Waiting Line Essay

The growing economic importance of service activities, however, has broadened the scope of MM function (in fact, the course will Ochs more on service facilities). Large scale globalization, short product life cycle and more informed customers means that successful management of operations, careful design and efficient utilization of resources is an absolute must not only to add to the bottom line of a firm, but even for its mere survival. MM is a highly dynamic and expanding field of management. In this course, we will study both manufacturing and service operations, emphasizing their differences as well as similarities.We will examine the role of operations management in the organization by exploring a number of concepts and techniques. The interaction of operations with other business areas and environmental factors, and how operations management can contribute to the achievement of organizational goals, also will be discussed. ; Course Learning Outcomes The objective of the course is to develop your understanding of the major concepts and trade-offs involved in making MM decisions. At the end of this course, you will: 1 . Recognize the important role of operations in an organization's success 2.Develop a comprehensive understanding of operational issues and decisions and how they relate to each other, and to other areas of the organization and its environment 3. Understand related operational and economical concepts and techniques 4. Apply these techniques At the end of the course, you will be able to: 1. Identify the fundamental managerial trade-off in an operations decision environment 2. Develop a decision model and formulate an appropriate objective 3. Evaluate alternative solutions and analyze the objective to optimize the decision 4.The textbooks are not required, out are recommended. I en problems at ten Ana AT every chanter In ten textbooks are useful in preparing for the midterm and final exams. The textbooks are also reserved for your use in the Bu siness Library. ; Lecture Notes: A required course package will be sold through the Management Undergraduate Society. The course package contains the following: Allurement (1998) article, one case study, and player manual for Simulation Game. The course slides, sample midterm and final questions, end-officiate practice questions will be posted on Web.Important Note: We may skip some of the course notes during classroom discussions and we will be covering quantitative material not covered in these notes. Most of this material is also available online/on Web for download. I will also post additional materials on WEB. Please check WEB at least once before and after each lecture for posted announcements, and materials.There will be two problem set assignments during the course. These assignments will be quantitative ones, each worth 7. 5% of the total marks. Each assignment will be due in approximately a week (the exact dates will be announced later on).You can complete and submit your assignments as a group. The maximum number of students that can be in an assignment group is 4. The assignments turned in by groups of 5 or more students will not be accepted. On the other hand, you are alcove to submit an assignment that you have prepared alone. The solutions will be made available after the due-date. It is important to include your all pages together. Late submissions will not be accepted. If you miss a class, your mailed assignment, postmarked no later than the due date, will be accepted as on-time.There will be one midterm and one final exam to test your understanding of the material covered in the course. Both the midterm and the final exams are compulsory, closed book and closed notes. Students are not allowed to bring any additional material and information related to the exams. A formula sheet will be provided together with the exam. The formula sheets for the midterm and for the final can be downloaded from WEB. Note that missing an exam is an issue that yo u will have to settle first with the B. Com office. The course policy is not to offer make-up exams.GRADES The grades for the midterm and the assignments will be posted on WEB. Please check the course page whenever a new grade is available and immediately inform the instructor if there is a discrepancy. In accord with McGill University Charter of Students' Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. There will be 1 case study assignment in the course, and it should be done in group of 6. The case study is: Delays at Logan Airport. This case is included in the course package.A number of questions will be provided during the course for the case, which should serve as a basis for group discussion and case report. These questions will be of two types. One type of questions will have a calculator figure ( ) indicating the involvement of a quantitative analysis. The other type of questions are to initiate broader discussion of the case study based on the managerial insights that can be developed from quantitative questions, case discussion among the group members and use of strategic operations management and related concepts.The full case study report should not exceed 5-pages typewritten, one-and-half-spaced, using default margins and 12-point type. Your report should start with an executive summary (maximum 0. 5 pages), which summarizes your findings. The main body of the report should present a detailed discussion based on the provided questions and your analysis of the quantitative questions. Prepare an action-oriented advisory report, which presents concisely your analysis and recommendations for solution of the primary management problems.Make sure you demonstrate that you have thought through your recommendations and the effects on other related activities. Also demonstrate that you understand the concepts and tools from the class that apply. Clearly state your assumptions. Be select ive. Do not restate case facts. Summary tables in the text are encouraged for quantitative information. In addition to the report, you may supply any number of figures (visual representations of information contained in the text), and at most four exhibits. Make sure these are referenced in the text.Do not use the exhibits to violate the page limit. The report should stand alone, and the exhibits should provide only the documentation or details of a technical analysis. The exhibits must be easily understood and all variables defined properly and all assumptions stated clearly. Discuss limitations of your analysis or recommendations. These might include assumptions you made but do not feel comfortable with, or impediments to success that may prove more difficult than you expect. Discuss potential disadvantages of your recommendations.

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Essay

Ferry is considered one of the greatest lyrical poems of all time. In Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Walt Whitman uses connotative diction, prying questions, and critical reader engagement to convey a feeling of connection and unity of people through time. By using these certain rhetoric strategies, Whitman creates a piece of poetry that seems to be timeless. Whitman carefully chooses certain words and phrases that really highlight his intentions to connect himself and others readers throughout time. In part 2 of the poem, Walt chooses the words â€Å"simple† and â€Å"compact† to describe a â€Å"scheme† in which we are all â€Å"disintegrated†. These words, precise and carefully chosen, attribute to the great lyricism of the poem. A scheme that is simple is a scheme that we can all live by. And a compact, simple scheme connotes togetherness. Whitman continues to say we’re all disintegrated, but part of the scheme. Being disintegrated could also means we are all little pieces of the same body, or scheme Another simple rhetoric strategy imposed by Whitman to convey a sense of unity between he and the reader is reader engagement. Whitman involves and engages the ready by asking the reader questions, and relating to the reader. By effectively asking questions, Whitman suggest to readers from past and future times that maybe there is not much that separates them. â€Å"What is it then between us? What is the count of scores or hundreds of years between us? The use of these rhetoric strategies are just a few the devices that makes Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry† a timeless masterpiece.

Barn Burning An Endless Circle Essay Research

Barn Burning: An Endless Circle Essay, Research Paper Barn Burning: An Endless Circle William Faulkner? s short narrative? Barn Burning? is the narrative of a southern adult male forced into a function by society. ? Barn Burning? takes topographic point in the station Civil War South where a mans topographic point in society is derived by their actions during the war. Ab Snopse, a adult male who served both the North and the South, is plagued with his non-allegiance and failure to accept authorization. When Ab comes into struggle with his employer, he finds himself taking control from the authorization figure, and returning back to his materialistic ways. Having no commitment, Ab makes the move from assisting manus to the enemy by firing down barns. Along with many of Faulkner? s short narratives, ? Barn Burning? is set in the fanciful Mississippi county of Yoknapatawpha. During the Restoration of the South, the clip period following the Civil War, the lone thing that kept the South alive and running where the memories of fallen heroes and the belief that the South would someday recover the position that it had one time held. Families like the Sartorises and the de Spains were glorified and praised for awards that their household members had achieved during conflict. The award that households like these were granted placed them in public offices, and gave them chances to thrive where others could merely woolgather approximately. This same award seemed to transport on to those who shared the names of the great war heroes. ? ? Hey? , the Justice said. ? Talk louder. Colonel Sartoris? I reckon anybody named for Colonel Sartoris in this county can? t aid but state the truth, can they? ? ? ( Kennedy 163 ) . On the other manus, the Snopses are viewed as dishonourable. During the war, Ab Snopse was considered a soldier of fortune for functioning both sides of Thursday e manner. ? †¦nights passed during those four old ages in the forests concealing from all work forces, blue and grey, with his strings of Equus caballuss ( captured Equus caballuss, he called them ) ? ( 165 ) . Ab stole Equus caballuss from the North and the South, to gain a life. He was even shot by a Confederate soldier, ? His male parent turned, and he followed the stiff black coat, the stringy figure walking a small stiffly from where a Confederate provost? s adult male? s musket ball had taken him in the heel on a stolen Equus caballus 30 old ages ago†¦ ? ( 164 ) . Actions like these caused the community to look down upon the Snopses, which in bend caused Ab to raise retaliation upon his antagonists. When Ab comes into struggle with an employer, he reverts to his old Civil War ways of non commitment to profit himself. Mayor de Spain accuses Ab of deliberately destructing his carpet. After Ab? s efforts to repair the carpet fail, de Spain charges him 20 bushels of maize for the amendss. Ab, experiencing that 20 bushels are excessively steep a monetary value for the amendss, takes de Spain to tribunal and sues him. The Justice of the Peace lowers the mulct for the amendss, but Ab is still non satisfied. Feeling unjustly punished, Ab does the lone thing that he knows, he burns down de Spains barn, and is shot and killed in the procedure. Ab has neer held an commitment to any adult male or thing. His life is one of self-preservation. During the war he worked for both sides without commitment, bound merely by who was paying. In life after the war he has non changed one spot. He travels from farm to farm, sharecropping to supply for his household. When he feels force per unit area from an authorization he takes the power off from them by firing what they own. His commitment to an employer lasts merely every bit long as he retains the power. Once that is gone, he merely takes it back by force, and moves on.

Turkey and Russia relationship during World War II Research Paper

Turkey and Russia relationship during World War II - Research Paper Example In the phony war phase of the Second World War, Russia got reach and control over the Turkish Straits which were of significant influence in the entire course of the war. Turkey had its interests intertwined with that of the Iranian affair and thereby it demanded more proactive actions from U.S.S.R in the course of the war. This led to overall bitterness in the state of affairs and diplomatic activities between the two states. Prior to the war, the two countries were interlocked into the treaty of Peace and Neutrality that was signed towards 1925. The development of the aforementioned scenario and overall tension led to the annulment of the treaty and further strangulation of the ties between these two states (BÄ °LGE 2012). Turkey found the demands of Russia being too advanced and unjust and this did not go well with the Turkish army. The Russians wanted to use the Turkish territory in the same way as was Poland used by Germany against it. Turkey would not allow this as it suspected Russia of having followed the policy that was continued from the days of the Ottoman Empire where the Russian state was alleged to have played a significant role towards overall weakening and subsequent destruction of the Ottoman Empire (Hale 2012). Strategic interests, Russia’s expanded interest in the region, past rivalry and past incidents of mistrust, Turkey’s refusal of surrendering to the demands directly made up for few of the causes of the overall resentment and disagreement between the two states.

Gender Equity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gender Equity - Essay Example The separate but equal approach ignores that men and women are not similarly situated in their relationships to athletics as a social institution" (Weistart, John C, p4). "In 1971, before there was any significant activity under Title IX, approximately 290,000 girls were participating in high school sports. In just six years, the number rose to more than 2 million. The obvious unanswered question is what this number would be after a couple of decades of adequate funding and vigorous enforcement of Title IX (Weistart, John C, p37). However, the debate on Title IX continues at a lively or feverish pitch, depending on the prevailing situations at different academic institutions. The main complainants are the male coaches who are distraught to see their big, hard-earned bucks slip away to women sports. However, in certain cases such as the women's basketball, Title IX is proving to be its worth. Women's basketball has grown phenomenally in the United States (Weistart, John , p29). Basically, it is an industry within academic institutions. The television is the protagonist. ... The separate but equal approach ignores that men and women are not similarly situated in their relationships to athletics as a social institution" (Weistart, John C, p4). "In 1971, before there was any significant activity under Title IX, approximately 290,000 girls were participating in high school sports. In just six years, the number rose to more than 2 million. The obvious unanswered question is what this number would be after a couple of decades of adequate funding and vigorous enforcement of Title IX (Weistart, John C, p37). However, the debate on Title IX continues at a lively or feverish pitch, depending on the prevailing situations at different academic institutions. The main complainants are the male coaches who are distraught to see their big, hard-earned bucks slip away to women sports. However, in certain cases such as the women's basketball, Title IX is proving to be its worth. Women's basketball has grown phenomenally in the United States (Weistart, John , p29). B. Industry Analysis Basically, it is an industry within academic institutions. The television is the protagonist. Without the television, sports howsoever popular, do not have the means to exert influential pressures to generate funds (Weistart, John C, p19). It is not easy to think of sports as an industry. But we can accept it as an industry if we consider the quantum of money involved and other economic factors such as human resource and large stadiums. Football and basketball lead the sports show. Because, if these games cease to exist, there will be no other games (Weistart, John C, p22). Also, the terms of Title IX make sports an equivalent to industry. No

Labor market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Labor market - Research Paper Example What are the exchange-offs confronted by firms in paying diverse wages? How do wages and turnover associate? What decides the proficient measure of turnover? The financial fortunes of most people are to a great extent controlled by their labor market encounters that is, by ways for their wages, their employers, and their interceding spells of employment or unemployment. Subsequently, economists are commonly intrigued by reporting the exact conduct of wages, occupation, and unemployment, and likewise in building models to help us comprehend the drives that shape these conclusions and utilizing the models to evaluate the results of progressions in arrangements or organizations. (ROGERSON et al, 2005: 959) â€Å"Workers prefer to work when the wage is high, and firms prefer to hire when the wage is low. Labor market equilibrium balances out the conflicting desires of workers and firms and determines the wage and employment observed in the labor market.† (Borjas, 2011) 1. Compensating differentials: a worker may be paid less in cash, in light of the fact that he is getting a piece of his payment regarding some other aspects of the occupation, which may incorporate lower level exertion prerequisites, better working conditions, better comforts and so forth. (Acemoglu & Autor, n.d.) 2. Labor market imperfections: Notwithstanding its creative approach and significance in comprehending various micro-macro mysteries, the current business cycle writing has genuine impediments, some of which are because of its shortsighted perspective of the work market. Business cycle demonstrates that join ostensible rigidities (known as New-Keynesian). The compartmentalization of exploration in the process of childbirth commercial concerns and business cycle is sad, as the absolute most essential alteration forms pertinent to the connection between true and ostensible macroeconomic variables begin in the

Express Delivery Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Express Delivery Sector - Essay Example The performance of the transportation sector – as the broader area in which the express delivery sector operates – has been examined; it is assumed that the specific sector is quite competitive – for this reason it would be appropriately managed in order to increase its attractiveness towards the potential investors. The use of the appropriate CSFs would help the firms of this sector to keep their competitiveness at high levels, despite the market turbulences. 1. Structure of the ‘express delivery sector’ within the wider freight and transportation industry – evaluation whether this is an attractive sector to compete in. In order to understand the position and the performance of the ‘express delivery sector’ within the freight industry, it would be necessary to refer to the characteristics and the performance of this industry – as presented in the relevant literature. The freight industry is an extremely powerful sector; often, the practices of this sector are criticized as of their opposition with the international or the local legal rules. An indicative example of such case is the violation by the truck manufacturers of the anti-trust laws – reference is made to Britain. Such cases, related to ‘air cargo carriers and freight forwarders’ (Handy Shipping Guide 2010), have been developed in Britain. Despite the problems related to its activities, the freight industry is an extremely powerful sector, having the power, if appropriately monitored, to support the growth the economy. In accordance with a series of statistics published in 2007, ‘the amount of fr eight lifted in 2007 (1,869 million tonnes) was three per cent above 2006 (1,813 million tonnes)’ (Department of Transport 2007).... In other words, the industry has managed to stabilize its growth – despite the global crisis. The above fact is highlighted in a relevant report of the European Commission; in the above report emphasis is given on the increase of the ‘EU countries who invested on road freight transport in 2005-2007’ (European Commission 2008) .The potential of the industry to keep its competitiveness at high levels should be taken into consideration when the performance of the express delivery sector – as part of the freight sector need to be measured and evaluated. Moreover, the competitiveness of the freight industry would also lead to the increase of the competitiveness of the express delivery sector; therefore, the evaluation of the attractiveness of the industry would influence the attractiveness of the express delivery sector. Indeed, the trend for continuous growth in the freight industry seems to reflect a relevant trend in regard to the express delivery sector. The above view is based on a report referring to the importance of the express delivery sector for the economy of East Midlands; it is noted that ‘The express industry directly employs over 4,700 people in the East Midlands; Its contribution to regional employment is expected to rise to almost 16,000 by 2014’ (Oxford Economic Forecast, 2006). The Institute of Transport Management presents a similar view– published in 2007; in the relevant report it is sated that the express delivery sector is expected to benefit the British economy by approximately 5 billion each year – reference is made to a long term period, of approximately 20 years. On the other hand, Thompson (2007) notes that the performance of the freight sector is depended on indicators which are not standardized; for

Relaxing & Energizing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Relaxing & Energizing - Case Study Example George has no idea why his energy level is so different from practices to races, but he sees this problem as a major obstacle to developing as a runner and performing to his potential. Cindy Frederickson, George’s coach thinks he needs to develop relaxation and energization skills needed to control his arousal during practice and competition. Based on your knowledge of both relaxation and energization, answer the following four questions that relate to developing and implementing these critical mental training tools. Explain the rationale for your answers thoroughly, citing important information from the book and lectures. Your rationale will count as much as your actual response. 1. What mental training tool should George use to lower his arousal level when he gets nervous? Relaxation is the ability to decrease unwanted muscular tension, reduce excessive activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and calm the mind by eliminating unwanted thoughts. a. How about raising his psych level when he’s unmotivated for practice? Energization is the ability to arouse the body by increasing muscular strength and power, stimulate the activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and invigorate the mind with energizing thoughts. 2. What is the difference between relaxation and energization? Relaxation is to help you lower your arousal. Energization is to help you increase arousal. Between Total Relaxation/ Energization and Rapid Relaxation? Total takes more time. How can George use each? When he is overly anxious he should use relaxation. When he is lethargic he should use

Financial Analysis of Carrefour S A Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Analysis of Carrefour S A - Case Study Example Sikhumbuzo Bhengu, junior financial analyst ordered a  report which was demanded by Carrefour S.A.’s CFO Barry Strydom. The request of this report is to identify the cost-effective currency in which the issuing of the bond from the firm to that currency denominated, and it turns that foreign currency is effective than the hedging strategy required to hedge exchange rate risk. Nevertheless, investing in the British pound had several reasons why it was a good idea. Due to the high inflation rate in U.K, the real interest rate became lower while the nominal interest rate of the Swiss franc got lower than that of the British pound. The data information provided by Carrefour S.A. was used to solve the report which was not being expanded beyond the scope of the information given. The position of Carrefour in the market was not conducted by research provided by the internet. The information provided by the case study is assumed to be true and accurate. This report has been conducted by the use of interest rate parity which is the main underlying theory in this case. Carrefour S.A. was seeking to contribute EURO 750million debt financing by issuing a bond at a lower cost either by the use of domestic currency or foreign currency denomination bond in the Eurobond market in the summer of 2002. Carrefour S.A.’s investment banks (Morgan Stanley and UBS Warburg) not only suggested the provision of funds at the lowest cost but also anticipated that the Carrefour 10-year bonds can be dispensed at 5.25% in Euros, 5.375% in British pounds, 3.625% in Swiss francs, and 5.5% in U.S. dollars in August 2002. The assumption was that the bonds were to be issued at par. The action plan which was taken was based on the sales, profits, and sources of profits in various currencies.  

Strategy for Expansion in Mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy for Expansion in Mexico - Essay Example It is evident from the study that in the analysis of the macro environment of Mexico, various factors which have been considered are the political, economic, social, and technological conditions present in the country. The overall analysis of the factors has been carried out to understand the feasibility of the expansion of the University in a different country and to critically analyze the favorable factors and the associated difficulties with the expansion plan. Mexico has a federal republic government, and the first republic was established in the year 1824. The overall administration of the country is divided under various subdivisions consisting of 31 states and a federal district. The prominent political parties in action are the Institutional Revolutionary party and the National action Party. Other than these two parties there are various small parties which operate in the country. The judiciary of the country is also divided into federal and the state court systems. Various e ducational reforms have also occurred in the country and the most significant of them is the educational reform in the state of Aguascalientes. The new system of education was introduced in the year 1920. Under the new system, the public education system in the country involved a massive change. More decentralization of education system was effected in the state. The role and the supervision of the school inspectors also involved a radical change. The number of days of the classes in the school was increased considerably and the government made an effort to improve the educational system in the country. The educational reform brought by the political party introduced English language and computers in the schools of Mexico for the very first time. The government of the country was determined to increase the quality of education in the country and this appeared to be a significant step. In order to raise the level of education, special training of the teachers was also conducted. Such reforms had a dramatic improvement in the education sector of the country as the number of school completion reflected an increase in rate (Cordoba, n. d) Economic factors: The economy of the country has been affected in the period of recession, however in the recent years; the country has experienced impressive growth in its economy. The low cost of labor in Mexico has been significant enough to gain such profit in the country. The countries link up with the NAFTA agreement has been also crucial in its economic success. Based on the overall economy of the country, Mexico has been positioned as a country with middle level of income. The average growth of the country also has satisfactory figures. The quick rate of recovery of the United States also helped the country to revive the economic condition after the recession period was over. In matters of trade, the United States has been the country in which Mexico exports and imports the maximum and the dependence over the US trade is quite notable. Mexico has a free market economy with the domination of various private sectors in the market (Klepak, 2008). However the income distribution in the country is largely unequal. The service sector and the industrial sectors of the country are the

Cradle to Cradle Essay Example for Free

Cradle to Cradle Essay The ? rst key aspect of Cradle to Cradle ® in education is to move away from teaching children to feel guilty. We have faced a long period of all kinds of environmental disasters which has created a feeling that it would be better if we were not here. This is why people talk about minimising footprints. For education, however, that’s not a very positive message. There’s no doubt that sustainability has brought us a great deal of valuable expertise such as knowledge about supply chain management, logistics, toxicity, top soil, phosphate, nutrient recovery, material ? ows, etc. There is a wide range of knowledge that we can now use and build on. However, this has also led to us feeling guilty for being alive and being on earth. If this is the basis for education, you will not be able to inspire people to do new things. You can’t be innovative working from guilt because you’re trying to minimise feeling guilty. We now have the opportunity to use 30 years of environmental debate for innovation. To put plastic into the ocean is just stupid, just like making chemicals that damage biological systems. People become more creative when they feel appreciated and live without fear. It’s far more powerful to be proud of what you do. So the ? rst, and far most important thing is to tell children that we are happy that they are here. I’ve looked at over 50 different types of native tribes and learned that when people feel accepted and safe, they are always generous and friendly. Even the poorest of the poor share their things. I hope this book inspires teachers and educational policy makers to create more room for children and students to feel accepted and give them the opportunity to be proud of being here. Noodle to Noodle? There are many approaches that can be taken when teaching children about our planet. However, I would kindly like to ask you not to confuse the concepts of industrial ecology, sustainability and life cycle assessment with C2C ®, because otherwise it all just becomes ‘noodle to noodle’. Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 5 In my opinion, the concept of sustainability is especially unattractive for education. There is no innovation that is sustainable; otherwise it wouldn’t be an innovation. Sustainability always remains within the realm of existing systems, i. e. it always stays in the same paradigm. And just so that we’re clear, if we stay in the same paradigm, we will destroy the planet. Minimising your footprint, doesn’t help; we need to do things differently. People have been trying to do things that are less bad for many years now, but that just delays the process. We’ll just destroy the planet a little later. That doesn’t make sense. Cradle to Cradle is about innovation, quality and beauty. It’s not  ® And this requires long-term goals. By teaching children to set longterm positive goals, like: In 10 years we want to be soil ‘positive’, the educational system could make a dramatic change and generate endless innovation. Cradle to Cradle ® in education needs all your expertise This book showcases examples of the ? rst steps that are being taken to implement Cradle to Cradle ® in education. Several institutions in the Benelux countries are looking at how to implement C2C ® in their respective curricula. And there are similar developments in Denmark, Germany and Sweden as well. It’s amazing how fast it’s spreading. C2C ® helps empower students and teachers to become engineers, designers, architects, chemists, economists, communications specialists, managers, product developers, marketeers and urban planners because there is so much room to innovate. We need a change in education in all the different subjects. We need a whole range of skills to work together on solutions, and for that we need a whole range of quali? cations. Some people are more into operating things and others more into constructing, while some are more into conceptual work and others more into applying it. To really make things work, we need C2C ® principles to be applied to all ? elds. beautiful when it’s toxic. And it’s not beautiful when people can’t make a living either. These young kids want to be proud of what they do. Educational institutions have all the means to make young people feel accepted so they can be kind and generous. Sustainability is guilt management from the past. Why would we want to be less bad, when instead we can be good? Instead of talking about minimising our footprint, Cradle to Cradle is about making a big and positive footprint.  ® Positive intentions goals Education is always about intentions: Where do I want to be? What do I want to achieve? What is relevant for the people I’m working with? 6 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® I would be delighted if this book could help bridge the gap between the universities of applied sciences and the traditional universities because we need to develop solutions together. We need to combine theory with applications for ? nding answers to the question of how can we do this. Cradle to Cradle ® in education is about taking people as they are and supporting them to become what they want to be. This means looking at a C2C society. It’s about looking at what the human role is on this  ® While repairing the engine, the student mechanics automatically sorts the metals and other materials used, to make sure the other students have plenty of stuff to work with. Again. And again. And again. It has been a long day and Jeanne sits down for a second while watching over her lovely smelling hand creams, moisturisers and planet; it’s about innovation, a positive footprint, a system that allows us to be bene? cial, instead of less bad; it’s about giving people a long-term goal and a positive vision of where to go. Cradle to Cradle is about a positive agenda. To reach that goal, everybody needs to be on board. All your expertise and all your skills are essential. I hope this book invites and inspires you to look at how to translate C2C principles to your ? eld.  ® other skin products. She had been taught to read and really understand what is on the label. And these†¦ she Kind regards, Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart Hamburg, February 2011 Cradle to Cradle ® and C2C are registered trademarks of EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC.knows for a fact, have only nice, healthy things in it. Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 8 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® Ljiljana Wiersma-Rodic PhD Douglas Mulhall, Cradle to Cradle Chair, Erasmus University Cradle to Cradle ® is an innovation framework developed by Michael Braungart, and William McDonough and their colleagues in the 1990s for designing products and systems that are explicitly bene? cial to the individuals involved as well as to the natural environment and society at large. It is based on award-winning research started in the 1980s and continuing today at the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Hamburg Germany, for designing bene? cial economic, social and environmental features into products, processes and systems. The approach was originally known as the Intelligent Product System, and was awarded the Oce van der Grinten Prize in 1993. The approach is primarily an entrepreneurial and innovation concept that starts by determining the intended bene? ts of a product or service instead of focusing on minimizing negative environmental impacts. Development and design of materials, products, production processes and entire systems are based on the principles of natural ecosystems, where the quality and effectiveness of material and energy ? ows are central features. Some examples of this include the development of human- friendly buildings that produce energy and clean air, or agricultural and other activities that help to restore topsoil as one of our most valuable natural resources. Much like in natural ecosystems, material ? ow partnerships play a key role in the implementation of Cradle to Cradle principles. C2C functions in three distinct but inter-related categories Philosophy E. g. the concept of positive intentions and being bene? cial instead of ‘less bad’. The concept of C2C as an innovation platform for improving quality. These philosophical approaches provide an inspirational basis that distinguishes C2C from conventional ‘sustainability’. The philosophy of C2C also allows for further development of C2C as well as healthy discussion over what is the purpose of human beings on this planet, as described by Michael Braungart in his introduction. Principles Three basic principles that guide implementation of the C2C philosophy. The distinguishing point about these principles is that they can each be implemented measurably so that progress can be determined toward a goal. Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 9 Application Tools The scienti? c, technical, economic, management and social tools that are used to implement the principles. C2C innovation starts by determining the intended value and de? ning one’s own positive, bene? cial intention. The process is then supported by a ‘road map’ prepared to ensure complementarity and synergy among the individual activities. An example is the ABC-X or ‘traf? c light’ system of assessing product ingredients for their de?ned use. is a nutrient for something else. This includes materials that are not normally considered to be waste. One of the fundamental laws of nature holds that residual materials from the metabolism of one organism constitute food for another organism. In a society that is based on Cradle to Cradle principles, all materials that we consider to be waste serve as input (nutrients, food) for a new cycle of production, time and time again. In this way, Cradle to Cradle eliminates the concept of waste because waste = food. The Cradle to Cradle concept distinguishes between consumption products and service products. Consumption products either get spent Principles The three basic principles of the Cradle to Cradle framework are: Waste = Food (everything is a nutrient for something else) Use current solar power income Celebrate diversity (biodiversity, conceptual diversity and cultural diversity). Waste = Food (everything is a nutrient for something else) There is often a misunderstanding of this principle due to the quick and catchy but somewhat misleading title. The important thing is not that waste becomes food for something else, but instead that everything 10 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ®Ã‚  (consumed) or wear out during their period of use and, if anything is left over, it can be safely returned to the natural environment. Some examples of this include agricultural products like bread and butter, cosmetic products like soap and hand cream, and natural ? Bre clothes and shoes. Such materials are considered to be biological nutrients, as they feed into a natural biological metabolism (‘biosphere’). Biological nutrients, e. g. wood, can be used in pre-de? ned ‘cascades’, where the quality deteriorates from one application to the next, but in the end all of the material can go back into the biological cycle, in ways that are bene? cial for and thus not harmful to human health or the environment. As these materials come from the land, due care is required for these nutrients to indeed remain on land instead of ending up in the ocean, where processes of biological degradation are quite different to those of terrestrial ecosystems or a composting installation. Service products do not get consumed, but rather provide the user with a certain desired service. Some examples of this include cars, washing machines and TV sets. These products are usually made out of metals and various synthetic materials, which originate from renewable or non-renewable sources and are often hazardous to human health and the environment. As such, they cannot be safely returned to the environment if they are completely disassembled into their component materials and disposed of after special processing. Those types of processes are usually impractical or too expensive, so it makes more sense to keep the materials in technical cycles where they can be reused and do not enter the environment in concentrations that are hazardous. Moreover, they often contain rare metals that are available on earth in very limited amounts. For these reasons, they are considered technological nutrients and should be returned to the technological cycle (‘techno sphere’), where they will be used to make new products with the same level of quality, time and time again. A famous example of this is Herman Miller’s Mirra chair, which has been designed for disassembly and for its materials to be reused in high-quality applications at least 200 times. According to Cradle to Cradle, the worst possible designs are so-called monstrous hybrids, consisting of materials that cannot be separated after use their period of use, and thus cannot be returned safely to either of the two cycles. Design for Sustainability Eco-efficiency C2C Environmental cost accounting Global view Partnerships in total chain management Product Stewardship / LCA Integrated managent systems Management system focus Pollution prevention Compliance proactive Compliance reactive Waste/ costs/ noncompliance Unprepared Aware/reactive Proactive Mainstreaming. Outward view Inward focus Mature/highly integrative Use current solar power income The Cradle to Cradle concept assumes a reliance on renewable energy sources that ultimately originate from the sun, i. e. solar energy, wind energy, water and various innovative bio-based sources, provided that they meet requirements of the ? rst C2C Principle, and do not compete with food crops. For further explanation of current solar income please refer to Cradle to Cradle Criteria for the Built Environment (Mulhall c. s. , 2010) which contains an annex on C2C and Energy describing this more precisely. Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 11 Celebrate diversity Respect for diversity in all its forms, including biodiversity, cultural diversity, and diversity of ideas and innovation to suit local conditions, is an integral part of the Cradle to Cradle concept. Instead of relying solely on legislation as a means to of reconciling the perceived con? ict between economic interests and environmental protection, Cradle to Cradle encourages designers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, material and other scientists alike to create systems and products that are  bene? Cial and add value to all three domains: the economy, society and the environment. under sustainability principles, individual mobile phones have become far more ef? cient, but collectively consume many times more materials and energy than they used to, because ef? ciency made them affordable for billions of users. Mobile phones produced under C2C principles are designed to make sure they can be effectively recovered at the same level of quality, not to minimize materials. This is a basic difference in approach for business. This is why C2C is often referred to as ‘surpassing’ or ‘going beyond’ sustainability. There are many other differences between C2C and sustainability as illustrated in the scheme on page 11. It is important for readers to Cradle to Cradle versus conventional Sustainability In further sections of this book you will frequently see reference to ‘sustainability’ when interviewees are discussing C2C. This is because companies often include C2C under their ‘sustainability’ portfolios. But actually this is not the ideal way to approach C2C because there are fundamental differences. Conventional sustainability usually attempts to minimize bad impacts through ef? ciency while C2C aims at improving bene? cial ones. To illustrate this let’s consider the case of mobile phones. Produced 12 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® keep this in mind when reading this book. It is also true that some application tools used for sustainability are also used for C2C1. 2. 1 Waste no more – The Van Gansewinkel Groep Roel Majoor, Organisational Development Manager (interviewed by Judith van Heeswijk) technological cycles. The constant conversion of waste into energy and raw materials is seen as added value. The company transformed from a traditional waste collector into a supplier of sustainable raw materials and energy. They seek sustainable solutions for their waste streams and consider their knowledge of waste as something of value to partners. Their goal is to work together in early product design stages so that they can ful? l a role and help deliver pro? table solutions for waste streams. Given that Van Gansewinkel has embraced the Cradle to Cradle The Van Gansewinkel Groep is a major player in waste management in Western Europe. It’s also one of the ?rst companies in Western Europe to fully implement Cradle to Cradle design in its business processes. The company’s sustainability ambitions have been translated into their business operations and into a strategy that includes Cradle to Cradle objectives. From their mission statement : 2 concept, this has also had implications for its operations and the way business (waste) processes are designed and managed. This means additional knowledge and competences are needed from employees. Since 2008, the company has been working together with EPEA to streamline knowledge in operations. They found that a lot of implicit knowledge about waste management is useful for understanding the transition to C2C. There was less explicit knowledge about C2C basic Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 13 †By seeing Cradle to Cradle as a guideline, we deal with raw material shortages and the CO2 problem. We assume opportunities and not debt management. † The company sees waste as a source of new raw materials and energy. They see their role as one that closes the biological and principles, so the company had to acquire additional knowledge about this. The EPEA shared these principles during a ?rst meeting. After that, practical knowledge and experience was even more important to bring employee knowledge up to a working level. The company understands that there is a signi? cant difference between knowing C2C in theory and predicting the way it will have to be applied in daily practice. The steps and processes have to be thought through and visualised several times to be able to thoroughly understand the principle. To really use C2C, insight into its use is essential. You have to make it your own. It is a radically different way of thinking and is, therefore, a paradigm shift. This means it also asks for a paradigm shift from employees. And in relation to customers’ needs in particular it is becoming more and more practical, as it also means that you ask the customer to think about waste from another perspective. The Van Gansewinkel employee has to be able to communicate the principle to the customer. Communication is something that should not be underestimated in the transition to C2C. Van Gansewinkel used three different training courses: waste managers, sales and marketing managers. A total of approximately 150 people took the course. The training course focused on large industry. 2 Sponsors training. A two-day EPEA training course for employees that need to know how to translate the C2C concept into the organisation. This training course was developed for managing directors, etc. 3 Advisors training: two one-day training in company courses for sales executives. It dealt with the basic principles and translating them into business operations. The training course focused on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). 1 Champions training: A four-day EPEA training course, in which the theory is brought to life and cases are studied. This training course was developed for regional management, key account managers, ‘Garbage Elefant’  © Franny Thonhauser 14 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® Large industry is able to close the biological and technological cycles itself, but that isn’t the case for SMEs, which are often just a small link in the production chain. Therefore, they are more dependent on other companies to change production and waste processes. Van Gansewinkel has turned out to be a chain facilitator in some cases. Van Gansewinkel has a reason for doing so because large volumes of waste are often necessary to be economically ef?  cient. Competences Van Gansewinkel states that working with C2C principles is more important than knowing them. General change management competences are essential and the three change management steps are: Management noticed that employees invest more time and energy in their work than their role requires. This is also evident at course reunions that take place a year after the training. Everyone is very willing to attend them and a lot of passion for the concept is shared. Technical issues From a technical point of view, it is mainly the strength of innovation that is important for the company. The company is implementing biomimicry for its innovation processes. It starts by learning to understand processes in nature and, from there, to develop and innovate the company’s processes. It’s a link between biology and technology or taking the ecological system into the technological one. Knowledge management Knowledge management has been very important for the main issues surrounding C2C transition. Several knowledge centres were opened to gather information and knowledge on materials and processes. It is not only the operators who have access to this information, but also account managers and local waste managers. These knowledge centres also provide information on where certain knowledge on materials is available and what speci? cs are accessible. 1 2 3 To raise awareness about the need for change. To highlight the momentum for change. To create a willingness to change It is only after you have taken these steps that you can work on the ability to change. The new competences for Van Gansewinkel were primarily change management ones. The main goal is to be able to address the story in a positive way, to tell it simply and convincingly, i. e. the sales pitch. Telling the story is not about selling a product, but about conveying an ideology. The employees have indicated that using the C2C concept adds more depth to their work and energises them. Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 15 Seeing as the company is moving towards a more facilitating position in the materials market, it is focusing more on logistics and purchases. New business opportunities have also arisen, e. g. it’s investigating the possibility of producing and selling recycled glass for the consumer market. The glass industry is reluctant to invest though, so Van Gansewinkel has decided to develop this business on its own. This shows how innovative its new role can be. Additional knowledge on the basic Cradle to Cradle principles is needed for vocational-level competences. The basic ideology has to be embedded, so that employees are able to convey it to others. Employees on the technical site who have a vocational education background have to deal with the concept when working on separation plants. The main part of the machines in the plants is developed within the company. Technical engineers and operators are consulted during the development of new separation lines. This process actually hasn’t changed since C2C has been implemented. The operators are used as part of the developing processes. Only the perspective, goals and market needs have changed. Current developments within the organisation are expected to be temporary, because the transition to C2C is now leading the way. In the future, all the necessary changes will be made. The current change asks for a more project-oriented way of working and for employees to invest more time in it. Over time, however, products in the waste stream will be more and more assembled or degradable. The company wants  Knowledge and education At the moment, the company has to consult others in the new ? elds of expertise required. For the very ? rst time ever, they have three technical university trainees for these ? elds, i. e. Geometrics; Industrial Design, and Energy Sciences and Operation Management Logistics. 16 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® to have its waste processes aligned with these products and material streams by then. At the moment, the company has to deal with different types of material streams. Over the next few years, all technical engineering education needs to focus more on design. Design principles have to be taught to higher education and academic students. C2C principles also impact the organisation. A roadmap 3 has been designed to change facilities, e. g. the vehicles, human resource management (diversity and employing senior personnel,) and to make internal processes more C2C proof. They admit that pursuing these ambitions is sometimes a bit dif? cult ? nancially speaking. Desso is the ? rst carpet manufacturer in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to adopt the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy and they are planning further geographical expansion into Latin America. Their carpets and arti? cial grass will be produced using manufacturing processes that rely on renewable energy, seek to conserve water and embrace social responsibility. Their products are made from environmentally friendly, pure materials that are safe for human 2. 2 Quality personnel DESSO Joris Bressers, Human Resource Advisor (interviewed by Judith van Heeswijk) health and are designed in such a way that they can be biologically or technologically recycled 5 at the end of their useful lives. Prior to formal Cradle to Cradle certi?cation being granted, products, materials and components must all undergo a rigorous assessment procedure. The initial stages of the certi? cation process comprise assessing raw materials in terms of human and environmental health criteria, and evaluating the manufacturing process according to recycling potentials, energy and water use, and social responsibility. EPEA will be supplied with detailed information regarding all the materials involved in DESSO’s products and processes. The future steps towards Cradle to Cradle certi? cation are: List all the chemicals a product contains. All compounds are also separated into their components (the base chemicals). Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 17 Carpet, carpet tile and arti? cial turf manufacturer Desso is one of the leading companies in its ? eld in Europe. Their Business Carpets division manufactures carpets for commercial locations such as of? ces, banks, retail units, public buildings, schools, universities, hospitals and care centres. Point 3 of DESSO’s innovation strategy is its ambition regarding Cradle to Cradle: 4. â€Å"Cradle to Cradle: Developing products and processes that will contribute towards a better environment and better indoor quality. † Material Safety Data Sheets are collected as well as all toxicological and eco toxicological data. EPEA evaluates all chemicals on 12 different criteria and gives an overall assessment, i. e. red, yellow or green. Work on phase-out plans for those chemicals that are given a red assessment. EPEA monitors these plans. DESSO has already launched its innovative EcoBase ® carpet tile backing – enabling the world’s ? rst Cradle to Cradle silver certi? cation for an entire carpet tile product. Competences In 2007, when they started on their Cradle to Cradle journey, DESSO needed additional expertise in the company primarily chemical expertise at the design stage. The marketing department also needed additional expertise on the basic C2C principles, in order to be able to communicate the added value of the certi? ed products. Special technical project teams were set up to develop new machines. The key values encouraged throughout the organisation – and required At this point in time, 90% of DESSO’s polyamide carpet tile collection is Cradle to Cradle certi?ed. 6 from every employee to ensure a successful Cradle to Cradle work method are ‘ownership’, common sense, ambition and integrity. Furthermore, Desso have seen that employees are motivated and driven by being involved in this ambitious, strategic change of direction. A large group of employees from the company from a variety of departments and disciplines were given a training course at EPEA and this expertise has since been transferred into the production processes. EPEA has been contributing to further increasing knowledge within the organisation. The company has found that it is one of  the leaders in implementing the concept and therefore had to discover and tackle a lot of issues themselves in the early stages. 18 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® Employee commitment to the Cradle to Cradle goals is of utmost importance, along with a strong belief in the philosophy. If they see for themselves that implementing it works, and that the market responds positively, that creates great encouragement to move ahead. DESSO created a Cradle to Cradle awareness team tasked with raising awareness on sustainable issues within the organisation, such as waste management. The company strategy places Cradle to Cradle as the top concern for every part of the organisation, and has identi? ed their production processes as the ? rst area to target. education organisations are sometimes not up to speed with the new developments within multinationals. The students are often not fully equipped with essential frontline knowledge. Moreover the multinationals have dif? culty ? nding new employees that can immediately take up a complicated subject like Cradle to Cradle and AkzoNobel needs these kinds of people as their ambition is to belong to the world’s most sustainable multinationals. The company seeks to attract genuinely motivated and interested students. A real compassion is essential, especially when it comes to sustainable issues. AkzoNobel took the initiative to search for those students another way. With some partners (BECO, Royal Cosun, DPI Value 2. 3 Factory of the Future Akzo Nobel Jan Verlaan, Ideation Manager (interviewed by Judith van Heeswijk) Centre, Search, Witteveen+Bos, and DSM), it developed a conceptual production environment based on sustainable principles, in terms of people (equity), planet (ecology) and pro?t (economy), for the total value chain. The aim of this virtual facility is to close the biological and technological cycles of a product and its related manufacturing as much as possible. AkzoNobel has extensive global experience cooperating with educational organisations both on traineeships and on projects. The impression of Jan Verlaan, Ideation manager at AkzoNobel, that universities and higher The critical factor in developing this virtual Factory of the Future 7 is sustainable design, in which Cradle to Cradle principles form the foundation where possible. The facility’s design showcases renewable energy, water management and active materials and transport management. Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® 19 The Factory of the Future demonstrates the feasibility of a typical chemical plant designed according to a continuous loops system, i. e. a production environment based on sustainable principles for a positive footprint. All the partners realise that existing processes have to be redeveloped for sustainable development. Therefore, starting from scratch is essential. The project aims to generate an open concept for the factory, one that can be used by other companies and projects to bene? t society as a whole. The production environment will be suitable for a variety of sustainable products and production lines. The facility will be available as a training centre for users to train employees on new processes and products. The aim is to design not only a sustainable building, but also a sustainable production chain, which requires solutions at a much higher level. The Factory of the Future project also extends into a learning community. Students have to apply for the Honours course, which they follow for six months and which can lead to a graduation project. AkzoNobel reckons it will particularly need people from different disciplines who relate to sustainability. Production chains will become sustainable and will, therefore, change in the near future. Nonetheless, other aspects of enterprise will change. Financing structures, business 20 Inspired by Cradle to Cradle ® models, the legal system, policy, facility management, buildings, training, HR management, etc. ; all of these will change because of the increasing orientation towards sustainability that will become explicit when Cradle to Cradle is introduced into the organisation. They have people with chemical process.

Effects of Alcohol Abuse Essay Example for Free

Effects of Alcohol Abuse Essay Alcoholism means addiction of alcohol; it could explain as a person who could not stop to drink and craving for it. In fact, alcohol abuse can damage a person’s health and life. Alcohol would affect a person’s mind and body that causes the person did wrong thing. Besides, when a person drunk, he or she might not know what they had done. Which mean, when they are drunk, they could not judge what are right and wrong. Consequences, there are many cases happened because of alcohol abuse since alcohol would impact a person’s mind and cause them loss of control and do wrong things. Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse: †¢Slurred or incoherent speech. †¢Poor balance and clumsiness †¢Delayed reflexes †¢Stomach pain, vomiting and nausea †¢Blacking-out †¢Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption Slurred or incoherent speech When a person is drunk, he or she might not be able to speak fluently. In the other words, the person who is drunk might not know what they are talking about because the impact of alcohol. Thus, those people who are drunk are usually slurred or incoherent speech. Poor balance and clumsiness The person who is drunk will get injured easily. It is because alcohol would affect our brain and cause us become clumsiness that we could not balance our body. Furthermore, when we could not control our mind and balance our body, we might fall down or bang the wall easily. As a result, the effect of alcohol abuse will cause us become poor balance and clumsiness. Delayed reflexes Alcohol will make people blur and delayed reflexes action since it impairs our brain driver. Therefore, those people who are drunk might not be able to give respond immediately since the alcohol effects. Hence, alcohol abuse could cause a person delayed reflexes action. Stomach pain, vomiting and nausea The other obvious signs of alcohol abuse are stomach pain, vomiting and nausea. Stomach pain might a sign of stomach cancer which cause by alcohol abuse. When this sign occur, it means the cancer already progressed. It is impossible to get cancer easily, only if the person is an alcoholism victim. Alcohol abuse might cause gastritis which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. In a long run, it will become stomach cancer if the person who ignores the sign. Moreover, drinking too much might also lead to serious effect like vomiting blood. As a result, alcohol is harmful to our health. Blacking-out Black-out happened when an alcoholism victim consumed a large amount of alcohol in a long period. Black out is a serious â€Å"disease† in biological that we categories as brain damage. There are 2 types of blackouts. First of all, inability to recall any memories from the period of intoxication is called â€Å"en bloc blackout†. Which mean, the person who could not remember at all what he or she had done when they drunk. In addition, the second type of blackout is called â€Å"fragmentary blackout† which has ability to recall certain part of intoxication period. It means the person who just can remember certain part of his or her memories when they took a large amount of alcohol. Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption Why people who drunk their face will red? It is because alcohol will enlarge the blood vessels whenever we drink. In addition, alcohol will enlarge the blood vessels until they lose their quality or tone then caused those people who drunk will get a redness face. Furthermore, water in our body and skin will evaporate after a long period of alcohol abuse that cause skin wrinkles. Besides that, alcohol abuse will also reduce the level of vitamin A in our body which is an important vitamin can support skin health.

Cat Food Industry In The UK

Cat Food Industry In The UK By using environmental analysis, it is possible for organizations to recognize existing opportunities and threats for companies, define strategies to best utilizing opportunities and also to minimize the bad consequences of threats (Arabi Parsaeian, 2001). And the most important, the analysis can provide a rational future prediction as a base for future strategy adjustment. The company can forecast the consumer tends in next decade and rearrange its products in order to capture the volatile market share in a long-term perspective. The remote environment has the origin of factors that influencing operating environment. In industry-level analysis, it is necessary to analyze a macro environment of a company and access its performance of competitors responding to external elements. The object of this paper is to analyze remote environment and operating environment of cat food industry at United Kingdom. Part Two will be industry definitions. The industry background will be introduced in Part three at three levels, global market, Western Europe market and UK market. Part Four will be remote environment analysis by using PEST model, followed by operating environment analysis in Part Five by using Porters Five Forces Model. 2. Industry and Product definition200 211 Wikipedia defines Pet food as plant or animal material intended for consumption by pets. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_food) Mintel defines pet food as any foods that are specifically formulated and marketed for pets, including treats (Mintel, 2009). In legislation, pet food means a feeding stuff for pet animals. To achieve the appropriate balance of nutrients pet food, manufacturers blend mixtures of ingredients including meat and fish, with vegetables, cereals, vitamins and minerals to produce foods that will satisfy the nutritional requirements of a pet(PFMA). It is typically sold in pet stores or supermarkets. And pet food is divided into three categories (Figure 2): dog food, cat food and other pet food (i.e. fish food, bird food). Pet Food sells in the form that either prepared or non-prepared. Figure 2 Pet Food Segment In this paper, cat food intends to be defined as food product specifically formulated for feeding of cats. For the purposes of this paper, some further definitions used by Mintel reports are as follows: Wet cat food C including wet canned cat food with a moisture content of 60-85% and semi-moist food with a moisture content of 25-30% and includes complete foods. Dry cat food C has a moisture content of around 10% and includes complete foods Treats and MixersC food supplement for cat. 3. Cat food industry Background 200 475 3.1 Global Cat Food Market Figure 3 (Source: Euromonitor International) According to data from Euromonitor, in 2009, the Global retail value sales of cat food reach US19.6 billion dollars, at a growth rate of 4%. Although Dog food continues to occupy nearly half of pet food and pet care market, cat food market posted a comparable CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 5 % during the period 2004-2008. This indicates that the economic downturn had slight impact on this industry. However, the rising rates of house repossessions contribute to the decline in the pet populations, especially in western economies. The recession caused the lack of consumer confidence which lead to backward sales of the whole cat food market at 2008, but the global market is still growing in 2009 as the ongoing trend of pet humanization that consumers want value-added products that extend both the quality and length of the pets life. 3.2 Western European Cat food Market Figure 4 The Western European market is the biggest in cat food consumption. In this region, there has been seen a strong tend towards polarisation between premium and economy cat food brands, with mid-priced products increasingly being squeezed between them. (Euromonitor) However, as shown in Figure 4, the trend of polarization eased during 2007 and 2009. Although premium cat food still bear a large portion, Consumers tend to be prices-sensitive that economy cat food ranges grow rapidly. Figure 5 Wet products remain dominant in Western Europe but dry products sales are growing. According to data from Euromonitor, the gap between wet and dry cat food continues to narrow. In 2005, wet food accounted for 55.5% of all cat food retail sales, but this figure is predicted to decline to 51.1% in 2009. 3.2 UK Cat food Market In 2009, the value sales of the whole cat food market reach ?996 million In the UK (Euromonitor). It is the largest market of Europe in the cat food sector. The consumer base for cat food is significant with 9.7 million cat owners. And cat population rose up to 10.5 million in 2009, from 10.2 million in 2008. The growth rate is mere 0.4% largely due to the real estate crisis in 2008. A large number of homeowners opt to give up houses that they can no longer pay off the mortgage, and some of them have to give up their pets since they have no ability to take care of them. This is also the case happened in dog food market. As a result, UK suffered great in dog and cat population (Figure 6), while Germany take the advantage and grow rapidly in this segment. Figure 6 However, the volume of product sold was flat, because consumers preferred smaller portion sizes as pouches to cans. Premium and super premium foods took increasing shares of the market, causing the general increase in the unit price. 4. Macro environment Analysis (PEST) 2500 4.1 Understanding PEST model 364 Understanding the macro environment of a certain business is vital for the reason that the managers can forecast the market tends and take advantages of the opportunities and minimize the threats by strategy adjustment. In the analysis of the macro-environment for an industry, it is of importance to identify the major factors that the companies are facing and that might influence the organizations internal operation such as supply and demand levels and its costs (Kotter and Schlesinger, 1991; Johnson and Scholes, 1993). Some models are developed to indentify the vast number of possible issues that might affect an industry. The PEST analysis is a useful tool to understand the whole trend of the environment in which the industry is operating. PEST analysis stands for factors as Political, Economic, Social-culture and Technological forces to influence the business macro environment. Sometimes two other factors (environmental and legal), can be added to form a PESTEL analysis model. In PEST analysis, Political factors include government policies and regulations to the industry, taxation, laws, trade restrictions and tariffs etc. The economic factors concerns changes in the wider economy such as economic growth or decline, interest rates, disposable income, exchange rates and inflation, etc. Social-culture factors refer to demographic, age distribution, social welfare, population growth rate, changes in lifestyle and consumer buying patterns, etc. The technological factors relate to the development in technology such as application of new inventions, RD activity, automation, etc. PEST analysis can be effective for business and strategic planning, marketing, product development and research reports. Kotler (1998) claims that PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. The analysis examines the impact of these factors on the industry. Byars (1991) believes that PEST analysis results can be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make contingency plans for threats when preparing business and strategic plans. Porter (1985) also indentifies by using PEST analysis, the company can be aligned positively with the powerful factors of change and making decisions to fight against. Therefore, in this part, PEST analysis model will be used to explore the remote environment of the cat food industry at United Kingdom. 4.2 Apply PEST to Cat food Industry and Results 4.3 Understanding External Competition 4.3.1 Political 500 643 Cat food enjoys the political policies under the pet food category. Pet food industry is highly regulated and follows a number of industry codes and guidance to help manufacturers fulfill their obligations to manufacture safe pet food. (PFMA) There are more than 50 pieces of legislation governing the manufacture of pet food. As pet food is manufactured and distributed in the same way as human food, some legislation governing human food is equally applicable to pet food. Manufactures must ensure products are safe for cats, required by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). All legislation applicable to pet food originates from the EU in the form of Regulations, Directives and Decisions which are subsequently implemented into UK national law. (PFMA) It is indicated that Pet foods are subject to stricte legislation in the UK. It is able to ensure the safety and quality of products. For example, The Feeding Stuffs Regulations 2005 and The Animal By-Products Regulations 2005. A nd the legislation covering pet food ingredients requires that pet food involving meat based ingredients from animals should take veterinary inspections to make sure that it is qualified for pet consumption. The cat food market has been benefit for those regulations and the market predicts to be stable under political environment. Therefore, it will add confidence for consumers when purchasing these products for their cats. There are also a number of codes of practice to be followed by some association (FEDIAF, The European Pet Food Manufacturers Association) members in this industry which in some cases exceed legislative requirements. For example, since 2005, the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation believes that feed safety is considered at all stages of the production for pet food. The rules cover all processes relating to the manufacturing of the pet food, such as hygiene requirement, record-keeping, etc. The EU Feed Hygiene Regulation Commission recognized the FEDIAF Guide to Good Practice for the Manufacture of Safe Pet Foods and implemented the rules in 2010. These guides should be followed by all members of the community. It covers the detailed requirement of the nutritional needs for cats and dogs at different life stages. Members of the PFMA (UK Pet Food Manufacturers Association) follow the FEDIAF (The European Pet Food Manufacturers Association) Nutritional Guidelines when making pet foods. The guidel ines are updated at a regular frequency to include the latest nutritional research and are peer reviewed by independent nutrition experts throughout Europe. (PFMA) The new Animal Welfare Act came into effect in 2007 and was the first overhaul of pet law during the last 94 years. It sounds a piece of new to the cat food industry that pet welfare are becoming more and more important in the view of pet owners. BBC news broadcasted, The Act raises penalties for cruelty from the previous maximum of six months in prison or a ?5,000 fine, is the most significant new law on animal welfare for 94 years. For the first time, it legally reinforces the duty of care for pet animals. The duty of care includes that animals have a proper diet, are housed with or apart from other animals according to their need, have the ability to express normal behavior and are protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease. This rule is in accordance with the recent trend of pet Humanization that people tend to treat their pets as members of family. It indicates that cat food manufacturers are facing challenging that they need to forecast the trend of consumer consumption and make innovations. For example, it is the recent trend that consumers prefer organic food for pets. The new act also increases age from 12 to 16 for buying a pet. The cat food market sales will be suffered under this regulation; although no evidence has been released that to what extent it would be impact on the cat food sales. 4.3.2 Economic 500 378 (EURO) Strong economic growth drove surge in dog and cat populations in some markets According to Euromonitor International research, the cat populations have been rising steadily during the year from 2004 to 2009(Figure 7). The annual growth rate is 4% from 2004 to 2008. It is partly the result of strong growth in disposable income, and in large part as a result of rising residential property values. The real GDP growth averaged 2.7% in the UK between 2003 and 2007. There is a merely 1% growth from 2008 to 2009 as a consequence of real estate crisis. In the pet ownership, dog is the dominant pet in the percentage of owning households. But cat ownership has been increased from 21% to 25% of the total. However, the growth is not the possible future trend, for there is only 0.4% growth from 2008 to 2009. Figure7 Cat Population in the UK from 2004 to 2009 Figure 8 Cat Owning Households: % Analysis 2004-2009 During the latter part of 2008, economic plunged as the effects of steep decline in residential property values. Huge numbers of consumers who purchase houses at inflated prices found themselves unable to maintain the mortgages during 2007 and 2008. It caused the bankrupt of many financial services, and lead to economic recession. Millions of people lose their homes, and unemployment is rising rapidly in UK. This leads to the significant problem of pet abandonment in the UK. According to the reports of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the number of abandoned animals rose by 57% in 2008. The number of abandoned cats rose by 50% and has remained elevated during early 2009. This has impact on the cat population and forms the reason for the slow rate of growth of cat food sales during this period. Trends towards Premiumisation were apparent in the cat food market. Cat owners prefer to single serve pouches to feed their cats. This format gets popular due to its convenience through single-use disposable style. It can ease of storage and serving. It is reported to be more gently cooked in these products than canned food. They perceive these as offering better quality food. Consumers are becoming more concerned with value for money. Many manufacturers are adding value to their mid-range brands by introducing new gourmet recipes and revamping packaging. 4.3.3 Social-culture500 650 Figure ? UK Household size, 2003-2013 From 2003, one-person household grow rapidly. Although two person household have been the major style, there is a sharp increase in one person household at the average growth rate of 5.12 from 2003 to 2008. People keep pets in the feeling of loneliness and Pets are increasingly considered a valued member of the family. Owners tend to have stronger bonds with their cats and often more of a sense of guilt at leaving their pets alone for long periods of time. According to the research of PFMA, 31% people keep pets for love, and 27% for companionship. (Euromonotor)Therefore, the trend to humanize the pets has emerged. The increasing rise of humanization promotes sales in the cat food sector, either in treats or gourmet foods. And it continues to be a driving force in sales of pet food and product development. Owners are caring pet health and chose organic, natural healthy cat food. Premium and super premium foods continue to represent larger portions of the cat food market. The trend of Premiumization cause general increase in unit prices per kilogram. But the volume growth has been flat as consumers switched from canned products to pouches with smaller portion sized. As their emotional attachments with their cats, owners want to care for the health and longevity of their cats by turning to this healthy recipe. In the UK this overall performance was largely driven by the wet category while the dry format is not popular and facing heavy discounting activity within supermarkets. In contrast with the global trend, wet cat food performs better than dry, with the wet cat food representing 74% of the overall cat food market. Its dry offering just has 22% in comparison. The popularity of wet cat food may relay on the different eating habits between cats and dogs. Similarly, the different eating preference lead to the popularity of single serve pouches that in line with the preference of cat food by cats. However, this single-use disposable format is providing the convenience to cat owners. It also offers the owners with a wider range of flavors to select for their small cat. But due to overfeeding and under-exercising, Pet obesity is rising with an estimated one in three household pets now overweight. The changing busy lifestyle of people causes the pets to be confined within home for long periods, and without enough exercise. Pet obesity is rather serious in cat for the gentle nature of cats than dog. In this case, Low-fat versions of products emerged such as specialized calorie controlled foods, foods according to levels of activity, and dietary supplements. (Mintel) Furthermore, prepared cat food sales remain high at 88%, even outperforming the sales in dog food market. The eating of cat is not easy to catch that the cat owners seek to convenient options to satisfy the cats. The prepared gap1 ratio in the UK is very high compared with other market, that it indicates a mature cat food market with less space for potential growth than that in developing market. According to Euromonitor, the high purchase of prepared products suggests little room for renewed growth in economy and mid-priced categories, since it is hard to develop new owners left to promote the sales. Convenience is a major driver for many owners in busy lifestyle. In terms of distribution within cat food market, the vast majority of pet foods continue to be distributed by large supermarkets as consumers seek convenience in one-stop shopping venues. Grocery retailers dominate the channels with 75% of value sales in 2008.People can select all arranged cat food in supermarkets, either premium or economy offerings. However, the sales of premium cat food is largely due to pet superstores and veterinary clinics, for the reason that the face-to-face recommendation of a pet expert is a key factor in encouraging pet owners to trade up to more premium products for their cats.(Mintel) 4.3.4 Technological500 419 It is acknowledged that the market was driven by technological innovation. Although economic recession has impacted new product development, it also brings challenges and opportunities. The pet food market has proved to be less impact by economic downturns, as the recent report says that consumers tend to not turn to cut the budget for their pets in case of the distressing economic circumstances. Consumers will cut down the spending over holidays, travels, and luxury buying habbites other than considering the already tiny budget in cat food. Report says that those who used to purchase premium pet food will continue this buying, while those used to purchase mid-priced and economy products are likely to be suffered. They are more price-sensitive. Pet food manufacturers respond to this trend by adding value to customers and give more benefits in their cost base. Cutting price is not usually a good idea in pet food in terms of establishing brand loyalty. Manufacturers are focusing on innovation by adding more value to mid-ranged products to maintain the sales from this group. However, premium and super premium foods continue to represent larger portions of the cat food market. The trend for owners to humanize their pets shows that human food trend leads the innovation of pet food trend. New technology focused on making production more natural, with more organic ingredients, and more close to human tastes. Many pet food manufacturers are launching new products in line with this trend by adding resemble human meal ingredients to offer human grade product to pet consumption, especially in the sector of wet cat food(Euromonitor). For the customers with affluent buying power, they are willing to spend on the high qualified pet products and apply the nutritional needs in the pet diets. Manufacturers seize their attention by producing products with more organic ingredients, free of additive and ethical standardized. In 2009, the sales of cat treats have grown at a current value of 4%. The humanization trend to the pet indulgence results the pushing sale of functional treats (Euro. Mintel). It is aligned with the increasing specification of cat food in different age groups as well as the detailed categorization of pet food with different nutritional needs. Although the sales of cat treats in not a necessary product and shares only small portion of cat food industry, manufactures are extending this market by the real estimate of little future growth in the mature cat food market in the UK. Future innovations and technology are seen in this particular product range. 5. Micro Environment Analysis (Poters five forces Model) 2600 The micro environment analysis of a certain industry concerns the internal competition within the industry by evaluating the performance among competitors. The operational Environment of the companies can be analyzed through the structural analysis by using Porters five forces analysis. 5.1 Understanding Porters Five Force Model 400 There are many methods concerning the analysis of organizational economic competitive advantage. The most popular and available tool in the operating environment analysis is Porters five forces analysis. It is developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. Porters five forces analysis is a framework for the industry structural analysis and business strategy development. According to Porter (1980), the five forces are served in understanding the micro environment of industry, in which the company is influenced in its ability to serve the customers and maximize the profit. As shown in Figure ?, the model identifies five factors of pressure within an industry including intensity of rivalry, threats of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, substitute threats and bargaining power of suppliers. It uses concepts that derive the five forces to determine the competitive intensity and the possible changes among industry competitors. It will provide evidence for company to reassess the volatile marketplace. Figure? Porters Five Force Analysis Pattern As is discussed above, the competitive nature of an industry is strongly affected by suggested Porters five forces. The detailed evaluation elements of each factor are shown in Figure ?. However, it is not the five factors that determine the structure of the industry, but to indentify it and make use of the markets. The structure of the industry itself plays a vital role in the environment. By recognizing this fact, I am going to explore the operating environment of cat food industry at United Kingdom by using Porters Five Forces analysis model. The objective of this task is to present the micro environment inside the industry and competitive arena among competitors. 5.2 Applying the five forces model and Results 200 A five forces analysis allows an organisation to consider the relative attractiveness of different industry sectors when making strategic choices about exiting or entering particular sectors and markets. Close analysis of these forces can allow an organisation to find a position in the sector where it can best defend itself against them or, most effectively, influence them 5.3Understanding the internal competition 5.3.1Competitive Rivalry 400 Porter describe that competitive rivalry was to analyze the intensity of competition between existing companies within an industry. Industries with high competitive pressure will impose pressure on prices, sales margins, and even on profitability for the single unit in the industry. According to the data collected from the Euromonitor International, the UK cat food market was dominated by the two companies, Nestl Purina Ltd and Masterfoods UK Ltd, as shown in Figure?. In 2008, Nestl Purina contained about 35% value share, followed by Masterfoods with approximate 33%. They are equally balanced in the UK cat food market. Figure ? Cat Food Company Shares at UK in 2008 It means that the competition would be very high in this industry for the two giant retailers: Nestl Purina Ltd and Masterfoods UK Ltd. The entry barriers in the cat food industry are very high. As a result, the potential growth of individual company would be largely depending on the RD (PFMA 2009). The pressure coming from the market and looking for opportunities for progress is the main reason that companies in this industry initiates the competition. Nestl S.A. is a global organization with headquarters based on Switzerland. Nestl Purina Pet Care Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nestl S.A.. As undoubtedly the global leader in this market, the company reported sales at US$3 billion during 2008, with 11.5% organic growth and 5% internal growth at an annual rate. (Mintel) It is largely due to the sales of resilient market for premium and super-premium Purina brands. Nestl Purina led the UK cat food market with a 35% share of cat food with the brand as Felix, Go Cat and Purina ONE. Nestl Purina attributes its success to continued innovation and new product development across a range of price brackets. This behaviour attracts those consumers who are pursuing the specialized and healthy food for cats. It is viewed as a key driver of market growth. As a family owned company, Mars Incorporated operates six business segments including Chocolate, Pet Care, Wrigley Gum and Confections, Food, Drinks and Sym-bioscience. The company is also operating a global business, generating annual revenues of over US$28 billion. Masterfoods Pet Care followed closely to Nestl Purina at the second place with a 33% value share at UK cat food market. According to the Mintel reports, the success of Mars is supported by its key brands of Whiskas and Kitekat with brand shares of 26% and 4% respectively in 2008. Figure ? Cat Food Company Shares 2004-2008 As shown in Figure?,the seller concentration in this industry is very high. The major tow competitors are equally balanced. Mas has been performed better than Nestl Purina during the period form 2004 to the mid of 2007. There is no obvious gap between them. However, the Mars lose some shares in the market at 2008. The sales of the two companies are fairly static, giving out an impression of little space to grow. Moreover, other firms are struggling in this sector with mere share growth in the market. Fortunately, the competition in this market is stable, and the general unit price on cat food product is modest without massive fluctuations. It would be a very good aspect, since if price reduction happens in one firm, it will be rapidly followed by other competitors and consequently have impact on all companies income (Sadeghi, 2004). Given an increasing demand for more natural and convenient products in the market, the competition inside is very high. Exiting firms mainly focused on innovation to achieve expansion. Nestl Purina Ltd increased its market share by 0.7% from 2004, due to its launched premium brand Purina One. (Euromonitor 2009a) Hills Pet Nutrition Ltd, with 1.2% growth in its market value from 2004, launched series products in kitten, adult and senior range. (Euromonitor 2009a) It also had some innovation in packaging (Mintel 2006). Firms won better market position through advertising and promotion as well. Town and Country Petfoods Ltd twice its market shares since 2004, based on TV campaign and promotion. (Mintel 2006) It launched a premium brand HiLife with adverting and promotion more than ?1m in 2005. (Mintel 2006) Furthermore, incumbents worked on improving service. Oscar Pet Food UK provided face-to-face service, even home visit. (Precision 2003) In 2005, Town and Country Petfoods Ltd re-laun ched its website to delivery product information and professional advice online. (Mintel 2006) In addition, firms achieved expansion by merger and acquisition. Early 2001, Nestl bought Purina for ?10b, and then launched Purina One in the UK market.( David 2004) Six month later, Masterfood bought EUs largest nutritional pet food manufacture, Royal Canin. (David 2004) 5.3.2 Threat of substitute400 5.3.3 Buyer power400 Entrenched brand loyalty provides challenges and opportunities for retailers While tentative signs of economic stabilisation have begun to emerge during the second half of 2009, global consumer sentiment remains for the most part fragile. With unemployment continuing to rise (albeit at a slower pace than previously), household debt levels elevated and disposable household income still depressed, consumers are likely to retain a heightened sensitivity to price for some time. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for retailers, particularly in pet food, as consumers in this segment are unusually brand loyal. As a result, larger retailers, particularly pet superstores, may continue to gain market share by leveraging the economies of scale they enjoy by offering consumers their favourite pet food brands at a cheaper price, rather than attempting to market cheaper alternatives to them. 5.3.4 Supplier power400 Private label remains vulnerable to rising costs Nor has the ability to raise prices been confined to the upper end of the market. Canadian-based private label pet food manufacturer Menu Foods scraped back into profitability during the first quarter of 2009 for the first time since the March 2007 recall. It earned US$54,000 (compared with a year-earlier loss of US$2.2 million) on sales of US$84.1 million, up 51.3% year-on-year. This increase was largely due to three price increases that totalled almost 14%. However, these price increases may not be sustainable in the short term. According to the company, as a consequence of our price increases, a number of customers whose volume represented 6.7% of total volume in the first quarter advised that they will stop buying from Menu during the second quarter. This demonstrates that private label manufacturers remain at a fundamental disadvantage to manufacturers of branded products in terms of their ability to sustain higher pricing. In Europe, private label manufacturer Provimi Group is experiencing similar difficulties. Provimi, which sells pet food throughout Western and Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, reported a 9.9% year-on-year increase in pet food sales during the first quarter, attributing this increase to a growing demand for private label products. However, it stated that its profit margins on pet food were negatively impacted by a sharp increase in the cost of cans that the Group was not able to pass on to its customers. 5.3.5 Barrier of new entry/threat of entry400 A few firms achieved to enter the cat food market successfully during the last decade. They operated mainly in three ways. First, these firms expanded into this market on the base of their original business. They are enjoying the benefits of the background in the pet products industry before. For example, Butchers Pet Care Ltd originally produced dog food only. In 2000, it successfully entered the cat food market by introducing new cat food product. (Euromonitor 2009f) Second, they entered by ways of merging or acquiring incumbents. In 1999, PG entered UK pet food market through acquisition of Imas, which is a historical pet food company established in 1946. (Mintel 2006) Third, they accessed to the market using own brand and labe

National Debt :: Argumentative Economics Economy Papers

National Debt Who is to blame for amassing such debt in times of peace and relative prosperity, a debt that would have shamed our nation's founders? ALL OF US! First there was the Republican presidents of Ronald Reagan and George Bush who lacked simple economic sense, calculated their budgets more for political gain than for economic effect. While the Democrats controling Congress who resisted the spending cuts and tax increases needed to balance the budget. Last and most important the voters who supported the candidates of both parties who kept telling us what we wanted to hear instead of what we needed to hear. Every year, the federal government spends more than it collects in taxes. To make up the differences, the government borrows hundreds of billions of dollars annually, competing in the marketplace against private enterprise for the use of the money saved by American citizens. The deficit amounts to $1,150 for every single American. That is the sum your government borrowed on your behalf last year, whether you wanted them to or not. We will continue our viscious cycle of having to raise taxes, cut spending, and borrow more and more money to pay interest upon interest. Yes, I feel the Republican Plan should be vetoed just because they are planning to make those draconian cuts into our social fabric. And of those social fabrics is education for our future children. They want to cut spending in education, raise taxes, and give tax breaks for the rich. It helps only the rich voters who support the Republicans and gives more money to the Republicans for government spending. And does nothing for the