The Virtue of Men and Women in The Canterbury Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays

The Virtue of Men and Women in The Canterbury TalesPeople never change. In either town you will always be adequate to(p) to find the rich guy, the smart guy, the thief, and the chief. It has been that way since the first man was swindled out of his lunch. Throughout his life, Geoffrey Chaucer encountered every lovable of person and brought them to life for us in The Canterbury Tales, a collection of short stories written in the 1300s. There be tales of saints, tales of promiscuity, tales of fraud, and tales of love. While reading, one has no excerption but to come to the simple realization that nonhing has really changed from Chaucers time to ours. In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer depicted people from all walks of life. Society then had three belowlying classes of virtue that most people fell under the Revered, the Commonfolk, and the Despicable. In the days of Chaucer, these people could be found in any village or town, average as they can be found nowadays in our towns. Ti mes were different then, but the people meetnt changed a bit. Chaucer wrote of only three people who ar deserving of the title The Revered. These atomic number 18 the people who are always admired for their altruism, honesty, and kindness. They are proud and courageous with unalterable beliefs and unbreakable morals. Each of them may have a few harmless quirks, but are nevertheless revered. The most known of The Revered is the horse. The Knight served in the Crusades where he fought for his king and the preservation of his beliefs in Christianity. Honor and virtue were reflected in everything he did. The Knight represents one of the most admirable characters in literature and is revered because of what he stands for. Though the Parson did not fight in the Crusades like the Knight, he likewise served God. The Parson was a man of the church whose beliefs in Christianity were unyielding. Decent and principled, he was a man devoted(p) completely to his congregation. The Parson fully accepted the province bestowed upon him to guard his people from sin. He said, If gold rusts, what will iron do? By this he meant that if the priest became corrupt, what would the parishioners do? As a parishioner and a sidekick of the Parson, the Plowman was a prime example of how well this philosophy worked. The Plowman is considered to reside in societys lowest class.The Virtue of Men and Women in The Canterbury Tales Canterbury Tales EssaysThe Virtue of Men and Women in The Canterbury TalesPeople never change. In every town you will always be able to find the rich guy, the smart guy, the thief, and the chief. It has been that way since the first man was swindled out of his lunch. Throughout his life, Geoffrey Chaucer encountered every kind of person and brought them to life for us in The Canterbury Tales, a collection of short stories written in the 1300s. There are tales of saints, tales of promiscuity, tales of fraud, and tales of love. While reading, one has no choice but to come to the simple realization that null has really changed from Chaucers time to ours. In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer depicted people from all walks of life. Society then had three basic classes of virtue that most people fell under the Revered, the Commonfolk, and the Despicable. In the days of Chaucer, these people could be found in any village or town, just as they can be found today in our towns. Times were different then, but the people havent changed a bit. Chaucer wrote of only three people who are deserving of the title The Revered. These are the people who are always admired for their altruism, honesty, and kindness. They are proud and courageous with unalterable beliefs and unbreakable morals. Each of them may have a few harmless quirks, but are nevertheless revered. The most known of The Revered is the Knight. The Knight served in the Crusades where he fought for his king and the preservation of his beliefs in Christianity. Honor and virtue were reflected in ev erything he did. The Knight represents one of the most admirable characters in literature and is revered because of what he stands for. Though the Parson did not fight in the Crusades like the Knight, he also served God. The Parson was a man of the church whose beliefs in Christianity were unyielding. Decent and principled, he was a man devoted completely to his congregation. The Parson fully accepted the responsibility bestowed upon him to guard his people from sin. He said, If gold rusts, what will iron do? By this he meant that if the priest became corrupt, what would the parishioners do? As a parishioner and a brother of the Parson, the Plowman was a prime example of how well this philosophy worked. The Plowman is considered to reside in societys lowest class.

Media Violence - Cartoon Violence and Violent Children :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Cartoon Violence and Violent Children   With the recent increase in raging crimes sanctifyted by children, adults have been looking for solutions to what causes children to commit these acts. Researchers have performed formal studies, and other approaches have been taken to answer the question. Their ideas and perceptions have strayed far and wide, looking for a suitable answer one such answer of the more they have uncovered is television, but especially television geared towards children cartoons and animation. In recent years, animation has taken a more openly cherry-red twist during the same time period that the unique and varied forms of Japanese animation have come to America both have raised many parents eyebrows as articles and media coverage portray both, but especially Japanese animation, in a harsh and unfair light, depicting all series and movies as violent and only fit for mature audiences. The adults perception of animation varies greatly from the childrens per ception, as many factors, such as media depictions, personal opinions, and even the substantiateards of cultures, come into play on the decision of what is suitable for younger viewers.        While it is not the first medium ever to reproduce violence for entertainment, television has certainly been the most notorious. However, television send do not air violence because they want to. They air it because that is what sells. The blame is upon ourselves for the large volume of violence, since they are merely responding to what we want (Kim). This love for violence has filtered into well-nigh every television show aired currently. Virtually every television station airs shows, either withstand action or animated, that involve the characters fighting, arguing, or just acting in a malevolent way towards something or somebody else. The news always carries stories of what crimes have been committed during the day, daytime talk shows and welt operas often involve f ighting and conflict, and even childrens television is starting to take a more serious, mature twist in its presentations. Shows such as the live action series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have been called into question because of the numerous fight scenes and injuries that they depict however, Power Rangers is one show that does provide a substance to children at the end, informing them that the fighting is not real and that they should not imitate the Power Rangers.        Despite this warning, children do imitate their heroes, hoping to emulate them and be able to stand as strong and powerful as they do.

Nature vs. Nurture Essay -- Heredity and Environment

AbstractNature vs. encourage has been discussed by philosophers in the past and by scientists more recently. Philosophers such as Plato argued that all knowledge was ancestral from your parents and when you were told something you didnt learn it you were just reminded of it. Aristotle however argued that all humans were born with a blank slate and built on it with influence from there environment. In the 1700s the empiricists and the internalists took over the argument. They fought through letters explaining there point of views and denouncing the others. This leads to Pavlov coming up with the idea of behaviorism in the early 1900s. Behaviorism became the new totter of Psychology and influenced a lean towards the nurture side. It was not effectively argued against until 1928 when Watson published his book. This opened up the floodgates for environmental influences studies. Soon the idea of nurture was the popular apologize for behavior. Studies using animals were the most popula r was in which scientists used to prove a theory, or disprove a theory. The newest studies use human twins to prove temperament vs. nurture.An age-old question has been asked for generations before us. What is the reasons behind the development of human behavior? There have been many theories formulated to explain why humans practise the way they do. Explanations vary from demonology to magnetic fluids controlling peoples behaviors. Over time, two theories have remained popular in academic fields such as philosophy and psychology. The surviving theories for behavior stem from physiological and sociological explanations. However, the two explanations have not always been compatible with each other. The famous nature vs. nurture debate over human behavior resulted from conflicting views between proponents of the physiological (nature) and sociological (nurture) explanations. Throughout history, research has swayed popularity back and forth between the theories. Yet, theorists have humbled down the line separating nature and nurture. Today, people us both explanations in research to advance the knowledge of human behavior.Thousands of years before the field of psychology, philosophers pondered on human behavior. As early as 350 BC, such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle tried to understand behavior. The question of nature or nurture as the primary agitate can be traced to these... ...y the effects of each in development. In these future studies, more groundbreaking advances will be made to aid humans in better understanding human behavior. In the end, that is what both sides of the nature vs. nurture debate intended to accomplish.BibliographyAmsel, A. (1989). Behaviorism, Neobehaviorism, and Cognitivism in Learning Theory. Hillsdale, NJ Erlbaum,.Ashcraft, M. (1998). Fundamentals of Cognition. natural York, NY Longman.Barnet, A. (1998). The Youngest Minds. New York, NY Simon & Schuster.Cowie, F. (1999). Whats Within?. Oxford Oxford University Press.Devlin, B. (1997). Intelligence, Genes, and Success. New York, NY Copernicus.Deutschmann, Linda B. (2002). Deviance and Social Control Third Edition. Scarborough, ON Nelson Thomson Learning.Fujita, Frank. (2000). Nature vs. Nurture. 3/15/2002 from http//folk.uio.no/roffe/faq/node 11.htmlMcGraw, M. (1995). Beyond Heredity and Environment. San Francisco, CA Westview Press.Modgil, S. (1987). B.F. Skinner Consensus and Controversy. New York, NY Falmer Press.Myers, David G. (2001). Psychology Sixth Edition. New York, NY Worth Publishers.

Ancient Olympics Essay -- essays research papers fc

History of the Ancient Olympic GamesThe Ancient classical Olympics were not only sporting events, it was a solemnisation to honor the great and powerful Zeus. The Ancient Olympics were held every four years at the famous Olympia, a district of Elis, here all free Greek men were allowed to compete. The first record of the Olympic Games was held in 776 B.C. The main sports were the Pentathlon, the Equestrian Events, Pankration, and Boxing.The Pentathlon was the name for the five events in Greek gymnastics running, jumping, wrestling, discus throwing, and javelin throwing which began with the 18th Olympiad. In the wrestling event, wrestlers were anointed with oil, dusted with powder, and forbidden to bite or gouge one another. Wrestling was looked upon as a weapon-free military exercise. Since in that respect was no weapons wrestlers that competed used their weight and force-out as an advantage especially since there were no weight categories. The Javelin was thrown in the same form back in ancient times as it is thrown today. The first recorded Olympic Games had one event, a stimulate, called the stade which is a measure of the distance of the length of the track. By 724 B.C. a two-length race was added and by 700 B.C. there were longer distance races. By 720 B.C., men participated naked, except in the foot race in armor that weighed between fifty to sixty pounds. The outfit include a helmet, greaves, and a shield that helped young men build speed and stamina in preparation for war. The Pentathlon included three running events such as the Stade, the Diaulos, and the Dolichos. The Stade was a 200 yard foot race, was the first and only Olympic event for 13 Games. The dolichos was a variable length foot race averaging twenty stades or four thousand yards for the fifteenth Olympiad. The Diaulos was a four hundred yard foot race that was instituted for the next Olympic Games. The discus was considered by ancient Greeks, an event of rhythm, precision, and finesse of a competitor to throw the discus was as important as his strength. The discus was do of stone, iron, bronze, or go away, and was shaped manage a flying saucer. The Sizes were different for the boys division, since the boys were not expected to throw the same weighted discus as the men. The athletes who competed in the jump event used lead or stone jump weights called halteres shaped like telephone receivers to increase ... ...rces, but in the historic years their founder is said to be Oxylos whose descendant Ifitos later rejuvenated the games. According to tradition, the Olympic Games began in 776 B.C. when Ifitos made a treaty with Lycourgos the king and famous legislator of Sparta and Cleisthenes the king of Pissa (Coote p. 13). The text of the treaty was written on a disc and kept in the Heraion. In this treaty that was the decisive event for the development of the sanctuary as a Panhellenic centre, the "sacred truce" was agreed, that is to claim the ceasing of f ighting in the entire Greek world for as long as the Olympic Games were on. As a reward for the victors, the cotinus, which was a wreath made from a branch of wild olive tree that was growing next to the opisthodomus of the temple of Zeus in the sacred Altis, was established after an order of the oracular oracle. Works CitedCoote, James. A Picture History of the Olympics. London, England Tom Stacey Limited, 1972.Kristy, Davida. Olympics How the Games Began. Minneapolis, Minnesota Lerner Publications Company, 1995.Grolier, the Associated Press. The Olympic Story. Danbury, Connecticut Grolier Enterprises INC., 1979.

Characteristics of a Good Leader Essay -- Leadership

A good drawing card needs to have many particular characteristics. Some of these argon obvious, such as that they care about what you are doing and always puts you before themselves. Also another trait of a good leader is that they always keep promises they make. Some of the subtle attributes of a good leader are that they do not hide behind bad news. Moreover, they are easy people to talk to and they have a good if not slender sense of humor.In my opinion, the best leader would be one that enjoys being the leader, is anyways there when I need him or her, sets tangible milestones, always believes that I puke do everything, is optimistic, gets everyone involved, wants everyone to be successful, and lastly is courageous and brave. All these characteristics describe the best leader in the world...

Characteristics of a Good Leader Essay -- Leadership

A high-priced leader needs to have many particular characteristics. Some of these are obvious, such as that they care almost what you are doing and always puts you before themselves. Also another trait of a good leader is that they always keep promises they make. Some of the subtle attributes of a good leader are that they do not hide behind bad news. Moreover, they are easy people to talk to and they have a good if not excellent sense of humor.In my opinion, the best leader would be one that enjoys being the leader, is anyways there when I need him or her, sets tangible milestones, always believes that I can do everything, is optimistic, gets everyone involved, wants everyone to be successful, and lastly is courageous and brave. All these characteristics describe the best leader in the world...

The Other Side of Truth

The Other Side of Truth is a novel written by author, Beverly Naidoo. The novel is mainly based on telling the truth and lying, and when it is right to do either. In the book are various types of situations where characters need to make a decision on whether to lie or to tell the truth. Beverly Naidoo provides the correct decisions and the wrong ones in the story. Naidoo shows in the novel, when it is ok to lie and when it is non. Naidoo suggests that if your life is in danger it is considered ok to lie, but if you assume your life is calm down in danger when its actually not you might accidently lie to the wrong people.Naidoo displays this when Sade and Femi find the father in a detention displace and ask him why he is not able to come back home with them. Folarin says that he cannot because Sade lied about who they were to the officials. Now the officials do not believe Folarin when he says that they are his kids. There is a sthrong message that sometimes one lie is ok in the r ight circumstances, but consecutive lies could sack you up in a lot of trouble. An important quote from the book states this idea, A lie has seven winding path, the truth has one straight road. pg. 148. prevarication could be a very dangerous thing, telling the truth is the best way to go, but even the truth can land you in trouble. The truth is a very powerful thing, it is important that you tell it, this is portrayed by Naidoo in her novel. Naidoo has based the whole novel around the truth. In the story it is apply when it should and shouldnt be. Folarin Solaja is the main protagonist in the novel when it comes to the importance of telling the truth. He states several quotes about how important in his mind, it is to tell the truth.

Bureaucracy in Tigbao Primary Multi Purpose Cooperative Inc.

INTRODUCTION Bureaucracy refers to the management of large make-ups characterized by hierarchy of self-assurance, fixed predominates and regulations, impersonal relationships, unshakable adherence to procedures, and a highly specialized division of labor. Bureaucracy is often associated with large entities much(prenominal) as government, corporations and non-governmental memorial tablets. This includes businesses, government, education and religion. Bureaucracy connotes a rational, efficient mode of accomplishing formational goals as this would contribute to coordination and apply in an organization.Max Weber, a German sociologist and political economist, gave much importance on rationality wherein efficient formation of formal rules and procedures takes place. This rationality usually occurs in almost all aspects replacing the traditional methods of social organization. Webers study on bureaucratism is ground on ideal-type analysis and to develop this, Weber noted and has set ideal-type characteristics of bureaucratic organizations. These ideal characteristics include fixed division of labor, hierarchy of authority, creation of rules and regulations, selection found on qualifications and impersonality on forcefulness matters.Although not all organization teach these characteristics, and does not fit exactly ideal type of bureaucracy, these would serve as criteria on an ideal bureaucracy present in the organization. Tigbao Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc. (TPMPCI) Tigbao, Libagon, Southern Leyte Ideal Characteristics of Bureaucracy Fixed division of labor. This refers to how the various tasks of a certain organization are divided up and being performed. The Tigbao Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc. does not possess this characteristic since their business focuses only on merchandising or job goods and offer loan ervices to customers. In their trading business, as long as an employee knows the job and has a good educational background, s he/he is qualified for the position held. Their trim is not that too hard and does not require too much skills and specialization thats why each employee can work in behalf of the other, if receivable to some cases such as absent, as long as he/she is very well-oriented. Also, in their loaning service, they hire employees based on his ability to direct the work and being able to know the work.Thus, the cooperative does not necessarily hire specialized experts and division of labor does not take place deep down the organization. Hierarchy of authority or chain of command. The hierarchy of authority in an organization is designed to benefit the company and the employees. The company grows with the strength of a commensurate managerial staff, and employees look to management to provide career development. A hierarchy is also a method of husbanding managerial integrity. When someone becomes a manager, she must fold to be competent, or else she ordaining experience employee turn over.The hierarchy of authority in an organization is important to the sustained success of the company. The principles of office hierarchy and of levels of grade authority is present in the organization wherein their president or high ranking officer control and supervise the lower office or the lower levels in the organization. This clearly shows that the organization follow a chain of command which is very essential to the productivity and efficiency in the sense that lower levels also maintain the right to appeal the decisions made by the higher office.Thus, formal hierarchy would contribute to its centralization of the decisions made. Explicit Rules and Regulations. Rules and regulations are essential to one organization since it will be an aid in promoting workers efficiency. The Tigbao Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc. has certain rules employed by the organization to govern performance of workers. one and only(a) of these is a standard rule in their organization that t hey should be on-time and avoid tardiness but these rules was not that clearly followed since the organizations wages and salaries are based on percentage yield.In their trading business, if the organization has no client or customers who will purchase their goods, they also contract no salary. That is why employees should work hard as early as 0700 in the morning so that they can also comport a great percentage. Meanwhile in their loaning service, employees tend to follow the prime(prenominal) come first serve basis so that there is an equal treatment among the clients. The written rules provided by the organization determine the performance of workers thus, absent of these rules in their organization would peak to inefficiency of the workers.Qualification-Based Employment. Selection, recruitment and hiring in the organization rely on specific qualification such as educational background and personality of the applicants. Their organization discourages favoritism and family co nnections such as backers since it is not an acceptable criterion for employment. Their organizations employment is largely based on proficient qualifications, but not necessarily on the field of expertness but as long as he/she have the knowledge about the job. Impersonality on Personnel Matters.This means that workers should work based on their official status not on personal feelings thus there should be a detached approach on this. Officials in the said organization assort their personal feelings among clients or co-workers. This idea also means that they toughened all employees equally and customers equally. They interact according to their official status. Through this impersonality, workers can work efficaciously without caring for their individual safety. Thus, it enables workers to be more(prenominal) productive in their work. Shortcomings or Problems Inefficiency and Rigidity.Policies and procedures in the said organization contributed to inefficiency and rigidity in the sense that they follow the gradually procedures rather than getting the job done correctly by means of providing solutions to enigmas. Example of this, in their loans service, is when there were urgent transactions, they tend to follow the correct procedures in having a negotiation with their clients instead of considering their situation. But in some cases when they tend to loan in the service and withdraw money, and if they have their valid reasons, they consider their reasons. One thing employees consider in their organization is that they ear that if they were not able to follow the norms and violated the norms of impersonality, they can be accused to favoritism or turn thus, making if inefficient one since it takes a lot of time in following such procedures. Also, on the part of their trading business, employees were told not to let clients to have a credit during the end of the month or if they have an inventory, thats why most clients were mad since some tend to consi der others. This leads to inefficiency since there is unsymmetrical treatment present thus making it ineffective in catering the needs of customers. Resistant to change.This refers to the action taken by individuals and groups when they perceive that a change that is occurring as a threat to them. In their organization, unfortunately, they do not have new technologies which they can utilize for the betterment of their organization and improve its productivity. But if they acquire new technologies such as computer for their paper works, they will utilize it and willing to adapt to changes. Since they had considered that through the new technologies, their transactions will be more accurate and their work is more convenient and fast also can make workers boost their competence on their work.This problem regarding bureaucracy on their organization is not that a great barrier on their part to promote efficiency on their work since when they select and in hiring process of employees, th ey based it on the employees computer literacy thus enables them to productive. Perpetuation of Race, Class and Gender Inequalities. The problem regarding treatment of employees unequally in their organization does not occur since they have equally treated their employees.Racial class inequality does not occur in their organization since employees have the same races and if they have this racial class inequality, this is not imperative in the organization. Regarding social class, middle class employees and working class employee have an equal chance to be promoted. They consider the performance since it would contribute to the success of their organization, Also the gender is not the basis in employment. If you have the qualification, whether you are a male or female applicant, you have the chance to be employed in their organization. SolutionsTo resolve these arising problems on their organization, first, they should set specific policy which are clear and understood by workers t o promote productivity and profitability of the organization and competence among employees. Since their major problem on their organization revolves around the improper implementation of the rules and regulation, they should also set alternatives on how to solve this such as stated earlier. Management by rules should be applied by the organization wherein it follows consistent set of rules to control decisions and thus executed effectively by the lower levels of the organization.Second, if employees acquire the characteristics of being resistant to changes, they have to have orientation about the new technologies used by the organization that would contribute to employees knowledgeable skills being applied in the organization. Through orientation and training, they will learn how to operate the computers, if they have. Being resistant to change plays a big role in the organization since it will boost individuals incompetence of his/her work thus they should employ the adaptive to c hanges.Third, with concerns about division of labor, they should hire specialized experts to have a fixed division of labor present in their organization. Work is to be done obviously by specialists and people should be organized into units based on the type of work they do or skills they have. This is an essential tool in organizations so that works will be delegated among them and being expert in the field one is into is also vital in attaining the goals and objectives of the organization.Lastly, personnel should be hired based on technical competence. The appointment to a position within the organization should be made on the grounds of technical competence. Work should be assigned based on the experience and competence of the individual. Conclusion Tigbao Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc. has these several characteristics of bureaucracy namely hierarchy of authority, wherein the order of battle in which authority and power in an organization is wielded and delegated from t op management to every employee at every level of the rganization explicit rules and regulations, wherein rules are designed to control the conduct of those to whom it applies and regulations too are official rules, and have to be followed qualification based employment, wherein the basis of acquiring employees is largely based on specific qualifications, and impersonality, wherein there is a degree of separation of personal status and feelings except for the fixed division of labor thus, this organization has applied the ideal type of bureaucracy.Although there were a couple of(prenominal) problems present in their organization, but it is not that an impediment towards organizations efficiency on attaining their goals. Through these characteristics present in their organization, these would contribute a lot to their success and effectively catering the needs of the consumers. Therefore, bureaucracy can be seen as a way to make their organization more productive and efficient. And to sum up all, an ideal-type of bureaucracy do possess these characteristics.

Travel to Europe

Part of us accepts the new car Is better because it lasts longer. But, In fact, thats the worst issue about the new car _ It will stay slightly to disappoint you, whereas a trip to Europe is Over. It evaporates. It has the good sense to go away, and you are left(a) with nonhing only a wonderful memory Daniel Gilbert Europe and my metamorphosis. I was excited and nervous. Id have to think re solelyy hard and long to go c everywhere version to the previous clock I felt this way. I put a finger on my wrist Just to feel my blood thump against my sky at an accelerated rate. I smiled to myself.It was finally happening. I was going to Europe. It all started when I thought about applying to the Exchange Program my college was offering of four-months,l semester. The College they were sending the students was in Rennet. SEC Rennet School of Business. Finally, something that appealed to me. Living in Delhi had somehow numbed my senses to such an extent that I had become devoid of an y sort of feeling. I needed to explode from this place or a while and this seemed Like the perfect opportunity. Carper Idle. I seized it. Voila, I was in Europe. I found time to backpack over all of Europe and when I couldnt find it I made it.I loved staying In the hostels and Interacting with new people on a dally basis. Some of them stock-still became good friends. It was absolutely necessary for me to visit a few cities that old heard so much about that I was k if my grades took a toll. I knew I wouldnt get this chance later and I wanted to make the most of it. I thought Id write a little bit about the cities I visited whilst there. Paris Wow was the first word that escaped my mouth when I looked around and found myself In Paris. The City of Lights never ceases to amaze and is adept of the most beautiful cities I came across in France.Market District, the cobbled streets, the musicians, the poets, all in one place. The romance was In the air. I saw the Notre Dam Cathedral and visited the shoes des Vogues Old Square. The Peer Liaises cemetery was hauntingly beautiful and what to tell you about the Eiffel Tower. It was just well exquisite. I was reminded of Ernst Hemmingway and what he had said about Paris and how in effect(p) he was. If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the est. of your life It girdle with you, for Pans Is a movable feast.Amsterdam Man o Man what to say about Amsterdam. I loved it. It has absolutely everything. The Dutch are Insane. What spirit they have. rear to be infected with It while you are there because no one can escape it. It was a god damn party every bucking darkness I was there. I had no sleep at all and my time-space orientation got distorted for a few days I guess with all the harming bud I could get my hands on. The coffee shops were well just misnomers. The Architecture was amazing I was Just taken In by It. The canals were undischarged too. I love Amsterdam approac h on legalizing prostitution.You have to see It for yourself. The place was so lively. Berlin A city cemented in history. Definitely worth ceremony and visiting. Starting should see in ones lifetime. I cant thank my friend Goblin enough for being such a gracious host and showing me around Berlin. Yes I know you want me to bust that myth for you that Germans drink beer like its water. Well that isnt a myth, one visit to a local pub and my hopes were dashed. It is not a myth. Germans do love their beer a lot, and it loves them back Warlock was beautiful. Small, quiet and peaceful. Just hat I had wanted that weekend.Some place where I could relax and unwind. I stayed at The Grammar Hostel and man you guys are the best. It is an old town really and there is not much to see except the Market Square. It was lively with so many people there and they were so different from the rest of the Europeans I had met. They were unique I must say. They could find beauty in the simple things in life. Prague. Pariah. The place actually means threshold. It was magical. The city was a portal between the life of the good and the other. A city caked in grime ancient, Soot- blackened. History lived in every detail.I wandered the streets in disbelief, photographing everything like mad. I wish I had spent more time there. The wind carried the memory of magic revolutions, violins and the cobbled lanes meandered like creaks. I cut down in love there. I dont know whether it was a good idea or not. I Just wanted to get lost there. Span. Ever since I had learnt Spanish in school I had wanted to go there. I was not too good at it though I remember. By the time I got the chance to visit Spain I had forgotten all my Spanish. The people were wonderful and Madrid is Just Madrid, so exciting, full of life and zest.Youve got to see it to believe it. I visited Barcelona as well and it was amazing. The Gaudier(Antonio Gaud) architecture was Just stunning. You must visit Case Battle (The famous Sku ll and Bones balcony). It is the most interesting and unusual of houses in Barcelona. This is my take on the various cities I visited when I was in Europe. I made a lot of friends, had loads of crazy nights but most of all I made memories that will be with me for a lifetime. I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope this inspires you a little not much but a little to get away from your comfort zone and Travel, Dream and Explore.

Buyer decision process Essay

Marketing Thoery & PracticeQ.13 What is meant by the vendee purpose process ? Explain the process , relating it to an individuals purchase of a new digital tv television camera.1 . IntroductionWhen a person makes a decision to steal something, basically, the product he want to debase is useful for him and he have it. on that pointfore he will go to find the information about that kind of goods from e truly seller and different brands. After he collect the information from ads, magazines, his comrades, or mass media, he will think about that, compargon the qualities, prices, servicesbetween different sellers or companies, decide which brand of the product he gonna buy. Finally, he will choose the most preferred brand to buy. After he bought the product, as a marketer, do not forget the last part of buyer decision process. Post-purchase behaviour. The reaction of customers are really important for a company . What are the buyers sentiment about the products , its satisfied or dissatisfied, even the constitution of one company are all depends on Post-Purchase behaviour.So , the stages buyers pass through to reach a buying dcision are introduce 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5Need science Information search rating of alternative Purchase decision Post-purchase behaviour.Clearly, the buying process starts long before actual purchase, and continues long after. Marketers need to focus on the entire buying process rather than on unless the purchase decision. save in more than routine purchase consumers often skip or bring down some of these stages.( Kotler Brown Marketing 6th version . )2 . Buyer Decision Process At the beginning of year 2004, Tony decided to buy a digital camera for taking photos during his journey nigh Europe. There were lots brands of digital cameras on sell at that time. He had to make a decision between them.2.1 Stage 1 Need recognitionTony wants a digital camera to take photos during the way for personal using. Therefore the demands of functions are just enough for satisfy the individual need. The digital camera need to have the basic function the normal camera has and the price should be not too expensive, its better if the quality of pictures are more clearly, the vivify faster and the design novelty.From this stage, the marketers should research the information that what the consumer need. It could become the target for a company who want improve the skill of their producing, for less risk , they need to look out the Marketing Concept , outside-in perspective , focus on customers .2.2 Stage 2 Information searchThe science today is developing all the time , heap need the cameras have more technologies in them . Digital camera could satisfy the demand of customers by its bigger LCD screen transiting photos to computers from the camera changeable display faster speed innovative features and also, all of these become the objective of the camera companies.There are lots goods from different camera companies such analogous Canon, Sony, Kodak, Olympus, Samsung could be chosen by Tony. As most customers, Tony ringed his friends, asked how was the opinions and knowledge of the brand of the product from them, read some news about digital camera from magazines and newspapers, found some information through the internet, even go around several camera shopsAt last, he limited the scope he the researching. He found two type of cameras which are fit for him. They are Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1(Sony DSC-T1) and CANON IXUS430(Canon S430). Sony CanonWe can see, in the business world today, a company must(prenominal) design its marketing mix to make protects aware of and knowledgeable about its brand.1 Its very important for a company to know what the consumer thinking about their products and even the repute of them. If they didnt advertised the produce, they may loss a lot of business profit because the complete ignorance of the customers.2.3 Stage 3 Evaluation Of AlternativesThe two digi tal camera companies all have high quality and good faith, the price of Sony DSC-T1 is 550 dollars, however the original price of Canon S430 was 620 dollars, now they are on sell just 520 dollars. Canon has a 1.5 LCD screen, Sony is 2.5 LCD display The speed of Sony DSC-T1 is 151/5300 s, and the speed of the Canon is 151/2000 s Canon camera has the USB input to connect with computers, but no memory stick. There are both USB input and memory stick on Sony DSC-T1. The weight of Sony is 180g, and Canon is 185g. For the people who buy the Sony camera, they retain the right to exchange the goods with any fault whenever they want in one year. Theres a only half a years warranty to Canon S430. But, If Tony decides to buy the Canon S430, he could also get a free camera handbag from the company.For personal use, the warranty of the company is the most important, which means to a company, service marketing is very important. Sony may win Canon by this factor. But also, Tony need to compare th e qualities of two brands of cameras. He never mind how big the screen is, any of these two is ok for him. Because its a individual purchase, he just wants the speed of the camera enough to take normal photos, if faster, thats better. Tony need the camera could connect with his computer, that he could keep the photos and fix them by the weapons platform in his computer and send them to his friends and relative. If the camera has memory stick is more useful. Sony is lighter than Canon, Tony could get more convenience from Sony camera. However, the price of Sony is 30 dollars more than Canon.2.4 Stage 4 Purchase DecisionAfter he compare the conditions above carefully, he made a decision to buy Sony Cyber-shot DCS-T1 camera. But its still not the last decision hes made. Two factors can come between the purchase intention and the purchase decision. Maybe his friend doesnt like the brand of Sony but Olympus, or at the same time, the price of another digital camera from Olympus has dropp ed down to 490 dollars and also has the similar belief as the two camera weve talked before. He may change his mind and buy the Olympus camera.2.5 Stage 5 Post-purchase BehaviourAfter all of 4 stages before, Tony bought the camera which he decided to buy Sony Cyber-shot DCS-T1, It seems like, he has already finished his buying process, but not really. The last stage of Buyer decision Process is very important. If Tony is satisfied by the camera he bought, he may advertises to his friends and suggest them to buy this brand of products (not just camera) and he will trust this company and buy this brand of product again. However, if he finds the quality of the camera is not as good as what he wants, he will also complain how drab the product is to his friends and relatives. Theres not just one customer dissatisfy like Tony, the company will lose million dollars of profit. Therefore, companies should pay attendance to the Post-purchase process . The reputation of the company is depe nd on this stage. It could help the marketers get more customers and business profit.When some customers want to buy some goods, maybe theres not all the stages during the process. They may skip or reverse some of the stages. Just like Tony, If he is satisfied this time, the next time he want to buy a walkman, or digital TV, or DVD player, he may skip of the second stage(Information search) and the third stage(Evaluation of alternatives). And also, for the next time, he reverse of the stages. the last stage(Post-purchase behaviour) come after the first stage(Need recognition) before the forth stage(Purchase decision).3 . Conclusion The Buyer Decision Process is the process when the customers making decision to buy something. It useful for customers to get the goods they really need and fit for the value. Also its the most common way of purchasing goods. On the other hand, the process is very important for marketers to improve their producing skill and get the information of how cust omers feel about their products. If marketers follow the process and satisfy the customers, they will be successful in their business.4. bring up 1. Marketing, 6th edition, Kotler Brown.2. Law in Commerce, 2nd Edition, Brendan Sweeney & Jennifer OReilly.3. http//www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_t1-review/index.shtml4. http//www.dpreview.com/

High school graduates should take a year off before entering college Essay

A woman takes a selfie from a high tendA selfie is a type of self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often associated withsocial networking, like Instagram. They are often casual, are typically taken either with a camera held at arms length or in a mirror, and typically include either only the photographer or the photographer and as many people as can be in focus, which is more unremarkably known as a group selfie ContentsHistoryThe first known selfie, taken by Robert Cornelius in 1839Robert Cornelius, an American pioneer in photography, produced a daguerreotype of himself in 1839 which is also one of the first photographs of a person. Because the process was slow he was able to uncover the lens, run into shot for a minute or more, and then replace the lens cap. He recorded on the back The first light Picture ever taken. 1839.Early Edwardian woman taking her picture in a mirror roughly 1900Grand Duchess Anastasia Nik olaevna of Russia taking one of the first teenage self-portraits The debut of the portable Kodak Brownie box camera in 1900 led to photographic self-portraiture be feeler a more widespread technique. The method was usually by mirror and stabilizing the camera either on a nearby object or on a tripod while framing via a viewfinder at the top of the box. Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna at the age of 13 was one of the first teenagers to take her own picture using a mirror to send to a friend in 1914. In the letter that accompanied the photograph, she wrote, I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were trembling. The concept of uploading group self-taken photographs (now known as exceedingly selfies) to the cyberspace, although with adisposable camera not a smartphone, dates to a webpage created by Australians in September 2001, including photos taken in the late 1990s (captured by the lucre Archive in April 2004). The earliest usa ge of the word selfie can be traced as far back as 2002. It first appeared in an Australian internet forum (ABC Online) on 13 September 2002. Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer sic and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sullen about the focus, it was a selfie.PopularityThe term selfie was discussed by photographer Jim Krause in 2005, although photos in the selfie genre predate the widespread use of the term. In the early 2000s, before Facebook became the dominating online social network, self-taken photographs were particularly common on MySpace. However, writer Kate Losse recounts that between 2006 and 2009 (when Facebook became more popular than MySpace), the MySpace pic (typically an amateurish, flash-blinded self-portrait, often taken in front of a washbasin mirror) became an indication of bad taste for users of the newer Facebook social network. Early Facebook p ortraits, in contrast, were usually well-focused and more formal, taken by others from distance. In 2009 in the image hosting and icon hosting website Flickr, Flickr users used selfies to describe seemingly endless self-portraits posted by teenage girls. According to Losse, improvements in designespecially the front-facing camera copied by the iPhone 4 (2010) from Korean and Japanese mobile phones, mobile photo apps such as Instagram, and selfie sites such as ItisMeeled to the resurgence of selfies in the early 2010s.

Case Anaylsis Motivation

Jason Haro 10/10/2012 Management of Organizations Case Analysis Motivation In order to have an effective achievement from a group a people, effective leadership must be used along with good teamwork to have an efficient running company. After analyzing the boldness of Joe Chaney, it is clear that there has been a fault in leadership along with lack of motivation. In order to fix the situation with Mr. Chaney, a meeting should be established with him to discuss his performance.The first question to start out with is to make sure that Joe realizes there has been a problem with his performance at work. Chances are he will realize there is a problem, since his conversation about complaining about his job was overheard. Once it is established that there is a problem with performance, the nigh task is to figure out if the problem stems from inadequate subordinate superpower or motivation. In the case of Joe Chaney, there is a problem with both ability and motivationThe inadequate subor dinate ability comes from inadequate resources to do the job leading to a resource problem. Mr. Chaney was hired with mediocre recommendations from his previous employer because do was needed desperately. The besotted seems to be understaffed to handle the rise in workload from the local construction boom. The absence of formal performance reviews and career counseling due to metre constraints along with losing Friday social hours and making weekends mandatory is a huge demotivating factor for employees, not just Mr. Chaney.The relationship curve between train of conflict and level of performance shows that having too much conflict for extended periods of time leads to low levels of performance. More staff should be hired to ease the workload. Incentive problems are withal an issue with Mr. Chaney. Mr. Chaneys statement of no one around here respects my opinion. Im just a lowly draftsman because I dont have the degree, they ignore my input, and Im stuck doing the grunt work sho ws that there is an issue of Mr. Chaney feeling unappreciated so he has halt caring about his work.Effective leaders should be empathetic towards his employees. Understanding that he has a wife and children shows that he has concerns for providing for his family. Between working and being a family man, he may not have an opportunity to obtain his degree to have a better title and paying wage. Restarting career counseling and performance reviews would help solve these problems. Credit should be given to Mr. Chaney as his performance, until recently, has been surprisingly well and produced high quality work.

Organic Food vs. Non Organic Food Essay

In todays society you walk into a grocery store and you forever have the option of natural or non constitutional feed. There are even grocery stores dedicated to organic forages like Trader Joes, Sprouts and Whole fodder market. I personally have gone organic and de while never go back to take in or drinking non organic food. Organic food may be pricey but less hormones, less cow puss and blood in your milk, and less pesticides. The controversies about organic food vs non organic food is it cost it?My answer is 100 percent yes organic is the way to go. The fruits and vegetables you get at a normal grocery store that are non organic have several pesticides on it. According to the daily green, eating organic means avoiding the pesticide residue left on foods. Though there are change integrity reviews on if consuming pesticides hurt your immune system, pregnant women are taking the cautionary steps on making sure their future child will be born healthy and non be exposed to pesticides at an early age.On the Dirty Dozen list, apples are the number 1 food source of 2011, with over 40 known pesticides in just 1 apple. Not surprisingly, pesticide residue is also found in apple juice and apple sauce, making all apple products smart foods to buy organic. Strawberries have over 60 pesticides on it, so while you wash your strawberries remember you are eating pesticide residue remains on those strawberries you bought at the food market. 93% of Americans tested by the CDC had metabolites of chlorpyrifos a nuerotoxic insecticide in their urine.Banned from home use because of its risks to children, chlorpyrifos is part of a family of pesticides (organophosphates) linked to ADHD. Women who were exposed to DDT as girls are 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer, according to Panna. Several lot are allergic to the growth hormone farmers put in their animals, but are able to eat organic meats because animals raised organically are not allowed to be fed antibi otics, the bovine human growth hormone (rbGH), or other artificial drugs. Animals are also not allowed to eat genetically modified foods.Organic meat the animals are also killed more humane than non organic animals. The animals are raised in a healthier environment, fed organic feed, and much eat a wider range of nutrients than those raised in factory farms (such as would be the case of free-range chickens and ranch cattle). Cbn. com give tongue to, In a recent poll, two-thirds of Americans surveyed stated they would like to be able to fit organic foods into their budgets. Organic food may cost more but less exposure to unnecessary hormones and pesticides is worth it.Organic is the way to go, lower pesticide levels, more nutrients, no antibiotics, no added growth hormones, and environmental responsibility. Although research findings about benefits of organic produce are not conclusive, it is decided that organic stuff is safer than the produce with traces of pesticides. Organic milk, vegetables and fruits are much more expensive than the non-organic but if you can afford it then go for it. If more hoi polloi start buying organic food then gradually their prices will gradually come down.

History of Behavior Modification Essay

Behavior Modification is defined as the use of w sequencess or punishments to knock down or eliminate problematic doings, or to teach an individual new responses to environmental stimuli.The goal of a doings modification program is to change and adjust manner that is inappropriate or undesirable.Two important tools used in behavior modification atomic number 18 positive and negative reinforcement.Behavior modification give notice be traced to lab look into as far back as the 1800s and 1900s. Most of this research was done through experimenting with animals. Many had impacting research, here are a few.Ivan P. Pavlov (1849-1936)-Concerned with stimuli that evoke responses (noise, food, lights, etc.)-Pavlovs famous dogs stomachal secretions were stimulated at the sight of food (a automatic response). Indicated that digestive processes could be stimulated without direct contact.-He then(prenominal) focused his research on how connections were made between environment stimuli and reflex reactions.This type of learning became go to sleep as Classical Conditioning.-Classical conditioning is concerned with stimuli that evoke involuntary or automatic responses.Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949)-Not concerned with reflex responses like Pavlov.-Focused on the learning of new behavior.-Well known for his research involving cats and a puzzle- box.-Placed hungry cats in a maze and timed how long it took for them to reach the food at the end of the puzzle. He found that the cats got faster and faster. (learned behavior)-From this research Thorndike make laws of behavior, one of the near famous being the Law of Effect.-The Law of Effect states that the consequences that prosecute behavior help learning, and that rewards, positive and negative, provide consequences that increase the learning of behavior.B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)-Like Thorndike, Skinner focused on learning that resulted from consequences.-From his research, such as, the Skinner Box, the pigeon proje ct, and the baby box, Skinner stated that all behavior is followed by a consequence, and that consequence determines the likeliness of repeating that behavior.-When an association between a behavior and a consequence is formed it is known as Operant Conditioning.-Operant conditioning is learning that is based on a trial and misunderstanding process in which a subject remembers what behaviors have elicited positive, pleasurable, responses and which elicited negative ones.Simply put, behavior modification is based on the idea that events occur before a specific behavior, and events occur later that behavior as well. The appropriate behavior is learned by observing and changing the pre-event behavior and the post-event behavior so that the appropriate behaviorincreases and the inappropriate behavior decreases.The use of rewards to help affect this increase in appropriate behavior is called positive reinforcement- i.e.strokes, gifts, more privileges, etc.The use of punishment is calle d negative reinforcement. i.e.spankings, withdrawal of privileges, etc.To stop an inappropriate behavior, first the behavior must be observed. Then, a pattern can be recognized and a system of rewards can then be constructed.Using positive reinforcement, a resource is presented and if a desired action occurs, a reward is presented.If undesirable behavior takes place no reward would be given. This is an example of negative reinforcement.As the upstart referee system enters a new era, it is puzzle about with major challenges. Each year it is estimated that police arrest nearly 2 million youths under the age 18 on criminal charges. Nearly 10,000 children under 17 appear before judges in the posit County Circuit Court upstart Justice Division every year. The court refers many of these to the youthful probation de mapment because they offer several alternatives to detention. Electronic monitoring, home confinement, and intensive supervision are among their abundant services. With the quislingism of social service agencies and community-based organizations, the department works to afford every youth in its supervision structure programming and services. All services are performed with an emphasis on public safety while similarly attending to the pick outs of minors.The current mission statement of the Juvenile Probation Department is as followsTo serve the eudaimonia of children and their families at bottom a sound framework of public safety. The Department is committed to providing the guidance,structure and services necessitate by every child under its supervision. In partnership with the community, the Juvenile Probation Department directs delinquent children toward domesticateing their behavior and making responsible decisions according to the principles of Balanced and Restorative Justice.(cookcountycourt.org)Alongside this mission the probation department has a overconfident set of objectives that it operates under that assists them in being a ble to effectively respond to the increasingly complex choose of delinquent children. Of the 8 goals named in conjunction with the mission thither are two that spotlight principles set forth by the fit and restorative justice initiative.*To assist the court in developing interventions that serves the needfully of the minor and facilitates the restoration of the victim and the community.*To instill in all children a sense of responsibility for their actions and a belief in their own innate value and potential through a combination of individualised attention and community net running(a) (cookcountycourt.org).Prior to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998 the department always encourage community involvement. But, a more sophisticated approach has been implemented to create equilibrium between the offender, the victim, and most importantly the community affected by the crime committed.They believe no child is beyond the realms of replenishment. They are confident that any chil d can benefit from rehabilitation and treatment. With these realizations in mind, and an increase in juvenile offenders, the probation department has moved away from locking youth up and taken a kinder, gentler approach in dealing with troubled youth. Innovative alternatives to detention are becoming more prevalent worldwide, especially within the confines of juvenile probation.Several program improvements and changes in legislation can be in part credited for these changes. However, the most important factor responsiblefor effecting change in the mission of the department is the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998. This reform has put in a call to strike a balance between the juvenile justice systems long standing orientation toward rehabilitation and the more recent trend toward a more punitive system that holds juveniles accountable for their actions(ICJIA).The adoption of the balanced and restorative justice plan is outlined in a purpose and policy clause of the Act. Cook Count y Assistant States Attorney Randall Roberts, one of the principal facilitators of the legislation, says the clause gives specific guidance to judges, as well as others who work in the system (ICJIA). With the introduction of this reform the probation department and other agencies working within the juvenile justice system have had to reassess their objectives in a manner that addresses the communities need for balance.Keeping the Promise to Americas YouthNearly five years after this reform the juvenile justice system has recognized the benefits both the system and the child receive when cases are referred for probation or else of detention. Children are indeed responsive to intervention, supervision, mentoring, and other forms of growth and development offered by probation. Proof can be seen in the stories of the 19 men and women in Second Chances whos lives changes because of the flexibility and leniency of the juvenile justice system. Without the commitment and service of probati on departments nationwide such successful second chances would be hard to obtain.aftercare focuses on reintegration into the community, use a counselor. This counselor includes the family and community when assessing their method of care. After a program is made to suit the individual, there is strict supervision, used in conjunction with rewards and sanctions available to the successful candidate.

Gender Inequalities Essay

Gender contrast is the differences in the stance, power and prestige wo custody and work force consecrate in groups, collectivities and societies. Gender inequality unremarkably affects women oft than men delinquent to the status in society. umteen women atomic number 18 affected in the executionforce due to sexual urge inequalities, in many countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan women be held at a lower correct to men. In countries such as those, women be thought of as property other than human beingnesss. wherefore does gender inequality happen? The answer to this question is not as simple as it whitethorn seem. The most enforcing cause of gender inequality would be stereo attributes. Typically women ar thought of as housewives, to duty tour home, cook and clean, and canvas care of clawren. Men are infer to be the breadwinners, they are suppose to subject and support the family. In modern society the thought of the typical housewife has changed. Ever since the Rosie the Riveter renewing during World War II, much and more women are working in the workforce instead of staying at home. Even though during this time women were encouraged to take the place of their men and work in the workforce, a glass detonator was still created keeping women unable to be promoted and gain higher positions.see moregender equality es range for kidsInteresting enough, almost 40% of women nowadays make more than their husbands, and women today make up almost 60% of U.S. college students and earn the legal age of doctorates and masters degrees. So why does gender inequality still exists? Its a long interval of gender differences, including roles of biology, gender socialization, and findings from other cultures. to a fault the different forms of gender inequalities suchs as women in the workplace, inequalities at work, and the gender pay gap take a huge toll on gender inequalities. As the differences between girlfriends and boys are explored, the differen ces between men and women are also explored. Many scientist say that nature vs. nurture has a huge involvement with the biological theme differences of men and women. A quote from Intro to Sociology states that Scholars take issue about the degree to which biological characteristics affect gender identities as feminine or masculine and the social roles based on those identities. The debates is really about how much social behavior is learned versus innate (or inborn). (Intro to Soc 295).I agree with this statement because thebiological characteristics do not makeup a gender identities. Only because a woman is not built same a man does not mean she is more weak. Only because men were not exposed to more cooking and cleaning as much as a woman or young girl is, does not mean that woman or man is incapable of doing it. When thinking of the differences concerning men and women its hard to match the behavioral differences to an overall audience. Depending on the different cultures, w omen and men prepare different morals and behaviors. For example women in Iraq are held as property to their husband, also in some Muslim countries, some women are lapidate to death for wrongdoings. These example show complete inequality differences between men and women. For examples, as humans we are trained to think that woman can not perform strenuous work, its up to men to perform difficult task.These stereotypes are the ones that create gender inequalities and make it unfair for women to gain equal rights. Most sociologist contest that a mans aggressiveness varies between cultures and that women are still are as aggressive but vaunt their aggression in a more discreet manner such as using strategies and hurtful mouthing rather than physical fights. I agree with this statement, usually men are more confrontational because men always look to be the Alpha male. When women are in a confrontation, more women will be more sneaky and rather talk than just fight physically.When it comes to the different forms of gender inequality, in that location are many different forms and disadvantages mainly pertaining to women. The first most common is women in the workplace, women in the workplace yield more disadvantages than men. other disadvantage would be the gender gap and pay. Men tend to receive a way higher pay than women. Each of these are examples of gender inequality, in the workplace it can be shew most typical due to the stereotypical judgements of women working. The gender gap payment has a nifty affect on gender inequalities, since men are paid more this creates a glass ceiling for women trying to advance in the career path. In a quote by the feminist majority tack togetheration, In the Wall Street Journal/Gallup survey, women managers were asked what they consider to be the most serious obstacle in their business careers. Only 3% cited family responsibilities, but half named reasons related to their gender, including male chauvinism, attitudes t oward a female boss, long-windedadvancement for women, and the simple fact of being a woman. (FF 1) This quote shows that the main thing holding arse women in the working society is stereotypes.Many women stereotypes claim that its family issues holding back our women from reaching higher levels. Many assume that if a women is a single mother, divorced, or divorcing this may take an effect on her work ability. In society when it comes to gender and family, each gender is expected to contain a certain type of role. When it comes to family there are many different types and levels. Usually in a family women are expected to take care of the children and men are expected to work and provide. In this modern day society women usually do both, work and take care of their family. Since the scratch of humankind women were suppose to bare the children and men were suppose to provide for the family. Since this though was considered since the begnning of mankind its hard to earse this thoug ht. Still til this day, women mainly do the cooking while men provide. Since women are mainly thought of being in the kitchen, its hard for men to picture women in the workfield. Since the beginning of time women have been thought of as the housekeepers. When World War II came around things changed and women had to step up to the plate. Ads such as Rosie the Riveter promoted women to get jobs and work outside the household. Before this time the liveliness for a woman was boring and just an endless cycle of the same tasks.Many books were written explaining the average life of the housewife such as captive wife by Gavron in 1966. During the 1970s and 1980s a spring of debates and research formed on family from feminist viewing this topic. Before feminist began to look t the value of family, the researched typically focused on the kinship and family ties and how society affects them. Feminist began to focus on inside(a) the family to examine a womans experience in the domestic atmosp here. Many feminist argued that there was an unequal power instilled in the families and that more family benefitted more than the other. There are three spectrums that feminist found important when examining the importance of family. One is the domestic of labor, which is the way tasks are allocated among household members. Feminist tend to disagree about the historical upcoming if this division. Some view it as a effect of the industrial capitalism. Another theme would be unequal power relationships, which equals domestic violence. Many feminist argue that violent and shameful sides of families have been ignoredin both academic contexts and legal and policy circles. feminist feel that the family serves as a gender oppression.The last theme would be caring activities, this theme extends from looking after a person who is ill to looking after an elder. Not only do women complete household chores and child care they also have significant emotional labor in maintaining personal relat ionships (Duncome and Marsden 1993). Caring activities are grounded by in love, deep emotion, they also require an ability to listen, perceive, negotiate, and act creatively (Intro Soc 500). Women play a huge role when it comes to family and society. Women provide a nurturing environment for society because of their loving nature. Without a mothers nurturing nature, children wouldnt have the ability to grow properly. A woman is the buns to any family, without a woman a family wouldnt be able to function properly. When it comes to a family women arent just housewives, they are the emotional base and protectors of the family. In conclusion I feel that men and women should have equal power, especially when it comes to the work force.Many women have to continue with stereotypical comments in the workforce and sexual harassment. Harassment is also a big obstruction for women to proceed in the workforce, a quote from a Huff Post article The HuffPost poll found that one in five women sa id theyd been vexed by a boss, and one in four said they had been harassed by another co worker. And although women were more likely than men to say that they had been victims of one or both types of sexual harassment, men also reported being sexually harassed 6 percent said they were harassed by a boss and 14 percent by a coworker. (Huff Post 1) This proves that women not only have to deal with stereotypes but also have to deal with sexual harassment which is even more difficult. Women should just have an equal position in status compared to men because, women can do anything a man can do. In some cultures such as Muslim cultures, women have little to no rights and sometimes even die for committing the smallest thing against their husbands. Women typically have it more difficult than men because women are seen as a piece of property rather than being their own person. Its concerns me how much we seem to belittle our women in society even though they are the foundation to any fami ly and the rock to any man.

Strategic Management of Haigh’s Chocolate

T adequate of Contents 1. decision fetchr abstract1 2. reliable Situation3 3. remote Environment4 3. 1 Macro Environment4 3. 2 Porters Five Forces Model of argument8 4. inner depth psychology10 Strength10 Weaknesses14 5. Strategic Factor Analysis Summary (SFAS)17 6. menstruum strategic21 6. 1 Business-level strategic21 6. 2 Functional-level Strategies23 6. 3 corporate level strategies24 7. Recommended strategies26 7. 1 Business-level dodging26 7. 2 Functional Strategy28 7. 3 Corporate dodge31 8. Implementation36 Reference List40 Appendix43Appendix A External Factors Analysis Summary (EFAS)43 Appendix B Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS)44 1. Executive Summary The descri universe foodstuff plan forms the basis for achieving Haighs every(prenominal)(prenominal)iance vision of becoming a successful top reference deep brown confectionary provider. The recommendations found on the summary contained in this report allows us to outline the topper strategies to follo w for the makement of the unions strategic goals. The confectionary attention in Australia is dominated by few elephantine players with fiercely risque competition.Whilst the stub grocery Haighs plays targeting consumers seeking postgraduate tint agio burnt umber, Haighs is one of rattling few providers, but the tincture of coffee tree provided for substitutable scores argon as well reasonably graduate(prenominal). Haighs would need to chink un standardizediation in their reaping fictional character scar figure, vane loyalty and brand aw beness to be emulous within the market place. Haighs cosmos a family owned and operated yieldion line line, their consistent attention style look intos its usable rig in all beas of business be strategically aligned.In analysing Haighs purposelessneous and internal efficacys and weaknesses, usable efficiency and consonance such(prenominal) as efficiency in output process and stringent prime(prenominal) s tamp down process argon found to be the principal(prenominal) strengths whilst risk of easily universe substituted with cheaper coffee berry confectionary crops and lack of diversified management mother due to being family operated business, are stated to be the important clincher in realizing further success for Haighs.Whilst commute of management structure in view of introducing wider value of management experience is outdoors of this marketing plans scope, in bon ton to overcome the determinant analysed, there are do of former(a) areas Haighs trick look into. In order to improve efficiency, change of alliance with Haighs suppliers is recommended. Whilst Haighs has been successfully brinytaining high prime(prenominal) coffee tree labor, this is required to keep in line high character carrefours are continuously hark backed for the early. Cross training of lag to augment labor efficiency is excessively recommended.Through having staff cross trained, Haigh s back enjoy use of less useees and savings leave behind arise from it. Active marketing activities are likewise encouraged. Haighs roll in the hay look into entiresale supply into biggish hotels or exclusive dine places to pee economies of scale. Through launching, it would need to further get out its produce in accordance with todays consumer preference. Low go, low shekels with high bore drinking hot deep brown is recommended and opening of Haighs branded cafes that im pull up stakes sum up bran- unsanded experience to its consumers are suggested.Haighs being the exclusive umber brand with high risk of being substituted into opposite brand, brand loyalty is the appoint in Haighs success. Launching of loyalty program, discount for seniors, and connecting its clients via tender network sites are examples of makeing brand loyalty for Haighs. The report concludes by providing implementation plan to use up the above recommendation that depart help Haighs to r emain competitory, sustainable and successful within its chosen market. 2. Current SituationHaighs was founded in 1915 in Adelaide, South Australia by Alfred E Haigh and has been successfully run by his son, grandson, and groovy(p)-grandsons, Alister Haigh who is current CEO. It is the oldest family-owned java manufacturing seller in Australia and one of the very few manufacturing retailers in the world fluid qualification coffee berrys from afflictive cooa beans and a good deal than half of their hot coffee berrys are advancemade, exploitation artisan skills that require many years of experience to stainless (Haights umbers). Haighs vision is delivering a world-class cocoa experience every clip (Haighs Chocolates).Its value is that they result be caring and go outate of their employees, clients, suppliers, look atholders, the community and the environment by showing respect to each opposite and valuing diversity, working together to achieve a safe, friendly a nd positive working environment, setting clear expectations, recognising parting and exploitation their people, leading by example and taking responsibility for their actions, communicating clearly, inclusively, honestly and in a timely manner, having pride in their harvest-festival and passion for the business, its heritage and its future and contributing to the community by dint of corporate benevolence and environmentally sustainable practices (Haighs Chocolates). Haighs umber presently has over 300 employees and 13 retail strains six in Adelaide, six in Melbourne and one in Sydney (Haights Chocolates). They manufacture 200 unlike products and also produce a phone number of products whose gross sales supports unhomogeneous charities. (Soong-Kroeger, 2011)Haighs Chocolate provides quality products and renovation without Australia and tell on sure to produce still the best raw materials from function to finish, and stationing agents in europium for first pick of the finest merchandise cocoa beans is yet the beginning. They are fairly well straightly integrated. They make chocolates and then transport or arrange for them to be transported to their own retail patronizes, which mean that they control the whole process to ensure that their customers get the highest quality and freshest products (OrmanSasha, 2011). 3. External Environment External environment is an uncontrollable component that sums an operation.However, by carefully analyzing external factors that relate to the federations persistence, a guild would acquit with uncertainty in the market and be able to take appropriate actions to any upcoming typesetters cases. 3. 1 Macro Environment Political/ Legal Confectionery manufacturers are required to follow solid regulatory restraints particularly in relation to food safety, product labeling, occupational wellness and safety, competition and consumer police force, habit law as well as taxation policies. The regulatory re quirements are sources of woo increase to manufactures. However, the regulations are needed in order to guarantee the right for consumers, employees, competition and the quality of products. also-ran to follow regulations aptitude lead to significant negative publicity that can damage the reputation and brand of the company. Product safety regulations Chocolate and candy throw in manufacturers must strictly follow food and health regulations. The regulations are aimed at maintaining high levels of food hygiene and disgracetaining the consumers against health threats think to unsafe food. Confectionery manufactures are currently regulated by fodder Standards Australia modern Zealand. This regulatory organization is responsible for the implementation of the Australia New Zealand Joint Food Standards encipher (IBISWorld, 2010). The Code also requires industry manufactures to comply with labeling requirements and military expediency size restrictions.In particularly, agre ement with the Code bring forths manufacturers to supply information on the shareage share of ingredients used, alimentational information or any materials that expertness cause allergy wish well nuts. These requirements bugger off been broadly censured for putting extra cost on manufacturers in the industry. However, with consumer groups reinforcing their demands for to a considerableer extent provisionsal schooling on product labels, the industry is required to put to a greater extent attention in implementing the regulation. Besides regulations relating to health and safety or employment, confectionary manufacturers also must conform to environmental regulations set out by the Federal and State governments.These regulations include water usage, energy usage achewater disposal and the treatment of waste settlementing from manufacture process. Economic At a difficult time of the sparing uncertainty in atomic number 63 and the USA, Australia continues to concord per manent and favorable economic produce. The real GDP, which grew by 1. 3% in the first disembowel of 2012 over the previous quarter, demonstrates the st major originator of household consumption expenditure (IBISWorld, 2010). The increase in consumer spending capability reinforce sales revenue of the industry. Given that, consumers of Haighs chocolate might non need to uphold most cutting their spending on subvention chocolate products and way out for cheaper brands in the market.Raw materials including cocoa, lucre, milk, flavorings, sweeteners and oils represent essential inputs in the proceeds process and any changes in their value affects industry supply. In confectionery industry, sugar is a primary input in the manufacturing process and an increase in the set of sugar impart significantly impact intersection costs. Higher sugar sets recently impart reduce manufacturing profitability unless firms can pass these costs on consumers. However, the trading environ ments in Australia and overseas are thoroughly competitive, there is normally limited opportunity for manufacturers to raise selling price for their products. Moreover, the increases of post-production expenses in publicise and marketing campaigns give also unfavorably affect companys profitability.As can be seen, the confectionery industry in Australia is super competitive with a large number of upstart product lines introduced by various industry players so existing manufactures in the industry need to create more than extensive promotions and marketing programs. Socio-cultural Two key factors affect domestic demand and consequently determine future consumption structures is lifestyle change especially health consciousness and changing demographic form of the Australian tribe. The trend of public awareness slightly health and nutrition for food products is having an adverse effect on demand for sugar-based confectionery products like chocolate. Australians have become m ore attentive to their consuming food and account for factors such as sugar and fat content, quality of ingredients before deciding on a brand or product.Nutritional factors can affect sales revenue and so companies in the industry are forced to be more ripe in producing low-sugar products and employ organic material to meet the demand of health conscious consumers. Changing demographics of the Australian population also may affect the industry. Ageing population is maturateing dramatically in Australia as can be seen proportion of young people will fall drastically while senior citizens will increase by up to 1% per year. Typically, young people tend to consume more confectionery products compared to the olden, as people tend to develop a preference for savory food with age (IBISWorld, 2010). The result of ageing populations raising might lead to lower total sales of the confectionery products.In general, an increase in disposable income will force spending on discretional r ights such as confectionery. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the March 2012, national disposable income increased 3. 5% compared to the said(prenominal) period of last year (IBISWorld, 2010). However, a growth in income may also encourage consumers to change to more expensive and support chocolates rather than increase the volume of confectionery purchased. Technology The introduction and the bridal of in the raw(a) engineering science have improved cost and operating efficiencies as well as cut back the need for labor for manufacturing, storing, delivery and statistical dispersion. Keeping the basic production process, chocolate manufactures are using new technology to develop their recipe.Automation and computer directed controls also have been used widely in the production process to be more time efficiency and greater quality control (IBISWorld, 2010). The introduction of quality assurance systems such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) ha s helped the food industry in improving safety standard. Product safety plays an essential role in preserving the industrys reputation as a healthy and reliable food manufacturer. In regard to marketing and scattering systems, E-commerce is used by manufacturers to improve customer and supplier arrangements and networks, leading to cost savings through bettor inventory and production planning. The far-flung of social network also creates a new way for manufactures in marketing, stimulateing brand and reinforcing affinity with consumers.Environmental Raw materials of chocolate production including cocoa, sugar, and milk are natural sources thus a change in climate will considerably impact on the industry. Natural disasters like flood, drought might result in scarcity of a resource and force its price to an unfavorable level to manufactures. Moreover, consumers at onceadays are more aware of environmental sustainability. They likely prefer to use environment friendly brands or p roducts in order to reduce the negative impacts on the environment. As a result, confectionery manufacturers have been attempting to go green by using recyclable or reusable packages for their products.In particularly, Haighs chocolate has committed not to use any plastic bags to reduce the environmental effects of packaging on the environment (Haighs Chocolates). The company also stated that in order to be energy efficiency, rainwater is hoard and stored in large underground tanks, then filtered and converted into steam providing indirect heat for cooking processes. In addition, their recent factory cost increase was knowing to consider energy and water conservation. The major sources of food industry waste include packaging, fats, oils, syrups, nuts, candied fruits, dusts and powders. Manufactures need to reduce environmental impacts associated with waste disposal and consumption of resources by waste management programs.Furthermore, the effort in saving energy also help manufa ctures in cut down energy costs and minimizing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. 3. 2 Porters Five Forces Model of Competition Power of Buyers Medium Australian confectionery producers sell their products to two major purchasing groups large retail outfits and wholesalers including large supermarket chains (Coles, Woolworth, Big W, Target, Kmart), convenience stores, petrol stations, and department stores (IBISWorld, 2010). However, instead of selling products to large retail stores, Haighs chocolate has integrated forward in the market and have its own retail stores. The main purchasers of the company are individual buyers who have noticed Haighs remarkable quality products and exclusive taste.By having good awareness of the brand and finding it is challenging to get this quality products from some otherwises, the buyers would not easily switch to other brands therefore it lowers their bargaining power. (Low) Low switching cost due to the buyers can easily switch to oth er substitutes such as cookies, ice cream, and sting foods. (High) As consumers are more aware of health and nutrition for food products, demand for sweets and chocolate, which have high level of cholesterol and sugarcontained, would reduce. Healthier food might be preferred in consumers choices. (High) Large retailers like Coles and Woolworth would be strength threats if they implemented backward desegregation (Low) Power of Suppliers LowThe primary materials in manufacturing of chocolate are cocoa, sugar and milk. Referring to sugar and milk, there are various suppliers of these sources available in the region or country therefore supplier concentration and differentiation of inputs are low. (Low) thither are also various cocoa farawayms somewhat the world especially in the underdeveloped countries therefore the chocolate manufactures are important purchasers of these suppliers. As a result, the chocolate suppliers bargaining power is typically low. Nonetheless, as Haighs cho colate requires premium quality of cocoa, which is only produced by a delicate part of suppliers in the world, the bargaining power of high-quality cocoa beans suppliers will be powerfuler. High) Moreover, chocolate manufacturers might not deflect the threat of suppliers could vertically integrate forward to take part manufactures role. (Low) Threats of New Entrants Low The threats of new entrants are low due to the barriers to entry are high. Entry into the premium chocolate market would require new entrants a large seat of government investment for stigmatization and product facilities. Furthermore, new entrants also have to calculate with major players in the market with a enormous register and success. These dominant companies enjoy high brand and customer loyalty and have significant resources to invest in advertising and promotions to protect and grow their market share.In addition, these companies also have built inviolate relationship with main suppliers in the indus try including grocery stores and supermarkets that would be challenging for new entrants to secure. (Low) Government regulations and policies some food safety and quality of products might be dearly-won and difficult for new entrants to enter in the industry (Medium) Competitive Rivalry High The intensity of contender among competitors in an industry can create price wars, advertising battles, new product lines, and higher quality of customer portion. The Chocolate manufacturing industry is extremely competitive, with the major players aggressively competing for market share.Haighs chocolate has potential competitors including large-scale or international companies like Nestle, Kraft Foods, Mars, Lindt chocolate, Cadbury as well as several imported brands. In a competitive environment, there is usually limited opportunity for manufacturers to implement selling price increases for their products due to price sensitivity of consumers. Consumers can easily switch their preferences for a premium brand to a lower-priced substitute. Furthermore, it is also touchy for Haighs chocolate to compete with these huge companies who have distributed their products widely in large supermarkets with cheaper price range for similar products. Substitutes HighThe chocolate industry must compete with different ranges of substitute products including snack foods, cakes, cereal, and biscuits as well as substitute brands. The large number of substitutes makes manufacturers feel hard to increase their products price as consumer can easily switch to cheaper substitutes. In addition, the change in lifestyle of being more health consciousness would switch the spending of consumers in sweet or chocolate products to healthier substitutes. The External Factor Analysis Summary (EFAS) is included in Appendix 1. 4. Internal Analysis The internal analysis process is aimed to point out the sustainable competitive advantages of the company.The advantages can be achieved when a firm has the ability to undertake value-creating activities and use its unique resources and capabilities to create new core competencies. Haighs has a prospicient-standing history and has powerful resources that create its competitive advantages. Haighs resources including tangible and intangible which are analysed to define its capabilities and core competencies in the chocolate market. Strength History Haighs chocolates is an Australian brand associated with fine chocolate, premium gifts and outstanding retail experiences. Haighs chocolates are predominantly retailed through their own retail network. Haighs prides itself on a unyielding history of premium quality, trunk over its 87 years of operation. It is a privately owned family business.This history of quality and consistency aids to a competitive advantage over a number of other chocolate manufacturers and distributors, and assist in high customer loyalty and increase profits. Quality Haighs targets itself as a premium and quality bra nd. Their major strength in their market is the quality and consistency of their production and their ability to maintain the level of outstanding quality over the course of its long history. Haighs manufacturers their chocolate as a premium chocolate brand. They manufacture their chocolate as a traditional small batch manufacture therefore it is not mass-produced and has a greater quality and level of control over all products.The ingredients are all high quality local produce including cocoa beans, sugar and milk, which are then manufacturer into premium chocolate. It is an Australian made product with entirely Australian ingredients and packaging, which is other strength to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. node Service Haighs upholds itself through great customer service, training is provided to all staff members with decoct on customer service and product knowledge. Throughout Australia they employ 120 staff members and each staff member is provided with a high le vel of training upon employment and throughout the duration of their employment in the company. On purchasing a product, customers are handed a chocolate they have not tried with a white glove.This gesture adds to the premium brand image and creates an atmosphere, which customers want to return. Having customers try a chocolate they havent tasted increases repeat customers and high customer loyalty. Haighs does have limited marketing, its main focusing is on in-store marketing, and therefore this extra service does provide great in-store marketing and creates customers to be aware of products they have known about, and therefore repeat purchases. Control of production and distribution process Haighs being a private family run business gives them the strength of having the ability to control the whole production and distribution process.They control the production right through from purchasing raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, and retail to the final end consumer without a ny other distribution involved. Therefore if Haighs chose to outsource some production and distribution services they would loose total control over their products. Having total control and ownership allows them to ensure total quality and consistency over every product manufactured and distributed. Diversification of products and prices Haighs product range, ranges from very small packages retailing for a few dollars to large premium packages costing over a hundred dollars. It does have products to suit all price ranges.Having this large product range allows them to target a large number of consumer groups. Although they do have a large product range, their primary focus has been on the expensive premium products in previous years. As a result of the planetary financial crisis sales dropped in the smaller items, however they werent greatly affected by the premium products. During this time consumers were excuse spending on opulence chocolate products. Economic factors During tim es of economic decline, consumer spending does decrease. However with Haighs large product list, it does allow them to focus on products that consumers want to purchase during a period of decline.During the spheric financial crisis consumers were not spending money the lower cost products, however they were still spending on luxury products and gifts. Therefore during this time a high focus was put on the premium luxury products to maintain profit levels. During a time of economic decline Haighs does not reduce its prices. This is through with(p) to retain their reputable brand image of high quality premium products. Environmental Today consumers are becoming more environmentally aware and trends are rising in this field. Haighs understands that they can make a change in the practices. Haighs is passing focused on environmental factors and a chew of consideration is involved with the production, distribution and production of their products.Haighs has a strong commitment to seve ral environmental issues including sponsorship and financial support for the bilby, a threatened marsupial native to Australia. They were the first ones to produce the bilby for Easter, it is now a continued tradition, and has created extreme awareness about the endangered marsupial. They have a indemnity of using recycled or recyclable packaging material and have their own internal recycling program, they carefully consider the impact its packaging and distribution methods have on the environment and on the community. Haighs chocolates has long been concerned about the minimization and sustainability of packaging choices.The principles reflected in the Sustainable packaging guideline have been merged in the design, selection and planning of their packaging for many years Therefore their action are designed not around changing the processes but more around formalizing the recording and reporting behind these processes (Haighs Chocolates). package Haighs packages their products in a very cost effective manner however still enhancing their premium product model. The majority of products are packaged in white boxes, with brown tissue paper with a Haighs sticker. During Christmas and Easter and other major holidays, thick colorful foil is used for eggs and other products, this creates a premium look, it cuts costs from using boxes and they can distribute more for less. For premium products and gifts, tins are used. This is costly however these are used for the high end products. Online storeHaighs online store is a key strength for their consumer base and their distribution they currently operate in 3 states with 6 stores. This is super limiting for consumers in outside regions. The website offers consumers all the facts on their chocolate including company history, the chocolate, and the current products available. It also allows them to purchase the products therefore highly increasing their distribution levels. Brand image Haighs focus on quality, consisten cy and customer service has lead to a very highly trusted and recognized brand in Australia. This has been a major aid in sales increase and customer relationship solidification. Haighs marketing and promotion is through in-store and word of mouth marketing.The company does not focus on mass media campaigns and yet the brand has still managed to grow very consistently. It is the quality of customer experience and product quality, which accelerates the companies growth. It is unsure as to whether increased advertising and promotion would support the brand or whether it would get rid of the exclusivity and luxurious image the brand currently represents. Weaknesses Market Entry To enter into the market it is relatively easy for competitors. It has low costs to set up a retail store, however competing can be difficult and they are up against the high brand image, quality, history, taste and the consistency of competitors products.No outside executive team Haighs is a private family owne d business therefore there is no outside executive team. The family is in total control, there is no external chief executive that can come and make changes if required, and an outside perspective could possibly enhance and develop the business further. Raising capital As it is a private company, in order to raise extra capital can be very difficult. One Product Company Haighs is a one-product company selling chocolate, which therefore reduces their target market significantly. Through expanding their product range their could therefore expand their target market thus increasing profits.This extension could be done through related product such as cookbooks, utensils and serving plates. Shop Locations Haighs currently operates in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia with 6 stores, therefore they are not a majorly well-known brand in the chocolate industry, and based on industry data they represent only 1. 1% of the total Australian chocolate market. Through expanding upon o f their stores in more states and territories in malls and up market suburbs within Australia could significantly enhance and develop the business, and create greater brand awareness. trade Haighs marketing is virtually exclusive through the shops, not a well-known advertiser on television, radio or print media generally.This as a result saves a lot in marketing costs, however does not highly promote the brand. The cost of not having outside marketing may be overridden through the increase of profits they may receive if they were to further promote the brand. Haighs could focus on low cost marketing to support an expansion in the stores, acquire their products to the consumers would greatly increase profits. Haighs competitive advantages Haighs has a number of advantages over competing organization. The main advantages being consistency of product/ their long history and the overall brand image. The brand image is one of premium and luxury products. It portrays to consumers a sens e of profit compared to other companies.Seasonal products and collectors items are very expensive, however due to Haighs brand name, specific consumers want to purchase the deluxe items offered, which other chocolate companies do not offer. Lindt chocolate used to have a very expensive and premium brand name. However now that they have expanded and is readily available and predominantly on sale, the quality theme has disappeared whereas Haighs has retained their premium image. Core competencies Haighs competencies are that of production and good quality chocolate products. Their major competency is their quality and consistency of production, which has remained at the same level for many decades.The core products remain the same over time seasonal items such as during Christmas and Easter can change from year to year. At the retail end, their high quality packaging, shop design and product design is a major expertness of Haighs, whish high quality and reliability. Their product pres entation is consistent when new products are available there is an expectation that it will match the high quality range. Their tours in Adelaide highly promote the skills and capabilities of Haighs, the public see how they make the product range for free, revealing to the public how good its product capabilities are, especially in Adelaide which is highly competitive and hard to compete. Tangible and Intangible resources and capabilitiesHaighs primary operation is the manufacturer, retailer and distributor of high quality chocolates, with retail outlets and distribution across Australia and online. Tangible resources Haighs has to majorly rely on their own ability to raise monetary resource though their own capital, which is a pitfall, as if they wanted to expand in order to build their brand it is quite difficult. Their organic and local sourced ingredients are the most important resource to continue the quality and consistency of their products. These ingredients are the core r esource for Haighs as they are a one-product company. Ensuring the same quality and consistency throughout their products relies to a great extent on their raw ingredients. Recipes are provided through the shop, highly builds the brand.Recipes for different chocolate desserts are complementary for customers. All manufacturing equipment is of high standard to produce the high quality and consistent chocolate. Intangible Haighs has a team of experienced chocolate churchmans and retail staff that bring their knowledge and skills together to build a dynamic company and retail know how. Their innovation towards sustainable packaging and creating awareness about Australias endangered animal the Bilby has been a significant resource. Both the tangible and intangible resources all result in helping to promote value adding activities and an overall juicy company with a strong brand image. The Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS) is in Appendix 2 5.Strategic Factor Analysis Summary (SFA S) External Factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Comments Opportunities New innovation and advanced technology 0. 05 5 0. 25 Assist the company in production efficiency and reduce costs. Current stable economic growth in Australia/ consumers confidence 0. 04 3 0. 12 Reinforce the spending of consumers in discretionary goods. Availability of materials/suppliers 0. 04 4 0. 16 Lower the bargaining power High demand in Asiatic market 0. 03 3 0. 09 Open up new market/ expansionary Threats Extremely competitive environment 0. 06 5 0. 3 Need to be more innovative Increase consumers health consciousness 0. 3 4 0. 12 Decline the demand of consumers for high sugar, cholesterol, fat products Various substitutes/Low switching costs 0. 05 4 0. 2 Decline the sale revenue, brand loyalty Government regulations 0. 02 1 0. 02 Costly, create limitations Natural disasters 0. 02 2 0. 04 Effect the price of raw materials Increase in costs of raw material/ costs of advertisings/ labors 0. 04 3 0. 1 2 Increase products price, the company might have to pass these cost to consumers Strength History 0. 02 1 0. 02 Long history of quality and consistency strengthens brand image and customer loyalty. Quality products 0. 05 5 0. 5 Uses high quality raw materials to produce the finest chocolate and is very consistent with the level of quality for every product range. Customer service 0. 05 5 0. 25 Highly trained staff in providing a high level of customer service, enhances brand image and reputation. Total control over production and distribution 0. 05 4 0. 2 Allows Haighs to ensure total quality and consistency over every product manufactured and distributed. Diversification of products and prices 0. 05 4 0. 2 Broadens target market. Ability to attract a large number of consumers. Economic factors 0. 02 2 0. 04 There is no significant decrease in sales during times of economic decline. Environmentally sound 0. 02 3 0. 6 High focus on the environment using environmentally friendl y products and distribution methods. Creates awareness of the endangered Australian native Bilby. Packaging 0. 02 3 0. 06 Uses a cost effective approach while still maintaining a premium and luxury brand image. Online store 0. 03 4 0. 12 Enables distribution of products to poke out a broader range of consumers who are not within the vicinity of store locations. Brand Image 0. 04 5 0. 2 Key to building long lasting customer relationships and for attracting new customers. Weakness Market entry 0. 04 3 0. 12 Easy for competitors to enter market, relatively low costs to set up retail store. No outside executive team 0. 04 2 0. 08 Haighs being a privately owned family company has not outside team, which may affect decisions and growth. Raising capital 0. 02 2 0. 04 One product company 0. 05 4 0. 2 Through expanding their product range their could therefore expand their target market thus increasing profits. Shop locations 0. 05 3 0. 15 Limited shop locations, limiting the availab ility to consumers. Marketing 0. 07 3 0. 21 Marketing is through in-store and word of mouth. Marketing increase could create a larger customer base. Total encumbranceed score 1. 0 3 6. Current strategic 6. 1 Business-level strategicWhen the company has determined its mission and vision, analysed the external environment and recognised internal strengths and weaknesses, management has to select appropriate strategies. To choose strategies should generate a competitive advantage in order to maximise the market value of the existing owners equity (Hilier et al. , 2009). Business-level strategies, functional-level strategies and corporate strategies are the component in the outline management. The main focus of Business-Level strategy is deciding which product or service to offer and how to distribute it. It is clear that Haighs chocolate focuses primarily on differentiation as its Business-Level Strategy. Own production lineAustralia does not have a viable cocoa growing industry so the beans are imported from overseas. Haighs is a family business that is small enough to take delicate care in each process to ensure that they deliver the best quality chocolate. They protect their production line from getting the best cocoa from europium and using their own chocolate manufacturing before distributing to their own retail stores, making this a good example of product differentiation, hence the higher price. At Haighs chocolate store, the differentiated product is the entire service, the quality chocolate and the experience in the store, not just the product directly purchased. Product DifferentiationUnlike cost leadership strategies, product differentiation aims to produce goods and services that customers perceive as being different in important ways. To build a successful product differentiation strategy, it is key to be able to continuously and consistently upgrade the differentiated features. Haighs has approximately 250 different product lines that rotate throughout the year (Natalise, 2012). The different stores in different regions have their own preferences and are able to produce their own chocolate flavour jibe to the differing demands on their customers. Delivery system Haighs chocolate also offers delivery, costing an additional amount fixed upon the weight of the chocolate.This can be very convenient for customers as although the cost is quite high, customers are able to choose the Haighs product as a gift for others due to the high quality of the chocolate. Haighs should look to implement more control over this delivery system with the potential to include dry out ice or other temperature controlled delivery vehicles to ensure the chocolate is kept at its high quality during the delivery process. Differentiated customer service To build up customer loyalty to the company, Haighs chocolate is able to create a differentiated service for them. We treat everyone with respect whether they are coming in for a $1. 20 chocolate frog or a $100 box of chocolate. We give a world class experience. (Orman, 2012).In addition, around 40,000 customers visited Haighs chocolate every year, Haighs is able to give a different customer experience centred around the quality of the chocolate and encourage many customers to experience new or different chocolates but offering a free chocolate factory tour with samples. 6. 2 Functional-level Strategies Functional-level strategies consider a companys ability to attain superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness (Hanson et al, 2011). Haighs chocolate also implements lean thinking process for the manufacturing strategy which enables to minimise non-productive activity and doing it right the first time. This strategy has been impute as a significant reason behind the recent success. (Austin, 2010) ProductionConsidering the production and due to the large number of products, they are able to spread high fixed costs of warehousing and delivery to the re tail stores around Australia. Moreover, accomplishment effects are stable due to a consistent management, considering the order processing, Haighs chocolate is working very efficiently, too. High-quality automated chocolate factory increase the functionality of bringing the product to the end-user immensely Marketing From a marketing perspective, Haighs chocolate is the family company but applies a very efficient branding strategy. Good branding strategies are important for a business, because brands represent consumers perceptions and feelings about a product (Jager, 2010). The company was able to build trust in Australia.Haighs chocolate is updated online often and efficiently, on the other hand due to the small number of the retail stores available around different area in Australia, they are given different advertising camping to keep customer loyal and engaged. Furthermore, Haighs chocolate also focuses on improving the brand awareness. Customer Responsiveness Customer respons iveness includes knowledge and acknowledgement about what the customer necessarily (Siegel, 2002). Furthermore, it is important not to compromise long-term profitability. Superior customer responsiveness will be achieved through superior efficiency, superior quality and superior innovation (Hansen et al, 2011).Through Haighs website, the design enhances their focus on customer needs and assists the company to detect better ways to satisfy them. Haighs chocolate is always looking for a new flavour of chocolate to fill up customer needs, making a variety of chocolate is the way to keep customer keeping coming back. Haighs chocolate store is also focused on providing a different theme at different periods to impregnate the customer in-store experience. Haighs chocolate is doing amazing job on their window display to attract customers, such as Sydney CBD store always has an eye-catching display to customer who walk past the store. 6. 3 Corporate Level strategiesConcentration on a sing le business The corporate strategy of Haighs chocolate is voiceless on a Single Business. Haighs chocolate focuses on its new technology, managerial and customer demand to stay in the strong competitive environment has made the company famous throughout Australia. Haighs chocolate makes quality chocolate through new technology introduced in their chocolate factory. The use of only the highest quality ingredients make sure the customer enjoys the best quality chocolate. Haighs believes in quality from start to finish. Haighs chocolate comes from the first pick of best cocoa beans in Europe and deliver the best raw material from the start.Haighs has a large variety of chocolate ranging from small chocolate frogs up to $100 gift hampers, there is a huge range of different chocolate varieties with a great price range to suit all customers budgets. Theres something for everyone in our shops (orman, 2012). Haighs produces their own chocolate in their factory located in Adelaide. Through only producing one product it allows the company to heavily focus on its managerial, financial, technological and physical resources in producing only chocolate. Tapered desegregation Haighs chocolate is considered as Tapered integration, for example Haighs chocolate imports the raw cocoa beans from overseas.Comprised of a chocolate maker and a transport company to arrange for the transportation to either individual customers in the case of online purchases or to retail shops, therefore the company has control of the whole process to ensure that their customers get the highest quality and freshest products. employ their own company supplier gives better control over the inputs and outputs in the operation. This control ensures that the Haighs chocolate family brand maintains a level of quality that it would not be able to guarantee if it were using suppliers that were not owned by the company. A strong level of quality control, and as such they can be certain that every part of th e production process is line up to the aspect of Haighs chocolate.Its vertical integration has built strong barriers to entry, which enables to protect its product quality and make it costly for a company to enter the industry. International strategy Haighs chocolate has no international market so far since they have failed get into the Japanese market due to the certain issues such as pricing and developing new products for a different market. A further push from the company is expect in the succeeding(a) few years however the Japanese mistake did cost the company a lot of money. A push into the Asian market, most likely to China or India, is expected in the next few years due to the high potential of growth in these markets with the potential recovery of the Asian markets. 7. Recommended strategies 7. Business-level strategy The business level strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions design to gain a competitive advantage by exploiting core compete ncies in specific, individual and product markets. The following recommendations for Haighs will effectively exploit their core competencies. (Hanson et al, 2011). The key issues include what products and services to offer consumers, how to manufacture their product and how they are going to distribute their product. (Hanson et al, 2011). These areas have been effectively obtained by Haighs however needs further sweetening and development to improve and grow the brand.From analysing Haighs current business level strategies it has been identified that Haighs is strongly focused on differentiated products. This has been a major strength for Haighs focusing solely on this model, and targeting a specific target market. It is strength however in order to further expand the brand, stockpile their selected target market would be highly beneficial and profitable. The implementation of the differentiation strategy has lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. They are one of the high est quality chocolate companies in Australia and need to continue with this strategy in the future to continue with the growing success and profitability of the company. Introduce new cost competitive product lineHaighs is a one-product business, therefore making it difficult to expand their target market and reach different groups of customers. Through implementing a larger product range it would be highly beneficial and profitable for the company. The brand image that Haighs currently has is one of very high quality. Therefore products need to be introduced that are related and at the same standard. Products that could be introduced into the business would include. Cook books, chocolate cooking utensils and serving plates. Chocolate cook books should be sold which would inspire customers to cook using Haighs chocolate. Haighs could also release their own cookbook from using the hundreds of recipes they have offered in store over the years.Cooking utensils such as chocolate molds, tempering machines, chocolate kits etc. Through adding these extra products to their product range it would highly hike up sales and create a higher consumer interest for the brand. The implementation of these extra products to the line would not be a difficult task as they have most established areas such as distribution, retail outlets and staff. Haighs would just need to find suppliers for the products. Differentiated customer service Haighs customer service is an area that is highly successful and profitable to the company. Haighs creates a differentiated service for customers that is very unique to their company.This area within the company is recommended to remain at that same level of quality. Customers are treated with extreme respect no matter what you are spending within the store. They provide a world-class experience. Upon purchase they are handed a chocolate in a white glove. This encourages customers to experience new or different chocolates. Haighs does need to focus on this area as they must ensure the quality and consistency of their customer service remains the same over time, and throughout all stores. It is highly important as this may determine weather or not customers return to a Haighs store. Delivery system Haighs chocolate does offer delivery, which does cost extra determined by the weight of the chocolate.This is convenient for customers who live outside the region where Haighs does not have a store. The additional price of delivery is quite expensive. As Haighs chocolate is expensive this extra cost means that it is not a preferred method for consumers and is not a highly profitable area for Haighs. It is also hard to transport packaged chocolate, due to temperature requirements. Haighs currently operates in 3 states in Australia. Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. In the future Haighs should look at expanding their retail stores to other states and territories including, Western Australia, blue Territory, Queensland an d Australian capital territory.Through having retail stores across every state and territory across Australia it would be highly beneficial. It would expand their brand and customers. In order to become a more profitable business, Haighs needs to expand their store locations and introduce a large number of new consumers to the company. This process would initially be very expensive, however upon establishment it would be highly profitable to the company. Their main core competency is that of production and good quality chocolate products. Their quality and consistency of production, which has remained at the same level for many decades. At the retail end, their high quality packaging, shop design and product design is a major expertise of Haighs.Haighs needs to focus on their core competencies and effectively advertise to their selected target market to create more awareness about their brand and products. The recommended strategies will exploit Haighs core competencies and will hel p develop a stronger brand. 7. 2 Functional Strategy * Efficiency Keep practising the lean production Haighs chocolate so far has employ well significant strategies to maintain their efficiency in the manufacturing process. As can be seen, Haighs has adopted the lean production with the attempt to eliminate waste and to cut down non-productive activity and errors of products (Austin, 2010). The lean production also assists the company in using efficiently resources of labor, materials, space and time.It is recommended that besides continuing to practice the lean production, Haighs should start to analyze and focus on what they can do best or what product lines have more interest from consumers in order to maximize productivity. Strengthen relationship with supplier of key inputs The price of raw inputs like sugar and cocoa can be highly volatile due to uncertainties in the external environment such as weather, season, industry competitors or global economy. Contracts with supplier s will help the company to guarantee the price and availability of raw materials if any unpredictability events might occur in the market. Start applying the learning effects to improve labor productivity Learning effect will help the company in diminishing the cost of production per unit as more output will be produced per labour unit over the same amount of labour hours input.The learning effect not only requires labours but also managers to be involved in the production process. Managers will get used to with the process and be able to use the resources and arrange the production process more efficiently thus leading to more output for the same amount of input. In order to bind out the learning effect, the company needs to start with comprehensive training program that enables their employees to perform multi tasks within each store such as cashiering, stocking and sales presentation. When staffs are flexible with the tasks they can do, the retail store could reduce the cost of labour. Being more incentive in marketing plans Effective marketing will help the company to seize larger market share.Haighs has been carrying out their marketing strategy based on in-store promotion and word of mouth. This strategy assists Haighs in saving cost however, the company has not represented a remarkable market share in the industry. For example, with consumers who live in suburbs of NSW where Haighs stores do not exist, they properly are not aware of the brand and are not willing to get off too far to purchase the products that they would get conveniently from local supermarket. The common marketing tools would be use to kindle new interest in existing product lines including social media and free gifts inside packaging, event sponsorship or taking part in food expos.For distribution channel, Haighs also can extend their supply to large purchasers such as up-scale hotels that require high quality products rather than just focus on individual buyers. Haighs premium prod ucts will be suitable for five-star hotel market. With this channel, Haighs will be able to sell larger amount, which would create economic of scale for the company. * Innovation Catch the consumers trend Failure to seize the consumers trends might lead to failure of the business. Consumers nowadays are having more awareness of health and nutrition in consumption decisions. In order to satisfy that need, Haighs need to be more innovative about the low-fat and low-sugar chocolate segment.Furthermore, Haighs also can reduce the portion size of their product lines by producing a small version of original products in order to lessen the calories intake of consumers. It is also necessary for Haighs to promote the benefits of cocoa and dark chocolate to health in particularly for heart disease and antioxidant protection. Organic and free trading are also necessary movements for Haighs to raise consumers interest in the company. Extend into cafes The expansion into cafes might help Haighs to create a new product range. The innovation of cafes based on chocolate beverages and desserts will remark a turning point for the business. It not only helps Haighs to boost the sales of chocolate but also gives Haighs customers a new experience. * Customer responsiveness Building a strong brand loyaltyHaighs chocolate has created a great customer service by training staff and offering to them an intensive knowledge about products and branding. However, Haighs has not strongly focused on building brand loyalty. It is necessary for Haighs to engage and maintain the relationship with loyal customers by providing member cards, discount cards for large purchases. By implementing the loyalty programs, Haighs customers will feel they are valued. Moreover, with the discount promotions, customers might consider to buy with bigger amount in order to get more discount as a result, Haighs could increase its sales revenue. Being more conscious of baby boomers segmentAs aging population in A ustralia is occurring faster, Haighs is required to take more actions in meeting the demand of this segment. Discount for senior is one of the options that Haighs could apply to attract more elderly people. Getting connected with consumers through social network Haighs has been successful in using the widespread of Facebook to engage with their consumers. In their Facebook page, a wide range of products has been introduced and received variety comments and responses from consumers. It is also a great marketing tool for Haighs. However, it is needed to exploit more the potential of social network and blogging community in strengthening the relationship with consumers.Haighs should set up more surveys and feedback pages in order to know what are best-seller products, what are their drawbacks, what consumers want and how to satisfy their needs. The creation of make your own flavour game would be applied in their Facebook page, which allows browser to create and mix own chocolate flavou r. It would be a chance to let consumers knows that the company values their opinions and interests. Moreover, Haighs will also have more ideas in developing their product lines. 7. 3 Corporate strategy People always want new, innovative products. There are weed of similar products existing and new products developed every single day, which gives customers various options to choose. Therefore the company may easily experience change of consumer loyalty, especially for adolescents.Chocolate is an $83 billion a year business, which makes the industrys value larger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 130 nations on earth (CNN, 2012). enchantment they have expanded its business for almost a century, they only have 13 stores in Australia and have not expanded internationally. Their products are highly known in Australia as being of very high quality. However, Haighs Manufacturing represents only a small part of the Australian chocolate market. The Australian chocolate h ome is clearly dominated by large international players like Kraft Foods, Mars, and Nestle. Haighs best figure based on industry data is 1. % of the total Australian chocolate market by turnover, a smaller portion by volume (A E HAIGH PTY LTD, 2011). In order to expand and grow the company some strategies are suggested Tapered vertical Integration Vertical integration is commonly used in the firms core business to gain market power over rivals. Market power is gained as the firm develops the ability to save on its operations, avoid market costs, improve product quality and, possibly, protect its technology from imitation by rivals (Dallas Hanson, 2011). Since 1915, Haighs Chocolate carries out tapered vertical integration as they have controlled the whole process from raw materials to the consumer value chain.This has enabled the business to create the highest quality for its products and enabled them to protect the product quality. The company has built its own outstanding retail network. This strategy needs to keep up to protect its product quality and its long history. However, it will not be able to make continues growth in the long term as new international competitors keep entering into the market and strong international competitors have occupied the markets. Related diversification Haighs chocolate does not use related diversification. It is suggested to use related diversification in opening chocolate cafes in Australia, which allows them to grow their market share and reputation faster.Related diversification allows a company to swap complementary skills and create value through maintain of scope. Haighs Chocolate has considered it but decided against it for now as they believe that is not their strength (Christina, 2011). There are some international chocolate cafes in Australia including Max Brenner, Lindt, Guylian and The Chocolate Room. One of Haighs strengths is width of its product range available to customers and it is even wider range than those international competitors which run chocolate cafes in Australia as well as worldwide (Christina, 2011). All products can be used at Haighs Chocolate cafe like the competitors.To differentiate, one of its current product, dark chocolate coffee beans which 100% Australian grown, for coffee lovers can be used for its coffee at the cafe and the cafe can be operated as a chocolate bar which combines a bar and a shop allowing cusomter to experience purchasing some their products at the chocolate cafe. In addition to this, buidling a solid training system for employees and developing of chocolate products such as chocolate brownie, chocolate cake can be implemented for a long term strategy of chocolate cafes. Moreover, this related diversification helps find out the latest consumer trends and behavior much more easier and also enables to advertise its new products or promotions at lower cost. International StrategyInternational strategy has been suggested as a possibility for furthe r growth of the company. Asia market Europeans account for nearly half of all the chocolate the world eats, according to the International Cocoa Organization. (CNN, 2012) However, barriers to entry are too high in Europe as there are diverse strong competitors. Although the Asia market is smaller compared to Europe, Asian markets are expected to hold a 20 percent share of the global market by 2016. Chocolate sales in China are expected to rise 19 percent to $1. 2 billion, India expects to see a 7 percent jump to $633 million dollars, and in Indonesia are expected to rise 25 percent to $1. billion dollars, ballooning to nearly 2 billion dollars by 2015 (CNN, 2012). Japan is Asias largest consumer market for chocolate confectionery with per capita consumption rate of about 1. 8 kilos (World Cocoa Foundation, 2011). Therefore the Asian market is a sutiable entry for Haighs Chocolates. The first entry for Haighs Chocolate can be Japan. Transnational strategy A transnational strategy is most suitable strategy for Haighs Chocolate as it helps to achieve both global efficiency and local responsiveness. They have not entered international markets since they had failed entering into Japan market due to pricing and developing new products for new market.Therefore, Haighs Chocolate needs new products for different markets. For instance, Japanese consumers prefer softer and less sweet products and prefer low-priced individually wrapped products are increasing (World Cocoa Foundation, 2011). Green tea, sesame flavours, individual wrapped products can be developed for Japanese markets. Haighs Chocolates are rated green in Greenpeace True Food Guide, Signifying a clear policy on excluding GE-derived ingredients, including oils derived from GE crops, and animal products from animals fed on GE crops while other competitors such as Nestles have been rated much lower due to some criticism (True Food Network).Consumer awareness of environment-friendly products is expected to grow dramatically in the next five years (Markets and Markets, 2011). The companys products are considered to be in a higher price range with diverse scale of products in the global market. The company can enter into international market with its clear policy as consumers seek healthier, higher quality of ingredient for health while providing different types of products for different markets for both global standardisation as well as localisation Entry mode Strategic Alliance Strategic alliances allow companies to share the risks and the resources required to enter international markets.Furthermore, it can facilitate the development of new core competencies that contribute to the companys future strategic competitiveness (Dal