Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers

Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, a phrase that is intended to modify the core of the sentence is treated as if it is associated with the subject, but a flaw in the sentence construction leaves the modifier dangling, hence the phrase denoting this type of error. Discussion after each example points out the problem, and revisions demonstrate the solution. 1. We’ll give you more detailed information before making your application. This sentence is intended to assure the reader that helpful information will be provided before he or she completes an application, but the wording implies that â€Å"we,† the entity sending the information, will complete the application for the reader. The statement should therefore be revised to explicitly express the intended idea: â€Å"We’ll give you more detailed information before you make your application.† 2. The suspect entered the apartment via an unlocked balcony door and confronted three female tenants while sleeping. Here, the implication is that the suspect was sleepwalking. But the tenants, not the suspect, were asleep during the incident, and as in the previous example, a pronoun- one alluding to the former rather than the latter- as well as a helpful verb, must be inserted: â€Å"The suspect entered the apartment via an unlocked balcony door and confronted three female tenants while they were sleeping.† 3. When delivered in a fresh, artistic way, children will seize on writing as they do art and drawing. It is writing (more accurately, writing instruction), not children, that is being delivered in the manner described, and the sentence construction must convey this idea: â€Å"When delivered in a fresh, artistic way, writing will be seized on by children as eagerly as art and drawing.† Alternatively, to maintain active voice, writing can be relocated to the introductory modifying phrase and its original instance replaced with a pronoun: â€Å"When writing is delivered in a fresh, artistic way, children will seize on it as they do art and drawing.† Click here to view three more cases of dangling modifiers. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with Heart16 Misquoted Quotations20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Cardinal Connection

The Cardinal Connection The Cardinal Connection The Cardinal Connection By Maeve Maddox American bird watchers enjoy seeing the bright scarlet plumage of the bird we call the cardinal (Cardinalis virginianus). The bird got its name because it reminded early explorers of the scarlet robes of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic church. cardinal: One of the seventy ecclesiastical princes (six cardinal bishops, fifty cardinal priests, and fourteen cardinal deacons) who constitute the popes council, or the sacred college, and to whom the right of electing the pope has been restricted since the third Lateran council in 1173. Originally, every priest permanently attached to a church was called a cardinal. The word came from Latin cardo, a hinge. The business of the church hinged on permanent personnel. One sense of cardinal still in use is important. cardinal adjective: something on which something else hinges or depends, fundamental; chief, principal, of special importance. We speak of cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude (so called because all other virtues depend upon them) cardinal numbers: one, two, three, four etc. (as opposed to the ordinal numbers first, second, third, fourth, etc.) cardinal points of the compass: North, South, East, West In time, the term cardinal came to refer to the first or most important priest attached to a church. Then, as the administrative reach of the papacy increased, the term came to be attached to clerics charged with advising the pope and helping him administer the work of the church. The college of cardinals, given canonical form by Pope Eugene III in 1150, has had the right to elect the pope since 1173. The cardinals may have been wearing red robes earlier, but in 1294, Pope Boniface officially conferred red cassocks, stockings, gloves, and hats on them. Red had been the trademark color of a cardinal for at least two centuries before Columbus spied the New World and exploration began that would discover the pretty red bird. In the U.S., the cardinal is a popular sports mascot. Universities that have it as their mascot include Ball State, Plattsburgh, and the University of Louisville. Even the University of Arkansas, famous for its Razorback mascot, derives its school colors of red and white from an association with the bird. Before the adoption of the razorback mascot, the university football team, organized in 1894, was called the Cardinals and the school colors were cardinal red and white. The story is that, after the triumphant 1909 season, the coach told the team that theyd played like a wild band of razorback hogs. The student body promptly voted for a mascot change, but the colors remained the same. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Beautiful and Ugly WordsHyper and Hypo50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Network Infrastructure Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Network Infrastructure Planning - Research Paper Example One of the key computer features of windows SharePoint is its unique and powerful way of executing applications. There are four key execution options; cloud services, websites, mobile services and virtual machines. The mobile services and the web sites for every execution module have options. Windows Azure virtual machines give a multiple purpose state of the art computing environment. It is the best option to solve scalability issues providing low cost administration applications. It facilitates diverse applications, templates and frameworks used to built huge and scalable applications and link them to the website (Londer et al 2009). The development test and operations in a company becomes very efficient with windows SharePoint. The windows Azure mobile services in the same way increases developments of applications running in mobile devices through provision of turnkey ways that stores data virtually ensuring effective authentication of users and forwarding push notification. Wild frontiers can apply these technologies either as a combination or separately to built effective foundation for the right application. Virtual machine as a solution to storage needs The virtual machine building capabilities of windows Azure is very significant. The advantage is the fact that the services are only paid for when it is running. This is referred to as infrastructure as a service. In infrastructure as a service, the company outsources the computing infrastructure to another company which offers infrastructure as a service services. Mostly, the services which are outsourced are those which support the business operations such as servers, storage and networking components. The service providers invest heavily on the computing infrastructure therefore house, maintain and run them. The customer subscriber or pays on what is called per-user basis. This is where the service provider charges for the service which the client gets. Some of the key feature of infrastructure as a s ervice includes: administrative tasks automation, desktop virtualization, dynamic scaling, internet connectivity and utility computing services. The service is called hardware as a service. When creating a virtual machine, the VHD and the size of VM are specified. The user then pays for specific times that the virtual machine is running. Windows virtual machine provides stock VHDs gallery which includes windows server 2012 and windows server 2008 that runs SQL server with Linux mirrors availed by Microsoft which lets the user to create VMS from one’s own VHDs. Windows SharePoint offers various performance benefits. First, virtual machine saves time. This is because by an organization relying on using installed software’s to meet their needs they stand the chance of spending more time procuring, mastering and managing their programs. (Venugopal, Broberg & 2009).) However a business saves time upon adopting cloud since some cloud vendors offer software as a service, henc e an organization is spared the inconvenience of managing their programs. Windows sharepoint can be implemented in various ways. It can be used to built cheap platform for test and development which automatically closes when you finish using them. Application that uses any language and libraries can be built can be created. These applications can implemented any form of data management method provided it is supported by windows Azure. The application can use

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Proctor & Gamble Marketing Mix Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Proctor & Gamble Marketing Mix - Research Paper Example The paper attempts to explore how each element of the â€Å"marketing mix† such as product, price, place and promotion were understood, and practiced by the company during two different time periods. The Concept of â€Å"Marketing-Mix† during Pre-1964 Era With a humble beginning in the 1830, P&G spearheaded its growth through forward thinking and by 1890 the company was selling more than 30 different types of soap. Varieties of soaps were produced to meet varied consumer needs and the innovative techniques were used to market those products that include product sampling, and radio "soap operas". A way back in 1924, the company realized the importance of the market research department and formed the one to study consumer buying habits and their preferences – perhaps the only one of its kind during those days. In 1926, Camay, a beauty shop, was introduced in the market as an outcome of the in-house research that spoke about the consumer preference toward perfumed s hops. In 1931, the company establishes a marketing department to manage various brands in the competitive market. Dedicated groups of people were given responsibility to formulate marketing strategies for each brand and perhaps that is how the brand management system came into being. P&G launched Tide detergent in 1946 and the product became highly successful in the market due to its superior quality. The product provided much needed growth to the company into many new markets of the world. Between 1947 and 1952, the company launched a wide range of products such as shampoos, household cleaning products, granulated and liquid detergents that were largely liked and accepted by the consumers. Crest, a fluoride based toothpaste became an all time success soon thereafter fulfilling a long need of the customers. The product was endorsed by the American Dental association. The company came along with the several other products such as toilet tissue paper, disposable diapers called Pampers during 1961. It is astonishing to learn that though no marketing guru had firmly established the philosophy of marketing mix by then as effective marketing tools in the form of product, price, promotion and place in the market place yet P&G was already practicing the marketing philosophy mixing these four elements successfully for last several decades (P&G 2012). Kotler (2010) emphasizes that the firm uses various marketing patterns in the form of product offering, the pricing structure, the distribution system (place) and the promotion activities so as to satisfy the market needs and thereby the organizational objectives. Accordingly, various combinations of these elements of marketing mix were harnessed strategically by P&G to spearhead the growth of the company. P&G's success in the market place is attributed to its business model that derives its strength from its ability to discover what consumers need and want. With this insight, they develop noticeably superior products. Jus t developing a product is not enough if its superior quality is not communicated to the target customers effectively and P&G has been quite successful in doing so through various means such as advertising, demonstrations and visuals. If the product is not priced appropriately, then the very purpose of developing a superior product is defeated and P&G has always priced them most

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Ten Simple Ways to Improve My English Essay Example for Free

Ten Simple Ways to Improve My English Essay 1. This is what most people would advise: read. Read anything and everything in English. You can read storybooks, newspapers, magazines, blocs, comics, English textbooks, instructions and ingredients on food packages, advertisements, etc. For story books, don’t force yourself to read something too difficult or something you know you won’t enjoy. Make reading fun! Read books that you enrjoy eading. I hate to read books that bore me too. 2. Watch English movies with subtitles. This would be my favorite way of learning English. Not only do I get to have a fun time watching the movie, I’d be learning new words at the same time and knowing how to pronounce them! Usually, you can get movies with English subtitles on DVDs. 3. Listen to English songs. Read the lyrics as you listen to the songs. Listen to your favorite songs and sing along to them Actually, turning on the radio or putting on an English Music CD might just be one of the best ways to retain or remember vocabulary and grammar that you hear in the music lyrics . According to BPS Research Digest, as sighted in the May 2008 addition of psychologies  Magazine, the answer to the age old question of learning a language, might lie in a songThe researchers concluded that we find it easier to remember words if theyre set to music, partly because its more emotionally engaging, but also because the words are structured in a way that makes it easier for us to segment the information and store it in our memories. So turn up your speakers or put on your headphones and prepare to learn English with music. In addition, by combining the benefits of music with reading the lyrics simultaneous you will be able to learn English faster. Try it out with Perhaps , Perhaps, Perhaps by cake. The songs I have just said are clear, fun and usually focus on a specific form of grammar. . 4. Start a bloc in English. This is one way for you to practice your writing. Blog on something that you love. If you are a fan of movies, start a blog and write about your favorites movies, your favourite characters, what you think could be improved in the movie, what new movies to expect next year, etc. Besides blogging, try joining online forums, engage in online chatting and more. 5.If you don’t want to maintain a blog, why not write to a pen pal? It’d be even more fun to have a pen pal from a different country! I used to write to other people from the US, Germany, Mexico, and even Yugoslavia. I remember feeling excited when I see letters with foreign stamps on it in my mailbox. If you don’t want to spend too much money on stamps, then get a local pen pal. Perhaps Email will do. 6.Write in your diary/journal in English. This is where you can write anything in it. But if you do write something you wouldn’t want others to read, make sure you hide it somewhere safe! Or try not to write anything offensive at all in case someone does find it. You can also write about neutral stuff like the places you went that day, what you ate, who you met, what you did, etc. 7.Be best friends with a good English dictionary. You can use Oxford, Collins, Cambridge,. Buy a dictionary that you’re comfortable with and USE it at all times. Keep it next to you when you’re reading. I always put my favourite Oxford dictionary by my side when I’m reading. So when I stumble upon a word I don’t know, I don’t have to get up and look around for it. It’s right there by my side. Thus, I have no excuse for not looking the word up! 8.Speak the language whenever you can. Speak it with friends and family. You can also sing along to English songs! Try karaoke! Don’t be shy to try speaking the language. Don’t be afraid that others will tease you. In fact, they’ll admire you for your courage and confidence. I think that is the best way to improve in language skill is to use it!! Even if you have a problem with it, you should still keep on trying! Theres no better way than to practice, just like sports or art or any other skill that one tries to learn. Reading is also excellent, but when you talk to native speakers, it brings confidence and skill! I am also learning a language that is not my own, and I can say truly that the native speakers will usually for the most part help you and be encouraging; almost anyone appreciates a foreigner trying to learn their language. So, just keep trying to practice with people. Go out with friends, start up conversations, try out your grammar, and also listen to the native speakers. Try to mimic their grammar patterns and listen to what context the words are being spoken in. This is something that printed material can not give you. But remember the #1 thing: dont be afraid! You can do it! Dont let anyone tell you that you are not good. It takes time, and just keep trying! If people intimidate you too much, try listening to tapes, I know people that do this and get good results. But nothing will be better than just talking to people who speak english. Dont be afraid to ask the person, Can you explain? or I dont understand; can you repeat it? 9.Learn a new word a day. Keep your own vocabulary notebook and write a new word and its meaning in it every day. Refer to it as often as possible so that the new words will stick in your head. 10.You can also learn new phrases, idioms or proverbs a day. A kick in the teeth, sit on the fence, make a clean sweep, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, a man’s home is his castle, etc. When you come across a saying that you like, write it down and its meaning in your notebook! Actually, there are many more ways for you to improve your English. If you have extra money to spend, you can even sign up for English courses, English camps and so on. But why throw away your money when you can learn the language in cheaper waysLearn at your own pace. There’s no need to hurry when learning something especially a language. Make learning English fun. Don’t give up too soon or get discouraged. Don’t get stressed out when it becomes a little difficult.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Deregulation Of The Airline Industry :: essays research papers

Deregulation of the Airline Industry The airline industry has been subject of intense price competition since it was deregulated, and the result has been a number of new carriers which specialize in regional service and no-frills operations. These carriers typically purchase older aircraft and often operate outside the industry-wide computerized reservations system. In exchange for these inconveniences, passengers receive low fares relative to the industry as a whole. This research examines two low fare air carriers, ValuJet and Southwest Airlines. By investigating these air carriers, we can better understand the economic impacts of price versus service in the airline industry as a whole, as well as, the impacts on passenger and investor confidence. Until 1978, air transport rates were approved by the government, which meant that price was not a primary competitive factor. Instead, airlines would compete on service and image. The airline industry was dominated by giants (American, United, TWA) which offered nationwide and some international service, and by regional carriers, such as Southwest, which offered short trips between airports not served by the nationals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deregulation of the airline industry brought about in 1978 introduced a situation in which the national and regional carriers were suddenly able to compete in an environment that resembled a free market. Rate schedules were lifted, price fixing was eliminated and route management was removed. The main factors that affected whether an airline could serve a particular city was whether or not that city had enough gates for the new carrier, and whether the carrier was able to afford to purchase them. Companies such as Southwest recognized potential for low fares, and began building a niche for themselves by offering low fares with equivalent low levels of service. Southwest's success gave rise to a new generation of low fare airlines, with ValuJet entering the market in the early 1990's. Unfortunately, ValuJet suffered a string of accidents which brought the future of this air carrier into question. ValuJet is a low-priced airline that offers inexpensive tickets for regional travel. Based in Atlanta, the airline serves the Southeastern United States and competes with Continental Airlines as well as with other small regional carriers. It serves 31 cities primarily in the southeastern United States. The airline began its service with flights to Tampa and Orlando from Atlanta in 1993. The no-frills strategy paid off for the fledgling airline, which posted half again as many revenue passenger miles in April 1996 as it did in April 1995. However, the company announced that it was slowing the expansion of its services, voluntarily, at the same time that it posted this impressive revenue mark (Cole & Pasztor, 1996, p. Deregulation Of The Airline Industry :: essays research papers Deregulation of the Airline Industry The airline industry has been subject of intense price competition since it was deregulated, and the result has been a number of new carriers which specialize in regional service and no-frills operations. These carriers typically purchase older aircraft and often operate outside the industry-wide computerized reservations system. In exchange for these inconveniences, passengers receive low fares relative to the industry as a whole. This research examines two low fare air carriers, ValuJet and Southwest Airlines. By investigating these air carriers, we can better understand the economic impacts of price versus service in the airline industry as a whole, as well as, the impacts on passenger and investor confidence. Until 1978, air transport rates were approved by the government, which meant that price was not a primary competitive factor. Instead, airlines would compete on service and image. The airline industry was dominated by giants (American, United, TWA) which offered nationwide and some international service, and by regional carriers, such as Southwest, which offered short trips between airports not served by the nationals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deregulation of the airline industry brought about in 1978 introduced a situation in which the national and regional carriers were suddenly able to compete in an environment that resembled a free market. Rate schedules were lifted, price fixing was eliminated and route management was removed. The main factors that affected whether an airline could serve a particular city was whether or not that city had enough gates for the new carrier, and whether the carrier was able to afford to purchase them. Companies such as Southwest recognized potential for low fares, and began building a niche for themselves by offering low fares with equivalent low levels of service. Southwest's success gave rise to a new generation of low fare airlines, with ValuJet entering the market in the early 1990's. Unfortunately, ValuJet suffered a string of accidents which brought the future of this air carrier into question. ValuJet is a low-priced airline that offers inexpensive tickets for regional travel. Based in Atlanta, the airline serves the Southeastern United States and competes with Continental Airlines as well as with other small regional carriers. It serves 31 cities primarily in the southeastern United States. The airline began its service with flights to Tampa and Orlando from Atlanta in 1993. The no-frills strategy paid off for the fledgling airline, which posted half again as many revenue passenger miles in April 1996 as it did in April 1995. However, the company announced that it was slowing the expansion of its services, voluntarily, at the same time that it posted this impressive revenue mark (Cole & Pasztor, 1996, p.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Cosi HSC practice essay Essay

Discuss how Nowra’s perspective on personal relationships is conveyed in Cosi. The play Cosi by Louis Nowra is an emotional portrayal of personal relationships in a Melbourne mental institution ostracised by society. Throughout the play Nowra’s perspective on personal relationships develops and changes through character relationships and development, especially the development of the main protagonist Lewis. Nowra conveys his perspective on personal relationships through themes such as the importance of love and fidelity, the empowerment of women and learning and self-development. Techniques such as symbolism, intertextuality and contrast are also used to further highlight Nowra’s perspective. Nowra’s perspective on personal relationships is primarily shown through the character Lewis and his personal relationships with other characters in the play, especially in his relationship with his girlfriend Lucy. Act Two, Scene Two which features a confrontation between Lewis and Lucy on their relationship is significant in showing this. In this scene, Lucy comes to pick Lewis up to take him to the moratorium meeting and Lewis must decide between staying for the play and going with Lucy. Nowra’s belief on the importance of the existence of love and fidelity in a relationship is shown when Lewis says to Lucy â€Å"It’s about important things like love and fidelity†. Intertextuality is used here through Lewis’ character development and change of values that is evident in this line. This change occurred through his participation in the production of Cosi Fan Tutte with the patients and his exposure to the themes in the play. The women in both Cosi Fan Tutte and Cosi are often compared with the Arabian Phoenix which acts a symbol for a woman’s constancy or fidelity. â€Å"A woman’s constancy is like the Arabian Phoenix. Everyone swears it exists, but no one has seen it.† This is quoted by Lewis to Lucy to further convey Nowra’s belief in the importance of love and fidelity in a relationship. As Cosi was written in a time where a huge social change was occurring and women were beginning to have more sexual freedom with the invention he birth control pill, a lot of aspects of the play focus on the empowerment of women and the double standards that exist between and women in society especially when it comes to fidelity. This is shown in Nowra’s contrast of Act Two, Scene One and Act Two, Scene, Two. In Scene One, Lewis is unfaithful as he kisses Julie but in Act Two he reprimands Lucy for sleeping with Nick  failing to mention his own infidelities. Intertextuality is used in this scene when Lewis claims that a woman’s constancy is like the Arabian Phoenix, revealing his hypocrisy. Through Lewis’ condemnation, Nowra demonstrates that, although modern society has become more sexually lenient, there are still double standards that occur which condone men’s fidelity but condemn women’s fidelity. It is revealed that Nowra believes that men and women should be equal not only in relationships but in society too. Julie articulates the message at the beginning of the play when she says that men â€Å"want women to deceive them because it will prove their worst thoughts about women† which in contrast is confirmed by Lewis’ attitude towards Lucy’s infidelities.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Diy Market in China

| Sector-Specific Considerations for EU Businesses considering entering the DIY Market in China. | | | | As Deng Xiaoping once said â€Å"Cross the river by feeling the stones†. This saying is very relevant for the DIY market in China because you are threading down a road into the very unknown.In 2004 the Chinese DIY and home improvement market reached an all-time high of RMB 195 Billion and has been depleting ever since. DIY stores are constantly losing popularity within the market . The market demand currently is for â€Å"soft decoration†, with the rural family’s moving to the fast growing cities to attain employment, there is a demand for moveable decoration in case they have to re-locate again.The younger generation are also leading the market for multifunctional, low cost furniture, such as DIY kitchens and bathrooms; this is due to the culture of the Chinese families with the kitchen and bathroom being the most personal area in their homes. (Allience, 2007 ) A major competitor and threat to the DIY businesses already established in China are the growing number of smaller contractors, as their knowledge of DIY is improving with the market trends.A high percentage of new homes being bought are being left unfinished and require a major investment in home improvement, this is where they just decide to hire a smaller contractor to do the time consuming work instead of doing it themselves thus the companies are losing out on the profit, but with China’s property prices rising it is entirely possible that the Chinese consumer will simply be pushed in the direction of DIY as a cheaper option. But what will happen when Chinas sees a fall in construction and property? Will the DIY companies suffer? This can be construed as a major economic threat to new European companies entering into China. Allience, 2007) Who are the major competitors? There is not one but many already established competitors within the Chinese DIY market. B&Q is the major contender with it being the largest Western DIY retailer in the country. B&Q opened its first store in China in 1999 and has continued to establish strong brand awareness. As The Guardian reported, the local culture did not fit with the DIY practices that B&Q already had and therefore B&Q had to adapt their once very successful European format to a Chinese one, hence making it a CIY (create it yourself) strategy. Tran, 2007) Another competitor for an EU DIY business to go up against is a well-established Chinese DIY company called Orient Homes. Orient Homes was founded in 1999 in Beijing. It receives its stock from local manufacturers consequently lowering the cost of the goods for consumer, thus making it a very large threat not just economically but because it is so well established within its home market.It has come to my attention in according to the China National Interior Decoration Association there is an estimate of more than 40,000 registered companies engaged in home improvement in China alone. (Unknown, 2009) The market is so densely populated that an EU company trying to enter the market is going to have some major struggle. Joint Venture or Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise (WFOE)? Many companies entering china have to ask themselves this very difficult question, it’s a difficult decision to make as there are many advantages and disadvantages to both.Entering into a WFOE I believe is a lot harder than a Joint Venture, because with no Chinese partner they are left to approach their chosen market alone. It’s also difficult for the company to â€Å"create a market for their chosen products, especially when there’re already local competitors. Sometimes even with a local sales and marketing team it can take years to have a name on the Chinese Market† (Bergonovo, 2011) . The culture of the market can be very diverse and for a WFOE it can be difficult to understand alone.There are advantages as well as disadvantages, †Å"unlike in JVs where there're different views because the different partners and the negotiations and compromises are the only key to keep the business alive. Especially for small-medium business it is much better to have a WFOE, in order to avoid getting stuck in cultural differences with a local partner. So if you're a small business maybe with sole ownership in your mother company that has a clear strategy for the Chinese market and can afford long term investment WFOE is the right choice. † (Bergonovo, 2011) Joint Ventures an be very successful in some instances, because you will have the advantage of having a culturally and linguistically adapt partner, but â€Å"it’s crucial for foreign investors to understand the purposes of the joint venture and weather their Chinese Partner is capable of fulfilling them. The popular Chinese idiom â€Å"same bed, different dreams† has become the failed joint ventures mantra† (Ireland, 2012) Trust is the major issu e in this venture. My considerations for a DIY company would be a Joint Venture because the company will have a stronger understanding of the market and I believe this is crucial for a successful move to the Chinese market.Are there barriers for new entrants? â€Å"The key difference between domestic marketing and marketing on an international scale is the multi-dimensionality and complexity of the many foreign country markets a company may operate in. An international manager needs a knowledge and awareness of these complexities and their implications they have for† (Doole & Lowe, 2001, p. 9)the company and the market they are entering. I will use the SLEPT (Social, Legal, Economical, Political and Technological) method to determine the various trends and environment for a European DIY company attempting to enter the Chinese DIY market.Social, Cultural problems and differences can really take a toll on a new immature company entering a country where religion and material cul ture play a major role. The language would have the most significant role and impact to play on the way the products and services many be seen to the new consumers. Coca Cola had huge problems when they first entered the Chinese Market, their brand name translated to â€Å"kooke koula† which in turn translated to â€Å"A thirsty mouthful of candle wax†. Now with their new translation it means â€Å"joyful tastes and happiness†, mistakes must be made by one major company for another to learn from their mistakes. Over the next 20 years more people will migrate to China's cities for higher-paying jobs. These working consumers, once the country's poorest, will steadily climb the income ladder, creating a new and massive middle class. † (Farrell, Ulrich A. , & Stephenson, 2006) This society has struggled to come to terms with the phrase â€Å"do it yourself† because they are not educated in the home renovation area. It also seems to be giving off the per ception that you are peasant like if you do it yourself. It’s all about social status right now n China, if you are seen doing manual labour that you can subsequently hire someone to do then you are seen as a scrooge. â€Å"In recent years China has become the world’s number one country in terms of attracting foreign investments. As the second-fastest growing economy of the world it attracted USD 74. 6 billion of foreign direct investment in 2007. With a current position as the world’s fourth-largest economy (in nominal GDP), and an average annual growth of more than 8% for the last 30 years, only very few other countries in the world can match the business opportunities present in China today. (Unknown, General Considerations before Entering the Chinese Market) In order for an EU DIY company to succeed in the market they need to be aware of what direction the specific market they want to enter is developing economically in order to make a well-rounded assessme nt on whether it would be financially viable to enter and compete with firms already established in the market such as B&Q and Home Depot. (Doole & Lowe, 2001) The company may also face some long term challenges with the rapid development it could put a strain on resources such as the infrastructure and the migration rates within the country.There are also some very appealing political reforms that have taken place in China that any international company would be pleased about. The reform and opening up policy has been a major boost to the Chinese economy and political system. These reforms policies were put in place between 1979 and 1984 and it was aimed at improving Chinese relations with neighbouring countries. Despite the success of this open door policy many companies have been faced with difficult obstacles in relation to ownership rights and intellectual property.It was released this year that the CCP would decrease taxes for foreign companies entering China by 50% as they be lieved it would attracted more foreign investment in China. (Davies, 2012) â€Å"â€Å"The bigger picture is that because of the economic situation globally over the past couple of years, China sees the need to create a friendlier environment for foreign investors,† said Khoon Ming Ho of KPMG China. † (Davies, 2012) This is a major opportunity for EU based companies to enter the market at reduced tax rates. â€Å"Legal systems vary both in content and interpretation.A company is not just bound by the laws of its home country but also by those of its host country† (Doole & Lowe, 2001) In the west business is based on careful negotiation in contracts and agreements, they may be enforced by a court of law, however in China business is based on personal relationships, they call Guanxi in China. Two companies have to have guanxi before they can cooperate together, the specifics of a contract me be discussed after they have agreed in principle and this could cause has sle for a European DIY company who base their laws on the west.Technology is currently playing a major role in Chinese society and â€Å"is a major driving force both in international marketing and the move towards the global marketplace† (Doole & Lowe, 2001) China has the largest mobile phone and internet users with 420 million people using such services daily (Ireland, 2012), leaving the market place wide open for a new EU company to market their products via smartphones and internet. However there are some censorship issues in China at the moment, it is implemented by the Communist Party of China and goes for the whole mainland.Censorship is put into place to uphold and preserve the law of the Communist Party of China; it helps to stop unapproved  reformist,  separatist, â€Å"counter-revolutionary†, or religious ideas. It also stops the citizens of China educating themselves on the past, present and future let-downs of the Party. Marketing Mix Product With many new foreign products entering the Chinese market the consumers are becoming overwhelmed by the abundance and are relying on the image that the company has made in its producing country. â€Å"Each region in China has differences in economic growth, living standards and education.For foreign products, there are sharp differences between rural and urban attitudes. Typical Chinese consumers do not want to be amongst the first to try a new product. They are reluctant to be pioneers, especially for an expensive, unrecognised (in terms of brand), foreign product. † (Doole & Lowe, 2001) My considerations for an EU DIY company would be not to take your company’s products for granted, just because they have been very successful in the West does not mean they will be equally successful in the East.They must think of China as they would think of Europe, with its many different regions and its many different cultures it must adapt to what are culturally acceptable. They are entir ely interested in products that are going to suit their needs, as I spoke of before, when new apartments are bought they are just a shell and need a lot of investment and renovation, if a company could access the Chinese people’s needs in this regard they might have a large opportunity. Price â€Å"The  pricing  of  a  product  or  service  is  not  an  easy  decision  for  any  company.There  are  many issues  that  must  be  taken  into  consideration,  especially  when  a  multinational  company  is entering  a  new  international  market  such  as  China. † (Waller, 2012) The price must cover the manufacturing and distribution costs and in turn must not be too low as the company could sustain long term losses. There are many approaches that a company can take to decide on what marketing strategy to consider. For example; â€Å"Skimming: This is where the product is introduced in the market at a high price, and then lowered over time. (Waller, 2012) Apple Inc. is a company that is partial to this method as they believe that people are willing to pay extra to have the newest technology on the market. â€Å"Prestige: A company will use prestige, or premium pricing as a strategy where companies with luxury products or exclusive brand image/reputation will price the product at the high end of the price range. Customers knowing that they are buying high quality will expect to pay the higher price. † (Waller, 2012) Companies that use this such method are Louis Vuitton and Rolex.My sector specific considerations for an EU DIY company’s pricing strategy is to introduce new products at a lower price to suit the Chinese market, leaving them with a competitive advantage over the companies that are already established. Place â€Å"Rapidly improving infrastructure, high-tech facilities and an increasingly well trained workforce mean there is greater choice than ever befor e for investors seeking to expand, set up new regional headquarters or relocate key functions to new locations within China. (KPMG, 2012) The future of the company’s success can rely on the choice of location that you choose. â€Å"There is a growing number of young professionals with significant disposable income on the major coastal cities who aspire to higher standards of living and increased wages and thus are more likely to spend credit for mid to high range consumer products† (Ireland, 2012) With profit and manufacturing opportunities in major coastal cities this could lead to the start of a very successful DIY company.Promotion Marketing plays a significant part in any company’s success of their brands especially in the Chinese market. They must establish their target market for example what Tier/Class, Age, and Income the company will market to and then once they have found their target market they must evaluate their market potential. A successful marke ting campaign will recognise the various needs and wants of their target market; in China for example it varies from region to age to culture values.As I previously mentioned China's internet usage is the highest in the world, by advertising online you could reach and provide a huge segment of your target market with the brand information they need. Finally, based on my above predictions and opinions I have produced this SWOT analysis for a DIY company entering into the Chinese market. Strengths: * well established EU presence * Large Population and consumer base * wide variety of DIY products * High quality services * Cheaper than competitorsWeakness * Must incorporate Chinese culture * Less advertising and brand awareness than competitors * Little brand loyalty in China * Lack of innovation in product development for China * Lack of market information Opportunities * Property growth * Unfurnished houses * Income levels rapidly increasing * Wide internet usage * New middle class im pressionable/available * Cheaper manufacturing costs. Threats * Already some well established companies * Local cultures and values are unknown

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Panera Bread Economics Essay

Free Panera Bread Economics Essay Panera Bread Strategy Panera ventured into a restaurant service known as fast food. This was after noting that customers were increasingly looking for special food, that which is a departure from the normal run-off-the-mill. The other thing was that the customers not only wanted the fast food affair, but also wanted quick service. The outcome of the findings was the conclusion that the consumers wanted a combination of fast food and high quality service (Barringer, and Duane, par 3). This made the owners of Panera adopt what we can now call Position Strategy. This is a characteristic of the restaurant industries that are called the First Casual. The terms are basically referring to speed and good quality. Their aim to harness the consumers through this has helped them become the leading bread caf companies in the USA. The table beloow explains this strategy well. The company hires well trained bekers with experience in baking.in all their chain of bekeries the bakers craft the bread from scratch to the end. They use the best ingredients to come up with high quality bread. The workers are also highly remunerated. They earn almost 30% higher than the closest competitor. Paneras services are very timely and they are also ready, or on hand. Swot Panera effectively identified its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and their after working on them to come up with the leading strategy. Its strengths are: Panera is leading in the country. It has also won the award for sourdough bread. In addition to those, its food is of high quality and it has plausible customer loyalty. The weaknesses that Panera has are the inconsistent soup quality, dinner time amounts to small profits, the brand is not well known in new markets and the brand is becoming too common in St. Luis. The opportunities that are available are the increasing health awareness among the customers, and enough room for expansion. The potential threat is the increasing completion in the market. Strategic Management Issues Panera bread still face strategic management issues. The main problem is the ever rising comeption. This is because food chains and dines are responding to demand of fast food. This causes a very stiff competition to the restaurant industry. Good examples are budger King and McDonalds who are now venturing g into the fast food. The other thing is the rising cost of production. This has imposed downward pressure on Paneras operating cost. Panera has a food menu that is dominated by carbohydrate food. This may cause the customers to look for alternatives that are healthier. Like many industres and restaurants, Panera has been affected by global recession. This is a challenge that it is trying to deal with. Financial state Panera income has increased steadily through the pas three years. However its operating ioncome has come down because of rising cost of production. Wiki analysis shows that: Panera reported a net income increase of 38% in Q3 (ended September 29, 2009), growing from $13.7 million in Q3 2008 to $18.9 million in Q3 2009. Total revenue grew 6% from $315 million to $335 million, for with operating margins growing from 7.2% to 9.5%. Over the third quarter, Panera opened 19 new bakery-cafes in Q3, increasing its total to 1,362 total stores in operation by the end of Q3. At the same time, comparable bakery-caf sales growth increased by 2.8% over Q3 2008 growth Panera attributes to the introduction of new products, successful marketing, and growth in its catering business (Panera Bread Company, par 4).

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Dangerous jargon - Emphasis

Dangerous jargon Dangerous jargon Jargon can bring clarity for experts and irritation for laypeople, but could it sometimes be life threatening? Yes, according to the coroner heading up the inquest into the London terrorist attacks of 7 July 2005, Lady Justice Hallett. Simple impatience with unclear terms is a more serious problem when it comes to understanding the situation at the scene of an emergency, she asserted on the last day of evidence-giving at the 7/7 hearing. Is it really worth the time it takes to refer to a conference demountable unit from a management centre, rather than a portable incident room, for example? And obscure job titles could confuse and disguise peoples roles, she pointed out. I dont know whether a crew manager is somebody who is responsible for supplies or is used to fighting fires. I have no idea, she said. Jargon has a long history of naysayers, but Lady Justice Halletts criticism touched on the most fundamental practicality of appropriate language. This isnt just somebody being pedantic about the use of English when it comes to managing incidents, people dont understand what the other person is.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Children who are brought to the US illegally should be deported if Essay

Children who are brought to the US illegally should be deported if they are discored as adults - Essay Example However, around 12% are from Asia and 8% from South America (Colton-Sonnenberg, pp.4). Illegal immigration however is quite a difficult issue, because of differing views, misinformation, and lack of information (Haines & Rosenblum, pp.1). It is also a heated political debate, because the issue in the discussion has many dimensions, some of which include legal, economic and moral (Chapman, pp.272). According to some people, however it is victimless crime. This is because the immigrants provide a cheap form of labor. However, illegal immigration causes a large amount of hardships for Americans, especially those belonging to the lower strata of the population. This is mainly because of the fiscal drain that illegal immigrants may cause (APRA, 2006). The issue whether children who had previously crossed borders illegally but have in effect, lived their whole life as US citizens, should be deported if discovered is a very pertinent one. One very important criticism includes the fact that children born in the United States to illegal immigrants serve as ‘anchor’ to their families. ... 77). Deportation has received quite a lot of criticism. Mass deportation of illegal immigrants might have disastrous effects on families. Sometimes immigrants’ families may consist of one legal parent, one illegal parent or a legal, or an illegal or also citizens of the US if born there. Estimates of Urban Institute state that two-thirds of all children of illegal parents are actually US born citizens. Mostly, if the illegal parent is the breadwinner of the family, and if deported, the children are most likely to be leaving as well, the children being U.S citizens. However, only deporting the parents is not even morally correct or economically feasible. Therefore, the debate of deportation of children remains a particularly raging one (Steinger, pp.34). In addition, some people are of the view that having citizen children is no legal defense to the deportation. Therefore, the government often accepts the de facto deportation of children as a necessary step to enforce immigrati on laws against their parents. In addition, the chance that illegal immigration may continue to occur is because of this incentive of having citizenship by giving birth to a child. Not only do this but also the immigrants do not pay taxes; however, the children receive all the benefits of a good education and a health system. In this way, there is a fiscal drain in the U.S, having a negative impact on the budget (Neuman, pp.182). Many people are also of the view that there has been a misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment, done to grant rights of citizenship to the slaves after the Civil war. However, at that time, no illegal immigration occurred and there were no immigration laws until 1875. Therefore, many people assert that the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans Regarding Essay

Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans Regarding Unions, Privatization, Pensions, and Productivity - Essay Example Agency and Unions: The USCIS recognizes the Federation of American Government employees (AFGE) as a union that offers collective bargaining services to all employees of the organization who are not professionals. However, USCICS does not recognize senior management of the organization, professional employees, and any employee who is excluded from such kind of coverage by the labor relations statute, the Civil Service Reform act, and chapter 71 of the 5 USC, as part of the employees who are under the protection of AFGE (Tischauser, 2012). On this basis, the agreement between AFGE, and USIS to recognize the labor union as the exclusive agency responsible for protecting unprofessional employees from the organization was certified by the labor relations authority. This was in case number WA-RP-06-0008 and this was for the purposes of promoting the principles of collective bargaining between the agency, and its junior employees (Bjorklund, 2012). The USCIS under the guidance of 5 USC 7106 has created a policy whereby in any negotiation with labor unions, the agency will not compromise on the following areas of its operations (Homeland Security, 2012). i. In the determination of its budget, mission, internal security practices, number of employees, and the organization of the agency. ii. Hiring of employees, their retention, disciplinary actions, and their suspension from service due to their inefficiencies in service delivery. iii. In taking actions for purposes of carrying out the objectives of the organization during situations of emergencies. The USCIS while negotiating with AFGE agrees to allow the labor union to have a representation in any formal discussions between the representatives of the agency, and the unprofessional employees. This is irrespective of the number of employees under consideration. These formal meetings will occur if there are grievances amongst the various employees of the organization, and as such, the presence of labor officials will be needed (Doak, 2012). The agency will also supply the union with an advance notice of the impending meeting, and the documents containing the grievances of the unprofessional employees of the agency. On this basis, the agency would seek the corporation of AFGE in resolving their various disputes with its unprofessional employees. Agency and Privatization: One of the policies of the agency is to privatize some federal support positions that are found within the USCIS offices in New York, Newark, Los Angeles, and Miami. The functions that USCIS plans to privatize include the offices that deal with the processing and handling of asylum claims. In as much as the senior leadership of USCIS advocates for the privatization of these offices, junior and middle level employees are against the privatization of these kinds of offices. This is because they argue that these offices are very sensitive, and they require a high degree of confidentiality. On this basis, privatizing the functionalities of offices that deal with asylum could risk the lives of asylum seekers (UCSIS, 2007). This is because the information concerning the asylum seekers could fall into the wrong hands, and hence endanger the person seeking asylum, and his or her family. Furthermore, middle level and junior employees argue that the support staff found at the federal asylum offices perform a