Vietnamese History in the 20th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vietnamese History in the 20th Century - Essay Example Vietnam, however, suffered more internal repression as it was internally isolated because of continued cold war. With the helm of President Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy, Vietnam was able to make economic policy reforms, that have made it enjoy marked economic growth and reduced political repression, but corruption was still evident. The leadership styles of these leaders have had both effective and ineffective qualities. Vietnam was under the rule of France, for the better part of the 20th century. Geneva conference of 1954 left Vietnam divided, with the North being ruled by Ho Chi Minh of the communist government and the South being ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was supported by the US. Between 1954 and 1975, the 2nd Indochina War between Vietnam’s Peoples Army and Vietnam Congress from the North brought Vietnam unification but under communist rule, with the south being supported by the US. With US military support, the southerners were able to maintain their independence. Two years later, US forces withdrew and South Vietnam fell again to the communists. During the times that the US were involved in the war, it is estimated that 3 million people lost their lives while 4 million were seriously injured. In 1978 to 1989, the international isolation of Vietnam extended its relations with the United States. The US barred normal ties with Vietnam for as long their forces remained in Cambodia, besides citing its minimal cooperation so as to account for Americans missing in action, as an obstacle to their relations.  

Science an Technology as Engines of Economic Growth ad Development Essay Example for Free

Science an Technology as Engines of Economic Growth ad Development Essay Social Consequences of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to western civilization. Two of the most significant social consequences of the Industrial Revolution are urban crowding and worker safety. Migration of workers to urban areas, where factory work was available, was a major contributor of over-crowding in these areas. This gave rise to increasing crime rates, housing, and sanitation issues (Zonderman, 1992 ). Unemployment was high and there was no job security. Injured workers were replaced without compensation. With the Industrial Revolution, child labor was common, as machines simplified the work and it was cheaper to pay children. Injury rates among factory workers were high. Small hands were easily caught in the machines. In the early 1830’s legislations were put in place to protect the workers (Honeyman, 2008). These early factory laws were concerned with health, safety, working hours and working conditions. Factory conditions were regulated by the states and in1833 the Factory Act was passed (Honeyman, 2008). The Industrial Revolution and Capitalism Capitalism is an economic system in which means of production are owned by individuals or private companies, who invest money to make a profit. Capitalism focuses on the free market with little or no governmental regulations. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, agriculture was the primary means of support and people worked within their homes (Zonderman, 1992 ). With the event of the Industrial Revolution society changed to one of commodities and production and the need to make individual profit. Machines gave rise to increased productivity and reduced the need for skilled or  specialized laborers (Zonderman, 1992 ). The ability to produce goods on a large scale allowed for these goods to be sold for less. Individuals or companies with money could invest in newer technologist, finding faster and cheaper ways to produce goods. This destroyed small, local businesses, forcing them to seek employment as factory workers. With more people seeking employment, and no minimum wage, laborers were paid cheaper wages. Child labor was prevalent and work conditions deplorable. There were no equal or fair compensation for these workers. All profits were kept by these individuals and companies increasing their wealth. Capitalism and Communism. Communism focuses on the division of wealth as a community, sharing profits and losses. The goal of the communist theory, is equality among all members of society. The communist theory was born to counteract the abuses of the capitalist society, advocating for workers’ rights (Hands, 2011). Karl Marx believed that capitalism was just the latest form of exploitation in a long list of tyrannical rule (Hands, 2011). Marx ideal society, based on the communist theory, would see the disappearance of class structure, equal rights for men, women, and children, equal and adequate housing for everyone, with everyone working for the benefit of each other. Differences between Capitalist and Communist Philosophies. The capitalist society promotes individual gains and give rise to a class system. Individuals own the means of production and invest their capital to make a profit for themselves. These profits are not shared with the working class who help to make the profits. The communist theory, on the other hand, promotes community properties and equality for all. Businesses and properties would be government owned and everyone share equally in the profits and losses. Benefits are based on individual needs (Hands, 2011). The capitalist philosophy gives rise to a distinct class system, where the elites are the rulers (they own the wealth, therefore they make the rules). The wealthy investors had access to the best schools, housing and medical attention as they could afford to pay for the services. In the communist philosophy, the class system would disappear. Everyone work for the good of the community and enjoy equal, good quality housing, education, and medical  care. References Hands, G. (2011). Understanding Marx . London, GBR: Hodder Education. Honeyman, K. (2008). Book Cover Child Workers in England, 1780-1820 : Parish Apprenticeship and the Making of the Early Industrial Labour Force. Abingdon, Oxon, GBR : Ashgate Publishing Group . Zonderman, D. A. ( 1992 ). Book Cover Aspirations and Anxieties : New England Workers and the Mechanized Factory System, 1815-1850. Cary, NC, USA : Oxford University Press .

The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands

The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands Answer: Yes, every manufacturer of the childrens products have special responsibilities. Because being a part of a business organization has the responsibilities to the consumers and the society. Every organization tries very hard to survive in market, by the effective use of factors of production and other facilities of the society. With the help of this process the organization get into an interdependent relation with the community at large, the environment and the target customers. Such interdependence gives rise to a series of broader responsibilities to society and the targeted customers. According to the business environment theory of Palmer and Hartley, the business organization should act in social responsible manner in two different ways, one philosophic and one pragmatic. The philosophical way includes the model of the organizational requirement and other includes the social values of the society which is very important for an organization to resist in the social market. Every organization has a responsibility towards the consumers and the society and that particular responsibility is being termed as Corporate Social responsibility, which can be defined as economic, legal, ethical and different expectations that a society has from an organization. The concept of corporate social responsibility means that organizations have moral, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Previously many organizations opposed consumerism but now most companies have grown to accept the responsibilities towards customers and the society. The philosophy of enlightened marketing says that even the marketing practices should also be socially responsible which consist consumer oriented marketing and societal marketing which aims at serving and satisfying the needs and wants of the customers and to produce such products which are not only pleasing but also beneficial. As a manufacturer of the products which are specially designed for the children the, the manufacturer has some special responsibilities to consumers and society, because children often lack the literacy to completely understand how things may work, the toys must be safe in all use including non-intended use in order to protect the children. The manufacturers should not only create the safe toys but they must also be sensitive to the societal concerns on childrens rights and privacy. Manufacturers of the childrens product specially have obligations to the consumers. This is in assurance that children continue to have highest levels of protection when it comes to toys. An obligation that manufacturer do is that manufacturers must carry out assessments as it relates to safety and health hazards and add to it technical information on specific such as chemicals, in order to support findings and present accurate information. The warning should be put on certain toys to indicate what the intended age is for use of the toy. Moreover after all testing is done on the toys, if any toy or part is significantly under the standard, then it must be destroyed in order to prevent the public from gaining access to it in any way, shape, or form. When we talk about Mattel that how Mattel has met the responsibilities then the things are quite clear the Mattel did it by creating such a product that consumers and parents trust and building a successful and positive brand image. They also integrate this responsibility with their Corporate responsibility report in which they state their goals are to ensure product safety, volunteer in communities, and treat colleagues with respect in order to work hard to be a leader in making our communities and the lives of the children better. The core brands of Mattel are Barbie, Hot wheels, Fisher price, and American Girl. Each brand clearly has its own demography, each brand catering to infants and preschoolers, Girls, Boys and those adults that are still young at heart. One of the strengths of the brand Mattel is the rich history of the company. The company began in 1945 out of a small and simple idea that started in a garage workshop. Each brand also has good staying power at the forefront of their market. The evidences that show the strengths of Mattel in the area of fulfillment of the responsibilities to the customers and the society specially as the manufacturer of childrens products are. Mattel recognizes international environment, different legal systems and cultural expectations, and the use of technology especially with regard to consumer privacy and has taken steps to strengthen its commitment to business ethics and social responsibility. Mattel recently published its first Corporate Social Responsibility report, including a strong statement about its commitment to economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities which includes commitment to product safety, volunteering in a community, developing a best practice or even treating colleagues with respect and dignity. Makers of American Girl collection provided $449,500 in grants to support childrens projects as environmental education for elementary school children, various cultural programs and a performing arts series for children. The Barbie brand debuted a worldwide cause related-program called Barbie Cares: Supporting children in the Arts dedicated to supporting Arts education for children funded by a $2 million donation to the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The weaknesses of Mattel in the same area are. The Childrens privacy- Mattels attempts to follow their market into the technological realm have included the development of a number of children-friendly websites to accompany their toys. Targeting children with internet sites, however, brings about extra concerns. Mattel must be very careful to protect their legal and moral reputations by respecting the privacy of the children and their families, which is put in jeopardy every time the website asks a minor to provide information. Lack of total control over business partners-Though Mattel has embarked on the Global manufacturing Principles (GMP) and regular social audits, Mattel cannot intensively monitor the business processes and activities of its partners. There is no guarantee that its business partners will completely comply with Mattels corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical business conducts and product safety requirements. Mattel somehow could be facing legal actions and criticisms from various stakeholders around the world. Q.2- Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of Mattels core brands. In looking at Barbie specifically, has Mattels success with the American Girl collection cannibalized sales from Barbie? Explain. Ans. Mattels core brands have multiple strengths. Mattels image overall is one of which parents and consumers trust. The Barbie brand is highly accessorized allowing for multiple products to be marketed and purchased. Other brands such as Hot Wheels and American Girl also have the flexibility to accessorize and customize consumer needs and desires. Some weaknesses that Mattels core brands may have are the lifespan of their products. As children grow older, they are no longer interested in playing with dolls and cars such as Barbie and Hot wheels and the life span of the product shortens for continual use. The strengths of the Mattels core brands are- Brand Recognition- 1. Barbie is Mattels flagship brand and its number one seller-routinely accounting for more than 50 percent of Mattels sales revenue. 2. Barbie was the only Mattel brand that made the list of the 2002 The 100 Best Global Brand. 3. American Girl is targeted for girls in from 7 12 years old. This is due to different taste in different target market. 4. American girl is a well-known line of a historical dolls, books and accessories. Intense demand of the product- Barbie- Captured the attention of girls under 7 years old that resulted in high demand. The intense demand seen at the retail stores was insufficiently met for several years. Barbie- The best-selling fashion dolls in most global market with $2 billion in worldwide sales annually and more than 1 billion dolls sold in four decades. Customer Orientation- Mattel redesigned Barbie to more naturally reflect a normal athletic woman in an attempt to meet the demands for a more realistic doll. Opening of American Girl Place shops New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The New York store features three floors of dolls, accessories, and books in the heart of the 5th Avenue shopping district. The store offers a cafe where girls can dine with their dolls and a stage production where young actresses bring American Girl stories to life. Product variety and differentiation of the product- Barbie has taken on an extension of different characters, family and friends, and profession. For Barbie, there are Barbie clothing for children, computers and digital cameras with Barbie theme. This is done to recapture more customers and expand their market to attract girls after the age of 7. For American girl, they have books, accessories and even a Store that offers a cafà © for girls. This has resulted in an increase the product variety for both brands that generates more revenues. Product Development- Mattel introduced the new line of My Scene dolls aimed at tweens with as trendier, young looking and are considered to be more hip for girls of age group above 7. Other efforts targeted at tweens include the Mystery Squad, a crime-solving crew, and the Barbie Doll as Elle Woods, which is a tribute to the blond character in the MGM Pictures film Legally Blond 2. The weaknesses of Mattels core brands include- Foreign Market Customization being ineffective-Traditional Barbie has triggered the possibility of banned in Malaysia by the Malaysian Consumers Association of Penang, due to her non-Asian appearance and the lack of creativity but it was not success. Some other cases like in Iran, the non-Islamic characteristics of Barbie and western influences resulted in the confiscation of Barbie doll from toy stores. In Russia, it is interpreted as harmful to young minds that awaken sexual impulses and consumerism among infants. This creates a negative brand images that can bring loss to Mattel. Not only children are leaving tangible toys at earlier ages, but the impact of the global market is affecting the success of Mattel. Mattels Barbie is well recognized throughout the global market, but is not considered appropriate in all cultures which are one of the weaknesses of the core brand of Mattel in the international market. The problem of limited distribution networks of American girl in the international market is also found to be one of the weakness of Mattels core brand, it is been seen that American girl is sold exclusively through catalogues and different stores in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago but there is no evidence or details of the product sold in international market. Even though there has been lots of product innovation of the Barbie but its slipping popularity failed it to be the top five selling dolls due to competition in the market. If we talk about the Cannibalization of American girls sales from Barbie several points came into light which tells that American girl has out-performed the sales of Barbie as- 1. Barbie successfully catered only to the young girls of 7 years old and below. 2. American Girl has a better image. American Girl dolls have a wholesome and educational image- the antithesis to Barbie. The retro versions of Barbie dolls, feature Hooker Barbie, Trailer Trash Barbie and Drag Queen Barbie are seen less decent than the image of American girl. These points explains the Cannibalization sales of American girl from Barbie. Q-3. What are the opportunities and threats that Mattel faces as it looks ahead? Ans. Mattel has lots of opportunities as it moves ahead with its product in the market. The opportunities of Mattels product in international market includes its venture into more interactive, educational and technology product line as today children are preferring to spend time with music, movies or on the Internet. The American toy market is becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, along with a downward shift in age of when children abandon tangible toys such Hot Wheels and Barbie for more interactive and technological products. If Mattel continues with the same product it provides better opportunities to grow ahead in the domestic market. All of Mattels core brands are instantly recognizable around the world. Therefore, Mattel has the ability to highly leverage one or all of these brands. Mattel can expand more to international distribution networks apart its reliance on Wall Mart and target hypermarkets like Giant (Malaysia), Carrefour, Cold Storage and local toy distribution network could make Mattels products highly visible in the international market which would led Mattel to have a better future prospects ahead. Mattel can also have An alliance with an Asian company, Bandai, which can prove very beneficial as numerous eastern countries open their markets to western goods. This market has been left largely untapped, and offers a huge increase in customer base. Finally, Mattel must address is that of selling its products in foreign markets. An important aspect of going global is being able to adapt to different cultures and to break down cultural barriers. Mattel has done a little bit of this with the changing of the product packaging, and some of their Barbie lines. However, there are still some countries that are boycotting Mattel because they are offended by some of their products that are being sold. While Mattel is expanding their product lines, they need to take into consideration the message each of their products is conveying. By conducting market research, Mattel can find out what values are important in foreign markets. If Mattel neglects to customize to all of their markets, their new products can fail overseas, and therefore the company as a whole will not be able to expand. The threat that Mattel faces as it looks ahead is that the market is shifting away from tangible toys, which account for a majority of Mattels core products. Children are adopting more interactive and electronic toys earlier in age today, eroding Mattels primary market of children under the age of 10. This has already forced Mattel to enter, and may force Mattel to further their involvement in the technological realm, a product category in which the firm has performed very poorly. Young customers have less time spending on traditional toys today and the same is expected in the future. Intense competition from other toy-makers like Bratz has slowed down the sale of the Mattels product Barbie worldwide and the realization of Mattel for its product distribution mainly on Wal-Mart and Target diminishes its pricing power. Mattel has also experienced problems breaking into foreign markets due to cultural barriers. The Chinese found it offensive that the Barbie doll did not represent people of their cultures, the Russians believe that the doll promotes adolescents to think in a promiscuous fashion at a young age, and the Islamic countries find that the doll goes against their religion with regards to the role and image of women. The foreign market will be very prosperous for Mattel if they can structure their entry into the market appropriately. Q-4. If you could make only one recommendation to Mattel, what would be it? Introduction According to the case, we find that Mattel in the United States, Europe and Latin America market growth is more and more slow, even appear saturation sign, although they try to into Iran and Russia market, but due to without considering the cultural differences lead to sales were almost forced to withdraw from there. So our proposal is in full consideration of cultural and religious differences influence, produce to accord with other local culture habit of products, continue to develop and enter into the emerging market, such as Asias China and Africa, which support the companys globalization strategy, and realize the great-leap-forward development. Recommendation Through the Mattel in Iran market failure we recognize that if a company would like to sell their products to abroad, it must pay attention to the product whether will conflict with local customs and culture, once things happen, be sure to adjust. As is known to all, the Barbie doll is Mattels most famous product, which is fashion and filled with the western world liberal breath. But in Iran, such as makeup and revealing clothes, are not wanted in a society where women must wear head scarves in public and men and women are not allowed to go to the poll or beach together (page 484 of case study). So if Mattel want to re-enter Iran market in the future, must adjust their products style, below is Irans own doll can be used as Mattels reference. C:UsershpDesktopuntitled.bmp On the other hand, in order to expand the market, increase sales, Mattel should seize the opportunity into some of the good prospects for emerging markets, especially Chinese market, which is a toy production country, it is estimated that China toy enterprise has more than 6000, about 75% of the toys made in China over the world. The toy market size of mainland has the rapid development. In childrens toys market as an example, toy sales from 2.13 billion RMB in 2001 to 4.44 billion RMB in 2006, which raised by 108%, with an average annual growth rate of 15.8%. The mainland toy market rise space is enormous. From toy joint network industry report, Chinas per capita consumption in toy only 20 30 RMB (2.4-3.6 dollars), far lower than per capita consumption in Asian children toys $13 and children all over the world in per capita consumption level of $34 toys. If they reach the Asian average level, childrens toys market scale is expected to will exceed 30 billion RMB. (Long long, M.2006) In the business strategies, because Chinas toy productions are mostly applied in the low-standard level, breed is monotonous, mainly plush and wooden material. However, the mainland local toys and international brand compared with large price gap, so the low-standard market has a strong competitive power, the general basic monopoly wholesale market and vendors, and other sales pipeline. So Mattel should positioning in high-end, give full play to their own advantages, for example, in a Barbie doll legend marketing history story, telling the story is always the conventional methods. They sell toys as well sell a way of life. According to Mattels design, Barbie have their own lives, thoughts, need a friend, like to dress up, have belong to him fairy tale world. Make good use of this advantage, the company entered into the China market is no longer a dream. (Li, L.2011) Conclusion Like many foreign brands to enter the Chinese market, Mattel need pay enough time and patience. After all, in Chinas such a big Oriental country, want to get common identity is not a simple matter. But one thing is sure, respect local culture and customs is very important and necessary. Q-5. How can Mattel reverse the decline in Barbies sales? Should Mattel give up on Barbie and accept that fact that the brand will never regain its former sales status? Explain. Ans. Mattel, Inc. (Mattel) designs, manufactures, and markets a broad variety of toy products worldwide which are sold to its customers and directly to consumers. Mattels vision is creating the future of play. Mattels objectives are to grow its share in the marketplace, sustain gross margins of about 50%, leverage its scale to deliver cost savings and lower its selling and administrative costs, and create long-term stockholder value. Barbie doll happiness concept is based on human sensibility, through happiness brand image and happy shopping experience to satisfyconsumer demand happy emotion, so that consumers will be product or brand with the happy feeling together, then will be happy with the product or brand linked, to stimulate consumption desire and to promote the marketing concept of consumers purchasing behavior. Body part: The concept of Barbie has not only toys, and became an immortal symbol of American culture. Until now, the business of Barbie bigger and bigger, not only toys, books, clothing, cosmetics, movies and electronic games. Even today, see any one of the two in standard, sexy blonde doll, almost all of people were not consciously known as Barbie ¼Ã…’whether this doll is not Mattel produced. This is also proved Barbie industry is how success. As a result of population, technology and social change, Mattel is undergoing modernization, Mattel, in my opinion, cannot reverse the decline of Barbie sales. Although there are still to be improved, Mattel weakness seems to be far less than they were just a few years ago. Specifically, the Mattel Inc. has some very famous brand. The largest is Barbie doll, and now accounts for more than half of the companys revenue. However, the most interesting news for Mattel declining popularity rate of its core products Barbie doll. As of 2002, Barbie dollfell out of the top five best-selling. Mattel Inc. subsequently has been undertaken to reclaim market share items, such as computer software and the girls clothing line of Barbie doll. Barbie has tried to fight back. Internet becomes another weapon to reverse the sales decline in 2007; Mattel launched a brand new Barbie Girls. com site where kids can create their own virtual Barbie, and placed in a virtual commercial buildings can also directly involved in product design. The girls also can have around Barbies virtual community space, this was considered a breakthrough attempt, also let Mattel in sales for 7 consecutive years after the decline appeared to pick up. Mattel is also faced with many cultural barriers, these need to overcome the market penetration strategy will be successful. Lack of understanding of cultural replacement, the brand awareness of self-protection is too strong, the Barbie doll isolated in new era outside, so that the target consumers become more and more narrow. Unresponsive market, the Mattel have not been able to guide the trend, the competitors took the opportunity to split its market share.Andin the occasion of Mattel Barbie doll become fashionable rage, the former Mattel CEO Jill Barad made a series of mistakes and expensive acquisitions, to make the worlds largest toy manufacturer long-term stock price in a slump. In addition, Mattel in new product launch, behave not just as one wishes, the new design style also no expectation. These are all Mattels malpractice. Conclusion: Sweet chocolate, eat more will be tired. Barbies decline has a deep-rooted cultural factors and the impact of social thought, to give people a profound inspiration. We can see that the United States of America culture is moving toward a diversified ethnic culture, to encourage the pursuit of self-direction stride, and popular culture trend change quickly. Mattel ignore this value orientation, or excessive protection is of brand ego blinded their vision, do not have a proper understanding o of the mind of the public, lost the lead market opportunities.After opponents successfully host, Mattel still did not take timely measures, wait for the opponent create a certain threat after to respond but too weak. Finally, caused the market share to be cut, the lesson is painful. Careful observation of the leader in the market, we will find their commonness rapid response, countermeasure in time, they will not be trend guide, but to guide the trend. It is simple and easy to know. Pacifying the interior before resisting foreign aggression. The first thing Mattel need to do is solve the inner problem, straighten a relation, in order to solve the problem of providing external guarantee. For the external development of Mattel, the problems which should be paid attention to, not in order to cope with the market competition and to launch new products with the opponent, but in the consolidation of existing customers on the Barbie dolls loyalty. They are supporting the Barbie dolls core strength, so that through interaction and understanding of their needs, provide their satisfaction with the program to maintain this part of customers. In order to consolidate the customer base, and prevent competitors directly off the market share. With the development of computer and networks, such as Face book and Twitter applications, Barbie doll will be able to control its sales decline. This is a very expensive to change their production and advertising means. The only advantage of this strategy, both short-term and long-term within, they will not bear any additional costs. In this way, Mattelcan use their own resources,make full use of social networking technology environmental advantage in price, and try to participate in the market competition. Having the correct marketing strategy and innovative products Barbie doll product line, will become more interactive and educational products, Mattel can still create the market to meet their needs.Also around the world set up Barbie doll flagship store, experiential marketing, will drive the Mattel sales market, strive for the biggest market share.

The Impact of Restoration Comedy on Theatre :: European History

The Impact of Restoration Comedy on Theatre Shortly after the glory days of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, a Puritanical movement led by Oliver Cromwell gained control of Parliament. Cromwell ethics did not extend to cover the moral extravagance of theatre. Under the guise of public health and safety, Parliament ordered the closing of all theatres on September 2, 1642. Such dirty public areas were the perfect breeding ground for the spreading of plague. Actors were left with two options, join Charles I in the civil war against Cromwell, or defy the law and continue performing. Then, in 1649, Charles lost his head, establishing the new Commonwealth. In 1653, Cromwell disbanded Parliament and named himself Lord High Protector. During these days of political chaos, a new underground theater evolved. This new theatre was an extremely risky venture. Any actor caught performing would be imprisoned. Box office receipts would be confiscated for the Commonwealth. Enormous fines would be levied against any daring to sit in an audience. Entire playhouses would be destroyed, their interiors gutted or exteriors burned. Theatre faced extinction. It became an obsequious art, catering to Cromwell's strict moral code. Killigrew would survive, and eventually form the Theatre Royal, but he lived in constant fear. Davenant worked through legal channels to produce theatre Cromwell could not dispute. His pieces were simple, more opera then play, and propaganda for the Commonwealth. Interestingly, the first woman to appear on the British stage did so in this time, in Davenant's The Siege of Rhodes. He began pushing the envelope, uncomfortable in his new sycophantic role. He renewed his ties to the British aristocracy, exiled to France. He befriended Charles II, and when the young king made his triu mphant return to power, Davenant was given the monopoly on all theatre in London. He shared this power with his old friend Thomas Killigrew. Under their guidance, the theatre exploded back into being. Those who had remained in England during the Commonwealth had faced years of strict moral repression. Those who fled to France had acquired some of the decadence bred across the channel. In combination, these two forces created a nation of wealthy, witty, amoral hedonists. Their theatre reflected their lifestyles. Thus was born the Restoration Tragedy and the Comedy of Manners. The tragedies were broad, sweeping tales of great heroism. The aristocracy liked to picture themselves in these far off lands, being oh so noble and eloquent.

Egypt and Mesopotamia Essay

Most societies that developed in ancient civilizations were centered around their belief systems. The Egyptians and the Mesopotamians were no different in this sense. Both civilizations were polytheistic and built elaborate temples to praise their gods. Additionally, the leaders in both regions were believed to be related to the gods because of the great power they held and the wealth under their control. However, the Mesopotamians had a pessimistic outlook on life because of the unpredictability of their environment. The Egyptians, on the other hand, had an optimistic outlook because the Nile River inundated their region regularly, which could be predicted by the stars. The similarities and differences in the religions of these two regions may be attributable to the relative geographical isolationism of the two areas, which allowed them to develop without the influence of outside cultures. Both ancient cultures built sophisticated monuments to praise their gods. The Egyptians constructed a vast network of impressive temples to honor their many gods, each of which had an elite staff of priests whose job was to care for the temple and the gods. One of the most prominent temples was Abu Simbel, which was carved out of the side of a cliff and had four giant statues of Ramses, the â€Å"Alexander the Great† of Egypt, guarding the entrance. Another notable example was the mortuary temple of King Khufu at Giza, which had polished limestone floors and ornately painted columns. The Mesopotamians built ziggurats to glorify their gods, which were considered â€Å"stairways to heaven.† One of the most famous ziggurats was the enormous, complex structure built at Ur which reached up to almost 100 feet. It was erected to honor the moon goddess Nanna, the divine patron of the city state. The gods were central to both cultures and, as a result, much time was devoted to constructing and maintaining their monuments. The importance of the gods in their cultures was also reflected in their political structure. Both societies believed that their leaders were somehow related to their gods. The Egyptians believed that their pharaohs were the reincarnation of the sun god Re, the chief god who held the most power of all of the gods. This was believed because the pharaohs had immense power, governed huge areas of lands, and controlled vast resources such as gold and slaves. The pharaohs also elevated their status by building huge structures to the gods that seemed to transcend their earthly life, such as the pyramids and temples. The pharaohs used ordinary Egyptians to build the pyramids, not slaves, because the Egyptians wanted to please the god king so they would be guaranteed a place in the afterlife. The pharaohs also conquered thousands of square miles of land through military victories which seemed almost impossible for mere mortals. Similarly, the Mesopotamian kings were believed to be the sons of gods. The god the kings were related to depended on the city state’s main god, which was usually Anu. The king was also the chief priest which continued the relationship, keeping them close to the gods. The kings took on massive public works projects as well as military conquests which further cemented this belief. Because of the importance of the gods to these societies, their leaders were raised to a â€Å"godly† status as a reflection of their significance and as a result of their many accomplishments, which also gave the people a more tangible connection to the gods. While both societies honored their gods and saw their leaders related to the gods, the Mesopotamians had a pessimistic outlook on life because they believed that the actions of their gods were unforeseeable while the Egyptians had an optimistic outlook on life because they believed their gods were predictable. The Mesopotamians beliefs arose because their region had an unstable environment. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers often overflowed their banks in flash floods, ruining farmland and houses as well as killing people and livestock. The environment also varied when they had droughts that led to famines and then regular rainfall which gave them food surpluses. In addition, the major factor that ended this civilization was the environmental decline because of over farming which led to an ecological disaster that still plagues this region to this day. The Egyptians, on the other hand, believed that their gods were predictable because their environment was very unsurprising. They could forecast the inundation of the Nile River by looking at the stars. As a result, they believed the gods were telling them things through the stars. Therefore, their priests often looked to the heavens for answers, blending science into their religion and resulting in a certain amount of control over their lives. But because everything that happened was attributed to the gods, the outlook on life for both societies was closely linked to the region they lived and the problems that were encountered. The gods were central to both Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies. The architecture of both regions reflected the religious symbols that were instrumental to the faith of the people. The leaders in both societies were considered to be related to the gods because of the amazing structures they built and the accomplishments they achieved. Finally, the perception of life was determined by environmental factors that shaped the peoples view of how their gods treated them. At the heart of their religions, the Egyptians and Mesopotamians were focused on pleasing their gods so that they would be rewarded and anything bad that happened was attributed to not satisfying the gods. Unaffected by outside influences, these civilizations shared many similarities in how their religions shaped their cultures but also had differences which arose from the impact of their geographical location.

Nathans Famous Company Analysis

Nathans Famous Company Analysis Introduction This report focuses on historical background of the fast food restaurant â€Å"Nathan’s Famous†, structure and ownership pattern, mission and vision of the company, SWOT analysis, list of strategies, financial position, and so on.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Nathans Famous: Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More History of Company In 1916, Nathan Handwerker established â€Å"Nathan’s Famous† as a fast food stand on Coney Island, New York where he served special hot dogs prepared with the recipe of his wife; however, the company gained global reputation within a short time for the special taste and quality (Morningstar 1). This restaurant really became famous worldwide while its hot dogs had served to the historical icons like Soviet iron man Joseph Stalin and to the English Monarchy and 32nd president of the United States Roosevelt visited the restaurant to enjo y the Nathan’s hot dogs (Morningstar 1; NATH 4; and Basham 2). Most legends politicians, celebrities, and sports celebrities of twenties in the United States like Performer and comedian Eddie Cantor, Jimmy Durante and Cary Grant and even the Chicago gangster of twenties Al Capone were the regular customers of Nathan’s Famous. During thirties, the company started to get orders from overseas market, for instance, London and other cities; in addition, it has enjoyed to monopoly market for its hot dogs supplies in the White House (Nathans Famous 1; and Basham 2). Key facts 2012 (thousand) 2011 (thousand) Total Sales revenue $52,369 $44,634 Cost of sales $42,106 $34,567 Gross profit $66,222 $57,255 Total Assets $44,520 $52,958 Net income $ 6,158 $2,213 Total costs and expenses $56,215 $53,935 Total current liabilities $13,561 $12,965 Total liabilities $15,683 $14,880 Working capital $21,989 $31,454 Total shareholders’ equity $28,837 $38,078 E arnings per share: Basic $ 1.26 $ 0.41 Number of Employees 219 (it recruited from 100 to 125 seasonal employees) Table 1: Overview of the key facts about NATH Source: Self generated from NATH (43)Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Company Structure and Ownership Pattern: Nathan Handwerker established this company as a family business with his wife; after death of the owner, his son Murray Handwerker became the president of the company in 1959 and explored its expansion strategy by opening several branches all over the USA. Moreover, this company lunched new strategy to open a number of franchises (Morningstar 1; NATH 4; and Basham 2). During nineties, the son of Murray has taken the leadership of the company; Bill failed to show high performance and he sold out the company to a private group; subsequently, this company incorporated and listed in the New York Sto ck Exchange for public trade in 1993 (Handwerker 1; Yahoo Finance 1; Morningstar 1; and NATH 5). Mission and Vision of the Company The Mission of the Nathan’s Famous Inc. is to provide unparalleled delicious and high quality fast food to the customers in order to strengthen its position and create a base of satisfied customers worldwide; The vision of the company is to improve the number of it outlets and franchisees at home and abroad with the aim to maximize its shareholders value by becoming market leader in the traditional and captive-market restaurant environments within next 10 years. Product and Services Although the NATH is a legendary in the global market for its hot dogs from the historic perspectives, the company also deals with a variety of fast foods like hamburgers, breakfast sandwiches, and crinkle-cut fries along with some restaurant tools and equipment like vending machines and Subway units and so on. According to the annual report, the majority of the fast food retailers like Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Restaurant Depot, Sams Club Cafes, Regal Theatres, Sunoco, Yankee Stadium, and Cowboy Stadium are randomly selling the products of the Nathan’s hot dogs at 1000 outlets in 50 states and accounted sales of 435 million hot dogs in the previous year. Demographics The major operation of the Nathan’s Famous Inc. is in the United States where the demography consists with population of 313,847,465 estimated in July 2012 with a growth rate 0.9%, birth rate 13.7 births/1,000, death rate 8.4 deaths/1,000 and net migration rate 3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (Indexmundi 1). Major cities for population density, the position of New York is at the top with 19.3 million population; Los Angeles in the second position with 12.675 million population; Chicago in third position with 9.134 million; Miami is the fourth with 5.699 million, and the lowest population in the capital city Washington, DC with 4.421 million population. Among th e total population, male female ratio is 97: 100; the life expectancy for male is 76.05 years and for female is 81.05 years and at least 1.2 million people live with HIV / AIDS and 17,000 people die from this disease in 2009.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Nathans Famous: Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In accordance with the data provided by the US Census Bureau, in 2007, there are several ethical groups live in the US where Native Americans are only 0.97%, whites are 79.96%, blacks are 12.85%, Asians are 4.43%, Hawaiians are 0.18%, and the others are 1.61%. At the same time, the Literacy rate of the country is 99% and the expenditure for education is 5.5% of GDP and the per capita income is US$ 27100; however, the unemployment rate was 8.15% while the health care expenditure was 16.2% of GDP in 2009. Strategic Analysis List of Strategies Implemented Branding Expansion Strategy NATH has aimed to put into practice of brand expansion strategy primarily by the marketing of the â€Å"Nathan’s Famous† brand and sales of goods with the â€Å"Nathan’s Famous† trademarks that carries historical dignity of the company. From its long practice, the brand has gained strong confidence of its customers in an extent where the company engaged to boost its sales of non-branded products converting in to own branded products while the concept of co-branding restaurant provided further opportunity to explore its brand (NATH 18); Distribution Strategy This company has engaged to expand its distribution channels by increasing addition of new points of sale and distribution along with various retail chain and supermarkets including the company owned restaurants; however, the combined practice of franchising and distribution agreements with different business and individuals is the traditional practice of exploring distribution channels; Overseas Entry Strategy This Com pany has decided to continue its international expansion through its traditional franchising scheme along with its co-branding restaurant concept that would tremendously assist for overseas entry while the company would also engage with sub-franchising and licensing for manufacturing. International distribution contracts have already given the opportunity to establish 98 restaurants along with 100 co-branded illustration worldwide;Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Operation Strategy NATH has emerged to continue its harmonized architectural design at every operational points for which it provides training and operation manuals for all the stores, no matter whether it is a company owned or franchised entry; in addition, it has provided fees for particular tasks and signed agreement for 10 years (don’t ask for any profit sharing). Both for local international operation the raw materials of the branded product must be purchased from Nathan’s or from its recommended suppliers; Nathan’s operational strategy always look for new prospects both in traditional as well as captive markets; Marketing Promotion and Advertising Strategies The company has considered marketing strategy as an integral part of brand awareness development in the course of its fortunate points of distribution channels by selling its branded menu through advertising in the supermarkets, club stores along with television advertising that boosts its reputation f or quality and value for which the company is striving. In the promotion purpose, the company frequently arranges eating contests of Hot Dogs in different states and the champions are gathered in main restaurant of Coney Island for national competition, all of these competitions get huge media coverage that greatly promotes Nathan’s brand. On the other hand, under the Nathan’s franchising agreement, the local restaurants are obliged to spend 2% of their annual sales for advertising and promotion; moreover, the local restaurants would conduct local marketing campaigns pointing to the value-oriented strategies for promotion announcing special discount offers. HR Strategies and Corporate Governance According to the annual report 2012 of this company, it has already incorporated a Financial Officer Code of Ethics to control CEO, CFO and other employees of finance department; in addition, it posted Code of Ethics on the Company’s website with intent to comply the dis closure requirement under Item 10 of Form 8-K. Moreover, NATH arranges training programs for managers and co-workers of new Company-owned and franchised restaurants because they are the key asset of the company to create brand image in the fast food industry; furthermore, it has already designed operating manuals with practices and procedures to train the employees and operate the business. Analysis of the Strategies Business Level Strategy: Cost leadership: The US fast food restaurant competitive market, the competitors mainly consider cost leadership strategy and ask comparatively lower price for the commodity and service; however, NATH offers lower price, but it is not offering the lowest price for all food item. In addition, it has a lot of loyal customers and they purchase hot dogs considering taste and quality; therefore, NATH has not used this strategy since price is not a prime concern to the customers; Differentiation: From the very beginning of the operation of NATH, it o ffers unique hot dogs. However, product differentiation is key strategy of this company, for instance, Beef Hot Dogs, Crinkle-Cut French Fries, Hamburgers, Philly Cheesesteaks, Chicken Classics Menu (Krispy Chicken Tenders and Sandwich, Chargrilled Chicken) Salads (Caesar and Krispy Chicken Club), Famous Favorites, and so on; Cost focus: According to the annual report 2012 of NATH, it designs own pricing strategy known as â€Å"value pricing†. According to this strategy, individual food items price is higher than the price of combination of several items; however, NATH purchases raw materials from the suppliers at competitive price with intent to focus on this strategy by producing goods at lower price and offer competitive price as well; Differentiation focus: It has already captured the market of NATH concentrates on this issue because clients have distinctive preferences, taste with special requirements; therefore, the decision makers focus on this factor, but cautiously i t is not introducing new items in the regular basis; SWOT Analysis of NATH: Strengths NATH has a long experience to operate fast food restaurants as it established in 1916; According to the annual report 2012 of NATH, it achieved numerous awards for the world famous beef hot dogs; In addition, quality and taste of the food items help the company increasing market demand (Basham 3); Brand image, reputation, loyal customer base, and leadership quality are the key factors of success (Nathans Famous 1); At the same time, it has qualified and financially capable franchisees; It has 40 corporate management employees, 154 full-time employees, 25 restaurant managers; Distribution strategy, pricing strategy, supply chain management, other marketing strategies are the main strengths; Financial position At present, it has strong financial position to invest more for the new outlets and change the external business environment; however, the following table shows ratio analysis for this compa ny. Nathans Famous 2009 (US$) 2010 (US$) 2011 (US$) 2012 (US$) Net profit margin 15.20 10.95 3.87 9.30 Return on Assets (%) 14.81 10.79 4.16 12.63 Return on Equity (%) 17.72 12.93 5.37 18.41 Return on Invested Capital (%) 17.72 12.93 5.27 17.53 Current Ratio 6.12 6.12 3.43 2.62 Table 2: Key ratio of Nathans Famous Source: Self generated from Morningstar (1) Weakness The management of this company has not concentrated on the global market expansion while many companies open new outlets in the emerging market, like Brazil, Bangladesh, India, and China; however, this company has a problem in the decision-making process to develop business and compete with other competitors. the corporate governance system is ineffective to meet the challenge of competitive industry It has only 219 employees to control all the distribution channels (NATH 12) Profit margin is decreasing due to high operating costs in the recessionary economy (Morningstar 1); On the other hand, less inter est to develop new products and expand business in new business zone; Needs to take appropriate measure considering the pricing or other marketing strategies of the competitors; Opportunities NATH has already opened a new outlet in different States of the US market, but it has opportunity to expand more outlet in the high populated market; It can create large customer base in the new areas to maximize profits At the same time, it should open new branch in emerging Asian market, for example, Bangladesh; It has opportunity to increase share capital and earning per share using appropriate strategy in the stock market It has scope to increase market share in the first food industry; Threats According to the annual report 2012 of this company, the fast food restaurant industry is extremely competitive because many factors influence the business, for instance, economic condition, purchasing power of the customers, changes in consumer tastes, awareness about the nutritional quality and increase number of competitors. There are many other risk factors, such as, the loss of major suppliers, the impact of agreement with SMG, high competition in the quick-service restaurant segment; however, the following table provides competitive position of NATH. NATH MCD YUM Market Situation 225.93 million 100.55 billion 31.13 billion Employees: 219 440,000 78,450 Sales Revenue 70.55 million 27.63 billion 13.42 billion Gross profit Margin 0.32 0.39 0.27 EBITDA 12.54 million 9.84 billion 46.37 million Operating Profit Margin 0.16% 0.30% 0.16% Net Income 6.99 million 5.47 billion 1.48 million EPS 1.52 5.39 3.14 Table 3: Direct Competitor Comparison Source: Yahoo Finance (1) Present Market Shares of the Company The position of this company in the stock market is comparatively better because the basic chart shows that share price is increasing over time. The following chart compares share price between NATH and McDonalds to show that the investors are now relyin g on the NATH considering overall position of this company in the recessionary and post recessionary economy. However, the management of this company should use the share capital to expand business in the global market and the investors will gain confidence to purchase the share of this company considering the position in the fast food industry. Figure 1: Basic chart for 2009 to 2013 (comparison between NATH and McDonalds) Source: Yahoo Finance (1) The next basic chart demonstrates that the position of YUM is strong in the stock market, but share price of NATH is higher than the share price of YUM. Figure 2: Basic chart for 2009 to 2013 (comparison between NATH and Yum! Brands) Source: Yahoo Finance (1) Share in international market NATH has business operation in eight countries with only 30 outlets all over the world whereas MCD has over 31000 outlets and Burger King has about 13200 restaurants all over the world. Therefore, the business reports on the fast food industry had not addressed significantly the market share of this company considering the number of outlets; however, the next table gives information about the presence of NATH in foreign market. Figure 3: NATH in international market Source: NATH (16) Share in local market NATH (16) reported that it has not outstanding market share in the local market in terms of the number of Company-owned and franchised units, for instance, it has 274 outlets (highest 66 franchised units in the New Works and 40 franchised units in the New Jersey). Recommendation Based on above analysis, this study will suggest two strategies for its further market growth, such as- New Product Development Although Nathan’s restaurant deals with a variety of product line, but the hot dog is globally famous and unparalleled for its taste and quality; at this stage, the company required to innovate some new products with unbeaten quality and taste. In its hamburger menu, there are grilled bacon cheeseburgers, special burgers along with super cheeseburgers; however, the company conducts further research to develop these products by maintaining same quality standards of its hot dogs; however, such innovative idea will assist the company to explore its growth quickly. Vertical Expansion Strategy The future growth of the company strongly aligned with its vertical expansion strategy; besides franchising, NATH has the opportunity to consider prospective merger and acquisition, joint venture, and strategic alliances with the local districts food stores in the US market and the international market. The ongoing licensing programs for packaged foods can also enhance through geographic integration outside the US market, but before introducing any vertical expansion strategy, the company required to have some risk assessment. However, this report suggests that the management of NATH to arrange meeting with board members to receive proposal to expand business vertically; in addition, it should prepare a timetable in order to implement new strategic alternatives. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be said that Nathan’s creative approaches will assist to establish strong base of satisfied customers, and the focused strategies will ensure continuous expanding opportunities for the company; in addition, it will ultimately support revenue generation program in order to maximize the shareholders value creation. Basham, Mark. Nathans Famous. 2010. Web. www2.hmc.edu/~evans/NathansSP.pdf. Handwerker, Murray. Nathans Famous owner expanded nationwide. 2011. Web. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/22/local/la-me-passings-20110522 Indexmundi. United States Demographics Profile. 2013. Web. indexmundi.com/united_states/demographics_profile.html. Morningstar. Nathans Famous NATH. 2013. Web. http://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=NATHregion=USAculture=en-us. Nathans Famous. Nathans Famous History. 2013. Web. nathansfamous.com/index.php/history NATH. FORM 10-K: Annual report 201 2 Nathan’s Famous, Inc.. 2012. Web. http://216.139.227.101/interactive/nath2012/.. Yahoo Finance. Direct Competitor Comparison. 2013. Web. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=NATH+Competitors.