Marketing Strategy by Pizza Hut Essay

Various tools and methods like, secondary sources were adopted to collect information to critically analyze the marketing strategies adopted by pizza hut, analyze the probable market for the product, study its competitors and substitute products, to estimate future sales and expected share of the market, analyze the effectiveness of advertisement, its target market and finally why people prefer pizza hut. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS MARKETING STRATEGY Pizza Hut follows the following strategy: Total market strategy—-Pizza Hut started with a single product i. e. Pizza but with different segments emerging and the degree of competition increasing, it diversified into several products to serve different segments. It came up with chicken nuggets, wedges, garlic bread, smiley etc. International marketing strategy: Pizza Hut started with local market strategy in Kansas, USA then moved on to regional markets in and across USA. In 1968, Pizza Hut started its international movement by opening its 1strestaurant in Canada. And today Pizza Hut is world’s largest pizza chain with its presence in more than 100 countries. Early Entry Strategy: Though Pizza Hut was not the first entrants in the pizza market infuse. But Pizza Hut followed an early entrant strategy. Customers knew what a pizza is but still there was huge potential to tap. In order to become a leader, pizza hut continued to refine their product &develop new product to suit their customer’s changing tastes. Ultimately Pizza Hut with its superior promotion, manufacturing and distribution activities has turned out to be the â€Å"winner†. Strong Commitment Strategy: Pizza Hut has been operating in the pizza market by realizing all economies of scale in promotion, distribution and manufacturing facilities. If Papa John’s or Little Caesars come out with a new competitive pricing strategy or innovative product, then Pizza Hut quite aggressively fights back by bringing more competitive prices or better innovations in product category. In simple words, Pizza Hut takes all possible measures to defend its leadership position in the market. Pizza Hut: An Overview of the â€Å"Product Strategy† â€Å"Product Strategies specify a market needs that may be served by different products offerings†. Product Positioning Strategy-Pizza Hut has always followed Single brand positioning strategy wherein it has positioned only its pizzas. Although the positioning statement has been different in different countries but it has always hovered around its â€Å"PIZZAS†. For instance, in Canada, its positioning statement is â€Å"The best tasting pizzas under one roof † which reflects great variety of pizza being served , in China it has positioned on â€Å"Dine-in restaurants†, in Australia, it is â€Å"made fresh, served hot and on time† which reflects that best of ingredients are used and pizza is delivered on time. Product-Scope strategy: Pizza Hut follows a â€Å"multiple product strategy† as pizza hut not only sells pizzas, but also deals in a variety of other products as although all the product offerings in pizza hut are not as fast moving as its pizza, but they usually complement each other. For instance, family coming for a dinner usually starts with some soup and garlic breads and then moves on to pizzas along with some diet salads. In this way, pizza hut caters to different people with different needs and tastes and preferences. This helps in increasing sales, profitability, market share and above all â€Å"Customer’s Mind Share† Product-Scope Strategy Salads & Pastas, Appetizers Pizzas, Soups and Desserts Product-Design Strategy:Pizza Hut follows the strategy of selling Standardized Products with modifications. Pizza Hut mainly sells 4 types of pizzas: Pan Pizza, hand-tossed pizza, stuffed crust pizza and Thin N Crispy pizza. Pizza Hut serves these standard style pizzas everywhere in the world but at the same time, it offers its customers to choose different toppings as extra mushrooms or extra capsicum and onions with extra cheese or chicken toppings like toppings of meat, bacon, fish, ham, beef topping, pork toppings etc. Secondly it offers what is known as â€Å"Value meal combos† wherein it offers a combination of pizzas, appetizers, beverages etc at lower prices. For instance, Pizza hut introduced â€Å"Meal for 2† which offers medium pan/ fresh pizza, garlic bread sticks with 2 glasses of Pepsi. Similarly pizza hut also offered â€Å"Meals for 4† where it offered 2medium pan pizzas, with one plate of garlic bread and one portion of wedges with 4 glasses of Pepsi/Soup. Pizza Hut by offering standard products seeks economies of scale and by offering modification options enhances customer satisfaction which adds to brand equity of Pizza Hut Product innovation strategy: Pizza Hut has been constantly involved in innovating new products. It started as Pizza chain in 1958. On one hand, it offers traditional Italian pizzas while on other hand, it innovated several new varieties as pan pizza, thin n crispy, stuffed crust, the big New Yorker pizza, hand tossed pizza, the edge pizza along with the Sicilian Pizza. Pizza Hut spends extensively on research and development of its innovative products. At the same time, customer’s feedback also plays an important role in preparing new pizzas. For example, The Big New Yorker Pizza. Pizza Hut continued to make innovations as it followed â€Å"International marketing strategy†. In India, Pizza Hut launched international style pizza in localized Indian flavors like Tandori pizza range with Punjabi flavors, vegetarian tama-tam, Murgh Mazedar Pizza etc. Similarly, in China along with traditional pizzas, it served â€Å"Sangria â€Å"and â€Å"Escargot†. Along with pizzas, Pizza Hut also innovated beverages and drinks to satisfy the tastes of consumers. For e. g. Pizza Hut in Oman has added a refreshing splash of tropics to their menu with the launch of Monin, a new line of flavored drinks. Value Marketing Strategy: Pizza Hut as far as value marketing is concerned follows Quality strategy, Customer- service strategy. Time-based strategy Pizza Hut promises its customers to give them best quality product busing best quality ingredients. Time and again it re-emphasizes on this fact through its advertisement campaigns. Pizza Hut main motive is to enhance its customer’s satisfaction by providing them best quality products at affordable prices. At the same time, pizza hut always tries to deliver on time. Although Pizza Hut’s competitor Domino’s differentiates on basis of timely delivery in 30 minutes, however, Pizza Hut through its innovative technology is also trying to reduce its delivery time to 30 minutes and fight back Domino’s. Pizza Hut: Overview of the â€Å"Pricing Strategy† Pizza Hut ideology of â€Å"Customers† behind its pricing strategy: Willing to pay for relevance Willing to pay for excitement Willing to pay for quality Willing to pay for simplifying life Willing to pay for forward movement But Selective and defiant Pizza Hut follows â€Å" A High/Low Pricing† strategy as far as its new products is concerned where it fixes the price higher than its competitors and then gradually lowers the price below the competitor’s prices. In simple words, it is applying â€Å"Price Skimming† strategy for its new products. For instance, the price of â€Å"the Extreme† was fixed at $9. 99 which was much higher than its competitors. But several sales promotions were used to reduce the price of the pizza below its competitors since both Pizza Hut and Pepsi are partners; â€Å"Bundle Pricing† is used where 2 liter bottle of Mountain dew was offered free with â€Å"The Extreme pizza†. The high/low pricing strategy has several advantages for Pizza Hut Used to create excitement. Set high prices initially to send a signal that its products are best inequality and service offered is excellent. Helps in segmenting the market as Pizza Hut can sell â€Å"the extreme pizza† to the customers who wish to pay higher price as well as to the bargain hunters too. Pizza Hut in formulating the complete pricing strategy focuses on â€Å"Value which it is providing to the customers at a particular price†. As far as the pricing of established products is concerned, Pizza hut believes to give â€Å"Value for Money â€Å"to its customers. Thus in order to provide maximum value to the customers and enhance the brand value, it sometimes maintains the same prices while sometimes reduces the prices, while sometimes increase prices also. â€Å"One-Price† Strategize. It charges the same price to allot customers under similar conditions and for the same quantities. This helps in establishing a favorable and fair image among its customers as well as having a stable market. Pizza Hut at the same time follows â€Å"Price Bundling† Strategy or â€Å"Value Pricing†wherein it combines the items of its menu and offers at a lesser price then what a customer would have to pay if he bought these items individually . For Example, in India, Pizza Hut offered for Rs. 75 a deal of â€Å"a plate of garlic bread sticks, 1 personal pan pizza, a glass of Pepsi and one scoop of ice cream†. Similarly Pizza Hut offered meal combos serving 2 people or 4 people. These bundling schemes attracted large number of customers who are not only interested in pizzas but in tasting other things as well. In offering such schemes, although Pizza Hut costs less but at the same time, this increases the customer inflow and sales revenue of PH tremendously. Thus Pizza Hut’s pricing strategy revolves around providing maximum value to the customer at an affordable price. Pizza hut never plays the price game as it has positioned its brand on high quality and excellent customer service. And even Pizza hut customers don’t mind paying a little more than its competitors because of the service it renders and quality it promises. Pizza Hut: An Overview of Franchise Model â€Å"Franchising† involves a contractual arrangement between a franchisor (a manufacturer, a wholesaler, or a service sponsor) and a retail franchisee, which allows the franchisee to conduct a given form of business under an established name and according to a given pattern of business. Pizza Hut after its incorporation in 1958 opened its first franchise unit in Topeka, Kansas. Followed by a Pizza Hut restaurant built in just 5 days by franchisees in Oklahoma State Fairing 1968, Pizza Hut made a global entry by entering in Canada. Then it made strong foot holding in Australia, Japan, England, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi. By 1989, Pizza Hut was already serving 54 countries. In 1996, Pizza Hut entered India with the first dine-in restaurant in Bangalore. While entering in the international arena, Pizza Hut used the â€Å"Franchising Route† as the entry strategy. (Scribd, 2010). FINDINGS Promotion mix 1. Advertising 2. Personal selling 3. Sales promotion A) Advertising Advertising is â€Å"non personal communication transmitted through mass media as radio, television, print, internet and outdoor media†. The main objective behind every campaign is either to increase sales by encouraging potential purchasers or inducing repeat purchases or prompting immediate purchase by offering special schemes or to create awareness about a new product offering by highlighting a new flavor or announcing price changes or demonstrating the product in use by depicting inexperience. Advertising Sales Promotion For instance, to launch a new flavor in India named â€Å"The Great Indian Treat†, Pizza Hut signed a Jived Jaffrey for its new TV commercial. Similarly to inform the customers about Rs. 50 pan pizza, Pizza hut showed Zayed Khan as a young teenager boy friend who has to treat his large number of girl friends with something trendy and affordable. Pizza Hut also launched certain ad campaigns to counter attack its competitors promotions. For instance, in 2005 Pizza Hut launchedâ€Å"Freshizza† ad campaign featuring Malia Aurora Khan and counter attacked Domino’s campaign showing Anuran Khmer and Parish Revaluate the same time, Pizza Hut brings about local flavor in its ad campaigns. Indifferent countries, it uses models, situations, positioning clearly related to that particular country. For instance, in India, Pizza Hut focused on occasions such as marriage and used Indian models that represent and relate to their target audience. Similarly, in USA, Jessica Simpson sells chicken nuggets and pizzas for Pizza hut. (Scribd, 2010) Internet Advertising Not only Television advertisement, Pizza Hut along with Pizza innovations, also innovates new ways of promoting its products. Recently Pizza Hut signed a deal with Yahoo internet portal to advertise its products. Print Media (newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, posters) Although Pizza Hut advertises mainly via television, but print ads also constitutes a major portion of its promotion mix. Outdoor Advertisements Pizza Hut adopted a variety of innovative types of outdoor advertisement. Balloon Advertising: Pizza Hut indulged in an extremely innovative form of advertising named â€Å"Balloon Advertisements† where in cold air balloons in the shape of Pepsi can, pizza slices and garlic bread are placed either in front of the hut or placed at its roof top. Space Marketing: Pizza hut came up with a very innovative method of advertising when Pizza Hut paid huge sums (approx $1 million) to put a 30 ft large logo on Russian Proton Rocket. Not only had the logo, Pizza Hut also made its pizza available to the astronauts in the space. On such a successful venture, Pizza hut stated that â€Å"If space tourism is going to be a reality, Pizza Hut pizza will make the trip even better. † Banner Advertisement: Styrofoam along with McCann Erickson came up with really innovative banner advertisements to advertise its new range of â€Å"Gourmet Pizzas†. Poster Advertisement: Pizza Hut came with a tremendously successful Poster advertisement campaign on the occasion of â€Å"Halloween† when Pizza Hut advertised for â€Å"The Ghoulish Tripplecheese, the spooky cheese combo, and the Halloween cheese supreme† B) Sales Promotion. â€Å"Sales promotion† refers to a variety of short term incentives to encourage trial or purchase of a product or service. Coupons and Rebates: Pizza Hut offers discount coupons in physical form with every purchase we make. However in USA, UK, Canada where online ordering contributes a major percentage to total sales, Pizza Hut offers online coupons for different regions of varying denominations Premiums & Gifts: Pizza Hut offers â€Å" Gift vouchers† to be presented as a gift to someone special on marriages, birthday, and anniversary etc. these gift vouchers are available in denomination of Rs. 500, rs. 1000, rs. 2000 etc. Pizza Hut offers CDs and DVD along with their pizzas as gifts to act as an additional incentive for customers to make the purchase. For e. g. Unique DVD Promotion: Pizza Hut came up withal promotion campaign where is offered a free DVD with a large size pizza and in a 6 week promotion, Pizza Hut distributed 10 millionDVDs. Pizza Hut collaborated with Sony to launch a promotion campaignnamedâ€Å"Pizza-Powered PlayStation giveaway â€Å"which was huge success. During the next year, Pizza Hut again came up with a promotion where along with stuffed crust pizza, kids will get PlayStation demo disc free. Sweepstakes: Pizza Hut during the launch of â€Å"Cheesy Bites Pizza â€Å"introduced nationwide online sweepstakes contest to win an autographed pair of shoes by Jessica Simpson. Fans will be able to go online to www. pizzahut. com/cheesybites to enter the sweepstakes. Customers will also have an opportunity to win an autographed pair of Miss Piggy boots. Sampling: Pizza Hut gave â€Å"free samples† of the new pizza which it launches. For e. g. in case of â€Å"Cheesy Bites Pizza†, Pizza Hut offered free slices of it to the customers for sampling and testing it amongst the consumer group. Point of Purchase Material: Pizza Hut restaurants interiors are done in a uniform format for all the restaurants. Pizza Hut also comes outwit several innovative POP materials to attract the attention of its customers. For e. g. spin The Wheel games, danglers and posters. During the launch the â€Å"The Great Indian Treat† the entire interiors were given a pink color and the menu and danglers were all colored pink. On the occasion of â€Å"Valentine’s Day† in Malaysia, Pizza Hut launched a limited edition â€Å"Heart Shaped Pizza† with danglers, greetings cards all over. This limited edition Heart shaped pizza not only created an excitement among the customers, it also increased its brand value. C) Personal Selling â€Å"Personal Selling refers to face to face interaction with the customer†. Entertaining the customers in the restaurant: Crew members at Pizza Hut broke in to a boogie at metros like Delhi and Mumbai and performed â€Å"Hangar† in Chandigarh and Amritsar. Pizza Hut in Delhi organized a â€Å"JIG N JEETO† contest with super star Faradeen Khan judging the show. The show received tremendous response from the customers. Etiquettes of the crew members: The politeness of their speech and the mannerism which Pizza Hut crew members serve their customers is absolutely outstanding which enhances the brand value of Pizza hut in customer’s mind. Pizza Hut: An Overview of the Global Strategy— Pizza Hut before entering into any new country conducts a comprehensive market survey of that country to learn about the culture that prevails in that country, the state of government and politics, the legal framework (product quality laws, packaging laws) , commercial practices (business structure, patterns of competition). Strategy Adopted by Pizza Hut for Global marketing programs Localized strategy: Pizza Hut follows the strategy of â€Å"Think Global, Act Local†. For e. g. in India, the 1stPizza Hut which was launched in Bangalore served complete vegetarian meals. Similarly, in China, along with serving Pizzas, Pizza Hut also serves â€Å"Sangria† and â€Å"Escargot†. Similarly, in India, to match the spicy tastes of Indian consumers, Pizza Hut launched â€Å"Pandora Treat†, â€Å"The Great Indian Treat†. For the cheese lovers in United States, Pizza Hut launched Cheesy Bites Pizza and Stuffed Crust Pizza. International Marketing Coordination: Pizza Hut’s international marketing activities though dispersed in different countries are properly coordinated to gain competitive advantage as all marketing activities as market research, advertisements, and restaurant interiors are done using a similar method. Marketing know-how and skills are transferred from one country to another. For e. g. the â€Å"franchising model† is used successfully in althea countries by Pizza Hut. (AssignmentPoint,2012) SWOT ANALYSIS OF PIZZA HUT The swot analysis provides all the important aspects of the product and the company in brief. Swot stands for S-strength W-weakness O-opportunities T-threats S-strength -best quality of food -quality of services -varieties in toppings -different promotional schemes -consistency -strong brand name W-weaknesses -high price -advertisement shows pizza not salads, sandwiches etc O-opportunities -needs to open more outlets -offer diet food and low calorie food -explore untouched market T-threats—competition (wikiwealth, 2012) RECOMMENDATIONS/SUGGESTIONS 1)High Quality Personnel: In order to maintain the no. 1 position in Pizza market, Pizza Hut must obtain total cooperation of its employee’s thereby increasing productivity, beating competition and enhancing customer satisfaction. For this, proper training program with high incentive schemes must be established. 2) Pay more attention to untapped segment of Senior Citizens: Pizza Hut must innovate and launch some product for Senior Citizens. It could establish Pizza Hut senior club which will organize activities for oldies. 3) Maintain the product quality by continuous innovations thereby giving surprises to the customer off and on. Innovations can be based on consumer’s reviews and feedbacks as to what changes are they looking for in their pizzas. 4) â€Å"Location, location and location†: the most critical success factor for any hospitality business is â€Å"Location†. Pizza Hut does not aim to be premium brand with selective distribution; instead Pizza Hut is brand which must be available anywhere and everywhere people thinks of PIZZA. Thus Pizza Hut must increase it coverage. 5) Emphasis on development of â€Å"Home Delivery† Network: Although in developing countries like India, Pizza Hut has opened up a â€Å"call center† to fasten the speed of home delivery. CONCLUSIONS This project helped in following areas Critical analysis of marketing strategies adopted by pizza hut Knowing the product offered by pizza hut Identify the alternatives available in the market Analyze the target market Know about the existing competition in the market To understand the distribution system in the product Reasons why people prefer pizza hut products Methods to increase sales with maximum customer satisfaction Role of advertisements in the promotion of the product To estimate its future growth and market share. REFERENCES Pizza Hut and Dominos marketing strategy Scribd (2010). Pizza Hut and Dominos marketing strategy. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. scribd. com/doc/25371457/Pizza-Hut-and-Dominos-marketing-strategy [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. About Us – Pizza Hut Pizzahut. Co. Uk (2012). About Us – Pizza Hut. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. pizzahut. co. uk/restaurants/about-us. aspx [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. Assignment Point – marketing plan on pizza hut Assignment Point (2012). Assignment Point – marketing plan on pizza hut. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.assignmentpoint. com/business/marketing-business/marketing-plan-on-pizza-hut. html [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. Pizza Hut Franchise Pizzahutfranchise. Co. Uk (n. d. ). Pizza Hut Franchise. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. pizzahutfranchise. co. uk/html/history. html [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. Pizza Today Magazine Pizzatoday. Com (n. d. ). Pizza Today Magazine. [online] Retrieved from: http://pizzatoday. com [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. Pizza Hut SWOT Analysis – WikiWealth Wikiwealth (2012). Pizza Hut SWOT Analysis – WikiWealth.[online] Retrieved from: http://www. wikiwealth. com/swot-analysis:pizza-hut [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. About Us | Papa John’s: Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papajohns (2012). About Us | Papa John’s: Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.. [online] Retrieved from: http://www. papajohns. com/about/index. shtm [Accessed: 24 Nov 2012]. APPENDIX/ ANNEXURE Figure 1: specimen of pizza hut coupons printed in newspapers and magazines. Figure 2: specimen showing pizza hut’s space advertisement. Figure 3: specimen of poster ad Pizza Hut launched for Halloween.

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Process Analysis about How to Write an A Paper - Essay Example In the book The Little Seagull Handbook the author talks about 7 easy initial steps to start working on the paper. Which are brainstorming, free writing, looping, clustering, questioning, keeping a journal and lastly starting up with some research (Bullock, Richard and Francine Weinberg, 7). Brainstorming, clustering and looping are all ways of jotting down the points that come to your mind about the topic so that before you start writing you have a bunch of points from which you can select and write. Questioning about the topic includes asking yourself what is your purpose of writing? Who the audience is? What the audience wants? Keeping these questions in mind you should research about the given topic. Once a student is done with the research the second most important thing that follows is the tone and the style of writing. Since college papers are a part of academic writing informal and elevated style of writing should completely be avoided. Your style should lie between a formal and informal style of writing using simple words. The tone of your writing should depend on the paper you are writing it could be persuasive in an argumentative essay or informative in a research paper that totally depends on the kind of paper one is writing. Fallacies are another thing that should be avoided while writing a paper. There are mainly three kinds of fallacies logical, ethical and emotional. Ineffective arguments that use logical, emotional or ethical fallacies detract the reader for writer’s credibility. It not only makes the paper ineffective but the reader will fail to trust the writing if he uses any fallacies and thereby the paper fails to fulfill its purpose. Examples of these fallacies are guilt by association, hasty generalizations, false analogy and many more. Redundancy- words that repeat the same idea is also adds to the negative for a paper. Examples of redundancies are, end result, circle around, final completion, exactly the same and many more. In t he book ‘Politics and English Language’ the author talks about usage of meaningless words in chapter 12 Language and Literacy. He talks about how some words lack in meaning and make the piece of writing an ineffective piece. He talks about words like democracy, socialism, freedom and patriotic. He says words like these have no agreed definition and therefore must be avoided (Orwell, George and Bruce Rogers, 795). Starting a paper seems the most difficult yet is the most essential part of a paper. It is often said first impression is the last impression; the introductory paragraph is like the first impression of your paper therefore it must be strong enough to grasp the attention of the reader. Your introductory paragraph includes your thesis statement which is like a road map for your essay it should be clear and to the point listing out the main points of your paper. The introduction of a paper should be interesting so that the reader continues to read the rest of it. People often start their papers with a quote from a famous person or generalized idea then lead in to the specific topics. To write an A grade paper, revision is the trick. You must write and rewrite your paper to improve the quality of the paper. Anne Lamott pays strong attention to the importance of first drafts in her piece ‘

Price control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Price control - Essay Example The opinion of the College of Physicians was based on the fact that it would be better to self-impose limits instead of letting the insurance companies determine the income the industry would generate. In 1989 Argentina impose price controls on all goods and service in an attempt to stop the rampant inflationary forces. The government called the new system "managed prices" and in order to raise prices businesses had to ask permission from the government to do so. Prior to the new rules the price of food items had tripled in the previous weeks. In 1992 China eliminated price controls on food items in a rational move towards moving its economic system to assimilate more a free economy. It eliminated price controls on meats, eggs, and grain. The move hurt the civilian population as the price of meat which was undervalue went up 40% instantly after the government eliminated price controls on food items. At the beginning of the 21st century the Irish government considered imposing price controls on rents and housing prices due to high inflation in this economic sector. In 2001 California and Nevada impose price controls on wholesale electricity prices. The move caused some generators to withhold supplies, which created power shortages that caused stage 2 alerts. The Bush administration through this initiative capped excess profits on energy producers. Price controls are a common practice in the petroleum industry. In 1988 the U.S. government charged the Texaco Corporation with a penalty of $1.25 billion for violations of price ceilings on the sale of wholesale crude oil. Price control regulations have not been effective at maintaining the price of gasoline down in the 21st century. In 1999 the state legislature of the State of Maine was considering either imposing price ceiling on prescription drugs or realizing mass purchases in order to lower the price of medicine for poor people. One of the worst cases of

Slavery as a Cause of the Civil War Research Paper

Slavery as a Cause of the Civil War - Research Paper Example Finally, the expansion westward was a truly strong factor as poor whites migrated from the South to where they could get free land and slavery became a hot issue in the new territories. Even the personal political ambitions of the major figures of the time played a part in creating the atmosphere which finally resulted in the War Between the States. Centering such debates around states rights remains provocative, especially among "neo-Confederates." But, according to Dew, "The secessionists of 1860-61 certainly talked much more openly about slavery than present-day neo-Confederates seem willing to do" (p. 10). (Decredico) So, although slavery was at the root of the war, it was not the root cause. It simply figured into most of the other causes. There is a great deal of disagreement upon the root causes of this war, but it boils down to one simple point, according to Basler , â€Å"The ultimate cause of the Civil War was simply human disagreement, which could not be, or rather was not, resolved by non† violent means. Its roots went at least as deep as the American Revolution, and could be traced even deeper into human history if the effort promised to give any better understanding for the present purpose, which it does not. Mans fundamental disagreement has always been about who shall have what and who shall rule whom, and how and why. (Basler 3) In fact, it is this factor upon which all governments are built and why they are maintained. The War for Constitutional Liberty, the War for Nationality, the War for Southern Nationality, the War for Southern Independence, the Second American Revolution, the War for States Rights, Mr. Lincolns War, the War Against Slavery, the War for Abolition, the Southern Rebellion, the War of the Rebellion, the War for Southern Rights, the War of the Southern Planters, the Civil War, Americas Civil War, the War Between the States, the Civil War Between the States, the War Against

The Effectiveness of Online Writing Courses Essay Example for Free

The Effectiveness of Online Writing Courses Essay Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are one of the revolutionary trends in education across the world. Many controversies surround it with some education stakeholders viewing it as very costly but of little value. In addition, other critics consider it a cheaper model of teaching especially in higher education (Vimeo, 2014). Cheaper in the sense many students can be reached wherever they are with no travel needed, by a single instructor, but of little value in the sense that there is no face to face interaction between the student and the instructor. For instance, Dr. Karen Head and Thomas Friedman hold divergent opinions and views on the same issue; however, they tend to agree on other significant views concerning the debate this may be in order to attain a neutral understanding. The revolution in the education sector across the world, which is created by massive use of the internet, is acknowledged by both Head and Friedman. The duos are acknowledging that many students across the world can be reached and access education online. However, there is a feeling that many students especially those from financially challenged backgrounds may be left out (Head, 2013, para. 1). Friedman is arguing that, â€Å"massive open online courses can present a scenario of inequalities in education provision.† He further asserts that, â€Å"children and students from affluent families will use online courses to augment teaching on campus while their counterparts from the less fortunate families will resort to the use of automated online instruction with little personal guidance (Head, 2013, Para. 2).† This is something that Head shares closely with Friedman as she also raises the concern that many students across the world that she instructs using massive open online courses have little access to the internet. Nevertheless, the content that the model is  able to deliver to the students is also a matter of controversy. Friedman is worried of the number of students that can be handled with the use of MOOCs (Head, 2013, para. 4). His other worry is the creation of a â€Å"super professor† that can handle such huge numbers while the rest of the lecturers are left with nothing to handle. Head, however, praises the model as she reports that besides reaching many students in almost all continents of the world, the students have also formed forums where they discuss contents and technology and helps one another with questions. She is also admitting that the most exciting part of all is the weekly â€Å"hangout† sessions, which are enabled by the use of Google air (Head, 2013, para. 5). Friedman and Dr. Head still possess different understanding about the use of MOOCs. For instance, Dr. Head is focusing on the Massive open online courses as an instructional means of disseminating information to the students. However, Friedman sees it as a supplementary to the traditional courses and programs. He contends that, â€Å"MOOCs is an example of what colleges have been offering as a remedial aid to students (Friedman, 2013, para. 1) .† Dr. Head, on the other hand, presents MOOCs as comprehensive ways of instruction to the students. For instance, whenever there is a problem the students are always emailed. She adds that the students are kind especially when they become transparent. In this case, the two authors differ on their take on the MOOCs (Friedman, 2013, Para. 2). While Friedman is questioning the authentic nature of the MOOCs, Head, on the other hand, is keen on this issue. She acknowledges the huge number as a challenge with regards to the assessment of the students (Friedman, 2013, Para. 3). However, she is keen to demystify any doubt about the authentic nature of their assessment as she puts it that, â€Å"students are first trained on peer review and peer assessment.† The students are also supposed to have a look at the previous essays and see how they were awarded and graded. While Thomas is concerned with the content retention of the MOOCs, he is also concerned about the level of plagiarism that is associated with such a method (Friedman, 2013, Para. 4). Despite the usefulness of the method as it saves time when reaching out students with information, the time involved in the preparation is enormous, a fact that is shared by both Friedman and Head. For instance, Friedman doubts how possible it is easy to assess and reach enormous large number of students within a short period. However, Head, while defending how assessment and  reaching the students is done, admits time as a challenge with open online massive courses (Head, 2013, Para. 1). For instance, she puts it that it takes awhile to prepare, and this is a procedure, which involves many things like rehearsing and recording videos among other things. As if this is not enough, after recording, the recorded script is then taken for editing something that lasts for another ten days before getting the approval of the Cousera. Indeed the process for the MOOCs takes a long time something that the two authors agree on (Head, 2013, Para. 2). In terms of financial cost, it is expensive for both the student and even the university to run and use. Higher education is perceived to be free or affordable and that all students should access it, across the world. However, both Head and Friedman are in agreement on this issue. For instance, Friedman argues that due to its expensive nature the students from rich families are the only people that can comfortably enjoy it against those from poor economic backgrounds. Head, on the other hand, perceives its expensive nature in the form of the stages it undergoes. She says that before one can use the MOOCs, it has to take one many stages like rehearsal, recording and edition before getting the approval to present (Head, 2013, Para. 3). In the light of all the arguments, one can conclude that the two authors, Friedman and. Head, have varying opinions on the use of the MOOCs to teach. In some instances, they tend to agree on certain issues and in some cases; they differ on their stands on certain issues. For instance, Head while admitting the challenge of a huge number of students that the method handles, she suggests strategies on how they are handling such challenges (Head, 2013, Para. 4). Friedman is in doubt whether the model is good enough to handle the big number of students comfortably. The two authors also express the divergent opinion on the use of open online massive courses. For instance, Friedman views the model as a supplement that should take the form of remedial while Dr. Karen perceives it as a comprehensive whole model (Head, 2013, Para. 5). References Friedman L. Thomas. (2013). The Opinion pages: Revolution Hits the Universities. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/friedman-revolution-hits-the-universities.html?_r=2 Head, Karen. (2013). Lessons Learned from a

Assessment on Communication Skills in the Area of Speaking and Writing Essay Example for Free

Assessment on Communication Skills in the Area of Speaking and Writing Essay People talk face to face, and they listen to each other. They write emails and reports and read the documents that are sent to them Human beings are communicating. In both decoding and encoding messages, people spend almost 70% of communication time as speakers. (Jaime Gutierrez-Ang 2009). Communication is two way process by which information is exchanged between or among individuals through a common system of symbols, science and behavior (Martinez 1) Being a two way process, communication occurs in a orderly and systematic sequence wherein human beings are able to see and hear what transpires in their environment. As a process, communication is dynamic, adaptive and continuous. Being a survival mechanism, communication helps us develop to be unique persons, relating and cooperating with others. It satisfies our physical, ego, social and practical needs. It is indeed essential in life. (Mely M. Padilla et.al 2003) Speaking and writing are skills that have similarities. Both require the use of language symbols to express needs and feelings, they are both governed by the rules of semantics and syntax. Both are also expected to achieve communicative purpose- a degree of understanding, common knowledge and shared expectations. In speech, we monitor what we say by listening to the revised or connected ideas, while in writing, we monitor what we write by reading and rereading. Furthermore, the speaker and the writer should be able to determine how simple or complex and formal the statements should be. But there are differences in speaking and writing too. Writing differs in speech in several ways. According to Vygotsky ,e.f Hughey 1983, composing a written discourse is a â€Å"separate linguistic function differing from oral speech in both structure and mode of functioning. Even its minimal development requires a high level of abstraction†. Writing is significantly different from speaking because writing requires a more complex and difficult discourse. (Saymo, 2004.) In reflecting upon and surfing out communication skills, then think of communication as ways and means of gathering and relying information, and think of information as what there is to be gathered by any means that is consider the widest range of writing and speaking as you consider your communication skills. In relevance to the Department of College of Education, Communication skills of the students have to be enhanced. The researchers encouraged the department that through Speech Laboratory to measure the speaking skills of the students as well as the writing skills where in the teachers can identify where the strength of the students and of the their weaknesses are in the components communication skills in the area of speaking and writing. It is also an instrument to detect students’ potential in speech so that it can be developed and can be a product of the department in the area of speaking and writing. The researchers look forward for the program that can be developed based on the results of the study. It will be a universal program for the teachers to have the better and effective instructional materials. The researchers foresee the unbiased treatment of the teachers towards the students through the help of universal program. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study aims to determine the levels of communication skills of BEED Gen.Ed freshmen students of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College for the first semester academic year 2013-2014 as Basis for Program Development. Specifically, it will aim to answer the following specific questions. 1. What are the levels of Communication Skills of BEED Gen. Ed freshmen students in the area of speaking and writing when they are grouped according to: a) School Graduated b) Mental Ability c) Parents’ Educational Attainment 2. What are the difficulties in the components of Communication Skills of BEED Gen. Ed freshmen students when they are grouped according to: a) School Graduated b) Mental Ability c) Parents’ Educational Attainment 3. Is there a significant difference on the level of communication skills in the area of speaking and writing when they are compared according to: a) School Graduated b) Mental Ability c) Parents’ Educational Attainment 4. Based on the results, what program should be developed? HYPOTHESIS There is no significant difference on the level of communication skills of BEED Gen. Ed. freshmen students in the area of speaking and writing when they compared according to where school they graduated, mental ability and what their parents’ educational attainment. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Communication is the way to learn the person. If he is to be deprived of the chance to communicate with others, he should have sense of identity. It is through communication that one gets the chance for affirmation of self-concept and sharing of views about a variety of things among others. People relate socially with each other through communication. Personal communication is essential for a person’s well-being. Sufficiency or absence of communication has a bearing on one’s state of physical health. For one, stress is heightened or dissipated depending on communication or lack of it and the nature of its content. So as being a two-way process, communication occurs in an orderly and systematic sequence where in human beings are able to see and hear transpires in their environment (William Schutz). These statements emphasize the importance of communication in different area of human needs. Communication is very essential because human being develops their capability to speak through interaction with others. Especially the children ages 1-5, they are great imitators. They observe the actions of their parents, brother and sister, playmates and others. They tend to discover the words by their own through observation. According to George T. Wilkins Speech is the most important of all means of communication. In the great government politics, and in the expression of our own democratic rights, speech is also most important. Good speech is essential to participate in democracy. As to the students, speech can help express their feelings. It can help through participating in classroom discussions, reciting in classroom activities and reporting assigned tasks. Effectiveness in speaking is a climb to a ladder of seven steps (Eugine E. White and Claire K. Neudelider). The quote stated that the speaker should first analyze and know the audience that will listen. In connection to the communication skills assessment, the students that have difficulties in speaking will assess by the recommendations and develop program that this study aims to achieve. For further information, communication is the KEY which unlocks all the doors to a successful and fulfilling school life experience, to getting cooperation with your students, that allows us to feel understood, for resolving conflicts between teachers and students, to let students know what your needs are and how best to meet those needs, to fewer conflicts in the classroom and in the playground, to building self-confidence and self-esteem, to feeling listened to by your students, mutual respect in the classroom, to less resistance and more cooperation, to everyone feeling safe to be themselves and to have more fun in the classroom. (http://sydney.edu.au/science/uniserve_science/projects/skills/jantrial/communication/communication.htm) . These only prove that communication is really very important in life especially in the teaching and learning process. It is the key to open the teacher and student mind and their capabilities to speak and write well. C

Environmental Management Case Study of AkzoNobel

Environmental Management Case Study of AkzoNobel Abstract In modern business, sustainability has become of great importance when determining a companys strategy.   AkzoNobel, a company that produces chemicals, paint, paper and pulp, is well aware of this evolution and has built its business model around it. This case study aimed to analyze and review AkzoNobels environmental- and sustainability performance by exploring the companys webpage as well as other critical resources. The management of the company was analyzed, along with the tools, methods and metrics that are used to reach set objectives. Furthermore, the environmental- and sustainability policy was related to the ISO14001 requirements. It was determined that, although AkzoNobel puts in significant effort to include environmental aspects in its long term goals, it is clear that their sustainability agenda is a tool for boosting their reputation to outcompete their competitors. Table of Content Abstract 2 Table of Content 3 Introduction 4 Environmental Management 4 Executive body 5 Driving forces 5 Objectives/Comparison with Sweden 5 Environmental Policy 7 Sustainable systems 7 Tools, methods metrics 8 Eco-premium products 8 Environmental Assessment Tools 9 Safety 9 Product stewardship 9 Managing scarce resources 9 ISO14001 and AkzoNobel 9 Suppliers sustainability 11 Supplier visit 11 Vendor compliance letter 12 Key supplier management program 12 Sustainability focus areas 12 Climate change AKZO Nobel 12 Position 12 Achievements 13 The Future 13 Discussion 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 Introduction AkzoNobel is the largest global paint and coating manufacturer in the world and a leading producer of specialty chemicals, pulp and paper. It is a company of about 57,000 employees that are situated in more than 80 countries. The companys slogan is Tomorrows answer today. In other words, their strategy is to produce products that are far more advanced compared to their competition. With todays concern about environmental issues, this competitive edge comes with producing products that are deemed sustainable. Therefore, the forefront of AkzoNobels agenda, it can be said that sustainability is the key word in AkzoNobels business. The aim of this report is to review the environmental and sustainability management performance of AkzoNobel. The objectives of this report are to: Give a short description of AkzoNobels activities and to investigate their executive body; Analyze the driving forces behind the environmental management performance of the company; Define the most significant environmental aspects of AkzoNobel and relate them to Swedens Environmental Objectives; Critically analyze the environmental/sustainability policy; Identify and analyze the different environmental and sustainability management tools, methods and metrics; Provide AkzoNobels position on global warming; Describe AkzoNobels supplier and vendor policy; Examine their business strategy in relation to business opportunity; Judge their actual sustainability performance; and Comment on outside criticism of the company. Environmental Management When a company sets its goals towards sustainability, it is often necessary to completely rework the way in which the company is managed. In order to successfully improve negative social and environmental impacts, it is essential for the company to integrate these factors into every day decision making (Epstein, 2008). AkzoNobels management team has claimed to have done this by the appointing a management team that has sustainability at its utmost priority. Executive body AkzoNobel has established an executive committee (ExCo) which is composed of five members of the board of management and four leaders with functional expertise. This arrangement allows business and function to be taken equally into account while managing the company. The functions that are now representing the ExCo are: HR Organizational Development, Research, Development Innovation, Legal  and Supply Chain/Sourcing. The ExCO shares powers and responsibility for managing the company under the chairmanship of the CEO, Hans Wijer. (AkzoNobel, 2011c) AkzoNobel also has a special Sustainable Development Group. This team is composed of 13 individuals with background studies ranging from chemistry to economics and from environmental sciences to policy and management. (AkzoNobel, 2011g) Driving forces In 2008, AkzoNobel put in place a strategy with a sustainable agenda. Their specific sustainability objectives were to: Remain in the top three in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes; Reduce the total reportable rate of injuries to 2.0 per million working hours by 2015; and Deliver a step change in people development, in part through substantially improving the diversity in the company. (AkzoNobel, 2011e) The first point connects the companys business side and its environmental objectives together. Investors are increasingly focusing on investing in companies that set industry-wide best practices with regard to sustainability. Sustainability has become attractive to investors because it aims to increase long-term shareholder value. Sustainability leaders are increasingly expected to show superior performance and favorable risk/return profile (Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, 2011). Consequently, a company with a sustainable agenda is considered a good investment. AkzoNobel is well aware of this as can be seen in their business principles when they state: We need to make sustainable profits if our business is to thrive (AkzoNobel, Business Principles, 2011a). The companys sustainable agenda also mentioned that they aim to reduce the reportable rate of injuries. AkzoNobel is a company that works with substances and chemicals that have high environmental and health risks. Companies fear having a reputation for a high number of injured employees or for causing environmental damage. Because AkzoNobel handles these types of substances it is consequently under the microscope. In order to avoid pressure from environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace or to avoid bad media, it is of strong interest to account for environmental aspects as well as the safety and health of its employees. Objectives/Comparison with Sweden According to the companys website, AkzoNobel set its targets on the following objectives towards sustainability: Improving safety performance; Increasing turnover from eco-premium products  which are both eco-efficient and attract a premium; Developing sustainable water management   at all sites; Reducing carbon emissions from cradle to gate; Adherence to and training in the companies Code of Conduct ; Strengthening the diversity of the companys workforce; and Implementing leading people development programs (AkzoNobel, 2011b). From these targets it is clear that AkzoNobel considers a well trained and ambitious workforce an important step towards sustainability. It can also be seen that there is an emphasis on the responsibility of the workforce. It is important for the company that its personnel are aware of the sustainable targets and that the employees take part in reaching them. In comparison, Swedens Environmental Objectives are the following: Reduced Climate Impact Clean Air Natural Acidification Only A Non-Toxic Environment A Protective Ozone Layer A Safe Radiation Environment Zero Eutrophication Flourishing Lakes and Streams Good-Quality Groundwater A Balanced Marine Environment, Flourishing Coastal Areas and Archipelagos Thriving Wetlands Sustainable Forests A Varied Agricultural Landscape A Magnificent Mountain Landscape A Good Built Environment A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life (Government offices of Sweden, 2011) The management of AkzoNobel is in line with most of Swedens environmental objectives. They are aware of the need to reduce carbon emissions and employ sustainable water management. Furthermore, the production of eco-efficient products is a step towards a non-toxic environment. Eka Chemical is AkzoNobels daughter company that specializes in specialty chemicals, pulp and paper. Their goal is to have pulp and paper products that are made from sustainably sourced fibers (i.e. sustainable forestry), while using energy from renewable sources and discharge only of water that is cleaned after production (AkzoNobel, 2011d). Taking into concern its environmental aspects, AkzoNobel has a clear aim towards one of Swedens Environmental Objectives, which is A Good Built Environment. Environmental Policy Within a company, the principles of environmental policy are the foundation for implementing a sustainable system. Usually full support at the top management level is needed to make such a system work and to gain the attention of all employees inside the organization (ISO 14001,2010). The term Environmental Policy can be defined as: any [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] action deliberately taken [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on humans. (Fairbridge Technologies, 2009). As mentioned previously, AkzoNobel really takes care of its reputation for being a sustainable company. This, again, is mentioned in their Vendor Policy. The slogan Tomorrows Answer today shows that this topic is omnipresent and AkzoNobel not only explains that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sustainability is at the heart of everything we do but also that they have integrated sustainability into every area of their business. (AkzoNobel, 2011a) Sustainable systems Sustainable systems are considered ones that take into account not only environmental aspects but also social and economic ones. The main goal of an Environmental Management System is to improve all three aspects simultaneously without losing performance in one. AkzoNobel uses a sustainability framework which is part of the managing our values ideal. Former key points such as integrity, governance and compliance are now being replaced with new topics such as value creation through process excellence, innovation and talent development. More specifically, AkzoNobels sustainability framework focuses on three concepts: Improve: continue to comply with environmental and social regulations to ensure a license to operate. This point is considered to be the core element of how AkzoNobel, as a company, operates. Manage: include sustainability in all aspects of the value chain. Invent: integrate sustainable value propositions to develop a long-term strategic value. (AkzoNobel, 2009) Tools, methods metrics The global strategy of AkzoNobel is to integrate sustainability in all aspects of the value chain, to decrease their carbon footprint and to make profits from these standardized systems. It starts in the early stage of market research across sales and ends in cooperation with stakeholders. Furthermore, AkzoNobel highlights the essential aspect of long-term opportunities for their business which should be reached by these tools, methods and metrics. In the following theres a detailed list of the sustainability actions in the company. Eco-premium products AkzoNobel analyzes all of their products by quantitative or qualitative measurements every time they bring a new product on the market. In order to be deemed an eco-premium product, the product must score significantly better than a currently available product in at least one of the following categories: Toxicity Energy Efficiency Use of Natural Resources and Raw Materials Emissions Waste Land use and risk (AkzoNobel, 2009) Environmental Assessment Tools As mentioned previously, AkzoNobel quantitatively and qualitatively measures the sustainability of all products before they are considered suitable for sales. In order to conduct these assessments, the company implements the use environmental assessment tools such as life cycle analysis, environmental impacts analysis, carbon footprint analysis, eco footprint analysis and eco efficiency assessment. Environmental tools, such as the ones mentioned, are essential for turning data into environmental business strategies. Data for each of the tools is gathered from in house personnel, measurements, authorities, etc. and the conclusions from each report are used for negotiations, reducing costs, meeting permit requirements, improving efficiency, meeting customer demand and setting sustainability targets. (AkzoNobel, 2010b) Safety The establishment of a behavior-based safety program and a new Safety Leadership Program for head management is an efficient method of improving the injury rate for employees and contractors. This figure is also influenced by the integration of standards for process safety and occupational health and the, so called, Health, Safety, Environment and Security (HSES) audit process. The aim is to share good practice all over the company with corporate HSES audits to analyze progress. (AkzoNobel, 2009) Product stewardship To guarantee that AkzoNobel fulfills all legal and ethical requirements for their products (according to REACH, GHS etc.), a Global Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs Council has been established. Their tasks are to integrate good practice from the company into a product stewardship framework and to ensure that supplies, training and audits are optimized step by step. (AkzoNobel, 2009) Managing scarce resources AkzoNobel puts in a significant amount of effort in reducing the carbon footprint of their products and creating more value for the customer at the same time. Sourcing managers have been installed to identify focus areas for improvement and develop a carbon management plan in a dialogue with suppliers. In the future, AkzoNobel wants to learn more about customer applications to become more efficient in their environmental management. (AkzoNobel, 2009) ISO14001 and AkzoNobel The ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards can be used to implement a successful environmental management system. Specifically, ISO 14001 can be considered the most important framework for organizations around the world to reach their environmental goals and keep an effective environmental system running. The cyclical process of plan, do, act and check are similar to the ISO 9000 family (Quality Management) but focused on environmental issues. Nevertheless, it is possible to combine the two because it is voluntary for companies to implement these systems. Therefore, every organization regardless of size or sector has the ability to implement ISO 14001. Two different companies can run two completely different environmental management systems but both according to the framework in ISO 14001. The basic principle which distinguishes ISO 14001 from all other strategies is the Concept of Continual Improvement Process (CIP). This concept ensures that products are continually being monitored and improved to adhere to environmental and safety regulations. (Envirocip, 2011; Environmental Management System, 2011; ISO, 2009) ISO 14001 consists of four basic points (figure 1). They are similar to traditional generalized strategic planning and are following: Plan Do Check Act (ISO, 2009) Figure 1: ISO 14001(Jonsson, L. 2011) An explanation of each step and its connection with AkzoNobels business policy is as follows. Plan: Environmental management system implementation In the first step of the PDCA-cycle, environmental goals are defined and strategic processes are created to reach them. Ideally those targets are measurable so it also gives a framework for a control system. AkzoNobel installed sourcing managers to take care of their carbon management plan and to find new focus areas for improvement and development together with suppliers. (AkzoNobel 2009; ISO, 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) Do: Conduct life cycle assessment and manage environmental aspects During this step, the company begins the life cycle assessment process and determines how to manage environmental aspects. This step requires that documentation be taken throughout the entire assessment, control systems are run, employees are educated and emergency plans are established. One example of how AkzoNobel deals with this step in the ISO 14001 process is the implementation of the EUs REACH-Project in 2007. This program involved changing the requirements and rules for suppliers which how AkzoNobel educated their contractors to manage environmental aspects differently. (AkzoNobel ,2007a) Check: Conduct audits and evaluate environmental performance The check step in the ISO 14001 involves screening, measuring and controlling all processes and products controlled by internal audits etc. AkzoNobel is very proud of its Eco-Premium Products. They give this label to new products after positive analyses of their carbon footprint. (AkzoNobel 2009; ISO, 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008). Act: Communicate and use environmental declarations and claims During this stage, companies determine whether their goals and targets within their Environmental Management System were fulfilled. In AkzoNobel, a Product Stewardship System controls and improves all activities from cradle until gate. An effective way to follow this step of the ISO-framework is to check the current situation, and go back and find a better solution in a continuous process. (AkzoNobel 2009; ISO, 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) Suppliers sustainability As mentioned previously, AkzoNobel claims to have implemented sustainability into every area of their business. As per this initiative, part of their long-term strategic goal is to build relationships and work with partners that help the company increase its sustainability. Currently, AkzoNobel requires suppliers of raw materials to adhere to certain restrictions with regards to social and environmental standards. This is laid out by the AkzoNobel Vendor Policy- a document that formulates the conditions that suppliers are legally bound to. The conditions that vendors must comply to have been broken down into four categories: supplier visits, vendor compliance letter, key management program, and sustainability focus areas. (AkzoNobel, 2011h) Supplier visit AkzoNobel regularly conducts support visits with their vendors. The purposes of these visits are to not only ensure that AkzoNobels restrictions are being met but also to provide sustainability counseling. AkzoNobels personnel give suggestions and act as environmental consultants to their suppliers. Continual regular visits ensure that the suppliers have implemented the sustainability measures and have maintained their new strategies. This process is laid out in the Vendor Relationship Management Framework. (AkzoNobel, 2011h; AkzoNobel, 2011j) Vendor compliance letter As part of the legal obligation for vendors to adhere to AkzoNobels business principles, vendors are required to sign the Vendor Compliance Letter. This document contains AkzoNobels core values as well as a framework for labor, environmental, safety, and business relations guidelines. (AkzoNobel, 2011i) Key supplier management program This program aims to work with suppliers to increase and improve Eco-premium solutions for their customers. Regular meetings are conducted where suppliers and AkzoNobel agree upon new products that will continue success not only in economic terms, but also environmental sustainability terms. (AkzoNobel, 2011h) Sustainability focus areas AkzoNobel has developed sustainability focus areas (SFA) in order to source products and services that give the company the opportunity to significantly reduce their ecological footprint. These areas include: Logistics Travel Waste Management Packaging Carbon Management Renewable Raw Materials IT Lease Cars (AkzoNobel, 2011h) Climate change AKZO Nobel Position AkzoNobels position on climate change is laid out in the document AkzoNobels Position Statement. This document states that AkzoNobel recognizes climate change as a man-made global issue of great importance and, therefore, it is necessary to mitigate CO2 emissions. In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, AkzoNobel monitors, measures and studies all CO2 emissions related to industrial or production activities. Yearly, this data is compiled into reports that are in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and provide an analysis of direct, indirect, and total CO2 emissions. From these reports, reduction goals and mitigation objectives are developed that the company aims to achieve by the following year. The 2015 target is to reduce carbon emissions by 10% (based on 2009 emissions) per ton of product and the 2020 target is to reduce carbon emissions by 20-25% (based on 2009 emissions). (AkzoNobel, 2008) Achievements AkzoNobel has been recognized as the global leader in sustainability in the chemicals industry. From 2006 to 2007 AkzoNobel has managed to decrease their carbon dioxide emissions from 5.2 (Million T c) to 3.3 (Million T c). From 2007 to 2008, AkzoNobel decreased their carbon dioxide emissions 1 percent per ton of production. Because AkzoNobel aims to significantly reduce their ecological footprint, they have set up a strategy to help reduce carbon-intensive processes and improve energy efficiency. Thus far, they have achieved the following: 73% of worldwide power consumption is based on zero and low carbon sources 37% of electricity in the production process is based on hydropower Considered in the top ten percent for energy efficiency in manufacturing salt-chlorine-PVC loop- on our their most energy intensive processes Use low carbon energy sources to produce their other two most energy intensive chemicals- sodium chlorate and hydrogen peroxide Trying to replace fossil fuels with renewable resources such as wood chips Assessed the eco-efficiency/carbon footprint of key products Developed several carbon efficient solutions for our customers Include energy efficiency and carbon footprint criteria in their investment decisions (AkzoNobel, 2008) Additionally, Scandinavias pulp and paper industry and Hollands base chemical production are AkzoNobels most energy intensive production plants. These two industries combined are responsible for 82% of AkzoNobels total energy use and 73% of their CO2 emissions. Recently, the pulp and paper chemicals production plant shifted 58% of its energy to hydropower. Also, the base chemicals plants were retrofitted with highly energy efficient, gas fired cogeneration units that produce steam and power. (AkzoNobel, 2007b) The Future AkzoNobel has made plans to invest in creating a system that produces steam from waste and biofuels. AkzoNobel also supports implementing a cap and trade system that encourages plants to become sustainable while punishing the unsustainable ones. Their position states that they support the development and implementation of the most energy efficient technologies worldwide. For the future, AkzoNobel is revising their 2008 Carbon Strategy to build new sustainability goals. This strategy will include plans to reduce carbon emissions in the area of manufacturing. (AkzoNobel, 2007b) Discussion After reviewing AkzoNobels business strategy, it is clear that AkzoNobel looks at high environmental/sustainability performance as a business opportunity. The company specifically aims to produce products that are economically as well as environmentally rewarding. Currently, sustainability and climate change issues are at the forefront of the global agenda. If AkzoNobel chose to disregard these issues and continued with business as usual their reputation would lack the high integrity which has been a key element to their success. Because this company has managed to significantly reduce their ecological footprint, they have received several awards, media attention, and PR. This attention does not go unrecognized as consumers are attracted to companies that hold such a high esteem. Additionally, it is well known amongst the general population that chemical production as well as pulp and paper production are two notoriously environmentally harmful industries. As the general population b ecomes increasingly involved and aware of environmental issues, AkzoNobels business and purchasing decisions begin to reflect it. It is, thus, in AkzoNobels best interest to address the companys sustainability and remain at the forefront of the global sustainability arena. If AkzoNobel chose to disregard sustainability issues it would, in the long-term, cause AkzoNobel to not be able to compete with its competitors in the market. This is in line with AkzoNobels philosophy of environmental stewardship and their understanding of customer demand as can be seen by the following AkzoNobel quotation: [Sustainable innovation process] SIP is driven by the need for better product performance but its always connected to sustainability and environmental performance. We cant bring a product to market that is less environmentally friendly than its predecessor and expect it to succeed. Equally, a new eco-product will only do well if it also offers real competitive advantage. (AkzoNobel, 2010a) Regardless of the companys attempt to address environmental/sustainability issues, AkzoNobel is nonetheless environmentally harmful. Producing chemicals, paint, paper, and pulp products is never done without an ecological price. However, AkzoNobel has made a significant effort to increase the companys environmental sustainability as much as possible. This has been done by developing strategies, goals, and plans through rigorous sustainability planning and the success of the activities have been monitored via environmental testing. Because reductions in VOCs, CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions have been proven, the business activities of the company are in correlation to the environmental planning. As mentioned, companies in modern business are aware of the importance of being green. Unfortunately some of them fail to act green even though they present themselves as such. Greenpeace has set up a campaign to stop this so called Greenwashing and ask companies to: Clean up your act, NOT your image (Greenpeace, 2011). While surfing AkzoNobels webpage, it was clear that AkzoNobel was extremely proud of all its positive achievements but hardly mentioned when it didnt succeed or have a bad performance. However did SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations) make a report in 2009 about AkzoNobel to provide additional information that AkzoNobel itself might not have reported, focusing on the 2008 annual report. In this report it was stated that in 2008 the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) of the University of Massachusetts had ranked AkzoNobel in the 85th place on the Toxic 100 Index. This index indicates the top 100 air polluters in the U.S. on the basis of tota l human health hazards resulting from air toxics emissions at their facilities. (Knottnerus, 2009). It was also noted that in 2008, AkzoNobel had not fulfilled requirements about the usage and purchase of renewable energy. Knuttnerus mentioned more cases that were not environmentally friendly, though many were old, some even stationed back in the 1980s. Sustainability first became a fundamental principle in AkzoNobels business in 2004. The company had a quick success and already in 2008 it was in 2nd place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. (Knottnerus, 2009). The company has succeeded a lot in a short time and its understandable that some things cant happen over a night. From our point of view AkzoNobel could think about taking part in the Chemical Leasing program coordinated by UNIDO to mitigate their environmental pollution. The idea of ChL is to establish a service-oriented business model and to guide customers away from buying and using too much chemicals for the purpose of the environment. The producer mainly sells the functions performed by the chemical and functional units are the main basis for payment. (UNIDO, 2010) Conclusion After analysis of AkzoNobels environmental/sustainability management performance, it is clear that the company has a strong sustainable agenda that is supported by all levels of management- an essential aspect for successful implementation of business strategies. To execute this plan, AkzoNobel established an Executive Committee and a special Sustainable Development group that focuses on these matters. The main driving force for the development of this strategy is to increase long-term share holder value. The company monitors and develops both their internal production as well suppliers through the use of several sustainability tools. It was determined that AkzoNobel uses this sustainability strategy as a business opportunity as well as a means of boosting their public image. Since it was difficult to find figures or statistics that showed negative environmental performance, it is unclear whether the company adheres to Greenpeaces campaign slogan Clean up your act, NOT your image. Ei ther way, it is important that modern day companies are transparent and do not forget to report their bad performance. Transparency and honesty in business is the best way to be trusted and to avoid being classified as a Greenwashing company.

Use of Graphic Novels in Teaching Coming of Age :: coming of age theme

Teaching a unit based around the theme of coming of age is important in an adolescent classroom. It has been taught in high school language arts time and time again. Coming of age works makes up a large part of the literary canon including works like The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, etc. Additionally, this theme is important because the teenage students in the classroom are essentially going through their own coming of age. They are currently making the difficult transition out of childhood into adulthood. Students will be able to relate to literature that focuses on a coming of age story more easily than to other works of literature. This will encourage students to be more active participants in classroom discussions and responding to the texts. It also allows students to apply the things that they learn from literature to their own lives and struggles growing up. I would argue that this is one of the most important things that teachers of literature can hope for. In this unit on coming of age, the two primary texts will be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become one of the most widely taught books in the high school classroom. In some classrooms, teachers make use of only a partial interpretation of the novel that focuses on racial injustice. While this is a significant theme in the novel and is absolutely one that should be taught, it is not the main theme of the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of this racial injustice through the perspective of a child. It is the story of the coming of age of the narrator, Scout. According to Theodore Hipple in â€Å"Will the Real Mockingbird Please Stand Up?† (1969), the novel also tells the story of the growth of Jem as he loses his childhood innocence while he moves toward adulthood. By looking at the novel as a coming of age of two children, students will be better able to relate to the work than they would if they read it as a piece on racial injustice. However, students will still be able to learn about the historical social injustice that is portrayed in the novel. This is a good way for students to learn about how the society they live in was shaped. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story that holds a place in the literary canon and is a significant historical account of Use of Graphic Novels in Teaching Coming of Age :: coming of age theme Teaching a unit based around the theme of coming of age is important in an adolescent classroom. It has been taught in high school language arts time and time again. Coming of age works makes up a large part of the literary canon including works like The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, etc. Additionally, this theme is important because the teenage students in the classroom are essentially going through their own coming of age. They are currently making the difficult transition out of childhood into adulthood. Students will be able to relate to literature that focuses on a coming of age story more easily than to other works of literature. This will encourage students to be more active participants in classroom discussions and responding to the texts. It also allows students to apply the things that they learn from literature to their own lives and struggles growing up. I would argue that this is one of the most important things that teachers of literature can hope for. In this unit on coming of age, the two primary texts will be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become one of the most widely taught books in the high school classroom. In some classrooms, teachers make use of only a partial interpretation of the novel that focuses on racial injustice. While this is a significant theme in the novel and is absolutely one that should be taught, it is not the main theme of the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of this racial injustice through the perspective of a child. It is the story of the coming of age of the narrator, Scout. According to Theodore Hipple in â€Å"Will the Real Mockingbird Please Stand Up?† (1969), the novel also tells the story of the growth of Jem as he loses his childhood innocence while he moves toward adulthood. By looking at the novel as a coming of age of two children, students will be better able to relate to the work than they would if they read it as a piece on racial injustice. However, students will still be able to learn about the historical social injustice that is portrayed in the novel. This is a good way for students to learn about how the society they live in was shaped. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story that holds a place in the literary canon and is a significant historical account of

Significance of Names in Flannery O’Conner’s Good Country People Essay

Significance of Names in Flannery O’Conner’s Good Country People The story â€Å"Good Country People†, by Flannery O’Conner is a work that uses characterization in a new and interesting way to help shape and present the characters of this story. One of the main characters is Hulga Hopewell, also known as Joy Hopewell. This characters name plays a very ironic role in the story. Through the use of such a peculiar name O’Conner helps to develop and build the characteristics of Hulga. In the story â€Å"Good Country People† the use of the name Hulga (Joy) Hopewell helps to further build upon the characterization of Hulga and give the reader a deeper understanding of the character. Joy Hopewell is the name given to Hulga by her mother and father when she was a baby. This name brings to mind a person who looks on the brighter side of things and doesn’t let things discourage her. In the readers mind this name may perhaps bring about the image of a teacher or someone who works with children in a well light happy place. It is also a softer more vulnerable name, which may have been O’Conner’s intent in using the name Joy. In the story Joy changes her name to Hulga Hopewell because of the fact that she feels it better suits her personality. During her childhood Hulga had an accident in which her leg was shot off of her body; therefore, she has to wear a wooden leg that is rather bulky so by having the name Hulga it helps her to deter many people from asking questions or trying to get too close to her. Due to this accident Hulga becomes a brooding person, not very fond of company and entertainment. The name Hulga brings to mind a rather lar ge Swedish woman who could probably break a man in half. It is a brooding name and awkward on ... ...k that perhaps she should have kept her original name of Joy because it does in fact suit her. Throughout this story it appears that there are two distinctly different sides of Hulga Hopewell. One side is that of Hulga large, brooding, and rude. The other side however, is softer and much more vulnerable. That side is Joy Hopewell. By using these two names together O’Conner creates a unique picture of this character. The revelation that Hulga’s real name is Joy gives the reader some insight and helps the reader to see the softer side of Hulga more easily. By using something as simple as a name in this story the author creates deeper meaning for each character. Works Cited O’Conner, Flannery. â€Å"Good Country People.† Literature An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 3rd ed. New York Longman, 2003. 247-261

International Financial Reporting Standards Essay

Organizations around the world are continuously recording data and reporting financial information to the used for many purposes by the respective users. A tremendous amount of financial transactions continuously stir in the organizations, some transactions occur each second or minute whereas some transactions are very unique and take place occasionally as a result of a specific event. That is why to bring things in conformity and consistency, it is important that organizations establish standards and procedures for recording their data. In doing so present results will be in a position to be compared with historical data and with entities in similar industry. Listed companies have to particularly follow standard formats and disclose their financial information in such a way that it is easily understood by the users of the financial statements. This is because consistency flows through not just one organization but the entire industry making outcomes easier to contrast. These objectives are being addressed by standard setting boards such as IAASB by setting International Accounting Standards (IAS) and International Financial Reporting standards (IFRS). Both IFRS and IAS are equal in terms of their value and standing. (Tatum Malcum) All transactions need to be recorded as suggested above. One of the aspects that are a part of recording is financial instruments; created by a legal document and having different monetary values. They can be classified as cash or derivative instruments. Cash type of financial instruments is widely used and can be most easily understood. Currency in itself is a cash instrument or a bank cheque is a good example which can be used to transfer money from one bank account to another. However derivative instruments include those tools such as futures; an instrument saying that the seller will sell the asset or buyer will buy it at a future date. Price of such transactions is determined at the time of entering into a future contract. There are other instruments as well such as options and swaps whereas sometimes stocks, bonds and currency forwards are also termed as financial instruments. (Tatum Malcum) Due to the wide range of financial instruments being used, IAS 39 was introduced by International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) in 2001 to regulate the process of recognition and measurement of such transactions. The organizations dealing with them were facing problems with respect to treatment as different approaches were being applied by entities. This led to inconsistency of disclosing and recording of appropriate amounts within the industry as they were no standard process for recording the financial instruments. This directed the results of entities within the same industry to be incomparable with one another. Many of transactions involving financial instruments remained unrecognized as no proper recognition and measurement processes were known to the accountants. Hence CFO and CEO were in a position to distort the actual results and lead shareholders astray. (Miolo Alessandro, Andersen Arthur) In response to that IAS 39 introduced a concept of fair value accounting. The standard increased the importance of the fair value accounting for the financial instruments and therefore required entities to record assets and liabilities on the face of the balance sheet and discloses the nature of derivatives in the financial statements. In case of hybrids, the structure had to be broken down into two components (Miolo Alessandro, Andersen Arthur). This is because hybrid instruments have a mixture of characteristics of both debt and equity thereby market price of the hybrid instrument is sensitive to both the interest rates and quoted price for the stock (Riskglossory. com). The two components of the hybrid contract are real contracts however derivative is separated from the contract to be measured at fair value. (Miolo Alessandro, Andersen Arthur) IAS 39 also introduced hedge accounting for all derivatives in order to minimize the volatile affects on the income statement. Further segregation in the standard came into place as the â€Å"intention† of hedging was used to establish which accounting rules will be applied. As a result a fair value hedge, net investment hedge in foreign currency and cash flow hedge accounting rules was launched. In fair value hedging the risks are connected to the fluctuation of fair value of an underlying asset or liability. Whereas cash flow hedges are those in which the exposure is connected to the future cash flows of assets or liabilities recognized or any future commitment or forecasted cash flow of the organization. Moreover, the net investment hedge in foreign currency is hedging the risks of an entity’s net asset which is not an associate, joint venture or a subsidiary. (Miolo Alessandro, Andersen Arthur) Implication of this IAS affected all the users of financial statements and also the people who were trying to comply with the standard. The development of this standard and its implementation had significant impact on the strategies in dealing with financial risks. As the financial instruments have volatile affects on the equity portfolio and income statements these affects were then being countered by engaging in hedging strategies and transparent accounting policies. (Miolo Alessandro, Andersen Arthur) IAS 39 also provides organizations with the recognition criteria on how to record hedging instruments when entering into a transaction. After that at each period end gain and loss is recognized on an ongoing basis. So it has a forward looking stance at initiation but a backward bearing when re-assessment of investment’s effectiveness is carried out. The organizations needed to asses which process of reassessment would be right for their investment portfolio. A proper system was therefore required to record and reassess not only cash flows and fair values but also take into account the premiums and discounts involved. Moreover, IAS required the disclosure of all the investments and subsequent gains or loss arising due to it. (Miolo Alessandro, Andersen Arthur) The first revision of the IAS 39 took place in 2004 which incorporated Macro hedging, involving interest rates risks hedge. This amendment was made due to the increase use of these instruments and such investments were not addressed by IAS 39. Macro hedge is an investment technique to reduce or minimize the risks associated with the whole portfolio of investments (Peter Williams). This investments technique was widely spread because of the ease of information available about the interest rate and currency fluctuations between different countries. The macro managers earned by hedging the risks in different market by buying long and short in different markets of the globe. That increasing trend required the correct measurement and recognition of such investment which could only be linked with financial instruments dealt in IAS 39. (Hubpages, Inc. ) Further amendment took place on the issue of initial recognition of financial asset or liabilities and the subsequent charging of gain or loss. Initially all of such instruments were allowed to be measured on fair value if measured reliably. In 2005 the option to value instruments at fair value had been restricted to only those investments which had significantly reduced due to accounting mismatch along with those financial instruments whose fair values were regularly managed evaluated for its correctness. In addition IAS 39 stated before October 2008 that once an instrument is classified on the basis of fair value i. e through profit and loss category, it cannot be reclassified. Amendment in 2008 allowed some of the instruments to be reclassified from fair value and available for sale category under certain conditions and a disclosure is required in case of such a reclassification. Moreover it was stated that all the derivatives need to be reassessed in case of any reclassification; an issue that was developed due to the global credit crunch, significantly affecting the financial market. (Delloitte Touche Tohmatsu) With all the problems and issues dealing with financial instruments IASB and FASB started working together on IFRS 9 to replace IAS 39. Its purpose is to reduce difficulty in accounting for financial instruments and hedging activities. This development took place in phases. Phase one tends to improve and simplify the measurement and classification of the financial instruments. Though this phase has been completed but the exposure draft has been under plan to be issued and the implementation is to be completed in the current year. (International Accounting standard board) This new standard has raising concerns in the world in corporate sectors on how this will be implemented and how it will affect their operations. Many are happy for the change to take place as the IAS 39 is thought to be a difficult standard to implement. The replacement is a result of the world’s economic crises after which all the investors and the regulators of financial institutions were demanding for an accounting system which showed the types of assets and liabilities held at a given time, the risks that they are exposed to and gain and losses expect to be realized. (IFRS 9 – Deconstructing IAS 39) In 2008 when Lehman Brothers share price collapsed, the investors in turn rushed to purchase the share prices in anticipation of prices bouncing back. However they couldn’t see the situation of the bank’s exposure in financial instruments related to subprime loans as less information was disclosed for their understanding. Hence it was later suggested that accounting needs to be clearer which became evident upon the fall of many banks. IFRS 9 strived to cater and answer all these major issues in hand while giving organizations an option to adopt this standard before it becomes mandatory in 2013. Only the first phase of the standard is completed and all the stakeholders are waiting to implement it upon finalization of IFRS 9 completion. IFRS 9 – Deconstructing IAS 39) IFRS 9 looks to tackle all the current problems and questions probed by various investors but it cannot give a guarantee to prevent any crises in future. It is important that accountants, regulator and the investors remain vigilant because no matter how much IFRS 9 helps to simplify the accounting of financial reporting, when this economy starts its recovery phase no one can stop the development of new financial instruments eluding the situation like before. European Union refused to adopt IFRS 9 last year posing some questions relating to fair value of investments coverage. On the other hand Japan signed it for an early adoption in March 2010 which is a significant step toward promoting transparency in policies and implementation (IFRS 9 – Deconstructing IAS 39). Hence it can be clearly seen that IASB and FASB have been working for the betterment of the society by incorporating the external changes in the market which can be reflected upon the replacement of IAS 39 with IFRS 9.