In your SLP papers, you will include several topics or sections.
What is your final score? How does it compare to the best scores that have been obtained?
hat are the important results for each of the three products: financial and marketing?
What can you learn by doing a deep cost/financial analysis (this is where CVP is important)?
What do the relevant theories tell you about the Cause & Effect (feedback loops) that generated this performance?
What is your revised strategy?
How did you develop this revised strategy (justification).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SLP 1.
Assignment: Run the simulation of the Handheld Corporation using the default decisions. Analyze the results and then develop a New (Revised) Strategy.
Assignment Expectations: This strategy consists of the Prices, R&D Allocation %, and any product discontinuations for the X5, X6, and X7 PDAs for each of the four years: 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. You must present a rational justification for this strategy. In other words, you must Make a Case for your proposed strategy using financial analysis and relevant theories. The Recommended Learning Path provides the optimal process for completing this assignment. Include any references that you use regarding data analysis and theories. Turn in the 4 to 6 page paper at the end of this module.

Recommended Learning Path:
1.Access the simulation site (http://forio.com/pdasim.htm) and choose Demo. (As covered in the Background, we will be using the PDA Sim of Handheld Corp. If you have not yet done, so open the simulation and look at all the available information: You will see two years of data: financial and marketing (2004, 2005). You will see information about each of the three products, X5, X6, and X7. You will see information about the Handheld Corp. and about product life cycles, and about system dynamics. You will see the Decision Input window and default decisions.) DO NOT CHANGE THESE DEFAULT VALUES.

2.Using the default values, RUN THE SIMULATION for ALL FOUR YEARS. After each year:
a. Review the results of the Net Profit for that year and the information from the Advisor
b. Review the financial results for that year. Note the Sales, the Revenue, Costs, and Net profit. Record the data for each year. You can Copy and Paste this data into Excel for analysis (see below for how to get compatible spreadsheet software.)
c. Review the marketing results for each year - Note the Market Saturation (Record and/or copy and paste this data, too.)

3.After the final year (2009), note the Final Score. Make sure you also review and recored the financial and marketing data for the final year.

4.Begin to develop a new strategy to use in SLP2.
a. Note that the strategy that was used for this first run in SLP1 can be shown in the Strategy Matrix (see below.)
b. Use this matrix to show you new strategy for prices, R&D Allocations and if you will quit selling any product.
c. Use analysis of the Financial Data from this run - Use CVP (Cost-Volume-Profit) analysis.
d. Use product development theory and pricing theory.
e. Justify your new prices and justify your R&D allocations - point to your financial analysis and theories to Make a Case for your strategic decisions.
5.Write your SLP1 paper
a. Show the results of the Default Run - the final Score and the Net Profit of each product year by year. Show any other summary data you think is appropriate about the results of the Default Run. Charts and graphs are very useful here.
b. Make your Proposal for your new strategy - show your Strategy Matrix - see the Download of the Word doc with a blank Matrix Table included.
c. Backup your new strategy with Evidence. Show the key analysis data. Discuss how the analysis was used to develop the strategy. Discuss the theories that were used.
--Consider discussing the R&D strategy first,
--then discuss the pricing strategy,
--then discuss Discontinuation strategy.
d. When showing data, you can use tables, charts and graphs.
e. If you are using any references such as those that you have found about CVP analysis and Other Theories, make sure you include them.

6.Submit your SLP1 paper 4-6 pages.
Hints for success!
Throughout this SLP, you will be asked to make business decisions under conditions of incomplete information and uncertainty. To do so, you will need to make assumptions based on what you have learned throughout the MBA program about how markets operate. Thus your strategies in approaching this decision need to rely on models, financial analysis, and theories from such classes as Economics, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Strategy, and Quantitative Analysis. In addition, the simulation will give you some additional market information as you progress.
Be sure to EXPLICITLY draw on concepts and theories from the courses you have taken throughout the MBA program. That means you need to "think like an MBA" and use the financial data you are given. You will have to crunch some numbers and present your data analysis professionally by creating some simple tables, charts and graphs.
It is necessary to make specific recommendations as to any pricing changes or allocations to R&D. (Drop the price of model X5? By how much?) Your recommendations must make sense given your analysis of the market and chosen strategy. And you need to justify your strategy using financial analysis and theories.
There are faxes for this order.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to research and analyze the prospect for a new product - the Sonic 1000 PDA. Through this exercise, students will experience the plight of the contemporary marketing manager, who spends much time researching and planning to create or refresh a new product. Another purpose of this assignment is to expose individuals to the environment of locating and synthesizing market planning information. The third purpose of this exercise is to help students better understand the critical role of virtual groups in the field of marketing. This analysis builds on concepts covered in the text. In addition, external research is required to develop the analysis.

Outcome

Each individual shall submit one analysis, by the date determined in the Course Chart, including and following the required format below. Keep in mind, the objective is not to create a marketing plan; rather, the objective is to reply to each element in the format below. The analysis shall be 10 pages in length, double-spaced in Microsoft Word, and appropriately cited and referenced according to APA.


Directions

The context of the assignment is that each individual has been hired by Sonic (a fictitious company) to perform an analysis for the Sonic 1000 PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The outcome is not a marketing plan, but rather an analysis of the issues that preface the preparation of a marketing plan. Thus, each individual shall write a paper, following the exact format below. Each element of the format represents a salient question in the process of marketing analysis.

First, each member should review the sample marketing plan for Sonic in the text's appendix for context (attached as Sonic_PDA_Source_Material.pdf). It is safe to assume that significant changes are occurring in the PDA market - that is, that much of the analysis presented in the sample marketing plan is factual yet out of date. Feel free to update, contemporize, and use any information in the sample marketing plan, if it seems appropriate and fitting for answering the questions below. Assume Sonic is a start-up company.

Note: Please don't let the length of the format alarm you. It's very detailed and application friendly.

Expectations

1. Full narrative explanations are expected for each of the questions/sections below. Include the headings and questions in the written analysis. My advice is to insert the format below into a Word document and write to the outline.
2. The textbook pdf files will provide a context for understanding and responding to each question. Each major heading below coincides with a chapter in the textbook. However external research, in addition to the text, is required.

Required Format for the Marketing Management Analysis
(note: include the headings and questions below in the analysis)

Issues Analysis (answer the following questions in the paper)

All numbered prompts will need to be 2.5 pages in length totaling 10 pages.


1. Which of Porter's generic competitive strategies would you recommend that Sonic following in formulating overall strategy? Why? (Reference chapter 2 pdf and reference 1 additional source)

2. What are Sonic's target market(s)? Explain (Reference chapter 2 pdf and reference 1 additional source)
a. What specific needs does the Sonic PDA address for each target market?

3. Positioning (Reference chapter 10 pdf and reference 1 additional source)
a. In a sentence or two, what is an appropriate positioning statement for the Sonic 1000 PDA? Explain the statement.

4. Product and Branding (Reference chapters 9 and 12 pdfs and reference 1 additional source)
a. What brand elements would be most useful for differentiating the Sonic brand from competing brands?

There are faxes for this order.

Managing the electronics portofolio of its television brand. taking into consideration the new products being offered which is the 3D television. the segment of the market it targets, and the products life cycle and the reson for the high price.

more over BCG matrix

Please follow every steps below which I required. If you might not able to work on my paper please let me know asap. thanks.
Market Category Analysis- Sony Ericsson cell-phone market.

The market category I choose (Sony Ericsson) to analyze should be the category or market segment within which the company is a competitor.
The desired outcome for this assignment is for your to learn as much as you can about your chosen market category to give you sufficient external knowledge of the global, external macro and micro environments that comprise the market for your company choice.

Step1: Category Overview
Provide a concise yet effective overview of the market environment for the category. This should include the following:
1. A brief review of the immediate history of the category, including:
a. A description of the nature and scope of the general product or service category.
b. The primary value proposition of the product or service to the customers in the market.
c. Recent significant volume and profit history & trends. (Metrics)
2. Competitive assessment with:
a. A description of the major competitors. (Metrics)
b. A discussion of the major competitive factors currently at work in the market category. (Metrics)
c. Compare and contrast the marketing strategies of the market share leaders in the category.
d. Discussion of outcomes for mix variations (Metrics)
3. Identification and analysis of the major drivers of change in the 2004/2005 market environment, e.g. globalization factors, technology, demographics, cultural, social and/or political factors, etc. (Metrics)

Step 2: Problem Definition
Define key strategic challenges facing category competitors today. This should be presented in the format of listing common opportunities and threats present in the market, with facts (Metrics) and/or inferences clearly cited and identified in support of each item.

Step 3: Alternative Courses of action
Freely list several possible strategic directions that could be pursued under the circumstances, being sure to define the general marketing mix in each case. Also, highlight any particular internal strengths required or weaknesses to overcome to effectively execute each alternative.
Step4: Evaluate Alternatives
Develop and critically evaluate each of the alternatives discussed in Step 3 by projecting the strategy in the current market situation and listing the likely outcomes as advantages or disadvantages.

Step 5: Review
On your own, nothing required in writing.

Step 6: Conclusions and indicated actions
Make conclusive statements about what you believe to be the key determining factors in the market situation. These would be the factors that have influenced you to decide on the best possible strategic direction to select from the alternatives identified in Step 3. Then explain the indicated actions to be taken.

Step7: Follow Up and Evaluation
Here, briefly describe the processes you would implement to measure and control the implementation of the chosen strategic course of action. This should include measurements, measuring process and responsible parties.

There are faxes for this order.

(The reference of company names is purely hypothetical and situational based. The Hypothetical Company I work for is called "Able Corporation")

Details:
The research Iconducted of the fiercely competitive U.S. PEPT industry has revealed two major participants, Smith & White Corporation (S&W), a very large and aggressive domestic manufacturer, and Makatume, a Japanese powerhouse.

Smith & White markets a full line of moderate quality professional and consumer tools. It also markets such products as lawn and garden, hobby tools, and kitchen appliances, all under the same brand name as its power tools. It is a multi-national conglomerate that has dominant shares in all the markets in which it operates. Its strength lies in a unified strategy across all its product lines, power tool and non-power tool, of building and maintaining brand equity through massive amounts of national media advertising. The leverage gained through strong brand equity compels retailers, particularly the Big Boxes, to stock many of the S&W's products because of high end-user demand.

This demand-pull marketing strategy also has the synergistic effects of obtaining relatively higher prices, advanced placement, co-op advertising, high profile self space, and cross promotion.

S&W does have some significant weaknesses. These include high costs due to old manufacturing plants located in high labor cost urban areas, market confusion between its professional and consumer tools, and negative feelings on the part of its distributors stemming from a perceived abuse of their dominant market position. It also doesn't have much of a presence in the fast growing cordless segment.

In addition, a major hidden weakness is S&W's huge size, which makes it unwieldy in reacting to market phenomena during periods of rapid change.

Makatume markets only professional tools, which are highly regarded by tradesmen for their quality, robustness, and durability. It controls over 50% of the Japanese market and has leveraged that position to become the second biggest player in the U.S. market. For the past several years their sales in the U.S. have been aided by favorable exchange rates, although many economists now forecast a reversal of this advantage over the next two years. Makatume has an extremely strong cost position due to its relatively new manufacturing plants in Japan.

Makatume's greatest product strength is in the fast growing cordless segment. It controls a dominant 70% market share of the professional cordless market. Makatume's early entry into this segment, is both a blessing and a curse. By entering the market early, Makatume has been able to obtain its dominant market share, but it is now locked in to lower voltages due to wide acceptance of its interchangeable battery system. As the technology of battery efficiency progresses, Makatume is faced with a dilemma: Does it introduce its own higher voltages, thus legitimizing that market for others to enter, or does it wait until it has to respond to being outflanked by its competitors when and if they introduce their higher voltages?

The rest of the market is made up of several domestic and foreign niche competitors, none of which has greater than a 5% share of the total market. A phenomenon to watch, however, is the growing strength of Far East imports from China, which are beginning to make their impact on consumer tools because of their low price and good value. The yuan is the relevant currency affecting Chinese imports.

We can often better see ourselves when reflected through the perspectives of others. In this exercise you are to take the vantage point of the industry leaders, S&W and Makatume. This has the advantage of helping to anticipate competitive positioning that may effect the successful execution of Able's strategy.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Based on the narrative above, please answer the following questions from the perspective of being their Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis. (For real world situations always keep in mind that the status and plans of competitors can almost never be known except through an analysis of their actions, and even then almost never with certainty. Dealing with imperfect information is one of the essential aspects of the economic problem.)

How would you address each company's weakness?
If you were Makatume, what would you do about higher voltages?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Case Assignment ;

External Competitiveness & Internal Equity in an Effective Compensation Program

The ability to create a successful market-based compensation program is contingent on a number of key variables. Yet none is more important than gaining a clear understanding of what it takes to have a compensation program that is externally competitive, while at the same time internally equitable.

In this assignment?

Discuss what is meant by a market-based compensation program.

Explain how an organization can balance external competitiveness with internal equity to achieve a successful market-based compensation program. Be specific.

Illustrate with actual examples of employers achieving this balance. Also, provide examples of organizations failing to achieve one or both and illustrate what might result.

Bring in at least 5 library sources to help strengthen and support your discussion.


Assignment Expectations ;

Your paper should demonstrate critical thinking and analysis of the relevant issues and HRM actions, drawing upon all of the required background readings and relevant sources from your prior courses and your own library search. Use website information sparingly (reputable websites only).

Prepare a paper that is professionally presented (including a cover page, a "List of References," and a strong introduction and conclusion).

Proofread your paper carefully for grammar, spelling and word-usage errors.

Address all aspects of the assignment as stated.

Provide private-sector employer examples of HRM programs, systems, processes and/or procedures as you address the above assignment requirements. Provide names of the employers. Use different employer examples in your case paper than those used in your SLP paper.

Limit your web search and focus instead on your library search. Bring in information from the background readings as well to help add depth and validity to your discussion.

Give authors credit for their work. Cite sources of borrowed information in the body of your paper as footnotes, numbered end notes or APA style of referencing.

You are to write a 14-page paper. A Word Count Totaling 4,200 Words for this Paper. The Paper Format Must Be Times New Roman and Doubled-Spaced. Read the Case Study and at the end of the case study, are questions, Answer the Discussion Questions.'State the Question First', and then continue to answer. Be Sure to Properly Cite Sources Using APA Format. **For Outside Sources, Use Internet Only.**

Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market
Starbucks Corp. in a Seattle, Washington-based coffee company. It buys, roasts, and sells whole bean specialties coffee and coffee drinks through an international chain of retail outlets. Is beginning as a seller of packaged, premium specialty coffees, Starbucks has even fall into a firm known for its coffee houses, where people can purchase beverages and food items as well as package whole bean and ground coffee. Starbucks is credited with changing the way Americans and people around the world view and consume coffee, and its success has attracted global attention. Starbucks has consistently been one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Over a 10-year period starting in 1992, the companys net revenues increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent, to $3.3 billion in fiscal 2002. Net earnings have grown at an annual compound growth rate of 30 percent to $218 million in fiscal 2002, which is the highest reported net earnings figure in the companys history. As Business Week tells it: On Wall St, Starbuck is as great growth story. Its stock, including four splits, has soared more than 2,200 percent over the last decade, surpassing Wal-Mart, GE, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and IBM in total return. Now at $21 {September 2002}, it is hovering near its all-time high of $23in July {2002}, before the overall market drop.
To continue this rapid pace of growth, the firms senior executives are looking to expand internationally. Specifically, they are interested in further expansion in Europe (including the Middle East), Asia-Pacific (including Australia and New Zealand), and Latin America. Expanding in these three Continents presents both a challenge and an opportunity to Starbucks. While the opportunity of increased revenues from the further expansion is readily apparent to the companys top management, what is not clear is how to deal with the growing anti-globalization sentiment around the world. This case looks at issues that are rising as Starbucks seeks to dominate specialty coffee markets around the world and explore what changes in strategy might be required.
Background
In 1971, 3 Seattle entrepreneurs Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, Gordon Bowker started selling whole bean coffee in Seattles Pike Place Market. They named their store Starbucks, after the first mate in Moby Dick. By 1982, the business had grown to five stores, a small roasting facility, and a wholesale business selling coffee to local restaurants. At the same time, Howard Schultz had been working as VP of US operations or Hammarplast, a Swedish housewares company in New York, marketing coffee makers to a number of retailers, including Starbucks. Selling Starbucks, Schultz was introduced to the three founders, who have been recruited him to bring marketing savvy to their company. Schultz, 29 and recently married, was eager to leave New York. He joined Starbucks as manager of retail sales and marketing. A year later, Schultz visited Italy for the first time on a buying trip. He noticed that coffee is an integral part of the culture in Italy; Italians start their day at an espresso bar and later in the day return with their friends. There are 200,000 coffee bars in Italy and about 1,500 in Milan alone. Schultz believed that, given the chance, Americans would pay good money for a premium cup of coffee and a stylish place to enjoy it. Enthusiastic about his idea, Schultz returned to tell Starbucks owners of his plan for a national chain of Cafs styled on Italian coffee bar. The owners, however, did not want to be in the restaurant business. Undaunted, Schultz wrote a business plan and begin looking for investors. By April 1985 he had opened his first coffee bar, I1 Giornales (named after the Italian newspaper), where he served Starbucks coffee. Following I1 Gionales immediate success, he expanded to three stores. In 1987, the owners of Starbucks agreed to sell the firm to Schultz for $4 million. The I1 Gionale coffee bar to the name of Starbucks. Convinced that Starbuck would one day be in every neighborhood in America, Schultz focused on growth. At first, the companys loses almost doubled (to $1.2 million in fiscal 1990), as overhead and operating expenses ballooned with the expansion. Starbucks lost money or three years running, and the stress was hard on Schultz, but he stuck to his conviction not to sacrifice long-term integrity in values for short-term profits. In 1991 sales shot up 84 percent, and the company turned profitable. In 1992 Schultz took the firm public at$17 a share. Believing that the market share and name recognition are critical to the companys success, Schultz continued to expand the business aggressively. Schultz observes, There is no secret sauce here. Anyone can do it. From the beginning, Schultz has professed a strict growth policy. Although many other coffeehouses or espresso bars are franchised, Starbucks owns all of its North American stores out right, with the exception of license agreement in airports. Further, rather than trying to capture all the potential markets and still is possible, Starbucks goes into a geographic market and tries to complete the dominate it before setting its sights on further expansion. Using this strategy, Starbucks has grown from 17 coffee shops in 1987 to 5,688 outlets in 28 countries by the end of the fiscal 2002. It also employed over 60,000 individuals, including approximately 50,000 in retail stores at the end of 2002. Starbucks Corp. is organized into two business units that correspond to the companys operating segments: North American and International. In 1995, Starbucks Coffee International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks coffee Co., was set up to the build Starbucks business outside North America, including opening company owned, licensed, and joint venture based retail stores worldwide. A recent article in Business Week notes: Starbucks also has a well seasoned management team. Schultz, 49, step down as chief executive in 2000 to become chairman and chief global strategist. Orin Smith, 60, the companys number cruncher, is now CEO and in charge of day-to-day operations. The head of North American operations is Howard Behar, 57, a retailing expert who returned last September, after retiring. The management trio is known as H2O, for Howard, Howard, and Orin.
The Starbuck Model
Schultzs goal is to: establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining uncompromising principles as we go. The companys 25 year goal is to become an enduring, great company with the most recognized and respected brand in the world, known for inspiring and nurturing the human spirit. The companys mission statement articulates several guiding principles to measure the appropriateness of the firms decisions. In describing Starbucks unique approach to competition, Fortune notes the strategy is simple: blanket an area completely, even if the stores cannibalize one anothers business. A new store while often capture about 30 percent of the sales of a nearby Starbucks, but the company considers that a good thing. The Starbucks everywhere approach cuts down on delivery and management costs, shortens customers line at individual stores, and increases foot traffic brought all the stores in an area. Last week 20 million people bought a couple copy at a Starbucks. A typical customer stopped by 18 times a month; no American retailer has a higher frequency of customer visits. Sales have climbed an average of 20 percent a year since the company went public. Even in a down economy, when other retailers have taken a beating Starbucks store traffic has arisen between six percent and eight percent a year. Perhaps even more notable is the fact that Starbucks has managed to generate those kinds of numbers with virtually no marketing, spending just 1 percent of its annual revenues on advertising. Retailers usually spend 10% or so of their revenues on ads. Business Week adds: clustering stores increases total revenue and market share CEO Orin Smith argues, even when individual stores poach on each other sales. The strategy works, he says, because of Starbucks size. It is large enough doors or office at existing stores as new ones open up, and so the overall sales grow beyond what they would have with just one store. Meanwhile, its cheaper to deliver to and manage doors located close together. And by clustering, Starbucks can quickly dominate a local market. And Schultz points out: market is much larger than we originally thought in most cases local competitors benefit from our arrival because of the expansion of the marketplace. Our strategy is never to eliminate or hurt the competition. We never underpriced our coffee and its clear that we position ourselves so not to undercut the pricing structure in the marketplace. Schultz observes that the company is still and its early days of growth worldwide. We are opening three or four stores everyday, he notes. We go strongly that the driver of the equity of the brand is directly linked to the retail experience we create in our stores. Our commitment to growth of the company is significant and will continue to be based on the long-term growth potential of our retail format.

Securing the Finest Raw Materials
Starbucks coffee quality begins with the purchase of high-quality Arabica coffee beans. Although many Americans were arranged on a commodity like coffee made from more quality robusta beans (or Arabic beans mixed with less expensive filler beans), Starbucks coffee is strictly Arabic, and the company ensures that only the highest quality beans are used. David Olsen, the companys then senior vice president and then chief coffee procurer, scoured mountain trails in Indonesia, Kenya, Guatemala, and elsewhere in search of Starbucks premium beans. His standards were demanding, and he conducted exacting experiments in order to get the proper balance of flavor, body, and acidity. From the companys inception, it has worked on developing relationships with the country should from which it buys coffee Beans. Traditionally, Europeans and Japanese bought most of the premium coffee beans. Olsen sometimes had to convince coffee growers to sell to Starbucks especially since American coffee buyers are notorious purchasers of the dregs of the coffee beans. In 1992 Starbucks in a new precedent by outbidding European buyers for the exclusive Narino Supremo Bean crop. Starbucks collaborated with a mill in that tiny town of Pasto, located on the side of the volcano Galero. There they set up a special operation to single out a particular Narino Supremo coffee bean, and Starbucks guaranteed to purchase the entire yield. This enabled Starbucks to be the exclusive purveyor of Narino Supremo, purportedly one of the best coffees in the world.

Vertical Integration
Roasting the coffee bean is close to an art form at Starbucks. Starbucks currently operates multiple roasting and distribution facilities. Roasters are promoted from within the company and trained for over a year, and it is considered quite an honor to be chosen. The coffee is roasted in a powerful gas-fired drum roaster for 12 to 15 minutes while roasters use sight, smell, hearing, and computers to judge when beans are perfectly done. The color of the beans is even tested in an Agtron blood cell analyzer, with the whole batch being discarded if the sample is not deemed perfect.

The Starbucks Experience
According to Schultz, we are not just selling a cup of coffee, we are providing an experience. In order to create American coffee enthusiasts put the dedication of their Italian counterparts, Starbucks provides a seductive atmosphere in which to imbibe. Its stores are distinctive and sleek, yet comfortable. Though the sizes of the stores and their formats vary, most are modeled after the Italian coffee bars where regulars sit and drink espresso with their friends. Starbucks stores tend to be located in high traffic locations such as malls, busy street corners, and even grocery stores. They are all well lighted and feature plenty of light cherry wood and artwork. The people who prepare the coffee are referred to as baristas, Italian for bartenders. Jazz or Opera music plays in the background. The storage to range from 200 to 4000 square feet, with new units tending to range from 1500 to 1700 square feet. In 2003, the average cost of opening a new store including equipment, inventory and leasehold improvements is in the neighborhood of $350,000;a flagship store cost much more.





Building a Unique Culture
While Starbucks enforces almost fanatical spenders about coffee quality and service, a policy of Starbucks reward employees is laid-back and supportive. They are encouraged to think of themselves as partners in the business. Schultz believes that had the employees are the key to competitiveness and growth. We can achieve our strategic objectives without workforce of people who are emerged in the same commitment as management. Our only sustainable advantage is the quality of our workforce. We are building a national retail company by creating pride in and stake in the outcome of our labor. On a practical level, Brooks promotes and in court employee cloture through generous benefits programs, an employee stock ownership plan, and thoroughly employee training, each employee must admit me 24 hours of training. Classes cover everything from off the huge tree to a seven hour workshop called Brewing the Perfect Cup at Home. This workshop is one of five classes and all employees must take during their first six weeks with the company. Reports Fortune: its silly, softheaded stuff, though basically, of course, its true. Maybe some of it sinks in. Starbuck is a smashing success, thanks in large part to the people who come out of these therapy-like training programs. Annual barista turnover at the company is 60 percent compared with 140 percent for hourly workers in the fast food business. Starbucks offer its benefits package to both part-time and full-time employee. The package includes medical, dental, vision, and short-term disability insurance, as well as a paid vacation, paid holidays, mental health/chemical dependency benefits, and employee assistance program, a 401(k) plan and a stock option plan. They also offer dependent coverage and same-sex partners. Schultz believes that without these benefits, people do not deal financially or spiritually tied to their jobs. He argues that stock options and the complete benefits package increased employee loyalty and encourage attentive service to customer. Employee turnover is also discouraged by Starbucks Stock option plan known as the Bean Stock Plan. Implemented in August of 1991, the plan made Starbucks and the only private company to offer stock options unilaterally to all employees. Starbucks concern for all employee welfare expands beyond its retail outlets coffee producers. The companys guidelines call for overseas suppliers to pay wages and benefits that address the basic needs of workers and their families and to allow a child labor only when it does not interrupt required education. This move has set a precedent for other importers of agricultural commodities.
Leveraging the Brand
Multiple Channels of Distribution. Besides its stand-alone stores, Starbucks has set up cafs and carts in hospitals, banks, office buildings, supermarkets, and shopping centers. And other distribution agreements have included office coffee suppliers, hotels, and airlines. All this coffee is a large segment of the coffee market. Associated services (an office coffee supplier) provides Starbucks coffee exclusively to thousands of businesses arond the United States. Starbucks has deals with airlines, such as an agreement with United Airlines to provide Starbucks coffee to Uniteds nearly 75 million passengers a year. Starbucks, through a licensing agreement with Kraft Foods Inc., offers its coffee in grocery stores across United States.
Brand Extension
In 1995, Starbucks launched a line of packaged and prepared tea in response to growing demand for teahouses and packaged tea. Tea is a highly profitable beverage for restaurants to sell, costing only 2 cents to 4 cents a cop to produce. As its tea became increasingly popular, in January 1999 it acquired Tazo, a Portland, Oregon based to a company. Starbucks coffee is also making its way onto grocery shelves via a carefully planned series of joint ventures. An agreement with Pepsi-Cola brought a bottle version of Starbucks Frappuccino (a cold, sweetened coffee drink) to store shelves in August of 1996. In another 50-50 partnership, Dreyers Grand Ice Cream Inc., distributes seven quart products and two bar- products of Starbucks coffee ice cream. Other partnerships by the Company are designed to form a new product association with coffee. For instance, the companys music subsidiary, Heart Music, regularly releases CDs, some in collaboration with major record labels that are then sold to Starbucks retail stores. While Starbucks is the largest and best-known of the coffeehouse chain and its presence is very apparent in metropolitan areas, the firms estimates indicate that only a small percentage (about 7 percent) of the US population has tried its products. Distribution agreement and the new product partnerships, Starbucks hopes to capture more of the US market.
International Expansion
For many years analysts have absurd that the US coffee bar market may be reaching saturation. They point to market consolidation, as bigger players snapped up some of the smaller coffee bar competitors. Further, they note that Starbucks is also maturing, leading to a slowdown in growth of unit by them and firm profitability. In response, some argue, Starbucks has turned its attention to foreign markets for continued growth. For instance, Business Week notes: To duplicate the staggering returns of its first decade, Starbucks has no choice but to export its concept aggressively. Indeed, some analysts give Starbucks only two years at the most before it exaggerates the US market. The chain now (in August 2002) operates 1,200 international outlets, from Beijing to Bristol. That leaves plenty of room to grow. Indeed, about 400 of its planned 1200 new stores this year will be built overseas, representing a 35 percent increase in its foreign base. Starbucks expects to double the number of its stores worldwide, to 10,000 in three years. However, of the predicted three of four stores that will open each day, the majority will continue to be in the United States.
Early Expansion
In 1995, the firm established a subsidiary called Starbucks coffee international. At that time, the subsidiary consisted of 12 managers located in Seattle. Today, the subsidiary is led by Australian expatriate Peter Maslen and is staffed with about 180 experienced multinational and multilingual managers located in Seattle and three regional offices around the world. This group is responsible for all Starbucks business development outside North America, including developing new businesses, financing and planning stores, managing operations and logistics, merchandising, and training and developing Starbucks international managers. Starbucks first non-North American store was opened in 1996 in Tokyo. In reflecting on this early step in internationalizing the chain, Schultz notes: Two years prior to opening up in Japan, we hired its blue-chip consulting firm to guide us to succeed here. Basically, they said we would not succeed in Japan. There were a number of things they told us to change. They said we had to have smoking, but that was non-starter for us. They also said no Japanese would ever lose face by drinking from a cup in the street. And third, they said that given the high rent, stores could not be larger than 500 square feet well, our no smoking policy made us an oasis Japan. As for our to go business, you cannot walk down a street in Tokyo today and not see someone holding a cup of Starbucks coffee. And our store size and Japan is identical to our store size and United States, about 1200 to 1500 square feet. It just shows the power of believing in what you do. And also that Starbucks is as relevant in Tokyo, Madrid, or Berlin as it is in Seattle.
The Starbucks Way
According to US News & World Report
When venturing overseas, there is a Starbucks way. The company finds local business partners in most foreign markets it tests each country with a handful of stores in trendy districts, using experienced Starbucks managers. It sends local baristas to Seattle for 13 weeks of training. Then it starts opening stores by the dozen. Its called the lineup does not vary, but Starbucks does adapt its food to local tastes. In Britain, it won an award for its mince pies. In Asia, Starbucks offers curry puffs and meat buns. The company also fits its interior dcor to the local architecture, especially in historical buildings. We do not stamp these things out cookie cutters style, says Peter Malsen, president of the Starbucks coffee international. Although Starbucks is committed to owning its North American stores, it has sought partners for much of its overseas expansion. As Catherine Lindemann, SVP of operations for Starbucks international describes it: Our approach to international expansion is to focus on the partnership first, country second. We rely on the local connection to get everything up and working. The key is finding the right local partners to negotiate local regulations and other issues. We look for partners who share our values, culture, and goals about community development. We are primarily interested in partners who can guide us through the process of starting up in a foreign location. We look for firms with (1) similar philosophy two hours in terms of shared values, corporate edition should, and commitment to be in the business for long-haul, (2) multi-unit restaurant experience, (3) financial resources to expand the star Bob confab rapidly to prevent imitators, (4) a strong real estate experience with knowledge about how to pick prime real estate locations, (5) knowledge of retail market, and (6) the availability of people to commit to our project.
In an international joint venture, it is a partner that used to store sites. Each are submitted for approval to Starbucks, but the partner does all of the preparatory and selection work. Cydnie Horwat, VP for international assets development systems & infrastructure, explains how Starbucks market entry plan starts with brand building, which then facilitates rapid further expansion in a country: when first entering a market, we are looking for different things in the first one to three years that later on. During these early years, we are building our brand. Our stores and the biggest source of advertising, since we do not do a lot of separate advertising. So we have higher investment in stores in the first three years. About 60 to 70 percent of the stores opened in the first three years are or high brand builders. Adds Horwat: First, we looked for a dreamy visible site in well trafficked areas and focus on three major factors: demographics, branding potential, and financials. Second, we categorize sites on an A to D scale. A sites are signature sites that are qualitatively superior to all other sites within the trade area [an area within Starbucks chooses to locate one store]. We rarely take a C or D store. Third, we ask our international market business unit (MBU) to send in the site submittal package with quantitative and qualitative measures, such as how the site meets Starbucks established criteria and the partners agreed upon criteria. This package is reviewed by a number of functional units operations, finance, and real state within the international group. Fourth, we moved into the design phase, which is done in Seattle using information provided by the partner. Negotiate the least with the landlord and the initiate the construction when the appropriate permits are obtained. Finally, we turned over the store to operations. The whole process takes about 13 to 16 weeks from start to finish.
Establishing Starbucks as a Global Brand
Based on the success in Japan and other locations, Schultzs goal is for Starbucks to have a ubiquitous image as one of the most respected brands in the world. He notes: Whenever we see the reception we are getting in the marketplace such as in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, the UK, and most recently Spain and Germany, we recognize that the growth potential for the company [overseas] is very significant. We want to accelerate the growth, maintain our leadership position, and, ultimately, be calm one of the most respected brands in the world. Since its early foray into the Japanese market, the pace of international expansion has picked up significantly. In 1998, Starbucks acquired Seattle coffee company in the United Kingdom, a chain within more than 38 retail locations. That same year, it opens doors and Taiwan, Thailand, New Zealand, and Malaysia. In 1989, Starbucks opened in China (Beijing), Kuwait, South Korea and Lebanon. In 2000, it entered another seven markets (China-Hong Kong and Shanghai, Dubai, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain). It added three markets 2001 (Switzerland, Israel, and Austria). Last year another nine markets were opened (Oman, Spain, Indonesia, Germany, South China-Macau and Shenzhen, Mexico, Puerto Rico, in Greece). Schultz said that this expansion is only beginning and confidently predict more to come: Ten years ago, we had 125 stores and 2000 employees. Today we have 62,000 people working in 30 countries outside of the North America, serving approximately 22 million customers all week. Our core customer is coming in about 18 times a month. With the majority of adults all round the world drinking 2 cups of coffee a day and with Starbucks having less than seven percent share of total coffee consumption in the US and less than 1 percent worldwide, these are the early days for growth and development of the company. We have got a model that has been well tested from market to market.
Starbucks is well on its way to becoming a global brand. According to Business Week: The Starbucks name and image content with millions of consumers around the globe. It was one of the fast-growing brands in a Business Week survey of the top 100 global brands published August 5, 2002. At a time when one corporate start after another has crashed to earth, brought down by revelations earnings misstatements, executive greed, or worse, Starbucks has not faltered.
But becoming a global company is not without risk. As Business Week point out, Global expansion poses huge risks for Starbucks. The one thing, it makes less money on each overseas store because most of them are operated with local partners. While that makes it easier to start up on foreign turf, it reduces the companys share of the profits to only 20 percent to 50 percent. In addition, the firm is becoming a target for anti-globalization activists around the world.
Perils of Globalization
As Starbuck establishes a global presence, its growing ubiquity has not gone unnoticed by anti-globalization activists. A clear manifestation of this game in November 1999, and tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Seattle when the World Trade Organization (WTO) held its third Ministerial conference there. Although nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and activists had gathered to oppose the WTO, some activists deliberately targeted multinationals like Starbucks, Nike, and McDonalds. A small, but vocal, percentage of these protesters garnered international press coverage by committing acts of vandalism against carefully chosen targets. As a report in Business Week recalls: Protesters flooded Seattles streets, and among their targets with Starbucks, a symbol, Madame, a free market capitalism run amok, another multinational out to blanket the earth. Amid the crowds protesters and riot police were black masked anarchists who trashed the store, leaving its windows smashed and its tasteful green and white or smelling of teargas instead of espresso.
Recalling the incident against the firm Schultz says: Its hurtful. I think people are ill-informed. Its very difficult to protest against a can of Coke, a bottle of Pepsi-Cola, or a can of Folgers coffee. Starbucks is both a ubiquitous brand and a place where you can go and break a window. You cannot break a can of Coke. Anti-globalization protesters target recognizable global brands because they are convenient symbols. The following excerpt from The Ruckus Societys Action Planning Manual and Media Manual illustration to close ties between global brands and the principles of direct actions against them: First [we] use direct action to reduce the issue to symbols. The symbols must be carefully chosen for their utility in illustrating a conflict: an oil company versus an indigenous community, a government policy versus public interest. Then we worked to place these symbols and the public eye, in order to identify the evil doer, detailed the wrongdoing and, if possible, point to a more responsible option.
The message that activists want to communicate focuses on the overseas activities corporations. They accuse multinational paying less than living wage workers in the Third World, of engaging in labor and environmental practices that would be outlawed in their home countries, of driving local competitors out of business and of furthering cultural imperialism. As one Global Trade Watch Field organizer described it: The rules by which trade is governed need to have more to do with the interests of citizens and with the back pockets and cash wads of a couple corporate CEOs. And we want to make sure that there is a balanced consideration. Obviously people are always going to be concerned with their profits; its business, and we understand that, we accept that. But we think that needs to be balanced with concern for the rights of workers, basic human rights, [and] protecting the environment.
Critics further accused international organizations like the WTO, World Bank, and IMF of promoting corporate globalization by supporting trade liberation, by promoting export based economic development, and by facilitating foreign direct investment. According to an organization that bills itself as Mobilization for Global Justice: Most of the worlds most impoverished country have suffered under IMF/World Bank programs for two decades: may have seen debt levels rise, unemployment skyrocketed, property increased, and environment devastated. Urged to export, they focus on cash crops like coffee instead of food for their own people, and allow foreign governments to build sweatshops, which also puts pressure on jobs in the US.
When Starbucks opened its first store in Mexico in September 2002, it shows a night in the Sheraton Hotel on Reforma Boulevard in Mexico City. This was Starbucks first store in Latin America and its first in an origin country, i.e., a coffee producing countries. An article on the Organic Consumers Association Web site describes Starbucks Mexican flagship store: The new Starbucks on Reforma features soft lighting and an aromatic ambience Behind the counter, will roam employees without his signature Frappuccino and lattes. Indeed, the only jarring note is the 36 pesos ($3.60) the young woman at the register wants for a double latte, 10 times the price Indian farmers are getting for a pound of their product in Chiapas Oaxaca, and other coffee Rich state of southern Mexico There is no starker contrast in the economics of coffee these days than between the cushy comforts and gourmet blends of the Starbucks Experiencia and the grim, daily existence of 360,000mostly Indian coffee farmers will work small plots carved fom the Jungle Mountains of southern Mexico.
Multinational corporations and their supporters respond that the effects all and solutions for globalization are more complicated than the critics contend. They note that multinationals create jobs, pay better prices and wages and domestic firms, and conform to a local labor and environmental regulations. The skeptics are right to be disturbed by sweatshops, child labor, bonded labor, and other gross abuses that go on many poor countries (and in the darkest corners of rich ones, too). But what makes people vulnerable to these practices is poverty the more thoroughly these companies (multinational) penetrate the markets of the Third World, the fastest today introduced their capital and working practices, the sooner poverty will retreat and the harder it will be for such abuses to persist.
Moreover, multinationals argue, they have responded to the criticism of profit driven behavior by developing corporate codes of conduct, corporate social responsibility programs, and partnerships with nongovernmental organizations. They point out, however, that they are in a no-win situation, vis--vis their critics, because today can always be criticized for not doing enough. Starbucks has found that global concerns of thing get mixed up with and intertwined with local issues. Even the mere act of opening a Starbucks retail store in a neighborhood can be solved and local activism and community push back against the Starbucks brand. For example, when Starbucks opened a store in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1998, picketers carrying signs that read Dont Let Corporate Greed Destroy Our Neighborhood, greeted it. A lawyer who helps community keep national chains out, says: Its part of the growing tension in the world between the mass market economy and peoples desire to retain self-control and some local culture if you have got a beef with Starbucks, you have got a beat with capitalism. Starbucks has stationed a variety of community pushback situations around the world. Soon Beng Yeap, one of Starbucks international brand reputation manager notes: This community push back is a live issue and Starbucks manage each pushback incident case by case. In some markets we have gone in and in some we have pulled out. He cites two recent examples, one in London, where Starbucks decided to withdraw its efforts to open a store after local activists actively campaigned against the firm, and the other in Beijing, where the firm opened a store in a historic district, and, following subsequent and significant adverse comment reported in local and international media, decided to stay put.
Primrose Hill and Starbucks Decision to Withdraw
In 2002 Starbucks made plans to open a store in Primrose Hill, a London suburb. Located in northwest London, Primrose Hill is a well-known historical and picturesque area comprised of a public park, shopping village area, and attractive Victorian residential housing. Residents of Primrose Hill many of whom are writers, photographers, actors, and musicians take great pride in the area and are protective of their local environment, acting to ensure that no change stores operate in the area. In early 2002, Starbucks selected Primrose Hill as a potential site for a store, and in April 2002 cemented an application to the local council. When this information was published in the local papers, it received considerable negative feed back from the residence, in particular from the Primrose Hill Conservation Area Advisory Committee. This committee claimed that litter, noise, and disruption from deliveries to Starbucks store in Primrose Hill what real in the village ambience and contribute to the homogenization of the high streets. The opposition surprised Starbucks because Primrose Hill residents, associations (including the Primrose Hill Conservation Area Advisory Committee), and businesses had been contacted as part of calls location. What the potential site. Although the objections of Starbucks entry focused on local planning issues, there was an anti-globalization element as well. One critic was quoted as saying that Starbucks was renowned for not paying proper money to coffee growers. In response to the grid ticks, Starbucks offered to arrange meetings between the planning committee, local counselors, and its representatives to discuss the issues and hear their concerns. Despite Starbucks effort, no meeting all for was accepted and minimal responses were received. In the meantime, the Primrose Hill conservation area advisory committee began to campaign strongly against Starbucks. They collected more than 1300 letters of objection, which they then presented to the local council. Many celebrities, such as actor Jude Law, national theater director Nicholas Hytner, broadcaster Joan Bakewell, singer Neneh Cherry, author Jeanette Winterson, and artist Patrick Caulfield, lent their support by opposing that Starbucks application. Media coverage that was initially local became national when celebrities became involved. According to Horwat: Primrose Hill was an A site. A very affluent neighborhood, little or no competition, and we knew it would be a winner. Everyone [at Starbucks international]loved it. The real estate people, the fans people, and others signed off on the deal. Opposition only came when the city Council was about to approve [our application]. The opposition claimed that our entry would raise rents in the community. So we went back to the city Council to argue our case. But activists brought in movie stars and gather local and national media attention. In early June 2002, when it was apparent that Starbucks was not welcomed in Primrose Hill, the company decided against opening the store. Reflecting on their decision to withdraw, Horwat explains: We care about the abuse of the communities about which we are a part. We tried to have our stores to be part of a community. We had hoped to make a positive contribution to the people to get together in Primrose Hill. If the community does not welcome us, it is not someplace we want to be.
Adds Soon Beng Yeap: You have to understand the bigger picture in the UK to appreciate what was going on locally at the time Starbucks was seen as an American chain coming in to the British market and the British media tend to be very cynical. The specialty coffee market was becoming crowded and extremely competitive with several other chains such as Caf Nero, Coffee Republic, and Costa Coffee making a strong push market share. The Starbuck team review all factors involved as well as listened carefully to the community concerns. At the end of the day, we decided to withdraw our application.

Beijing and Starbucks Decision to Stay
Starr Boggs opened its first outlet in Beijing in January 1999 and has over 100 stores and the country today. However, Starbucks touched a nationalist nerve in 2000 when it opened a small coffee shop in Beijings Forbidden City. In highlighting this particular store, the New York Times noted: If ever there was an emblem of the extremes to which globalization has reached, this is it: mass-market American coffee called her and Chinas most hollowed historic place. Even a McDonalds in the Kremlin would not come as close. Starbucks opened its Forbidden City shop a month ago [September 2000] with a signature menu board advertising the usual Americano and decaffeinated latte coffee and a glass display case filled with fresh glazed doughnuts, cinnamon rings, and banana walnut muffins.
Starbucks, for its part, had taken extraordinary care to ensure its presence was unobtrusive. To avoid ruining the atmosphere of the big city, assigns and brand images were placed inside for this store. This small store (barely closet size according to some reports) had only two small tables and few chairs. It was located on the edge of the Forbidden City, among 50 other retailers, including some selling souvenirs and trinkets. Despite such a low-key presence, this store ignited controversy. Dozen of Chinese newspapers reported on reactions to the shop. According toone such report and the Peoples Daily: The reason for this uproar is due to the cafs location: the Forbidden City, the worlds largest imperial palacefirst constructed in 1406, the forbidden city is Chinas best preserved ancient architecture encircled by a rampant 3 km. The caf, named Starbucks is situated in the southeastern corner of the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian), one of the three most impressive buildings on the palace grounds. The hall used to be giving you to hold feasts by Emperor and Noble of ethnic groups on New Years Eve of Chinas lunar calendar debates over the mini Caf took place first on the Web. A survey by Sina.com showed that over 70 percent of nearly 60,000 people surveyed were opposed to the caf entry into the Forbidden City, the main reason being the damaging effects to Chinese culture heritage and its atmosphere.
The administrators of the forbidden Palace and other government officials took note of the controversy but were supportive of Starbucks. Chen , a spokesperson for the forbidden city Museum, maintained that allowing Starbucks into the big city was part of their effort to improve service in the area. Moreover, Chen added: The reaction has been very intense. Some people say this is a gem of Chinese culture and that foreign brands and should not be allowed in we cannot give up eating for the fear of choking.
According to Horwat: The Forbidden City location was a C site at best. But not definitely a D site, because there was still the benefit of brand presence. But the government said, We think you should come in, and it was difficult to say no. there was no local community, only tourist. Following the flurry of articles and the Chinese media CNN began to run news clips of the story in the United States. Watching this unfold in the US media, some senior managers at Starbucks became alarmed at the negative publicity. According to Soon Beng Yeap: The immediate reaction was to close the store! Due to the relentless negative coverage generated by the international media. After serious discussion among the senior executives, we felt as guest in a foreign country, we should be respectful of our host; the Forbidden City officials-who invited us to be there in the first place. We decided to not to pull out because it was the international media that stirred up the whole controversy. Unlike the Primrose Hill case, there was no real local community pushback. It was all media driven. A few reporters got hold of the story and ran with it, all citing the same survey by Sina.com we were very disappointed by the negative media coverage, which created a false sense of cultural imperialism about our intentions and opening the store, especially when we worked very hard to be culturally sensitive and listen to the local community.
The controversy has since died down, as a recent report (February 2003) in The Straits Times (Singapore) indicates: Today if anything, the tourists were more upset than the Beijing residents about the presence of Starbucks in the forbidden city, complaining that it was out of place in a historical site ask what were the hottest issues of the day ordinary citizens, taxi driver Liu Zhiming said: Cars, apartments, and making money. What else?

Entering Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Peter Malsen, president of Starbucks international, hurriedly convened a meeting of his key executives and Starbucks international, including Julio Gutierrez, his president for Latin America. Starbucks entry into Brazil was in jeopardy because certain activists opposing Starbucks presence in the country were gaining momentum. Brazil is the largest coffee producing country in the world, and this was Starbucks second foray into Latin America (after Mexico). The company chose not to seek a joint venture partner to enter Brazil. Since many copycat chains had sprung up in Ro de Janeiro, some imitating Starbucks to the last detail, Malsen felt that his team had to move quickly before any particular group established itself as to permit chain. After several years of working with Julios Latin American team, no suitable joint venture partner had been identified, and Malsen was considering establishing a 100 percent Starbucks owned MBU (as it had already done in the UK, Australia, and Thailand). The business development group, with Julios team, had picked a site in the Ipanema area of Ro de Janeiro. They proposed that a flagship store be opened on this neighborhoods main commercial Street Rua Visconde de Piraja. Many of Rios motion tradition boutiques started in Ipanema, later to be exported to the malls and other parts of town. Many world-renowned brands such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Polo Ralph Lauren had stores on the Rua Visconde de Piraja. It is often said that news in Ipanema makes headlines all over Brazil. Starbucks had also chosen other sites, four to be specific, were the company could open stores immediately following the opening of the flagship Ipanema store. One of the stores was to be located in the posh neighborhood of Barra de Tijuca; another one slated for Leblon, and two others for shopping malls located in affluent residential neighborhoods in the city. The real estate group was ready to sign the lease with the agents of the Ipanema property owners, but was awaiting a formal response from the city Council members. The business development group, led by Troy Alstead, SVP finance and business development at Starbucks international, was confident that the Ipanema location was an A category site. The demographics of the area are just right for a flagship store. They are affluent, Young, and love of American Brands. The business development groups financial projections indicated that the Ipanema Starbucks store would be profitable in a short time, and Alstead believed that this was a conservative figure. Further, he pointed out: Based on the companys experiences of opening flagship stores and similar, high-traffic posh neighborhoods in other cities around the world our store in Ginza, Japan, comes to mind we believe the Ipanema store would be viable for Starbucks. We estimate meeting the store ROI targets in aggregate of the first five stores within two years.
But Malsen had some concerns. He was troubled by the reports about rising levels of violence and street crimes in Rio and Sao Paulo. In response to the growing violence, some of the most fashionable retailers were relocating themselves in shopping malls. He also questioned whether the timing for Starbucks was off. Current world events had generated anti-American feeling in many countries. Following the standard practice, Starbucks had been working with the local chamberof commerce since January 2003, and with the local city council for the required permits. The members city Council and local chamber of commerce were positive about granting Starbucks permission to begin construction. While the formal voting had yet to be undertaken, it looked certain that, bearing anything unusual, permission would be granted. But nongovernmental organization like the Organic Consumers Association and Global Exchange were mobilizing faster than expected to oppose Starbucks entry into Brazil. They found out about Starbucks intent to enter Brazil when to Ipanema district chamber of commerce newsletter proudly announced that, We arent extremely pleased walk of Starbucks into the fashionable district of Ipanema. By opening a store in our neighborhood, they will join other global brands and help enhance further our district image as a place to be in Rio. The NGOs was recruiting local activist and had informed Starbucks that they would oppose its entry into Brazil ride petitioning the local council to reject its application. They also threatened to start picketing in front of the store once construction was initiated. The brand group a Starbucks was concerned about the turn of events. Soon Beng elaborated: People in Latin America now the brand because of their proximity to the US. Potential partners are always contacting us about coming in. Before we go into a place lke Brazil, what is to due diligence we have to do? It is an origin country for us {i.e., coffee producing country} it is a very vocal place, and there is a love-hate relationship with United States. Advanced people always want to say yes to or when the numbers look good. Today some in Starbucks, at least in our group, say that maintaining and protecting our strong brand reputation is equally important. Others counter: if our brand or strong and why worry about it? This is a discussion we have here everyday and the company. While the pushback is not totally unexpected, it is hard to gauge the severity of the situation and its likely impact what our brand.
Malsen asked Alsteads business development group to work with Julios Latin American team to estimate how picketing in front of the store might impact the financial projections and his group had prepared. Their answer: Our financial estimates for the Ipanema store are based on comparables from other flagship stores and locations similar to Rio in other parts of the world. Our financial models are sensitive to the demographics of the area. We project that demand could fall from 5 to 25 percent, because of people picketing in front of the store. We acknowledge it is much harder to guess what the impact on our entire system in Brazil might be as we open new stores. It all depends upon the type of media coverage the activists are able to muster and the issues the media choose to highlight.
Volunteered Soon Beng
The tide of public opinion is unpredictable. We review each pushback incident the best we can, and we can have a reasonable track record of predicting outcomes. But, every time we walked into a potential site somewhere in the world, we potentially face is pushback. It would be great to have a foolproof total system to help us evaluate the sorts of issues and make the appropriate decisions. Malsen had to leave Seattle to attend an important meeting in Europe the following day. He called together his key managers and said, Look, we have experienced a variety of pushbacks and protests before. What lessons have we learned? We have been deciding whether to go into sites or pulled out on case by case basis. If we are going to grow to 25,000 stores, we cannot keep taking an ad hoc approach. We need a systematic method to respond to push back to this side whether we stay with a site or pull out. I want you to come up with a way to help me decide whether to go into Rio at all. And its got to be a system or decision process that would work equally well in London or Beijing or any place else that we want to open. Let us meet again when I get back to town in a couple of days. The managers of Starbucks international had their work cut out for them. But they look for it to tackling the issues raised.

Discussion Questions

a.Briefly describe the history and evolution of Starbucks.

b.In your view, what are the key events in the history of the company?

c.Using your own words, described the Starbucks model.

d.What were the key issues and the decision by Starbucks to go international?

e.Identify and discuss some of the negative elements of globalization focused by Starbucks.

f.Based on your analysis, what advice would you provide Starbucks with respect to the next 3-5 year period.

The research and case study paper is about the following topic:

Corporate fraud and deception Case study, Whole Foods Executive John P. Mackey, the co-founder of Whole Foods Market, use of an alias

The paper needs to discuss the legal implications of John P. Mackey's actions.

a cover page, table of contents, an introduction, captions for each sub-topic paragraph, footnotes with citations for references in correct citation form, and a conclusion.

Corporate fraud and deception Case study, Whole Foods Executive John P. Mackey, the co-founder of Whole Foods Market, use of an alias.



Introduction to the case study
Definition of pseudonym and how it was used in this case
Examples of Mr. John P.Mackeys postings in light of depicting his intentions with Wild Oats.
Mr. Mackey tried to disempower competition in hopes of making his own organization more powerful through false representation
The Federal Trade Commission filed suit against Mr. Mackey (In fear of Whole Foods dominating the market and eliminating the competition)
Current competitors of Whole Foods
Legal Implications of Corporate Fraud and Deception
Conclusion

He is a CEO of a public traded company

Influence stock price by bad mouthing. Lower stocks wild oats and acquire it plus merge
Corporate Fraud
Misrepresentation
Possibility Inside Trading?
Oligopoly/ pure monopoly
Code of ethics: Federal government is trying to get him on that
Fraud of stock manipulation regardless of whether he used his own name or not
He is inviting Class action law suits by making the yahoo posts

Can I please have a different writer for this assignment? The past assignment writer was Laura Lindsey order number 43548
Assessment criteria

All assignment questions in this course will be assessed on the same basis. Each question is to be answered in essay format, not exceeding 6000 words (please provide the word count for each essay). The criteria for assessment will be based on the student?s ability to:
a. address the subject matter of the question (weight 25)
b. consider the concepts behind the question (weight 25)
c. illustrate their arguments with examples (weight 25)
d. write in a manner that is readable, correctly formatted, uses correct citation referencing, is well researched and of the correct format (weight 25).
Objectives
This assessment item links the course objectives 3, 4 and 5 as stated in Part A.
Course objectives
On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
1. describe the characteristics of the industrial and institutional environments of doing business in the Asia-Pacific
2. understand how different business systems in the Asia-Pacific operate, particularly how firms within these systems build up their competitive competencies
3. demonstrate an awareness of the significance of cultural differences in business practices
4. apply strategic thinking and managerial techniques in the running of businesses in the region
5. assess the potential of the region as a collection of key markets and players in international business.

Question 1
Choose TWO of the nine Asia Pacific countries identified by Lasserre and Sch?tte (your own country is not permitted) and indicate how cultural differences between them and Australia would mean having to adopt a different way of conducting business. (20%)
Question 2
Your company has a joint-venture manufacturing operation in the Philippines with the intention of producing consumer consumables (e.g., soaps and detergents) for marketing into China and Indonesia. What strategies and management techniques would you consider to be appropriate in this scenario. State any assumptions that you make. (20%)
Question 3
Consider what the Asia Pacific market will look like by the year 2010. Which of the nine countries will be the best markets for each of the following:
(a) raw materials,
(b) consumer consumables,
(c) fast-moving consumer goods,
(d) consumer durables, and
(e) luxury goods?
State your reasons. (20%)
Required resources
Textbook/s
You must purchase these textbooks or have access to them.
Lasserre, P & Sch?tte, H 1999, Strategies for Asia Pacific: beyond the crisis, Macmillan Education Australia, South Melbourne.
Mahoney, D, Trigg, M, Griffin, R & Pustay, M 2001, International business: a managerial perspective, 2nd edn, Pearson Education Australia, French?s Forest NSW.
Faculty of Business and Law 2004, Guide for students, 5th edn. (Available from the CQU Bookshop at a nominal cost.)
The Guide for students is also available on the web at:
http://www.bus.cqu.edu.au/CStudent/Guide/welcome.htm
Do not rely on the CQU Library for set textbooks, as multiple copies are not available.
Recommended references
The following is a brief list of useful journals:
ASEAN economic bulletin, Expanded Academic ASAP/ProQuest 5000 International
Asia, Inc., CQU Library
Asia Pacific financial markets, Kluwer Journals Online
Asia Pacific journal of human resources, EBSCOhost EJS
Asia Pacific journal of management, ProQuest 5000 International/Kluwer Journals Online
Asia Pacific journal of marketing and logistics, ProQuest 5000 International/Emerald Fulltext
Asia Pacific law review, Kluwer Journals Online
Asia pulse, LexixNexis Academic
Asia Today, LexisNexis Academic
Asia today international, ProQuest 5000 International
Asiamoney, ProQuest 5000 International
Asian affairs, an American review, Extended Academic ASAP/ProQuest 5000 International
Asian banker journal, LexisNexis Academic
Asian business, ProQuest 5000 International
Asian business and management, ProQuest 5000 International
Asian economic papers, LexisNexis Academic
Asian finance, ProQuest 5000 International
Asian law journal, LexisNexis Academic
Asian-Pacific law and policy journal, LexisNexis Academic
Asian review of business and technology, ProQuest 5000 International
Asian studies review, Australian Public Affairs Full Text
Asia-Pacific public relations journal, Australian Public Affairs Full Text
Asiaweek, Expanded Academic ASAP
Business Asia, Expanded Academic ASAP
Far Eastern affairs, ProQuest 5000 International
Far Eastern economic review, ProQuest 5000 International
International business Asia, Expanded Academic ASAP
Websites

Useful Websites will be listed on the Blackboard Website for this course.

Please make sure citation and quotes come with exact source and page!!! (MLA style) otherwise this paper is useless.
-please provide the author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work in a parenthetical citation
-please provide full citation information for the work in your Works Cited list




The Paper


introduction
- including brief historic part with relevance to overall topic (the future of Cuba)
- and description of the current situation (politcs, economy, society)
(approx. 10-pages)



main part:

1. Future under Castro
-current plans of Cuban government for the future (politics,economy(military?s role,society)
- opinion of dissidents in Cuba and of Cuban-Americans and public opinion in Cuba, as well as international partners, friends, institutions and enemies concerning the current government?s plans .(approx.10 pages)

2. Cuba?s foreign affairs/ relations in the near future under Castro- ( USA/ EU particularly Spain, Latin America-particularly Venezuela, Brazil and of course China)
- opinion of dissidents in Cuba and of Cuban-Americans and public opinion in Cuba, as well as international partners, friends, institutions and enemies. concerning foreign relations (approx. 10 pages)

3. Cuba after Castro
- Castro-resignation, death, counterrevolution?
- Plans of Cuban Government for the time after Castro, possible succesors and their likely policies
- Role of Military after Castro particularly concerning stability, security and military?s role in the economy
- Existing plans for the time after Casto ( dissidents in Cuba, Cuban-Americans, US government, foreign companies particularly US and Spanish companies, which steps have already been taken to have a good position in case things change? also include Cuban population and the whole issue of nationolization of properties, real estate and companies during the revolution and the possible diffuculties concerning compensation. Maybe comparison to Eastern Europe/ Russia (approx.25 pages)

4. Reforms vs. Transition after Castro
- Possibilities for reforming the current system with a succesor of Castro ( example: China and others)
- Possibilities for a peaceful transition to democracy and market economy with an all new government and system
(example: Eastern Europe, Russia and others)
(approx. 20 pages)

conclusion ( approx. 5 pages)

works cited list

bibliography



Please make sure citation and quotes come with exact source and page!!! (MLA style) otherwise this paper is useless..
- please provide the author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work in a parenthetical citation
- please provide full citation information for the work in your Works Cited list

I know that this goes without saying, but since this paper requires a lot of predictions and because it is not easy to remain neutral when it comes to writing about Cuba , I?d like to stress the importance of an unbiased approach.

Please include:
Title page
Bibliography page
References page
Works Cited page
MLA Style
parenthetical citations on all/ almost all pages and quotations when appropriate
and please give status updates

Thank you

In this assignment you will describe your fictitious company and provided its background. Then, you are
ready to start building the marketing plan with a focus on segmenting and positioning your product and
service.
Write a five to seven 6 page paper in which you:
A. Write about your company.
1. Write a detailed company background. Address the following items at a minimum for full credit:
2. Create a strategic mission statement.
3. Determine and decide upon at least one (1) foreign market for the product and service. Provide
your rationale for this market.
B. Write about your marketing plan.
4. Discuss the potential audiences for a marketing plan and the needs of those potential audiences.
5. Identify the marketing segment for the product and provide a rationale for this segment.
6. Discuss the target market and provide a rationale for this target market.
7. Perform a SWOT analysis (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) for the company.
8. Create the market position for your product and service. Explain your rationale.
9. Support your marketing plan with at least two (2) reference sources that discuss the nature of the
product.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
? Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all
sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your
professor for any additional instructions.
? Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the students name, the professors
name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in
the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
? Analyze the marketing framework including the concepts of the 5Cs, STP, and 4Ps.
? Evaluate and target customer segments and positioning products within these segments.
? Evaluate and target customer segments and positioning products within these segments.
? Use technology and information resources to research issues in marketing management.
? Write clearly and concisely about marketing management using proper writing mechanics.

Please look at the information below. I will attach a proper word document of the instructions and a sample reserach paper to use as a template too in the resource file.

My reserach company is Red Hat, Inc (NYSE: RHT) . Please be familiar with the financial aspects of the business (writer) as you have to perform analysis based onthe 10k of the company. If you do a good job on this i have another project which i will request you to do aswell after you finish this.



I need a research report which talks about the following :
Conduct a complete analysis and valuation of a business. You will assume the role of a financial analyst and your task is to advise the companys investors and creditors about the companys prospects.
I would like the project write-up to be a readily comprehensible and condensed report (i.e., not a detailed compilation of all the information you collected and all the various scenarios you considered).. In essence your paper is a detailed Executive Summary of your research. Please cite any sources of data. Also please attach the firms most recent 10K.

Your valuation analysis should follow the steps described here and in your text.
1) Identify the economic characteristics of the industry. The book offers 3 tools for analyzing these characteristics, a) Value Chain Analysis, b) Porters Five Forces Classification Framework and c) Economics Attributes Framework. Most of this information can be found in the 10K, please do not simply repeat the company overview from the 10k. This section will allow to gather some background material on the primary industry(ies) in which the company operates. This knowledge will allow you to compare your specific firm with similar companies with which it competes. (15 pts)
2) Identify the company strategies. Firms establish business strategies in an attempt to differentiate themselves from competitors. Briefly describe the companys strategy for success and, most importantly, the sustainability of profits generated by the strategy. A framework for Strategy Analysis is presented in your book as a) Nature of Product or Service, b) Degree of integration within Value Chain, c) Degree of Geographical Diversification and d) Degree of Industry Diversification. (15 pts)
3) Assess the Quality of Earnings for your company. The main objective is to assess the degree of conservatism in your companys reported earnings. This assessment should help you to determine how predictable earnings are and the degree of risk inherent in your companys performance. Typical questions to ask are: a) were there any unusual of infrequent items reported on the income statement? b) Were there any discontinued operations? c) Were there any extraordinary items? d) Was there an accounting change? e) What method(s) did your company use to value inventory? And so on. (20 pts)
4) Analyze Profitability and Risk. Use ratio analysis and/or cash flow analysis to evaluate the current and past performance of the business and assess its sustainability. You should definitely compare your company to some peers in the same industry. Comment on your companys performance trends, problems and strengths. Include an assessment of liquidity, capital structure, debt management and long-term profitability. (30 pts)
5) Forecasting. Forecast the firm future income statement and balance sheets. The forecast could be based on past trends, comparison with other firms in the industry or an industry report. To make it easier you could assume that your company has reached a mature stage and growth rates are normal and constant. You could use FSAP (software provided by the authors or create your own model using Excel. A simple forecast is acceptable as long as your forecasted Income Statement and Balance Sheet makes sense. (10 pts)
6) Valuation. Using the formulae in chapters 11 and 12 (or use FSAP) you should get an estimate of stock (and firm) value. Focus on the value per share of common stock in your company and compare your valuation to the market valuation (market stocks price). (10 pts)

Guidelines for Case Analysis

The goal of the case analyses is to help you reason like a marketer.
The most important requirements are thorough preparation and analysis of the case

It is essential that you mentally become a part of the case situation. You need to become a participant, not an observer of the situation. This is different from the way you would approach a book or a magazine article. If a case centers on a decision that needs to be made, put yourself in the shoes of the decision maker; feel the frustration he or she feels with respect to data limitations and feel the pressures he or she feels with respect to difficult tradeoffs, limited resources, political conflicts, etc.
In some instances, the case may represent a good example of a marketing strategy and you are expected to learn what makes this a good example. Other cases may present a situation where the strategy is failing or has failed and the purpose is to learn from such failures. Cases seldom represent examples of absolutely perfect or totally flawed marketing strategies.

You may use bullet points and you are encouraged to use charts, diagrams or graphs. Be as business-like in your report as possible.

Recommended Approach to the Cases

It is not necessary to search for data beyond what is available in the case.
Gather information from the case. Read the case carefully. Reread it. Make notes. Perhaps read it again.
Conduct a situational analysis. A SWOT chart is often helpful. (included in doc.). Remember, analyze, dont describe. What are the key variables of interest? How do they relate to one other? What is your model of what is happening in the case?
Now that you have thoroughly evaluated the company and its situation, what do you think is the challenge for management and how did this arise? Define the main issue(s) or problem(s) in the case. Note that sometimes the issues presented in a case are not problems in the negative sense of something being wrong or impending doom for the company. Often the greatest challenge facing an organization is recognizing or acting upon an opportunity rather than solving a problem.
What key facts in the case should be used to solve the problem/tackle the issue? What do we need to know that we dont know?
Create some alternative courses of action for the company. What are the possibilities? What could be done, by whom and how?
Evaluate the strategic alternatives. What are their pros and cons? On what basis should the alternatives be compared? What criteria? What are the implications of one alternative versus another? What are the consequences? Which is your best idea? Why? What do you reject? Why?
Remember to adopt a managerial posture in analyzing cases. Your answer should highlight what you, as a manager, see as the strengths and weaknesses in a given situation.
Also remember that there is no single correct solution to a case study. There are however, many wrong solutions, as well as solutions that are inadequately supported with analysis, and solutions and analyses that are ineffective because they are not presented in an orderly and persuasive fashion.
During your analysis, you might find it helpful to refer to page numbers or exhibit numbers in a particular case (e.g. Case, page 15).

Criteria

Problem Definition Clear, concise definition of the problem(s)/issue(s) in the case. 10 points
Situational Analysis Utilization of key facts in the case to analyze the situation; perceptiveness and creativity of analysis; use of concepts from the readings/handouts to analyze the case; avoidance of merely describing the case facts but organizing them in some way to support your opinions of the situation. 15 points
Identification of Possible Alternatives Building the alternatives from the analysis; logic and creativity in developing alternatives. 20 points
Evaluation of Alternatives Development of criteria upon which to base your evaluation. Clear and concise presentation of the evaluation. Discussion of the implications of each alternative. 30 points
Choice of an Alternative Explanation of the rationale for your final recommendation. Persuasiveness of recommendation. Where an alternative involves decisions about several variables of interest (e.g. brand image, price, and distribution method), the degree to which your recommendation is internally consistent and holistic. 15 points
Overall Taking an integrative approach. This means the use of a market orientation or marketing perspective throughout while also recognizing of the importance of other managerial functions. Communicating clearly and concisely.
10 points
Discussion Questions for Cases
Below are questions to help you to prepare for the class discussions. Although these questions might give you some general ideas about the content or focus for your write-up or class presentation, your written analysis must use the "problem definition, situation analysis, evaluation of alternatives approach etc." explained in the preceding pages.

Proctor & Gamble: Always Russia
1. How successful has P&G been in building this business? What has been done differently from usual practice in (a) developed Western markets and (b) other emerging markets?
2. What are the strategic options facing P&G Russia and the Always brand? What is the market potential for this brand?
3. What do you recommend with regard to the three decisions highlighted in the introduction (Always pricing, the localization of marketing strategy in different Eastern European countries, and the product range offered in Russia)?
4. The conclusion to the case (p13) describes the emergence of a parallel importing problem? How serious is this problem? Why has it arisen? What can P&G do about it?

Pick out important issues and analyze. Indicate of the two strategies which one would be picked a or b? 2 alternatives in solving the problem. Evaluate alternatives. What is the cause of action for the particular alternatives?















After working through this handout, you will have achieved the ability to:

Use a SWOT chart to analyze the internal and external marketing environments.
Discuss the importance of marketing resources and show their relationship to company performance.
Identify marketing resources that can be used to create value.



Conducting a Situational Analysis for Marketing using a SWOT Chart

In order to analyze the marketing environment, managers must analyze the 4Cs: Company (or organization), (environmental) Context, Customers, and Competitors. The most frequently used tool for such an analysis is the SWOT Analysis. This involves appraisal of the:
Internal Environment (Company): Strengths, Weaknesses
and the
External Environment (Context, Customers, Competitors): Opportunities, Threats







Strengths are internal capabilities that can help an organization achieve its objectives. Examples are special skills of managers or employees, a strong brand, efficiency of operations, and a good network of partners.

According to a Datamonitor SWOT analysis published in 2003, Flextronics strengths are a well-differentiated business model, highly effective cost and investment management, and flexibility in spreading risk across a well-diversified services portfolio. Note that each of these strengths are capabilities or skills, rather than, for example, access to large capital resources. Financial resources are necessary, but the key to success is how managers use their skills in investing and utilizing those resources.

The strategic resources that generate sustained competitive advantage are valuable, rare and difficult to imitate. Hence, as emphasized by Jay Barney in the Academy of Management Review, intangible resources are more likely to result in a competitive advantage than are tangible resources. Capabilities (such as collective learning in the organization which might include, for example, a specific capability to innovate) are the key intangible firm-specific resources that allow firms to achieve a core competency, that is, the ability to convert a key uccess factor into a practice.

Core competencies of Flextronics are lean manufacturing and skills in customer relationship management.


Weaknesses are internal characteristics that can prevent an organization from achieving its objectives. Examples are a lack of trained employees, weak implementation abilities, and poor levels of service to customers or clients.

Datamonitor includes among Flextronics weaknesses, risks arising from an aggressive acquisition strategy and over-dependence on a few customers.


Opportunities are external circumstances that an organization might be able to take advantage of in order to achieve its objectives. Examples are growth markets in new regions and new product or service introductions.

Among Flextronics opportunities are growth in the outsourcing trend, its first mover advantage status in the rapidly growing original design manufacture (ODM) sector of the market, and the chance to leverage its wide geographical spread in over 30 countries.


Threats are external circumstances that might hurt an organizations performance. Examples are changing legislation, increasing competition, or a negative image because of a lack of corporate social responsibility.

In Flextronics case, the threats include increasing competition from other original design manufacturers and low cost manufacturers, and shortening product or technology life cycles which mean that the company has to refocus continually to stay ahead of the competition.

When analyzing a Company (or organization), consider the following:

The fundamental purpose or mission of the organization.
Resources available: human resources (skilled employees with high morale), financial resources, informational resources (information about customers, competitors, and the environmental context) and supply resources (material, components).
The organizational culture: market orientation, leadership, quality of internal communication networks, and work processes that might lead to competitive advantage (logistics, service, manufacturing, new product development, database management).
The combination of products and services offered. Are some products or services more important than others at present? Are these products and services being marketed efficiently and effectively?
Partnerships and strategic alliances with other organizations.
The organizations performance to this point.

Consider the marketing implications of the following elements of the external environmental Context (PEST):

Political-legal trends: are any changes/likely changes in national/foreign governmental regulations applicable to the marketing of a product or service?
Economic trends: how might the organization be affected by any developments in the national or global economy?
Social-cultural trends: how might changing social, cultural or demographic trends in society affect the organization? What are the implications of marketing a particular product or service to organizations or individuals in countries with varying cultural norms, beliefs, and languages?
Technological trends: are there any new technological developments which might affect the marketing of a particular product or service?

Instead of PEST, if you wish, you can use DEEPLIST: the Demographic, Economic, Ecological, Political, Legal, Informational, Social, and Technological environments

For a Customer analysis, answer the following questions:

Who are the customers in the market in which the organization operates? Are the primary customers organizations or individuals?
What are the general characteristics of these customers demographics, location, preferences?
What specific benefits are these customers seeking? Why do they want the product or service offered?
How do the customers make the decision to buy or use a particular product or service? Who is involved in this decision?
What information sources do the customers use? What criteria for evaluating various alternative products or services do they use?
How price-sensitive are the customers?
What is the customers knowledge of, and attitudes towards, other offerings in a specific product/service category, i.e. the competitors offerings? And what can be learned about customers behavior with respect to substitutes from other product/service categories that might also fulfill the customers needs?

The following questions are useful for Competitor analysis, to be asked for each competitor identified:

What are its objectives?
What are its strengths and weaknesses?
What are its current strategies?
What are its likely future strategies?
How does the organization match up against this competitor?

When completing a SWOT chart, make sure to include only the internal strengths and weaknesses in the top two boxes. External issues go in the opportunities and threats boxes at the bottom. In particular, be sure to make the distinction between an environmental or external threat and an internal weakness. Also, look for trends in the 4Cs; a static picture in time is inadequate.


Marketing Resources and Their Importance

Marketing resources contribute to the creation of competitive advantage. Srivastava and colleagues defined marketing resources as any attribute, tangible or intangible, physical or human, intellectual or relational, that can be deployed by the firm to achieve a competitive advantage in its markets. Among these resources, intangible assets are especially important because they account for the difference between the book value of the firm (as reported on its balance sheet) and its market value (or what someone would be willing to pay for the firm). David Haigh and Jonathan Knowles of Brand Finance observe that the sources of value creation in business have moved increasingly from tangible assets (such as plant and machinery) to intangible ones (such as brands, patents, customer databases, and skilled workforces). Todays business environment is one in which scarce resources are not factories and goods, but rather talented people, good ideas, and differentiated brands.


WEB LINK Visit the Web site: www.brandfinance.com



In support of their observation, Haigh and Knowles report that the market-to-tangible-asset ratio for the S&P 500 (the broad-based index of the 500 largest companies in the U.S.) rose from 1.3 in 1982 to 4.6 in July 2004. Therefore, the tangible assets recorded on the balance sheets of these 500 companies that used to account for over 75 percent of their stock market value in the early 1980s now explain less than 22 percent of these companies.

Examples of important marketing resources as outlined by Srivastava and colleagues in the Journal of Marketing and Hooley and colleagues in the Journal of Business Research are listed below. These are some of the intangible assets that are crucial for value creation.

1. Relational Assets.
Relational assets are the outcomes of the relationship between a firm and key external stakeholders, such as distributors, retailers, customers, other strategic partners, community groups, and governmental agencies. One of Flextronics marketing resources is its close relationship with Microsoft. This alliance is an important relational asset that can be exploited in the marketplace. For example, Peabody, a GSM/GPRS mobile phone platform based on Microsoft Windows Mobile software, is a low-cost, feature-rich Original Design & Manufacture (ODM) platform developed by both Flextronics and Microsoft. Mobile phones are becoming increasingly customized consumer products and OEMs are under pressure to produce low-cost, feature-rich phones that address the demands of this growing market. Through its alliance with Microsoft, Flextronics can use the Peabody mobile phone platform to provide its industrial customers (OEMs) with a cost-effective way to quickly expand their product lines and respond to market demands.

A specific relational asset is the companys Customer-Linking Capabilities. According to George Day, these include the ability to identify customer wants nd requirements together with the capabilities to create and build appropriate relationships with those customers. Customer-linking capabilities take time to develop, rely on the complex interplay of supporting resources within various departments and functions of a firm, are primarily based on tacit knowledge and interpersonal skills, and are difficult for competitors to imitate. Therefore, George Day believes these capabilities are among the most valuable of any organization.

2. Reputational Assets.
Reputational assets concern the organizations reputation among its customers, suppliers and distributors. Reputational assets are revealed through the value of an organizations brand.

Basically, [brand value] is the power of the brand to deliver an earnings stream that is robust and generates shareholder value.
Shailendra Kumar, Head of Brand Valuation at FutureBrand, as quoted by Robin D. Rusch in Worlds Most Valuable Brands: A Closer Look at Measuring Brands at www.brandchannel.com


If every one of the 19,000 McDonalds restaurants around the world were to burn to the ground overnight, the cost of replacing them would be $17 billion. Yet the market cap of McDonalds on the New York Stock Exchange is $33 billion. The $16 billion difference is the value of the McDonalds brand.

Kevin Roberts, CEO, Saatchi and Saatchi
in a speech to the Advertising Agencies Association
www.saatchikevin.com

A strong brand can be the source of competitive advantage because brands take considerable time and effort to build, add value for customers, and are difficult or impossible for competitors to duplicate.


WEB LINK Visit www.interbrand.com and search for the Best Global Brands, a survey of the worlds most valuable brands conducted annually by Interbrand.


3. Ability to Innovate Successfully.
A very important marketing resource is the ability to innovate successfully, with respect to either products or services that have value to customers. Superior innovation capabilities are complex and require intangible linkages across functions, and rely on tacit skills and learning.

3M is well known for its long and successful history of innovation. Innovation is embedded into 3M's corporate culture and consciousness and is an essential part of the corporate mottoLeading Through Innovation.


WEB LINK To examine 3Ms history and approach, visit: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/_l/en_US/_s.155/123515 to read A Century of Innovation, and view related videos, published in commemoration of the companys 100th anniversary.



4. Intellectual Market-Based Assets.
Intellectual market-based assets are of two types. The first type of intellectual market-based assets is the knowledge a firm possesses about the environment. Examples include market trends, knowledge about competitors, customers, channels, suppliers, and social and political interest groups. The second type of intellectual market-based assets is the knowledge the firm develops over time, such as unique knowledge about customer preferences, manufacturing processes, or ways of responding to competitors moves in the marketplace. Intellectual market-based assets are human resource capabilities and thus also include employee knowledge, implementation skills, an organizational culture that reflects a market orientation, and managerial capabilities such as leadership. Because many of these assets are tacit, they take time to build through training and development.

[WEB LINK Visit www.buckman.com, the Web site of Buckman Laboratories International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of specialty chemicals for aqueous industrial systems. Follow the links to Customer Value and then to Knowledge-Nurture Website to learn more about knowledge management.]


Summary

This handout demonstrated how managers analyze the marketing environment (company, context, customers and competitors) using a SWOT Chart. Search for any skill-based strengths of an organization, as these are less easy for other organizations to duplicate. Remember that resources (financial or other types) might be viewed as strengths, but the real strength is how the organization uses those resources. Marketing resources play a particularly important role in creating business value because today, intangible assets are more salient than the more imitable tangible assets. Examples of intangible marketing-related assets are relational, reputational, innovation, and intellectual assets.


Key terms:
SWOT analysis
Core competency
Marketing resource
Intangible asset

Quick knowledge check!
1. When conducting a SWOT analysis, internal and external company weaknesses should be included. True/False

2. Reputational assets are comprised of:
(a) employees knowledge
(b) knowledge about competitors
(c) the opinion of others about the company
(d) customer-linking capabilities

Practice your marketing reasoning:
Complete a SWOT chart analysis for your organization or for one with which you are familiar. You may choose to do this for a particular product area. What market-based resources can you identify? What is the organizations core competency? What are the key implications (list three recommendations) of your SWOT analysis?




There are faxes for this order.

Let me start off by saying this is a fairly open assignment and I've got an example paper that should help you out. I need someone with english as their primary language.

This is for a law school class entitled "Banking Law". This is basically a term paper for law students. That said, my professor gave me about zero guidelines for completing it. It has to be somewhat related to something we discussed in class, must include a lot of history, and a legal analysis. It's a 20-25 page paper, double spaced. I'm not clear on the formating as this is my first paper course in law school, but we use bluebook all the time in here so I would stick to that. And I've randomly chosen the topic "predatory lending and the effect it had on the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008". Basically how predatory lending killed the american dream. The reason I chose that topic was because I found a paper online on that same subject from a banking law course, possibly even from my school. I was just going to use it as a guide and write my own version but I just don't have the time due to finals. I'll provide it to you and you can use it as a guide yourself. Because the paper is a couple years old, you shouldn't rely on its sources/legal analysis. I would like a completely original version with an updated legal section but the example paper should give you a really good idea what i'm looking for. Don't use the same exact arguments and what not. I would like this paper to be sufficiently distinguishable from the one I'm giving you so it wouldn't look plagiarized. I do want similar organization though: A discussion of the problem, the history of how it came to be, a legal analysis (ie legislation being passed or that has been passed). Be sure to mention Illinois law on the subject too as that is where my school is based. (I believe the paper I'm giving you is based in IL too).

I don't think this should be a particularly difficult paper, just time consuming due to the research. As far as sources go, I would like scholarly journals, definitely some legal journals, and you could easily cite statutes and case law as well. I'm not looking for a particularly thorough paper though, as pretty much all the information you need is on wikipedia. (Don't cite that as a source though lol). What I mean is that you shouldn't have to do a thourough legal investigation as all the cases/statutes you need to talk about are readibly identifiable on wikipedia. As far as how many you need, it doesn't really matter but I want at least more than 10. As far as quality and difficulty of writing, I think that paper I gave you is an example of what I'd expect. There are no rigid guidelines for this paper so it's pretty open as to structure. Again, the example paper I'm supplying you with is a good indication of what I would like and should provide a lot of really helpful information and ideas for writing this.

This is the first time I've used a service like this so I'm anxious to see how this works. If you need more information I'll try to help you out, but as I said this is a pretty open assignment and I've been given very little direction. That example paper should help you out immensely. Although I think the citations used in it aren't bluebook. This is only a 2hr course and the professor is not a full time teacher but actually a practicing attorney. It's not a very important class, but my grade for it does ride on this paper. Regardless, please don't plagiarize. I do plan on testing the paper to make sure. If you need to know more I guess we'll talk.
There are faxes for this order.

Part 1 - Foreign Workers in Mexico:
Elaborate a report analyzing the phenomenon of foreign workers in Mexico. How open is Mexico for foreign executives and professionals? How does this affect Mexican executives and professionals? What are the benefits and the drawbacks? Why?

Part 2 - Wage Differences:
Why do you think wages are so different between countries? What is behind wage differentials? Use economic theory to explain this. Do you think that with globalization wages sooner or later will be the same around the world?

Part 3 - Conclusion:
Detail the final analysis of the subject matter, as well as a personal opinion based on the research undertaken.

Word Limit: 2000 words (excluding annotated bibliography)

QUESTIONS:

Despite it?s modular structure and the move towards Service Oriented

Architectures, in the past 20 years, ERP software and the associated benefits it brings has remained the preserve of those multinational organisations that could afford the heavy costs associated with the initial purchase of the software and its subsequent configuration. The growth in Open Source Software (OSS), Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings from companies such as
Deltion, Compiere, ERP5 et al, are proving a lifeline to smaller companies particularly in the business to business Supply Chains and Logistics arena that rival those of the traditional ERP market.

1 Examine the concepts discussed in the above statement and discuss the
suitability and what opportunities OSS & SaaS technologies have provided
for SMEs who traditionally have been excluded from entering the ERP
market.

2 What are the limitations, advantages and disadvantages that exist for SMEs trying to ?reap the benefits? associated with ERP systems?


3 Suggest a strategy for implementing one of these alternate ERP systems
within an SME, based on appropriate theory and practical experience
mentioned in academic literature.

Use suitable case studies/examples to justify your answers.

The report should be accompanied by an annotated bibliography detailing your reference sources, along with a few accompanying sentences to explain in what way you used each referenced item within your assignment and to what extent you found it beneficial.

? PLEASE ensure that the report is written as ORIGINAL as possible because it will be uploaded for PLAGIARISM CHECK!!!








TASK:
A Report on Enterprise Resource Planning, Open Source Software(OSS), Software as a Service(SaaS) and Cloud Computing.

Specific Requirements:
The Report should be 2000 words in total (Excluding the References and Bibliography)......The Report should be written to be as original as possible because it will be uploaded for plagiarism check....the Report should be written to reflect the following factors:
1) Quality of argument / Use
of theory with examples

2) Evidence of synthesis

3) Quality and justification
of conclusions

4) Structure and approach

5) Presentation, quantity and
quality of References

6) Annotations : quality and
relationship with report

7)The citation of the reference should be within each paragraph or sentence in the report.Before the overall listed reference.

....The Questions and other detailed requirements are in the attached document.

Shanghai Tang (ST) is a Chinese fashion designer label (www.shanghaitang.com). With expensive clothes, accessories and giftware, the brand has been able to cement itself a place in the fashion industry against the big names of fashion from Europe.

The brand was established in Hong Kong and grew from there to become an international fashion business. However, this transition has not been easy and the market share of this brand is still small. The brand is also not well known outside of Asia.

As a strategic manager, the problem of ST is a problem that you could face in any business. You need to plan for 5-7 years ahead.

This case study requires you to research ST, its business, its background and most importantly its strategy for expansion into a global business. Is this strategy correct? Should ST be doing things differently to make its international presence better? Where are ST?s outlets mostly located? Is this a good choice?

These and many other questions will help you answer the two (2) case questions below. By researching ST and understanding their strategy, you can form your own opinion about the best strategy for ST to expand.

The purpose of this case study is to evaluate whether you are able to research an international business and comment on whether its strategy is suitable to achieve the goal of expanding into an international market.

Shangai Tang is a good example of a local company going global. It is a Chinese fashion design firm that designs and sells clothing, apparel, accessories and homewares. The business sells direct through its own outlets (Shanghai Tang Stores) as well as some minor partnerships with other businesses to sell its products on its behalf.

What is required?
(1) Whether you think the Shanghai Tang Strategy is suitable to allow it to expand further into more countries

(2) Whether you would like to make recommendations to Shanghai Tang management on a better way to do this.

Assignment: The Federal Reserve


The Federal Reserve offers to the general public numerous publications available at the Website of the Federal Reserve Board here.

The Federal Reserve Board testimonies, press releases, monetary policy reports, the Beige Book, and a variety of other publications offer a detailed assessment of current economic activity, financial markets, and the monetary policy tools used to promote economic activity and preserve price stability.

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:
1. Evaluate the role and the effectiveness of the Federal Reserve in stabilizing the current economy.
2. Determine which economic indicators the Federal Reserve should analyze so it can better stabilize this particular economy.
3. Describe which monetary policies the Federal Reserve might use to influence the money supply.
4. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of using monetary policy in comparison to fiscal policy when promoting economic activity and preserving price stability.
5. Analyze the effect of the Federal Reserve?s action you identified in #3 on the aggregate demand / supply model.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
? Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
? Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student?s name, the professor?s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
? Analyze the basic operation of banks, the structure of the banking industry, and the major regulatory processes controlling banks.
? Evaluate monetary policy and its impact on economic growth and business cycle.
? Analyze the various theoretical approaches and models and assess their use in shaping monetary policy.
? Use technology and information resources to research issues in money and banking.
? Write clearly and concisely about money and banking using proper writing mechanics.

This should be a research paper to answer the question: Can shareholder capitalism continue?

I have written an abstract to outline the paper and give ideas, but it does not have to exactly follow this. The first sentence is my thesis for the research paper.

The theory that shareholder capitalism can serve as a strong model of economic development has been made possible through the expansion of credit and a large marginal tax that provides a safety net for Americans, but also has its limits. Even when shareholder capitalism worked as planned, the economic benefits were mixed. Through the opening of a local stock exchange in which private households had purchasing power, America was able to experience emerging markets. This led to the increase of value in patents, trademarks and brands instead of employment, which led to outsourcing of jobs to a global supply chain. The economic crisis that began in 2008 is the most recent demonstration of how bad a crash of this system can hurt our economy. One huge factor in this model is the expansion of credit, which is unprecedented in American history. For the first time, Americans could take out loans for big purchases such as houses even if they had problematic credit histories. Another factor in the model comes from the large marginal tax, which creates a safety net for Americans. Even though Walmartization has created an employment system that allows for short term employment, lower wages and fewer benefits, the safety net helps Americans by providing basic necessities such as healthcare and social securities.

To develop these ideas, please use some sources from sociology journals or books written by sociologists. One book that helped me develop this topic was "The Architecture of Markets" by Neil Fligstein so it would be great if you could incorporate that as well.

I need a business plan for an international business located in Guatemala exporting Guatemalan coffee to Japan specifically and international as well.

FOLLOW THIS EXACT TEMPLATE PLEASE:

International Business Plan Template

1. Executive Summary

Nature of the opportunity

Scope of the opportunity

Why this opportunity?

Why this country?

Financing requirement

Risk assessment

Return on investment

Request for action

2. Nature of business

Summary description

Corporate mission statement (if any)

Corporate history:

? Founders

? When established

? Key milestones

Core competencies:

? Product

? Process

? Technology

? Service

? Operations

? Other

3. Customer Profile

Characteristics of users:

? Age categories

? Occupations

? Income levels

? Other distinguishing features

Who makes the purchasing decision (if different from users)?

Spending patterns of buyers:

Place of product in spending

Disposable income

Factors influencing purchase:

? Price

? Quality

? Features

? Time to market

? Reliability of supply

? After-sales service

? Fads and trends

? Other

4. Current market

Total domestic market for product or service:

? By value

? By volume

? Current and projected trends

? Geographical distribution

Company?s share of domestic market:

? By value

? As a percentage

? Current trends

Company?s foreign markets (if any):

? By value

? By country

? Current trends

5. Description of product or service

What is the need it fills?

Technical description

Distinguishing features differentiating product or service from its competition.

Expected life cycle of current offering:

Can it become obsolete or is overtaken by replacement offerings?

Renewal strategy

? Quality improvements

? Enhanced features

? Replacement offerings

6. Marketing Strategy

Significant trends in the marketplace

? Demographic and social changes

? Macroeconomic factors

? Technological developments

? Regulatory changes

Emerging opportunities for the company

Marketing objectives:

By volume

By market share

By characteristics of target market

Marketplace positioning

Pricing strategy

7. Sales activities

Available resources:

? Internal sales staff

? External sales force (e.g. agents, distributors)

? Sales budget

Sales tactics:

? Promotional techniques

? Special offers

? Unique features of sales approach

Results

8. Intellectual property

Proprietary technologies embedded in the product or service

Proprietary production processes

Patents held

Trademarks, trade names, copyrights, etc.

R&D capabilities

Current R&D activities

R&D objectives

9. Operations

Plant or premises:

? Size

? Location

? Features

? Ownership

? Applicable leases

Equipment:

? Description

? Age

? Applicable leases

Capacity:

? Maximum capacity

? Current utilization

Cost of overheads:

? Materials

? Labor

? Administration

? Rents, leases and utilities

? Marketing and sales

? Other

Inventory:

? Current levels (by number)

? Estimated value

10. Human resources

Number of employees

Functional areas:

? Number in each area

? Skill requirements by area

Educational levels

Gaps in available skills

Recruitment and training strategy

11. Supplier network

Key inputs required:

? By type

? By value

Current suppliers:

? Name

? Location (domestic or foreign)

? Inputs supplied

? Value of orders

Purchasing strategy:

? Supplier qualification

? Method of ordering

? Special techniques (e.g. Just-in-Time ordering)

? Controls

12. Physical distribution

Distribution requirements:

? Nature of product or service

? Order processing

? Handling and shipping techniques used

? Special requirements

Internal capabilities:

? Storage and warehousing

? Preparation and handling

? Shipping

External service suppliers:

? Shipping and handling

? Carriers

? Insurance

? Name of supplier

? Average annual business volume

13. Financial performance: past five years

Year

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

Gross sales

Cost of goods

Gross profit

Cost of sales

Administration

Pre-tax profit

Taxes

After-tax profit

Explanations

14. Financial performance: five-year projection

Year

Current

+1

+2

+3

+4

Gross sales

Cost of goods

Gross profit

Cost of sales

Administration

Pre-tax profit

Taxes

After-tax profit

Assumptions

15. Financial requirements of existing business

Scenario

Cash flow projection

Case requirement

High

Medium

Low

Key Assumptions

16. Possible financing sources

Operations

Commercial lenders

Investors

Government sources

Other situations

17. Proposed application of funds

R&D

Capacity expansion

Marketing initiatives

Training

18. Ownership and structure

Share structure and owners

Senior management

Directors

19. Risk Analysis

Currency

? Hedging

? Forward contracts

? Transfer pricing

? Asset valuation

Country

? Expropriation

? Discriminatory treatment

? Repatriation funds

? Political environment

Company

? Credit check

? Dispute mechanisms

? Performance bonds

Project management

? Performance bonds

? Reporting systems

? Decision-making mechanisms

Insurance

? EDC

? Private

20. Conclusion and recommendations

21. Appendices: Additional supporting information (prepare list)

Management biographies

Product literature

Letters of reference, awards

Patents

Major contracts

Asset valuations

Descriptions of assets

Relevant studies

Financial data:

? Cash flow projection

? Profit and loss statement

? Balance sheet

? Auditor?s report

Antigua Guatemala Coffee Info
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Tucked away in a valley and nestled between three volcanoes, lies beautiful Antigua, Guatemala; it is in this climatically diverse region that you will find the local farmers growing some of the world?s finest coffee. This region is perfect for cultivating coffee; with ample rainfall, elevations reaching 4,600 feet, and a constant humidity of 65%, it makes absolute sense for coffee to be the number one industry in Guatemala.

This highly rated and well-known gourmet coffee is light-medium roasted to brew into full-bodied coffee with unique smoky and chocolaty undertones. Richly complex and well-balanced, this gourmet coffee from Guatemala has hints of spice in the finish that will please the senses.





25 lbs. Guatemala Antigua Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans

Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans
Guatemala Antigua
________________________________________
Specifics:
? Name: AGAIG
? Origin: Guatemala
? Region: Antigua
? Altitude: 1200-2000
? Processing Method: Washed
? Drying Method: European Prep
Cupping Notes:
Spices,citrus,toasted nuts.
About this Coffee:
Valley Coffee Roasters and Pete have been custom roasting for As Green As It Gets for a few years now. It just seemed funny for us to keep buying our Guatemalan coffee from anyplace else. On August 11 2011 I called AGAIG and now we are buying our Antigua direct from the growers! This is just one of a few coffees I hope to buy direct like this. Remember Direct Trade is getting all of the money back to the growers and IMHO is far better than any Fair Trade Certified coffee.
________________________________________
From As Green As It Gets Site
Our farmers are exporting 21 tons of coffee! This export represents the combined efforts of over 300 people from 64 farming families. From humble beginnings, we have grown from 800 lbs to 42.000 lbs a year, and we're still growing!. Their capital investments continue to grow.
This certified scale weighs legal export weight.

This sewing machine seals each bag in seconds compared to the twenty minutes it takes to sew a bag by hand.

Our farmers have their own export license, export plantation code, FDA registration, tax-payer id number, certified receipts, a legal business entity with board of directors, registered land titles, and a host of legal paperwork to make them bonafide producers and exporters. That?s exciting, but not as exciting as #24378.
This year, the farmers are exporting as Plantation #24378.

That number indicates that the government of Guatemala has recognized them as legal, registered, independent producers and exporters of coffee.

Guatemala History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The golden age and decline of the Maya empire

In 1542, 32 years after Columbus had discovered America, under Pedro de Alvarado the Spanish invaded the region, which now is Guatemala. At this time this region was highly populated by the descendants of the Maya, who, in the years 300 until 900 AD, had known a cultural golden age, in which they had developed a very precise script of words and pictures as well as mathematical and astronomical knowledge. Reasons for the decline of the Maya empire have not been resolved clearly until now. In the opinion of a lot of scientists, an ecological catastrophe destroyed the former flourishing Mayan metropolises that afterwards were overgrown by the rain forest. Therefore, at the time of the Spanish invasion, the Mayan descendants lived in very simple circumstances, pursued agriculture and were in close contact to nature.


"Discovery" of America

By the invasion of the Spanish, the living standards of the Mayas got worse dramatically. They were driven out or forced to work; they suffered from mistreatment, hunger and diseases brought in from Europe. Within a very short time the population of 800,000 reduced to approximately 100,000.


Independence of Guatemala

At the end of the 18th century, resistance was formed by the country exploited by the Spanish Crown which led to independence of Guatemala in 1821. After independence, huge coffee and banana plantations were formed that were led by domestic big landowners and increasingly by foreign companies, e.g. the "United Fruit Company". Politically the country was unstable and subject to dictatorial regimes. The dictatorship of Jorge ?bico (1933 - 1944) can be seen as the climax of the ordinary people's suffering. During this dictatorship all of Guatemala turned into a "big private madhouse", as quoted by a Times correspondent at the time. The Ind?genas, as the Mayan descendants are called today, were deprived of all their rights and tortures and shootings reached alarming and unbearable proportions. In an uprising of the public population, government was removed and nine years of democracy followed.

Under President Juan Jos? Ar?valo, who was elected in 1945, general electoral law was ratified, trade unions were legalized and literacy programmes were carried out. But when Jacobo Arbenz, his successor, wanted to carry out a land reform in which the Guatemalan plantations as well as the United Fruit Company were planned to be expropriated, the government was overthrown with financial help of the US and the support of the CIA in 1954.


Acts of terror and troops of death

During the following decades and with changing governments, the country remained in the hands of the powerful elite that was formed by big landowners, the army and increasingly industrialists. The oppression of a large part of the population was carried on with by extended states of emergency, acts of terror and troops of death.


Policy of the burned ground

At the end of the 70s, the guerrillas began to recruit again after several years of peace. President Romeo Lucas Garc?a, holding office at the beginning of the 80s, tried to fight them by introducing his "policy of the burned ground", which meant destroying whole villages and the killing of a lot of people, mostly of the indigenous population. Garcia?s successor, the religious fanatic Rios Montt, who became president in 1982, was pursuing the same politics more radically. During the 17 months of Rios Montt's dictatorship in Guatemala, the Guatemalan population suffered from the most horrible crimes of the civil war, which lasted more than 36 years: 440 villages were razed to the ground, 50,000 people "disappeared" and more than 100,000 people were killed. Those responsible have not been called to account yet and Rios Montt had immunity as president of the Congress until 2003.



On the way to democracy

Since 1986 Guatemala has been governed by civil presidents, but it wasn't until 1993, when the human rights representative of the government, Ramiro de Le?n Carpio, was called into office as new president, that hope arose on a process of establishing a real democracy. As prisoner between the interests of the army and the economy, he did not achieve any far-reaching reforms either. In 1996 Alvaro Arz? became president. His biggest achievement was the successful conclusion of the peace negotiations, which lasted nearly 10 years and the signing of the final peace contract on 29 December 1996 that put an end to the 36 years of civil war.


The peace contract of 1996

After euphoria, disillusion followed quickly. Until today, economic and political structures remain unchanged and the realisation of a lot of contract issues still are slowed down. In only a few sectors progress had been made, like the reform in the justice system. For a while long prison sentences against members of the army, who were made responsible for the murder of bishop Gerardi four years ago, in the last year, were considered as big results against the general exemptions from punishment. Two days before he was killed, Bishop Gerardi had presented the human rights report on the crimes committed by the army during the civil war. In October 2002, the sentence mentioned above was annulled. Now, after another appeal against this verdict by the defence, this case lies in the responsibility of the constitutional court.

Unfortunately, the death of Bishop Gerardi is not an exception: It is still very dangerous in Guatemala to fight for human rights and to support coming to terms with the dark past of the country. Everyday, activists and offices of human rights organisations as well as a lot of journalists are threatened with death, are attacked and killed in many cases. Obviously, still there are a lot of people (especially in higher ranking positions in the government and army) that are in full consciousness of their guilt and responsibility during the period of the armed conflict and therefore fear any solving of these crimes.

We hope that the peace process, which is stagnating so obviously and only can be seen as a retrograde step in some sectors, will be put on the right track and manifestation of the peace expected will be realised as soon as possible during the following years.
A Short History of Guatemala

Early Mayan civilization and culture began to develop around 2000 B.C., all throughout the territory that we currently know as southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and western Honduras. The first period of Mayan civilization is referred to as the Pre-classic period and it occurred at the same time as the Golden Age of Greece and the conquests of Alexander the Great, lasting until around 250 A.D. The Classic period (following the pre-classic), was contemporary to the fall of the Roman Empire, and covers the years from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. Following the classic period is the Post classic period from 900 A.D. up until the Spanish conquest of Guatemala in 1524.
The Maya were considered one of the most developed human cultures of their time. They established trade routes throughout the area mentioned above, and also traded with other people in surrounding areas, e.g. with Teotihuacan. The most powerful Mayan cities during the height of Mayan civilization were Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, Uaxact?n, Yaxh?, Chichen Itz?, El Mirador, Nakbe, Cop?n, Palenque, Yaxchil?n, and Kaminaljuy?. These cities were commercial and spiritual centers. They traded jade, obsidian, quetzal feathers and liquidambar resin from the highlands, seashells, fish and salt from the coast, and cacao, cotton, and macaw feathers from the lowlands. Each city was ruled by a k'ul ajaw, a king of god status, who ruled a united secular and religious realm.

Ball game court in front of the Temple I in Tikal.
Centers of the ancient cities were characterized by plazas, temple pyramids, and ball courts, all designed to model the landscapes surrounding the cities. Pyramids were symbols of the mountains and home to the gods. Ball game courts were symbols for the valleys between the mountains and were considered the entrances to the underworld. The wide central plazas symbolized the surfaces of lakes, which were thought to be the surface of the underworld. Celebrations and sacrificial ceremonies were held on the stage of this sacred landscape (Freidel et al. 1993).
All of the ruins which can be seen today survived under the thick cover of the rainforest for centuries before being uncovered. Today they help us recreate the history of the ancient Maya, together with the arts and crafts and written testimonies carved in stone, written on paper and on pottery. The Maya used the most complex writing system of all American cultures up to their time. They also used an advanced calendar based on exact astronomic observations. Mayan mathematics included the concept of zero and agriculture was dominated by corn, which is still the main base of the Guatemalan diet today.

Itzamn? - Maya god of creation, drawing from Dresden Codex, 1500 A.D. (Post-classic Period).
The late Classic period was characterized by many autonomous city centers that were often in conflict with each other, trying to divide up political territories. The mystery surrounding the collapse of the major Mayan sites in the 9th century continues today. One possible theory is the idea that the uncontrolled exploitation of resources by the Maya (slash and burn agriculture for example), long dry seasons, overpopulation, illnesses, wars, invasions and obstruction of trade routes, depleted the resources needed to support such a large population and caused the civilization to fold upon itself. Either way, what is known is that the main centers of the Classic Period were abandoned and the populations diminished at the end of this period and later on, in the Post classic period, only smaller towns were known to exist around lake Pet?n Itz?. During the late Post Classic period the central towns were Tayasal, at lake Pet?n Itz?, and Topoxt?, at lake Yaxh?.
The long history of the Mayans ruling the majority of Mesoamerica ended with Spain's conquest of their lands. Spain entered to find new lands and resources to exploit and with their conquest they reduced Mayans to smaller populations and established their own cities on top of the Mayan ruins. Thus began three centuries of exploitation by the Spanish of the Mayan people, called the Colonial era, from 1524 to 1821. In 1524 Pedro de Alvarado began the conquest of the geographical area which is now known as part of Guatemala. He founded the first Spanish capital over the Mayan site of Iximch?, the former capital of the Cakchiquel Kingdom. From then on Spain continued to conquer Mayan population centers and defeated the last significant Mayan population in 1697 in Tayasal, capital of the Itzaes of Pet?n. In one of Alvarado's battles Tec?n Um?n was raised to national hero status for his valiant fight against his Spanish intruders.
The name Guatemala was derived from "Quauhtemallan", which means 'place of abundant flowers' or from "Guauthemallan", which means 'place of trees' in the Aztec Nahuatl language. This name was given by the Tlaxcaltecas who came with Pedro de Alvarado to conquer this land. During the colonial time the capital of Guatemala changed location many times due to natural disasters. The capital "Guatemala de la Asunci?n", as it is today, was not named until 1776 after a severe earthquake which destroyed much of the previous capital, the city which is now Antigua Guatemala. During this time trading coalitions were established with Europe and the Catholic Church's influence was solidified throughout the whole country. Even though the Catholic Church tried to impose its beliefs on Mayans, some Maya codices and chronicles, with historical and religious information, were documented, preserved and even translated into Spanish by members of the very same Catholic Church. These members of the church had befriended certain Mayan leaders and were not comfortable forcing their religion upon the Mayans. In the 19th century various indigenous rebellions took place at different points in the country. Out of these rebellions rose another indigenous hero: Atanasio Tzul. He was made famous for leading a rebellion in the Quich? province of Totonicap?n in 1820.


Guatemala's flag and the emblem of liberty in 1821.
In 1821 the Modern Period began with the independence of Guatemala from Spain. A political union of all the countries from Central America took place from 1823 to 1839, known as Central American Federation. The central Government of it was situated in Guatemala, but finally all countries split like we know them today: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. No national currency was declared until 1924. Then the "Quetzal" was introduced, owing its name to the national bird.
Since pre-colonial times the Mayans have always used the slash-and-burn agriculture and it is still the most common method for cultivation of corn, the base of the Guatemalan diet. During and after the Colonial period, Guatemala exported products which had been originally processed by the Mayan people, such as cacao and Spanish Red, which is a dye extracted from cochineal insects. At the end of the 19th century numerous German immigrants came to Guatemala and planted large areas with coffee for exportation. This is how coffee "fincas" or farms originated and today they are still producing some of the finest coffees in the world. The 20th century began with strong investments from the United Fruit Company to establish banana plantations in Guatemala. The company signed a contract with then president Estrada Cabrera to grow and trade bananas, and thus began a decade of strong influences of the banana trade in Guatemalan power politics.
In 1960 a civil war began that lasted for 36 years, taking the life of thousands of Guatemalans, and not officially concluding until the signing of Peace Accords between the government and guerilla forces in 1996. Since the Peace Agreements were signed, their implementation has been given close attention by the international community while the national government has swayed from strong intentions to implement agreements in the accords to a seemingly disinterested stand on the matter. In the face of these fluctuations the country has a long way to go to achieve the goals laid out in this important document.

Guatemala's population is currently at around 13 million people, according to the national census. Guatemala is a multicultural country: 23 Mayan ethnic groups, "ladinos" (a mix of Mayan and Spaniards), and minor groups, which are mainly the Xinca and the Gar?funa. The Mayan population is around 60% of this number. They are settled mainly in the western highlands and in central Guatemala. Rural areas of Guatemala are a stark contrast to the urban centers. Most remote rural villages do not have paved roads, electricity or running water, and education is hard to access. The intensive use of the land in rural areas reflects the fact that agricultural production is still the main economic activity for the majority of the country's population. Some of the most prominent export products produced in Guatemala are: Cardamom, coffee, sugar cane, bananas, flowers and non-traditional goods like macadamia nuts and typical textiles and souvenirs. A significant amount of Guatemala's economy relies on tourism as the country's wildly diverse attractions, both natural and cultural, provide a wealth of attractions for visitors to the country.
One of the traditions in Guatemala which has endured centuries is that of the local markets. Markets are both trading centers and gathering sites and are generally operational only a couple of days each week, when people from a whole region will come to a town center to offer their wares and purchase basic necessity goods for their families. At the major markets one can observe local products and typical clothes from different areas and ethnic groups being bought and sold, since people from numerous small towns gather in the main markets at the same time.

My previous proposal order ID: 21461 and the writer

was FAHumphrey.

I want copies of the sources used in the research

work.





Format of the Report



Contents Page---Giving the section structure and page

numbers (have to be one or two pages)

Abstract--------An (one page) abstract of the work

that helps people to decide whether to read it and

gives an outline of important features for those who

do not.

Terms of Reference----- Stating what questions you set

out to answer, the deliverables you were going to

produce, and the justification for the work done.(two

pages)

Literature Review-----This should include a discussion

of the relevant research already done in the area.

Methodology--------The methodology chosen,problems

encountered, it''s justification and the outcome. [How

you did it]

Results-------- findings, analyses, results of

calculations and experiments.

Discussion----- What your results mean and how they

can be interpreted pointing out strengths and

weaknesses of the results.

Conclusion------Where the problem is now, what has

been done and what should be done next.

Bibliography & works cited------A list in alphabetical

order by author of those items referred to in the

text.

Appendix------- Detailed technical material is often

best in an appendix so the main report can be read

without a break(two pages).

Evaluation------A one page personal statement, not

part of the report but about the effectiveness of the

work, and its usefulness.





Make sure:

? the document is complete and concise (i.e. it should

not include non-essential material);

? the material is well structured;

? value judgements are supported by logical arguments;

? factual information is supported by quoting original

references;

? all sources are clearly acknowledged and referenced

in the bibliography and works cited section;

? clear and restrained language is used;

? pages are numbered and referenced in the table of

contents.

? all tables and illustrations are clear, readable,

informative, numbered, titled and suitably identified

in the text;

? spelling and punctuation is correct.



Chapters/major sections should always begin on a new

page, and their titles should be capitalised in bold

and centred. Sub-section headings should be in bold,

left centred and only have initial capitals.



Citing the References





Articles in Journals/ Serial Publications



Author: Give the surname first followed by initials or

the full name if it adds to clarity. When there are

two authors both must be given. When there are three

or more, the first name only is sufficient followed by

"and others".When there are no authors, often the name

of the issuing department (e.g. a government body) or

a company can be given instead. A few things may need

to be classified as anonymous.

Title: in full With only the initial letter and

proper nouns with capitals. If the original is in a

language other than English this should be identified

or the title given in the original language.

Name of journal :There are internationally acceptable

title abbreviations which are to be used. Do not make

up your own abbreviations.

Journal reference:Volume number, part or month, year,

page range. The part number refers to the issue, so

the February issue is part 2 for a monthly

publication. Unpublished works or private

communications should be similarly referenced and

their status indicated.







Examples



Hull M. E. C. and O''Donoghue P. G. O., Family

relationships between requirements and design

specification methods. Computer Journal, 36(2)

pp.153-168 (1993)



Lee A. S., A scientific methodology for MIS case

studies. MIS Quarterly, 13 pp33-50 (1989)

Wiseman C. and MacMillan I. C., Creating competitive

weapons from information systems. Journal of Business

Strategy, 5(2) pp.42-49 (1982)







Books



Author: as for journals, but if you are referencing a

part of a publication you need first to give the

author''s title of the part concerned then "in ..."

followed by the author(s), title of the whole work,

edition.

Title: as for journals

Publisher:the full name and place of publication

usually the city, in America sometimes the state.

Date of publication the year

Location:The page range: (the page or pages that are

specifically referenced).N.B. different references to

the same publication will generally require separate

entries in the bibliography.



Examples:

Honeywell: COBOL reference manual, DD25, D8 D9,

Honeywell Information Systems, New York, 1975,

Microsoft, Excel: Function Reference (AB26298-0392),

p464, Microsoft Corporation, Washington 1992



Naughton M, Wisdom C, Hall N: Viewdata - The Business

Applications, pp 91-93, Communications Educational

Services, London, 1986, .







Electronic Sources



This section is provisional advice. The standard ISO

690-2 is not yet finalised. Some examples are given

but if you have emerging issues check the following

web sites:The international standard

http://www.nic-bnc.ca.iso Field Guide to Sources

http://www.cc.emory.edu/W



Author: as for journals (normally present)

Title: as for journals (if present)

Date of publication: the date given in the web page

URL:the full URL. (the uniform resource locator - the

web address)



Examples



Beckleheimer, Jeff. How do you cite URL?s in a

Bibliography? 26August 1994

URL:http://www.nrlssc.navy.mil/meta/bibliography/html



Arnzen, Michael A. Cyber Citation: documenting

Internet sources presents some thorny problems.

Internet world 1996 September; 7(9):72-74 URL:

http://www.internetworld.com/1996/09/cybercitations.html





Cross referencing (citations)



When you refer to an item insert the reference number

(the serial number of the alphabetical bibliography

listing) in brackets, in the main text. For example,

[3] refers to the third item in your bibliography.



If you need to refer to two sections of the same

publication in the same report you need not repeat all

the details in the reference list, just those details

that are different, usually the page reference but

possibly the volume number.



Remember not to repeat previously published

information merely to repeat background material -the

cross-reference is sufficient. Short quotations of

text are permitted in quotation marks and

cross-referenced. Please, Do not copy figures,

diagrams or tables.



Do not summarise or paraphrase others work. Cut out

this material and include the relevant citation only.

When you wish to make a comparison between alternative

views or to make a critical judgement then you need to

explain your sources. The distinction is that in the

second case it is the views you are presenting,

discussing and justifying not those of someone else.



Also find helpful the distinction between external

references or citations, which are to previously

published work and internal references, which are to

other parts of the work. It is important that the work

comes across as a coherent whole. One way to achieve

this is by reading forward or back to other parts of

the report. Never leave appendix floating unconnected

by cross-references to the body of the text.



Presenting the Work



Chapters/major sections should always begin on a new

page, and their titles should be capitalised in bold

and centred. Sub-sections headings should be in bold,

left centred and only have capital initials.

Good presentation standards including sound English

grammar, punctuation and spelling.







*** Very IMORTANT NOTES***



1.Make sure the Quotations should be at most a small

percentage of the work and they need to be cited. work

must contain quotations that make up less than 15

percent. Note that better research work consist of

less than 5 percent quotations and might have no

quotations at all.





2.outcome of the literature review should be set as

criteria which will be used to judge the aims

(forecasting & gaining competitive advantage) when you

come to do the case study, and this literature review

should include a discussion of the relevant research

already done in the area.



2.I do not want you to use the research articles and

materials which are not open to access, like the the

paid research articles or sort of company''s internal

research papers, publications for which we need paid

subscription or paid membership sort of things.So

please make use of reference materials and case

studies which will have normal access.



3.I would like you to specifiacally refer from---



1.Business Intelligence journal(formerly journal of

data warehousing), available from

http://www.dw-institute.com/,

2.Journals available in Database:Business Source

premier,

3.The ACM Digital library

http://portal.acm.org/portal.cfm

4.Vidette poe,Patricia Klauer,stephen Brobst.(1998),

Buliding a data warehouse for decission

support,prentice hall, NJ, Upper sadler river.

5.Kelly, S. (1997). Data Warehousing in Action, John

Wiley & Sons, Chichester

6.Inmon, W.H. (1992). Building the Data Warehouse. NY:

John Wiley & Sons, 1992

7.Sam Anahory,Dennis Murray(1997), Data Warehousing in

the real world: A practical guide for building

decission support system, Addison-wesley,England.



4.I want all the copies of sources you have used for

the work, including the case studies undertaken. I

would like to cite the references (as I mentioned

above under three headings journals, books and

electronic resources).





I lookforward to recieving the e-mail of the concerned

writer, so that I can send additional materials, in

the mean time.I would like my work to be sent to my

e-mail ID, which is of 5MB. After including the copies

of sources, if it exceeds that limit, first send me

the research work and then the sources bit by bit on

the delivery date.



Thank you,

Read the article below and answer the following question:
1.) Who are the members of the trade block you have identified?
2.) What type of arrangements do the members of the block have to trade amongst themselves?
3.) Describe the issue or matter referenced in the article and where applicable relate these issues to current global economic trends and/or characteristics of international trade.

ARTICLE
Associated Press
Mexico, Japan to Sign Free Trade Agreement

Mexico and Japan sign a free trade agreement on Friday that is expected to open a new market for Mexican fruits and vegetables and prompt Japanese factories to move here.

Mexico, which has 11 free trade agreements with 42 countries, said last year it was taking a break from seeking new accords, saying it wanted to make use of the agreements it has.

But it continued what ended up being two years of tough negotiations with Japan, in part hoping an agreement would help Mexico ease its reliance on the United States, the destination for 90 percent of the nation's exports.

"Mexico's commercial and investment efforts are very concentrated to the north, with the United States," President Vicente Fox told Japan's national broadcaster, NHK, in an interview whose transcript was released Thursday. "But part of what we want is to diversify, open new markets to look for new opportunities."

Fox will sign the agreement with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Mexico's capital on Friday.

He is hoping the accord will lead Japanese companies to open factories here, reviving a once-thriving assembly for export industry that was hit hard by China's rise and the global economic downturn.

Fox also hopes the agreement will encourage more Asian countries to invest in Mexico.

"Without a doubt, Japan is becoming a bridge for us, a bridge that connects us to other countries in Asia, and that is the (agreement's) strategic importance to us," he said.

In the interview with NHK, Fox said opening factories in Mexico gives Japan tariff-free access to Mexico's 42 free trade partners, including European countries and the United States.

The accord will be Japan's second free trade agreement, after Singapore. It will take effect in April.

Mexico expects its exports to Japan to increase by more than 10 percent a year under the pact.

It is betting that Japanese consumers will be a new market for this country's agricultural products, giving a needed boost to producers who have sometimes struggled to compete in a globalized economy.

Agricultural goods were a stumbling block in negotiations. Under the agreement, Japanese import tariffs on most Mexican produce will be lowered over three to seven years. In the case of bananas, the tariffs will be lowered over 10 years.

Excluded from the agreement for at least three years are pineapples and pineapple juice, candy, wheat and pastas.

Japan will be granted tariff-free auto imports for up to 5 percent of the Mexican market, compared with the current 3 percent, and tariffs will be gradually eliminated over six years.

Of Mexico's $165.4 billion in exports last year, a mere $605.8 million went to Japan, with $149.6 billion going to the United States, according to the Economy Department.

Given a business situation (type of business/ industry), complete the following actions and submit a 4-5 page double-spaced report:
Conduct a country analysis of two foreign countries (designated by the instructor) for your industry. Analyze the following in terms of providing opportunities or risks in the foreign markets: market characteristics, marketing institutions, industry conditions, political/legal environment, and business operating resources.
Based on this country analysis, recommend which of the two countries would have the greatest market potential, and explain why.
Suggest the most effective market entry strategy and provide supporting rationale.
Use at least 2 data sources to support conclusions


France and Bolivia heavy equipment

The abstract (draft):
The aim of the thesis is a summary of approaches and forms of the relationship between inflation and unemployment, and confirm or disprove that there is a negative relationship between inflation and unemployment in the short term in China. The paper also discusses the possible effects on growth in property (real estates) prices in China and the impacts on Chinese economy. An integral part of this work is to seek and discuss recommendations for the the Peoples Bank of China to regulate the current increase in property prices in China.

The work will find answers to the following questions:
- Is there a negative relationship between inflation and unemployment in the short period in the China?
- Did Summer Olympic Games in 2008 influenced the real estate (property) prices in China?
- How can the Chinese Bank regulate the increase in house prices in China?
- Is it worth to estabilish further rate of Peoples Bank of China to regulate real estate prices in China?

Content of the Thesis (not fully obligatory, cohesion and coherence of the thesis is the most important):
1. Introduction (1 - 2 pages)

2. Inflation, unemployment and its definition (approx. 6 pages)
2.2. Problem of inflation
2.2.1. Measure of inflation (in world generally and in China)
2.2.2. Types of inflation (related to AS-AD model)
2.3. Problem of unemployment (low unemployment as a secondary target of economic policy)

3. Different approaches to the Phillips Curve (approx. 5 pages)
3.1. From unemployment to inflation
3.1.1. Original Phillips Curve
3.1.2. Modified Phillips Curve
3.2. From inflation to unemployment

4. Phillips curve in China: empirical evidence (at least 6 pages)
+ graphs, description, discuss the problem of relationship between inflation and unemployment in short and long run in China

5. Increase the price of real estates (current real estate bubble) in China and its consequences on inflation in China (approx. 6 pages)
+ possible reasons for increase the price of real estate, problems of current real estate bubble
+ discuss if Summer Olympic Games in 2008 influenced the real estate prices in China

6. Comparison of current real estate bubble with real estate market in Japan 1985 (approx.5 pages)

7. (Short) Analysis of interest rates of Peoples Bank of China (approx..2 pages)

8. Remedies (steps) of Peoples Bank of China against constant increase of real estate bubble in China (approx..5 pages)
+ discuss if it is worth to set up another interest rates for investment banks as for mortgage

9. Conclusion, summarize (1 - 2 pages)

Literature:
Dittmar, R. - Gavin, W.T. What Do New-Keynesian Phillips Curves Imply for Price Level Targeting? Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, March/April 2000
Dornbusch, R. - Fischer, S. Macroeconomics. Praha : SPN Prague, 1994
Mankiw, N.G. - Romer, D. - Weil, D.N. A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic
Growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1992
Donald D.Tong: Heart of Economic Reform

Another requirements:
1. The structure of the thesis should be:

1. Chapter 1
1.1. Subchapter 1
1.2. Subchapter 2
1.2.1. Sub-sub chapter 1
1.2.2. Sub-sub chapter 2
1.3. Subchapter 3
2. Chapter 2 (at least 5 chapters in total)

2. At least 10 graphs (Phillips Curve in China, in different years (between 1980 ??" 2010), more specific about Phillips Curve between 2008 ??" 2010)

3. At least 5 tables when comparing China and Japan property market

4. Second and Third Chapter should provide theoretical background about Phillips Curve, provide a significant amount of mathematical calculations and equations

5. Minimum number of quotations: 12

6. Minimum number of footnotes: 14

7. Minimum number of citation: 5

Remark: Is it possible to provide an email contact on the person who will compose this thesis?
There are faxes for this order.

An Industry Analysi report: Canadian honey industry

PATTERN OF AN INDUSTRY STUDY & ANALYSIS
? GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY
-Market Size and Growth Rate -Scope of Competitive Rivalry -Nature ofthe Industry (Cyclical, Seasonal, etc.) -Development phase of the Industry (Product Life Cycle Curve) -Capital or Labor Intensity -Cost Structure ofthe Industry -Factors influencing the Industry (e.g. Inflation, Interest Rates, Seasonality) -Number of Rivals -Buyer needs and Requirements -Production Capacity -Pace of Technological Change -Product Innovation
Degree of product Differentiation
-Economies of Scale
Learning and Experience Curve Effects
? COMMON TYPES OF INDUSTRY KEY SUCCESS FACTORS (KSFs)
Technology-Related KFSs
Manufacturing-Related KSFs
Distribution-Related KSFs
Marketing-Related KSFs
Skills and Capacity-Related KSFs
Other Types of KSFs
? THE MOST COMMON DRIVING FORCES.
Growing use of Internet
Increasing globalization of the Industry.
Changes in the long-term industry groll.1h rate.
Product innovation.
Technological change and manufacturing process innovation.
Marketing innovation.
Entry or Exit of major firms.
Change in cost and efficiency.
Growing buyer preferences for differentiated products.
Regulatory influences and government policy changes.
Changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles.
Template for Industry Study-COMT1 4006 Strategic Management ? FUTURE TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY
Modernization Product Development R&D both in Product and Production Processes Innovation
? COMPETITIVE FORCES
Commercial Practices Market Segmentation Competitive Strategies
? FIVE FORCES MODEL ANALYSIS OF PORTER
? VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRY
? OVERALL EVALUATION OF THE INDUSTRY

* CONCLUSION