Planning for the Chevy Volt Essay Example for Free

Planning for the Chevy Volt Essay Question 1 The nature of strategic decision making at a large complex organization like GM appears to be done without having a thorough plan outlay to the planning groups or the business development unit within the company. There were several areas that put the company into the situation of making inappropriate strategic decision. The project was initially proposed by top two managements. Due to lack of thorough analysis and plan, they could not convince other managers in order to pursue this Chevy Volt project. This implied the missing link of strategic leadership that should have been a transformational force. In addition, the shareholder’s wealth creation had not been properly addressed and the well-defined business plan had not been emphasized and communicated when decisions were made. This implied that the management’s responsibility and expertise were all taken for granted that put the company in the threshold of a gamble betting on the success of this project. The accountability of management was disappeared. Question 2 The external environment trends that favor this project were the rising oil price, economic slowdown that made people to be more cautious about spending, the falling costs of manufacturing lithium ion batteries that help make the car price become more affordable, and global warming concern together with going-green concept. The Chevy Volt project could help promote the CSR of GM, which is favorable to the image and brand. These trends had signified that the external environment had been changed. As a green concept car, the Chevy Volt makes a point as far as cost saving for users goes in context of rising oil prices. However, what is crucial also can be exemplified in context of sustainable development process that the Chevy Volt can impact. Limiting carbon gas emission in the backdrop of global warming and greenhouse effect can significantly present a wider socio-economic relevancy and impact. Question 3 Cost is the most critical hurdle in pursuing with Chevy Volt. The cost factor is unfavorable given that GM had already invested substantial capital for the development of lithium ion batteries. The relevant cause for that could be observed from top management who were skeptical of Chevy Volt project. When the EV1 hybrid model, a green concept electric car running on conventional fuel cell, was introduced by the company way back in the 1990s and did not succeed, such model was a crucial loss in term of resource and brand image. In addition, the missing link among the strategy planning, formulation and lifecycles were also another internal obstacle unfavorable for pursuing the Chevy Volt project. Question 4.a The strategic plans are based on how well the company analyzes the existing market situation, competitors and the market trend. The external environment analysis such as the macro and micro-economic factors should also be emphasized and properly addressed. The economic theory of demand and supply should also be brought in contention when making the decision and planning the strategy. The plan should be flexible enough to reflect the dynamic business environment when the revision and amendment to the strategic plan are necessary for business to gain competitive advantages over the competitors in a timely manner. Question 4.b The Chevy Volt project strategic plan was based on assuming that oil prices would continue in rising trends which could then be able to market the company’s electric car model and generate profitability. Thus, falling oil prices could negatively affect the potential success of Chevy Volt. Question 4.c When supply is relatively limited, while the demand can increase once the global economy recovers, it would be difficult for oil prices to remain low in the future. Rising oil prices demonstrates the typical economic basis of the law of demand, in which the price depends on the market equilibrium for a product. In addition, there are no substitute product as far as fuel goes. There is still no other alternative energy or technology that can match or surpass the oil in all aspects. Question 5: What will it take for the Chevy Volt to be a successful car? For the success of the Chevy Volt project, effective marketing strategy has to be formulated. Marketing aspects should capitalize on the internal and external forces that influence the products within the industry and against its rival for the competitive factors. As the Chevy Volt is a high-tech car, the external analysis from operational and business perspective should focus on the competitive structure of the industry and factors; such as, innovations, socio-economic and environmental impact that defines value added product and the opportunistic cost that comes with it. Thus, innovation in the development process of the car should be fostered as one factor to benchmark against competitors in the industry, which is critical for success for a profitable outcome and goals achievements. Part of it also should focus on the strategic marketing aspects that give the car and its salient feature to reach the people through advertisement and awareness created in that regard are interrelated and need to be present for the Chevy Volt to be a successful car. Last but not least is the price and related costs of Chevy Volt. The price must be affordable for target group of GM’s customers in order to boost the demand and achieve cost advantage over competitors in term of economies of scale, and the related maintenance cost and useful life of lithium ion battery must be reasonable enough to be able to convince target consumers to purchase the car. It is also suggested that the strategic plan has taken into account of effect of the capitalization on the capability and expertise the company has; effective strategic management of operational process and procedures; top management involvement, responsibility and accountability; collaborative approaches to leadership; cultural and structural upgrade of the corporate echelon and strategic management panel and process; careful analysis of the opportunities and threat; and the facilitation of a dynamic leadership culture. Question 5: How risky is this venture for GM? Launching this project is very risky for GM as it involved significant resources, time and capital investment. Given that GM has already exposed to potential bankruptcy, the success of Chevy Volt will be one of the critical factors affecting the possibility of GM to diminish the bankruptcy risk and boost the future cash flows. Question 5: What are the costs of failure? The cost of failure as far as Chevy Volt car concerns is huge and tremendous. Less involvement from the managers also brought to fore the cost and its effect to directly hit the company that brought it to the stage of total shutdown of its operations. Since the company has already been in the situation of potential bankruptcy, the Chevy Volt project that failed to impact the company strategic goals and its achievements posed the total effect of bankruptcy of GM and huge economic consequences as an aftermath, because the company is already on the process of huge public debt facilitated by the government to save itself from bankruptcy. Question 5: What are the costs of not pursuing the project? There are substantial costs and adverse impacts as far as Chevy Volt project concerns when it is not pursued at all. Example costs are the huge opportunistic cost lost in between; operational and business capability that went for a toss; marketing research that has not been capitalized effectively and efficiently for result outcome; change factor and organizational learning experience; cost factors in term of direct financial investments to investors, and stakeholders; resource accumulation; brand image and identity; corporation competencies that have not been capitalized; sustainable development plans; CSR; exposure to bankruptcy risk; and economic consequences.

Le Corbusier Architecture Essay

Le Corbusier Architecture Essay Le Corbusier (1887-1965) is a Swiss-French architect; he is considered by many a pioneer of modern architecture. Le Corbusiers ambition is evident as he was an individual of many talents including painting, writing, and design. Le Corbusiers attitude towards the home, the objects of the home and the way in which this was expressed in his art and architecture will be discussed. By assessing the Five points in Architecture used by Le Corbusier as a structural basis for much of his architecture up to 1953, a discussion can be made of his following homes Maison Citrohan, Maison La Roche, Ville Contemporaine, Lesprit nouveau Pavilion, Maison Cook , The Villa Stein and Villa Savoye. Le Corbusier artwork displays an association with his architectural design these association and the influence of his artwork upon his designs will be discussed, in association with the development of purism. Additionally the response faced by his architecture of the 1920 and 1930s will be assessed. In 1915 Le Corbusier and friend, engineer and entrepreneur, Max Dubois evolved two ideas that inspired his style of work throughout the 1920s; One being the Maison Domino which represents the Five points in Architecture. The five points included Pilotis (columns), roof garden, free plan, free faà §ade and ribbon windows. These elements were seen by Le Corbusier as Objects-types which he explains in detail in his book, Vers une architecture and journal, LEsprit nouveau. In 1918 with the help of the artist Amedee Ozenfant, Le Corbusier adopted the painting with the use of oils. Together they developed the Purism movement, Ground in Neo-Platonic philosophy, Purism extended its discourse to cover all forms of plastic expression from salon paintings to product design and architecture. The purism movement derived from cubism in which similarly the main subject matter was the common objects of the cafà © table, the studio and the machine shop: guitars, bottles, and pipes which were presented in their most natural and clear forms that were expressive of modern machine age, unlike the abstract and decorative approach of cubism. It was against what le Corbusier and Ozenfant regarded as the unwarranted distortions of cubism in paintings as it was in favour of the evolutionary perfection of, say, thonet bentwood furniture or standard cafà © tableware. They collaborated on the book, Apres le cubisme, Along side poet Paul Dermee in 1920, he founded the magazine lesprit Nouveau with its main subject matter being the arguable relation between art and industrial society which was already developed in Apres le cubisme. Many architectural ideas which were mentioned in LEsprit nouveau developed from the planning of an ideology of modern paintings. Still life (1920) is a purist painting by le Corbusier which uses flat images with the overlapping of planes similarly to cubism, however its different in the way the objects are made to look solid and not as abstract like in cubism. The repeated curving outline of the guitar and bottle he achieved is also a popular cubist concept. The selection of common, everyday objects which are represented in the paintings are considered objet-types. the object would become an objet-type, its platonic forms resulting from a process analogous to natural selection, becoming banal, susceptible to infinite duplication, the stuff of everyday life. The colour scheme contains only the neutral colours, black, grey, white and different shades of green. Citrohan House, 1925-7 in Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart The Citrohan house is a pure prism, the use of concrete allows large uninterrupted interior space; it consists of a white box supported by columns with a flat roof and the use of consistent rectangular windows which extend to the corner columns and resemble an industrial kind. It was in relation with this building in which Le Corbusier published his Five points for a New Architecture. The Citrohans section and main arrangement was inspired by a cafà © In Paris where le Corbusier lunched everyday. Simplification of the light source; single bay at each end; two lateral bearing walls; a flat roof over; a veritable box which could be used as a house. Le Corbusier believed that the house should be as standardized as a car; hence the name Citrohan came from the name of the famous automobile company, Citroen. The idea of mass production was important and the fact the Citrohan visualized a way of a life clear from all the unnecessary clutter of the customary bourgeois dwelling at the time. Using the Maison Citrohan as his model, he was determined on using mass production processes in order to solve the housing crisis of the post-war years, similar to the way in which Ford cars where processed. In 1924 industrialist, Henri Fruges, agreed to carry out Le Corbusiers idea of mass produced housing for his workers in Pessac using the Citrohan as its bases. This included 130 reinforced frame houses along with one common type known as the sky scraper unit which was a combination of the Maison Citrohan and the back-to-back units he had designed for the city of Audincourt. The Citrohan house at the Stuttgart Weissenhofsiedlung was the last in the series of Citrohan-type houses in which he developed the true version. In Vers une architecture Le Corbusier described this house as a machine for living in, by which he meant a house whose functions had been examined from ground floor up and stripped to the essentials. Both the house and car are considered objects-types due to the fact they both have significant functions, like the machinery of a car which is enclosed within the exterior layer he believed the function of the house should also be invisible, covered in an ideal layer. Maison La Roche/Jeanneret, 1923, in Paris The Maison La Roche/Jeanneret which was designed in 1923 for Raoul La Roche, a collector of paintings, and Le corbusierss brother Albert and wife Lotti Raaf. The house displays many influences of the purist movement, from the fixtures of the house to its form. The use of overlapping surfaces and the transparent areas of glazing are similar to the characteristics of purist paintings which include the overlapping of planes. The fixtures used within the home also relate to the subject matter of Purism which include, radiators, naked light bulbs, simple Thonet chairs, door latches, metal windows- are obviously of industrial extraction. These are objects-types similarly to the objects represented in the purist paintings like the bottles and machine parts, these are objects that tend towards a type which is determined by the evolution of forms between the ideal of maximum utility, and the necessities of economics manufacture. Le Corbusier believed the whole modern city should be elevated up a level in order to keep the ground clear, providing a better circulation of cars. This idea was projected in the studio wing, for which a single cylindrical pilotis stands at the centre beneath, along the axis of the long access road. The studio wing was a demonstration of urbanistic doctrine. Ville Contemporaine, 1922 Contemporary City which was a city of skyscrapers in a park for three million inhabitants, was inspired by the Utopian vision where techniques of modern construction, automobiles and aeroplanes were brought together in a n ordered diagram, with nature and the machine reconciled and harmonized. Lesprit nouveau Pavilion, 1925, in Paris The Pavillon de lEsprit Nouveau built in 1925 was a pavilion in the shape of an apartment from the ideal city which included furnishing of the modern machine age objects alongside purist works of art. Maison Cook, 1926-7, in The clarification of Le Corbusier formal theory is also partly linked to his daily experience of painting. This can be evident in Maison Cook of 1926-7 in which the precise control of volume, surface and profile may be sensed. Maison cook consist of a square plan and faà §ade, hence its almost cubic form. The single cylindrical piloti on the central axis and the use of continuous strip windows from one side to the other helps emphasis the symmetry of its overall shape. Le Corbusiers uses a concrete frame in order to achieve spaces of varies qualities including lighting, size and views. The curved partitions dramatize the free plan, catch the light, and stand like objects in the lucid space; inevitably they call to mind the bottles and guitars of Purist pictures. The five points are clearly emphasised in the Maison cook, with the piloti as a central point set back from the faà §ade level dramatizing the separation of structure from external cladding. The use of the piloti provides a passage below the house for both pedestrian and cars. Use of the continuous windows draws attention to the free faà §ade and also contains a roof garden on top which replaces the green area used by the building. The Villa Stein (1926-1928) in Garches The Villa Stein is an impressive example of the avant-garde movement such as the intense handling of interior space provided by a regular grid of pilotis along with its free plan, furthermore with its use of modern building techniques and use of industrial materials. The site for the villa was of a long and narrow stretch of land, allowing the chance for a freestanding building volume with space for a garden front and back. This enables the chance to organise an architectural journey starting from the entrance through to the garden, hence touches upon old themes of villa design to do with the transition from urban to rural experience. At first sight the villa appears to be a formal rectangular block consisting of horizontal strips of white wall and thin strips of glazing, In comparison to Maison Cook its rather striking. Similarly to Villa Savoye it celebrates the arrival by car in an almost ceremonial way. The lowest level includes a variety of openings including a garage, small entrance to the servants quarters, the main entrance and a large area of industrial glazing which represents the use of the modern building technique. Looking at the faà §ade there is no evidence of piloti, however the way in which the windows extend to the edges suggest that the faà §ade is a non-weight-bearing membrane. However the facades subtle rearrangement and similarities of the rectangles and slight transparency at the edges, present a visual uncertainty about the position and thickness of the faà §ade surface. Hence, The Villa Stein-de Monzie is organized as a series of layers. This can relate to Le Corbusiers purist paintings, where the overlapping of planes occurs. The main entrance is expressed by a canopy which slightly resembles the wings and struts of an aeroplane, which Le Corbusier identifies as an objet-type for its emphasis on function. The arrangement of partitions within the whole layout reflects Le Corbusiers paintings, where curves and rectangles slide, overlap, and harmonize into a perceived unity within a rectangular frame. There are many features within the Villa Stein which relate to the engineering objects Le Corbusier considered objet-types, in particular the Ship. This includes a protruded, curved volume used for storage recalls the funnel of a liner; other nautical allusions are found in the railings, the spiral stairs. In Vers une architecture, in the chapter Eyes Which Do Not See, the caption An architect pure, neat, clear, clean and healthy, appears under one of the ship illustrations. This could be used to describe the Villa Stein/de Monzie due to its comparison with a ship. The Villa Savoye, 1928, in Poissy, France The Villa Savoye in Poissy designed in 1928, is a great example of Le Corbusiers five points of architecture. The main living space elevated on pilotis, with its strong horizontal faà §ade is centred within a breathtaking landscape; with the use of continuous horizontal windows providing clear panoramic views. One of the main parts to Le Corbusiers machine age concepts was the provision of enough green space. This is apparent for the villa savoye site where organisations of trees and grass have a clearly framed view. Nature is celebrated as dramatically as the idea of the house as a machine a habiter, or the theme of procession by car. The use of piloti in the Garches was an important mechanism within the interior; whereas for the Ville Savoye use of piloti is predominating for both exterior and interior. From a distance Ville Savoye has been compared with a Purist still life on a table-top and the associations with ships funnels or machine parts are not hard to make. This relates to the engineering objects le Corbusier considered to have relevance and the right balance he aimed for as he felt the architecture of the recent past was of poor and missing significance compared to the Parthenon, the Roman baths, Mansart etc. These engineering objects include ships, aeroplanes, cars and factories which were greatly evident in his book Vers une architecture. The use of silos and factories were praised for their clear and distinct articulation of volumes and surfaces: ships and aeroplanes for their rigorous expression of function. The guitar outline emphasized in le Corbusier purist painting, still life, has a strong connection to the plan shape of the Solarium. This shows the influence his painting had on his architecture and the way in which he produced similar results, because it provided him with a filter of experiences and a laboratory of forms. Or (choose which quote) The same formal intelligence working in different media achieved analogous results.

Political and economic environment of South Africa

Political and economic environment of South Africa South Africa is a multiparty parliamentary democracy in which constitutional power is shared between the president and the Parliament. The Parliament includes two parts, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. They are in charge for creating the laws of and taking care of bills involving monetary issues. The third governmental division is an autonomous judiciary. The Constitutional Court is the highest court for interpreting and deciding constitutional issues, while the Supreme Court of Appeal is the highest court for nonconstitutional matters (Bureau of African Affairs, 2010). South Africa achieved independence from Britain on 31 May, 1910 and the official Independence Day is 27th April. In 1994, there was first all-race multiparty election making it the formal end of apartheid. In 2009, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won its third consecutive election and Jacob Zuma was elected President. There has been a concern that the dominance of the ANC has made South Africa a de-facto one-party state with other parties, such as Democratic Alliance (DA) and Congress of the People (COPE) being in the opposition. President Zumas rise to power has been divisive. Zumas reputation has been stained by several issues, such as accusations for corruption and sexual abuse, which provoked his discharge as Deputy President in 2005. There are still issues concerning Zuma which include his setback in declaring his commercial interests and extra-marital affairs. Zuma was brought to power with a support of two ruling partners powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party. The Zuma administration has mainly remained to the previous administrations economic policies. Nevertheless, there are still ideological tensions within the ANC and among the ANC and its ruling partners. South Africa continues to have broad economic and political relations with the regional and international community that will likely offer a degree of stability. South Africas successful hosting of the World Cup of soccer in June-July was viewed as a coming-out party of sorts for South Africa on the international stage (Whelan, n.d.). Based on the recent political situation in South Africa there are certain challenges ahead. There have been notable transformations in the country after the apartheid period such as programs to develop necessary social services, wide spreading the right to use improved chances in education and business. However, the process of transformation of South Africa is long and requires the persistent dedication of the leaders and people. One of the main contributors in the reconciliation process is The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that is taking care of abuses of human rights during apartheid era, provide victims with compensation and gives amnesty to those who committed politically motivated crimes. TRC often conflicts with political, economic and cultural interests of different groups of South Africas people. The challenge for the government to balance these confrontations and manage agreements on the basic questions will remain a critical challenge (Bureau of African Affairs, 2010). Even though South African economy is in many areas highly developed, the nature of apartheid caused the countrys international isolation until the 1990s that has left major disadvantages. The economy is in a course of change as the government attempts to manage the inequities of apartheid, encourage growth, and create employment opportunities. Nowadays business in the country is becoming more integrated internationally, and foreign investments have increased. However, the economic inconsistency among population groups is projected to continue for many years, making it a main concern for the government. Economic Environment The economy of South Africa has two sides: one is developed and the other one with most basic infrastructure. Countrys economy has many characteristics of the economies in developing countries, such as separation of labor among formal and informal sectors, irregular distribution of wealth and income. South African government has demonstrated its dedication to open markets, privatization, and a favorable investment climate through the release of a Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy that took place in the period from 1996 to 2000. The results were with various successes. First of all, it achieved greater financial discipline and macroeconomic stability; however it failed to deliver these achievements in main areas. Unemployment continued to rise even after continuing programs of black empowerment. Countrys wealth still remains unequally distributed among racial lines. Second, several budgetary reforms that aimed to provide better reporting, auditing and accountability, and changes in monetary policy in terms of inflation targeting, allowed South Africa to have transparency and predictability that are highly-praised. Third, the process of trade liberalization has progressed significantly since the early 1990s, which together with implementation of World Trade Orga nization (WTO) obligations and initiation of the Doha Development Round shows South Africas recognition of free market values. Today, economic recovery is on track. The fiscal position remains challenging, the forecasts for 2011 include sizable but manageable deficit. The government expects these shortfalls to gradually narrow due to a rebound in growth and slowdown in expenditure growth. International investors remain cautious of emerging markets due to events in Europe (Greece) and South Africa could fall out of favor should perceptions shift. So far, unemployment remains stuck at 25%, with employment gains only being registered in the public sector. The recovery is expected to remain on course and private sector demand should gradually gain force, thus replacing government as a growth driver. A stronger recovery will likely only take hold in 2012. Regardless of the various optimistic economic achievements since 1994, South Africa has had difficulties in attracting significant foreign direct investment. However, the situation started to change, in 2005 South Africa had the largest single FDI when Barclays acquired a majority share in local bank Absa Group Limited. In 2006, the deals between the British Vodafone and South Africas Vodacom were formed. Later on, in 2010, two multibillion dollar deals took place, when HSBC acquired Nedbank and Walmart acquired Shoprite Holdings (Wikipedia, 2010). For international and domestic investors, there are several investment opportunities existing in South Africa since the country is the world leader in several specialized manufacturing areas and it has fast growing service industry, tourism construction that will significant foreign investment over the next few years. On May 15, 2004, South Africa was honored a chance to hold the 2010 FIFA World Cup. That was the biggest event that was ever held in Africa. South Africa made a big effort on improving the infrastructure and security in the country. The economic impact of the World Cup is great for the country, since it will increase the GDP, create numerous jobs and attract foreign investments. South Africas longer-term prospects center on the governments ability to manage a country through a transitional period. Economic policy is generally business friendly, while FDI is welcomed. Success depends on the capability of the government to address the power issue. Social Environment Today there are 49,109,107 people living in the country. More or less half of the population lives in urban areas, and many live in rural areas with insufficient housing. In both rural and urban centers, a lot of people do not have access to water supply and sanitation, electricity, and other services. Due to the fact that population is more mobile today and there are more employment opportunities in the urban areas, the immigration among the citizens is growing rapidly. Poverty is the highest among the Black population, reaching over 60%. There have been several reforms in the education sector and now all inhabitants have access to education, however still around 13,6% of population are illiterate. Even though majority of people have access to health services, public establishments are usually lacking necessary resources and not capable to meet demands. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV occurrence in the world. Overall, 18,1% of the population is infected by this disease. Every day there are 1,000 new infections occurred, and around 350,000 people die annually from AIDS-related diseases. A 2007-2011 strategic plan offered the arrangement for a widespread reaction to HIV and AIDS, counting a national compress of antiretroviral therapy. Overall, 30% of infected people are currently on antiretroviral therapy. From the time when apartheid was abolished, political violence in South Africa has went down noticeably, however today violent crime is still a major concern in South Africa and these acts are increasingly economically rather than racially motivated. Therefore, there are many robberies targeting upper-class citizens. In 2008, due to the national dissatisfaction with high unemployment rates and illegal immigration, people from other African countries who came to urban cities of South Africa were often targeted by local citizens. In April 2010, Eugene TerreBlanche, a disreputable pro-Apartheid person, was killed by two of his black employees. This event raised concerns of inter-racial violence, however it did not happen. While South African society is experiencing a rapid change, some prejudice against women and people infected by HIV/AIDS continues (Bureau of African Affairs, 2010). Exchange rate policy South Africa has a strong financial structure with a great and active stock exchange that ranks 17th in the world in terms of total market capitalization. South Africa has a floating exchange rate system where the rand exchange rate is mainly established by the foreign exchange market forces under circumstances that exchange control is still applied, however only over inhabitants in terms of capital movements. The government has taken steps to slowly lessen lasting foreign exchange controls (Merwe, n.d.). Private citizens can do a single investment of up to 2,000,000 rand in offshore accounts. During 2007, the percentage of South African shareholdings for FDI outside Africa was decreased from 50% to 25%. This change allows South African companies to hold strategic international partnerships. Moreover, companies that are involved in international business were allowed to use a single Customer Foreign Currency (CFC) account for all intercontinental dealings. Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) was also given a permission to set up a rand currency futures market that aims to expand South Africas financial markets and raise liquidity in the local foreign exchange market. The Reserve Bank no longer recommends fixed rates for buying and selling dollars in bank transactions with the public. Nevertheless, South African Reserve Bank can play a part  in this market by buying or selling  other currencies. Today, in general the policy is to allow market forces to determine the exchange rate.   However, in latest years, however,  the Bank has been building up foreign exchange reserves by purchasing  foreign exchange from the market. Activities like raising the demand for foreign exchange can manipulate the exchange rate. In order to interfere successfully in the foreign exchange market, the Reserve Bank must keep an eye on the market all the time.

Seawater Composition and Salinity :: Tides and Salinity

Using the decanted supernatant solution from the precipitation experiment, a wire loop was dipped into the solution. This loop was stuck in the flame from a Bunsen Burner and heated until a flame appeared. The presence of a bright yellow flame confirmed that Na+ was in attendance. Using a cobalt glass as a filter, the loop was examined and a violet flame was present, showing that K+ was also in the supernatant solution. Testing for NH + This test was carried out using the original solution to avoid contamination of ammonium salts from the other procedures. 0.1M NH4CL and DI water were added to a large well on the micro drop tray before drops of 6M NaOH were added. A piece of red litmus paper was put on top of the well and covered with a watch glass. The appearance of an unmarked blue color, a direct result of the release of NH3 gas, on the paper confirmed the existence of NH4+. The experiment was repeated using seawater instead of the 0.1M NH4CL and DI water combination. ! Quantitative Pre-Gravimetric Set Up Test tubes were obtained and labeled using a bl according to which test the sample was intended for Barium) and what depth the sample was obtained at or bottom).All the test tubes were put in a beaker and an oven at 110˚C for half an hour to dry. Once dry th removed and allowed to cool on a test tube rack, as Figure 1: Test tube rack with test tubes Figure 1, before being weighed and their weights rec Silver Halides Gravimetric Analysis The tests tubes labeled ‘Halides Top’ and ‘Halides Bottom’ were taken and 1mL of seawater was added to each. The test tubes were then weighed and their new weights recorded, before 6M Nitric Acid (HNO3) was added to each to acidify it. 0.1M Silver Nitrate (AgNO3) was introduced, causing a white precipitate to form. The solution was stirred with a glass rod and centrifuges for approximately a quarter of an hour. Once complete, another series of drops of 0.1M AgNO3 were added to ensure complete precipitation and the solution was recentrifuged for several minutes. The supernatant solution was decanted into a wast container and DI water was mixed into the precipitate to clean it. The solution was centrifuged, supernatant decanted, and rinsed with DI water once more before being centrifuged and the aqueous solution decanted for a final time. The test tubes were then returned to the beaker and placed back into the oven to dry for a week.

Marketing at Nike Essay -- Business Management Studies

Marketing at Nike The purpose of Nike is to meet actual and potential customer needs, doing this the ethical and legal way. Marketing is about businesses such as Nike, getting the product to the right sort of people at the right price in the right place, by using the right promotion. Nike must target the right product at the right audience, for example, it would be worthless aiming sports shoes to older people because they don’t exercise because they are to old and weak. For the marketing strategy to be successful Nike must follow the main principal of marketing, which is identifying and meeting actual and potential customer needs, however, to follow this principal the next principals listed must be followed: †¢ Understanding customer needs, †¢ Understand and keep ahead of the competition, †¢ Communicate effectively with its customers to satisfy customer expectations, †¢ Co-ordinate its functions to achieve marketing aims, †¢ Be aware of constraints on marketing activities. To understand customer’s needs, Nike must be aware of their customers changes in tastes and preferences, the business will have to keep up to date with what customers want. Incomes must also be considered. This is important because if an expensive product was aimed at adults who are on the poorer end of the market, and they basically couldn’t afford it then the product will not sell. Therefore, the price of the product will obviously have to compliment the target market in order for it to be successful. Nike needs to understand and keep ahead of competition (other sport brands e.g. Adidas and Gap); to do this Nike must have better marketing strategies and activities. In order to be the best competitor, Nike should have better products and more high quality products with excellent quality and must keep trying to improve them. Competition analysis can be used to check what their competitors are doing in order to beat them. For Nike to get their message across they will need to communicate with the customers. Nike must discover how to get the message across about the new product, this could be through several ways of advertising, such as, leaflets, radio stations or even television, Nike must chose the best advertising method to suit the target market and actually promote the product. Understanding customer needs is another of the activities Nike carries out. They do this by carryi... ...n as possible. This is very important to Nike as they say they don’t operate no sweat shop policy. As Nike manufactures many of their products abroad it needs to ensure all the rules and regulations are being followed abroad to. These have been concerns by pressure groups that suspects that Nike isn’t following their code of conduct abroad, in the factories that are producing their products, however their isn’t no sold evidence. Consumers are very concerned that products they are purchasing are produced ethically and when they start doubting businesses they may start to boycott and purchases alternative products form their competitors. Consumers have a right to know how the products are being made that they produce, there is also a UN agreement the ethical constraints for Nike are no child Labour or unfair pay, but the employees get  £8 a week and it would take them a whole month to buy on of the shirts they are producing without spending any of their money on food, water etc. some people would consider that to be unfair but compared to other local jobs they are being paid a lot more. Also hour’s Nikes employees were required to work are 14 hour shifts which Nike also still denies.

Educational Goals and Philosophy Essay -- Education Teaching Teachers

Educational Goals and Philosophy As a child, playing â€Å"school† occupied most of my time. My younger sister and I taught a bedroom full of stuffed animals and filled in imaginary names in our old school books. From the bad bears and loud bunnies to the good puppies and smart kittens, each stuffed animal possessed his or her own personality. The thought of teaching never entered into my mind when I was asked, â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up?† Uncertain about the career field that I desired to pursue, my decisions depended upon the topics that held my interest at the time. Paleontology was the first career I decided on, then marine biology. In high school, it was mandatory that I select a career cluster in which to expand my knowledge; I chose architecture and interior design. Up until my senior year of high school, my educational goal for the future consisted of attending an architecture program at a college or university, but my mind was changed again when I developed a senior research paper and project. The topic of my paper and project was â€Å"ministry,† giving me the opportunity to teach the youth group at church and help with the younger kids during a worship service. My youth minister taught me a few teaching techniques and strategies that also broadened my interest i n teaching. Numerous experiences have influenced my decision to become a teacher. One summer I was privileged to get to go to Myrtle Beach and lead a backyard bible school for Pre-K and K aged kids at a family campground. Crating unique ways of teaching kindergarten kids with short attention spans challenges the teacher, forcing me to use my imagination. In search of opening up a Canadian child who... ...the future students are different from earlier ones. In today's classroom, kids can operate a computer while their teachers cannot, thus limiting computer access learning for students. Although they are unfamiliar with computers, many teachers are learning from their students, and are using online services to expand the learning process in the classroom. Another article explained that many of today's schools are requiring computer certification for their teachers. If teachers cannot keep up with the technology that kids are "playing" with, they will not be able to effectively teach the children of tomorrow's generation. Teaching is not just about Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic; it is the desire to make a difference in at least one child's life. By giving a child a chance at life, a teacher is giving the world a chance to become a better place.

Resuming Internationalization at Starbucks Essay

Starbucks is the premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. The first Starbucks store was opened in Seattle in 1971. The current CEO, Howard Schultz, joined the company in 1982 and decided bringing the Italian coffee-drinking culture to the United States. In 1992, the company went public. In 1996, with the home market becoming increasingly saturated, Starbucks opened the first outlet in the Far East. Ever since, the company has pursued a relentless international expansion. By 2012, Starbucks had achieved a global reach of 18,066 stores in 62 countries. With revenues grew on average 30 per cent per year, Starbucks experienced substantial growth from $160 million in 1993 to $10 billion in 2009. In 2007, Starbucks had a presence in 56 countries through approximately 17,000 stores. However, Starbucks’ relentless march had been slowed by increasingly intense competition and rising coffee bean prices between 2007 and 2009. After 2007, demand for Starbucks’ products was badly hit by the global economic recession. At the end of fiscal 2009, nearly all of the approximately 800 US Company-operated stores, 61 stores in Australia and 41 Company-operated stores in other International markets had been closed. Approximately 70 per cent of the stores that were closed had been open for fewer than 3 years. In the third quarter of 2009, The company achieved the first profit since the first quarter of 2008 by the self-save closure. Finally, CEO Schultz made Starbucks backed to the growth trend. But as the criticism the company had receiv ed on a number of fronts, he needed to decide again how to approach international markets. Industry Analysis The 5 forces approach is used in this part and the aim of this analysis is determining the attractiveness of the industry and understanding factors driving past, current and forecast industry profitability. Barriers to Entry: A cup of coffee could be served from many kinds of sources, such as independent operated coffee shops, quick-service restaurant, specialty coffee shops, and international retailers. Considering different types of independent operated coffee shops, the barriers of this industry is not that high. However, being one of recognized and respected band in this industry needs standard quality and high level of capital to support. In this case,  the barriers to entry are medium. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The coffee beans are mainly plant in Latin America, East Africa and South Asia. Exporters collect coffee beans which are already roasted from farmers and trade with retailers all over the world. Although there are plenty of suppliers in the industry, with the increasing consumption globally and the decreasing production in the large coffee producing countries, the average wholesale price for coffee had increased twofold between 2001 and 2010. The suppliers still keep strong power on bargaining. Bargaining Power of Buyers: The customer have lots of choices even though there will be a variety of request on flavor for different people. They also have low switching cost because of many competitors and brands in the market. Product differences are small and price sensitivity is high. All of these reasons give consumers strong bargaining power. Threat of Substitutes: There are a number of substitutes in the market to buyers. Juice, Tea and other beverages could be another choice for people. There are also many kinds of coffee related products recognized by different making process. In some regions which coffee drinking is not the main habit in daily life. For example in China, Tea obtains considerate market shares in beverage market. Competitive Rivalry: Coffee industry possesses intense competition. The differentiation of products between different entities is low and easy to replicate. Worldwide demand of coffee is growing. More than 500 billion cups of coffee were being consumed yearly. Meanwhile, hundreds of exist competitors led to low switching cost of customers. Starbucks roast 4 hundred million pounds coffee annually. It has high quality requirement on coffee beans. In that case, the company cultivates the stable relationship with its own suppliers. So Starbucks has high cost on switching suppliers. However , Starbucks highlights and chases the experience that their customers can obtain in coffeehouse. The company positions itself as the third place besides workplace and home. This high level of experience and also good quality coffee raise the switching cost of customers and reduce the power of bargaining. SWOT Analysis Strength Starbucks stands one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world. It has the largest chain stores, which is operating approximately 18,000 stores in 62 countries. Besides high coffee’s quality, the strongest advantage of the company is the experience it delivers to the customers. Starbucks is not just passionate purveyors of coffee, but everything else that goes with a full and rewarding coffeehouse experience. The company also provides well offers to employees compared with other competitors in the industry. Weaknesses Starbucks has high price in the market based on its quality and so-called experience. The main was the high cost of the products. It contains the rent of the stores where located in very popular districts. The company offers good paid to their employees. And also, it is influenced by the coffee beans’ price. Starbucks’ main target consumers are well educated white collars. So it is influenced by the cycle of economy to some extent. Opportunities About 79% of the revenue comes from the company-operated stores, which means Starbucks has low levels of diversification. The company need to develop more kinds of products to meet different demand. There are great opportunities in local market, the company could focus on the expansion to emerging economies. The smart phone and moving technology is developing really fast. From online promotion to offline sails, new form of sail brings the company more opportunities. Threats Local competitors could be the direct threat to Starbucks on internationalization. The model and the style is easy to be replicated by new entrants. High cost is the weakness of Starbucks and also brings threats compared with other competitors. The saturated demand in some market needs to be considered carefully in future strategy. SWOT Analysis of StarbucksStrength -Good reputation -Largest chain stores -Quality and experience -Well employees treatmentWeaknesses -High price -High cost -Influenced by economy Opportunities -Diversification -Expansion on emerging -Online to Offline model -Chain stores could promote the diversification -New technology such as App would be used widely -Good financial statement provide capital on emerging -Reduce the influence by diversification and emerging -New model could enhance sails and also get lower on the price Threats -Competitors in local market -Be replicated -Rising price of the cost -Saturated market-Good reputation has strong competitive power in new market -Hard to be replicated -Reliable loyalty of customers -High cost could bring the competitors more opportunities -Close stores after crisis in saturated market Internationalization Company-operated versus licensed stores Starbucks set the mix form of company-operated and licensed stores in a given market. About more than 70% revenue is generated from company-operated stores. See the below chart. Actually, Starbucks could be considered has both forms of chain and franchise stores. The chain stores consist its main profit annually. Compared with Mcdonald’s, the very success in franchise model worldwide, Starbucks has its own advantages on internationalization. The company has the absolute dominate right to decide every aspects of a new store. It contains the decoration style, location picking, training new employees and so on. This form could fully maintain the value and culture of a company. To Starbucks, the experience of the customers and the spirit are the target and  the core value of their products. Its mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit. Company-operated store is the right way which could assure that the value will be delivered completely. After repurchased the shares of some stores in some first level cities in the world, Starbucks shown its insist in the quality on the expansion road. However, this form costs more higher than franchise. Starbucks need to decide main issues such as the store’s design respectively. The most important is, without local partner, the company will hardly know and understand the real demand and then provide the suitable service. These real problems could not be ignored on internationalization. Local Competition After entering the new market, what is waiting for Starbucks is the intense local competition. Starbucks has to face new problems and balance the profits and its belief in coffee. Price The Price Discrimination in different countries was questioned by media. Starbucks was doubted on the reasonability of price. High price compared to the other coffee retailers let Starbucks to be luxury products in some developing countries. High cost is the main reason of the price. Sails to some extent rely on the growth of economy. This brings more chances to local competitors. Local Demand Coffee is not the irreplaceable drink in people’s daily life in some countries although the consumption of coffee is increasing annually. This situation requires Starbucks obtain brilliant ability on innovation and diversification on products. Providing tea products and acquiring tea producer’s company is the necessary strategy in featured markets. Competitors Starbucks needs to compete with local competitors and international retailers after entering the new market. For example, Mcdonald’s possesses stable relationship with local partners based on its stores and also has long time experience than the others. The wide spread network and well understanding to the local market provide McCafe a perfect stage. The local competitors also have obvious advantages on cost and distribution. Conclusion After experienced the stores closure issue, Starbucks was doubted and received criticism for going and expanding too fast. Actually, Starbucks did not stop its pace on internationalization. According to the numbers provided by the company in 2009, there are about 800 US. company-operated stores were closed out of 1000 planned closure globally. The measurement of Starbucks could be considered as an adjustment which emphasized on the demand saturated market. Its global expansion is still going on especially in the developing market which obtains tremendous potential demand such as China. However, on the road of expansion worldwide, Starbucks still has variety of problem which need to deal with. No matter how its strategy is adjusted, Starbucks should maintain its quality and experience to their customers. Their belief on coffee is the only sustainable way to the future. Reference Resuming Internationalization at Starbucks; Richard Ivy School of Business, The University of Western Ontario Starbucks’ Annual Reports of 2012