Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 40

Case Study Example These locks would only be accessed using cards given to authorized officials. This means that the accountability for available stocks would fall to those with the security access (Brauer & Dunne, 2002). A security manager of the highest levels of qualifications and responsibility would lead the security team. In addition to having locks, security officials would be deployed art various entry terminals to man the entrances. For windows, they would have to be tinted so that no person can view the content inside. In addition to that, doors and windows would need to be reinforced to avoid breakage. To a certain extent, communicating with the employees would be needed. This would be so if they are required to maintain highest levels of discretion in the activities they do. However, for top secret activities, it would be wise to leave the security concerns to the allocated security team (Gerstein, 2013). The risks of compromise due to personal indiscretion would be at a minimum. Employees should have security cards for areas they are allowed to access. This means that they would not be allowed to access other areas only restricted to certain high-ranking officials. Internal controls are important is determining who access what parts of the arms manufacturing plant. They would improve accountability and the overall security of manufactured products and the manufacturing procedures (McCrie,

Farmers and Fishermen by Daniel Vickers Essay Example for Free

Farmers and Fishermen by Daniel Vickers Essay The author Daniel Vickers in his book â€Å"Farmers and Fishermen† describes, presents the data analyzes the changing strategies that were used by the colonists such as New England in order to develop the world and the amateur nations and introduce the world to the industrial era.   These colonists in the result of lack of the resources to purchase labor adapted the Labor System of Europe. Later on the economy was transformed by the changes occurred in the form of the development of the world. In this book Daniel Vickers has closely analyzed the history of farmers and fishermen of Massachusetts. He spotted that who worked for whom. He also described the terms and conditions under which these farmers and fishermen had worked. The book Farmers and fishermen is a book that clearly demonstrates Daniel Vickers’s leading command on the knowledgeable background of the general literature of Essex County, Massachusetts and the historical interpretations of the labor in the earliest centuries of European arrangement. The author has written the book in the most clearly and easy-to-understand manner that allows the reader to understand and gain knowledge of the preindustrial America and structure of the labor in the district’s farming and fishing communities (Vickers, 1994). Daniel Vickers has structured the existing literature regarding farmers and fishermen with conclusions brought out from the 16th years of recorded researches. His effort of bringing the literature and interpretation of the historians such as Massachusetts Tax Valuation list of 1771 and the substantial tables of data from the recorded data of account books and diaries has been considered as hard work according to great many authors. Daniel Vickers has creatively drawn conclusions and historical sequels of the farming and fishing professions throughout the history. Daniel Vickers has defined the history into three sections, the first section involves the first century of the settlement of farming and fishing. Later on in the second sections, author has described the period after the revolutionary war when the industrialization was leading in the region (Vickers, 1994). The author describes that the basic problem was that the people who wanted to use the English pattern of labor in the world and this was the conflict among the masses. This is defined in the two halves of the book. The study about the colonists, use of labor and the system designed by European is described in two halves of the book. The first half of the book inspects the lack of labor and capital within rural and maritime economics and the circumstances under which a number of systems were developed (Vickers, 1994, p. 6) . The second half of the book is a tour to the history and the development of the county’s socioeconomic maturation. This half of the book deals with the strategies which were employed in the New World and how these strategies served so well to the district (Vickers, 1994, p. 7). The book is actually describing the history in whole of so many fishermen and farmers from all around the world; this is why this study by Daniel Vickers is not complete. There are broad arguments but the research available is narrow to give a complete overview of the history and the development of the two most important occupations fishing and farming. The farming and fishing has been considered as the driving force of the colonialism and transformation of the old world into the new world. The most important feature of the book is that the researches and interpretations of the historians used in this book covers a long period though it is limited to some regions but it gives measures for the authors to understand about the productive relations and changes which occurred in the period of development. Daniel Vickers in this book describes and observed the history of farming and fishing carefully through the interpretations and research by the historians in the detailed and classified form such as addition of age, ethnicity, social origin, economic status etc. The flaw of the book is that the readers, who might expect to read and analyze the systematic data in this book by Daniel Vickers, won’t get the sequence because of the lack of the data present (Vickers, 1994). In the book Farmers and Fishermen, the author Daniel Vickers with extensive knowledge about the material of the related subject allows him to write amicably and become the arbiter among the historians. The author describes the century of early fishery i.e. COD covered the work by the farmer-fishermen rather than those who fished alone. In the later part of the book the author describes on the basis of historian interpretations that the market and the social approaches to the early American economy are entirely incorrect. The author has greatly considered the research conducted by Virginia De John and Christine Heyrman in the course of the book (Vickers, 1994). The author introduces the readers to the later part of the fishing business which was once the most dominant feature of the New England’s emerging market, started to dissolve. The reason behind this was the merchants and the accumulation of the capital into colonies. The fishermen were not being paid in advance for their catch of fishery which was essential for the outfit of their ships for the fishing. Instead of paying these fishermen, these merchants put their money in the purchase of their own larger ships. These merchants began to hire these fishermen as laborers on their ships for the purpose of the directing these merchants into deeper offshore waters (Vickers, 1994). This change brought distress to the families of these fishermen; the result was the sons of these families no longer worked as the fisherman. Instead of fishing they worked for the military service purpose away from home. If some of them worked as the fishermen, they worked in the neighbor as the laborer as well worked on their own ships for the catch. The author described these cause and effects with the knowledge of the documents and records which dealt the history of the 17th century. Later on the idea of owning land as the ancestors in the past did, held fast throughout this period (Vickers, 1994).   The author in the last chapter of the book tried to give evidence of the ways in which the social arrangements and the industrialization influenced the capitalist development. Daniel Vickers in his book described briefly the capitalist arrangement and the organizations of farming and fishing along with the systematic sequences of the industrialization in the region. While his representation of the rising trends of the merchant class which was another emerging occupation and the knowledge provided related to the American economy are sound. The details provided in the first half of the book which contains the pre-industrial period is not clear to the readers as the details mentioned in the first half are written in the vague overview of all the previous researches and the historian interpretations (Vickers, 1994). The book Farmer and Fishermen is the compiled version of all the sources related to the subject such as documents, historian interpretations and previous researches. The literature of the fishing and farming is presented in the most possible way to determine and make the readers understand the industrialization period of farming and fishing. Writing on a most brief topic with less existing data is a complicated task for the author, though there are some changes required for instance the method of presenting the data was chosen in the form of tables where it is not cleared from the text that where exactly these fishermen originated from. Throughout this book the author Daniel Vickers has tried to present the data in the form of relations. This book has been successful in examining the 19th century industrial revolution in New England (Vickers, 1994). Thus after reading the book Farmers and Fishermen by Daniel Vickers, the reader of the book can bring out the wide range of knowledge of the fishing and farming organizations along with the emerging period of the organization, the development and industrialization and the downfall of the organizations. In this book, one can read about the lives and the complications of the people in the fishing and farming industries. This book provides the better understanding of the events which concluded the goals of the author with the support of great historians such as Virginia De John and Christine Heyrman. References Vickers, D. (1994). Farmers and Fishermen: Two Centuries of Work in Essex County, Massachusetts, 1630-1850. Williamsburg: UNC Press.

Detailed Accessibility Optimization Positioning Analyzer

Detailed Accessibility Optimization Positioning Analyzer Abstract Our application interface provides interesting and vital stats, such as the total number of backlinks (including the type: text, image, redirects, etc.), unique domains and distinct referring IPs and subnets. Software is an essential tool for in research, analysis and management. It uses its own bot and its own index, which they state is based on information from hundreds of billions website connections. SERP listings are the natural listings generated bysearch enginesbased on a series of metrics that determines their relevance to the searched term. Webpages that score well on a search engines algorithmic test show in this list. These algorithms are generally based upon factors such as the content of a webpage, the trustworthiness of the website, and external factors such as backlinks, social media, news, advertising, etc. One of the main features of Application is its Explorer, where you have the option of choosing a specific URL, the domain with all sub domains or the domain with no sub domains. Aside from the overview analysis, you’re provided with a slew of other research options to choose from, including: †¢ Crawled pages †¢ Referring domains †¢ SERP †¢ Raw export of the data. †¢ Links. †¢ Report. Module Analytic panel This module deals with the detailed graphical report for the domains, reports can be fetched for multiple domains even comparison between domains is possible. Software uses bots, crawlers and indexing for fetching details reports that can be used for analysis. A referring domain is the domain that backlinks are coming from. This shows a comprehensive list of all the TLD’s and shows how many links on different domains have been earned. Also when a particular TLD is selected or even if all TLD’s are selected, you get the domain rank, the number of backlinks from a particular site, the date when it was first seen along with the domain name. The top-level domain names are installed in theroot zoneof the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of thedomain name, that is, the last label of afully qualified domain name Application again divides the report into new and lost domains where if you select the option out of new or lost, you will be presented the data on that selected option. So, if you have earned links on 5 domains or lost links from 6 domains, the record for the same will appear in graphs. In addition to that, you will get the report on the rank, and the referring domains too based on your selection and also the specified time. A record on which IP your backlink is appearing on could also be derived from this tool. This also lets you know the popularity and which region or IP to target for getting more backlinks. You get the rank of that IP, followed by the referring domains and backlinks from the same domain and the network. Application get a complete breakout based on the keywords for which you are getting backlinks, Number of referring domains, reference domains using the keyword as anchor, backlinks count on the domains and the backlinks count with anchor on the domains. A backlink is a link on another website that points to your site. In basic link terminology, abacklinkis any link received by a web node (web page, directory, website, ortop level domain) from another web node. Inbound links were originally important (prior to the emergence of search engines) as a primary means ofwebnavigation; today, their significance lies insearch engine optimization (SEO). The number of backlinks is one indication of the popularity or importance of that website or page. You also get the record of the number of external and internal links with this tool. You could specify the period for which you want to know how many links have your earned and how many have been lost. The calendar will show the number of backlinks that you have earned for a particular day. Knowing the number of new and lost links along with their comparison is quite easy. If there is no option selected, you will get the graphical representation of the number of new and lost links together in the graph. With the help of the tool get the HTTP code which shows the exact status of the page. Also you get the anchor text and the URL, followed by the period when the link was added or removed with the type of the link. Module Reports Knowledge is power. It doesn’t matter how driven you might be or how creative you might be, because you really need to arm yourself with the kind of data and information if you want to enjoy any kind of success. And in the case of an online business, getting a firm grasp on demographics, links and SEO is positively paramount. Our software has an independent tool for SEO analysis with a wide range of features. All data received in SEO tools can be exported in .CSV. A huge amount of data is accumulated in the process of our crawler’s. We plan to use this information to find possible errors on sites. This gives us a tool able to detect any SEO issues and display possible solutions to fix them. Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP) response status codes include codes fromIETFinternet standardsas well as other IETFRFCs, other specifications and some additional commonly used codes. The first digit of the status code specifies one of five classes of response; the bare minimum for an HTTP client is that it recognizes these five classes. Meta elements can be used to specify page description, keywords and any othermetadatanot provided through the otherheadelements and attributes. Meta elements provide information about the web page, which can be used by search engines to help categorize the page correctly. Theno indexvalue prevents a page from being indexed, and no followprevents links from beingcrawled. Other values recognized by one or more search engines can influence how the engine indexes pages, and how those pages appear on the search results. Module Manage Backlinks Statics is designed to analyze links. A variety of filters and option to sort, you can select links by almost any parameter. Also they can be sorted by social metrics. Use this Backlink Analyzer to scan the links of a specific page and get the important statistics in Pie Charts Graphs. The Report will provide you with useful information regarding: The Incoming Links of the Page The PageRank The Domain Authority Internal External Links and Followed No-Followed Links Various Statistics about the Backlink Type Link Quality Amention(also known [emailprotected], not to be confused withmetadata tagsorhash tags) is a means by which a blog post references or links to a users profile. This may be done as a matter of getting the attention of (or drawing attention to) another user of a social networking or blogging service, as a matter of replying to the other users post, or as a matter of tagging a user in a post Quickly compare the metrics of up to several hundred URLs or domains. Enter domains or URLs in the text field and click Start. Application will collect all data and show you the metrics in a single table with the options to sort and export.

Stereotypes and Diversity in the Movie, Crash Essay examples -- Racism

Stereotyping is a major issue in the world today, however, mostly in the United States. It is known as fixed impressions, exaggerated or preconceived ideas about particular social groups, usually based solely on physical appearance (The New York Company). Crash is a great example because it shows others stereotyping individuals in many ways. According to Schingel, it is the perfect analogy of how we as a human race deal with life, people and our own experiences. The movie, released in 2005, shows each character's point of view, rather it be from an African-American, Caucasian, or a Latino. It follows each character throughout the movie to show how they live their daily lives. Crash is known for having numerous examples of stereotypes. It shows characters stereotyping against all races, no matter what the condition may be. For instance, one illustration of label is with Sandra Bullock's character. Her character is afraid of every race except Caucasian. In the movie Crash, she had a gun shoved to her head by two black men while they stole her car. Another case is when she pulls her husband aside and tells him that she wanted the new lock changed the next morning because she was afraid the Mexican male who was changing the lock would give his "homeys" a key. She states, "He is a gang-banger because of his shaved head, prison tattoos and his pants around his ass" (Schingel). However, she could not have been more wrong. Daniel, the locksmith, was actually a well-mannered family guy. Daniel, of course, is a sweet-natured husband and father struggling to get his family to a neighborhood where the gunfire doesn't pop all night (Burr). What Sa ndra Bullock did to the locksmith was incorrect and spitef... ...there is good and bad in everyone. It is just the way the world works. In all cultures, there is the good, bad, and the ugly. Each person in each culture has their faults, but also at the same time, they have their nobility and heroic side. Works Cited ""A Definition of Stereotypes"." The New York Times 2008 20Mar2008 . Burr, Ty. ï ¿ ½Well-acted 'Crash' is a course in stock characters.ï ¿ ½ . Crash. Haggis, Paul. (DVD), 2005 Greydanus, Steven. Crash (2005)."http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/reviews/crash2005.html. 2008. Schingel, Rebecca. "How the Movie Crash Illustrates Race and Ethnic Relations in America."http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/18187/how_the_movie_crash_illustrates_race.html. 2006.

Challenges Facing Canadian Organizations Essay

Canada. They are the world’s largest producer of newsprint, nickel, and asbestos. Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver are rated some of the best cities in the world. There is also Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which bring us Canadians radio and television broadcasts the news, music, and entertainment. (Schwind, 2010, p. 3) Even though Canada is a leader and a top competitor around the world in regards to business, resources, talent, and innovation, there are still many challenges facing Canadian organizations. In this paper I will discuss the many ways that Canada, from a business stand point and as whole, faces challenges and what we as a country are doing to rise and succeed through these challenges. There are five major challenges that are facing Canadian businesses; Economic, Technological, Demographic, Cultural, and Legal. Economic challenges are broken down into three separate categories; surviving a recessionary cycle, facing the global trade challenge, and meeting the challenge of productivity improvement. All three of these are interrelated and I will briefly describe each section of the challenges. Surviving the recessionary cycle is a tough challenge especially for the Human Resource Managers, who are tasked with planning, coordinating and ultimately implementing layoffs. Recessions are a misfortune that affects everyone and every company, big or small. Job security and overall high morale of employees at a company are troubled as well in these hard times. The global trade industry is another issue that Canadians are facing. International trade has been critical to Canada’s prosperity and growth. (Schwind, 2010, p. 5) Canada is ranked number nine in the world for exporting internationally, (Metcalfe, 2008), but per capita we export more than the United States or Japan. To face this challenge Canadian organizations are expanding abroad by opening new plants and increasing activity rates in foreign countries. This is to be closer to the customers and also for the lower labour costs. Being a multicultural nation has given Canada a competitive advantage in regards to trading with other countries. However, other countries have a lower-cost based trading system due to factors such as lower labour costs, has caused Canada to lose our market share in some industries such as pulp and paper, cotton yarn, and steel manufacturing. (Schwind, 2010, p. 6) Productivity is the third aspect of economic challenges we face. Technically, productivity is the ratio of output to input. It is a measure of how efficiently and effectively a business or an economy uses inputs such as labour and capital to produce outputs such as goods and services. Alan Greenspan, an ex-chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States, was quoted as saying â€Å"Productivity – the goods and services produced from each hour of work – is the magic elixir of economic progress. It’s why we live better than our grandparents did, without working longer hours.† (Demos, 2011) Canada’s largest trading partner, the United States, has been improving their productivity faster than we have. We have to increase our productivity as a nation in order to continue to thrive and grow. A report conducted in 2000 stated that if the productivity gap between Canada and the U.S. were to continue, it would reduce Canada’s living standards from 61 percent of U.S. levels in 1999 to 52 percent in 2010. (McCallum, 2000) In order to maintain and improve its productivity, Canada must update its technology to increase its levels. There are two technological changes and challenges face the Canadian businesses today, computerization and automation. Computers and their technology are rapidly growing and they affect all aspects of work. They produce large amounts of information in a timely matter, and have the ability to massively store and transfer the information. There is an increase in flexibility, such as being able to work at home, or even while on vacation, if need be, due to the internet, emails and data transfers. Telecommunicating is also a factor in helping with productivity, morale and cost reduction. Not only is there internet, many companies also have intranet, which are a private information network within the company. The mix of telecommunicating and intranet increase communication and information knowledge between members of an organization to also increase productivity. Automation is the automatically controlled operation of a process, system, or equipment by mechanical or electronic devices. The two major reasons for automation is speed and better service. In some capital equipment items, Canada takes six to twelve months to make, where Japan takes six to twelve weeks. (Schwind, 2010, p. 10) This is a major challenge that Canada must face. The service factor is continuous. A machine is programed to do the same exact operation over and over to ensure quality and effectiveness, where as a human might make an error on one or more areas of the operation. Another challenge with technology and automation is cost. Machines are expensive and not all companies can afford the high-tech equipment, and therefore must rely on manual labour. Demographic challenges include the changes associated with the labour force, such as education levels, age, and participation levels which occur slowly and are usually known in advance. The number of female workers in the workforce has greatly increased over the last three decades, and with that so has the way organizations are ran. In the past the men worked and the women stayed home and took care of the house and home. Now, more and more women are out in the workforce and companies have had to change the way to operate, in order to accommodate. Also, more and more workers are getting higher educations and becoming more knowledgeable in many areas of the field. Canada’s challenge with these issues are to be able to find, keep in home country, and continually train and increase the overall knowledge to promote further success in Canadian organizations in the future. Age is a key factor that has started in will continue to affect Canadian operations. The term â€Å"baby-boomer† is defined as any one born between the years 1946-1966. (Krotki, 2012), and the majority of that population is already, or getting ready for retirement. This is social (health care) and organizational challenge facing the workforce is termed as the â€Å"old age crisis†. (McLean’s, 1983) The challenge facing Canada now is the vast amount of workers that will be retiring, and the knowledge that they take with them. The largest sector that this â€Å"crisis† will affect is the trades department. According to Statistics Canada, in 2007, the ratio for non-trades was 0.7, indicating significantly more workers nearing retirement than in the early stages of their careers. This was substantially lower than the ratio of 1.6 in 1987 and illustrates the well-known phenomenon of the baby boom generation—now approaching retirement—and the subsequent significantly smaller generation beginning their careers. When this ratio is below one, meaning fewer people in the early stages of their careers than will be retiring soon, it points to a potential net out-flow of workers (Pyper, 2008) So as the baby-boomers retire, there will be a shortage of skilled workers to fill their shoes. The last factor of the demographic challenge is that of the part-time workers and contractors or contingent workers. There is a disadvantage as well as an advantage to this line of work. For the employee it means less benefits and lower pay than that of a full-time worker. But on the other hand, the employer will in turn pay less labour cost, and benefit payouts, to part-time workers, as well as contractors, who are not on the pay roll, thus reducing long-term costs. The cultural challenges facing Canada today are crucial due to the multicultural nation that we are. The main areas are work-related attitudes and ethnic diversity. People now are requesting more vacations and holidays than before and a varied workweek. Instead of the typical two week vacation a year, and Monday to Friday 9-5, they expect more and want more flexibility. There is also a major attitude difference between the baby-boomer generation, Generation X, and Generation Y workers. Canadian organizations have to accept these differences and find ways to accommodate each group. Society as a whole are also more ethically orientated now. Business can run like they used to two decades ago. People and employees are more aware of the ethics and expect to be treated fairer and with respect. Canada’s society and workforce is a cultural mosaic. Hosting and employing a variety of ethnics, races, cultures and social groups. Having this vast array of differences poses opportunities as well as challenges for Canadian organizations. They prosper by gaining knowledge of each different group, but they must also take into consideration that they are all different and have different views, beliefs, and backgrounds than other people. The final factor is that of legal matters, which are categorized into five sections; employment equity, human rights laws, charter of rights, minimum wage acts, and safety-related legislation. Employment equity is an act that was amended in 1996 and is a federal law that states one must remove employment barriers and promote equality. It was set to ensure equal opportunities for four different groups; women, persons with disability, Aboriginal people, and people of a visible minority. The Canadian Human Rights Act, in effect March 1978, proclaims that all people regardless of; age, sex, race, ethnic origin, colour, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability, or conviction for which a pardon has been granted, shall not be discriminated upon, and should have equal opportunity to make for themselves a life which they choose. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a federal law enacted in 1982, guaranteeing individuals equal rights before the law. Federal government passed the Minimum Wage Act in 1935, but minimum wage jurisdiction falls under provincial legislation. So each province has their own set of wages and rules to follow. The safety-related legislation is an area concerned with the safety and well-being of individuals in the workforce. These above mentioned legal matters are a definite challenge facing Canada’s organizations. More than ever people know their rights and freedoms, and expect safety in the workplace. The challenge for organizations is to uphold the law, and ensure safety and wellbeing for not only themselves but to the employees, their families and everyone involved whether it’s internally or externally. References Demos, D. (2011, Feburary). The New Formula for Branch Productivity. Retrieved Janurary 27, 2013, from Novantas: http://www.novantas.com/article.php?id=303 Krotki, K. J. (2012). â€Å"Baby Boom†. Retrieved Janurary 28, 2013, from The Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/baby-boom McCallum, J. (2000, May). â€Å"Will Canada Matter in 2020?†. Royal Bank Current Analysis, Royal Bank of Canada Economics Department, p. 5. McLean’s. (1983, Janurary 17). â€Å"Our Coming Old Age Crisis†. MacLean’s, p. 24. Metcalfe, L. (2008, March 2011). Economic Statistics. Retrieved Janurary 27, 2013, from Nation Master.com: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_exp-economy-exports Pyper, W. (2008, October). Skilled Trades Employment. Perspectives on Labour and Income, 9(10). Schwind, H. F. (2010). Canadian Human Resource Managment (9th ed.). (J. Cotton, Ed.) Whitby, Ontario, Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Whats a Good ACT Score for Your College

What's a Good ACT Score for Your College SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Hopefully at this point in your college application process you have thought about your dream schools. Whether you took the ACT once and are debating taking it again or if you are just beginning the ACT preparation process, you are probably wondering what ACT will get you accepted. While there is no one exact ACT score that will be considered â€Å"good† for your college or guarantee you a spot, there is a particular ACT score that will you give you the best chance of being accepted. What is it? I will answer that and more by guiding you through 4 easy steps. College ACT Score Ranges and What They Mean for You Before figuring out your target score, you should look at colleges’ ACT score range.The score range will show the scores that admitted freshmen received.Usually, schools provide you with scores from the most recent applicant pool. The scores will be written in one of two ways: as a 25th/75th percentile range or as an average ACT score.The 25th percentile score indicates 25% of admits received an ACT score at or below that number (and 75% of admits scored higher).The 75th percentile score means 75% of admits received an ACT score at or below that number (and 25% of admits scored higher).The average ACT scoreis simply the average of all admitted students’ ACT scores. Looking at the score ranges will help you understand what ACT score you need to be a competitive applicant to that universitysince you'll know what ACT scores admitted students received.Before figuring out your target ACT score, you need to figure out what your list of target schools. Step #1: Create Your List of Target Schools You may have some schools in mind, but take the time to write down a list of the schools you hope to attend. Do not include your safety schools on this list.A safety school is a schoolthat you're almost certain you'll be accepted to with the ACTscore and GPA you have now. This target school list should include the more selective colleges. You should exclude the safety schools because you want to plan your target ACT score for the colleges with the most difficult admissions criteria. If you meet the admissions criteria for the selective colleges, you'll very likely be accepted to your safety schools.Once you have identified your target schools, draw a table with 3 columns with the following titles: School Name 25th Percentile or Average ACT 75th Percentile / Target Score Fill in your target colleges under school name as I did below: School Name 25th Percentile or Average ACT 75th Percentile / Target Score University of Michigan UC Berkeley Under the 2nd column for 25th percentile or average ACT, you should write either the 25th percentile or average SAT score for that college. As I said before, universities will only give you one or the other; whichever they give you, writethat number in that column. Under the last column for 75th percentile / target score, write the school’s 75th percentile score (if you can find it). For colleges that give average ACT, you will be calculating a unique target score later on in this article. Step #2: Find Out the ACT Scores of Admitted Students. Now that you have your list finding the admitted students’ ACT score range is very easy. Simply search â€Å"[College Name] ACT† or â€Å"[College Name] ACT 25th/75th percentile† in Google.That will lead you to what is known as the Freshman Admission Profile for your target school.If you can't locatea Freshman Admit Profile for your target college, check out our database of college admission requirements. There you'll find the admissions requirementsfor almost every schoolin the US. Use the Command + F function on your keyboard to search for your target college. Here is a screenshot of University of Michigan’s Freshman Admit Profile: Colleges will usually provide you with the 25th/75th percentile ACT score for freshmen. Some colleges call it the mid 50% range (as UMich does above), but the 2 numbers they provide are the 25th and 75th percentile scores.For UMich, the 25th percentile ACT score is 30, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 34. Add the 25th percentile / 75th percentile composite ACT score to your chart in the appropriate columns: School Name 25th Percentile or Average ACT 75th Percentile / Target Score University of Michigan 31 34 UC Berkeley While most colleges tell you the 25th/75th percentile ACT scores, other colleges will only give you one number, the average ACT score for admits (which UC Berkeley does on their admissions site).The average ACT score is just the average of all of the ACT scores for admits. Since the score is an average, you cannot determine exactly how many applicants scored above and below it, but we will assume about 50% of admits scored above and 50% of admits scored below. For Berkeley, the average ACT is 31. Knowing this information, we'll writeit in the column for 25th Percentile or Average SAT, leave the 75th Percentile / Target Score blank for now for the schools that only provide average ACT. I'll explain what to fill in for those schools later on: School Name 25th Percentile or Average ACT 75th Percentile / Target Score University of Michigan 31 34 UC Berkeley 31 Step #3: Determine Your Target Score for Those Schools. Based on each school’s 25th/75th percentile ACT or average ACT, we'll determine what your target score should be.For schools that provide the 25th/75th percentile ACT, you should aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile. (Which is exactly why I had you list the 75th percentile in the same column as target score. The 75th percentile is your target score!) For those schools that just give you an average composite ACT (such as UC Berkeley), I would aim for a score 2 points above that average score.For the best shot of admission to UC Berkeley, I would aim for a 33. You should writein that number (the average ACT plus 2 points) on your chart under 75th percentile / Target score: School Name 25th Percentile or Average ACT 75th Percentile / Target Score University of Michigan 31 34 UC Berkeley 31 33 You may wonder why you shouldn’t aim a score closer to the 25th percentile or the average since many applicants are accepted with that score. I wrote this article assuming that you are a â€Å"normal† applicant and not a â€Å"special† applicant. To qualify as a special applicant, you need to be an athlete, legacy, child of significant donors, or a unique talent (such as world-class opera singers or famous actors). These special applicants are typically admitted with the lower scores (25th percentile score). If you're a â€Å"normal† applicant, you'll want a higher ACT score to set you apart and give yourself the best chance of being accepted. The higher your score, the better your chance of admission. As an example, check out Brown University’s breakdown of admission; below is a screenshot: If you look at the highest score (36), 23.8% of applicants who scored a 36 were accepted to Brown, which is significantly higher than the overall Brown admissions rate 8.7%. You can see that as your score begins to decline (you get between 33 and 35) your chance of admission drops by 11.1%, from 23.8% to 12.7%.The lesson to take away from this data is the higher you score, the better your chance of being accepted. In my chart above, the two â€Å"Target Scores† vary by 1 point, so which should you aim for?Aim for the highest target score on your list. That way, when you reach the highest target score, you have the best chance of admission at all of the universities on your list. If you got a 34 and applied to UC Berkeley and University of Michigan, you would have a great chance of being accepted to both. However, if you aimed for the lower target score and got a 33 and applied to University of Michigan, you would now fall short of the 75th percentile score and be in the middle 50% of admits scores. You still have a decent chance of being accepted, but your chances are not quite as good. Step #4: Create a Plan to Achieve Your Target ACT Score. To achieve your target score, you need to have a clearplan of attack. If you need significant improvement to meet your target score, you should think about taking an ACT prep class, hiring an ACT tutor, or using an online ACT program such as PrepScholar. Our program figures out your strengths and weaknesses and personalizes your ACT preparation to your needs. For more information about our program, read How to Ensure Online Tutoring from PrepScholarTutors is Right for You? If your family can’t afford one of those options and/or you want to prepare on your own, check out our ACT study plan guides: 5 Step SAT/ACT Test Dates Study Plan for Summer before Senior Year SAT/ACT Test Dates Study Plan for Sophomores and Juniors SAT / ACT Study Guide: Schedule and Plan for One Year or More Don't forget that your target score is in reach if you put in the time and effort. What’s Next? Learn more about preparing for the ACT: How Many Questions Can You Skip for a Good ACT Score? Systems of Equations on ACT Math: Algebra Strategies and Practice Problems The Ultimate Study Guide for ACT English: Tips, Rules, Practice, and Strategies The Ultimate Study Guide for ACT Science: Tips, Practice, and Strategies Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Free Essays on Miss

INTRODUCTION AUCTIONS Auctions are a good way to sell a commodity that doesn’t have a fixed or determined value – i.e. when the seller is unsure of the price that can be achieved (As the goods are of undetermined quality). So the on-line auction can simply be a process of putting buyers and sellers in touch with each other, with the seller then transporting the goods to the successful bidder, and the bidder making payment. Usually Auction sites act as forums through which internet users can log-on and assume the role of either bidder or sellers. As sellers, you are able to post items you wish to sell, the minimum price that you require to sell an item and a deadline to close the auction. Some sites allow you to add features, such as a photograph or a description of the item’s condition. As a bidder, you may search the site for availability of the item you are seeking, view the current bidding activity and place a bid (bids are usually in designated increments). Some sites allow you to submit a maximum bidding price and will continue bidding for you. Although auction sites usually require a commissions on sales, these sites are only a forum for online buying and selling. They do not involve themselves in payment or delivery. After the auction has been completed, both the seller and the bidder are notified, and the methods of payment and the cost of delivery is then worked out between the two parties. SUMMARY OF eBAY On eBay, people can buy and sell just about anything. The company collects a submission fee plus a percentage of the sale amount. The submission fee is based on the amount of exposure you want your item to receive, with a higher fee required if you would like the â€Å"featured actions† in your specific product category, and an even higher fee if you want your item to be listed on the eBay home page under â€Å"Featured items†. This listing will not appear every time you go to the home page, but it will... Free Essays on Miss Free Essays on Miss INTRODUCTION AUCTIONS Auctions are a good way to sell a commodity that doesn’t have a fixed or determined value – i.e. when the seller is unsure of the price that can be achieved (As the goods are of undetermined quality). So the on-line auction can simply be a process of putting buyers and sellers in touch with each other, with the seller then transporting the goods to the successful bidder, and the bidder making payment. Usually Auction sites act as forums through which internet users can log-on and assume the role of either bidder or sellers. As sellers, you are able to post items you wish to sell, the minimum price that you require to sell an item and a deadline to close the auction. Some sites allow you to add features, such as a photograph or a description of the item’s condition. As a bidder, you may search the site for availability of the item you are seeking, view the current bidding activity and place a bid (bids are usually in designated increments). Some sites allow you to submit a maximum bidding price and will continue bidding for you. Although auction sites usually require a commissions on sales, these sites are only a forum for online buying and selling. They do not involve themselves in payment or delivery. After the auction has been completed, both the seller and the bidder are notified, and the methods of payment and the cost of delivery is then worked out between the two parties. SUMMARY OF eBAY On eBay, people can buy and sell just about anything. The company collects a submission fee plus a percentage of the sale amount. The submission fee is based on the amount of exposure you want your item to receive, with a higher fee required if you would like the â€Å"featured actions† in your specific product category, and an even higher fee if you want your item to be listed on the eBay home page under â€Å"Featured items†. This listing will not appear every time you go to the home page, but it will...

A Thanksgiving Guide for College Students

A Thanksgiving Guide for College Students Thanksgiving break, for many college students, is an oasis in the middle of fall semester. Its a chance to return home and recharge. You can take a break from midterms and papers. For a lot of students, it might be their first chance to get some good food and spend time with old friends. Lots of students go home for Thanksgiving, but some stay on campus. Others head to a friend or roommates house to celebrate the holiday. No matter your situation, though, there are things you can do to make sure you squeeze every last drop out of the long weekend. Friends, Family, and Relationships Thanksgiving is nearly always about friends and family. And while every college student has a unique situation when it comes to their nearest and dearest, nearly everyone needs a little love around the holidays. Some families are less supportive than others. If you find being back home stressful, try planning to see friends or a trip to your favorite coffee shop. For many students, its the first chance they have to visit with friends from high school. If you had a large circle of friends, getting to see everyone you wanted to see might be hard. After all, the Thanksgiving break is only a few days, and most people will have some family obligations as well. Because of this, it is wise to try to plan group activities where you can spend time with as many of your old friends as possible. Dealing With Change If Thanksgiving is the first time youve been home since the start of college, you may have a hard time adjusting to being back. After months of the freedom to come and go as you please, having a curfew again might be hard to swallow. Things around your town have probably changed, too. You may have new interests and hobbies that you didnt have before, which your family may or may not approve of. Dealing with change isnt easy for anyone, including your parents. Try to approach the differences with an open mind. College is about moving from childhood to your adult life and its a process which is why you still have to follow your parents rules- but it wont be like that forever. Be patient when your parents start treating you like youre back in high school; they need time to adjust to their child growing up. When you start getting frustrated remind yourself its just a long weekend, youll be back at school before you know it. Dealing With Politics Its not uncommon for students to return home with new ideas or insight into the politics of the world. If your politics no longer align with your families, it could lead to some unpleasant conversations. Many people attempt to avoid discussing politics during the holiday but if thats not an option, view it as a learning experience. Ask your family members to explain their political beliefs to you. Even if you dont agree, allowing others to feel like theyve been heard can ease tensions. Its also easier to explain your beliefs when you have shown that you respect the other person enough to hear what they have to say. Heading Home Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so knowing what to expect can prevent a fun trip home from turning into a travel nightmare. Knowing what to pack when heading home for Thanksgiving is half the battle. The other half is planning your route home. If youre in charge of purchasing your airline ticket, youll want to book it at least six weeks in advance. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest travel days of the year, so youll want to avoid it if you can. If you have a class scheduled that day, talk to your professor about ways to accommodate your absence so you can leave earlier in the week. Dont worry if you forgot to buy your ticket home; there are ways to find last-minute student travel deals. If you do have to leave on Wednesday, leave early and be prepared to deal with travel delays and crowds. Staying on Top of Your Academics For most students, Thanksgiving falls either right before or right after midterms. So just because youre relaxing and hanging out with people over the break doesnt mean you can let your academics slide. While staying on top of your coursework is challenging, it isnt impossible. Thanksgiving is your first real chance to get to learn how to manage homework over a college break. Even if your professors didnt assign you anything over the break, you probably have a larger project or paper that you can work on. Remember, the end of the semester is really only a few weeks away. The time will pass faster than you think and saying you have to study is a great excuse to get out of an awkward conversation with extended family members.

Performing arts business management marketing in Asia Essay

Performing arts business management marketing in Asia - Essay Example In the light of these changes, it is interesting to explore how the performing arts manage to survive and continue to provide an offering that has meaning to the customers. The current paper studied the organizational, structural and marketing aspects of orchestra organizations in the United States and Taiwan. A comparative analysis on the case studies developed for six orchestras, the New York Philharmonic, The Chicago Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra in the US and National Symphony Orchestra and The National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan was undertaken. The findings revealed important difference in the ownership and marketing of the orchestras in the United States and in Taiwan. It was also found that the level of audience development in the United States was high as compared to that of Taiwan, where orchestra performances and other performing arts were not considered as an attractive option to popular music and sports. The paper provided use ful insights, like the need to provide more flexibility to the operational and functional aspects of orchestra, the need to involve people with musical and marketing backgrounds in the management and administrative functions instead of putting bureaucrats at the helm, and the need to focus on the market and customer preferences as opposed to forging ahead with a pre-pared program agenda. Performing arts include music, dance, theater and other forms of life arts that are staged in front of an audience.1 These arts provide not only entertainment to the audience, but at times act as settings for social interactions or as promoting cultural education.2 In some cases, it has been found that people relate their self-identity and self-esteem with the type of performing arts that they patronize.3 There is a wide range of experiences that the audience may drive from the Performing Arts. These may include, in addition to the creating a social experience for those who

Retail Banking Sales Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Retail Banking Sales Strategies - Assignment Example (Deutsch, 171) In today’s world time is invaluable. Retail banking has gained so much of popularity is it helps in saving time. However in retail banking the fixed costs are effectively huge as it is not possible to reduce number of staffs or close of the premises in a quick span of time. (Coulbeck, 134) Economies of scale relating to the market size of the banks decide the significance of retail banking. Retail banking in the new millennium has been very acceptable as it is in the throes of major changes. Starting from removing the legal barriers of entry to adopting electronic technology are some of the major changes which has enhanced the overall services in this sector. (Duetsch, 170, 184) In any service sector consumer satisfaction and acceptance remains the critical component which decides the fate of any particular process. Since there is always a competition for retail banks from the other intermediaries they have to come up with new strategies to strengthen their position. In case of retail banks the number of consumers is increasing day by day and they all want to have an online access to the banking functions. â€Å"Cisco collaborative customer experience Solution† is a portfolio which is helping the retail banks to transform into the consumer focused businesses. This solution has been built and designed by the retail branch banks in such a way that it allows the consumers to take active part in accessing the banking functions. (Meet the Demands of Todays Customers). Retail banks have to maximize the data that they have obtained from the customer and quickly analyze those avenues which would grant them future revenues. Client interactions should be of prior importance and a potent strategic tool to improve the overall sales. Retail banks have to come up with specific solutions for consumers after going through the consumers

Copper Price Rises in UK after Chile Strike Case Study

Copper Price Rises in UK after Chile Strike - Case Study Example To further understand why BHP Hilton is considered as the main stakeholder looking into the definition of it is vital in order to establish the claim. The legal definition of it according to Lectric Law Library's Lexicon defined stakeholder as "STAKEHOLDER - A third person, chosen by two or more persons, to keep in deposit property, the right or possession of which is contested between them and to be delivered to the one who shall establish his right to it. Thus each of them is considered as depositing the whole thing. This distinguishes this contract from that which takes place when two or more tenants in common deposit a thing with a bailee. The duties of a stakeholder are to deliver the thing holden by him to the person entitled to it on demand. It is frequently questionable who is entitled to it. In case of an unlawful wager, although be may be justified for delivering the thing to the winner, by the express or implied consent of the loser yet if before the event has happened he has been required by either party to give up the thing deposited with him by such party, he is bound so to deliver it or if, after the event has happened, the losing party give notice to the stakeholder not to pay the winner, a payment made to him afterwards will be made in his own wrong, and the party who deposited the money or thing may recover it from the stakeholder (2007)." Also, if taken into consideration is the 57.5 percent share of the BHP Biliton. The aforementioned company is considered as the prime owner and is more likely considered to be associated with mining activity. In this case, we still have to track the stakeholders which are considered as the third party or person to keep the property which is being contested. In the case of the erring parties between Escondida and the worker's union, the shareholders of the said mining firm could temporarily took over the operation of the company and could be regarded as the caretakers or stakeholder of the company while the workers are on strike and could also be present in the negotiating table between Esconcondida and the workers union. As the determinants of the losses or gains of the company, then they are more than capable of being the caretaker of it while the case is being settled. Of course, one has to take into consideration that these shareholders have their parts and stocks in the company, and then they are also concerned with the welfare of the company. If they act as the stakeholder during the negotiation until the dispute has been settled, then should anything happen then they are capable of making things work for both parties by making both ends meet through their finances and bonds in which they are capable of providing the aforementioned resources. Of all the stakeholders, definitely, it is BHP Biliton has the right above the other entire stakeholders since the said company has the most number of shares in the company. Therefore, they have the right to be the caretaker of the entire mining firm because of their contribution in the company plus the fact that it owns more than half of the share of the company. Should this scenario arises, what are the responsibilities of BHP Biliton while the company is under dispute What the said company should do

Business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business analysis - Essay Example The current ratio which is well above the benchmark of 1 should not be viewed as a healthy sign because the company is having major issues with its receivables and inventory management. The company has large amount of receivables pending resulting in high receivables days and the situation is the same for the company’s inventories. The company has good asset turnover but it is also declining over the period from 1993 to 1995. The company has a negative profitability in 1994 and 1995 because of its inability to generate profits. Though the company paid dividend in 1993 and 1994 the amount due from stockholders has been significant which could further dampen the company’s capital position. The financial ratios have been attached to this report as Appendix II. The company’s operating cash flow has declined sharply in 1995 leading to a negative figure of DM494,000 which surely have implications for the long term survival of the company if it is not able to recoup its business by altering its marketing and operating strategies. Marketing Analysis Haefren Baum is a home furnishing retailer which is engaged in selling high quality home furniture products of a German manufacturer Wiegandt GmbH Cologne. The understanding of the high-end furniture market suggests that the demand in this market is cyclical which is affected by two major factors – consumer buying confidence and also by the overall economic conditions. Due to the fall in the German economy during the year 1993 i.e. GDP indicated a negative growth of 1.2% the demand for furniture dropped and sales deteriorated. Haefren Baum’s sales also declined after 1993 showed as YoY decline of -19% (1994) and -5% (1995). In order to tackle the challenges the company cut down its pricing and also opened up new outlets Rhineland suburban areas however due to the competition attracting to the market it is difficult for a small retailer like Haefren Baum to survive for long as it is also fa cing problems with generating profits and maintain a strong cash position (Crane and Millett). Operations Analysis Since the company sells home furniture of Wiegandt GmBH Cologne therefore the amount payable to the company has reached DM 54,017.18. From the analysis it could be indicated that the operational efficiency of the company is becoming weak as the number of days that receivables are due for payment and the inventory held in its stock are increasing. Furthermore, the company is taking longer period to pay off its liabilities. The company has generated loss in 1994 and 1995 which suggests that the company is facing major difficulties in devising its strategies to coup up with the tough market conditions prevailing in Germany. Due to expansion of outlets the company’s borrowing has increased significantly and no positive outcome has been achieved. The credit department of the company must lay off loans and sell of non-profitable outlets to cut down pressure on its cash position. Appendix I: Cash Flow Statement Cash From Operating Activities 1994 1995 DM ‘000s DM ‘000s Net Profit -16 -55 -16 -55 (Increase)/Decrease in Receivables -386 35 (Increase)/Decrease in Inventory 8 -8 Increase/Decrease in Accounts Payables 8 88 Deferred Charges 32 0 Miscellaneous Accruals 74 -331 Current Maturities on Long-Term Debt 327 -223 Estimated Federal Income Tax -104 0 -41 -439 -57 -494 Cash Flow from Investing Activities Sale / (Purchase) of Net Buildings, Fixtures and

Brief a case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brief a case - Assignment Example She appealed to the Supreme Court California, which reversed the sentence. The legal question presented to the Supreme Court was if it was known that a certain group of defendants was negligent but not clear specifically who was directly responsible, can a plaintiff sue the main companies involved as per the market share statistics? The Supreme Court determined that the plaintiff could recover against the manufacturers that are already known with respect to the market share concept. The Supreme Court added that for such a case to suffice, the plaintiff must present a number of the main distributors. However, if the defendant could prove that they were not responsible for the harm caused, then they could be dismissed from the case. The reasoning used here was that the defendants should not be let off simply because the plaintiff does not have a way of identifying those responsible. In addition, in such sensitive cases as medication, the consumer is deemed helpless to protect themselves from any harm that may come from the drugs that they take. The defendant s would also be in a better position to bear the cost of an injury that results from manufacturing of a defective drug. This was a trademark infringement case where Coca-Cola Company was seeking to enjoin Koke Company of America from continuing to use the word ‘Koke’ in their products. On the defense, Koke maintained that using Coca-Cola name in its brands the Coca-Cola Company represented usage of cocaine in its products. From the side of the Coca-Cola Company, it should retain the usage of this name. This came as a result of increased sales by the Coca-Cola Company implying that this company did not want to share any work which sounded similar to the one it used (Clarkson et al. 157). The case was ruled against Coca-Cola Company, which appealed to the U.S Supreme Court. The legal question presented before

Religion is a double-edged sword, both supporting and undermining Essay

Religion is a double-edged sword, both supporting and undermining political authority and social elites - Essay Example It has brought positivity into the culture of the society when the politics of the nation has failed them. (Cauthen) Let us now look at religion as a support towards political authority and elites, and then we shall look at religion undermining political authority and elites. During the days of the crusades, Christianity as a religion took complete control over the Roman Empire. It entered the zone of politics and was extremely instrumental in taking control of the empire. Religion has for long contained the fervor of politics. Nowadays, in countries like the Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the rest of the Middle East along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, religion takes the primary role in shaping the political and administrative identity of the nations. However, in countries like the USA, the European countries, religion has undermined the role of politics and has taken a step back in matters regarding politics and other important matters, which are crucial in the governance of the country. ("Politics & Elections") Religion has been a subdued way of living for the people in the Western countries since they are not concerned with the type of religion of the people, but are more concerned with the humanitarian nature of the people. This part of the paper shall study how religion undermines and supports the elites in different countries. In those countries where the influence of religion is very high the elites manage the affairs of the country through the use of religion. It is a very balanced state of affairs, which has an influence upon the way the functioning of the states, happens. It is imperative to note that states where the importance of religion is primary, the elites also don the hat of religious groups in order to settle with the people of the State. Through the ages the elites have supported the religious identities and

Business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business analysis - Essay Example The current ratio which is well above the benchmark of 1 should not be viewed as a healthy sign because the company is having major issues with its receivables and inventory management. The company has large amount of receivables pending resulting in high receivables days and the situation is the same for the company’s inventories. The company has good asset turnover but it is also declining over the period from 1993 to 1995. The company has a negative profitability in 1994 and 1995 because of its inability to generate profits. Though the company paid dividend in 1993 and 1994 the amount due from stockholders has been significant which could further dampen the company’s capital position. The financial ratios have been attached to this report as Appendix II. The company’s operating cash flow has declined sharply in 1995 leading to a negative figure of DM494,000 which surely have implications for the long term survival of the company if it is not able to recoup its business by altering its marketing and operating strategies. Marketing Analysis Haefren Baum is a home furnishing retailer which is engaged in selling high quality home furniture products of a German manufacturer Wiegandt GmbH Cologne. The understanding of the high-end furniture market suggests that the demand in this market is cyclical which is affected by two major factors – consumer buying confidence and also by the overall economic conditions. Due to the fall in the German economy during the year 1993 i.e. GDP indicated a negative growth of 1.2% the demand for furniture dropped and sales deteriorated. Haefren Baum’s sales also declined after 1993 showed as YoY decline of -19% (1994) and -5% (1995). In order to tackle the challenges the company cut down its pricing and also opened up new outlets Rhineland suburban areas however due to the competition attracting to the market it is difficult for a small retailer like Haefren Baum to survive for long as it is also fa cing problems with generating profits and maintain a strong cash position (Crane and Millett). Operations Analysis Since the company sells home furniture of Wiegandt GmBH Cologne therefore the amount payable to the company has reached DM 54,017.18. From the analysis it could be indicated that the operational efficiency of the company is becoming weak as the number of days that receivables are due for payment and the inventory held in its stock are increasing. Furthermore, the company is taking longer period to pay off its liabilities. The company has generated loss in 1994 and 1995 which suggests that the company is facing major difficulties in devising its strategies to coup up with the tough market conditions prevailing in Germany. Due to expansion of outlets the company’s borrowing has increased significantly and no positive outcome has been achieved. The credit department of the company must lay off loans and sell of non-profitable outlets to cut down pressure on its cash position. Appendix I: Cash Flow Statement Cash From Operating Activities 1994 1995 DM ‘000s DM ‘000s Net Profit -16 -55 -16 -55 (Increase)/Decrease in Receivables -386 35 (Increase)/Decrease in Inventory 8 -8 Increase/Decrease in Accounts Payables 8 88 Deferred Charges 32 0 Miscellaneous Accruals 74 -331 Current Maturities on Long-Term Debt 327 -223 Estimated Federal Income Tax -104 0 -41 -439 -57 -494 Cash Flow from Investing Activities Sale / (Purchase) of Net Buildings, Fixtures and

Religion is a double-edged sword, both supporting and undermining Essay

Religion is a double-edged sword, both supporting and undermining political authority and social elites - Essay Example It has brought positivity into the culture of the society when the politics of the nation has failed them. (Cauthen) Let us now look at religion as a support towards political authority and elites, and then we shall look at religion undermining political authority and elites. During the days of the crusades, Christianity as a religion took complete control over the Roman Empire. It entered the zone of politics and was extremely instrumental in taking control of the empire. Religion has for long contained the fervor of politics. Nowadays, in countries like the Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the rest of the Middle East along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, religion takes the primary role in shaping the political and administrative identity of the nations. However, in countries like the USA, the European countries, religion has undermined the role of politics and has taken a step back in matters regarding politics and other important matters, which are crucial in the governance of the country. ("Politics & Elections") Religion has been a subdued way of living for the people in the Western countries since they are not concerned with the type of religion of the people, but are more concerned with the humanitarian nature of the people. This part of the paper shall study how religion undermines and supports the elites in different countries. In those countries where the influence of religion is very high the elites manage the affairs of the country through the use of religion. It is a very balanced state of affairs, which has an influence upon the way the functioning of the states, happens. It is imperative to note that states where the importance of religion is primary, the elites also don the hat of religious groups in order to settle with the people of the State. Through the ages the elites have supported the religious identities and

South Delaware Coors Case Study Essay Example for Free

South Delaware Coors Case Study Essay The major issues that Larry Brownlow is being a new owner of a business and operating it efficiently. Secondly theres a core element of readily available cash flow in question. Larry can only spend $15k for the feasibility study assessment. Furthermore Larry has a $500k trust fund established for him in inherited from a deceased relative this trust fund also enables his immediate family to receive an annual income of $40k. The main problems that Larry Brownlow is deciding on is the question of taking an added risk by investing in the pursuit of distributing the Coors product or not invest at all. (Marketing Management, 2007 pg 250) I think the most convenient course of action that Larry Brownlow should take is follow suit with the information given in study (B). The information in study B suggests that Larry should start up a distribution hub in Kent and Sussex County. (Marketing Management, 2007 pg 252) This would help Larry test the waters before distributing more regionally than eventually nationally. This opportunity will help Larry properly determine his target market for his product through different sets of environment. (Marketing Management, 2007 pg 9) In the simplest form here are Larry few alternative options. First Larry can play the numbers game and circumspectly watch the current marketing potential for his particular product also by simulating and forecasting data to increase his chance of being more profitable. Secondly Larry can easily find other channels to make his business profitable by outsourcing his distribution to third party entities. This would ensure profitability but less on the return. Lastly Larry can convey moxie by taking a risk and pursue a secure independent distribution and focus on creating a profitable business. I would choose the last alternative simply because Larry has been approved a line of $400k and another $400k through other sources might give to his business. In any new business there is a rocky start the immediate influx of income may delay some of his operation. There is also assurance in the fact that Larry will receive a substantial amount of money through the trust fund receiving an additional $500k this would help fill any financial voids in the ongoing of his new business. The main takeaway that Larry can follow is focusing on new available markets not the product itself. (Marketing Management, 2007 pg 9) Source Peter, J. P., Donnelly, J. H., Jr. (2007). Marketing management: knowledge and skills. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Chapter 1 pp 9 Peter, J. P., Donnelly, J. H., Jr. (2007). Marketing management: knowledge and skills. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Case 2 South Delaware Coors, Inc. pp 250 Peter, J. P., Donnelly, J. H., Jr. (2007). Marketing management: knowledge and skills. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Case 2 South Delaware Coors, Inc. Exhibit 1

The Garden Company Limiteds performance in the hong kong market

The Garden Company Limiteds performance in the hong kong market Introduction According to the assignment guidelines, students are allowed to choose either a service company or a manufacturing company for this report. I have chosen a manufacturing company in Hong Kong with global supply chains the Garden Company Limited (hereinafter called Garden). Their major upstream suppliers are from the US, Canada, and Australia whereas their two biggest downstream suppliers in Hong Kong are supermarkets Wellcome and ParknShop. Although Garden products are also being sold outside Hong Kong and China, including the Northern American, Canadian, Australian markets, I would focus this report only on its market in Hong Kong. Background information of the organization The Garden Company Limited is a Hong Kong-based bakery and confectionery manufacturer. The company was one of the first Chinese owned business as created to sell Western-style food products in Hong Kong, but also has a global supply chain network. Founded in 1926, Garden has experienced rapid societal changes and technological advancement in the past 80 years. Today, they are still persisting with their paramount values in quality, innovation and advancement. Garden supplies thousands of food products to todays retail and catering markets, with many of their products internationally awarded. As one of the largest bakery production corporations in Hong Kong, they are well equipped with state-of-the-art large-scale equipment. Their technology, quality, output and market development have long reached International Standards. Gardens wide assortments of products, high sales volume and extensive market penetration have long been broadly recognized. To further cope with rising market demand, they continue to inject large sums of investment into product research and development as well as upgrading their technology and production hardware. The various production procedures are completed with the most sophisticated equipment in their factory. Computer automation is integrated in all the processes from production to packaging, fully manifesting the remarkable results brought about by scientific management. Furthermore, their principal factory in Sham Tseng with a total area of 70,000 square meters carries out the production lines for bread, cakes, biscuits, candies etc. Unlike most firms in Hong Kong, Garden was a pro-China company and had been supplying bread to Chinese army during World War II. The firm closed its operations during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945. The company expanded with the growth of Hong Kong before and after World War II and benefited from the influx of immigrants from Mainland China. In the 1980s and 1990s, Garden products were shipped overseas to Chinese communities around the world. Besides their major business in Hong Kong, Garden has also been actively taping into the Mainland China market since the 1980s. Factories had been set up in Dong Guan and Yang Zhou to introduce the advanced technology into the food manufacturing industry of the Mainland. Achieving the ISO9001 certification in 1997 was a milestone in their history. It demonstrates that Garden, with its world-class corporate management and modern operation system, is a globally acclaimed food manufacturer. Today, the company remains a privately owned family (Cheung family) business with several joint ventures with mainland Chinese firms. It is one of the few Hong Kong firms with manufacturing operations still in Hong Kong. All Garden products are made of the finest ingredients selected from all around the world, for example their barley is from Australia, flour from the United States, milk and butter from New Zealand, just to name a few. Their long-standing experience, fully-automated technology and packing equipment together with careful quality control guarantee that every product of theirs can meet strict quality testing and safety standards in many countries. With the past 80 years of excellence, Garden has successfully established itself as a distinguished brand supported and favored by many consumers around the world. Their products currently reach many major Chinese communities in as far as Europe and America. Today they are actively developing overseas markets in order to offer their quality foods to consumers in different corners of the world. With more than eight decades of experience in food production, the Garden Companys determination in offering quality products and services and its innovative spirit are as strong as ever. Looking ahead, they will continue with their commitment to producing nutritious and quality food with the pursuit of perfection. QIE, which stands for Quality, innovation, Efficiency, serves as Gardens corporate mission with the objectives to lead their staff to pursuit of superb quality, continuous innovation and achieve efficiency enhancement. It is through the implementation of QIE that the recognition and reputation of their brand have been greatly elevated. To realize their goal of QIE, the Company puts LTC Learn, Think, and Communicate into practice with all their working together to continuously improve the manufacturing of quality products, developing new technologies and new product values so as to satisfy the ever-heightening needs of consumers. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis Strengths: Garden has a global brand, it is a strong brand, strengths including brand recognition, brand quality, economies of scale, strong distribution network, strong distribution chain, supply chain, strong international operations, online growth, good reputation, reputation management, market share leadership, effective marketing strategy, experienced personnel, strong management team, effective communication, extensive customer base, loyal customers, cost advantage, asset leverage, competitive pricing, original and unique products, high research and development, advanced equipments, innovation, etc. Apart from all these company strengths, they are famous in Hong Kong. I believe that all households in Hong Kong consume their products, one or the other on a regular basis. They are considered second to none in the bakery industry. Weaknesses: Due to Gardens huge range of products, coupled with a substantial global retail network, bad communication is unavoidable, it happens from time to time. Furthermore, they experience diseconomies to scale, at times over leveraged financial position, and weak corporate governing practice. Since Gardens range of products is for the public in general, many of their competitors go to the upper end market, for example to high class customers such as hotels and delis, and leave Garden in the lower end market for many years. Opportunities: Garden basically has a healthy financial position. They did some acquisitions, merger and takeovers on a small scale basis. They also tie up with international events to capitalize on synergy opportunities for growth of the operation. They continuously look for new markets; expand in Asia, expand into online shopping; decrease its taxation through donations to charity organizations. In the era of emergence of international middle class, and change in consumer lifestyles, they are constantly changing their products to expand their customer base, and their service lines like new products such as drinks and snacks, and new service such as mail order. Threats: Although Garden has a lion share in the bakery industry, they have many competitors in the high end sector. With Hong Kong returning its sovereignty to Mainland China, Garden is facing many financially strong competitors from the Mainland. There are new competitors from the Mainland entering into this relatively small market. As far as their foreign business is concerned, foreign exchange rate changes affect its imports/exports strategies. The volatility in fuel costs, rising costs of business, pricing pressures, potentially slowing global economy, changes in demographics, change in consumer lifestyles, changing to cheaper technology, substitute products, changing consumer patterns, growing power of customers to set the price etc. are possible threats Garden has been facing during the past few years. Porters Five Forces analysis Competitive Rivalry within an industry: Since multi-market competition exists, rivalry between competitors in the industry is extremely intense. Companies in the industry have started new businesses to increase the level of competition with one another and compete heavily for geographic markets. There is no clear dominant market share player in the industry. Though the industry currently has relatively high growth, much of the business is cyclical, which leads to intensified competition in economic downturns. High fixed costs also contribute to intense competition. More recently, the continued growth of online shopping, mail orders, combined with increasing awareness of door to door logistics arrangements have been giving Garden headaches and they have been streamlining their services in this competitive environment. A few remarks are listed below to introduce some of Gardens international and local rivalries. Sara Lee Corporation Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer products company with food, beverage, and household and body care lines of business. With powerful brands, such as Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Senseo and its namesake, Sara Lee, the company has leading positions in numerous categories in the more than 180 markets in which it competes. In Hong Kong, Garden has two main competitors in its frozen and fresh breads. For frozen breads, it major rivalries are Maxims, Sara Lee. For fresh breads, Garden is facing numerous small size competitors, in particular in the western style restaurants which bake on an everyday basis for its afternoon tea customers. Competitive Rivalry is a strong force in the bakery industry because the competitors use price cuts to compete, there is a low cost product range and there is ease in switching brands, and the companies in this industry can diversify and acquire other companies for strategic growth and for synergy purposes. Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants into this industry is relatively low because of the scale required to make companies in the industry competitive. Capital demands to fund all of the assets required in the industry are extraordinarily large, making competition from entrepreneurs or small companies very difficult at this level of market competitiveness. Economies of scale are necessary for the business to be profitable and because of the intensity of rivalry, customers are difficult to attract. While the basic service of shipping goods would be relatively easy for new entrants to imitate, the competitors in the industry have created value and high switching costs for their customers through proprietary technologies. Threat of New Entrants is a weak force in this industry. Each company currently in the industry has strong brand images, leaving a harder job for new companies. The capital expenditures to start a bakery company are large, and the companies currently are achieving economies of scale by going global. Any smaller company will not be able to achieve these right away, not allowing them to compete on prices. Another factor threatening potential entrants is trade tariffs and international regulations. Most companies currently in the industry have already established relations with foreign countries. New companies will have to prove themselves to foreign companies, suppliers, and customers. Threat of Substitute Products: The threat of substitutes is currently high for the industry, but major technological or governmental foods regulations could change that. As mentioned above, although Garden has a lion share in the bakery industry, they have many competitors in the high end sector, for example Maxims, Saint Honore, Tai Pan Bakery etc. Garden is also facing many financially strong competitors from the Mainland. The latter produce substitute products such as dumplings, dim sums to suit the changing consumers taste. This is one of the many reasons why Garden has been continuously modifying the ingredients and packaging of their products during the past few years. Threat of Substitute Products is a strong force in this industry. There are plenty of substitute products in the market. Bakery retail outlets such as Maxims, Saint Honore, Tai Pan Bakery etc are conveniently located in all the 18 zones. One can literally find either one of them in almost every main street in Hong Kong. These competitors also offer very competitive prices which make potential consumers lose their brand loyalty and easy to switch to another brand. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers bargaining power is fairly low in the industry, but different suppliers have slightly different pricing strategies to fight for their survival. Competitors are also on the same footing with suppliers, as they are all subject to the same prices, although they may have hedged differently. Labour is a major factor of production in the industry and differences between companies regarding labour contracts subjects them to varying degrees of supplier power. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm, when there are few substitutes. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or, e.g., charge excessively high prices for unique resources. This is a strong force if the suppliers serve different industries with their raw materials. If a supplier only has accounts or the majority of their accounts with different companies, they will not be able to control prices and supplies. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Customers in the industry initially have power, but once they commit to a bakery, their bargaining power decreases significantly. New customers can easily shop around for price or level of service in the beginning, but once they have chosen a bakery and buy their product, they are usually loyal to them. Customers are likely to become loyal to a certain provider because of long-standing relationships or personal interaction with the company. This is a moderate force in this industry because competition keeps prices similar among the companies. The only difference is degree in loyalty. Also, the buyers of the services in this industry are reactionary. They do not know the technology before it happens. They become dependent on the technology, service and speed offered by the companies in this industry and will pay for it. SCOR (Supply-Chain Operations Reference) Model Planning activities: Gardens target customers are the public in general, whether they be as young as 2 years old, to as old as 99, they could be Gardens customers. Their pricing strategy is value for money. Their marketing slogan has been nutrition you need every day with the highest quality. These planning activities have proved to be most successful and made Garden the leading supplier in the bakery industry, in particular in the breads, biscuits and cakes sectors. Sourcing activities: According to the reading materials I searched and found, Garden has been purchasing all the baking ingredients directly themselves. However, they do outsource through logistic companies in their delivery activities. Locally, they need to deliver their fresh breads every early morning to hundreds of retail outlets. They also need to deliver fresh buns to all McDonalds franchisees. Furthermore they also deliver a range of fancy breads to airline caterers, hotels and restaurants. Internationally, they outsource transportation companies as well as freight forwarders for special orders such as wedding and birthday cakes. Internally, they outsource information technologies, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, foods testing etc. just to name a few. Make or production activities: Gardens upstream suppliers are worldwide. These included but not limited to flour, sugar, milk, cocoa, vanilla, wheat, soda powder, etc. again just to name a few. Countries included but not limited to (in alphabetical order) Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Bread Production Gardens bread production lines operate on a 24-hour basis, of which one is the first fully-automated line for hamburger buns in Asia. Apart from the retail market, they provide a huge volume of wholesale goods, which include bread, pastry and frozen dough products to major fast food chains, restaurants, hotels and airline catering services in Hong Kong. With their far-ranging businesses, they are committed to providing consumers with better choices with continuous innovations. Biscuit production Garden possesses diverse expertise, equipment and automated production lines to produce a wide variety of biscuits including wafers, cookies, sandwich biscuits, saltine, crackers and assorted biscuit gift packs to meet market demands. Cake production Their wide range of cakes has long been famous for its high quality and great taste. To cope with market demand, Garden produces cake products with highly efficient production lines, of which one is fully computerized for producing mini-cakes. With a wholehearted contribution from over 1,200 employees, Garden has established itself as the most reputable manufacturer in the local industry. Order processing information systems All market interactions, from the understanding of aggregate demand to the fulfillment of each order are not done wholly by Garden internally themselves. Some logistics are being outsourced, in particular for the overseas markets in Northern and Latin America, Australia, Europe, and Canada. Garden normally receives their orders through phone, fax and e-mail or e-order. Its IT department uploads orders to the printing invoice system. Automatically, these invoices pass to its distribution department for delivery. After deliveries, these invoices will be, again automatically, sent to its accounting department. The latter department then issues credit notes to the appropriate customers. Currently they are still using the information systems designed by IBM. Quality Control foremen in Garden are made responsible to ensure that expiry date, and appearances are properly done, and presentable. All delivery vans must have the correct temperatures for the different kinds of products. Delivery activities: Different transportation teams are required for different products. Fresh breads, frozen breads, biscuits are being delivered by the China and Hong Kong transport teams. Fresh bread team has about 60 vehicles to deliver 4,000 orders per day. These trucks are recognizable easily on the streets. Frozen breads and biscuits teams have about 20 vehicles to deliver 400 orders per day. Three trailers are being outsourced for the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets. As mentioned above, Garden does outsource through logistic companies in their delivery activities. Locally, they need to deliver their fresh breads every early morning to hundreds of retail outlets. They also need to deliver fresh buns to all McDonalds franchisees; deliver a range of fancy breads to airline caterers, hotels and restaurants. Internationally, they outsource transportation companies as well as freight forwarders for special orders such as wedding and birthday cakes. Not only that Garden wants to manufacture the best products, they also want to provide their best delivery service. Return activities: Garden guarantees its products are fresh and proper. They promise their retailers that they will replace any damaged or rotten items, that is if that happens. Garden has agreed with their retailers that they will pick up any expired items on their shelves. Assess how well the organization implements the supply chain management As mentioned right at the beginning of this report, Gardens major upstream suppliers are from the US, Canada, and Australia whereas their three biggest downstream suppliers in Hong Kong are supermarkets Wellcome, ParknShop and Mcdonalds. As far as this report is concerned, I would focus in the downstream supply chains; and before I go into how well Garden implements the supply chain management, I would like to introduce Gardens major downstream supply chains Wellcome, ParknShop and Mcdonalds. Wellcome Wellcome is Hong Kongs longest-established supermarket chain, they have an overall staff of 5,000 in more than 240 stores and serves more than 14 million customers every month. ParknShop ParknShop is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong (the other is Wellcome Supermarket). ParknShop operates more than 260 outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China. ParknShop has more than 200 stores and 9,000 employees in Hong Kong. Mcdonalds McDonalds Corporation is one of the worlds largest chains of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. Most of their breads in Hong Kong are supplied by Garden. Although Garden does supply their products to airlines catering companies, hotels and restaurants, as well as supply chains such as 7 Eleven, Circle K and etc., I am not going to introduce these supply chains on a one on one basis. Basically these supply chains are owned by substantial and listed companies with well-trained management teams. Top management, as well as middle management personnel at Garden have very good business relationships with their supply chains. They have properly done legal contracts specifying all the details in supplies and payments. I have not been able to find any past news regarding any communication breakdowns between Garden and its supply chains. I have neither been able to find any past law suits about Garden suing any of its supply chains for non-payments, nor any company suing Garden for not delivering its responsibilities although there have been rumors that Garden has been finding it more and more difficult to get their payments on time during the past few years. Based on these findings, I believe Garden has been successful in its supply chains management activities. Suggest solutions/ways to improve the organization business; especially by improvements on supply chain management of the organization Supply Chain Management (SCM) is not created to suit for every company. It can succeed only with top management commitment and managers loyalty in executing those management strategies. Gardens management teams need to spend time in evaluating whether new SCM, inclusive of international networks, is suitable to be implemented into their company and how it could be successful. Garden bread has long history in Hong Kong that the fundamental target market should be the mass public served as the stable diet. With the increasing awareness of healthy eating, the variety of healthy consciousness products have been promoted like multi-grained, whole wheat, high calcium low fat breads. It is the general social trend and also serves as one of the marketing strategies that focus on the targeted middle-class, office-ladies and health consciousness customers. The relative advantage of Garden obviously is its long history and well-developed manufacturing factories, well-connected distribution channels, competitive retailing price and, of course, the well-known and long established brand name. On the other hand, these relative advantages might contribute some shortcomings in terms of the flexibility of market positioning and variety of products in response to the ever-changing and ever-increasing market force. Personally I am disappointed with Gardens decade-long use of coconut oil as an ingredient for their biscuits production. According to certain food magazines, too much consumption in coconut oil is bad for our health. Although all the reading material I found have been saying good things about Garden, nevertheless Garden is not a listed company, it is a privately owned company. They do not have to disclose any of their operation details to the public. Particularly, they do not have to disclose their financial position apart from to the Inland Revenue. My perception of Garden is that it is a very old style traditional company. Its top management includes family members of the founder. It is purely family business. Its image is not catching up with the young generation. Their product range is also conservative. It does not give any modern flare to attract those expats from the west. They focus on Asians so far, that means there is a huge expats market for them to develop. Garden reminds me of the Green, Yellow and White Arrow brands chewing gum company. The latter company has been too conservative and has not been innovative to catch up with the new entrants. Hence, Green White Arrow chewing gums have been losing market share. Until today, they have not been able to gain back what has been lost. The image of Garden should shift to focus more clearly on each market segment. For instance, Garden should develop a Gourmet production line which emphasis on the finest ingredients, the innovative design, for example in its packaging, and its advertisements. They could consider making more choice of breads, land cakes similar to those recipes from Italy and France, or from Europe at large. In order to shave off the old stable diet image, instead, the building up of the delicate and professional crafted food and to state that not only the five stars hotels can produce but Garden can also make and even better. The efforts to make sure managers do well in the SCM program and not treat it as another flavor-of-the-month include but not limited to the followings. Firstly, Garden has to ensure that the companys SCM strategies are specifically designed. Secondly, the SCM program need to meet their customers demands and reduces the companys costs. Thirdly, the management team must buy-in the program. Also, all the benefits included from the program such as customer responsiveness, more consistent on-time delivery; shorter order fulfillment lead times; reduced inventory costs; lower cost of purchased items; higher product quality; faster product innovation and etc. must be clearly explained to all the concerned managers so that they know the importance of the program. Garden must ensure that the staff concerned understand the objectives of the program, for example to better utilize the company resources and yet with higher product quality. Finally, if managers do well in implementing and executin g the program, the company should consider giving them incentive such as bonus or additional rewards other than their normal compensation. This will give them more motivation to continue to run the program. Garden has to do detailed surveys and researches to find out what are the products that their customers demand. They should listen to the voice of their customers. Their views and suggestions could in turn help the company to produce specifically the range of products the customers need. The company could also utilize their findings for meetings and discussions with their suppliers, both upstream and downstream and production managers to reduce the order processing time and inventories. The company would also be able to produce higher quality products with lower prices and less order processing time. In this way, the company would be more responsive to both their customers and suppliers. By doing the above, the company would be able to expand its market share from other competitors. Further possible improvements can be capitalized in the advances in technological and informational environment. These improvements have major implications for all industries, particularly logistics. If used effectively such advances may be a key source of competitive advantage. The technology listed below may become a competitive edge advantage for Garden in the future. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) not ready to implement? Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. It works like a barcode, but instead of having to be passed in front of a scanner for recognition, tiny transponders (known as tags or chips) send out radio signals. Each tag is small, robust and unique so any one item can be tracked individually throughout the supply chain. Logistics and transportation are major areas of implementation for RFID technology. For example, yard management, shipping and freight and distribution centers are some areas where RFID tracking technology is used. Transportation companies around the world value RFID technology due to its impact on the business value and efficiency. The new technology is currently seen as too expensive to put on individuals products, but large companies already use it to track shipping items. RFID trials have met with mixed customer reactions. As with many such technical advances the effects can be both positive and negative. RFID technology is currently unsophisticated and largely applied to logistical operations. Training of staff and informing all internal stakeholders as to how RFID technology works and can benefit the company, stating the impact on customers so that companies are able to improve their operations. Global Positioning System (GPS) The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth which has an unobstructed view of four or more GPS satellites. GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation for aviation, ground, and maritime operations. Installing GPS systems for delivery vehicles can increase the efficiency and effectiveness in delivering products. Even though transportation companies offer tracking and insurance services to their customers, there are still chances that the customers packages might be lost or stolen. Imagine a GPS chip attached to the delivery packages; it can then be tracked anytime. Adding this technology can boost the customers confidence about Garden. Conclusion Gardens supply chains are owned by substantial and listed companies with well-trained management teams. Garden has very good business relationships with their supply chains. Garden has been successful in its SCM activities. For further improvements, Garden should keep themselves abreast of the current important trends being developed in the business arena, for example electronic commerce has been widely used. Experienced users reveal that e-business reduces costs and time. It creates less conflict between suppliers and consumers. Garden must realize that very few industries are protected geographically; competition is getting more and more fierce. Gardens determination to change as the contents mentioned-above is critical for its advancement. With Gardens top management teams commitment, together with managers efforts, I believe that Gardens staff is more willingly to change and Garden has a good chance of success in improving its current SCM program. During the process of finding reading material for this exercise and thereafter digesting the material, I became more familiar with what