Business and Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business and Sustainability - Essay Example ASDA is known for its cheap prices and has kept this name for ten consecutive years. Since Wal-Mart's acquisition of Asda, the company has steadily increased its market share to become the second largest retail chain operating company in the UK with a 12% market share. The company runs more than 269 Asda stores (including superstores and super centers), 47 Asda small stores, seven Asda Living stores, two discount stores (Asda Essentials) and 12 apparel stores (George) in the UK. It has successfully implemented Wal-Mart's low pricing strategy which is yielding positive results. Furthermore, Wal-Mart's robust financial performance (revenues reaching $348,650 million during the fiscal year 2007, an increase of 11.7% over 2006) would provide financial stability to the company. Also, Wal-Mart's presence in 13 international markets including the UK, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and China, it also allows Asda to foray easily into new markets. The Wal-Mart umbrella not only provides Asda wi th a strong brand image but also fuels the company's top line growth. Asda's George apparel line started as a small unknown brand in 100 ASDA stores. It is now the second largest clothing retailer in the UK by volume selling in more than 250 stores in the UK. Furthermore, George now has a presence in five other countries including Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Japan and the US. George products are available for men, women, and children and include apparel, shoes, handbags and even eyeglass frames in select stores. (DesJardins 2006) The George brand, known for style and quality, continues to grow in popularity as a favorite fashion choice across the globe. Strong brand image of George allows the group to extend the brand into other product lines. Asda is the second largest chain of supermarkets in UK with a market share of 16.8% as of February 2007. Furthermore, the company outperformed the rest of the retail sector for the first time in three years in terms of growth rate. The overall growth rate of the company was recorded at 9% for the fiscal 2007. Asda's competitors on other hand recorded a low growth rate during the same period. For instance, Sainsbury recorded a growth rate of 7.8%, Tesco (7.2%), Morrisons (3.9%) and Somerfield (-3.8%). This was primarily due to attracting one million new customers through its checkouts and re-evaluation of its customer offer and pricing strategy. Asda can leverage this growth to further enhance its revenues and profitability. Evaluation of ASDA's non-financial reporting practices - Supply Chain Evaluation Model Old Supply Chain Model Identifying Overheads in the Supply Chain Eliminating the overheads Drafting a new Supply Chain model The bargaining power of suppliers can be crucial. The suppliers are whole sale dealers of grocery and the like. The suppliers have undergone a drastic change over the years and with it their

Sales Promotion Techniques Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sales Promotion Techniques - Research Paper Example â€Å"Sales promotion refers to those marketing activities other than personal selling, advertisement and publicity, which stimulate consumer purchasing and dealer effectiveness, such as displays, shows and expositions, demonstrations and various non-recurrent selling efforts not in the ordinary routine. Its purpose is to increase the desire of salesman, distributors and dealers to sell a certain brand and to make consumers more eager to buy that brand† (Sales Promotion Methods & Ideas, 2009) Even good quality products may fail in the market in the absence of good sales promotion activities. On the other hand even cheaper quality products may excel in the market with the help of quality sales promotion activities. The present market is filled with thousands of products manufactured by different business groups from different countries. It is difficult for the customers to decide which product is better or which one is worth for the money they spent. Only through effective prom otion activities an entrepreneur can convey the characteristics and worth of his product to the consumers. Various techniques must be developed and used in the market through sales promotion activities in order to convince the consumers. Sales promotion is important for introducing a new product into the market and also to sustain the movement of the existing products in the market. The major sales promotion techniques are Discounts and deals, Increasing Industry Visibility, Price-based consumer sales promotion, Attention-getting consumer sales promotion etc Discount deals are one of the prominent sales promotion strategies which are adopted by most of the manufacturers and service providers. It is not possible for a manufacturer to sustain the sales of a product in a constant manner because of the increased competition from the market. Thus same product may experience fluctuations in its sales during different seasons of an year. In order to sustain the

Introduction Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction - Movie Review Example In the early history of the United States, there was the Second Great Awakening, Frontier Protestantism that lasted about 50 years. When church goers â€Å"felt the spirit of God† within them, they expressed this feeling by running, barking, laughing, singing, and whatever other manner seemed to represent their emotions. This was called â€Å"falling out† or being â€Å"slain in spirit.† The film also mentioned that many smaller, radical religious groups had gained confidence from this new Protestant growth. It carried certain traits that they felt defined their own beliefs. Their energy and freedom to express hopes and frustrations freely was one. Another trait was that many different groups, some being opposites, could still find guidance and hope through the Bible’s message. Slaves and also landowners found representation of their own situation. This gives the impression that the Bible contradicts itself, a claim that some believe to be true. A serious study of the scriptures will prove that God’s message has been consistent throughout the history of mankind, from Genesis to Revelation. Finally in South Korea, Korean Pentecostalism preaches the â€Å"prosperity gospel†. If one gives an offering, they are guaranteed success. To his credit, one Korean minister revealed that the â€Å"true† success lies in applying the will of God in your life and reaping the rewards of a clean conscience. In the end, followers of Protestant faiths do not seem to be united in their beliefs. It is inherent in the denomination that a person can choose for himself the way to worship God. That also attests to the rapid growth and popularity of Protestant faiths, that people want to interpret God’s word for themselves, not necessarily to find out what God wants from

Management Functions and Roles Essay Example for Free

Management Functions and Roles Essay This week I interviewed Mr. Bradford, the health care administrator of Willis Knight Health Center. Mr. Bradford has been in the health care field for 17 years. He has been the coordinator and director at the Willis Knight Health Center for 11 years. Human Resources and leadership are two most pressing functions according to Mr. Bradford for his organization. Human resources is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. humanresources. about. com). Human Resource is also a strategic and comprehensive approach to managing people and the workplace culture and environment. Effective human resource management enables employees to contribute effectively and productively to the overall company direction and the accomplishment of the organization’s goals and objectives. (humanresources. about. com) Leadership plays an important role as well. As a leader you should be able to create more leaders, you must be able to have the people following you stand up and get noticed so they in turn have other people following them while a chain of responsibility and cohesiveness forms so you create a well-oiled machine. Working with different individual on daily basics there is no way that you can satisfy each and every one. Creating a safe, healthy and happy workplace will ensure that your employees feel homely and stay with your organization for a very long time. Paying out bonuses or having any kind of variable compensation plan can be both incentive and disillusionment, based on how it’s administered and communicated. Adopt a systematic approach to ensure that knowledge in databases to provide greater access to information posted either by the company or the employees on the knowledge portals of the company. Have open house discussions and feedback mechanism as a leader you should be able to take constructive criticism. (empxtrack. com) There are five key challenges or areas, some strategic and some operational. Leadership, pay and reward, equality and diversity, talent management and service transformation and efficiency. Placing and shaping community leadership and delivering services to empowered and engaged citizens requires a new order of leadership skill and capacity from public sector leaders, both political and managerial. Pay and reward remains the immediate battleground for HR in the short term. National negotiating machinery is increasingly out of touch with the needs of local employers, politically directed by ministers and, as a consequence, is more focused on managing cost managing cost pressures and the broader economic position. Increasingly, the need to ensure organizational approaches to diversity has a true focus upon communities and community cohesion has meant that the role of HR in shaping, supporting and embedding good approaches to equality and diversity. Supply and demand: talent spotting and development and, most importantly, the ability to deploy talent effectively for the future means that HR needs to provide resourcing and development solutions that are faster, more flexible and technology enabled to reduce the bureaucracy and paper-based approaches that many still protect and love. Finally service transformation and efficiency the big challenge, in the future get involved with service transformation and modernisation. (personltoday. com) In conclusion to better services the people we serve is to continue to educate the staff, make winners out of your staff, always make individuals better as you become better and have a great relationship with your staff and patients. Additions to training life experiences can help alone the way, best lessons learned are the ones we learn on our own.

The Image Made in China in Manufacturing :: Chinese Trade Manufacturing Appliances Essays

The Image "Made in China" in Manufacturing In order to provide the Chinese home appliance manufacturers consortium with assistance in achieving their goal of improving the â€Å"Made in China† image, our first objective was to accurately define the perception of products that are â€Å"Made in China.† In particular, to determine whether or not â€Å"Made in China† has a negative connotation in the U.S. marketplace and if so, to better understand the contributing factors to this perception. First, we conducted secondary research consisting of a review of literature and statistical studies. The focus was on the broader topic of a product’s country-of-origin and its effect on the consumer purchase decision process. Second, we focused on the specific impact of â€Å"Made in China† on purchase behavior. Third, to gain further insight into the consumer perception of â€Å"Made in China† in the home appliances category, we conducted primary research in the form of consumer surveys, retailer interviews and secret shopper studies. Finally, we conducted secondary research on the actions that can be taken to overcome or change a negative country-of-origin image. Secondary Research Our secondary research identified several key themes, all of which support the hypothesis that a product’s country-of-origin plays a significant role in the purchase decision process. These findings are summarized below: Impact of Country-of-Origin (COO) On Consumer Perceptions and Purchase Decision-Making Process: A number of statistical studies have explored the effect of country-of-origin on consumers’ perceptions of products and how it influences the decision-making process. Studies by Heslop and Papadopoulous (1993, 2000) concluded that COO image is one of the most important influences on decision making for foreign-made products. These studies revealed that buyers evaluate COO using multiple criteria including the country’s level of advancement, the buyer’s feelings about the people of the country and the buyer’s desire to be more closely aligned with the country. In addition, a study by Liefeld and Wall (1987, 1991, 1993) found a positive relationship between product evaluation and the degree of economic development of the COO. Support of these finding was found in a study by Wang and Lamb (1983) in which it was determined that U.S. consumers evaluate products according to the country in which they are produced. Culture, political situation and economic develo pment of the source country were contributing factors to this evaluation criterion. Further support that COO plays an important role in shaping consumers’ attitudes towards products was found in studies by Hong and Wyer & Nooh, Sa’ari, and Powers (1989, 1999). The Image "Made in China" in Manufacturing :: Chinese Trade Manufacturing Appliances Essays The Image "Made in China" in Manufacturing In order to provide the Chinese home appliance manufacturers consortium with assistance in achieving their goal of improving the â€Å"Made in China† image, our first objective was to accurately define the perception of products that are â€Å"Made in China.† In particular, to determine whether or not â€Å"Made in China† has a negative connotation in the U.S. marketplace and if so, to better understand the contributing factors to this perception. First, we conducted secondary research consisting of a review of literature and statistical studies. The focus was on the broader topic of a product’s country-of-origin and its effect on the consumer purchase decision process. Second, we focused on the specific impact of â€Å"Made in China† on purchase behavior. Third, to gain further insight into the consumer perception of â€Å"Made in China† in the home appliances category, we conducted primary research in the form of consumer surveys, retailer interviews and secret shopper studies. Finally, we conducted secondary research on the actions that can be taken to overcome or change a negative country-of-origin image. Secondary Research Our secondary research identified several key themes, all of which support the hypothesis that a product’s country-of-origin plays a significant role in the purchase decision process. These findings are summarized below: Impact of Country-of-Origin (COO) On Consumer Perceptions and Purchase Decision-Making Process: A number of statistical studies have explored the effect of country-of-origin on consumers’ perceptions of products and how it influences the decision-making process. Studies by Heslop and Papadopoulous (1993, 2000) concluded that COO image is one of the most important influences on decision making for foreign-made products. These studies revealed that buyers evaluate COO using multiple criteria including the country’s level of advancement, the buyer’s feelings about the people of the country and the buyer’s desire to be more closely aligned with the country. In addition, a study by Liefeld and Wall (1987, 1991, 1993) found a positive relationship between product evaluation and the degree of economic development of the COO. Support of these finding was found in a study by Wang and Lamb (1983) in which it was determined that U.S. consumers evaluate products according to the country in which they are produced. Culture, political situation and economic develo pment of the source country were contributing factors to this evaluation criterion. Further support that COO plays an important role in shaping consumers’ attitudes towards products was found in studies by Hong and Wyer & Nooh, Sa’ari, and Powers (1989, 1999).

Marilyn Monroe Speech

My name is Amor Serrano and today I will speak to you about the life of Marilyn Monroe. She was one of America’s most famous idols. Mrs. Monroe was a huge Civil Rights Movement// Ella Fitzgerald was one of Marilyn’s idols and inspiration. The Mocambo nightclub in West Hollywood (famous at the time) would refuse to allow Ella to perform there because she was black. ////// Marilyn, extremely upset, told the owners that if they allowed Ella to perform, she would be front tow every time Ella was onstage. When she did this the two women became good friends.Ella said, â€Å"I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt†¦it was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the ’50s. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status – that the press would go wi ld. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times.And she didn’t know it. † American model turned actress, she was famous for her seductive blonde persona on and off camera from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Monroe appeared in a few popular movies, but remembered as an international sex symbol that died at age 36. Today// I will inform you of her childhood, her pathway to fame, and ultimately her death. Marilyn was an important idol. She is extremely inspiring and I find that women coming of age should look at her with aesthetics. First, I will discuss her childhood, then her pathway to fame Then ultimately her deathHer birth-name is Norma Jeane Mortenson. She was considered an illegitimate child because she did not know her father. Monroe spent two years at the orphanage and in and out of a successi on of foster homes. It is believed that during this time, Monroe was molested. Monroe and Dougherty were married on June 19, 1942. At age 16, the arrangement was made. I’ve now discussed Marilyn’s childhood, I will now discuss her road of fame. Marilyn started off as a model/// World War II was when her husband Dougherty joined the Merchant Marine in 1943 and was shipped out to Shanghai.Monroe had found a job at Radio Plane Munitions Factory. She was discovered by a photographer named David Conover. Her first appearance was on Yank magazine in 1945 The photos were sent to Potter Hueth, a commercial photographer. Hueth and Monroe soon struck a deal: Hueth would take pictures of Monroe but she would only be paid if magazines bought her photos. Monroe caught the attention of Miss Emmeline Snively she who ran the Blue Book Model Agency, the largest model agency in Los Angeles. Dougherty, still overseas, was not happy about his wife modeling. Marilyn Monroe Signs With a Mov ie StudioIn August of 1946///20th Century Fox offered Monroe a six-month contract with the studio having the option of renewing it every six months. When Dougherty returned, he was even less happy about his wife becoming a starlet. The couple divorced in 1946. Transforming From Norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe 20th Century Fox helped her create a screen name. //First called, Marilyn Miller, a popular 1920s stage performer. Monroe chose her mother’s maiden name for her last name. †¢Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948) †¢Ladies of the Chorus (1948) †¢Marilyn Monroe Poses Nude- Tom Kelly 6. Marilyn Monroe’s Big Break Love Happy (1949) – Asphalt Jungle (1950) – All About Eve (1950) – Don't Bother to Knock (1952) The Public Finds Out About Marilyn Monroe's Nude Pictures. Fans only found to love her more. – Niagara (1953), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), River of No Return (1954), and There’s No Bus iness Like Show Business (1954 Marries multiple men James Dougherty (m. 1942–1946) Joe DiMaggio (m. 1954–1954) Arthur Miller (m. 1956–1961) Rumors of Affairs Marilyn Monroe Dies of Overdose Monroe was depressed and continued to rely on sleeping pills and alcohol.Yet it was still a shock when 36-year-old Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood, California, home on August 5, 1962. Monroe’s death was marked â€Å"probable suicide† and the case closed. DiMaggio claimed her body and held a private funeral. Many people have questioned the exact cause of her death. Some speculate it was an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, others think it may have been purposeful suicide, and some wonder if it was murder. For many, her death remains a mystery. In conclusion, we should remember the remarkable woman Marilyn Monroe had been, and how inspiring she is to others. She is a figure of beauty.

The Relationship Among Working Memory

The general focus of this research is to examine performance in standard cognitive frameworks and online tasks. The researchers hope to examine the influence that math anxiety exerts on mathematical cognition and to identify the processing components that are so influenced. HYPOTHESIS: The higher the math anxiety, the lower the working memory capacity, the higher the probability to get a low performance. VARIABLES: IV – math anxietyDV –working memory capacity, performance The independent variable math anxiety is manipulated into three levels: high, medium, low. The level of anxiety is determined through the use of sMARS (short math anxiety rating scale) is a 25-item version of the most widely used measure of this construct, 98 item MARS. The sMARS assesses an individual’s level of apprehension and anxiety about math on a 1-5 Likert scale, asking for participants’ responses about how anxious they would be made by various settings and experiences. The depend ent variables —– working memory capacity and performance.Salthouse and Bobcock’s listening span (L-span) and computation span (C-span) tasks assessed participants’ working memory capacity by requiring them to store increasing numbers of words or digits in working memory while processing simple verbal or arithmetic tasks. In L-span task, participants hear a number of simple sentences, one by one, and must answer a simple question about current sentence before hearing the next. In C-span test, simple arithmetic problems replace the sentences then the participants give the answer to each problem, one by one, and must recall the last number in each of the several problems within that, in order.In experiment 2, participants see the problem and are timed as they produce its answer verbally. In experiment 3, participants were given the L-span and C-span plus they were given a letter transformation task to test working memory capacity and processes. In the perfor mance, examines through the results of the intensive working memory tasks. PROCEDURE: Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 CONCLUSION: The researchers concluded with two more general remarks. First, math anxiety is not epiphenomenon — it is not a cognitive appraisal about oneself that is unrelated to the nature of mental processing.For example, statistics students who do poorly on an exam claim that they become confused, are unable to focus on the task at hand, or keep thinking about how poor they are at math. Regardless of the subjectivity of these claims, they are entirely consistent with the researchers’ main result: Math anxiety disrupts the on-going, task-relevant activities of working memory, slowing down performance and degrading its accuracy. Second, the researchers note the positive effects of following advice with which this article began: that effect is an aspect of problem solving that deserves empirical attention.Cognitive investigations that include ind ividual difference characteristics like math anxiety are rare, yet may prove useful in gaining an understanding of domain-specific cognitions. Furthermore, it now appears that customary assessments of working memory span, especially those using arithmetic stimuli, are sensitive to at least two classes of influences: the central capacity and processing characteristics of the individual, to be sure, but also the transitory effects of anxiety in the testing situation.Given current and important efforts that relate working memory mechanisms to processes such as reading comprehension, memory retrieval, and the like, it would be sensible to consider the possibility that anxiety or other individual difference factors may be influencing both the assessments of individuals’ working memory span and their on-line performance. * The subjects were assigned to the treatment are mixed —- in experiment 1 the lower level undergraduate sychology classes were recruited and they are to re ceive a credit for participating, in experiment 2 they have some subject from experiment 1 and the additional subjects volunteered their participation in return for extra credit, while in experiment 3 did again get additional subjects which also undergraduate psychology graduates . * The researchers used ANOVA — column 3 of table 2 (page 228) presents the correlation between sMARS and the remaining variables, using math anxiety group (low, medium, high) as a between-subjects variable.They also used ANOVA two-way to see if the decline in capacity differed as a function of type of span task. * The objective of the study was realized for they have gathered two general remarks form their experiments and they have explained well the conclusions they have made regarding the relationship among working memory, math anxiety and performance.