Macroeconomics Song Essay Example for Free

Macroeconomics Song Essay The poem’s major theme revolves around the unravelling of the US financial sector – and particularly its impact on investment banks in the wake of the recent global economic recession that affected the US and most of the world economies. Some of the macroeconomic concepts addressed – tacitly and explicitly – include: executive compensation, and the business cycle (Paxton, 1). The crisis is said to have primarily been triggered by the sub prime mortgage crisis. Traditionally, investment banks and other lending institutions have financed their customers’ borrowings from the deposits they collect from the members of the public. With the demand for credit finance to purchase essential items such as homes rising exponentially, the deposits became inadequate to finance the borrowing requirements and many of these financial institutions resorted to innovative financial products such as the securitization model or mortgage backed securities. Here, the financial institutions sell bonds. Those buying the bonds are guaranteed of getting their money back after a certain duration plus an attractive interest, and the money raised from floating these bond is advanced to the borrowers (in this case, prospective homeowners). The bondholders will be paid back their money whether the borrowers pay the bank back or default. Thus, it can be seen that the investment banks here shoulder substantial risks (Zeese, 1; Rasmus, 3; BBC, 1). The main problem was that these loans were made out to a segment of the market that is considered risky due to its low income and poor credit history. This segment has been referred to as the sub-prime mortgage segment. As long as the prices of homes continued to rise, this model of financing home purchases made sense because the borrowers could refinance their home purchases. However, and against all expectations, the real estate bubble that had been so prolonged in the country burst, and home prices began trending south at a dramatic rate. The import of all these is that the sub prime mortgage borrowers were unable to pay back what they had borrowed. They defaulted, leading to massive foreclosures (Zeese, 1; Rasmus, 3; BBC, 1). The loans that had been made out by the financial institutions were in the tune of billions of dollars. When these borrowers defaulted, the banks were left holding toxic assets, which they wrote down leading to massive losses. A number of them were pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. These include: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Bears Stearns and Lehman Brothers (Zeese, 1; Rasmus, 3; BBC, 1). It is this backdrop that provides the context for the poem. The poet parodies the false sense of security that these institutions had projected – for long, investment bankers such as Lehman Brothers had been viewed as beacons of stability in the American economy, doling out priceless advice to Americans on maters economic. But as the poet shows, the sub prime mortgage crisis unmasked them for who they are, left them at a loss of what to do, and they have turned out to be â€Å"the blind leading the blind†(Paxton, 1). One wonders how, with all their wisdom, the investment bankers could have hedged their risks upon such a risky market as the sub-prime mortgage segment. One of the immediate responses to the financial crisis was the rollout of a bailout package by the US government (whose worth was â€Å"seven hundred million grand,† in the words of the poet) (Paxton, 1). The failing institutions were major beneficiaries of this bailout package. According to Nanking (1), Bears Stearns was bought by JP Chase for $236 million, with the Federal Reserve Bank providing a staggering $30 billion to facilitate its purchase. Courtesy of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, the government is said to have put in some $400 billion in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The AIG on its part received at least four cash bailouts, all of them amounting to $180 billion in total (Nanking, 1). The poet strongly questions the ethics behind these bailout packages, given that the crisis that affected the investment banks was largely self-inflicted. For example, apart from poor judgment resulting in the sub-prime mortgage crisis, the problems which the banks faced were also catalyzed by poor management practices such as excessive executive pay. The problems facing the banks also broke out at a time the issue of executive pay was coming under the spotlight. For example, Linn (2) writes that in 1970, top executives were earning 44 times what subordinate workers got and that by 2007 this had jumped to 344 times what the subordinate employees got. More telling is the fact that the CEO’s of Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, two of the failed investment bankers, received a total of over $117 million in spite of leading their organizations down the drain (Bass and Beamish, 1). Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sach’s top honcho, got $54 million, when the bank made a loss, with the 116 investment banks that had been short listed for aid under the bailout package having paid a cool $1.6 billion as bonuses to their CEO’s. AIG was mulling paying its CEO $165 million, when it had made a loss of over $60 billion (Bass and Beamish, 1). Given that these banks had been advanced cash under the bailout plan (which itself is from taxpayer funds), it is logical to assert that it is the average American (who earns 344 times less what the CEO gets) who is being made to pay for the mistakes of the CEO’s. It is this obscenity that the poem seems to rant about. Listen to the poet: â€Å"And it said that failure was the only crime. If you really screwed things up, then you were through; Now––surprise!––there is a different point of view. All that crazy rooty-tootin’ And that golden parachutin’ Means that someone’s making millions––just not you!† Works Cited: BBC. (2007). The downturn in facts and figures. 21 Nov 2007. 28 May 2010.   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7302341.stm Bass, Frank and Beamish, Rita. (2008). AP Study Finds $1.6B Went To Bailed-Out Bank Execs. 22 Dec 2008. 29 May 2010.   http://corridornews.blogspot.com/2008/12/investment-bank-executives-pork-out-on.html Linn, Allison. (2009). â€Å"AIG flap gives ammunition to critics of high pay.† MSNBC. Mar 20th 2009. 29 May 2010. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29791834/ Nankin, Jesse. (2009). History of U.S. govt bailouts. 1 Nov 2009. 29 May 2010. http://www.propublica.org/special/bailout-aftermaths#penncentral Paxton, Tom. I am changing my name to Fannie Mae. Rasmus, Jack. (2008). Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac: phase two of the financial crisis. Sep 2008. 28 May 2009. http://www.zcommunications.org/zmag/viewArticle/18717 Zeese, Kevin. (2008). The causes of the auto crisis. 25 Nov 2008. 28 May 2009. http://www.countercurrents.org/zeese251108.htm

College Admissions Essay: Dilemma of the Deserted Island :: College Admissions Essays

Dilemma of the Deserted Island    The following question has been asked: What three things I would take with me if I were forced to live on a deserted island? Here are my thoughts:-    1. A YOUNG JACK RUSSELL TERRIER - Training him might keep me occupied for a while and he could guard the camp at night (Hey, there might be large animals prowling the night. Which reminds me of my neighbor, Colin.) My main reason though, is to provide companionship.    My first thought was to bring a human companion, (me Jane, you Tarzan), but I don't know anyone who would want to be stranded with me and I wouldn't want to live alone with someone I had brought against their will. Catch 22.    2. A MACHETE - It can act as a knife, ax, sword and if desperate, it could be used as a hot plate over a fire.    No one told me what sort of island it would be, so I've tried to think of the most versatile tool to bring. With a machete I should be able to make a shelter, fashion other tools and spend many hours learning to whittle. But I really think I would feel more secure with one in my hand if I was attacked by say, a hungry lion. You might be surprised what a sharp machete is capable of and I hope the lion would be too.    3. A MEDIUM SIZED COOKING POT - I've done enough camping to know how difficult things can get without an easy way of cooking.    It would also come in handy for rendering animal fat for my home made lanterns, distilling salt water if there is no running water, (Most Australian islands are dry), it would catch the drips from the mandatory leak in my man-made shelter and finally I could use it to make monotonous music to amuse the dog.

Industry Trends in Charter Schools

Industry Trends A charter schools is a new or converted public schools that are started by parents seeking another alternative to other existing schools in the area. Charter schools have been developed to serve a particular mission such as on art, or with a particular ethnic emphasis. Charter schools are still public schools. However, there is strict accountability to maintain high standards and charter schools are given freedom from many of the regulations that apply to other public schools, which allows for greater flexibility and innovation in the classroom (INCS).Charter schools are helping in closing the achievement gap that often happen in traditional public schools. They are raising the bar of what is possible and what should be expected in public education. Charter schools are effective for lower income and lower achieving students and aide in shattering low expectations and breaking through long-standing barriers that have prevented large numbers of students from underserved communities from achieving educational success. Studies have been shown some show charters outperforming traditional public schools.Compared to students in the matched public school, charter students are 5. 2 percent more likely to be proficient in reading and 3. 2 percent more likely to be proficient in math on their state's exams (Hoxby, p. 1). One of the many benefits of transforming to a charter schools is to be provide educational alternatives to families that would otherwise have no ability to choose a school. Middle-income families in the United States typically choose a school by choosing their residence and they often enjoy substantially freedom of choice.High-income families can choose a school by choosing residence in affluent neighborhoods whose property taxes also aide in financing schools in addition to state funds or they can afford to pay private school tuition. Thus, they can often choose over a variety of public and private schools. Low income families typically h ave little ability to choose a school and the property taxes which are usually low fund the school. Meaning limits on choice are few (Hoxby p. 18).Charter schools which are held to the same standards as public schools must take the same tests that are yielded to students in traditional public schools. However, accountability is different, tougher and parents are held accountable as well due to mandatory parental involvement. Parents that are vigorously involved in their child’s education will do better academically. Charter Schools offer parents in addition to board members and superintendent the chance to create schools that reflect their visions for their child’s education. Current IssuesSome educators feel that charter schools are not effective and have not been around long enough to prove if they are actually efficient. Cohen feels that they are performing worse than most traditional public schools even with all the funding they receive. The reasoning behind this i s due to inconsistency in staff because of the high turnover which can be equivalent to some traditional schools in poverty stricken neighborhoods. As she said, â€Å"all schools have their deficiencies, additional monies that charter schools receive could go to improve traditional public school educational reform† (Cohen).There are many educators who are for charter schools as stated by Jefferson Morales who claims â€Å"charter schools have the greatest chance to thrive when working collectively with administrators, teachers, students and parents which are all stakeholders in making sure that academic success is obtained. He also expresses that charters adhere to safe and systematic environment that is conducive to learning. It also allows for individualized instruction because the class sizes are smaller than traditional public schools, charters value quality teaching from great teachers of all walks of life.The curriculum is content-rich that is proven by research based instructional practices, teachers attend effective professional development seminars and charter schools have higher parental involvement† (Morales). Competiveness Those who back charter schools believe that charters create competition in the educational market, requiring traditional public schools to improve. Critics do not believe that competition encourages positive results and are concerned that the flowing of funds to charter schools will lessen the performance of traditional public schools and in so doing hurt students in traditional school settings.Zimmer and Gill, et al. , (2009) states studies that have examined systemic effects have used school level measures of competition, such as the distance from the charter school to nearby public schools or the proportion of the district’s students who are enrolled in charter schools. Hoxby (2002) and Bettinger (2005) used school-level outcomes to estimate competitive effects, while Holmes, DeSimone, and Rupp (2003); Bif ulco and Ladd (2006); Sass (2006); and Booker, Gilpatric, et al. (2005) used student-level data for more-refined analyses of competition in, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas.Generally, these studies found small, positive competitive effects or no effects on students in nearby traditional public schools (p. 77). Although studies have provided for understanding of the competiveness of charters and traditional schools the effects may differ across states and laws for two reasons. Zimmer (2010) First, there is considerable variation across the country in the extent to which school-district enrollments are growing or shrinking. In rapidly growing districts charter schools may act more like a release valve than a source of competitive pressure.Second, the specific details of charter laws and policies may determine the extent to which school districts feel competitive pressure. For example, states may have laws, in which districts do not lose the money when a student transfers to a chart er school, which in turn traditional schools do not have to compete for funding incentives for students (p. 79). For, instance there can only be 75 charter schools created in Chicago and 45 outside of Chicago. Laws governing charter schools in a state may require only so many schools which can restrict the competiveness between traditional and charter schools.Budgeting/Financing According to Illinois Network of Charter Schools, charters can seek and receive funding from several sources including individuals, businesses, fundraising and foundations. In addition, the U. S. Department of Education and the Walton Family Foundation each offers grants for starting charters. The Walton Family Foundation funding helps with the startup and planning of charter school. WFF currently offers three types of Startup Grants (INCS). †¢Pre-Authorization:$30,000 Maximum †¢Post-Authorization:$220,000 Maximum †¢Combination Startup: $250,000 MaximumThe Charter School Program which is a fed eral program provides up to 36 months of funding to charter schools from the time they submit a complete charter application through their second year of operations. CSP offers two ways that a charter can receive funds (INCS). †¢Through State Education Agencies †¢Directly to Charter Schools These funds will serve to assist new charter schools during the critical detailed planning stages and initial start-up of operations through pre-charter planning, program design, and initial start-up of operations through pre-charter planning, program design, and implementation grants (ISBE).In addition to the other options mentioned in funding the converted charter the district spent 9,517 per student. Converting to a charter will allow for more funds to be spent per child as compared to other districts that spend $12,000-$15,000 per student. This will greatly influence resources and training need to assist in the school meeting AYP. Under the No Child Left Behind law, schools are meas ured by how well students are doing. If students continue not to meet expectations it can result in teachers being replaced or the school closes. Operating Expenses Students (Traditional)The following charts show funding sources that District currently receives. Converting to a charter school would provide additional funding for improving districts Obtained from ISBE Recommendations Charter Schools are product of educational reform; Jordan Middle School is public school located in Chicago, IL this educational institution services African American and Hispanic children in grades 6th-8th. The school has been not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in four years. Yes, scores have been increasing yearly but has not meet state requirements as of today.If requirements are not meet in the fifth year Illinois State Board of Education will come in and take over the school. As shown in the chart below only 70. 9% of students out of 534 are meeting the Illinois Standardized Assessment Test. Th e ISAT score for the state is 82. 0% (ISBE). Teachers and parents are requesting that the School District convert the middle school to a charter school. Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, all schools are encouraged to have very high participation rates on their state’s exam in order to make Adequate Yearly Progress.Transforming the middle school from a public school to charter school will provide an opportunity to implement school-level reform and support new innovations which will improve student learning and assist in meeting AYP. The Superintendent and Board Members can work with charter school requesters to suggest mechanisms that will line up the petition and the district’s goals and vision for student learning. This chart was obtained by Illinois Interactive Report Card shows ISAT score for 2011 which indicates that the middle school did not meet AYP. References http://iirc. niu. edu/District. aspx? istrictid=07016143502011) http://incschools. org/start_a _charter/startupfunding/ Hoxby, M. Caroline. (December, 2004). Achievement in charter schools and regular public schools in the united states understanding the differences (pg. , 1 & 18). Retrieved on January 1, 2012 from http://www. vanderbilt. edu/schoolchoice/downloads/papers/hoxby2004. pdf J. Cohen (personal communication, December 16, 2011 J. Morales (personal communication, November 20, 2011) Zimmer, R. , Gill, B. , Lavertu S. , Sass, T. , & White, B. (2009) Charter schools in eight states: effects on achievement, attainment, integration and competition. RAND Corporation, 77.

Natureview Farm

Table of Contents Introduction2 Main Issues3 Company Background3 Natureview’s Profile Products4 Market Trends Analysis for organic product4 Yogurt Market Trends5 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Packaging6 Yogurt Market Segmentation by region7 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Competitors8 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel10 SWOT Analysis10 Analysis of Strategic planning Options11 Recommendations14 References14 Introduction Fundamentally, this paper is about our findings of the Natureview Farm’s case study.In order to understand comprehensively about this company, we need to investigate further for the company’s past and current activities which is it will affect future growth of the company. All of this information is imperative to us in decision making process. Moreover, we could also make a decision what is the best strategy for the Natureview Farm. To understand thoroughly about the company, we need to: * Analyze the company's history, development, and growth. * Analyze the external environment. * Evaluate the SWOT analysis. Explain each option of the Natureview Farm based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. * Make recommendations. Main Issues Currently the company faced a new challenge situation – to identify the best marketing plan in order to grow revenues by over 50% before the end of 2001. The main focus of the company was whether to expand into the supermarket channel to achieve their expected revenue. A decision which would represent a major departure from the company’s established channel strategy and which would impact every aspect of Natureview’s business.Company Background Established in 1989, Natureview Farm is a small yogurt manufacturer which emphasizes the use of natural ingredients and a special process that gave the yogurt its unique smooth, creamy texture without the artificial thickeners which produces high quality yogurt. The yogurt was manufactured at the Natureview farm producti on facility in Cabot, Vermont started with 2 sizes of cup in two flavours- plain and vanilla. The sizes of cup are 8-ounce (Oz) and 32-ounce (Oz).Natureview Farm’s revenue had growth from less than $100,000 to 13Millions as reported in income statement 1999. Because of the emphasize of natural ingredients and it strong reputation for high quality and great taste help the company to grow up to national distribution went on to attain leadership in nature food. By the year 2000, the company producing 12 refrigerated yogurt flavours in 8-Oz and 4 flavours in 32-Oz. The company had also started exploring Multipack yogurt products for the child package in 4-Oz cup and yogurt package in tubes.Even though in 1997, Jim Wagner as Chief financial Officer has recommendation to arrange for an equity infusion from a venture capital firm to fund strategic investments are successful, the investor now needed cash out of its investment in Natureview. Now Natureview management has faced critica l problem and need to find another investor itself because their current goal is to increase revenues to $20 million before the end of 2001. * Natureview’s Profile Products Yogurt is a dairy product, the result of milk fermented in a carefully controlled environment.Special bacteria added to the milk change its texture and give yogurt its unique health properties – it is a good source of calcium and improves digestion. Below are the criteria of the nature’s product: 1. Natureview yogurt flavour and texture was the company’s founder’s family yogurt recipe, the recipe used natural ingredient and no artificial thickeners which produce great and high quality taste. 2. The company used milk from cows untreated with rGBH, an artificial growth hormone that increased milk production. 3.Because of their special process and ingredient, Natureview life span on the shelf was 50 days longer compared to other competition’s only 30 days. 4. Natureview has 12 refrigerated yogurt flavour in 8-Oz and four flavours in 32-Oz cups. Market Trends Analysis for organic product 1. The organic foods market, worth $6. 5 billion in 1999, was predicted to grow to $13. 3 billion in 2003. 2. Generally, organic product consumer tended to have higher incomes, have more education, and live in the Northeast and West. 3. 67 % of U. S. ouseholds specify that price was a barrier to their purchase of organic foods and 58% of consumer expressed that they would buy a more organic product if it were cheaper. 4. 44% of consumers want a wider selection of organic product in supermarkets. 5. Below are market trend findings : * Yogurt Market Trends A comprehensive analysis must be applied in order to understand and evaluate the market trends of yogurt product. It is important for the management to focus on the areas that are needed for improvement especially on customers’ satisfaction because it will yield greater profitability for the company.For instance, the management should know better on what are the current market trends and their customers’ wants from their product. In addition, some factors in purchasing decisions that are made by customers should be analyzed by the company. Several factors in purchasing decisions are such as packaging, flavour, price, freshness and ingredients of the yogurt. Such product measurements are imperative not only to maintain the quality of the product itself, but it also will retain and attract more customers for choosing Natureview Farm’s yogurt rather than competitors’ yogurt. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by PackagingBased on the market trends, the most popular sizes of yogurt cups were in 6-oz and 8-oz which contributed to 3% of the segment’s growth per year. In addition, these also were representing 74% of total category supermarkets sales in U. S. dollars. Women especially bought 8-oz yogurt cups because of their health consciousness. The second largest segment is multipacks size which represented 9% total category supermarkets sales with 12. 5% growth per year. This second largest segment customarily consumed by children because of their mothers concern about their health and fastest growth.The last segment which is 32-oz. cup size represented 8% of total category supermarkets sales and was growing at a modest of 2%. Normally, the buyers of 32-oz. were heavy yogurt consumers. They are either consumed the yogurt plain, added some ingredients or used it in recipes. Plain and vanilla were the most famous flavours. Buyers also put brand, expiration date and price as important purchase criteria for this size of yogurt. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Region Based on the market segmentation by region, it could be identified that the West and the Northeast possess high market shares.The West contributed to 27% whereas the Northeast contributed to 26% of national U. S. market. The main factors that contributed to these high percentages were the shop pers who live in the West and the Northeast have higher incomes and more education. In addition, the Southeast possesses 25% and the Midwest possesses 22% of market shares. Regardless of channel or distribution, the buyers’ habit of buying yogurt depended on their unique characteristics. Some of buyers were more concerned about the quality of the yogurt while some of them were concerned about the yogurt’s price or vice versa. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Competitors We had identified four close competitors of Natureview Farm’s yogurt. These top four competitors are Dannon, Yoplait, Breyers and Columbo. Dannon and Yoplait are controlling over 50% of the yogurt market share. As indicated in the supermarket Channel’s pie chart, we could see that Dannon holds 33% of yogurt market share whereas Yoplait holds 24%. The sales of these yogurts are conducted through two dominant distributor channels which are supermarket and natural foods channel.As we could see in the natural foods channel, Natureview Farm was leading which holds 24% of yogurt market. Other than these, these yogurts revenues were also generated through warehouse clubs, conveniences stores, drug stores and mass merchandisers. * * * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel Based on yogurt market segmentation by distribution channel, we could conclude that the distribution channels were divided into supermarkets and natural foods store. 97 % of yogurts were sold in the supermarkets while 3% of yogurts were sold in the natural foods store.The sales and distribution process of Channels Supermarket Channels Process Supplier aka manufacturer usually sends their product to a large distribution centre, which in turn shipped directly to the supermarket chain’s warehouse. The distributors and retailers charged a mark-up price on product that flowed through their warehouses or store. In order to place the product in the supermarket, manufacturer will required to pay one-off time â€Å"slotting fee† for each SKU only in the first year it was introduced and then to participate in regular trade promotions.If the SKU failed to show any profit for the supermarket within the year, the supermarket would discontinue the product and would require a new slotting fee payment if the manufacturer sought reauthorization of the SKU. Some key points in the distribution of supermarket channel process are as below: 1. The typical distributor margin is 15% and the typical retailer margin is 27% 2. Supermarket would charge in average of $0. 74 for 8-oz cup of yogurt, $2. 70 for 32-o cup of yogurt, and $2. 85 for 4-oz cup of multipack. Natural Food Channels processFirstly, manufacturer shipped the product to the natural wholesalers and then wholesalers will ship the products to the distributors which responsible to delivered product to the retailers. Distributors would deliver products individually to the retailers, and in some cases even stock the shelves a nd track paperwork. Lastly customer gets the product from the retailers. Natural Food retailers will charge the manufacturer for one time allotment of one free case of product for every new SKU authorized for distribution in its first year. Some key points in the distribution of natural food channel process are as below: 1.The typical natural food wholesaler margin is 7%, the natural food distributor margin is 9% and the typical retailer margin is 35% 2. Retailers would charge in average of $0. 88 for 8-oz cup of yogurt, $3. 19 for 32-o cup of yogurt, and $3. 35 for 4-oz cup of multipack. Exhibit: 1 – Length of channel to market Channel Margin Analysis By using Margin analysis , we can identify the profitability of these channels and we can indicate which channel would provide the expected revenues of Natureview Farm. This analysis is based on the given point in the case study and each of the analysis is divided based on type of yogurt size.The results are as below. 1. Result of Natural Foods Channel | | Unit Cost for 8-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 31| 36%| 0. 48| 0. 17| 56%| Wholesaler| 0. 48| 7%| 0. 52| 0. 04| 8%| Distributor| 0. 52| 9%| 0. 57| 0. 05| 10%| Retailer| 0. 57| 35%| 0. 88| 0. 31| 54%| Customer| 0. 88|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 32-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 99| 44%| 1. 75| 0. 76| 77%| Wholesaler| 1. 75| 7%| 1. 89| 0. 13| 8%| Distributor| 1. 9| 9%| 2. 07| 0. 19| 10%| Retailer| 2. 07| 35%| 3. 19| 1. 12| 54%| Customer| 3. 19|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 4-oz multipack| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 1. 15| 69%| 1. 84| 0. 69| 60%| Wholesaler| 1. 84| 7%| 1. 98| 0. 14| 8%| Distributor| 1. 98| 9%| 2. 18| 0. 20| 10%| Retailer| 2. 18| 35%| 3. 35| 1. 17| 54%| Customer| 3. 35|   |   |   | à ‚  | 2. Result of Supermarket Channel | | Unit Cost for 8-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 31| 32%| 0. 6| 0. 15| 48%| Distributor| 0. 46| 15%| 0. 54| 0. 08| 18%| Retailer| 0. 54| 27%| 0. 74| 0. 20| 37%| Customer| 0. 74|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 32-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 99| 41%| 1. 68| 0. 69| 69%| Distributor| 1. 68| 15%| 1. 97| 0. 30| 18%| Retailer| 1. 97| 27%| 2. 7| 0. 73| 37%| Customer| 2. 7|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 4-oz multipack| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 1. 15| 35%| 1. 77| 0. 62| 54%| Distributor| 1. 77| 15%| 2. 8| 0. 31| 18%| Retailer| 2. 08| 27%| 2. 85| 0. 77| 37%| Customer| 2. 85|   |   |   |   | As you can see, % mark-up in Natural foods channel is higher compared to supermarket channel in all sizes of yogurt in the manufacturer phase which means higher profitability. Natural food channel is able to cost more to the customer compared supermarket channel due to lower price sensitivity among natural foods customers as well as % mark-up from the Natural foods wholesaler. SWOT Analysis The overall evaluation of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is called SWOT analysis.It’s a way of monitoring the external and internal marketing environment. External Marketing (Opportunity and Threat) Analysis: Opportunities 1. Supermarket channel will provide the company's noteworthy potential of growth for getting higher revenues. 2. Yogurt sales through natural food stores had grown 20% per year. 3. Through the supermarket channel, the price of the product can be lower. Threats 1. The main competitors in the supermarket channel are getting stronger with the top four competitors which are Dannon, Yoplait, Breyers and Colombo. . Company may have to repositi on Internal Marketing (Strength and Weakness) Analysis: Strengths 1. Natureview is a major and trusted brand for the natural food channel and has developed strong relationships with leading natural food retailers 2. Natureview has a strong reputation for high quality and great taste. 3. Natureview’s yogurt has longer average shelf life compare other products. 4. The company has rapid growth revenue from $100,000 to $13 Million within 10 years. 5. Natureview is a leader distributor of natural food channel. 6.Strong operational efficiency because the company is using creative , low-cost â€Å"guerrilla marketing† Weaknesses 1. Natureview will heavily depend on its broker’s knowledge of promotional and merchandising requirement. 2. Inadequate operational capacity because unable to generate the volume requirements needed to meet consumer demand of other distribution channels. 3. Relatively small company compared with other potential competitors in supermarket channe l. 4. Natureview only invested 3% of total expenses in research & developments which cause discourage product innovation.Analysis of Strategic planning Options The company has three options needed to be analyzed and be identified which option will help the company to achieve their goal. Each of the options has their own importance and benefits however they also have some limitation attached on them. Option 1: The first option was strongly advocated by Vice president of sales Walter Bellini. The idea is to expand six SKUs of the 8-Oz. product line into one or two selected supermarket channel regions. Pros: 1. 8-Oz cups have the highest demand in the refrigerated yogurt market and will be able to provide the expected revenues. . Based on other natural food brands success in expanding their product in the supermarket channel has shown significant proves Natureview’s product will have a high chance of success. 3. Natureview is the leading natural’s foods brand of refrigera ted yogurt and have uniquely positioned to capitalize on the growing trend in natural and organic foods. 4. Natureview will have the advantage as the first brand to enter the channel due to supermarket channel will likely to give permission only to one natural yogurt manufacturer. Natureview will be the first mover in this channel 5.Some industry experts predicted unit volume growth of organic product at supermarket will be at 20% per year from 2001 to 2006. Cons: 1. The 8-Oz cups size received the highest level of competitive in trade promotions and marketing budget. 2. The management had estimated for comprehensive advertising plan will cost $1. 2 million per region per year and Natureview’s sales, general and administrative expenses (SG& A) would increase by $ 320,000 annually. 3. Due to Lack of experience in supermarket channel, their broker might take advantage of their relationship with top supermarkets retails chains in Northeast and West. . This option might create di rect competition with national yogurt manufacturer. 5. Might create conflict of channel between supermarket and natural food stores. Option 2: The second option was advocated by the vice president of operations Jack Gottlieb. The idea is to expand 4 SKUs of the 32-Oz. Based on the giving points; we can identify the pros and cons as below: Pros: 1. The gross profit margin for the 32-oz cups is higher at 43. 6 % compared to 8-oz cups at 36%. 2. This size of 32-oz cups was potentially become stronger competitive advantage like longer shelf life and lower marketing expenses. 3.This brand had achieved a 45% share of this size segment in the natural foods channel. 4. The management also assume that the company could sell 5. 5 million incremental units in the first years by expand more in supermarket retails across the united state. Cons 1. This option will have higher slotting fees due to national distribution. 2. There are no guaranteed customer acceptances towards the multi-use size of yogurt. 3. With the additions to sales headcount for the 32-oz,that will increase the SG& A cost to $160,000. 00 4. They also concerned on sales team’s ability to achieve full national distribution in 12 months. . Might create conflict of channel between supermarket and natural food stores. Option 3: The third option was advocated by Walker’s colleague’s Kelly Riley, the assistant marketing director, she supported the idea to introduce two SKUs of a children’s multi-pack into the natural food channel. Based on her arguments, we can identify the pros and cons as below: Pros 1. Natureview Farm is the established leader in the natural food channel and has a strong relationship with the leading food natural food channel retailers. 2. Sales and marketing expenses were the lowest compared to other options. 3.Choosing this option will allow the company to have more time to prepare before entering the supermarket channel. 4. The financial potential was very attra ctive with expected high margin of 37. 6%. 5. Natureview product positioning is ideal for the new Multi-pack product launch. Cons 1. Natureview Farm will miss the opportunity to enter the supermarket before competitors. Supermarket retailer would likely authorize only one organic yogurt brand. 2. Natureview‘s marketing department was unprepared to handle the demands on resources and staffing that will be needed once the company entered the supermarket channel.Option financial Overview Based on the case study, we have analyzed all three options that Natureview Farm tried to include in their future business plan. For the first option, Natureview Farm idea is to expand 6 SKU’s into supermarket channel with 8 – oz cups to get more profit. Refer to appendix 1; Natureview Farm total estimated for investment expenses is quite higher than another option. However, even though Natureview spend more for the investment; we can see that total expected profit is positively inc reased by annually.To get expected for this option need For option two, Natureview Farm next idea is to expend 4 SKU’s 32-oz into supermarket channel to their future business planning because their product is longer shelf life. Based on appendix 2, the investment plan is lower than option 1. The investment has divided to four regions for selling. Even through the management estimated that they can sell this brand with higher sold, the cost of the good sold also is quite higher and this is expenses will affect the profitability of goods sold. The last option is Natureview Farm plan to expand 2 SKU’S 4-oz multipack into natural food channel.Refer to appendix 3, we can see that the cost of goods sold is quite higher even through this idea not involved slotting fee, the estimated annual profit is not shown in positive way. Based on the calculation, the cost of goods sold and estimated annual profit is shown the selling product is lower profitability. Based on the financial analysis, we can identify some trends: The highest Profitability is option 1. Based on the graph, the higher of total investment expenses are option 1. The higher Investment ROI is option 3. RecommendationsAfter all analysis that we have done in this case study, our recommendation for Natureview Farm for their future planning are option 1. This is because based on our analysis; we can see option 1 is the best choice to get more profitability in 5 years onward as planning. This option is to expand 6 SKU’s of the 8-oz size into eastern and western supermarket regions. Even though the risk of going to supermarket channel is higher, Natureview Farm should expand into this channel because as we can see, two natural food companies expanded into this channel and increased their revenues by 200 %.To achieve their mission, they need to take the risks for get their estimated projected net profit. In addition, entry to this supermarket channel with 8 –oz size is more viable than option 2 where to expend into this channel with 32 –oz cup size. The 8 –oz size price initially attempt to negotiate retail price more than 32-oz size where the price of product will also affect the consumer choice. This option focuses on regional distribution instead of national, which should make it easier to implement this product information to region consumer.The level of education and higher income of consumer is also a reason for consumer to buy this natural food product. Natureview Farm can also market their product to this type of consumer with our product advantages such as the product has a longer shelf life, uses natural ingredients and uses only organic ingredients. The next recommendation strategy is, Natureview farms need to utilize more advanced in monitoring the technology and systematic management to keep track the trends so that they always be the consumer choice in natural food products.To become a successful natural food company in this channel, t hey need to be more systematic and always have good relationship with media, consumer and retailer. References 1. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/g/guerrilla-marketing. asp 2. http://Prezi. com/natureview – farms. 3. http:// www. slideshare. net/nature -view-case ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Based on investopedia. com, Margin analysis uses the percentage calculation to provide a comprehensive measure of a company's profitability on a historical basis (3-5 years) and in comparison to peer companies and industry benchmarks. 2 ]. Based on investopedia. com, Mark-up is the difference between an investment's lowest current offering price among dealers and the higher price a dealer charges a customer. [ 3 ]. Guerrilla Marketing is different than traditional marketing in that it often relies on personal interaction and has a smaller budget, and it focuses on smaller groups of promo ters that are responsible for getting the word out in a particular location rather than on wide-spread media campaigns.

Swamp Fox essays

Swamp Fox essays To understand who Francis Marion was you have to look at his nickname, Swamp Fox. A swamp is an area of low ground filled with water or a marsh, and a fox is a group of small, wild, flesh eating animal of the dog family or a sly, cunning, deceitful person. In this case, the definition of a sly, cunning, deceitful person is used. Therefore, you can assume that Francis Marion knew the swamplands very well, and that he was a very clever person. As you can see this is very true. Francis Marion was born in 1732 in St. Johns Perish, Berkley County, near Georgetown, South Carolina. He was the first generation of his ancestors to be born in America. His ancestors were originally descendants of French Huguenots who settled on the Santee River. As a young boy, Francis enjoyed exploring the swamps and wooded areas around where he lived. Sometimes he would be gone for hours on end just wandering around with his brothers or playing games in the swamps. (Bodie 21) When Francis turned fifteen, he had dreams of becoming a sailor. Against his parents wishes, Francis set sail on a voyage from South Carolina to the West Indies. His boat sank a quarter of the way there, and he floated around on a lifeboat for a week. After this expedition, he decided that he would rather become a farmer than a sailor. (32) In 1753, when the French and Indian War began, Marion joined a militia company led by his older brother Gabriel. For eight years, their company saw no action. In the early sixties, Lieutenant Francis Marion led thirty men as an advance into a known ambush. In this advance, Marion was part of a very small group that actually survived. (Patriot) He had proved himself as an amazing soldier, and everyone in his community showed great respect towards him. (Diedre) After the war ended, Marion settled down as a planter in St. Johns Parish. He prospered as a planter and in 1773; he bought a plantation on the Santee Ri...

Know Your Regional Vocabulary

Know Your Regional Vocabulary Know Your Regional Vocabulary Know Your Regional Vocabulary By Mark Nichol One of the delightful facts about American English is that even though the rich regional variety of pronunciation and vocabulary ever diminishes, we’re still a long way from universal treatment of the language, and that’s an important detail for writers to observe. Take soda, for example. I mean pop. I mean coke. Each of these three terms for carbonated beverages is prevalent in various parts of the United States, and the respective regional dominations aren’t likely to go flat soon. According to a Web site that invites visitors to engage in an ongoing electronic survey of word usage, coke is it in the South, in much of Arizona and isolated other parts of the Southwest, and, curiously, in pockets of south and central Indiana. (The dominance of coke in the South may have something to do with the fact that Coca-Cola is based in Atlanta.) Pop, however, is the dominant variant in terms of geographical coverage, popping up throughout the northern states outside New England and rarely elsewhere. Soda, by contrast, which accounts for a slim majority by population, is the term of choice in the Northeast, in and around Miami and St. Louis, in eastern Michigan, and in much of Northern California and Arizona. (This Northern Californian concurs, though I call carbonated beverages â€Å"soft drinks.† But I don’t drink them, so what do I know?) Other, relatively rare synonyms are tonic in the Boston area and dope in some parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. (The latter term perhaps derives from the fact that originally, Coca-Cola contained cocaine hence the brand name.) The dominant vocabulary in selected other nations includes â€Å"soft drink† for Australia and New Zealand (no, I’m not from Down Under), mineral in Ireland, and pop in Canada. What does what you call a carbonated beverage have to do with writing? Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, it behooves you to adhere to the local dialect, including vocabulary, when you’re engaging with regional culture. That’s easy for many authors, who write about their own neck of the woods and are intimately familiar with the local word-hoard. But if you’re going to virtually venture afar in your writing, make sure your characters don’t stand out as strangers by the way they talk unless, of course, that’s the point: A great strategy for showing, not telling, in a fish-out-of-water tale is to introduce the character by having them, for example, ask for a tonic when they sit down at a diner in the rural South. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph Examples50 Types of Propaganda45 Idioms About the Number One

You are wiith torture or no Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

You are wiith torture or no - Essay Example In my opinion, torture should not be used for any purposes in humans (Arar 1). Pro-torture arguments believe in giving intelligent agencies extended powers for torturing people in order to obtain information. In addition, they argue that torture can be used to compel individuals to do various tasks required by agencies, organizations and governments (Arar 1). In this case, torture can be used through enhanced interrogation techniques such as sleep deprivation and water boarding. Proponents of torture also argue based on idealism. In this case, torture is justified because of its capabilities to help in saving lives in exceptional conditions. In this case, torture is used to obtain information from terrorists and people suspected of illegal activities. Therefore, inflicting pain is an effective way of preserving order and securing the safety of people (Arar 1). As an individual opposing torture, it is worth stating that the process is inhuman and unethical. This is because torture inflicts pain and disrupts the psychological state of the individual. In addition, torture inflicts moral damage on the society because of the state and severity of the psychological and physical torture (Arar 1). In addition, torture cannot be used as an instrument for fighting terrorism of obtaining information because it is an instrument of