African Art

From Egypt to South Africa the art of Africa is rich and diverse on a scale second to no other continent. The art is a cultural heritage that has sustained a race of people over millennia. This paper will focus on the art of the 200-year span of 1400-1600 CE.   It was during this time period that the European Renaissance flowered, and saw such masters as Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael arise.It likewise covers the time period that Rembrandt and the Dutch masters worked. Comparisons will be made between the two disparate cultures, examining the differences between how the art of Africa and the art of Europe relate to their culture and mores. It will examine the utility of both art genres.While the art appears to be radically different, the underlying usage for the art produced is essentially the same, with Renaissance art and African art both serving their culture’s religious beliefs and mores.For those not accustomed to abstract art it can appear to be different from wha t they even consider art. A large portion of all African art is abstract. Abstraction is the way the artist chooses to create a representation of the ancestor or the spirit with whom he wishes to communicate. By tradition the art is religious or mythical, so their option was to make a representative figure. Abstraction is the way to create such.European art of the same era solved this problem by opting to create a realistic likeness of their saints and even their god. . Europeans did not paint landscapes or sculpt animals except to give a setting to their holy families and saints.Art was for religion and for custom, culture, and mores in both cultures. â€Å"The beauty of African art lies not only on the surface or physical features of the artwork but the meaning or lesson that it tends to emanate† (All-About-African-Art.com par. 3).African art of the period under discussion is virtually always three dimensional and not only of wood. The Yoruba discovered lost-wax and cast th eir statues in metals by the 14th and 15th century (Mullen, par.10). John Reader, writing in Africa: A Biography of the Continent, discusses the use of metals in the art of the African tribes. In Sub-Saharan Africa iron and copper were the most highly valued of metals.Interestingly, he reports that the 14th century tribes would exchange their gold for copper at a rate of two-thirds gold to one of copper (287). This iron and copper went into weapons, naturally but much of it found its way into art because of its permanence was associated with the longevity of ancestors as well as the immortality of the spirits.It became then a part of their art, which is synonymous with their religious beliefs and culture.The most noticeable thing about African art is its ubiquitous nature. It permeates the lives of the African people more so than European art. The emphasis in African art is on the human figure much the same as European art between 1400 and 1600 CE. It is also a part of everyday life and relates to the culture and values of the tribes that produce it by serving as constant reminders of ancestors and traditions.The tribal masks are objects of veneration, brought out on ceremonial occasions to be ‘danced’. These masks are not simply ornaments but rather they are sacred objects.They are given names. This name is significant as more than just identifying the individual piece, but also identifies the meaning of the work. Each has a history and a dance is designated for each. The mask embodies living spirits. In African culture the meanings of the mask, the associated dance and the spirits that dwell within it are inexorably linked together.African art’s use of the human form is so pervasive that its adoption by European nations is taken as proof of the contact between the two cultures.The Church of Rome commissioned much of the great art of the European continent during the 1400-1600s. The statues and portraits of the biblical saints portray a li keness. Jesus is depicted in stone and pigment and the image is to remind the faithful of his deeds.The priests face a crucifix and make the magical signs when chanting prayer in the general direction of such art. There may be the argument that Christians do not pray to the effigies, still, the casual on-looker would have a difficult time determining the subtle difference.In this sense, the masks of African tribal art serve the same function within the community as do the pietas and crucifixions of the Italian Renaissance.Christopher Roy, Professor of Art History, University of Iowa, states that, â€Å"most African art is representative, not representational. Very little African sculpture is intended to recreate the features of a human being, either living or dead† (par. 6).Roy relates that African art, particularly the mask, is not meant to be a likeness of an ancestor, nor is it meant to be an image of a beloved, revered, or even feared leader of the tribe. The mask is a ho me for the spirits, invented by the maker of the mask.The mask, a work of art, becomes a haven for the supernatural, the unseen, the unknown, incomprehensible, so it follows that the physical home created for them must be a creation of whimsy (par. 6).In a land where diseases are rampant and life is relatively cheap the people often turn to the spirits for protection. In the years of the Black Death in Europe the people turned to the church. In Africa, where flies can carry death and swimming the rivers can infect people with deadly parasites, the spirits are all that stand between the tribe and death at times.It gives the tribe solace to know that they have a way of making the spirits visible, and they do this in their art. Art in the form of the mask gives a tangible reality to the unseen spirits. When the mask is then danced in the ceremonies and rituals of the tribe this makes the spirits accessible to the tribe.This art can span the gap between the world and the unseen realm of the spirit. The medium literally becomes the message as the diviner in the mask opens a channel to the spirits and can communicate the needs of the tribe to the only beings capable of giving aid to the tribe (Roy par. 2).Western African art in the form of wooden masks most often take the form of humans, animals, or fanciful beings. Their use in religious rites range from such as tribal initiation ceremonies to various celebrations of tribal good fortune or auspicious anniversary dates.They are danced in celebration of a good harvest as well as danced to request that their crops thrive. They are also danced in preparation for war. It does not take a great stretch of the imagination to equate these icons with the religious paintings of the Sistine Chapel and the pope’s private quarters.While some statues holy to the Catholics are brought out to view by the public on high holy days and venerated as talismans of the true cross or some other belief. The static art of the frescos can be viewed on a regular basis, and is used to put the supplicant in the proper frame of mind to believe when he kneels to ask a boon or blessing of his creator.The masks of African art are used as a gateway to ease both the wearer and his audience into a nether world where the spirits dwell. The Catholic art of the Renaissance and the centuries immediately following it are for the same purpose.The Fang tribe of Gabon are famous for their creation of guardian figures that are then affixed to the boxes containing the bones of their ancestors. Their leadership, according to The Africa Guide online website, is inherited and the leader is supposedly a direct descendant of the ancestor who founded the village.This leader is not only secular head of the tribal village, he is the spiritual leader, and can communicate with the ancestors through the wearing of masks, which are an important aspect of Fang art (par. 4).The art of Africa discussed herein is made for utilitarian purpose, makin g it, at first glance seem different from European art of the same time period. Yet while the pope may not put on a mask of Christ and dance it before the masses, he certainly carries a rod with the representation of Christ when he is seen in public.He has decorated his church and his private apartments with the figures of biblical characters to serve as a reminder of the holy word. From the Creation of Adam to the Last Judgment, artists of the European school created work to please the church.They created to invoke memories and remind the faithful of their culture and spiritual roots in the same way as the African mask. While the art appears to be radically different, the underlying usage for the art produced is essentially the same, with Renaissance art and African art both serving their culture’s religious beliefs and mores.Works CitedAll-About-African-Art.com   Abstract African Art is Mainly ConsideredTo be out of the Ordinary 9-29-08http://www.all-about-african-art.com /abstract-african-art.htmlMullen, N.   Yoruba Art and Culture 9-29-08 Wysinger Homestead 2004http://wysinger.homestead.com/yoruba.htmlRoy, C. Signs and Symbols in African Art: Graphic Patterns in BurkinaFaso 9-3-08 The University of Iowa no date

Advertising and Mass Production Essay

Advertising and mass production both helped shaped American national culture in the 1920’s, this era began an entirely new outlook amongst the citizens of the county, and brought a new and more fast-paced style of life, in which has only grown faster. The 1920’s in itself birthed the nation with brand new culture by shifting small local economics to the large scale mass production by mega corporations and the influence of their advertising campaigns. The 1920’s saw a shift in culture no other era had experienced thus far due to the growth and dominance of advertising. Technological inventions of this century, such as the radio, the billboard, and the magazine, brought ideas and information to people in new ways, impacting the entire social lifestyle of the time. Peoples live were suddenly filled with voices and signs telling them exactly what to buy and what they should. The happy-go-lucky and ‘nothing to lose’ persona encompassing the citizens of the time only fueled their decisions to go ahead and buy these offered products. Items were being offered that had never been on the market before such as refrigerators, telephone sets, cookers, the Model T by Henry Ford, and an endless amount of domestic hardware and commodities. An increase in jobs and a flourishing economic boom allowed people to feel comfortable in buying products at a much higher rate. However, many people did not actually possess the money they thought themselves to enjoy. Margin buying and installment buying became widely used practices and in effect concentrated the focus of American life around consumerism and materialism. The creation of the magazine, such as Time by Henry Luce, encourage people continue in their direction of booming buying, and the people listened. This new American dream caused citizens to want, want, want! The term mass production was defined in a 1926, meaning the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines. Advertising was used to make people want to buy, and mass production was used so everyone could buy what they wanted or what they thought they needed. With the high demand of products, business progressed into large corporations, and more investment opportunities. Standardized Mass production led to more efficient machines, and higher production and wages, hich led to increase demand of consumer goods, which perpetuated more standardized mass production; this cycle created a business boom in the 1920’s. After the war we looked forward to a brighter future for America‘s economy, we established this future by using advertising and mass production which are still used today. America has faced many up’s and down’s, whether we like to admit it or not, everything serves a purpose in this world, advertising a nd mass production has its pros and cons, but whichever we choose to look at, it will always be apart of our national culture.

Design a Flow Chart for a Process

Design a flow chart for a process Zoey Johnson University of Phoenix OPS/571 October 27, 2012 One process that seems to be a never ending process in my daily life is doing laundry. With a household of six people, the laundry needs to be done daily or else it will overtake the house quickly. To help illustrate the laundry process I have used Microsoft Word to create a flowchart that depicts the process. Using flowcharts is valuable because the flow of logic is shown throughout the process. Much like a blueprint for a building, a flowchart depicts the development of a process.Factors that affect the process design Water temperature and water level are the factors that affect process of the design. Both factors will determine how the laundry gets done. Performing the process design for laundry is broken down into the following steps. 1. ) Sort the clothes between whites, light colors, and dark colors 2. ) Check that the pockets are empty a. If pockets are empty move to step 3 b. If pock ets are not empty, empty them then move to step 3 3. ) Measure out the desired amount of detergent 4. ) Pour the detergent into the washer . ) Determine if fabric softener is needed. If needed, measure and add. If not go straight to step 6 c. Add Fabric Softener 6. ) Select water temperature. If clothes are temperature sensitive move to step 7, if not move to step 8 7. )Are clothes durable, like cotton d. If Yes use hot water e. If No use cold water 8. ) Determine Washing cycle f. If fabrics are delicate select gentle wash g. If fabrics are not delicate select normal wash 9. ) Adjust the water level per load 10. ) Load the clothes into the washer 11. Turn on washer and wait 35 – 45 minutes for wash cycle 12. ) Take clothes out of washer and put into dryer 13. ) Turn on dryer and wait 60 minutes 14. ) Take clothes out of dryer and fold For the flow chart design, the oval shapes represent the start and end steps for the process. The rectangular shapes represent the process step s. Decision steps are depicted by a diamond shape. Arrows are used to act as a guide to show the flow of process. Identify metric to measure process For the purpose of the laundering process, I have chosen sorting time as the metric for the process.Separating everyone’s laundry into whites, light colors, and dark colors is a time consuming process that can be reduced to reduce the amount of time it takes to do laundry. The remaining steps are fairly automatic so decreasing the sorting time is the best way to improve the process. Start Start Flow Chart Sort clothes by colors: whites, light colors, and dark colors Sort clothes by colors: whites, light colors, and dark colors No No Are pockets empty? Are pockets empty? Empty pockets Empty pockets Yes Yes Measure out desired amount of detergentMeasure out desired amount of detergent Pour Detergent into washer Pour Detergent into washer Is Fabric Softener Needed? Is Fabric Softener Needed? Add Fabric Softener Add Fabric Softener Y es Yes No No Are clothes Durable? Are clothes Durable? Yes Yes Select water temperature. Are clothes temperature sensitive? Select water temperature. Are clothes temperature sensitive? No No Yes Yes Use cold water Use cold water Use hot water Use hot water No No Determine wash cycle. Are fabrics delicate? Determine wash cycle. Are fabrics delicate? No No Yes YesUse normal cycle Use normal cycle Use gentle cycle Use gentle cycle Adjust the water level Adjust the water level Turn on washer and wait 35 – 45 minutes for wash cycle to complete Turn on washer and wait 35 – 45 minutes for wash cycle to complete Load Clothes into washer Load Clothes into washer Take clothes out of washer and load into dryer Take clothes out of washer and load into dryer Turn on dryer and wait 60 minutes for clothes to dry Turn on dryer and wait 60 minutes for clothes to dry Take clothes out of dryer and fold Take clothes out of dryer and fold

Opinion paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Opinion paper - Essay Example exual predators, including uncovering their networks, but the former must be cautious in not abusing its limitations and breaching the Constitutional rights of their targets. Some state laws assert that entrapment is not a legal way of apprehending criminals, depending on the strategies and context involved, but it can be adequate as a strategy for catching real criminals. Officers can pose as juveniles or pimps, and it is appropriate, if this can help them catch true criminals, who are different from â€Å"players.† Players are people who are chatting only because of their perverse sexual fantasies. They do not â€Å"intend† to participate in criminal acts. Law enforcement officers can entrap sexual predators on the Internet, as long as they avoid coaxing and harassing the targets into doing something illegal. They should not force or manipulate their targets through fraud too. James 4:7 says: â€Å"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.† If these â€Å"players† are not doers of sexual crimes, they will not be â€Å"entrapped.† If they become entrapped as part of the policeâ₠¬â„¢s undercover operations, then they will meet the force of the law. Resisting the devil is the first step in resisting crimes. When successful, not only will the devil flee, but undercover cops as

Saltman Engineering Co Ltd V Campbell Engineering Ltd2 Essay

Saltman Engineering Co Ltd V Campbell Engineering Ltd2 - Essay Example This essay discusses that where information has economic value, it can be treated like any form of consideration. This is because it has a worth which becomes the property of the original owner or holder of it. And as such, when the 'owner' of such information feels his rights have been breached, he can take legal action against any losses. This situation has led to the development of confidentiality laws. Cases involving the abuse of rights to information are handled under the category of breach of confidence. In the earliest cases of the 19th century, people who brought action for the breach of confidence were required to show proof of a contract that restrained the defendants from making economic use of information given to them. This means that the initial courts invoked a common law position which required plaintiffs to insert clauses in the contracts they signed which involved the transfer of information that could potentially be used to the advantage of defendants. However in Saltman Engineering Co Ltd V Campbell Engineering Ltd a significantly different ruling came to force. In this case, Saltman Engineering conceived a business idea. They asked Campbell Engineering to draw up the plan and put it on course for the commercialisation of the invention. Campbell instructed a third party company to proliferate the idea and put the final product on the marketplace as though it was Campbell Engineering's original invention. Saltman Engineering took the matter to court. ... The case was therefore decided in favour of Saltman Engineering. This case was decided on the basis of equity. In other words, the common law position which required plaintiffs to show proof that there was some kind of contract which restrained the defendant from giving off the information was sidelined and the court pursued fairness. This laid the precedence for courts to use the principles of equity to decide cases involving the breach of confidence. Equity and the Breach of Confidentiality The concept of the breach of confidence was to be decided on the basis of equity rather than common law after the Saltman case. From the way it emerged, the concept of confidentiality was to cut across four main aspects of interaction and communication: personal information3, government information, artistic/literary secrets and trade secrets4. However, there was an issue related to the invocation of equity in cases relating to confidentiality. This mainly has to do with the inherent nature of t he development of the principles of equity. By default, equity acts in personam and this therefore means that every case had to be examined according to the special facts and cases relating to it. This meant that the courts would always have to spend considerable time looking at the main elements of each case they receive, appraise it and take decisions where appropriate. This called for the need to build some hedges around the concept of the breach of contract and define the parameters of this legal concept. This finally came in the landmark case of Coco V AN Clark5 where Judge Megarry made the landmark ruling: 'I doubt whether equity would intervene unless the circumstances are of sufficient gravity: equity ought

You chose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

You chose - Essay Example The disaster evolved, as a result of, two basic factors. Seemingly, the hurricane itself and the collapse of the levees that protected the city were built below the sea level. These aspects made Katrina a more complex natural disaster to fight leading to industrial disaster, evacuation challenges, widespread of poisonous pollution, persistent flooding and unprecedented public concerns regarding human safety. The protection against the Katrina is reflected to start with the weather forecasting team early 2005. The meteorologists warned people surrounding the Gulf Coast region to evacuate the region. Additionally, the National Weather Service was concerned in that it warned people that after the storm the area will be uninhabitable hence it advised people for looking alternative places to reside until it was over. The protection efforts by the federal government were seen to be executed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. People in the New Orleans were to evacuate and seek for new shelter. However, the government had allowed some of the population that could not leave the town immediately to occupy the Morial Complex. Jointly, FEMA officials and an emergency-preparedness contractor advised FEMA that the evacuation process was not effective as it lacked sufficient transportation for the large population. There are different techniques that FEMA and other relevant authorities adopted for the mitigation process for the Katrina Hurricane. For instance, the University of Mississippi adopted the radio-controlled warning systems that warned of the Tornado. FEMA addressed and initiated Diamondhead homes in the Coastal regions that could prevent the people from future floods and injuries. It included a reinforced and laminated beams along the ceilings enhanced the roofs’ capability to anchor themselves. After such an event, the constructions of the houses in the affected areas were subjected to the International Residential

Partition of India and how Its Shaped Modern Day India Essay

Partition of India and how Its Shaped Modern Day India - Essay Example In order to avoid that Britain deliberately divide India based on religion. Thus Muslim dominated Pakistan and Hindu dominated India were formed in 1947. Until, Britain divide India based on religion; both Hindus and Muslims were living in harmony in India. However, the enmity started to grow between India and Pakistan after the independence of India. The major unresolved problem for enmity between India and Pakistan is the Kashmir issue. Pakistan still believes that the Muslim dominated Kashmir is part of Pakistan even though at the time of partition Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdulla decided to attach Kashmir as a part of India. The struggle for the ownership of Kashmir is still going on between India and Pakistan and many wars were fought between these two nuclear powers in the past. Many people believe that if India and Pakistan are joined together, they would become the most powerful superpower nation in the world. However, the increasing conflicts between India and Pakistan are ret arding the economic progress not only in India but also in Pakistan. Amidst all these challenging political environments, India achieved tremendous economic growth in the past few decades. According to political analysts, India may become another superpower in the near future itself. This paper analyses how the partition in 1947 shaped modern day India. The principles of India's foreign policy have stood the test of time: a belief in friendly relations with all countries of the world, the resolution of conflicts by peaceful means, the sovereign equality of all states, independence of thought and action as manifested in the principles of Non-alignment, and equity in the conduct of international relations  (India's Foreign Policy - 50 Years of Achievement) India opted for a neutral approach after its independence, instead of polarising towards any of the superpowers of that time. In fact India was a prominent country which worked for the formation of a non-aligned movement (NAM). Ja waharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India worked together with Egyptian leader Abdul Nazar and Yugoslav President Tito for the formation of NAM. This foreign policy helped India to avoid any major struggle with the superpowers. In fact India treated former Soviet Union and America in the same manner, even though some political analysts visualise some close connections between India and USSR in the past. When Britain decided to divide India, their major objective was to prevent India from becoming a global power. The initial decades immediately after the independence of India created a feeling among the rest of the world that Britain succeeded in its mission to prevent India from achieving rapid growth. In 1965 and in 1971, India engaged in a fierce war with Pakistan over the Kashmir issue and the costs of these wars were more than enough for India like a heavily populated country to bear. India faced the two major challenges after its independence; the threat from Pakistan a nd the growing population size. India implemented some family planning measures in order to reduce the rate of population growth. Small family with one of two children maximum was a slogan encouraged in India after the independence. Economists in the 60’s and 70’s warned India that if India fails to control its population growth, economic progress would be

Case Study from Employment Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

From Employment Law - Case Study Example 312). In the case study, there are very serious violations of the law that are evident. In the first scenario, Paul faces direct sex discrimination, work place harassment and victimization. Under the Equality Act 2010 S11, sex is a protected characteristic for both male and the female. Under section 13(1) of the same act, it is unlawful to treat an individual unfairly on the grounds of sex. Such act amounts to direct sex discrimination. Paul in this case faces direct sex discrimination. This is evident in that Paul’s boss is never interested in training him for the job he was doing. Most banks of the world do train their employees before they start working because banking jobs are very demanding. Paul is further harassed by his boss. She shouts at him and down talks him in front of the customers. Shouting and use of abusive words in workplaces is a form of work place harassment (Swarnalatha, 2013, p. 2). Harassment and victimization in the place of work carries the same weight as d iscrimination. However, in some cases, work place harassment and victimization are not prohibited by the law no matter how abusive they can be. In such cases therefore, the employees are protected by the Trade Unions. Under the Trade Unions and Labor Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, the trade unions are adequately defined and equipped with adequate powers to protect the employees from any form of workplace harassment, victimization and any form of discrimination. Also, under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations Act 2006 S1 (246), the right to continuity in employments is well covered in the Act and therefore Paul has a right to go back to work. On the other hand, Amy is directly discriminated. Under the Equality Act 2010 S11, Religion is yet another protected characteristic. It is against the law to discriminate a

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 24

Case Study Example The NLRB had a justifiable reason to protect the employees based on the labor relations Act (National Labour Relations Board, 2014). If the case happened at the workplace, employees discontented with the working conditions would have the courage to protest. By that decision, employees would be possible that the NLRB addresses their welfare concerns (Nairns, 2011). As long as employees accurately present their case, they would have protection for their welfare. Employee relations in the work place improved because of the NLRB decision to protect the rights of the five employees. The decision set precedent that employers will lose to the NLRB if such a case happens again (Twomey, 2012). Proper communication channels need to be established between employees and employers to allow them air their complaints. If such channels do not exist, then employees are justified to present their grievances through the social media, as long as they are accurate. If the social media is to be used by employees then the information disclosed should be objective, unbiased and be justified by NLRB under the labor relations Act. The requirements allow the employees to access justice justified by the

Leading an Educational Idea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Leading an Educational Idea - Research Paper Example This inquiry presents a literature review on how assessment informs learning, methodology used in the study and analysis of information obtained. Introduction Teachers have to administer complicated and challenging situations, harmonising the personal and communal pressures of a crowd of more learners while activating the circumstances for educational success. This process can only be achived through assessment. The question raised by the common Teacher, is therefore how does the idea of assessment fit within the context of Teaching and Learning. The process of educational assessment is an important part of instruction and learning. Established assessment activities assist teachers and learners appreciate what they have gone through, the situation they are in, and the next move. One single assessment cannot give adequate information to information and develop the teaching and learning process. Crick states that using diverse assessments as an element of teaching, provides realistic i nformation concerning learner’s development. Some of the terms that will be relevant within my inquiry are: Formative assessment This is the assessment that is ongoing and normally conducted during the teaching learning process. The instructor does teach and evaluates after teaching to find out if objectives have been achieved (Wang, 2007). Summative assessment; assessment conducted at the end of a program (Wang, 2007). Student-directed Assessment; This assessment allows students to become effective users of assessment information. Students can become proficient users of student-directed assessment strategies such as conferencing, self-assessment, peer assessment and goal setting (Wang, 2007). Assessments that straightforwardly involve learners assist them learn significant skills that they will be in a position to use as permanent learners. They become skilled at to be contemplative and approachable, to believe about their own hard work, to be productive in self- measurement and peer measurement, and to make available precise information that elaborates on the differentiation (Wang, 2007). Conferencing Conferences are more often than not short, relaxed meetings whispered with individual learners or a little group of learners and entail investigative listening, penetrating and responding. Questioning are conferences done to gather detailed information. They may require a collection of questions targeted for an exact reason or a prescribed set of on paper questions to which a learner responds in inscription. For illustration, instructors may call for information about a learner’s use of manuscript and use an official consultation or gathering to question in a straight line connected to a fastidious characteristic of the learners’ performance (Pontus and Thornton, 2008). Portfolios; A portfolio is a determined collection of learners’ work samples, learner personality -assessments and objective statements that reproduce learnersâ€℠¢ progress. Learners usually select the activities samples to identify in the portfolio; however, the instructor may also advocate that precise activities samples be incorporated. Portfolios are commanding tools that permit learners to see their educational growth from status to grade. Goal Setting; Goal setting follows of course out of personality -assessment, colleague assessment and conferences. Learners and

Color Matters Essay Example for Free

Color Matters Essay In the marketing arena, color plays a significant role in a company’s advertisement and packaging. According to research, the right color is worth a thousand words as well as it can increase sales and a company’s profit (Morton, 2010). Most importantly, a company’s color is closely related to the type of judgment and decisions consumers make regarding a specific product. Research also reveals that color increases brand recognition, memory, engages and increases participation, and attracts consumers attention (Morton, 2010). Overall, color is powerful in marketing. Therefore, this paper will discuss the importance of color with Coca-Cola Company’s advertising as it relates to the different meanings, cultures, and segment markets. The Importance Of Color With Coca-Cola Company’s Advertising Coca-Cola is one of the world’s most popular and recognized brand. Let’s discuss the company’s purpose for being in business. The mission of the Coca-Cola Company is â€Å"to refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, create value, and make a difference† (The Coca-Cola Company, 2013). With that being said, the colors of the Coca-Cola Company in their advertising, which is red and white, are extremely important for a number of reasons. First, the company wants to send the right message to consumers. Second, the colors help identify the different brands (Kolter Keller, 2012). Third, the different colors also help the company to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Most of all, Coca-Cola’s distinctive colors conveys information and/or provides consumers with some other operational benefits (Morton, 2012). Overall, the colors main goal is to get consumers’ attention while making an impact on their buying decision. The Different Meanings According to the color wheel of branding and packaging, the Coca-Cola Company’s colors for their advertisement ensures different meanings. As stated earlier, the colors of the company’s advertisement are red and white. These colors have been used for more than a hundred years. Red promotes Coca-Cola friendly qualities such as energy, powerful, courage, excitement, and strength (Kolter Keller, 2012). Whereas white indicates that the company is all about creating products that are innovative and modern. As result, these colors have been a very successful color strategy and have helped the company become the world’s top companies in their industry (Pigford, 2013). In addition to, the great contrast of the colors also ensure readability, which is one of the important factors of product strategy in marketing (Pigford, 2013). The Culture The Coca-Cola Company has a winning culture, which defines the attitudes and behaviors of their employees (The Coca-Cola Company, 2013). In this case, the choices of the colors also inform consumers that the employees also have the same attributes regarding their work performance. Coca-Cola’s colors relates to their culture because the company and its employees demonstrates: (1) collaboration; (2) how they have courage to shape a better future; (3) integrity; (4) accountability; (5) passion; (6) diversity; and (7) quality. The Market Segments A marketing segment is referred to as aggregating prospective buyers into groups that have common needs and their response to a marketing action will be similar. Market segmentation stresses two things: (1) grouping individuals or organizations according to similarity of needs and the benefits desired; and (2) needs and benefits must be associated to specific tangible marketing actions (Identifying Market Segments Target, 2011). Coca-Cola’s market segment consists of consumers who are seeking different and great products that are. The company’s colors also target individuals who also want to make differences in the communities, which require them to demonstrate commitment, energy, strength, and excitement. In conclusion,it is imperative that companies consider their choice of color when advertising or completing packaging. Colors and marketing are connected to one another in so many ways. Colors can influence an individual’s thinking, actions, cause reactions (Morton, 2012). In fact, colors cannot be replaced because they are known as the most powerful forms of communication. More than so ever, colors are the visual component that consumers remember the most about a brand (Morton, 2012). Many companies who produce great brands rely on color as their key factor in immediate recognition. So, companies should utilize the color wheel of branding and packaging before launching their product. Reference Mortan, J. (2012). Color Matters. Retrieved from  http://www.colormatters.com/

BHP Billiton’s Case study for Corporate Citizenship Essay Example for Free

BHP Billiton’s Case study for Corporate Citizenship Essay Corporate citizenship focuses on the kind of responsibility companies apply toward the community they are operating in. The area of focus could be how customers and the community could be impacted by what a given company or corporation is doing. The area of concern could include the communities such companies are operating in, stakeholders that include shareholders, employees, and other businesses such as suppliers that are interacting or working with such entities. What is involved in corporate citizenship is more than statuary obligation where companies are required to meet certain standards and requirements by law. Corporate citizenship evaluates what business entities with various forms are doing to add to the quality of life of their employees and their dependants, as well as the community they are operating in, including the larger society that their community is part of. Corporate citizenship, also known as corporate social responsibility (Catalyst Consortium, 2002) has opponents and proponents where the opponents argue that focusing on corporate citizenship will derail businesses from focusing on their main concern, which is the usual role businesses are playing in the community. Others are saying, in reality the whole concept is not more than a window-dressing. There are opponents who insist that focusing on corporate citizenship will enable businesses to divert the attention governmental watchdogs are directing at them. What the proponents highlight is if corporations and similar businesses are sensitive to social responsibilities, it will directly benefit them by enabling them to avoid focusing on their short-term drive to maximize profit (Fields, 2002). What is involved in all this is the ethics of doing responsible business in communities where these numerous big businesses that could be corporation are involved, whereby being ethical in what they are doing will benefit them more, by enabling them to avoid pitfalls that could come to haunt them. At the same time, the numerous communities that are accommodating numerous businesses will be free of harm by their wrongdoing. It is difficult to quantify and to come up with some kind measurement technique concerning what should be the standard ethical conformity required from each business entity because of the varied involvement each one of them has in what they are doing (Thillmany, 2007). It is possible to mention Demngs’s Fourteen Points, Balanced Scorecards (Leadership Institute) as an effort to introduce some kind of a standard, although it is difficult to see how successfully it will do the job. Furthermore, Orilizty, Schmidt, and Rynes (2003) had demonstrated that there is a correlation between social performance that takes into consideration the environment and financial performance. The problem with such outlook had been since businesses are aware of their social responsibility they would avoid focusing on the short-term gain they would garner from their conducting business. Some of the key components of corporate responsibilities might involve charitable activities or volunteering to activities that require the input of bigger entities. It is also possible divisions such as human resources or public relations could look after corporate responsibility, while using other divisions in an organization if they are suitable cannot rule them out. It is also possible that it could involve the CEOs or the Boards. There are key areas in an organization where corporation responsibility more vivid. One of them is human resources where the kind of hiring and retaining practice that pertaining to a given firm will enable it to attract good employees and having such practice in place would enable to portray a good image in the community it is operating in. Another area that needs attention is the kind of risk management applied in a given firm, where if anything goes wrong it will be difficult to repair a damaged corporation image. Incidents such as corruption and environmental accidents could exacerbate the erosion of a corporation’s image and requires handling with the utmost care. Overall, the kinds of advantages a corporate that has a good image and is good citizen could reap could a long way and could avail a vast advantage for those that could score high marks. There is also a case where corporations would like to minimize outside interference directed at them, especially by governmental bodies that could levy heavier taxes or introduce strict regulations. Such measures could impeded the advancement corporations can make and one way to avoid that is to engage in various activities such as a concern for the safety and health of their workers, introducing diversity, making the environment their priority, and getting engaged in the community they are operating using the available various channels. In all this, it is possible that corporations will find themselves in a dilemma, because their primary goal is to maximize profit for the stakeholders and if they do not fulfill that obligation, they will not generate enough interest to attract investors. There are economists such as Milton Friedman (NYT) who had openly advocated that since the main drive of corporations is to make profit, they do not have to be worried about the society around them. Such strong-held views had been defied simply because if every corporation strives to become a good citizen, whatever it incurs for doing so will be part of doing normal business. The investors who are members of society will reward those that are good corporate citizens, while they shun away from those that are not, and that obviously affects corporations that fall behind in meeting their good citizenship role. It is also possible that some of the operation of some corporations might have a negative impact on society, on their employees, on the environments and the like, yet they could engage in a public relation campaign to distract critics, observers, or regulators. A few examples to cite are tobacco or petroleum companies whose operations cause damages and no amount of public relation could hide that. In a situation like this, those who can control such operators such as governments, investors, as well as suppliers could exert pressure on them to meet certain good citizenship requirements. Overall, it is possible for corporations to be good citizens and become effective business operators. At the same time, even if some corporations try to become good citizens, because of what they are involved in, it will take them longer time to meet the requirements. The outcome validates that if corporations are not responsible and accountable for what they are doing and have more inputs into the communities they are operating, and unless they oversee the welfare of their workers, as well as numerous partners and stakeholders, in today’s market place where information travels fast, it could cost them a lot. The high price to pay could be worse for those that are public companies, simply because they could be deprived valuable resources such as capital, expertise, manpower, and the like to make them conform. In light of that, this paper will analyze how BHP Billiton, an Australian based resource company is meeting its requirements of a good corporate citizenship. BHP Billiton The company claims that it is distinguished from the other resource companies because it has quality assets, a lineup of projects that the other companies do not have, it is claiming to be customer focused in its marketing effort, it is diversified across many countries, the commodities it deals with are also diversified and that includes the markets it is operating in. One final exception the company has is it is into petroleum business too. With its 39,000 worldwide workers, it is industry leader or near industry leader in commodity business, such as aluminum, energy, mostly coal petroleum and natural gas, copper, manganese, iron, uranium, nickel, silver, and titanium minerals. All this information and more, such as the $15. 6 billion net profit it made for the year 2007 is on the company’s website. It market capitalization from the same source is $140. 5 billion for August of 2007. The company came into existence when two dual listed companies, BHP limited and Billiton Plc merged in 2001. One other important information is the two merged companies continue to exists as separate entities, but they operate as a combined company under one board of directors (BHP Billiton, About Us). Stakeholders BHP Billiton clearly identifies its stakeholders and they start from its employees and contractors, the communities around them that use the products the company is coming up with. There are also those it claims to have influence on what it is doing and that group starts from the investment community as a whole, not only its shareholders, its business partners, organizations in the communities it is located in, unions, non-government organizations, suppliers, various governmental bodies, media, and industry associations. The company believes according to its own statement that accountability and transparency go together. Because of that, it claims that the company’s charter, its sustainable development policy, HSEC management standards, and the guide to proper business conduct is honest and done with integrity and fairness. The company claims that it is an avid believer in dialogue with its stakeholders, as it had witnessed the feedback it gets from them had enabled the management to refine their decision making accordingly, where all prevalent relation information is shared among staff that had resulted in strengthening the relationship with stakeholders. Furthermore, there had been a mechanism to address any grievance that originates from stakeholders. Company Approach to Sustainability The company claims that its sustainable development focuses on how its contributions will have a lasting effect on social, environmental, ethical and economic aspects of the company, as well of the communities it is operating in. Because of that, the company’s priority is to get it right the first time and claims that it has a holistic approach to what it is doing. One of its priorities, which is zero-harm is a requirement to all those involved in the company and they are accountable for their actions. The zero-harm drive focuses in creating a harm free work environment, as well considering the impact what it is doing would have on the environment. The reward it is seeking for accomplishing that is it wants to attract investors, by demonstrating their investment will not only be valued, but it will be made in a company that meets all its social obligations that goes beyond the mandated ones. The same applies to employees that it wants them to be attracted to it because of what it offers and because of the stand it had taken in the community. There is also getting preference from communities and stakeholders for being adherent to what the good corporate citizenship consensus requires. As far as the companies strategies are concerned, it take into account that it is a diversified company that will have to look after its cash flows, where some kind of stability is required in order to be in a position to meet financial, social, and environmental needs, while at the same time it delivers value to its stakeholders. The company admits that it also had a business dimension that it has to take into consideration because, without doing that it will find it difficult to meet its sustainability goal. However, it is with dedication to achieve that goal by making its priority the zero-harm policy that focuses on the well being of workers, communities, and the environment. Furthermore, it makes its priority an effective governance and risk management that will be part of how it operates, so that any wrongdoing will not backfire and affect its progress (BHP Billiton). Sustainability Reporting The company has a policy where it has to review its performance regularly and make its findings public. It believes that doing that will enable it to demonstrate that it is accountable and transparent. It further believes that doing so is an effective stakeholder engagement and the reporting process would become a management tool to measure performance, key company issues, and related management concerns and approaches. It claims that it uses two forms of reporting one online reporting and the other in print. To demonstrate there is a convergence between the company’s risk management and sustainability programs, the sustainability summary report is included as a chapter in the annual reports of the company. Because of the size of the company and what it is involved in, it will result in making the size of the stakeholders large, necessitating that each operation produces its own sustainability report in the locale and region that it operates (BHP Billiton, Our Business). There is a sustainability committee of the Board whose job is to oversee health, safety, environment, and community (HSEC). There are also line managers who are responsible to oversee HSEC performance. This function called HSEC function has the responsibility of providing guidance directly or through networks. It is also open for outside inputs that could originate form experts and it is possible to channel them through a forum on Corporate Responsibility. The diagram illustrates the prevalent structure for sustainable development. Accordingly, the structure demonstrates that it is possible to direct feedbacks to the highest governance body at the company. At the top of the structure there is BHP Billiton Board appointed by the shareholders to look after their interest. Then there is a subcommittee called Sustainability Committee and it main job focuses on HSEC risks, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements concerning HSEC, performance concerning HSEC matters. It is also responsible for preparing annual sustainability summary report. The members have the academic qualification that is pertinent to HSEC so that they can carry out their duty effectively. There is also a forum focusing on corporate responsibility that brings various stakeholders together to discuss and debate on social and environmental issues that are relevant to the company. The audit committee of the board has a job to make sure the financial reporting, internal control structure, risk management, and all required audit functions are in sound condition. The sustainability committee of the board and the audit committee work together, so that the overall overseeing of what takes place in the company meets the requirements. There is also a global ethics panel whose main job is to assist the CEO and to enable him meet the governance document requirement, whereby honesty, integrity, forwarding respect and dignity to others would be part of the CEO’s job. In addition, it deals with employees facing ethical issues, it reviews business conduct issues that came into existence, and it assesses new policy issues and recommendations. Healthy People The company claims that the well being of people is key to the success of what it does. Because of that, its zero harm policy is very important for the company. Safe Workplace The company here also claims the safety of those who work for the company, the contractors of various stripes, and the communities the company divisions are located in are all important for attaining its goal as a good corporate citizen. There are a host of measures that the company is introducing on an ongoing basis to safeguard the health of its employees and the communities that are hosting it wherever it operates. Environmental Commitment The company states that it operates in numerous countries operating a wide variety of business in locations that have different ecosystems. It recognizes that the businesses it is in could affect the environments. Key areas it is focusing on are emissions of gases and particulates, impact of what the company is doing on water quality, land disturbance, land-use change and habitat removal and the like that require more attention be paid on how some of the works are carried out. To deal with such problems the company has a charter that states that the company has an overriding priority to health, safety, environmental responsibility, and sustainable development. Some of the methods it is applying to attain this goal is to strive to be the leader in introducing sound industry practices, to set goals to achieve targets, and enhancing biodiversity protection by taking into consideration ecological values and the use of land. Social Responsibility The company recognizes that what it owns and what it does in various communities could affect cultures and living conditions. It strives to avoid negative social impacts as much as possible, and strives to maximize the benefits and opportunities the involved communities would get from what it is doing. Some measures it is taking to oversee the social responsibility issues are building trust and dialogue with those it believes will be affected by what it is doing, promoting human rights among its stakeholders where it would incorporate in what it does issues such as freedom of association, exclusion of child labor, prohibition of forced labor, proper and ethical use of security personnel. Building social and human capital by introducing community development, it proposes to recognize and respect indigenous people culture, belief, and traditional rights, and come up with facilities that will contribute enhancing and reserving of indigenous cultures. It also proposes to control all economic impacts it will create on others by creating economic opportunities such as employment, education in a form of training, and what it calls business spin-off, and all other impacts such as displacements, impacts on food and water supplies (CSR Network). Strength and Weakness The company strength starts from its size and its diversified asset base. As it had been the case if it plans to take advantage acquisition, it has what it takes to allure stakeholders of the targeted companies that had been true when it tried to acquire Rio Tinto for 75 billion pounds (Guardian CO. UK). As well as it could withstand market ups and downs since all its assets could not be subject to price change at the same time. It weakness stems from country risk where it has to go to many localities in order to procure what it wants and that will include undeveloped regions where the requirements could be much higher. As well as the risk of losing its investments without compensation is always because of political instability. The other areas is some of its products that it relies such as uranium and oil are hazardous for the environment and it does what it does amid pressure and opposition resulting making extracting and bringing those commodities expensive. Especially the company is under pressure to bring to a halt all its activities concerning mining uranium and there is a movement going some of it originating from some of its stakeholders who are asking to stop everything it has to do with uranium (Guardian Co. UK). External Corporate Citizenship Rating Sources When it comes to rating companies most of them had given it a very high mark. Among others, Ethics World had highlighted what BHP Billiton is doing as far as sustainability is concerned and accordingly this particular agency had approved the fact that it had a good stand in that area. (Ethics World). Another source SMH Australia had stated that according to Australia’s Responsibilities index had put Westpack a bank in Australia at the top of the index with a score for corporate responsibility of 99. 53, while BHP had come second with 93. 21 and the company it tried to acquire Rio Tinto came third at 91. 54 percent (Sydney Morning Herald). In accountability rating conducted in South Africa where BHP Billiton has interest and operation it had scored first according to Mineweb publication. It was UNISA Center for Corporate Citizenship that conducted the research, the sponsors being Barloworld and the Unisa College of Economic and Management Sciences according to the publication (Mineweb). REFERENCE BHP Billiton, â€Å"About Us†, www. bhpbillition. com-bbccontentrepositary/docs/aboutus/BGF. pdf BHP Billiton, â€Å"Our Business†, www. bhpbillition. com-bbccontentrepositary/docs/ourbusiness/metallurgicalcoal/Illawarracoal/publications/ICsustainReport. pdf

Googles Quest For Competitive Advantage Marketing Essay

Googles Quest For Competitive Advantage Marketing Essay In 1996 two computer science PhD students at Stanford University, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, were wondering how they could sort through the massive amount of information that was starting to appear on the Web to find specific and useful information on a topic. Although there were several different technologies, or search engines, available to search the Web for information, none of them seemed particularly useful to Brin and Page because they failed to distinguish between useful and trivial Web sites. Brin and Page decided to build a search engine that not only would examine the words on Web pages and then index them as other search engines did, but also would look at how and where these words were being used and at the number of other Web sites linked to a page. The goal was to have the search engine return a list of Web pages with the most useful appearing at the top. The name Google originated from a misspelling of googol which refers to the number represented by a 1 followed by one-hundred zeros. Having found its way increasingly into everyday language, the verb, google, was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006, meaning, to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet. By December 1998 the beta version of Googles search engine had been up and running at the Web for months, answering over 10,000 search queries a day. From that point on growth was exponential. By December 2000 Googles index included more than 1.3 billion Web pages, and the company was answering some 60 million search queries a day. By 2004 the number of Web pages indexed by Google exceeded 4 billion, and the search engine was handling more than 300 million queries a day. Googles technology quickly became pervasive. Soon most major Web portals were using Googles search engine technology, including AOL. Yahoo also signed an agreement to make Google its default search provider, which helped make Google the largest search engine on the Web. Estimates suggested that in 2003 some 75 percent of Internet searches were made using Google. What was most impressive about Google, however, was that unlike many other dot-com businesses of the 1990s, Google found a way to make money. Google generated revenue from only two sources: (1) the licensing fees it charged to supply search capabilities to corporations, other Internet sites, and wireless telephone companies, and (2) the advertising fees it charged for providing highly targeted text-only sponsor links adjacent to its search results. The Google search engine attracted a loyal following among the growing number of Internet users, who liked its simple design. In 2000, Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords, which provided the company with an additional revenue source beyond fees for licensing its search appliance to other Web sites. To make money Google sells to advertisers the words that people put in when they search for something on the Web. Thus means that whoever bids the most for a particular term, say digital cameras, gets their link put at the top of a Google-generated list. Google distinguishes between independent search results and those that are paid for by listing sponsored links on its page. However, sponsors do not pay Google unless a user clicks through to them from a Google-generated link. The ads were text-based to maintain an uncluttered page design and to maximize page loading speed. Keywords were sold based on a combination of price bid and click-throughs, with bidding starting at $.05 per click. Advertisers dont just pay a set rate, or even a cost per thousand viewers. They bid on the search term. The more an advertiser is willing to pay, the higher its ad will be positioned. But if the ad doesnt get clicks, its rank will decline over time, regardless of how much has been bid. If an ad is persistently irrelevant, Google will remove it: Its not working for the advertiser, its not serving users, and its taking up server capacity. Google understands that its two most important assets are the attention and trust of its users. If it takes too long to deliver results or an additional word of text on the home page is too distracting, Google risks losing peoples attention. If the search results are lousy, or if they are compromised by advertising, it risks losing peoples trust. Attention and trust are sacrosanct. Google pursues a seemingly gratuitous quest for speed: Four years ago, the average search took approximately 3 seconds. Now its down to about 0.2 seconds. And since 0.2 is more than zero, its not quite fast enough. Page and Brin insisted that the company would only sell discreet text ads placed near search results and never mix paid keyword-based ads with legitimate search results even though the practice was standard among search engine companies. Also, Google would not place banner ads on its Web site, now would it sell pop-up ads. While many of its dot-com rivals failed in the new Internet marketplace, Google quietly rose in stature while generating revenue. In 2003 the company made $967 million in revenues and $105 million in net profits. In 2004 revenues surged to $3.19 billion and net income to $399 million. Google Founded by Geeks and Run by Geeks Google is an organisation founded by geeks and run by geeks. According to Stephen Arnold, Googles programmers are 50%-100% more productive compared to programmers working for their competitors.   He based this theory on Googles competitors having to spend up to four times as much just to keep up. It is a collection of 650 really smart people who are almost frighteningly single-minded. These are people who think they are creating something thats the best in the world, says Peter Norvig, a Google engineering director. And that product is changing peoples lives. Geeks are different from the rest of us, so its no surprise that theyve created a different sort of company. Google is, in fact, their dream house. It also happens to be among the best-run companies in the technology sector. At a moment when much of business has resigned itself to the pursuit of sameness and safety, Google proposes an almost joyous antidote to mediocrity, a model for smart innovation in challenging times. Google spends more time on hiring than on anything else. It knows this because, like any bunch of obsessive engineers, it keeps track. It says that it gets 1,500 rà ©sumà ©s a day from wanna-be Googlers. Between screening, interviewing, and assessing, it invested 87 Google people-hours in each of the 300 or so people that it hired in 2002. Google hires two sorts of engineers, both aimed at encouraging the art of fast failure. First, it looks for young risk takers. We look for smart, says Wayne Rosing, who heads Googles engineering ranks. Smart as in, do they do something weird outside of work, something off the beaten path? That translates into people who have no fear of trying difficult projects and going outside the bounds of what they know. But Google also hires stars, PhDs from top computer-science programs and research labs. It has continually managed to hire 90% of the best search-engine people in the world, says Brian Davison, a Lehigh University assistant professor and a top search expert himself. The PhDs are Googles id. They are the people who know enough to shoot holes in ideas before they go too far to make the failures happen faster. Google developed a decentralized management schema where employees report directly to multiple managers and team project leaders. This allows for the responsibility of the technology department to be shared amongst multiple senior level engineers and removes the need for a singular department head to oversee the activities of the department.   This is a unique approach from the standard management style. The challenge is negotiating the tension between risk and caution. When Rosing started at Google in 2001, we had management in engineering. And the structure was tending to tell people, No, you cant do that. So Google got rid of the managers. Now most engineers work in teams of three, with project leadership rotating among team members. If something isnt right, even if its in a product that has already gone public, teams fix it without asking anyone. For a while, Rosing says, I had 160 direct reports. No managers. It worked because the teams knew what they had to do. That set a cultural bit in peoples heads: You are the boss. Dont wait to take the hill. Dont wait to be managed. And if you fail, fine. On to the next idea. Theres faith here in the ability of smart, well-motivated people to do the right thing, Rosing says. Google doesnt market itself in the traditional sense. Instead, it observes, and it listens. It obsesses over search-traffic figures, and it reads its email. In fact, 10 full-time employees do nothing but read emails from users, distributing them to the appropriate colleagues or responding to them themselves. Nearly everyone has access to user feedback, says Monika Henzinger, Googles director of research. We all know what the problem areas are, where users are complaining. Google focuses relentlessly on the quality of the experience. Make it easy. Make it fast. Make it work. And attack everything that gets in the way of perfection. How does Google keep innovating? Google also understands the capacity of the Web to leverage expertise. Its product-engineering effort is more like an ongoing, all-hands discussion. The site features about 10 technologies in development, many of which may never be products per se. They are there because Google wants to see how people react. It wants feedback and ideas. Having people in on the game who know a lot of stuff tells you earlier whether good ideas are good ideas that will actually work. One big factor is the companys willingness to fail. Google engineers are free to experiment with new features and new services and free to do so in public. The company frequently posts early versions of new features on the site and waits for its users to react. We cant predict exactly what will happen, says senior engineer Nelson Minar. Frequently, new Google enhancements or products appear in its inventory. Google Labs, the experimental section of Google.com, helps Google maximize its relationships with its users by including them in the beta development, design and testing stages of new products and enhancements of already existing ones. Googles Competitive Position and Strategy to Sustain Growth Googles ability to sustain its strong position among Internet search companies was a function of its ability maintains strong relationships with Internet users, advertisers, and Web sites. Google has a distinctive technology advantage over Microsoft, eBay, Amazon, Yahoo. Google utilizes custom high-performance systems which are cost efficient because they can scale to extreme workloads. This hardware allows for a huge cost advantage over its competitors. In 2005, Internet users searching for information went to Google more often than to any other site with search capabilities. There was nothing that would prevent Internet users from abandoning Google to use a better search technology. However, the development of a better search engine by a rival could lead to rapid erosion of advertising revenues for Google. Google management believed its primary competitors were Yahoo! and Microsoft. In August 2004 Google went public, raising over $1.5 billion. With no debt and flush with cash, the company looked set to build on its lead in the search engine business. However, competitors were not sitting on the sidelines. In 2003 Yahoo! purchased a rival search engine company. Overture Services and replaced Google as the search engine on its site with a proprietary search engoine based on Overtures technology. Microsoft too seems to have its sights set on Google. Microsoft is reportedly working on its own search engine technology, which it plans to integrate with its software. In February 2003, Google acquired Pyra Labs, owner of Blogger, a pioneering and leading web log hosting website. Some analysts considered the acquisition inconsistent with Googles business model. However, the acquisition secured the companys ability to use information gleaned from blog postings to improve the speed and relevance of articles contained in a companion product to the search engine, Google News. Google also purchased YouTube, JotSpot (a company that helped pioneer the market for collaborative, web-based business software), Gapminders Trendalyzer software (a company that specializes in developing information technology for provision of free statistics in new visual and animated), Adscape Media (a small in-game advertising company). In 2007, Google also acquired PeakStream Technologies. In 2004, Google became more involved in the Chinese market when it acquired a 2.6 percent stake in Baidu the number one search engine in China. Google believed it was essential to develop a local presence in China if it were to aggressively pursue search-based advertising customers in that market since the Chinese language was so complex. In late 2005, Google was moving forward with its strategy in China by recruiting employees for an office located in China, developing a separate brand name for the Chinese market, and launching a Chinese .cn site. Google management also opened an operation center in Brazil and Mexico in late 2005 to improve sales and services to Latin American advertisers. While the companys primary market is in the web content arena, Google has also recently began to experiment with other markets, such as radio and print publications. On January 17, 2006, Google announced that it had purchased the radio advertising company dMarc, which provides an automated system that allows companies to advertise on the radio. This will allow Google to combine two advertising media-the Internet and radio-with Googles ability to laser-focus on the tastes of consumers. Google has also begun an experiment in selling advertisements from its advertisers in offline newspapers and magazines, with select advertisements in the Chicago Sun-Times. They have been filling unsold space in the newspaper that would have normally been used for in-house advertisements. Over the course of the past decade, Google has become quite well known for its corporate culture and innovative, clean products, and has had a major impact on online culture. ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS What are the sources of Googles competitive advantage? (In your answer identify and explain Googles distinctive competencies) What value does Google create for customers and advertisers? Apply the four building blocks of competitive advantage to Google. Analyse each factor by providing detailed examples from the case. What business-level strategy is Google pursuing? (Identify the strategy and justify your answer). What corporate-level strategy and international strategy has Google implemented? (Identify the relevant strategies and justify your answer). 1. What are the sources of Googles competitive advantage? (In your answer identify and explain Googles distinctive competencies) Ans-First we need to define what competitive advantage is. Competitive advantage Can be defined as the advantage a firm has over other firms with respect to product offerings, Cost structure, distribution and customer support. This allows the firm to generate high revenues or margins as well as larger customer base than its competitors. Competitive advantages are mainly of two types.1) Comparative advantage 2) Differential advantage. 1) Comparative advantage- Comparative advantage is also called as cost advantage. This is the organizations ability  to produce  goods or services at a lower cost than its competitors price. 2) Differential advantage- Differential advantage is the firms ability to differ from products or services from its competitors and are perceived as better than its competitors.

Frankish Kingdom :: essays research papers

The Frankish Kingdom was seen as a great military power in the time of Clovis. Early medieval Europe was primarily under the control of the Roman Empire. Syagrius, the king of the Romans and his son Aegidius were living in the city of Soisson when Clovis decided to show off his military excellence. Clovis marched against Syagrius and eventually defeated him by disposing of his army and forcing him to flee the area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Syagrius fled to the kingdom of Aralic. In another show of his power, Clovis scarred Aralic into giving Syagrius up or he would be marched on as well. Out of fear, Sygrius was given up to Clovis and secretly killed. This was the beginning of the power and respect that was to come for Clovis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clovis did not believe in Jesus as being a true god. His mind would change in the near future. He married a woman who was a believer in the Christian religion. The way he would be converted to the Christian religion was very fitting for this military leader. Clovis’ wife would try to convince him that the Christian religion is the one for him. He would not change his mind until he was on the battlefield. He was in the middle of a conflict with a man named Alamanni and his army. Clovis’ troops were being annihilated, so he would ask Jesus for help in exchange for his faith. He looked to Jesus to help him survive this battle. If he would survive, he would hold the god of his wife as the same holy god for himself, and would be faithful to the lord. As Clovis asked for the aid of the lord, Alamanni retreated and soon after was killed. In this event, Alamanni’s troops surrendered and Clovis was then victorious. After this, Clovis kept his word and converted to the Christian faith. Along with himself, three thousand of Clovis’ followers were baptized on Christmas day. The conversion of Clovis in 496 was a decisive event in the political and religious future of continental Europe. By converting to the Christian religion, Clovis would gain the favor of Constantinople and among the people and clergy of the Roman population in Gaul   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under the leadership of Clovis, the Franks acquisitioned the former Roman territories in Gaul and in Germany. Clovis would also gain the Burgundian people. They would abandon Arianism, along with many other peoples.

Dentist Career Essay -- miscellaneuos

Dentist Career Dentistry is a career in healthcare that works in the mouth. Dentists are trained to diagnose, prevent, and treat various problems associated with teeth and mouth tissue. It is the job of the dentist to be fully aware of different types of dental problems and be able to recognize those problems through analyzing x-rays, as well as visual variation between individual mouths. The primary focus of dental care is to teach prevention to its patients of how to prevent gum disease, tooth loss, etc. It is the job of the dentist to closely monitor the mouth using various instruments and to properly suggest treatment depending on the diagnosis. All dentists go through at least eight years of schooling after high school and earn a degree in general dentistry this consists of four years of undergraduate work as well as at least four years in dental school. In order to apply to a dental school a prospective student must take an entrance exam known as the Dental Admission Test or DAT. The acceptance process into dental school is highly selective and consists of many parts. Along with the DAT one must also submit an application with an essay and undergo a rigorous interview. Once accepted into a school an individual will receive a degree in general dentistry over the course of four years. Dental schools offer either a degree known as Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a degree known as Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). Each degree is equivalent to the other. An individu...

Reality and Illusion in Shakespeares Hamlet - Appearance vs. Truth :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Appearance vs. Reality One of the most famous and popular authors and script writers is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare has always been able to create interesting characters and one of the reasons they are so interesting might be that they are complex people with their inner selves differing from their outer selves. Are the characters in Hamlet the same on the inside as they appear to be on the outside? The characters in William Shakespeare's Hamlet can be studied in a manner relating to appearance versus reality. Some of these characters are Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Hamlet. One character who enables us to examine the theme of appearance versus reality is Claudius, the new King of Denmark. In Act One, Scene Two Claudius acts as though he really cares for his brother and grieves over the elder Hamlet's death. This is shown in his first speech addressed to his court, "and that it us befitted/To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe" (Shakespeare I22-4). It is shown further on in the same speech when he says, "our late dear brother's death" (Shakespeare I219). However, this is not how Claudius truly feels about his brothers death, for Claudius is the one who murders elder Hamlet. We see the proof of this in Claudius' soliloquy when he appears to be praying; "O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven./It hath the primal eldest curse upon't/A brother's murder" (Shakespeare III336-38). Another love which Claudius fakes is the love he has towards his nephew and stepson, Hamlet. In his first speech to his court Claudius tells Hamlet not to leave for school but to remain in Denmark; "It is most retrograde to our desire/And we do beseech you, bend you to remain/Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye" (Shakespeare I2114-117). However, later in the play Claudius develops a plan to send Hamlet away from Denmark with the aid of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; "And he [Hamlet] to England shall along with you [R & G]" (Shakespeare III34). Claudius also refers to himself as "Thy loving father, Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV350) but when Hamlet is out of the room a few moments later Claudius has a complete change of face in which he reveals his plan to have Hamlet executed; "Our sovereign process, which imports at full/By letters congruing to that effect/The present death of Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV363-65). Even the love Claudius showed for Gertrude can be questioned in its validity. Claudius, near the beginning of the play, appears to be happy about

Mia philippines Essay

The Philippines was first put on the map by Portuguese adventurer Magellan working for the Spanish throne on March 16, 1521. The Philippines had become a Spanish colony and was the first country to be named after a sovereign, Phillip II of Spain.1 Spanish rule had continued until 1898 when the Philippines had become an American colony following the Spanish-American War for the stately sum of $20 million. In 1942 during WWII, the Philippines had fallen under Japanese occupation and was liberated by American and Filipino forces under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur in a fiercely contested battle that raged on between 1944 and 1945. The Philippines had attained its independence on July 4, 1946, and had a functioning democratic system.2 The Philippines Archipelago consisted of 7,100 islands, covering an area of 299,735 square kilometers and was slightly larger than Arizona. The capital city of Manila was situated on the largest Philippine island of Luzon (see Exhibit 1). The Philippines had a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $3,400.3 The percentage of the population of the Philippines living below US$2 a day was 45.2 per PHILIPPINE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Research conducted in 2009 showed that the Philippines was ranked 140th for ease of doing business and 155th for starting a business, out of a total of 178 countries. It took on average 15 procedures and a total of 52 days to complete business startup procedures in the Philippines compared to six procedures and 44.2 days and 5.8 procedures and 13.4 days for the same process in Asia and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, respectively.5 The Philippines had the second lowest savings and investment as share of GDP ratio in Asia6 (see Exhibit 2). PHILIPPINE FISHING INDUSTRY The Philippines has total territorial waters of 2.2 million square kilometers, of which coastal waters comprise 266,000 square kilometers and coastal reef area (10 to 20 fathoms deep, where reef fishing takes place) comprise 27,000 square kilometers.7 In 2003, the Philippines ranked eighth among the top fish-producing countries in the world with its total production of 3.62 million metric tons of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants (including seaweed). The production constituted 2.5 per cent of the total world production of 146.27 million metric tons.8 The fishing industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP was 2.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent, at current and constant prices, respectively. The industry employed a total of 1,614,368 fishing operators nationwide,9 of which the artisanal fisheries sector accounted for 1,371,676.10 Artisanal fishing operations were typically family-based and used smaller craft. There were a total of 469,807 fishing boats in the Philippines, of which 292,180 were non-motorized and 177,627 were motorized.11 Fish was not only an important source of nutrition, but as fishing did not require landownership or special permits it was an employment of last resort for people who had no other means of subsistence. MIA, DENMARK MIA was established in Denmark in 1975 by wealthy businessman Hagen Nordstrom, who dedicated the NGO to his wife Mia and made fighting poverty his life’s work. (MIA stood for â€Å"beloved† in Danish.) MIA had initially focused solely on poverty-alleviating projects in Africa and had expanded its operations to Latin America and the Caribbean only in the early 1990s. The grandson of Nordstrom, Gillis Nordstrom, had taken over as MIA chairman in 2004 on the eve of the Bander Aceh Tsunami of December 26, 2004, which devastated Southeast Asia and killed as many as 5 www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreEconomies/?economyid=153, accessed November 15, 2008. www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2002/Update/ado2002update.pdf, accessed December 18, 2008. 7 www.scribd.com/doc/354869/2005-Fisheries-Profile#, accessed December 5, 2008. 8 www.scribd.com/doc/354869/2005-Fisheries-Profile, accessed November 15, 2008. 9 NSO 2002 Census for Fisheries. 10 www.scribd.com/doc/354869/2005-Fisheries-Profile, accessed November 15, 2008. 11 www.scribd.com/doc/354869/2005-Fisheries-Profile#, accessed December 5, 2008. 6 Page 3 9B09M016 130,000 people.12 Nordstrom had taken initiative and redirected MIA to focus on disaster recovery and poverty alleviation projects in Southeast Asia. MIA had established an office in Manila in January 2006, and the young Danish development economist Borje Petersen was hired to manage the MIA Philippines office. Petersen was paid a starting salary of $75,000 a year plus housing,  slightly below average for a comparable development economist position. Petersen knew that MIA’s attention was focused on Indonesia and Malaysia, which had been the hardest hit by the tsunami, and was anxious to carve out a position for MIA Philippines by designing an exceptional project. As the expansion into Asia was the pet project of MIA’s chairman, Petersen felt assured that funding would be easily appropriated and even expedited. Petersen knew that the average overseas posting for a development economist for MIA was two years and had quickly established contact with local and international stakeholders and set up numerous meetings with large development project counterparts such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the German development aid organization GFZ to get an expedited understanding of the Philippines and its unique needs. Based on the initial research, Petersen had decided that, whereas an agricultural project would be feasible, it would take a long time to realize and the outcome could be complicated given the Philippines’ proneness to be hit by typhoons. Petersen’s research had revealed that small-scale aquaculture projects had been successfully implemented in the Philippines in the past. However, there were hardly any projects to speak of directed at artisanal fishing and picking up on the vested opportunity and his desire to deliver fast results and prove himself worthy of the task that MIA and its chairman demanded, he had chosen to design a project helping artisanal fishermen. Petersen had researched the possibility of helping a fishing village close to Manila and the search for the ideal village had come to a successful ending when MIA’s driver, Vicente Tubo, had mentioned how some of his distant cousins fished for a living in a fishing village seven to nine hours by car from Manila. A factfinding mission to the village Barangay San Hagon was undertaken and the village was thus chosen as the beneficiary of MIA’s pilot project in the Philippines. BARANGAY SAN HAGON Barangay San Hagon boasted 125 households and had a resident population of 625. San Hagon lay on the south coast of Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines. The Barangay was the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and stemmed from the Spanish â€Å"Barrio.†13 Barangay San Hagon was administered by a local government unit (LGU) and consisted of seven Barangay council members and a chairman. The chairman of Barangay San Hagon was Rafael Buenaventura, age 59, who had held office for more than a decade. Fishing villages in the Philippines were very vulnerable to external risk, especially natural calamities such as typhoons, flooding and fish kills, which severely affected their financial situation. www.cityu.edu.hk/searc/tsunami/index.html, accessed November 18, 2008. www.i-site.ph/Factfinder/barangay.html, accessed December 23, 2008. BARANGAY SAN HAGON’S ECONOMY Fishing was the main occupation of the village. Secondary occupations included rice farming, fruit and vegetable growing and livestock raising. The service sector consisted of boat builders, mechanics, barbers, tailors, drivers and Sari-Sari store operators (mom and pop-type convenience stores). Fishing was undertaken exclusively by men, whereas most of the other occupations and post-fishing activities were undertaken by the women of the village. The village boasted 12 overseas workers employed as unqualified laborers in different parts of the Arabian Peninsula who sent back remittance payments. It was believed that more than 10 million Filipinos worked overseas and supported their families with remittance payments. The daily income for the San Hagon fisherman was approximately $1 per day. The fishermen of San Hagon used â€Å"banka boats,† the traditional outrigger type of boat used in Southeast Asia. Whereas some fishermen had utilized traditional means of fishing with hook and line, gill nets and bamboo fish traps, the majority chose to use blast and cyanide fishing. Blast fishing consisted of throwing an explosive charge or a stick of dynamite into the sea. The explosion instantly killed every living organism within its range including coral reef. A number of the fish would float and the fishermen would scoop them up. Quite a large number of the dead fish, however, would stay submerged. Homemade explosives from readily available materials such as powdered potassium nitrate or an ammonium nitrate and kerosene mixture packed in glass bottles were often used. These mixtures were often unstable and exploded prematurely, maiming or killing fishermen. Each village had a number of limbless fishermen and a story of how an explosive device had killed a fellow fisherman.14 Cyanide fishing consisted of squirting cyanide into the caves/dwellings of the fish in the coral reef. Fishermen used makeshift pumps, which pumped oxygen down a plastic tube, to dive into the sea. The method was dangerous and most fishermen had experienced some form of bend while diving. The cyanide killed up to 75 per cent of the fish on contact. Cyanide also killed the coral reef.15 Once the coral reef died, fish were displaced as a result of the break in the food chain and lack of protection. Blast and cyanide fishing did not need any real skill and fishing knowledge and even though both methods were illegal and there were numerous laws in place, it was impossible to effectively enforce these laws. SAN HAGON’S CAPITAL ASSETS The village of San Hagon had basic capital assets on which it based its competitive position. Most fishing villages in the region had similar capital resources. Human Capital Education: Most of the villagers had some high school education. Skills: Fishing and farming skills were learnt from an informal network of fellow villagers, friends, etc. 14 www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/problems/problems_fishing/destructive_fishing, accessed December 24, 2008. 15 www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/stories/index.cfm?uNewsID=5563, accessed December 23, 2008. Page 5 9B09M016 Employment: Most villagers had multiple occupations in order to generate enough income to make a living. Social Capital Access to governmental and non-governmental information sources: The village had limited access to governmental and non-governmental organizations for the dissemination of knowledge. Information was disseminated from an informal network of fellow fishermen, friends and relatives. Role of women: The women of the village were active in the work force as a source of free labor but had little decision-making power. Natural Capital Access to natural resources: The villagers had free access to the ocean, land and water. Resource ownership: Nearly all villagers owned their small plots of land where they farmed or raised livestock. Financial Capital Access to financing: The village had limited access to public or private financing. Savings potential: The villagers had limited savings potential due to their limited income. Income generation: The subsistence fishing, farming and livestock raising activities of the village coupled with services provided by the villagers allowed for subsistence living conditions. Remittances: The village had 12 overseas workers who regularly sent remittances to support their families. Physical Capital Access to electricity: The village owned an old diesel generator that provided electricity. The generator required frequent maintenance work and was out of commission frequently when there was no money to purchase diesel fuel. This occurred due to lack of income as a result of poor fishing results, increased expenditures during the months when school-aged children needed supplies and in times when collecting past dues owed by households became a problem. Access to modes of communication: Due to its remote location and small population, the village did not have access to phone lines or wireless phone service. The nearest phone line was located in San Jose, a larger settlement that was three hours away by car. Access to transportation: San Hagon only had internal dirt roads and road access was a problem, especially in the rainy season. Roads connecting San Hagon to the outer world were mostly unpaved and it was difficult to navigate the roads at night or during the rainy season, which was five to six months of the year. Manila, the capital of the Philippines, was located seven to nine hours away by car. Page 6 9B09M016 Whereas most people in the village walked, the bicycle/tricycle was the preferred mode of transport. The better-off households boasted small motorcycles, of which there were more than a dozen. Transport to and from the village was provided by a Jeepney (an extended U.S. military jeep left  over from WWII), the traditional form of public transport in the Philippines operated by one of the villagers that usually left for San Jose early in the morning and returned in the afternoon. Jeepneys transported people, fruits and vegetables, livestock, etc. 16 Access to safe water supply: The village did not have running water and depended on numerous deep fresh water wells for its fresh water supply.  Home ownership: More than 95 per cent of households owned their own dwellings. The better-off households had cement walls and galvanized iron sheet roofing. Boat ownership: Banka boat ownership was close to 100 per cent. Approximately one third of these bankas were motorized. Other: Most households owned modest household appliances and facilities, such as televisions, radios and electric fans. EXISTING MODUS OPERANDI Under the prevailing conditions, fishermen would put aside enough to feed their families and sell the rest of the catch at the village square or exchange it against fruits, vegetables, rice and other staple goods. The price of fish was not fixed and would fluctuate when there was an oversupply and the barter equivalent of other products would go up in price. Prices of fish and other goods were also affected by delays in the arrival of supply jeepneys, which supplied the village’s three Sari-Sari stores. Commerce with other villages was limited, as these villages had a similar economic setup. Few buyers ever came to San Hagon due to the remoteness of the village and the poor road conditions. The few that came were treated suspiciously, as there had been numerous occasions when smaller buyers had taken the fish on consignment but had not paid for them. The larger traders avoided San Hagon completely and opted to do business with villages that were more accessible. Fish was an easily perishable commodity and transporting fish for more than a couple of hours without refrigeration or cold storage was not possible due to the prevailing heat. There was no access to ice in the region and the cost of a refrigerated vehicle was beyond the village’s means. Some  fishermen chose to dry excess fish and sell it locally, even though dried fish made less profit than fresh fish, or consume it themselves when fresh fish supplies were low. Even though the villagers complained at times, they had accepted the lifestyle they led, as they did not have the financial means or knowledge to alter their situation. The only other alternative was to leave the village, migrate to larger cities and look for jobs, of which there were only low-paying, menial ones. The mantra, â€Å"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime,† had become a reality when MIA had chosen to help the village of San Hagon. The village inhabitants had seen the effects of NGO assistance and how it had transformed the livelihood of other fishing villages. The appearance of a European NGO was a blessing and meant an influx of muchneeded money. DIVING VILLAGES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION A number of fishing villages in the region had made the transition from fishing village to diving village with the help of foreign NGOs. Diving villages were villages that catered to the scuba diving expat community and wealthy Filipinos who could afford the sport. Fishermen in these villages had been transformed into tour guides and diving instructors. The transformed villages earned up to 10 times more income and helped to protect the environment. PROJECT SAN HAGON: â€Å"HITTING MANY BIRDS WITH ONE STONE† After initial assessment and consideration of its own capabilities, MIA had considered converting San Hagon into a diving village. Petersen, however, had later shied away from a tourism-related project for three reasons: 1. Competition: There were already two villages in the region that had already achieved name recognition and were much easier to access than San Hagon.  2. Damaged product: A significant portion of San Hagon’s coral reef had been damaged. 3. Time factor: It would take a long time to transform San Hagon to a diving village. Instead, MIA had designed a project that would entail the livelihood improvement of the village, empower women and encourage environmental protectionism. Petersen had remembered the old Danish saying â€Å"hit many birds with one stone† as he designed the project. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION MIA had proposed that in return for stopping blast and cyanide fishing and reverting back to traditional means of fishing, the village would receive a grant to establish a fishing cooperative, construct a fish processing/cooperative building with all office furnishings and receive a new diesel generator, fish processing equipment, packaging equipment and training on how to process and package fish. In addition, MIA would copyright a brand name for the village, have all marketing communication materials prepared and arrange shelf space as the exclusive supplier of malls and supermarkets in Metro Manila. It was foreseen that reverting back to traditional methods of fishing would decrease the amount of fish that were caught, but establishing San Hagon as a direct supplier to large buyers would garner top prices and substantially increase income and offset any losses. MIA’s project intended to emphasize the importance of fish as a healthy food, and highlight fishing as a generator of employment and income and as a means to protect the environment (see Exhibit 3). PROJECT IMPACT ASSESSMENT Economic Impact: The business model would allow households to increase their income from $1 to $4 per day. Fish that was not in demand by the cooperative could be used for household consumption or sold/bartered/dried. Social Impact: Women would become a part of the workforce and earn salaries for the first time in their lives and have disposable income. The extra income would also help women become more independent. Environmental Impact: The destructive blast and cyanide fishing methods would cease. This would halt the destruction of the coral reef and help increase fish stocks. Fishermen would become environmental conservationists and promote the concept of sustainability. PROJECT PREPARATION A knowledgeable and experienced team was assembled to manage project San Hagon. Ricardo Perez, age 65, was hired to head the local team, help with local authorities and overcome language barriers. Perez had worked as a marketing director for the San Miguel Company, a large Philippine conglomerate with a focus on the food and beverage industry, who were the makers of the famous â€Å"San Mig† beer. Perez had been consulting with small- to mid-sized Filipino companies ever since he retired at age 60. MIA also planned to rely on its extensive database and intranet to share knowledge and achieve maximum participation in the project. Any MIA employee, regardless of rank, experience and location, could comment on projects online. Petersen posted a Gantt chart and encouraged questions and guidance from his peers (see Exhibit 4). The only restriction placed on the project by MIA was that MIA could not engage in direct or indirect payments according to its by-laws. Three-year financial projections for the San Hagon Fishing Cooperative (SHFC) had shown that the project would make a small profit in year one and then realize its full potential in year two and year three once the learning curve constraints had been overcome (see Exhibit 5). PROJECT APPROVAL MIA Philippines had completed project preparations and gotten project approval and funding from MIA headquarters. The project was a first for MIA, as the NGO usually focused more on gender and education projects. Perez and his team had prepared the application for local approval and had submitted the application to the local Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARMC) in San Jose for approval. The FARMC was the policymaking body for the fisheries and aquatic resources of the Philippines. The vetting process by the local FARMC had been completed after two months, after numerous on-site meetings and presentations. Petersen had been frustrated at the speed of the approval process and had directed Perez to intercede frequently. Petersen had thought to himself, â€Å"We are extending a grant and transferring knowledge and still there is all this slow-moving bureaucracy to deal with.† Concurrently with the project permit applications, MIA had conducted one month of catch research in San Hagon to determine the quantity of fish caught by the fishermen. The survey had revealed that it would be possible to catch on average 1,250 kilograms per day (2,750 pounds per day) of prime quality fish for processing. PROJECT SAN HAGON VALUE CHAIN MIA had undertaken a value chain analysis of the project process and assessed how the analysis could be used to improve the project performance (see Exhibit 6). Breaking down the cost structure had further revealed that the cost structure was typically top-loaded by ingoing logistics and that the major expenditure was fuel (see Exhibit 7). PROJECT START-UP Petersen had felt that the slow application process had cost MIA too much time and he had decided to do things the â€Å"Danish way† at the project implementation phase, instilling tight controls, frequent meetings and time management to speed up the project. MIA had concluded that the key success factors were to: Provide grants to acquire new assets. Transfer knowledge and train stakeholders in acquiring and maintaining new capabilities. Increase the value chain contribution of San Hagon villagers. Package and transport a differentiated product to urban centers where there would be demand for the product. Two teams were formed and the work was divided up as follows: Team One: Product development and packaging Team Two: Transportation, distribution, and advertising and promotion Product Development and Packaging Tuna, prawns, lobsters, groupers and crabs were chosen as the product types that would be most in demand in Manila. Focus was to be placed on tuna and grouper fish, the two favorite types of fish in the Philippines. Research had determined that the demand in Manila for chilled, packaged fish fillets was similar to demand in American/European urban centers. The product appealed to the â€Å"A† income level: upwardly mobile, health-conscious customers that had time constraints. Concurrently the team had researched basic packaging machinery that could be operated and maintained under adverse climatic conditions with ease by the fishermen. The packaging machinery, along with stainless steel fish processing work stations and other equipment, was purchased by MIA, transported and set up in San Hagon. Page 10 9B09M016 Transportation, Distribution, and Advertising and Promotion A small refrigerated truck was leased for a year along with a driver to transport the catch from San Hagon to Metro Manila. It was planned that the cooperative would generate enough cash to purchase the truck in due time and that a San Hagon villager would be employed to replace the hired driver in the near future. The team had come up with the brand name â€Å"ISSAGA,† which in the local Tagalog dialect was short for â€Å"Isda Sakdal Gawad† or most-prized fish. â€Å"ISSAGA† had been registered as a brand name, art work had been designed and packaging materials and labels were printed. Petersen had personally helped with the marketing arrangements, and the venerated HUI malls and supermarkets in Manila had agreed to support the project and provide free shelf space. Petersen had met William Hui, a leading businessman of Chinese decent, at a social function at the Danish embassy. Getting shelf space in a Manila supermarket was in itself a great feat, as acquiring retail space in Philippine supermarkets was difficult, time consuming and expensive. HUI malls had also agreed to promote ISSAGA branded fish products at points of sale. Hui, Perez and countless others had called in favors, and Manila TV stations, newspapers and magazines had agreed to support the project and  showcase their corporate social citizenship by providing free pubic relations. The project would streamline the distribution cycle and increase profit margins for both supplier and buyer (see Exhibit 8). With most of the work at the lower end of the distribution chain completed, the focus had been shifted to the top end and MIA had directed the fishermen of San Hagon to form a fishing cooperative. MIA and other stakeholders needed a formal counterpart they could address and it was hoped that being part of a formal organization would instill a sense of ownership and result in commitment and responsibility on the part of the villagers. SAN HAGON FISHING COOPERATIVE Chairman Buenaventura was chosen as the president of the newly formed SHFC. His two sons-in-law were appointed as manager and as treasurer of the cooperative, respectively. A basic contract was signed between MIA and the SHFC depicting the scope of the project, registration of fixed assets and depreciation scheduling. MIA insisted from the onset that all fishermen join the fishing cooperative. One hundred per cent membership to the fishing cooperative was important because: 1. It was necessary to aggregate the catch of the village to make it feasible for the catch to be sold to the buyer HUI malls. 2. MIA wanted all stakeholders in San Hagon to benefit from the poverty-alleviation project. STAKEHOLDER CONFLICT MIA had initially donated $5,000 to the cooperative, and a basic building large enough to house the fish processing and packaging line, with cement walls and a corrugated steel roof, was quickly constructed. The building work was done by the villagers, who received a wage in return for their labor. The first disagreement had occurred when Buenaventura had insisted that he receive $150 and the other cooperative employees receive monthly salaries of $100 as remuneration for the work that they would provide. MIA had initially balked at the salary demand and had threatened to call off the project. Buenaventura had, however, remained persistent and Petersen, after two weeks of deliberations and absolute inertia on the part of the villagers, had directed Perez to negotiate the demand in an attempt to rescue the project. An agreement for $100 a month for Buenaventura and $65 for his sons-in-law had been thus reached to be paid for the duration of a year. The next conflict had arisen when Buenaventura did not want to fully disclose how much it had cost to build the cooperative building. MIA had later learnt that Buenaventura had thrown a â€Å"fiesta,† a Philippine celebration that included free drinks and â€Å"lechon† pork roast on charcoal, to celebrate the new building. At this stage, Petersen had started to wonder if he had made a serious mistake in choosing San Hagon as the pilot project and Perez as project manager. Afraid of the consequences to his career if he terminated the project, he had decided to push on even if it meant accepting additional demands. Demands for help were frequent. Villages neighboring San Hagon had heard about the project and the MIA office received numerous phone calls daily asking MIA to extend its help to other villages. MIA had been busy turning down the inquiries, citing limited resources. Time was a resource of which Petersen did not have plenty. He was often frustrated at the speed at which things happened in the Philippines. Project manager Perez seemed competent enough and had vast amounts of experience and was technically adapt. He couldn’t decide whether the slow progress was a result of Perez’s speed or the inability or unwillingness of the San Hagon cooperative council to hurry things along. His frustration increased, as with each passing month he was not able to report progress to MIA headquarters. Mindful of his standing at MIA Denmark and in his quest to speed up the project, Petersen had started to adopt a more confrontational approach, especially at the weekly project coordination meetings with Perez and the rest of the team. Perez always reported how much progress they were making. Perez and the rest of the team continuously assured Petersen that this was how business was conducted in the Philippines. Petersen was tired of hearing this. The other nerve-wracking problem was that the word â€Å"no† did not exist in the Philippine language. It was considered rude to say â€Å"no† and hence every question and every inquiry got a positive answer. There were, however, different shades of â€Å"yes,† with some meaning â€Å"no,† some meaning â€Å"maybe† and some which really meant â€Å"yes.† It had taken Petersen more than six months to figure this out. He instructed all his employees not to feel embarrassed to say â€Å"no† to him. But that had only resulted in further embarrassing his employees. He sometimes felt that he was getting nowhere. With only the one active project to show for, Petersen needed to quickly complete this project and start new projects if he was to stand a chance of getting promoted and assuming greater responsibilities in a bigger MIA office. Working at MIA had begun to feel like a tug-of-war between himself and the Filipino staff, with Petersen trying to quicken the pace and the staff slowing him down at every turn. Petersen wished that Perez would take more initiative and use his decision-making power rather than run even the smallest decisions by him first. At times he had begun to suspect that Perez was slowing down the project intentionally to keep receiving his salary longer. Salaries in the Philippines were low compared to those in Europe or America, especially in retirement, and after making $1,000 to $1,500 as a marketing director in San Miguel, Perez was only making $300 in retirement. The $700 salary MIA was paying him was quite a boost to his income. Perez had felt that he urgently needed to complete the project. He had chosen  to continue working well into retirement, as his pension payment was not sufficient enough to maintain his lifestyle and put his youngest daughter through college. Perez had completed his bachelor of arts degree at the University of the Philippines, and had obtained a prestigious certificate for food service management at Cornell University, New York, United States. He had interviewed with MIA and accepted its job offer, because foreign NGOs usually paid better than their Filipino counterparts and, more importantly, on time. Before retirement, Perez had managed more than 175 employees. Even though the San Hagon project was basic compared to what he was accustomed to managing and even though the MIA country manager was young enough to be his son, the pay was generous. Perez had seen himself as advisor and mentor to the young Petersen and had tried to show him the way business was done in the Philippines. He had interceded frequently to expedite the permission process and facilitated MIA’s dealings with the San Hagon fishing cooperative. True to Philippine culture, Perez had always shown the utmost respect for Petersen, especially in public, and portrayed him as the all-powerful leader of MIA. Having young Petersen make all decisions had been a part of his show of respect and deference to Petersen’s authority. Young Petersen had, however, been difficult to deal with. The whole project had taken an unpleasant turn, as Petersen had gotten extremely confrontational at meetings. Perez had heard about the difficulties of working with Americans and Europeans. Filipinos did not like confrontation. â€Å"Pakikisama† (group loyalty) and the importance of maintaining social harmony were a part of his management style and disagreement or interpersonal tension of any sort at the workplace was extremely distasteful for Perez. Petersen had caused him â€Å"hiya† (embarrassment) in front of the rest of the team. His team, while staying silent during meetings, had approached him afterwards and empathized with him. Perez had felt elated when the planning stage was over and the project had entered the implementation stage, which was more in his comfort zone. Perez had designed the new product-to-market process and ensured that he would spend most of his time out of the office and avoiding Petersen. NEW PRODUCT-TO-MARKET PROCESS Deboning, Filleting and Packaging In order to add value to the product and to offset the cost of cleaning and filleting the fish at a higher cost by HUI employees, it was planned that the deboning, filleting and packaging would be done in San Hagon. The cooperative had called upon the women of the village who were experienced in preparing fish to help with processing the catch. It was planned that women in the village interested in the opportunity would be paid in return for the quantity of fish they processed. If demand for the work outweighed supply, there would be a waiting list and all interested women would get their chance to earn extra income when their turn came. Once deboned and filleted, the fish would be individually packaged in sealed cellophane packets and packed in 40 kilogram containers. The SHFC encouraged all fishermen to bring in their catch to the cooperative early in the morning, where the catch was assessed and weighed according to the product needs of HUI malls for the week. Each fisherman had an account at the SHFC and his account was credited according to the daily catch brought  in. The fishermen were free to do whatever they wanted with the catch not purchased by HUI malls. HUI malls were only interested in selling the finest quality fish in two of their exclusive high-end malls. Second- and third-tier fish were delivered to the remaining five mid-market HUI malls in Metro Manila. As a differentiating factor, the project called for the product to be sold chilled. Upscale customers in Manila preferred chilled and filleted fish because they felt it was safer than fresh fish and easier to prepare. Storage and Transport Taking into account the problematic supply of electricity and high cost of establishing a cold chain, which would have required a substantial cold storage facility investment in the village, and in line with providing sustainable low technology solutions, it was planned that the fish would be stored in a refrigerated truck which operated its cooling unit 24 hours per day and would be used as both a transport and storage facility. The refrigerated truck would make daily trips to Manila and distribute the product. Sales and Distribution HUI malls had insisted that the allocated shelves be stocked by the San Hagon cooperative. The driver would make deliveries and stock the shelves of seven different HUI malls in Manila. Fish deliveries would be made on a consignment basis and payments based on real sales were to be made to San Hagon on a weekly basis. The model had some problems, as payment by HUI malls was delayed. HUI MALLS William Hui had been one of the facilitators of the project. By providing free shelf space for San Hagon, he had received free public relations and showcased the corporate social responsibility of his company. HUI malls had financially benefited as well, receiving good-quality filleted fish at bargain prices without having to invest in setting up or managing procurement and processing operations. Hui’s business savvy had become even more apparent when he was approached by a reputable Japanese buyer who had recently purchased ISSAGA fish at one of his malls and had inquired about selling the product in Japan. IMPLEMENTATION PROBLEMS Under the careful guidance of Perez, the fishermen had conducted the first limited packaging test runs. The process was fraught with problems at first.  Deboning and filleting fish commercially was very different from filleting for self-consumption. At first the SHFC had wanted to package all kinds of fish, regardless of size and quality. HUI malls had rejected at least 25 per cent of the initial shipments before the SHFC had bowed to the quality standards set forth by HUI malls. Spillage and spoilage was another problem. Nearly 15 per cent of produce was lost in this way. This had been due to refrigeration problems and the freshness of the fish. Fish was a sensitive product and had a very short shelf life unless stored properly and it had become clear that not all fishermen brought in their catch in the morning. Sometimes the truck was late in picking up the day’s catch, which led to late deliveries. Aggregating enough supply to make the business run profitably was an issue at first. Even though all fishermen had joined the cooperative, supply problems due to adverse weather conditions and sometimes due to the complacency of the fishermen had resulted in the shipment truck making a loss nearly 50 per cent of the time. Once the product was on the supermarket shelf however, it sold well. â€Å"But the process of getting the product on the shelf is inefficient to such a degree that the cooperative is making a loss,† Petersen had thought when conducting an interim project evaluation. INTERIM PROJECT EVALUATION Perez had put his vast experience to good use and had intervened to iron out the problems. The logistic problem was solved by hiring two new drivers from the village to man the truck. The initial drivers’ contract was terminated. MIA purchased and donated a second-hand refrigerated truck body with a powerful diesel-operated air conditioner, which was used to store the daily catch if the truck was not available to pick up or deliver the product. Perez’s interventions had worked and the profits had started to seep in. PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT After a full year of careful scrutiny to make sure the project did not suffer from continuity problems, Petersen had sent in his project evaluation report to MIA Denmark and had lauded the project as a great success. The results of the project had started to show in San Hagon, as most villagers had upgraded their huts to cement-walled, galvanized, iron sheet roofed buildings. Most homes had upgraded their TVs and purchased karaoke players to supplement their home entertainment. The most visible improvement was the number of banka boats that were now outfitted with engines. FISH DELIVERIES CEASE MIA’s country director, Petersen, was preparing to transfer to MIA Africa when the phone call from HUI malls had come in informing MIA of the abrupt halt in fish deliveries more than a month ago and asking MIA for its help. HUI malls had inferred that they were ready to negotiate with the SHFC to improve business terms if need be. Petersen had unwillingly agreed to send a fact-finding mission to understand what had gone wrong and hired McKenzie to head the fact-finding team, as the initial San Hagon project team had already been disbanded. Page 15 9B09M016 Exhibit 1 MAP OF THE PHILIPPINES Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html, accessed October 28, 2008. Page 16 9B09M016 Exhibit 2 PHILIPPINE SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT AS SHARE OF GDP 1996-2001 AVERAGE (%) Savings/GDP 40.1 33.5 45.2 22.9 26.1 19.7 32.5 18.9 26.9 12.5 China, People’s Republic of Korea Malaysia India Taiwan Bangladesh Thailand Philippines Indonesia Pakistan Investment/GDP 37.8 31.8 33.4 24 23.7 21.5 28 20.4 23.2 17.1 Source: www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2002/Update/ado2002update.pdf, accessed November 18, 2008. Exhibit 3 PROJECT SAN HAGON FACT SHEET OBJECTIVES 1) Increase $1/day income to $4 2) Integrate more women into the workforce 3) Promote environment conservation PROJECT COST FORECAST Procurement Construction Training Salaries MIA local consultants/month SHFC management salaries/month $ 18,000 5,000 1,500 1,500 230 OPERATIONAL COST Truck rental/month Truck driver salary/month SHFC workers’ salaries/month Fuel/month Packaging material/month 850 375 1,000 3,500 250 ADDITIONAL COSTS Procurement $4,000 Additional driver salary/month Additional fuel/month 4,000 375 1,250 EXECUTION Mr. Petersen, MIA director, The Philippines Mr. Perez, project manager, San Hagon Page 17 9B09M016 Exhibit 4 PROJECT SAN HAGON GANTT CHART Page 18 9B09M016 Exhibit 5 PROJECT SAN HAGON THREE YEAR FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS YEAR 1 255,200 236,880 12,600 249,480 5,720 REVENUE Cost of goods sold Fixed cost TOTAL COST INCOME BEFORE TAXES NOTE: All amounts in US$ at $1=56 Filipino pesos Fiscal year ends December 31 Exhibit 6 VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS YEAR 2 382,800 236,880 12,600 249,480 133,320 YEAR 3 382,800 236,880 12,600 249,480 133,320 Page 19 9B09M016 Exhibit 7 $ (000) VALUE CHAIN COST STRUCTURE Page 20 9B09M016 Exhibit 8 DISTRIBUTION CYCLE ANALYSIS