smog. (C) NO2 2. A corrosive gas from burning coal often associated with industrial smog. (d) SO2 3. A dangerous indoor air pollutant. (A) CO 4. Emitted from diesel and burning fuel. (E) PM10 5. All of the following are examples of primary air pollutants except. (c) tropospheric ozone 6. The greatest emission of sulfur dioxide comes from (C) Industrial processes 7. The least amount of nitrogen oxide emissions comes from (A) on ­ road vehicles 8. The accumulation of tropospheric ozone at night depends mainly upon the atmospheric concentrations of (B) volatile organics 1. What are they? The six criteria air pollutants are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides,lead,particulate matter and tropospheric ozone. These six pollutants significantly threaten human health, ecosystems and/or structures. 2. How is each produced? Sulfur dioxide is mostly produced from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil. It can also be released during volcanic eruptions. Nitrogen oxides are produced from vehicles as well as stationary fossil fuel combustion. Some is also released through lightning and forest fires.Carbon monoxide is formed by incomplete combustion of most matter. Vehicle exhaust and many other combustion process produce Carbon monoxide. It is also a indoor pollutant when exhaust systems on natural gas heaters misfunction. Carbon dioxide is produced from complete combustion of most matter such as biomass and fossil fuels. Particulate matter is released when fossil fuels and bio fuel is burned. Also it is released with activities that involve movement of dust or sand. Lead is released from old paint, gasoline additive and combustion of fossil fuels.

Protecting and Preserving Our Environment Essay

At WD, we recognize the need to preserve and protect the earth’s vital natural resources. We believe that part of being a good corporate citizen and a good neighbor is maintaining or improving the cleanliness of the air, water and land of the locations in which we operate. As a result, our facilities throughout the world comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations, and each has developed and implemented a comprehensive set of practices designed to ensure continued compliance. In addition, we continually review our operations and processes to identify opportunities which allow us to reduce or recycle byproducts generated by our activities. We are also concerned about protecting the natural resources of the communities in which our products are sold and used. We review the content of the products we manufacture and have established programs to eliminate or phase out the use of certain materials restricted by international legislation. We have also begun offering fo r sale a line of products specifically designed to reduce the environmental impact resulting from their use. All of our manufacturing facilities in Asia have environmental management systems in place which are ISO 14001 certified. Each facility has a comprehensive policy and set of supporting procedures addressing environmental permits, pollution prevention, hazardous substances, wastewater and solid wastes, airborne emissions and product content. Our policies express a commitment to continued improvement, and to this end, we review the status of our environmental management systems at least annually. All of our manufacturing facilities have environmental specialists onsite, and we provide training programs on environmental practices for employees whose job duties impact our environmental management systems. In addition, all of our facilities provide clear written direction to all employees and workers in languages appropriate to each site regarding requirements and responsibilities for environmental practices in accordance with company policy. Compliance with RoHS and WEEE Directives WD products manufactured and sold worldwide after August 1, 2005, meet or exceed Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance requirements as mandated by the European Union for electrical and electronic products. The RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament, which was effective in the EU beginning July 1, 2006, aims to protect human health and the environment by restricting the use of certain hazardous substances in new equipment, and consists of restrictions on lead, mercury, cadmium, and other substances. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive was developed to minimize the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment into landfills. WD hard drive products and packaging include the WEEE symbol in support of this directive. Supplier Compliance WD has conducted and continues to conduct very extensive tests regarding use of environmental compliant material on all our components. WD requires all component suppliers meet WD’s environmental Specification, titled â€Å"WD’s Environmental Guidelines for Materials, Components and Products.† This 20-page Specification sets forth the maximum threshold limits for restricted, prohibited and managed substances and requires suppliers to adhere to all applicable laws. In addition, the Specification states that all WD suppliers and sub-suppliers will be expected to complete environmental declaration forms for all new materials and components based on a combination of knowledge of their incoming raw materials, process review and their own analytical testing and certification data. Suppliers are required to maintain documented records, made available to Western Digital, indicating which measures are used to ensure compliance to the Specification. We review all suppliers ’ Declarations of compliance with WD’s environmental Specification during the launch of every new hard drive program and also track this together with a 3rd party Analytical lab data by component in our Environmental Compliance database. In addition, we maintain strict requirements with respect to Supplier Process/Material Change requests. Suppliers are also required to keep records of their in process tests to ensure compliance to the approved Process Management Plan and approved materials. These are regularly audited by WD. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Global climate change, caused by increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is one of the most significant concerns facing our world today. As a corporate citizen, WD is particularly sensitive to the effects of global climate change. The need to understand the science of climate change and to formulate appropriate policy to address scientific findings is intensifying with each passing day. To view WD’s Greenhouse Gas report, click here. Q&A for Environmental and Hazardous Materials Environmental QDoes Western Digital have management representatives responsible for assuring compliance with respect to environmental laws, regulations and codes? AYes. Western Digital has management representatives at all critical sites whose core responsibility is monitoring, communicating and training employees in all aspects of environmental compliance as related to the specific facility. QDo Western Digital’s facilities receive periodic audits of environmental practices in order to assess conformance with regulatory and other requirements? AYes. Western Digital conducts both internal and external audits to evaluate its compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations. QWhat types of policies, rules or procedures does Western Digital maintain relative to environmental programs? AWestern Digital maintains environmental polices, rules and/or procedures which address environmental permits, pollution prevention, hazardous substances, liquid waste, solid waste, air emission controls and product content. The substance of these programs is delivered to our employee population utilizing various formats including in-person training, web-based training, face-to-face communications, postings and bulletins. All programs are communicated in various languages appropriate to the employee population of each of our facilities to insure that all employees have a clear understanding of the programs. QDoes Western Digital place contractual requirements on its suppliers to be in compliance with environmental laws, regulations and codes of conduct? AYes. Whenever possible, Western Digital executes contracts with its suppliers which require, among other things, that the suppliers comply with all relevant and applicable environmental laws and regulations. QIs Western Digital required to maintain certain environmental permits in the operations of its facilities? AYes. Western Digital is required to maintain certain environmental permits as related to the operations of its facilities. Based on the geography and the operations, permits may be required for chemical handling and storage, waste treatment, wastewater discharge, air emissions and storage tanks. QDoes Western Digital make available Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDS) to workers that handle chemicals? AYes. Western Digital makes MSDS sheets available to employees onsite at all of its facilities. In addition, Western Digital contracts for OnCall MSDS information domestically. Hazardous Materials QDoes Western Digital use hazardous materials in its manufacturing process? AYes. Western Digital utilizes a variety of hazardous materials in its manufacturing operations. Classifications of hazardous materials include flammables, combustibles, corrosives and toxic gases. QHow does Western Digital store chemicals at its facilities? AWestern Digital stores all hazardous materials in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Storage areas are secured and covered containing various types of containers including bottles, cylinders, drums and other approved vessels with the appropriate type of labeling and containment as required or recommended by codes, regulations and other authorities. QDoes Western Digital generate wastes that are classified as hazardous wastes? AYes. Western Digital generates various types and quantities of hazardous wastes. All wastes are disposed of in compliance with applicable law, and we regularly audit our hazardous waste haulers and their facilities. QDoes Western Digital have a program or procedures for management of hazardous waste? AYes. Western Digital has a variety of programs and procedures for the management of its hazardous waste. These include monitoring, characterization, treatment, conversion and disposition. All wastes are disposed of in compliance with applicable law, and we regularly audit our hazardous waste haulers and their facilities. QDoes Western Digital have a site specific management system registered to ISO 14001, OSHAS 18001, or other recognized health and safety or environmental management standards? AYes. Western Digital factories in Malaysia and Thailand maintain management systems which have earned the ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 designation. QDoes Western Digital have programs or procedures to reduce or eliminate pollution and waste in its operations? AWestern Digital is always looking for ways to eliminate or reduce pollution or waste generated by our operations. Among the programs we consider are solvent re-use or elimination, process waste and emission minimization, packaging reduction, recycling or elimination as well as reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. QDoes Western Digital have programs or procedures to reduce the use of energy, water and other natural resources in its operations? AWestern Digital is always looking for ways to reduce energy and other natural resource consumption in our operations. Among the programs we consider are evaluating product or process design modifications, improvement in energy efficiency of process, and the evaluation of construction, maintenance and land use programs.

THE (ME )IN LEADERSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

THE (ME )IN LEADERSHIP - Essay Example During the process, I learned to be more critical of myself because this was a necessary requisite of being an effective leader. I learned that â€Å"it is necessary for a â€Å"leader, who possesses a clear self-concept through private self-consciousness, to be more likely to possess a strong purpose-in-life. Having a strong purpose involves consistency in self-identity (i.e., self-concept clarity) (Campbell, 1990 :59; Frankl, 1992). This clear awareness of my â€Å"self† translates to a clearer sense of goal and purpose which will evolve as a Self-Belief. Self-belief which will improve my inner confidence therefore will succeed and overcome any obstacle to achieve the best outcomes for service improvement. I also learned that this â€Å"mirroring as the reflections of self that a group member encounters in other group members, in the group leader, or in the group as a whole (Bion, 1961) harmonizes us within and eliminates discord beginning from perception of how I observe myself through my peers. I learned that this awareness of my â€Å"Self† and environment is a necessary aptitude for leadership in addition to technical competencies. As Gardner (1983) expounds â€Å"expanding on the concepts presented in early intelligence work as well as social intelligence theory, developed a theory of multiple intelligences. ...one of the seven areas of intelligence discussed in multiple intelligence theory, personal intelligence, corresponds to earlier theories such as social intelligence†. This emotional intelligence also provided me with the competencies such as self-awareness, self-regulation, personal motivation, empathy and strong social skills that enable me to be a democratic leader; a leader that involve and commit others not only in achieving a desired result but also the process of achieving it. My belief in democratic leadership was reinforced when Lawler (2001: 16-17) argued that democracy is inevitable, even in the workplace . . . Hi erarchial organizations are simply too inflexible and rigid to compete effectively in today's business environment. They fail to attract the right human capital and to produce the right core competencies and organizational capabilities. As a result, they need to be replaced by lateral forms of organization that rely heavily on teams, information technology, networks, shared leadership, and involved employees . . . [These new organizational forms] will have flat, agile structures, open information, power that moves to expertise, and systems that create knowledge and employees throughout the organization. Democratic leadership â€Å"functions as a means of engendering compliance with dominant goals and values and harnessing staff commitment, ideas, expertise and experience to realizing these† (Woods, 2004). I preferred a democratic process in dealing and decision making because the seeming differences will make us aware of the different perspectives that may be unknown to us be fore. Therefore, better approach and solution to certain issues may crystallize after the free flow of ideas. This has to be understood because â€Å"  understanding and cooperation of superiors, peers, and subordinates, it takes time to build these relationships† (Kayser, 1973;24). In conclusion of the previous module, I learned that to effectively lead and manage others, I must lead and manage my â€Å"Self† first. To direct others, it is imperative that I must have

The process of globalisation and its impacts on international business Essay

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

The economic growth of the UK has varied over the 10 years between Assignment

The economic growth of the UK has varied over the 10 years between 2004 and 2014 - Assignment Example The government has played its part in regulating and setting up of policies that help regulate the economic growth. Favorable government policies to stimulate the private sector, hence leads to achieving a change in broadband. The government has, moreover, removed trade barriers, hence allowing a favorable competitive in the global market and economy. The government has created a simpler tax system which is fairer. This helps in improving the state of public resources and finances.in the long run, the growth of the economy is boosted and workers who work to support their families are rewarded. The government has created a competitive taxation system among the G20 making it more lucrative and attractive to international investors. The corporate tax was reduced from twenty eight percent to twenty three and is expected to be lowered in 2015, making it the lowest among the G7 members (A Guide to UK Taxation, 2013). In 2010, the Corporate Tax Road Map was published by the government. This set up several principles that led to tax reforms. The bill opened way for low and simple corporate tax, a stable taxation system, legislation that minimized complexity. All these factors led to a favorable environment for investors, hence became a boost to the growth of the economy (A Guide to UK Taxation, 2013). The investment done by the government and private investors in setting up of infrastructure have been a major boost to economic growth. With over 1.7 billion pounds have been invested in over thirty six transport projects, including nine major highways, including the M62 and M1, several local authorities like the Greater bus network, Poole Bridge and Blackpool tram and the National infrastructure plan (2013, pg. 27). In the short-term the investment led to employment directly, created a demand for materials while, in the long term, it allowed the economy an open

HIstorical Film Assignment on JFK Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIstorical Film Assignment on JFK - Movie Review Example The Warren Commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren along with other investigating authorities such as House Select Committee FBI and Dallas police issued reports identifying Oswald as the sole assassin. A gallop poll conducted after 30 years of assassination indicates that 75% of Americans still believe in conspiracy theories (McCauley & Jacques, 1979). However, the conclusions made by these reports on assumption that Oswald was guilty, even triggered conspiracy theories about the involvement of federal agencies in the assassination (Kurtz, 1982). JFK is a 1991 motion picture, which examines the various events leading to the murder of President John F. Kennedy as explored by New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison. From his existing knowledge and what he learned about links to the murder subsequently, Garrison suspects several loopholes in FBI’s official story. He reopens investigation in 1966 after reading the warrens report, which convinced him of the numerous ina ccuracies and conflicts in the government’s story. ... Garrison presents evidence in court in the trial proceedings of Clay Shaw. However, in the endings, Shaw was acquitted of those allegations and Garrison stated that he will continue to dig out the truth. Though director Oliver Stone was severely criticized for distorting history, his film provoked calls and eventually succeeded in declassification of few secret documents relevant to the assassination (Benoit, 1998). The character portraits were criticized of being unauthentic. For instance, the original character of Garrison was totally inverted and his personality was falsely portrayed as a sympathetic figure in the film. The beating of Martin Jack, a historically dubious character, by Banister was exaggerated and the reasons altered in the film. The death of Ferrie was shown to be a murder, while he actually died of natural causes. Andrews’ claim about Shaw and Bertrand being the same person was falsely depicted in the film. In reality, Andrews totally denied this assumption and never testified to the fact. The witness Perry Russo, who was the key character in real Garrison’s case, was completely ignored and film substituted her with a fictional character O’Keefe (Smolla, 1992; Lambert, 1998). The personality of Shaw was greatly distorted as an arrogant, overt homosexual, while in truth he was a respected individual. There was no such character as X in reality, but fictional and loosely based on Col. Prouty who actually had no access to secret service or inside information. JFK asserts that Lyndon Johnson reversed Kennedy's new withdrawal policy from the Vietnam War, while as evident from declassified documents, the memorandum was drafted when Kennedy was

Should Corporate Parents Interfere in the Strategies of Diversified Essay

Should Corporate Parents Interfere in the Strategies of Diversified Groups of Companies - Essay Example Maybe the child company does the same type of product or service as the parent but more than often not. Some corporate strategies involve micro-managing the interests of the subordinate while others believe that letting the child manage its own affairs will result in a profitable win-win for both. So the question remains then, how much control should the parent exercise over the child? Discussion In the perfect corporate parent and child relationship the parent corporation is simply there to guide as it were. As in the physical parent and child relationship, the parent hopes the child will grow and prosper. No parent would ever expect his four year old child to stagnate there and on the same token the company that prospered in1998 to keep the same strategies as then. Times change, peoples’ needs change, and companies should be flexible enough to keep abreast of those changes. If not, the â€Å"cash cow† of 1998 might have turned into the dog of 2012. Therefore, the parent company should train and coach, while helping the child prepare for the future, only intervening when absolutely necessary for both of their continued successes. A good example of a company that failed to envision the future and failed to intervene was the now defunct Packard car company. From the early days of the automobile, the Packard name stood beside Cadillac and Lincoln as the symbol of luxury American cars. Yet the company made a fatal mistake when it acquired Studebaker in 1953, in response to decreased sales because of cutthroat competition by the Big Three. Even though it was financially solvent, Packard executives failed to see how troubled Studebaker actually was. A short five years later the last Packard was made and the Company tried to continue on as its child. By 1966, the entire company was bankrupt. Speaking of car companies, in 2008 General Motors found itself in financial trouble and received a Government loan. As part of its restructuring activities, and under pressure from Congress, the conglomerate agreed to divest itself of three divisions, one of which was Hummer. Although fairly profitable, Hummer was seen as a ball ast company that would eventually be driven out by its gas-guzzling SUV’s. So GM tried to sell the division but the deal fell through and Hummer was retired in 2010. The above were car companies though that owned other car companies. What about when the child’s core business is totally different from the parent’s? Back to GM, they owned appliance giant Frigidaire for sixty years. Yet their meddling in company affairs and trying to adapt the car model to home appliances, as well as foreign competition, caused Frigidaire to lose a whopping forty million dollars in1978. So GM saw them as an underperforming dog and sold the company to White Consolidated Industries in 1979. White likewise interfered with company business in such a manner that research and new product development was retarded for over a decade, almost a fatal blow to the ever volatile appliance business. Fortunately, White was likewise acquired by the Swedish firm Electrolux in the late eighties. Appl ying the European model to Frigidaire and making the brand visible helped them dramatically by the middle 1990’s and although behind industry leader Whirlpool in overall sales revenue, Frigidaire is still around and fairly healthy (Frigidaire). PepsiCo is a good example of a global corporation that leads its subsidiaries properly and makes just enough interference to ensure that profitability is obtained by both parent and child. True, most if not all of the conglomerate’s secondary companies deal with some segment of the food industry

TMA1 Revised Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TMA1 Revised - Essay Example s it, his transgression - of lending fire to the humans he is credited with having created - was punished by Zeus in the form of a notoriously cruel curse. Prometheus would be bound to a rock in the Caucasus and an eagle would eat his liver all day; whatever had been consumed during the day would regenerate overnight and the eagle would be back the next day, continuing this cycle of torture ad infinitum. Prometheus was finally freed from this curse by Zeus’s son, the hero Heracles, and was later allowed to regain his position as god, though still bound by a symbolic ring and a piece of the rock he was tied to as a reminder of his punishment (Grimal 1996). The poet Hesiod’s account of the Prometheus myth in his Theogony is considered one of its most authoritative versions. In his version, the story of Prometheus’s first notable deception of Zeus - the incident where Prometheus disguises the ox bones with fat and the flesh with the ox hide and fools Zeus into choosing the apparently valuable but actually worthless bones - is described in clearly partisan terms. Prometheus is referred to as â€Å"devious and wily† while Zeus is called â€Å"far-seeing† and his wisdom is repeatedly praised - â€Å"Zeus, whose wisdom is immortal†; â€Å"Zeus in his wisdom† and so on. (Morford and Lenardon 2003). We are also told in this version that Zeus â€Å"was not unaware of this [Prometheus’s] trick.† The illustration Atlas and Prometheus, from a 6th century BCE engraving on a Laconian cup, is also interesting in its suggestions (Morford and Lenardon 2003). Atlas is pictured as looking on helplessly, while his brother, Prometheus, is attacked by the eagle. Prometheus is seen tied to a column and Atlas with the weight of the skies on his shoulder. There is also a snake on the extreme left which appears to be attacking Atlas. The representation of both these tormented Titans in the same panel emphasizes the might and wrath of Zeus and may have been a common image among

State of the economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

State of the economy - Essay Example It means that the U.S. economy has improved a lot as compared to the U.S. economy back in 2008. Based on the historical trend of quarter-to-quarter growth in real GDP, the U.S. real GDP tend to increase during the 4th quarter of each year. The trend strongly suggests that demand for products and services usually increase between October to December of each year. (See Figure I – Quarter-to-Quarter Growth in Real GDP on page 2) CPI is defined as â€Å"a measure of the overall cost of the goods and services bought by a typical consumer† (Mankiw 834). There is a significant relationship between the real GDP and CPI. Given that the real GDP falls into negative values, the CPI also tends to be at the lowest value. For instance, the real GDP during the 4th quarter of 2008 was -9%. As a result, the CPI during these periods was following a declining trend from 216.573 in October 2008 down to 210.228 in December 2008. (See Table I – Five-Year Summary of CPI below; Figure II – Five-Year CPI Trend in U.S. on page 3) Unemployment rate is defined as â€Å"the number of unemployed people who want to have a job but do not have one† (Kennedy 36). The U.S. unemployment rate is somehow related to the county’s real GDP. Since the real GDP was at the lowest during the last quarter in 2008, its unemployment rate started to rise significantly on January 2008. It means that there were a lot of companies in the U.S. that had to implement a massive lay-off or close down the company due to bankruptcy. Since the 4th quarter of 2010, the unemployment rate in the United States was moving on a downward trend. The continuous decrease in the U.S. unemployment rate was possible since the U.S. real GDP and CPI was somehow increasing. (See Table II – U.S. Unemployment Rate below; Figure III – Trend of U.S. Unemployment Rate on page 4) Other useful economic indicators include: the producer price index (PPI), interest rates, and export and imports. Specifically the PPI

Dramatic principle Essay Example for Free

Dramatic principle Essay The Prelude is a long autobiographical poem, described the poets love of nature and his own place in the world order. Dust as we are, the immortal spirit grows Like harmony in music; there is a dark Inscrutable workmanship that reconciles Discordant elements, makes them cling together In one society. The Prelude had a great influence in prose poetry (Nichols 66 as quoted by Moore). Lyrical dialogue can be observed in it which shows that through Prelude, he wanted to move away from the monologic lyric. His breaking out from the monologic lyric has created the prose poem. The significant idea that the form of the poem should reflect the experience is denoted by his short poems (Rehder 179 as quoted by Moore). He desired for irregular forms to experience uniqueness (Rehder 206 as quoted by Moore). The poetic genres free verse and prose poetry are actually developed from that idea of uniqueness. Robert Browning had won himself the reputation of a dramatic poet and was able to produce the dramatic monologues. Though at his time a dramatic monologue was not yet a genre, this is considered now as a poetic genre with intriguing characteristics in a sense that it gripped the minds of the scholars. This genre has a characteristic of modern criticism. However, modern criticism stresses on the dramatic part, the dramatic monologue stresses the lyrical characteristics. His monologues incorporate action and conflict in the drama thus it involves outpouring of emotions. It is clearly evident in his work that it is a mixture of lyrical and dramatic (Abou-Bakr). Browning’s collection the Dramatic Lyrics shows his concept of poetic genre particularly about being lyrical and dramatic. It seems that Browning saw the dramatic principle by employing the creation of fictional characters who will take the role of the speaking voice I his poems. These characters or the so-called personae are the ones giving the lyrical utterances or expressions. To Browning, lyrical and dramatic can be differentiated by its proximity from the poet himself. The Confessional exposes not the sin of the persona however it reveals the sin of the priest. It was actually lightened by the humor incorporated in it. You think Priests just and holy men! Before they put me in this den I was a human creature too, With flesh and blood like one of you, A girl that laughed in beautys pride Like lilies in your world outside. The fathers head was long and white, With love and truth his brow seemed bright; He told me what he would not tell For hope of heaven or fear of hell; And I lay listening in such pride! And, soon as he had left my side, Tripped to the church by morning-light To save his soul in his despite. Wordsworth’s and Browning’s work are similar in some ways but different in most ways. The main difference of their works is the genre itself. Wordsworth is employing lyrical dialogue in his poems in which he can be one of the persons in the dialogue. He is very effective in showing the beauty of what can be seen due to fact that his poetry are all about those he had highest regard and those he got involve with. His works tell truths of what is truly a happening and there is enthusiasm on it. He developed the prose poetry by employing dialogue in his poems. Browning is more focused on describing what is truly felt. His works dwell on emotions felt by a person in a certain situation. He developed the dramatic monologue which becomes the basis for modern criticism. In his works he makes use of personae to represent the person in the poem. These are actually fictional characters which speak for and express the emotion in the poem. He diverged from what is called tradition of poetry and tried to present his poem in a different view. Works Cited Abou-Bakr, Randa. â€Å"2001. American University in Cairo. Accessed February 8, 2008, from http://www. thefreelibrary. com/ Robert+Brownings+%22 Dramatic+Lyrics%22: +Contribution+to+a+Genre-a082322117 Brians, Paul. â€Å"Romanticism. † 1998. Accessed Februry 9, 2008, from http://www. wsu. edu /~brians/ hum_303/romanticism. html Moore, Dena L. â€Å"William Wordsworth’s Contribution to Prose Poetry. 2002. Accessed February 8, 2008, from http://www. authorsden. com/visit/viewarticle. asp? AuthorID=3247id=5659 â€Å"Romantic Movement. † 21st Century Universal Encyclopedia. Eight Edition, 1994. â€Å"Socialist Realism. † 21st Century Universal Encyclopedia. Eight Edition, 1994. â€Å"Social Realism. † Accessed February 9, 2008 from, http://www. freeessays . cc/db/6/ame195. shtml

Dangers of Passive Smoking Essay Example for Free

Dangers of Passive Smoking Essay The topic chosen for the environmental factor that poses a threat to the health or safety of infant is secondhand smoke. According to the center for disease control and prevention, Secondhand smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles that includes smoke from a burning tobacco product such as a cigarette, cigar, smoke that has been exhaled or breathed out by the person or people smoking. The parent I shared the pamphlet with is a 25year old African American mother of a 5year old male child. She has a high school diploma, single mother and works as a clerical associate in a private institution. The objective of the pamphlet was to educate her on the need to be aware of the danger of second hand smoke to her child, to make her environment as smoke free as possible and to know the resources out there for use when needed. The importance of the pamphlet was also explained to her because it can be used as a source for information or an avenue to reach out to resources, to know the effects of secondhand smoke. The effects of secondhand smoke to her child such asthma, ear infections, breathing problems, bronchitis and sudden infant death syndrome was also included to enhance her knowledge. During the interaction, she was very receptive of teaching, eager to learn, she also asked questions which were relevant to the topic that was discussed. She is not a smoker, but was concerned about the safety of her child because the neighbors in her apartment building smoke, sometimes in front of her building. The need to remove her child from the area as much as possible when the smoking is going on was stressed, she has a pediatrician that the child goes to for checkup. Understanding of the pamphlet by the parent was demonstrated by the relevant questions she asked such as how to protecting her child from secondhand smoke, and what type of illness occur from secondhand smoke , answers were provided to the questions from evidenced-based research. My impression of the experience is an exciting one and it went well, but there is always room to improve because nursing is a continuous process, and the feeling that I am putting my skill of educating the parent to better care for her ch ild and to protect the child as much as possible.

An Overview Into Green Tea Market Of Thailand Marketing Essay

An Overview Into Green Tea Market Of Thailand Marketing Essay One of the most popular markets in Thailand apparently is the green tea market. The competition is fierce, old and new faces, big and small, and all of them have the expectation that the sales of their green tea products will soar up in the chart eventually. Oishi Group Public Company Limited, nobody in Thailand will never heard of this company as it is the current green tea leader, is expecting that the market value will reach impressive ten billion baht by the end of this year. The currently green tea market value is at eight billion baht. Such as the new players, T.A.C. Beverage Company Limited has invested about 50 million baht to promote the new products, green tea products Shenya. They have launch two flavours of Shenya into the market. As the same as other players, their products are shelved in most of the convenience stores. Regarding the promotional strategy by T.A.C. beverage Company Limited plans to increase the growth through a discount rate in price strategy, that it will sell their product Shenya at 15 baht for a set period of time, as other selling it at 20 baht. Another notable green tea company is Uni-President Company Limited. They launch the green tea products to Thailand in 2001, as we all know in the name of Unif brand or as we know Unif-Green Tea. The company use to be the market leader of green tea until Oishi took over the throne for a short time. Unif and Osishi have been encounter to each other for over the past year and exchanging their seat on the top of green tea pedestal many times. The stance of Unif was to boost sales, and try to capture public attention by make use of emotional advertisement campaigns. One good example of it is the worm television advertisement. And at the same time, Oishi was investing in hi-technological as in anti-contaminated equipment. Oishi tend to use the strategy as in concerning the customer relationship management. As to be mention earlier that most green tea firms distribute their products at different convenience stores. But, Oishi has decided to sell their green tea products at any place that the crowd of people gather together, such as sport festival or entertainment events. With this strategy, Oishi would be able to penetrate and get in touch with different type of customers more effectively and easily. PESTEL Analysis P-Political Political problem will affect the trade political conditions E-Economic Raw material price is varying. When raw material price become vary, the company cannot adjust the price of the product to match with the price of it raw material. S-Social As the worker employment rate increase, the supply of employment surely increases but the paid decrease. T-Technology Technology development in information and specific communication using internet. The opportunity by using internet increase as to do marketing activities in which including more competitors. E-Environmental In the present day people turn to a healthy and more environmental friendly product. -The compete of business specific in idea about concern healthy to increase adaptation. In business area the competition in a specific idea concerning health have become more popular to increase adaptation L-Legal Concerning the opening hour for department store. There are many factors in which will affect the decision of managers of many organizations, the help analysis those factors, PESTEL model can be used. The Political factors, in which the policies in which government have set the opening hour of department store or office in which can affect the revenue of the company easily. However, the organization still has the help of 7-eleven in which can be open 24 hour, selling ratio product over night. Also the Political problem can affect the trade political condition as the trader will become more worry about the situation inside the country. Economic factors will related to the raw material price in which if the price is vary the company will have a hard time or sometime cannot adjust the price of the product to match the price of the raw material correctly. It is a grave matter in gaining profit or causing a loss if the price is too unstable. Worker employment rate is related to the social factors. It is good that the rate of employment i ncreasing mean people got jobs to do and get paid, but the paid will be decreasing as in common sense. Technology factor is an important factor that will support the company reputation and marketing. By using internet and development of communication marketing activities become more fierce and also with more competition. Environment factor is the factor that people have paid attention to in the present day as by using a material that preserving the environmental friendly will increase the good reputation for the company and in return the customers will gain a healthy diet product from the company. For the legal factor issue will be related to the political factor as to be concerning about the opening hour for department store. Five Forces Model Current rivalry among existing firms: Threat: -The growth in sale of industry is slow -High cost of fixing and inventory storage costs. -No switching cost or differentiation -Large additional of capacity space require. -Vary of competitors. Opportunity -Few competitors -Not much of strong opponents -Low risk strategy -Easy to exit Potential entry of new competitors: Threat: -Potential cost disadvantages doesnt exist -Not much different in products. -Require a minimal amount of capital -Minimal switching costs -Government policy protection is out of reach. Opportunity: -Large economic scale -Able to control distribution access channel. Potential development of substitute products: Threat: -Few or little substitutes of goods. -Several not-so-good substitutes. Opportunity: -None Bargaining power of suppliers: Threat: -A supplier is enabling or able to gain ability to do whatever the buying industry does. Opportunity: -Supplying industry has a lot of companies. -Substitute product do exist for suppliers -Industry is count as an important customer. -Minimal switching cost in supplier product -Differential in suppliers product doesnt exist. Bargaining power of consumers: Threat: -Complete information will be present for the buyer -Having a standard in purchases or undifferentiated -Purchases are significant part -Buyer may have to faces few switching cost. Opportunity: -Buyers purchase small amount of volumes -Buyer is unable to manufacture products. We have used five forces model to analyze the industry and competitors of Oishi Green Tea. The results above provide at the top have shown the result of analyzing the five force model. As the result has shown, there is only one topic as low bargaining power of suppliers that provide a positive result for Oishi. In contrast, there are 4 topics that have high current rivalry among the existing firm, high potential entry of new competitors, high substitute products nod high bargaining power of buyers will definitely giving a negative effect on Oishi company. As in conclude, this industry, the market is not attractive to Oishi. The company should widen and invest more in to other industry such as a coffee market for example. In present day, Oishi has launch new brand as Coffio to expand their business.

Audrey Hofstadter Summary: The Founding Fathers: The Age of Realism E

Audrey Hofstadter Summary: The Founding Fathers: The Age of Realism Summary of Section: I The reasoning behind the Constitution of the United States is presented as 'based upon the philosophy of Hobbes and the religion of Calvin. It assumes the natural state of mankind in a state of war, and that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.' Throughout, the struggle between democracy and tyranny is discussed as the Founding Fathers who envisioned the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787 believed not in total democracy, but instead saw common man as selfish and contemptuous, and therefore in need of a 'a good political constitution to control him.' Being a largely propertied body, with the exception of William Few, who was the only one who could honestly be said to represent the majority yeoman farmer class, the highly privileged classes were fearful of granting man his due rights, as the belief that 'man was an unregenerate rebel who has to be controlled' reverberated. However, the Fathers were indeed ?intellectual heirs? of the seventeenth-century England republicanism with its opposition to arbitrary rule and faith in popular sovereignty. Thus, the paradoxical fears of the advance in democracy, and of a return to the extreme right emerged. The awareness that both military dictatorship and a return to monarchy were being seriously discussed in some quarters propelled the Constitutional framers such as John Jay to bring to attention. II Consistent to eighteenth-century ethos left the Constitution-makers with great faith in universals. They believed in an inexorable view of a self-interested man. Feeling that all me were naturally inclined to be bad they sought a compromising system of checks and balances for government. This was bolstered by the scientific work by Newton, ?in which metaphors sprang as naturally to mens minds as did biological metaphors in the Darwinian atmosphere of the late nineteenth century.? Therefore Madison and others thought to squelch the possibly dangerous majority by setting up a large number and variety of local interests, so that the people will ?be unable to concert and carry into effect their scheme of oppression.? And thus, chief powers went to the propertied. III Constitutional format was a series of ironical statements, as it stands in ?direct antithesis to American democratic f... ...anced. Governeur Morris understood that, ?Wealth tends to corrupt the mind and to nourish its love of power, and to stimulate it to oppression. History proves this to be the spirit of the opulent.? Therefore as seen with the second quote, Hofstadter is emphasizing the compromise in leaving a form of representative government as well as having a strong federal government in that ?its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.? Therefore they saw it as in their form of a small direct democracy the unstable passions of the people would dominate law making; but a representative government, as Madison stated, would ?refine and enlarge the public views by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens.? John Adams finally pointed out in Defence of the Constitution of Government of the United States that the split in assembly would stop the rich from ?plundering the poor, and vice versa,? wit h an impartial executive armed with the veto power. Thus, what radiates from such actions was the achievement of neutralization. Bibliography: Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition.

Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :: William Golding Robert Louis Stevenson Essays

Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The novels The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord of the Flies by William Golding both portray a very similar message. In both novels there are characters, which represent both good and evil showing the contrasts, which occur throughout the whole storyline. Both novels can be described as an allegory as they both show different levels and meanings e.g. in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one represents good the other evil even though they are the same person. This gives us the indication that Stevenson's message is that evil can be found inside everyone. Also Golding uses characters to bring this message across as well. Lord of the Flies is situated on an island and when the boy's plane crashes they are provided with the ideal surrounding with great resources to survive until they're rescued. The island almost acts as a parent even though they are without parental supervision. The island can be compared to the Garden of Eden as it's described as a "natural beauty". But straight away we are warned there is a "dark side" to the island. Almost suggesting something will go wrong or this is where something horrendous will take place. The children's main aim when they are all together is to pick a leader. This is where the conflict begins mainly because Ralph gets picked and Jack becomes Jealous. Ralph shows maturity and intelligence where Jack shows power and strength. Golding almost suggests that if Jack and Ralph were combined they would be the ultimate leader. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows how scientific experiments can go wrong and Stevenson tells that even though we try to avoid evil it will never go away. The novel all starts with the concern of Mr. Utterson, Henry Jekyll's lawyer. He is worried and confused that Jekyll has left all his possessions in his will to a Mr. Hyde who he has never met. "All his possessions were to pass into the hands of his friend and benefactor Edward Hyde" Utterson confronts Jekyll's old friend Dr. Lanyon but he hasn't heard of a Mr. Hyde. "No. Never heard of him. Since my time" Its ironic that the name Hyde can be heard as hide so we are told that even before we begin to read that Mr. Hyde must be strange or almost none existent. Utterson tracks down Hyde and is horrified by the way he looks and doesn't understand how Jekyll could be friends with such

Campus in the Sky :: Personal Narrative Education College Essays

Campus in the Sky When I was 18 I moved out of my parent's house into what most would consider a small two bedroom apartment with a friend. To me it was a kingly palace because it was mine. A dishwasher that didn't work, a room so small that my bed barely fit, and bathroom I had trouble turning around in without running into a wall. Still, it was my own, and that was all that mattered. I worked a 9-5 job, scraping every penny to get by. It took two years for me to realize that there had to be something better. I wanted a better life, a better education, and a job that would not just pay my bills, but give me mental satisfaction as well. It was then, at the age of 20 that I decided to pack my bags and get an education. I considered it a new start to my life and enrolled at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. I had never lived outside of the Denver Metro area and I wasn't sure what to expect. I read all the materials from the college, all the pamphlets, and did as much research about the town as I could. The college was nicknamed, â€Å"The Campus in the Sky,† and the pictures showed a sprawling campus set atop a golden mountain with forests all around. So, with a bit of fear and a great deal of excitement, I packed my bags, loaded my truck and set off for a small mountain town where my life would be reborn. I started heading south and two hours after leaving home I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. It was a bright Saturday morning in August and the heat of the summer absorbing into the dark interior of my truck left me sweltering. Trying to save money, I dared not turn on the air conditioning. The remnants of my former life were packed into boxes that filled every open space of my oven on wheels. After passing Colorado Springs, I was met with open land on either side as far as I could see. There was nothing but flat prairie on either side with an occasional road aptly named â€Å"Boondocks,† or â€Å"Dead End Road,† veering off east or west. Seeing those names nearly made me turn back. â€Å"Where am I going, and why?† I thought to myself. Campus in the Sky :: Personal Narrative Education College Essays Campus in the Sky When I was 18 I moved out of my parent's house into what most would consider a small two bedroom apartment with a friend. To me it was a kingly palace because it was mine. A dishwasher that didn't work, a room so small that my bed barely fit, and bathroom I had trouble turning around in without running into a wall. Still, it was my own, and that was all that mattered. I worked a 9-5 job, scraping every penny to get by. It took two years for me to realize that there had to be something better. I wanted a better life, a better education, and a job that would not just pay my bills, but give me mental satisfaction as well. It was then, at the age of 20 that I decided to pack my bags and get an education. I considered it a new start to my life and enrolled at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. I had never lived outside of the Denver Metro area and I wasn't sure what to expect. I read all the materials from the college, all the pamphlets, and did as much research about the town as I could. The college was nicknamed, â€Å"The Campus in the Sky,† and the pictures showed a sprawling campus set atop a golden mountain with forests all around. So, with a bit of fear and a great deal of excitement, I packed my bags, loaded my truck and set off for a small mountain town where my life would be reborn. I started heading south and two hours after leaving home I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. It was a bright Saturday morning in August and the heat of the summer absorbing into the dark interior of my truck left me sweltering. Trying to save money, I dared not turn on the air conditioning. The remnants of my former life were packed into boxes that filled every open space of my oven on wheels. After passing Colorado Springs, I was met with open land on either side as far as I could see. There was nothing but flat prairie on either side with an occasional road aptly named â€Å"Boondocks,† or â€Å"Dead End Road,† veering off east or west. Seeing those names nearly made me turn back. â€Å"Where am I going, and why?† I thought to myself.

Project Recommendation Email Essay

  We have three project proposals to consider in next week’s Project Management Office’s (PMO) Review. Piper Industries Corp. needs the projects to be complete and to be generating review within 12 months of next week’s PMO Review. Wendell Deirelein, our vice-president, has assigned your team to analyze the three projects below and make a recommendation on which project the company should invest in. The recommendation must include your team description of the five phases of the project and the key deliverables (project completion date and cost) for each project. Project Code Name: Juniper †¢This is an enhancement of a current widget being offered by our company. †¢Risk of completion of this project on time is low. †¢Product plan shows the critical path to be 6 months at a cost of $325,000 to bring the product to market. †¢Product is forecasted to have a ROI of $250,000 for a period of 2 to 3 years. †¢The third year is forecasted to be the end of life for this product line due to advances projected in technology. †¢This is a standard product line that marketing believes many customers will want to purchase. Project Code Name: Palomino †¢This is a new line of widget products including enhancements using existing technology. †¢Risk for completion of this project on time is medium. †¢Production plan shows the critical path to be 9 months at a cost of $655,000 to bring the product to market. †¢Product is forecasted to have a ROI of $450,000 for a period of 5 years. †¢This product will be a custom part for one of your strategic customers—historically the forecasts from this customer have a 5% margin of error. †¢The seventh year is forecasted to be the end of life for this product by the customer. Project Code Name: Stargazer †¢Research and development has already started on our new widgets. The company has spent $450,000 on this product so far and the estimate to bring this product to market is $575,000. †¢Risk of completing this project on time is high. †¢Product is forecasted to have ROI of $300,000 first year; $550,000 the second year; and $750,000 the third year. †¢The product life is forecasted to be 7 years for this product. (This forecast included derivative product which will cost more). †¢By delivering such an innovative product to the market place first, your organization will be seen as a leader in this industry. †¢Your sales and marketing teams have discussed this type of product with a few of your strategic customers; while some are interested, there are many questions about the business. Sincerely, Ray Gritsch Piper Industries Corporation

Principles of Supply Chain Management Essay

Case 3) Don’t shoot the messenger 1. If you were in Jeff’s position, what would you have done to preserve relationships? If I were in Jeff’s position, I would first have thanked my suppliers and expressed gratitude to them for being willing to work closely with the company in not only designing the new product line, but in then reducing supply prices by the asked for 10 percent. I then would have tried to explain the position of the company and how the price decreases were essential to ensuring a successful product launch. Explaining why the additional cost reduction was requested may not make the actual price cuts easier to make, but it should help somewhat when it comes to maintaining the relationships with the suppliers. Hopefully Jeff has treated them honestly up until now and has a level of trust built up with them. 2. Describe the ethical issues involved. It seems to me that the main ethical issue is in the letter that was sent to suppliers on July 5th. The implicit threat that business with suppliers would be cancelled if the cost demands were not met is not consistent with the type of relationship that Jeff had built with his suppliers, based on honestly, integrity, and hard work. In addition, Billing Equipment was asking for previously agreed upon contracts to be re-opened and re-negotiated in order to make the price cuts, essentially going back on their own word. 3. What is your assessment of the general manager’s approach to meeting target cost objectives? My assessment of the general manager’s approach to meeting target cost objectives is that it is not the right way to approach the issue. I don’t like the strong-arm tactics, with the thinly-veiled threat of cancellation if they don’t comply. The General Manager should have involved the suppliers and been more open with them on the need to reduce overall costs for the product line. He could have explained the long-term benefit of partnering with Billings Equipment, even  if there were a financial sacrifice in the short term. As the case pointed out, in essence, the suppliers that complied and tried to work with the company were punished by being asked to cut prices even more. Case 5) John Deere and Complex Parts, Inc. 1. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of John Deere’s Achieving Excellence Program. Consider and discuss other criteria to include in the analysis. John Deere’s Achieving Excellence Program is designed to develop long-lasting supplier relationships through an evaluation process that promotes communication, trust, cooperation, and innovation. I think that overall this is a very good program. It encourages suppliers to work with John Deere and collaborate to improve cost, quality, and timeliness of delivery. It includes some objective ratings that can directly measure supplier performance, and could be used to help identify areas of improvement. It helps to form long-lasting relationships with suppliers, which is in John Deere’s best interests. Some of its weakness are subjectivity, that it has no concern for what is good for supplier, and may have a difficult entry level since you only receive training if you rate highly in the system. Subjective metrics like the Wavelength and Technical criteria are more difficult to measure accurately. Subjective measures leave things open to interpretation. Personal bias or even misunderstanding can result in an artificially low or high rating in a subjective measurement. The criteria would need to be very clearly defined. The AEP program is also benefits John Deere primarily, rather than the suppliers. Suppliers that rate highly do get additional John Deere training, but even that is in the best interests of the John Deere Company. While John Deere is a reputable company, and desirable to do business with, the main reward for performance excellence in the AEP program is a plaque, maybe a banquet, and more John Deere training. The program almost has a negative incentive for new suppliers. John Deere should have some kind of outreach training for new suppliers that wish to be partners, rather than just supplying additional training for expert suppliers. It could be seen as a program that keeps the elite at elite levels, but does not offer assistance to those newcomers that may need the assistance and expertise of John Deere to improve. While responsiveness is encompassed in the wavelength measurement, I think that it  is important enough to have its own evaluation criteria (Winsor, Tan, Leong p. 124). The case mentions some of the frustrations that John Deere experienced waiting for the return of quotes from Complex Parts. An unresponsive supplier can cause supply chain issues very quickly. 2. Do you think Complex Parts has performed adequately over the past year? Why or why not? Which of the Deere supplier assessment classifications should be assigned to Complex Parts? I think that Complex Parts has adequate performance over the past year as a whole, however some areas of concern have arisen, specifically concerning delivery and communication. Their quality rating is very good, and until recently, their delivery rating was very good as well. Lately, an increasing number of deliveries had to be expedited, which costs John Deere money. The case stated that it seems as though expediting delivery has become a weekly requirement. Delivery ratings fell from 8,650 to 155,000 over the last quarter. That metric alone is enough to put the supplier in to Conditional status. Overall, I would assign a rating of Approved to Complex Parts. Their past performance is worth noting, but recent developments are of great concern. Reducing their supplier rating should send them a message that performance, specifically deliveries and responsiveness, must improve in order to continue doing business with John Deere. 3. If you were a member of the supplier evaluation team, what alternative course of action would you consider for Complex Parts? What recommendations should the team make to the project manager? As a member of the evaluation team, I would recommend that a very close eye be kept on the Delivery metric, as that is where the supplier seems to be slipping the most, and would communicate that intention to Complex Parts. They need to understand that while they have been a good supplier in the past, current performance issues cannot be ignored. Delivery times and response times to quotes and other communications must be improved. I would suggest a meeting between the project manager and key team members at Complex Parts to discuss expectations and possible consequences of  non-compliance with John Deere policies. The team should recommend a rating of Approved to the project manager, with specific follow-up items detailed surrounding delivery and responsiveness. 4. What are the short-term and long-term implications of your recommendation? Short term, I would expect immediate improvements in the delivery rating of Complex parts. The reduction in rating is very much a disciplinary action, and intended to be an eye-opener to the supplier. It sends a message that while they are still valued as a supplier, certain aspects of their performance have slipped in to the unacceptable range. Long term, I believe that an action such as this should help strengthen the relationship. Disciplinary action usually comes off negatively, but if the right meetings and discussions take place and concerns are addressed openly and honestly, Complex Parts should be able to see that John Deere does have a vested interest in helping them improve and re-attain a raking of Partner. The fact that as a member of the evaluation team I am not just recommending dropping them or recommending a raking of Conditional shows that there is still hope in rebuilding the business relationship to a healthy, productive level. Case 7) Supplier Development at Deere, & Company 1. Is Deere’s tactic an appropriate one? I do not think Deere’s tactic is the appropriate way to approach the situation. I agree from the details of the case that some improvements need to be made the help reduce they cycle time at Excelsior, but I don’t think a mandatory cost reduction is going to get the job done. I think it will create bad blood and irreparably damage the supplier relationship. 2. What are the implications of the tactic and the possible consequences, positive or negative? The implications of the tactic are that Excelsior needs to fall in line with Deere’s demands or lose their business. The added implication is that Excelsior will essentially be out of business if this happens because 95% of their income is from Deere’s orders. Both of these outcomes are negative,  and I am having difficulty seeing a positive consequence come out of this situation. I think that Excelsior is justified in their concerns, and while they may be dragging their feet, I feel like it is an appropriate reaction to the concept of restructuring their entire process. 3. If it is not an appropriate tactic, what are some alternatives? I think that a valid alternative would be to emphasize the value that Excelsior has to Deere as a primary supplier of the connector that they manufacture for Deere, and to reinforce the desire to maintain a long-term, profitable relationship with them. Additionally, Deere may have been able to supply examples of other suppliers that they have worked with to improve their efficiency. Rather than case studies and meetings, real world examples of success could be used to help persuade Excelsior’s top decision makers that this was the correct course of action. 4. Is this an ethical approach? I do not think that this is an ethical approach. Deere is effectively using their position of power in the relationship to force Excelsior to take action that they are not convinced is the correct course of action. I think that they should act in an advisory role, not force them in to action. Ultimately, the decision is Excelsior’s as to whether to re-tool and comply with Deere’s wishes, and while there are big consequences to that decision, it should not be forced upon them. 5. What are some of the implications as far as human resource management is concerned? How can the group members better manage the consensus building to present an undivided front to Excelsior? If Deere’s plan does not succeed, there is a large risk that they will have to put forth a massive human resource effort to replace Excelsior as a supplier. Deere would have to expend large amounts of time and resources to identify, secure, and develop a new supplier. The group members could better manage consensus building by involving more people from Excelsior’s production teams. Deere should work towards a  win-win scenario with Excelsior (p. 119). Perhaps they would be able to show the benefits of the proposed system to those that are closer to the actual work. Those individuals could then weigh in and lend support to the plan, possibly overcoming the resistance that Excelsior’s Frank and Sanderson felt. Deere’s associates could re-commit to Excelsior that they are a valued long-term supplier, but that these changes needed to be enacted to ensure long-term viability. Deere could explain that there are customers further down the supply chain requesting faster turnaround, and that these requests are not solely coming from Deere. References Joel D. Wisner, K.-C. T. (2012). Principles of Supply Chain Management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Behavioral Economics Essay

Introduction Behavioral Economics is an extremely important field of psychology; it seeks to expand the current tools that researchers use in economics and finance to introduce new models of human behavior that are adequately founded in psychological research. The Behavior Economics is crucial in business decision making process. The knowledge in Business and Financial Literacy is very important for their direct application to Business and Consulting Psychology. Understanding Financial Management which includes: profit & loss, cash flow, balance sheets, ratios, ROI, working capital, budgeting, financial planning, and corporate finance; and Business Management that includes: business strategy, strategic market management, micro-economic analysis, sustainable competitive advantage, strategic positioning, diversification, acquisitions, mergers, and technology management, will allow the consultant to help businesses increase their profits and improve their company’s culture. Business Management and Strategy Business Strategy is a management plan of action that an organization put in place in order to achieve a particular goal or a set of goals and objectives, this strategy can help the organization differentiate itself from its competitors. In order for a company to differentiate itself from their competitors, they need to successfully implement a strategy that will determine the market that the business will compete, the investment needed, the strategies required to compete in that specific market and the strategic resources or competencies that underline the strategy by providing a important sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) (Aaker, 2001). Budgeting and Financial Planning There are many vital managerial tools that assist in managing a successful business. Budgeting is the most common and widely used tool for planning and control; it is essentially a guideline that focuses on spending, it can breaks down all the business’ expenses in different categories, per example, utilities, payroll, taxes, materials, equipment, etc, also all the income that the business expect to receive in a certain period of time, this period of time is usually yearly, monthly or sometimes weekly. Once the manager has all the estimated income and expenses for that period of time, the budget will start to take shape. The budget goal is to subtract all the expected expenses from the expected income for the same period and still have a positive cash balance. A budget should not be a rigid and fixed tool from which you may never deviate (Wood, 2012). The Financial Planning focuses on allocating resources efficiently, specifically achieving long range goals. In summary, while the budget focuses on the daily functioning of the organization, the future depends greatly on the financial planning which in turn relies on budgeting in order to be effective. Corporate Finance The Corporate Finance addresses how organizations face their financial obligation, to intelligently invest their resources, achieve the correct combination of financing to fund their investments and return a profit to the investors; hence achieving value maximization. When a company invests in a project or multiple projects, this project will generate expenses and will create revenue for the company, but what is a project? Project is any activity that generates a series of cash flows for the organization. The company uses the revenue in excess of expenses to fund new projects, improve existing projects or pay its investors (Spiegel, 2000). Per example, applying a low-cost strategy, businesses can remove all frills and extras from its products and services (Aaker, 2001), making the organization more competitive and profitable. Financial ratios The Financial Ratios are practical indicators of a company’s financial and performance situation. The most important indicator of a business performance is profits. Profits provide the basis for the internally or externally generated capital that the organization needs to follow its growth strategies, to replace out of dated plants and equipments, and to absorb market risk (Aaker, 2001). But how can we measure the profitability of an organization? The most basic and important tool to measure profitability is the Return on Assets, which is calculated by dividing the organization’s profits by the assets involved (Aaker, 2001). The ROI measures how much profit the organization can produce with the capital that is available to them (Gitman, 2009). The company’s goal is to increase the ROI, because higher the ROI, the better. That’s why the ROA is so important for managers, investors and other business that may sell to this company. Strategic Marketing The Strategic Marketing includes creating a marketing plan that describes in detail the marketing mix, segmentation, and branding decisions. Branding is not just to increase sales in one product, but to any product that is associated with that brand. That’s why engagement matters; it pulls customers back into the business and at the end of the day leads to repeat sales (Goodman, 2012). There are many different ways to use branding to support the organizations growth strategy, but for each specific growth strategy that are different approaches that can be used in order to achieve success (Aaker, 2001). Sustainable Branding will also increase customer loyalty where customers will recognize the quality of the product or service every time that they see the brand (Aaker, 2001). Downsizing, Mergers & Acquisitions Mergers & Acquisitions essentially have the same features where the end result is one company where two existed. As stated by Shook & Roth (2010), during a merger and acquisition process, the organization will try to eliminate any overlapping positions and this process can cause downsize, which is the process of restructuring a organization in a way that brings reduction of a part of the company’s employees. If the M&A is successful, the new company will be more cost effective, efficient and mostly important, profitable (Holden, 2010). Mergers and acquisitions can also reduce significantly the competition and the overhead for both companies (Holden, 2010). Consultants can be key facilitators of a smooth transition (during a M&A) by ensuring that there is sufficient understanding and ‘buy-in’ at the leadership level about the costs of not addressing the culture issue early in the M&A process. There is plenty of empirical evidence suggesting the failure rate of M&A’s due to issues with the unsuccessful meshing of a newly merged corporate culture. During an M&A, cultural change often represents the ‘soft side’ of the transaction. Everybody agrees about its importance but it seems too frequently to take a rear seat in the stated price tag synergies to be accomplished, as well as, how the new administrative track that needs to be quickly put in practice. Conclusion The main goal of a business consultant is to provide a professional or/and expert advice, but in order to do it, it’s vital that consultants understand the need to become an expert on their client’s business and industry; it’s also very important that consultants understand the need to communicate in their clients’ language. Also, in order to be effective, the consultant should be able to use motivation to trigger the organization members to change their behavior in order to achieve the organization goals (Fernandez-Huerga, 2008). As a consultant, my goal is to support the company’s administration to resolve management, manufacturing, marketing, or other issues by providing: * Focus and direction, * Expert analytical skills, * Objectivity, and * Knowledge and experience obtained from earlier assignments Also as a professional I will help clients to define a project’s goal and capacity, and together with administration prepare a comprehensive proposal to document how the project will be implemented in order to achieve the desired objectives and steps along the way. Also I will make sure that the proposed changes are approved by the client before put in practice. Another very important issue is to maintain confidentiality during and after the assignment. My ultimate goal as a consultant will be to develop a concept of a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and to neutralize the SCAs of competitors (Aaker, 2001). Using the Game Strategy, which is a study of strategic decision making, the consultant will be able to develop important insights concerning the strategy and how it should be addressed providing a rational choices for businesses dilemmas (Wood, 2012). References Aaker, D. (2001). Developing business strategies (6th Ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Berman, K. & Knight, J. (2008). Financial Intelligence For HR Professionals. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Fernandez-Huerga, E. (Sep2008). The economic behavior of human beings: The institutional/post-Keynesian model. Journal of Economic Issues (Association for Evolutionary Economics, 42 (3), 709-726. Gitman, L. J. (2009). Principles of managerial finance. (12 ed.). Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. Goodman, G. F. (2012). Engagement marketing: How small business wins in a socially connected world. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Holden , P. (2010). Economies of scale: a quick explanation [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZshS761WsE Marks, M. (2003). Surviving MADness. HR Magazine, 48(6), 86. Marks, M., & Mirvis, P. H. (2012). Applying OD to Make Mergers and Acquisitions Work. OD Practitioner, 44(3), 5-12. Shook, L., & Roth, G. (2010). Downsiz ings, mergers, and acquisition: Perspectives of human resources development practitioners. Journal of European Industrial Training 32(2), 135-153. Spiegel, M. (2000). Principles of corporate finance. Unpublished raw data, Yale School of Management, Retrieved from http://som.yale.edu/~spiegel/intro/sampread.pdf Teamtechnology.co.uk. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/changemanagement.html Wickramasignhe, V. & Karunaratne, C. (Mar2009). People management in mergers and acquisitions in Sri Lanka: employee perception. Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 (3), 694-715. Wood, N. (2012). Behavioral Economics. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.nancywood.org/Business/Behavior/Behavioral.pptx

Bottled Water Industry

Running Head: Competition in the bottled water industry in 2006. The intent of this paper is to provide possible course of action according to analysis made for this case. Table of Contents Title Page Table of contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Executive summary†¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Macro-Environmental Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 Industry and competitive analysis†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 Economic traits of the industry.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Five forces analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Strategic group mapping†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Key Competitor’s analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Key success factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Is this industry attractive or unattractive?.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Company situation analysis.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The present Case Analysis is the result of the rapid growth of the bottled water Industry in the last decade. Many authors and analysts believe that this Industry has become a very important part of the economy, therefore the importance of the analysis of the sector, its competitors and its strategies. With global revenues exceeding $62 billion in 2005, bottled water was among the world? most attractive beverages categories (Gamble, John E. – Thompson Jr. , Arthur A. , 2007, p. 254) and an expected growth of 30 percent between 2005 and 2010; the companies in the sector have noticed the importance of good strategies to compete not only in local but in globa l markets. History and statistics show us that strategies and the products by themselves can make the difference between success and failure. This Case Analysis provides coverage of essential data that allow us to see the evolution of the Bottled Water Industry, its competitors, markets, forecasts, strategies and possible alternative courses of action. We also analyze the situation and performance of Coca-Cola as a key competitor in the Industry. And finally we present some recommendations that companies in the sector can use to have competitive advantages in front their competitors. MACRO ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Technology Almost 50% of bottled water consumed in US in 1990 was delivered in returnable five-gallon containers and dispensed through coolers, called HOD due to home and office delivery. At that time, only 186 million gallons of water were sold in one-liter or smaller single-serving polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. In 2005 there were high-density polyethilene (HDPE) containers for 1-2. 4 gallons. (Gamble, John E. – Thompson Jr. , Arthur A. , 2007, p. 257) Technology needed in this industry is not cutting edge technology, so it is considered as medium technology since quality controls must be pretty high due to health problems might appear and sink a company. Legislation & Regulations Bottled water producers in the United States were required to meet the standards of both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Like some other food and beverage products sold in US, bottled water was subject to such food safety and labeling requirements as nutritional labeling provisions and general good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Bottled water GMPs were mandated under the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 and established specifications for plant construction and design, sanitation, equipment design and construction, production and process controls, and record keeping. Bottled water producers could also voluntarily become members of the International Water Association (IBWA) and agree to comply with its model code, which went beyond the standards of the EPA, FDA, or state agencies (Gamble, John E. – Thompson Jr. , Arthur A. , 2007, p. 258) Societal values & Lifestyles Convenience and portability were two of a variety reasons US consumers were increasingly attracted to bottled water. A heightened emphasis on healthy lifestyles and improved consumer awareness of the need for proper hydration led many consumers to shift traditional beverage preferences toward bottled water. A certain amount of industry growth was attributable to increased concerns over the quality of tap water provided by municipal water sources (Gamble, John E. – Thompson Jr. , Arthur A. , 2007, p. 257). Religion in most of the countries won’t be a big influence for this industry since it is a basic need. Similar situation with General economic conditions and population demographics, water is a basic need and tables below shows poor countries like Mexico are in the top places consuming bottled water, actually near 100% of the water consumed in Mexico is bottled. INDUSTRY AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Market Size and growth rate: Global revenues exceeding $62 billion in 2005, bottled water was among the world’s most attractive beverage categories. Industry revenues were forecast to grow by an additional 30 percent between 2005 and 2010 to reach approximately $82 billion. Bottled water had long been a widely consumed product in Western Europe and Mexico, where annual per capita consumption approached or exceeded 40 gallons in 2005, but until the mid-1990s bottled water had been somewhat of a novelty or prestige product in the United States. In 1990, approximately 2. 2 billion gallons of bottled water were consumed in the United States and per capita consumption approximated 9 gallons. U. S. per capita consumption had grown to more than 25 gallons by 2005. The rising popularity of bottled water in the United States during the late 1990s and early 2000s had allowed the United States to become the world’s largest market for bottled water, with annual volume sales of nearly 7. 5 billion gallons in 2005. In 2006, emerging-country markets in Asia and South America seemed to be replicating the impressive growth of bottled water in the United States, with annual growth rates exceeding 20 percent. Even though it was the world’s largest market for bottled water, the United States remained among the faster-growing markets for bottle water according to per capita consumption rates. Whereas the bottled water market in the United States grew by 10. 7 percent between 2004 and 2005 to reach 7. 5 billion gallons, the U. S. carbonated soft drink market declined by 0. percent. Beginning in the late 1990s, consumers began to appreciate the convenience and portability of water bottled in single-serving PET containers that could be purchased chilled from a convenience store and drunk immediately. By 2005, bottled water sold in two-liter or smaller PET containers accounted for 60. 8 percent of industry volume. The unit sales of bottled water packaged in PET containers grew by 22. 5 percent betw een 2004 and 2005. Water sold in five-gallon containers used in the home and office delivery(HOD) market accounted for only 17. percent of industry volume in 2005 and grew by only 0. 2 percent between 2004 and 2005. Similarly, water sold in 1-or 2. 5-gallon high-density polyethylene containers accounted for just 16. 5 percent of industry volume in 2005 and grew by only 1. 0 percent between 2004 and 2005 (Gamble, John E. – Thompson Jr. , Arthur A. , 2007, p. 254-257). Number of rivals: Although there might a lot of local brands, this case is focused in 4 main giants: Nestle Waters, Groupe Danone, The Coca-Cola Company, and PepsiCo Inc. , a) Economic traits of the industry. The segment of bottled water is not only the one with the faster growth of the industry of soft drinks, but the most profitable. The best of all, from the point of view of the bottled water industry, is that people is paying for water, a product that used to be free. Now, the consumers accept the price not only as fair, but as preferable. Consumers all around the globe have shown their desire to spend money in bottled water. We can see a fast growth rate of bottled water sales in the United States, Mexico, China, Brazil, Indonesia, and some countries of Europe. From 2003 to 2008 we have seen compound annual growth rates of 15. 6 % in China, 9. 6% in Indonesia, 8. 3% in Mexico, and 6. 7% in United States (exhibit 4. 1). |GLOBAL BOTTLED WATER MARKET | |Leading Countries’ Consumption and Compound Annual Growth Rates | |2003 – 2008 | |2008 Millions Of Gallons CAGR* |Rank Countries 2003 2008 2003/08 | |1 United States 6,269. 8 8,665. 6 6. 7% | |2 Mexico 4,357. 6 6,501. 5 8. 3% | |3 China 2,523. 6 5,207. 7 15. % | |4 Brazil 2,842. 0 3,775. 7 5. 8% | |5 Italy 2,734. 2 3,140. 5 2. 8% | |6 Indonesia 1,834. 7 2,899. 5 9. 6% | |7 Germany 2,628. 2,863. 1 1. 7% | |8 France 2,352. 9 2,218. 4 -1. 2% | |9 Thailand 1,303. 4 1,705. 6 5. 5% | |10 Spain 1,346. 8 1,291. 3 -0. 8% | |Top 10 Subtotal 28,193. 5 38,268. 9 6. % | |All Others 9,917. 3 14,427. 9 7. 8% | |WORLD TOTAL 38,110. 8 52,696. 8 6. 7% | |* Compound annual growth rate | |Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation Exhibit 4. | The revenues exceeded $62 billion in 2005, and indust ry revenues were forecasted to grow by an additional 30 percent between 2005 and 2010, to reach approximately $82 billion. With averages prices of $5. 00 for a 24-pack of bottled water in 2005 and a consumption of gallons per capita shown in exhibit 4. 2, we can say that the economic reality of the Bottled Water Industry is really promising. | | |GLOBGLOBAL BOTTLED WATER MARKET |Per Capita Consumption by Leading Countries | |2003 – 2008 | | | |2008 Gallons Per Capita | |Rank Countries 2003 2008 | |1 Mexico 41. 5 59. | |2 Italy 47. 1 54. 0 | |3 United Arab Emirates 25. 4 39. 7 | |4 Belgium-Luxembourg 35. 1 39. 0 | |5 Germany 31. 9 34. 8 | |6 France 39. 1 34. 6 | |7 Spain 33. 5 31. 9 | |8 Lebanon 25. 30. 5 | |9 Hungary 16. 2 29. 2 | |10 United States 21. 6 28. 5 | |11 Switzerland 25. 4 26. 3 | |12 Austria 22. 7 26. 1 | |13 Thailand 20. 26. 0 | |14 Slovenia 20. 5 26. 0 | |15 Czech Republic 22. 2 25. 6 | |16 Qatar 19. 6 25. 6 | |17 Saudi Arabia 23. 3 25. 2 | |18 Croati a 16. 4 25. | |19 Cyprus 22. 8 24. 0 | |20 Bulgaria 11. 4 23. 1 | |GLOBAL AVERAGE 6. 0 7. 9 | | | |Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation Exhibit 4. 2 | b) Five Forces Analysis. 1. – The threat of substitute products or services. The buyer propensity to substitute products is a reality in the bottled water industry, people is looking for healthier and innovative products, such as flavored water, non calories water, and vitamin added water. Other substitute products are tea, coffee, milk, and beer, but bottled water has surpassed these beverage categories in term of consumption in the United States since 2003. And there is no way the relative price performance of substitutes is going to be better than the price of the bottled water. 2. – The threat of the entry of new competitors. Profitable markets that yield high returns will draw firms. This results in many new entrants, which eventually will decrease profitability. Unless the entry of new firms can be blocked by incumbents, the profit rate will fall towards a competitive level. But in this case, the biggest competitors have the majority of the global market, only a few small competitor are capable of maintain their consumers. Just a competitor who is able to offer big quantities of bottled water at a low price is going to enter this industry. Such is the case of beer producers who have the technology and infrastructure, but that according to some experts, they are just waiting for the industry to reach its maturity. . – The intensity of competitive rivalry. For most industries, the intensity of competitive rivalry is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. There are a few global competitors in the industry, such as Nestle Waters, Groupe Danone, The Coca-Cola Company, and PepsiCo Inc. , but almost in every country there are small competi tors who only have part in a specific segment of the industry, and the consumers are loyal to the brand because of its exclusiveness and quality of the water. 4. – The bargaining power of customers. The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs: the ability of customers to put the firm under pressure, which also affects the customer's sensitivity to price changes. The price sensitivity of buyers around the globe is big concern for the leading sellers of the industry, but consumers will not stop buying bottled water just because a high price, they may only change from one brand to another or in the best scenario form one flavor to another, because bottled water today is considered as a basic product. The uniqueness of the industry products lies in the interest of the consumers to have a healthier lifestyle; this is a benefit that no other soft drink can provide to the buyer. 5. – The bargaining power of suppliers. The bargaining power of suppliers is also described as the market of inputs. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm, when there are few substitutes. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or, charge excessively high prices for unique resources. The suppliers to the bottled water industry include municipal water systems; spring operators; bottling equipment manufactures; deionization, reverse osmosis, and filtration equipment manufactures; manufactures of PET and HDPE bottles and plastic caps; label printer; and secondary packing suppliers. Sellers of purified water are able not only to pay less for a bottle of water, but also to avoid spring water? s inbound shipping costs since water arrives through the municipal water system. c) Strategic Group Mapping. d) Key competitor’s analysis. The leading sellers in the industry of bottled water in the world are just a few, beginning with Nestle waters, Groupe Danone, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, CG Roxanne, Fiji, Voss, Penta and Trinity Springs. Since bottled water gained wide spread acceptance in the United States, most sellers introduced in 2006 a variation of products that included flavoring, vitamins, carbohydrates, electrolytes, and other supplements. The competitors in the industry have not only bottled water but enhanced waters or functional waters available in every single market. The top four U. S. bottled water marketers for 2003-2004 are shown in exhibit 4. . SOURCES 1. Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. San Francisco, CA :Jossey-Bass. 2. Gannon, Martin J. (2004). Understanding Global Cultures. London, UK: SAGE Publications. 3. Neulip, James W. (2009). Intercultural Communication. London, UK: Sage Publications. 4. Pugh, D. S. & Hickson, D. J. (1997) . Writers on organizations. London, UK: Penguin Books. 5. Jabil Circuit Co. (2009). Retrieved March 15, 2009 at http://www. jabil. com 6. Jabil Circuit de Mexico (2009). Retrieved March 15, 2009 at http://jabilweb intranet.