Perspectives from Inner Windows Essay

Cheryl Albury in the book† Perspectives from Inner Windows,† reveals many of the social problems that we face in Bahamian society. In her stories â€Å"Waiting for Love† and â€Å"Pot of Gold† she uses them to reflect on some of the characteristics of Bahamian Men. From these two stories Albury portrays men as manipulative and selfish. In â€Å"Waiting for love† we are introduced to the relationship of Stafford and Phyllis a young couple from Exuma. Stafford, evil in his ways, preys on naà ¯ve Phyllis, coaxing her mind of dreams he had for them. He courted her around town and found an opportunity to rob her of her innocence. Although she loved him, she knew something wasn’t right about their relationship, because ever since he had asked her to elope she felt a â€Å"sense of foreboding and uneasiness† to the matter. He deceived her in believing they would elope and start a family, by him not doing this he betrayed her trust and left her waiting on love. In â€Å"Pot of Gold† best friends Cyril and Jacob are both family men with minimum paying jobs. They, influenced by the hard times, robbed the local hardware store of a large sum of cash and walked free. It was not until Cyril’s unknowingly told his girlfriend that they were found guilty. Because of their selfish ways it caused them to jeopardize their relationships with their family and to deceive the trust of their wives. After being imprisoned, Jacob tried to regain their treasure but a building was constructed on it, but in the end they learnt that true happiness does not come from being selfish. In conclusion, Albury in these stories uses the technique of dialect and imagery to help her readers understand her point more. Also I believe that Albury shows a true reflection of Bahamian men. She uses real life situations to bring her point across that most Bahamian men are selfish and manipulative.

Equal Exchange: Trading Fairly and Making a Profit Essay

I, Executive Summary Equal Exchange is a for-profit Fair-trade worker-owned, cooperative company. Founded in 1986, it is the oldest and largest Fair Trade coffee company in the United States. Equal Exchange began with $100,000 as started up funds and a 2,000-quare-foot room in Boston’s South End. It purchased coffee beans from small-scale farmers at above-market price in Latin America. Initially, EE relied on other roasters and packers to prepare the premium coffee beans.  It sold to natural food grocers, gourmet shops, restaurants, and non-profit organizations. The company’s founders wanted to help famers get a better, more stable price and, at the same time, take advantage of the growing consumer demand for higher-quality â€Å"specialty† coffee. However, after 25 years in business, and 10 of which were spent as the only fair trade company in the coffee industry, Equal Exchange’s tremendous success seemed to have come to a screeching halt. If the impact of price increases is excluded, for a second year in a row, its revenues have grown only 2 percent. This is hardly acceptable comparing with the double-digit growth it had been through for the previous 15 years. Additionally, over the past few years, consumers have begun to show a strong desire to purchase products from local businesses, thus increased competition from local roasters. Moreover, there is a major push by companies to offer a wide variety of green, organic, and wholesome food products. There are so many new initiatives developing and it may be possible that fair trade products will not stand out so much anymore. As a result, Equal Exchange is likely going to fail into the red zone in next few years, if nothing is changed. Since EE has become a famous brand, I highly recommend EE’s staff to continue expand its potential in producing new products and starting to offer service, in order to solve listed problems. More specifically, in business strategy, EE need to keep following its broad differentiation strategy. However, it needs to create more products in order to be able to compete with many competitors. EE has been taking customers’ trust in its products, so that producing new ones would bring its customers into experiencing them no matter what. There were still various fairly traded goods that EE did not offer, and they might become preferred products. In corporate strategy, if EE choose to start offering service, this would be consistent with the company’s mission such as ecotourism to coffee or cacao growing zones to support those communities. II, Introduction In 1983, Rink Dickinson, Jonathan Rosenthal, and Michael Rozyne were all recent college graduates and working for a food co-op warehouse in the Boston area. They began to question the system such as, â€Å"What if food could be traded in a way that is honest and fair, a way that empowers both farmers and consumers? What if trade supported family farms use of organic methods  rather than methods that harm the environment?† Almost simultaneously they started to hear about groups in Europe who were doing Fair Trade. The advocates of Fair Trade wanted to ensure that the producers of products such as coffee, teas and chocolate would get a better price for their crops while supporting improvement in their environmental, social and political conditions. Rink, Jonathan and Michael liked the idea. According to Rink, they â€Å"were basically food co-op people, interested in connecting small, local farmers with consumers to change the marketplace.† It was not their intention to found a company at that time. They took the idea to the Board of Directors of the co-op warehouse. Half of the board supported the idea and half voted against it. It became apparent to them that if they were going to pursue their vision, they were going to have to develop an organization. Over the next three years they met once a month to develop the plans and raise the capital for founding their own organization. During that time Rink said they used their jobs to learn about cooperatives, small farmers, entrepreneurship, marketing and â€Å"making mistakes, right and left.† The food co-op gave them â€Å"a great environment to learn some skills†. In 1986, Rink, Jonathan and Michael decided to launch Equal Exchange (EE). By that time, their ambition was â€Å"†¦to change the way food is grown, bought, and sold around the world.† The founders decided to meet once a week – and did so for three years — to discuss how best to change the way food is grown, bought, and sold around the world. At the end of this time they had a plan for a new organization called Equal Exchange that would be: A social change organization that would help farmers and their families gain more control over their economic futures. A group that would educate consumers about trade issues affecting farmers. A provider of high-quality foods that would nourish the body and the soul. A company that would be controlled by the people who did the actual work. A community of dedicated individuals who believed that honesty, respect, and mutual benefit are integral to any worthwhile endeavor. Around 1991, Equal Exchange established itself as a Fair Trade specialty coffee company, offering loyal food co-op customers a store bin system with a full line of beans, decaf coffee, different roasts, and flavored coffees. By the end of the year what had once been the â€Å"pipe dream† of reaching $1  million in sales had become a reality. By 1994, Equal Exchange was a worker-owned cooperative with 20 members—with departments, managers, and a growing number of outside investors. A pivotal early investment by the Adrian Dominican Sisters helped to alert others that this undertaking, however risky, might be worthy of outside financial support. Another exciting chapter in our history started in 1996, when Equal Exchange joined with Lutheran World Relief in a path-breaking collaboration to launch what has now become our Interfaith Program. This major initiative helped Equal Exchange create partnerships with communities of faith throughout the U.S. Over the next seven years more than 10,000 congregations across the U.S. began using our Fair Trade coffee. III, Assignment Question 1. Question 1 What are the strategically relevant components of Equal Exchange’s macro-environment? Are socio-cultural, environmental, economic, and other components of the macro-environment favorable to the sellers of fair trade food and beverage products? Does the industry offer attractive opportunities for growth? a) Strategically relevant components of Equal Exchange’s macro-environment Political factors: There were no laws in the U.S restricting the use of the term â€Å"Fair Trade† on a product labels. This makes it is a little difficult for EE to prove themselves overwhelming their competitors. Economic conditions: In 2010, Fair Trade USA reported that there were over 9,500 fair trade-certified consumer products being offered by 700 industry partners in more than 600,000 retail locations. Paul Rice, the president and CEO of fair Trade USA, said that in 2010 the fair trade retail sales market was $1.4 billion in the U.S and $3 billion in Europe. Socio-cultural forces: EE developed advertisements, implemented public education campaigns, partnered with religious organization, and created a school fund-raising program. EE also offered a wide variety of fair trade product. Technological factors: EE was effective in creating messages about the origins of products and where consumer dollars went. For example, it used logo and labels that suggested consumers could have a great cup of coffee or bar of chocolate while feeling good about them. It also created a website as a place for consumers to connect to the farmers who grew the products they bought. Legal and regulatory factors: Fair Trade USA has  certain guidelines for participating business to follow, including EE. Fair trade certifiers agreed on eight basic principles, which are: + Long-term direct trading relationships + Prompt payment of fair prices and wages + No child, forced or otherwise exploited labor + Workplace non-discrimination, gender equity, and freedom of association + Safe working conditions and reasonable work hours + Investment in community development projects + Environmental sustainability + Traceability and transparency b) Are these factors favorable to the sellers of fair trade food and beverage products? This depends on the product itself, though these factors do make products are increasingly imported over more than a decade from 1998 to 2010. Some products have great growth rate, such as tea (38%), sugar (60%), cocoa (67%), and vanilla (97%). On the other hand, some products are not favorable to consumers, such as produce (2%), flower (0%), and wine (-63%). c) Opportunities for growth The far trade movement caught on in 2000 when many companies began to follow the same path as EE – more specifically, into the business of fair trade coffee. Basically, the industry still offer very attractive opportunities for growth due to its growth rate, but it is quite difficult to reach those opportunities due to rivalry. 2. Question 2 Explain the competitive pressures facing the fair trade food and beverage products industry. What does a five-force analysis reveal about the nature and strength of the competitive pressures facing Equal Exchange? Which of the five forces is the strongest? Which of the five forces is weakest? a) The competitive pressure facing the fair trade food and beverage product industry. Fair trade coffee was EE’s primary product, accounting for 80 percent of sales in 2010. At that point, there were over 300 companies in the U.S that provided fair trade coffee. EE managers admired the social mission of some of these companies and even considered those who were truly committed to far trade to be friends. However, they were also competitors. There were two groups of competitors to EE. One class consisted of larger companies that competed in the high-end, organic coffee market, but also got involved in fair trade coffee. The other one were small, local, and regional competitors operating in different areas off the U.S. There are a lot of name can be pointed out, such as Starbuck, Green Mountain Coffee, Deans Beans, and Thanksgiving Coffee. With this much rivalry, EE sure had a great pressure in the industry. b) Five-forces analysis Threat of new entrants: Since fair trade food and beverage products industry is a profitable market that yield high returns, new firms would be attracted. But this is not a problem for EE to concern, because it knows those farmers and their struggles. Nevertheless, when it came to rivalry, EE’s values provided a much different outlook than a typical business. Threat of substitute products: Coffee is a special product with hardly substitute product, so this is not really a threat for EE. Bargaining power of customers: EE partnered with fair trade advocacy organizations, such as Global Exchange, to create a nationwide public education campaign. In 1996, EE partnered with Lutheran World Relief to create something that later became known as the Interfaith Program, and it raised relief funds for farmers in Nicaragua who were hit hard by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. These partnership helped EE generate revenues, create goodwill within communities, and create awareness among consumers about fair trade products. Bargaining power of suppliers: EE’s promise to provide consumers with reasonably priced, good quality food, all while fairly paying the farmer who produced the goods was quite unlike most other companies. Intensity of competitive rivalry: As mentioned before, there are many strong competitors against EE, both as small and large ones. Addition, the fair trade industry is open, so competing is unavoidable. Though EE do not mind too much having many competitors, those ones still create barrier for them to reach more customers. To be concluded, threat of substitute is the weakest force and intensity of competitive rivalry is the weakest force. 3. Question 3 What are the key elements of Equal Exchange’s strategy? Which of the five generic strategies is the company pursuing? How has the cooperative integrated corporate social responsibility into its business strategy? a)  Key elements of Equal Exchange’s strategy EE wanted to change traditional purchasing habits and make consumers more aware of where products came from and who was responsible for making them. At the same time, it wanted to encourage consumers to buy more fair trade products. To do that, EE use advertising in packaging and labels, website, and public awareness. Also, it created interfaith program, applied fundraising program and outbid their competitors in terms of product variety. b) Generic strategy EE follows broad differentiation strategy.  EE’s promise to pride consumers with reasonably priced, good quality food. Though it tried to keep their price lowest as possible, it still fairly paid farmers quite a lot even if coffee prices in the world’s commodities exchanges dropped below the fair trade minimum price. It also focused on keeping their quality on products in any condition. c) Cooperative integrated corporate social responsibility EE worked with financial institutions to give farmers pre-harvest loans with affordable 8 to 9 percent short-term interest rates. Brokers typically offered loans at much higher rates of 25 percent. EE also guaranteed a quarter of each pre-harvest loan. It thus shared the risks associated with misfortunes, such as hurricanes, that could destroy a cooperative’s crops. EE bought the coffee beans once a year, as soon as they were harvested (even though this tied up its capital in inventory). In terms of employee, EE wanted to cultivate excellent working relationships with its employees. Its managers believed that a democratic work environment in which employees shared responsibility for decision making would lead to higher levels of job satisfaction, morale, and productivity. It made sure that the pay gap between the highest-paid manager and the lowest-paid employee was reasonable. Besides, EE sought to reconnect consumers with the farmers who grew their food. When consumers saw a brand-name product in the supermarket, EE wanted them to realize that there was often a person toiling away for little pay behind it. By raising such awareness, the company hoped to direct consumers towards products for which farmer got paid higher prices so they  could better support their ways of life. 4. Question 4 What are Equal Exchange’s competitively important resources and capabilities? Which of its resources have the greatest competitive power? Are any of its resources and capabilities able to pass all four VRIN tests for sustainable competitive advantage? Explain. a) EE’s competitively important resources and capabilities Worker co-operative model: EE believed strongly in creating better, healthier relationships with the Earth, with farmers, its workers, and with the consumer. Worker-owners enjoyed many rights and responsibilities and democratically controlled the workplace. At EE, a co-executive director, a roaster, a packer, and a customer service representative were equal, with one share and one vote per person. This makes every employee of EE want to contribute their best to the company. Marketing strategies: EE wanted to change traditional purchasing habits and make consumers more aware of where products came from and who was responsible for making them. This leads to many well-crafting strategies, such as interfaith program and fundraising. Supplier: Unlike other companies, EE wanted its suppliers, farmers specifically, to be paid more, not less. So, it sought out fair trade-registered co-operatives that enabled small-scale farmers to pool their resources, increase their power in the market-place and share the costs of upgrading their operations. These farmers were trained in how to acquire information on market trends and in how to cultivate high-quality crops . b) Unique resources and capabilities The only resource or capabilities that is able to pass all four VRIN test for sustainable competitive advantage is worker co-operative model. Value: It is difficult to find good employees, but it is much harder to keep good employees to work for the company. That is the reason why building relationship between employees is very important, and critical. EE’s worker co-operative model is showing its precious value for this part. Rare: Treating everyone the same is really rare. Normally, the higher-ups receive much more respect than lower staffs do, but EE deals nothing like that. This hardly can be found in any other company, which makes it a unique component. Inimitable: Human relevant is the only one that is inimitable. EE’s worker co-operative model makes its workers feel comfortable, as everyone is equal. Therefore, employee loyalty is guaranteed and untouchable from external conditions. Non-substitutable: EE built up its image with equal employees, and no other capability can replace this. EE likely is said to stick with its worker co-operative model at anytime, and the way around. It is hard to find another company which can apply this model better than EE. 5. Question 5 What does a SWOT analysis reveal about Equal Exchange’s ability to seize market opportunities and nullify external threats? Strength Experienced in the market High social awareness Technology up-to-date Unique work model Good financial performance Weakness Lack of consumer awareness Unsatisfactory working condition Farmer exploitation Opportunities Expanding business Offering new products Threats Many wealthy competitors Unstable market Table 1: SWOT analysis of Equal Exchange EE can use its strength to seize opportunities and nullify threats. More specifically, due to high social awareness and with technology up-to-date, EE can easily expanding its business into other activity, such as services. Otherwise, it can produce new products that have not been offered in fair trade market. On the other hand, with experience in the market, EE can find a way to compete with competitors in the fair trade market using its good financial performance. 6. Question 6 What is your assessment of Equal Exchange’s financial performance and condition? Is the company in good financial shape? Why or why not. Use financial ratios in Table 4.1 to help support your assessment. Figure 1: Equal exchange sales growth Since importing its first coffee container in 1986, EE had become the leading fair trade brand of food and beverages in the U.S. This helped the co-operative achieve a trend of double-digit revenue growth. However, the recession that struck the U.S changed the outlook for business. The financial data for the fiscal year of 2006 through 2010 demonstrated EE’s growth and showed whether the co-operative was able to weather the economic downturn. Figure 1 demonstrates EE’s growth of sales from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2010. In 2006, success in many areas defined much of EE’s 14 percent increase in revenues, which translated into an additional $2.86 million in annual sales. In particular, sales were exceptionally strong in the West Coast region. Another key contributor to sales was EE’s chocolate products, which were a hit in 2006 because the quality chocolate market was seeing growing demand, or a â€Å"renaissance†, as EE called it, similar to what occurred with specialty coffee 20 years prior. While this was occurring, EE simultaneously expanded its chocolate line to products such as organic dark chocolate, organic mint chocolate, and organic chocolate syrup. This expansion allowed the company to ride the growing demand for quality chocolate. EE also introduced three new tea bagged products, which helped increase tea sales 35 percent. Till 2010, it is a hard time as coffee and chocolate prices continued to rise. EE was faced with a difficult challenge of helping farmers during this time, providing customers with stable prices, and maintaining a profit margin consistent with the co-operative’s goals. Sales totaled $36,525,856. This growth of roughly 2 percent was relatively flat for the second year in a row. The growth experienced was due in part to the notable increase in EE’s direct sales to food co-operatives. This is something the co-operative did to avoid the use of distributors.

The walt disney company (competitive analysis) PowerPoint Presentation

The walt disney company (competitive analysis) - PowerPoint Presentation Example What is therefore important to understand that in order to perform the competitive analysis of Walt Disney, it is critical to consider Walt Disney as a brand rather than analyzing the firm’s competition in different segments of the business? Three of the most important competitors of Disney include News Corporation , Time Warner Inc and NBC Universal Media Inc. News Corporation is involved in different businesses including News, Movies and publishing. It operates the Fox News channel as well as the Fox Filmed entertainment thus competing on two different counts with Disney. It is important to note that New Corporation is also in the business of publishing and publishes world renowned magazine on the stock market with the name of The Wall Street Journal and the Times London. Apart from this, the News Corporation also owns and operates the book publishing giant of HarperCollins thus having presence in different segments of the same line of business. Time Warner is the third larg est media company in the world after Disney and New Corp and is considered as one of the giants in the industry after these firms. Time Warner is also in the business of television, films and publishing and has relatively reputable market recognition for presenting successful movies over the period of time.

Christian Service Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Christian Service Paper - Essay Example This is a place where they can play together in an organized way with supervision by adults. Lessons in getting along, playing fair and using respectful language is all in a day’s work. Without the Children’s Welfare Institute, many of these children would be home playing on the streets in an unsupervised setting or simply watching endless hours of television until their parents came home to watch them. It is a special place because it teaches children good social skills and values while allowing them to safely have fun. My duties at the Children’s Welfare Institute were centered on interacting with the children. I was assigned to organize them into groups for games and activities. Sometimes these activities involved taking kids to a nearby park or some other location to have free time. I needed to count all of the kids and make sure I returned to the Children’s Welfare Institute safely with all of the children. Sometimes this was had to do because all the y wanted to do was run around while I counted. I soon learned to call them by name. Doing this makes them feel special and lets them know I care about them. My favorite part of the service was organizing sports activities. I was often in charge of organizing the kids into football and basketball teams. This is not always an easy thing to do, especially when there are so many more kids than adults. Many of the kids wanted to play video games all of the time. Some days I would play with them, but I think it is best to run around and be active playing real games not video games. That is why I worked so hard to organize the sports activities. I also worked on the sports activities because I love to play them. I learned that when you involve children in doing the things you love to do you can really have a positive effect on them. I can see that children often do not listen to what you tell them to do. They are too involved in their activities and their own lives to listen to an adult. B ut children really watch what you do. If you speak rudely, they will speak rudely to you as well as other people they meet. I liked organizing the sports for the children because I believe it was one way I could show them I cared for them and I wanted to show them some fun things to do. I wanted them to see that sports can be more fun than video games. One of the children I will remember most was Maya. She always looked so sad. On my first day she would not talk to me. By the end of my service, she spoke to me every day. Some days she would not stop talking! Before my service ended, she said she was glad I cam to work at the Children’s Welfare Institute and that she hoped I would come back to visit. It made me feel very good. All of the children were great, but Maya was special because I felt like she really needed someone to look up to. Being away from her parents was scary for her and I feel like I made her life a little bit happier. The one thing I wished I could have done at the Children’s Welfare Institute was to connect with more children the way I connected with Maya. I realize that this was not possible, but the feeling of helping a child makes you want to go out and do even more things to help other children. One quote from the Bible that makes me think about my service experience is when Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, â€Å"†¦Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven.†

The Irish Historical Background Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12000 words - 3

The Irish Historical Background - Essay Example Maria Edgeworth had her own weaknesses and opportunities as a person but she overrode her weaknesses and did not flatter herself in her opportunities but looked to herself and what she could make of herself as a person and succeeded in that quest. One of the weaknesses Maria had to deal with was her stature and appearance. ‘Small in stature she was never short on grace and wit’ (Merriman, 2005). Maria Edgeworth did not allow low self-esteem take the better part of her for how she appeared or looked. She believed her true personality was in her abilities and what she could do and not how she looked. Maria Edgeworth was also not lucky with parenting as she had to go through the hands of four mothers in her short youthful days. Her own mother was not loved and was neglect. ‘It was in their house that her neglected and unloved mother—always a kind and excellent, though a very sad woman—died’ (Edgeworth, WikiSource, 2008). Maria, however, loved all her stepmothers and treated them nothing less than her biological mother. ‘Kept by Mrs. Lataffiere, to whom she always felt much indebted, though her stepmother,’ (Edgeworth, WikiSource, 2008). Another weakness Maria Edgeworth had to b attle was an eye problem she had. ‘Her eyes became so painfully inflamed that she was unable to use them’ (Merriman, 2005). This problem was with her in her childhood but little Maria did not let that stop her from pursuing her academic dreams. Records from Edgeworth’s unpublished family memoir has it that when she came to do the exercises set to her class at Mrs. Daviss, she found them so easy that she wrote out the whole quarters exercises at once, "keeping them strung together in her desk, and, while the other girls were labouring at their tasks, she had all that time for reading what she pleased to herself, and, when the French master came round for the exercises, had only to unstring hers, and present it." (Lawless, 1905)

Organizational Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organizational Communication - Research Paper Example Effective communication in this case requires message, a sender, a recipient, codes to help in encoding the message, and a means of transmitting the message. If passed on well information contained in communication will encourage and promote good relations between people and entities. This therefore emphasizes the need for effective communication if the businesses are to prosper as well as have a good flow of information within the out of their confines. One of the characteristics of effective communication is the absence of conflict in response or reaction as has been captured perfectly by Katherine Miller (2008). When we talk of organizational communication, we essentially refer to the way in which companies, associations or groupings communicate with their employees, clientele as well as how departments interrelate with each other. It is also encompasses the relationship between a business and its environment, a process that enables the organization to relate with its surrounding in order to serve them with finesse (Carsten, & De Dreu, 2007). Literature Review: Effective communication in a very important tool in an organization, especially because of the way it helps in promoting good flow of information and hence relationship and performance of the business departments as they create a synergy for achieving the best results in terms of production. Organizational communication can either be internal or external. Internal communication is solely communication within the confines of the company while external is communication with other businesses or any other external entity. Effective communication leads to many positive effects and leads to good productivity. There are several ways that management can use communication to pass information. They include emails, meetings, face-to-face discussions, letters, video conferencing, conferences and telephone calls (Fredric, & Jablin 2007). Noteworthy, is the fact that some methods of message transfer are more effect ive and detailed than others and therefore appropriate to always evaluate the organization and weigh the most effective and cost efficient mode of communication for your business, and through which the company can achieve maximum profits. When the most appropriate mode of communication is used then message contained in it not only leads to its effective transfer but it also enhances a good relationship between various entities in the an organization and especially the top management and the workers. It also creates an enabling environment for the building of trust within the company workers (Miller, 2008). Communication as a process is a very dynamic and vibrant process when compared to other business processes. As a process communication changes with individuals and this is dependent on factors such as education, eloquence, target audience and the message being transmitted itself. It is therefore right to say that the sender of the message determines how the message will be underst ood and interpreted. If communication is efficient, it will get rid of events of conflicting messages or conflicting responses (Fredric, & Jablin, 2007). Successful communication at different levels of management is important in an organization in that it helps in building of relationships amongst these people. Communication between management and employee is also a very important aspect

Motivational Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Motivational Plan - Research Paper Example This is based on the identification of the factors that are in correlation to values, emotions and attitude of the team members. The paper also offers a summary of the different modes of identifying the factors and providing conclusions that are overtly related to influencing the performance of the team positively. There has been a focus on business design as a necessary component of motivating a team in an organization. In order to achieve motivation, performance and satisfaction, every organization needs to have a working design. Through having a working design, there is a boost to the effectiveness of a given team. However, the behavior of the term is shaped by the individuals’ values, personalities, emotions and attitudes. Working as a mentor that manages a Shipping Department for Athletic Equipment, there is a need to have a grip on these matters and get to understand, evaluate and analyze the different attributes of each and every team member. This is the means through which effective work design and efficient team layout can be put in place. Moreover, having individuals with different personalities, attitudes and emotions mean there is s need for the establishment of a comprehensive motivational plan. For instance, at the department, there are three individuals with different per sonalities (Keller, 2009). Pursia and Cleveland are impressed while Lydia is an interactive person. This, therefore, implies a need for a comprehensive motivational plan if the potential of the team members is to be exploited. Worthy to note is the fact that those team members who seem not too ecstatic about their work are more often not comfortable with the concept of the team. In order to build a progressive team, one needs to use personalities, values, attitudes and the emotions of the employees in order to motivate the performance of the team. Attitude refers to the perception of an individual with regards to other people, items or events. Attitude can

In the Name of God Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

In the Name of God - Assignment Example According to the findings, it can, therefore, be said that religions generally promote concepts of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Yes, there are also instances of horrific acts justified by most all ancient religious texts but, still, the main theme is generally of tolerance. The motivations for, along with the act itself of genocide doesn't seem to make sense until one peeks just under the surface.  As the former Eastern European nation, Yugoslavia broke apart in the early 1990s into what are today Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina had not yet been able to secure recognition from the European Union. The delay was due to a lack of racial purity in that emerging country, unlike the circumstances in its neighbor nations. Three ethnic groups were prominent, Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox Catholic), Bosnian Croats (Roman Catholic ), and Bosniaks (Muslim). Former Yugoslavian Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, in an effort to unite the Serbs, absorbed t he small nation of Kosovo under his control by gaining a huge public following. He accomplished this by using his political influence to fill media positions with his political supporters. Kosovo was a prime location to begin his vision. Passions already ran high among Christian Serbs who were being oppressed by the majority Muslim population. Franjo Tudjman, a Serbian and Croatian leader, wished to expand Croatian territory. After fighting between themselves, Tudjman and Milosevic decided to join forces to conquer than to divide Bosnia Herzegovina. The problem was the Muslim population in that country made for a very difficult takeover. Ethnic cleansing was publicly made state policy by both leaders.

Adults Returning to College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adults Returning to College - Essay Example 'Adults returning to college', is essentially a transition beyond the ordinary.Foremost, it is a social conversion for the adult; jumping into an era that was, at least theoretically, long gone. It is time travel in a very crude and possibly uncomfortable way. Regardless of the academic value and professional excellence that education may provide, the impact of identifying with the fact that the peers shall no longer be of the same age group, a feeling of being a misfit is created. This generates a social challenge that can only coped with successfully if time and understanding friends stick by. Other than that, one should remember the primary concern for re-entering the college. It may be for educational superiority, for professional excellence, for career searching, or merely to relive a once imagined dream. Whatever the preference, it should, by all means, supersede the social challenge.Another relevant issue is that of changed domestic commitments. Years back, when one would have been single, independent and free of domestic liability, college could have seemed much more feasible. However, with a job, a spouse and a couple of children (who themselves require adequate education), the picture seems in a totally different frame. This one factor alone probably deters many middle-aged individuals from returning to college - the myth of not being able to cope with family and studies together is just too strong to be broken with ease. With the work-at-hand and other personal commitment in modern times, the time spent with the family is already less than desired in many cases. Considering college in such circumstances becomes a real challenge. An associated problem to the one just mentioned, which only those can appreciate to the fullest who have gone through it, is child bearing and rearing. Largely for working single parents and even with professionally occupied couples, adequate care giving for their children is always a thwarted goal - something they feel to be missing out on every day of their life. Add college studies to this, and you can just forget about giving your child any time at all; at least till where they assume! However, for infants and even slightly older children, many community colleges offers daycare centers and customized child care services that actually help the student (whatever the age) to organize their course work and manage their domestic life in a better manner than they were doing before. A feeling of being intellectually rusty is another great demeanor for those who seek to go back to college at a later stage. Somehow, they rate intellect and creativity to youth; quite ironically, youngsters consider elders as more intelligible on the simple premise of maturity. This stark contrast, however, affects the adults more adversely than it does the young ones. For one, the youth feel that they might grow up one day to 'that' particular level of maturity. Whereas the elder person does not have that hope, as he has been through both phases and knows his/her correct standing. According to the Education and Employment Information Center, "Adult learners tend to be highly motivated and tend to approach learning in a mature manner". The psychological issue of being inferior, an under-achiever and out of sorts is also a hidden yet potent factor. Even if a person has the ability to learn and excel, the factor of being 'left behind' one's own friends, and to be amongst those of a different era gives rise to a series of timid ideas and mediocre feelings about

American Contracting with the Federal Government Essay

American Contracting with the Federal Government - Essay Example Now the fastest growing sectors are business services, legal services, insurance and real estate". (Overview) SECTION 8 (a) "Share of Prime Contracts. The U.S. Small Business Administration's "Section 8(a) businesses" are minority-owned businesses, as defined by the federal government. "Prime Contracts" means these minority businesses were given the main contract, without competition, because their owners are the correct race. Federal minority contract awards - without competition - totaled $6.67 billion." (Description) SDB: "SDB's are minority-owned businesses, as defined by the federal government. "Share of Subcontracts" means that the government dictated to the prime contractor that he/she must hire a certain number of minority subcontractors. In this category, federal minority subcontract guarantees - without competition - totaled $4.1 billion!." (Description) WBE: ""Share of Prime Contracts" means that these women-owned businesses were given the approved percentage of prime contracts without competition from white, male-owned businesses, because the recipients were the correct sex. In this category, federal women-owned business contract awards - without competition - totaled $3.86 billion!" (Description) "The execution of your contract (signing by both parties) is a key benchmark in government contracting. It triggers several events such as the start of the period of performance and the delivery schedule time period. Execution begins a billing period start date and contractual obligations by the government and the contractor". (Contract work Authorization) Moreover, "You should establish an internal document to your company that contains the pertinent data for the contract and assigns it a unique contract identifier in your business system. This is necessary for billing and cost collection purposes as well as government audits. Astute government contractors do

What Effect will the Stansted Expansion Essay Example for Free

What Effect will the Stansted Expansion Essay In order to achieve my objectives properly, much research is going to need to take place. I will conduct some of my own primary research which will involve creating a questionnaire and then asking some local businesses to complete it for me. The questionnaire will include questions which will give me information on the businesses views on the expansions effects on demand, profit, competition, customer base, employees and employee transport. Different businesses I am hoping to receive a completed questionnaire from include banks, estate agents, hotels, taxi firms and businesses in the airport itself. The data I will collect through primary research will be quantitative data with which I can create graphs in order to compare results and form an idea of trends. Its important to remember however that these results are very time relative and could become of less value over time because situation and views will change with the changing economy and times. I will also do some secondary research; this will consist of finding already collected data on the internet, in books or newspapers. With this I will see how other projects similar to this have affected business, or simply using already collected information on the Stansted expansion itself to forward my project. I may also be able to find information on a much more national basis, as the primary research I conduct will only be local, and will not represent the national view of the expansion. This qualitative information has to be carefully used as sometimes the sources could be bias or out-dated. The information collected will also not be directly relating to my investigation as it was gathered for other reasons, so I must ensure I analyse it properly, considering this. Once the primary research and secondary research is completed I will combine and analyse them. I will compare the main worries or benefits that the businesses have to what I have found through the secondary research, and maybe pinpoint things that the businesses may have overlooked. I will also be able to compare the local, and the national effects of the expansion, using this research. I will then present my findings in an overall report showing the main benefits and disadvantages to businesses of the Stansted expansion proposal. Primary Research For my primary research I sent a questionnaire to 10 businesses in or around the airport that are likely to be affected by the expansion. This will give me realistic and relevant information on how the expansion will benefit the businesses, and what problems may also arise from it. I tried to make the questions as easy to understand as possible to make sure the answers are coherent in understanding and are not distorted through mislead answers. The answers and results are presented in quantitative form and therefore are easy to compare and understand, but this does mean however businesses cannot give specific explanations, and any views held that are not represented in the possible answers I have given, will not be accounted for. I have presented the results in the form of a graph to clearly show the trends of the business answers. 1. To what extent do you believe the expansion will effect your business? The results of this question clearly show that most, if not all, businesses will be affected by the expansion of the airport in some way or another, therefore indicating that they all have a vested interest in it. 2. If at all, do you believe this will be a beneficial or problematic affect? The results show that 66% of the businesses believed that the expansion will incur both positive and negative effects onto the businesses. These effects will be discussed in the following questions. It should be noticed that none of the businesses thought that they would only face negative effects from the expansion. (It should also be noted that the business who, in the previous question answered Dont Know did not answer this question) 3. As a result of the expansion, will travel to work for your employees become easier/ cheaper? The evidence in this pie chart shows that 70% businesses believe that transport to work will be affected positively through the expansion of the business, in terms of cost and ease of use. The airports expansion will probably mean an increase in the amount of Stansted Express train services running between the airport and other destinations, the same can also be said for the bus services. The increase in the amount of demand for these services could result in lowered price through economies of scale. However, 20% of businesses have opposite views, believing that transport will be more complicated and possibly more expensive. This could be due to the increased amount of congestion of cars travelling to the airport, and people wanting to use the services. This controversy is not surprising as these two problems are likely to occur, with the expected effects. 4. As a result of the expansion, do you believe lateness of employees will increase or decrease? The graph shows that a majority of only 60% of the businesses believe the lateness of the employees to work will decrease as a result of the expansion on the airport. This could be due to the increased consistency of the train and bus services, and possibly an increase in their efficiency due to higher profits from the increase in demand. However, 40% think differently; that the expansion will cause their employees lateness rate to increase. This could be due again to the increased amount of congestion on the roads, or the amount of people using the public transportation services. As a result of the expansion, do you believe your employment costs (recruitment/ wages) will rise? Again the difference in the results is not very large. 50% of the businesses believe that employment costs will decrease, whether it is in recruitment or wages. Recruitment could decrease because of the increased amount of people moving into the area hoping for employment from the expansion, therefore potential candidates will not be as hard or costly to find. Also, the increase in the amount of people hoping for employment moving to the area will mean jobs are in higher demand, and wages can be lowered. However, 40% of businesses though employment costs would rise. This could be due to the increase in the amount of competition moving into the area to benefit from the expansion; therefore employees will also be in higher demand making the recruitment process more competitive and costs higher. Wages will also have to be higher to attract more candidates. 6. As a result of the expansion, will demand for your product rise? The results shown in this graph clearly show that the expansion of the airport will not affect any of the businesses negatively in relation to demand. 70% of the businesses believe that it will actually prove to be beneficial to their demand levels; this is likely to be because of the increased amount of people moving through the area, or coming to live here, therefore increasing their customer base. 30% of businesses also however decided that it would not affect their demand at all. This is probably because their customers tend not to be those who would be users of the airport. 7. As a result of the expansion, do you believe your profits will increase? Interestingly here some businesses have said that, despite demand growing, their profits are possibly going to fall. This could be due to the extra costs that the business will face in employment costs, travel costs or extra advertising because of increased competition. However, 60% of businesses still claimed that their profits will rise; this is no doubt due to the increase in demand from the extra people in the area. However it could also be due to taking advantage of the economies of scale opportunities they may face with increased demand. The next question addresses this.

African American Film Stereotypes

African American Film Stereotypes The black American actors have come along away within the movie industry in a myriad of perspectives. This is exemplified by the present huge number of black actors in Hollywood, the contemporary influential roles they play and even more essential; the modern view they present in relation to the stereotypical roles of the past century. A far cry from what it used to be in the early and mid 20th century with all film roles assigned to this group having attached racial prejudice. During the periods between the 1900 and 1970, many blacks were given subordinate and subservient roles. The theatrical image, Black face continued to be the conventional depiction of black actors within the film industry, with many of them such as Dewey Markham adopting the image as integral to their act (Padgett, 2011). Actors of this era were given roles of servants, often of the lowest levels, such as janitors, house helps, porters, cooks, gardeners and cleaners among others. Such roles could not be compar ed to the more privileged roles assigned to their white counterparts, mainly depicted as their employers and bosses; a sort of carried forward perception of the slave and master in a newer dimension. Roles of servitude clearly brought out the perception of the black community and further aided its projection within the American society through the movie industry and TV programs (Bogle, 2001). The scenario gradually took a turn towards a rather positive outlook towards the late 1970s into the 21st century. Much of the strength in these early racial stereotypes has dissipated, but their still exist vestiges of these within the movie industry, perpetuating incorrect attributes about the African Americans. Treatment of the African American actors between 1900 and 1970 Early era: 1900 to 1950s Actors and actresses from the black American community within this period faced many challenges within the movie industry. In the early part of the century, role depicting black people were played, not by black actors but rather by nameless white actors after painting their faces dark black (Bogle, 2001). This tradition, commonly referred to as black face, was carried over to the silent films from the stage shows and theatrical plays of the preceding century. Together with this theatrical image came the racial stereotypical of the African Americans as perceived within the American society; a white dominated society whose views were the ones making all the influence in the films. Racial discrimination and how it was deeply engrossed within the fabrics of the American society at the time, is seen as the major cause of their plights. Black actors were treated with low regard and given roles that had little impact on the main plots at many times. Many of the talented black actors were ig nored, vilified or even utterly dismissed from movie production houses at the start of the 20th century (Higginbotham, 2001). The few who joined the industry had little chance of making any great impact as their white colleagues. Such roles were assigned only to serve the purpose of depicting the black race within the society. Comedians and jesters especially in the 1920s to the 1940s were roles allocated to black funny men such as Bert Williams, Willie Best and Billie Robinson Bonjangles , albeit with a touch of docility or meekness. Taking a critical look at all roles, gives a portrayal of their community with a racial perspective. Turner classic movies produced mainly between the 1920s and the 1950s illustrate the stereotypical black roles of domestic workers and servants working for their white employers. Some of the roles portrayed images of ridicule and shameful aspects viewed as part of the black culture and general personalities. a negative attitude towards work is one perception about black people projected by some roles, notably by the roles played by Stepin Fetchit. Although the actor grew wealthy with his roles describing him as the laziest being on earth, they further advanced these indolent and lethargic attributes to the African Americans (Padgett, 2011). Combining the negative attitudes towards work and the white community, in addition to their problematic environment and personalities, are clear racial stereotypes borrowed from the blackface image (Padgett, 2011). Being given supporting roles of lesser impact on the films was also reflected by the lack of awards won by these actors. Consideration for awarding nominations to excellent black actors was subject to racial prejudice and attitudes. Some really deserving cases were not chosen for the same reasons. The reality of their situation was compounded by the fact that all movie productions were dominated and managed by the white, forcing any talented black performer to conform to the directions of the movies and the script. Without the presence of the changes that took place in the 1960s, after the rise of black civil rights movements, independent black owned production houses and companies were not feasible and as result, it meant a a take it or leave it situation for these actors. Having to make a leaving forced them to accept these roles, in spite the wrong generalizations they portrayed. The late Bill Bojangles is one actor, who was called the quintessential Tom, with his many roles mirroring the servile and submissive black janitor or porter in many of his roles (Padgett, 2011). In real life, the actor the sort of man who could demand to be served (at times exposing his pearl handled revolver) when refused any service at all white luncheons. Many of the actors accepted roles that did not portray their real personalities as individuals or the black people as a whole. The 1960s to late 1970s The scenario gradually took another turn for the better towards the late 1950s and 1960s. Changes were brought about by with the introduction of gifted and influential actresses and actors particularly Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier. Production of films like a member of the weeding , where Ethel Waters played a crucial role of alleviating the black image, and Raisin in the sun, greatly enhanced a growing positive view of the black performers in Hollywood in general and their community in particular. The legendary Sidney Poitier is much credited for his roles in Patch of blue, Guess whos coming to dinner, Lilies of the filed, and Slender thread that advanced a more dynamic and handsome picture of the black actor. His strong and huge presence within the films embodied the ideal perfect actor unequaled by none across the racial divides in his time; a feat that can be understated. Transformations were positively impacted on by new breed of actors including Harley Berry and Denzel Washington with increased opportunities being extended to black movie artists especially towards the 21st century. Roles and their actors and actresses A majority of the roles extended to black performers were by nature subservient and subordinate to their white counterparts (Zeisler, 2008). These actors had to play roles portraying submission to their bosses and employers. Main roles as pointed out by Bogle included the mammies, mulattoes, toms, coons and bucks (Bogle, 2001). All these negative roles grew out of the background of racial prejudice with the intention of stressing negro inferiority (Bogle, 2001). As a matter of fact, these roles were not directed at creating any harm to the black people. They only reproduced and reflected black stereotypes that had existed since the days of slavery, and which had been subsequently made popular by other forms of art including literature, music and theater (Bogle, 2001). The Toms Black roles referred to as Tom, derived from the 1903 motion picture uncle Toms cabin, depicted the black actor as the submissive servant obedient to his master. They painted a stereotype of the black character as subjective to his white employer from an avuncular disposition. These roles extended perceptions of the relationship between the slave and his master, from an era preceding the movie industry. Labeling of the black community from the tom roles reflects the contemporary racial view prevalent particularly in the years between the 1900 to the 1920s. The toms were socially accepted good negro characters, as pointed out by Donald Bogle, who are always harassed, hounded, flogged, insulted, enslaved or chased. In spite of the ill treatment, the toms keep their faith and do not turn against their white massas (Bogle, 2001). They instead remain hearty, stoic, selfless and submissive to their white boss. Bert Williams is among the first black actors who played these roles, as the use of blackface diminished, with actor James Lowe typifying the role in the 1927s Uncle Toms Cabin (Bogle, 2001). Movie plot depicted the toms as generous, kindhearted and loving towards their masters, even in times and situations that presented them with freedom from servitude. For example, in the 1911 film, For massas sake, a former slave is so attached to his erstwhile master even to the point of selling himself back into the atrocious state of slavery, in order to help his master through a difficult period of financial problems. Obedience to the domineering authority presented through the white employers, as was seen in the slavery era, was the type casted solution to the black problems. Rather than rebel or demand a greater range of rights, they were admonished to accept their lower position in the society with love and a sense of responsibility to their masters and mistresses as long as they lived. The Coons The coons were presented as simpletons and foolish by nature with an exaggerated sense of self but innately coward. Presenting the Negro as some form of amusement objects, with a buffoonish attitude, these roles according to Bogle came in two variations or types; the uncle Remus and the pickaninny (Bogle, 2001). The pickaninny portrayed the black child as harmless, with funny antics of eyes almost popping and the hair standing on end with a little bit of excitement. Diverting attention and creating some pleasant comical effects was the main purpose of this particular role, albeit with a lot of exaggerations and amplification of their naivety. Children actors such as Allen Clayton Hoskins popularly known as Farina playing a character from Uncle Toms Cabin, and Billie Thomas as Buckwheat in the Our Gang; little rascals, typified this coon roles in the 1920s and 1930s. From these little coons, developed the most outright and blatantly demeaning of all the black stereotypes; the unreliab le and extremely lazy and good for nothing people who took no responsibility with their actions. These black roles gave the impression that the African Americans were an indolent race who would rather steal form their white masters, especially food items from the farm, rather than work for anything in their lives. sitting down and idling time away, chatting in a distorted form of English as they wait for opportunities to steal from others, especially the hapless toms, was a typical portrayal of these characters in the movies of the early 20th century. The Rastus series are an exemplary in representing the black Negro males as a basic thief when given the chance without any regard to moral reflection. Black actor, Stepin Fetchit (1902- 1985), carried out this role to greater heights, in movie characters that showcased the African American as very lazy with intense averseness towards any form of work. These were really degrading racial stereotypes. Uncle Remus, related to the tom as a first cousin, is revealed as congenial and harmless, with the tendency to comically philosophize about everything around him, with particular reference to the general position and plight of the Negro community. With his immense mirth, this coon character role, show cases a predisposition of the African American towards accepting the situation of servitude he finds himself in. The Tragic Mulatto The female black roles were no different in illustrating the underlying racial stereotypes adopted as the main view points towards the African American at the time. The mulatto roles depicted tragic lives of the bi-racial women, ruined and disadvantaged by their possession of the black blood. They were not given strong sexual or feminine attributes (Zeisler, 2008). In their futile attempts to be regarded as white rather than colored, this group faces prejudice from both sides of the racial line. Black males also existed but their tendency to stick more to their black community diminishes their significance, leaving the female characters in illustrating the plight of the mixed individuals. The lives of these females are shown to the audience in sympathetic light, hampered and derailed as a result of their divided racial inheritance (Bogle, 2001). The Mammy The mammy is another of the female black stereotypes related to the coon characters and degraded to their level by association. Distinguished by her gender, the mammy is described to the viewer usually as big and fat, with an argumentative and difficult nature. She displays the black family matriarch as bad tempered and fiercely independent. Some of the Tom and Jerry cartoon episodes depict the cats owner as a black mammy who does not tolerate the cats antics throwing him out after provocation. Hattie McDaniel played the mammy role in the movie Gone with the wind, eventually landing her an academy award; the first for an African American. Despite their tough stand, mammies are also depicted as soft hearted, sweet, jolly and kind to others (Zeisler, 2008). The Brutal Black Buck The last of the male roles is described by the irrational and rather shortsighted buck, who in many instances showcases hypersexual tendencies. The brutal black buck is clearly depicted by D. W. Griffiths the birth of a nation released in 1915 (Bogle, 2001). It brought out a depiction of the Negroes as being lustful and arrogant in an idiotic way. Exposed as savages and brutes without much regard to rational approach to issues, with all actions revealing more uncivilized attributes, this role mostly came up against a white hero who emerges triumphant in the conflicts. Painting the black Negroes as psychopaths, with strong tendencies of revealing beastly characteristics, through these characters, exemplifies the wrong racial stereotypical views attached to the black individuals and community as a whole. Impact of the black stereotypes All these racially projected stereotypes were not representative of the Negroes; separately as individuals or collectively as a community. Black actors basically took these roles within the movies but did not ascribe to them as part of the black behavior, attitudes or nature. Many of these black actors openly rebelled against these stereotypes painted by their roles in popular movie and TV programs (Bogle, 2001). Black attributes alluded to only served to degrade the Negro image to a point of humiliation, pointing out to their presumed lower capability and intelligence which in turn justified their lower position within the American society. Impact of these stereotypes painted a social divide along racial lines with implications of huge differences between the white and black races. Admired black performers of the 1980s, including comedians Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, found it hard to shake away these lingering stereotypes in their roles. Having majorly created such images within its audience and the industry at large, meant some vestiges of these characters continued on, especially the glamorized coon roles (Bogle, 2001). Most comic roles were assigned to black actors in this era, albeit with sharp street wise skills and intelligent demeanors, far from the nitwit coons depicted in the 1940s movies. Female roles slowly adopted significant positions in movie plotlines with a modern depiction of sexual appeal glaringly missing from early movies. Glamorized Characters Criticism from own culture During the late 18th century, white had immersed themselves into blackness depicting violence and men conceptualized African men as having a vigorous sexuality. By then, blackness was the way to go which brought rise to blackface. Even whites started wearing black masks to depict their blackness. Unfortunately, this was not the true representation of the black culture. It is therefore justified that the black community of the African Americans taking issues with their fellows who made their way into the movie industry and took roles which showed negatively the black culture. Apparently, it was quite difficult for black actors and actresses to refuse a role offered to them since they were still struggling for recognition in the movie industry. This means that they were always at loggerheads with people from their African American communities for lowering their standards. As early as 1906, George Walker of the Williams and Walker Minstrel duo had criticized black actors in an essay where he commented that they wrongly portrayed the black community in their roles by using makeup that exaggerated their darkness, usually by painting their lips luminous red. He comments in the essay, Negroes on the American stage that nothing is more absurd than to see a colored man making himself look ridiculous in order to portray himself (Crum, 2010). The argument is that the caricatures in which the black actors played on the screens asserted the superiority of whiteness and were therefore responsible for escalating the discrimination of the black Americans. Some actors like Williams and walker, enlightened at how the caricature presented their race, moved out of blackface to begin their own minstrel where they distanced themselves from the caricatures. Unfortunately, most of the black actors, due to the financial gains they got from the roles they played, failed to notice this and thus maintained the status of the white seniority (Crum, 2010). Sydney Portier The movie industry by them was selective of the roles to be given to black actors as much as it was hard for any black actor to gain acceptance to the theatres. One black actor who had to struggle this much was none other than Sydney Portier, who went ahead to become the first African American to win the Grammys in 1963. It goes without saying that this did not come easily to Portier. The roles allocated to him were usually demeaning as compared to white actors. Although he received the most advanced roles for a black actor at the time, he was criticized by his fellow African Americans that his roles did not display the causes of the real problems affecting the black community. Note that in his films, he had roles that were of upper class and professional status which were only held by white. It therefore was viewed by the black community as unacceptable as the roles were so far removed from the majority of the blacks. They argued that, Portier is equal, if not superior to any of his white antagonists, who are forced to recognize his abilities and to purge themselves of their own racism. It was viewed as a misrepresentation of the people and their plight (Ricrob, 2009). Dorothy Dandridge Another rising star in the black community was Dorothy Dandridge who was also a musician and therefore played more in musicals. The roles she had on the screen were viewed to be stereotypic by the black community who thought that she had aligned herself too much to the white community and was therefore not a good representation of the black community. This fact rose because she doubled up as a musician who constantly entertained at exclusively whites clubs (Mills, 1999). Mulatto actresses Tragic mulattos were the leading roles for black female actresses. These were the roles in which many African Americans were afforded which afforded them the status of sex objects. This was not a true representation of the African Americans and therefore they usually took to tasks the females like Dorothy Dandridge who played these roles that were demeaning to the culture. It is also important to know that African Americans also prided in having women like Dandridge because they addressed the plight of the blacks. Contradicting? Well, the movies production rights belonged to the whites and the blacks only played the roles offered to them (Pilgrim, 2000). The mulattos were women born of white fathers and black slaves and therefore were beautiful. Although all black women slaves were vulnerable to rape, the black mulattos were more susceptible because of their radiant beauty and white skin which was appealing. Apparently, the white men viewed the black skin as insult. Such roles played by black actresses depicted mulattos as seductive and were therefore viewed by whites as party to concubinage and other sexual abuse, putting women in the black community at harms way. However, it was in some way responsible for bridging the gap which existed that denied legitimate sexual relationship between men and women of different races (Pilgrim, 2000). Dorothy was the most successful tragic mulatto in the theatres being the first ever black woman to be held romantically in a movie by a white man in the film Carmen Jones (Pilgrim, 2000). Dorothy Dandridge suffered nervous breakdown since just like in her movies on the tragic mulatto, she was like one in real life with a life of broken marriages. In this context, according to Spike Lee, was a failure of understanding exactly the grounds they stood on. When Spike, who introduced romantic ebony movies, released a romantic movie, he gave a leading role to a black girl which was criticized greatly by other black Americans who argued that the sexual expressions that were displayed by Nola in the movie Shes gotta have it was unbecoming and unrepresentative of the African American culture as it presented black women as being natural sexually promiscuous (Abrams, 2008). Blaxploitation and womanism Blaxploitation began as a result of the black power movement of the 1960s which was expected to depict a community that had illuminated with civil rights and wanted to free African Americans from political and social exploitation. It accredited to the movie song sweetback by Melvin Van Peebles. What the movie writer and director did not know is that his movie, instead of showing African Americans as free and liberated had opened a new way in which they would be exploited. There was great success in the movie and therefore other movie directors and producers, seeing that the black community would support anything that had a black cast, rushed to cash in on this. Soon many movie productions like shaft were released. This movie mostly focused on sex and violence (Lawrence, 2008). Note that this films showed black heroes working in white dominated localities and was therefore popular to black audience since it helped them escape from reality. Additionally, there was a need for desegregation in the United States after the cold war and therefore filmmakers were focusing on hiring black actors to feature in anti racism movies which were to be good for both white and black audience. Note that most of the blaxploitation movies depicted blacks as sexually promiscuous and generally irresponsible, showing the daily life in the ghettos where most blacks lived. And although they were produced with black cast, advertised as black, with both script and concept, they were white dominated with the writers, directors and producers all being white and there were not producing the movies for the message they wished to deliver but to cash in on the audience. This and the fact that they only portrayed the blacks with violence, drugs and sex, were some of the contributors of the decline of the blaxploitation movies (Bigley, 2003). Womanism also started at the same time that blaxploitation started and was to show the womanhood of the African American movies. With roles in movies like Cleopatra Jones, women were now playing heroine movies. The most important aspects of womanism was to portray a bond of love, whether physically or sexually, between black women. Apparently, the black women had been oppressed by sexism and racism and this is what womanism was yearning to address. Development of womanism further escalated blaxploitation where the theme was used in the movies to use the sexuality of a liberated black woman. It is important, however, to note that there is a great difference between feminism and womanism. Although they are related, womanism is rooted to the time of slavery and tragic mulattos while feminism is based on sexism and feminism. These were used as themes in the womanist movies like in the character of mammy (Pattilo, 2009). Although the way women were viewed in historically has not changed much, even after the emergence of womanism, they were still viewed as sex objects and things to lust after. In the end, however, they started getting empowered roles, acting heroines and gaining lead roles (Gates Higginbotham, 2004). In as much as this has been the development in the movie industry and the rise of chicks with guns like Angelina Jolly in Lara Croft, they are still viewed as sex objects even though they are currently independent. Initially, they were given the roles of damsels in distress (Starlet, 2007). From Uncle Tom to co-starring Initially, when the blacks came into the movie industry, their roles were actually not played by blacks. Rather they were being played by white in blackfaces. Uncle Toms cabin was the first movie in which a black role played in a movie. Tom was always harassed, flogged, exploited and generally made fun of in the movies. This role was almost always what African Americans received in early cinemas so that they greatly exaggerated the inferiority of the blacks and the superiority of the whites. As can be see, no leading roles were given to African Americans until the beginning of the blaxploitation (Bogle, 2001). Due to the great criticism that the black community had for uncle tom, buffoon and mammy roles and subsequent of some split in blackface by other enlightened actors like William and walker, movie producers started giving roles for assistant starring and sometimes leading roles to black Americans but this was realized completely during blaxploitation (Bogle, 2001). Effects of racism and stereotype to the movie industry Stereotyping in the movie industry was experienced in the allocation of roles to actors. African Americans had roles that showed the naivety of African Americans. Furthermore, those roles depicted them as being unintelligent, lazy and violence prone. In addition to this, it portrayed all beautiful women as unintelligent and highly sexually promiscuous. In this respect, it promoted further exploitation of the black community and strengthened the negative perception of the African Americans by the whites. Although it brought a lot of resources to the movie industry, stereotyping led to the collapse of the once popular subgenres like the blaxploitation movies (Bogle, 2001). Racism and stereotypes in the movie industry always have a direct influence on the society and these values are inscribed in the minds of many. Most of the movies in the earlier times during the time of blaxploitation portrayed blacks as the most violent people, usually had whites being the victims of some black actor. As a result, society tended to carry this image with them and usually people would be scared when there was a black man in the bus or in the vicinity because they were thought to be either robbers, murderers and even rapists (Gates Higginbotham, 2004). On the other hand, all movies showed uncle toms personality in these movies. This made it look like all blacks are lazy and unintelligent. The reflection therefore of film is directly reverted in the community and governs how people of a certain race are to live. How can it be explained that the first person to die in a movie will most probably be a black? The villain is the criminal? When it is a leading role the case will be different. But this villain will be very intelligent as compared to the black villain (Bogle, 2001). Conclusion The life of the film industry in America has been as turbulent for African Americans like everything else. The industry which has initially been run by white Americans always wanted to show the superiority of the whites against the African Americans. Looking at the roles that were traditionally given to black actors and actresses including Uncle Tom, buffoon, mammy and Uncle Harvey, the depiction is that African Americans were highly ignorant and unintelligent. As for mammy, it depicts negatively the role of African American matriarchs. Stereotypes and racism was high in the movie industry. The African American woman has not been spared in the stereotype and prejudice that existed in the movie industry. Roles offered to black actresses depicted the black woman as irresponsible and sexually promiscuous. In fact, this was not limited to the African American woman. Most movies during the blaxploitation were filled with sex, violence, vulgarism and most ultimately unintelligence. Apparently, the movies, those made by black directors such as Melvin Peebles were meant to expose the plight of the African Americans although they ended having negative effects on the culture of the African Americans. This led to criticism from African Americans who argued that the actors were not representing the culture of African Americans who included Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Portier. Ultimately, after the blaxploitation, the film industry started changing although it still was stereotypic and racist in nature. However, now black actors started getting lead and supporting roles in the films and even some professional roles that were played by Sidney which include a doctor in Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner and some detective roles. Note that these were held only by whites. It was a great move for showing the blacks as intelligent on screenplay for the first time. However, the roles of women were still stereotypes with roles such as the tragic mulatto. Sex is still a stereotype that women are still viewed with although they now have independent roles with the development of chicks with guns. The movie industry is one that continues to bring different feeling but although today there is not much stereotypes and racial prejudice, there is still some element.

Strategic analysis of WalMart

Strategic analysis of WalMart The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you think about it from your point of view as a customer, you want everything: a wide assortment of good-quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant shopping experience. Sam Walton (1918-1992) (WAL-MART FOUNDER) Wall mart bought a revolution in the field of retail industry with its tag line low Price Always. This is achieved through large scale of operation and bulk buying. Though it has a wafer thin profit margin, it is able to retain its cost leadership in market. Company History: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is not only the largest retailer in the world, it now also ranks as the largest corporation in the world. The retail giant dwarfs its nearest competition, generating three times the revenues of the worlds number two retailer, Frances Carrefour SA. Domestically, Wal-Mart has more than 1.2 million workers, making it the nations largest nongovernmental employer. U.S. operations include 1,478 Wal-Mart discount stores (located in all 50 states); 1,471 Wal-Mart Supercenters, which are combined discount outlets and grocery stores (and which make Wal-Mart the countrys top food retailer); 538 Sams Clubs, the number two U.S. warehouse membership club chain (trailing Costco Wholesale Corporation); and 64 Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets, smaller food and drug outlets also offering a selection of general merchandise. International operations, which commenced in 1991, include Wal-Mart discount stores in Canada and Puerto Rico; Wal-Mart Supercenters in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom; and Sams Clubs in Brazil, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets are grocery stores that average about 42,000 square feet (3,901.9 m ²). They offer a variety of products, which include full lines of groceries, pharmaceuticals, health and beauty aids, photo developing services, and a limited selection of general merchandise. The first Neighborhood Market opened in 1998 in Bentonville, Arkansas. As of November 30, 2007, there were 128 Neighborhood Markets in the United States. Sams Club Sams Club is a chain of warehouse clubs which sell groceries and general merchandise, often in large quantities. Sams Club stores are membership stores and most customers buy annual memberships. However, non-members can make purchases either by buying a one-day membership or paying a surcharge based on the price of the purchase. Some locations also sell gasoline. The first Sams Club opened in 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma under the name Sams Wholesale Club. Sams has found a niche market in recent years as a supplier to small businesses. All Sams Club stores are open early hours exclusively for business members and its slogan, as such, is Were In Business for Small Business. WAL-MART GOING GLOBAL Wal-Mart and International Expansion Wal-Mart was entered into international markets by a conviction that it could achieve competitive advantage abroad by applying its combination of technology, logistics and human resources with its tremendous buying power with multinational consumer goods suppliers. Wal-Marts strategy has been to acquire companies and convert them into the Wal-Mart way stores. European retailers like Carrefour and Ahold, have more than 20 years of international experience than Wal-Mart. Multinational retailers entry is usually by mergers acquisitions, which is what Wal-Mart did in its initial entry into Mexico, with a joint venture with CIFRA, the most powerful retailer in Mexico. Models For Strategic Analysis ENVIORNMENTAL SCANNING OF WAL-MART External Environment Socio-cultural Throughout the world there is a large shift in our demographics. There currently is a larger aging population than ever before, and at the same time the birthrate in developed countries is decreasing, as it is increasing in underdeveloped countries. Due to advances in medicine individuals are living longer and longer, as it seems we can beat any disease. Health is becoming more and important to individuals as they exercise and eat better; everyone wants to stay healthy longer. At the same time in the United States in particular the population is getting fatter and fatter, preschool age children are being labeled as obese. Shopping has turned into a favorite pastime for the whole family, and when buying big-ticket items, everyone has a say. Increasingly there are more single-parent households, which does not leave much disposable income. Most two-parent households have both parents working and earning more, living in bigger houses, taking more vacations, and owning more cars. On the o ther hand we are currently experiencing a great deal of the American public has been downsized, and may be unemployed, starting a new career, or back in school. Technological Due to the current recession the government has been looking for any way possible to save money, and unfortunately research and development, non-military that is, was one of the first things to go. However many of the suppliers to retail are forced to continue their RD programs as competition is stiff and their product line needs to continually be updated. Technology is growing at an incredibly rapid pace that no one can keep up with it. There have been amazing growths in the areas of health, consumer goods, and food due to technology. As consumers are used to the ever-growing technology they are not as wary of it as in the past, but do not buy the newest thing, as quickly because the item it replaces is less than a year old. Production is becoming more and more automated which is pushing individuals out of jobs. The Internet is widely available in the United States, but that is not the case in the rest of the world. Even in parts of Europe many houses do not have computers much less access to the Internet. Telecommunications structures continue to be improved upon or even built. Politico-Legal USA has democratic form of government. In fact it is the one of the worlds oldest democracy of more than 200 years where everyone has a saying in the government. Pressure groups play a vital role in US democracy, a retail chain giant like Wal-Mart have their representatives in congress and senate. Hence , they keep a keen eye on all the policies and laws so that it is conducive with the Wal-marts future plans In case of any blockage lobbying is used by them. Economic US has capitalist system of economy, the mode of production is controlled by private enterprises. The economic conditions are favorable for operation of private firms. In fact big retail chains like Wal-mart has revolutionized the US economy Always Low Prices- ALWAYS .With trends of globalization Wal-mart is able to spread its wings in Asia-Pacific region where the economy is liberalized . Globalization, Liberalization and Privatisation gives economic policy that are is consonance with growth and expansion strategies of Wal-mart. Internal Environment Being the largest non-government employer and corporation in the world, Wal-Mart is bound to have an interesting internal structure put in place. So what exactly is the method to all the madness? Lets look inside Wal-Marts Internal Environment. Corporate Structure Wal-Mart is a public corporation, however the majority of the stock is still held by Walton family members. Therefore, there is lots of family involvement at the top level. The headquarters are in Bentonville, Arkansas, along with the control and decision making ability of the organization. There is a very hierarchical structure in place which only fuels the good old boys club for top management. The other unique element in Wal-Marts corporate structure is a strong culture that is fueled by the Wal-Mart way of doing things, which as far as they are concerned is the only way. WAL-MART ANALYSIS INTERNAL ANALYSIS ANALYZING RESOURCES Financial Resources Wal-Mart is the worlds largest and most profitable retailer. Wal-Marts pre tax return on sales was 8% during 1989 which was double the industry standard and it continues to be the front runner till today. Wal-Mart commands market value 10 times more than its book value. Wal mart stores FISCAL YEAR SEGMENT NET SALES SEGMENT OPEARTION INCOME 2007 7.8% $17029 2006 9.4% $15324 2005 10.1% $14163 Sams Club FISCAL YEAR SEGMENT NET SALES SEGMENT OPEARTION INCOME 2007 4.5% $1512 2006 7.29% $1385 2005 7.59% $1280 International FISCAL YEAR SEGMENT NET SALES SEGMENT OPEARTION INCOME 2007 30.2% $4259 2006 12.7% $3509 2005 19.3% $3197 Human Resources Wal-Mart promotes internal staff development and over 60% of its store managers are promoted internally then direct recruits. Wal-Mart believes in recruiting people with a flair for customer service and trains them accordingly to its strong company values. Employees are treated as owners as more than 70% of employees have shares of the company and incentives are paid in stock options too. Physical Resources Wal-Mart developed its computerized inventory system way back in 1970 that decreased check-out and reordering times and built highly automated distribution centres, reducing shipping cost and time. Wal-Mart has continued to be an innovator and has this has led it to create and sustain its competitive advantage by being the first and to be continuous to replace systems and processes replicated by competitors. Intellectual or Intangible Resources Wal-Marts core resources are its customers which total over 40 million per year. Wal-Mart has over 1.3 million associates (employees) at its stores, worldwide. The author feels this itself is unique which helps Wal-Mart get 1.3 million unique, hardcore loyal customers. Wal-Mart uses its technological capabilities to sustain its cost leadership in distribution and superior inventory systems. Culture Analysis Wal-Marts culture is as unique and distinctive as possible considering the mammoth that it has grown into today. Usually firms even of a small and medium company find it hard to maintain and build good customer service but Wal-Mart has always had it as its foundation and till today preaches and practices exemplary customer service. Wal-Marts Corporate Citizenship actively helps development of the community with programs spread across education, health, and environment. Wal-Marts Code Adam, a tribute to a lost child in a retail store helps prevent children getting lost in stores today which make it a safer place for families to shop. Wal-Marts Ten Foot Rule and Sundown Rule all promote the employees to treat the customer right, first time, always. Employees are treated as Associates inspiring their status. The everyday morning cheers act as a ritual and cheer and energize the associates making them part of the organization. Associates acting as greeters at the entrance of every store worldwide is unique and makes the customer more welcome and special. P.E.S.T. ANALYSIS FOR WAL-MART P.E.S.T. Analysis Political Influences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ European Customs and Regulations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ FDI Restrictions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ UKs Zoning Regulations Economic Influence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ War in Iraq à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Global Terrorism à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exchange Rates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low levels of productivity in Asian Countries à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wall Street Improvements Social Influence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Marketing strategies ineffective à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Absence of Bulk Buying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Language and Cultural Barriers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Anti-Globalisation Movements Technological Influence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Advances in Technology and Satellite systems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of basic infrastructure Political Influences The political influences in this industry is probably the most burning concern with organizations going global and many countries restricting the growth of companies by many countries. European Customs and Regulations heavily hamper expansion plans. FDI in many countries are still heavily regulated and global companies are yet to set foot into emerging markets like India. Economic Influences War on Iraq has had a negative impact on consumer spending and outlook. Disproportionate levels of income and consumer spending in developing countries like India and China will impact growth of global companies. Exchange rates affect global sourcing and pricing policies on a day to day basis. Recent developments with Wall Street have helped foster a better relation and helped in Wal-Marts listing and ratings. Social Influences Developing countries are not used to push type marketing and aggressive selling. Bulk buying patterns predominantly present in USA, is non-existent in Asian countries. Language and cultural factors is a barrier to globalisation. Anti-Globalisation movements in the recent past has affected growth of global companies, especially companies originated USA. Technological Influences Development in technology and satellite systems has given a boost to Wal-Mart. Basic infrastructure still lacks for effective warehousing and distribution, the lifeline of a retail chain. PORTERS 5 FORCES ANALYSIS FOR WAL-MART Porters Analysis SUBSTITUTES CUSTOMERS SUPPLIERS MARKET NEW ENTRANTS Horizontal Forces Mature markets Vertical Forces Growth Markets Vertical and Horizontal Competitive and changing markets WAL-MART SUPPLIERS POWER Wal-Mart enjoyed a 50 percent market share position in the discount retail industry. Procter Gamble, Clorox, and Johnson Johnson were among its nearly 3,000 suppliers. Though Wal-Mart may have been the top customer for consumer product manufacturers, it deliberately ensured it did not become too dependent on any one supplier; no single vendor constituted more than 4 percent of its overall purchase volume. Further, Wal-Mart had persuaded its suppliers to have electronic hook-ups with its stores. About 85 percent of all the merchandise sold by Wal-Mart was shipped through its distribution system to its stores. (Competitors supplied to their retail outlets on average less than 50 percent of the merchandise through their own distribution centers.) Wal-Mart used a saturation strategy for store expansion. The standard was to be able to drive from a distribution center to a store within a day. A distribution center was strategically placed so that it could eventually serve 150-200 Wal-Mart stores within a day. Stores were built as far away as possible but still within a days drive of the distribution center; the area then was filled back (or saturated back) to the distribution center. Each distribution center operated 24 hours a day using laser-guided conveyer belts and cross-docking techniques that received goods on one side while simultaneously filling orders on the other. The company owned a fleet of more than 3,000 trucks and 12,000 trailers. (Most competitors outsourced trucking.) Wal-Mart had implemented a satellite network system that allowed information to be shared between the companys wide network of stores, distribution centers, and suppliers. The system consolidated orders for goods, enabling the company to buy full truckload quantities without incurring the inventory costs. The bargaining power of suppliers and buyers is low with Wal-Mart having established a near monopoly in its home market and increasing its market-share in its overseas operations. Wal- Mart is already Canadas and Mexicos top retail chain and in UK is at the third position. Threat of entry remains low in the home market and globally. The entry scene is limited to existing retail chains as the cost of setup is substantial. Regulatory restrictions are also a concern here. Threat of substitute products is low to medium with consumers having a choice from different stores to buy the same product at highly competitive prices. A sixth force, called the complementors enable the firm whose products or services work in conjunction with enabling a synergistic effect .Wal-Mart sees more customers than the banks do these days. Recent antitrust lawsuits over Visa and MasterCard by retailers, headed by Wal-Mart, alleging the use of expensive debit cards and the costs borne by the retailers may upset the market .The intensity of competitive rivalry can be classified low to medium The power obtained by the low bargaining power of suppliers and buyers is offset by the threat of substitutes and threat of entry. Overall a substantial amount of power still lies with Wal-Mart considering the scale of operations and maturity in its industry. WAL-MART S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS Strengths Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world giving it enormous status and recognition in the industry and new markets. Wal-Mart is great at building and maintaining relationships with suppliers. Wal-Mart is a continuous learning organization with integrated systems and frequent meetings with store and aisle managers and systems that receive 8.4 million updates every minute on transactions from its stores. More than 70 million customers roam Wal- Mart aisles each week (Fortune, 2003). Wal-Marts distribution centre and logistics capabilities are a key strength adding value to its entire system. Wal-Marts cross-docking and effective inventory managements gives its a 3% cost advantage which helps sustain its Every Day Low Price strategy . Weaknesses Wal-Mart shows little adaptability to its formats in overseas expansions. Wal-Mart is still to develop its expertise in international marketing. Shows weakness in its expansion by not fulfilling expansion plan of opening 50 new stores in Germany during 2001. Opportunities Growing middle class of consumers in emerging markets like China and India, gives Wal- Mart a tremendous opportunity for global expansion. There is growing consolidation in the market with the weak economy which is also leaving many competitors up for sale at below book value. Growth of e-commerce enables a new business channel and Wal-Mart has aggressively trying to capture and create its presence in this medium too. Threats Recent years have witnessed anti-globalisation movements affecting global companies and American companies in general and Wal-Mart can face stiff resistance from consumers in new markets. Recent wars and outbreaks have affected sales globally. Increased competition in mature markets like Germany and U.K. with established retail chains dominating despite Wal-Marts entry. Growing trade blocks and zoning regulations hamper Wal-Marts expansion plans. Summary The beauty of Wal-Marts Value Chain is the scale of operations and the control it exercises over each activity. Wal-Mart takes care of all the activities internally except partially outsourcing its logistics requirements. Its systems integration from inventory, to stores, to headquarters to suppliers is the lifeline of its success. Transportation undertaken by its own fleet of trucks is an added advantage. The core activity remains in its bulk buying and inventory management which supports Wal-Marts competitive advantage of pricing and every element shows traces of cost leadership. Total integration is key here. Wal-Mart located its discount stores around regional warehouses allowing a streamlined and low cost physical distribution . CONCLUSION Wal-Mart considering its scale and scope of operations has given a dynamic perspective in analysis of the many frameworks analyzed with. Strategists like Govindrajan and Gupta, who specialize in globalisation, endorse and acknowledge Wal-Mart as a global organization and highly lauding Ironically, Rugman, argues, Wal-Mart as a regional player with regional strategy considering that Wal-Mart has only 9.6% of its stores outside its home region and only 16.3% of revenue is generated from stores outside its home country. Again considering classification such as the NAFTA and the TRIAD, large economies (Countries) are clubbed together and treated as one which the author disagrees to justify as one. Arguments such as only a certain percentage of business is generated outside the TRIAD making a business less global are arguments the author disagrees with. With the EU becoming as one then soon, the world will become large chunks of amalgamations. The simple definition or presence in different markets should be taken into consideration of being global. Many strategists do not give concessions for the time the business has started to expand globally. Wal-Mart for instance has grown to such a strong position over 40 years, this would take considerable time to replicate and adapt in international markets. Analysis using Yips Globalisation / Localisation Drivers shows the industry and Wal-Mart in general moving towards globalisation but yet maintaining key aspects to localisation. This could be the way ahead. The Transnational Model illustrates the same key aspect. Marketing strategy and product variation though it can be global, it needs to be tuned to the local market catered considering the emergence of localisation preference in consumers. The market has gone too global, that consumers place an emphasis of localisation. Acknowledgements are made that the industry is maturing far greater than Internationalisation but its yet to be seen as a global player. But its a matter of time before it expands it to new markets and creates a foothold. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FOR WAL-MART Analysis of the generic strategy and the supporting value chain, gives us a good insight into sources of Wal-Marts competitive advantage. When two or more firms compete within the same market, one firm possesses competitive advantage over its rivals when it earns a persistently higher rate of profit . Wal-Marts capability to outperform its rivals is achieved with its ability to outperform its competitors quickly and effectively. Supporting this is its, highly integrated systems, technological advances, highly efficient inventory management skills, few markdowns and few stock-outs. This is supported also by its corporate culture encouraging and rewarding initiative and innovation. Low cost leadership helps the firm above average returns in the industry despite strong competitive forces . Traces of cost leadership are noticeable in the value chain. Wal-Mart saves costs by holding stocks for less than 48 hours in its inventory. Wal- Mart is known to negotiate with suppliers for the lowest cost of the product without any frills and marketing expenses which adds to the cost later. Wal-Marts purchase by the truckload saves costs again by bulk purchasing. Wal-Marts inventory handling and logistics distribution with its own fleet of 2000 plus trucks help attain a cost effective distribution channel than relying on unreliable suppliers networks which costs in delays. But is Wal-Marts strategy based solely on cost or does it have any other attributes based on its characteristics. Wal-Mart appears to have a differentiation strategy. The differentiation strategy is one of differentiating the product or service offering of the firm, creating something that is perceived industry-wide as being unique. It can be design or brand image, technology, features, customer service, dealer network or other dimensions High degree of customer service with store greeters and no questions asked policies reaffirms Wal-Marts differentiation from its competitors. Every Day Low Price strategy helped reinforce Wal-Mart was the lowest price. The third generic strategy advocated by Porter is the focus strategy. The focus strategy is focusing on a particular buyer group, segment of the product line or geographic market as with differentiation, focus may take many forms .Wal-Mart right from its foundation located its stores to out of town areas with small populations. This was a segment ignore by its competitors giving Wal-Mart an edge over competition by locating itself in a low competitive environment before it creates competition. Wal-Marts focus on the segment of people targeted as well as its location of stores, does give it an attribute of the focus strategy. Effective implementation of any of these generic strategies usually requires total commitment and supporting organizational arrangements that are diluted if there is more than one primary target .Arguably Porter termed organizations attempting cost leadership and differentiation together as stuck-in-the-middle and it does not lead to competitive advantage and its sustainability. Academic criticism is not new and Porter has received his share of it. Most strategists feel low cost leadership alone, does not lead to competitive advantage unless there is an element of differentiation. A strategy combining elements of low cost, price and leadership is known as hybrid strategy .Mintzberg advocated the hybrid strategy for it combines both elements of low cost leadership with differentiation. However, the fact can not be denied that Wal-Mart has a focus strategy as well as a differentiation strategy. Overall the company thrives on cost leadership. The global validity of these are tested with Wal-Marts core strategy in every market it operates, it maintains cost leadership in all activities as well as it maintains its differentiation by having exemplary service. The adoption of the focus strategy globally can be critiqued as Wal-Mart is unable to expand into most markets like UK and Europe with tight zoning regulations and its entry into these markets have been through mergers and acquisitions. But the focus of the segment of customers targeted remains undiluted though the focus of location geographically is understood to be compromised considering the market conditions. SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Wal-Marts sustainable competitive advantage can be attributed to its cost advantage supported by its inventory management skills and processes and expertise in supply chain management (which can not be replicated considering the scale of operations) and its culture which promotes aggressive customer service and satisfaction through satisfied and happy associates.The ability to build and maintain relationships with its customers, suppliers, and its associates and its speed in innovation and initiative ness is also a source of sustainable competitive advantage. CORE COMPETENCIES FOR WAL-MART Prahalad and Hamel (1990) define core competencies as the collective learning of the organization, especially how to co-ordinate diverse production skills and integrate multiple streams of technologies. The cumulative learning acquired with experience in an industry enhances a firms competence. Wal-Marts core competence can be said to be its knowledge achieved by its inventory management skills with its supply chain management facilitated by its innovations like the cross-docking techniques and its innovation in information technology and in relationship strategy maintained with its customers, suppliers, and associates and its cost strategy achieved with its scale of operations. This passes the three tests whereby its providing added value to customers and is difficult for competitors to imitate considering the scale of operations to achieve such economies and provides access to wider markets. Wal-Marts achieves competencies from: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cross docking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Supply chain management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Communication strategy with suppliers and associates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Relationship strategy with suppliers and associates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ People strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cost strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Location and market strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ability and inspiration from Sam Walton à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customer service strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Knowledge management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Innovation in I.T. and warehousing and inventory management Although an exhaustive list, Wal-Mart does achieve and maintain the above in proportions unseen in its industry. Although they are imitateable, competitors have been unable to replicate the entire series and sustain it. Profit verses non-profit objectives: We can see one difference in both the objectives i.e. in profitable objectives we have to emphasise revenue, profit growth and our product must be able to fulfil our customer demands. But non-profit objectives are just to complete the need of our organisation i.e. general community, health and welfare.