(Counseling) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(Counseling) - Essay Example Cultural sensitivity knows no negative differences or similarities, such as ‘better or worse,’ or ‘right and wrong.’ Each culture has what they know, regardless of what other cultures have, believe, or follow. Having cultural sensitivity means not finding one culture better than another, but finding them to all be the same in the sense that they have their similarities and differences. There are enough of these similarities and differences to keep cultures balanced with each other without making one more superior or inferior to others. Empathy, or understanding, can simply be described as â€Å"putting oneself into another’s shoes.† Empathy is not the same thing as pity or sympathy, but involves recognizing and entirely understanding what a person is thinking or feeling. Empathy is something that can take place if a person has experienced something that another person is experiencing – it allows that â€Å"outsider† to know exactly what is going on in the mind of that other person, to know what they are feeling, and are able to relate. Another well-known phrase that can be used to fully understand the meaning of empathy is â€Å"seeing eye to eye† with the other person. I have had, at times, the feeling of being an imposter in the career field that I am currently in. I would begin to doubt myself and my abilities, which would lead me to question myself repeatedly about why I am getting myself involved in counseling. It has even gotten to the point where I have found myself considering a career change, though I know that, after all the schooling I have put myself through, switching careers is hardly an option for me. Just from my own experience, I feel that many people that are new to a position or to a certain profession feel like an imposter. People spend a lot of time in school, preparing for what they should do upon graduating and entering their job,

Business Management Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Management Theory - Research Paper Example However, his efforts were supported by other professionals such as Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. In the year 1991, he made several contributions towards the management theory that are still in existence up to date as discussed below. The book of Management, Bus. Rev 3rd edition by Patrick J Montana and Bruce H Charnov states that Fredrick W Tailor was the first to make a formal attempt in the creation of management theory. He made wise decisions such as the decision to advocate an application of scientific method so as to work analysis and develop functional ways of putting the theories to work(Dale, 44). Long time before Tailor came up with theories, there was a common belief among the people that leaders not not made but are born. This belief was a great challenge to the formulated theories since the people could not support them. It became very cumbersome to speak of the aspect of theory management in such an environment whereby the fact that leaders could be trained was totally una cceptable. Towards the end of 19th century, the industry had greatly expanded and became complex therefore creating the need for better better understanding on matters to do with the management theory as well as the managerial technique development (Dale, 44). Due to the fact that Tailor got support from other professionals, Lillian Gilbreth and Frank who were pioneers in the area of motion studies on the job analysis and improvement in work efficiency. Franck used the term of therbligs to describe about seventeen motions that were different and were meant for the purpose of doing the job. Through listing the therbligs, Frank was capable of analyzing the job actions and seek to gain efficiency (Dale, 44). Taylor also played a big role in trying to motivate the workers through his theories, he advocated a piece rate so as to motivate the workers. He knew that motivating employees would enable them to be more productive, he therefore introduced a Gantt Chart as a management tool for t he purpose of scheduling work. The Gantt Chart accelerated the use of piece rate so as to record a normal production and a production bonus for motivating workers be more productive above the expected norm (Dale, 44) The Administrative theory that was created had five functions that characterized management as organizing, planning, commanding, controlling and coordinating. Fredrick Taylor, together with his colleagues in the management science movement came up with a theory which stipulated that workers had no intention to work , were very lazy, required a close supervision, had to be pushed by various threatening so as to be productive, lacked creativity and usually got challenged by the work (Montana, 23). However, the theory was opposed by the theory of McGregor which states that workers have a positive attitude towards work, practice high level of creativity, are ready to welcome various challenges, are more responsible and not be challenged by the work. As a result, the McGrego ry theory was more optimistic as compared to the Taylor`s theory since was a rather pessimistic assessment (Montana, 23) In the year 1991, Fredrick W Tailor made various contributions to the management theory as discussed in the book ‘Handbook of Media Management and Economics by Alan B Albarran’, Michael O Wirth and Chan-Olmsted. From this book, he made contributions on the management th

SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of Seafood Restaurant

SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of Seafood Restaurant SUMMARY Jack Sprat is the owner of seafood restaurant in a coastal town. He is 60 year old and doctor has advised him to take rest so he had appointed a Manager to look after the business operation and he use to come to see the business once in a week. But once he handed over the business to the manager his business is not doing well and there is continuous declining in the business. So in order to find remedy owner has been approached to the author to analyse the case and suggest as what should be done to bring back the business of the restaurant. Author has analysed the business with the tools of business (case) analysis-SWOT, and PESTLE and further financial data has also been taken into consideration to find out the declining trend and come to a conclusion as why business is going down. In order to evaluate the business operation and put the findings in the report author has done extensive research-secondary research and analysed the case with his valuable suggestions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Author would like to convey his gratitude to those entire people who helped him to enhance his understanding of the case and analyzed the situation so that a valid conclusion of the case can be drawn. Author has completed this case successfully and has been presenting his findings with suggestion in this report. So author would like to thanks to the Module tutor for kind support and guidance. INTRODUCTION Jack Sprat is 63 year old owner of 60 seat licensed seafood restaurant that is situated in a costal town. Before starting this business Jack was simply a Manager at a local Bluebeckers Restaurant. But an inheritance left this restaurant to him. Since the opening of this restaurant business it has given very good return. The belief of Jack towards success f this business is the Maintenance of high standards in fod production and presentation. Other fact is Menu and beverage list has been fairly constant since beginning of this restaurant. Jack did not change menu and beverage list because business was giving modest return since beginning. But jack is not regular to the restaurant and he has appointed a Manager to manage the business operation and he use to come to the restaurant to see the business operation once in a week. This is because at this age (63) he has been suffering from health problem and his doctor has advised him to take rest. But business of this restaurant has gone down as soon as it was handed over to the manager. Absenteeism of the staff has been increased. Keeping in mind the remedy of the situation author has established aim and objectives of this report, here are the aim and objectives written in detailed: Aim of this report is to find remedy of the existing problem or discrepancies of the restaurant and give valuable suggestions to overcome from these problems so that business can be put on its old pattern-profitable. Objectives are: Finding most important problems Identification of further information that would be helpful in making realistic plans for the future of the business To list the priorities Drawing an action Plan The structure of this report is as follows: First of all main body has been presented wherein SWOT, PEST, and other detailed analysis has been done. Then conclusion has been drawn and bibliography (list of references) has been given followed by appendix section where additional informations has been provided. MAIN SECTION Aim and objective No.1: Finding important problems: Before providing solution of anything one has to find the problems first. So to find problem related to any business it is very first step to conduct SWOT analysis and PEST or PESTLE analysis. Before going for the SWOT analysis of the business concerned it is important to understand SWOT first. SWOT ANALYSIS is the detailed search and listing of factors from situational analysis that might or will impact the businesss strategy. Strategic marketing is based on the SWOT analysis. The process by which SWOT factors are derived is to carefully review the internal analysis for strengths and weaknesses, and the environmental analysis for opportunities and threats, and to then record. (Reich, Z.A, 1997) According to (Morrison, J 2002) The SWOT analysis is a commonly used planning tool, which assesses the firms strategic profile in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Focusing on both internal and external environments, it serves to highlight a firms distinctive competences, which will enable it to gain competitive advantage. Based on the above information from the scholars it is true that business environment can be divided into two part-internal and external environments. Internal environment consists of all factors that is internal part of the business. These internal factors are within the control of the business. Strength and Weaknesses of the business can be found in the internal environment of the business. External factors are those factors which are not within the control of the business and to be into existence business houses has to change in their internal policy and adjust itself to cope with the external environment factors. Opportunities and Threats are the factors that are part of external environment of a business. SWOT : Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat Analysis of Seafood Restaurant Business of Jack Sprat: STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Earlier this business was profitable It is established organization Maintaining high standard in food and presentation Staffs are familiar with their work Customers feel that restaurant is conveniently placed and charges reasonable price Owner is not able to give full time attention to the business Manager is less empowered-as he feels less scope has been given to him for the development of this business Number of staff has been increased-which is extra burden on payroll expenses of the business. No refurbishment done properly yearly Maintenance and Hygiene problem Insufficient fund/ resources for spending on maintenance and Hygiene Menu choice is stale and boring Improper management of food due to lack of proper forecasting of guests. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Restaurant is old so having established market Market Image is good- reasonable price and consistent standard Dilution of market share due to inability to refurbishment Environment Health officer may not be informal in future and there will be time when formal notice will be issued. PEST ANALYSIS Before analyzing PEST or PESTLE factors from a business point of view it is important to understand these factors: (Political, Economical, Socio cultural, Technological and Legal). A PEST analysis is an analysis of an external macro environment that affects all firms. Such external factors usually are beyond the firms control and sometimes present themselves as threats. For this reason, some say that pest is an appropriate term for these factors. However changes in the external environment also create new opportunities and letters sometimes are rearranged to construct the more optimistic terms of STEP ANALYSIS. Many macro environmental factors are country specific and the pest analysis will need to be a performed for all countries of interest. Political Factors Tax policy Employment laws Environmental regulations Trade restrictions and tariffs Political stability Economic Factors Economic growth Interest rates Exchange rates Inflation rate Social Factors Health consciousness Population growth rate Age distribution Career attitudes Emphasis on safety Technological Factors RD activity Automation Technology incentives Rate of technological change www.netmba.com/strategy/pest/ Accessed on 2/01/2011 Aim and objective No.2: Identification of further information that would be helpful in making realistic plans for the future of the business: Information needed towards market segmentation-target market: Information to the case is very important to analyze any business health or problem. It is equally important like medical tests are important for human body for remedy of any kind of complain of a patient. There are other tests or scanning is needed for business analysis. Market segmentation is one of them. Market segmentation: market consists of buyers differ in one or more ways. They may differ in their wants, resources, locations, buying attitudes and buying practices. Because buyers have unique needs and wants, each buyer is potentially a separate market. Ideally, then a seller might design a separate marketing program for each buyer. For example a caterer can customize the menu, entertainment, and the setting to meet the needs of specific clients. However, most companies are unable to offer complete segmentation. The cost of complete segmentation is high and most customers cannot afford completely customized products. Companies therefore, look for broad class of buyers who differ in their product needs or buying responses. The restaurant industry offers many examples of segmentation by a variety of variables. (kotler,p 2004) The reason behind knowledge of market segmentation is needed because until unless its not known that which segment is being targeted by the organization concerned (in this case Restaurant of Jack Sprat), it would be very difficult to compare the strength of that segment for the business. In this case its not given in the case so its important to analyse this business from its segment point of view. Information Needed for competitor analysis: To get success of the business its needed to deal with customers, suppliers, employees, and others. In almost all cases there will also be other organizations offering similar products to similar customers. These other organizations are competitors. Objective of the other organizations is the same as yours to grow, make money and succeed. Effectively, the businesses are at war fighting to gain the same resource and territory; the customer. And like in war, it is necessary to understand the enemy: How he thinks; What his strengths are; What his weaknesses are; Where he can be attacked; Where the risk of attack is too greatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. And so on. And like in war, the competitor will have secrets that can be the difference between profit and loss, expansion or bankruptcy for the business. Identifying these secrets is thus crucial for business survival. (http://dspace.dial.pipex.com) accessed on 2/01/2011 Other information needed is about its competitors. Information of competitors is very important to know the business of competitors and further business concerned can be compared with the competitors. So competitor analysis is very important. Aim and objective No.3: To list the priorities: First of all instant action should be taken to solve Hygiene problem. Proper forecasting of guests so that underproduction and overproduction both can be kept under control Extra manpower has to be reduced so that there will be less burden on payroll cost Choice of menu has to be increased Manager should be empowered or can be changed (as information is not given properly and in detailed so it is impossible to say to change) Somehow owner has to be in touch even over the phone to monitor the business operation and if possible frequency to visit may be increased. Local bank should be approached for short term loan for the refurbishment activities. Aim and objective No.4: Drawing an Action Plan: Action plan is a process that includes assessments of own strengths, available resources and market opportunities. There must be idea about marketing objective of the organization concerned then a plan can be prepared and further implemented to achieve the determined objective. In other words these informations are basic and needed at very first step towards making action plan: Market and trading environment of the business concerned Decision about market business is targeting to Knowledge about differentiation or advantage of uniqueness of own product and services Deciding marketing mix Estimation of Fund etc. ACTION PLAN: PRODUCT: Option in Menu list will be given PRICING : May charge little higher than what has been charging PROMOTION: There is need to promote the product and create awareness to remove the negative image of the organization. So it can be done through normal aids of advertisement-News papers or T.V Channels. Through T.V Channels it may little costly affair in that point of view daily is better. Other Actions to be taken: It could have opened even on Sunday to attract customers want to utilize their holidays. So it will be open all 7 days. Fund should be managed instantly- It can be done by approaching Commercial Banks for short term loans. Refurbishment will have to be done as soon as loan is approved. Employees have to be re-motivated so that absenteeism of staff can be kept under control. REVENUE (SALES) POINT OF VIEW: Food sales has been increased in 2007-8 by 4.3% compared to 2006-7, and it gone down in the financial year 2008-9 by 3.95% compared to 2007-8 sales of food. Liquor Sales has been increased in 2007-8 by 5.97% compared to 2006-7 and further it increase by 15.59% in the year 2008-9 compared to 2007-8. Overall Total Sales has been increasing in the financial year by 4.67% in the financial year 2007-8 compared to 2006-7, and further increased by 6.57% in the financial year 2008-9 compared to 2007-8. DIRECT COST POINT OF VIEW: In the financial year 2006-7 food cost was 42.05% of its sales and in 2007-8 it became little favorable by going down to 41.16% of its sales figure and in the year 2008-9 in again gone up to 43.63% Direct cost of Liquor is 59.72% of its sales in the financial year 2006-7, and 57.70% in 2007-8 and further 57.91% in 2008-9. So its favorable as its in declining trend. Total direct cost is 54.01%, 55.11% and 52.88% in the financial year 2006-7, 7-8, and 2008-9 respectively which also seems favorable because in 7-8 it gone little up but again it gone down by good margin-around 2 to 3% GROSS PROFIT POINT OF VIEW: Gross profit of food is 57.95%, 58.84% and 56.37% in the financial year 2006-7, 7-8, 8-9. This shows increase in 7-8 and further decline in 8-9. Gross profit of Liquor is 40.28%, 42.30% and 42.09% in the financial year 6-7, 7-8, and 2008-9 respectively. Overall it is in favorable trend. Gross profit in the financial year 2006-7 is 54.01%, 55.11% in 2007-8 and 52.88% in 2008-9 which seems declining trend. In the year 2007-8 it gone up but in 208-9 it came down. This is because there was declining of sales of food in the financial year 2008-9 by 3.95%, otherwise sale of liquor in this financial year was good and direct costs were also behaving favorably. INDIRECT EXPENSES POINT OF VIEW: There are three component of indirect expenses-labour, overheads and operating expenses and maintenance expenses. Amount spent in labour is in increasing order i.e., 29.76%, 31.51% and 33.21% in the year 6-7, 7-8, and 2008-9 respectively. This shows restaurant is spending more % every year in its staffing. Overheads and Operating expenses seems within control as its 8.78%, 7.21% and 8.36% in the year 2006-7, 2007-8, and 2008-9 respectively. Maintenance expenses is 1.61% of sales in the financial year 2006-7, 1.40% in the financial year 2007-8 and 0.91% of sales of financial year 2008-9. This shows that organization is spending very less on maintenance expenses. Overall total indirect expenses is 40.15% of its sales in the financial year 2006-7, 40.12% in 2007-08 and gone up in the financial year 2008-9 to 42.48% NET PROFIT POINT OF VIEW: Net profit is 13.86%, 14.99% and 10.40% in the financial years 2006-7, 7-8, and 8-9 respectively. This shows that Net profit has going down, and in the financial year its gone down with huge gap compared to previous years percentage. Overall its a matter of discussion and management should pay attention to the indirect costs as percentage of indirect cost is very high. As gross profit is in 50% so almost 40% of sales are being spent for indirect expenses. Although management is not spending much in maintenance component of indirect expenses but other components i.e., overhead and operating expense, and payroll expenses are very high that is the reason Net profit of the restaurant is not attractive. CONCLUSION Author has analysed the case of Jack Sprats restaurant and found that major problem is its hygiene and maintenance and indirect expenses. These two of the factors has to be kept under control and converted into favorable mode only then this organization can earn profit like previous time. There are other areas also that needs attention i.e., arrangement of fund, manpower management, empowering manager etc. BIBLIOGRAPHY Britton, C and Worthington. I (2003) The business environment, 4th Edition, UK:Prentice hall. Hooley.G(2004) Marketing strategy and competitive positioning, 3rd edition: UK: Prentice Hall Kotler, P. (2004) marketing for hospitality and tourism, 3rd Edition, Delhi:Person Luck.D and Rubin, S.R (1996) Marketing Research,7th Edition, USA:Prentice hall Morrison, J (2002) the international business environment, 1st Edition, New York; Pal grave. Reich, Z.A (1997) Marketing Management for the hospitality Industry,1st Edition,: Wiley and sons Canada. Wearne.N (2001) Hospitality Management, 1st Edition, New Delhi: Global www.netmba.com/strategy/pest/ Accessed on 2/01/2011 http://dspace.dial.pipex.com) Accessed on 2/01/2011

Essay --

When you knew how to speak, what was your first word ? It is Mom. We have grown up in the arms of our mothers. We have grown up in the great love of our mothers. No one loves us like our mothers, no one is willing to sacrifice everything for us like our mothers. If someone asks you â€Å"Who is the best woman in your life ?†, I bet you will say it is your mother. And if someone asks me like that, my answer also is my mother. With me, my mother is the best woman in the world. No one can replace her in my heart. I admire my mother, I don't know why she is always busy with daily chores, taking care of my family but she never say she is tired. Every day, she is the first person in my family, who wakes up very early. Then, she makes breakfast for my family. When my father goes to work, I go to school, my mother stays home and does all the daily chores. When my father and I come home, there is always a delicious dinner, which is waiting for us. After the dinner, my mom washes the dishes. Sometimes, I ask her to help, but she says: â€Å"It is fine, you should go upstairs and do your homework†. Mo...

Chocolate industry India Essay

Introduction The market leader of the chocolate industry in India, Cadbury, is a British subsidiary of the American multinational confectionary, food and beverages conglomerate â€Å"Mondelez International†. Cadbury, is the second largest confectionary company in the world, close on the heels of Mars, Inc. In India, Cadbury owns a market share of 66 %, significantly ahead of the other multinational company operating the same space for many years, Nestle India, as well as other national, international and regional brands like Amul and Ferrero. Cadbury India began its operations in India in 1948, and has been a trusted and favored brand for decades in India. The market share has decreased from 70-80% in view of entry of other international chocolate companies in the Indian market, however it is still significantly large. Cadbury figures in the Brand Trust Report, 2011 in the Top 100 Most Trusted Brands in India. While Cadbury sells products in several categories such as candy, gum, beverages and chocolate confectionary, this report is aimed at studying the marketing strategy employed by Cadbury India in view of its chocolate confectionary business. Some of the products in this category include the highly popular Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Silk, Bournville, Temptations, 5 Star, Dairy Milk Shots, Celebrations, Perk and Toblerone. In order to analyze the marketing strategy for Cadbury, this report begins with a SWOT analysis of the company. Environmental Analysis Political Food Safety Act 2006: Detailed and exacting regulations, for standards of production as well as imported chocolates, exist in India. Opportunity. Cadbury is better equipped to follow standards in production than smaller regional or local brands. Strength. Expand into the rural areas before local or regional companies focus on the rural market. Import Tax Rates on Chocolates: A tariff rate of 30% is levied on chocolates. Opportunity. Strength. Demand for premium chocolates at affordable prices can be encashed before foreign entrants can grow their roots within the Indian industry by introducing and aggressively marketing domestically manufactured premium chocolates. Economic Per Capita Spending Patterns: The biggest consumption category in India is Food. Spending in this amounts to almost 21% of the Gross Domestic Production. People, on average, spend 31% of their budget monthly, on food. 70% of the food spending is on agri-products, which incorporates candies and confectionary including chocolates. Two-thirds of this spending is on processed products. Domestic spending on food is expected to grow at a compounded 3 annual growth rate of 4% and billed to reach approximately 320 billion US dollars in value within the next 7 years. USD 841 million is spent on chocolates and confectionary in India. Opportunity. In households across income groups, a large share of money spent goes towards processed agricultural products including chocolates and other confectionary items. This can be encashed by developing effective channels to reach out and sell to lower and lower middle income groups. Strength. Socio-Cultural Social and cultural acceptability of products: There is an increasing acceptance of chocolates as an equivalent of traditional sweets in urban areas. Chocolates are, however, still seen as a luxury food item in rural areas. Opportunity. Chocolates are increasingly being seen as an equivalent or substitute for traditional sweets in terms of the convenience it offers when used for gifting on occasions. Strength. Cadbury is already working on this approach to sell to urban consumers. Rural consumers can also be reached out to and offered chocolates as a new gift item replacing sweets leading to increased sales. Technological Constantly improving technology in chocolate making leads to better tasting products as well as more convenient storage. Opportunity. Strength. Cadbury has the financial capability to invest in R&D and has already produced products that are better suited to Indian tastes and storage conditions that other foreign entrants into the industry are not yet as well adapted to. Natural factors. Climate for Cocoa Production: Cocoa, used to produce chocolates can only be grown in regions 15 degrees to the north or south of the equator. Cocoa, originally a crop native to the Amazon basin, can only be grown in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is not a commonly grown crop. Threat. Lack or scarcity of domestic cocoa producers can affect production costs of chocolates within the country. Strength. Cadbury has encouraged farmers in Kerala to produce cocoa since the 1970s and is now in the process of promoting Cocoa as an inter-crop plant for coconut growing farmers. Successful pursuance of this connect with the farmers would help Cadbury procure raw material at lower prices within the country. Consumer behavior Age composition: 66% of the population is below the age of 35. Opportunity. It implies that a huge part of the population can be encouraged to take up consumption of chocolates more frequently and will be met with less resistance than that put up by older consumers with already set eating habits. Strength. 4 Competition Traditional Sweets: Very widely available and traditional choice, but inconsistent in hygiene levels and taste. Threat. Build on image of chocolates being a better and more hygienic choice, which adheres to food safety standards set out by the Govt. Build on image that chocolates are a more sophisticated choice for gifting carrying greater meaning than ‘mithai’ from neighbourhood sweet shops. Strength. Confectionary items like candies, cakes and icecream: Candies are easily available and appeal to children who have traditionally been the target consumers for chocolates. Threat. Cadbury can emphasize more strongly that chocolates are not meant only for children but for adults as well who may not prefer to eat candies. Cadbury chocolate can be offered as an experience, that is not replicated by eating candies and conectionary items. Strength. Entry of several foreign players: As India is seen to have a rapidly growing chocolate consuming country, with people willing to spend not only on inexpensive smaller packs of chocolates, but also premium chocolates as well, foreign players have started foraying into the market with the hope of establishing a presence in the premium sector at least. Threat. Cadbury can increase its foothold in the premium sector of chocolate industry by launching and promoting premium chocolate brands with higher cocoa content which could be priced a bit lower than the foreign brands. In fact, Cadbury is already in the process of implementing such a strategy through the introduction of Bournville and Toblerone. Strength. Suppliers Global network: Half of the cocoa sourced for chocolate making by Cadbury is from sources around the globe, including countries like Ghana, for its famous brand Bournville. Opportunity. Cadbury can source the majority of its cocoa from farmers in India through contract farming, while importing from foreign countries specifically for certain brands only. This will help reduce loss due to global fluctuations in cocoa bean prices and also reduce transport or shipment costs. It will also help create an even more positive image in the eyes of the Indian population. Strength. Dealer network: Cadbury has CSR activities directed at the farmers who are producing cocoa on contract for Cadbury in the state of Kerala. Opportunity. Cadbury is now in the process of extending these activities to farmers in 3 more southern Indian states. This will help cement positive relations between the cocoa growers and the brand, which may put it at an advantage when compared to new foreign entrants in the country like Ferrero or Mars, Inc. Strength. 5 Advertising environment Use of role models: Trustworthy role models in the media, when used as Brand Ambassadors, give a much needed push to the further acceptance of a product. Opportunity. Cadbury has been able to utilize this by roping in celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, thus emphasizing the idea that even adults can have chocolates, since even a person of Amitabh Bachchan’s stature has not shied away from having them. Cadbury also has the financial power to rope in more high profile celebrities for the same. Strength. Availability of media and ad agencies: Several media channels like TV, Radio, newspapers are available for Cadbury to advertise on. Opportunity. Cadbury has been advertising its chocolates heavily throughout, to keep the brand on top of the mind recall. There have been innumerable ads by Cadbury that have long stayed on people’s minds and even evoked nostalgia, indicating a deep connect of the brand with the audience. Strength. Segmentation Cadbury segmented the consumer based on age. Till the 1980s, chocolates were seen as a luxury item which were eaten only on special occasions or used to reward children with. Despite being the market leader already at this time, Cadbury decided to reshuffle their marketing strategy and position chocolates as a snack and an everyday item of consumption rather than a special treat. In order to do this, the first step was to segment the consumers. Geographic or occupation based segmentation would have proven less relevant in helping raise revenues generated from chocolate sales. The segmentation was done on the basis of age. The existing segment of choice for Cadbury had been children up to the age of 14 who had been driving the consumption of chocolates until the 90s. The other segment that the consumers could be grouped into was the adult population. Targeting The decision made to target a segment is based on gauging the segment attractiveness of the segment. During the 90s, with a rise in the population of the 15-35 year olds, combined with a surge in income and spending power due to the simultaneous opening up of the economy, made the adult segment an attractive one and since then, it has been targeted by Cadbury. Being the market leader already, switching to this target consumer group was not a difficult move for them, in terms of channel attractiveness of the segment. The existing channels which served the consumers until the 90s, such as kirana stores, need no resource intensive special adaptations to serve the youth consumer group as well. Alongside this, competitive attractiveness of the youth segment was also high since no other chocolate company had targeted this consumer group so far. Although this meant 6 Cadbury needed to put in extra marketing effort to change the social acceptance of chocolates in this group, it also translated into a first mover advantage for them. Positioning Positioning is the decision of how the brand wants to be perceived as by the target consumer group vis-a-vis competitors. Cadbury has positioned itself to cater to specific needs and attributes that the target consumer group looks for. Cadbury’s objective was to engage the customers of the adult age group. In the early 90s, Cadbury had the leading share in the market but the volume of sales in terms of per capita consumption was very low compared to western countries. This was also because consumption of chocolate by children was strictly governed by adults and hence increasing per capita consumption within the children consumer group was not a feasible option. In order to widen the net of consumers, Cadbury had to increase the social acceptance of chocolates in the adults age group. This was done through the means of extensive and successively huge ad campaigns which eventually lowered the attitudinal barrier that existed. Cadbury had wanted to and has successfully moved from the perception of chocolate being a children’s product to a celebratory/gifting product, and more recently an indulgence product (For instance Cadbury Silk). In 1992, Cadbury launched a series of aggressive ad campaigns starting with ‘Real Taste of Life† which showcased adults eating the chocolates on their own and not in a parent role or buying it as a reward or a way to say sorry to loved ones. This included the famous ad â€Å"Kuch khaas hai zindagi mein† which showed adults enjoying the taste of chocolates on their own. Later on, Cadbury launched a campaign for Perk which said â€Å"Thodi si pet pooja† which emphasized the use of the chocolate as an any time snack to satisfy hunger, which was a marked shift from the earlier perception of chocolates. Later, to promote Cadbury chocolates as an alternative to traditional desserts, the â€Å"kuch meetha ho jaaye† campaign sought to change perceptions once again, this time including the entire family consisting of elderly grandparents also in the ad to show acceptance of the Cadbury chocolates as dessert. By tying chocolates to Indian customs, and festivals, like Celebrations especially for Raksha Bandhan and Diwali, Cadbury has come a long way from the â€Å"Real Taste of Life† campaign, and â€Å"Indianized† itself in order to entrench itself within the minds of the adult population in India. Marketing Mix – 4 Ps Product/Service Product There are four types of products by Cadbury India, and this report is focused on the Chocolates category. These aim to satisfy the hunger need as well as relaxation and convenience need (easily available snacking option). In order to satisfy these needs, the 7 product is available very easily, at least in the urban markets and in various sizes. Cadbury chocolates are branded so as to represent some emotional core values like family values, and togetherness, but at the same time, they are also branded as a fresh, satisfying, convenient product. Place Cadbury has 6 company-owned manufacturing facilities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Thane Induri (Pune) Malanpur (Gwalior) Bangalore Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) Hyderabad There are 4 sales offices, one each in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The corporate office is in Mumbai. In terms of distribution, Cadbury chocolate products are sold directly to wholesalers and retailers. The network comprises roughly 2100 distributors and 4,50,000 retailers. The chocolates are sold through Kirana stores, gift stores, medical stores, canteens, paan shops, bakeries and so on. Price The generally established price point for chocolates in India is Rs 5 and Cadbury has 4 products at this point including Dairy milk, 5 star, gems and perk. This price point accounts for half of chocolate sales in India. At the same time, Cadbury sells multiple differently sized packs on a range of prices, going up to higher, premium priced products as well such as Bournville. In this way, Cadbury has a hold on various price points available to various groups of consumers based on their appetite for spending. Promotion Cadbury promotes its products through various media channels. It uses mainly television ads with strongly featured taglines that get associated with the products easily. There is some amount of seasonality in the market in the way that demand ideally goes up during festive season due to gifting needs and Cadbury launches special ad campaigns around those times to encash on this increased demand. National level competitors like Amul have been unable to match up to the scale of promotions undertaken by Cadbury. Regional players hardly advertise on a big scale through campaigns. However, its MNC competitor Nestle has its own promotional ads and campaigns that seek to rival Cadbury’s and sometimes directly challenge the Cadbury ads. 8 Recommendations 1. In view of the recent entry of foreign players in the market, though Cadbury does not face the threat of losing a significant amount of its existing customers, for instance, those who buy Dairy Milk or Perk, there is a possibility of losing out on potential customers who are interested in premium chocolates. Since this is a rapidly growing industry, and being the established market leader, Cadbury should focus on its premium chocolate brands in a big way through more visible ad campaigns and promote their products based on the brand equity they have built through the years. 2. While leveraging the lower cost of Cadbury premium chocolates vis-a-vis foreign chocolates, Cadbury must take care to ensure it does not go the Tata Nano way, as lower prices in the premium segment may be perceived as lower quality in the product delivered as well. 3. As it has already managed to successfully position chocolates as a snack for children’s as well as adults’ consumption, it can now focus on activating the elderly consumer segment which is typically more resistant to chocolates compared to traditional sweets and feel guilty on indulging in chocolates even if not restricted by health reasons. 4. Cadbury can now change the positioning of certain specific products or introduce new products to cater to â€Å"instant energy† giving needs similar to Mars bars abroad. 5. Recently, a 20-calorie chocolate has been developed in the UK which is now being sold at Michelin starred restaurants. Cadbury can also direct some of its R&D endeavors towards developing a similar product which would give the company a distinct edge over competitors and help tap into a new markets and increase their consumer width. 9 NATIONAL BRAND 10 Introduction Amul is an Indian dairy Co-operative based out of Anand in Gujarat. The co-operative started off as the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union in December 1946. The Co-operative was set up by the milk producers of the Kaira district of Gujarat who felt cheated by the unfair trade practices. The co-operative collected processed and marketed milk and was co-owned by the milk producing farmers of the district. The brand Amul was used by the Kaira District Co-operative to market its brand of milk products. By the 1970s the Co-operative model had become highly successful and spawned similar Co-operative in other district s of Gujarat. In order to combine together and expand their market while not competing with each other, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), an apex marketing body of these district co-operatives was set-up in 1973. The brand name of Amul which was held by the Kaira Union was transferred to GCCF. Today, the GCCF is the largest food product marketing organisation of India. The co-operatives collect around 10 million litres of milk per day from around 3 million milk producer members of the Co-operative. Its current turnover is around Rs. 140. 0 billion. Amul started producing and marketing chocolates in 1970. It currently markets 6 different chocolate brands namely Congtas, Fundoo, Chocozo, Bindaaz, Rejoice, Almond Bar, Fruits and Nut and Amul Cooking Chocolate. Current market share of Amul chocolates is just 4% as compared to market leader that is 66%. The main reason behind such low market share is lack of promotion and more focus on dairy products. Environmental Analysis Strengths ? ? ? Raw material (milk) security: Major raw materials for the production of chocolates are Cocoa, milk and sugar. Milk supply is secured for the company which protects it from any volatility in prices. High brand awareness: Amul through its concerted marketing over the last 5 decades has created a brand that is synonymous with good quality. The brand has also become a symbol of successful Indian entrepreneurship that has positively impacted the lives of millions of small farmers, hence there is a sense of patriotism and pride associated with the brand as well. Strong distribution network: Amul has been marketing and supplying milk through a pan India distribution network which supplies milk and milk products to independent retailers but also to its own milk parlours. 11 Weakness: ? ? ? Low market share: Amul chocolates have a low market share in the Indian chocolate industry. The brand, though having a strong recall value, is not primarily associated with chocolates. The market leader in the chocolate industry in India is Cadbury with 70% market share followed by Nestle at 20% market share. Co-operative structure of Amul: Due to the Co-operative nature of GCMMF, there is limited capital infusion in the company. As a result there is a limited scope for aggressive product launches or diversification. Volatility in Cocoa prices: Unlike the major chocolate producing companies in the world, Amul does not own a cocoa plantation. The prices of cocoa are volatile in nature as they are dependent on the international demand supply dynamics. Not having a cocoa plantation of its own exposed the company to volatility in prices of this raw material. Opportunities: ? Huge untapped market: The per capita consumption of chocolate in India has increase from 40 gm per person in 2005 to around 110 gm per person currently. Though this is impressive growth in itself it is still much lower than the per capita chocolate consumption, in countries like Ireland or Belgium which have a chocolate consumption per person of more than 11 kilograms or even USA or Australia which have chocolate consumption per person of around 5 kilograms. There is thus a huge untapped market for growth in the chocolate industry in India. Corresponding Strength: Since Amul has a strong â€Å"Brand awareness†, people would be willing to buy new products launched under its brand name. Amul can launcha variety of new chocolate products for youth and kids. ? Gifting: Gift hampers consisting of chocolates has been a successful marketing strategy by companies like Cadbury. Amul too has the ‘Rejoice’ brand especially for this purpose however there is scope to launch or aggressively advertise this. Corresponding Strength: Since, Amul is a strong brand name and has a strong distribution network, It can very well advertise the gift packs like rejoice and can introduce new brands catering to the same need. ? Advertising: Amul need to advertise and carry out lot of promotional activities to inform the consumers that still exist and can provide them with what they want. It’s been years that Amul’s chocolate advertisement has been telecasted on India’s major television channels. Sales promotions like discounts and free samples can also help them to increase the Brand awareness and attract customers to switch brand from competitors. Big brands use a celebrity as a Brand Ambassador for its product. 12 For example Amitabh Bachchan for Cadbury & Rani Mukherjee for Nestle, Amul can also use a brand ambassador for the promotion of its chocolates. Corresponding Strength: Amul has a huge turnover of around Rs 140 billion and is a financially strong company and has enough funds to carry out the needed advertising campaign and promotions. By spending a small percentage of revenue on advertising campaigns Amul can increase its market share to a large extent. ? Low rural penetration of chocolates: There is significant awareness of the Amul brand even in rural India. The company can leverage these launch cheaper brands targeted at the rural segment which has till now stayed away from chocolate consumption. Corresponding Strength: Amul has been marketing and supplying milk through a pan India distribution network. It has a strong distribution network in rural areas. Amul can leverage this strength and can launch cheaper products in rural market. Threats: ? Strong competition from foreign multi nationals: There is significant potential in the Indian chocolate industry which has been attracting international competition. Companies like Cadbury have been launching premium swiss chocolate brands. Also other premium chocolate brands like Ferrero Rocher are making their presence felt in India. Corresponding Weakness: Since â€Å"Amul† is mostly related to its milk products and has not made its presence felt strongly in the chocolate industry, its still far behind its competitors like Cadburys which is a very aggressive player in the chocolate industry. Amul faces tough competition and to handle the same it needs enormous marketing and advertising campaign and introduction of new chocolate products under its brand name. ? Low brand loyalty in chocolate industry: Chocolates are impulse purchases and compete with categories of soft drinks, snacks and other beverages. Although people may like a particular type of chocolate (dark, milk, white, etc. ) there is not a significant brand loyalty. Hence this presents a threat to established players in the market. Corresponding Weakness: Since Amul has significantly low popularity in chocolate industry and also people are picky while selecting a chocolate, there is not a single chocolate brand product under its brand which enjoys strong loyalty from consumer side. Also, people like to try different kinds of chocolates and are not necessarily inclined towards a single chocolate product. Since, Amul does not offer a large variety of chocolates; therefore it is at a weaker position in the chocolate industry. 13 Segmentation Geographic segmentation: Chocolate consumption is concentrated in urban areas of the country. Chocolate consumption in rural areas of the country may be considered negligible. Chocolates are still considered as a luxury product by the population and are hence consumed by the middle and the upper classes of society which reside in the towns, cities and metropolitan centres of the country. Amul chocolates are thus marketed in these areas of the country. Demographic segmentation: Amul chocolates are mostly segmented its consumers into various age groups like the children, adolescent and youth segments of the society. Since, chocolates are particularly liked by children and middle aged and older generations refrain from eating it citing health concerns due to high sugar content of chocolates. Targeting The brands of Amul chocolates like Fundooz, Bindaaz, Congrats etc. have been named to be attractive to the younger generation who use these words in their daily lexicon. There has been a strategy by the company to provide a young, dynamic and fun loving character to its chocolate through such branding. Amul chocolates also markets two brand namely Amul Cooking Chocolate which is targeted towards the homemakers and professional cooks and chefs. Positioning Positioning is the decision of how the brand wants to be perceived as by the target consumer group vis-a-vis competitors. Amul has positioned itself as an affordable, â€Å"value for money† chocolate. Since, it has mostly targeted kids and youth, it is still considered as a snack unlike cadbury’s product like Celebrations which is considered as gifting option. Amul has not positioned itself as an alternative to sweets or has not developed its product to actually cater to an emotional need. It is simply a chocolate available at a lower price. Marketing Mix Product Amul has a very low range of products in its chocolate business. There are only 8 chocolate brands that Amul offers as of now in the market and these are Congrats, Fundoo, Chocozo, 14 Bindaaz, Rejoice, Almond Bar, Fruits and Nut and Amul Cooking Chocolate. The problem is that there is no clear differentiation between the products that it offers. For example Cadburys is catering to a different need corresponding to its individual Chocolate product. ? ? ? ? ? Product Dairy Milk Dairy Milk Shots Bournville 5 Star Perk Need Milk Chocolate (Basic taste and style). Small balls of chocolate (Circular unlike chocolate bars) Dark Chocolate Sweeter in taste with honey as an ingredient Crispier with wafer inside However, Amul completely ignores such kind of differentiation between its products and hence their product can be easily substituted by their own products apart from the competitor’s product. Another important factor is packaging because majority of the consumers is kids and youngsters who like attractive packaging. Most kids buy chocolates not just because they like chocolates but also because of the attractive wrappers. Packaging used by Amul stands low on appearance parameter. Also, it lacks a common theme or â€Å"top of the mind† recall point. For example, Cadburys is strongly associated with blue wrapper and more than brown it’s the colour blue that we associate with a chocolate. As compared to this, Amul’s packaging is weak and lacks lustre. Amul needs to make changes to its product (chocolates) like introduction of more flavours and attractive packaging because the wrappers Amul uses is not at all attractive compared to those used by Cadbury and Nestle. This would keep them in competition with competitors like Cadbury and Nestle. 15 Pricing Second P of marketing that is Price is often confused with blindly lowering the prices of different products and completely relying on this strategy to increase sales. However it is of extreme importance to divide the target group on the basis of their price sensitivity and purchase power. Every customer segment has different price expectation from the product. To maximize the returns, it is important to identify the right price level for each segment and then progressively moving through them. Amul has launched various chocolate products to cater to different segments of population. Pricing must take into account the competitive and legal environment of the industry. Majority of people in India live in villages and have low disposable income. With such a heavy competition in the chocolate market, Price plays a very important role. Amul pricing strategy has been â€Å"Value for Money†. Amul’s believes in giving value for money to its customers and it has always followed that principle. Its products are of high quality and available at affordable prices. For example, Cadbury’s â€Å"Fruit n Nut† is priced at Rs 35 per 42 gm pouch whereas Amul’s Fruit and Nut is sold at just Rs 25 per 40 gm. Amul offers same quality at a price 30% lower than its competitor. Amul has not launched any premium (high price) product in its chocolate business. Place Place in marketing is considered as the channels of distribution through which products move from the manufacturer to the consumers. The channels of distribution mean intermediaries or middlemen who act as a link between the manufacturer and the consumers. Factors that need to be considered when choosing the place are the characteristics of the product, characteristics of the buyers, control and competitors channels. Since chocolate is an edible product, Amul should adopt an intensive distribution strategy wherein they will manufacture products and make it available at various shopping malls, food joints, local stores, Chocolate parlours etc. Corresponding to its strong distribution channels, Amul currently has very low visibility. It needs to increase the visibility through offering discount to retailers along with buybacks to convince them to store the Amul Chocolates. Since Amul is a â€Å"value for money† brand it can be placed anywhere from small kirana shops to big malls. Amul has a big brand name because of its dairy products. They can easily use it to increase the awareness of its chocolates using various distribution channels. 16 Promotion Promotion refers to exchange of information between an organization and the consumer of its products. Consumers here include Customers, shareholders, employees, government and other parties related to the products like trade union and media. The aim of promotion is to inform the consumers, differentiate from other products and to persuade them to buy. There are many techniques of promotion like Advertising, Sales promotions, Direct Marketing & Personal selling. Amul has been criticised for lack of promotion. Amul has a strong brand name because of its dairy product leadership. Amul must advertise its chocolates using media like newspaper, television and internet to inform the public about the quality & the price of its product. Amul has totally shifted its focus from chocolates towards milk and other milk products and have totally ignored chocolates. Using the mediums like Television and newspaper the company needs to remind the public that they are back with improved products at an affordable price. 17 Recommendations 1. Amul needs to introduce new varieties of chocolates and improve its existing ones. 2. They should introduce milk chocolates like Nestle’s Milky Bar, Chocolates with fruits and nuts like Cadbury has its Fruit and Nuts, Mint chocolates like Nestle’s After Eight etc.

“One Out of Many” by V.S. Naipaul Essay

Read â€Å"One Out of Many† by V.S. Naipaul (in the Anthology, A World of Difference, pp. 261-94). Discuss the ways in which the author explores the concept of freedom in the story. â€Å"One Out of Many†, a short story by the famous Trinidad-born British writer V. S. Naipaul, first published in his anthology In a Free State in 1973, is a story which concerns a young Indian man from Bombay who starts a new life and struggles with his own personal identity in the city of Washington D.C. Through narrative structure within the short story Naipaul seems to question the meaning of freedom, and what constitutes freedom on both a societal, and personal level. In order to fully explore the theme of freedom within the plot and the narrative of â€Å"One Out of Many†, it is worthwhile to mention a few of its key elements, and how they fit into a wider political, and social context. There are a number of important events that happen to the main protagonist, Santosh, that help to shape his own sense of self identity and thus bring him to question the freedom which he has in his own life. The first of these events is Santosh’s emigration to Washington D.C. with his employer, which causes Santosh to leave his wife and two children behind. Even at this early point in the story Santosh is divided. â€Å"Was there a job for me in Bombay?† Santosh questions himself, showing a reluctance to stay on in his native city without the security that has been provided for him by his vocation and his employer. Sometime into his stay in Washington D.C., Santosh seems to gain a greater sense of self-identity (which will be looked at in more depth later), and a sexual encounter with a â€Å"hubshi† woman at the time of the race riots in Washington D.C. leads him to abandon the life he has with his employer and to become a more independent citizen. This leads our protagonist on to what could be seen as one of his most important realisations in terms of his own sense of personal freedom within a wider context. Having met an Indian restaurant owner named Priya, Santosh discovers that a lot of his fellow employees within the restaurant are  indeed Mexicans who wear turbans in order to give a faà §ade of being Indian men. â€Å"Their talk amid the biryanis and the pillaus was all of papers and green cards,† notes Santosh, â€Å"They were always about to get green cards or they had been cheated out of green cards or they had just got green cards†. It is this talk of legal and illegal citizenship that leads Santosh to question his own freedom within US society, and eventually make a very important decision that will bring him a certain amount of freedom. Naipaul uses first person narrative effectively in order to bring the reader closer to the main protagonist, Santosh. Through this first person narrative the reader gains an insight into Santosh’s naivety within his new surroundings in Washington D.C., and his initial experiences within it. At times, therefore, it could be said that it is necessary for Naipaul to portray Santosh as a rather simplistic character in order to show just how little Santosh knows of the USA and the cultural differences between it and his native Bombay. Naipaul manages to achieve a much more, it could be said, â€Å"personal† experience for the reader through these means, with the reader also also being able to feel the same â€Å"fish out of water† feeling that is portrayed throughout Santosh’s travels and the â€Å"adventure† which unravels before him. Naipaul really emphasises the theme of freedom when Santosh seems to speak directly to the reader, and this is no more evident than when Santosh, upon realising his living space is a cupboard, says, â€Å"I understood I was a prisoner. I accepted this and adjusted †¦ I was even calm†. He is a prisoner not just of circumstance, but of his place on the class ladder. Later, upon leaving the confines of the cupboard and going on his â€Å"adventure†, he pursues what some would call the â€Å"American Dream†, and it is effective how Naipaul seems to allow the reader to question themselves with regards to just how â€Å"free† Santosh becomes. Another example of this effective use of first person narrative is when Santosh describes his guilt and desire for repentance directly after what he sees as a shameful sexual encounter with a â€Å"hubshi† woman. Incidentally, this is a key event in Santosh’s eventual pursuit of freedom. Throughout the story Santosh seems to gain a greater sense of identity, and a stronger perception himself. On his flight to Washington D.C. Santosh, thrust into an environment which is entirely alien to any aspect of his life  in Bombay (which is described thoroughly and affectionately at the beginning of the story), Santosh immediately begins to note the reactions that people have to him. He especially notices an â€Å"airline girl†, and notes that â€Å"[she] didn’t like me at all†. The girl then proceeds to ignore Santosh, and this first cultural encounter with Western people who look down upon his somewhat shabby appearance teaches him to question the way he comes across to others. This is reflected throughout the story in Santosh’s various mentions of mirrors, and his own reflection within them. It is later on when Santosh has his first walk through the streets of Washington D.C. that he himself finds himself looking down on other people – the â€Å"hubshi† people, or African Americans, whom he has never encountered in his own life until then. Even though Santosh himself has been looked down upon by many people on his journey west, for example the aforementioned girl on the plane, he still percieves the â€Å"hubshi† people to be below him, an opinion which was held very widely at the time the short story is set. Meanwhile, Santosh seems to constantly fight an internal battle between his old spiritual identity, and the more materialistic, consumerist American way of life. By writing in the first person, the author really outs this point across as the reader is given a deep insight into the inner turmoil that Santosh experiences as a result of his own culture shock. A key incident in the short story which makes Santosh think about the differences in these two cultures is when a wealthy man comes to dinner, and seems to insult his employer by describing an incident in which he paid a servant to cut off a statue’s head within a temple in India. Santosh’s disagreement with this sacreligious, â€Å"illegal† act is heightened by the reader’s existing knowledge of Santosh’s own spirituality, which is derived from a previous incident in which Santosh described praying to ornamental Eastern statues which have been erected in his employer’s apartment. From a political point of view, it could be said that it is somewhat crucial that Santosh arrives in Washington D.C. during the civil rights movement in the US, shortly before the race riots of the 1960’s, which occur sometime into the story, with Santosh describing â€Å"the city on fire†. Even though Santosh is looked down upon by many people he encounters on his journey west, for example the air hostess on the plane there, he still percieves the â€Å"hubshi† people he finds in  Washington D.C. as below him. This is highlighted by many of Santosh’s statements throughout the short story, and indeed when he questions i f his punishment for having sex with the hubshi maid may be being reincarnated as a â€Å"hubshi† himself. It could be argued that the character Santosh’s lack of freedom in his own life is shown by Naipaul by the number of things that happen to him in his life that are out of his control. However, this seems to be altered towards the end of the story with Santosh’s final decision to marry the hubshi woman who has sought him out in order to gain legal US citizenship. This piece of advice is ultimately suggested to Santosh by Priya, who has seen Santosh living with anxiety in the knowledge that he is an illegal immigrant and could be deported. On a purely societal level therefore, Santosh has gained a superficial form of freedom through his marriage to the hubshi maid. The power that the short story has, as a medium, to convey many ideas and concepts within a relatively short narrative space is, it could be said, proven by the many concepts and themes that V.S. Naipaul explores within the story. All of these themes seem to relate back to the concept of freedom. In the first few paragraphs of the story alone, Santosh brings up many of the ideas that are explored throughout his change of setting and his struggles brought on by it. He describes the â€Å"respectabl e people† as opposed to â€Å"riff raff†, and then, while observing â€Å"the workings of fate†, mentions â€Å"the importance of his employer†. This could be seen as a metaphor for the question that the whole story centres around, and that is, how much freedom does the character Santosh have, and how much of his life is ultimately in his own control?

Nutrient Cycling essays

Nutrient Cycling essays There's a saying that comes swooping out of the chaos of the Universe in times when order is needed: the only constant is change. Nutrient cycling is about change. Unfortunately, it's also about pollution and waste. Think about waste for a moment. There are two meanings to the word. To waste something is to not utilize all the benefits and worth within in. On the other hand, waste is what's left when all the benefits and worth have been utilized. Waste is both a verb and a noun. It also has both positive and negative connotations. Is it possible for an organism to not produce waste' Would the world be a better place if there The complexity of the ecosystem is almost beyond comprehension. It's certainly limitless in terms of the possible environments. How can one compare the city with the rainforest or with a desert environment' In a rainforest, virtually all organic matter is processed, including fecal matter and perspiration. Decaying matter has an abundance of decomposing agents available. Vegetation dies, nutrients are broken down and then reabsorbed by the environment. It's an incredible system that works well. The ecosystem of urban reality is a much different matter. Organic material has been invaded by manmade materials whose rate of decomposition could be described as eternal'. There's not much nutrient value to concrete. The system produces more waste than can be absorbed, creating a need for sewage treatment works, city dumps and ecosystem management In a perfect world there would be balance and all waste would be utilized and re-cycled. A world without waste would be limited and, possibly, defined by stagnation rather than change. Man would have to become part of the organic system, changing the view of advancement from technology to one of sustainability. Nothing would die - for death is both ...

Water Desalination

Water Desalination Desalination (also spelled desalinization) is the process of creating fresh water by removing saline (salt) from bodies of salt water. There are varying degrees of salinity in water, which affects the difficulty and expense of treatment, and the level of saline is typically measured in parts per million (ppm). The U.S. Geological Survey provides an outline of what constitutes saline water: 1,000 ppm – 3,000 ppm is low salinity, 3,000 ppm – 10,000 ppm is moderate salinity, and 10,000 ppm – 35,000 ppm is high salinity. Water that contains saline levels less than 1,000 ppm is generally considered fresh water and is safe to drink and use for household and agricultural purposes. For a reference point, typical ocean water contains about 35,000 ppm, the Great Salt Lake contains variations of 50,000 – 270,000 ppm, and the Caspian Sea contains an average of about 12,000 ppm. The more concentrated saline is in a body of water, the more energy and effort it takes to desalinize it. Desalination Processes Osmosis Reverse Osmosis There are several setbacks of reverse osmosis. The membranes are currently prone to gather too much bacteria and â€Å"clog up,† although they have improved since they were first used. The membranes deteriorate when chlorine is used to treat the bacteria. Other setbacks are the arguable water quality that reverse osmosis produces, along with the considerable pre-treatment that the salt water requires. Forward Osmosis Pressure gradient desalinating water The main setback to forward osmosis is that it has great potential, but is still fairly new to large-scale desalination and therefore needs funding and research to explore the possibilities that could improve it and reduce energy costs. Electrodialysis Thermal Desalination Multistage Flash Distillation Multiple-Effect Distillation Negatives of Desalination Fossil fuels Geography of Desalination Middle East Saudi Arabia is currently the world’s number one producer of desalinated water. They use multi-flash distillation in several large plants, providing water for many large cities, including the largest city, Riyadh, situated hundreds of miles from the coast. In the United States, the largest desalination plant is located in Tampa Bay, Florida, though it has a very small output compared to most facilities in the Middle East. Other states that are developing plans for large desalination plants include California and Texas. The United States need for desalination plants is not as severe as many other countries, but as the population continues to explode in dry, coastal areas, the need increases. Future Options of Desalination Desalination is a process primarily done in developed countries with enough money and resources. If technology continues to produce new methods and better solutions to the issues that exist today, there would be a whole new water resource for more and more countries that are facing drought, competition for water, and overpopulation. Though there are concerns in the scientific world about replacing our current overuse of water with complete reliance on seawater, it would undoubtedly be at least an option for many people struggling to survive or maintain their standard of living.

Analysis Of The Book The Circle

Dave Eggers’ The Circle, it set certain reverberations echoing in my mind, especially through the correlation of The Circle’s three slogans, â€Å"SECRETS ARE LIES, SHARING IS CARING, PRIVACY IS THEFT† (Eggers 305), with 1984’s â€Å"WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH† (Orwell 6). I then began to see, like others, that Eggers’ dystopia is a contemporary 1984; therefore, I felt it would be appropriate to compare them. In almost all the reviews and essays written on The Circle, there is not†¦ Grand Central Publishing released Flora Rheta Schreiber’s book Sybil. Through the book Dr. Wilbur, Sybil’s therapist psychoanalyses Sybil’s sixteen different personalities. The book went through all the different personalities and what is the cause of her dissociation. After her analysis was complete Dr. Wilbur thought a book should be written, this was when Flora was introduced into the picture. Flora had had previous work as a journalist and editor of varying psychiatric papers and articles. After†¦ The Hughes Brothers imprint their religious point of view in their 2010 American post-apocalyptic film, â€Å"The Book of Eli†. In this dramatic tale Denzel Washington stars as Eli, a mysterious wanderer that carries the world’s only remaining copy of King James’s Bible. He ventures 30 years across a desolated post-apocalyptic landscape in the attempt of finding a safe haven for this sacred book. Determined to complete his mission, Eli’s quote â€Å"We walk by faith, not by sight† from the Bible conveys a†¦ J07 -- THE BOOK OF TELLS 1 Citation. Collett, P. (2003). The book of tells: How to read people’s minds from their actions. London, United Kingdom: Doubleday. Tells are a recognizable action or a method of performing an action that reveal something about a person that is not otherwise easily observable (Collett, 2003, p.15). The Book of Tells, written by social psychologist Dr. Peter Collett, decodes tells to explain what these subtle clues of human behaviour and motivations are telling us. By delving†¦ establishing and emphasizing whatever specific emotion that the artist wishes to portray. It can also signify a call for extra attention from the reader to a specific page, as the line work suddenly changes in style between pages. In â€Å"The Outside Circle†, the line work on the 26th page is conveying the shattered life and transitioning that the character Joey Caver is going through, and is a visual representation of his emotions negatively being broken down. Lines are everything within a comic as†¦ Major Works Review General 1. Title- The Book Thief 2. Author- Markus Zusak 3. Date of Original Publication- 2005 4. Novel Type- Historical Fiction Structure 1. Point of View- Death 2. Relationship to Meaning- As an omniscient force Death can provide insight on several different events happening all over the world at different points in time, and thoughts running through all the characters’ heads, while also being able to share his own thoughts and feelings about humanity. 3. Plot Structure- a. Exposition-†¦ transporting them. As a result between with a death of 9.6 and 10.8 million Africans arrived in the Americas alive. With the odds against Aminata Diallo, she faces many losses but through these losses Aminata manages to re-defines herself. In "The Book of Negroes" the novel focuses on Aminata 's self-discovery through her many loses, including her loss of innocence, the loss of safety, and the loss of relationships. Aminata first losses her innocence at the age of 11 when colonist invaded her small†¦ Comparatively: A Review Circles are globally ubiquitous. They occur naturally, are used for style, and used as metaphors. One metaphorical use of circles is found in Zen Buddhism. An EnsÃ…  is a hand drawn circle, generally in one brush stroke. It is elegant in its simplicity and symbolises enlightenment, the void, and the wholeness of the universe. In Peter Singer’s book The Expanding Circle, he argues that moral progress comes when people use their reason to progressively expand their circle of empathy from†¦ The novel, The Book Thief, was published in the year 2005 and falls under the genre of historical fiction. In the novel, death narrates the story beginning in 1938. Liesel Meminger is presented as the book thief and is faced with many hardships at the beginning of the novel. She has lost both her parents including her little brother, Werner. This girl is faced with agony and death at such a young age in her life. This forms Liesel into a person who isolates her inner humanity and compassion towards†¦ According to Psychology Today, on average kids spend 5-7 hours a day looking at screens. This is a staggering amount, accounting for around half of daylight hours. In The Circle, a novel by Dave Eggers, a young girl named Mae in a job with a large technology company spends close to her entire day on a screen, leaving little time for interactions with people. Instead she relies on how others perceive her online, rather than as a real human being. Truman’s entire life is fake in The Truman Show, a†¦

Compare and Contrast the metatheoretical assumptions that underly Essay

Compare and Contrast the metatheoretical assumptions that underly Idealism and Realism - Essay Example Idealism concerns itself with ideas and places its existence over the nature of the material world, that is, the material world must adhere to the ideas that are presented, whatever they may be. Idealism may be Subjective or Objective, depending on how the idealists view the existence of the sensing world. Idealism is said to be subjective when the external world is believed to be non-existent and that the world beyond sensation cannot be understood. However, it is said to be objective when the external world is the expression of the ideal forces, which may be expressed as the Will of God or the Absolute Idea, that the Mind has direct access with. Because of this latter belief, several methodologies were developed to aid this search for the Absolute Idea. One of the idealistic methods involves elemental analysis - concepts are divided into simple elements which are then subjected to simple and self-evident axioms similar to mathematical principles. In this method, complexity of the s ocial structure is reduced in its elemental form. Another method, considered as the most popular one is the a priori method - an object is understood in terms of logically deducing a general conception of its nature. In this method, premise development is critical in ensuring that the deduction is in its most accurate form. On the other hand, realism claims that ideas must adhere to what is experienced in this world, and hence, upon the materials present in this world (MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism). In this respect, the debate between idealism and realism is whether what comes first - ideas or materials - and what is more important to pursue. Both philosophical approaches have distinct impact in the operation of the world since their conception. Idealism is able to influence its mode of thinking in politics, philosophy and religion (Hutchison). In politics, Conservative and Liberal idealism takes the center stage. Because the nature of politics is concrete in terms of its actions, these political streams are commonly objective. Nevertheless, they have significant differences in how they act politically. First, the conservatives aim to restore a Golden Age from the past, whereas the liberalists seek to make progress through Utopia (Hutchison). Although the end goal is that of an ideal world, the way in which they view how and especially when to reach these goals is basically different. The conservatives were also more successful in their program. The Christian Republics in Geneva, early Massachusetts and Holland were flourished more than the experimental liberal Utopian communities in terms of economics and culture (Hutchi son). The impact of idealism in philosophy is seen from the development of German mode of thinking such as Existentialism, Postmodern Deconstructionism and the concept of the New Age (Hutchison). In religion, idealism was able to influence Greek Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic spirituality in terms of their divine missions. The Greek Orthodox monks, for instance, longs for the restoration of Eden; the Protestant church idealized the state of the early church characterized by simple small sects richly blessed by God; and the Catholics from the words of Pope Gregory VII who calls himself the "vicegerent of Christ" prophesize the restoration of Kingdom of Christ in the millennium or after it (Hutchison).

Guillermo Furniture Store Analysis Research Paper - 1

Guillermo Furniture Store Analysis - Research Paper Example The benefits of operating as a sole proprietorship include the fact that Guillermo is able to make decisions without consulting anyone. With this in mind, Guillermo has decided not to merge with other organizations or even to acquire another organization. This led to the consideration of three options – continue as usual; purchase a hi-tech machine; and operate as a broker. However, before any decision can be taken, an analysis of the three options is required. Continuing as usual does not require Guillermo to do anything but to do business in the same manner as before. It is best that Guillermo makes some changes to his current operations. If sales and profits continue to fall then the end result is that the firm would have cease operations. However, with Guillermo’s reluctance to go the way of merger or acquisition closure of the business may be inevitable if the other options are not feasible. Purchasing a hi-tech machine is a very costly option as it requires an outlay of capital. Therefore, Guillermo’s ability to obtain funds as well as the cost of capital has to be a prime consideration. However, there are benefits that can be achieved from going this route. In order to break even, a certain level of sales would have to be achieved. The break-even point is achieved at the minimum level of sales which ensures that the firm neither makes a loss nor a profit. It is a measure of risk that is and s frequently used in making entrepreneurial decisions (Prakash and Deshpande 1982). This is only possible if Guillermo is able to produce furniture at a cost which is lower than the competition. This option of operating as a broker would require Guillermo to become a local distributor for an overseas firm while continuing to manufacture some of the items currently produced. This option will therefore require some changes in the way it has been operating as the main emphasis will be on distribution. This option does not require any capital outlay. An

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

International Business - Essay Example Apart from the fact that most countries wanted to protect their sovereignty and independence, there were other factors that Hill (2009) noted as being a cause to reasons countries were not opening up to each other in terms of trade. Some of these factors have been named to include geographic distance, time zone differences, language, differences in government regulation, culture, and business systems. With time, there seemed to be two major causes of trade revolution, which was going to lead to an eventual state of international trading opportunities for most countries. The first of this was the fact that most of the factors listed by Hill (2009) seemed to have had their solutions. For example there became more rapid means of transport cross geographic learnt and the learning of foreign languages increased (quote). The second issue was that countries started appreciating the benefits they would derive from trading freely among themselves (quote). Today, trade liberalization seem to b e a more popular and preferred term to sovereignty. As countries started opening up their doors to each other for international trading to begin, the need to ensure that such international trade were taking place in a state of perfect organization of trade was necessitated. Quickly, technology would be employed for most of the processes and acts of international trading, making integration, regularization of trade and non-physical commerce even easier. At the point that technology was merged into international trade was the point that quote (year) argues that the wake of globalization was born. In this essay there is a discussion on globalization, which is today used as a term not only to define the notion that countries trade among themselves but that countries are now moving towards a world in which national economies are merging into an interdependent global economic system. By global economic system, reference is being made to the fact that the kind of economic relations

Comm paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comm paper - Essay Example New York Times has been following the events surrounding the Israeli and the Hamas war that has caught the attention of the media, humanitarian groups, international organizations, and the world at large. On July 23rd the New York Times recorded that the Hamas were gambling on the war while they were suffering from the casualties at Gaza. The author Anna Barnard stated that when the Hamas attacked the Israeli by sending the barrage of rockets into Israel, they attracted hostility from the Israeli thus leading to the back and forth attacks between the two fighting groups. This statement sought to provide information on the developments that have taken place since the eruption of the war. The developments engulfing the war are well highlighted in the newspaper with the author exploring on the new war tactics. However, the author fails to connect us with the information on the past events leading to the current state. The statement concerning the counter attacks has also received critic ism with critics arguing that the information is not true, but rather based on war propaganda. This argument brings the sources of the article into question. The sources used by the editor have no factual basis, which narrows the validity of the author’s arguments. New York Times newspaper recorded on July 18, 2014 that the Hamas rockets in Israel are the Hamas’ response to Israeli soldiers’ extensive attacks and operations on the Gaza strip. The author further writes that Israeli and the rest of the international community have put prohibitive obstacles to Palestinian government thus making the Hamas more violent. The author provides a clear connection of events surrounding the war. The author provides background information that makes it interesting even to his casual readers. A reader reading the story for the first time can easily link the events taking place by looking at the cause factors. Additionally, the author

What is meant by technological determinism Please evaluate Essay

Technological Determinism - Essay Example However, an understanding of technological determinism will be required in order to prove this argument. In addition, the analysis of various concepts of technological determinism will be required so that the role of technology in facilitating the modern social networks and communication can be achieved. The main question of the essay: Is it true that technology is the cause of the changes in the modern society in regards to the socialization process within online communities as argued by technological determinists?  Ã‚  In order to answer the above question, various journal sources of information on the topic will be used within the main essay. According to Hartman (2007), the definition of technological determinism and the meaning of this phrase go beyond faster computing and technological processes. This article is a credible material that will be used to achieve an accurate definition of the term technological determinism. Using this article the various concepts which relate to this phrase will also is described so that a basis for its analysis can be set. The theoretical framework surrounding technological determinism will also be analyzed within the main essay. This will involve an evaluation of opposing theories such as Moore’s law and Marxism in relation technological determinism so that different understanding of the role of technology in social change can be ascertained. In describing and analyzing the theoretical aspects which describe technological determinism, articles by Sherman (2008) and Ceruzzi (2007) will be referred to in the main essay. Sherman (2008) will allow an understanding of technological determinism from the Marxism point of view.   On the other hand, Ceruzzi (2007) in his article will enable a clear understanding of technological determinism in line with the advances in technology such as an increased computer processing speeds and its use within social networks.   

Security Incident in the Airport Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Security Incident in the Airport - Case Study Example As the saying goes; prevention is better than cure. The incident that happened at the lax airport should have been prevented. This could have evaded the delay in flights and the losses that the passengers encountered as a result of the delay. The man who sneaked in terminal four with a backpack should have been seen before he attempted the stunt. The first thing that could have been done to prevent this problem is keeping all access to the terminals checked. There should be only one access to the terminals for all civilians with all other access that are used by staff manned by security personnel all the time. These accesses should be given limited access and should be used if necessary. These are not only the access that the man could have used. In addition, fire escapes should be kept shut at all times unless there is a fire emergency. Security in and around the airport should be buffed up and agents advised to control the human traffic in the airport and be on the lookout for susp icious people. When a situation like that happens, an airport the first thing is to ensure the safety of all the people at the airport. Since it’s not known the intention of the man trespassing to terminal 4, shutting down the terminal is a good option. The next step would be to bring more security personnel to the terminal to control the crowd. Since the terminal is shut down many will want to move out of the terminal using the lifts and escalators. This presents another danger to the people in the terminal. Shutting down the escalators and lifts will ensure that there will be no accidents caused in these areas. Trying to get an order  in the chaos will be hard but will be the only way to ensure that every one is out of risk. The other step will be to arrest the man who trespassed and ascertain the danger that he posed. This will help erasure the passengers that the danger that was posed has been controlled and everyone needs to be checked again.

What is meant by technological determinism Please evaluate Essay

Technological Determinism - Essay Example However, an understanding of technological determinism will be required in order to prove this argument. In addition, the analysis of various concepts of technological determinism will be required so that the role of technology in facilitating the modern social networks and communication can be achieved. The main question of the essay: Is it true that technology is the cause of the changes in the modern society in regards to the socialization process within online communities as argued by technological determinists?  Ã‚  In order to answer the above question, various journal sources of information on the topic will be used within the main essay. According to Hartman (2007), the definition of technological determinism and the meaning of this phrase go beyond faster computing and technological processes. This article is a credible material that will be used to achieve an accurate definition of the term technological determinism. Using this article the various concepts which relate to this phrase will also is described so that a basis for its analysis can be set. The theoretical framework surrounding technological determinism will also be analyzed within the main essay. This will involve an evaluation of opposing theories such as Moore’s law and Marxism in relation technological determinism so that different understanding of the role of technology in social change can be ascertained. In describing and analyzing the theoretical aspects which describe technological determinism, articles by Sherman (2008) and Ceruzzi (2007) will be referred to in the main essay. Sherman (2008) will allow an understanding of technological determinism from the Marxism point of view.   On the other hand, Ceruzzi (2007) in his article will enable a clear understanding of technological determinism in line with the advances in technology such as an increased computer processing speeds and its use within social networks.   

Fpl Harvard Business Casw Essay Example for Free

Fpl Harvard Business Casw Essay The fourth largest electric utility company in the United States and the largest electric utility in Florida is the FPL Group, which formed in 1925 from the consolidation of several gas and electric companies. FPL as a company continued to grow after 1925 because the ever increasing Florida population demanded more and more electricity. This trend continued until the 1970s when operating problems, and the rising cost of fuel and construction, caused a reduction of the company’s profitability. To address this issue, then Chairman Marshall McDonald, decided to make four major acquisitions: Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company, Telesat Cablevision Inc. , CBR Information Group Inc. , and Turner Foods Corporation. FPL also attempted to improve operations by employing 1,700 teams for quality control to find ways to improve operations. This notion lead FPL to be recognized as â€Å"one of the best-managed US corporations,† when the quality control teams found ways to improve efficiency within FPL by decreasing customer complaints by 60%, and decreasing downtime operations by 12%. Despite these enhancements, FPL still had company troubles to include: problems with a nuclear plant, demand was growing at a faster pace in the 1980s than expected, one of their acquisitions had lost $250 million since being acquired, and employee morale was low due to all the new management regulations. Kate Stark, the electric utilities analyst at First Equity Securities Corporation came across a decision involving this Florida electric utility company, FPL. The decision begins with the buzz that FPL may decide to freeze its dividend at $2. 8 per share or even potentially reduce the dividend at FPL’s annual meeting. Kate had previously valued FPL with a â€Å"hold† recommendation three weeks earlier with the belief that FPL will either keep its dividend payout at $2. 48 or slightly increase it. However, with the news of this new rumor about FPL dividends, FPL stock price fell by 6% because a freeze of the dividend would mean that FPL would end a 47-year streak of ann ual dividend increases. Now Kate is reconsidering her â€Å"hold† rating and contemplated issuing a new updated report to revise her investment recommendation. It is now to decided how a change, if any, to the current dividend policy would affect shareholders, which option would have the greatest benefit to the shareholders and FPL, and what should be advised to investors with regard to FPL stock. Two theories of dividends come up with the FPL Group. The first theory is the Signaling Hypothesis and the second theory would be the Clientele Effect. The Signaling Theory is essentially the theory that managers of a certain company have better information and are more informed internally about a firms future prospects than the public stockholders. Future dividends are paid out of future profits, so any change in dividends to be paid is viewed as an indication of what future profits are going to be. Thus, when dividends are increased or decreased, stock prices tend to increase or decrease. The second theory relevant to the FPL group dividend policy is the Clientele Effect. Different clienteles of stockholders favor diverse dividend payout ratios. Different firms also have altering ways of calculating and paying out dividends. Thus, when a firm switches its payout ratio a current clientele will leave and a different clientele will join. The rule of thumb is that if more investors leave or leave faster than a new clientele could replace them, then there could be a temporarily depressed share price. There are two important issues that are facing the FPL Group in the May of 1994. The first is the concerns of potential competition resulting from industry deregulation and the second is the reexamination of a high dividend payout ratio already previously noted. The arrival of retail wheeling from the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 threatens to change the shape of the entire electric utilities industry. The Florida Public Service Commission is not currently considering a retail wheeling proposal, but the current trend in the industry is to increase the competition. The implementation of such a proposal, however, would expose FPL to numerous competitors and possible losses, for example, as shown in California; California had already implemented a retail wheeling program and the program had a severe adverse effect on the three major utilities in that state. Competing with rival utilities must now be a primary concern of FPL and FPL now needs to ensure that it has the ability to meet the challenge of competition from both in state and out of state providers. The current payout ratio is too high from FPL’s perspective because they need the extra capital to be able to fund new projects if the new wheeling regulations were to be implemented. FPL just could not afford to pay out 90% of its earnings given the possible need to expand in the face of new competition. Although FPL has had success in the past and present, the threat of retail wheeling means FPL must hold on to cash. Continuing a high payout ratio just isn’t feasible because of the severe challenges FPL would face if the retail wheeling plans were put into action. FPL must be prepared for this eventuality, so FPL needs the funds to ensure financial stability while protecting future profitability. A lower payout ratio would allow FPL to have the capital necessary to hedge itself from losing big to increasing competition. The problem now lies in the confidence of investors if FPL were to cut dividends. It is to believe that FPL will indeed cut their dividends or freeze them at the least to insure financial stability in times where the future is uncertain. The additional retained earnings from a reduction or halt of dividend payout will open opportunities for FPL to compete in a new open market, reduce their debt ceiling for added cash to fund and expand new opportunities for growth and allow for a more industry standard payout ratio for future growth. This may not at first be what a shareholder would want to see, but the positive outlook for the long run, outweigh the negative impacts of the short run. As a result of this analysis, FPL looks to be a very reliable investment for the future with a positive upside for future growth potential; however the only drawback would be how much exactly a dividend cut would actually affect the initial stock price, which is hard to tell. Kate Stark should absolutely keep her â€Å"hold† recommendation on FPL stock for the previous conceived reasons. There are no notions to believe FPL is in any urgent financial trouble or that there will be a drastic dividend cut. FPL’s stock will fall with the announcement of a dividend freeze or reduction; it is just a matter of how much. There is an upside potential for FPL and there is evidence that they will be prepared for more competition. The FPL stock price again will drop initially with the announcement of a dividend freeze or reduction, but â€Å"hold† on to the stock to not take a loss, and continue to â€Å"hold† the stock because the FPL group provides sound evidence that the stock price will continue to rise in the near future. References: Welch, Jonathan B., and Anand Venkateswaran. The dual sustainability of wind energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13.5 (2009): 1121-1126. Soosay, Claudine, Andrew Fearne, and Benjamin Dent. Sustainable value chain analysis–a case study of Oxford Landing from â€Å"vine to dine†. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 17.1 (2012): 68-77. Pitman, Glen, et al. QFD application in an educational setting. International Journal of Quality ; Reliability Management (2013). Plant, Robert, Leslie Willcocks, and Nancy Olson. Measuring e-business performance: towards a revised balanced scorecard approach. Information Systems and e-business Management 1.3 (2003): 265-281. Evelyn, John J., and Neil J. DeCarlo. Customer focus helps utility see the light. Journal of Business Strategy 13.1 (1992): 8-12. Gupta, Neeraj J., and Christina C. Benson. Sustainability and competitive advantage: an empirical study of value creation. (2011). ;