Marketing plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing plan - Case Study Example The business has employees who range between nine and ten who work to serve the customers that are coming from that area, or visiting from other areas. The growth of the business is determined by the manner in which they advertise their products and services. One crucial area in the running of the business is the incorporation of technology into the company core operations or business processes (Lynn, 2010). Engaging actively with customers on numerous media fronts is what keeps the company on its toes. By engaging in all cleaning and laundry operations, the company has something to offer most of its customers. Laundromat and laundry services make it easy for customers to choose what they want, and go for it through different avenues. By performing different analysis in the environment where the business operates provides the company with sufficient information as to what best suits the company. Issues that have been noted from this analysis is that the company has a small staff numb er, which is a drawback. Secondly, the business is faced with the issue of heightened competition from small players within the industry. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Services offered the pricing strategy 4 3.0 Pricing strategy 5 4.0 The promotional strategy 5 5.0 The Situational analysis 6 6.0 Customer analysis 7 7.0 Market and competitor analysis 8 8.0 Marketing strategies 9 8.1 Product 9 8.2 Price 10 8.3 Place 10 8.4 Promotion 10 9.0 Conclusion 11 Snow White Laundry & Drycleaners in Sydney 12 Upgrade Premium listing 12 1.0 Introduction This present paper is a marketing report that is based on the Snow White Laundry and Drycleaners Company. The report is mainly designed to act as a marketing report for the company. It begins with a preview of the services that are offered by the company and even the pricings strategy that has been applied by the company. Other sections that will be covered in the report include a discussion of the promotion strategy that has so far bee n applied by the business and it provides a situational analysis for the business. The report will also presents an analysis about the market and even the competitors of the company. Another section of the report will present an analysis about the company’s customer base and some issues that affecting the business. In the last section, before concluding the report will present marketing strategies that can be applied in order to increase the financial performance of the business as well as its market share in the Sydney market. Before embarking on the actual report it is important to mention that the Snow White Laundry and Drycleaners Company is a company that was established in the year 1949 and it mainly specialize in offering cleaning services for various items that range from clothes to carpets. The company has an established global presence with branches in different countries and its customer base include individual customers as well as corporate or business organizatio ns. 2.0 Services offered the pricing strategy Snow White Laundry & Dry cleaning offers services that are broadly classified into dry cleaning and laundry services. Under dry cleaning services, the company offer to clean various items in a process, which do not include the use of water but rather the use of chemicals in process called tumbling. Laundry services on the other hand include cleaning services that majorly rely on the use of water was well as other chemicals and detergents (Lynn, 2010). For this particular, report the case study branch

Tooley Final Essay Example for Free

Tooley Final Essay Several ethicists, such as Michael Tooley, Mary Anne Warren, James Rachels and Virginia Ramey-Mollenkott have put forth criteria that a being must fulfill in order to be considered fully human. For some these criteria apply to any entity, whether before or after birth. In fact, according to Tooley birth has no bearing on the moral status of the newborn.† Christiananswers.net/q-qum/q-life022.html Michael Tooley’s concepts are rather rude and presumptuous. An atmosphere of cruelty colors his ideal of what makes, not only unborn children but children who are born and functioning as organisms, independent of the life giving and sustaining resources of their mother’s womb. Birthed and fully functional as a bodily organism, Michael Tooley, questionable as an ethicist uncorks a line of reasoning that does not meet the measure of what’s considered ethical. Tooley writes that an infant â€Å"cannot have a right to continued existence unless he possesses the concept of a subject of experiences, the concept of a temporal order, and the concept of identity of things over time. It follows that a none self-conscious being with no desire for its own continued existence has no right to life.† (Christiananswers.net/q-qum/q-life022.html) Tooley’s proposition is of the ghastly Hitlerian type that ruined Germany and Europe in WWII. The most ardent abortionist will affirm life following birth. Tooley manufactures a criterion, without any credible means to give precedence to his idea. On his privately concocted line of reasoning, someone would be fool enough a justification to put a newborn to death. Mr. Tooley’s thinking is the whispiest means to so conclude. History has already taught us the lesson that Tooley apparently thinks he’s come up with something for people to aspire to someday. Michael Tooley is distinct, even from abortionists in extending borders defining when life is viable and under what condition.. Mr. Tooley’s idea has every apperance of being a repudiation of life itself, as only on the extreme end being conceived and born does baby have the slightest chance of being viewed as a human being under Tooley’s idea. Tooley falls woefully short in comprehending self-awareness. Even an infant will turn their head from more food, if full. They have an intuitive level of awareness whose factoring evidences itself in their function and, doubtless, if their survival were being choke off. The idea of self-consciousness that meets someone’s an artificial conceptual frame is entirely baseless. To suggest an infant has no will to live is an affront to the intelligence of anyone who’s had any caring experience with young tykes. An infant is quite capable of protesting to communicate their displeasure. The majority of their emotional outbreaks have to do with issues that could quickly turn into a life threatening situations. Mr. Tooley invested his standing as a man of letters in an idea that can only appeal to the darkest minds who could live with themselves as practitioners of infanticide. Works Cited’ http://christiananswers.net/q-sum/q-life022.html

Terrorism and Human Rights :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

  Ã‚   As we try to come to grips with the tragedy of September 11, as individuals and as social scientists, a human rights approach can provide some guidance. A human rights approach always begins with, and has at its center a concern with individual victims of rights abuses. We turn first to the victims of the September 11 attack and their families and friends. The enormity of the loss of life, and the premeditated nature of the attacks on September 11th justifies calling them a crime against humanity. Murder, when "committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population" is a crime against humanity.1 The victims of this crime are entitled not only to our deepest sympathy, but also to justice, either in our courts or in an international tribunal.    I try to start understanding the tragedy of September 11th through the stories of the people who have lost their lives, in New York, Washington, D.C. or in Afghanistan. Yes, there are differences, but the pain each family feels at the loss of its loved one, and its desire for justice are as deep as victims of rights abuses feel throughout the world.    Often we skip over this first step of starting with the victims and their families. We are trained to explain phenomena using abstract theories. It is second nature to us to immediately ask "why" and begin the search for deep and proximate causes of puzzling events. It may be useful, especially when speaking to the public, to preface our search for explanations with some prior comments. First, a search for explanation does not imply justification. There is no justification for such acts. Nor does any explanation remove the perpetrators' moral and legal responsibility for these criminal acts. Hannah Arendt was concerned about exactly such a point in the last pages of Eichmann in Jerusalem. She wrote: "Another such escape from the area of ascertainable facts and personal responsibility are the countless theories, based on non-specific, abstract, hypothetical assumptions.... which are so general that they explain and justify every event and every deed: no alternative to what actually ha ppened is even considered and no person could have acted differently from the way he did act..... All these cliches have in common that they make judgment superfluous and that to utter them is devoid of all risk." She says that such theorizing is a symptom of "the reluctance evident everywhere to make judgments in terms of individual moral responsibility.

Report on wide screen displays

A widescreen image is a movie, computing machine, or telecasting image with a width-to-height facet ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy facet ratio provided by 35mm movie. Screen Aspect Ratio is fundamentally a step of the horizontal length of a telecasting ( or movie ) screen, in relation to its perpendicular tallness. In other words, a traditional telecasting has a Screen Aspect Ratio of 4Ãâ€"3. This means that a traditional telecasting has a screen that is four units long for every three units in tallness. Converting these units into inches would ensue in measurings of 4-inches by 3-inches or 8-inches by 6-inches, and on-and-on. By the same item, on widescreen telecasting ( such as today ‘s HDTVs ) , the Screen Aspect Ratio is 16 units long for every 9 units in tallness, or 16-inches by 9-inches, 32-inches by 18-inches, etc†¦ A 16Ãâ€"9 screen aspect ratio therefore consequences in a wider image show that a 4Ãâ€"3 facet ratio. This wider image show allows both films originally filmed in widescreen and new, widescreen telecasting scheduling, to be displayed more accurately.Latest development in widescreen show:Widescreen LCD shows:BARCO ‘s LC series of High-Resolution LCD shows has been specifically designed for usage in a broad assortment of professional applications. The LC household nowadayss chip, clear and color-accurate images on 42 † , 47 † and 56 † screen sizes. Dedicated versions with HD-SDI inputs are available. Having some of the most advanced LCD engineering available today, BARCO ‘s LC series stands for the ultimate in item. The LC series consists of a 42 † and 47 † show in native full high definition ( 1920Ãâ€"1080 pels ) and a 56 † show in quad full high definition ( 3840Ãâ€"2160 pels ) .Benefits:High brightness High contrast, even in high ambient visible radiation environments High declaration and pel denseness Frame lock and firing mechanism functionality Low power ingestion Long life-timeExamples:56 † quad full High Definition LCD show LC-5621 42 † native High Definition LCD show LCN-42 47 † native High Definition LCD show LCN-47 42 † native High Definition LCD show with extra HD-SDI inputs LCS-42 47 † native High Definition LCD show with extra HD-SDI inputs LCS-47Technology used in broad screen show merchandise:Plasma screen engineeringLED engineeringCRT ( cathode beam tubing )Liquid crystal displayPlasma screen engineering:Flat panel plasma show is the latest show engineering and the best manner to accomplish shows with first-class image quality and big, level screen sizes that are easy viewable in any environment. Plasma panels are an array of cells, known as pels, which are composed of three bomber pels, matching to the colourss red, green, and blue. Gas in the plasma province is used to respond with phosphors in each bomber pel to bring forth coloured visible radiation ( ruddy, green, or blue ) . These phosphors are the same types used in cathode beam tubing ( CRT ) devices such as telecastings and standard computing machine proctors. You get the rich dynamic colourss that you expect. Each bomber pel is separately controlled by advanced electronics to bring forth over 16 million different colourss. All of this means that you get per fect images that are easy viewable in a show that is less than six inches thick.LED engineering:There are many consumer advantages to LEDs over incandescent or fluorescent visible radiation bulbs. LED lights consume much less energy. They are 300 per centum more efficient than a compact fluorescent visible radiation ( CFL ) , and 1,000 per centum more efficient than an candent bulb. They have a really long life, about 50,000 hours of usage at 70 per centum of their original power. ( LEDs do n't fire out or spark, they merely melt. ) This works out to eight hours a twenty-four hours for 13 old ages at 70 per centum power. A typical 60-watt incandescent bulb may last about 1,000 hours. LED lighting contains no quicksilver or other toxins. LEDs emit no extremist violet ( UV ) visible radiation, so they do n't pull bugs. They do n't bring forth heat, so they are cool to the touch. They do n't bring forth wireless frequence moving ridges, so they do n't interfere with wirelesss or telecasting broadcasts. They besides are immune to quivers and dazes.CRT ( cathode beam tubing ) :The Cathode Ray Tube ( CRT ) is a vacuity tubing incorporating an negatron gun ( a beginning of negatrons ) and a fluorescent screen, with internal or external agencies to speed up and debar the negatron beam, used to make images in the signifier of light emitted from the fluorescent screen. The image may stand for electrical wave forms ( CRO ) , images ( telecasting, computing machine proctor ) , radar marks and others. The CRT uses an evacuated glass envelope which is big, deep, heavy, and comparatively delicate.LCD ( Liquid-crystal show ) :Liquid-crystal show telecastings ( LCD Television ) a re telecasting sets that use LCD engineering to bring forth images. LCD telecastings are thinner and lighter than CRTs of similar show size, and are available in much larger sizes. This combination of characteristics made LCDs more practical than CRTs for many functions, and as fabrication costs fell, their eventual laterality of the telecasting market was all but guaranteed. In 2007, LCD telecastings surpassed gross revenues of CRT-based telecastings worldwide for the first clip, and their gross revenues figures relative to other engineerings are speed uping. LCD TVs are rapidly displacing the lone major rivals in the large-screen market, the plasma show panel and rear-projection telecasting. Liquid crystal displaies are, by far, the most widely produced and sold telecasting engineering today, forcing all other engineerings into niche functions.Benefits of the WidescreenWhen used for amusement, a widescreen show is in its component when demoing widescreen DVD films in their intended 16:9 facet ratio. This means a bigger image more comfort and less otiose infinite ( less or no black bands on either side of the image ) . The widescreen show besides makes it easier to redact and see bird's-eye images and may extinguish troublesome horizontal scrolling wholly. Another benefit of the widescreen show is apparent when it comes to serious work – the ability to expose two Windowss side by side and to drag and drop ( or copy Ns ‘ paste ) information without holding to exchange between them is invaluable.

Entrepreneurship: Strategy and Hardware Store

114) Assume that you are a consultant to a small independent hardware store in a town where a retail giant such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, or Target is about to open. The large retailer sells many of the same items the small hardware store sells, but at lower prices. What advice would you offer the owner concerning the hardware store's strategy?Explain.In order to keep being alive in a bigger and stronger competitor , the owner of every small business must create and develop a real competitive advantages and point of strength and differentiation , that will keep him away from any giant competitor like Wal-Mart.A successful strategic plan must be developed , converting the factors making this business considered as a small business to be the point of strength and success . Small Business has fewer product lines , well defined database and can serves in such a specific geographical area , unless it has several branches , and at that time , he can get valuable information and accurate needs of the customers through close relation and close contacts with customer , this is what is not available that easy in a mass retailer like Wal – Mart .117) assume you own a small print shop. Who are your competitors and why is it important for you to monitor your competitors' activities? Describe at least five techniques you might use to monitor competitors' strategies and actions ethically and inexpensively.Specific techniques that I might use include: †¢Asking customers and suppliers †¢Talking to employees †¢Attending trade shows †¢Buying competitors' products (benchmarking) †¢Obtaining credit reports †¢Visiting competing businessesMini-Case 3-1: Finding a Competitive AdvantageCopreneurs Ed and Yolanda recently opened a vintage used car lot called Cherry Lane. They sell antique and collectible cars on consignment for the owners at a fee of 30 percent of the selling price. The price is further reduced by 10 percent if a particular car is not sold within the first 30 days. One of the first customers convinced Yolanda that this was the only fair thing to do, and in an effort to provide something for â€Å"the cost conscious buyer,† she provided what she thought was excellent customer service and implemented the idea.Ed and Yolanda feel Cherry Lane has an ideal location. It is located adjacent to the city's baseball stadium, alongside the freeway in the center of all the other car dealerships. Although Cherry Lane has significant foot traffic, most people never make offers to buy.In an effort to increase sales, Ed and Yolanda are working on a new marketing strategy that they believe should be quite different from the â€Å"shotgun† approach they had been using over the last few months.Ed and Yolanda should follow these nine steps:Step 1:Create a clear vision and convert it into a realistic mission statment. Step 2:Analysis to get the company weakness and strength points Step 3:Scan the environment for significant opportunities and threats facing the business. Step 4:Identify the key factors for success in the business. Step 5:Study the market & analyze the competition.Step 6:Create company goals and objectives. Step 7:Formulate strategic options and select the appropriate strategies. Step 8:Translate strategic plans into action plans. Step 9:Accurate controls.The above steps are a continuous process that will keep continuing from the beginning and will never ends.

Animal Research-pro essays

Animal Research-pro essays Imagine a world without chemotherapy, organ transplants, joint replacements, and antibiotics. These are just a few of medical wonders developed through animal research. Animal research has been a heated discussion for the past fifty years. Some argue that the research done upon animals is cruel and unethical. Others believe without animal research, there would be no new advances in the medical field and thousands of lives would have been lost if animals were not tested on. This topic has prompted many activists, scholars and doctors to voice their opinion about animal research. Joy Williams stands in utter opposition to animal research. On the other hand, Ike Sugg and Dr. Joseph Murray express the advantages to animal research and their disapproval of the oppositions activist. After thoroughly examining both sides of the issue, I have to take a stand on the side that is pro animal research. Joy Williams, an animal activist, writes an essay titled The Inhumanity of the Animal People. Williams calls for an immediate end to the scientific research on animals. She points out the inhumane practices the researchers do to the animals. Animals are blinded, deceberated, mutilated, burned or poisoned in hope they might convey some data that may be useful to them in the future. Some of the experiments are done just to satisfy their scientific curiosity. They keep undergoing more and more corrosive tests until they expire, or until their bodies, unable to provide even the most utterly senseless data, are humanely destroyed Williams states (3). The most beneficial lab animal is the chimpanzee. Its DNA possesses ninety-eight percent of the same genetic code as humans. Chimpanzees have shown some intellectual thinking by being able to learn sign language. Something this close to a human being should not be tormented by scientific research Williams believes. Chimps are be i...

Asprin essays

Asprin essays The discovery of aspirin dates back to the 5th century B.C., when Hippocrates used a powder from the bark of a willow tree to ease minor pains, reduce fevers and to help with childbirth. The willow tree powder was actually salicin, the pharmacological ancestor to the family of drugs known as salicylates. The best known of which is aspirin. Later efforts where made to neutralize salicin with sodium, but unfortunately turned out to be useless. In 1853 a French chemist named Charles Fredric Gerhardt tried to improve sodium salicylate in 1853. He combined it with acetyl chloride, which proved to be less irritating to the stomach. After a few years of hard work, Gerhardt didnt see any future with this concoction and soon abandoned it. In 1899 a German chemist, Felix Hoffmann set out to find a formulation to relieve his fathers arthritis pain. Hoffman used Gerhardts research to synthesize acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a compound that appeared to lower fever, reduce pain and at high doses relieved arthritis. Hoffmann, who worked for Bayer, took his research to his superiors. They, however, doubted the commercial success of ASA. This was because ASA commonly caused shortness of breath and very high heart rates when taken in large doses. Fredrick Bayer in is the common drug ending of that time. When Bayer marketed the drug in 1897, they had no idea that it would turn out to be the most commonly used pain reliever in history. Aspirin works by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that influence the elasticity of blood vessels, control urine contractions, and the direct functioning of blood platelets. Blood platelets cause blood clots and regulate numerous body functions. John Vane, Ph....

Essential and Nonessential Clauses

Essential and Nonessential Clauses Essential and Nonessential Clauses Essential and Nonessential Clauses By Mark Nichol Discussions below explain the mistakes in the examples given, which err in mistaking essential and nonessential clauses and vice versa. A revision accompanying each sample sentence demonstrates correct form. An essential (or restrictive) word, phrase, or clause is one that is necessary for conveying the intended meaning of a sentence. When the essential element follows the core of the main clause, the conjunction that serves as the link between them. By contrast, a nonessential (or nonrestrictive) word, phrase, or clause is attached to the main clause, trailing a comma and the conjunction which. (Alternatively, nonessential elements are inserted parenthetically into the sentence with commas, dashes, or parentheses, but this post does not pertain to that type of sentence construction.) Actually, that and which are interchangeable as conjunctions preceding essential elements, but some writing handbooks advocate using only that in such cases to avoid confusion with sentences with nonessential elements, for which which is the only correct conjunction. In American English, at least, many careful writers observe this distinction, a strategy I strongly recommend. The writers of the two examples below have, in constructing the sentences, confused essential and nonessential clauses, as explained in the discussion following each statement. She faulted him for criticizing the Dodd-Frank Act that sought to overhaul the US financial sector following the recession. The wording of this sentence suggests that of various Dodd-Frank acts, the one in question is the one that sought to overhaul the US financial sector following the recession, and therefore the description of the intent of the act is essential, because it pertains to this Dodd-Frank Act. But the part of the sentence that follows that describes the intent of the only existing Dodd-Frank Act. Therefore, the clause that begins with sought provides additional information that should be appended to the main clause, â€Å"She faulted him for criticizing the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act,† with a comma and the conjunction which: â€Å"She faulted him for criticizing the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which sought to overhaul the US financial sector following the recession.† More than 60 percent of companies have suffered a cybersecurity compromise in the past year, which exposed confidential information and disrupted systems and operations. Setting the modifying phrase â€Å"exposed confidential information and disrupted systems and operations† off as a subordinate clause beginning with which creates the mistaken impression that the fact that a majority of companies experienced a hack during the previous year had the unfortunate results specified. But the phrase pertains to individual cybersecurity compromises, not to the preponderance of such experiences. The phrase is essential to the sentence- it describes hacking incidents that had specific results- and so should be integrated into the main clause, as shown here: â€Å"More than 60 percent of companies have suffered a cybersecurity compromise in the past year that exposed confidential information and disrupted systems and operations.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business Letter"Replacement for" and "replacement of"What’s the Best Way to Refer to a Romantic Partner?

Substitution and Income Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Substitution and Income Effects - Essay Example In this essay, the conception of income as well as substitution effect has been clearly portrayed and certain significant scenarios have been taken into concern on the basis of which the implication of the income or the substitution effect or both the effects will be depicted in the discussion. The researcher discusses six different scenarios, such as Drove Less and Purchased Less Gasoline, You Ate Out Less Often, You Took Public Transportation More Often, You Bought a Bicycle, You Did Not Take a Vacation Away From Home and You Bought Fewer Clothes and Made Due with More around the Home and provides a detailed analysis of each one. The researcher also demonstrates his analysis with graphical portrayals. The researcher then concluds that the valuable conceptions that include income as well as substitution effects are associated with the subject matter of macroeconomics and pose significant influence upon the demand of a particular buye. The consequences due to the effect of income alo ng with substitution effect also play an imperative part in determining the budget factor by a considerable extent. The role and the outcome of both the effects have been depicted on the basis of the provided situation that is based upon the theory of purchasing power of the consumers or buyers. The application of the individual as well as the combined effects i.e. income as well as substitution effects have also been performed in each of the scenario in order to justify the purchasing power of the buyers or consumers.

Art History Video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art History Video - Essay Example It appears dark, but this is not due to its lack of maintenance but since it is made out of porous sandstone. Stained glass windows are also a prominent feature in the video. The bells of the cathedral are also evident in the video, and some appear very heavy yet fascinating. Tower stairs of the cathedral have been portrayed to be extremely steep, but still they leave a very great impression on the writer. Generally, the view of this huge Church is very breathtaking; its large size, well painted windows on the outside, deep stairs and the general breathtaking. This cathedral has also has beautiful mosaic patterns and an overall grandeur. Built at around the 12th and 13th centuries, the cathedral is one of German’s greatest architectural constructions. This masterpiece is situated at the heart of Cologne, and it is the third tallest cathedral all over the world. Its construction began in 1248 and then it took a total of 600 years for the cathedral to be completed. It was completed in 1880. The building was constructed so remarkably in such a way that, even in the Second World War when German cities were flattened by bombings, the cathedral still remained, standing tall. The cathedral has many treasures but the four principle treasures are the shrine of the three holy kings, Gero Cross, Modern Mosaic Glass Window and Milan Madonna. What is striking about this cathedral is its gigantic size that it has occupied in the center of the city of Cologne. This has given it aesthetic value, but the windows have been decorated amazingly which has added to the aesthetic value of the building. Building projects nowadays and in the Middle Ages are very different. In the present world, housing projects are a very common occurrence and it takes a few years to complete the construction. However, Cologne Cathedral took a total of about 600 years which implies that considerable amounts of energy and hard labor were used in ensuring

TAEDEL401A - Training and Assessement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TAEDEL401A - Training and Assessement - Essay Example Negative attitude to training is one of the psychological barriers. It could be overcome through proper guidance given to the learner. Learning structures that are supportive to the learner would also help to change the attitude of learners towards training. Apart from this, dissemination of information, and methods of delivery would also make the training be entertaining thus changing the negative attitude of learners towards training. Financial constraints as a situational constraint could be overcome by the organization providing learners with loans or grants that would enable them to purchase the training. Additionally, the organization could also take up the cost of training thus allowing employees to access the training without any difficulty. Lack of organization support is another constraint to learning. Development of a proper opportunity of learning would help the organization to change its perception towards training thus supporting the employees. In this case, the organiz ation would be given facts concerning the importance of the training towards the success of the organization. Availability of qualified trainers is another constraint to learning. Without trainers, no learning would take place. In order to overcome this barrier, qualified trainers would be hired for the training program. Increasing the salaries of trainers would help in attracting experienced and qualified trainers into the training program. Training venues need to be adapted to allow the learners with exceptional needs to access the training. All training venues should be adapted so that they would satisfy the exceptional needs of the learners. Elevators and escalators should be fitted into storey venues in order to enhance quick movement of learners from one floor to another. Resources, learning materials, and assessment tools that are needed for the training should be identified prior to the training. Early

Financial Information for Business Decisions Essay

Financial Information for Business Decisions - Essay Example The global economy has undergone a drastic change due to recession and economic slowdown in different parts of the world, so on the basis of volatile economic condition, the companies have also changed their strategies and business models to survive in the market, and retain their position among the other players. In order to identify the repercussions of turbulent economic environment, and effects industrial factors on Wal-Mart, an overall analysis of the operations of Wal-Mart over five years would be done. Further, the competitors of Wal-Mart would also be analysed to gauge the position of the company, globally, in terms of market share. The financial analysis of the company would also reveal the financial stability of the firm, which would assist in deriving a conclusion regarding the effect of financial information on the business decisions of Wal-Mart. Company Overview Wal-Mart Store, Inc. is a multinational company which was established in the year 1945 and is headquartered at Bentonville Arkansas, United States (Yahoo Finance, n.d.). It is a publicly listed company and its shares are traded in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the ticker symbol â€Å"WMT†. The company’s stocks were first traded at NYSE on August 25, 1972 (Wal-Mart, 2012a). Wall-Mart is engaged in retail or supermarket business in various formats around the world. Wal-Mart operates restaurants, retail stores, supermarkets, discount stores, hypermarkets, supercenters, apparel stores, warehouse clubs, etc. The products offered in the stores of Wal-Mart include frozen foods, meat, dairy products, bakery products, baby products, beverages, grocery items, electronic goods, household items and so on. Presently the business operations of Wal-Mart are divided into three broad segments, namely: a) the Wal-Mart International segment, b) the Wal-Mart US segment, and c) the Sam's Club segment. Retail stores of various formats are run by Wal-Mart in all the 50 states of US. Along with this it also operates its retail operations online through walmart.com. The international segment of Wal-Mart has its presence in 26 countries of the world and is also in the business of operating its retail operations in all those countries outside US. The Sam's Club segment of Wal-Mart includes membership based warehouse clubs that are operated in 47 states of US along with Puerto Rico (Wal-Mart, 2012b). The US business segment of Wal-Mart operates its business activities which are divided into six strategic merchandise units. They are: a) Grocery, b) Entertainment, c) Hardlines, d) Health and wellness, e) Apparel, and f) Home. All these six merchandise units offer different categories of merchandise products through its various types of retail stores located in different parts of US. In the recently published Fortune-500 list Wal-Mart has been ranked second, just after Exxon Mobil. Business Model Analysis of Wal-Mart After getting an overview regarding the operations of Wal- Mart, its business model would be studied in a comprehensive manner in this section. The current business model would be scrutinized and the changes that have taken place in the last five

Egyptian Cultural Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egyptian Cultural - Term Paper Example Ancient Egyptians relied on cosmology to prophesize what the future holds. They exhibit a â€Å"set of values and a cluster of ideas that made them Egyptian rather than Ethiopian or Greek.† 1 In this modern era, an Egyptian is identified no longer by a particular genotype or language; â€Å"rather is comprised of many different people who participate in one general Arab culture.† 2 As it happens, being an Egyptian is like being American; the term is associated to citizenship. Egyptians were legendary for revering their pharaohs not merely as rulers, but gods. Today, Islam is the most prevalent religion in the country, with Christianity and Judaism that both adhered to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as the minor group. Islam was introduced by the Arabs during the 600 A.D. It points to Allah as the one God, and indoctrinates the philosophies of the prophet Mohammad. Muslims, as the followers refer to themselves, read from their holy book Qur’an and pray to Allah fi ve times daily (Moscovitch 2008). â€Å"Long years of coercion and exploitation by foreign ruling powers and native autocratic states have left its mark on the Egyptian personality.†3 Based on their current political situation, the fact evidently shaped the character of the Egyptians and their attitudes towards the government. It is an Islamic ideology to concentrate power in one person, the Caliph, and hail him the "ruler of the world", and this remains the main characteristic of all the Muslim rulers in Egypt (Fahmy 2002). Muhammad Ali who led Egypt from 1805 to 1848, Gamal Abd al-Nasser from 1952 to 1970, Mu?ammad Anwar el-Sadat from 1970 to 1981, and Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak from 1981 to 2011 all epitomized a government of absolute despotism; the â€Å"executive, civilian, military, and judicial functions†4 are vested solely upon the head of the state. In despotic states the nature of government requires the most passive obedience and when once the prince's wi ll is made known, it ought infallibly to produce its effect. Here they have no limitations or restrictions, no mediums, terms, equivalents or remonstrance, no change to propose, man is a creature that blindly submits to the absolute will of the sovereign.5 II. POLITICAL REVOLUTION IN EGYPT: CAUSE AND IMPACT Countless protests are heard throughout Egypt; nevertheless, it is believed that the tensions rooted from these three issues: 1) Muslim terrorism that lead to some 200 deaths in the following 18 months during the 1990s, 2) the ratification of the Martial Law that imprisoned around 2000 militants mostly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood—a mainstream movement in Egypt with followers at all levels of society, and 3) the allegation of the Coptic Christians concerning mistreatments by the government and its failure to put the sought-after democracy into practice (History World 2010). In his 30 years of presidency, Mubarak retained the emergency laws initiated by his predec essor. These laws gave him a greater presidential power â€Å"including the right to appoint the Cabinet, without any provision for parliamentary majority, and the role of supreme commander of the armed forces, and chief policy-maker in matters of security, diplomacy, and the economy.†6 The president was ousted in a national uprising on February 11, 2011, making way for constitutional

Sports Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports Law - Essay Example accreditation for laboratory tests (and laboratories themselves) carried out in foreign lands, and that the IAAF should execute measures to see that this is reflected in all EU sports governing bodies. As stated in Rule 55.11 of the IAAF, the procedure of determining whether an athlete is culpable with regards to an illegal substance use does not really matter unless it is "such as to cast real doubt on the reliability of such a finding." (IAAF cited by Parliament 1999) Yet the IAAF compensates for this by stating in paragraph eight (8.2) of the procedural guidelines that the test of Sample B, following that of Sample A, should be done in the presence of the athlete and/or a representative. Also paragraph 8.5 states that every athlete should have the right to a fair hearing, before decisions are reached to avoid unjust suspension or discharging. In the Modahl versus BAF case there were loopholes, open wounds for vampires, on both sides. The effect of it calls for action, not only at the domestic level, but at the international level as well. Note the defence of the BAF: it was simply following the guidelines set out by the IAAF (which in turn probably did not foresee that kind of circumstance). In summary, it is not the sports law and policy that is the enemy here, but the type of attention paid to it. Situations like this summon a need for more focus on positively detailed contractual rules and their application. As always, there is room for growth. REFERENCE LIST Abbott, H. (2006) Sports Law Blog: People Hate Honest Athletes - True Hoop, [Online] Available from: http://sports-law.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 26th October 2008]. CMM (2007), Diane Modahl, [Online] Available from:...Sports Management 335, [Online] 1 Available from: http://www.isenberg.umass.edu/sportmgt/uploads/listWidget/13465/spt335-lpm.pdf ISLA (2007) Doping and Corruption in Sports. Sports and Law, [Online] 1-4 Available from: http://www.icsspe.org/news/pdf/SportsandLaw.pdfPHPSESSID=fed48f126f02e253c7d54624d633a0a0 [Accessed 28th October 2008]. Wadler, G. I. (no date) Doping in Sport: From Strychnine to Genetic Enhancement, It's a Moving Target, [Online] 1-9 Available from: http://www.law.duke.edu/sportscenter/wadler.pdf [Accessed 27th October 2008].

Egyptian Cultural Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egyptian Cultural - Term Paper Example Ancient Egyptians relied on cosmology to prophesize what the future holds. They exhibit a â€Å"set of values and a cluster of ideas that made them Egyptian rather than Ethiopian or Greek.† 1 In this modern era, an Egyptian is identified no longer by a particular genotype or language; â€Å"rather is comprised of many different people who participate in one general Arab culture.† 2 As it happens, being an Egyptian is like being American; the term is associated to citizenship. Egyptians were legendary for revering their pharaohs not merely as rulers, but gods. Today, Islam is the most prevalent religion in the country, with Christianity and Judaism that both adhered to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as the minor group. Islam was introduced by the Arabs during the 600 A.D. It points to Allah as the one God, and indoctrinates the philosophies of the prophet Mohammad. Muslims, as the followers refer to themselves, read from their holy book Qur’an and pray to Allah fi ve times daily (Moscovitch 2008). â€Å"Long years of coercion and exploitation by foreign ruling powers and native autocratic states have left its mark on the Egyptian personality.†3 Based on their current political situation, the fact evidently shaped the character of the Egyptians and their attitudes towards the government. It is an Islamic ideology to concentrate power in one person, the Caliph, and hail him the "ruler of the world", and this remains the main characteristic of all the Muslim rulers in Egypt (Fahmy 2002). Muhammad Ali who led Egypt from 1805 to 1848, Gamal Abd al-Nasser from 1952 to 1970, Mu?ammad Anwar el-Sadat from 1970 to 1981, and Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak from 1981 to 2011 all epitomized a government of absolute despotism; the â€Å"executive, civilian, military, and judicial functions†4 are vested solely upon the head of the state. In despotic states the nature of government requires the most passive obedience and when once the prince's wi ll is made known, it ought infallibly to produce its effect. Here they have no limitations or restrictions, no mediums, terms, equivalents or remonstrance, no change to propose, man is a creature that blindly submits to the absolute will of the sovereign.5 II. POLITICAL REVOLUTION IN EGYPT: CAUSE AND IMPACT Countless protests are heard throughout Egypt; nevertheless, it is believed that the tensions rooted from these three issues: 1) Muslim terrorism that lead to some 200 deaths in the following 18 months during the 1990s, 2) the ratification of the Martial Law that imprisoned around 2000 militants mostly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood—a mainstream movement in Egypt with followers at all levels of society, and 3) the allegation of the Coptic Christians concerning mistreatments by the government and its failure to put the sought-after democracy into practice (History World 2010). In his 30 years of presidency, Mubarak retained the emergency laws initiated by his predec essor. These laws gave him a greater presidential power â€Å"including the right to appoint the Cabinet, without any provision for parliamentary majority, and the role of supreme commander of the armed forces, and chief policy-maker in matters of security, diplomacy, and the economy.†6 The president was ousted in a national uprising on February 11, 2011, making way for constitutional

Policy and Strategy for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Policy and Strategy for Business - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that Fiorina’s strategy of ‘my way or highway’ has also left the top leadership starkly deficient in senior executive positions. Surely she had fired a lot of people in key positions during her tenure. Robert P. Wayman, the interim-CEO, is not exactly in a position to make business critical decisions and time may be running out for HP. The company lacks the technological edge to compete with its US rivals like the Dell and the IBM, and the Chinese giant Lenovo, in the PC market. The software unit of HP is a non-performer that makes a measly contribution of $122 million to the company’s kitty. The initiative of HP to emerge as a significant player in the software business by acquisition of companies has also backfired. The fact the HP lost money in software, despite the bright results of the industry in general, is a vivid pointer to its slip shod handling of acquisitions. But the most serious threat that HP faces is to its Printe r market from its competitors like Dell. Though the profits of $ 22 from printing division in 2003 was the saving grace of the company, Dell has speeded eating into its pie of low end division of Inkjet printer. Despite the bleak picture, it is only the Printing division that is the proverbial silver lining of the cloud for HP. This paper outlines that tactically the company is moving in the right direction by strengthening it and spending more into its R & D. However, the company needs to make bold decisions to rebuild its investor confidence. The stocks of the company had plunged 8% in the market, which is enough to wake the Board up. And it is the Board alone that can save HP from its obvious dismantling. A few radical decisions, besides the more obvious one of the appointment of a full time chief, need to be made without any more wastage of time. HP needs to shed extra-baggage by disinvesting more the less profitable PC and software divisions and concentrate on printing. This way it will no longer have to defend itself on many fronts.

Witness essay Essay Example for Free

Witness essay Essay HENRY LAWSON:- Many composers have been successful in using distinctly visual elements to create a particular image to reveal their own vision of the world. Henry Lawson is able to portray his image that life in the bush is not romantic. One can see this message portrayed through the short stories ‘the drovers wife’ and ‘in a dry season’. However Douglas Stewart portrays his perception of the destructive nature of mankind visually through his poems ‘wombat’ and ‘nesting time’ Firstly in Lawson’s â€Å"The drovers wife† we see how he personally views his perspective as being part of a group of people. He represents this through various language techniques and direct quotes to show the perception of belonging he has developed. Through the use of rhetorical questions â€Å"who are these shadows† through this quote he shows us that in the beginning he has no sense of belonging with that particular group of people. We see the use of peaceful imagery â€Å"moonlight plain† to show us that the shadows he may belong to are not necessarily dark and evil. In this poem we see how there’s a sense of mystery as to whether he belongs or not through the quote â€Å"The bearded faceless men† hence showing he does not belong. But later on in the poem he also quotes they â€Å"stood shoulder to shoulder† showing that he may belong and or be part of their circle. Hence, we can see his point of view. Furthermore we can see how a point of view is shown in Lawson’s story in a dry season. We see this through various language techniques and quotes. The quote â€Å"our lady watched† shows us that even though he never grew up in a certain group he still had something far stronger than a group of peers monitoring his every step and guarding him through he’s schooling days this shows the strong sense of belonging he developed with the school. The Quote â€Å"like a foreign tourist† shows us that peter never had a sense of belonging with that particular group even though he had been part of them for years but he still failed to integrate himself with them. The quote for â€Å"eight years† shows us that peter never felt as though he belonged to the school although he abided by the rules and dressed in the correct uniform, Hence, showing us both his point of view. Finally in the poem â€Å"Wombat† we can see how different people view belonging through many different emotive quotes. We see how the wombat goes down a long road from not belonging to belonging, we see this through the quote â€Å"from f lag burner to patriot† this shows us that he felt through he never belonged but  with time came his sense of identity which played a major role in helping him belong. We also see his journey from not belonging to belonging because he burnt the Australian flag but later on in his life had it put up as an ironic symbol in his room hence, we see how it views the word belonging. This is evident that a person can go from belonging to not belonging and that belonging is viewed differently by different people. This can be linked back to the poem ancestors as in the poem peter feels as though he does not belong at all just when he burn down the Australian flag but later on goes to discover his identity and realizes the flag is a part of him while Lawson knows that he does not belong to his ancestor at the moment but may belong to them in the final destination reached in the peaceful nature in comparison it can also be linked back to wombat as in the poem we can see how he has no sense of belonging just as first but later on found out and established his own notion of belonging. Hence, we can see both notions of belonging. In conclusion many composers have been successful in using distinctly visual elements to create a particular image to reveal their own vision of the world. Henry Lawson is able to portray his image that life in the bush is not romantic. One can see this message portrayed through the short stories â€Å"The drovers wife† and â€Å"In a dry season†. However Douglas Stewart portrays his perception of the destructive nature of mankind visually through his poems ‘wombat’ and ‘nesting time†.

Applications of 3D Printing Technology

Applications of 3D Printing Technology Lara Soueid Abstract What if we could simply print a bone when we have a shattered one? This has now become possible due to the three-dimensional (3D) printing innovation. 3D technology In our days, technology is advancing at a very rapid pace. Out of the many recent innovations is the three dimensional (3D) technology. It has been exploited in various industries such as the movie production, television, computers, and printers industries. This technology has just recently been introduced into the medical field, more specifically, the 3D printers (Walker A, 2013). There are various medical applications of the 3D printers; some of these are to print prosthetic limbs, and implants. So far, there are many advantages, yet also a few disadvantages to the latter. The three dimensional technology relies on the fact that we see things in 3D by our eyes in our daily, that is we visualize objects by their width, length and depth (3deyehealth.org June12, 2014). The process by which our eyes perceive three dimensional images from two highly similar overlaid images was first described by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1838 (Sniderman Z, 2011). Another name for 3D is stereoscopy; it explains how our eyes and our brain create an impression of a third dimension. Our eyes are approximately 50-75mm apart, hence each eye perceives a slightly different image which the brain merges using some high powered geometry which is basically the 3D concept (Sniderman Z, 2011). Modern 3D technology is trying to replicate what the brain does to merge the images. This technology tricks the brain in order to perceive two different images from the same source (Wong KV, Hernandez A, 2012).There are multiple uses of the 3D technology, mainly architecture, the movie industry, printing and gaming (Sniderman Z, 2011). 3D printing has recently been on the rise, these machines are able to make anything from simple materials. By doing so they replace traditional factory production lines and make everything in life much easier, a person can easily print a cup or chair, or even a house (Walker A, 2013). 3D printing technologies There are various 3D printing technologies being used, namely selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA) (Pravas VS, 2013). The SLS printers use a very powerful laser in order to heat and bind the printing material into the required 3D object by scanning the cross sections generated from the 3D digital file. When each cross section is scanned, the powder bed is automatically lowered one layer thickness and new material is placed above it. The object is surrounded and supported by the same powder it is made from. This process is repeated until the object is complete (Deckard C, Beaman J, Bourell D, 2012). Figure 1: Selective Laser Sintering process, Martello.co.uk, June 12, 2014. The second type is the FDM printers, these printers use a process by which thick filaments are melted and forced through a heated nozzle which forms the object. Once the first layer is formed, the base is lowered and the second layer begins forming and fusing with the first layer. However unlike the SLS, these printers require two different materials, the thick filaments in order to make the object and a support material which surrounds and supports the object while it is being made (Deckard et al., 2012). Figure 2: Fused Deposition Modeling process, 3dprinterplans.info, June 12, 2014. The last type of printers are the SLA printers, these printers use liquid photopolymer resin as the basic material. Photopolymers are materials that are sensitive to light, once exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, they will immediately harden. The UV laser beam traces a cross section of the object onto the resin, which immediately curs when it is exposed to the light (3ders.org, March 14, 2013). The base then lowers and the top is coated with more resin which again gets exposed to UV light hence hardens and mends to the lower layer. This process is repeated until the object is completed (Deckard et al., 2012). Figure 3: Stereolithography printing process. Pravas VS, 2013. The latter are all additive manufacturing processes which require the help of computers. The 3D object blueprint to be printed must first be modeled three dimensionally on a computer software, most commonly using the computer aided design (CAD) software. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), as well as computed tomography (CT) scan can also be used (Pravas VS, 2013). The CAD file is converted into a Standard Tessellation Language (STL) file which transforms the geometry into small triangles, a header, or a triplet list of x, y and z coordinates. This file is then sliced into cross sections exactly as the printer will print, this file is called a G-Code file which can now be directly interpreted by the printer (Wong KV, Hernandez A, 2012). Table 1: Comparison of 3D printing processes. (3dprinteplans.info, June 12, 2014) There are various applications to 3D printing, such as architecture, automotive, engineering, fashion and numerous others. However the most important applications are the use of 3D printers in medicine to produce implants and prosthetics (3dprinterplans.info, 2014, June 12). Throughout the world, poverty is increasing and living costs as well as the medical costs are also increasing. A prosthetic arm for an amputee would cost on average $3,000 to $30,000 depending on the patient’s age, activities, profession and his health hence making it impossible for anyone except the rich population to be able to buy a prosthetic arm or foot (Turner R, 2009). Lucky for the third world countries people, as well as the middle class people, a novel technology will solve the latter issue. The innovation of the 3D printers has and will change many lives. The process of printing a prosthetic hand relies on the FDM technology. The material used is most often high-performance thermoplastics which are biocompatible, and the average price of a 3D printed prosthetic arm is about $200 (Stratasys Ltd, 2014, June 12). The 3D production of prosthetics is not only cheaper, faster and more practical, it is a revolution which allows every amputee of living a normal life again. The main problem in producing a prosthetic arm or leg is the need of a blueprint or prototype. The patient’s limb is scanned using a CT scanner or a laser-based scanner, this image is then converted into a G-Code file which can be directly printed by the printer in order to produce a new very similar limb (Andrews TM, 2013). There was also a problem of printing the socket (the part that will be attached to the amputated limb) accurately (Stratasys Ltd, 2014, June 12). However this has all been solved by the open end prototypes and blueprints available for everyone to use (Stratasys Ltd, 2014, June 12). Sydney Kendall is a thirteen year old girl from St.Louis, her right arm was amputated due to a boating accident when she was six years old. Senior students in the Washington University in St.Louis studying biomedical engineering printed a prosthetic arm using plastic as the raw material for Sydney. The total cost was only $200. This prosthetic is powered by a battery and controlled by an accelerometer allowing her to move her prosthetic fingers (Washington University in St.Louis Newsroom [WUSTL], 2014). The most recent 3D printed prosthetic hand is the â€Å"Flexy-hand†, produced by Gyrobot Ltd by Steve Wood. This prosthetic arm looks very similar to a natural human hand and it operates like one too. He has used Filaflex flexible filaments which form tendons that are activated by a motor that allows the prosthetic hand to operate very much like a normal human hand. (Krassenstein E, 2014) Maxillofacial prosthetics are also being produced by 3D printers. Usually the conventional maxillofacial prosthetics production requires that an impression from the trauma site is taken, then a plaster positive should be formed, a mould should be made and the specific shape must be carved in the wax, lastly it must be casted in silicone. This is very laborious, time consuming and expensive to be done. Using the 3D technology, the patient’s face should be 3D-scanned, this image will then be converted to the appropriate file to print the perfectly fitting prosthetic part (Wainwright O, 2014, June 12). 3D-printed titanium shoulder and collar bone implants were successfully implanted into three different patients suffering from cancerous bone tumors in Xi’an, China. The bone design was printed using the selective laser sintering technique which fused titatium powder into the exact shape of the patient’s bone. The implants do not cause infections and are very durable and resistant (Zeng C, 2014). This has also been done in the United Kingdom for a cancer patient (Moore G, 2014). Soon, 3D printing will replace manufacturing industries and save millions of lives. Various kinds of implants such as knee caps, skulls, auditory devices, and jaw bones have already been produced by a 3D printer and have successfully been implanted. There are 2 astonishing cases whose patients have been given a second chance to live due to 3D printers. The first case is Stephen Power, he is a survivor of a motorbike accident that shattered his face. His face was reconstructed at Morrison Hospital in Swansea, however, his entire face was reconstructed using custom made 3D printed models, plates, implants and guides. The surgical team used CT scans to create symmetrical 3D models of Power’s skull which they then printed, implanted, and held in place using a printed titanium implant (Griffith H, 2014). The second case is of a 22 year old woman from the Netherlands who had her skull replaced by a 3D printed skull implant. She suffered from a chronic bone disorder which increases the thickness of her skull, neurosurgeons at the University Medical Centre Utrecht pr inted a perfectly fitting durable plastic skull implant (University Medical Center Utrecht [UMCU] research news, 2014). Dr.Bon Verweij of the UMCU says: â€Å"Its now three months after the operation. The patient has fully regained her vision, she has no more complaints, shes gone back to work and there are almost no traces that she had any surgery at all. The printing process of prosthetics and implants requires hours to a few days maximum. There aren’t any documented reactions to the prosthesis or implants, they are cheaper, more durable, more resistant, less laborious and they are FDA approved (Pollack SK, Coburn J, 2013). However the main disadvantage is the expensive price of the printer and the designing program. Most prototypes are open ended and available online for modification and many hospitals and universities now have 3D printers (Stratasys Ltd, 2014, June 12). With the increasing popularity and availability of 3D printers, we are finally ableto create prosthetics and implants under $1000. Even though alternative production methods are present, they are not available to the people that need them most due to their high cost. They are cheap, fast, References 3deyehealth organization team. Seeing in 3D. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from www.3deyehealth.org 3dprinterplans team. (2014, May 6). How To 3D Print – Beginner’s Guide To 3D Printing. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://3dprinterplans.info/how-to-3d-print-beginners-guide-to-3d-printing/ Andrews TM. (2013, August 23). Can we really 3D print limbs for amputees? The atlantic magazine. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/can-we-really-3-d-print-limbs-for-amputees/278987/ Deckard C, Beaman J, Bourell D. (2012, December 7). [Interviews in the University of Texas]. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.me.utexas.edu/news/2012/0712_sls_history.php#ch4. Griffith H. (2014, March 12). Pioneering 3D printing reshapes patient’s face in Wales. BBC news. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-26534408 Krassenstein E. (2014, March 10). The Flexy-Hand – The Most Innovative, Useful, Realistic Looking 3D Printed Prosthetic Hand Yet. 3D print blog. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://3dprint.com/1500/the-flexy-hand-3d-printed-prosthetic/ Moore G. (2014, February 11). Surgeons have implanted a 3-D printed pelvis into a U.K. cancer patient. Fierce Medical Devices Newsletter. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/story/surgeons-have-implanted-3-d-printed-pelvis-uk-cancer-patient/2014-02-11 Pollack SK, Coburn J. (2013, August 15). FDA goes 3-D. FDA voice. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2013/08/fda-goes-3-d/ Pravas VS. (2013). 3D Printing – ‘Modern Manufacturing Rapid Prototyping’. Engineers Garage. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.engineersgarage.com/articles/what-is-3d-printing-modern-manufacturing-and-rapid-prototyping?page=1 Scheineder Prototyping Limited members. Rapid Prototyping Stereolithography (SLA) Models. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.martello.co.uk/rapid_prototyping.htm Sniderman Z. (2011, February 07). How Does 3D Technology Work? The Innovative Entertainment Series – Dolby. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://mashable.com/2011/02/07/how-does-3d-work/ Stratasys limited. FDM technology case studies. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.stratasys.com/resources/case-studies/medical Turner R. (2009, May 30). Prosthetics costs. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/prostheses/prosthetics-costs.php University Medical Center Utrecht newsroom. (2014, March 27). University Medical Center Utrecht – Netherlands. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.umcutrecht.nl/research/news/2014/03/3d-printed-skull-implanted-in-patient.htm Wainwright O. Faces to order: how 3D printing is revolutionizing prosthetics. The guardian. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/nov/08/faces-3d-printing-prosthetics Walker A. (2013, June 21). 3D printing for dummies: How do 3D printers work? The independent newspaper. Retrieved 2014, June 12 from http://www.independent.co.uk/ Washington University in St.Louis Newsroom. ( 2014, May 7). WUSTL students print pink prosthetic arm for teen girl. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/26901.aspx Wong KV, Hernandez A.( 2012). A Review Of Additive Manufacturing. ISRN Mechanical Engineering. Volume 2012. Article ID 208760. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://dx.doi.org/10.5402/2012/208760. Zeng C. (2014, June 3). In China, world’s first successful 3D-printed shoulder and collar bone implants. 3ders organization newsroom. Retrieved 2014, June 12, from http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140603-in-china-world-first-successful-3d-printed-shoulder-and-collar-bone-implants.html

Fight Club Essay -- essays research papers

What did the film Distort?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A film adaptation of a book can be like hearsay. The author writes a novel to send a certain message. Someone else reads it interprets it in a different way and talks to a film producer. The film producers then take its, leaves out major events, change the ending and make a film with a completely different message than the author. The author then screams bloody murder then takes his cut from the box office. Joesph Boggs, the author of Problems with Adaptation, says â€Å"We expect the film to duplicate exactly the experience we had seeing the play or in reading the novel. That is, of course, completely impossible† (Boggs 672). No one told this theory to David Fincher, the director of Fight Club. Fincher stuck almost like glue to the novel. He did however, change a few events in the novel and the ending but stills successfully puts Palahniuk’s words on screen that even made Palahniuk happy to earn his profits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the changes Fincher made to Palahniuk novel were minor and insignificant. One example is the fat Tyler and the narrator used to make soap. In the novel, they steal the fat from Marla. Marla was keeping her mother's liposuction fat for her own plastic surgery. They steal the fat and store it in the Paper Street Soap Company's fridge. In the movie, Fincher had Tyler and the Narrator steal it from a plastic surgery dumpster. In the novels version it could be interpreted as another th...

Innovation From Googles Free Food Strategy Essay

ABSTRACT We will be looking at the Forbes Magazine’s â€Å"Best Company to Work for in 2014† number 1 ranked company Google. The very successful Technology Industry based company has been very successful and been named as the best employer to work for several times since it opened its doors in 1998. We will look at their Mission Statement and business strategy and how they use employee benefits to draw and keep the best employees. Mission and Business Model Googles Mission Statement is one that does not include a lot of the components that are used to evaluate a quality mission statement. It fails to accompany the customer, concern of survivability or public image amongst other things, but at the sometime this small open minded Mission Statement accomplices the company as a whole and their â€Å"Open Innovation† philosophy. (Jurevicuis, 2013) The Google business model is a ‘Business Model Canvas’. As a world leading Technology Company and the most popular search engine on the internet. They have built an extremely successful primary pay stream with the Cost per Click (CPC) in which advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their advertisement. (Osterwalder, 2013) This has accounted for most of the revenue the company generates despite recent ventures into new markets. They have started purchasing companies such as Nest to attempt to generate new revenue streams as well as start the Google Apps, Android and other opportunities. With this movement Google has steadfast and is continuing to stay with the same business model. Googles Culture and Leaders Google’s culture is to keep an open environment the same as a startup company would be between employees and management. They continue to fill their ranks with people that believe in what they are doing and taking care of those people to retain them and push them to be creative with what they enjoy. They believe in working with smaller teams to promote team work, but encourage to help where you can even if it is to help another team in a different area. Google has identified people that they want as their leaders and management is consistent and fair people with their decisions. People that are predictable with their decision making fosters freedom within their teams as they know what to expect. They have employees rate their managers twice a year so the company can help develop their managers where their weaknesses are and make them better leaders. (Bryant, 2013 Fostering Innovation with Amenities Google founders have built the company the way they wanted and what they would want their employers would do for them. They have created an environment that fosters innovation and creativity with the freedom to purse your interest as well as accomplishing your team goals. They want a complete open culture that is felt within a new startup company would have to make the employees feel free to talk to anyone within the company, including the founders, at any time. They offer amenities such as free meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), Free concierge services to help you run errands, Free Shuttle Service, gyms and workout classes, and the 80/20 Rule amongst other things. The most talked about amenity that Google offers their employees is the free meal program. They feature over 25 cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s that offer lunch and dinner, plus many snack stations throughout the campus that makes it where you are never more than 150 feet away from food. The cafes have some of the best chef’s from around the Bay Area and create some of he best food in the area. This helps to keep employees working more areas as they do not have to leave the  campus for an hour to get lunch, or to need to leave early to cook dinner. This has also helped with productivity because the employees do not feel that sluggishness from being hungry. This has also lead to the dreaded â€Å"Google 15† in regards to the 15 pounds people gain in the first year from all the great food. At least they do have the gyms, climbing walls and classes to help with that. One of the perks that Google offers their employees is the 80/20 rule. This rule allows for employees to work 1 day a week on passion projects that they believe will benefit the company. (Smith, 2013) There has been some quality innovations come from this ability such as Google Chrome, and Google Plus. This also is a good way for the employees to feel free and reduce stress as they can spend time on the things they love. My Culture View Googles business philosophy of putting their employees at the top of their priorities and give them their freedoms is wonderful environment to be in. They foster this work environment that helps an employee to become the best they can as they have a freedom to think outside the box and be innovative and bring what you know and what you’re passionate about to the table. When an employer takes care of their employees the top talent stays with the company and is loyal to them. It also attracts the top new coming talent to want to work for them. This gives the employer the ability to choose the talent they want, instead of the talent selecting whether they want to be there. This works great for Google but not all parts of their perks may not be the best approach for all companies. I think having something like the 80/20 rule would not work for something like a call center in which it is more of a directive driven position. I believe all companies can see what google has done and take notice and look at themselves to see where they can take aspects to help them make their companies more desired to work for and be loyal to. I personally would love to work at Google or a company that treat their employees with respect, provides freedom in work, and promotes innovation and the ability to better yourself as you help benefit the  company. References Author: Adam Bryant Publication Date: June 19, 2013 Title of Document: In Head Hunting, Big Data May Not Be Such a Big Deal Web Address: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/business/in-head-hunting-big-data-may-not-be-such-a-big-deal.html?_r=1& Author: .Administrator Publication Date: Copyright 2014 Title of Document: SDLC Waterfall Model Web Address: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/sdlc/sdlc_waterfall_model.htm Author: Smith, Kevin Publication Date: March 6,2013 Title of Document: Google Employees Reveal Their Favorite Perks Working For The Company Web Address: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-employee-favorite-perks-2013-3?op=1 Author: Jurevicuis , Ovidijus Publication Date: June 9, 2013 Title of Document: Mission Statement of Google Web Address: http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/google-mission-statement.html Author: Osterwalder, Alexander Date of Publication: March 29, 2012 Title of Document: Understanding Google Business Model Web Address: http://bmimatters.com/2012/03/29/understanding-google-business-model/

Chabros International Group: A World of Wood

The Chabros International Group started with fairly low-key beginnings in the late sixties, but has gradually become a respected name in a wealth of different timber markets. In particular, it has become a well-known wood and veneer supplier due to the relentless and often pioneering efforts of its president Antoine Chami, who has carefully built up a reputation for high quality products and exceptional service. The company employs more than 600 staff with an annual turnover of $100 million USD.Chabros is a leading producer and supplier of wood and veneer and a distributor of a wide range of interior and exterior products that have been specified and used in major high-end projects throughout the Middle East for over 40 years. With an aim to cater to the innovative needs of woodworking professionals, architects & interior designers as well as contractors, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service.In addition to its strong presence of Lebanon, Chabros has always been devoted to expand its range of products to provide original and fresh design solutions to its customers. Chabros has also added a line of services to its current product offerings including veneer stitching & pressing, sanding, veneer finger jointing, parquet and exterior decking installation as well as teak yacht decking. Chabros is positioned as one of the market leading suppliers of Wood & Veneer with a large stock of wide range of products, exceptional service and unique expertise.The company’s success is driven by its loyal customers, their team and their unrelenting focus on delivering results by executing with excellence. In Lebanon, Chabros was one of the first to produce veneer products instead of solid wood because of its ecological and economical benefits. The company’s vision has always been to expand the business further in order to meet the industry’s demands and replenish the shortages that exist. However, due to the wars and political unrest in Lebanon, the company’s desire to expand was stifled somewhat until 1998 when it ventured into the GCC and could establish a branch in Dubai.In the midst of a growing global market, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service. The company’s regional distribution centers are headquartered in Dubai covering a vast geographical area of supply. The Chabros International Group case studies how Chabros confronts a drastic drop in its largest subsidiary's sales after 2008's global economic crisis.Chami, the company’s owner and president, was reviewing his company's 2009 end-of-year financial statements and, in particular, a 30 per cent drop in sales in Dubai. In 2007, a year before the globa l economic crisis, Chami had invested more than $11 million to acquire and expand a sawmill in Serbia to meet Chabros's growing lumber sales demand. With a much higher capacity to produce lumber and a much lower probability to sell it, Chami had to decide what to do to overcome this challenge. Shocked, Chami went into crisis mode and consulted all of his top management to address these issues.Questions that were raised: Should he close parts of his Serbian sawmill? Should he try to boost his company's sales to use all of his sawmill's available capacity? If so, should Chabros try to increase sales within the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt or should it expand into a new country such as Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Tunisia? Would Morocco, among other countries, be the best country to expand into? Was it the right time to embark on such an expansion?The management also had explored different alternatives such as closing parts o f the Serbian sawmill and different strategies that they could follow if they decided to try grow the company’s sales. The future seemed so uncertain and the team did not know what to expect. It was clear that closing the Serbian sawmill was out of the question, mainly because the company had invested over $11 just less than two years ago. Closing that plant would put the company in a difficult financial situation as it invested for the long run.The company’s best alternative would be to continue operations in the Serbian sawmill and try to expand into other markets where such materials were in high demand. Prior to this, expansion, an extensive research would have to be conducted, particularly due to the crisis affecting many parts of the world. If Chabros was able to find an expanding market, they could continue operations in all of their sawmills. Another option would be to sell off either part of the operations or the entire sawmill.Both of these options would put them at a loss, however, it would be a better option than shutting the entire mill. Some of the strengths and competitive advantages, which Chabros International Group consisted of, were being simultaneously a manufacturer and a wholesaler, which gave them strategic flexibility. They understood and adapted to its Western suppliers and the Middle East and North Africa suppliers. Lebanese people are very adaptable due to their culture, which brought the main sawmill to a much greater advantage.Another strength which Chabros had, was providing its customers with more varied and customized wood products than most other competitors, which built distinctive relationships with its key suppliers. With strengths and advantages come disadvantages, which Chabros had as well. Being a lumber manufacturer put Chabros in the reverse situation and sometimes gave it a disadvantage compared to lumber wholesalers. This happened during the financial crisis, where euro reached an all time high of $1.55 and Chabro’s Russian supplier was able to sell at a lower price. A weak point where Chabros stands, is not working on their brand name. Although Chabros was operating in seven MENA countries, their name was not very well known, not to mention in its parent country, Lebanon. Through its affiliates all over the world, the company has established strategic alliances with mills in Africa, North and South America and Europe, which are responsible for sourcing, cooking, cutting, drying, grading and supplying the various wood products.In recent years, it has broadened its product lines to include new products such as mother-of-pearl laminates and Duroxill UF powder glue. The growth of the company means it has also extended its services, which have developed to include the production of lay-ons, veneered boards and parquetry designs through the use of various splicing, cutting and laser machines in its different locations. Chabros International Group: A World of Wood The Chabros International Group started with fairly low-key beginnings in the late sixties, but has gradually become a respected name in a wealth of different timber markets. In particular, it has become a well-known wood and veneer supplier due to the relentless and often pioneering efforts of its president Antoine Chami, who has carefully built up a reputation for high quality products and exceptional service. The company employs more than 600 staff with an annual turnover of $100 million USD.Chabros is a leading producer and supplier of wood and veneer and a distributor of a wide range of interior and exterior products that have been specified and used in major high-end projects throughout the Middle East for over 40 years. With an aim to cater to the innovative needs of woodworking professionals, architects & interior designers as well as contractors, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service.In addition to its strong presence of Lebanon, Chabros has always been devoted to expand its range of products to provide original and fresh design solutions to its customers. Chabros has also added a line of services to its current product offerings including veneer stitching & pressing, sanding, veneer finger jointing, parquet and exterior decking installation as well as teak yacht decking. Chabros is positioned as one of the market leading suppliers of Wood & Veneer with a large stock of wide range of products, exceptional service and unique expertise.The company’s success is driven by its loyal customers, their team and their unrelenting focus on delivering results by executing with excellence. In Lebanon, Chabros was one of the first to produce veneer products instead of solid wood because of its ecological and economical benefits. The company’s vision has always been to expand the business further in order to meet the industry’s demands and replenish the shortages that exist. However, due to the wars and political unrest in Lebanon, the company’s desire to expand was stifled somewhat until 1998 when it ventured into the GCC and could establish a branch in Dubai.In the midst of a growing global market, Chabros has established overseas production units and distribution points throughout the Middle East Region, targeting businesses that are in search for quality products and exceptional service. The company’s regional distribution centers are headquartered in Dubai covering a vast geographical area of supply. The Chabros International Group case studies how Chabros confronts a drastic drop in its largest subsidiary's sales after 2008's global economic crisis.Chami, the company’s owner and president, was reviewing his company's 2009 end-of-year financial statements and, in particular, a 30 per cent drop in sales in Dubai. In 2007, a year before the globa l economic crisis, Chami had invested more than $11 million to acquire and expand a sawmill in Serbia to meet Chabros's growing lumber sales demand. With a much higher capacity to produce lumber and a much lower probability to sell it, Chami had to decide what to do to overcome this challenge. Shocked, Chami went into crisis mode and consulted all of his top management to address these issues.Questions that were raised: Should he close parts of his Serbian sawmill? Should he try to boost his company's sales to use all of his sawmill's available capacity? If so, should Chabros try to increase sales within the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt or should it expand into a new country such as Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Tunisia? Would Morocco, among other countries, be the best country to expand into? Was it the right time to embark on such an expansion?The management also had explored different alternatives such as closing parts o f the Serbian sawmill and different strategies that they could follow if they decided to try grow the company’s sales. The future seemed so uncertain and the team did not know what to expect. It was clear that closing the Serbian sawmill was out of the question, mainly because the company had invested over $11 just less than two years ago. Closing that plant would put the company in a difficult financial situation as it invested for the long run.The company’s best alternative would be to continue operations in the Serbian sawmill and try to expand into other markets where such materials were in high demand. Prior to this, expansion, an extensive research would have to be conducted, particularly due to the crisis affecting many parts of the world. If Chabros was able to find an expanding market, they could continue operations in all of their sawmills. Another option would be to sell off either part of the operations or the entire sawmill.Both of these options would put them at a loss, however, it would be a better option than shutting the entire mill. Some of the strengths and competitive advantages, which Chabros International Group consisted of, were being simultaneously a manufacturer and a wholesaler, which gave them strategic flexibility. They understood and adapted to its Western suppliers and the Middle East and North Africa suppliers. Lebanese people are very adaptable due to their culture, which brought the main sawmill to a much greater advantage.Another strength which Chabros had, was providing its customers with more varied and customized wood products than most other competitors, which built distinctive relationships with its key suppliers. With strengths and advantages come disadvantages, which Chabros had as well. Being a lumber manufacturer put Chabros in the reverse situation and sometimes gave it a disadvantage compared to lumber wholesalers.This happened during the financial crisis, where euro reached an all time high of $1.55 a nd Chabro’s Russian supplier was able to sell at a lower price. A weak point where Chabros stands, is not working on their brand name. Although Chabros was operating in seven MENA countries, their name was not very well known, not to mention in its parent country, Lebanon. Through its affiliates all over the world, the company has established strategic alliances with mills in Africa, North and South America and Europe, which are responsible for sourcing, cooking, cutting, drying, grading and supplying the various wood products.In recent years, it has broadened its product lines to include new products such as mother-of-pearl laminates and Duroxill UF powder glue. The growth of the company means it has also extended its services, which have developed to include the production of lay-ons, veneered boards and parquetry designs through the use of various splicing, cutting and laser machines in its different locations.

The Sale to Procter & Gamble

On February 28th 2005, Gillette was sold to Procter and Gamble for $57 billion.Gillette is based in Boston and was founded in 1901. It sells products in over 200 countries in 31 manufacturing plants in 14 countries. It is one of the leading manufacturing firms left in Boston.Procter and Gamble is based in Cincinnati, established in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble and was incorporated in 1905. To date it has sold more than 300 brands of products in more than 160 countries.Because of the competition in this industry, Procter and Gamble thought it was a good idea to buy out Gillette. They had already noticed that Walmart had the biggest percentage of Procter & Gamble’s revenue (17%) and this would grow to 30% after the merger. Also, there would be a cost savings of $14 to $16 billion a year and a 1% increase in sales growth after the merger.Key Issues One of the key issues is that 6,000 employees of Gillette would be losing their jobs.Another key issue is that severance packages from these kinds of mergers have been seen to be too high. For example, when Manulife Financial Corporation merged with John Hancock Financial Services, the Chief Financial Officer from John Hancock, David D’Alessandro, received a package of $16.4 million. When Bank of America bought Fleet Boston Financial Group, Chad Gifford (CFO of Fleet Boston) got $16 million.Now, Gillette’s James Kilts is getting a severance package of $30 million and could earn $172 million in cash   and stock. In fact, $50 million of the compensation package was directly tied to the merger. A lot of academics did not agree with this arrangement because they believe it should be tied to the performance of the company and not to the merger.Another issue is that employees of Gillette were already complaining about unfair working conditions and retirees were going to have to pay more for healthcare after the merger.

Darwinism and His Theory of Evolution Coursework

Darwinism and His Theory of Evolution - Coursework Example With the appearance of the Theory of Evolution, the lacuna, which was previously filled with a belief in the Creator, could be filled with scientific explanations. The widely debatable Theory of Evolution swayed the minds of many scientists, who began to apply it to all branches of knowledge up to history (Marx) and psychology (Freud). More than one and a half century has passed after the Theory of Evolution publication date and all this time the debate over it was evolving, adapting, changing, but did not stop for a day even. As any science, Darwin’s Theory has far more questions than answers. The same situation is with the modern theories. The current Synthetic Theory of Evolution, combining achievements of genetics and classical Darwinism, was established 80 years ago. It’s now evident for all evolutionary biologists that it is outdated and many facts do not find any explanation in it. Scientists talk about the need for a new synthesis, which would unite the achievement of present-day paleontology, embryology, animal psychology and other fields of biology, which were not considered fully by the modern evolutionary theory. But even if the third synthesis occurs (Darwin’s theory is the first synthesis, as the historians of biology state), it will not, obviously, solve all the problems. But it will certainly put some new questions - such is the specificity of science. Overview of the Issue. Pros and Cons Scientists can debate certain statements and facts of the Theory of Natural Select ion, but they have to admit that it, as a whole, is logically simple, clear and is confirmed by so many facts, testable in experiments, that can not simply be erroneous.  Most biologists understand it.  Another thing is that life is a very complex phenomenon and the Theory of Evolution gives only a very simplified presentation.  This paves the way for further development of the theory in terms of constructive criticism.  The essence of the Darwinian concept of evolution is reduced to a number of statements, recognized by most scientists: Within each species of living organisms there is a huge range of individual genetic variations in morphological, physiological, behavioral and any other character.  This variability can have a continuous, quantitative or intermittent qualitative nature, but it exists always. All living organisms propagate their kind in a geometric progression. Resources for all types of living organisms are limited and, therefore, the struggle for existenc e must appear between individuals of one species or between individuals of different species or between species and natural conditions.   In the struggle for existence only the fittest individuals survive; individuals with abnormalities that happened to be adaptive to certain environmental conditions.  This is a fundamentally important point in the arguments of Darwin.  Deviations appear not as environmental variations, but happen by chance.  Few of them become useful under specific conditions.  Descendants of such survivors inherit useful deviations, which allowed their ancestors to survive, and are more adapted to the environment than the other members of population. Survival and reproduction of the fittest individuals was called â€Å"natural selection.† Natural selection of separate isolated species in different conditions of existence gradually leads to a divergence of characteristics of these species and, ultimately, to speciation. On these postulates, once ag ain, perfect in terms of logic and supported by a huge number of facts, the modern Theory of Evolution has been established. Each of these theories is an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact (Quammen, NG).

Finance and funding in travel and tourism sector Assignment

Finance and funding in travel and tourism sector - Assignment Example Such costs are therefore apportioned on the basis of any formula or any other mechanism. Such costs include administrative costs like janitorial services, utilities etc. Fixed Costs: These costs remain constant irrespective of the level of the activity. For instance, the machinery fuel consumption; this will not be reduced or increased with the level of production. Rather, the fuel expenses will be distributed over the units produced. Therefore, it is the behaviour of the fixed costs that they remain fixed in totality but reduce per unit as the production increases. Variable costs: Variable costs are such costs, which increase or decrease with respect to the level of the activity. For example, the labour cost for the production of the units of product will be nil in case the production halts and will be increased when the production starts. Such costs behave parallel to the level of the activity. Semi-variable costs: Semi-variable costs are such costs which consist of the features of variable costs also and that of the fixed costs. It implies that such costs are fixed up to a certain extent and then they get parallel to the level of the activity. Cost volumes are significant in decision-making process of the management. Things get managed when they get measured; this is the main reason why costs volumes are always monitored. Constraints are established for the costs levels so that they do not exceed the prescribed budget. Costs volumes analysis sets the direction for the controls to be applied on different components of the variable costs. In addition to this, once the cost volumes are established, they can be then compared with the costs of prior periods, competitors and other departments by way of benchmarking. Comparison with prior period assists in comparisons and variance analysis with respect to the previous years. The results of the previous year are

Strategic Marketing Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Marketing Planning - Essay Example However, during the last 20 years, this industry has been experiencing a rapid decline. Declining industries were once growth industries but a continuing fall in demand for their products has resulted in their decline. The steel industry is typical of the British decline in the manufacturing sector. This industry was in a position of supremacy in the 1870's but by 1910-14 British output had fallen behind that of the United States and Germany (Pope, 1998:24). Whilst annual output averaged 7 million tonnes, Germany was averaging 15 million tonnes and the United States averaging 27 million (Pope, 1998: 24). The US and German producers benefited from home markets protected by tariffs. A guaranteed home market, especially one dominated by huge corporations like US Steel or cartels, encouraged investment in large scale integrated plants utilising the latest technology. These plants gave the US and German producers a competitive edge. However the British industry comprised of mainly modest sized family firms, lacking the capital resources or the market to justify investment in the latest, large-scale and integrated plants (Pope, 1998: 24). Western Europe accounts for more than 60% of total steel production; with North America accounting for 50% and Japan for about 80% of steel production. Nevertheless the industry is still fragmented and even with the creation of the Mittal Steel Company the top 5 producers in the world account for fewer than 25% of global steel production. By contrast, the top 5 iron ore producers account for about 90% of the global iron ore market; in the automotive sector, the 5 biggest players account for about 65% of market share (Varin, 2005: 4). Although the UK steel industry has made great strides to become internationally competitive, and is on a par with the most efficient producers in Europe, the depreciation of the euro since its launch at the beginning of 1999 has undermined the viability of UK manufacturing. To offset its price disadvantage, UK manufacturing has sourced semi-finished products increasingly from overseas. In addition, UK distributors have increasingly purchased finished goods from abroad. As a result of these developments, steel in imported goods is now the biggest source of steel used in the UK, representing nearly 40% of UK steel consumption, against 25% in 1989 ( Hickman, 2001:11). As a result of increased import penetration largely via the steel content of finished and semi-finished goods, the steel demand chain in the UK is under pressure. UK mill products now satisfy little more than one third of total UK consumption. The competitiveness of UK mill products has inevitably been affected by sterling's strength, and the mill product share of total consumption has fallen from 53% to 35% over the past decade. Imported mill products rose by 36% in the ten years to 1999, but this was a much slower rise than the 68% rise of steel contained in imported goods (Hickman, 2001:11). This sharp rise reflects moves by manufacturers of consumer goods to produce increasingly in locations where labour and energy costs are cheapest. There is clearly a growing threat to the steel i ndustry from a contracting customer base, as the UK manufacturing sector continues to suffer from global competition, and an over-valued pound. This is illustrated by the performance of the main markets for steel.