People's History of Southeast Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

People's History of Southeast Asia - Essay Example Every generation transmitted its stock of values, skills methods, and traditions from one generation to another since the beginning of human existence. The systematic provision of learning began to develop approximately two hundred years ago. The growth of schools for children increased over time due to initiatives of the priests, bureaucrats and specialists. The religious leaders headed schools and were responsible for moral and intellectual growth of children. The early history of Southeast Asia picked up as an aspect of seminal writings that occurred at religious centres. The eagerness of the rulers and elites to absorb influences and ideas from the international arena accelerated the quest for education in the region. The earliest traces of teaching and learning in Southeast Asia are found in Hindu and Buddhist instruction manuals, development of Monastic cultures across Asia and trails that   were left by circulation of scholars.   These indicators are believed to have contr ibuted to the lodgment of successive world religions and their traditions of high learning in the region’s cosmologies. Transnational networks and interactions led to the emergence of educational entrepreneurs. The role of educational entrepreneurs was to draw on financial resources and international networks to put up reformist schools of Islam and printing presses.   Prior to 1920s, the accumulated wealth of Southeast Asia countries was used to erect educational projects such as schools and printing presses.... se indicators are believed to have contributed to the lodgment of successive world religions and their traditions of high learning in the region’s cosmologies. Transnational networks and interactions led to the emergence of educational entrepreneurs. The role of educational entrepreneurs was to draw on financial resources and international networks to put up reformist schools of Islam and printing presses. Prior to 1920s, the accumulated wealth of Southeast Asia countries was used to erect educational projects such as schools and printing presses with an objective enhancing educational development. The South Indian Muslims, Tamil Social Reformers and jobbing Theosophists recognized scientific development as a critical force behind societal development.4 The countries devised patterns of regional migration with the hope that these individuals will return home equipped with new wealth of knowledge and skills. An example of this group was the Minangkabau of West Sumatra who mainl y believed in matrilineal traditions. People were considered to belong to the same decent groups as their mothers. The educated people chose to be teachers, whether in colonial schools, Jawi while others volunteered to work as teachers in Mecca and Medina. The region was largely characterized by an educational cosmopolitan, which lay at the heart of its later educational experiences. The systems of learning in Southeast Asia permeated down to local levels. The communists exploited the village-level Confucian scholar during the mid-20th century revolution. Jean deLanessan, the French traveler, wrote in the year 1895 that even the peasants could read and write. This writing was one of the elements of Orientalist romanticism in action. Jean deLanessan studied the overt behavior of the region during

Qatar cinema and film distribution Company Research Paper

Qatar cinema and film distribution Company - Research Paper Example In the year ending 2011, the company realized an increase in revenue through improved sales as compared to 2010 (Kotler, 2009). Its sales improved from QAR 16.28 million of the previous year to 17.30 million Qatari Riyals, though remained a little lower than the QAR 17.33 million of the 2009 (Ehrhardt and Brigham, 2009). Several factors; both micro and macroeconomic factors might have led to this. Macroeconomic Variables Macro-economic variables are the environmental factors that affect the production and income of a business entity. They include variables as inflation, unemployment income, global financial conditions, and industrial production among other factors (Sale, 2006). One of the most notable macroeconomic variables that have continued to influence the company is the global financial conditions (Ehrhardt and Brigham, 2009). During the period of 2008, the company recorded poor sales due to the global financial recession that rocked the whole of the world markets. The company was  not able to import and distribute  (Bricault, Hodgson, and Gulczynska, 1978)  products at affordable  cost  and cost effective.  A number of the companies that it was associated with decreased their production capacity in order to respond to the capital market conditions. When there the rate of production goes down significantly, there is a buildup of pressure for the respective industries to satisfy the larger market. This could be due to high interest rates, global financial problems (Kotler, 2009). The increase in sales in 2009 was due to the reformation that was taking place in the market after the recession. Positive economic growth has also contributed to its continued resilience in the market economy. Industry Analysis The industry has continued to build up because of Qatar’s positive economic growth. The market has been favorable for the company (Ehrhardt and Brigham, 2009). However, challenges like high competition brought in by companies like Jarir marketing company, Saudi hotels and Resort Areas, Al-tayyar travel group, IFA hotels and Resort, Al-Othaim Holding Company, the Saudi Research and marketing group. All these companies produce and engage in almost the same line of business like that of Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution Company (Bricault, Hodgson, and Gulczynska, 1978). These alongside the diversification of the market, increases the level of competition the company faces. Market regulations that increase the costs of operation have also contributed to financial challenges the company has faced in the past. However, there are regulations that have sought to expand and protect the local business in relation to the international counterparts have helped the company to stabilize and continue to grow in the competitive environment (Kotler, 2009). The industry enjoys a large market both at the local and international levels. This has enhanced importation and distribution of the cinema and movie distribution. Market Valuat ion Ration Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution Co. Benchmark EV/EBITDA next 12 month Company Qatar Cinema and Film ... N/A Pee Qatar Cinema and Film... excluded 52.0 Qatar Cinema and Film ... included 53.0 Sector Film and cinema distribution equipment’s and services (Close) 57.80 S&P 500 16.78 STOXX Europe 600 8.58 Country QAT 6.98 4- Determine the optimal price of the stock, by employing the equation we talked about (constant

Managing visitors space Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing visitors space - Research Paper Example Tourism has been identified to bring with it peak seasons, and also result to the decline of the economy. When such issues occur, natural resources, funding and labor suffer from fluctuations due to variations of the tourism seasons. The extension of tourist season entails of many offering festivals and keeping museums and hotels. The intensity of summer tourists season leaves an environment and the community exhausted. However, the off-season is the period where the residents return to their normal activities, and they use the facilities that are usually occupied by tourists. Peaking results to, exceptional strains on the community and the infrastructure. However, the resident population instead of the number of tourists likely determines this. The traditional mass tourists are usually replaced by various short-break visitor and diversity since they are major aspects of any tourism products. The survival of a tourism industry develops a better understanding of the local image and th is has an impact on the host community, considering the long-term effects evident in the development plans. However, it has been noted that a decline in the local management and its development cannot be realized due to the success of the hospitality industry, which rests at a local level (Morgan et al. 2011). The extension of the tourists season in the shoulder months is a goal that is usually economically beneficial for the involved businesses. However, social viability depends on the attitudes of the residents. It is also important to know that some factors usually contribute to the formation of different opinions with an aim of preventing conflicts, and to promote beneficial community factors. The social carrying capacity of any tourist attraction site depends on the resident’s attitude and their tolerance to the tourist’s presence. However, various factors are involved the formulation of a community social carrying capacity. However, the knowledgeable the resident s are concerning the tourism benefits, the greater the involvement process and the threshold tolerance (McCool and Moisey, 2008). There are several challenges that occur based on the management of different visitor visits. These have been noted to be controlled through various strategies and demand management. The community is described as the base for the tourism industry, and they must be involved to ensure that sustainable tourism is managed. It is also vital for any tourist attraction one to be aware of the effect that tourism has on the economy so that they can demonstrate the benefits that an industry offers the area. The quality in tourism and hospitality industry entails of efforts of the managers to ensure that they achieve profitability and success. This is done in a manner that meets the requirements of tourists and stakeholders involved. This means that consisted delivery of products and guest services meet the expectation of the consumer’s standards. When quality services are delivered, this is termed as a major challenge that the hospitality manager encounter since it is essential conditions that yield success (Morgan et al. 2011). The offered services are competitive and have been termed to develop global hospitality markets. Various tools are used to measure and improve the quality of services, and the mechanism of quality recognition in the tourism indus

Conference Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conference Assessment - Essay Example The objective scheme for assessing a speaker at a conference will include a number of criteria. Based on the response, assessment can be made as has been explained in the table at end of this section. Some of the issues which can be considered are level of preparation of the speaker. Was he aware of the agenda for the conference Was he aware of the main issues which were being discussed during the conference Did he have background knowledge of the subject being presented Did he know the key areas of concern and points of discussion Was he aware of the main participants, their portfolios and the departments they were representing Did he prepare slides for the presentation Were they effective in communicating the point Did the speaker give the structure of the talk in advance and did it provide the participants a clear view of his goals, main points being covered and the key arguments set forth1 These issues will carry substantial weight in the assessment. Then is the aspect on goal se tting. Every conference has a goal and the speaker has to conform to the same. Assessment can be done on whether the speaker had set appropriate goals and if these were adhered to.2 An important ability of a speaker is effective communication. ... There is also a need to ensure that innovative techniques are employed for engaging people during the presentation.4 For this preparation of good slides to convey the point is important.5 Conferences are multi channel communication processes. Thus inter personal communication ability of the speaker to make a positive impact, convey point effectively and accepting another point of view once the logic had been explained are important for good speakers. Every speaker has to also be a good listener who can analyze a point quickly and understand the nuances without allowing the discussion to waver. The ability of the speaker to make an impact, to be taken seriously and make people listen and engage in dialogue needs to be assessed. Conflict resolution during the meeting deliberations is also an important attribute which needs consideration.6 Provision of handouts and notes which are take away for analysis and study by the participants would be an important facet which earns additional poi nts. Summarization of the presentation to include the rationalization of all points of views that emerged during the discussion will also be assessed. Finally the overall contribution of the speaker to the conference agenda has to be assessed which will be determined by a review of whether the speaker achieved the aims set for the conference. ASSESSMENT SCHEME Ser No Assessment Criteria Outstanding 5 Good 4 Satisfactory 3 Fair 2 Poor 1 1. Setting of goals and achievement 2. Preparation including in depth study of subject. 3. Presentation skills 4. Presentation material including slides, charts etc. 5. Hand outs and notes provided. 6. Communication skills. 7. Interpersonal

Information Technology for Managers Essay Example for Free

Information Technology for Managers Essay Introduction In a fast rising popularity of technology, companies will use this to gain a competitive advantage. IT works in helping businesses reach their strategic goals. In the case for Sophia the goal would be to drive up her sales to meet with the standards that stiff competition has set up. Not knowing much about technology, Sophia would require help from an outside source in order to have the technology portion running smoothly. Website One of the best ways to improve the IT component is to open up a website with the help from the website onepageapp. com. This vendor is perfect for small companies to start up a website to your liking. One page app would assist in the purchase of a domain name for the site people go to visit. With a drag and drop interface the site being designed to Sophia’s preferred theme and the main content she would prefer on the site. One page app offers a few monthly plans starting from eight dollars all the way to two hundred. In Sophia case, the best plan would be the twenty nine dollars a month that includes up to twenty additional users, forty newsletters a month and even priority support if having any issues within the website. One of the best incentives here is that when launching with one page app it also creates a website version for mobile phone and tablets. With the increased use of smartphones and the emergence of ipads, people who use these devices on the often can view your website in read able and simple form. Another excellent feature one page app offers is engine optimization. The high use of search engines a good way to have website noticed is through the search results. With proper formatted HTML, Meta tags, meta descriptions, and sitemaps the results on search engines would attract more people viewing the website (OnePager, 2013). Sophia would be given useful analytics with one page app as the traffic the site receives would be documented along with the keywords used to gain the hits. The knowing of the keywords is valuable as we can use this information on seeing what foods people are searching on the web and what products are getting them redirected to Green Peppers website. Trying to further promote the interested item menu would only draw more interest from customers. Onepager allows for a great two stay connected  with customers. Having customers sign up for newsletters can have Sophia sending mass emails to subscribers for upcoming events and new menu items they may have. It’s a great way to keep good relation by also sending coupons for deals and such. If Sophia has trouble understanding these new online concepts she can elect to hire a part time employee or increase the duties of a current employees to keep the website updated. Constantly updating the site is crucial to stay competitive with any other restaurants. Twitter Social Media is a great way for small companies to get some easy exposure. As of September of 2013 there are 200 million twitter users (Canadian Press, 2013). With so many users using one application, generating awareness of a company proves to be beneficial. Having a company twitter account is a great way in getting Sophia’s restaurant known. Twitter can help generate feedback on previous customer experience and ways they could make some improvements. This has worked well with some bigger companies where a customer would tag the business in their tweet expressing some displeasure and the company comes up with a reply to compensate the experience with apologies or even future deals. Customers have already had issues with Green Peppers ordering techniques and this would be a good way for Sophia to gather some feedback. Green Pepper could also seek suggestions on different types of recipes customers would like to see being served. It would allow for them to add menu items that have potential on gaining popularity. Green Pepper would also be able to see what customers are saying about the local competition when it comes to service they provide and quality of food they tend to serve. This benchmark is probably the best when measuring the success of your current business. Opening a twitter account is completely free and very easy to use. Tweets could be sent from any smartphone making it convenient to access for all users. Tweeting out special promotions going on would bring in more customers and consumers are always finding ways to eat for less money. Hash tags are a great way to research what most of the world is talking about. For example, if a celebrity tweets about how much they love Indian or Chinese food, it would provide Green Pepper with a great opportunity to  tweet something to its followers referencing that comment to keep Green Pepper relevant. Facebook Like twitter, having a Facebook account is free. With a positive word of mouth rating of a restaurant being most valuable to a company, Facebook is a good tool to enforce that. Facebook allows for Green Pepper to post restaurant’s menu and updates for its followers to see. Green Pepper can take pictures of their most visually appealing menu items and post the pictures for display in order to entice more customers. They can show videos on the process they take into making the Indian fused Chinese dishes. Fusion food being seemed risky for some consumers, they can showcase the dish on the flavors added and how it is prepped. Listing the benefits of the human body that certain spices can offer, appeals to many health conscious customers. Keeping the account active is the most important as the regular customers who eat at Green Pepper would want to know what deals are occurring. It’s a great way to engage with the customers and making their personal experience at Green Pepper the best it could possibly be. Major fast food chains take great advantage of this by offering coupons online for their followers and always encouraging them to follow them on social media sites like Facebook and twitter. (Brandon, 2011) Replying to a post that a customer had at Green Pepper makes it feel more personal and the customer feels more satisfied as their questions and concerns are being noted by Sophia. Since Green Pepper is a small restaurant every negative comment about the service is a big issue on the company’s image. Having a negative word of mouth comments spread can cause customers to decline fast. Getting customers to partake in polls and quizzes is a free research base as companies can get a lot of info based on the poll results (Eldon, 2009). Offering the meals that customers prefer is an important way in staying relevant. Having someone over-look the operation of Facebook could be great by hiring a part time employee or even increasing the responsibilities of a current employee working at Green Pepper. Group on Groupon is website offering deals that many businesses are taking part in. Restaurants can offer deals on menu items for a fraction of cost if bought on Groupon. This is a great way into bringing customers into the restaurant and having them try other items on the menu and if they are satisfied with the service they could become returning customers. Another incentive is when a voucher is purchased not every customer goes and actually uses it. Many vouchers do have an expiry date and if the customer waits to long the voucher would no longer be valid and Green Pepper would still get half the purchase cost of the voucher. Since Groupon is running their site the only costs occur when the voucher is actually bought from a customer as Groupon takes half that money. They work as a great middleman between Green Pepper and future customers. The downside of this route is that Groupon takes half the proceeds from the voucher. An example is having an 80 dollar menu voucher sold on Groupon for 40 dollars. Groupon then keeps 20 dollars of that and gives the remaining 20 to Green Pepper. Other flaws being seen in their business model in an article in Forbes magazine â€Å"Groupon’s biggest victims are the small businesses that get suckered in to accepting Groupons. Restaurants lose money on them because consumers flood the restaurants, order very low priced meals, strain waiters and cooks, get lousy service, and never return.† (Cohan, 2012). Sophia must know the capacity restrictions well and if offering a Groupon deal then must be fully staffed for that day. Allowing customers to leave the restaurant on a negative really affects the company image especially being a small restaurant. Recommendation The way for Green Pepper to optimize its profits would be to hire a part time employee to run the social media aspects in Facebook and twitter along with working with one page app and keeping the website updated. Many young adults have some experience in social networks and finding a University student who could work part time wouldn’t be difficult. They would oversee the twitter updates and tweeting on the regular. They could update the Facebook Photo album with menu dishes as well as keeping in contact with the customers leaving feedback on the social sites. One page app makes the design of the website so simple just would need the employee to making sure site is  running smoothly and keeping in contact with the developers if any problem occurs. They would work with Sophia and teach her a little about the technology components as one page app allows many users having access to the website. The switch to technology focus should not be a hard one but instead a smart one.

The Mission of Ben Jerrys

The Mission of Ben Jerrys Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded Ben Jerrys Homemade Ice Cream in 1978. Back in 1966, when they were working out in a school gym, they both realised that they hated running but loved food. Years later in 1978, Ben had been fired from a series of jobs while Jerry had failed for the second time to get into medical school. So, they decided to do a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making and later opened their first scoop shop in a dilapidated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. They soon became popular in the local community for the best all natural ice cream. By 1979, they began wholesaling pints of ice cream out of Bens VW campervan.Over the years, Ben Jerrys evolved into a socially-oriented, independent-minded industry leader in the super-premium ice cream market.All Ben Jerrys frozen dessert products are being manufactured in the companys three plants located in Vermont. The company distributes ice cream, low fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and other novelty produ cts (1). While the majority of corporate managers were under constant pressure to meet their shareholders demands, Ben and Jerry were quite the opposite; they were only interested in short-term gains and large profits. In fact, at first they panicked by their quick business growth, as they thought about severing ties with the fast growing company. They did not place any emphasis on cash, equipment and inventories which are considered to be the tangible assets of the firm. Instead, their focus was on intangible` assets such as reputation, quality of life, joy, social concerns; all of which they considered to be as valuable as material assets- and as Jerry put it ‘if its not fun, why do it?. Recently, Unilever, a multinational food and personal products company acquired Ben Jerrys in spring 2000. The Ben Jerrys Board of Directors approved Unilevers worth  £ 230m. Under the terms conditions of the agreement, Ben Jerrys will function separately from Unilevers existing ice cream business. There will be an independent Board of Directors and their main role would be to maintain Ben Jerrys social mission and brand integrity. Both co-founders will keep on working with Ben Jerrys, and the company will continue to be Vermont-based (3).So, although it is under Unilever but it still continues to maintain its individual identity. Ben Jerrys Mission The underlying mission of Ben Jerrys is to search for new and innovative ways of addressing all three parts (social, product and economic), while holding a profound respect for the community of which they are a part and also to the individuals inside and outside the company. Their mission consists of three interrelated parts shown below. â€Å"To operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally and internationally† (2). â€Å"To make, distribute and sell the finest quality all natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment† (2). â€Å"To operate the company on a sustainable financial basis of profitable growth, increasing value for the stakeholders and expanding opportunities for development and career growth for the employees† (2). There has been an increasing demand for indulgent ‘treats in the British diet. Around  £1.3 billion ice cream market is tapping into this demand with rising sales in luxury and premium ice creams at the expense of standard varieties. About 14million adults buy ice cream as a treat. The growing demand for indulgent desserts has helped grow the sales of ice cream. Since 2007, value sales of ice cream have grown by 8% (4). All these statistics show that Ben Jerrys have great potential in the U.K. market. Strategic Analysis Political factors There had been rumours accusing Ben Jerrys of supporting the defence ofMumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted in 1982 of killing Philadelphia Police officerDaniel Faulkner. Misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that Ben Cohen, one of the co-founders, joined hundreds of other people in signing a petition in 1995 asking that American justice should be followed fully in the case. Apart from these reports, there had been allegations that Ben Jerrys had introduced an ice cream flavour whose name is connected to this case.As a consequence of this alleged support, the National Fraternal Order of Police had publicly called for a boycott of all Ben Jerrys products (6). Again in 2006, Ben Jerrys had to apologise to Irish consumers for launching a new flavour â€Å"Black and Tan† evoking their worst days of British military oppression. Black and Tans was the term used for recruiting an irregular force of British ex-servicemen during the Irish war of independence and renowned for their brutality (9). Ben Jerrys were again in news when PETA sent them a letter asking them to use breast milk instead of cows to prevent cruelty to the dairy cows (5). Moreover, ever since Ben Jerrys have been taken over by Unilever, the Vermont firm, famous for donating part of its profits to charity, has been criticised for having changed their commercial focus. Economic factors The high costs related to manufacturing each different unique flavour. Ben Jerrys primary marketing goal is to create products that cannot be reproduced but the technological developments of the company has not allowed them to launch the products within a realistic time limit. It takes them many years to come up with a new different flavour. Even after that there is no surety if the product would be successful or able to penetrate in the market. Not only this, it also gives the competitors a chance to take over their place in the market. Back in 1994 also, sales dropped, profits went down, and the companys stock prices fell to half its value. Cost of sales increased approximately $9.6 million or 9.5% over the same period in 1993, and the overall gross profit as a percentage of net sales decreased from 28.6% in 1993 to 26.2% in 1994. This loss might have been a result of several reasons, such as high administration and selling costs, a negative impact of inventory management, and start up costs associated with certain flavours (8). The company realising its fall in sales, quickly responded to the changes in consumer demands and introduced Ben Jerrys ‘Lite. The line failed miserably. It looked like that Ben Jerry failed to forecast and acknowledge the changes in consumer tastes, and was faced with increasing competition with Haagen-Dazs, which introduced its ‘low-fat Ultra Premium ice-cream. Social factors Partnershops are Ben Jerrys scoop shops that are independently owned and operated by community-based non-profitable organizations. These organizations use the funds generated to train and counsel disenfranchised youth who are in need of a helping hand to get back into the work environment. Other than this, they are working on sustainable dairy farming programme and fair-trade (which is the premium they pay for the ingredients which enables the farmer to take positive steps towards providing basic needs for their families, such as healthcare, education and safe housing) (1). Such efforts had been made to attract over ‘like-minded consumers, however its debatable as in to what extent this will have an impact on appealing the hearts of their consumers. The question then arises as to how much their social unique image gets affected by their consumer behaviour. Environmental factors U.K. experienced poor weather in the summer of 2007 in comparison to that of 2006, with an average temperature of 14.10C compared to 15.80C in 2006. This had a negative effect on the ice cream market, especially in the impulse sector, and value sales went down 1.5% compared to 2006. In the last two years (2008 and 2009), summer temperatures appear to have picked up, reaching approximately 14.70C in 2009 (4). UK Mean seasonal temperature ( °C), 2004-09* January-August Seasons: Winter=Dec-Feb, Spring=Mar-May, Summer=June-Aug, Autumn=Sept-Nov Data are provisional from December 2008 and Winter 2008/09 Source: Met Office/Mintel Technological factors In order to improve the companys infrastructure and with the aim to automate their production to keep up the intense competition, they invested a lot of money in property and equipments in 1994 increasing their long term debts by almost 45%. SWOT analysis Strengths Prestigious, established and recognized brand name and successfully operating in many countries. Ben Jerrys make a yearly contribution of minimum $1.1 million from pre-tax profits to charitable foundation. It also sponsors Partnershops, Ben Jerrys scoop shops, which are operated by non-profitable organizations. These organizations help the disenfranchised youth to get them back in the working environment. They also have a long term partnership with Fairtrade foundation which works toward paying farmers the premium that enables them to fulfil the basic needs of their families. Till now, they have launched four Fairtrade certified ice cream flavours. Product differentiation- the use of natural, good quality ingredient, different flavours and the strategic use of quirky flavour names such as Wavy Gravy, Chubby Hubby, Phish Food and Chunky Monkey gives them a competitive edge over other conventional ice cream products of other companies. Ben Jerrys have also introduced other products like sorbets and frozen yoghurts along with their ice cream range for targeting customers demanding for healthy desserts. Ben Jerrys acquisition by Unilever in 2000 has provided the company with greater financial backing allowing them to be even more productive and socially active in the ice cream business. Thermoacoustic refrigeration- Ben Jerrys company developed the first prototype eco-chilling unit which recycles and re-uses the energy used to maintain the ice surface. Advertising support- introducing flavours with clever names in order to promote them. For example, ‘Yes Pecan referring to the Barack Obamas winning the presidency elections (7), ‘Hubby Hubby in order to support the cause of marriage equality for same-sex couples (11). Weaknesses: Limited target market as Ben Jerrys is a super-premium brand and is seen as a special treat by consumers and depends on their level of indulgence. Too much focus on charity work which has added up to the unnecessary costs and has caused them to neglect the upcoming changes in trends. Lack of professionalism in management and due to their employee oriented approach has made them to suffer a great loss in 1994. In order to fulfil their mission statement of providing consumers with ice creams of innovative flavour, they take a really long time to come up with a new flavour which is absolutely unnecessary as even after that there is no guarantee if the product would be successful in market. In fact, it gives the competitors a chance to take over their market share. High cost involved in transportation as most of their suppliers are scattered throughout the world. For example, nuts from South African rain forests, peaches from Georgia, etc. Opportunities As people are becoming more and more health conscious, Ben Jerrys should launch more variety in fat-free ice creams and even greater range in healthy alternatives like frozen yoghurts. They should work towards globalizing their product to compete effectively in the market. Their geographical reach is limited to North America and Western Europe mainly. Environment friendly freezers- In 2009, they have announced the plans to roll out (Hydrofluorocarbons) HFCs-free freezer which is a major step towards saving the planet as HFCs are one of the major factor responsible for ozone depletion (10). Ben Jerrys are currently working on using bio-gas digester to convert the waste produced during the manufacturing of ice creams into energy (1). Packaging- Ben Jerrys ice cream tubs are presently made from 90% renewable paper stock but to prevent it from leaking, they coat it with polyethylene which makes it difficult to recycle them. So, they should work on making tubs which are fully recyclable. Threats Consumers tend to change their product preferences based on their discretionary income and the extent to which they want to indulge in these fattening dessert products. There are many substitute products available within the desserts and frozen food industry. Therefore, they not only suffer competition from other ice cream brands but also from other desserts such as chocolates, cookies, pies, etc. Slow product development- the duration during which a new flavour is launched is really long which gives competitors a chance to take over the market during that time. Their major competitor is Haagen dazs as can be deduced from the table below which gives the take-home sales from 2007 to 2009 (4). Haagen dazss ‘low fat ultra-premium ice cream range is extremely popular. Moreover, they have a competitive edge over Ben Jerrys as it is geographically more spread than Ben Jerrys as the brand is marketed by two multinational companies- Nestle and General Mills. Take Home sales 2007-09 2007 % 2008 % 2009 % % change  £m  £m  £m 2007-09 Unilever 242 40 263 42 285 43 17.8 Walls (Heart) 116 19 125 20 139 21 20.2 Carte DOr 39 6 44 7 46 7 19.2 Viennetta 30 5 26 4 24 4 -20 Ben Jerrys 36 6 43 7 50 8 38.3 Other 21 3 25 4 26 4 23.3 General Mills Hà ¤agen-Dazs 30 5 38 6 40 6 32.8 Fredericks Dairies 49 8 44 7 46 7 -5.1 RR 55 9 50 8 53 8 -3.4 Skinny Cow 6 1 6 1 7 1 10.7 Other brands 61 10 39 6 40 6 -34.4 Own-label 139 23 156 25 159 24 14.3 Total 606 100 625 100 664 100 9.6 Source: Mintel Recommendations Recent acquisition by Unilever could create a negative image in public which need to be cleared by ensuring them that even after being taken over by Unilever, their missions have not changed and they would continue to produce new innovative flavours of ice creams. They should maintain a balance between their social and product mission. Instead of focussing more on social causes and adding up the unnecessary costs, they should rather study the upcoming change in trends and launch new flavours to maintain or increase their share in the market. Since it is now owned by Unilever, they have the financial support required for them to expand their production globally. They should decrease the duration of product development process so that they can launch a new flavour every month or so to keep the customers engaged on a regular basis. They should continue to implement their recycling programs in order to lower down the production costs. They should develop additional manufacturing plants and distribution centres outside of Vermont to cut down on the transportation costs. They should change the consumer perception of having the ice cream only in summers or spring time to anytime dessert i.e. they should work towards deseasonalising their sales. Conclusion Ben Jerrys even after acquisition by Unilever in 2000 has continued to maintain its own identity. Their strong product differentiation gives them a competitive edge over their competitors. The only need is to expand globally to compete effectively with other brands. The innovation factor in their ice creams distinguishes them from the conventional flavours of other brands. Their efforts in becoming green e.g. by planning to launch environment friendly freezers which would reduce green house gases emission sets them apart from other companies. All they need to do is to remain focussed on their missions with equal emphasis on all of them keeping in mind the customers demands.

My Thoughts on Writing Essays -- Writing Education School Essays

My Thoughts on Writing The only thing I care about; the only thing I hope to get from this course, is some improvement in my ability to write what I think -- explain ideas and feelings to other people. I don't give a damn about anything else, and so far I haven't been disappointed. At the beginning of the course I was informed that we were going to be discussing exposition, which isn't so much a kind of writing as a purpose or attitude behind it. This purpose is to explore, unfold, or develop an idea or issue. And the sense I've gotten from our discussion is that the attitude is one of intellectual honesty, of dedication to learning something and reporting what's there , instead of protecting preconceived notions or projecting agendas or otherwise following some kind of "safe" path. "Themewriting" is what we've been calling everything which does the latter. The first example paper we read, the "3 E-Z steps to achieve success" one, is a perfect example of what I've come to consider themewriting. It takes on "success," which it acknowledges in the first paragraph is a complex and abstract concept open to many interpretations. It then says that whatever it is, success is something we can easily achieve by following a simple formula. The elements of the formula itself -- "set goals," "set achievable goals," and "achieve your achievable goals" -- are things we've all heard from self-help videos, counselors, and tea tins. So, cliche -- reliance on stuff the writer already knows and thinks is so True nobody can dispute it -- is a hallmark of themewriting. These reams of term papers are written in response to all sorts of assignments. I wrote one last year for meteorology about weather control which I constructed entirely as ... ...s absolutely necessary. In other words, they have little or no personal commitment to their writing. And why would they? This isn't a piece of writing which boiled up from inside them, driven by some artistic imperative. I got VERY good at the method I was taught in high school, and I've suffered for it. I am acutely aware of a "lost" feeling when faced with the need or desire to succinctly put my own thoughts down on paper -- in a personal letter, in a letter to the editor of the hometown newspaper, or one to a politician to tell him what a weenie he is -- or to write this paper expressing my ideas about writing. I find I have to concentrate hard to write what I want to say without resorting to cliches, bluffing assertions of alleged facts, and the printed equivalent of mumbling-and-hoping-people-get-it, but at least that means I'm learning what to watch for.