Friday, September 6, 2019

Building a Website Essay Example for Free

Building a Website Essay The information on the internet cannot be retrieved without the use of interface domains called websites. These are the main access portals where a person may be able to acquire information online. There are several basic steps in building a website. Such process will enable a user or an institution to acquire a definite space in cyberspace. According to BuildWebsite4U, there are at least three basic steps in establishing a website. The first of which is the formulation of ideas which will eventually put contents to a web domain. There are no general rules as to what contents are to be used. However, having a good and catchy interface for the visitors will always count to make a website efficient. Upon the identification of the website content, the optimization of the key parts of the website follows. The key phrases and words of a website influence all the mechanisms in leading visitors to the site. These search engine optimization qualities serve as doorways in which people will be able to access the web portal. The next phase in building a website is the establishment of its technical aspects. First, the web design should be constructed in a way that can achieve full exposure to internet surfers. The templates and how the contents are arranged in a page are of utmost importance. Next, a good and well developed HTML codes should be used. These website builder languages serve as the primary tool in executing the template plan of the web design. In case the owner wants to enhance the visual appeal of the website, additional web graphics features can be integrated to the web design using HTML codes. The last segment in constructing a website involves the activation of the address to become a part of a very wide world of cyberspace. This process will start by selecting domain names. Apparently, it is the most important aspect in the entire process of creating a website. A domain name will serve as the address of the website on the internet. A web developer can get these domains by registering to any of the reliable web hosts which can accommodate the files of the web portal. Works Cited BuildWebsite4U. 2002. How to Build a Website. November 14, 2007 http://www.buildwebsite4u.com/building/build-website.shtml.

Oedipus Rex Essay Example for Free

Oedipus Rex Essay ‘Oedipus the King,’ also known as ‘Oedipus Rex’ is one of the three Greek plays about Thebes written by Sophocles. In fact the plays form a trilogy (Oedipus Rex, Oedipus Colonus and Antigone) with the same characters. The plays are sometimes referred to as the ‘Oedipus Plays’ since Oedipus is the main character. Sophocles’ genius lies in the crafting of these plays, and their characters, almost bringing them to life. Throughout the course of ‘Oedipus Rex’ he expresses the power of fate and predestination that leads the characters astray. In fact, it was the stubborn belief in superstitions and prophecies that Sophocles highlights. Both the heroes, Oedipus and Creon are popular tragic heroes of Greek mythology. Oedipus is bright and has profound intellect, but at the same time is quick to make rash decisions without much thought. Creon though is depicted as a man of reason, much more subtle, unlike the brash Oedipus. The play begins with Oedipus ruling Thebes with a firm hand. The people believe him to be their savior because Oedipus is the one who saves them from the curse of the Sphinx, a half female half lion monster, by solving her riddle. King Lauis who ruled before Oedipus had left Thebes for a while under the kingship of Creon. But King Lauis is killed. Meanwhile Creon offers his sister’s hand in marriage to anyone who could rid the city of the Sphinx by solving her riddle. It is Oedipus who is able to solve it, marries Jocosta (Creon’s sister), and gains rule of part of Thebes. From the beginning Oedipus is aware of that there is some curse on him. He learns from an oracle that he is destined to kill his father and mate with his own mother. But it is his over-bearing belief in this curse that eventually results in his fall. At the beginning of the play Oedipus is shown to have great strength of character and will, and is a man of understanding. People have a high regard for him and fear him the same. But the one weakness that lied in Oedipus was his impulsiveness. Throughout the play are numerous instances where Oedipus makes rash decisions, and is quick to jump to conclusions without much thought. His vanity leads him to kill Lauis over a mere brawl. Later when the blind prophet Tiresias warns him not to investigate the murder of Lauis, Oedipus is incensed and argues that Tiresias himself is the murderer. When the prophet reveals the truth, Oedipus is enraged, accusing the old man of corruption. He is bent on believing that Creon wants to seize power until he realizes that Creon himself chooses not to rule even thought he has the right to a third of Thebes. When Jocasta kills herself, Oedipus gouges his eyes with her broaches blinding himself in despair. And when he does learn the truth, he demands his own exile out of shame and disgust. Sophocles portrays Oedipus as a man of honor and dignity, a matter of prime importance to ancient Greeks. He was also a man of great intellect – another feature admired by them. The riddle of the Sphinx was baffling to say the least, but it was only Oedipus who could solve it. What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening? To this Oedipus replies, Man (who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks upright later, and needs a walking stick in old age)[1]. Oedipus, in fact was a typical hero in every sense of the word. He was short-tempered, proud, and stubborn, with unflinching dedication and loyalty. He had a strong conscience, an intelligent mind and passion to do good for his people and his city. But worst of all was his inability to see clearly. Sophocles describes this by using a theme of ‘sight and blindness’ in the play often. Oedipus can see, but remains blind to reality. In contrast, the old prophet can see clearly even though he is blind. Such themes were often a part of Greek mythology. But the theme of blindness has special importance in Oedipus Rex – at times literal, at times metaphorical. Later when Oedipus learns that Jocasta has killed herself, and when he does learn that he fulfilled the prophecy, he blinds himself out of guilt, and anger at not being able to see or think clearly. Oedipus is over-bearing in many ways, and it is his over-bearing sense of self that misleads him so easily. After blinding himself he leaves to spend the rest of his life in exile, with the aid of his daughter Antigone. Creon, Jocosta’s brother, and Oedipus’ relative and friend stands in sharp contrast to Oedipus. In Oedipus Rex Creon plays the role of a calm and controlled man with a mind that reasons. Creon is a close friend of Oedipus, but that too does not keep the headstrong Oedipus from suspecting that Creon wanted to rule Thebes. Creon though claims that he is not interested in ruling Thebes, and that Oedipus is only a king in name, since he has the right to as much of Thebes as Oedious himself. He represents a semblance of diplomacy and stability. In fact, these were the very things lacking in Oedipus. Creon also shows traits of being much more reasonable. An example is when Creon brings news from the oracle and wishes to tell it to Oedipus is person. Oedipus though is insistent that it be told in public, not keeping anything from anyone. One can see various instances where the two heroes are opposing in their approaches, and manner of dealing with situations. While Oedipus can be called childish and haughty, Creon was much more clear-headed and foresighted. But there were some things that the two heroes shared in common. Both had won the hearts of the people, were respected, and loved the city of Thebes. They were also very keen followers of the Greek gods. Since most Greek mythology was built around gods and goddesses, they played a crucial role ion determining the course of the story. In fact the theme of gods and of predestination plays a key role in Oedipus Rex. Oedipus is always wary of his curse told to him by an oracle. He seeks help from Apollo to determine the cause of the plague. Creon too follows the will of the gods. When Oedipus demands to be exiled, Creon waits for approval from the gods before taking any action. It is worth mentioning here that if Oedious Rex and Antigone are compared, one can see that both the kings accuse the old prophet Tiresias of corruption when he tells them that the gods are against them. But there is also a clear difference that follows. While Creon tries to change, and amend his wrongdoings, Oedipus remains ‘blind’ and refuses to acknowledge his mistakes. Eventually, Oedipus is left wandering blind and lonely, while he leaves his daughters in Creon’s care.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Marks And Spencer: An Analysis

Marks And Spencer: An Analysis Introduction Marks and Spencer is one of the UKs leading retailers. MandS was founded by a partnership between Michael marks, a polish immigrant from Slonim and Thomas Spencer in the early years 1884 to 1949. Then the next few years Michael marks opened some market stalls in many locations like North West of England. In 1984, Thomas Spencer invested in Marks activities and the plan to open the first store in partnership at 20, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. And that was the first founding of the present Mark and Spencer retail company. They started their business with a simple business strategy which was to sell quality products under the label of St Michael. MS lingerie, womens clothes and girls school uniform Task 1: Strategic Formulation: According to G Johnson K Scholes, Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. In simple words, business strategy is a plan which is set by an organisation in terms of future performance. It also gathers what are the plans needed to get the goals set. Whenever embryonic your strategy it is important to understand which position you want to start from in terms of the current performance levels. In addition it is important to consider the important factors which can influence the ability to achieve the strategy. So as MS strategy is including the following components they are vision, mission and goals. As MS Vision is to be standard against which all others are measured MS Mission is to make aspirational quality accessible to all And MS Values are Quality, value, service, innovation and trust Meaning of Stakeholder: Stakeholders are persons, groups or institution with interest in a project or programme. Stakeholder analysis helps to find out the interest of stakeholder in relation to the project, to identify the conflict of interest and understand the relations between stakeholders for the project interest is drawn. MSs management gave a great support that helped in its growth. But recently MSs mangers seems to fail on leading the group to lower and lower sales and profits and their strategic decisions. Shareholders are feeling insecure for future because the share prices are falling down. Hence, MS needs to undertake various steps to maintain the market share and retain its stakeholder in the business for the future growth and success. Stakeholder management has two important elements Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Planning. Stakeholder analysis is a technique used to identify the key and important people who are needed for the project whereas stakeholder planning is a support that would help to succeed the plans. Importances of Stakeholder Analysis that is carried by MS are as follow: To understand the relationship with the stakeholder. To understand the stakeholders place in the organization. To understand the importance of the stakeholder in the organization. Stakeholders power Stakeholders priorities Associated risk areas. To help decide better strategies and decision To help accept the strategy and decision of the organization. http://www.actuaries.org.uk/?a=161691 take the diagram from this for stakeholder of MS What is Stakeholder Mapping? Description During the Stakeholder analysis process, it is useful to classify the various stakeholders by drawing pictures of what stakeholders interest they represent, what groups they are in, the amount of power they process, whether they symbolize inhabiting or following factors for the organisation to recognize its objectives, or which methods they should be dealt with. Stakeholder Mapping is the process to create such pictures to clarify the position. Business strategy definition: Strategic or institutional management is the conduct of drafting, implementing and evaluating cross functional decision that will enable an organization to achieve its long term. According to Arieu (2007), there is strategic consistency when the actions of an organization are consistence with the expectation of management, and these in turn are with the markets and the context. As MS is the UKs leading retailers, MS sells stylish, great value clothing and home products, as it also deliver excellent quality food, reliably sourced from around 2,000 suppliers globally. MS has a commitment as to provide advanced quality products at a reasonable price which has built a  £8 billion turnover, MS employ 68,000 employees in 30 countries, and has more than 500 stores and serving ten millions of customers each and every week. MS have spent the last five years putting in place tough foundations in line with the long term plans. MS have introduced new products and services in the core business of general merchandising (GM) and food, expanding the international business, broadening the multi-national portfolio, and putting the plan A in the heart of our business. MS also respond to the changing needs of the customers by improving the values without comprising on quality; something MS keep viewing the short term pain for a long term gain. MS with its strong brand, delivering the right products and with the exclusive experienced management team, MS are now: Operational executive and increase in the pace of change in the business Increasing MS direct by structuring more channels to markets. MS keep building their international portfolio so as to grow the global customer base MS keeps updating with the current brand communication. As MS celebrate their 125th anniversary they have revealed reputation for Trust, Quality, Service, Value and Innovation. These central part values of MS are as important today as they ever have been. MS has nearly 300 stores in UK which is the shop keeping leader. It is countrys largest retailer and the main business is Clothing which contribute 17% on market share price. MS has always targeted the middle aged class especially their clothing department and specifically the womens wear. Per Una is the brand that is very popular in UK. MS has decided to expand and explore new market in Malaysia. MS share price is also falling due to recession; hence investors are worried about it. Therefore a detail research is carried out to solve the problem and to launch a new clothing range in Malaysia as per the expansion plan. MS has carried out the environmental and organizational audit in order implement its expansion plan with strong clothing range and wide range of products to retain the market position and increase the share price. Following is the SWOT analysis that is carried by MS to first decide it strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of entering in new market for launching a range of new clothing in womens wear. SWOT Analysis for MS. Internal Strengths Weaknesses Own branded products under own labels. Best Quality service Having their own farm which gives Fresh/ Quality Food. Large Range of products Understands customer trends and preferences. Online-Shopping Existing store coverage is leading to difficulties High price as compare to competitors Very dependent on the performance of own labels External Opportunities Threats Expansion into the new markets. Retail Partnerships Internet shopping Available technology to improve their functioning. Cheap-chains targeting the high end market Overseas groups entering the market Threats from discount store which offers same price with trendy clothing range. With above analysis it is clear that MS can use a strategy that will allow them to enter new market like Malaysia. MS can certainly use its brand image and name to get familiar in the market and to face the competition. Though there is threats and weakness that needs to be taken care by MS in order to be successful in the expansion plan to maintain the market share price. Table 2 MS Industry, PEST Analysis Political Economic European Integration and Free Trade Agreement. Open market for British companies to invest in European. Competition Commission EU Competition Law 2009 Market value  £5.66bn Relative Recession proof industry Optimistic customer Booming retail industry Socio Cultural Technological Change in consumer taste and lifestyle. Organics and healthy eating Environmental conscious Internet selling. IT and Communication Supply Chain Optimization Cool Storage and Transport Stock Management and Bar Code Above analysis gives a clear picture about the European market as a part of expansion for MS. INTERNAL AUDIT: MS has decided to conduct the Organizational audit through Porters Generic Value chain. Porters Generic Value Chain Inbound Logistics > Operations > Outbound Logistics > Marketing Sales > Service > M A R G I N Firm Infrastructure HR Management Technology Development Procurement Diagram 1: http://www.netmba.com/strategy/value-chain/ MS goal behind these activities is to give the customers the value that exceeds the cost of activities and thereby this offer will result in the profit margin. The value chain activities explain MSs: Inbound Logistic: This explain the distribution to manufacturing of MS and even warehousing of the raw materials. Operations: Operation explains the process of transforming raw materials into finished products and service to sell them in MS outlets. Outbound Logistics: The manufacturing and distribution of finished goods. Marketing and Sales: carrying out the market research to identify the customers need and requirement to face the competition in the market. Service: After the product and services are sold MS has a strong support of customers. MS takes every complaint seriously because no problem is small in business in this modern competitive world. MS supports these activities with: The infrastructure of the MS firm is guided with organizational structure, control system and company culture. Put Diagram please to explain: Human resource management: MS takes additional care in selecting its workforce to make that it keeps the values and market position. TASK 2: Table 2 MS Boston Consulting Group Matrix Relative Market Share High Low Rate of Market Growth High Stars Question Marks Organic foods Clothing range Online shopping# Indian own brand foods Services Bakery Low Cash Cows Dogs Perfectly Balanced Own Brand Label Products Wines Delicatessen Counter sales (Fish, Cheese, Pattisserie, Meat) Frozen uncooked foods Flowers Entertainment goods STRATEGIC PLANNING: There are six steps in strategic planning, MS has covered few step as discussed above with various analysis carried out. In this task we will discuss the strategies to be used for entering in new market as part expansion plan. MS and every companies has three main generic strategies available either become the lowest cost retailer or differentiate product and services in such a way that the customers so that they will pay a premium price. Generic strategies result: Cost Leadership, Differentiation and Focus. MSs core products ( food and clothing ), it emphasis a focus generic Strategies as it concentrates on a narrow segment A particular set of groups such as executives Market segmentation such as high end Product feature such as freshness and within the chosen segments MS attempts to achieve differentiation from Tesco, Asda and any high street retailer. Needs that can be better serviced by focusing entirely on it. Competitive Strategy: Competitive Strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing to perform activities differently or to perform different activities than rivals to deliver a unique mix of value ( Michael E Porter) The essence of strategy lies in creating tomorrows competitive advantages faster than competitors mimic the ones you posses today (Gary Hamel C K Prahalad) Porters four generic Competitive Strategies MS Generic Strategies: As per these strategies it is argued that to establish its competitive advantage the business needs to make two fundamental decisions which are: Whether to compete on Cost. Its competitive scope. Cost Leadership: As MS has decided to enter the market which is more competitive at price. In order to enter broad cross section of the market by introducing products and service at low price. MS wants to sustain and retain customers in European market; hence it has kept its cost as low as possible to keep low prices for the products and service. MS has to make sure that its quality or the features of the product are untouched with the efforts being at low cost. Market place is more dominated by price, as the product is same from seller to seller. Differentiation: MS will be introducing its product with differentiated feature. MS own brand such as Per Una is very popular within UK that attracts customers frmom aged 35, MS will launch its a new clothing range that will attract customers from aged 20 to 25. It will have a new clothing range with low prices to attract young customer. New Group Strategy and Structure: Based on the above analysis and research and strategic review, the board of MS announced in April 29 of 2009 significant changes to the structure group and strategy. Highlighting the new plans which will be used to retain the customers and increase the share price in the market: More focus on UK retail: Own brands will be modified and will be made more stylish to attract young group of people as well. MS will be selling more of its own brand and products exclusive to MS so that customers can be rest assure that the products are quality, value and service. Recovery plan for range of clothes: There is a huge growth in products like Home, food and Beauty. Store improvement Programme Focused customer service Closure of loss making business, Cost cutting measures and realisation of value: MS is a huge company, customer, investor and everyone has great expectation from them. Therefore MS intend to merge or close business which is making losses. MS intend to close the subsidiary in the European rather than the Irish one. Selling of brooks in king brothers market and super markets in the US as there are no suitable platform for future international expansion by MS in US. MS has opened a new store in China through franchising. MS intends to close its loss making business including a dedicated call centre with about 340 jobs in total. Cost cutting is one of the best ways to reduce the costs of goods sold by using foreign suppliers and less supplier mainly to Asia. TASK 3: Lately, MS has faced some tough competition and thats how its time for MS to come up with new market for growth. In order to analyse the market and find a new market MS has adopted the Ansoffs product market matrix. Table 4 MS The Ansoff Matrix; Growth Vector Components Products Existing New Markets Existing Market Penetration Product Development Improve service and quality Repositioning Withdrawal Expand Own Brand Labels Introduce new products Expand to non-food sector New Market Development Diversification Internationalising Globalization Expand abroad Online shopping Conglomerate Acquisitions Above Ansoff matrix suggest that MS can use this as a base to plot its expansion plan for future. In order to develop a new marketing strategy, MS carried out a market research. MS market research shows that the best way to bring new customers in their existing range would be by exploiting new markets (market development). The company when carried out the research in both primary and secondary and as a outcome, they find the opportunity to target between the ages 18-25 which also includes the students (three million) as potential customers, with a spending ratio of  £12 billion. To aim the youth (students) so that they start shopping for their early student days, MS set a new strategy. 90 universities were contacted and the company used variety of tactics to attract the students like give free gifts at freshers fair, free voucher, direct mail flyers and we banners. This would help the students to maintain their loyalty over degree course and ahead in working life. To increase the awareness about the MS value and products, the company set up a campaign. This campaign was really helpful where MS achieved business aims, including growth and a new market (students, youngsters). Trendy with less price catalogue was another step towards substantive growth. It was launched in 2009 with an aim that it benefits the company as well as the customers which offers a variety of product, free home delivery, and online service as well. To maintain this rapid growth, MS is also planning to take discounted offers internationally with opening new stores in different countries, to further expand the growth in business with a unique selling proposition. MS market research gives the result that the existing product into new markets was the best direction to take further TASK 4: In Addition, MS is to adopt a new system to manage supply. MS is introducing merchandise lifecycle software (Trade Stone Software system) which will support its global sourcing initiatives. This software will reduce the time which will take to bring new products to market, increase imports over an unspecified timeframe and expand its product selection. And with the introduction of the CPR (Customer Pulled Replenishment), MS is planning to implement on the financial strategy by reducing labour costs and stock handling. Accordingly, MS will be maintaining different levels of implementations of strategies. Following the operational strategy for MS Below is a cash flow statement for MS expansion plan in European Market with new clothing range and new product line. Above is the GAP analysis will help MS to set realistic goals and as a basis for identifying the extent to which existing strategies will fail to meet performance objectives in the future. GAP analysis will help MS to realise the requirement and effort required to fill in the GAP from where we are to where we want to go, this gap between this two questions will help MS to fill the gap with all resources that is needed. While planning the strategies MS has forecasted desired revenue/profits. It is then possible to consider how this gap may be bridged, as MS has decided to fill in the gap with expansion and launching a new clothing launch for attracting customers from 20-25 years. Expectancy Theory (Vroom) Effort hh Expectancy? Leads to Performance Instrumentality Leads to Outcome (Reward) Valence? Personal Goals After a extraordinary amount of research over the last few years it shows an increasing realisation of the customer satisfaction and customer focus in the company, MS decided to rebrand few of its stores by applying over the last few years it shows an increasing realisation of the customer satisfaction and customer focus in the company, MS decided to rebrand few of its stores by applying whole new concept design to take MS forward. With the new merchandising techniques and displays MS have found a real positive change in the customers hopping environment. Additionally, to increase the effort towards its modernised offer MS is also mulling a revamp of few of its stores. Moreover, MS also continues to fine-tune its portfolio, transferring its existing store into larger sites such as Oxford Street store, which took over a site formerly occupied by CA in 2002. In order to carry out the market surreys and research, MS is evaluating systems in their organisation. To form the budget of the company MS are opening new stores and departments. As well, the company is working on the limitations to achieve the targets. For example MS has recently evaluated a recycling technique (Plan A) through which it is generating quite a lot of money. Referencing: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8KS4gKNgLysCpg=PT29dq=G+Johnson+%26+K+Scholescd=1#v=onepageq=G%20Johnson%20%26%20K%20Scholesf=false http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Strategy (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/bcg-growth-sharemarket.php http://www.netmba.com/strategy/matrix/bcg/ http://www.examstutor.com/business/resources/companyprofiles/marksandspencer/strategyinsight.php (about ms details and information.) http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=29922 http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/market-strategy.php http://www.oxbridgewriters.com/essays/marketing/marks-spencers-corporate-objectives.php http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/ansoff-analysis.php

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

The Joys of Planning a Wedding Essay -- Wedding Planners Marriage Essa

The Joys of Planning a Wedding The verdict is in - I will only get married once. I’ve always felt that in my heart, but the experience of planning my wedding removed any doubts that I may have had. The process of planning a wedding is so extensive and involved that once the process has started, there is no turning back. You will be completely absorbed in the ins and outs of the entire day from that point forward. While the main focal point should be the actual ceremony uniting the man and woman, that is rarely the case. There are so many details to work out from the color scheme to the reception menu that you have no option but to stay completely focused. Anyone that has been involved in planning a wedding before will tell you that once you get the â€Å"big four† out of the way you’re almost home free. The â€Å"big four† in the wedding planning world are: deciding where the ceremony will be held, choosing a reception venue, deciding which dresses will be worn, and planning the ho neymoon. Deciding where the ceremony will be held is one of the first things you need to do when planning a wedding. You need to decide first and foremost whether or not you want a church wedding. If you are a member of a particular church, your first instinct will be to hold the wedding at your church. You have to be certain that the church will be able to accommodate the number of guests you’ll be inviting to attend. Does the church have any specific rules against music or decorations? You do...

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Bacteria and Foodborne Illness :: contaminated food

Foodborne illness results from eating food contaminated with bacteria (or their toxins) or other pathogens such as parasites or viruses. The illnesses range from upset stomach to more serious symptoms, including diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and dehydration. Although most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and unreported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens in food. Of these, about 5,000 die. Causes Harmful bacteria are the most common causes of foodborne illnesses. Some bacteria may be present on foods when you purchase them. Raw foods are not sterile. Raw meat and poultry may become contaminated during slaughter. Seafood may become contaminated during harvest or through processing. One in 20,000 eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella inside the egg shell. Produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons can become contaminated with Salmonella, Shigella, or Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. Contamination can occur during growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping, or final preparation. Sources of contamination are varied; however, these items are grown in the soil and therefore may become contaminated during growth or through processing and distribution. Contamination may also occur during food preparation in the restaurant or in the person's kitchen. When food is cooked and left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature, bacteria can multiply quickly. Most bacteria grow undetected because they do not produce an "off" odor or change the color or texture of the food. Freezing food slows or stops bacteria's growth but does not destroy the bacteria. The microbes can become reactivated when the food is thawed. Refrigeration may slow the growth of some bacteria, but thorough cooking is needed to destroy the bacteria. Symptoms In most cases of foodborne illness, symptoms resemble intestinal flu and may last a few hours or even several days. Symptoms can range from mild to serious and include  · abdominal cramps  · nausea  · vomiting  · diarrhea  · fever  · dehydration [Top] Risk Factors Some people are at greater risk for bacterial infections because of their age or immune status. Young children, pregnant women and their fetuses, the elderly, and people with lowered immunity are at greatest risk. Complications Some micro-organisms, such as Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium botulinum, cause far more serious illness than vomiting or diarrhea. They can cause spontaneous abortion or death. In some people, especially children, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can result from infection by a particular strain of bacteria, E. coli O157:H7, and can lead to kidney failure and death.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Essay --

In recent years the number of organizations is rising, consequently the competition between them is increasing. In order to remain competitive ability, organizations should provide high performance in production. For identifying what leads to high productivity, the key elements of organization should be analyzed. It’s obviously that the core of any organization is human element. There is not product without employee, and consequently there is not organization without workforce. Human naturally has aim in doing any action. People study for working, and then they work for earning and try to find their places in society. Though they seem always have aim and toward which they go forward. However, some people can’t decide what they want, and refuse doing attempts to change anything in their boring life. The same situation may occur in workplace. Furthermore, workers doing the same work every day, they often feel dull and bore from their work, as a result productivity starts decreasing. Therefore the organization’s leadership and management have been searching out various effective methods which lead workforce to high level of performance for many years. Researches and studies determined that employee should be motivated and engaged, moreover it was determined that it is responsibility of organization’s leadership and management to engage and motivate workforce. Consequently, as Gordon said, ‘Now the main job of leaders and managers are to motivate employee’ (Gordon, 2010). This assignment is going to point out why and how leadership and management of the organization responsible for engaged and incentive workforce. Therefore, firstly will be studied the nature of motivated workforce, engaged workforce and difference between terms of l... ...ng their way. The reson of this is that another organizations’ leaders and mangers didn’t focus on psychological factor. They didn’t pay attention to the behaviour and treatment. The employees of Toyota were intrinsic motivated and they believed to their purpose concerned with the future of the company. In the own way this trust and purpose were appeared with efforts of leaders and manager. As can be seen from above discussion, management and leadership take a large amount of importance in engaging and motivating workforce. Because, the aim of leaders and managers is amplify the productivity of organization. The level of productivity of the organization rises if performance of the employees increases. Consequently the performance of employees depends on the amount of their motivation. Apparently the leadership and management role in engaging workforce is very big.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Value Chain of Tesco

â€Å"To further the analysis of competitive advantage, Michael Porter introduced the value chain as a tool to examine the activities of a business. † As seen in figure 2, â€Å"Porter distinguished a firm’s support activities from its operational or primary activities. †(Book) [pic][pic] Support Activities Firm Infrastructure Human Resource Management Peta Hay, Director of the Tesco Academy, commented: â€Å"We believe it is more important than ever to invest in our people as Tesco continues to expand both geographically and into new business sectors.Tesco has a proven track record of both nurturing internal talent and successfully attracting external senior executives†. (7) Technology Development Procurement Primary Activities Inbound Logistics The overall cost leadership strategic management of Tesco is exhibited in its lean and agile inbound logistics function. Drawing upon Abeysinghe (2010), the company uses its leading market position and economies o f scope as key bargaining powers to achieve low costs from its suppliers.The analysts have also highlighted the constant upgrading of their ordering system, approved vendor lists, and in-store processes to induce effectiveness and efficiency into the company’s inbound logistics operations. Operations Management Tesco has been praised by a number of supply chain management critics for its effective use of IT systems that facilitate the company’s low cost leadership strategy. According to Tesco (2010), the company has invested over ? 76 million in streamlining its operations through their Tesco Digital program, which is a third generation ERP solution for the company. The company has achieved ? 50 million in increased profitability during 2009 alone due to the introduction of this system. This company -wide ERP system has also facilitated the minimisation of stock holdings within the company. Outbound Logistics Tesco holds leadership position in online and offline food r etail segments, which is due to its efficient and effective outbound logistics. Drawing upon Mintel (2010), the company has developed a range of store formats and types, which are strategically placed to achieve maximum customer exposure. These formats include Express, Metro, Superstores, Extra and Homeplus, which are segmented according to the target population.Marketing and Sales Loyalty programs like Tesco Clubcard are being introduced through information technology advances which dissuade the customers from switching over to their competitors. Tesco has introduced its Greener Living Scheme to give consumers advice on environmental issues, including how to reduce food waste and their carbon footprint when preparing meals . Services Tesco has been pursuing a dual strategy of cost leadership and differentiation, which has led to an increased importance placed on customer service.Drawing upon Keynote (2010), this dual strategy is exhibited through the development of self-service kio sks, financial services, focused direct marketing and promotions. In order to put Tesco’s value chain analysis into perspective, it should be noted that despite cost leadership strategy the company has been able to create a high degree of value in comparison with its key competitors. The relative analysis of the value created by the big four supermarket chains, i. e. , Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons has been provided as follows: