It/240 Appendix E

Axia College Material Appendix E TCP/IP Network Planning Table Read questions 80 and 81 on pp. 274-275 of the text. Identify the problems with the TCP/IP network in each scenario and complete the table. Explain your answer for each of the scenarios. | | | | |Scenario |Problem |Explanation of proposed solution |Resources needed | |#80 |Two computers are on default gateways that are |The default gateway for computer 141. 171. 35. is |The computer will need to be accessed under the Administrator profile and the command| | |not optimal or are undefined, meaning the |not located on the network. This computer is |prompt opened. Type in â€Å"ipconfig/ release† followed by â€Å"ipconfig/ renew† to resolve | | |default gateway used is not on the existing |located in the ring topology subnet. The gateway |these issues. | | |network or the default gateway is not the best |should be set to 141. 171. 34. 7 to resolve the | | | |choice for connecting the computer. |issue with com puter 141. 171. 35. 3. | | | | | | | | | |The computer 141. 71. 40. 3, on the star subnet, | | | | |should have its default gateway changed to | | | | |141. 171. 40. 15. | | |#81 |The computer at 141. 171. 35. 3 is attempting to |The computer at 141. 171. 35. should have its |Again, the computer should be logged in with the Administrator profile and â€Å"ipconfig/| | |use a default gateway which is not located on |default gateway set to 141. 171. 34. 17. |release† followed by â€Å"ipconfig/ renew† should be typed in the command prompt on both | | |its subnet. | |machines to ensure connectivity to the proper gateways. | | | |The computer at 141. 171. 0. 3 should have its | | | |The gateway used by computer 141. 171. 40. 3 is |default gateway set to 141. 171. 40. 15 to optimize | | | |not optimizing connections between the computer|its connection. | | | |and others on the network. The computer should | | | | |use another gateway to optimize its | | | | |connectivity. | | |

Ben & Jerry Case Analysis

Strategic Analysis of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. Can B&J Serve a Double Scoop of Being Green and Making Green? ESM 210 Professor Delmas Final Paper November 21, 2000 Alex Tuttle Vicky Krikelas 1 BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM Table of Contents INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. MARKET DESCRIPTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. FIRM DESCRIPTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. THE MISSION STATEMENT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1 1 2 GENERAL CORPORATE STRATEGY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 STRATEGY ANALYSIS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Five Forces Model of Competition†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 SWOT Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 Key Succ ess Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 STRATEGIC CONSISTENCIES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 STRATEGIC DISCONNECTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 UNILEVER ACQUISITION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15 BIBLIOGRAPHY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 17 Figures FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. ANNUAL REVENUES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 ANNUAL RECYCLING†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 PORTER’S 5 FORCES MODEL †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 SWOT ANALYSIS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 KEY FACTORS OF SUCCESS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 2 3 INTRODUCTION Ben & Jerry’s is an innovative leader in the super premium ice cream industry. The company blends a commitment to provide all natural, high quality ice cream with a commitment towards social activism and environmental responsibility. This report will analyze both the company’s environmental strategy and general corporate strategy in order to identify the consistencies and disparities (if any) between these strategies and to determine whether a â€Å"green† company such as Ben & Jerry’s can sustain a competitive advantage.We will also discuss the potential impacts on the company’s strategic vision in light of the recent acquisition by Unilever. Our analysis will focus on examining the strengths and weaknesses of the environmental and general corporate strategies in light of its internal resources and external competitive and non-market forces. MARKET DE SCRIPTION Ben & Jerry’s operates in the highly competitive super premium ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet business.Super premium ice cream is generally characterized by a greater richness and density than other kinds of ice cream and commands a relatively higher price. The company’s two primary competitors include Haagen-Dazs (a member of the Ice Cream Partners organization) and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Company, which introduced its Godiva and Dreamery super premium ice cream line in the fall of 1999. Other significant competitors include Healthy Choice, Nestle and Starbucks (SEC Report, 1999). FIRM DESCRIPTION Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. the Vermont-based manufacturer of super-premium ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet, was founded in 1978 in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with a modest $12,000 investment. The company is now a leading ice cream manufacturing company known worldwide for it s innovative flavors and all-natural ingredients made from fresh Vermont milk and cream (www. benjerry. com). Manufacturing of all Ben & Jerry’s frozen dessert products occurs in the company’s three plants located in Vermont.The company distributes ice cream, low fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and novelty products nationwide as well as in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchised Ben & Jerry's scoop shops, restaurants and other venues. Outside of Vermont, the products are distributed primarily through Dreyer’s and other independent regional ice cream distributors. Unilever, a multinational food and personal products company recently acquired Ben & Jerry’s in spring 2000. The Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors approved Unilever's offer of $43. 60 per share for all of the 8. million outstanding shares, valuing the transaction at $326 million (www. lib. benjerry. com, October, 2000). Under the terms of the agreement, Ben & Jerry's will operate separately from Unilever's current U. S. ice cream business. There will be an independent 4 Board of Directors, which will focus on providing leadership for Ben & Jerry's social mission and brand integrity. Both co-founders will continue to be involved with Ben & Jerry's, and the company will continue to be Vermont-based. THE MISSION STATEMENT Ben & Jerry’s adopted a three-part mission statement formalizing the company’s business philosophy.According to the company’s home page (www. benjerry. com), the mission statement is as follows: Product Mission: to make, distribute and sell the finest quality all-natural ice cream and related products in a wide variety of innovative flavors made from Vermont dairy products. Social Mission: to operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in the structure of society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life of a broad comm unity: local, national, and international.Economic Mission: to operate the company on a sound financial basis of profitable growth, increasing value to our shareholders and creating career opportunities and financial rewards for our employees. Underlying this mission is the determination to seek innovative ways of addressing all three components, while holding a deep respect for employees and the community at large. GENERAL CORPORATE STRATEGY Ben & Jerry's corporate strategy strives to implement the three integrated missions described above: developing a high-quality product, achieving economic growth and profitability, and incorporating social activism.The general corporate strategy can be characterized as a focused or market niche strategy based primarily on product differentiation and quality production. Although focused differentiation strategies target a narrow buyer segment, this strategy helps Ben & Jerry’s gain a strong competitive advantage as it can offer consumers something they perceive is appealingly different from rival competitors—innovative super-premium ice cream flavors that taste better and consist of all natural, high quality ingredients.In addition to differentiating its product from other ice cream competitors, Ben & Jerry’s general strategy combines several other key components, including fostering a company image of social activism, creating brand loyalty, franchising the company to aid economic growth, and developing creative advertising campaigns. Product Differentiation One means of gaining a competitive advantage is through the use of a differentiation strategy to provide a better product that buyers believe is worth the premium price (Thompson and Strickland, 1998).Since higher quality ice cream generally costs more than the economy and regular types of ice cream, Ben and Jerry’s has incorporated product differentiation in its general corporate strategy in order to command a higher price. The use of all- natural, high quality 5 ingredients and the innovative flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream illustrates the strategic use of product differentiation to gain a competitive advantage in the ice cream market.Quirky flavor names such as Chubby Hubby, Wavy Gravy, Phish Food, and Chunky Monkey also set Ben & Jerry’s apart from the traditionally-named ice cream products of rival companies. Furthermore, the use of recycled materials and dioxin-free (unbleached) paper in product packaging contributes to the uniqueness of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and helps keep its costs down. Socially-Conscious Company Image Ben & Jerry’s strives to be an independent, socially-conscious Vermont company that supports local dairy farmers.Several examples illustrate how Ben & Jerry’s implements this corporate strategy. For instance, the company donates 7. 5% of pretax profits to philanthropic causes through the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, community action teams, and through corporate grants (http://www. hoovers. com). The company also donates free ice cream during public events and community celebrations in the Vermont area, and contributes a percentage of the profits earned from ice cream sold in Vermont retail stores to fund local charities (SEC Report, 1999).Furthermore, the company has ensured the long-term viability of its own key suppliers, the Vermont dairy farmers, by executing a strategic decision to pay more than a specified minimum price for its dairy ingredients (SEC Report, 1999). Brand loyalty Developing brand loyalty is another strategic move to strengthen competitive advantage. Ben & Jerry’s has made substantial efforts to gain a favorable reputation and image with buyers through its frequent promotional campaigns (i. e. , Free Cone Day), donations to social causes (i. , Ben & Jerry Foundation), and the use of eco-friendly products, as discussed below under Environmental Strategy. This strategy has proven successful; the 1999 Har ris Interactive Poll regarding buyer perception of corporate reputability ranked Ben & Jerry’s first in the â€Å"social responsibility† category and fifth overall (SEC Report, 1999). Small-Scale Growth and Franchising The economic mission of the company (to achieve profitability, increase value to shareholders and create career opportunities) is implemented through Ben & Jerry’s strategy for small-scale business growth.Ben & Jerry’s has maximized profitability by initially starting small and slowly building an ice-cream business over time (Spolsky, 2000). Ultimately, the success at the small-scale required the company to shift its corporate strategy toward the establishment of several franchised â€Å"scoop shops† throughout the nation and Europe. As of 1999, there were approximately 164 scoop shops in North America (SEC, 1999). These scoop shops serve as a major employment resource and a source of revenue for non-profit groups.In addition, Ben & Jerry’s gains a competitive advantage through franchising by expanding market share, increasing revenue and publicizing the company’s brand name using minimal amounts of startup capital. As shown in Figure 1, Ben & Jerry’s has achieved substantial, yet gradual, growth in revenues since 1993. Marketing Strategy According to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) annual report, Ben & Jerry’s use of natural ingredients, high product quality, periodic introduction of new flavors, focus on grass- 6 roots community involvement and the â€Å"down home† local image are essential elements of the company’s marketing strategy.The company’s Waterbury ice cream factory is the single most popular tourist attraction in Vermont. In addition, the company is well known for it’s creative television advertising and public relations campaigns. The use of innovative online marketing and web-based promotions with Yahoo have further emphasized this image and strengthened brand name recognition (SEC Report, 1999). Ben & Jerry's Annual Revenue: 1993-1998 225 $ (in millions) 200 175 150 125 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Year Figure 1. Annual Revenue for Ben & Jerry’s: 1993 to 1998. Source: Ben & Jerry’s 1998 CERES Report.CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY In 1992, Ben & Jerry’s became the first publicly held company to adopt the CERES (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) principles as part of its environmental strategy (Ben & Jerry’s 1998 CERES Report). CERES is a non-profit coalition of interest groups working in partnership with companies towards the goal of corporate environmental responsibility worldwide. This involvement with CERES is evidence of the company’s dedication to protecting the environment and insurance that consideration is made to the environment when managing and operating its business.The CERES principles are as follows: †¢ Protection of the Biosphere 7 â € ¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Reduction and Disposal of Wastes Energy Conservation Risk Reduction Safe Products and Services Environmental Restoration Public Outreach and Education Management Commitment Audits and Reports Ben & Jerry’s believes that â€Å"businesses should be among the leaders in the social change necessary to repair and prevent the damage that the human race is capable of inflicting upon natural cycles through everyday corporate, national, international, local and personal practices† (ibid).By integrating the CERES principles into the company’s overall goals, Ben & Jerry’s strives to develop a comprehensive environmental strategy that conforms to its mission of making an exemplary product, earning a fair return, and serving its community. Ben & Jerry’s environmental goals as a company are to minimize its negative impacts on the environment, promote sustai nable farming and safe methods of food production that reduce environmental degradation, and use its business as a medium for environmental and social change.In order to accomplish this strategy there are numerous policies and activities that the company is executing, or has plans to execute in the near future. By analyzing Ben & Jerry’s environmental strategy within the framework of the Principle Strategy-Implementing Tasks, as outlined in Chapter 9 of Crafting and Implementing Strategy (Thompson and Strickland, 1998), we can effectively examine the steps the company is taking to best achieve its goals. These actions are visible in all aspects of the company and are proof of the company’s commitment to its environmental strategy.There is an ever-present culture within Ben & Jerry’s of environmental awareness and interest in company greening. In implementing its strategy, Ben & Jerry’s has worked to ensure that every employee is involved and that values a re shared throughout the company. Within the management structure of the company, efforts are made to make sure that the Board of Directors and CEO are fully informed about pertinent environmental issues and are fully responsible for environmental policy. In addition, the company considers demonstrated environmental commitments when selecting Board members.As the founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield continue to provide strong environmental leadership that is crucial to effective implementation of the company’s environmental strategy. There is significant dialogue within the chain of command of the company. At each manufacturing site in Vermont there is an Environmental Coordinator who is in charge of operating and monitoring environmental activities. These coordinators meet with the Manager of Natural Resource Use on a monthly basis. Through this dialogue, nvironmental strategies for company-wide and site-specific compliance and operations are made. The Manager of Natural Resource Use reports to the Senior Director of Operations who in turn reports to the CEO (ibid). This flow of information ensures that every decision-maker is aware of environmental issues and considers these factors when running the business. 8 There is also a significant employee environmental awareness and education campaign within the company. Programs such as the company-wide Environmental Awareness Week promotes employee knowledge of environmental issues.During orientation, new employees are introduced to the environmental policies of the company by the Manager of Natural Resource Use (ibid). In addition, there are employee-led groups called Green Teams that work on company-related projects like recycling, composting, and writing â€Å"eco-facts† for the company newspaper (ibid). This activism and knowledge-share that is built into the company network contributes to the success of its environmental strategy by enabling company personnel to better carry out their strate gic roles.In addition to this internal communication, the company also uses various strategies to build public interest and awareness in environmental issues. This succeeds in not only promoting the goals of the company, but also in adding to the competitive advantage of the company by gaining public support and loyalty. Ben & Jerry’s website has a plethora of information on its environmental policies, activities, and accomplishments. The importance that the company places on these issues is shown by the fact that some of this information is highlighted on the home page (www. benjerry. om, 2000). Other tools the company uses for disseminating information to the public are the publications of the Annual Report and CERES Report, as well as position papers on dioxin and rBGH at their scoop shops. In addition, the company puts on an annual festival encouraging public awareness of environmental and social issues (CERES Report, 1998). In order to be successful in implementing its e nvironmental strategy, Ben & Jerry’s has established many strategy-supportive policies company-wide. These are detailed in the company’s 1998 CERES Report. These policies apply to all U. S. ocations and international locations under the company’s direct ownership. The Manager of Natural Resource Use continually updates them whenever new technologies, concerns, or standards emerge. Examples of these include: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Beginning in 1997, all uncontaminated waste oils from its plants are re-refined by a certified handler to be reused. In 1994 the company created a list of approved environmentally friendly cleaning and office supplies that is continually updated when appropriate. Scoop shops are built with environmentally sound material, such as tiles and countertops made of recycled materials.The â€Å"Contractor’s Handbook† contains environmental requirements for all outside parties working at Ben & Jerry’s sites. Another area that is crucial to ensure that environmental strategies are achieved is in the allocation of resources to strategy-critical activities and the institution of best practices for continuous improvement. The company puts a lot of energy into exploring opportunities for waste reduction, recycling, and energy use. In addition, the company tracks the cost and impacts of all waste and energy use associated with the production process.Using a system of integrated environmental tracking tables the company reports on solid, hazardous, wastewater, and dairy waste production, energy use, and recycling. This information is used to identify trends and set 9 goals. As a result of this work the company has demonstrated continual improvement in its solid-waste recycling, rising from 35% in 1995 to 53% in 1998. Figure 2 shows the amount of waste the company has recycled between 1995 and 1998. In 1998, a Packaging Innovation Group was created with a goal reducing waste from ingredient packaging (ibid. ).In 1997, the company conducted a project to develop a pint container that would be more environmentally sustainable and compostable. The company invested hundreds of man-hours to analyze sources of chlorine-free paper for their â€Å"Eco-Pint† (ibid. ). The release of this product is in direct line with the company’s environmental strategy and presents a major step forward in its goal to develop a compostable, non-toxic container. Annual Recycling at Ben & Jerry's Tons of Solid Waste 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1995 1996 Year 1997 1998 Figure 2. Annual Solid Waste Recycling at Ben & Jerry’s between 1995 and 1998.Source: Ben & Jerry’s 1998 CERES Report. Ben & Jerry’s realizes the importance of community participation and accountability. Consistent with its environmental strategy, Ben & Jerry’s uses its business as a means of promoting environmentalism, small-scale agriculture, human rights, and economic justice. This is achieved through C orporate Giving to organizations like Natural Resources Defense Council and the Vermont Land Trust, the establishment of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation which funds non-profit social and environmental organizations across the United States, and Community Actions Teams.These teams are made up of Ben & Jerry’s employees who organize annual major community projects in their area and provide grants to various community-based organizations. All told, Ben & Jerry’s donates approximately 7. 5% of its pre-tax profits annually (ibid. ). 10 Another means by which the company seeks to achieve its environmental strategy is through management of its supply chain. Ben & Jerry’s is consistently working to purchase ingredients and other inputs from environmentally and socially responsible sources. The company has a Vendor Certification Program in which 80% of its suppliers were enrolled by the end of 1998 (ibid. . As part of the assessment process, Ben & Jerry’s eval uates the environmental competencies of potential suppliers and considers this information when determining whether or not to do business. In addition, Ben & Jerry’s only purchases dairy supplies from family farmers who pledge not to treat their cows with rBGH, because of the adverse effects it has on sustainable agriculture (ibid. ). By working with its suppliers, Ben & Jerry’s attempts to ensure that its environmental goals are shared throughout its supply chain. This leads to a more effective implementation of its overall strategy.STRATEGY ANALYSIS An analysis of the external and internal forces shaping the ice cream industry is necessary in order to determine the effectiveness of Ben & Jerry’s current (and prospective) corporate and environmental strategies. We will utilize several analytical tools to characterize the strengths and liabilities of the industry and the effectiveness of the company’s strategy, particularly through the use of the Five For ces Model of Competition, the Sixth (Non-Market) Force analysis, SWOT analysis, and the key factors of success.Five Forces Model of Competition In order to identify and assess the strength of external competitive forces on the ice cream industry we utilized a common analytical tool, Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition, which is based on the following five factors: rivalry among competing sellers, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers of key inputs, substitute products and potential new entrants to the market (Thomas and Strickland, 1995). Figure 3 summarizes the competitive strength of these forces on the ice cream industry.Rivalry Among Competing Sellers The principal competitors in the super-premium ice cream industry are large, diversified companies with significantly greater resources than Ben & Jerry’s; the primary competitors include Dreyers and Haagen-Dazs. Rivalry can be characterized as intense, given that numerous competitors exist, the cost of switching to rival brands is low, and the sales-increasing tactics employed by Dreyers and other rivals threatens to boosts rivals’ unit volume of production (SEC Report, 1999).Buyers The power of buyers is relatively high because buyers are large, consisting of individual customers, grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants nationwide and globally. Since retailers purchase ice cream products in large quantities, this gives buyers substantial leverage over price. In addition, there are many ice cream products to choose from, so the buyers’ cost of switching to competing brands is relatively low. In order to defend against this competitive force, a company’s strategy must include strong product differentiation so that buyers are less able to switch over without incurring large costs. 1 Suppliers The suppliers to the ice cream industry include dairy farmers, paper container manufacturers, and suppliers of various flavorings. Such suppliers ar e a moderate competitive force, given that the ice cream industry they are supplying is a major customer, there are multiple suppliers throughout the nation to choose from, and many of the suppliers’ viability is tied to the wellbeing of large, established companies such as Dreyers and Haagen-Dazs. Therefore, the ice cream suppliers have moderate leverage to bargain over price.Substitute Products Many substitutes products are available within the dessert and frozen food industry (cookies, pies, Popsicles, cake). The ease with which buyers can switch to substitute products is an indicator of the strength of this competitive force. Since substitute products are readily available and attractively priced compared to the relatively higher priced super-premium ice cream products, the competitive pressures posed by substitute products are intense. Companies that enter the super-premium market, therefore, must adopt defensive strategies that convince buyers their higher priced produc t has better features (i. . , quality, taste, innovative flavors) that more than make up for the difference in price. Potential New Entrants The barriers to entry within the ice cream industry are moderate due to the brand preferences and customer loyalty toward the larger and more established rival companies. Other obstacles to new entrants include strong brand loyalty to established firms and economic factors, such as the requirement for large sources of capital, specialized mixing facilities and manufacturing plants.In addition, the accessibility of distribution channels can be difficult for an unknown firm with little or no brand recognition. Although Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield successfully launched their ice cream business from a gas station with modest funding and staff, they had to initially rely on a rival company’s distribution channels (and later on independent distributors) in order to gain a stronger foothold in the market. Figure 3. Porter’s Model of t he Five Competitive Forces S ubstituteProducts Many S ubstitute sBuye rs S trong le rage ve Largenum rs be Rivalry Among Competing Sellers Many large established rivals S upplie rs Mode le rage rate ve Ne Entrants w Mode Barrie to rate rs Entry 12 As discussed above, several competitive forces on the ice cream industry are relatively strong, suggesting that it is a difficult industry to be competitive in. However, Ben & Jerry’s implementation of a differentiation strategy has helped the company effectively defend against these forces and gain a competitive advantage.The use of higher quality ingredients and ecofriendly packaging has created a unique brand image that helps develop brand loyalty and beat rival competitors to the market. The company’s social activism toward the community and use of innovative flavors also help insulate the firm from the strong bargaining power of buyers since rival firms and/or products are relatively less attractive. Similarly, Ben & Jer ry’s product differentiation strategy also allows the company to fend off threats of substitute products that don’t have comparable features.The company’s differentiation strategy also mitigates the threat of potential entrants due to high buyer loyalty for a superior product. The moderate threat posed by suppliers is tackled by two other facets of the company’s strategy: ensuring the viability of suppliers by paying premium prices for raw materials, and redesigning the distribution network to gain more control and reduce reliance on rival distribution channels. The â€Å"Sixth† Force (Non-Market Forces) Industry Regulations Ben & Jerry’s is subject to regulation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Vermont Department of Agriculture.In response to stringent labeling criteria for healthoriented foods, the company made changes in its labeling regarding its low fat/low cholesterol products (SEC Report, 1999). FDA regu lations may potentially affect the ability of the company, as well as rival firms in the ice cream industry, to develop and market new frozen dessert products. However, given that Ben & Jerry’s is already in compliance with the FDA, it is unlikely that such regulations will have a significant impact on the company’s operations.Other regulatory forces include potential RCRA liability due to the company’s generation of hazardous materials during the manufacturing process. However, Ben & Jerry’s is currently exempt from these hazardous materials regulations since the level of hazardous materials generated is below the threshold for requiring a permit; indeed, by staying small and maintaining regulatory compliance, the company gains a competitive advantage over larger companies that may have to meet stricter regulations or be more susceptible to non-compliance.Public and Stakeholders Public and stakeholder concerns over health and nutrition and environmental pollution exert a strong force on the ice cream industry. The heightened consumer awareness and demand for low-cholesterol or low-fat foods can force companies to respond with ingredient substitutions and differentiated product lines to stay in business. Similarly, the increasing consumer trend toward supporting eco-friendly product packaging and all-natural, organic ingredients can cause ice cream companies to revise their strategies.Ben & Jerry’s, with it’s commitment to providing all natural ingredients, a low-fat ice cream line, and chlorine-free paper for example, is in a better position to attract those consumers who are willing to pay more to get more. Given Ben & Jerry’s proactive strategic approach, the company can effectively insulate itself from these public pressures and enjoys a significant competitive advantage over those companies that resist incorporating socially progressive or eco-friendly values into their strategies. 13SWOT Analysis Another m eans of analyzing the strategies of the company is by examining the strengths and weaknesses of its internal resources, and then exploring the external threats and opportunities facing the company. By developing a clear understanding of these factors, we can evaluate where the company should go from here. Figure 4 identifies these forces for both the general corporate and environmental strategies of Ben & Jerry’s. Based on our analysis, we feel that much of the company’s internal strengths and external opportunities lie within its environmental strategy.This gives further evidence to suggest that the environmental and corporate strategies are well integrated, and that this integration is crucial to the future success of the company. Figure 4. SWOT Analysis of Ben & Jerry’s Strengths Product Differentiation Brand Name & Image Creative Advertising & Promotion Innovation Environmental Leader Threats Image Deterioration Increased Competition Shift in Buyer Preferenc es Loss of Sales to Substitutes Bush Presidency Conflicts with Unilever Weaknesses Dependence on Outside Distribution High Cost Financial Instability Geographic LimitationsOpportunities Growing Consumer Environmental Interest Geographic Expansion Market Diversification Alliances Key Success Factors A successful strategy incorporates the company’s efforts to be competent on all of the industry’s key success factors and to excel on at least one factor (Thompson and Strickland, 1998). In the highly competitive super-premium ice cream industry, the key factors of success include product 14 differentiation, a strong distribution network, brand loyalty and clever advertising.As shown in Figure 5, Ben & Jerry’s excels in these (and other) key factors, and has a particular expertise on product differentiation to gain a competitive advantage. Product Differentiation All-natural ingredients Innovative flavors High quality Brand Loyalty Favorable reputation with environmen tally-aware consumers Access to Distribution Network use of independent suppliers and existing channels Social Activism Corporate philanthropy Ben & Jerry’s Fund Eco-friendly Product Dioxin-free pint containers Recycled materials Hormone-free dairy supplyClever advertising Free ice cream samples Grassroots and local image Figure 5. Ben & Jerry’s Key Factors of Success. STRATEGIC CONSISTENCIES According to the Ben & Jerry’s Mission Statement, the goal of the company is to integrate product quality with economic success and social responsibility. One of the key strategic factors that successfully links these three missions together is the differentiation strategy. In this respect, the environmental and general corporate strategies are very much in tune with each other.Differentiation not only increases the competitive advantage of Ben & Jerry’s, but it also leads to environmental excellence in the operation of the company. By focusing its attention and ener gy on recycling, energy efficiency, and product innovation, Ben & Jerry’s can reduce its impact on the environment while at the same time reducing product cost. This is being achieved through the work of the Packaging Information Group that focuses on reducing the incoming packaging which adds to the waste stream, and the production of the compostable â€Å"Eco-Pint. † These and other actions help build a competitive advantage within the market.By using allnatural, rBGH-free ingredients and dioxin-free containers, Ben & Jerry’s can also attract environmentally minded consumers to its products, thus increasing market share. At the same time, this practice helps protect the environment and support family-farming and sustainable agriculture. Therefore, this differentiation strategy has the versatility of providing a better product that can attract customers, command a higher price, and protect the environment, thus satisfying the three integral parts of the company ’s mission and both the corporate and environmental strategies.In order for this environmental differentiation strategy to be sustainable there needs to be a willingness among customers to pay for environmental quality, credible information about the company’s environmental attributes, and insulation against imitation. The company’s steady 15 growth in revenue over the last few years shows that the customer base is there and that they are more than willing to pay a premium price for a superior quality product. Ben & Jerry’s addresses the latter two issues through its informative website, external audits, and constant innovation creating unique, hard to imitate flavors and products.Another way in which the environmental strategy and corporate strategy are consistent with each other is in the area of regulatory compliance. As a result of the attention Ben & Jerry’s pays to the environmental risks associated with its production process, and the effort s made by the company to ensure that negative impacts to the environment from its business operations are minimized, Ben & Jerry’s has had very few compliance issues and has never been issued any penalties by Federal regulators (1998 CERES Report). In addition to the environmental benefit from such compliance, there is a beneficial impact on the business as well.By minimizing operational costs, the company gains a potential competitive advantage over competitors with less stringent environmental controls that may face compliance issues. Overall, the company’s environmental strategy and general business strategy are well integrated. By focusing on differentiation, which is in large part due to environmental policies and programs, the company gains a competitive advantage over its rivals. As the company grows and increases its annual profits, more money can therefore be donated to social and environmental causes through its various giving channels.Ben & Jerry’s ha s positioned itself so that its success is highly dependent on its environmental image, therefore the two strategies are intimately linked. There are, however, some disconnects between strategies. There are a few instances where environmental goals take a back seat to company profits. Examples of these disconnects are described in the next section below. DISCONNECTS BETWEEN STRATEGIES Although the mission of the company is to temper economic growth with environmental responsibility, during our research we discovered several ccasions in which company profits clearly outweighed the desire to be as environmentally proactive as possible. For example, Ben and Jerry’s currently packages its Peace Pops inside a plastic wrapper and paper board box. This change was in response to a belief that sales had been declining due to customer disapproval of its original packaging, which consisted solely of a plastic wrapper. This change has led to an increase of packaging materials by 152,000 pounds annually (ibid. ).This is in direct conflict with the company’s policy on waste reduction and illustrates the priority given to company profits over environmental concerns. Similarly, an effort to introduce an organic line of desserts, which would have been more in line with its environmental strategy, was abandoned due to economic costs. Another example of a â€Å"disconnect† is in the company’s energy use. Ben & Jerry’s recognizes that its operation, like any industrial process, is energy intensive. However, as of 1998, the company had no formal policy on energy use and conservation (ibid. ).While the plants and scoop shops make attempts to be energy efficient, the company relies on non-renewable sources of energy for its production processes, instead of using green energy that would be less damaging 16 and more consistent with its environmental policies. Although not expressly stated, it seems that economic cost is once again superseding sustain ability. While Ben & Jerry’s works to reuse and recycle as much of its waste as possible, it is the policy of the company to send any hazardous waste that cannot be recycled to a hazardous waste incinerator to be handled.Although this may be the most economical method of treating hazardous waste, it is not necessarily the most environmentally sound disposal technology, and directly contradicts the company’s environmental goals. In keeping with the corporate strategy of maintaining a local, down home image, many sacrifices to the environmental strategy are made. The most glaring disconnect is in the national distribution of the product from a single state. Manufacturing in Vermont requires extensive shipping of its products; this is a highly energy-intensive process.In 1998, emissions from the distribution of its products totaled over 113,000 pounds for carbon monoxide, 15,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, 7,000 pounds of hydrocarbons, 1,600 tons of carbon dioxide, and 400 pounds of particulate matter (ibid. ). This tradeoff illustrates an inherent inconsistency between the corporate and environmental strategies of the company. While these disconnects do occur, we feel that Ben & Jerry’s has done an excellent job in integrating its business and environmental strategies and balancing profitability with environmental protection.UNILEVER ACQUISITION AND IMPACTS ON STRATEGY Ben & Jerry's strategy will likely shift towards larger-scale economic growth in response to the recent Unilever acquisition of the company in April 2000. Ben & Jerry’s emphasized that this acquisition will allow the company to create an even more dynamic, socially positive ice cream business with global reach (www. lib. benjerry. com). In addition, the financial backing of a larger and established company will strengthen Ben & Jerry’s competitive advantage with respect to the five forces, particularly the threat of competition from rival firms.According to the co founders, â€Å"neither of us could have anticipated, twenty years ago, that a major multinational would some day sign on, enthusiastically, to pursue and expand the social mission that continues to be an essential part of Ben & Jerry's and a driving force behind our many successes. But today, Unilever has done just that. While we and others certainly would have preferred to pursue our mission as an independent enterprise, we hope that, as part of Unilever, Ben & Jerry's will continue to expand its role in society† (ibid).The agreement between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s ensures that the current social mission of Ben & Jerry's will be encouraged and well-funded, which will lead to improved performance in this area; and an opportunity has been offered for Ben & Jerry's to contribute to Unilever's social practices worldwide. According to Richard Goldstein, President of Unilever Foods of North America, Unilever feels that â€Å"Ben & Jerry's has a significant opportunity outside of the United States. Unilever is in an ideal position to bring the Ben & Jerry's brand, values and socially responsible message to consumers worldwide.Much of the success of the Ben & Jerry's brand is based on its connections to basic human values, and it is our hope and expectation that Ben & Jerry's continues to engage in these critical, global economic and social missions† (ibid). Based on the nature of this agreement, Unilever is pledging to uphold Ben & Jerry’s mission of 17 integrating product quality with economic performance and social responsibility. Therefore, we do not expect that Ben & Jerry’s environmental strategy will change, except that more innovations can possibly be made with the augmented financial and human resources.In addition, the social and environmental mission of the company will have the opportunity to be applied on a more global scale. As far as the preservation of the company’s corporate strategy, Unilever’s gl obal presence and greater access to distribution channels will allow for Ben & Jerry’s to continue to expand internationally, thus increasing market share, profitability, and competitive advantage. Potential threat to Ben & Jerry’s success as a result of the Unilever acquisition are the negative public perception of the company (i. e. elling out), loss of consumer support and brand loyalty. This can be mitigated through marketing strategies geared towards alleviating public fears and ensuring that the underlying goals and policies of the company will remain intact. RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION Based on our analysis, we believe that the corporate and environmental strategies are appropriate and well integrated. While there are some disconnects between the two strategies, overall it is clear that the company strives to achieve economic success and environmental responsibility.Up to now, Ben & Jerry’s has been successful at maintaining this balance. The primary con cern is how well the company can insulate itself from future competition that could threaten its position as a leader in the super premium frozen dessert industry. In light of the threats identified in the SWOT analysis, we recommend that Ben & Jerry’s implement the following suggestions: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Protect its public image in light of the recent acquisition by Unilever by maintaining its current position as a market-leader in environmentally and socially responsible business practices.Continue cost-cutting efforts through implementation of further waste reduction, energy conservation, and recycling programs. Draft a formal written policy on energy use. Frequent product innovation and diversification to address threats of substitute and imitation products and meet changing consumer preferences (i. e. lactose-free ice cream, all organic line of frozen desserts, cookies) Continue franchising scoop shops to increase its market reach a nd withstand growing competition, both nationally and internationally.As the company grows, there will be greater waste generation and distribution-related emissions – increase the development of cleaner manufacturing, disposal, and distribution technologies to ensure that the company continues to stay in compliance. Develop additional manufacturing plants and distribution centers outside of Vermont to reduce distribution costs, cut down on distribution-related emissions, and increase production volume of the company. If George W.Bush becomes President, there could be a relaxation of environmental regulations and attitudes, thus leveling the playing field and eroding Ben & Jerry’s competitive advantage over firms that may be less environmentally responsible. The 18 †¢ company needs to continue to focus on its differentiation strategy to retain its edge and bolster customer loyalty and support. Continue to work with Unilever to ensure that Ben & Jerry’s rema ins an independent subsidiary with its social and environmental values firmly in place. Protect itself from assimilation into the multinational corporate identity.In conclusion, our analysis has illustrated that a company can be competitive without sacrificing its environmental goals and strategies. Through differentiation, Ben & Jerry’s has established itself as both a leader in product quality and environmental responsibility. The challenge will be for Ben & Jerry’s, after being acquired by a multinational conglomerate, to demonstrate that it is still possible to maintain its uniqueness and proactive environmental strategy. So can Ben & Jerry’s continue to serve up a double scoop of being green and making green?Stay tuned for the next flavor of the month. 19 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ben & Jerry’s 1998 CERES Environmental Report, 1998. Securities and Exchange Commission Annual Report for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. Form 10-K, 1999. Spolsky, Joel, â€Å"How to Grow a Business,† http://www. fool. com, August 4, 2000. Thompson, Arthur A. Jr. , Strickland, III, A. J. Crafting and Implementing Strategy, Text and Readings, 10th edition. Irwin McGraw-Hill, 1998. www. hoovers. com www. benjerry. com www. lib. benjerry. com Substitute Products Many S ubstitute s 20

No Country Should Intervene in the Affairs of Another

‘The perils of indifference' was what famous Hebrew Journalist, Idle Wiser, said to describe the blatant lack of regard states had for the ways Jews were treated all across the world. Discrimination, ethnic cleansing and purges were Just a few of the atrocities that they were subject to and yet little was done to assist them. This reaffirms the need for countries to intervene in the affairs of another, in terms of economic, political or social instability, because states are not always capable of making the right decisions to maximize the welfare of the society.Indeed there are asses where external intervention is unjustified, especially when global or regional powers try to exert their influence over another country. However, it is not right to assert that ‘No country should intervene in the affairs of another' as it gives too much power to individual governments. Instead, mediated intervention should be used to ensure that countries are kept in check.The common argument to Justify the stand for ‘No external intervention' is that of sovereignty, where the basic integrity of the state should be respected. This has been encoded in the United Nations charter, as well as that of the SEAN as a basic deadline to govern state relationships with one another. It has been frequently invoked by countries, such as the Soviet Union and China in the Korean War and even Indian, in the on-going dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir.While it is important to acknowledge the view that as the government, they need to exercise their political will and have the right to exert their influence without any interference, we need to realize that this monopoly of power might not be healthy for countries, Case in point, India, who has utilized brutal methods in dumping down on the Kashmir insurgents ND have committed an overwhelming number of human rights violations since the outbreak in 1989, over a territory that has not officially been recognized as theirs.In this case i t is not right to allow India to invoke the rule of sovereignty as a meaner to justify their actions for it would allow the continuation of such actions towards the Kashmir, to render conflict even more intractable, rendering the argument for sovereignty limited as it should not absolve them of such actions. ‘The Great Satan', as the Islamic fundamentalists often describe the Americans would be another case to support this rule of non-intervention. This occurs when regional powers or international superpowers attempt to exert their influence on another country through state intervention.There were many blatant incidents of this, especially during the Cold War era. The USA ; in trying to counter the Soviet communist influence, funded Islamic extremist rebels and provided then with huge amounts of arms and today, these fundamentalists constitute the Unexamined, a transnational terrorist organization. Egypt, in trying to assert its regional leadership as the forefront of Pan-Rabb is, encouraged the Yon-Kipper war on Israel that instead had devastating impacts on the Arabs and the worldwide economies through oil crisis of 1973 that saw oil prices spike from $2. 50 per barrel to $12 per barrel.The list goes on and on with conflicts from Somalia, to Vietnam and even Shove. On of malfeasances and committing of arms should under no circumstances, be allowed. Indeed the pursuit of interests might not always harm countries, as in the case of Japan and Western Europe, whose economies were rejuvenated by western intervention, but these are the anomalies. Too often we see that states descend into rather chaos due to the polarities nature of intervention to pursue one's interests, which then highlight the dangerous potential that intervention in another's country has on society.However, these cases in which authoritarian regimes attempt to consolidate control, or governments that resort to committing atrocities to pursue their interests within the country. For example, the conflict in Syria has blown up in present day, where hundreds are killed every day by Sad, who is trying to re-assert his control in a climate of growing dissent. Human atrocities are also not limited to the ways in which countries try to assert control, but in the practices carried out as well.For example, in Afghanistan, woman are often abused ad have strict laws imposed on them, such that if they are seen in public without the permission of their husband, they could be subject to ‘acid attacks', or have their body part mutilated. Under such circumstances, it would be undesirable to continue to persuade the power of such merciless regimes Just because ‘one should respect the territorial borders of another country. This is evident in the amount if progress that has been made around the world with regard to the atrocities being committed.In the Middle East, the interference of human rights groups have helped woman earn greater rights and in 201 5, some states have a llowed women to take part in local elections. External intervention has also helped in the acquisition of independence from regimes that attempt to clamp down on the dissidents without giving them equal rights. In East Timer, the Indonesian government had tried to gain control over the territory and utilized force to dent the locals any chance of freedom. However, through UN intervention through the MUTANT and economic sanctions, East Timer was able to reek free from Indonesia and gain independence in 2002.These happenings definitely provide impetus for us to accept external intervention when we know that governments are carrying out blatant human rights violations and should be limited so as to prevent the perpetuation of such atrocities. International intervention could also be important in providing the necessary humanitarian and economic aid to countries that require help, Many countries, especially the third world, are recipients if aid from international organizations, such as the I-IN, or the Red Cross.These occur when countries are plagued by unfavorable conditions for economic growth, such as natural disasters that wreck crops and homes. Here, governments are incapable of promoting the appropriate conditions to secure the welfare of their states and in recognizing such dismal conditions, international organizations and countries extend their capacity it assist these states to promote development.This was seen clearly in the tsunamis that wrecked Thailand coastal areas in the 2004 and also in the Hurricane Strain that killed many and destroyed infrastructure in New Orleans, which sea the timely espouse if the World Red Cross in providing humanitarian aid for reconstruction. Then again, detractors argue that doing so would not benefit the economy because it aid. However, I contend that such a counter is limited by the fact that these are wrecked economies that need recovery before they can go on such pursuit for growth.Moreover, there are programmer tha t help to ensure self-sustenance in countries through aid. In example, the UN Work for food' programmer in Ethiopia, is a programmer that encourages the villagers to work build infrastructure beneficial to their society like houses in exchange for food to feed their families. Theses have the two-pronged effect of providing aid and infrastructure, while ensuring that an over- reliance is not developed. There are also critics that argue that such intervention could compel state sot impose stricter measure and refuse the aid.However, I think that the focus should be on making such states accept the aid, as opposed to chiding external intervention. Thus was evident in the Congo crisis, in which the Strangest secessionists under Toothsome refused UN aid, but after talks with the Secretary General, aid was quickly secured and eventually, the situation stabilized. Thus this enforced the idea that external intervention can also make up for what the government in not able to provide for its people.Lastly, external intervention could also be useful in states marred with civil disorder, such that control is no longer within the hands of the government. In such cases, external intervention could be useful in helping to reach a compromise between the rivaling factions so that stability can be re-established into the state. The necessity for such intervention was highlighted in Somalia, in which rivaling factions caused the country to descend into a period and chaos and disorder. In Somalia, the government was incapable and asserting its influence and when they were overthrown, civil in fighting rendered help necessary.This once again highlights that in cases that are beyond government control, external intervention should be a tool to engender a climate of stability so that peace and progress can be pursued. Some may argue that civilians are not always receptive to external intervention ad hence, external intervention and hence, external intervention could be redundant and instead, detrimental to those countries kind enough to extend aid and troops. However, I blame this reluctance on the fact that the notion of ‘non-intervention' is constantly emphasized, denying any legitimacy to bodies that attempt to help countered in need.Psychologically, the idea of non-intervention leads the majority of them believe that no mandate, regardless of who issued it, is capable of preventing them from pursuing matters that pertain into one that has impartial, peace-bringing peace-bringing connotations, I trust a much greater degree of confidence, I trust that a much greater degree of confidence will allow constructive aid to be delivered to countries that require it. Frequent and informal diplomacy' as advocated by proponents of SEAN in building trust and confidence between stated to help dissolve the myriad of interstate tensions.That should be the key adopted to allow us to break away from the notion that one's integrity is violated through external interven tion. By establishing and ensuring the impartiality of intervention and governing the usage of aid extended, I am confident that the negative effects of external intervention can be mitigated. By establishing and enforcing norms that are able to ensure monitored not tolerated, intervention will become a helpful vehicle to drive towards the plopped global society that many are after.Therefore, I conclude that the notion that ‘No country should intervene in the affair of another' should be an invalid one and I strongly disagree with such an absolute. External intervention can be a very useful tool to help society attain its political, social and economic goals of stability. Even when considering the negative effects of intervention, it would be more accurate to modify the hypothesis to assert that ‘No state that pursues its vested interests in a destructive, blatant manner should be allowed to intervene in the affairs of another'. Hence, I disagree with the statement.

A Promise to Abraham Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A Promise to Abraham - Essay Example Then the lord answered Abraham that no one will be his heir apart from the one who will come from the body of Abraham. In addition, God went further and directed Abraham outside at night. Then he told him to count all the stars that he saw above the sky. God told he would bore as many children as those stars in the sky1. Abraham had great believed in God, and he accounted it to him for righteousness. The lord then told him that he was the lord who brought him out of the land of Ur of the Chaldeans, then gave the land that he was dwelling in at that moment to inherit it. Consequently, Abraham wanted to if he would inherit that piece of land2. Following this question posted to the lord, Abraham was ordered to bring with him a heifer, female goat and an old ram all three years in age, turtledove and a young pigeon. Abraham then brought all these to the lord, divided them into two equal parts, and placed each peace opposite the other, but he did not divide the birds into two. In addition , whenever the vultures tried to interfere with the staff Abraham drove them away3. The time was going, and darkness was approaching as the sun was going down. Abraham felt a deep sleep, he was in slumber land, and beheld darkness accompanied by terror felt to Abraham. Then the lord appeared to him and told him that since his off springs would be strangers in a ground that was not theirs, they would serve them and afflict them for four hundred years. This came to succeed the sunsets and it was dark, and instantly came a smoking oven and a combusting torch, which passed against those meet pieces. On this same day, the lord God made a covenant with Abraham and informed him that he had landed his descendants land to dwell in starting from river Egypt to the great river Euphrates of Euphrates. Then Abraham gave thanks to God and headed to his missions4. Analysis of the literary style and the characteristics of the passage Following the first scene (Gen 1-5), the chief is Abraham’ s seed. God seeks to encourage Abraham in his fear by affirming that his reward would be very great (15: 1). Abraham responds by questioning him about the validity of the reward since he is childless. The lord assures Abraham that his ‘’seed will be more numerous than the stars in the heavens (Gen 4-5). He promises Abraham again what he is going to do in the near future, the ‘seed’ promise is as certain as the reliability of God5. Genesis 15:6 breaks the narrative pattern, Mosses affirms that Abraham responded to God’s promise of innumerable seed with faith. Based on Abraham’s faith, the lord reckons him as righteous. He recognizes Abraham as his loyal servant with whom he will enter into covenant. Genesis 15:7-18 recounts God’s making of covenant with Abraham. The stress in this part shifts to land promised by the lord to Abraham. He encourages Abraham with the fact that he had removed him out of Ur to lend him the land of Canaan as hi s heredity. (15:7). Therefore, the inheritance to be given to Abraham’s ‘’seeds’’ refers primarily to the land (15-8). In response to Abraham’s question, God gives assurance by entering into a covenant with him6. The covenant ceremony begins with the familiar pattern of the lord’s command and Abraham’s faithful obedience. The lord commands Abraham to take him certain animals. Abraham obediently comply cutting and laying some of the

Design paragraphs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design paragraphs - Term Paper Example The use of related color harmony and specifically analogous scheme makes the setting outstanding people the viewer does not have to look for many colors to appreciate. Rather, there is only one dominating color for the viewer to appreciate. 2. There is the application of balance in the arrangement of the two portraits on the way. Basically, balance ensures that when given an imaginary line and a large object is placed near the line, there should be a small object placed at the edge and away from the line but where there are two objects of the same size as seen in the portraits, they should be put at the same distance away from the imaginary centre line. Again, there is repetition and this is seen in the designs in the sofa. This is because the designs in the sofa are the same and recurring. Finally there is the principle of harmony. This is seen in the colors of the glasses on the table. All the glasses are of the same color and of the same quality – glass. For this reason, th ey give a perfect harmony. 3. Gestalt’s principle of figure grouping is seen from the law of proximity, which makes use or emphasizes on grouping of objects. From the picture given, we see the application of Gestalt’s principle of figure grouping at work in the sense that the five chairs have been grouped together in a row. Apart from the row, there is no other place in the interior that chairs are seen. The hanging lights are also grouped and put together in a row. There is also the grouping of candles on the table and these are the three major grouping seen in the interior. 4. There is the application of the element of direction in the arrangement of steps, wall climb and stair holder. The directions of these items are oblique rather than horizontal or vertical. According to Lovett (1999), â€Å"oblique suggests movement and action.† Clearly, we see the three objects referred to suggesting movement. The staircase is for instance suggesting movement from down t o top. There is also the element of value. This is seen in the lightness and darkness of colors used. Generally, colors have been used in such a way that they do not give an overly bright implication but are generally light, suggesting calmness. Finally, there is the principle of dominance in the use of colors and texture. It is seen that there is the use of very few colors and these colors are dominating the entire design. The texture of the design is also smooth and this dominates all parts of the design. 5. The colour harmony used in this interior is triadic. According to Williams (2011), in triadic, â€Å"one makes an equidistant triangle on the color wheel and uses the three colors that land on each corner of the triangle.† From the interior, we see the combination of the colors violet and green. Whereas violet has been used on the chairs, green has been used as the flower design on the tables. With reference to the color wheel, violet and green form a triangle and this makes the colour harmony triadic. With reference to the color temperature, it can be said that the color temperatures are in harmony. This is because both violet and green are cool colors. 6. The most dominant principle of design seen in the stained glass ceiling is graduation. There is a graduation of both color and light. It can seen that the color and light produced is in an aerial perspective, moving from warm to cool. The warm color is the bright light at the apex of the glass arrangement whereas the cool

Music Piracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Music Piracy - Essay Example Music piracy is harming the economy in a substantial manner following the robbing of artistes of their creativity and compensation. This also works in the domino effect where loss of revenue in one industry results in an overall loss in other industries; this is because of decreased sales. Illegal music downloads over the internet affects a large number of people ranging from artists, songwriters, audio engineers, computer technicians, talent scouts and producers. All these people are reliant on the music industry for their income and as a source of livelihood, which is based on intellectual property. Denying musicians and their affiliates of revenue puts at risk the jobs of millions of people, as there will be no funds to sustain them at work. In addition, it denies the government of taxes paid by the said population thus affecting the overall development of a nation. Some musicians and producers with recording studios have even been forced to close business to loss of revenue and i ncreasing operating costs leading to losses. On a personal scale, piracy punishes successful artistes by putting them on a level where their rights are not equal to those of other citizens of the world. This is because it is similar to theft or robbery, only that this time it robs an individual of his or her intellectual property. In a normal world, the law punishes robbers and thieves, but in piracy, little is done leading to demoralized artistes and music industry affiliates (Greenblatt 992). This way all those that work closely with the music industry are left at a loss as for clothing lines and no merchandise is rolled out to popularize the music produced. This, in turn, trickles all the way down to the textile industry, finally the farmer, and the global economy. As a result, the music industry is undergoing a slow death owing to increased piracy, and little effort applied to its prevention. In addition, piracy of music affects the internet network used for pirated downloads in terms of bandwidth. This is particularly so as it strips the network to the bare essential leading to loss of productivity, while participating in illegal activities, as is prone in institutions of higher learning (Wade 4). Therefore, in order to prevent music piracy from taking place, a myriad of measures can be taken that are directed to those that engage in the practice. Since most of the pirates in the music industry are students, advertising can play a crucial role. Most companies have taken part in massive campaigns directed at students in an attempt to convince student to stop downloading music illegally. However, this has little effects as students are working even harder to bring down the music industry. Studies show that one of the ways to cut down on music piracy especially in this age of the internet is to understand the mind and the drive behind a pirate’s behavior prior to the action. This is concerning the motivation of the pirate and his or her goals. In this case, a pirate would like access to music but there are inhibitions to getting t to the goal, in the form of monetary requirement. As a result, pirates seek to bypass this barrier by downloading music from illegal sites. Therefore, campaigns targeting definite pirates can be a significant boost against piracy. This is through creating campaign depicting the dangers that one is exposed to

Approach to Care of Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Approach to Care of Cancer - Essay Example Many cancers are initially recognized and diagnosed through screening or because of the appearance of certain signs and symptoms. The common cancer diagnostic procedures include imaging through X-rays, CT scans, endoscopy, genetic testing, tumor biopsy, surgery and various laboratory tests like blood tests, urinalysis and tests for tumors makers. Tumor makers are either substances that the body makes in response to cancer cells or are released into the urine or bloodstream by cancer cells (Moscow and Cowan, 2007). Biopsy involves a histological examination of abnormal body cells by a pathologist. The tissue diagnosis done by the pathologist reveals the type of cell proliferating, genetic abnormalities, the histological grade of the cell and other features of the tumors. Blood tests are used to confirm the substances levels in the blood. They show how healthy a person is and whether an infection is present. It reveals the status of the kidney and levels of waste products like blood ur ea nitrogen/creatinine. Urinalysis reveals the components of urine and checks the presence of blood, drugs, proteins and other substances in urine. Genetic testing is important in identifying mutations, chromosomal changes and fusion genes, and possible genetic predisposition. Cancer staging involves finding out how much cancer is in the body and its location. It describes how far it has spread anatomically and groups patients with the same prognosis and treatment in one staging. Stage I cancers are small, localized and curable, stage II and II cancers are locally advanced and/or with local lymph node involvement while stage IV cancers are metastatic o inoperable cancers. Doctors should first establish the cancer stage for each particular patient because to some extent, treatment and prognosis depend on the cancer stage. They should highly utilize information on cancer staging to plan for the treatment and help to individual patients. Patients falling to the same staging could be of fered group support where possible to encourage compliance with treatment and alleviate psychological effects of diagnosis and treatments. Individual situations within a group should also be considered. Complications of cancer The first complication presented by cancer is that it might spread. The cancerous cells could invade and destroy other body organs rendering them dysfunctional. This requires the use of treatments that will destroy cancer cells and also prevent their spread. Other complications may be evident depending on the stage and type of the cancer. Systemic cancer is associated with neurologic complications which occur after routine chemotherapy. Brain metastases are the most prevalent of these and they manifest as altered mental status, headache, sensory loss, hemiparesis, impaired cognition and sensory, speech, visual, and gait disturbance. Lung cancer can result in heart diseases and breathing difficulties due to the presence of lumps or destruction of the air passag e and heart tissues. Pancreatic cancer is associated with complications like jaundice due to blocked bile duct, severe abdominal pain due pressed nerves and bowel obstruction due to pressed or blocked intestine. Blood loss and/or anemia as a result of damaged hemorrhaging tissues and weight loss resulting from frequent nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are

TD 5 MGT 491 Integration and Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TD 5 MGT 491 Integration and Reflection - Essay Example This approach chains HR systems to staff’s assisting actions. Two widely discussed prototypes of HR systems with well-defined objectives include the compliance and commitment systems. These systems can impact organizations in different ways. Compliance system, staff is monitored and controlled by a set of rules and regulations. This is assumed to motivate and benefit them. Employees are seen as an unnecessary expense and are kept to a minimum to cut on costs and improve efficiency. Adherence to company’s goals is achieved by setting well specified rules and procedures. Commitment systems, on the other hand, is focused on the employee wellbeing. Employees are seen as capable and highly motivated. The employees are required to act in ways favorable to the collectivity. In this system however, there is a thin line between self and others as employees’ behaviors’ are geared towards getting ahead and obtaining benefits from the organization as a collectivity.(Kevin, Hettie, & Randall, 2011) I would advise the senior management to choose the commitment system which is broadly mutual rather than the compliance system which is control oriented and market driven. Employees are necessary for an organization to flourish therefore, goal oriented relationships between employees and the organization is necessary. With the commitment system in place, the employees’ specific contributions can be assessed and fully realized as there will be full acceptance of the organization’s target unlikely to be achieved through a set of rules and regulations as used in the compliance system. A compliance system focuses on trends in market prices while commitment HR system will focus on sustaining a communal sharing which will enhance team work and yield better results for the organization and therefore commitment HR system is the better

Highlight the impact of containerisation on an international supply Essay

Highlight the impact of containerisation on an international supply chain - Essay Example This staggering figure constitutes of 15 percent of the global vehicle markets. The company generated net income of $2.8 billion on over $193 billion in revenues (Alden et al, 2006). General Motors procurement strategy General motors’ (GM’s) business operations are based on a sound procurement practice and basic business integrity. Officials responsible for procurement and supply chain make their procurement decisions solely on the basis of the credibility of the suppliers that offer GM the best value for goods and services that they require. They primarily avoid any actions that indicate that their purchasing decisions are improper or irrelevant consideration whether illegal, such as bribe or kickback, or technically legal such as favours, free entertainment, personal friendship or gifts. The global purchasing and supply chain of GM holds the responsibility of procuring all goods and services that are required by the company and its joint venture and alliance partners spread over all four business regions of the world. This operation involves the procurement of parts used in the production and manufacturing of vehicles as well as products and services that are utilised for the purpose of providing support to the development and production of those vehicles. Following this strategy has not only helped boost GM’s production all over the world, but has also helped their suppliers to do business in unprecedented volumes thereby providing them with an opportunity to expand their own operations across the world (GM, 2010). The new system of procurement and supply chain management in GM has been termed as â€Å"Centralized Decentralization† by the vice president. The basic idea behind this system as has been explained by the vice president is to centralize the procurement of individual components and materials in order to leverage the company’s buying power and scale (Supply chain digest, 2008). According to Ageshin (2001), General Motors has various characteristics that make it an ideal example of an e-procurement strategy following company and a great example of how e-procurement is reshaping U.S. manufacturing. The company has the ability to increase the volume of its sales through its e-procurement system up to $300billion-$500billion per year. This has always been a primary strategy adopted by the company in order to generate further cost savings associated with purchasing across the whole supply chain. The fact that, GM was very familiar with the advantages of electronic data interchanges with its suppliers and because of its dominant position in the supply chain industry, the company adopted e-procurement system very early. GM started pursuing the idea of e-procurement as early as 1999 with the help of its technology partners i2 Technologies and Commerce One who created a B2B trading community called TradeXchange. This e-procurement system that the company adopted led to quicker information flows and ex tensive information sharing across the supply chain. This has resulted in the significant improvement in the quality of planning and forecasting for the company and its suppliers thereby boosting their businesses. The Web-based form of e-procurement has increased product customization and developed build to-order capabilities at GM. General Motors’

Boston Chicken Case Essay Example for Free

Boston Chicken Case Essay Boston Chicken implemented a franchising strategy that differed from most other franchising companies at the time. Boston Chicken focused its expansion through franchising the company through large regional developers rather than selling store franchises to a large number of small franchisees. In that, an established network of 22 regional franchises that targeted their operations in the 60 largest U.S. metropolitan markets and in order to do so, the franchisee would have been an independent experienced businessman with vast financial resources and would be responsible for opening 50 – 100 stored in the region. Boston Chicken focused on widespread continuous expansion of its operations to become to developed across the board food chain. Scouting for real estate assured the highest standards for developing properties and was critical to the company’s future success. To assist in future growth of the franchises, Boston Chicken implemented a communications infrastructure, which provided a supporting link for communication between its networks of stores. In addition in efforts to improve operating efficiency, the company locked in low rates from its suppliers and developed flagship stores, which did most of the initial food preparation which inadvertently reduced employee training costs. Many of these regional developers were given a revolving credit line to help support expansion. This type of financing came with credit risk while the franchises average revenue from operations were not sufficient enough to cover the expenses which raises doubt for the repayment of such loans. 2. The accounting policy of reporting the franchise fees from Boston Chicken’s area developers as revenue seemed most controversial. These franchise fees, which accounted for more than 50% of total revenue, did not represent revenues from operations. Also, the source of most of the ranchise fees came from the financing provided by Boston Chicken, the franchiser, where the money coming in was the same money that was going out. This overstated earnings of the company. Since the debentures can be converted into shares of common stock, most of the revenue from franchise fees should have been deferred. Reporting revenues that included these franchise fees his the fact the most of the franchised stores were operating at a loss, which provided a false impression to investors. While Boston Chicken, the franchiser reported a net income from operations of $24,611 in 1994, if they excluded the income provided by franchise fees, they company-operated stores would have been operating at a loss, which would have been a more accurate picture for the company’s operations and its question of having a profitable future. 3. Boston Chicken, the franchiser, reports revenue based on franchise fees (includes royalties, initial franchise development costs, interest income from area developer financing, lease income, software fees, and other related franchise fees), and company operated stores. The revenue reported on the income statement does not reflect the operating income or losses generated by the area developers, with most of these area developers operating at a loss. Since the franchiser provides financing to the area developers, it seems that consolidation of the financial statements would provide vital information to the users of the financial statements especially since the repayment of loans relies heavily on the profitability of the franchisees. Basically, Boston Chicken was not reporting the results of operations from its area developers because Boston Chicken did not have an equity position in these firms; rather their stake in these franchises was reported as debt financing. In doing so, Boston Chicken did not have to report the losses that were incurred in these operations. By manipulating the financial statements, the company gave a false impression on its future prospects of the company, allowing them to more freely raise capital through the issuance of common stock, and inadvertently inflating tock prices.

Psychology Concerns

Psychology Concerns Psychology concerns itself with the understanding of human behavior. In order to do this effectively, psychologists use a diverse range of perspectives, even when researching a single theme.   This assignment intends to discuss the claim that ‘there is a lot to be gained by studying a topic in psychology from more than one perspective. In order to discuss this claim, it will be necessary to provide definition of the terms ‘conflict, ‘coexist and ‘complement. These terms will then be applied to the themes of language and meaning and sex and gender in order to provide discussion of the claim made. It will become apparent that due to the complexity and multidimensional nature of these perspectives, the claim is truthful. Different psychologists have taken different perspectives on single psychological issues, they have produced differing theories and carried out research from their chosen perspective in order to achieve the evidence required to support these claims. These differing perspectives may conflict, (where the contrasting claims of different perspectives are mutually exclusive and cannot be resolved). They may be complimentary (where contrasting claims are mutually compatible and can be accommodated within a common explanatory framework) or they may coexist (when particular perspectives, even in the same topic area, have no real point of contact: they neither conflict nor complement one another)(Cooper Roth 2007.) There are three perspectives involved in the research into language and meaning. These are evolutionary, social constructionist and cognitive. Evolutionary perspective investigates the influence of evolution on behavior; it looks at language as a characteristic that is obtained at species level and that evolution creates the meaning The evolutionary perspective concerns itself with the influence that evolution is believed to have had upon behavior. This perspective looks at language as a characteristic gained at species level, proposing that the meaning of language was created via evolution. The process of evolution has created linguistic ability and therefore the capacity for meaning to be applied to language. Scientific investigations into the study of animals have highlighted that language in humans are different in comparison to that of non-humans. Pinker and Bloom (1990) suggest that language has numerous reproductive advantages; it was also proposed that the social significance of language has had great impact on human evolution. Evolutionary psychologists recognize language as being uniquely human and dependent upon subtle and meaningful interactions with others, this exemplifies the evolutionary perspectives coexistence with the social constructionist perspective. Leading on, the social constructionist perspective looks at language as the way in which people, through social interactions with others, construct their world. This perspective has been evidenced via hermeneutic studies. It is also proposed that language and meaning plays as role in the pursuit of goals and purposes of everyday life (Cooper and Kaye 2007). This concept regarding the pursuit of goals is not unlike the idea proposed in evolutionary psychology; that there are evolutionary factors at play when advantageous adaptive characteristics are passed through generations. These perspectives together, demonstrate that in creation of meaning for individuals external factors are influential, thus demonstrating coexistence. Cognitive psychologists take a contrasting approach to language; their perspective is that of a information processing system within the person. A computational model is used to hypothesise the contribution of both bottom-up and top-down processing of information, which underlies the creation of meaning. Evidence in support of this is obtained though scientific experiments. The cognitive approach purports that meaning precedes language. Therefore communication is considered to be the transmission of meanings between individual speakers, in contrast the perspective adopted by social constructionists claim that meaning is created between people within the goals and purpose of the conversation, this is often disputed by the persons concerned (Cooper Kaye 2007). This demonstrates conflict within the cognitive and social constructionist perspectives. Conflicts can arise within a single perspective as illustrated by Pinker (2000) and Sperber (2000) (both cited by Cooper Kaye 2007), they offered differing explanations regarding views on language within the evolutionary perspective. Pinker proposed that cognitive abilities are built upon the foundation provided by language, however Sperber proposed that language was a by-product of information processing and these cognitive abilities came first (Cooper Kaye 2007).   It is these very conflicts that invite debates within psychology and provide the justification for additional research. Moving on the writer will now evaluate coexistence or conflict between the various studies conducted with regards to sex and gender. The perspectives used, to explore sex and gender, are psychoanalytic, social constructionist, biological and evolutionary perspectives. Again, these perspectives use different research methods and therefore produce differing theories, providing diverse accounts of sex and gender which enhances the complexity of evaluating whether they are complementary, in coexistence or conflict with each other (Hollway et al 2007). The introduction highlighted that perspectives are multidimensional; the dimensions of these perspectives that interrelate and are available for comparison are in no way limited to the theories created by each one. Focus is now placed upon the methodologies within the four perspectives mentioned and the corresponding nature vs. nurture debate to evaluate these perspectives relationships with each other. The perspective that explores the role nature plays in human experience and behavior is the biological and evolutionary. Scientific approaches examining genes and biological structures provide the evidence within this perspective. The Biological perspective proposes that there is an association with genetic and physiological aspects of sex with self-evident implications for gender. PET scanning techniques and the study of material data produced from this provides strength to the claims (Swaab Fliers (1985), Allen Gorski (1990), LeVay (1991), Cooke et al (1998), all cited by Hollway et al (2007), however when used in connection with behavioural and cognitive studies they may only be understood within the light of context and environmental influences (Cooper Roth 2007). Evolutionary psychologists take the view that reproductive stratagies have evolved differently between men and women, this can account for the difference in behavior and sexual attitude. Through experiments (Clark Hatfield (1989) and studies using questionnaires (Buss et al (1992), these claims have been evidenced, however the evidence does not discount other explanations for these behaviors (cited by Hollway et al 2007). The study carried out by Clark Hatfields is consistent with the evolutionary perspective, suggesting that behavior is passed through generations as genetically programmed, however the findings also support sexual behavior being influenced by cultural patterns and social pressure, therefore consistent with the social constructionist perspective (Hollway et al 2007). Both perspectives emphasise the influence of nature in human behavior demonstrating they are complimentary to one another, however they can also be considered to coexist as they both use a scientific method using systematic observation of phenomena under experimentation. The hermeneutic method is adopted by both the social constructionist and psychoanalytical approach directed by subjective data collection and analysis and the focus is on interpretation which is provided by a persons beliefs and experiences. The Psychoanalytic perspective recognizes the significance of biological dissimilarity along with the cultural and social meanings of these dissimilarities, and the social constuctionist perspectives explores the significance of culture and context in the construction of ideas about gender (Hollway et al 2007). The argument raised by the social constructionist is that gender is a product of culture rather than something which can be explained through biological sex status, thus conflicting with the general hypothesis raised by biological and evolutionary methodology and in contrast exhibits the   effect of nature on gender development. Historical and social context provide the framework for experience, behavior and knowledge regarding sex and gender in the social constructionist perspective, additionally discourse analysis has afforded support for gender-appropriate behaviours between girls and boys, in relation to school activities and subjects and toys (Haywood Mac an Ghaill (1996), cited by Hollway et al 2007). The psychodynamic perspective attempts to comprehend how girls and boys obtain a sexed and gendered sense of self, as they grow up, within the family context. This perspective acknowledges the significance of biological and societal accounts; an exemplar is exploring how a baby, sexed by its biology and gendered by society, acquires psychological gender that becomes fundamental to its later development as a person (Hollway et al 2007). Comparable with the social constructionist perspective, social discourses are assessed, accordingly the two perspectives are complementary as they both acquire understanding of experiences being gendered through the hermeneutic approach. It is however emphasized by Cooper Roth (2007) that psychoanalysis, unlike most other perspectives, is unable to validate its claims. Psychoanalysis is unique in recognizing the role of biological and social factors, consequently that nature and nurture are both equally significant within sex and gender, this could therefore lead to a complementary relationship or even so far as coexisting with all three other perspectives. Together these four perspectives, to differing extents, place significance upon biological and social factors which signifies them complementing one another. Due to the distinctiveness of the claims within each perspective however, an argument could be raised that the perspectives coexist as the differences are significant. In seeking an understanding of a topic such as those outlined in this assignment, various perspectives can be complementary as they all endeavor to elucidate phenomena. In conclusion there is a lot to be gained by studying a topic in psychology from more than one perspective as the propositions considered within psychology are multidimensional for example the theory; the methods and data used; the levels of analysis, and themes such as nature or nurture. Understanding topics such as language and meaning, or sex and gender, is enhanced by the wealth of information that the variety of perspectives offer. By studying a topic in psychology from more than one perspective and evaluating whether perspectives coexist, conflict or complement each other reinforces the dynamism and vibrancy of psychology.

Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Businesses

Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Businesses How and why the financial crisis was transmitted to business? To what extent can the new regulatory framework prevent the same errors from occurring twice? Financial crisis, the word most mentioned during the last seven years, people may asking about why it take so long time to recover and how many businesses were been affected. There is no exactly number about how many business went to bankrupt, but at least we know that in comparison with seven years ago, the business methods have been changed in order to be more prepared and to survive in the financial crisis. The new financial laws come out in different countries in order to improve their economic growth, because nobody wants to live again the difficult moment as seven years ago. Remembering how the financial crisis started, and how it affected our live style, beside of to know how to prevent it we have also started to learn about the mistakes that we have made in order to not repeat it again in the future. Backing in this case, because we are the main actor who create the financial crisis, and nowadays we are taking the bad consequences about it. Focusing on the business, in the context of economic globalization that we are living nowadays, the impact of the spread of the financial crisis has apparent in different business affecting directly to their business activities as well as investing activities and financing activities. Faced with the financial crisis, companies in the business activities have to reduce inventory, lower their labor costs, strengthen management of accounts receivable, in the investment activities, they have to reduce investment spending to improve capital efficiency, to seize the investment opportunities in order to improve equity investments, and in financing activities, they have to increase the proportion of loans and take advantage of payable accounts. As the Wall Street investment bank giant Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, the US subprime mortgage crisis in evolved â€Å"rare way† in the global financial crisis, the world economy has had a major impact. In the context of economic globalization, the companies of different countries have not been spared, the impact of the financial crisis to those companies has become more evident. I will explain in bellow how the financial crisis has affected in different activities in the companies. In this case we can focus on the following factors in order to have a clear analysis. The impact on operating income. There were many uncertainties and potential risks of financial crisis, so that people fear the rise in the degree of risk of future employment status and income expectation. When there is poor earnings expectations, people will reduce unnecessary consumption. The consequences will be that people stop consuming because their future prospects of the financial crisis environment was pessimist, and at same time which caused directly the revenue decline in different business. All those factor contributed the economic decline worldwide. The impact on inventory. From a global market perspective, under the influence of subordinated debt, the developed regions hardest hit, the demand of goods in the business is declining. First half of 2008, affected by global inflation, corporate purchase of raw material prices, freight increase (global petrol prices), leading to increased cost of raw materials companies, resulting in the production of goods and manufacturing costs increase accordingly. If not compensated for the price, corporate profits will be compressed. Enterprises are in a transition process of inflation and financial crisis, the orders from the raw materials were often low because the increase of the price which cause directly the production and the pricing. The value will shrink a lot. The more business preparation, may afford to lose more. If the turnover rate of raw materials business is slow, and the expensive products are difficult to compete with low-cost products, it will make companies get in trouble. In addition, different inventory valuation methods will result in product backlog. For example, according to the FIFO method, the business inventories have to be included in the purchase of raw materials, the product cost, cost to be digested by the high price, and during the financial crisis, people do not want to spend a higher price to the consumption, resulting in product sales is not formed out of the backlog. Impact on accounts receivable. Affected by the financial crisis, overseas corporate default rates began to rise, further deterioration of the business of external credit. According to statistics, in May 2008, the local enterprises overseas bad debt rate have grew by about 268 %. Recovery of the purchase price is the full life line, set up a business in the future, according to the sources of funding, which are basically by loan recovery, expand the market, but there is no corresponding mechanism for the recovery of money, and ultimately to bring liquidity shortage, companies eventually will operate difficultly in this process. Increased bad debts or bad debts, taking up excessive liquidity in the enterprises, SMEs, if financing difficulties will inevitably result in cash flow difficulties of enterprises, companies lose the capital, just as humans lose the blood, many enterprises may walk on the edge of life and death, the company today hey, tomorrow may collapse. The impact on operating expenses. Weaken existing market demand, so companies have to rethink new markets, including international markets and domestic markets. In order to expanding domestic demand, so that export-oriented enterprises to offensive domestic market. In order to place in this market, it is necessary to find a way to open it. And the main action is increase the domestic market share, considering that the best way to open the domestic market is to increase ad spending. Since the original domestic market enterprises in the market accounted for a leading position, export-oriented enterprises will offensive fierce competition with domestic enterprises. Intense competition in the market forcing companies to increase the cost of sales and profit margin compression. Of course, open up new international markets also have to pay more of the cost of sales. Impact on labor cost. Because the financial crisis, it is became more expensive to fire the employers, which makes companies stop hire new employers in order to reduce their labor cost. This action has affected directly to the labor market, because there are still a lot of people looking for a job, as the result, people start looking the better job opportunities in other countries and caused as we know the â€Å"brain drain†. Effect of equity investments. Influenced by investor expectations of the future, surrounding the stock market crash, 2008 in the secondary market for some stock investment companies is a disaster of the year. Not to mention the investment income, many have now lost even the principal. For some enterprises, investment entities, due to the poor performance by investment companies, investment companies are allocated to dividends invested enterprises naturally reduced, or even no bonus. Therefore, some companies are considering the sale of subsidiaries, equity investments decrease. But for some small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the financial crisis, the danger lies opportunity. Now new opportunities for enterprise restructuring and supply chain strategic acquisitions. For example, the Big Three US automakers Chrysler go bankrupt if it originally to Chrysler as the leading supply chain will be interrupted immediately, those who do contract work for Chrysler, spare parts supply, logistics transit, channel, terminal services, and the same for those providers secondary product supply, services and raw materials Distance sub-suppliers, distributors who will completely lose the basis of survival. In order to prevent all the impact that we have mentioned before, the following recommendations could be useful for companies which is operating during financial crisis. They may not going to be the perfect solutions, however, they will give us a clear idea about how to face and how to act in the difficult moment. Reduce the inventory. Product demand weakened, difficult to sell their products at once, in which case only a variety of promotional methods to reduce inventory to net realizable funds as quickly as possible. If there were some unmarketable products, we should act decisively, even if production is discontinued or partial pressure, do not let inventories continue to increase. Because the formation of product inventory, not only harder to sell slow-moving products, more important is the product price, likely to cause new losses. Primary Material inventory too, they do not affect the normal production, it should try to do short-term purchase, so raw material inventory to a minimum line to maximize the amount of funds used to shorten the inventory turnover. Product sales to adhere to the cash is king concept, the implementation of cash transactions, or a shorter period to promote the sale of credit receivables. Reduce the labor costs. During the Financial crisis, the companies had a hard time, enterprises are facing the risk of suspension or discontinued, dismissed or forced to dismiss employees. For businesses, they do not want this to occur, not to mention according to the Labor Contract Law in different countries, the enterprises laid off or dismissed employee cost is not small. Therefore, the enterprise benefit drops or downtime, it can adopt flexible working hours, to arrange staff rotation or waiting list. Choose Payment of wages to workers of all or part of their wages or even just send living expenses, both to reduce labor costs, but also to guarantee the basic livelihood of employees, so that employees feel the caring companies and work harder, but also reflects the companys social responsibility. The financial crisis has brought to the enterprise not only dangerous, but also to business opportunities. For some of the less affected by the financial crisis and better management of the enterprise, then the introduction of senior professionals is a great opportunity, because when people lowest cost. There are always hands-on experience of senior personnel shortage, this time just to dig people abroad. In a sense, at a low price to buy the high-level talent, but also a reduction in labor costs of business performance. Use of personnel for the future development of enterprises to provide a guarantee. Strengthen the management of accounts receivable. Faced with the financial crisis, companies should be based on the idea of cash is king,† according to the market situation and make the appropriate changes, to minimize the amount of accounts receivable and credit terms. The larger the amount of accounts receivable, indicating funds purchase units occupy the unit more; the longer the period of credit receivables, indicating that the longer purchase units occupy the unit of time. Therefore, to strengthen the management of accounts receivable. Existing accounts receivable has been formed, it can promote cash discount to attract each other early payments, such as payments within 30 days, give 2-3% cash discount or a higher cash discount, and more than 30 days is not to discount. For possible bad debts or bad debts, should act as soon as possible, such as debt restructuring mode, can recover how much to recover the maximum extent possible to reduce the losses. For the existing products sold Sale, delivery or the month should do the knot and other payment methods. Cannot pay the purchase price or the ability to pay poor business, under exceptional circumstances rather not accept the order. If the goods issue of money being paid, because the product is easy to form a substantial price dispute, but also easy because of the other closed, bankruptcy and other reasons cannot find the debtor and become headless account, to the enterprise caused undue loss. How to speed up a reflux of funds? First, from starting their own businesses, while reducing inventory and strengthen the management of accounts receivable. In addition to increasing the recovery of accounts receivable, the use of the hands of the receivables in the bank financing is also an effective way to revit alize the capital. Financial approach in investing activities. Faced to the financial crisis, different companies have different investment strategies. For deeply affected by the crisis, and low interest, cash-strapped companies to cut costs, reduce investment spending; for some medium-sized enterprises affected by the financial risk has little effect, and effective, well-funded, should seize the investment opportunities, improve equity investment. To reduce the investments spending and improve the capital utilization. Most of our business is driven by investment growth, and sources of funding such investment, in addition to the majority of enterprises have accumulated bank loans or equity financing. Own funds of enterprises invested substantially all operations. In the context of the financial crisis, the excessive dependence on bank loans and equity financing for investment, is not realistic. Because hit by the financial crisis, the bank credit crunch, the stock market plummeted, and remains in the doldrums. For most companies, limited funds can only be used wisely, enterprises should take the initiative to stop the long investment cycle, large-scale investment projects, the limited funds use security production for survival, protection stamina up. A number of new investment projects should see more than move, blind investment companies into deeper causes. All those advises that have mentioned before could be an effective solution to face the financial crisis, however, fix the actual economic system and more control in the sense of the investment and mortgage in order to prevent that the same error happened for twice. In this case, we are not only talking about the banking or investment entities, but the government. From my point of view, the financial crisis happened not only because the bad management of those financial entities, but the government has also the major responsibilities, since they let the companies follow the crisis trend which means, no one of them has thought about the consequences could be. Of course, nowadays the government try their best in the sense of economic recovery, some of the countries saw the result very soon, but others are still suffering the financial crisis consequences, countries as Greece, Italy, Spain and so on, they are the most affected countries in Europe, people may ask about why there’s some countries only take few years to recover the economic and other which still in the recession. And the only answer will be the government decision making, if they made a correct one, it may benefit to whole country, if not, as we have already see with some countries, cut in public funds, as education or health and so on. So in order to make sure that it is not going to happened again, the main recommendation is to start to stablish some specific financial rules for financial entities as well as for countries, make sure everything are under control and once detect again the appeal of other financial crisis, at least they are ready to face it and make sure the economic damage is going to be as low as possible. Even though we are still in the recession process, and there are still a lot of enterprises fighting for survive in this crucial moment, however we should have an optimistic vision about the future, since Xiao Jing Ye Letter account: 2500 REFERENCES Altunbas, Yener. Manganelli Simone and Ibanez Marques David. (2011).Risk during the Financial Crisis. Do Business matter? European Central Bank. Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from  https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpwps/ecbwp1394.pdf Cole Rebel A. (2012) How Did the Financial Crisis Affect Small Business Lending in the United States? DePaul University Chicago. Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/rs399tot.pdf Fox Justin (2013). What we’ve learned from the Financial Crisis. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from  https://hbr.org/2013/11/what-weve-learned-from-the-financial-crisis HONG LIANG YU (2009). Impact of Financial Crisis on Finance corporate. JiangXi Provincial Party School of CPC, Nanchang 33003, China. Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from http://www.nai.edu.cn/mscaaf/info/b2/14.pdf Perlberg Steven (2014). The 27 Scariest Moments of the Financial Crisis. Business Insider. Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/financial-crisis-scariest-moments-2014-9?op=1#ixzz3ZRU8g85g à ¦Ã‚ ½Ã‹Å"à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ªÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ (2014). à ¦Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ °Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¨Ã… ¾Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å"â€Å"à §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" . à ¦Ã‚ µÃ… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ -à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ §Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¥Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ¢. Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from  http://www.diyilunwen.com/lwfw/gjmy/6178.html à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¨Ã… ¾Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¡Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã…  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ­-à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¦Ã… ¾Ã‚ .à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 2010à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °.à §Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¦Ãƒ ¦-†¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬Å". Retrieved: 02/05/2015, from  http://wenku.baidu.com/view/f85b9a6448d7c1c708a14544.html