Chipotle Mexican Grill Essay Example for Free

Chipotle Mexican Grill Essay Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and France, specializing in burritos and tacos. Its name derives from chipotle, the Mexican Spanish name for a smoked and dried jalapeno chili pepper. The restaurant is known for its large burritos, assembly-line production and use of natural ingredients. The company has released a mission statement called Food with Integrity, which highlights its efforts in using organic ingredients,[3] and serves more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant chain. Chipotle is one of the first chains of fast casual dining establishments. Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle had 16 restaurants (all in Colorado) when McDonalds Corporation became a major investor in 1998. By the time McDonalds fully divested itself from Chipotle in 2006, the chain had grown to over 500 locations. With more than 1400 locations in 43 U. S. states, Washington, D. C. , two Canadian provinces, the United Kingdom, and France, Chipotle had a net income in 2012 of US$278 million and a staff of 37,310 employees. Chipotle Mexican Grill in 2012 2012 has been the year of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG -0. 92%). The stock is an absolute superstar, hitting 37 new record highs so far, according to CNBC. -When the company went public in January 2006, the stock doubled on its first day from $22 per share to close at $44 per share. At late of Febuary 2012, Chipotles stock price had climbed to $380-$385,up more than 80% since january 1,2011 and up 334% since january. Chipotle shares traded at $421. 37 Mar 27, and are up nearly 26% this year. Over the last 12 months, the stock has gained 65%. Chipotles run has obviously been the subject of much chatter among investors. Why is this stock so high, and how much further can it go? Many investors think that Chipotles numbers are just headed up, and the stock has room to grow as well. Chipotles growth is mentioned with the launch of ShopHouse, the Asian-themed restaurant the company has opened in Washington D. C. ShopHouse has been wildly popular with little to no advertising. The success had opened up the possibility that Chipotle could very well strike gold a second time. The company isnt saying much about whether it will expand ShopHouse, but investors are certainly pricing the idea into Chipotle shares. Chipotle has no debt and about $400 million in cash, according to Seeking Alpha. And Chipotle is in that best-of-both worlds position because it can compete directly with fast food, but also stand up against more upscale restaurants, such as Panera Bread (PNRA -1. 01%). Finally, Chipotle is gunning for international expansion, recently opening new locations in London and planning one for Paris.

Coca Cola Drinks In A Time Of Economic Difficulty Business Essay

Coca Cola Drinks In A Time Of Economic Difficulty Business Essay Always Coca-Cola! This slogan was used in 2003 by the Coca-Cola Company, but years later it still resounds. Despite, the continuous changing of consumers needs, wants and lifestyles, economic down-turns and increasing competition in the marketplace, Coca-Cola has managed to always take first place as the worlds most valuable brand, since 2001. (Interbrand Best Global Brand Surveys, 2001-2010) This report is intended to explain and analyse why the sales of Trademark Coca-Cola drinks, namely Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero and Coca-Cola Light/Diet Coke were all immune to the economic recession. The analysis will be within a consumer behaviour scope. Inevitably, the relationship of consumer behaviour to other disciplines will be seen. First, there will be a brief history on Coca-Cola and a review of its performance over the last 4 years. Subsequently, the Consumers Buying Decision Making Process in relation to Coca-Cola drinks will be discussed. Then, there will be an examination of how input factors from the Buying Decision-Making Process Model such as, the companys marketing mix and individual factors such as attitudes might have influenced consumers behaviour in the buying process and enabled Coca-Cola to be successful throughout the years, even during the recession. Additionally, the influence of reference groups would be discussed as it is purported to be another attribute to the brands success during the recession. It is worthy to note that, according to the National Bureau of Economics Research the recession started in December 2007 in the US. However, countries could have experienced a recession at different times (imf.org). Therefore, the study is based on 2007-2010 time period. 2.1 Coca-Colas History and Performance Review When carbonated water is added to a syrup made from Coca leaf extracts, Cola nut, sugar and citric acid, the refreshing Coca-Cola drink is produced. Its name was derived by combining its two main ingredients Coca and Cola. The Coca-Cola formula was concocted by a passionate physician and chemist named Dr. John Stith Pemberton in 1886. Dr. Pembertons goal was to invent the ultimate medicine and tasty drink all into one. (Business Heroes, 1998) Therefore, Coca-Cola was initially marketed as a valuable brain tonic and a cure for all nervous affections such as headaches, neuralgia, hysteria as well as a delicious, refreshing and invigorating beverage(curezone.com). Although, some ingredients have been added or removed to enhance the drink but not to change the taste too much, up to this day it is not certain if the Coca-Cola Company still includes Coca leaf extracts. The Coca-Cola drink was sold for 5 cents a glass and only an average of 9 glasses of Coca-Cola were sold daily in the 1880s. Many years later, the Coca-Cola Company produces gallons of syrup daily and nearly 1.6 billion times a day, people around the world enjoy one of our beverages (Coca-Cola Annual report, 2008). The concentrates and syrups that are manufactured are then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers in more than 200 countries. Coca-Cola has become a multi-million dollar profit-making company and has been able to continue that trend even during challenging economic times. Although according, Brian Morgan, Beverages Industry Analyst, global value sales had declined in the soft-drinks market (Euromonitor blog, 2010). Coca-Cola was affected insignificantly by the global decline and this was reflected in its financial reports. The Coca-Cola Companys consolidated Net Operating Income before Interest and Taxes (NIBIT) had increased from $7,252m in 2007 to $8, 446m in 2008. However, there was a 2.5% decline in (NIBIT) from 2008-2009. The impact of the decline was insignificant because of the companys well balanced portfolio, well-known brand and innovative strategies. Another indicator that the company was doing well during the recession was the steady increase in cash dividends payments. The cash dividend payments to shareholders in 2007, 2008, and 2009 were $1.36, $1.52, $1.64 respectively (Coca-Cola Annual Review, 2009). The sales of Trademark Coca-Cola, which includes Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke/ Coca-Cola light, are what fuel our business (Coca-Cola Annual report 2009, p.16). Trademark Coca-Cola has seen volume unit growth in 2009 for many of its markets around the world including Vietnam (27%), India (25%), Pakistan (18%) and Nigeria (11%) to name a few (Coca-Cola Annual report, 2009). Solid performance has been reported for Coca-Cola in its 2010 third quarter and year-to-date company report. As at the ending of October, Operating Net Revenues had increased by 5%. Moreover, the worldwide unit case volume had increased 5%. This volume growth was led by the brand Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola Year-to-Date report, 2010). Please see Appendix 1 2 for more indicators of the Coca-Cola Companys resilience to the 2007-2010 economic down-turn. 3.0 Discussion and Analysis 3.1 Routinised Response Behaviour Researchers have identified three main levels of consumer decision making. They are extensive problem solving, limited problem solving and routinised response behaviour levels (Schiffman et al 2007, p.526).Consumers would have engaged in a routinised response behaviour level with regards to Coca-Cola drinks. This is because the trademark brand has been in the beverage market for years and so consumers would have had experience with it and other brands. Also, consumers would have established a set of criteria well enough to evaluate the Coca-Cola brand against other brands (Schiffman et al, 2007). Additionally, due to the low-involvement of consumers in purchasing Coca-Cola drinks, consumers are able to make quick decisions and they would have then relied heavily on heuristics, its prices, packaging and their familiarity with the brand. This would then have led to people purchasing Coca-Cola out of habit and in some cases automatic purchases. Therefore, it can be argued that because of the difficulty in breaking their habitual purchases and the little thought that goes into buying Coca-Cola drinks, consumers continued to buy Coca-Cola during the recession which made Coca-Cola immune. 3.2 Effective Marketing Mix Another reason why Coca-Cola was resilient to the recession could have been because of the companys effective marketing mix. The Coca-Cola Company has been able to build its brand throughout the years by using the right blend of marketing mix for the Trademark Cola-Cola drinks. Coca-Colas marketing mix efforts will now be discussed. Product Some people argue that the taste of Coca-Cola makes it very popular and gives it a competitive advantage. Moreover, people have demonstrated their love for the taste in different ways. One well-known incident was when consumers rejected the new formula of Coca-Cola, the New Coke. The company was compelled to bring back the original taste of Coca-Cola (Fortune, 1985). Coca-Colas trademark is its product name Coca-Cola in a unique white script against a bright red background. This assists customers to easily identify the brand in groceries, shops and advertisements. The Coca-Cola drink is packaged in aluminium cans, glass and plastic bottles in a range of sizes; 2L, 1.25L, 500ml and 330ml. Although variations have been made to the shape of the glass and plastic bottles, The contour bottle remains the signature shape of Coca-Cola today and was chosen for its attractive appearance and original design (Coca-Cola Heritage Timeline, 1905-1918). Price Coca-Cola is priced slightly higher to the prices of non-popular cola brands such as store brands but the same to main competitor, Pepsi. For instance, in England the price for a 2L bottle of Coca-Cola and Pepsi is  £1.66 while a 2L ASDA store brand cola is  £0.47 (asda.com). During 2007-2010 the price of Coca-Cola was increased for some regions like North-America due to increase commodity costs for the bottlers and to other recessionary pressures. (Coca-Cola Company Annual Report, 2008 p.47) Promotions Advertising Coca-Cola makes large investments in promotions and advertising. Advertising costs for 2006, 2007 and 2008 has been $2.6b, $2.8b and $3.0b respectively (Coca-Cola annual report, 2008). In 2007 there were promotions in Europe for Rugby World-cup and for the Christmas holidays (Coca-Cola Annual Review, 2007). There were many point-of-sale promotions world-wide in 2008. Loyalty programs that enable customers to receive free rewards and prizes by collecting points became very popular in 2009. For instance, the North-American market has the my coke rewards and the European market has the coke zone websites particularly set up for these promotional programmes (Coca-Cola Annual Review, 2009). Coca-Colas creative, colourful, animated and high imagery advertisements become many peoples favourite. Indeed, some of Coca-Cola advertisements have won several awards such as the Golden Award of Montreux, 2007 (Gold Medal) and CLIO Awards, 2007 (Gold) Animation (adforum.com). Place/ Distribution Channels Coca-Cola uses an intensive distribution strategy. Customers can easily access Coca-Cola drinks at their convenience through groceries, shops, malls, vendor machines, universities, work offices, bars and restaurants. Coca-Cola works closely with all constituents of the supply chain to ensure that the distribution process is efficient and effective (coca-cola.com). Additionally, Coca-Cola has even been endorsed by many restaurants including Mc Donalds and other businesses, where a formal agreement is made between the two parties to only sell Coca-Cola drinks. With the Consumer Decision Making Model that was produced by Schiffman et al (2007) in mind, consider this example. When consumers who drink Coca-Cola became thirsty or were out of stock of Coca-Cola at home, a need was recognised which is the first stage of the Process component of the model. The consumers would have then entered the information search stage and would have first drawn on past experiences they had with Coca-Cola drinks before using external sources of information from the Input component of the model, such as the companys marketing communications and socio-cultural influences. Because of Coca-Colas effective marketing mix efforts in the past, the customer would have most likely had good memories and experiences with the drinks. Also, Coca-Colas marketing efforts during the time of the consumers decision making would have played a big role in influencing consumers decisions. As a result, when consumers entered the Output stage, their decision was to re-purchase Coca-C ola. Coca-Cola marketing mix was effective because of its strong impact on the consumers decision making process. Another reason why Coca-Colas marketing mix was effective because it catered for the individual factors of consumers and this made the marketing mix more influential on individual decision making processes of consumers. For instance, Coca-Colas loyalty reward promotions would have appealed to those customers who like to be rewarded for their commitment or the sales promotions for those who were always seeking bargains. The changing of shapes of the bottles and the creative and high imagery advertisements, especially the one ones with the polar bears drinking Coca-Cola, would have appealed to those emotional and impulsive consumers. Also, by getting many businesses to only sell Coca-Cola drinks would have trapped those consumers who do not normally purchase Coca-Cola. The fact that most people would have had less disposable income might have made these marketing tactics more influential on their actual Decision Making Process because peoples need for rewards and stimulation to buy Coc a-Cola and not switch to a cheaper brand would have been greater. 3.3 Commitment to Attitudes It is believed that peoples high level of commitment to their favourable Attitudes towards Coca-Cola drinks was another reason that caused people to continue to purchase Coca-Cola drinks during the recession. Attitude is a persons learned predisposition, tendency to respond to an object in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way (Allport 1935, cited in Professor Jiang 2010 Lecture 5 slides). In relation to Coca-Cola drinks this means that, people were not born with the attitudes that they have towards Coca-Cola. Instead they learned about Coca-Cola from their direct experiences with the drinks, from other peoples opinions and from the companys marketing mix. They used these factors to develop an overall evaluation of Coca-Cola and in so doing formed favourable attitudes towards the drinks. Consequently, people were then motivated by their attitudes to purchase Coca-Cola drinks (Schiffman et al 2007, p.238). The psychologist, Daniel Katz, purported that attitudes exist because they serve a function for the person (Solomon et al 2010, p.275). The function could be a Utilitarian, Value-expressive, Ego-defensive or Knowledge function. For instance, people who like the taste of the Coca-Cola drinks and who derives pleasure from it would have an attitude that serves the Utilitarian function. Value-expressive attitudes would be seen in those people who drink Diet Coke because it may convey that they are dieting and watching their figure to others (social identity) or because they personally believe its the healthier choice of drink (personal values). Coca-Colas efforts to provide more factual and meaningful nutritional information on their packaging would form attitudes that serve the knowledge function in those people who need such information in selecting products. Attitudes change when it no longer gives satisfaction to its related need state (Katz, 1960 p.177). Coca-Colas marketing mix efforts has been consistently satisfying the needs of consumers and so consumers became committed to their attitudes towards Coca-Cola. For example, Coca-Colas total quality management systems ensure that every bottle on the production line tastes the same so that peoples Utilitarian function would always be satisfied. There have been misperceptions and rumours of Coca-Cola drinks including soft-drinks cause Kidney stones or Coca-Cola can be used as household cleaners. In order to provide clarity and consistency for individuals with knowledge function needs, Coca-Cola posted responses on its website to these rumours. Moreover, the company had spent $9m to promote active healthy lifestyle programs in 2008 (coca-cola.com). This also illustrates Coca-Cola satisfying the needs of consumers which would then lead to consumers becoming highly committed to their attitudes. According to Katz (1960) attitudes consist of affective or feelings and cognitive or belief components. Attitudes can be related to behaviour which makes it a third component. Another consequence of Coca-Colas efforts consistently satisfying consumers needs was that it strengthened the affective component of consumers attitudes and reinforced the beliefs they had towards Coca-Cola. The result was people holding onto to their favourable attitudes towards Coca-Cola which was then the driving force of their purchase behaviour. It is worthy to note that the results of many studies have shown a very low correlation between a persons reported attitude towards something and their actual behaviour towards it (Solomon et al 2010, p.290). Researchers found that events, circumstances or social pressure can interfere with a persons planned or expected behaviour. For instance, people may like Coca-Cola but do not buy it because of persuasive campaigns from health organisations that say soft-drinks are unhealthy (social pressure). Therefore, it can then be debated that although people may have had favourable attitudes towards Coca-Cola this may not have caused them to purchase Coca-Cola drinks during the recession or any time. It is believed that this happened because people were not strongly committed to their attitudes. It can then be argued that Coca-Colas marketing strategies have been encouraging people to remain highly committed to their attitudes towards Coca-Cola. Once consumers are very committed to their at titudes, it would become very difficult for external influences to change their beliefs or feelings for the product and by extension change their behaviour. 3.4 Reinforcement of loyalty through Reference Groups Coca-Cola has used the internet to create a virtual community where its fans from all over the world can meet other fans, chat about various topics and reminisce about Coca-Cola memories. Although Coca-Cola has an official website (coca-colaconverstaions.com) to facilitate this community, the website provides links to Twitter and Facebook so that fans can use those forums if they desired. Additionally, there is a Coca-Colas Collectors Club for people who are very nostalgic and who enjoy collecting Coca-Cola merchandise. The club has more than 5000 members from all over the world. Several conventions and meetings are held annually and monthly newsletters are published. There are also swap meets and other social events that enable members to share their interests with others (coca-cola.com). Researchers find that people within brand communities feel more positive about the product (Solomon et al, 2010 p.392) when they interact with other people who share similar interests in the same product and when they participate in social events held for them. Their brand loyalty is enhanced and the chance of them switching to competing brands that are as good or even better is very low. Moreover, these community members do not only become emotionally involved with the product, but genuinely concerned with the welfare of the company as well (Solomon et al, 2010, p.392). Coca-Cola has been the main sponsor of big events for many years such as NASCAR racing, Youth Olympics Games, FIFA World cup and Special Olympics (coca-cola.com). These different events bring together people who share common interests and these people make up sub-cultural groups within society. Attitudes, beliefs and certain behaviours would be adopted faster by these groups because of their cohesiveness and group members desire to share one identity. By Coca-Cola sponsoring the events for these groups often, Coca-Cola would have become accepted and liked by these groups. Coca-Cola would have relied on the social power of these groups to remind and reinforce the brand. As a result, members within these groups would have been motivated to purchase Coca-Cola as long as they were active members of these groups in order to fit in. Therefore, the presence of Coca-Colas brand communities both virtual and those that meet face-to-face had strengthened peoples brand loyalty and this enabled Coca-Cola to maintain a high retention of consumers during the recession. Also, the influence of sub-cultural groups could have contributed to Coca-Colas continued success during the recession. Conclusion/Recommendations Coca-Colas has maintained a strong brand image and financial performance for many years, even during the recession. The reasons for this success could have been because of consumers habitual purchase behaviour, successful execution of marketing strategies by the company, consumers commitment to their favourable attitudes towards Coca-Cola drinks and the presence of reference groups. These factors simultaneously impacted consumers actual decision making process which then caused them to continue to purchase Coca-Cola. It is becoming more difficult to predict consumer behaviour because sociological factors, circumstances and events interfere with consumers intended behaviour (Schiffman et al, 2007). Coca-Cola has built a secret research facility at its headquarters and this shows that the company is aware of the importance of understanding consumer behaviour. Were spending a lot of time trying to understand shopping and shopping psychology, says Joe Tripodi, Coca-Colas chief Marketing Officer (CNBC 2009). It is apparent that Coca-Cola has been able to build an extremely strong brand loyalty for its drinks. Therefore, the company should continue with its innovative strategies and continue its research into why and when people purchase their products. The company should also continue using their websites and peoples blogs to get feedback from consumers about beliefs and feelings towards the companys products and strategies. One caveat for the company is that it should never become arrogant and think that consumers will always have that strong brand loyalty for Coca-Cola. Appendix I SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA Year Ended December 31, (in millions except per share data) 2009 2008 2007 2006 SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS Net operating revenues $30,990 $31,944 $28,857 $24,088 Net income attributable to shareowners of The Coca-Cola Company $6,824 $5,807 $5,981 $5,080 PER SHARE DATA Basic net income $2.95 $2.51 $2.59 $2.16 Diluted net income $2.93 $2.49 $2.57 $2.16 Cash dividends $1.64 $1.52 $1.36 $1.24 BALANCE SHEET DATA Total assets $48,671 $40,519 $43,269 $29,963 Long-term debt $5,059 $2,781 $3,277 $1,314 Appendix II PERFORMANCE AT A GLANCE 2007 2008 2009 22.7 23.7 24.4 UNIT CASE VOLUME (in billions) 2007 2008 2009 $7,252 $8,446 $8,231 OPERATING INCOME BEFORE INTEREST TAXES (in millions) 2007 2008 2009 $7,150 $7,571 $8,186 OPERATING CASH FLOW (in millions)

William Christopher Handy :: essays research papers

William Christopher Handy Handy was an American black composer and compiler of "BLUES" music. He was born in Florence, Alabama. He was educated at the Negro Agricultural and Mechanical College near Huntsville, Alabama. He was the son of former slaves. He was educated in the public schools and by his father and paternal grandfather, both of whom were clergymen. Handy was the first to bring the African- American blues to the general publics attention with the publication of his MEMPHIS BLUES in 1912. He began his musical career as a cornet soloist and bandmaster with minstrel shows; one of his earislst engagements was with the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Handy also founded a music publishing house and edited and wrote several books , including the autobiographical Father of the Blues (1941). Originally, the blues were a type of black folk song little known beyond the southern United States. Handy's songs brought the blues to international attention. Handy's career was rooted in popular music. He began his career in 1896 as a minstrel show and vaudville corntist and bandleader and then became one of the first publishers of music by black composers. William Christopher Handy was born on Nov,16, 1873, in Florence, Ala, the son of former slaves . As a 15-year-old he left home to work in a traveling minstrel show, but he soon returned when his money ran out. He attended Teachers Agreicultural & Mechanical College in Huntsville, Alabama, and worked as a school teacher and bandmaster. In 1893, during an economic depression, he formed a quartet to perform at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. For several years afterward he drifted around the country working at different jobs. Eventually he settled in Memphas, Tenn. Although he lost his eyesight at age 30, after WW1 he conducted his own orchestra from 1903 intill 1921. His eyesight partially returned, but he became completely blind after a fall from a subway platform in 1943. Handy wrote music during the period of transition from ragtime to jazz. The music he had absorbed during his youth consisted of spirituals, work songs,

Computers: Past, Present and Future :: Technology

Computers: Past, Present and Future Since the time when man first learned to express how they felt in written form, by drawing or writing, we have tried to communicate with other people. First, it was the prehistoric man with their conceptual cave drawings showing what animals to hunt, how to hunt them, and how to cook them. Soon that form took to hieroglyphics, in which the Egyptians would tell stories about battles they had won and about new pharaohs that had been born. This picture form soon turned in to words in which the Romans would communicate with one another. So it went, each generation progressed more and more, until it was the 20th century. In 1937 the electronic computer was born. Computers were in 1943 to break â€Å"the unbreakable† German Enigma codes. 1951 introduced the computer commercially. However, it wasn’t until around 1976 when the Apple II was introduced and it was immediately adopted by high schools, colleges, and homes. This was the first time that people from all over really had an opportunity to use a computer. Since that time micro processing chips have been made, the World Wide Web has been invented and in 1996 more than one out of every three people have a computer in their home, and two out of every three have one at the office. Today, computers influence all lifestyles, and all different types of businesses. They have become an essential part of everyday life, from chatting, to e-mail, to commerce, to gaming. Almost every person in the United States has had some use on the computer. Since the technology age began, computers have become a mainstay in American and world society as much as the telephone, the automobile, and the television. Almost every device has some type of computer in it. Whether it is a cell phone, a calculator, or a vending machine. Even things that we take for granted most cars since the 1980’s have a computer in it or a pacemaker. All of the advancements in computers and technology have led up to the 21st century in which â€Å"the greatest advances in computer technology will occur†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mainly in areas such as â€Å"hardware, software, communications and networks, mobile and wireless connectivity, and robotics.† All lifestyles benefit from the use of computers.

GRENDEL THE SAVAGE :: essays papers

GRENDEL THE SAVAGE Portraying adolescents as false tragic heroes has been a theme explored in literature throughout the twentieth century. In John Gardner’s Grendel, the protagonist Grendel, portrayed as a parentless adolescent seeking guidance, finds happiness in violence. Grendel continually commits the ultimate act of evilness, murder on Hrothgar’s mead hall. Gardner creates a character and an environment in, which the reader must feel sorrow for Grendel, in order to have fulfillment by the end of the resolution. However, Gardner uses Grendel and writing in general as tool to communicate his liberal philosophies to a wider audience making it difficult to weep over Grendel’s death. Grendel is not a misguided youth; he is a monster who willingly takes part in his death by indulging himself in violence. In Grendel, the protagonist spends his ephemeral life attacking Hrothgar’s mead hall, and Grendel takes the lives of Hrothgar’s men during the raids. When Grendel encounters the dragon, Grendel turns into a barbaric machine, after his self-realization. After the dragon, Grendel begins his contentious â€Å"war† with Hrothgar. The attacks on Hrothgar are essentially a deranged pastime for Grendel. After the attacks, Grendel feels some remorse, although this could merely be a biological reaction to the tyranny. Even if Grendel feels remorse, it is still no excuse to slaughter. If Grendel’s attacks are means of survival, then he must surely realize his death is necessary. Grendel returns to the mead hall repeatedly, even after the scenes of sick compassion. Grendel’s regrets only last long enough for the reader to see another side of him. The side of remorse and regret quickly disappears as he feels the hunger of death again. Grendel is a three – dimensional character. At the same time, Grendel can lose his confused frivolous existence and become a bloodthirsty killer. Grendel reflects modern troubled youth. He is lost in a corrupt world and consequently the use of violence is a means of short-term escape. Although we want to see Grendel saved, it is impossible to aid all adolescents in troubled. In addition, if we say Grendel’s acts are justifiable because he lives in terrible world, we are also saying it is justifiable for a drug dealer to deal out drugs. In order to maintain balance in civilization, we must have equal shares of compassion and common sense. Common sense tells us children are not products of their environment.

A social construction Essay

As a social construction, ethnicity is defined as a group individual having a common identifying heritage (Yinger, 1994). The common heritage may comprise of a unifying language, cultural values, norms, and beliefs, and a common ancestry. This has the implication that people belonging to a given ethnic group identify from others with eminent distinctive characteristics, an element which ensure their recognition in the larger human community. Owing to the common heritage that defines an ethnic group, ethnicity encompasses other communal aspects such as political, social, and economic interests, territorial ownership, and similar behavioral patterns. The global community has witnessed numerous incidences of ethnic hostilities over the past few decades. Among this is the 2007 post-election violence which saw hundreds of Kenyans killed and thousands of others fleeing their homes to refuge camps within and outside the country (BBC, 2007). According to available information, the conflict was mainly a fight for land possession in the rift valley region between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu ethnic groups (BBC, 2007). In the American nation, ethnic hostilities are quite common. This can be evident from statistical evident from a 2000 research which indicated that most citizens of Asian origin are mainly engaged in small business established. Such have been closely attributed to the high levels of labor market discrimination practices against these members of the community. In addition, since after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, racial profiling and discrimination against individuals of Islamic origin have been on the hike. This has been due to the perceptions associating Muslim with terrorism activities. Lastly, ethnic hostility can be evident in the school population trends in the US. Records indicate that as at 2003 estimated 87% of enrollments in public-schools in Chicago where from the black community compared to less than 10% from the white population.

Valkyrie Case Study

Valkyrie Lighting is facing a new challenge within its current operations. This challenge comes in the form of expanding and improving its current supply chain management system. In this new implementation, the Valkyrie management team will need to incorporate three vital concepts to achieve success in the highly competitive market of technical lighting. With this new supply chain management focus, Valkyrie will experience many issues that will need to be addressed to minimize the time it takes to get its expanded supply chain up and flowing smoothly. A number of the issues that Valkyrie experiences can be summarized into three main issues that are currently holding up Valkyrie’s success in this new endeavor. The main issues that Valkyrie faces include: product accessibility, limited communications, and current barriers to its global expansion strategy. With this new focus on supply chain management, Valkyrie must decide between implementation of a production line within Sunshine Product’s facility, or establish a legal binding agreement with Sunshine Products to act as their sole supplier. Currently there is a lack of an integrated computer system that prohibits both Valkyrie and Sunshine to adequately respond to each other’s product demand needs. Due to communication being vital to any business’s success, Valkyrie must look to integrate with Sunshine products to improve communications and information sharing to combat inventory issues and spikes in customer demands. Due to increasing competition within the technical lighting industry, Valkyrie has the opportunity to expand its operations throughout two potentially lucrative markets. Valkyrie must analyze the Southeast Asian market and the European market; the two primary global opportunities. Both options have advantages and disadvantages; which Valkyrie must analyze to achieve global success. Our first recommendation is to establish a legal agreement with Sunshine Products to become our sole supplier. The second recommendation is to establish an integrated computer system between Valkyrie and Sunshine. Our final recommendation is to focus on entry into the European market through a third party contractor. These recommendations will allow Valkyrie to maximize its supply chain, effectively communicate between all supply members and expand its market share; while maintaining its core competency of producing aesthetically designed lighting products. Company Overview Valkyrie Lighting is a manufacturing company with operations mainly in North America. The company’s primary focus is the production and delivery of technologically advanced industrial lighting. Valkyrie Lighting operates in a supply chain with many tiers working together to create a product that serve a number of customers. The majority of their parts come from tier-one suppliers, such as Sunshine Products, that are sent to a manufacturing plant in Denver. In this plant, the products are assembled, stored, and delivered to customers who place orders. The tier-one suppliers contract the manufacturing of parts from tier-two suppliers that are located throughout the world; such as Sunshine Products who contracts in Taiwan. Valkyrie Lighting gained market share in the technical lighting industry due to integrating advanced technology which was superior to the competition.       This technology led to the creation of superior products and the abilityto create custom products that serve different customer needs. Valkyrie Lighting also held a competitive edge with the product design and looks that were more desired than that of the competition. This is currently Valkyrie Lighting’s main competitive edge in the industry. Valkyrie Lighting’s operations are based on a push system that follows forecasts which are revised every quarter. This push system has led the company to produce in batch processes. The constant demand from customers for unique designs requires that Valkyrie Lighting create a certain amount of one product, then switch to create another similar product with minor design differences. The type of operations performed at the Denver plant is completed in two stages. The first stage represents a repetitive operation because the core pieces of the product are assembled by workers to complete only the technical assembly. There are eight different basic assemblies that are created and then the product is moved to the second stage. The second stage is considered more intermittent because the basic assembled products are then finished to customer style preferences and is the source of the variety among customers. Once the product has been completed, the product is stored into stock located in the Denver plant and shipped based on customer orders. This operation represents a make-to-stock strategy where the product is produced based from forecasts; which are held as inventory until the customer demands a product. Valkyrie Lighting is in an industry that was highly competitive until a few major companies dominated the majority of the market. The technical lighting industry is a slow-growing market where the order winners are based on superior technology, product variety, and timely delivery. Pricing and customer service are important factors in maintaining the competitive edge along with having advanced technology. The main trend in this market is the moving away from standard designs and being flexible to create a number of products that serve different needs based from the customer. This is important for any company in this industry because the market consist of primarily of large buyers that could have a significant impact on the market share a company possesses. Currently Valkyrie and two other firms control the majority of the market share. The current market that Valkyrie Lighting operates in is the North American market. This is where Valkyrie operates strongly and is the most competitive. Other markets of interest include Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Each market has its own unique situations and barriers that affect Valkyrie Lighting. Currently, Valkyrie Lighting is taking advantage of the European market by exporting from the USA through a Dutch istributor, but future growth and market power will require manufacturing and distribution in Europe rather than exporting directly from the USA. The Southeast Asian market is difficult because of the strong competition among Asian companies and their ability to provide low costs, a core priority that Valkyrie cannot deliver at this time. The Latin American market is still untouched by Valkyrie Lighting and no long-term operation plans have been developed. Valkyrie Lighting has man y strengths with the current operation model. Their technology is strong enough that they can create a number of superior products and make custom changes to satisfy the customer demands. This is important because the market demands that companies have a wide variety of products to meet customer preferences. Another strength of Valkyrie Lighting is the aesthetics of their products. In the technical lighting industry, products need to be unique and Valkyrie Lighting achieved success by getting their products put into trade shows. This led to a strong following and more business. Another main strength for Valkyrie Lighting and their operation design is the make-to-stock. With customers demanding that companies hold products until orders are placed, Valkyrie Lighting continues to deliver customer satisfaction and is flexible. Despite some of the strengths of the current operations, Valkyrie Lighting’s current operation model contains many disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages is that the company is erratic with delivery times. Because the company continues to use a push system and quarterly forecast, they cannot handle on-time delivery for large orders or higher than expected orders from their larger customers. Valkyrie Lighting has tried to offset this problem by using the make-to-stock process, but this leads to the company holding onto large amounts of inventory that is costly to the company and uses space in the Denver plant. Another disadvantage Valkyrie Lighting faces is the lack of a standard line of communication among the different tiers of suppliers. The suppliers use different forecasts and rely on a push-system. Valkyrie Lighting utilizes a forecast that does not anticipate last-minute changes in demand and this leads to erratic delivery times to customers. Valkyrie’s communication technology is not compatible with its suppliers, which leads to a lack of closeness in communication. These issues affect the supply chain with suppliers running out of materials, Valkyrie Lighting not producing enough products, and customers waiting longer to receive orders. The last issue Valkyrie Lighting is faced with is penetrating new markets in different countries. With the lack of solid communication in the supply chain and the inability to deliver just-in-time, Valkyrie Lighting faces issues in setting up operations in Southeast Asia. Because the company does not directly operate in Asia, it cannot compete with the local firms that can provide products at a lower price. In Europe, Valkyrie Lighting understands their current operation is short-term. To continue to grow and expand market share; Valkyrie understands they must consider expansion into the global market. Current Problems: Although the business has been an industry leader and successful in the past, the Valkyrie management team is challenged to improve their supply chain management as they move forward. This project, supply chain management, is a new concept to Valkyrie. Although the management team has little experience in supply chain management, Rob Brown is confident that his team members are up for the challenge as they all have a stake in the survival and prosperity of the business. The team comes together in this project with various expertise and qualifications, which will allow them to face many challenges that are to come. These challenges range from decisions that will ultimately change Valkyrie’s way of doing business, and quite possibly even the entire technical lighting industry. This will require a new way of thinking and managing to remain successful as they move forward. Valkyrie is currently in a highly competitive industry where until recently there were very few major innovations. Valkyrie moved early to gain a competitive advantage. With this shift to improving their supply chain management, Valkyrie must act in the best interest of its stakeholders, which includes: owners, suppliers, manufacturers, vendors, employees, customers and the competition. Valkyrie must be methodical about the procedures it takes as they need to remain true to their core competency of providing superior technically advanced products with an aesthetic design, which is their top advantage over the competition. Before moving forward too quickly, Valkyrie must identify current problems and potential supply chain hindrances to minimize the frequency of false starts, fully utilize its capacities, and maximize productivity to ensure their product is still a viable and desirable choice for its end users. Major goals that Valkyrie seeks to achieve are to provide better delivery times to their customers, maintain well designed aesthetic products, and regain market share that has been lost due to price wars of the industry’s customers. There are three problems that Valkyrie needs to address initially in order to make their supply chain successful. The first problem Valkyrie must address is its current relationship with Sunshine Products. Sunshine plays a significant role in Valkyrie’s success because of its unique technology. Sunshine provides components to Valkyrie, but due to Sunshine’s production planning procedures, Valkyrie is unable to increase order quantities in fear that Sunshine is operating near capacity. Valkyrie and Sunshine’s current relationship is solid, but informal. Brown, as leader of this project, needs to identify that an informal relationship will hinder his attempts to make the supply chain management successful. Brown needs to look for ways to work jointly with Sunshine in hopes of making Sunshine their sole supplier. A sole supplier relationship will help Sunshine with inventory issues, inventory planning and production forecasts. In today’s business world, the internet is a very useful tool and virtually has very few limitations. Currently, Valkyrie and Sunshine do not have a compatible system, which hinders planning, inventories, and production plans. Both businesses plan production based on their inventory and production schedules, and Sunshine operates on a two-month planning horizon. This current system does not provide either company flexibility with production runs and prohibits them from accommodating spikes in product demand. If this is not resolved, the companies may experience the bull-whip effect and implore tactics that will lead to excess inventories. Valkyrie and Sunshine need to share an integrated system which allows visuals on both companies inventory and re-order points. By addressing the first two problems, Valkyrie will enable itself to take on its major competition by streamlining its components and production plans. To remain competitive, Valkyrie must improve lead times and flexibility to meet market demands. In addition, with the demand possibly stretching globally, Valkyrie needs to determine their expansion strategy based on which markets are most lucrative. The two possible markets that are promising to Valkyrie at this time are the European and Southeast Asia markets. By expanding to one or both of these markets, Valkyrie will be able to change its marketing and sales strategy from a push concept to a pull system due to the ability to fill orders upon the ever changing demands of their product. Valkyrie has alternatives to choose from to resolve these three major issues. By solving these issues first, Valkyrie sets itself up for success. Issue 1: Product Accessability To better understand the problem with Sunshine, we will first look at the present situation. Sunshine serves two other customers in non-competing fields other than Valkyrie and its production facility operates near capacity. The informal relationship between Valkyrie and Sunshine is sufficient when the two companies’ managers adhere to their hand-shake commitment and no competitor steps in. As Valkyrie loses ground in the U. S. market to its two major competitors, Valkyrie’s priority level in Sunshine may not remain if demand drops. Once the company engages in overseas production, Sunshine will not be able to manufacture the additional needed components under the current terms and Valkyrie may need to develop new suppliers. It is obvious continuing with the current informal handshake agreement is not an option for Valkyrie and Sunshine in the long run. In addition, as Valkyrie is exploring market expansion, this action will further necessitate an improved supply chain with Sunshine. Two possible solutions are: †¢ Alternative 1: Place a dedicated production line in Sunshine’s production plant. †¢ Alternative 2: Negotiate a formal contract with Sunshine and make it Valkyrie’s sole supplier. Both proposals will be analyzed in terms of feasibility, cost, and benefit in the section below. Alternative 1: Dedicated Production Line Proposal A dedicated production line proposal suggests Valkyrie place a dedicated production line in Sunshine’s facility. The production line will be provided by Sunshine and paid for by Valkyrie, as it will be exclusively used for Valkyrie’s production needs. The benefit of a dedicated production line is Valkyrie will have flexibility in its production planning and a just-in-time system can be implemented. The new line will provide extra capacity to satisfy Valkyrie’s increasing production need. Production equipment will not be a problem for the dedicated production line proposal since Sunshine either has enough room or it could expand its plant. All costs that occur during the setup of the production line will be covered by Valkyrie. The real problem is in the production and management of the dedicated line. Who should be responsible for the new line? How should wages and pricing be determined? If Sunshine were to provide the front line production workers and administration, they may charge a price premium. An agreement with Sunshine will need to be established for Valkryie to ensure the dedicated line in Sunshine’s facility will become the priority. Alternative 2: Formal Contract and sole supplier Proposal Compared to the dedicated production line, a formal contract is simpler and easier to implement. The contract needs to address the concept of sole supplier and the external factory. By creating a formal contractual relationship with Sunshine, Valkyrie guarantees Sunshine will be its sole supplier. In this contract, Sunshine will need to adjust its production planning procedure to make Valkyrie’s demand their first priority. A formal contract also builds up long-term relationship between the two companies rather than the two managers. With a formal contract, Sunshine becomes a guaranteed service provider. The benefit of such a relationship is information sharing, which is vital to the success of supply chain management. With an open information flow system, Sunshine can respond to production changes faster and reduce lead time. Another benefit of contractual agreement is it provides greater incentive for continuous quality improvement, which benefits both Valkyrie and Sunshine. The most important benefit of a formal contract is the elimination of uncertainty, the risk of losing a strategic partner. Recommendation The absence of a formal contract between Valkyrie and Sunshine places a huge risk on Valkyrie’s long-term success. With its unique technology, Sunshine plays a critical role in Valkyrie’s supply chain. It is clear that Valkyrie needs to include Sunshine in order to implement improvements in the supply chain. Considering both proposals’ pros and cons, we determine that a dedicated production line is neither feasible nor cost effective. The formal contract and external factory proposal fit into the supply chain management requirement and is much easier to implement. Thus, the formal contract and external factory proposal is recommended. Issue 2: The Lack of Computer Integration System Communication is the key to any business’s success. Due to Sunshine’s resistance to computer integration, both companies are experiencing communication problems. An integrated system will increase the productivity of the companies’ information systems, order entry and production system. Information Systems Information systems play a prominent role in any company’s supply chain. Valkyrie needs to share data, such as purchase orders, invoices, and payments, along with information about common information and financial records with all chain members. Sharing systems speeds up the flow of materials, payments and information. It allows companies to reduce the effort and cost of processing such transactions, and enables all members of the supply chain to know expected completion dates and availability of the products. Sharing a computer system allows all members to know when demand changes from the forecast. Any problems encountered that affect availability quantity or delivery time of the products allows the chain members to respond to problems and react to meet delivery commitments. Sharing information, analyzing market feedback and trends between chain members is critical to be successful in today’s dynamic global market. Order Entry Many companies and retailers are using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and/or Point-Of-Sale (POS) systems because it is very convenient for buyers and sellers. By using EDI, the form of computer-to-computer communication is standardized to share business documents such as invoices, purchase orders, shipping bills and product stocking numbers. This helps both buyers and sellers reduce logistical and labor costs and get products to market faster. For example, when suppliers transmit an advance shipment notice to the company for each inbound shipment, EDI systems can be effectively implemented. This notice provides a purchase order number, vendor identification number, product identification number and carton counts for each item in the shipment. The EDI data flows directly from the suppliers’ computers into companies and retailer’s warehouse management system. With this information, Valkyrie’s distribution center can anticipate inbound volume, prepare for receiving, and schedule the appropriate number of warehouse workers. EDI advanced shipment notification is sent from a shipper to a receiver with detailed information about the contents of the shipment. The process mentioned above also eliminates the need to schedule and stage the shipment later, which saves on labor costs. Through the EDI system, suppliers get paid accurately and on time. Furthermore, EDI can eliminate order batching. Companies typically use large order batching because of the relatively high cost of placing an order. Supply chain partners can reduce ordering cost by using electronic data interchange to transmit information. Lower ordering costs eliminate the need for batch order. Similarly, when the retailers use Point of Sale (POS) systems, the information collected by POS allows both Valkyrie and Sunshine to know the product demand information when making replenishment decisions. In addition, EDI and POS are very helpful to counteract the bullwhip effect of erratic replenishment of orders placed on different levels in the supply chain that have no apparent link to final customer demand, and as a result, manufacturers inventory does not coincide with demand. Production system By integrating the two companies’ computer systems and sharing relevant databases, Valkyrie and Sunshine Product can both benefit with a production system that determines what is needed, how much is needed and when it is needed. From Valkyrie’s standpoint, having its orders completed and shipped to the distribution center on time is the vital to maintain customer satisfaction and market share. From Sunshine’s view point, switching from traditional system-push system to a pull system would be a good strategy because it reduces inventory on production and materials. Thus, it helps Sunshine Product to solve the problem on material shortages or production planning system. The disadvantage of combining two companies’ computer system is that data exchange might create some problems in payment process or information flows between two companies. This computer integration also requires the internal consistency and discipline to ensure the process is integrated and information flows accuracy, otherwise it will create errors that bring problems to both companies in the short-run. Issue 3: The Entry to the Global Market At the core of Valkyrie’s global corporate strategy is the need to make a significant lucrative entry into the global market. Rapid expansion into a segment of the global market will make up for the mature market conditions in North America. Alternative 1: The Southeast Asian Market Southeast Asia is identified as a promising market but this market does not share the need for Valkryie’s unique, aesthetic design element. Valkryie’s technical lead is already being eroded boy Alpha products, leaving only the aesthetic design advantage which is not an order winner in Southeast Asia. Valkyrie has an opportunity to leverage the relationship with Sunshine’s established contract manufacturing in Taiwan. This liaison could transition into an opportunity to pursue moving into the Southeast Asia market. Valkyrie will have to establish its own communication and control systems to monitor their third party. They will need to monitor and evaluate the third party’s level of customer service, the efficiency of their operations and inventory investment. Alternative 2: The European Market. Valkyrie’s main competitive advantage is their design element known to be essential to market success in Europe. By moving into the European market, Valkyrie will be able to get a faster response to new customers, provide better service and increase market share. This solution requires learning about the European market and the European custom rules. Profits will be higher and Valkyrie will not suffer a loss of control which might result in poor market performance as opposed to simply licensing in Europe. This alternative helps overcome high fix cost and high tariff duties. A third party contractor will have a European market awareness of customer’s product needs and will be knowledgeable about the competition. The third party contractor would understand the customer service requirements which vary considerably from northern to southern Europe and will assume the responsibility for providing communications. A third party contractor can be counted on to know their local market’s suppliers capabilities and performance. As these other suppliers are less critical to Valkyrie’s success than Sunshine, they could be substituted if they do not perform to standards. Recommendation Our recommendation is for Valkyrie to establish local production, under Valkyrie’s name, by contracting with a third party to manufacture and distribute in Europe. The justification for choosing the European market is this market will require a unique styling of lighting products which is Valkyrie’s primary competitive advantage and core competency. This design element is essential to Valkyrie’s market success in the European market. The commitment to this strategic plan would negate an entry into the Asian market at this time. The third party contractor will need to be an experienced operator who can handle both the manufacturing and distribution. As Sunshine Products will be contractually bound as a single source supplier, their Taiwan plant will transmit orders electronically to the third party contractor who will work with regional suppliers to provide the remainder of the components. Factors to consider when identifying potential third party contractors will include: the company’s ability to partner with Sunshine Products, the ability to identify regional suppliers to provide the remainder of the component parts and the facility’s proximity to customers. The European single point distribution system will be essentially parallel to the US market. In order to meet product demand and service requirements Valkyrie knows that a single point distribution system and negotiating service contracts with carriers to provide distribution is effective. The company knows from experience at their Denver location that deliveries can be made to most major markets even by surface carriers. CONCLUSION: Valkyrie Lighting is venturing into new but potentially lucrative concepts. This new supply chain management will allow Valkyrie to remain competitive in the highly competitive technical lighting industry. By focusing on members of the supply chain, Valkyrie can utilize its resources to compliment its current strengths in creating better business relationships with its supply chain members. To ensure that Valkyrie succeeds in this new endeavor, there must be a formal contract between Valkyrie and Sunshine to ensure that Valkyrie’s demand will be met. Playing into the success is also the implementation of a integrated computer system between its supply chain members. This allows all members of the supply chain to readily see the inventories that are needed to sustain, while minimizing the bullwhip effect. Finally, Valkyrie must focus on its core competency, by manufacturing products that are preferred for the aesthetic design. This focus is one that suggests that expanding into the European market should be the sole focus at the current time. By following our three recommendations, Valkyrie will improve product accessibility, improve communications within the supply chain and increase market share with expansion into the European market.