Domino’s Pizza Business Environment

Content: TASK 1 – a – various types of organisations – pag. 3 – 6 – introduction Domino's Pizza – pag. 7 – mission goals and strategic objectives – pag. 8 – compare Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut – pag. 9 TASK 1 – b – stakeholder influence – pag. 10 TASK 2 – a – the nature of UK economic system – pag. 11 TASK 2 – b – how government manage UK economy – pag. 11 – fiscal and monetary policies – pag. 11 – 12 TASK 2 – c – competition policy and regulatory mechanism in UK – pag. 12 TASK 3 – a – market structure of Domino's Pizza – pag. 13 TASK 3 – b – market influence in Domino's Pizza – pag. 4 – 15 TASK 3 – c – cultural environment in Domino's Pizza – pag. 15 TASK 4 – a – international market in UK – pag. 16 – TASK 4 †“ b global factors in Domino's pizza – pag. 16 – 17 – impact of EU policies – pag. 18 CONLUSION – pag. 19 REFERENCES – pag. 20 Student ID 11170 page 2 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 TASK 1 a: Examine the various types of organisations and their purposes and compare the mission, goals, and the strategic objectives of your chosen organisation with a similar organisation. The various types of organisations are: Sole traders – is a person who start a business by one individual. Advantage: – Retain all the profit – Maintain full control of the business – Information about sole trader is keep private – Direct contact with customers – The business can be based on the sole trader skills Disadvantages: – Unlimited liability – Difficult to have finance for business – Intense competitions from bigger firms – When the owner dies the business ends too – Partne rships – is then when two or more persons became associate and start a business together. Advantage: – More money for business The partners can have different skills – Shared decision making – Business losses shared between the partners – Partners can replace each other if needed Student ID 11170 page 3 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 Disadvantages – The profit must be share – Unlimited liability – To take a decision must consult all partners – The partnership must be reformed in the event of the death of one partner – Private Limited Companies – is an independent entity that provides limited liability and legal protection for its shareholders. Advantages: –Limited Liability – The business will continue even if one of the owners die – Separate entity – More capital can be raised Disadvantages – Profit must be share – There is a legal procedure to set up the business – Firms are not allowed to sell shares to the public. – Financial information filed with the Registrar can be inspected by any member of the public – Public Limited Companies – is a company that work with stock exchange and its share can be buy or sell from anyone Advantages: – Limited Liability – New shareholders and investors can be easily assimilated –The company has a legal existence separate from management and its members Student ID 11170 page 4 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 – Because of their size a PLC can sometimes dominate the market Disadvantages – Setting up the costs can be very expensive – The firm is open to public inspection – Because of their size they cannot always deal with customers at a personal level – Decisions can be slow because the PLC has many directors – Cooperatives – is an organisation founded and controlled by a group of volunteer users for their benefits. Advantages: –Buying in bulk – Working together to solve problems – Good motivation of all members to work hard for profit Disadvantages – Possibility of conflicts between members – Poor management – Longer decision – making process – Franchises – is an organisation that operates under the brand of another organisation that is already in the market called franchisor. Advantages: – Operate in an already known brand – Support from franchisor ( training, financial) – Can work with franchisor’s existing partners Disadvantages Student ID 11170 page 5 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 Must work from roles already established from franchisor, the franchise has no control of the business – Franchise must to pay franchisor because use their name. – Private Sector and Public Sector Organisations Student ID 11170 page 6 of 20 Assignement Busi ness Environment Feb 2013 DOMINO’S PIZZA – FRANCHISE INTRODUCTION Domino’s pizza was founded in 1960 by Tom Monaghan (www. coversupermarket. com) and his brother. After one year Tom bought him brother’s half became the sole owner. In 1967 Domino’s opened the first franchise in 1978 to have over 200 franchise stores.In 1985 they opened their first store in UK currently reaching over 700 stores. By 2000 coming to have more stores in fallowing countries: Canada, Tokyo, India etc. In 1998, after 38 years of ownership Domino’s pizza sold 93 percent of the company to Bain Capital for $1 billion. In 2004 Domino’s began trading common stock on the Stock Exchange. In 2006 they opened 8000 total stores in international markets. The company is still growing today with more than 9350 stores in more than 60 international markets. In same year they starts its sponsorship of The Simpsons in UK. the Domino's effect. 13 supplement, Estates Gazette, Ju ly 19 2008 Issue) In 1999 Domino’s became the first home delivery company to float in the Alternative Investment Market. In 2000 they introduced hot bags to keep the pizzas hot and crisp during delivery. Domino’s started making pizza and today the current menu is a variety of Italian – American products but pizza stay main product, Domino’s along time bringing many improvements countertop and toppings. The Domino's Pizza Team is hard working, committed to excellence and serious about having fun.There are more than 170,000 team members employed by 600 corporate-owned stores, a system of 5,000+ domestic franchise-owned stores and international franchise base that operates more than 5,000 stores in more than 70 markets around the globe ( www. dominosbiz. com ). Over 21,000 team members work in UK and Irish stores and in a range of support functions ranging from marketing, IT and training. Tom Monaghan bought the business for the amount of $500, now Dominoâ⠂¬â„¢s has already labeled as â€Å"megabrand† because it already reaches a total of $5. 1 billion in terms of global retail sales.This includes $3. 2 billion in domestic sales and $1. 9 billion in international sales. ( www. statupbizhup. com ) Student ID 11170 page 7 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 MISSION, GOALS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES MISSION Their mission is to be the best pizza delivery company on the world. Sale more pizza, have more fun. GOALS When the business started Tom Monaghan, the founder, had an only one goal to open three stores. This goal is achieved even exceeding the expectations Domino’s has turned its attentions to a new goal, namely to make the people to love their pizza.OBJECTIVES – Improve speed and efficiency of pizza making. Improve efficiency and speed in delivery. Lower the costs of pizzas. To improve customer relations. Make more profit. Student ID 11170 page 8 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 COMPARE DOMINO’S PIZZA WITH PIZZA HUT(FRANCHISE) PIZZA HUT MISSION They take pride in making perfect pizza and providing courteous and helpful service on time all the time. ( www. wiki. answers. com ) Every customer says â€Å"I’ll be back! † PIZZA HUT GOAL Their goal is to reach 85% recognition of the new product in their target arket. The most important goal of the company is to increase revenue and profits. PIZZA HUT OBJECTIVES To serve the customer , to provide delicious and hygienic pizza and helpful delivery service. Practice what they preach: integrity, ethics and open communications. While Pizza Hut's mission is to improve products and customer loyalty, Domino's Pizza and motivate their employees saying that selling more pizza then the company will have more profit and employees will be better rewarded for their work as a result will have more money for their personal activities.Pizza Hut's goal is to launch new products and marketing in a more advantageous and profitable growth while Domino's Pizza wants to expand their business by opening as many stores and offering products and services as good that loyalty to his customers. Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut are competitors in pizza market and has same market demographic characteristics. Both companies have been able to offer to the customers a good and quality pizza and services. Both companies want to have the best possible promotion of products so that they can maximize their profit and want to cover a larger part of the market.Student ID 11170 page 9 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 TASK 1 b – Explain how stakeholders influence organisational mission and goals and discuss how and to what extend your chosen organisations (responsabilities) meets stakeholder expectations. All stakeholders have a real importance for a company. Each of them is an important part of business. Customers. The customers want that company to provide good products and service customer. For Domino’s customers are real important, they are dependent by customer’s satisfactions and they know that it is important to keep them.Each of satisfied customer bring with him profit. To became one of the most leading pizza delivery Domino’s has made and put the focus on clients feedback regarding improving the quality of products and services carrying many times their survey. Employees. The employees want that company to create a nice place to work and to give them a good training. As well the employees is very important in this company. Without good employees no organization can grow up. Domino’s know their employees work hard every day to provide great food and customer service why invest financial resources in training them. Suppliers.The suppliers want that company to have a good and along collaboration with them and pay them bill on time. Domino’s Pizza has a good relation with suppliers because they are an important factor in a business. Domino’s Pizza is very strict when choosing their suppliers because they are one of the largest volume purchasers off pizza – related product and they need the suppliers to ensure their highest quality product Management. The management want that company grow up and increase profit. Franchisor. The franchisor want that company provide a good work and to keep a good image of brand. Student ID 11170 page 10 of 20Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 TASK 2 a – Explain the nature of UK economic system and how it affects business organisations such as yours. UK have a free market economy, that means the market economy have a little government control and they can fixed the price without state intervention. At same time is a market where the sellers decide what to sell and the buyers decide what they want to buy and for how much. As for other organisations and Domino’s Pizza is an advantage that they can perform the work in a free market but can also be a disadvantage because in a free market all time are more competitors.Domino’s can set their prices and their activity without been affected from government influence only if the change taxes, instead there are situations where they need to stay flexible with the prices because of competition and they need to spend more money for advertising because in a free market the costumers have many options. TASK 2 b – Discuss how governments manage the national economy briefly and analyse the impact of fiscal and monetary policy on businesses such as your chosen organisation.UK government tries to manage the national economy in the fallowing ways: – keeping a low unemployment rate – keeping a low inflation rate that is as low prices – trying to produce as many goods and services that have a growth economy – by lowering taxes The fiscal policy represents all government imposed taxes and fees to maintain a balance of macroeconomics. Fiscal policy applie s to market goods and services and by increasing or decreasing taxes can have a significant impact to organisations, can rise or lower inflation and unemployment.If the government reduces taxes would be an added advantage for Domino’s Pizza because automatic and demand would increase. If demand increases the organisation can Student ID 11170 page 11 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 have a higher profit and that help to open other stores. When the organisation expands help lower the unemployment rate because new jobs automatically appear. When the government increases taxation the demand decreases and the organisations are discouraged to invest and unemployment increases.When inflation is high has a negative effect on Domino’s Pizza because the organisation is forced to raise the prices and this automatically leads to lower demand and this affected the company’s profit. The monetary policy is intervention of monetary authorities on cash economy. Th e monetary policy have influence on interest rates, exchange rate, money supply. In terms of Domino’s Pizza organisation can be seriously affected by rising interest rates because the firm need to pay more money back to bank or stop the loans witch is a really help in company’s grow up.If the interest rates increase the population can’t take loans as well and this means if the costumers don’t have money the demand decrease and the production is affected as well. Lower interest rates have the opposite effect and the organisation can make more investment because the consumption increase as well. TASK 2 c – Analyse how competition policy and regulatory mechanism work in the UK in relation to your chosen organisation. Competition policy is an organisation that tries to control commercial activity in competition so that some companies do not get to have total power over the market.Competition policy bring the follow benefit for consumer: – consum ers can benefits from products and services at the best prices – to adapt to competition policy, the firm develops researches and bring new innovation Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is the UK's consumer and competition authority. Their mission is to make markets to provide a good work for consumers. OFT do the market research and provides consumers all the necessary information to make sure that they can make the right decisions regarding the products or services that consume.Regarding Domino's Pizza there is no informations revealing that the organisation would have created problems so that OFT intervention to be necessary. Student ID 11170 page 12 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 Task 3 a – Using your chosen company as an example, explain how market structure determines the pricing and production decisions. Domino’s Pizza is part of monopolistic market. The monopolistic competition is a type of imperfect competition. The monopolistic competition h ave fallowing characteristics: – arge number of competitors in market – between prices are small differences – large number of substitutes products – high advertising – is easy to entry or exit because exist just few barriers in this competition The monopolistic market is a market where exits many organisations which provides same products or services but with different characteristics. Same like Domino’s in pizza market exist many pizza delivery organisations but their products are different in taste, bases of ingredients, brand and advertising.In monopolistic competition for Domino’s is hard to decide their prices because they are influenced by competitors witch sell products substitutes. To be able to remain at a high level in this market segment, Domino’s has invested a lot of money in advertising to get customers trust and loyalty. In monopolistic market, Domino’s may not always have the same profit because the pres ence of competition and they always must to make researches to differentiate the products. Student ID 11170 page 13 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 TASK 3 b – Using a range f examples, analyse how market forces influence the organisational response and examine how your organisation would respond. Unlike other companies which have faced difficulties during the recession, Domino’s pizza has managed to keep afloat even increase sales. Although the economy was visible affected Domino’s has invested more money in advertising continues to promote its deals and discounts and, reportedly from 2009, for Domino’s was an advantage that much of the population affected by the recession chose to eat home this led to a sales increase of about 11%.As well if cost increases and Domino’s Pizza offer must increase prices of its products or company profits would be affected. However manages to not have a drop in demand even increase its offering in exc hange quality products and fast delivery order. Another influence comes from the competition because in this domain are many competitors, so Domino's Pizza try various way to remain high: – through more intensive advertising – goods products and customer services – fast delivery All this make the demand increase.Student ID 11170 page 14 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 Another influence have suppliers because if the cost of the milk or wheat increases then the supply increasing as well and Domino's Pizza need to increase the prices and then the demand decreases. TASK 3 c – Discuss the business and cultural environment of your selected organisation and assess to what extend it shapes the behaviour of the organisation. Food is the most culturally sensitive category of consumer goods.For Domino’s richness of diversity in the workplace stimulates the work environment, creativity and innovation, and they became stronger because they use a ll the human resources with different culture. While age consumers change their option for consumed products. Every buyer has their own vision of quality products that wants to consume and this is influenced by lifestyle and the income of each. Domino’s has many shops in many countries with customer who have different tastes they had to adopt their products according to the demand and desires of customers in each country.For example in Korea Domino's sell Potato Pizza which topping include potato, in France domino's sell Saumoneta Pizza with smoked salmon and dill and creme fraiche also they sell Four Cheese pizza. Student ID 11170 page 15 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 TASK 4 a – Discuss how international trade affects the UK business organisation and analyse the impact of global factors on UK business, including your chosen organisation. The international trade is the exchange of goods and services outside the territorial borders.International trade has many advantages but also requires some higher costs than domestic trade. International trade is very important for economic development in general and for individual countries economic development. Like other countries and UK practice international trade because it can not produce all the goods and services they need to be continuously developing. UK import is called when purchasing goods and services produced in another country and when UK sells goods and services to other countries is called export. For Domino's Pizza international trade is opening new opportunities borders.When the organisation can expand by opening new stores the profit is growth but also the competition increase. When competition increases Domino's Pizza must focus on placing the best possible products and services so that its clients do not turn their attention to competitors. This means that Domino's need to invest more time and money in advertising and researches. Another great advantage of international trade is the company access to new products and suppliers which means that international expansion helps to increase production because in international trade a country need to utilize all resources.Globalisation is a business philosophy which believes that the world can became homogeneous. Globalisation has effect on the culture, economic development, environment and political system. Globalisation have fallow drivers: – market drivers – cost drivers – government drivers – competitive drivers Market drivers – degree of homogeneity of customer needs – existence global distribution network – transferable marketing Student ID 11170 page 16 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 Market globalisation drivers bringing homogeneity among customers.Domino's Pizza can provide products to customers in UK from other countries and this influences cultures, taste and lifestyle and can increase demand. Cost drivers – potential for economies of scale – transportation cost – product development cost – economies of scope Globalisation have many advantages in cost drivers because Domino's Pizza UK can supply from another countries with cheaper product with same quality and company can benefit from lower transport prices in globalisation if purchase necessary products in larger quantities. Government drivers – lower taxation compatible technical standards and common marketing regulations – privatisation Government can help Domino's Pizza by lowering import taxes and export taxes. Globally, Domino's can work in countries with less advanced technology with more advanced technology from another countries. Student ID 11170 page 17 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 TASK 4 b – Assess the role and impact of EU policies and directives on the UK businesses using your organisations as an example. The European Union was founded by economic and political union of 27 stat es.The purpose of the European Union is to create a single market, the European market, and to introduce a single currency in the Member States to facilitate commerce and to lower the risk of being affected by exchange rate. By creating a single market in Europe, Domino's Pizza, would have many advantages and few disadvantages. EU first wants to ensure protection of traders that operate within European borders and to introduce a common external tariff to facilitate the exchange of goods and services between Member States.By creating a single market with a common external tariff, for Domino's means new business opportunities, a simple way to have access to new market, increase number of consumer Although, in UK, Domino's working with national currency, if here would introduce the single European currency, Euro, the company would have a number of advantages; – company would not have losses caused by exchange rates that they would be removed – the transition to the single currency would eliminate and some bank fees – there would be no a fluctuation in the prices.EU helps to reduce the unemployment rate in Europe because in most Member States any citizen has the right to live and work in another member states except do some states still retain certain restrictions which include and UK. Student ID 11170 page 18 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 Conclusion My opinion about this course is that now I have more knowledge about what mean business environment. I developed my vision strengths to be considered within organisation and also negative and positive influences of all factors acting on business.I have more knowledge about national and international economic system and how economy can influence the organisations. And after this course I learned which is the best position in market for to have a good business. Student ID 11170 page 19 of 20 Assignement Business Environment Feb 2013 References www. coversupermarket. com. 2012. Domm ino's Pizza. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. coversupermarket. com/blog/? p=211. [Accessed 15 April 13]. www. dominosbiz. com. 2011. OUR TEAM. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. dominosbiz. com/Biz-Public-EN/Site+Content/Secondary/Careers/Team/? lang=en_us=json-id=bdec0454534e2ab7f3ed9233e6b9f7ce . [Accessed 14 April 13]. www. startupbizhub. com. com. 2011. Dominos Franchise Cost. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. startupbizhub. com/dominos-franchise-cost. htm? =en_us=json=653a45ce3c73fa78dfdd910e0a4bda77. [Accessed 15 April 13]. www. wiki. answers. com. 2011. What is the mission statement for Pizza Hut? Franchise Cost . [ONLINE] Available at: http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_the_mission_statement_for_Pizza_Hut? =en_us=json-id=29e880efe554d20d1c63f97638aab27e . [Accessed 15 April 13]. Student ID 11170 page 20 of 20

Mice & Men Essay

In chapter 3, the setting, the bunkhouse can be seen to symbolise that people only see what is obvious to them. Steinbeck shows this through symbolism in the bunkhouse. ‘Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse, inside it was dusk†¦ Instantly the table was brilliant with light, and the cone of the shade threw its brightness straight downward, leaving the corners of the bunkhouse still in dusk. The brightness down the centre of the bunkhouse shows our assumptions about something, as we judge things solely for what we see and know. This happens at least once during the text and can be seen through the immediate judgement of Curley’s wife as comes alone to the bunkhouse. George seems to know exactly where the trouble is going to originate, and this is shown when George cautions Lennie not to talk to Curley’s wife. George immediately judges Curley’s wife from previous gossip from Candy, her appearance and her behaviour before he has a chance to get to know her. His assumption led the audience to believe that she is simply just a tart, and nothing more. The dark and gloomy corners on the other hand are a representation of the secrets and not so obvious things in life. This can be seen at the end of the text when we find out the real reasoning as to why Curley’s wife behaves the way she does, which is due to her lack of attention from Curley, not just because she is a floozy. The contrast of dark and light builds anticipation in the audience as the feeling of doubt seems to lurk permanently in the background. Others may interpret the bunkhouse to symbolise cruel world of reality. The dark corners of the bunkhouse suggest dreams and ambitions as in the dark, as we cannot see the problems in which lie ahead. It is only in the light which can be seen down the centre of the bunkhouse that we can see reality and all of the barriers in which will prevent us from achieving these ambitions. Steinbeck shows this when all ambitions of the ranch workers never go to plan. In the light down the centre of the Bunkhouse It appears to be a world in which fate often plays a hand, and the characters are frequently defenceless and watch their dreams turn to dust. Lennie’s puppy symbolises dreams, joy and the relationship between George and Lennie. A puppy is so fun to play with. You can spend time with it; a puppy can listen to all of your problems, is a great friend and you could never stay mad when you see one; however they are reliant on its owner for its wellbeing. This is like the relationship between George and Lennie. Lennie is reliant on George to keep him well and healthy and out of trouble just like the puppy would be reliant on Lennie when it grows older. George and Lennie are also have a close relationship, where they share their problems and although they George may get frustrated with George at times he is always quick to forgive him. The puppy brings joy to Lennie and George because ‘George said if Lennie didn’t hurt the puppy then he could tend the rabbits, when they get their own farm. The dream farm symbolises the tie between them and keeps them working, even when times are hard it is, and is ultimately, their version of heaven. So when Lennie kills a kills the puppy later on in the Chapter 5, it is obvious to the audience that their chances of going there are forever ruined. In contrast to this it may lead some to believe that the puppy is therefore a symbolism of the fate of the weak in the strong and foreshadows doom, shown particularly when Lennie brings the puppy in to the house and away from the it’s nest. ‘’He reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against him’’. Concealing means to prevent something from being seen or known about. Many things are concealed during the story such as the petting and death of the mice, the incident in weed, the death of the puppy and briefly the death of Curley’s wife. We learn about the incident in weed in chapter 3 so it automatically foreshadows a doomed future of the puppy, given our knowledge about the mice. Our suspicions are confirmed During Chapter 5 when Lennie kills the puppy accidentally due to the fact that he still does not recognize his own strength. Although no other character can match Lennie’s physical strength, Lennie finds himself in a similar situation as the innocent animal, as Lennie is unaware of the vicious, predatory powers that surround him. This doom was foreshadowed by the puppy. The sequence of events of the puppy gives a cast contrast of scenes full of hope (when the puppy is first given to Lennie), in comparison to scenes of disappointment (when the puppy dies) increases the reader’s apprehension as they are continuously on the edge wondering what he will do next.

Lab Results Fermenter Essay

To determine the amount of anti-microbial peptide production by Staphylococcus warneri under various conditions when 2L and 10L Fermented. To Test the effects of one uncontrolled parameters sush as pH, Temperature or dissolved Oxygen and compare findings. To produce anti-microbial activity from Staphylococcus warneri.Staphylococcus warneri is a member of bacterial genus Staphylococcus, consisting of Gram-positive bacteria with spherical cells appearing in clusters. Colonies of S. warneri are usually tan, yellow and about 2-4mm in diameter after 48 hours incubation at 35Â °C. It is commonly found as part of the skin flora on humans and animals. S. warneri rarely causes disease, but may occasionally cause infection in patients whose immune system is compromised. S. warneri is known to produce antimicrobial peptide activity in the form of Nisin. The optimum conditions for this to occur are pH 7. Nisin is a polycylic antibacterial peptide with 34 amino acid residues used as a food preservative. It is produced by bacterium and which contains antimicrobial activity and which is known as a bacteriocin. Nisin has been found to have properties that can control spoilage caused by lactic acid bacteria.

Psychologist Accused of Fraud on Astonishing Scale Essay

Psychologist Accused of Fraud on Astonishing Scale - Essay Example Some of the consequences of the detected fraud involve criminal charges, penalties, researchers being barred from publishing their works. For undetected fraud, there is always wrong documentation of data and information that can create a problem for other researchers and to the whole society. The acts of fraud can also lead to wrong policies being implemented. According to Nemeroff & Craighead, (2002), scientific fraud is counterfeiting information or changing and altering data in order to maintain certain results. Sometimes scientific fraud includes biased evaluation of results and changing affecting data. Under the context of scientific fraud, there is illegal ownership of information that should be attributed to other persons or individuals. Scientific fraud can be generated from personal bias in order to achieve certain targets where the calculations and observation are manipulated way far from the actual target. Scientific fraud is mainly caused by perceived pressure to continuously achieve at a high level and sometimes laziness among the scientific researchers. The fraudulent act the researcher committed is a fabrication (Vogel, 2011). The researcher manipulated the research data and process in order to suit and reflect certain end product. He might also have committed the actual drafting of research data which do not reflect the exact outcome. Some of the consequences of fraud in research include sanctions such as preventing future publication of material from the offending authors in case of journals, disciplining authors and notifying outside funding sources so that they can stop funding the authors and Pressing of criminal charges against those who commit the fraud. To the extreme cases, they can be banned from practicing their profession. If undetected, there will be wrong documentation of research data and research reports.  

Navajo Music and Way of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Navajo Music and Way of Life - Essay Example Traditionally, Navajo music was composed of male falsetto, yells, and percussion, but due to western influence, the situation has changed; as there is an integration of modernity into Navajo music. Navajo music has evolved tremendously to be where it is today. Traditionally, one could listen to a performance and forget it ever happened, as recording and storage of music were not known then. However, in the modern age, one can have a recorded performance and as well create stored samples of it for future reference. This has provided avenues for selling off the Navajo music, and the fans having an easier way of reviving their musical memories. In the activities of music, there are two parties that are the performers and listeners. In the performer's section, there are singers, dancers and those playing various musical instruments such as drums and flutes. Various bands are also formed depending on the ceremonies the songs are to be sung; which in most cases are the ritual ceremonies. T he Navajo music is also unique in its own way, being that anyone is free to attend the various musical concerts; except for those requiring membership of strictly men or women of the Navajo community, such as ritual songs. On social organization, blues celebrities were considered of low-status in the society when they arose. However, upon gaining popularity abroad, they gained respect and had a high social status. This enabled them to sell their music better and gain higher chances of playing at concerts.

The Sexualization of Disney Charaters Research Paper

The Sexualization of Disney Charaters - Research Paper Example The problem, is that Disney has began marketing itself as a brand that reaches out and entertains family members of all ages. The company also uses unrealistic depictions of the physical image of their princess characters in the sense that rather than having a little girl playing a role, the character is always a young woman whose figure and actions depicts that of an unrealistic fashion model rather than that of a real world child dealing with image issues. In other words, Disney sexualizes their characters to the point that instead of inspiring little girls to love themselves, they instead learn to self-loathe because they do not meet the standards set by the Disney characters that they admire the most. They do not learn to love themselves as they are because the Disney characters are not depicted in a realistic manner. The problem with this situation is that Disney princess characters carry a tremendous amount of influence over the minds of little girls. Peggy Orenstein explains that: â€Å"The company’s wares reflect the changing taste of their demographic and it’s the change that’s disturbing. â€Å"Think of their memory as a blank slate that is ready to be written upon. Little girls know nothing about demographics, what is right or wrong, or even how a girl should perceive herself. That is something that is influenced by the mass media marketing that is controlled by Disney. That writing becomes the impression by which the child leads her life afterwards. In the case, Disney, through its artists rendering influences the little girl into believing what they want her to believe in order to move their products and sell their movie tickets and videos. Previous Disney incarnations of their princesses were mostly passive females who looked to men in order to be saved. However, D isney decided to go a different route in an effort to keep up with the feminist cause. Hence the empowered and sexually charged portrayal of their current crop of princesses (Greenfield, Beth â€Å"Disney Princess Makeover Sparks Outrage: Merida Petition Goes Viral†). Let us remember that starting with Ariel, the little mermaid, Disney began serving up young women who are basically self-centered and with a knack for getting themselves into trouble. Ariel as a princess of the sea thought only of herself and her dreams and her ambitions. When she came across her prince charming, she then set her sights on snagging him to the extent of endangering herself in the process.

Interconnectivity of organ systems Research Paper

Interconnectivity of organ systems - Research Paper Example If the physiological balance in the body is disturbed or interrupted, the body’s organ systems react in a way that seeks to compensate for the imbalance (Swales, P. 45). Physiological studies and researches have discovered that a homeostatic imbalance or interruption in one organ, characterized by various signs and symptoms, not only affects that particular organ but also interferes with the functionality and the well-being of other organs connected to it. When the body reacts to compensate for the imbalance caused by a disease through various regulatory mechanisms, in most cases, not a single organ is involved (Swales, P. 45). Instead a group of organs are often found to play integral roles in maintaining the body’s homeostatic stability. This paper explores the concept of organ interconnectivity during the regulation of blood pressure and hypertension. High blood pressure, sometimes referred to as the ‘silent killer’ is one of the conditions that make an individual prone to heart attacks and strokes. In fact, studies indicate that high blood pressure is the major cause of stroke and heart attacks in many regions of the world. It is therefore important that the body’s organ systems are best placed physiologically to regulate high blood pressure and hypertension. The connectivity of the organs involved in the regulation of blood pressure is evident as early as during the causative stages of high blood pressure. For example, some of the major causes of high blood pressure are kidney complications, which result in a type of high blood pressure condition known as secondary hypertension (Swales, P. 45). These kidney-related causes of high blood pressure connects it with the main organ systems involved with blood pressure such as the major arteries, the minor arteries, the heart, veins, and the capillaries. These are just the few organs that are involved

Organizational Philosophies and Technology Paper Essay - 2

Organizational Philosophies and Technology Paper - Essay Example 1). A company's approach to the use of technology to help set and manage ethical standards and guidelines can have a tremendous influence on the type of work environment or culture a company promotes. The extent to which there is an overall laid back attitude toward ethics, or a serious one, or the extent to which employees feel trusted and comfortable in their work environment, all has a lot to do with a company's decisions about how it chooses to deploy technology to establish and maintain ethical behavior. Businesses must tread carefully when making these decisions, for they risk unintended repercussions that might result from an overly zealous attempt to manage employees' ethical behavior, such as low morale and job satisfaction that lead to reduced productivity and costly turnover. In addition to managing ethical guidelines, companies today are increasingly turning toward technology in order to perform human resources functions. Many of the administrative aspects of human resources have become automated and transformed into self service functionality by technology. These include management of such routine HR activities as benefits and leave management. This too can have an impact on company culture by forging an atmosphere of high efficiency and cutting edge capabilities, or else can lead employees to feel isolated without personal HR service. Ultimately, whether a company chooses to deploy technology as a means of monitoring employee activities and behavior, or to facilitate their execution of routine functions, the potential repercussions must be weighed against to anticipated benefits of such technology. Unfortunately, the former are often not as easy to predict as the latter. Setting Ethical Standards via Technology "The need to address ethics in companies that deal with information technology has increased over the past several years as more and more transactions are handled using information systems" (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2001, para. 2). Technology has raised employee ethical concerns in the areas of property rights and obligations, policies pertaining to company proprietary as well as customer information, and employee privacy and monitoring (para. 5 - 9). Companies today are leveraging technology more than ever before to communicate expectations for performance and behavior to employees. Most companies have intranets containing a wealth of information regarding policies and procedures to which employees can refer when they have questions. For example, workers can often retrieve employee handbooks, review HR procedures and processes, view and make changes to tax information, benefits elections, and so forth. Online learning has become another key venue for communicating with employees about appropriate behavioral and performance expectations. In the wake of the corporate accounting scandals of a few years ago, many companies have required employees to take e-learning classes on how to ensure legal compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley. These types of courses often provide guidance on what to do when presented with various types of ethically challenging scenarios, and give the company an opportunity to clearly communicate ethical standards and guidelines to every employee. Technology has also given companies the ability to track

(Art) Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel Essay

(Art) Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel - Essay Example â€Å"In the same way that a painter could reduce the human form or settings to a play of geometrical figures, so could the merchant simplify all things to geometrical configurations† (Lemaitre & Lessing, 1993, p. 15). This common language forced artists to examine the world a bit more closely while also giving them the ability to display more realistic images that were better able to illustrate the natural world. This led to the development of numerous artistic techniques including linear perspective, chiaroscuro and foreshortening, different artistic mediums such as frescoes and new methods of working in often difficult places. These techniques, medium and need to overcome new challenges were all employed by Michelangelo in completing one of his most famous works, the Sistine Chapel. Before he could even begin painting, the first challenge Michelangelo had to overcome was reaching the ceiling itself. The architect of the ceiling project, Bramante, provided Michelangelo with some scaffolding that was suspended from the ceiling on ropes. â€Å"When Michelangelo saw it, he was convinced that Bramante was trying to discredit him in the eyes of the pope because he knew that when the scaffolding was removed it would leave holes in the ceiling and ruin the painting† (Marszalek & Panagakis, 2004). To avoid this problem, Michelangelo created his own scaffolding which was basically a flat wooden platform supported by brackets. These brackets were built out from the walls near the tops of the windows instead of hanging from the ceiling. They had the extra bonus of being reached via a series of zigzag ladders. With the scaffolding problem solved, the old ceiling was removed and a new coat of a special kind of plaster was applied to start the fresco process. This first layer of plaster, â€Å"called the arriccio, would be spread over the entire ceiling to a thickness of roughly three-quarters of an inch,

Leininger's nursing theory research article summaries Paper - 1

Leininger's nursing theory article summaries - Research Paper Example This article is a summary of the culture care theory and a discussion of the features evident in the theory. The article is divided into four parts, with the first part introducing the transcultural nursing theory and its historical development since its introduction by Leininger. The second part of the article provides the major features of the theory; including the fact the theory is one of the oldest and most applicable in the nursing field. This is followed by a description of the philosophical rots of the theory and the introduction of the nursing experience influenced by the theory. The purpose and goal the theory is then expounded by the author, including the use of research findings to develop an understanding of the care given to patients across cross-cultural dimensions. An analysis of the research article indicates that the development of the transcultural nursing theory is important in the provision of quality health care to patients. The article is relevant to nursing practice since it discusses a new aspect of the transcultural nursing theory, and provides a useful insight into the field of nursing in relation to the theory. The transcultural nursing theory has been identified as one of the leading theories in the provision of quality health care by focusing on worldwide cultures and nursing practices. An analysis of the article by Leininger presenting the view of transcultural nursing specialists and the effects of transcultural nursing reveals the advantage of the theory. This article proposes the use of the transcultural theory in nursing practice to achieve full patient health regardless of cultural barriers. The article shows how to prepare a transcultural nurse specialist in practice and application of the original theory. The article being summarized presents the main characteristics of the transcultural nurse in relation to the dynamic field of nursing in the evolving world. The article goes on to propose that

Unit 3 Group Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 3 Group Project - Essay Example Doing so harshly might provoke a harsher reaction and thus this will be refrained from under any case whatsoever. Some of the potential issues that can rise owing to the patient information getting available to one and all includes making the patient a laughing stock amongst not only the hospital staff but also the connected links, which includes the friends circle of these hospital employees. Moreover, personal details getting open to one and all, means that there is no privacy involved and this comes directly under the ethical and moral perspective. One should keep in mind that ethics have to be practiced no matter how trying the circumstances are. A person must never let go of the ethical norms and values within his own self. The chances of electronic transfer of these files and more than that getting their print outs can leave a bad taste in the mouth for the readers who see it as well as the people connected with the hospital admin as they will start viewing it as a breach of conduct on their part, let alone their respective personalities. Patient’s information file must be kept confidential since he has invested in the hospital concerning his past track record with regards to health. The hospital staff is morally and ethically bound to safeguard the records and pertinent patient information and at no point in time leak the same for public viewing. A better way to safeguard these files is to make sure that the files are password protected and only the in charge official gets to see these details. Technology needs to make sure that it plays a positive and ethical role in the whole context. Electronic availability of patient information can play a very pivotal role in that patient’s insurance acts which he has to file for returns or claims in the future and thus in no manner it should be kept open for anyone to see. This would ensure that a complete trust

Pepsi branding and marketing strategies defined in history Essay Example for Free

Pepsi branding and marketing strategies defined in history Essay In 1893 Caleb Bradham experimented on several soft drink concoctions from his drug store at North Carolina. In 1898 the brand name was first introduced as Brad’s drink but later renamed to Pepsi Cola (Ads history 2007) after the pepsin and cola nuts used in the recipe. Pepsi was first introduced as a fountain drink. It was about 750 microns wide 6 ounces straight sided bottle with paper labels glued to them and a non-descript crown on top. Price was reported to be costing for only a nickel. Advertisement before was done in signage and if you can read the arrow’s text it says: â€Å"look for the trademark† while the bottom label reads, â€Å"healthful and refreshing† (Davidson FSU 2004). In 1903 Caleb sold about 7,968 gallons using the line â€Å"exhilarating invigorating, aids digestion†. This also started his franchising activity to independent investors to about 24 states. In 1905 the logo was first changed then changed again in 1906. The slogan was also changed to the â€Å"original pure food drink† which gives a boost to sales of 38,605 gallons. In 1908 the company was the first to shift from horse drawn carts to motor vehicles mode of delivery. In 1909 Barney Oldfield endorsed Pepsi as â€Å"a bully drink†¦ refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before the race.† In 1920 the theme was changed to â€Å"drink Pepsi cola, it will satisfy you†. In 1934 Pepsi cola replaced the 6 ounce bottle to 12 ounce bottle at the same price which is still a nickel. The shift was brought about by the high depression which demands for low cost products but high value. The 12 ounce bottle previously priced at ten cents was slashed to five cents which made a hit because it was of same value as the competitive colas of 6 ounce bottles. It was then known as the Pepsi legacy followed by skyrocketed sales giving the company a real good break. In 1939 they pioneered the idea of a comic strip form of advertising in the newspapers introduced and named as Pepsi Pete promoting the product as â€Å"twice as much for a nickel† which deliberately increased consumer awareness in the process. Pepsi cola was remarkably associated nationwide with two policemen that were patterned after the Keystone Kops and became extremely popular. In 1940 their nationwide advertising campaign theme was changed to: â€Å"Pepsi cola hits the spot, 12 full ounces, that’s a lot twice as much for a nickel too! Pepsi cola is the drink for you.† At the same time, they launched the first jingle in the cola world known as â€Å"Nickel, nickel†. The jingle was recorded in fifty five different languages and produced over one million records played coast to coast on radio. It was well adapted by the consumers and those who have heard the jingle. Their jingles appropriately played to the perception and emotional-psychological responses of the consumers for even fifty years later some still remembered. The logo was also changed to a simpler bolder rounded script letters that is really noticeable. Pepsi cola bottles adapted the embossed 12 ounce bottle designed and had the word Pepsi blown and baked into the side of the bottle while the paper labels were replaced as blown labels also. Pepsi cola began to tap the African American niche market and commenced advertising in a Negro newspaper lead by an all black sales team. They also sponsored a nationwide essay contest hiring African Americans professionals in the process. An advertisement specifically aimed for African Americans was modeled by a black mother holding a six packed Pepsi while the son was reaching out to the bottles. In 1941, the crown was changed to red, white, and blue. This was done to support America’s war effort. They wisely set up a Pepsi canteen in Times Square New York. It served to help families’ record messages for overseas armed service personnel. In 1943 the theme twice as much included â€Å"bigger drink, better taste†. In 1947 one of their ad campaigns profiled prominent African Americans using the title â€Å"Leaders in their field†. Using racism as a selling point, their sales shot up dramatically. In 1949 the theme â€Å"why take less when Pepsi’s best† was added. In 1950 the new logo incorporated the bottle cap look. Advertising was done by promoting Pepsi as an experience rather than a bargain. Slogan was changed to â€Å"more bounce to the ounce†. They relied and invested more with advertising that tripled their sales that year. The jingle was then changed to â€Å"have a Pepsi, the light refreshment†. In 1953 Americans became conscious with weight and health that they changed their slogan to â€Å"the light refreshment†. The formula was also changed with a reduced caloric content. In 1954 the slogan â€Å"refreshing without filling† was incorporated to the light refreshment theme. In 1958 Pepsi was known as the kitchen cola as a result of its bargain branch longtime positioning. This time Pepsi targeted the young fashionable consumers. The slogan was changed to â€Å"be sociable, have a Pepsi†. The bottle was then changed to the swirl designed bottle replacing the old straight sided one. Along with it was the introduction of the ballroom dancing. In 1960 the slogan was changed to â€Å"now it’s Pepsi for those who think young†. It defines youth as a psychological state of mind it maintains its appeal for the post war young generation and to all market segments. Some commercials portrayed people going fishing. In 1962 the logo was changed again with serrated bottle caps along with its Pepsi generation ads. In 1963 12 ounce bottles gave way to16 ounce bottles. Pepsi then introduced the 12 ounce Pepsi cans to the military for transport convenience. Their advertising history’s slogan was introduced as â€Å"come alive, you’re in the Pepsi generation† along with their jingle â€Å"come alive† also. Commercials usually portrayed sports and entertainment concept like motorbikes, amusement park and sand sailing. In 1970 Pepsi introduced the first two liter bottles. They were also the first to respond to consumer’s need for light weight recyclable plastic bottles. In 1973 Pepsi changed its logo again. The slogan was also changed to â€Å"join the Pepsi people, feeling free† which is their very own interpretation of one people but with many personalities. In 1975 Pepsi introduced the Pepsi challenge marketing campaign where the results of the blind tasting test between Pepsi cola and its rival Coca cola was made public through television commercials. Participants picked Pepsi as the cola that taste better. As a result Coca cola changed their formula to taste more like Pepsi. The slogan jingle was then â€Å"you’ve got a lot to live, Pepsi got a lot to give†. On that year   the two liter plastishield bottle was introduced. The theme is to promote to live and to give. In 1978 the 12 packed can were introduced to the market. In 1991 Pepsi introduced the first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) along with the changed of its new logo. In 1993 the slogan was changed to â€Å"be young, have fun† modeled by Shaquille O’Neal. In 2001 Britney Spears run her first Pepsi commercial doing her own version of â€Å"The joy of Pepsi†. In 2003 Pepsi cola has a new theme: â€Å"Pepsi it’s the cola.† It portrays popularity in the cola industry that goes from food to fun. Evaluation For decades Pepsi has defined itself as the slogan wizard that can closely associate with the times and changing lifestyle of the consumers. It has first introduced itself as a health drink which was the very reason why it has garnered a big portion of the cola market pie. As it continued to evolve in the market, it has studied its market well, and has well developed themes and slogans or activities that will create consumer awareness. Marketing strategy has always been the challenge of any external environment and how you select your target market, know the needs of your market and penetrate by spending more on advertisements to create consumer awareness. And how Pepsi has penetrated consumers like the Blacks was by spending on advertisements promoting racism to equality and in return enjoyed skyrocketed sales. Tactics will always change along with the evolution of logos, bottle designs, storyboard and jingles. Jingles and music have a very strong psychological effect on the minds of the consumers. It will always be remembered even if fifty years later. Jingles tune and lyrics stays more in the minds of the consumers longer than plain ads signage, commercials, and slogans. As we have noted Pepsi has been very sensitive with what is happening to its world politically and with the needs of its consumers as portrayed by their continuous changed of slogans and jingles. Pepsi has always been portrayed to be part of the life of their target markets. It was never separated in commercials as plain features of the product but rather as something that consumers can greatly identify with themselves. Marketing was a silent warfare among leading competitors. What Pepsi did was to concentrate on specific untapped niche markets and evolved its theme to be able to maintain consumer database. Pepsi had always been keen to combine on product, price, market, and promotion sometimes as far as demographics and selection which always resulted to a captivated market. Pepsi realized that it should focus and play on product innovation and advertising first to promote the brand and not the reverse. Their strong image was the result of directed marketing mix variables. The slogans were always guided by the concept of people and health as it was presented as a health drink in the first stages of its life. When Pepsi developed its campaign Pepsi generation portraying the product as a trendy drink for the young, it has made other cola products looked stodgy. Branding may offer instant product recognition or sort of identification but it was, for always, a result of effective advertising. Pepsi had successfully made the consumers identified themselves with the product by its series of jingles and slogans with just one unchanged brand name but packed with a lot of commercials and ads networking. One thing for sure Pepsi was able to determine its market changing lifestyle, need, and taste and that the product needs to evolve along with the consumer’s trend. So advertising could well focus on the dominating activity of target market in the life cycle of the product. Perception and emotional responses of the consumers were of very important consideration on Pepsi’s approach in the process of creating consumer’s sense of identification with the product. The main thing that Pepsi had done is to link the product with the consumer and not the consumer linking self with the product. As a result they had a handful of loyal customer base. Summary of Pepsi ads and logos Year 1898: Introduction of Pepsi. Packaging: 750 microns wide, 6 ounces straight sided bottle, paper labels glued to them, non-descript crown on top Cost: nickel Theme: Look for the trademark, healthful and refreshing. Branding: Introduced first as Brad’s drink but was later changed to Pepsi cola. Logo: Thin brand name Pepsi cola. Packaging: 6 pack bottle as shown below. Advertising: form of signage, please see image below: Delivery: horse driven cart Year 1903: start of franchising. Theme: Exhilarating, invigorating, aids digestion. Sales: 7,968 gallons Logo: still the same. Year 1905: Logo was first changed. The point is to make the letters bolder from the old thin ones. This is easier to read even at a distance. Delivery: automobile delivery Year 1909: Barney Oldfield Endorsement: Barney oldfield, a racer, endorsed Pepsi. Theme: A bully drink†¦ refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before the race. Advertisements: newspaper ads Year 1920: Theme Theme: Drink Pepsi cola, it will satisfy you Year 1934: Pepsi legacy. Price of product: changed from ten cents to five cents. Packaging: 12 full ounce bottles. Sales: skyrocketed. Year 1939: comic strip Comic strip: Pepsi Pete Advertising: newspapers Effect of advertising: Pepsi cola was associated with the characters. Theme: Twice as much for a nickel Signage: Target market: Advertising targeting African Americans: Year 1940: Jingle break Theme: â€Å"Pepsi-Cola hits the spot Twelve full ounces, that’s a lot Twice as much for a nickel, too Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you.† Jingle: Nickel, nickel Logo: Packaging: bottles are 12 full ounce with embossed Pepsi word and label. Sponsored: Nationwide essay writing using Blacks Year 1941: American war support Crown: changed to red, white, and blue Make: Year 1943: Theme Theme: Bigger drink, better taste Year 1947: Blacks in ads Theme: Leaders in their field Year 1949: Theme Theme: Why take less when Pepsi’s best Year 1950: bottle cap Slogan: More bounce to the ounce (energetic decade) Logo: bottle cap with desc logo Jingle: have a Pepsi, the light refreshment Year 1953: Theme Slogan: The light refreshment Reason: to answer the weight conscious Americans Year 1954: Theme Slogan added: Refreshing without filling Year 1958: Target Target market: young and fashionable Slogan: Be sociable, have a Pepsi Bottle: swirl design Trend: ballroom dancing Year 1960: slogan Slogan: Now it’s Pepsi for those who think young Reason: Be young think young Commercials: soda fountain, fishing Year 1962: logo Logo: logo was changed Caps: serrated bottle caps Year 1963: bottles volume Bottles: shifted from 12 ounce to 16 ounce then to 12 ounce cans Jingle: Come alive Slogan: Come alive, you’re in the Pepsi generation. Reason: Identifies with the consumers and not by the products attributes Commercials: motorbikes, amusement park, sand sailing Year 1970: bottles Bottles: two liters Year 1973: logo Logo was changed Slogan: Join the Pepsi people, feeling free Reason: One people, many personalities Year 1975: Pepsi challenge Commercials: results of the Pepsi challenge was made public in TV Jingle: You’ve got to live Pepsi got a lot to give Bottle: introduction of two liter plastishield bottles Year 1978: Packaging: introduced the 12 packed cans Year 1991: Packaging: PET Logo: changed Year 1993: theme Slogan: Be young have fun Year 2001: theme Slogan: The joy of Pepsi References Ads history highlights (2007). Retrieved November 8, 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Website: http://www.pepsi.com/help/faqs/faq.php?category=ads_and_history page=highlights Davidson, M. W. FSU (2004). The Pepsi generation. Retrieved November 8, 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Website: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/pages/pepsi.html

Marketing Strategy: McDonalds | SWOT

Marketing Strategy: McDonalds | SWOT McDonald was introduced by Dick and McDonald of Manchester, New Hampshire in San Bernardino, California. It was further expanded by business partner, Ray Kroc, of Illinois, who then together found the concept of McDonalds Corporation. The McDonald brothers had been in the restaurant business since 1937. It was the idea of Kroc to franchise their restaurants throughout the world. In 1956 McDonalds brothers had licensed the franchise rights for cook country. In 1959, Kroc opened 67 new restaurants, over new 101 locations in various countries. Like this they started expanding their business all over the world and proved to be best fast food restaurant. McDonald Corporation is one of the largest chains of fast food restaurant with 500,000 of employees serving nearly millions of customers daily. After a very careful study McDonald has given its company the trademark of happy clown character known as Ronald MacDonald. McDonald put great emphasizes is always on youngsters and childrens. They are following the analyzer type of business strategy with bureaucratic nature. McDonald success is hiding in its simplicity and strategic formulation of being strictly quality control, more hygienic and making cost effective production by hiring cheap and young workers trained properly under high supervision of managers. Human resource policies of McDonald are tightly and strictly under control The McDonalds Corporation is the largest worldwide franchised food service organization. In the 1960s, Ray Kroc franchised restaurants for the low sum of $950, demanding 1.9% of sales. McDonalds are able to overcome cultural barriers that have previously hindered other organizations. Because the local people immediately translate both the product and service, there is little hint of what may be construed as US brand culture. McDonalds is simultaneously global and local. Clearly, an increase in the number of franchised restaurants leads to the direct effect of an increase in McDonalds revenues. McDonalds can also boast that it is the largest retail property owner in the world. Task 1a Organizational structure gives a relationship between the tasks performed by the members of the company in the form of different department, following rules and regulation, and coordination and control mechanism. The structure either at the corporate level or at the franchising level, both have a great effect on business strategy followed by the McDonalds. McDonalds has mechanistic structure because tasks performed in the organization are highly repetitive at every local shop. There is a extreme division of labor, with relatively simple and small work activities. McDonalds has rigid and hierarchical management structure. They possess vertical communication within the organization flowing from top to bottom. Decision-making is highly centralized with the top management. So strategy planning could take place within this structure but it has to effectively communicate with the members to have its affectivity. Task 1b McDonalds SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis helps in understanding the internal and external factors affecting to the company. For identifying strategic option of a company it is compulsory to know the various strength and weaknesses. (S)trengths Mcdonald is socially responsible, community oriented company. They have easily adapted themselves to the global restaurant with different culture. Approximately 80% restaurant of McDonald are owned and operated by franchisees. The world wide restaurant of McDonald are provided with duplicate and systematic food preparation process. Macdonald are very serious about their consumers health, and there is proper checking of food and moreover all food items are bought from certified suppliers only. They are playing a great role socially by introducing Ronald McDonald house for the children. Mcdonald was the first food restaurant to provide the information to its customers about nutritional facts. (W)eaknesses Considering the weakness of the McDonald, it has got high-turn over employee. The main weakness they are having is lack of innovation in the industry. The main target of Mcdonald over advertisement is the children. (O)pportunities: There are many opportunities in front of McDonald by creating new product offerings. They can be more socially responsible by the use of sustainable packaging and use of green energy. At the same time they can open some of its franchises at the luxurious places to attract the major customers in the market. (T)hreats: The major competitors of McDonald are burger king and KFC which has included a variety of foods in their menu with fewer prices as compared to McDonald which has become a threat to the company. As the McDonald has largest part of their menu as fast food so the health awareness of the people has been also a issue to the McDonald. This recession period has also let down the revenue of the McDonald to a great extent. So considering the major threats and opportunities of the McDonald the strategic option for this organization could be: Emphasis on Local Management Environmental Friendliness Have to be flexible As some years back McDonald had already gone through a loss in brand image due to the issues related to the health problems by consuming food of the MacDonald. So today also there is some perception in peoples mind about that issues which could affect a lot to McDonald. So they need to make more of the positive reputation nationally or internationally, and tried to give environmental friendly services. Mcdonald has gained the global acceptance by hiring local management. Their main emphasises is to think globally and act local. Mcdonald should try to adapt itself to the constantly changing market. The market is dynamic. They have to make themselves much flexible so that they can adapt more better to the changing scenario. Task 1 c For adapting themselves to the changing environment McDonald need to focus on optimizing their speed, maximize service, minimize the cost of the product and emphasize reliability. They need to focus more geographically and psycho graphically research so as to find out the actual customers of the McDonald. As McDonald has already established them globally so they should focus on product development to stay in the market. They should introduce more of the healthier product to their menu in order to attract more of the health-conscious people. To do this they need to adapt strategies to gain competitors customers by giving more good options than others, including discount, introducing more packages to their menu, and lowering down the price of some of the food to make it affordable for the general consumer also. Task 2a For the implementation of the strategy part it is necessary to keep the various social responsibilities of McDonald in mind. They are highly focusing on reducing the weight of the packaging by not affecting the quality and quantity of food. They have added healthier food to their menu. McDonald is doing reusable material to maintain the sustainability. They pay a great attention towards the happy meal toy used by the millions of children, not to be made by lead. They have also involved in various charities doing social working. Task 2b MISSION STATEMENT McDonalds mission is to serve people with best quick service, good quality food at low cost. VISION STATEMENT Its vision is to dominate the global food-service industry in order to become the customers favorite place to eat. They want the Global dominance in sense of setting the performance standard for customer satisfaction and increases share in the market and profitability through successfully implementing our convenience, value and execution strategies. Most of all the greatest advantage is the vision or the dream with which the company was started. Sustaining this dream over the years is any companies greatest advantage. A brand usually revolves around this vision sustaining this vision and working in lieu with it is a great SCA. McDonalds was started out to help people who had very little time to cook or was too busy to get into a proper restaurant. The vision was to provide quick service, cheap products and quality satisfaction. Keeping this vision in mind the company which slackened a bit because of incompetent franchise holders is being weeded and new and better people are put in this place as the torch bearers of the company sustaining and living the vision. Task 2c For the implementation part of the strategy first of all there should be a clear picture of the strategy to be adopted in the mind of every person in the organization. As there is a change in culture need to bring in McDonald so three points have to keep in mind which is: leadership style, turning strategy into action and performance management. In any organization for the implication of any strategy a real leadership is always required which bring the effective growth. Leadership is the main thread to run the entire process of the translation of strategy into results. To start the strategy plan there should be a proper chart made consisting of all the various activities to be done during the project. During this work several questions need to be answered like what is the intent behind the strategy, what important issues need to be solved during the project, how that will be done and how much time will it take. Lastly how they will be succeeded. The work of performance management is to align the whole organization and make them work better to reach the highest point. They make sure that the strategy is communicated properly, measures the performance at every step, and always make an emotional contracting with the staff members to keep them motivated for the work to be done. Task 3a Project management techniques are the process used to gather the information, and get the work done more efficiently and effectively. There are many tools for the implementation of the plan like critical path flow analysis diagram, Gantt chart, brain storming method. I will be using Gantt chart so as to design the time table for the implementation of the strategy. Gantt chart is extremely useful for communication, budgeting, scheduling of the plan. It keeps all the record of task taking place. According to this scheduled plan the strategy will be completed in 2013 by going through all the necessary stages. Task 3b For the implementation of the strategy it is compulsory for all the members of the organization to coordinate. The top level of management makes all the relevant decision of giving work to the staff members and making sure to give them a timeline for the end of the work. In the organization first of all a board meeting is held to make the strategic planning and decide how to achieve it. Then specific goal and objectives are set according to the strategy planned. For the start of the project budget is made looking at the financial position of the company and all resources are being taken required for the completion. The manager should see that the strategic plan is simple, clear, based on real current situation, have enough time to settle. A time table is made to note the various roles and responsibilities of the members and making the time line for the responsible person. Task 3c Monitoring and controlling are the major portion as it assures the efforts made for the plan. It helps in keeping a regular check over the accomplishment of the task. It helps in measuring the corrective action. If something is going in a wrong way it could help in recognizing that and improving that .for example if there is change in environment so there has to bring a change in forecasting. There should be a continuous monitoring of performance of the project because that helps in predetermining targets and representing most important aspect of that. So the top management should make sure in doing the sales or market share analysis during the project time period. References http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/community/rmcc.aspx Marketing as strategy, Nirmalya Kumar Applied strategic planning , Leonard David Goodstein, Timothy M. Nolan, J. William Pfeiff Strategic planning and management , Delmar W. Karger http://www.mcdonalds.com Peter, J. P., Donnelly, J. H.Jr. (2007). Marketing Management (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin Jolly , A. (1998) GROWING APPETITE CBI news march pp.20-1 Fifiled,P. And Gilligan, C,(1996), strategic marketing management, butterworth- Heinemann Vignalli, C.et al. (1999), various, british food journal, volume 101no.5/6

Customer Satisfaction in Shopping Centre

Customer Satisfaction in Shopping Centre In the previous chapter, secondary data such as books, journals and online journals are used to conduct the literature review. In this chapter, primary data is collected through the case study. This chapter will cover the research framework consists of research purpose, research method, sampling method, research instrument and information collected from the case study. The analysis of the data is discussed in the next chapter. This case study is conducted for the purpose of investigating the level of customer satisfaction of the local customers towards the performance of a shopping centre. Mid valley megamall is chosen as the subject in case study. The time frame for the whole research is 1 month. RESEARCH FRAMEWORK: First of all, the measurement objectives must be specified in order to simplify the research process. Basically, there are four types of customer satisfaction survey which is based on the measurement objectives of the research (Vavra, 2002). Since this research is used to investigate the level of performance of a shopping centre from the customers satisfaction in general, thus, it is known as overall status survey. According to Vavra, overall status survey is emphasized more on the general issues, overall performance, and overall customers satisfaction. (2002). RESEARCH METHOD AND PURPOSE: This research is conducted using quantitative research method. From the customer satisfaction survey, the research information collected from the sample is the primary data. The aim of this study is to investigate the level of customers satisfaction in a shopping centre, to identify the actual need of customers through the distribution of questionnaires to the sample and to clarify whether the performance meet the customers expectations. POPULATION AND SAMPLING METHOD: Sampling method is a method of choosing a group of peoples from the entire target population in order to obtain the required information. Basically, there are two types of sampling designs: probability and non-probability. This research has adopted non probability sampling technique which is most suitable for a widely dispersed population such as the customers of Mid Valley Megamall. It is impossible to use the probability sampling method for this research due to the difficulty in identifies the target populations as it is too large for research. The sample is selected to estimate the gross results because less cost and time required and the sample is easily obtained while compared with the probability sampling technique. The target populations for this research are the Malaysian customers of Mid Valley Megamall and the sample is limited to adult from 18 to 50 years old. This sample is chosen because these groups of person visit the shopping mall more frequently than other demographic profile. The sample size of 100 customers ranged from 18 to 50 years old is considered as representative of Malaysian customers of Mid Valley Megamall. DESIGN OF QUESTIONNAIRE: Questionnaire is used as research instrument for this study. The questionnaires are prepared according to the objectives which set up at the beginning. In order to obtain better response from the sample, the questionnaires are designed to be simple and easy to be understood. If the length of the questionnaires is too long, it will affect the rate of response. According to Vavra, there are four types of question can be collected, namely facts, attitudes, prediction behavior and demographics. (2002). Diversified types of question are more interesting for the customers. The questionnaire consists of three sections. The first section is about the demographic profile of the respondent. The objective is to know the respondents background. The second section is about the general information regarding the relationship between the respondents and the shopping mall. Besides, it is used to identify the actual need of the customers. The third section is about the investigation on the level of satisfaction of the customers from the sample chosen towards the location, product performance, staff, building layout, infrastructure and facilities provided in the shopping mall. This section is important in determine whether the shopping mall meet the requirements of the customers. Furthermore, it includes the recommendations from the customers in order to help the shopping mall to enhance their performance in the future. SCALE: For the questionnaire, every question has its own response options such as open-ended response and close-ended response. Open-ended questions require the opinions of the customers regarding the overall performance of the shopping mall. Close-ended questions are more efficient and quantifiable because it consists of numeric scales which used by the customers to express their feelings in a simple way. The scale is known as Likert Scale. The 5-point numerical scale is adopted which ranging from 1 to 5, 1 represents not satisfied, 2 represents somewhat dissatisfied, 3 represents neither satisfied or dissatisfied, 4 represents somewhat satisfied and 5 represents strongly satisfied. The scale help the respondents to make a clear decision based on their level of satisfaction. DISTRIBUTION METHOD: Distribution method also known as field method and it defined as the way used by the interviewer to distribute the questionnaires to the sample. The questionnaires in research are distributed to the customers personally at the Mid Valley Megamall and at the same time they return the questionnaires. CASE STUDY: MID VALLEY MEGAMALL: BACKGROUND: Mid Valley Megamall is one of the Malaysias largest urban development projects in the world. It was one of the projects inside the Mid Valley City. Mid Valley City desires to be the most modern and integrated mixed-use developments in the world. The construction starts in year 1995. At present, it comprises Mid Valley Megamall, Cititel Hotel, Menara IGB, Boulevard Offices, Boulevard Hotel, Northpoint Mid Valley City, Centrepoint North and South Towers, The Gardens Retail Gallery, The Gardens Hotel, The Gardens Residences and two landmark office towers. IGB Corporation Berhad, a property and investment holding company listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad is the developer of Mid Valley City while the Mid Valley Megamall is owned and operated by Kris Assets Holdings Berhad, a listed IGB subsidiary company. A two dimension master plan of Mid Valley City is enclosed in appendix. DESCRIPTIONS OF MID VALLEY MEGAMALL: Mid Valley Megamall is selected for the case study. Mid Valley Megamall is launched in year 1995 and it was opened in November 1999. Mid Valley Megamall is a complex consists of a shopping mall, an office tower block, 30 signature offices and two hotels. It is the first shopping mall comprises four successful anchor tenants, namely Jaya Jusco, Metrojaya, Carrefour and Golden Screen Cinemas. Besides, it comprises 13 junior and mini anchors and 403 specialty shops. Mid Valley Megamall has a gross floor area of 4.5 million square feet and net lettable area exceeds 1.7 million square feet. Mid Valley City is planned and developed as a City in a CityMid Valley Megamall is a key part of Mid Valley City. It was awarded the Best Shopping Complex Award 2000 by Tourism Malaysia and Best Retail Development Award 2001 by FIABCI Malaysia (International Real Estate Federation). Mid Valley Megamall is a good choice for the local residents and foreign tourists. MISSION AND VISION: Mid Valley Megamall is aimed to fulfilling everyones needs. In order to achieve the mission, the highly energetic and talented professionals are appointed in departments. In fact, Mid Valley Megamall emphasizes on their service standard and it wishes to create a modern and stylish shopping paradise for their customers. As long as the customers are in the Mid Valley Megamall, they will make sure everyone enjoy the services and products provided. Besides, Mid Valley Megamall aims to maintain the growth of the shopping mall in the competitive retail industry. FACTORS INFLUENCE THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY: Mid Valley Megamall is strategically located between Kuala Lumpur Central Business District and Petaling Jaya. It is located in a convenient location that can be easily accessible from all corners on the Klang Valley. Besides it is surrounded by Petaling Jaya, Bangsar and Damansara. There is a KTM Komuter train-stop and a LRT Station nearby while taxis are available at the entrances of Centre, North and South Courts. The KTM commuter station can be accessed through a covered pedestrian bridge to the Megamall. Its believed to bring an average of 10,000 passengers each day. The station is disable-friendly, and facilities comprise toilets, lifts, covered platforms, ticket and information counters and ticket vending machines. Furthermore, Mid Valley has offers free complimentary shutter bus services (Trinton Bus) at an interval of 30 minutes to 1 hour that travel between Bangsar LRT Station and Mid Valley South Court. Other option of transportation is the public transport available. Mid Valley Megamall can be accessed through five major highways and two railway lines. In the future, the improvement of road and public transportation will be done. It includes a designated monorail station, a link bridge to the Putra LRT Station and the upgrading of internal traffic flow. Being located in between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, an amount of RM250 million was invested in constructing a flyover and enhance the network of road for the purpose to connect the Federal Highway and all the major catchment and residential suburbs or businesses premises within Klang Valley to Mid Valley Megamall. The location plan is enclosed in appendix X. Meanwhile, the location of the department stores is also very important for the convenient of the customers. NFRASTRUCTURES AND FACILITIES: Mid Valley consists of four entrances located at the direction of east, south, north and west respectively. Information Counters are available in Centre, North and South Court at ground floor. They are willing to assist those customers by showing a helpful attitude. In terms of car parking, Mid Valley is provided 4000 car parks in order to cater the need of high crowd during peak hours. Effective from 5 May 2008, the basement car parks of Mid Valley Megamall The Gardens Mall were separated where the car parks for Mid Valley Megamall are zones A and C. The exact location of the parking area is shown in the plan enclosed in appendix. Besides, Mid Valley Megamall also provides washrooms and baby changing facilities. The washrooms provided for the benefit of all the customers while the baby changing facilities are provided for the benefit of a mother. In addition, Mid Valley Megamall is comprises five lifts which enable the customers to travel from floor to floor. Escalators also available at East, South and North Court and there are two travelators that connecting the lower ground floor with basement which is very convenient for the customers. A proper floor plan is enclosed in appendix for further clarification of the exact location for the facilities and infrastructures. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: Mid Valley consists of five floors where each floor is specifying for certain products and services. Lower ground floor is for daily essentials such as hypermarket, supermarket, pharmacies and money-changers. Besides, this floor is providing a numerous fast food outlet and local delights. Ground floor is mainly for the adults which include the apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty care, health care, bookstore and others essential items that fulfill the desires of an adult. First floor is the paradise for a kid, which include the fashion for kids, beauty and hair saloons for the adults. Second floor is specialized for those who wish to decorate their house. Besides, IT Centre is also available in this floor to cater the need of young generation in the ever changing technology of the world. Third floor is for entertainment such as Golden Screen Cinemas, Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Pets Wonderland, Cosmic Bowl, Megakidz and a food court. Besides the products, the proper display area also being taken into consideration in order to be easily accessible by the customer. Mid valley is able to stimulate customers to spend more time and money in Mid Valley through the visual display merchandising. The store directory: PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN A SHOPPING CENTER BASED ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CHAPTER THREE: Anchors. Accessories. Apparel. Discounters. Entertainment. Exhibition/ Property Showroom. Food and Beverage. Health/ Personal Care. Houseware and Furnishings. Information Technology. Jewellery. Leisure. Luggage. Shoes and Bags. Sporting Goods and Apparel. Sundry and Services. Tailoring. Textile. Watches and Pens. PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN A SHOPPING CENTER BASED ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CHAPTER THREE: Mid Valley Megamall also provides certain services for the convenience of the customers. The services provided: PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN A SHOPPING CENTER BASED ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CHAPTER THREE: ATMs. Banks. Cobbler. Laundrette. Money Changers. Post Office. Alteration Shop. Clinic. Dentist. Locksmith. Newstands. Print Shop. PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN A SHOPPING CENTER BASED ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CHAPTER THREE: STAFF: In addition, Mid Valley Megamall is continually investing in a comprehensive staff training and skills development programme which aimed at improving both the soft and hard skills of the staff and enable them to perform their responsibilities in a right manner. The quality and attitude of the staffs will be indirectly affecting the level of customer satisfaction towards Mid Valley Megamall. The important qualities of the staffs are friendliness, helpfulness, communication skill and responsiveness. BUILDING LAYOUT: Challenge of the management team of Mid Valley Megamall is to ensure the customers willing to visit Mid Valley Megamall repeatedly. Mid Valley Megamall is a customer-centric shopping centre which offers best and wide range of services. It is operated by an experienced team of industry experts to ensure the innovative marketing and leasing initiatives. Besides, Mid Valley Megamall was invested over millions in comprehensive store renovation and upgrading activities in order to improve and enhance the malls environment. In terms of marketing, Mid Valley Megamall has planned the promotion aggressively with the mission to provide the delightful shopping experience to the shoppers. In order to bring excitement and hour of enjoyment to the shoppers, visual merchandising are used in creating a unique atmosphere for the public and enhance the competitiveness of Mid Valley Megamall. The marketing and promotional activities are supported by themed and strong-concept in-house events throughout the mall such as Mid Valley Megamall Fashion Week 2009 which introduce the hottest spring or summer collections through the fabulous design and chic runway shows. This show is designated for the fashion lover. During different festivals such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Merry Christmas celebration, Mid Valley Megamall will decorate the centre court into atmosphere with unique and attractive theme. Mid Valley Megamall was the only shopping mall in Asia that achieved international recognition in MAXI Awards ceremony held in Hollywood last year. This award is organized by International Council of Shopping Centres. For the Hari Raya celebration 2008, Mid Valley Megamall themed as Cherish The Good Old Days in a Brand New Way that create a harmony atmosphere. This unique theme help Mid Valley Megamall won in the Visual Merchandising category of the MAXI Award. SUMMARY: This chapter has discussed about the research process which include the research framework, research method and purpose, population of questionnaire, the scale for the questions and distributing method. A case study in Mid Valley Megamall has been discussed in this chapter; it includes the background, description, mission and vision of Mid Valley Megamall. Furthermore, the factors that influences the customer satisfaction being discussed for the case study of Mid Valley Megamall. The factors are location and accessibility, infrastructure and facilities, product and services, staff and building layout.

Supply and Demand :: Economics Econ 101

Supply and Demand Supply and demand is defined as the relationship between the quantity that producers wish to sell at various prices and the quantity of a commodity that consumers wish to buy. In the functioning of an economy, supply and demand plays an important role in the economic decisions in which a company or individual may make. The quantity of a commodity demanded depends on the price of the commodity, the prices of all other commodities, the incomes of the consumers as well as the consumer’s taste. The quantity of a commodity supplied depends on the price obtainable for the commodity as well the price obtainable for substitute goods, the techniques of production, the cost of labor and other factors of production. It is supply and demand that causes a market to reach equilibrium. If buyers wish to purchase more of a commodity than that of which is available at a given price, then the price will to tend to rise. If they wish to purchase less of a commodity than that of which is available, then the price will tend to drop. Consequently, the price will reach equilibrium at which the quantity demanded is just equal to the quantity supplied. The resources needed to supply commodities often tend to be scarce so that there is always competition. The term â€Å"invisible hand† is the natural force that guides the market to this competition for scarce resources. Without the â€Å"invisible hand† theory then there would be no competition for resources thus creating a market where prices would be determined almost free of debate. There would be no market to determine set prices for any type of commodity. Therefore, many companies and individuals would lose out on

Due Diligence is Necessary When You Buy a Website :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

Due Diligence is Necessary When You Buy a Website Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com According to industry statistics, nine out of ten people who begin the search to buy a website never complete a transaction. While there are many reasons for this dismal figure, a lot has to do with the inability of people to "pull the trigger". This gun-shy reaction is due to uncertainty: if you have not gathered the right information or failed to investigate the website thoroughly you will not be 100% certain of what to do. Due diligence is probably the most critical stage in the website buying process. Many prospective buyers incorrectly identify this period as strictly a financial review. However, an effective due diligence goes far beyond the numbers. Due diligence is the complete investigation and review of a website. One of the keys to buying a good website comes from your ability to learn the intimate details of it. It is imperative that you identify the strengths, weaknesses, growth opportunities and areas of concern with each website. If you don't do a flawless job of gathering information, you will not be able to pull the trigger and complete the transaction since you'll be uncertain about too many components of the website. The investigation process must begin the moment a website becomes of interest. Your goal is to be certain that you uncover everything about any website before you buy it. You don't have to communicate with the seller for your research to begin. The Internet is an incredible tool that will allow you to investigate the website, the industry, the competition, the marketing, the suppliers, and on and on. The importance of beginning your investigation early cannot be emphasized strongly enough. This way, you'll position yourself to ask the seller the right questions. Once you progress to the stage of an accepted offer, you will commence the financial due diligence. This period usually lasts 10-30 days. This is the time when you'll have access to all of the website’s books and records. Once you begin looking at a particular website, you'll find a thousand things crossing your mind regarding the acquisition. Keep a notepad handy at all times and log your thoughts. Don't trust your memory; these little things are the ones that can and will come back to haunt you down the road. Begin to put together your checklist of what you need to investigate and how you're going to do it along with the materials you require from the seller to accomplish it. Due Diligence is Necessary When You Buy a Website :: Sell Websites Buy Websites Due Diligence is Necessary When You Buy a Website Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com According to industry statistics, nine out of ten people who begin the search to buy a website never complete a transaction. While there are many reasons for this dismal figure, a lot has to do with the inability of people to "pull the trigger". This gun-shy reaction is due to uncertainty: if you have not gathered the right information or failed to investigate the website thoroughly you will not be 100% certain of what to do. Due diligence is probably the most critical stage in the website buying process. Many prospective buyers incorrectly identify this period as strictly a financial review. However, an effective due diligence goes far beyond the numbers. Due diligence is the complete investigation and review of a website. One of the keys to buying a good website comes from your ability to learn the intimate details of it. It is imperative that you identify the strengths, weaknesses, growth opportunities and areas of concern with each website. If you don't do a flawless job of gathering information, you will not be able to pull the trigger and complete the transaction since you'll be uncertain about too many components of the website. The investigation process must begin the moment a website becomes of interest. Your goal is to be certain that you uncover everything about any website before you buy it. You don't have to communicate with the seller for your research to begin. The Internet is an incredible tool that will allow you to investigate the website, the industry, the competition, the marketing, the suppliers, and on and on. The importance of beginning your investigation early cannot be emphasized strongly enough. This way, you'll position yourself to ask the seller the right questions. Once you progress to the stage of an accepted offer, you will commence the financial due diligence. This period usually lasts 10-30 days. This is the time when you'll have access to all of the website’s books and records. Once you begin looking at a particular website, you'll find a thousand things crossing your mind regarding the acquisition. Keep a notepad handy at all times and log your thoughts. Don't trust your memory; these little things are the ones that can and will come back to haunt you down the road. Begin to put together your checklist of what you need to investigate and how you're going to do it along with the materials you require from the seller to accomplish it.