The Business Model

The Business Model * Based on your reading of Chapter 4 from the Hess book, â€Å"An Elevator-Pitch Business Model,† and the â€Å"Why Business Models Matter† article, complete the following: a. Write a concise two-sentence â€Å"elevator pitch† customer value proposition for your real-world business. (You can use the examples in the Hess book as a guide. ) We will offer services to assist customers acquire any type of property to be used in any kind of way that is responsible to the needs of all parties and governments.Delivering exceptional results by constantly improving on service and processes, being accountable for culture, a winner’s intensity, and innovation that endears a strong service ethic. b. Then, incorporating your elevator pitch, expand it to a full but still crisp business model description, or â€Å"story,† as Magretta refers to it. Establishing a business to satisfy the needs of a community or region through the practice of ethica l behavior and providing individuals or business that desire to acquire property locally or globally quality in service and process through the transaction process.We offer services to the acquisition of any type of property to be used in any kind of way that is responsible to the needs of all parties and governments Uncontested Market Space Strategy—First Pass Hamel and Prahalad (2005) write, â€Å"The strategist's goal is not to find a niche within the existing industry space but to create new space that is uniquely suited to the company's own strengths—space that is off the map. † Based on your reading of the articles â€Å"Value Innovation: A Leap into the Blue Ocean† and â€Å"Strategic Intent,† in two paragraphs, apply the thoughts of the authors and describe how your eal-world business attempts (or will attempt) to create new competitive â€Å"uncontested market† spaces, and what the primary challenges to such a strategy are or will b e. Be specific. Strategic intent will be to grow the organization organically to increase profits by 15% per month and maintain and highly ethical work environment and relationship with customers, employees, stakeholders, and allies. We will focus on the needs of the customer with respect to culture of the region, economics, social environment, and community needs.Ethics will be a strong part of the of the implementation of this strategy to find and partner with likeminded individuals with a belief to and commitment to represent themselves in an honest way being accountable for their actions. Form alliances with individuals that don’t lie, cheat, steal, and create value for the customer through providing thorough, high quality service and products, use ethical procedures and processes, and develop long term relationships with the customer base instead of the arm’s length deals that usually transpire.General Force and Customer Analysis With the reading SWOT Analysis I: Looking Outside for Threats and Opportunities in mind, answer the following questions: a. Identify and discuss the three most important general environmental forces or workstyle and lifestyle trends that are shaping the â€Å"big picture† opportunity for your real-world business. Mobility, technology, and ergonomics: Mobility is being able to work from home or office and form alliances to work as a team when necessary.Working in a team with other individuals in different regions could reduce set up cost, the need for office space, and costly travel to other regions. Using technology to reduce the cost associated with travel and establishes a communication base with allies and team members. Working with allies would assist with handling traffic in other regions coordinating transaction activities and maintaining a cultural presence and providing a physical presence in the market place. Ergonomics building green and designed environmentally friendly for employee comfort, safety , and healthy environment.Daily operations would be on an ad hoc fashion constructing the day around the most important functions early on in the day whether it be documenting recent transactions or setting up meeting with prospects. b. Perform a customer analysis, and using the categories and ideas from pages 6-8, describe as carefully as you can who the customers of your business are, what â€Å"problems† they have that your company can solve, and so forth. Limit your analysis to two single-spaced pages. Use of the internet for the purpose of making money will it harm or make your business profitable.The use of the internet will create new customers and new market segments from which a company can grow and be more profitable. In real estate transactions there are numerous negotiations and other communications that are necessary to complete a transaction. In situations where travel and long distance communications can be very expenses the use of the internet to communicate a nd transmit documents for the purpose of setting up transactions. New markets and customers can be accessed via the internet and alliances can also be established to assist in moving into market segments reducing cost and regulation of local government.Opportunities in the form of alliances, diverse market diffusion strategies, create value by providing ergonomic and energy efficient building processes reaching more and varied consumers in varied market segments. Pricing in the housing markets along with scandal in the lending industry has created a big problem with home acquisition for many local residential consumers. Many qualifying criteria for getting home loans have become more restricted as a consequence of the widespread fraud in the lending industry.As a result of this fraud many communities have been flooded by situations where the accumulation of distressed homes is in an overabundance in many communities. With many communities containing distressed properties devaluation of property values resulted in many owners losing money on their investments. Seemingly with lower home values and lower interest rated this would stimulate buying by consumers for home sales. But with the tougher qualifying standards for lending products fewer consumers are able to purchase and trending toward leasing.Building green also has negatively affected the market place locally because of the cost associated with higher material cost to build green. The opportunity that is created by communities containing distressed property sales is it attracts a different type of buyer to market too. The market share for this type of buyer will be fiercely competitive because more often than not this type of investor is cost conscious and highly educated with their investment practice. Customers are the ultimate target to market too for a business to be profitable in real estate.So it is very important to define your customer and market segment. So generally when you think of customers for real estate business you immediately think of businesses or individuals interested in the acquisition of property. You have three levels of customers all related to financial position of household. You have the economy customer that lives from check to check and almost always want more than they can afford and is misguided because they believe they can spend any money without a budget. You have median income household which may be considered middle class most of these customers are budget wise and educated buyers.Lastly you have the custom buyers where they are all six and seven figure incomes. Opportunities for new customers exist when you enter the international market where you have foreign investors interested in properties located locally. You may also have businesses locally wanting to acquire property globally through a local broker with international access. The customer base will need to be redefined by demographics as well the type of buyer or seller you are working wi th. Personally I have had the best success with working customers in a certain age, income, and educational level in the residential market place.

Why More People Eat Fast Food

Fast Food In our American society today where waking up early each morning to get ready for work has becoming a very huge part of our daily life, we realize that people are becoming more busy even to the point of becoming lazy since they barely have any time to cook for themselves or for their families and therefore, this has lead to the increasing number of fast food restaurants everywhere we go.Pick McDonalds, Subways and Wendy’s for example; there is no corner you will step that you wouldn't end up seeing their sign because all this fast food are very cheap, very convenient and they taste really good and therefore explains why more people eat fast food this days. In a society where money has become a very big financial problem to many people especially family, eating fast food majority of the time will help them save some money because it is very cheap.Many people will prefer eating at fast food restaurant much cheaper than eating at other restaurant because at a fast food restaurant, a person can get a full meal with less than ten dollars but at a fancy restaurants, ten dollars can only get you a beverage and nothing more people to eat fast food without even thinking about the health problems. Even though eating fast foods are very unhealthy, most people will prefer that over going to buy groceries for cooking because it is very cheap and saves a person more money but it can sometimes be healthy just eating a home cooked food depending on what you prefer to eat.More people today tend to eat more fast food rather than home cooked food because it is very convenient. We no longer live in a society where we wake up early in the morning to make breakfast for ourselves because we do not have enough time due to our busy schedule so therefore, making a quick stop at a local fast food restaurant will help us get our day started. The time limit we have when it comes to taking a break at work or at school these days has become very short that, you do not even h ave enough time to at least make the bowl of noodles or sandwich you wish to have for lunch.In the case of having short breaks at work or school, our only options we have to getting something to eat in the few minutes is to run, drive fast or even walk fast for not more than a minutes and we will be able to get something to eat because the fast food restaurant isn't far from us. The convenience of fast food restaurants today has become very helpful to us especially to those who drive because it helps save gas, driving distance and it is very quick and this reason tends to explain why more people are eating fast food.More people are eating fast food this days because our taste buds have become more important to us than the content in the food we eat, whether it being healthy or not. Satisfying our cravings with some large fries and a cheeseburger from McDonalds or a long foot cheese steak from subway will make us feel better of ourselves even though it is unhealthy than eating some r ice with vegetables made at home even though . People wouldn't care about the percentage of fat in a McDonald’s burger because no one really thinks about what they are eating while they are eating it until they are done with it.As we all know, eating fast foods can bring about so many different types of sickness such as high cholesterol level, diabetes and obesity upon us but we still care because we just want to satisfy our cravings and our taste buds. Even though there are some fast food restaurants such as Subway that provide a nutritious and healthy meal but we will still prefer the other unhealthy fast foods over the healthy ones because they taste good and they satisfy our cravings.As our society keeps growing bigger and developing on a very fast pace, we realize that more people are eating more fast foods because they are very cheap, very convenient and they taste very good to satisfy our taste buds. People are getting so busy this days that, spending just some few min utes out of their business schedule to actually make something to eat has become a problem and therefore has also lead to the growing number of fast food restaurants and the increasing number of people who eat there.We realize the cost of buying groceries in order to put a meal on the table has increased to about two times the money you will spend to eat fast food and this explains why more people are eating fast food today. With money being a big problem in our economy today, people have learned to make tight budgets in order to keep them financially stable and spending more money on food needs to be the very last decision any one will make so therefore, eating fast foods will be the best way for people to save some money and also satisfy their taste buds. Even though we all know how unhealthy fast food, everyone eats them for their own reasons.

Weakening of the United States Education System Essay

Weakening of the United States Education System - Essay Example This essay stresses that the trend of outsourcing by American companies in the late 1990s gave jobs to Asian countries like India; and these Asian companies and countries have continued to bid on other technological projects. China and India’s large population also represents labor potentials that translate to serious threats on the US dominance in the international technological market. In the 1950s the United States was able to create educational opportunities for its population; the focus on science and math education during these years helped the US gain technological capabilities. But this educational focus has declined or weakened over the years. Instead, over in Asia, young minds are working long and hard hours mastering and gaining knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). And these are the very areas which students in America are avoiding because of their higher levels of difficulty. This paper makes a conclusion that the American education system has yet to incorporate adjustments into its curriculum which would allow its graduates to comfortably relate with the outside world. And this oversight, if uncorrected, will continue to minimize the competitiveness and the capabilities of their graduates and eventually, their workforce. Countries like China and South Korea are investing largely on their universities and in technological research in order to give them the capability of competing strongly with other countries.

The Haier Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Haier Group - Essay Example As part of their business expansion and diversification, Haier has recently started to produce goods such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, microwaves, televisions, vacuums, cell phones, computers etc (Hunt). â€Å"On February 23, 2004, Haier Group, a major home electrical appliance maker in China, was listed as the only Chinese name brand among the world's 100 most recognizable brands in a global name brand list edited by World Brand Laboratory†(Lu et al, p.1) Even though Haier has acquired a significant place in global market, it is not going to be easy for them to maintain their place, unless they find new ways to improve their business. According to Fortune magazine, Haier's net profit for the six months ending June 2002, declined by 45% and its sales declined by 3.7% during the same period† (Haier Group's Strategy in the US Market). This paper proposes three different ways through which Haier could improve its business strategies and maintain their supre macy in global market. Haier has to improve its international human resource management strategies since it operates in different countries at present. It should be noted that Haier is a company of Chinese origin and the HRM strategies in China and other countries could be entirely different because of the huge political, cultural, social legal and environmental differences between China and other countries.... Chinese government never allows the free flow of information to and from China which is definitely causing problems to Haier. Moreover, credit card forgeries and other internet related crimes are growing day by day and Haier needs to strengthen their internet platforms to enhance communication and secure online purchasing of its products. Even though Haier products are cheaper compared to other similar products, Chinese products normally have a bad reputation as far as quality is concerned. â€Å"Some analysts felt that Haier lacked the brand image to make a dent in the high-end segment. They pointed out that in general consumers were brand-conscious, and this was especially true in the case of high-end products† (Haier Group's Strategy in the US Market). Haier should give more focus to improve the quality of its products. Haier should realize that the consumer electronic markets of mobile phones, computers etc are not like the markets of home appliances like refrigerators, mi crowave ovens or dish washers. Apple, Samsung, Nokia, IBM, Microsoft, etc are some of the renowned consumer electronics brands which are competing with Haier products. It is not easy for Haier to beat them unless they improve the quality of their products drastically. It should be noted that technological advancements are necessary even for selling kitchen appliances now. Competitors are introducing new products and ways to manage kitchen. â€Å"For example, Samsung had introduced the â€Å"Home PAD Refrigerator,† which detected the shelf life of food and automatically displayed a list of items stored in the fridge on the door. Portable entertainment devices were the new trend in consumer

Comparing people income with college degrees and people without Research Paper

Comparing people income with college degrees and people without college degrees - Research Paper Example Carmel, Stanley, Nolan, and Young support this observation and identify a positive correlation between education level and income among individuals (67-77). While Sedat acknowledges a similar relationship between the variables, his study did not identify a significant relationship (62-72), a position that Lin, Gao, Zhuang, and Chen reiterate (n.p.). Wells however identifies a significant relationship between education level and income with economic independence (13-21) and the study seeks to ascertain validity of the proposed relationship. Academic qualification is one of the determinants in employment and dictates people’s positions. This suggests a relationship with income that also varies with type of job and an individual’s position in an organization. The study proposes to ascertain significance of proposed relationship between education level, whether a person has a degree or not, and level of income. The study will use data from Infoplease to obtain average income for a person with a degree across years and average income for a person without a degree across respective years. Test of hypothesis for difference between means will then be used to determine existence difference between the two secondary means and a significant difference would mean that education level affect income. Lin, Jing, et al. â€Å"Exploring correlation between education level, income level, and job satisfaction in Gippsland.† Agribusiness Gippsland. N.d. Web. August 21, 2013. . Sedat, Gumus. â€Å"Investigating the relationship between the quality of education and level of educational attainment in Turkish provinces.† International Journal of Education Reform 21.1 (2012): 62-72. Wells, Ryan. â€Å"Education’s effect on income inequality: A further look.† California Centre for Population Research. N.d. Web. August 21, 2013.

Job security pros and cons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job security pros and cons - Research Paper Example Motivation combined with ability results in performance. Hence, an employee that has a secure job is more likely to be more productive and perform well. Job security gives a level of satisfaction to the employees and gives them a sense of belonging in the organization. It gives them the confidence as they believe that the work they perform is making a difference to the company as a whole. This feeling makes them more loyal to the organization and leaves them with better motivation. As recession has hit most parts of the world, there is an increasing rate of unemployment due to which job security has become a more important aspect for employees due to their fear of becoming unemployed. Hence, it is not wrong to state that job security is directly related to the state of the economy. The degree of job security varies from industry to industry. Some jobs such as in education and healthcare tend to be more secure than the jobs in the private sector. Having a secure job allows individuals to focus more on expanding their skills and learning more as they do not have to worry about the consequences of minor errors if any. It avoids the formation of unions and other parties that could harm the company for its actions and the workers are generally content and complacent.

Final Growth Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Growth Report - Essay Example I found many things I had forgotten about, but overall have learned many important things about me and my personal growth as a person. I have found myself, more and more recently, pushing myself to the very edge of my existence, both spiritually, mentally, and physically. I want to see exactly what I can do, how I tick, and how long I can make myself tick for. I find myself taking on challenges and to much work, in hopes of keeping myself busy and occupied. I may slip up a little here and there, by I try to spread myself out to many different possibilities, hoping to expand my fields of study and learning as far as I possibly can. I also have found that it is more myself, that everyone else who I let make my challenges. Not saying I would turn down one that comes to me, but I keep raising the bar, pushing the tally, and raising the ante, to keep myself moving fast and foremost towards the challenging goals I have set for my personal growth. I also find myself jumping to leadership positions I would have once shied away from, and feel the need to be the leader, as well the want to take on the role when I see what I consider to be insufficient leaders to be doing a job I feel I could be doing much better. Well this rashness and bravado of myself may be a downtrodden effect of my ego, it also helps serve how well I strive for the best I can achieve. I also seem to feel a changin

The Step Pyramid of King Zjoser Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Step Pyramid of King Zjoser - Essay Example From this essay "The Step Pyramid of King Zjoser" it is clear, that Egypt is bordered by the Red Sea and Israel on the east side. (1) The country is divided into two extreme arid regions, The North-West flowing Nile River. The Nile starts 110 miles (162 km.) south of the Mediterranean and fans out to a sea front of 155 miles between the cities of Alexandria and Port Said. The ancient Egypt was divided into two major parts, first was â€Å"black land,† and another was â€Å"red land.†The black land was situated on the bank of the river Nile and it was very fertile land. The land was used for growing crops. This was the only land in Egypt which was formed due to a layer of rich, black silt, deposited there every year after the flood of the Nile. The Red Land was a barren desert that protected Egypt from its neighboring countries and invading armies. This region provided precious metals and semi-precious stones to Egyptians. The major responsible factor for flourishing the ancient Egyptian civilization is the river Nile. It is the gift given by God to the Egyptian people. It is hardly possible to think Egyptian civilization without the river Nile. (2) The river Nile is the longest river in the world which is over 4000 miles long. The shape of Nile is like that of a lotus flower and it is always depicted in ancient Egyptian art. The river Nile has been playing a very crucial role in developing the Egyptian civilization. The Nile River plays very important role in giving food, water to the people.

The Kinship System of the Australian Aborigines Essay Example for Free

The Kinship System of the Australian Aborigines Essay In the following paper I will be discussing the kinship of the Australian Aborigines. I will be discussing how this culture impacts the way they behave such as how the act and live. I will also be comparing this behavior to that of my life. I hope that you find this paper to be interesting as well as informative. I will start out by giving a little background on the Australian Aborigines. They are a group of several hundred Indigenous people that reside in Australia. They have existed before the British annexation of Australia in 1788, before that the number of people was over four hundred. In many cases the people or groups will talk about their â€Å"people† and their â€Å"country†. The countries are ethnographic areas. In many cases each country had extended families that lived in them. It was common to have cousins that marry. I would now like to talk about how the Aborigines dress. In many cases by early settlers they were observed to be naked. Some of the tribes had men and women that wore a belt around their waste that was used to carry tools and weapons. This belt was made of animal hair, animal fur, skin or fiber. Before the colonization of the Europeans it was just a simple flap in the front but, after they had to modify it. In the winter months the Aboriginal people made cloaks to keep warm. Next I would like to talk about their language. There were somewhere between 200 to 250 different Aboriginal languages spoken. Now there are fewer than 200 that still remain and all but 20 are considered to be endangered. In 1888 the language was proof that it was necessary to refer to the Aboriginal names and locations throughout the colonies. There are actually some Aboriginal words that are still used today. Next I will talk about the diet of the Aboriginal people. They will hunt or fish for their meat, gather fruits, berries, eggs, plants and insects as well. Some of the meats that they eat are kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and possums as well as some reptiles and birds. When hunting they would use spears and boomerangs to catch and kill their food. The women were normally responsible for picking the berries as well as caring for the younger children. These are just a few things that the Aboriginal people did and still do today. I will now be talking about their society compares to my own. I do not think that it compares to my society very much. Some of the things that they do are similar to my society in the respect of hunting. I come from a family of people that enjoy hunting for a source of food. Many times these family members will share the food with other family if they are unable to hunt for one reason or another. My family also likes to fish which is another way that we are similar. The ways that their society differs from mine is that we do not believe in marring within our family. In many families though out the United States this is seen as incest and is punishable by law. The other way that we are not similar is that we wear a full body of clothes and always have. I have had the chance to meet some Aboriginal people through the work that my mother used to do. I enjoyed hearing stories of how their ancestors did things and how some of these things have changed throughout time. They still practice the hunting as well as the gathering of their food but, many times can be found wearing clothing. In conclusion I hope that you have found this paper informational as well as informative. I have talked about their diet, how they live as well as I touched on their marring practices. I also have told you why I think that their society is close to my own as well as how it is different from my own. References Anonymous. (n. d. ). Australian aborigines- indigenous Australians. http://www. crystalinks. com/aboriginals. html Nowak, B. , Laird, P. (2010). Cultural Anthropology. San Diego, Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content. ashford. edu.

Sustainable agriculture Essay Example for Free

Sustainable agriculture Essay Specific purpose: Organic food advocates claim that organically grown foods are safer and more nutritious than foods raised with non-organic methods such as pesticide and non-organic fertilizer use, or antibiotic and hormone use. Thesis statement: Many people just dont trust these chemicals and dont want to put them into their bodies. Since virtually all non-organically produced foods contain residues of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals, the only way to avoid them is to buy organic foods. Introduction Organic foods are grown without using most conventional pesticides and fertilizers. A product that is identified as being organic is not produced by genetic engineering. Ionizing radiation and sewage sludge cannot be used in organic production or handling. Organic farming practices include soil and water conservation measures. Crop rotation, manure, and compost are used to improve the soil in place of using conventional fertilizers. Instead of using commercial insecticides or herbicides, organic farmers might use companion planting to discourage insects and mulch and hand weeding to control weeds. To be certified as organic, food products need to come from farms and processing plants that are certified as organic. This means that they are inspected by certified government officials to ensure that organic farms are up to USDA organic standards. The USDA is responsible for the organic labeling program and allows one of three possible labels: Products labeled â€Å"100 percent organic† must contain only organically produced ingredients. Products labeled â€Å"organic† must have at least 95 percent of their ingredients organically produced. Products labeled â€Å"made with organic ingredients† must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. Products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients can list individual ingredients as organic but cannot say that the product is organic. Need Not cheaper: Expect to pay more for organic food, since it requires more labor to bring to market. Not local: Organic produce can come from miles away, and may require lots of energy to transport. Not clean: You should still wash organic produce to remove dirt and bacteria, and take all normal food-handling precautions when preparing organic meats and other foods. Satisfaction Organics Are Good for Your Babys Body A variety of wholesome, nutritious foods is what your baby needs to develop in both body and mind. Chemicals, in the form of added artificial flavorings, dyes, pesticide and herbicide residues, and hydrogenated fats, do nothing to promote good health, and can even detract from it. Organically grown and produced food is free of these chemicals, leaving only the good taste and nutrition that nature intended. Babies and children who are fed an organic diet are not overexposed to antibiotic residue in their food, either. Animals are healthier when farmed organically, because they have adequate access to fresh air, appropriate diet, and outdoor space. Therefore, the need for antibiotic overuse is eliminated. (According to USDA rules, organic meat must be antibiotic-free. ) Organics Are Better for the Planet Taking care of the world that your baby will inherit is also good parenting. Organic farming is based on keeping the soil healthy through natural means like rotating crops, letting fields lie fallow, and using natural fertilizing methods rather than spraying on toxic pesticides and herbicides that can run off into water supplies and contaminate the soil. Visualization Action How to Create a Healthy Organic Table As with most everything, in feeding your family variety is the spice of life. Serving seasonal produce in a variety of colors with a wide range of whole grains and protein sources ensures that your family receives the full spectrum of nutrients that bodies need to function at their best. These recommendations Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes in a variety of colors Eating a variety of whole-grain products Consuming low-fat or fat-free dairy products or equivalent milk products Limiting added sugar, salt, and saturated fat, and avoiding trans fats Work cited National Organic Program, United States Department of Agriculture, Organic Foods Standards and Labels: The Facts Updated: January 2007. Magkos F, Arvaniti F, Zampelas A. Organic food: buying more safety or just peace of mind? A critical review of the literature. 1: Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2006;46(1):23-56. Colborn, T. A Case for Revisiting the Safety of Pesticides: A Closer Look at Neurodevelopment. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 January; 114(1):10-17. Magkos F, Arvaniti F, Zampelas A. Organic food: nutritious food or food for thought? A review of the evidence. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2003 Sep;54(5):357-71. Kopke U. Organic foods: do they have a role? Forum Nutr. 2005;(57):62-72.

New Labours Immigration Policy

New Labours Immigration Policy A report on new labour immigration policy UK The aim of the following report is to provide a summary and analysis of UK immigration policy under New Labour governments. The debates surrounding immigration policy have continued to cause political controversy since New Labour came into power in 1997. New Labour had hoped to speed up the immigration process to be fairer to potential immigrants and asylum seekers, whilst improving administrative efficiency, though it has faced difficulties in achieving its aims. The report will assess the effectiveness or otherwise of immigration policy and all areas of strengths and weaknesses will be examined. New Labour has found immigration policy a difficult area to handle; the reasons for such difficulty will be discussed in the report below. It must be mentioned that some direct influences upon immigration policy are outside of the UK government’s direct control. For instance, the expansion of the European Union (EU) with its corresponding increase in the number of people that are fre e to enter the country. Whilst increases in wars, civil wars, and repression by authoritarian regimes across the globe can often lead to more people wishing to claim asylum or refugee status. New Labour and immigration policy Immigration policy has always been an issue that has been capable of producing controversy and debate within British politics and society, with the media sometimes being particularly influential. Policy is sometimes shaped or altered by that debate, and in the past has convinced governments that immigration policy has had to be completely changed. Since the early 1960s successive British governments had sought to limit immigration into the UK.[1] New Labour was keen to make immigration policy fairer without encouraging higher levels of immigration. UK immigration policy was already faced with difficulties when New Labour came into office. Making decisions as to whether people were legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers was a complicated process. The number of asylum seekers increased slowly but surely during the 1990s as a result of conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, and Afghanistan, as well as other countries. The Conservatives tried to halt that increase by denying right of appeal and withdrawing social security payments to failed asylum seekers.[2] New Labour reversed some of the Conservatives policies aimed at reducing immigration. For example, returning failed asylum seekers to their home countries if those countries were considered safe was no longer done automatically, and some of the restrictions with regard to social security payments were reduced. New Labour also reintroduced the right to appeal for those that were refused entry or leave to remain in the UK. These initial reductions in immigration control have to a great extent being reversed.[3] New Labour’s initial liberalisation of immigration policy was not destined to last long. Whilst New Labour was reducing the UK’s immigration controls other EU states, Germany and France in particular were increasing theirs. Tighter German and French immigration controls meant that that more asylum seekers came to the UK, which placed a strain on the immigration system and tested the resolve of New Labour to maintain its more liberal immigration policy. The immigration system was unable to cope with the volume of asylum seekers; the appeal process was slow and caused a large backlog of cases waiting to be decided. The problems with immigration policy were widely reported by the media and were used by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to criticise New Labour. New Labour responded by making its immigration policy less liberal, attempting to improve the administration of the immigration system and by reducing the number of asylum seekers allowed into the coun try. New Labour was able to persuade the French government to close down the Sangette Refugee Centre, which was close to the Eurotunnel terminal and allowed asylum seekers to get in to the UK. New Labour resorted to some of the measures previously used by the Conservatives to restrict immigrants, such as sending failed asylum seekers back to the countries deemed to be safe, speeding up appeal times and making people appeal from abroad.[4] New Labour argued that restricting immigration policy would help reduce support for extreme parties such as the British National Party that have received strong electoral support in areas like Burnley and Oldham.[5] The expansion of the EU has affected the immigration policy of New Labour. New member states citizens have rights to work and live in the UK. Citizens from Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, have immigrated to the UK to find work. Official statistics show that the Poles were the largest national groups of approved immigrants in 2004, with 26,600 being allowed into the UK.[6] New Labour underestimated the number of people from Eastern Europe that would enter the UK after their countries joined the EU, which prompted ministers to consider work permits for those people from Bulgaria and Romania who wished to come to the UK from January 2007.[7] An important part of New Labour immigration policy is attracting skilled and semi-skilled immigrants and their families into the UK. Firstly these workers are wanted to fill skilled jobs, which means that they should be net contributors of tax and national insurance contributions. The controlled immigration of skilled workers adds to the UK’s resources rather than taking away from them. Secondly, young skilled and semi-skilled workers are encouraged to come to the UK to reduce the economic consequences of an ageing population; it is hoped that they will help to pay for the pensions, and public services of everybody that lives in the UK. New Labour has adopted its immigration policy to score potential immigrants against a series of criteria that assess their skills for potential employers. Those workers that score the highest points are the people that find it easiest to gain entry into the UK.[8] The terms of accession for the Eastern European states means that immigrants do n ot have to be skilled or semi-skilled workers to enter the UK. However, unskilled workers may find it more difficult to find long-term work and are perhaps more likely to need social security benefits.[9] East European immigrant workers have, like previous immigrants, not found themselves welcomed by everyone, as some people believe that they are taking away jobs from British workers. Immigrant workers are often prepared to accept lower wages, yet in many cases they are taking jobs that few British workers want.[10] Critics of New Labour’s immigration policy have argued that the UK received more immigrants due to fewer restrictions being in place, such as work permits and less entitlement to social security benefits. Some also believe that New Labour immigration policy is so ineffective that it hardly constitutes a policy at all. An example of New Labour’s inability to administer its immigration policy was the resignation of the junior minister Beverley Hughes over the fast tracking of visas.[11] In 2005, Home Secretary John Reid went as far as describing the Immigration and Nationalities Directorate as ‘not been fit for purpose’ due to its failure to deport foreign prisoners after the completion of their sentences.[12] There has certainly been frequent media coverage about current levels of immigration being unsustainable for the UK’s health, education, and social security infrastructures. Some of these articles are well researched and plausible, whilst others amount to scare mongering. Former New Labour minister Frank Field argues that the present rate of immigration into the UK is unsustainable, especially if the present net population gains continue at 2004 rates, or indeed if they increase which is possible due to Romania and Bulgaria joining the EU. Official figures show that 329,000 immigrants entered the UK from the new EU member states between 2004 and 2006. Field claims that such migration ‘is producing the equivalent of a new city of Birmingham every five years.’[13] These people that believe New Labour immigration policy has become too restrictive argue that right wing media, pressure groups such as Migrationwatch UK, and the Conservatives have set the agenda over immigration. As with previous restrictions of immigration policy the fear that the Far Right might make electoral gains has been another reason or excuse to restrict immigration.[14] With the exception of a few isolated backbenchers the Labour party has accepted its leadership adoption of more restrictive immigration policy. For instance, New Labour MPs voted for the Immigration Act 2002 which introduced detention centres for asylum seekers and the provision of citizenship lessons for those immigrants that were allowed to live in the UK. New Labour claimed that the new legislation restricted immigration, whilst protecting the human rights of asylum seekers. The bill was only passed because the government made concessions about the location of detention centres to the House of Lords.[15 ] The Liberal Democrats have been the most vocal opponents of New Labour shifts in immigration policy. The Liberal Democrats believe that New Labour has failed to liberalise immigration policy and that claims that they wish to protect the human rights of asylum seekers or immigrants are just a sham. Former Home Secretary David Blunkett was certainly enthusiastic about restricting New Labour immigration policy and reducing the number of asylum seekers, a stance his successors will probably continue. The Liberal Democrats have even tried to complain to the Commission for Racial Equality about what they claim is New Labour’s racist immigration policy.[16] Official statistics have shown declining numbers of asylum seekers and higher numbers of people being returned to their countries of origin. Whereas previously New Labour made public declarations of making immigration policy fairer and less restrictive, it now shows figures depicting falling immigrant numbers that prove tighter and controls are working better.[17] Home Office figures frequently show that 70% of asylum applications fail. It was just taking longer to turn down people when 18,000 applications, a quarter were being received, like the number of applications that were made in the first quarter of 2002.[18] The immigration that New Labour has tried to restrict differed from previous periods of immigration in that as would be immigrants were not form the New Commonwealth countries but from Eastern Europe or from places such as Somalia and Afghanistan troubled by violence or the disintegration of their state.[19] New Labour claims that its immigration policy has started to deliver ‘a fair, fast, and firm system’. The backlog in asylum and immigration applications meant that the government adopted pragmatic, as well as restrictive measures to speed up the immigration process and increase administrative efficiency. The first obvious measure was to prevent potential asylum seekers reaching the UK in the first place, by securing ports and airports, as well as preventing boarding the Eurostar trains in France. Improving administrative efficiency was helped by employing some extra 2,000 people within the Home Office to deal with immigration work. Extra staff contributed to more than 84% of first decisions being made within two months of applications being received. The issuing of identity cards and the finger printing of all asylum seekers has allowed for more people being deported and fewer being able to remain illegally within the UK. Overall New Labour contends that the total of asy lum applications has dropped by 70% since October 2002.[20] New Labour believes that simplifying the appeals structure and making failed asylum seekers appeal from abroad has contributed to the fall in asylum applications. The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal that replaced the previously more complicated appeals system from 2005 is considered an important part of its drive towards increased administrative efficiency.[21] When it came to power New Labour had intended to liberalise immigration policy into the UK. If that liberalisation of immigration policy had been sustained it would have marked a break from the progressively restrictive policies of Conservative and Labour governments since the 1960s. The administration of the immigration service had started to be strained in the last years of the Conservative government as worsening conditions in countries such as the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, and Afghanistan had led to more people seeking asylum. The liberalisation of immigration policy by New Labour inadvertently led to making the strain on the immigration service worse. Restoring the right of appeal to failed asylum seekers, the relaxation of restrictions to social security benefits when combined with a large increase in asylum applications made for a chaotic backlog in which the government seemed to lose control of immigration policy. New Labour had to take pragmatic measures to end the backlog by making it harder for people to enter the UK illegally, and by employing more staff to deal with the backlog. New Labour had political reasons for reversing its liberalisation of immigration policy that carried more weight than practical reasons for restoring administrative control of the situation. New Labour despite its huge majorities in the 1997 and 2001 general elections did not wish to lose electoral support to the Conservatives or other right wing parties like the BNP due to its immigration policy being considered too soft. New Labour did not set the agenda over immigration policy; the Conservatives, pressure groups, and the media set it. More restrictive immigration policy and the effect of improved administrative practices helped to lower the number of asylum seekers from its peak in October 2002. However, for right wing critics of New Labour its immigration policy could never be restrictive enough, whilst for the Liberal Democrats and other left wing critics New Labour has betrayed its promises of respecting the human rights of immigrants and asylum seekers for its own electoral ga in. Perhaps the most contentious area of New Labour immigration policy relates to the immigration of people from the new member states of the EU. These people have greater rights to enter the UK than people from outside of the EU. The long term economic benefits or costs of this migration are not yet clear, although the arrival of immigrants has not proved to be popular and has caused resentment about lower wages and the taking of jobs from British workers. The main recommendation from this report is that New Labour makes the administration of its immigration policy as efficient as possible. Poor organisation and lack of resources made the backlog of immigration cases worse. New Labour needs to commit enough well trained staff to ensure its immigration policy has direction and works. New Labour should also collect accurate information regarding levels of immigration, and adjust its policy accordingly, as a government it should focus on effective policy rather than spin. Bibliography Bright M, Wazir B, Flatt E, The Observer December 1 2002 Onward march of lobby against immigration Coxall B, Robins L Leach R (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke Field F, Daily Mail 30th June 2006, Why are politicians ignoring the immigration timebomb? Fisher J, Denver D, Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Longman, London Hume M, 2 April 2004 New Labours problem is disintegration, not immigration www.spiked-online.com Kingdom J (2003) Government and Politics in Britain, An Introduction 3rd edition, Polity Press, Cambridge Moran M, (2005) Politic and Governance in the UK, Palgrave, Basingstoke Schott B, (2006) Schott’s Almanac 2007, Bloomsbury, London The Guardian, November 7 2002 Asylum bill becomes law Whitaker’s, (2007) Whitaker’s Almanack 2007 – today’s world in one volume, A C Black, London Young H, (2003) supping with the Devils – Political writing from Thatcher to Blair, Guardian Books, London www.labour.org.uk – Asylum and Immigration 1 Footnotes [1] Fisher et al, (2003) p. 5 [2] Young, (20030 p. 230 [3] Kingdom, (2003), p.198 [4] Young, (2003), p.246 [5] Kingdom, (2003), p.198 [6] Whitaker’s Almanack, (2007), p.18 [7] www.labour.org.uk [8] Moran, (2005) p. 49 [9] Whitaker’s Almanack, (2007) p. 18 [10] Young (2003) p. 246 [11] Spiked-online.com, 2 April 2004 [12] Schott, (2007) pp. 45-7 [13] Frank Field, Daily Mail 30th June 2006 [14] Bright et al, The Observer December 1 2002 [15] The Guardian, November 7 2002 [16] Kingdom, (2003), p.198 [17] Coxall et al, (2003), p.394 [18] Kingdom, (2003), p.195 [19] Coxall et al, (2003), p.20 [20] www.labour.org.uk [21] Whitaker’s Almanack (2007) p. 344

California Youth Authority :: essays research papers

The California Youth Authority or the CYA as it is more commonly known, is an institution which provides a range of education, treatment, and training services for youthful offenders committed by courts. This system has been plagued by multitudes of problems for many years that need to be fixed. â€Å"The California Youth Authority is responsible for the protection of society form the criminal and delinquent behavior of young people(Hill, Legislative Analyst).† This is reached mainly through custodial control of these juveniles and the implementation of vocational, education, health, and mental health treatment services. As of now, CYA uses large, remote, high-security facilities. They may be called "schools," but with about 400 kids in each one, they are more like warehouses, storing wards until they are ready for release. For decades, experts and officials have dismissed this model as incapable of meeting the juvenile justice system’s goal of rehabilitating youth. The CYA is clearly not working the way the way that it was designed to run. For instance, three out of four wards who end up in the California Youth Authority are arrested on new criminal charges within three years of their release, which proves the institution's failure to rehabilitate the state's most troubled juvenile offenders. Experts say the high number does not address how much California could gain from approaches used in other states (like Mississippi) such as housing wards in smaller facilities, providing intensive treatment programs, and offering more supervision and assistance after a ward is released. â€Å"In smaller, rehabilitation centers, youth would be under the supervision of trained social workers and mental health experts – not prison guards.(LAO Report, pg. 7).† This would allow the offenders to be in closer contact with their families, as well as a variety of services. The average age of a CYA institution is 43 years old. This means the there are many maintenance and repair needs and, at some point, many buildings will have to be replaced. Also, the population that many of the institutions were designed for 40 or 50 years ago is different than today’s youthful offender. â€Å"Finally, the ward population has decreased from a high of over 10,000 in 1996 to its current level of 4,300. This decline has resulted in overcapacity and presents an opportunity to consider closure(Lao Report, pg. 11).† Closing some institutions would save the state money, and enable the state to implement programs to lower recidivism rates.

Essay example --

In the analysis of environmental samples, advances in instrumentation have allowed laboratories to routinely report sample results into the parts per billion (ppb) range, but this is sometimes insufficient to meet project goals. This article will illustrate a technique that can be used to increase the sensitivity of the mass selective detector, and thereby lower the reporting limit of GC/MS methods such as EPA 8260 for VOCs, or EPA 8270 for SVOCs. The technique is called selected ion monitoring, or SIM, and is specific to the operation of the mass selective detector (MSD). Before describing the advantages and disadvantages of the SIM technique, a brief overview of the principles of operation of the MSD is in order. The MSD is a two-part instrument, comprised of a filter stage and a signal processing, or detection stage. Analytes that have been separated on the gas chromatograph (GC) enter the MSD and encounter a beam of electrons that ionize the analyte molecule into reproducible fragments, each having characteristic properties of mass and charge that allow them to be separated in the filter stage of the MSD. At any point in time, only fragments with the allowed mass to charge ratio (m/z) will pass through the filter and are counted in the detector stage of the MSD. In scan mode, the filter operates dynamically, sequentially scanning m/z ions between the upper and lower limits of m/z specified by the analyst. A full-range spectrum of several hundred m/z ions (specified as atomic mass units, or AMU) is typically scanned in this way. The filter cycles through the m/z range at radio frequencies (109 cycles per second), so each ion in the fragmentation pattern is counted billions of times. The sens itivity of the detector is directly ... ... quant ion. The analyst must be aware of this in order to avoid reporting false or inflated values. Another disadvantage is that the analyte list must be drastically reduced from the 50+ analytes typically reported in a GC/MS analysis. In SIM mode, the detector must be programmed to look for a specific m/z ion (the quant ion) at any particular point in time. Each unknown analyte that is separated on the GC and enters the MSD may potentially have a unique quant ion, so detector limitations come into play for any analyte list that has more than 15 to 20 analytes. Finally, the MSD detector operated in SIM mode is not capable of identifying unknowns or tentatively identified compounds (TICs). SIM analysis is a powerful tool, but one that must be used carefully. Please contact your project manager at Kiff Analytical if you would like further information on SIM analysis

Rene Descartes and Lao Tzu Essay

Rene Descartes remains one of the most significant philosophers of the West in the past few centuries. In his lifetime, the fame and popularity of Descartes is just like that of a mathematician or a physicist. But today, he is considered as an original philosopher and his ideas and thought are one of the most studied in philosophy. Descartes made attempts to bring philosophy to a new direction. His school of though has rejected the thoughts of Aristotle and scholastic traditions that had dominion on the whole of philosophical thought during the medieval period. It instead made attempts to integrate fully his philosophy of with sciences that were considered at that time to be new. Descartes altered the relationship between theology and philosophy. These new directions that Descartes had initiated made him a philosopher that is revolutionary, The most famous of his ideas are those that employ a method of hyperbolic doubt. Hi argument consist of the possibility that he may doubt but he cannot doubt that he exists. An essential aspect of this philosophical method is on the first of is ideas. In searching for the foundation of philosophy, whatever that has the possibility to be doubted must be rejected. He resolves the argument by saying that we must only trust what is clearly and distinctively seen that is free from doubt. It is in this way that Descartes peels or takes away the layers of beliefs and ideas that would only obstruct his perspective of the truth. His next philosophical thought is reconstructing knowledge little by little and by piece in such a way that the there will be no instance that doubt will be back. Descartes has proven th he himself should have the basic ability of thinking. This thinking mind is separate from the body, the existence of God, nature and the outside world. Descartes has shown that knowledge is truly possible and that a scientific knowledge of the material world is possible that is based on mathematics. Descartes also speaks about innate ideas. If exterior objects are known to have any clarity and that they really are, then there must be the existence of innate ideas. These ideas do not come from imagination or from the senses. These ideas came from the operation of the mind on its own. Only innate ideas have features of necessity or even universality. Ideas that are experienced are only contingent. He said that ideas do not have any similarity to the objects that they represent. Because of this statement, the mind is essentially a thinking entity and the body is just a substance that is extended and therefore essentially different. There is no idea of extension that can be formed in the mind using the senses. To have a thought of an extended substance, the idea of an extension must be innate or should first belong to the mind. The theory of innate ideas basically speaks about certain pieces of knowledge that are known to exist in man even before birth and not acquired from experiencing the outside world. Descartes used this in his claim that man has innate idea of God’s existence and basic nature. These innate ideas are not immediately made known to man but require reason in their discovery. The knowledge of God is innate because it is a product of the faculty of faith (Kenny 1997). Lao Tzu, a famous Chinese philosopher, treats the acquisition of knowledge is dictated because it is based on language and socialization. The composition of knowledge is of arbitrary, historically, accidental social systems of creating differences, guiding desires and acting. Lao Tzu justifies the abandoning of knowledge as a method of recovering the natural, genuine and spontaneous impulses of humanity. Society will mold the desires through the use of words and differences. The acquisition of a sophisticated taste will shape the desires of man and also actions and choices that man will take. Man will not desire things naturally because they are just simple and few. Lao Tzu accepts the idea of having pre-social desires. If man will forget or abandon the learned desires that rose from language socialization, then man cam return to nature. The social analysis of knowledge come with the conceptualization of the natural or innate knowledge (Henricks 1989). Although the teachings of Lao Tzu cannot be considered as part of dualism, his ideas will seem to support the primary idea of Descartes as evident in his book, Tao Te Ching. The book talks about the way of Tao that does not vary and compared it to something like a bellow that is inexhaustible but empty. In spite of this unchanging way that makes the world to what it is, everything relies on this unchanging way because it completes everything. There are some similarities to the philosophy of Lao Tzu and Descartes on knowledge. Descartes believed on the innate knowledge of things that man has before he was ever born. Lao Tzu also believed on knowledge that is acquired before pre-socialization wherein man has knowledge before he is immersed in the context of a social world and language. They also have similarities in ideas of dualism. Tao is not extensive and to the world’s order, it has a spiritual entity as a factor by affecting it by using the mind. Te will become the tool that the unvarying way will utilize to show the effects in the body or the natural world. Tao is the one controlling Te and Te follows what Tao says. Tao is being depicted here as God. The real Tao cannot be defined for when it can defined then it is not the real Tao. The Tao that cannot be named is the one who created heaven and earth. It is in reference of something that nothing greater can be thought of. Tao already existed before all the other beings. For Descartes, the knowledge of God’s existence is innate because it is the result of the faculty of faith. In man, there is this idea that lies of a perfect being that Descartes is incapable of creating this idea on his own. This kind of idea must have a cause or a formal reality. This cause cold not have come from a less than perfect being or reality. The attributes of God were of being independent, supremely intelligent and powerful and created everything else in this world. God exists necessarily. Note the similarities of Lao Tzu and Descartes of a supreme being. The only difference is that Lao Tzu did not call it a God. Descartes called it a God, being that it is something that cannot be explained or defined and one that existed before the world was created and the One who created everything else that is found in the world. Lao Tzu did not identify with the being as a personal creator.

Comparative Study on Consumption Patterns of Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices Essay

A drink, or beverage, is a liquid specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to basic needs, beverages form part of the culture of human society. or any liquid suitable for drinking; â€Å"may I take your beverage order? † or A liquid to consume, usually excluding water; a drink. This may include tea, coffee, liquor, beer, milk, or soft drinks Types of beverage The various types of beverage are: †¢Alcoholic beverages †¢Non-Alcohol beverages †¢Soft drinks †¢Fruit juice †¢Hot beverages †¢Other 1. Alcoholic beverages. An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of an alcohol includes many other compounds. Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, and liquor have been part of human culture and development for 8,000 years. 2. Non-alcohol beverages Non-alcoholic beverages are drinks that would normally contain alcohol, such as beer and wine but are made with less than . 5 percent alcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as non-alcoholic beers and de-alcohol zed wines. Non-alcoholic variants: †¢Low alcohol beer †¢Non-alcoholic wine †¢Sparkling cider 3. Soft drinks The name â€Å"soft drink† specifies a lack of alcohol by way of contrast to the term â€Å"hard drink† and the term â€Å"drink†, the latter of which is nominally neutral but often carries connotations of alcoholic content. Beverages like colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, squash, and fruit are among the most common types of soft drinks, while hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee, milk, tap water, alcohol, and milkshakes do not fall into this classification. Many carbonated soft drinks are optionally available in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners. 4. Fruit juice Juice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example,orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be prepared in the home from fresh fruits and vegetables using variety of hand or electric juicers. Many commercial juices are filtered to remove fiber or pulp, but high pulp fresh orange juice is a popular beverage. Juice may be marketed inconcentrate form, sometimes frozen, requiring the user to add water to reconstitute the liquid back to its â€Å"original state† 5. Hot beverages Hot beverages, including infusions. Sometimes drunk chilled. ?Coffee-based beverages ?Cappuccino ?Coffee ?Espresso ?Cafe au lait ?Frappe ?Flavored coffees (mocha etc. ) ?Latte ?Hot chocolate ?Hot cider ?Mulled cider ?Tea-based beverages ?Flavored teas (chai etc. ) ?Green tea? Pearl milk tea ?Tea ?Herbal teas ?Yerba Mate ?Roasted grain beverages ?Sanka 6. Other Some substances may either be called food or drink, and accordingly be eaten with a spoon or drunk, depending on solid ingredients in it and on how thick it is, and on preference: †¢Soup †¢Yogurt OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY The beverage market is worth $55 billion worldwide. The tides are turning for many beverage categories. While the carbonated soft drink and beer categories are merely treading water with flat sales, the energy drink category is surging ahead like never before. Bottled water, ready-to-drink coffee, ready-to-drink tea and sports drinks follow close behind with substantial sales increase- drinks without added sugar, no beer, along with developments in juice drinks and dairy-based drinks, are helping to turn around sales in these categories. What follows is a category-by-category look at the state of the beverage industry, including the top brands, new products, innovations and future trendsetters. In order to be successful in the marketplace, one has to think in terms of health innovation, flavor innovation, ingredient innovation and specific age groups. These are the factors that will shape the future of the beverage industry. â€Å"Today’s consumers are concerned with overall health and wellness. As a result, there is significant impact on food and beverage purchases. Many studies have shown that consumers are as concerned with good health as they are about maintaining a high quality of life. † Do you know what type of new beverage consumers are most likely to try? Do you know where they are most likely to pick those products up? Do you know why? Beverage Industry wanted to know the answers to these questions and to delve deeper into the ever-increasing number of new product launches in the beverage market. â€Å"The soft drink industry is training people to seek out new products, even the big guys are coming out with limited-edition flavors, and consumers are beginning to see that there is more flavor activity going on in the category. Whether that really nets anybody any sales gains is another thing, but it is teaching consumers to seek out and try new products. It’s also trying to create some excitement there. † In spite of several challenges and restrictions faced by this industry, it is a ‘roll’ like never before. Customer preferences may have shifted, but they are still always on the look out for a can of ‘coke’ or a new ‘flavored’ drink to quench their thirst. INDIAN BEVERAGE MARKET The size of the Indian food processing industry is around $ 65. 6 billion, including $20. 6 billion of value added products. Of this, the health beverage industry is valued at $230 million; bread and biscuits at $1. 7 billion; chocolates at $73 million and ice creams at $188 million. The size of the semi-processed/ready-to-eat food segment is over $1. 1 billion. Large biscuits & confectionery units, Soya processing units and starch/glucose/sorbitol producing units have also come up, catering to domestic and international markets. The three largest consumed categories of packaged foods are packed tea, biscuits and soft drinks. The Indian beverage industry faces over supply in segments like coffee and tea. However, more than half of this is available in unpacked or loose form. Indian hot beverage market is a tea dominant market. Consumers in different parts of the country have heterogeneous tastes. Dust tea is popular in southern India, while loose tea in preferred in western India. The urban-rural split of the tea market was 51:49 in 2000. Coffee is consumed largely in the southern states. The size of the total packaged coffee market is 19,600 tones or $87 million. The total soft drink (carbonated beverages and juices) market is estimated at 284 million crates a year or $1 billion. The market is highly seasonal in nature with consumption varying from 25 million crates per month during peak season to 15 million during off-season. The market is predominantly urban with 25 per cent contribution from rural areas. Coca cola and Pepsi dominate the Indian soft drinks market. Mineral water market in India is a 65 million crates ($50 million) industry. On an average, the monthly consumption is estimated at 4. 9 million crates, which increases to 5. 2 million during peak season. RECENT ISSUES 1. Xtazy, another energy drink for the Indian market The Indian market for energy drinks was estimated recently to have a size of Rs 500 crore, about 90 million Euros. The market which is so far dominated by Red Bull, is attracting various new players which want to get a share in a growing business. One of the aspirants is Xtazy, an energy drink from the US. â€Å"Xtazy is the forth largest energy drink inthe US†, says Rohan Malhotra, Managing Director of R. M. Indian Liquor Pvt. Ltd. , the exclusive importer for Xtazy. Malhotra has launched Xtazy already in Eastern India, and was looking now for a distributor in the Delhi area, when FII spoke to him during IFE fair in Delhi recently. In order to take on Red Bull and get a share of 20% from their business, Malhotra wants to offer better conditions to distributors. â€Å"We provide a margin of 6-8% to a distributor, who thus can earn about Rs 6 a can†, Malhotra says. â€Å" This is more than what Red Bull offers which is only about 2 – 3 Rs per can. † Xtazy is available in cans of 350 ml, thus more than the usual 250 ml of other energy drinks, and will be priced with a MRP of Rs 85. Four variants are offered, Cranberry Blast, Sugar Free Passion Fruit-Pineapple, Orange Blast and Lime Blast. Malhotra has planned several marketing measures to promote Xtazy, like PoS actions, coupons and direct marketing in a first round, and night parties in a second round. In marketing communication, he is highlighting not only the variants, but also health effects as the USPs of Xtazy, which are derived from ancient herbs used in the drink like gingko and guarana. The extract of gingko biloba leaf has been shown to dilate blood vessels and has the ability to increase peripheral blood circulation, especially to the brain, the company writes in a leaflet. Guarana from Brasil would serve to promote weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate and reducing the appetite. Besides the US, Malhotra says, Xtazy would be marketed also in Israel, Ukraine and in Turkey and would soon be launched in China. 2. Australia-based â€Å"Aromas† launches first coffee store in India. Australia-based â€Å"Aromas,† one of the leading coffee chain shops, launched its first cafe outlet in India at Hiranandani, Powai, and Mumbai. The company also tied up with Ideal Hospitality Private Ltd (IHPL), which would own the brand in the country and south-east Asia. Jayant Mahiskar, chairman and MD, IHPL, said, â€Å"Aromas is being launched keeping in mind the true coffee connoisseurs. We aim at targeting the youth and corporate at our outlets and Powai with a mix of residential and office complexes was a natural choice. The coffee has been created from selection of the original beans and blended to suit all tastes. Aromas ensures freshness and fullness of flavor. † According to the agreement with Aromas, IHPL will pay about 1. 5% of the gross revenue earned. Further, the company has decided to invest about Rs. 50-75 crore in the next three years to expand its footprint with 99 outlets in India. 3. China rejects Coke bid to take-over major juice maker China has rejected Coca-Cola’s $2. 5 billion bid to buy a major Chinese juice maker. The purchase of Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd would have been the biggest foreign acquisition of a Chinese company to date. The proposed purchase was rejected on anti-monopoly grounds, the Chinese commerce ministry announced on its website. Coca-Cola’s bid in September prompted an outcry by nationalists who urged the government to bar foreigners from acquiring one of China’s most successful homegrown brands. Rival juice producers warned that the acquisition would give Coca-Cola too dominant a position in China’s beverage market. A Coca-Cola spokesman in Hong Kong learned of the rejection of the sale had no immediate comment. Huiyuan’s founders and major shareholders already had endorsed the sale. If Coke were to take over Huiyuan, it will dominate the soft drinks market in China, which not only hurts consumers, but also other sector participants. Huiyuan controls more than a tenth of the Chinese fruit and vegetable juice market that grew 15% last year to $2 billion. Coca-Cola has a 9. 7% share and dominates in diluted juices. According to analysts China’s ruling on Coke could cut both ways in that Chinese firms that have been making increasingly high profile acquisitions abroad may run into trouble of their own. 4. Pepsi’s Slice kicks off the new season with ‘Aamsutra’ PepsiCo’s popular mango juice drink brand- Slice kicks off the 2009 season with it’s new ‘Aamsutra’ concept. According to Homi Battiwalla, business head, juice & juice drinks, PepsiCo India, Slice had seen powerful consumer momentum post the re-launch of 2008. The new winning formulation has been appreciated by consumers. Aamsutra has driven strong disruption in the juice and juice drink category. All of this has made Slice the fastest growing mango drink brand in the country. â€Å"South India is the lead market for mango drinks in the country. Andhra Pradesh is the biggest mango market and also the fastest growing market for Slice and mango drinks in the country. Tamil Nadu is amongst the top three states and Slice is the market-leader in Tamil Nadu,† he added Pepsi has now opted for a new brand ambassador, Katrina Kaif. â€Å"The creative thought behind the new communication was to further enhance the Slice experience into dimensions of pleasure, sensuality and indulgence. Last year’s commercial was about enumerating the principles of ‘Aamsutra’ or the art of experiencing pure mango pleasure with the new Slice. This year, the commercial portrays the next level to bring alive the mango indulgence, stated Hari Krishnan, Vice President, JWT. The company has now opted for a 360 multimedia campaigns involving digital, print, radio, impact outdoors and sampling in core markets. 5. Parle Agro launches lemon flavoured drink â€Å"LMN† Parle Agro, one of the leading food & beverage companies in India, has launched a new fruit-based lemon drink LMN in the non-carbonated segment. The new brand is a natural lemon juice drink and the only brand in India with a taste closest to home made, fresh lime water (Nimbu pani). According to the company, LMN will offer consumers a healthy, refreshing drink with the goodness of vitamin C. Every summer, the Indian beverage market has seen cola majors battle it out. This summer, the launch of LMN will see the cola wars taking a back seat and the battle spilling over to the non-cola segment, to be more precise in the nimbu paani category. PepsiCo India last week launched a nimbu pani drink, Nimbooz, under the 7Up brand On the occasion of LMN’s launch, Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director and CMO, Parle Agro, said, â€Å"Nimbu pani has traditionally been India’s most commonly consumed cold beverage. In fact the idea of a branded lemon drink is so simple that you would wonder why nobody thought of it earlier. The challenge for us was packaging a natural product while retaining its fresh, original taste throughout its shelf life. † LMN will be available in 110 ml Tetra, 200 ml Tetra and 500 ml PET packs priced at Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 23 respectively. The company aims to touch a turnover of Rs 3000-3500 crore by 2011. The company will target both (youth and adult) segments of consumers to turn them into branded consumers of nimbu pani. Besides this LMN will also target an emerging segment of consumers who are looking for a healthy and refreshing beverage in the country. â€Å"For the last 20 years, Parle Agro has been the market leader in fruit based beverages, we have constantly worked keeping in mind Indian preferences while formulating products that cater to the Indian palate. It is without any doubt that only an Indian company can understand what real nimbu pani tastes like and what the Indian consumer wants in a packaged offering,† Chauhan added. Further, the company claims that packaged nimbu pani will have tremendous growth potential, higher than other packaged drinks mainly because of a major shift in consumer behavior. Today, the beverage consumer is looking for hygiene, convenience, refreshing taste, affordability and year-round availability. The name LMN is derived from the SMS version of the word lemon. Parle Agro also owns other fruit drink brands like Frooti, Appy Fizz and packaged drinking water, Bailey. 6. PepsiCo launches ‘Nimbooz,’ packaged lemon juice with no fizz and artificial flavours. PepsiCo India has launched its packaged nimbu paani, Nimbooz, under its 7Up brand. The home-made nimbu paani or lime juice has been specially created to suit Indian tastes. The lemon juice, no fizz and artificial flavours, is available in trendy, convenient packs. The drink offers great value to consumers in three packaging formats of 200 ml returnable glass bottles (RGB), 350 ml PET and 200 ml Tetra attractively priced at Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 10, respectively. According to Ms Punita Lal, Executive Director- Marketing, PepsiCo India, Nimbooz, is specially developed to suit Indian tastes and preferences. â€Å"Nimbooz is an affordable offering for consumers on the go because of its ready-to-drink format that is both convenient and hygienic. The proposition of the Indian refresher perfectly captures the mass appeal of this product and will certainly drive consumer connect, stated Ms Alpana Titus, Executive VP-Flavours, PepsiCo India. PepsiCo has drawn up an intensive consumer activation campaign to market Nimbooz. The 360 degree marketing communication plan will revolve around building awareness through multi-city launches and road shows, comprehensive 3D activation, leveraging Out-of-Home (OOH) media, radio, press and outdoors. Aggressive trial generation and sampling initiatives will also be taken forward across major cities of the country. A special ‘Nimbooz Highway Gadi’ has been created that will visit the four major highways connecting Delhi to Jaipur, Dehradun, Agra to drive trails and consumer education. 7. Coke launches fruit-flavoured Fanta Apple nationally After successfully introducing it in southern markets last year, Coca-Cola India has launched its fruit-flavoured soft drink ‘Fanta Apple’ nationally. The product is available in 200 ml and 300 ml returnable glass bottles and also in 500 ml PET pack priced at Rs 8, Rs 10 and Rs 22 respectively. During the Fanta Apple launch in October 2008, Venkatesh Kini, marketing vice-president, Coca-Cola India, said that the company had planned to reach about 3. 5 lakh customers with sample apple flavoured drink to extend its market leadership in the fruit flavoured segment in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. â€Å"As per consumer research, we have found that after orange, apple is the most preferred fruit in the country and Fanta Apple has been developed specially for the Indian palate,† Kini said on Monday. According to experts, the nationwide launch of Fanta Apple is a part of the company’s $250 million business plan for the country. Fanta Apple is the second flavour after Fanta Orange under â€Å"Fanta† brand of the company. â€Å"We have had an excellent response down south with a reused value to the drink and with the national launch of Fanta Apple, we are stepping stones to extend Coca Cola India’s market leadership in the fruit-flavoured sparkling drink segment,† Kini added. The company has also announced Bollywood actress Genelia D’Souza as the new brand ambassador of the Fanta brand. According to reports, the current expected Indian soft drink market is about Rs 6,000 crore, in which the company shares about 50% market with its various brands like Coke, 7 Up, Fanta, Sprite and Thums Up. STUDY OF GROWTH OF SOFT DRINK MARKET SOFT DRINKS Carbonated drinks are dominated by artificial flavors based on cola, orange and lime with Pepsi and coca-cola dominating the market. The entire part of the drin. †¢Cola products account for nearly 61-62% of the total soft drinks market. †¢Two global majors’ Pepsi and coke dominate the soft drink market. †¢NCAER survey says 91% of soft drink in the country is in the lower, lower middle and upper middle class people. †¢The market is worth around Rs. 5000 crores with growth rate of around 10-15%. †¢The annual per capita consumption in India is only about 6 bottles vis- a- Vis 340 bottles in the U. S. †¢The production as soft drinks has increased from 5670 million bottles in 1998-99 to 6230 million bottles in 1999-2000 industry source. †¢Growth market this year is expected to be 10-15% in value terms and 20-22% in volume terms. However, the market for carbonated drinks is stagnating and not growing as expected. MAJOR PLAYERS IN SOFT DRINKS SEGMENT COCA COLA: thanda matlab coca cola!!! Coca cola has truly remarkable heritage. From a humble beginning in 1886 it has now become the flagship brand of largest manufacturer, distributor of non alcoholic beverages in the world. In India, coca cola was the leading soft drink till 1977 when govt. policies necessitated its departure. Coca cola has made its return to the country in 1993. and made significant investment to ensure that the beverage is available to more and more people in remote as well as inaccessible parts of the world. Coca cola returned to India in 1993 and over the past ten years has captured the imagination of the nation, building strong association with cricket, the thriving cinema industry, music etc. coca cola has been very strongly associated with cricket, sponsoring the world cup in 1996. In 2002, coca cola launched the campaign,†Thanda Matlab coca cola†. in 2003,coke was available for just rs,5 crores in the country. FANTA : GHOONTH BHAR SHARARAT KAR LEY!!! Fanta entered the Indian market in year 1996 under the coca cola brand . over the years, Fanta has occupied a strong market place and is identified as â€Å"the fun catalyst†. Fanta stands for its vibrant color, tempting taste and tingling bubbles that not just uplifts feelings but also helps free spirit thus encouraging one to indulge in the moment. LIMCA: LIME AND LEMONI!!! Drink that can cast a tangy refreshing spell on anyone, anywhere. Born in 1971, Limca has been the original thirst choice, of millions of consumers for over three decades. The brand has been displaying healthy volume growing year on year and limca continues to be leading flavoring soft drinks in the country. Dive into the zingy refreshment of limca and walk away a new person. SPIRITE: SPIRITE BHUJAYE PYAAS BAKI SAB BAKWAAS!!! World wide sprite ranked as no. 4 soft drink and is sold in more than 190 countries In India, sprite was launched in year 1999 and today it has grown to be one of the fastest growing soft drinks, leading clear lime category. Today sprite is perceived as a youth icon. With strong appeal to youth sprite has stood for a straight forward and honest attitude. Its clear crisp hingtaste encourages today’s youth to trust their instincts, influence them to be true who they are and to obey their thirst. THUMS UP: TASTE THE THUNDER!!! Strong cola taste, exciting personality. Thums up is a leading carbonated soft drink and most trusted brand in India. Originally introduced in 1977, thums up was acquired by the coca cola company in 1993. Thums up, is, known for strong, fizzy taste and its confident, mature and uniquely masculine attitude. This brand clearly seeks to separate the man from the boys. MAAZA: YAARI DOSTI TAAZA MAAZA!!! Maaza was launched in 1976. In 1993, maaza was acquired by coca cola India. Maaza currently dominates the fruit drink category. Over the years, maaza has become synonymous with mango. â€Å"Taaza Mango, Maaza mango, Botal mei aam, maaza hai naam†. consumers regard maaza as wholesome, natural, fun loving drink real experience of fruit. The campaign builds on the existing equity of the brand and delivers a relevant emotional benefit to the moms rightly captured in tagline, â€Å"yaari dosti, and taaza maaza†. PEPSI: YEH DIL MAANGE MORE!!! Pepsi cola is a carbonated beverage that is produced and manufactured by Pepsi co. It is sold in stores, restaurants and from vending machines. The drink was first made in the 1890’s in North Carolina. The brand was trademarked on June 16, 1903. There have been many Pepsi variants produced over the years. †¢Diet Pepsi †¢Crystal Pepsi †¢Pepsi twist †¢Pepsi max †¢Pepsi samba †¢Pepsi blue †¢Pepsi gold †¢Pepsi holiday spice †¢Pepsi jazz †¢Pepsi x(available in Finland & brazil) †¢Pepsi next(available in Japan & south Korea) STUDY OF GROWTH OF FRUIT DRINK MARKET FRUIT JUICES Branded fruit juice market in India holds an immense potential. Usually confused and considered synonymous with non-aerated drinks, fruit pulps, juices and squash are high sugar beverages, which are centrifuged and filtered to give a semi- clear appearance. In the past, this sector enjoyed an excise exemption, keeping cost at minimal. However the withdrawal of exemption has inflated costs and can affect growth, with dramatic change possible on reintroduction of excise exemption. MARKET †¢The organized fruit beverage market is estimated at Rs. 500 crores market. (Nectars, drinks and juices combined). †¢The market has grown at a 20% to 25% rate. †¢Of this, more expensive juices segment has grown at rate of 40%this year. It accounted for only 15% of the fruit beverage 3 years back. †¢In –home consumption of juices has gone up from 30%, three years back to 80%today. †¢Mango based drinks account for two thirds of fruit drinks industry. MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE FRUIT DRINK SEGMENT DABUR REAL Dabur’s flagship brand real fruit juice is a market leader in packaged fruit juice category. Real was launched in 1996 and the brand has carved a niche for itself by claiming to be the only fruit juice in packaged form . i. e. 100%preservative free. Real, with market share of 57% comes in nine flavors: †¢Orange †¢Mango †¢Pineapple †¢Mix fruit †¢Grape †¢Guava †¢Litchi †¢Tomato †¢Cranberry Real Active is 100%fruit juice with no added sugar and is available in following variants: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Orange- carrot GODREJ The food division of godrej industry produces and market fruit drinks, fruit nectar and sofit soymilk. Godrej’s brand JUMPIN comes in the following flavor: †¢Mango †¢Pineapple †¢Apple †¢Litchi †¢Orange Godrej’s x’s is a range of fruit nectar with more fruits. It’s available in following flavors: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Grape PEPSI’S TROPICANA. Tropicana brand fruit juice enjoys a market share of 25% and has registered a double digit growth and has outpaced the growth of fruit juice market in India. It is available in following flavors: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Grape †¢Cranberry LEH BERRY It is a product from Ladakh Foods. Its first fruit juice in Delhi and it’s selling it in the more affluent parts of town. It enjoys a market share of 4% and is available in a variety of flavors: †¢Pineapple †¢Apple †¢Mixed fruit †¢Orange †¢Blackcurrant †¢Mango †¢Guava PARLE’S FROOTI and APPY Frooti was launched back in 1985 and enjoys market dominance with 85% of market share. Parle’s Agro’s APPY, in 1996 had a market share of 5% in the fruit drink segment; in 2003 its new variant-APPY FIZZ was launched. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY METHODOLOGY Every project work is based on certain methodology, which is a way to systematically solve the problem or attain its objectives. It is a very important guideline and lead to completion of any project work through observation, data collection and data analysis. According to Clifford Woody, â€Å"Research Methodology comprises of defining & redefining problems, collecting, organizing &evaluating data, making deductions &researching to conclusions. † Accordingly, the methodology used in the project is as follows: – Defining the objectives of the study Framing of questionnaire keeping objectives in mind (considering the objectives) Feedback from the respondents Analysis of feedback Conclusion, findings and suggestions. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The main aim of this research study is to analyze the preference of people (of different age groups) on consumption patterns of Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY †¢To study the preferences of the people for soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To find out the factor(s) that influences the consumer’s consumption of soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To test the know-how of the consumers regarding the various existing brands of soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To explore the next best beverage after soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To find out how the beverage is positioned in the mind of the consumers. SCOPE OF THE STUDY †¢This study is confined to the North West Delhi region covering areas of Paschim Vihar, Pitam Pura, Rohini area, Punjabi Bagh. †¢Seasonal drinks are not considered in the study. †¢We are considering only canned juices. †¢We are not considering water & alcoholic drinks. RESEARCH DESIGN A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It specifies the details of the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure and/or solve marketing research problem. On the basis of fundamental objectives of the research we can classify research design into two general types: EXPLORATORY RESEARCH CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH Exploratory research is one type of research design, which has its primary objective the provision of insights into, and comprehension of, the problem situation confronting the researcher. Conclusive research is designed to assist the decision maker in determining evaluating and selecting the best course of action to take in a given situation. Conclusive research can be further divided into two types:- †¢Descriptive †¢Experimental The research design used in this project is a DESCRIPTIVE DESIGN. Descriptive study as the name implies is designed to describe something-for example the characteristics of users of a given product, the degree to which the product use the varies with income, age, etc. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE USED: This research has used convenience sampling technique. 1) Convenience sampling technique: Convenience sampling is used in exploratory research where the researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. As the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. SELECTION OF SAMPLE SIZE: For the study, a sample size of 100 has been taken into consideration. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION: Research will be based on two sources: 1. Primary data 2. Secondary data 1) PRIMARY DATA: Questionnaire: Primary data was collected by preparing questionnaire and the people were randomly being requested to fill them. 2) SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data will consist of different literatures like books which are published, articles, internet and websites. In order to reach relevant conclusion, research work needed to be designed in a proper way. STATISTICAL TOOLS USED The main statistical tools used for the collection and analyses of data in this project are: †¢Questionnaire †¢Pie Charts †¢Bar Diagrams DATA ANALYSIS & FINDINGS Q1. What do you prefer to drink? (Tick any 1) Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Soft Drinks5757% Fruit Juices4343% Total100100% Q2. Frequency of consumption of your preferred drink in a week? SOFT DRINKS Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage. Daily2849% 2-6 times2340% Above 7611% Total57100% FRUIT JUICES Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Daily1023% 2-6 times3070% Above 737% Total43100% Q3. On what occasions, do you often consume the Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Feeling Thirsty1818% Parties / Celebrations4545% Without any reason (just like that)2525% Others1212% Total100100% Q4. On what occasions, do you often consume the Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Feeling Thirsty1717% Parties / Celebrations3232% Without any reason (just like that)2424% Others2727% Total100100% Q5. What induces you to buy Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Price with quantity3030% Health Drink 44% Status symbol 88% Taste3232% Variety2626% Total100100% Q6. What induces you to buy Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Price with quantity1313% Health Drink 4040% Status symbol 1515% Taste2222% Variety1010% Total100100% Q7. If not a Soft Drink or a Fruit juice, which other beverage (other than water) tops your mind? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Coffee3030% Tea2525% Shakes(Milk/Ice cream/Fruit)88% Lassi1212% Sharbat2525% Total100100% Q8. How do you rate canned juices as compared to fresh juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Equivalent to fresh juices 2424% Have artificial added flavor 3636% Healthy with preservatives 4040% Total100100% Q9. How do you view Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage As a health drink44% As a status symbol88% As an aid to put off thirst5555% Any other3333% Total100100% Q10. How do you view Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage As a health drink4040% As a status symbol1515% As an aid to put off thirst3232% Any other1313% Total100100% Q11. Do advertisements affect your purchases? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentag.

Negotiation and Conflict Management Final Report Essay

â€Å"It’s time to go to the next level of my career,† I told myself a few months ago. Life and life experiences have put me in the right place at the right time to make my daydream a reality. As a natural born citizen of another country and as a newly-married person, I have a unique perspective as well as a set of obstacles and opportunities on the road ahead as I pursue my Executive MBA while being in transition. GOALS My current short-term goal professionally is to find a job that not only fulfills my current ambition of being technical leader but also a management leader in the IT world, where as my long-term goal is to start my own business (Repurposing and creatively painting old leather products into house decor) along with my life-partner in the next 3-4 years. My personal goal is to again relive my artistic side, paint and be creative and get my spouse involved in the artistic world that I like. I am at a juncture of my career where in both my personal goal of working with my life-partner coincides with my ambition of starting up a new business and apply whatever knowledge I gathered during class. My goal as far as EMBA classes is to actually be able to not only learn Finance and Accounting but actually try to master it is as much as possible because when my goal of opening up my business becomes a reality, I want to make sure I have command over that. NEGOTIATIONS In my previous company, I had the opportunity to be a part of some important negotiations which helped me as well as the project understand the various aspects that we had predominantly neglected at the start of some of these negotiation. One such negotiation was when a rival vendor was trying to sell their new software to our client which they claimed would be doing the same kind of work that we were doing for past few years. When the time came to negotiate the new contract for our project, the clients asked us to come up with a plan as to why they should consider our software v/s the rival vendor’s proposed software. When I tried to analyze the whole negotiation process that we went with the end clients and even though we managed to extend the contract, there were a lot of issues that were not par with the 3D negotiation which are as follows: We didn’t set up the right negotiation  as the right party and right interests were not set up. We never considered the No-De al option. Never paid attention to the six basic interpersonal skills that are essential for negotiation. My short term goal of being a technical as well as managerial leader in IT would require me to be a part of similar negotiations that I mentioned above. Right from extending contracts, to getting funding for maintenance and development of software, getting more business from different set of end clients which might be interested in similar software. Here are some of the important factors that needs to be considered while making these kind of negotiations. My long-term goal of opening my own business with my spouse is something that would require a lot of negotiations that needs to be done be it with the bankers or venture capitalists who might be interested in funding it, real-estate people who might be interested in selling or renting their property and the end clients/customers who would be interested in buying my end products. These are the three key area of people that I have to get involved with in-order to start my business successfully. While dealing with the Bankers/VC, one thing that we need to keep in mind is that we might have issues with one of them, so we need to keep more options and try to find the right new parties who might be interested (right players). With the Real-Estate people, you need to address the Twin tasks, namely, Learn about the true ZOPA and Shape your counterpart’s ZOPA perceptions to your advantage. New customers are more interested in creating and claiming value like discounted cash flows, creating relationships, reputation and being fair. We need to think long term for creating and claiming value as none of the parties should feel that they have been exploited or dealt with unfairly as the reputation would be at stake. All conflict management processes i.e. consensual negotiations, are based on information sharing and learning. In the process of sharing information, a party seeks to alter the knowledge, attitudes, preferences and strategies of its opponents. There are some conflict s that I might have to overcome during my business negotiations that can be summed up as: APPRAISAL As a successful negotiator the six basic interpersonal skills are utmost important but initially when I started negotiating in my previous company, I never paid real attention to some of those skills. The contract extension negotiation example above was finally approved but we had a lot of things that were not correct and that almost cost us the deal. Here are some of the key aspects of that deal: a) My company had this contract for past 9 years without any competition and hence I never expected a rival vendor to just come up with another proposal with the end client. b) I never really dealt with the topic of creating and claiming value as part of the negotiation. c) Had an incomplete/blurry information on the rival vendor and their product hence before proposing the deal, we never dug deep to rectify it. d) Never pressed on the issue of Your Interests / Their Interests. As this was a contract that was being extended every single year, this thing never came to my mind. The reason we got the extension on the contract was due to some of equally compelling strength that as a negotiator we had and they were as follows: a) Our ability to make sure the end clients understand their No-Deal option. Even though we weren’t aware that it was called the No-Deal option, we certainly went that route when we presented our merits in front of them and made sure they understood what they were losing in-case the contract was not extended. b) Even though we didn’t do our homework on the rival contractor, we made sure that we had all our facts and data right once we were in front on the clients. The data showed all the current savings that we were providing to the end clients and this was a major factor that earned us the good point. My Strengths Reasoning The quality and extent of my preparation The better you understand your interests (why you want what you want); and the better you understand the interests of other parties (why they want what they want), the greater the chance you will be able to reach an elegant solution which leaves the parties feeling as if each has achieved the major portion of their goals People walk away thinking they would be pleased to  negotiate again with me A negotiator’s relative strength can be measured by whether people walk away thinking they would be pleased to negotiate again with him/her. If people leave a negotiation with you thinking they never want to see you again, then you are a poor negotiator Good communication to other parties so they understand my top priority A negotiator needs to understand that different issues should be treated as having different priorities in different negotiations. Sometimes the relationship is most important; other times creativity is the measure of how well one negotiates; and it is always true that good communication is a fundamental measure of a negotiator’s strength. A good negotiator makes her/his points clearly understood by other parties. A better negotiator makes understanding other parties her/his top priority. In Moms.com case study, I was Terry Schiller and as my role was to sell the program, I made sure that for my preparation for the case, whether finding the right balance between the no. of re-runs v/s the licensing rate and making sure that this balance would give me as well as other party the max value. I had already calculated this before the negotiation started so that I knew what value would affect me as well as the other party. In Viking Investments case study, I was the person that run Viking investments and even though bankruptcy was the option for the other party, I not only made sure that it won’t happen but provided the other party with 3 different options and gave her the choice to choose which ever suited her bill. I believe in maintaining relationships and making sure that the other party feels the same way, hence when the other party walks away after the negotiation, they would want to do more business with me going forward. In Biopharm-Seltek case study, I repres ented Biopharm and my main goal was to make sure that the other party understood that I was not only interested in their company but was not interested in buying their patent. My Weakness Reasoning Dealing with negative emotions from the other side of the table Are my standards of fairness being violated? Is the common bias operating about my being cooperative and fair while the other party is hostile and competitive?  What rule or assumption that I hold is being violated by the other’s behavior? Controlling your emotions — commanding reasonable authority, managing your temper, etc. Has something been raised that questions what I tell myself I am or hope to be, such as Am I competent? Am I fair? Am I a good person? Knowing when to step away from the negotiation table — and being able to really do it No negotiator wants to enter into a poor agreement. But similarly, every negotiator should want to walk away from an unsatisfactory agreement towards a clearly defined, satisfactory BATNA In Viking Investments case study, there were times I couldn’t control my emotion because as per my own belief I was trying to go all the way out to help the other side not file for bankruptcy but in the middle I thought that I was fighting the battle alone. I was emotionally drained out to make the other understand the consequence of bankruptcy and helping them more than I should as a result of which I questioned my own self whether I am competent enough. This to me is a sign of weakness because I let my emotion take over the negotiation process. In Biopharm-Seltek case study, I was overwhelmed by the negative emotion from the other side as they were not ready to part away with the company without me buying the patent. It was their major walk away reason for them which I was not able to understand as they were being very hostile without being reasonable. I saw a very different take on this which was against my own personality and it was something I couldn’t overcome and need to work upon that. I still have a hard time to understand that you should never accept a proposal that is worse than your BATNA. Hence I couldn’t understand when to step away in case it didn’t work out. In the Moms.com, I didn’t get the proposal that I prepared so confidently before the negotiation started and I couldn’t find the courage to walk away from the table even though I knew the value created was not as much as what I had initially proposed. PLAN Here are the negotiation skills that I plan on improving and dealing with short term as well as my long term goals: 1. Do your research. Clarify your own objectives and make sure you understand what your opposite number wants from the deal. For example, by doing some basic research into a potential supplier, you can work out how valuable your custom is to them. 2. Plan your strategy in writing and decide what approach you will adopt before beginning negotiations. Be clear about the type of deal you want, set clear goals and work out where you will draw the line and walk away from the deal. 3. Ask questions and listen closely to answers. Asking questions will help you understand what your opposite number wants to achieve. You may be able to get them to reveal how flexible they are on certain issues. 4. Decide what is negotiable. Before you start to negotiate, draw up a list of factors that are most important to you. Decide what you are (and aren’t) prepared to compromise on. Key factors might include price, payment terms, volume or delivery dates. The key is to establish your preferred outcome, but remain realistic, because if you’re not prepared to compromise some negotiations won’t last long. 5. Don’t reveal your negotiating position and avoid making unnecessary concessions. If you have to make concessions – look for reciprocation. Concessions should only be made to help you get the things you value. You should also avoid appearing too keen to do a deal. Consider what offer the other party in the negotiations is likely to make and how you’ll respond. 6. Select the best team. Once you’ve decided on your strategy it is essential that you get your negotiating team right. Make sure it has skills in all the required areas and, where necessary, use a specialist to negotiate in areas outside your expertise 7. Drawing up a contract. Once all the points have been negotiated and a deal has been agreed, it’s best t o get a written contract drawn up and signed by both parties. While verbal contracts are legally binding – they are difficult to prove in court. 8. Choose the right time and place for negotiation. Ideally select a time and place where you are not under pressure to close the deal. My plan of being successful in negotiations Mapping the parties I would like to start with private talks with various individual parties  (bankers, customers, etc.) before bringing everyone together for public negotiations, or it may be better to immediately begin negotiation with all stakeholders. When developing the process, it is important to consider the role of third parties, special procedures and specific negotiation systems. This will likely require an understanding of the cultural norms and individual personalities of the parties involved. Further important considerations relevant to the process include how the process is to be determined and how it could be modified. The set up essentially ensures that the scope, sequence and process of a negotiation is consistent with my desired outcome for the negotiation. I need to ensure that the right parties have been involved, in the right sequence, to deal with the right issues that engage the right set of interests, at the right table or tables, at the right time, under the right expectations , facing the right consequences of walking away if there is no deal.