ITM Assignment Environmental Analysis Essay Example

ITM Assignment Environmental Analysis Paper The population of Singapore is 5,399,200, and keep Unceasing The transparency International is important for a country, because it can sends powerful information to reflect a countrys government. According to the corruption perceptions index, the daily reality for people be showing clearly, it provide the score of the county, and the relationship between the government and citizens. The business will be easier in a country that people happy with their government. In Singapore, the government corruption index is low, therefore, the social society is more stability, its a good signal for TWIG many chose Singapore. Singapore is one of the highest income countries in the world, Is important for TWIG company, because TV as the most expensive tea, be known as the luxury brand which is offering in the five star hotels. The world Luxury/ is defined as something can bring pleasure and happiness, not considered about a necessity. (Dictionary, 2010). High income level stands for the people already take care about their daily life. According to Masons Hierarchy of needs, at the time people get more money, the needs for them life also change. Singapore as a high income level country, the customers not only have the ability to pay the luxury, but also need luxury to rich their life. The company can be more successful if they can adapt products and services to prevalent coloratura conditions. (Kaplan ITEM study guide, p. 75) Singapore as a country which has 75% of Chinese, the cultural influenced by Chinese deeply. China is the country known as the town of tea, the tea-culture is already in their daily life. We will write a custom essay sample on ITM Assignment Environmental Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on ITM Assignment Environmental Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on ITM Assignment Environmental Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer TWIG company as a company selling the tea as the key product, needs the customer prefer drink tea in their daily life. Further more, Singapore as a country have the fast life styles, people armorial finish their work efficiently, and having a cup of tea in the afternoon is becoming a habit for the white collars. Therefore, Singapore is undoubtedly the best choice for TWIG to invest. Technology is also important for an organization to consider about the country. In Singapore, the Internet usage is high, which means TING should develop their advertising by using Internet, and selling their tea through on-line store. As the development of the technology and society, the people are used to pay their bill by credit card on- line or use the card machine. So the next strategic step for TWIG tea company would be offer credit promotion. Immigration laws are liberal for talent foreigners is an important factor to a developing company. In Singapore, it is not difficult to get work licenses . Therefore, a company no need to worry about the lack of workers. The currency in Singapore is higher than its neighbor countries, the foreigners work in Singapore can earn the higher salaries than they work in their own country. It will help an organization looking for the overseas staffs easily. TWIG as an international company, needs lots of foreigners work for them, because Singapore is an attractive entry, TWIG have more chance to choose their staffs from all over the world. In echo-environment factor, Singapore beautiful landscape was been mentioned in the table above. The natural landscape is important because it is the reason to attract tourism. FIJI offering over 1 ,OHO single estate fine harvest teas, can easily satisfy travelers from around the world. After the tourism come back to their own country, they become the free advertisement for TWIG tea, the popularity can be improved at the same time. Porters 5 forces can be defined as the model to identify and analyze 5 nominative forces that shape every industry, and it will help determine an industrys weaknesses and strengths. (Dictionary, 2010) porters 5 forces including threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and competitive rivalry. Porters 5 forces analysis is the way to collect the information, but not the test of industry. In this report, Porters 5 forces is going to analyze the tea industry in Singapore, and find out the tea industrys weakness and strengths. Here is another table showing the Porters 5 forces analysis, below the table, here are several details to explain the figure, and followed by the overall opinion about whether the tea industry is attractive in Singapore, and where is the weakness part of tea industry in Singapore. Porters 5 forces analysis of tea industry The threat of new entrants is low; tea industry is attractive in this factor. There is no organization like competition, threat of new entrants is low means the competition is low. Threat of new entrants is low because of 3 reasons; first of all, the cost of entry is high. Although Singapore government supports private business, but the license will costs a lot and the process is implicated; secondly, avgas as the local brand, almost make up the whole tea market in Singapore, is difficult for other company to join. Thirdly, the government regulation is strict. The ledge in Singapore have a high standard for food and drink, its not easy to looking for the tea source, but INNING has a long history in Singapore, not only experience, and also have lots of place to get the tea leaves. The threat of substitutes products is high, tea industry is not attractive in this factor. Because there are lots of options for people to choose a drink. Such as water, soft drinks, wines, beers, and juices. Compared tit other substitutes products, tea is the only one need time to prepare, its not convenient enough. Other drinks can served by bottle, keep in the fridge. Tea needs tea pot and tea cups to prepare, after tea become cold, the taste will not be as good as before. But TWIG company come up with a good idea to solve this problem. The team creative the cold tea, which prepared in a special way, not only keep the teas special smell, and also suitable in tropical weather. (TWIG tea history, 201 3) The only deficiency is cold tea still need time to prepare. The bargaining power of suppliers is low, tea industry is attractive n this factor. Singapore is near by China, and there is lots of tea garden in China, TWIG can enjoy the cheap tea source and also the cheap workforce. China also famous for the tea, they have special The bargaining power Of buyers is low, tea industry is attractive in this factor. TING is the only one that selling tea as the luxury brand, Singapore is the county have a high income level. Lots of people need a place to consume, Duvets offering their tea in five star hotels, offering a comfortable environment at the same time. The number of the buyers is big, and the number of competitors is small. The competitive rivalry is weak, tea industry is attractive in this factor. There are 2 reasons, firstly, the competitors are weak. TWIG tea company is the local brand in Singapore, the TWIG brand build for celebrating the islands great history as a trading post for teas. (TWIG tea history, 2013) TWIG have a strong history on Singapore, in other words, TWIG tea brand is growing with Singapore. Secondly, tea industry growth is slow. Overall, the tea industry is attractive in Singapore, only need to improve the way to prepare the tea, make tea become a convenient drink. There are 4 strategic recommendations will be described in order to solve the problems that be mentioned from PELT LEE and Porters 5 forces analysis. The first two strategic recommendations focus on adapt the Singapore developed technology, first of all, for on-line shopping, as the development of technology, NIGH tea company should start building the official on-line shops, the on-line shops not only selling the tea for the costumers, but also introduce the history of TWIG tea company to the overseas customer. The purpose to build the on-line store is to offer more convenient services. The second step should focus on the credit card users, according to the research, Singapore credit card usage is high, each person have at least 1 credit card in their daily life, they also used to use credit card to pay the bill. Therefore, a relevant promotion is necessary for now. TWIG tea company can offer special price for the credit card users, or do some charity social actions when the customers use credit card pay the bill. The third recommendation is develop process of tea making, including the tea growing and tea preparing. Make sure the customers can enjoy the TWIG tea in a convenient way.

Starbucks Global Strategy Essays

Starbucks Global Strategy Essays Starbucks Global Strategy Paper Starbucks Global Strategy Paper Sales have also seen a tentative turnaround and the coffee chain plans to open 50-60 more stores in the country this year. The challenge in the Japanese market has been keeping consumers loyal to the Struck brand which can cost three times as much as its competitors. To counter this problem, Struck Japan launched promotions such as offering customers a second cup of coffee for 100 yen if they purchase a coffee beverage earlier the same day. This strategy was so successful that the company extended the deal. Struck has also worked over the years to customize its menu to cater to local tastes and bring costs down by procuring more ingredients locally. They have worked to revive recipes, focusing on items that would please the Japanese palate. The next challenge for Struck in Japan and In Asia, say analysts, Is fine-tuning racketing in a region populated by young people who are technically savvy. Mr.. Schultz said the company will continue to grow In the Japanese market, by adopting new store formats, such as drive-thorough, and Introducing new products, such as Its Via instant coffee. He states that We are still at the embryonic stages of what Salsa will be for the company. (Chants 2010). According to Struck. Com, Struck Coffee International Is built on great global partnerships. Struck Chief Executive Officer, Howard Schultz, summed It up nicely when he said, We main highly respectful of the culture and tradition of the countries In which we do business. In Struck search for new areas of growth following a deep retrenchment In ten . In ten past year (Sancta, z teen nave turned t focus on increasing their presence in China. Although Japan currently has the most international Struck locations, Howard Schultz plans to open thousands of stores in China over time (Chants, 2010) and overtake Japan as its largest market outside of North America. Schultz understands the sensitivity associated with his plans to expand in China and has made the commitment to take the necessary time ND expend the necessary money to research, study and acclimate to the Chinese market. Struck goal to grow from 376 stores on the China mainland (Chants, 2010) to thousands of stores is a business risk that will be determined by their success at understanding and respecting Chinas political system, embracing the social norms of Chinese society and capturing the segment of the Chinese market that are or will become loyal Struck consumers. If Schultz and his team take the suggestions of industry analysts, they will use customized advertising to target the young, computer savvy Chinese professionals and students. This group could also be identified as the up and coming middle class market that needs a venue to display their upward rise. With a customized advertising strategy, Struck will also customize their deliverables. Products will be modified to suit the tastes of their target market and the Coffee Shops atmospheres will be designed to appeal to the aforementioned up and coming middle class. The issue of local differentiation will not only be handled through inducing atmospheres and product modification, but the local economy will be stimulated by Struck plan to purchase food items from local vendors. Local procurement will help defray the cost of product modification, provide more accessibility to specialized ingredients, and build upon Struck commitment to global partnerships. The key success factors to the strategy Schultz has outlined for China are knowledge of the political system, research, product modification and customized marketing and advertising. Schultz has already admitted that the complexity of the Chinese market will require significant discipline and thoughtfulness. (Chants 2010) Therefore, he is resigned to increasing the odds of long-term success by making strategic, carefully-designed decisions. Chinas constantly evolving political system does indeed present a challenge for Struck and may be one of the primary reasons they have not considered this level of expansion before, but Schultz and his Global Development Team are devoted to putting the right people in place to help the company stay abreast of and compliant with the political changes and political climate. After careful research, Struck RD Department will develop a locally accepted deviation of a Struck standardized menu. But, the primary key to the success of Schultz plan will be the success of his marketing and advertising department. If they are able to identify, reach, touch and persuade the up and coming Chinese professionals and students to buy Struck coffee and sit in [Struck] stores, (Chants 2010) Schultz plan will undoubtedly be classified a model for success. Due to the global economic crisis most Americans were cutting back on daily spending and luxury items which negatively affected the companys revenue and profit. Years of overextension had finally caught up with the coffee giant; a new strategy was needed to save the company. CEO, James L. Donald was let go and Howard Schultz was brought in to urn the sinking company around. Layoffs and store closings allowed the company to snare nearly expand in China stemmed from these significant cutbacks in the U. S. That left the coffee company in search for new growth opportunities. From an internal point of view, their misfortune proved to be an opportunity. This opportunity came at a time that allowed Struck to develop true growth using internal resources to expand profits domestically. The key was to see growth in sales without resorting to opening new stores in the U. S. This was done by focusing on customer service and developing ewe products such as TAG Tea, Via Ready Brew, and the Struck Reward Program. In January 2010, Struck reported its first quarter of same-store sales growth since the end of 2008 (Chants, 2010). With the worst behind them and U. S. Sales rebuilding, Struck is now in a place to move forward with expansion overseas. From an external point of view, China represents the most significant growth opportunity (Chants, 2010). China is one of the few economies that remained strong through the worst of the global financial crisis. This provides opportunity for Struck to establish a place in the China markets if integrated properly. Breaking into Chinas competitive market will be difficult and extensive planning needs to take place before any expansion happens. The foundation of Struck strategy should involve research of the Chinese culture so they can grasp an understanding of their taste and preference. Most Chinese do not have an appetite for coffee, as a whole China is known for its hot tea. They will not be impressed with caramel Franciscans and mocha lattes. To attract local followers, instead of foreign tourist, Struck needs to look into developing new tea and pastry recipes that use Chinese ingredients and products. Keep the Struck branding but develop a new line of products specific to China/Asia that can be added to China store menus. Moreover, Struck needs to continue to develop ways to compete with lowered priced rivals such as McDonalds and local mom and pop coffee shops. Struck currently offers $2 afternoon coffee when a customer purchases a full priced coffee prior to eleven a. M. In the same day (with receipt only). This is a great sales tactic that needs to be followed with weekly specials and promotions such as a flavor of the week for half price. Furthermore, Struck needs to reinforce the basics good customer service, quick production during peak hours, and the unique flavors that helped set them apart from competitors and make paying a little extra worthwhile. All businesses, regardless of the industry, must be prepared to adapt to their external environment in order to be successful in implementing global operating strategies. The external environment consists of competitors; the economic, political/ legal, and social systems; monetary systems; and the environmental systems of the host country. The strategic global plan of Inboard, a leading North American manufacturer of engineered wood products, is to become the supplier of choice while strengthening their role within the North American engineered wood product industry. Inboard products are currently sold to retailers, distributors, and finished goods manufacturers for the production of kitchen cabinetry, furniture, and floor covering. Inboards parent company, Pilferer Group, is a leading worldwide nutcracker AT engineered wood products, surface Talents products Ana laminate flooring. The company has approximately 6,000 employees and operates 22 plants in North America and Western and Eastern Europe. The company delivers its products to customers in over 80 countries. Comparable to Struck, Pilferer too strives to increase its international market position. The company focuses on a few primary objectives that include focusing on the engineered wood segment of the market, diversification of the companys portfolio by focusing on both products and the regions in which those products are made available, and cost reduction leadership. Similarly to Struck, Inboard has had to distinguish itself from its competitors. During the economic downturn in the housing and construction markets, it became ITIL for Inboard to provide a better value to their customers. At their newly acquired location in Monocle, NC, Inboard has established a mega-site which allows customers to purchase up to four different product lines from the same location. No other competitor in the industry has these same capabilities. This one stop shopping center provides Inboard customers with convenience and transportation cost reduction incentives that set it apart from other wood manufacturers. Over the past two years, the global economic recession has drastically slowed the growth in the engineered wood product industry. Many of Inboards competitors have been unable to withstand the instability and have idled facilities in an effort to control costs. Instead, Inboard has taken advantage of the slowed economy. By building a new medium density fiber board plant in the United States, Inboard has prepared for future market expansion. This new plant provides Inboard with the necessary capacity and increased product lines required to attract new customers as the economy begins to gain momentum and grow. In addition, the location of the new MAD plant in North Carolina provides Inboard with convenient access to revive the entire east coast and also allows them to take advantage of cheaper transportation and raw material costs. Struck, like Inboard, recognizes that carefully planned and calculated effort must be taken today to ensure future growth. Adjusting to the social system within the United States has been a relatively smooth transition when compared to some of the more complex social issues faced by Struck within the Chinese market place. However, one crucial issue facing Inboard is the language barrier between employees located in the United States and those employees who work at the corporate office in Lava, Canada. Lava, which is located in the Quebec/Montreal region, is a French speaking province. To further complicate issues, Pilferer, Inboards parent company, is located in Germany. Communication between the different parties can become strained as the meaning and understanding of issues can be lost during translation. The monetary system also presents real challenges for international companies. Both Inboard Canada and Inboard USA must deal with foreign exchange loss or gain on transactions that are generated between the two business units, as well as direct transactions with Pilferer GAG. In addition, Inboards SAP accounting system ad to be customized in order to be able to issue payments and receipts in multiple currencies Including ten u. S. Collar, Canaan dollar, Ana ten Euro. Political and legal issues have added an additional level of complexity for both Inboard and Struck. In an effort to further understand the political and legal issues within China, Struck has progressed cautiously. By expanding slowly and deliberately, Struck hopes to avoid making any costly mistakes that could ultimately lead to failure. One legal issue that was overlooked by Inboard when they purchased the site in Monocle, NC was sales and use tax application. Developing a knowledge base and understanding of sales and use tax law was a challenge for Inboards Canadian headquarters since this issue is unique to the United States and not applicable in Canada or Germany. Different tax rates are applied based upon the material being purchased and the role that the material has within the production process. Given that the SAP accounting system was not customized in order to process these taxes, a manual process had to be developed and implemented in order to stay within compliance of both state and federal laws. In recent years, increased environmental isolations have led to the development of new greener products that contain less formaldehyde and other chemical toxins. Customers have begun to demand more earth friendly products and government regulators have established guidelines and policies that must be adhered to in order to avoid fines and penalties. Struck has long been a leader in the environmental arena. By encouraging recycling and using only cups and packaging items that have been produced with recycled materials, Struck understands the importance of being environmentally friendly and has chosen to lead by example. The Struck initiative to branch into the Chinese arrest is one that is becoming more and more popular with countries both domestic and foreign. Countries continue to tap into this lucrative market for financial wealth and building capital. But what about companies that expanded in China long ago? Perhaps these companies have a solid establishment that they must evaluate their corporate strategy to maintain their Chinese presence? One such example of this scenario is Siemens. The company is based in Germany, with a global presence across the world. It has a sound corporate strategy that currently centers around innovation, sustainability and surviving the economic untrue. It operates in 3 different sectors: Industry, Energy and the focus of our international application, Healthcare. We will analyze Siemens reach across the globe in one of the biggest growing industries today. The strategic business unit of Siemens Medical Solutions prides its success on being a global leader in innovation. But this business unit must also consider its external business environment to maintain its successful brand. Earlier this year, the healthcare bill was a huge political factor in the healthcare industry. Hospitals across the country were reluctant to make equipment purchases based on whether he bill would pass or fail. As Siemens realized this political influence they began to look even close at its economic external environment. Siemens began to see the sale of its products decline, Just like competitors GE and Philips. So rather than persuade higher sales of new equipment, it focused on its current customers through impeccable service to keep them happy and satisfied amidst the uncertainty and economic downturn. The company incorporated internal campaigns directly around tons Idea tongue a O rests Like last call 1 u standards AT Excellence Ana a recently launched Think. Feel. Do. Campaign to encourage all employees to take a vested interest in servicing the end customer. Operating in the healthcare industry makes Siemens Medical an easy target from a legal perspective. The FDA must regulate and ensure each piece of medical imaging equipment and its operators meet standards suitable for patient use. Equipment malfunctions or misuse could lead to injury or even death. A recent example is the radiation overdose incidents that were reported last year. The overdoses went undetected for over a year. Although the argument can be made that the overdose is a result of operator error, the FDA is still investigating any many involvement and lawsuits continue to abound the equipment companies. The business world has evolved so much so that a global presence is necessary to expand for large companies such as Siemens. The functional strategy of the marketing and sales teams has to be well versed when it comes to interacting with different cultures from a social/cultural perspective. A common discrepancy we find in day-to-day business between US and German culture is the personal vacation time spent away from work. The typical length off German vacation is 4-6 weeks, whereas an American vacation if only 1 week. German maternity leave is roughly one year for others (with full benefits and pay the majority of the leave), where as American maternity leave is a maximum 8 weeks with only a percentage of pay. Siemens is a 160 year-plus powerhouse in Europe and has a major international presence. It has survived war, bad economies, and a host of other tumultuous events. It has learned to assess each business environment based on the cultural differences each possesses. Europe is officially branded as home to the Siemens trademark. Although the cost of living may be higher here than other industrialized nations, its healthcare is top notch due to the fact that Europeans do not pay out-of- octet to see a doctor or go to the emergency room. Including the costs in taxes ensures people take advantage of preventative care and keep costs low and will continue to keep its challenges minimal and its operational risks low. China is a vast changing environment that is trying to change how it disperses care to its vast population. Treating over 1 billion people is by far its greatest operational risk. China undertook a huge healthcare reform of its own to provide such adequate healthcare to its people. The challenge to shift governmental aid towards free market enterprise will also be addressed in this transition. A major component in making this move successful is expanding medical imaging access within the hospitals. Siemens has already established its brand in the country, but it must sharpen its global strategy to compete with local, yet much smaller competitors that may have a better chance at winning contracts because of their native ties. Siemens extensive reach within the United States surpasses any other country in the world. United States possesses over half of the companys healthcare market share. The brands innovation is perhaps its core competency and primary characteristic to compete with American powerhouse GE. Healthcare professionals cannot deny the companys product capability and performance. Amidst so many order winners, and its success in America, there are also challenges and risks the company cannot deny. The current state of the economy has shifted the way Americans think so much so, Tanat ten preference Is to Duty American, not Torrent. It Is up to Siemens to provoke our country with the trust and investment we desire to keep our status known. That means extending opportunities to American suppliers, American decision-making within the company, and expanding Jobs to keep the American economy thriving

Business ethical failure - Worldcom with their audits Research Paper

Business ethical failure - Worldcom with their audits - Research Paper Example Upon the disclosure of massive accounting irregularities, WorldCom, which was the second biggest telecommunication company in the world, filed for insolvency in the summer of 2002 in the federal court of Manhattan. The major departures from the desired corporate behaviour experienced in the company came because of the failure of the directors to identify and effectively, combat abuses leading to the widespread culture of greed. The failure also resulted from irresponsible members within the corporation to perform their fiduciary duties to the shareholders (Pulliam & Solomon, 2002). The other failure resulted from lack of transparrency in the operations and the management of the company. There was no proper co-ordination between the board of directors and the senior management of the company. The system of checks and balances in the leadership of the company did not play its role leading to a complete failure of the system of governance. The real fraud in the company comprised of a series of topside manipulations to the accounting entries to cover dwindling earnings. Mostly, these comprised of wrong drawdowns of accumulated reserves from the acquizition program as well as other sources and innappropriate cost capitalizations that were to be added as expenses. In other words, according to Kuhn and Sutton (2006), it was a very good incident of the so called ‘books cooking’. The company overstated its earnings by about eleven billion dollars and its balance sheet by about seventy five billion dollars. Consequently, there was a shareholder loss of approximately two hundred and fifty billion dollars. The desirable market views of the company in the 1990s sustained by a number of acquizitions. During this time, WorldCom was in a constant mode of acquizition as the means of expanding its operations. In turn, this caused a very great pressure of keeping price of its stock high in

Loyalty in the exotic car market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Loyalty in the exotic car market - Assignment Example Although individuals might be quick to point out that brand loyalty affects decisions regarding Burger King or McDonald’s, Coca-Cola or Pepsi, or Toyota and Ford, it also impacts upon the way in which an individual views and ultimately integrates with an exotic car purchase; should they ever have the available resources to do so (Clinard & Berkey, 2013). Through such an examination it is the hope of this particular student that such a level of discussion can be useful with respect to apply the concepts of consumer and brand loyalty to the exotic car market; providing for the levels of success for firms that seek to promote brand loyalty as a means of increasing profitability and returning customer base. One of the first understandings concerning brand loyalty within the exotic car market has to do with research produced by Neil (2013). Within this particular piece of research, the authors indicate that several distinct psychological processes are entailed with the way the consumers make choices and identify with products. To a large part, this same psychological structure and framework is evident with respect to the way in which brand loyalty is predicated within other markets. The author indicates that brand loyalty within traditional consumer markets is predicated upon issues concerning trust, satisfaction, repeat purchase behavior, value, and other elements. However, within each particular market the way in which brand loyalty is exhibited is predicated upon a different set of metrics. In other words, the reader comes to understand that brand loyalty is ultimately products dependent. Essentially, the value and satisfaction that a given good or service represents to the consumer is based upon what that particular good or service is attempting to fulfill within the life of the consumer (Caplan, 2010). Likewise, within

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay Example for Free

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay The Lottery written by Shirley Jackson tells such a story: There is an ancient traditional annual event held in a small town in America. Anyone who wins the â€Å"lottery† will be stoned to death for harvest. Tessie is the new unluckier this time, who has to suffer this cruel and inhumane punishment. Seen deeply, females’ inferior position is showed elaborately in this novel. First, the appellation to females shows that they are in subordination to males. â€Å"Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square† (Jackson, 2), â€Å"she said to Mrs.   Delacroix† (Jackson, 2), â€Å"Mrs. Dunbar said regretfully† (Jackson, 3). Here â€Å"Mrs. Delacroix†, â€Å"Mrs. Hutchinson† and â€Å"Mrs. Dunbar† all suggest that one female cannot be an individual being after her marriage, since she has to be a part of her husband by calling her â€Å"Mrs†. When Tessie comes lately, the villager’s addresses that â€Å"Here comes your Missus, Hutchinson† (Jackson, 2) instead of calling her own name also shows that she has become a subordinate object for her husband. Just like Lakoff says in his book Language and Womans Place, â€Å"It is with Mrs, Miss, and Mr.  Since a significant part of the opinion one normally forms about a womans character and social station depends on her marital status as is not the case with men† (Lakoff, 73). This phenomenon is common all over the world. Why don’t males change their appellations like female do? Actually, the marriage cannot change anything but the couple’s new relationship and family lifestyle. So does a female have to compromise to become her husband’s stooge? Perhaps only when she makes accomplishment can she be introduced as an independent individual. Those who are satisfied with their status quo are likely to accept the new subsidiary address. Thus, females’ subordinated appellations gradually become accustomed. Second, the role of being a housewife unconsciously influences a female’s equal right to fulfill her own accomplishment. In the novel, â€Å"Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders†¦ â€Å"Clean forgot what day it was,† she said to Mrs. Delacroix†¦She dried her hands on her apron†¦Wouldnt have me leave mdishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe? † (Jackson, 3) Tessie’s words and the act of â€Å"drying her hands on her apron† suggest the female’s low social position at that time. Obviously, if she does not â€Å"win the lottery†, her next work is to rush home and serve meals for the family, since the traditional allocation of family roles has subsided into an established social norm: once a woman is married, she will give up her career and play the role of a housewife, heart and soul. So how can a female have more time to do something more prominent fulfillment since she has been limited into such situation? It’s no wonder that females do not share the equal position to do something more meaningful to some extent. Just like Journalist Ruth Franklin subtitled her 2010 piece in The New Republic: â€Å"On Shirley Jackson and the challenge of being both a mother and a writer† (p. 1). She says, â€Å"In the 1950s, just as much as now, women can only write when the baby naps, or while the children are at school, or after the dishes are done and the lunches are packed and the house is, at last, quiet. This sort of logistics has always worked with efficiency, once the woman understands that no matter how smoothly the thoughts are flowing, they will have to stop when the school bus comes. It works as a resignation to frustration† (FRANKLIN, 2010). It’s easy to perceive that Shirley Jackson’s writing career is somewhat influenced demonstrably because of her female identity. Being both as a mother and a wife, she has to regard her career—writing as the secondary mission to the family. The embarrassing situation she faced is linked with any females at that time. Thus, the role of being a housewife unconsciously influences a female’s equal right to fulfill her own accomplishment. Third, females don’t have the power to make decisions. As it is showed in the novel, males govern all the affairs, â€Å"The lottery was conducted by Mr. Summers; The postmaster, Mr. Graves carried a three- legged stool; Mr. Martin†¦ came forward to hold the box steady on the stool† (Jackson, 1). Three most powerful men dominate the whole village politically and financially. â€Å"There were the lists to make up of heads of families, heads of households in each family† (Jackson 2), which suggests the male’s dominant position in a family. Moreover, â€Å"Dunbar’s wife substituted him to draw the lottery because he had broken his leg, but Mr.  Summers asked whether she had a grown boy to do it† (Jackson, 2) also shows that the unusuality of a female to do such an essencial and decisive thing. In the end, Tessie’s death is another evidence to show that female is not only inferior, but a victim in that lamentable social circumstance. Having no rights to make decisions, females doom to be decided instead of deciding. Thus, the female’s inferior position has formed. In a world, females’ inferior position is shown elaborately in The Lottery. Their appellations, their family division of the labor and their no power to make decisions all display the inferior position of females.

The Power of Women in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Arthur Miller

In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, there are several female characters. Linda Loman is a loyal and nurturing wife and mother and is the person who holds the family together. The other women in the play are wanton and pull the Loman family apart. Both types of women in the play hold a position of power over the pitiful men, whether it is as a matriarch or a whore. Willy, Biff, and Happy Loman all have a common weakness: lack of self-control. Willy had an affair with a woman when he was younger, sleeping with secretaries that could help him make sales to their bosses. Biff â€Å"stole [himself] out of every good job since high school† (131). Happy sleeps with his bosses’ wives because he cannot advance in his profession and taking his bosses’ wives’ loyalty away from them is the only thing that brings him satisfaction. This senselessness that afflicts the Loman men renders them all unhappy and poor. Linda however, remains rational throughout the social and economic insecurity in her life. The other women too, never fail to manipulate the men into a puppet-like state. The ability to remain rational and manipulate others renders the female characters in Death of a Salesman more powerful than the male characters, despite the patriarchal demeanour of the play. Linda loves Willy unconditionally. As Willy’s mental health becomes more and more unstable, he becomes more irritable. No matter how abusive Willy behaves toward Linda, she never gets angry or allows Willy to become aware that he is losing his mind. Whereas Willy and his sons lack self-control, Linda proves to have an abundance of it by remaining calm during Willy’s fits of his inferiority complex. Although Willy does not admit it, he knows that he has failed to ach... ...ported by the neck: Linda. All of the Loman men have very flawed characters. They are steered greatly by their sex drives, leaving them as helpless as puppets. The women, Linda and the prostitutes, are all talented puppeteers. Linda works as a sort of purifying force as she tries to keep the family together while the other women work as corrupting forces, having affairs with the Loman men, which pulls the family further apart. In both cases, the women gain power by exercising their ability to reason or manipulate to gain power over the men. It must be true that the women of the play are more powerful than the men, because the men are powerless without self-control. â€Æ' Works Cited Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin, 1976. My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Dir. Joel Zwick. Perf. Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, and John Corbett. IFC Films, 2002.

Osim International

Contents 1. Introduction to Osim International4 2. Competitive Strategy4 3. Company value chain4 3. 1Innovation5 3. 2Operations Management5 4. Non-financial analysis5 4. 1Corporate Social Responsibility5 4. 2Consumer Sentiments6 4. 3Corporate Culture6 4. 4Customer Retention and Growth6 5. Global outlook7 6. Industry outlook of healthy lifestyle products7 7. Comparison between Osim and its competitors8 8. Osim Financials8 8. 1Company’s Financial Ratios8 8. 2Market Prospects9 8. 2. 1Osim on its own9 8. 2. 2Osim vs. Selected peers (VGO, Best World, Ogawa, Jacks)9 8. 2. 3Osim vs. STI10 8. 3Projected Performance10 9. Conclusion11 Appendix A12 Appendix B16 Appendix C19 Appendix D24 Appendix E25 Appendix F26 ? 1. Introduction to Osim International Osim International Ltd. (Osim) is a Singapore listed company; a global leader in the healthy lifestyle products industry. It has been led since its inception by CEO Ron Sim, the company’s value driver, instrumental in bringing Osim to where it is today, greatly influencing its vision, mission and values with his personal touch. The company has expanded to more than 1,100 stores in more than 30 countries worldwide. Within the next 3 to 5 years, they plan to open over 50 outlets and further expand their subsidiaries, GNC and RichLife. . Competitive Strategy In view of the current economic situation, Osim seeks to cautiously and optimistically ‘focus on building profitability, positive EBITDA and operating cash flow’ . Even though they have exceeded sales expectations so far this year, this may be challenging given that they operate in a niche market easily affect ed by consumer sentiment and other global events. Osim feels a strong balance sheet is integral to meeting this aim, achievable through enhanced operational efficiency and outlets being leaner and more effective in sales. With Brand Osim, they desire an image that is one with (the) healthy lifestyle’ . This demonstrates their aspiration to not only be the market leader, but to also be the brand with the best recall and association. Furthermore, Osim adopts a two-pronged approach of innovation and growth; creating demand through innovation and development to support the anticipated US market recovery and the Chinese markets’ expansion. There is also focus on their most important resource, employees; training and empowering talents with emphasis on corporate culture alignment. 3. Company value chain Osim’s value chain involves two main processes: Innovation and Operations Management. . 1Innovation Research and development (R&D) is a process given much emphasis as Osim strives to release new and relevant products to create demand and to keep a technological edge above its competition, resulting in products such as the iDesire and iMedic amongst others. This has won consumers and its efforts were rewarded in 2008, voted as Asia’s most preferred brand for massage ch airs . This is also inculcated in their brand image with their desire to include ‘intelligent innovation’ . 3. 2Operations Management Operations management includes Osim’s manufacturing and retail arms. Upon subjecting raw material to their respective manufacturing processes, Osim creates a product that it believes will add value for consumers and entice them to pay a premium to obtain their desired quality of life. Its retail arm works with an aggressive marketing department to promote their products. Whilst costs are high, the perceived product value added is proportionately high. 4. Non-financial analysis 4. 1Corporate Social Responsibility Osim aims to encourage a positive attitude towards healthy lifestyles. Osim Triathlons in various Asian countries , and the Osim Singapore Masters are some sporting events it has sponsored. While Osim promotes itself as a lifestyle brand, for example, through the promotion of the uSqueez leg massager which appeals to triathletes, they have also donated to the Children’s Cancer Foundation and supported an endowment fund with the NUS Business School . Osim has also demonstrated accountability to society by recalling its products twice . The urgency to recall defective products has shown Osim’s commitment to civic responsibility. However, the recall affected Osim’s reputation as customers were put through the hassle of claiming damages. Despite this, Osim’s branding remains strong and is still one of the world’s most reliable providers in its industry. Accountability to investors was also demonstrated when they came in runners-up in the ‘Most Transparent Company Award (Commerce)’ in SIAS Investors’ Choice Award. 4. 2Consumer Sentiments In a 2008 survey by Synovate , Osim attained the ‘No. 1 Healthy Lifestyle Products Brand’ in consumers’ minds across Asia. The findings show Osim’s strong Asian customer base and affirms its effective branding as a leading provider of innovative products with design and quality, performance, and safety standards. Furthermore, massage chair sales in China has maintained good growth with easy-to-buy payment schemes. 4. 3Corporate Culture A strong corporate culture inculcating positive thinking has been used as a tool to survive market movements. This tool is behind the entrance of new innovations and the extension of Osim’s reach into the global market. Besides this, substantial shareholdings by key management ensures management goals are correctly aligned with that of shareholders’ . 4. 4Customer Retention and Growth In 2005, Osim was rated by Nielsen Consumers as the number one brand in seven attributes . Osim is also a member of Superbrands . To date, higher end products are made in Japan, a country recognized for its quality and precision . Mid-tier to lower end products are manufactured in China to reduce costs. Although manufactured in China, Osim ensures reliability and quality of these products. The market share gained from the provision of quality products has been shown in the same Synovate survey as mentioned above. Osim has also invested heavily in marketing, often publishing its advertisements in various media to increase its brand presence. These include centrespreads in major newspapers as well as television commercials, reigning in celebrities such as S. H. E and Fiona Xie. This fortifies their brand’s credibility, with the aim of converting new customers and retaining current ones. In a way, they have already created a strong and secure customer base and exclusive attention can be placed on gaining additional market share within the region and globally. 5. Global outlook Since the global recession, the market has rebounded with the STI currently trading around 2,600 points, a level last seen a year ago . We are currently believed to be in the accumulation phase , with economic growth expected in the coming years. Global markets have stabilized while key export markets such as the US and Europe remain fairly weak . A rapid recovery is in line for Asian economies, but continued soft private demand means that fiscal and monetary measures must be sustained to ensure continued growth. 6. Industry outlook of healthy lifestyle products Osim’s business efforts are concentrated on an increasingly affluent Asia , especially in countries like Singapore and China, where there is greater focus on lifestyle and well-being. Health is a greater concern as busier schedules reduce exercise time. As Asia’s aging population finds new ways to improve their living standards, more may turn to increasingly relevant healthcare products. However, the lifestyle industry is most vulnerable to fluctuations in business cycles. With the downturn, spending is either decreased or cheaper alternatives are sought. 7. Comparison between Osim and its competitors Osim’s main competitors in the health-food industry provide competition to its subsidiary, Global Active Limited. Its main recognized competitors in the massage products markets include OGAWA, OTO Bodycare and Panasonic. Osim thus relies heavily on innovation, aggressive marketing and quality to distinguish its products from its competitors, leveraging on the fact that consumer preferences are easily influenced. Another form of competition comes in the form of imitations and inexpensive Chinese products that respectively devalue Osim’s brand and provide viable substitutes. This forces Osim to differentiate itself as a premium product and introduce a secondary brand, NOVO, to woo consumers with its affordability. With the expected future growth in the healthy lifestyle products industry and Osim’s stronghold on its base consumer markets, we expect Osim to continue outperforming its competitors, especially in its core business function. 8. Osim Financials 8. 1Company’s Financial Ratios Osim’s profitability ratios have been weakening over the last 5 years, with sharp declines from 2006 onwards. Profit margins dropped from the healthy region of 9% to 0. 6% in 2007 and finally into the negative in 2008. Other returns ratios like ROA and ROE have also dropped significantly from 2005 onwards. Osim’s sales fell from a high of S$623million in 2006 to S$457million in 2008. The low profitability ratios suggest that the company is not effectively utilizing its assets and shareholder investments to generate sales and profit, which is a cause for concern for potential investors. Its dwindling sales and profitability can be attributed to fierce competition from imitations, as mentioned above. Also, Osim spent S$149million to acquire 55% of Brookstone Inc. in 2005, which did not work out well, as Brookstone’s losses dragged down Osim’s profitability from 2006 onwards. Osim’s liquidity ratios, despite the poor financial performances in the past few years, have remained relatively stable. Current ratio has stayed consistently above 1, bar 2007, which implies that the Group is able to meet its short term liabilities with its short term assets. Interest coverage has been falling sharply, primarily due to the fall in operating profits. In order to continue its repayment of interest charges, profits have to improve. 8. 2Market Prospects 8. 2. 1Osim on its own Generally, share prices have been on a strong downward trend since 2006, with MACD crossing below zero for most of the period. Osim’s share price plunged 98% from a high of S$2. 06 in 2006 to a low of S$0. 05 in the start of 2009 before showing signs of recovery, rising from below S$0. 10 to the recent stability of around S$0. 45, an increase of more than 400% during the period from March to September 2009. The recent bullish trend has also been reflected in the strong divergence of the MACD over zero. 8. 2. 2Osim vs. Selected peers (VGO, Best World, Ogawa, Jacks) During the last 5 years, Osim fared poorly compared to its industry peers. It was the worst performing stock out of the 5 selected companies over the period from 1Q07 to 1Q09. However, focusing our attention on more recent developments, Osim’s share price has been outdoing that of its competitors significantly, due to its strong recovery since 1Q09. Osim’s stock has risen at a higher rate, and been the best performing in terms of absolute value. Another interesting factor is the recent significant increase in insider trading, with senior management aggressively purchasing the company stock and subscribing to excess shares through the company’s rights issue . Together with the hints of recovery from recent financial figures, the purchase of shares by Osim’s management and confidence shown in the company might just be the confirmatory signal of their turnaround in fortunes. 8. 2. 3Osim vs. STI On a 5-year basis, comparing the performance of Osim’s share price against the STI, we observe that generally, it has been underperforming relative to the STI. The period between mid-2005 and early 2007, which coincided with Osim’s best financial performance, saw the company outperforming the market. Since 1Q07, it has been underperforming by a large margin until the recent superior performance relative to the STI starting from April 2009. 8. 3Projected Performance Judging from the 9 month 2009 figures, sales appear to continue sluggishly and we estimate the total sales for 2009 to be inferior to that of 2008. However, EBITDA has increased by 16% as compared to the same period last year. Having fully written down the investment in Brookstone, future losses need not be accounted for, and Osim’s profit before tax is expected to improve to around S$33million for 2009, a marked improvement from 2007 and 2008. Projected profitability ratios also suggest signs of recovery with ROA and ROE estimated to be around 9. 02% and 21. 36% respectively. Liquidity ratios for the Group remain healthy as well, as at 30 Sept 2009. Post restructuring, Osim has emerged leaner, significantly cutting down expenses over the past 2 years. Hence, if sales pick up in the future, we should see a return of the high profit margins realized in the past. Osim’s current Net Asset Value (NAV) per share is S$0. 14. Compared against the average share price of around S$0. 45 over the past 2 months, the Price-to-book ratio is about 3. times, implying that the stock may be overvalued. However, the general price-to-book ratio for an average company is 7 times , showing that Osim’s share price may still rise in the future. 9. Conclusion With Ron Sim at the helm and the alignment of the senior management with company objectives, Osim stands poised to achieve its goals in the short term with its aggressive marketi ng and focus on a strong balance sheet during this time of economic uncertainty. They have earned the trust of consumers through the provision of quality products and good corporate governance. While they have effectively lowered costs, revenue remains sluggish. They plan to improve this through expansion in emerging markets as well as to take advantage of Brookstone’s strategic positioning in American markets. Whilst having derived ways to compete effectively, and with the industry expected to grow, private consumption will still be depressed amidst this period of economic recovery due to a lag effect. Defining a medium to long term as between two to five years, we thus projected that Osim, on its own will continue to be profitable as a going concern. While we recognise that outside the industry, there are many superior alternatives that have the potential to generate far better returns, which is beyond the scope of this report, we recommend that with regards to an investment solely in Osim or in the Healthy Lifestyle Products industry, Osim is clearly the worthwhile choice to invest in. Appendix A Profitability Ratios 20082007200620052004 Profit Margin (%)-21. 780. 65. 429. 299. 2 ROA (%)-46. 580. 868. 0510. 214. 6 ROE (%)-141. 921. 9619. 8728. 9726. 16 Cash Flow/Operating Revenue (%)-17. 984. 957. 8911. 812. 6 Profit Margin (%)-21. 780. 65. 429. 299. Profitability ratios measure the return earned on a company's capital and the financial cushion relative to each dollar of sales. Osim's low profitability ratios in recent years are a cause for concern. However, much can be attributed to the economic crisis and the write-off of Brookstone in 2008. Liquidity Ratios 20082007200620052004 Current Ratio1. 090. 951. 021. 111. 87 Quick Rat io0. 480. 450. 450. 671. 38 Interest Coverage-19. 052. 067. 751750. 95 Current Ratio1. 090. 951. 021. 111. 87 Generally, despite the poor performance posted in 2007 and 2008, Osim's Liquidity Ratios remained relatively stable. This implies that there are no issues regarding the solvency of the company and resources are available to meet its obligations. 20082007200620052004 P/E Ratio (%)n. a. 103. 6422. 415. 2912. 48 Dividend Payout Ratio (%)0219. 4332. 2315. 3415. 39 P/E ratio is an indicator of perceived value of a stock. Osim's unusually high P/E ratio in 2007 is due to the low EPS resulting from the poor performance posted in that year. Osim has been consistently paying out dividends until 2008. Hence, should performance improves in future, investors should expect to receive dividend payouts. Appendix B Projected Performance -Month Key FinancialsEstimated Figures for 2009 Sales335. 9450 EBITDA33. 845 Profit before Tax24. 533 Net profit16. 121 Full year figures for 2009 determined based on pro-rating 9-month figures to get conservative estimates. (in $millions)9mth 20099mth 2008% change2009 Estimated20082007200620052004 Sales335. 9346. 2-2. 98%450456. 7523. 7622. 9502. 5332. 2 EBITDA33. 829. 116%453935. 476. 754. 545. 4 Profit before Tax24. 5-19. 5225. 64%33-92. 25. 443. 651. 435. 3 Net profit16. 1-26161. 92%21-99. 53. 735. 845. 630. 8 (in $millions)9mth 20099mth 2008% change2009 Estimated20082007200620052004 Sales335. 9346. 2-2. 98%450456. 7523. 7622. 502. 5332. 2 EBITDA33. 829. 116%453935. 476. 754. 545. 4 Estimated Financial Ratios for 2009 (With Balance Sheet as at 30 Sept 2009) Profit Margin (%)4. 67 ROA (%)9. 02 ROE (%)21. 36 Current Ratio at B/S date1. 16 2009 figures suggest Osim is on the road to recovery. Projected Profit before Tax show improvement compared to 2008 and 2007, though not to the extent of 2006's high. Compared to 1st half of 2008, 2009 has shown improvement in EBITDA even though sales continue to be weak. .Charts with Projected 2009 Ratios Appendix C Osim Stock Charts 5-Year 1-Year Comparison against STI 5-Year 1-Year Comparison Competitors 5-Year 1-Year -Year Absolute 1-Year Absolute Appendix D Insider Trades Announcement DateBuyerNumber of Shares (Ã¢â‚¬Ë œ000) 23/2/09Ron Sim2002 13/3/093466 17/3/09953 27/3/0996150 31/3/09200 1/4/09200 6/4/092700 9/4/096500 Subtotal112171 23/2/09Peter Lee320 13/3/09950 31/3/09550 9/10/09270 Subtotal2090 23/2/09Richard Leow300 23/2/09Ong Kian Min1618 24/2/091000 2/4/09752 23/2/09Michael Kan300 2/4/09218 23/2/09Charlie Teo300 27/3/09365 6/4/09100 2/4/09Khor Peng Soon16 Subtotal4969 Total119230 Appendix E ? Appendix F Japan’s quality in manufacturing was taken from Fundamentals of Composites Manufacturing: Materials, Methods, and Applications by A. Brent Strong