Analysis Of Sattar Buksh And The Common Wise Man On The...

Sattar Buksh Sattar Buksh (Sat-tar Bux-sch) is a Pakistani restaurant, cafà © and merchandize seller based on indigenous Pakistani art and â€Å"the common wise man on the street who has a strong entitled opinion on every subject† named Sattar Buksh. 1. Did you have a business plan when you started your business? Initially we only joked about starting such a business but then we realized that our idea was actually viable and so we started planning out our business starting from the personality sketch of our fictional brand ambassador â€Å"Sattar Buksh†. We started brainstorming answers to questions such as: SB’s (Sattar Buksh’s) tone of voice over Social Media, his stance on certain social issues, whether we were we an outspoken or safe brand, whether we were a political/apolitical. We needed to find our niche. Pakistan being the biggest tea importer of the world and yet all our cafà ©s served only coffee. So we started discussing that there needed to be a cafe that served a cup of tea without making it seem like it was a poor man’s beverage. We aimed to combine the western culture that Pakistan had adopted with Pakistan’s own tea drinking truck art painting culture. 2. Do you think business plans are necessary for entrepreneurship? Absolutely, we would have been lost had we not had a business plan. You need to know what you’re getting into when you’re starting a business. You need to know the market that you’re getting into and whether your business is viable enough to survive in that

Cultural Analysis of Australia - 4649 Words

Geography Australia is both the smallest and oldest continent in the world, and it is the only country that is also a continent. [1] It is an island located between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, just south of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. At 2,941,299 square miles, Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world and only about 150,000 square miles (about the size of Montana) smaller than the continental United States. Its interior land is a flat and sparsely populated desert, but as you move outward the climate changes to grassland, subtropical, tropical, and even temperate in the southeastern region. [1] While more than 70% of Australia is arid, the rest includes a variety of rich environments including flood plains,†¦show more content†¦Figure 2 – Australian population concentrations by region. Growth Every state had population growth between 2001 and 2011. Queensland recorded the largest growth (845,200 people), while Western Australia recorded the fastest growth (24%). The Northern Territory had the smallest growth, increasing by 33,600 people, while Tasmania and South Australia had the slowest growth (both 8.4%). [6] A key contributor to change in the distribution of Australias population is internal migration. During 2009-2010, 331,400 people moved from one state or territory to another. This is an 8% drop from the same period one year earlier (359,900). [6] In 2009-2010, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania all recorded net interstate migration gains, while New South Wales, South Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory had net interstate migration losses. Queensland has recorded positive net interstate migration for more than 30 years; in contrast, New South Wales has had net losses every year since 1978. However, any losses due to net interstate migration in 2009 were offset by growth due to natural increase (births minus deaths) and net overseas migration. [7] Age Distribution The life expectancy in Australia is among the highest in the world at 79.7 years. Over the past century life expectance has increased by 24 years. Below is the age structure for the country: [8] 0–14 years: 18.9% 15–64 years: 67.5% 65 years and over:Show MoreRelatedGlobalization is the Goal for Many Businesses646 Words   |  3 Pageswell as cultural exchange. However, globalization can also present challenges to businesses trying to expand in another cultural area. Before pursuing our new business venture in the country of Australia, it is important that we understand that cultural differences can affect our success. I will present a cultural analysis of Australia for the purpose of understanding what we need to know to be successful. 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APPLYING FOR GRAD SCHEMES †WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Free Essays

It’s that time of year when thousands of new graduates will leave university and enter the highly competitive world of job applications and graduate schemes. Many top companies offer specially tailored graduate schemes for talented young graduates, offering the chance to receive top training and learn from the best in the business. However, due to the popularity of these schemes, we are seeing one of the toughest graduate job markets for decades – meaning that to distinguish the top candidates, many schemes have a rigorous application process. We will write a custom essay sample on APPLYING FOR GRAD SCHEMES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this article, we offer you advice that can help you stand out from the crowd and book your place on that prestigious graduate scheme. 1) How do I find the right scheme for me? It’s important that you do your research when looking for graduate schemes. Find out what options are out there and where each scheme might take you. Most graduate schemes have dedicated websites that you can check to find out more information. Another great way to find out about various graduate opportunities is to go along to careers fairs or workshops. 2) Don’t panic Most graduate scheme application processes are long and challenging. A lot of these will also include timed online tests; however it’s important not to let panic take over. Be calm and methodical in your approach. Answering half the questions correctly is preferable to rushing through and getting every single one wrong. 3) Always be yourself At some stage during the application process, you might be invited to attend an assessment centre to meet with existing staff; these assessment centres can feel intimidating but keep in mind that they aren’t trying to trip you up. While it can be quite intimidating feeling that you have to fight for the attention of the assessors, bear in mind that assessors will be looking for a range of different competencies, so it’s not about who talks the loudest. 4) Prepare Whether you are going to an assessment centre, or for a one-to-one interview, make sure you’ve done plenty of preparation beforehand. Research the business and its competitors, show an awareness of what’s going on in the industry in general and come up with intelligent questions to ask at the end of the interview. 5) You’re never too old to apply Graduate schemes often have a blend of different ages. It can be hard to start at the bottom when you have other life experiences, but if you are prepared to work hard and get on with it, you’ll move through the scheme quickly. You can use your age as a unique selling point to help you stand out. If you decide to do this, be very direct and open about this on your cover letter. 6) There are plenty of opportunities if you graduated with a low grade There are many graduate recruiters who will accept candidates with a low grade. However, it might be a good idea to spend some time developing your CV and your work experience portfolio to show your prospective employer your passion in a given area, and your ability to perform in the workplace. 7) Persistence pays off Most graduates will apply to a number of graduate schemes before they eventually land a job. If you do get rejected, don’t let it get you down. Hardly anyone manages to attain a graduate role without being turned down for plenty of other positions, and, if the recruiter doesn’t think you suit the job, it’s definitely for the best that you carry on hunting until you find something that really is right for you. It’s definitely a difficult time to get a graduate scheme because there’s so much competition, but it’s the people who really persist that end up with the decent jobs. If you’d like further assistance, please get in touch with us about our CV and Cover Letter services. How to cite APPLYING FOR GRAD SCHEMES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, Essay examples

Chapter Review of Chinese Cinderella free essay sample

Four-year-old Adeline is intelligent and smart, receiving an award from her kindergarten teacher (Mother Agnes) on the first week of school. Her Aunt Baba treasures Adeline’s award by placing it in her special safe-deposit box. Adeline is close to her Aunt Baba, asking her about her deceased mother. Aunt Baba isn’t willing to share what she knows but Adeline learns that her mother died from a fever two weeks after she was born. Chapter 2: A Tianjin Family The whole family (seven children, her Father and Niang, her Grandfather Ye Ye, Grandmother Nai Nai and Aunt Baba (older sister of her Father) lived in a big house in the French Concession of Tianjin (city port on the north-east coast of china) Chapter 3: Nai Nai’s Bound Feet Adeline is mystified at her Grandmother Nai Nai and her bound feet. Adeline learns that having your feet bound wasn’t good and luckily, the custom had changed and small feet were no longer considered an important part of being feminine and beautiful. Adeline gladly shares the news of her achievement, but her siblings aren’t happy and are probably jealous of her, thinking it’s not possible. Because of the medal, her father singles her out, which had never happened before. Whatever someone in the family doesn’t want to do, they force it on Adeline to do it in the end. Chapter 4: Life in Tianjin Winter, early 1942. When Adeline started kindergarten at St Joseph’s French Convent School, her Big Sister was already in fifth grade. Complaining about having to walk Adeline to and from school, Grandmother Nai Nai finally told Ah Mao, the rickshaw-puller, to take them to and from school. Adeline loved everything about school. It was a place where they were all equals and a place where unlike her own siblings, nobody looked down on her. Finally, she felt like belonged. A year after Father, Niang and Fourth Brother had been gone, there was a heatwave on. Nai Nai decided to soak her feet, but unfortunately, she died of a massive stroke. A grand funeral was held for her. Chapter 5: Arrival in Shanghai Adeline, Big Sister and Big Brother are taken to the railroad station to meet their father. Together, the four went to the house in Shanghai. Father, Niang and Fourth Brother had been living there for one and a half years. The children are told that they are to live on the second floor (three brothers in one room, Adeline and Aunt Baba in another and Ye Ye and Big Sister in separate rooms. ) The others, Father, Niang and their stepsiblings would live on the first floor in individual rooms showing prejudice against the children, Aunt Baba and Ye Ye. Chapter 6: First Day At School At Shanghai, Adeline starts first grade at a new school called Sacred Heart, her Big Sister goes to Aurora Middle School and her brothers goes to St John’s Academy. After school, Adeline is forgotten about so she tries to find her way home by herself. Of course, she doesn’t know where she lives, so she gets lost. Luckily a lady from a restaurant spots her and Adeline calls her father to pick her up. Her father tells Adeline that in future she needs to use a map. Chapter 7: Family Reunion Last Sunday of October. Ye Ye, Aunt Baba, Third Brother and Little Sister arrive at Shanghai. Little Sister hadn’t seen her mother for one and a half years so she doesn’t remember her. When Little Sister threw a tantrum and wouldn’t go to her mother, Niang started beating her deliberately and viciously. Adeline finally speaks out (to stop beating her) when none of the other adults did so. After that, the children realized that because Nai Nai was dead, Niang was now the one in charge. Chapter 8: Tram Fare The children’s schools were a fair distance away and the number 8 tram ran directly from door to door. But the children were being taught an austerity programme to teach them about the ‘value of money’, so they weren’t given any pocket money, meaning that they couldn’t take the tram to and from school. When Ye Ye first arrived in Shanghai, he gave them tram fare to go to school, but two months later, all his money was spent. The subject was brought up but Niang and Father found out that the money had been spent on tram fares. The children were told to apologize before being allowed to receive tram fares from their parents. Although they promised each other they wouldn’t give in, Big Sister held out for ten days and her three brothers held out for another week before giving in. Adeline wouldn’t and didn’t give in. Chapter 9: Chinese New Year Second Grade – Seven years old. Niang and Father gave Adeline and her siblings’ traditional clothing (‘unpopular’) whilst Niang’s children received stylish Western outfits (‘popular’). The children feel it’s unfair and plan to plot against Niang. Unfortunately, Niang overhears their entire conversation so by getting back at them, she recruits their leader, Big Sister, over to ‘their’ side and moving into a spare bedroom on the first floor. Although Adeline is a ‘Genius’ in her class, she wants her classmates to like her and her parents to love her. Adeline is depressed and lonely. Chapter 10: Shanghai School Days Adeline befriends the most athletic girl in Sheng Xin School (Sacred Heart), Wu Chun-mei. August 1945, almost eight years old. America dropped the atom bomb on Japan. This ended the Second World War. Spring term, 1946, eight and a half years old. Father took Niang, Big Sister, Fourth Brother and Little Sister north to reclaim his Tianjin properties. They stayed away for three months. The remaining family had freedom once again and did as they wished. Chapter 11: PLT Mr and Mrs Huang came to visit not long after Father and Niang returned from Tianjin, bringing gifts (seven baby ducklings). Obviously, Fourth Brother picked first, followed by Little Sister, Big Sister, Big Brother, and so on. Adeline named her duckling Precious Little Treasure (PLT). PLT becomes her first pet and a real friend. PLT dies when Father decides to test Jackie’s obedience by seeing if Jackie will harm the duckling. Chapter 12: Big Sister’s Wedding Chinese New Year holidays, 1948. Father and Niang, and sometimes along with Big Sister continued to travel to Tianjin. It turned out that Niang had decided to marry off Big Sister (17) to Samuel (31), Nai Nai’s doctor’s son. Chapter 13: A Birthday Party September 1948, after summer holidays. Wu Chun-mei persuades Adeline to go to her birthday party. Niang finds out about the party and Adeline is whipped. Chapter 14: Class President Adeline is voted as Class President. The girls in her class decide to follow her home as a surprise, but instead, a very ugly surprise awaits them. They see Adeline’s true family. Chapter 15: Boarding School In Tianjin Adeline is sent to St Joseph’s boarding school. Middle of November 1948, Nancy Chen left Tianjin with her mother. By the middle of December, Adeline was the only student left. Adeline’s Aunt Reine Schilling (Niang’s older sister), came to take Adeline away after New Year, 1949. Aunt Baba had stayed in Shanghai whilst Father, Niang, Ye Ye, Fourth Brother and Little Sister. Chapter 16: Hong Kong Uncle Jean, Aunt Reine, Victor and Claudine (cousins of Adeline) and Adeline took a boat to sail to Hong Kong. On the boat, Adeline was treated equally, like a family that she belonged to. On arrival to the new house in Hong Kong, Adeline’s parents completely ignore her. Ye Ye shows Adeline the way Chinese characters are formed and immediately, it interestes Adeline in learning Chinese again. Victor decides not to go on a Sunday outing to keep Adeline company. In return, Adeline gives him her ‘Paper Magic’ book. Chapter 17: Boarding School in Hong Kong The Schillings left Hong Kong for Geneva on Thursday morning. Two days later, an hour after lunch on Saturday afternoon, Adeline is taken to Sacred Heart, a boarding school. Chapter 18: Miserable Sunday Two years later. Summer, 1951. Adeline’s number (37) is called out to be given an egg. But after 730 eggless days, Adeline is suspicious of the sudden egg. In the bathroom, Adeline overhears that some of her classmates are sorry for her. Chapter 19: End of Term Each of the girls are going home but only Adeline stayed behind for the summer holidays. Chapter 20: Pneumonia Adeline’s headache further develops into Pneumonia. After she is discharged from hospital, her Father takes her home. Upon arrival, she learns that Third Brother has also arrived at Hong Kong. Big Brother and Second Brother left over a year ago to go to university in England. Big Sister moved back to Tianjin with her husband and their baby daughter. Adeline is afraid her parents will force her into an arranged marriage after she finishes school and she won’t be able to go to England. Chapter 21: Play – writing Competition After a week staying at home, Adeline went back to school, although it was still holidays. Upon reading in the library, Adeline finds a magazine with an announcement of a play-writing competition. Chinese New Year, 1952. No contact came from home and although it had been after six months, there was no news of the play. March, 1952. Adeline’s Grandfather Dies. One Saturday, Adeline is called home because her father has found out that she entered the International Play-writing competition and that she had won first prize. Therefore, her father agrees to allow her to go to a university in England to study obstetrics at medical school. Chapter 22: Letter From Aunt Baba 22 September, 1952. Aunt Baba writes Adeline a letter to say congratulations on going to Oxford, England with Third Brother and that she was living in Shanghai on Avenue Joffre with Miss Chien and two maids. Aunt Baba also retells the story of Chinese Cinderella. In a way, both Ye Xian and Cinderella are like Adeline: children who are mourning for their dead mothers. Aunt Baba also congratulates her on winning the prestigious international play-writing competition.

Blue Nile Case Analysis

Introduction Blue Nile is a company that was founded in 1999 and has grown to be the largest jewelry retailer in the whole world. The company is listed on NASDAQ as NILE. The company is doing well in online retailing and was acknowledged with the BizRate.com circle of excellence platinum award as the best online retailer as recognized by the customers.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Blue Nile Case Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company has entered into the international market in the UK and Canada. High percentages of its online retailing are wedding bands and engagement rings. The firm has strategies to increase the awareness of its products to its customers through advertising. The company is also able to provide educative information about its products. The company offers a variety of products therefore making it competitive in the market. Market Structure Any company has to evaluate and a nalyze its competitors to determine its market potential in the target market. This analysis must include the extent to which relevant information about the commodities and services of the company reaches the target market. The amount and the number of customers, and the size and the quantity of the produce are also the aspects of companies’ analysis of their competitors. Market competition enables the company to identify the needs and demands of the customers and helps to intensify the effort of the company to increase the quality of its products. The Blue Nile Company competition is from online and offline firms. Since the Blue Nile Company is the best online seller in the jewelry and diamond company, competitors have never been able to outcompete it. The main competitors of the Blue Nile Company are Zale, sterling, tiffany and Heklzer (E-Commerce Students, 2009). Most of online retailing competitors apply the Blue Nile strategy of buying from suppliers only when an order i s made by the customers. These online retail competitors include whiteflash.com, ice.com and JameAllen.com among others. The Blue Nile company website provided the customers with required information about the diamond and the jewelry. The company consultants are also trained to guide the customers on the steps in the process of buying appropriate items and shipping policies to be adhered to. Some of the competitors do not offer guidance services and have less return for non-customized orders. Therefore, the Blue Nile Company remains as the most competitive company in the market (E-Commerce Students, 2009).Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company’s aim is to produce a large inventory of low prices and quality diamonds that match with the needs of the customers. The firm also aims at providing satisfactory information about its diamonds to potential customers t o raise awareness and add efficiency by introducing online retailing products. The company offers more than 60,000 different diamonds and styles of fine jewelry that includes the rings, necklaces, pendants, watches earrings and ranges from the simple classic to impressive signature of the finest diamond in the world. All diamonds differ in shapes and sizes offering a wide selection to the customers and giving the company a competitive edge among its competitors. Key Success Factors These factors are those that are essential for the business to attain its marketing strategy. These factors help in changing the behavior and the demand of products by customers. The Blue Nile company strategies of providing information about grading, shapes quality and prices of diamond jewelry is one of the factors that leads to the success of the company. Wide selection of products and affordable prices also attracts customers to buy the jewelry from Blue Nile (E-Commerce Students, 2009). Internal mark eting audit Mission statement The mission statement of the Blue Nile Company is to create an affordable efficient and effective way for customers to purchase diamond and fine jewelry online. The company also aims at providing a variety of high quality products at a great value, convenience and customization its customers. The company has made it possible its clients to access information about the diamond’s quality shape and texture easily by providing it in their website. Customers are able to customize the products and get their orders within three working days. The company gets feedback and questions from customers on their website therefore getting the best orders from their suppliers. Porter’s Five Forces Porter’s forces are the competitive forces that enable the company to identify its weaknesses and treats. They are the factors that lead to the increase or reduction of the profits of a company. Competition in the Industry The Blue Nile Company has faced g reat competition both locally and internationally. The competence of the industry has been increased by increased competition in the pricing of jewelry and production of information to customers. Completion in the jewelry industry is also fueled the ability of customers to choose products online.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Blue Nile Case Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It has made the company to incur some loss due to pressure to employ more trained consultants to guide consumers on the best products and the qualities of the products. The Blue Nile has intensified the process of creating awareness of their products to the customers through the advertising. This has led to the increase of the adverting cost of the company. Competitors of the Blue Nile Company offer the same services therefore reducing the company’s market potential to create profit (E-Commerce Students, 2009). Threat fr om New Entrance New companies entering the jewelry industry are the main threat to the Blue Nile Company. This is because they tend to offer the products at low prices in order to win the customers. The new companies operate at low costs that enable them to sell their products at low prices. However, new market entrants in the jewelry industry are not always able to make an impact on the sales of Blue Nile Company because they lack experience in the market. Threat of Substitute Product Low prices on rings, bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry sold by new companies in the market have caused some customers to shift from the Blue Nile Company to their companies. Although the effect has not been so big since more customers are raising up. Changes in the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers The buying behavior of customers has been changing due to the changes in the economy. The change of the behavior of consumers has also been influenced by the freedom they have to choose from the variety of jewelry and the awareness created by the company. The behavior of customers has made the company to increase the budgetary allocation. However, the cost of production for the Blue Nile has been increased due to the world economic change (Alkhafaji, 2003).Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pestle Analysis Political Environment This involves the legislation, government and pressure groups that limit the activities of the company. The Blue Nile Company faced no restrictions on its entry in the local and the international market. However, it was affected by the high cost of entering into the UK market thereby reducing its potential in the global market (Alkhafaji, 2003). Nevertheless, the firm was able to raise $33.2 million in 2009. Technological Environment The level of technology in the jewelry markets enabled the Blue Nile Company to create a website where customers were able to get access to educative information about wedding rings and other jewelry. The technology also enables the Blue Nile Company to access information about competitors thereby changing their strategies to remain competitive in the market (E-Commerce Students, 2009). Economic Factors Due to the current recession in the economy, both companies and customers have reduced the habit of buying luxury goods. This is because of the uncertainty of the economic treats in the future. The changes in the economy have led to the increase in the cost of production of the jewelry product for the Blue Nile Company (Alkhafaji, 2003). Social Cultural Environment These are the institutions and other forces that affect the basic preferences of customer’s, values and behaviors. Consumer increased use of the internet may be termed as an achievement for the company since they are able to reach a wide range of the target market more efficient than when there were fewer customers using the internet. SWOT Analysis Strengths The company purchases the products as ordered by the customers and have only less than 200 employees. It sells the jewelries online and this allows reducing the operation cost which occurs with the selling the products physically. It also enables the company to charge 20% to 30% less than the other retailers therefore winning the competitive advantage over the competitors. The Blue Nile Company was the first one to offer the customization of the engagement rings and enabled the customers to choose the shape, color, size and clarity. The company is also able to ship the product to the customer within the 48 hours. The company was the first one to sell their products online and have information on the products being accessed easily by the customers (Alkhafaji, 2003). Weakness The online services do not allow the customers to touch or see the diamond they are buying. This makes the customers to risk in buying the products online. Customers therefore fear buying online and most of them tends to buy the diamond from the local retailers. The company still needs to do more customer awareness (E-commerce, 2009). Opportunities The Blue Nile Company offers products that are more attractive for women such as rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. They buy the products from the supplier’s only when there is an order made by the customers reducing the c ost of storage and the uncertainties of the customers refusing to buy the product. Threats Blue Nile has the threat of competition from the local stores who sells the product online. The company faces the greatest threat from Tiffany and Co. in the local stores and the online competitors for the company are diamond.com, ice.com and ashford.Com. Value Chain Analysis Primary Activities.  Inbound and Outbound Logistics Inbound logistics of the Blue Nile Company involve the activities of receiving the diamonds from the suppliers and storage before the goods are shipped to the customers. It also involves the jewelry that is sent back by the unsatisfied customers. The outbound logistics are the order processing of the commodities ordered by the customers. It also involves all the activities involved in the shipping of the product to the customer (E-Commerce Students, 2009). Other activities are operations that involve the production of jewelry. Supportive Services Firm’s Infrastr ucture The company’s organizational structure matters a lot in the success of the company. Inventory planning and measurement helps in the company’s performance. The Blue Nile Company is able to plan on the shipment of the orders to the customers within the 48 hrs, which gives the customers satisfaction, which they require. The unsatisfied customers are able to return the products within 30days of shipment. Procurement This involves the companies process of purchasing all the require material for the production of the final product. The Blue Nile purchase already finished product for their customers but they allow the customers to customize their products. Distinctive competence is what the company is able to do better than the competitors are. The Blue Nile company distinctive competence is its ability to retail online and being the first company to do so. Their shipping policies also offer the customers enough time to check whether the shipped commodity is in the qua lity they wanted and if not so, they can return the [products within the 30days of shipment (Alkhafaji, 2003). The core competence of the Blue Nile Company is its ability to train customers on the 5c’s characteristics of the diamond. The company’s website also provides easy to understand information about the products. Strategies Increase Entry in the Foreign Market The Blue Nile Company only operates in the U.S.A., Canada and the U.K. The company needs to establish itself more in the other international markets since it is the best online retailer of diamond in the world. The e-commerce is recognized in the whole world and the Blue Nile will not have problems with the establishment of their product in the local market. There is a great opportunity for the company in the international market, the benefits depend on the speed of its entry into the market (Alkhafaji, 2003). Increase Brand Recognition One of the marketing strategies is to increase the recognition of the b rand among the customers. Although the customers who already know the Blue Nile Company have proved to be loyal to the customer, the company has not achieved the needed awareness among all potential customers. The competitors have embraced the media advertising that increases their brand exposure. These companies are tiffany and Zale and they use the televisions and magazines among other types of media. Their customers online can access Blue Nile Company but a recent study have shown that very few people know about it. The company should be aimed at creating a long-term relationship with their customers. They should also focus on the customer experience on their products. However, the company has established the strategies of giving their adverts on the website when a customer is looking for any kind of product either the diamond or the jewelry. The company also needs to increase the customer base (E-Commerce Student, 2009). The Blue Nile Company should implement the strategy of inc reasing the customers’ awareness first before they intensify on the increase in the international market. By increasing the brand recognition, the company will get more return because they will also increase the awareness to the international customers in that the customers will be ready to buy their products once introduced to them. The Blue Nile Company should get the advertising agent that is known worldwide to do their advertising. If the company increases the marketing, it will be able to get 10% market share and this will win customers loyalty among its competitors (Alkhafaji, 2003). References Alkhafaji, A. (2003). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment. London: Routledge. E-Commerce Students. (2009). Blue Nile Inc: Education, guidance, diamonds and fine jewelry. London: Rolf butz. This case study on Blue Nile Case Analysis was written and submitted by user Alberto Sloan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Person Centered Leadership For Nonprofit Organizations

Person Centered Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations â€Å"We must do more with less†! This common refrain is heard in organizations throughout the world and nowhere is this statement uttered more frequently than at a non-profit organization. And the less refers to both finances and people. By definition non-profits do more with quite a bit less. What funding sources are available typically provide monies for operation, not administration. This coupled with the high turnover rate of both management and staff means most agencies do not have the luxury of retaining quality employees with the promise of high compensation. So other methods must be found to lead and motivate workers. The tried & true, top down militaristic approach will not work. A kinder, gentler style is required. Lucky for us (and them) such a style exists! Jeanne Plas and Susan Lewis collaborated on person centered leadership and reported their findings in the 2001 Sage published book Person-Centered Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations. And we repor t our findings on their book in this report. While there is certainly not a lack of resources covering Leadership as a general topic, there is not much source material covering the area of non-profit management. Knowing this, the authors of our selected book set out to fill that particular need. After examining many organizations such as the San Diego Zoo, the American Red Cross and several community action agencies operating at the local level, a trend began to emerge, the successful groups were using management strategies based on person centered leadership, a subset of participatory management. Participatory management and leadership share decision making with group members. According to Plas & Lewis, in successful participatory environments, you are likely to find associates who feel more respected than those who are managed in more conventional ways (p.27). This environment encourages workers to be... Free Essays on Person Centered Leadership For Nonprofit Organizations Free Essays on Person Centered Leadership For Nonprofit Organizations Person Centered Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations â€Å"We must do more with less†! This common refrain is heard in organizations throughout the world and nowhere is this statement uttered more frequently than at a non-profit organization. And the less refers to both finances and people. By definition non-profits do more with quite a bit less. What funding sources are available typically provide monies for operation, not administration. This coupled with the high turnover rate of both management and staff means most agencies do not have the luxury of retaining quality employees with the promise of high compensation. So other methods must be found to lead and motivate workers. The tried & true, top down militaristic approach will not work. A kinder, gentler style is required. Lucky for us (and them) such a style exists! Jeanne Plas and Susan Lewis collaborated on person centered leadership and reported their findings in the 2001 Sage published book Person-Centered Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations. And we repor t our findings on their book in this report. While there is certainly not a lack of resources covering Leadership as a general topic, there is not much source material covering the area of non-profit management. Knowing this, the authors of our selected book set out to fill that particular need. After examining many organizations such as the San Diego Zoo, the American Red Cross and several community action agencies operating at the local level, a trend began to emerge, the successful groups were using management strategies based on person centered leadership, a subset of participatory management. Participatory management and leadership share decision making with group members. According to Plas & Lewis, in successful participatory environments, you are likely to find associates who feel more respected than those who are managed in more conventional ways (p.27). This environment encourages workers to be...

Secondary Ticket Market Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Secondary Ticket Market - Case Study Example There are many sports admiration officers who do not think in terms of profit and loss of revenue only. They evaluate the possibility of secondary ticket market from an ethical perspective. They don’t like to endorse organizations that would resell tickets at higher prices. It is one thing to let the secondary market operate and quite another telling the fans that ‘the teams have run out of tickets but if they are interested they can buy the ticket at three times the face value from their partners’. Analysis and Evaluation of Alternatives Despite offering problems, secondary ticket market also serves as an indicator for setting ticket prices. The sports officials can use secondary market data to tweak their ticket prices to maximize profits. Another benefit is the teams who engage with the secondary ticket market can redistribute full or partial plan holders. This is important because according to an estimate 20% of the ticket holders never show up at the game ind icating a loss on the revenue. To keep the tickets from being wasted the team administration can avail the opportunity in secondary ticket market that lets the fans exchange ticket they are not planning to use. As an example the San Francisco Giants implemented this plan the first and they reduced the non-use of tickets by 50%. Evaluation of Case Secondary ticket market offers its own pros and cons. Some teams saw the potential and the benefits it offered so they started to build partnerships with ticket sellers such as StubHub, RazorGator and Ticketmaster to make the exchanges between buyer and seller as secure as possible. NFL, after some resistance, also came to terms with Ticketmaster. The deal allowed Ticketmaster to create a website similar to NFL where buyers and sellers of tickets meet. The case evaluation suggests many possible options however, from the discussion and the interviews in the case it is apparent that business philosophies move from top to bottom; one doesnâ₠¬â„¢t just change the whole model of their business based on an opportunity. As the case suggests that after the internet boom it is almost impossible to foresee who ends up with the original ticket. Some of the teams have such a low inventory that when brokers buy the tickets the primary market becomes nonexistent. The teams at NFL face the dilemma where they have to decide whether to capture the whole of their respective secondary market share and damage their relation with the public or endorse the secondary market, enjoy the additional revenues. There cannot be any hard and fast rule regarding ticket reselling or the concept of secondary market. For some teams and their fans the availability of an unregulated secondary ticket market might be the best thing that could happen. For instance the teams who don’t like the idea of tweaking their ticket prices to a great degree and are alright with the negative publicity brought down by the image of reselling tickets at a premium , they can benefit in more than one way by participating in an open secondary market. They will get additional revenue that they can pour into their operations. The benefits go beyond monitory measurements. The ability to resell tickets is also a great way to retain season ticket holders. The opposite of this opportunity can be devastating at so many levels. If a season ticket holder cannot resell tickets there is a direct loss of revenue and the customer. More importantly if

Lack of jobs for college graduates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lack of jobs for college graduates - Essay Example Consequently, this has affected a large number of young college graduates. Moreover, this acts as a way of making many graduates loose hope. Most of these graduates work hard in their school lives and use more amount of resources in order to get a good college education and respectable jobs. However, after graduation the reality strikes that only a few jobs exist for the large number of graduates entering the job market. Various graduates who majors in areas of studies also face these challenges. The finance major students have faced an example of such challenge. The state is expected to last for a time due to the current nature of United States economy. Analysis of the unemployment rate in United States helps in highlighting challenges faced by college graduates such as Joblessness, getting low income, failure to repay loans. The poor economic nature that is taking place in the country is making college graduates lack jobs. The poor economy started in December 2007 (Shierholz, Sabadish and Finio, 1). The government response to the poor state of the economy has been weak and slow. Consequently, the jobs become fewer for those getting out of college. For example, there lack over 8 million jobs and the unemployment rate has risen to a high of 7 percent as compared to the previous years (Shierholz et al. 1). In fact, the unemployment rate has risen to a rate that was not even experienced in The Great Depression. The weak labor force continues to affect young workers especially those graduating from college. â€Å"The March unemployment rate of workers under age 25 was twice as compared to the national average† (Shierholz et al. 1). However, there has been a rise in the number of available jobs, but the availability is yet to satisfy many graduates. As a result, the ability to get jobs for young high s chool and college graduates remain

Critical opinion on history of design Term Paper

Critical opinion on history of design - Term Paper Example Significantly, the design history also exists as a component of practice based courses with its teaching and study being as a result of the National Advisory Council of Britain and was launched in the 1960s under the art and design programs. Considerably, the council aimed at making art and design education a legitimate academic activity which necessitated the employment or ‘buying in’ of specialists from art history disciplines, leading to a particular style of delivery. Wood is among the core components of design (as a material) that most people including designers, appreciate and love; simply because it is an incredibly useful material that has minimal effect to the environment (Gustav 1). Over the years, wood has provided humans with shelter, warmth, tools and furniture and it has been a great inspiration that even the earliest man interacted with wood in this most basic ways and more. Typically, wood is embedded with many layers, all of which are symbolic in the aspects of its history in design, time and where it has been applied; for instance, wood keeps a record of its environment and each year brings new growth that marks its past or the rings of a tree can teach us about the environment and specific events in the trees life holding its history within and its living energy expresses it outward. Most of the craftsmen that use wood in design express energy that is added to the depth of the material; reflectively, furniture has been part of the human experience since the development of the non-nomadic cultures and there is historical evidence that it goes the Neolithic period (Gustav 1). This theory is an example of how design in general has been of great significance to the human era, not to forget that it does not in any negative way affect the environment. Furniture designed from wood is not only a product but is also considered to be a from of

Marketing Strategies And The Positioning Of Hotels Tourism Essay

Marketing Strategies And The Positioning Of Hotels Tourism Essay A hotels positioning is a crucial determinant in developing its subsequent marketing strategies. Incorrect hotel positioning will lead to an unclear vision of the hotels development and eventually affect the profitability of the hotel (Ransley Ingram 2004, p.37). Our hotel has been positioned as a 3.5 start hotel that sits in the middle of the competition. This is a very strategic approach for our hotel to proceed with as it allows us to target upper-end of the market since our hotel has the resource and capability to do so and simultaneously attract other markets segments such as leisure and family holiday makers since our price and products are very competitive compared to other hotels in the same category. Hotels targeted market segments: Corporate Our hotel will continue to set company executives and business travellers as our priority of focus, since this market segment has always been a major proportion of the hotels business in terms of the number of rooms sold and incomes from the room sales. This market segment would also bring additional revenue to the hotel such as onsite dinning and purchase of other facilities. Therefore, meeting, business and conference related facilities needs to be developed to meet these customers needs. Leisure The city which our hotel is suited in is a destination of family and leisure vacations and our hotels location itself imposes a unique marketing advantage as it is located on the seafront and close to the main shopping centres. Therefore, with the competitive marketing advantage, if we could offer a mix of quality products and services, in fact, all of our hotels guests rooms are able to accommodate families and other services such as Pub and full service restaurant are integrated to deliver a desired level of convenience. Scale of economy is another critical element that attracts leisure and family holiday makers, however, simply reduce our room rate is not a strategic action to take. Therefore, special discount can be allowed for weekdays bookings in order to maintain the level of room occupancy rates and design various packages for the weekend in order to improve the sales of FB facilities. Tour Tourism has boomed in this region, there are various venues take place in the city throughout the year. This induces a great opportunity to improve our room occupancy rate and ultimately to increase our overall profitability. As tourists have similar features with leisure and family holiday makers in terms of scale of economy and convenience of hotels location. Our hotel should come up with different and differentiate packages to suit various venues so that our customers can receive and perceive added values from our hotel. For example, we can assist our customers in booking the tickets for some of venues such as the International Music Festival and International Dance Festival. Internally, we can offer special check-in and check-out channels for group tourists in order to diminish the hassles for them. Additionally, it is essential to have multi-lingual staff at the front desk as we expect group tourists from overseas. Weddings Frankly, we cannot host ant weddings prior to our conference facilities in place. Therefore, at this stage, with the available resources and capacities in terms of our rooms and restaurant, we can arrange Honeymoon specials for the new married couples. Once we obtain any honeymoon bookings, we can pre-decorate the rooms with romantic features and ambiences to provide a physical environment which allow those couples to have intimate times together. Additionally, we can also offer discount for new married couples to have dinner in our restaurant with the menu especially designed for the venue. FB Services It would pose a great impact on the operation of our FB department since the potential resignation of our Head Chef. However, we can take this opportunity to be innovative in terms of turning our restaurant into a completely different concept of dining. Nowadays, FB services are usually seen as an adhering service to the accommodation. However, the potential ability of FB services of generating revenue is significant. Therefore, providing we have sufficient financial founds, we can hire another Head Chef who is innovative in culinary arts and develop our restaurant as a dining destination of the region, it is implementable as the local population of over one million in the city ensures the demands of such service if we operate it successfully. Promotion: Promotion is a very vital element in the marketing mix (4Ps), as in it builds the hotels image and increases the hotels public awareness and helps the hotel to reach more markets (Kotler, Bowen Makens 2006, p.539). Our promotion mix will include a number of media such advertising, hotels website and join in marketing consortiums. Advertising: Our hotel will still adopt some of the traditional media such as newspaper, travelling magazines and advertising campaign on radio. These media can effectively reach a large group of audience even though involves costs and cannot receive instant response on the effectiveness until the guests actually come to our hotel. For that reason alone, our hotel should use on-line social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. These social networks has increasingly become the primary information sources for people especially for Gen Ys whose purchasing power has increased dramatically. The social networks allow us nearly zero-cost and can reach to more potential customers. Hotels website: Hotels website is the first impression we give to our potential guests when they intend to choose us as their hospitality provider. Therefore, a well-established, designed and managed website will effectively promote our hotel to those who are very likely to become our customers. Marketing consortium: Since we are an independent hotel and especially with limited budget, we are in a weak position in competing with those international chains in terms of spending money on marketing and promoting themselves. Therefore, join a marketing consortia is a strategic approach at this stage for our hotel. For example, The Leading Hotels of the world, will give us access to its worldwide reservation centre and they have more than 20 offices in the most important cities and this organization also participate in some of the most popular travel exhibitions and trades shows in the pursuit of promoting its members. However, it charges annual membership fees and additional shares for each room they have generated (The Leading Hotels of the World, 2010). Other marketing related strategies: Converting guests rooms into Conference facilities: Currently our hotel does not gain any business from this market segment due to the lack of conference facilities. Functions and banquets are very profitable to conduct as it requires intensive FB services which can generate significant profits and also impose the potential of room sales and long-term business relationships with the clients. Therefore, the next strategic projection for our hotel is to turn some of rooms into conference facilities (our average room occupancy rate was 20% which means 80% of the room inventory have not been generating profits, and hotel rooms are perishable products). This strategy will require additional financial founds to support, there will be risk involved, but it will be profitable in the long-haul. Merge to gain additional founds: Our hotel can merge with another non-hospitality establishment in order to get additional financial support as we are suffering for lack of funds. Although merge is not as fierce as acquisitions, it still poses a certain degree of risks to the management of the hotel in terms of the absolute authority and power over making business decisions (Beamish 2008, p.288). Budgeting for marketing department: There are two major areas that require enormous funds to complete. Projected Budget for Regency Hotel-Marketing Department Converting rooms into conferences facilities $1.5 million Advertising $2,000 per month Join marketing Consortia $200,000 per year Maintaining Website $1000 per year Labour costs $80,000 per year

Focus Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Focus Everyone has problems concentrating once in a while, moments when the words on the page don't seem nearly as interesting as one's own thoughts. Most everyone has days when they feel an unexplained burst of exuberance or restlessness . Maybe it was a promotion or a messy break up, but the work just wouldn't get done and not for lack of trying. Now imagine everyday like this, every day filled with frenetic energy that cannot seem to be channeled into anything productive. Sure it might be fun for a while, but what about when you really need to get something done and it doesn't happen. You go to clean your room, and six hours later there are still piles of clothing on the floor. You can't recall what it is that you've been doing all afternoon. All you know is that nothing got done. You go to read a book, but the words dissolve into marks on the page, patterns which make no logical sense, providing only the background for another means of staring off into space. You go to visit a friend, but she quickly tires of the way you seem to constantly interrupt her. You were listening to what she said, but you just got ahead of her somehow and started talking over her. You find yourself depressed and isolated. This is the world of someone who suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (1,2) According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association as the main set of guidelines for diagnosing mental disorders in the USA, there are four main subtypes of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, combined, and not otherwise specified. The symptomology of each include: 1. ADHD-Inattentive* : a. Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mi... ...s not necessarily all bad. By entertaining a greater range of stimuli, ADHD can make the person seem more creative and free thinking. Nevertheless, lacking the ability to properly focus one's attention, the sufferer will also find him or herself at a serious disadvantage on a very fundamental level, which can effect his or her social, scholastic, and emotional life. Thus drug and behavioral therapies are a god-send to many families. Ritalin, as well as Dexedrine and Cylert, etc., should be carefully considered, then carefully monitored if the decision is made to try them. Attention deficit is not an easy thing with which to live, but if found and treated, the person can lead an entirely normal and happy life. Sources Consulted: http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-r03.html http://www.newideas.net/p0000409.htm http://www.breggin.com/ritalinbkexcerpt.html