Friday, September 6, 2019

Mao Zedong Essay Example for Free

Mao Zedong Essay Mao Zedong took over the running of China from the GMD in 1949. The country was in an awful situation; it was weak, bankrupt and had little power. There were several reasons why the country was left in such a state. The Emperors who had ruled China for centuries had failed to modernise the country and China still believed in the ancient traditions of life. Foreign intervention had also hindered the development of China and caused problems. Foreign countries, such as Hong Kong, which was controlled by Britain and Mares, which was controlled by Portugal, controlled the main port areas in China. The intervention of foreign influence meant that China was unable to make important decisions for themselves. The world wars and the civil wars also affected China. The continuous battles between the GMD and the CCP striped the land of valuable resources. At the end of the civil war the defeated GMD left China for Taiwan and took the countries gold reserves. When the CCP took over as the governing body of China, they were bankrupt and had little power or resources. Mao Zedong decided action needed to be taken and this was one of the reasons why the second five-year plan was introduced. In 1950 Mao decided that China needed financial support, and so turned to Russia. Russia was the first communist country and was a natural place to look for help. China and Russia signed the Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance. China was provided with financial aid and technical advice. They received $300 million over 5 years and 10,000 engineers and planning experts to help develop Chinas economy. The First five year plan was drawn up under the influence of the Russian advisers, to develop the economy. The plan gave priority to the development of heavy industry e. g. steel, coal and machinery. But it neglected light industry such as cotton making and food processing. This meant that the growth in living standards was slow. The first five year plan achieved great success in the development of heavy industry. The output of coal increased from 63. 5 million tonnes in 1952 to 124 tonnes in 1957. The output of steel also increased. It rose from 1,9 million tonnes to 5. 8 million tonnes. The Second five year plan was introduced in 1958 to build upon the successes of the first five year plan. Maos aim was that the second five year plan would improve both industry and agriculture at the same time. The main target of the plan was to catch up with the Western powers. Mao intended that the Chinese economy would overtake Britain in 15 years and America in 20-30 years. Mao took over China when it was very weak and very vulnerable. Under the guidance of the Russian advisers Mao introduced the first five year plan. During this plan some improvements were made, but Mao still decided further sacrifice was needed to move China forward. During Maos tour of the countryside in 1958 he said he had witnessed the tremendous energy of the masses and decided this was the way to change China into a modern country. Mao had a vision to make China into one of the worlds leading industrial nations at the same time as improving her agriculture. To do this Mao introduced the second five year plan, which he called the Great Leap Forward. When Mao received financial aid from Russia in 1950, he described this as getting meat out of the mouth of a tiger. Mao knew it was dangerous but also knew it was the only way to develop China. Mao also introduced the Great Leap Forward because he realised he had to develop China as they could not rely on Russia forever, and must stand on its own. Mao wanted to conduct the Great Leap Forward in a socialist way. Cooperatives and then communes were set up to gather the tremendous energy of the masses. The peasants. The peasants were very important in Maos plan. Mao was going to use the huge amount of peasants to change China. 80-90% of the population were peasants; Mao had plenty of people to carry out tasks. During he first five year plan the peasants had been set up into lower and higher stage co-operatives, this was to share the workload. In the second five year plan these co-operatives were developed into communes. The function of the communes was to act as a unit of local government with a committee made up of peasants, party members and soldiers. Each commune had an eating hall, schools and houses of happiness for the old. They were also set up as a unit of work organisation and finally a unit of the communist party. Mao encouraged the peasants to work by using propaganda. The government made every effort to whip the people into a frenzy of enthusiasm for work. They used posters, slogans and newspaper articles to urge the Chinese people to work, also loudspeakers played revolutionary music and stirring speeches to encourage work. The peasants may have been Chinas biggest resource but they were also theirs biggest problem as there was a tremendous amount of them and it was difficult to feed them all. China had very poor relations with America and there was a risk of conflict. The USA feared that China would spread communism to Asia and then to other parts of the world. The USA also showed its support for the GMD and in 1949 sent a US fleet to Taiwan. This was to show China that its support lay with the GMD and not them. This enraged Mao. In 1950 the USA sent troops to South Korea against the Chinese backed North Korea who were attempting to spread communism. In 1953 the relations between China and the USA were again affected. The USA blocked Chinas application to join the UN (United Nations) because they did not want to accept that the CCP was the governing body of China. China felt threatened by the USA and wanted to strengthen itself so it could stand up to countries like America. This was one of the reasons why the second five-year plan was introduced. China also had difficult relations with Russia. To begin with the two countries had a strong Relationship and then it fell apart. China and Russia seemed to be natural allies against the Western powers, as they were both communist countries. In 1950 Russia and China signed a Treaty of Friendship. But Mao realised this was dangerous, he states it was like taking meat from the mouth of a tiger. Mao wasnt the only one who thought this deal was risky. Khrushchev, the leader of Russia states that conflict with China is inevitable. He also said Mao is bursting with a impatient desire to rule the world. So conflict between the two countries seemed certain. In the mid 1950s the relations between the two countries began to deteriorate, due to several reasons. First Russia promised to help China develop atomic weapons but when asked they refused. Secondly China made claims for land at the India border but Russia failed to back them. China also claimed the right to control Taiwan and Russia again failed to support them. Finally Russia and China themselves had border disputes which weakened relations even further. China began to feel isolated by the breakdown of relations and Mao decided China must develop to survive. Then in1960 Russia withdrew aid, relations at this time were critical. Mao knew he had to act and the poor relations between China and Russia was a main reason why the second five-year plan was introduced. Only a few months after Mao introduced the Great Leap Forward things began to go dreadfully wrong. There were problems in industry and agriculture. The government put too much pressure on people and machinery. Often people would fall asleep at their post and machines would regularly overload due to the increased workload. The idea of the backyard steel campaign was also a failure. It produced impure steel which couldnt be used and steel that could be used was just left to rot. The backyard steel campaign took many peasants away from farming and so less food was being produced. The campaign also used valuable resources it used a lot of wood and coal. Many railway locomotives were unable to be used because of the lack of coal available. The crops that were grown began to die due to bad planning. The crops were place in show fields were there was little room, little and not much water. Bad weather also hindered the production of food. In some parts of the country crop fields were flooded by the heavy rains, whilst other crop field were left without any water and the crop were left to die. During the 3 bitter years 1959-61, over 20million people died as a result of lack of food. This was due to bad planning and the awful weather conditions. When the Russians withdrew their aid in 1960 the second five-year plan collapsed. Mao then lost support and the moderates kicked him out of office. Mao was left with the post of chairman of the party but had no control in the economy or the running of the country. During the second five-year plan the following successes were made. The population was reorganised into communes, this was such a success because there was over 700 million peasants living in China. To start with the plan achieved early success in the production of food and steel. There were also 600,000 furnaces set up to aid in the production of steel. The Chinese peasants also constructed a dam and canal. These were completed in record time. The second five-year plan also suffered a lot of failures. Poor planning caused these. The backyard steel campaign wasted resources such as coal and timber and took peasants away from food production. The output of the steel was impure and unusable. There was competition between communes, which led to each commune setting ridiculous targets. This led to the government believing it had more food and so food rations were increased. The second five-year plan ended in complete failure causing the deaths of more then 20million people from starvation and other related diseases.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Coca Cola Situational Analysis

Coca Cola Situational Analysis We can all proudly say for a beverage brand like Coca-Cola that nobody is unaware of it in the entire globe as it has surely become a household name for all of us. It would be interesting for us to know about its origin prior to know its critical marketing strategies and companys belief to make it up to this stage. Coca-Cola was discovered, we would rather say invented in 1886, just out of curiosity to know what the mixture of certain ingredients does. It was John Pemberton, an Atlanta based pharmacist, who created this amazing mixture of fragrant and caramel coloured liquid. He then took that mixture to the nearest pharmacy to get it carbonated and the thing that came up is now has become a greatest known brand in this world. In the initial stage, Coca-Cola had sold just 9 glasses a day for an entire year. But, a century later it has produced nearly 10 billion gallons of syrup. After just three years of this invention, an Atlanta based businessman Asa Griggs Candler acquired rights of the business and brand in just  £1500. He then became the first official president of Coca-Cola enterprise. As a natural salesperson Asa Candler started marketing the brand in 1893. He found out various brilliant and innovative ideas of promoting the brand. He started distributing promotional coupons for complimentary taste of the beverage, and outfitted distributing pharmacists with clocks, urns, calendars and apothecary scales bearing the Coca-Cola brand. People saw Coca-Cola everywhere, and the aggressive promotion worked. That was the start it needed and successfully achieved. Further the company grown after its expansion to the other parts of US territories and of the world. During its journey from 9 glasses a day to over 9 billion servings a day around the world, Coca-Cola Company has struggled hard over time to safeguard the company and the brand. It has mainly focussed on advertising as their main strategy for expansion. Many brand tags have changed from time to time like Demand the genuine and Accept no Substitute. It was to make customers aware of brands value and keep them away from buying substitute products of Coca-Cola. Market Share Being the biggest company in the soft drink industry, Coca Cola enjoys the largest market share. This company controls about 59% of the world market. Global Market Share The market of the company is geographically vast and it is controlling it with great success. In 2002, the company grew their carbonated soft-drink business by nearly 250 million unit cases and generated record volumes. Because carbonated soft drinks are the largest growth segment within the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage category measured by volume, that is why they are focusing more on this and they are continually increasing the pace because they know that accelerating this pace is crucial to their future success. Thus they are increasing their market day by day. The operation income earned by Coca Cola Company can be illustrated by the following pie chart. This strategy has worked a lot and it has helped them to become the Worlds leading Soft Drink Company. The global unit sale of the Coca Cola Company is increasing from the last ten years. The data of the global unit sale of the Coca Cola Company can be represented by following chart. So there is positive growth in the market of the Coca Cola Company. There is a worldwide volume increase by 4% with strong international growth of 5%. This is only due to the innovative marketing programmers, which has deepened the relationship of the customers and Coca Cola. The financial health and success of their bottling partners is a critical component of The Coca-Cola Companys ability to build and deliver leading brands.In 2002, the company had worked with their bottlers to turn good intentions into reality by improving the system economics. The results in 2002 reflect this steadily improving and mutually constructive relationship between the Company and their bottling partners. The main reason behind this relationship is to continue realizing shared opportunities for growth, with closer coordination of operations including customer relationships, logistics and production. Market Share by Area: Coca Cola is the world-renowned soft drink and the company is currently operating throughout the world. The worldwide total is about 17.8 billion. The operation review according to the segments is as follows. Operation Review The volume is least in the Africa and most in the North America. The data about the market share of this company area wise is given in the following table. The above table shows the geographical earning of the Coca Cola Company and from this data; we can find out that the customers of Coca Cola are increasing which is shown by the companys per capita income. Unit case equals 24 eight-ounce servings.  The column, which shows the non-alcoholic beverages consist of commercially, sold beverages, as estimated by the Company based on available industry sources. The country column is derived from The Companys unit case volume while the industry column includes non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages only, as estimated by the Company based on available industry sources. In Asian population, which is the satisfied customer of Coca Cola, is approximately 3.2 billion and the average consumer enjoys close to two servings of our products each month. Through an intense focus on Coca-Cola, innovation and new beverages, the company has achieved volume growth of 10 per cent in 2002. With developing economies and populations, this region has strong long-term potential, and the company is building an exciting family of beverage brands in addition to expanding the popularity of our core brands, led by Coca-Cola. In China, for example, sales of Coca-Cola increased 6 per cent. The total unit case sale of Coca Cola in Asia can be shown by the following pie chart. So the company is emphasizing more in this area and is trying to develop a strategy, which can increase the growth of the consumption of Coca Cola by the people of Asia. Among the countries of Asia, Japan has the highest percentage, which is about 29%. Among others, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are those countries where the average consumption is increasing day by day. PRODUCTS: There are different brands of the Coca Cola Company, which are currently in use through out the world. This company not only deals in the carbonated drinks but also other drinks. While launching its product, the marketing team considers the culture of the country. Major brands of coca cola Coke Sprite Fanta Diet coke Coke classic The overall volume of this company is as follows. The commitment of the company is to devote resources to water only in markets where it expects profitable growth. This strategy has paid dividends. The company has successfully applied its approach to brands in several key markets, including Ciel in Mexico, Mori No Mizudayori in Japan, Bonaqua in Russia and Kinley in India. Backed by a strong network of bottling partners through out the United States, Dasani became the nations fastest-growing water brand. In Eurasia, the entire Turkuaz brand team worked together to launch Turkeys first purified water brand. This year, Coca-Cola Company also successfully energized a major piece of its beverage strategy-water. By the end of 2001, its bottled water volume exceeded 570 million unit cases, making it the second biggest contributor to the growth of the company after carbonated soft drinks. Three of the water brands, Dasani, Ciel and Bonaqua each achieved sales of over 100 million unit cases for the year. In 2001and 2002, the company has also made good progress in coffees and teas. Beverage Partners Worldwide, the renewed and strengthened marketing partnership with Nestlà © S.A., began operations in 2001. This partnership combines Nestlà ©s knowledge in life science, research and development with the expertise of Coca Cola Company in brand building and distribution. At the same time, the company grew Georgia coffee in Japan by 3 percent through award-winning marketing in a category that was flat for the year. Also in Japan-where The Coca-Cola Company is the leader in the total tea category, the second-largest category in the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink segment-it launched Marocha Green Tea. With sales of 46 million unit cases for the year, Marocha Green Tea is the fastest-growing product in the fastest-growing category: green tea. The popularity of Marocha is also recognized by the industry with a leading trade journal naming Marocha the most popular new food and beverage product of the year. STRATEGIC PLANNING In the year 2002, the company had a great success, as the strategy worked which resulted in making Coca Cola Company the worlds leading company. In 2001, company accomplished the crust of its strategy as Worldwide volume increased by 4 percent with strong international growth of 5 percent and clear signs that our North American business is growing solidly and predictable. Earnings per share grew by 82 percent, as we delivered on our commitment to create volume growth while aggressively Return on common equity grew from 23 percent in 2000 to 38 percent this year. Return on capital increased from 16 percent in 2000 to 27 percent in 2001. The company has generated free cash flow of $3.1 billion, up from $2.8 billion in 2000, a clear indication of its underlying financial strength. The strategy for the future of the company is very straightforward. The marketing strategy for the year 2002 is as follows, Accelerate carbonated soft-drink growth, led by Coca-Cola. Selectively broaden the family of beverage brands to drive profitable growth. Grow system profitability and capability together with our bottling partners. Serve customers with creativity and consistency to generate growth across all channels. Direct investments to highest potential areas across markets. Drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness everywhere. MAJOR COMPETITOR PEPSI INTERNATIONAL HISTORY PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with revenues of about $27 billion and over 143,000 employees. The company consists of the snack businesses of Frito-Lay North America and Frito-Lay International; the beverage businesses of Pepsi-Cola North America, Gatorade/Tropicana North America and PepsiCo Beverages International; and Quaker Foods North America, manufacturer and marketer of ready-to-eat cereals and other food products. PepsiCo brands are available in nearly 200 countries and territories. Many of PepsiCos brand names are over 100-years-old, but the corporation is relatively young. PepsiCo was founded in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Tropicana was acquired in 1998 and PepsiCo merged with The Quaker Oats Company, including Gatorade, in 2001.would entertain the listener with the latest musical selections rendered by violin or piano or both. The new name, Pepsi Cola, is derived from the two of the principle ingredients, Pepsin and Kola Nuts. It was first used on the August 28. At that time, Bradhams advertising praises his drink as Exhilarating, invigorating, aids digestion. 1990-2002 The advertisement of the Pepsi changes to, You got the right choice baby, Uh-Huh! .With the extensive usage of the stars in the ads, the popularity of Pepsi increase. In 1992 Pepsi-Cola formed a partnership with Thomas J. Lipton Co. Today Lipton is the biggest selling ready-to-drink tea brand in the United States. Outside the United States, Pepsi-Cola Companys soft drink operations include the business of Seven-Up International. Pepsi-Cola beverages are available in more than 190 countries and territories. In Asia, they selected Lahore to make their regional office. This was done in 1970. This regional office is monitoring all the operations carried out in South West Asia. As in Pakistan, they only entered beverage industry. They have eleven bottlers covering whole Pakistan. The plant operating here is Riaz Bottlers (Pvt) LTD. This plant was established at Lahore in 1974. The total capacity of the plant is 30,000 cases per day. They have four filling lines in the plant operating on the three shift bases. Each shift is of eight hours. They have permanent work force of 750 people and them employee approximately 1000 people more on temporary basis during summer season. Pepsis Products Pepsi Teem Mirinda Pepsi Max Pepsi Lemon Pepsi Blue Mountain Dew 7up PROMISE OF COKE The basic proposition of our business is simple, solid and timeless. When we bring refreshment, value, joy and fun to our stakeholders, then we successfully nurture and protect our brands, particularly Coca-Cola. That is the key to fulfilling our ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of our business. TARGET MARKET Cokes commercials basically based on young generations, So, the young generation is the target market of Coke because they want to represent Coke with the youth and energy but they also consider about the old people they take then as a co-target market. MAJOR SEGMENTS Major segments are basically those people who take this drink daily and those areas where the demands is higher then the other areas. There are so many people who take this drink daily and those people who take weekly and those who take less often are always there as well. So, their basic segments are those people who take this drink regularly. FACTORS AFFECTING SALES There are so many factors, which affects the sale of coke. Here we are discussing three major factors which effects coke. Per capita income Competitors Weather Per Capita Income First we will discuss about Per capita income. This is major factor that affects the sale of this soft drink. Because which every passing year budgets are becoming very strict and tight in order to purchase things. So the disposable incomes of the people are coming down. They spend heavily on rents, utilities, and education and basic necessities and after that when they get extra money they think about this soft drink .So the decreasing per capita income effects badly in selling and production of this soft drink. And to get through with this difficulty there is need to increase the level of per capita income of Pakistan because it is much lesser than the rest of the countries. Competitors Cokes major competitor is PEPSI and there is no hesitation to say this because everyone knows that and all the other cold drinks and water, coffee, tea is the competitors. Weather Weather is the third major factor in effecting the Cokes selling. This is underdeveloped market so the cokes consumption in summers is 60% and in winters is 40%. MAJOR CUSTOMERS NEED First of all the majority dont care that what they are going to have. In other words, they dont care before drinking that whether it is Pepsi or coke. They dont actually differentiate between these two brands in order to their tastes. Consumers basically drink what they get. They believe on WHAT COLD THEY SOLD Consumers availability in brands is basically works like: Push availability Pull consumers demand. For this reason, Coca-Cola has provided their coolers and freezers in the market. They have maximum number of coolers and freezers in the market. They provide this infrastructure free of cost just to provide child coke to their customer, which they want to be purchase. Their salesman and mechanics regularly visit all the shops where coke has its infrastructure to check that either it is in proper condition or not, if not then they immediately change or repair it. STRATEGIES OF QUALITY After Micro and macro analysis Brand coke is primarily role Enhance competition moments When people watch cricket Through commercialization Fun time Though these strategies, there could be better understanding and better connection with the public. These are the key consumption. THREATS FROM COMPETITORS Threats are well planned. Price is the major threat. When price goes certain beyond the exact price whether come down or go higher its effects the consumption of soft drink. Because when the price goes higher people go for the substitute of coke i.e. Pepsi. And when price goes down they think that there is must be something wrong in it. In short it all depends on customers perception. TARGETS THAT WOULD LIKE TO ATTAIN Every organization runs on the bases of profit maximization so Coke is also looking for a high profit margin. There are three major ways of making money Overnight profit Windfall profit Ethical and un-ethical ways Over Night Profits They could be overnight profit that is for the number 1 brand for the year. This could be got my increasing sales volume Windfall Profit There can be windfall profit. They are the extras profit. When the consumption is on boom. So, there is different kind of profits. Ethical and Unethical Ways Profit can also get through ethical and unethical ways. They believe on this quote Everything is fare in love and war. Some profits stays for some time like overnight profits and some just come and go like wind fall profits. And they can also get profit through different approaches. EXPANDING TARGET MARKET In last 2 years Coke has come back in aggressive manner. Consumer has choice Attractive brand name Brand differentiating Consumer Has Got Choice Now the consumer has got choice. Because now they know the name of another big brand, though coke is the 2nd best name but it can get a better position after some time Attractive Brand Name Now the consumers know the Name of Coke, because Coke is the name, which is the most popular after the word ok. So people can better differentiate brands with each other. Brand Differentiation Now different companies have got different brand names. So, people can distinguish between brands. Two major brands coke and Pepsi also have brand names. Coca Colas Brand Coca cola is US brand. Because they believe in the togetherness, being people together and friends are being together. Coca Cola strongly believes that Pakistani temperament is US not ME Pepsis Brand Pepsis brand is basically is basically ME branded. They use the temperament of ME. In contrast to Coke they believe on individual struggle. THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRICE Opportunities If Coke is considered a luxury product. Then there is the tax rate system 15% sales tax 20% excise duty 27% goes to government 03% In making Budget After paying all these taxes coke has to pay electricity charges. We have to spend on distributions. After paying all these expenses Cokes margin squeezed and consumers have to pay for increasing tariffs. These are the opportunities through which we can increase the price and can get profits. Threats There are much more threats in increasing prices. Because same problem of substitute. If Coke increase the price lets say 1 rupee. Then people definitely wont go for coke. They have the best substitute of Coke that is Pepsi. So these are the threats in increasing prices. Coke will lose the margin of its profit and can face loss. STRATEGIES OF GETTING GOALS I.E. HIGH PROFITS To increase the price is the least thing, which Coke can adopt. There are so many ways through which Coke can increase the profits. Some major ways are as follows. Volume can be increased Interest level of consumers To take part in energetic festivals How to increase the volume of consumers? Coke can increase the volume by expanding the industry of coke. Through advertisements, offering different interesting things to attract people towards this product. How to increase the interest level of consumers? Coke is increasing the interest level of consumers by offering different flavors. For example Coke is increasing the number of flavors in Fanta, this is one of the product of coke. Through offering different flavors Coke can increase the Level of consumers and through this profits can be gained. How to take part in energetic festivals? Coke is already taking part in the festival like Basant since last 3 years. Coke offers different attractive things in their festival and through this Coke gained high profit and consumption of coke increased on these occasions. And this year in this year 2002 people were anxiously waiting that what interesting thing coke is going to offer. MARKETING STRATEGY Our local marketing strategy enables Coke to listen to all the voices around the world asking for beverages that span the entire spectrum of tastes and occasions. What people want in a beverage is a reflection of who they are, where they live, how they work and play, and how they relax and recharge. Whether youre a student in the United States enjoying a refreshing Coca-Cola, a woman in Italy taking a tea break, a child in Peru asking for a juice drink, or a couple in Korea buying bottled water after a run together, were there for you. We are determined not only to make great drinks, but also to contribute to communities around the world through our commitments to education, health, wellness, and diversity. Coke strives to be a good neighbor, consistently shaping our business decisions to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do business. Its a special thing to have billions of friends around the world, and we never forget it. MARKET POSITIONING Product Range The total range of Coca Cola company in Pakistan includes: Coke. Sprite. Fanta. Diet Coke. And company offers their products in different bottle sizes these includes: SSRB (standers size returnable bottle) LRB (litter returnable bottle) NRB (no return bottle) or disposable bottle PET 1.5 (1.5 litter plastic bottle) CANS (tin pack 330 ml) Packing Coca cola products are available in different packing 24 regular bottle shell 6 bottle pack for 1.5 pets 12 bottles in a pack for disposable bottle 24 cans in one pack. PRICE STRATEGY Trade Promotion Coca cola company gives incentives to middle men or retailers in way a that they offer them free samples and free empty bottles, by this these retailers and middle man push their product in the market. And thats why coca cola seen more in the market. And they have a good sale in the market because according to the expert which product seen more in the market that sells more. Seen as sold They do agreements with a shop keepers and stores to exclusive sale in that stores. These stores are called as KEY accounts in their local language. And coke also invest heavy budget on these stores and offers them free samples and free bottles and some time cash incentives. Different Price In Different Seasons Some times Coca Cola Company change their product prices according to the season. Summer is supposed to be a good season for beverage industry in Pakistan. So in winter they reduce their prices to maintain their sales and profit. But normally they reduce the prices of their pet bottles or 1 litter glass bottle. PROMOTION STRATEGIES Getting shelves They gets or purchase shelves in big departmental stores and display their products in that shelves in that style which show their product more clear and more attractive for the consumers. Eye Catching Position Salesman of the coca cola company positions their freezers and their products in eye-catching positions. Normally they keep their freezers near the entrance of the stores. Sale Promotion Company also do sponsorships with different college and schools cafes and sponsors their sports events and other extra curriculum activities for getting market share. UTC Scheme UTC mean under the crown scheme, coca cola often do this type of scheme and they offer very handy prizes in it. Like once they offer bicycles, caps, tv sets, cash prizes etc. This scheme is very much popular among children. DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS Coca Cola Company makes two types of selling Direct selling Indirect selling Direct Selling In direct selling they supply their products in shops by using their own transports. They have almost 450 vehicles to supply their bottles. In this type of selling company have more profit margin. Indirect Selling They have their whole sellers and agencies to cover all area. Because it is very difficult for them to cover all area of Pakistan by their own so they have so many whole sellers and agencies to assure their customers for availability of coca cola products. FACILITATING THE PRODUCT BY INFRASTRUCTURE For providing their product in good manner company has provided infrastructure these includes: Vizi cooler Freezers Display racks Free empty bottles and shells for bottles ADVERTISEMENT Coca cola company use different mediums Print media Pos material Tv commercial Billboards and holdings Print Media They often use print media for advertisement. They have a separate department for print media. POS Material Pos material mean point of sale material this includes: posters and stickers display in the stores and in different areas. TV Commercials As everybody know that TV is a most common entertaining medium so TV commercials is one of the most attractive way of doing advertisement. So Coca Cola Company does regular TV commercials on different channels. Billboards And Holdings Coca cola is very much conscious about their billboards and holdings. They have so many sites in different locations for their billboards. EXPECTATIONS FOR THE COMING YEAR Every thing starts from the attitude of consumers behavior. And the basic key to attract the consumers is to throw the money away. And positive feeling felling with the brand, which they used to have Coke wants to advertise their products heavily in the coming year. And it will take the 10% of their profits. And when we take it as a global level it is $ I billion. Coming year is the challenging year for the industry of Coke. They have to take lots of decisions that how to increase the production and where they have to spend money. For gaining success in coming year they have to have some important things like: Loyal consumers are important for companys success. Workers should be the brand centric not the promotion centric. They should know how much to for the brand activities. They should also know that how much to do with the promotion activities for brand. HOW COKE DETERMINE THE YEARLY BUDGET Coke determines its yearly budget by the Sales volume Profitability Target volume Sales Volume Coke determines its yearly budget through the sales volume. They first concentrate on the thing is what is the condition of their sales? if the condition is good of their sales then they definitely increase their production and sales volume. Otherwise they concentrate on their old strategies. Profitability: The second thing through which they determines budget is the profit .if they r getting profits with the high margin, then they definitely want to increase their profits in the next coming year. Every organization runs on the basis of getting high profits. No organization wants to face Loss in their business. To get profit is the first priority of the Coke. Target Volume: To run the business every industry has some targets, which they want to achieve in a specific time period. If industry achieves those goals in that period then for the coming year it increases the volume of the target. So Coke Follow the same thing it has also some goals and targets to achieve in the given time period. When they succeed to achieve that target then they increase their target volume in the next year.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Corporate Social Responsibility Practices Of China Sinopec Commerce Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility Practices Of China Sinopec Commerce Essay During last several decades, more and more pressure is received by international firms to persuade them to dedicate more and more resources in social responsibility. These pressures are always come from customers, governments, employees, suppliers, community groups. Also, there is increasing interest among managers of business especially those CEOs at multi-national or multi-divisional companies in the antecedents and consequences of CSR. These business leaders are realized the fact that nowadays the social standards for the business are not only restricted in the aspect of earning profits, the demand for CSR can vary substantially across the whole world on many issues. Nowadays, the demand for the social responsibility of large business is growing when the some important issues such as the global warming, poverty, scarce of resources which faces by those business firms. The definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility The definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not clear as a result of so many conflicting goals and objectives. Mcwilliams and Siegel(2011) argue that the CSR are measures taken by those business corporations for the benefits of the whole community, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law and some social pressures. Meanwhile, Corporate Social Responsibility involves achieving commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment (Clark, 2006; Porter Kramer, 2006). And Ademosu(2008) claims that CSR is what an organization does to contribute to the development of the community in areas such as economy, the education and so on. The history of CSR is as long as the company. After Industrial Revolution some large business organizations are emerged and the owners of these business organizations have become the most powerful and richest man in this world and these rich businessman began to implant a kind of ideas called Social Darwinism which means the corporations should focus more on the development of their own business instead of caring more about the consequences caused by the big business organizations on the employees, the community, even the whole society. But at the beginning of the twentyish century the power against these ideas of those big corporations began to rise. In 1970s Milton Friedman argued that the only social responsibility of an enterprise is to increase profits within the scope of the business rules, profit maximization is only the second goal of corporations and the first goal is to ensure the survival of them. In order to achieve this point, they must bear some social responsibilities and the cost caused by them, they must protect the social welfare through the advertisements of them about no pollutions, no discriminations or something else. They must blend themselves into the community and fund more for the charity organizations in order to play a more active role in the society. From 1980s the movement of CSR began to rise in the western developed countries, it includes the contents of environment protecting, labor and human rights which leads to the concerns of customers changed from about only care about the quality of products to quality, environment, occupation health and so on. Meanwhile some governments, green peaces organizations and NGOs also continually called the business corporations to connect the trade to their social responsibilities. Under the increasing pressure and their own development needs. Many multinational companies in Europe and America are formulating to make commitments of social responsibility. Why business corporations should engage in CSR According to Ralph Hamann(2010) the evolving CSR agenda is driven by a global shift in the way the role of business is perceived. Under the circumstance of globalization and the challenges of sustainable development, the business firms are increasingly seen as an important element in the process of social transformation, for the benefit of society in general, as well as business itself. Customers and society have more exceptions for the corporations where the products they buy from. This sense has increased as results of recent corporate scandals, which reduced public trust of business corporations. And under the trend of globalization, the increasing influences of media can explode all the mistakes such as pollution, decimations of female workers, or something made by the corporations to the entire world. These force the business organizations to build a harmony relationship with the outside world Corporate social responsibility comes from its social power. Enterprises should be a two-way open system that is open to accept the information of society, and help public understanding its operation. Each activity, product and service of enterprises, must consider the social costs and benefits at the same time of considering cost-effectiveness because all the social costs linked to each activity, product and service should transfer to consumers ultimately. So the enterprises as legal persons should be the same as other individuals involved in resolving some of social problems beyond their normal range. The benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility To the business corporations, business ethics and social responsibility have became important factors to improve the competitiveness of enterprises, when the business leaders try to develop the company, they should not only focus on economic indicators such as revenues, turnover, profits but also the attentions to humanities index resources index and environmental indicators. Clark (2006) reports showed these companies which pay more attention to CSR have done better financially performance than all of the other companies. The CSR policy can enhance the reputation of a business corporation and improve the relationship between the community and them. The CSR programs can not only help a companys to earn a good reputation in the society, and improve revenues of their business actions (Afiya, 2005), CSR programs can actually improve the companys ability to achieve the goal of sustainable development. For example, if a company can use modern technology to achieve the goal of waste recycl ing, the operating cost may be reduced hugely(Clark, 2006). To the whole society, firstly, the business corporations fulfill their society responsibilities is good for solving the employment problems. Except through increasing investment to create more jobs, more importantly is to advocate the enterprises arrange labor force scientifically in order to avoid increasing the pressure of employment. The ISO8000 is an international authentication standard system which aims to ensure workers working conditions and environment, protecting their human rights. Many enterprises try get fulfill their social responsibilities to get to the standard of ISO8000 which help them to attract more labor resources. Secondly, to fulfill social responsibility help to protect natural resources and environment to achieve sustainable development. The enterprises as members of the society and the big consumers of the natural resources have unenviable responsibility for the sustainable development of the environment. By using technical innovations the enterprises can reduce the pollution caused by their production and decrease the consumption of the resources then save the resources. (Mele ´, D. 2008) Last by not the least, the CSR is a good method to ease the gap between the rich and poor. On the one hand, large and medium-sized enterprise could use their capital advantages, management advantages and human resource advantage of resources to invest in the poor area. The corporations can get new growth point of their business and help the poor area to solve the problems of poverty. On the other hand, the enterprises also can through charity to help the people of backward area in education, the development of social security and health care system The CSR practice of Sinopec group of China The Sinopec group of China is one of the largest state owned companies of China, functioning as a state-authorized investment organization in which the state holds the controlling share. Sinopecs business includes Sinopecs business includes oil and gas exploration, refining, and marketing; production and sales of petrochemicals, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers, and other chemical products; storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas; import, export and import/export agency business of crude oil, natural gas, refined oil products, petrochemicals, and other chemicals. Sinopec Group ranked the 7th in Fortune Global 500 in 2010.The Sinopec is considered as one of pillar enterprises of the Chinese national economy and a giant in the energy industry, so in the last several years, there are continuously pressure put on this company about how it is to carry out its social responsibilities as an state-owned and the most profitable company in China. In fact, the Sino pec group does implement some CSR initiatives to enhance its global image and reputation. Low-carbon development strategy The climate change is an urgent issue which is for all mankind today, how to protect the environment from human activities and pollution is especially important for those energy and petrochemical company. About the global issues of global warming Sinopec claims that they carry out low-carbon development by finding and using more low-carbon energy resources and promoting energy saving and consumption reduction. The Sinopec is both a large energy production firm and a large consumption firm. This company is active in developing low-carbon energy and improving the structure of the energy consumption. They have built up a comprehensive low-carbon business chain which covering RD, production and marketing. Meanwhile this company has taken planting trees to increase the carbon sink as a major way to fulfill its responsibility to protect the ecological environment and improving the conditions for the ordinary residents. Saving energy resourcrs is another immediate and effective way to reduce CO2 emission today. Because of great importance to energy saving, they try to develop into a resource-saving enterprise. During the last 5 years, while the production capacities kept growing, Sinopec got a good achievement in energy saving and consumption cut with more effective management, many modern and new technologies and equipments are used and more emphasis are put on energy saving in production process. According to reports in 2010, overall energy consumption of Sinopec went down by 3.8% and 0.8% respectively and saved 14.11 million tons of coals equivalent, equaling reducing 34.66 million tons of carbon dioxide emission. They also try efforts to spread information about the damages of climate change among workers, consumers, suppliers, and other stakeholders, calling for changes in mode of production, way of life and habit of consumption, and for stronger sense of social responsibility and keener awareness to protect the environment. When it comes to the issue of pollution, the energy producers like Sinopec are always accused for their pollution for the environment. They claim they have paid great efforts to making clean products and reducing the pollutant emission in consumption. Upgrading of gasoline and diesel quality is typically one of their efforts in this direction. From 2009 to 2010, Sinopec refining subsidiaries sped up development of gasoline upgrading plans and revamping of production facilities. By 1 May 2010, all automobile gasoline produced has met GB III standards or even higher. Given Sinopecs gasoline output in 2010, SO2 emission in consumption can be cut by 25,000 metric tons. But the waste in the energy industry is inevitable, they still need to pay more attention to the treatment of waste gas, waste water and industrial residue (three wastes), try their best to meet discharge standards of the government and mitigate their impact upon the environment to the minimum. By the end of 2010, they hav e completed desulfurization revamping of all 19 in-house power stations and 107 coal boilers. And we reduced SO2 emission by 204,000 metric tons, down by 35.7%. The circular is another important aspect, increasing resource efficiency and recycling, and promoting comprehensive utilization of byproducts, with the goal of low energy consumption, low emission and high efficiency. For example, flare gas recovering technology was applied. All flares were extinguished and more than 800,000 metric tons of gas can be recovered every year. Aid Those in Need, Help Those in Difficulty As one of the biggest company in China, the Sinopec still carry put some plans to help some poor areas in China. In 2010, they continue to follow the guidance of the central government about the development the rural poverty area, supporting the infrastructure construction, education development and industrial development in these areas, for example, Sinopec has invested RMB 100 million for poverty alleviation and disaster relief work in the four designated counties. During last several years, Sinopec has been paid great attention and engaged in constructing the Hope Schools which is a famous charity plan in China. It is aimed to help those poverty children have the chance to receive education in impoverished areas. Sinopec have have built 15 Hope Primary Schools in Anqing area which is in Anhui Province in the past four years. The total investment was about RMB 7.5 million. Care for employees The employees are the most important parts of a business organizations and care for the workers is an essential part of the CSR. By the end of 2010, Sinopec has 1.06 million employees in total, including 9,185 fresh university graduates joining Sinopec in 2010. They have a considerable number of employees who have worked for Sinopec for more than decades. Closely following the state labor policies, Sinopec signs labor contract with each employee, welcomes collective bargaining and offers stable and competitive salaries. Sinopec honors its legal obligations to maintain endowment insurance, health insurance, occupational injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance and housing provident funds for all employees. In 2010, the Company launched corporate annuity plan, a valuable addition to the mandatory pension scheme. Through the CSR activities above, the Sinopec earn a good reputation in China and the whole world. Through the activities of saving energy, help poverty people, this company improve their global image and do become the top business giant in the world. The Chinese government even awards the Sinopec with the title of China Corporate Social Responsibility Research Base and the Sinopec also become the most popular employer among job seekers in China. The Sinopec benefits the whole society and itself by fulfill its social responsibility. But there are still many critics about the Social Responsibilities of Sinopec. For example, as a state-owned enterprise, there are many scandals about the corruption cases of the managers. Conclusion It has to admit that, although the practice of CSR is still debated among the world. Proponents argue that there is a strong business case for CSR, in that corporations benefit in multiple ways by operating with a perspective broader and longer than their own immediate, short-term profits. Critics argue that CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; others yet argue that it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations. However everything has two sides. Though some people do not love the CSR policy, increasingly, corporations are motivated to become more socially responsible because their most important stakeholders expect them to understand and address the social and community issues that are relevant to them. I believe that the CSR policy will develop to everyones benefit.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Essay --

Introduction Romance, cuisine, the attractions, the history†¦these are all aspects of France that are appealing to the common tourist. It is even more exciting to get paid to travel to a foreign country as part of a job. But amidst a cloud of clichà ©s many Americans do not really know how to make business with the French, the differences of body language, etiquette, expressions, and even the values of the French people. That is why it is essential to know about all aspects of the country before traveling to do business. Since comportment is key to likability the purpose of this report is to inform the reader of the customs, traditions, and manners in order to avoid awkward instances of cultural ignorance. It includes tips on dining etiquette, greetings, body language, French culture including food cuisine, art, fashion, major attractions, currency, time difference and other smaller aspects such as correspondence, business relationships, and even idioms. The ultimate intention is not only a s to inform travelers, but perhaps even shed light on some of the less unknown parts of the French experience and make the trip to the illustrious country all the more enjoyable. Bon voyage! Language and Greetings In order to be able to negotiate and persuade effectively, a person needs to have some knowledge of the French language. Below is a list of essential and commonly used greetings in France. French English Salut Hi Bienvenue Welcome Bonjour Good day Bonsoir Good night Bonne Journà ©e Good day or Goodbye Bonne Soirà ©e Good evening or Goodbye Bonne Nuit Good night Au revoir Goodbye. Salut Goodbye à  tout de suite See you in a minute à  plus tard See you later à  la prochaine Until next time. à  demain. See you tomorrow à  la semaine pr... ...ich may give off the impression as unfriendly - just another common misconception of the French. In fact, they offer much closer hugs and a few kisses too. Of course they may not want to talk about personal affairs at the dinner table such as salaries, religion, and politics, but they do it just to avoid trouble. In this way they are not stiff upper-lipped people, but calm and relaxed and wanting to enjoy life to the fullest (even if it requires a few love affairs here and there). Some of France’s laws may be a little questionable, and their business cards may not be able to fit into your average wallet, however, doing business here is not only exciting, but possibly life changing. Seeing aspects of regular life from a different perspective which may not only affect the way a person does business, but also looks at their own life - family, government, and culture. Essay -- Introduction Romance, cuisine, the attractions, the history†¦these are all aspects of France that are appealing to the common tourist. It is even more exciting to get paid to travel to a foreign country as part of a job. But amidst a cloud of clichà ©s many Americans do not really know how to make business with the French, the differences of body language, etiquette, expressions, and even the values of the French people. That is why it is essential to know about all aspects of the country before traveling to do business. Since comportment is key to likability the purpose of this report is to inform the reader of the customs, traditions, and manners in order to avoid awkward instances of cultural ignorance. It includes tips on dining etiquette, greetings, body language, French culture including food cuisine, art, fashion, major attractions, currency, time difference and other smaller aspects such as correspondence, business relationships, and even idioms. The ultimate intention is not only a s to inform travelers, but perhaps even shed light on some of the less unknown parts of the French experience and make the trip to the illustrious country all the more enjoyable. Bon voyage! Language and Greetings In order to be able to negotiate and persuade effectively, a person needs to have some knowledge of the French language. Below is a list of essential and commonly used greetings in France. French English Salut Hi Bienvenue Welcome Bonjour Good day Bonsoir Good night Bonne Journà ©e Good day or Goodbye Bonne Soirà ©e Good evening or Goodbye Bonne Nuit Good night Au revoir Goodbye. Salut Goodbye à  tout de suite See you in a minute à  plus tard See you later à  la prochaine Until next time. à  demain. See you tomorrow à  la semaine pr... ...ich may give off the impression as unfriendly - just another common misconception of the French. In fact, they offer much closer hugs and a few kisses too. Of course they may not want to talk about personal affairs at the dinner table such as salaries, religion, and politics, but they do it just to avoid trouble. In this way they are not stiff upper-lipped people, but calm and relaxed and wanting to enjoy life to the fullest (even if it requires a few love affairs here and there). Some of France’s laws may be a little questionable, and their business cards may not be able to fit into your average wallet, however, doing business here is not only exciting, but possibly life changing. Seeing aspects of regular life from a different perspective which may not only affect the way a person does business, but also looks at their own life - family, government, and culture.

Grapes of Wrath :: essays research papers

The Grapes of Wrath, chronicles the Joad’s family exodus from Oklahoma to California in search for a brighter, economic future. The name Joad and the exodus to California is parallel to the Biblical story of Exodus and the character Job, but at the time was depicting the Okie Exodus. The Okies were farmers whose topsoil blew away due to dust storms and were forced to migrate along Route 66 to California in search of work. The Okies were resented for migrating in large numbers to areas in the West where work was already hard to find and the sudden multitude of workers caused wages to be lowered. The Joad’s reside in Oklahoma, referred to as the â€Å"Dust Bowl† of the U.S. because of its lack of rain. The story takes place during the late 1930’s when the country was in the midst of the Great Depression. The Joad family were sharecroppers evicted from their homes because they failed to pay the bank their loan payments to the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On their journey, the Joad’s ran into a returning migrant from California who tells them that the handbill they have looking for 800 pickers is a bunch of hogwash. He’d rather starve in Oklahoma then starve in California. The migrant scolds them on their naivety saying â€Å"Now, how many of you all got them handbills?...(The men respond that they all have them) There you are, same yellow handbill. 800 Pickers Wanted. All right, the man wants 800 men, so he prints 5,000 handbills and maybe 20,000 people see 'em. And maybe two or three thousand people start West on account of that handbill. Two or three thousand people that are crazy with worry headin' out for 800 jobs. Now does that make sense?† He tells them that the growers are exploiting them, causing a surplus of workers to drive down labor costs according to supply and demand. The significance of his role in the movie, is that he let’s the Joad’s know everything they are moving West for is false. Their journey is based on a lie, and the grass isn’t greener on the other side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While stopping for gas, Mr. Joad heads into the diner to buy a loaf of bread. Mr. Joad is a nickel short of the 15 cents that the bread cost, and against the waitresses opinion the chef tells her to sell it to him for a dime.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Moving towards a cashless society Essay

In history there was no money but people used to evaluate commodities in monetary terms. People used to make trade of goods for goods that could be estimated to have same monetary value as waved. The person who wanted to buy some commodity could make estimates of the commodity the seller has and compare its value in terms of worthiness to the commodity of exchange. Money was later invented as a tangible form that includes paper and coin. Transactions were all handled in monetary value and different currencies were also put in place for different nations. Different rates were also set up to be able trade efficiently on different currencies. Cash became the day to day ways of trading were one had to have paper money so that they could be able to acquire whatever they want. Banks were developed for easier and safe storage so that no one could get hold of in illegally. Cash or money has the following advantages like that the mode of payment is easier and simple because no so much transactions are made. Counterfeit money is also easy to detect and systemic risks are hardly a problem. There is no paper trail and is a peer to peer mode of payment. It also introduced lots of problem like theft and counterfeiting of paper cash. This led to the revolutionary of cashless society by introduction of cheques where people no longer carry cash but writes cheques that authorizes withdrawals and payments in terms of cash. (Thorndal, 1994) Traditionally deposits have been used for payments at a distance. Deposits can be transferred in a number of ways: payer initiated transfer, direct debit, standing order, check, credit card. With distance to distance payments or mode of trade the demand for are more fast and effective ways of communication and trade came into place. The introduction of ATM card was introduced by the banks to enhance trade. People no longer had to carry cash but could make withdrawals through these cards. The electronic cash system came into place where people can buy things over the internet using cards as a form of electronic commerce. This electronic cash system involves use of cards that have been categorized as credit cards, electronic cash and smart cards. The credit cards involve creating an encrypted channel for use of cards for internet like VISA or MasterCard. Electronic cash uses specially designed software where customer buys electronic cash for digital wallet then sends as payment to merchant. Examples are DigiCash and CyberCash. Smart cards include contact less and swap cards like MasterCard, Visa, Quicklink, VisaCash, Protonn and Danmont. The growth of payment cards reflects their attractiveness to consumers over other forms of payment and credit. Payment cards offer consumers numerous benefits, including better management of one’s expenses, improved recordkeeping, greater shopping convenience, reduction of the risk of theft, float for those who do not revolve balances, rewards from use of cards that are available for additional purchases, and, especially for debit cards, convenience in obtaining cash. I first discuss these benefits and then consider the benefits of payment cards when used to obtain credit. (Wallace, 1983) Payment cards allow consumers to manage their money better by making it possible to anticipate, plan, and match their obligations to their available funds. The payment cards allow consumers to smooth out unexpected expenditures such as car repairs or family emergencies . Payment cards also reduce the costs of record keeping and retaining individual receipts. Checks also offer this advantage but payment cards do not require the additional inconvenience of recording in and then rebalance a checkbook. Payment cards can also reduce the time and transaction costs associated with shopping. Advances in technology have dramatically increased the speed of processing card transactions which are now substantially faster than writing checks. If the ATM is outside of the consumer’s network the consumer must pay a fee to withdraw the money. In contrast transactional users of payment cards pay nothing to use their card. Transaction errors, such as receiving too little or too much change, are also probably higher with cash than with electronic payment card transactions. Another advantage of payment cards is that payment cards can be used in a wide variety of outlets hence helping both consumers and merchants. (Krueger, 1999) Some Debit cards, PIN or online cards allow consumers to withdraw additional cash beyond the price of the purchase for which the card is used thus saving the use of ATM. Unsecured personal finance loans are expensive with much higher initiation fees than credit cards. Credit cards are attractive for consumers for both cost and convenience. General purpose credit cards have also substantially displaced retail store credit. We have also so many disadvantage of using payment cards. One of this disadvantage in that they are risky for customers because they cay be incur fraud easily. People can use your card and pin number once known to withdraw or use your money. Credit cards are also expensive to acquire because they are costly. Payment cards are only acceptable by registered merchants and hence are not applicable everywhere. Card users also incur high interchange fee and cost while transacting using this payment cards. (Prinz, 1999) Specific regulations need to make a cashless society of cards work smoothly. Regulation in the payment card need to be set due to the claim of interchange fees are too high and as a result reduces consumers to overuse payment card. Interchange fees arose from the structure of the Visa and MasterCard networks. Visa adopted a fixed interchange fee which was not linked to the merchant discount charged by individual acquirers. A uniform fee reduced the transaction costs of negotiating separate interchange fees between acquirers and issuers and eliminated the difficulties that issuers faced in monitoring in the merchant discount set by the acquirers. Visa and MasterCard reduced the interchange fees charged to supermarkets hence reducing the merchant discount. Some regulations were also imposed on regulating card frauds that many banks face. Fraud card detectors have been setup and laws governing the enactment of the card fraud have been set to punish those fraudsters. The winners of the cashless society are the consumers or users of the cards because they have been absorbed from the risk of physical theft of money. Even though there are fraudsters, the users are not exposed to so much risk of theft. Card users can effectively purchase things online regardless of the distance because all transactions are done to the and at a very high speed. The losers are the merchants or company providing this services because the have to incur all the expenses of setting up this technology and infrastructure. Lastly they incur the problem of making all transactions possible regardless the distance and parties involved. The merchants incur all this cost and expenses in this cashless society. (Buiter, 2005) Reference Buiter, W (2005): New developments in monetary economics: Economic journal, Vol. 115 Thorndal, J. (1994): Prepaid cards and monetary Review: – Danmarks Publishers Krueger, M. (1999): Towards a Moneyless world: Dept of Economics and finance: University of Durham Press Prinz, A (1999): Money in the real and Virtual World: Netnomics journal. Wallace, N (1983): A suggestion for oversimplifying the theory of money: Economic journal

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day Reflection

In Shakespeare’s sonnet, â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,† Shakespeare compares a warm summer’s day to the woman he loves. In the beginning two lines of the poem, he makes his first comparison saying â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate,† meaning Shakespeare is not sure if he should compare the woman he loves to a summer’s day because she is more lovely and more constant.He explains in the next two lines about how summer has flaws like the rough winds shake the beloved buds of may and that summer is to short, and he makes the point that the woman should not be compared to a summer’s day because in his eyes, she has no flaws. After, Shakespeare also explains how everything beautiful will loose beauty eventually due to nature’s course.In the two lines following to those above, he explains how her beauty and youth will never fade because he will always find her be autiful, no matter what effects nature’s course has on her. Showing his love for this woman, Shakespeare elaborates in his poem that Death will never claim her for ‘his’ own because she will always be his. Notice how Shakespeare makes death look like another person and how he explains how no one else could ever have her.That’s a perfect example of his unique figurative language. With the final couplet, â€Å"So as long as men can breathe and eyes can see, So long lives this and gives life to thee,† Shakespeare shows his true affection and his declaration of love for the woman he loves. It changes the pace of the poem by explaining that she can never die because she will live on forever in this poem, not comparing her to a summer’s day.