Nike in Brazil: a Host Country View

Negative effects of Nike from Brazil’s point of view Brazil is rapidly privatizing many industries and its attitude toward a free market economy has changed significantly in the past 10 years. However, it seems the country still has a perception that often times associates capitalism with â€Å"greedy† developed countries. If the opinion of Brazil’s president is a reflection of how some of its people feel this is certainly the case. In 2008, Brazil’s president lambasted US corporations and the US government for â€Å"infecting his nation with problems that were not of its making (The New York Times, 2008). This attitude seems to have created some problems for Brazilians in terms of their view of Nike. The kind of leverage and control that such a large company can exert on football in the country is huge. This issue was thrown into the light when in 1998 the Brazilian national team lost in the World Cup finals to France. Earlier on in the year, Nike had in vested a record amount ($200 million US) for the right to sponsor the Brazilian national team in the World Cup. As a requisite for sponsorship, Nike demanded that the team play an inordinate amount of exhibition games leading up to the event. Many Brazilians, including Brazilian football legend Pele (who filed a lawsuit against Nike), still blame Nike for Brazil’s loss. They claim that the unusual number of exhibition games tired the players out. Similarly, another interesting problem is Nike’s effect on competition in Brazil. Nike’s recent acquisition of UK sporting wear company Umbro allowed it to eclipse Adidas as the biggest brand in the world of football (The Financial Times, 2007). This is particularly troubling for Brazilian retailers, who worry about the concentration of brands between two large Multi-Nationals and the effect this might have on their business. Lastly, as with many interactions between MNC’s and developing countries environmental issues have been a problem. Brazil is a massive supplier of leather used for products like Nike shoes. However, much of the cattle that the leather comes from graze on what was once Amazon rain forest. A host of Brazilian ranchers have clear-cut entire swaths of rainforest in an attempt to make room for more cattle. This goes against Brazil’s need to preserve what is arguably its most precious natural resource (The Ends Report, 2009). In future business interactions, Nike needs to be weary of using tactics that could be perceived by the Brazilian people as greedy, dominating, or imperialistic. Such tactics may erode trust within the Brazilian population and could turn out to be a bigger PR headache than they are worth. Advantages of having Nike in Brazil from Brazil’s point of view On the other hand, the fact that Nike is such a large and powerful company can have its benefits for the Brazilian people. With its enormous buying capability Nike can actually shift the way products are produced in some countries by pressuring suppliers. As was discussed earlier, Nike has been using leather procured from suppliers who have clear-cut forests in order to make room for their cattle. However, in August of last year, Nike along with help from Greenpeace enacted a set of regulations that all its suppliers must follow. The policies included a rule against clear-cutting, as well as other important environmental conventions. It seems that where there are problems between Brazil and Nike, there are also opportunities (The Ends Report, 2009). Programs like this are exactly what Nike needs. Not only do they foster trust and goodwill, they also facilitate much needed changes in Brazil. Without Nike the changes in the Brazilian leather industry might be difficult to encourage. The cattle lobby in Brazil is well funded and has many political ties making initiatives that may affect productivity hard to pass. However, it seems that environmentally conscious Brazilians have found a solution and a partner in Nike. In addition, Nike also decided to make its entire 2010 World Cup kit (a collection of football clothing) out of recycled bottles. This initiative took 13 million plastic bottles out of landfills. Furthermore, the Nike project created an association between Brazil and sustainability that will be seen all over the world (Al-Bawaba Reporters, 2010). Lastly, in recent years Nike has invested enormous amounts of money in the Brazilian football infrastructure. Nike is one of the chief supporters of the Brazilian Football Confederation and has extended its contract with this association until 2018. In addition, Nike also sponsors all three of the largest football teams in the country (Sports Marketing Quarterly, 2006). This reflects a direct commitment to improving and fostering football in the Brazil. The support of such a large sporting powerhouse seems to have had some positive effects on Brazil in terms of their attractiveness as a host for future events. In the past year, Brazil secured the 2014 world cup. This event is extremely lucrative for local vendors (among other parties) and will allow Brazil to display its incredible culture on a worldwide scale. Bibliography

Philosophical concept Essay

The Coyote Ugly last 2000: Shy, aspiring songwriter Violet overcomes her stage fright, gets the man of her dreams and is offered a major recording contract after making drinks on top of a bar, clad basically in her skivvies. The movie Coyote Ugly inspire people about the striving of one person to fulfill her dream and overcoming all the hardship in life. The straggle of one person to overcome her fears with the help of people surrounding her in order to survive the big city. This movie symbolizes the growth of a person physically, emotionally, and socially. In this film the client will be immersed in a process of in-depth examination of the meaning and power of images. Images, in fact, are never neutral; their effect is that of conditioning the observer. It is vital, thus, to carry out an analysis of what an image actually is. Image based thinking will be considered both in relation to the creative process and to problem solving. The counseling will start with the philosophical concept of an idea as a mental representation. The symbolism of dreams should be evaluated in order to understand the close relationship between images and the unconscious. The psychoanalytical proposition that a film may be considered the film director’s dream will be closely scrutinized. The concept of Cinematherapy is rooted in the awareness that the film viewer is conditioned by his or her individual life experience, and this in turn makes the viewer’s perception highly unique. The viewer’s intimate interior world and life experiences condition perception of the film, and result in a highly subjective interpretation. This is due to the fact that the viewer assimilates only certain images and edits out others, all on the basis of unique individual experiences. The study of Cinematherapy will enable the viewer to understand the underlying causes of certain emotions experienced during a film, and will shed light on certain aspects of one’s own personality and on how others view the same situation. â€Å"Mining the gold† in movies means uncovering our hidden finest attributes by understanding how we project these virtues on film heroes and heroines. Identifying with a character can help us to develop inner strength as we recall forgotten inner resources and become aware of the right opportunity for those resources to be applied. Like dream work, cinema therapy allows us to gain awareness of our deeper layers of consciousness to help us move toward new perspectives or behavior as well as healing and integration of the total self. As observing helps us to â€Å"step back†, the bigger picture becomes more obvious. This way, watching screen movies helps us learn to understand ourselves and others more deeply in the â€Å"big movie† of our life. In identifying the presenting problems and goals for therapy the questions that are appropriate are by asking yourself, why would this client benefit from a cinematherapy intervention? What would this client get out of it? Can the intervention be tied back to the treatment plan? In assessing clients’ strengths such as interests, hobbies, activities, and type of employment the questions are What type of film would benefit this client: Standard movie, documentary, or instructional? What type of genre would they prefer: Comedy, drama, or science fiction? In determination of the clients’ ability to understand the content of the film and recognize similarities and differences between themselves and the characters the questions are Will the client understand how to use the film as metaphor for their own life? Do they have the mental capabilities to participate in processing the content? Do they recognize the difference between fantasy and reality? By taking into account issues of diversity when choosing a film the questions suitable is Will the film be offensive, or be distracting from the real purpose of the assignment? The therapist should always watch the movie before assigning it. This is so you can process the movie with the client, or know the significant parts to discuss later. Also, it saves time from apologizing for a scene that offended the client or his/her parents. Preparation is essential to cinematherapy. The therapist should provide clients with a rationale for assigning a film. REFERENCE Berg-Cross L. , Jennings, P. & Baruch, R . (1990). Cinematherapy: Theory and Application . In: Psychotherapy in Private Practice 8, no. 1, 135-157 Peske, Nancy and Beverly West (1999) Cinematherapy: The Girl’s Guide to Movies For Every Mood. New York: Dell Ulus, Fuat(2003) Movie Therapy, Moving Therapy! The Healing Power of Film Clips in Therapeutic Settings. New Bern: Trafford Publishing. Tyson, L. , Foster, L. , & Jones, C. (2000). The process of cinematherapy as a therapeutic intervention. Alabama Counseling Association Journal,26(1), 35-41

Difference Between Civil and Criminal Law

This assignment will consider the differences in Civil and Criminal law. It will explain the roles of solicitors, Barristers, Judges and Magistrates. It will also critically look at the features of the European Court of Human Rights 4Civil law is a private law. it settles matters between two individuals and organisations. It still has the roman standard in many countries because it was originated from the Roman law. The end result is mostly damages in civil law. Example of civil cases includes Donoghue v Stevenson [1993] where Donoghue sued Stevenson for damages of ? 00 for drinking contaminated ginger beer which had negative effect on his health, Millar v Taylor (17690) is another example of civil case 5Criminal law considers crimes committed against the crown ( R ). [6]  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Government identifies and criminalises behaviour that is considered wrong, damaging to individuals through criminal law† Jacqueline Martin and Chris Turner define crime as  [7]  a conduct forbidd en by the state. when a conduct is regarded by the state as being criminal, there is always a punishment attached to it†. i. e. murder and theft.Example of criminal case includes R v Wilson (1994) and R v Brown (1991) where R stands for the Crown or the State. Criminal law was made to protect organisations, individuals, the society and their properties. They are also made to punish offenders. The aim of sentencing offenders also include reparation, incapacitation, deterrence and reformation Read more: Differences between civil and criminal | Law Teacher http://www. lawteacher. net/criminal-law/essays/differences-between-civil-and-criminal-law-essay. php#ixzz2RCimULfN Follow us: @lawteachernet on Twitter | LawTeacherNet on Facebook DifferencesCriminal law is drafted by the government. It is made by the crown ( R ) and passed by Parliament before it goes to the monarch for â€Å"rubber-stumping† as law. (This process is known as ‘Royal Assent’). Offenders are prosecuted by the Crown when they commit crimes against citizens. It is the duty of the police to enforce the law. 8Civil law applies to the principals of common law but in civil actions unlike criminal proceedings, the Crown takes no sides. The crown supplies the court, the judge and if necessary the enforcement of the judge’s rulings. Punishment 9Criminal law punishes guilty defendant by either incarceration in a jailed.There are also fine paid to the government in exceptional cases. Community service could be the punishment on offenders depending on the type of crime committed. Contrary to criminal law, defendant in civil law is not imprisoned when found liable but reimburse the claimant for losses by the defendants act. Burden of proof In criminal law, one can never be guilty without â€Å"proven 99 percent guilty beyond reasonable doubt â€Å"as per Lord Denning. When one feels that the crime committed is done due to his or her insanity, then the burden lies on the de fendant to prove it.The Crown has the right to punish criminal offenders because all crimes are against the state. For example, if one commits the crime of burglary by breaking into a house and steal, the state will prosecute the offender when even the victim brings private proceedings against the burglar. Read more: Differences between civil and criminal | Law Teacher http://www. lawteacher. net/criminal-law/essays/differences-between-civil-and-criminal-law-essay. php#ixzz2RCicKzlV Follow us: @lawteachernet on Twitter | LawTeacherNet on Facebook

The quantitative questionnaire method versus the qualitative focus Essay

The quantitative questionnaire method versus the qualitative focus group method - Essay Example Within data collection, there are two different methods to ascertain information. These include the quantitative questionnaire method and the qualitative focus group method. Both of these aim to find out the pertinent details with the research that is being conducted yet these are inherently different in their intent and purpose. The reason for this is that one of these, i.e. questionnaire brings out just numbers and information while the focus group methodology aims to explore how and why these numbers or information sets have come up from and what are the exact reasons behind the very same. The manner in which questionnaires and focus groups are seen as significant have brought to the fore the importance of understanding how and where to employ them and what kind of research knowledge would be handy for making use of either of these methodologies. Without a doubt, both quantitative questionnaire method and the qualitative focus group methodology make use of the sample which remains an imperative tangent of any research, be it marketing or business. For the extent of this paper, focus would be on these two different tools, both of which come under different headings – quantitative and qualitative. The data collection remains an important part of any research which is being completed in order to satisfy a need or requirement. It is for this reason that data collection is given the significance as it studies how research will be used and what are the pros and cons to diversify the basis and extent of this research which has been employed. Since data collection always comes about when a sample has been chosen, it is necessary that the respondents are told exactly what their collection would do in order to bring about a research in the first place. If this research helps the business to grow as a whole, then there is no reason why this research should not be conducted. In fact recent research studies have depicted and highlighted the fact that data collecti on and indeed the selection of samples would make the entire research process a sure success, and there are reasons available to provide evidence for the same (Patzer 1996). One must understand that sample selection is always a random act and it should not be a forceful measure because there are certain sets of audiences which would not appreciate the idea of being researched upon and taken within the sample itself. Hence it is always a good exercise to think of the sample as being comprehensive and complete from all sides, without any bias or prejudices whatsoever. Data collection is therefore dependent on the sample selection measures which are deemed as important because this will bring in the much needed value and quality within the research process and also make it look more real and genuine. The research studies which are being conducted in this day and age are usually imaginary and depend a great deal on how people manage time constraints. If proper understanding and analysis regimes are followed, this research would bear fruit and make the whole exercise of conducting the said research an important one (Bryman 2001). A questionnaire is basically a research instrument which includes a series of questions in order to gather information from the prospective respondents. The questionnaires are usually designed for statistical analysis of the responses which have been envisaged. This form of data collection was invented by Sir Francis Galton. These questionnaires are comparatively different from the surveys as these are cheap in cost and hence do not require that much effort from the questioner when one compares these questionnaires with telephone surveys or even verbal ones. The respondents in essence have standardized responses/answers which are simple and easy to collect and combine data. For the sake of the users, this collection of data might just be very frustrating as the respondents have to read the questions and hence answer them accordingly. It ha s been noted

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Assignment Example K-Swiss chooses to use celebrities and athletes to target the market of consumers who are serious about performance in the sports they play. What they are basically saying to customers is something along the lines of â€Å"this high-performing athlete uses these specific shoes; therefore you should use them as well if you consider yourself a serious athlete.† The message that they convey over and over is that they produce top quality shoes and apparel for top quality athletes. Also, the Kenny Powers commercials are very funny and have an effect of increasing brand awareness because people that wouldn’t otherwise be interested in a product get to know about that product simply because they enjoy watching the humorous commercials. K-Swiss promotions could actually be seen as meeting all four types of Maloney’s rewards that a customer expects. Firstly, K-Swiss shoes are rational because they meet a need of athletes who desire high-performance as well as comfortable shoes. Secondly, the ability to customize colors makes them appeal to the senses and to the more casual buyer as well.

Why universal health care can not work at a federal level, but can Essay

Why universal health care can not work at a federal level, but can work at a state level - Essay Example Dr. Harold Pease has illustrated this issue with his discussion of California’s energy policy in the 1990’s, which led to frequent breakdowns and â€Å"brownouts† rather than the propounded goal of the central planning committee. (Pease, 2010) He wrote, â€Å"States have the tendency to look at sister states for models and to borrow from them in refining their own programs. These places of experimentation work to everyone’s advantage. What if we had federalized California’s failed energy policy?† (Pease, 2010) From this criticism, Pease and others claim that it is preferable to enact political experiments with universal healthcare on the State level, so that competing systems can be tested, refined, and adjusted to provide the most efficient and cost-effective public policies, rather than committing to one, single Federal system that remains untested and has a greater chance of failing for everyone. The system of Federalism and decentralized healthcare would thus provide more competition, room for experimentation, and flexibility of operations than would a single national health program. Along with this criticism is the belief that small and local organizations can provide a better quality of healthcare than large, difficult to manage, and over-sized organizations which may be tasked with too many official responsibilities to provide a personalized level of service. While it is easy to extol the virtues of decentralized and local forms of government, other national governments in Europe and around the world have also enacted â€Å"universal† healthcare programs at the Federal level and managed them successfully within the limits of their mandate. The United Kingdom, for example, has a national healthcare system based on socialist principles, as does France, Sweden, and other smaller countries such as Cuba. In this regard, it is possible to conclude that the residual anti-communist sentiment from the Cold War has conditioned Americans to fear socialized medicine despite the fact that it is engrained as a fundamental human right in international treaties. The other side of this view is that it is not a cultural aversion to socialism but rather a national preference for capitalism in America that makes the people to choose private healthcare solutions over government programs. However, the problem is generally not that the rich cannot afford healthcare, but rather that the poor are denied access to it due to lack of financial resources, and society must make a choice as to whether to try to provide a social â€Å"safety net† for all people that relates to the view of healthcare as a human right or to allow those who are poor, marginalized, or uneducated to suffer needlessly because they cannot afford healthcare services. In a country as wealthy and affluent as the U.S., with the world’s leading economy, it seems morally wrong to pretend that society does not have enough money to take care of the poorest people, especially when so much is wasted on other programs, issues, and activities collectively. Thus, universal healthcare requires a mandate from the people to government in order to make it successful, and this can be communicated in elections, demonstrations, polls, or publications. It is in the electoral results that federalism can be particularly helpful in allowing communities to express their differences of opinion and to build policies that uniquely solve their own needs with public resources. For example, Massachusetts was successful in enacting a near universal healthcare policy in their State years before the Obama reforms, as was Illinois. (Volpe, 2008) California, on the other

Flight Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Flight Center - Essay Example An agency seeks out rates from these suppliers which can be hotels, resorts, airline companies, car rentals and the like, then consolidates it into one package packed with some sight-seeing trips to tourist attractions then sells it to the possible consumers. The Federation of Tour Operators (2006) views the role of travel agents as giving advises and sells bookings. This has always been the way of Flight Centre, incorporating its aim to provide â€Å"value-for-money travel† and offer ‘unbeatable passion and experience, going the extra mile to ensure clients get the best trip at the best price’ (Superbrands 2010). As Flight Centre’s tag-line goes, â€Å"unbeatable†, if another travel provider would give a quotation of rates, Flight Centre will also give their own rate which would be hard to beat because of their price, quality, passion and extensive experience in the travel field. Just like any other business, Flight Centre started their venture eigh t years after Top-Deck, UK based bus company started its operation in 1973; they initially gained success because of providing cheap rates. In nine years time, Turner opened retail stores in United Kingdom, New Zealand and United States of America. Because of what was then a world-wide crisis, the Gulf War, the stores experienced temporary closure but was then reopened after a couple of years. The company also expanded its services to South Africa and Canada, which paved the way for it to conquer a world-wide market. The strength of business establishment outweighs the weaknesses and creates the reason why establishment weathers the changes in the needs and wants of the dynamic world of travel and tourism. As for Flight Centre, there are various aspects why they are experiencing the success envied by others. The company philosophy of volume of margin, the way they create their product with utmost passion and dedication, their well maintained reputation of having an inclination of lo w-cost travel with value-for-money, their credentials which have been given recognitions and citations by other entities, the continuous pledge for corporate social governance of giving something back to the people, their ingenuity in their marketing campaigns, the way management supports its employees and the work atmosphere are among the countless reasons why they managed to stay on top. There are a lot of sources for a travel agency’s income, from commissions, profit margins, incentives, and auxiliary services like documentations and visa processing. The first two are among the primary source of income. Flight Centre proved itself to be different than the rest; the traveller’s volumes were their driving force to stay on top of all the travel providers in the business. The importance of the number of people they give their services over the profit that they will be making indeed set foot a birth-mark for low-cost travel. They settle for more customers at a lower cost than few customers for a high cost. The success of Flight Centre can be credited to the way the company does its products. They maintained a sense of focus; doing what they do best without being too innovative. There are those who would like to set anew, and there are a few who would take advantage for what they know best, the exact philosophy evolving around this high-ranked company. Turner (2006) stated that, ‘

A hotel company I can call home Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A hotel company I can call home - Research Paper Example Corporate Offices The company’s headquarters is based in the US, in Atlanta Georgia, on 4445 Willard Avenue, Suite 800Â  Chevy Chase, Md. 20815. The company runs other 80 luxury hotels and restaurants in 26 countries including Austria, Canada, Bahrain, Chile, Egypt, China, Cayman Islands, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Ireland, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Portugal, Oman, Qatar, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Spain, Singapore, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Virgin Islands and the US (The Ritz Carlton Hotel Fact Sheet, 2010). In the US, the company runs two luxurious hotels in New York, one at Central Park on 50 Central Park South, and the other at Battery Park on Two West Street (David Kamp, 216). The Ritz Carlton also has partners across Europe that help the company to offer its services in major cities around the continent. These partners include The Ritz London in the UK, Hotel Ritz Madrid in Spain, the BUKGAR Hotels and Resorts in London, and Milan. Key leader s and managers of the Ritz Carlton Hotel include Herve Humler, the President and Chief Operations Officer; Mr. Leeny K. Oberg, the Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Bob Kharazmi, the Global Officer, in charge of worldwide Operations. Public or Private Company The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company LLC is a private company with its headquarters in the US. ... rights to use the name The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company across the world and thus developed the company to operate in various locations around the world. The company has grown to become one of the best managed hotels in the US and around the world, with its great customer service recognized all over the world (David Kamp, 267). Brief History of the Company A renowned Swiss Hotelier, Cesar Ritz and his wife, started the Ritz Carlton. He ran the Ritz hotel in Paris, France and the Carlton hotel in London, UK. He teamed up with one of his best chefs, Auguste Escoffier to form the Ritz Carlton in 1913. Ritz died later on in 1918 and his wife decided to continue the business, opening up more branches under the same name. In 1926, Edward Wyner, a 29-year-old American, formed the Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1927, in Boston. After his death in 1961, his sons continued with the business and later on decide to sell it after it became difficult to run. The company was later on sold in 1983 to William B . Johnson, who moved the company to Atlanta and formed The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC. The company has since then expanded its services in the US, across Europe and Asia with future plans to move to Africa, the Middle East and South America. The company currently operates independently as a division of the Marriott International (The Ritz Carlton Hotel Fact Sheet, 2010). Reputation The company has grown to become a leader in the hospitality industry and currently has a great reputation around the world as one of the best luxurious hotels. The company’s reputation began to grow under the leadership of COO Horst Schulze who revolutionized operations in the company by concentrating on both data driven and personal service. He coined the current employee Credo that is used to guide the

GE-Two -Decade Transformation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GE-Two -Decade Transformation - Case Study Example However, the company has in the past encountered severe challenges before attaining its current global position. In the late 20th century, the company encountered challenges which threatened its operations and stability. This paper will examine GE, discussing strategies employed by the company’s management in the wake of severe challenges. Welch’s Challenge in 1981 In the year 1981, when Welch took over management of GE from Jones, the company experienced numerous of hardships that threatened its existence. In 1981, the US economy suffered serious recession, which meant that banks lent money at unbelievably high interest rates. The high interest rates were especially disadvantageous to companies such as GE that required borrowed capital to sustain its business. In addition, the US dollar was quite strong at the time making GE’s international business operations quite unprofitable and unmanageable. The tough economic times experienced in the US also meant that GE had to lay off some of its employees and reduce hourly positions (O’Boyle, 1999). This put Welch and the company in a tough position, having to balance the company’s operations among the few remaining employees. Moreover, GE faced serious competition, particularly from Japanese companies. Global competitors had significant competitive advantages over GE as their nations of domicile were free of economic crisis like the US. However, despite the immense challenges, Welch was able to take charge of the company rather effectively through the adoption of numerous strategies. Welch first adopted the number one or two, fix, sell or close strategy that required all GE’s business units to be leaders in their respective industries or face closure. This strategy was effective in eliminating unproductive units of GE and strengthening the remaining units, which became leaders in their industries. The closure and sale of unproductive units provided necessary capital for produ ctive units to strengthen their operations. Welch’s strategy was effectual as it freed capital for strategic investments, which enhanced the company’s bottom line performance (Slater, 1998). Welch’s Objectives and Initiatives When Welch became the CEO of GE in 1981, he established the new company objectives to leverage GE’s performance within the company’s diverse business portfolio. In order to do this, Welch required all company employees to become â€Å"better than the best† in their positions and responsibilities (O’Boyle, 1999). In order to ensure the company achieved Welch’s objectives, the CEO initiated a series of strategies between the late 1980s and early 1990s. These initiatives centered on the spectrum of achieving organizational change through restructuring its staffing, layering and size. Through the adoption of the initiatives and strategic change, GE was able to achieve substantial competitive advantage within i ts markets. Welch’s initiatives were able to revitalize the company’s operations, bolster its image, and achieve massive profit margins. Welch streamlined the company’s staffing, especially in the company’s planning unit to ensure GE was lean and agile. The logic behind Welch’s de-staffing initiative centered on the notion that company or unit productivity does not rely on the number of staff in the unit, but rather the value each staff adds to the unit or company. Welch sought to instill the culture of strength in value addition

Strategic Audit Report Ford Motor Company Assignment

Strategic Audit Report Ford Motor Company - Assignment Example The company trades in cars, trucks and heavy vehicles with the tractors of the company forming some of the global iconic brands. In an attempt to understand the ford motor company, this paper will focus on the business model, business line, the products, customers and analysis of the value chain. The paper will equally focus on the diversification of the company, overall performance and analysis of the mission statement. Currently, Ford company trades its products under four main brands; Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, and Volvo. The company utilizes a labour force of more than 200, 000 employees who are specialized to work in different departments of the production process. The Ford Company has devised a strategy to make the feasibility of its products through separation of the firm into two segments. The company is separated into the automotive services production segments and the financial services. The financial segment of the company has the provision of the ford credit, which offers financing to vehicles in both merchant shoppers and retail shoppers. The automotive section of the Ford company is separated into districts according to the strategic plans of the company (Davis, 2013). The districts under this umbrella are thus; South America, North America, Asia, Pacific, Africa and Europe. The automotive section of the company is involved in the manufacturing and servicing of the cars. The Ford Company has a retail dealership program that works under the dealership model. Under this program, dealerships sigh specific contracts with companies that the Ford Motor Company supplies with vehicles and service their automotive. This works by increasing the sales of the products of the company through the formation of long-term partnerships. According to the 2008 Ford dealership statistics, the company secured approximately 4000

Employment Rights Act Essay Example for Free

Employment Rights Act Essay 1. Know the statutory responsibilities and rights of employees and employers within own area of work. 1.1 List the aspects of employment covered by law Here is a list of the aspects of employment covered by law; minimum wage, discrimination, health and safety, holiday entitlements, redundancy, dismissal, training, disciplinary procedures, union rights and consultation, maternity rights, protected disclosures, working time regulations, particulars of employments. Working hours and holiday entitlements, Sickness absence and sick pay, Anti – discrimination provisions, Data protection, Relevant equalities legislation. 1.2 List the main features of current employment legislation is : Health and Safety Act 1974 Equality Act 2010 Date Protection Act 1998 Employment Rights Act 1996 Part Time Workers Regulations Act 2000 Working Time Regulations Act 1998 National Minimum Wage Act 1998 1.3 Outline why legislation relating to employment exists. Legislation relating to employment exists to protect the rights of employers and employees by providing rules and regulations that must be followed. It prevents employers from abusing or taking advantage of employees. To prevent exploitation and To ensure safe working environment. 1.4 Identify sources and types of information and advice available in relation to employment responsibilities and rights. Sources and types of information that are available to employment responsibility and rights include: Employment contracts -copy, company policies, manager of team, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice Bureau, Department for Work and Pensions, Employment Appeals Tribunal Service, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Access to Work (to help pay towards a support worker or the equipment you need at work) and Direct.gov website. Understand agreed ways of working that protect own relationship with employer.

Zachary’s Story Essay Example for Free

Zachary’s Story Essay 1. An ulcer starts by eroding the mucosa of the G.I tract wall. What functions of digestion or reabsorption might be lost if this layer is no longer functional? What functions will be compromised if the ulcer eats through the submucosa and then the muscularis? Absorption would not happen correctly because some of the ingested and secreted may seep out of the lumen. This could also create a pathway of entry for pathogens, if the ulcer ate its way through to the muscularis mucosa and lose some control of defecation. 2. If Zachary has a peptic ulcer affecting his stomach and or duodenum, which components of the peritoneum will be affected? If the ulcer eats a hole into the wall of the stomach, bacteria and partially digested food can spill though the opening into the peritoneum. This will cause sever inflammation of the abdominopelvic cavity and the visceral peritoneum. 3. How can Zachary’s stomach contribute to the formation of ulcers in other parts of the G.I tract? Which cells directly participate in ulcer formation and how do they contribute to the creation of lesions in the G.I tract wall? Zachary’s stomach contributes to the formation of ulcers in the other parts of the G.I tract by the acids that are needed to breakdown food, they are excessive and will cause the stomach to over work therefore causing surrounding parts to be over worked as well. The cells that participate in ulcer formation include: partial cells (secrete HCI) and gastric gland (acetylcholine) . The major causing factor is chronic inflammation due to helicobacter pylori that colonizes the mucosa. The immune system is unable to clear up the infection despite the appearance of antibodies, which the bacterium can cause a chronic active gastritis. 4. Why does Zachary’s G.I tract need the substance the contributes to the formation of ulcers? How is this substance secreted by cells within the gastric pits? Zachary’s G.I tract need the substance to assist in the breakdown of food for absorption. Epithelial cells extend into the lamina where they form secretory folds called gastric glands and several of these glands open into the gastric pits and secretions from those glands flow into the pits. 5. If Zachary’s only normal digestive enzymes come back from his mouth, what substances will he be able to digest? Zachary will only be able to digest starch because even though food is swallowed too quickly for all starches to be broken down in the mouth, salivary amylase in the swallowed food continues to act on the starches for around another hour, then the stomach acids inactivate it. Zachary can also digest triglycerides because the enzyme secreted by lingual glands in the tongue start to break down but does not activate until the bolus reaches the stomach. 6. What do you think the ultimate fate of Zachary’s pancreas would be if the hepatopancreatic ampulla continued to be blocked? What do you think would happen to the liver and then eventually to the rest of Zachary’s body? Because of the excessive pancreatic juice and bile Zachary’s pancreas will not be able to function correctly, this will result in a blockage of the secretions that will continue to build causing further damage and inflammation. Zachary will end up with extrahephatic jaundice due to the blockage of bile drainage and he will become malnourished and lose weight. 7. What enzymes has Zachary’s body been unable to use because of the blockage of the hepatopancreatic ampulla? What are the specific molecules these enzymes work on? Pancreatic juice and bile are the enzymes that Zachary cannot use. These enzymes work on the endocrine portion of the pancreas, they secrete the hormones glucagon and insulin. 8. Selecting one of Zachary’s symptoms of either diarrhea, fever or weight loss†¦ explain how inflammation of one section of the small intestine could lead to that symptom? Inflammation of the small intestine is called gastroenteritis. The symptoms that occur with this disease include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. All of these symptoms can cause a fever and it will last anywhere from 3-7 days. 9. With Zachary’s new diet, which type of lipoprotein will decrease in circulation the most? Which type of lipoprotein do most people wish they could decrease and why? Which one do most people wish they could increase? VLDLs will decrease with Zachary’s new diet. Most people wish they could decrease LDLs because LDL cholesterol is known as â€Å"bad† cholesterol, and people have too few LDL receptors. Their body cells remove LDL from the blood less effectively and develop fatty plague. People wish they could increase HDLs which is known as â€Å"good† cholesterol. 10. In a healthy person other molecules can be substituted into the pathways of glucose catabolism when the blood glucose level is low. What specific molecules will Zachary now have problems making during times of low glucose and what is the normal source of molecules? Zachary will have problems making glycogen, which is mobilized and converted to glucose by gluconeogenesis when the blood glucose concentration is low. Glucose may also be produced from non-carbohydrate precursors that include: pyruvate, amino acids and glycerol. Gluconeogenesis is what maintains blood glucose concentrations, while insulin and glycogen work together to keep blood glucose normal. 11. If Zachary is no longer ingesting foods high in lipid content, how will his body continue to supply itself with phospholipids, lipoproteins and cholesterol? Without an adequate supply of lipids in the body, what process will most likely increase in his hepatocytes to ensure proper ATP production in times of low blood glucose? Zachary’s body will continue to supply itself with phospholipids, lipoproteins and cholesterol by using the stored lipids in the adipose tissue throughout his body and his liver. Ketone bodies will increase in the hepatocytes to ensure proper ATP production.

The Success Of Judaism

The Success Of Judaism Judaism has survived throughout history by being flexible and by admitting foreign influences into its practice. Its success in the 21st century depends on its ability to continue doing this in response to the pressures of modernity. Judaism has endured the challenges imposed upon it, by its ability to preserve deep-rooted traditions of the past. It is through maintaining customs from preceding times that defines the foundations of modern day Jewish practice, be it through observance, prayer or habit. In combination to this, its capacity to be versatile and incorporate outside influence has served to maintain its popularity as a major world faith. In order to continue its future religious success, Judaism must persist upholding the traditions that it stands for. However, in the light of pressures of modernity that arise through social change, including feminism and assimilation it must also incorporate aspects of outside influence to promote its popularity. Judaism has survived through emerging itself as a faith of tradition, including those developed in both Diasporic times as well as the biblical period. It is through the upholding of various forms of tradition that has united the global Jewish population. This is evident within prayer, observance and custom. As revealed through the practice of the Orthodox Jewish population, tradition plays a major part of defining the faith through the close following of Halakah. This is evident within the environment of Orthodox synagogue services; women are prohibited from wearing pants, those who are married must cover their heads and a mekhitzah segregates the seating between men and women. Despite social change that has provided freedom from such restrictions, Orthodox Judaism has held onto these traditions, which have acted in defining it through continuity. If such aspects were removed from the service, it would alienate the Orthodox Jewish community, as it is through such customs that have b een observed throughout generations and therefore characterizes the continuing existence of the religion. It is not solely the Orthodox community that have relied upon tradition as a means to exist. Within all strands of Judaism, tradition has played a major part in the continued existence of the faith. This is evident in relation towards Jewish practice, such as through customs observed during festivals. This includes the performing of the Passover Seder, the eating of Latkes during Chanukah and the maintenance of kashrut. It is through the participation of such traditions that identifies Jewish practice. Judaism has continued to exist through the desire to maintain tradition through historical descent. As Jacob Neusner states, the Judaic religious tradition is shaped by the historical life of the Jewish people therefore indicating how elements of Jewish historical significance have acted in forming and strengthening an attachment to the faith. This is evident when referring to various periods such as the destruction of the second Temple and the Holocaust. The destruction of the Temple led Jews to consolidate their beliefs through the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism and the tragedy of the Holocaust has stood for and continues to stand for an attachment to the faith. Poll after poll of American Jews in the 1990s found that the Holocaust surpassed Israel, Judaism, or any other factor as the basis of the Jewish Identity. Such moments of historical significance represent an increased strength of faith in times of adversity. In combination to the preservation of tradition to explain the survival of the faith, it is also evident that its continuing presence is determined through its ability to subject itself to change through time. This is evident through the emergence of various strands of Judaism that emerged after Jews were emancipated in Europe. As revealed through the surfacing of Reform Judaism with its popularity, in nineteenth century Germany, the religion has survived through its ability to adapt; they encouraged prayer in the local vernacular rather than in Hebrew, a way of diminishing the difference between them and their non-Jewish neighbours. This is an indication that as circumstances and living environments change, Judaism has adapted in order to maintain its popularity as a key religion. As Jews after Haskalah were no longer constricted to the bounds of the shtetlack, and began to interact within mainstream society, it reveals how Judaism was able to accommodate this new lifestyle through encompassing foreign influence. Apart from incorporating German (or other native language) into prayer, aspects include the introduction of a sermon, as well as the use of organ music within the service, both of which derive from Protestant worship. In the environment of the New World, Judaism continued to exist through its ability to incorporate elements of American ideology. With the development of concepts such as the melting pot, putting forward ideas of multiculturalism, America was representing and continues to represent itself as a centre of mixed ethnicity and religion that came to include Judaism; the United States isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a pluralistic society in which Otherness is accepted, if grudgingly at times, and diversity is tolerated and occasionally even celebrated. This is because with the influx of Immigrants that came to form modern America, Judaism provided Jews with an ethnicity to define themselves against immigrants who associated themselves through being Chinese, Italian or other nationality. The American environment therefore promoted its popularity and helped to uphold its existence. It is evident that the environment of America has influenced religious practice, as indicated through change in custom as a r esult of social change in America (and the modern world). While Orthodox Judaism has maintained tradition, and not welcomed much outside influence, the rise of the popularity of the Conservative and Reform movements indicates that social change in America has had an influence upon upholding the faith. This is evident in respect to custom, such as attitudes towards Halakah within these branches of American Judaism. Conservative Judaism, the most popular American branch of Judaism has sought its popularity through incorporating social values accepted by mainstream American society and transferring them into Jewish practice .Halakhah is presented as a historical phenomenon, capable of adjusting to meet changing realities imposed by sociology, economics, politics, science and technology. This is evident by its growing acceptance of womens influence within the synagogue service such as through the acceptance of the ordination of women Rabbis as well as the absence of a mekhitzah within prayer. Similarly, the Reform movement rejects the traditional interpretation of Halakhah and presents it as non-abiding. In practice, this leads traditional aspects of practice non-compulsory such as the abidance of the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut; they believe that the dietary laws are antiquated and serve no practical function and point out that they are a major factor in separating Jews from the rest of their fellowmen This indicates how such non-Orthodox movements introduce new thought into the faith, not derived through traditional means. To an extent, the future of Judaism relies on its ability to remain flexible and accepting of outside influence. This is because, as indicated through the popularity of Conservative and Reform synagogues, Judaism must incorporate customs of modernity to ensure it survival and strength. It is through issues of modernity such as feminism and assimilation that Judaism must respond to and accommodate in order to remain attractive to future generations, whom determine its long term success. As made apparent in Jew Vs Jew, the Conservative movement has permitted women some equality to men, as indicated through the publication of the new Conservative prayer book; The Siddur Sim Shalomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦now included two versions of the Amidah, without the Matriarchs on page 3a and with them on 3b . It is through such developments as including recognizing women in liturgy, permitting the ordination of Rabbis and authorizing women to wear tallit and kippot that allows Judaism to reflect modernity and remain popular. However, as indicated within this instance, responding to modernity is a continuing process; Jewish feminists, such as Rachel Adler will continue to press for further reform within the traditional service to make Judaism more reflective of secular civil rights. Modernity has led Jews to live within the spheres of the secular world, which while has offered increased opportunity, socially, economically and politically, has led to an increased level of assimilation. As highlighted by Stephen Bloom through his own experience as a Jew within secular America; few of my friends learned Hebrew, few families lit candles at Shabbos dinner and few celebrated the Sabbath, assimilation constituted the diluting of Jewish practice. With the rise of assimilation into mainstream American culture, Judaism must search for new influences and measures in order to secure the future success of the faith. This is because, at present, especially within the environment of Orthodox Judaism, it is increasingly difficult to incorporate Jewish practice within the secular way of living. This is as a result of Halakha which places restrictions over modern life. This includes the prohibition of driving or working during Shabbat, dietary restrictions through the laws of kashrut and attempting to observe Jewish holidays within the calendar of the secular world. At present, such prohibitions prove to be discouraging to Jews who place high value over their secular lives, especially those in the younger generations. As it is these individuals who will determine the future existence and strength of the faith, Judaism must continue being flexible in order to survive. It is through measures as adopted by The Sinai Temple of Los Angeles with its Friday night Live services, which provide young people with a synagogue service reflective of a rock concert, encouraging wide audiences across the city that lies in future popularity of the faith. This is because it is through such methods that Jews, who would otherwise neglect Jewish practice, continue to uphold the faith. To maintain the popularity of Judaism, it has to subject itself to change. However, in doing this, it sacrifices much of the traditions, which to many Jews are definitive of the faith. It is therefore arguable that many of the changes that occur through social change and modernity sacrifice the essence of Judaism. It is due to this that explains why the Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox strands of Judaism maintain concepts and practices that in the era of modern times can appear antiquated and sexist. This is indicated in Postville, to which indicates how Hassidic Jews have protected and continue to protect themselves from influence of secular culture in order to uphold the traditions that Judaism holds; to remain pure the Jews would not allow their children to go to Postville public schoolsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Hasidim were loathe to rely on anyone outside their Mispocheh, extended family. As evident through the elite world of Hassidim, it is revealed how Orthodox Judaism has continued and wil l continue to exist through maintaining a traditional life, according to Halakah and upholding the practice of a tight Jewish community. It is of importance to uphold the Jewish tradition in order to prevent assimilation through intermarriage. A 1990 National Jewish Population Survey concluded that an intermarriage rate of 52% existed in the United States, signifying a steady downfall of American Jewry. This is because the increase of intermarriage indicates a more remote chance that Judaism will continue to survive through future generations. In order to ensure the future existence of Judaism, the faith must emphasize the spirit of Jewish tradition through maintaining some aspects of continuity, such as the practice of the Friday night Shabbat meal and holiday observance such as the Passover Seder in order to continue to provide a strong Jewish culture that appears attractive to have the desire to maintain. On one side were Jewsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦for whom being Jewish meant keeping our Jewishness subordinate to our being American. On the other side were Orthodox Jews, who retained their religion and the daily practice of it essential to their existence. Ultra-Orthodox Jews largely disassociated themselves from mainstream American culture, which they viewed as a threat to Jewish identity. Judaism has continued and will continue to exist while there is a choice of denominations which will accommodate various needs and lifestyles. It is through the combination of maintaining elements of traditional continuity while incorporating aspects of modernity which leads to a popular faith. Although this suggests that Conservative Judaism stands as future of Jewish existence, it is because there are multiple movements within the faith that permits Judaism to continue to survive. With the differing variations of the Jewish faith, it provides and will continue to provide a choice to the modern Jew that reflects the lifestyle that he or she chooses to adopt. Work Cited Scheindlin, Ray A Short History of the Jewish People Oxford University Press (1998) Robinson, George Essential Judaism Pocket Books (2000) Freedman, Samuel Jew vs. Jew Simon and Schuster (2001) Bloom, Stephen G. Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America Harcourt (2000) Harris, Lis Holy Days, The World of a Hassidic Family Simon and Schuster (1995)

James S. Hirsch’s Book, Hurricane :: Essays Papers

James S. Hirsch’s Book, Hurricane In James S. Hirsch’s book about Rubin "Hurricane" Cater, Hurricane, the author describes how Carter was wrongfully imprisoned and how he managed to become free. Hirsch tells about the nearly impossible battle for Carter and his friend John Artis for freedom and justice. Both, Carter and Artis, were convicted of a triple homicide, and both were innocent. The book raises the importance of, and questions, the writ of habeas corpus. Carter used a writ of habeas corpus to get a federal trial. Many question the legality of Carter going into federal jurisdiction, when his case should have been heard before the Supreme Court of New Jersey. It was a gamble, but the federal judge gave fair justice to Carter and Artis. The State of New Jersey appealed the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which upheld the District Court’s ruling. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a boxer who hailed from Paterson, New Jersey. His story begins in the summer of 1966, during the Civil Rights Movement. Carter was at the Lafayette Bar and Grill on June 17th, but he was denied service by the bartender, James Oliver, due to his race. Carter left the bar after being denied service. Around 2:30 A.M., two armed black men came into the Lafayette Bar and opened fire. Oliver and one customer were killed instantly. Two other patrons, Hazel Tanis and William Marins, were seriously wounded. Patty Valentine, a tenant who lived above the bar, looked out her window just after the shooting. She saw two black men leave in a white car. Nearby Alfred Bello and Arthur Bradley were breaking into a factory. Bello was the lookout, and his exact location - inside or outside the bar - would be a point of concentration for the next twenty years. The police arrived at the bar within minutes. They took statements from Marins, Valenine, and Bello. Not one of them said they had seen Rubin Carter, one of Paterson’s most well-known citizens, at the scene. A police bulletin radioed officers to be on the lookout for a white car with two black men inside. Four minutes after the shooting, but before the police bulletin, a Paterson police officer was chasing a speeding white car which was leaving town.

Ambiguities Answered in Derek Jacobis Richard II Essay -- Richard II

Ambiguities Answered in Derek Jacobi's Richard II Â   The plain text of a script does not live and breathe as a visual performance must. Both director and actors have to make choices in a production, to interpret and make clear the plot and purpose of the play. The Derek Jacobi Richard II uses the capabilities of film to remove many of the ambiguities that plague interpretation of that text. In doing so, it creates a passionate yet ineffective King Richard who, between his own insecurity and Northumberland's conniving, hurls the crown to the willing if uneasy Bullingbrook. Richard's character becomes evident through costume, acting, and script choices. Throughout the play, Richard wears some of the lightest colors on stage -- his white robe at court in I.i, his sky-blue garments at the lists in I.iii, even a pure white robe as opposed to the off-white the "caterpillars" wear in the bathroom in I.iv. Even in the deposition sequence of IV.i, the brown robe Richard is clad in is still light, almost pastel. This wardrobe choice has two effects. The light colors draw visual attention to Richard, just as he continually tries to draw aural attention with his high-flown speeches. Yet the constant parade of pastels and watered-down shades also makes Richard look weak, particularly next to the more soberly-dressed court or the much darker-clad Bullingbrook and Northumberland. Richard's costume style reinforces the impression: in the white robe he seems to typically use for court occasions, the huge sleeves incapacitate his hands (obviously intended in the period as an emblem of leisure, but here also serving as an image of powerlessness) and the high collar forces his neck up, strengthening an appearance of arrogance and aloofness. ... ...n the shoulder and thrusting the summary of charges at him, expressively rolling his eyes at the dethroned king's constant refusals, to his smug parting of Richard and his queen. The Derek Jacobi production of Richard II provides its own answers to many of the ambiguities posed by the text alone. Richard is portrayed as an ineffective ruler ripe for overthrow, and Bullingbrook as a more capable man boosted to power by the scheming of the Machiavellian Northumberland. Many other interpretations are valid -- indeed, some of this production's choices were made easier by judicious cuts in the script -- but this production provides an entertaining, reasonable, and self-consistent interpretation of the welter of events surrounding the deposition of a king. And, in so doing, the production proves the almost limitless variety of theater, particularly of Shakespeare.

The Yellow Wallpaper :: essays research papers

We Must Creep to be Heard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s 2:00am and I cannot sleep. I toss and turn while the question, â€Å"Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?† keeps playing over and over in my mind. The picture in my mind of a subjugated woman who feebly attempts to fight against feminine oppression and her impending insanity is vivid and disturbing and continues to slap against the recesses of my mind with an angry hand. What was Charlotte Perkins Gilman attempting to convey to her readers when she wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and created the characters of the narrator, her husband John, Mary and her sister-in-law Jennie? Obviously, in an exaggerated version of her own experience with post-partum depression and its prescribed â€Å"rest cure†, Gilman speaks of a world in which the female is forced into a role of the submissive counterpart to male dominance. In the following pages, I will describe how Gilman has effectively created characters that draw us into their vie w of control, dominance and frustrated silence against imprisonment in a paternalistic society, and how we are given a view into a perfectly healthy mind that goes awry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin with, Gilman created the narrator as a nearly anonymous identity; we know her only as John’s wife. This power imbalance extends to other areas of their relationship. John dominates her in a progressively patronizing manner. His character is displayed as strong, practical and stereotypically masculine and he seems skeptical of her seemingly weak, feminine condition. John diagnoses her problem, and prescribes the â€Å"rest cure† he believes she needs. The narrator has no say in her condition, and when she attempts to speak her mind, he treats her like a child and makes light of her voice. â€Å"John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that† (An Introduction to Fiction 572) which illustrates the role women are expected to play and accept in a marriage. Another main function Gilman gave of John’s control over the narrator is his inhibiting of her writing. Although she believes writing would help her condition, as I’m s ure Gilman did, John insists it would only debilitate her ailment further. He stifles her creativity and intellect, forcing her into the role of the submissive wife. She is forced to hide her writings, which frustrate her more â€Å"I did write for a while in spite of them; but it does exhaust me a good deal—having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition† (572).

Managerial Epidemiology for Gerontological Health Care

Gerontology is the scientific study of aging as well its effects. In the recent years, the field of gerontology had been the focus of many concerned citizen because there is a significant increase on the elder sector of the society. Practically all academic disciplines and non-academic professions are affected by the aging of Americans. The study of aging and associated issues, therefore, will be of critical importance during the next century as the â€Å"baby boomers† pass into the ranks of the older generation. For this paper, the main objective is to have a study about gerontology in a managerial perspective. It will focus on the kind of healthcare service that will be given on the elder sector without compromising the quality of the said service. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The Healthcare Industry The healthcare industry is one of the most fast growing industries in the world. The main purpose of the industry is to provide health services like prevention, treatment of diseases, and the maintenance of wellness through the combined force of doctors and other related profession. Problems in Healthcare Industry A.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Low Quality of Healthcare service Some healthcare service has low quality of service they offered. This is because of the financial status of healthcare center. They cannot afford to buy medicines and apparatus for their services. This is mainly on the poor status of a certain country.(Emerald, 2006) B.  Ã‚   Recruitment and Human Resource Quality Shortage and low quality of doctors and other related profession is another problem of healthcare industry. This will lower the healthcare services that will need by several people. Solutions to the Dilemma A.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implementation of New Technology Implementations of information and communication technology of healthcare industry will vehicle the development and improvement of the industry in offering medical care. (Sangaran, 2006) B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Good Recruitment Even though healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing industries, the recruitment is one of the problems. Proper staffing, improvement on the salary and benefits and a safe working place will attract people to go in healthcare industry. (Goldstein, 2006) C.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retain Valuable Employees Retain employees that have high quality in proper attitude towards work. These qualities are being responsible, high motivation in their work and skilled and talented personnel. These are the main key for the success of the industry. (â€Å"Retain Valuable Employees.† 2006) D.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sets Standards Sets of standards must be made to guide the employees in their work. These standards will be used to provide ethics as they serve their patients. Technology and Research In the advent of the advance technology, new methods and materials were produce to prolong the life of man. In this stage also were health care industry was more known. Many benefits to man are provided by the said industry. It helps and maintains good health on man and prevents further illness. High technology brought many positive changes to human kind. It produces many tools to help people life easier. Another breakthrough in the field of medicines and therapies is the result from many research studies. Many findings brought significant result that help to prolong and sustain a healthy aging among elder citizens. It also produces many medicines that lower the rate of mortality and prolonging life. With this, population in the world gradually increases (Wilfond, 2005). From the given statement, we will have a intelligent guess that intervention of technology as well the application of findings of research will have a significant effect on the effectiveness and preventive ness in the elder care sector. The most evident form of intervention of technology in the healthcare industry is the utilization of newly advance medical equipments. These equipments are capable of detecting possible health problems as well able to cure patient elder people. Moreover, with this high sophisticated apparatus, physicians can do medical operation easier. Some of these medical apparatus that are more advanced includes X-ray machines, MRI, surgical computers and many others. Another application of technology in medicine is telemedicine. As the name implies, it combines the application of medicine and telecommunication. Specifically, telemedicine involves telecommunications and information technology to provide clinical care to individuals at a distance and to transmit the information needed to provide. We know for the fact that elder people find it hard to go to hospital just to check the physical condition. But with the introduction of telemedicine, physicians will be able to monitor their patients who are in their own houses. Findings from research do also play vital role in the health service given to elder people because these results will be applied to the elder people. Like in the case of healthy aging where different method are examined that will make aging among elders healthier and not the other way around. These studies will provide necessary information that will lessen the effects of aging among senior citizen. These findings are being employed by many health care institutions to decrease the number of fatality on the elder sector. Examples of the proposed of many researches are to exercise, drink plenty of water, and eat the right kind of foods. Right kind of food means eating healthy and nutritious foods. Eating vegetables and fruits regularly will prevent the risk in many dangerous diseases like cancer, and heart diseases. Proper diet will ensure the normal activities of our cells, tissues and organs (Healthwise, 2007). REFERENCES: Emerald. (2006). International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance.  Ã‚   Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚   April 8, 2006 Goldstein, G. (2006). How Can A Union Solve Problems on the Job?  Ã‚   Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   April   Ã‚   7, 2006 Healthwise. (2007). Healthy Aging – Topic Overview [Electronic Version]. Retrieved April 13, 2008, from http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/ Retain Valuable Employees. (2006).  Ã‚   Retrieved April 6, 2006, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.piworldwide.com/PredictiveIndexApplications/Default.asp?Reference  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keywo  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   rd=RetainEmployees Sangaran, S. (2006). Healthcare Sector Will Benefit From ICT Implementation.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved April 7, 2006, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/564850/healthcare_sector_will_benefit_fro  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   m_ict_implementation/index.html?source=r_health Mills, A.M., C.L. Wilkinson, and D.R.   Bromham. (1996)†Guidelines for Prescribing Combined Oral Contraceptives  .† British Medical Journal . Wilfond, B. (2005) â€Å"Ethical Issues with Marketing â€Å"Off Label† Drug Use in Pediatrics. .† National Institute of Health.   

Looking Beyond “Black Skin, White Masks” Essay

In recent years the world’s toleration for different cultures and races has increased, however in light of this, the issue of black and white has not faded. There is still a large division between both races due to the sentimental and resentful anguish that the past has brought. I recently read the essay â€Å"Black Skin, White Masks† by Franz Fanon, in which the author discusses psychological and sociological issues surrounding the black race. I feel like the authors underlying message throughout the story is the role of the black man in white culture, and how in today’s society the past is used to determine the future. In this essay, I will explore the idea that the past has affected the relationship between both races and how moving on and looking at the future will create â€Å"ideal conditions of existence† (764). Throughout his piece, Fanon is persistent on the idea of moving on from the past and looking towards the future. This is an idea that is relatable regardless of skin colour. Fanon says, â€Å"In no way should I derive my basic purpose from the past of the peoples of colour. †¦ I will not make myself a man of past. I do not want to exalt the past at the expense of my present and of my future† (761). In regards to the black man, their history of slavery and mistreatment has led to a resent not easily eased by an apology. Many still live in the past, holding grudges against those who offended them so many years before. I consider this a rather unpleasant way to live; to have resent held in one’s heart for so many years takes a toll on how they carry themselves and how that person treats others. Perhaps Fanon’s ideology of moving forward is an accurate one, and perhaps it is the key to erasing the line between the black race and the white race. â€Å"Black Skin, White Masks† also explores the role of the black man in white culture. The title itself is an indication of how Fanon feels about the role; how black people wear white masks in order to feel more accepted within society. This often means giving up their traditions and way of life in order to assimilate into the culture that rules society. Fanon makes the statement â€Å"I as a man of colour do not have the right to seek to know in what respect my race is superior or inferior to another race† (762). The author makes it clear that he does not consider himself to be above or below the white man, or any other race for that matter. The black man can be considered a man just as much as the white man is in society and equality is the only way to merge the two races together. In his analysis Fanon stressed the importance of moving forward. He wants the black race to be able to put the suffering they experienced behind them. Fanon points out that just as the black people shouldn’t â€Å"claim reparations† (762), they should also not hope â€Å"there will be a crystallization of guilt† (762) in the white man. Fanon makes the statement â€Å"There is no Negro mission; there is no white burden† (762). In that, he describes that the white man should not feel obligated to help the black race by assimilating them just as they did decades ago. By placing themselves in others’ shoes, each race might be able to see beyond their own surroundings and into the bigger picture. It is this notion that will help create a more communicative connection between the two races. It is safe to say that merging two races together after years of racism is a difficult task, and it is clearly visible between the black race and the white race. Fanon expresses his ideas on the subject by saying that people should look beyond the past and into the future. He describes the place of the black man in white society, and how in order to bridge the barrier between the two, equality must be a factor. Regardless of when Fanon wrote his analysis, one can see that his ideologies apply to today’s society and that the issues still remain.

Franchising and Domino

PROJECT REPORT ON SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF DOMINO’S PIZZA SUBMITTED TO:SUBMITTED BY:DR. HAIDER ALI KUMAR SHANTANU ROLL NO. 22 1 MBA(E-BUSINESS) SEMESTER IV TABLE OF CONTENTS SL NO. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 7. PARTICULARS ABOUT DOMINO’S PIZZA DOMINO’S IN INDIA MENU IN DOMINO’S COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS OF DOMINO’S BUSINESS STRATEGY OF DOMINO’S STORE OPERATIONS SUPPLY CHAIN OF DOMINO’S PAGE NO. 3 3 5 6 7 9 12 2 ABOUT DOMINO’S PIZZA Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery operating a network of company-owned and franchise-owned stores in the United States and international markets. Domino's Pizza's Vision illustrates a company of exceptional people on a mission to be the best Pizza Delivery Company in the world. Domino's started out small with the legendary Tom Monaghan who bought his first pizza store and called it Dominick's. It was re-christened Domino's Pizza in 1965. HoDomino’sver, in 1978, the 200th Domino's store opened, and things really began to cook. By 1983 there Were 1000 Domino's stores, rising to 5000 in 1989. Today, there are more than 9000 franchised and company owned stores in the United States and 60 international markets . Domino's is listed on the NYSE under the symbol â€Å"DPZ. † The Domino's Pizza ® brand was named a Megabrand by Advertising Age magazine. Domino's Pizza was named â€Å"Chain of the Year† by Pizza Today magazine, the leading publication of the pizza industry. In 2009, Domino's ranked number one in customer satisfaction in a survey of consumers of the U. S. argest limited service restaurants, according to the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Domino's has expanded its menu significantly since 2008 to include Oven Baked Sandwiches and BreadBowl Pasta, and recently debuted its ‘Inspired New Pizza'- a permanent change to its core hand-tossed product, reinvented from the crust up with new sauce, cheese and garlic seasoned crust. DOMINO’S IN INDIA Jubilant Food Works Limited, a Jubilant Bhartia Group Company holds the Master Franchisee Rights for Domino's Pizza for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The company has been listed on the Indian btheses recently. Prior to Sep 24, 2009, the company was known as Domino's Pizza India Limited and underwent a name change, rest of the terms remaining the 3 same. The promoters of the company are Mr. Shyam S Bhartia, Mr. Hari S Bhartia and Jubilant Enpro Private Ltd. Domino's Pizza opened its first store in India in January 1996, at New Delhi. Today Domino's Pizza India has grown into a countrywide network of more than 300 stores with a team of over 9,000 people. According to the India Retail Report 2009, It was the largest Pizza chain in India and the fastest growing multinational fast food chain betDomino’sen 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 in terms of number of stores. Over the period since 1996, Domino's Pizza India has remained focused on delivering great tasting Pizzas and sides, superior quality, exceptional customer service and value for money offerings. It has endeavored to establish a reputation for being a home delivery specialist capable of delivering pizzas within 30 minutes or else FREE to a community of loyal consumers from all the stores around the country. Domino's vision is focused on † Exceptional people on a mission to be the best pizza delivery company in the world! â€Å". It is committed to bringing fun, happiness and convenience to lives of the consumers by delivering delicious pizzas to their doorstep and efforts are aimed at fulfilling this commitment towards a large and ever-growing customer base. Domino's constantly strives to develop products that suit the tastes of the consumers and hence delighting them. Domino's believes strongly in the strategy of ‘Think global and act local'. Thus, time and again it has been innovating with delicious new products such as crusts, toppings and flavthes suitable to the taste buds of Indian Consumers. Further providing value for money and affordable products to the consumers has been an important part of it’s efforts. Domino’s initiatives such as Fun Meal and Pizza Mania have been extremely popular with consumers looking for an affordable and value for money meal option. The Brand Positioning of Khushiyon ki Home Delivery (Happiness Home delivered) is the emotional benefit it offers to the consumers. All the efforts, whether it is a new innovative and delicious product, offering consumers value for money deals, great service, country wide presence or delivery in 30 minutes or free are all oriented towards delivering happiness to the homes of the consumers. Consumers can order their pizzas by calling the single Happiness Hotline number 1800-111-123 (in most cities of Domino's Pizzas Presence) and 44448888 (in NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore). 4 MENU IN DOMINO’S VEGETARIAN SIMPLY VEG Margherita Cheese and Tomato pizza VEG I Double Cheese Margherita Fresh Veggie Country Special Farm House VEG II Peppy Paneer Mexican Green Wave Deluxe Veggie Gthemet FEAST PIZZA Veg Extravaganza NON-VEGETARIAN SIMPLY NON VEG Cheese And Barbeque Chicken NON VEG I Barbeque Chicken Spicy Chicken NON VEG II Chicken Mexican Red Wave FEAST PIZZA Meatzaa Keema Do Pyaaza Non Veg Extravaganza Chicken Golden Cheese And Delight Pepperoni SIDE ORDERS 5 VEGETARIAN Veg Mexican Wrap Veg Pasta Italiano White Veg Pasta Italiano Red Garlic Breadsticks Cheese Jalapeno Dip Cheese Dip Choco Lava Cake NON-VEGETARIAN Veg Mexican Wrap Veg Pasta Italiano White Veg Pasta Italiano Red Chicken Wings COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS OF DOMINO’S ? Strong and proven growth and earnings model:- Over a 50- year old history, it has developed a focused growth and earnings model. This model is anchored by stong store-level economics, which provide an entrepreneurial incentive for franchise, and generate demand for new stores. The franchise system in return has produced strong and consistent earnings through supply chain and royalty payments revenue, with minimal associated capital expenditures. Strong store-level economics:- It has developed a cost-efficient store model, characterized by a delivery and carry-out oriented store design, with low capital requirements and a focused menu of quality, affordable pizza and complimentary side items. At the store level, it believes that simplicity and efficiency of operations gives it advantages over its competitors. ? Strong and Overall-diversified franchis e system:- It has developed a large, global and diversified franchise network that is critical component of its system-wide success and efficient pizza delivery. The franchise system network consists of 8284 stores, 55% of which are located in United States. 6 ? Strong cash flow and earnings stream:- A substantial percentage of the earnings are generated by the commited, owner-operator franchises through royalty payments and revenues to vertically integrated supply chain system. ? Strong brand awareness:- Domino’s pizza brand is one of the most widely known consumer brand in the world. Consumers associate the brand with timely delivery of pizza, affordable pizza and complimentary side items. Domino’s brand has been routinely recognized as a megabrand by â€Å"Advertising Age†. Internal dough manufacturing and supply chain system:- In addition to generating significant revenues and earnings, the vertically integrated dough manufacturing and supply chain system enhances the quality and consistency of the products and the relationship with the franchises. It also helps in leveraging economies of scale to offer loDominoâ€⠄¢sr cost to stores and allows the store managers to better focus on store operations and customer service by relieving them of the responsibility of mixing dough in the stores. BUSINESS STRATEGY OF DOMINO’S It intends to achieve further growth and strengthen the competitive position through the continued implementation of business strategy which includes the following elements:? Continue to execute the mission statement:- The mission statement of Domino’s is â€Å"exceptional franchises and team members on a mission to be the best pizza delivery company in the world†. It implements this by following a business strategy that:- †¢ puts franchises and company owned stores at the foundation of all the thinking and decisions; †¢ emphasizes the ability to select,develop and retain exceptional team embers and franchises; 7 †¢ provides a strong infrastructure to support the stores; †¢ builds excellent store operations to create loyal customers; ? Growing the leading position in an attractive industry :- U. S. pizza delivery and carry-out are the largest components of the U. S. QSR pizza category. They are also highly fragmented. Pizza delivery, through which a majority of retail sales are generated, had sales of $10. 9 billion in the twelve months ended November 2008. As the leader in U. S. izza delivery, domino’s believes that convenient store locations, simple operating model, widely-recognized brand and efficient supply chain system are competitive advantages that position it to capitalize on future growth. Carry-out had $13. 8 billion of sales in the twelve months ended November 2008. While the primary focus is on pizza delivery, domino’s is also favorably positioned as a leader in carry-out given the strong brand, convenient store locations and quality, affordable menu offerings. ? Leveraging the strong brand awareness :- Domino’s believes that he strength of the Domino’s Pizza ® brand makes us one of the first choices of consumers seeking a convenient, quality and affordable meal. Domino’s intend to continue to promote the brand name and enhance the reputation as the leader in pizza delivery. In 2007 Domino’s launched the campaign, â€Å"You Got 30 Minutesâ„ ¢,† which built on the Company’s 30-minute delivery heritage. In 2007 and 2008, each of the domestic stores contributed 4% of their retail sales to the advertising fund for national advertising in addition to contributions for market-level advertising. Additionally, for 2007 the domestic stores within active co-operatives elected to allocate an additional 1% of their advertising contributions to support national advertising initiatives. Domino’s intend to leverage the strong brand by continuing to introduce innovative, consumer-tested and profitable new product varieties (such as Domino’s Brooklyn Style Pizza and Domino’s Oven Baked Sandwiches), complementary side items (such as buffalo wings, cheesy bread, Domino’s Buffalo Chicken Kickers ® and Cinna Stix ®) and value promotions as through marketing affiliations with brands such as Coca- Cola ®. Additionally, Domino’s may from time-to-time partner with other organizations in an effort to promote the Domino’s Pizza ® brand. Domino’s believes these opportunities, when coupled with the scale and share leadership, will allow to grow the position in U. S. pizza delivery. ? Expand and optimize the domestic store base :- Domino’s plan to continue expanding the base of domestic stores to take advantage of 8 the attractive growth opportunities in U. S. pizza delivery. Domino’s believes that the scale allows to expand the store base with limited marketing, distribution and other incremental infrastructure costs. Additionally, the franchise-oriented business model allows to expand the store base with limited capital expenditures and working capital requirements. While Domino’s plan to expand the traditional domestic store base primarily through opening new franchise stores, Domino’s will also continually evaluate the mix of Company-owned and franchise stores and strategically acquire franchise stores and refranchise Company-owned stores. Continue to grow the International Business :- Domino’s believe that pizza has global appeal and that there is strong and growing international demand for delivered pizza. Domino’s have successfully built a broad international platform, almost exclusively through the master franchise model, as evidenced by the 3,726 international stores in more than 60 countries. Domino’s be lieves that Domino’s continue to have significant long-term growth opportunities in international markets where Domino’s have established a leading presence. In the current top ten international markets, Domino’s believe that the store base in total for these ten markets is approximately half of the total long-term potential store base in those markets. Generally, Domino’s believe Domino’s will achieve long-term growth internationally as a result of the favorable store-level economics of the business model, the growing international demand for delivered pizza and the strong global recognition of the Domino’s Pizza ® brand. The international stores have produced positive quarterly same store sales growth for 60 consecutive quarters. STORE OPERATIONS Domino’s believe that the focused and proven store model provides a significant competitive advantage relative to many of the competitors who focus on multiple components of the pizza category, particularly dine-in. Domino’s have been focused on pizza delivery for 48 years. Because the domestic stores and most of the international stores do not offer dine-in areas, they typically do not require expensive real estate, are relatively small and are relatively inexpensive to build and equip. The stores also benefit from lower maintenance costs, as store assets have long lives and updates 9 re not frequently required. The simple and efficient operational processes, which Domino’s have refined through continuous improvement, include:†¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ strategic store locations to facilitate delivery service; production-oriented store designs; product and process innovations; a focused menu; efficient order taking, production and del ivery; Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢ point-of-sale system; and a comprehensive store audit program. Strategic store locations to facilitate delivery service Domino’s locate the stores strategically to facilitate timely delivery service to the customers. The majority of the domestic stores are located in populated areas in or adjacent to large or mid-size cities, or on or near college campuses. Domino’s use geographic information software, which incorporates variables such as traffic volumes, competitor locations, household demographics and visibility, to evaluate and identify potential store locations and new markets. Production-oriented store designs The typical store is relatively small, occupying approximately 1,000 to 1,300 square feet, and is designed with a focus on efficient and timely production of consistently high quality pizza for delivery. The store layout has been refined over time to provide an efficient flow from order taking to delivery. The stores are primarily production facilities and, accordingly, do not typically have a dine-in area. Product and process innovations The 48 years of experience and innovative culture have resulted in numerous new product and process developments that increase both quality and efficiency. These include the efficient, vertically-integrated supply chain system, a sturdier corrugated pizza box and a mesh screen that helps cook pizza crust more evenly. The Domino’s HeatWave ® hot bag, which was introduced in 1998, keeps the pizzas hot during delivery. Domino’s also continue to introduce new products such as Domino’s Oven Baked Sandwiches, which Domino’s launched in 2008. Additionally, Domino’s have added a number of complementary side items to the menu such as buffalo wings, Domino’s Buffalo Chicken Kickers ®, bread sticks, cheesy bread and Cinna Stix ®. Focused menu 10 Domino’s maintain a focused menu that is designed to present an attractive, quality offering to customers, while minimizing order errors, and expediting the order taking and food preparation processes. The basic menu has three choices for pizza products: pizza type, pizza size and pizza toppings. Most of the stores carry two or three sizes of Traditional Hand-Tossed, Ultimate Deep Dish, Brooklyn Style and Crunchy Thin Crust pizza. During 2008, Domino’s added the new Domino’s Oven Baked Sandwiches to the menu that are available in fthe main varieties. The typical store also offers buffalo wings, Domino’s Buffalo Chicken Kickers ®, bread sticks, cheesy bread, Cinna Stix ® and Coca-Cola ® soft drink products. Domino’s also occasionally offer other products on a promotional basis. Domino’s believe that the focused menu creates a strong identity among consumers, improves operating efficiency and maintains food quality and consistency. Efficient order taking, production and delivery Each store executes an operational process that includes order taking, pizza preparation, cooking (via automated, conveyor-driven ovens), boxing and delivery. The entire order taking and pizza production process is designed for completion in approximately 12-15 minutes. These operational processes are supplemented by an extensive employee training program designed to ensure world-class quality and customer service. It is the priority to ensure that every Domino’s store operates in an efficient, consistent manner while maintaining the high standards of food quality and team member safety. Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢ point-of-sale system The computerized management information systems are designed to improve operating efficiencies, provide corporate management with timely access to financial and marketing data and reduce store and corporate administrative time and expense. Domino’s have installed Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢, the proprietary point-of-sale system, in every Company-owned store in the United States and significantly all of the domestic franchise stores. Some enhanced features of Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢ over the previous point-ofsale system include: †¢ touch screen ordering, which improves accuracy and facilitates more efficient order taking; †¢ a delivery driver routing system, which improves delivery efficiency; †¢ improved administrative and reporting capabilities, which enable store managers to better focus on store operations and customer satisfaction; and †¢ enhanced online ordering capability, including Pizza Tracker which was introduced in 2007. Domino’s require the domestic franchisees to install Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢ and are in the process of installing Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢ in the remaining domestic 11 franchise stores. Additionally, Domino’s have installed Domino’s PULSEâ„ ¢ in over 1,000 international franchise stores. Comprehensive store audit program Domino’s utilize a comprehensive store audit program to ensure that the stores are meeting both the stringent standards as the expectations of the customers. The audit program focuses primarily on the quality of the pizza the store is producing, the customer service the store is providing and the condition of the store as viewed by the customer. Domino’s believe that this store audit program is an integral part of the strategy to maintain high standards in the stores. SUPPLY CHAIN OF DOMINO’S Domino’s operates in three business segments: 12 Domestic stores:- The domestic stores segment consists of the domestic franchise operations, which oversee the network of 4,558 franchise stores located in the contiguous United States, and the domestic Company-owned store operations, which operate the network of 489 Company-owned stores located in the contiguous United States; †¢ Domestic supply chain:- The domestic supply chain segment operates 17 regional dough manufacturing and food supply chain centers, one supply chain center providing equipment and supplies to certain of the domestic and international stores and one veg etable processing supply chain center; and †¢ International:- The nternational segment oversees the network of 3,726 international franchise stores in more than 60 countries. The international segment also distributes food to a limited number of markets from six dough manufacturing and supply chain centers in Alaska, Hawaii and Canada (fthe). Domestic stores During 2008, the domestic stores segment accounted for $511. 6 million, or 36%, of the consolidated revenues. The domestic franchises are operated by entrepreneurs who own and operate an average of three to fthe stores. Only six of the domestic franchisees operate more than 50 stores, including the largest domestic franchisee, which operates 144 stores. The principal sources of revenues from domestic store operations are Company-owned store sales and royalty payments based on retail sales by the franchisees. The domestic network of Company-owned stores also plays an important strategic role in the predominantly franchised operating structure. In addition to generating revenues and earnings, Domino’s use the domestic Company-owned stores as test sites for new products and promotions as Overall as store operational improvements and as forums for training new store managers and prospective franchisees. Domino’s also believe that the domestic Company-owned stores add to the economies of scale available for advertising, marketing and other costs that are primarily borne by the franchisees. While Domino’s continue to be primarily a franchised business, Domino’s continually evaluate the mix of domestic Company-owned and franchise stores in an effort to optimize the profitability. The domestic Company-owned store operations are divided into eleven geographic areas located throughout the contiguous United States while the domestic franchise operations are divided into fthe regions. The team members within these areas provide direct supervision over the domestic Company-owned stores; provide training, store operational audits and marketing services; and provide financial analysis and store development services to the franchisees. Domino’s maintain a close relationship with the franchise stores through regional franchise teams, an array of computer-based training materials that help franchise stores comply 13 ith the standards and franchise advisory groups communications betDomino’sen us and the franchisees. Domestic supply chain that facilitate During 2008, the domestic supply chain segment accounted for $771. 1 million, or 54%, of the consolidated revenues. The domestic supply chain segment is comprised of dough manufacturing and supply chain cent ers that manufacture fresh dough on a daily basis and purchase, receive, store and deliver quality pizza-related food products and complementary side items to all of the Company-owned stores and over 99% of the domestic franchise stores. Each regional dough manufacturing and supply chain center serves approximately 300 stores, generally located within a one-day delivery radius. Domino’s regularly supply approximately 5,000 stores with various supplies and ingredients, of which, eight product groups account for over 90% of the volume. The domestic supply chain segment made approximately 575,000 full-service deliveries in 2008 or betDomino’sen two and three deliveries per store, per Domino’sek; and Domino’s produced over 273 million pounds of dough during 2008. Domino’s believe that the franchisees voluntarily choose to obtain food, supplies and equipment from us because Domino’s provide the most efficient, convenient and cost-effective alternative, while also providing both quality and consistency. In addition, the domestic supply chain segment offers a profitsharing arrangement to stores that purchase all of their food from the domestic dough manufacturing and supply chain centers. This profit-sharing arrangement generally provides domestic Company-owned stores and participating franchisees with 50% of their regional supply chain center’s pre-tax profits. Profits are shared with the franchisees based upon each franchisee’s purchases from the supply chain centers. Domino’s believe these arrangements strengthen the ties with these franchisees. The information systems used by the domestic dough manufacturing and supply chain centers are an integral part of the quality service Domino’s provide the stores. Domino’s use routing strategies and software to optimize the daily delivery schedules, which maximizes on-time deliveries. Through the strategic dough manufacturing and supply chain center locations and proven routing systems, Domino’s achieved delivery accuracy rates of approximately 99% during 2008. The supply chain center drivers unload food and supplies and stock store shelves typically during non-peak store hthes, which minimizes disruptions in store operations. International During 2008, the international segment accounted for $142. 4 million, or 10%, of the consolidated revenues. Domino’s have 592 franchise stores in Mexico, representing the largest presence of any QSR company in Mexico, 512 franchise stores in the United Kingdom, 412 franchise stores in Australia, 14 305 franchise stores in South Korea, 296 franchise stores in Canada, 227 franchise stores in India and over 100 franchise stores in each of Japan, France, Taiwan and Turkey. The principal sources of revenues from the international operations are royalty payments generated by retail sales from franchise stores and sales of food and supplies to franchisees in certain markets. Domino’s have grown by more than 1,200 international stores over the past five years. Domino’s empower the managers and franchisees to adapt the standard operating model, within certain parameters, to satisfy the local eating habits and consumer preferences of various regions outside the contiguous United States. Currently, most of the international stores are operated under master franchise agreements, and Domino’s plan to continue entering into master franchise agreements with qualified franchisees to expand the international operations in selected countries. Domino’s believe that the international franchise stores appeal to potential franchisees because of the Overall-recognized brand name, the limited capital expenditures required to open and operate the stores and the system’s favorable store economics. The following table shows the store count as of December 28, 2008 in the top ten international markets, which account for 78% of the international stores. Number of stores Mexico 592 United Kingdom 512 Australia 412 South Korea 305 Canada 296 India 227 Japan 181 France 140 Taiwan 120 Turkey 106 The franchise program As of December 28, 2008, the 4,558 domestic franchise stores Were owned and operated by the 1,216 domestic franchisees. The success of the franchise formula, which enables franchisees to benefit from the brand name with a relatively low initial capital investment, has attracted a large number of motivated entrepreneurs as franchisees. As of December 28, 2008, the average domestic franchisee operated approximately three to fthe stores and had been in the franchise system for tDomino’slve years. At the same time, only six of the domestic franchisees operated more than 50 stores, including the largest domestic franchisee, which operates 144 stores. Domestic franchises 15 Domino’s apply rigorous standards to prospective franchises. Domino’s generally require prospective domestic franchises to manage a store for at least one year before being granted a franchise. This enables us to observe the operational and financial performance of a potential franchisee prior to entering into a long-term contract. Domino’s also generally restrict the ability of domestic franchisees to become involved in other businesses, which focuses the franchisees’ attention on operating their stores. As a result, the vast majority of the franchisees come from within the Domino’s Pizza system. Domino’s believe these standards are unique to the franchise industry and result in qualified and focused franchisees operating their stores. Franchise agreements Domino’s enter into franchise agreements with domestic franchisees under which the franchisee is granted the right to operate a store in a particular location for a term of ten years, with options to renew for an additional term of ten years. Domino’s currently have a franchise contract renewal rate of over 99%. Under the current standard franchise agreement, Domino’s assign an exclusive area of primary responsibility to each franchise store. During the term of the franchise agreement, the franchisee is required to pay a 5. 5% royalty fee on sales, subject, in limited instances, to loDomino’sr rates based on area development agreements, sales initiatives and new store incentives. Domino’s have the contractual right, subject to state law, to terminate a franchise agreement for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, a franchisee’s failure to make required payments when due or failure to adhere to specified Company policies and standards. Franchise store development Domino’s provide domestic franchisees with assistance in selecting store sites and conforming the space to the physical specifications required for a Domino’s Pizza store. Each domestic franchisee selects the location and design for each store, subject to the approval, based on accessibility and visibility of the site and demographic factors, including population density and anticipated traffic levels. Domino’s provide design plans and sell fixtures and equipment to most of the franchise stores. Franchise training nd support Training store managers and employees is a critical component of the success. Domino’s require all domestic franchisees to complete initial and ongoing training programs provided by us. In addition, under the standard domestic franchise agreement, domestic franchisees are required to implement training programs for their store employees. Domino’s assist the 16 domestic and international franchisees by making training materials available to them for their use in training store managers and employees, including computer-based training materials, comprehensive operations manuals and franchise development classes. Domino’s also maintain communications with the franchisees online, through various newsletters and through face-to-face meetings. Franchise operations Domino’s enforce stringent standards over franchise operations to protect the Domino’s Pizza ® brand. All franchisees are required to operate their stores in compliance with written policies, standards and specifications, which include matters such as menu items, ingredients, materials, supplies, services, furnishings, decor and signs. Each franchisee has full discretion to determine the prices to be charged to customers. Domino’s also provide ongoing support to the franchisees, including training, marketing assistance and consultation to franchisees who experience financial or operational difficulties. Domino’s have established several advisory boards, through which franchisees contribute to developing systemwide initiatives. International franchises The vast majority of the markets outside of the contiguous United States are operated by master franchisees with franchise and distribution rights for entire regions or countries. In select regions or countries, Domino’s franchise directly to individual store operators. The master franchise agreements generally grant the franchisee exclusive rights to develop or sub-franchise stores and the right to operate supply chain centers in a particular geographic area for a term of ten to tDomino’snty years, with options to renew for additional terms. The agreements typically contain growth clauses requiring franchisees to open a minimum number of stores within a specified period. Prospective master franchisees are required to possess or have access to local market knowledge required to establish and develop Domino’s Pizza stores. The local market knowledge focuses on the ability to identify and access targeted real estate sites along with expertise in local customs, culture, consumer behavior and laws. Domino’s also seek candidates that have access to sufficient capital to meet their growth and development plans. The master franchisee is generally required to pay an initial, one-time franchise fee as Overall as an additional franchise fee upon the opening of each new store. In addition, the master franchisee is required to pay a continuing royalty fee as a percentage of retail sales, which varies among international markets. Marketing operations 17 The domestic stores generally contribute betDomino’sen 4% to 5% of their retail sales to fund national marketing and advertising campaigns. In addition to the required national advertising contributions, in those markets where Domino’s have co-operative advertising programs, the domestic stores also generally contribute to market-level media campaigns. These national and market-level funds are administered by Domino’s National Advertising Fund Inc. , or DNAF, the not-for-profit advertising subsidiary. The funds remitted to DNAF are used primarily to purchase television advertising, but also support market research, field communications, public relations, commercial production, talent payments and other activities supporting the Domino’s Pizza ® brand. DNAF also provides cost-effective print materials to the domestic stores for use in local marketing that reinforce the national branding strategy. In addition to the national and market-level advertising contributions, domestic stores spend additional amounts on local store marketing, including targeted database mailings, saturation print mailings and community involvement through school and civic organizations. Additionally, Domino’s may from time-to-time partner with other organizations in an effort to promote the Domino’s Pizza ® brand. By communicating a common brand message at the national, local market and store levels, Domino’s create and reinforce a poDomino’srful, consistent marketing message to consumers. This is evidenced by the successful previous marketing campaign with the slogan â€Å"Get the Door. It’s Domino’s.  ®Ã¢â‚¬  and the current marketing campaign with the slogan â€Å"You Got 30 Minutes. â„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Over the past five years, Domino’s estimate that domestic stores have invested approximately $1. 4 billion on national, local and co-operative advertising. Internationally, marketing efforts are primarily the responsibility of the franchisee in each local market. Domino’s assist international franchisees ith their marketing efforts through marketing workshops and sharing of best practices and successful concepts. Third-party suppliers Domino’s have maintained active relationships of 15 years or more with more than half of the major suppliers. The suppliers are required to meet strict quality standards to ensure food safety. Domino’s review and evaluate the suppliers’ quality assurance programs through, among other acti ons, onsite visits, third party audits and product evaluations to ensure compliance with the standards. Domino’s believe that the length and quality of the relationships with suppliers provides us with priority service and quality products at competitive prices. Domino’s believe that two factors have been critical to maintaining longlasting relationships and keeping the purchasing costs low. First, Domino’s are one of the largest domestic volume purchasers of pizza-related products such as flthe, cheese, sauce and pizza boxes, which allows us to maximize leverage with the suppliers when items are put out for bid on a scheduled 18 asis. Second, Domino’s use a combination of single-source and multi-source procurement strategies. Each supply category is evaluated along a number of criteria including value of purchasing leverage, consistency of quality and reliability of supply to determine the appropriate number of suppliers. Domino’s currently purchase the pizza cheese from a single supplier. In 2007, the Company entered into a new arrangement with this supplier. Under this arrangement, the supplier agreed to provide an uninterrupted supply of cheese and the Company agreed to a five year pricing period during which it agreed to purchase all of its primary pizza cheese for the Company’s United States stores from this supplier or, alternatively, pay to the supplier an amount reflecting any benefit previously received by the Company under the new pricing terms. The pricing schedule is directly correlated to the CME block cheddar price. The majority of the meat toppings come from a single supplier under a contract that began in July 2008 and expires in July 2010. The Crunchy Thin Crust dough is currently sourced by another single supplier pursuant to requirements contracts that expire in 2009. Domino’s have the right to terminate these arrangements for quality failures and for uncured breaches. Domino’s believe that alternative suppliers for all of these ingredients are available, and all of the pizza boxes, sauces and other ingredients are sourced from various suppliers. While Domino’s may incur additional costs if Domino’s are required to replace any of the suppliers, Domino’s do not believe that such additional costs would have a material adverse effect on the business. Domino’s also entered into a multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola effective January 1, 2003 for the contiguous United States. The contract provides for Coca-Cola to be the exclusive beverage supplier and expires on the later of December 31, 2009 or such time as a minimum number of cases of Coca-Cola ® products are purchased by us. Domino’s continually evaluate each supply category to determine the optimal sourcing strategy. It has not experienced any significant shortages of supplies or any delays in receiving our food or beverage inventories, restaurant supplies or products. The current economic environment has created additional financial pressures for some of the suppliers; however it does not currently anticipate disruptions in our supplies. Prices charged by suppliers are subject to fluctuation, and domino’s has historically been able to pass increased costs and savings on to stores. It may periodically enter into financial instruments to manage the risk from changes in commodity prices. Domino’s does not engage in speculative transactions nor does it holds or issue financial instruments for trading purposes. 19