Is the term ‘Green Logistics’ an oxymoron Essay

Is the term ‘Green Logistics’ an oxymoron? An oxymoron is a term in which contradictory words appear in conjunction with one another such as bitter sweet or a deafening silence. In an attempt to answer this question we must first define what the term ‘Green Logistics’ means. When the term is broken down into its composite parts ‘logistics’ is simply defined by Murphy and Wood (2011) as the part of the supply chain which plans, implements and controls both the forward and reverse flows of goods, services and information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in an efficient and effective manner. However, the term ‘green’ is much more equivocal when defined in a business sense. In 1996 McDonagh and Prothero proposed that there are several dimensions of ‘Green’ which not only cover ecological, sustainability and conservation issues but also political, corporate social responsibility, fair trade and equali ty matters. Since these topics are very broad it is hard to define ‘Green’ in a logistics sense. As a result of this uncertainty over the definition of ‘green’, it is helpful to look at the definition of ‘Green’ on a consumer product level. Ottman (2006, p.24), suggested that while all products inevitably have some effect on the environment, ‘Green’ products are those which aim to minimise this impact by conserving energy and resources and limiting pollution and waste. This definition builds on Reinhardt’s (1998, p.46) view that a ‘Green’ business â€Å"creates products that provide greater environmental benefits, or that impose smaller environmental costs, than similar products†. When we combine these definitions we can view ‘Green Logistics’ as the activities which facilitate the forward and reverse flows of goods, services and information through a supply chain in a way which is not only efficient and effective in achieving organisational goals but also aims to minimise the environmental impact and promote sustainability. When we define and consider ‘Green Logistics’ this way, I believe the term is not an oxymoron and when aligned with an appropriate higher level corporate strategy can actually a major competitive advantage for organisations who are able to achieve it. The body of this essay will provide practical examples of organisations who are successfully using the concepts of ‘Green  Logistics’ to not only minimise environmental impacts but also create and maintain a competitive advantage against competition. One concept which is becoming more prominent in ‘Green Logistic’ networks is the  practice of reverse logistics. Reverse logistics can be simply defined as goods flowing backwards through the supply chain from the consumer to the producers and suppliers. Tompkins (2010) provides multiple ‘Green’ benefits which arise from practicing reverse logistics such as increased sustainability throughout the supply chain and reduced waste product s, as well as producing an increased level of customer service through after-sales support. An example of reverse logistics in practice is the South Australian Government’s policy of paying 10 cents for every glass, plastic and tin container returned to collection depots. By doing this the Government is able to facilitate the recycling of materials which ultimately has a positive benefit on the environment. This provides a clear example of how logistics processes can be ‘Green’ by promoting greater environmental benefit than similar products existing in different logistics chains. An Australian Associated Press article revealed that in 2010, 80 percent or 49,800 tonnes of all containers are recycled in Australia which reveals both obvious environment and financial benefits arising from the practice of green logistics. Another common and relatively simple way for organisations to ‘Green’ their logistics processes while also reducing financial costs is to redesign their logistics chains with increased considerations for route optimisation and collaboration throughout the supply chain. Blanco and Cotrill (2013) make apparent one example of this through a case study of the agricultural cooperative Ocean Spray (based in New Jersey with a distribution centre in Florida) and competitor Tropicana who is based in Florida with a distribution centre in New Jersey. Tropicana’s third party logistics provider approached Ocean Spray and suggested that instead of Ocean Spray delivering to their distribution centre via road, they make use of Tropicana’s rail links between the two cities and utilise the empty train carriages returning from New Jersey to deliver to their distribution centre in Florida. This agreement allowed Ocean Spray to lower both their logistics  costs and environmen tal emissions and saved Tropicana the cost and emissions associated with returning empty rail carriages to Florida. Apart from the physical movement of goods, a firm’s logistics operations also incorporates warehousing strategies. The storage of goods may be overlooked when considering the environmental impacts of logistics chains. Figure 8.1 taken from McKinnon et al. (2013) shows the increasing usage of warehousing and its associated impacts. McKinnon et al. (2013) also proposed three ways in which firms can reduce the environmental impact of warehousing practices. Firstly firms should improve the energy efficiency of the lighting  and particularly heating methods used in warehouses (as shown in figure 8.4. McKinnon, 2013). Secondly, firms can harness green energy to generate energy from low carbon emitting or renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and biomass. Finally, and most importantly, firms should design sustainability into their warehouses, meaning that the buildings not only produce green energy more efficiently but also use less of it. If an organisation is successful in doing this it is able to not only fulfill the logistical goals of operating efficiently and effectively but also minimise impacts on the environment. While reverse logistics, route optimisation and energy efficient warehousing strategies are only a small example of ‘Green Logistic’ practices, which also include environmental packaging considerations, paperless order processing and improvements in vehicle energy efficiency, these practices may be ineffective in achieving ‘Green’ outcomes unless the corporate strategies of the organisation also align. Reinhardt (1998) suggests that for an organisation to establish environmentally friendly practices as a competitive advantage it must first consider whether this strategy is viable in the industry in which it operates. If a firm does consider environmental product differentiation an option it must then ensure customers are willing to pay for environmental quality, establish and convey the environmental benefits of its product and finally these benefits must be defendable against imitation competition. Only then can an organisation enjoy the benefits of a growing green trend in consumption (Peattie, 2010). If this is strategy alignment is adopted and maintained by an organisation, then ‘Green Logistic’ practices can provide substantial competitive advantages for the organisation while reducing impacts on the environment. Modern organisations can no longer afford to view ‘Green Logistics’ as an oxymoron and perhaps Henry Ford’s (1903) famous oxymoron â€Å"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business† may be more applicable. References: Blanco, E & Cotrill, K, 2013, ‘Delivering on the promise of green logistics’, MITSloan Management Review, December 2013. McDonagh, P & Prothero, A, 1996, Green management: A reader, The Dryden Press, London. McKinnon, A. Browne, M. Whiteing, A. 2012, Green logistics: Improving the environmental sustainability of logistics, Kogan Page, London. Murphy Jr PR & Wood, DF 2011, Contemporary Logistics: International Edition, 10th edn, Pearson, Boston. Ottman, J, 1997, Green marketing: Opportunity for innovation, TC / Contemporary Books, Lincolnwood. Peattie, K, ‘Green consumption: Behaviour and norms’, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Vol. 35, Issue 1, pp. 195-228. Reinhardt, F.L. 1998, â€Å"Environmental product differentiation: Implications for corporate strategy†, California management review, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 43-73. Tompkins, J, 2010, ‘Reverse logistics is not the reverse of logistics’, Material Handling and Logistics, November 2010. ‘Big jump in container recycling in SA’, AAP General News Wire, July 22, 2010.

Television Broadcasts Limited

Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong. It was first established on 19 November 1967 with only about 200 staff. The Group has now grown to a size of about 4,200 including contract artistes and staff in overseas subsidiary companies. The major activities of TVB are television broadcasting, programme production and other broadcasting related activities such as programme licensing, video distribution and satellite broadcasting etc.It transmits over 17,000 hours of programming on its Chinese Jade channel and English Pearl channel free of charge to 2. 34 million homes in Hong Kong. It is one of the largest producers of Chinese language programming in the world. Many of the Chinese programmes are dubbed into other languages and are distributed to more than 40 countries and cities, accessible to over 300 million households. During the prime time viewing hours, the Chinese Jade Channel and English Pearl Channel a chieve a remarkable average of 87% and 80% of Hong Kong’s television audience share respectively.To cope with future development, the Company invested HK$2. 2 billion in the construction of a new state-of-the-art TVB City in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate. The management and production facilities, with a building area of over 110,000 sq metres, 30% more than the TV City at Clear Water Bay Road, came into full operation in October 2003. There are two outdoor shooting locations and 22 production studios in TVB City. The new TVB City is fully digitized to enhance its services to the public.On 31 December 2007, TVB officially launched its 24-hour HD channel, HD Jade, providing diverse and brand new audio/visual entertainment in the digital era. In addition to the simulcast of digital Jade and Pearl channel, TVB started operating J2 and iNews digital channels in June 2008 and January 2009 respectively. The Company has always been striving for excellence in serving the people of H ong Kong and its efforts are widely recognized. The Company, has thus received 450 international awards for its various television programming and programme promotions in the past.In 1997, TVB has also been awarded as one of Asia’s 50 most competitive companies; one of the top 20 companies in Hong Kong and one of the Asia’s 200 Leading Companies. In 2001, it was also awarded the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) International Broadcasting Excellence Award 2001 for its outstanding contributions to the community. Now, let me sum up our proposal. Our mission is to develop a diverse development company. In the past, we have developed magazine industry, music industry, film industry and internet industry.In the future, we plan to develop agency industry, which are combine advertisements and sales. We plan to operate online sales thought the television and earn the commission. There are several reasons that can support our proposal to be a successful one. First of a ll, we have an excellent financial situation now and we have cash balance total HK$3,604 million in 2012. If the our proposal is implemented, more sponsorship in the clothing and jewelry of the TV series or some annual TV shows. It can decrease the cost of production. nline shopping become more popular, this development of this kind of business can really help the company to generate more earning. Secondary, TVB have already a huge fixed amount of audience and we believe that more audience will be attracted by the new scheme, which means that more customers are provided. Moreover, nowadays, online shopping has become a tendency in Hong Kong since it is convenient. When you are taking the train, on your way to work; or lying on the sofa, enjoy your weekend at home, you can watch our programs though your cell phone and TV.Our artists wear the fashion items that you want, you can only touch that item on the screen to get it. The details of the item will be shown after you touching the screen. If you decide to buy, you can add the item to your shopping bag and confirm you order. You can use any of the payment types listed on the screen to pay for your order, for example VISA, PAYPAL, AMERICAN EXPRESS. Your details are safe with us as we take security very seriously indeed. U may doubt that whether the proposal is feasible. It can surely give u an answer.Yes! We plan to cooperate with SONY to make the technology of touch screen can be perfected and fixed with this proposal. SONY which is an initiate company always seeks for a breakthrough has a strong technology to support us. It can match with the technology that our plan needs. TVB has been serving the audience for 44 years. It will continue to keep its promise, delivering excellence in programming and cutting-edge broadcasting technology to the people of Hong Kong and to Chinese communities around the world. umanitarian initiative Apart from fighting for greater profits, it is our obligation to perform our human itarian initiative. After shooting dramas, we can ask our clients for their clothes for charity sale. All income from charity sale will be donated to charities. Clothes which are abandoned can donate to charities as well. Our actors and actress are also willing to donate their clothes either for the charity sale or the charities. establish a new department in response for the agency job.

Aggressive Behavior In Pre School Children And Young People Essay

Aggressive Behavior In Pre School Children And Young People Essay According to the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, children as young as preschoolers are capable of aggressive behavior. Children younger than five years of age can display different forms of aggressive behavior. These different behaviors can come in the form of temper tantrums, fighting, pushing and even actions that are directed toward harming animals. The behaviors that are exhibited should be taken seriously as they tend to carry over into adolescence and many times adulthood. Aggressive behaviors should be addressed in children because their potential for harming others or themselves is high. Young children, younger than the age of five, who are prone to pushing, biting and hitting, in some cases, display this type of aggressive behavior in order to get attention. Others develop behavior that stems from frustrations of toilet training, illness, hunger, moving, divorce and even the birth of a new sibling. Some of this behavior tends to disappear as the child gets older and begins to develop a greater level of social skills and are able to deal with not being the sole recipient of attention. Educators and parents alike who learn to recognize the onset of these behavioral tendencies have a better chance of addressing the behavior and getting the proper attention in order to attempt to prevent these behaviors from escalating. Children who have not learned to deal with aggression by the age of four or five often need to have intervention sessions that are conducted by mental health professionals. Some children respond to therapies alone while some need therapeutic sessions and medications to control their aggressions. Being able to recognize some of the signs of potential aggressive behavior in young children are related to those who do not often interact with others, children who do not listen or follow Aggressive Behavior in Pre-School Age Children 2 Directions, those who seem unattached and do not make eye contact; these signs tend to signal a child may develop aggressive behavior and should be watched for in an environment like a classroom. Why Young Children Show Aggression Most young children who push, hit or grab are doing so to get attention and get their way, according to the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP). Many children between the ages of one and five have not developed the skills necessary to communicate properly to make their feelings and desires known, and are more likely to experience frustration in group settings, or if the child has limited motor control and verbal skills. This frustration comes out in the form of aggression, writes the CCHP, and can be exacerbated by child stresses like hunger, toilet training, illness or tiredness. Still others may display aggressive behavior following a major environmental change such as a new sibling, a divorce or a move. Photo Credit temper image by Lisa Eastman from Fotolia.com Children as young as preschoolers are capable of exhibiting violent behavior, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Aggressive and violent behavior can be upsetting to everyone around a child, and should always be taken seriously regardless of how young the child is. Because children who are aggressive often continue to have related problems as they get older, it is important to address behavioral problems early.

Social Interaction of Those with Genius IQs Essay

Social Interaction of Those with Genius IQs - Essay Example In the course of the research, varying and opposing definitions of genius were arrived at. The term genius was at first referred to as a "man endowed with superior faculties" referring to some popular figures as the famous author and lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson, Albert Einstein, Immanuel Kant, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci and many others. It was also referred to as a quality, "that everyone possessed, an animating spirit that represented one's character and interests as much as one's ability". Through time, there were changes in the understanding of the term and was then associated with "one's natural ability or talent, and eventually with the special ability of a few". (Benet, 2005) In some other references as in the article of David Every, he insinuated to link genius to insanity, and gave a definition "an abnormal IQ, to the point where the person is 1.5 times as "logical" as the average person, or basically testing beyond the 98th percentile (3rd or 4th deviation)". (2006) Genius was also linked to psychoticism as some form of madness, "associated with an above-average level of psychological disturbance, though in combination with high general intelligence". (Brand, n.d.) However, in the more recent century, when the interests shifted to psychometric methods of assessment, the term genius became associated with the quantitative concept "Intelligence Quotient or IQ". Intelligence Quotient Intelligence Quotient or IQ is "the ratio of an individual's estimated mental age and chronological age multiplied by 100". Alfred Binet, a French psychologist developed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale in 1905 that measured the intelligence quotient. The initial IQ classification geared a scale of, IQ -140 and over as genius or near genius, 120-140 as very superior intelligence, 110-120 as superior intelligence, 90-110 as normal or average intelligence, 80-90 as dullness, 70-80 as borderline deficiency, 50-69 as moron, 20-49 as imbecile and below 20 as idiot. The classification changed in 1997 by the David Welcher - the Adult Intelligence Scale, which classified IQ -130 and above as very superior, 120-129 as superior, 110-119 as high average, 90-109 as average, 80-89 as low average, 70-79 as borderline and 69 and below as extremely low. Welcher's terminologies used were noticeably more considerate and humane and avoided type casting. The term genius was not used anymore. (Benet, C lassification n.d.) Intelligence and Genius The conflicting issue is that studies did not show clear relationship with IQ and the popular meaning of genius. It was noted that IQs of popular personalities were approximated in the above 130 or genius level. But the concept used is that of popularity. The word genius was derived from the Latin word, "gignere" which meant to beget or to produce. The reference to genius is one's ability to create something, which, the IQ tests did not measure. Albert Einstein was, according to sources, not an achiever as a child. The development of his speech was delayed and he dropped out of his early school years. He was also report to have failed in the college admission test in Zurich. But Einstein was recognized

The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution Research Paper

The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution - Research Paper Example One of the important amendments of the Constitution is the 8th Amendment and its significance lies in the fact that it has, though the years, promoted humane and civilized forms and methods of punishing criminals. This amendment is adopted from an ancient English law and incorporated into the US Constitution at the time its framers were drafting the basic law of the land. The History of the 8th Amendment The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution states thus: â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed and no cruel, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† The 8th Amendment was first suggested by James Madison, the fourth president of the US, for inclusion to the US Constitution while the framers were working on its draft. The Commonwealth of Virginia, from where Madison hailed, had its own version of the passage incorporated in its Declaration of Rights. Its origin, however, was the 1689 English Bill of Rights. The inclusion of this passage in t hat law was to limit English courts from imposing punishments and fines that were excessive, cruel and unusual as was the practice of the English courts in the time of the House of Stewarts under King James VI who would impose such punishments such as quartering, boiling alive, disemboweling, decapitation and crushing criminals with heavy weights (Gill 114). On the other hand, the â€Å"excessive bail† clause was included in the 1689 law to prevent the English judges from circumventing the Habeas Corpus Act of 1969 by setting bail at very high amounts so arrested persons were unable to meet them. Finally, the â€Å"excessive fines† clause was also â€Å"intended to limit only those fines directly imposed by, and payable to, the government† (Excessive Bail 2011). Cases Involving the 8th Amendment Most of the cases decided by the US Supreme Court involving the 8th Amendment are related to the issue of the death penalty and its possible infringement of the â€Å"c ruel and unusual punishment† clause of the 8th Amendment. Some of the well-known cases involving the 8th Amendment are: Weems v US 217 US 349 (1910); Stack v Boyle 342 US 1 (1951); Furman v Georgia 408 US 238 (1972); Gregg v Georgia 428 US 153 (1976); Browning-Ferris Industries v Kelco Disposal, Inc 492 US 257 (1989), and; Austin v US 509 US 602 (1993). In Weems v US, the US Supreme Court held that the â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† clause of the 8th Amendment can apply not only to court punishments, but also to legislative laws and rendered the punishment of 14 years of imprisonment with hard labor on top of civil and political disabilities as disproportionate to the crime of falsifying public documents. In Furman v Georgia, the Court ruled that the manner of imposing the death penalty in which there is an absence of standard to guide the jury as to when to impose the death penalty is â€Å"cruel and unusual† and therefore unconstitutional. However, in Greg g v Georgia, the Court clarified that the death penalty per se does not infringe the 8th Amendment so long as its imposition is not purely discretionary to the jury and laws exist that define the crimes that should be meted with the death penalty. In Stack v Boyle, the Court held that setting bail at an

Marketing research Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing research - Term Paper Example Explain what the research firm means and what you might do. The research firm means that donors have declined in terms of donating towards the good course of the agency. Since before that there used to be high number of donations, the agency is determined to identify the root cause of the problem and come up with solutions. Thus, to solve this, I would explore and research on the root cause and find the main reason for the declining donations. Then I would give a detailed explanation of this to the agency in a language they can understand and then together we come up with a solution based on these findings. There are various advantages of secondary data over primary data. The first one is that it is in time saving and inexpensive to obtain. The reason is that secondary data is readily available either in the census or other records available for the organization unlike primary data which organizations have to conduct research to obtain. It is easily accessible and can be used over a long period of time (Jong & Berg, 2012). 4. An entrepreneur is contemplating establishing a funeral home in a small town. This person believes the demand for funeral home services is greater than the services being provided. The entrepreneur contacts a consultant and tells the consultant he needs a quantitative survey to determine the total demand for funeral home services in the small town and surrounding communities. If you were the consultant, how would you react to the entrepreneurs request for a survey? What kind of counter proposal would you make? It is quite unfortunate and for the entrepreneur to request for a survey to identify the total request for a funeral home services. The reason is that no one likes to lose their loved ones. Thus, I would be very shocked with the request since it would be like mocking the individuals who have lost their loved

The Battle of the Somme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Battle of the Somme - Essay Example Public support was in jeopardy of waning while contemplating a war with no end. The Allied plan was to launch three major offensive campaigns in 1916 and the Battle of the Somme was chosen as the site of the Western Front war effort. In February 1916 the Germans initiated the offensive on Verdun. This major assault drained French forces that were intended to participate in the Somme offensive. With the French concentrating their efforts at Verdun, operational planning fell to the British under Haig. Haig took great care in planning a detailed attack with the aid of General Rawlinson of the Fourth Army who was to lead the attack. Originally planned to commence on August 1, 1916, the date was moved up to July 1 in an effort to pull the German army from Verdun and take pressure off the French forces. The Western Front of World War I is often characterized as a long running stalemate and a war of attrition with no clear turning point. It was highlighted by battles and engagements that often had no clear victor and offered little advancement for either side. The Battle of the Somme, designed to drain the German forces, was a success from that standpoint but was only realized at a very high cost. By the end of World War I, the allies had won the economic war.... Many battles on the Western Front added to the German defeat, but the Somme offered other and more intangible gains, such as redefined tactics and the tank. By 1916 more modern weapons, naval power, and air power had altered the face of warfare. These contributions to the war were countered with newer battlefield tactics on both sides. The British perfected trench warfare with a central command at Yrpes. The inability of the Germans to gain ground against the British necessitated a reassessment of battlefield tactics by the Germans. Meanwhile the German's had lost precious men and resources. The battle at Verdun in 1916 was yet another drain on German resources. The German plan was to "bleed white" the French army. Repeated attacks were launched against the heavily fortified Verdun with no follow up attacks. After five months of intense slaughter, the French loss was 460,000 and the Germans had lost 300,000. Though the French lost more men, the Germans lost many of their best troops and were not in a position to stand the loss. The reduction in German forces put them at a disadvantage at the Battle of the Somme. As the stalemate drug on through 1917 and 1918, the German homefront had been cut off by blockades and the population was hungry and tired of the war. German troops were underfed and ill equipped. The final allied assaults at Rheims and Argonne, the turning points toward victory in 1918, were against an overpowered and weary German army worn down by the war of attrition that began in Somme. The Germans had been economically defeated by the tactics and tanks developed at Somme. With the continuous wearing away at the enemy, its difficult to recognize a defining moment when the balance tipped, but the resolve and innovation

Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Outsourcing - Essay Example The society relies on a moral responsibility to follow a system of values and promote human development. Repercussions of outsourcing are evident in America, and they are clearly unethical since American citizens are usually educated in America for the purpose of employment in the same region (Hira & Hira, 2008). Once a company outsources, these Americans face displacement from their jobs (Charara, 2012). Conversely, Asia will benefit since outsourcing leads to increased employment and training in its region. Outsourcing has also contributed to other immoral practices such as discrimination, sexual harassment, as well as wrongful termination of employees in US, Canada or Europe. Asian companies have realized the need to address such factors through devising appropriate insurance policies meant to cover factors such as data security, property, workers compensation, extortion, kidnapping as well as nationalization and all other forms of possible risks. Presently, outsourcing has become common in America and it is a legal business activity. This is because firms need the freedom to conduct trade internationally besides being able to boost growth within America’s economy. Legal procedures that an outsourcing company follows demands signing of a contract that will cover an array of areas such as the risk of poor performance by the contactor, unforeseen charges, property damages or data loss. The client will also want clearly outlined procedure on how the business will run as well as the day-to-day management. Modes of handling termination or breach of contract are also necessary in the contract. Positive business implications that are due to outsourcing involve acquiring competitive advantage in the market (Hira& Hira, 2008). This is achievable through costs’ reduction, improved quality, and exposure to advanced technology, availability of labor as well as the ability to combat

Writer's choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 28

Writer's choice - Essay Example On the other hand, if oil prices dropped and the stock prices were on the rise, then the IMF assumed an increment in oil supply. These two forces explained the plunge of oil prices (Zumbruni, Para 1-4). The results indicated that during the first phase the oil price drop was attributed by weak global demand. For instance, crude oil declined from$ 105 to around $ 82. However, in the second phase, the oil prices for the crude oil dropped further to $ 50 and IMF suggests that a decrease in the oil price was due to increased demand. The estimates reveal that supply outdid the demand during this phase (Zumbruni, Para 1-4). The explanation aligns with the class materials effectively as it explains the effect of reduced demand and increased supply on prices. Accordingly, a decrease exerts a downward pressure in the short-run. Apparently, increased supply allows a surplus of the commodity in the market, therefore, exerting a downward pressure on the price levels. These aspects are reflected in chapter four that focused on demand and supply within the oil markets. The above information may be illustrated as follows; Zumbruni, Josh. Supply of Demand? The IMFBreaks Down the Collapse of Oil Price. Wall Street Journal. Real Time Economics. April 14, 2015. Retrieved from

A Good Friend Being Essay Example for Free

A Good Friend Being Essay Everyone not only wants a good friend in their life, but they need one too. Friendships often face a great number of conflicts that may weaken you, or it may do the opposite, make your relationship stronger. A good friend may also be known as a true friend or a best friend that will always be there for you. Having a good friend will keep you going in life, and make you have a brighter smile on days when you are gloomy. They also help you out when you need them the most, and this will help you accomplish certain goals in your life. I have many good friends that I am extremely fortunate to have in my life and I wouldnt trade them for anything else. Most people say that friends do not stay good friends for a long period of time, but that is not true and if you have a good friend you know that is incorrect. First and foremost, a good friend has great number of beneficial qualities and one of them is when everyone walks out on you, they stay with you through everything. You can tell them anything and they wont tell a single soul just to make you feel happy. For instance, I thought I would never be able to explain my secrets to anyone besides my mother, but when I became good friends with a couple of my class mates, I could tell them anything and everything. They do the same back, sometimes we just talk on the phone for ours telling about our days even if we spend these days together. A good friend will always want to talk to you about anything, even if theyre busy, its just one of the great numbers of things a good friend does for you. They are a marvelous thing to have, and if you do have a good friend you should be very fortunate to have them. Furthermore, if you need help on anything and no one is around to help you, you can always count on your good friends. Having a good friend by your side will help you accomplish extraordinary life goals that you could never imagine achieving. I know for a fact that this is true mainly because I have had this happen to me. One afternoon I was at the local park and I had just realized that I had a enormous test that I had to take the next day. I knew exactly who to call, my good friend Candy. She came and picked me up and we went to her house. She had all the notes out and ready to study. I knew I could count on her to help me with this test. So we studied for a couple of hours, and then I went home. The next day I was ready for the test and I knew I got every answer correct. I was very thankful to have my good friend to always help me when I need it and no one else is around. I decided I would always study with her.

The Museum And Art Gallery Kelvingrove Tourism Essay

The Museum And Art Gallery Kelvingrove Tourism Essay The current study analyzes the visitor operations and experience in a detailed manner for Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The visitor operations and experience is handled in the current study in four different perspectives namely: Marketing Perspective, Management Perspective, Operations perspective and Quality Perspective. Marketing perspective starts with the approach of marketing strategies using 4 Ps technique for understanding the prevailing strategies for the organizations. Then, using the mentioned strategies the study shifts to the Kelvingrove museum art and gallery analysis for marketing strategies. Management perspective follows the marketing perspective analysis specific to Kelvingrove with the factors that influence the management success or failure. Then, it analyses the key functions that are implemented by the management of Kelvingrove in the art gallery with respect to the staff and the visitors experience. Third perspective that deals with the visitors attraction s and the operational activities that are performed in general is operational perspective. The second part of this deals with the analysis of how Kelvingrove manages the operations effectively that made them successful. The next part is to concentrate on the quality perspective which is being carried out in all the organizations but which is the key factor that needs to be taken utter care for performing in higher levels of standard. This is analyzed for Kelvingrove using the famous technique of SERVQUAL method. The current study then highlights the recommendations which though minor needs to be followed up by the museum organizations to be in a better position. Then, the study ends with the limitations to the current study which can be further studied if those were not restricted. INTRODUCTION The Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove is run by the Culture and Leisure Services Department of Glasgow City Council. The Museum is housed in an impressive Category A listed building which was first opened in 1901 as part of the International Exhibition and is one of Glasgows landmarks. Kelvingrove is the most visited museum outside London, receiving over one million visitors a year in the last five years (Scottish Tourist Board). Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is an excellent place to visit with a vast collection of masterpieces of various people (Top-ten-Glasgow-guide, 2009).   Marketing Perspective Philip Kotler (2008:17) defines marketing as satisfying needs and wants through an exchange process. Marketing is an integrated process through which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return. Marketing is not just about selling. Peter Drucker (2004:34) explained, The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. [It] is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. In addition the marketing management should be innovative while product development and calculating the added value. This would also ensure that the short run needs and long run requirements are balanced to meet the customer requirements and yield profits (Swarbroke, 1999:218). In the current study, we focus on marketing visitor attractions. A visitor attraction can be defined as somewhere worth leaving home for and this is as relevant to a single museum or cathedral as it is to a town or place. In a successful visitor attraction, the product on offer is the experience itself, spending money on that experience must be worthwhile. In the experience economy, the visitor attractions must continuously reinvent itself to have repeat visits and survive. This economy of experience is about quality, service and choice it is not about size. Successful visitor attractions of whatever size sells memories, experiences and expectations to individual customers. Hence it is important to have the right marketing mix for the product you are trying to sell. The term marketing mix refers to the primary elements that must be attended to in order to properly market a product or service. Also known as The 4 Ps of Marketing, the marketing mix is a very useful, if a bit general, guideline for understanding the fundamentals of what makes a good marketing campaign. (Hooley, 2008: 45-60). Four Ps Strategies: Product: A visitor attraction will have many different products on offer namely the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, special events and educational resources for schools, colleges and universities. In addition to this, there are products such as the membership schemes, gift shops, cafes and corporate hire facilities. Place: Place is the location where the products or the customers output is ready for use. There are two key factors that a museum or a visitor attraction promotes with regards to its location: Excellent transport links by bus and train. Easy ticket booking facilities available onsite or online. Price: Price impacts strongly on how businesses fare competitively (Diamantopoulos et al., 1995). Hence price is considered as the key element in the marketing mix. There are different factors that affect pricing decisions for marketers namely organizational and marketing objectives; pricing objectives; costs; remaining marketing mix variables; channel member expectations; buyers perceptions; competition; legal and regulatory issues and perceived value. The following three aspects need to cover while determining price: standard admission fee, discounts on admission fee (discount percentage and conditions) and concessions provided mainly in public sector attractions to disadvantaged people. Promotion: This aspect of the marketing mix represents the possible tools used to communicate with and attract the target audiences. These can include: Advertising paying for adverts in newspapers, magazines and radio, and on poster sites Print producing banners, posters, leaflets and other items, and arranging distribution. Leaflets are sent to places such as libraries, tourist information offices, cafes and other places likely to be visited by the campaigns target audience. Direct mail sending leaflets or other print with a letter to named individuals, using in-house data bases or external lists of names which are either researched or bought. Sales promotion and brand partnerships promotions include offering prizes or discounts on tickets in collaboration with other parties, from newspapers and magazines to rail networks and coffee shops. Partnerships could involve window displays in shops, or branded giveaways. New media e-newsletters and website features Public relations (Kevin, 1994: 20) In this context, Kelvingrove has done a fantastic job in being the most popular museum in U.K outside London through its effective marketing plan. For the management, the key the primary challenge has been to encourage repeat visits and Kelvingrove has successful done so with new advanced features or quality improvements. Kelvingrove successfully underwent a re-development of its displays and visitor facilities. At Kelvingrove there are 200,000 objects with only 20,000 on display at any time within the gallery. After the refurbishment 50% more items are on display to the public. Lot of efforts have gone to ensure that Kelvingrove meets all the requirements pertaining to security, humidity control and lighting to attract major tours to Glasgow. Working on feedback from researchers who identified that a very large number of visitors to the gallery never left the ground floor, marketing experts have ensured that public gets more back space and have all the information to find way around the gallery. A Formal Educational Space for children and Childrens Discovery Centers and developments like these will be a major boost to schools, colleges and universities in and around Glasgow. The acquisition of knowledge is supported at various levels and the gallery is geared up for those who wish to explore subjects in more detail with support from staff with the availability of quiet self-study areas. At Kelvingrove there is now an Object Cinema and 22 themed galleries focusing on 100 different stories. These wonderful features are supported by an effective promotional campaign through vibrant brochures and hand-outs. Since, its an icon by itself, not much is spent on advertising through media. The museum sponsors for many events including sports and cultural activities. Kelvingrove uses the approach of newspapers and posters which is a modest way for marketing. The museum sponsors many events including sports and cultural activities and hosts various exhibitions. It has als o maintained its reach to the public through its website which is always providing updated and relevant information to potential visitors. These are the marketing strategies that Kelvingrove marketers follow. Figure: Goma Family Festival, 2009 (Source: Glasgow museums, whats on for families?) Management Perspective: The management has indirect impact on the visitors experience at the attractions. It directly impacts the employee attitudes and job satisfaction. The visitor management is the key aspect for the management to handle in different scenarios namely during the visit and before the visit. Museum and art galleries are defined by International Council of Museums as a non-profit institution, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, entertainment and study (ICOM Statutes art.3 para.1, 2007) . One of the major causes of dissatisfaction is connected with the process of management. Many of the staff members (employees) feel that their managers do not know how to manage because of the conflicting agenda or cause of stress and frustration. Better management skills and training would be valuable for overcoming these problems. Museums have a potential valuable resource where many managers appear to enjoy the creative aspects of their work. Here development and implementation of the required skills is an important issue. (Swarbroke, 1999: 50). MANAGEMENT STYLE: Management in all business areas and human organization activity is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources. This is very much the case in places of visitor attractions as well. Good management may not be the measure of a good museum, butà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦would most certainly appear to be one of its critical prerequisites (Weil and Cheit, 1994: 289). A well-managed museum is one in which: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Everyone has a clear idea of the purpose of his or her work and its value to the museum; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Staff works to a plan which has been devised for their area; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clear procedures are followed for the activities which they undertake; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Each section of the museum is involved in, and is responsible for, the efficient operation of its area. (Shostack, 1985: 25). Museum management can have different emphasis regarding service delivery depending on the prevailing management styles. The two different management styles are the custodial management and the market focused management. A successful museum management may require the right balance of the two styles. Recognition of the multi-dimensional nature of the museum experience and consideration of the values of both the roles is vital for the effective management of a museum. (Leask Yeoman, 1999: 38-42) At Kelvingrove the management has done an excellent job in utilizing the resources and capabilities at their disposal to make Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Scotlands busiest visitor attraction last year according to VisitScotland. It excels in a number of areas a few of which are discussed below: Aesthetically displayed exhibits: Kelvingrove Museum has always enjoyed a unique position of its own in the world of heritage museums and recently with its imaginative and empathetic redesigning it has become more appealing to art lovers. Be it the gallant and fragile Spitfire hanging by a thread to show how desperately perilous those wartime raids must have been, the 40-foot dinosaur of the Rennie Mackintosh rooms or the story of the Scots POWs who painted icons on sacks: each of them keep you hooked with odd life-art juxtapositions and the credit goes to none other than the management team who has done a fantastic job in their maintenance. And with the recent reinvention, the museum has become much more organized than before. The doors now open in the basement. Thats the first of the changes. One enters through chic white vaults glowing with red and blue landing light and ascends by stairways fluttering with fabulous birds. The restaurant is a glass pavilion. The clutter of corridors has been rationalized. Light da nces more brightly round the vast halls now that the grime of a century has been scoured away to reveal brilliant blond sandstone. And a third more space has been created in which to display stunningly lit, in jewel-colored rooms nearly twice as many objects. Thus we see that quality has been the foremost focus of the management of Kelvingrove museum and the aim has always been to provide its visitors a life changing experience (Policy Strategic Planning, Glasgow Museums). Organizational Structure: A flat organizational structure ensures that communication is fast across levels and resolutions of operational and management issues take place at a quicker pace. It is a three tier structure with the deputy director heading the management. Furthermore the Culture and Sport Glasgow, which is responsible for museums in Glasgow, reports to a Board of 11 Directors, which comprises six elected members, four independent Directors and the Chief Executive of Culture and Sport Glasgow. Cross Functional Efficiencies: Functional units within the museum instead of working independently interacts and co-ordinates with each other to promote the museum and help the management to achieve their objectives. For instance the marketing department works along with the IT department to reach out to potential and incumbent visitors. Through various online and print publications and also through the website, relevant information about the museum and events surrounding it is made available to the general public. Supporting Activities: The management has also taken significant steps in providing various activities to the general public apart from the viewing of the museum. These range from general facilities like parking, cafe/restaurant, shops, guide assistance dogs to facilities for hosting corporate, and private events. There is also a Centre of New Enlightenment (TCoNE)  designed for young people aged from 10 to 14 years. It uses state-of-the-art equipment and dramatic presentations to explore the museum and its collections and help young people discover their potential. It has an Object Cinema located on the first floor. It is a multi-media centre using video, sound and lighting to tell the story behind a single object or a group of objects. The content will change on a regular basis. Thus we see that the management has taken utmost care of providing the most pleasant experience to visitors at Kelvingrove Art gallery and Museum and continuously tries to improve their service. Operations perspective: In visitors attractions operations management can be defined as a day to day management of the site. Although it appears to be a simple task of managing the site it involves many internal processes, which will help to manage the attraction more efficiently and effectively (Swarbrooke, 2002). According to Rogers Slinn (1993) cited in (Swarbrooke, 2002), operations management is concerned with the design, operation and control of the system that matches the organisations resources to customer service needs. According to Slack, Chambers et al. (1995) cited in Leask Yeoman (1999), resources can be classified into transformed resources which can be transformed or converted and transforming resources which will act upon the transformed resources. Transformed resources include materials, information and customers where as the transforming resources include facilities and staff. Operations management mainly concentrates more on using the available transforming resources like staff and mach inery to provide an efficient service for the customers. In visitor attractions effective management of operations will help in smooth and efficient operation of the site. Every one working within the site will be directly or indirectly involved in operation management (Swarbrooke, 2002). Generally operations management deals with real people and real issues within a practical environment. In visitors attractions operations management deals with many tasks like Design of the site. Management of visitors and capacity management. Staff training. Monitoring quality issues. The operations within an attraction site vary depending upon the organisation or its customer point of view (Leask Yeoman, 1999). From an organisation perspective operations management generally concentrates on increasing the visitors opportunities in the site, staff and visitors safety, low operational costs, looking after visitors with special needs within the available resources, ensuring to maintain high quality standards, compliance with the law and effective problem solving. However customers perspective of the operations might vary in different areas as the customers are not concerned about the operating costs, they generally look for minimized delays and queues and safety of visitors, high quality service and optimized visitor enjoyment regardless of costs, complaints should be dealt in a positive manner without any time delay. Many skills and attributes are required for effective operations management within a site like good knowledge of the site its staff and its usage by the visitors, paying attention in detail about the site, planning systems, procedures in advance and flexibility to change them in different circumstances, effective crises management, financial management, being firm but tactical, confidence on own abilities and judgement, seeing things from customers and staff perspective and looking for constant improvement. Operations management within an attraction site is to enhance the quality of visitors experience. Generally the areas which have a great impact might include the way the queues are managed, handling complaints in an effective and efficient way, solving problems quickly, steps to increase visitors enjoyment and their safety to make them feel positive to visit the site. There are constraints on operations management with in an attraction site which depends on: Operation manager attitude, experience, abilities. The attractions organisations structure, culture and beliefs. Availability of resources like skills of the staff and their freedom in order to solve the problems. Availability of financial resources. Legislation, regulations and social acceptability (Swarbrooke, 2002). Financial resources are funded by Glasgow City Council and are ahead of many national names like British Library and Tate Liverpool. The attractions include the opening of the Doctor with exhibition at the end of the month where Kelvingrove will be the centre of scientific universe. Bailie Liz Cameron, chairwoman of Culture and Sport Glasgow manages the museums and galleries said that These (as stated above) figures prove once again that Glasgows collections are of both national and international significance. We will continue to invest in our museums and art galleries, bringing new exhibitions to some of Scotlands most cherished attractions(Cameron, Glasgow News). The operations management should consider handling the operations such as minimize the risks associated with the display of art gallery and museum articles. They (Kelvingrove operations team) focus on the spending of visitors at various occasions. This is handled by museum by placing all the facilities and amenities which all aged people feel to spend money such as cafeteria, restaurant and some books related to history, some articles which can easily attract young generation which are stylish. They (operations team) not only considers these aspects of entertainment of making maximum profits from visitors but also the management should spend appropriately on labour, power sources etc. To handle the cost-in and cost-out schemes equally. They should also need to take care of providing special access to the disabled people or old people who are challenged but would like to visit the museum. All these activities are handled complying the laws and regulations in Scotland. The next aspect is about the Kelvingrove handles several minute things also in a big picture like: facility for car parking, toilets and elevators to be provided. And for the safety guidance, there are many fire exit points where the staff is trained to guide the visitors to the fire exit in case of fire. For addressing difficulties the visitors are facing or challenges they face during the visit or suggestions they would like management to keep an eye and improve better: All certain feedback can be submitted in a separate department for efficient handling of all the concerns. So, The operations management is either successful for Kevin grove as it follows and perfectly implements the functions namely problem-solving, resource management, risk management, visitor attractions, customer satisfaction and last but not the least: quality. Quality perspective: Generally in product related manufacturing industries quality is a product-led concept which concentrates on features and attributes of the product. The extent to which a product or service can satisfy wants and needs of a customer can be seen as a quality. According to Swarbrooke (2002) quality can be defined as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Quality is not only about the outcome of the product or service but also the whole processes that involves getting the outcomes. Quality in visitors attractions is all about offering a good service to the visitors. Quality at visitor attractions can be viewed in two ways as a set of outcomes visitors receive or the processes how the attraction operates. For example set of outcomes might include the physical appearance; the price the customer pays, service offered, safety, reliability and the number of complaints about the attractions. The process es include human resource management, hierarchy, culture style of management, and marketing style of the visitor attraction. When designing quality management systems there are three important questions that should be considered for attractions they are (i) definition of the quality the management will use (ii) performance standards and measurement system to be used (iii) the management systems they need to adopt for achieving quality. So attraction operators should pay attention to both process and outcomes in their quality management systems. The quality management system should include every aspect of management of attraction like tangible elements of the attraction which include buildings and structures, maintenance levels, comfort and security of visitors. Quality management within a visitor attraction can be viewed from both internal and external perspective. For example internal perspective includes the views of attraction managers for whom quality is smooth operation of attr action site and minimum customer complaints, attraction staff who sees quality as their terms and conditions of employment and few complaints to handle. The external perspective includes the views of customers who tend to see the quality in terms of how easy, safe and secure to use the site and the value for their money (Swarbrooke, 2002). Measuring Quality: In order to maintain quality service it is important to measure quality. Among the techniques available for service quality measurement SERVQUAL method developed by Parasuraman et al. in 1985 is the most popular. It is a technique that can be used to perform a gap analysis between an organizations service quality performance and the customers service quality needs. It is an empirically derived method that can be used by a service organization to improve its service quality. It takes into account the perceptions of the customers of the relative importance of service attributes. This allows an organization to prioritize and use its resources to improve the most critical service attributes. The methodology is based on 5 key dimensions: Reliability: This is an ability to deliver the service accurately and as promised. According to Zeithaml and Bitner (2000) it is the most important determinant. Responsiveness: to provide prompt service and willingness to help customers. Assurance: the trust and confidence customers will have on staff. Empathy: it covers care and individualized attention to customers. Tangibles: this includes physical facilities, equipment, machinery, personnel and infrastructure (Fitzsimmons, 1994). Quality is subjective and has different meanings to customers and service providers. From the staffs point of view quality is measured by the number of complaints registered from the customers, the fewer the number the higher is the quality of the service. However for the customer it is the environment and experience of the place with respect to the money spent which defines quality. The aim of the management is always to minimize the gap between these two and hence in order to measure quality Servqual is an effective tool under such conditions. In the following section we will try to use the tool to measure quality of the Kelvingrove Art gallery and Museum using the personal experience of the author. ASSESSMENT OF THE KELVINGROVE MUSEUM FOR QUALITY The author paid a visit to the museum recently to have a firsthand experience of the museum and its facilities. During the course of the visit he interacted with visitors to get their feedback on their experiences. In most of the cases the feedback varied from good to excellent, a number of them were thrilled with the experience the museum offered after the restoration. They were happy that the things were better organized, displays were in order, lighting was improved and overall the museum had improved aesthetically. On the five dimensions of Servqual, museum performed as follows: Reliability: After the restoration work, out of 20000 objects that were made for display, there were 50% of the objects being displayed with a number of nearly 8000 objects as promised. More back space has been provided to the public. Responsiveness: Staffs have been highly customer focussed and responsiveness level to customer discomfort has been very high. This is seen in the visitors rating who have rated Kelvingrove art gallery and museum as the best and rated 5 out of 5(Info and Reviews, Kelvingrove). Assurance: The organisation is particular with the awareness of the social inclusion. I observed during the visit to Kelvingrove that there are many educational activities like: training, volunteers, providing knowledge to the children about the history. Moreover all the staffs are knowledgeable about the exhibits and were courteous in explaining them to the visitors. These are as discussed above suit the role of assurance in the SERVQUAL approach for the museums. Empathy: Staffs are presentable and courteous and are always at the disposal of the customers. Tangibles: All the facilities and art works are neatly maintained From the above analysis, it is evident that Kelvingrove ranks high up in the list of places of attraction in Scotland. It is a cultural heritage and pride of Scotland. Recommendations: In spite of the fact the management of Kelvingrove is continuously trying to improve the service to the visitors there are still some areas where considerable improvement can be done. These are as follows: 1. Continuous training needs to be provided to staffs about the artefacts and exhibits at the museum so that they can provide the correct information when asked for by the visitors. A couple of times the author faced this issue during the visit 2. A few artefacts in the Italian Art Gallery do not have any description about them. Visitors may feel a sense of incompleteness when they dont get a descriptive narration of art works. 3. The day of visit of the author collided with a national holiday which drew a large number of visitors to the museum. However, to manage this large crowd customer assistance staffs were not sufficient. Management should look into this matter and probably fill this gap through part time staffs if not by full time to handle large crowds 4. Management should look into rationalizing the food price at the restaurant which appeared to be too costly. 5. Management should take adequate precaution and strictness when allowing children inside the museum as they were touching art work and might damage them. 6. Some of the artworks and other objects were hung in a manner which was crowded and distracting, for instance, the Vuillard. Moreover every painting in the Impressionist room had a horrid flip chart attachment projecting from the wall. 7. Titians Christ and The Adulteress and the Bellini Madonna could not be contemplated in silence because of the nearby narration concerning Botticellis Annunciation These recommendations should be addressed as soon as possible to wipe off any kind of blemishes on the otherwise extraordinary place of attraction in the heart of Glasgow. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: 1. The annual reports for the museum are very limited that are published in the website which are not sufficient to analyze the position of the museum in the current market. 2. Few of the managers were providing only certain amount of information and are not ready to give detailed information.

The Character of Athena in Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey womody

The Charater of Athene in Homer's Odyssey In "The Odyssey", Athene helped Odysseus numerous ways physically and mentally by aiding him, Telemachus, and Penelope. In book I, Athene urged Telemachus to give up boyhood, act like a man, present his case to search for his father to the assembly, and take stronger steps to search for his father. After Telemachus presented his case to the assembly and no action was taken on his request for a ship to enable him to search for his father, Telemachus prayed to Athene for help. In response to his prayer, Athene appeared as Mentor and borrowed a ship and crew for Telemachus. Athene also helped Telemachus by appearing to him in a dream, urging him to return to Ithaca and warning him about the ambush of the suitors. Athene helped Penelope numerous way also. Athene helped her by comforting her so she would not go into a nervous break down over all her stress, the suitors and Odysseus returning or not. Athene gave Penelope hope of Odysseus returning. Athene even made Penelope appear more beautiful than she really was, because Penelope was actually really ragged. Athene also helped Penelope by giving her a dream of gulls, representing the suitors, and an eagle, representing Odysseus, killing the gulls. Athene helped Odysseus numerous ways as well. She helped by persuading the gods to free Odysseus from Calypso. Athene even helped Odysseus by telling Naussicaa to do her laundry at the beach and telling her to help the man she meets. So when Odysseus came to shore he was ugly and he scared the other women on the beach away, except Nausicaa. Nausicaa washed Odysseus up, gave him clothes, and told him how to act when they return to her place. As they were going to Naussicaa's place Athene made Odysseus invisible so the guards would not see him and Athene made Odysseus look better by making him look taller, stronger, and giving him more hair on his head. Athene also helped Odysseus by counseling him on how to handle the suitors, and she disguises him as an old begger so no one will recognize him immediatly. Athene later restores Odysseus to his own form when he reveals himself to his son and together after twenty years they plan a vengeance on Penelopes wooers.

Lewis and Clark :: essays research papers

â€Å"My response; they do matter!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took the risk of life, limb, and liberty to bring back the precious and valuable information of the Pacific Northwest of the United States territory. Their accomplishments of surviving the trek and delivering the data to the U.S. government, have altered the course of history, but have some Historian’s and author’s stating, â€Å"It produced nothing useful.†, and having â€Å"added little to the stock of science and wealth. Lewis and Clark’s expedition is one of the most famous and most unknown adventures of America’s frontier. What makes Lewis and Clark truly significant historical figures, or not? It depends on your perspective. To the Native Americans, it was the beginning of an end. Their lives will be changed forever by their contact with the fur traders, soldiers, and missionaries that followed in the wake of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Certainly the changes will be gradual, but changes none the less. The changes will be no less profound for European Americans. President Jefferson's orders were far-reaching. While Lewis and Clark did not discover a Northwest Passage or start the western fur trade or overland immigration, they certainly influenced the latter two movements. They provided valuable information about the topography, the biological sciences, the ecology, and ethnic and linguistic studies of the American Indian. The mysteries of the vast area known as the Louisiana Purchase quickly disappeared after Lewis and Clark. Geographic discovery was an essential goal that Jefferson set for the expedition. Lewis and Clark recorded a wealth of scientific knowledge as they noted significant geographic features, made detailed route maps, and recorded their observations of longitude and latitude. Lewis performed most the astronomical duties and Clark charted the course and drafted expedition maps. Jefferson was especially concerned that Lewis and Clark establish good connections with the Indians and carry out linguistic and ethnological studies. Consequently, they held several meetings with the Indian tribes they met on their journey. The Americans wanted to open the door to diplomatic relations and gain access to trading rights with the Indians too. They were instructed to notify the Indians of the new sovereignty of the United States under the terms of the Louisiana Purchase. In making these contacts, they hoped to shift trade away from the Spanish, French, English, and Russian competitors and toward American interests. Lewis and Clark were viewing trade as a long-term venture, while the Indians wanted an immediate exchange or merchandise.

education in society :: essays research papers fc

With so many problems surrounding public schooling, it is difficult to understand where public school is headed. In the article â€Å"Taking Sides,† William J. Bennett and Forrest J. Troy tackle the problem from two opposing views. Both sides present a compelling case, while at the same time helping readers to understand the difficulty of creating a program that functions the fullest potential. The article examines one major topic; â€Å"Have Public Schools Failed Society?† I hope to answer this question while taking a look at both sides of the coin. As the former secretary of education, William J. Bennet has a good understanding of what could possibly be right and wrong with public schooling. After placing â€Å"goals† schools the United States realized, years later, that they have fallen into a lull. In other words, Bennet believes that the United States has reached a point where the schooling system cannot improve based on the goals they put in place fifteen years ago. This makes perfect sense. Why would a nation as powerful as the United States place â€Å"limitations,† on what schools can and cannot do? Learning is constantly growing. With this being said, I believe that the direction that the United States public schools are heading is failure. Teachers and students understand this more than anyone. Each student is completely different, in their own right. To make a blanket statement for the every school and setting the same goals is ridiculous. There are many critics to this status quo idea. They believe that â€Å"young Americans are not learning enough for their own or their nation’s good, that international comparisons rank the U.S. academic performance from the middle to the bottom year after year, and that many employers say that they cannot find people who have the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes, and habits to do the work.† (Noll 173) If education is supposed to aid in the development of an entire nation, then why do so many people disagree with the system the United States have in place at the moment? If the country continues on this path there will never be room for improvement. I think what Bennet is trying to say is that the world is ever changing, so in the same regard so should education. Chester E. Finn takes the criticism of education in another direction. Instead of focusing on the downfalls of the education system he believe that the problems stem from society. education in society :: essays research papers fc With so many problems surrounding public schooling, it is difficult to understand where public school is headed. In the article â€Å"Taking Sides,† William J. Bennett and Forrest J. Troy tackle the problem from two opposing views. Both sides present a compelling case, while at the same time helping readers to understand the difficulty of creating a program that functions the fullest potential. The article examines one major topic; â€Å"Have Public Schools Failed Society?† I hope to answer this question while taking a look at both sides of the coin. As the former secretary of education, William J. Bennet has a good understanding of what could possibly be right and wrong with public schooling. After placing â€Å"goals† schools the United States realized, years later, that they have fallen into a lull. In other words, Bennet believes that the United States has reached a point where the schooling system cannot improve based on the goals they put in place fifteen years ago. This makes perfect sense. Why would a nation as powerful as the United States place â€Å"limitations,† on what schools can and cannot do? Learning is constantly growing. With this being said, I believe that the direction that the United States public schools are heading is failure. Teachers and students understand this more than anyone. Each student is completely different, in their own right. To make a blanket statement for the every school and setting the same goals is ridiculous. There are many critics to this status quo idea. They believe that â€Å"young Americans are not learning enough for their own or their nation’s good, that international comparisons rank the U.S. academic performance from the middle to the bottom year after year, and that many employers say that they cannot find people who have the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes, and habits to do the work.† (Noll 173) If education is supposed to aid in the development of an entire nation, then why do so many people disagree with the system the United States have in place at the moment? If the country continues on this path there will never be room for improvement. I think what Bennet is trying to say is that the world is ever changing, so in the same regard so should education. Chester E. Finn takes the criticism of education in another direction. Instead of focusing on the downfalls of the education system he believe that the problems stem from society.

Record Labels

HOME FREE DRUM BREAKS EQUIPMENT-REVIEWS RECORD-LABEL-CONTACTS HIP-HOP-INSTRUMENTALS ABOUT RECORD LABEL CONTACTS 143 Records 530 Wilshire Blvd. , Suite 101 Santa Monica, CA 90401 Phone: 310-899-0143 Fax: 310-899-0133 A&M Records 1416 North Lebrea Ave. Hollywood, CA 90028 Aftermath Records 2220 Colorado Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404 Phone: 310-865-7642 Fax:310-865-7068 American Recordings 3500 West Olive Ave. Suite 1550 Burbank, CA 91505 Capital Records A&R Dept 1750 North Vine & Hollywood Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone: 323-462-6552 Cash Money Records P. O. Box 547 St. Rose, LA 70087 Chrysalis Music Valerie L. Patton 500 Melrose Ave. , Suite 207 Los Angeles, CA 90069-5145 Phone: 310-967-0303 Fax: 310-652-2024 Geffen Record Co. 9130 Sunset Blvd. , Suite 1230 Los Angeles, CA 90069 Gramophone P. O. Box 910 Beverly Hills, CA 90213 Interscope Records 10900 Wilshire Blvd. , Suite 1230 Los Angeles, CA 90024 Maverick Music Co. 8000 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 MCA Records 70 Universal City P laza[/B] University, CA 91608 Motown Records 5750 Wilshite Blvd. , Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90026 Quincy Jones Music 3800 Barham Blvd 503 Los Angeles, CA 90068 Phone: 323-882-1337 Fax: 323-874-4236 Reprise Records 3300 Warner Blvd.Burbank, CA 91510 Revolution Records 8900 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Rhino Entertainment 10635 Santa Monica Blvd. , 2nd floor Los Angeles, CA 90025 Virgin Records 338 N. Foothill Rd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Warner Bros. Records 3300 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 Windham Hill Records 75 Willow Rd. Menlo Park, CA 94025 NEW YORK RECORD LABEL CONTACTS Angel/Virgin Classics Records 810 Seventh Ave. New York, NY 10019 Arista Records 6 W. 57th St. New York, NY 10019 Atlanta Records 75 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10019 Bad Boy Entertainment 1540 Broadway 30th Floor New York, NY 10036 Blackground Records 9 West 27th St. New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-684-1975 Fax: 212-684-1624 Blue Note Records 1290 Sixth Ave. New York, NY 10019 BMG/RCA Records 1540 Broadway, 9th floor New York, NY 10036 Columbia Records 550 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10022 DAS Communications 83 Riverside Dr. New York, NY 10024 Phone: 212-877-0400 Fax: 212-595-0176 East/West Records 75 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10019 Ebony Son Management c/o Chaka Zulu 1867 7th Ave. , Suite 4C New York, NY 10026 Phone: 917-449-2619 Fax: 212-665-9634 [email  protected] com EMI Music Publishing NY c/o Paul Morgan 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104Phone: 212-492-1200 Fax: 212-492-1865 [email  protected] com Island Records (Polygram) 825 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10019 LaFace Records Flent Coleman 6 West 57th St. New York, NY 10019 Matador Records 676 Broadway New York, NY 10012 Mercury Records 825 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10019 Nonesuch Records 590 Fifth Ave. , 16th floor New York, NY 10036 Rockwilder Entertainment Ellis Entertainment 900 South Ave. , Suite 300 Staten Island, NY 10314 Phone: 718-568-3655 Fax: 718-568-3643 [email  protected] com Sire Records 7 5 Reckefeller Plaza New York, NY 10019 Tommy Boy Records Ian Stemmans 902 Broadway, 13th floorNew York, NY 10010 Phone: 212-777-0281 Trackmasters Entertainment 550 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-833-7962 Fax: 212-833-4797 TVT Records Rell Lefarg 23 East 45th St. New York, NY 10003 Phone: 212-979-6410 Verve Records 825 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10019 Warlock Records, Inc. 126 Fifth Ave. , 2nd floor New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-206-0800 Fax: 212-206-1949 Zomba / Jive Records Jimmy Mays 137-139 West 25th St. New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-727-0016 OTHER U. S. RECORD LABEL CONTACTS ASCAP Moe Rodriquez, Regional Rep P. O. Box 14189 Gainesville, FL 32604 Phone: 352-377-1003 Fax: 352-377-0590 [email  protected] net A Touch of Jazz 444N. Third St. Philadelphia, PA 19123 Phone: 215-928-9192 Fax: 215-928-9487 Cash Money Records P. O. Box 547 St. Rose, LA 70087 Phone: 504-466-5115 Fax: 504-466-7575 Darkchild Entertainment 503 Doughty Rd. Pleasantville, NJ 08232 Phone: 609-652-7906 Fax: 609-407-0596 Flyte Tyme Productions 4100 West 76th St. St. Edina, MN 55435 Phone: 612-897-3901 Fax: 612-897-1942 www. flytetyme. com Freeworld Entertainment 576 A Trabert Ave. NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Phone: 404-351-6680 Fax: 404-351-1354 Hardball Records Pablo Casals 350 Lincoln Rd. , Suite 316 Miami Beach, FL 33139 Phone: 305-674-7044Fax: 305-674-7501 Keep Close Entertainment Tony Rudd 2700 SF Charles Rd Bellwood, IL 60104 Phone: 708-701-9491 LaFace Records 3350 Peachtree Rd. , Suite 1500 Atlanta, Ga 30326 Phone: 404-848-8050 Fax: 404-848-8051 PriceWriteProductions PriceOne Luke Records Julian Boothe Miami, FL Phone: 305-532-7696 Mammoth Records 101 B St. Carrboro, NC 27510 Miles Ahead Entertainment Sheila Eldridge 380 Piermont Ave. Hillsdale, NJ 07642 Phone: 201-722-1500 Fax: 201-722-1119 Rap-A-Lot Records P. O. Box 924190 Houston, TX 77292 Phone: 713-335-1600 Rounder Records 1 Camp St. Cambridge, MA 02140 Slip-N-Slide Records Keith Hamilton 9 Miami Gardens Dr. , Suite 128 Miam i, FL 33169 Phone: 305-770-077 So So Def Recordings 685 Lambert Dr. Atlanta, GA 30324 Phone: 404-888-9900 Fax: 404-888-9901 Soundbwoy Entertainment Lancelot 2221 N. E. 164th, Suite 255 North Miami Beach, FL 33160 Phone: 305-769-9700 Fax: 305-769-6990 T-Luv Management 3018 Gary Drive St. Louis, MO 63121 Phone: 314-385-1848 Fax: 314-383-2393 Untouchables Entertainment Group 100 Piermont Rd. Closter, NJ 07624 Phone: 201-767-6924 Fax: 201-784-3879 Warner/Chappell Music Latin Division 763 Collins Ave. , Suite 301 Miami, FL 33139 Phone: 305-534-1010 Fax: 305-534-1082 Wish RecordingsIan Burke PMB 145, 541 10th St. Atlanta, GA 33018 Phone: 404-627-8329 Wright Stuff Records Donna Wright P. O. Box 2600 Windmere, LF 34786 Phone: 407-291-8333 ext 1 Fax: 407-291-6946 Voice: 800-222-6000 wrightstuffmanagement. com Worldwide Entertainment Kevin Wales Atlanta, GA 404-760-0599 Go To TopAdministration Login Copyright  © 2012 HOME FREE DRUM BREAKS EQUIPMENT-REVIEWS RECORD-LABEL-CONTACTS HIP-HOP-INST RUMENTALS ABOUT RECORD LABEL CONTACTS 143 Records 530 Wilshire Blvd. , Suite 101 Santa Monica, CA 90401 Phone: 310-899-0143 Fax: 310-899-0133 A&M Records 1416 North Lebrea Ave. Hollywood, CA 90028 Aftermath Records 220 Colorado Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404 Phone: 310-865-7642 Fax:310-865-7068 American Recordings 3500 West Olive Ave. Suite 1550 Burbank, CA 91505 Capital Records A&R Dept 1750 North Vine & Hollywood Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone: 323-462-6552 Cash Money Records P. O. Box 547 St. Rose, LA 70087 Chrysalis Music Valerie L. Patton 8500 Melrose Ave. , Suite 207 Los Angeles, CA 90069-5145 Phone: 310-967-0303 Fax: 310-652-2024 Geffen Record Co. 9130 Sunset Blvd. , Suite 1230 Los Angeles, CA 90069 Gramophone P. O. Box 910 Beverly Hills, CA 90213 Interscope Records 10900 Wilshire Blvd. , Suite 1230 Los Angeles, CA 90024Maverick Music Co. 8000 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 MCA Records 70 Universal City Plaza[/B] University, CA 91608 Motown Records 5750 Wilshite Blvd. , Suite 3 00 Los Angeles, CA 90026 Quincy Jones Music 3800 Barham Blvd 503 Los Angeles, CA 90068 Phone: 323-882-1337 Fax: 323-874-4236 Reprise Records 3300 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91510 Revolution Records 8900 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Rhino Entertainment 10635 Santa Monica Blvd. , 2nd floor Los Angeles, CA 90025 Virgin Records 338 N. Foothill Rd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Warner Bros. Records 3300 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 Windham Hill Records 5 Willow Rd. Menlo Park, CA 94025 NEW YORK RECORD LABEL CONTACTS Angel/Virgin Classics Records 810 Seventh Ave. New York, NY 10019 Arista Records 6 W. 57th St. New York, NY 10019 Atlanta Records 75 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10019 Bad Boy Entertainment 1540 Broadway 30th Floor New York, NY 10036 Blackground Records 49 West 27th St. New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-684-1975 Fax: 212-684-1624 Blue Note Records 1290 Sixth Ave. New York, NY 10019 BMG/RCA Records 1540 Broadway, 9th floor New York, NY 10036 Columbia Records 550 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10022 DAS Communications 83 Riverside Dr. New York, NY 10024Phone: 212-877-0400 Fax: 212-595-0176 East/West Records 75 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10019 Ebony Son Management c/o Chaka Zulu 1867 7th Ave. , Suite 4C New York, NY 10026 Phone: 917-449-2619 Fax: 212-665-9634 [email  protected] com EMI Music Publishing NY c/o Paul Morgan 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104 Phone: 212-492-1200 Fax: 212-492-1865 [email  protected] com Island Records (Polygram) 825 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10019 LaFace Records Flent Coleman 6 West 57th St. New York, NY 10019 Matador Records 676 Broadway New York, NY 10012 Mercury Records 825 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10019 Nonesuch Records 90 Fifth Ave. , 16th floor New York, NY 10036 Rockwilder Entertainment Ellis Entertainment 900 South Ave. , Suite 300 Staten Island, NY 10314 Phone: 718-568-3655 Fax: 718-568-3643 [email  protected] com Sire Records 75 Reckefeller Plaza New York, NY 10019 Tommy Boy Records Ian Stemmans 902 Broadway, 13th floor New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212-777-0281 Trackmasters Entertainment 550 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-833-7962 Fax: 212-833-4797 TVT Records Rell Lefarg 23 East 45th St. New York, NY 10003 Phone: 212-979-6410 Verve Records 825 Eighth Ave. New York, NY 10019 Warlock Records, Inc. 126 Fifth Ave. , 2nd floorNew York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-206-0800 Fax: 212-206-1949 Zomba / Jive Records Jimmy Mays 137-139 West 25th St. New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-727-0016 OTHER U. S. RECORD LABEL CONTACTS ASCAP Moe Rodriquez, Regional Rep P. O. Box 14189 Gainesville, FL 32604 Phone: 352-377-1003 Fax: 352-377-0590 [email  protected] net A Touch of Jazz 444N. Third St. Philadelphia, PA 19123 Phone: 215-928-9192 Fax: 215-928-9487 Cash Money Records P. O. Box 547 St. Rose, LA 70087 Phone: 504-466-5115 Fax: 504-466-7575 Darkchild Entertainment 503 Doughty Rd. Pleasantville, NJ 08232 Phone: 609-652-7906 Fax: 609-407-0596 Flyte Tyme Productions 100 West 76th St. St. Edina, MN 55435 Phone: 612-897-3901 Fax: 612-897-1942 www. flytetyme. com Freeworld Entertainment 576 A Trabert Ave. NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Phone: 404-351-6680 Fax: 404-351-1354 Hardball Records Pablo Casals 350 Lincoln Rd. , Suite 316 Miami Beach, FL 33139 Phone: 305-674-7044 Fax: 305-674-7501 Keep Close Entertainment Tony Rudd 2700 SF Charles Rd Bellwood, IL 60104 Phone: 708-701-9491 LaFace Records 3350 Peachtree Rd. , Suite 1500 Atlanta, Ga 30326 Phone: 404-848-8050 Fax: 404-848-8051 PriceWriteProductions PriceOne Luke Records Julian Boothe Miami, FL Phone: 305-532-7696 Mammoth Records 101 B St.Carrboro, NC 27510 Miles Ahead Entertainment Sheila Eldridge 380 Piermont Ave. Hillsdale, NJ 07642 Phone: 201-722-1500 Fax: 201-722-1119 Rap-A-Lot Records P. O. Box 924190 Houston, TX 77292 Phone: 713-335-1600 Rounder Records 1 Camp St. Cambridge, MA 02140 Slip-N-Slide Records Keith Hamilton 99 Miami Gardens Dr. , Suite 128 Miami, FL 33169 Phone: 305-770-077 So So Def Recordings 685 Lambert Dr. Atlant a, GA 30324 Phone: 404-888-9900 Fax: 404-888-9901 Soundbwoy Entertainment Lancelot 2221 N. E. 164th, Suite 255 North Miami Beach, FL 33160 Phone: 305-769-9700 Fax: 305-769-6990 T-Luv Management 3018 Gary Drive St.Louis, MO 63121 Phone: 314-385-1848 Fax: 314-383-2393 Untouchables Entertainment Group 100 Piermont Rd. Closter, NJ 07624 Phone: 201-767-6924 Fax: 201-784-3879 Warner/Chappell Music Latin Division 763 Collins Ave. , Suite 301 Miami, FL 33139 Phone: 305-534-1010 Fax: 305-534-1082 Wish Recordings Ian Burke PMB 145, 541 10th St. Atlanta, GA 33018 Phone: 404-627-8329 Wright Stuff Records Donna Wright P. O. Box 2600 Windmere, LF 34786 Phone: 407-291-8333 ext 1 Fax: 407-291-6946 Voice: 800-222-6000 wrightstuffmanagement. com Worldwide Entertainment Kevin Wales Atlanta, GA 404-760-0599 Go To TopAdministration Login Copyright  © 2012

Odi Case

Optical Distortions (ODI) is a start up with limited resources and a product that can change the egg production business. Its product, contact lenses for chickens, would reduce the vision of the hen and achieve two desirable results in the behavior of the chicken. These behaviors include reduction in cannibalism and reduction in amount of food required for chicken. And as a further result, the reduction in cannibalism rate removed the need to debeak the birds, which adds further economic value to the farmers. These benefits far outstrip the costs of the contact lenses themselves.And for ODI, there are definitely profits to be had if the products can be marketed well before the competitors can enter the market in a few years. Therefore, ODI should introduce their product according to my analysis below. The issue ODI is facing is that it currently has no revenue flow. And to stay competitive in the industry, ODI is estimating it will have large expenses coming up quickly to grow quickl y enough to stay viable. Therefore, ODI must capitalize as soon as possible. Also, on the consumer front, the product is completely unknown to its customers.It will face a slightly uphill battle to convince potential customers that its product is better than the other more â€Å"conventional† methods provided by other vendors in the poultry egg production industry. On the competitor side, ODI has little breathing room. It expects that the competitors can be kept out of the market for at most two to three years thanks to patents and licenses that ODI currently holds. And ODI believes that competitors will likely try to enter the market as soon as possible because of the potential impact that the lenses hold on the egg production industry.Thankfully, ODI’s collaborator, New World, has entered into an exclusive contract with ODI on the non-human use of hydrophilic polymer. Given the general market information, we need more detailed understanding of the current market to d etermine a strategy for ODI. 1. How big is the market for ODI chicken lenses? First, we must determine the market size of the ODI’s contact lenses. According to information provided by Garrison, that ODI can only profitably sell to a farm if that farm had at least 10,000 chickens in its flock. As our first target market, California, we must determine the number of farms nd chickens in farms with more than 10,000 chickens. We are shown the distribution of farms in Exhibit 3. However, we are only shown break outs of farms with 20,000 more chickens. We can still use this information, because farms with just over 10,000 chickens is barely profitable, so we can concentrate on them later on in the process as ODI’s product becomes more mature. Hence, there are 521 farms with 20,000 hens or more, with 39,929,680 million chickens. (Please note that this is approximately 86. 4% of all chicken in California farms. ) The market size for ODI’s lenses in California is fairly big at 39,929,680 potential chickens.And nationwide, which will be the eventual target market for ODI, there are 197,970,487 chickens currently. And according exhibit 4, the trend in chicken farming shows that this market will continue to increase for two reasons. First, there is a net growth in the number of birds in flocks. Second, there is a trend for reduction of smaller farms and increase at the medium and large farms. And since we are targeting only medium and large farms, we can expect the number of birds in this market to continue to increase. 2. Who are the potential customers for such a product? Why would they buy it?Next, we need to identify potential customers for the product. The clear customers are farmers of the egg farms, we will call this the direct to consumer (DTC) market. The farmers would definitely buy the product if they are aware of the cost savings it provides. For each 10,000 chicken, the farmer can expect to see savings of $2,617. 60 ignoring the additiona l costs imposed by the lenses (please see appendix 1 for the estimated savings calculations). If we sell the lenses at the 8 cents per pair, then we will be adding approximately $800 to the cost of the farmer in costs. This means the farmer can see a net savings of $1,817. 0 by switching to the contact lenses over debeaking. In addition to these farms, perhaps, services firms that provide labor for debeaking may be also customers; this would be a business to business (B2B) market. These firms may wish to diversify their offering if they see additional value for their end customers (the farmers). These firms will buy if debeaking becomes less popular due to our new contact lenses. Since their primary offering is labor, they will want the advantage of being the one stop shop. The one stop shop here means that the farmers will only have to deal with 1 contract as opposed to multiple.This is an offering that the services firms will want to have when dealing the farmers, which means they will need to purchase our lenses. 3. Would potential customers eagerly adopt or would they resist adopting this product? Why? Next, is to understand the early adopters versus the market laggards. I believe that the early adopters would be the large farms. They have the most to gain from purchasing the lenses. Additionally, since they have so many birds, they can run a test trial on 10,000 or even 20,000 birds for the first year and observe the results before rolling out the lenses to the rest of the birds.This makes the switch a little easier on the farmers. Since the product hasn’t been on the market ever, I can imagine that there will be significant resistance at the start due to the lack of experience with the product. However, I would also like to acknowledge that there is a possibility that these large farms are likely to have existing contracts with other firms (for example for debeaking) that would make it hard to switch. Additionally, it may be more difficult to conv ince several decision makers to agree on the large farm to make the change happen.On the other hand, the medium farms only have one decision maker and may be converted to using the contact lenses quickly. But due to their size and amount of savings, I can see reluctance to take on the risk of an â€Å"unproven† product. The market laggards would definitely be the small farms and services firms. For small farms, it is just too much risk for the untested product. And services firm will not purchase until there is sufficient number of farms switching from debeaking to contact lenses and it’s starting to hurt their business. 4.Given the financial constraints faced by the company, are the ODI lenses an economically viable product? We should now understand if the product is financially viable. If we sell the lenses at 8 cents per pair, then must sell at least 13,229,167 pair of lenses to break even. This is due to costs of the $586,000 for the personnel and office for the re gional office (see appendix 2 for the cost assumptions) and then the $25,000 licensing fee then must to New World, as well as the $24,000 for the two injection molds they would need. And their margins are 4. 8 cents per pair, so $635,000 / $0. 048 gets use the 13. million pairs. Please note that this number is approximately 33% of the potential market (39. 9 million) that we identified earlier. Since Garrison that 50% penetration is feasible, we would be quite profitable. Even if we add in the $250,000 R&D expense, then our require # of lenses is 18,687,500 lenses (thanks to the need for a third injection mold). However, even at this number of required lenses, this is approximately 46% of the market, and under the 50% share of market rate that ODI is forecasting. This means that we will remain profitable. And as ODI expands to the nation, their costs rise to be about $4. 63 million (see appendix 3), which would require 84,645,834 lenses to break even, well under the 50% mark for the 197,970,487 chickens in farms with 20,000 chickens (42. 8%). Hence, the product should be profitable. 5. Would you recommend introduction of ODI chicken lenses? At this point I would recommend the introduction of ODI chicken lenses if the forecasts that we see in the case are accurate, because there is clearly benefits for both ODI and the customers. However, we need to explore the possibilities of alternatives. The only other feasible alternative is to license the product to larger agricultural supply firms.The benefit of licensing is that ODI would dramatically reduce its costs and recognize income right away. And they would not have to convince individual farms. All they have to do is pitch the product to corporate executives. However, they do face the issue that the large agricultural supply firm would likely kick ODI out as soon as the patent protection runs out. And without the on the ground presence, ODI would lose all revenue sources in three years. Therefore, this approach is extremely dangerous compared to actually selling the lenses themselves, which according to our analysis will be profitable.Therefore, ODI should introduce the lenses on its own. 6. If introduced, how should ODI segment the market? In which markets should ODI concentrate its effort and why? Now that we believe that ODI should sell the chicken contact lenses, we need to understand how to market the product. First, we need to segment the market into distinct, mutually exclusive, identifiable segments. The two segmentation metrics that immediately come to mind are Farm Flock Size and Cannibalization Rate of Strains at the Farm. Farm Flock Size will be broken into the 20,000 to 49,000, 50,000 to 99,000, and 100,000 or more identified in Exhibit 3.Cannibalization Rate of Strains at the Farm will be divided into High Cannibalization Rate, Medium Cannibalization Rate, and Low Cannibalization Rate. There are metrics that we can use to segment the farms, but we want to make sure that we d o not put so many metrics that there are only a few farms in each segment. The idea is to have large, identifiable, distinct, and stable segments. Here, Farm Flock Size and Cannibalization Rates make good metrics because not only do they divide the similar farms into the same bucket and different farms into distinct buckets, but they also measure the value of presented to the farmers.Flock size because larger size represent more potential for savings for farmers and more potential for earning for ODI. And high cannibalization rate also represent potential for savings for farms due to less hens lost to cannibalization and more likely ease of sale for ODI since the farmers have more incentives to try the lenses. And given these segments, ODI should focus on the large farms with high cannibalization rates (please see appendix 4 for targeting sequence). This group will have the highest market potential and be the most receptive to the product. 7. How should chicken lenses be marketed?Fi nally, we need to see how to actually implement the marketing plan. Our marketing plan will have the following components. One, sales force at the regional offices will be talking directly with the customers to convince them that there is value in the product. And two, headquarters will be responsible for advertising in industry related publications and attending trade shows to promote the product. As part of the messaging, we will advise our customers that the contact lenses as a product to substitute debeaking to reduce cannibalization rates with extra benefits.The benefits are three fold, reduction of cannibalization rates to ~4. 5%, reduction in trauma from debeaking (~50,769 eggs per 10,000 chickens), and finally, savings in chicken feed (14. 235 tons per 10,000 chickens per year). We want to concentrate on the fact that our product is more effective than debeaking at reducing cannibalization and has additional beneficial effects that far outweighs the costs of the lenses itsel f. And according to Garrison, because he customers are independent-minded type of men who would react unfavorable if they felt cheated, we cannot have low introductory rate that may upset the customer base. This also means that these customers are not likely to be the type to jump on the band wagon and we will need to make sure our sales representatives reach each of these farms. This would mean that even favorable word of mouth will not contribute significantly to our sales due to the characteristics of the customers. Our sales force should not only explain the properties our lenses, but also do demonstrations to let the farmers see for themselves.And we must have our sales forces reach out frequently the customers to reinforce the message throughout the year, so when we get to the few weeks where the new hens are bought, we can convince the farmer to try the ODI lenses on their farm. Additionally, at the trade shows, we would also demonstrate the difference between hens wearing ou r lenses versus hens that do not wear the lenses. This would serve to introduce the product to new potential customers. We should use the trade shows also as a CRM opportunity; we should also collect contact information for our sales representatives to follow up on.This type of reinforced messaging will be effective in convincing customers to switch. And after we’ve brought the innovators and early adopters on board, we need to ensure customer satisfaction for these influential groups. Bad word of mouth is generally stickier than good word of mouth, and could be damaging to our brand even if the customers are generally independent-minded. And to achieve good customer satisfaction, we need to address customer issues as they emerge. So by the time we get to the Early Majority and the Late Majority, we can address any concerns that they have with the product.We will use the following positioning statement until ODI diversify into other products: â€Å"For farmers in egg product ion who have more than 10,000 chickens in their flock, Optical Distortion, Inc. (ODI) is a specialty agricultural supplier that provides contact lenses for chickens intended to reduce food required and reduce cannibalization rate. Unlike other agricultural suppliers offering to debeak the birds, ODI provides a solution that results superior reduction in cannibalization rates, reduction in food wasted and required, and reduction in losses of production resulting from traumas associated with debeaking. Appendix 1: | | | | | Saving Opportunities for 10,000 chicken| # of Chicken Affected| Value Per Chicken| Value| Information from the case| Reduction in Canalbalism (4. 5% additional survive)| 450 | $0. 66 | $297. 00 | Exhibit 5 – 22 dozen per year @ $0. 03 per dozen per hen| Reduction of Trauma| 10,000 | $0. 01 | $126. 92 | Exhibit 5 – 22 dozen per year -> 22/52 dozen per week @ $0. 03 per dozen per hen| Savings in Food| 10,000 | $0. 22 | $2,193. 67 | 0. 78 lbs per 100 bir ds per day @ $158 per ton of feed| Appendix 2:Cost for Regional Offices| # of Item| Value Per Item| Value| Office and Warehouse1| 1| $196,000 | $196,000 | Sales Representatives2| 8| $40,000 | $320,000 | Tech Representatives3| 2| $35,000 | $70,000 | Total|   |   | $586,000 | 1. Office and Warehouse price from Table B. 2. Sales Representatives based on capacity of 80 farms, and the assumption that each sales will only cover farms of one particular size present in Exhibit 3 (20,000 to 49,000, 50,000 to 99,000, and 100,000 or more). 3. Tech Representatives based on ratio of 1 tech representative per 5 sales representatives.Appendix 3: Estimated National Costs| Units| Cost per Unit| Costs| Comments/Assumptions| Regional Offices| 5| $586,000| $2,930,000| Assumed that regional offices costs are similar to California| Headquarter Costs| 1| $614,000| $614,000| Estimated cost at 60 million pairs| Advertising| 1| $100,000| $100,000| Monthly advertising for 1 year in 8 leading industry publ ications| New World License| 1| $25,000| $25,000| $50,000 over 2 years| Injection Molds| 12| $12,000| $144,000| $12,000 per mold, which produces 7. million a year| R&D Costs| 1| $250,000| $250,000| Required for diversifying the company| Total|   |   | $4,063,000 |   | Appendix 4: | | Farm Flock Size| | | 20,000 to 49,000| 50,000 to 99,000| 100,000 or more| Cannibalization Rate| Low| 4| 4| 3| | Medium| 4| 3| 2| | High| 3| 2| 1| First target group 1, then followed by group 2, group 3, and group 4. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. In the analysis, I am assuming that 1kg ? 2 lbs and 1 ton ? 2,000 lbs.