Romantic Innocence

Romantic Innocence Though Romanticism at large is not concerned with lost innocence only, but a whole array of human emotions, it is certainly an important theme for writers of this literary epoch. Several Romantic poems testify to this, as well as other Romantic or pre-Romantic literary texts. In the England of the 18th century, scientific progress along with industrialism had effected great changes in society. Europe on the whole was shifting rapidly: economically, socially and politically. In France, Enlightenment writers such as Rousseau had already started questioning whether â€Å"Reason† as such could solve all human problems, and in England too, Swiftian satire, for instance, had shown how insufficient rational thought can be in effecting solutions to upcoming problems, not the least social ones – of which there were to be plenty in the growing urban areas, as Industrialism progressed. Romanticism in literature was asserting itself towards the end of the century, and someone like William Blake, for instance, in his collection of poems, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, strongly questioned the state of affairs where individuals were fed into the ugly mouths of industrial society – like innocent lambs crammed into the gaping jaws of the tyrannical machinery of economic progress, administered by a state which subscribed to laissez-faire economic politics, cheered by industrialists, bankers, financiers and manufacturers. The sentiment that much of this was against nature itself was prevalent among many romantic poets and writers. â€Å"In every cry of every Man,/ In every Infant’s cry of fear,/ In every voice: in every ban,/ The mind-forg’d manacles I hear†, wrote Blake,1 and his was not the only voice of criticism. Blake juxtaposes, as it were, two areas of human experience (Innocence/Experience) – but with his lament at â€Å"lost innocence†, there is also the view that these phases are inevitable in human experience – perhaps complementary. William Wordsworth, on the other hand, indeed brings forth the view that nature carries a beauty threatened by materialism: The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending we lay waste our powers: Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon 2 The poem focuses on the loss of natural values by subscribing to distasteful materialism. The general idea is that we are more at a loss than gain in treating nature – and ourselves – this way. At this Romantic horizon a lost paradise takes shape: an innocent nature disdained by human greed or folly. This sentiment, obviously, is an ancient one. Where did we lose our step, once out of Eden? Blake would probably say that we never wholly did, whereas Wordsworth might have suffered more from nostalgia? 1 2 Blake, Songs of Experience: â€Å"London†, 1791 William Wordsworth, â€Å"The World Is Too Much With Us† Sources: Alastair Henry, Catharine Walker Bergstrom: Texts and Events, Studentlitteratur 2008 (2001) William Blake: Songs of Innocence and of Experience William Wordsworth: â€Å"The World is Too Much With Us†

Fast Food Nation Synthesis

Sarah Whitaker Mrs. Kurtz A. P. Language and Composition 6 February 2013 The Meatpacking Industry: One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the U. S. A report from the American Meat Institute shows that the U. S. is home to about 6,000 meatpacking plants. Millions of jobs all over the country are made through meatpacking plants. These low paying, risky jobs are swept up by men and women, these people unknowing of what exactly they have gotten themselves into. The meatpacking, today, has become one of the most dangerous jobs in America.As found by Steven Greenhouse of the New York times, â€Å"†¦the nation’s meat packing industry has such bad working conditions that it violates basic human and worker rights. † Ever since the publication of the famous book by Upton Sainclair–The Jungle— people all over the world have found it necessary for inspections to be considered and for changes to be done with little success. Workers in today’s plants seem to have the same problems that were faced almost 100 years ago.The Appleseed Center For Law found an estimated â€Å"total of 62 percent of those interviewed said they had been injured on the job in the past year, a rate seven times higher than the government’s official statistic for slaughterhouse workers†¦. †, as found in Reprt:Line Speed, Injuries Increase for Slaughterhouse Workers. So what happened to the much needed safety laws? It’s simple really, they just aren’t being followed. Many workers today, who live in horrible working conditions day by day to make their living for them and their families, are not being treated as they are meant to be and this has only made the industry bigger.One person quits or gets hurt and another is there, easily filling the new open position. Complaints don’t help either, as found by Gail Eisnitz, also cited in Reprt:Line Speed, Injuries Increase for Slaughterhouse Workers, â€Å"Slaughterhouse workers talk of a production system that moves to fast†¦despite numerous complaints to management—as well as countless injuries—the companies refuse to make changes because slowing the process would mean not making as much money. † As found in Eric Schlosser’s ook Fast Food Nation the underlying fact is that with power and money there comes damaged morals. The big business owners just don’t care! Now that the secrets are out and the industry is â€Å"naked† to the public now, the people are not calling the industry â€Å"The Jungle of the 2000s†, an article put out by the Associated Press States. Martin Cotez as interviewed by the Associated Press says, â€Å"You know what I like to say to the newcomers? They don’t kill cows. They kill people. † This, a response to his own story description, just puts a whole new label on the industry; murderers!Sinclair’s book published so long ago still seems to have barely effected the ind ustry of today. As discussed in Fast Food Nation, Schlosser also speaks of the injury of workers throughout chapter 8, effectively titled â€Å"The Most Dangerous Job. † One example of the horrible working conditions also comes from Fast Food Nation, Jesus â€Å"A soft spoken employee of DCS Sanitation Managerment, Inc† Talks of an experience he had on one of his cleaning duties, â€Å"One night while Jesus was cleaning, a coworker forgot to turn off a machine, lost two fingers, and went into shock.An ambulance came and took him away, as everyone else continued to clean. He was back at work the following week. ‘if one hand is no good,’ the supervisor told him,’use the other. ’† Not only did the supervisor not care, a person was injured and still returned to the job he obviously needed. So what needs to be done? Obviously whatever it is, its not happening. So even though the demand for food is high in this nation, what’s more imp ortant, our food or our citizens? increased demand at slaughterhouses has caused a rise in work related injuries† according to a report by a Nebraska-based non-profit. People in these plants are getting hurt not only because it’s what the job demands but because the more we as consumers want, the more the big industry owners will demand more work. So what will we as American citizens do? Work Cited â€Å"American Meat Institute. †Ã‚  American Meat Institute. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. â€Å"Report: Line Speeds, Injuries Increase for Slaughterhouse Workers. † Digging Through the Dirt, 8 Oct. 2009. Web. 7 Feb. 2013. Greenhouse, Steven. † Meat Packing Industry Criticized on Human Rights Grounds. † The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 25 Jan. 2005. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Dangers, tensions lurk in meatpacking industry†. Associated Press. Breaking News & Top Stories World News, US & Local: NBC News, 24 Apr. 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. â€Å" Safety and Health Guide for the Meatpacking Industry. † Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Schlosser,Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Harper And Perennial,2005. Print.

Illustrate Typical Phases of a Project Lifecycle Essay

Here is an example diagram of a project life cycle. The project starts with the initiation, this is where you need to define what your project is so you have a clear specification of what you want to achieve at the end. The next stage is planning, when planning it is important to make a clear and simple action plan. With this it will be easier for you to not only follow the plan, but also to check back at you plan and see what you still need to do. Financial plans are also vital to achieve your goals, Clear budgets and forecasts should be made to allow you to be ready for your costs. A action plan would also be useful so you are ready in case any unforeseen costs should arise The next stage is project execution. This stage is obvious, you build your project and implement it. The final stage is project closure, this is where you evaluate the project and review what you could change, after a while of testing your project you can write a comprehensive review of what you need to change and fix with your project. It is also important to communicate throughout the project. If you are working as part of a large team communication is essential to achieving your goals. Poor leadership and lack of direction is main reason why a project can fail, this is linked with planning in that if the team members don’t know whats going on they can’t work. Key reasons why a project can fail: The first reason is poor planning. Big projects can be very complicated, if your team are not sure what they are supposed to be doing there will be sections missing, there may even be people working on the exact same thing. Also, as shown by the second example bellow, not accounting for all factors when planning can result in failure. Financial planning is also essential for a leader to correctly budget the project and allocate each section a suitable spending limit. Without a good financial budget that allows for unexpected costs and problems, the risks are significantly raised since you may not be able to cover your costs and thus run out of cash. Lack of communication can also result in failure, one good example of this was NASA loosing their mars rover, were one team was working in metric, and the other was working in imperial units. If you don’t release your product in time, it is possible that it will be out of date by the time that it is released. This is extremely important in the technology business, take a look at example 3 bellow. You must also ensure that the product you are releasing is fit for the times. Here are some examples of failed projects from a range of backgrounds. 1: Apple Power Mac G4 Cube This is an example of how Tech giants can still fail. In 2000 Apple released the G4 Cube and sales were slow. The reasons for this were: High price tag Flawed design Poor quality Since apple had the reputation of premium quality products for a premium price, when they released the system and the plastic case cracked and had mold lines consumers were not happy. There were also several things overlooked in the design, such as the fact that you had to tip the machine on the side to connect wires and the hidden power button. These two flaws combined with the extortionate price tag resulted in a failed product for Apple. This example goes to show that even huge companies projects can fail. Apple did all the planning right and had plenty of financial backing to push the project forward, they just messed up the product it’s self. 2: Soviet missile early warning system In ’83 the soviet’s had a early warning system which would warn them should America launch an attack on Russia. However the system had triggered that 5 ICBM’s had been launched by America, when in reality the system had been triggered by sunlight reflecting of clouds. Fortunately the operator did not believe the warning and did not respond. 3: Nokia Rather than updating their phones to smart phones, Nokia stuck with just regular phones which were in very low demand. Nokia were not with the times and released outdated products which led to a massive fall in market share and stock prices Relation to my project These examples and points relate to my project and every project. I have learnt from my research of project failures, I can bare these failures in mind while I am working on my project. So, from the powermac g4 cube example I will ensure that the design meets the standards that are required as well as the quality of the final product. From the Early warning example I will carefully consider all of the factors that i can see which would affect my project. Finally from the Nokia example I will ensure that the project meets the technology standards of the time.

The Role of External Auditors in Accounting Essay

The Role of External Auditors in Accounting - Essay Example To prevent moral hazards associated with the auditors’ liability, the British Serious Fraud Office has imposed heavy penalities for swindlers and white collar criminals to shut down or suspend a suspicious business. On the other hand, auditors who are found guilty of professional negligence may end up facing a monetary loss or penalty through punitive fines and/or the confiscation of their license to practice auditing in the United Kingdom. As stated by Michael Power of London School of Economics, â€Å"it may not be reasonable to expect that auditors would be challenging business models directly and raising strategic issues with finance directors, that is not their job and if we want it to be their job then things would have to change quite substantially. The direction of my comment is that we might be expecting too much from this black box [External Audit] in terms of what it actually delivers†. ... Based on the individual roles and responsibilities of shareholders, internal and external auditors, the board of directors, and the CEO, this report will explain the limits in the role and responsibilities of external auditors when it comes to detecting and controlling fraud activities in business. Role and Responsibilities of External Auditors External auditors are professionals who are hired to conduct audit based on the rules or laws on creating financial statements for the government, a private company, or a legal organization (The Institute of Internal Auditors, 2011). According to Kwok (2005, pp. 151 – 161), accounting irregularities can be made for the purpose of tax evasion or theft by creating ghost employees, skimming of the proceeds, or theft of an asset. Specifically in the United Kingdom, the Chartered Accountants or the Certified General Accountants are the group of individuals who are qualified to conduct external auditing. According to Poorter (2008), auditors within the United Kingdom has to perform a special duty of care to a liable third party. It means that the external auditors are made responsible in making fair, just and reasonable treatment to the company’s external shareholders. In case external auditors have a binding contract between the company and the shareholders of the said company, it is a general rule for the external auditor(s) to fulfil his/her statutory duty as an auditor to shareholders collectively or as a group. As a standard operating procedure, external auditors are expected to evaluate the financial statement of another organization on a yearly basis (Hicks and Goo, 2008, p. 261). Upon going through the financial statement of a government, a private company, or a legal organization, external auditors are expected

Public Finance Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Public Finance Economics - Assignment Example Firms based in large home markets like the United States and the European Union (EU) should pay great attention to domestic environmental regulations. In contrast, firms from smaller countries like Canada (which is one-tenth the size of the United States), most Asian countries and all Latin American countries should focus primarily upon the environmental regulations of their major customers (usually the "triad" economies of the United States, the EU and Japan). Current paper develops a new conceptual framework which addresses this asymmetry by examining the interactions between government and the firm. In the following section of the paper I examine the relationship between environmental regulations and firms' responsiveness to them providing managerial perspective on compliance to international environmental policies. Paper particularly emphasizes the environmental side agreement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) linking Canada, Mexico and the United States. NAFTA i s a major breakthrough since it is the first international trade agreement (other than internal EU regulations) to explicitly incorporate environmental issues, and to establish a bureaucracy to administer trade and environment interaction, primarily through the NAFTA Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC). NAFTA and the CEC can be seen as benchmarks for analysis of other international environmental organizations and agreements. Further, the discussion of a corporate strategy framework follows with which managers can determine the appropriate choice of strategy in response to both international and national environmental pressures. They can comply with new environmental regulations, but also develop green capabilities which may allow them to outperform competitors on environmental strategy grounds alone. Green strategies may focus on responding strongly to national regulations, international regulations or both simultaneously. In Section 4 we discuss the argument that firms can seek to avoid domestic environmental regulations by moving offshore; the Mexico pollution-haven case. 1. A MANAGERIAL PERSPECTIVE ON COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES At the level of the firm targeted by international environmental policies, the corporate response in terms of compliance depends upon its expected economic benefits. These economic benefits can be high or low, as shown on the vertical axis of Figure 1. A second issue (on the horizontal axis) is whether these benefits are driven primarily by expected improvements in industrial performance (e.g., market share, profitability, growth, etc.) or by sanctions associated with non-compliance. In the latter case, it is mainly the strength of the administrative enforcement apparatus which determines compliance. For a discussion on the benefits of compliance, see Barrett (1992), Henriques and Sadorsky (1996), Nehrt (1998), Walley and Whitehead (1994). The four possible managerial responses are the following. In quadrant 1, performance driven compliance prevails.

Typical Day in the Life of Middle Class Family Essay

Typical Day in the Life of Middle Class Family - Essay Example As she got out of bed, her maid Anne, walked in bearing a tray of coffee and wished her good morning. She replied rather distantly, her mind already on the various things she had to prepare for this week. Amelia, her youngest daughter, really needed a governess. She needed to learn a little discipline and decorum. After all what was overlooked in India wouldn't do here. She was only eight it was true, but London society was very different. The child had been allowed to run a little wild in India what with her ayah and the various servants around. I'll talk to Susan today and see what she recommends, she thought , as she was helped into her corset by Anne. The maid laid out her morning dress on the bed as Mrs. Bentham got into her stockings and donned the various layers of petticoats that would hold up her skirts. Walking downstairs she ran a slightly critical fingertip over the statuary in the niche on the landing and frowned at the light layer of dust that covered it. Downstairs she found her housekeeper, Mrs. Lovell waiting for her to discuss the weeks menus. "I've spoken to Charles ma'am and I think it would be better to order the fish from another man. I don't think the man's to be trusted at all these days. I had to return the plaice today; it wasn't fresh at all." The housekeeper said. She continued into the dining room, where... "Yes'm". She continued into the dining room, where she found her husband already at breakfast. She sighed as he folded his newspaper and smiled at her. He was a man who was used to activity and enjoyed solving problems. The years in India as a district judge had suited him. Now, upon his return to London, he was more than a little lost in the life expected of a man of his class. He was a regular in his club where he enjoyed long discussions on politics and science, but she knew that he secretly longed for a far more challenging practice of law than his genteel clientele of upper - middle class personages allowed. Lately, he had been hinting of his wish to handle some rather disreputable cases from the lower classes of London. "Well, I've finally got my hands on it," he said waving a book at her. "What dear" "Darwin's treatise on the origin of species. Heard so much about it, that I thought I should order it from Jones. Now perhaps I can argue with that old fool Samuels." "I really wish you wouldn't dear", she replied, perturbed. "After all, he's as much right to believe in God as anyone does. And I heard that this is really preposterous, claiming we arose from animals and so on." "Good morning, Papa, Mamma.", chimed a voice from the door. The couple looked up to their eldest daughter Lydia, tripping in , in a pretty pink-sprigged dress. She was nineteen and pretty and had been a great success in London's society since they had returned six months ago. As Mrs. Bentham looked at her, her thoughts went to the problem of getting her married well. It was high time, now that there was so much interest in her. The girl needed a new opera gown and then there was the

Profational writing sample Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Profational writing sample - Essay Example The above strengths enable me to develop results focused plans, multitask, communicate and listen, make sound decisions firs, delegate tasks, help other when they need me, and have a positive outlook. The traits that were identified and appeared relevant to my career choice include critical thinking, approachable, credibility, results oriented, and persuasiveness. The above traits have always enabled me relate appropriately with people from diverse groups and with varying opinions. From the reports I got, I realized I possess skills such as supervisory skills since I can manage others in a group. Other skills included ability to lead and motivate others, good analytical skills and ability to plan. A combination of the above skills, strength, and traits suggested that I would fit in careers that require me to deal with people, one of which is being a human resource manager. 2) Given the career goals you hope to achieve by completing your degree, which of these categories would you find most helpful in gaining the knowledge that would be most useful to your future career success? Explain why and how in as much detail as possible After completing my degree my goal is to become a human resource manager and I will be required to conduct activities covered in this course and include Strategic HR Management, creating Equal Employment Opportunity, Staffing, Talent Management and Development, Total Rewards, Risk Management and Worker Protection, and Employee as well as Labor Relations. From the above activities, the most helpful to my career as a human resource manager is strategic human resource management. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) entails creating a link between overall strategic aims of an organization and the human resource strategy as well as implementation of the strategies. Therefore, SHRM is universal and enables human resource

Financial analysis ' report' on Dunelm Group plc Essay

Financial analysis ' report' on Dunelm Group plc - Essay Example Another trend among consumers is their increased use of the internet to buy products the industry has on offer. Thus, competition has risen. It is expected that the industry’s value will continue to fall (Key Note Media Centre, 2013). Industry players are expected to venture more into the use of online market as will be shown through an outlook of two industry players; Dunelm Group plc and Home Retail Group plc. Dunelm Group plc was founded in 1979. It is located in Watermead Business Park. Dunelm Group plc headquarter is in Syston, LE7. The main executives of this company include CEO Will Adderly, financial director David Stead, the founder and long-term president William Adderly, and the company secretary Dawn Durrant (Dunelm Group plc, 2013). The company is involved in the sale of home furnishings and home wares. The company sells bedding like duvets; curtains and curtain accessories; bedroom furniture; cushions and cushion covers; home and electrical accessories; dining accessories just to name but a few. Dunelm group operates a hundred and thirty-seven stores and its brand name, Dunelm. It also has an on-line presence from where customers can order products at their convenience. Currently, the company continues to be successful in spite of the economic pressures facing it. The success is evidenced by it continued expansion plan through opening of new stores in the UK. As indicated in its strategic priorities, it intends to develop and take advantage of its infrastructure, develop its specialization, and expand further through various channels (Dunelm Group plc, 2013). The market capitalization stands at 1.75 billion pounds. It is listed in the London stock exchange with a total of 201.92 shares in issue. As of June 28th, 2014, the company’s revenue totalled 730.15 million pounds, which compared to the last

Literature review Walkable Streets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Literature review Walkable Streets - Essay Example Walkable streets are actually shared spaces. They are actually designed for all types of people irrespective of being on foot, cars, on wheelchairs, or even bicycles. A walkable street actually makes you have the urge to step outside. This means that there are interesting things like trees, people, apartment buildings and homes as you move along. A walkable street is the one that does not make you feel like you are risking your life when crossing it. This is because it has sidewalks, lighting, curb ramps, benches, and signals that will all aid you while crossing it. In summary, a walkable street would lead to any destination that you want to go (Urban Ecology, 2011).Many communities are actually embracing the mobility of pedestrians as a substitute to reducing dependency on automobiles. This shift is attributed to the fact that dependency on automobiles is ecologically unsustainable because of increased pollution, and also reduced walking diminishes social interaction and mixing of p opulations (Pivo, Gary, & Fisher, 2010). According to Hutarabat Lo (2009) he argues that there are several ways that can make a place walkable. Sidewalks should be erected where there are sidewalk gaps with priority being given to those areas that encourage walking like schools, stations of transit, stadiums, and around congested public areas. Moreover, certain obstructions like utility poles and posts can actually decrease the walkable width of the sidewalk. Proper lighting and maintenance of the side walk is to be sustained so as to reduce obstructions, encourage walking, and improve safety. In addition, another way of making the sidewalks safer is by implementing buffers because they absorb carbon dioxide from automobile emissions and also aiding in water drainage. Making of crosswalks is safer and a key component to walkability. Curb extensions decrease the radii of corners of the curb at various intersections. Moreover, curb extensions calm the traffic and also decrease the dis tance pedestrians have to cross. While on the streets with parking, the curb extensions allow pedestrians to see the oncoming traffic better where they would otherwise be forced to walk into the street to see past the parked cars. The zebra crossings or striped crosswalks also provide safer avenues for crossing because they provide better visibility for both the pedestrians and drivers (Zehner, 2012). Walkable streets in relationship with public transit A walkable street must contain a relatively large number of friendly pedestrians. This is because many people are of the belief that the different physical street designs features are sufficient enough to create walkability. The best designed streets are actually not walkable if we walk in them. On the other hand, streets that are poorly designed are memorably walkable if it contains a large number of people. Very little is more enjoyable and attractive to humans than an inherently vibrant, festive place filled with blissful and soci able people (Nozzi, 2011). Whether driving,

Company law Essay Example for Free

Company law Essay Applying this doctrine to the case study, Alicia can be regarded as one of the promoters of Batco Ltd, since she had involved in the formation of the company and ranked as one of the three directors after the registration. It’s also noticeable that the other two directors, Adam and Robin, were former employees of Alicia. Thus, even though Alicia didn’t play an active role in the formation of the company, the connection between her and Batco before and after the registration was solid. According to Aequilas v AEFC (2011) 19T ACLC 1006, the legal consequence of a person being identified as a promoter is that such person owes stringent fiduciary duties to the company and its shareholders. They are required to act in good faith and place the company’s benefits over their own (Harris, Hargovan and Adams 2011). More specifically, in Erlanger v New Sombero Phosphate Co (1878) 3 CA 1218, the House of Lords held that promoters have the duty of fully disclosure to a board of independent directors of the material facts when they enter into contract relations with the company; Or, as stated in the in Aequilas v AEFC (2011) 19T ACLC 1006, the court also accepts an explicit disclosure made to shareholders. Taking these judgments into account, Alicia, as a director of Batco Ltd, as well as a promoter, breached her fiduciary duties. Because Alicia, as a party to the contract with Batco, didn’t make known the notification she received from a government clerk to the company before they entered into the contract. Although without official announcement, the rezoning of the area was only a speculation, the unveiling of this information could prevent Batco from buying the site at that price, as the reassigned area could have a change in value. What more, a secret profit was obtained by Alicia in the selling of property. Despite that she made a disclosure of the actual profit she earned to Adam and Robin, these two directors could not fall into the group of independent directors. Additionally, even after Alicia had informed them about her real gain, in the prospectus Batco Ltd made to its shareholders, the profit number was falsely presented. Thus, Alicia also contravened the promoter’s duty of disclosure to the company’s shareholders. Once the breach of fiduciaries is established, Batco Ltd and its shareholders can sue Alicia, Adam and Robin for remedies. Under s 729(1) in Corporation Act 2011(Cth), the damaged party has right to recover the amount of the loss or damage resulting from contravention of duty of disclosure. And under s 729(3), the time for taking a legal action under s 729(1) is limited to in 6 years after the happening of the breach of disclosure duty. In Erlanger v New Sombeoro Phosphate Co (1878) 3 CA 1218, the judgment rescinded the initial contract and the damaged party was allowed to recover the purchase price. Similarly, in Glukstein v Barnes (1900) AC 240, a promoter was required to account to the company on the secret profit he realized from the breach of fiduciary duties without voiding the contract. Therefore, one likely outcome in this case study is Batco and its shareholders suing Alicia to rescind the purchase contract within 6 years after the happening of the breach of disclosure duty. As a result, Batco can recover the purchase price and return the site to the vendor, Alicia. Another possibility is Batco suing Alicia for breach of fiduciary duties and only require her account to the company for the secret gain. However, considering the unpredictable effect of rezoning on the purchased site, the former one would be a better option for Batco. According to Frino and Segara (2012), there are two elements of transaction costs, being the explicit and implied costs. Explicit costs include brokerage fees, exchange fees and government taxes which will not be discussed in this report as the trading exercise was performed without incurring such costs. Implied costs emerge when share prices become unfavourable due to effect of the share trades. These unfavourable expenses are difficult to estimate and deduce as they usually happen in a random manner (Frino and Segara, 2012). There are three types of implied costs which will be discussed below. Firstly, every trader will be exposed to bid-ask spreads (Frino and Segara, 2012). Bid-ask spreads are the gaps between the highest purchase price and the lowest selling price at which the dealers are keen to trade upon. Thus, the median of the bid-ask spread is deemed as the reasonable price. According to Frino and Segara (2012), when a dealer needs to complete a particular transaction urgently, the deemed reasonable price mentioned above will be forgone as the dealer will require immediate liquidity by purchasing or selling the shares at the stated bid or ask price. There are many ways and choices for a company of fundraising their commercial scheme and activities. One of the choices is through corporate fundraising to offer securities to attract public and outside investors. The statutory provisions in related to the process is located under Ch 6D. Under the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program Act 1999, the required standard full-disclosure document while public companies undertaking fundraising is as prospectus (zuozhe 267). In the case, Jaan Company wants to expand its market and decides raising funds through offering securities and has two options to choose: the first one is raising 10 million and keeps domestic; another one is raising 20 million and expand international. They decide to use offer securities to raise fund which means they will need to face a standard required prospectus to the public. According to Section 709, there are four types of disclosure documents. First is prospectus, which is the most common form of disclosure document and under Ch 6D s709 (1), it must generally be prepared for an offer of securities. However, if the raising capital fund is not exceeding 10 million, the prospectus is not compulsory to be prepared. The second type is short form prospectus. This type is permitted to reduce the length and complication of prospectus that are distributed to potential investors. The third type is an offer information statement. Under an offer information statement, the amount to be raised from the issue of securities is 10 million or less. The last one is profile statements. This type is prepared as an addition to a prospectus and a reform to simplify policy objective and reduce the volume of disclosure objects. Under the circumstance, for the option 1, an offer information statement is appropriate. The offer information statement is comparative simplified and according to the Corporations Acts, it is intended to facilitate more efficient capital raising, especially for start-up and small and medium sized enterprises(zuozhe, 268). The disclosure requirements are lower level than for a prospectus. Under offer information statements, the company is required to state the information about the company (including xplain the company’s business and the nature of securities, the financial audited statements within the previous 6 months), explain why the company needs to fundraising, disclose details about risks involved and all amount payable. In addition, it also must state to investors that it’s different and lower level compare with prospectus, remind the investors should acquire professional advice. Furthermore, the copy has been lodged with ASIC who takes no responsibility for its contents is required. For option 2, a detailed, full-disclosure prospectus is required. The obligations are concluded as following (zuozhe, 266): firstly, all the information, which is also guaranteed reliable and available at the same time, need to be provided in a prospectus to all investors that they might realistically need to know in order to make a decision about the company’s investment proposal; secondly, the documents must enclose all the risks associated with the concerned industry in which the company operates; thirdly, it is necessary that the disclosure of material information is in an effective way for fundraiser to undertake inquiries as well as disclose details which can enable investors to make a more accurate assessments about securities in a cost-effective way. I will recommend option 1in this case. Jaan is a small manufacturing business and not a mature company; it has not enough experience and comparative low capital base as well less able to meet the costs of raising capital. Compare with mature company, Jaan is less able to meet the risks to challenge the market changes and adapt quickly. Offer information is particularly suitable for the small and mid-sized enterprises; it has lower requirements than prospectus and also more flexible for the company. Part 2 According to S 728, if a disclosure document has following characteristics, then it would contravene: misleading or deceptive conduct; omission form; a circumstance that is required to disclose in the document but the company has not and the circumstance is raised as a problem. In this case, Jaan has a very positive forecast in the sales and profit in the following years; however, it has not happened. The company said the market needs of snowboarding are huge and the company has confidence to forecast that they have made a right choice. Unfortunately, the company is circulated these forecast without reasonable basis and inadequate marketing research. Furthermore, in order to attract investors, the company is using New Zealand’s snowboarding popularity diagram rather than global or Australia. Under this circumstance, the company has misled the investors and make them have a wrong perception of the company’s vision. In addition, the company also comes out a new circumstance: abnormal weather patterns caused by global warming will make the company to face a huge loss. This is unexpected but this circumstance should have been disclosed in the document. Under the Ch 6D, the company should disclose all the relevant risks to enable the investors to make a cautious decision. Nevertheless, the company only focus on the bright side of the future and miss to present the potential external factors that may influence the sales of the company. All these would be the facts that the company’s disclose document has contravened and will face a remedy for the investors. Similar case for Jaan’s investors can look at is Cadence Asset Management Pty Ltd v Concept Sports Ltd (2005): the defendant were misleading the investors about the company’s outlook, the court decision is disagree the defendant’s defence and upheld the plaintiff to recover the loss suffered. Defendants may avoid their liability if they can satisfy the defences set out in ss 731-733. In this case, according to section 731, Jaan may avoid liability if they can provide evidence that their sales forecast is based on reasonable grounds, there is no misleading for the investors. And in order to defend successfully, the company also needs to show that they undertake that they can confirm their information is based on reasonable basis and the accuracy is creditable in the prospectus (zuozhe, 288). Furthermore, Jaan should also to prove that they were unaware of the changing weather to make the company to bear the loss. These can be potential defences for the company. However, the case Cadence Asset Management Pty Ltd v Concept Sports Ltd (2005) has shown that if the company has a behaviour of misleading the investors in breach of s 728 (zuozhe, 287), Jaan may not be succeed in the defences based on the following facts: they use the wrong popularity diagram to forecast the sales (besides, the company also know this fact), this is misleading to the investors; in addition, the changing weather should be a relevant risk which must be disclosed to the investors. Investors have rights to know the risks associated with the operation. Base on those facts, the company may fail to defence.

The Use Of Facial Expressions In Communication English Language Essay

The Use Of Facial Expressions In Communication English Language Essay What messages are we conveying with the expression on our faces or with the twinkle in our eye. Is it a universal message known to all or is it interpreted differently by various cultures and people? Facial expressions are a major part of communication and have a profound impact on the messages we give and receive nonverbally. This paper will focus on facial expressions and the influences they have on the way we are able to understand another persons emotions without as much as a word from them. Discussion We are communicating with our bodies all the time whether we realize it or not. Most of the emotional meanings of our messages are given through facial expressions, body language, gestures and our appearance. People tend to believe nonverbal signs of communication more than the actual words because it is harder to mask the emotions behind them and they show through. Reading and interpreting these nonverbal cues is valuable skill. It is useful in all different types of relationships every day. Different cultures focus their attention on various parts of the face making this form on nonverbal communication different among cultures. In America we look at the face in its entirety as opposed to Easterners who concentrate more on just the eyes. This is shown through emoticons as well as in person. (Facial expressions,)When Westerners email or send a text message the emoticon s show a mouth smiling or frowning. Easterners emoticons have bigger eyes and the mouth is usually a straight across line. Westerners emoticons eyes are usually represented by dots. The differences in these show where different cultures focus their attention on and what they find most important. Often, people tend to mimic the facial expression of the person who is talking to them. It is said that this is an unconscious act so people dont always know when they are doing it. Some researchers have said it is a behavior we learn, for that reason it is different among cultures. These expressions are said to be so powerful that they can influence an emotional experience without the perceiver actually going through the experience. (Emotional empathy and, 2008). These influential gestures have the ability to make people empathize with one another. This made me think of the saying smile, its contagious. I have noticed if Im having a bad day and a random stranger smile at me I return the smile and sometime that puts me in a better mood. Even if my mood it just changes a little, it is still a strong tool. I believe facial expressions are a very powerful form of communication. I believe if we utilize them correctly they can be very persuasive and help us in our day to day lives. It has been proven that children with disabilities have a harder time understanding people socially. Studies show that people with autism and mental retardation have a different way of interpreting facial expressions. Instead of focusing on the entire face as a whole, people with autism look at the lower part of the face focusing their gaze mostly on the mouth. (Gross, 2007). When reading someones facial expressions we look at a number of things including eyes, mouth, eye brows and many other muscles of the face. By looking into someones eyes we can tell if they are lying, paying attention to us or if they are avoiding something. An autistic person generally avoids eye contact or has very little of it. They look at other people as little as possible. (Klin,Lin,Gorrindo,Ramsey,Jones, 2009). This is the main reason they do not interpret facial expressions as well as others. The lack of focus on the eyes has a major impact on this. They also do not mirror the expressions which is how yo u learn to read and interpret them starting at a young age. There are many different factors that we take into consideration when interpreting facial expressions. Place and time is a main one. If a person has just woken up we may see that on their face and interpret it as they are tired when in fact they are well rested and just waking up. Another factor is if alcohol has been added in the mix. In one study, after the participants were given alcohol, they had a harder time distinguishing between if the picture of the male was angry or disgusted. Because of the stereotypical belief that males are more aggressive their facial expression was perceived as this. The same study showed that alcohol did not affect the ability to perceive happy emotions. (Attwood,Ataya,Benton,Penton-Voak,Munafo, 2009). Positive emotions are easier to read and take less effort to distinguish. They are generally the same among different ages and cultures. Another factor that determines whether we accept or reject a facial expression is the current mood we are in. If we are happy we are more positive and more accepting or willing to believe the expression as genuine. If we are in a bad mood there is a better chance of us assuming that the person is controlling their expression and it isnt truly how they feel. (Forgas, East, 2008) We tend to analyze negative expressions more. If we are listening to someone talk and watching their expressions while we are angry or unhappy we are usually showing this on our face. If we are not mirroring the expressions of the person talking ,we usually dont fully understand or really believe what they are saying. We are a lot more skeptical of others while in a bad mood ,almost as if we are threatening situation. I think that is because they can lead to a more negative experience. Positive emotions are easier to read and understand. If we feel better about ourselves and our mood, we feel better about othe r people and are able to trust that they are being genuine. Conclusion- We are expressing and perceiving many different messages through nonverbal communication and our bodies. Our facial expressions have a major impact on this part of communication and can be the deciding factor on if what we are saying is believed by the other person. This very powerful nonverbal form of communication can be used as a persuasive tool to help us get what we want or help a perceiver emphasize with how we feel. It can also help a person lie to someone .If one learns to control their expressions they can be very deceitful. Because people with disabilities view the face in parts instead of a whole they do not get the full effect of the expressions and they are not able to grasp the meaning of it. There are other things factors that cloud our ability to interpret facial expressions such as stereotyping and alcohol. When added together it is easier to misread the signs we can usually interpret without a problem . This is usually only true when referring to males. I believe that nonverbal communication is a very important type of communication. Because facial expressions are such a major part of this, I think it is important to learn and understand them. They show how a person feels without them saying it. If the person interpreting the message is in a good mood they will most likely believe the person sending the message is being genuine. If you can learn to correctly use and interpret these important tools, than you will have outstanding communication skills needed for your work and personal life. Citations- Facial expressions. (n.d.).  In the News, Retrieved from http://library1.kvcc.edu:2086/WebZ/FTFETCH?sessionid=fsapp4-41904-gasyyy7a-20joz8:entitypagenum=4:0:rule=100:fetchtype=fulltext:dbname=WilsonSelectPlus_FT:recno=3:resultset=1:ftformat=PDF:format=BI:isbillable=TRUE:numrecs=1:isdirectarticle=FALSE:entityemailfullrecno=3:entityemailfullresultset=1:entityemailftfrom=WilsonSelectPlus_FT: Emotional empathy and facial feedback. (2008). Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 32(4), 215-224. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=9did=1570597881SrchMode=1sid=2Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1277397393clientId=17874 Gross, T.F. (2007). Recognition of immaturity and emotional expressions in blended faces by children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=4did=1426442671SrchMode=1sid=1Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1277401770clientId=17874 Klin,Lin,Gorrindo,Ramsey,Jones, A,D,P,G,W. (2009). Two-year-olds with autism orient to non-social contingencies rather than biological motion. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0did=1722927501SrchMode=1sid=1Fmt=3VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1277403869clientId=17874 doi: 1722927501 Attwood,Ataya,Benton,Penton-Voak,Munafo, A,A,C,I,M. (2009). Effects of alcohol consumption and alcohol expectancy on the categorization of perceptual cues of emotional expression. Origional Investigation, Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=7did=1691777391SrchMode=1sid=6Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1277406623clientId=17874 doi: 1691777391 Forgas, East, J,R. (2008). How Real is that smile? mood effects on accepting. Original Paper, Retrieved from http://library1.kvcc.edu:2081/pqdweb?index=13did=1493057881SrchMode=1sid=2Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1277422728clientId=17874 doi: 1493057881

Social Determinants of Health

Social Determinants of Health Q1. The Social determinants of health is the observed social, economic, mental and environmental health factors that affect the quality of life of society or its people. The basic formation of these factors have been separated and placed into 10 different categories social gradients, stress, early life, social exclusion, work, unemployment, social support, addiction, food and transport (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). One example of a social determinant of health is the social gradient. The social gradient is a socio-political theory that places people on a social ladder and categorises them based on their overall financial, social and hierarchical standing in society (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). The social gradient demonstrates that life expectancy is shorter and affliction of disease is higher if you reside further down the social ladder (Marmot Wilkinson, 2006). The social gradient demonstrates the effect of social standing on people and how it effects quality o f life, therefore making it a Social Determinant of Health. Q2. Causes of the causes is a term used to describe the social determinants of health for each category and how it may impact upon the other categories. For example Marmot and Wilkinson state that it is not an accident that people regularly consume food with high saturated fat and salt content. What causes this to occur is food availability, culture, affordability and culture as well as many other possible external influences (Marmot Wilkinson, 2006). Then if healthy food prices were to escalate, poorer citizens would struggle to purchase healthy food. The poorer citizens then resort to purchasing cheaper and unhealthier food which contain unhealthy amounts of sugar and fats. These sugar and fats then cause obesity, heart problems and many other diseases and illnesses that effect these people of lower socio-economic status (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). This demonstrates that one category caused an effect in another. In Fig. 8. in the book EN: Social determinants of health it shows the mortality rate from coronary heart disease in comparison to fruit and vegetable supply in selected European countries. (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010) This graph demonstrates that a decrease in health food supplies in kg/per person/per year causes an increase in standardised death rates aged 35-74. There is a direct effect of food prices going up as lack of supply, these items would become less affordable as well as vice versa. A good diet and adequate food supply are main areas of health promotion and overall well-being of a person. (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010) These cause and effect issues are the main issues in dealing with health problems as one change could drastically effect the lives of Australian citizens, particularly those who are in a lower socio-economic standings. (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010) Q3. Barbara is a 52 year old unemployed, single mother who has fallen on hard times. She receives inadequate payments from the government via the Newstart allowance scheme, and struggles to pay off her car loan and rent. Barbara has many problems, however the main focus of this question will be on her social support, her ability to cope with the mental and physical stresses of her life and her health issues involving her current unemployment. Barbara describes her social life as being ‘non-existent’ as a result of her financial difficulties and doesn’t normally get to see her friends, now simple socialising events such as grabbing a coffee with her friends is seen as a luxurious expenditure (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). Socialising is an important experience within our lives, without the help and support and friendship of others, maintaining quality of life would be near impossible. Lack of a social life can even lead to physical problems as explained in the book ‘Social Determinants of Health the Solid Facts’ on the graph Fig. 6 (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). The graph shows results gathered of both male and females in America, Where the age-adjusted mortality rates are compared with level of social integration. The graph demonstrates a correlation of when there is a decrease of social integration, it results in an increase of age-adjusted mortality rate (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). This highlights that we are a social species, isolation can be very damaging and could cause a variety of mental anguish and mentals issues such as depression or even physical problems like an increase of disability from chronic diseases (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). As evident in Fig. 6, lack of social integration can cause physical harm to our bodies and is a quintessential in maintaining our physical health (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). Therefore, Barbara’s lack of social behaviour increases her risk of dying slightly, as small as the increase is, these small Health factors can easily pile up and cause large changes in quality of life. Barbara’s stress mainly forms from her recent unemployment and her increasing debt of her car loan, which escalated to be more than the actual car is worth (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). This emotional strain can be observed on Barbara’s face as she received a Coles gift card for 60 dollars from the Spiers Centre employee (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). Barbara becomes emotional and continually thanks the Spiers centre employee for helping her with her current situation, she highlighted that she would for once be able to pay for her own groceries and toiletries instead of resorting to borrowing them. Barbara’s Stress could also can activate the flight or fight response in the body, resulting increase in heart rate and alertness by stored energy from diverging blood to the muscles, this is known as the stress response (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). Turning on this stress response â€Å"diverts energy and resources away from physiological processes important to long -term health maintenance† (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). Therefore, during periods of long durations of continued stress can lead to increase vulnerability of a wide range of conditions and diseases such as â€Å"diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, depression and aggression† (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010). The major cause of the Barbara’s other two issues stated can be linked back to her unemployment. Due to her lack of income, she has resorted to many desperate attempts to keep herself afloat financially. This includes buying items based on budget instead of necessity. The fact that she lost her job as a result of poor health indicates that she was having health issues even before finance and employment were specific problems in her life (Thompson Ramsay, 2013). Therefore, the current events would only aggravate her situation of stress and social isolation she currently is experiencing. Q4. The basic fundamentals of stress can be outlined by what are the causes of stress in the first place and what can be done to remedy these stress factors? According to the Australian Psychological Society, â€Å"Australians aged 18-25 and 46-55 reported the lowest levels of wellbeing† (The Australian Psychological Society, 2014). Stress is caused by many factors, majority of these factors are the result of financial and family issues which is the leading cause of stress amongst Australian citizens (The Australian Psychological Society, 2014). Similar to all previous surveys conducted, issues involving health concerns are frequently rated as sources of stress to people who experience personal health issues, problems with maintaining their healthy and active lifestyle and also issues where a close person’s health has been compromised (The Australian Psychological Society, 2014). With this information you can easily target particular age groups that are experiencing the se issues more than others, and try to involve not just informative ways of creating prevention and improvement but also with the use of practical techniques. Stresses in life come from expectations we have for ourselves, as well as expectation from others for us. In a radio interview with Terence Cheng a researcher from the University of Melbourne’s Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, studied and identified statistics that proved the existence of a midlife crisis, Ashley Hall a reporter for the ABC asked about his findings into. Terence Cheng’s study shows that after the age of 18 there is a gradual decline in happiness until the age of around 40 to 42 years old (Hall, 2014). The stresses in life occur where many events can cause huge outcomes in the happiness of a person, events such as marriage, losing one’s job, illness and death of a close loved one can cause major swings in the happiness and stress of the person experiencing these life events (Hall, 2014). Alan Oster the National Australia Bank’s chief economist conducted a survey that had similar results from the National Australia Bankâ₠¬â„¢s Quarterly Australian Wellbeing Index. Alan Oster states that â€Å"what weve had is that the lowest tended to be in the 18 to 29 year olds, where I think there was a lot of stress in terms of unemployment† (Hall, 2014). These ages indicate where stress is becoming most of a problem, The Australian Psychological Society and Alan Oster both state that slumps in happiness as well as wellbeing occur around the age of 18 to mid-20s because of unemployment. Australia has an unemployment rate of 6.1% which is 115th in the world (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015; Trading Economics, 2015). We could attribute this to our aging population where there is a total increase of one person every 1 minute and 21 seconds (Australian Bureau of Statistics , 2015). Jobs are drying up as a result of this population increase and therefore my project proposal is to decrease unemployment rates in Australia through funding small and large business, as well as implementing a bonus stimulus for people who have one child or less, in an attempt to slow population growth. The small and large business proposal will be funding small and large businesses for use only allowed on expansion amongst city and urban areas of Australia . This is hoped to create more venues for jobs, allow expansion of companies creating new section for workers, and thus decrease the unemployment rate in Australia.

Marketing in a Global Economy Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Co

Marketing in a Global Economy Vision. There's a word that hearkens back to the early '80s, at least in current management thinking. Yet despite its presence in the leadership vocabulary for more than two decades, many companies are today struggling to draft the right vision for a hyperactive, global business environment. This paper is intended to offer an overview of some of the aspects of conducting business globally and aims to identify ways in which businesses can tap the gains of this process, while remaining realistic about its potential and its risks. Specific topics will include: 1) technology challenges; 2) gaining a foothold in new markets; and 3) conducting business with different cultures. Finally, real world business examples will be used to amplify the discussion. Technology Challenges No other technological advancement has enhanced global business in the last 10 years like the Internet. The Internet has made accessible foreign marketplaces that for years were expensive and difficult to access. If an organization builds the right site, you can easily attract visitors from around the world. Obviously, however, this site can't be written predominantly in English and marketed with an American spin. If a company from the United States wants to be seen by all, their operations have to reach international consumers. Currently, 63 percent of Fortune 100 Web sites are stuck in the past, i.e., they are only written in English, according to Forrester Research (Internet World, 2001). Going global does not merely mean translating English sites into foreign languages. First and foremost, organizations must think globally and tackle their challenges head-on. Companies are faced with obstacles like ... ...he domestic arena. By following the lead of other successful companies and avoiding the stumbling blocks mentioned in this discussion, organizations can take advantage of prospective untapped worldwide business. References Baran, S. (2001, April 01). A small, small world. Internet World. Bhatia, R. (2001, May/June). Economy lodging demands spur new markets around the globe. Franchising World. Vol. 33, Issue 4. Demers, J. (Jul/Aug 2001). Exploring new markets. CMA Management, , Vol. 75 Issue 5. Des Moines Business Record. (2001, February 5). It’s a small world. Parker, B. (1996). Evolution and Revolution: from International Business to Globalization. Handbook of Organization Studies, Sage: London. Yip, G. (1995). Total Global Strategy: Managing For Worldwide Competitive Advantage, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Hu

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. While there are many differences between the societies portrayed in dystopic literature, they still have the common bond of lacking the fundamental freedoms required for a properly operated society to exist. This cannot be truer for The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. These novels prove that the individual's freedom are sacrificed in dystopic societies when the government controls the knowledge, individuality and relationships of each person in order for there to be stability in the society. Dystopia is shown in each of the novels through: the use of conflict demonstrating the authority over knowledge, the use of theme to establish the lack of identity and the use of character to show the control of knowledge. It is evident in both novels that a dystopic society exists through the authors' use of conflict to illustrate the control of knowledge of the past and present in order for there to be stability. For example, in The Handmaid's Tale, all Handmaids are forbidden from reading or writing, this is an attempt by the leaders of the society to control the knowledge their citizens can utilize. This control extends over any form of written word, and if the rules are disobeyed, there are consequences: "Scrabble!. This was once the game of old women, old men to be played in retirement villas when there was nothing good on television. Now it's forbidden, for us. Now it's dangerous. Now it's indecent . Now it's desirable" (Atwood 174). In this society, Scrabble is considered "forbidden" because of what it represents -- freedom of expression. The consequences the leaders have imposed create a c... ...ge, individuality and relationships of each person in order for there to be stability in the society. Through the use of conflict, dystopia is established in both of the novels using the control of knowledge of the past and present in the society in order for stability. In addition, through the use of theme, dystopia is established using the lack of identity of each member of the society in order for stability to be in the society. Finally, through the use of character, dystopia is established through the control of the relationships in each member of the societies. In order for there to be stability in a society there must be sacrifices made, especially in a society that is considered dystopic. Works Cited ----------- Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. U.S.A: Seal Books, 1986. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Hammersmith, London: Flamingo, 1994.

An Evil Cradling †Into the dark †use of language Essay

Throughout the chapter ‘Into The Dark’, Keenan goes through some distinct phases of mental states, each caused by a previous one and ultimately by his imprisonment. He uses a various range of strong descriptions to portray his condition, ideas, thoughts and impressions. The unusual syntax used throughout the chapter conveys the states of mind which he goes though, guiding the reader into the prisoner’s world. Keenan uses various techniques to convey the feeling of human degradation that he went through during the first period of his captivity. One of these is the enumeration of adjectives or nouns which communicate the misery to which he was reduced to. Such examples include the ‘old, ragged, filthy cover’ which suggest the grimy circumstances in which he had to live in. The ‘excrement, sweat, the perspiration’ emphasise this obloquy through which he goes. ‘Sweat’ and ‘perspiration’ imply oppressive heat, a sensation of lack of air. The ‘excrement’ implies that in this already oppressive space, Keenan is ‘reduced to sleeping in the smell’ of his ‘own filth’. This feeling is further emphasised by the quotation ‘†¦ squat down over it. Defecate on it. I defecate (†¦ ) and then I carefully wrap my excrement†¦ ‘ These short, blunt sentences imply that Keenan wants to describe his condition as close to reality as possible, therefore not sparing the reader from any brusque or less polite words, because he was not spared from any unpleasantness either. The enumerations suggest the plentiful reasons of his never ending human degradation and exposure to filth. Keenan described himself as ‘a bag of flesh and scrape, a heap of offal tossed unwanted in the corner of this filthy room. ‘ This portrayal of himself, of ‘flesh’ and ‘heap of offal’ is dehumanizing as it reduces him to something repulsive and purely physical, thus overlooking the details that makes him human, such as feelings, mind and judgement. He is ‘tossed in the corner’, therefore not valuable for anyone. The fact that he is thrown in a ‘filthy’ corner further emphasise his lack of value and significance. All these show how Keenan’s self esteem and dignity was crushed, and he as a person was reduced to nothing more than a worthless and abhorrent body. This conveys the extreme human degradation though which he goes. Keenan’s lack of stimuli and life are described throughout the chapter, which gives the reader and idea of the feeling of endless emptiness though which the hostages go. Referring to his urine and drinking water going ‘From bottle to bottle, through me, this fluid will daily run’, Keenan uses these endless cycles of life to symbolise the monotonous days of his captivity. The phase ‘from bottle to bottle’ and ‘though me’ suggest a continuous flow, while the word ‘daily’ informs us of the length of one standard cycle. Keenan seems to live the same tedious days over and over again, making him feel lifeless and purposeless. The syntax of his writing implies dullness, repetition and lack of life as well. The phase ‘No sound, no noise, nothing. Yet I try to force this scream. Why can I not scream? But no noise comes from me. Not even a faint echo of cry. I am full with nothing. ‘ is a very good example for this point. His sentences are very short, implying the lack of thing and stimuli to talk about. ‘Why can I not scream? ‘ is almost a rhetoric question as he has no one to get an answer from. This highlights the lack of stuff to think about. And there are some sentences which are just an enumeration of words, like ‘No sound, no noise, nothing. ‘ The repetition of ‘no’ and ‘nothing’ throughout this chapter father emphasise the lack of stimuli, as there are no objects, persons or phenomena to ponder about. In the end the narrator expresses his despair by confessing that he is ‘full with nothing’, implying his frantic need of ‘something’ that he can ‘think about’, that can occupy his brain. Due to this prolonged lack of stimuli, Keenan becomes temporarily mentally unbalanced, with his senses going out of control.

Living in Fear of Ourselves

Since the beginning of time fear has made men do things he is not proud of. This is no different in the book Lord of the Flies. The children on the island, particularly Jack's tribe, have made many poor choices out of fear. This is similar to how fear affects the outcome of certain choices that are made in society today. In Lord of the Flies it clearly shows how fear led to the death of Simon, the death of Piggy, and how fear can lead to savagery and chaos whether on a deserted island or in every day life. For example, fear on the island was what caused the death of Simon. The boys on the island were full of fear of â€Å"The Beast† (Golding 153), which they thought was a parachutist, but is nothing more than their imagination. Due to their fear, they mistook Simon for the beast and ended up throwing their spears at him in the dark, causing his death. Simon showed courage when he went to look for the beast. The boys were getting wild and rowdy doing their rain dance to get rid of the rain because they were afraid of the thunder and lightning. Instead of exploring the island and finding out what they were afraid of , Ralph and Jack were busy trying to decide who would be the leader of the island. Fear of the beast got the boys scared that he beast was going to come down and kill them, Simon thought other wise. On the island fear of each other caused another death. Fear caused division amongst the boys which led to another death on the island. Ralph, Piggy, and Sam and Eric were going to get Piggy's specs back. Piggy expressed his concern Rivera 2 about going because he was afraid of Jack. He had reason to be afraid of Jack because he was bigger, stronger and had intimidated him in the past, for instance, he would often tell Piggy to â€Å"Shut Up! (Golding 37). Jack was afraid that Ralph would be the leader instead of him. When Ralph and his crew showed up at Castle Rock they noticed that Jack's tribe had their faces painted black like savages. Jack ordered Roger to get the boulder trap to get rid of Ralph and his crew. Piggy and Ralph put their fear aside and went up to tell Jack that the glasses were Piggy's. Meanwhile, Roger, out of fear that Jack would hurt him if he did n't obey his orders, let the boulder trap go. The boulder hits Piggy and he falls off the cliff and dies. Jack covers up his fear by saying that he had planned it all along. As you can see, fear often leads people to make wrong choices, and unfortunately they are left with the consequences of their actions, or the lack of their actions depending on how they let fear manipulate them. The saying its better to be safe then sorry is a great way to sum up how people let fear control them. Being fearful is not always a bad thing, but when you let it completely take over how you react to every situation it becomes a bad thing. For example, if your friends are doing something you know is wrong but you're scared they wont like you if you don't do it, and you go ahead and do it any way, that is being a coward. People who run from the police because they are scared to go to jail, is a bad decision many people often make out of fear. People in the world often let other people's fear control them. When at an amusement park, deciding not to go on a ride because a friend is scared, would change the outcome of the trip from having a good time to being bored. Often in politics people all vote the same way because someone else is telling them to and they are fearful of what people will think of them if they vote against crowd. There are many things people fear, the unknown, finances, love, happiness, death, just to name a few. Knowing when to let go of some of the fear is the important part. Being confident in life Rivera 3 and sticking up for what one believes in helps people become confident and not afraid all the time. Learning the difference between being cautious and being afraid is what will people in society must learn to not live in fear of living. In Lord of the Flies there are two perfect examples of how fear controlled the minds of the kids which eventually led to the deaths of Simon and Piggy. Fear in the world can cause things to go wrong, because it makes people hate each other and be prejudice. A lot of bad decisions are made out of fear that hurt others. Learning to live without fear is something that people should try to learn to do. In Lord of the Flies, the island would have been a more secure place, if the kids would have been more secure with themselves, and that is the same for the world we live in today.

Parole and Truth in Sentencing Paper

Parole and Truth-in-Sentencing Paper xxxxx xxxxxxx CJS/200 November 19, 2011 xxxxxx Parole and Truth-in-Sentencing Paper Before parole becomes an option to an offender or an offender remains on parole, there are conditions and concepts and goals that must be practiced or met. Typical conditions influence parole as the inmate is released from prison. Truth-in-sentencing laws have goals in relations to parole. To understand the concepts on which parole is based, one must know and understand the definition of parole. Parole, the early release of an inmate from correctional confinement under supervision, is a sentencing strategy that returns offenders progressively to productive lives (Schmalleger, 2011). According to Schmalleger (2011), â€Å"By making early release possible, parole can also act as a stimulus for positive behavioral change. † Parole is based off and supports the concept of imprecise sentencing, which held that an inmate can gain early discharge through good conduct and self-improvement (Schmalleger, 2011). The conditions of parole place general and special limitations on offenders who have been released from prison early (Schmalleger, 2011). The offender’s criminal background as well as the circumstances of the offense is taken into consideration when referring to special conditions, while general conditions are fixed by state statutes (Schmalleger, 2011). Under the conditions of parole, a parolee must periodically check in, or report, to parole officers, and parole officers may visit the parolees home or place of employment unannounced (Schmalleger, 2011). While an offender is on parole, he or she must obtain employment within 30 days and continue work as it has shown to reduce the probability of repeated offenses (Schmalleger, 2011). In accordance to Schmalleger (2011), â€Å"General conditions of parole usually include agreement not to leave the state as well to obey extradition requests from other jurisdiction. † Truth in sentencing, a close connection linking the sentence imposed on an offender, and the amount of time served in prison, benefited offenders while infuriated victims (Schmalleger, 2011). What you get is what you serve† became the emphasis on truth in sentencing and has become an important policy focus of many state legislatures and the United States Congress (Schmalleger, 2011). The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement set aside funds that adopt the truth-in-sentencing laws assure that certain violent offenders will serve at least 85 percent of their prison sentence (Schmalleger, 2011). The concept of parole allows an offender to be released from confinement before the end of their sentence under certain circumstances. Conditions must be followed and maintained to ensure the offender stays on parole. The goals of truth in sentencing are based on violent criminals completing 85 percent of their time to honor the victim. References Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory text for the twenty-first century (11th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Prentice Hall.

Strategic Management of Haigh’s Chocolate

Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary1 2. Current Situation3 3. External Environment4 3. 1 Macro Environment4 3. 2 Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition8 4. Internal Analysis10 Strength10 Weaknesses14 5. Strategic Factor Analysis Summary (SFAS)17 6. Current strategic21 6. 1 Business-level strategic21 6. 2 Functional-level Strategies23 6. 3 Corporate Level strategies24 7. Recommended strategies26 7. 1 Business-level strategy26 7. 2 Functional Strategy28 7. 3 Corporate strategy31 8. Implementation36 Reference List40 Appendix43Appendix A: External Factors Analysis Summary (EFAS)43 Appendix B: Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS)44 1. Executive Summary The following marketing plan forms the basis for achieving Haigh’s company vision of becoming a successful top quality chocolate confectionary provider. The recommendations based on the analysis contained in this report allows us to outline the best strategies to follow for the achievement of the company’s stra tegic goals. The confectionary industry in Australia is dominated by few large players with fiercely high competition.Whilst the target market Haighs plays – targeting consumers seeking high quality premium chocolate, Haighs is one of very few providers, but the quality of chocolate provided for substitutable brands are also reasonably high. Haighs would need to ensure differentiation in their product quality; brand image, brand loyalty and brand awareness to be competitive within the market place. Haighs being a family owned and operated business, their consistent management style ensures its operational control in all areas of business are strategically aligned.In analysing Haigh’s external and internal strengths and weaknesses, operational efficiency and consistency such as efficiency in production process and stringent quality control process are found to be the main strengths whilst risk of easily being substituted with cheaper chocolate confectionary products and lack of diversified management experience due to being family operated business, are stated to be the main determinant in realizing further success for Haighs.Whilst change of management structure in view of introducing wider range of management experience is outside of this marketing plan’s scope, in order to overcome the determinant analysed, there are number of other areas Haighs can look into. In order to improve efficiency, strengthening of relationship with Haigh’s suppliers is recommended. Whilst Haighs has been successfully maintaining high quality chocolate production, this is required to ensure high quality products are continuously delivered for the future. Cross training of staff to increase labor efficiency is also recommended.Through having staff cross trained, Haighs can enjoy use of less employees and savings will arise from it. Active marketing activities are also encouraged. Haighs can look into wholesale supply into large hotels or exclusive dining places to create economies of scale. Through innovation, it would need to further develop its product in accordance with today’s consumer preference. Low fat, low sugar with high quality chocolate is recommended and opening of Haighs branded cafes that will bring new experience to its consumers are suggested.Haighs being the exclusive chocolate brand with high risk of being substituted into other brand, brand loyalty is the key in Haigh’s success. Launching of loyalty program, discount for seniors, and connecting its customers via social network sites are examples of building brand loyalty for Haighs. The report concludes by providing implementation plan to adopt the above recommendation that will help Haighs to remain competitive, sustainable and successful within its chosen market. 2. Current SituationHaigh's was founded in 1915 in Adelaide, South Australia by Alfred E Haigh and has been successfully run by his son, grandson, and great-grandsons, Alister Haigh who is current CEO. It is the oldest family-owned chocolate manufacturing retailer in Australia and one of the very few manufacturing retailers in the world still making chocolates from raw cooa beans and more than half of their chocolates are handmade, using artisan skills that require many years of experience to perfect (Haight's Chocolates). Haigh’s vision is delivering a world-class chocolate experience every time (Haigh's Chocolates).Its value is that they will be caring and considerate of their employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, the community and the environment by showing respect to each other and valuing diversity, working together to achieve a safe, friendly and positive working environment, setting clear expectations, recognising contribution and developing their people, leading by example and taking responsibility for their actions, communicating clearly, inclusively, honestly and in a timely manner, having pride in their product and passion for the business, its heritage and its future and contributing to the community through corporate benevolence and environmentally sustainable practices (Haigh's Chocolates). Haigh’s chocolate currently has over 300 employees and 13 retail stores; six in Adelaide, six in Melbourne and one in Sydney (Haight's Chocolates). They manufacture 200 different products and also produce a number of products whose sales supports various charities. (Soong-Kroeger, 2011)Haigh’s Chocolate provides quality products and service throughout Australia and make sure to produce only the best raw materials from start to finish, and stationing agents in Europe for first pick of the finest imported cocoa beans is only the beginning. They are fairly well vertically integrated. They make chocolates and then transport or arrange for them to be transported to their own retail shops, which mean that they control the whole process to ensure that their customers get the highest quality and freshest products (OrmanSas ha, 2011). 3. External Environment External environment is an uncontrollable element that effects an operation.However, by carefully analyzing external factors that relate to the company’s industry, a company would deal with uncertainty in the market and be able to take appropriate actions to any upcoming events. 3. 1 Macro Environment Political/ Legal Confectionery manufacturers are required to follow significant regulatory restraints especially in relation to food safety, product labeling, occupational health and safety, competition and consumer law, employment law as well as taxation policies. The regulatory requirements are sources of cost increase to manufactures. However, the regulations are necessary in order to guarantee the right for consumers, employees, competition and the quality of products.Failure to follow regulations might lead to significant negative publicity that can damage the reputation and brand of the company. Product safety regulations: Chocolate and c onfectionery manufacturers must strictly follow food and health regulations. The regulations are aimed at maintaining high levels of food hygiene and protecting the consumers against health threats related to unsafe food. Confectionery manufactures are currently regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. This regulatory organization is responsible for the implementation of the Australia New Zealand Joint Food Standards Code (IBISWorld, 2010). The Code also requires industry manufactures to comply with labeling requirements and serving size restrictions.In particularly, agreement with the Code demands manufacturers to supply information on the percentage share of ingredients used, nutritional information or any materials that might cause allergy like nuts. These requirements have been broadly censured for putting extra costs on manufacturers in the industry. However, with consumer groups reinforcing their demands for more nutritional instruction on product labels, the industr y is required to put more attention in implementing the regulation. Besides regulations relating to health and safety or employment, confectionery manufacturers also must conform to environmental regulations set out by the Federal and State governments.These regulations include water usage, energy usage; wastewater disposal and the treatment of waste resulting from manufacture process. Economic At a difficult time of the economic uncertainty in Europe and the USA, Australia continues to have stable and favorable economic growth. The real GDP, which grew by 1. 3% in the first quarter of 2012 over the previous quarter, demonstrates the stability of household consumption expenditure (IBISWorld, 2010). The increase in consumer spending might reinforce sales revenue of the industry. Given that, consumers of Haigh’s chocolate might not need to concern about cutting their spending on premium chocolate products and going for cheaper brands in the market.Raw materials including cocoa, sugar, milk, flavorings, sweeteners and oils represent primary inputs in the production process and any changes in their price affects industry supply. In confectionery industry, sugar is a primary input in the manufacturing process and an increase in the price of sugar will significantly impact production costs. Higher sugar prices recently will reduce manufacturing profitability unless firms can pass these costs on consumers. However, the trading environments in Australia and overseas are highly competitive, there is usually limited opportunity for manufacturers to raise selling price for their products. Moreover, the increases of post-production expenses in advertising and marketing campaigns will also unfavorably affect company’s profitability.As can be seen, the confectionery industry in Australia is highly competitive with a large number of new product lines introduced by various industry players; therefore existing manufactures in the industry need to create more exte nsive promotions and marketing programs. Socio-cultural Two key factors affect domestic demand and consequently determine future consumption structures is lifestyle change especially health consciousness and changing demographic form of the Australian population. The trend of public awareness about health and nutrition for food products is having an adverse effect on demand for sugar-based confectionery products like chocolate. Australians have become more attentive to their consuming food and account for factors such as sugar and fat content, quality of ingredients before deciding on a brand or product.Nutritional factors can affect sales revenue therefore companies in the industry are forced to be more innovative in producing low-sugar products and using organic material to meet the demand of health conscious consumers. Changing demographics of the Australian population also may affect the industry. Ageing population is growing dramatically in Australia as can be seen proportion o f young people will fall drastically while senior citizens will increase by up to 1% per year. Typically, young people tend to consume more confectionery products compared to the elderly, as people tend to develop a preference for savory food with age (IBISWorld, 2010). The result of ageing population’s raising might lead to lower total sales of the confectionery products.In general, an increase in disposable income will force spending on discretionary goods such as confectionery. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the March 2012, national disposable income increased 3. 5% compared to the same period of last year (IBISWorld, 2010). However, a growth in income may also encourage consumers to change to more expensive and premium chocolates rather than increase the volume of confectionery purchased. Technology The introduction and the adoption of new technology have improved cost and operating efficiencies as well as reduced the need for labor for manufacturing, st oring, delivery and distribution. Keeping the basic production process, chocolate manufactures are using new technology to develop their recipe.Automation and computer directed controls also have been used widely in the production process to be more time efficiency and greater quality control (IBISWorld, 2010). The introduction of quality assurance systems such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) has helped the food industry in improving safety standard. Product safety plays an essential role in preserving the industry’s reputation as a healthy and reliable food manufacturer. In regard to marketing and distribution systems, E-commerce is used by manufacturers to improve customer and supplier arrangements and networks, leading to cost savings through better inventory and production planning. The widespread of social network also creates a new way for manufactures in marketing, building brand and reinforcing relationship with consumers.Environmental Raw materials of chocolate production including cocoa, sugar, and milk are natural sources; therefore a change in climate will considerably impact on the industry. Natural disasters like flood, drought might result in scarcity of a resource and force its price to an unfavorable level to manufactures. Moreover, consumers nowadays are more aware of environmental sustainability. They likely prefer to use environment friendly brands or products in order to reduce the negative impacts on the environment. As a result, confectionery manufacturers have been attempting to â€Å"go green† by using recyclable or reusable packages for their products.In particularly, Haigh’s chocolate has committed not to use any plastic bags to reduce the environmental effects of packaging on the environment (Haigh's Chocolates). The company also stated that in order to be energy efficiency, rainwater is collected and stored in large underground tanks, then filtered and converted into steam providing indirect h eat for cooking processes. In addition, their recent factory upgrade was designed to consider energy and water conservation. The major sources of food industry waste include packaging, fats, oils, syrups, nuts, candied fruits, dusts and powders. Manufactures need to reduce environmental impacts associated with waste disposal and consumption of resources by waste management programs.Furthermore, the effort in saving energy also help manufactures in reducing energy costs and minimizing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. 3. 2 Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition Power of Buyers: Medium Australian confectionery producers sell their products to two major purchasing groups: large retail outfits and wholesalers including large supermarket chains (Coles, Woolworth, Big W, Target, Kmart), convenience stores, petrol stations, and department stores (IBISWorld, 2010). However, instead of selling products to large retail stores, Haigh’s chocolate has integrated forward i n the market and have its own retail stores. The main purchasers of the company are individual buyers who have noticed Haigh’s unique quality products and exclusive taste.By having good awareness of the brand and finding it is hard to get this quality products from others, the buyers would not easily switch to other brands therefore it lowers their bargaining power. (Low) Low switching cost due to the buyers can easily switch to other substitutes such as cookies, ice cream, and snack foods. (High) As consumers are more aware of health and nutrition for food products, demand for sweets and chocolate, which have high level of cholesterol and sugar–contained, would reduce. Healthier food might be preferred in consumers’ choices. (High) Large retailers like Coles and Woolworth would be potential threats if they implemented backward integration (Low) Power of Suppliers: LowThe primary materials in manufacturing of chocolate are cocoa, sugar and milk. Referring to sug ar and milk, there are various suppliers of these sources available in the region or country; therefore supplier concentration and differentiation of inputs are low. (Low) There are also various cocoa farms around the world especially in the developing countries; therefore the chocolate manufactures are important purchasers of these suppliers. As a result, the chocolate suppliers’ bargaining power is typically low. Nonetheless, as Haigh’s chocolate requires premium quality of cocoa, which is only produced by a small part of suppliers in the world, the bargaining power of high-quality cocoa beans suppliers will be stronger. High) Moreover, chocolate manufacturers might not avoid the threat of suppliers could vertically integrate forward to take part manufactures’ role. (Low) Threats of New Entrants: Low The threats of new entrants are low due to the barriers to entry are high. Entry into the premium chocolate market would require new entrants a large capital inve stment for branding and product facilities. Furthermore, new entrants also have to face with major players in the market with a long history and success. These dominant companies enjoy high brand and customer loyalty and have significant resources to invest in advertising and promotions to protect and grow their market share.In addition, these companies also have built strong relationship with main suppliers in the industry including grocery stores and supermarkets that would be challenging for new entrants to secure. (Low) Government regulations and policies about food safety and quality of products might be costly and difficult for new entrants to enter in the industry (Medium) Competitive Rivalry: High The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry can create price wars, advertising battles, new product lines, and higher quality of customer service. The Chocolate manufacturing industry is extremely competitive, with the major players aggressively competing for market s hare.Haigh’s chocolate has potential competitors including large-scale or international companies like Nestle, Kraft Foods, Mars, Lindt chocolate, Cadbury as well as several imported brands. In a competitive environment, there is usually limited opportunity for manufacturers to implement selling price increases for their products due to price sensitivity of consumers. Consumers can easily switch their preferences for a premium brand to a lower-priced substitute. Furthermore, it is also hard for Haigh’s chocolate to compete with these huge companies who have distributed their products widely in large supermarkets with cheaper price range for similar products. Substitutes: HighThe chocolate industry must compete with different ranges of substitute products including snack foods, cakes, cereal, and biscuits as well as substitute brands. The large number of substitutes makes manufacturers feel hard to increase their products’ price as consumer can easily switch to c heaper substitutes. In addition, the change in lifestyle of being more health consciousness would switch the spending of consumers in sweet or chocolate products to healthier substitutes. The External Factor Analysis Summary (EFAS) is included in Appendix 1. 4. Internal Analysis The internal analysis process is aimed to point out the sustainable competitive advantages of the company.The advantages can be achieved when a firm has the ability to undertake value-creating activities and use its unique resources and capabilities to create new core competencies. Haigh’s has a long-standing history and has strong resources that create its competitive advantages. Haigh’s resources including tangible and intangible which are analysed to define its capabilities and core competencies in the chocolate market. Strength History ‘Haigh’s chocolates is an Australian brand associated with fine chocolate, premium gifts and outstanding retail experiences. Haigh’s choc olates are predominantly retailed through their own retail network’. Haigh’s prides itself on a long history of premium quality, consistency over its 87 years of operation. It is a privately owned family business.This history of quality and consistency aids to a competitive advantage over a number of other chocolate manufacturers and distributors, and assist in high customer loyalty and increasing profits. Quality Haigh’s targets itself as a premium and quality brand. Their major strength in their market is the quality and consistency of their production and their ability to maintain the level of outstanding quality over the course of its long history. Haigh’s manufacturers their chocolate as a premium chocolate brand. They manufacture their chocolate as a traditional small batch manufacture; therefore it is not mass-produced and has a greater quality and level of control over all products.The ingredients are all high quality local produce including cocoa beans, sugar and milk, which are then manufacturer into premium chocolate. It is an Australian made product with entirely Australian ingredients and packaging, which is another strength to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. Customer Service Haigh’s promotes itself through great customer service, training is provided to all staff members with focus on customer service and product knowledge. Throughout Australia they employ 120 staff members and each staff member is provided with a high level of training upon employment and throughout the duration of their employment in the company. On purchasing a product, customers are handed a chocolate they have not tried with a white glove.This gesture adds to the premium brand image and creates an atmosphere, which customers want to return. Having customers try a chocolate they haven’t tasted increases repeat customers and high customer loyalty. Haigh’s does have limited marketing, its main focus is on in-store mar keting, and therefore this extra service does provide great in-store marketing and creates customers to be aware of products they have known about, and therefore repeat purchases. Control of production and distribution process Haigh’s being a private family run business gives them the strength of having the ability to control the whole production and distribution process.They control the production right through from purchasing raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, and retail to the final end consumer without any other distribution involved. Therefore if Haigh’s chose to outsource some production and distribution services they would loose total control over their products. Having total control and ownership allows them to ensure total quality and consistency over every product manufactured and distributed. Diversification of products and prices Haigh’s product range, ranges from very small packages retailing for a few dollars to large premium packages cost ing over a hundred dollars. It does have products to suit all price ranges.Having this large product range allows them to target a large number of consumer groups. Although they do have a large product range, their primary focus has been on the expensive premium products in previous years. As a result of the global financial crisis sales dropped in the smaller items, however they weren’t greatly affected by the premium products. During this time consumers were still spending on luxury chocolate products. Economic factors During times of economic decline, consumer spending does decrease. However with Haigh’s large product list, it does allow them to focus on products that consumers want to purchase during a period of decline.During the global financial crisis consumers were not spending money the lower cost products, however they were still spending on luxury products and gifts. Therefore during this time a high focus was put on the premium luxury products to maintain p rofit levels. During a time of economic decline Haigh’s does not reduce its prices. This is done to retain their reputable brand image of high quality premium products. Environmental Today consumers are becoming more environmentally aware and trends are rising in this field. Haigh’s understands that they can make a change in the practices. Haigh’s is highly focused on environmental factors and a lot of consideration is involved with the production, distribution and production of their products.Haigh’s has a strong commitment to several environmental issues including sponsorship and financial support for the bilby, a threatened marsupial native to Australia. They were the first ones to produce the bilby for Easter, it is now a continued tradition, and has created extreme awareness about the endangered marsupial. They have a policy of using recycled or recyclable packaging material and have their own internal recycling program, they carefully consider the i mpact it’s packaging and distribution methods have on the environment and on the community. ‘Haigh’s chocolates has long been concerned about the minimization and sustainability of packaging choices.The principles reflected in the Sustainable packaging guideline have been incorporated in the design, selection and planning of their packaging for many years Therefore their action are designed not around changing the processes but more around formalizing the recording and reporting behind these processes (Haigh's Chocolates). Packaging Haigh’s packages their products in a very cost effective manner however still enhancing their premium product model. The majority of products are packaged in white boxes, with brown tissue paper with a Haigh’s sticker. During Christmas and Easter and other major holidays, thick colorful foil is used for eggs and other products, this creates a premium look, it cuts costs from using boxes and they can distribute more for l ess. For premium products and gifts, tins are used. This is costly however these are used for the high end products. Online storeHaigh’s online store is a key strength for their consumer base and their distribution; they currently operate in 3 states with 6 stores. This is highly limiting for consumers in outside regions. The website offers consumers all the facts on their chocolate including company history, the chocolate, and the current products available. It also allows them to purchase the products therefore highly increasing their distribution levels. Brand image Haigh’s focus on quality, consistency and customer service has lead to a very highly trusted and recognized brand in Australia. This has been a major aid in sales increase and customer relationship solidification. Haigh’s marketing and promotion is through in-store and word of mouth marketing.The company does not focus on mass media campaigns and yet the brand has still managed to grow very consis tently. It is the quality of customer experience and product quality, which accelerates the companies growth. It is unsure as to whether increased advertising and promotion would support the brand or whether it would get rid of the exclusivity and luxurious image the brand currently represents. Weaknesses Market Entry To enter into the market it is relatively easy for competitors. It has low costs to set up a retail store, however competing can be difficult and they are up against the high brand image, quality, history, taste and the consistency of competitors’ products.No outside executive team Haigh’s is a private family owned business; therefore there is no outside executive team. The family is in total control, there is no external chief executive that can come and make changes if required, and an outside perspective could possibly enhance and develop the business further. Raising capital As it is a private company, in order to raise extra capital can be very diffi cult. One Product Company Haigh’s is a one-product company selling chocolate, which therefore reduces their target market significantly. Through expanding their product range their could therefore expand their target market thus increasing profits.This extension could be done through related product such as cookbooks, utensils and serving plates. Shop Locations Haigh’s currently operates in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia with 6 stores, therefore they are not a majorly well-known brand in the chocolate industry, and based on industry data they represent only 1. 1% of the total Australian chocolate market. Through expansion of their stores in more states and territories in malls and up market suburbs within Australia could significantly enhance and develop the business, and create greater brand awareness. Marketing Haigh’s marketing is virtually exclusive through the shops, not a well-known advertiser on television, radio or print media generally.Th is as a result saves a lot in marketing costs, however does not highly promote the brand. The cost of not having outside marketing may be overridden through the increase of profits they may receive if they were to further promote the brand. Haigh’s could focus on low cost marketing to support an expansion in the stores, getting their products to the consumers would greatly increase profits. Haigh’s competitive advantages Haigh’s has a number of advantages over competing organization. The main advantages being consistency of product/ their long history and the overall brand image. The brand image is one of premium and luxury products. It portrays to consumers a sense of profit compared to other companies.Seasonal products and collectors items are very expensive, however due to Haigh’s brand name, specific consumers want to purchase the deluxe items offered, which other chocolate companies do not offer. Lindt chocolate used to have a very expensive and prem ium brand name. However now that they have expanded and is readily available and predominantly on sale, the quality theme has disappeared whereas Haigh’s has retained their premium image. Core competencies Haigh’s competencies are that of production and good quality chocolate products. Their major competency is their quality and consistency of production, which has remained at the same level for many decades.The core products remain the same over time; seasonal items such as during Christmas and Easter can change from year to year. At the retail end, their high quality packaging, shop design and product design is a major expertise of Haigh’s, whish high quality and reliability. Their product presentation is consistent; when new products are available there is an expectation that it will match the high quality range. Their tours in Adelaide highly promote the skills and capabilities of Haigh’s, the public see how they make the product range for free, revea ling to the public how good its product capabilities are, especially in Adelaide which is highly competitive and hard to compete. Tangible and Intangible resources and capabilitiesHaigh’s primary activity is the manufacturer, retailer and distributor of high quality chocolates, with retail outlets and distribution across Australia and online. Tangible resources Haigh’s has to majorly rely on their own ability to raise funds though their own capital, which is a pitfall, as if they wanted to expand in order to build their brand it is quite difficult. Their organic and local sourced ingredients are the most important resource to continue the quality and consistency of their products. These ingredients are the core resource for Haigh’s as they are a one-product company. Ensuring the same quality and consistency throughout their products relies heavily on their raw ingredients. Recipes are provided through the shop, highly builds the brand.Recipes for different choco late desserts are complementary for customers. All manufacturing equipment is of high standard to produce the high quality and consistent chocolate. Intangible Haigh’s has a team of experienced chocolate makers and retail staff that bring their knowledge and skills together to build a dynamic company and retail know how. Their innovation towards sustainable packaging and creating awareness about Australia’s endangered animal the Bilby has been a significant resource. Both the tangible and intangible resources all result in helping to promote value adding activities and an overall profitable company with a strong brand image. The Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS) is in Appendix 2 5.Strategic Factor Analysis Summary (SFAS) External Factors| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Comments| Opportunities| New innovation and advanced technology| 0. 05| 5| 0. 25| Assist the company in production efficiency and reduce costs. | Current stable economic growth in Australia/ consu mers’ confidence| 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| Reinforce the spending of consumers in discretionary goods. | Availability of materials/suppliers| 0. 04| 4| 0. 16| Lower the bargaining power| High demand in Asian market| 0. 03| 3| 0. 09| Open up new market/ expansionary | Threats| Extremely competitive environment| 0. 06| 5| 0. 3| Need to be more innovative| Increase consumers’ health consciousness| 0. 3| 4| 0. 12| Decline the demand of consumers for high sugar, cholesterol, fat products | Various substitutes/Low switching costs| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Decline the sale revenue, brand loyalty| Government regulations| 0. 02| 1| 0. 02| Costly, create limitations| Natural disasters | 0. 02| 2| 0. 04| Effect the price of raw materials| Increase in costs of raw material/ costs of advertisings/ labors | 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| Increase products’ price, the company might have to pass these cost to consumers| Strength| History| 0. 02| 1| 0. 02| Long history of quality and consistency strengthens b rand image and customer loyalty. | Quality products| 0. 05| 5| 0. 5| Uses high quality raw materials to produce the finest chocolate and is very consistent with the level of quality for every product range. | Customer service| 0. 05| 5| 0. 25| Highly trained staff in providing a high level of customer service, enhances brand image and reputation. | Total control over production and distribution| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Allows Haigh’s to ensure total quality and consistency over every product manufactured and distributed. | Diversification of products and prices| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Broadens target market. Ability to attract a large number of consumers. | Economic factors| 0. 02| 2| 0. 04| There is no significant decrease in sales during times of economic decline. | Environmentally sound| 0. 02| 3| 0. 6| High focus on the environment using environmentally friendly products and distribution methods. Creates awareness of the endangered Australian native Bilby. | Packaging| 0. 02| 3| 0. 06| Uses a cost effective approach while still maintaining a premium and luxury brand image. | Online store| 0. 03| 4| 0. 12| Enables distribution of products to reach a broader range of consumers who are not within the vicinity of store locations. | Brand Image| 0. 04| 5| 0. 2| Key to building long lasting customer relationships and for attracting new customers. | Weakness| Market entry| 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| Easy for competitors to enter market, relatively low costs to set up retail store. No outside executive team| 0. 04| 2| 0. 08| Haigh’s being a privately owned family company has not outside team, which may affect decisions and growth. | Raising capital| 0. 02| 2| 0. 04| | One product company| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Through expanding their product range their could therefore expand their target market thus increasing profits. | Shop locations| 0. 05| 3| 0. 15| Limited shop locations, limiting the availability to consumers. | Marketing| 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| Marketing is through in-store and word of mouth. Marketing increase could create a larger customer base. | Total weighted score| 1. 0| | 3| | 6. Current strategic 6. 1 Business-level strategicWhen the company has determined its mission and vision, analysed the external environment and recognised internal strengths and weaknesses, management has to select appropriate strategies. To choose strategies should generate a competitive advantage in order to maximise the market value of the existing owners' equity (Hilier et al. , 2009). Business-level strategies, functional-level strategies and corporate strategies are the component in the strategy management. The main focus of Business-Level strategy is deciding which product or service to offer and how to distribute it. It is clear that Haigh’s chocolate focuses primarily on differentiation as its Business-Level Strategy. Own production lineAustralia does not have a viable cocoa growing industry so the beans are imported from overseas. Haigh’s is a family bu siness that is small enough to take delicate care in each process to ensure that they deliver the best quality chocolate. They protect their production line from getting the best cocoa from Europe and using their own chocolate manufacturing before distributing to their own retail stores, making this a good example of product differentiation, hence the higher price. At Haigh’s chocolate store, the differentiated product is the entire service, the quality chocolate and the experience in the store, not just the product directly purchased. Product DifferentiationUnlike cost leadership strategies, product differentiation aims to produce goods and services that customers perceive as being different in important ways. To build a successful product differentiation strategy, it is key to be able to continuously and consistently upgrade the differentiated features. Haigh’s has approximately 250 different product lines that rotate throughout the year (Natalise, 2012). The differe nt stores in different regions have their own preferences and are able to produce their own chocolate flavour according to the differing demands on their customers. Delivery system Haigh’s chocolate also offers delivery, costing an additional amount determinate upon the weight of the chocolate.This can be very convenient for customers as although the cost is quite high, customers are able to choose the Haigh’s product as a gift for others due to the high quality of the chocolate. Haigh’s should look to implement more control over this delivery system with the potential to include dry ice or other temperature controlled delivery vehicles to ensure the chocolate is kept at its high quality during the delivery process. Differentiated customer service To build up customer loyalty to the company, Haigh’s chocolate is able to create a differentiated service for them. We treat everyone with respect whether they are coming in for a $1. 20 chocolate frog or a $100 box of chocolate. We give a world class experience. (Orman, 2012).In addition, around 40,000 customers visited Haigh’s chocolate every year, Haigh’s is able to give a different customer experience centred around the quality of the chocolate and encourage many customers to experience new or different chocolates but offering a free chocolate factory tour with samples. 6. 2 Functional-level Strategies Functional-level strategies consider a company's ability to attain â€Å"superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness† (Hanson et al, 2011). Haigh’s chocolate also implements lean thinking process for the manufacturing strategy which enables to minimise non-productive activity and doing it right the first time. This strategy has been credited as a significant reason behind the recent success. (Austin, 2010) ProductionConsidering the production and due to the large number of products, they are able to spread high fixed costs of warehous ing and delivery to the retail stores around Australia. Moreover, learning effects are stable due to a consistent management, considering the order processing, Haigh’s chocolate is working very efficiently, too. High-quality automated chocolate factory increase the functionality of bringing the product to the end-user immensely Marketing From a marketing perspective, Haigh’s chocolate is the family company but applies a very efficient branding strategy. Good branding strategies are important for a business, because brands represent â€Å"consumers† perceptions and feelings about a product† (Jager, 2010). The company was able to build trust in Australia.Haigh’s chocolate is updated online often and efficiently, on the other hand due to the small number of the retail stores available around different area in Australia, they are given different advertising camping to keep customer loyal and engaged. Furthermore, Haigh’s chocolate also focuses on improving the brand awareness. Customer Responsiveness Customer responsiveness includes knowledge and acknowledgement about what the customer needs (Siegel, 2002). Furthermore, it is important not to compromise long-term profitability. Superior customer responsiveness will be achieved through superior efficiency, superior quality and superior innovation (Hansen et al, 2011).Through Haigh’s website, the design enhances their focus on customer needs and assists the company to detect better ways to satisfy them. Haigh’s chocolate is always looking for a new flavour of chocolate to fill up customer needs, making a variety of chocolate is the way to keep customer keeping coming back. Haigh’s chocolate store is also focused on providing a different theme at different periods to impress the customer in-store experience. Haigh’s chocolate is doing amazing job on their window display to attract customers, such as Sydney CBD store always has an eye-catching displa y to customer who walk past the store. 6. 3 Corporate Level strategiesConcentration on a single business The corporate strategy of Haigh’s chocolate is concentrated on a Single Business. Haigh’s chocolate focuses on its new technology, managerial and customer demand to stay in the strong competitive environment has made the company famous throughout Australia. Haigh’s chocolate makes quality chocolate through new technology introduced in their chocolate factory. The use of only the highest quality ingredients make sure the customer enjoys the best quality chocolate. Haigh’s believes in quality from start to finish. Haigh’s chocolate comes from the first pick of best cocoa beans in Europe and deliver the best raw material from the start.Haigh’s has a large variety of chocolate ranging from small chocolate frogs up to $100 gift hampers, there is a huge range of different chocolate varieties with a great price range to suit all customers budget s. There’s something for everyone in our shops (orman, 2012). Haigh’s produces their own chocolate in their factory located in Adelaide. Through only producing one product it allows the company to heavily focus on its managerial, financial, technological and physical resources in producing only chocolate. Tapered integration Haigh’s chocolate is considered as Tapered integration, for example Haigh’s chocolate imports the raw cocoa beans from overseas.Comprised of a chocolate maker and a transport company to arrange for the transportation to either individual customers in the case of online purchases or to retail shops, therefore the company has control of the whole process to ensure that their customers get the highest quality and freshest products. Using their own company supplier gives better control over the inputs and outputs in the operation. This control ensures that the Haigh’s chocolate family brand maintains a level of quality that it woul d not be able to guarantee if it were using suppliers that were not owned by the company. A strong level of quality control, and as such they can be certain that every part of the production process is line up to the aspect of Haigh’s chocolate.Its vertical integration has built strong barriers to entry, which enables to protect its product quality and make it costly for a company to enter the industry. International strategy Haigh’s chocolate has no international market so far since they have failed get into the Japanese market due to the certain issues such as pricing and developing new products for a different market. A further push from the company is expected in the next few years; however the Japanese mistake did cost the company a lot of money. A push into the Asian market, most likely to China or India, is expected in the next few years due to the high potential of growth in these markets with the potential recovery of the Asian markets. 7. Recommended strategi es 7. Business-level strategy The business level strategy is ‘an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions design to gain a competitive advantage by exploiting core competencies in specific, individual and product markets’. The following recommendations for Haigh’s will effectively exploit their core competencies. (Hanson et al, 2011). The key issues include what products and services to offer consumers, how to manufacture their product and how they are going to distribute their product’. (Hanson et al, 2011). These areas have been effectively obtained by Haigh’s however needs further enhancement and development to improve and grow the brand.From analysing Haigh’s current business level strategies it has been identified that Haigh’s is strongly focused on differentiated products. This has been a major strength for Haigh’s focusing solely on this model, and targeting a specific target market. It is strength howeve r in order to further expand the brand, broadening their selected target market would be highly beneficial and profitable. The implementation of the differentiation strategy has lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. They are one of the highest quality chocolate companies in Australia and need to continue with this strategy in the future to continue with the growing success and profitability of the company. Introduce new cost competitive product lineHaigh’s is a one-product business, therefore making it difficult to expand their target market and reach different groups of customers. Through implementing a larger product range it would be highly beneficial and profitable for the company. The brand image that Haigh’s currently has is one of very high quality. Therefore products need to be introduced that are related and at the same standard. Products that could be introduced into the business would include. Cook books, chocolate cooking utensils and serving plates. Chocolate cook books should be sold which would inspire customers to cook using Haigh’s chocolate. Haigh’s could also release their own cookbook from using the hundreds of recipes they have offered in store over the years.Cooking utensils such as chocolate molds, tempering machines, chocolate kits etc. Through adding these extra products to their product range it would highly boost sales and create a higher consumer interest for the brand. The implementation of these extra products to the line would not be a difficult task as they have most established areas such as distribution, retail outlets and staff. Haigh’s would just need to find suppliers for the products. Differentiated customer service Haigh’s customer service is an area that is highly successful and profitable to the company. Haigh’s creates a differentiated service for customers that is very unique to their company.This area within the company is recommended to remain at that same leve l of quality. Customers are treated with extreme respect no matter what you are spending within the store. They provide a ‘world-class experience’. Upon purchase they are handed a chocolate in a white glove. This encourages customers to experience new or different chocolates. Haigh’s does need to focus on this area as they must ensure the quality and consistency of their customer service remains the same over time, and throughout all stores. It is highly important as this may determine weather or not customers return to a Haigh’s store. Delivery system Haigh’s chocolate does offer delivery, which does cost extra determined by the weight of the chocolate.This is convenient for customers who live outside the region where Haigh’s does not have a store. The additional price of delivery is quite expensive. As Haigh’s chocolate is expensive this extra cost means that it is not a preferred method for consumers and is not a highly profitable a rea for Haigh’s. It is also hard to transport packaged chocolate, due to temperature requirements. Haigh’s currently operates in 3 states in Australia. Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. In the future Haigh’s should look at expanding their retail stores to other states and territories including, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and Australian capital territory.Through having retail stores across every state and territory across Australia it would be highly beneficial. It would expand their brand and customers. In order to become a more profitable business, Haigh’s needs to expand their store locations and introduce a large number of new consumers to the company. This process would initially be very expensive, however upon establishment it would be highly profitable to the company. Their main core competency is that of production and good quality chocolate products. Their quality and consistency of production, which has remaine d at the same level for many decades. At the retail end, their high quality packaging, shop design and product design is a major expertise of Haighs.Haighs needs to focus on their core competencies and effectively advertise to their selected target market to create more awareness about their brand and products. The recommended strategies will exploit Haighs core competencies and will help develop a stronger brand. 7. 2 Functional Strategy * Efficiency Keep practising the lean production Haigh’s chocolate so far has applied well significant strategies to maintain their efficiency in the manufacturing process. As can be seen, Haigh’s has adopted the lean production with the attempt to eliminate waste and to cut down non-productive activity and errors of products (Austin, 2010). The lean production also assists the company in using efficiently resources of labor, materials, space and time.It is recommended that besides continuing to practice the lean production, Haighâ₠¬â„¢s should start to analyze and focus on what they can do best or what product lines have more interest from consumers in order to maximize productivity. Strengthen relationship with supplier of key inputs The price of raw inputs like sugar and cocoa can be highly volatile due to uncertainties in the external environment such as weather, season, industry competitors or global economy. Contracts with suppliers will help the company to guarantee the price and availability of raw materials if any unpredictability events might occur in the market. Start applying the learning effects to improve labor productivity Learning effect will help the company in diminishing the cost of production per unit as more output will be produced per labour unit over the same amount of labour hours’ input.The learning effect not only requires labours but also managers to be involved in the production process. Managers will get used to with the process and be able to use the resources and arrange t he production process more efficiently thus leading to more output for the same amount of input. In order to carry out the learning effect, the company needs to start with comprehensive training program that enables their employees to perform multi tasks within each store such as cashiering, stocking and sales presentation. When staffs are flexible with the tasks they can do, the retail store could reduce the cost of labour. Being more incentive in marketing plans Effective marketing will help the company to seize larger market share.Haigh’s has been carrying out their marketing strategy based on in-store promotion and word of mouth. This strategy assists Haigh’s in saving cost; however, the company has not represented a remarkable market share in the industry. For example, with consumers who live in suburbs of NSW where Haigh’s stores do not exist, they properly are not aware of the brand and are not willing to travel too far to purchase the products that they would get conveniently from local supermarket. The common marketing tools would be applied to kindle new interest in existing product lines including social media and free gifts inside packaging, event sponsorship or taking part in food expos.For distribution channel, Haigh’s also can extend their supply to large purchasers such as up-scale hotels that require high quality products rather than just focus on individual buyers. Haigh’s premium products will be suitable for five-star hotel market. With this channel, Haigh’s will be able to sell larger amount, which would create economic of scale for the company. * Innovation Catch the consumers’ trend Failure to seize the consumers’ trends might lead to failure of the business. Consumers nowadays are having more awareness of health and nutrition in consumption decisions. In order to satisfy that need, Haigh’s need to be more innovative about the low-fat and low-sugar chocolate segment.Furthermo re, Haigh’s also can reduce the portion size of their product lines by producing â€Å"a small version† of original products in order to lessen the calories intake of consumers. It is also necessary for Haigh’s to promote the benefits of cocoa and dark chocolate to health in particularly for heart disease and antioxidant protection. Organic and free trading are also necessary movements for Haigh’s to raise consumers’ interest in the company. Extend into cafes The expansion into cafes might help Haigh’s to create a new product range. The innovation of cafes based on chocolate beverages and desserts will remark a turning point for the business. It not only helps Haigh’s to boost the sales of chocolate but also gives Haigh’s customers a new experience. * Customer responsiveness Building a strong brand loyaltyHaigh’s chocolate has created a great customer service by training staff and offering to them an intensive knowledge about products and branding. However, Haigh’s has not strongly focused on building brand loyalty. It is necessary for Haigh’s to engage and maintain the relationship with loyal customers by providing member cards, discount cards for large purchases. By implementing the loyalty programs, Haigh’s customers will feel they are valued. Moreover, with the discount promotions, customers might consider to buy with bigger amount in order to get more discount; as a result, Haigh’s could increase its sales revenue. Being more conscious of baby boomers segmentAs aging population in Australia is occurring faster, Haigh’s is required to take more actions in meeting the demand of this segment. Discount for senior is one of the options that Haigh’s could apply to attract more elderly people. Getting connected with consumers through social network Haigh’s has been successful in using the widespread of Facebook to engage with their consumers. In their Facebook page, a wide range of products has been introduced and received variety comments and responses from consumers. It is also a great marketing tool for Haigh’s. However, it is needed to exploit more the potential of social network and blogging community in strengthening the relationship with consumers.Haigh’s should set up more surveys and feedback pages in order to know what are best-seller products, what are their drawbacks, what consumers want and how to satisfy their needs. The creation of â€Å"make your own flavour† game would be applied in their Facebook page, which allows browser to create and mix own chocolate flavour. It would be a chance to let consumers knows that the company values their opinions and interests. Moreover, Haigh’s will also have more ideas in developing their product lines. 7. 3 Corporate strategy People always want new, innovative products. There are plenty of similar products existing and new products developed every si ngle day, which gives customers various options to choose. Therefore the company may easily experience change of consumer loyalty, especially for adolescents.Chocolate is an $83 billion a year business, which makes the industry’s value larger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 130 nations on earth (CNN, 2012). While they have expanded its business for almost a century, they only have 13 stores in Australia and have not expanded internationally. Their products are highly known in Australia as being of very high quality. However, Haigh’s Manufacturing represents only a small part of the Australian chocolate market. The Australian chocolate category is clearly dominated by large international players like Kraft Foods, Mars, and Nestle. Haigh’s best estimate based on industry data is 1. % of the total Australian chocolate market by turnover, a smaller portion by volume (A E HAIGH PTY LTD, 2011). In order to expand and grow the company some strategies are suggested: Tapered vertical Integration Vertical integration is commonly used in the firm’s core business to gain market power over rivals. Market power is gained as the firm develops the ability to save on its operations, avoid market costs, improve product quality and, possibly, protect its technology from imitation by rivals (Dallas Hanson, 2011). Since 1915, Haigh’s Chocolate carries out tapered vertical integration as they have controlled the whole process from raw materials to the consumer value chain.This has enabled the business to create the highest quality for its products and enabled them to protect the product quality. The company has built its own outstanding retail network. This strategy needs to keep up to protect its product quality and its long history. However, it will not be able to make continues growth in the long term as new international competitors keep entering into the market and strong international competitors have occupied the markets. Related diversification Haigh’s chocolate does not use related diversification. It is suggested to use related diversification in opening chocolate cafes in Australia, which allows them to grow their market share and reputation faster.Related diversification allows a company to swap complementary skills and create value through economise of scope. Haigh’s Chocolate has considered it but decided against it for now as they believe that is not their strength (Christina, 2011). There are some international chocolate cafes in Australia including Max Brenner, Lindt, Guylian and The Chocolate Room. One of Haigh’s strengths is breadth of its product range available to customers and it is even wider range than those international competitors which run chocolate cafes in Australia as well as worldwide (Christina, 2011). All products can be used at Haigh’s Chocolate cafe like the competitors.To differentiate, one of its current product, dark chocolate coffee beans which 100% Australian grown, for coffee lovers can be used for its coffee at the cafe and the cafe can be operated as a chocolate bar which combines a bar and a shop allowing cusomter to experience purchasing some their products at the chocolate cafe. In addition to this, buidling a solid training system for employees and developing of chocolate products such as chocolate brownie, chocolate cake can be implemented for a long term strategy of chocolate cafes. Moreover, this related diversification helps find out the latest consumer trends and behavior much more easier and also enables to advertise its new products or promotions at lower cost. International StrategyInternational strategy has been suggested as a possibility for further growth of the company. Asia market Europeans account for nearly half of all the chocolate the world eats, according to the International Cocoa Organization. (CNN, 2012) However, barriers to entry are too high in Europe as there are diverse strong competi tors. Although the Asia market is smaller compared to Europe, Asian markets are expected to hold a 20 percent share of the global market by 2016. Chocolate sales in China are expected to rise 19 percent to $1. 2 billion, India expects to see a 7 percent jump to $633 million dollars, and in Indonesia are expected to rise 25 percent to $1. billion dollars, ballooning to nearly 2 billion dollars by 2015 (CNN, 2012). Japan is Asia’s largest consumer market for chocolate confectionery with per capita consumption rate of about 1. 8 kilos (World Cocoa Foundation, 2011). Therefore the Asian market is a sutiable entry for Haigh’s Chocolates. The first entry for Haigh’s Chocolate can be Japan. Transnational strategy A transnational strategy is most suitable strategy for Haigh’s Chocolate as it helps to achieve both global efficiency and local responsiveness. They have not entered international markets since they had failed entering into Japan market due to pricing and developing new products for new market.Therefore, Haigh’s Chocolate needs new products for different markets. For instance, Japanese consumers prefer softer and less sweet products and prefer low-priced individually wrapped products are increasing (World Cocoa Foundation, 2011). Green tea, sesame flavours, individual wrapped products can be developed for Japanese markets. Haigh’s Chocolate’s are rated ‘green’ in Greenpeace True Food Guide, Signifying a clear policy on excluding GE-derived ingredients, including oils derived from GE crops, and animal products from animals fed on GE crops while other competitors such as Nestles have been rated much lower due to some criticism (True Food Network).Consumer awareness of environment-friendly products is expected to grow dramatically in the next five years (Markets and Markets, 2011). The company’s products are considered to be in a higher price range with diverse scale of products in the global market. The company can enter into international market with its clear policy as consumers seek healthier, higher quality of ingredient for health while providing different types of products for different markets for both global standardisation as well as localisation Entry mode: Strategic Alliance Strategic alliances allow companies to share the risks and the resources required to enter international markets.Furthermore, it can facilitate the development of new core competencies that contribute to the company’s future strategic competitiveness (Dal