Aggressive Skating

My favourite hobby is Aggressive Skating. When people think of skating they perhaps think of people skating along Brighton Pier. Aggressive Skating is totally different. If you have never heard of it or tried it you are in for a treat. Aggressive skating is expensive to start if you are new to the sport. Specialist shops sell everything you need, they are Roller Snakes, SS20, Transition, Skater's Paradise, H.P.S (Half Pipe Sports), UK Skates, Blue Room etc. There are lots more shops that I could name but those are the better ones. The costs of the skates vary from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½120 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½230. There are two different types of skates; hard boot and soft boot. The main difference is hard boot is made all out of plastic, soft boot is made from material and fabric and plastic inner boot. You can buy extras for your skates like frames and wheels. Unlike skateboarding there is not a set clothes style as such. You can buy some shirts and jumpers with some sponsors or brands on them but not a lot. The style that most skaters wear is long shirts and baggy jeans. They wear baggy jeans because they last much longer than other clothes. The basics of aggressive skating are learning to go up ramps and how to jump. The skate is much heavier than shoes so when you can jump with them on you are ready to try some tricks. There are many different styles of skating such as ‘Street'. Street is very different to other aspects of skating it is when you skate around looking for flat ledges and handrails. They can be small, tall long or even fat rails. My motto is â€Å"as long as you can reach it you can skate it†. To skate Street is illegal because you are skating on other people's property without their permission. Street skating is unsafe because the structures are untested. Street is very hard to do there is no safe way to skate street. The best you can do is wear shin guards. You should not street skate alone. It is safer to skate with friends because if you have an accident they will be there to call for help. You go out try it and find more and more sites to skate. Another style of skating is ‘Park'. Park is not illegal to skate at because it is purpose built. The one rule is that when in a skate park all injuries are your fault and the park does not accept responsibility for any injuries. There are some places to skate such as Playstation in London, Wandle Park in Croydon, Skaterham in Caterham and others. Park is safer to skate because it is structured to last a long time. You can go to Skate Parks at any time and usually they will have some low rails to practice on for beginners. Park has different ramps such as, Half-Pipes, Spine, Volcano, Mini Street course, Death Box. Competition skating is for those who are sponsored or want to be sponsored. The prize money is quite good but the extras are better. If you skate competition then you may get spotted and you could get sponsored. When you get sponsored you get free merchandise such as skates, wheels, clothes, frames, bags anything to do with skating. They want you to advertise their gear so others buy them whilst you get it all free. The social aspect of skating is basically all about friends. I started skating a year ago and I only knew three people but now I know 47 people who are my friends. Whenever the weather is good we arrange to meet each other at a particular park and we skate all day! Sometimes parents get angry because we are missing all day. Time flies when you are having fun. I remember when my friend was supposed to go home but he stayed at the park for an extra two hours and his mother came to get him. His street credibility was washed down the drain, because he was embarrassed and we never let him forget it. Each skater has a move that no one else can do. My trick is a 360 over the Volcano. This trick needs speed, height, spin and a good landing. It is very hard to do and I am the only one to land it. If you want to socialise with the best you must prove yourself worthy. If you socialise with people that are a bit better than you are then it pushes you to try harder and do more difficult tricks. There are some games that we play like trick for trick. This is when someone does a trick and you have to do the same one. Slam is another game it is when someone sets a trick or combination of tricks then you get three tries at it and if you don't do it you get a letter if you get all four letters you are out. There are three main different trick types the first one is spins. Spins are very fast and hard to land. There are different types of spins, such as late spins where you get air wait then spin near the end of your jump. Flat spin, this is when you approach the ramp at an angle and you spin at a horizontal angle then come back down and land vertical. This trick is hard to do. The most spins a skater has done is 1260. The spins I have achieved is a 720. For me this is hard but my little brother who is 13 can do a 900 and land it. The second trick type is Air this is where all the back flips and grabs come in. I can do lots of grabs but I cant back flip or front flip. Some of my friends can do somersaults. One day soon I will try a back and front flip then get into the complex stuff. The third trick is grinds and there are many different grinds I can do all the basic grinds and I can do some hard ones too. I can True Spin, Full Cab, Unnatural, Topside, Zero Spin and Ally OOP. These are different ways and types of grinds. In skating you must be safe, you should be prepared for anything. The type of protection you can buy will help you not to get injured badly but you will still get hurt. There is a very high danger level and injuries can be as minor as grazes to broken bones, but it is an adrenaline rush and you must try it.

Journey of Brand Lifebuoy

The Lifebuoy story dates back to 1895 when it first entered the Indian market. â€Å"Life buoy' literally meaner the life-saving buoy thrown out to people at sea to prevent them from drowning. This is where the brand got its name from. Lifebuoy is a product of Hindustan Milliner Limited (HULL), India. It was initially launched with the sole intention of targeting men and everything sporty. â€Å"Attendants ski rakish kart ha Lifebuoy' captured the essence of their campaign brilliantly.The premise was made clear. Use lifebuoy and stay strong. The quintessential red chunky bar of soap became synonymous with masculine health and good value for money. The same brand positioning was maintained for more than 100 years. However, sales started dipping in the sass's with the coming of other beauty soaps like Lax, Senator etc. The consumers suddenly had more options and Lifebuoys existing market strategy had nothing new to make the consumers stay loyal to the brand.Also, times had changed an d now women were the decision makers in the family as far as shopping for commensurable household products were concerned. The need of the hour for Lifebuoy as a brand was to become more family oriented in its approach mostly focusing on the health aspect. A brand image built over 100 years had to be changed. The task at hand was challenging but the plunge was taken and the brand was repositioned in 2002. The product was transformed from the traditional masculine bar and given a more curvy look.The carbonic smell was substituted by perfume fragrance. The focus now was on a complete bathing experience for the family and the new tagging â€Å"Kay pap lifebuoy SE Mahayana Kay† did complete Justice to the cause. After this re-launch, Lifebuoys market share in the bath soap sector rose from to 18%. 2002 also saw the launch of aerogram aimed to educate people in rural India about the good health practices and basic hygiene habit of washing hands. The initiative wanted to challenge the age old notion of Missile clean is safe clean†.The brand USPS of providing better protection from germs compared to other soaps along with a strong social message came across as an impressive marketing strategy. The focus has gradually and decisively shifted to healthy hand wash habits as being the main focus of the Lifebuoy brand. Clinical tests were conducted in 2007-2008 that proved how by following the Lifebuoy way washing hands at five key occasions during the day), diarrhea in target children were reduced by 25% and they had 40% less days off school due to illness as was the case earlier.The result of all this has been a complete makeover of the brand from a masculine brand to a family soap which promises mothers a germ free environment for their children. Lifebuoy has time and again came across as one of the more innovative brands across sectors. In the tsunami of branding unleashed at the Mama Gumbo in Allahabad, Lifebuoy came up with the memorable ploy of embossin g assuages about the benefits of washing hands on rot's, after tying up with some popular local Dhabi.Taking this forward, it now aims to change the hand washing behavior of 1 Billion people by 201 5. The ideology remains the same. It wants to promote hand washing with soap at key occasions in the day to reduce infections and and adopted Together village in Madhya Pradesh to help every child living there reach their fifth birthday. This initiative has been widely publicized on the social media to create awareness and to strengthen the support for the cause.All this has n turn lead to further establishment of Lifebuoy as a brand that aims to make a difference to the society and bring about a change in the hygiene habits. In terms of market share, Lifebuoy is today pegged at 12. 1%, a close second to Lax at 12. 8%. (Ironmonger). The future seems bright and promising.

Advanced Project and Risk Management Assignment

Advanced Project and Risk Management - Assignment Example In this context, the discussion will provide a comprehensive assessment of the detailed care records, N3 infrastructure, electronic prescription service, picture archiving process and the NHS mail, along with booking services of the organisation. In order to critically explain the major functional areas of the IT program in the NHS, the discussion section covers relevant theoretical ideas and concepts associated with the subject area. Additionally, the section of the assignment also tends to explore different aspects relating to the efficiency of the newly developed IT program in the NHS and provides relevant recommendations for streamlining project management functions of the organisation (Association for Project Management, 2014; The Stationery Office, 2012; ). The case primarily deals with the growth and inception of National Programme for IT in the NHS. The case highlights the growth of the program since its inception in the NHS in the year 2006. It has been comprehended that the program was initiated with the intention to ensure positive reform within the NHS in the form of improvement in performance, improvement in the delivering services to the people and others. The program involved extensive use of IT with the intention to enhance the operational efficacy of the sector to a certain extent. The program is being managed at the national level by the Department of Health of the state (National Audit Office, 2008). According to an in-depth understanding of the National IT programme in the NHS, it has been identified that the project includes a wider scope in terms of increasing operational efficiency of different the NHS healthcare services and activities. According to the observation of the project activities, the IT programme is designed with the aim of reforming the way of using information by the NHS in England (Schwalbe, 2013). The primary aim of the IT programme is to ensure that the service records of the NHS

The Coursework is concerned with the new coalition Government's Essay

The Coursework is concerned with the new coalition Government's Localism Bill, a major piece of legislation that will affect a - Essay Example The fact is, a planning process determines who can construct and what they can construct as well as how and where that construction can be conducted. This report will identify the main planning contents of the Localism Bill, provide an analysis of the Bill’s impact on the chief stakeholders impacted by the proposed planning reforms and provide an appraisal of the winners and losers should the Bill become law. Finally, this report having identified the key planning contents of the Bill, stakeholder interests and winners and losers, a list of recommendations for achieving the Bill’s purpose will be provided. A. The Proposed Planning Procedures under the Localism Bill The Department for Communities and Local Government reports that the planning provisions of the Localism Bill is designed to â€Å"make the planning system clearer, more democratic, and more effective†.1 The first step in that direction is the abrogation of regional focus which are currently strategize d to identify parts of England and Wales that require new development. This includes targeting specific areas which have been identified by the central government. Local communities and their populations have very little input with respect to these strategies. The government has determined that regional strategies is not only â€Å"bureaucratic†, but also â€Å"undemocratic†.2 Part 5 of the Localism Bill 2010 will therefore set out to abrogate regional strategies.3 Part 5 of the Localism Bill also intends to address the current planning framework’s instructive and dictator approach by introducing neighbourhood planning.4 In other words, rather than being told by the Government what should be built and where and â€Å"how they should look,† the Localism Bill will confer upon communities the right to compose its own â€Å"neighbourhood development plan†.5 Local populations are at liberty to vote by virtue of referendum on a neighbourhood development plan if it is consistent with the country’s policy for planning and the â€Å"strategic vision for the wider area by the local authority and with other legal requirements†.6 This immediately invites questions as to whether local populations are qualified to make this kind of determination. Should the majority choose a neighbourhood development plan that is inconsistent with the country’s policy, the law, or the local authority’s vision for the wider area, the neighbourhood is ultimately left with no neighbourhood plan and will have to plan and vote all over again. A lot of time can be wasted this way and will defeat the purpose of the planning provisions under the Localism Bill relative to saving time in the planning process. Although the Localism Bill requires that local planning official lend technical support to neighbourhoods in planning their neighbourhood’s development, there is no guarantee that this support will be accepted or understood. I n addition, individual minds may be made up and no amount of advice and support will change those minds. The community’s right to build is also a novel idea and will only provide for neighbourhood development. Under Part 5 of the Localism Bill, individual groups will have the opportunity to put forth smaller development projects. These projects can include businesses, shops and dwelling houses. All benefits deriving from these projects will remain within the community.7 Part 5 of

Admission Acceptance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Admission Acceptance - Essay Example Everything was so different. I had left behind in my homeland, everything that seemed normal and natural to me and found myself in a completely alien culture. My proficiency in English was barely passable. Not only did I have difficulty expressing myself, I found it difficult, as well, to understand spoken English here. Since those first few trying months, I have gained a firm grasp of the language and, more importantly, the cultural and language nuances that were so foreign to me at first.Something as simple as school was very strange from what I was accustomed to; the schools in India are very different from those here in the US, and it was almost overwhelming initially, but I have since overcome those barriers. My school work did suffer to an extent during my transition, and therefore, my grades do not fully reflect my potential or intelligence. I had to work harder than most of my peers in order to keep up in my schoolwork, not because I was not smart enough, but because everythi ng was new and different and I had to become fluent in English. It did affect my grades, but it taught me much about myself and what I am capable of. I have gained valuable insight into what I can accomplish in my life and learned that at times the important lessons we learn cannot be measured by external standards.

SG Cowen Recruitment System Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SG Cowen Recruitment System - Case Study Example The company still seeks to grow further by diversifying into the geographical regions of the world but wants to keep an integrated mission and vision for hiring new talent and recruits at the various positions in the company. The case outlines the recruitment session for a period of 2001-2002 at SG Cowen, starting from the establishment of the recruitment procedures at the company and the flow of applicant and recruitment selection at all levels of the company. The case of SG Cowen: New Recruits has been analyzed through observation. It has been observed that the company has an established and exhaustive recruitment process for hiring recent graduates, which pertains to inviting applications from candidates in the market, targeting candidates from the core schools by holding interactive career setting and recruitment sessions with the interested applicants and tier based interview sessions at the universities as well at the company in New York. Through the information provide in the case, it has been noted that the recruitment procedure for new graduates into SG Cowen is based on the strategy formulated by Rae. This strategy by Rae is to target the core schools and universities for the future employees of SG Cowen. These core schools include schools ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in the United States as well as the 15 schools which make up the top 25 schools in the United States. This is a unique strategy to adopt in a highly competitive market for recruits. It was also observed that the only the academic performance of the candidates and their previous work records and experiences were not the only factors taken into account when making a decision for hiring new recruits. The orientation of the candidates, as well as their drive, interest and passion for the business and the industry as well as the suitability to the culture of the organization were also taken into account when deciding on the selection of new recruits to be hired by SG Cowen. The problem that has been observed in the case pertains to the issues faced by the management of SG Cowen when it comes to deciding the final recruits amongst those candidates who have the potential, the drive as well as the academic record and experience to be recruits of SG Cowen but for some reason have not received affirmation form all the interviewers at the Super Saturday interview rounds. Connections to Human Resource Management The article is very much related to the human resource field and the Human Resource Management function. This case provides the entire recruitment and selection process at SG Cowen which is a part of the human resource management function. The case depicts the recruitment steps and process though which the candidates go through to be hired by the company. These steps pertain to on On Campus Round and Super Saturday which culminate in the selection of the class of 30 or so recruits for SG Cowen. The On Campus round takes the form of introduction and sign up sessions at the core schools where the interested students can sign up for applying as a candidate to SG Cowen. An informal session is kept between the representatives of SG Cowen, the MD and the

Infectious disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Infectious disease - Essay Example The HIV virus damages the immune system by damaging CD4+ lymphocytes and marring cell-mediated immunity, which impedes the body’s ability to combat infections thereby rendering the body susceptible to diseases (McCutchan, 2013). As a result, when other viruses, bacteria or pathogens gain access to the body, they fail to get resistance from the host body immune system hence cause disease. Thereafter, a person with the HIV virus in his or her body is said to have AIDS when the immune system gets compromised. AIDS is a multiplex of signs and illnesses brought about by the effects of HIV on the immune system. From the name, an individual must come into contact with the virus to have an infection. HIV virus thrives in biological fluids such as human blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. Breast milk also contains the virus. Other body fluids such as amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus as well fluids surrounding organs such as the brain or the spinal cord also contain the HIV virus. HIV virus exits the host through various portals such as the mucus membranes, open wounds, bloodstream, and genital tract. The breasts also serve as a portal of exit for infected mothers who breastfeed their infants. HIV virus moves from the reservoir to a new host through participating in unprotected oral, vaginal or anal sexual intercourse with an infected person. According to the World Health Organization, HIV/AIDS spreads mainly through sexual contact thereby making it classified as a sexually transmitted infection (2015). Sharing needles with a person who is infected with HIV also leads to transmission of the virus. Consequently, the abuse of injectable drugs such as heroine is associated with high rates of HIV transmission. Expectant mothers infected with the HIV virus can also transmit it to their babies in the course of the gestation period, during childbirth or while breastfeeding. However, recent advancements in the prevention of mother to child

Tourism in Nova Scotia Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourism in Nova Scotia - Case Study Example Shirley Young, Lelang Ott and Barbara Fergin have identified six distinct market segments from among all Americans travelers who visit Canada. This information has been published in a paper titled "Some Practical Consideration in Market Segmentation", which appeared in the August 1978 issue of the Journal of Marketing (Czinkota, Ronkainen. P-633). Of the six segments that have been identified four segments can be recognized as being a prospective customer base for Nova Scotia. The benefit Matching model suggests that Nova Scotia has all possible attributes that can satisfy travelers from each of the four prospective segments (See Table Below). Nova Scotia is a land of contrast therefore it can provide a variety of benefits to visitors. The entire province has a long scenic coastline with the Bay of Fundy serving as a special attraction because of unusually high high-tides that occur in the region. The interior of the province has natural forests and mountain ranges which allow visitors to observe the wild life or enjoy a memorable trekking and cycling experience. The rich history and the cultural heritage of the province provide foreigners with a unique experience. The extensive coastline presents abundant options for any one seeking water sports. Due to the diverse benefits that it offers Nova Scotia can provide a 100% satisfaction where benefits are concerned. (Destination Southwest Nova.com) Therefore a super match is obtained for each of the four market segments when the benefit matching model is applied (See Table Above). Family Sightseers, Outdoor Vacationers, resort Vacationers and Foreign Vacationers constitute 70% of the total US citizens who visit Nova Scotia. Therefore these segments are vital for Nova Scotia and the promotional campaign must be designed with this in mind. An Analysis of Prior Positioning Attempts for Promotion of Tourism in Nova Scotia and Recommendations for Improvement of Promotional Strategy There has never been constancy in the promotional strategy implemented by Nova Scotia's tourism authority. The frequent change in positioning has resulted in minimum impact where rise in market share is concerned; lack of constancy has also contributed to creating a confused image of the province in the minds of its potential customers. The earlier promotions have concentrated on benefits without any concern for the uniqueness of the place. Some examples of the

Cajun French Language Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cajun French Language - Term Paper Example Most universities carry Latin mottos. Harvard's is Veritas (Truth). Another univesity has Veritas Liberabit Vos (The Truth Shall Set You Free) and the University of Chicago proudly banners its own motto which is "Crescat scientia vita excolatur". Whether their students know its meaning is of no bearing . Latin and the rest of them cannot be extinct because somehow they still find some use, such as in sacred rituals or liturgies, in scientific or legal functions or even as mottos. Dead languages can still be revived as what happened to Hebrew which already was on the verge of being extinct and was almost replaced by Aramaic but had been successfully revived to become a spoken language by majority of Jews. Even Sanskrit is being redeemed from oblivion by residents of the Indian hamlet of Mathoor (Kushala). The Coptic language of Egypt continues to be utilized as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and many Coptic Christians want it revitalized. Latin is at the moment used in Roman Catholic Tridentine masses and law, and medical students have to study the meanings of so many Latin phrases. Aramaic , on the other hand, is on the verge of becoming an endangered language. ... Once the lingua franca of the whole Near East especially in Syria and Israel, it is now superseded by Arabic, the language of the conquering Islamic armies. But it is neither dead or extinct because as of today, the remote areas of Kurdistan still persist in using Aramaic as their native tongue and a modernized Neo-Aramaic is still spoken by 800,000 Christians in Near East, specifically the Nestorians, Chaldeans and Jacobites as well as 25,000 Jews (Joseph 223). The Origins of the Cajun French Language It is a misconception to think of the French language as consisting of only one language i.e. the same language spoken in Paris and its environs. The truth of the matter is that there are more than 39 other regional dialects or patois other than the one spoken in Paris. Because of the political, commercial and cultural prestige of Paris, its patois which is termed as Metropolitan French was accepted as the model French language. Other than this, there is the Provencal or Occitan patois, spoken in Southern France by about 12 million people; the Basque or Euskara, used by the Basques of southwestern France and also in Northern Spain; the Picard; Alsacien; Breton; Norman; Vendeen; Lorrain; Walloon, Gascon and so many others. But our interest is focused on the patois spoken in two French midwestern regions- Anjou and Poitou, France. Anjou is a western French province which is dissected by the Loire River. Its capital is the city of Angers. Poitou-Charantes meanwhile, is an adjacent region which is centered in the city of Poitiers. The dialect in these regions called Poitevin-Saintongeais. The other dialect is Limousin. But of interest to us is the former, because this is the dialect of those French

Motivations for immigration to American colonies Essay Example for Free

Motivations for immigration to American colonies Essay The first successful colony in America was in Jamestown, Virginia, established 1607. When it was first founded, the colony contained only several hundred people. During the two hundred years that followed the population increased greatly, due in part to massive immigration from the Old World. By 1790 the colony housed a little under four million people. The high rate of immigration stemmed from a number of different motivators, including the peoples hope for a better lifestyle than the one they experienced in the Old World, religious zeal, cheaper land and higher wages for manual laborers, and overpopulation in England. Farmers and manual laborers were attracted to America by the prospect of higher wages and lower costs of living. Most of these people were of the industrious sortcraftsmen, yeomen farmers, and small merchants (Document A). Since the New World sought these types of laborers to further the economy and lacked a sufficient number of them, the demand increased, and with it the wages. The cost of living was also lower because the New World was virtually unpopulated and there was a low demand for residence as compared with England; subsequently, the costs were lower. According to William Penn, their labor will be worth more than it is in England and their living will be cheaper. (Document 1). Religious types, especially the Puritans, were drawn to America by the possibility of converting natives and spreading the message and lifestyle that they upheld to others through example. They hoped for new souls to be won for God. (David Cressy article). By establishing what they considered to be an ideal and pious community, these colonizers wanted to build a new home for Christianity, extended from its confines of the Old World. One man who brought people like this to America through his words was John Winthrop, who said that colonization would carry the benefit of service to the Lord. (Document 3). Winthrop was a prominent leader of the English Puritans in their voyage to the Massachusetts Bay to build such a colony. Another motivation for immigration was the hope of a better lifestyle by the settlers. Many left depressedregions in search of a new start. (Document A). Some people felt oppressed by the English government and  wanted freedom from it. Also, many people who were denied the privilege of land ownership in England believed that they could fulfill this wish in the New World. As mentioned before, land was cheaper in America due to a fairly low demand for it, which increased the probability of one being able to own it. Therefore, the possibility of land ownership and a new start was an attraction for the colonizers. Some of the people that emigrated, however, were not actually motivated to do so by the attractions of the New World. Instead, overpopulation in England and pressure from the government pushed them out of the country and into America. Since the pioneers of the colonies wanted them to flourish and needed inhabitants to achieve this goal, the government encouraged unemployed or idle Englishmen to settle there. Thousands of Englishmen were forced off the land and unwelcome itinerants became a common sightconstituting a problem. (Document 2). The solution to this problem was to ship the unwelcome men off to America, which is what the government did, and was a partial reason for the population boom. Different people were attracted to the New World for different reasons, such as the wish to own land, better ones lifestyle, or promote Christianity. These attractions paired with overpopulation in England were the reason that so many people emigrated to colonial America. The new area presented a whole fresh realm of possibilities that England did not offer, and as a result, the unemployed, unhappy and/or restless went there in search of satisfaction and something new. Various literature written by educated men of the period promoted emigration and helped spread the word of these prospects. These reasons are what account for the large number of that people moved to colonial America in the seventeenth century.

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods in India

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods in India The life styles and culture of India is changing drastically. The population of India is increasing every year and this will have a direct impact on the FMCG industry and its organizations. Although population of India is increasing every year the population growth rate is decreasing over a period of time. In 2008 the population growth rate is 1.6%, in 2009 it is 1.5%. In 2010 the growth rate is 1.3%. Although the figures didnt change drastically, the supply and demand of the FMCG products will be affected due to change in population structure. There will be decrease in demand and intense competition as the birth rates and number of customers decrease. Most importantly it is the change is life style of Indian customers and social behavior will affect the FMCG industry in India. It will demand a new products and services over the time and will lead to increase in investment in RD of FMCG companies. Now the world is facing with food shortage leading to increasing invest in food product ion. If the organizations fail to offer products and services according to changing lifestyle and behavior then it will be difficult for any organization to survive in the market. Economic: Current slowdown in global economic scenario affected almost every industry across the world. There has been increase in unemployment and low consumer spending power. This leads to consumers not opting to buy expensive products or services. This further pressurizes the RMCG companies to reduce the prices for the products and services. Organizations will have to review this economic ride and have to respond accordingly, A successful organization will respond according changing economic conditions, consumer and stakeholder behavior. An efficient organization must be aware of the changing economic condition across the country and global and should employ a suitable strategy to stay in the market. Political: Political factors will have a greater influence on the organization and industry and it is the duty of the organizations to comply with it. It is necessary for the organizations to comply with the legislations implemented non conformance of which may lead to serious implications on the organization. The government has implemented certain restriction in the import policies. However tax exemptions in sales and excise duty are provided for the small scale industries. This will allow the SMEs to invest more and will increase the number of new entrants. Transportation and infrastructure facilities are improving not only in urban but also in the rural area which will help in distribution network. Technological: Advancement in technology boost the production with enhancement in quality of products and services rendered to the customers. Organizations began to adopt e-business to improve brand communication and market. Technological advancement makes the supply chain and transactions along the chain simple. Organizations reduced costs with effective IT technologies and increased the rate of information transactions. Technology is playing a key and huge part in the FMCG sector by developing the new packaging, increasing productivity and longer shelf life of food products. Better, stronger, more effective and faster are the key elements that all manufacturers in this sector push for, as it drives sales. The advancement enhances the sales by enabling the manufactures to produce better products with attractive packaging and better communication. With advancement in communication technology and rising social media network it enables the organizations to communicate better to the customers by improved marketing campaigns. International trends: The economic crisis and slowdown had greatly affected the sales FMCG goods across the world. However emerging economies like India, China and Brazil are not greatly affected and manage to do well to recover quickly. A common trend that was followed across the world during economic slowdown was trading down. Because, customers became more cautious looking for less expensive brands, special offers and discounts. This added tremendous pressure on the market prices due to severe competition and down trading. However emerging economies like India, China and Brazil saw development in hypermarkets helping the growth of FMCG markets in these countries. Macro environmental opportunities: India has Vast Rural Market with majority of population where the market is still untapped market. India has cheap labour to provide cost advantage over other countries. Many multinational companies are having cost advantage by outsourcing its product requirements from its Indian company. ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES: Industry structure: The FMCG market of India divided into two sectors the organized sector and the unorganized sector. The organized sector has only few Indian companies and MNCS whereas the unorganized sector is crowded by a many local players. Indian FMCG market accounts for about Rs.460 billion where the market has been highly occupied by local and unbranded products. This has been a challenge for many organized players to successfully launch a product and to occupy the market share. Distribution and supply chain has also been a challenge as Indias infrastructure and transport systems not quite helpful with millions of retail outlets in the country. Although infrastructure and transportation system is developing in recent times it is still considered as a challenge by many players. The FMCG sector has a wide range of products including confectioneries, beverages, detergents, toothpaste, toilet soaps, shampoos, creams, powders, food products, cigarettes. Typical characteristics of FMCG products are: The products cater to necessity, comfort and luxury. Price and income elasticity of demand varies across products and consumers. Individual items are of small value (small SKUs) although all FMCG products put together account for a significant part of the consumers budget. The consumer spends little time on the purchase decision. He seldom ever looks at the technical specifications. Brand loyalties or recommendations of reliable retailer/ dealer drive purchase decisions. Limited inventory of these products (many of which are perishable) are kept by consumer and prefers to purchase them frequently, as and when required. Brand switching is often induced by heavy advertisement, recommendation of the retailer or word of mouth. Distinguishing features of Indian FMCG Business FMCG companies sell their products directly to consumers. Major features that distinguish this sector from the others include the following: Design and Manufacturing Low Capital Intensity as most of products in FMCG requires relatively little investment in plan, machinery and other fixed assets. Basic technology required for manufacturing is easily available. Third party manufacturing is common and the benefits include production and inventory planning flexibility, flexibility in controlling labor costs and logistics. Marketing and Distribution High Initial Launch Cost with huge investment in product development, market research, test marketing and launch. Creating awareness for a new brand requires enormous initial expenditure. Huge Distribution Network as India has millions of retail outlets across the country making the logistics functions difficult for many players. Competition Market is crowded with many unorganized players. Presence of many unorganized players and highly capable MNCs provides fierce competition in the market to launch many new brands. This gives wide range of choice of brands for the customers. PORTERS FIVE COMPETITIVE FORCES: BUYER POWER: The consumer base of this industry is larger than any other industry and they have little or no influence on the price of the product. The consumer always possesses great choice of brands within the product category and they can shift from one to another without much influence. Hence, buyer power is not quite strong in this industry. But they have power when they provide threat to shift from one brand to another brand. In FMCG retailers should also taken into the account for analysis. Retailers can always decide which brand to stock and consumers dont show much interest to wait if one brand of choice is not available. So retailers can always make choice between brands and they have more buyer power than consumers. SUPPLIER POWER: Supplier power is little or limited in the FMCG industry. The industry always has great number of suppliers with great size. There will not be any uniqueness in the product or service of suppliers and the manufacturer can always shift from one supplier to other supplier. However manufacturer faces some amount of supplier power due to the cost they have to incur when switching suppliers. Suppliers who do large business with manufacturers are always obliged to their customers. THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS: Threat of new entrants is limited in this industry. The new entrants generally cater to local or small markets contributing to the large unorganized sector. Raw materials for most of the segments in FMCG industry can be easily procured. The investment will not be high for machinery and other assets required for most of the products in the industry. Also the basic technology is easily available. These factors can make the local or small manufactures to enter easily in the industry. But this industry requires high initial launch cost and distribution network is always a challenge. These factors act as a barrier for any new entrants in the industry and virtually provide low threat of new entrants. THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES: The FMCG industry bears a high threat of substitutes. The industry possesses many organized players with great number of local manufactures. The products in the industry can always be imitated and marketed. The industry possesses high level threat of substitutes in rural market than in the urban. DEGREE OF RIVALRY: The degree of rivalry is high in the industry. There are many global players along with local manufacturers. The industry enjoys low customer loyalty. The customers always have wide choice of brands and the switching cost is always minimum or negligible. There will be only slight difference in the quality of brands. So the competition is fierce in the industry to attract customers and retain them. Strategic groups in the industry: Among the FMCG companies in India Hindustan Unilever Limited is most catered company to almost every segment in the industry. Its competitors are only catered to certain segments but HUL faces stiff competition from all competitors in every segments. The major companies of strategic groups in FMCG industry are Hindustan Unilever Limited, ITC Limited, Nestle India, Emami Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited, Dabur India Limited, Procter Gamble, Godrej Consumer Products Limited and Cadbury India. International Competition: India is an emerging market and has become a hotspot for many multinational FMCG companies like HUL, Proctor Gamble and Nestle. However domestic companies like Marico, Dabur and Emami are giving tough competition to them. These companies step into natural product category by offering herbal products and managed to occupy the market. For instance, Maricos flagship brand Parachute Coconut Oil has no foreign competition. The presence of international competition is restricted to areas of where they can act and categories like natural products did not interest the global players. Industry Threats: The organized players in the industry are facing problems high magnitude of imitative products. The fake products are seen highly in rural markets and the Indian FMCG sector is losing large amount of money due to presence of counterfeits products. The industry is facing increasing input costs due to increase in price of the raw materials due to global economic slowdown and potential impact of rising crude oil prices Industry Opportunities: The FMCG sector is the fourth-largest sector in the Indian economy and has been growing considerably over the past few years due to changing lifestyle, consumer preferences and high disposable income. The rural market is being highly untapped and provides favorable condition for growth of the companies in this sector. EVALUATING HUL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS: VRIO Framework of Hindustan Unilever Limited: The value of HUL lies in their ability to offer different products and cater to the different segments in the industry. The organization has international expertise and wealth of knowledge to cater to different segments satisfying the customer needs. The organization is displaying high standards of corporate behavior towards its stakeholders. The company realizes that its employees are the primary source of success and well committed to their employees. The organization encourages the open communication with customers to get feedback and improve its product offerings. Rarity: The company enjoys the competitive advantage in its robust supply chain and distribution network. Though the company resources are not rare it enjoys the competitive advantage in its resources employed in supply chain and distribution network. Imitability: The organization possesses valuable and rare resources in its supply chain and distribution network that the competitors did not have cost advantage in imitating the resource. The social relationships entailed in resources are complex that the competitors cannot easily imitate and manage well. Organization: The organization structure of HUL with its empowered managers across the companys nationwide operations imparts speed and flexibility in decision-making and implementation. The organization leverages its resources for efficient management. The company realizes that its employees are the primary source of success and well committed to their employees. Analysis of Corporate Strategies: Hindustan Unilever Limited has robust supply chain and distribution network covering over 3400 distributors and 16 million outlets. HULs sales organization structure integrates the Household, Personal Care and foods distribution networks together. By this the organization aligns all the units of its organization towards the common goal. Analysis of Business Strategies: HUL introduces wide variety of products in different segments at different price points. HUL analyses its strategy to improve its foothold in the processed foods category which is largely unoccupied. HUL Strengths: The company has variety of products in each category giving wide array of choice to customers. Robust Distribution Network covering over 3400 distributors and 16 million outlets. The Company enjoys many reputed brands and created a well reputed brand image in the customers mind through advertisement. Well developed quality management. The company has highly capable and well developed RD resources. HUL Weakness HUL not able to compete effectively with local competitor in the rural market: The Companys product mostly target middle class and lower middle class population. So the upper middle class population terms the companys product as a cheap product with low quality HUL is over dependent on Indian market and depends on it for majority of revenue generation. This makes the company subject to changes in weather, political and economic conditions and also makes it vulnerable to potential risks arising in India.

Effects of Music on the Mind Essay -- essays research papers

Effects Of Music On The Mind Are people typically geniuses? Statistically, people probably are not. In fact, most people probably aren't even intellectually gifted at all. Most people are likely to be pretty much average, maybe a little bit above average, or a little below, but very average none the less. It is universally understood that people strive to learn to become wiser and more informed about the world around them. The more people learn, the more powerful they can become. It is the speed at which people learn that separates the geniuses from the average people and from the learning disabled. Geniuses don't run into problems while learning, because they learn very fast. It is everyone else that could really use help. One solid way to increase the speed at which people learn is with music. People learn through music and their minds grow faster because of it. Some music, when implemented properly, can have positive effects on learning and attitude. Music is a powerful thing, and when we understand its significance, it can bring dramatic changes both positive and negative into our lives. The earliest stages of learning for young children are the most important. The fundamentals of learning are instilled into a child at a very young age. How much importance is placed on these fundamentals can have dramatic affects on the future of the child's learning. Music, when applied in a constructive way, can have positive effects on a child's ability to learning and can help them in many ways. One way that music can make learning easier for a young child is by implementing music lessons into a child's normal activities. A small study was done two years back involving ten three-year-olds who were tested on their ability to put together a puzzle and the speed at which they could do it ("Learning Keys" 24). After the initial test was taken, five of the children were given singing lessons for 30 minutes a day and the other five were given piano lessons for 15 minutes a week (24). The lessons were conducted over a six- month period of time, and after the six months, all of the kids showed substantial improvement in the speed at which they could put together the puzzle (24). The researchers understand this skill in putting pieces of a puzzle together as the same reasoning that engineers, chess players and high-level mathematicians use. In this study of inne... ...esource. In recent years there have been concerns about some types of music such as â€Å"street† Rap having very negative effects on peoples minds and moods. This type of music imprints an extremely violent image into people's minds and there has been growing concern about it and tying it in with violent crimes. In cases like this, it only shows how much more we need to study music to fully understand its full impact on the human mind. In these days where cutbacks are always eminent in people's local schools, people need to fight to keep the music and art intact. Music and the arts are what make life worth living and without them, people lose hold of their culture and diversity. The ideal way to learn in the future would be to fully incorporate music into the curriculum of every school. If every school supported and encouraged their students to freely pursue music with the culture of music in their everyday lives, people would become much more efficient in their learning and would become much better students on the whole. Music is a power too great for man to comprehend at this point but through further study man can learn how to better harness its power and use it to improve mankind.

Is the World Developing a Homogenous Culture? Essay -- Globalization

In response to globalization, many critics have become concerned with its effects on other cultures. Globalization is not merely the sharing of goods and people, but also the spread of ideology and values. So, what happens when the ideologies of different nations conflict? For those who support the cultural imperialism theory, the answer is simple? The more powerful countries’ ideas prevail, forcing the people of the less powerful country to quickly abandon their former ideas and adapt to the new ones. The result is that authentic cultures are ruined which will lead to a global homogeneous culture. However, those who oppose this theory contend that cultures are not ruined but expanded and enhanced to create more complex and diverse societies. In my paper I examined both arguments as well as the way in which American popular culture is spread. In particular, I will focus on the impact of American influence in Japan and Korea, both of which have been receptive to Americ an culture, and France. Most often, scholars cite media and business as the main form of cultural imperialism, but what is the true effect of watching American television and movies, listening to music, or eating a Big Mac? I don’t believe that there is a significant impact because while people from other cultures may emulate common American images and ideas, they also find different ways to adapt these new ideas into their traditional culture. These different methods of adaptation will lead to an even more complex global culture instead of a homogeneous one, while concepts of ethnocentrism will maintain diversity. Theories First, what is culture? Furthermore, is it destructible? Marvin Harris and Orna Johnson, the authors of Cultural Anthropology, r... ...cohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=107&sid=c517a5a1-cad3-4e0a- 8850-8b75290ad3cc@sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ== Rauth, R. (1988). The myth of cultural imperialism. The Freeman, 38(11), Retrieved from http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-myth-of-cultural-imperialism/ Rinaman, K. (n.d.). French film quotas and cultural protectionism . Retrieved from http://www1.american.edu/ted/frenchtv.htm Rothkopf, D. (1997). In praise of cultural imperialism?. Foreign Policy, (107), Retrieved from http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/protected/rothkopf.html Top 10 ways kfc in japan is different from kfc in the us . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.facingtherisingsun.com/japan-travel-tips-eating/japan-kfc-different U.S. Department of State. (2012, March 5). U.s. department of state. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142.htm Is the World Developing a Homogenous Culture? Essay -- Globalization In response to globalization, many critics have become concerned with its effects on other cultures. Globalization is not merely the sharing of goods and people, but also the spread of ideology and values. So, what happens when the ideologies of different nations conflict? For those who support the cultural imperialism theory, the answer is simple? The more powerful countries’ ideas prevail, forcing the people of the less powerful country to quickly abandon their former ideas and adapt to the new ones. The result is that authentic cultures are ruined which will lead to a global homogeneous culture. However, those who oppose this theory contend that cultures are not ruined but expanded and enhanced to create more complex and diverse societies. In my paper I examined both arguments as well as the way in which American popular culture is spread. In particular, I will focus on the impact of American influence in Japan and Korea, both of which have been receptive to Americ an culture, and France. Most often, scholars cite media and business as the main form of cultural imperialism, but what is the true effect of watching American television and movies, listening to music, or eating a Big Mac? I don’t believe that there is a significant impact because while people from other cultures may emulate common American images and ideas, they also find different ways to adapt these new ideas into their traditional culture. These different methods of adaptation will lead to an even more complex global culture instead of a homogeneous one, while concepts of ethnocentrism will maintain diversity. Theories First, what is culture? Furthermore, is it destructible? Marvin Harris and Orna Johnson, the authors of Cultural Anthropology, r... ...cohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=107&sid=c517a5a1-cad3-4e0a- 8850-8b75290ad3cc@sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ== Rauth, R. (1988). The myth of cultural imperialism. The Freeman, 38(11), Retrieved from http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-myth-of-cultural-imperialism/ Rinaman, K. (n.d.). French film quotas and cultural protectionism . Retrieved from http://www1.american.edu/ted/frenchtv.htm Rothkopf, D. (1997). In praise of cultural imperialism?. Foreign Policy, (107), Retrieved from http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/protected/rothkopf.html Top 10 ways kfc in japan is different from kfc in the us . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.facingtherisingsun.com/japan-travel-tips-eating/japan-kfc-different U.S. Department of State. (2012, March 5). U.s. department of state. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142.htm

Theme or Issue: Il Postino. Dancing at Lughnasa and Lies of Silence – Comparative Course Higher Level

The three texts that I have studied on my comparative course are the novel, Lies of Silence by Brian Moore, the playwright, Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel and the film, Il Postino by Michael Radford. The theme or issue that I have studied is love and marriage. The authors of the texts used key moments to heighten our awareness of love and marriage. In Dancing at Lughnasa, the main moment in which we can see love is when Chris and Gerry dance. This has a somewhat romantic aspect, although their love relationship is unstable and they are not married.Gerry does not pay much attention to his love child, which he had with Chris – Michael. This is evident from all of the unkept promises he made to him – the most memorable being a bicycle â€Å"I’ll get you a bike†. Similarly, the love relationship between Beatrice and Mario in Il Postino has an unmistakable romantic quality to it. The romantic aspect to Gerry’s relationship with Chris is apparent when they dance together. However, the fact that this relationship consists only of the occasional romantic interlude means that it never really develops.The romantic aspect of Mario and Beatrice’s love and marriage is more pronounced and spontaneous. However, there is no evidence of a romance ever taking place between Michael and Moire in Lies of Silence, as we are very aware of his reasons for marrying her – the way she looked and the way other men envied him. It is also clear that there never will be romance between them as Michael is having an affair with a young Canadian journalist called Andrea. Another key moment that heightens my awareness of love is in Il Postino when Pablo Neruda and Mario go to the cafe, which is run by Beatrice’s aunt Gloria.This suggests to Beatrice that Neruda and Mario are intimate friends. Neruda’s influence ultimately proves critical – by teaching Mario about metaphors, he enables him to conquer Beatrice’s heart with romantic language. This is the main moment and is the reason why Beatrice acknowledges Mario in the first place – in turn starting the whole relationship. In contrast to the other two texts, only in Il Postino does a third party intervene to develop a loving relationship Il Postino is imilarly unique in terms of another character (Beatrice’s aunt) endeavouring to bring an end to their relationship. She puts a cynical interpretation on Mario’s metaphorical language, telling Beatrice: â€Å"When a man starts to touch you with his words, he’s not far off with his hands†. While it may be argued that in Dancing at Lughnasa Kate opposes Gerry’s relationship with Chris in a similar manner, she still acknowledges the positive aspects of Gerry’s influence on her sister â€Å"Her whole face alters when she’s happy, doesn’t it?They dance so well together†. This makes me aware of the different kinds of love in the texts – Gerry and Chris and a sisterly love. From the outset of both Lies of Silence and Dancing at Lughnasa it is clear that the key personal relationships in both texts rest on frail foundations because neither is built on genuine love. In Lies of Silence, the frailty of Michael’s marriage to Moire is evident from an early point in the text when we see his preoccupations with Andrea, the young Canadian journalist with whom he is having an affair.In Dancing At Lughnasa Gerry’s relationship with Chris is even more fragile as he comes and goes as it suits him and proves to be utterly unreliable, even being unaffected by the presence of the â€Å"love child† (whom he barely knows) he has had with Chris. In contrast to both of these texts, the marriage between Mario and Beatrice is actually based on genuine love. By reading and studying, the theme of love and marriage in all three texts made me aware of the realistic state of and the lack of love in, some marriag es.Another key moment is in Lies of Silence when Michael is forced to choose between his wife and a few strangers in the hotel, which he managed. This key moment portrays a sense of betrayal in love and marriage. Michael finds himself in a real predicament. He places Moire’s life in danger by deciding to ring the police. This key moment is the climax of the text as it shows us that Michael really does not feel any emotion for Moire at all. This is the significant point where the breakdown of communication is in clear focus. On the other hand, in Dancing at Lughnasa, Agnes and Rose emigrate to London in order to save their family.This shows two contrasting love relationships. As well as that, both Lies of Silence and Dancing at Lughnasa’s main key moments are at the end of the texts where their destinations are decided. Both Michael’s relationship with Moire (Lies of Silence) and Gerry’s relationship with Chris (Dancing at Lughnasa) ultimately end unhappil y, causing the female protagonists considerable anguish, with their inner pain in both cases involving a degree of depression. The last key moment in Lies of Silence in relation to love and marriage is when Michael decides to leave with his mistress for London and says his goodbyes to Moire.Similarly, the last key moment in Dancing at Lughnasa in relation to this theme of love and marriage is when Gerry leaves to fight in the Spanish civil war never to return to Chris and his son Michael. Moire suffers from bulimia before she marries Michael, but their failed marriage inevitably compounds her personal problems. Chris’ failed relationship with Gerry similarly causes her great distress, with Kate vividly recalling her sister’s torment the previous winter: â€Å"Remember last winter? – all that sobbing and lamenting in the middle of the night?She predicts that Chris will again â€Å"collapse into one of her depressions† after Gerry leaves. In contrast to bo th of the other texts, Mario’s loving relationship with Beatrice ends happily – however the last key moment in terms of the theme is Mario’s unfortunate death at the hands of fate leaving Beatrice isolated and alone along with the other two main female protagonists. In conclusion, the authors’ use of key moments has helped heighten my awareness of love and marriage – showing both its positive and negative aspects. By Caroline Heraghty – scored a B2 [pic]

Acct 410 Government and Not for Profit Chp 11-15 Quiz Essay

Question 1 4 out of 4 points | | | Federal funds must be used only for activities that are within the scope of the grant would be a(n)Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| allowable activity| Correct Answer:| allowable activity| | | | | Question 2 0 out of 4 points | | | In reporting the results of a performance audit, it is appropriate for the auditors toAnswer | | | | | | | Correct Answer:| all of the above.| | | | | Question 3 4 out of 4 points | | | Which of the following is a Yellow Book standard in respect to independence?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| auditors should not audit their own work| Correct Answer:| auditors should not audit their own work| | | | | Question 4 4 out of 4 points | | | The Yellow Book’s general standards are issued by theAnswer | | | | | Selected Answer:| GAO| Correct Answer:| GAO| | | | | Question 5 4 out of 4 points | | | In discerning the objectives of a program to be audited, the auditors should give the least credibility toAnswer | | | | | Selected Answer:| comments by the lower-level employees who actually depend on the program for their livelihoods.| Correct Answer:| comments by the lower-level employees who actually depend on the program for their livelihoods.| | | | | Question 6 4 out of 4 points | | | Which of the following is not reported upon in the Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| reportable conditions related to internal control| Correct Answer:| reportable conditions related to internal control| | | | | Question 7 0 out of 4 points | | | Government Auditing Standards characterizes government engagements into which of the following three categories?Answer | | | | | | | Correct Answer:| financial audits, compliance audits, and performance audits| | | | | Question 8 4 out of 4 points | | | The process of specifically directing federal funds to a particular program is called:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| earmarking| Correct Answer:| earmarking| | | | | Question 9 4 out of 4 points | | | Government Auditing Standards must be adhered to in all financial audits except ofAnswer | | | | | Selected Answer:| public corporations| Correct Answer:| public corporations| | | | | Question 10 0 out of 4 points | | | The purpose of this is to avoid duplication of efforts in conducting governmental auditsAnswer | | | | | | | Correct Answer:| Single Audit Act| | | | | Question 11 4 out of 4 points | | | This law requires that the wages of laborers and mechanics employed by the contractors of federally funded projects be paid at prevailing local wage rates.Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Davis-Bacon Act| Correct Answer:| Davis-Bacon Act| | | | | Question 12 4 out of 4 points | | | Which of the following statements is incorrect about GAO standards pertaining to performance audits?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| The GAO mandates that programs be audited annually by accounting trained professionals| Correct Answer:| The GAO mandates that programs be audited annually by accounting trained professionals| | | | | Question 13 4 out of 4 points | | | Which of the following is not a General Auditing Standard for financial audits?Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| financial stability| Correct Answer:| financial stability| | | | | Question 14 4 out of 4 points | | | Per the GAO standards, an auditor’s working papers mustAnswer | | | | | Selected Answer:| contain sufficient information to convince an auditor having no previous connection with the audit that the evidence supports the auditor’s conclusions and judgments| Correct Answer:| contain sufficient information to convince an auditor having no previous connection with the audit that the evidence supports the auditor’s conclusions and judgments| | | | | Question 15 0 out of 4 points | | | ‘‘Generally accepted government auditing standards’’ (GAGAS) refers to standards incorporated inAnswer | | | | | | | Correct Answer:| the Yellow Book and the AICPA’s Professional Standards| | | | | Sunday, June 17, 2012 6:43:52 PM EDT

Fashion positives

Echo fashion positives and negatives. Negative effects of fashion, this includes the use of highly toxic pesticides on the cotton for example it can harm the environment and also wastes large amounts of water, this can have a negative impact on the general health of the people around the area. (Collier at all, 2001) In the production of clothes we can see that non- recyclable materials are used and this also has a negative effect on the society and the health of the people in the area. Barclay, 2008) Things like cloth dust and chemicals have a negative effect on the people who actually work In the factory and an make them sick, this contributes towards people not being able to work and more people are dependent on the government and tax goes up. (Barclay, 2008) Positives of echo fashion: Echo fashion on the other hand promotes a more environmentally friendly way of producing clothes, where they used recycled materials to produce clothes which helps clean up the environment and also h elps take of the pressure In the Industrial areas and also for example the cotton fields (Understructures, 2008).This then can open the window for people who can use their hands to create fashion or echo fashion teems like handbags made of reads and plastics. This then contributes economically towards the local people so in short it helps local empowerment. When I was on the web pages of shops like Blossom and ETC you can see that the want to make people more aware and give them a better understanding of what echo fashion is and how it positively contributes to the environment.Echo fashion shops like Blossom, ETC, Hemorrhoid and Thinkers are all promoting the idea of echo fashion in Cape Town. Not clearly understood or known about, echo fashion has had little exposure because cost of the people I interviewed did not know what it is, but with time and the constant environment friendly campaigns going on it will get more exposure and people will definitely get the idea of how echo fas hion helps conserve the environment so in time they will buy more echo friendly clothes.

I Love You – Pushkin

â€Å"I Loved You† – Pushkin One of the most favorite subjects of Pushkin was love. â€Å"Love and friendship are popular subjects of the authors, and the reason that makes him happy and sad. The color of his poems, especially in love poem, is the beauty of humanity†, said Belinxki. One of the most famous poems of Pushkin is I Loved You. When he lived in Petersburg, Pushkin usually met people in love with art in the President of the academy of art’s house, and the most important reason was to meet daughter of the owner named A. A. Olenhia.In 1828, in summer, Pushkin proposed her, but she didn’t accept. In 1829, he composed a poem about this love. The poem can be divided into three sections such as showing his love, confirming his real love, and blessing for the girl that he loved. Love poems of Pushkin were from his real emotions and his own experiences. Therefore, he could show us the real emotions of human souls. â€Å"I Loved You† poem mad e a huge emotion because it showed spiritual values of human: the real love in each simple word. The chorus â€Å"I Loved You† is the main tone of the poem.In the beginning of the poem is the chorus â€Å"I loved you† that showed his real love from his faithful love. â€Å"I loved you† is just simple words, but they have important meaning and secret that he could talk in his poem. In the first four sentences, he confirmed that he was still in love with Olenhia. However, he wanted to step back because he didn’t want to annoy Olenhia. In the last four sentences, he showed the different levels of love, and he confirmed his faithful love for Olenhia: â€Å"I loved you; and perhaps I love you still, The flame, perhaps, is not extinguished; yet†The words slowly, love poems deep, discreet. An assertion together with a little consideration phase, cautious with the words â€Å"perhaps†, â€Å"not extinguished; yet†. Another version came with t he words â€Å"may† and â€Å"fire retain;† Using a negative term nature, â€Å"is not extinguished; yet,† the lyrical character expressed a love, a passion for bringing the look of quiet, persistent, lasting sign of emotion, of a faithful heart, not the spontaneous passion flashed and faded right there. And right after that, poetry sudden switch circuit: â€Å"It burns so quietly within my soul,No longer should you feel distressed by it. † The third sentence shows the calmness of reason, the pent-up emotions. The phrase â€Å"no longer† definitive emphasized: need to put out the fire of love, avoid for the girl to bother. Poetic as a word remind thought, a self-consciousness of his love and inner speech as well as a full tender, respectful with the girl’s soul. But behind the words calmly, properly was how feeling, how the nuances of love: the bitterness of destiny because if love does not bring happiness, joy that is so disturbed, sadness for the one you love, love should end.Love can stop for many reasons, but reason with full of gentle, respectful and noble like that, not all women can have it. If the first four verses, emotions tend to be repressed, was the dominant reason, in two verses later, the outpouring of emotion circuits, does not comply with the dictates of reason, confirmed a strong love not conceal and the chorus â€Å"I loved you† is repeated a second time: â€Å"Silently and hopelessly I loved you, At times too jealous and at times too shy. Breathing faster with the word â€Å"at times† was repeated two times, describes the state change love deeply, overwhelmed. Characters reveal frank lyrical soul: a love â€Å"Silently â€Å", â€Å"hopelessly†, has reaffirmed silent strokes, just strong people do not expect, likely bold new ethos this situation unilaterally. But even so, their love still occurs with all shades of eternity: silent suffering, joy, despair, timidity, jealousy t ormented.Two verses nature confessed to uncover the layers of emotional complexity that is the bottom of the deep human soul, after the crust of words calmly, calmly expressed through a vocative, looks quietly withdrew shy, through the sense of trying to suppress emotional compression, let’s say that your love not back off rather than being intense burning. The last two sentences also answers, flashed light up a humane values , a noble pose for the lovely man: â€Å"God grant you find another who will love youAs tenderly and truthfully as I. † The feeling which is cumulated is released and spurted out. The phrase â€Å"love you† is repeated the third time with an affirmation of the nature of this relationship sincere, fervid. In Russian the verb â€Å" love† always be unfinished tense; that means the flame in the author’s heart will be never off will be never fade. Sincere, fervid never fade was the root of this lofty love. That explains why lyrica l character had gentle manners, delicacy, cherish the one you love. Read also  Summary : Love Is Never SilentAnd in the end of the poem, the lyrical character had a holy blessing, forgiveness. The unrequited love which is always sadness, leads people become selfish, hatred. However, if that love comes from an honest, generous, kindness heart, even though being rejected, people are still able to have a magnanimous behavior. The poem describes a hopeless love, soak a sad tone, but above all is the strong and noble human heart with a love not bear fruit.Poetic language simple, clear, no rhetorical measures beyond language message â€Å"I love you ‘. The poetry of the poem exudes from the sincere emotion, pinned compressed, simple words but full of earnest, delicate but strong, loving noble as Belinxki once said: â€Å"Characteristics of poetry Pushkin is the ability to detect cases of human aesthetic sense and kindness, sense is infinite respect for human dignity as the son of man. †

Mcdonalds India Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management SUPPLY CHAIN ASSIGNMENT ON SUBMITTED TO- MS HARLEEN SAHNI SUBMTTED BY- ANKKIT RAJ McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of  hamburger  fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by  Richard and Maurice McDonald and in 1948 they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using  production line  principles. Businessman  Ray Kroc  joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955.He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth. A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a  franchisee, an  affiliate, or the corporation itself. The corporation's revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. McDonald's revenues grew 27 percent over the three years ending in 2007 to $22. 8 billion, and 9 percent growth in operating income to $3. 9 billion. Most standalone McDonald's restaurants offer both  counter service  and  drive-through  service, with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating.Drive-Thru, Auto-Mac, Pay and Drive, or â€Å"McDrive† as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing, paying for, and picking up orders, though the latter two steps are frequently combined; it was first introduced in Arizona in 1975, following the lead of other fast-food chains. The first such restaurant in Britain opened at  Fallowfield,  Manchester  in 1986. McDonald's Corporation earns revenue as an investor in properties, a franchiser of restaurants, and an operator of restaurants.Approximately 15% of McDonald's restaurants are owned and operated by McDonald's Corporation directly. The remainder is operated by others through a variety of franchise agreements and joint ventures. The McDonald's Corporation's  business model   is slightly different from that of most other fast-food chains. In addition to ordinary  franchise  fees and marketing fees, which are calculated as a percentage of sales, McDonald's may also collect  rent, which may also be calculated on the basis of sales.As a condition of many franchise agreements, which vary by contract, age, country, and location, the Corporation may own or lease the properties on which McDonald's franchises are located. In most, if not all cases, the franchisee does not own the location of its restaurants. The United Kingdom and Ireland business model is different than the U. S, in that fewer than 30% of restaurants are franchised, with the majority under the ownership of the company. McDonald's trains its franchisees and others at  Hamburger University  in  Oak Brook,  Illinois.In other countries, McDonald's restaurants are operated by joint ventures of McDonald's Corporation and other, local entities or governments. As a matter of policy, McDon ald's does not make direct sales of food or materials to franchisees, instead organizing the supply of food and materials to restaurants through approved third party logistics operators. McDonald's restaurants are found in 119 countries  and territories around the world and serve 58 million customers each day. McDonald's operates over 31,000 restaurants worldwide, employing more than 1. million people. The company also operates other restaurant  brands, such as Piles Cafe. Focusing on its core brand, McDonald's began  divesting  itself of other chains it had acquired during the 1990s. The company owned a majority stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill  until October 2006, when McDonald's fully divested from Chipotle through a stock exchange. Until December 2003, it also owned  Donatos Pizza. On August 27, 2007, McDonald's sold  Boston Market  to  Sun Capital Partners. MCDONALDS INDIA INDIA AS A MARKETIn 1996, McDonald's opened in  India  for the first time, a country where the majority of the population was Hindu and vegetarian, and the cow was sacred. Many saw it as just another example of the relentless spread of Western corporations into every nation, creating a global system in which wealth was drained out of local economies into the hands of a very few, very rich elite. McDonald's opened its doors in  India  in October 1996, demonstrating what the McDonald's experience was all about. McDonald's in  India  was a 50-50 joint venture partnership between McDonald's Corporation (U.S. A. ) and two Indian businessmen. Amit Jatia's company, Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. , owned and operated McDonald's restaurants in Western  India, while Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. , headed by Vikram Bakshi, owned and operated the North Indian operationsi. These companies signed their joint-venture agreements with McDonald's in April 1995 and along with their Indian management team trained in McDonald's restaurants in Indonesia and the U. S. A. before opening the first McDonald's restaurant in  India. The entry of McDonald's in  India  was perfectly timed.The market had begun to open up. The economy of the country was growing stronger. The customer markets were eager to acquire newer products and use newer forms of services. Foreign brands were valued and perceived to be superior in quality. According to a report of AC Neilson, among the world's consumers, Latin Americans and Asians were the biggest supporters of globalisation and the value that it added to the various aspects of their livesii. It was a favourable situation for McDonald's because at the time when they entered,  India, the Asian Tiger was awakening to the global call.The Indian customer was enthusiastic about the market situation which provided them with numerous choices to choose and pick. In a way McDonald's revolutionized the food retailing business in  India. It introduced the Indian customers to service standards which were available in th e western world for years. These service standards were visible and noteworthy and hence triggered quick acceptance within the customers. McDonald's positioning in  India  as a family restaurant further fuelled its success. DIVERSITY IN THE INDIAN MARKET India  as a market was a unique example of diversity.Divided into 28 states and 7 union territories, the vegetation, climate, religion, language, clothing, and food varied from one state to another. With the combination of spices in a unique way, food of these states reflected their traditions and culture. Hence the biggest challenge to any food business in  India  definitely was about balancing the diversity and the product offerings. McDonald's got clearance from Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) of  India  in 1991. But it was only after five years of preparation, that the first restaurant became operational in 1996.It worked on developing local relationships with local partners to facilitate the raw material . Indian companies for their operational convenience had divided the Indian subcontinent into four zones, the progressive West, the powerful North, the traditional and culturally rich, South and East. McDonald's opened their first restaurant in the capital of  India  which is Delhi. The second restaurant was opened in the financial capital of  India, Mumbai. McDonald initially concentrated in the West and North regions.Later the company exhibited ambitious plans for expansion in Eastern and Southern regions. McDonald's real influence had been in establishing organizational systems of complete control at every stage from raw product to factory, from worker to consumer – backed by incessant media hype. McDonald's had been a successful global food corporation at refining, co-coordinating, standardizing and developing such processes into a total system. It had set up these practices in every country it had moved into, and many other companies followed their suit.What Ford M otor Company did for cars, travel and the urban environment; McDonald's had done for food and eating habits. McDonald's expansion was criticized and resisted by trade unionists, local residents, nutritionists and many others in almost every town and country where they planned a new store – despite their highly developed and expensive marketing effort about being a benefit for the community. They were resisted for what they represented, and remained a focus of controversy. CHALLENGES FACED BY MCDONALDS IN INDIA Vegetarianism: The major issue was beef.Cow being sacred and worshipped, beef could not be served. Muslims did not eat pork. The challenge was to change the form of the worldwide popular Hamburger to make an entry into  India. With 25-30% of the population being lacto vegetarian and a large majority eating meat, an alternative to beef and pork was necessary. Competition from Local Food Retailers: The competition from the local food retailers was intense. The food reta ilers had been doing business for years. Their familiarity with the market and the understanding of the local taste gave them a competitive edge.There were numerous eating joints which offered snacks and meals with affordable price tags. Target Marketing: Operation Excellence Food Innovation Value propositions had to be directed to the right target market to establish a new product. An interesting question was who would eat at McDonald's? In order to develop the marketing strategy, it was important for any company to understand the consumer market. The more one knew and understood about consumers, the more effectively one could communicate and market to them Brand Trust Pricing MCDONALDS SUPPLY CHAINAn effective supply chain is an intricate network of suppliers, distributors and customers who share carefully managed information about demand, decision and performance, and who recognize that success for one part of supply chain means success for all. McDonald’s is the single la rgest food chain  service retailer in the world. It serves around 45 Million customers everyday in 121 countries. It has 29,000 restaurants worldwide. It is also the single largest real estate owner. In India, McDonald’s  Ã‚  made its presence felt in the year 1996.It has 30 restaurants in 5 different cities In India. 95% of the ingredients/products used by them are sourced locally. McDonald’s restaurants in the south and west of India function under Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited which is a Development Licensee. Amit Jatia is the Vice-Chairman of the company. For the north and east of India, McDonald’s has formed a joint venture with Connaught Plaza Restaurants Private Limited of which Vikram Bakshi is the Managing Director. These two companies monitor, scrutinize and judicially promote the brand of McDonald’s in the country.The main business comes from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune and Mathura. McDonalds had been working on its supply chain ev en before it opened its first joint in the country. McDonalds, an international brand which was trying to make inroads into the country, developed its Indian partners in such a manner that they stayed with the company from the beginning. McDonald’s spent around 6 years in setting up its supply chain in India. The philosophy of its supply chain is nothing but partnering with its suppliers, so that a win-win situation can be achieved and both can earn evenue, the total logistics and other cost can be lowered, expertise of the supplier will give an advantage etc. The main factors to focus here are supplier partnering elements – shared information, expectations, risks and payback, long term commitment, periodic reviews, compatible culture and the most important mutual understanding. The success of McDonalds India was achieved by sourcing all its required products from within the country. To ensure this, McDonalds developed local businesses, which can supply it highest qual ity products.Today, McDonalds India works with 38 different suppliers on a long term basis and several other stand alone restaurants for its various other requirements. McDonald’s distribution centres in India came in the following order: Noida and Kalamboli (Mumbai) in 1996, Bangalore in 2004, and the latest one in Kolkata (2007). McDonald’s entered its first distribution partnership agreement with Radha Krishna Foodland, a part of the Radha Krishna Group engaged in food-related service businesses. The association goes back to July 1993, when it studied the nuances of McDonald’s operations and requirements for the Indian market.As distribution centres, the company was responsible for procurement, the quality inspection programme, storage, inventory management, deliveries to the restaurants and data collection, recording and reporting. Value-added services like shredding of lettuce, re-packing of promotional items continued since then at the centres playing a vi tal role in maintaining the integrity of the products throughout the entire ‘cold chain’. While the supply chain of McDonald’s at first glance appears simple, its diverse components are both critical and multi-layered. Food ingredients are supplied by two categories, Tier-I and Tier-2 suppliers.Tier-2 suppliers comprise growers and processors who include importantly, lettuce and potato growers, poultry farms and companies which manufacture coating systems that coat the vegetable and chicken patties. The ingredients are supplied to Tier-I suppliers who process them, for instance, into vegetable and chicken patties — this is done by Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd. or potato products like French fries, potato wedges and hashbrowns which are expertly churned out by McCain Foods India Pvt. Ltd. The products are then transported in a dedicated fleet of refrigerated trucks to the company’s Distribution Centers.Multi-temperature and single temperature truck s then transport the fast food swiftly to the 217 McDonald’s restaurants across the country. The supply-chain of McDonald’s has also been expertly devised to include the significant aspect of return logistics. They have a large component of return logistics. The buns are packed in plastic crates to ensure their quality. These crates have to go back to the logistics facility, that’s where return logistics comes in. From there they are sent to the bakeries. Supply of Ingredients Special vegetarian sauce Quaker, Cremica, Phillaur, PunjabSesame seeds Ghaziabad, UP Iceberg Lettuce Ferrocoa Farms, Dehradun Buns Shah & Sons,Khopoli,MH & Cremica Industries, Noida Vegetable Patty Kiltran Foods, Taloja, Maharashtra Batter & Breading Cremica Industries, Ludhiana, Punjab Ingredients from across the country DISTRIBUTION CENTRES The fast food chain has four Distribution Centers across the country to serve its 217 restaurants. The DCs have segued seamlessly with the vision of the company which has embarked on a period of roller coaster growth, with one McDonald’s outlet being launched every ten days in the country!The company owns DCs in Noida and Mumbai which are primary Distribution Centers. The other two Distribution Centers are in Bengaluru and Kolkata and are housed in leased properties. The supply-chain of the fast food chain is in effect a hub-and-spoke model because the DCs act as hubs. The transportation of McDonald’s has been completely outsourced and since 80 percent is refrigerated truck movement, the company has a dedicated fleet which transports their goods. OUTSOURCING The success of the supply-chain model of McDonald’s can be directly attributed to its unique concept of outsourcing work.Unlike other corporate heavies, the company has a 100 percent outsourced supply chain. McDonald’s believes that they should outsource everything to a company who are experts in their subject matter and then monitor their perform ance in a proper fashion so that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are not affected at all. This is how McDonald’s operates not just in India, but everywhere. Underlying the suppleness of its supply-chain are three principles to which the company adheres unwaveringly, the principles of trust and collaboration between the brand, the owners or operators, and the suppliers. It’s like a three-legged stool. Each leg (principle) has to be equally strong so that there’s no collapsing foundation. McDonald’s also believes in a culture of partnership and transparency with its suppliers. They have 100 percent transparency in everything that they do which is very critical for them when they work with their suppliers. McDonald’s has 14 core suppliers who supply directly to the fast food chain and they are known as Tier-I suppliers. Examples of Tier-I suppliers are Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd. , the Dynamix Group, Mrs Bectors, etc.The other suppliers forward ingredients to the Tier-I suppliers first and they are termed Tier-2 suppliers. The fast food chain has a total of 40 suppliers from whom it sources its ingredients. Most of the suppliers are local, but some are internationally famous foreign brands like McCain Foods India which set up shop in India when McDonald’s ventured into the fast food business in the country. For a McDonald’s supplier the terms of work are rigorous. A company’s stellar credentials are not enough; the supplier’s job does not end when the product leaves his premises, rather it ends only when the customer consumes it.McDonald’s expects its suppliers to personally ensure the quality of their products to skirt the risk factor. Suppliers like Coca Cola which is McDonald’s beverage partner also, for instance, take water management classes in its restaurants to ensure potable quality of drinking water. Sole Distribution Partner McDonalds’ products are distributed by R adhakrishna Foodland Pvt. Ltd which is the only distribution partner of the fast food chain. RK Foodland manages the four DCs and since it has a transport division, handles the truck movement in the supply-chain right through the country.McDonald’s expects its distribution partner to meet its standards of ‘cold, clean and on-time delivery ’. RK Foodland expertly manages the mundane day-to-day activities of the fast food chain like raising purchase orders to suppliers, invoicing, keeping an astute eye on working capital management, timely delivery, payments, etc. They are like a one-stop shop for the restaurants. Anything that is required, from a bulb that needs to be changed in a restaurant to training material, is sourced directly from RK.There are only two products, buns and Cokes, which are sent directly to the restaurants. Buns have a limited shelf life, hence they are sent directly to the outlets, while Coca Cola has a well-oiled distribution system which en sures quick dispatch of its products. As with its suppliers, McDonald’s has no legally documented Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with RK Foodland. The fast food chain carefully calibrates the performance of its distribution partner, measuring it against its own KPIs to ensure its performance does not dip below its own exacting standards.The DCs are assessed on several factors like administration efficiency, the total number of cases managed per man hour, warehouse efficiency, overtime as a percentage of the total number of hours worked and in the case of transportation, the number of cases handled per trip, truck utilization, etc. McDonald’s constantly scrutinizes the performance of RK Foodland against these KPIs; if its distribution partner is unable to meet certain benchmarks, together they devise solutions which would enable them to achieve set goals. COLD CHAINA marked feature of McDonalds’ supply-chain is that the entire network consists of movement of goo ds through a cold chain. In effect, the suppliers are also a part of this cold chain and in certain cases, for instance, the lettuce growers, the cold chain begins with the Tier-2 suppliers. McDonald’s have the largest refrigerated movement of products in India. An interesting and innovative feature of this cold chain is that the same truck can carry products at different temperatures, ranging from frozen products at -18C to -25C, chilled products from 1C-4C and dry products at ambient temperatures.Apparently, McDonald’s is the only company whose supply-chain network is characterized by this successful experimentation. The inbound supply chain of McDonald’s now consists of dedicated reefer trucks supported by dedicated and trained manpower. As the store numbers and distances increased, they decided to come out with a design of multi-temperature vehicles which could carry all three temperature products. They are installed with automatic temperature controller. Tr uck containers were made with two side doors in addition to the rear door.The side doors are used to unload products without disturbing the products in the other temperature zones. The delivery window is +/-2 days. The products are of three types i. e. frozen products, chilled products and dry products. The frozen products need the temperature from -15 to -25 deg C, the chilled products from 1 to 4 deg C and the dry foods from 24 to 30 deg C. This finesse and attention to detail has helped McDonald’s achieve its own USP of ‘quality, standards of service, cleanliness and value. McDonalds’ efficiency and effectiveness are also due to the fact that it has a ‘pull-supply’ chain. The restaurant issues orders to the Distribution Center which, in turn, routes the order to the supplier and only then does the supplier produce it. The supplier thus maintains barely any extra stocks; only if there is a contingency, like the overhaul or servicing of machinery, w ill the supplier produce surplus stocks. Cold Chain was one of the unique concepts of McDonalds supply chain in India, on which it had spent more than six years to get the system into place.This system brought about a veritable revolution, immensely benefiting the farmers at one end and enabling customers at retail counters get the highest quality food products, absolutely fresh and at great value. Through its unique cold chain, McDonalds has been able to both cut down on its operational wastage, as well as maintain the freshness and nutritional value of raw and processed food products. This has involved procurement, warehousing, transportation and retailing of perishable food products, all under controlled temperatures.The following list of suppliers, who build up the major supply chain of McDonalds, reveal how this ‘Cold Chain’ works and contributes towards the efficiency of McDonalds. * Dynamix Dairy Industries (Supplier of Cheese): Dynamix has brought immense benefi ts to farmers in Baramati, Maharashtra by setting up a network of milk collection centres equipped with bulk coolers. Easy accessibility has enabled farmers augment their income by finding a new market for surplus milk.The factory has: * Fully automatic international standard processing facility * Capability to convert milk into cheese, butter/ghee, skimmed milk powder, lactose, casein & whey protein and humanized baby food. * Stringent quality control measures and continuous Research & Development From farm two degrees Celsius in 90 minutes is the first step to quality. For example, the Rs 262-crore Dynamix Dairy Industries, located in Baramati in Pune district of Maharashtra, manufactures cheese slices for McDonald’s at 10 metric tonnes per month.Dynamix has helped set up 15 bulk cooling centres throughout the district from which it purchases milk. Each cooling centre, which is equipped with modern measuring and testing equipment and a large cooling tank, is not more than a few kilometers away from local dairy farms. A farmer can deliver milk even twice a day on his bicycle and get a printed receipt on the spot, which also lists the quality of the milk supplied by him as per fat content, colour and solids content. If the milk is sub-standard or adulterated, it is rejected on the spot. A batch of milk can vary from one litre to 10 litres, or more.Each batch is mixed in one large stainless steel cooler and chilled immediately to two degrees Celsius to stop bacterial growth and preserve freshness. From this point onwards, until just before the burger is actually served in a McDonald’s restaurant hundreds of kilometers away, the temperature is never allowed to increase. When the refrigerated milk arrives at the Dynamix plant at Baramati, the milk in every single tanker is thoroughly tested and rejected if found sub-standard, adulterated or contaminated. The sophisticated testing lab can check fat content with an accuracy of 0. 1 per cent.It can eve n detect minute traces of pesticides or antibiotics administered to cows. This instant feedback and the rejection of the entire tanker-load forces farmers to follow the best practices in terms of animal husbandry, use proper feeds, cut down on the indiscriminate use of pesticides and animal medicines and completely stop even the slightest attempts at adulteration. * Trikaya Agriculture (Supplier of Iceberg Lettuce): Implementation of advanced agricultural practices has enabled Trikaya to successfully grow specialty crops like iceberg lettuce, special herbs and many oriental vegetables.Farm infrastructure features: * A specialized nursery with a team of agricultural experts. * Drip and sprinkler irrigation in raised farm beds with fertilizer mixing plant. * Pre-cooling room and a large cold room for post harvest handling. Refrigerated truck for transportation. Trikaya Agriculture, a major supplier of iceberg lettuce to McDonald’s India, is one such enterprise that is an intrin sic part of the cold chain. Exposure to better agricultural management practices and sharing of advanced agricultural technology by McDonald’s has made Trikaya Agriculture extremely conscious of delivering its products with utmost care and quality.Initially lettuce could only be grown during the winter months but with McDonald’s expertise in the area of agriculture, Trikaya Farms in Talegaon, Maharashtra, is now able to grow this crop all the year round. McDonald’s has provided assistance in the selection of high quality seeds, exposed the farms to advanced drip-irrigation technology, and helped develop a refrigerated transportation system allowing a small agri-business in Maharashtra to provide fresh, high-quality lettuce to McDonald’s urban restaurant locations thousands of kilometers away.Post harvest facilities at Trikaya include a cold chain consisting of a pre-cooling room to remove field heat, a large cold room and a refrigerated van for transporta tion where the temperature and the relative humidity of the crop is maintained between 1? C and 4? C and 95% respectively. Vegetables are moved into the pre-cooling room within half an hour of harvesting. The pre-cooling room ensures rapid vacuum cooling to 2? C within 90 minutes. The pack house, pre-cooling and cold room are located at the farms itself, ensuring no delay between harvesting, pre-cooling, packaging and cold storage.With this cold chain infrastructure in place, Trikaya Agriculture has also a plan to export this high value product to other international markets, especially to McDonald’s Middle East and Asia Pacific operations. McDonald’s expertise in packaging, handling and long-distance transportation has helped Trikaya to do trial shipments to the Gulf successfully. In addition to export, McDonald’s assistance has enabled Trikaya Agriculture to supply this crop to a number of star-rated hotels, clubs, flight kitchens and offshore catering compani es all over India. * Vista Processed Foods Pvt.Ltd. (Supplier of Chicken and Vegetable range of products including Fruit Pies) A joint venture with OSI Industries Inc. , USA, McDonald’s India Pvt. Ltd. and Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd. , produces a range of frozen chicken and vegetable foods. A world class infrastructure at their plant at Taloja, Maharashtra, has: * Separate processing lines for chicken and vegetable foods. * Capability to produce frozen foods at temperature as low as -35 Degree Cel. to retain total freshness. * International standards, procedures and support services. Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd. McDonald’s suppliers for the chicken and vegetable range of products, is another important player in this cold chain. Technical and financial support extended by OSI Industries Inc. , USA and McDonald’s India Private Limited have enabled Vista to set up world-class infrastructure and support services. This includes hi-tech refrigeration plants for manufacture of frozen food at temperatures as low as – 35 ° C. This is vital to ensure that the frozen food retains it freshness for a long time and the ‘cold chain’ is maintained. The frozen product is immediately moved to cold storage rooms.With continued assistance from its international partners, Vista has installed hi-tech equipment for both the chicken and vegetable processing lines, which reflect the latest food processing technology (de-boning, blending, forming, coating, frying and freezing). For the vegetable range, the latest vegetable mixers and blenders are in operation. Also, keeping cultural sensitivities in mind, both processing lines are absolutely segregated and utmost care is taken to ensure that the vegetable products do not mix with the non-vegetarian products.Now, at Vista, a very wide range of frozen and nutritious chicken and vegetable products is available. Ongoing R&D, both locally and in the parent companies, work towards innovation in taste, nutritional value and convenience. These products, besides being supplied to McDonald’s, are also offered to institutions like star-rated hotels, hospitals, project sites, caterers, corporate canteens, schools and colleges, restaurants, food service establishments and coffee shops. Today, production of better quality frozen foods that are both nutritious and fresh has made Vista Processed Foods Pvt.Ltd. a name to reckon within the industry. * Radhakrishna Foodland (Distribution Centres for Delhi and Mumbai) An integral part of the Radhakrishna Group, Foodland specializes in handling large volumes, providing the entire range of services including procurement, quality inspection, storage, inventory management, deliveries, data collection, recording and reporting. Salient strengths are: * A one-stop shop for all distribution management services. * Dry and cold storage facility to store and transport perishable products at temperatures upto -22 Degree Celius. Effective process control for minimum distribution cost. McDonald’s local supply networks through Radhakrishna Foodland, which operates distribution centres (DCs) for McDonald’s restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi. The DCs have focused all their resources to meet McDonald’s expectation of ‘Cold, Clean, and On-Time Delivery’ and plays a very vital role in maintaining the integrity of the products throughout the entire ‘cold chain’. Ranging from liquid products coming from Punjab to lettuce from Pune, the DC receives items from different parts of the country.These items are stored in rooms with different temperature zones and are finally dispatched to the McDonald’s restaurants on the basis of their requirements. The company has both cold and dry storage facilities with capability to store products up to -22? C as well as delivery trucks to transport products at temperatures ranging from room temperature to frozen state. * Amrit Food (Supplier o f long life UHT Milk and Milk Products for Frozen Desserts) Amrit Food, an ISO 9000 company, manufactures widely popular brands – Gagan Milk and Nandan Ghee at its factory at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.The factory has: * State-of-the-art fully automatic machinery requiring no human contact with product, for total hygiene. * Installed capacity of 6000 ltrs/hr for producing homogenized UHT (Ultra High Temperature) processed milk and milk products. * Strict quality control supported by a fully equipped quality control laboratory. All suppliers adhere to Indian government regulations on food, health and hygiene while continuously maintaining McDonald’s recognized standards.As the ingredients move from farms to processing plants to the restaurant, McDonald’s Quality Inspection Programme (QIP) carries out quality checks at over 20 different points in the Cold Chain system. Setting up of the Cold Chain has also enabled it to cut down on operational wastage Hazard Analysi s Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a systematic approach to food safety that emphasizes prevention within its suppliers’ facility and restaurants rather than detection through inspection of illness or presence of microbiological data.Based on HACCP guidelines, control points and critical control points for all McDonald’s major food processing plants and restaurants in India have been identified. The limits have been established for those followed by monitoring, recording and correcting any deviations. The HACCP verification is done at least twice in a year and certified. The relationship between McDonald’s and its Indian suppliers is mutually beneficial. As McDonald’s expands in India, the supplier gets the opportunity to expand his business, have access to the latest in food technology, exposure to advanced agricultural practices and the ability to grow or to export.There are many cases of local suppliers operating out of small towns who have benefited from their association with McDonald’s India. Pictorial Description McDonalds India sources its ingredients from local suppliers who are an integral part of the cold chain. Refrigerated trucks with multi temperature facility divided into 3 zones –freezer, chiller and ambient to ferry product demanding varying temperature from supplier’s location to the distribution centre.Distribution centre is also divided into multi-temperature zones like trucks with freezer at 0 degree F to 33 degree F. Restaurants have in-built cold storage units subdivided into same aforesaid zones- freezer, chiller and ambient. IN A NUTSHELL Forecasting Demand Equally impressive is the accuracy of the demand forecasts. The restaurants give a three-day to one-week forecast to the Distribution Center. The DC, in turn, has a three-month rolling forecast with the suppliers which enable them to plan their production schedules meticulously.For extensive long-term planning, McDonald’s has devised the 31Q system—3 stands for the three years that the fast food chain will keep checking its plans, 1 represents the detailed forecast of the next year and Q symbolizes the quarterly monitoring of these forecasts. While preparing the annual budget, they include their suppliers in the budgeting process, briefing them on the new products and restaurants to be launched. Using this information, the suppliers roll out their production schedules. The schedule for the next year is carefully fixed and then stringently monitored.Once the forecasts are closed and the budgets fixed, the plan schedules and performances are monitored every quarter, also to ensure that there is no dip in performance. With 217 restaurants scattered across the country, lead times for delivery assume critical importance. But McDonalds’ supply-chain network is everything it is supposed to be to ensure spot on distribution. Every restaurant manager knows the exact time of arrival of each product w hich enables the supply chain team to work backwards to ensure timely distribution. They have fixed locations of suppliers and restaurants and their own fleet of dedicated trucks and cleaners.They can predict the amount of time it takes for a product to reach from an X location to a Y location. If a truck takes four or five days to travel between a supplier’s premises in Taloja, Maharashtra, to Noida in the National Capital Region, dedicated McDonalds’ trucks will accomplish it in two days due to non-stop running of the fleet. This ensures that the lead times for their trucks and deliveries are pretty much predictable. With a maximum inventory of ten days in its system, McDonald’s maintains an efficient inventory turn ratio of 36.Tech Prowess The supply-chain network of McDonald’s, which appears to work effortlessly, is powered by various IT systems which enhance its effectiveness. Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd use SAP, Tier-1 supplier of the chain. Dist ribution Centers of RK Foodland are on RAMCO Marshall ERP with Cobra software. These systems are used to directly upload store orders. At the restaurant level, the fast food chain has in-house developed technologies which track day-to-day sales, enables restaurants to schedule staff and send forecast orders to DCs.