Intense Personal Memories and Reflections

Intense personal memories and reflections have always been an inspiration to poets. Explore this concept with regards to the poems that you have studied referring to three poems in detail and at least three poems from your wider reading. The theme of reflections is something frequently explored in literature. It is truly a powerful force. It can bestow courage, feelings of warmth, and even overwhelm you and this is exactly what the below six poets did by manipulating their personal and emotional reflections to generate an emotive impact on us by using a variety of literary devices to present to us a ‘window’ into their pasts.Alice Walker (Poem at Thirty-Nine), U. A. Fanthorpe (Half past Two) and D. H. Lawrence (Piano) have all portrayed powerful emotional memories and reflections in their poems. â€Å"Poem At Thirty-Nine† was concerning a woman who learnt everything from her father and desired to do the simple things he did during his life although she was very pr ivileged to acquire an education hence she could better herself in life. â€Å"Follower† by Seamus Heaney was a poem that related to the admiration of their parent. Half-Past Two† evaluated the predicament of a young boy in an after school punishment for â€Å"Something Very Wrong† but he was instructed to remain in the schoolroom until â€Å"half- past two† but he did not understand the concept of time. â€Å"My Parents Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† by Stephen Spender evaluated a childhood problem similarly to â€Å"Half-Past Two† where in this case, the title is self-explanatory. Piano† was a well-defined example of the author of the poem ruminating on his past life, but in particular, music of his childhood making him return to certain events forcefully but he realised how much he has transformed and the memories made him crave to return to the past. â€Å"Once Upon A Time† by Gabriel Okara also was a poem where the ad ult wanted to return to the past but in this poem, it was not for a childhood memory but a quality that was expelled from his mind during adulthood. D. H.Lawrence’s â€Å"Piano† was written in quatrains with 3 stanzas. The structure of 3 stanzas divided the poem into 3 different parts which made it organised and stanzas created a clear space in time. Through the usage of stanzas, the emotional contrasts between his dwelling in his childhood memories and the aftermath are much more distinct and easier to apprehend. With the change from the second to the third stanza, the persona’s memories of delight were juxtaposed with reality settling in where Lawrence’s language now was in the present.The poet used several poetic devices but one that triumphs was his distinct word placement and perfectly placed words and syllables. This portrayed the intensity of emotion in the poem since he knew the exact phrases and words to maximise the effect of presenting emotions in a sophisticated manner. A perfect example of this would be where instead of just saying â€Å"going back† or â€Å"train of thought† he used â€Å"vista of years. † Another example of this specific word usage was when Lawrence used the phrase â€Å"Till I see† which communicated the message in a more powerful manner than â€Å"I remember. The poet chose a particular phrase because he wanted to communicate exact images and not leave a lot of room for assumption since just using â€Å"I remember† or â€Å"going back† could be a range of memories. He also used phrases such as â€Å"A child† to refer to himself and he referred to his mother as â€Å"A mother† which made the poem impersonal but it was an attempt to make him detached from the memories and as if he almost didn’t distinguish his past self, seeing that he has changed so much. Lawrence utilised a variety of poetic devices such as sibilance, onomatopoeia and w hat I think to be his most effective and successful, his selective diction.The poet has effectively established an enthralling atmosphere for the poem by using sibilance. He used sibilance not just for an atmosphere creation but to add a sinister and harsh tone to a line: â€Å"In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song. † That was also another precisely chosen phrase. There were many examples of sibilance such as â€Å"Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;† and â€Å"†¦smiles as she sings,† where the â€Å"s† sounds similar to that of a whisper which portrayed. Now the intensity of his memory but now it’s beginning to emotionally hurt him.Also when the poet asserted â€Å"In spite of myself,† he was forced to reckon these moments, he referred to his masculinity. The â€Å"insidious mastery of song†¦ Betrays me back,† tricked him into the nostalgia of childhood, it forced him to â€Å"weep to belong,† since he didn’t want to revisit the past. He pulled himself out of recalling about the child he was with the phrase â€Å"In spite of myself† The poet used the words â€Å"Sunday† and â€Å"at home† which gave a sense of resting and peace but he used a contradictory metaphor, â€Å"winter outside† which meant the harsh world outside his safe home.As that stanza continued, you saw the theme of safety and comfort continues where he said â€Å"hymns in the cozy parlour. † The hymns show that the family was a God-fearing family and a parlour was where the best things in the house were and where guests usually were so that also shows a close knitted family and the sense of security between the family members. The poet also used onomatopoeia in â€Å"boom of the tingling strings† and â€Å"tinkling â€Å" since â€Å"boom† and â€Å"tinkling† described their own sound.Lawrence used a musical term in the final stanza â€Å"W ith the great black piano appassionato† which enhanced the impression on the reader. As the reader, â€Å"appassionato† was more impacting than loud since it was associated to music and it was more expressive. â€Å"Appassionato† added to the fact that to the character’s music didn’t matter anymore and that he’d rather be with his mother. The singer, his mother, was trying â€Å"in vain† which and continued where the mother singing was â€Å"clamour† so she comprehended that he was beginning to lose attention but her attempts to retrieve his focus we futile.He then used the pejorative term, â€Å"childish days† which tended to suggests immaturity but the â€Å"glamor† of those days makes him long for it. Also this extract â€Å"†¦ my manhood is cast/Down in the flood of remembrance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  shows that he wept like a child for the past therefore by his weeping; the gap between child and man, sentiment and masculinity, and past and present is abridged. Personally, I think anyone can relate to this poem because no matter who you are there’s that one moment in childhood everyone longs to return to and just like Lawrence, everyone sees it as a â€Å"glamor. â€Å"Once Upon A Time† by Gabriel Okara is related to â€Å"Piano† because within the poem, there was the desire to return to the past but in this poem, it was a conversation between a father and a son where the father was relating how actions of people were executed when he was young compared to the present and now the father (narrator) wished he could return to his original innocent state. Unlike â€Å"Piano,† â€Å"Once Upon A Time† was a free verse poem.The first three stanzas have the same general pattern where Okara starts by narrating the past and explaining how things used to be, but then he tells the negative reality, making the tone of the poem very sinister and bitter by using phrases s uch as â€Å"ice – block cold eyes† and â€Å"shake hands without hearts,† whereas in â€Å"Piano† there was a sinister undertone with the â€Å"insidious† sibilance. The mood of this poem for the majority of it was seriousness but at the ending, the mood changes to regret and you see how heartfelt the father’s desire to become like what he used to be. So show me, son, how to laugh; show me how†¦ I used to laugh and smile†¦ once upon a time when I was like you. † The repetition in that extract emphasised the genuineness of his regret. A simile that Okara used to express his regret was â€Å"†¦my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs! † which shows who remorseful he feels by using a poisonous snake to represent his teeth. So we see that just as how Lawrence wants to return to his childhood for the memories, Okara wants to learn from his past by letting his son teach him how to show his true feelings again. Poem at Thirty-Nine† by Alice Walker differs from Piano and Half-Past Two because it is a free verse poem. In free verse poems, you tend to get the memories that was most impacted on you so the reflection becomes more fascinating. Although this poem was written in free verse, there was still a distinct separation between the two sections of the poem. That was presented in the repetition of the phrase â€Å"How I miss my father† where the first time, it seemed like she was sighing of deliberation and remorse.This remorse can also be linked in with the phrase â€Å"though many of my truths must have grieved him before the end. † She now recognised that what she disclosed might have upset him but the second time was with an exclamation mark, instead of a sigh, it appeared to be more like a wail. At this point she recalled and missed her father and the fun things about him. Finally there was the stanza that concludes poem which told us that she has become the woman that her father wanted her to be.Walker used simple language that was never overstated or simulated in any way so without the use of the extravagant words; you can clearly perceive that this poem is coming from her heart. She used simple, short phrases and sentences such as â€Å"Writing slips and deposit checks† or â€Å"cooking, writing, chopping wood† which also gives you an impression of Walker attempting to communicate with the reader and not narrating a story. This is a significant contrast from the poem â€Å"Piano† because in piano, the entire poem was based on the perfect layout of words and syllables using complex vocabulary.This poem consisted of various literary devices such as similes, metaphors and the dominating symbolism. One simile used in the poem was â€Å"He cooked like a person dancing† which contrasts with the proceeding line â€Å"in a yoga meditation† but nonetheless the dancing showed that the father enjoyed cooking but he seems co ncentrated and contented with his actions. An example of a metaphor in the poem was â€Å"my brain light† which was an usual combination of words but the light can be ascertained to either be free from care, worry or stress and even meditation.Then, there was the many examples of symbolism but I think the most obvious would be â€Å"†¦tossing this and that into the pot; seasoning none of my life the same way twice;† this can be understood where she was carefree and she has a lack of concern and attention to details. The â€Å"seasoning† would be a symbol of her daily activities. Another symbolic phrase would be â€Å"cooking, writing, chopping wood, staring into the fire. † To me, I see those actions as symbols of independence where she was able to survive without relying on her parents. Chopping wood† shows that she’s not afraid of the gender boundary of the society then since women were looked down upon and they had little to no rights and it was the same for Black-Americans and Alice Walker had the privilege of being from both groups. She later became a racial and women’s activist. You could say that she is a modern woman, being able to be independent and fight for her beliefs. Any father â€Å"would have grown to admire† the woman she had become especially hers who had been a freed slave. â€Å"Follower† by Seamus Heaney was written in quatrains each of the six stanzas has four lines thus being a structured poem.This poem relates to â€Å"Poem at Thirty-Nine† because it focuses on admiration just like in â€Å"Poem at Thirty-Nine† The poem has multiple splits where particular stanzas focus on different people. Stanza one to three focuses on the expertise in the farm by his father. Evidence where this is clearly seen is â€Å"The horse strained at his clicking tongue† where you notice that with an effortless human noise and he controls the animals on the farm. A more obv ious example was just the two word sentence â€Å"An Expert† which just states that he was excellent at what he did.Then stanzas four to six, Heaney talked about himself being a nuisance on the farm and what made this apparent was that Heaney begins to use the pronoun â€Å"I. † â€Å"I stumbled†¦ / I was a nuisance, tripping, falling† where Heaney admits that he was, in fact, a nuisance, but there was a twist at the end of the poem where â€Å"But today†¦ It is my father who keeps stumbling†¦ Behind me, and will not go away. † And this was the ultimate theme of the poem – the relationship of the father and the son and how the role of being a farmer is reversed when you age.The mood of this poem was actually not one of bitterness but love between the father and son although that word was never mentioned in the poem. There were similes, metaphors, oxymoron and onomatopoeia used in this poem. â€Å"His shoulders globed like a full sai l strung† This simile stressed how Heaney admired his father’s strength. â€Å"The sweating team turned round† This was a metaphor for the father controlling his son’s future. One of the oxymoron examples were: â€Å"Polished sod† which highlights that you cannot have smooth mud, so Heaney cannot follow.Onomatopoeia: â€Å"Dipping and rising to his plod† accentuated Heaney as a young boy following his father, and also his father’s farming, the movement of the horse-plough. Reading this poem, people can relate to this poem because in everyone’s life, you eventually move up in life from the nuisance to the one who actually does the work and the same people who thought you we’re the nuisance to them, you now think they hinder you. â€Å"Half-Past Two† by U. A. Fanthorpe is a structured poem where each stanza has three lines each.The poem follows a chronological order where it began him in a classroom in his after scho ol punishment and it follows the events like a time lapse until the teacher dismissed him but then you notice that the poem ends on a philosophical note. In the first stanza, we saw evidence of there being a contrast in age in the lines being spoken by a narrator in third person and in brackets, the narrator in first person narrative. We saw evidence of this throughout the poem. For example, â€Å"He did Something Very Wrong†¦ (I forget what it was)† Everything spoken by the first person narrator was written in brackets but when he was relating the past events he writes freely. When Fanthorpe was reflecting upon his younger childhood; he could not tell the time so time existed for him in personal interactions and it was important times such as â€Å"Gettinguptime, Timeyouwereofftime, Timetogohometime, TVtime†¦ † and the concept of the â€Å"half – past two† was not understood by him. This poem, just like all the other poems, has a great amount o f literary devices such as personification, repetition and oxymoron. One example of personification was where he attempted to comprehend the concept of time as a child and the personified the clock â€Å"†¦ he little eyes, the long legs for walking,† but still he could not â€Å"click its language† which meant no matter how hard he tried to figure out the clock and how it works, all his attempts were unsuccessful. In stanza seven, he is in a moment of isolation – â€Å"Out of reach from all timefors† and away from the impact of time – â€Å"He’d escaped time for ever† which is comprehended as his escape from the world of time and in a fairy tale world where time has no existence. The poem from this point begins to slow down and becomes hypnotic where he was realising the routine of his life and how monotonous it was.It was as if he was falling into a trance of his regular daily life and this hypnotic stanza was achieved by the re petition of â€Å"Into† and we also see oxymoron where Fanthorpe says â€Å"†¦silent noise his hangnail made. † Then we see where he snaps out of the trance, it was as if he was slotted back into time where he was back into â€Å"teatime, Nexttime etc. † When the teacher said â€Å"I forgot all about you,† the incident the child saw as being â€Å"Something Very Wrong† and â€Å"wicked† as of little importance to the teacher. These â€Å"time† words increase the tempo of the poem like if it was back into the fast lane of life.The language of the poem now becomes more adult so it could possibly be when Fanthorpe has just got himself out of his reflections and back to present. Fanthorpe uses phrases such as â€Å"Clockless land forever† which refers back to a fairy tale where time does not exist and he not knowing time, allowed him just to live without fear of time being over. He also uses the word â€Å"Forever† whic h links back to â€Å"into ever,† a place where time was infinite and does not exist or cannot be measured. The poem ends from instead of being just a reflection; Fanthorpe personified ime â€Å"time hides tick-less waiting to be born† which can be comprehended as waiting for tome to be discovered as a concept which controls our life. This poem made me and I can assure anyone who is reading â€Å"Half-Past Two† they will realise, just like how I have, the extent of how these time periods control our life and without it, the world will either go into complete peace since it will be peaceful and there will be no need to rush or it would be a catastrophe where to world goes into uproar since people depend and base their lives on this concept of time. My Parents Who Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† by Stephen Spender was a poem about a child who was protected from the outside world by his parents and the bullying children who roamed the streets. Spender's poem was divided into three verses of equal length, though the verse division seems more of a visual device than anything else. The lines are roughly the same length and have an irregular rhythm. It was similar to the poem â€Å"Half-Past Two† since it also involved a childhood predicament but in this poem, the parents assisted the child to avoid any severe danger to their son.Spender uses the pronoun â€Å"I† which makes the poem personal and you clearly see that Spender was reflecting on his own personal encounters. The poetic devices that I observed in this poem were alliteration, similes and enjambment on the first line of the poem. Alliteration was seen in â€Å"climbing cliffs† and the simile was seen â€Å"like dogs to bark at our world† which can be understood as people who attacked other peoples’ lives. In those poems, each and every one, reflections are a major part to the poets influence for the masterpieces of work. Poem at Thirty-Nine † and â€Å"Follower† we saw pure admiration and love pour out of those poems, even though some might be hampered in the sadness and remorse, the sensation of awe to the poets’ parents was still present. Piano’ shows its power to overwhelm a fully grown man and drive him to the point of tears. â€Å"Half-Past Two† was one of those amazing poems where if you begin to imagine what would it be like and your imagination just runs wild. Once Upon A Time† is another fantastic and usual piece of poetry where instead of having a child admire a father; Okara did the opposite and have the parent running to the child for wisdom which is a notable ironic twist that was very uncommon. â€Å"My Parents Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† is one of those stories where there is just nonstop bullying and you think the person being bullied would never recover, in this poem we actually see the poet forgive his enemies which now makes me admire him for t hat bold move although the street children never paid any attention to him.Personally I believe in the power of memory. Through recollecting the past and reflecting upon it, I see what I can do to improve myself and be a better person. With it you can become happy but yet be pained by it and I have my regrets but those memories hurt, keep me awake at night and cause fits of depression. It is a normal part of life. Live with it, do not seek to dwell in the past and create more memories worth remembering.

The Savage Beast†Man’s Inherent Primitivism as Shown in Lord of the Flies

Ray Penman Oct 3, 2010 The Savage Beast— Man’s Inherent Primitivism as Shown in Lord of the Flies A running theme in Lord of the Flies is that man is savage at heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man's rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves again and again, often comparing man with characters from the Bible to give a more vivid picture of his descent.Lord of the Flies symbolizes this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the mentality of actual primitive man to the reflections of a corrupt seaman in purgatory. The novel is the story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of the dissension a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the boys lose all sen se of home and civilization. â€Å"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. (Golding, Ch 5) When the confusion finally leads to a manhunt, the reader realizes that despite the strong sense of British character and civility that has been instilled in the youth throughout their lives, the boys have backpedalled and shown the underlying savage side existent in all humans The novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil nature inherent in man: if a group of well-conditioned school boys can ultimately wind up committing various extreme travesties, one can imagine what adults, leaders of society, are capable of doing under the pressures of trying to maintain world relations.Lord of the Flies’ apprehension of evil is such that it touches the nerve of contemporary horror as no English novel of its time has done; it takes us, through symbolism, into a world of active, proliferating evil which is seen, one feels, as the natural condition of man and which is bound to remind the reader of the vilest manifestations of Nazi regression. In the novel, Simon is a peaceful lad who tries to show the boys that there is no monster on the island except the fears that the boys have. Simon tries to state the truth: â€Å"Maybe there is a beast†¦What I mean is†¦ maybe it's only us. † (Golding, Ch 5) When he makes this revelation, he is ridiculed. This is an uncanny parallel to the misunderstanding that Christ had to deal with throughout his life. Later in the story, the savage hunters are chasing a pig. Once they kill the pig, they put its head on a stick and Simon experiences an epiphany. As Simon rushes to the campfire to tell the boys of his discovery, he is hit in the side with a spear, his prophecy rejected and the word he wished to spread ignored.Simon falls to the ground dead and is described as beautiful and pure. The description of his death, the manner in which he died, and the cause for which he died ar e remarkably similar to the circumstances of Christ's life and ultimate demise. The major difference is that Christ died on the cross, while Simon was speared. However, a reader familiar with the Bible recalls that Christ was stabbed in the side with a spear before his crucifixion. When Piggy, the largest advocate of the law, is killed near the end of the book, the conch is broken.Until that point, the conch had been a way to control and pacify the crowd— only someone holding the conch may speak. When Jack and the boys have had enough of Ralph’s laws, the boys kill Piggy and shatter the conch. The law ceases to exist, though when the boys are rescued, the â€Å"game† ends and they are once again just bedraggled boys smeared in mud and blood on the shore. William Golding discusses man's capacity for fear and cowardice. In the novel, the boys on the island first encounter a natural fear of being stranded on an uncharted island without the counsel of adults.Once th e boys begin to organize and begin to feel more adult-like themselves, the fear of monsters takes over. It is understandable that boys ranging in ages from toddlers to young teenagers would have fears of monsters, especially when it is taken into consideration that the children are stranded on the island. The author wishes to show, however, that fear is an emotion that is instinctive and active in humans from the very beginnings of their lives.This revelation uncovers another weakness in man, supporting the idea or belief that man is pathetic and savage at the very core of his existence. Throughout the novel, there is a struggle for power between two groups. This struggle illustrates man's fear of losing control, which is another example of his selfishness and weakness. The fear of monsters is natural; the fear of losing power is inherited. The author uses these vices to prove the point that any type of uncontrolled fear contributes to man's instability and will ultimately lead to h is demise spiritually and perhaps even physically.The author chooses to use an island as the setting for the majority of the story. The island is an important symbol in Lord of the Flies. It suggests the isolation of man in a frightening and mysterious cosmos. The island in the novel is an actual island, but it’s more than just that. It is a microcosm of life itself, the adult world, and the human struggle with his own loneliness. Man grows more savage at heart as he evolves because of his cowardice and his quest for power.The novel proves this by throwing together opposing forces into a situation that dowses them with power struggles and frightening situations. By comparing mankind in general to Biblical characters in similar scenarios, the novel provides images of the darker side of man. This darker side of man's nature inevitably wins and man is proven to be a pathetic race that refuses to accept responsibility for its shortcomings.Bibliography: Golding, William. Lord of t he Flies. 1952. 13. 3 (1952): 1-248. Print.

In a dark time Essay

Reading and understanding poems is a creative process that goes on in time and from line to line even as the poet’s creation does. In the poem Roethke tries to break through the barriers of rational language with paradoxes and short, seemingly unrelated statements. In a sense, Roethke’s poem is also a commentary on the experience, and his essay is another attempt to record his mystical enlightenment. Each expression in turn becomes its own experience for the writer. â€Å"In a Dark Time,† was a dictated poem, something scarcely mine at all. The allegorical nature of his spiritual journey is clear from the phrase â€Å"A man goes far to find out what he is† that by is generality universalizes and distances the speaker’s quest. His search is less for personal identity than it is for defining characteristics of the human condition-man’s nature and the limits of his understanding. His mystical experience dissolves idiosyncrasies into ultimate concerns, yet we expect more of a union with the divine, a phase he saves for the last stanza. At the end of â€Å"In a Dark Time,† the speaker returns to the opening paradox that natural darkness is actually a spiritual light, but now the paradox has a more agonizing relevance. Instead of the general statement that â€Å"In a dark time, the eye begins to see,† he now confesses that â€Å"Dark, dark/my light, and darker my desire. † In mystical literature God remains the source of all light, although He may appear as darkness to man’s limited mind. Roethke, in the poem, would be restoring the original power of the One beyond God, and what is more, identifying himself with the greater of the two. While he is not the final authority on the meaning of â€Å"In a Dark Time,† Roethke’s interpretation demands the close attention: if only by the necessities of his art, he has lived with the poem longer and more intimately than his readers. Reference: Roethke, T. (1960). Roethke: Colleted Poems. Double-day & Company, Inc.

Amazon Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amazon Inc - Research Paper Example In its recent endeavors, the company has been performing as a proven technology leader and has developed e-commerce innovations such as personalized shopping services, I-click ordering easy-to-use and other browse features. The company offers faster and safer credit transaction facility to its customers, and e4-mail communication with customers and direct shopping at competitive price worldwide (Amazon.com, Inc., 1998). The primary purpose of this paper is to identify Amazon’s current and future challenges along with the requisite competencies needed for its success. Current and Future Challenges Amazon has been successful in satisfying its customers’ needs with lower prices, vast selection and speedy delivery facilities. Nevertheless, the company has been currently facing intense competition from other online book merchants, mainly due to ease in new entry and low level of switching costs in the industry. Furthermore, the challenges in the form of competition are expec ted to increase in the future, making it more challenging for Amazon to achieve its goals and objectives. Notably, the security and privacy issues have always been a matter for challenge for the online business companies like Amazon. Despite, the adequate level of security and other facilities provided by the company, many customers decipher reluctance for conducting transactions over the internet. Additionally, the rapidly changing e-commerce environment has offered the company to make constant changes in its strategies in order to grow and adapt to the changing environment. Along with these challenges, the poor logistics and supply chain management has radically affected the ability of the company to earn substantial profits (Singh & Waddell, 2004; University of Washington, 1998). Competencies Required For Success Over the years, the company has been able to meet the needs of its customers more effectively and efficiently, which has rewarded the company to establish itself as one of the world’s largest online retailers. However, the constant changes in the online business environment, along with increasing competition has urged the company to focus on certain specific factors to strengthen its core competencies in order to retain its market position and attain success in the future. Hence, it can be argued that market orientation is a crucial factor for modern management in the e-commerce sector. It is also essential for Amazon to target the relevant needs of the targeted customers rather than emphasizing solely on the advancement of its technology approach. It is also equally important for the company to capture the arising market opportunities after assessing the upcoming risks in an efficient manner. In this regard, it is suggestible that the goals and strategies framed by the company should be in consistent with SMART (i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reliable and Timely). It is thus necessary for the company to establish effective planning, monitoring and controlling of its activities. Furthermore, the company should conduct market analysis as well as competitors’ analysis at regular intervals in order to acquire potential understanding about the prevailing market trends and competitors strategies. The company should also involve in developing leaders for future and ensuring greater success with increased competencies of the future leader to deal with the challenges in the most efficient manner. Nonetheless,

Real-world companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Real-world companies - Essay Example Geographical barriers trade and tariff rules are great threat for it. Maintaining the brand image is also a big threat for Nestle (Nash, 2000). PEST Analysis Political: Political factors can mold the business in a great extent. Due to which Nestle may bear different taxes which increase the operational cost of Nestle. Economical: Economical factors like inflation have a great encroachment over the Nestle business. Socia-cultural: People have more awareness about brand due to cultural factors so it is costly to maintain the social symbol. Technology: Rapid change in technology is a great threat for Nestle to maintain its innovation and enhance the R&D operations (Peter and Olson, 2004). Porter’s 5 forces Model The threat of substitute: Substitute low price products are the biggest threat for the company while Nestle is providing its customers with quality products at a reasonable price. The threat of new entry: Low entry barriers are there. Entry of any new firm having same sta ndard products can be a great threat for Nestle. Competitive rivalry: There is high competitive rivalry because Nestle is competing with other organizations which offer the same products at low cost. The bargaining power of supplier: Due Supplier of Nestle have increased bargaining power. The bargaining power of buyers: New entrants and their offers have increased the bargaining power of buyers (Nash, 2000). Competitive advantages of Nestle: Nestle Company started off as the single idea from Henri Nestle who was a pharmacist. He formulated a mil formula for infants who had less tolerance for mother milk in 1866. This was the breakthrough for him as the entire Europe came up with the largest demand for this formula. Since then Nestle has been increasing the size the company and expanding in almost all countries. Not only business expansion but Nestle also has expanded the product line by introducing variety in every product they offer (Etzel, et. al., 2004). By using the innovation a nd renovation in the product line, Nestle has been able to gain competitive advantage in the global market. Nestle’s trademark has become a barrier to many other companies with people considering its products as a benchmark to follow. Here are some of the competitive advantages that Nestle is enjoying at the moment: Nestle is leading the overall global market position. It is either number one or two brands in most of the countries and regions globally. The larger scope of Nestle’s extraordinary business is providing significant and sustainable economies of scale in marketing, manufacturing and administration processes of the business. Nestle has developed a wide research and development department with capabilities and expertise that allow the company to lead in the innovative products which ultimately leads to flexibility in portfolio maximization and profitability (Etzel, et. al., 2004). Business strategies used by Nestle: Innovation: Innovation is one of the key bus iness strategies that is bringing a sustained competitive advantage to Nestle. A great deal of applied and pure science research is part of R&D centers of Nestle in order to bring innovation but consumer benefit remains at the core of the business. Whatever designed or produced is customer oriented. The Nestle’s innovative strategy focuses on providing: Health and nutrition Quality and safety of every Nestle products

Human behavior in orgzations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human behavior in orgzations - Essay Example It is, because organizational behavior has a direct influence on productivity that is the chief managerial concern. Defining organization behavior Robbins (p.11) states, â€Å"OB is concerned with the study of what people do in an organization and how their behavior affects the organization’s performance.† OB is a very vast concept that may include the study of simple disciplinary matters of employees, interactions, reactions, employment of power and skills, turnover, leadership, performance, communications, actions and perceptions etc. hence there is no consensus on the definition of OB among researchers and scholars. Minor (2006, p. 40) observes, â€Å"Although it does seem that consensus is at a rather low level overall within organizational behavior, there are subfields and sectors where this is not the case.† However, Ostrof, Kinicki & Tamkins (cited in Kinicki, p.41) have presented a more comprehensive and objective definition of the concept, â€Å"Organizational culture is the set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thinks about, and reacts to its various environments.† The increasing need to understand and react according to the demands of organizational behavior has exposed managers to tough challenges of interpersonal skills and expertise. Today, the effectiveness and success of a manager is heavily associated with his knowledge and commitment to the OB. Studies have shown that managers with better communication and networking skills are effective and successful. Managers need to administer human resource extensively and keeping in touch with lower level employees and higher-level managers simultaneously has become inevitably important to achieve managerial objectives for the organization. Horizontal and vertical communication with individuals and groups can help to bridge gaps and evade

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business Plan - Essay Example However there have been various gaps in the service standards of online shopping. This paper is about a business plan of Online China Shopping Mall. The first section deals with the business viability of the proposal. Marketing mix is explained in the next section where the product, pricing, place and promotional strategies will be discussed. Entrepreneur skills and leadership styles are the next section which is followed by the human resource strategies. The supply chain management is another important factor of the online retailing that is discussed in the last section followed by conclusion of the paper. There is a good scope within the retail segment for variety of goods and products. These include clothing, fashion and apparel marketing, grocery stores, pharmacy, electronics, fast food and many others. There are number of organization offering these services. These organizations are superstores like Wal-Mart or smaller neighborhood retail outlet. The strategies of these organizations are based on their target customer base, location and company. The average household wealth is higher in the metro areas. In the recent studies inner city areas have indicated a large consumer base and high concentration of wealth and buying power. These areas have low competition, lower operating cost, real estate prices and others which make these areas a good prospect for business. According to a study completed by ICIC and the Boston Consulting Group of the more than $85 billion in retail spending per year that inner cities represent (over 7% of all U.S. retail spending), $21 billion of this demand is going unmet. 1 According to Kalakotas and Robinson (1999) this Internet-based technology, allow the online application to integrate several business functions such as accounting, banking, finance, management and administrative control, supply chain management, selling chain management, data collection system, marketing, and also fund transfer. . E-commerce has become

MA Proposal - Packaging design and consumer behavior Essay

MA Proposal - Packaging design and consumer behavior - Essay Example Socially responsibility in the packaging function began to appear about a hundred years ago. The post World War II era brought social and global awareness of the need to protect the natural resources of the planet. In North America an ecological movement in the 1960’s triggered new social responsibility corporate strategies to meet the needs of the customers. The United Kingdom has been in the forefront of eco-design since the 1990’s (Wooton). This report on the packaging industry is divided into five sections which are sustainable packaging, the effects of colors on packaging design, industry cases, packaging content & modeling, and a conclusion. Sustainable packaging is a business practice that creates packaging products with materials that are renewable, utilize renewable energy, and are manufactured in a socially responsible manner to promote environmental health (Sustainable Packaging). Packaging design training initiatives required package designers to work with all types of materials types and structures to gain insight to understand the basic of structural and graphic design for the environment (Packaging Strategies Offers Workshop 4). Walt-Mart applied the utilization of green packaging sustainable solutions as part to measure if the solution can accomplished the company’s long term savings goals. The firm developed a new performance metric to measure the progress towards achieve a 5% saving reduction by the year 2013, while continuing its environmentally friendly sustainable packaging strategy (Orango, 62). Data in field of marketing research demonstrates that over 80 per cent of the impact related to attracting the visual senses of a customer is related to color schema (Morton). The design process must consider ethnic factors in the selection of colors for packaging in international markets since colors are interpreted in different

Rise in Corporate Debts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rise in Corporate Debts - Essay Example The continuous increase in corporate debt has direct impacts on the financial health of any given sector and by extension other sectors of an economy. Companies with large amounts of debts are susceptible during economic recessions because their debts cannot be reduced or paid back easily. As a result, such companies are forced to limit their investments significant to their going concern in the markets (Talley 1). This may also call for downsizing of its human resource causing inefficiency in operations in both the short and the long run. These actions would result in a diminished overall productivity of a company. Moreover, it would also contribute towards an economic downturn as capital goods orders reduce and laid-off workers cut back purchases. When heavily indebted companies succumb to the economic pressures, and the financial crisis persists, bankruptcy sets in. this leads to potentially large losses and costs to creditors, employees and all stakeholders. In addition, the article states that the likely cause of the increase in corporate debt is driven by weak balance sheets owned by several companies. In addition, weak levels of profitability have prompted firms to borrow in order to sustain their basic operations (Talley 1). According to research conducted by global banking group, the high-yield corporate issuances of loans in Europe increased by 50% as compared to the year 2012. Some of these loans were issued to riskiest terms in relation to their economic operations. These business organizations’ financial health can be measured using leverage, liquidity and their overall solvency. In these corporations, leverage is defined as the ration of a company’s debt to its long-run earnings capacity. Companies with high debt levels as compared to their ability to earn profitable are vulnerable to the global economic troubles. Liquidity refers to a business organization’s ability to clear its debt obligations relative t o their long-term profitability. Low liquidity in a firm leads to difficulties in meeting debt repayment obligations. Solvency indicates the corporate health status of a firm that includes capital, revenue, profitability, leverage and liquidity. These characteristics explain reasons for

Standard Expository Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Standard Expository Model - Essay Example Farkas said in his article, â€Å"Explicit Structure in Print and On-Screen Documents†, "Information Mapping, both observes display-unit boundaries and provides explicit structure at a much finer level of granularity than the SE model. Two benefits are that readers can easily scan an IMAP document for the specific information they want and can immediately grasp the overall structure of the information map they are looking at." (Farkas, 17) And also Tracey said that "the SE model is inherently dysfunctional for all but literary writing and that both readers and those who write and edit documents benefit greatly by adopting STOP." In addition, the benefit of hypertext with nodes and links can be replaced with the weakness of extended texts of the standard expository model. "There are important benefits in non-linear information environments: Readers are more able to find and read exactly what they care about. Furthermore, they are more fully empowered to follow their unique inte rests and make their own connections among ideas." (Farkas, 223) However, there also are theorists who object to the standard expository model. Montaigne and Chandler do not like the schematic way of reading, for example, STOP documents and IMAP documents. Montaigne argues about the reason why time is limited while we are understanding articles. Chandler agrees with Montaigne but he wants to have an effective way to understand. Montaigne said "I must march my pen as I do my feet," and "Writing is a political activity, and it is a matter of choice for us whether we choose to challenge the prevailing writing conventions rather than to accept or bemoan them."

For Further Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For Further Thought - Essay Example The ethical issues arising before a teacher researcher may be dealt with easily in case you’ve got a sense of tact and have respect to other people. And yet, it is very useful to be reminded of professional ethics from time to time. As you read the chapter you feel embarrassed as to the results of the study undertook in the Billabong Elementary School, which aim was sooner to prove once again the advantages of the school in order to share them with the rest of the world. Even on the condition that we do not work at the school there appears a rash desire to change and improve everything. This is not our task, however. A teacher researcher is an outside observer, polite, thoughtful, and respectful. I find that the ethical guideline for teacher research outlined in the article is of great value for both beginning and working researchers. It is a kind of basic rules to be followed in work, which is associated with much intimacy and interpersonal relationships. The article provided a clear vision of answers to the questions put, though I felt rather confused at first. As to the data drawing a negative picture of individual teachers in the school, there exist certain rules concerning the how to do a research. It is very important to inform the faculty about the problems the school has. However, it should be done in an impersonal manner, without concrete names and grades. The confidentiality and anonymity are the major requirements of any research. So the faculty and the director should be explained the rules at once and informed that no names will be mentioned. A good professional will always understand his mistakes without being personally pointed to them. The rest of the faculty did not know about the problem, so let them stay unaware of their colleagues’ mistakes. It is not our task to prosecute anybody. We only propose help; people should make choices and decisions themselves. Moreover, the results of the study showed

The March on Washington Essay Example for Free

The March on Washington Essay The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom occurred in Washington D.C on the 28th of August, 1963. Attended by some 250,000 people, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage.( Source 3) The march started because of employment discrimination against African-Americans who were forced into lower paying positions, Labor leaders and elder statesmen’s of the civil rights movement A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin had initially planned a march in 1941. Directors of the Major Civil Rights Organization went to work on behalf of the proposed legislation. In the political sense, the march was organized by coalition of organizations and their leaders including: Randolph who was chosen as the titular head of the march, James Farmer (president of the Congress of Racial Equality ), John Lewis ( chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) , Martin Luther King, Jr. (president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Roy Wilkins (president of the NAACP), Whitney Young (president of the National Urban League). ( Source 3) They determined that the most efficient strategy would be a public show of support in the nation’s capital. In the spring of 1963, Randolph revived his proposal on the march. The â€Å"March for Jobs and Freedom,† as it was called, demanded desegregation of public facilities, as end to discrimination and employment, decent housing, and education, and the right to vote. The march won endorsement of every major civil rights organization. ( Englebert Pg 80) However, the plan had one flaw, and President Kennedy addressed it. President Kennedy requested thirty civil rights leaders for a conference at the White House, and tried to persuade them out of the march, because Kennedy thought the march would harm the  chances of passage of his civil rights bill; he also feared that the demonstration could turn brutal. Since there were already African-Americans holding demonstrations across America, he responded to President Kennedy by saying this â€Å"If they are bound to be in the streets in any case,† said Randolph, â€Å" is it not better that they be led by organizations decided to civil rights and disciplined by struggle rather than leave them to other leaders who care neither about civil rights nor about nonviolence?† A. Philip Randolph ( Engleberts Pg 80) Even though President Kennedy was still undecided about their plan of a national march, President Kennedy commanded officials of administration to support the March organizers. The march started at the Washington Monument and finished at the Lincoln Memorial with a program of music and speakers. The march unsuccessfully started on time because the leaders were meeting with the members of Congress. By surprise to the leaders, the assembled group started to march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial without them. The 1963 March also spurred anniversary marches that occur every five years, with the 20th and 25th being some of the most well known. The 25th Anniversary theme was â€Å"We Still have a Dream†¦Jobs*Peace*Freedom.† ( Source 2) BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Englebert, Phillis, American civil rights almanac- Volume 1. 1999, Boston. 2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_on_Washington_for_Jobs_and_Freedom 3.http://www.infoplease.com/spot/marchonwashington.html 4. http://uquoted.com/the-march-on-washington-affirmed-our-values-as-a-people-equality-and-opportunity-for-all-forty-one-years-ago-during-a-time-of-segregation-these-were-an-ideal/

An Introduction To Cryptology Computer Science Essay

An Introduction To Cryptology Computer Science Essay Cryptography was used only for military and diplomatic communication until the development of public key cryptography. Secrecy is one of most important requirement for any communication and it becomes more important when the content of communication is for military and diplomatic purpose. Hieroglyphs used by Egyptians are earliest known example of cryptography in 1900 BC. These hieroglyphics were used to write the stories of the life of kings and describe the great acts of his life. Around 500 BC Hebrew scholars used mono alphabetic substitution cipher such as Atbash cipher. Around 400 BC the Spartans also developed a Scytale cipher that used ribbons of parchment for writing any secret message after wrapping it around a cylindrical rod named as Scytale. In second century BC Greek historian Polybius invented Polybius Square a type of substitution ciphers. Around 1st century BC the Roman emperor Julius Ceaser used the substitution cipher named after him as Ceaser Cipher. The Caesar Cipher is a Monoalphabetic type Cipher. Around 9th century AD the Arab Mathematician AbÃ…Â « YÃ…Â «suf YaÊ »qÃ…Â «b ibn Isà ¡Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ q al-KindÄ « popularly known as Al-Kindi published the first text book on cryptnalysis of ciphers named Risalah fi Istikhraj al-Muamma (On Deciphering Cryptographic Messages). This book can be stated as the pioneer of the medieval cryptography. In this book Al-Kindi described the frequency analysis technique for deciphering substitution ciphers and some polyalphabetic substitution ciphers. The relative frequency of symbols is used in Frequency analysis to decode the message. Al-Kindi used this technique on Quran to understand the meaning for religious purpose. The field of cryptography had not made any significant development until 15th century when the Italian mathematician Leon Battista Alberti known as The Father of Western Cryptology, developed the concept of polyalphabetic substitution. Although he had not made any practical cipher but by using this concept a practical Poly-Alphabetic substitution cryptographic system was developed by French cryptographer BLAISE DE VIGENERE, which was named after him and called as VIGENERE SQUARE. For a long time this cipher was believed to be secure but around 1854, CHARLES BABBAGE, an English mathematician and engineer, better known as father of Computer Science for his development work of difference engine that become the first mechanical computer, successfully cracked the Vigenere Square Cipher by using the method of statistical analysis. Cryptography was widely used in World War I and II. The most famous incident of World War I is of German foreign Minister Zimmerman Telegram that changed the whole World War I and involved the America in world war which was neutral till that date and Germany was finally defeated. Unlike the past cryptographic algorithms in which the main concentration was on hiding the algorithm or technique the modern ciphers needed the technique or algorithm which can be widely used and whose security should not be compromised if the algorithm is known. To encrypt and decrypt the information, a key is used in modern cryptographic algorithms which convert the message and data in such format which are senseless to the receiver through encryption and then return them to the original form through decryption process. Claude E. Shannon, father of modern cryptography has contributed his work to cryptography in the form of A mathematical theory of cryptography and A Communications Theory of Secrecy Systems which are considered as the foundation of modern cryptography. In seventies the field of cryptography has witnessed two major developments. First was the development of Data Encryption Standard (DES) by IBM, which was accepted as standard after some modification by the NSA in 1977 and it was later replaced by the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in 2001. The second development which is more important and that changed the whole working process and use of cryptography is the development of Public Key Cryptography. It was started with the publication of the paper titled New Directions in Cryptography, by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman and similar development made by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adleman, who were the first to publicly describe the algorithm in 1977 and it was named after them as RSA algorithm. An Introduction to Cryptology: The word cryptology is a combination of two greek words, kryptos, which means hidden and logos means study. Cryptology is as old as writing itself and it has been primarily for thousands of years it had been used for securing military and diplomatic communications. The field of Cryptology can be further classified into two main fields, namely: Cryptography and Cryptanalysis. On the one hand the cryptographers try to develop a system or algorithm that will be safe and secure for communication while on the other hand the cryptanalysts seek weaknesses in the developed system and try to breach the security of the system. The two works can be considered against each other but the work of cryptanalysts cannot be always negative and they can work for the betterment of the developed system by trying to find out the weaknesses in the cryptographic algorithm and fix it. Cryptography: Cryptography is the technique for writing secretly so that the unintended recipients cannot comprehend the original message. It transforms the information into such an unintelligible form so that illegitimate or unintended users cannot devise the original meaning of the message and it looks like a garbage value for them. But the main consideration during the transformation is that the process must be reversible so that the intended user can get the original information after applying the original key and process. This is the traditional use of cryptography but in modern times the scope of cryptography has widened. Cryptanalysis: Cryptanalysis is the field of study that deals with the techniques that verify and assert the security of the protocol or system. The objective of the cryptanalysis techniques is to assess the security claims of the cryptographic algorithm or system. Cryptanalysts try to develop an attack to show that claimed security level is not achieved due to weaknesses in the cryptographic system. It is difficult to define when a cryptosystem is broken. Generally, efficiency of an attack is compared with the efficiency of exhaustive key search attack and if the efficiency of attack is less than it then it is considered an attack on the cryptographic system. Classification of attacks can be made on the basis of the amount of information available to attacker: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ciphertext-only attack: The attacker has access to the ciphertext only. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Known-plaintext attack: In this case the attacker has access to both the plaintext and the corresponding ciphertext. This attack can be employed when the attacker has limited access to the encrypting device. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Chosen-Plaintext attack: The attacker selects a plaintext and generates corresponding ciphertext using the correct key. This can only be applied if the attacker has access to encryption device and is able to encrypt a message of choice using this device. The goal of such type of attack is to discover the secret key or algorithm for any given encrypted text. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Chosen-Ciphertext attack: The attacker selects a ciphertext and generates corresponding plaintext using the correct key. This can only be possible if the attacker has access to decryption device and is able to decrypt a message of choice using this device. The goal of such type of attack is also to discover the secret key or algorithm for any given encrypted text. The goals of such attacks in general can be classified as secret key recovery, plaintext recovery without recovering the key or the discovery of the encryption/decryption algorithm. Classification of Cryptographic primitives: Unkeyed Cryptography: Unkeyed cryptosystem is that cryptosystem which does not use any key or parameter for application. Examples of such system are one-way functions, cryptographic hash functions, and random bit generators. Public Key or Asymmetric Cryptography: Public Key or Asymmetric Key cryptography is the latest addition to the cryptographic techniques that has changed the basic uses of cryptography. Two different keys are used for encryption and decryption in Public or asymmetric key cryptography. Public key is being used for encryption and it is known to everyone and is freely distributable but the encrypted message can only be decrypted by using the private key corresponding to public key which is known only to the authorized person. Public key cryptography evolved to solve the problems of Secret key cryptography but it is very slow in comparison to secret key cryptography. Public key cryptography cannot be used for high volume encryption. Therefore we use combination of Public and Private Key cryptography for practical applications. Secret Key or Private Key or Symmetric Key Cryptography: In Symmetric Key or Secret Key cryptography, only a single key is used to encrypt and decrypt. It is also called Private Key cryptography. The main problem of the secret key cryptography is the sharing of same key by sender and receiver. In the case of unsecure channels, there is no mean to exchange key securely. The secret key must be shared using any secure channel before communication take place and for such purpose Public Key cryptography is generally used. An overview of Symmetric Algorithms: Symmetric key cryptography is still highly used due to its efficiency and is generally used where high volume of data is encrypted. Symmetric key primitives can be classified into two basic designs; namely Block Cipher and Stream Cipher. Block Ciphers: Block cipher is a symmetric key encryption which divides the input stream of plaintext into fixed size of blocks, generally 64, 128 or 256 bits long and using a fixed transformation (substitutions and permutations) on every block on by one. These transformations are repeated many times to obtain highly nonlinear output bits. The two most popular block ciphers are DES and AES. Modes of operation: A block cipher performs fixed transformations on any block of data and results in same ciphertext for same plaintext, hence can only be considered secure for a single block of data. A mode of operation is actually a way of encryption using a block cipher securely for data more than one block. The Block ciphers are used in one of the five modes to operate for breaking the linearity. A cryptographic mode usually consists of basic cipher, some sort of feedback, and some simple operations. Electronic Code Book (ECB) Mode Cipher block Chaining (CBC) Mode Cipher Feedback (CFB) Mode Output Feedback (OFB) Mode The counter (CTR) Mode Stream Ciphers: Symmetric Cryptographic systems encrypt plaintext messages unit by unit, and unlike block ciphers, which encrypt block of plaintext using fixed transformation, Stream Ciphers encrypt individual units or character of plaintext using a time-varying transformation. It takes the secret key and initialization vector (IV) as input and generates a pseudo random sequence of digits called keystream using pseudo random generator, usually part of Stream Ciphers. ciphertext digits are generated by XORing the keystream digits with the plaintext digits. The stream ciphers are classified into two parts as synchronous and asynchronous stream ciphers on the basis of application of internal state in further encryption of digits. Stream ciphers have played an important role in cryptography and still being used due to its efficiency and especially, in hardware implementations where hardware resources are restricted. Stream ciphers are the main topic of research in this thesis and it will be discussed more comprehensively in later chapters. For a general description of stream ciphers, see chapter 2. Scope of Cryptology: Today the cryptology is not just limited to data encryption and decryption as mentioned above, it has a wide range of usages. The field of cryptology is an emerging field in which continuous expansions and modifications are taking place. The field of cryptography was evolved for military usage but it has now expanded and is highly used in civilian applications also. Cryptography is the study of mathematical techniques, algorithms and protocols that can provide four basic services for information security, namely privacy, authentication, data integrity and non-repudiation. Privacy or confidentiality: The basic goal of cryptography is to keep the information secret from unauthorized persons. Cryptography is the most common mean to provide confidentiality or privacy to the information. Data Integrity: Data integrity means that system must be able to detect the unauthorized manipulation of the data. Data manipulation refers to insertion, deletion or substitution of data. Authentication: Authentication service provides the ability to correctly identify the parties in the communication and origin of the data. Non-Repudiation: Non-repudiation service prevents an entity from denying any activity done by itself or existence of a communication at any later stage in case of any dispute. Stream Cipher Standardization: Major effort towards standardization of cryptographic primitives was started by European Commission research project funded from 2000-2003 in form of NESSIE (New European Schemes for Signatures, Integrity and Encryption). In March 2000 NESSIE urged the public for submissions of cryptographic primitives, and against this call 42 primitives were submitted in February 2003. The submissions were selected in different categories for standardization. Various cryptographic primitives were standardized except Stream Ciphers and none of the six submitted stream ciphers were considered as upto standard. During this period another organization, the International Standards Organizations ISO/IEC 18033 also initiated a similar project for standardization and selected two stream ciphers: SNOW 2.0 and MUGI. Other than these two efforts a Cryptography Research and Evaluation Committee was set up by the Japanese Government which started a project CRYPTREC in 2001 to evaluate and recommend the cryptogr aphic primitives in different category for use. In the stream cipher category, three ciphers were recommended that are MUGI, MULTI-S01 and RC4 (128-bit keys only). But, Later on these ciphers were also found to be susceptible to the cryptanalytic attacks This failure on the side of cryptographic primitives in stream cipher category prompted Adi Shamir in 2004 RSA Data Security Conference to question, whether there is a need for Stream Ciphers or not. He also defined two areas were Stream Ciphers can still be useful where exceptionally high throughput is required in software and exceptionally low resource consumption is required in hardware. To explore the Stream Cipher condition and to develop a state of art stream cipher which can secure and fulfill the above mentioned requirements, ECRYPT launched the eSTREAM project in 2004. eSTREAM made a call for submission in two categories; hardware based and software based stream ciphers. In response to this call 34 ciphers were submitted in both the categories. In different phases of this project, cipher profiles were declared. The final profile issued in January 2012, seven ciphers were selected. The selected ciphers are HC-128, Rabbit, Salsa20/12 and SOSEMANUK in profile 1 (Software based Ciphers) and Grain v1, MICKEY 2.0 and Trivium in profile 2 (Harware based cipher). Even after these standardization efforts, many weaknesses were found in these ciphers. This state of Stream Ciphers has led me to involve in the research of the Stream Cipher and work towards a secure and efficient Stream Cipher.

Procurement And Inventory Management At Green Chilly Management Essay

Procurement And Inventory Management At Green Chilly Management Essay The Company GREEN CHILLY is a restaurant chain operating in the UK. It runs several restaurants for takeaway meals and for people that will stop and sit down for lunch or during any other time of the day. The special approach of that restaurant chain is that to a high extend they source healthy food from local suppliers so pointing out their environmental responsibility. On the other hand they use a lot of other products that will be sourced by the central procurement organization. The company has 53 restaurants all over the UK. Altogether they serve around 16.000 meals every day. In addition they have around 23.000 customers stopping for smaller snacks. The restaurant chain is facing certain seasonality due to holiday seasons and weather conditions influencing customer preferences. Green Chilly faces some issues due to their successful growth in recent years: There is no structured procurement process in place. Quality issues with some fresh products (e.g. salads, vegetables) due to different local supplier performance have been identified. Prices for raw materials are assumed to be significant above the average. Shortages of some promotion meals have been identified. 1. Procurement Process Develop a structure for the sourcing process that the company will define for the procurement process. Which processes are especially relevant for production material (e.g. supplier selection, volume forecasting). Give examples. Discuss which processes of the strategic procurement process would be very relevant for either for food or for non-food (e.g. MRO, restaurant equipment, facility management) supply categories. 2. Supplier Selection Develop a decision making example of the selection of a supplier for one supply category. Discuss the differences between monetary and non-monetary criteria and include this in your decision problem. Describe the steps of your calculation and discuss, how sensitive is your solution against changing supplier performance. Set up the data for potential suppliers. 3. Supplier Qualification How could the company improve supplier co-operation and what would you consider as a program for supplier relationship management. Thinking of the food business what could be done by the restaurant chain to qualify suppliers and create closer relations. Try to investigate and illustrate best practices e.g. from fast food chains. Table of Contents Procurement and Inventory Management 2 COMPLETION DATE 2 PLEASE NOTE 2 CASE GREEN CHILLY 3 The key facts are: 3 Green Chilly faces some issues due to their successful growth in recent years: 3 1. Procurement Process 4 Develop a structure for the sourcing process that the company will define for the procurement process. Which processes are especially relevant for production material (e.g. supplier selection, volume forecasting). Give examples. Discuss which processes of the strategic procurement process would be very relevant for either for food or for non-food (e.g. MRO, restaurant equipment, facility management) supply categories. 4 2. Supplier Selection 4 Develop a decision making example of the selection of a supplier for one supply category. Discuss the differences between monetary and non-monetary criteria and include this in your decision problem. Describe the steps of your calculation and discuss, how sensitive is your solution against changing supplier performance. Set up the data for potential suppliers. 4 3. Supplier Qualification 4 How could the company improve supplier co-operation and what would you consider as a program for supplier relationship management. Thinking of the food business what could be done by the restaurant chain to qualify suppliers and create closer relations. Try to investigate and illustrate best practices e.g. from fast food chains. 4 Table of Contents 5 Question 1 6 Introduction 6 1 Procurement/ Sourcing Process 7 Kasavana (2004) stated, that the procurement process is a demanding, elaborate process, which requires knowledge buyers, capable sellers and thorough set of inventory and audit procedures. This is especially true in restaurants where the procurement function should ensure JIT (just in time) deliveries and high quality standards since its primary product (raw materials) have a short life cycle. 7 2 Strategic Procurement Process and Production Material Processes 9 2.1 Procurement Strategy and Organizational Development 9 2.2 Make or Buy, Segmentation of Supply Categories and Strategic Planning of the Procurement Volume 10 Figure 3. Pareto Analysis 11 2.3 Supplier Selection Process 12 2.4 Strategic Alliances/Closing Contracts 13 2.5 Strategic Supplier Relationship Management 13 2.5 Supplier Qualification and Development 14 The sub processes include identification of strategic suppliers, gap analysis of requirements expected by suppliers, a program for training and improving suppliers and monitoring the performance of the suppliers. 14 2.6 Procurement Policies and Guidelines Definition, Organizational Effectiveness/Efficiency Improvement 15 3 Strategic Procurement Processes that are relevant for either food or non food supply categories 16 Conclusion 17 References 18 Bibliography 19 Question 3 19 Introduction 19 1 Improvement of Supplier Cooperation and Supplier Relationship Management Program 20 2 Supplier Qualification and Creation of Closer Relationships 26 Conclusion 27 References 28 Bibliography 29 Question 1 Introduction Purchasing has evolved in the past years from a passive buyer of goods and services to an active contributor that is essential to an organizations competitive advantage (Cavinato 1999). Procurement is viewed by organizations as the activity of purchasing goods/materials and services at minimum cost, transporting them and moving them towards the production process. Procurement also covers a wider area, and may include activities such as material supervision and management as inventory control, traffic receiving, incoming inspection, and salvage operations (Laakmann and KÃ ¶hler 2010). Procurement in organizations has evolved from its traditional transactional function towards a role that incorporates strategic partnerships, cooperative alliances and supply network planning. Therefore procurement strategies can be seen as means in achieving comparative advantage and long-term strategic goals (Tassabehji and Moorehouse 2008). The procurement process incorporates both primary and a support activity, such as the procurement of direct and indirect material and at the present time also involves strategic planning (Simchi-Levi and Kaminsky 2003). Consequently, procurement processes have developed in to strategic procurement process that aids the organization to achieve strategic and operational objectives. In the next section Green Chillys structure of its sourcing process that will be used by the organization as its procurement processes will be developed and elaborated as which processes of the strategic procurement process are relevant for either food or non food supply categories. 1 Procurement/ Sourcing Process Kasavana (2004) stated, that the procurement process is a demanding, elaborate process, which requires knowledge buyers, capable sellers and thorough set of inventory and audit procedures. This is especially true in restaurants where the procurement function should ensure JIT (just in time) deliveries and high quality standards since its primary product (raw materials) have a short life cycle. In order to maintain costs and increase productivity, purchasing practises in restaurants need to be controlled. An inefficient purchasing order could lead to inflated costs of goods that could have a negative effect on the organizations bottom line (Kim and Shunk 2003) For these reasons, Green Chilly should structure a procurement process that may result in the improvement of effectiveness and efficiency and also cost savings. Activities that are usually involved in the procurement function and could be incorporated by Green Chilly include (Monczka, Trent and Handfield 1998): Commodity analysis Market research Purchase order tracking and follow up Determination of needs and specification for inter -firm customer Transmitting forecast of future needs to suppliers Supplier performance measurement Management of suppliers quality Contract management and negotiation Management of inbound/outbound transportation Price cost analysis Employing best practices in procurement certifies that Green Chilly shall make the correct decisions. In order to do so Green Chilly should align the procurement process with the organizations strategic goals and objectives. These objectives if suitable, can be achieved by sourcing strategies that rely on a clear set of tactical procedures to ensure implementation (Sollish and Semanik 1999). The focus of the organizations sourcing strategies is to integrate supplier capabilities with the organizations process in order to achieve comparative advantage. The activities that are associated with sourcing strategies include (Monczka, Trent and Handfield 1998): Supplier identification Supplier evaluation and selection Supplier management Supplier development and improvement Supplier integration to ongoing processes Consequently, the procurement function covers both the operational procurement of materials and services and the administration management of sources of supply. Therefore, Green Chilly should take into consideration the critical importance of the links between the strategic and operational tasks of the procurement process, as indicated in figure 1 (Laakmann and KÃ ¶hler 2010). Figure 1. Strategic and Operational Procurement The strategic procurement system is based on two main pillars that are the sourcing system and the strategic partnerships. These pillars are the framework for the operational sourcing process that shall be based in developing the sourcing process which will later be expanded in Green Chillys procurement process, as indicated in figure 2 (Laakmann and KÃ ¶hler 2010). Figure 2. Main Pillars of Strategic Procurement 2 Strategic Procurement Process and Production Material Processes The strategic procurement process is adapted from Laakmann and KÃ ¶hler (2010) for the use of this report and the steps of the process that is proposed for Green Chilly to incorporate for its procurement process are further expanded in the following sections. All of the below processes are relevant for the production of materials as each of the processes such as supplier selection, evaluation, procurement strategy and so on, as shall be indicated, play a critical role in the decision making and execution of producing materials. 2.1 Procurement Strategy and Organizational Development The first step in the development of Green Chillys procurement process is the establishment of a procurement strategy. In order for Green Chillys procurement strategy to be successful it has to incorporate the needs of the organization and to be in consistency with their internal capabilities as well as the competitive advantage that is to be achieved through the overall business strategy (Monczka, Trent and Handfield 1998). Therefore Green Chillys procurement/purchasing activities need to be consistent with the business strategy and make a proactive contribution the creation of corporate values and plans. The sub processes that fall under this category are the identification of needs, the definition of the procurement task, and the purchasing business system. As already established, procurement arises when the organization recognizes the need for materials/services and so on. When the need is recognised the organization should then release a material requirement to its supplier. The organization should make sure that inventory is always restocked. An issue has already been identified, where Green Chilly is experiencing some shortages in its promotional meals. In order to solve this issue a more accurate forecast of demand could be embedded based on historical trends. Various procurement strategies are employed by organizations to deal with different situations. In the case of Green Chilly, based on the information given by the case study, where quality issues with some fresh products and above average prices on raw materials are experienced, the organization could take under consideration two types of procurement strategies: long term supplier relationships and the total cost of ownership. In accordance to the first strategy (which shall be further expanded in the following sections) Green Chilly could establish long-term relationships with selected suppliers following a supply base optimization process. The outcome of this strategy is the it could enable Green Chilly to increase volumes of raw materials to reduce product cost, improve quality (by cooperating with suppliers) increase delivery performance etc. (Monczka, Trent and Handfield 1998). In accordance to the second strategy, total cost measurement could lead to better decision making as it identifies all the cost associated with purchasing decision and with supplier non performance. Cost variances can be analyzed such as in the case of Green Chilly, increase in prices and quality issues and try to find solutions (Monczka, Trent and Handfield 1998). The output of this process is the functional procurement strategic objectives, definition of the procurement tasks and policies, where procurement tasks can involve supplier selection and negotiation of contracts, specifications of the quality and delivery arrangements and price for inventory for a given volume or period time etc (Bradbury et. al. 2010), supplier cooperation model, and the decision requests for the general management. 2.2 Make or Buy, Segmentation of Supply Categories and Strategic Planning of the Procurement Volume In this category the sub processes include analysis of products, value chain and sourced volumes, make or buy strategy and strategic forecast of purchasing demand. Make or buy can apply to Green Chilly on the grounds that if the company would prefer to buy for example ready made packages of raw materials (salad package of various greens) or make it, based on whether it is financially profitable. Green Chillys forecasting demand can be based on historical volume trends and quantity as well as taking under consideration the seasonality that the restaurants operates, forecasts can additionally be made in accordance to last years sales to establish a pattern, when possible, of seasonality. As already established, Green Chilly is experiencing an issue with higher prices of raw materials and quality issues. In order to solve this issue, higher volumes of raw materials can be ordered (or based on the long term suppliers relationships better prices can be negotiated and quality standards) to decrease the unit cost. Since Green Chillys primary product are raw materials that have a short life expectancy the cost of carrying inventory is not advisable. Green Chilly could use the central procurement organization to negotiate better prices for such products. In regards the environmental responsibility the company wishes to maintain, it could attempt to source from local suppliers where economically affordable. In this category Green Chilly should take into account supply categories, demand forecasts, make or buy strategy, sales plan and product portfolio. The organization could use the Pareto analysis (figure 3) (Bradbury et. al. 2010) to aid them prioritise procurement activities and create a product portfolio by classifying products into A B C categories, and also decide which products can be sourced from the central procurement and which from the locals suppliers. Figure 3. Pareto Analysis Class A products are one-for-one basis, class C items can be ordered in large batches and class B products are somewhere in between. Green Chilly could for example, purchase class A products directly from local suppliers in order to ensure delivery and negotiate prices and let the central procurement organization purchase class C products to ensure better prices and vice versa. By using the Pareto analysis the organization can classify all its products and create a product portfolio that will aid Green Chilly in its decision making. The output of this process is that supply categories are defined, a structure is set, a make or buy decision is formulated and purchasing is forecasted as is the sourcing of demand. 2.3 Supplier Selection Process The sub processes of this category include supplier identification, supplier pre-selection, supplier selection and supplier contract. Figure 4 shows the funnel model of supplier identification and selection by Laakmann and KÃ ¶hler (2010) that Green Chilly could use. Figure 4. Funnel Model of Supplier Identification and Selection In this procurement process consideration should be applied to the supply market, the sourcing and procurement strategies/policies, suppliers cooperation models as well as the evaluation and audit of the results. Firstly, Green Chilly has to evaluate the requirements that are needed and also try to evaluate its sourcing requirements from suppliers that can include supplier quality (Green Chillys quality issues), cost competitiveness (increase in raw materials cost), potential delivery performances and technological capabilities (Zenz 1994). Then, Green Chilly has to gather and analyze information about potential suppliers. There are various methods to locate potential suppliers such as business directories, online search engines and many more. With the growing efficiency and increased interactivity provided by the web Green Chilly could establish e-procurement for a more effective product search, rapid data interchange from e-market places and e-hubs (Kasavana 2004). Once the research focus is established and suppliers are identified, a candidate list is created as well as a database with the information about the supply markets for future reference. A first cut based on the preliminary evaluation can then be performed to narrow the list of potential suppliers before conducting an in-depth evaluation. This can be based on criteria such as financial risk analysis, evaluation of previous and current supplier performance (Sollish and Semanik 1999). Additionally a further evaluation can be carried out based on criteria such as price, quality, delivery, responsiveness, capability and competitive value and many more (Zenz 1994; Lamming and Cox 1999). Suppliers ability to respond to specifications or the scope of the work can be investigated by an on site visit to inspect the suppliers facility and establish if the supplier qualifies to meet requirements. Additionally the suppliers operational capacity, technical capability and financial ability should be taken under consideration (Solish and Semanik 1999). Once the suppliers are selected and audited then negotiations can be conducted and agreements could be executed depending on the success of the negotiations and by providing performance feedback. 2.4 Strategic Alliances/Closing Contracts To create strategic alliances Green Chilly has to clarify its supply category and determine the required degree of cooperation. Establishing close ties with suppliers and increasing investment in value chain partners encourages trust, dependability and cooperation amongst the supply chain partners. Strategic alliances could lead to competitive advantage by revenue gains and cost savings (Chen, Paulraj and Ludo 2004). Furthermore, once the requirments are determineed, agreements should be negotiated and developed and measures of performance should be established. 2.5 Strategic Supplier Relationship Management The sub processes of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) include the types of relationships the organization has to decide, definition of the organizations processes for SRM and establish a communication system and IT solutions for collaboration. Working closely with a few selected suppliers and establishing collaborative relationships Green Chilly can gain performance advantages. By sharing information with suppliers and communicating knowledge competitive advantage can result. Buyer-seller communication could establish trust for Green Chillys supply base, which can result in minimizing suppliers costs (raw materials) due to better negotiations of prices because of long-term contracts, an increase in quality standards and better evaluation of performance to increase quality as well as technological insights (Chen, Paulraj and Ludo 2004). Green Chilly can use IT collaborative solution software to improve communication with suppliers and gain new revenue while reducing operational cost (Kim and Shunk 2003). By automating more SRM functions, Green Chilly could reduce the levels of transactional activities and gain efficiency. The output of this process is to establish the types of relationships with suppliers, the activities for SRM, availability of sourcing/supplier information and collaborative processes for procurement planning. 2.5 Supplier Qualification and Development The sub processes include identification of strategic suppliers, gap analysis of requirements expected by suppliers, a program for training and improving suppliers and monitoring the performance of the suppliers. Effective supplier development for Green Chilly could begin by determining the appropriate numbers of strategic suppliers; by performing a supply base optimization Green Chilly could identify those suppliers (Monczka, Trent and Handfield 1998). This should be an ongoing process that shall help the organization to evaluate the best suppliers and try to develop strategic alliances with. Additionally, by establishing a supply network Green Chilly could qualify the appropriate suppliers that it wishes to do business with and by setting appropriate performance indicators decide which suppliers are suitable for their development program. A development program for suppliers that Green Chilly could incorporate is to work directly with suppliers to improve performance since the organization is experiencing quality problems with the performance of suppliers. By working closely with suppliers Green Chilly could assist in quality improvements and measurement techniques on how to identify and eliminate problems. Additionally, performance improvements that could be established are cost reduction (raw materials), delivery and scheduling improvements (shortfalls in promotional meals. For example Green Chilly could work with suppliers to develop a JIT purchasing and manufacturing system since the primary product of the organization is raw materials that have a low life expectancy such a development will be beneficial. The outcomes will be a better understanding from both parties, improved processes and delivery performance. 2.6 Procurement Policies and Guidelines Definition, Organizational Effectiveness/Efficiency Improvement In this category the sub processes that Green Chilly should follow are the evaluation of the procurement tasks and processes as well as the corporate policies and the development of a standard for operating procedures by giving a detailed description of the functional duties or steps for a specific task. Additionally a continuing improvement program should be established, a skill matrix for staff should be developed and an internal and external communication. Significant procurement policies for Green Chilly are for example the quality issues it experiences from local suppliers performance and the above average cost with raw materials. For a restaurant quality issues are critical in maintaining the restaurants credibility and customer loyalty (Zenz 1994). As already mentioned by collaborating with selected suppliers Green Chilly can deal with such issues by development programs or cooperation and selection of new suppliers. The outcome of this process will be the operational policies and management ethics, training and continuous improvement structures and the established sourcing process. Figure 5 indicates based on the above already discussed Green Chillys sourcing process that will be used as its procurement process. Figure 5. Green Chillys Procurement Process 3 Strategic Procurement Processes that are relevant for either food or non food supply categories Green Chillys procurement can de divided into the procurement of direct and indirect products. Indirect products/services are commodity items that are used in the day-to-day operations (MRO, IT equipment, services, capital equipment, facility management etc), direct goods include raw materials that are used to create finished products (http://www.clarity-consulting.com Accessed: 01/03/10). In this section the above processes of the strategic procurement process relevant for food and non-food supply categories of Green Chilly will be indicated. In the procurement strategy process where the organization requirements are identified and policies and tasks of the procurement process are formulated, it does not seem to be very relevant for food and non-food supply category. However the procurement strategy is the base for the purchasing strategy and it is where Green Chily shall make decisions on sourcing, whether to pursue contracts versus spot buying and suppliers recruitment plan and model. Therefore it can be argued that it is relevant for both the supply categories. In the make-or-buy and strategic planning of procurement and volume Green Chilly has to decide which materials is going to produce in house or source, and at what volumes by forecasting demand, thereof it is the organizations sourcing strategy. This process is the most relevant for both food and non-food categories. Make-or-buy decisions are usually very simple. Most organizations source production equipment, MRO supplies, capital equipment and services because they cannot manufacture them as well as raw materials where in the case of Green Chilly the primary (direct) products is the latter. Furthermore, the suppliers selection process and the strategic alliances process are considered very relevant for the food supply category. This is due to the fact that in these sub processes Green Chilly has to select the appropriate suppliers based on performance requirements such as quality cost effectiveness, delivery performance etc and establish cooperative relationships and strategic alliances with the selected suppliers. Due to the fact that Green Chillys primary product is raw materials price, quality and availability are of critical importance and this is dependent on the suppliers. Moreover, supplier relationship management process and qualification and development of suppliers process where the company has to develop trust relationships where open flow of information should be established in aiding the organization achieve comparative advantage by developing and qualifying suppliers that would provide Green Chilly with quality products and no replenishments based on contingency supply plans, this sub process is considered very relevant for food supply categories. Finally the procurement policies and organizational improvement process is considered very relevant for both food and non food supply categories as it is the stage where the organization evaluates its processes and tries to determine if good practices were applied or if improvement of the processes is required. Conclusion Green Chillys issues with suppliers quality, above average prices of raw materials and shortfalls in promotional meals could be resolved with the appropriate procurement process as established above. By creating a procurement policy where the sourcing process can establish efficiencies and effectiveness to select, develop and control partnerships with suppliers and thus create strategic alliances and overcome the issues as well as decisions on which is the most appropriate solution for sourcing, either it be form the central procurement organization or directly from local suppliers, shall aid Green Chilly in accomplishing its strategic objectives and goals. Thus, a strategic procurement process is vital to the successful performance of the organization. Furthermore by clarifying which supply categories, food or non-food, are relevant to the sub processes of the strategic procurement process shall assist Green Chilly to improve operational performance by making procurement tasks more uncomplicated and repeatable. It is highly advisable that Green Chilly should engage in e-procurement to enjoy online economies such as effective product search process, improved needs matching, rapid data interchange, lower transaction costs, enhance productivity, vendor relations, improved pricing and customer relationship management (Kasavana 2004). References Bradbury, K., Hill, J., Whicker, L., and Malins,M. (2010), Logistcs and Operation Management, Module Notes, WMG Cavinato, L.J. (1998), Fitting purchasing to the five stages of strategic management URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURLHYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/1999_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0HYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/1999_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2HYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/1999_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0HYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/199 9_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_user=10HYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/1999_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0HYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/1999_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_coverDate=06%2F30%2F1999HYPERLINK http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VGR-3WRBWC0-2_user=10_coverDate=06/30/1999_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1238910197_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_u

Emotional Branding :: essays research papers

This article explaining emotional branding was an interesting read. The beginning of the story really grabbed my attention. I have always found it a comfort to realize that even truly intelligent people cannot understand everything and do sometimes have to ask for explanations. Although we have all been told that there is no such thing as a stupid question, except a question that is not asked, it is difficult in the business world to ask for help or an explanation, without feeling inferior, or worrying if your business colleagues will think you are incompetent. The author actually wrote in this article that, â€Å"after years of helping companies build their brands, I’m still baffled by the reality that so many smart business people still don’t understand the power of a brand.† At first I was irritated with this statement and worried that the rest of the article would just be egotistical praise on the author and his vast knowledge. I was glad that he recovered and redeemed himself in the next sentence by stating that, â€Å"it was the first time [he] realized that the one thing that has the most dramatic impact on the success or failure of a modern-day business is also the least understood. I completely agree with the fact that a brand is not a part of a business; it is actually the business. If a company does something to ruin its brand in the eyes of consumers, it has damaged its business and may go bankrupt. It is very important that a company is consistent with its brand. If it is not consistent with its brand, then consumers may find it hard to view that company as trustworthy. This is a rather difficult task, because branding is not something that is typically taught in business school. Trying to find a successful brand is basically trial-and-error, because there is not a definite formula that businesses can use to develop a brand.