Strategic analysis of Pepsi Co.

Strategic analysis of Pepsi Co. Strategic Analysis: PepsiCos Restaurant Business Divestment Introduction In 1997, Pepsi Co announced that it would spin-off its restaurant business into a separate publicly traded company through issuance of tax free new stocks. The argument put forward by the PepsiCo top management was that the firm would like to concentrate on its core carbonated beverage business. It would be complemented by the high profit yielding snack foods division of Frito Lays. The figures below for FY 96, show that the restaurant business contributed the least to the profits earned by PepsiCo conglomerate. This was largely attributed to the sluggish growth in this segment. PepsiCo was compelled to take the divestment route to boost its stock price and somewhat mollify the investors, analysts and the markets in general. I believe the new restaurant company will be a powerful organization with great potential. For the separated companies, independence would make them far more capable of improving their operations to create solid, sustainable growth. PepsiCo emphasized that it already has taken steps to prepare its chains for independence, including consolidating their payroll, accounting, purchasing, data processing, construction and real-estate functions as well as unifying foreign operations under a single management team. Franchisees willing to comment on the spin-off gave upbeat assessments of the deal. David Adelman, restaurant analyst at Dean Witter Reynolds predicted that Intangible boon to the spun-off restaurant company would be greater pride of ownership. Its managers could be inspired by a more direct compensation correlation between what the company earns and their rewards. Larry Walker, controller for Holland Foods Inc., a 17-unit KFC franchisee in Texarkana, Texas, said that, after the spin-off, These separate companies will have a clearer direction. PepsiCos been a conglomeration; you get confused when you try to run that many businesses. Besides TGI would benefit from certain advantages once it is spun off from PepsiCo Sound commercial credit rating High cash flow contribution from franchising fees and royalties Strong asset base in its real estate portfolio and ownership of nearly 13000 restaurants Pepsi did not transfer any of its $9.5 billion outstanding debt to the new company Tricon Global International (TGI) Tricon Global International (TGI) is the holding company for the three restaurant brands of PepsiCo Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Taco Bell Pizza Hut It owns, franchises or licenses the 29,000 worldwide branches of the three chains, whose worldwide sales exceeded $20 billion in FY 96 and was second only to $32 billion sales of McDonalds. The newly formed entity TGI would also be the worlds largest chain in terms of the number of outlets under its management, with around 29000 units. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Kentucky Fried Chicken was started in 1939 in Corbin, Kentucky. After ownership changed hands through the decades, it was finally acquired by PepsiCo in 1986 and rechristened as KFC. KFC primarily offers fried chicken recipes of which the iconic one is the Original Recipe prepared with secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. It was devised by the restaurant chain founder, Colonel Harlan Sanders. It later started to complement the mainstay product with add-ons like bread, potatoes, gravy, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages and also offered non-fried chicken dishes. The food is prepared and delivered on made-to-order basis, as and when customers place orders. KFC is the market leader in chicken QSR with 55% of the market share in the US in 1997. As of 1997, KFC operates 10397 outlets in 79 countries. In the US, KFC operates 5120 outlets either through franchises or through licensees. TGI is aggressively developing non-traditional outlets like educational campus, airports etc, where it expects to realize significant revenue that would reinforce sales from traditional outlets. KFC also has a significant international presence, with its major markets as below Taco Bell Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell in 1962 in Downey, California. It gradually grew into a restaurant chain specializing in Mexican food with a pan-American outlet network. The chain was acquired by PepsiCo in 1978 and made a part of its restaurant chain. Taco Bell offers typical Mexican food like tacos, burritos, salads and nachos. The delivery is done after preparation of the order placed by the customer. As of 1997, it was the dominant player in the Mexican fast food category, commanding 72 % share of the US market. Pizza Hut Pizza Hut was started in 1958 by Frank and Dan Carney in Wichita, Kansas. At the time of its debut, pizza parlors dedicated outlets for pizza was unheard of, and the concept soon caught up across the US. Business expanded, even went overseas (starting with Canada) and PepsiCo finally took over the firm in 1977, to make it an integral part of it restaurant division. The main offerings are pizzas, appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages. Pizzerias prepare the food after the customer places the order while express counters serve readymade pan pizzas. Future Roadmap TGI would adopt the following strategy to re-invigorate the erstwhile restaurant business of Pepsi The top priority was to addresses the high employee turnover endemic to the industry. To accomplish this goal, Tricon gave each Restaurant General Manager (RGM) a one-time, $20,000 stock option grant called YUMBUCKS. This plan provided an opportunity to earn even more options based on the RGMs restaurant performance, along with a unique program to recognize outstanding restaurant teamwork. Through product innovation, advertisement, promotions and customer service, TGI would aim to increase same store sales growth. Tricon also would combine the three brands within single restaurants in an effort to give customers more choice under the same roof and increase the chance of a share of their wallet. By working closely with top-performing franchisees and company operators, TGI would seek more effective ways to bring down costs. To leverage economies of scale, TGI purchases its food, paper goods and equipment for all its U.S. restaurants through a $4 billion cooperative. The company also uses new technologies that simplify operations and improve service time. Tricon would focus on reducing complexity and redundancy, general and administrative expenses. In this regard, company leaders and franchisees from all three brands would meet to discuss Tricons one-system approach, share best practices and explore bundled brand expansion opportunities. Tricon would try to enhance shareholder value by investing in high return restaurant units and exiting persistently low return units. Besides there would be added focus on sales margin growth, reducing redundancies and well thought out expansion plans. PepsiCo has decided to align itself with a different strategy where its restaurant business would not fit into the scheme of things. Restaurant business is more management-intensive and labor-centric compared to the beverage or snack food distribution business. PepsiCos core strength is in marketing and distribution. It would be best put into effect in the other two divisions where it has historically yielded good returns. However the incompatibility between the requirements of restaurant business and PepsiCos capabilities was pulling down the performance of Pepsi stocks and causing much angst to the investors and markets alike. PepsiCo realized that the food-service business is becoming increasingly competitive with a large number of established players. Growth has started to plateau in the domestic market which is not helping to increase the groups revenues. While other players mostly standalone, were aggressively pursuing overseas markets, TGI association with PepsiCo was not helping matters. There was bureaucratic delays and large lead time in decision making, being a division of a conglomerate. PepsiCo could not tap into the fountain-dispensed soft drinks business, long dominated by Coke. It was partly due to Cokes monopolistic actions by which it did not allow food service distributors to deal with Pepsi. Food service distributors provide broad variety of consumable supplies like food, drinks, paper etc to restaurant chains, movie theaters etc. Also PepsiCos ownership of food chains did not allow it to effectively pitch for fountain service business with firms which were essentially its rivals in food business. In the light of these, PepsiCo decided to concentrate only on business where its core strengths could be leveraged. Thus the renewed and exclusive focus on beverages and snack food segment which would entail divestiture of the restaurant business. In the light of the above developments, it would be important to deliberate on the decision and its impact through different aspects of strategic management perspective External Environment Analysis The external environment can be further classified as General environment Industry environment Competitive landscape The analysis of the competitive landscape for TGI starts with an overview of the food beverage segment. The food services sector in the US can be classified based on the mode of distribution Full-service restaurant Limited-service/Quick-service restaurant (QSR) Cafeteria Snack non-alcoholic beverage bar Food service contractor Caterer Mobile food service Alcoholic drinking establishment In addition to this, there is considerable overlap with other business which act as non-traditional distribution centers and dispense food beverage service Grocery or convenience stores Gasoline filling stations Supermarkets Educational establishment Business Level Strategy PepsiCo has followed a differentiation strategy at the business level due to the following reasons The wide portfolio of products including carbonated beverages and snack foods help it reach out to a vast demography among the customer base. The assortment of choices enables various customers to meet their refreshment demands through PepsiCo products of their preference. PepsiCo is a global company with operations in several countries. In order to obtain a share of wallet of consumers in different regions, it must provide products that are tuned to the tastes and preferences, prevalent in those local regions. This also explains the rationale behind having variety of products so that buyers perceive value for money through their preferred brands. PepsiCo operates in a duopoly market competing with Coke only. It need not adopt a cost leadership strategy as both the cola majors take price signals from each other and adjust markup prices accordingly, to retain market share and revenue. There has rarely been an all-out price war between the two which would have ultimately bled both to huge losses. This allows both players to compete on the basis of differentiated products targeted at a wider and more diverse customer base TGI on the other hand needs to follow an integrated cost-leadership and differentiation strategy due to the nature of the industry it operated in Dining is a higher involvement activity compared to purchasing cola or snacks. While rest of PepsiCos business required more of a product marketing approach, the restaurant group was more of service business. Differentiation is the key in such a scenario to attract customers. Variety in terms of menu options, ambience etc leads to higher footfalls. Also the local divisions in foreign countries need to be geared up to cater to the local needs. Unlike a duopoly in cola segment, restaurant business has many established competitors. This has led to pressure on the price front resulting in reduced margins. To stay competitive, all players have to minimize cost and pass on the benefit or risk losing customers. As evident from the discussion above, the business level strategy for cola snacks divisions and that of the restaurant division are divergent. PepsiCo would have conflict in its day to day operations as well as long-term planning while trying to manage the requirements of the business. Corporate Level Strategy PepsiCo has been trying to adopt a corporate level strategy of related linked diversification due to the following reasons The cola and the snack food business would lead to synergy in the corporate activities. While beverages could be mass produced in bottling plants, separate and dedicated manufacturing facilities for snack foods would be required. The raw materials would also be procured through different routes. The ingredients of cola would primarily be water, sugar and chemicals and plastic or glass bottles. These could be obtained freely or from institutional suppliers like sugar mills, bottle manufacturers etc. The inputs for snack foods would be farmed vegetables sourced through the contract farming route. In spite of the diverse operational requirements of both the business, there exists ample opportunity to leverage the core competencies of PepsiCo for both type of products marketing muscle and wide distribution network. Both the products could be marketed by sharing the expertise within the divisions and the reach could be extended using the superior supply chain and logistics arrangements of PepsiCo. Such a synergy would not benefit the restaurant business. It not only has operational divergence with the soft drinks and snack foods business, but also the core competencies of PepsiCo in marketing and distribution cannot be meaningfully transferred. More of a service orientation is required for the restaurant division apart from managing disparate supply chain, large base of fixed assets especially real estate. The human resource perspective would also be different as in managing workers who are service providers rather than working in production lines. On the other hand, TGI would need to follow a corporate level strategy of dominant business The mainstay would be restaurant business and each of the constituent brands can leverage the common pool of resources of the company. Existing real estate, previously being utilized by a single brand, can be shared among the others to focus on new store growth. The supply chain can be streamlined through coordination with logistics providers to reduce redundancy in operations. Suppliers can be managed in an integrated manner to reduce costs through economies of scale. This can be achieved by consolidating the procurement process of the restaurant brands with TGI. The business can be consolidated by working with top performing franchises to improve efficiency and drive shareholder value. Conclusion The above mentioned facts and ensuing analysis of PepsiCos strategic decision to divest its stake in TGI, point to a few aspects that stand out. The restaurant business is a dominant player in all the QSR categories it operates in sandwich, pizza and chicken. There are also ample growth opportunities in overseas markets though the US domestic market is gradually maturing and growth is slowing down there. Pepsis core competencies in marketing distribution do not fit well with the requirements of a service-oriented business like QSR. Also PepsiCo would like to pursue customers with differentiated products across a broad portfolio like beverages, snack foods, health energy drinks etc. To this effect it would like to bring synergy in its manufacturing and customer reach for all products. This would necessitate diversifying into related categories and focus on growth in these. TGI on the other hand, has to not only to offer differentiated service to its customer, but also needs to compete on the cost front more vigorously. The business of TGI is such that it is concentrated in the food service sector and there is not much scope or rationale for diversification. This would lead to loss of focus and much ground would be lost to the competitors. There is evidently some incompatibility in the operational as well as corporate strategy of PepsiCo and TGI. This would hamper the prospects of both the groups in the long run and seriously undermine the global growth prospects of TGI which is so critical at this point of time. That the divestment decision was well thought and done with lot of foresight, was vindicated by the more than average returns of both PepsiCo and TGI shares thereafter. Pepsi was able to arrest the slide in its margin and seriously challenge its rival -Coke in many emerging markets like South Asia, Eastern Europe etc. TGI on the other hand was able to maintain its dominant position in the QSR and also increase its global footprint substantially

The Black Cat Essay -- essays research papers fc

A Glimpse Into the World of 'The Black Cat';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who have read any of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories know that most of them are full of suspense and mystery and that they efflict a feeling of horror and shock upon the reader. Poe studies the mind, and is conscious of the abnormalities of his narrators and he does not condone the intellectual expedient through which they strive, only too earnestly, to justify themselves. He enters the field of the starkly, almost clinically realistic investigation of men who, although they may feel uneasy about their mental states when their tension lets up, are too far gone to understand their mania, let alone to control it (Gargano 171). His stories usually have a horrible murder theme in which there is a obsessive narrator and they follow the development of the theme step by step with a realism that, barring with genius, might case a history from the twentieth-century psychiatry. This could not be presented more clearly than in 'The Black Cat';. Those who may deny realism to Poe cannot be very familiar with our daily newspapers, which periodically carry true stories of murders committed under just abnormal psychological pressures as those described in 'The Black Cat'; (Buranelli 76). This story begins with the narrator ,who is about to be hung, confessing what he has done in some type of repention for his soul. The narrator step by step describes how he began drinking and then to neglect his dearly beloved cat and his wife. One day when he is maddened by the actions of the cat, he cuts out its eye and later kills the cat by hanging it. After his house burns down and he has lost all he owned he finds a new cat resembling all to well the first. One day while working with his wife in the cellar he is nearly tripped down the stairs by the cat, he then picks up an axe and tries to kill it but his swing is intercepted by his wife and he instead strikes her and kills her instantly. He conceals the body but then when the police come, he in a mocking manner taps the wall in which she is buried and reveals to the police what he has done(Poe). In Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat,'; his use of point of view, symbolism, foreshadowing, and theme all combine with what he calls 'a series of mere household events'; to show how the narrator is driven into madness (Poe 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tol... ...uld have not got the full effect that Poe was trying to convey, which is that just about anyone can be driven into madness and that the narrator in this story is not very different from any other person. Works Cited Buranelli, Vincent. Edgar Allan Poe: Second Edition. Boston: Twanyne Publishers, 1977. 76-77. Davidson, Edward H. Poe: A Critical Study. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1957. 190. Gargano, James W. 'The Question of Poe's Narrators.'; POE: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Robert Regan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1967. 169-171. Hoffman, Daniel. Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1972. May, Charles E. Edgar Allan Poe: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991. 78. Poe, Edgar Allan. 'The Black Cat.'; Ed. Martha Womack. n.page.online. Internet 29 July. 1998. Available http://www.poedecoder.com./Qrisse/works/blackcat.html. Prinsky, Norman. 'The Black Cat.'; Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magil. Vol. 1. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1986. 231-34. Womack, Martha. 'Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat.''; n.page.Online. Internet. 2 August 1998. Available http: //www.poedecoder.com/essays/blackcat.

International: Economics and Australia

A PESTEL analysis of the Australian market Australia is the 15th richest nation in per capita terms and is the 6th oldest continuously functioning democracy in the world. Australia has the 14th biggest overall economy in the world and the 9th biggest economy. Australia’s economy is open and innovative. Over the past decade solid productivity gains have been accompanied by low inflation and interest rates. Also Australia has low barrieirs to trade and investment .Australia foreign and trade policies promote the security and long term prosperity of Australia in a global context. Australia’s economy is highly susceptible to the impact of climate change. In 2008 the Australian Government committed to create an organization called â€Å"Infrastructure Australia† to provide a new national approach to planning ,implementing and funding the nations future. Being a safe, stable and prosperous country Australia is an increasingly attractive hub for international and region al business and business operations.According to recent survey it can be said that Australia’s economic success in the last century was based on its abundant agricultural, mineral and fuels resources. Numerous factors have contributed to this development Informations and communications technology is a key driver in economic growth,other factors such as advances in travel,exchanging of ideas,broader accces to standards to educations etc have also contributed to this success. Australia’s ICT market is worth an estimated $89 billion with more almost 25,000 companies employing 236000 IT specialists Political environmentIn Australia, it is a liberal-capitalistic democracy. The state keeps interfering substantially in the economy through the use of various roles; for instance the parliament might decide to set up importation taxes aimed to protect the national economy, or it might create environmental protection laws aimed to protect the natural heritage of the country. This affects international business because when taxes keep varying and increasing especially there will be an impact on the economy which in turn will affect the exchange rates and currency rate.Also according to the present situation as mentioned in The Australian Financial Review 2010: there is  fear that the hung parliament will negatively affect the economy. Australia's rate of economic growth slowed down between July and September as the high value of the Australian dollar dug into export earnings. The country's gross domestic product rose just 0. 2% during the third quarter period, down from growth of 1. 1% between April and June. Analysts deduced that Australian consumers were also hit by higher interest rates. However, the Australian economy is set to continue to grow, led by demand from China for its raw materials.According to Michael Blythe, chief economist at the Commonwealth Bank, the latest economic growth figure was a â€Å"disappointing outcome . Since Australia is he lped by its vast exports of iron ore and other raw materials, it has avoided recession for 19 years. One of the country's largest iron ore producers is the Anglo-Australian group Rio Tinto, which is increasing production, has announced $7. 2bn in new investment in the region since July 2010. According to surveys Australia's economy continued to gather pace in March as world demand for commodities boosted the nation's coffers.However due to recent uncertainty from the European debt crisis could lower expectations of economic growth in the future. Economic Environment Australia is an island continent in the Southern Hemisphere, lying between Antarctica and Asia. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean to the west; the Timor, Arafura, and Coral Seas to the north; the Pacific Ocean to the east; and the Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean to the south. In other words its placement is a added advantage to business because when it comes to export and import, Australia is like a commuting place.Much of the continent is low, flat, and dry. The area of the continent is 2. 97 million square miles and the population is roughly 20 million Due to the harsh physical environment has encouraged people to remain close to the fertile coastal areas as a result urban and rural dwellers articulate different economic and social interests. Personal home ownership is a common goal, and the nation has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world. Therefore architecture and real estate business has a good scope in Australia.Australians are among the world leaders in fast-food consumption, fast food outlets are a plenty, beverages snacks and fast food companies have a recognized name in Australia and other countries because Australian chefs are known worldwide for their â€Å"fusion cuisine† Australia is a major regional financial centre and a vital cog in the global financial system. The Australian Stock exchange and the Sydney Futures exchange merged in 2006 to form the worldâ₠¬â„¢s 8th largest listed exchange. Australia has one of the highest percentages of shareholders in the world.Share market is one of the main aspects in international business and since the amount of people who invest in shares in Australia is high international business is also promoted really well. Trade has always been a vital component in Australia’s economic prosperity. The hallmarks of its trading success have been strong infrastructure and stable institutions. A skilled workforce, rich resources and a good agricultural base are added benefits. The goods and services tax (GST) is levied at 10 percent and applies to almost all goods and services transactions across the economy. Besides that there is only a flat corporate tax of 30 percent.When there was little scope for industrial or commercial enterprises, the pastoral industry became a key force in economic development. In particular, growth in the wool advanced rest of the economy. Gold surpassed wool as the nation's m ajor export in the 1850s and 1860s, resulting in a rapid expansion of banking and commerce. A move toward privatization at the state and commonwealth levels of government has been gaining momentum since the early 1980s. Some states, such as Victoria, have embraced this move much more than others have. Australia is highly integrated into the global capitalist economy.The economy is strong in the service sector in relation to goods-producing industries which include agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacturing, construction, and energy. It contributed around 31 percent of gross domestic product during the mid-1990s, whereas on the other hand the services industries contributed 60 percent. Goods-producing industries provided around a quarter of employment, with the rest provided by service industries. In 1996 and 1997, manufacturing was the most significant sector. In 1996 and 1997, manufacturing was the most significant sector.Another major contributor was the property and bu siness services industry. Primary industries in mining and agriculture are of key economic importance. The development of large mines in some remote regions has been associated with the establishment of towns and increased employment. In order of economic significance, Australia's current major trading partners include the United States, Japan, China, United Kingdom, , and New Zealand. Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of wool, meat, and wheat. Australia is a major supplier of sugar, dairy products, fruits, cotton, and rice.The above being the export of Australia the imports are passenger motor vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and crude petroleum oils. Australia is increasingly shifting toward an information economy that relies on a high-skill base. Thus, the workers most at risk of unemployment are laborers, factory workers, and those who learn their skills on the job. Highly skilled managers, medical practitioners, teachers, computer professionals, and elect ricians have the lowest risk of unemployment. Social environment Australia is a nation officially committed to ethnic and racial inclusiveness.For much of the nation's history, there has been a focus on assimilating different cultural groups into the dominant British Australian traditions. Australia is a collectivity of diverse peoples living in a relatively young society. However, the divisions within the nation continue to find expression in public life, arising from social differences in race, ethnicity, social class, and gender. Although the impact of environmental variation is highly evident in the traditional cultures of indigenous Australians, it has not been as strong a factor in immigrant cultures.The most significant lifestyle differences are affected primarily by variations in climate. Australia has six states ,Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, and two territories ,the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territo ry, majority of the population lives in urban areas around the coast. . The dominant language since colonization has been English, with little multi-lingualism among the majority population. Australia’s culture can be more likely said to be cosmopolitan.Factors that have shaped the national culture include the early small female population relative to that of men, which is said to have laid the foundations for a widespread ideology of mateship. The involvement of Australian and New Zealand troops in World War I has been characterized as the symbolic birth of the nation. Australia is a modern trading nation and it is a diversified and reliable supplier of high quality goods and services to over 200 countries with a sophisticated import market for products from all over the world.The main reason for all this is the due to Australia’s dynamic and efficient sea and air ports along the extensive coastline which allows massive amounts of iron ore, coal and array of other nat ural resources to be shipped. Technological Environment; The benefits of e-commerce to the economy in terms of reduced costs, higher quality, new products and larger markets are significant highlights in a country’s international business. Recent surveys show an increase in national output, real investment, consumption, real wages and employment.Australia is one of the world’s most connected countries, estimated revenues of business-to-business e-commerce in Australia for 2000 was over US$2. 3 billion, ranking higher than Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. Regions or regionally based businesses are more likely to succeed in the global market if they are major investors in new technology, export focused and competent in the use of IT and e-commerce. Mobile banking. Information and communications technology is a key driver of Australia’s strong economic growth and innovation. Based on this technology is most of Australia’s high budget business.Si nce in today’s world time factor is one of the most important factors in man’s life and time management is one of the key factors that most business magnets fail. Information technology is like a boon to all these people because it does half the work a particular individual has to do, man power is substantially balanced whereas if a man had to do each and every thing in a international business it would take ages for him to get through to all of that. For eg†¦In Australia and most European countries computerized systems are looming up in supermarkets, petrol stations, malls, banks etc.The technological background in Australia is one of its advantages when it comes to international business according to reports and business publications. Internet and e-commerce have boosted the international competitiveness of Australian businesses. Many Australian firms are now using internet technology to expand into new foreign markets, almost all of the enterprises are increasi ngly using e-commerce because it only requires low overheads and comparatively less initial outlay of capital but leading to a fast turnover on investment.According to surveys about 94 per cent of large businesses and 60 per cent of medium businesses in Australia had a website in 2006, while there was over 37 per cent of online purchase in all types of business. The percentage of all businesses receiving orders online in the same period was 21 per cent. In 2006–07, out of the 11. 3 million people who accessed the internet in Australia, 61 per cent used the internet to for online purchase or to order goods and services. Income for Australian business from internet increased from $24. 3 billion in 2002-03 to $56. billion in 2005-06 Legal Background Australian assistance gives priority to law enforcement, intelligence cooperation,transport security ,legal frameworks,countering terrorist financing and preventing terrorists access to nuclear materials. Australia has a sound and pr actical structure of financial regulations and institutions that provides certainty for business and is open to investment without undue delay. This is a advantage when it comes to international business because it makes investors more comfortable in relying and in turn make large investments.Even for investors and businessmen from other countries Australia’s business law is flexible and makes the procedure of opening up a business simple and easy to achieve for one and all. There is a strong, transparent governance system along with business oriented regulation and insolvency regimes. According to the World Bank a new business can be established in Australia within two days compared with an average of 20 days in most of the other countries. Need an essay? You can  buy essay help  from us today! IntroductionThe country analysis report on Australia provides a wide array of analytical inputs to analyze the country’s performance, and the objective is to help the reade r to make business decisions and prepare for the future. The report on Australia analyzes the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) structure of Australia. The report provides a holistic view of Australia from historical, current and future perspective. Insightful analysis on critical current and future issues is presented through detailed SCPT (strengths, challenges, prospects and threats /risks) analysis for each of the PESTLE segments.In addition, the PESTLE segments are supplemented with relevant quantitative data to support trend analysis. The PESTLE country analysis report series provides an in-depth analysis of 50 major countries. Features and Benefits – Understanding gained from the country analysis report on Australia can be used to plan business investments or market entry apart from a holistic view of the country. – Political section on Australia provides inputs about the political system, key figures in the country, an d governance indicators. Economic section on Australia outlines the economic story of the country to provide a balanced assessment on core macro-economic issues. – Social section on Australia enables understanding of customer demographics through the income distribution, rural-urban segmentation and centers of affluence, healthcare and educational scenario in the country. – Technological section on Australia provides strategic inputs on information communications and technology, technological laws and policies, technological gaps, patents data and relevant laws. Legal section on Australia provides information about the legal structure, corporate laws, business set-up procedures and the tax regime. – Environmental section provides information on environmental policies in Australia and the performance in terms of important environmental indicators. Highlights PESTLE analysis of Australia identifies issues that affect the country’s performance through the pr ism of current strengths (strengths), current challenges (weaknesses), future prospects (opportunities) and future risks (threats). The political landscape discusses the evolution of the political scenario in Australia in different periods.The economic, social, foreign and defense policies are considered in the political landscape section. It also discusses the performance of the country as per World Bank Governance Indicators. The economic landscape describes the evolution of the economy of Australia in different periods. It also examines the country’s performance in terms of GDP growth, composition by sector (agriculture, industry and services), fiscal situation, international investment position, monetary situation, credit disbursement, banking sector and employment.The economic landscape also explains the financial system in the country, especially with regard to financial authorities/regulators. The social landscape covers the demographics, education and healthcare scena rio in Australia. The social welfare policies of the government along with the country’s performance in terms of healthcare, income distribution and education are also provided. The technological landscape discusses the structure and policies in terms of Intellectual property, research & development, technology agreements/pacts; and policies related to the promotion of technology in Australia.The legal landscape examines the structure of the judicial system, legislation affecting businesses, tax regulations, labor laws, trade regulations and corporate governance in Australia. The environmental landscape in Australia discusses the environmental regulations and policies of the country. The performance of the country in terms of in terms of environmental indicators and impact of environmental policies is also examined. â€Å"The Australian economy grew at a CAGR of more than 3% a year during 1991–2008, but then slumped to 1. 3% in 2009. The economy was unaffected by the global slowdown in 2001, and grew at a significant rate of 2. %. The economic growth rate did not significantly decline even when the country was hit by the worst drought in its history in 2003, as it dropped from 3. 6% in 2002 to 3. 5% in 2003. The buoyant growth was driven by sound macroeconomic policies and fiscal prudence. The growth rate increased to 3. 8% in 2007 from 3. 0% in 2006. However, the growth momentum decelerated to 2. 3% in 2008 because of the global financial slowdown, and then slowed further to 1. 3% in 2009. Following this, 2010 saw the economy rebound with growth of 3. 0%. According to Datamonitor's forecast, the economy is expected to grow by 3. 5% in 2011. â€Å"Your key questions answered – What is the outlook in terms of political stability, policies towards businesses, external front and popularity of government in Australia? – What is the economic performance of Australia in terms of GDP growth, fiscal situation, international investment pos ition, monetary situation, credit disbursement, and employment among other economic indicators? – What is the performance of Australia in terms of healthcare, income distribution and education? – What is the performance of Australia in technology intensive sectors like telecommunications and information technology, patents and R&D expenditure trends? What is the legal structure in Australia and are the laws conducive for investment? – What is the performance of Australia in terms of environmental indicators and impact of environmental policies? ————————————————- How to Create a Pestle Analysis Template 15DEC The  PESTLE analysis  is the analysis of the environment as a whole in which abusiness  operates or tends to offer its trade. These are systematic factors that are beyond ones control and businesses need to chart out strategies keeping the re sults in view to peacefully coexist and keep on gaining revenues despite the concurrent situation.It is of utmost importance to understand in depth the meaning of  PESTLE  and how every letter of the acronym represents an important aspect of the environment your business is in. PESTLE stands for: * P for Political * E for Economic * S for Social * T for Technological * L for Legal * E for Environmental The political factors account for all the political activities that go on within a country and if any external force might tip the scales in a certain way. They analyze the political temperament and the policies that a government may put in place for some effect.For example, the fiscal policy, trade tariffs and taxes are those things that a government levies on traders and organizations and they greatly alter the revenue that is earned by those companies. The economic factors take into view the economic condition prevalent in the country and if the global economic scenarios might make it shift or not. These include the inflation rates, foreign exchange rates, interest rates etc. All these can affect the supply and demand cycle and can result in major changes of the business environment. Social factors have to do with the social mindset of the people that live in a certain country.This sums up the aspect of culture, age demographics, gender and its related stereotypes, at times this analysis has to include the religious factors (when pertaining to products or services of a different kind). Technological factors take into consideration the rate at which technology is advancing and how much integration does a company needs to have with it. Legal factors have to do with all the legislative and procedural components in an economy. Also, this takes into account certain standards that your business might have to meet in order to start production/promotion.Environmental factors have to do with geographical locations and other related environmental factors that may i nfluence upon the nature of the trade you’re in. For example, agri-businesses hugely depend on this form of analysis. PESTLE analysis template This is a  template  that allows a company to understand what basics are required to conduct the analysis onto the environment. It combines all the representative factors in one table, and then you need to analyze based on the current market situation. Here is a comprehensive list of headings that one must look toward while carrying out the analysis on a market. . Political factors: * Trading policies * Government changes * Shareholder and their demands * Funding, * Governmental leadership * Lobbying * Foreign pressures * Conflicts in the political arena 2. Economic factors: * Disposable income * Unemployment level * Foreign exchange rates * Interest rates * Trade tariffs * Inflation rate * Foreign economic trends * General taxation issues * Taxation changes specific to product/services * Local economic situation and trends 3. Soci al factors: * Ethnic/religious factors * Advertising scenarios * Ethical issues * Consumer buying patterns Major world events * Buying access * Shifts in population * Demographics * Health * Consumer opinions and attitudes * Views of the media * Law changes affecting social factors * Change in Lifestyle * Brand preferences * Working attitude of people * Education * Trends * History 4. Technological factors: * Technological development * Research and development * Trends in global technological advancements * Associated technologies * Legislations in technological fields * Patents * Licensing * Access into the technological field * Consumer preferences * Consumer buying trends Intellectual property and its laws * How mature a certain technology is * Information technology * Communication 5. Legal factors: * Employment law * Consumer protection * Industry-specific regulations * Competitive regulations * Current legislation home market * Future legislation * Regulatory bodies and their processes * Environmental regulations 6. Environmental factors: * Ecological * Environmental issues * International * National * Stakeholder/ investor values * Staff attitudes * Management style * Environmental regulations * Customer values * Market value

Indian Tea Industry Essay Example

Indian Tea Industry Essay Example Indian Tea Industry Essay Indian Tea Industry Essay Indian tea industry: A SWOT analysis Strong domestic market Monojit Dasgupta With tea prices rising, the tea industry is on the upswing again after several years and the expectation is that the trend will persist. But the industry is not without its challenges. The following is the SWOT analysis. Strengths The diverse agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the tea growing areas of India lend themselves to the production of a wide range of teas – black, (CTC, orthodox), green teas and organic teas. A one-stop-shop for high quality specialty teas e. g. Darjeeling, Assam, orthodox, high range Nilgiris, etc. Strong production base with 75 per cent of the production being accounted for by organised sector covering 1,600 gardens owned by nearly 1,100 entities. Competent managerial manpower. Strong research backing from well established research institutions. Availability of modernised and upgraded manufacturing facilities. Labour welfare laws protecting workmen. Emerging small grower sector with young plantation profiles. Availability of training facilities for plantation managers, supervisory staff and workers for continuous upgradation of their skills. Strong domestic market – by accounting for nearly 80 per cent of production offering demand cushion for the tea industry. Weaknesses Old age of the tea bushes – nearly 38 per cent have crossed the economic threshold age limit of 50 years and another 10 per cent on the verge of crossing this limit shortly. High cost of production mainly due to low productivity, high energy cost and high social cost burden. Diminishing availability of workforce particularly in South India. Remote location of the plantations and transportation of teas over long distances from tea gardens to sale points. Poor infrastructure – approach roads to gardens, inadequate warehousing at ports, constrained availability of containers, placements of vessels and high ocean freight charges (due to feeder–mother vessel transfers). Difficulties in introduction of mechanisation of field operations due to topographical and quality limitations. Unorganised nature of small growers with fragmented small and scattered holdings leading to production of poor quality teas mainly due to non-availability of technical know-how at the doorstep – weak extension service. Lack of quality monitoring mechanism for teas particularly sold through private sales. Opportunities Good awareness level world over as to the health attributes of tea leading to growing demand for good quality teas and specialty teas such as organic teas, green teas. Narrowing down of the gap between supply and demand due to increased growth rate of consumption in the major producing countries. Producing countries reaching an agreement for forming an exclusive forum for resolving their differences over common issues. Positive response by the tea industry responding to the Government towards renovation of fields and processing factories. (Special purpose tea fund and quality upgradation initiative). Increasing strength of small growers and showing good response to the suggestion of Tea Board for collective approach towards adopting GAP and GMP. Threats Round-the-year production in countries such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam. Low cost of production of teas from Kenya, Vietnam and Indonesia etc. Younger age of bushes (better quality of tea) of other producing countries. Consistency in quality commitment and high service quality perception of exporters of other countries. Better developed packaging and bagging capacity of Sri Lanka. thehindubusinessline. com/2010/10/01/stories/2010100151752100. htm

Marissa Mayer At Google Example

Marissa Mayer At Google Example Marissa Mayer At Google – Case Study Example Marissa Mayer at Google Mayer being the first woman in Google has played a big role in increasing the number of womenin technology and Google. She was the first female engineer in Google and contributed to a great improvement of search engine. In 2011, Meyer assumed the role of overseeing engineering design, product management and laying strategy for product like Google Maps, Google Earth and local search. The contribution of the Meyer in his role has encouraged other women to get involved in technology and Google. Meyer started a campaign that Google should recruit women in the engineering department to ensure that the products interest both genders. She focused on encouraging women in America to enter technology field in order to have many engineers. In 2008, Meyer created a list of the top 50 women in business and this shows that she was determined to identify the talented women in technology in order to help them get involved in technology business and Google (Meyer 5). In the re sponsibility of increasing the number of women in technology and Google Meyer was faced with some advantages and disadvantages. First, she campaigned for gender equality in Google workforce and this was impossible since only view women studies technology. Those women who did technology could not work with Google, because they had established their own business. Some men criticized women in the work place hence discouragement. On the other hand, Meyer being progressive in business could influence many women to join the filed of technology. Google was picking after involvement of women in the business and this encouraged more people to accept Meyer’s decision of gender equality (Meyer 3).Work CitedMeyer Marisa. Marissa Mayer Biography. Viewed on October 21, 2013 from biography.com/people/marissa-mayer-20902689

Compare and Contrast two Poet Laureate from U.S. and England Research Paper

Compare and Contrast two Poet Laureate from U.S. and England - Research Paper Example Analyzing the reasons for the admiration and desirable positions of the poets, many are of the view it is a God given talent which is unfeasible for an ordinary one to attain. If such a one attempts poetry, it will turn absurd and cannot be treated as readable. The great epics like Iliad and Odyssey, written in poetic language undoubtedly unveil enchanting power of poetry. If one goes little further, one can see that the plays of Shakespeare still bewitch readers and audience with their tremendous poetic language. Therefore, one is obvious about the decisive role of poetry in influencing the majority and the appreciated positions of poets. Poet Laureate has been one such means to honor the great poets. It is an official position conferred to the respectable or the well talented poets for a particular period of time. The proposed paper aims to study the title ‘Poet Laureate,’ identifying the popular poet laureates of the past centuries and attempting a comparative study b etween Poet Laureates from two different countries, specifically, England and The United States and make comparisons or contrasts, about them. Origin of the word ‘laureate’ It would be interesting for one to analyze the history of Poet Laureate before attempting a grave ‘study on this topic. Researchers have identified the word ‘laureate has some historical importance. ... term â€Å"laureate† comes from the use of bay laurel leaves in ancient Greece to create wreaths or crowns for heroes and the victors in athletic and literary competitions† (Holman and Snyder). Thus, it is evident that the victor was given the wreath of laurel leaves and the word ‘laureate’ began to be used in the sense of ‘victorious.’ Therefore, one can infer that ‘Poet Laureate’ became the title given to the most successful poet during a particular time period. Bob Holman and Margery Snyder observe, â€Å"In the Middle Ages, â€Å"Poet laureate† came to mean the poet chosen to serve a king or other noble patron by writing poems honoring the monarch and the state embodied in that monarch† (Holman and Snyder). The History of the tradition of the Poet Laureate The history of the English poet laureate dates back to the 12th century and the English Royal House of Plantagenet (The poet laureate). History identifies that t he poets during that time were known as ‘versifiers’ and were privileged by the kings and awarded fees and pensions. Regarding the English tradition it is identifiable that the English Royal houses continued their patronage for centuries and later the Tudors and Stuarts followed it. The online article entitled, â€Å"Poet Laureate† traces the history of poet laureate when writes thus, â€Å"The position of Poet Laureate was informally created by Charles I for Ben Jonson in 1617, however, the title did not become an official royal office until it was conferred by letters patent on John Dryden in 1670† (The poet laureate). The article adds, â€Å"The position became the Poet Laureate of Great Britain in 1707, when The Act of Union created "Great Britain" as the political name of England, Scotland, and Wales.† Some of the historical evidences

Nursing Leadership Philosophy and Diversity statement Essay

Nursing Leadership Philosophy and Diversity statement - Essay Example Therefore, it is the responsibility of healthcare management to lead and influence the development of expectations, vision, and shared values to ensure overall effectiveness and direct the organisation towards the achievement of planned goals and objectives. Healthcare and hospital providers are today adjusting to changes of environment and redirecting their management policies. For every nurse to provide good quality care to his or her patients, he or she should become more efficient when administering care, should improve peer practices, elevate peer’s standards of care within the hospital environment, and advocate his or her patients. All these acts represent the attributes of an effective nurse leader. A nurse who sees the need for improvement, change, advancement, and innovation forms fundamental traits that are essential in active leadership (Sherman, Schwarzkopf, & Kiger, 2011). As conditions change day by day, the delivery of care also changes, therefore, the need for flexibility and versatility during care giving, for effective adaptation to these changes as they occur. Thus, my nursing practice has been mentored through programs that are directed by the theory of situational leadership that has helped me to nurture and develop my innate traits for the betterment of my peers and patients depending on how the situations occur. The senior leaders in my organisation encouraged subordinate leaders to develop various leadership styles to manage different circumstances and situations better. I have researched a number of leadership theories in nursing during self-evaluation, and I have concluded that my leadership styles can be well described by situational leadership theory. This is because of my capability to adapt to various situations as they occur, love to work in a team, my practice is evidence based, and allow my peers to contribute in decision-making. The situational leadership