Ancient Egypt’s Comparison with Mesopotamia

Ancient Egypt’s Comparison with Mesopotamia Ancient Egypt’s farming system compared with Mesopotamia Ancient Egyptians had an easier life compared to the other ancient civilizations because of their reliable agriculture system. Geography played a big role, especially in farming. Due to geography, Mesopotamia and Egypt had different farming methods, weathers, environment, and flooding seasons. In fact, Egypt’s great farming system led them to have better conditions to farm than Mesopotamia because of flooding, the rivers and irrigation and the farming tools that they used. Economy, crops, flooding, and the weather varied between Mesopotamia and Egypt. Geography, flooding seasons, different farming tools, and methods led Egypt to have a better agriculture system than Egypt. The difference between geographies, which includes the environment, was the main factor that the farming was different in Mesopotamians and Egyptians. Flooding influenced farming in Mesopotamia and Egypt. However, flooding helped Egypt but it influenced badly in Mesopotamia. Egypt is settled on the world’s longest river, the Nile, which flows from south to north because of the geography of land. Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt had a predictable flooding seasons. Farmers, knowing when to expect floods, were able to schedule growing seasons around when crops needed water. Not only did flooding help with good timing with farming, but it also provided rich soil from the flooding. The Nile River floods between June and October (Louis, and Jennifer). After floods, there would be a fertile land along the river which Egyptians used to plant and grow things such as fruits and vegetables (Gill, 29). Flood played a big role in farming and growing crops in Egypt. On the contrary, growing crops were more difficult for Mesopotamians because of the difference in geography. Mesopotamia had limited natural resources because of the unpredictable floods (David, 117). Farmers had no prediction when it was going to flood, which gave the farmers hard times finding the right season to farm. Unlike Egyptians, Mesopotamians lived in the city-states which were based on farming and trade. The city-states were a group of small cities which needed unity with one the other. Also, they were isolated from one another geographically and so the independence of each city-state became important. Farming played a big role in city-states. However, Egypt did not have a good environment, especially the flood was the main problem. Floods destroyed villages and took many lives (David, 121). The floods sometimes caused rivers to change courses and due to this farmers had a lot of trouble with crops. Sudden floods forced Mesopotamians to create an organized agricultural sys tem to help them with farming and growing crops. Mesopotamia was very dry, hot and had little rainfall. Farmers had hard time finding water for their crops. Farming was hard for Mesopotamians due to the hot weather and bad environment conditions (David, 122). Flood was not the only cause of having different farming system, but also due to using different tools and farming methods. Using different tools in farming and farming in different environment such as soil and weathers led Mesopotamia and Egypt to harvest different crops. Egyptian grew a lot of crops due to good weather and soil. Egyptian farmers grew crops such as wheat, barley, vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates and vines (Barrow). Also, they grew flax which was made into linen (Barrow). Out of all the crops that the Egyptian farmers harvested, the most important crop was grain because ancient Egyptians used grain to make bread, porridge and beer (Barrow). Moreover, grain was the first crop that they grew after inundation. Once the grain was harvested, they grew vegetables, such as onions, leeks, cabbages beans and lettuce (Barrow). Crops differed between Mesopotamia and Egypt because of the environment, but also due to the different tools that they used to farm. Ancient Egypt ian had simple farming tools such as winnowing scoops, hoes, rakes, flint-bladed sickles and ploughs (Barrow). Farming methods, and tools also took a big role in Egypt to have a reliable farming system. Moreover, Egypt was geography isolated by deserts, mountains and seas which allowed their crops to grow well. Mesopotamia had only few crops to grow due to the geography and flooding which influenced the Economy. Due to unpredictable floods, Mesopotamians did not know when to farm. For some farmers, when it was time to harvest, flooded unexpectedly and swept away all the crops. However, the farmers raised few crops which were grains, fruit, vegetables, and barn yard animals. One of the methods that the farmers used was by filling the containers with seeds. Cows would pull plow seed and the seeds would go into the ground (Louis, and Jennifer). Mesopotamian people invented the seeder plow, which enabled farmers to carry out the tasks of seeding and plowing at the same time. The plow created a long, narrow trench made in the ground as seed was dropped into a funnel (Gabriel). The Mesopotamians further enhanced the technology of the plow by learning how to use ox to power it (Gabriel). There were few farming methods, however, Mesopotamia did not have enough methods than Egypt (Louis, and Jennife r). Due to the lack of farming methods, the Mesopotamian farmers hand harvested most crops. Because of the unpredictable flood, and lack of farming tools and methods, Egypt had a better profit in crops and had developed farming system. Along with the farming methods and tools, Mesopotamian and Egyptians were both influenced by geography (McIntosh, 56). Egypt, irrigation led to an increased food supply and helped water dry lands with streams, canals, or pipes. Due to irrigation, farmers could plan for the seasonal flooding. Nile River played a big role in farming because the river provided silt whenever there was a flood, so Egypt was ready for flood and they did not have to worry about the right time for farming. Also, after floods, there would be a fertile strip along the Nile River that was about 12 miles wide (Louis, and Jennifer). Moreover, this benefited the soil, due to this they had rich fertile soil which was good for farming. Not only good fertile soil land, but also the economy boosted. Farmers had a lot of profit due to growing crops. Crops were able to boost the economy because of irrigation. This increased food supply, fertile lands, canals, pipes, and farmers suffered less. Due to Egypt’s geogr aphy, economy boosted because of crops. On the other land, Mesopotamia had hard time with their economy because of their geography. Mesopotamia depended on Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, however, they sometimes brought unpredictable floods (Wallenfels, 28-29). Unlike Egypt, Mesopotamia was overwhelmed with a large amount of silt. This silt was a constant cause of problems in the manmade irrigation systems (Grigg, 22). Not only the silt was the problem, but also the salt was the problem. Right below the surface of where Mesopotamia was, there was a large cluster of salt deposits. This high saline content of the soil made farming in Mesopotamia much more complex and difficult than it was in Egypt. Also, any time the irrigation waterways were not able to be maintained, a lack of the large food would result. Due to the salt deposit and overload of silt caused a decline in economy and crops in Mesopotamia (Grigg, 21). Above all, Egypt had better and suitable environment to grow crops which developed their farming skills as well as their economy. Also, there were many farming methods and tools which led them to grow more crops, and no longer had to do hand harvested crops. Egypt’s distinguished geography, farming methods, and farming tools helped to set them up to be more advanced and outstanding society than Mesopotamian civilization. Works Cited Bertman, Stephen. Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. New York: Oxford UP, 2005.  Print. Cline, Eric H., and Jill Rubalcaba. The Ancient Egyptian World. New York: Oxford UP, 2005.  Print. David, A. Rosalie. Geography of Ancient Egypt. Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt. New  York: Facts On File, 2003. 117-22. Print. Louis, and Jennifer. Farming and Agriculture of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Farming and  Agriculture of Egypt and Mesopotamia. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014. Roaf, Michael. Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. Arlington, VA: Stonehenge, 1992.  Print. Wallenfels, Ronald. World Eras, Volume 8: Ancient Mesopotamia, 3300-331 BCE. Detroit: Gale,  2004. Print. Gill, Vernon Dale, Tom (1974). Topsoil and Civilization, University of Oklahoma Press. Grigg, D.B, (1974). Agricultural Systems of the World. Cambridge University Press. Jacobsent, Thorkild (1982). Salinity and Irrigation Agriculture in Antiquity, UndenaPublications. Leonard, Jonathan Norton, (1973). The First Farmers, Time Life Books. Louis, and Jennifer. Farming and Agriculture of Egypt and Mesopotamia.Farming and Agriculture of Egypt and Mesopotamia. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.

An Analysis Of Sainsburys Supermarket

An Analysis Of Sainsburys Supermarket Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury along with his wife Mary Ann in London and then gradually grew to become the largest grocery retailer by 1922. Sainsburys is the UKs oldest major food retailer with their first store opened in 1869. It strives to keep up with its trusted heritage of quality with best services. Past: In the early 1990s Sainsburys, market leader so far, lost its position to Tesco and in 2004 it came down to no. three after Tesco and Asda. The downfall involved many reasons including changing managements, lack of innovative strategies, failing to assess the impact of loyalty cards scheme, unhealthy acquisition in Egypt and a misleading marketing strategy which failed to communicate the right message to the consumers. Present: Sainsburys started to fight back and be noticed after Justin King took over the management role in early 2004 and came up with a revival strategy under the name of Making Sainsburys Great Again. The process involved a no. of mergers and acquisitions of small chains in the south east England and the Midlands. The new message of Try Something New Today went really well with the media and the consumer led by the famous celebrity chef Jamie Oliver it encouraged buyers to innovate in their kitchens and make their food interesting. Future: The supermarket industry has reached a saturation point in the UK. How long can Sainsburys go on opening up new stores at locations such that its stores do not start to cannibalize each other? Using the Ansoff Growth Matrix two future strategies are suggested for Sainsburys: Opening up of Sainsburys Travels and Tours Product Development On the basis of the success potential in the travel business, Sainsburys might venture into the Travel and Tours business by way of Product Development as per Ansoff Growth Matrix tool for future strategy selection. Sainsburys has a very high probability of success as measured with the help of SWOT analysis and assessing the keys to success and the critical factors. Sainsburys China Market Development Sainsburys might opt for the Market development strategy by offering the supermarket business to the land of opportunities China. The move will be mad after the necessary PEST analysis has been done and companys SWT has been assessed with Chinese perspective. Sainsburys Strategic Corporate Development History: 1990 to 2004 Corporations are required to add value by mans of their business. The goal is to manage and control the businesses for a long term and sustainable success. The corporate level strategy deals with the choice of the business and the growth and development related to it. Sainsburys enjoyed the position of the leader in the UK supermarket industry up to the early 1990s. It had sustained its image of a name trusted with quality and service. British like old names with some history behind them. The company started to lose its grip in the early nineties due to a number of reasons. There was a change in management after the longtime CEO John David Sainsbury retired. He was replaced by David Sainsbury who bought about a change in the management style. Although the times were changing and some of the people in the management thought strongly about launching loyalty card schemes and also favored introduction of non-food items in the stores, both the options were rejected by the fresh management. The biggest rival Tesco had gradually moved up on the market scales and the internal indecisions help it get hold of better deals from suppliers. We will analyze Sainsburys approach in view of Ansoff Growth Matrix perspective. Ansoffs matrix is a tool that helps businesses decide their product and market growth strategy. Market Penetration: The strategy had been the simple approach of Market Penetration Strategy. As per Ansoff Matrix, this can be easily explained as the company keeps on offering the same product into the existing market. From 1993 onwards Sainsburys was unconsciously moving forward on the basis of wait and see policy. Up till now Sainsburys had enjoyed the position with no real threat. It started with price cuts on almost 30 of its labels, three months after came up with Tesco Value Lime. The move affected Sainsburys profit margins. Product Development: This made the management realize to offer something new to the customers and after Tesco came up with new format stores named Tesco Metro serving the town centers in 1994, Sainsburys responded with announcement of Sainsburys Central format. This approach is interpreted as Product Development strategy where a new product is introduced into existing market. The new project offered shopping facilities to the small towns was initiated leading to Country Town stores. The stores were formatted keeping in mind the distance the buyers have to travel for their weekly grocery shoppings. The new service enabled the customers to do so without going to large, out of town stores. They were mainly planned to be opened I the south east, which has always been Sainsburys strong hold. The 1st store was opened by the end of 1998 in Ongar (Essex). These stores have now been standardized as per the regular stores and they maintain even trading terms Setbacks: The company fell behind yet again in 1995 when the management failed to realize the importance of loyalty cards schemes and refused to go ahead with launch of any such offer. They had to reconsider their decision 18 months later after Tescos club card was introduced. In 1996 the company ventured into opening up of Sainsburys Bank. In addition it acquired Texas Homecare for 290M (GBP) in 1996. These expansions had a major effect on the financials and Sainsburys announced first fall in profits in 22 years. Another reason which affected Sainsburys sales was the perception among the customers that it is more expensive than its rivals. The marketing campaigns failed to convey the message that Sainsburys offers as good quality and value for money as its rivals. The marketing failed to communicate the required message of low cost and high vale and the company endured the consequences. The year 1996 saw Sainsburys losing its position of market leader to Tesco. Acquisition and Divestment: Sainsbury attained 80.1% of share in an Egyptian distribution group SAE. The group provided retailing services in Egypt with 100 stores and almost 2000 employees at the time or acquisition. The decision was criticized by the analyst as it was made during the most testing times of Sainsburys history. The reason behind the decision might have been the success Tesco outside UK. However the meager results shown by the Egyptian business led to the divestment of the share and sale of shares in 2001. The brand re-launch In 1998 the company again went under a management change and George Bull, the new Chairman took over and decided to re-launch the Sainsburys Brand. The new management targeted to revive Sainsburys corporate identity and started with the launch of a new logo, going for a slightly informal font and new slogan of making life taste better. Staff uniforms were redesigned The company underwent a Business Transformation Program (BTP) after the appointment of Peter Davis who showed significant improvement in the companys turnover and exceeded the targets. The BTP involved a 3.00bn (GBP) upgrade of the stores, distribution and IT equipment. The distribution setup included construction of fully automated depots which cost 100m (GBP) each and was later criticized by the new management. Sainsburys moved into the current headquarters at Holborn in 2001. The Nectar loyalty card scheme was launched in 2002 which replaced the Sainsburys Reward Card. Current Strategic Situation: 2004 to date: At the end of March 2004, new CEO Justin King joined the company who came up with a recovery plan for Sainsbury under the banner of Making Sainsburys Great Again. It was a three year recovery plan which was very positively received by the media and the stock market. The strategy involved laying off redundant staff from the head offices and recruiting additional staff for shop floors to increased and improved customer service quality. Sainsburys was having major issues with its stock availability, inventory and supply chain management. The new depot monitoring systems were to be implemented and IBM was given the deal to upgrade the system. Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestments: In 2004 Sainsburys new management under the Making Sainsburys Great Again plan to concentrate on its strong UK customer base, divested the American subsidiary Shaws. It was sold to Albertsons. The no. of convenient stores was increased through an acquisition of 54 Bells Stores chain which was based in the north-east of England. Another Acquisition took place with purchasing o 114 stores of Jackson Stores based in Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The acquisition took place in November 2004. Another small chain of 6 stores was acquired from SL Shaw lt. in April 2005. New Marketing Strategy Try something new today: Sainsburys is at a critical stage at the moment. Sainsburys Supermarkets have gone through a period of dramatic regression, in which they have been surpassed by rivals Tesco and, more recently, in 2004, Wal-Mart-owned Asda. (Global Market Information Database, 2004). It is not easy for an established and old UK brand to vanish off from the market but the competitors have. While it is rare for major brands to disappear completely from the UK high street, these competitors have acquired share from Sainsburys by way of their commitment to low and attractive prices, whereas Sainsburys has been focusing on its Business Transformation Program and has indulged itself in promoting an image of quality, and value rather than being affordable The present day UK customers which have a huge percentage of non British are heavily influenced by the economical changes and are passing through tough times. The message which has been conveyed by the Tesco and Asda was received warmly as it assured them of a combination of quality and assurance along with low price. As a result, Sainsbury is still considered comparatively expensive just because it failed to convey the message through proper marketing. A massive marketing campaign of Try Something New Today was launched in September 2005, which was designed to make people go off the shopping routine encourage them to be more adventurous in food eating. Under the campaign umbrellas, the spokesperson for the campaign Jamie Oliver encouraged the customers to be. The message conveyed was it supplies quality food as well as the only one offering useful ideas to make your food interesting. The aim was to reach and convince all the customers and not only the well off. Sainsburys is attempting to respond forcefully to the challenges it faces, however competition in the UK market is becoming increasingly intense, and Sainsburys faces a difficult struggle to regain the ground it has lost to rivals that continue to expand aggressively The management has a continuous approach towards work with responsibility. They attempt to provide fresh food and innovate with respect to customers needs. It serves over 18.5 million customers every week. The large stores offer over 30000 products along with complementary Non-Food products e.g. the TU clothing range which has over 1 million transactions every week. Along with other services, an Internet based shopping service has also been made available, keeping in trend with the changing requirements o the customers, to almost 90% of UK households. The company has a chain of stores with 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience stores, hence a total of 872 stores in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, including Hypermarkets (super large stores- Sainsburys stores- main plus), Sainsburys Central and Sainsburys local (supermarket and local convenient stores format main mission). The company has been eyeing the opportunity of expanding its business outside the UK. Especially the hyper potential in Asia (especially South East Asia and China). By analyzing Tescos huge success in the market outside UK, Sainsburys venture might not be far away. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsburys Strategic Direction for the Future: Sainsburys has a history of innovation and it continues to strengthen its relationship with its customers and has gone ahead with the growth of their convenient store operations, the online offers and the Sainsburys Bank. They have a constant approach towards developing new offers in line with the evolving customers demands resulting in operational growth and profitability. http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/ar08/businessreview/corporateobjectives.shtml Choosing a Strategy: A marketing tool for making the market strategy is the Ansoff Matrix, which gives us strategic choices for obtaining our business and market objectives. It offers four choices which deal with marketing and growth of existing or new products in existing or new markets. Ansoff On the basis of current scenarios there are two pathways for Sainsburys to opt from, for a sustainable growth and presence for a long time to come. Product Development Strategy: Sainsburys has a huge loyal customer base. The suggested new service product through Sainsburys Travel and Tours will provide these customers to utilize yet another trustworthy service by their trusted name. Market Development Strategy: Although Sainsburys has not yet ventured into the International market but the step might not be that far away keeping in mind the huge success TESCO has had in the international market. Sainsburys could venture into international expansion keeping in mind the growing and still unsaturated markets of China and Southeast Asia. Product Development Sainsburys Travels and Tours: Sainsburys can opt for launching Sainsburys Travels and Tours is by choosing the Product Development Strategy and is introducing a new product into existing market. The growing Travel and Tours market will definitely have a positive effect on the Sainsburys portfolio by increasing its profits and hence strengthening its business. Why Product Development? The Sainsburys Travels and Tours will provide the company to excel and achieve its strategic goals on the basis The supermarket industry has become fairly saturated in the UK and at present Sainsburys is eyeing to expand itself in the International market but it will be a while before it actually does. The Travel industry is a growing market and has a huge potential of growth. The new product will benefit the company earn huge profitability margins which are becoming hard to achieve I the supermarket industry. The Sainsburys has a huge loyal customer base which will be utilized for promotions and marketing purpose. The project has a high probability of success given a chance of a fresh new product offered by a supermarket chain. Market Demographics: Although year 2009 has seen the worst recession since 1930, there are definite signs that the cycle is now turning. Travel industry has suffered consequences of economic crush but the consumer confidence is indicating escalating progress. UNWTO is expecting a reasonable growth of 5% in 2010. There was an upward trend during the last quarter of 2009 which showed 2% upswing. The development is further strengthen by the Air Transport Data from IATA, which shows passenger traffic strength since September 2009 Asia is expected to show the greatest recovery being less effected by the economic crush (comparatively). Growth is also expected to resume in America and Europe. A large number of countries around the world have shown positive growth in the first two months of 2010. Overall the total of tourists arrivals during the first two months of 2010 was 119 million showing 7% improvement as compared to 2009 SWOT The SWOT analysis summarizes the vital strengths and weaknesses of the company. This SWOT analyses the new product line and reviews the opportunities and threats which Sainsburys may face Strengths Image differentiation with respect to Brand name The customer to employee ratio is low Staff is highly trained and customer focused Loyal customer base An interesting, diverse and new product offered by a trusted service provider Established network of outlets Weaknesses Difficulties related to finding employees with required skills and attitude Presenting the customers with interesting offers on continuous basis Lack of experience in the new industry Business limited to UK only Opportunities rapidly growing market all over the world Growing number of people with increasing need and desire for holidays The existing Utilizing the existing Nectar database for identifying potential customers Threats Lingering effects of the slump in economy Natural disaster such as he recent Icelandic volcanoes eruption Highly competitive industry Key to success Sainsbury has always aimed to be the consumers first choice for food, delivering quality products with great service at a competitive cost. The company is striving to achieve the objective of leading margins with diverse market and delivering strong profits every year. The new product will benefit the company earn huge profitability margins which are becoming hard to achieve in the supermarket industry. Critical Issues: What can go wrong? The Sainsburys already has an established huge no. of loyal customers who would be happy to have an option o a different kind of service offered from their trust worthy service provider. The expectation for a stable turnover is based on the fact that it is an established name offering a new product on the basis of its goodwill. How likely it is to happen? The expected growth can be effected by increasing inflation rates. The Travel Industry faced a huge blow after 9-11 incident. What are the consequences? Any unforeseen incident like this (God forbid) will have long lasting effects on the companys growth, profitability and future expansions and plans. Competitive Advantage Nectar Loyalty Card Database The database can provide an excellent competitive advantage because It will help the management to design the product, offerings, and travel and tour packages as per the preferences. The database can also be utilized to acquire knowledge about customers such as No. of family members Spending habits Income estimates Preferences with respect to food etc. Holiday routines Market Development Strategy: Sainsburys could also opt for the Market Development strategy with offering its existing product of Supermarket and offering it to a new market by venturing into a growing international market such as China. China is the promising power in todays business world and its domestic market allows huge potential for international companies with promising growth. Sainsburys is the third largest supermarket name in UK after Tesco, which already has a huge presence outside the UK and Asda which is owned by the industry giant Wal-Mart. The immediate rivals have other sources /markets to benefit from other then UK. But Sainsburys has so far only focused on the UK market and from last two decades its concentration has almost completely been occupied by gaining back the lost market shares from its competitors. For Sainsburys to venture into a new market, a PEST has to be made to know the market better and plan the strategy accordingly. PEST Analysis China: Political and Legal: Since 2001, china has entered into WTO and its market is open or multinationals to trade in. In china, supermarket industry is not considered as a prestigious as some other industries so the government rules and regularities are not so tough. The government is favoring development in the supermarket industry. Social: The demographics of china show that population growth rate 0.629% (2008) in which the youth from 0-14 years comprises of 20.1%. The Chinese customers have become more concerned about issues related to health and safety after the 2008 melamine contaminated milk issue. As per the current shopping trends in China, people prefer to buy in person (online buying is almost non-existent especially daily grocery). The families are very small units on average maximum of 4-5 per unit in sub urban areas where as mostly population in the larger cities is singly. Chinese prefer to buy on daily basis, fresh produce as per days requirement. Technology and development: China is a vast country with underdeveloped infrastructure so there will be immediate warehouse setup requirements. Chinese households have a very low trend of keeping refrigerators at home so big weekly supplies trips will take time to adjust in the culture. Environmental Factors: The plastic bags have been recently stopped in china. The govt. is still trying to establish regular and long term procedures for recycling. All these factors will be required to be kept during the planning and project development phase for Sainsburys China. Furthermore we will perform a SWOT analysis for Sainsburys with respect to its entry in the Chinese market. Strengths: Over a century of supermarket and retail experience Ambition for growth Experience from failed International acquisitions as Egypt. Weaknesses: Cultural difference Expansion will be slow initially Opportunities: A very large market size Huge potential of industry growth Govt. policies favor the Industry Expansion opportunities in the rural/western parts of China Changing consumer awareness with respect to shopping habits Threats: Immature market Rivalry to increase immensely Weak infrastructure Untrained local staff Increasing prices of raw materials Strategic Recommendations: Based on the above analysis Sainsburys should consider a slow and steady expansion strategy in China for long term results and sustained presence. Initially the stores should be opened in the urban and economically grown regions where customers will more readily adapt to change and new trend. Gradually then, on the basis of acquired knowledge, preferences, culture etc Sainsburys should venture into the suburban and rural areas. Sainsburys should use the critical factors involved in the success of the strategy such as It should strive to obtain consumers trust by offering good quality products at affordable prices. Health and safety measures should be the first priority so that no incident like the contaminated milk will occur. China is a big country and the company should fully utilize this factor for the locations o the stores. The locality factor should be given priority wile employing the Chinese as trust and ownership has a great value in Chinese culture. China is a growing country and its economic conditions will affect the pricing of the products Sainsburys should work on differentiating itself from the rivals from day one for developing long tem and healthy relationship with the consumers. Once Sainsburys makes its entry into China market, there is no looking back from the kind of growth and expansion opportunities it may provide. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsburys ) Conclusion: During the last decade of 1990s and early 2000s saw Sainsburys going through a very testing time in its history. It lost its no. 1 position to Tesco and then no. 2 to Asda. Time saw Sainsburys make some serious lack of judgments on behalf of management decisions related to adapting to the changing times, acquisitions and divestments. The management made a serious lack of assessment while deciding for bringing out the loyalty card scheme. The profit margins were affected as the companys marketing campaign failed to register with the consumers. The mid 2000 saw Sainsburys coming out again to be a Supermarket force lead by Justin King. The new campaigns Making Sainsburys Great Again and the companys new slogan of Try Something New Today succeeded in reach the customers positively. Given the market saturation of the industry Sainsburys has been suggested two options for business expansion using Ansoff Growth Matrix tool. Product Development Sainsburys Travels and Tours Market Development Sainsburys China The necessary SWOT and PEST analysis tools have been used to assess and measure the factor involved and could affect the growth suggested. The Travels and Tours Industry promises growth based on demographics provided by the WTO and the UK travel forecasts. The loyal customers of Sainsburys would be more the happy to have another product offered by their trustworthy service provider. Sainsburys China will provide an opportunity for immense growth of supermarket industry in a vast and massive population of China. Sainsburys should take a steady approach by starting from the urban areas and slowly expanding in the remaining country while studying and adapting to the new culture and country.

How Wilfred Owen Challenges The Romanticised & Glamorised Picture Of Wa

How Wilfred Owen Challenges The Romanticised & Glamorised Picture Of War This essay is to explain and to show how Wilfred Owen challenges the glamorised image surrounding the war. This glamorous image was created by the media in order to get people to join up for the war, as a result of the propaganda people believed that it was honourable to go to war and you would be regarded as a hero. To do this I will need to present evidence, using quotes and commentating on his various writing techniques. To show this I am going to write about two of his poems: Dulce et decorum est and Disabled. Both of these poems are renowned for challenging the propaganda created by the media and proves that it was all lies created to make people sign up for war and it's not in any way honourable, heroic, glamorous or romantic to die in the war. These poems have credibility because Owen has first hand experience in the war as he served in WW1. He uses this to his advantage and writes truthfully and openly to crush any remaining propaganda that may still say that it is sweet and fitting to die for your country. Dulce et decorum est is a poem that follows a nameless man through a day during WW1 and describes some of the things that he saw. He writes that they look 'like old beggars'. This is an effective simile because when you think of 'old beggars' you think of dirty, scruffy, weak ill people, which is a complete contradictory to the image of a soldier that the media created using propaganda. They were 'coughing like old hags'. This is a simile. 'hags' are unhealthy and unfit and this is not what soldiers are expected to be like. 'All went lame, all blind;/Drunk with fatigue.' This is written in the past tense and it is ono... ... same but it is put in different style of writing. At the end in Dulce he directly addresses the reader, angrily and definite. Disabled has the same message but instead of telling you what you should and shouldn't do it makes you think. The message is there but in a different way. The characters in each poem are completely different. Dulce's character is written about in first person narrative and the man who dies is anonymous, which I think symbolises how you don't have to know some one to be permanently affected by their death. It shows that death can strike anyone. The man died by accident. Disabled though gave us a history of the character, so we knew a little bit about his personality and what he used to be like before the war. I think this shows us how much one person can be changed and how his life has been ruined just because he couldn't say no.

Criticism of Religious Hypocrites in Molieres Tartuffe Essay -- Tartu

Criticism of Religious Hypocrites in Tartuffe      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moliere rocked the 17th century French world with his comedy "Tartuffe" in 1664. Although, religious factions kept the play banned from theatres from 1664-1669, "Tartuffe" emerged from the controversy as one of the all-time great comedies. Tartuffe is a convincing religious hypocrite. He is a parasite who is sucking Orgon, the rich trusting father, for all he is worth. Orgon does not realize that Tartuffe is a phony, and caters to his every whim. For instance, he reneges on his promise to let his daughter Mariane, marry Valere. Instead he demands that she wed Tartuffe, whom she despises. He also banishes his own son, Damis, from his house for speaking out against Tartuffe and all of his son's inheritance is promised to Tartuffe.    Tartuffe is nothing more than a traveling confidence man who veils his true wickedness with a mask of piety. Orgon and his mother Madame Pernelle are completely taken in by this charade. On the other hand, Cleante, Elmire, and Dorine see Tartuffe for the fake that he really is. Cleante is Orgon's wise brother who speaks elegantly about Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Through Cleante, Moliere most plainly reveals his theme.    Spare me your warnings, Brother; I have no fear Of speaking out, for you and Heaven to hear, Against affected zeal and pious knavery. There's true and false in piety, as in bravery, And just as those whose courage shines the most In battle, are least inclined to boast, So those whose hearts are truly pure and lowly Don't make a flashy show of being holy (Meyer 1466).    In speeches such as these, Moliere wanted to get across the fact that it was false piety he was condemni... ...rtuffe" historically it becomes clear the courage it took for Moliere to perform this play, knowing that he would be ostracized by the church for the rest of his life. At Moliere's death, Bishop Bossuet said, "God is showing his anger against Moliere" (Bishop X). However, by using the historical viewpoint, we can see that Moliere actually died a hero, knowing that he had always fought for what he believed.       Works Cited Bishop, Morris. Eight Plays By Moliere. New York: The Modern Library, 1957. Fernandez, Ramon. Moliere: The Man Seen Through the Plays. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. Gassner, John. Comedies of Moliere. New York: The Book League of America, 1946. Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1989. Walker, Hallam. Moliere. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990.    Criticism of Religious Hypocrites in Moliere's Tartuffe Essay -- Tartu Criticism of Religious Hypocrites in Tartuffe      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moliere rocked the 17th century French world with his comedy "Tartuffe" in 1664. Although, religious factions kept the play banned from theatres from 1664-1669, "Tartuffe" emerged from the controversy as one of the all-time great comedies. Tartuffe is a convincing religious hypocrite. He is a parasite who is sucking Orgon, the rich trusting father, for all he is worth. Orgon does not realize that Tartuffe is a phony, and caters to his every whim. For instance, he reneges on his promise to let his daughter Mariane, marry Valere. Instead he demands that she wed Tartuffe, whom she despises. He also banishes his own son, Damis, from his house for speaking out against Tartuffe and all of his son's inheritance is promised to Tartuffe.    Tartuffe is nothing more than a traveling confidence man who veils his true wickedness with a mask of piety. Orgon and his mother Madame Pernelle are completely taken in by this charade. On the other hand, Cleante, Elmire, and Dorine see Tartuffe for the fake that he really is. Cleante is Orgon's wise brother who speaks elegantly about Tartuffe's hypocrisy. Through Cleante, Moliere most plainly reveals his theme.    Spare me your warnings, Brother; I have no fear Of speaking out, for you and Heaven to hear, Against affected zeal and pious knavery. There's true and false in piety, as in bravery, And just as those whose courage shines the most In battle, are least inclined to boast, So those whose hearts are truly pure and lowly Don't make a flashy show of being holy (Meyer 1466).    In speeches such as these, Moliere wanted to get across the fact that it was false piety he was condemni... ...rtuffe" historically it becomes clear the courage it took for Moliere to perform this play, knowing that he would be ostracized by the church for the rest of his life. At Moliere's death, Bishop Bossuet said, "God is showing his anger against Moliere" (Bishop X). However, by using the historical viewpoint, we can see that Moliere actually died a hero, knowing that he had always fought for what he believed.       Works Cited Bishop, Morris. Eight Plays By Moliere. New York: The Modern Library, 1957. Fernandez, Ramon. Moliere: The Man Seen Through the Plays. New York: Hill and Wang, 1958. Gassner, John. Comedies of Moliere. New York: The Book League of America, 1946. Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1989. Walker, Hallam. Moliere. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990.   

The Game of Runescape :: Games History Runescape Essays

The Game of Runescape For many, the world of Runescape is an unfamiliar world. Runescape involves many players in a medieval world of ghosts, goblins, and dangerous dragons. By fighting these monsters, characters can level up and get stronger. Each combat level that a player acquires increases his or her character’s strength by one point. People outside this discourse community would have a difficult time trying to understand everything that is going on in this internet game. Even people playing for years might not know everything there is to know about the game. It takes about two weeks to understand and incorporate Runescape’s terms and ways to trade, but that two weeks goes by plenty fast. Breaking things down to its simplest parts is a tough thing to do, but it puts the world of Runescape into view for others that have not heard about the game. Interacting with the other players of Runescape and understanding what the other people are trying to say are key survival techniques tha t must be used in order to last in this game. In order to understand the game of Runescape, a player must first understand the pagan religion. The pagan religion concentrates on witchcraft and wizardry. A lot of the game centers on witches and wizards and the ability of a character to use magic. Pagans today still believe in witch craft and the ability to cure or even prevent certain illnesses from spreading to a community of people. The world of Runescape will help players delve deeper into the pagan traditions and help them understand more about their religion. A beginning player of Runescape must first understand what some commonly used words and phrases mean in order to play the game. â€Å"Noob† for instance means a newcomer or newbie to the game of Runescape. Many high leveled characters will tend to use this word frequently when speaking to lower leveled characters. Noob is a fairly new term and only used by more experienced people. This word groups all newcomers into a negative category of being ignorant and gullible, because many new comers to the game do not know all of the tricks that experienced players know. As soon as a player increases his or her combat level to at least level thirty, the word â€Å"noob† would no longer pertain to them.

Jwellery Industry in India

THE JEWEL INDUSTRY OF INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO GITANJALI INTRODUCTION INDIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY India is a leading player in the global gems and jewellery market. The gems and jewellery industry occupies an important position in the Indian economy. It is a leading foreign exchange earner, as well as one of the fastest growing industries in the country. The two major segments of the sector in India are gold jewellery and diamonds. Gold jewellery forms around 80 per cent of the Indian jewellery market, with the balance comprising fabricated studded jewellery that includes diamond studded as well as gemstone studded jewellery. The Indian gems and jewellery industry is competitive in the world market due to its low cost of production and the availability of skilled labour. In addition, the industry has set up a worldwide distribution network, of more than 3,000offices for the promotion and marketing of Indian diamonds. The sector is expected to register a compound annual growth of (CAGR) of 13% during 2011-13, according to a report â€Å"Indian Gems and Jwellery Market Forecast 2013†. (By research firm RNCOS). MICHAEL PORTER’S 5 FORCE MODEL FOR JEWELLERY INDUSTRY INTER- FIRM RIVALRY- HIGH There are two types of rivalry. 1) Inside India & (2) Outside India. †¢Large presence of unorganized sector. 0. 2 Million Gold jewellers and over 8,000 Diamond jewellers †¢International rivals Such as, China †¢Threat from producing nation like S. A. & Russia. BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS – MEDIUM In jewellery industry the suppliers are S. A. , UAE, Australia, US, Congo, Botswana, Russia , DTC. †¢Few Alternatives of cutting & polishing. †¢Skilled labour †¢Bargaining power of India is enhanced because India is largest consumer of gold jewellery. BARGAING POWER OF BUYERS- LOW Divided in two types 1. Domestic buyers & . Foreign buyers †¢As investment (Demand increase) †¢Bargaining power of Indian exporter is high because Majority of the world's rough diamond production is cut and polished in India THREAT OF SUBSITUTES- LOW Substitutes are Real assets, Stock market, ; Bank deposits ; Mutual fund investment and other types of jewellery like imitation Jewellery, bagasra jewellery, stone jewellery etc. †¢Second preferred investment behind bank deposits †¢Status and standard of living increase so demand is increasing at High rate BARRIERS TO ENTRY- LOW TO MEDIUM * Low capital requirement Government subsidy * EXIM policy ; government’s rules ; regulations are high * Skilled manpower is essential * Advanced technology required. GITANJ ALI | | | | | Vision To emerge as a jeweller of choice, in terms of quality, style and surpass all levels of customer satisfaction. Mission To assimilate the expertise of trained personnel and state-of the art machinery, so as to nothing, but the best. Values Are Integrity, Solidarity, Credibility and Perfection. The Gitanjali Group which was established in 1966, and is one of the earliest diamond houses in India. By 1968, it was accorded a ‘Sight† by the Diamond Trading Company Ltd. London and Gitanjali became one of the first Sight holders in India. It has received over 50 National and Council awards from the Ministry of Commerce for outstanding exports. It is one of the leading diamond exporting companies in India. Presently, Gitanjali Group has highly modernized diamond cutting and polishing facilities in India. The group strengthens its core business of loose diamonds with international association. Internationally, business patterns of the diamond industry. The Group has positioned itself to manufacture and promote diamonds as well as studded jewellery right up to the retail level. Gitanjali Group one of the leading integrated diamond ; Jewellery manufactures ; Retailers in India with turnover of Rs 3467 Cores. The Company has strong brands such as: * ASMI Asmi was launched in 2002 by the Diamond Trading Corporation. All the years the brand has been endorsed by various actresses such as Kajol, Parizad Zorabian ; Mandira Bedi. All these women epitomize the different strengths that an Asmi woman is identified with fire – spirited, goal oriented ; with an inner fire. NAKSHATRA Nakshatra is one of India’s most reputed diamond jewellery brands, achieving an iconic status within three years of its launch in 2000. Today, it is a leading diamond jewellery brand, patronized by women of fashion in almost all segments of society. * SANGINI Sangini is a high profile brand launched by the Diamond Trading Company, and Spectrum Jewellery , a joint venture between the Gitanjali Group and Sanghavi Exports, promotes the brand in India. * DIYA DIYA is the distilled essence of the Gitanjali Group’s four-decade long engagement with jewellery. It is the first B2B diamond jewellery brand for manufacturers and the trade. It offers exquisite designs, selected after a rigorous India-wide survey of 6,300 women – some of which are already acknowledged classics. * BEZEL Bezel is a watch store from the stable of the Gitanjali group products includes watches and writing instruments. Brand mix will include GLL brands ; brands from outside. * WORLD OF SILVER It has been conceptualized for offering silver gifts in various product categories like Home decor, Office Utility, Bar Sets, Table ware, Devotional Collections and Artefacts. It range of International Brands , Greggio from Italy and Frazer ; Haws from UK, offering best of the brand value and perceived value   while making gifting a lifestyle statement. It caters to the high end, up market ; value conscious niche cliental. * GILI Gili’s brand identity is to ‘Embrace the Gili way of easy elegance’. The Brand characteristics are Stylish, Contemporary, Extrovert, Enthusiastic and Self-made. And its Design concept is easy to wear, highly contemporary and trendy designs * D’DAMAS D'damas India Jewellery is a joint venture between Gitanjali Group and Dubai-based Damas based in  Mumbai. It has a presence in 159 towns and cities across  India. It main area of business is manufacturing and marketing of gold, diamond, silver, platinum branded jewellery's in  India. It has six sub brands – Lamhe, Glitterati, Vivaaha, DER, Solitaire and Saumya. It is also only international brand in  India. D'Damas India also used as manufacturing base and will export jewelleries to markets like Saudi Arabia, Japan, US and Europe markets. * MAYA GOLD MAYA is the brand from the Gitanjali Gold Collection specifically aimed at the Indian wedding market and similar festivities and traditional occasions for gift-giving, especially from parents to daughters. Lucera, Calgaro, Rivaaz, Kashvi, Stefan Hafner, Ezee Diamonds, Aakanksha, Rosato, Shuddhi, Parineeta, Sagaee and Menz are some other brands which sell its products in India through its vast network of 1,250 outlets including outlets in host stores. In fact, five of the top six brands in the Indian market are owned or managed by Gitanjali. These brands manifest the significance of the group in the Indian Jewellery retailing market. Additionally, the Company operates 143 retail Jewellery stores located across the United States through the acquisitions of Samuel Jewellers and Roger Jewellers. Activities undertaken by Gitanjali:- * Sourcing and Trading of Rough Diamonds * Diamond Manufacturing * Distribution and Trading of Polished & Cut Diamonds * Jewellery Manufacturing and Exports * Jewellery Sourcing (Local & International Markets) * Manufacturing Branded Jewellery * Retailing Branded Jewellery OBJECTIVES * The main objective of this term paper is to understand the value chain and its strategic distribution presence of GITANJALI in India. * To conduct a market survey in order to know the 1) Consumer perception about jewellery. 2) Brand awareness of various brands in jewellery market. 3) Parameters which the consumer considers while buying jewellery. * To critically examine the company and the environment by conducting the SWOT and PORTER’S 5 FORCE ANALYSIS. * To analyze and evaluate the financial performance of GITANJALI over the years. To highlight the CSR initiatives and the CORPORATE GOVERNANCE taken up by GITANJALI to uplift the society. * To study about the aggressive retail strategy and its growing focus on International and Domestic Reatail. SWOT ANALYSIS OF GITANJALI STRENGHTS †¢Large integrated diamond & jewellery player and having an international presence. †¢Pioneers of branded jewellery in India. †¢Strong marketing & distribution network. S trong retail presence in India and in U. S. 112 distributors and 1246 outlets in India and 143 outlets in U. S. Strong brand equity and broad product range Such as, Gili, Asmi, Nakshatra, Sangini, D’damas, Vivaaha, Maya, Giantti, Desire, Samuels etc. †¢Visionary leadership (Acquiring Nakshatra, Samuels, Rogers etc. ) †¢Expanding manufacturing capabilities in Mumbai and at special economic zone in Surat to address increasing demand. †¢Net Worth is 3,460. 37 million Rs. So we can say that it is financially very strong company. †¢Sight holder status with DTC through a promoter group company. †¢Highly skilled, qualified and motivated employee. WEAKNESSES †¢There may be conflicts of interest between them and certain of their Promoter group companies. As the major raw material requirements need to be imported, companies normally stock huge quantities of inventory resulting high inventory carrying costs. †¢Technology is less improved compared to Ch ina and Thailand’s company. OPPORTUNITIES †¢New markets in Europe & Latin America. †¢Growing demand in South Asian & Far East countries. †¢Industry moving from a phase of consolidation. †¢Expansion possibilities in lifestyle and luxury products in India like watches, leather goods, Platinum jewellery because increasing disposable income of people. THREATS †¢International Competition:-China, Sri Lanka and Thailand’s entry in small diamond jewellery. †¢Increase in the price of Gold & Diamonds. †¢Other local competitors. According to the data 97% jewellery sales are by family jewellers. †¢Threat from producing nation like S. A. & Russia. VALUE CHAIN OF GITANJALI * Sourcing and Trading of Rough Diamonds * Diamond Manufacturing * Distribution and Trading of Polished & Cut Diamonds * Jewellery Manufacturing and Exports * Jewellery Sourcing (Local & International Markets) Manufacturing Branded Jewellery * Retailing Branded Jewellery DISTRIBUTION AND RETAIL STRATEGY OF GITANJALI GITANJALI RETAIL BUSINESS * Gitanjali has strong retail presence in the world’s largest markets for jewellery. Retail business is a major Contributor in Gitanjali’s revenue. Gitanjali has over 2000 plus retail outlet across India and in the process of expansion in tier II and III cities to cater to new segment of the cu stomer. * USA is a largest jewellery consuming country and 45% of worldwide diamond jewellery sales are made in the United States. In FY 2007-08, Gitanjali made a strategic acquisition in USA, including Samuels and Rogers, and now has about 137 stores in Centre and across USA, being expanded to 200 stores in the near future. * Samuels and Rogers of Gitanjali are the 8th largest branded jewellery retail chain in US. * Gitanjali’s integrated supply chain business model has given an advantage to survive and post profit despite of US recession. * Gitanjali retail business has spread through all channels and in all geographies, across all the market segments * Net Profit has gone up because of shift in market from wholesale to retail. | | * | RETAIL EXPANSION STRATEGY IN INDIA * The Changing Socio – economic factors in India created a clear opportunity in Lifestyle and Luxury markets in India. These changes in retail environment have created opportunity for establishment of modern retail formats. Keeping this in view Gitanjali has embarked on an aggressive domestic retail expansion plan. * Gitanjaliâ₠¬â„¢s strategy is to increase the market share of various brands and its positioning in the market. Strategy is to generate demand for branded diamond jewellery in the future. Flagship product brands of the company are able to convert themselves into retail brands. * The group has introduced many promising brands to its bouquet. The new collection includes World of Solitaire, World of Silver, ME Solitaire, Maya, Gitanjali Menz, Maya Bridal, Bezel and many more. | * Gitanjali notable innovation has been its dramatic breakthrough from the confines of traditional distribution of jewellery and launching of mass distribution through variety of channels. By passing the old world of neighborhoods proprietary jewellery stores, it brought its new world branded jewellery into the world of super stores and department stores, dedicated jewellery marts and chain stores supported by international certifications of scientifically tested purity and authenticity. * Gitanjali is even marketing its br anded jewellery directly by mail order catalogue Gitanjali placed its jewellery brands right into the context of the new consumer’s shopping environment of new and global branded personal goods and accessories. Gitanjali supported its brand with high-visibility positional branding in both mass and local up-market media. With this multi – tiered mobilization of formats, Gitanjali is well placed to advance and realize its vision of global leadership. GITANJALI FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE The Company is making conscientious efforts in addressing the large market opportunities that exist in the Diamond Segment both in India and abroad. India, China, Israel and Belgium are the leading players in the diamond cutting and polishing industry. India accounts for 60% of the global polished diamonds in value terms, 80% in caratage and 90% in pieces. TURNOVERS & PROFITS During the end of the financial year March 31, 2009 the sales and other income increased from 26,549. 08 Million to Rs. 26,940. 64 Million. The net profit before tax stood at Rs. 1,307. 20 million as against Rs. 1,486. 75 million in the previous year. The net profit after tax stood at Rs. 1,267. 69 million as against Rs. 1,381. 55 million in the previous year. FINANCIAL REVIEW Gitanjali Gems consolidated results of operations for the year ended March 31, 2009 include business and operations of the various subsidiaries/joint ventures. The company has achieved overall sales growth for the year ended March 31, 2009 of about 5% compared to last year. The gross revenue from diamond segment has decreased by 10% whereas the gross revenue from jewellery segment has substantially increased by 24% and thus the ratio of diamond and jewellery in the sales mix accordingly has improved more favourably towards jewellery from 55:45 last year to 47:53 for the year ended March 31, 2009. HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR 2010| * | * Jewellery Sales turnover increased by 60% to 1,098 cr. in FY10| * | * EBIDTA gone up by 44% to 102 cr. in FY10| * | * Operating Profit registered a growth of 51%, stood at 91 cr. | * | * PAT of FY10 stood at 41 cr. registering an increase of 39%| * | * Gems and Jewellery Sales volume grown to 1812 cr. reported a growth of 63%| NINE MONTHS FY10 vs. NINE MON THS  FY09 * Jewellery Sales turnover increased by  43%  to  Rs. 2703 cr. as compared to  Rs. 892 cr. in nine months period FY09 * EBIDTA gone up by  37%  to  Rs. 307 cr. from  Rs. 223 cr. in nine months period FY09 * PAT of nine months period FY10 stood at  Rs. 139 cr. as compared to Rs 120 cr. in nine months period FY09 registering an increase of  16% * Operating Profit of nine months period FY10 stood at  Rs. 283 cr. as compared to  Rs 201 cr. in nine months period FY09, registering an increase of  41% GITANJALI CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY (CSR) INITIATIVES AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE HUMAN RESOURCES The Company believes investing in people through creating an environment where people are valued as individuals and are given equal opportunities for achieving professional and personal goals. The Company’s focus on development of Special Economic Zones includes huge employment opportunities and the Company already initiated through setting up training centre in SEZ Hyderabad which has a capacity to train more than 1,500 workers in diamond and jewellery manufacturing. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE The Company’s philosophy of Corporate Governance is based on preserving core values and ethical business conduct, commitment to maximize shareholder alue on a continuous basis while looking after the welfare of all the stakeholders which is primary responsibility of the Board of Directors, Management and employees. The Compliance of clause 49 of the listing agreement has undoubtedly raised the standard of Corporate Governance in India. However, regulatory directives and enforcement wil l not be sufficient to create a best in class transparent organisation. The corporate governance philosophy is based on the following principles: * Satisfy the spirit of the law and not just the letter of the law. Be transparent and maintain a high degree of disclosure levels. * Continuously innovate and adapt the Corporate Governance * Practices so as to meet new demands and tap new opportunities. * Comply with the laws in all the countries in which we operate. * Management is the trustee of the shareholders’ capital and not the owner. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The CSR initiative under the name Sambhav brings together the different social programs that Gitanjali has been associated with over the years. These are programs in the fields of education, health, providing employment to PWDs. It focuses on integrating all of them and other different initiatives like Saksham, Saakshar, Sujyot and Sneh. The focus will be both on strengthening the existing programs as well as developing new ones too. It further aims to take this CSR initiative to new heights and is in the process of channelizing all their strengths and efforts to form a strong CSR team within the company to encourage and promote a wide range of social welfare activities internally or in partnering with other NGOs and government bodies. SOME ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY GITANJALI Rose day celebration for cancer patients | Gitanjali Gems Limited supported Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA)   in its celebration of  The rose day  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a  day to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients. CPAA reaches out to cancer patients through medicines, counselling, research and rehabilitation. | | * Special rakhies by special children Gitanjali gems continues to support to ADAPT (spastic society) by orga nizing a sale booth of their products at Gitanjali gems Marol office  on 11th Aug 2011,  on the eve of Rakshabandhan. We repeated the achievements of last year by motivating and appreciating the efforts of these specially abled children by having sale of products close to  Rs 10000/-. The staff was extremely enthusiastic and extended their support through 100% participation. * Presentation on ‘Diabetes awareness and healthy life style’ Today Diabetes is one of the fastest growing lifestyle disease, with Indians   being the largest population affected by it. A presentation on diabetes awareness and healthy life style was organized on 25th July 2011 at  Transmission house ,Marol , for the benefit of the employees . It indicated the causes , symptoms ,prevention and cure for diabetes. A full house attendance showed the concern most of us have about this booming disease. | * Lecture on ‘The damaging effects of tobacco’ at Gemplus| | | As a part of SAMBHAV , CSR initiative ,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Damaging Effects of Tobacco† were highlighted at a presentation made under the Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII) program of the Indian Dental Association (IDA) for the staff and workers of   Gem plus ,Gitanjali Gems, Mumbai   on 11th June 2011 by Miss. Tejal Rajgor. Tobacco leads to heart and blood vessel disease, heart attack, chest pain, sudden cardiac death, stroke, peripheral vascular disease (Gangrene of legs) plus it is also   responsible for cancer of various parts of the body like mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, kidney, bladder etc. Gitanjali Gem’s staff members felt that there was an urgent need for more prohibition of tobacco usage and this won’t happen until there is a public outcry, so meetings like these are designed to generate awareness in the hope of making the come community forward to request change.

Recommendation for the Location for Maigue-Pascua’s RTW’s Expansion Essay

Introduction This document is to suggest the appropriate property to hold the expansion of Maigue-Pascua’s RTW. After their second bi-monthly meeting for this year, owners decided to pursue the building of a new branch to cater the needs of their growing number of customers. Other preparations, such as the budget allocation and manpower, are already taken care of except for the location. This recommendation report proposes several spots that would suffice the needs of the company. Background Maigue-Pascua’s RTW has been established since 2009 owned by Ms Jinky Maigue and Mr James Pascua. It offers fair-priced yet high-quality and trendsetting garments that’s suitable for their target demographic: students/teenagers. Due to the increasing demands for their products, the business partners opt to have a business expansion and to make a new image of being a top-line clothing store. Financial and marketing strategies are already made for this project but their main problem is the location. They currently have one branch, which is conveniently placed in the heart of the market. Now, they are looking for a place wherein they could offer the same convenience and is also low-priced. The partners also want to venture on broadening their market scope. Options/Proposals †¢ A stall on a mini-bazaar outside a high-end village. Located on its right side is another clothing shop and on the left are a few more vacant stalls. It costs P60000 per month. †¢ A P72000-worth of monthly rent for a stand between a bank and a drugstore near a public market. †¢ An establishment on lease for P61000 on an upscale shopping centre. It is placed near a coffee shop/bookstore and in front of the centre’s leisure park. †¢ A kiosk beside a food stall built on a public park. Its monthly rent is P50000. The expanses of all the proposed locations are all approved by the business partners. Criteria/Requirements The location should be customer-friendly, convenient, marketable, and reasonably-priced and should offer a wider market scope. Other matters, such as the expanse and the interior, were already taken into consideration on the first phase of planning. The aforementioned considerations should be followed in deciding for the location of the company’s expansion. Comparisons The points of comparisons are the following: ambience, competitions, price and demographics. Ambiance. The stall is favourable to the residents of the nearby village due to its close proximity but the atmosphere of the mini-bazaar is not fitting to the new image that the company wishes to build. The stand, on the other hand, is misplaced. The location is not suitable for an apparel store. Consequently, the air in the establishment portrays the exact change that the owners want for their business. And lastly, the kiosk sets a good mood for it is placed on a recreational area. Competitions. All of them don’t have a nearby shop that offers the same product except for the stall. Price. The prices of the four locations range from P50000-P72000. The kiosk is the cheapest and the stand is the most expensive. Demographics. The stand and the kiosk don’t meet the entity’s customer target because their locations are too public while the establishment and the stall are in line with their goal of widening their scope from the student/teenager to the upperclassmen. The latter are more likely to bring in the desired customer due to its location. Conclusion Based on the comparisons aforementioned, these conclusions were drawn: 1. The most suitable ambience is from the establishment on the shopping centre. 2. The monthly rent of the kiosk is the lowest. 3. The stall’s location is more likely to have competition. 4. The  establishment and the stall best suit the new target market of the entity. 5. The establishment gives off a good atmosphere, is reasonably-priced, has less competition and matches the new demographic of the entity. Recommendation Maigue-Pascua RTW should consider using the establishment on the shopping centre for several reasons. First, it is in sync with the new image that the entity wanted to build up. Second, it is relatively cheap for a store in a fancy centre. Third, it would help in bringing in a new demographic in the entity’s customer. Having a branch in a shopping centre is quite a huge risk but with the projected sales of the company and future influx of customers, the company will pick up in the long run.