Describe The Scope Of Business Ethics

The scope of ethics indicates its subject matter. Ethics as normative science deals with moral ideal or the good in order to enquire the nature of our conduct. It enquires into the nature of the springs of actions, motives, intentions, voluntary actions and so on. It determines rightness or wrongness of human actions. It does not enquire into the origin and growth of human conduct. As a science of morality ethics discusses the contents of moral consciousness and the various problems of moral consciousness.Ethics is concerned with the highest good or absolute good. It investigates the nature of its fundamental notions i. e. right, duty and good. Moral judgments passed on our voluntary actions are also included within the scope of ethics. In discussing the moral judgment it has also to concern with the nature, object, faculty and standard of moral judgment. Moral sentiments and feelings are arising in our mind when we contemplate about the moral judgment and therefore, ethics has to di scuss the nature of moral sentiments to moral judgment.The scope of ethics includes whatever has reference to free human acts, whether as principle or cause of action (law, conscience, virtue), or as effect or circumstance of action (merit, punishment, etc. ) Ethics discusses the nature of human freedom. Ethics investigates what constitutes good or bad, just or unjust. It also inquires into-what is virtue, law, conscience and duty? What obligations are common to all? What is the good in all good acts? These questions lie within the scope of ethics. The sense of duty, oughtness or moral obligation and the responsibility for actions are also included within the range of ethics.The particular aspect under which ethics considers free acts is that of their moral goodness or the rectitude of order involved in them as human acts. A man may be a good artist or orator and at the same time a morally bad man, or, conversely, a morally good man may be a poor artist or technician. Ethics has mer ely to do with the order which relates to man as man and which makes of him a good man. Thus we find that although Ethics is not a guidebook of moral rules as a branch of philosophy Ethics seeks clarification of terms used in moral language.The ‘meta-ethical† problems fall within the scope of philosophical aspect of Ethics. There are other ‘meta ethical discussions related to the nature of moral judgments, the logical basis of ethical evaluation etc. The applied dimension of Ethics is known as â€Å"Applied Ethics’ that falls within the broad field of Ethics. These comprise the areas of situational Ethics while Meta Ethics deals with logical and semantic questions like ‘What do we mean by â€Å"freedom† and â€Å"determinism† etc.Ethics is essentially related to all other branches of knowledge like sociology, political science, jurisprudence, law and legal study, psychology, anthropology, culture study, ecology and environmental study, e conomics, religion, aesthetics and other similar areas. Ethics is concerned with political, sociological, cultural, psychical, economic, environmental, religious problems in pursuit of highest good. So these problems have an additional place in the scope of ethics. With the emergence of new technology there is scope for widening the scope of ethics to address new issues

Educational Failure Essay

â€Å"Every year, over 1. 2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day† (Thornbergh). Why this happening and more importantly, what is being done to solve this problem? Because of boring classes, too much freedom, and just a lack of motivation, students nationwide are dropping out of school, and are starting on the path of minimum wage and regret. Schools are trying to resolve this issue by giving the support students the help they need, and giving them alternatives to traditional schooling. †¦nearly 1 out of 3 public high school students won’t graduate†(Thornbergh). That’s one third of today’s youths. That’s one out of three people that won’t go to college. That’s one of three people that won’t know the rewarding feeling of getting a diploma. But what’s wrong with this one third that isn’t wrong with the other two thirds? Some say it’s because if society, others say it’s because of schools. Really only half of the problem lies with schools. There are only a small percentage of dropouts that feel that they could never meet the criteria that the school demanded. Unfortunately, many students are not given the extra support they need to make a successful transition to high school and are lost in ninth grade†(Galesic 317). Most others aren’t engaged in school. â€Å"Boredom and disengagement are two key reasons students stop attending class and wind up dropping out of school†(Furger). â€Å"Fully 88% said they had passing grades in high school. When asked to name the reasons they had left school, more respondents named boredom than struggles with course work†(Thornbergh). With this combination, schools become what many students feel to be a waste of time. When schools get this reputation, they become what is known as dropout factories. â€Å"Approximately two thousand high schools (about 12 percent), known as the nation’ lowest performing high schools, produce nearly half of the nation‘s dropouts. In these schools, the number of seniors enrolled is routinely 60 percent or less than the number of freshmen three years earlier† (Galesic 314). Although schools have some blame for the problem at hand, the other half of the problem has origins that the schools can’t control, and that is society and family. Students don’t only have to deal with their school work, but also their peers and life at home. This can be stressful time for students, and, because of this stress, students’ grades may suffer. Even though a student’s grades are low, their parents might not know, or even care. Many parents just don’t pay any attention to their child’s grades. The shocking thing is that only fifty-one percent of parents somewhat knew that their child had low grades; the other percentages range anywhere from kind of knowing to almost not knowing at all. Even though dropping out doesn’t sound too bad, a person is branding themselves a quitter. Once a person drops out, there’s no going back. Sure, a person could get a GED, but, that still doesn’t hold the same weight as a diploma. Dropping out of schools will affect a person their entire life. â€Å"Even a GED is not sufficient for a job here anymore (Thornbergh). † There is no replacement for a diploma. The path of minimum wage and unemployment starts with dropping out. Only forty five percent of High school dropouts are able to find employment. Compared to the sixty eight percent that graduated, that’s a very low number in today’s economic state. Even if a drop out can be that forty five present that is employed, their annual earnings ($8,358) are only little more than half the earning of a High school Graduate ($14,601)(Sum, Ishwar, McLaughlin). Dropping out does not only affect the person who dropped out but also everyone around them. In today’s world, the efforts one person really affects everything around them. People often say, do as your told ;not as they do. That seems easy right? Well, when it comes to drop out, that’s not the case. Students are more likely to drop out if their parents did. When they drop out, their children are also more likely to drop out; leading through a vicious cycle of drop outs. Family isn’t the only thing affected by drop outs (Bridgeland, DiIulio, Morison). Over their working lives, the average high school dropout will have a negative net fiscal contribution to society of nearly -$5,200 while the average high school graduate generates a positive lifetime net fiscal contribution of $287,000. The average high school dropout will cost taxpayers over $292,000 in lower tax revenues, higher cash and in-kind transfer costs, and imposed incarceration costs relative to an average high school graduate. Adult dropouts in the U. S. in recent years have been a major fiscal burden to the rest of society. Given the current and projected deficits of the federal government, the fiscal burden of supporting dropouts and their families is no longer sustainable. ;(Sum, Ishwar, McLaughlin) Supporting dropouts and their families in no longer doable. So, what is actually being done to help students succeed in school and ultimately success in life? One solution that can has come into play in resent years in is alternative to traditional education such as viral schools and credits labs. They consist of virtual schools and programs that help students get back on track to graduating. With these They offer the help and support students need with out the social problems that traditional classes have such as labels, race, and learning disabilities. In doing so, theses alternatives are also adjusting learning to a more personal level. Education no longer has to be for the whole, but only for the small part that is the individual student. â€Å"Districts throughout the country are working to personalize learning by creating small schools or reorganizing large schools into small learning communities, as part of their strategy for reducing the dropout rate†(Furger). These individual students can now get more help and understanding then they would ever get in a traditional class room. Another Solution to this epidemic is stricter rules for schooling. Schools are not only making it harder to drop out, but also, raising the academic bar for students. Some students just quit because its acceptable , while others quit just because they’re board in schools. It would be no long acceptable to just quit if there are stricter penalties, right? Some states are making it so students can’t quit at an easily age. â€Å"Students who drop out before age 18 could have their driver’s license suspended or their work permit revoked unless their decision was first approved by a school or judge†(Thornbergh). But the problem doesn’t only lie with it just being acceptable, but also boredom. â€Å"Higher expectations and more challenging curriculum, coupled with the support students need to be successful, have proven to be an effective strategy not only for increasing graduation rates, but also for preparing students to graduate from high school with options†(Furger). The last and most research backed cure for this epidemic is early education. â€Å"Every month, new studies in neuroscience and psychology provide insights and warnings about how much of a person’s capacity for learning is shaped from birth to age 8. Young children need to experience rich language interactions with teachers, parents, and other adults who read to them, ask questions of them, and encourage their exploration of myriad subjects†(Guernsey Mead). Many students quit school because they are failing. â€Å"Preschool, they argue, is an early investment in youth that yields significant economic results later on. In their review of the research on preschool models in California and elsewhere, the authors found that one preschool program increased high school graduation rates by 11 percent, and another by 19 percent. Furger) â€Å"We need a much broader and deeper transformation of the educational system that starts, if parents choose, when children are as young as three years old and continues through the first few grades of elementary school. Early childhood does not stop at kindergarten; it extends through age eight, because children are still learning foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, social competence, and problem solving, they are more likely to retain them. (Guernsey, Mead) Because of boring classes, too much freedom, and just a lack of motivation, students nationwide are dropping out of school, and staring on the path of minimum wage and regret. Schools are trying to resolve this by giving the support students need and giving them alternatives to traditional schooling. In the time it took to read this, at least one student has dropped out. This needs to stop. Make a difference in one student’s life by helping the cause of helping students stay in school.

Case Nestle

In 1905, the company merged with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk, thereby broadening the company’s product line to include both condensed milk and infant formulas. Forced by Switzerland’s small size to look outside’ its borders for growth opportunities, Nestle established condensed milk and infant food processing plants in the United States and Britain in the late 19th century and in Australia, South America, Africa, and Asia in the first three decades of the 20th century. In 1929, Nestle moved into the chocolate business when it acquired a Swiss chocolate maker. This was followed in 1938 by the development of Nestle’s most revolutionary product, Nescafe, the world’s first soluble coffee drink. After World War 11, Nestle continued to expand into other areas of the food business, primarily through a series of acquisitions that included Maggi (1947), Cross Blackwell (1960), Findus (1962), Libby’s (1970), Stouffer’s (1973), Carnation (1985), Rowntree (1988), and Perrier (1992). By the late 1990s, Nestle had 500 factories in 76 countries and sold its products in a staggering 193 nations-almost every country in the world. In 1998, the company generated sales of close to SWF 72 billion ($51 billion), only 1 percent of which occurred in its home country. Similarly, only 3 percent of its- 210,000 employees were located in Switzerland. Nestle was the world’s biggest maker of infant formula, powdered milk, chocolates, instant coffee, soups, and mineral waters. It was number two in ice cream, breakfast cereals, and pet food. Roughly 38 percent of its food sales were made in Europe, 32 percent in the Americas, and 20 percent in Africa and Asia. Management Structure Nestle is a decentralized organization. Responsibility for operating decisions is pushed down to local units, which typically enjoy a high degree f autonomy with regard to decisions involving pricing, distribution, marketing, human resources, and so on. At the same time, the company is organized into seven worldwide strategic business units (SBUs) that have responsibility for high-level strategic decisions and business development. For example, a strategic business unit focuses on coffee and beverages. Another one focuses on confectionery and ice cream. These SBUs engage in overall strategy development, including acquisitions and market entry strategy. In recent years, two-thirds of Nestle’s growth has come from acquisitions, so this is a critical function. Running in parallel to this structure is a regional organization that divides the world into five major geographical zones, such as Europe, North America and Asia. The regional organizations assist in the overall strategy development process and are responsible for developing regional strategies (an example would be Nestle’s strategy in the Middle East, which was discussed earlier). Neither the SBU nor regional managers, however, get involved in local operating or strategic decisions on anything other than an exceptional basis. Although Nestle makes intensive use of local managers to knit its diverse worldwide operations together, the company relies on its â€Å"expatriate army. †Ã‚   This consists of about 700 managers who spend the bulk of their careers on foreign assignments, moving from one country to the next. Selected primarily on the basis of their ability, drive and willingness to live a quasi-nomadic lifestyle, these individuals often work in half-a-dozen natiosn during their careers. Nestle also uses management development programs as a strategic tool for creating an  esprit de corps  among managers. At Rive-Reine, the company’s international training center in Switzerland, the company brings together, managers from around the world, at different stages in their careers, for specially targetted development programs of two to three weeks’ duration. The objective of these programs is to give the managers a better understanding of Nestle’s culture and strategy, and to give them access to the company’s top management. The research and development operation has a special place within Nestle, which is not surprising for a company that was established to commercialize innovative foodstuffs. The RD function comprises 18 different groups that operate in 11 countries throughout the world. Nestle spends approximately 1 percent of its annual sales revenue on RD and has 3,100 employees dedicated to the function. Around 70 percent of the RD budget is spent on development initiatives. These initiatives focus on developing products and processes that fulfill market needs, as identified by the SBUs, in concert with regional and local managers. For example, Nestle instant noodle products were originally developed by the RD group in response to the perceived needs of local operating companies through the Asian region. The company also has longer-term development projects that focus on developing new technological platforms, such as non-animal protein sources or agricultural biotechnology products. A Growth Strategy for the 21st  Century Despite its undisputed success, Nestle realized by the early 1990s, that it faced significant challenges in maintaining its growth rate. The large Western European and North American markets were mature. In several countries, population growth had stagnated and in some, there had been a small decline in food consumption. The retail environment in many Western nations had become increasingly challenging and the balance of power was shifting away from the large-scale manufacturers of branded foods and beverages, and toward nationwide supermarket and discount chains. Increasingly, retailers found themselves in the unfamiliar position of playing off against each other – manufacturers of branded foods, thus bargaining down prices. Particularly in Europe, this trend was enhanced by the successful introduction of private-label brands by several of Europe’s leading supermarket chains. The results included increased price competition in several key segments of the food and beverage market, such as cereals, coffee and soft drinks. At Nestle, one response has been to look toward emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America for growth possibilities. The logic is simple and obvious – a combination of economic and population growth, when coupled with the widespread adoption of market-oriented economic policies by the governments of many developing nations, makes for attractive business opportunities. Many of these countries are still relatively poor, but their economies are growing rapidly. For example, if current economic growth forecasts occur, by 2010, there will be 700 million people in China and India that have income levels approaching those of Spain in the mid-1990s. As income levels rise, it is increasingly likely that consumers in these nations will start to substitute branded food products for basic foodstuffs, creating a large market opportunity for companies such as Nestle. In general, the company’s strategy had been to enter emerging markets early – before competitors – and build a substantial position by selling basic food items that appeal to the local population base, such as infant formula, condensed milk, noodles and tofu. By narrowing its initial market focus to just a handful of strategic brands, Nestle claims it can simplify life, reduce risk, and concentrate its marketing resources and managerial effort on a limited number of key niches. The goal is to build a commanding market position in each of these niches. By pursuing such a strategy, Nestle has taken as much as 85 percent of the market for instant coffee in Mexico, 66 percent of the market for powdered milk in the Philippines, and 70 percent of the markets for soups in Chile. As income levels rise, the company progressively moves out from these niches, introducing more upscale items, such as mineral water, chocolate, cookies, and prepared foodstuffs. Although the company is known worldwide for several key brands, such as Nescafe, it uses local brands in many markets. The company owns 8,500 brands, but only 750 of them are registered in more than one country, and only 80 are registered in more than 10 countries. While the company will use the same â€Å"global brands† in multiple developed markets, in the developing world it focuses on trying to optimize ingredients and processing technology to local conditions and then using a brand name that resonates locally. Customization rather than globalization is the key to the company’s strategy in emerging markets. Executing the Strategy Successful execution of the strategy for developing markets requires a degree of flexibility, an ability to adapt in often unforeseen ways to local conditions, and a long-term perspective that puts building a sustainable business before short-term profitability. In Nigeria, for example, a crumbling road system, aging trucks, and the danger of violence forced the company to re-think its traditional distribution methods. Instead of operating a central warehouse, as is its preference in most nations, the country. For safety reasons, trucks carrying Nestle goods are allowed to travel only during the day and frequently under-armed guard. Marketing also poses challenges in Nigeria. With little opportunity for typical Western-style advertising on television of billboards, the company hired local singers to go to towns and villages offering a mix of entertainment and product demonstrations. China provides another interesting example of local adaptation and long-term focus. After 13 years of talks, Nestle was formally invited into China in 1987, by the Government of Heilongjiang province. Nestle opened a plant to produce powdered milk and infant formula there in 1990, but quickly realized that the local rail and road infrastructure was inadequate and inhibited the collection of milk and delivery of finished products. Rather than make do with the local infrastructure, Nestle embarked on an ambitious plan to establish its own distribution network, known as milk roads, between 27 villages in the region and factory collection points, called chilling centres. Farmers brought their milk – often on bicycles or carts – to the centres where it was weighed and analysed. Unlike the government, Nestle paid the farmers promptly. Suddenly the farmers had an incentive to produce milk and many bought a second cow, increasing the cow population in the district by 3,000 to 9,000 in 18 months. Area managers then organized a delivery system that used dedicated vans to deliver the milk to Nestle’s factory. Although at first glance this might seem to be a very costly solution, Nestle calculated that the long-term benefits would be substantial. Nestle’s strategy is similar to that undertaken by many European and American companies during the first waves of industrialization in those countries. Companies often had to invest in infrastructure that we now take for granted to get production off the ground. Once the infrastructure was in place, in China, Nestle’s production took off. In 1990, 316 tons of powdered milk and infant formula were produced. By 1994, output exceeded 10,000 tons and the company decided to triple capacity. Based on this experience, Nestle decided to build another two powdered milk factories in China and was aiming to generate sales of $700 million by 2000. Nestle is pursuing a similar long-term bet in the Middle East, an area in which most multinational food companies have little presence. Collectively, the Middle East accounts for only about 2 percent of Nestle’s worldwide sales and the individual markets are very small. However, Nestle’s long-term strategy is based on the assumption that regional conflicts will subside and intra-regional trade ill expand as trade barriers between countries in the region come down. Once that happens, Nestle’s factories in the Middle East should be able to sell throughout the region, thereby realizing scale economies. In anticipation of this development, Nestle has established a network of factories in five countries, in the hope that each will, someday, supply the entire region with different products. The company, currently makes ice-cream in Dubai, soups and cereals in Saudi Arabia, yogurt and bouillon in Egypt, chocolate in Turkey, and ketchup and instant noodles in Syria. For the present, Nestle can survive in these markets by using local materials and focusing on local demand. The Syrian factory, for example, relies on products that use tomatoes, a major local agricultural product. Syria also produces wheat, which is the main ingredient in instant noodles. Even if trade barriers don’t come down soon, Nestle has indicated it will remain committed to the region. By using local inputs and focussing on local consumer needs, it has earned a good rate of return in the region, even though the individual markets are small. Despite its successes in places such as China and parts of the Middle East, not all of Nestle’s moves have worked out so well. Like several other Western companies, Nestle has had its problems in Japan, where a failure to adapt its coffee brand to local conditions meant the loss of a significant market opportunity to another Western company, Coca Cola. For years, Nestle’s instant coffee brand was the dominant coffee product in Japan. In the 1960s, cold canned coffee (which can be purchased from soda vending machines) started to gain a following in Japan. Nestle dismissed the product as just a coffee-flavoured drink rather than the real thing and declined to enter the market. Nestle’s local partner at the time, Kirin Beer, was so incensed at Nestle’s refusal to enter the canned coffee market that it broke off its relationship with the company. In contrast, Coca Cola entered the market with Georgia, a product developed specifically for this segment of the Japanese market. By leveraging its existing distribution channel, Coca Cola captured a 40 percent share of the $4 billion a year, market for canned coffee in Japan. Nestle, which failed to enter the market until the 1980s, has only a 4 percent share. While Nestle has built businesses from the ground up, in many emerging markets, such as Nigeria and China, in others it will purchase local companies if suitable candidates can be found. The company pursued such a strategy in Poland, which it entered in 1994, by purchasing Goplana, the country’s second largest chocolate manufacturer. With the collapse of communism and the opening of the Polish market, income levels in Poland have started to rise and so has chocolate consumption. Once a scarce item, the market grew by 8 percent a year, throughout the 1990s. To take advantage of this opportunity, Nestle has pursued a strategy of evolution, rather than revolution. It has kept the top management of the company staffed with locals – as it does in most of its operations around the world – and carefully adjusted Goplana’s product line to better match local opportunities. At the same time, it has pumped money into Goplana’s marketing, which has enabled the unit to gain share from several other chocolate makers in the country. Still, competition in the market is intense. Eight companies, including several foreign-owned enterprises, such as the market leader, Wedel, which is owned by PepsiCo, are vying for market share, and this has depressed prices and profit margins, despite the healthy volume growth. Discussions: 1. Does it make sense for Nestle to focus its growth efforts on emerging markets? Why? 2. What is the company’s strategy with regard to business development in emerging markets? Does this strategy make sense? From an organizational perspective, what is required for this strategy to work effectively? 3. Through your own research on NESTLE, identify appropriate performance indicators. Once you have gathered relevant data on these, undertake a performance analysis of the company over the last five years. What does the analysis tell you about the success or otherwise of the strategy adopted by the company? 4. How would you describe Nestle’s strategic posture at the corporate level; is it pursuing a global strategy, a multidomestic strategy an international strategy or a transnational strategy? 5. Does this overall strategic posture make sense given the markets and countries that Nestle participates in? Why? 6. Is Nestle’s management structure and philosophy aligned with its overall strategic posture? Case Nestle In 1905, the company merged with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk, thereby broadening the company’s product line to include both condensed milk and infant formulas. Forced by Switzerland’s small size to look outside’ its borders for growth opportunities, Nestle established condensed milk and infant food processing plants in the United States and Britain in the late 19th century and in Australia, South America, Africa, and Asia in the first three decades of the 20th century. In 1929, Nestle moved into the chocolate business when it acquired a Swiss chocolate maker. This was followed in 1938 by the development of Nestle’s most revolutionary product, Nescafe, the world’s first soluble coffee drink. After World War 11, Nestle continued to expand into other areas of the food business, primarily through a series of acquisitions that included Maggi (1947), Cross Blackwell (1960), Findus (1962), Libby’s (1970), Stouffer’s (1973), Carnation (1985), Rowntree (1988), and Perrier (1992). By the late 1990s, Nestle had 500 factories in 76 countries and sold its products in a staggering 193 nations-almost every country in the world. In 1998, the company generated sales of close to SWF 72 billion ($51 billion), only 1 percent of which occurred in its home country. Similarly, only 3 percent of its- 210,000 employees were located in Switzerland. Nestle was the world’s biggest maker of infant formula, powdered milk, chocolates, instant coffee, soups, and mineral waters. It was number two in ice cream, breakfast cereals, and pet food. Roughly 38 percent of its food sales were made in Europe, 32 percent in the Americas, and 20 percent in Africa and Asia. Management Structure Nestle is a decentralized organization. Responsibility for operating decisions is pushed down to local units, which typically enjoy a high degree f autonomy with regard to decisions involving pricing, distribution, marketing, human resources, and so on. At the same time, the company is organized into seven worldwide strategic business units (SBUs) that have responsibility for high-level strategic decisions and business development. For example, a strategic business unit focuses on coffee and beverages. Another one focuses on confectionery and ice cream. These SBUs engage in overall strategy development, including acquisitions and market entry strategy. In recent years, two-thirds of Nestle’s growth has come from acquisitions, so this is a critical function. Running in parallel to this structure is a regional organization that divides the world into five major geographical zones, such as Europe, North America and Asia. The regional organizations assist in the overall strategy development process and are responsible for developing regional strategies (an example would be Nestle’s strategy in the Middle East, which was discussed earlier). Neither the SBU nor regional managers, however, get involved in local operating or strategic decisions on anything other than an exceptional basis. Although Nestle makes intensive use of local managers to knit its diverse worldwide operations together, the company relies on its â€Å"expatriate army. †Ã‚   This consists of about 700 managers who spend the bulk of their careers on foreign assignments, moving from one country to the next. Selected primarily on the basis of their ability, drive and willingness to live a quasi-nomadic lifestyle, these individuals often work in half-a-dozen natiosn during their careers. Nestle also uses management development programs as a strategic tool for creating an  esprit de corps  among managers. At Rive-Reine, the company’s international training center in Switzerland, the company brings together, managers from around the world, at different stages in their careers, for specially targetted development programs of two to three weeks’ duration. The objective of these programs is to give the managers a better understanding of Nestle’s culture and strategy, and to give them access to the company’s top management. The research and development operation has a special place within Nestle, which is not surprising for a company that was established to commercialize innovative foodstuffs. The RD function comprises 18 different groups that operate in 11 countries throughout the world. Nestle spends approximately 1 percent of its annual sales revenue on RD and has 3,100 employees dedicated to the function. Around 70 percent of the RD budget is spent on development initiatives. These initiatives focus on developing products and processes that fulfill market needs, as identified by the SBUs, in concert with regional and local managers. For example, Nestle instant noodle products were originally developed by the RD group in response to the perceived needs of local operating companies through the Asian region. The company also has longer-term development projects that focus on developing new technological platforms, such as non-animal protein sources or agricultural biotechnology products. A Growth Strategy for the 21st  Century Despite its undisputed success, Nestle realized by the early 1990s, that it faced significant challenges in maintaining its growth rate. The large Western European and North American markets were mature. In several countries, population growth had stagnated and in some, there had been a small decline in food consumption. The retail environment in many Western nations had become increasingly challenging and the balance of power was shifting away from the large-scale manufacturers of branded foods and beverages, and toward nationwide supermarket and discount chains. Increasingly, retailers found themselves in the unfamiliar position of playing off against each other – manufacturers of branded foods, thus bargaining down prices. Particularly in Europe, this trend was enhanced by the successful introduction of private-label brands by several of Europe’s leading supermarket chains. The results included increased price competition in several key segments of the food and beverage market, such as cereals, coffee and soft drinks. At Nestle, one response has been to look toward emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America for growth possibilities. The logic is simple and obvious – a combination of economic and population growth, when coupled with the widespread adoption of market-oriented economic policies by the governments of many developing nations, makes for attractive business opportunities. Many of these countries are still relatively poor, but their economies are growing rapidly. For example, if current economic growth forecasts occur, by 2010, there will be 700 million people in China and India that have income levels approaching those of Spain in the mid-1990s. As income levels rise, it is increasingly likely that consumers in these nations will start to substitute branded food products for basic foodstuffs, creating a large market opportunity for companies such as Nestle. In general, the company’s strategy had been to enter emerging markets early – before competitors – and build a substantial position by selling basic food items that appeal to the local population base, such as infant formula, condensed milk, noodles and tofu. By narrowing its initial market focus to just a handful of strategic brands, Nestle claims it can simplify life, reduce risk, and concentrate its marketing resources and managerial effort on a limited number of key niches. The goal is to build a commanding market position in each of these niches. By pursuing such a strategy, Nestle has taken as much as 85 percent of the market for instant coffee in Mexico, 66 percent of the market for powdered milk in the Philippines, and 70 percent of the markets for soups in Chile. As income levels rise, the company progressively moves out from these niches, introducing more upscale items, such as mineral water, chocolate, cookies, and prepared foodstuffs. Although the company is known worldwide for several key brands, such as Nescafe, it uses local brands in many markets. The company owns 8,500 brands, but only 750 of them are registered in more than one country, and only 80 are registered in more than 10 countries. While the company will use the same â€Å"global brands† in multiple developed markets, in the developing world it focuses on trying to optimize ingredients and processing technology to local conditions and then using a brand name that resonates locally. Customization rather than globalization is the key to the company’s strategy in emerging markets. Executing the Strategy Successful execution of the strategy for developing markets requires a degree of flexibility, an ability to adapt in often unforeseen ways to local conditions, and a long-term perspective that puts building a sustainable business before short-term profitability. In Nigeria, for example, a crumbling road system, aging trucks, and the danger of violence forced the company to re-think its traditional distribution methods. Instead of operating a central warehouse, as is its preference in most nations, the country. For safety reasons, trucks carrying Nestle goods are allowed to travel only during the day and frequently under-armed guard. Marketing also poses challenges in Nigeria. With little opportunity for typical Western-style advertising on television of billboards, the company hired local singers to go to towns and villages offering a mix of entertainment and product demonstrations. China provides another interesting example of local adaptation and long-term focus. After 13 years of talks, Nestle was formally invited into China in 1987, by the Government of Heilongjiang province. Nestle opened a plant to produce powdered milk and infant formula there in 1990, but quickly realized that the local rail and road infrastructure was inadequate and inhibited the collection of milk and delivery of finished products. Rather than make do with the local infrastructure, Nestle embarked on an ambitious plan to establish its own distribution network, known as milk roads, between 27 villages in the region and factory collection points, called chilling centres. Farmers brought their milk – often on bicycles or carts – to the centres where it was weighed and analysed. Unlike the government, Nestle paid the farmers promptly. Suddenly the farmers had an incentive to produce milk and many bought a second cow, increasing the cow population in the district by 3,000 to 9,000 in 18 months. Area managers then organized a delivery system that used dedicated vans to deliver the milk to Nestle’s factory. Although at first glance this might seem to be a very costly solution, Nestle calculated that the long-term benefits would be substantial. Nestle’s strategy is similar to that undertaken by many European and American companies during the first waves of industrialization in those countries. Companies often had to invest in infrastructure that we now take for granted to get production off the ground. Once the infrastructure was in place, in China, Nestle’s production took off. In 1990, 316 tons of powdered milk and infant formula were produced. By 1994, output exceeded 10,000 tons and the company decided to triple capacity. Based on this experience, Nestle decided to build another two powdered milk factories in China and was aiming to generate sales of $700 million by 2000. Nestle is pursuing a similar long-term bet in the Middle East, an area in which most multinational food companies have little presence. Collectively, the Middle East accounts for only about 2 percent of Nestle’s worldwide sales and the individual markets are very small. However, Nestle’s long-term strategy is based on the assumption that regional conflicts will subside and intra-regional trade ill expand as trade barriers between countries in the region come down. Once that happens, Nestle’s factories in the Middle East should be able to sell throughout the region, thereby realizing scale economies. In anticipation of this development, Nestle has established a network of factories in five countries, in the hope that each will, someday, supply the entire region with different products. The company, currently makes ice-cream in Dubai, soups and cereals in Saudi Arabia, yogurt and bouillon in Egypt, chocolate in Turkey, and ketchup and instant noodles in Syria. For the present, Nestle can survive in these markets by using local materials and focusing on local demand. The Syrian factory, for example, relies on products that use tomatoes, a major local agricultural product. Syria also produces wheat, which is the main ingredient in instant noodles. Even if trade barriers don’t come down soon, Nestle has indicated it will remain committed to the region. By using local inputs and focussing on local consumer needs, it has earned a good rate of return in the region, even though the individual markets are small. Despite its successes in places such as China and parts of the Middle East, not all of Nestle’s moves have worked out so well. Like several other Western companies, Nestle has had its problems in Japan, where a failure to adapt its coffee brand to local conditions meant the loss of a significant market opportunity to another Western company, Coca Cola. For years, Nestle’s instant coffee brand was the dominant coffee product in Japan. In the 1960s, cold canned coffee (which can be purchased from soda vending machines) started to gain a following in Japan. Nestle dismissed the product as just a coffee-flavoured drink rather than the real thing and declined to enter the market. Nestle’s local partner at the time, Kirin Beer, was so incensed at Nestle’s refusal to enter the canned coffee market that it broke off its relationship with the company. In contrast, Coca Cola entered the market with Georgia, a product developed specifically for this segment of the Japanese market. By leveraging its existing distribution channel, Coca Cola captured a 40 percent share of the $4 billion a year, market for canned coffee in Japan. Nestle, which failed to enter the market until the 1980s, has only a 4 percent share. While Nestle has built businesses from the ground up, in many emerging markets, such as Nigeria and China, in others it will purchase local companies if suitable candidates can be found. The company pursued such a strategy in Poland, which it entered in 1994, by purchasing Goplana, the country’s second largest chocolate manufacturer. With the collapse of communism and the opening of the Polish market, income levels in Poland have started to rise and so has chocolate consumption. Once a scarce item, the market grew by 8 percent a year, throughout the 1990s. To take advantage of this opportunity, Nestle has pursued a strategy of evolution, rather than revolution. It has kept the top management of the company staffed with locals – as it does in most of its operations around the world – and carefully adjusted Goplana’s product line to better match local opportunities. At the same time, it has pumped money into Goplana’s marketing, which has enabled the unit to gain share from several other chocolate makers in the country. Still, competition in the market is intense. Eight companies, including several foreign-owned enterprises, such as the market leader, Wedel, which is owned by PepsiCo, are vying for market share, and this has depressed prices and profit margins, despite the healthy volume growth. Discussions: 1. Does it make sense for Nestle to focus its growth efforts on emerging markets? Why? 2. What is the company’s strategy with regard to business development in emerging markets? Does this strategy make sense? From an organizational perspective, what is required for this strategy to work effectively? 3. Through your own research on NESTLE, identify appropriate performance indicators. Once you have gathered relevant data on these, undertake a performance analysis of the company over the last five years. What does the analysis tell you about the success or otherwise of the strategy adopted by the company? 4. How would you describe Nestle’s strategic posture at the corporate level; is it pursuing a global strategy, a multidomestic strategy an international strategy or a transnational strategy? 5. Does this overall strategic posture make sense given the markets and countries that Nestle participates in? Why? 6. Is Nestle’s management structure and philosophy aligned with its overall strategic posture?

Critically evaluate the rules that apply to misrepresentation and Essay

Critically evaluate the rules that apply to misrepresentation and non-disclosure in insurance contracts - Essay Example Incorrect, incomplete or incorrect answers during application or material fact non-disclosure may go up to the contract’s roots and jeopardize its continued existence. The association between the insured and the insurer is regarded as one where mutual responsibilities of good faith and trust are overriding. During application time, indispensable facts are customarily recognized by the applicant but may be challenging to the insurer to make certain. The insurer is thus, vulnerable and needs the material facts so as to establish whether to issue a policy or not, what particular omissions it may need, and the amount of premium to charge. In fact, there are two diverse duties on the applicant at the time of the application. Normally, a broker or an agent interviews an applicant to complete the process of application. Based on the nature, as well as, type of the insurance coverage wanted, the application will have numerous questions concerning the background, health, business activities and various other aspects of the applicant. The application will characteristically have a declaration that is executed by the applicant and that the answers availed are complete, full, and true. Consequently, there are two isolated essential issues2. The first issue is that of any misrepresentation of answers by the applicant in the questions on the application. The second issue is that of non-disclosure of any facts by the applicant that are within his or her knowledge, and which are essential to the insurance. In the event that an insurer takes a stand that a policy is void because of non-disclosure or misrepresentation, it is not required of the insurer to determine the insured’s motives. The motives of the insured are irrelevant provided the misrepresentation are of a fact identified by the insured that could be viewed by a rational insurer as substantial to the risk. Typically,

Cultural Immersion Experience Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Immersion Experience - Assignment Example From the rich ethnic Diversity at Sparks Hall, I observed an interesting aspect. People of extremely different diversities and races worked together harmoniously and seemed to get along well despite their differences. I also observed that people were allowed to exercise their beliefs and tastes in fashion or code of dressing unlike in the previous case where there were conservative norms of dressing and fashion. Importantly, I observed increased tolerance and respect for personal beliefs and values though these personal beliefs were not much integrated in the workplace. There seemed to be set codes of conduct that each employee had to stick to in the workplace. The group had a norm of not interfering with other’s personal lives as no instance was noted where employees crashed over personal issues. However, most of those whom I noted to be from the Asian origin seemed to enjoy a conservative company and dialogue with each other compared to interacting more with others. I did interact with some of them slightly just to understand what goes on in the place. I was involved in short conversations with several employees on general issues regarding their daily work to note how they interacted with persons of different ethnic diversities; I was from a different race compare to other employees at Sparks Hall. Through the short conversations, I was able to note how they interacted with different ethnic people, as they were willing to participate in the conversation and even to answer my questions. The group was very receptive and even made a few jokes with me to welcome me at Sparks Hall. They were particularly interested in knowing much about where I come from, how I could compare life at my home place to Murray State University community, and how best I was fairing. Regardless of gender, most of the native people seemed to enjoy the rich ethnic diversity and willing to welcome even more to their group. At first I was nervous

Criminal Law U5IP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Criminal Law U5IP - Research Paper Example in interstate commerce through a pattern of racketeering activity; 3) participating in the conduct of a business engaged in interstate commerce through a pattern of racketeering activity, and 4) conspiring to violate any of the above (section 1962). In order for a RICO claim to succeed the plaintiff must show that the conduct of the enterprise or business is through a pattern of activity connected to racketeering. Prior to the enactment of the RICO Act it was difficult to combat racketeering activities (Batista 2007). It was only possible to convict lower ranking members in the rackets as they were directly involved in illegal activities. This meant that racketeering activities still affected businesses and the economy as the higher ranking members were harder to prosecute since they were not directly connected with the illegal activities. The RICO Act provides prosecutors with a tool to fight organized crime (McNeill 2009). The RICO Act is remarkably effective in combating organized crime as it does not require proving that the suspect committed an illegal act but rather that the individual owns or manages an enterprise that regularly conducts an illegal activity prohibited by the Act (Batista 2005). The RICO Act is given a ve ry wide interpretation, and as such legal issues will always arise out of its interpretation and application. The RICO criminal defense practice will, therefore, remain relevant as long as the Act is in use. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, Pub. L. No. 91-452, 84 Stat. 941 (Oct. 15, 1970), codified at 18 U.S.C. Ch. 96,

Celebrity Endorsement of Advertisements Boosts Sales and Product Image Research Paper

Celebrity Endorsement of Advertisements Boosts Sales and Product Image - Research Paper Example This claim has been widely accepted in the marketplace, making almost 15% of the advertisement in the US to incorporate this strategy with an estimated $50 billion being spent globally on endorsements and corporate sponsorships (Crutchfield 23). Michael Jordan Endorsement of Nike’s Advertisement Nike is said to have spent over $475 million out of its $1.7 billion annual advertisement budget for the endorsement of athletes for its products (Elberse and Verleun 23). In this paper, focus shifts to how the endorsement of Michael Jordan affected the company’s sales and the company as a whole. Michael Jordan has been in the headlines as one of the most successful athletes according to Kellner, remaining relevant in the media even after his retirement in 1999. His achievements include leading the Chicago Bulls of America to NBA championships in six out the eight seasons when he played for the team which made him be associated with winning and deification of own prowess. Simmer s, Damron-Martinez and Haytko refer a celebrity to that person known for â€Å"well-knowingness.† A celebrity endorser in addition has been defined as that person enjoying public recognition which would be used by such a person, on behalf of consumer products by appearing in advertisements with it (Gunter, Oates and Blades 19).

Value and Drawbacks of Activity Based Management Research Paper

Value and Drawbacks of Activity Based Management - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to present a concept proposal for value and drawbacks of activity based management. The paper will develop a problem statement, discuss the significance of the problem, the advantages and drawbacks and explore existing literature on the topic. Statement of the problem The scope of activity based management and its relation to activity based costing identifies the management approach as a key line towards improved profitability of an organization. With its objectives of identifying and controlling activities that do not add value to processes, activity based management is essential in controlling production costs towards managing profitability. It forms the basis on which strategies are developed for effective elimination of ‘non-additive’ processes through activity costing (Maher, Stickney & Weil, 2007). Based on the significance of the management approach, the concept will seek to investigate the significance of value and drawbacks of activity based man agement. Significance of the research The concept into value and drawback of ‘activity-based’ management is based on the importance of the management approach to an organization. ... This understanding will promote successful application of the management approach for improving â€Å"organization performance and value† (SAS, 2007, P. 3). Pre Literature review Activity based management has been practiced over a long period in which it has evolved to a wide scope. This has been because of the capacity of the management approach to bridge other line management for collective management of organizations. Activity based management uses the data and information on all the operational activities in making relevant and result oriented decisions. By providing information on cost of products, services, processes, activities, and distribution channels, among other information; activity based management establishes a central role in managing an organization’s operation costs for relevant managerial decisions. Activity based management is, therefore, essential for its information for decision-making (CIMA, 2001). Drury also argues that activity based management approaches an organization’s operations from different perspectives and leads to improved customer utility. The management approach, therefore, benefits both the organization in its operation processes and customers through the organization’s products (Drury, 2007). Activity management accounting can, however, be costly to develop and implement, instituting limitations, especially to ‘small-scale’ organization. The management approach has also failed to eliminate arbitrary costs in operations. As a result, it is perceived as ineffective in achieving its objectives (Weygandt, Kimmel & Kieso, 2009). Complete literature review. Drury (2007) claims that activity based management is a management information tool used by the managerial board in appreciating results of

Upgrading server 2003 to server 2008 Research Paper

Upgrading server 2003 to server 2008 - Research Paper Example However, to adopt real world scenarios, detailed inputs were required. For instance, weather forecast information, travelling of someone from somewhere etc. As people were usually late to reach to destination for many different reasons, a data check box in the system indicating reasons to select will facilitate the management to analyze reasons of late comers and absentees. Even though, travel notes can still allow selecting a reason that may be incomplete or incoherent. One more phase that affected the authenticity of data capturing techniques was the size of the sample. The information system is limited to number of people who are participating in Friday classes. The constrained is 18 students in the space of five weeks and the sample will only able to examine sample quantity of 18 students. However, it is a fact that increase sample size will result in better results. As results in figure 4, illustrated in appendices, displays that most of the people utilized tube indicating the m ost popular transport method with a large sample size. In this case, data can be examined thoroughly. However, if the sample size is large along with maximum time, the sample may include many students as well as the one who live nearby. This will facilitate a comprehensive creation and thought on results, making them a balanced collection of data. 2 Why Manage Information? Today’s organisations are constantly striving to achieve integration of their systems to allow information to flow freely through support strategies, decision making and processes and operations, adding greater flexibility and business support than any individual roles (O'Brien,2009). Reduced information management may lead to a creation of misinformation samples that may facilitate managers to make bad decisions along with portraying negative outcomes. The current system does not reflect extra data inputs for example attendance along with arrival time and weather forecast etc. Somehow, if a student comes l ate due to a bad weather, the system will not support this real world factor separately from the section named as ‘travel comments’. This is a classic example of recording unrealistic information in an information system that is not authentic. The most relevant information is constructed on weather versus travel mode. Moreover, the figure is also demonstrating the popularity of the travel method ‘tube’ that is safe in poor weather conditions. An addition to the system that similar to the tube is train. Group of people, who travelled on tubes, also travelled on trains. This is a conflict of the travel method ‘train’, as the train and tube shares different characteristics, resulting in providing inappropriate information. 2.1 Analysis As figure four, in appendix, displays the travel mode that is utilized in the majority by the consumers. The first option was the tube, next option is bus followed by a walk. This logical representation of knowledge concludes the most popular method amongst consumers. Moreover, research can be conducted in the same logical pattern to examine and discover appropriate information related to the transport mode popularity in different age groups. Data input method can be constructed in order to find out the reason of not using certain transport modes. In order to provide information that may facilitate decisions, Decision support Systems are the best choice, as they can provide informati

Managing Diversity in South Africa Essay Example for Free

Managing Diversity in South Africa Essay Introduction In the workplace, diversity in terms of ethnicity, locality, education and skills, age, and gender exist. Managers or employers therefore require innovative ideas to successfully manage employees in the workplace. Diversity management is a relatively new field in the South African business environment. Managing employees and the work environment involves different aspects and is influenced by the internal environment such as in the mission, vision and goals of the organisation as well as the external environment. These aspects include areas where diversity management is important. Managers have various roles to carry out in an organisation in order to provide effective management and deal with the ethical issues. Factors such as changing structures and polices, providing diversity skills training, creating cross functional teams and employee network groups, building relationships, and providing complete managerial support are all factors that contribute towards effective diversity management. A successful diversity management approach must be more accommodating and more capable of promoting the diversity within an organization to bring everyone together and generate effective participation. This means that employees should be regarded as an organized whole that brings meaningful contributions from their social, political, economic, and geographical experiences. 2. Diversity Diversity can be defined as all the ways people differ, that is the different influences to approaching the workplace, communication between employees, satisfaction achieved from performance and identification in the workplace (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). It is a commitment to distinguishing and appreciating the range of characteristics that make individuals unique in an atmosphere that supports and celebrates individual and collective achievement (Tennessee, 2003). Diversity â€Å"represents the multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist among people (Kreitner, 2001). According to Erasmus, diversity applies to all employees and does not only encompass certain differences but rather the entire spectrum of individual differences that make people unique. Therefore diversity cannot be viewed as only racial or religious differentiation but s all differences combined. The notion of diversity describes differences among people as well as similarities. The discipline of managing diversity requires that these two aspects are managed simultaneously. He further suggests that managers are expected to integrate the collective mixture of similarities and differences between workers into the organisation (Erasmus, 2007). Diver sity is more than being politically correct; it is about nurturing a culture that values individuals and their wide assortment of needs and contributions Diversity management is a moderately new field in the South African business environment. Diversity management is ensuring that the necessary factors are in place to provide for and to encourage the continuous development of diversity in the workplace, by incorporating actual and perceived differences to achieve the utmost efficiency (Bandyopadhyay, Hazra, amp; Goswami, 2007). Diversity management can also be defined as the commitment on the part of the organisations to recruit, retain, reward and promote a heterogeneous mix of productive, motivated and committed workers, including people of colour, whites, females and the disabled (Inancevich amp; Gilbert, 2000). The two areas where diversity management are particularly important include: * Workplace diversity. * Global diversity. Workplace diversity refers to the array of distinctions between people in an organisation. Some of the benefits of implementing workplace diversity are; increased adaptability which supplies a variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources, various opinions which include ideas and experiences, and effectiveness in terms of employee performance to attain goals (Greenberg, 2005). Furthermore, enhanced use of employee capacity is encouraged. This involves competitive advantage over other organisations along with prospects and development of employees for retention purposes. Diversity initiatives retain a competitive advantage by improving employee confidence, decreasing interpersonal conflict, facilitating development in new markets and increasing creativity. It also includes the understanding of the marketplace in terms of the changing needs of consumers. Building workplace diversity will also result in the improved extent of understanding in leadership positions that encompasses a variety of skills. Better quality of team problem solving to bring in different perspectives resulting in creativity of ideas and solutions and lastly reduction of costs induce lower turnover, absenteeism and lawsuits (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). Global diversity is more than just demographical factors (such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation), it is about thinking, leadership, skills and style which integrates peoples differences to achieve all the goals planned and is acceptable universally, that is by breaking though barriers through globalisation (Dell, 2011). Globalisation refers to standardisation of products plan and marketing strategy throughout the world by assuming a homogeneous global market of consumers and industrial products (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). A benefit of global diversity is broader services through customer satisfaction and product availability. By managing diversity, managers access a range of skills which the organisation has never had before and thus a broader array of individual strengths, experiences and perspectives. There is also a wider legitimacy and organisational image across a wider audience. Managers however should realise that managing diversity is fairly tough and cannot be implemented immediately. It is instead a long-term strategy in order to correct the imbalances in the workplace. 3. Mission, Vision and Goals A mission is defined as the organisations’ reason for existence. A mission statement is a broadly stated definition of the purpose of the company. Well designed mission statements can enhance employee motivation and organisational performance.

Strategic Supply Chain Management of Bakehouse

Strategic Supply Chain Management of Bakehouse Introduction Supply chain management has an important process in the business, as part of all the operations from the raw materials for manufacturing a product, to delivery on ready product to the end customer. The main focus of this module is based on the supply chain practices of an organisation that has potential to growth in the field of bakery industry. According to Wei Wu, (2013), the implementation of effective supply chain management can reduce costs, the shared information can maintain the higher market sensitivity. Supply chain involves the overall supply chain system of the organisation, including planning, operations, logistic and all the management activities such as: suppliers, manufacturing, distribution, and retailing to the end customer or consumer. The aim on this module is to review the current model of the supply chain of the bakery shop Backhaus and implementation on the literature review on SCM to coordinate different choices as an alternative for improvement on the existing Supply Chain Management. Background of the Organisation The Bakehaus as a concept was established back in 1988 in Germany, as a family business. There are twelve different products of bred as an offer to their customers, as a best seller product. The selling offer also gives a wide range of products, such as: sandwiches, salads and soups, pastries, cakes and hot snacks. (Eat Out Magazine, 2016). Bakehaus is a German bakery shop that is located in UK London- Hammersmith. The organisation is operation from 2011, and has been new to the competitive market. The shop is located on King Street, Hammersmith Tube Station. (Bakehaus, 2016). The vision of Bakehaus is to produce quality bakes products for low prices. There are 15 employees currently working in the shop. Long-term mission of the organisation is to expand, or open more shops around London, as a growing business in the industry. The products in terms of bread are based on grains and seeds from German suppliers, and there are no chemical additives or pre-mixed flower added, which gives the unique taste of the traditional German bread. Organisational Supply Chain Model The implementation of Supply Chain Management can have a positive impact on the business productivity, which will increase the improvements in returns on investments and assets. According to Lambert (2008) the main focus of the organisations is at their supply chain network, as their dependence on the SCM reflects on the competitiveness in the global market economy. (as cited from Naslund Williamson, 2010). Bakehaus sells a variety of different bakery products, but the main product is bread. When the product reaches the end consumer that represents one end of the supply chain network. The whole process of the supply chain begins from the suppliers of raw material, manufacturing, distribution and retailer or the Bakehaus shop which delivers the products to the end customer. According to the interview that has been undertaken from our team Evolution with the manager of the shop, there are eight suppliers that the organisation have a long-term relations.   The main suppliers of Bakehaus are: Watts Farms-UK for suppling vegetables, Klemme- for supplying bread. The relationship between the organisation and the suppliers is built on trust and loyalty, and its a non-contractual long term relationship, which is maintained for five years from the opening of the business.   The supply chain network for Bakehaus on their main product (bread) is direct from the manufacturer in Germany , which gives a competitive advantage on products in terms of quality and freshness. (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Bakehaus Current Supply Chain Model Adapted from: (Team Evolution Group Presentation, 2016) The costs for the transportation from Germany to UK is bared to minimum (as low as 0%), which gives the organisation additional savings that can be used in designing new products or services. The wastage on the shelf products is below 5%, and the main concept is based on freshness. BakeHaus Supply Chain Management Practices There are different levels of improvement that can be used in order to create an effective supply chain management. From the theoretical point of view Bakehause as part of their supply chain network is practicing techniques which have a positive impact on the strategic role of the organisation in terms of long term planning, consistent development and profitability and leading the organisation to competitive advantage in the market. (Cetinkaya, 2010). The two main techniques that the organisation is practicing involves: inventory management system which is used to the point of stocking the warehouses and just in time manufacturing system that is used in shop for delivering fresh and quality products to the end customer. Managing inventory plays a vital role in the supply chain network in order for the products to reach the end destination following the necessary time frame. Backhaus by applying this technique can keep their stock inventory at the lower level, which leads to more flexible supply chain. (Elms Low 2013). The inventory method that the organisation is applying within the supply chain network is called First in First Out (FIFO). 1.4 Literature Review on Supply Chain Practices There are many different theories in the literature that has been published over the years, when we look at Supply Chain Management as a practice. SCM plays a vital role in the organisational performance, as the organisations are challenged to find the best supply chain practice in order to meet the customer demands as well as minimizing production costs. (Jain, Dangayach, Agarwal Banerjee, 2010). Supply Chain Management can be defined as a network that includes facilities for producing raw material, transforming the raw material to ready products that are shipped to the end customer by using different kind of distribution channels. The main objective of the Supply Chain Management is to add value to the overall production and sales, minimising the costs, and to create a list of benefits for customers, suppliers and the organisation. (Shukla, Garg Agarwal 2011). The SCM network in one organisation can be successful, but problems can also occur. There are different ways in order to improve the current SCM. The improvements that can be used in practice, can give the organisation better performance in their SCM, and that can lead to better quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Supply Chain Management Practices includes: Agile Model, Lean Management, Kaizen, and Total Quality Management. 1.4.1 AGILE Model       Agility in organisational terms refers to flexibility. When considering agile improvement of the SCM, the main focus will be on the market. Agile model of Supply Chain practice can be applied in order for the organisation to be more flexible in terms of forecasting and dealing with the customer demands. (Christopher, 2000). In today business competitive industry, agility can play a vital role for the organisations in order to meet the needs of the customers. Agile Supply Chain which referees to flexibility, gives the organisations competitive edge in times of changes such as: environmental changes, technological changes or demands changes in the existing market. (Dhayalan, Devadasan, 2011). Just in time (JIT) is a system that has been developed in Japan in early 1970, as a management philosophy which combine the right product whit the right quality at the right place and the right time. Goddadrd (1986) believed that JIT as a philosophy has been applied to maximize customer demands at a minimum delays. (as cited from Kootanaee at al, 2013).

The Sinister Duke in Robert Brownings My Last Duchess Essay example --

The Sinister Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess In Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," a portrait of the egocentric and power loving Duke of Ferrara is painted for us. Although the duke's monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife, a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. Browning uses the dramatic monologue form very skillfully to show us the controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits the duke possessed without ever mentioning them explicitly. The first two lines of the poem introduce us to the main topic of the duke's speech, a painting of his late wife: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/Looking as if she were alive." We immediately begin to suspect that the duchess is no longer alive, but are not sure. The clever language Browning chose suggested that something was wrong, but left enough ambiguity to quickly capture our attention as readers. Also in these lines, we are given our first hint that the duchess really not all that important to the duke; he speaks of the painting as if it was the duchess, suggesting that his late wife was nothing more than her external appearance. Instead of the painting looking as if it were alive, the duchess looks as if she were alive. Again, this seemingly small detail gives a significant hint about what lies ahead in the poem. While the duke describes the history of the painting, he mentions the artist's name, Frà   Pandolf, three times (lines 3, 6, 16). The first mention of the name was all that was necessary to let the listener know who painted the work. The words the painter or the artist could easily have been substituted for the second two. The way in which the duke repeated... ...g with what he was trying to say. The duke knows that he has great skill in speech and he also knows that the emissary knows this. He is only saying that he does not possess skill in speech because he knows that his audience will not believe him. His show of modesty is merely an illusion, not true modesty. The overarching irony in Browning's "My Last Duchess" is that it really is not about the duchess, but instead about the controlling, jealous, and arrogant nature of the duke. In his monologue describing a painting of his former wife, the duke introduces us to his dark and sinister qualities. By giving us the Duke of Ferrara as an example, Robert Browning subtly condemns the nobility for their poor character. Works Cited Browning, Robert. â€Å"My Last Duchess.† Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb, and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 1376-1378. The Sinister Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess Essay example -- The Sinister Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess In Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," a portrait of the egocentric and power loving Duke of Ferrara is painted for us. Although the duke's monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife, a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. Browning uses the dramatic monologue form very skillfully to show us the controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits the duke possessed without ever mentioning them explicitly. The first two lines of the poem introduce us to the main topic of the duke's speech, a painting of his late wife: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/Looking as if she were alive." We immediately begin to suspect that the duchess is no longer alive, but are not sure. The clever language Browning chose suggested that something was wrong, but left enough ambiguity to quickly capture our attention as readers. Also in these lines, we are given our first hint that the duchess really not all that important to the duke; he speaks of the painting as if it was the duchess, suggesting that his late wife was nothing more than her external appearance. Instead of the painting looking as if it were alive, the duchess looks as if she were alive. Again, this seemingly small detail gives a significant hint about what lies ahead in the poem. While the duke describes the history of the painting, he mentions the artist's name, Frà   Pandolf, three times (lines 3, 6, 16). The first mention of the name was all that was necessary to let the listener know who painted the work. The words the painter or the artist could easily have been substituted for the second two. The way in which the duke repeated... ...g with what he was trying to say. The duke knows that he has great skill in speech and he also knows that the emissary knows this. He is only saying that he does not possess skill in speech because he knows that his audience will not believe him. His show of modesty is merely an illusion, not true modesty. The overarching irony in Browning's "My Last Duchess" is that it really is not about the duchess, but instead about the controlling, jealous, and arrogant nature of the duke. In his monologue describing a painting of his former wife, the duke introduces us to his dark and sinister qualities. By giving us the Duke of Ferrara as an example, Robert Browning subtly condemns the nobility for their poor character. Works Cited Browning, Robert. â€Å"My Last Duchess.† Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb, and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 1376-1378.

Hepatitis B Virus Essays -- Essays Paper

Hepatitis B Virus Characteristics: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus in the Hepadnaviridae family. The infectious particle is 42nm in diameter, with a genome 3200 nucleotides long. It has an outer envelope and an icosahedral nucleocapsid, which contains viral DNA polymerase and has a diameter of 27nm. The envelope contains the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg); this is the molecule to which anti-HBV antibodies are directed. The non-infectious hepatitis B particles are composed of HBsAg only and come in the form of filaments and spheres. Their only likely purpose is binding up antibodies so the infectious particles can remain free. In humans HBV infects hepatocytes where it replicates within the nucleus, but can also be found in smooth muscle, bone marrow, kidneys, thyroid glands and other sites. Infection: HBV is usually transmitted from blood to blood and can be contracted via infected needles (IV drugs and tattoos), sexual contact, cuts, hemodialysis, vertical transmission at birth and blood transfusions. In developed countries blood is screened for the presence of HBsAg before transfusion. Unlike other forms of viral hepatitis, HBV cannot be transmitted by contaminated food or water. The CDC states that preventive measures for HBV infection are similar to those for HIV. Diagnosis of HBV can be made by the presence of HBsAg, which can be found in the serum a few weeks before onset of illness. The anti-HBsAg antibody is found weeks to months after infection and can last, in some cases giving life-long immunity. Hepatitis B is found mostly in Africa, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and parts of the Caribbean. In those areas all socioeconomic groups are af... ...d/slide_1.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003243.htm http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section4/chapter47/47c.htm http://www.globalserve.net/~harlequin/HBV/hbvcore.htm http://www.globalserve.net/~harlequin/HBV/hbvx.htm http://www.globalserve.net/~harlequin/HBV/hbsags.htm http://www.foodallergy.org/anaphylaxis.html http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00033405.htm http://depts.washington.edu/druginfo/Vaccine/HealthDept/ImmuneGlobulin.html http://www.livertransplant.org/livernewsletterselectingcandidatesforlivertransplantation.html http://www.ias.org.nz/hepatitis_b_vaccine.htm http://yourlawyer.com/practice/overview.htm?topic=Hepatitis%20B%20Vaccine http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/health/hepatitis/hep_photo2.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/Images/Safrica/hbvcore3.htm http://livertransplant.org/

Bill Gates :: essays research papers fc

Bill Gates went from an upper middle-class family to the one of the richest men in the world; who owns the largest software company, Microsoft. Neither Bill, nor Microsoft have reached their peak, but many events helped to lead them to where they are today. In the beginning, Bill Gates, a skinny, shy awkward boy born on October 28, 1955 to Mary and William Gates. As a teenager, Bill seemed an unlikely successor to his overachieving parents. His father, an attorney and his mother a teacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of the United Way placed him in Lakeside. This is a very elite private school. It was there, that Bill was first introduced to computers. The following year, he wrote his first computer program, then a scheduling program for the school - which coincidentally placed him and his best friend, Paul Allen, in the same classes as the prettiest girls in the school. Bill was accepted to Harvard University in the fall of 1973. Bill did not willingly venture to parties as most college students do, unless dragged there by his friend Steve Ballmer, whom he later repaid by naming him president of Microsoft. He slacked off a bit always trying to get the highest grades by putting in the least amount of energy. In his second year he dropped out, he and Paul Allen founded a company called Traf-O-Data, which analyzed city traffic data. Though a good idea, there was not much need for it. After reading an article in Popular Mechanics, Gates and Allen contacted M.I.T.S. in regards to providing software for the new computer Altair 8800. They were soon contracted for programming languages and moved to New Mexico and started Micro-soft (the hyphen would later be dropped). Soon IBM contacted the two asking for an operating system for their first personal computer. Bill told them he would be happy to make an operating system, although that’s not exactly wh at he did. Gates purchased a system QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) for $50,000 from another company, changed the named to MS-DOS and sold it to IBM. So on the contrary to public opinion, Bill Gates did not write MS-DOS, he bought it, changed it slightly, and put his name on it. In order for Microsoft to get to the top, they had to have a very good business strategy. Their strategy is to sell software at low prices, until people are hooked.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis

â€Å"The Power Struggle in African American Marriages† Zora Neale Hurston is recognized as one of the key contributors to the Harlem Renaissance that occurred during the 1920s and 1930s. Her multitudes of literary works explore and celebrate African American culture and heritage without directly addressing the subject of racism which was prevalent during this time. Hurston incorporates both the positive and negative aspects of African American culture into her stories in order to give a true depiction to her audience.In a number of her works, including â€Å"Sweat† and Their Eyes Were Watching God, domestic violence plays a very frequent role in marriages. Husbands would hit their wives to establish their power in the relationship, even when the wives did not do anything to deserve such cruel brutality. In Hurston’s short story, â€Å"Sweat†, oppression of women in the black community is demonstrated through the marriage of Delia and Sykes Jones. In anoth er of her short stories, â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†, Hurston writes about a married couple who is completely in love and share a balance of power in the relationship.In 1937, Hurston published one of her more well-known works, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The novel is about a young African American girl, Janie Crawford, and her journey from a young girl into an independent woman. This transformation is gradually seen through her three marriages. Although each of the marriages was very different from one another, they all shared the same underlying conflict: a power struggle between genders. Due to the death of her mother at an early age, Janie is raised by her grandmother who grew up as a slave. Nanny, her grandmother, is extremely dissatisfied with the way that black women are treated.She explains to Janie that the white men oppress the black men who then oppress the black women. It is a brutal cycle that forces black woman to act as the â€Å"mules† by doing all of the hard work (14). In order to protect Janie from this oppression, Nanny forces the sixteen year old girl to marry Logan Killicks. Before the wedding, Janie tries to convince herself she will be happy when she thinks, â€Å"Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant. † (21). Nanny has the opposite view of marriage as Janie; Nanny views marriage as a contract in which the couple does not have to be in love.Many years older than Janie, Logan is a dull farmer who owns sixty acres of land. After almost a year of being married to Logan, Janie is disheartened by the fact that she still does not love him. As time passes, Logan gradually begins to oppress Janie. At the beginning of the marriage, he would chop the firewood and bring it indoors to Janie. Then, he started expecting Janie to chop the firewood herself and bring it into the house. He not only demands Janie to serve him in the home by preparing his meals and cleaning, but he also expects J anie to serve him in the field by plowing or moving cow manure.One day when Janie is in the kitchen cooking dinner, Logan yells at her to move some cow manure. Janie refuses his order by saying that she is in her place in the kitchen. Logan verbally exerts his power over his wife as he tells her, â€Å"You ain’t got no particular place. It’s wherever Ah need yuh. † (31). He also expresses his power through violence when he threatens Janie by telling her that he will kill her with an ax if she talks back to him again. To Logan, Janie is just an object that he can utilize for labor and chores. He even plans to buy Janie her own mule so that she can plow the fields as well.The irony of this is that Nanny only wanted Janie to marry Logan so that Janie would not have to be worked like a â€Å"mule†. When Logan is gone for the day to pick up the mule, Janie meets a man by the name of Joe Starks (Jody). She is very fascinated by this confident and charming man. When Jody hears that Logan is making her plow the fields, he is appalled. He convinces Janie to run away with him by telling her he will treat her like a wife and take good care of her. Janie makes her first step towards asserting her independence when she leaves Logan to run away with another man.Although Hurston’s short story â€Å"Sweat† exhibits a more extreme case of domestic violence and oppression than in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Delia’s marriage with Sykes is somewhat parallel to Janie’s marriage with Logan. Delia is constantly working as a wash woman in order to provide for her and her husband. Sykes does not contribute anything to the marriage. He has been verbally and physically abusing Delia since their second month of marriage, which was fifteen years ago. The balance of power in their relationship begins to shift when Delia starts to stand up for herself against her husband like Janie did against Logan.She even scares Sykes off when she threatens to hit him with a frying pan if he comes close to her. Janie and Delia both realize that they deserve to be treated with respect by the men who supposedly love them. Upon running away together and getting married, Jody and Janie move to an all-black community called Eatonville in which Jody eventually becomes mayor and ends up owning most of the town. Jody is very power hungry and likes to be in control. He even holds multiple positions in the community besides being mayor. Unlike Logan, Jody did not think women should work in the field or perform tough labor.He referred to Janie as his â€Å"pretty doll-baby† (29). He molded Janie into the perfect submissive â€Å"mayor’s wife†. She always had to be dressed perfectly and she was not allowed to participate in conversations in which she voiced her opinion. He was not only in control of Eatonville but he was also in full control of Janie. He frequently used violence to assert his power over her. For ins tance, if he did not enjoy a dinner she prepared, he would hit her to punish her. One day, Janie could not take being silent anymore so she jumped into a conversation with Jody and the townspeople.She made the mistake of expressing her opinion on a matter that they were debating. Outraged and humiliated by his wife’s behavior, Jody hit his wife in front of everyone to remind her of her submissiveness to him. As Jody gained power in the community, Janie continued to lose her identity and whatever was left of her marriage. Whereas Logan treated Janie as an object that he could use in the house and field, Jody treated her as an object that people could admire from afar. When Jody is on his death bed, Janie finally speaks her mind and tells him all of the flaws that he possesses.She takes all of her anger and resentment that has built up over the past twenty years and lets it out on Jody on his death bed. This event was very significant in Janie’s quest for independence. O nce again, Janie has shifted the balance of power from being the one controlled to being the controller. Jody dies very soon after Janie’s outburst. For the first time in twenty years, Janie is free again. Although Janie is content with being single and free, an unexpected visitor shows up in her life one day. Tea Cake is about twelve years younger than Janie and he possesses a care-free attitude that Janie loves.She ends up falling in love with him because of the way he makes her feel; when they are together, starts to find out her true identity. Unlike Logan and Jody, Tea Cake does not instruct Janie to play a certain role or try to silence her voice. He wants to hear her opinions and everything that she has to say. He teaches her to play checkers and other games that she was not allowed to play in her previous marriage to Jody. He even taught her how to shoot a gun. They always had fun together, no matter what they were doing. They move to the Everglades where they are abl e side by side in the field, bonding with one another every day.They view their gender roles as equal; he would cook dinner sometime while she worked in the field. One certain person does not hold power over the other one, which is very rare in marriages during this time period in their culture. In fact, when Janie get jealous of another girl to whom Tea Cake talks, she hits Tea Cake. This is a reversal of the gender roles that Janie encompassed in her previous marriages because she was usually the one being hit by her husband. When Tea Cake gets jealous of his wife and another man, he also hits Janie to remind everyone that she belongs to him.Even in a well-balanced and healthy marriage, violence is still used as a way to exert power during this time period. During an awful hurricane in the Everglades, Tea Cake is bitten by a dog with rabbis. Because he contracts rabbis, he becomes very violent and tries to kill the love of his life, Janie. For the first time ever, Janie fully asse rts her independence when she kills the only man she has ever loved in order to survive. Janie and Tea Cake’s marriage is very similar to Missie May and John Banks’ marriage in the beginning of Hurston’s short story, â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†.Missie May and John treat each other equally and never try to oppress one another. John does not use violence to gain power over Missie May like most husbands did during this time. The biggest similarity the two couples have is the playfulness of their relationships. Janie and Tea Cake are always playing games or doing something fun. On that same level, Missie May and John always have a â€Å"play-fight† on Saturday to â€Å"keep the spark alive†. Merriam Webster Dictionary’s definition of power is â€Å"possession of control, authority, or influence over others†.During the early 1900s in African American culture, there was a large power struggle between males and females. African America n males had been oppressed by white men for so long that in turn, they oppressed their African American women in attempt to feel powerful. Unfortunately, most people would not even blink an eye at a man hitting his wife or verbally abusing her in public. As seen in Janie’s transformation, a person cannot truly live up to their true potential until they are completely free of anything or anyone that would confine them. When Janie returns to Eatonville after Tea Cake’s death, she walks through the town with confidence.She learns not to care what other people think of her because it is not their life; it is her life and she is the one in control of it. Bibliography Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Print. Hurston, Zora N. â€Å"Zora Neale Hurston's â€Å"Sweat†Ã¢â‚¬  American Literature Research and Analysis Website. University of South Florida in Fort Myers, July 1996. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. . Hurston, Zora N. â€Å"Zora Neale Hurston's â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†Ã¢â‚¬  American Literature Research and Analysis Website.University of South Florida in Fort Myers, July 1996. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Power. † Dictionary and Thesaurus – Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. . Uppling, Jill. â€Å"†Sweat† and â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†: Between Hurston's Biography and Education. † American Literature Research and Analysis Website. University of South Florida in Fort Myers, July 1996. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

Is Music a Good Tool for Health

In the article â€Å"Is Music a Good Tool for Health† by Elizabeth Scott, M. S. , she states that music has a powerful energy and affects our body and mind. And music therapy is a benefit to patients. I agree with the author’s opinion. Research shows that our body will be affected when we are listening to music. Our breathing and heart rate will slow down. This means music can help us reduce stress and depression. After we calm down, we can begin to solve the problem. When I have a trouble, I always lose my head and I have no idea how to deal with it. Then I sit down, and listening to music. After I calm down, I can think about the problem and figure out the way to solve it. Music therapy is a growing field of health care. Many hospitals have already begun to use music to help patients. According to the article, â€Å"Hospitals are beginning to use music therapy to help with pain management, depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and other benefits. † As we can see, music is not only for relaxed, but also health. Many people like to listen to music when they are nerves and depression. Most people will feel better after they listen to music. Some people will ask how music can affect our body and mind. There is other research that shows brainwaves can be synchronized by music with a strong beat. Different speed beats have different effects in our brain. According to the article, â€Å"Faster beats bring sharper concentration and more alert thinking. Slower beats promote a calm, meditative state. † I think this is the reason why music can affect our body and we feel better after we listen to music. Music is a benefit to us, and music therapy will be growing in popularity. Is Music a Good Tool for Health In the article â€Å"Is Music a Good Tool for Health† by Elizabeth Scott, M. S. , she states that music has a powerful energy and affects our body and mind. And music therapy is a benefit to patients. I agree with the author’s opinion. Research shows that our body will be affected when we are listening to music. Our breathing and heart rate will slow down. This means music can help us reduce stress and depression. After we calm down, we can begin to solve the problem. When I have a trouble, I always lose my head and I have no idea how to deal with it. Then I sit down, and listening to music. After I calm down, I can think about the problem and figure out the way to solve it. Music therapy is a growing field of health care. Many hospitals have already begun to use music to help patients. According to the article, â€Å"Hospitals are beginning to use music therapy to help with pain management, depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and other benefits. † As we can see, music is not only for relaxed, but also health. Many people like to listen to music when they are nerves and depression. Most people will feel better after they listen to music. Some people will ask how music can affect our body and mind. There is other research that shows brainwaves can be synchronized by music with a strong beat. Different speed beats have different effects in our brain. According to the article, â€Å"Faster beats bring sharper concentration and more alert thinking. Slower beats promote a calm, meditative state. † I think this is the reason why music can affect our body and we feel better after we listen to music. Music is a benefit to us, and music therapy will be growing in popularity.

“Erin Brockovich”: Effective Communication Essay

Competent Erin Brockovich’s Characteristics The main character in the movie Erin Brockovich is an easy going woman who seems tobe very competent in communication. This paper will discuss three characteristics that a competent communicator, such as Erin Brockovich possesses. I will also explain specific scenes where she demonstrated the following characteristics: self-monitoring, empathy, and commitment; commonly known as denominators that characterize effective communication. The first characteristic Erin displayed was empathy in relationships with her clients. In one scene, Erin met with a cancer suffering child and her family. A young girl named Anna, was suffering from alopecia and wearing a bandana. She had lost her hair from the cancer treatments she had received. Erin’s eyes reflected painful sadness even as she smiled and laughed with Anna. At the end of their conversation, Erin’s genuine concern for Anna left her speechless. Erin’s attitude displayed empathy, which involves feeling and experiencing another person’s situation almost as they do. It is the most important aspect of non-verbal communication competence. The second characteristic Erin showed was her intense commitment for the people ofHinkley. This characteristic was revealed during the scene placed at the Jensen’s residence. Erin sat on the end of the bed with Donna Jensen, the woman that was suffering from uterine cancer. Erin’s eyes filled with tears as Donna tells Erin that her cancer turned malignant, which is the fast spreading form of cancer. Donna’s eyes began to pour due to her fear and hatred she felt toward PG&E. Donna said, â€Å"We are going to get them aren’t we?† Erin replied, â€Å"Yes.† Erin’s willingness to listen and the desire to spend time with her proved her commitment to her. The third characteristic Erin portrays is self-monitoring. This was shown at Ed Masry’slaw office. Erin stood face to face with Ed. In a demanding tone of voice she said, â€Å"I need apaycheck!† Erin’s face turned a shade of red in anger. Her eyes began narrowing as she stared inhis eyes. Erin said, â€Å"I’m smart, hardworking, and I’m not leaving here without a job!† She waspersistent and determined to get the job. Erin’s eyes looked around the room only to notice theskepticism of Ed’s employees. Erin’s shoulders began  to droop and her guilty eyes driftedtowards the floor. She became aware of her behavior and the impression she had given. Sheknew she made a fool of herself. In a whisper Erin said, â€Å"Don’t make me beg.† She then said, â€Å"Ifit doesn’t work out, fire me.† Erin was able to change her behavior when she recognized thingswasn’t looking positive. Erin’s overall communication efforts displayed in her character was unique as well as knowledgeable. Self-monitoring, empathy, and commitment that were explained in this paper were shown with distinction. The communication techniques were useful and helpful to prove her drive for satisfaction and completion for the people in the town Hinkley.