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Essay on Standard Machines Pricing - 671 Words

I. Who should take the blame for getting Standard Machines Corp into the crisis it faces vis-à  -vis closing on a major sale with an established account? The blame for Standard Machine Corp can be directed in one of three ways: Industry: One could argue that innovation in the machine tool equipment industry has been stagnant and resulting caused customers to view machines as commodities and compete on price. Another thought is that the industry allowed a low cost player to enter and therefore put the premium priced equipment manufactures in a position of having to rationalize their price. Unfortunately, competition on price erodes industry margins and profits. Standard Machine Corp Management: The fact that a major account has†¦show more content†¦Although we do not believe that it is wise for Standard Machine Corp to lower their prices, essentially commoditizing their products, it is important for them to manage their customer relationships on an individual basis. By this we mean that Standard should find ways to justify their price premium. This may be done by offering packages uniquely customized to retain their long-term clients. Specifically, for long-term customers like Occidental, Standard must justify their $22,000 premium over their competitors within the market. One way to address this issue would be through rebates. Standard could offer customized rebate packages to its premium customers, like Occidental. Although they are, in effect, lowering their prices for Occidental, they are not sending a negative signal to the market. An outright price decrease could create a price war, where their competitors continue to drive down their own prices, further commoditizing Standard’s line of products. A rebate would offer an incentive for Occidental to purchase, because the company knows that they will be rewarded on the back end. Another way for Standard to remedy this pricing situation is to offer additional services along with its milling machine in order to further differentiate themselves from their competitors. Standard’s package could include an unlimited warrantee for a specified amount of time greater than that of its competitor, and an increase in on siteShow MoreRelatedCase of the Pricing Predicament1116 Words   |  5 PagesCase Analysis: Case of the Pricing Predicament I. Major Facts A. Scott is a salesman for Standard Machine B. Scott received a call from Joann, the purchasing agent at Occidental Aerospace C. Occidental is Standard’s largest and most loyal account D. Scott followed Standard’s fixed price policy and submitted a bid of $429K E. Joann informed him that two competitors submitted bids of â€Å"under 390K† and another bid of â€Å"a little over 400K† F. Scott needs to cut his bid byRead MoreManagerial Accounting: John Deere Component Works Essay1051 Words   |  5 Pageshurting both American farming and American Farming manufacturer producers. Q2. What caused the existing cost system to fail in the 1980s? What are symptoms of Cost System Failure? †¢ The fact that John Deere had previously been using a Standard Cost System which both understated and overstated the cost of certain products that they produced. †¢ This cost method does not provide the best system for JDCW’s cost allocation. By using only three overhead rates the present system grosslyRead MoreJohn Deere Component Works Essay1171 Words   |  5 Pageshurting both American farming and American Farming manufacturer producers. Q2. What caused the existing cost system to fail in the 1980s? What are symptoms of Cost System Failure? †¢ The fact that John Deere had previously been using a Standard Cost System which both understated and overstated the cost of certain products that they produced. †¢ This cost method does not provide the best system for JDCW’s cost allocation. By using only three overhead rates the present system grosslyRead MoreLipman Bottle Case1256 Words   |  6 Pagescontrasted with the difficulty in estimating product cost where in- process inventories are significant and where a cost system does not exist. 4. Discuss how cost numbers can be used as an aid in pricing decisions. This can easily be extended to a discussion of whether full or variable costs should be used in pricing decisions. This case can be used in an 80-minute class for first-year MBA students or as an introductory case in a second-year MBA course. Tutti i diritti may be required in a second-yearRead MoreFabricator Inc Allocation Of Overheads1006 Words   |  5 Pagesdisadvantageous to the business to the business of company. The inefficiency of labor or idle time can lead to the wrong estimation of cost of product. Placing bids and seeking new business The managers who are in charge of pricing a job for bid may be scared of high job cost standard used for project bidding. A minor error on part of clerical staff or other supporting staff may have significant implications in estimation of labor hours. Such kind of error can result in losing a profitable bid or losingRead MoreDestin Brass1235 Words   |  5 PagesDestin Brass Products Co. June 26, 2010 CASE ANALYSIS OBJECTIVES The Destin Brass Products Company case analysis focuses on the current accounting practices utilized by the company and its effects on product pricing. Destin’s president, Roland Guidry, is concerned about the pump market competition dropping prices and his company’s ability to remain competitive, yet profitable; since, pumps are 55% of Destin’s revenues. At the same time, the flow controller market remains seemingly untouchedRead MoreThe Manufacturing Of Specialty Steels Essay1530 Words   |  7 Pagesfor high strength and high use applications. The steel manufactured by them, can be acquired in a variety of grades shapes and sizes. The demand in the steel industry is cyclic in nature and a large amount of costs are fixed. The company uses the standard costing system for calculating the cost of their products. The recession in 1991, caused a huge fall in the demand which had caused the company to incur a great loss. However, after the recession the company w as not able to increases their profitsRead MoreWhy Managers Involves Pricing Their Products And Services1080 Words   |  5 PagesManagers involves pricing their products and services. Pricing mistakes can diminish and or destroy an otherwise promising business. High prices can drive customers away and hurt an organization. Simultaneously, prices that are too low can indeed, robs the ability to earn a profits giving the impression that the products are inferior. Determining an appropriate pricing structure is the key to the success and long term benefit for the business/organization. The powerful forces for Pricing are Image,Read MoreA Report On Jetta Electronics Ltd Essay1634 Words   |  7 Pagessituations, purchasing products from outside supplier has qualitative issues that must be taken into account. Jetta Electronics Ltd does not know whether the quality of DD11 5,000 devices buying from outside supplier will meet it is quality and standard requirements or not. Finally, it is not guarantee that the DD11 5,000 devices produced by outside supplier will meet the expectation of Jetta Electronics Ltd.’s current and potential customers. PART (2) (1) Activity Based Costing is a costing approachRead MoreStewart Box Company1051 Words   |  5 Pagesof pricing. Costing In the carton factory, each order was a job. Both labor and factory overhead costs were estimated annually. Estimating costs annually may be a cause for concern and can lead to erroneous estimation of costs due to the long length of time considered in the estimates. Costs of raw materials and manufacturing equipments can have very rapid fluctuations in prices within a year, and if they base their costs only annually, it might lead to innacurate cost estimates. Pricing Strategy

Television Free Essays

————————————————- Television is the leading cause of violence in today’s society. Television. This word associates for us with â€Å"violence†, â€Å"crime†, â€Å"pornography†. We will write a custom essay sample on Television or any similar topic only for you Order Now And this becomes usual in today’s society. And possibly, it is a reason why many people don`t find the cause of violence in TV, because it is usual situation for them, when they see bad scenes on the screen, they just don’t pay attention on it. And this is the source,all we became â€Å"cold†. For us it is trifling when happens bad events around us. And we don’t notice that slowly turn to monsters. But there is the great impact of television’s violence on youth, especially. 1. Children copy everything what is happening on the screen, not caring whether it is good or bad. For example, there was experiment with the children. Television researchers split children in two groups. For the first group the clip, where little girl hit a doll, was shown. For the second group the clip, where that girl had a tea party with doll, was shown. After that researchers gave dolls to every group, and every group did the things, which they saw in the video. (http://library. thinkquest. org†¦ ) 2. Violence on television causes aggression in people, especially again in children. But the effect, they have from the television, can be opened after a lot of years, even if they are 30 years old. â€Å"In 1973, a small Canadian town (called â€Å"Noel† by the investigators) acquired television for the first time. The acquisition of television at such a late date was due to problems with signal reception rather than any hostility toward television. Joy et al20 investigated the impact of television on this virgin community, using as control groups two similar communities that already had television. In a double-blind research design, a cohort of 45 first- and second-grade students were observed prospectively over a period of 2 years for rates of objectively measured noxious physical aggression (egg. , hitting, shoving, and biting). Rates of physical aggression did not change significantly among children in the two control communities. Two years after the introduction of television, rates of physical aggression among children in Noel had increased by 160%† (http://cursor. org†¦ ) 3. Again children saw violence on TV, repeat it, thinking that their action will not be punished. That means they are persuaded that crimes, violence†¦ ave punishment, despite their terrible consequences. 47% of violent television programs show the victim going unharmed, especially in cartoons. The person in the cartoon or television show gets bowled over by another character and they get back up without being harmed. Children begin to believe that violence doesn’t really hurt othe rs. 73% of individuals who commit crimes in cartoons and children’s shows go unpunished in violent scenes Television shows that allow the character who commits the crime to receive no punishment, teaches children that it is alright to commit a crime because nothing will be done. Criminals and violent acts do not get punished. (http://library. thinkquest. org†¦ ) 4. And there are certain facts that television promotes homicide. Following the introduction of television into the United States, the annual white homicide rate increased by 93%, from 3. 0 homicides per 100 000 white population in 1945 to 5. 8 per 100 000 in 1974; in South Africa, where television was banned, the white homicide rate decreased by 7%, from 2. 7 homicides per 100 000 white population in 1943 through 1948 to 2. 5 per 100 000 in 1974. As with US whites, following the introduction of television into Canada the Canadian homicide rate increased by 92%, from 1. 3 homicides per 100 000 population in 1945 to 2. 5 per 100 000 in 1974. †¦ white South African homicide rates would double within 10 to 15 years after the introduction of television in 1975, the rate having already increased 56% by 1983 (http://cursor. org†¦ ). If you want to see more just go to this web site. Well, it can be said that nowadays television is full of acts of murders, robberies, violence. And all of theme, all-in-all, have a huge influence on our consciousness. So, this is beyond controversy. I can’t agree with my opponent that Television is the leading cause of violence in today’s society. Since my opponent didn’t give any arguments, I’ll first my arguments: 1. Violence was always there. It’s not a new invention. Since the beginning of time, there has been violence. The first murder is mentioned in the bible. Much before there was even electricity. 2. If the violence you see on television causes you to act violently, each and every one of us (since most of us watch TV) would have been violent 3. Those who act violently are people which are naturally violent. The proof of that is that animals act violently too. animals do not watch TV. They act violently since they are naturally violent creatures. I  think that I can introduce to my opponent the facts why television is the leading cause of violence. Television hasn’t significant influence on adults’ mind, but has a great impact on children, on their brain’s development. And if they catch the idea of violence in childhood from TV, then their opinion about crimes, murders cannot be changed. Only in adulthood they make their ideas real, and we don’t know what kind of idea it can be. Thus, television influences the consciousness of children, who at their time will be ready to accomplish terrible action. But also there was a fact TV has influence on adults too, but it is seldom event. All-in-all, there are a lot of exploration, researches, which prove the statement of our debate’s topic. I am sure that I could demonstrate the facts, that`s why people vote for me! This them was risen so many times. The answer is yes, but on half. Because being violent depends not only on Television, but also on person` environment ( family, friends, consiquences†¦ ) Television is only a part of this. Ufrotunately, television`s influence on people is huge. You see the propagands in films that being bed is cool, and actually you want to be like them, TV showas areshowing and talk that being thin is good, and you do not eating and make harm to yourself†¦.. Television and other media have always been blamed about showcasing violence to a large extent. Many television shows are infamous for their violent content. Television violence is about murders, bloodshed, explosions, disaster and death. TV shows often demonstrate hitting, stabbing, screaming, thus expressing negativity. This destruction shown on television has a deep impact on the viewers, especially children. Considering the impressionable years they are in, children are most vulnerable to violence on TV. It is a point of debate whether television reflects society or behavior of society reflects what is shown on television. But at some point it becomes a vicious circle. People follow what they see on TV and television shows are based on what is prevalent is society. Television is bound to have a deep impact on the viewers, especially children and teenagers. Children tend to follow whatever they see blindly. Television violence influences children to a great extent because they relate to characters on television. Television violence affects children of different ages in different ways. The effect depends on their level of understanding, the way they interpret and process information and their own experiences and upbringing. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids under 2 years of age should not watch television and those older than 2 should not be allowed to watch more than 1 to 2 hours a day of good TV shows. Television, or any media for that matter can shape child behavior. Audio-visual media have the potential to influence a child’s mind and make the child follow what he/she sees, without much thought. It’s high time the elders realize this and restrict TV exposure of children. How Television Violence Affects Children Infants are attracted to watching TV. For them, it’s just a play of light and sound, something visual and moving they enjoy watching. They often miss the program content. They can make sense only out of characters and faces familiar to them. It is said that if behavior on television is presented to them in simpler ways, they are likely to imitate it. When children reach an age of two and half years, they begin to pay more attention to what is shown on TV and tend to imitate it. At that age children prefer to watch fast-moving characters and are likely to get exposed to television violence. During the pre-school age, children begin to derive meaning from what they see on television. Intense scenes and sounds attract them. Cartoon violence draws in the children of that age. It is seen that preschoolers behave aggressively after watching action and violence on TV. During their initial years of schooling, children begin to understand what’s shown on the television. They are able to follow the actions of characters and the consequences of the characters’ actions. But they tend to think less on what they see, which results in reactions of a superficial nature. If children identify with a villain, they may start enacting his behavior. They think of emulating that violent hero. Due to overexposure to TV violence they may become tolerant to real world violence. Studies say that watching horror movies is sometimes an attempt by children to get over their own phobias. When adolescent, they start watching television independently. At that age, they can reason everything they see but they are not mentally involved. They start idealizing someone and are tempted to act like him. They start believing that whatever is shown on TV is real. If they are exposed to suicides and crime they may try to imitate those kinds of behavior. Children’s minds are not mature enough to understand the context of the violence they watch on television. Take an example of a psychic villain or a murderer who constantly bears a feeling of guilt about his acts. In the first scenario, a child does not perceive the psychological disorder that has made him a villain. In the second case, a child fails to understand how empty a murderer’s life is. Thus they are unable to comprehend the causes and effects of evil behavior. They do not understand the nuances of the scenes on television. They wrongly interpret the wrongdoer and go the wrong way. Primarily, children become insensitive to others’ pain. They may become numb on watching something terribly violent. Secondly, children feel that people around them are all of a violent nature. They think the world around them is similar to what is portrayed on TV. Due to this, they fear people. They speculate something ill happening to them. They feel the possibility of frightening incidents taking place in their lives. Influenced by the violence shown on TV, they may tend to harm others. They might become over-aggressive and rebellious. They can disobey rules. They may become impatient and refuse to wait for things, they then leave work unfinished thus do not perform well in school. Television violence can impact children in two distinct ways. Either they develop immunity towards cruelty or an extreme fear of living in a dangerous society grips them. Television shows portraying the ‘positive’ are almost history. Scenes of TV stories are no more depictions of only the good. Today’s wrestling shows, violent movies and intense emotions expressed on TV, are bound to leave a long-lasting impact on television viewers. Children have to face the after effects of television violence. Today’s children are the future of our society and it’s important that they stay away from violence. Violence might make children timid and pessimistic. It may instill evil feelings in their minds. Television violence creates a wrong picture of society in the young minds. They make suicidal attempts or may even take to murders. Youth takes to committing crime leading to youth violence. These harmful effects of television violence need to be curbed. Parents have an important role to play in preventing their kids from watching the violence that is showcased on television. Kids should be encouraged to watch children’s programs. Parent must use their discretionary powers to decide which programs their children should watch and which ones they should not. Early exposure to violence on TV leads to abnormalities in children’s behavior. Parents are advised to pay attention to the programs their kids watch and restrict the time for which their kids can watch TV. They are advised to contact other parents and collectively implement rules for television watching. Parents need to reject violence in front of their children. They should explain their kids the reality behind the scenes. It’s necessary to call the ‘wrong’ wrong when television violence is perpetually projecting it as ‘right’. Read more at Buzzle:  http://www. buzzle. com/articles/television-violence-and-children. html How to cite Television, Papers

Athenas Role in The Odyssey free essay sample

Focuses on Athenas intervention with Odysseus in `The Odyssey.` This paper examines `The Odyssey` through the eyes of Athena and her relationships with Telemachus, Odysseus, and Penelope. `Telemachus is the first person to encounter Athena in the Odyssey, and in fact he is the one who needs the most attention, due to his lack of age. Athena has a plan to destroy the suitors who devour Odysseus wealth, but in order for it to work, Telemachus has to go through his rites of passage, to become a man. Athena knew that Odysseus blood ran through the veins of young Telemachus and that all he needed to get it pumping was a little adventure. She decided to send him to Nestor in Pylos and Menaleus in Sparta for news of his father. They were two men who knew his father well and would be able to give Telemachus a sense of who his father is. We will write a custom essay sample on Athenas Role in The Odyssey or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She is sure to stay by Telemachus side at all times to teach him the tricks of the trade. Like a father would. She did this until he felt secure in making his own decisions. Even then she was there to give him an encouraging word or two. `

Global food retail industry Essay Example

Global food retail industry Essay Exective Summary Global nutrient retail industry has become tightly competitory in last few old ages. In dynamic operating environment, companies need to understand the competitory nature of the planetary nutrient industry means to understand altering consumer penchants. They are doing uninterrupted attempts to run into these demands in order to procure their places in the industry. Companies have the purpose to construct collaborative working relationships with stakeholders, the ultimate aim of constructing an efficient nutrient distribution system. Wal-Mart is the universe largest retail merchant in nutrient retail industry. The company operates retail shops in assorted formats. It operates more than 6,000 shops in the United States and in 13 international markets. Food retail industry is a extremely concentrated market, new entrants would confront trouble to go consecutive in this industry. Stable relationships with providers are indispensable to Wal-Mart concern. Wal-Mart is concentrating on spread outing its merchandise line by including demanding merchandises every bit good as environmentally friendly merchandises. When analysing the concern of Wal-Mart, they really use all three of the hard Ss of McKinsey s 7S model in their pursuit of their ends: Strategy, Systems, Structure. As a retail company, Wal-Mart offers a broad aggregation of merchandises to the consumers. the food market points can be placed as Wal-Mart s star merchandises. Appliance, kitchen tools, furniture, digital merchandises, music files and package are the hard currency cattles of the company. Pharmaceuticals, playthings, electronics and wellness merchandises are Wal-Mart inquiry Markss. The exposure development, jewellery and shoe merchandises distributed by the company are those that show low market portion. We will write a custom essay sample on Global food retail industry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Global food retail industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Global food retail industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Wal-Mart has the largest IT systems of any private company in the universe. It has made important investings in supply concatenation direction. Wal-Mart Stores aims to capture the market incursion in nutrient that it has achieved in difficult and soft line goods. The merchandise development squad often attends trade shows in Europe and cardinal manner capitals and travels to topographic points globally. Wal-Mart s variegation scheme of the 1980s was a great success in footings of tapping and acknowledging new market sections. Based from the analysis of the informations by appling selling and strategic theoretical accounts, it is appropriate to urge that the merchandise and service development scheme be applied by Wal-Mart, sing that these factors serve as the nucleus factors impacting its growing and advancement. Strategy Development in the Global Food Retail Supermarket Industry Globalization of retail is non an emerging or wholly new scheme, but a current focal point for many retail merchants. Established retail merchants have recognized that natural growing going more hard to prolong in domistic markets, enlargement into new markets is a necessary measure towards procuring future profitableness. To understand the competitory nature of the planetary nutrient industry means to understand altering consumer penchants and the nutrient industry attempts to run into these demands. The undertaking of traveling nutrient points from the marketer to purchaser is going progressively complex, affecting diverse local, national, and planetary issues. The nutrient retail industry consists of the entire grosss generated through supermarkets, hypermarkets, co-ops, discount houses, convenience shops, independent grocers, bakers, and all other retail merchants of nutrient and drink. Supply concatenation direction ( SCM ) is the direction of stuffs, information, engineering and financess from the natural stuff provider to the consumer. It has become extremely critical. It is now indispensable to a company gross bring forthing activities as it relates to growing, efficiency and client satisfaction. SCM is critical to a company fiscal success in footings of gross, cost and plus productiveness. It has the purpose to construct collaborative working relationships between distributers, retail merchants, makers, gross revenues and selling agents with the ultimate aim of constructing an efficient nutrient distribution system.The most of import end of planetary nutrient retail merchants and jobbers is to guarantee that the merchandises they sel l are safe. They act as the buying agent for the consumer and the concluding nexus in the supply concatenation. The supermarket nutrient industry continually seeks ways to do the state nutrient supply safer. Question One: Globalization in the nutrient retail industry Selected Company: Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores ( Wal-Mart ) is the universe largest retail merchant. The company operates retail shops in assorted formats. It operates more than 6,000 shops in the US and 13 international markets including the UK, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and China. The company retails a wide scope of ware and services at low monetary values. Wal-Mart operates its concern under three concern sections: Wal-Mart Shops, Sam s Club, and the international section. The company has more than 2,000 retail shops in other states. The operating formats vary from state to state. Strategic Alliances, Merger and Acquisition ( M A ; A ) activity ( WAL-MART IN INDIA ) Wal-Mart began looking into making concern in India back in 2005. At that clip Indian authorities was sing opening up foreign direct investing ( FDI ) to retail merchants. In November 2006, Wal-Mart round out Tesco for a joint venture opAÂ ­portunity with Indian Mobile services leader, Bharti. The ground was because Wal-Mart was more flexible about the retail theoretical account to be adAÂ ­opted. The company precedence seemed to be an early entry, so that the universe s largest retail merchant did non lose out on the Indian consumer roar. As per the understanding between the two corporate giants, Bharti would pull off the front-end of the concern, while Wal-Mart would take attention of the supply concatenation, logistics and other back-end opAÂ ­erations. India is a ready and appealing market for Wal-Mart with its turning in-between category of 250 million and an economic growing rate of about 9 % . Although the FDI Torahs of the state are comparatively rigorous, authorities functionaries are non opposed to prosecuting foreign concerns in the Indian market. Since the proclamation of the Wal-Mart/Bharti JV, one taking organisation has emerged to stand for the inAÂ ­terests of the little mom-and-pop shops. This is India FDI Watch and in add-on to educating the proprietors about Wal-Mart, they have held big mass meetings and presentations against Bharti, Wal-Mart, and other big-box retail merchants. The mom-and-pops have an advantage as they are handily located on street corners or in the bosom of metropoliss and normally have personal relationships with most consumers. However, they do non transport the assortment of goods that larger retail merchants do. Menace of New Entrants and Substitutes Bing that the nutrient retail industry is a extremely concentrated market, new entrants would confront trouble wining in this industry. In fact, it is extremely hard for price reduction retail merchants to perforate other markets as Wal-Mart tried to come in Germany and South Korea. The company was unsuccessful and had to draw out because of its unprofitableness. Retailers are capable to these obstructions: Economies of Scale Cost of Capital Distribution Channelss Substitute merchandises are merchandises that can be used as replacings for other merchandises to fulfill the same necessity of consumers. Wal-Mart benefits from this thought as discount houses have lower monetary values than section shops and consumers go for higher quality merchandise with the lowest monetary values. Wal-Mart is working on supplying the best client service possible but as a high-traffic shop, it is by and large impossible to supply one on one service. Dickering Power of Suppliers and Buyers Stable relationships with providers are indispensable to Wal-Mart concern. Without timely stock list bringings, Wal-Mart could non keep its full shelves and would lose clients. For this ground, the company engages in contractual understandings with its providers. This agreement is good for both parties, as the provider makes certain it will hold changeless entree to retail merchants with big market portion. This manner, providers have a guaranteed purchaser for the supplies and can set up specific monetary values. Consumers today are seeking for the best trades possible. They are waiting for price reductions and gross revenues to bulk up on merchandises. Discount retail merchants like Wal-Mart are making immense supercenter shops because they want their shops to go a one-stop trip. Customers know what they want and how far they are willing to seek for the point. Retailers must keep high stock list degrees to retain clients and their market portion. Customers going a twosome of stat mis to a shop privation to happen the merchandises they need in stock. Question Two: Global nutrient retail market kineticss The on-going alterations and inventions in planetary nutrient markets, every bit good as the tendencies in different sectors of the nutrient industry, make up a complex quandary with consumers, manufacturers, and planetary retailing and fabrication houses. A turning tendency in nutrient markets is the displacement in growing of nutrient gross revenues from high-income ( developed ) states to take down income ( developing ) states. Despite the displacement, per capita commercial gross revenues show broad regional disparities worldwide, though growing in nutrient gross revenues in the development states is expected to go on. In expectancy of this turning market, nutrient houses appear to be shifting themselves and puting in many developing states. Measures of fight vary at the house, industry and state degree. Competitiveness is influenced by such forces as technological inventions, public establishments, substructure support, steadfast organisational construction, and authorities policies. Small nutrient makers face macroeconomic restraints similar to those of big houses, such as exchange rate fluctuations and market entree barriers in foreign markets. Retail sector issues centered on the impact of globalisation on nutrient retailing in emerging economic systems, and the impact of altering consumer penchants on nutrient retailing. Although a state may import small nutrient, the impacts of globalisation impacts are reflected in its nutrient retail sector. Wal-Mart Profitability Secure Strategies A outstanding tendency in the retail industry is consumers purchasing less and less. Until about few old ages ago, consumers depended on recognition cards. They did non waver to add to their already big debts but now consumers are seeking to pay down debts alternatively. Wal-Mart price reduction shops, supercenters and jobber nines have maintained their monetary value leading scheme known as Save money A ; unrecorded better. This scheme was implemented in twelvemonth 2008 and is aimed at households with kids and in-between income consumers seeking to salvage. Wal-Mart is concentrating on spread outing its merchandise line by including health merchandises every bit good as environmentally friendly merchandises. With the high energy monetary values confronting consumers and the thoughts of eating healthier and natural nutrient, Wal-Mart has stocked merchandises that would appeal to these consumers while keeping its competitory monetary values. The company maintains a flexible direction manner where it is willing to fulfill altering demands. To run into demand, the company must promote directors to supervise high demand merchandises and bead unpopular merchandise lines that may be a waste of stock list infinite. Another tendency is discounter development of private labels. To vie with national trade names, supermarkets and retail merchants have developed their ain trade names with the cooperation of makers. These merchandises are to be distributed and sold merely in the retail merchants shops. Net Net income Margin measures how much out of every dollar of gross revenues a company really keeps in net incomes. A company with high net net income border indicates that it has better control over its costs. In this class, Wal-Mart outperforms Costco, BJ s and industry, but lags behind Target. This tabular array shows that how much Wal-Mart has been successful to put into nutrient retail installations in order to procure its future profitableness in footings of net incomes. Question Three: McKinsey s 7S model for placing nucleus competences and capablenesss, discourse the ability of Wal-Mart When analysing the concern of Wal-Mart, they really employ all three of the hard Ss in their chase of their ends: Scheme Systems Structure Their strength in all three of these S s is likely a large ground why they have been so successful. Scheme Wal-Mart s overall scheme is to ever supply the lowest monetary values. Additionally, they aim to hold a shop which provides convenience by leting consumers to happen everything they need under one roof.This scheme of convenience with low monetary values has driven Wal-Mart to be the concern leader that it is. Additionally, they plan to go on to spread out into markets non yet penetrated by major ironss, and some markets that are already saturated, such as New England and California.The other two difficult S s, systems and construction, support this scheme. Besides, low monetary values everyday has become the manner and shared values of Wal-Mart. Even the staff is wholly committed to supplying the lowest possible monetary values. The accomplishments of workers are besides geared to happening inefficiencies and towards diminishing monetary values. The low cost scheme has driven Wal-Mart to make things such as call providers collect, do off with maker representatives at gross revenues meetings, make off with regional offices, etc. Systems Wal-Mart has in topographic point a set of systems that helps it accomplish its scheme of low monetary values everyday. The largest and most profitable of these systems is the Information Technology system. Wal-Mart has employed computing machines, networking, and the cyberspace to cut down stock lists and waste, and velocity bringings. Wal-Mart can link to their providers and convey them informations so they know what Wal-Mart demands and when.The lower stock lists allow Wal-Mart to bring forth stock list turnover rates of around 70 % which is truly high. Additionally, Wal-Mart has worked with providers in order to better their efficiencies in production which they so pass to Wal-Mart and so to the consumer. Because of Wal-Mart scheme, these reduced costs due to systems let Wal-Mart to cut down consumer s monetary values. Wal-Mart has streamlined the supply system so good that it would be really difficult to happen any inefficiency and would be difficult for any rival to crush. Addi tionally, Wal-Mart has a really efficient human resource system set-up that has both largely kept employees happy, and resisted unionisation. Wal-Mart is the largest private employer and has developed systems to bind rises and fillips to public presentation. This encourages employees to believe of the company and to ever make their best. Structure Wal-Mart besides employs a good construction that works with the systems to authorise the low monetary value scheme. Wal-Mart has planned warehouses and integrated them with systems. Additionally, they place their warehouses strategically so that one warehouse can function many shops. They have developed clip agendas so that one truck can serve many shops and that after a bringing the truck can take back returned goods to the warehouse. The supercenter design itself is a structural advantage and scheme that Wal-Mart uses. This design allows consumers to come to a individual Wal-Mart shop to happen everything they need from food markets to gifts to apparels to dally. Wal-Mart has designed an efficient direction construction that allows it to extinguish the regional office. This construction entirely has saved Wal-Mart 1000000s of dollars a twelvemonth. When Wal-Mart topographic points shops in strategic locations and thrusts traffic utilizing convenience and so combines the gross reve nues with its systems and construction, people get a extremely efficient corporation that can cut costs to a bare-minimum which are so passed along to the consumer. If Wal-Mart continues to rule these three S s, it will go on to rule the retail market. Question Four: BCG merchandise matrix theoretical account, placing major merchandises of Wal-Mart As a retail company, Wal-Mart offers a broad array of merchandises to the consumers. These include food markets, playthings, dress for adult females, work forces and kids, jewellery every bit good as other difficult goods ; all of these merchandise lines are sold at sensible and by and large low-cost monetary values. In order to analyse the operation and public presentation of the selected merchandises of the company ( Wal-Mart ) , the Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) Matrix is used. The Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) Matrix is a tool developed to measure company concern units. Specifically, the BCG Matrix is used to measure the concern units degree of market growing and portion. The distribution done in this matrix was based on the 2008 gross study of the company. Stars In above diagram, the food market points map can be placed as Wal-Mart s star merchandise. The study stressed that this served as the top gross generator of the company, lending to 22 % in the entire gross revenues. While this generates the most hard currency flow, it should besides be considered that this merchandise causes the most inventory cost to the company, sing that Wal-Mart has to deduce its food market supplies to multiple providers or companies. Cash cattles On the other manus, the difficult ( contraption, kitchen tools, furniture ) and soft goods ( digital merchandises, music files, package ) are the hard currency cattles of the company. Compared to the food markets, the supply concatenation for these merchandises are less complex. The private-label goods are considered hard currency cattles peculiarly in the international sector. This is because American trade names do non exhibit the same impact or entreaty to foreign purchasers as with foreign consumers. As hard currency cattles, it is indispensable that Wal-Mart utilizations these merchandises to bring forth financess that would back up its other concern units peculiarly those categorized as stars and inquiry Markss. Question Markss Pharmaceuticals, playthings, electronics and wellness merchandises are Wal-Mart inquiry Markss. As indicated in the gross study, these merchandises may bring forth gross revenues but non plenty to counterbalance the degree of financess required to administer them. Multiple providers and dearly-won stock list make these merchandises the inquiry grade type. For this ground, it is practical that Wal-Mart see restricting the stock list of these merchandises to salvage on stock list disbursals. Dogs Finally, the exposure development, jewellery and shoe merchandises distributed by the company are those that exhibit low market portion every bit good as growing. Sing the figure of options available in the market with these merchandises, it is so hard for the company to maintain these merchandise lines. As certain retail merchants are focused on administering these goods, they have more concern flexibleness than Wal-Mart, leting them to get the better of gross revenues issues. Question Five: merchandise life rhythm and Ansoff growing matrix Product life rhythm Wal-Mart is committed to bettering operations, take downing costs and bettering client service. But the key to retailer Wal-Mart s success is its ability to drive costs out of its supply concatenation and pull off it expeditiously. Many supply concatenation experts refer to Wal-Mart as a supply chain-driven company that besides has retail shops. Wal-Mart s company doctrine ( The Wal-Mart Way ) is to be at the taking border of logistics, distribution, transit, and engineering. Wal-Mart has the largest IT systems of any private company in the universe. The Wal-Mart concern theoretical account would neglect immediately without its advanced engineering and supply concatenation. Wal-Mart has made important investings in supply concatenation direction. Ansoff growing matrix Ansoff matrix allows the sellers to look at different ways to turn the concern through bing merchandises and markets and new merchandises and markets. Furthermore, the matrix is composed of four assorted schemes: Market Penetration Wal-Mart Shops aims to capture the market incursion in nutrient that it has achieved in difficult and soft line goods. The retail giant, which posts more than a 10 % market portion in many nonfood classs, plans to lift up its nutrient portion through speedy supercenter enlargements. To accomplish their market incursion ends, they believe in three steering rules: Customer Value and Service Partnership with its associates Community engagement Merchandise Development Wal-Mart merchandise development group influenced the expression, feel and assortment of ware. The merchandise development group headed by strong communicators worked with the purchaser for the class and assorted providers to better the consistence of qualities and sizes of ware. The merchandise development squad often attends trade shows in Europe and cardinal manner capitals and travels to topographic points globally. The group findings are so on a regular basis presented to merchandisers, sellers and bundle interior decorators during the twelvemonth. Major seasonal tendency overview meetings are held for spring and autumn with smaller meetings held for summer and vacations. Market Development Wal-Mart ever seek to take advantage of on its international scheme, it is working in the way of buildAÂ ­ing new retail shops in other countries.They planned to educate militants around the universe about Wal-Mart retail development schemes and the company impact on local retail civilization. The three major tactics used by the company before to come in a state include: BuildAÂ ­ing partnerships with local concerns and organisations Working with authorities functionaries Taping into the turning in-between category buying power Diversification Wal-Mart s variegation scheme of the 1980s was a great success in footings of tapping and acknowledging new market sections. Sam s nine was the most successful variegation of all at the decennary by following wholesaling construct. The first Sam s Club launched in April 1983. The company, on the other side, opened its first Wal-Mart Supercenter in 1988. It was basically a complete Wal-Mart price reduction shop with a supermarket added to it. Wal-Mart variegation into new retail formats during the 1980s did more than better the house growing in the cardinal countries of retail. Diversification besides gave the company the opportunity to take hazards and experiment. Evaluation the Usefulness of Marketing and Strategic Models Based from the analysis of the selected company, it is so appropriate to urge that the merchandise and service development scheme be applied by Wal-Mart, sing that these factors serve as the nucleus factors impacting its growing and advancement. With this type of scheme, Wal-Mart can increase its gross revenues by agencies of modifying or heightening its bing merchandises and services. This scheme has been recommended as it has the ability to back up the company potency to make greater markets. Wal-Mart has multiple merchandise lines that will be affected by this scheme. With the BCG matrix, it is appropriate that the company starts off the development with its premier merchandise lines. Through this, the company will hold sufficient financess to back up other relevant activities in the hereafter. However, by agencies of this scheme, Wal-Mart will be able to beef up the market place of each of its merchandise divisions, ensuing to greater keep to these specific markets. The suggested scheme does non merely suit the intent of the company and support its future growing but has besides been recommended based on the capableness of the company to implement it. Wal-Mart has an efficient distribution system which in bend would back up this scheme. The civilization of the retail company besides fits the demands of this recommendation. Specifically, the company devotes ample clip and resources to develop and keep a skilled work force. With productive directors and employees, the bringing of the developed goods of the company will be made possible. As a consequence, greater satisfaction from the clients will be obtained. Mention Beginnings Text Books Lynch, R. ( 2006 ) Corporate Strategy, Fourth Edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall. Mintzberg, H. , Ahlstrand, B. and Lampel, J. ( 1998 ) Strategy Safari, Financial Times Prentice Hall Johnson, G. , Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. ( 2005 ) Researching Corporate Scheme: Text and Cases, 7th Edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall. Online Beginnings hypertext transfer protocol: //www.walmart.com/ hypertext transfer protocol: //walmartstores.com/sites/AnnualReport/2008/docs/wal_mart_annual_report_2008.pdf www.economist.com www.metrofoods.net/ www.ft.com www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/GlobalFoodMarkets/Industry www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/

Free Essays on Can We Live Better LIves With Less Clutter

Everyone would be much happier living with less and eliminating some bad habits. Many of us have cluttered our lives with technology and bad habits, seeking to improve our lives with material things that in a few months will be technologically out dated. Bad habits I’ve developed over the years also cluttered my life, which I didn’t realize until I stopped them. Simply by changing my habits and spending less time playing games would I’m sure make me happier and healthier. Our Play Station 2 single handedly waste a great amount of time I could be spending together with my family. I really enjoy disconnecting from the world outside whatever particular game I am playing. Just the intrigue of being the W.W.F Champion or being a spy for the government is undeniable. Sometimes I become too tied to the game I am playing. This only adds to the amount of time I spend playing that particular game, which of course adds to the amount of time away from my family. Eliminating the Play Station 2 would give me more quality time to spend with my family talking or just being in the same room. Computers and the Internet are also technologies that use up time with my family. Having the world at my finger tips is all the motivation that I need to spend hours upon hours â€Å"surfing the net†. I find myself doing more and more homework on the computer using Microsoft Word or researching on the Internet. As online classes are becoming more and more popular, I’ve taken many, and believe me they are time consuming. I can now pay bills on-line, I have bought many of my school books on-line, all of this just taking time away from what’s really important in my life, my family. In today’s society Computers and the Internet are a necessary evil. I must constantly tell myself to use self control so as not spend too much time on them. If I could do away with all of my bad habits, I’d be a much happier man. I have way too many bad habits to name them a... Free Essays on Can We Live Better LIves With Less Clutter Free Essays on Can We Live Better LIves With Less Clutter Everyone would be much happier living with less and eliminating some bad habits. Many of us have cluttered our lives with technology and bad habits, seeking to improve our lives with material things that in a few months will be technologically out dated. Bad habits I’ve developed over the years also cluttered my life, which I didn’t realize until I stopped them. Simply by changing my habits and spending less time playing games would I’m sure make me happier and healthier. Our Play Station 2 single handedly waste a great amount of time I could be spending together with my family. I really enjoy disconnecting from the world outside whatever particular game I am playing. Just the intrigue of being the W.W.F Champion or being a spy for the government is undeniable. Sometimes I become too tied to the game I am playing. This only adds to the amount of time I spend playing that particular game, which of course adds to the amount of time away from my family. Eliminating the Play Station 2 would give me more quality time to spend with my family talking or just being in the same room. Computers and the Internet are also technologies that use up time with my family. Having the world at my finger tips is all the motivation that I need to spend hours upon hours â€Å"surfing the net†. I find myself doing more and more homework on the computer using Microsoft Word or researching on the Internet. As online classes are becoming more and more popular, I’ve taken many, and believe me they are time consuming. I can now pay bills on-line, I have bought many of my school books on-line, all of this just taking time away from what’s really important in my life, my family. In today’s society Computers and the Internet are a necessary evil. I must constantly tell myself to use self control so as not spend too much time on them. If I could do away with all of my bad habits, I’d be a much happier man. I have way too many bad habits to name them a...

Building and Hosting Your Own Website Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Building and Hosting Your Own Website - Essay Example I have always relied on your team to make updates on the website, and unfortunately, this has lead to a delay in the upload of articles as well as the posting of new products and services. As such, I have decided to do the update myself. I wish to have my entire website migrated to a content management system (CMS) such as Joomla so I can add/remove/revise content without the worry of ruining my website design. I am pretty sure that you can do this quite easily as my current website host offers a one-click installation of Joomla on the server. Through this move, I hope I can make updates weekly, if not daily, as well as add new writers and editors to the website without giving full access to the backend of the web server. I have recently been looking up new website designs and have settled on a clean, crisp look. I want to use colors for actionable items on the website, as well as photos and quotes to highlight important parts of the content. 1. Contrast: I want the background of the website to be white or grayish white so that items (fonts, photos, quotes) will stand out. I want titles or headers of articles to be in all cap and in bold. I want it colored in turquoise (see design document for details). Font of the content must be gray, a bit on the dark side, but definitely not black. 2. Repetition: Photos for all articles (on the blog) must be in black and white. This way, it replicates the design elements of the fonts and serves to highlight the actionable links as well as the quotes taken out from the article. Moreover, repetition can be used in the Navigation of the store where categories of the products/services I offer are located in the left side, as well as in the tag sphere below it. 3. Alignment: I want lots of white space for the site, but I also want to have crisp lines which can be generated by aligning content to the left (for the blog). In the store, I want products/services to display in a 4x4 grid. 4. Proximity:

Hittites History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hittites History - Essay Example The Indo-European-speaking Hittites probably began arriving peacefully in northwestern Anatolia from the Balkans about 2500 B.C., traveling from the Kurgan pit-grave culture of the Eurasian steppe. They settled in northwestern Anatolia, across the west and south of the peninsula about 2300 B.C., although many more may have immigrated from the south over the next three centuries. A northeastern route, through the Caucasus has also been suggested, but that seems linguistically and archaeologically less likely. In any event, when Assyrian traders reached central Anatolia around 1900 B.C., they found an Indo-European-speaking people firmly established, who had harmoniously integrated with the indigenous Hattian population of the local city-states. By 1650, the ruler Hattusilis I founded the Hittite Kingdom when he established the capital of Hattusas. The ensuing two centuries constitute the period known as the Hittite Empire's Old Kingdom. Hattusilis recognized that controlling trade routes and metal sources were fundamental to the early empire's prosperity, and he and his successor, Mursilis, began tracing the commercial route running along the Euphrates to northern Syria. Hattusilis failed to subjugate the northern end of the Euphrates from Aleppo, but Mursilis not only conquered Aleppo, he rashly advanced on Babylon, which he captured in 1595 B.C. Holding the city proved untenable, and when Mursilis returned to Hattusas, he was assassinated. The Hittite kingdom was rocked by a period of instability, known as the Middle Kingdom, lasting for a 70-year period from 1500-1430 B.C. Yet the seeds for the Hittites' emerging cultural prosperity and military dominance had been sewn. Hattusili's early and original contribution in legal thought, one that lays the groundwork for a crude form of democratic government, was the "pankus." The pankus was a council of nobles. It was not a popularly elected legislative body, however, but did serve as a check and balance to the actions of the king. The pankus was officially charged to "advise" the king, but its powers could extend so far as to execute the Hittite leader if he overstepped his moral authority. It's also clear, during Hattusili's reign, that the movement and trade of metals was a stimulus to the Hittite economy. Assyrian merchants had traditionally ventured into Anatolia in search of tin, silver, and gold, commodities that were essential to the outside world. But there were other valuable commodities as well, and Hittite miners and metal workers were intent on exploring them (James D. Muhly, Mining and Metalwork in Ancient Western Asia, in Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, ed. J. M. Sasson et al., New York: Scribner, 1995). Among merchant colonies and urban communities, the Hittites began acquiring a reputation as a people skilled in metallurgy. They were also recognized as fierce warriors, and the products their craftsmen forged - particularly in the area of weaponry - reflected their kings' strong imperialistic ambitions. Fortified double-walls with deep gorges between them made Hattusas impenetrable to invaders, and it was in the capital city that modern blast furnaces were

Ecology - sprawl field trip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ecology - sprawl field trip - Essay Example Accordingly, this brief essay will consider but a few of these factors with relation to the field trip that was engaged upon by our class outing to the Sprawl site earlier in the semester. The first and most pressing ecological concern is the fundamental way that the Sprawl region and growth of infrastructure and Big Box retailers has fundamental changed the water runoff for the region.1 Although adding parking lots, interchanges, and large multiple thousand square foot warehouses is itself harmful to the ecology and environment of the given region, the particular region in question experiences these negative points in a compound sense due to the overlapping nature of how one big box retailer is practically side by side to another which is side by side to a large highway interchange. This compound effect causes the drainage and water runoff of the region to be fundamentally changed in a highly negative way. Firstly, such a situation means that not only is water flow disrupted from it s normal course but a high number of added pollutants are introduced into the water table as a result of the large number of parking lots that have been added. Although seemingly benign, parking lots serve as collection points for all manner of pollutants and disrupt the flow and absorption of water into the environment in question.2 Due to the fact that cars leave all manner of fluids behind where they have been parked, it is conceivable for everything from trash associated with packaging from the store, to oil, to brake fluid, to transmission fluid, anti-freeze, and a host of other chemicals to collect on the tarmac and find their way into the water table once a healthy rain has washed over the area. Hence, the disruption of the water flow itself is but the first concern; the larger concern is concentric upon the fact that key pollutants are introduced with the presence of a number of parking lots and highway interchanges within the region.3 Of course, the issue is further compoun ded by the topography of the region in question. Whereas a general dilution of these negative environmental aspects would be seen if the topography of the site were more elevated and allowed for a greater diffusion of these pollutants prior to reaching reservoirs of lower lying land, the fact of the matter is that Big Box retailers of course seek the â€Å"perfect site† which will invariably be located in a somewhat flat or low-lying region.4 This is generally the case due to the fact that the Big Box retailers, strip malls, and other such firms want to spend as little money as possible on site improvement and grading. Hence, the ecological impact of this is the fact that the topography of the site and the presence of the pollutants readily find their way directly into the reservoirs and creeks/streams/rivers of the given site. The same can of course be said for the Sprawl site that was visited earlier in the semester. When one considers the map of the site and sees the prese nce of t

Ampicillin and Kanamycin Resistant Bacteria Comparison

Ampicillin and Kanamycin Resistant Bacteria Comparison Antibiotic use throughout the world has increased tremendously over the decades. In the past, antibiotic resistance was most prevalent in areas of frequent antibiotic use, such as in medical or laboratory settings. However, the increasing use of antibiotics and antibacterial products outside of hospitals, such as in homes and schools, echoes the expansion of antibiotic resistant bacteria (LBC Biology Staff, 2010). One major source of the growing problem is that antibiotics are being over prescribed by doctors to millions of people around the world. It is currently believed that about only half of the antibiotics prescribed to patients are administered properly (Levy, 1998). In addition to over prescription by doctors, many patients misuse the antibiotics and further increase the spread of resistance. For example, some patients discontinue use of antibiotics upon feeling symptom relief, not at the end of their antibiotic schedule prescribed by the doctor. In actuality, patients are ki lling off the weakest bacteria, causing temporary relief, and allowing the stronger and more resistant bacteria to multiply at a faster rate (Levy, 1998). This and other types of antibiotic misuse have promoted the growth of strains of bacteria with resistance to antibiotic attack. This can be seen through studies that have shown Tetracycline resistance by normal human intestinal flora that exploded from 2% in the 1950s to 80% in the 1990s (Criswell, 2004). Other studies have shown Kanamycin, an antibiotic from the 1950s, has become clinically useless as a result of the prevalence of Kanamycin-resistant bacteria (Criswell, 2004). It has become visible that the development of resistance to any antibiotic, new or old, will happen in a matter of time (LBC Biology Staff, 2010). Due to the inevitability of mutation, natural selection, time and environmental conditions, resistance will be seen in more common areas like work and home. As a consequence of the every growing expansion of antiobiotic resistance, places previously thought to be uncontaminated like schools and homes have become overwhelmed with antibiotic resistant bacteria. In one household study, it was discovered that kitchen sinks contained many different types of resistant bacteria, primarily from food waste and human hands (Rusin et al., 1998). Only the application of strong bleaches and specific cleaning products on a regimented cleaning schedule led to a decreased amount of bacteria in kitchen sinks (Rusin et al., 1998). The cleaning products used in this study did not contain antibacterial ingredients, which helped reduce the spread of resistance by killing all bacteria instead of the most susceptible strains. Antibacterial products and cleaning supplies are less effective and in turn can lead to reproduction of stronger antibiotic resistant bacteria. The large amount of antibacterial cleaning products, food and waste combined with the constant water supply in sink drains allows for a greater chance of survival of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Levy, 1998). Optimal conditions for bacterial growth with a wet environment cause a higher frequency of bacterial transmission of resistance (Perryman and Flournoy, 1980). In scientific laboratories, regulations are in place to monitor the disposal of solid and liquid wastes. Some regulations include specific waste baskets for toxic or contaminated substances and use of certain sinks only when dealing with harmful liquids in laboratory settings. This ensures that unnecessary amounts of harmful substances that could lead to resistance are not continually poured down laboratory sink drains. However, no such regulations are in effect in household environments. In a study performed in Oklahoma City the extent of growing antibiotic resistance was seen in multiple environments. Bacterial samples were gathered from sink drains in the Veterans Administration Medical Center, libraries, private homes, shopping centers, and other similar environments for comparison (Perryman and Flournoy, 1980). The goal of the experiment was to determine the types of resistant bacteria that were most prevalent in sink drains, the abundance of bacteria in sink drains, and the life span of bacteria in dry and wet environments (Perryman and Flournoy, 1980). Through testing, bacteria were found to have longer life spans in wet environments than in dry environments, and many bacteria survived for over 180 days in wet environments (Perryman and Flournoy, 1980). The high survival rate of bacteria in areas with constant water supply, such as in laboratory and kitchen sinks, supports the prediction that sinks are ideal environments for ample bacterial growth. In the afore mentioned study, bacterial growth occurred on plates containing the antibiotics gentamicin and amikacin, and it was determined that the sink drains from the medical hospital contained the highest amount of antibiotic resistant organisms. Overall, 88% of the sink drains sampled from the Veterans Administration Medical Center contained some type of antibiotic resistant bacteria (Perryman and Flournoy, 1980). While bacteria could come from other sources such as the patients and tap water, the great quantity of antibiotic resistant bacteria in all environments illustrates the need for a reduction in the overuse of antibiotics and the essential awareness of the consequences. Places with high levels of exposure to antibiotics and antibacterial products provide ideal environments for bacteria to develop resistance through replicated mutations or transmissions between bacteria. Some factors that severely add to the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria include increased applications of antibacterial soaps and cleaning products, over prescription of antibiotics by doctors, misuse of antibiotics by patients, and improper care of waste products (Levy, 1998). Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics through genetic mutation, transfer of the mutation between bacteria, or transmission of the mutated DNA on a plasmid between bacteria when the resistant gene is carried on the plasmid DNA. A plasmid is a relatively small piece of circular DNA that is self replicating and independent of the chromosomal DNA of the cell. Resistant chromosomal DNA and plasmid DNA can be transmitted to the next generation through cell replication. Plasmids can be passed th rough bacterial conjugation, which involves a bacterium copying the plasmid with resistant DNA and inserting the copied plasmid into a second bacterium. Plasmid DNA can also be transferred through bacterial transformation when plasmid DNA invades another bacterium and is incorporated into the bacteriums DNA (Cognato, 2010). Understanding these problems and the mechanisms of resistance transmission is the first step in preventing further development of resistant strains of bacteria. The focus of the experiment at hand is to determine whether the bacteria located in a laboratory sink or in an apartment garbage disposal contains more antibiotic resistant strains. It was hypothesized that the apartment garbage disposal would contain more antibiotic resistant bacteria than the laboratory sink. This is due to the abundance of contaminated materials that pass through garbage disposals in comparison to the regulated materials that pass through laboratory sinks. The null hypothesis is that the amounts of antibiotic resistant bacteria that exist in the garbage disposal sink and laboratory sink will be equal. Many steps were needed to accomplish this research and obtain the sample bacteria to determine the resistance. Samples from the laboratory sink and the apartment garbage disposal were swabbed on agar plates to obtain a culture of bacteria. Colonies were selected based on growth and seclusion from the bacterial lawn. Individual bacteria were then streaked on master patch plates for each environment. After the bacteria had grown, individual colonies were selected to be streaked on antibiotic plates containing Ampicillin, Kanamycin, and Tetracycline. Antibiotic resistant bacteria were chosen from the antibiotic plates, separated and characterized. Next, plasmids from the antibiotic resistant bacteria were isolated and spliced using restriction endonucleases to determine band length of resistant plasmid DNA to help identify the type of bacteria. Competent E. coli cells were transformed with the control plasmid DNA to convey antibiotic resistance and support bacteria identification. Final ly, the bacterial DNA was replicated by polymerase chain reaction to amplify the 16S rRNA gene in hopes to obtain sequencing information of a known bacterium. It was predicted that resistant bacteria, for all antibiotics, will be Gram negative due to easier entry of resistant plasmid DNA into the cell. Bacteria with a thin cell wall layer and an outer membrane surrounding the peptidoglycan layer are Gram negative. Bacteria with a thick wall layer that do not have the peptidoglycan layer surrounding are Gram positive. Gram identity was verified through Gram staining, a KOH test, and observing growth on a MacConkey agar and Eosin Methylene Blue Agar plate. Methods Swab Plates A sterile cotton swab saturated in sterile phosphate-buffered saline was used to gather samples from the laboratory sink and an apartment garbage disposal. Bacterial samples from the disposal and lab sinks were collected from the underside of the drain. Bacteria were then swabbed onto Lysogeny broth agar plates (three per environment). Plates were placed into an incubator for 24 hours at 37Â °C. Following the incubation period, plates were removed, parafilmed, and refrigerated at 4Â °C until needed. Master Patch Plates Master plates were made by placing sixteen individual colonies onto a 44 grid on Lysogeny broth (LB) only plates. An inoculation loop was used to transfer the 16 individual colonies from the sample plate onto a grid of the master plate. Plates were labeled with D for the apartment garbage disposal and L for the laboratory sink along with a number (1, 2, or 3) to distinguish between swabbed samples. Plates were incubated at 37Â °C for 24 hours, removed, sealed with parafilm, and refrigerated at 4Â °C until needed. Antibiotic Patch Plates Antibiotic agar plates were made by mixing 8.4g agar with 12g LB powder and 600mL of distilled water (dH2O), and then autoclaved. After cooling, 2.4Â µL of Ampicillin, 1.2Â µL of Kanamycin, or 2.4Â µL of Tetracycline were added appropriately and plates were poured. One colony per grid of the master patch plate was obtained with an inoculation loop, and the bacteria were transferred in a line onto a corresponding grid on the antibiotic plates. The number of squares that contained bacterial growth was observed and recorded. One colony of the bacteria grown on the antibiotic patch plates was then streaked onto a new antibiotic plate to obtain individual colonies of bacteria for further study. Miniprep A liquid culture was performed in preparation for the Promega Wizard Plus SV Miniprep DNA Purification System, which was used to isolate plasmid DNA from antibiotic resistant bacteria. First, 5Â µL of antibiotic was added to a 5mL tube filled with a liquid medium made of LB. A single colony of bacteria was added to the medium and placed in a shaker at 37Â °C for 24 hours. The liquid culture was then transferred into an Eppendorf tube and centrifuged for 5 minutes at 4,400rpm. Liquid media waste was disposed of and the pellet was thoroughly re-suspended in 250Â µL of Cell Resuspension Solution. If the bacteria were Gram positive, 63Â µL of lysozyme would be added to the solution. Since the bacteria studied was Gram negative, the process continued with the addition of 250Â µL of Cell Lysis Solution was added to the Eppendorf tube containing the resuspended bacterial solution and the sample was mixed. Subsequently, 10Â µL Alkaline Protease Solution was added, mixed, and incubated for 5 minutes at room temperature. Then, 350Â µL Neutralization Solution was added, mixed, and centrifuged for 10 minutes at 13,500rpm. A Spin Column was inserted in a Collection Tube and the clear lysate was decanted into the Spin Column. This was centrifuged for 1 minute at 13,500rpm and the flowthrough was discarded. The Spin Column was replaced, 750Â µL of wash solution was added, and the solution was centrifuged for 1 minute at 13,500rpm. The flowthrough was discarded, and this process was repeated with a 250Â µL wash. The solution was centrifuged for 2 minutes at 13,500rpm. The Spin Column was transferred to a 1.5mL Eppendorf tube. Finally, 50Â µL of Nuclease-Free Water was added and then the solution was centrifuged for 1 minute at 13,500rpm. The column was discarded and the DNA was stored at -20ËÅ ¡C. Gel Electrophoresis DNA electrophoresis was used to determine the length of the plasmid DNA of the environmental samples and Blue plasmid control (pKAN). First, 0.7g of agarose powder was added to 70mL of 1X TBE. The solution was heated in a microwave for 1 minute so the agarose powder was completely dissolved. After the mixture cooled, 3Â µL of Ethidium bromide was added and the gel was taken out of the mold and put on the rig. The gel was submerged in a 1X TBE buffer. The wells of the gel were filled with 10Â µL of a mixture containing 8Â µL of plasmid DNA and 2Â µL of plasmid dye, and the gel ran for 60 minutes on 80 volts. The 1% agarose gel was viewed under an ultraviolet light to compare lengths of DNA with the 1KB ladder. Gram Staining Gram staining was used to determine the Gram identity of bacteria. Bacteria that are Gram negative stained red and bacteria that are Gram positive stained violet. A colony of bacteria was added to an Eppendorf tube with 400Â µL of dH2O. After vortexing, 5Â µL of the solution was pipetted onto a slide. Once dry, the slide was passed over a flame to affix the bacteria to the glass, preventing the removal of bacteria. The slide was flooded drop-wise with crystal violet and iodine, and rinsed with dH2O for 5 seconds after the addition of each reactant. Ethanol was added until the color was no longer emitted, then rinsed with dH2O for 5 seconds. Safranin was added drop-wise for 1 minute and then rinsed with dH2O for 5 seconds. The slide was observed under a microscope to determine Gram identity. KOH Test The KOH test for Gram positive and negative bacteria was begun by pipetting 20Â µL of 3% KOH on a slide. After adding one clump of bacteria to the KOH, the consistency of the solution was observed. If the solution was thick, viscous and adhered to the inoculation loop, the bacteria were Gram negative. If the solution was thin and not viscous, the bacteria were Gram positive. MacConkey Agar Plate A MacConkey agar plate was streaked with antibiotic resistant bacteria from the garbage disposal and laboratory sink. After incubation at 37ËÅ ¡C for 24 hours, the plates were observed for growth to indicate Gram negative bacteria. The MacConkey agar plate also signaled lactose fermentation with the appearance of pink colonies. Eosin Methylene Blue Agar Plate (EMB) An EMB plate was streaked with antibiotic resistant bacteria from the apartment garbage disposal and the laboratory sink as well as a positive E.coli control. After incubation at 37ËÅ ¡C for 24 hours, the plates were observed for growth to indicate Gram negative bacteria. The EMB agar plate indicated strong lactose fermentation through the appearance of dark green metallic colonies and a lesser degree of lactose fermentation through the appearance of purple or pink colonies. Restriction Digest Restriction enzymes cut the control pKAN DNA at specific restriction sites identified by the NEBcutter V2.0. The enzymes used in restriction digest were BamHI and EcoRI in Buffer II, and PvuI and PstI in Buffer III. The reaction solution used in restriction digest consists of 10Â µL of DNA, 1Â µL of each enzyme, 2Â µL of NEBuffer, and 7Â µL of de-ionized distilled water (ddH2O) added together in an Eppendorf tube. The solution was centrifuged at 14,500rpm for 30 seconds and then incubated for 24 hours at 37ËÅ ¡C. A plasmid map created from the NEBcutter V2.0 was compared to a gel electrophoresis run on a 1% aragose gel with plasmid DNA. The gel electrophoresis compared Blue plasmid (pKAN) DNA that was uncut with the Blue control plasmid (pKAN) that was cut with restriction enzymes. Transformation After plasmid DNA preparation, 22Â µL of E. coli competent cells were added to three separate Eppendorf tubes. In one tube, 5Â µL of control DNA, pKAN, was added and stirred with the pipette tip. In the second tube, a negative control was made with the addition of 5Â µL of dH2O that was then stirred with a pipette tip. In the third tube, a positive control was made with the addition of 1Â µL of known pKAN, and the solution was stirred with a pipette tip. The tubes were then incubated in ice 30 minutes. The cells were heat shocked for 45 seconds at 42ËÅ ¡C and then placed on ice for 2 minutes. 250Â µL of pre-warmed (37ËÅ ¡C) SOC medium was added to all three of the Eppendorf tubes, and the tubes were then incubated in a shaker at 37ËÅ ¡C for 1 hour at 2,250rpm. Upon removal from the incubator, 75Â µL of each transformation were spread onto plates with a sterilized hockey stick. The transformed control DNA, pKAN, cells and the negative control dH2O transformed cell s were spread onto LB only plates, ampicillin antibiotic plates, and kanamycin antibiotic plates to determine if resistance to antibiotics was transferred in the transformation. The transformed positive control, known pKAN, cells was spread onto a LB only plate and a kanamycin plate since pKAN is known to be resistant to kanamycin. Plates were incubated for 24 hours at 37ËÅ ¡C and numbers of resistant bacterial colonies were observed. Bacterial growth on the control DNA, pKAN, transformation antibiotic plates would signal resistance to the antibiotic in the plate, and growth on the LB only plate would signal the existence of bacterial cells from the transformation. No growth on the dH2O negative control plates containing ampicillin and kanamycin antibiotics would signal a correct transformation as long as there was bacterial growth on the LB only plate. Growth on the positive control, known pKAN, transformation plate signaled the correct transfer of kanamycin resistant plasmid DNA into the competent E.coli cells. Polymerase Chain Reaction The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) involved mixing a reaction cocktail that included 80Â µL of Nuclease-free water, 10Â µL of 10X Thermopol buffer, 3Â µL of 10mM dNTPs, 2Â µL of 11F @ 10Â µM, 2Â µL of 1492R @ 10Â µM, and 1Â µL of Taq polymerase @ 5000U/mL. The solution was then mixed through vortexing. Subsequently, 22Â µL of the cocktail was transferred to each of the 4 PCR tubes. A small portion of each bacterial colony was added to SOC medium and mixed. Then 5Â µL of SOC medium with bacteria was added to each tube. Tube 1 had environmental bacteria, tube 2 had different environmental bacteria, tube 3 had the control E.coli and 5Â µL of H2O was added to tube 4. The reactions were placed in the thermocycler in C4. The PCR cycling program consists of five steps. The first step is pre-denaturation in which the PCR mixing reaction cocktail is heated at 95Â °C for 5 minutes. The second step is denaturation, which involves heating the reaction cocktail at 95Â °C for 30 seco nds to unwind and separate the DNA. The third step is annealing, which is run at 50Â °C for 30 seconds to allow the 11F and 1492R primers to attach to the DNA template strands. The fourth step is elongation, which is run at 72Â °C for 45 seconds to allow the DNA polymerase (Taq polymerase) to add dNTPs and replicate the 16S gene. The fifth step is the final elongation, which is run at 72Â °C for 7 minutes. The hold between cycles is run at 4Â °C, and the PCR is run for 35 cycles. Gel electrophoresis was run to determine if a successful PCR reaction took place. 10Â µL of the PCR solution from each tube was mixed with 2Â µL of plasmid dye, and 10Â µL of the mixtures were loaded into the wells of the 1% agarose gel. Chi Squared Test of Independence A Chi Squared Test of Independence was run to determine if a statistically significant difference exists between the numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria from the two environments. The number of grids on the antibiotic plates was recorded only if the bacteria grew on both the antibiotic plate and the LB only plate. The test was run on Vassar Stats and gave a p-value to correspond to the data and indicate if there was a significant difference. Results Swab and Master Patch Plates After the incubation period of 24 hours at 37 C, the swab plates, labeled L for laboratory sink samples (L1-L3) and D for garbage disposal sink samples (D1-D3), were observed and found that 100% of the environmental bacteria grew (Figure 1). Bacteria growth in both environments was indicated by white colored spots or streaks within the plates grid. Master plates were observed from both experimental environments and found to have growth on all of the 16 grids on each plate (Figure 2). Antibiotic Patch Plates From the garbage disposal sink, the three samples all had some level of growth (Figure 3). The following percentages were calculated by dividing the number of grids with bacterial development on the antibiotic plates by the number of grids with growth from the LB plates (Table 1). Plate D1 showed 100%, 62.5%, 0%, and 100% growth on the Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and LB only plates respectively. Plate D2 demonstrated 93.75%, 93.75%, 0%, and 100% growth on the Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and LB only plates respectively. Plate D3 showed 93.75%, 75%, 0%, and 100% growth on the Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and LB only plates respectively. From the laboratory sink, all samples had bacteria development (Figure 4). Plate L1 demonstrated 100%, 93.75%, 12.5%, and 100% growth on the Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and LB only plates respectively. Plate L2 showed 100%, 73.33%, 6.67%, and 93.75% growth on the Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and LB only plates respectively. Plate L3 demonstrated 57.14%, 42.86%, 7.14%, and 87.5% growth on the Ampicillin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and LB only plates respectively. Chi Squared Test of Independence Data obtained from the number of antibiotic resistant colonies on the antibiotic patch plates was used to run the Chi-squared Test of Independence for Ampicillin and Kanamycin resistant bacteria. For Ampicillin resistant bacteria, the p-value obtained was 0.74. With one degree of freedom, the Chi-squared critical value of 3.84 obtained from a Chi-squared Distribution Table in comparison to the Chi-squared statistical value denoted no statistically significant difference. For Kanamycin resistant bacteris, the calculated p-value was 0.81. With one degree of freedom, comparison of the Chi-squared critical value of 3.84 found in a Chi-squared Distribution Table and the Chi-squared statistical value demonstrated no statistically significant difference (Table 1). Gram Staining, KOH, MacConkey Agar and Eosin Methylene Blue Agar Plates Four tests were used to determine the gram identity of bacteria from the experimental environments. The results showed that the three environmental bacteria slides were stained pink indicating gram negative bacteria (Figure 5, Table 2). For the KOH test, all three samples from both environments appeared viscous and thick, indicating gram negative bacteria (Table 2). The MacConkey Agar Plate was divided into three sections for the different antibiotic resistant bacteria. The environmental bacterial sample in Section 1 was obtained from the Ampicillin antibiotic plate L2 grid #3. The bacterial sample in Section 2 was obtained from the Kanamycin antibiotic plate L2 grid #14. The bacterial sample in Section 3 was obtained from the Kanamycin antibiotic plate D2 grid #16. All three samples in the three sections grew bacteria that were stained pink, indicating Gram negative bacteria that ferment lactose (Figure 6, Table 2). The Eosin Methylene Blue Agar Plate was sectioned off into four par ts and bacteria from three environmental samples and one E.coli positive control were plated. The bacterial sample in Section 1 was taken from the Ampicillin antibiotic plate L2 grid #3. The bacterial sample in Section 2 was obtained from the Kanamycin antibiotic plate L2 grid #14. The bacterial sample in Section 3 was gathered from the Kanamycin antibiotic plate D2 grid #16. The bacterial sample in Section 4 was obtained from an E. coli plate that was known to be Gram negative. Pink colonies formed in all four sections, signaling Gram negative identity of the bacteria and lactose fermentation (Figure 6, Table 2). Mini Prep and Gel Electrophoresis Promega Wizard Plus SV Miniprep DNA Purification System was run to isolate plasmid DNA. This plasmid DNA was run on a 1% agarose gel. The lengths of bands in Trial A could not be determined because the DNA in the wells did not run with the ladder. The Blue control plasmid, which was pKAN, was located in lane 3 in Trial A and Trial B and was used to indicate a successful Miniprep. The band length of the pKAN control DNA in Trial B was about 4,200 base pairs. An environmental plasmid found on Ampicillin streak plate L2, grid #3 was used in lane 7 in Trial A and lane 5 in Trial B. In Trial B, the base pair length of the environmental bacteria plasmid used in lane 5 could not be determined due to the appearance of many bands of varying length. An environmental plasmid from Kanamycin streak plate L2, grid #14 was used in lane 5 in Trial A and lane 7 in Trial B. The band length of this environmental plasmid in Trial B could not be determined due to the faint appearance of a band greater th an 10,000bp. Another environmental plasmid from Kanamycin streak plate D2, grid#16 was used in lane 6 in both Trial A and Trial B. The band length of this environmental plasmid in Trial B also could not be determined from the faint appearance of a band greater than 10,000bp (Figure 7). Restriction Digest In Trial A, restriction digest was used to cut the Blue control pKAN DNA with the enzymes BamHI, EcoRI, PstI, and PvuI. Lane 3 displays pKAN cut with PstI and PvuI. Lane 4 displays pKAN cut with BamHI and EcoRI. The lengths of the bands shown are about 4,000bp, 3,000bp, 2,500bp, 1,500bp, and 1,200bp.The lengths of the bands shown are about 1,700bp, 1,100bp, 750bp, 600bp, and 500bp. Lanes 5-8 contained environmental bacterial DNA that was cut with BamHI, EcoRI, PstI, and PvuI as well, but no bands were observed (Figure 8). In Trial B, restriction digest was used to cut pKAN DNA with only the enzymes BamHI and EcoRI. Lane 3 displays pKAN that was cut with BamHI, showing a band length that is about 4,200bp. Lane 4 shows pKAN that was cut with EcoRI, and the band lengths shown are about 8,000bp, 5,000bp, and 4,000bp. Lane 5 displays pKAN that was cut with BamHI and EcoRI, and the band lengths shown are about 4,100bp, 3,100bp, and 2,000bp. Lane 6 shows pKAN that remained uncut with a band length of about 4,200bp (Figure 9). Transformation Transformation was performed to convey resistance carried on plasmid DNA into competent E. coli cells. Blue plasmid control DNA (pKAN) was used for the transformation, which was successful. This was indicated by the growth of transformed bacteria on Kanamycin antibacterial plates (Figure 10). Polymerase Chain Reaction A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to amplify and prepare the 16S gene of rRNA. Gel electrophoresis was run on the PCR product to determine if a successful PCR reaction had taken place. Lane 3 contains PCR product from the Kanamycin plate L1 grid #14 and lane 4 contains PCR product from the master patch plate D3 grid #16. Bands were not seen in these lanes containing environmental bacteria, signaling an unsuccessful PCR. Lane 5 displays the negative water control without bands. Lane 6 shows the positive E. coli control PCR product with a band length of about 2,000bp (Figure 11). Discussion The study showed that no statistically significant difference existed between the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the garbage disposal and laboratory sink and it also characterized all of the environmental bacteria as Gram negative. To determine the amount of bacteria located in the experimental areas, many tests were utilized to analyze the bacterium. Patch plates containing Tetracycline, Ampicillin, Kanamycin and LB were made in order to verify antibiotic resistant bacteria and growth. The plates with bacterial growth that was resistant to Ampicillin and Kanamycin were used in a statistical analysis to determine a correlation between the amounts of growth and the two environments. Our prediction that the amount of bacterial growth from the garbage disposal sink in Capitol Villa would be greater than the Lyman Briggs lab sink in C5 was refuted due to the Chi-squared Test for Independence that showed no statistically significant difference. We failed to reject the null hyp othesis that no difference existed between the amounts of antibiotic resistant bacteria found in each environment. A Chi-squared Test for Independence was run to compare the amounts of antibiotic resistant bacteria on the Ampicillin and Kanamycin plates. Tetracycline was not used because no data indicated resistance. The existence of Ampicillin and Kanamycin resistant bacteria in both the garbage disposal and the laboratory sink is unsurprising due to the widespread clinical use of both antibiotics over the past decades (Criswell, 2004). For Ampicillin, a total of 178 bacterial streaks grew between the two environments and a p-value of 0.74 was calculated. With one degree of freedom, the Chi-squared critical value of 3.84 obtained from a Chi-squared Distribution Table in comparison to the Chi-squared statistical value denoted no statistically significant difference. For Kanamycin, 162 streaks grew between the two environments and a p-value of 0.81 was calculated. With one degree of freedom, the a comparison of the Chi-squared critical value of 3.84 found from a Chi-squared Distribution Table to t he Chi-squared statistical value denoted no statistically significant difference as well. Therefore, the prediction that the garbage disposal sink would contain more antibiotic resistant bacteria than the laboratory sink was rejected. To further understand why bacteria were resistant, four tests were run to categorize the Gram identity of the environmental samples. The structure of the bacteria plays a large role in determining resistance. Importantly, it is easier for the plasmid DNA to penetrate a Gram negative bacterium due to the lack of an outer membrane around the peptidoglycan layer. The Gram staining process showed pink rod shaped bacterium, demonstrating that the bacteria was Gram negative. The KOH tests resulted in a viscous substance, indicating that all the environmental bacteria obtained from the garbage disposal and the laboratory sink were Gram negative. The MacConkey agar plates identified the bacteria to be Gram negative through growth on the plate. The growth on the plate was a pink color, signifying lactose fermentation from the bacteria. The environmental bacteria developed pink colonies on the EMB agar plates, further supporting the Gram negative identity and a low production of lactose fermen tation of the environmental bacteria gathered from the garbage disposal and laboratory sink. Gel electrophoresis was used in determining the existence and length of environmental plasmid DNA. The Miniprep isolated the plasmid DNA from the bacteria, but upon running the gel, it was discovered that no environmental plasmid DNA was present. The absence of bands

Parallelisms and Differences:Rastafarianism and Judaism Essay -- Rasta

Parallelisms and Differences:Rastafarianism and Judaism The two religions of Rastafarianism and Judaism embody many of the same characteristics, as well as their ancestry. Although the Rastafarians, at times, inaccurately explain the bible, their belief in the Old Testament is still prevalent. Many of the customs are almost identical, but the rationale behind the traditions and laws contrast greatly. In 1933, when Leonard P. Howell was arrested for using"seditious and blasphemous language,"to boost the sale of pictures of Haile Selassie, he stated that Selassie was,"King Ras Tafari of Abyssinia, son of king Solomon by the queen of Sheba."1 Howell knew that in later years factual information about Selassie's true origin would be declared. As an Ethiopian constitution of 1955 confirms, Haile Selassie in his position as Emperor,"descends without interruption from the dynasty of Menelik I, son of Ethiopia, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon of Jerusalem."2 This constitution, therefore, gives us direct evidence from Ethiopian sources of an existence of a section of the Ethiopian Population practicing the Jewish Religion. According to the bible, King Solomon, King of Israel and the Jews, was paid by a visit from the Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian Monarch. The Kebra Negast, the book of the glory of kings, states that by a trick, King Solomon inveigled the queen into sharing his bed with the result of a new born son, Menelik, who in due course became king or negus of Ethiopia.3 The queen was very impressed during her visit to the Holy Land, and adopted the Jewish Religion. But her son Menelik, when he grew up, visited his father, and transferred the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum. It is at this point where a new r... ...USA, no publishing given) Sanhedrin 90b 31 King James, Holy Bible, Song of Solomon, (USA, no publishing given) Berakhot 28b 32 King James, Holy Bible, Song of Solomon, (USA, no publishing given) 33 King James, Holy Bible, Song of Solomon, (USA, no publishing given) Genesis 3:18 34 King James, Holy Bible, Song of Solomon, (USA, no publishing given) Exodus 10:12 35 King James, Holy Bible, Song of Solomon, (USA, no publishing given) Proverbs 15:17 36 King James, Holy Bible, Song of Solomon, (USA, no publishing given) Psalm 104:14 37 Barret, Leonard E. The Rastafarians (Boston: Beacon Press 1997) p129 38 Kolatch, Alfred J., The Jewish Book of Why (Jonathan David Publisher 1981) 118 39 Barret, Leonard E. The Rastafarians (Boston: Beacon Press 1997) 40 Barrow, Steve and Dalton, Peter, Reggae: The Rough Guide (London: Rough Guides LTD1997)191

Li & Fung

A critique of the case â€Å"Li & Fung (A): Internet issues† is presented below in light of the following two key methodologies: SWOT analysis Porter's five forces model A SWOT analysis of Li and Fung: Strengths of the firm Reputable name and branding. Well informed and educated management Tightly integrated supply chain management with client base. Established decentralized management style Ability to operate in both hard and soft markets. Existing internal capital Successful acquisition strategy (bought suppliers and competitors). Flexible and interactive design process. No inventories to manage. Weaknesses Lack of initial knowledge on developing an e-commerce B2B profile. Lack of qualified personnel and subject matter experts to implement such a large undertaking. Poor information gathering and research prior to adopting the B2B portal strategy Insufficient knowledge about the behavior of SMEs in similar portals The initial plan of developing a B2B portal was based on the old economy model, change was not sufficiently accounted for. Opportunities The internet is a true enabler to incorporate a more streamlined supply chain management system. Allow customers to be able to be an intricate part of the design process up to the point of product manufacture. Allow SMEs to participate in product procurement while enjoying a smaller commission rate. Ability to establish a business plan to develop markets in which surplus products could be sold (Electronic Stock Offer – eSO) Threats Phasing the â€Å"middle man† out of the trading scheme is a risky strategy and an attempt to alter an existing market mechanism. Possible loss of key employees to other Internet companies through the promise of greater wage compensation for newly acquired skills. Fear that an online company would acquire or partner with an old economy trading company, becoming an overnight competitor. If the technology was outsourced, then the company could become dependent on that outside company for their IT needs especially when an upgrade was needed. The possibility of outside companies being able to access proprietary information, strategy, or the complete Li & Fung business model. Exposing the business to a new business environment with insufficiently prepared change strategies Service quality issues in an area where the firm has never operated before could tarnish its reputation and result in loss of value The new e-commerce endeavor made some of their larger customers nervous in that they were afraid that Li & Fung would be compromising their business by working with their direct competitors. Porter's five forces model: Traditional Rivalry – most of Li & Fung’s rivals have been acquired. Bargaining power of suppliers – sold raw materials to suppliers at a premium. Bargaining power of buyers – efficient and considered high value. Threat of new entrants – low threat of entry. Threat of substitute products- possibilities of threat in this area. Business Concept Li & Fung is a long standing Hong Kong based company that that has evolved from an export trading company to a coordinator of value-added services across the entire supply chain in a global, open manufacturing environment. They assess the clients’ product and delivery needs and orchestrate supply, manufacture and delivery in a very tailored and specialized way. Capabilities Li & Fung achieve their high level of service through an executive relationship of two close brothers who form a unique synergy of strategy and execution. In addition, they give senior managers sufficient autonomy to respond to needs of specific customers. They are aided by a centralized IT as well as financial and administrative support in Hong Kong. Managers have their own compensation package, and bonuses are based on profits with no ceiling. There is great incentive to achieve goals. Li & Fung use a three year planning approach in which a goal is established and a gap analysis aids in identifing steps to get there. Each three year plan had a short name or slogan for the ultimate goal. Through strategic acquisitions to expand reach of service into new markets such as Europe and India, Li & Fung had grown to nearly five times that of its closest competitor by 2000. Value The value Li & Fung provided its clients is the view and reach into a global range of choices for performing tasks. Through their knowledge of the various raw materials suppliers, manufacturers and shippers, Li & Fung could provide a high degree of quality and reliability in all aspects of order fulfillment. This knowledge coupled with sophisticated centralized information management made its services quick and reliable. Threat of Competitors The threat of e-commerce over the Internet was not as direct as expected. The brothers were concerned about disintermediation but found that most Internet businesses were not well conceived. Instead they learned that the threat came from the hype of Internet businesses capturing more investment capital thus enabling those companies to invest greatly in their companies and hire away talent from Li & Fung, for example. Continuing Threats In the next three year plan, Li & Fung will need to assess the possibility and cost/benefit of end-to-end supply chain communications based on improved technology in developing countries. Li & Fung maintain their own staff, on the ground, with each supplier, thus ensuring valid business data in their system. From a market assesment viewpoint they will have to prove the value of that cost versus other entrants into this field that may assess suppliers differently. Channel conflict would continue to be a threat with each increasing IT improvement. They will also need to attend to the legacy clients and how they fare against the B2B portal. Li & Fung 1. What has been the historic strength and strategy for Li and Fung? Since Li and Fung was founded in 1906, the company has more than 100 years of history and it is the main historic strength of Li and Fung. It accumulated lots of information and experience, which other competitors couldn’t have owned without such a strong historic background. Li and Fung is a publicly traded family company. Speed, Solidarity, authenticity, trust, and control are the benefits to running a family business.For example, in a family business, people can think something in the morning and begin working on it in the afternoon; after all, the family is a natural team. Trust is essential in all business and family businesses get a high level of trust among family members. In the early 1970s, Fung brothers who were both educated at Harvard Business School returned from the United States. Fung brothers’ returned heralded Li and Fung’s transition from a family- owned business to a professio nally managed firm, with a planning and budgeting system in place for the first time.As more source of supply emerged in the rapidly industrializing Asian economies, Li and Fung expanded its regional network of offices throughout the Asia-Pacific region and this can be contributed to the fact that Li and Fung was Hong Kong based. By 2000, Li and Fung became a $2 billion global export trading company sourcing and managing the global supply chain for high-volume, time-sensitive consumer goods. 69% of Li and Fung’s sales were in the United States and 27% in Europe.With 48 offices in 32 countries, the company provided value-added services across the entire supply chain in a so-called â€Å"borderless† manufacturing environment. Therefore, Li and Fung clients benefited in several ways: supply-chain customization could shorten order fulfillment from three months to five weeks, and this faster turnaround allowed clients to reduce inventory costs. Moreover, in its role as a mi ddleman, Li and Fung reduced matching and credit risks, and also offered quality assurance to its customers.Furthermore, with a global sourcing network and economies of scales. Li and Fung could offer lower cost and more flexible sourcing than its competitors. Li and Fung even started offering clients virtual manufacturing, or product design services. Li and Fung was entrepreneurial, allowing senior managers to run 90 small, worldwide management teams as separate and individual companies. These dedicated teams of product specialists focused on the needs of specific customers and were grouped under a Li and Fung corporate mbrella that provided centralized IT, financial and administrative support form Hong Kong. This decentralized corporate structure allowed for adaptability and rapid reaction to seasonal shifts. In Li and Fung, performance-based promotion and compensation were cardinal principles. Each Li and Fung’s top executives negotiated individual compensation packages. L i and Fung bonuses were based on profits without ceiling.