Walden Two by B.F. Skinner Essay Example for Free

Walden Two by B.F. Skinner Essay B. F Skinner published Walden Two in 1948. The novel takes place in the United States shortly after the end of World War II. Rodge Rogers, whose first name is not given and Steve Jamnik became friends while serving in the military during the war. After the war, they find that it is difficult to return to a normal life, Jamnik and I are like a lot of other young people right now. We cant make up our minds. We dont know what we want to do (Skinner, 1948, p. 7). In an attempt to find the life they want to lead they visit Professor Burris, one of Rodges former professors, to discuss his ideas about utopia. Ironically Burris barely remembers mentioning the subject but finally recalls a fellow student he knew in graduate school named Frazier who had designed a utopian community named Walden Two. Burris contacts Frazier and arranges the three of them, as well as Castle, a colleague of Burris, Barbara Macklin, Rogers girlfriend, and Mary Grove, Jamniks girlfriend, to visit Walden Two (Skinner, 1948, pp. 7-15). When they arrive, Frazier shows them around the community and explains how it operates. They meet some of its approximate 1,000 inhabitants. The people appear to be happy. They live in communal quarters, share meals at communal dining halls and share the facilities of the community. Each of the adults works about four hours each day to provide for the needs of the community. They are not paid a salary because money is not used within Walden Two. The people in roles of leadership carefully monitor life in the community. If there is evidence suggesting a change should be made for the communitys good, it is made and its consequences carefully evaluated (Skinner, 1948). During their three-day visit, Burris and the others experience the community lifestyle. At the end of their visit, Steve Jamnik and Mary Grove love life at Walden Two so much the decide to stay. Rodge also likes the life there and wants to stay, but his girlfriend Barbara refuses to say so they both return to society. Castle likes nothing about Walden Two and returns to his regular lifestyle as a college professor. Professor Burris finds himself intrigued with life in the commune, but decides to return to his academic life. However, once he is at the station, he changes his mind and returns to Walden Two to live and gives up his life as a professor. I found this book disturbing, even threatening. As I read through the book, I found myself thinking of Orwells 1984 and Aldous Huxleys Brave New World. I felt like this even though 1984 wasnt published until the same year as Walden Two so it couldnt have influenced Skinners writing, and Skinner explicitly denies this with a vague reference to Huxleys work, I suppose you put phonographs in your dormitories which repeat I like to work in sewers. Sewers are lots of fun, said Castle. No, Walden Two isnt that kind of brave new world, said Frazier. We dont propagandize' (Skinner, 1948, p. 53). Although Walden Two was an insolated community, there is a latent undertone of expansion and trying to convert society as a whole to the Walden Two model. Castle argues with Frazier, Ill bet you have designs on the political machinery too . . . [youll] want to get the offices yourself, . . .. Yes, [Frazier responds] I must admit youre right. . . . As soon as were in the majority in any locality, we shall exercise our rights under a democratic form of government and take control' (Skinner, 1948, p. 231). As disturbing as the thought of communities such as Walden Two taking over the government is, this isnt really what disturbs me. Throughout the three-day visit, whenever anyone challenges Frazier about a point or questions something about the life in Walden Two, he always has what feels like a dispassionate, rehearsed response. Frazier is reminiscent of a used car salesmen who can deflect any criticism of the car he is trying to sell. He always has an answer at the ready that he delivers with a confidence and authority that appear to brush away the visitors objections as if they are unfounded and insignificant. It feels as if he is running a con game and the six visitors are the marks. According to Frazier Walden Two provides an ideal, satisfying lifestyle. It appears that all of the needs of Walden Twos inhabitants are provided with everything they need, they work only four hours per day, have recreation, and appear to have a great deal more freedom than people enjoy in the United States today. Despite this assurance, I would not want to live there. What Frazier has done has removed the individual person from consideration. There is a paternalistic quality that implies the managers of Walden Two know best and the inhabitants should just agree and enjoy the life there. In effect, Frazier/Skinner has reduced people to their basic responses to both internal and external stimuli. Of course this is precisely what Skinner, as a behaviorist, wants to do. For my part I prefer to think of myself as an adult person with a free will who takes an active part in living his own life. I would rather believe this, even if it is incorrect, than to submit to Skinners philosophy even if his theories were correct. References Skinner, B. F. (1948). Walden Two. New York: Macmillan.

The Business Model Of The BBC

The Business Model Of The BBC The business model of the BBC is quite complex as it is funded by the government through TV licence fees, however, it is expected to be many things:  [3]  private and public, profit and non-profit making, a respected and responsible national institution as well as a nimble entrepreneurial entity. The BBC could be defined as an  [4]  intersect organization which demonstrates its conflicting objectives. The BBCs mission is to  [5]  enrich peoples lives with programmes and services that entertain, inform and educate through its various forms of media communication, that is to say, its purpose is to provide a value for money service to the public. It provides value for money through a variety of shows, for example, regarding ethnic minorities which other channels would not consider and also there are a wide range of channels which are dedicated to specific age groups such as CBeebies for kids and BBC Four focuses on documentaries whilst there are different radio stations for various genres of music thus conveying the diversity of the BBC appealing to all kinds of people including minorities through radio, television and internet. This value is also extended through the use of BBC iPlayer which enables viewers to catch up on watch again episodes such as Top Gear. The BBC prides itself on delivering innovative and informative programmes through the revolutionary technology of internet, digital and satellite communications. The BBC claim their vision is to be  [6]  the most creative organisation in the world and their goal is clear which is to be a global icon. They also wish to represent an independent view point on issues such as politics and be a proud representation of Britain. Their main objective is not to earn significant profit but to be globally recognized as a top quality producer of innovative programmes and services via a wide range of mediums and offer the best news coverage in the world. The BBC provides a wide range of shows from entertainment to sports coverage to educational programmes. It is also committed to earning profit through the sale of educational books and TV shows whilst also doing charity work. In addition, the cooperation is dedicated to research and development which has lead to a strong presence on the internet and BBC radio and television are available in over  [7]  99.4% of UK homes. It is mainly based in London, however, through the leadership of  [8]  Mark Thompson he has decided to diversify and move employees to Manchester to change the stereotype of their image as a London cooperation. I think that the present situation is viable; however, a few changes could be made which I will mention later. I believe that the current situation is tenable as the BBC is universally renowned for its productions which will generate cash flow though the sale of programmes and the sheer number of people who watch their news coverage which covers sport to politics. The BBC has done very well as it moulds itself to different areas and markets of the world to appeal to certain people through e.g. BBC world or releasing a BBC channel in Arabic. The cooperation has also divulged itself into the technology side making all its information and programmes easily and readily accessible which will hopefully meet the demands of the people in the ever evolving technology based world we live in. The BBC have the upper hand over BSkyB in the sense that their brand image is internationally recognized and their unique selling point is the originality of its programmes which must carry on as they enri ch peoples lives. Also the plan to go digital must stay on course as when this is complete they will be able to compete with BSkyB as the BBCs services do not need a satellite box and dish. Due to the current situation, the BBC must make slight changes to their business model because of the emergence of BSKYB which has dominated the UK market recently. They are now competing with hundreds of channels thus resulting in less guaranteed viewers because the BBC has  [9]  traditionally taken programmes from internal or external sources and fitted them into their schedule via their two channels to meet the needs of the audience therefore they could make more specific channels like BBC education. Firstly they need to do this because it will be able to compete against the plethora of new channels but also to convince people that satellite television is not necessary as the BBC has it all. However the BBCs income is fixed as the licence fee is set by the government so as its other main competitors are using this profit to expand and increase their range of services whilst the BBC is falling behind therefore the BBC must find new ways of generating more of a cash flow to keep up with its competitors possibly through online advertising. In addition, thanks to the growth of broadband one is now able to stream TV through their computer and access content easily which provides a further threat to the BBC but to which they have taken to their advantage whereby they have introduced BBC iPlayer which has attracted 41 million requests in December 2008 alone. With regard to the future, the BBC cannot carry on being all things to  [10]  everyone this is not viable as they are mainly government funded hence they cannot expected to meet the needs of everyone. I think this does not allow it to focus as there is no clarity because you cannot be all things to all people it is virtually impossible and it is not viable at all due to the increasingly competitive market but needs to be careful as its budget is very limited. The BBC needs to be efficient and the job cuts might be justified as they need to ensure their financial stability and future ambitions. Michael Porter highlights three generic positions which can be implemented to create a competitive and profitable advantage: Cost leadership, focus and differentiation. Cost leadership strategy underlines the fact that the company must become the lowest cost producer but produce a given level of quality which the consumers are happy with. This strategy is illustrated via  [11]  Toyota which supplies quality cars which are low in cost but have marketing skills to use a premium pricing policy. A differentiation generic strategy offers a product or service to consumers which are unique whereby they believe it is better than their rivals. This can be done through creative programmes, strong sales team and developing brand strength. The focus strategy is a middle ground line taken whereby the organization cannot take on either strategy therefore they focus on a narrow and elite market. This will create a relationship in the long term with specific consumers and the organization must provide whenever needed. Out of these three strategies the BBC does have a bit of each strategy; nonetheless, I believe that the main strategy utilized by the company is differentiation with a hint of cost leadership. The main strategy is differentiation because the BBCs brand image is internationally recognized and is well known for its quality programmes. The hint of cost leadership is that they have attempted to minimise cost as much as possible through mainly redundancies and also through the TV licence only costing  £142.50 per year, although an increase, is relatively cheap in comparison with rivals. Through the culmination of these strategies this would provide customers real value for money as well as discouraging potential entrants. 12Porter claims that the main ingredient needed is clarity in combination with one of these strategies. He goes on to say that the companies that do not follow this model do not necessarily fail, however, they fail to maximise and optimise their resources hence this does not put them in a comfortable situation which could have been avoided. Due to the fact that everyone must have a TV licence for their television sets the licence the BBC must provide good value for money and cater to peoples needs. Through differentiation strategy the company is able to grab a hold of the market through customer loyalty and if the quality is to the consumers satisfaction will discourage potential entrants. I believe this is the generic strategy as the BBCs main income comes from TV licence fees so it needs to be unique and this strategy can be only maintained if the BBC carries on offering creative and innovative programmes. There are five industry forces in a competitive market according to Michael Porter: Barriers to entry, Buyer power, Supplier power, Threat of substitutes and Rivalry. With regard to the five industry forces mentioned, the entry barriers of differentiation strategy gives the opportunity to deter potential entrants through customer loyalty in the hope that you gain some kind of monopoly in the market. Buyer power is a strength of differentiation because large buyers have less power to negotiate due to fewer alternatives. The cooperation will also find it easier to pass on supplier costs to consumers as they are willing to pay that bit extra. The company will be well protected from the threat of substitutes due to the consumers attachment of the differentiated company. The brand loyalty will keep consumers from rivals and put the company in a strong position. Overall the strong points of differentiation strategy are that it ensures customer loyalty with guaranteed quality which will discourage and one can pass on costs to the consumer because of their affiliation to the service. From the companys point of view of the company it guarantees consumers and secures stability in the long term. Leadership plays a key role in providing the vision and direction that structures the way in which the company will work in terms of strategy.  [13]  Leaders are expected to deliver and achieve what they set out to do and they also are expected to establish standards and motivate the employees to achieve maximum potential whilst also being totally committed. A leader must act in the interests of everyone and achieve quality communication between all staff. Taking this into account I will now analyse the leadership of the BBC with regard to Mark Thompson. The director-general, Mark Thompson, has decided to pull out of the so called ratings war but as the BBC is a public service broadcaster this should not be its priority. I see this as a strength as it will allow the BBC to make original and refreshing programmes that will offer a range to viewers. As the BBCs revenue comes through the governments implementation of the TV licence this again gives the BBC an advantage because it provides it with assured revenue and stability which guarantees job security for the staff and also ensures that BBCs priority are the viewers and not to gain profit. Another positive is that the government does not intervene in affairs of the BBC which permits the BBC to work in its own way and be unconstrained. Thanks to the leadership of Mark Thompson the BBC is to become more diluted through the  £200 million investment in the new BBC base in Salford Quays which will diversify and dilute its London influence in the hope that it will be seen as more Britis h. The BBCs commitment to technological advancement is a major strength as the demand is growing and it has certainly provided through the launch of BBC iPlayer and the completion of the switchover to digital throughout the whole country. The technology will also enable the need for fewer job requirements and possibly render some staff to leave which will ease the financial situation. The Director-General has also highlighted the need to have no imitation programmes and the return to in depth current affairs coverage which will please viewers as they want something unique. The BBC must also ensure it keeps its coverage of certain sports which attract a wide range of viewers and are extremely popular such as Wimbledon tennis championship, Formula 1 coverage and Match of the Day. Mark Thompson has been a great leader to the BBC as he always sent out emails to staff to underline his aims and objectives which give employees a sense of unity demonstrating his clarity of objectives and communication. When the salaries of executives at the BBC were revealed, Thompson immediately proposed the pay of the top 20 executives to be frozen for the next three years including his salary but also the suspension of bonuses for managers. He has done extremely well when the BBC has received so much abuse and attempted to resolve the issue without kicking up a fuss and enforcing absol ute standards: the sign of a leader. Mr Thompson is courageous and is not afraid to do what others might not, he recognized that redundancies were needed and so that is what he did this could be perceived as ruthless or rather, putting the companys interests at heart. The decision to dilute and diversify from London is in my opinion a weakness of leadership of the BBC as London has always served as an excellent hub to the company and is at the centre of everything. In a way Mr Thompson has contradicted himself because he claims that he wants to dilute the London influence by relocating staff to ensure there is evenness (2004) but a year later he decided that substantial job losses (6,000) were in order from different regional offices then why did he not make redundant those 1,800 going to Manchester. In reality Mark Thompson is a great journalist, however, one cannot expect him to be a great leader as well and this has been exposed during his time through various incidents, Brand-Ross incident and reporting of the war in Iraq, which have put the BBC under some serious pressure and abuse from the media. In 2007, the BBC were faced with losses and shortfalls of up to  £2 billion thus announcing the speeding up of the relocation of staff to Manches ter, nevertheless, I cannot understand how this ploy is supposed to help the situation and further the announcement of up to 3,000 redundancies is clearly not going to help the situation. I think that this is bad decision making and shows the desperation and weakness of the leadership of the company. As well Mark Thompson has shown a lack of control with the regard to the pay of executives at the BBC, it is  [14]  claimed that top 47 paid executives salaries range from  £190,000 to more than  £600,000 which is astonishing even though the BBC has had to lay off more than 2,000 staff. This shows real weakness on behalf of Mark Thompson including the running and decision making in the cooperation as well. I think Mark Thompson is a very direct leader and always has clear objectives or solutions. His main strengths are arguably communication, although, not in person and acting in the interests of the company exhibited by the restructuring of pay and focus on technology. In my opinion, his main weaknesses are his lack of experience and enthusiasm which sometimes leads to uncertainty and does not boost morale of staff. On the basis of what I am told, the priorities of the leadership should be to resolve the job redundancy levels before strikes might severely cripple the company. As the BBC have decided to divulge more into technology they must ensure that it is fully functioning with no problems due to the fact that they have a history with these sort of issues: electronic accounting system which deletes invoices. Probably the most important priority is to complete the move to Manchester to convey that they are serious and committed to diluting the London influence. I believe that there are two main priorities which are key to resolving the BBCs future and ensuring its stability. There needs to be a restructuring of the wage bill at the top of the company the salaries that have been quoted regarding executives and performers are excessive due to the BBC being a public service broadcaster. Through restructuring the wages this will free up some funds and put the interests of the company at heart. Also more attention is needed towards staff as they are at the hub of what the company does and by creating a sense of unity will hopefully move towards optimum performance because without the staffs capabilities and willingness nothing can be achieved. The relocation to Manchester must be completed as soon as possible because this will demonstrate the devotion and the ability to achieve their objectives. In addition, the BBC must stick to its aim to go digital which will help with their increase in the use of technology and provide consumers with a wide variety of ways to keep up with programmes and watch them in the highest quality possible. The BBC has had to deal with an array of issues over its time and there are situations which could have been handled differently. The slowness of the relocation to Manchester is a problem because firstly it shows that the BBC are not serious about diluting their London influence and also if the staff are not onboard then the move will not reap its expected rewards. In addition, the magnitude of redundancies that are occurring at the company does not reflect well on the situation and creates an unpleasant vibe with staff possibly leading to strikes causing turmoil. When the BBC releases technology it must be fully functional because people lose confidence and trust. If there are any issues that give consumers an excuse to purchase an alternative and then the cooperation will acquire a bad reputation. The other issue is the pay and behaviour of executives and presenters. The executives pay is outrageous and upsets the public as their licence fee money is being wasted on the salaries of overpaid executives further damaging the BBCs image. It is clear that one of the main problems that could have been tackled in a different way is that of the relocation to Manchester. There is no problem with the idea itself, however, there seems to be a lack of drive and determination to progress by Mark Thompson and the move only seems to lead to further redundancies. In summer 2008, it seemed as if the BBC were not serious about relocating which gives us a reflection of the ambition of Thompson to complete this move of certain departments. I believe the relocation should have been completed by now and this is a sign of weakness for the BBC because they have been funded by  [15]  millions of public and private money so there should be no excuses. Also the fact that they are now offering  [16]  generous relocating packages to London staff is absurd because they are employees of the company hence they should either agree to it or not. On the face of it, it seems a pretty desperate move by the BBC as employees should be excited about moving into a modern base and that is the way I believe the BBC should have tackled it in order to convince employees to move through the excitement factor of being a part of something special. Culminated with all this there are lay-offs occurring in order to save money and then we see them offering these charitable packages. Also I believe there is a contradiction because the majority of these redundancies are to come from different regional offices so the idea to become more British by relocating to Manchester will not work as other offices will have fewer employees. If they want the BBC to become more British then they should employ people from other regions rather than relocating London based staff but the BBC defend this  [17]  position claiming they need their experience and ironically some of them will not even move. I believe that the redundancy issue should have been tackled by more London based staff facing the sack. In my opinion, the BBC are taking the relocation in the right direction in the sense that this move needs to be completed as soon as possible and they need their experienced London staff to ease the transition. It is now paramount to complete this move and if the relocation package speeds things up then it is a positive move. The desired outcome would be that everything is up and running by 2011 because it has taken too long. Despite the BBCs previous track record regarding technology which has caused them numerous problems the release of BBC iPlayer sparked several issues and frustrated viewers all over the country.  [18]  100,000 people registered for the iPlayer during its first weekend of release which demonstrates the popularity of BBCs media and this problem could have easily been remedied through applying various tests and ensuring a pretty much flawless version. I believe if it had been fully functional when released the BBC would have gained applause and restored the confidence of the nation in them. The desired outcome of this case is very simple which is to have a fully functioning media player which provides viewers with what they want and the ability to carry out any function that was promised. The BBC has become shrouded lately in controversy and has been accused of bias which affects their global iconic image and their supposed independent view point on issues. Taking the Brand and Ross incident, this has damaged the BBCs integrity and generated massive media attention once again denting their image. This issue should have never arisen in the first place if the BBC had been more stringent and set out the rules with these two presenters the idea would have never popped into their heads as it clearly was unprofessional and uncalled for. It was a very daft and unnecessary incident which has smeared BBC radio twos reputation. The BBC would hope now that this sets a precedent and is now a warning to those others to not generate such extreme media pressure needlessly. Last of all, the BBC must now tackle the issue to do with salaries of executives and presenters which it has dealt with to a certain extent. The issue initially begun because Mark Thompson himself is earning an incredible amount,  [19]  Ã‚ £647,000 basic salary, which sets the standard that other top executives can as well. The BBCs way of tackling this issue was to publish the salaries to show their cautiousness with licence payers money because once the MPs expenses came to the light they were bombarded with complaints. This could have been tackled by completely restructuring the pay of the whole company which is unlikely to occur or simply not revealing the salaries. The second option is the easiest and seems sensible because the BBC should have known that when they released these figures it would cause mass uproar as they are a public service broadcaster. Taking into account everything, the best but not easiest solution is to restructure the pay of executives as they have don e with certain presenters such as  [20]  Graham Norton who earned  £2.5 million a year before agreeing to a pay cut and Bruce Forsyth. This will certainly ease the financial pressure on the BBC by reducing the magnitude of redundancies and manage the  £3.6 billion budget to maximum efficiency. Overall, the BBC has had its ups and downs but that is possibly down to the management and leadership of Mark Thompson. He is a respected journalist, however, this does not mean that he will be an implausible chief executive and this has been reflected in some of his decisions. The main two issues that must be resolved are the completion of the move to Salford Quays and the financial structure of the company with regard to executives and presenters. If both of these are achieved the BBC will be able to do what it does best which is to provide innovative and informative programmes and ensure value for money for licence fee payers.

Coca Colas Entry Strategies Into The African Market Marketing Essay

Coca Colas Entry Strategies Into The African Market Marketing Essay Coca colas entry strategies into the African market. The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest manufacturers, distributors and marketers of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world. Coca-Colas headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia, in America. It is best known for its flagship product, Coca-Cola, and is one of the largest corporations in the United States. Today, Coca-Cola is an internationally recognized soft drinks company with ambitious plans to further grow the brand. The company owns the majority of the soft drinks available in coolers and in vending machines in the western world. Some of these brands include, Coca-Cola and sub brands1, Dr Pepper, Fanta, Sprite, Oasis and PowerAde. A full list of Coca-Colas affiliated brands can be found on their corporate website2. The 2005 Annual Report states the company sells beverage products in more than 312 countries or territories.3 The international presence of Coca-Cola is phenomenal and its logo, advertising and colours are among the most recognized in the world. When an organization has made a decision to enter an overseas market, there are a variety of options open to it. An organization wishing to go international faces three major issues: i) Marketing which countries, which segments, how to manage and implement marketing effort, how to enter with intermediaries or directly, with what information? ii) Sourcing whether to obtain products, make or buy? iii) Investment and control joint venture, global partner, acquisition? Decisions in the marketing area focus on the value chain . The strategy or entry alternatives must ensure that the necessary value chain activities are performed and integrated. . One of the critical questions to examine in establishing an international development strategy is to select the entry mode in the target foreign country and the distribution channel. Several alternative entry strategies can be considered, Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are expanding their global reach, carrying their products and brands to new and diverse markets in emerging economies. As they tailor their strategies to the local context, they have to create product and brand portfolios that match their competences with local needs. A multi-tier strategy with local and/or global brands may provide MNEs with the widest reach into the market and the potential for market leadership. However, it has to be supported with an appropriate combination of global and local resources. Foreign entrants thus have to develop operational capabilities for the specific context, which requires complementary resources that are typically controlled by local firms.One of such an organization is coca cola company. Coke has recently started to heavily invest in the African market. Africa was actually a low priority region for Coca-Cola until 1997 when citing rapid population growth and disproportionately low sales, the company developed a new market strategy aiming to double sales in 5 years. Indeed, per capita consumption in Africa has grown from 18 servings in 1986 to 37 servings in 2006. Unit case volume sales are up 4 percent from 2005 to 2006. This growth was predominantly driven by 23 percent unit case volume growth in Egypt, after Coca-Cola opened a new divisional office in Cairo. Coke has clearly decided to focus its energies on emerging markets throughout the world and Coke can honestly brag about increasing its sales volume on a global scale. However, as new countries are aggressively targeted by Cokes marketing machine, dietary patterns change, and the rate of western-style diet-related diseases increase. Entry strategies into the African market. Coca Cola Company entered into the global market using various modes of entry. The most common modes are exporting, licensing and franchising. Besides exporting beverages and its special syrups, Coca cola also exporting its merchandises to foreign distributors and companies. The company has also started licensing with bottlers around the world and supplying its special syrup necessary to produce the product. Coca cola works with more than 300 bottlers internationally to produce, deliver, market and sell products around the world. In 1984 a candy store owner Joseph A Biedenham began bottling coca cola to sell using common glass called Hutchinson. Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead have made first bottling agreement with Coca cola. During 1900-1909, three main bottlers divided the country into territories and sold bottling rights to local entrepreneurs. In 1916, a distinctive bottle called contour bottle has been designed to distinguish from imitator. The contour bottle became trademark status by U.S patent office. During 1920s more than 1000 coca cola bottlers were operating in U.S. Between 1920s and 1930s, company leader Robert W. Woodruff began expand internationally through establishing bottling operation outside U.S. In 1940, before World War II, 64 bottling plant were setup around the world. During 1970s and 1980s many small and medium-sized bottlers consolidated to better serve huge amount of global customers. Strong licensing relationship with bottlers became the base for Coca Colas entire business growth. Franchising is a special type of licensing strategy. There is various type of franchising. The type used by Coca Cola is manufactured-sponsored wholesalers franchise system. In franchising the finished products and sold to the retailers in local market. In case of Coca Cola Company licensing proved most suitable mode of market entry. T he licensing strategy must ensure ongoing competitive advantages such as export market opportunities, low-risk manufacturing relationships, and diffusion of new products. Other market entry mode such as exporting also proved useful in expanding globally. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Coca-Cola has massive world appeal. The products image is loaded with over-romanticizing, and this is an image many people have taken deeply to heart. The Coca-Cola image is displayed on T-shirts, hats, and collectible memorabilia. This extremely recognizable branding is one of Coca-Colas greatest strengths.7 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Additionally, Coca-Colas bottling system is one of their greatest strengths. It allows them to conduct business on a global scale while at the same time maintaining a local approach. The bottling companies are locally owned and operated by independent business people who are authorised to sell products of the Coca-Cola Company. Because Coke does not have outright ownership of its bottling network, its main source of revenue is the sale of concentrate to its bottlers. Other brands owned by the Coca Cola company that have a strong brand image.8 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Seasonal advertising awareness e.g. TV Christmas advert and summer advert. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Coca-Colas brand name is known well throughout 94% of the world today à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Coca-Colas bottling system also allows the company to take advantage of infinite growth opportunities around the world. This strategy gives Coke the opportunity to service a large geographic, diverse area. . Coca-Cola has successfully employed the hub-and-spoke model in multiple rural emerging markets. In Africa, for instance, 9 Coca-Cola set up Manual Distribution Centers in which an independent person was given the rights to distribute Coca-Cola products within a defined radius14. Similarly, in India local entrepreneurs sell Coca-Cola using all possible means of transport, ranging from trucks, auto-rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and hand carts, to even camel carts in Rajasthan and mules in hilly areas, to transport its product from the nearest hub.15 (See exhibit 3) As Colgate and Coca-Cola have shown, the hub-and-spoke model for FMCG products works well because it addresses the inventory cost and transportation infrastructure issues that are associated with distributing products in rural emerging markets while also providing for good product availability at the small-village level. In the villages, farmers earn the bulk of their income during two to three peak harvest months, earning nothing during troughs. Farm labors get a daily wage when thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s work to do; at other times they sit around idle, migrate to towns, or scratch a living from other sources.36 Equally important is the ability to execute on the ground and deliver consistently across this wide variety of markets, even as they change and mature over the longer term. Many of the early entrants to Africa have established successful, profitable businesses. Companies have been able to generate competitive advantage by influencing consumer preferences, building brand loyalty and shaping industry structure before competitors have a chance to become established. The majority of emerging market nations continue to have largely rural, agrarian-based economies.1 In Africa alone, of the seven hundred million residents , roughly five hundred million people lived in rural areas.2 Delivering products and services into this market presents both unique challenges and enormous opportunities for companies. The nature of rural emerging markets makes building a successful marketing channel challenging. The population is widely dispersed, transportation infrastructure is poor or non-existent, household incomes are low and sporadic, and traditional methods of creating brand trust and awareness will not work. I propose that an entering company needs to design marketing channels that both successfully deliver products to customers in a capital-efficient way, and that unlock the latent desire that customers have to purchase and receive those products. In this manner, not only are transporters and warehouses part of a successful marketing channel, but so are entities that educate customers about products and services they may not know they need, as are the financial programs that help customers finance their purchases. The key points coca cola company should focus on when designing their rural distribution networks in emerging markets are as follows: 1. The company should choose the distribution network model that is appropriate for the product or service it is selling. 2. While continuing to meet the customers needs, the company should aggregate consumer demand into central locations as much as possible in order to decrease inventory and transportation costs. 3. The company should consider taking advantage of rural entrepreneurs (REà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s) to facilitate last-mile product delivery and sales. Such rural entrepreneurs include retailers and kiosk operators. Although consumers in rural emerging markets clearly have low and sporadic incomes, it would be a mistake to assume that these consumers necessarily desire to purchase cheap products. Instead, as Prahalad writes, the consumers are very brand-conscious and are motivated to buy quality goods. However, at the same time, they are by necessity very value-conscious.37 The challenge for companies entering this market is to offer consumers high-quality products and brands while also offering . When AIDS advocates in Africa noticed that Coca-Cola products were available in remote African villages, it sparked the idea that perhaps the companys supply chain experts could assist in delivering life-saving drugs to AIDS victims. The drugs are typically hard to come by, especially in the outlying regions of poor countries. In some regions, it is not uncommon for the drugs to take 30 days to get through a nonprofits supply chain before arriving at their final destination. In 2009, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria asked Coke for assistance improving the organizations supply chain. The company agreed to help with a project in 2010, and the corporation worked with the Global Fund, Tanzanias Medical Stores Department, the Gates Foundation and Accenture Development Partnerships to get life-saving drugs to far-flung villages in Africa. What we noticed was that Coca-Colas products always seemed to get to every remote region, and we thought that if they could get their products there, with their support, maybe we could, too, said Gabriel Jaramillo, the Global Funds general manager, according to the Daily Beast. The drug supply chain hasnt been perfected, according to a study from the Yale School of Public Health. However, it has greatly improved access to medication in rural regions. Ill patients now have an 80 percent chance of receiving the correct medication, up dramatically from only a 50 percent chance two years ago. While the old delivery systems took a month to get drugs to the correct area, supply chains have been optimized and delivery time is now estimated at merely five days. Coca-Cola isnt doing all the work for the project they give expert advice and input, but Tanzanias Medical Stores Department is chipping in and having its employees learn the basics of supply chain management, logistics and distribution. However, the project doesnt only involve learning about how supply chains operate. All the partners are working to develop infrastructure in poorer developing areas, so Coke products and medications can more easily get where theyre needed most. Due to the success of this program, it has expanded to Ghana and Mozambique, where supply chains are still too underdeveloped to get rural residents the drugs they need. By working with one of the worlds largest distributors, groups looking to expand access to AIDS medication have developed a new system to better serve ill patients in remote regions.

Finding Freedom in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Finding Freedom in The Awakening  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Awakening was shocking to readers in 1899, and would be today if it were published in â€Å"Ladies Home Journal†. Even today, women are expected to sacrifice themselves, if not to their husbands, then definitely to their children. I find it interesting that Grand Isle is the setting for the beginning and end of the novel. The story is built around a circle and represents the whirling force that is the energy of Edna’s life. The circle reminds me of Yeats’ â€Å"The Second Coming† : â€Å"Turning and turning in the widening gyre/things fall apart/the center cannot hold.†   So often I wanted Edna to act and she didn’t, I suppose that it is Chopin’s purpose to not let us into Edna’s thoughts, or make us omniscient of her actions. This was hard for me while reading. I wanted Edna’s point of view, so I could EASILY figure out what she was going to do, and that’s what was most difficult about this novel, and the reason it is not an easy read. I guess this is Chopin’s purpose. An example is when Edna cannot pinpoint why she is crying - the reader is left just as confused as Edna about the emotions. The sleep motif is very enlightening, in that key moments of Edna’s awakening are preceded by sleep. Sleep, especially for those who are depressed, is used as a way of escape, but in this novel sleep is used mystically as a way for Chopin to show that many things happen while Edna is sleeping that leads to awakening. In this way, the reader can only guess what occurs during sleep. I found I related to Harding Davis’ work more in that I can relate to Hugh and Deb’s oppression (politically, economically, class structurally). One thing the two works have in common is that both main characters (Hugh and Edna) actually hold the key to their own oppression, yet Edna’s social condition doesn’t require much sympathy from the reader. Also, if a reader cannot step into that world with Chopin, it is difficult to comprehend that kind of oppression. Perhaps it’s not correct to use the term oppression when writing about Edna, as it seems she only lives a life of obligations. She breaks free of these, however, and realizes: â€Å"Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual.

The Battle of France Essay -- The Fall of France, Nazi Invasion of 194

1. Introduction 2. History 3. Planning/Preparation 4. Execution/Action 5. Lessons Learned 6. Works Cited Introduction In the spring of 1940 Europe was enveloped in war. The German military machine had already conquered Poland, Denmark, and Norway. However, not content with northern and eastern expansion, Adolf Hitler wanted to control the western countries in Europe. Hitler had long been obsessed with attacking and controlling France. After their defeat in World War I, the German people, government, and military were humiliated by the enormous post war sanctions leveraged against them from the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler wanted to defeat and humiliate the French people in the same way that his country had to experience. For him, revenge was necessary. The German plan was to swing into France using a new tactic know as Blitzkrieg or â€Å"Lightning War†. Blitzkrieg used speed and surprise along with highly concentrated tank corps, supported by mechanized infantry and airplanes. Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,... ... many French commanders not even knowing where their own subordinate units were located.11 The French placed their defense in old, outdated tactics of static warfare. Gone were the days of two sides slugging it out against prepared reinforced defense structures. Closely integrating concentrated armor, infantry, and closely supported by aviation assets all combined to crush France in a matter of only six weeks. France was simply not prepared for this new age of warfare. Works Cited Horne, Alistair. To Lose a Battle: France 1940. New York: Penguin, 1990. Jackson, Julian. The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. â€Å"The Holocaust.† Holocaust Encyclopedia, last modified June 10, 2013, http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005425.

International Communication

Declaration l, the undersigned, hereby declare that this is my own and personal work, except where the work(s) or publications of others have been acknowledged by means of reference techniques. I have read and understood Tutorial Letter CANALLED/301 regarding technical and presentation requirements, reference techniques and plagiarism. Table Of Contents Page Introduction Essay: Globalization & South Africa Conclusion Sources 2 5 6 The term ‘globalization' gives rise to a lot of different meanings and interpretations.Globalization has its own negative and positive effects on the world today. It has opened the free markets which enables trades between countries, and therefore increases the living standards in these particular countries. However, there are still some developing countries that have fallen behind and have not kept up with the pace of change of development. It has had many impacts both negative and positive on South Africa and its people. Globalization & South Africa Page | 2 As an emerging democracy, in the past South Africa had to contend with the demands of both national and international issues.This included rising unemployment, poverty and inequality. At the same time, South Africa had to become a contender in the globalizes world of capital, trade and changes in technology. The free market that has been created by globalization has allowed for less developed countries to learn from more developed countries, therefore allowing people to advance and succeed economically. Globalization affects South Africans lives in so many ways. Most times it seems we are a land that is stuck between our interesting yet difficult past while trying to move forward to embrace all that the future could old.Often poorer countries that are not connected to people globally, are unskilled due to the lack of knowledge and equipment. They are also unable to trade with the other countries which are richer and larger as they are unable to meet the demand. Enabling pe ople of one nation to communicate with those of other nations is the biggest achievement in terms of globalization. It has provided the production market with an improved access to a wide range of foreign products and as a result, globalization has increased and helped in the production of goods for import and export.By increasing production and lowering costs, South Africa is able to take advantage of access to these free markets and allow for more trading with international consumers. This will help the country to not only increase export profits but also employment. An important factor of globalization is that it is able to remove barriers and promote mobility. By opening borders it exposes people to opportunities for example – as established company like Macdonald is able to expand their countries like South Africa. Thus creating employment and strengthening the economy.This exposes young South African entrepreneurs to more advanced ways ND ‘know-how in running a bu siness. The globalization of the economy and the demands on the workforce that goes with it, requires an education that allows learners to think independently, to exercise Judgment and teamwork to make sense of new situations. Education teaches how to learn, problem-solve and incorporate the old with the new in our ever changing society. Foreign interest and investment will be directly linked to education and training.Due to increased competition from globalization, companies are more willing to aid their employees with courses or financially with studies. This enables them to be more efficient and effective within the organization. â€Å"Standard of living refers to the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area. The standard of living includes factors such as income, quality and availability of employment. † (www. Wisped. Org) According to this definition of standard of living, globalizati on has a positive influence on a developing country such as South Africa. It increases the availability of goods, opportunities and potential of income for South Africa. Poverty stricken countries are instantly playing ‘catch-up' with the rest of the world in terms of technological advances. The standard of living is measured by the income per person which has increased in South Africa over time, thus proving that globalization has had a positive impact on the economy of South Africa.Page | 4 Due to globalization, South Africa has had the opportunity to ‘rub shoulders' with economic giants such as the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and China. This enables our country to learn from other countries and stabilize our economic infrastructure. South Africa has been able to learn better methods of communication, rainspout and distribution networks that make business activity possible. With globalization we can learn to constantly improve and develop our economic infrastr ucture from power house economies. Government regulation is when the legislative and executive branches set and enact laws that determine how a specific task, business, or industry is supposed to run. † (wry. Answers. Ask. Com) For a developing country such as South Africa to gain knowledge on regulation regarding laws, ideas or patterns of behavior from across the globe, it is important to have good relations with first world leaders. The different levels and branches in government are there to help deal with issues the country faces, but sometimes this inequality in power has devastating effects.State power and functions are sometimes abused and this has a direct impact on the citizens and development of the country. Information technology is a driving force of globalization and the advancement of video calling and teleconferencing making business that much more efficient, it increases the communication processes. Technology has something to do with change. Most of the innov ations from the technological advances have very important effects on the lives of peoples of the world, which has witnessed radical changes.The use and production of CIT plays an important role in the ability of nations to participate in global economic activities. Conclusion Page I All sectors including economic, political, technological, cultural and environmental are directly affected by, and fall under the ‘umbrella' of globalization. The term and definition of globalization shows us how we are all interconnected and interdependent in some way and how our lives have taken shape around the rapid and ongoing changes in the world.

The bard by john martin

History paintings ere then considered as the grand style of painting even though these paintings never really caught on in the British market, mainly due to their huge dimensions. On the contrary, landscape was considered a low genre. Despite these impediments, both of them had successful careers and raised landscape to the height of historical paintings. Another characteristic both painters shared was the inclusion of the Sublime in their art, which was very popular at the time. According to E. Burke's definition, the Sublime focuses on darkness, vastness, magnificence, loudness and denseness.I will analyze how when commenting on the painting The Bard. Turner's paintings had greatly Impressed Martin but their approach to historical paintings was quite different. They both portrayed grandiose representations of history and told stories about the Immensity of nature compared with the smallness of men. But when Turner was more interested in fate and how men were powerless in the immens ity of nature,John Martin oriented his works towards the Divine and the representation of grand biblical themes inspired by the Old Testament.John Martin's paintings were mainly based on religious and fantastic subjects. His most celebrated works were â€Å"Pallbearer's Feast†, â€Å"The Great day of his Wrath†, the â€Å"Destruction of Stood and Sonogram† or the Seven Plagues of Egypt†, amongst others. The Bard does not belong to this category but is still one representation of his conception of his art. It Is based on ancient British history. Martin's Bard was first exhibited In 1817 and Is an Illustration off poem, the Bard, written In 1757 by Thomas Gray.The mom tells the story of the last surviving bard In Wales who climbed above a swirling river after Edward I and the English troops defeated the country. Martin Is telling us almost word for word the same story. This is both a poetical painting as the bard was the official poet of the ruler and his co urt and a political painting portraying the king and his troops. This painting is huge in size (it is over 2 meters high). The story told is divided by the river which creates a chasm between the two halves of the minting, one with its chiaroscuro side with the bard overcoming the other side with the military.In the left foreground the dwarfed figures of the king and his soldiers overpowered by the castle which despite the defeat still stands erect. On the right- hand side, there are rocky cliffs, on top of which the bard stands erect immobile on his two feet, proudly holding his harp. His also being In the foreground but so much higher conveys the moral disparity between the two parties. His left hand points towards the sky, the bard Is the prophet who he Is telling the king that punishment ill come, not through human hands but through the Delve.There are hardly any warm tones, only some dark red on the figures, linking them, there is no doubt that atmosphere and adds to the traged y of the story told. Although the figures are important in order to tell the story, the landscape is the focus of the story, it is the drama that overpowers all other impressions. The wild, chaotic landscape with its spectacular effects, the vastness of the scale and the power of the noble bard give a full representation of the sublime.Also, we, as risers, are safe but, like the soldiers, we are compelled to look up at the Bard and the Divine could also destroy us. We have great admiration for the Bard who, we know, will commit suicide, but we also fear what fate has in store for us. Although John Martin's paintings gradually fell into oblivion after his death, his paintings have recently been exhibited and commented upon. His works have inspired many film makers and he is now considered a cinematic painter. One example is C. B. De Mille, Moses in his film â€Å"the Ten Commandments† has a striking resemblance with the Bard.