Company: Bembos

Peru has several fast food chains that compete with the North American fast food chains like McDonalds and Burger king. One of the best local competitors is Bembos. Bembos sells burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, the usual fast food, but with plenty of Peruvian flavor and style. Bembos is the company that I chose because it’s a successful business. It’s the leader of all the Peruvian fast food restaurants nationwide. Bembos has its unique twist that combines American flavor with our cuisine. The purpose of this essay is to show the theoretical model, facts analysis and the proposed decisions for the company. If we start with Bembos’ history, Bembos was established in 1988, with its first restaurant opening in the Miraflores district of Lima. Bembos mixes in spices with their meat, giving the patty a distinct taste and appearance. For example, their hamburger called â€Å"Bembos a lo pobre† includes a fried egg and fried plantain with the lettuce and tomato. The â€Å"Bembos Parrillera† is a burger topped with chorizo. Bembos meals primarily come with French fries or yuquitas (made from yuca root). As their website states, they can be found all over the Lima area. They also deliver orders to private houses. On the other hand, Bembos has 30 restaurants in 6 cities, mostly in Lima. In July 2007, it had opened a restaurant in the center of Cusco, becoming the first national or international fast food establishment in the city. Bembos has recently opened restaurants outside of Peru, located in India and Panama. Bembos’ prosperity allows it to ask for loans and be able to afford them. As I mentioned before they took this advantage and made an investment of expanding its growth in the international market. Bembos’ marketing plan relies on the fact of being always the number one, having propagandas and commercials on TV all over Peru. Their theoretical model relies on its 4p’s, which means: price, place, promotion and product. They focus on having a good location, in a nice and commercial area that can attract people. Bembos places are big and colorful and have a parking lot. They are easy to recognize because of its colors and style. When it comes to quality, they try to offer, in this case, bigger hamburgers with better quality but with a slight more expensive price than McDonalds, KFC, and Burger King. The strategy they use is by satisfying their costumers’ needs, by having good prices for their big hamburgers and asking for their preference. Bembos is always trying to get better as time goes by. They never get stuck into the same product; they continue renovating their products and offers. They have in mind that people will eventually get bored of having the same products, in this case, each year they come up with a different kind of hamburger, salad or ice cream. Moreover, they also have a good relationship with people that have power in the government, in order to avoid problems with them. Moreover, Bembos has never had any issues with the environmental people because of polluting the environment and animal cruelty. It’s always very important to take into account, that Bembos should even be considered not only a fast food restaurant, but a restaurant in general, since they just don’t offer hamburgers or ice cream, but they also offer â€Å"salads†. Therefore, that makes them approach for a bigger market, in case someone’s on a diet, they can eat in Bembos too. When it comes to the human resources and financial area. So far, they’ve done such a great job, since it’s never been reported that they’ve had any kind of trouble in those areas. Bembos employees are friendly and they offer to the customer a good service. They are trying to make customers happy when they come to Bembos. In conclusion, the main keys of success for Bembos are: high profits, good quality and service, wise marketing strategy, and good relationships. Also, they’ve always had a clean reputation, since they’ve never been issued with any person, like getting intoxicated and the like, which makes them have a great image for their costumers. Plus, they have a great staff, the workers are very nice people who make the costumers want to come back, which’s essential, since if we offer a good service, people will want to come back, and it’ll eventually create more sales, which’s essential for all kinds of businesses.

The Broadway Café

The products offered by Broadway Cafe: coffees, teas, bread, sandwiches, soups and salads are all homemade. This means that customers will get a feel of being comfy and at home with the products offered by the Cafe. Moreover, the Cafe also does not have that feel of being too commercialized, compared with major coffee shop brands that have sprung in recent years. With the specialized products of Broadway Cafe, its patrons feel special that they are part of a unique Cafe experience. Broadway Cafe is part of the history of the city.The Cafe started operating in 1952. It is amazing that it continues to operate to this day. Although, in some aspects, it has not caught up with technological and operational innovations, it is already a part of the city’s history and part of the local flavor that make the city unique. Because of this, city residents who have developed a fondness for the Cafe will not want to see it close down. Grandfather knew every customer of the cafe. This is part of the unique experience of going to the Cafe.In Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, he described his experiences of going to various cafes in Paris. With grandfather knowing every customer of the cafe, they developed friendships and the customers became even more loyal to the Broadway Cafe. Small operations. The Broadway Cafe has small operations. As such, it can easily implement changes without disrupting any major operations. The operational expense of the Cafe is not very large. Therefore, the profits of the Cafe could be easily reinvested into the business. 2. Weaknesses of the Cafe. Only grandfather knows the recipes.This is a weakness because when grandfather dies, then no one else will be able to retrieve the recipes and write them down. There should be at least one other person who knows the recipes and write them down so it would be easy to pass them on. Customer information and data are not stored anywhere else. Knowing every customer of the Cafe is great! Howeve r, only grandfather knows them all. It would also be better for these information to be written down so that I will get to know the existing customers and develop friendship with them, too. Orders are taken manually.Taking orders manually is time-consuming. Some customers may be in a hurry and this process will certainly slow them down. Investing in a good P. O. S. system will help the Cafe take and serve orders more quickly. Inventory tracking is outdated and prone to mistakes. Without an effective inventory tracking system, mistakes will be committed and costs may even go up more than necessary. 3. Threats to the Cafe. Entry of new Cafe in the city. The growth of Starbucks in the past decade has been remarkable. It has penetrated virtually every major city in the world.The entry of Starbucks and other commercial cafe in our city will be a threat to the Broadway Cafe. As such, the Cafe will have to capitalize on its strengths and upgrade its operations so it can compete with the co mmercial cafes. The economic downturn. With the present economic downturn being faced by the United States, the spending power of customers is diminished. As such, they may choose to forego going to the Cafe because of economic reasons. 4. Recommendations for upgrading and bringing the Cafe into the 21st century. Capitalize on the strengths of Broadway Cafe.Essentially, the way that grandfather treated every customer will be recreated. I, as the manager, and the employees of the Cafe will be trained to know every customer and establish friendship with them. Document (on video and on paper) the recipes of the Cafe. This is a sure way of preserving the knowledge of grandfather through the generations to come. If his recipes are committed to paper, the Cafe will be able to include two or more chefs who can help in preparing the orders of customers. Purchase a computerized Point-of-Sale system plus inventory tracking software.By automating the processes of taking order and of tracking i nventory, the Cafe will become more efficient and customers do not have to wait in long lines to be served. The twenty first century has become very busy for working professionals. They would appreciate if orders were taken and served more quickly than before. Craft and implement a marketing plan for the Cafe. Word-of-mouth will remain as the major marketing strategy of the company. However, with the advent of the 21st century, a marketing plan needs to be crafted and implemented, including the creation of a website and the sponsorship of events in the Cafe premises.

Schema Theory

A schema describes an organized pattern of thought or behavior. Scripts are schemas which provide information about a sequence of events. Self-schemas organize information we have about ourselves, such as our strengths and weaknesses. The last is the social schema, which represents information about groups of people, and this is how stereotypes are also developed. Bartlett (1932) wanted to look at the effect that schemas have on memory. He had his participants read â€Å"The War of the Ghosts†. the 1st participant read the original story, and then wrote it on paper.Then a 2nd participant, reads whats been written by the 1st participant. Then the 2nd reproduces it on paper for the 3rd participant and so on. In repeated reproduction, the same participant reproduces the story 6 or 7 times. Bartlett found that as the reproductions went on, the stories became shorter and that certain details had been left out or changed. These changes were in an effort to make the story more compre hend-able from within the participants experiences and cultural backgrounds. For example the word canoes became boats, and hunting seals became fishing. Your brain also fills in blanks based on ones existing schemas.Your memory is processed into three main stages; which are encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is when u put the memory into your mind. Storage is maintaining it in your mind. Retrieval is using what you saved in your mind. Cohen (1993) criticized schema theory, saying that the concept of schemas is too vague to be useful. However, many researchers use schema theory to explain cognitive processing. Anderson and Pichert did an experiment to investigate if schema processing influences both encoding and retrieval. The results showed schema processing influenced both.

Canada's Prosperity at Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Canada's Prosperity at Risk - Essay Example The country at the focal point of the study happens to be Canada. Canada is one of the most developed and richest countries in the world. The country is blessed rich natural resources and has a diverse and highly educated population. However, the country is going through a phase of change and facing certain challenges on various fronts which could reduce the prosperity of the nation. (Cowan, 2005). Based on in depth research it has been decided that the country faces prosperity challenges in the domain of infrastructure, innovation, demographics, natural resource, government regulation and politics. From an infrastructural point of view it is to be said that the cities of Canada are at the cross roads. The government of Canada does not have any strong agenda on the infrastructural commitments. From the perspective of innovation the prosperity of the country is threatened on three fronts such as the global competition, demographics and productivity. There is very little doubt over the fact that China has a population which is highly educated and skilled. But from a demographic perspective off late the country has been facing a problem of aging population. As mentioned before, Canada has been blessed with rich and large amount of natural resources. Such resources are used for the production of energy which also happens to be a major contributor to the overall GDP of the country. But the growing demand of power has been creating a misbalance in the ecosystem. Also another major problem faced by the country has been the fact the present government regulations are believed to be quite complex and lack robustness. On the political fore front there lie various political complexities especially in the domain of taxations. The present looks to critically analyze all the cause and effects of the challenges mentioned above and looks to propose probable recommendations to over the challenges (Henry, 2008). Cause and effect From the perspective of innovation one of the majo r challenges faced by the country is the transformation face of the global economy. The global economy is still looking to recover from the after effects of the 2008 recession. Also the economy is going through a transformation phase due to the rise of the emerging economies like china, India, Brazil, etc. This most certainly creates opportunities for the exporters and investors of the country. But the continuous expansion of information and technologies would lead to a high value knowledge network. As a result each and every Canadian enterprise is faced with new levels of intense competition. Just like some of the other developed countries one of the major problems faced by the country is of aging population. The increasing number of proportion of senior citizens would add to the demand of the demand of services in the public domain, especially health care. Also aging the population would mean that there would less number of working and taxpaying Canadians. However, the biggest cha llenge would come in the form of its effect on the labour market; which would be discussed later (Burgemeister, 2003). Also the innovation of the nation would depend upon the growth of the productivity. However, the recent performance of Canada leaves a lot of scope for improvement. Over the last decade or so the productivity grew by just 0.7 percent. This is far below as compared to other developed countries like USA if the rate of growth in productivity in the near future then the potential economic growth of the

The Pro's of Umbilical Cord Care (Triple Dye & alcohol) Research Paper

The Pro's of Umbilical Cord Care (Triple Dye & alcohol) - Research Paper Example Some of the methods were unsterile ad resulted in serious infections such as neonatal tetanus. Current umbilical care practices vary across different regions but have limited neonatal complications. Triple dye plus alcohol is one of the modern umbilical care treatments with several pros. The Pros of Umbilical Cord Care Using Triple Dye and Alcohol Regimen The kind of neonatal care given to newborn babies has great impact on the baby. Umbilical treatments aim at preventing infections during the cord separation. Umbilical cord is the cord that connects the baby with the placenta. It is mainly made up of blood vessels and acts as the connection between the mother and the foetus. After birth, the cord separates from the placenta, the cord stump dries and eventually falls, and the wound heals eventually. During the cord separation process, substances may collect and accumulate at the point of connection leading to infections. The cord takes about 5-15 days to separate. The umbilical stump provides a possible entry for bacteria. Therefore, there is need for use of appropriate treatment to aid the separation process, drying, and healing of the wound without infections. Antimicrobials are used to treat the umbilicus to fasten the cord separation and prevent bacterial colonization and other related complications of nursery infections as well as omphalitis. However, different antimicrobial work differently and may determine the time taken for cord to separate. Additionally, they may regulate the probability occurrence of any infections. Use of triple dye together with alcohol for treatment of umbilical cord is becoming a popular treatment for umbilical cord. The objective of this paper is to investigate the pros of Umbilical Cord Care using Triple Dye & alcohol. This analysis provides insights on how umbilical care impacts on nursing care. The paper will entail critical analysis of recent and relevant research related to the pros of using triple dye and alcohol in umbili cal cord care and make a conclusion regarding this method of nursing care. Triple dye is considered one of the most effective regimens for treatment of umbilical cord. A single application of the dye has been proved to prevent infections. However, the results are even better when triple dye is used together with alcohol. Studies have demonstrated that 90% alcohol is better in enhancing umbilical cord drying than other regimens such as povidone-iodine and Chinese herbs. Additionally, it has been proved that different regimen work differently in regions with different climatic conditions. However, some studies have shown that separation and healing occurs faster when Triple Dye is used together with alcohol. Discussion: Pro of Using Triple Dye Together with Alcohol for Cord Treatment    Umbilical cord care is one of the most important aspects of neonatal nursing care. This is because it greatly determines the health condition of the infant in the early stages after birth. Additional ly, the effectiveness of the care determines the survival rate of infants. The time taken for cord separation is greatly determined by the regime used for the care. Several studies have been done to establish the effectiveness of different regimes in determining the time taken for the cord to separate and the rate of infections following cord separation. The studies have established that the kind of regime used

Alternatives to both criminal and civil court actions in Scotland Essay

Alternatives to both criminal and civil court actions in Scotland - Essay Example Look at the Asylum and the Immigration laws; both are applicable in the whole territory of England (Miller, Richard & Sarat 1980, p. 531). The Employment Tribunals in England have the same jurisdiction as the other courts. Such tribunals are functional within the territory of Northern Ireland. In addition, Military Courts are operating as independent courts in the United Kingdom to deal with the issues of military offences. In Scotland, the Supreme Court is restricted to hear civil cases, appeals of Scottish cases and to determine the violation of human rights (Newburn 2007, p. 159). Courts and the Legal System of Scotland In every democratic state, modern legal framework reflects the confidence of its citizens, which protects them from unfair treatment of State, business entities and people in all fields of life (Miller, Richard & Sarat 1980, p. 534). The legal system of Scotland is based upon its strong traditional values and fairness. With the passage of time, the norms of society have changed radically over the last two decades. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to introduce modern legal institutions, which have the capability and the capacity to deliver in line with the requirement of modern legal framework of justice besides retaining its traditional values (Galanter & Cahill 1994, p. 1339). ... Initially, the procurator conducts preliminary investigations about the issues highlighted in criminal cases and obtains written statements of the witnesses as important ingredients for the prosecution. The procurator may seek assistance of the police to complete investigation where need arises. However, in murder cases, the police officers complete the investigation without involving procurator (Galanter 1985, p. 16). According to High Court procedure, once a person is found guilty of an offence and remanded in custody, he becomes the responsibility of the Crown to bring the case of accused for a preliminary hearing within the specified time. Under the mentioned set up, defendant and petitioner have no right to take a decision on whether to try him by jury or on the summary of procurator. The Criminal Justice Act 1987 delegated power to procurator to offer determinable penalties instead of prosecution. Initially, the maximum amount of penalty was GBP 25, which later on increased to GBP 300 in phases (Bottomley & Bronitt 2012, p. 183). The curator can issue warning, impose penalties, award compensation to the aggrieved party, provide counselling to psychological patients and give them treatment according to the advice of psychiatrist. A fiscal procurator is a part of Court of Lord Lyon. The court in question hears the cases of criminal and civil law. The cited Court is unique in terms of Scottish culture. The court under reference plays a pivotal role regarding to the clan system. If any of the rules related to coat of arms are not adhered, the procurator as an independent official of the court may decide to initiate criminal proceedings against the defaulter (Galanter & Cahill 1994, p. 1345). Judicial

Finance and Accounting Assignment Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finance and Accounting Assignment - Math Problem Example Since in this case, the payment is done at the beginning of the period every time, hence it is a case of an immediate annuity as each yearly payment is allowable to compound for an additional year as compared to the normal annuity case. In this context, Future Value of Annuity = A [{(1+i) ^n -1} / i] (Finance Formulas., n.d.) Where, A= Annual payment, i= interest rate per year, n= number of periods As in this case, each annual payment is completed at the start of each period, the same is allowed to compound for one extra period and hence its future value would be the product of value of a matching normal annuity and (1+ interest rate). Future Value of Annuity Due = (1+i) * A [{(1+i)^n -1} / i ] (Finance Formulas., n.d.) The 65th birthday is the day the person wants to have $2 million in the savings account. It should also be kept in mind that a payment is made even on the last day i.e. on the 65th birthday. This last payment does not get a chance to be compounded and has to be simply added to the compounded value of the earlier made 35 payments. In the Future Value of Annuity Due formulae, it has to be noted that the last cash payment is made one year prior to the end of the 35th year. Keeping in mind that a payment will be made even on the last day of 35 year period, the formulae for calculating the required annual payment would be, Future Value, FV = (1+i) * A [{(1+i)^n -1} / i ] + A A = F/ [ {((1+i)^n-1)/i} * (1+i) +1] It is decided that the person needs $2 million at the end of 35 years period, so in this scenario the Future Value would be $2 million. In this case, FV= $2000000, i= 5%, n= 35 years. Putting these values in the above equation, Annual Payment, A = 20,868.91 = $ 20,870 (approx) Thus, the person has to put aside $ 20,869 (approx) each year to make sure that he has $ 2 million in the savings account on the 65th birthday. Problem 36 The person realizes that since the income would increase over the years it would be advisable to save less now and m ore in the later years. Thus, instead of putting the same amount aside, the person has altered his plans to let the amount to be set aside grow by 3% per year. This is a case of growing annuity which is similar to annuity as both ends after a certain period, however, growing annuity payments increase at a fixed constant rate unlike the annuity. It should be noted that since the first annual payment to the savings account is made today and continuing to do so on each birthday up to as well as including the 65th birthday, the number of periods would be 36. The formula for Future Value of Growing Annuity is, FV = A [{(1+i)^n – (1+g)^n } / (i-g) ] (Finance Formulas., n.d.) Where A= First payment, i= interest rate, g= growth rate, n= number of periods Hence, The First Payment, A = FV * [(i-g)/ {(1+i)^n – (1+g)^n }] Here, FV= $2000000, i = 5%, g = 3%, n = 36. Putting these values in the above equation, First Payment = 13,823.91 = $ 13,824 (approx) Thus, the person will have to put $ 13,824 (approx) into the savings account today and keep on increasing the succeeding payments at a growth rate of 3% per year in order to get $ 2 million in the savings account on the 65th birthday. References Finance Formulas. (n.d.). Future Value of Annuity. Retrieved July 14, 2011, from

Summaries of Five Lectures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summaries of Five Lectures - Research Paper Example Often companies overlook the actual cause by focusing on the tip of the iceberg. At this stage, companies also decide whether to undertake exploratory (exploring the motivations of consumers), descriptive (answering questions such as what, where, when, how) or causal (establishing cause-effect relationships in consumer’s behavior) research. Next, a plan is formulated which is implemented by collecting either primary or secondary data is the desired manner. There are two main types of research: qualitative (comprising of focus groups, observations and third-person techniques) and quantitative. Primarily, companies engage in research by employing the four core media; that is, telephone, internet, mail and face-to-face conversations. For instance, Pepsi conducted a blind-taste test (known as Pepsi Challenge) where consumers were told to taste two cups (one with Pepsi one with Coke). The results revealed that Pepsi was the popular choice amongst Americans. Lecture 3 discusses the three core steps of marketing namely segmentation, targeting and positioning. Segmentation refers to grouping the population into categories based on common characteristics pertaining to behavior, psychographic elements or profile of customers. Segmentation based on behavioral aspects tends to focus on the purchase behavior, benefits, features, usage patterns as well as perceptions of the customers. Psychographic segmentation is based on lifestyle patterns and personality traits of the customers. Profile refers to categorizing the market based on age, income and socio-economic status. Targeting comes after segmentation and refers to the selection of one or more such groups towards which the elements of the marketing mix are aimed at. These segments are evaluated on the basis of criteria such as their potential profitability, size, as well as their coherence with the organizational goals. Finally, positioning refers to the whole or space in customers’ mind that the company wis hes to acquire. In short, the company decides the area in which it would differentiate itself from competitors as well as how it intends to do so. For example, Diet Coke positioned itself against Coke Zero by appealing to a different target market (women) compared to Coke Zero that targeted athletics and sportsmen. Lecture 4 discusses the buyer behavior process. This begins with an analysis of the various roles that consumers take on as â€Å"initiators†, â€Å"influencers†, â€Å"deciders†, â€Å"buyers† and â€Å"users†. A personal consumer is one who is the end user of the product bought, whereas, an organizational consumer is one who buys with the intention of using the product in the manufacture of some other product. The process of making decisions involves recognition of the fact that the consumer has an unsatisfied need which he/she attempts to satisfy, searching for potential ways to satisfy that need, evaluating alternative products on th e basis of various criteria, purchasing and finally, evaluating the decision in retrospect. When the product falls short of the customer’s expectations he/she may experience cognitive dissonance. Consumers purchase products owing to peer pressure (for instance, a Mercedes to show off his status) as well as his/her personality traits (for instance, drinking ground coffee instead of Nescafe’s 3-in-1 satchel). The buying process for organizations is far more complex and involves a more rational, well-informed choice as opposed to purely hedonic or impulsive behavior

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been - Essay Example The story describes Connie as a young and beautiful girl who grows up in the Suburbia in the years between 1960. During this period, the author describes there were few beautiful girls who would be determined to expose their beauty to the entire society. Although the young girls were beautiful, most of the parents opted for their daughter to remain indoors. Joyce Carol Oates the author of the story, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† illustrates that since Connie was young, she spend most of her time in front of a mirror confirming her beauty. This made Connie’s mother irritates and pissed off since her daughter was wasting time in confirming her beauty instead of concentrating on other life aspects (Oates 1). At some point, the author, Joyce quotes in the story â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† that, â€Å"stop wasting time and gawking at yourself, who do you think you are, you think your pretty†. Joyce identifies that the mother was provoked with the number of times her daughter wasted time in confirming and bragging her beauty. Connie also had an elder sister, June but she was not as beautiful as the young and attractive Connie appeared. Although June was the eldest of the two, one would mistake Connie to be the first-born. June was older at the age of twenty-four and still lived with the parents. She worked in a high school as the secretary and saved the maximum money she could to rescue the family (Oates 4). June was innocent and never made any trouble to the family as Connie did to the rest of the family. June always listen to her mother’s words and followed every instruction given. This was totally contrary to the sister, Connie, who decides to listen to the friends. In the story, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†, the author, Joyce identifies that Connie continued with her trends and even started going out with friends. This made the situation even worse after she was introduced to

Blood Diamond Essay Example for Free

Blood Diamond Essay The makers of â€Å"Blood Diamond,† an exceptionally thriller starring a most excellent Leonardo DiCaprio, want you to know there may be blood on your hands, specifically your wedding finger. The story involves so-called conflict diamonds, illicitly mined stones that have been used to finance some of the most vicious wars in Africa. If films were judged solely by their good intentions, this one would be best in show. Instead, gilded in money and dripping with sanctimony, confused and mindlessly contradictory, the film is a textbook example of how easily commercialism can trump do-goodism, particularly in Hollywood. The 2006 movie (Blood Diamond) was recently seen by me, this is an American political war thriller film produced and directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in African war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world. During Sierra Leone Civil War in 1996–2001, the film shows a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebels. It also portrays many of the atrocities of that war, including the rebels amputation of peoples hands to discourage them from voting in upcoming elections. The films ending, in which a conference is held concerning blood diamonds, is in reference to an actual meeting that took place in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000 and led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which seeks to certify the origin of rough diamonds in order to curb the trade in conflict diamonds. In the face of the evidence, it is impossible to list any benefits for blood diamonds. They have been condemned by the United Nations. The sheer scale of the civil war in Sierra Leone they helped to fund, in which an estimated 120,000 people were killed from 1991 to 2001, proves that these illegitimate diamonds do nothing but cause human suffering. In February 2011, Charles Taylors trial before the Special Court for Sierra Leone heard that he received mayonnaise jars full of blood diamonds from the Revolutionary United Front, providing them with the arms they needed in return. The U. S. appens to be the largest consumer of conflict diamonds, purchasing over $33. 7 billion dollars’ worth of the rocks in 2005. Wondering what conflict diamonds are? I’m no fawning fan of DiCaprio, but the film â€Å"Blood Diamond† is nowhere near as fictional as we’d like it to be. Conflict diamonds involve abuse, corruption and death. There goes that gorgeous, shimmery, sparkling stone set in platinum I’ve been dreaming about. This movie and together with some other researches I did has made me to come into a conclusion and a question if I would ever wear a diamond. Here are important reasons, We’ve been conditioned to want a diamond. Who isn’t tired of the advertising and marketing ploys used to brainwash us into believing our value as women rests on the size of our†¦gem? (Toss that in with measurements and marital status and we’ve got an endless supply of not-good-enough. ) Marketers have thrown us a giant, glittering bone, and watched the profits pile up as we’ve chased, fetched and rolled over in order to conform to what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the only acceptable standard. Diamond prices have been artificially inflated by the diamond cartel. The average diamond sold in the U. S. has been over-graded in quality by 2 grades, and the average U. S. couple pays twice what they should for an engagement ring. Do i really want to enter into a lifelong commitment with a man who’s willing to waste his hard-earned cash on a diamond, especially when said diamond is ridiculously overpriced? Diamond mines damage the environment. This is important, even though it’s true of all types of mining, not just diamond mining. Mines are dangerous for workers (including children) and threaten our planet, too. I wish there were a way to dig that deep without so much damage. A diamond is not forever. Nothing is forever. Engagements, marriages, jobs, you name it. If they happen to last a long time, then you are indeed a very lucky person. Why do we kid ourselves into believing that a sparkling rock, delivered to us on the backs of the abused, purchased for more than it’s worth, marketed for more than it means and obtained at the expense of our own dear planet will keep love alive?.

Teens and Sex - Sex and Disease :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Sex and Disease    Since the beginning of the semester we've been working in groups in order to complete a mid term report, based on our picked topic. I'm part of the group Sex in the New Millennium. We as a group focused our attention on three main categories, sexuality, and sexual preferences, Pregnancies and abortions, and finally sexually transmitted diseases.    Sex is the key ingredient that most companies and advertising agencies are using to sell their products. And as a result we the viewers (being what ever age we may be) are the true victims. You turn on the television and the first thing you see is someone or something being sexually exploited. Daytime TV and talk shows are long time abusers of this. As a result more and more people are practicing sex all over the country and the world. And coeincidentliy the ages of these participants are getting younger and younger. STDs are the at a all time high.    What are STDs ? STDs are sexually transmitted diseases, formerly called venereal diseases (VD), which are transmitted by direct sexual contact. Some are considered among the most serious diseases of the world . Any person who is sexually active or is thinking about having sexual activity should be familiar with the symptoms, prevention , and treatment of these diseases. Most forms of STDs may be treated and cured in the early stages, but putting off treatment can be dangerous.    The germs that cause sexually transmitted diseases can survive only for a few seconds in the air, so the diseases are transmitted only by direct body contact. Like most other diseases we do not know where or when sexually transmitted diseases started. To add to the list of STDs there is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which may lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).    In North and South America combined, there are estimates that up to 2 million people are currently infected with the HIV virus. The World Health Organization estimates that 8-10 million adults and 1 million children worldwide are infected with the AIDS virus. By the year 2000, 40 million people may be infected with the virus . More than 90% of these persons will likely reside in the developing countries. Based on 1989 data, AIDS is the number four cause of death in males ages 15-54.

Leaders and Businessmen of the Victorian Era Essay examples -- Victori

Uneducated Gentlemen: The Leaders and Businessmen of the Victorian Era Changing Intentions of Public Education The public education system in Victorian England was originally intended for the education of the poorer working classes, and the training of clergy (Landow, par. 2). The children of the upper classes were often educated at home by private tutors, and therefore it was assumed the public schools would be a place for members of the lower classes. Despite the original intentions of public education, the schools eventually became a primary means of helping to elevate the status of the middle classes. In fact, rather than being primarily concerned with the imparting of knowledge, â€Å"the whole educational process was designed to mold the student into a young Christian Gentleman† (Everett, par. 2). The middle and upper classes wanted to keep children of the working classes from being educated, perhaps as a means of social control, and thus according to Eric Hobsbawm, in 1897 less than 7% of academic secondary school students were members of the working class (qtd. in Landow, pa...

Costs of Childhood Cancer Treatment and Research Essay example -- Heal

Cancer, one of the most feared words in our vocabulary of this time, especially in childhood (Druker 1). Most people when thinking of â€Å"childhood cancer† envision very young children, although a â€Å"Nation Institute of Health Policy concerning inclusion of children in clinical research defines children as being younger than twenty-one years of age while the Food and Drug Administration considers children to be fifteen years and younger† (Ries 158). That being said, most cancers incidence peak among children occurs during the first year of life (Gurney 149). Some of the most well-known nationwide childhood cancers are leukemia, brain cancer, and other central nervous system cancers (oeconline 1). In conjunction, â€Å"the side effects of treatment, which range from heart disease to brain damage, can linger for decades and cost nearly as much as therapy for the original cancer† (USATODAY 1). With the total cost of childhood cancer exceeding many peopleâ€℠¢s yearly salary, help and support are the main focus for many childhood cancer advocacies (disease.com 1). Therefore, increasing awareness is the first step to raising more advocacy and support for childhood cancer programs and research (StJude.org 2). Childhood cancer treatment is an excessively pricey dilemma. It ranges from the cost per child to the overall cost. For example, â€Å"a new leukemia medication for children who no longer benefit from chemotherapy, costs $45,000 for a three week treatment cycle† (USATODAY 1). With the average time span of cancer treatment ranging from three months to roughly three years the price can climb to multiple figures (compasscare 1). The median cost per day for one child in a pediatric hospital for cancer treatment is nearly $1,000 more than the average... ...ng diagnosed with cancer as a whole. As a refuge for many families, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital takes responsibility for all expenses dealing with immediate medical care that insurance does not cover. As well as immediate medical care coverage, St. Jude’s also distributes other attributes to the family in need, such as housing and payment for outpatient expenses. Since St. Jude’s is run by the donations of donors from around the world, although mostly from around the country, it is vital for the survival and future cure for childhood cancers that we as a nation continue to fuel St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to prosper and thrive. In conclusion, childhood cancer treatment and research is extremely important for the future survival of thousands of childhood lives. Every cent matters when it comes to saving the lives of our future generations. Costs of Childhood Cancer Treatment and Research Essay example -- Heal Cancer, one of the most feared words in our vocabulary of this time, especially in childhood (Druker 1). Most people when thinking of â€Å"childhood cancer† envision very young children, although a â€Å"Nation Institute of Health Policy concerning inclusion of children in clinical research defines children as being younger than twenty-one years of age while the Food and Drug Administration considers children to be fifteen years and younger† (Ries 158). That being said, most cancers incidence peak among children occurs during the first year of life (Gurney 149). Some of the most well-known nationwide childhood cancers are leukemia, brain cancer, and other central nervous system cancers (oeconline 1). In conjunction, â€Å"the side effects of treatment, which range from heart disease to brain damage, can linger for decades and cost nearly as much as therapy for the original cancer† (USATODAY 1). With the total cost of childhood cancer exceeding many peopleâ€℠¢s yearly salary, help and support are the main focus for many childhood cancer advocacies (disease.com 1). Therefore, increasing awareness is the first step to raising more advocacy and support for childhood cancer programs and research (StJude.org 2). Childhood cancer treatment is an excessively pricey dilemma. It ranges from the cost per child to the overall cost. For example, â€Å"a new leukemia medication for children who no longer benefit from chemotherapy, costs $45,000 for a three week treatment cycle† (USATODAY 1). With the average time span of cancer treatment ranging from three months to roughly three years the price can climb to multiple figures (compasscare 1). The median cost per day for one child in a pediatric hospital for cancer treatment is nearly $1,000 more than the average... ...ng diagnosed with cancer as a whole. As a refuge for many families, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital takes responsibility for all expenses dealing with immediate medical care that insurance does not cover. As well as immediate medical care coverage, St. Jude’s also distributes other attributes to the family in need, such as housing and payment for outpatient expenses. Since St. Jude’s is run by the donations of donors from around the world, although mostly from around the country, it is vital for the survival and future cure for childhood cancers that we as a nation continue to fuel St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to prosper and thrive. In conclusion, childhood cancer treatment and research is extremely important for the future survival of thousands of childhood lives. Every cent matters when it comes to saving the lives of our future generations.

Heidi Roizen

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Roizen’s network at the end of the case? Heidi Roizen has invested time and effort in developing and sustaining relationships/networks in the computer industry, especially in the Silicon Valley area, throughout her professional career. As she moves into her venture capitalist role, her networking efforts have the following strengths – †¢Includes executives including CEO’s, thereby giving her the experience of interacting with these business leaders.Since she has established relationships with many and her credibility is proven, which is an important criterion for business leaders; this is a critical skill in her new role. †¢Since she is not only well known in the internet industry but is also well respected, her joining Softbank provides positive feedback about the new group making it an attractive opportunity for many. Her current role is different from her prior jobs in that it requires making go/no-go fundi ng decisions about start-up companies rather than establish a network of contact to help develop the business she was involved in.This fundamental difference in her role will put strains on her vast network as well as herself. Namely- †¢Reject projects from her acquaintances. Even though she has been making concerted efforts to reach out to those affected by these adverse decisions, there is a good possibility that some people will let these decision impact their personal/professional relationships with her. Since, she is very values her relationships a lot I imagine such issues will negatively affect her at a personal level.This has the potential of having a negative impact on her credibility in the industry †¢Trying to manage her network will put constraints on her professional and/or personal life. As she mentions that she spends two hours per day sending out rejection notes, I believe for her to be able to sustain this she will need to put in extra hours at work or com promise the quality of work. †¢Create internal conflict for herself by deviating from her philosophy of helping others when it is a mutually beneficial situation for both, since in her current role she is feeling pressured to help people by referring them to the companies she is tied with. 2) What specific steps did Roizen take to develop her network? To maintain it? Heidi Roizen is a very well know business leader in the computer industry sector, especially in Silicon Valley. During the course of her career she has built a vast network of connections. The basic reason for her vast network can be attributed to her innate extrovert and high energy personality coupled with a desire to interact and help people with high caliber and engaging personalities. In addition, she was also required to cultivate relationships to support the software company, T/Maker, which she co-founded in the early phase of her career.The primary objective was to market the company’s product. Her s trategies towards developing relationships included – †¢Follow the ‘what can I offer’ approach. In her interactions with people she planned carefully on how to help their projects/needs. During her time at Tandem, she had opportunity to work with the company’s CEO’s and through her approach she built relationships with the CEO. Her relationship benefited her professionally as he recommended her for the Stanford MBA program. †¢Identify organizations and people that will help her initiatives and engage them through meaningful contributions in their activities.To promote her company, T/Maker, Heidi networked with the press, the software entrepreneur’s forums and the software publishers association. Through her contributions she has established sustainable relationships, as is evident by the glowing reviews paid to her by business leaders such as Brian Gentile of eALITY Inc. †¢Trust her judgments on the caliber of person she associ ates with rather than their position in the organization. The paper gives instances where she built relationships with ‘smart’, ‘interesting’ and ‘good quality’ people who later become senior executives in their companies. Relationships are built on a combination of professional-social interactions. She is known to have regular parties at her house. She used these events not only to build her relationships but also provide networking opportunities to her guests. Heidi gives a lot of importance to her relationships and is consequently very conscientious in sustaining them. To maintain her network, she believes in †¢Quality of the interaction rather than quantity. She leverages her relationships after much thought, for e. g. higher up in the organization her contact is, fewer times she would contact that individual for favor. †¢Focus on been consistent in the relationship. She emphasizes being consistent in her actions while dealing wit h friends. †¢Ensuring there is reciprocity in the relationship i. e. , there is a balance between the times she is asking for help versus helping that particular individual out. ? 3) How does your own network compare with Roizen’s? To what extent are the differences due to the political structure in the networks assist?To what extent are the differences due to the personal preferences and style? As I compare my social/professional network to Heidi Roizen’s, one of the biggest differences is the number of people we know-my LinkedIn contact list is at 100+ while I guess Heidi’s would be 500+ category. After going through this article I have realized the significance networking can have on one’s profession and moving forward will like to The commonalities between our relationships include †¢Quality of interactions rather than quantity.I have some very good friends whom I only meet once/twice per year yet the relationship has been sustained. †¢ Relationships have to be on an even footing. I make concerted efforts to ensure reciprocity is maintained from my end. There have been occasions in the past where I have discontinued relationships when I felt the other individual was always asking for help. Some differences that occur in our relationships are †¢Heidi is very social and has parties almost every weekend in her house. This is not the case at my place. There is a very strong emphasis in her life on networking, which is not the case for me. She seems to invest time in relationships with the intent of leveraging them for future benefit either for herself or other acquaintances. This becomes clear at the end of the case during her time Softbank she referred people to organizations that will help her business interest. In my case, relationships can sometimes be used to exchange ideas or just have fun without the intent of obtaining any benefit. †¢I am generally not looking to bring people together for mutual benef it. †¢She makes an effort of meeting new people through attending trade shows, participating in conference etc.In my role, I have opportunity to attend technical conferences but my primary intent there is to acquire knowledge rather than meet new people. In my opinion one of the biggest reasons for the differences is our personality type. She is an out-going, high energy person with a passion for meeting new people. This means that interacting and meeting new people provides her with fuel to get recharged in life. I am an introvert who enjoys meeting people but feel drained after these experiences and need alone/close family time to recharge.In addition, differences between Heidi and me can also be attributed to our professions. Since she has primarily worked as entrepreneurs/business developer, my role is to develop manufacturing processes. I believe there is a fundamental difference between these roles, her job needs interacting with a large number of people whereas in my cas e knowledge about the processes is more important. ? 4) What suggestions would you give Roizen for adjusting and maintaining her network as she became more involved as an internet venture capitalist?I will give her the following suggestions †¢She should not try to sustain every relationship that she has established over the years. She should create of priority list of people and maintain relationships with those who meet her basic requirement of being ‘smart’ and ‘good quality’ as well are value added in her new role. She has to juggle three critical roles – family, work and network management. If she focuses too much on trying to maintain her network, there is a high probability that one or both of the others will suffer. She should focus on creating some relationships with people who are not in the same industry sector as her. This will be –in sync with her outgoing personality and fulfill her ‘need’ to interact with people while not creating expectations/pressures in her profession. In the paper, it is obvious that many of the proposals, including meeting requests, being submitted are from with her network. Since most of these are being rejected and even though she is being very professional in rejecting these, it should be expected that some of these rejections are not well received.The negative reactions emanating from these may create stress for her and hamper her professional and personal life. †¢She should also delegate the rejection letters to her subordinates as she seems to be spending too much time on them and this is taking away from her work time that may be detrimental for her career. †¢Since, her current role is different from her past roles of being an entrepreneur/business developer there is limited need for keeping a very large network.

Case study Wilson Lumber Company Essay

QUESTION 1 WHY HAS WILSON LUMBER BORROWED INCREASING AMOUNTS DESPITE ITS CONSISTENT PROFITABILITY? Although the company seems to be profitable, it has faced shortage of cash. It happened due to increase in Accounts Receivable as well as Inventories. On the other hand, Accounts Payable does not increase that rapidly and difficulties regarding cash collection become evident. Furthermore, the cash collection cycle becomes larger (59 days in year 2003, while more than 70 in year 2006). QUESTION 2 HOW HAS MR. WILSON MET THE FINANCING NEEDS OF THE COMPANY DURING THE PERIOD 2003 THROUGH 2005? HAS THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH OF WILSON LUMBER IMPROVED OR DETERIORATED? EVALUATE WILSON LUMBER FINANCIAL HEALTH. During 2003- 2005 the company borrowed money (long term loan) from bank to finance its operations. In general profitability ratios are positive, however, could be higher. That might be a signal of cost reduction. On the other hand, the company becomes less liquid and its liquidity ratios keep dropping within all years. Both liquidity rations inform that there is lack of cash in the company. The leverage ratios show that company has increased its long term debt and now company becomes more financed by debt than equity. As the debt grows, the interest rates become larger and thus the interest coverage ratio becomes smaller. The activity ratios point out that the cash collection cycle becomes larger therefore company faces some serious issues regarding cash collection (59 days in 2003 whereas 78 in year 2006). QUESTION 3 TO ESTIMATE THE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH RATE (SGR) THAT WLC CAN SUSTAIN WITHOUT  FURTHER WEAKENING THE BALANCE SHEET ASSUMING: NO CHANGE IN THE RATIO OF SALES TO TOTAL ASSETS, NO CHANGE IN THE RATIO OF TOTAL LIABILITIES TO OWNERS’ EQUITY NO EQUITY ISSUES OR REPURCHASES A RETURN ON BEGINNING EQUITY OF 20 % ( THE 2005 LEVEL), AND A CONTINUATION OF THE POLICY OF PAYING NO DIVIDENDS. QUESTION 4 HOW ATTRACTIVE IS TO TAKE THE TRADE DISCOUNTS ? IF MR. WILSON IS OFFERED A DISCOUNT OF 2% FOR A PAYMENT MADE IN 10 DAYS AND  DOES NOT IN FACT 50 DAYS; IF MR. WILSON OFFERS HIS CUSTOMERS TERMS OF 2 % DISCOUNT FOR PAYMENT IN 10 DAYS WHAT WOULD COST. A. 2/10/50 (0.02/(1-0.02))*(360/(50-10))=0.18 % Is 18% interest B. 2/10/30 (0.02/(1-0.02))*(360/(30-10))=0,36% Is 36% interest I would prefer to take a discount because it has a lower interest rate. QUESTION 5 DO YOU AGREE WITH MR. WILSON’S ESTIMATE OF THE COMPANY’S LOAN REQUIREMENTS? HOW MUCH WILL HE NEED TO FINANCE THE EXPECTED EXPANSION IN SALES TO $ 5.5 MILLION IN 2006 AND TO TAKE ALL TRADE DISCOUNTS? We calculated that Mr. Wilson would need an estimate of 982000 not 750000 to finance the expected expansion. As well after viewing the liquidity ratios who tend to decrease in last years, it would be risky to take such a loan. QUESTION 6 AS MR. WILSON’S FINANCIAL ADVISER, WOULD YOU URGE HIM TO GO AHEAD WITH, OR TO RECONSIDER, HIS ANTICIPATED EXPANSION AND HIS PLANS FOR ADDITIONAL DEBT FINANCING ? As financial advisor I would urge Mr Wilson to take the loan, despite the fact of low liquidity and increase in debt throughout the last years. The loan from Suburban National bank is not sufficient for meeting the needs of Mr Wilsons company, furthermore, the debt continues to rise due to the buy-out of Mr Holtz; this also has increased the low liquidity of the company. However, the reasons why I would recommend taking the loan are: So far Mr Wilson was unable to take advantage of the trade discounts (2% off if paid within 10 days), however by taking loan he will be able to do so, in addition, this will also help to increase the profitability by reducing the costs. The EBIT is also increasing steadily, however with the necessary loan Mr Wilson could increase its earnings by one third in only one year. The economic value added also has increased significantly, especially in year 2004 and in year 2005. Despite the significant loan Wilson Lumber Company borrows in year 2006, they will still manage to generate economic value of 12, 55 thousand dollars. Also very good indicator that Mr Wilson should take the loan is the return on invested capital which is actually higher than cost of capital (WACC). Even in year 2006 it is estimated that the ROI will be higher than WACC, while in the next year the ROI will continue to grow. QUESTION 7 AS THE BANKER, WOULD YOU APPROVE MR. WILSON’S LOAN REQUEST, AND, IF SO, WHAT CONDITIONS WOULD YOU PUT ON THE LOAN ? WHAT ABOUT WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND HIM? As a banker I would approve the loan as the company itself does not show great risks. Most of the bad indicators (low liquidity) are created by the limited loan provided by Suburban National Bank and also by the customers who does not pay immediately. The rather big inventory also is not that bad  indicator as it also has it benefits- can be ready for unexpected orders. Good indicators which show that Mr Wilsons Company is performing are the increase in sales, net income, and return on equity. If Mr Wilson would like to take the loan, first he would have to agree to such conditions: Maintain the capital at agreed level; Reduce the inventory; Additional investments in fixed assets could be made only with the prior approval of the bank; The accounts receivables must be reduced, by reducing the payment time for customers.

General management assignment Essay

INTRODUCTION (kfc ) Micro environment factors which the organisation controls . eg employees product ,price ,place and promotion, it can be considered to be the local environment where business operates and owners are aware of the impacts that they are faced with. Macro environment factors are the ones which the organisation does not control and may affect the business . eg political , economic, social, legal and technological factors. the environment are always changing so the companies must always adapt. Market environtment the act outside marketing management ability to build and maintain a succefull relationship with customers ,the environment always change and both customers and marketers wonder what the future will bring MAIN BODY THE EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE ORGANISATION MICRO ENVIRONMENT EXTERNAL FACTORS CUSTOMERS All businesses need customers ,they should be well balanced around customers .The company`s marketing plan should aim to attract customers through products that meets their needs and wants and good customers service EMPLOYEE Employing staff with good skills and experience is essential. Employees bring an influence on your business via ongoing training and promotion opportunities ,this process begins at recruitment stage .Training and development play a critical role in achieving a competitive edge MEDIA Media can be printed ,televised or inline ,positive media can make the organisation or its product and negative media can break the organisation . an organisation needs to manage the media so that the media can help promote positive things about them and reduce negative event on their reputation. SUPPLIER Supplier provides the business with the goods they need to carry out their business activities. A suppliers behaviour will impact the business it suppliers If a supplier provides poor service this could increase timescales and product quality,and increase in raw material THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COMPETITIVE POSITION OF THE ORGANISATION MACRO ENVIRONMENT FACTORS POLITIC This deals with the government policies and procedures which is worked out through legislation and consist of all legal factors such as Governmemt view on culture and religion. Taxation policy on tax rates and incentives. Political factor cans can create advantages and opportunities for organisation. ECONOMIC KFC organisation is affected with national and global economic factors like cost of labour, interest and inflation rates ,economic growth rates business cycle rates and unemployment rates. due to recession the income of the kfc has dropped down and most of the employees were jobless and the rest employees were employees few hours also the company had to cut down their costs SOCIAL It is the cultural and demographic aspects of the external macro environment. the pontential of the employees who come from different back grounds and work together in the kfc , and customer trends and aspects which the kfc has to consider as per their needs and wants of the customer such as changes in lifestyles and change in customers needs and wants. TECHNOLOGY This is driven internationally which reduce s the minimum of production levels and some of the technological factors are recent technological developments. Communication technology has now become the most important aspect in kfc as when the customers are mostly delighted and satisfied with the service including the latest technology that is available in the Kfc.  the latest technological method that are used to serve customers faster are such as digital screens ,wireless head phone for the staff cooking utensils. LEGAL The kfc has to maintain rule and regulations related to the hygiene factors such as employee training regarding the food and safety, personal hygiene ,Clean work environment and proper use of the utensils .this also deals with the legal environment in which the company operates. ASPECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING Strength ,Weaknesses. Opportunities and threats .Managers will have to start analyzing the internal environment by looking into ineffciencies inside the organisation and will also look outside to the external environment and things taking place independent of the organisation. environmental scans allow managers to use the knowledge gained during the scanning process to decide what strategic steps the organisation needs to take to create a competitive advantage. CONCLUTION Training and development ,managers help with day to day running of the organisation.the must be responsible in creating an energetic and valuable work environment and customer service .Ensuraing quality products and cleanliness is delivered to all customers at good speed and with a smile . QUESTION 2 2.1 READ THE CASE study one from chapter three of your prescribed textbook 2.1.1 Answer question 1to 3 from the case study 1. Do you think there is a business opportunity for a cigar bar in Mamelodi ? There is no business opportunity in Mamelodi because there are three cigar bars in opened and the target market is so young. 2. Is the window of opportunity still open for cigar bars ? Window of opportunities is not opened ,because already they have three cigar Bars which their their target market is young. 3. How must Sanyana go about exploiting this opportunity to get started ? Sanyana must go to an area that is has no cigar bars and busy market 2.2 You have been appointed as a functional manager .You are in charge of marketing department .You need to revise the current marketing strategy. Answer the following questions in light of your new appointment and job task: How can you apply planning, organising , leading and control to manage this department? Managing a department is skill that requires good planning and development and enables the manager to devise strategies, make decisions and implement action. Planning is the process of determining in advance what cost regardless of whether it is a long term priorities. Selecting, Motivating, training and appraising staff. Establishing Strustures and systems through which activities are arranged. Making decisions embodying decisions in instructions an serving as the leader of the department interrelating the various parts of the work . What skills you need to use and develop in order to manage this department? People skill – people tend to work with those whom they like or find pleasant to be around ,or atleast have good personalities when dealing with clients. . Technological skill – In the world that we are living in marketing professionals must have the technological skills to take advantage of these mediums .Marketing through social networking allows the communication of media campaigns and marketing promotions in realtimeto consumers . Project management skill – Marketing must display the skill set to conduct agile project management where marketing campaigns take advantage of the micro opportunities. . Marketing Research skill – This can help determine how previous products in the market have been presented to consumers and how a new productcan best be attack the market . Is decision making essential for future planning ?explain why Decision need  to made wisely under modifying circumstances with different amount of knowledge about alternatives and consequences.  In extention the decision making is often a group process. Consequently the manager must apply principles of democratic decision making since those involved in the decision making process will feel an interest in the result of the process. You need to evaluate employees in the department. how can â€Å"control† assist you with performance appraisal Employees are going to be appraised on all areas that they are responsible for by means of scoring system on how they are doing with their present duties fair , good or very good .that appraisal can be a great tool to monitor and control performance on their duties.

Assignment Final Proposal

In order to enter the global economy, Future Growth Inc. Must gain financial support to achieve appropriate prices and adequate advertisement. Market Structure Future Growth Inc. Holds the determination and ability to gain success. Since being established in 1946, Future Growth Inc. Has financed, built, and sold its brand of forestry and construction equipment. The company has been able to increase profits over the years. As the United States' economy fell, Future Growth Inc. Experienced one-third of its workforce being laid off, a 30 percent decline in profits, and a domino effect from the reduction of sousing market sales.These factors have hindered the construction industry in its entirety. Nursing homes and hospitals still hold a demand for building construction within the united States, despite the economic recession (University of Phoenix, 2014). The heavy construction equipment necessary for the development of bridges, water lines, manufacturing and energy plants, nonresidenti al as well as residential buildings, and roads is manufactured by Future Growth Inc. Among this heavy construction equipment are mixers, off-highway trucks, large cranes, papers, and bulldozers.Having been in the industry for over Alfa of a century, Future Growth Inc. Is an experienced company. Executives have realized that collecting the funds necessary for the investment of this heavy equipment is greatly influenced by the arbitration rate, per capita income, various social conditions, and the existing infrastructure's condition (Gross & Weiss, 1996). The Thomas Money Service Inc. Scenario provided by university of Phoenix (2014) shares, ‘There are currently many domestic and international companies manufacturing construction and forestry equipment.Each company s equipment offers slightly different features and functions, which allows the market to supply many substitutes† (Para 6). This industry is an oligopoly market structure, as it is a market dominated by only a s elect few manufactures of a differentiated or homogeneous product (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009). Future Growth Inc. Aims to advertise its unique products in the Middle East, specifically in United Arab Emirates. Product Elasticity Experts insist that construction machinery demand in the Middle East has steadily increased.A number of factors will continue to drive the demand for such machinery in this area Of the world (Sway, 2010. ) Sway (2010) shares hat the General Manager of the AJAX Contractors Association, Humid Salem stated, â€Å"As major developers start to repay contractors, they will be able to repay their sub-contractors and suppliers, giving a major boost to the industry as a whole. This will lead to more growth in the sector, and create a renewed demand for construction machinery as new projects get underway† (Para 3). Future Growth Inc. Also hopes to lease or sell more than 500 pieces of equipment has have been repossessed during the global economic recessio n. In the United States, these products are elastic, while demand elasticity in the Middle East is fairly lower. This provides a great opportunity for Future Growth Inc. To take advantage of that area's new demand for construction. Increasing a business' revenue can be achieved in three different ways: the value of client sales can be increased, client numbers can be increased, and client loyalty can be increased. Raising the price of a service or good is the fastest way to increase revenues.However, price increases for goods and services may not always be the best route to take when increasing revenues is the goal. Client loyalty to the company and product can prove to increase venues, as these loyal customers are willing to pay the price that reflects the experience, value, and skills provided by Future Growth Inc. (Doyle, 2005). Doyle (2005) states, â€Å"Perhaps you need to lose some of the clients who were used to your low prices to make room for clients who are willing and ab le to pay the prices that reflect your true worth† (Para 16).Raising prices has the potential to attract new clientele, as the act of raising prices can express the value of the product provided. When a company holds confidence in its self- worth, the industry as a whole will notice and respond accordingly (Doyle, 2005). Consumers question the value of a product if they perceive prices as being too low. The company's growth can also be hindered if prices are too low, as it has entered an unequal exchange of value. Developing a marketing budget including the increased price from marketing costs is being considered by Future Growth Inc.The ultimate plan is to increase advertisement in the United Arab Emirates and United States. Nursing homes and hospitals may take advantage of repossessed inventory to help meet the demand that the industry has for new facilities. The economy of the United States remains an area of concern for Future Growth Inc. So, exiting this market is not inc luded in the company s plan for growth. Profit-maximizing quantity is a focus of Future Growth Inc. , which is determined through the use of the marginal analysis concept. Future Growth Inc. Determines marginal cost by subtracting the change in total costs. When marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost, the sales of Future Growth Inc. Must increase until marginal revenue and marginal cost are equal. This will optimize profits. The table provided by the University of Phoenix in the Thomas Money Service Inc. Scenario illustrates this. Minimizing product costs s a focus at Future Growth Inc. As well. Traveling by air can keep distribution costs high, whereas water travel can reduce these distribution costs.

John Lewis' Multi-Channel Marketing Communication Proposal (Summative) Essay

John Lewis' Multi-Channel Marketing Communication Proposal (Summative) - Essay Example The retail shop marketing team understands that only a few customer still prefer dealing with a single channel in purchasing their preferred goods. However, increasing numbers employ multiple channels in their respective buying processes particularly, the ones purchasing about 30% onwards. Moreover, the management understands that with the world increasingly becoming interconnected via the internet and mobile technology, multichannel communication have become inevitabilities in commerce rather than the exception (Blakeman 2014). Therefore, there is a need for John Lewis retail to effectively integrate its existing multichannel marketing communication as this increases the points of contact with the customers. The MMC techniques and strategies further help the retail shop reach marginal customer segments by permitting preferred customers access points. Therefore, for imperativeness of MMC, John Lewis retail shop must satisfactorily work to coordinate both message and data. Such channels as TV, direct mail and mail, radio, advertising print and internet must consistently offer consistent brand experience. Importantly, the John Lewis marketing team must understand the difficulty in developing consistent message when various agencies are contracted for each of the avenues marketing avenues mentioned (Ryan & Jones 2012). The consistent brand must be demonstrated with respect to the customers’ experience through call centers, retail environment, websites and direct sales. The underlying principle behind Jo hn Lewis increasing success is the firm’s integrative multichannel marketing where data and marketing messages that make the customers feel they are dealing with John Lewis and not a different Company at each point. Despite the success noted, John Lewis is still struggling with how to capture young customers through its AW collection. This paper will primarily focus on how the firm can apply the MMC to launch a new

Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Health care - Essay Example this case, the mission statement is vital for an organization in order to facilitate prosperity and growth, since it has a positive impact on profitability, an increase of shareholders equity and it helps the employees to understand the company mission. 2. The health care organizations are integrating their operations with technology by use of computerized systems for communication. This has benefited to the organization, but there are some demerits associated with this integration due to the high dynamism associated with technology. The computerized systems are becoming obsolete with time, thus causing some difficulties since the rate of change is in a way that the organizations are unable to maintain updated systems. Therefore, changes in health care regulations and policies have led to confusion in various health care organizations resulting to a problem in communication and operation using the computer systems. In conclusion, the paper has explored issues related to a mission statement in order to elaborate about its significance to an organization. The paper has also discussed the effects of changes in health care policies and regulation, which are facilitating the use of computer systems leading to a difficulty in

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Marketing - Essay Example the development of an effective sales force team and the development of an effective training program to help employees grow in both their own goals as well as to help meet the needs of the company. Developing an effective sales team requires not only investing in the team itself, but also fostering an environment that encourages growth, innovation and provides rewards for hard work and diligent practice at all levels. â€Å"Even in the best companies, we found that 35 percent of the sales force did not have the talents necessary to achieve acceptable results predictably. This rather considerable group – one of every three salespeople out there – is consistently in the bottom half of the performance curve† (Smith & Rutigliano, 2003). The importance of this comes into play when one realizes that sales is essentially a talent-driven occupation. Studies conducted by the Gallup Group and others have indicated that experience has very little effect on whether sales people are effective in their positions while increasing the numbers of employees within the sales force also shows very little benefit to be gained. â€Å"The way to improve the talent in your sales force is to make sure that the new people you hire have talent configurations that closely match those of the best producers in your existing sales force. This is in contrast to the conventional approach of hiring people with more experience or providing more training to your sales organization† (Smith & Rutigliano, 2003). However, this is not to say that some training will not benefit the corporation or the bottom dollar as it is through training that engagement can be boosted among employees. In order to be effective, training must concentrate on those areas that actively involve employees in the key aspects of their positions. In defining the training needs, it is important to keep in mind the needs of the organization as compared with the top performers of not just your own organization, but of

Gap, Inc. Retailing Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gap, Inc. Retailing Analysis - Essay Example Gap’s trouble in 2001 At the time of Millard Drexter, there were 200 underperforming stores of Gap Incorporated that continuously operate. This specifically decreases the level of profit generation considering that the entire operation of the company continues in a regular manner while generation of revenue came into a downward spiral. Unfortunately, financially speaking Gap Incorporated could not eventually continue to operate in this condition. This is an issue of lack of management perspective and outlook. The company lacks appropriate evaluation system in order to identify its weakest and strongest areas. Unfortunately, this continues to operate and in 2001, the financial performance of Gap Incorporated received substantially small net margin for income. Compared this with the performance of other retailing companies, Gap is far behind and the whole opportunity is lost for the good of its competitors. There is another important view that Gap Incorporated under the manageme nt of Drexter was overlooked. There was lack of market research that could determine customers’ preferences and needs. This eventually is the reason why Gap Incorporated misjudged fashion trends in 2000. It tried to create trendy apparel for young adults but it was not creating greater impact in the market. Customers were ending up choosing other fashion options due to some important reasons including their own style. For instance, it is important to know that American consumers spend less on clothing due to the fact that fashion does nowadays does not only include clothes but other accessories and technological gadgets. For instance, iPods and iPhones are considered part of the fashion trends among American consumers. Normally, niche markets for growth opportunities are the most significant view in apparel retailing industry. However, the market is continuously expanding and there are added segments that need to be clearly understood further. In the United States, size fitti ngs among Americans change over 60 years. In line with this, more data are necessary to be gathered in order to find out the best fittings for Americans. Apparel industry is also competing with vacation, housing and automobile industries. These industries at some point minimize the level of revenue intended for Apparel industry. Thus, with the consumer and market research, Gap Incorporated for instance will be able to identify the right move in order to stimulate needs for its product offerings at the right timing. There is also another important marketing trend that needs to be understood by Gap Incorporated. This is in line with the declining significance of department stores in the US apparel industry. This is how important marketing research is. It tries to help retailers understand consumer behavior and the entire market in general. Understanding consumer behavior means knowing exactly what they prefer over the other offerings available for them. Gap’s spectacular turnar ound in 2003 Gap was able to remarkably have itself applauded for its honesty with respect to improving the working conditions for the manufacturer of its garments in factories. This created a certain level of trust that promotes more than just a promising output. This remarkably opened up the possibility of increasing customer relationship and to ensure trust and loyalty in the end. Not only that, Paul S.

The Economic situation of a given Country Research Paper

The Economic situation of a given Country - Research Paper Example The country is made up of 63 Islands, the main island being referred to as Singapore inclusive. The connection to Malaysia is man-made which are Johor Causeway to the North and Tuas to west. The current reclamation of land has increased the country to 716.1 square kilometres from 581.5 square kilometres in the 1960s (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho, 54). There is an anticipation that the country will grow by 100 square kilometres by the year 2030. Some parts of the country’s land have been donated for parks, reserves, nature ways tree lines, roads and nature ways among other natural areas. Climatically Singapore, is characterized by a tropical rainforest climate without any seasons, temperatures and pressure are consistent, high humidity and very high level of rainfall (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho 66). Temperatures vary from 22 to 35 degree centigrade while humidity is 79% before noon and 73% thereafter. The country, as in the year 2012, had a population of about 5.3 million people which consisted of 3.3 million, accounting for about 62% of the citizens while the remaining 38% represented foreigners (Chiu, Stephen, Kong-Chong Ho & Dale Lü, 298). About 23% of the citizens are not citizens by birth, but are born in foreign lands as there were about half a million permanent residents. 37 is the median age of its population having an average household size of about 3.5 persons. The major problem in Singapore is limited land which has led to large populations living in subsidized, high rise, public housing apartments (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho 145). There are very high numbers of domestic helpers in the country. The estimate, as per 2013, on fertility rate assumed to be around 0.79 per woman. This represents the lowest fertility rate in the world (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho, 198). This has been a major problem in Singapore and to solve this problem the

Is it worth investing in a pension (UK context) Dissertation

Is it worth investing in a pension (UK context) - Dissertation Example (Nader, 1991). As such, the overall importance of investing into pensions is critical from the point of view of maintaining a certain level of life style. It also ensures that the individuals have the sufficient funds apart from the State related benefits to maintain a very decent life style. (Lluberas, 2007). This is also evident from the fact that the overall pension funding gap is increasing rapidly every year and individuals require up to ?10,000 every year to fill that pension gap and the overall gap will be over ?300 billion per year.1 Trends also suggest that as the population ages, the overall ratio of people working to support the State Pension will decrease from 3.32 in 2001 to 2.44 in 2060. This decline in the overall number suggests that more and more people will be on the State Pension and as such the overall benefits may continue to decline due to the increasing pressure on the government to pay off State Pension to such large number of people every year. (Bonoli & Shin kawa, 2005) It is however, important to note that the different studies have suggested that the pension funds in which individuals invest for their pensions may not be performing well. Though most of the pension funds in UK achieved positive returns in 2010 however, considering the long term nature of such investments, it may be relatively arbitrary to conclude that the pension funds can provide sufficient and desired returns to ensure that the investors (individuals) will have sufficient pensions to live a comfortable retirement life. (Blake,2000) The choice of this topic has been mostly based on the assumptions that as the number of people grow and rely more on the State Pension, their overall standards of living may decline sharply when they are in the retirement age. Such sharp decline in the standards of living therefore requires that the people must consider investing into the Pensions from the days when they are earning higher amounts every year. (Cohen, 1981). A gradual cont ribution of the certain sum of money every year can help individuals to become more self sufficient in their retirement age. However, given the fact that the overall performance of the pension funds has not been up to the mark in recent times, a natural question arises as to whether it is rational to invest into pension funds? Could they provide the desired returns to the individuals when they are in retirement so that they can live a more comfortable life? Considering the above situation, the logical question also arises as to whether it is good to invest into pension funds? Can pension funds provide the desired level of returns over the period of time to ensure that they meet the objectives of the pension holders? The basic aim of this paper therefore is to explore and analyze the question of whether it is good to invest in pensions with special reference to UK market. This research project will also attempt to explore the question of whether the tax saving benefits can help the p ension industry, are there any factors which provide the incentive to save for the pensions considering the factors such as job mobility, with the stretching of the pension age by the government, what effect this could have on the overall planning for the retirement life of the

Developing work in and with communities Assignment

Developing work in and with communities - Assignment Example There is no denying that the only way forward is by strengthening the community through cross-community relations. Personally, I believe that integration is a long-way battle considering that Northern Irish society in general, do not subscribe to a unilateral agenda. And as long as these divisions are encouraged, the same issues will thrive and Northern Ireland will remain a weak state in the face of a hypercritical world. Today, various interests groups abound but it is the growing number of youth and working professionals taking part in a nonviolent form of resistance that holds a promise. It means that students do not only feel the burden, they also want to lessen the burden. It means that the working class seeks for counter-culture attacks in the face of the ignoble Irish failure (against European success). It means that the status quo is not favored and the once naà ¯ve groups are finally capable of taking responsibility. The foundation of Section 75 I believe is a testament that the conditions mentioned above are recognized by the state. It is like reinforcing the people that public authorities are there to serve and that amidst the many divisions, the government is one with the people in pushing for a better and inclusive Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, statistics and empirical evidence do not seem to reinforce the government’s stance. Records would agree that children’s rights are continuously hindered by poverty and that poor children are still easy preys for discrimination and economic exploitation. Children remain voiceless. Though there have been researches that involved children’s perspectives on sectarianism, equality promised by Section 75 is nowhere to be found. Although various structural mechanisms have been created to foster service provisions to the youth, the fact is that even schools are no longer havens

Market plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Market plan - Essay Example Thus, all in all, the Masafi Group has come up with a winner in the shape of the Masafi Natural Mineral Water. The Masafi Water Company is now trying to launch ABC aftershave company, for which they need to perform a step by step marketing plan, since it would assist them in knowing the need of this product, and assess it with respect to the environment in which the industry is thriving at this point in time. (Kerin, 2004) A market plan is basically an outline of the various environmental factors as well as the marketing dynamics that will be associated with the product, which is yet to be launched. (Larsen, 1997) It helps the organization to get an aerial view of the viability of the product idea that they have, with respect to the company itself, the target customers, the competitors present, the collaborators and the climate. The SWOT analysis also plays a vital role in telling the company about its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The market plan becomes further refined when portions for market segmentation, alternative marketing strategies and selected marketing strategy are added. (Luther, 2001) The Masafi group now plans to launch an aftershave company. Aftershaves are a health and beauty product and come under the sub-category of fragrances and perfumes. The aftershave market is quite saturated with many big perfume brands doing brand extensions into aftershaves, using their known and established brand names. Whether or not Masafi water should plan to invest their time, resources and energy in launching an aftershave company would be better decided if a marketing plan is made, and critically analyzed. (Stapleton, 1998) The marketing plan would consist of the following components: The SWOT analysis involves the analysis of the internal strengths and weaknesses of the company as well as the external opportunities and threats that the company is

History of Football Essay Example for Free

History of Football Essay Football, American, distinct type of football that developed in the United States in the 19th century from soccer (association football) and rugby football. Played by professionals and amateurs (generally male college or high school teams), football is one of the most popular American sports, attracting thousands of participants and millions of spectators annually. The forerunner of American football may have been a game played by the ancient Greeks, called harpaston. In this game there was no limit to the number of players. The object was to move a ball across a goal line by kicking, throwing, or running with it. Classical literature contains detailed accounts of the game, including its rougher elements, such as ferocious tackling. Most modern versions of football, however, originated in England, where a form of the game was known in the 12th century. In subsequent centuries football became so popular that various English monarchs, including Edward II and Henry VI, forbade the game because it took interest away from the military sport of archery. By the middle of the 19th century football had split into two distinct entities. Still popular today, these two sports included the football association game, or soccer (the word being a slang adaptation of the three letters, s-o-c, in Association), and rugby, in which players ran with the ball and tackled. Modern football evolved out of these two sports. The Playing Field and the Ball The football playing field is rectangular in shape, measuring 100 yd (91. 4 m) long and 53. 5 yd (48. 9 m) wide. At both ends of the 100-yard dimension, white lines called goal lines mark off the entrances to the end zones. Each team defends one end zone. A team must carry, pass, or kick the ball into the 10-yd (9-m) end zone on the opponents half of the field to score. Lines parallel to the end zones cross the field at 5-yd (4. 5-m) intervals. These lines give the field a resemblance to a large gridiron. Another set of lines, known as the sidelines, runs along both sides of the field. In addition, two rows of lines, called hash marks, run parallel to the sidelines. The hash marks are 53 ft 4 in (16. 3 m) from each sideline in college and high school football, and 70 ft 9 in (21. 6 m) from each sideline in the National Football League (NFL). Each play must begin on or between the hash marks. Before each play, the officials place the ball either between the hash marks or on the hash mark closest to the end of the previous play. Situated in the middle of the rear line of each end zone are goalposts, consisting of a 10-ft (3-m) vertical pole topped by a horizontal crossbar from which two vertical upright posts extend. In college and professional football, the posts are 18 ft 6 in (about 5. 6 m) apart. The football consists of an inflated rubber bladder encased in a leather or rubber cover. The ball is an extended spheroid, having a circumference of 28. 5 in (72. 4 cm) around the long axis and 21. 25 in (54 cm) around the short axis. It weighs between 14 and 15 oz (397 and 425 g). Playing Time A game of football is divided into four periods, known as quarters, each consisting of 15 minutes of playing time. The first two periods constitute the first half; the second two comprise the second half. Between the halves, a rest period, usually lasting about 15 minutes, is permitted the players, who may leave the field. The teams change halves of the field at the end of each quarter. The clocks stop at the end of each quarter and at certain other times, when particular events occur or when designated by the officials. The Players Football is played by two opposing teams, each fielding 11 players. Each team tries to move the ball down the field to score in the end zone defended by its opponents. During a football game the teams are designated as the offensive team (the team in possession of the ball) and the defensive team (the team defending a goal line against the offensive team). Players involved in kicking situations are known as the special teams. The 11 players of the offensive team are divided into two groups: 7 linemen, who play on the line of scrimmage (an imaginary line designating the position of the ball) and a backfield of 4 players, called backs, who stand in various positions behind the linemen. The lineman whose position is in the middle of the line is called the center. On his left is the left guard and on his right is the right guard. On the left of the left guard is the left tackle, and on the right of the right guard is the right tackle; similarly, on the ends of the line are the tight end and the split end. The back who usually  stands directly behind the center and directs the play of the offensive team is known as the quarterback. In a balanced backfield formation, or â€Å"T-formation,† the fullback stands behind the quarterback, and the left and right halfbacks stand to either side of the fullback. Teams often use wide receivers in the place of tight ends, split ends, halfbacks, or fullbacks. Wide receivers line up on the line of scrimmage but wide of the rest of the formation. The defensive team consists of a row of linemen, who comprise the defensive line, a row of linebackers, and a collection of defensive backs, known as the secondary. The defensive line can use any number of players, though most teams use three or four linemen. Defensive linemen principally are responsible for stopping the oppositions rushing attack and, in passing situations, putting pressure on the quarterback. The linebackers line up behind the defensive line and, depending on the situation, are used to stop runners, pressure the quarterback, or cover the oppositions receivers. Teams usually employ three or four linebackers. The secondary is comprised of cornerbacks, who cover wide receivers, and safeties, who cover receivers, offer support in stopping the rushing attack, and pressure the quarterback. The secondary commonly consists of two cornerbacks and two safeties. Protective Equipment To protect themselves from the often violent bodily contact that characterizes football, players wear elaborate equipment, including lightweight plasticized padding covering the thighs, hips, shoulders, knees, and often the forearms and hands. Players also wear plastic helmets with guards that cover most of the face. The Officials Play is supervised by impartial officials. Professional and major college football programs use seven officials: a referee, an umpire, a linesman, a field judge, a back judge, a line judge, and a side judge. The officials carry whistles and yellow penalty flags. They blow the whistles or throw the flags to indicate that an infraction of the rules has been committed. The referee is in charge of the game at all levels of play. The referee supervises the other officials, decides on all matters not under other officials specific jurisdiction, and enforces penalties. The referee indicates when the ball is dead (out of play) and when it may again be put into play, and uses hand signals to indicate specific decisions and penalties. The umpire makes decisions on questions concerning the players equipment, their conduct, and their positioning. The principal duty of the linesman is to mark the position of the ball at the end of each play. The linesman has assistants who measure distances gained or lost, using a device consisting of two vertical markers connected by a chain or cord 10 yd (9 m) long. The linesman must particularly watch for violations of the rule requiring players to remain in certain positions before the ball is put into play. The field judge times the game, using a stopwatch for this purpose. In some cases, the stadium scoreboard has a clock that is considered official. Game Procedure At the beginning of each game, the referee tosses a coin in the presence of the two team captains to determine which team kicks off or receives the kickoff. At the start of the second half, these conditions are reversed—that is, the team that kicks off in the first half receives the kickoff to start the second half. During the kickoff, the ball is put in play by a place-kick from the kicking teams 35-yd (32-m) line, or the 30-yd (27. 4-m) line in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL kickoff was moved from the 35-yd line in 1994 to increase the importance of the kickoff return. The kicking team lines up at or behind the ball, while the opponents spread out over their territory in a formation calculated to help them to catch the ball and run it back effectively. If the kick stays within the boundaries of the field, any player on the receiving team may catch the ball, or pick it up on a bounce, and run with it. As the player runs, the player may be tackled by any opponent and stopped, known as being downed. The player carrying the ball is considered downed when one knee touches the ground. Tacklers use their hands and arms to stop opponents and throw them to the ground. After the ball carrier is stopped, the referee blows a whistle to stop play and places the ball on the spot where the runner was downed. Play also stops when the ball carrier runs out of bounds. A scrimmage (action while the ball is in play) then takes place. Before scrimmage begins, the team on offense usually gathers in a circle, called a huddle, and discusses the next play it will use to try to advance the ball. A coach either signals the play choice  to the team from the sidelines, or the teams quarterback chooses from among the dozens of rehearsed plays in the teams repertoire. The defensive team also forms a huddle and discusses its next attempt to slow the offense. Each play is designated by code numbers or words, called signals. After the teams come out of their respective huddles, they line up opposite each other on the line of scrimmage. If the quarterback analyzes the defensive alignment and decides that the chosen play should be changed, the quarterback can call an audible and shout the coded directions for a new play. Play begins when the center crouches over the ball and, on a spoken signal, snaps it—generally to the quarterback—by handing it between his legs. Based upon the chosen play, the quarterback can pass the ball, hand it off to a teammate, or run with it. During the scrimmage, the players on the offensive team may check the defenders using their bodies, but they are constrained by specific rules regarding the use of their hands or arms. The player running with the ball, however, is allowed to use an arm to ward off potential tacklers. The offensive players check defenders, or try to force them out of the way, by performing a maneuver known as blocking. Good blocking is considered a fundamental technique in football. Perhaps the most spectacular offensive play is the forward pass, in which the ball is thrown in a forward direction to an eligible player. The ball is nearly always thrown by the quarterback, and those who may catch it include the other three backs and the two ends. A forward pass may be made only during scrimmage, and then only from behind the line of scrimmage. A lateral pass may be made anywhere on the field anytime the ball is in play. The defending team tries to prevent the attacking team from advancing the ball. The defending players may use their arms and hands in their attempt to break through the opponents line to reach the player with the ball. The defending team tries to keep the offense from gaining any distance, or to stop the offense for a loss by tackling the ball carrier before the ball carrier reaches the line of scrimmage. The offense must advance the ball at least 10 yards (9 m) in four tries, called downs. After each play, the teams line up again and a new scrimmage takes place. If the team on offense fails to travel 10 yards (9 m) in four downs, it must surrender the ball to its opponent after the fourth down. A team will often punt on fourth down if it hasnt gained at least 10 yards (9 m) in its previous three tries. In punting, the kicker drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. By punting, a team can send the ball farther away from its own end zone before surrendering it, thus weakening the opponents field position. Methods of Scoring. The object of the game is to score more points than the opposing team within the regulation playing time. In college football, a game can end in a tie if both teams have scored the same number of points at the end of regulation time. In case of a tie in an exhibition or regular-season professional game, the teams play an overtime period, known as sudden death, in which the first team to score is declared the winner. If neither team has scored at the end of this 15-minute overtime period, then the tie is allowed to stand. In professional playoff games no ties are allowed, and the teams play until one scores. A team scores a touchdown when one of its players carries the ball into the opposing teams end zone or catches a pass in the end zone. A touchdown is worth 6 points. After a team has scored a touchdown, it tries for an extra-point conversion. This is an opportunity to score an additional one or two points with no time elapsing off the game clock. In college football, the offensive team lines up 3 yd (2. 7 m) from the goal line of the opponents and passes, kicks, or runs with the ball. A running or passing conversion in which the ball crosses the goal line counts for 2 points. A conversion by place-kick that propels the ball between the goalposts and over the crossbar counts for 1 point. In professional football, the offensive team lines up 2 yd (1. 8 m) from the goal line. A conversion attempted by place-kicking the ball is worth 1 point. In 1994 the NFL introduced the running or passing 2-point conversion. On offense, teams may also attempt to score by kicking a field goal, which counts for 3 points. A field goal is scored by means of a place-kick, in which one player holds the ball upright on the ground for a teammate to kick. For a successful field goal, the ball must be kicked between the goalposts and over the crossbar. After each field goal and extra-point conversion, the scoring team must kick off to its opponents. Finally, a defensive team earns two points for a safety when it causes the team on offense to end a play in possession of the ball behind its own goal line. If the offensive team downs the ball behind its line intentionally, in certain situations, such as after receiving a kickoff, the play is known as a touchback and does not count in the scoring. When the offensive team suffers a safety, it must punt the ball to the opponents to restart play. Modern Football American football was made popular by teams representing colleges and universities. These teams dominated the game for most of the first 100 years of football in the United States. Even today, despite greatly increased interest in professional football, intercollegiate contests—played by some 640 team—are attended by more than 35 million spectators each year. Many college stadiums hold more than 50,000 spectators; one stadium, at the University of Michigan, holds more than 100,000. Many of the major universities are now grouped in conferences, such as the Big Ten (northern midwest), the Big Eight (midwest), the Pacific Ten (western states), the Southeastern Conference, and the Ivy League (northeast). The birth date of football in the United States is generally regarded by football historians as November 6, 1869, when teams from Rutgers and Princeton universities met in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for the first intercollegiate football game. In the early games, each team used 25 players at a time. By 1873 the number was reduced to 20 players, in 1876 to 15 players, and in 1880 to 11 players, where it has remained. In the 1900s, college football became one of the countrys most popular sports spectacles. Ranked among the greatest United States sports heroes of the 20th century are such student athletes as Jim Thorpe of Carlisle Institute; George Gipp of the University of Notre Dame; Red Grange of the University of Illinois; Tom Harmon of the University of Michigan; Doak Walker of Southern Methodist University; Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard, the â€Å"Touchdown Twins† of Army (the U. S. Military Academy); Joe Namath of the University of Alabama; and O. J. Simpson of the University of Southern California. In 1935 the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City established an award honoring one of the outstanding college football coaches in the country, John William Heisman. Heisman is credited with legalizing the forward pass in 1906. The John W. Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the outstanding college player of the year, as decided by a national poll of sportswriters. After World War II ended in 1945, college athletes began to receive football scholarships, often paying the players room, board, tuition, and incidental expenses while enrolled in college. College Bowl Games and National Champions. College teams generally play about 11 games during the fall. The best college teams are awarded trips to so-called bowl games, matching outstanding teams in games that conclude the seasons competition. The tradition was begun in 1902 at Pasadena, California, when Stanford University invited the University of Michigan to come to California for a New Years Day contest. This event soon became the celebrated Rose Bowl game. Bowl games now represent the climax of the college season. Other notable bowl games include the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas; the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida; and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana. In recognition of the great public interest in these games, major corporations now sponsor many of the bowls. Today, the champion college team is selected by national polls of coaches and sportswriters. In the accompanying table, the teams from 1889 to 1923 were Helms Athletic Foundation selections; from 1924 to 1930, Rissman Trophy winners; from 1931 to 1935, Rockne Memorial Trophy winners; from 1936 to today, Associated Press (AP) poll selections; and from 1950 to today, United Press International (UPI) poll selections. In cases where two teams won the honor in separate AP and UPI polls, a note has been made. Many members of the football community debate whether a poll of writers and coaches should determine a champion or whether the colleges should institute a more formal playoff system. Detractors of a playoff system argue that with such a system, the popular bowl games would lose their identity. In addition, players seasons would extend by one or two months, cutting into academic time. However, advocates for a playoff point to the controversial 1993 season in which the Florida State Seminoles won the number-one ranking over Notre Dame, a team that beat the Seminoles convincingly earlier in the season. Beginnings of Professional Football The first professional football game in the United States took place in 1895 in the town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between a team representing Latrobe and a team from Jeannette, Pennsylvania. In the following ten years many professional teams were formed, including the Duquesnes of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Olympics of McKeesport, Pennsylvania; the Bulldogs of Canton, Ohio; and the team of Massillon, Ohio. Among noted college players who took up the professional game during its early years were Willie Heston (formerly at the University of Michigan), Jim Thorpe (Carlisle Institute), Knute Rockne (University of Notre Dame), and Fritz Pollard (Brown University). The professional game attracted only limited public support during its first 30 years. The first league of professional football teams was the American Professional Football Association, formed in 1920. The admission fee was $100 per team. The teams pledged not to use any student player who still had collegiate eligibility left, as the good will of the colleges was believed to be essential to survival. The teams also agreed not to tamper with each others players. Jim Thorpe, a player-coach for one of the teams, became president of the league during its first year. The American Professional Football Association gave way in 1922 to the National Football League (NFL). Red Grange, the famous halfback from the University of Illinois, provided a tremendous stimulus for the league when he joined the Chicago Bears in 1925 and toured the United States that year and the next. His exciting play drew large crowds. Thereafter, professional football attracted larger numbers of first-rate college players, and the increased patronage made the league economically viable. Strategically, the early NFL game was hardly distinguishable from college football at that time. There was no attempt to break away from collegiate playbooks or rule books. For 13 years the NFL followed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Rules Committee recommendations. In the leagues early years, players considered the low-paying NFL a part-time job and held other jobs during the day. Thus, while college coaches could drill their players daily for hours, professional football coaches arranged practices in the evenings, sometimes only three or four times a week. Development of Offensive Strategies The offensive techniques and formations prevalent in the contemporary game developed from the ideas of early and mid-20th century coaches such as Walter Camp, Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding â€Å"Hurry Up† Yost, Bob Zuppke, Knute Rockne, and Paul Brown. Following very few historical precedents, these men innovated unique strategies that changed the nature of football forever. Stagg, operating out of the early T-formation, originated the between-the-legs snap from center to quarterback and put a player in motion in the backfield before the snap of the ball. In 1906 Warner unbalanced his line, placing four players on one side of the center and two on the other side, while shifting the backfield into a wing formation. The quarterback functioned as a blocker, set close behind the line and a yard wide of the center. At the same depth, but outside the line, was the wingback. Deep in the backfield was the tailback, who received most of the snaps, and in front and to the side was the fullback. This formation became known as the â€Å"Single-Wing,† and it remained footballs basic formation until the 1940s. From the Single-Wing emerged Warners â€Å"Double-Wing,† with wingbacks set wide on either side of the line. This formation forced the defense to spread itself across the field in order to protect against the pass, thus creating favorable conditions for the offense to execute unexpected running plays. The strategy is the same as todays â€Å"draw† and â€Å"end-around† concepts, but Warners teams could also pass from the formation. Warner would also open up the lines completely, splitting the ends into modern â€Å"slot† positions, inside the wingbacks. This was a four-receiver formation that evolved into the â€Å"Shotgun† offense, popularized by the San Francisco 49ers of 1960. Like the double-wing, the â€Å"Shotgun† utilized two wideouts and two slot players, with the passer set deep in the backfield next to a running back. The NFLs newest formation of the 1990s, the â€Å"Run and Shoot† offense, also resembles Warners formation. With Warners innovations, wing formations came to dominate the NFL. Coach Zuppke at Illinois ran single- and double-wing formations, often sending four or five receivers downfield in pass patterns. Some teams would use a short-punt formation, with the quarterback and wings set on different sides, providing a more balanced look. At Notre Dame in 1923 and 1924, Rockne instituted his famous Four Horsemen offense. At the beginning of a play, Rockne set up the backs in a four-square, box alignment on one side. Then, in the famous â€Å"Notre Dame Shift,† the backs would shift out of the box and into a single or double wing. In later years, other coaches imitated Rocknes innovation and achieved similar success. For example, former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs implemented an offensive strategy called the â€Å"Explode Package. † Modeled after Rocknes Notre Dame Shift, the Explode Package helped the Redskins defeat the Miami Dolphins in the 1983 Super Bowl. In Gibbss system, the backs and receivers would jump into new positions before the snap, thus unsettling the defense. Although talented, the quarterbacks of the 1930s and parts of the 1940s seldom completed 50 percent of their passes, while many were even less successful. A major cause of these low percentages was the primitive nature of pass-blocking schemes. With little protection, passers always had to throw while avoiding incoming rushers. In the 1940s Paul Brown, the coach of the Cleveland Browns, installed a blocking system which transformed the passing game forever. Brown changed the system by arranging the linemen in the form of a cup. They pushed most incoming pass-rushers to the outside. Anyone who penetrated the line was met by a firmly planted fullback named Marion Motley. From that point on, the passing game achieved a new significance. Other teams implemented strong blocking lines, providing the quarterback with more time to release the ball. The contemporary game of the 1980s and 1990s is noted for its exciting and effective passing plays in both the professional and college ranks. Artificial turf, the surface in many of the nations stadiums, provides excellent footing for quarterbacks and receivers. With strong protection, talented quarterbacks make a perceivable difference to a game. For example, quarterback Joe Montana keyed the San Francisco 49ers three Super Bowl victories in the 1980s. Montana, who benefited from good protection, could instinctively read defenses and had the ability to deliver the ball accurately to his receivers while on the move. In college football, the University of Miami Hurricanes dominated the game in the late 1980s with a flashy passing game and a quick defense that could react effectively to the pass. Development of Defensive Strategies One striking aspect of modern football is its emphasis on defense as well as offense. This trend began after World War II (1939-1945), when college teams were allowed free substitution of players—that is, a player could enter and leave the game an unlimited number of times, as long as the ball was not in play during the substitution. This feature of the game led to the modern two-platoon system, in which one group of 11 players enters the game to play offense and a second group enters to play defense. Such a system has fostered the development of individual skills and specialization among players. Defensive football has acquired an extensive terminology of its own. In some ways defense is more complicated than offense, because defensive teams have fewer restrictions on their manner of lining up. Generally, however, the defensive formation is determined by the way the offense lines up. For example, when defending against opponents who are expected to throw many forward passes, a team might use a formation with a four-player line of two ends and two tackles. Three linebackers would stand directly behind the front four. In addition, two cornerbacks placed wider and farther back could defend against mid-range assaults. Two safeties would position themselves deeper to protect against longer aerial attacks. Most of the innovative thinking by coaches in the NFL during the 1970s came on defense. Offensive statistics plummeted as defenses dominated. The newer game demanded speed at every position, in addition to strength and bulk. Great linebacker units with catchy names such as Doomsday in Dallas, Pittsburghs Steel Curtain, Minnesotas Purple People Eaters, and the Rams Fearsome Foursome dominated offenses. Teams turned the free safety position over to ferocious hitters such as the Raiders Jack Tatum and Dallas Cliff Harris. Rough, physical cornerbacks such as Pittsburghs Mel Blount and Oaklands Willie Brown employed tight bump-and-run techniques on receivers downfield. Professional Football Today. The present-day NFL game is immensely popular. It is played during the late summer, through autumn, and into January. Professional teams play 4 exhibition games before the start of the regular season, followed by 16 games in the regular season and then playoff games, when they qualify for the playoffs. Teams play one game each week, using the time between games to recover, practice, and prepare for the next game. Each team receives one week without a game, known as a bye, during the season. The NFL is a big business for players, owners, advertisers, and other industries tied to the sport. NFL franchises generate huge revenues for host cities, in addition to promoting civic pride and national exposure. Thus, cities often compete for teams, offering prospective teams bigger and better stadiums, guaranteed fan support, and various economic incentives. In the 1980s three NFL teams relocated: the Raiders moved from Oakland, California, to Los Angeles in 1982; the Colts moved from Baltimore, Maryland, to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1984; and the Cardinals moved from Saint Louis, Missouri, to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988. Other teams have agreed to stay only with the promise of new facilities by their host cities. Throughout the years, other consortiums have sought to capitalize on the economic potential of the sport. For three years in the 1980s a new professional spring league, the United States Football League (USFL), competed with the NFL. The NFL lost players to the USFL, and NFL teams had to pay higher salaries to keep other players from leaving. However, the USFL soon folded, with much of its more talented personnel entering the NFL. Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the final contest of the professional season and determines the leagues annual champion. Currently the Super Bowl routinely finishes among the all-time top 50 programs in television ratings, and the 1994 game reached an estimated 750 million viewers around the world. Now probably the most important single-day sporting event in the United States, the Super Bowl had more modest beginnings. In 1967 the champions of the American Football League (which merged with the NFL in 1970) and the NFL met in what was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The name was later shortened to Super Bowl, named after a childs toy, the Super Ball. In this first game, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. The Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the game, fell far short of a sellout, although tickets were only $10 each. In comparison, the highest ticket price at the 1994 Super Bowl reached $250, with scalpers illegally charging more than twice that much. Rule Changes and Modern Developments The game of football has a history of constant rule changes. Rule changes have been implemented to bolster the excitement of the game of football and to increase the games safety. By 1906 the game was extremely rough, and many injuries and some deaths had occurred. Educators considered dropping the sport despite its popularity on campuses. United States President Theodore Roosevelt, an ardent advocate of strenuous sports, declared that the game must be made safer. As a result, football leaders revamped the game, and many of the rougher tactics were outlawed. In a constant attempt to maintain public interest in the game, NFL rulemakers review trends in their sport. For example, in the early 1970s, the rulemakers brought the hash marks in closer to the center of the field to give offenses more room to throw wide. The move, which increased scoring and made the game more exciting, also helped bolster the running game. Ten NFL runners gained more than 1000 yards in one season (1972) for the first time in history. During the next season, Buffalo Bills running back O. J. Simpson rushed for more than 2000 yards, the first time a player had gained that many yards in a single season. However, the passing game eventually suffered as defenses quickly adjusted. The Pittsburgh Steelers had a stranglehold on the NFL during the 1970s, with four Super Bowl victories. The dominant defensive athletes the Steelers put on the field shut down the wide-open passing attacks that had developed in the previous era. By 1977 scoring was the lowest it had been since 1942, while offensive touchdowns had fallen to their lowest levels since 1938. The rulemakers enacted serious measures after this low-scoring 1977 season, fearing a loss of public interest in the defense-dominated game. They established a zone of only five yards from the line of scrimmage in which a bump by a pass defender was permitted.