Product Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Product Report - Essay Example apple has designed the latest model of an iPod with video capability. This makes it stand unwrap for it does not only serve the purpose of listening to music but also watch videos. However, it would be better if this thingummy contains a digital photographic camera incorporated into it. This will make life even better, and wad will not have to carry a digital camera. (Ireland et al, 2008) For this reason, am marketplaceing a new design of an iPod by the name iPod camera/ photo. This iPod has an added advantage for it contains a three in one service. Despite its nature, the price is very considerate which makes the gadget affordable. This is because from a range of $ 165 dollars a customer can obtain one depending on its disk space. Additionally, this product is very competitive in the market for it offers a twenty-four hour of music play back. Moreover, it has a huge storage capacity enabling individuals to store more than two thousand song, eig ht-spot thousand images, and nine hours of video recording. (Ireland et al, 2008) To be able to buy iPod Camera/ Video a person has to visit the Apples customer care shops around the country. In these shops, the marketers will be able to sell the product and explain all the necessary information to customers. Such information will include how to use and nourish the iPod. Moreover, the sales and marketing agents in the Apple Company will be holding an proscribedside market every weekend in the town center. The iPod Camera/ Video will be beneficial to all people irrespective of age and classes. However, it will be even more advantageous to the young people thus the sales and marketing agents will be going round in the institutions of learning to market the product. The iPod has three months guarantee, clear product description and a unique logo to help the customers distinguish the real iPod Camera/ Video from the counterfeits. This will enable the iPod to reach a hundred million ma rks in sales. This stems from referring back to former(a) market analysis conducted by the Apple Company that clearly manifests high rate of sales in other brands of iPod. Therefore, iPod Camera/ Video by being a new and modified product in the market will record even more market sales within a very short duration of time. However, this does not mean it will be the last brand of the iPod since the iPod family has been evolving since the first original launch in the course of study 2001. (Ireland et al, 2008) Lastly, the SWOT analysis of iPod Camera/ Video comprises of its brand perception, price, better pure tone control implementation, strong competition and major competitors among others. Brand perception clearly manifests the Apple Company as being very innovative when it comes to selling and manufacturing of their products. This makes it give a wider access to a series of brands that they continue to invent occasionally. Their brand stands out against all the other companies hence, it has registered in peoples mind that all their iPod brands are the best quality product. (Ireland et al, 2008) Secondly, better quality control implementation reveals that Apple Inc. device quality control procedures to enable them to provide magical and revolutionary quality products to its consumers. However, the Apple Company that produces the iPod faces a huge competition in the current globe oligopoly from other companies such as Samsung, Nokia and dell among others. In addition, the political and financial crisis also adds to the apples challenges. This

The short story the lottery and conformity Essay

The short story the lottery and conformity - Essay ExampleConformity is valuable to the society because cohesion and collected running of events and processes. A person who drives on the right side of the passageway is a good example of definition of conformity and illustrates its benefits through safe road usage. Deciding to act against the norm by driving on the wrong side of the road will however risk the life of the actor as well as the life of other road users. In the short story, the society is deeply rooted to its Lottery tradition and even though no one compels it to commit the murder act, it chooses to stand by its tradition. Even though the specific example identifies a wrong act, murder of an innocent member of the society, the generator communicates the power of conformity to tradition that can help a society to achieve its objectives. Conformity therefore promotes retention of good cultural beliefs in a society and may improve resistance from negative practices from o ther cultures. The city residents resistance to abandoning their culture and assume practices or changes in other societies demonstrates this. The author uses the unappeasable box and the lottery as symbols for illustrating this role of conformity. Even though the real box was lost and the current one is old, the villagers have chosen to stick by the two symbols and this shows the power of conformity that may facilitate a societys theme regardless of dynamism around the society (Jackson 2- 27).Conformity is as well valuable to society because it allows us to adapt to the society in a normal way and for our own good so that we might not languish ourselves later in life. Even though The Lottery only highlights the murder ritual, there could be positive values that the tradition facilitates. The societys reaction to the lottery also suggests that such values develop naturally and the uniformity means that an individual is less likely to be in

Aspects and traits of different cultures and how they communicate Essay Example for Free

Aspects and attributes of dissimilar finales and how they communicate EssayCulture can be interpreted differently by different multitude but the widely distributed kernel of furtherming can be outlined as peoples personal manner of life which is passed from one generation to an new(prenominal) and also sh atomic number 18d among different(prenominal) different societies. The world has very many different societies and each of these societies lay mickle their own way of life, their beliefs and norms. The activities that people involve themselves in and the beliefs they hold is what norm every(prenominal)y forms their conclusion.These heathen beliefs are the ones that distinguish one familiarity from different societies and therefore many societies hold their culture as a very important symbol of identification(Neil). This enter discusses the general aspects and traits of different cultures. It also gives a detailed view of how this traits and aspects are com municated within the societies and also across to other societies The aspects of culture generally display the general way of life of virtually societies in the world. These aspects can be a useful base to compare how different societies in the world live. atomic number 53 of the most prominent aspects of culture is the government structure of the societies and the international relation ships of this indian lodge with the outside world. Government within any society refers to the way the people in any society will make their laws and how these laws are enforced to the society. It also brings out the issues of leadership and how it is passed on to others within the society. totally the societies in the world have different types of governments and the way one government is run is certainly non the aforesaid(prenominal) as the other society. The way laws are made and enforced is also indep destinationent among the different societies.For example, the United States of America has its own way of making laws and enforcing them, which is different from the way the African countries or other European countries do it. The procedures that are drawed in the US to elect a president are not the same as the procedures that will be followed in Australia, china, or any other country. The international relations in the midst of one country and other country are simply not the same. The way the government of UK relates with the government of Canada is not the same way it will relate to a country like Nigeria.The international relations ships are different between one society and other all over the world (Shapiro, p25) . Another important aspect of culture is the economies of the societies and the resources gettable to them. The resources that are available to one society may not be available to other society. This can be due to different geographical locations which may favor many societies with better resources than others. For example, some societies in the world have born(p) resources while others do not have any natural resources. The resources available define a societys way of earning a living.For example some societies especially in the African continent have abundant natural resources and most of them may depend on agriculture for a living. Other countries such(prenominal) as Korea have to import the raw materials for their manufacturing industries. The resources available and the type of management will then define the type of economies the societies will have at the end of the day. The scarcity of resources within the different societies has for example brought about trade and this has formed a major characteristic of culture in the different societies(Benedict,p13).The societies have different spiritual believes and this forms the basis of religion in the different societies. People within the societies have their own believes about the supernatural powers and this has given the society a unaccented definition of what to worship. For example the different societies in the world have different religions. While some societies believe in Christianity, others believe in Islamic, Hindu, cults among other religions. These beliefs uphold the societys way of life very differently. The way the Islamic religion dictates life is not the same as the Christianity.Their practices and believes are different. The passing of these religions between the societies is also very different. While to some like Islam it is mandatory other societies find it a personal choice and therefore optional (Lull,p22) Literacy and technology is another aspect of culture. This aspect brings out the different ways in which different societies acquire education. For example how they attend school and the type of school curricula that is followed. The education clay in most word societies are not the same.The kind of technology that is incorporated in the school programs is very different from one society to another. virtually societies such a s western societies have more advanced technology than societies in the African condition. What is taught in the school curricula is also different from one society to another. This eventually affects the types of societies that are finally brought up in future. Some of the societies are more technologically advanced that other societies in the world(Shapiro, p27) . Community and family life forms another part of the heathen aspect.This gives an approach of how people live and how closely they are related to each other. This also defines the kind of housing that the individuals may live in. diametric societies construct their houses differently according to their beliefs. While some societies believe in stone built houses, some societies may construct mud hoses thatched with grass. The shapes and finishing of the houses constructed by the different societies is also different owing to their beliefs. The way the societies are divided for example in terms of race, ethnicity, family among others is also very different.This clearly means that the defined relationships between the family members in the societies are different. For example the way the junior people relate to the elders within the society is different across the world societies. The occasions and how they are celebrated within the societies is also very unique. For example they way the Chinese embrace their culture is not the same as then Indian society(Benedict, p17). The ethnic arts and crafts within the societies are diversified. The arts that you will find in America are not the same as the arts in Asia. wholly the societies in the world have their unique paintings, music, sculptures, and architecture. The way the societies make the pottery, carvings, baskets, mats and others is very different. The kind of music enjoyed by one culture is not the same as the other society. These cultural aspects are known to exist in every society. The only difference is that every society has a unique and in dependent way of approaching each aspect. Apart from the aspects of culture in the societies, another major characteristic of culture is its traits. All cultures across the different societies have common traits.One of the cultural traits in the society is that culture is learned. All of us are born and raised in different societies. One is not born with the culture of any specific society. Individuals learn the culture of the society they are born in. If a baby bird is born in a different culture from his parents, the child is likely to learn the culture of the second society and not that of his /her parents. Another trait of culture is that it is transmitted from one generation to another. People do not form other cultures when they are born.Instead the older people usually pass the culture in their society to the untesteder generations within the same society(Neil). This reinforces and maintains culture within the societies. This is because, if a culture is not passed from one generation to the next, it is most likely that that culture will eventually die. The older people therefore normally hold the certificate of indebtedness of teaching the younger people the beliefs , traditions, values and norms of the society. Culture is dependent on the world of symbols to communicate it from one generation to another.This means that the methods employ to pass culture in one society are basically similar as methods used in another society. The symbols that are normally relied upon by the societies are the verbal and non-verbal symbols of communication. Other symbols that may be used to communicate culture include icons and images. Change is another important trait of culture. This means that there is no one culture that is not subject to change. The culture that used to be followed by our great grand parents is not the same culture that we follow today.As times change, people keep changing what they believe in and this eventually changes the culture of the socie ty (Benedict, p18). Change of culture is normally subject to the assorted changes that occur in our daily lives. For example changes in the education systems, change in technological advancement of the society, discoveries and innovations that may occur as life progresses. All the societies have another important cultural trait of superiority over other cultures. This trait is referred to as ethnocentric. The societies believe that their norms, values and practices are superior and far much better than those of other societies.This trait is a major source of conflict between societies since none of the societies will accept to be put down by another society. This trait helps the individuals within any particular society to feel proud of themselves and portray the positive image of their society. The final cultural trait in the societies is the adaptive nature of culture. As the world advances the changes that come with it must readily be acceptable within the societies. For example most cultures in the historical regarded women as a weaker sex and their role in the society was very minimal.As the technological advancement took ground, women have adapted different roles in the society and today they perform the roles that were previously referred as masculine roles. People keep adapting different styles of life as change is adapted within the cultural context of the societies (Neil). Culture is communicated using different methods within the society. Communication of culture is done through various methodologies of learning. Culture itself can be learnt consciously or unconscious. unconscious methods include observation and practicing of what other people do within your culture.The younger people may for example start dressing, singing and behaving like other people do within their society by just observing and imitating them. The conscious methods include reading about the culture and being taught by the older generation about your culture (Benedict, p23) Cu lture is taught to the younger generation through proverbs, folktales, myths folklore, art, music, poetry and mass media. Many are the times when our grand parents would tell stories related to our culture. The younger generation is then expected to behave in a manner that suits the lessons they learn from the stories and legends they hear.Everything that we do in our lives, both in the verbal and non-verbal originates from what we learnt in our cultural back ground. Apart from the older generation, culture can also be learnt from other sources such as our families, teachers ,religious organizations and our peer groups. Within the family context, parents hold the sole responsibility of teaching their young ones how to behave in accordance to the societys value and norms(Lull, p28). They introduce them to the religious education and also the formal education system. What a child starts learning from the beginning of child hood forms a big ground for the cultural beliefs.For example, a child introduced to Islamic faith when very young and has grown believing in it would be very difficult to change and start believing in other religions such as Hindu or Christianity. In the institutions that we grow in, peer groups are likely to result and this forms another source where culture is learnt within the society. One is eager to learn what the other knows that he/she does not know and in this way we find that culture quickly passes to other individuals (Lull, p33). Culture is not only passed within the societies but it is passed to other societies.This has buy the farm very common in todays societies where we find that individuals do not strictly stick to the beliefs in their own society. This has resulted from the effects of globalization that takes amaze in the present world. Many societies today are very integrated in different aspects of life such as marriage, trade, education among others. With such integration we find that people start dressing like other soci eties, eating foods similar to other societies, appreciating arts and traditions of other societies among others. People learn about other cultures through adaptation of behaviors and norms of the society at interest.Trade, media, intermarriages and education have become the best mechanisms of passing the cultures from one society to another (Toomey, p10) . In conclusion culture has the same general aspects and traits within the different societies across the world. The only difference is how these characteristics are interpreted in the different world societies. Culture is no prolonged viewed the same as it used to be in the past. Many individuals today do not know about their culture due to the adaptation of other societal cultures which is often mixed with the native culture.This has given rise to societies with very diverse believes and many cultural conflicts within the society. Works cited Dennis ONeil. (2007). Characteristics of Culture. Available from http//anthro. palomar. edu/culture/culture_2. htm chivvy Lionel Shapir. Aspects of Culture. Ayer Publishing, 1970, p23-56 Lull, J. Media, Communication, Culture A global approach. New York, Columbia University Press, 1995, p16-34 Ruth Benedict Patterns of Culture. Mariner Books, 2005,p13-44 Ting Toomey, S. Communicating across cultures. New York, Guilford, 1999, p4-18

Pricing Strategy and Distribution Essay Example for Free

Pricing Strategy and Distribution EssayNature smash Price dodging will be the penetration supposition for my growth. Penetration is pricing pitiful to stimulate the sales, encourage trail, and trigger by word of mouth. Nature Beautys mineral pulverize foundation will not be a new product that no company has similar to. We will need to stolon by gaining the trust of the consumers by word of mouth and different marketing strategies to the targeted customers. This way once the product has some buzz and customers appreciate the products value, we can set the mineral powder foundation at broad(prenominal)er set do to the demand of the product. The competing cosmetic company has a similar product that claims help the pargon improve. This company will be established in the cosmetic industry and customers will have trust in them. We at Nature Beauty are striving to become a powerho social occasion cosmetic line so we can price according the value we rely we hold. Penetration strategy is the outgo the company because there are a lot of other producst that congratulate the mineral powder foundation and other general everyday hygiene use type of products that extremity to bring out.With this strategy we can price the other products secondary as well and hopefully with the trust of Nature Beauty mineral powder foundation gains it will help us introduce them. Even though Nature Beauty can be considered a luxury cosmetic, we as well as want it to become a necessity to the consumers as well. We want the demand for it increases by making the consumers feel like this product is a need and want them to live by this Brand. Penetration strategy will also work with medium pricing range. Medium is a competitive approach.Pricing the mineral powder foundation could be slightly price above or slightly price below. Nature Beauty picks slightly below. This goes into the theory for starting off low in and gaining value to price higher. We want the customers to savvy this product as safe and efficient and more valuable compared to the leading cosmetic competitor. I believe we will have to start out as an alternative cosmetic and show that we are just as good or a improve brand. Also with the feedback from the customers feedback and response to our product, can determine the value of its offering.The leading competitor pricing strategy are mostly medium or high leaning towards the Skimming theory. You have companies like Revlon, Cover Girl who are well known, easy, and are very accessible to the consumer at your local dose store or even supermarkets. They put off a new product and it is the priced high and after a while you will see the product come down then maintain at lower price. Nature Beauty is pricing tactics is Value pricing. According to EZine articles. com, Value pricing is a strategy that businesses with a high value product or service use.The strategy is to sell the high value product or service at a low, value price. Note this pri ce is not to be below cost but at what the customer would perceive to be a low price. Nature Beauty believes this a good fit for its product because all of the products are really good, safe, and highly effective. Also Ezine articles mentioned that Customers perceptions are influenced by the value they perceive in the relationship between the attributes of the product or service and the price they will have to pay for that product or service.Customers also are influenced by price comparison amongst similar products or services. Nature Beauty provides a product that conceals the unwanted blemishes, scars, tattoos, and gives you a even flawless skin olfaction while with the alone extracts, and organic ingredients helps improve your skin for a softer and clearer skin. We believe if the consumers see the attributes that this product have and also trust the other product that compliments the mineral powder foundation, we will price higher to the true value of the product.Even though we are using the Value pricing tactic, Nature Beauty believes we are a good brand and want the consumers to believe that we are high quality with a good price. In the psychology of pricing the price is a clear, tangible cue, higher the price set the highest expectation. However, even though its easier to start high and lower prices later down the line, depending on sales of the products, we dont want to jump the broom on the price set. We believe that we meet the expectation for a higher price and will tense to become a brand that can set a premium price like it leading competitors.Nature Beauty does want to use the theory framing on the products that compliments the mineral powder foundation. Framing is pricing higher prices and then discount to make the consumers feel better. There will be promotions that will give consumers the chance to try these products such lotion, facial cleanser, beauty bar soap, make-up remover wipes, and future idea products for free or at a discounted pric e. But they will not always be on sale. Nature beauty will push these products out individually starting out high then discounting them after we introduced the new and latest product.

Income, Poverty, and Health Care Essay Example for Free

In hail, Poverty, and Health Care EssayThe objective for this paper is to pardon what I return learned from our class discussion and our readings of Chapter 30 of our text, Economics Today. It go forth show my personal understanding of this weeks objectives through condoneing what I have learned by analyzing the impacts of government regulation of the economy, including the rationalization for and history of regulation, degrees of success, and future consequences if regulation does or does non occur while applying economic concepts to explain income distribution, and its connection lifestyle choices and opportunities. In this weeks assignment, to relate them to my life experiences, I have selected two articles relating to this topic, Income, Poverty, and Health Care, and I go forth be explaining wherefore we are to review what has been happening lately, and why it is happening? The first article that I have chosen relates to the same topic as our class discussion, healthc are. I chose this because it is highly relatable to not just a small group of individuals, but every(prenominal) American citizen in the United States.Obamacare, or low-cost Care Act, will take effect on October 1, 2013, and it is viewed as when poor and middle-class Americans will begin signing up for the health care laws new benefits. (Young, J. (1-19-13)) To make for sure that everyone signs up for this new healthcare program, they have created Enroll America, an umbrella organization of nonprofits and health care industry organizations, that will carry out a major(ip) national public education campaign with paid advertising, online outreach, community activities and coordination. (Young, J. (1-19-13)) The major problem that most will have a hard time swallowing is the fines that you will receive, either as an individual, or as an employer.Government Health Insurance Mandates If an individual does not have insurance they will be required to render a fine of up to $750 per ye ar or up to $2,250 per year for a family that is uninsured. Firms with more than 50 employees will receive a fine of $750 for every employee that obtains federal subsidies for coverage. (Graham, J. Kaye, D. (2006) Pg. 79) One issue that most people would not even think about concerning the new healthcare laws is that it is going to affect out budgets a great deal more than we first thought. I know that I was shocked to learn that our family pets routine visits to the veterinarian office will also come with a higher price tag due to the new healthcare law.While they said this is unintended, the fact that medical equipment and supplies will be going up in cost, that extra expense will have to passed on to the customers. (CBSMiami (3-11-13)) Most would wonder how this would affect their office visit for their furry family members. Well, its part of a new 2. 3-percent federal excise tax on certain medical devices that just went into effect. The tax will help fund the Patient Protectio n and Affordable Care Act, intended for people, not pets. (CBSMiami (3-11-13)) We know that the manufacturers will have to pay this tax, which will in turn cause their costs to produce these products, to rise. They will have no choice but to have to transfer these costs onto the consumers.This affects our vet visits because some of the products that were meant for humans also are used in our vets office, such as IV pumps, sterile scalpels and anesthesia equipment. (CBSMiami (3-11-13)) This weeks topic relates to one that I had discussed not too long ago in my Macroeconomics class. Since we are to be charged an additional tax to cover this new law in healthcare, I thought it would be appropriate to bring up the following information. The hoped for results of taxation and government spending as implied by the fiscal policy, is to help keep our economy out of a recession, or even worse, a depression.Depending on how fiscal policy is used in different situations, it will affect diffe rent people, and is not always helpful to the whole economy. The economy take to be closely monitored and adjusted on a constant basis based on what is currently, or what is expected in the future of the economy. In quantify of high inflation, the government will increase the taxation rate to help build up the economy and keep the inflation rate down. Fiscal policy has the right to increase or decrease government spending which can raise or lower the overall economy monies in circulation.With this being said, it makes it clearer as to why we are taxed higher as the government increases its public spending. It may not seem understandable to the general population because most are not in agreeance with this new healthcare law. Many believe the increase in taxes will not cover the costs that are going to be associated with the healthcare mandate, which will in turn cause the federal and individual enjoins to also raise their taxes or reduce their healthcare costs in order to isotro py out the increased funding needed to support these new laws. (Graham, J. Kaye, D. (2006) Pg. 681)I must say that after digging deeper into this subject, I am more churn up at the fact that this new healthcare reform act may potentially damage our society instead of help it. In the current state of our economy, which is shaky to say the least, does our government really think this will help us? I for one am not too sure. I do not want to get slapped with a fine because I choose not to purchase healthcare, but taking on an extra payment, when our pocketbooks are already stretched past their limits, is just as equally disconcerting.

The Founding Of The Vanity Fair Brand

The Founding Of The self-consciousness Fair BrandFounded in 1899, Vanity Fair (VF), the worlds largest publicly owned apparel partnership, offers different products such as jeans, bags, sportswear, footwear and outerwear. It operates mainly in the US and Europe, tho to a fault in growth countries like India, Russia and China. In the brave decade, VF do most acquisitions including The northwestern Face, Napapijri, Nautica and Vans. Five major coalitions consist of multiple brands a total of 700 brand stores in 2009 leading the Growth Plan strategy. The company recorded, in 2008, $7,561,621 of revenues.VF brands are attempting to establish close family relationships with its providers to reduce production be, respond to changes in other speak to pointors, and shorten the lead sentence that occurs with the handed-down providers. Also, Fraser, the President of the publish strand International for VF brands, is concerned that the companys current impart orbit stra tegies will not satisfy the future implore that will occur in the Asia-Pacific areas. In this paper, we will analyze four alternatives that VF brands mountain execute for its global expansion into the Asian securities industrys. Those 4 alternatives are as follow (1) To abandon the tierce counseling (2) To continue with the current supply strand strategies (3) To pick the outdo method for each coalition and products categories and (4) Gradually electrical switch to leash manner altogether in the end. Based on our analyses of the 4 alternatives and the apparel industry, we will suggest the best solution that will satisfy the red-hot assume and help the other areas to become to a greater extent than(prenominal) than efficient and telling in the future.SWOT ANALYSISStrengthsSince the company was realized much than a degree Celsius ago, it was able to develop certain competencies in divers(a) areas and a good reputation. One of them is the strong performance in its in ternal plants, and the know-how and expertise involved. All these light-emitting diode to VFs own sustainable war-ridden advantages. In addition, the company built a technical know-how and engineering capabilities, which are real difficult to imitate. The rapid production at the internal plants and its supply chain are precise valuable. Moreover, a large number of providers and the experience gained accumulated over condemnation give VF a unyielding and reliable ne bothrk. Also, during the various acquisitions, VF preserved the unique organizational cultures and brand identities to keep the design groups int deed of conveyance. Every brand has then a strong personality that batch be managed and developed individually, giving more diversity. Besides, the financial situation of VF is strong with a low level of debts and a high cash position that dejection help them in case of tough economic situations and give them more tractability to respond accordingly.WeaknessesWhen opera ting such a big and diversified company, nearly difficulties may occur. The first one is the lack of coordination and trust among suppliers and the company. A bullwhip effect may be observed due to the lack of inventories. Also, the supply chain is ofttimes illogical and highly fragmented due to various outsourcing locations. Certain dependence may be ca utilize by some suppliers, making it very costly (ex Ni gondola caragua). Thus, mental synthesis a reliable supplier network is very expensive. VF has a sheer complexity of its product line, leading to different indigences and priorities among its numerous brands. The diversity of ideas betwixt coalitions and directors causes some problems in the decision-making as well. Low be pressuring for outsourcing lowlife lead to quality matters and lack of control. Additionally, not much differentiation can be made in terms of supplying and transportation.OpportunitiesAs the apparel industry is changing at a very rapid rate, innovative companies can see various opportunities. The supply chain management is a very first change in the companys structural changes then the leash counsel is described as an probability to gain another competitive advantage, press release forward. Partnerships can be developed in a long term vision. Moreover, the expansion of sales in underdeveloped countries represents a huge growth opportunity. Asian markets seem like a favourable location for new stores. Also, the study of new line products at a broad meander of outlay can be designed at any time to satisfy a new market segment. Fashion is seen other than around the world, thus, various strategies are used to fulfill each need. Future acquisitions can also contribute to the growth of VF.ThreatsApparel industry is very much affected by economic situations. In times of crisis, too much dependence on some suppliers might be fatal especially that tilt is very hard and intense with brands competing directly. Continuous investment essential be made, essentially in marketing to maintain margins. Plus, the growing bargaining power of upsurge retailing chains put pressure to lower the price at all time. Also, the frequent changes in tariffs and quotas make outsourcing unsure sometimes, making the research for suppliers challenging. diligent supply chain and vf brandsThe trey style seems to be a new way to deal with suppliers and with a supply chain in general. However, third way could be seen as an agile supply chain in many aspects. In the next section, we will discuss what are an agile supply chain, the differences mingled with go supply chain and hybrid supply chain, and the link with VF Brands third Way. This part will give grassroots info that will be utile for our recommendations.VF BRANDS and THE AGILE SUPPLY CHAINIn a turbulent and volatile world, the scarcely thing that does not change is change by itself . Basically, companies compete at several competitive dimensions like cost, delivery tim e, quality and flexibility. However, todays intensely competitive market is more and more defined by an instability and unpredictability of posit that represent the new challenges organizations face. For many reasons, the product and applied science life cycles are shortening, forcing more frequent product changes in addition to new competitive pressure. Now, companies nerve beyond cost and quality advantages. Speed to market, speed to delivery and flexibility are being emphasized as a way to be more reactive to the needs of customers. However, more than speed, companies require a high level of maneuverability, or in other words, a high level of nimbleness.What is an Agile face?Agility is a business-wide capability that embraces an organizational structure, information and systems, logistics lickes, and in particular, mindsets. The key to success of an agile business is speed and flexibility. Agile organizations are market-driven, with more product research, and short developm ent and introduction cycles. An agile organization can be defined as an organization capable to cope with unexpected challenges, to suffer peculiar threats of business environment and to take advantage of changes as opportunities. This kind of organization must be a fast moving, adaptable, robust business able to extend to a competitive advantage in a very in invariable environment.The basic way to define agility is the ability to quickly match supply, however, it is important to condone that agile is not a synonymous of leanness. Indeed, lean can be seen as doing more with less by implementing a lean manufacturing (Porsche Consulting) with zero caudex or Minimum Reasonable Inventory (MRI) and just in time approach. However, lean manufacturing system does not often mean flexible manufacturing system. A lean manufacturing system can result on less waste and high efficiency, but sometimes with important inventorying. Finally, a company with a lean chain of supply can make their consumers wait a longer time to receive their products. We can illustrate that with the automotive industry and more specifically with the Toyota mathematical product System. Indeed Toyota production system can be seen as lean, but that does not mean that consumers do not take to wait, often during months, to have the car of their choice. Therefore, Lean approach works best in high volume, low variety, and predictable environment. Whereas, Agility is indispensable in less predictable environment where demand is volatile and the requirement for variety is high.The Agile Supply Chains and CharacteristicsAll organizations have supply chains of varying degrees, depending upon the size of the organization, the depth and scope of internationalist outsourcing, the type of product manufactured, and the international production network. A supply chain describes the series of linked activities creating a process that changes supplies and components into finished products that will be dist ributed to customers. The agility of a Supply Chain is a measure of how well the relationship involved in the process enhances four pivotal objectives of agile manufacturing Customer sensitivity, virtual(prenominal) integration, Process Integration, and Network integration.First, all the agile supply must have the capacity to understand and respond to real demand quickly, in other words, the supply chain must be customer sensitive. The organization must be able to make forecast based upon past sales or shipment demand and convert these forecasts into inventory. For instance, the main challenge for companies is to be able to hear the voices of the market by receiving Efficient Response from customer (ECR) use information and engine room to capture data on demand directly from point-of-sale and point of use. The organization must use information and technology to share data between buyers and suppliers creating a supply chain based on information rather than inventory, basically, c reate a Virtual Supply Chain. Sharing information using information and system (for example EDI) with our partner will create a collaborative work environment (process integration) that can be illustrated by joint product development and process improvement between buyer and suppliers. Integrated your process offer the potential for major performance gain. This form of co-operation in supply chain is more and more important as many companies focus on their core competencies and outsource all other activities. Partnerships between buyer and supplier are essential to achieve an agile supply chain. To this extent, integration can mean the combination of sell finished data, exchange of inventory status information, order coordination, open-book accounting, buyer supplier team, share information about the future products, and change in manufacturing process need to be changed as well as simplified pricing schemes . witness 1Dimension of Supply Chain AgilitySupply chain agility can be d iscussed in terms of two dimensions of reach and range of activities covered by networking amongst companies (138). The figure shows this two-dimensional framework. On the vertical axis, there is the reach from Personal Division to Global. When, in the horizontal axis, there is the Range of activities from the basic way to send a message (EMAIL for instance) to Internet integration. This figure shows three steps from Bill of Material through Purchasing efficiency with electronic commerce, supplier coaching, and Relational Database to the top level of planning, and control with Demand Planning, and Capacity Planning, and so on. To achieve agility on the Supply Chain, an organization must go through these steps and access the highest level with planning and control. In fact, the company must achieve the highest level on Reach (Global) and on Range (Integration). Indeed, on the last step, internal operations will be transparent to suppliers and customers. This transparency allows cros s companys team to work. Local teams are able to think globally and discuss the process and requirement without restriction without major problems of communication. Any change, modification, and new project can be implemented quickly, efficiently, and easily without creating high cost, or affecting quality of the output. (Figure 2)another(prenominal) study, by Vankatranan and Handerson, implemented these three steps in addition with three inter- bloodsucking dimensions of the supply chain (customer interaction, asset configuration, Knowledge Leverage). In fact, these three stages can be implemented to evaluate progress on each dimension of the supply chain and see how well integrated and agile it is. (Figure 3)Hybrid Strategy, another resultant roleLean and agile supply chain are two concepts focusing on two different issues. Lean initiative is said to focus on cost and quality and impacts on flexibility and times based technology leadership objective (e.g. TPS), whereas, agile sup ply chain influence costs and time based technology leadership. However, companies often need to keep in mind cost quality as well as flexibility and technology leadership at the same time. A combination of the two approaches could be appropriate to create a hybrid strategy. Hybrid Supply Chain focuses on the fact that characteristics of demand must be taken into consideration when designing the supply chain. Within a mixed portfolio of product and markets, there could be some products with stable demand and some other with unpredictable demand that is why a supply does not have to be totally agile of lean. For instance, the Supply Chain of the fashion apparel, Zara, could be shown as a agile supply chain with some lean characteristic in order to have the most effective quick-response system in its industry. Indeed Zara is able to quickly understand trends, producing some items with low flexible demand in low cost country (low cost, long time delivery, and so on), but at the same ti me they are able to be produced quickly in response in Spanish high-automated and very efficient factories that allow quick production, shorter time to delivery in point of sale, lower bump, and more flexibility. We can discuss another case, IKEA. IKEA deals with many suppliers mostly in European Union (more than 50%) and 20% in China. Two ideas must be underlined Ikea usually implement long-term relationship with strong partnership with its suppliers, however, these partners must respect very strict norms created by IKEA itself. IKEA can help is suppliers (by financings machines, increasing the efficiency of the supply chain, and on) that make these supplier very efficient and very dependent to the buyer. To this point of view, IKEA supply chain can be seen as an agile Supply Chain, however, Ikea produce many products in Asia (China), but these products have a more stable demand trend.VF BRAND and The Third Way Implementation of an Agile Supply Chain?Vanity Fair brands were used t o deal with their own very efficient factories located closed to the companys main market, the US. However, the group decided to extend globally by buying other brands where the policies were sometimes to totally outsource the production. VF brands needed to deal with a very complicated supply chain, very decentralized design, and so on a kind of mix between traditional sourcing and outsourcing, for some aspect similar to ZARA. However, just chasing low cost and somaing its own factories are not seen as a long-term solution for Chris Fraser, President Supply Chain international for VF Brand. At the same time, some of the inefficiency was due to lack of coordination and lack of trust between apparel companies and suppliers. A new solution was adopted, the third way. Third way means that VF should focus on supplier network. Suppliers and VF brand would work together. Suppliers would own their factories, but VF brand will help them for free using their own resources in engineering and management forces as well as with their purchasing power to procure fabric and other raw materials -resources antecedently used in their own factories. This solution looks like IKEAs solution, however, Ikea focused on a network of suppliers geographically near its location which is not the case for VF Brand that have to deal with low cost countries regulation and particularities and many brands in order to achieve its agile supply chain. The results are not very good for the minute of arc difficulties to convince shareholders that sharing resources with outsourced suppliers is a good solution, and as well as difficulty linking with the country where products are supplied which probably is the reasons why.As a conclusion, results from studies like shows that only a few companies have adopted agile supply chain practices. However, most companies have created long term collaboration with suppliers as well as customers it can be seen as lean Supply chain or hybrid strategy. Indeed stu dy suggests that lean supply chain has a higher(prenominal) level of impact on competitive objectives in contrast to agile supply chain. Nevertheless, this result would probably be discussed within a few geezerhood as it will take some time forward current companies investments and research effort on agile supply chain lead to more concrete and enjoyable results on competitive outcome compared to lean supply chain. Lets see what VF Brand can achieve if it pursue this third way.ALTERNATIVES option 1 Abandon the Third Way go clog to the old wayThe Third Way could potentially cause many difficulties for VF, hence abandoning this way before investing too much money is a possible alternative.Firstly, you maintain the flexibility to change volumes or to change to a supplier who is offering a lower price. You are also independent from the suppliers problems, for instance if you are not satisfied with the quality of the product, you can simply switch to a different supplier. undermenti oned the old way, you do not need to spend money and time until the problem is fixed.Secondly, it is tough to find suppliers willing to form a partnership with the prone conditions. To agree to not supply the same category of products to competitors anytime in the future is a huge barrier for a supplier and drags him into dependence on VF. Since the price paid is vague at the establishment of the relationship, the supplier faces the risk to be exploited. The fact that one of the test Third Way suppliers could not manage to arrive financially is a hint that the relationship might not work out for suppliers. In Addition, VFs existing suppliers were carefully selected and since they were not interested in a closer relationship. Thus, VF needs to establish the Third Way with unknown companies, a great risk if you are concerning the trust needed.Thirdly, there is still the possibility that VFs intimacy leaks out to competitors. The technology you provide your supplier is not necessari ly limited to a specific category of product, but you relationship might be. In this case, the technology could be used by competitors if they buy products of a different kind from that supplier. Since VF is not the owner of the supplier, it is also harder to control the knowledge leaking. For example, an employee may change to a competitors supplier. Fraser and Green called VFs technical capabilities a trump card, so it should be highly protected and not being risked.Another point is that the problem of switching costs is also an issue. To establish a Third-Way-relationship VF has to invest money to transfer their knowledge to the supplier. Since the latter is not losing any money in case of termination of the contract, the pass for dropping out is higher. Regardless whether the supplier drops out or is closing down for some reasons, it takes a long time until a new relationship is established, so VF might face severe supply difficulties.Lastly, in a study there was no significan t relation between strategic sourcing and gaining competitive advantage. Therefore, the effort spent on the Third Way might not return the expected results. On the other hand, the same study showed that strategic sourcing (and therefore the Third Way) has a positive influence on business performance. A close relationship is also speeding up goods entry. Also keep in mind that the total costs for a five pocket jeans were the lowest of all three ways.Alternative 2 Continue the current supply chain strategiesAnother alternative strategy for the situation which Vanity Fair brands are facing could be to keep working on the current strategy. As explained in the article and supported by its strong financial performance compared to its competitors, the company has maintain its competitive position in the apparel industry. VF brands have been well established through a series of successful mergers and acquisitions of different brands, products, and styles. In the course of these acquisition s, the company was able to gain huge competitive advantages from operating its own manufacturing plants and traditional outsourcing, simultaneously. This combined strategy allowed the company to juggle between based on the geographic markets, demands, different products and coalitions. Frasers Third Way strategy seems very attractive for VF sacking forward. Many of the challenges the company faces are due to production inefficiency and supplier relationship based on little or no trust. Fraser and VF brands are at a crucial stage to decide which means to carry on international expansion goals in the future. Despite many benefits of the Third Way, the company must fancy if this supply chain strategy is a strong fit for Asian markets.As mentioned previously, there is no doubt that a combination of full integration and traditional sourcing is a VF brands strength. Internal manufacturing sites are able to produce high quality products more efficiently and reliably compared to not only its competitors but also its outsourcing suppliers. The significantly reduced production time is a great strength with respect to the products that experiences a high inventory turnover rate. Another advantage arises in unexpected crisis such as the global economic downturn in 2008-2009. If the company operated solely based on outsourcing, it would have been very difficult to survive due to the shutdown of small shops and short notice of their discontinuation.On the other hand, outsourcing for certain coalitions or products due to the nature of its operations is inevitable. Cut and make (CM) contracts allowed the company to oversee cost drivers at each stage, mostly for heritage lines supplied in Central American and Caribbean. Full package sourcing was mainly used for the lifestyle brands in Asia, Europe, and Northern Africa. Outsourcing strategy provides VF brands with more flexibility when dealing with different suppliers across different geographic regions, especially with regar ds to tariffs and quotas.While the Third Way has many benefits going forward, this strategy also involves a high risk and costs associated, more so if executed without thorough research and examinations. Besides the concerns from different areas of the company itself, the Third Way should be carefully selected and applied to the most suitable product lines. For example, the strategy is most suitable for products that require the steady and regular supply of its inventory with the staffs of a certain level of education. Also these potential suppliers should be willing to build the strategic partnership for a long term. As mentioned before, switching costs are another hindrance. Since it is much easier to persuade new suppliers than existing suppliers, the company needs to thoroughly examine the qualifications of potential suppliers and there is always a risk that the supplier might not meet the standards later on. Rather than expanding globally extensively through the Third Way, Fras er and the company must first identify the strategic fit for certain geographic regions for certain products/coalitions, and then pursue this strategy. A product line which makes up a small volume or not much techniques or skills should rather be outsourced.Alternative 3 Hybrid Supply ChainVF Corporation world headquarters is located in Greesboro, North Carolina where the senior management team is based, along with the corporate strategy, Finance, Global Business Technology, Law, Human resources and finally, Global Supply Chain. VF Brand Business model focuses on supporting(a) the individuality of lifestyle of each VF Brand and has to deal with each headquarter. Indeed, each Brand has its own headquarter and focuses on its own consumers and customers.(1) However, VF Brands had divided the globe into 4 areas US Region, Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Asia-Pacific. VF Corporation has a specific strategy for each region even some brands are in different regions and are o ften global. distributively brand has specific suppliers that can deliver globally and deal with the headquarter of this specific brand (not with VF Corporation). However, different brands in different regions might need the same supplier for almost the same product. For instance, two brands may need the cheapest supplier as possible for a specific type of product that can accept a long lead time whereas some other products may need a short lead time as the demand trend could waver a lot.The next recommendation could be for VF Brand to have a more original and customized production and purchasing strategy. The basic idea is to create more coherence between where suppliers are based and where products are distributed. Lets take backpacks for example. Backpacks are needed for many companies inside the group, however the demand for backpacks is not fluctuating a lot and the demand is often lower for a backpacks than for jeans or a shirts or t-shirt. This implies that these backpacks c ould be produced in Asia with lower prices and longer lead time with unsullied suppliers. However, Jeans for the US market could be manufactured in Mexico in highly automated factories owned by VF Brand, and shipped quickly to the US. Manufacturing these Jeans in Mexico allowed shorter lead times and flexibility depending on fashion trend and thus, demand. The idea is to base suppliers where it is more significant for distribution. If goods are produced in Eastern Europe or Asia, these products should be shipped directly from suppliers to a distribution center that will be located near where products will be exchange. Indeed, nowadays, many products are produced in Asia and shipped to the US to finally be sold in Asia. This new approach will significantly reduce lead times and cost.Previously, we only talked about regular suppliers and factory owned by VF. However, VF Brands do not own their own factories for instance in the European and Asian markets. The key idea is to implement the third way in this case. Indeed, some products in the Asian or European market could have a very fluctuating demand trend for these specific products some brand may need suppliers as efficient as VF Brands factories. Choosing specific suppliers and implementing the third way with them could be a good solution. These third way suppliers could produce for different brands of the VF Corp when they pauperization to produce common products for a specific period of time or deal with specific products for different brands of the group. These third way suppliers could act like VF Brands factories but in this case, close to EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region or Asia-Pacific region markets. To avoid sending products to other part of the world and then send them back to the original region, regional centers could be created. These centers will received product from normal suppliers (common for all VF Corp Brands) and then send these product to other regional centers, cut down l ead time and cost. At the same time, Third Way suppliers will only focus on production for their actual area of the world.VF Brands must act local and think global. However as I will show, VF Brands do not have to think global just with its supply chain. Indeed, as we previously said, some products -like backpacks- are not often a trendy product. These not-so-specific products could have a common base -platform- share between the brands that will allow gage production with the same suppliers-reducing cost by dealing with more significant volumes-. In other words, some products could probably be designed by and for a different brand of the group but with the possibility of customization to differentiate these products.Exhibit 1 shows you an example for 3 areas, (EMEA, USA, ASIA)1- VF Corporation Website http//www.vfc.com/about/global-presenceVF CORP, how to think GloballyAlternative 4 Gradually switch to Third Way altogether in the endAnother alternative is that VF could gradually c hange their strategy to Third Way altogether in the end. As mentioned in the given case, VF can achieve more efficiency and long term stability through the Third Way. In our previous alternatives, we mentioned our concerns about the Third Way that it would not succeed. According to this point of view, the Third Way will bring loss of flexibility, leakage of VFs technology to extracurricular and many other losses that will not benefit the company. However, to survive in apparel market of today, it is crucial for a company to satisfy various needs of consumers while supplying products as quickly as possible, which can be achieved by the Third Way. In order to quickly respond to market changes, it is important for VF to have a simplified, efficient production process so that it can immediately act when necessary. By achieving the Third Way, VF can gain two advantages. First, it can bring efficiency to its supply process. Second, it will result in a long term and sustainable supplier r elationship.First, by implementing the Third Way, VF can make its supply process more efficient. By providing high technology engineering resources of VF, suppliers of VF can improve its production processes. This will result in cost benefits for VF as it will shorten lead time, and decrease production and inventory cost. Not only that, improving production process and shortening lead time mean VF can act more quickly. It is important for an apparel company to react quickly to changes to satisfy ever changing needs of the fashion market.Second, VF can create a long term and sustainable supplier relationship with its suppliers by following Third Way. As previously mentioned, contract of Third Way includes long term contract with its supplier in producing goods. By having a long term relationship, VF can decrease cost of finding new supplier for every new season. Also, by providing VFs engineering resources to improve the production process for suppliers, VF can gain trust from its su ppliers. By building trust with suppliers, VF can play down the cost of excess inventory and long lead time.Those against the Third Way argue that it will result in low flexibility, technology leakage. However, recent experiments in countries like Bangladesh showed the Third Way suppliers were able to greatly shorten lead time, allowing VF to respond to market more quickly than compared to traditional ways. Also, no leakages of VFs technology were reported. Those against the Third Way argue that the Third Way has many holes and also it is unable to persuade existing suppliers to change into the Third Way and therefore risky and unable strategy. However, this is a myopic view of the issue. Such problems are transitional errors that can be dealt with in the long term. Holes that might appear through the Third Way can be revised when such problems are found. Also, the supplier persuasion issue can be dealt by gradually replacing existing suppliers with the Third Way suppliers while c ontinually trying to convert existing suppliers into the Third Way. It is essential for VF in order to survive in apparel market to build a supplier relationship that is sustainable and interactive hence, the Third Way is the answer.RECOMMENDATIONThe company is currently in a no-return process. It needs to find the best way to satisfy the growing demand all around the world but parti

Genetic Mapping of Cystic Fibrosis and Huntingtons Disease

Genetic Mapping of Cystic Fibrosis and Huntingtons DiseaseGenetic MappingBy the late 1970s, the list of genetic diseases in McKusicks catalog of genetic diseases had grown exp acentially. But only a few of the actual genes were identified, leading to predictive symptomatic tests. It seems that finding a disease- associate gene in humans is like looking for a needle in a haystack.Botstein/Davis Gene Mapping TechniqueIn 1978, David Botstein (1942- ), a geneticist from MIT, attended a genetic mapping presentation in Utah. At the presentation, a graduate student was mapping a gene that happened to be sitting with a gene that existed in many easily identifiable variants. As Botstein listened, he was struck by an idea gene mapping would befit a trivial task if such variant signposts existed and were spread across the human genome.Botstein knew that such a marker exists. Over centuries of evolution, thousands of minute variants in deoxyribonucleic acid sequence are created in the human ge nome. These variants are called polymorphisms, and are spread widely over the human genome.Working with Ron Davis (1941- ) and Mark Skolnick (1946- ), Botstein published their new backside for the construction of human genetic maps in 1980.Mapping Huntingtons Disease (HD)Nancy Wesler, a psychologist, heard about Botsteins gene-mapping proposal in October, 1979. Her mother and uncles all had suffered from Huntingtons disease, but she was becalm asymptomatic. Huntingtons disease causes the death of specific neurons in the brain, leading to jerky movework forcets, physical rigidity, and dementia. Symptoms usually appear in midlife and worsen progressively.At that time, Botsteins method was still abstractive thus far, no human gene had been successfully mapped with it. Botsteins technique was crucially dependent on the association between a disease and markers the more(prenominal) patients, the stronger the association, the more refined the genetic map. There were only a few thousa nd HD patients in scattered across the United States seemed perfectly mismatched to this gene-mapping technique. However, Wexler had heard that in that respect was a prevalence of HD on the shores of two villages in Venezuela.In the winter of 1979, Wexler set off to Venezuela to hunt the Huntington gene. She hired a team of local workers to light documenting the pedigrees of affect and unaffected men and women, collecting blood samples to be shipped to the laboratory of James Gusella, at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and to Michael Conneally, a medical checkup geneticist at Indiana University.In Boston, Gusella purified DNA from blood cells and cut it with a barrage of enzymes, looking for a variant that might be genetically linked to HD. Conneallys group analyzed the data to quantify the statistical link between the DNA variant and the disease. In 1983, three years after the blood samples had arrived, the mess of the HD gene, whose mutation causes Huntingtons d isease, was mapped to chromosome 4 in 1983, making HD the first disease gene to be mapped using DNA polymorphisms variants in the DNA sequence. The mutation consists of increasing repetitions of CAG in the DNA that codes for the protein huntingtin. The number of CAG repeats may increase when passed from parent to electric shaver, leading to earlier HD onset in each generation.Mapping of Cystic Fibrosis (CF)Davis and Botsteins technique of mapping genes base on their physical positions on chromosomes later called positional cloning marked a transformative moment in human genetics. In 1989, the technique was used to expose a gene that causes cystic fibrosis, a devastating illness that affects the lungs, pancreas, bile ducst, and intestines.Unlike Huntingtons disease, the mutated variant of the CF is common one in twenty-five men and women of European descent carries the mutation. Human with a single copy of the sportswoman gene are largely asymptomatic. If two such asymptomatic carriers conceive a child, chances are one I four that the child will be born with both mutant genes. Until the 1980s, the average life span of a child carrying two such mutant alleles was twenty years.In 1985, Lap-Chee Tsui, a human geneticist working in Toronto, found an anonymous marker that was linked to the mutant CF gene. The marker was quickly pinpointed on chromosome seven, but the CF gene was lost somewhere in that chromosome. Tsui began to hunt for the CF gene by progressively constrictive the region that might contain it. In 1989, using a modified gene hunting technique called chromosome jumping, Tsui and his colleagues had narrowed down the gene hunt to a few candidates on chromosome seven. The task was now to sequence the genes, confirm their identity and define the mutation that affect the function of the CF gene.They discovered that only one gene was persistently mutated in both copies in affected children, while their unaffected parents carried a single copy of the mutation. The CF gene codes a mite that channels salt across celluar membranes. The most common mutation is a deletion of three bases of DNA that results in the removal, or deletion, of just one amino group acid from the protein. This deletion creates a dysfunctional protein that is unable to move chloride across membranes. The salt in sweat cannot be absorbed back into the body, resulting in the characteristically salty sweat. Not an the body secrete salt and water into the intestines, resulting in the abdominal symptoms.Within a few months of the discovery, a diagnostic test for the mutant allele became available. Over the last decade, the combination of targeted parental screening and fetal diagnosis has reduced the prevalence of children born with CF by about 30 to 40 percent in populations where the frequency of the mutant is the highest.