A critical evaluation of the role of Friends of the Earth in the Essay

A critical evaluation of the role of Friends of the Earth in the development of policy responses to climate change in the United Kingdom - Essay Example Thus, one can easily relate Climate Change to the Global Financial Crisis, as the latter seems to be the deterring point behind the ignorance on the former. However, this isn’t the point where it can be established that Climate Change is a lost cause. Instead, a few examples can still be narrated where government involvement led toward policy responses, and that too legally binding in context to the state legislation. The scholarship on climate change indicates that government involvement with the issue is very critical to resolving the crisis at hand. Also, the efforts that are already being done must be rocketed by taking the crucial stakeholders into confidence. In other words, theoretical paradigms in climate change studies indicate that the social interest groups or volunteer organizations can play a positive role in bringing the issue on agenda, and once the issue transforms into a political one legislations are bound to be designed. However, certain steps need to be fol lowed which includes; developing or identifying non-environmental leadership, initiating action in the community, changing lifestyles and lastly transforming it into a global effort. Policy responses on the issue of climate change will only result after the intermingling of three actors; normative rationale on part of government, citizen`s will to take action and accurate consultation designs by organizations/individuals having expertise. To prove the point, a critical analysis of the organization functioning actively in the UK, the Friends of the Earth can be quite insightful. The organization reached a huge breakthrough in 2008, when after many concerted efforts; they were able to incorporate the Climate Change Act of 2008 in the UK, with binding legislations aiming at controlling the environmental damages via limiting carbon emitting gases. The organization i.e. Friends of the Earth initiated their campaign by publishing

Information Technology Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Essay Why do big companies still fail in their use of information technology? What should they be doing differently? The companies fail in use of Information Technology for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are mentioned below Software: The information system or software of the company plays major role in organization success. The software is often out of date. Software upgrades are essential with the fast growing technology and competitive market. Human Resource: The second element is human resource which causes company to fail in use of Information Technology. The newly upgraded or installed software are new to users which takes time to understand and operate the new software. Managers: The managers must have knowledge of new software and must know how to install and operate in the department. It’s the duty of manager to carry output from employees by newly introduced software. The right time to change software: The Company must identify the time period in the year where they feel the company is not very busy or can have some extra time to install and implement new software. No solution plan: Companies don’t create a good solution plan. All businesses should have a good plan to introduce new information technology and a good plan to maintain it. Proper installation and maintenance is the key to successful implementation of Information Technology. Security: Managers are failed to maintained security of the important and operational data. Managers must take care of Company Information and maintain standards to protect company important data from hackers and cyber criminals through fire walls, anti-virus and all necessary measures. How can information technology support a company’s business processes and decision making and give it a competitive advantage? Give examples to illustrate your answer. Information Technology plays a vital role in modern world. There are so many different ways that information technology can support a business’s processes and decision making. One of the ways that information technology can do this is by making information more readily available to managers with the programs that the IT specialist develops. For instance, the manager wants to know how sales are doing for a new product that was recently released. The program makes this easy for her to do with just a few click of the mouse. S he can log on to her computer, pull up the program, type in the name of the product that you want the information for and it all pops up. If you did not have  this program you may have to do all this manually, by adding the figures all up by yourself, or you may even have to go to the sales rep and talk to them and see how things have been. That can all be very time consuming. The technology can keep the manager informed on a daily basis leaving them able to keep tabs on their products and knowing whether or not they need to produce more, produce less, or stop the line all together cause sales are way low. Information Technology gives a company a competitive advantage because you can use the internet to make a Web site which allows customers or stockholders to easily access your information and make orders with just the click of a button. For instance, EBay and Amazon shrink our global market, worldwide buyers and sellers are just away one click from each other. Information Technology gives these companies the competitive advantage of very large market size and customers from all over the world. Many companies are now trying to get in the race of Information Technology based businesses to capture larger market and many customers which are impossible to reach demographically.

United States in the 1920s with that of 1930s Essay Example for Free

United States in the 1920s with that of 1930s Essay The first half of the twentieth centuries saw America emerging as a World super power, and as one of the mature democracies among the British colonies. However, the transition was not smooth and the Nation has had its ups and downs moving from agrarian to industrial society through the glut and glum of the roaring twenties and gloomy thirties. While the 1920s were a period of affluence and optimism, America emerging as a victor in the First World War, the 1930s was characterized by scarcity and hardships caused by the Great Depression and Roosevelts New Deal. By the end of 1930s the nation was again agile and spirited, playing a constructive role in the Second World War in fighting the fascist and imperialistic forces. The paper presents a comparative study of the history of America in the 1920s with that of 1930s. The analysis and comparisons on the U.S history during these periods shall be undertaken along three historical landscapes the economic history, the political history and the socio-cultural history. However it is important to note that the economic history of the nation during the years have being instrumental in shaping the political and socio-cultural history; hence greater emphasis is placed on the economic history; also the crucial overlaps of the three systems are manifested in the discussion. The US. Economic History 1920s Vs 1930s While the decades 1920s and 1930s American history compares distinctively in many spheres, the prime divergence is perceivably in the economic scenario. The 1920s is characterized as a period of prosperity and optimism, whereas the 1930s is characterized as a period of extreme poverty and great economic  hardships. Also with the Great Depression of 1929, the U.S. free market economy of the 1920s gave way to federally regulated economy in the 1930s. As America emerged a victor in the First World War, the American society retreated into isolation and focusing on internal production and consumption, the economy transforming steadily from agrarian to industrial. It is understood that before World War I, a considerable majority, over 40% of all Americans lived on a farm, the percentage dropped to about 25% by the end of the twenties. The 1920s U.S. economic scenario is characterized by mass production, mass consumption and polarization of income. [DeLong, 1997] While America considerably remained an agrarian state, the WWI (First World War) brought with it considerable job opportunities in the mechanized sector. However the lack of skilled mechanical labor led to the development of mass production systems, enabling labor productivity and economies of scale as automobile and electronic industries surged the economic landscape. Mass production, coupled with high wages has had its impact on the economic front- rise in the standard of living and the level of consumptions, and a high degree of income polarization. Studies reveal that in 1929 the richest one percent of U.S. households held approximately 45 percent of national wealth, and that the concentration of wealth had been rising steeply through the 1920s. [DeLong, 1997] During the 1920s, as welfare capitalism established itself in the United States, the nation emerged as a modern middle-class economy of automobiles, consumer appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, radios. One of every five American residents had motor vehicles by 1929. It may be surmised that mass production in the early and mid 1920s made the post-WWI United States the richest society in the world, as the Americans looked forward to realizing the Great American Dream. [DeLong, 1997] However the economic surge reached its anticlimax with the Great Depression following the stock market crash in 1929, the greatest and the longest depression the world ever witnessed. While the Depression tremendously affected the American economy, it had impact on the international economic scenario as well. The polarization of income and the poor economic policies  of the government, which permitted unruly stock market investment leading to the 1929 market crash, are considered the main causes of the Depression. [Author Unknown, 2004] Though the Depression presents far-reaching economic implications, the scope of the paper shall be limited to its effect on the American economy in the years following the Depression and how the economy survived the recession in the 1930s. As the American society and economy struggled to emerge from years long depression, the decade 1930s started off with hopelessness and scarcity. The 1930s saw the Great American Dream transform into a nightmare as the land of hope and optimism became a land of despair and depravity. Unemployment and loss of jobs commonly prevailed in the U.S in the early thirties. Research suggest that between 1929 and 1932 the income of the average American family was reduced by 40%, from $2,300 to $1,500. As compared to the 1920s focus on advancement and prosperity, survival became the keyword in the 1930s. [Bernstein, 1987] Economy and politics are often interlinked and as may be seen, the U.S. economic scenario in the 1930s was potentially changed by political interventions. The Progressives, a minority in the 1920s, challenged the free-market welfare capitalism of the Republicans, who believed that the business of America is business; in 1932 Presidential election Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt won over Republican Herbert Hoover. The years followed witnessed the implementation of Roosevelts New Deal to counter the recession and depressive forces. The New Deal meant a paradigm shift in the way America worked. [Author Unknown, 2004] Roosevelts economy reforms bills include the Emergency Banking Relief Act that called for reopening of solvent banks, the reorganization of other banks, and giving Government the control over gold movements; the economy bill introducing balanced budgets; the federal regulations controlling ending the Prohibition Act of 1920s, the establishment of civilian conservation corps (CCC), the Agricultural Adjustments Act (AA), the Tennessee Valley Authority, National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) etc. These reforms presented strong inclinations to the socialist ideals; however  in 1935, the Supreme Court declared the NIRA and its regulatory authority saving capitalism in the United States. Whether Roosevelts policies were effective in setting the economy in shape is a subject of debate, as the implementation took years and WWII hindered the process; however, they were definitely effective in tackling the perils of depression as employment opportunities were created, introduced socio-economic reforms as the Social Security Act, though, with little impact on income distribution. [Bernstein, 1987] Even as America essentially remained capitalistic in the 1930s, the reforms turned the U.S. into a modest European-style social democracy. [DeLong, 1997] Thus, summing up, it may be surmised that as the 1920s revealed a chaotic economic prosperity which ultimately met its dead end in 1929, the 1930s saw the emergence of a new economic order, a disciplining of the economy that have sustained through the war years. The US. Political History 1920s Vs 1930s From a comparative perspective, at the outset, it may be said that in the 1920s politics directed the U.S. economy, though with little interventions; in the 1930s economy directed politics. From an international perspective, the post war America in the early 1920s retreated into isolation the Senate failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and did not join the League of Nations, as the Republican America realized that there were much to be done within than outside. The major internal politico-legal event of the 1920s is the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which enacted the Prohibition Act an act that marked the beginning of a Noble Experiment that endeavored to build up Americas moral character through the banning of alcohol. The Eighteenth Amendment, which came into force on January 16th 1920, put an end to all exporting, importing, manufacturing, transporting, and selling of intoxicating liquor. While the Act damaged the American economy considerably, being unenforceable, it increased crime and alcohol consumption. Ultimately the act failed to achieve its goals, and in a way added to the problems it  addressed, as 1920s America slipped into lawlessness and moral decay. [Behr, 1996] Another significant legislation in 1920s was of 19th Amendment extending women the right to vote, initiating a change in womens role in American society that persists to this day. Yet another political issue of significance was the introduction of restriction on immigration. In the political scenario, the Republicans who believed that business was the business of America received widespread criticism from the Progressives, for the critical income polarization and the social issues involved with it. But the latter being a minority force had little impact until 1932, when democrat Roosevelt rose to power with clear majority in the two houses. [Author Unknown, 2004] Since his assuming of power, as suggested earlier, the political scenario was increasingly directed by the changes in the economic scenario brought about by the New Deal. The enactments discussed in the earlier sections, as a part of the New Deal were instrumental in establishing a political order as well as an economic order, as the two major political forces the Republicans and the Democrats emerged in U.S. political landscape. [Hawley, 1992] The 1930s essentially remained a democratic era, the U.S. emerging as a modest social democracy, as politico-legal interventions saved the U.S. capitalism. The end of 1930s saw America increasingly turning towards external and international affairs, entering the war (WWII) scenario, as jobs and employment began to be created and the political decisions restored a waning economy to normalcy as America and its allies emerged successful. The US. Socio-Cultural History 1920s Vs 1930s Despite the prosperity and optimism, many consider the decade of 1920s as a decade of considerable cultural conflict. While the nation became increasingly urban and commercial, the socio-cultural landscape became more and more intolerant, characterized by isolation and marginalization of the non-whites. The end of WWI saw America retreating to provincialism. The Ku Klux Klan, a provincial racist group, aimed at alienating non-whites and other religious groups from the rest of American society, became the highly influential in socio-political landscape during the 1920s, as membership  rose to over three million members. The restriction on immigration was a ramification of the rising polarization among whites and non-whites in the American society. The Prohibition also had its negative impact on the socio-cultural landscape as it increased crime in the society, and led to the rise of gangsters, threatening the moral fabric of the society. However, it is worthwhile to note that the general prosperity of the roaring 20s have had significant impact on education and other facets of social development. Research suggests that before the WWI, only 7% of all Americans completed High School; the percentage rose to a big 41% by the end of 1920s. The impact of education is apparent in the general rise in the standard of living of the Americans during the 1920s. Also, the enforcement of the nineteenth amendment saw women emerging as a potential social force. As America slid into Depression, in the 1930s, the society witnessed a crucial leveling down between the divulging forces both social and economic as tolerance between groups improved. The economic severity played a vital role in social deconstruction as American society became more inclusive. [Watkins, 1993] The repealing of the Prohibition Act and the various social security and insurance schemes by Roosevelt facilitated reduction in poverty, and hence crime and hatred in the society. However the economic hardships of the 1930s caused a decline in the social development indices, particularly education. The 1930s American society, which had no means of entertainment increasingly turned towards movies and radios, the developments of the 1920s. The cultural landscape remained radiant, though people had little money to spent. [Elder, 1974] Thus, with regard to the socio-cultural history, it may be surmised that when the 1920s were characterized by chaos and intolerance, the 1930s saw the emergence of more tolerant society, mellowed and leveled by economic hardships. [Hawley, 1992] Conclusion The economic uproar of the 1920s eventually led to a catastrophic depression that extended through the 1930s, impacting and changing the American economic, political and socio-cultural landscapes. While 1920s marked the beginning of welfare capitalism, the 1930s saw it emerging as a more modest social democracy, while saving capitalism. The 1920s revealed a chaotic economic prosperity, which ultimately met its dead end in 1929, the 1930s saw the emergence of a new economic order, a disciplining of the American economy, that have sustained through the war years. In the political scenario the democrats emerged as a strong political force in the 1930s as Republicans failed to address the politico-economic problems during 1920s. In the socio-cultural front, when the 1920s were characterized by chaos and intolerance, the 1930s saw the emergence of more tolerant society, leveled by economic hardships. In conclusion, it may be said that the first decades of twentieth century American history were characterized by contradictions and conflicts, as America emerged a super power by the mid 1900s. References 1. Author Unknown, (2004) An Outline of American History (1990), From Revolution to Reconstruction Project Department of Humanities Computing (26, November) Available at: http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1990/chap7.htm Accessed 2/19/05 2. Behr, E. (1996) Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York: Arcade Publishing. 3. Bernstein, M. A. (1987) The Great Depression: Delayed Recovery and Economic Change in America, 1929-1939. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. 4. DeLong, J. B (1997) Slouching Towards Utopia?: The Economic History of the Twentieth Century, University of California at Berkeley and NBER (February) Available at: http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/Slouch_roaring13.html Accessed 2/19/05 5. Elder, G H. (1974) Children of the Great Depression: Social Change in Life Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 6. Hawley, E. W. (1992) The Great War and the Search for a Modern Order: A History of the American People and Their Institutions, 1917-1933. 2nd edition. New York: St. Martins Press, 1992. 7. Watkins, T.H. (1993) The Great Depression: America in the 1930s New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Nestle Is The Worlds Largest Food Processing Company Marketing Essay

Nestle Is The Worlds Largest Food Processing Company Marketing Essay 1.0 INTRODUCTION The strategic management process is based on the belief that organization should continuously monitor internal and external events and trends so that timely change can be made as needed. An organization must be capable of wisely identifying and adapting to change. In this report, I will choose Nestlà © S.A, one of the most successful food processing company in the world to discuss its strategy management process. 2.0 COMPANY PROFILE Nestlà © S.A. is the worlds largest food processing company and is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. The company was founded by Henri Nestlà © in 1866. Nestlà © Company had made several name changes from 1866 to 1947, and finally adopted Nestlà © S.A. in 1977 as the companys name. Nestle S.A. has factories or office in almost every region of the world and markets a wide range of brands. The company is often described as the most multinational of the multinationals. in the current food industry market. Henri Nestlà ©, also know as of the main originator of condensed milk. In 1867, he developed the first milk food for infants and a baby who could not be breast-fed was rescued. Nestlà ©s invention responded to the need for a nutritionally safe alternative to breast milk. Thus, Nestlà © S.A has targeted to build a business based on sound human values and thoughts. The key to success of the company is due to its huge Research and Development network within the food processing industry. With RD as the competitive advantage, Nestlà © has become the worlds leading nutrition, health, and wellness company. The company is devoted in continuing to improve the nutritional value of their products while enhancing the flavour. Nestlà © achieves this through its brands and with initiatives like the Nutritional Compass and 60/40+. Millions of people choose to consume Nestlà © products everyday because the company sustain the quality as the fundamental ingredient in all of its brands. Consumers choose to place their trust in Nestlà © due to the companys dedication to achieve distinction and turn to Nestlà © brands to preserve nutritional balance in todays fast paced world. Switzerland-based Nestlà © S.A. has the highest ranking as the largest player throughout the entire world in the competitive position within the food industry. The rating reflects the companys competitiveness and market attractiveness. With combined sales of 110 billion (Swiss Franc) in 2008, Nestlà © states a diversified business portfolio, being the market leader in numerous product categories worldwide including bottled water, instant coffee, milk and cheese products, nutrition and baby food, ice cream, frozen foods, culinary preparations, and coco products. Nestlà ©s broad geographic coverage includes North America and Europe as well as Asian markets. The vision of Nestlà © RD is long term, it helps shape the future of foods making consumer needs into research priorities and convert new technologies into consumer benefits, and services. 3.0 STRATEGY ANALYSIS 3.1 Environmental Scanning Environmental scanning has the management scan internal environment and external environment. The factor which are the predominant factor for an organization factor is SWOT standing for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. 3.1.1 SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method developed by Albert Humphrey using data from Fortune 500 companies in the 1960s and 1970s. 3.1.1.1 Internal Environment Strengths Strengths include anything a company does well and its resources and capabilities for developing a competitive advantage. The greatest strength of Nestlà © is culture that is team focused and an open door policy. Nestlà © focuses on collectivism and performance orientation attitude which encourages employees to work harder. Nestlà © achieves broader range of products by improving existing and innovating new products. Consumer demands are switched to changes of taste, colours and design that have been undertaken to products such as Nestlà ©s Smarties and Kit Kats.  The launch of Kit Kat Chunky has proven that creativity and innovation can extend the life cycle of a product. Weaknesses The lack of certain strengths and things a company does not do well are viewed as weaknesses. Nestlà © is poor in targeting some of its products. Nestlà © MilkPak is a premium product targeted to upper middle and high class consumers. Most consumers in Pakistan are from lower middle and poor class. They are not afford to purchase it due to the premium price. Nestlà © has a complex supply chain configuration too and traceability is a critical issue for Nestlà © India. High standards of hygiene, quality of edible inputs and workforce are required in the food industry. Fragmented nature of the Indian market will cause more problems. 3.1.1.2 External Environment Opportunities The external environmental analysis a firms new opportunities for profit and growth. Nestlà © in Pakistan has a great opportunity for expanding its milk products because Pakistan is the seventh major milk producer in the world with annual output more than 22 billion litres. Threats Adjustments in the external environment present threats to a firm. For an example, shifts in consumers preferences. The major threats to Nestlà ©s products is Unilevers Walls, a famous ice-cream brand. It is distributed nationwide and has total control within the local market. Besides, economic slowdown can reduce demand, and inflation is getting higher and higher causing the purchasing power of consumers is decreasing day by day. 3.1.1.3 General Environment PEST Analysis Pest Analysis is used to illustrate a structure for the analysis of macro-environmental factors. Political Political factors include a country or governments regulations and legal issues and rules which a firm must follow. For example, Nestlà ©s famous brand Milo. The product stay within the law in all countries including being aware of legislation health and safety, commercial standards, consumer protection and trade description. Economical Economic factors such like economic growth, exchange rate and inflation rate will influence potential customers purchasing power and the firms cash flow. During recession, customers have less disposable income, demand for Milo might drop in the market. Social Social factors comprise the cultural aspects and demographic of the external macro-environment. These factors influence customer needs and potential markets size. The society are more aware of health conscious nowadays, Nestlà © can build up Milo as a new fashionable drink like 100 plus in the fitness industry. Technological Technological factors can reduce barriers to entry, improve products quality and influence outsourcing decisions. Advance in science allows Nestlà © to improve its product such as Milo, the company can add energy and healthier formula to Milo. 3.2 Porters Five Forces Analysis Michael E. Porter developed Porters five forces in 1979. It is a framework that helps marketer to differentiate a competitive environment. Threat of substitute products An analysis of the threat of substitute products will identify the consumers of a company might switch their purchasing alternative. There is a tendency for food and beverages manufacturers to produce broad range of products. These products may compete with one another to gain market share and become substitute for each other. Nestlà © Koko Krunch Cereal can be the substitute for Nestlà © Nesvita cereal drink since both of them are intended for breakfast consumption. Nestlà © is not offering all kinds of food and beverages, those unoffered kinds may act as the substitutes for the Nestlà ©s products. For example, Nestlà © has coffee in its product lines which is Nescafà ©, the substitute for it can be the soft drinks which are not in the portfolio of Nestlà ©. In this case the substitutes are very broad. Bargaining power of suppliers An analysis of the bargaining power of suppliers  will identify the changing price, quality and service of suppliers without consequence. Supplier power can be different due to seasonal or economic cycles. Supplier power is increasing as many of the food processing companies are not producing their own raw materials. Nestlà © itself gets material in the form of raw or semi-processed directly from farmers and trade channels. By considering the number of suppliers in the industry and the switching cost, the dependency to a particular supplier can be reduced. Nestlà © has operations in many countries throughout the world, if one supplier unable to offer good price for Nestlà ©, it can switch to other suppliers. The bargaining power of supplier depends heavily on the strength of the companys brand. Big companies such as Nestlà © can take advantage in bargaining. Bargaining power of buyers Food processing industry is very broad and rivals can come out with numerous product selections. When the companies step into the maturity stage, they will have even more products provided to strengthen the companys brand. Nestlà © Milo has strong market share and remains a constant favourite amongst Malaysia consumers. In order to further strengthening the brands image, the company added Milo Gold to its product range to keep the consumers loyalty towards the product. Threats of new entrants An analysis of the threat of new entrants will identify entry barriers within an industry. Industries with high barriers to entry will face low risk from new competitors than an industries with low barriers to entry. The competition of ice cream business in Pakistan is very small. This could create chances for other international ice cream brand to penetrate their products to compete with Nestlà © in Pakistan. The major substitutes of Nestlà ©s ice cream would be Walls ice cream and Hico ice cream. Competitive rivalry within an industry Rivalry among competing firms is the utmost of the five competitive forces. Firms within the same industry are competing with one another to gain customer share to increase profitability. The competitors are of roughly equal size which can make the competition even stiffer. They will attempt to gain dominance over another. Nestlà © and General Mills have joint ventured for breakfast cereal market. By having such joint venture these two companies can achieve better success instead of competing with each other. 3.3 Value Chain Analysis Value chain analysis is a development for understanding the general factors and conditions under which a value chain and its firms can achieve higher levels of performance. Manufacturing and the environmental footprint Nestlà © has a great commitment to the environment. They put in great efforts to protect the access of water and ensure everyones responsibilities as water users. Nestlà © moves to different fuel types to produce their products to improve the environmental performance. One of the significant steps in the  value chain is transport. Nestlà © initiated an experiment with  Schenker, to  evaluate the effect  of  different types of  transport, distances  driven and fuel type used to create a better environment. Nestlà ©s employees The company determined by skilled and motivated workforce for continued success. Nestlà © includes many nationalities, religions, and ethnic groups working together in one single unifying corporate culture. Farmers and Agriculture Nestlà © always assist farmers to be successful suppliers. This great effort is helping the entire region to develop a positive long-term impact to boost economic performance. Nestlà © share good environmental and water management practices with farmers by carrying out agricultural programs. Nestlà © insist code of ethics to maintain good and long-term relationship with their suppliers. Products and consumers Nestlà © strengthens its brands and customers loyalty to respond to consumers changing preferences. Nestlà © preserves the nutritious in its products while enhancing the flavour and improve the quality of their products. According to Julio Frenk, former Secretary of Health Mexico, from his experience in Mexico, he believes that Nestlà © is delivering genuine shared value through its products in the society. 3.4 Benchmarking A company should has its benchmark to improve quality of its products. In June 4, 2009, Nestlà © started make use of ASSET4 to benchmark its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. ASSET4 is the top supplier of idea, comparable, and auditable extra-financial information. According to Nestlà ©s head of Investor Relations, Roddy Child-Villiers said that Nestlà © is committed to improve its ESG performance via Creating Shared Value, which build continuous business triumph and the establishment of shareholder value to the creation of value for society at large. 4.0 STRATEGY FORMULATION Strategy formulation is the second stage in the strategic management process. In the aspect of corporate strategy, the current objectives and strategies of Nestlà © will be discussed as well as suggestions given on how Nestlà © to be more successful in the food processing industry. For example, what amendments should be made to achieve the development objectives and strategies of Nestlà ©, the lines of business that Nestlà © is in now, and how these lines of business fit mutually. There are three main components fall under corporate strategy. These components include directional strategy, portfolio analysis and parenting strategy. 4.1 Directional strategy Directional strategy refers to a firms overall orientation towards growth, stability and retrenchment. 4.1.1 Growth strategy Growth strategy has two fundamental categories, concentration within existing industries and diversification into other lines of business or industries. In this report, I will choose to discuss the concentration strategy of Nestlà ©. Concentration strategy can be achieved via merger and acquisition (MA). MA have emerged and are widely used in many industries today. Nestlà © has been using these form of strategic alliances to link technology gaps and resources, to recruit expertise and obtain market positions. MA are essential and potentially useful for a company that wishes to enter a new industry and new markets. Merger Merger is defined as the combination of companies. In 1905, Nestlà © S.A was formed by the merger called the Nestlà © and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company. Nestlà © stepped outside the food industry for the first time and diversify its business in the cosmetic industry. In 1974, Nestlà © became a major shareholder in LOrà ©al, one of the worlds leading makers of cosmetics. Acquisition Acquisition is the act of purchase or takeover of a company that is completely absorbed by the subsidiary or division of the acquiring corporation. Since 1985, Nestlà © has made over 50 acquisitions. Nestlà ©s growth strategy began with acquisitions to diversify its product offering. In the early 1990s, it used acquisitions to expand geographically. More recently, Nestlà © has focused its acquisitions on growing a select number of very attractive businesses in markets where it can achieve leadership positions. For example, Nestlà © has acquired Frozen Food in 2010. The factors of the acquisition are due to Frozen Foods number one position in United Stated and Canada as well as strong growth profile in North America by proving fast recovery in times of economic downturn. Meanwhile, concentration strategy includes two strategies which are vertical growth and horizontal growth. I will choose horizontal growth of Nestlà ©s for further discussion. Horizontal growth refers to the expansion of operations into other geographic locations and enlarging the variety of products and services offered to current markets. Horizontal growth can be achieved via joint venture. As an example, in 2001, Coca-Cola Company and Nestlà © S.A. continue their existing joint venture business, Coca-Cola and Nestlà © Refreshments. This co-operation will be renamed Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW) to emerge their beverage segments, especially ready-to-drink tea. 4.1.2 Portfolio Analysis Portfolio analysis is basically a product portfolio in which a company rank their products and where their products are stands in the market. There are two popular portfolio analysis techniques that will be used to analyse Nestlà ©s portfolio. There techniques include BCG Matrix (Boston Contingency Group) and GE Business Screen. For this report, BCG Matrix is selected to explain the current standing of Nestlà ©s brand in India. BCG Matrix In 1960, Bruce Henderson, president of the Boston Consulting Group design BCG Matrix to develop business strategy. There are four categories of product position which are stars, cash cows, dogs, and question marks. Stars When an industry is growing and the share of a firm is high as well, then the firm is the leader in business. Nestlà ©s Nescafà © is one of the leading coffee brands in the Indian market. It has the strong position in the market which is incomparable by other brand within the country. Nescafà © has high market share in the industry as well as the growth rate is significantly high. In addition, the name of Nescafà © has become generic with coffee. Cash Cows When the industry growth is low but the firm has high market share, then the firms products are considered Cash Cows. Nestlà ©s Maggie Noodles has more households of consumption in India and has become the first preference of Indian children in terms of instant food, yet it is still considered as Cash Cows, not a star. It has a significantly high market growth rate in the Noodles market in India, but the market growth rate of Noodle consumption is not very high. Question marks Question marks refer to products with the potential to penetrate into the market and succeed but will require a lot of cash for development. Maggie Pickles has limited variety especially in this taste crazy country, India. Maggie Pickles is doubted for two main reasons. The first reason price and packing of the product is high, which seems to target customer from upper class. The second reason is it lack of significant number of alternative, therefore it is a challenge to maintain itself in the market. Thus, it is suggested that Maggie Pickles to review its packaging and price so every citizen in India can afford to purchase the product. Dogs If the industry growth is low and a firms share is instability or low, then the products of the firm is considered dog. Nestlà ©s Dahi is considered Dog because people in India was unaware that Nestlà © offers a Dahi. The product is facing competition from Amuls Masti Dahi. The concept of Dahis packaging is not favourable by the consumer who prefer to play it safe with the local manufacturer. Nestlà © Dahi is placed in as a Dog due to lack of growing market. It is recommended that Nestlà © has to think on what it can do to make everyone in India recognize Nestlà © Dahi. 4.1.3 Corporate Parenting Strategy Corporate parenting strategy is developed to examine each business unit in terms of its strategic factors, areas in which performance can be improved, and analyze how well the parent company fits with the business unit. Horizontal strategy To expand a business to another geographic location, extra cost such as import duties, logistics and other packaging requirements will weigh down a products launch in the targeted region. Hence building an overseas plant or subcontract the manufacture of the product to a licensed local manufacturer. Nestlà ©s has many manufacturer in almost every country in the world to manufacture its products. This strategy has helped Nestlà © to cut down the extra costs as I have mentioned above. Multipoint competition Multipoint competition refers to a multinational organization compete against other multinational organizations in a number of markets. Nestlà © competes in a wide range of geographic areas in addition of broad range of product categories. Therefore it faces competition from multinational companies such as Unilever and Philip Morris with similar product lines that cross regional bounds. Since Nestlà © is facing this type of competition, it is suggested that Nestlà © must compete briskly across its worldwide customer base. 5.0 STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION Strategy implementation is the third stage in strategy management. In order to carry out the formulated strategies, Nestlà © needs to establish annual objectives, planning policies, motivation employees and allocate resources. This stage is also known as the action stage of strategic management and it is often considered to be the most complicated stage. It needs the collaboration from all the employees at all levels in Nestlà © in terms of personal discipline, commitment, and sacrifice. In this stage, I will discuss several issues that will affect to Nestlà © during the process of strategy is being implemented. 5.1 Management Issues Management changes are essentially more extensive when strategies to be implemented move a firm in a major new direction. I will select several factors from the management issue to discuss how are they going to affect Nestlà ©s organizational performance. Annual Objectives Annual objectives are especially important in strategy implementation, whereas long-term objectives are particularly important in strategy formulation. Annual objectives represent the basis for allocating resources. Resources Nestlà © need at least four types of resources in order to achieve desired objectives. Financial resources. One of the major strengths of Nestlà © is its RD which contribute a lot in supporting the companys strategy implementation. In 2006, Nestlà © invested CHF 1.73 billion in RD and over CHF 1.5 billion in Venture Capital. Thus, the company needs sufficient financial resources in order to continue its RD. Physical resources. Nestlà © has a committed sales force which is the major resource strength in terms of physical resources. It is very important as part of the companys success particularly after the strategy is implemented, and the employees able to develop markets and sell its products. Human resources. Human resources is one the significant concern while implementing strategy because it is the backbone of any organization. The fact that Nestlà © is more people and product than system oriented reflected in the way HR is functioning and is organized. Technological resources. RD at Nestlà © is an international group of science and technology centres of excellence. Its RD has a long tradition of building its own machines based on extensive in-house engineering experience. Proprietary technological claims in all products categories assist Nestlà © to maintain and improve its position as market leader. Rewards and Incentives The Real Rewards in Nestlà © USAs investment in you is a comprehensive package for waged employees. Compensation is a key part reward of Nestlà © USAs Real Rewards package to help to attract, motivate, and retain a workforce of top performance. There are three types of compensation of the Real Rewards package. Base Pay. Based Salaries are designed to be competitive which based on data specific to different position as measure in marketplace. High performance over time is recognized by base pay that is higher than the market. Short-Term Incentives. Short-Term Incentives Pay is designed to reward employees (typically yearly) for their accomplishments and contribution to Nestlà © USAs success. Long-Term Incentives. Nestlà © USAs Long-Term Incentives Plan are designed to motivate and reward those in eligible leadership position for the companys sustained success for a longer period, often three years or more. Human Resources Nestlà © Human Resources Policy encompasses those guidelines which represent a sound basis for effective and efficient HR management in the Nestlà © Group around the world. Learning is part of the company culture in Nestlà ©. Employees at all levels is conscious of the need to upgrade constantly his or her skills and knowledge to achieve personal and organizational goal. 5.2 Marketing Issues Marketing variables can determine the success and failure of strategy implementation. Market Segmentation Marketing segmentation is the process in marketing of grouping a market to identify different groups of customers with different needs or responses to marketing activity. Consumer can be segmented on the following characteristics. I will use Nestlà © Juices to discuss how Nestlà ©s marketing team is going to target the market segmentation. Geographic Segmentation, Region. People would prefer to drink juices during the hot weather or summer season. The marketing team can segment the market on the basis of high temperature zones. To boost the demand of its juices products, they can focus more in the region where the consumption remains almost the same all the year around. Demographic Segmentation, Gender. Women will be the best targeted customers as they usually shop for their family. When they are convinced that the juices will be good for the health for their family, they will eventually purchase. Psychographic Segmentation, Life style. People belonging to luxury life style tend to spend more on luxuries as compared to people in the lower class. In strategy implementation, market segmentation is an important variable. It allows Nestlà © to operate with limited resources due to unnecessary of mass production, mass advertising and mass distribution. The market segmentation decision directly affect the marketing mix variables. Marketing Mix Product strategy. Nestlà © juices main competitive advantage is its quality leadership. The company aim provide the original and best quality to their customers and fulfill their need. Place strategy. In Pakistan, Nestlà © established the distribution channels for its juices products in famous cities such as Karachi, Lahore and Gujranwala. Then they acquired maximum two to three suitable distributors in these cities to hinder from their own competition. Promotion strategy. The marketing team of Nestlà © use various sources to promote their target marketing. Sources used such like TV, Newspaper and Billboard to advertise their products. When Nestlà © launches new juice, the marketing team will use the promotion strategy that are mentioned to spread the awareness of their brand. Price Strategy. Nestlà © juices are available six flavored and two size. The packing of 200ml size is targeted for individual customer while 100ml packing is targeted for whole family. They charge price premium since they provided high quality and 100% clear juices other than competing low cost with their competitors. Nestlà © juices contain maximum profit margin compared to their rivals. Product Positioning After segmenting markets, Nestlà © can target particular customer groups, the next step is to find out what customers wants and needs. In 2009, Nestlà © launched two fortified juice drinks for children, Juicy Juice Brain Development and Juicy Juice Immunity. Customer wants. Children are targeted easily targeted for these two juice drinks because they can choose three flavours that are available including apple, berry and grape flavours in these two juice drinks. Customer needs. Parents are very concerned with their kids development. Therefore, these two juice drinks are specifically targeting brain and immune development in under five age group. 5.3 Research Development Issues RD is an investigative activities that a business choose to conduct with the purpose of discovering new products and to improve the existing products. Nestlà © is the global leader in the food processing industry with regard to RD. The RD expert team in Nestlà © have provided best practices and help in the companys implementation. For example, the RD structure offers the flexibility to use the huge sources of local ideas, bring them back and develop them for the global implementation. The major advantages of Nestlà © RD include: The company attract the best scientist and engineers from top-level universities who want to work and partner with them. To build plants, expand, grow, and market products and services more efficiently. 6.0 CONCLUSION In a nutshell, it is not easy to maintain the position as the world leader in food processing industry like Nestlà ©. A company must be able cope with any unexpected changes in order to survive and compete in the world of business. (Word Counts: 4435 words)

Essay --

I have grouped some past literature on the topic and investigations I will be pursuing. Economic growth and how conflict affects GDP per capita growth will be discussed theoretically and through previous empirical analyses. Observations will be made on the assumptions they reach and what they indicate for this paper. 2.1 Economic Growth I first look into the theory and previous studies on economic growth. The reason behind this is to get an idea of what model I will use and which variables to include in my regressions. There have been many empirical studies analysing possible variables which are significant to economic growth. Barro, QJE 1991 uses the neoclassical Solow model (Solow, 1956 and Mankiw et al., 1992) to test for the theory of convergence which states that countries with an initial lower GDP grow more rapidly. This makes economic sense as the country that has been involved in the conflict has a greater amount of growth potential. The country will simply need to recover its lost resources and will fulfil conditional convergence. The neoclassical theory states as a country reaches the steady state an increase in investment will result in diminishing returns on capital. Poor countries, which have lower capital and higher rates of return on capital, will pull alongside to the income levels of rich countries with faster growth rates. As for the variables tested, for 98 countries in the period 1960-1985, the growth rate of GDP per capita is positively related to initial human capital and negatively related to the initial level of real per capita GDP. Growth is inversely related to the share of government consumption in GDP. Growth rates are positively related to measures of political stability and inversely related to a... ...nds. As for the previous empirical studies according to Koubi, there are three different studies conducted on the topic. The existing empirical studies of the relationship between war and economic performance are one of three types: a) Those that study the unconditional relationship between war and economic growth. b) Those that examine the conditional relationship. And c) those that attempt to identify the mechanisms through which war affects economic growth (Koubi, 2002). My particular study focuses more on the first type as I am not particular examining the intensity, duration or severity of war, however focusing on a particular region and the different effects of civil war within the countries and interstate wars within the region. I will also observe previous studies of another topic that may become of interest as my paper progresses, the spill over effect.

What Good is Care Without Compassion? :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

What Good is Care Without Compassion? The AIDS hospice reeked from disease and neglect. On my first day there, after an hour of "training," I met Paul, a tall, emaciated, forty-year-old AIDS victim who was recovering from a stroke that had severely affected his speech. I took him to General Hospital for a long-overdue appointment. It had been weeks since he had been outside. After waiting for two and a half hours, he was called in and then needed to wait another two hours for his prescription. Hungry, I suggested we go and get some lunch. At first Paul resisted; he didn't want to accept the lunch offer. Estranged from his family and seemingly ignored by his friends, he wasn't used to anyone being kind to him - even though I was only talking about a Big Mac. When it arrived, Paul took his first bite. Suddenly, his face lit up with the biggest, most radiant smile. He was on top of the world because somebody bought him a hamburger. Amazing. So little bought so much. While elated that I had literally made Paul's day, the neg lect and emotional isolation from which he suffered disgusted me. This was a harsh side of medicine I had not seen before. Right then and there, I wondered, "Do I really want to go into medicine?" What had so upset me about my day with Paul? Before then nothing in my personal, academic, or volunteer experiences had shaken my single-minded commitment to medicine. Why was I so unprepared for what I saw? Was it the proximity of death, knowing Paul was terminal? No it couldn't have been. As a young boy in gutted Beirut I had experienced death time and time again. Was it the financial hardship of the hospice residents, the living from day to day? No, I dealt with that myself as a new immigrant and had even worked full-time during my first two years of college. Financial difficulty was no stranger to me. Neither financial distress nor the sight of death had deterred me. Before the day in the hospice, I only wanted to be a doctor. My interest in medicine had started out with an enjoyment of science. From general biology to advanced cellular/behavioral neuroscience, the study of the biological systems, especially the most complex of them all, the human body, has been a delightful journey with new discoveries in each new class.

Duffys Feelings in War Photographer and Stealing :: Carol Ann Duffy War Photographer Stealing Essays

Duffy's Feelings in War Photographer and Stealing Explain how Carol Ann Duffy conveys her feelings towards the subjects of the two poems War Photographer and Stealing. 'War Photographer' and 'Stealing' by Carol Ann Duffy are both poems about outsiders. She often uses dramatic monologues when writing poems, and 'Stealing' is an effective example. 'War Photographer' was written after Duffy had a conversation with a war photographer named Don McCullin. I believe that he must have inspired her to write this laudable poem. 'Stealing' too is based on a true event. When Duffy lived in Wimbledon her neighbours snowman was stolen. The setting of this poem is established on the first line; this being in a 'dark room' where 'he is finally alone'. Because the setting is away from the action of the war, it describes the results indirectly so that it is less graphic, whereas 'Stealing' explores the psychology of an anonymous outsider with anti-social behaviour and feelings. Like 'War Photographer', 'Stealing' is about someone who is isolated from society and shows evidence of being distressed. However, in this poem, the narrator is the character and he is angry and resentful. In both of the poems she uses the expressions and speech rhythms of an everyday conversation. 'Stealing' starts with a question, 'The most unusual thing I ever stole?', which I think, makes the poem more interesting and intriguing for the readers as well as making it more conversational. The question is then answered with 'A snowman'. This is quite a shocking and unusual thing to steal and I believe this will grab the reader's interest. By making the poem more conversational, it makes it more personal and gets us more intrigued and makes us think about the unusual question at the start of the poem. This is effective as it makes the poem feel more realistic to the readers and conveys her feelings to the poem in a more personal manner. Both of the poems are about anonymous people. In 'War Photographer' the main character is identified as a man. Duffy portrays this man as an outsider. She refers to him as a 'priest preparing to intone a mass'. 'All flesh is grass' is another effective example of religious imagery. I believe it means that there was so much death where he was photographing that the grass was covered in bodies. It is also linked to the Bible as it is said to mean 'walking on death'. The use of religion in this poem has a strong link to Duffy as she is said to be a Catholic. This makes the poem more personal as it shows that