Analysis Of Ron Clarks Life

Analysis Of Ron Clarks Life Ron Clark, an American teacher, has a different and unique way of teaching kids and making a difference in their lives. He is spreading the message to other educators by turning the classroom around for students in the United States. Clark is changing the lives of children through his motivation and determination and discovering untapped potential in students in order for them to become the best that they can be. Clarks childhood and young adult experiences are what makes him passionate about life, which in turn allows him inspire and educate his students. Throughout college, he found that his one true love in life was adventure (Essential 55 159). Because of his love for adventure, Clark had some wild moments. For example he ran across a football field that was being broadcasted nationally while being chased by the police (Essential 55 43). He never thought that he would become a teacher. Clark once said, The time I have spent teaching children lessons has been wonderful, and I cant imagine doing anything other than teaching. That is ironic, however, because when I was growing up, being a teacher was the last thing I wanted to do (Essential 55 xii). His experiences from his youth are his foundation of balancing fun and learning in his classroom. He puts himself in the mind-set of the children in order to let the students understand the information. For example, he remembers sitting in classe s, while reading as a group. Sometimesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I would stare at the page and daydream about anything (Excellent 11 46). In order for his students not to feel the same way in class, I read with force, energy, and expression. Sometimes while reading Ill jump on a students desk, scream at the top of my lungs, or fall to the floor (Excellent 11 49). Through these actions of making the classroom more entertaining, it illustrates that he is willing to think outside the box until he finds the best way to help kids learn. Since the students can genuinely see the efforts he puts into each day, they will be more willing to put effort towards achieving their goals in the classroom. By holding on to his childhood memories, he is able to become a deeper person and to become a role model to his students. Since his mother wanted him to stay put, Clark became a fifth grade teacher at Snowden Elementary School, where many of the students had behavior problems and learning disabilities (Essential 55 xi) Even though he had just begun teaching, Clark was slowly changing the world of education. Over the next few years in the classroom, his experiences were filled with ups and downs, with invitations to the White House, trips around the world and projects that captured world wide attention. These events show how much effort he puts into molding his students into responsible adults (Essential 55 3) Through his out of the box teaching style, he is not only teaching the curriculum, but also pushing them slowly into the modern world. By creating an adventure for kids, he is allowing his students to learn from experience by letting them to learn from their mistakes, to build trust and to encourage them to become better students. Clark started his own adventure when he left rural North Carolina to go teach at Harlem in New York City (Miners). He states that Moving there opened my eyes, my heart, and my mind to experiences I never would have had otherwise (Clark). Even though it was hard to move to a new city, he was glad that he just went for it (Excellent 11 37). By putting that same courage and determination into students lives, it can teach them to face their fears, and give them the urge to follow their dreams. Clark sets an example by following his heart, thus building a vision of how students should live their lives. Through his accumulating fame, Clark is able to spread the message on how make the best of each students potential. Clark started becoming known when he received the 2001 Disney Teacher of the Year award (Truesdell). Clark wanted to spread the message about what he thought was important when teaching children, so he wrote two books. In 2003 he wrote, The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educators Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child, which is about his rules on how to make the children the best that they can be both in and out of the classroom. In 2004, he wrote a second book, The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate. (Truesdell). The rules he made are less about getting kids to behave, but preparing them for life after they leave the security of the classroom. Because of their exposure to Clarks fifty-five rules, students are slowly building their confidence towards handling a variety of situations (Essential 55 190) . I know that I can take them anywhere and put them in any situation because they are at the point where they are eager to experience life (Miners). While teaching, Clark has been on various TV shows, including the Oprah Winfrey Show where she famously named him as her Phenomenal Man (Miners). To further spread his fame, his first year spent in Harlem was made into a movie, The Ron Clark Story, in 2006. Ron Clark is known for his ability to go into classes filled with difficult students and to turn the classes around by incorporating creativity and innovation because he feels that no one is able to see their potential in life (Truesdell). Clark states that Finding a way to dream big for every child in your classroom, no matter how challenging or difficult the situation may be, is necessary. You have to look at every child and see potential (Clark). Clark just recently started his own school, The Ron Clark Academy, in Atlanta, Georgia where the students follow Clarks unique teaching methods. It offers students opportunities for travel, local field trips and seminars where teachers can learn about Clarks teaching style. These trips allow students to learn about diverse cultures either locally or around the world. From the money earned from his two books and other funding, the academy was able to be established on June 25, 2007 (Miners). Each classroom is provided with the latest technology, such as notebook laptops and interactive whiteboards. Because of this technology, students are able to experience a variety of subjects such as music that they normally would not be able to (Truesdell). This school captures Clarks spirit. By selecting students Clark and his team think needs this opportunity the most, Clark is able to build a positive environment, and show the kids the joy in learning. By giving the students knowledge, they are able to fulfill their own goals and later on in life give back to the community by changing the lives of others. Through the Ron Clark Academy, Clark can leave his legacy on the world. Once he saw how differently his students learned for the better, he realized how you can really change the younger generation. By using his methods to make a difference in childrens lives, he stayed in the world of education to continue to motivate students to become the best that they can be and to discover the success in every child. Work Cited Clark Ron. E-mail. 8 march 2010 Clark, Ron. The Excellent 11. New York: Hyperion, 2004. Print Clark, Ron. The Essential 55. New York: Hyperion, 2003. Print Miners, Zach. Reaping the benefits of Intelligent Classrooms. District Administration 43.9 (2007): 12. Student Resource Center- Silver. Web. 28 Mar. 2010 Truesdell, Jeff He Takes Students Around the World. People Weekly 23 June 2008: Students Resource center- Silver. Web. 28 Mar. 2010

Importance of television in our life Essay

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of suitable polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds plus water. Forms of polyisoprene that are useful as natural rubbers are classified aselastomers. Currently, rubber is harvested mainly in the form of the latex from certain trees. The latex is a sticky, milky colloid drawn off by making incisions into the bark and collecting the fluid in vessels in a process called â€Å"tapping†. The latex then is refined into rubber ready for commercial processing. Natural rubber is used extensively in many applications and products, either alone or in combination with other materials. In most of its useful forms, it has a large stretch ratio, high resilience, and is extremely waterproof.[1] Varieties[edit] The major commercial source of natural rubber latex is the Parà ¡ rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), a member of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. This species is widely used because it grows well under cultivation and a properly managed tree responds to wounding by producing more latex for several years. Many other plants produce forms of latex rich in isoprene polymers, though not all produce usable forms of polymer as easily as the Parà ¡ rubber tree does; some of them require more elaborate processing to produce anything like usable rubber, and most are more difficult to tap. Some produce other desirable materials, for example gutta-percha (Palaquium gutta)[2] and chicle from Manilkara species. Others that have been commercially exploited, or at least have shown promise as sources of rubber, include the rubber fig (Ficus elastica), Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica), various spurges (Euphorbia spp.), lettuce (Lactuca species), the related Scorzonera tau-saghyz, various Taraxacum species, including common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), and guayule (Parthenium argentatum). The term gum rubber is sometimes applied to the tree-obtained version of natural rubber in order to distinguish it from the synthetic version.[1] Discovery of commercial potential[edit] The Para rubber tree is indigenous to South America. Charles Marie de La Condamine is credited with introducing samples of rubber to the Acadà ©mie Royale des Sciences of France in 1736.[3] In 1751, he presented a paper by Franà §ois Fresneau to the Acadà ©mie (eventually published in 1755) which described many of the properties of rubber. This has been referred to as the first scientific paper on rubber.[3] In England, Joseph Priestley, in 1770, observed that a piece of the material was extremely good for rubbing off pencil marks on paper, hence the name â€Å"rubber†. Later, it slowly made its way around England. South America remained the main source of the limited amounts of latex rubber used during much of the 19th century. In 1876, Henry Wickham gathered thousands of Para rubber tree seeds from Brazil, and these were germinated in Kew Gardens, England. The seedlings were then sent to India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Singapore, and British Malaya. Malaya (now Malaysia) was later to become the biggest producer of rubber. In the early 1900s, the Congo Free State in Africa was also a significant source of natural rubber latex, mostly gathered by forced labor. Liberia and Nigeria also started production of rubber. In India, commercial cultivation of natural rubber was introduced by the British planters, although the experimental efforts to grow rubber on a commercial scale in India were initiated as early as 1873 at the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta. The first commercial Hevea plantations in India were established at Thattekadu in Kerala in 1902. In Singapore and Malaya, commercial production of rubber was heavily promoted by Sir Henry Nicholas Ridley, who served as the first Scientific Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1888 to 1911. He distributed rubber seeds to many planters and developed the first technique for tapping trees for latex without causing serious harm to the tree.[4]Because of his very fervent promotion of this crop, he is popularly remembered by the nickname â€Å"Mad Ridley†.[5] Properties[edit] Rubber latex Rubber exhibits unique physical and chemical properties. Rubber’s stress-strain behavior exhibits the Mullins effect and the Payne effect, and is often modeled as hyperelastic. Rubber strain crystallizes. Owing to the presence of a double bond in each repeat unit, natural rubber is susceptible to vulcanisation and sensitive to ozone cracking. The two main solvents for rubber are turpentine and naphtha (petroleum). The former has been in use since 1764 when Franà §ois Fresnau made the discovery. Giovanni Fabbroni is credited with the discovery of naphtha as a rubber solvent in 1779. Because rubber does not dissolve easily, the material is finely divided by shredding prior to its immersion. An ammonia solution can be used to prevent the coagulation of raw latex while it is being transported from its collection site. Elasticity[edit] In most elastic materials, such as metals used in springs, the elastic behavior is caused by bond distortions. When force is applied, bond lengths deviate from the (minimum energy) equilibrium and strain energy is stored electrostatically. Rubber is often assumed to behave in the same way, but this is a poor description. Rubber is a curious material because, unlike in metals, strain energy is stored thermally. In its relaxed state, rubber consists of long, coiled-up chains. When rubber is stretched, the chains are taut. Their kinetic energy is released as heat. The entropy and temperature increases during elongation but decreases during relaxation. This change in entropy is related to the changes in degrees of freedom. Relaxation of a stretched rubber band is thus driven by a decrease in entropy and temperature, and the force experienced is a result of the cooling of the material being converted to potential energy. Rubber relaxation isendothermic, and for this reason the force exerted by a stretched piece of rubber increases with temperature. The material undergoes adiabatic cooling during contraction. This property of rubber can easily be verified by holding a stretched rubber band to one’s lips and relaxing it. Stretching of a rubber band is in some ways opposite to compression(although both undergo higher levels of thermal energy of an ideal gas), and relaxation is opposed to gas expansion (Note: rubber bands last longer in the cold). A compressed and heated gas also exhibits â€Å"elastic† properties, for instance inside an inflated car tire. The fact that stretching is equivalent to compression is counterintuitive, but it makes sense if rubber is viewed as a one-dimensional gas, plus it is attached to other molecules. Stretching and heat increase the â€Å"space† available to each section of chain, because the molecules are pulled apart. Vulcanization of rubber creates disulfide bonds between chains, so it limits the degrees of freedom. The result is that the chains tighten more quickly for a given strain, thereby increasing the elastic force constant and making rubber harder and less extensible. When cooled below the glass transition temperature, the quasifluid chain segments â€Å"freeze† into fixed geometries and the rubber abruptly loses its elastic properties, although the process is reversible. This property it shared by most elastomers. At very low temperatures, rubber is rather brittle. This critical temperature is the reason winter tires use a softer version of rubber than normal tires. The failing rubber o-ring seals that contributed to the cause of the Challenger disaster were thought to have cooled below their critical temperature; the disaster happened on an unusually cold day. The gas molecules in the rubber were too close to their bound solid molecules(a partial phase change that separated the rubber molecules may have occurred), allowing the rubber to take on a more solid shape(a partial phase change to a more liquid and molecularly separated form would not be good, either). Heated gas has a higher energy, and rubber must be kept at specific temperatures and probably should not be used on vehicles that undergo extreme temperature changes. Chemical makeup[edit] Latex is the polymer cis-1,4-polyisoprene – with a molecular weight of 100,000 to 1,000,000 daltons. Typically, a small percentage (up to 5% of dry mass) of other materials, such as proteins, fatty acids, resins, and inorganic materials (salts) are found in natural rubber. Polyisoprene can also be created synthetically, producing what is sometimes referred to as â€Å"synthetic natural rubber†, but the synthetic and natural routes are completely different.[1] Chemical structure of cis-polyisoprene, the main constituent of natural rubber: Synthetic cis-polyisoprene and natural cis-polyisoprene are derived from different precursors. Some natural rubber sources, such as gutta-percha, are composed of trans-1,4-polyisoprene, a structural isomer that has similar, but not identical, properties. Natural rubber is an elastomer and a thermoplastic. Once the rubber is vulcanized, it will turn into a thermoset. Most rubber in everyday use is vulcanized to a point where it shares properties of both; i.e., if it is heated and cooled, it is degraded but not destroyed. The final properties of a rubber item depend not just on the polymer, but also on modifiers and fillers, such as carbon black, factice, whiting, and a host of others. Biosynthesis[edit] Rubber particles are formed in the cytoplasm of specialized latex-producing cells called laticifers within rubber plants.[6] Rubber particles are surrounded by a single phospholipid membrane with hydrophobic tails pointed inward. The membrane allows biosynthetic proteins to be sequestered at the surface of the growing rubber particle, which allows new monomeric units to be added from outside the biomembrane, but within the lacticifer. The rubber particle is an enzymatically active entity that contains three layers of material, the rubber particle, a biomembrane, and free monomeric units. The biomembrane is held tightly to the rubber core due to the high negative charge along the double bonds of the rubber polymer backbone.[7] Free monomeric units and conjugated proteins make up the outer layer. The rubber precursor is isopentenyl pyrophosphate (an allylic compound), which elongates by Mg2+-dependent condensation by the action of rubber transferase. The monomer adds to the pyrophosphate end of the growing polymer.[8] The process displaces the terminal high-energy pyrophosphate. The reaction produces a cis polymer. The initiation step is catalyzed by prenyltransferase, which converts three monomers of isopentenyl pyrophosphate into farnesyl pyrophosphate.[9] The farnesyl pyrophosphate can bind to rubber transferase to elongate a new rubber polymer. The required isopentenyl pyrophosphate is obtained from the mevalonate pathway, which is derives from acetyl-CoA in the cytosol. In plants, isoprene pyrophosphate can also be obtained from 1-deox-D-xyulose-5-phosphate/2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway within plasmids.[10] The relative ratio of the farnesyl pyrophosphate initiator unit and isoprenyl pyrophosphate elongation monomer determines the rate of new particle synthesis versus elongation of existing particles. Though rubber is known to be produced by only one enzyme, extracts of latex have shown numerous small molecular weight proteins with unknown function. The proteins possibly serve as cofactors, as the synthetic rate decreases with complete removal.[11] Current sources[edit] Close to 21 million tons of rubber were produced in 2005, of which approximately 42% was natural. Since the bulk of the rubber produced is of the synthetic variety, which is derived from petroleum, the price of natural rubber is determined, to a large extent, by the prevailing global price of crude oil.[12][13] Today, Asia is the main source of natural rubber, accounting for about 94% of output in 2005. The three largest producing countries, Thailand, Indonesia (2.4m tons)[14] and Malaysia, together account for around 72% of all natural rubber production. Natural rubber is not cultivated widely in its native continent of South America due to the existence of South American leaf blight, and other natural predators of the rubber tree. Cultivation[edit] Rubber is generally cultivated in large plantations. See the coconut shell used in collecting latex, in plantations in Kerala, India Rubber latex is extracted from rubber trees. The economic life period of rubber trees in plantations is around 32 years – up to 7 years of immature phase and about 25 years of productive phase. The soil requirement of the plant is generally well-drained, weathered soil consisting of laterite, lateritic types, sedimentary types, nonlateritic red, or alluvial soils. The climatic conditions for optimum growth of rubber trees are: Rainfall of around 250 cm evenly distributed without any marked dry season and with at least 100 rainy days per year Temperature range of about 20 to 34 °C, with a monthly mean of 25 to 28 °C High atmospheric humidity of around 80% Bright sunshine amounting to about 2000 hours per year at the rate of six hours per day throughout the year Absence of strong winds Many high-yielding clones have been developed for commercial planting. These clones yield more than 2,000 kg of dry rubber per hectare per year, when grown under ideal conditions. Field coagula[edit] Mixed field coagula Smallholder’s lump at a remilling factory There are four types of field coagula, â€Å"cuplump†, â€Å"treelace†, â€Å"smallholders’ lump† and â€Å"earth scrap†. Each has significantly different properties.[15] Cuplump is the coagulated material found in the collection cup when the tapper next visits the tree to tap it again. It arises from latex clinging to the walls of the cup after the latex was last poured into the bucket, and from late-dripping latex exuded before the latex-carrying vessels of the tree become blocked. It is of higher purity and of greater value than the other three types. Treelace is the coagulum strip that the tapper peels off the previous cut before making a new cut. It usually has higher copper and manganese contents than cuplump. Both copper and manganese are pro-oxidants and can lower the physical properties of the dry rubber. Smallholders’ lump is produced by smallholders who collect rubber from trees a long way away from the nearest factory. Many Indonesian smallholders, who grow paddy in remote areas, tap dispersed trees on their way to work in the paddy fields and collect the latex (or the coagulated latex) on their way home. As it is often impossible to preserve the latex sufficiently to get it to a factory that processes latex in time for it to be used to make high quality products, and as the latex would anyway have coagulated by the time it reached the factory, the smallholder will coagulate it by any means available, in any container available. Some smallholders use small containers, buckets etc., but often the latex is coagulated in holes in the ground, which are usually (but not always) lined with plastic. Acidic materials and fermented fruit juices are used to coagulate the latex – a form of assisted biological coagulation. Little care is taken to exclude twigs, leaves, and even bark from the lumps that are formed, which may also include treelace collected by the smallholder. Earth scrap is the material that gathers around the base of the tree. It arises from latex overflowing from the cut and running down the bark of the tree, from rain flooding a collection cup containing latex, and from spillage from tappers’ buckets during collection. It contains soil and other contaminants, and has variable rubber content depending on the amount of contaminants mixed with it. Earth scrap is collected by the field workers two or three times a year and may be cleaned in a scrap-washer to recover the rubber, or sold off to a contractor who will clean it and recover the rubber. It is of very low quality and under no circumstances should it be included in block rubber or brown crepe. Processing[edit] Removing coagulum from coagulating troughs The latex will coagulate in the cups if kept for long. The latex has to be collected before coagulation. The collected latex, â€Å"field latex†, is transferred into coagulation tanks for the preparation of dry rubber or transferred into air-tight containers with sieving for ammoniation. Ammoniation is necessary to preserve the latex in colloidal state for long. Latex is generally processed into either latex concentrate for manufacture of dipped goods or it can be coagulated under controlled, clean conditions using formic acid. The coagulated latex can then be processed into the higher-grade, technically specified block rubbers such as SVR 3L or SVR CV or used to produce Ribbed Smoke Sheet grades. Naturally coagulated rubber (cup lump) is used in the manufacture of TSR10 and TSR20 grade rubbers. The processing of the rubber for these grades is a size reduction and cleaning process to remove contamination and prepare the material for the final stage of drying.[16] The dried material is then baled and palletized for storage and shipment in various methods of transportation. Transportation[edit] Natural rubber latex is shipped from factories in south-west Asia, South America, and North Africa to destinations around the world. As the cost of natural rubber has risen significantly, the shipping methods which offer the lowest cost per unit of weight are preferred. Depending on the destination, warehouse availability, and transportation conditions, some methods are more suitable to certain buyers than others. In international trade, latex rubber is mostly shipped in 20-foot ocean containers. Inside the ocean container, various types of smaller containers are used by factories to store latex rubber.[17] Uses[edit] Compression molded (cured)rubber boots before the flashesare removed Contemporary manufacturing[edit] Around 25 million tonnes of rubber is produced each year, of which 42 percent is natural rubber. The remainder is synthetic rubber derived from petrochemical sources. Around 70 percent of the world’s natural rubber is used in tires. The top end of latex production results in latex products such as surgeons’ gloves, condoms, balloons and other relatively high-value products. The mid-range which comes from the technically-specified natural rubber materials ends up largely in tires but also in conveyor belts, marine products and miscellaneous rubber goods. Natural rubber offers good elasticity, while synthetic materials tend to offer better resistance to environmental factors such as oils, temperature, chemicals or ultraviolet light and suchlike. â€Å"Cured rubber† is rubber which has been compounded and subjected to the vulcanisation process which creates cross-links within the rubber matrix. Prehistoric uses[edit] The first use of rubber was by the Olmecs, who centuries later passed on the knowledge of natural latex from the Hevea tree in 1600 BC to the ancient Mayans. They boiled the harvested latex to make a ball for a Mesoamerican ballgame.[18] Pre-World War II manufacturing[edit] Other significant uses of rubber are door and window profiles, hoses, belts, gaskets, matting, flooring, and dampeners (antivibration mounts) for the automotive industry. Gloves (medical, household and industrial) and toy balloons are also large consumers of rubber, although the type of rubber used is concentrated latex. Significant tonnage of rubber is used as adhesives in many manufacturing industries and products, although the two most noticeable are thepaper and the carpet industries. Rubber is also commonly used to make rubber bands and pencil erasers. Pre-World War II textile applications[edit] Rubber produced as a fiber, sometimes called ‘elastic’, has significant value for use in the textile industry because of its excellent elongation and recovery properties. For these purposes, manufactured rubber fiber is made as either an extruded round fiber or rectangular fibers that are cut into strips from extruded film. Because of its low dye acceptance, feel and appearance, the rubber fiber is either covered by yarn of another fiber or directly woven with other yarns into the fabric. In the early 1900s, for example, rubber yarns were used in foundation garments. While rubber is still used in textile manufacturing, its low tenacity limits its use in lightweight garments because latex lacks resistance to oxidizing agents and is damaged by aging, sunlight, oil, and perspiration. Seeking a way to address these shortcomings, the textile industry has turned to neoprene (polymer of chloroprene), a type of synthetic rubber, as well as another more commonly used elastomer fiber, spandex (also known as elastane), because of their superiority to rubber in both strength and durability. Vulcanization[edit] Main article: Vulcanization Natural rubber is often vulcanized, a process by which the rubber is heated and sulfur, peroxide or bisphenol are added to improve resistance and elasticity, and to prevent it from perishing. The development of vulcanization is most closely associated with Charles Goodyear in 1839.[19] Before World War II era manufacturing, carbon black was often used as an additive to rubber to improve its strength, especially in vehicle tires. Today, all vehicle tires are made of synthetic rubbers. Allergic reactions[edit] Main article: Latex allergy Some people have a serious latex allergy, and exposure to natural latex rubber products such as latex gloves can cause anaphylactic shock. The antigenic proteins found in Hevealatex may be deliberately reduced (though not eliminated)[20] through processing. Latex from non-Hevea sources, such as Guayule, can be used without allergic reaction by persons with an allergy to Hevea latex.[21] Some allergic reactions are not to the latex itself, but from residues of chemicals used to accelerate the cross-linking process. Although this may be confused with an allergy to latex, it is distinct from it, typically taking the form of Type IV hypersensitivity in the presence of traces of specific processing chemicals.[20][22]

Nestlé: Sustaining Growth in Mature Markets Essay

Nestlà © was first founded by Henri Nestle in the 1860s by developing and producing food products for babies who could not adapt mother’s milk. Following the success in baby food products, Henri incorporated with an Anglo-Swiss condensed milk company to develop dairy products, especially for government supply in World War I. High sensitive and quick responding to the demand of consumer, Nestle continued to create and develop new product mix to canned food, beverage, pet care products, to maximize its scope of business in the food segment. Nestle had been incurring high success during its operation in food industry, proved by production many creative product portfolio, double sales and tripled profits, globally brand recognition, offices and factories around the world with the management of previous CEO Helmut Maucher. Maucher successfully promoted Nestle to higher position in the market as a global company and has been operating beyond its original Europe boundary. Nestle is presently one of the largest food company in the world. Nestle has been called the most conglomerate companies ever, with more than 400 plants in 77 countries and growing. Nestle is Switzerland’s largest industrial company and the world’s leading food processor. The food giant ranks as one of the 100 largest companies in the world. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s primary products include beverages such as (coffee, chocolate drinks, mineral water, and soft drinks), dairy products, infant formula, culinary products (soups, seasoning, condiments), frozen foods and ice cream, yogurt and chilled desserts, and chocolate. Nestle seems not still happy with what it had obtained. Under leadership of current CEO Peter Brabeck, Nestle is now experiencing a more significant growth and synergies as the top nutrition and Food Company with the strategic management of Brabeck since he took over Nestle in 1997. CEO Brabeck realized the need of Nestle and his first priority was to achieve real internal growth. Strategies were employed to achieve this organic growth and now Nestle is posting CHF $91 billion in sales and CHF $8 billion in profits. Brabeck’s will hand over the company in 2008 and his successor will be facing the task of maintaining the successful momentum. This uncertainty about the future of the company is left to be seen and is the driving factor to the question: Can Nestle sustain its industrial growth in Mature Markets under the new CEO Paul Bulcke or would  the growing competitive pressure shrink its overall growth. To answer this question, an in-depth analysis must be undertaken to understand the external environment that Nestle is operating in by looking at the General, Industry, and Competitor environment and also a microscopic look into Nestle internal environment. The general environment of Nestle looks at the demographic trend. Nestle international operations are in 77 countries with over 400 plus plants and their products are sold on all six continents. The world population is increasing on a daily basis and the geographic distribution of populations is shifting. The world population is also aging quickly and the ethnic mixes in developed countries are changing rapidly. The average household incomes are increasing and Nestle could take advantage of these trends. The demographic environment presents both opportunities and threats for Nestle. The increases in population size and household incomes would help to expand the market in which Nestle operates. However, changes in the geographic distribution of populations, due to technological advances in communications, may cause difficulties for nestle in determining profitable locations for new plants. The economic trend shows that the average market growth of a mature global food industry is 2 percent. Nestle first achieve a four percent internal growth target in 2000 and consistently repeated performance in subsequent years. This growth might be contributed by the economic global trend. The U.S economy decline into recession in 2001 and in order to stimulate the economy, interest rates in United States were cut to near record lows. Many nations around the world are affected by the U.S economy and Nestle Global companies are no exceptions. The economic trend showed in 2005 that there was significant economic growth due to very low interest rates in the United States, resulting in substantial growth in global trade. This growth was slow down by high oil prices. The economic environment presents both threats and opportunities for Nestle. The growth in global trade presents opportunities for Nestle in innovation and renovation of new and old products to offer to its customers. However, the increase in oil prices would cause an increase in the cost of transportation for goods destined for Nestle plants which would threaten Nestle profitability. Operating in all six continents in over 77 countries, the politic al/legal environment presents a threat for Nestle. The differences in the political/legal environment across regions would make it difficult, and  sometimes costly, for Nestle to comply with government regulations. Political risk in some countries remains comparatively high as does the threat of lawsuits from competitors, distributors, and consumers. The socio culture presents opportunities for Nestle. Nestle is often referred to as a role model company that thinks globally but acts locally (p. N 261). Creating a unit that is concerned with adapting global products to local taste and requirements. Nestle would take advantage of the consumer by proving what the consumer wants in that culture. Whether it would be the color, shape, form or taste of the product, Nestle would adapt to those local culture. The technological environment presents opportunities and threats for Nestle. When GLOBE has been introduce in the most relevant markets, all inter-market systems will communicate much better with each other than they do now (p. N 263). Improvements in technology will allow Nestle to perform better analysis of data related to existing and future customer bases. The improvements will also allow Nestlà © to continue to improve its supply chain, which is vital in enabling Nestlà © to offer better prices to its customers. These technological improvements, however, may also be readily available to competitors. Competitors can easily mimic Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s processes through advances in technology. The global environment presents opportunities for Nestlà ©. The company enjoys being in the leading position in the global food industry. The rapid globalization of business markets presents opportunities to Nestlà © as countries relax regulations that hinder trade and foreign entry into domestic markets. The increased importance of environmentally friendly business operations may also increase costs of operation. However, Nestlà © has established itself as an environmental leader; and the result is shown by the increased in sales and profitability. An industry is a group of firms producing products that are close in substitutes (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2009). In reference to Nestlà ©, an analysis of threats to new entrants, the bargaining powers of the suppliers and buyers, the threat to substitute products and rivalry amongst competing firms would be carefully examined. Nestlà © is the oldest and most truly global companies in the food industry (p. N 261). Nestlà © boast over 130 years of industry knowledge in all markets over the world and the awareness to adapt its products to local taste. Acquisitions of Dreyer, Ralston Purina and Jenny Craig made Nestlà © to become the market leader in ice cream, global  leader in pet food and the world largest nutrition and weight management market respectively. The threat of new entrants in Nestlà © industry looks at the barriers of entry. Product differentiation is very high to imitate. The company produces over 127,000 products under six strategic brands: Nestlà ©, Buitoni, Maggie, Nescafe, Nestea and Purina. Nestlà © products are produce to offer characteristics such as quality, taste and safety. Economies of scale is another barrier to entry for Nestle and this is showed through the operations of 400 plants in 77 countries and employed more than 250,000 people. Nestle drive for acquisition was to gain critical mass in terms of market share in businesses in which scale is vital for success (p. N265). Size provides considerable economies of scale in the food industry. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operations are massive and global in scope. Barriers to entry for new entrants are increased by high economies of scale. The switching costs are high because Nestle production is based on innovation and renovation of its well branded product. Nestle works on improving their products especially in mature markets where Nestle generates the bulk of its sale. Continuous upgrading of existing product is an important source of internal growth. Nestle controls its distribution channel and provide assistance to Distribution Company to carry their products. Having access to distribution channels can be a strong entry barrier for new entrants, especially in industries like Nestle. Whenever industry growth is slow and constrained there will be expected retaliation. Nestle was increasingly facing fierce competition as many food producing rivals had achieved significant improvements in their operating efficiency (p. N 262). Nestle weak profitability, whose root causes could be traced to Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s various acquisition that slowed down the overall growth of the companies and open the doors for competitors to take advantage. Bargaining power of suppliers with the food industry shows that Nestle manufactured over 127,000 products and purchase of raw materials such as coffee and milk. The company utilized the expansion strategy to help with dependency of coffee from its suppliers. The Power of suppliers is low. The supplier groups are less concentrated and not dominated by a few large companies. Bargaining power of the buyers is very high because Nestle is high on quality, taste, and safety. They have modified more than 700 of their products by adding nutritional functionalities for its buyers. Whereby, the buyers are demanding high  quality, taste, and safety products and Nestle is providing it. Nestle was facing fierce competitive pressure and the threat was due to the slow growth of the company that was caused by acquisitions. Although the number of truly global competitors was limited, the most notable being Kraft, Masterfoods, and Unilever, Nestle was also facing strong competition at the national and regional level (p. N 262). The return on shares decrease from 44% in 97 to 15% in 2001 but increase tremendously in 2005, whereby its rival, Hersey have seen a constant shareholders return over the ten years. Note in particular was the 88% in 2001 to 306% in 2005. In fact, all competitors yield positive shareholders return between the years of 2001 to 2005, possible due to the low interest rate that created a global increase in trade. The competitive environment in the external environment is fierce on the local and regional level but limited on the global level. Globally, Nestle competitors are Kraft, Masterfoods and Unilever. In 1997, the company was ranked eight among the world’s top 12 packaged food companies in terms of returns on capital. Its net margin was only half of its major rival Unilever (p. N 262). Today, Nestle employs over 250,000 employees, manufactures approximately 127,000 products in 77 countries under six major brands: Nestle, Maggie, Nescafe, Purina, Buitoni, and Nescafe. Nestle basically doubled its competitor industry growth and is far ahead of its closest competitor. The internal organization of Nestle focuses on the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Between 1982 and 1997, under CEO Maucher, the company showed a great deal of strength and also major weaknesses, but CEO Brabeck, during 1997 and 2005, utilized effective strategy to move the company forward. The borrowing capacity of the company was evident in 2005, where Nestle generated total sales of CHF $91 billion and net income of CHF $8 billion and was the leading food manufacturing industry. Nestle also have the ability to generate internal funds and from 1997 to 2005, Nestle continued its expansion through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. Once the feasibility study is conclusive, Nestle will focus on selecting the format best suited to the particular market and adapting that format to local needs. Nestle physical resource includes over 400 plants in 77 countries, on the six continent all over the world and employed more than 250,000 people of which 3,500 are scientist in the research and development section. The technological  resources utilized by Nestle were the GLOBE program that is designed to improve operational efficiency by integrating the company’s businesses on a global scale. The objectives are to establish best practices in business processes, to align data standard, and to install common information system. GLOBE will allow all inter market systems to communicate better with each other. Intangible resources such as knowledge and trust were seen in Nestle. The company knowledge was displayed in its 140 years of profound knowledge of markets all over the world, and the ability to adapt its product to local taste. Nestle trust its workers and the organization structure is a decentralized one. Whenever there was an acquisition, Nestle would promote managers from the acquired company. This promotion displayed trust building measures hoping that those managers would be effective and efficient with their new roles and responsibilities. Nestle also utilized innovation resources for its success. Nestle is considered the innovation leader in the global food and nutrition sector (p. N 264). The company created a research and development section and invested CHF $1.5 billion for renovation and innovation of old and new products. They hired 3,500 scientists with the quest to this achieve internal growth. Business level strategy of Nestle was to seek ways in which the company can grow internally because the external growth strategy has been reached. The company was ranked first in all the product segments in which it operated (p. N 261). However, with all this acquisition and external growth, the company’s market growth was only 2 percent. The CEO Brabeck goal was to achieve real internal growth. The company had many challenges and weaknesses. The most important of these challenges when the company generated more than 70 percent of its sales in mature markets with a limited potential for organic growth (p. N 262). The company was also challenge with slow market growth due to the amount of acquisitions over the years and had portfolio that included several low margin product segments that negatively affected profitability. This led to company being ranks eight among the top twelve packaged food companies in terms of return on capital. Brabeck business strategy was focus specifically on Nestle organic growth. Organic growth in mature markets could only be reached by strengthening Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s innovative capacity. His strategy was to force the businesses to become more efficient by cutting back on their investment budget (p. N 262). The first task was to achieve  Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operational efficiency. Nestle launched a manufacturing efficiency programs MH97, Target 2004+, and Operation excellence 2007. Other strategic initiatives were FitNes, GLOBE, and the reduction of the marketing expenditure by exploiting synergies brand. These efficiency strategies saved Nestle over CHF $12 billion and the savings were invested into internal growth. Organic Growth was evident when Nestle was transformed from a food company into a food, nutrition, health, and wellness company. This was accomplished by creating units such as Corporate Wellness and Nestle Nutrition units. The company strengthens its innovation by focusing on the research and development and investing heavily in innovation and renovation and organizational changes to improve research and development’s connection with market Nestle operates. They created the Product Technology Centers, Local Application Centers and Clusters. Nestle also used external growth as a platform for organic growth by the acquisition of Dreyer, Ralston Purina and Jenny Craig. All these strategies yielded Nestle in 2005 CHF $91 billion in Sales, $8 billion in profits and 4 percent market growth. In conclusion, the new CEO Paul Bulcke of Nestle is taking over an organization that is already a global giant and the strategies that his predecessor was able to establish in the span of ten years are fostered for continuity. The new CEO Paul Bulcke would be able to maintain and at some point, increase sales and profits for the next five years. Although the competition is fierce, Nestle economies of scales, financial capabilities, 140 years of knowledge and experience, external and now internal growth would make it difficult for the competition to shrink Nestle industry growth. With the sizeable investment of CHF $1.5 billion in research and development, the new CEO would have a unit that is created for new innovations and also to renovate the old products. The new CEO Paul Bulcke could build on the abundance of strengths Nestle acquire over the years, overcome the few weaknesses the global giant has, take advantage of the tremendous opportunities for nestle, and avoid the external threats that could cause the company to lose market share. CASE RELATED QUESTIONS Preparing to hand over the CEO position to Mr. Paul Bulcke on April 10, 2008, you decide to summarize the lessons and successes of your tenure in that position. Your first step will be to outline the environmental forces that  you faced in 1997 (Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats facing the company at that time). You have a meeting scheduled later this month to give Bulcke direction on taking the company forward. You’ve outlined the following agenda for the meeting. Characteristics of the Current Competitive Landscape: Globalization, Technology, Knowledge, Strategic Flexibility, Quality, Profit Pool Vision and Mission Stakeholders Acquisition Strategy Organizational Structure Strategic Leadership Strategic Entrepreneurship Your assignment is to give a full assessment of the agenda items to prepare Bulcke for leading the company in the years ahead keeping in mind that Nestle needs to maintain its strong growth momentum in the developing and emerging world. Since I took over the Nestle Organization from 1997 to 2007, many environmental forces were created during the past decade. The company went through environment opportunities and threats from outside and also established internal strengths and in process was exposed to a few weaknesses. Nestle had tremendous opportunities because of the numerous acquisitions by my previous predecessor. The company had the potential for organic growth, further expansion to other countries, and increase in shareholders capital. During that time, Nestle was threaten by fierce competition locally, regionally and a little on the global scene. This threat was due to the numerous acquisitions that slowed the industry growth and gave these companies the opportunities to compete. However, during the decade, numerous strengths were created whereby Nestle implemented manufacturing efficiency programs by cutting down on wild spending and channel that savings into innovation and renovation. That strategy grew the organization from a 2 percent growth to 4 percent. The company also boasts of 140 years of experience and knowledge, operating in all six continents, well liquidated, and has the ability to create what the consumer wants  through its research and development unit. The limited weaknesses were evident such as the inability to identify that the productions of canned food, tomato, oil, dry pasta that would be slow in growth. However those items were divested in the past decade. Characteristics of the current competitive landscape of Nestle look at the fierce competitive environment on the local and regional level but limited on the global level. Globally, Nestle competitors are Kraft, Masterfoods and Unilever. In 1997, the company was ranked eight among the world’s top 12 packaged food companies in terms of returns on capital. Its net margin was only half of its major rival Unilever (p. N 262). Nestle employs over 250,000 employees, manufactures approximately 127,000 products in 77 countries under six major brands: Nestle, Maggie, Nescafe, Purina, Buitoni, and Nescafe. The profit is on the rise and would make strategic flexibility for the new CEO. Nestle basically doubled its competitor industry growth and is far ahead of its closest competitor. Nestle vision states that â€Å"each day we strive to make our products tastier and healthier choices that help consumers care for themselves and their families† and its mission is to â€Å"positively influence the social environment in which we operate as responsible corporate citizens, with due regard for those environmental standards and societal aspirations which improve quality of life.† Stakeholders are an important part of Nestle organization and the bottom line is to ensure that the shareholders are satisfied. Shareholders were not satisfied with CEO Maucher due to the fact that shareholders were accustomed to getting 17 percent annually when the organization was growing through acquisition but when the limit of the external growth had been reached, shareholders return decreased. This decrease in shareholders return led to the firing of CEO Maucher. During the decade, Nestle acquisition strategy was used as a platform for organic growth. The concept behind acquisition was to gain a critical mass in terms of market share in businesses in which scale is vital for success. External growth was used to gain expect knowledge for further expansion into new product segments. The Nestle Organizational structure is one that is decentralized, and changes were made to improve the research and development’s connection with the markets in which Nestle operates. The organizational measures were the creation of Product Technology Centers, Local Application Centers, and Clusters Within the Nestle organization there  must be strategic leadership to move the company forward and also strategic entrepreneurship. This leadership must be able to identify specific areas where Nestle can grow, maintain, and sustain its global dominance. References Raisch, S., Ferlic, Flora. (2006). Nestle: Sustaining Growth in Mature Markets. INSEAD. Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson. (2009). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization (Concepts and Cases). (8th ed.) Mason, OH Hitt, M. H., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2009). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization. (8th ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning 5191 Natorp Boulevard Mason, OH 45040 USA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.Nestlà © .com

Legalizing Prostitution Home Run Or Strikeout - 1266 Words

Winson Liang and Domenic Stallone May 1, 2017 Economics Professor Terregrossa Legalizing Prostitution: Home Run or Strikeout? Worldwide the prostitution industry is worth $186 billion. In the United States the industry is worth $14.6 billion, and is known as one of the oldest â€Å"trades† practiced today. However, since prostitution is illegal the conditions for the workers are usually horrible, with many of them contracting STDs and being treated terribly by their bosses. So what would happen if we legalize prostitution? In the United States, the federal corporate tax is anywhere between 15% to 35% (before Trump’s tax policy goes into place) and the state tax can be anywhere from 0% to 10%. Therefore, the minimum the government would make†¦show more content†¦Sex trade in America is a thriving and growing business, in Atlanta the income from this illegal misadventure brought in $290 million, while Miami came in second with $235 million and the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., at third with $103 million. The â€Å"pimps† who run the sex trade draw in around $30,000 ev ery week. Alan Dershowitz told the Wall Street Journal, â€Å"In this case, they wiretapped 5,000 phone conversations, intercepted 6,000 emails, used surveillance and undercover tactics that are more appropriate for trapping terrorists than entrapping Johns,† by legalizing prostitution police forces across the country can save time, money, and effort away from prostitution crimes and more focus on more serious issues. Prostitution is a product someone would actually purchase, in a study in 2012 10% of the male population of the United States said that they have paid to have sex with a prostitute, and in the United States 14.6 billion dollars are spent on the 1 million prostitutes operating. Legalized prostitution can be a source of tax revenue. While brothels in Nevada pay no state taxes, they pay significant amounts of tax to the rural counties where they do business, according to The New York Times. (Nevada Republicans blocked a plan a couple of years ago to subject brothel s to state taxes, as they didn t want schools and other state services funded