The American Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The American Holocaust Essay This text really showed the huge downfall of the Native American people. I had no idea that there were so many Native American Indians before the Europeans came. All texts I read seemed to downplay or not list the number of them here. It says in the text, North and South America contained between 90,000,000 and more than 112,000,000 people before the coming of the Spanish. That was compared to only 60 million to 70 million in Europe. The diseases really wiped out what seemed to be great civilizations of people. It also surprises me that people tried to justify invading and capturing these people even very recently, within the lifetime of my parents. It is sad hearing how much people hated races that they knew very little about but also encouraging that people have changed over recent years to be more understanding of them. The authors term of moral epistemology of imperialism is the original thinking that justified colonizing the Americas originally. The major historians of the time and for a great amount of time after were European. This made it easy to write books and shape history to make it look like they were doing the right thing. They were colonizing knowledge but putting their spin on it, people would only learn what the white scholars of the time wanted people to learn. Epistemic violence was forcing the European epistemology on the rest of the world, in this case the Native Americans. The Spanish used a combination of military force along with disease and the cruelest forms of death to completely cripple the Native American empires. After some time, the Natives just stopped fighting back because they were mentally broken (as well as physically). The author says, When there were among prisoners some women who had recently given birth, if the newborn babes happen to cry, they seized them by the legs and hurled them against the rocks or flung them into the jungle so they would be certain to die there and also says, In the face of utter hopelessness, the Indians began simply surrendering their lives. Some committed suicide. This form of pacifism gave the Spaniards anything and everything they wanted in the New World without really having to fight anymore after a time. The author says, the term the Spanish used to describe their campaign of terror, pacification. When disease or force of arms werent enough, like against the  Aztecs, the Spanish were simply able to out smart the Native Americans and find other ways to take what they wanted. To the various competing Indian polities at the time the Spanish were simply another group, albeit an alien one, seeking to gain political dominance in central Mexico. As such, although the first people the Spanish confronted, the Tlaxcaltecs, could easily have defeated the conquistadors, they saw in them instead potential confederates against their tradition adversaries. The Church didnt do anything to stop this. They consider non-Christians, and more specifically Natives, sub-human so the Spanish conquerors didnt feel bad doing what they did. This text shows the need for more critical thinking in the field of religion by telling us how many skewed views of history there are. There needs to be more study with un-biased views on minority religions. The author gave multiple examples of people who wrote books and still showed an extreme bias against the Native Americans. This text shows a real similarity between Africa and Native Americans. Both had complex civilizations that were taken over and colonized by Europeans. It is amazing how similar both are in that disease and a superiorly equipped European army caused the downfall of some great empires.

The Importance Of Environmental Scanning Marketing Essay

The Importance Of Environmental Scanning Marketing Essay Marketing oriented firms mostly focus on marketing planning method through which a thorough analysis of market environment is carried out to scan opportunities within market environments, audit the skills and resources of the firm needed to maximize these opportunities, formulating marketing objectives and designing how firm offerings will be positioned among consumer segments when targeting them, and subsequently developing plans to implement and control them to sustain competitive advantage ( Dibb and Simkin, 2008). history of Just Us! Cafes Just Us! Cafes a coffee Roasters Cooperative was co-founded by Debbie and Jeff Moore in the year 1995 (Just Us!, 2012). The cafà © whose headquarter is located in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, Canada was incorporated under the Cooperative Association Act as the first company (see Appendix 1) with a fair trade coffee roaster in Canada in 1996 (Just Us!, 2012). The vision of Just Us! Cafes is to be a market leader in fair trade business that stands for quality, fairness, professionalism and innovation while the mission of Just Us! Cafes is rooted in authenticity, cooperation, community, and justice (Just Us!, 2012). Just us! Cafes offers products include Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Sugar, and pastries. Just Us! has 4 Cafes in Nova Scotia, Canada located in Grand Pre, Wolfville, Halifax and Barrington Street (Just Us!,2012). Just Us! has received many awards such as EK chamber of commerce Award as a Best Large firm in Kings County (2000), Ethics Award (2005), Acadia University President Award for Entrepreneur (2005) etc (Just Us!, 2012). 1.0 Critical Evaluation of the Importance of Environmental Scanning. Environmental scanning is simply the method through which marketing environment of an organisation is been closely monitored and carefully analysed (Jobber, 2007). The importance of environmental scanning are; Provides an understanding of Consumers Choice Criteria Body shop (a cosmetic industry) in its environmental scanning through market research in Canada, identified that 34% of consumers use ethical behaviour of companies (in addition to quality of product) as their choice criterion upon which their buying decision is based (Strandberg consulting, 2009). In addition, the impact of firms activities on the ecological habitat of consumers has been another criterion employed by consumers in their buying decision as consumers in Canada tend to embrace moves that decrease Co2 footprint in their environment (Bonini and Oppenheim, 2012). Environmental scanning reveals a paradigm shift in consumers value, attitude and beliefs about products as ethical issues have become a yardstick in their buying decision. The need to be highly sensitive to rapidly changing specific and general business environmental factors is a pre-requisite to the survival of an organisation where a quick change in product/ service line must be matched with changing consumer re quirements (Goyal, 2007; Albright,2007; Jobber;2007). Helps in Identifying Business Trends and Opportunities In 2008 alone, products (such as Flowers, Cocoa, Coffee, Rice, Shea butter) that were fairly traded was said to be imported from 59 countries (Eric, 2012). It takes a thorough environmental scanning of Canadian market to obtain this useful information about the fast growing fair trade business in both the food and non food segment (for example, fashion industry). With environmental scanning, Just us! Cafes and its competitors (Kicking horse, Kraft foods, StarBucks etc) were able to capitalize on the fair-trade opportunities and thus get sensitized on the drastic changing needs and expectations of their consumers. Environmental scanning offered these market players qualitative and quantitative information about the needs of their consumers, enabling them to strategise on how these needs could be met and as a result the image of these organisations were improved through a clear definition of what they stood for in Canadian fair trade wholesale and retail market (Costa, 1995). This is a n evidence that environmental scanning is linked to improvement in organisational performance (Slaughter, 1999). Provides Basis for Segmenting Consumer Markets Part of the achievements of Cafes in Canadian markets attributed to environmental scanning is ability of these brands to segment their products and services effectively and efficiently well. For example, all brands of Cafes in Canada (Kraft foods, Just Us!, Kicking horse, StarBucks etc) have been able to adopt a behavioural segmentation in the consumer markets where fair trade is used in one way or the other to gain market share as consumers beliefs, values and perception are rooted in fair trade. Psychographic segmentation that entails the strategy by which consumers are grouped base on lifestyle and personality characteristics (Jobber,2007) has been exploited by brands where Just us! Cafes had been targeting young, well educated consumers that are willing to offer premium price for fair trade products (Ethical Consumer, 2011) while Kraft Foodservice are caught romancing college students (perceived to be part of socially and environmentally conscious customers) with its All Life 100 % Colombian coffee brand (Rain Forest Alliance, 2004). Brands utilise Profile Segmentation where geographic variables like areas local names and culture (Jobber, 2007) are been used to differentiate their coffee from competitors and thus adapting their services and products to customers taste and culture, and locating their outlets in close proximity to their target consumers. Helps an organisation to identify it shortcomings and address them Through environmental scanning, Just Us! Cafes has been able to identify emerging issues and conditions leading the company to a dead end. This led management of Just Us! to develop an organisational structure where roles are allocated to employees based on their competencies and skills (e.g. the need for Juliet to handle the marketing functions of Just us! Cafes) to be able to deal with emerging issues confronting Just Us! Cafes. Limitation of Environmental Scanning. However, environmental scanning does not totally lead to an accurate prediction of business future and it does not guarantee effectiveness as witnessed in situation where many competitors of Just us! Cafes located in the heart of Nova Scotia had to close down their businesses when they couldnt survive in the midst of heated competitions. But businesses should ensure frequent environment scanning so as to increase their sensitivity to environmental signals rather than relying on analysis of historical data or predicting how such data will change (Johnson et al. 2008). 1.2. Internal and External Challenges Confronting Just Us! Cafes. Internal challenges are issues that focus on resources and competence (capabilities) of a company, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of such company while external challenges are concerned with the external environment in which the company operates, predisposing its activities to threat or presenting it with opportunities ( Hill and Joney, 2008). SWOT analysis of Just Us! Cafes Strengths Just Us! Cafes brand over the years has successfully won strong customer loyalty with strong preference for its products, services, and what the business stands for in Nova Scotia (fairness, justice and quality). The founders of Just Us! Cafes (Jeff and Debbie Moore) have a sound background experience in social and community development well aligned with their humanitarian philosophy (people before profit) enough to equip them in fulfilling their business mission (quality, fairness, and justice). The products and services (that are fairly traded and F.L.O certified) which Just us! Cafes offer her customers are immensely differentiated from competitors and thus give Just Us! Cafes a crystal clear market advantage over all her competitors. Just Us! Cafes management has a deep understanding of it distribution channel and an intimate relationship with wholesale and retail stores (Atlantic Superstore and Sobeys). Just Us! Cafes is equipped with employees that are committed to delivering products and services in a manner that meets and surpasses consumers expectation. Just Us! Cafes operates in favourable locations that are in close proximity with her consumers such as Grand Pre, Halifax, Wolfville and Barrington Street as well as a very strong presence in 3 key universities of Canada in Nova Scotia. Weaknesses Inability or lack of capability of Just Us! Cafes to expand it business to new markets within Canada. Just Us! Cafes doesnt have enough financial resources and competence as compared to some of its competitors tapping into the fair trade market. Just Us! Cafes have 4 Cafes (Wolfville, Halifax, Grand-pre and Barrington Street) just in Nova Scotia province. This is limiting its ability to reach enough consumers with its fair trade products as compared to Tim Hortons and Second cup who have 170 and 360 stores respectively. In the area of advertisement, Just Us! lacks experience and expertise. The reduction of revenue and the inability to defend and extend their core business shows lack of a good business strategy. Just Us! is too dependent on stores like Loblaws (also Just Us! competitor) and Sobeys as its distribution channel in the retail market. Threats Just Us! could face scarcity of fair trade products as a result of wide swing in commodity market. Transporting fair trade products from developing country to Canada may be stopped due to the need to lessen carbon emission to the environment. If importation of fair trade raw materials are stopped, the fair trade mission and strategy of Just Us! will be in jeopardy. The fair trade and organic business of Just us! Cafes have become fiercely competitive as competitors struggle intensely to attract and retain consumers in order to benefit from the attractive fair trade market. Fair trade certification is not recognised by the government of Canada and as such, no government policy has being designed for it and thus resulting in unfair practices among Just Us! competitors who portray their products as fair trade when they are not in the real sense. Consumers preferences for Just Us! products is changing rapidly resulting in fast decline in new product life cycle. Opportunities Majority of consumers in Canadian market are interested in fair trade products, presenting huge opportunities for Just Us! to increase their revenue through fair trade. Consumers are willing to offer premium price for fair trade products of Just Us! if they better informed. There is an increasing trend in the number of fair trade farmers from developing countries and thus leads to availability of fair trade products. There are still wide gaps or opportunities to explore by Just Us! in the fair trade market if a right strategy is put in place. PESTEL of Just Us! PESTEL Framework (Political, Environmental, Socio-cultural, Technological, Environmental (green) and Legal) are external factors/challenges that is common to all businesses. Political In Canada, though government policies contain rules and regulations for activities concerning healthy lifestyle of citizen as well as environmental protection, policy for fair trade market has not been developed by Canadian government. For example, CISO (2012) stated that Canadian Federal and Provincial Agencies (CFPA) are guided by respective purchasing departments in their purchasing decisions. At Federal level, Public Works and Government Service Canada (PWGSC)-who have standing offers (open contract) for many goods and purchase them on behalf of other Department-, make green purchasing or recommendations to the department through their office of Greening government operations but their recommendations do not include fair trade products Evidence of lack of attention given to fair trade in Canada is shown in the table 1.1 below. This made it easier for Just Us! competitors who are not dedicated to fair trade (maybe due to cost associated with it) to portray their offerings to the market as fairly traded. Country Policy or Guideline Specifies Certified Fair Trade Canada Federal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Policy on Green Procurement (as of April 1, 2006 for all federal departments) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sustainable Development Strategies (prepared by all federal departments every 3 years) and Departments Environmental policies and Departmental Performance Reports à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Environmental Petitions by Canadian Residents à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Department of Foreign Affairs Green Procurement checklist à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Department of Foreign Affairs Kit for Ensuring Green Conferences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Environment Canada principles or practice on green purchasing, as well as a standard clause for product tenders and service contracts Provincial à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Sustainable Development Act (Manitoba and Quebec) and related Sustainable Development Procurement Policies Local à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ethical Purchasing Policies (Vancouver, Toronto, Black Diamond) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No (for Foreign Affairs, others unknown) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Yes (no for Toronto) Table 1: Examples of Relevant Guidelines and Policies that Encourage Social and Environmental Purchasing in Canadian Government Agencies (CISO,2012). Economy Between 2010-2011, Canadas GDP was said to have grown by 2.8% a year (which was more than economies of other rich country, most especially U.S). However, in 2012, Canadas economy has been discovered to have a slow GDP growth of 1.9% as a result of lower prices for Canadas resource exports, weak demand of its goods from Europe and its strong currency (The Economist, 2012). This has led to recession presently in Canada, preventing Just Us! Cafes from implementing her expansion strategy. Also, Recession in Canada due to decline in GDP could result in budget pressure and spending cuts leaving consumer with little or no disposable income to spend on premium fair trade products that Just Us! offers, since availability of consumers purchasing power absolutely relies on income, prices, debt and savings (Kotler and Keller, 2012). Social-Cultural Over the last 3 decades, the main driver of fair trade is expressed to be the highly growing trend of ethical consumerism (Burke and Berry, 1974, cited in Opal and Nicholls, 2005, page 23).Consumers values, attitude and lifestyle are rooted in high quality, ethically sourced and healthy products. The preference for these attributes has created a great opportunities for fair trade markets and thus resulted in a highly competitive fair trade market that is becoming too heated for Just Us! the early player. Technological. From between 2002-2008, there was no record that reveals that Just Us! Cafes integrated e-commerce into their customer service operation despite the fact that e-commerce that includes online service had been the major driver of supply chain in coffee industry in the 21st century. However, Just Us! has integrated e-commerce into their customer service operation where customers orders are received and fulfilled via e-commerce. Environment and Legal The current trend in Western Europe involves series of public actions (legal) to reduce Co2 emission to the environment, seeing majority of firms been taxed heavily on the basis of Co2 emission that their activities (majorly machinery) dissipate to the environment (co2gram/kilowatt/hour). However, opportunities abound for organisations that can reconcile profitability with the protection of their business environment (Kottler and Keller, 2012). But this trend towards greener activities is partly a threat to Just Us! fair trade as the need to source for raw materials locally rather than sourcing from distant developing countries (which is the basis of fair trade) to lessen Co2 emission to the atmosphere due to transportation is becoming an emerging issue presently. On the other hand, weather is becoming quite unpredictable and this is a threat to farm productivity. For example, the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) the worlds largest agricultural commodities traders recently got its net profits reduced by 60% due to a sudden drought in the U.S that hampered farm productivity (Financial Times, 2012). This can also pose threats to the fair trade markets, resulting in scarcities in the commodity markets, high prices for food and high cost of raw materials. Porters 5 forces for Just Us!. The Porters 5 forces as shown in Fig 1.1 below is used by businesses to indentify how profitable a particular business is (Johnson et al. 2008). Threat of New Entrants to Fair Trade Market There is a high threat of new entrants to the fair trade market with a growing trend in the demand for fair products. As a result of this, small, independent and well established cafes are competing with Just Us! as a result of this. Threat of Substitute for Just Us! products and Services As barriers to fair trade market are getting weaker, competitors are offering a similar fair trade product as Just Us! thereby presenting consumers with opportunities to replace Just Us! products if they do not meet their expectations. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The number of farmers producing farm produce has been reported to be growing. In 2008 alone, 59 countries have been reported to have supplied Canada. Thus, as the growing trend increases, the bargaining power of buyers becomes higher than the farmers. On the other hand, bargaining power is also dependent on the availability of produce. If there is scarcity of fair trade produce, then the bargaining power of farmers become higher. Bargaining Power of Buyers Logically, as barrier to new entrants gets weaker and threat of substitute get higher, end users may not be able to offer premium price for fair trade products of Just Us!. This gives consumers the ability to determine price. Threat of Rivalry Since competitors of Just Us! offer similar products to same group of consumers, competitive rivalry is certain. 1.3 Extent to which Challenges threaten the Future of Just Us! Up to a very large extent, challenges in the form of fierce competition (which is promoted by government policies), constant change in fair trade market (occasioned by rapid change in consumers preferences for coffee and other products) and lack of sustainable strategy of Just Us! to address these issues will lead to lower consumer base, reduction in market share and profit and as time goes on, Just Us! fair trade business will cease to exist in Canada. 2.0. Appropriate Framework of Analysis to Analyse Competitive Strategy Adopted by Just Us! In analyzing the competitive strategy adopted by Just Us!, marketing mix strategy (7Ps) will be adopted. Products: Just Us! satisfied the wants and needs of consumers with fair trade and organic products like Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Sugar, and Muffins. Just Us! adopted a distinctive product differentiation strategy through provision of fair trade and organic products to its customers that are willing to pay premium. Just Us! also have specialty products lines such as Coffee (Rwanda Cafà © Femenino, Tarrazu Honey, Mexican Morning, Wisdom, Rainforest Rhapsody, etc), Teas (Chai Tea, Early green, Darjeeling loose, Maritime Breakfast tea etc) that meet various tastes of consumers. Price: For all Just Us! fair trade products and added services (atmosphere adapted to consumers taste), a premium pricing strategy was adopted by Just Us! where consumers are charged for added value in form of organic and fair trade products provided to them. Place: With respect to place, Just Us! pursued an adaptation strategy where atmosphere of different locations (Wolfville, Halifax, Grad Pre and Barrington Street) were adapted to taste, culture of consumers and making it comfortable as incubator for developing relationships among consumers within their communities. Just Us! adopted two types of strategic alliance in a bid to make their products available to consumers and in a bid to expand. The two types of strategic alliance adopted were; a.Logistical Alliance: where Just Us! formed alliance with wholesales and retail outlets (e.g. Loblawas, and Sobeys), health food shops, churches, universities (Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Mary University etc) that offer logistical service to ensure the availability of Just Us! products all around Canada. b. Product and Service alliance: although this type of strategic alliance failed Just Us!, Just Us! had once partnered with a local businessman in Toronto as part of their expansion strategy into Toronto market. Just Us! also formed partnerships with Acadia Cinema Cooperative to use the cinema service as a means to sell fair trade products. Promotion: In a bid to promote Just Us! fair trade offerings, 10% of its profit was allocated for opening fair trade coffee museum where consumers are enlightened about the advantages of fair trade. On top of this, a non-profit organisation known as JUDES (Just Us! Development and Education Society) was developed to create awareness for fair trade and societal development. Just Us! through JUDES also used documentary and educational activities to enlighten social institutions on the importance of fair trade. Just Us! also used newspaper, magazines (student magazines and discount coupons), outdoor advertising (board in Grand Pre), point-of-purchase advertising (Valentine, Christmas and other seasonal events), internet (www.justus!cafes.com), sales promotion (reduced Christmas merchandise) and PR, events and sponsorship (during CEDIF meeting). People: through proper recruitment and selection process, Just Us! was able to attract talented staff and committed employees which were subsequently trained to deliver finished products (e.g. Coffee and Tea) in a way that expressed quality and care. Process: part of the process of Just Us! aimed at preserving and delivering fresh and quality coffee to her consumers includes roasting Coffee for example in small batches after which they were packaged in the plant and subsequently sent to consumers. Process of Just Us! also involves close supervision of coffee quality at every stage of the production process (from raw materials to finished products) Physical Evidence: This is essentially environment that surrounds the fair trade products and services that are offered by Jut Us! (Richard and Gilligan, 2005). This includes; fair trade coffee museum in Grand Pre, the brown coloured logo of Just Us! that differentiated them from competitors, coffee bean manufacturing plant in Grand Pre , Just Us! theatre, gift shops and other facilities and equipment (tangibles) that communicate message concerning fair trade that Just Us! stood for. 3.0 Strategic Options Available to Just Us! Despite the continuous growth of consumers in fair trade segments since 2008 (now around 44% of consumers in Canada), Just Us!, a distinctive fair trade food business that was incorporated under the Cooperative Act and certified by Fair Trade Labeling Organisation (FLO) has seen it growth slightly increased between 2008 to 2011 (Figure 1.1) in the midst of competitors (Kicking Horse, Tim Hortons, Second cup, Kraft, Nestle etc) that are not deeply committed and consistent to fair trade model witnessing a high revenue from the fair trade market. For example, between 2009 to 2010, sales revenue grew by 1.72% to $7,103,981 with an increasing cost from 4,257,282 in 2009 to 4,310,222 in 2010 (Figure 1.2). Figure 1: Revenue of Just Us! between 2002 to 2011(Just Us!, 2012) Figure 2: The End of Year Statement of Just Us! Coffee Roasters (Just Us!,2012). To address these problem, Just Us! can engage one of these options; Consolidation This is the situation where Just Us! can strategise on defending their existing fair trade products (coffee, chocolate, tea, sugar) in their existing market in the province of Nova Scotia (Wolfville, Barrington Street, Grand Pre, and Halifax) . According to Safah (2008), this non-growth strategy is aimed at maintaining the business status quo to protect a business status in its environment. Just Us! can achieve consolidation through either; Defending their market share: Through Customer Relationship Management (CRM) , Just Us! can build a protective wall around its customer base (Smith and Zook, 2011) through effective management of individual consumers information in order to maximize loyalty ( Kotler and Keller,2012). Just Us! should invest in communication technology where consumers database will be housed and used effectively. For example, automated greetings should be programmed to respond to any occasions consumers are celebrating. CRM management should go beyond business transaction to personal affection and care for consumers welfare. Through this CRM, Just Us! will be able secure their consumers. Even CRM can also be done through social media where Just Us! club can be formed for the purpose of a two-way communication between Just Us! and existing consumers. Downsizing or Divestment In Figure 1.2 above, cost of good sold, administration and members expenses all constitute a higher cost to Just Us! Cafes. Just Us! could seek to consolidate by pruning its staff size to reduce cost of human resources or it could hold on to 20% of Just Us! products that contribute 80% of its revenue while the rest are shed off the Cafes product line. For example in Table 1.2 below, between 2004- 2007, fairly traded Tea and Sugar (though sugar is perceived to have adverse impact on health and thus fair trade honey could be a good substitute) have been observed to contribute a less margin to revenue and hence less growth to fair trade market in Canada. So Just Us! could remove these products from it portfolio while they concentrate on Coffee and Cocoa. Growth 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total market share % market rank Cofee 41% 56% 61% 55% $ 9,083,836 80% 1 Cocoa 115% 96% 91% 0% $ 1,253,849 11% 2 Sugar 139% 158% 97% 63% $ 789,150 7% 3 Tea 54% 74% 68% 339% $ 173,642 2% 4 Total Revenue 49% 65% 67% 50% $ 11,300,477 100% market share % 100% market rank Table 2: The growth of fair trade products in Canadian Market Market Penetration. Just Us! could also increase sales of their current fair trade products in the province of Nova Scotia in which they are presently operating (Halifax, Barrington Street, Wolfville and Grand Pre) through winning competitors consumers by planning and implementing effective promotion or distribution strategy or they could cut prices of their products Promotion A good promotional strategy with an appropriate channel to reach target markets will be one of the appropriate methods by which Just Us! can attract competitors consumers. Through integrated marketing communication, Just Us! can better coordinate its marketing tools in order to deliver its social and environmental responsibilities, quality, fairness and equity message in a clear and consistent manner to all consumers. For example, Just Us! is the only Cafà © business that is incorporated under the cooperative act which seeks greater fairness and poverty eradication in developing countries and on top of this, all fair trade products of Just Us! were certified by Fair Trade Labeling Organisation. Just Us! could choose to deploy it resources towards creating awareness about what it stands for and this could stimulate interest, desire and repeated purchase of its products. The landing page of Just Us! site (www.justus.com) should be decorated with prestigious awards obtained by Just Us! to affirm what they stand for and this could lead to customer conversion upon arrival to the landing page. Just Us! should also use social media to communicate their messages while using emotional adverts on Tv and Radio station to preach fairness in addition to what JUDES does for them. For example, over 4 years, Cadbury Schweppes had attributed its high revenue to high expenditure on promotional efforts. Distribution According to Chopra and Meindhl (2007), distribution has been expressed to be the major driver of an organisations overall profitability since it directly determines both supply chain cost and consumer experience. The presence of Just us! in 4 places within the province of Nova Scotia alone is not an effective means of reaching potential consumers of Just Us!. Tim Hortons (170) and Second cup (360) within Nova Scotia have been able to decentralize their shops in every nook and cranny to better reach their consumers and increase response time and convenience and through this, they have been known as a quick service restaurant in Nova Scotia. There is no point in having good quality fair trade products without reaching enough consumers. Even if there is no fund to lease or build more cafes, Just Us! could form more partnerships (logistical or product and service alliance) with more retail and wholesale outlets in Annapolis, Pictou, Inverness, Yarmouth, Antigonish, Hants etc. For example, Sainsbury has emerged as market leader in UK grocery market due to its ability of Sainsbury to open more convenience stores all around UK. Pricing strategy Just Us! could also use price to penetrate and attract competitors consumers. Just Us! involving itself in a price war wont go too well for the Cafà ©. However, a psychological pricing strategy could be adopted to increase demands for its quality fair trade products. For example, Apple used price to penetrate the market when it launched its 3G iphone at a cheaper price ($199) as compared to its competitors that were offering $399 for 2G iphones (Jobber,2007) Market Development Market development is another strategic option that Just us! can explore to increase it market share by selling fair trade products to new markets beyond the shores of Nova Scotia or outside Canada. For example, in Vancouver and Black diamond, Just Us! can seek to expand their Cafes to these provinces where there are ethical purchasing policies that favour their fair trade business model (as indicated in Table 1) unlike Nova-Scotia. Mergers or acquisition will be a fast way through which Just Us! can sell its existing products to Vancouver and Black diamond swiftly. For example, Just Us! could merge with Earths Choice a fair trade coffee roaster business in Vancouver or Cinnamon spoon in Black diamond . Other

Competition in International Markets Theories and Concepts

Competition in International Markets Theories and Concepts FIRMS, NOT INDIVIDUAL NATIONS COMPETE IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Competition has always been central to the agenda of firms. It has become one of the enduring themes of our times and the rising intensity of competition has continued until this day thereby spreading to more and more countries. As a result of globalisation, most industries with the topics of international business and competitive advantage have received much attention from business executives, public policy makers and scholars in recent years. This; in conjunction with the rise of global competitors has helped to explain why a countrys competitive advantage can be determined by the strength of its business firms. This has resulted in numerous rankings, where industries and firms are compared on a global scale to see which are the most competitive. Most firms prefer to compete in the business environment so that it will help determine the competitive advantage of the country in which they operate. A firms ability to deliver the same benefits as competitors but at a lower cost or deli ver benefits that exceed those of competing products, then such a firm is said to possess a competitive advantage over its rivals. Todays development in communication, information technology and transportation technology have enabled firms to market their products and services beyond national borders. This level of involvement has contributed to the concept of firms marketing their products in international markets. Analysis Global competitiveness occur at the cross roads between international economics and strategic management. Wassily Leontief (1998) was one of the scholars to add an empirical element to the theoretical realm of international trade with his popular paradox of the Heckscher-Ohlin (1919) theory. Later, management scholars (Buckley Casson, 1998, Tsang 1999) adopted the concept of competing globally in their research. Hamel and Prahalad (1994) later reinforced the concepts of core competencies, industry level analysis and competing for the future. After much research by these scholars, most would agree that global competitiveness in the aggregate for a nation is not equivalent to global competitiveness at the individual firm level. Corden (1994) states that there are three major areas of national competitiveness: sectoral or industry competitiveness, cost competitiveness and productivity. Many of Porters (1990) ideas were shared by earlier scholars. Vernon (1966) attributed national compe titiveness to a nations technology and capabilities, which are similar to Porters advanced factors. With Hymers (1976) idea that firms have specific competitive advantages that allow them to overcome the liability of foreignness is similar to Porters concept of firm-specific advantages that lead to global competitiveness. Caves (1982) discussed the practice of firms transferring knowledge gained in one country to another because of global competition is by utilizing the right mix of factors of production would lead to probable success. According to Papanastassou Pearce (1999), Porters diamond is one of the few models in international business research that illustrates what comprises national competitiveness within a given industry. Thus Porter tried to analyse why some nations succeed and others fail in international competition. He tries to solve this problem using the four determinants of national competitive advantage. The Determinants of National Competitive Advantage Michael Porter, in his book ‘The Competitive Advantage of Nations has introduced a model that helped to determine a nations international competitive advantage. This model of determining factors of national competitive advantage is known as Porters Diamond. Porter distinguishes four determinants; Demand Conditions, Factor Endowments, Related and Supporting Industries and Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry. Demand conditions describe the size and affluence of the domestic market. These are important because they play a role home demand plays in upgrading competitive advantage and serves as the primary source of competition for firms in a given industry. A similar example can be found in the wireless telephone equipment industry, where sophiscated and demanding local customers in Scandinavia helped push Nokia of Finland and Ericsson of Sweden to invest in cellular phone technology long before demand for cellular phones took off in other developed nations. Factor endowments include any factors of production that a firm uses in its business to maintain economic competitiveness. Thus, the natural resources which include land, labor, capital and also naturally occurring raw materials. Other factors of production can include manmade structures that facilitate commerce, including communication infrastructure, sophiscated and skilled labor, research facilities and technological know-how. An obvious example of this phenomenon is Japan, a country that lacks arable land and mineral deposits and yet through investment has built a substantial endowment of advanced factors. Related and supporting industries are the third attribute of national competitive advantage. These are beneficial to MNEs because it provides them with low-cost inputs and supply them with information regarding industry environmental changes thereby helping them achieve a strong competitive position internationally. For example, Swedish strengths in fabricated steel products have drawn on strengths in Swedens specialty steel industry. Similarly, Switzerlands success in pharmaceuticals is closely related to its previous international success in the technologically related dye industry. Firm strategy, structure and rivalry are also important in ensuring national competitiveness. Strategy refers to several key strategic factors that characterize a firm thus, actions firms utilize to achieve both long-range and short-range goals. This is important because it helps the firm to utilize the best actions with which to compete and the market it wants to compete in. Structure refers to the industry composition, thus, the degree to which an industry is concentrated or dispersed, competitive or monopolistic, global or domestic. Rivalry indicates both the number of players and the level of competition among firms in an industry. Greater rivalry in an industry would lead a firm to higher levels of competitiveness visa vis its rivals. Rivalry is thought to be the most comprehensive of the three factors, as it often indicates the underlying strategy and structure of the competitors. This is more evident in Japan, where Japanese auto-makers have become competitive in the world mar ket and has taken over major US and European auto producers. Some of the Challenges Faced By MNEs A multinational enterprise (MNE) is an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. There are some challenges faced by MNEs that transact business in international markets which can hinder its competitiveness hence its controversies and these are as follows; Market imperfections It may seem strange that a corporation has decided to do business in a different country, where it doesnt know the laws, local customs or business practices of such a country is likely to face some challenges that can reduce the managers ability to forecast business conditions. The additional costs caused by the entrance in foreign markets are of less interest for the local enterprise. Firms can also in their own market be isolated from competition by transportation costs and other tariff and non-tariff barriers which can force them to competition and will reduce their profits. The firms can maximize their joint income by merger or acquisition which will lower the competition in the shared market. This could also be the case if there are few substitutes or limited licenses in a foreign market. Tax competition Countries and sometimes subnational regions compete against one another for the establishment of MNC facilities, subsequent tax revenue, employment, and economic activity. To compete, countries and regional political districts must offer incentives to MNCs such as tax breaks, pledges of governmental assistance or improved infrastructure. When these incentives fail they are liable to face challenges which limit their chance of becoming more attractive to foreign investment. However, some scholars have argued that multinationals are engaged in a race to the top. While multinationals certainly regard a low tax burden or low labor costs as an element of comparative advantage, there is no evidence to suggest that MNCs deliberately avail themselves of tax environmental regulation or poor labour standards. Political instability Many multinational Enterprises face the challenge of political instability when doing business in international markets. This kind of problem mostly occurs when there is an absence of a reliable government authority. When this happens, it adds to business costs, increase risks of doing business and sometimes reduces managers ability to forecast business trends. Political instability is also associated with corruption and weak legal frameworks that discourage foreign investments. Market withdrawal The size of multinationals can have a significant impact on government policy, primarily through the threat of market withdrawal. For example, in an effort to reduce health care costs, some countries have tried to force pharmaceutical companies to license their patented drugs to local competitors for a very low fee, thereby artificially lowering the price. When faced with that threat, multinational pharmaceutical firms have simply withdrawn from the market, which often leads to limited availability of advanced drugs. Countries that have been the most successful in this type of confrontation with multinational corporations are large countries such as United States and Brazil, which have viable indigenous market competitors. Lobbying Multinational corporate lobbying is directed at a range of business concerns, from tariff structures to environmental regulations. Companies that have invested heavily in pollution control mechanisms may lobby for very tough environmental standards in an effort to force non-compliant competitors into a weaker position. Corporations lobby tariffs to restrict competition of foreign industries. For every tariff category that one multinational wants to have reduced, there is another multinational that wants the tariff raised. Even within the U.S. auto industry, the fraction of a companys imported components will vary, so some firms favor tighter import restrictions, while others favor looser ones. This is very serious and is very hard and takes a lot of work for the owner. Conclusion The discussion so far, points out that, the degree to which a nation is likely to achieve international success in a certain industry is a function of the combined impact of factor endowments, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and domestic rivalry. It is very obvious that these determinants are interrelated. Each is influenced by the others and in turn, influences the others. The presence of all these four components is usually required for this diamond to boost competitive performance although there are exceptions. Porter also points out that government can influence each of the four components of the diamond either positively or negatively. Factor endowments can be affected by subsidies, policies toward capital markets, policies toward education and others. Domestic demand can also be shaped through local product standards or regulations that mandate buyer needs. Government policy can also influence supporting and related industries through regulation and influe nce firm rivalry through such devices as capital market regulation, tax policy and antitrust laws. Countries should therefore be exporting products from those industries where all four components of the diamond are favourable, than importing in those areas where the components are not favourable in order to achieve competitive advantage. References Buckley, P. Casson, M. (1998). Models of the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(1), 21-44. Caves, R. (1982). Multinational enterprise and economic analysis. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Corden, W. (1994). Economic policy, exchange rates and the international system. Oxford University Press. Hamel, G. Prahalad, C. (1994). Competing for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Hymer, S. (1976). The international operations of national firms: A study of direct foreign investment. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Leontief, W. (1999). Domestic production and foreign trade: The American capital position re-examined. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 97, 331-349. Papanastassou, M. Pearce, R. (1999). Multinationals, technology and national competitiveness. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Porter, M. (1990). The competitive advantage of nations. New York: The Free Press. Tsang, D. (1999). National culture and national competitiveness: A study of the microcomputer component industry. Advances in Competitiveness Research, 7(1), 1-20. Vernon, R. (1966, May). International investments and international trade in the product life cycle. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 190-207. Bibliography Daniels, J., Radebaugh, L., Sullivan, D. (2007). International Business: environment and operations, 11th edition. Prentice Hall. Joshi, Rakesh Mohan, (2009) International Business, Oxford University Press. Roger Sugden (2000). The nature of the transnational firm. Routledge. Travis, T. (2007). Doing Business Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Going Global. Hoboken: John WileySons. Hill, W.L. (2001) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, McGraw-Hill. Veiyath, R. Zahra, S. (2000). Competitiveness in the 21st century: Reflections on the growing debate about globalization. Advances in Competitiveness Research, 8(1), 14-27. Bresman, H., Birkinshaw, J. Nobel, R. (1999). Knowledge transfer in international acquisitions. Journal of International Business Studies.

My Experiences as a Medical Social Worker Essay -- career, medical soc

Within the past week, I was able to meet a patient that had been through a very difficult life. He was admitted into the hospital almost one month ago because he had a stroke. He was a carnival worker and was only planning to be in Lexington for a temporary amount of time until the carnival left. When he was admitted into Saint Joseph Hospital, there were no indications that he had family and/or friends that should be contacted. At first, he was unable to talk, and his mobility was extremely limited. Last week, I was shadowing a social worker that had been asked to help fill out an application for this patient to qualify for Social Security because he now had a disability and would be unable to work. This patient didn’t have insurance, and we were determined to help him in any way possible. We went into his room to ask him very simple questions that were on the application, and he was helpful about remembering his past work history over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, he did not have a bank account, had no assets, and had been working as either a company driver and carn...

Characters, Setting, and Conflicts in A Tale of Two Cities Essay

Characters, Setting, and Conflicts in A Tale of Two Cities      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens utilizes the characters, setting, conflicts, and other literary devices to convey the tone and establish an attitude about human beings and society.    Dickens connects this novel with the French Revolution. Many of his descriptions refer back to the Revolution and help convey the tone of depression. Dickens saw "similarities between the forces that led to the Revolution and the oppression and unrest occurring in England during his time" (Cliff notes). "Although he supported the idea of people rising up against tyranny, the violence that characterized the French Revolution disturbed him" (Cliff notes). Dickens was drawn to a play, The Frozen Deep, written by Wilkie Collins in which he acted. In this play, two men competed for one woman, like in A Tale of Two Cities, when Charles Darnay and Sidney Carton compete against each other for Lucie Manette. Dickens makes clear the characters in this novel through their actions rather than dialogue, which make this novel different from the rest. Dickens' social ideas in this novel are quite simple. He feels the French Revolution was inevitable because the aristocracy oppressed the being "of the poor, driving them to revolt" (Cliff notes). In A Tale of Two Cities Dickens attempts to show his readers the dangers of a possible revolution (Cliff notes). He relies on his descriptive skills to convey the significance of revolution and resurrection in the novel. In addition, he portrays the horror of mob violence throughout the novel, leaving the readers with images of waves of people crashing through the battered gates of the Bastille, for exampl... ... Dr. Manette and he is returned to sanity. Sydney Carton's life changes from despair to honor. Because of the great change in Carton, Darnay's life is spared. The power of love and determination is clearly demonstrated by the resurrection of Dr. Alexander Manette, Sydney Carton, and Charles Darnay.       Sources Cited and Consulted:    Collins, Irene. "Charles Dickens and the French Revolution." Literature and History 1.1 (1990): 40-57.      Dickens, Charles.   A Tale of Two Cities. 1859. New York:   Bantam, 1983.    Gross, John. "A Tale of Two Cities." Dickens and the Twentieth Century. Ed. John Gross and Gabriel Pearson. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1962. 187-97.    Kalil, Marie. Cliffs notes on Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.   Cliff Notes Inc,   June 2000    http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/twocities/   

PBGC Company Profile Essay

PBGC is an abbreviation of a Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The purpose of this federal corporation is to protect American’s pension. Its mission is related to protection: Forty four million American workers retirement income is currently being protected in more than 30000 benefit pension plans of private single-employer and multiemployer. Its formation is the result of an act of 1974 by the name Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It has the following objectives: First It helps private-sector define benefit pension plans to be continued and remain well maintained. Second is to provide pension benefits payment time to time, without any interruption. Its third objective is to keep minimum pension insurance premiums. The defined benefit pension plan gives pension on a monthly basis to the retirees but the pension amount is depended upon the salary and the year of services the retirees have rendered. The corporation does not only give monthly payments to retirees up to the guaranteed maximum but also the multiemployer plans participants and one who have not retired yet get financial assistance from it. General Tax Revenues don’t give any kind of fund to this corporation. Insurance premiums financed the operations of this federal corporation which was being set by Congress. Insurance premium is being paid by the sponsors defined for each benefit plan that are basically employers. The recoveries are being made from the companies which would be responsible for the plans in the past. Earnings come from investments for this corporation. According to the plan ended in 2008, workers will get $4,312. 50 monthly when they will get retire at the age of 65. It serves the range of customer’s e. g. general public, media and so on. Board of directors including the Secretaries of Labor (Chair), Commerce and the Treasury guided the operations of PBGC. The two highest priorities of this administration is to reform the defined benefit pension system and bring improvement in retirement security. It contributed in the development of Pension Protection Act of 2006. Since PBGC has worked over the last 33 years for the protection plan of participant’s interests and also to support private pension system’s growth; millions of American workers can now think about secured retirement along with their families. Both the benefit plan and the guarantee by PBGC have made a difference in the lives of the diligent Americans. Annually about $4 million is being given by this corporation to 44 million Americans. The development of the 2006 act not only improved the status of funding of many defined benefit plans but also pension system is being strengthened. Competitive advantage: The corporation has been very effective throughout in managing change over the past few years,’ pension insurance programs have faced many unexpected challenges. The corporation also won an award of managing its work force superbly in this changing business environment. The executive director said: â€Å"We are pleased to be recognized for having the right people, processes and systems in place to manage a doubling of our customer base with no diminution in the quality of our customer service. † (www. pbgc. gov,2008). It was being a first federal agency which got the full certification for its executive evaluation system. It got plenty of awards presented in magazines. These are as under: General Excellence, Service, Competitive Advantage, Global Outlook, Innovation, Managing Change, Financial Impact, Partnership, Ethical Practice and Vision. Weaknesses of PBGC: Weaknesses of PBGC’s certification and accreditation (C&A): This would impact the accuracy and completion of information which would affect the credibility of the corporation. It also affects the capability of the corporation to take and manage risks. It compromises agency’s personnel and assets too. There should be an effective C&A system to assure security of assets, personnel and operations and that could assure that the corporation is capable enough to meet its functional requirements. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-37, Accreditation of Federal Information Systems and Guide for the Security Certification provides the framework under 2002 act named as the Federal Information Security Management Act, Public Law 107-347, for how C&A program of this corporation should be implemented. Inadequate security policy and plan: The security policy and plan of the current information of PBGC are not according to the guidance provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology Special (NIST) under Federal Information Security Management Act. NIST has developed guidance and standards. It also includes minimum requirement to provide sufficient security of information for all agency assets and operations Change in organizational structure: In 2006 the reorganization of the OIT i. e. ffice of information technology had badly affected the Information System Security Officer’s ability to ensure appropriate operational security for PBGC’s information system. It affected the clarity for officer in terms of his responsibilities and accountability. It made it hard for the officer to establish security standards and procedures. Internal control weaknesses: High risk is being involved in the PBGC’s single-employer pension insurance program. The program had an accumulated deficit of $5. 4 billion in 2003 which was the largest one in history of the corporation. Under funding also increased dramatically in private pension system. The deficit was due to the following reasons: bankrupt firm’s under funded pension plans were ceased, there was a drawback in funding rules, stock market and interest rates decline, companies went global and economy is turned into knowledge based economy. The company had taken steps to improve the internal control for premiums. This is being done for two reasons. First Safeguard of assets: controls must be establish to ensure that cost and obligation are according to the law applicable and assets are safeguarded against any loss or related factors. Second reason is Financial Reporting: it is to ensure that proper reporting is being done of all the revenues and expenditures so that documentation and reports can be made and are accurate. Data Quality Weaknesses: Incorrect data entry, adjustments, and system-generated balances generate errors. Because of the data quality issue, the corporation is unable to ensure the accuracy and completeness of premium data by utilizing Past Due Filing Notices and Statements of Account. The 1st one used to notify plans which had not yet submitted premium filings and 2nd one is used to ensure that underpaid/overpaid premiums from a plan sponsor could be sort out effectively. During auditing it was being noticed that these two tools are not being used timely as it requires significant resources before mailing. Due to this, premiums could not be collected and errors could not be detected. Additionally policies and procedures have not been documented, communicated, or implemented throughout PBGC which is related to the premium accounting cycle. www. pbgc. gov,2008). Business Strategy: The new investment strategy is being formulated to balance risk and return and to improve chances of reaching full funding over the long run. According to this strategy diversified set of fixed-income investments and diversified equity investments both will be given 45% of its assets each and 10% will be given to alternative investment. Financial Information: A deficit of $18. 1 billion was being posted by insurance program for single-employer pension plans in fiscal year 2006. Due to the airline relief provisions in the Pension Protection Act, the corporation managed to reduce its probable liabilities. This led to a $4. 7 billion net improvement. It announces maximum insurance benefit for 2009. The amount would be higher for those who retire later and vise versa. The corporation had a peak year in 2000 when they had a surplus of $10 billion almost which was followed by surplus of $8 billion in 2001. The corporation got the calls in order to stop charging premiums. It got around $9 billion claims in 2002. The claims were because of airline and steel industry. (www. soa. org, n. d. ).

An Article on Latest Fashion Trend

Latest Fashion Trend in Bangladesh-A Perspective Study Fashion changes with the march of time in modern ages throughout the world. What is fashion today becomes past tomorrow and new and new fashions emerge. Evidently fashion becomes modern and ultra modern day by day. Bangladesh is no exception of that change of fashion. Obviously we have to study fashion changes in Bangladesh. We know fashion is a combination of styles right from the hair down to the everyday wears including shoes. Modern changes of wears and dresses have remarkably been observed throughout Bangladesh.Women of all ages choose a fashionable and trendy wear now-a-days. They look for loose wears which is colorful but comfortable. Now is the trend for fashionable wears with variety of piping. As ceremonial dress women prefer gorgeous dresses and sarees of chiffon and muslin with blouses of various cuts and designs befitting to saree-wears. Along with three quarter salwar, women are also wearing dividers and salwar with piping. These fashions are growing popular day by day. Short kameez is out and long kameez has again revived their early place. With long kameez are added long or three quartered sleeves.In university campus, offices and parties, long kameez and leggings are preferred by women of all ages. Floral prints, yokes, laces and embroidery on long kameez are also very popular now. In the same contrast color there is variety in dresses and wears. Of the casual dresses women prefer kurta and tops along with jeans and leggings. Kaaftan is now growing famous in ladies wears. Cap sleeve, bell sleeve, kimono sleeve, mutton lake sleeve cuts are given to dress sleeves. In case of neck designs various changes and cuts are also observed. Kameez, kurta, skirt or even bags of tie die and boutique are back in modern fashions.Young girls like shoes with jeepers at the heel. They are also wearing flat shoes with churidaars. Ballerina is now on top fashion. It is old fashion to wear heavy ornaments of gol d and silver. Time has changed and women prefer pendent with small colorful stones. Earrings are also small and a matching bangle or bracelet in hand. Men are now fashionable and casual in t-shirts and jeans. Shoe styles have also changed. Long pointed shoes are now preferred. Sun glasses of different cuts and styles with colorful glasses are liked by both young men and women.Strap sandals are also a fashion item for the casual wear of men. But for formal wears they like full sleeve shirts with normal pants of different brands and formal shoes. Finally they are out for any occasion with light gel in hair and lot of confidence with a trendy look. We know a thing of beauty is a joy forever. What looks you beautiful, what makes you comfortable and what gives you delights and joy is the fashion. Today’s fashion will be left aside for tomorrow’s incoming styles and fittings. Such is the trend of fashion in Bangladesh which has to walk a long journey ahead.