Lincoln Electric Case Study :: GCSE Business Management BTEC Coursework

Lincoln Electric Case Study The Lincoln Electric Company is the world’s largest manufacturer of arc welding products and a leading producer of industrial electric motors. Their key competency is achieving higher worker productivity. Every year the company has seen high profits and bonuses. Employee morale and productivity remains very good and employees are very loyal to the company. The company also puts customers goals as top priority. Organization Structure This is a very organic organization. They do not have a formal organization chart in this company because they want to ensure maximum flexibility. They have an open-door policy in which employees take problems to the people that are most capable of solving them. Routine supervision is almost nonexistent. Lincoln has a fairly flat organization in which there are usually two or three levels of supervision between production workers and the president. Employees are evaluated on quality, dependability, ideas and cooperation, and output. They also have great job security, while also being able to participate in decision-making. Problem identification Lincoln Electric does not really seem to have any big problems in their current operations while working under an organic structure, but one problem seems to be the lack of attention that the stockholders get. At Lincoln, the stockholders are given last priority. The whole philosophy behind this is that they think that it will be more profitable than investing money in any other way. Alternatives considered Alternatives for this company is to work towards making some of their activities mechanistic while keeping some functions organic. The other alternative is to keep the company going as is with no change. If there is no problem to be fixed, than don’t try fixing it, since it will result in more problems. Once some Harvard Business School researchers made up an organization chart for the company and the management felt that it had a disruptive effect. One big item that they want to consider is to pay a little more attention to the stockholders, which are financing the company. Alternatives selected and rationale The alternative selected is to keep the company going like it is with the organic structure.

Family Business Essay

Family business are businesses that are created from their founding fathers of that era, if may evolve from small businesses into big enterprises. Family business is playing a very important part in the economy of Malaysia; the reason is that more than half of the Gross Domestic Product of Malaysia is from the family businesses that are conducted in Malaysia. For example The Genting group and The Berjaya group are two of the most famous family businesses that are conducted in Malaysia. The following are the issues and challenges that are faced by family businesses in Malaysia. The first challenge and issue that affects family businesses in Malaysia is succession planning which is choosing the next successor for the business after the current successor retires or passed away. Choosing a successor is one of the biggest challenges and is often faced by family businesses in Malaysia. Choosing a successor is hard because there are many factors that need to be considered before delegating him or her to be the successor of the family business. The first factor is of course the capability of the potential successor, to see whether he or she is up to standard andable to handle the responsibility that is about to be passed onto to see whether they qualify for the position. The second factor is that the potential successor must have certain amount of knowledge about the business and must know every part of operation of the business in details. The potential successor must also have very good management skills and have a good relationship with everyone involved in the business in order to have smoother process when sharing business ideas. The second challenge and issue that affects the family businesses in Malaysia is family disputes which is the harmony between family members and also within the business. The reason why it is one of the challenges and issues is because some of the family members or people involved in the business are always jealous of each other, or they are angry because of the decisions made which they are unfair, which will then results in political issues happening in the business which can greatly affect the outcome of the business, and sometimes it may be serious until it can tear down the whole business. So that is why it is very hard to keep the family and business at harmony all the time. However, if they are able to do so, it will help improve the communications between family members and also people involved in the business so that they can share out their feelings and the conflicts more openly so that the conflict can be solved in a way that will benefit the family and the business. The third challenge and issue that affects the family businesses in Malaysia is professionalism which is capability of keeping the family business up and running for a long term. This is a very hard challenge for all the family businesses out there in Malaysia because it has many factors to look at in order to keep the family business in one piece, because family businesses often faced with conflicts between one another sometimes because of the informal business structure, like there are no roles given formally which then allows everyone can step into each other territory in the business structure which is also known as invading other’s personal workspace. The other reason is because of the non-systematic work which is caused by bad operation control which can greatly impact the operation of the family business. However, if management is in good control and the organizational structure is complete and the objective and goals is the same and shared by everyone, the efficiency of the family business will sure improve a lot. Staff training can also improve the professionalism of the family business. The fourth challenge and issue that affects the family businesses in Malaysia is leadership which is basically the compass for the direction of the family business. It is very hard for family business to have good leadership because it involves leading, involving, and also motivating the people in the family business so that they share the same goal. So, if the leader of the family business is strong, then the chance of the business to succeed will surely be very high. The first thing is that the good leader must have the stamina and the passion to lead. Besides that, the leader must have a wide knowledge of the economy and also the industry itself so that he or she can direct a most beneficial way for the family business to approach and also giving a sense of common purpose. Lastly, the leader must have power to control the people in the family business and tell them what is the plan and what they need to do. The last challenge and issue that affects the family businesses in Malaysi a is fair compensation which also includes fair treatment to the people involved in the family business. The reason why this is a common issue in family business is because that the family members always tend to treat their own family member better and they also make bias decision most of the time. The most common problem is the payment and the salary of the people in family business. People who are the family member often get better pay which then the other people will feel cheated and mistreated at the same time. Then they will feel alienated by the family members of the family business, which will then greatly affect the earning capability of the business. Although there are quite some challenges and issues faced by family business in Malaysia, but if those family businesses can overcome the challenges and issues that are stated above, then their family business will surely be stable and run for a long time. Reference List: 1. http://www.ukm.my/ajag/vol2ch2.pdf 2. http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/862-family-business-challenges.html 3. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/02/02/asias-family-businesses-face-new-challenges/ 4. http://familybusiness.about.com/od/managementandoperations/a/commonthreats.htm 5. http://www.isb.edu/FamilyBusiness/File/challengesfacedbyindian.pdf

Hotel and Theme Park

Earlier this year, my mum and dad decided that we would be going to Benidorm for a week at the beginning of the summer holidays. My sister, Tara and I were so excited for the holiday that we immediately started counting down the days even though it was April and we wouldn't be going until the end of June/start of July. The months leading up to the holiday was a whirlwind of planning what we were taking and what we were going to do while we were there. Finally the day came and we were getting up at 3 am so we could get ready and catch the 6 o’clock plane from Edinburgh airport to Alicante airport.I remember bouncing in my seat in excitement while we were landing and letting out a squeal of happiness when we were safely on the ground and free to leave exit the plane. The first thing I felt when I departed the plane was the complete relaxation that the searing sun on my face brought to me. All too soon we were sitting in an overcrowded bus that would take us all to our different hotels. Our hotel was one of the first few stops as we were relatively close to the beach.On first look, the hotel (which I cannot for the life of me remember the name of) looked pretty standard. It wasn’t horrible looking however it didn't look like the Ritz. However, once I got inside I was taken aback by how classy the reception area was. I couldn't help but wonder if our room would be just as classy and lovely as the reception area. My answer to that particular question was no. The room was nice enough considering we wouldn't be spending much time in there but I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the size of our room.The thing I enjoyed the most about our room was surprisingly the bathroom, the lighting in there was absolute perfection for getting ready in the morning and evening and the shower was to die for! I could just feel all the tension in my shoulders wash away while in that shower. Our first day in Benidorm wasn’t all that eventful, Tara and I spe nt most of our day out by the pool swimming (Tara) and soaking up some vitamin D (me).Eventually we had to leave the pool at about 8 o’clock for dinner which  would be starting soon. The dinner the hotel served was extraordinary! It was as if they had taken a dish from every country in the world and put it into a buffet where we could just take whatever tickled our fancy! Day two of our holiday of found us spending the day sunbathing at the beach and swimming in the sea. The water was a beautiful clear blue colour and the sand was golden. The highlight of day two for me though were the peaches that my dad bought at a fruit stall while we were walking down to the beach.They were the largest and juiciest peaches I had ever had and kept my stomach content until dinner time. On the third and fourth days of our time in Benidorm were spent in the theme park â€Å"Terra Mitica† which translates to ‘mythical land’. The theme park was split into 5 different parts : Egypt, Greece, Iberia, the Islands and Rome. Each area had their own rides and shows. Personally my favourite part was of the theme park was the boat ride around the park as it was decorated magically. Day five found us exploring the old and new town and the shops that they offered.We found a boat ride that would take us to Benidorm Island and while there we walked all the way to the top of the hill and down again which in the blistering heat was a very difficult feat to accomplish. The next day was spent at a secluded beach that we found while exploring the town. This beach was a little bit different to the main beach though, as there were fish swimming in the water with us. Our last day in Benidorm was spent at a marine animal park, â€Å"Mundomar† where we watched a bird, sea lion and dolphin show, looked at turtles/tortoises, lemurs, monkeys and seals and had our pictures taken with dolphins.It was the perfect ending to the holiday that had undoubtedly been the best hol iday of my life. With our glowing tans, souvenirs and pictures that needed to be uploaded onto Facebook, we boarded the plane that would take us back to Edinburgh, I couldn't help but feel disheartened by the fact that we were leaving this incredible, stunning and warm place and going back home to dreary Scotland! But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Mephistopheles

Literature offers a great beginning to anything. From literature come so many ideas and characters that can fill up one’s imagination and carry on a certain tradition for ages. Many supernatural characters, like demons, have eventually been carried over from old literature. An example of one would be Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles is one of the seven chief demons from hell (Faust). He was originally featured in European literature traditions, German to be exact (Wikipedia). He starts as a cruel and cold-hearted fictional character, in the Legend of Faust, and carries on making appearances in other novels, plays, and songs.The name Mephistopheles came from Hebrew, where Mephitz means â€Å"destroyer† and tophel means â€Å"liar† (Etymonline). Others believe Mephistopheles may also mean â€Å"he who shuns the light† (White Roses Garden). The Legend of Faust by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, written in 1773, introduces the character of Mephistopheles (Donald Tys on). Mephistopheles is a shape shifter who can shape into many forms, and his main purpose in the legend is to destroy and tempt Faust (White Roses Garden).Basically, he tries to trick Faust into selling his soul (Faust). Through Goethe’s book, he is known as a â€Å"fallen angel† as he clearly states to Faust† (Faust). â€Å"A late comer in the infernal hierarchy, Mephistopheles never became an integral part of the tradition of magic and demonology that predated by him for thousands of years. Mephistopheles achieves tragic grandeurs as he is torn between satanic pride and dark despair† (Encyclopedia Britannica). Other than the Faust legend, the name Mephistopheles is mentioned in various forms of modern culture. He takes place as â€Å"Mephistophilus† in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor (Act 1, Sc 1, line 128) and in a book by John Banville (1911 Encyclopedia).The name Mephistopheles has been mentioned in songs by Radiohead, Watain, the Police, and much more. He is all too familiar in television and movies like: SNL, Family Guy, South Park, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and Ghost Rider. Mephistopheles also occurs in video games, board games, operas, comics, stage plays, and other literature (Wikipedia). â€Å"Mephistopheles is one of the demons of hell according to Christian literature and legend. He is mentioned in virtually every version of the Faust story as the infernal agent who entices the scholar to sell his soul to the devil† (White Roses Garden).This name has become well known and been mentioned in several forms of modern and pop culture (Faust). â€Å"The host of hell has also inspired numerous plays, paintings, and works of music† (White Roses Garden). Mephistopheles is a character who can be used in many forms of culture and has been created from the Legend of Faust. His dark and brooding personality makes him stand out, and it is likely that he will be remembered for generations to come .Works Cited Changeri, Heather. â€Å"Mephistopheles. † White Roses Garden. 2007. October 11, 2010 Harper, Douglas. â€Å"Mephistopheles. † Etymonline. 2010. October 10, 2010 n. p. â€Å"Mephistopheles. † Wikipedia. October 8, 2010. October 13, 2010 n. p. â€Å"Mephistopheles. † Faust. 2006. October 11, 2010 n. p. â€Å"Mephistopheles. † Encyclopedia  Britannica. 2008. Encylopedia Britannica Online. October 13, 2010. n. p. â€Å"Mephistopheles† 1911 Encyclopedia. 2009. 1911 Encyclopedia Online. October 11, 2010. n. p. â€Å"List of Cultural References of Mephistopheles† Wikipedia. 12 September 2010. October 19, 2010. < http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_cultural_references_to_Mephistopheles> Tyson, Donald. â€Å"Mephistopheles† Donald Tyson. n. d. October 21, 2010.

Natureview Farm

Table of Contents Introduction2 Main Issues3 Company Background3 Natureview’s Profile Products4 Market Trends Analysis for organic product4 Yogurt Market Trends5 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Packaging6 Yogurt Market Segmentation by region7 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Competitors8 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel10 SWOT Analysis10 Analysis of Strategic planning Options11 Recommendations14 References14 Introduction Fundamentally, this paper is about our findings of the Natureview Farm’s case study.In order to understand comprehensively about this company, we need to investigate further for the company’s past and current activities which is it will affect future growth of the company. All of this information is imperative to us in decision making process. Moreover, we could also make a decision what is the best strategy for the Natureview Farm. To understand thoroughly about the company, we need to: * Analyze the company's history, development, and growth. * Analyze the external environment. * Evaluate the SWOT analysis. Explain each option of the Natureview Farm based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. * Make recommendations. Main Issues Currently the company faced a new challenge situation – to identify the best marketing plan in order to grow revenues by over 50% before the end of 2001. The main focus of the company was whether to expand into the supermarket channel to achieve their expected revenue. A decision which would represent a major departure from the company’s established channel strategy and which would impact every aspect of Natureview’s business.Company Background Established in 1989, Natureview Farm is a small yogurt manufacturer which emphasizes the use of natural ingredients and a special process that gave the yogurt its unique smooth, creamy texture without the artificial thickeners which produces high quality yogurt. The yogurt was manufactured at the Natureview farm producti on facility in Cabot, Vermont started with 2 sizes of cup in two flavours- plain and vanilla. The sizes of cup are 8-ounce (Oz) and 32-ounce (Oz).Natureview Farm’s revenue had growth from less than $100,000 to 13Millions as reported in income statement 1999. Because of the emphasize of natural ingredients and it strong reputation for high quality and great taste help the company to grow up to national distribution went on to attain leadership in nature food. By the year 2000, the company producing 12 refrigerated yogurt flavours in 8-Oz and 4 flavours in 32-Oz. The company had also started exploring Multipack yogurt products for the child package in 4-Oz cup and yogurt package in tubes.Even though in 1997, Jim Wagner as Chief financial Officer has recommendation to arrange for an equity infusion from a venture capital firm to fund strategic investments are successful, the investor now needed cash out of its investment in Natureview. Now Natureview management has faced critica l problem and need to find another investor itself because their current goal is to increase revenues to $20 million before the end of 2001. * Natureview’s Profile Products Yogurt is a dairy product, the result of milk fermented in a carefully controlled environment.Special bacteria added to the milk change its texture and give yogurt its unique health properties – it is a good source of calcium and improves digestion. Below are the criteria of the nature’s product: 1. Natureview yogurt flavour and texture was the company’s founder’s family yogurt recipe, the recipe used natural ingredient and no artificial thickeners which produce great and high quality taste. 2. The company used milk from cows untreated with rGBH, an artificial growth hormone that increased milk production. 3.Because of their special process and ingredient, Natureview life span on the shelf was 50 days longer compared to other competition’s only 30 days. 4. Natureview has 12 refrigerated yogurt flavour in 8-Oz and four flavours in 32-Oz cups. Market Trends Analysis for organic product 1. The organic foods market, worth $6. 5 billion in 1999, was predicted to grow to $13. 3 billion in 2003. 2. Generally, organic product consumer tended to have higher incomes, have more education, and live in the Northeast and West. 3. 67 % of U. S. ouseholds specify that price was a barrier to their purchase of organic foods and 58% of consumer expressed that they would buy a more organic product if it were cheaper. 4. 44% of consumers want a wider selection of organic product in supermarkets. 5. Below are market trend findings : * Yogurt Market Trends A comprehensive analysis must be applied in order to understand and evaluate the market trends of yogurt product. It is important for the management to focus on the areas that are needed for improvement especially on customers’ satisfaction because it will yield greater profitability for the company.For instance, the management should know better on what are the current market trends and their customers’ wants from their product. In addition, some factors in purchasing decisions that are made by customers should be analyzed by the company. Several factors in purchasing decisions are such as packaging, flavour, price, freshness and ingredients of the yogurt. Such product measurements are imperative not only to maintain the quality of the product itself, but it also will retain and attract more customers for choosing Natureview Farm’s yogurt rather than competitors’ yogurt. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by PackagingBased on the market trends, the most popular sizes of yogurt cups were in 6-oz and 8-oz which contributed to 3% of the segment’s growth per year. In addition, these also were representing 74% of total category supermarkets sales in U. S. dollars. Women especially bought 8-oz yogurt cups because of their health consciousness. The second largest segment is multipacks size which represented 9% total category supermarkets sales with 12. 5% growth per year. This second largest segment customarily consumed by children because of their mothers concern about their health and fastest growth.The last segment which is 32-oz. cup size represented 8% of total category supermarkets sales and was growing at a modest of 2%. Normally, the buyers of 32-oz. were heavy yogurt consumers. They are either consumed the yogurt plain, added some ingredients or used it in recipes. Plain and vanilla were the most famous flavours. Buyers also put brand, expiration date and price as important purchase criteria for this size of yogurt. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Region Based on the market segmentation by region, it could be identified that the West and the Northeast possess high market shares.The West contributed to 27% whereas the Northeast contributed to 26% of national U. S. market. The main factors that contributed to these high percentages were the shop pers who live in the West and the Northeast have higher incomes and more education. In addition, the Southeast possesses 25% and the Midwest possesses 22% of market shares. Regardless of channel or distribution, the buyers’ habit of buying yogurt depended on their unique characteristics. Some of buyers were more concerned about the quality of the yogurt while some of them were concerned about the yogurt’s price or vice versa. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Competitors We had identified four close competitors of Natureview Farm’s yogurt. These top four competitors are Dannon, Yoplait, Breyers and Columbo. Dannon and Yoplait are controlling over 50% of the yogurt market share. As indicated in the supermarket Channel’s pie chart, we could see that Dannon holds 33% of yogurt market share whereas Yoplait holds 24%. The sales of these yogurts are conducted through two dominant distributor channels which are supermarket and natural foods channel.As we could see in the natural foods channel, Natureview Farm was leading which holds 24% of yogurt market. Other than these, these yogurts revenues were also generated through warehouse clubs, conveniences stores, drug stores and mass merchandisers. * * * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel Based on yogurt market segmentation by distribution channel, we could conclude that the distribution channels were divided into supermarkets and natural foods store. 97 % of yogurts were sold in the supermarkets while 3% of yogurts were sold in the natural foods store.The sales and distribution process of Channels Supermarket Channels Process Supplier aka manufacturer usually sends their product to a large distribution centre, which in turn shipped directly to the supermarket chain’s warehouse. The distributors and retailers charged a mark-up price on product that flowed through their warehouses or store. In order to place the product in the supermarket, manufacturer will required to pay one-off time â€Å"slotting fee† for each SKU only in the first year it was introduced and then to participate in regular trade promotions.If the SKU failed to show any profit for the supermarket within the year, the supermarket would discontinue the product and would require a new slotting fee payment if the manufacturer sought reauthorization of the SKU. Some key points in the distribution of supermarket channel process are as below: 1. The typical distributor margin is 15% and the typical retailer margin is 27% 2. Supermarket would charge in average of $0. 74 for 8-oz cup of yogurt, $2. 70 for 32-o cup of yogurt, and $2. 85 for 4-oz cup of multipack. Natural Food Channels processFirstly, manufacturer shipped the product to the natural wholesalers and then wholesalers will ship the products to the distributors which responsible to delivered product to the retailers. Distributors would deliver products individually to the retailers, and in some cases even stock the shelves a nd track paperwork. Lastly customer gets the product from the retailers. Natural Food retailers will charge the manufacturer for one time allotment of one free case of product for every new SKU authorized for distribution in its first year. Some key points in the distribution of natural food channel process are as below: 1.The typical natural food wholesaler margin is 7%, the natural food distributor margin is 9% and the typical retailer margin is 35% 2. Retailers would charge in average of $0. 88 for 8-oz cup of yogurt, $3. 19 for 32-o cup of yogurt, and $3. 35 for 4-oz cup of multipack. Exhibit: 1 – Length of channel to market Channel Margin Analysis By using Margin analysis , we can identify the profitability of these channels and we can indicate which channel would provide the expected revenues of Natureview Farm. This analysis is based on the given point in the case study and each of the analysis is divided based on type of yogurt size.The results are as below. 1. Result of Natural Foods Channel | | Unit Cost for 8-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 31| 36%| 0. 48| 0. 17| 56%| Wholesaler| 0. 48| 7%| 0. 52| 0. 04| 8%| Distributor| 0. 52| 9%| 0. 57| 0. 05| 10%| Retailer| 0. 57| 35%| 0. 88| 0. 31| 54%| Customer| 0. 88|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 32-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 99| 44%| 1. 75| 0. 76| 77%| Wholesaler| 1. 75| 7%| 1. 89| 0. 13| 8%| Distributor| 1. 9| 9%| 2. 07| 0. 19| 10%| Retailer| 2. 07| 35%| 3. 19| 1. 12| 54%| Customer| 3. 19|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 4-oz multipack| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 1. 15| 69%| 1. 84| 0. 69| 60%| Wholesaler| 1. 84| 7%| 1. 98| 0. 14| 8%| Distributor| 1. 98| 9%| 2. 18| 0. 20| 10%| Retailer| 2. 18| 35%| 3. 35| 1. 17| 54%| Customer| 3. 35|   |   |   | à ‚  | 2. Result of Supermarket Channel | | Unit Cost for 8-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 31| 32%| 0. 6| 0. 15| 48%| Distributor| 0. 46| 15%| 0. 54| 0. 08| 18%| Retailer| 0. 54| 27%| 0. 74| 0. 20| 37%| Customer| 0. 74|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 32-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 99| 41%| 1. 68| 0. 69| 69%| Distributor| 1. 68| 15%| 1. 97| 0. 30| 18%| Retailer| 1. 97| 27%| 2. 7| 0. 73| 37%| Customer| 2. 7|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 4-oz multipack| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 1. 15| 35%| 1. 77| 0. 62| 54%| Distributor| 1. 77| 15%| 2. 8| 0. 31| 18%| Retailer| 2. 08| 27%| 2. 85| 0. 77| 37%| Customer| 2. 85|   |   |   |   | As you can see, % mark-up in Natural foods channel is higher compared to supermarket channel in all sizes of yogurt in the manufacturer phase which means higher profitability. Natural food channel is able to cost more to the customer compared supermarket channel due to lower price sensitivity among natural foods customers as well as % mark-up from the Natural foods wholesaler. SWOT Analysis The overall evaluation of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is called SWOT analysis.It’s a way of monitoring the external and internal marketing environment. External Marketing (Opportunity and Threat) Analysis: Opportunities 1. Supermarket channel will provide the company's noteworthy potential of growth for getting higher revenues. 2. Yogurt sales through natural food stores had grown 20% per year. 3. Through the supermarket channel, the price of the product can be lower. Threats 1. The main competitors in the supermarket channel are getting stronger with the top four competitors which are Dannon, Yoplait, Breyers and Colombo. . Company may have to repositi on Internal Marketing (Strength and Weakness) Analysis: Strengths 1. Natureview is a major and trusted brand for the natural food channel and has developed strong relationships with leading natural food retailers 2. Natureview has a strong reputation for high quality and great taste. 3. Natureview’s yogurt has longer average shelf life compare other products. 4. The company has rapid growth revenue from $100,000 to $13 Million within 10 years. 5. Natureview is a leader distributor of natural food channel. 6.Strong operational efficiency because the company is using creative , low-cost â€Å"guerrilla marketing† Weaknesses 1. Natureview will heavily depend on its broker’s knowledge of promotional and merchandising requirement. 2. Inadequate operational capacity because unable to generate the volume requirements needed to meet consumer demand of other distribution channels. 3. Relatively small company compared with other potential competitors in supermarket channe l. 4. Natureview only invested 3% of total expenses in research & developments which cause discourage product innovation.Analysis of Strategic planning Options The company has three options needed to be analyzed and be identified which option will help the company to achieve their goal. Each of the options has their own importance and benefits however they also have some limitation attached on them. Option 1: The first option was strongly advocated by Vice president of sales Walter Bellini. The idea is to expand six SKUs of the 8-Oz. product line into one or two selected supermarket channel regions. Pros: 1. 8-Oz cups have the highest demand in the refrigerated yogurt market and will be able to provide the expected revenues. . Based on other natural food brands success in expanding their product in the supermarket channel has shown significant proves Natureview’s product will have a high chance of success. 3. Natureview is the leading natural’s foods brand of refrigera ted yogurt and have uniquely positioned to capitalize on the growing trend in natural and organic foods. 4. Natureview will have the advantage as the first brand to enter the channel due to supermarket channel will likely to give permission only to one natural yogurt manufacturer. Natureview will be the first mover in this channel 5.Some industry experts predicted unit volume growth of organic product at supermarket will be at 20% per year from 2001 to 2006. Cons: 1. The 8-Oz cups size received the highest level of competitive in trade promotions and marketing budget. 2. The management had estimated for comprehensive advertising plan will cost $1. 2 million per region per year and Natureview’s sales, general and administrative expenses (SG& A) would increase by $ 320,000 annually. 3. Due to Lack of experience in supermarket channel, their broker might take advantage of their relationship with top supermarkets retails chains in Northeast and West. . This option might create di rect competition with national yogurt manufacturer. 5. Might create conflict of channel between supermarket and natural food stores. Option 2: The second option was advocated by the vice president of operations Jack Gottlieb. The idea is to expand 4 SKUs of the 32-Oz. Based on the giving points; we can identify the pros and cons as below: Pros: 1. The gross profit margin for the 32-oz cups is higher at 43. 6 % compared to 8-oz cups at 36%. 2. This size of 32-oz cups was potentially become stronger competitive advantage like longer shelf life and lower marketing expenses. 3.This brand had achieved a 45% share of this size segment in the natural foods channel. 4. The management also assume that the company could sell 5. 5 million incremental units in the first years by expand more in supermarket retails across the united state. Cons 1. This option will have higher slotting fees due to national distribution. 2. There are no guaranteed customer acceptances towards the multi-use size of yogurt. 3. With the additions to sales headcount for the 32-oz,that will increase the SG& A cost to $160,000. 00 4. They also concerned on sales team’s ability to achieve full national distribution in 12 months. . Might create conflict of channel between supermarket and natural food stores. Option 3: The third option was advocated by Walker’s colleague’s Kelly Riley, the assistant marketing director, she supported the idea to introduce two SKUs of a children’s multi-pack into the natural food channel. Based on her arguments, we can identify the pros and cons as below: Pros 1. Natureview Farm is the established leader in the natural food channel and has a strong relationship with the leading food natural food channel retailers. 2. Sales and marketing expenses were the lowest compared to other options. 3.Choosing this option will allow the company to have more time to prepare before entering the supermarket channel. 4. The financial potential was very attra ctive with expected high margin of 37. 6%. 5. Natureview product positioning is ideal for the new Multi-pack product launch. Cons 1. Natureview Farm will miss the opportunity to enter the supermarket before competitors. Supermarket retailer would likely authorize only one organic yogurt brand. 2. Natureview‘s marketing department was unprepared to handle the demands on resources and staffing that will be needed once the company entered the supermarket channel.Option financial Overview Based on the case study, we have analyzed all three options that Natureview Farm tried to include in their future business plan. For the first option, Natureview Farm idea is to expand 6 SKU’s into supermarket channel with 8 – oz cups to get more profit. Refer to appendix 1; Natureview Farm total estimated for investment expenses is quite higher than another option. However, even though Natureview spend more for the investment; we can see that total expected profit is positively inc reased by annually.To get expected for this option need For option two, Natureview Farm next idea is to expend 4 SKU’s 32-oz into supermarket channel to their future business planning because their product is longer shelf life. Based on appendix 2, the investment plan is lower than option 1. The investment has divided to four regions for selling. Even through the management estimated that they can sell this brand with higher sold, the cost of the good sold also is quite higher and this is expenses will affect the profitability of goods sold. The last option is Natureview Farm plan to expand 2 SKU’S 4-oz multipack into natural food channel.Refer to appendix 3, we can see that the cost of goods sold is quite higher even through this idea not involved slotting fee, the estimated annual profit is not shown in positive way. Based on the calculation, the cost of goods sold and estimated annual profit is shown the selling product is lower profitability. Based on the financial analysis, we can identify some trends: The highest Profitability is option 1. Based on the graph, the higher of total investment expenses are option 1. The higher Investment ROI is option 3. RecommendationsAfter all analysis that we have done in this case study, our recommendation for Natureview Farm for their future planning are option 1. This is because based on our analysis; we can see option 1 is the best choice to get more profitability in 5 years onward as planning. This option is to expand 6 SKU’s of the 8-oz size into eastern and western supermarket regions. Even though the risk of going to supermarket channel is higher, Natureview Farm should expand into this channel because as we can see, two natural food companies expanded into this channel and increased their revenues by 200 %.To achieve their mission, they need to take the risks for get their estimated projected net profit. In addition, entry to this supermarket channel with 8 –oz size is more viable than option 2 where to expend into this channel with 32 –oz cup size. The 8 –oz size price initially attempt to negotiate retail price more than 32-oz size where the price of product will also affect the consumer choice. This option focuses on regional distribution instead of national, which should make it easier to implement this product information to region consumer.The level of education and higher income of consumer is also a reason for consumer to buy this natural food product. Natureview Farm can also market their product to this type of consumer with our product advantages such as the product has a longer shelf life, uses natural ingredients and uses only organic ingredients. The next recommendation strategy is, Natureview farms need to utilize more advanced in monitoring the technology and systematic management to keep track the trends so that they always be the consumer choice in natural food products.To become a successful natural food company in this channel, t hey need to be more systematic and always have good relationship with media, consumer and retailer. References 1. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/g/guerrilla-marketing. asp 2. http://Prezi. com/natureview – farms. 3. http:// www. slideshare. net/nature -view-case ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Based on investopedia. com, Margin analysis uses the percentage calculation to provide a comprehensive measure of a company's profitability on a historical basis (3-5 years) and in comparison to peer companies and industry benchmarks. 2 ]. Based on investopedia. com, Mark-up is the difference between an investment's lowest current offering price among dealers and the higher price a dealer charges a customer. [ 3 ]. Guerrilla Marketing is different than traditional marketing in that it often relies on personal interaction and has a smaller budget, and it focuses on smaller groups of promo ters that are responsible for getting the word out in a particular location rather than on wide-spread media campaigns.

Theories of Secession

Liberalism predominantly will dominate the Theories of secession an emphasis on individual rights and nationalism. They are concerned with the challenges of secession and deal with cases of complete secession of specific nationalist regions from a nation-state. Buchanan (1998) identified two types of secession theories; Remedial right only theories which claim that the people have the right to overthrow the government if their fundamental rights will violate and other peaceful alternatives have failed. Another type is the theory of primary right which claims that groups with non-political characteristics have the right to secede; and that no inscriptive features are necessary for the right to secede, it's a voluntary political choice. Therefore, political legitimacy rests on the people's consent. Regulation TheoryThis theory claims that under the modern conditions of globalised urbanization, states are being restructured to meet the needs of reregulation and rescaling of governance. According to Brenner (1999), globalization has viewed as reterritorialization. Rescaling of urbanization leads to the rescaling of the state which consequently leads to a regional organization as a productive force and social relations will concentrated within geographical boundaries. Boudreau and Keil, â€Å"Secession of a political Right,† 1710.Theories of State RescalingThe issue of rescaling, reregulation, and reterritorialization has been viewed from a structuralist perspective. Structural change has been the primary focus here. The recent debate on rescaling and governance has concentrated on state-regional and state-local relationships. The focus of these two links has been economic development policies. The part that has not been focused on is the emergence of a new sub-local scale of government as part of the regional state of large urban centers. Secession can be viewed a result of such sub-local institutionalization of rescaled governance. Boudreau and Keil, â€Å"Rescaling urban governance,† 1712. Theories of Social MovementsAlways broken down into two; resource mobilization (RMT) and new social movements (NSM). Social Movement theories claim that collective action and social movements are usually related to resource mobilization (Eisinger 1973). That political opportunities and structures develop from existing political movements or camps and structural conditions. They focus on the ability of political actors to reshape systems because of their internal solidarity/strength and outer profile to facilitate secession. Boudreau and Keil, â€Å"Social movements,† 1713.

Examine the main causes and consequences of the wars in Chechnya (and Essay

Examine the main causes and consequences of the wars in Chechnya (and now the wider North Caucasus) in the period 1994 to the pr - Essay Example Precisely, while it seems logical to claim that national liberation fuelled by fundamentalist beliefs on Islam could be the main reason for the movements of Chechnya (which I shall explain in greater detail in the succeeding parts of this paper), I wish to underscore that the economic and socio-political motives of the Russian government must also be taken into consideration. Perhaps, the terrorist attacks of the rebel groups could be a result and not mainly the cause of war, as Cornell (2003) posited. Aside from this, attention must also be placed on the theories ofpolitical economy that flourished in the neighboring regions of Chechnya in the North Caucasus. For evidences that I shall explore later on, it must be pointed out that the situation in Chechnya quite interestingly provided commercial benefits to Ingushetia and Dagestan. In the end, I wish to argue that the two Chechnya wars must not be simplistically viewed as a result of the ideological viewpoints of the Chechnya people , but rather a result of much complex string of socio-political and commercial perspectives. In order to maintain succinctness and focus in my discussion, I like to divide my paper into three parts. The first part will provide a brief overview of the happenings in the two Chechnya wars in order to highlight the key factors that have led to their occurrence—from the perspectives of the rebellious group and of the Russian government. The second part will synthesize the data gleaned by infusing socio-political, economic, and commercial perspectives into the discussion. The last part will provide a conclusion and shall re-emphasize the thesis presented above. The Two Chechnya Wars: A Brief Overview Located in the Southwestern corner of Russia, Chechnya is primarily considered a Muslim region (Zalman, n.d.). Geographically, it is bordered by Dagestan, to the north, Ingushetia, to the west, and Georgia to the south. Its capital is Grozny. The first Chechnya War, as further noted by Zalman (n.d.), was instigated by the region’s declaration of independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Deemed as a huge impediment in redeeming Russia’s economic and socio-political power, President Yeltsin ordered immediate military enforcement in the region (Hughes, 2001). As Vendina et. al. (2007) narrated â€Å"Boris Yel’tsin, then-president of the RSFSR, declared a state of emergency in Chechnya in November 1991, dispatching troops to Grozny one month after the region had declared its independence; these were repulsed and the chaos surrounding the Soviet Union’s demise allowed Chechnya to be left to its own devices† (p. 180). As factional fighting against the army of Air Force general Dzhokhar Dudayev increased in 1994 (which was also the time when Russia had already gained its strength as a state), Yeltsin ordered a full assault on the region (Cornell, 2003). In this regard, as Cornell (2003) described the subsequent happening s, â€Å"it took two months of massive air and artillery bombing for the federal army to capture Grozny—at the cost of thousands of own casualties, over 20,000 civilian lives, a total destruction of the city, and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people† (p. 170). Indeed, it was crude counterinsurgency tactic as marked by the massive use of firepower that defined the fighting strategy of Dudayev’