Career development plan part 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Career development plan part 1 - Essay Example It was found that the existing sales force of â€Å"Inerclean† and â€Å"Envirotech† are comparatively different in nature. On one hand where the â€Å"Interclean† sales force are focused more on closing the deal than anything else. The â€Å"Envirotech† sales forces on the other hand, are more customers centric, constantly looking for better relation with customers. The merger between the two organizations has created a need for more sales force under its fold. Thus, after various review and consultation session a decision was taken to recruit four â€Å"outside sales representative† and â€Å"one sales manager†, in addition to the existing combined sales workforce. The purpose of this additional sales force would be to reinforce the existing sales workforce in addition of bringing the much needed innovation in the existing workforce. A recruitment and Selection process has to be undertaken for recruiting the new sales force. However, the first thing needed to be done is - â€Å"Job Analysis and Job Description† so as to help the company select the best fit sales force accordingly. After the whole â€Å"Recruitment and Selection† process is completed, a comprehensive career development plan has to be made so as to motivate the team to achieve its objectives. â€Å"Job Analysis† and consecutive â€Å"Job Description† are necessary before undertaking any â€Å"Recruitment and Selection† process. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of the candidates the organization is looking for and the type of candidates who is best fit for the job. Job Analysis may be defined as a written document of a job/ position and the corresponding duties associated with it. Various elements like Job Title, Job Details and Job Criteria are few of the elements of Job description. Job Analysis helps an organization in determining the key knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics also known as KSAOs, needed for a particular position. Job

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an Essay

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an International Company - Essay Example As in its context, political risk is described as ‘the risk of loss of assets, earning power or managerial control due to politically based events or actions by host governments’ (Daft 116). From a similar view, Sharan (2011) notes that political risk is a term used in order to show the response of international companies to ‘political scenarios developed in host countries’ (Sharan 229). The aspects of political risk that international companies are likely to face are presented and analyzed in this paper. Reference is made to a specific company, Shell, which is well established in the global market. The political risk that Shell faces in Nigeria is used as an example in order to show that the specific type of risk is inevitable for firms operating around the world. Moreover, under certain terms this risk can severely threaten organizational activities in the host country, unless appropriate measures are developed in advance. 2. Political risk as a factor inf luencing the operations of international companies The political environment of a particular country can highly affect business operations in all its industries. Foreign firms operating in this country are also likely to be influenced by changes or turbulences in the local political environment. ... Moreover, there are countries, which are most likely to face such problems, compared to others where political instability is rather low. For example, in ‘Indonesia and Sri Lanka’ (Daft and Marcic 88) social conflicts are quite common, increasing the political risk for foreign firms operating in these countries. Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes that political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes th at political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). On the other hand, Mckellar (2010) notes that important information on the political environment of a particular country can be retrieved through the international organizations, usually non-for-profit organizations, operating within this country. In any case, political risk

Critical Thinking - Mr. Rodriguez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Thinking - Mr. Rodriguez - Essay Example Mr Rodriguez is succeeding because he is associating with students at both a personal and professional level. Besides, he has mastered the art of engaging students during conversation. He has also grouped the students in his class based on their capabilities. This enables him to monitor their performance daily. According to Ingleby, Joyce & Powell (2010), daily reflections of teaching boost the memories of students. Subsequently, it makes learning enjoyable by boosting the confidence of the students. Reflections program the brain to recall information, enhancing creativity in students. Mr Rodriguez uses the daily mantra by encouraging the students to recite positive statements that develop their confidence. The teacher has realized that learning should be practical apart from being theoretical. Students can understand facts when they are openly involved in the learning process. Group work taps into the potential of students in learning. According to Carl (2009), students express themselves freely when they develop a sense of belonging to a particular group. Moreover, they exude their different capabilities when made to work in groups. It enables students to access themselves. Moreover, it is easy to discover the weaknesses of students in groups as opposed to accessing them individually. The combination of different techniques helps in enhancing efficiency in learning. As noted by Rodriguez, teachers should first understand their students before coming up with a program for teaching. This is because students have different understanding. Moreover, the use of different approaches to teaching helps in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of students. Besides exit slip, teachers can use exams to access the capability of students. The test can be oral or written depending on the preference made by the teacher. Tests access the student’s level of understanding in class (Ferguson 2001). Lastly, knowing the students

Cantaloupe Description Essay Example for Free

Cantaloupe Description Essay The Cantaloupe At first glance, the cantaloupe looks round and light grayish-tan, with a hint of green. From afar it looks round and plain, about the size of a peewee soccer ball. On approach, the circular shape is less perfect with subtle dents and bumps all around. Surrounding the sphere shaped fruit are light tan lines like a dense city map with all the streets intertwining and curving around without any significant pattern, not geometric like gridlines. On the surface, there are small matchbook sized patches color the skin, some more yellow and other patches that are darker green. A particular indention looks like the fruit might have laid on a rock on the ground while it was growing. One end, where the flower might have once been, is the palest of yellow circles. On the opposite edge, the stubby vestige of a stem remains. This dried up nub is the brown and shriveled, slightly indented from the rest of the globe. Surrounding the stem is a dark circle of hunter green. Picking it up from the counter, the weight of this globular object seems significantly heavier than it looks, like a mini bowling ball. Despite the volume, it feels that the weight is not solid which is proven by the hollow sound the fruit makes when tapped, like patting a child on the head. The delineated lines feel like webbing and give the fruit a rough feel, but it’s not an uncomfortable roughness. The experience is somewhere in between a prickly cactus and a furry peach. At this point my mind starts to wander. Should I cut it open now or wait? Should I take a break? I look outside at the fat flakes of snow coming down outside and remind myself to get back to the task at hand. There is no resentment or anger. I look again at this object I have assigned myself to detail. When I am at a loss as to how to describe something in particular my mind wandering happens more frequently. I continue to focus my attention back to the cantaloupe as soon as I realize I’ve been distracted. I hold the cantaloupe to my eye. There is a faint line of brownish green that runs through the net-like lines covering the fruit. Some of the spaces between the lines look like parks because they’re darker green, while others ook grey like the concrete of a parking lot. My mind wanders again and I start to look to see if there are any recognizable maps in squiggles. I see a roundabout that reminds me of an intersection in England and another resembles the neighborhood where I grew up. The intertwining layers of the lines remind me of overgrown vines on a wall covering another layer of skin. The underneath layer has the vague look of green splotches, almost veins, like the streaks that run through blue cheese. I thump the cantaloupe again. It substitutes as a drum to make a tune. Apparently it has different thicknesses inside because the sound it makes when you knock it on the end is a higher pitch than when you rap it in the middle. One spot must be particularly thick because the sound is more substantial. Rubbing the skin makes the same sound as rubbing your hands together on a dry winter day. I try to make other noises using the produce, but intuition tells me that the only way to get another sound is to drop it on the floor. I’m not willing to do that. Before cutting into the orb, I notice a whiff of eau-de grocery store produce aisle a bit past its sell-by date. The smell isn’t strong and it’s only when I touch the fruit to my nose that I smell this. I then sniff each different area of the outer layer and notice that where the flower once might have been the smell is much stronger and sweeter. I scratch my finger nails on the rough skin, but it doesn’t affect the scent the way it would with an orange or lemon. It’s time to cut into the orb. Even as the knife makes the first gouge, clear pale orange juice escapes. I lick my fingers and find the sweet taste refreshing and different. Although the juice is the color of a Satsuma mandarin or a commercial worthy carrot, it tastes nothing like either. Slicing the melon in half, the cantaloupe now resembles a geode, with a plain outside and a brightly colored exotic inside. It’s filled with seeds and goo in the center. The slimy innards resemble the finest angel hair pasta, but instead of being the color of regular noodles, they are varying shades of orange, some even translucent. I carve out this gooey inside and the sweet smell now fills the air with its cloying tropical fermented flower mell. Friends who have been watching a movie in the other room come to see if they can have some, the smell having tempted them away from what they are doing. Ironic, because I’m no longer interested in the cantaloupe and ready to toss it into the composting bin. I send everyone away so that I can continue on. The meaty flesh isn’t too tough, nor is it too soft. I take a bite and let the flavor rush across my to ngue. The taste reminds me of summers on the farm eating the freshest fruits and vegetables straight out of the garden still warm from the sun. There’s a touch of salt in the taste, but the sweetness overpowers it. In spite the firm texture, the fruit feels soft and chewy and the volume of nectar is astounding. The tissue is softer and moister than the similar essence of a pumpkin and more compact than the inside of a fig. Squishing the orange flesh with my fingers, it all but dissolves into juice. What little remains is the finest of strings as soft as silk. I find a seed still attached, that I missed. The kernel is a flat oval with semi-pointed ends. Like a flat football with the air taken away, but miniscule in comparison. It’s almost as though the surrounding fibrous slime is dissolving in the air as I watch. I break open a seed using my fingernail. It’s soft and waxy, not much there. I take a wedge of the sliced cantaloupe and look at the difference between the skin and the edible meat. Like a rainbow, the color changes from thick rind on the outside to the orange moist, fleshy core on the inside. Like the color spectrum, the differences in shades are subtle, but quick. A yellow stratum is the most predominant, but considering the layer in question is less than an eighth of an inch thick, this golden subcutaneous layer isn’t very big. I make sure there isn’t anything I’ve overlooked and to check my notes for missing descriptive words. I’m shocked to look at the clock and see that more time has passed than I would have expected. I went several hours without checking my watch; something I can only do when I’m not bored. Learning to look beyond the obvious is something I already knew how to do. I enjoy observing people and watching facial expressions for meaning. What I’m not good at it is sitting still and holding my attention for long periods of time. Exercises like this help to train my brain to â€Å"settle own, focus, and catch up† as local monologuist Josh Kornbluth says. While I had to make a few self directed corrections along the way, I was fairly pleased that I was able to block out a significant amount of what was going on with family and friends in the other rooms and outdoors. Yes, there were a few times that my attention wandered, but I was back on track in seco nds rather than hours or days. The reward at the end was to finish a paper I was happy with and to share the small remainder of the cantaloupe with my friends while on a weekend away. Mission accomplished!

Danone company in India analysis

Danone company in India analysis In early 1900s a small yogurt producing factory with a vision to reach its scrumptious yogurts in every part of the world was started in Barcelona, Spain. Later Danone entered the biscuit industry in 1986 by buying General Biscuit and in 1989 it added to its portfolio of biscuit brands by acquiring Nabiscos European subsidiaries  [1]  . Later Danone began aggressively venturing globally and took over 40 acquisitions in Asia, Latin America, Central Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The Globalization vision would have been futile if Danone Group would have not entered Indian market where 1/6th of the world population resided. It took 7 decades for Danone to reach India with an immense hope of stabilizing its brand through a joint venture with Wadia group. Together they took over 51 percent holding of Indias leading biscuit manufacturer, Britannia Industries Limited. Danone did foresee this venture as a potential growth for one its core business lines of biscuits. Along with stre ngthen its biscuit portfolio, it saw strategical entry of the other two businesses of dairy products and beverages (specifically water). Antoine Riboud founder of Danone stated during unveiling of the companies from BSN to Danone that We wanted our name to be an added source of momentum for the global expansion that is now our priority. The food industry has in the past treated markets as discreet entities separated from each other by the culinary traditions of countries or regions, but it is now caught up in the same swing to globalization as others. This is because not only tastes, but also distribution and media are becoming just as global (Franck, 1996). Antoine Riboud and his successor Franck Riboud knew that they had to develop a response to this allegation by entering the Indian market to strengthen the growth of its biscuits, dairy products and beverages. However Danones association with its joint venture persuaded a change of strategy which eventually restructured its core business line and future actions. However, Danone stayed consistent with its priority of expansion globally and considering India to be important nation to pursue its vision. About Danone Group The Danone Group is a multinational food products company and currently consists of four principal business lines namely fresh dairy products, bottled water, baby nutrition and medical nutrition. Danones fresh dairy products sector represents 60% of the group sales according to 2009 report making it the number one company in fresh dairy products. The two lines of probiotic dairy products named as Actimel and Activia are the most accepted products of Danone [refer exhibit 2]. As for the other business lines, the bottled waters and baby nutrition products were ranked number two in the world and its medical nutrition products as number one in European market (Press Pederson, 2000). The Globalization strategy of Danone products commenced in early 1990s. Before entering India, Danones major business lines consisted of fresh dairy, biscuits, glass containers and beer [refer exhibit 3]. Based on world rankings in 1995, Danone was categorized as the world seventh largest food group, and the pioneer in fresh dairy products and biscuits. It was also ranked as number two in pasta, beer and glass containers. In May 1997 Franck Riboud announced the adoption of a new company strategy focusing on three core business areas namely dairy products, biscuits, and beverages (specifically water and beer)in which the company had global leadership [refer exhibit 1]. These areas also represented 85 percent of group sales (Press Pederson, 2000). Background In far far away land a small cookie making factory was started and K. Ranjan Pillai sobriquet as Biscuit King was crowned in the late 1980s. The throne of Mr. Pillai resided with Britannia Industries Ltd (BIL), which was a pioneer in Indian Biscuit Industry. However the reign of the Biscuit King soon got over, as the 43-year old Biscuit-King was pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted he had authorised the release of the companys funds to pay debt incurred by two of his cashew-trading firms. The biscuit tycoon was sent to Tihar Central Jail of India in 1995 and whose death in the same year closed what  the Economic Times  referred to as one of Indias most dramatic corporate sagas (Padmakshan, 2007). This closed the case of Rajan Pillai, however opened its empire and assets for auction. Group Danone grabbed this opportunity and entered the Indian market by establishing a joint venture with oldest Indian conglomerate Wadia Group. A marriage of two diverse entities was formed giving birth to two equal joint venture companies, UK registered Associated Biscuits International Holdings Ltd in 1992 and Wadia BSN in 1995. The Groupe Danone and Wadia together hold 50.96% in Britannia through Associated Biscuits International Ltd. The ABI Holdings, was a 50:50 JV between Groupe Danone and Wadia group. Nusli Wadia owner of the Wadia Group took over as a chairman for Britannia and Sunil Alag was appointed as the Managing Director. Sunil Alag was known as the Danone man as he was instrumental for Danone to join hands with Wadia. This new entity, Wadia BSN India, was meant to manufacture and sell food products and beverages in India, covering all Danone products, but the venture did not move. As per the Wadia BSN agreement signed in 1995, in case of a deadlock between the partners, Danone is obliged to buy all the shares of the Wadia group at a `fair market value. This agreement does not include Britannias holding firm, ABIH which has a separate agreement signed in 1992 and is subject to the British law (Chatterjee, 2007). Expect the unexpected On 29th June 2007, the French dairy major, Group Danone formally initiated arbitration proceedings to end its partnership with the Mumbai based Wadia group. The 15 years of foray came to an end leading to speculations of Danones growth in India. Eight days before the final declaration of end of relation of Danone and Wadia group the shares  of Danone on 21st June 2007 fell by 1.1 percent, to 57.42 Euros in Paris as Frances benchmark CAC 40 stock index dropped 1 percent (Saikat Ladka, 2007). Danone Secretary General,  Philippe-Loic Jacob said that We are addressing the current issues with our Indian partner, and this was a priority as Danone wished to continue developing its activities in India. It was revealed by both parties that this discontinuation was advantageous to both parties as Danone was no longer interested in the biscuits business line globally. Whereas The Wadia group having increased its stake in Britannia gained an opportunity to focus on its core business of Bisc uits. Britannias core business was always biscuits, where it enjoyed 38 percent in value and about 32 percent in volume in 2007 (Babu, 2007). Further, the Rs 6,500-crore  [2]  organised biscuit market in India was growing at 14-16 per cent per annum (Archana Rai, 2003). Issue 1: 2001 On 27th October 2001, Britannia formed a joint venture with Fonterra Co-operative Group of New Zealand, the worlds largest milk company, to explore the potential for dairy products (www.businessweek.com, 2009). Britannia took this stand even though it was associated with one of the most powerful leaders of dairy products-Danone. Fonterra was among the ten biggest dairy companies in the world and had integrated process where it included every part of the chain from procurement of milk to value-added products such as cheese and buttermilk (Krishnan, 2002). This was unlike as that of Danone who did market dairy products such as yoghurt, cheese and desserts. Issue 2: 2003 On June 04, 2003, Sunil Alag was ousted as a CEO, but it was claimed that Danone was not informed until the last minute. There were speculations that Nusli Wadia had realized that outsiders were seeing Britannia as a one man show and Mr. Alag was its face. Alagh took all the critical operational decisions and had shaken up a company associated with staid biscuit brands-like Goodday, Marie and Bourbon-by launching Pure Magic and Tiger (Archana Rai, 2003). Mr. Alag had a support from Danone as he was a strong link between the two companies.. Apart from being a successful CEO, Alagh was also flashy, flamboyant, with friends among the Page 3 crowd in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. So its likely that he helped his friends in some way, as is common with most Indian CEOs. To oust Alagh, Wadia devised the idea of the audit report, the logic being Danone would not support a corrupt CEO (Archana Rai, 2003). An internal audit report, which was recently leaked to the media, did find that Alagh pro bably favoured ad agencies, media houses and ngos run by his friends. Other claims were that Wadia wanted to have a say in the company and eventually get his son, Jeh, on board (Archana Rai, 2003). Mr Alagh, 56, joined Britannia in 1974 and has been MD CEO for over a decade (Chakravarty Kurian, 2009). Issue 3: In June, 2006:  Danone registered the Tiger trademark in over 70 countries without prior consent  [3]  . Due to this Britannia demanded royalty from Danone for use of Tiger brand that was registered under them. The tiger brand was the strongest brand of Britnannia which corporate to 20% of the companys revenue  [4]  . To this Danone also asked Britannia for royalties for using its trademark recipes for Britannias product Little Hearts. Issue 4: In November, 2006 the Wadias dragged Groupe Danone to court over the French company picking up a minority stake in a Bangalore based bio-nutritional foods company Avestha Gengraine Technologies, through its subsidiary Daninvest.com SA (Sangameshwaran, 2007). This was in violation of the governments Press Note 1, 2005, which requires a foreign company to obtain the consent of its Indian joint venture partner before pursuing an independent business in a similar area  [5]  . Actions to be India The allegation of not informing Danones partner for picking up minority stakes of Avestha Gengraine Technologies was denied by Danone. A letter dated 10th May 2007 was sent to the Indian Government that it is not a joint venture with Britannia and its 25 percent shareholdings in the biscuit company is a joint venture with wadia group ABIH through UK and not India (Chakravarty, 2007). Hence, Danone claimed that it dint have any direct joint venture in India and hence the Press Note 1, 2005 was not applicable to them. However, to this the government repeatedly told Danone that it would require no objection certificate as per the press note regulation governing the joint venture between domestic and foreign market (Chakravarty Kurian, 2009). Shortly within few months, Danone had to address a court case in September 2007, for allegedly usurping the intellectual property rights (IPR). Vinita Bali the new managing director of Britannia, said: Danone paid 220 million rupees as fee for usin g the Tiger brand  [6]  . However, to this Danone asked Britannia to pay royalty for using its trademark recipe the brand Little Hearts. However this claim was turned around as Britannia had obtained Danones approval for it and was authorized to sell it elsewhere. Ironically the exchange of technical co-operation and intellectual property was approved during Sunil Alaghs tenure as Britannia CEO, who was known to share a good rapport with the Danone top brass (Vijayraghavan, 2007).  On April 14, 2009, Groupe Danone officially exited Britannia Industries by selling its entire 25.48 per cent interest to a Wadia Group company, Leila Lands, which indirectly held a similar stake in the biscuit firm  [7]  . In 2007, Danone sold its global biscuit business to Kraft Foods for à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5.3 billion, enabling the American company to add the portfolio to its Nabisco cookies and crackers  [8]  . Danone position now in India Group Danone is now particularly keen on focusing on the dairy products in India. The Danone India, the firms fully-owned subsidiary in India, will manage the dairy and baby foods business, the water business will be managed separately through a new joint venture (JV) with Narang Hospitality Services, which is the distributor for Evian in India. Group Danone is particularly keen on the baby nutrition segment, especially after its $17 billion acquisition of Dutch firm Royal Numico, which made it Europes largest player in the baby foods category and the second-largest in the world after Nestle. According to Yakult group (http://yakult.co.in/), In 2005 Yakult Danone India (P) Ltd was formed with a joint venture between Yakult Honsha, Japan and Group Danone of France. The 50:50 Joint venture Yakults probiotic drink was launched in December 2007  [9]  . Conclusion Danones main motive to enter Indian market was to seek potential growth for its products. Indian market being complex and diverse, the best option Danone predicted was through Joint Venture. However Danone when coming out of the Indian joint venture certainly learnt about the social environment, consumer behaviour and organizational cultures in India. With this it also got aware factors of strategic asset seeking. The trail and turbulence in the Indian market undoubtedly lost focus of the firms orientation where its earlier core business was of Biscuits, Dairy products and beverages. However during its reign in India Danone completely mislaid its establishment in biscuit sector and ended up having its new portfolio of nutrional and baby products instead of biscuits. In 2007 it swapped its world number 2 position as producer of cereals and biscuits  for the same position in baby foods, having sold the biscuits division to  Kraft Foods  [10]  . The 15 years of learning also all owed Danone to change from its diversification strategy to being focused in its Business line. According to Comment/ Jarrell (1995) companies with decrease diversification show better result in the market. This is eventually being true with Danone, however adding its risk due to focused diversification. As observed in the case study, Danone did foresee growth in India. Also as per the Global Competitveness report [Exhibit 5] India ranked second in world which showed huge opportunity for the Danones growth. Danone assumed that the even though perceived distance of India and France and opposite, its establishment in India through joint venture would minimize any complexity. Moreover unperceived rules, regulations and laws of Indian company made the Danones existence in India more complex. However, one of the profound complexity Danone faced was adapting to the managements working ethics. India corruption index is more than double to that of France. Positioning the French company as not to be affected by the political sway was challenging. Lastly the Power Distance Index (PDI) according to Hoftedes model shows that India had higher power index than the France. The higher PDI states that there is unequality of power and acceptance of rule by higher authority. This lead to monopoly in the Indian joint venture by giving rise to diverging and setting of incoherent rules. However, the French had lower power index than India, stating that challenging and opposing inequality was within them. Eventually this was perceptible and which lead French Danone to break its joint venture with the Indian partner. Appendix Exhibit 1 Consolidated sales report according to business lines in 1995 Source: http://www.danone.com/images/pdf/10_danone.pdf Exhibit 2 Best sellers of Danones dairy range: Actimel and Activia Exhibit 3 DAIRY PRODUCTS: Bledina SA; Danone GmbH (Germany; 99.9%); Danone SA (Argentina; 99.5%); NV Danone SA (Belgium); Danone SA (Brazil); Danone Inc. (Canada); Danone SA (Spain; 55.7%); Danone Kft (Hungary); Danone SpA (Italy; 99.7%); Danone de Mexico SA de CV; Danone Sp zoo (Poland); Danone Portugal SA (52.8%); Danone A/S (Czech Republic; 95.1%); Danone Clover SA (South Africa; 66.8%); The Dannon Company (U.S.A.; 89%); Galbani (Italy; 90%). Beverages: Aguas de Lanjarà ³n (Spain; 78.5%); Aguas Minerales (Argentina; 50%); Alken-Maes (Belgium; 99.6%); Birra Peroni Industriale (Italy; 24.4%); Evian; Font Vella SA (Spain; 77.8%); Italaquae SpA (Italy; 91%); Kronenbourg; Mahou SA (Spain; 33.3%); San Miguel (Spain; 80.5%); Volvic. Biscuits: Bagley SA (Argentina; 91%); Bolshevik (Russia; 72.8%); Danone Cokolà ¡dovny A/S (Czech Republic; 49.1%); Danone SA (Brazil); Griesson-De Beukelaer GmbH Co.KG (Germany; 40%); Heudebert; Irish Biscuits (Ireland); The Jacobs Bakery Ltd (U.K.); LU; LU Benelux (Belgique) (Belgium; 99.6%); LU Benelux (Pays-Bas) (Netherlands; 99.6%); LU Espaà ±a (Spain); Papadopoulos (Greece; 60%); Saiwa SpA (Italy). OTHER: HP Foods Ltd (U.K.); BSN Emballage (44%); Amoy Food Ltd (Hong Kong; 90.3%); PT Aqua Golden Mississippi (Indonesia; 36.1%); Britannia Brands (Malaysia) SDN BHD (90.3%); Britannia Industries Ltd (India; 18.4%); Calpis Ajinomoto Danone Co Ltd (Japan; 25%); Continental Biscuits Ltd (Pakistan; 44.7%); Griffins Foods Ltd (New Zealand; 90.3%); Hangzhou Wahaha Co. Ltd (China; 41%); Shanghai Danone Biscuits Foods Co. Ltd (China; 54.2%); Shenzhen Danone Health Drinks Co. Ltd (China; 54.2%); Tangshan United European Haomen Brewery Co. Ltd (China; 63.2%); Wuhan Euro Dongxihu Brewery Co. Ltd (China; 54.2%); Danone International Brands Paris; Great Brands of Europe. Exhibit 4 The controversial tiger brand Exhibit 5 Source: Global competitiveness report, world economic forum (2009-2010) Link: https://members.weforum.org/pdf/GCR09/GCR20092010fullreport.pdf Exhibit 6 Source: Corruption Perception Index (2010) Link: http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

Memory in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Virginia Woolf Mrs.

Memory in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh are defined by their memories. Virginia Woolf creates their characters through the memories they share, and indeed fabricates their very identities from these mutual experiences. Mrs. Dalloway creates a unique tapestry of time and memory, interweaving past and present, memory and dream. The past is the key to the future, and indeed for these two characters the past creates the future, shaping them into the people they are on the June day described by Woolf. Peter and Clarissa’s memories of the days spent at Bourton have a profound effect on them both and are still very much a part of them. These images of their younger selves are not broad, all-encompassing mental pictures, but rather the bits and pieces of life that create personality and identity. Peter remembers various idiosyncracies about Clarissa, and she does the same about him. They remember each other by â€Å"the colours, salts, tones of existence,† the very essence that makes human beings original and unique: the fabric of their true identities (30). Clarissa Dalloway is content with her life with Richard, is content to give her party on a beautiful June evening, but she does regret at times that she can’t â€Å"have her life over again† (10). Clarissa’s memories of Bourton, of her youth, are brought back to her vividly by just the â€Å"squeak of the hinges. . . [and] she had burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air† (3). The very intensity of these memories are what make them so much a part of what she is– everything in life reminds her of Bourton, of Sally Seton, of Peter Walsh. Peter and Sally were her best friends as a girl, and â€Å"with the two of them. . . she s... ... eternally knotted in the combined tapestry of their lives, never to be disentangled from each other and therefore entwining their lives together as well as their memories of idyllic summers and bitter storms. Memory can be triggered by anything, causing life to run in a continual loop between the past and the future, the truth and the dream. Peter and Clarissa will always be shaped by their memories; that is, the core of their being. As Clarissa descends the stairs at the end of her party Peter wonders â€Å"what is this terror? What is this ecstacy? . . . What is it that fills me with extraordinary excitement? It is Clarissa . . . For there she was† (194). And there she will always be, forever bound in his memory just as he is forever tied into hers, together creating their true identities. Work Cited Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., 2005.

The Advantages of a Small Company

Small businesses, or â€Å"mom and pop† organization are the backbone of this country. From the days when European settlers first founded our nation, entrepreneurs recognized an opportunity and strove to fill the needs of their clientele, even if it was only in exchange for a commodity like food. Today, in an economy filled with big box retailers like Wal-Mart, communications giants like AT&T and food and beverage conglomerates like Nestle, what is often missing is the human touch. Back when our parents were growing up, buying groceries meant a trip to the local market where the butcher cut your meat while you waited and a visit to the pharmacy often included a soda fountain treat served up by the teenager who lived down the street. Shopping was never a quick errand but also served as social time for chit chat between neighbors and friends. Bigger is not always better. The presence of huge corporations is slowly forcing the small business owner to either get out or find new ways to compete for business. Certainly you cannot call AT&T’s customer service line and find a relative on the other end of the line who will ensure you receive the utmost in care and maybe even include a recipe for that casserole you admired at last weekend’s Sunday social. Chances are that when you purchase a bag of dog food made by Ralston-Purina, a division of Nestle Foods, there will be no representative of the company asking after your satisfaction and your ill grandmother’s health. Modern-day society could only benefit from a return to the standards of small business practices such as used to be common. After all, wouldn’t a personal touch go a long way towards developing necessary relationships within our communities? References Fredman, Catherine, (June, 2007). Executive Secrets: Small Business, Big Impact. Retrieved August 13, 2007 from United Hemispheres: http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/jun07/executivesecrets.html