How to make a great impression in less than 3 minutes

How to make a great impression  in less than 3 minutes We’ve all been in this unfortunate situation: you’re walking around at work or elsewhere and unexpectedly run into your boss or some other influential person in your life and you’re†¦completely speechless. You’re caught totally off-guard, your mind goes blank, and you can’t think of a single thing to do or say- and even worse, it’s obvious that you’re in full panic mode, which only makes things worse. It’s a total nightmare, only you’re not asleep. The only thing left to do after this happens is to just walk away licking your wounds, hoping that you’ll figure out some way to erase this moment from ever having happened- and good luck with that!Although you can’t magically erase awful past encounters, the good news is that you can do a lot to make sure that they don’t happen again! In fact, we’ll show you how to make a great impression in any encounter- in just a few minutes or less.Have we got your attention? Great- then keep reading.Plan in advance.It may sound silly to plan encounters in advance, but you’ll thank me later when you start making great impressions on everyone you encounter. Each day, while you’re getting ready in the morning, think of a few topics of conversation that you can keep â€Å"pre-loaded†- everything from local news to sports or the weather is fair game. A harmless (but funny!) joke or two couldn’t hurt either, as long as you avoid anything offensive. Have a few different pleasant conversation starters â€Å"in the can,† so you can pick and choose which you use based on your audience.As the day progresses, feel free to tailor your conversation starters based on events that occur. We know this might sound weird, but you’d be surprised by how many people take advantage of this strategy to ensure that the only impressions they make are positive ones. Use it and you won’t get caught flat-footed wit h nothing to say should you run into someone unexpectedly.Pay attention to your body language.When you’re seeking to make a great impression on someone, what you say isn’t the only thing that matters- how you say it is just as important. Are you confident, clear, and friendly or are you tentative, awkward, and eager to break contact as soon as possible? Is your voice steady or wavering? Do you stand confident and tall or do you shift nervously and slouch? Do you make the appropriate amount of eye contact- not too much but not too little (some experts say that 5 seconds is a good amount of â€Å"eye time† before looking away and returning)- or do you avoid it like a cold?All of these things make up your social body language, and will factor greatly in the overall impression others have of you during social encounters. So, take some time to practice and make sure your body language is in top shape. Here’s where a trusted friend or family member can help you with some valuable practice. Or, try using a mirror to brush up on your body language skills, giving yourself honest feedback. Trust us, this is time well spent.Present yourself as a polished package.With some great conversation starters and impeccable body language, you’re well on your way to making great impressions on others. But there are a few more things that factor into your â€Å"overall impression package.† This includes the extras- your clothes and grooming.Always be mindful of the extras when you step out of your front door- you never know who you’ll run into and no one ever got upset that they made too good of an impression by spending a little extra time dressing well and minding all the details of their grooming routine. This is especially true when you’re expecting to run into people that you really want to make a good impression on- like at work or on interviews.We know, in a perfect world it wouldn’t matter what you wear or how yo u look, but it’s not a perfect world and we all judge books by their covers, so make sure you’re always mindful of the extras if you want to make a good impression.Don’t forget the secret ingredient.Ok, so your conversation game is tight, you’ve been working on your body language, and your clothes and grooming are sharp- are you totally ready to make great impressions no matter what situations you encounter? Not so fast- you’re close, but there’s one more â€Å"secret ingredient† that we hope is not so secret to you when you’re looking to make good impressions- be a good listener!The truth is, this is an absolutely essential component if you’re looking to make a great first impression. In fact, utilizing the other strategies listed here without deploying good listening skills may completely backfire and make you seem phony, self-absorbed, or artificial.Good listening skills just takes a little practice. When talking with other people, really work to pay attention to what they’re saying. Show interest in a conversation by nodding and using appropriate facial expressions based on what’s being said (don’t smile and laugh if someone’s telling you about their cat’s broken leg!). You’ll earn extra bonus interest points if you ask questions about what they’re saying. Even better? Turn the focus of the conversation on what the other person is talking about. Who doesn’t feel special when their interests are placed at the center of attention? Bottom line: great listeners make great impressions and you can count on people looking forward to interacting with you again.You can start utilizing the strategies mentioned here immediately, and if you do it won’t take a lot of time to start making great impressions. In fact, even quick encounters that last just a few seconds or minutes will become easy opportunities to make positive, lasting impressions!

Relationship Between SES and Child development in the United States Essay

Relationship Between SES and Child development in the United States - Essay Example Many organizations are collecting funds from common people to provide education to these children’s. These societies are putting their best effort for saving child from the condition of homelessness. They also invite donations from different people so that these children can also live like normal human beings. The main aim of these societies is to save homeless children from various serious diseases because most of the homeless children die because of these serious diseases. These hardworking teams are also spreading awareness of homeless children. Many help lines are also provided by these organizations so that if any person fined any child who is begging for basic necessities, then he can immediately contact on these numbers to give the information in right hands so that the child can be saved from every danger. Objective: The primary objective of this thesis is to figure out the main problems the homeless children in Florida and United States are facing. What are their livi ng status, what they do expect from us and finally what we can do for those children? Concise Review: As a responsible citizen it is our duty to be sensitive regarding the homeless children. As a civilized society we all should have to contribute our services in terms of funds, physical help or whatever we can do. Concise Review of the Literature If we make estimation then there are more than one million children in United States who are surviving without shelter. The lives of these children are prone to various serious diseases like speech problems, asthma attacks, problem in stomach due to improper digestion and many more. Many of these children die because of high depression. Many of these children are threatened by their family because the family of these children suffers from low budget due to losses in business or due to some other reasons. These children’s are forced to abandon their houses. But after that the life of these people become worse and they reduce their lea rning capabilities. The worst part in this action is that most of the children are under the age of 6 years. And the lives of the children under the age of 6 years affect more. Researches form â€Å"National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH)† claimed that within a single year there are 30% children who are dispossessed from their houses, 22% children get separated from their family, at least 25% of children faces act of violence from their family. So for these children there are many societies and organizations like â€Å"Homeless Children America† who are working for these little kids. These organizations aimed at saving lives and for providing basic necessities to these children’s (Natalie Thompson, 2011). These organizations are focusing to eliminate child’s homelessness from United States. They are negotiating with the government for shifting the families living in motels into permanent houses. These organization members are collecting funds to sup port education, food, clothing and other necessary things of children. These organizations are also working on various policies for these children. Some of these policies are federal policy which is implemented by state government. When this policy is funded appropriately by the state government then these funds are used in improving the condition of little children. Government is also helping for eliminating homelessness from the United States. For this they have made 10 years

Identification of Activities Area of Coca-Cola Assignment

Identification of Activities Area of Coca-Cola - Assignment Example The Coca-Cola Company mainly operates through a global franchise based distribution system in which the company manufactures the drinks and the syrup concentrates and sells them through various bottlers across the world in their own exclusive regions. Also, the company owns a single anchor bottling company in North America known as Coca-Cola Refreshments. The current Chief Executive Officer of the company is Muhtar Kent. The stocks of the Coca-Cola Company are listed in reputed stock exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and are major components of popular market indices like Standard & Poor 500, DJIA, the Russell 1000 Growth Stock Index and the Russell 1000 index. The Coca-Cola Company has strived to attain an adequate amount of sustainability in its operations across the world. However, the company has been involved in a number of lawsuits and criticisms related to many unethical practices and human rights violation over the years of its operations. The company has been alleged with discriminatory and monopolistic practices by many social activist groups, governments, and other stakeholder groups. The lawsuits filed against the Coca-Cola Company regarding these discriminatory and unethical practices have resulted in the company being forced to alter many of its business practices, indulge more into different kinds of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and introduce new concepts and practices related to the business processes of the company across the world. There have been continuous criticisms against the relation of the Coca-Cola Company with the United States and Middle East foreign policies. A major area in which the Coca-Co la Company has faced severe allegations and criticisms is in its operations in the developed countries like India. The allegations like the presence of pesticide residues in the beverages manufactured by Coca-Cola and water wastage in the operations of the company led to the drop in sales of Coca-Cola products in India by more than 11%. The company has always faced a number of criticisms related to the environmental harms of its business activities.

Business Research Project Essay Example for Free

Business Research Project Essay Last week our team was requested to identify a company that has faced or is currently facing problems or situations that can be addressed by research. We chose Blockbuster as our research project, we analyzed the company and identified the company’s bankruptcy as our research problem. Based on that, we set our research hypothesis as the possible causes or reasons that lead the company to bankruptcy. According to that hypothesis we formulated our research questions. In order to go ahead with our investigation and find out if any of the independent variables proposed in our research is related to the bankruptcy of Blockbuster, we have to identify who is going to be our population and our research sample. Let starts first by understanding what populations and a sample are. In statistical terminology a population can be understood as a determined or specific set of things or units that are going to be investigated or studied, while a sample or population sample can be described as a subset or portion of the total units comprising the population. In other words the population is the group of elements or objects to be studied or investigated and of which inferences are made, that later will be tested to be finally accepted or discarded. By sampling a representative portion of the population is selected to be tested the results and conclusions about the population are drawn. Our investigation is limited to Puerto Rico area, so our targeted population will be Blockbuster customers in Puerto Rico. Our sample will consist of 24 puertorrican Blockbuster users selected utilizing the random sampling method. Once we have identified the sample we need to determine which data collection method will be used to obtain information. The collection and analysis of information is extremely important and there are four basic ways in which data can be collected. The first one is to obtain the data from a previously published source, this one is possible when someone has already collected and published the data needed. The second method is to perform an experiment to obtain the data. By this method a specific experiment is  designed and performed by the researcher under specific and controlled conditions. The third method is performing a survey, this method consist of selecting a sample and delivered them several question and record the information given by respondents. The last method is the observation, by this method the researcher observes behavior of the population in their natural environment and records the findings. As our data collection method we chose the survey that will be delivered to the selected sample of Blockbuster customers in Puerto Rico. Our survey will contain several questions to be answered and will consist in to parts. The first one will have multiple choice questions and the second one will have question that will require the opinion of the respondent. This method will allow us to have and insight on what was the real reason behind Blockbuster’s bankruptcy, and the closure of its video stores. This surveys will be sent by email to the personal email address of the respondents. They will have 7 days to answer it and send it back by email. Once the responses are received the answer given in the multiple choice question will be tabulated and the others will be recorded and analyzed. Reference University of Phoenix. (2014). Week Three Statistics: Statistic for Business and Economics 11th Chapter 6. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, QNT/561PR website. University of Phoenix. (2014). Week Three Statistics: Statistic for Business and Economics 11th Chapter 7. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, QNT/561PR website. University of Phoenix. (2014). Week Three Statistics: Business Research Methods 11th Chapter 10. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, QNT/561PR website. University of Phoenix. (2014). Week Three Statistics: Business Research Methods 11th Chapter 11. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, QNT/561PR website. University of Phoenix. (2014). Week Three Statistics: Business Research Methods 11th Chapter 12. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, QNT/561PR website.

Till We Have Faces and The Vision of Ungit Essay -- Till We Have Faces

Till We Have Faces and The Vision of Ungit      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Queen Orual of Glome, the main character in C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces is often the victim of mysterious visions that appear to relate to her real-life experiences.   In one of her final visions, Queen Orual dreams that she is Ungit, an all-consuming goddess who is worshipped by the people of Glome.   Orual definitely is Ungit; she has several characteristics that give evidence of this.   Orual is all-consuming and possessive in her relationships with other people; she wears a veil to cover her ugly face, giving her a resemblance to the forbidding goddess; she is very demanding of her servants, which is similar to the intense rituals and sacrifices that Ungit demands.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Orual's all-consuming nature is most evident in her relationship with Bardia, the leading general in Glome.   Orual demands a great deal from Bardia, and his dedication to the Queen creates a rift between himself and his wife, Ansit.   Orual doesn't even realize Bardia's torment until Ansit tells her about it after his death.   Ansit say...

Coopers Creek Wine Management Essay

1. 0 Introduction Coopers Creek, established in 1982, became one of New Zealand’s more successful medium-sized wineries by following a strategy of resource leveraging via networks of co-operative relationships with other New Zealand winemakers in the domestic and export markets. This strategy allowed Andrew Hendry, the managing director, to consciously manage the growth of the company to retain the benefits of small size. However, with increasing globalisation of the wine industry, the changing nature of export markets, the early maturity of the New Zealand industry and the constrained supply facing New Zealand wine makers, Andrew Hendry was faced with the decision of how to position a smaller company for the future. He had to decide whether the network-based strategies that served the company so well continued to be appropriate under conditions of industry concentration, increasing competition and emerging globalisation. (Robbins S, 2006) 1. 1 The NZ wine industry When Andrew Hendry established Coopers Creek, the New Zealand environment was highly regulated. By 1984, the New Zealand government had initiated a programme of deregulation, which included devaluation of the New Zealand currency, exchange rate flotation and general anti-inflationary measures. (Porter M, 2001) The opening of New Zealand’s domestic market meant that businesses had to improve their efficiency substantially over a short period. The agricultural sector sought out new markets, to replace the loss of their traditional dependence on the UK market with its increasing commitment to its European trading partners, and new products, reflecting a growing awareness that much of New Zealand’s exports were of a commodity nature. This period saw growing exports to Australia, the United States, Japan and the rest of Asia and exports of predominantly sheep meat and dairy produce being accompanied by more fresh fruit, venison and wine. A further response to fiercer competition at home and in overseas markets was an increasingly strong focus on quality, a case in point being the New Zealand wine industry. The New Zealand wine industry accepted the consequences of the liberalisation of the domestic economy and recognised the need to understand how on-going changes in the international economic environment affected its prosperity and how to plan accordingly. Building from a low international base in the 1980s ($4. 5 million in exports in 1987), New Zealand wine exports achieved phenomenal growth and accounted for $168 million in 2007, comfortably exceeding the $100 million by 2007 target set in 1999. The UK market was the most important export market for the industry in 2007, and at $84 million it accounted for around 50. 22 per cent of total exports by value and 54. 28 per cent by volume. Europe accounted for 66 per cent of exports with 85 per cent of that going to the UK. Four large firms, namely Corbans, Montana, Nobilo and Villa Maria, dominated the wine industry in New Zealand in 1999. The following year, Montana purchased Corbans and Nobilo was bought by BRL/Hardy of Australia. Between them, these large firms accounted for around 80 per cent of all exports in 2007, with another 17 medium-sized companies, of which Coopers Creek was one, handling 16 per cent in combination. For the most part, industry participants exported between 30 and 35 per cent of their production, but a few producers had much higher export intensity. (Wheelen, 2006) 2. 0 Key Issues The key issues are: (Study Guide, 2008) (1)Despite entering early maturity, coopers creek remained constrained by issues of supply. (2)The cost of new land for grape planting was rising and more previously marginal land became economic to grow on, the problem was still one of access to capital for these resources. (3)A possible over supply of grapes in New Zealand, which could lead to heavy discounting. (4) A contraction in ownership within distribution companies in New Zealand and in USA, which could lead to certain markets being effectively closed to coopers creek. (5)Protection of strategically important grape supplies so the can insure they still get a proportion of the very highest quality grapes. 3. 0 Planning. 3. 1 Life Cycle From a demand perspective, the worldwide wine consumption has stagnated. According to the Wine Institute, there is only a 2. 04% growth in wine consumption from 1997 to 2001. In fact, worldwide consumption dropped from 227,875 hectoliters to 226,646 between 1999 and 2000. Generally there is a drop in consumption from the traditional wine drinking countries like France and East European countries, whilst demand has growth significantly from China. (Grant R, 2005) The production of wine has shifted from the traditional vineyards in France to the rest of the world. There are New-World Wines from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These wines are generally thought to be of moderate to high quality and are essentially challenging the traditional wine producers on the quality front. Furthermore, there are wines coming out from China and India. Because of the lower wages in these countries, wines can now be produced at a fraction of the costs of the French vineyards. Price has now become a big challenge that the traditional wineries have to face. Some author’s even suggest that the Old-World producing countries like France has followed growth & decline and now has entered a second life phase. While the New-world countries are in an emerging or growth phase As the industry moves towards maturity phase of its life cycle, the pace of consolidation will increase. (Times of India,2007) 3. 2 PESTEL Analysis The following is a review of the major environmental factors, which will impact the industry to a large extent. A closer examination of the more important factors amongst them will allow for a tighter integration between the external environmental factors and the corporate strategy chosen for Coopers. Political factors Government regulation has always played a major role in the WI. There are increasing concerns that there will be new barriers and trade impediments to trade in the WI. One such example is the trade disagreement between US and European Union in the level of farm subsidies that the US alleged that the EU farmers receive. The same allegations may also be similarly levied on the European vineyards. In the Wine Institute report on International Trade Barriers to U. S. Wine 2006, European wine producers were noted to have received certain subsidies . Tariffs also have been the most important barrier to the international wine trade. Some governments impose unusually high tariffs on wine imports . Recent announcement in the media like India opening its market and slashing duties on imported wine and spirits bring good news to the industry, as this will allow them to enter this lucrative untapped market. Though due to WTO pressure the tariff has been reducing, which has lead to major wine producing countries imposing various non-tariff trade barriers. One such non-tariff trade barriers are research fundings made available by local governments to improve the overall harvest yields and quality of the country’s grapes . Economical factors. The rising number of middle class worldwide has led to an increasing appreciation of wine and demand for wine. In developing economies of China and India, this class of consumer is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. With the continued increase of economic growth rates for both countries, these consumers can now afford to consume wine is expected to grow significantly as well . The effect of currency fluctuations on the WI will continue to play an integral part in influencing the WI. The proportion of wine being exported outside the wine producing country has increased. Even in a traditionally large wine consuming market, the proportion of wine, which ends up in foreign land, has been increasing. The continuing trend of exporting to new markets such as India and China is going to increase as wine producers cope with the declining wine demand in traditional home markets As a result, the wine producers’ exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates will increase further. Socio-cultural factors The increased spending power, sophistication of the middle class in many countries with increased tendency of copying the west has helped to increase the demand for wine consumption. This growing group of earners from various countries is often well traveled & highly educated consumers with needs and wants for the better things in life. The number of middle class across Asia is expected to grow by 1 billion in the next 8 years . With the shift in demographics in the developing countries, there will be more wine drinkers in the future. Increasingly, there are also more scientific evidences that there are health benefits to be derived from moderate drinking of wine especially red wine. As a result, there is an increasing acceptance of the beverage as â€Å"health-product† leading to a healthy heart. Technological factors Innovation and technological factors continue to drive improvement in production yields and better storage of wine. The Australian WI today has transformed itself from a small cottage industry to one of the largest exporter of wines internationally, even to the extent of eclipsing some of the older Old-World countries. The great leap forward for Australia can be attributed to the Australian wine producers clustering to innovate and improve existing processes. (Read C, 2006) The growth of e-commerce infrastructure and the increasing acceptance of buying things online have led to new opportunities for wine connoisseurs and wine producers alike. With this new technology, niche wine growers are able to reach out to the individual wine consumers without being drowned out by the marketing noise generated by the large wine producers. The ability to ship small quantities directly to individual wine drinkers without passing through layers of middlemen may mean that small niche growers may be able to find their position in a market dominated by large brand names . Environmental factors. Within the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry, the WI is markedly different from the other products due to the fact that F&B products are limited by market, while the WI is limited by resource (land and grapes). Reason being wine is grown in moderate climates and on certain types of soil. Sudden climatic changes may adversely affect production yields or may even destroy crops all together. The significant changes expected in the environment from global warming, rising sea levels, rising carbon emissions and increasing acidity in the waters will all add to contribute to the adverse conditions for which growers will find themselves in. These conditions together with a scarcity of good arable land may act to constrain or even reduce the industry’s supply. On the positive side, in one of the rare articles published in Newsweek on the positive effects of global warming, the author highlights that fast melting of Artic glaciers and increase in global temperatures may lead to opening of new vineyards in many parts of the world with weather conditions similar to the France’s Champagne region. Legal factors External environmental legal factors have acted in line with other environmental factors changes. For example, the advent of the Internet e-commerce has resulted in changes in legislation for wine sales, which crosses state lines in the United States . In addition, the origin of the grapes used to make wines also became a contentious issue for many wine-producing countries. The origin of these grapes and the proportion of local grapes used became an issue for branding and labeling of wines; as governed by new local legislation controlling wine labeling. 4. 0 Organising 4. 1 Porter’s 5 forces analysis We have analyzed Coopers internal environmental factors using Porter’s Five Forces analysis. Being in a specialized industry, it is not easy for another player to just come in wanting a portion of the pie. The WI requires specialized skill sets, special knowledge and extensive experience to stay competitive. It also needs very high investment especially for equipments used for processing of wine. This indirectly induces high entry cost which is work as a barrier of for new entrants. There is also the expected retaliation faced by new entrants from existing players. Coopers together with other existing players may collaborate to deter competitors from coming in. For example, Coopers may start dropping its price and the other existing players may follow suit leading to a price war. On the whole, the force of threat of entry is low here. 4. 2 Threat of Substitutes This industry faces stiff competition from not only other wineries but also from other alcoholic drinks such as beer, spirit and pre-blended mixed drinks and carbonated drinks. Product-for-product substitution is also possible should customers of Coopers decide to try out other brands/types of wine. For the health conscious, bottled water, energy drinks and natural fruit juices also provide competition. Possibility of generic substitution is also there where as customers may prefer to spend on purchasing cigarettes rather than drinking wine. Thus, there is a high force of threat of substitutes in this industry. 4. 3 Threat of entry Competitive rivalry among existing firms is evident in this industry. Larger companies are acquiring smaller wine producers to monopolize the market resulting in dynamic competition amongst these companies. As the WI is at its mature stage, companies start to take market share from competitors to survive. As there are too many wine producers, adding on to the high power of buyers, companies may decide to go for price wars due to high fixed costs to gain market share. This industry has high entry and exit barriers due to the extensive capital investment and knowledge & skill set needed. In addition one must have sustainable resource, as it takes several years for wine to mature. This means that industry players do not have many choices. Again this induces competition amongst them and price wars and low margins situations are likely to happen. Based on the information above, the groups came to the conclusion that the industry is â€Å"Medium Attractive†. 5. 0 Directing 5. 1 Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategies Using Porter generic competitive strategies, we find that Coopers has the ability to outperform its competitors by adopting a strategy of â€Å"Focus Differentiation†. Porter proposed that a firm’s competitive advantage in an industry is determined by its competitive scope – i. e. , the breadth of company’s target market coupled with company’s unique resource (product range, distribution channels, target market etc.), For Coopers the scope of the target market is narrow. It is mainly targeting niche markets for premium wines in the wine drinking markets of Europe, US, Australia, Japan and a few emerging Far Eastern Asian markets. When targeting niche markets, the company either can go for â€Å"Cost Focus† or â€Å"Differentiation Focus†. Coopers should not be following the Cost focus strategy as NZWI compete in the high quality premium category wines. Reduction of overall cost is achievable only to a certain extent, as this industry is highly capital intensive with many inherent costs along the supply chain. Instead Coopers should concentrate either on particular market segment, or product line segment or geographic market with high growth potential or all three. By following a differentiation strategy Coopers would be able to better focus its resources & capabilities to the serve the special needs of a narrow strategic target more effectively than its competitors. 5. 2 Bowman’s strategic clock Using â€Å"Bowman’s competitive strategy clock† too, Coopers falls under category 5, â€Å"Focused Differentiation†. This strategy is similar to the Porter’s generic model, which tries to provide high-perceived product benefits justifying a substantial price premium usually to a selected niche market segment. Coopers can use this strategy in new markets, by targeting sales into the same niches in more countries. While in established markets Coopers could even adopt Category 4 â€Å"Differentiation –with price premium † by offering better wine at the same price or by pricing it slightly higher than competitive brands in the same price bracket, to take advantage of the fact that â€Å"fine quality wine will always demand a premium† and at the same promote it as premium category. (Meredith R, 2007). Cost Leadership may not be sustained for Coopers because of some of the following reason: – Competitors can imitate – differentiation may not be sustainable it can easily replicated by competitors like South African or South American wine producers – Bases of differentiation become less important to buyers – Competing on just quality to demand high price may not be enough. For example in price conscious markets like UK, Holland and Germany, wines from South American and South were seen as better value than NZ wine. – Target segment can become structurally unattractive: – Structure erodes – This could happen for Coopers’ target market in US, restaurants and boutique retailers. They may form a group for centrally sourcing activities to drive down costs, somewhat similar to what happened with Tesco Supermarket Chain (UK). (Aylward, 2006) – Demand disappears – there may be new research findings in future that may lead to lower consumption of wine. Or even they may be new legislation banning consumption of alcohol products in public places similar to that of smoking, which may lead to total disappearance of a target segment. From the evaluation of Coopers core competencies, the followings were recognized. – Coopers is a typical entrepreneurial venture in that the founding entrepreneur, Andrew, had driven its development and growth. A critical factor of success of Coopers is Andrew’s ability to build relationships, within the context of an innovative and flexible approach, in order to leverage critical resources to pursue growth. – Coopers strategy was based on having a carefully controlled but finite quantity of wine to sell every year. With Andrew’s commitment to quality, it has earned itself a relatively good reputation in the industry. From the evaluation of the KSF of the WI, the followings were recognized. – Historically, the NZWI had focused on the production of premium wines, given its constrained supply, small scale, high cost structures and distinctive ‘clean and green’ growing conditions. Availability of consistent high quality products that has strong brand value and recognition are highly sought after and considered KSFs. 6. 0 Monitoring 6. 1 Wineries Both management & employees of wineries play a key role and yield great power in terms of the quantity & type of wine to be produced. Great deal of collaboration exists between the local wineries to share knowledge & costs. 6. 2 Grape growers Being key players, they control the quality and quantity of grapes grown. Many of the wineries are backward integrated by owning lands or having long-term contracts with individual producers. Power of suppliers is low. 6. 3 Industry Associations Wine Organizations in NZ like Wine Institute, former Wine Guild with backing of the NZ government are very powerful. All Wineries have to take up compulsory memberships and contribute towards funding & running of the organizations. These key roles of these organizations are promoting NZ wine in international markets, lobbying with foreign governments to open new markets, lowering of trade restrictions and tariffs etc. They also initiate research programmes and training for the entire industry, funded by the wineries. (Zalan T, 2005) 6. 4 Consumers The final end user, this group needs to be well informed & kept satisfied by providing high quality premium products with consistent quality and availability at affordable prices. Power high. 6. 5 NZ Government NZ government is a key player with considerable power who has played a pivotal role in the development of the NZWI. The government has been implementing new legislations in consultation with NZWI to meet the current market requirements. Some examples would include changes in government policy in the 1980s making it favorable for local manufacturers to export to foreign markets . (Harvard University, 2007) 6. 6 Distributors, Retailers, Buyers Buyers like Supermarkets are powerful players who dictate the price & type of wine stocked on shelves. WI is a buyer driven industry, where buyers hold a lot of power. 6. 7 Domestic and Foreign investors. This group needs the minimal amount of effort. They are satisfied as long as they get a good return on their investments. 7. 0 Critical Analysis 7. 1 Competitor Analysis The world WI is currently experiencing a situation of over-production. In the EU alone, it was reported by Food & Drink. com that there is a surplus o f 1. 5bn litres of wine, enough for every European Union citizen to take roughly four free bottles each. Millions of Euros have been spent to turn these excess wines into industrial alcohol. (All Things, 2006) The WI is a highly fragmented, with over â€Å"a million wine companies† around the globe. None of the firms control more than 1% of the retail sales, with top 10 players controlling 11% of the global market share (based on volume) . These industry competitors come from different wine growing countries and continents. This is especially true for Old-World Countries in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany) accounts for 60% of the world wine production and 80% of world trade . In contrast, the New-World Producers (Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, USA, New Zealand) wines are more consolidated. On average these countries appear to be more structurally attractive compared to Old-World Countries. Moreover, in the last decade the industry structure has been undergoing dramatic change. There is a growing trend of consolidation. Cash flow rich alcoholic beverage companies are investing in the WI as their own markets of beer and spirits are maturing. 7. 2 Stakeholder analysis The WI being a competitive industry has a varied, vibrant and balanced group of stakeholders, with frequent and varied channels of communication. All the forces involved try to build consensus within which the primary decisions in the industry are made. 7. 3 Life-Cycle Analysis We have identified Coopers to be in the phase of â€Å"Mature† stage in the life-cycle model. In view of its competitive conditions, we also identify there may be many competitors which are likely to resort to price-cutting strategy for volume. Therefore one of Coopers directive is to differentiate its product portfolio through leveraging on its enhance brand equity to promote customer’s retention and loyalty within its existing customer-based and new customer groups whilst consistently driving cost efficiency through economies of scales and innovative & efficient ways of bringing cost down. (Pape E, 2007) 7. 4 Positioning analysis Coopers currently enjoy relatively good brand equity amongst its market segment. To infuse the same branding principle across distinctive first label allows them to capitalize on its already successful branding strategy, further maximizing the returns of their marketing investment especially for the second label. 7. 5 Value chain analysis Through new ways of doing things such as possible bottling in import markets to reduce shipping costs, backward integration either through ownership or long term leasing with good quality of vineyards across NZ and beyond, could potentially reduce their overall cost per unit yet enabling them to utilize cost advantage strategy to expand the perceived value for the brand. 7. 6 Business profile analysis This growth strategy do not require a complete reinvention of wheels, it capitalizes on the existing goals and values of the group, its resources and capabilities, its structure and management systems and its industry environment to further produce enhanced features and products thus major increase in expenditures is not expected, instead an increase in financial perform is forecasted due to the additional opportunities from new market penetration. (Heijbroeck, 2003) 8. 0 Recommendations: 1. The expansion of the cooper’s creek network of export markets and the development of second labels. These second label wines could generally be sold at lower prices thus protecting the price status of the Coopers Creek labels but gaining extra sales volume for the company. In most cases the second labels will sell through different distributors. 2. The above strategy will also help with over reliance on a few key distributors. In the case of the rapidly growing US market, coopers creeks have not appointed one exclusive national importer. Instead they will sell to some 20 independent importer/distributors in different states either by direct shipment from the winery or out of a warehouse in California. This will ensure the company doesn’t become a victim of the rationalisation of a large importers or distributors catalogue of wines carried. (Kogut B, 2006) 3. The steady acquisition of control of the vineyards producing their best grapes. That has taken the form of either complete acquisition by purchase, long term leases or the establishment of joint ventures with the vineyards under cooper creek’s management and tied up under long term supply contracts. In the last two years they have purchased three vineyards, leased one and entered one joint venture with an existing contract grape grower. They are currently looking at two further existing vineyards with a view to purchase or lease. 4. Continue to produce consistently high-quality products. 5. Maintain and increase its brand equity and recognition as a premium wine producer. 6. Establish international supply management to facilitate its global market operations. 7. Maintain or improve its already good relationships with stakeholders. 8. Ensure there is cost efficiency in its operations so as to maximise profit with minimum cost. 9. Last but not least, continue innovating in terms of its product and marketing. †¢Current turnover is NZ$5. 5M †¢Current production is at 1100tonnes per year (approx 85,000 cases) and aiming to be 1800tonnes by 2008 †¢They should purchase more of their own vineyards in the Hawkes Bay region in the last few years which would prove beneficial to them. †¢They should increase production of Pinot Noir which is one of their best vineyards by 400% and this will become a feature varietals alongside Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for the future †¢All wine is made on site at their Auckland vineyard. On site facilities include Cellar door tasting room and retail shop, Plant buildings (tanks) and bottling line, warehouse and barrel store, landscaped gardens with picnic areas and children’s playground. (Johnson, 2005) A cellar/courtyard wine bar will open for lunches and private group bookings late 2003. Plans have been drawn up for a cafe/function centre but as yet no time frame as to when maybe initiated, which should be implemented soon. (Nielson A, 2006) 9. 0 Conclusion It can be concluded, the NZWI is still considered to be at an early maturity phase of its lifecycle, as evidenced by a small number of takeovers and increasing concentration. As the industry matures, there is a need for NZ wine producers to retain focus on quality, differentiated products, while holding their premium price position. In addition, they need to play to their strengths in white wines and introduce more red wines into their portfolio. (Ghoshal S, 2007) As a company, Coopers needs to realize the trend toward deteriorating industry profitability is a constant threat in mature industries. As rivalry encourages overinvestment in capacity, international competition increases, and as differentiation is undermined by commoditization, attaining a competitive advantage becomes essential to achieving positive economic profits. Cost is the overwhelmingly important key success factor in most mature industries and three cost drivers tend to be especially important: Economies of scale, low-cost inputs and low overheads. Cost efficiency in mature industries is rarely a basis for sustainable competitive advantage; it is typically a requirement for survival. Deteriorating performance among mature companies typically triggers the adoption of turnaround strategies, of which the company must choose the most suitable one for its profile. Coopers have so far maneuvered its way past the many problems that plague other producers. However, more emphasis might be needed in terms of differentiating itself from the other NZ brands. It would have to build on its brand equity, and continue to leverage on Andrew’s contact network. Most importantly, the establishment of a succession-planning project would also has to be included in future strategic plans so that the company will continue to prosper should Andrew decide to depart or retire. (Robbins S, 2006) 10. 0 BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. (Johnson, 2005) Johnson, Scholes & Whittington , † Exploring Corporate Strategy†, Prentice Hall, 2005 2. (Porter M, 2001) Porter Michael E. , â€Å"The Competitive Advantages of Nations†, The Macmillan Press Ltd. , 2001 3. (Wheelen, 2006). Wheelen, Thomas L. and Hunger, David J. , â€Å"Strategic Management and Business Policy†, Prentice Hall, 2006 4. (Grant R, 2005) Grant, Robert M. , â€Å"Contemporary Strategy Analysis†, Blackwell Publishing, 2005 5. (Read C, 2006) Read, Charlotte, â€Å"Stakeholder Consensus Marketing. An explanatory national competitivess model for the New Zealand Wine Industry†, September 2, 2006 6. (All Things, 2006) All Things Considered. Washington D. C. , Global Warming Endangers California Wine Industry, December 5, 2006 7. (Times of India,2007) â€Å"India plans duty cuts on wine, spirits†, http://timesofindia. indiatimes.com/NEWS/India_Business/India_plans_duty_cuts_on_wine_spirits/articleshow/1897262. cms, April 12 2007 8. (Pape E, 2007) Pape E. , â€Å"Bordeaux Meets Beijing; China’s eager oenophiles are reviving the flagging French Wine Industry†, Newsweek, April 16, 2007 9. (Meredith R, 2007) Meredith, R. and Hoppough, S. , â€Å"Why Globalization Is Good†, Forbes, New York, April 16, 2007 10. (Aylward, 2006) Aylward, D. K. and Glynn, J. , â€Å"SME Innovation within the Australian Wine Industry: A Cluster Analysis†, 2006 11. (Smith J, 2006) Smith, J. M, â€Å"The e-Commerce Pendulum†, Brandweek, September 18, 2006 12. (Pape, 2007). Pape, Eric â€Å"Vineyards on the move† Newsweek, April 2007 13. (Nielson A, 2006) Nielson, A. , Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 29, Iss 2, Spring 2006 14. (Asimov E, 2005) Asimov, E. , New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast). New York, N. Y. , August 31, 2005 15. (Zalan T, 2005) Zalan, T. , â€Å"Global, Local or Semi-Global? The Case of the Wine Industry†, Australian Centre for International Business, Working Paper, No. 6, August 2005 16. (Heijbroeck, 2003) Heijbroeck, Arend M. A. , â€Å"Consequences of the globalization in the wine industry†, Report made by Rabobank International, Symposium International, October 8 2003 17. (Ghoshal S, 2007) Ghoshal, S, â€Å"Global strategy: An organizing framework. Strategic†, Management Journal 8, 2007 18. (Kogut B, 2006) Kogut, B. , â€Å"Designing global strategies: Comparative and competitive value-added Chains†, Sloan Management Review (Summer), 2006 19. (Porter M, 2004) Porter, M. E. ,†Clusters and the new economics of competition†, Harvard Business Review, November-December 2004 20. (Harvard University, 2007) â€Å"How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy†. Harvard Business Review, March-April 2007 22. (Slater S, 2002) Slater S. Malcolm, Michael Porter. â€Å"Notes on Diversification As a Strategy†. Harvard School Publishing, 2002 23. (Slater F, 2002) Slater F. Stanley, Olson. Eric, â€Å"A Fresh Look at Industry and Market Analysis†, Business Horizons. Kelly School of Publishing, January-February 2002. 24. (New Zealand Growers, 2006) New Zealand Wine Growers Research Committee, â€Å"Research & Development Strategic Plan†, December 2006 25. (Robinson J, 2008) Robinson, Jancis, † The Fast-Changing World Of Wine†, http://www. sifst. org. sg/pdf/article-thefastchanging. htm. 26. (Robbins S, 2006) Robbins S. , Bergman, R. , Stagg, I. & Coulter, M. @006, Management, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, Sydney. 27.

Quagga Facts and Figures

Name: Quagga (pronounced KWAH-gah, after its distinctive call); also known as Equus quagga quagga Habitat: Plains of South Africa Historical Period: Late Pleistocene-Modern (300,000-150 years ago) Size and Weight: About four feet high and 500 pounds Diet: Grass Distinguishing Characteristics: Stripes on head and neck; modest size; brown posterior About the Quagga Of all the animals that have gone extinct over the past 500 million years, the Quagga has the distinction of being the first to have had its DNA analyzed, in 1984. Modern science quickly dissipated 200 years of confusion: when it was first described by South African naturalists, in 1778, the Quagga was pegged as a species of genus Equus (which comprises horses, zebras, and donkeys). However, its DNA, extracted from the hide of a preserved specimen, showed that the Quagga was actually a sub-species of the classic Plains Zebra, which diverged from the parent stock in Africa anywhere between 300,000 and 100,000 years ago, during the later Pleistocene epoch. (This shouldnt have come as a surprise, considering the zebra-like stripes that covered the Quaggas head and neck.) Unfortunately, the Quagga was no match for the Boer settlers of South Africa, who prized this zebra offshoot for its meat and its coat (and hunted it just for sport as well). Those Quaggas that werent shot and skinned were humiliated in other ways; some were used, more or less successfully, to herd sheep, and some were exported for display in foreign zoos (one well-known and much-photographed individual lived in the London Zoo in the mid-19th century). A few Quaggas even wound up pulling carts full of tourists in early 19th century England, which much have quite been an adventure considering the Quaggas mean, skittish disposition (even today, zebras are not known for their gentle natures, which helps to explain why they were never domesticated like modern horses.) The last living Quagga, a mare, died in full sight of the world, in an Amsterdam zoo in 1883. However, you may yet have the chance to see a living Quagga—or at least a modern interpretation of a living Quagga—thanks to the controversial scientific program known as de-extinction. In 1987, a South African naturalist hatched a plan to selectively breed back the Quagga from a population of plains zebras, specifically aiming to reproduce the Quaggas distinctive stripe pattern. Whether or not the resulting animals count as genuine Quaggas, or are technically only zebras that look superficially like Quaggas, will likely not matter to the tourists that (in a few years) will be able to glimpse these majestic beasts on the Western Cape.