Make Your Own Sugar Crystals for Rock Candy

Make Your Own Sugar Crystals for Rock Candy Its easy to grow your own sugar crystals, which are also known as rock candy because the crystallized sucrose, also known as table sugar, resembles rock crystals and you can eat your finished product. You can grow clear, beautiful sugar crystals with sugar and water or you can add food coloring to get colored crystals. Its simple, safe, and fun. Boiling water is required to dissolve the sugar, so adult supervision is recommended for this project. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: A few days to a week Rock Candy Ingredients 1 cup water3 cups table sugar (sucrose)clean glass jarpencil or butter knifestringpan or bowl for boiling water and  making the solutionspoon or stirring rod How to Grow Rock Candy Gather your materials.You might want to grow a seed crystal, a small crystal to weight your string and provide a surface for larger crystals to grow on. A seed crystal isnt necessary as long as youre using a rough string or yarn.Tie the string to a pencil or butter knife. If you have made a seed crystal, tie it to the bottom of the string. Set the pencil or knife across the top of the glass jar and make sure that the string will hang into the jar without touching its sides or bottom. However, you want the string to hang nearly to the bottom. Adjust the length of the string, if necessary.Boil the water. If you boil your water in the microwave, be very careful removing it to avoid getting splashed.Stir in the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time. Keep adding sugar until it starts to accumulate at the bottom of the container and wont dissolve even with more stirring. This means your sugar solution is saturated. If you dont use a saturated solution, then your crystals wont grow quickly. On the other hand, if you add too much sugar, new crystals will grow on the undissolved sugar and not on your string. If you want colored crystals, stir in a few drops of food coloring.Pour your solution into the clear glass jar. If you have undissolved sugar at the bottom of your container, avoid getting it in the jar.Place the pencil over the jar and allow the string to dangle into the liquid.Set the jar where it can remain undisturbed. If you like, you can set a coffee filter or paper towel over the jar to prevent dust from falling into the jar.Check on your crystals after a day. You should be able to see the beginnings of crystal growth on the string or seed crystal.Let the crystals grow until they have reached the desired size or have stopped growing. At this point, you can pull out the string and allow the crystals to dry. You can eat them or keep them.If youre having trouble growing sugar crystals, here are some special techniques and a video tutorial. Tips: Crystals will form on a cotton or wool string or yarn, but not on a nylon line. If you use a nylon line, tie a seed crystal to it to stimulate crystal growth.If youre making the crystals to eat, dont use a fishing weight to hold your string down. The toxic lead from the weight will end up in the water. Paper clips are a better choice, but still not great.

Free Essays on Flannery Oconnr

In Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find, the grandmother faces her death at the end of the story. Her death may come as a surprise to the reader, but a closer look at hints throughout the story shows that the death of the grandmother is evident and unavoidable. The Grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find does not want to take the trip to florida with the rest of the family. She is worried about the misfit that is on the loose and heading to flordia himself. Everyone ignores the Grandmothers notions excep for June Star. The fact that she admonishes Bailey, her son, of the misfit and â€Å"what he did to those people†(cite), foreshadows what is going to happen to them. O’Connor would not mention such an interesting fact without having it affect the characters later in the story. The morning of the trip the grandmother is the first one in the car as June star predicted, â€Å"she woulnt stay home for a million buck. She ahs to go everywhere†(cite). This si a direct foreshadow of the grandothers death. When Bobby Lee and Hiram take someone into the forest, they never make it back. Eventully the whole family is taken to d3ie. The comment that June Star gives about Grandmother going with them is an indication that she is going to meet her death. Although the grandmother did not want to go she was dressed in her Sunday best. â€Å"†¦a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet† (1143). When a person dies, they are usually drewssed in their best outfit as they are displayed in their coffin at a funeral. O’cConnor states the reason for grandmothes immaculate dress was, â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (11... Free Essays on Flannery Oconnr Free Essays on Flannery Oconnr In Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find, the grandmother faces her death at the end of the story. Her death may come as a surprise to the reader, but a closer look at hints throughout the story shows that the death of the grandmother is evident and unavoidable. The Grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find does not want to take the trip to florida with the rest of the family. She is worried about the misfit that is on the loose and heading to flordia himself. Everyone ignores the Grandmothers notions excep for June Star. The fact that she admonishes Bailey, her son, of the misfit and â€Å"what he did to those people†(cite), foreshadows what is going to happen to them. O’Connor would not mention such an interesting fact without having it affect the characters later in the story. The morning of the trip the grandmother is the first one in the car as June star predicted, â€Å"she woulnt stay home for a million buck. She ahs to go everywhere†(cite). This si a direct foreshadow of the grandothers death. When Bobby Lee and Hiram take someone into the forest, they never make it back. Eventully the whole family is taken to d3ie. The comment that June Star gives about Grandmother going with them is an indication that she is going to meet her death. Although the grandmother did not want to go she was dressed in her Sunday best. â€Å"†¦a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet† (1143). When a person dies, they are usually drewssed in their best outfit as they are displayed in their coffin at a funeral. O’cConnor states the reason for grandmothes immaculate dress was, â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (11...

Money Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Money Crisis - Essay Example To sell more profitable subprime mortgages, mortgage companies bundled the debt into consolidation packages and sold the debt on to other finance companies. In other words, mortgage companies borrowed to be able to lend mortgages. For example, the lending was not financed out of saving accounts (Mortgage Guide). These mortgage debts were bought by financial intermediaries. The idea was to spread the risk, but, actually it just spread the problem. Usually subprime mortgages would have a high risk assessment rating. But, when the mortgage bundles got passed onto other lenders, rating agencies gave these risky subprime mortgages a low risk rating. Therefore, the financial system denied the extent of risk in their balance sheets (Mortgage Guide). Many of these mortgages charged a balloon interest rate in which, they charge low interest rates in the initial period, but at the end of the introductory period interest rates rise rapidly (Mortgage Guide). In 2007, the US had to increase interest rates because of inflation (BBC). This made mortgage payments more expensive. Furthermore, many homeowners who had taken out mortgages two years earlier now faced ballooning mortgage payments as their introductory period ended. Homeowners also faced lower disposable income because of rising health care costs, rising petrol prices and rising food prices. This caused This caused a rise in mortgage defaults, as many new homeowners could not afford mortgage payments. These defaults also signaled the end of the US housing boom. US house prices started to fall and this caused more mortgage problems. For example, people with 100% mortgages now faced negative equity (Mortgage Guide). It also meant that the loans were no longer secured. If people did default, the bank couldn't guarantee to recoup the initial loan. The number of defaults caused many medium sized US mortgage companies to go bankrupt. However, the losses weren't confined to mortgage lenders, many banks also lost billions of pounds in the bad mortgage debt they had bought off US mortgage companies. Banks had to write off large losses and this made them reluctant to make any further lending, especially in the now dangerous subprime sector (Shah). The result was that all around the world, it became very difficult to raise funds and borrow money. The cost of interbank lending had increased significantly. Often it was very difficult to borrow any money at all. This affected many firms who had been exposed to the subprime lending. It also affected a wide variety of firms who now have difficulty borrowing money (Shah). The slowdown in borrowing has contributed to a slowing economy with the possibility of recession in the US and all around the world. Credit Crunch in the UK UK mortgage lenders did not lend so many bad mortgages. Although mortgage lending became more relaxed in the past few years, it still had more controls in place than the US. However, it caused very

Forensic Science(Subject) Study of Forensic Collection and Analysis of Research Paper

Forensic Science(Subject) Study of Forensic Collection and Analysis of Crime Scenes - Research Paper Example Physical evidence originates from objects or rather non-living things while biological evidence is obtained from living things (Enotes.com., 2011). Examples of biological evidence include: DNA and blood stains while physical evidence include: tire marks, footprints, paint, building materials, fibers and fingerprints. According to the Locard’s exchange, evidence is usually found at the crime scene simply because the perpetrator must always leave something behind due to contact with objects and even the victim. It should also be noted that the perpetrator is also very likely to take something away from the crime scene that will be found on him. Crime scene investigation takes place at the crime scene while forensic science happens in the laboratory. This paper highlights on the analysis, evaluation and synthesis of a crime scene in relation to an investigation. Jackson and Julie (2004) reveal that this stage takes place at the scene of the crime. The Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) is expected to take his or her time to understand the logistics of the crime. This stage entails the determination of a systematic approach that will be used to find and collect the evidence. The CSI defines the exact extent of the crime scene followed by securing the core area by placing a physical barrier. The barriers could be in the form of a scene tape, police cars, horses and even the police officers. A cone area can be defined as the most obvious area where most of the evidence can easily be traced (Jackson & Julie, 2004). The crime scene might be in a house or the even the entire neighborhood. The first chance to conduct a thorough search at the scene is very important. The next step is to obtain a search warrant from the District attorney. The CSI will be free to make an initial walk through from which he will take notes of details that are likely to change with time. These details include: time, weather, smell, sound,

Social Networking on Facebook Essay Example for Free

Social Networking on Facebook Essay Social Networking on Facebook Arlene Pascual MIS Facebook (FB) is one of the latest trends in social networking (Facebook. com). Facebook (FB) is one of the most popular social networking sites among college students. FB started out as a site designed for and available to students at Harvard University to help them get acquainted with other students living in the dorms. But, it is now a public site. FB has become the number one choice of communication with college students, ranking higher than phone and email. FB attracts many students because it provides a place where students can have space of their own to express themselves and communicate freely with peers. This site provides an easy way for students to build their social networks, show the world who they are, make new friends and keep up with old friends. Facebook is not just a tool for only college students anymore. In September 2006, FB went public. Before then, only people with an . edu email address could access the site. Now anyone with a valid email can become a registered user of the popular social networking site. In addition, Computer Mediated Communication is communication that occurs via computer technology. CMC includes participating in chat room discussions, instant messaging, email, virtual teams, virtual communities, and voice activated messaging. CMC is also an excellent way to participate in social networking. Social networking is an important part of everyday life that assists people in planning and cultivating business, social contacts, and personal relationships. CMC is often preferred over face to face communication because it is convenient, easy, fast and highly effective in many situations. Newspapers, news magazines, and television news have highlighted the dangers of Facebook and other social networking sites such as MySpace, such as online predators, dangers of revealing personal information on profiles, and the posting of obscene or illegal activities. Yet the positive aspects of social networking on the internet make these sites so appealing to millions of users. Given the widespread of FB use among college students, the main goal of this study is to explore how students are social networking on Facebook. The following research questions are as follows: 1: How are students setting up their Facebook accounts? 2: How much time are students spending on Facebook? 3: How are students using Facebook? and 4: What kinds of negative experiences have students encountered on Facebook? Despite the negative press surrounding social networking sites, this study revealed that students are using Facebook for positive and appropriate networking. Everyone at their university can view their profiles, which allows more connections and interactions. Students also reported that their profiles were accurate representations of themselves. Since students tend to allow everyone to see their profile information, telling lies about themselves can be obvious. However, some students reported that their profiles only â€Å"somewhat accurately† represent them. Students may think that they are able to stretch the truth about certain areas of their lives. Although data were not gathered about what parts of students’ profiles are less accurate than others, this paper guessed that misrepresentations are most likely to occur in the â€Å"About Me† section. In this section, students write about anything they like, from their favorite things to how they view themselves. In many ways, the â€Å"about me† section is similar to a personal ad whereby students attempt to portray themselves in the most positive light possible. In addition, most students are not much concerned about privacy and they accept new friends request who they don’t know because that is the reason they join FB: to meet new friends. Majority of the respondents spent about 10 minutes a day. The most common uses of FB were sending messages to friends and viewing photos. Students want to keep in touch and get to know others better. On the other hand, one clear finding of this study is that students do not use FB for overt romantic relationship development. Students do not want their dating attempts to be public. Students also did not use FB to advertise academic or social events or to recruit for their organizations. Overall, negative experiences on FB were relatively few and far between given the frequency and variety of student use. In case of â€Å"stalker issue†, although FB is now open to the public, the default (and loosest) privacy setting enables student profiles to be viewed only by people at their own universities. Therefore, students must â€Å"confirm† that others outside their universities are their â€Å"friends† before people can view their profiles. These kinds of privacy safeguards might aid in keeping away stalkers. Concepts from two theoretical frameworks appear to be useful applications for explaining social networking on Facebook. First, Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) posits that people do not like uncertainty in initial encounters and therefore attempt to reduce that uncertainty through verbal and nonverbal communication in these initial face-to-face meetings. Students on FB definitely attempted to reduce uncertainty with strangers (e. g. other students in their classes, residence halls, sororities, and clubs) through direct messaging on FB and through indirect means such as observing others’ profiles on FB (networks, pictures, and wall posts). Relational Maintenance (RM) provides insight into the strategies that established relational partners use to maintain their relationships. RM can help enhance an existing relationship, repair a conflictual one, or maintain a relationship at its current level of engagement and satisfaction. Relational maintenance was prevalent on Facebook. Sending messages, updating profiles, and uploading pictures helped students feel connected with friends from high school and college. The RM strategies of positivity, self-disclosure, and assurances were all easily accomplished through FB and students perceived FB to be maintaining their relationships in important ways. FB can also foster closeness among users by sharing pictures that make events more personal and immediate.

Foreclosure Essay -- Real Estate

Recent setbacks in the mortgage and financing sectors of the economy have modified the process of real estate acquisitions. Specifically, entry level investors with un-established or insignificant credit history have experienced difficulty securing collateralized loans with competitive interest rates. This is not to say that a weak credit history was disregarded prior to the real estate and bond market collapse in 2008, though, it has certainly become more difficult to attain financing for the purchase of real property.1 Fortunately, the proposed scenario for this essay indicates that I, the investor, acquired $150,000 cash to purchase a distressed property, which presents a unique opportunity from both investment and financing perspectives. However, achieving the greatest return on my investment requires a solid financial strategy, which includes: 1. Defining my risk parameters, familiarizing myself with the process of purchasing a distressed property, and performing thorough due diligence, prior to engaging in the purchase. 1. Exploring my financing options 1. Estimating a potential return on investment (ROI) For this exercise, I will focus on purchasing a distressed property to generate rental income, as a long-term investment. Therefore, the following sections of this essay will discuss my financial strategy as is relates to a distressed real estate purchase. DEFINING RISK PARAMETERS A Brief Discussion of Risk Management Regardless of investment type, an investor’s portfolio must account for risk. Whether it relates to stock or real estate acquisitions, risk directly correlates to the returns one can expect on an investment. Accepting higher levels of risk typically indicates that potential returns c... ...ategy, given $150,000, I chose to pursue an all-cash purchase of a distressed property, located in a generally stable area along the outskirts of Philadelphia. The property will likely be a two-story, 2 bedroom, tenant- occupied row home, priced between $115,000 and $125,000. The purchase price leaves approximately $25,000 - $35,000 cash, which I can use towards capital expenditures, and as a financial buffer in the event of tenant default. Additionally, from my knowledge of rental rates in the area, I am confident that I can earn $800 - $950 per month, which yields a ROI of 8% to 12%. My decisions were based on a logical and well-planned approach. Although accounting for risk is imperative, and success is never guaranteed, following my detailed financial and investment approach for acquiring a distressed property can maximize my present and future returns.

Coffee retail Essay

1. Introduction The report revolves around the Retail Industry. As it is a very generic industry we have taken the Coffee Retail Market as the highlight of scrutiny. Our scope of study is focused taking in consideration only India as the geographic segment. We broadly look at the Porter’s Five Forces of the industry specifically. Also the complementors are observed and how they affect the retail business of coffee houses. The major players identified in the industry are Starbucks, Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, Costa Coffee, and Nescafe. Grilling down further the report includes SWOT analysis, External Factor analysis matrix ,Internal Factor analysis matrix and PESTEL analysis. 2. Porter’s Five Forces The porter’s five forces model framework is very helpful in understanding the industry and market closely. It further helps in determining the profitability of the industry as a whole. Also helps the management in taking strategic decisions accordingly. 2. 1 Threat of New Entrants In the present world coffee has become a really popular beverage among Indians. This makes it an attractive market for the potential companies who are looking up for opening their retail coffee houses in India. Entering the industry is not that cumbersome in case a business house admires to open up a small coffee shop. Problem arises in respect to entering the industry when they aspire to set up retail coffee chains or speciality coffee shops. Due to many established names in the industry like Cafe Coffee Day and Costa Coffee, establishing brand name also becomes an issue. Companies already with established brand names like Coca Cola, Starbucks can enter the industry easily without much caution as they already have marketing strategies designed in their favour. As a conclusion, we can state that barriers to entry are Low especially for global brands and they can easily enter the coffee retail industry with established marketing strategy, name, and huge capital and financial stability. Otherwise, hard for new and unknown firms admiring to be in the business. 2. 2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers The suppliers for the coffee retail industry in India generally come from southern India i. e. Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Though these days different types of coffee are becoming popular among the Indians like, Gourmet, Organic, Eco-friendly coffee, and they are being sold for better prices in comparison to the traditional brewed coffee. Still the situation is not really in favour of these suppliers. These coffee growers are poor, competitive and rely on the buyers to a great extent. Therefore, power remains to be limited. This proves to be good for the retail outlets in the business. 2. 3 Bargaining power of Customers. The whole retailing coffee industry depends upon the customers. So it is of vital importance to satisfy the customers in order to give them a reason to visit again. In this case word-of mouth plays an important role. So, if people appreciate about a particular coffee shop or chain, others are likely to try it. Thus, retailers must find new strategies and techniques of luring away the customers. But it is very important for the localities coffee retail shops to understand that they cannot charge prices as high as the industry players like Starbucks, Barista or Cafe Coffee Day. They need to maintain a low price profile in order to attract customers. So in case of these small locality retail shops the bargaining power of customers is very high. Otherwise the other coffee retail chains (industry players) do hold some control over the prices charged but it becomes important to consider the customers purchasing power. Otherwise they would switch over to other brand as there is no switching cost for them. This establishes that the bargaining power of customers is high and really important measure for the conduct of efficient business. Also these coffee retail chains should understand that the customers can also make the coffee at home which justifies their higher bargaining power. 2. 4 Threat of Substitute products There are a lot of substitutes for the coffee retail industry in general. Specially, the soft drinks industry has always given fierce competition. Also, other products like ice cream, candy, and beer are also a part of substitute products. It becomes important for these retail houses to make coffee more popular and drinkable amongst the masses. People should never consider switching from their coffee shops. But with changing preferences of Indian masses in favour of coffee the players within the industry are making maximum efforts in favour of differentiating its products from the substitute products. Also strategic decisions and marketing activities are initiated to shift the customer base from the substitutes resulting in high demand of coffee from the retail sector. So the threat of substitutes is also moderate. 2. 5 Competitive Rivalry within the Industry Considering the entire coffee retail industry as the scope of study, there are number of retail chains serving the industry effectively. To top the list is Starbucks, and than many more such as Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, Costa Coffee, Gloria Jeans, Nescafe, Bru Cafe, Dunkin Donuts, Mc Donalds, and small Kiosks and coffee points are also emerging in localities. They all are different in size and serve different segments of the society but are competing with each other in some or the other way. Each retailer follows different marketing strategy to lure away their target segments. Also with moving times the industry is occupying a stable position in the retail sector and is saturated . Therefore, we can say that the competitive rivalry though on the higher side does not affects the profit margins for the industry. 3. Complementors There is a sixth force to the porter’s five forces model, the power and competence that the complementors provide to the business. The complementors are those that help in selling and adding value to the existing products of the industry. When these products are used together they help in satisfying customer demands more effectively. It is also to be believed that these complementors play an important role in drawing in the demand for the industry. This in turn helps in scaling up the profits. Conversely, the poor products being manufactured or supplied by the complementors may harm the profits and demand. So it becomes important on part of managers to analyse all the six forces and then think systematically how their strategic choices would affect the industrial competition. Majorly the complementors can be associated with high-tech industries wherein they literally help in hiking the sales and profits for the industry. In our case, coffee retailing is not an industry that has any such complementors that would help in boosting sales or profits. But certain products are identified by us that in a slight way might affect the coffee retailing business. Like, merchandising, snacks offered for sale in coffee retail chains. Merchandising includes apparels and coffee mugs and other products such as soft toys and key chains available for sale by many coffee retail houses Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, Starbucks etc. Snacks are offered mainly by all the coffee houses in the form of cookies, patties, croissants, sandwiches, pasta, oats etc. So these complementors directly help in pushing up the sales of the business. 4. SWOT Analysis 5. External factor Analysis External strategic forces. Weight Rating Weighted score Comments Opportunities 1. India Large market .18 4 .72 Second most populated nation of the world 2. Increase in spending power .15 3 .45 The GDP or the purchasing power is rising adequately 3. Youth population .13 4 .52 Youth are the ones who are more prone and exposed to cafes 4. Favourable labour cost .07 2 .14 Easily available manpower at lower costs 5. Favourable infrastructure cost .07 2 .14 Low and easy access to infrastructure 6. Opportunity to serve the tea drinking segment .05 1 .05 A major portion of population is attracted towards tea drinking. Threats 1. Low per capita income. .07 3 .21 Huge requirement to extend products at competitive prices 2. Increasing health consciousness .04 1 .04 3. Competiton from fast food joints .04 3 .12 Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut, Subway 4. Hiking coffee prices .06 3 .18 5. Tea drinking segment .10 4 .4 This segment consumes tea at least twice a day 6. Rare habit of travelling to cafes .04 1 .04 Total score 1. 00 3. 01 The EFE matrix is made by comparing the coffee industry with the other beverage industry in India and weights and ratings are assumed according to personal knowledge. Considering the external factors effecting the industry EFE matrix is created. A score of more then 2. 5 reflects that the industry has more than average capability in response to external forces particularly the beverage industry in India. 6. Internal Factor Analysis Internal strategic forces Weight Rating Weighted Score Comments Strengths 1. Increasing Coffee demand .18 4 .72 Changing lifestyle leading to coffee adaptation 2. Favourable labour relations .15 3 .45 3. Non-perishable commodity .12 4 .48 Coffee is a non-perishable commodity which has no threat of being spoiled easily. Weakness 1. Low dominance over price .15 2 .3 Due to competitors in the industry. 2. Heavy export of coffee .05 1 .05 Low domestic consumption 3. High operating cost .2.5 1 .25 Total 1 2. 25 In the above tables, Column 1 depicts the strategic factors Column 2 depicts weight assigned to each strategic factor from 0 to 1 i. e. not important to most important Column 3 depicts the rating assigned to each factor wherein a scale of 1-4 is used. It signifies industry’s present response to each factor. In EFE matrix 1-4 is responses from poor to superior and In IFE 1-2 is major and minor weakness and 3-4 is major and minor strength. Column 4 gives in the weighted score. Column 5 represents the comments for the strategic factors Since internal factor analysis is used to judge wether the company is performing inline with the expected strengths and weaknesses or not. Generally an average score of 2. 5 on 10 is expected. After the analysis, we conclude that the internal weigted score of coffee industry in India is almost in line with 2. 5,reflected that the respected industry is running as astrong business internally as well. 7. Value Chain It is a series of activities aimed at delivering maximum value to a customer, through a product or service, at the minimum cost. This model analyses how a firm procures raw materials, adds value to these material through various processes and sells the finished product to the ultimate consumer. All these functions are performed with the objective of maximizing customer value at minimum cost. The value chain of the retail coffee industry consists of the following processes and activities: 7. 1 Primary activities 7. 1. 1 Inbound Logistics: This is primarily concerned with the procurement of raw materials in the form of coffee beans and various types of dairy products, required by all the coffee retail outlets. The aim is to procure high quality materials so that best of the flavours is served to the customers. Cafe Coffee Day does in-house sourcing through coffee estates owned by the company. Starbucks Coffee and Barista Lavazza chains have sourcing agreement with Tata Coffee. Cafe Nescafe, owned by Nestle works through community farming, where it provides high yielding quality, disease resistant seeds to the farmers for improved productivity. The company provides regular and fair remuneration to the farmers. Dairy products are also sourced through community farming. 7. 1. 2 Operations: There are various operations involved in the business of retail coffee outlets. The most important operation to be performed is roasting of the coffee beans, which gives the taste, flavor and smell to the coffee. Tata coffee provides roasting services to Starbucks and Barista through its own roasting facility. The outlets undertake all the operations to run an outlet like preparation of items, serving them to the customers and billing, etc. Starbucks and Cafe Coffee Day work on the model wherein order is taken and served to the customers on the table, whereas Barista works as self-service outlet. 7. 1. 3 Outbound Logistics: The customers are serviced through company owned or licensed retail outlets, which may be in the form of lounge, highway cafes or store-in-store. The stores are set up in centralized locations, which are easily accessible to the customers, in order to achieve maximum footfall. According to a business standard report, top 40 cities in India have around 1700 coffee outlets. CCD is the largest coffee chain in India with 1200 outlets, followed by Barista having 154 outlets and Starbucks having 21 outlets. Starbucks also sells some of its products through retail stores and super markets. 7. 1. 4 Marketing and Sales: Companies undertake various promotional activities to attract a large number of customers, which may be in the form of sponsorships and co-marketing initiatives. Customers are also benefited through loyalty card programs, carrying various offers and advantages. Value meal combos attract students who have low purchasing power. Marketing is also done through TV and media sources. All this is done to maximize sales. 7. 1. 5 Services: Coffee retail industry relies on the quality of service to the customers. These chains don’t sell coffee, they sell experience. For this, highly trained staff is recruited to provide high quality customer service. Other services offered are newspapers, magazines and free Wi-Fi to the customers. 7. 2 Support services 7. 2. 1 Firm Infrastructure: In order to have a smooth flow of operations, the companies need to have sound infrastructure for accounting, planning, finance, management, etc. The retail outlets have inviting interiors and comfortable seating space. 7. 2. 2 Human Resource Management: Human Resources are the most valuable assets of any organization, and same also goes with these retail coffee chains. Highly trained people are recruited to provide high quality customer service. Various training and motivation programs are conducted to further enhance the skills of these people, which will add to the customer value. 7. 2. 3 Technology: Companies have started using latest technology to perform their operations. Computerized roasting machines are being used to maintain the consistency in the flavour of coffee beans. Barista has installed control systems like Total Quality Management to ensure the quality of materials distributed. Latest software is being used to achieve maximum operational efficiency. 7. 2. 4 Procurement: In order to achieve maximum customer satisfaction, companies need to procure raw materials that are of best quality available in the market. Companies also need to source furniture, kitchen equipment, utensils, etc. , which act as complements in the operations of coffee retail outlets. All the above-mentioned activities aim to maximize the customer value at the minimum cost. 8. PESTEL Analysis A strategic framework of macro economic , political, economical, socio-cultural, technological, environmental, and legal factors include :- 8. 1 Political factors. Indian coffee board has proved a helping hand to the coffee industry of the same after 1996 de-regulation of coffee marketing. after it it has grown up as a free market leading to a four times growth in its trade. around 70-80% of the country’s production is exported . A coffee produced with set standards named fair trade coffee is one of the major constituents to coffee retailing. the one managing this in the country is fair trade alliance , kerela. Starbucks in India is certified to fair trade coffee provider ,whereas barista lavazza has fair trade coffee compliance abroad buit not in India and same is the case with dunkin donuts. 8. 2 Economical factors Development in lifestyle of people and coffee turning as a delighting factor in the economy ,the consumption of coffee is taking a pace. Increase in consumption by urban young generation is expected to take the industry at a whopping business of around 2250 crores by the year 2017. Though it currently stands at Rs. 1100 with its major players trading like barista, CCd etc. The infrastructure developements, the enhancing demand and smoothing trade procedure leads to incremental trade for the industry. A coffeeproduced with set standards named fair trade coffee is one of the major condstituents to coffee retailing. The one managing this in the country is fair trade alliance,kerela. Starbucks inIindia is certified to fair trade coffee provider , whereas barista lavazza has fair trade coffee compliance abroad but not in India and same is the case with dunkin donuts 8. 3 Socio- Cultural factors Catering to the ever increasing population of the country, it is the responsibility of the businesses to look for to the socio economic factors in place . For instance, the development in lifestyle of people is leading to increase in the coffee consumption in the country. Keeping these factors into mind businesses like cafe coffee day claims of training 400-500mpeople every month to enhance employment and as a part of responsibility to the society, MC Donalds along with CCD keep staff to clean right under your feet. Similar to those dunkin donuts provides 21 day training program to the staff to help customers better. As a part of social responsibility 50% Costa coffee employees in Delhi and NCR are deaf people. 8. 4 Technological factors With the changing lifestyle and gezmo addicted generation, one cannot afford to have a internet free cafe . The presence of bluetooths and wifi within the outlets of coffee companies is the basic requirement to get on the customer to the shop. The comfort of checking the emails, organising commercial meetings in the coffee shops an sitting there for hours requires the business to have a wifi enabled cafe. For eg -starbucks (India) uses help AT&T(India) to provide a click, no password facility for easy internet accessSalong with there mobile apps and various online facilties. Moreover whotspot also helps in proving in these facilities. Barista lavazza uses strategy ‘ internet with mugs’ named strategy to lure customers in contract with spectranet. Along with this value addition it also provide facilities like hot deals with customers downloading deal on their tablets or smartphones and avail the services on the spot. 8. 5 Environmental factors The weather conditions play a major role in production of coffee. Environmental factors in case of coffee is the seasonal dependecy of the amount of coffee produced across different seasons. For instance:- with on time monsoon this year in the country,the coffee production in southern area of country raised upto 8-10%. in india other factors on which the coffee production depends are the pest infestation and limitation of mechanisation. conserving water, recycling,energy and plastic management etc are also few termenologies which companies takecare off. 8. 6 Legal factors Legal establishments popping up prooved as aiding cushions to the domestic market of the industry as well along with the outside trade. with liberalisation of industries in 1991 this particular industry was also benefited. One of the drastic help was with the FDI in retail industry i. e around 51% which turned trade more smoother then before. Tarrif charges in india are 40-605 on raw material and 60-100% on semi finished goods. Mc Donalds bring its coffee reatailing from its brand mccafe originated in melbourne,australlia. Starbucks got the way to enter in Indian markets after FDI was allowed by government but still restriction to get 30% of sourcing from SME’s of India. Indian institute of plantation management, Banglore (IIPM)usually takes up the responsibility of coffee retailing in the country along with its entrepreneurship and development. 9. Conclusion The coffee retail industry in India is on the expansion path and has doubled over the last decade. The present size of the market is estimated at Rs. 1520 crore, which is expected to reach Rs. 3775 core by the year 2018, a CAGR of around 20%. Earlier there was no such demand for moving out of the houses for coffee consumption but the emerging coffee retail chains have changed the scenario triggering consumption need amongst the young adults. Serving the evolutionary phase exceptionally well, these coffee retail chains are overwhelmed with the response in the Indian market are planning further expansion of their networks in the country. The above analysis of porter’s five forces highlights that the profitability of the industry is expanding with westernised culture being adapted by Indians. (Porters 5 force analysis). The snack and merchandise industry are complementing the coffee retail industry very effectively thereby leading to inflated sales and profits for these retail houses. (complementors). Reflected by the study of strategy of coffee industry hereby conclude that the Indian coffee industry is a strong respondent to the external factors (EFA matrix) as well as internally also industry is doing well(IFA matrix). To increase the figures of sales and profitability, a number of varieties of coffee and eatables are offered, targeted at different price-points of the market. The companies are using innovative strategies and marketing tactics. A large young population, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyle, coupled with not-so-difficult entry into the market have attracted a large number of domestic and foreign players in the country. Global brands like Starbucks are keen in investing in the Indian market due to the huge potential it displays. This is evident from the sizeable revenues that these brands have generated over the years. (PESTEL and Value chain). Only home grown coffee is served in the Indian market as coffee import attracts a duty of 120%. Coffee beans are sourced from company owned estates or through the means of community farming. Companies with established brand names are able to run their business successfully, whereas small business houses are in a way struggling to compete in the market. 10. Bibliography Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://pure. au. dk/portal-asb-student/files/3785/khrystyna_diaz_final_theses. pdf [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://coe. brown. edu/documents/StarbucksaStrategicAnalysis_R. Larson_honors_2008. pdf [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://www. google. co. in/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEYQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fojs. cnr. ncsu. edu%2Findex. php%2FJTATM%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F1917%2F1205&ei=tqhRUsevEIrprQeNjoHQCg&usg=AFQjCNHBlG5wSoXga_TfbHIkiBKAffxb2g [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Sites. google. com. 2013. Porter’s Five Forces – Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. [online] Available at: https://sites.google. com/site/starbucksanddunkindonuts/porter-s-five-forces [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Slideshare. net. 2013. Tata Starbucks Ltd A Strategic Analysis. [online] Available at: http://www. slideshare. net/ranganathpandit/tata-starbucks-ltd-a-strategic-analysis-15117792 [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Dudovskiy, J. 2012. Starbucks Value-Chain Analysis – Research Methodology. [online] Available at: http://research-methodology. net/starbucks-value-chain-analysis/ [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Emergingstars. com. 2013. ‘A lot can happen over coffee’ | Success Story | Emerging Stars. [online] Available at: http://www. emergingstars. com/success-stories/lot-can-happen-over-coffee [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://www. iipmthinktank. com/functions/marketing/compartive. pdf [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]. Diplom-Kauffrau (FH), M. 2013. GRIN – Coffee Shop Industry – A Strategic Analysis. [online] Available at: http://www. grin. com/en/e-book/111348/coffee-shop-industry-a-strategic-analysis [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013] Kulkarni, M. 2013. India slips to 7th rank in global coffee production. [online] Available at: http://www. business-standard.com/article/markets/india-slips-to-7th-rank-in-global-coffee-production-113090400124_1. html [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013]. The Economic Times. 2009. Indian coffee industry: A paradigm of sustainable development. [online] Available at: http://articles. economictimes. indiatimes. com/2012-01-17/news/30635685_1_domestic-coffee-consumption-indian-coffee-coffee-beans [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013]. Unknown. 2013. [online] Available at: http://www. indiacoffee. org/userfiles/PCP%20in%20Coffee%20Entrepreneurship-IIPM. pdf [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013]. Profit. ndtv. com. 2013. FDI in single-brand.

Foreign Direct Investment: An Overview Essay

What is Foreign Direct Investment? Foreign direct investment (FDI) is defined as a long-term investment by a foreign direct investor in an enterprise resident in an economy other than that in which the foreign direct investor is based. The FDI relationship consists of a parent enterprise and a foreign affiliate which together form a transnational corporation (TNC). In order to qualify as FDI the investment must afford the parent enterprise control over its foreign affiliate. The UN defines control in this case as owning 10% or more of the ordinary shares or voting power of an incorporated firm or its equivalent for an unincorporated firm. Understanding Foreign Direct Investment Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an extraordinary and growing role in global business. It can provide a firm with new markets and marketing channels, cheaper production facilities, access to new technology, products, skills and financing. For a host country or the foreign firm which receives the investment, it can provide a source of new technologies, capital, processes, products, organizational technologies and management skills, and as such can provide a strong impetus to economic development. Foreign direct investment, in its classic definition, is defined as a company from one country making a physical investment into building a factory in another country. In recent years, given rapid growth and change in global investment patterns, the definition has been broadened to include the acquisition of a lasting management interest in a company or enterprise outside the investing firm’s home country. As such, it may take many forms, such as a direct acquisition of a foreign firm, construction of a facility, or investment in a joint venture or strategic alliance with a local firm with attendant input of technology, licensing of intellectual property, In the past decade, FDI has come to play a major role in the internationalization of business. Reacting to changes in technology, growing liberalization of the national regulatory framework governing investment in enterprises, and changes in capital markets profound changes have occurred in the size, scope and methods of FDI. New information technology systems, decline in global communication costs have made management of foreign investments far easier than in the past. The sea change in trade and investment policies and the regulatory environment globally in the past decade, including trade policy and tariff liberalization, easing of restrictions on foreign investment and acquisition in many nations, and the deregulation and privatization of many industries, has probably been the most significant catalyst for FDI’s expanded role. The most profound effect has been seen in developing countries, where yearly foreign direct investment flows have increased from an average of less than $10 billion in the 1970’s to a yearly average of less than $20 billion in the 1980’s, to explode in the 1990s from $26.7billion in 1990 to $179 billion in 1998 and $208 billion in 1999 and now comprise a large portion of global FDI. Proponents of foreign investment point out that the exchange of investment flows benefits both the home country (the country from which the investment originates) and the host country (the destination of the investment). The push factors indicate the benefits to the investors and the pull factors to the host countries. First, international flows of capital reduce the risk faced by owners of capital by allowing them to diversify their lending and investment. Second, FDI allows capital to seek out the highest rate of return. Third, FDI helps to expand market. For the host countries, it can contribute to the general development as well as to the poverty reduction objective in a variety of ways. Major benefits to host countries are as follows: †¢ FDI allows transfer of technology—particularly in the form of new varieties of capital inputs—that cannot be achieved through financial investments or trade in goods and services. FDI can also promote competition in the domestic input market. †¢ Recipients of FDI often gain employee training in the course of operating the new businesses, which contributes to human capital development in the host country. †¢ Profits generated by FDI contribute to corporate tax revenues in the host country. Thus, it contributes not only to the direct source of investment but also to the government revenue. †¢ FDI helps to integrate the host countries economy to the global economy. Determinants of FDI FDI is the investment decision of profit-maximising firms facing world-wide competition and where significant differences in cost structures (due to say, factor productivity, wage differential) justify cross-border investment and production. a. Institutional features of the host country: degree of political stability and government intervention in the economy; the existence of property law legislation; the property and tax system; adequate infrastructure, etc. b. Economic factors: trade and investment regime; the degree of â€Å"openness† of the host countries, the absorptive capacity and growth prospects of the host country; fix and variable costs of production relocation; the degree of monopolistic competition which prevents the entry of other (domestic and foreign firms; general macroeconomic performance (inflation, monetary and fiscal policy) etc. c. Policy related factors: Fiscal (tax rebates and exemptions) and financial incentives (subsidized loans), laws that restrict FDI in certain sectors on the ground of political sensitivity of certain industries (oil, broadcasting, etc.); policy that restricts the degree of foreign ownership, (temporal or permanent) the remittance of interest, dividends and fees for technology and the shares allowed to foreign -owned firms through limits on capital repatriation, minimum investment, etc. d. Characteristics of the labor force: education, skills, etc. Some features of world FDI activity a. The sharp increases in world FDI activities that started after 1985. b. Increased activity and concentration of FDI. Indeed, in the 1990s, FDI has become one of the most important sources of external finance in developing countries. USA has become the largest host country in international capital markets, receiving capital from both Japan and Europe. Japan has emerged as a major home country of FDI outflows. c. Developing countries have liberalized financial markets and offered special incentives (lower taxes, subsidies for infrastructure, etc) to attract FDI in the hope of acquiring technological transfer, know-how, and in general, positive externalities. Basic types of FDI  · Greenfield investment: direct investment in new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities. Greenfield investments are the primary target of a host nation’s promotional efforts because they create new production capacity and jobs, transfer technology and know-how, and can lead to linkages to the global marketplace. However, it often does this by crowding out local industry; multinationals are able to produce goods more cheaply (because of advanced technology and efficient processes) and uses up resources (labor, intermediate goods, etc). Another downside of greenfield investment is that profits from production do not feed back into the local economy, but instead to the multinational’s home economy. This is in contrast to local industries whose profits flow back into the domestic economy to promote growth.  · Mergers and Acquisitions: transfers of existing assets from local firms to foreign firms takes place; the primary type of FDI. Cross-border mergers occur when the assets and operation of firms from different countries are combined to establish a new legal entity. Cross-border acquisitions occur when the control of assets and operations is transferred from a local to a foreign company, with the local company becoming an affiliate of the foreign company. Unlike greenfield investment, acquisitions provide no long term benefits to the local economy– even in most deals the owners of the local firm are paid in stock from the acquiring firm, meaning that the money from the sale could never reach the local economy.  · Horizontal Foreign Direct Investment: investment in the same industry abroad as a firm operates in at home.  · Vertical Foreign Direct Investment: Takes two forms: 1) Backward vertical FDI: where an industry abroad provides inputs for a firm’s domestic production process. 2) Forward vertical FDI: in which an industry abroad sells the outputs of a firm’s domestic production. FDI based on the motives of the investing firm FDI can also be categorized based on the motive behind the investment from the perspective of the investing firm:  · Resource Seeking: Investments which seek to acquire factors of production that are more efficient than those obtainable in the home economy of the firm. In some cases, these resources may not be available in the home economy at all (e.g. cheap labor and natural resources). This typifies FDI into developing countries, for example seeking natural resources in the Middle East and Africa, or cheap labor in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.  · Market Seeking: Investments which aim at either penetrating new markets or maintaining existing ones. FDI of this kind may also be employed as defensive strategy; it is argued that businesses are more likely to be pushed towards this type of investment out of fear of losing a market rather than discovering a new one.  · Efficiency Seeking: Investments which firms hope will increase their efficiency by exploiting the benefits of economies of scale and scope, and also those of common ownership. It is suggested that this type of FDI comes after either resource or market seeking investments have been realized, with the expectation that it further increases the profitability of the firm. Importance of FDI Making a direct foreign investment allows companies to accomplish several tasks: Avoiding foreign government pressure for local production. Circumventing trade barriers, hidden and otherwise. Making the move from domestic export sales to a locally-based national sales office. Capability to increase total production capacity. Opportunities for co-production, joint ventures with local partners, joint marketing arrangements, licensing, etc. What do companies considering FDI require? Depending on the industry sector and type of business, a foreign direct investment may be an attractive and viable option. With rapid globalization of many industries and vertical integration rapidly taking place on a global level, at a minimum a firm needs to keep abreast of global trends in their industry. From a competitive standpoint, it is important to be aware of whether a company’s competitors are expanding into a foreign market and how they are doing that. At the same time, it also becomes important to monitor how globalization is affecting domestic clients. Often, it becomes imperative to follow the expansion of key clients overseas if an active business relationship is to be maintained. New market access is also another major reason to invest in a foreign country. At some stage, export of product or service reaches a critical mass of amount and cost where foreign production or location begins to be more cost effective. Any decision on investing is thus a combination of a number of key factors including: assessment of internal resources, competitiveness, market analysis market expectations. From an internal resources standpoint, does the firm have senior management support for the investment and the internal management and system capabilities to support the set up time as well as ongoing management of a foreign subsidiary? Has the company conducted extensive market research involving both the industry, product and local regulations governing foreign investment which will set the broad market parameters for any investment decision? Is there a realistic assessment in place of what resource utilization the investment will entail? Has information on local industry and foreign investment regulations, incentives, profit retention, financing, distribution, and other factors been completely analyzed to determine the most viable vehicle for entering the market (greenfield, acquisition, merger, joint venture, etc.)? Has a plan been drawn up with reasonable expectations for expansion into the market through that local vehicle? If the foreign economy, industry or foreign investment climate is characterized by government regulation, have the relevant government agencies been contacted and concurred? Have political risk and foreign exchange risk been factored into the business plan? Policies to attract Foreign Direct Investment There is keen competition among developed and developing countries to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).This drive to lure investment often extends to the sub national level, with different regional authorities pursuing their own strategies and assembling their own baskets of incentives to attract new investments. Various reforms and strategies have been implemented, with mixed results. Some are critical of the high costs of many of these initiatives, arguing that it would be more rewarding to improve a country’s general business environment. The many different methods used by policymakers to attract FDI and their effectiveness are as follows:  · providing targeted fiscal incentives, such as tax concessions, cash grants, and specific subsidies;  · improving domestic infrastructure;  · promoting local skills development to meet investor needs and expectations;  · establishing broad-reaching FDI promotion agencies;  · improving the regulatory environment and decreasing red tape; and  · engaging in international governing arrangements. Promotional efforts to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) have become the important point of competition among developed and developing countries. This competition is also maintained when countries are adopting economic integration at another level. While some countries lowering standards to attract FDI in a â€Å"race to the bottom,† others praise FDI for raising standards and welfare in recipient countries. Countries have adopted their respective policies for attracting more investment. Some countries rely on targeted financial concessions like tax concessions, cash grants and specific subsidies. Some countries focus on improving the infrastructure and skill parameter and creating a base meet the demands and expectations of foreign investors. Others try to improve the general business climate of a country by changing the administrative barriers and red tapism. Many governments have created state agencies to help investors through this administrative paperwork. Finally most of the countries have entered into international governing arrangements to increase their attractiveness for more investment. Sound investment climate is crucial for economic growth. Microeconomic reforms aimed at simplifying business regulations, strengthening property rights, improving labor market flexibility, and increasing firms’ access to finance are necessary for raising living standards and reducing poverty in a country. Reform is necessary for creating an investment-oriented climate. Reform management matters as investment climate reforms are done politically. They often favor unorganized over organized groups and the benefits tend to accrue only in the long term, while costs are felt up front. Political decisions play a significant role in this context. Each and every country over the globe is stepping forward to change the climate for attracting more investment. Opening up of doors by most of the nations have compelled them for adopting reforms. Relaxation of rules and regulations, of course, is an essential requirement but not sufficient on its own to bring in FDI. As the study points out, business rules in India still bar FDI in most sectors. It was only last February that the government there decided to allow FDI of upto 51 percent in the single brand retail sector, which is expected to trigger a new flurry of investment. As things stand, Pakistan is far ahead of India in terms of offering all kinds of incentives to foreign investors – although some administrative bottlenecks still remain to be removed. It also boasts a high economic growth rate and there exists a consensus among all political forces on following the market economy model. Still, it has failed to catch the fancy of foreign investors at the desired level. The designated target was to raise foreign investment from 1 billion dollars to 27 billion dollars during a five-year period. That target is nowhere near realization. The government claims to have brought foreign investment to the 3 billion dollars mark this year. But that is a fallacious claim since the money has come in on account of privatization of government-owned entities. There has only been a transfer of assets from the public sector into private hands; no new generation of activity in the retail or production sector, which is badly wanted to address the twin problems of poverty and unemployment. The situation underscores the need not only to remove administrative hurdles but also to create ease of operations vis-à  -vis law and order and the socially restrictive atmosphere.

How to Write an Economics Essay on the Inca Empire

How to Write an Economics Essay on the Inca Empire We have talked about the interesting facts of the Inca Empire, gave you a plethora of topics and finally, we gave you a sample essay as well. We hope all that should have prepared you to decide what you want to write about. Now that you know what you want to do, let’s talk about how you can do it. Here are our tips which can help you write an economics essay on the Inca Empire: Read the Reference Material.  Every time you’ll be told to write an economics related essay, you’ll be given a lot of reading material by your teacher. Going through them might seem mundane and tiresome, but it will help you greatly in writing your essay. We recommend that you at least go through the in-lecture-notes or the curriculum book. Go the Extra Mile.  When you are writing an economic essay on the Inca Empire, it is important that you go the extra mile for information. As mentioned, don’t just take information from your own book but search for interesting facts and figures, which can be found on the internet. Remember, the richer and more informative your essay, the better the grade which you will score. Know What You’re Doing.  Too often do people make a mistake as simple as misunderstanding the topic. We recommend that when you’re given the title of the essay, make sure you go through all of its requirements. It’s better to put yourself through this even if the topic seems simple enough, because even if you hand in the greatest essay that anyone has ever written, and it’s off topic, then your effort will go to waste. Make Sure There Is Enough Material.  Facts and figures should dominate your essay. Make sure there is enough relevant material, and that your main points are not overshadowed. Make sure you go past the bare minimum. Reading the reference material and quoting. The essay will not be as impactful as when you put in material from various books. Showcase Your Command of the Topic.  It is extremely essential that the person checking your essay understands that you have a certain command over the topic. Do not hold back and after you’re done, make sure the information inside reflects your knowledge on the matter. If you are not careful with this, you will get a bad grade and that will be very unlucky and frustrating. Make It Presentable.  It is very important that the material in your essay is relevant, what’s even more important is the way it is formatted. Keep the sentences articulated and make sure there are no repetitions. There should be a proper introduction and a conclusion. It is also important that you systematically segment your essay so it is easier to read. State Your Points Clearly.  Do not hang your essay on the edge, pick a side and speculate in a dominant tone. Indecisive arguments reflect badly upon your general research. Keep the sentences short and use your commas and full-stops in a correct way. Follow the Rules.  There will be constraints and limitations set by your professor and you will have to follow them. Most of them will be about how the essay should be formatted and how referencing should be made. One universal tip that we can give you is that you should never plagiarize your work because every educational and academic institute has all kinds of punishments up for it. Word limits should also be respected. Referencing.  Check with your professor about what kind of referencing method he\she is looking for. Referencing is extremely important because it helps the reader to do more research and it also compliments the original writer of the content. You can use various online citation generators if you have the website link or book’s ISBN number. Here is an example of a website being cited in APA: Tips for writing economics essays. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2016, from economicshelp.org/help/tips-economic-essays/ By the end of this article, and the ones before it, you’ll be able to know how to research, fixate on a topic and write an essay. We wish you all the best.

The United States and Japan After World War II

The United States and Japan After World War II After suffering devastating casualties at each others hands during World War II, the U.S. and Japan were able to forge a strong postwar diplomatic alliance. The U.S. State Department still refers to the American-Japanese relationship as the cornerstone of U.S. security interests in Asia and . . . fundamental to regional stability and prosperity. The Pacific half of World War II, which began with Japans attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, ended almost four years later when Japan surrendered to American-led Allies on September 2, 1945. The surrender came after the United States had dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Japan lost some 3 million people in the war. Immediate Post-War Relations The victorious allies put Japan under international control. U.S. General Douglas MacArthur was the supreme commander for the reconstruction of Japan. Goals for reconstruction were democratic self-government, economic stability, and peaceful Japanese co-existence with the community of nations. The United States allowed Japan to keep its emperor -   Hirohito  - after the war. However, Hirohito had to renounce his divinity and publicly support Japans new constitution. Japans U.S.-approved constitution granted full freedoms to its citizen, created a congress - or Diet, and renounced Japans ability to make war. That provision, Article 9 of the constitution, was obviously an American mandate and reaction to the war. It read, Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a mean of settling international disputes. In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized. Japans post-war constitution became official on May 3, 1947, and Japanese citizens elected a new legislature. The U.S. and other allies signed a peace treaty in San Francisco formally ending the war in 1951. Security Agreement With a constitution that would not permit Japan to defend itself, the U.S. had to take on that responsibility. Communist threats in the Cold War were very real, and U.S. troops had already used Japan as a base from which to fight communist aggression in Korea. Thus, the United States orchestrated the first of a series of security agreements with Japan. Simultaneous with the San Francisco treaty, Japan and the United States signed their first security treaty. In the treaty, Japan allowed the United States to base army, navy, and air force personnel in Japan for its defense. In 1954, the Diet began creating Japanese ground, air, and sea self-defense forces. The JDSFs are essentially part of local police forces due to the constitutional restrictions. Nevertheless, they have completed missions with American forces in the Middle East as part of the War on Terror.​ The United States also began returning parts of the Japanese islands back to Japan for territorial control. It did so gradually, returning part of the Ryukyu islands in 1953, the Bonins in 1968, and Okinawa in 1972. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security In 1960, the United States and Japan signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. The treaty allows the U.S. to keep forces in Japan. Incidents of American servicemen raping Japanese children in 1995 and 2008 led to heated calls for the reduction of American troop presence in Okinawa. In 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone signed the Guam International Agreement (GIA). The agreement called for the removal of 8,000 U.S. troops to a base in Guam. Security Consultative Meeting In 2011, Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with Japanese delegates, reaffirming the U.S.-Japanese military alliance. The Security Consultative Meeting, according to the State Department, outlined regional and global common strategic objectives and highlighted ways to strengthen security and defense cooperation. Other Global Initiatives Both the United States and Japan belong to a variety of global organizations, including the United Nations, World Trade Organization, G20, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative (APEC). Both have worked together on such issues as HIV/AIDS and global warming.

Marketing Fundamental Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Fundamental - Essay Example Porter's Five Forces analysis helps the marketer to contrast a competitive environment. It has similarities with other tools for environmental audit, such as PEST analysis, but tends to focus on the single, stand alone, business or SBU (Strategic Business Unit) rather than a single product or range of products. TESCO is UK's largest retailer, having around 1900 stores in UK alone and more than 2700 stores employing over 370,000 people worldwide, with group sales crossing m 37,070 worldwide at the end of financial year 2005. An international retailer of food, non-food and retailing services, Tesco currently operates in the China, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the UK. Michael Porter's Five Forces have become a yardstick for assessing industry profitability. They are; Customers' bargaining power: Buyer power acts to force prices down. I apples are too expensive in Tesco, buyers will exercise their power and move to Sainsbury. Fortunately for Tesco the market has a disciplined approach at the moment which stops the competitors from destroying each other in a profit war. Growing competition within the retail supermarket has forced TESCO to diversify in many other areas and products including overseas ventures. While it is true that nearly 80% of group sales and profits come from the UK business, it is equally true that the buyer now has more options in the form of Asda/ Wal-Mart and Sainsbury. Suppliers' power: This is the power wielded by suppliers demanding that retailers pay a certain price for their goods to sell. Large supermarkets like Tesco have the overwhelming advantage over the small shopkeepers - they dictate the price they pay the supplier (while the small shopkeeper has to make adjustments as demanded by suppliers) If the supplier does not reduce the price, they will be left with no retailers to sell to, Tesco and the other large supermarkets will have all the customers. Tesco buys its own brand products from suppliers. All products are supplied to Tesco in a finished state. The suppliers buy the raw materials for their products from a variety of other suppliers, producers, growers or farmers and then process the product in some way to produce the finished product that Tesco sells. So, Tesco does not buy directly from any primary producers, growers or farmers. But now there is a general perception gaining the ground that it is squeezing the value out of its su pply chain. For the moment this might not matter to its customers and shareholders who, it seems, are happy enough with its "pile it high, price it low" approach. But the supermarket chain needed to look at positioning itself so that, if perceptions did start to change significantly, it did not get its fingers burnt. Competition: Holding a number one position in the retailing business in UK for quite a while a now, TESCO has started feeling the heat of growing competition from the likes of ASDA and Sainsbury the number two and three respectively. As of June 2006, Tesco has 31.1% of the UK grocery market while

Production and Operations Management Term Paper

Production and Operations Management - Term Paper Example Taking four days to reach Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), it further takes 10 days to reach Marathons Robinson, Ill refinery which is processed into gasoline, diesel, fuel, and other petroleum products such as fuel oil, kerosene, asphalt, jet fuel, tolvene, xylene, and benzene within 8 days in Phase III. The refined products are later shipped to Marathon owned terminals in further 8 days after which are stored for six days before being transported to jobbers, dealers or other convenience stores which are further transported to brand stations of Marathon. It should be noted that refined products are stored at the terminals for three to six days before being transported to various centres (www.marathonpetroleum.com). According to video, it takes almost 35 days to offer oil products to Americans and this could be reduced further if the storage time is limited to few days or may even directly transport the products to jobbers, dealers, convenience stores and brand stations of Maratho n. Hence, Phase V could be improved to reduce the time for supply of oil fuels in the United States. 2) In order to understand the relationship between the retail price of gasoline and the world demand for crude oil, it is necessary apply the law of demand to the problem. According to the law demand, when price raises, the demand for the good falls and when the price falls, the demand rises (Mankiw and Taylor, 2006, p.65). This law is in complete contrast to oil product because it is the top prioritized good which runs the national and international economy. It is important to mention here that the United States imports 42 million gallons of gasoline every day in addition to the gasoline produced by U.S. refineries apart from importing crude oil in order to meet the high demand of gasoline. The world demand for crude oil is 87.7 million barrels per day while U.S alone requires 19.7 mmbd out of which 46 percent is used for the production of gasoline (www.marathonpetroleum.com). World demand for crude oil is increasing day by day and consumption of gasoline is increasing 0.5 to 0.10 percent each day. United States share of purchasing crude oil depends of the world demand because if world demand decreases the US can import more crude oil which will have positive effect on the market making the government possible to supply gasoline and meet the ever increasing demand. Otherwise, the price of gasoline will increase due to shortage of supply in US market and increasing world demand for crude oil. Thus there is a definite relationship between gasoline prices and world demand for crude as the decrease in latter will result in the decrease of prices in United States 3) Marathon delivers the products to jobbers, dealers and other convenient stores through various modes of transports. However, Marathon also operates its own convenience stores branded as ‘Speedway’. It is the wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon. Oil is a commodity which powers the internatio nal economy. Most of the organizations are dependent of refined oil products which make it more important for the companies dealing in oil products to formulate a strategy in advance citing future crisis of reduced global production of crude oil (www.marathonpetroleum.com). Marathon, which already operates chain of convenience stores, must design a strategy to attract customers without changing the prices even if the global production decreases. Fuel