Mcdonalds Case Analysis free essay sample

McDonald’s Case Study Discussion Questions: How are customer tastes changing in the fast food industry? What impact do these changes have on McDonald’s? Customer tastes in the fast food industry are changing younger customers are more aware of the foods they are ingesting. While many fast food chains have healthy substitutes to burgers, fries etc. the stigma these chains face is that all the foods they sell are greasy and unhealthy. The baby boomer generation is has also turned its attention to healthier sources of nutrition.This generation is older and continues to see increasing medical expenses and as a way to get or stay healthy are choosing foods that might be a little more expensive but offer less health risks from over consumption. Customers are also eating out less then before due to our nations recent recession. Customers are also choosing to eat at restaurants that have nicer dinning areas they might cost more then place like McDonalds but deliver food about as fast. We will write a custom essay sample on Mcdonalds Case Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These changes in society, and consumer tastes, and preferences have impacted the way McDonald’s has had to adjust marketing, restaurant designs, efficiency in processes.This has impacted McDonald’s sales as well causing stagnant year over year sales. How well are these changes in customer tastes and preferences being reflected in competitive strategies in the industry? These changes in customer tastes can be seen in the design of restaurants, pricing and marketing. We see companies in the industry advertising healthy options for customers. McDonalds recently started offering oatmeal, and introduced the McCafe a location that offers gourmet beverages, foods, and serves on dining ware like china and stainless steel flatware.Many fast food companies have added healthy choices for customers like new salads, and additional breakfast choices. Wendy’s added some new salads, chicken sandwiches that have helped them to increase same store sales gains. Burger king has made pricing strategy changes buy implementing a permanent line of value priced offerings to help improve sales. Companies in this industry are aware customers tastes have changed and want things other then cheap burgers and fries. The nations largest fast food outlets have made necessary adjustments in order to recapture and improve market share.What are McDonald’s strengths and weaknesses and what conclusions do you draw about its future? McDonalds strengths stem from its brand name, locations, industry leader, and flexibility. McDonalds is a company that has a brand name that is internationally recognized. This large company has numerous locations across the US and internationally. Mc Donald’s is an industry leader and can make changes that affect the actions of its competitors. Because McDonalds is such a large organization they can be flexible enough to demo new products, services, and even restaurant designs.McDonald’s weakness can also be from the brand name they are known for there burgers, and fries. With the changing of customer tastes for healthier foods and nutrition they have a stigma for selling cheap food that lack nutrition and contribute to obesity in the United States. I think that McDonald’s is going to figure things out they already have made huge strides to change their image and offer new healthier choices for its customers. Should McDonald’s develop a separate strategy for the heavy user segment of the fast food industry?I do think that they should develop a separate strategy for the heavy user for the fast food industry. This large user segment can improve sales faster then those that do not regularly choose McD onalds. According to the case study these heavy users account for 20 percent of customers and account for 60 percent of visits. These users also visit about 20 times per month and spend up to $40 per day. With figures like these it is a must that McDonalds cater to the needs and wants of these heavy users. What should Jack Greenberg do to grow sales, profits, and market share at McDonald’s?Well Jack Greenberg in my opinion has made huge strides in growing sales, profits, and market share by recognizing that customer tastes have changed and taken necessary steps like changing marketing towards healthier offers, new restaurant designs, and improving current processes. I think that McDonalds leaders must continue to review the wants and needs of the many different customers they feed. Besides just recognizing these needs and want they must also continue to use the companies strengths and limit weakness.

Convicting Raskolnikov Dostoevskys Views On Criminal Justice Essays

Convicting Raskolnikov Dostoevskys Views On Criminal Justice Essays Convicting Raskolnikov Dostoevsky's views on Criminal Justice At the close of Crime and Punishment, Raskolinkov is convicted of Murder and sentenced to seven years in Siberian prison. Yet even before the character was conceived, Fyodor Dostoevsky had already convicted Raskolinkov in his mind (Frank, Dostoevsky 101). Crime and Punishment is the final chapter in Dostoevsky's journey toward understanding the forces that drive man to sin, suffering, and grace. Using ideas developed in Notes from Underground and episodes of his life recorded in Memoirs of the House of the Dead, Dostoevsky puts forth in Crime in Punishment a stern defense of natural law and an irrefutable volume of evidence condemning Raskolnikov's actions (Bloom, Notes 25). Central to the prosecution of any crime, murder in particular, is the idea of motive. Not only must the prosecutor prove the actus rectus or "guilty act," but also that the criminal possessed the mens rea or "guilty mind" (Schmalleger 77). The pages of Crime and Punishment and the philosophies of Dostoevsky provide ample proof of both. The first is easy; Dostoevsky forces the reader to watch firsthand as Raskolnikov "took the axe all the way out, swung it with both hands, scarcely aware of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the butt-end down on her head" (Crime and Punishment 76). There is no doubt Raskolnikov caused the death of Alena Ivanovna and, later, Lizaveta, but whether he possessed the mens rea is another matter entirely. By emphasizing the depersonalization Raskolnikov experiences during the murder, the fact that he was "scarcely aware of himself" and acted "almost mechanically" the sympathetic reader might conclude that some unknown fo! rce of nature, and not the person Raskolnikov, is to blame for the death of the usurer and her sister (Nutall 160). Dostoevsky's answer to this is contained not in Crime and Punishment, but rather in an earlier work, Notes from Underground. The entire story of the Underground Man was intended to parody the works of Nicolai G. Chernyshevsky, and thereby prove that man's actions are the result of his own free-will. The idea that man is alone responsible for his actions is central to proving that Raskolnikov is really to blame for his crime. For under the Chernyshevsky-embraced doctrine of scientific determinism, Raskolnikov cannot be held accountable for his actions. Rather, scientific determinism holds that whatever actions men take are inevitable and unalterable because they are "totally determined by the laws of nature." The Underground man was created by Dostoevsky as a man who accepts without question scientific determinismhe is a projection of Chernyshevsky's theories at their most extreme. The result is not the utopian vision of Chernyshevsky, but rather an antisocial animal that is barely recognizable as human (Frank "Nihilism" 37). The reason, according to Dostoevsky, for the problems of the Underground Man, is that he is incapable of any moral action because he lives in a world devoid of blame. At one point, the Underground man imagines forgiving someone for having slapped him in the face; but he cannot. Although the human side of the Underground man realizes that it is moral to forgive, determinism convinces him that "the man who would have slapped my face would most probably have done it in obedience to the laws of nature" (Notes from Underground 45). And so he cannot blame the other for slapping him because nature is really to blame (Frank "Nihilism" 50). But, as the Underground Man points out "even if it is the law of nature, it hurts all the same." According to Dostoevsky, blame is central to humanity. We must accept the responsibility and the consequences of our actions, since we alone determine what they are (Frank "Nihilism" 56). So, Raskolnikov cannot blame fate for his misfortune. But what can! he blame? Why, then did Raskolnikov, a "handsome young man," well educated, devoted to his family, choose to kill a defenseless old woman? Like the main character of Notes from Underground, Raskolinkov finds himself torn between reason and objective morality (Jackson 150). In an essay written six months prior to the start of the novel entitled "On Crime" Raskolnikov lays down the foundation of his rational justification for murder. "On Crime" describes a world split into two groups of

HMV Group Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

HMV Group - Case Study Example This report highlights the various strategic options available to the HMV Group as well as an analysis of the potential effectiveness of these new strategies based on the current strategic position of the organisation. an isolated incident which did not stem from higher consumer patronage and online sales, but from the sale of HMV Japan (Bryant, 2008). It appears that HMV Group was experiencing minimal sales volumes in the Japanese division of the company, thus the sale of this particular business unit was performed in order to increase total company liquidity and make the company's stock appear more viable for long-term investment. The implementation of the Japanese HMV division did not bring adequate sales results to the company, thus this was an initial failure at diversifying the company's total business portfolio. Additionally, and much to the surprise of the HMV Group leadership, the company experienced its best Christmas sales in December 2008, largely due to video game sales in the HMV division (Financial Times, 2008). This seems to have taken the company on a new strategic direction by January 2009, with a much higher focus on video game sales and less focus on music sales and downloads. The 3.0 Strategic options for HMV Group The company is currently facing a considerable amount of competition stemming from the rise of online retailers, the digital download environment competitors and also supermarkets which appear to be attempting to cash in on music and other digital media sales (Bryant). There is no research evidence which suggests why consumers are moving toward supermarkets and online retailers for their music and digital media selections, however since these competitors are eroding the firm's total profitability, the company needs to select several new strategies in order to build competitive advantage and emerge, again, as the leader in this type of digital format sales. Pricing Strategy: From a sales and marketing perspective, the company would benefit from taking both a price-based strategy and a differentiation strategy in order to build the type of sales growth expected by the company. In today's difficult economic environment, it is relatively common knowledge that many consumers have cut back on their spending habits due to fear of the short-term effect on personal consumer income. The company should adopt a low price strategy and a

The Rise and Fall of LTCM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rise and Fall of LTCM - Essay Example On the other hand, there are differences between hedge and mutual funds, whereby the hedge funds are managed more aggressively compared to the mutual funds, hence making it possible to take speculative positions in derivative securities like decisions to short sell stock. Moreover, this increases leverage and risk of the funds hence are making it possible for the funds to gain profits when the market is declining. On the other hand, mutual funds are not allowed to be involved in highly leveraged positions; hence, they are considered safer than the hedge funds. Main sources of LTCM initial success The main sources of success for LTCM were associated with a complex mathematical model that the company had established in order to benefit from fixed income arbitrage deals within the bonds of U.S.A, Japanese and European governments (Dunbar, 5). They applied the fundamental idea of the changes in the values of the long dated bonds issued a short time apart, which becomes similar. Neverthel ess, the bonds were approached at a different rate, and they were more traded bonds like the US Treasury bonds, whereby the long-term prices are approached more effectively, though they are less heavily traded and liquid. The other main of success factor was the financial transactions, which related to purchasing cheaper bonds, short selling them more expensive and liquid, hence generating profit from the difference in the value of the bonds. In fact, their capital grew, and they were willing to invest the capital somewhere; hence, they run out of outstanding bond-arbitrage bets leading to LTCM to apply strategies that were beyond their expertise (MacKenzie, 349). Nonetheless, their trading strategies were nonmarket directional, whereby they did not depend on the overall market interest rates or fluctuations of stock prices, since they had no convergence trades. Main reasons for LTCM collapse The success of the LTCM in the financial markets occurred within a short period, and this w as attributed to informational asymmetries by the fund managers, hence resulting to a downfall before the establishment of the East Asian financial crisis, in 1997. The downfall began with a reduction noted on the net returns in 1998 for the period between May that had 65% and June, 10.4%, resulting to a reduction of their capital by $461 million, in fact, when the Salomon Brothers withdrew from the arbitrage business in July 1998, the downfall was escalated. The losses were accentuated by crisis experienced in Russia during the month of August and September in 1998, when the bonds were defaulted in Russia by their government, leading to investors’ decision to sell European and Japanese bonds in order to purchase the treasury bonds in U.S.A due to their worries. Profits anticipated as the value of the bonds purchased in U.S.A resulted to losses due to convergence of bonds while their value diverged; consequently, the LTCM had incurred losses worth 1.85 billion dollars by the end of August. LTCM could no longer provide investors with annual returns of 40%; instead they were they went through a Flight–to-Liquidity, and in the beginning of September, their equity reduced from 2.3 billion dollars to 600 million dollars with no dwindling portfolio, and this resulted to a further increase in

Management in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management in context - Essay Example 1).† I have noted that the explanation presented by the author for the unique theory makes it all common sense in management practice. I find the author’s labels on the third theory as a proactive one suitable, because it brings up a new way of establishing the link. I concur with the author that in management practice, accumulated academic knowledge can be used as an engagement tool rather than applied as a theory. Case studies are used to expose how a proactive theory can work when managers engage academic knowledge within their management practice activities to improve their performance (Ghoshal, 2005; pg. 1). The case studies shows how scholarship applied together with academic theory in the management practice of inquiry is relational and provides opportunities for evidence based management. The implication of my observations is in relation to the fact that using a proactive approach in management practice creates a link between academic theory and relational skills of managers. Surprises in JA 2 The author has taken an in – depth analysis of how the application of management theories affects organizations business culture. I can observe that according to the author, business schools have enhanced the development of such management theories. ... am surprised with the author’s comments that academic research, which studies the conduct of organizations and management, has generated serious negative effects on the practice of management. I am also surprised that the author seems to be suggesting that graduates from business schools lack common sense of moral responsibility. The author has used the pretense of knowledge and the application of system – based gloomy vision to explain his assertions (Ramsey, 2011; pg. 82). The observations I have made in this article has serious implications in relation to the belief that business schools ought to teach excellent management theories and should not be blamed for negative aspects of business culture. The Evidence The author has used Mike’s learning and Kieran is learning to show the application of academic theory within management practices. The two articles show three elements of academic theory when engaged in management practice (Ramsey, 2011; pg. 12). The ele ments revealed in the learning’s include â€Å"an engagement with ideas, a practice of inquiry, and an emphasis on moment-by-moment relating within practice (Ramsey, 2011; pg. 23)†. The writer has used suggestions from other authors to show that the most significant aspect of this link pertains to the place of the evidence that is applied in the academic theory. The writer quotes other authors to strengthen his arguments for the application of evidence-based management. This management approach places decision-making initiatives on evidence that can be gathered and assessed. The author argues that action analysis tool known as Provocative Theory Cycle of Inquiry is critical to the engagement approach in the practice of management. The author has presented information that the pretense of knowledge

Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) Analysis

Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) Analysis My individual research work undertaken is based on the business strategy concept known as Blue Ocean. The concept of the Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) originated in 2005 when two authors named as W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne of the BOS Institute wrote a book named as Blue Ocean. Commonly, people believe that the finest organizational strategy is the one which escalate profits for the organization. According to the book written by these authors, firms should seek to build demand for their products or services in a market where there is no competition rather than competing nose to nose with existing producers in the industry. Vice versa, in existing industries firms often compete with each other and seek to surpass their competitors and snatch their market share which makes it very tough for every firm to survive. Such an industry is known as Red Ocean where all the firms strive to capture the same market share from each other and as new suppliers enter into the market, profits are redu ced, chances for growth are depreciated which often create threats for new entrants and/or disable some businesses to retain their share in the market. For this reason, such a strategy would not fit best for every firm in the modern business environment. A Blue Ocean strategy identifies such industries that do not exist or are unknown. The application of such a strategy requires that demand must be created for the product or service rather than competing against the rivals. The supporters of the Blue Ocean strategy argue that firms can rapidly boost their profits and grow expeditiously if the firm is able to provide products and services that are innovative to both the buyer and the business. This is because innovative products and services are more likely to be valued by the customers and eliminate such products or services which are of unsubstantial value to the existing or the future market. (B) Key Areas of Research and sources: To navigate the blue ocean is it required to think outside the box. There must be an idea or approach which must not necessarily a better way to do something which is already being done and where there must be a competitive edge in a limited market space. The difference between the red and blue ocean is that in the red ocean there would be a competition in the current market space of your contraption whereas in the blue ocean an incontestable market space is established which attracts new demand. Therefore, there must be a clear idea whether we are in a red or blue ocean before the start of research. A field research strategy is used where the fundamental aim of this research is the identification of the potential group which is not your customer in strategic buyers group both inside and outside the industry or substitute markets. This research also helps providing us the contour of existing buyer and non customers. A team is developed comprising research experts and analysts, professionals in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The team is a master in all the important areas market intelligence, competitive intelligence, analysis of the vendor, research and analytics, analysis of various trends in the market, forecasting and business analysis. The resource for this research includes experienced analysts from globally recognized market intelligence organizations, business economists and financial experts with comprehensive sector experiences. Qualitative research method is used for the collection of data in the field at the initial phase of research. The contraption for this research includes surveys, questionnaires, guides for interviews and virtual or on the spot discussion forums. This approach promotes open ended discussions in a composed ambiance to advocate true and direct dialogue. This method is mostly used because the data and intelligence which are required to recognize new buyers and market opportunities are not obtainable easily A secondary, quantitative research is acknowledged in the research plan when wide range of representative data is needed to know about new market circumstances. This methodology includes sample management, survey instrument design and management of data, tabulation and analysis by both the traditional methods for the collection of data. (c) Discussion of Strategic Models Identified:- During my research, I have come across plenty of strategic models which enable the implementation of the blue ocean strategy. Some of them are discussed below. The Four Actions Framework:- This framework looks at different aspects of the industry by asking four different questions. These questions help to straighten the focus of the business and realign its overall strategy to create value. These questions involve asking: What are the factors that need to be created which have not yet been created by the industry? What are the factors that should be promoted over the industrys standards? What are the factors that need to be scale down the industrys standards? What are the factors taken for granted by the industry and should be exterminated? The first question assists the managers of the firm to explore new ways of adding value to their products or service for the buyers. The second question encourages the management of the firm to divulge and eradicate the compromises made by the buyer. The first two questions seek to provide the firm with a differentiation edge. The third question points out the factors that need to be reduced which may have been redesigned in order to compete with the rivals. The fourth question identifies those factors which may have had value in the past but are of minute value to the buyers today. The last two questions seek to assist the firm in becoming a cost leader in the industry. Buyer Experience Cycle:- While making a purchase, a buyer goes through six different stages, from the initial purchase to the final disposal of the product. In deciding which product to purchase, a buyer thinks from unalike aspects in order to buy the product that best satisfies the needs of the buyer. These stages are called utility levers. Stage 1: Purchase: At the initial stage, the buyer has a set of questions in his mind based on which he decides which product he has to buy and how much time it would take for him to find the desired product. For this reason, it can be seen that shopping malls today are successful because they have different products under one single roof and at the same time seek to satisfy diverse needs of a variety of customers. Theoretically, it is quite simple but marketing managers should give sufficient consideration to this factor and make the product finding experience easier and much simpler for the buyer. Also, customers tend to buy their products from places that are attractive or give them the option to choose their desired products from the most fascinating products. On the other side, accessibility is a vital issue. If a store offers the best products in town but is not in reach of the buyers, they are most likely to switch to an alternative store to make their purchases. Moreover, from the perspective o f a buyer, a secure transaction environment has a positive psychological affect on the buyer and encourages him to make his purchases. Lastly, customers always prefer to buy from such stores which they are familiar with because they know they would be provided with a commendable customer service. Stage 2: Delivery: The next stage is concerned with delivering the product to the buyer. Buyers usually ask that how much time it would take for the product to be delivered to them. This is where businesses can outdid their competitors in the market and exclusively in the services sector where on time delivery is the critical success factor for many businesses. Stage 3: Use: Are the functions and features of the product effective? Do they satisfy the desired needs of the customers? Does the buyer require any guidance or teaching in order to use the product? Is the product easy to use and operate (e.g. in case of electronics)? Stage 4: Supplements: Some products require the support of other products in order to operate effectively and meet the demand of customers. Customers always think that how much the supplement product would cost them? In this case, customers who are price sensitive might decide to switch to some other product which does not require the support of other products to operate and meet the needs of customer. On the other hand, customers who are not much price sensitive would consider whether the supplement product is available and accessible. However, this is one of the salient factors which the marketing managers should consider before deciding to introduce a fresh product to the consumers. Stage 5: Maintenance The next factor that buyers usually consider is how easy it would be to maintain the product and how much it would cost them. In the modern business environment, customers wish to purchase such products which can be maintained in less time and reduced cost. This is one of the most imperative factors which marketing managers should consider if they wish to retain their customers and also attract new customers from the market. Also, if a product requires external maintenance, customers think of factors such as cost of external maintenance and accessibility of maintenance store. Stage 6: Disposal Lastly, customers also think whether it would be easy to dispose the product or not. In this regard, managers should consider the legal and environmental issues before promoting their product into the market. Sustainable development of a product is a key aspect in the modern business environment and the firm which is able to develop, promotes and dispose their products without causing minimal harm to the environment would surely have a differentiation edge over their rivals in the market. Four Hurdles Execution:- After the management has established a blue ocean strategy, the next step in the process is to effectively implement such a strategy. Successful implementation of a strategy at any phase plays a vital role because ineffective implementation of a strategy can lead to wastage of precious resources and time. While implementing a blue ocean strategy, an organization is faced with the following four types of hurdles. If the organization wishes to succeed, it must take appropriate measures to overcome these hurdles to find a blue ocean. The Cognitive Hurdle: Normally, companies operate in red oceans which may not to lead to sustainable growth and profits in the future. Although, companies have grown and met their milestones while operating in the red ocean, managers must think beyond this if they wish to survive in the modern business environment where new competitors arise everyday in the industry making the competition more rugged. The organization as a whole must be mentally prepared for such a strategy before implementing it so that precious resources are not wasted. The Resource Hurdle: Normally, organizations believe that when it changes its business strategy, additional resources would be required to implement the new strategy. At this point, this is the greatest hurdle which organizations come across during the implementation of the new strategy. But such a hurdle can be easily surmount if the firm has a competent and experienced human resource department. The Motivational Hurdle: A radical shift in the strategy of the business might demotivate the employees in an organization. If the management is competent and capable, they would also overcome this hurdle by creating a sense of ownership in the employees and also enriching their jobs. The Political Hurdle: Some organizations are very much influenced by the political environment. This is the last hurdle faced by an organization when implementing the blue ocean strategy. Governments have the right to completely abandon a product if they think the product can cause harm to the public at large e.g. drugs. A detailed analysis of the political environment would surely put the managers in a better place which would ultimately help them to overcome this hurdle. (d) Key conclusions and findings:- Based on studies, the authors of the blue ocean strategy have suggested that companies in the future would not be able to flourish by just competing with their rivals to retain their market share. The authors believe that in the modern business environment, innovation is the key to success and if an organization succeeds in creating a culture of innovation, it can easily survive in the long term without competing with any rivals in the market. Since the past many years, companies have fought with each other in order to secure their profit and market share. As a consequence, such rivalry between the firms has resulted in bloody red oceans where everyone tries to grab others share of the market and steal their customers. This ultimately means that if an organization wishes to survive in the modern business environment, it should therefore try to adopt a blue ocean strategy. This is because adopting such a strategy would place the company in a much better position with no competitors in the market and might put the business in a monopoly position which would ultimately make the business the leader of the market. A Blue Ocean strategy focuses on six principles which if followed adequately can create a blue ocean for the business where competition is irrelevant. These principles include: Identification of diverse pathways through which a market can be created where the business has no rivals to compete with. Encourage the managers to create value innovation rather than just focusing on increasing the profits or turnover of the business. Plan to attain beyond current demand and create new demand by targeting non-customers. Follow the right strategic sequence to create a blue ocean. Prevail over the four hurdles of execution. Execute the blue ocean strategy by motivating people to do so. The management must be capable to deal with behavioral issues in order to implement this final principle. However, there are some risks associated with the blue ocean strategy which the organization should seek to minimize to successfully implement the blue ocean strategy. These are: The blue ocean strategy encourages the managers of the business to develop new strategies and new products to create uncontested market space. The idea seems fair but this could also encourage the managers to ignore competition and they may lose grip over their core competencies. A competent management assumes that they have no rivals in place and seek to continuously improve their performance. Such a strategy could also encourage the management to overlook their rivals in the market and as a result they might lose their attained market share. Although every business seeks to create a blue ocean by trying to develop strategies and product which differ largely from the products offered by their competitors. This means that a business may think that they have created a blue ocean whereas actually it has not been successful in doing so. A blue ocean strategy encourages the businesses to look for industries that are far beyond their own core competencies. When the business is enthused to think different under a blue ocean strategy, there is a risk that the business might overlook their strengths and history and forced to diversify in such industries where the risk of failure is high because of no experience in that industry. All in all, a blue ocean strategy is more likely to lead a company to flourish in the future but it is vital that the pros and cons are considered evenly before implementing such a strategy. (e) Summary on the success or failure:- Overall, working on such a project has aggrandized our team working skills because everyone took the responsibility on themselves which created a sense of ownership in every team member and ultimately the team as a whole was able to conclude the work effectively. For this reason, all of the questions which were asked of us were abundantly answered including the group presentation. Working on such an assignment has been very informative for us and we all are now aware of the different types of business strategies in the modern business environment. This could prove useful for us when we start our practical career. From the group standpoint, we are now aware of the different types of business strategies and how successful implementation of a blue ocean strategy can be of benefit to a business. We have also learned that how such strategies can be implemented and what are the pre-requisites for implementing the different types of business strategies. Moreover, we have also learned what type of strategy would suit a particular business and we agree on the fact that the blue ocean strategy is not fit for all types of business. The selection of a strategy varies from business to business depending on their environment and other significant factors which the management should bear in mind when choosing a strategy. Individually, I have understood that in the modern business environment, adopting and implementing a business strategy is vital for the success of a business. It doesnt matter whether the business decides to adopt a blue ocean strategy or not, what matters is the commitment of the management and their capabilities and experience which would result in the long term survival of the business. (f) Individual contribution and impact on group presentation:- Before proceeding with the assignment, all of the team members were assigned particular areas of their interest to work on. I was assigned to identify the different types of strategic models which could help the business in achieving their aims and objectives in the long run. This doesnt mean that all of the team members were working in isolation, instead all of the team members were helping and supporting in each others work. This created a team spirit and all of the team members felt a sense of ownership as everyone felt that it is their responsibility to complete the assignment. Lastly, my presentations focal point is the adequate preparation of slides and plenteous research from diverse resources. Detailed work was done with the team to cover up all areas of the assignment evenly.

Frank Lloyd Wright :: essays research papers

Frank Lloyd Wright   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frank Lloyd Wright, in my mind, is the greatest architect I’ve ever seen. He had a big fetish with building his houses encompassed with nature and that really interested me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frank Lloyd Wright is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern Western architecture. His radically innovative designs, utilizing a building based on nature. Said by Wright as organic architecture. He was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, June 8, 1867 and died on April 9, 1959. It was a standard of his passion and commitment to his field of work that he continued working right up to the time of his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After studying civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin, he moved to Chicago in 1887, where he went to work as an apprentice for Louis Sullivan. He began there to design and independently build private houses for some of Sullivan’s clients. This was known as “moonlighting';. These houses soon revealed an independent talent that was distinct from that of Sullivan. Wright’s houses had low, sweeping rooflines hanging over uninterrupted walls of windows. His plans were centered on massive brick or stone fireplaces at the heart of the house. His rooms became wide open to one another and the overall configuration of his plans became more and more alike, reaching out toward some real or imagined expansive horizon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In contrast to the openness of those houses and as if in conflict with their immediate city environment, Wright’s urban buildings tend to be walled in with light entering primarily from above, through skylights. These features contrasted with those of his mentor’s, Sullivan, work. Wright’s distaste for urban environments and his embrace of the natural environment are observed in the contrasting features of some of his finest buildings in the early 1900s: the Unity Church in Oak Park, Illinois; compared with Buffalo’s Martin House and Chicago’s Robie House. The houses are characterized by large, glazed walls, terraces, and low-slung roof overhangs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well, in 1893, the issue of Wright’s moonlighting escapades finally arose and Sullivan was forced to fire Wright. Sullivan felt very betrayed by this. Wright was forced to work on his own which pleased him either way. This gave him more freedom. During the next 20 years, he became one of the best known architects in the United States. Wright’s fame in Europe was promoted due to the publication in 1910 and 1911 by Berlin’s Wasmuth of two editions of Wright’s work as well as an exhibition that traveled throughout Europe.

PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Essay

The senior management has been advised by the legal department that the organization will need to become PCI DSS compliant before using online applications that accept credit cards and customer personal information. The management isn’t familiar with PCI DSS compliance; therefore, the management asked you to prepare a recommendation explaining PCI DSS compliance, how the organization can move through the compliance process, and the consequences of noncompliance. PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. PCI DSS originally began as five different programs: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB data security programs. Each company creates an additional level of protection for card issuers by ensuring that merchants meet minimum levels of security when they store, process and transmit cardholder data. PCI DSS specifies 12 requirements for compliance, organized into six logically related groups called control objectives. Each version of PCI DSS has divided these 12 requirements into a number of sub-requirements differently, but the 12 high level requirements have not changed since the inception standard. The control objectives are Build and maintain a secure network, protect cardholder data, maintain a vulnerability management program, implement strong access control measures, regularly monitor and test networks and maintain an information security policy. The requirements for compliance are, install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect card holder data, do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters, protect stored cardholder data, encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open public networks, use and regularly update anti-virus software on all systems commonly affected by malware, develop and maintain secure systems and applications, restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know, assign a unique ID to each person with computer access, restrict physical access to card holder data, track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data, regularly test security systems and processes and maintain a p olicy that addresses information security. According to Visa, no compromised entity has yet been found to be in compliance with PCI DSS at the time of a breach. Assessments examine the compliance of merchants and services providers with the PCI DSS at a specific point in  time and frequently utilize a sampling methodology to allow compliance to be demonstrated through representative systems and processes. It is the responsibility of the merchant and service provider to achieve, demonstrate, and maintain their compliance at all times both throughout the annual validation/assessment cycle and across all system and processes in their entirely.

Film Review Baraka by Ron Fricke (1992)

Film Review Baraka by Ron Fricke (1992) Baraka directed by Ron Fricke (1992)The title is a Sufi word that means 'blessing' and this is very appropriate as there are many images of people from all walks of life who pray and reveal their spirituality in one form or another. The images of nature at the film's beginning of snow-capped mountains and wheeling birds are backed by spiritual music which includes a flute. The snow monkey soaking itself in a hot spring appears to be meditating, then tribes of natives in prayer somewhere in Asia, Aborigines in Australia, and the Israelis at the Wailing Wall,. and so on. Many of these images are shown later, revealing a change in perspective, for example the Israeli soldier with gun in hand, wearing prayer shawl, praying at the Wall, thus creating meaning for the audience, that life is a paradox. Another way of presenting a change in perspective is through the use of juxataposition.English: Wailing Wall from the TankizyyaWe see skyscraper buildings of New York and an aerial view of the traffic and pedestrians. The camera is sped up and the people racing in all directions suggests that we're going nowhere fast, symbolising a rat race; this is reinforced by the next frame of people who are filling the pews in a church, and once again the camera is sped up to show the church emptying fastthus suggesting that people haven't the time for religion or spirituality. A change in perspective through the various ways of living, all over the globe is interspersed with magnificent views of naturesome being peaceful, such as the moon, stars, sun, waterfall and others, dangerous, such as icy mountain tops and volcanic craters. Shots of homeless families on city streets and unsmiling people posing for the camera create a mournful tone. Factory workers are also shown, for example...

Pressure System Essays

Pressure System Essays Pressure System Essay Pressure System Essay A Pressure system with two resistances Consider a pressure system with tank of volume V and varying pressure P at constant temperature. Fl is inlet flow through resistance RI with source pressure Pl. F2 is output flow through resistance R2 and flowing out at pressure P2. As the flows into and out of the tank are both influenced by the tank pressure, both flow resistances affect the time constant. A typical control problem would be to manipulate one flow rate (either in or out) to maintain a desired drum pressure. Variables: Controlled variable: P Manipulated variable: F2 Disturbance variable: Fl Here we develop a model that describes how the tank pressure varies with the inlet and outlet flow rates. Making a mass balance, Accumulation in the tank = Input flow rate (Fl) Output flow rate (F2) Flows (Ohms law is I = Driving Force Resistance dp dt RIR2 V (Rl+R2) RI +R2 RI R2 ( RI +R2) + ( Rl+R2) rp dP+p = KI Pl+K2P2 Where Kl= (Eq. l) VRI R2 Taking Laplace transform of equation (Eq. l) ps P(S) + P(S) = KI PI'(S) + K2P2(S) P(S) (1+ IPS) = KI PI'(S) + K2 P2(S) 1+1 s + KI P2(S) (Eq. 2) Equation 2 can be represented in a block diagram as below: rps+l rp S+l A Block Diagram of a pressure system with two resistances Assume: RI = 2 rntn,t-n3; R2 v=5rn3 2+4 20 3 6. 6676mtn l. Processing Without Control Where K ? 4 = 0. 667; Assuming step change from 2 m3/min to 3 m3/min in the disturbance variable: S(3S+1) Disturbance response without Control 0. 8 0. 4 0. 2 10 50 time (min) II. Proportional Integral Control for the Disturbance Changes Process: Process Transfer function: Gp(s) = Disturbance Transfer function: Gd(s) = I-I(S) Pressure Sensor-Transmitter (Analyzer): Gm(s) = Km m s+l but negligible dynamics > > > Gm(s) = Km Pm(s) = Gm(s)Pa(s) Block diagram for the pressure sensor-tramsmitter pa(S) m S+l Pm(s) Controller (PI controller): GC(S) = ) pa(S) = Control Valve: GV(S) = KV Pt'(S) o. S+l ; but negligible dynamics r > > > Comparator: E(s) = P sp (s) P m (s) P sp (s) = K m P sp (s) Block diagram for the entire process: Rd(S Psp(s) P sp (s) KC(I + ) pa(S) KIP PLI(S) Where: Y=controlled variable U=manipulated variable D=disturbance variable (also referred to as load variable) P=controller output E=error signal Ym=measured value of Y Ysp=set point sp=internal set point (used by the controller) Yu=change in Y due to U Yd=change in Y due to D Gc=controller transfer function GFtransfer function for final control element (including K , if required) IP Gp=process transfer function Gd=disturbance transfer function

Critically review the evidence of multi stakeholder governance of the Literature

Critically the evidence of multi stakeholder governance of the sustainability. issue of population and the issue of mega - Literature review Example The largest cities of the world are found to be growing at the fastest pace. However, it has been observed that large cities are not concentrated in the developed nations but mostly in the developing countries of the world. The process of urbanization has resulted in a number of issues associated with most of the mega cities which have been discussed in this study. The issues discussed are mostly related to the various sustainable problems and governance issues faced by the megalopolises of the world. Sustainability and Mega Cities Sustainability development refers to the fulfilment of needs and requirements at present without compromising on the future generations’ ability to satisfy their needs (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). Sustainability is a concept of achieving simultaneously the objectives of an improved environment, a good economy and a society which is more participative in nature. Although the primary context of sustainability is global in n ature, it becomes more meaningful when it is given a global significance through local initiatives and practices. As regards the cities, metabolism can be used as a metaphor to sustainability. A city is adjudged to be more sustainable if it has the ability to reduce its resource inputs in the form of materials, land, water, energy, etc. and waste outputs in the form of air, solid wastes and liquid and at the same time has the capacity to bring about improvement in its liveability in the form of employment, health, housing, income, community, public spaces, etc. (Newman, and Kenworthy, 2003, pp. 235-242). The research study by Williams and Haughton (1994) suggested the various roles played by cities towards the process of sustainability and examined the different issues associated with environmental degradation taking place in the urban areas. In today’s world people living in cities surpass the total number of people living in rural areas. There has been a significant rise in the urban population of the world. It has been estimated that the urban dwellers would increase up to around five billion by the end of the year 2030. The most interesting trend related to this rise in urban population is that it is mostly concentrated in the cities of the developing nations of the world. The primary reason behind the growth of urban population is that the urban fertility rate has increased at a greater rate than the urban mortality rate, especially in cases of the mega cities of the world (Renner, 1998). The future prospects of world community are dependent upon the urban sustainability (McGranahan et al., 2001). New risk dimensions along with physical, social and economic dynamics are created through the increasing mobilisation of people, capital, goods and information. This results in the importance of cities for the creating sustainable development. Mega cities are not confined to the aspect of concentration of people only. Resources that are available all over the world are absorbed by the mega cities; this leads to the generation of huge amounts of sewage and waste. It thus uses environment as a sink to dump all its waste. The increasing per capita income of people living in the cities has resulted in the increase of resources consumed and the residues produced as a result of such activities. The data related to evaluation of the resource demands which has been

Human Growth Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Growth Development - Essay Example During the time when the sexual misconduct allegations sprouted, particularly the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill Clinton still managed to have a smoothly functioning society – but not necessarily a good one (Stage Five: Social Contract and Individual Rights). Although he admitted having extramarital relations with Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers, he was able to get an acquittal from the US Senate and served his complete office term. Towards the end of his last term of Presidency, Bill Clinton even managed to achieve the highest end-of-office approval rating of any US President since World War II. In this regard, the people of the United States view Clinton’s personal setback as less relevant as compared to his achievements as a working President. As emphasized by Kohlberg, â€Å"when conflict arises between individual needs and law or contract, though sympathetic to the former, the individual believes the latter must prevail because of its greater functional ration ality for society, the majority and welfare.†