Case study analysis for The Garden of Freshness (from logistics point

Analysis for The Garden of Freshness (from logistics point of view) - Case Study Example However, recent instances of customers complaining of stock-outs of specific fruits and vegetables and lack of fresh products have caught the attention of management and the owners of this family business. Garden of Freshness was established as a fruits, grocery, deli and bakery company with special attention on quality and availability of fresh products every time. Very soon the company opened up two more stores with 120 employees currently working for it. While the supplies department is looked after by Marc Pineault, the administration is in the hands of his brother- Sylvain Pineault. There are managers for each store who directly report to the supervisor and every store has two kinds of employees- production employees for logistics functions of loading and unloading the trucks and frontline employees to assist and advice the customers. Currently, Marc Pineault is facing serious nightmares on the issue of shortage of perishable products every afternoon and also the quality proposition which is their unique selling proposition. Most of the vegetables and other products do not remain fresh after the second partial delivery is made to the stores, thereby leaving the customers dissatisfied. Going through the facts of the case reveal the following issues and challenges: Superficially, the issues faced by Marc Pineault seem of operational level but an in-depth analysis of the entire scenario reveals some major strategic loopholes. Shortcomings in the strategic and operational planning of Garden of Freshness are: Strategically, the business has expanded but arrangements to sustain the growth have not been accounted for. The selection of suppliers is the biggest loophole which is damaging the logistics of the business. Every evening the purchasers visit the Central market and every single supplier to assess the price and quality. This is in fact very time consuming and

Server Deployment Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Server Deployment Proposal - Essay Example This is because Server 2008 is flexible, secure and has a scalable server management. It gives a consistent user experience including that of mobile workers. It also gives an opportunity to consolidate multiple servers onto fewer physical computers, as well as third party applications (Smyth 105). The two servers in Tucson and Phoenix will be installed with server 2008R. The configuration will include DNS, DHCP, AD DS, Security policy, Backup and recovery and continuity plan. The acquisition of two 64-bit machines should be done since windows server 2008R2 can only run on this platform. To allow smooth migration from window server 2003 to windows server 2008, the applications and hardware must remain operational throughout the migration process. This will enable the organization to maintain computer system uptime during the entire process. It will further enable the IT department to continue meet the requirements of both users and the organization at large. Some of things to be considered during the migration process include what plan exists at present for hardware replacement. What are the current hardware maintenance supports? What opportunities are there for consolidation of server through virtualization? In the deployment of windows server 2008R2, the implementation team will follow Microsoft Operation framework (MOF) that is based on IT infrastructure Library (ITIL) standard in order to ensure that they achieve a successful deployment of windows server 2008R2. There is a need to acquire two new 64-bit server because windows server 2008R2 only runs on 64bit to replace the current domain controllers. The servers, however, should support virtualization. Thus a x64 CPU, AMD-V or (AMD) VT (Intel) hardware extensions, No eXecute (NX)/eXecute Disable (XD), and full BIOS support for hardware virtualization. Although one server (virtualized and running enterprise edition) could suffice for redundancy, two will be ideal (Technet). Active directory Domain

The ideas of marriage and roles of women Essay Example for Free

The ideas of marriage and roles of women Essay The ideas of marriage and roles of women are very dosely linked. Compare the portrayal of marriage and representation of women in the three texts studied. I am going to discuss, in this essay, the ideas of marriage and the roles of women at the times the three texts were set in, I shall also talk about how these marriages and roles are similar in the texts. To compare the portrayal of marriage and representation of women the three texts that were studied Stench of Kerosene, which was a short story written by Amrita Pritam. Stench of Kerosene was about a young Sikh married woman, called Guleri, who could not bear children and how society viewed and dealt with her due to this. It is a story of how she is seen as an outcast to the family so much so that the mother then brings a new wife into the household; to try to replace the old one; this then leads Guleri to suicide. The other texts studied were a short story in epistolary form called The Three Sisters and a novel called Pride and Prejudice. These two stories were both written by Jane Austen and both have very similar storylines. The Three Sisters is about a girl called Mary who receives a proposal from a very wealthy man, Mr Watts. Mary however finds Mr Watts to be extremely disagreeable and does not know whether to marry him or not. Similarly Pride and Prejudice is about a mother, Mrs Bennet, and her struggles of getting her children married to wealthy men. They both show societys views of women and how women themselves view marriage and their roles. All three texts show a good indication of how society portrayed women at that time. Stench of Kerosene was written in 1927 and was set in a small rural village in Punjab. It was originally written in Punjabi but was only translated in the 1960s. This story was more tragic that the other two stories as one of the main characters, Guleri, commit suicide. The way that Guleri kills herself is very tragic and shocking, as she seemed like a very happy and loved character. She kills herself by soaking herself in kerosene and setting herself alit. The reason behind Pritam putting this in is because she wanted to change how society viewed and treated women. In the story the society Guleri lived in and their expectations of her were strongly to blame for the outcome of the story. In the Sikh religion both men and women are seen as equal in the religious scriptures. However although Sikh women have right within the scriptures many of the scriptures are up to individual interpretation. Most men see the women are their possessions and therefore many men see it acceptable to have more than one wife, as Manaks mother did, regardless of what their present wife may think. There are many reasons to why men may take a second wife, the most common among the Sikh community at that time was because having more than one wife would increase the wealth of a man due to the brides family giving the husband a gift when the marriage was secure. This was known as a dowry. Men also married a second wife to produce an heir if their first wife was unable as it was the case in Stench of Kerosene. The story hints that the main reason behind Guleri committing suicide and the mother wanting Manak to have a second wife was that Guleri could not have children. Manaks mother role in society then was to bring up her children well and then to find a good daughter in law who could have children and carry on the family name. She was very narrow-minded and did what society expected of her. She felt that her decision for bringing a new wife into the family was justified, as that was what society expected her to do. She had fulfilled her role and the expectation that society had put upon her and now she wanted a daughter in law who would do the same. The mother was brought up and guided by the expectations of society and she felt that if she had gone against what society had expected of her then she would have ultimately become an outcast as society would have seen it as her not fulfilling her role as a mother. Guleri on the other hand, did not see it as Manaks mother fulfilling her role, but saw her interference as a punishment for not being able to fulfil expectations put on her by society. In the Sikh religion babies are of great importance and their birth is rejoiced by the family. The birth of a baby is seen as strengthening the stability of the marriage and ensuring the continuance of the family line. If a woman in the Sikh religion is unable to have children then she is unable to inherit land or money from her husband when he dies. They are seen as outcasts as they are not able to produce an heir. This meant that bearing children was an essential role of a Sikh woman and Guleri was unable to fulfil the role she was expected to and as a result Guleri was made to feel like a complete outcast by society. A wife in the Sikh religion has two main roles they are to have children and to look after her family. Guleri could not fulfil all of her duties and was disregarded and seen as an outcast by her family and society, she was seen as damaged. The new wife probably made Guleri feel as though she was damaged goods and so she was replaced by a new and working model. When Guleri heard of the second wife she felt let down by her husband and like he had abandoned her because she could not have a child. She felt as though she was indebted to suffer for her inadequacies. She felt lonely and unloved as if she was impure and saw the only way out as death. The symbolism behind Guleris death highlights the violence of it compared to the Sikh idea of death as being like sleep. The way that Guleri chose to kill herself created a dramatic and shocking effect and was seen as primal and more painful. It symbolised how much pain emotionally that Guleri was in. When Manak heard what had happened to Guleri he was mute with pain. Manak could be seen as a coward and a fool for not being stronger and for not standing up to his mother when she told him about getting a new wife, but it can be seen as not all being Manaks fault as he was brought up traditionally. He new his role as a man and a husband that was to be a loyal husband and to find a wife who would produce an heir to the family. He was taught to respect and obey his parents. Manak wanted to retort, you are a woman; why dont you cry like one for a change! But he remained silent. However if Manak had gone against what his mother wanted then he too would have become an outcast to society for going against his elders and not fulfilling his role as a man. The new wife however was probably made to feel like an outcast by Manak, as he knew that no one could ever replace Guleri. But by his mother the new wife fit in with the family, as she got pregnant quickly. The mother said at one point that she had spent five hundred rupees on the new wife, and this was probably a lot of money in those days, which suggests that some women married for money. This is similar in Pride and Prejudice as charlotte Lucas married Mr Collins because of his money. And also in The Three Sisters, Mary chooses to marry Mr Watts because he is a very wealthy man. This shows that the societies these stories are in are completely materialistic. Prtiam shows that the roles of women are completely dominated by men and society. It would be correct to say that if societys beliefs had not been so enforced upon women then Manak and Guleris marriage would have survived. I believe this as Sikh women have only three main concerns in life and they are to get married and have children, to look their families well and to get their children married off to good and wealthy families. This circle would therefore be enforced on many more generations to come and the main reason being is to have children. Stench of Kerosene had political reasons for it being published. Pritam saw that society needed to be changed and this story showed why and how women felt about was a stereotypical role of a Sikh woman was. The tone in which Pritam wrote this story was very serious and is not humorous at all, unlike Pride and Prejudice. She made it a serious story as Pritam felt very strongly about how women were portrayed and how they were rejected by society if they were unable to perform the roles that were expected of them. She wrote the story as a narrative and because of this we can see how Pritam feels about certain the roles of women. She uses objects to symbolise the characters emotions. She used the flute to tell us how Manak felt about Guleri leaving. Then putting the flute to his lips, blew a strange anguished wail. He expresses how he feels through the way he plays his flute, as he is unable to say it in words. Pritam gives us a more visual and better understanding of the point that she wants to put across, by using emotive language, for example: Manak, mute with pain, could only stare and feel his own life burning out. It gives us a more realistic feeling of the story and allows us to see just how devastated Manak is. We can tell that he is completely destroyed and will never get over what Guleri did. This is put across more clearly at the end when Manaks child is born and when he holds him for the first time, he is not the happy and joyous father that one would expect but instead he, he shrieked hysterically, Take him away! He stinks of kerosene. His reaction to his new child seems as though he feel guilty and somewhat responsible about what happened to Guleri. We can tell that what to Guleri did not only affect Manak but also the whole family, as the new wife will never be loved by Manak and nor will the new child as he will always be a constant reminder to Manak of something that he could never have with Guleri and the reason for her death. He will also always be very resentful towards his mother as she took away the one person he loved in the whole world with no thought to the consequences, and most of all Manak will probably never be able to forgive himself. There was a lot of pressure on women in those days to have children if they did not have children the women would be rejected by society and most just wanted to fit in. If Guleri had tolerated Manak having a second wife and gone back to live with the family despite this she would probably have been rejected. The Three Sisters was not published until quite awhile after it was written, in 1792. This story was set in London. The Three Sisters show that marriage was one of the only concerns of women in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Jane Austens time marriage was more or less then only way out of the parental house. There was no real way for women to be on their own or to have independence in those days. There were no professional jobs open to women and the few that there were, such as being a governess, were not very highly regarded, and either did not pay well or had very poor working conditions. Pride and Prejudice and the Three Sisters show this well as both Mrs Bennet, the mother in Pride and Prejudice, and Mrs Stanhope, the mother in The Three Sisters, main concern was to get all their children married. how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them. For I am determined not to let such an opportunity escape of settling one of my Daughters do advantageously. In The Three Sisters the arrangement of marriage is portrayed like prostitution, in that the way Mrs Stanhope is haggling over the price for Mary, and tries to get as much pin money for Mary from Mr Watts as she can. Remember the pin money: two hundred a year. A hundred and seventy five madam. Two hundred indeed, Sir. Said my mother. Mrs Stanhope also seems as though she is pimping her other daughter in case Mr Watt does not like or want Mary. In The Three Sisters the only factor Mrs Stanhope takes into account and uses to form her opinion of Mr Watts is how wealthy he is. In this way Mrs Stanhope and Mrs Bennet are very similar as she too forms an opinion by how wealthy a man is. A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls! She is determined to have Mr Watts as part of her family as he was a good man to know. In Mrs Stanhopes opinion the reason that Mr Watts wanted to marry Mary was because he wishes to be allied to the family and the way for a man to become allied with a family was to marry one of the daughters. This applied very much in Mr Watts case he did not care which daughter he married. Mrs Stanhope also wanted to be allied to Mr Watts as he had a higher status in society than she did and if one of her daughters married him then their familys status would also go higher. This is a similar situation to Pride and Prejudice as Mrs Bennet wanted Mr Collins to be allied with the family as he was quite a wealthy man and when Mr Collins proposed to Elizabeth Mrs Bennet put a lot of pressure on her to say yes by telling Elizabeth: Yes, or I will never see her again. Mrs Stanhopes main role as a mother and in story was to have children, make sure they are taken care of well, look after their husbands and run the home. Mrs Stanhope has a lot of power in this story as she is the one who decides which daughter shall get married and to whom. She could force one of her daughters to get married and they could not say no as it would be disrespectful to their mother. She exercises her power over her daughters when Mary is still trying to make up her mind over marry Mr Watts, by telling Mary that if she does not marry Mr Watts then Georgiana must. Mary is shown as I very materialistic and indecisive young girl. She marries Mr Watts because he is a very wealthy man. In letter one Mary tells us that she says Mr Watts is: He is extremely disagreeable and I hate him more than any body else in the world. Mary chooses to marry Mr Watts as sees it as a way of getting a higher status in society than the rest of her family. Which shows that she is similar to Lydia in Pride and Prejudice, as it seems as though she only married Mr Wickham to get a higher status than her family. Mrs Stanhope could easily push Mary into marring Mr Watts as Mary had made it very clear that she had wanted to get married before any of her sisters. I could not bear to have either of them married before me. Marys main role in society is to look after her husband and to have children to carry on the family. This is very similar to the society and the expectation of women in Stench of Kerosene. It is very clear that Mary has a one-track mind in that she is very unidealistic and feels as though Mr Watts should be grateful that she has accepted his proposal. She does not believe in marrying for love and thinks that if one of the couple loves the other then there is no need for the other to love them back. when there is so much love on one side, there is no occasion for it on the other. The Three Sisters is serious, formal and shows a harsher portrayal of women. However it is quite humorous in places compared to Stench of Kerosene. It was written when Austen was only a teenager when she wrote it and she was probably entering the marriage market herself. The characters in the story were probably someone that Austen could relate to as she herself was a teenager and was having similar problems as her characters were. Austen could relate to her characters and she often hid her views and thoughts behind her characters humour and fictional style writing. The story was quite controversial as it told us what women were like and how they really felt about issues then, but society was not interested about these things. Society looked down on anyone that was seen to speak up for women and were thought of and seen as abnormal, and their name and reputation was often destroyed. Austen wrote the story in a letter form as it allows us to see the reaction of characters better as it is they who are describing how they feel and what they think. It also allows us to get to know the characters better however not as well as in Pride and Prejudice. The main difference between these two stories is that Pride and Prejudice focuss more the reasons for getting married and the consequences of actions that women took. `Pride and Prejudice was written in 1813 and was set in Longbourne in Hertfordshire. Mrs Bennet is a stereotypical middle class woman in those days. She is materialistic, over dramatic and a gossip. These characteristics are portrayed in an exaggerated way. When we first meet Mrs Bennet we can see that she is a gossip. My dear, you must know, Mrs long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from north of England; Mrs Bennet appears to be a similar character to Mrs Stanhope, all she wants is for all her daughters to be married and taken care of. Her main role is to take care of her family and make she that her children get married. In Pride and Prejudice the men hold most of the power and this is shown many occasions in the Bennet household by Mr Bennet. An unhappy alterative is before you, Elizabeth. From this you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins, and I will never see you again if you do. It is clear that Mr Bennet did not marry Mrs Bennet for love. We can assume that Mr Bennet probably only proposed to Mrs Bennet because as a young lady she was very pretty and that he probably never knew what she was like. He puts up with by not taking her seriously. Because of the way that Mr Bennet treats his wife their children have grown up not taking their mother seriously and not having much respect for her. This shows most of all in Elizabeth by the way she acts around her mother. Elizabeth is strong minded and a very opinionative young lady. She is also her fathers favourite daughter and often gives him advice, which he rarely takes. Elizabeth does not believe in getting married for love and does not think she would get married. Lydia on the other hand was exactly like her mother. She was emotional, immature, she does not think but acts on impulses, which nearly brings her to ruins. Lydia would cross all the boundaries and broke all the codes that society had set for women, this was shown when Lydia runs off with Mr Wickham and she does not think of the affect it would have on her family or the distress it may cause them. As it was not expectable behaviour to run off and elope. Society looked down on it and it suggested that she had bad upbringing as she was disrespecting her parents by eloping. However in those days it was very important for a woman to get married, as that is what society expected of them. Unmarried women were a great burden to their families as they would have to live with their families or with family approved protectors, as it was unheard of for an unmarried woman to live by herself. Jane Austen, herself was a dependant as she was unmarried and was forced to live with relatives. Mary in Pride and Prejudice knew she would not get married as she was not as pretty as her other sisters so she concentrated on music and learning. Marriage to women then was not all about getting away from their parents but was one of the only ways in which women could gain financial security. By marring, women were entitled to an allotment of money each year, called pin money. This money was to be spent as she wished but not for household necessities. However an unmarried woman would and could only inherit money form her family if she had no brothers as they lived on a patriarchy society, in which men hold the power and women were largely excluded from. In Pride and Prejudice and The Three Sisters, they both seem to be set in a patriarchy society as the men hold the power in both the stories. However in Stench of Kerosene the mother holds the most power in the story, which is unusual. The women that Austen wrote about were showed as foolish, materialistic, gossips and were only concerned about how other familys saw them and who the would get married to. These characteristics are different to the way that Pritam portrays women in her story she shows them as innocent, loving, obedient, and respectful to their family and husband, as Guleri shows when she fell in love with Manak. If you want me go and ask my father for my hand. Pride and Prejudice was more humorous than The Three Sisters was, it took a more satirical approach rather than political one to get its points across. Austen blamed the traditions of society through the humour of her characters. All three stories allow us to see that the roles of women have been the same over the centuries and that they are not changing very much in a hurry. They allow us to that men have always held a very powerful role in the home and the way in which a woman is brought is depending on how society expects them to act. Society have always judged women and enforced their rules and boundaries upon them. If those rules are broken they are looked down upon and would be ultimately be outcast them.

Analysis of Competition in the Technology Market

Analysis of Competition in the Technology Market EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Dells competitive advantage is their direct customer sales and customer support; this has made the company one of the leading suppliers of computer systems. Dell has a better understanding of its customers computer needs through continuous online and telephone interaction. This constant interaction drives individual and enterprise productivity. Future growth rates for the computer industry are expected to be less than previous years however, Dell can still be profitable. One of the main problems that Dell faces is the struggling United States economy which Dell has no control over. This is compounded by a saturated PC market with lower profit margins from industry price wars. Dell must focus on being a market taker, instead of trying to be a market maker. Dell needs to capitalize on their ability to enter and dominate new markets, as it did in the low-end server and workstation markets. The company must pursue an international expansion of their middle and high-end server products. T hrough the acquisition of a company like EMC Corporation Dell can pursue the external data storage market. Dell has already captured a large share of the United States market and must increase its server, storage, and service segment overseas to gain more international market share, particularly in China and Latin America. The only viable strategy in order to achieve Michael Dells goal to double Dell Computers current revenue to $60 billion by 2007 is to work on methods to improve sales in the stated new areas. A combination of service, storage and server product growth across newly established international markets is vital to achieve Dells ambitious goal. The United States economy is in a recession, but there are numerous opportunities for growth outside its borders. INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT In the early 2000s, the electronic computer industry was struggling amidst a weak economic climate that presented challenges in business and consumer markets alike. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, after a sharp increase from $56.9 billion in 1998 to $64.7 billion in 1999, electronic computer shipment values fell in 2000 to $62.9 billion. As the economy took a turn for the worse, shipment values plunged to $55.8 billion in 2001. This affected virtually every product segment within the industry, including servers and workstations. Along with values, actual unit shipments also declined, falling from 27.2 million in 2000 to 22.7 million in 2001 (XXX). In the early 2000s there were numerous factors that slowed the purchase of new computers. On September 11, 2001 the terrorist attacks crippled consumer confidence. There was also a rise in the unemployment rates and the possibility of war with Iraq. All these factors made customers content with keeping their existing computers. These s ame conditions caused a slowdown of technology spending in the corporate world too. The wave of year 2000 related new equipment purchases that took place at the end of the 1990s, as well as the availability of quality used equipment from bankrupt Internet companies in the early 2000s, also had a negative impact on the corporate market for new electronic computers. Global competition among computer makers has favored, low-cost producers, and many of these are United States firms. The four largest United States computer makers, Dell, Compaq, Hewlett- Packard, and IBM controlled approximately 40 percent of world computer shipments. In late 2000, Dell proved itself as a potent competitor by taking the title of world market leader away from Compaq. In 2002 Hewlett-Packard had acquired Compaq, in an effort to challenge Dells position. In 2005 the industry reported 2,278 companies manufacturing electronic computers, employing 90,762 people who generated some $196,557.41 million in revenue. Average sales totaled $116.4 million per company. Electronic computers represented 59.7 percent of the market, while digital personal computers garnered 23.5 percent of the market (Electronic Computers, 2007). LEADING COMPANIES DELL Dell designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells and supports information technology systems and services. The company sells its products directly to large corporate, government, healthcare, and education customers as well as small to medium businesses and individual consumers. Dell offers its products in six categories: desktop computer systems, mobility products, software and peripherals, servers and networking products and storage products. The desktop computer systems offer three product lines: Optiplex, Dimension and XPS. The company also offers Precision work stations (Galenet, 2008). The Optiplex product line is primarily for business, government, and institutional customers and the Dimension product line is for small businesses and home users. The XPS product line is for the gaming and entertainment needs of the customers. For the users that run sophisticated applications like three-dimensional computer-aided design, digital content creation, geographic information systems, computer animation, software development and financial analysis the company offers the Precision workstation. The mobility products division provides MP3 players, handhelds (Dell Axim) and three lines of notebooks (Dell XPS, Latitude and Inspiron). The XPS product line for  notebooks targets customers in the gaming or entertainment segment. The Latitude product line focuses on business, government, and institutional customers, while the Inspiron product line is targeted at small businesses. Dell is a leading player in the United States and worldwide for notebook computer shipments (Company Spotlight, 2008). The software and peripheral products of Dell includes printers and displays, software, notebook accessorie s, networking and wireless products, digital cameras, power adapters, scanners and other products. The company offers variety of third party software products such as operating systems, business and office applications, anti-virus and related security software and entertainment software. The companys power edge line of server focuses on enterprise customers and small organizations. Dell is the market leader in the United States in shipments of x86 servers. Computers and servers on small to medium networks can be connected using Dells PowerConnect switches. Dell doesnt just provide products, they also offer infrastructure consulting services, deployment services, asset recovery and recycling services, training services, enterprise support services, client support services and managed lifecycle services. Through Dell Financial Services (DFS) the company can provide United States businesses financing alternatives and asset management services. HEWLETT-PACKARD Hewlett-Packard (HP) offers a complete product portfolio spanning across personal computing, imaging and printing related products and services, and technology solutions. The company operates through seven business segments: enterprise storage and servers, HP services, software, the personal systems group, the imaging and printing group, HP Financial services and corporate investments. The enterprise storage and servers, HP services and software segment are aggregated under the technology solutions group. Hewlett-Packard is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and the company operates in over 170 countries around the world. The United States is the largest geographical market, 33.4 percent of the total revenue during 2007 (Smith, 2008). Enterprise storage and servers provide storage and server products to both small and medium sized businesses. Industry standard servers include entry-level and mid-range ProLiant servers, which operate primarily on the Windows, Linux and Novell operating systems, and Intel Corporation (Intel) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors. The companys product lines span across pedestal-tower servers, density optimized rack servers and HPs BladeSystem family of blade servers. The technology solutions group includes enterprise storage and servers, HP services and HP software. Technology solutions group provide servers, storage, software and information technology services for enterprise and mid-market business customers to manage their current IT environments. Business critical systems include Itanium-based Integrity servers running on the HPUX, Windows, Linux and OpenVMS operating systems including the high-end Superdome servers  and fault-tolerant Integrity NonStop servers. Business critical systems also include the Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC)-based servers with the HP 9000 line running on the HP-UX operating system, HP AlphaServers running on both Tru64 UNIX and Open Virtual Memory System, and MIPs-based NonStop servers. The company has planned to phase out its Alpha server product line in recent times (PCs Industry Profile, 2008). Hewlett-Packards services include technology services, consulting and integration, and outsourcing services. It serves industries such as communications, media and entertainment, manufacturing and distribution, financial services and the public sector, and government and education services. The technology services ranges from standalone product support to high availability services for multi-vendor environments and business continuity and recovery services. The consulting and integration segment provided consulting and integration services to implement technology and industry-specific solutions for customers. Outsourcing services provides IT management and outsourcing to support infrastructure, applications, business processes, end user workplace, print environment, and business continuity and recovery requirements. HP Software provides management software solutions including support, that allow enterprise customers to manage their IT infrastructure, operations, applications, IT services and business processes under the brand, HP OpenView. It also delivers comprehensive, carrier-grade software platforms for developing and deploying next generation voice, data and converged services to network and service providers under the HP OpenCall brand. Hewlett Packard acquired Mercury Interactive Corporation, Bristol Technologies, SPI Dynamics and Opsware in fiscal 2007, which added transaction monitoring, applications security testing and data center automation capabilities to its portfolio. Personal systems group (PSG) is one of the leading providers of personal computers (PCs) in the world based both on volume and annual revenue. Its product line includes commercial PCs, consumer PCs, workstations, handheld computing devices, digital entertainment systems, calculators and other related accessories, and software and services. Workstations are individual computing products designed for users demanding enhanced performance such as computer animation, engineering design and other programs requiring high-resolution graphics. HP provides workstations that run on UNIX, Windows and Linux-based operating systems. Hewlett-Packard is the leading imaging and printing systems provider in the world. The segments portfolio of offerings includes consumer and commercial printer hardware, printing supplies, printing media and scanning devices. The HP Financial services provide financial service to small and medium size businesses. It also offers leasing, financing, utility programs and asset recovery services, financial asset management services for large global and enterprise customers. This group provides innovative and customized services to counter technology obsolescence. ACER Acer functions in the manufacture and sale of IT products, and provision of computer software and maintenance services. The company operates in Taiwan, Europe, Asia, and North America. The company operates through a single business segment and sells Acer branded desktop personal computers (PCs), notebook PCs, and other related information technology (IT) products and services. Acers IT product range includes computer system (desktops, notebooks, handhelds, and tablets), servers and storage products, monitors (cathode ray tube and liquid crystal display), peripherals, projectors, internet appliances and personal multimedia, and digital still cameras (DSC). Acer provides a commercial and consumer series desktop. The commercial series desktops include Veriton and AcerPower brands and the consumer series include the Aspire brand. The company provides four series of notebooks: Aspire series, TravelMate series, Tablet PC series, and Ferrari series. The Tablet series is Acers latest high-mobility solution, which easily converts between notebook and slate modes. Acers servers and storage products are sold under the brand name Altos and Acer. Acers services are based on the MegaMicro business model, which is defined by the company as a mega infrastructure that supports micro services. The services offered include e-Enabling Services Business, enabling Information Platform Services, and Enterprise e-Caring Services. The companys e-Enabling offerings combine Acers IT products and services, and are delivered through the companys infrastructure. (Acer.com, 2008) APPLE Apple is one of the major providers of personal computers, portable digital music players, and mobile communication devices. Apple designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers and related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions. The company also designs, develops, and markets a line of portable digital music players along with related accessories and services including the online distribution of third-party music, audio books, music videos, short films, and television shows. The company sells its products worldwide through online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, and third-party wholesalers and resellers. Acer is managed on a basis of geographic segments. The company operates through four operating segments: the Americas, Europe, Japan, and retail. The Americas segment includes both North and South America. The Europe segment includes European countries as well as the Middle East and Africa. Each reportable geographic operating segment provides the same kind of hardware and software products and services. The retail segment currently operates Apple-owned retail stores in the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The company has 174 retail stores in the United States and 23 stores in Canada, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Apples Desktops product line includes iMac, eMac, Mac mini, Power Mac, Mac Pro, and Xserve. Portables include MacBook, iBook, MacBook Pro, and PowerBook. iPod products include iTunes Store and iPod services, and the companys own and third party iPod accessories. Other music related products and services include hardware accessories of the company and third parties, wireless connectivity and networking solutions. Software services comprise Apple  branded operating system and application software, third party software, AppleCare, and Internet services. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT The threat of new entrants into PC market is moderate, a compromise between high brand recognition in the market and strong market growth. The new web enabled mobile phones and games consoles fill the needs of some buyers as well as PCs making the threat of substitutes moderate. Rivalry within the market is moderate, as large competitors are faced with relatively high exit barriers, but still enjoying strong growth that leaves plenty of expansion room for all players. There is product differentiation within the market in terms of technical specification, styling, and support services offered, leading to decrease buyer power. However, there is little differentiation in the underlying architecture, with even Apple recently moving to the use of Intels x86 processors. This pushes the market towards commodification and strengthens buyer power. Buyer power can also be increased if more technology savvy people build their own computer. This requires special knowledge and is only a valid alt ernative to a small portion of the customer base. Buyer power overall remains moderate. Supplier power is low because PC manufactures do not incur a significant cost when switching suppliers. However, Intel has strong supplier power due to its brand recognition of its products and use in the vast majority of PCs on the markets. Microsoft also has strong supplier power as a result of their dominance in the operating systems market. The overall supplier power is strong. The threat of substitutes within the PC market is moderate, with much of the functionality of modern PCs being unavailable through alternative means. However, one of the largest threats to the consumer PC market lies within the sphere of gaming, especially with respect to the next generation games consoles, whose increased specifications are attracting gamers away from the PC format. Mobile phones and similar hand-held devices with email and web browser capability can also replace much of the communication role of PCs. The major PC manufacturers are relatively large companies. Some are strongly focused on the PC market (e.g. Lenovo), others have broadly diversified businesses (e.g. Sony), and so that on average the importance of the PC market to its players is moderate. COMPANY SWOT DELL Strengths Despite losing market share to Hewlett-Packard Company in the recent past, Dell continues to remain a strong player in the computer hardware segment. In the computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing industry in the United States, Dell was in the second place behind the Hewlett-Packard Company. In the computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers industry in the United States, Dell was in the first place with a market share of 6.5 percent. Dell is also one of the leading players in the global servers segment. The company has a strong market position in the storage segment owing to its partnership with EMC. The companys Asia Pacific-Japan segment has reported strong performance in recent three years. The revenue of this segment increased from $5,465 million in fiscal 2005 to $7,358 million in fiscal 2007, an increase of 34.6 percent over 2005. All product categories in this region experienced revenue growth during fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006. The company has a wide product portfolio, comprising desktops, notebooks, servers, storage products, networking, printers, ink and toner, televisions, software and accessories. Dell has formed partnerships to strengthen its presence in areas where it is weak. A wide portfolio of products has helped the company provide bundled offerings to customers. Weaknesses Dell has weak internal controls. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) started an investigation into the accounting and financial reporting matters at Dell, in August 2005. In 2006 The company announced that its Audit Committees investigation had identified a number of accounting errors, evidence of misconduct, and deficiencies in the financial control environment. The company has had to recall several products in the recent past owing to quality issues. In August 2006, the company announced the recall of 4.1 million notebook batteries owing to fire risk. These Dell branded batteries were based on cells of Sony. The company also recalled several other products in previous years owing to quality problems, including AC Adapters and printers. Opportunities Dell has acquired new companies in 2007 and also plans to go in for acquisitions in the future. In July 2007, Dell entered into an agreement to acquire privately-held SilverBack Technologies, a service delivery platform provider for remote monitoring and management of information technology infrastructure such as servers, storage, networks, desktops and notebooks. In the following month, Dell entered into an agreement to acquire ZING Systems, a private consumer technology and services company that focuses on always-connected audio and entertainment devices. This acquisition enables Dell to use ZINGs capabilities to continue improving the entertainment experiences it provides its customers. In November 2007, the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire EqualLogic, (Dell.com, 2008) a provider of high-performance iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions optimized for virtualization. The  global Personal Computer (PC) market generated total revenues of $163.8 billion in 2006, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3 percent for the period spanning from 2002 to 2006. Desktop sales proved the most lucrative for the global PC market in 2006, generating total revenues of $123.1 billion, equivalent to 66.9 percent of the markets overall  value. In comparison, sales of Laptops generated revenues of $60.9 billion in 2006, accounting for 33.1 percent of the markets aggregate revenues. The company is entering into new retail agreements to enable consumers to have greater access to Dell products. In September 2007, the company partnered with Gome, Chinas largest consumer electronics retailer to reach millions of in-store computer buyers and to sell the companys latest products through it. In October 2007, Staples and Dell signed an agreement which allows customers to have the option to buy at 1,400 Staples stores for a wide collection of Dell notebook and desktop computers, monitors, printers, ink and toner (Dell.com, 2007). Threats The electronics manufacturing industry is struggling to compete with the black market, parallel import, and smuggled goods. Some countries like China represented an overwhelming 81 percent of the total value of seized goods in 2006. With an increase in the number of counterfeit products being manufactured in China, the company faces serious threats in most of its market segments. These products, although of poorer quality in most cases, are considerably cheaper and may affect the revenue of the company in the long run. Dells failure to comply with new environmental legislation could result in significant penalties and liabilities. Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS) Directive, effective as of July 2006, imposes restrictions on the use of six hazardous materials. Although the company uses a number of third party manufacturers, it will continue to bear responsibility for compliance with the ROHS directive. The European Union has also enacted the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive which makes producers of electrical goods, including computers and printers, financially responsible for specified collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal of past and  future covered products. The United States and Eurozone are two important markets for Dell. The recent turmoil in financial markets, the very weak housing market indicators and consumer sentiments, the growth projection for the United States and the United Kingdome has slowed. Economic slowdown in the United States and Eurozone could lead to less IT spending, which in turn would adversely affect demand for the companys products. HEWLETT-PACKARD Strengths Hewlett-Packard has a strong market position in most of its product segments. The company has a leading market position in the global PC market in terms of shipments. Hewlett-Packard seized market leadership from Dell in the global PC market in 2006 and managed to sustain it in 2007 with 19 percent market share. The company is the second largest entity in the servers market behind International Business Machines (IBM), with its server range extending from low-end systems to high-end systems. In particular, the company is the market leader in x86 Blade and UNIX based servers. Hewlett-Packard has a leading market position in printers. Hewlett-Packard has reported strong financials in recent years. The company has reduced its long-term debt over the last few years from $6,494 million in 2003 to $4,997 million in 2007. Hewlett-Packards long-term debt ratio stood at 0.1 for the fiscal year ended October 2007. The strong financial position provides the company the flexibility of expanding its geographical coverage and product portfolio through organic and inorganic initiatives. Hewlett-Packard also has high brand equity. The company is one of the leading brands in the technology sector along with Microsoft, IBM and Intel. Hewlett-Packard markets several products such as personal computers, inkjet printers and digital cameras to consumers. A strong brand image plays a critical role in consumer markets. Weaknesses Hewlett-Packard has weak internal controls. The company is being investigated by a number of agencies for employing questionable methods to identify the board member, who was leaking  confidential information to the media (Los Angeles Times, 2006). The company is accused of using private agencies, which used illegal methods such as imitation to obtain the phone records of its board members and select journalists. Hewlett-Packard lacks in-house management consulting division. Instead the company has formed partnerships with the likes of Accenture and Capgemini to provide management consulting services to its customers. Increasing number of IT services companies are establishing management consulting divisions in order to provide a more comprehensive and integrated range of services. The research and development expenditure of Hewlett-Packard has remained flat in recent years. The company invested $3,643 million in research and development in each year of 2006 and 2007 compared with $3,492 million in 2005. Research and development as a percentage of revenues declined over the last three years from 4 percent in 2005 and 3.9 percent in 2006 to 3.5 percent in 2007 (HP.com, 2007). Opportunities Hewlett-Packard has undertaken an ambitious revamp of its IT operations, which it hopes will not only improve its effectiveness but also serve as a showcase for its technological capabilities. Hewlett-Packard has taken up five classes of IT initiatives: portfolio management, IT workforce effectiveness, world-class IT, enterprise data warehouse and global data centers. The portfolio management initiatives of the company include reducing active projects from 1,200 to 500 and reducing the number of applications. For improving IT workforce, the company is reducing its IT core sites from 100 to 29 among other initiatives. The company is focused on extending its leadership in imaging and printing. HP acquired Snapfish, online photo service, to dominate the sharing and printing of digital images over the internet. Hewlett-Packard is expanding Snapfish in Europe and Asia. Threats Hewlett-Packard faces intense competition in all its business segments in terms of price, quality,  brand, technology, reputation, distribution, range of products etc. The company faces stiff competition in the PC market. The company has become the market leader in the PC segment in the third and fourth quarter of 2006, sending Dell to the number two position. Acers acquisition of Gateways has made it the third largest PCs supplier in the world. In some regions, the company faces competition from local companies and from generically-branded or white box manufacturers. In the printer supplies segment, Hewlett-Packard competes with re-manufacturers including private label brand stores such as Office Max, supply stores such as Cartridge world, internet vendors and original equipment manufacturers such as Lexmark. The European markets and the United States economy are forecast to decline in coming years. The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is also forecast to grow in 2008. Risi ng interest rates and increasing unemployment would negatively affect the consumer spending in the United Kingdom. ACER Strengths Acer has robust market position in the global PC and notebook markets. In 2008, the company was ranked as the third largest player in the global PC market with a market share of 12.8 percent. Acer was ranked the second largest in the global notebook market with a share of 19.6 percent. The company was ranked the third largest player in the United States PC market and notebook market. In September 2008, the company completed acquisition E-Ten Information Systems (Acer-group.com, 2008). The acquisition helped the company to strengthen its position in handheld devices, including smartphones and GPS devices. Acer also purchased Packard Bell in 2008. In 2007 the company purchased one of the largest PC companies in the United States, Gateway. The successful mergers of Gateway and Packard Bell helped the company to strengthen its presence in the United States and enabled deeper penetration into the European and Asian markets. These acquisitions helped the company in generating increasing re venues from non-Taiwan markets. Weaknesses Acer is significantly dependent on Europe for its revenues. In FY2008 and FY2007, the company generated around 51 percent of its total revenues from Europe. Europe is experiencing a slowdown in the recent periods. The United Kingdom economy is forecast to be weak in the coming years. The companys high dependence on Europe makes its operations vulnerable to fluctuations in Europe economy. Opportunities The smartphone market is expected to grow in the coming years. It is anticipated that the smartphone market will grow by 15 percent every year for the next three to five years. The value of the global smartphone market is also expected to be more than $95 billion, representing 47 percent of the total handset market value in 2013. Acer is well-positioned in this segment. The growing smartphone market will provides the company an opportunity to increase its revenues in the coming years. Despite the slowdown in the overall PC market, the netbooks/mini-notebooks sales are forecast to grow in near term. The netbook market experienced a robust growth in 2008 and is forecast to grow about 68.5 percent in shipments. Acer offers netbooks under its four brands: Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell and eMachines. Acer has upgraded its products in the recent times. In September 2008, Acer along with its partners introduced Acer-Hitachi SMS 100, a storage product designed for the needs of small and medium sized businesses. The product offers enterprise class features and does not require specific storage experience to be installed and can be connected to any server through an ethernet network. Acer also launched the Aspire M7200 desktop PC targeting multimedia home-users looking for a powerful multi-tasking system, with plenty of expansion and customization capabilities Threats Acer competes with several large branded as well as smaller branded and generic companies. The company faces severe competition from branded competitors such as Apple, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard. The note book segment has also attracted competition from nontraditional players. Intense competition in the PC segment may erode the companys margins and reduce its market share. Acer has been part of several patent law suits in the recent periods. In 2007, HP  filed a suit against Acer alleging that Acer and its United States subsidiary have knowingly infringed on five HP patents related to PCs. This has raised HPs recent patent claims against Acer to 10. However in 2008, Acer settled all ongoing patent litigations with HP. Acer operates in various countries worldwide, and is exposed to risk from changes in foreign currency rates. The company derived about 95.3 percent of sales from customers outside Taiwan in FY2008. The consolidated companies record transactions in their respective func tional currencies, which generally are the local currency of the primary economic environment in which these entities operate. APPLE Strengths Apple enjoys a high level of brand awareness and brand recognition for its products throughout the markets in which it operates. Apple leverages its brand image to differentiate its product offering and drive sales. The companys strong brand enables it t

Cocaine :: Illegal Drugs Narcotics Papers

Cocaine Cocaine is a drug derived from the leaf of the Erytroxylon cocoa bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia. Cocaine also known as coke, C, snow, flake, nose candy, blow, or crack is generally sold on the street as a hydrochloride salt( a water-soluble salt). Cocaine is a fine, white crystalline powder often diluted with similar-looking substances such as talcum powder, sugar, or amphetamines. The powder can be snorted into the nostrils, also may be rubbed onto the mucous linings of the mouth, rectum, or vagina. To experience cocaine's effects quickly, and to heighten their intensity, users sometimes dissolve it in water and injects into a vein. The drug may be smoked in a purified form through a water pipe (freebassing) or in a concentrated form (crack) shaped into pellets or rocks and placed in special smoking gear. Despite today's abuse of the highly addictive drug, cocaine was intended for medical purposes. Pure cocaine was first extracted and identified by the German chemis t Albert Niemann in the mid-19thcentury, and was introduced as a tonic/elixir in patent medicines to treat a variety of real or imagined illnesses. Later, it was used as a local anesthetic for eye, ear, and throat surgery and continues today to have limited use in surgery. Cocaine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that heightens alertness and provides intense feelings of pleasure. Because of it's potent euphoric and energizing effects, many people in the late 19th century took cocaine, even though some physicians recognized that users quickly became dependent. In the 1880s, the psychiatrist Sigmund Freud created a sensation with a series of papers praising cocaine=s potential to cure depression, alcoholism, and morphine addiction. Skepticism soon replaced this excitement, however, when documented reports of fatal cocaine poisoning, alarming mental disturbances, and cocaine addiction began to circulate. In 1902, ninety two percent of all cocaine sold in major cities in the United States was in the form of an ingredient in tonics and potions available from local pharmacies. In 1911, the Canadian government legally restricted cocaine use, and its popularity decreased. The 1920s and 1930s saw a decline in its use, especially after amphetamines became easily available. Cocaine=s popular return beginning in the late 1960s, coincided with the decreased use of amphetamines. Along with the feelings of pleasure comes negative effects. The effects of any drug depend on the amounts taken at one time, the user=s past drug experience, the manner in which the drug is taken, and the circumstances under which the drug is taken.

Karl Poppers Falsifiability Essay -- Scientific Method Science

Karl Popper's Falsifiability Sir Karl Popper's lecture was very thought provoking concerning "where to draw the line." Unlike most people, the validity of the theory was not his concern as much as how that validity is determined. This is an issue that really does not get the attention that it deserves. Popper's claims concerning, "When should a theory be ranked as scientific?" and "Is there a criterion for the scientific character or status of a theory?" seems to be put together in the following summary. At first Popper seems to just be criticizing the integrity of some sciences and/or scientists who nebulously back their vague and general theories with references to observations that may be inconclusive or scanty which they presumably call "scientific method." He cites Freud and Adler's psychological theories, as well as the socio-economic or historical theory or Karl Marx as theories in which "Whatever happens always confirms it." The overarching or oversimplification of these theories which seem to many to be a strength, for Popper was actually a weakness. With theories such as these anything could be interpreted into them (or the theory could be interpreted into the evidece). Thus, Popper came to the conclusion that unless a theory can be proven wrong, it cannot be labeled as scientific. He also claimed that risky predictions should be made and be testable. Also, confirming evidence should not count unless it is an attempt to falsify the theory. Now, Popper's concern the problem of the "logic of science" or the "logical problem of induction." Popper sees induction as having the same basic problem as the overgeneralization principle of the psychological, historic theories, ect. He regards no actual rule of induction ... ...et who is to determine the evidence and theory to determine whether it is ad hoc? More importantly, when interpreting this, no matter who does it, how will you get past induction when interpreting the theory and/or evidence? I seem to hop off the boat when Popper completely throws out induction. Induction may be used loosely, but Popper even quotes Born in saying "valid induction" putting it in the realm of logic (p. 25). I could understand being skeptical of personal inferences, but valid induction seems crucial. This happens to bring up another point. It is the "conjectures: to jump to conclusions--often after one single observation" that he cites as the way science is done (p. 25). Is this not diametrical opposed to his main point that we must be more stringent and not allow people with personal conjectures (like Freud or Marx) to call what they did science? Karl Popper's Falsifiability Essay -- Scientific Method Science Karl Popper's Falsifiability Sir Karl Popper's lecture was very thought provoking concerning "where to draw the line." Unlike most people, the validity of the theory was not his concern as much as how that validity is determined. This is an issue that really does not get the attention that it deserves. Popper's claims concerning, "When should a theory be ranked as scientific?" and "Is there a criterion for the scientific character or status of a theory?" seems to be put together in the following summary. At first Popper seems to just be criticizing the integrity of some sciences and/or scientists who nebulously back their vague and general theories with references to observations that may be inconclusive or scanty which they presumably call "scientific method." He cites Freud and Adler's psychological theories, as well as the socio-economic or historical theory or Karl Marx as theories in which "Whatever happens always confirms it." The overarching or oversimplification of these theories which seem to many to be a strength, for Popper was actually a weakness. With theories such as these anything could be interpreted into them (or the theory could be interpreted into the evidece). Thus, Popper came to the conclusion that unless a theory can be proven wrong, it cannot be labeled as scientific. He also claimed that risky predictions should be made and be testable. Also, confirming evidence should not count unless it is an attempt to falsify the theory. Now, Popper's concern the problem of the "logic of science" or the "logical problem of induction." Popper sees induction as having the same basic problem as the overgeneralization principle of the psychological, historic theories, ect. He regards no actual rule of induction ... ...et who is to determine the evidence and theory to determine whether it is ad hoc? More importantly, when interpreting this, no matter who does it, how will you get past induction when interpreting the theory and/or evidence? I seem to hop off the boat when Popper completely throws out induction. Induction may be used loosely, but Popper even quotes Born in saying "valid induction" putting it in the realm of logic (p. 25). I could understand being skeptical of personal inferences, but valid induction seems crucial. This happens to bring up another point. It is the "conjectures: to jump to conclusions--often after one single observation" that he cites as the way science is done (p. 25). Is this not diametrical opposed to his main point that we must be more stringent and not allow people with personal conjectures (like Freud or Marx) to call what they did science?

ALDI Business expansion through training and development Essay

Aldi (short for Albrecht Discounts) is a globally operating and expanding discount retailer with over 8,000 stores all over the world. The company was founded in 1913 in Germany by two brothers. In 1960 the former Albrecht KG was separated in Aldi Sued and Aldi Nord. The headquarters are located in Essen (Aldi Nord) and Mà ¼lheim an der Ruhr (Aldi Sued). Both companies still have a friendly relation and use the same brands occasionally but operate independently. Aldi Nord operates in Denmark, the Benelux countries, France, the Iberian Peninsula and Poland. Aldi Sued makes its business transactions in countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, USA and Australia. In Austria and Slovenia Aldi is represented by Hofer KG. Overall Aldi is one of the world’s biggest grocery chains. The sales strategy is well known as they offer the opportunity to buy cheap and good/fresh food. The main focus is on key markets in Europe, North Am erica and Australia. Store layouts are simple and opening hours focus especially on the busiest times of the day. The retailer is a specialist in food, beverage and household items but within the years the portfolio was extended. The company acts now among other things for example, as travel agency. Many of the offered products are own brands. The number of other brands is limited to a maximum of two for an item. Therefore it is possible to keep the shops smaller and to sell a larger quantity of a specific brand. The slogan â€Å"Spend a little, live a lot† reflects the strategy of Aldi. In a nutshell to keep prices low they are not taking effort on presenting their variety of goods. Worldwide main competitors of Aldi are Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., METRO AG and Lidl Dienstleistung GmbH & Co. KG. Particular Austrian competitors are Zielpunkt, Norma and Penny. The strategy of the mentioned chains is similar. They are all driving their main business in the food industry as they are primarily competing on price in order to increase their market share. Main customers are bigger families, housewifely people and people with less income. The marketing mix of every business is different. Aldi focusses on providing high quality products that are cheaper alternatives to famous brands. Moreover, the advertising strategy is very simple and cost saving. Apart from a weekly newsletter of  special offers Aldi is not advertising at all. Primarily this low price grocery chains arose due to the increasing population and economic challenges. Therefore it was necessary to construct bigger plants which resulted in fewer and larger firms. This had a negative effect on farmer’s return and all of a sudden people started to concern about the products they were consuming. Aldi was very hard affected by these changes and implemented sustainable products. Now they offer especially in the diary product sector regional goods. Certainly important to mention is the simple organization structure of Aldi. The very flat management hierarchy allows leaders to get their people known. At Aldi managers should be open for new ideas, improvements and it is common to involve all employees in decision making. They represent a philosophy of promoting and supporting talents within the organization. Consequently the performance of each employee is recognized easier. As the responsibility is increasing within promotions it is essential to support a transparent and effective decision making system. Subsequent the discretion of the Aldi organizational chart. On the very top of the management is the Vice President followed by several Directors like Director of Warehousing & Transportation and Director of Administration. The District Managers are directly reporting to the Director of Operations and are leading the individual Store Management Teams. The number of Store Employees is based on the frequency of customer visits. Worth to mention is also financial situation. The revenue of Aldi was not published until 2000. Since 2001, Aldi Nord publishes its numbers in the Federal Gazette. Sales in Germany in 2010 amounted to 22.5 billion euros. Furthermore the worldwide turnover was 52.8 billion euros. Aldi Nord and Aldi Sued are completely family owned. The capital is very solid and Aldi has no liabilities. Aldi Nord owns all logistic centers. Leased objects are increasingly replaced by own objects. Aldi Sued also owns almost all buildings and land but had to borrow money for further expansion properties. So they left the path of total independence. The return on sales constitutes between 3 and 3.7 % in 2010. The core values and principles that the brothers founded are still important for decision making today. These are presented from the management team as follows: Consistency – leads to reliability. We mean what we say. We are consistent in our dealings with  people, product, price and all other aspects of our day to day professional life. Simplicity – creates efficiency, clarity and clear orientation within our organization as well as for our customers. Responsibility – stands for our commitment towards our people, customers, partners and the environment. It also includes principles such as fairness, honesty, openness, service orientation and friendliness. Aldi places great emphasis in efficient human resource development. In the daily sales business they try to keep everything simple and cheap. This can only be realized with an increase of company’s performance. Furthermore it demonstrates how the training and development program ensures that their employees have the required skills. First of all the goal is to identify training needs in order to be prepar ed for the future. It is mandatory to plan both, the number of workers and specific skills and requirements. The company can then recruit new staff and is furthermore able to ensure that training and development programs are ready when needed. Training needs are identified through constant monitoring of the company’s performance. Aldi expands rapidly and therefore it is necessary to recruit more than 4,000 people within the next 12 months. Therefore the retailer follows the strategy to offer industry-leading salaries to make sure that they also attract the best candidates. Clear and detailed job descriptions help the Human Resource Department to find people with the right set of skills and competencies. Moreover there is process of interview and assessment where managers will find out if the applying person fits. After the most suitable candidate is recruited the training period starts. Depending on the position different trainee programs are offered. For example as a district manager you have to participate in a nearly one-year long training. This program is divided into several different phases where knowledge and skills are being strengthened. Furthermore the new recruits learn about the philosophy of Aldi and its expectations of them to make them feel part of the family. The training and development continues throughout the career with internal and external training seminars. Besides the effect of higher business efficiency training can enhance and motivate staff. Promotions are quite encouraging as personal growth and development is very much appreciated and supported. On the one side Aldi expects an immediate contribution to the business but on the other side they provide special trainings to help developing their careers within the company. Over  85% of Aldi Directors are recruited within the company. They start after school or college and work themselves u p into the general management. Additionally, they offer also an international Expatriate program. This is especially for experienced District Managers who want to learn more about the business in an entirely different culture. Aldi is looking for individuals who are willing to develop themselves further. What is more is that Aldi offers an internship of 10 weeks. During this period interns are given real responsibilities and they have the opportunity to show their competencies and skills. This work placement is for students in undergraduate or graduate programs and is well paid. Internships are very common in such big companies as they offer options for both, the company and the intern. The company has the chance to test the employee for a few weeks and can then decide to offer high potentials a permanent position. However, this is also an advantage for temporary employees because they do not have to sign a permanent contract. Furthermore, Aldi uses on-the-job trainings to continue the training of the employees. T his form of education is taking place in the working environment. Skills are improved by dealing with daily challenges and employees get the chance to learn through re-equipment and materials. Another advantage is that feedback is given right after the accomplishment of the task. Besides also Aldi benefits by saving costs as they don not lose working time and a specific training is although provided. In a nutshell, on-the-job training is very economical. There are four different forms of providing on-the-job trainings: Coaching: The trainee will be trained by a senior employee. These coaches are providing instructions to the trainees to improve their knowledge about the daily work processes. Even though coaching is often used wrongly as a synonym for mentoring. Mentoring: Is characterized by a strong communication between the trainee and the mentor. The main role of a mentors is to guide and help the trainee. Additionally communication. Compared to coaching the relationship of these two parties is more personal. Job rotation: Means that employees are moved within different positions just for a planned period of time. As a result they should be able to gain a wider variety of knowledge and learn about the processes in other departments. „Sitting next to Nellieâ€Å": Is a training very special technique where skills are provided by working alongside to a colleague. This method is very popular. It shows much more  efficiently than reading or studying a written documentation. At Aldi the training follows the principle â€Å"tell, show, do†. First of all the process is explained by the manager followed by a demonstration. Subsequently the trainee has to conduct the task and the manager observes. All kind of positions follow this structure. Prospective area managers get the possibility to become acquainted with different departments. Thus the trainees understand how each department and processes relates to each other. In the trainee period of one year they are supported from an area manager and they get the possibility to represent the branch manager for four to six weeks. In addition to on-the-job trainings Aldi provides off-the-job trainings as well. As indicated, these trainings are taking place away from work. Whereas on-the-job training is very specific, off-the-job training transfers more general skills which are transferable and therefore can be used in many parts of the company. Aldi uses this kind of development for courses covering: Hiring Techniques: Recruitment, interviewing and selection Employment law Influencing skills Performance reviews (appraisals) Aldi Management System (how to develop and performance manage people) Off-the-job training shows positive outcomes like motivated staff and greater staff productivity. Moreover it provides employees with better skills and Aldi profits from improved customer service. Beside these positive aspects it must be admitted that off-the-job training creates higher payroll costs. These additional costs are shown in payments for the trainings organization, the training itself and absenteeism which has to be covered from other employees. Aldi decides whether on-the-job or off-the-job training is more suitable for the given aspect of training. In general the different internal and external training seminars accompany employees through their whole career. Aldi defines learning and growth as a career-long process where there is always an opportunity for more. An example for the combination of internal and external training is Aldi’s apprentice scheme. Beside the regular apprenticeship the trainees are studying for an NVQ (national vocational qualification) in Retail Apprenticeship. When the traineeship ends after 3 years the apprentices  gained Level 3 – advanced qualification. Due to the growth of Aldi, trainees have good opportunities to be promoted. Fully trained have the possibility to acquire a position as a deputy manager or assistant store manager. The next step on their career ladder is to become a store manager. All these forms of training provide employees with work-related knowledge and skills that are needed to carry out their jobs. Besides on-the-job and off-the-job training there is another possibility to educate the employees of a company. Development is similar to training as it supports personal growth and improves skills which are directly related to the job. Furthermore, employees gain qualifications and which results in a higher value in the job market. At first glance it looks as if companies do not benefit from development, but they do in every way. Beyond employees can be used more flexible. Additionally they are able to take over more responsibility. Moreover, people are considered to be an important member of the business. Hence, the company cares about the performance and capabilities of employees, which enhances motivation. Aldi is greatly aware that further development of employees increases the change of losing high potentials. Due to better knowledge people are more likely to leave as other companies often promise better career objectives. Nevertheless Aldi is conscious of this risk but in order to remain competitive they prefer to invest in human capital. As this food retailer has a lot of subsidiaries it is possible to offer its employees relocation to different international countries. This helps to develop all-round expert ise and motivation. At first, strengths and weaknesses of each employee need to be identified. Next step is to help them to improve their skills. To support this process Aldi launched an appraisal form. In this special system the manager and the employee evaluate the past and current performance. According to this process it is easier to decide which development is necessary or useful for the individual. A very important procedure is also the personal goal setting. At Aldi managers and employees work very close together to find the right targets. The discounter also tries to attract especially university students. Students have the possibility to prove their theoretical knowledge during a one year long working experience. They enjoy the first time to be part of a company. Moreover Aldi benefits greatly from this system. If the students are doing well they usually get a permanent job offer. In this  case no further recruiting process is needed and subsequent time and money can be saved. In a nutshell Aldi puts great emphasis on training and development. Even though the company does not have a human resource department, it is rewarded with number 6 in â€Å"The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2013†. 85% of all directors have been recruited within the company this shows that the firm has a strong policy for internal recruitment. So promotion is permitted to every employee. Another factor of success is that staff is recruited from schools or colleges. The appropriate on- or off-the-job training guarantees that recruits are well-trained and lays the foundation of the employees’ careers. The retailer’s global competitor Wal-Mart has a similar training and development strategy. Wal-Mart uses a training and development system inspired by Nike. The difference to Aldi is the e-training process, which is a web-based training concentrating on selling skills and product knowledge. Besides all these positive aspects some valuations of former employees on the internet tell another story. Zeit online reports that discounters like Aldi are fallen into disrepute and try to clear their names as good employers with training and development offers. On the one hand former employees are largely satisfied with Aldi’s further development, but on the other hand they claim that the promised prospects for promotions and career are rare. To guarantee that every employee gets equal career development opportunities, we would suggest a development account like Fraport AG uses. Fraport is the operator of the airport Frankfurt and organizes staff development with the so called Q-Card (qualification card). The Q-Card is a credit account for further development, which gives each of the 13,000 employees the chance to redeem â‚ ¬ 600 per annum for personal development. If the development credit is not consumed, it expires on their own responsibility. All in all, Aldi has an effective way to train and develop staff. Open communication of the career prospects brings orientation for recruits and employees. The flat management hierarchy combined with career possibilities enables the staff to take over responsibility. Training ensures well-trained employees and promotion is open to all staff. In respect of staff development Aldi deservers number 6 of the 100 Graduate Employers 2013. Primarily, people associate Aldi with cheap products, but hardly anyone knows that they care about their employees especially in staff development. (2739 words) Reference List: http://www.aldi.com/?aldiurl=true https://corporate.aldi.co.uk/en/responsibility/our-people/everyone-achieving-their-best/ https://www.hofer.at/ http://www.aldi.de/