Supermarket industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supermarket industry - Essay Example Supermarkets are currently employing a wide variety of various low-tech and high-tech tools in their never ending struggle to try and grab a larger share of the $500 billion that American happen to spend each years on their supermarket purchases (CNBC 2011). The Marketing Strategies and Concepts Used by Supermarkets Supermarkets are constantly trying as much as possible to learn about their customers and their respective buying habits. To do this, they analyze and trail their customers from the moment that they entire the supermarket store using a variety of technological tools such as video monitoring, heat maps that actively track shoppers as they move around the supermarket and the loyalty cards that the supermarkets have given to their customers (Ryals 139). Attractive and appropriate packaging Supermarkets encourage producers to package their products in attractive packaging materials so as to be able to attract shoppers into buying the products. Companies such as Henkel Consume r goods have employed a large team of engineers, artists and technicians whose main role and focus is to ensure that they work on constantly developing the bottle design and packaging. Careful consideration is placed on every label and word that appears on the bottle. Some of the factors that are taken into consideration seek to answer questions such as: do the customers find it easy to handle the packaging? Do they find it easy to physically pick up the product and store it in their shopping carts? Do they find it easy to pour the product from the container? And is it easy for them to store the product in their houses in light of the shelves used in the average homes? (CNBC 2011)? Shopping Presentations In efforts to try and enhance the marketing concepts and strategies that are in use within the supermarkets, supermarkets have taken to employing the services of professional companies that help them create appropriate designs for their stores that will help them in maximizing their sales. The designs take into account everything about the customer’s shopping experience down to the product placement that will be used in the shop so as to ensure that the customer’s senses are well appealed (CNBC 2011). These design companies create â€Å"Stopping presentations† of various products which they stage theatrically. Supermarkets employ the use of cartons that they artfully arrange so as to ensure that they make the actual real product on sale appear to be more abundant than it really is. The most valuable space is usually the space at eye-level and most new products are placed at this level so as to further attract the customers (Graf 46). Common purchase products such as butter, milk and cheese are placed at the farthest corner of the store so as to ensure that customers are tempted to purchase more products on their way to the isle where these products are place. Instead of the more traditional isle design where the isles are arranged in a mea ndering fashion instead of row after row of straight isles, there are now more twists and turns that have been placed so as to ensure that a shopper comes into contact with more tempting goods to purchase (CNBC 2011). Some of the best supermarket stores today ensure that they appease the shoppers senses by stimulating them using various scents

Problem Identification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem Identification - Essay Example Change management encompasses planning, oversight or governance, project management, testing, and implementation. Knowledge Gaps: As the infusion of mass media information into a social system increases, segments of the population with higher socio-economic status tend to acquire this information at a faster rate than the lower status segments. That gap in knowledge between these segments is defined as knowledge gap. The organization over a period of time has created a definite distance between what is planned on the design board and what is on the field. This may not have been a deliberate act of separation, but very un-intentional as the changes happened over extended periods of time. When the copiers were actually placed at the customer premises, and the field service teams started facing problems and were unable to service them for whatever reasons the replace warranty given by the organization started becoming costly and the service manuals released prior to the product release were becoming more and more not-so-relevant. Research methodology: This research will use the mixed-method design, but will lean more toward the evidences that have been quoted in various knowledge management studies. Since the Knowledge management area of study is relatively new area of study not much of quantitative information is readily available in free domain. This will be the primary limitation of the research

Ecology of Public Administration

Ecology of Public Administration Ecology in public administration was primarily introduced by Professor John M. Gaus, one of the early pioneers of public administration. In his introduced concepts, he emphasized that the public administration including its development as well as its activities were influenced by its setting or ecology. According to Gaus, the plans, programs, policies, and design of public administration is influenced by factors concerning the physical environment or ecology, and that any structure and living thing existing in a given area has an interrelationship with the surrounding environment. In practice, this concept means that when building a structure, an individual must plan all aspects of the construction, from the materials needed for the structure, the actual area where it will be constructed in relation to the people residing in the area and the physical environment existing. This concept also means understanding the impact of the structure to the social relationships of people in that a rea and what specific technologies are being used and how it influences and impacts the inhabitants of that environment. Ecology thus pertains to interrelationships of living organisms and their environment. Ecological approach to public administration thus includes elements of the environment the place, the individuals, the physical and social technology as well as the relationships of these elements. It is essential to note that Gaus has translated ecology the complex structure and connections with each other of living things that are in a specific area of the public administration project into a lens by which to analyze the projects impact. And the means by which he applied this is directed to raise awareness of ecological factors that permits administrators to respond more wisely and appropriately to the demands and challenges of the external environment of their organizations. Gaus also viewed the ecological concept in public administration as a means to devise a new and renewed institutional pattern for individuals. With such concepts, the ecological aspect of administration reflects a crucial role in understanding and directing the forceful change in public administration. A more sensitive and conscious approach to ecological factors allow the public administrators to provide a more appropriate response to challenges within and beyond their organization. If applied properly, this approach can serve as a diagnostic tool for the public administrator and can provide standards for evaluating impact on an organization. Ecology can aid the practitioner in visualizing the major elements in the administrative processes and provide a specific standard for measuring impact in an organization. For Gaus, merging public administration with the concept of ecology helps in establishing a more novel way of conducting things and is actually related to the concept of change. He looked to public administration to find some new sources of content and opportunity for public administrators to emphasize some influence on the situation in which they find themselves. He believed in applied social science, that through an ecological approach to public administration, the new and renewed institutional pattern could be devised for individuals living in an age of change. Ecology in public administration became a vital instrument for comprehending, directing, and modulating the forceful change in the public administration. Through this application, public administrator can be active in the wider ecological approach to make change in strategic management and planning of public serving organizations. This practice is clearly manifested in the management of ecosystems. The fragility of ecosystems that are threatened by construction of buildings and other public administration projects are now systematically addressed using the principles laid out by Gaus. One aspect of this situation is the dwindling of some species brought about by the disturbance of their natural habitat and ecosystems. Another aspect of this case also reflects the industries that are conceptualized and built by man and which have led to the threat of climate change. The gravity of the perceived threat of global warming has moved scientists and policymakers to recognize that sufficient measures to sustain ecosystems must be ensured by substituting the governmental jurisdiction as the major institutional level for implementation. Due to this developments, the politics as well as the policy of natural resources management are experiencing drastic transformation. The dominant aspect of resource management has been focused around property ownership, or jurisdictional domain which is mainly concepts that originated from the West. But now, resource management is also organized around the parts of the whole ecosystems such as individual resources, wildlife, or commodities (Elfin 2004, 304). Hence, there is now a more comprehensive view of managing resources in the context of building public administration projects or even structures in general. Another factor that influences public projects from the point of view of ecology is the question of sustainability. Discussing resource sustainability reflects the issue as among the most poorly understood within the ecosystem planning and management process. The ecosystem approach confronts the political process by asserting a participatory process in which all interested k ey players are able to participate to achieve an effective and integrated ecosystem management while recognizing the role of individuals as part of the ecosystem. (Loomis 1993, 447-48)

The Essence of a Love Poem Essay -- Papers

The Essence of a Love Poem What is a love poem? Many believe that a love poem is supposed to be sweet and romantic. That is the basic tone of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem â€Å"How Do I Love Thee?† However, William Shakespeare’s â€Å"My mistress‘ eyes are nothing like the sun† takes a much different approach to the typical love poem. Both poems are noticeably love poems, but they respond to the ideal in different ways. Browning describes her love as enormous and wonderful, but it is somewhat too ideal, to the point of being unrealistic. However, Shakespeare’s description of his lover is not flattering, and occasionally insulting, yet much more realistic and therefore more ideal. The subjects and themes of the poems are very similar; however, the tone, voice and settings are quite opposite. Browning’s description of the love she feels is portrayed as amazing, almost to the point of being unrealistic. She uses metaphors to show that her love is like a bird soaring into the heavens, powerful and unstoppable. However, it is also depicted as soft and gentle, which is shown by her reference to â€Å"candlelight†(line 6). When children love, they love with every part of themselves because they don’t understand what heartache feels like. This pure and unquestionable form of love is what Browning’s referring to when she claims to love â€Å"with my childhood’s faith†(line 10). She also believes that her love cannot be stopped, even by death; which is evident in line 14 when she states â€Å"I shall but love thee better after death.† The tone of the poem is romantic, which is typical of a traditional love poem. However, her description of the love she feels is so articulate and sincere that the reader can almost feel her emotions. Th... ... when one loves someone from afar, his or her impression of that person is usually idealistic. Therefore, he wouldn’t refer to her in such a cynical form. He would probably believe that she is the most beautiful and charming woman he’s ever known. It is this realistic aspect that makes Shakespeare’s poem a much better love poem than that of Browning’s. Although both are considered to be love poems, Shakespeare and Browning take two very different approaches to the idea of love. Browning’s poem depicts a more ideal love, the kind that most people strive for; however, Shakespeare’s poem describes a more realistic type of love, the kind that most people can achieve. Personally, I would prefer the love portrayed in Shakespeare’s sonnet because that is the kind of love that lasts. The type of love illustrated in Browning’s poem is often fleeting and unattainable.

Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Essay

An analysis of Langston Hughes’s poem Dream Deferred will reveal a significant commentary on the driving force in America today. It is undeniable that every one of us has dreams or goals that we want to pursue and achieve. Although all of us have their own little dream, this poem reiterates that in some cultures, it will be (and is) harder to achieve their goals. In this particular poem, Langston Hughes expressed his dreams and how they become during a hard time. The fact that he is a black man during the height of the African-American oppression, his ambitions and dreams was really hard to achieve—thus, he became frustrated. He expressed on how and what he really feels about a dream that he has had. Because he was succumbed under a great deal of frustration, he was unable to accomplish that dream. Each line in the poem symbolizes a typical moment in the author’s life. Furthermore, he was also very bitter about the conditions of his group because of their skin color. Hughes used many a great deal of simile in achieving his points. But perhaps the most powerful line in his poem is the â€Å"Or does it explode? †(Hughes) It is an influential conclusion of what could happen to a dream if they are neglected or is not pursued. In conclusion, this is a collective poem that articulates what could happen to dreams that left un-pursued even in times of struggles and oppression. This poem reflects the difficulties not just of African-American but moreover, it is also applicable to people (especially certain ethic groups that are discriminated) who experiences the same situation. This poem will never be obsolete. Works Cited: Hughes, Langston. â€Å"Dream Deferred. † March 2, 2008.

Examining Henrik Ibsen’s Torvald and John Updike’s Sammy Essay

Some men seem to like their women simple. The man who desires the simple woman sees her as easier to manipulate and as a more positive reflection on himself. A man who has a simple woman can believe himself superior in almost all things; such is the case with John Updike’s character Sammy in the short story â€Å"A & P,† and Henrik Ibsen’s character Torvald Helmer from his play A Doll’s House. Each of these men views the world as merely an extension of himself, and the people in the world, especially the women, as decorative items purely for his personal manipulation and amusement. Ironically, by the end of both Updike’s short story and Ibsen’s play, the women have turned the men’s worlds on edge and taken control of the universe. Sammy is a checker at the local supermarket, and he spends his days watching his world go by while standing in judgment of those who enter his domain. The world that goes by Sammy is populated by a variety of customers—all seemingly women—who he describes as â€Å"witches,† â€Å"sheep,† and â€Å"this one[s]† (Updike 959, 960). That he feels superior to women—all women—is made obvious by the way in which he sizes them up. The three bathing-suit-clad girls who are about to change Sammy’s life are described in terms of their physical attributes and the degree to which Sammy is attracted to each. While he initially admires the girl â€Å"in the plaid green two-piece† who has a â€Å"good tan and [the] sweet broad soft-looking can with [. . . ] two crescents of white just under it,† he later realizes she and girl number two are merely preludes to the one he presumes to be their leader—the one he calls â€Å"the queen† (959, 960). Torvald Helmer is no different from Sammy; he too objectifies women—specifically his wife—and he lives happily presuming that females are simple and will always remain so. Ibsen’s play opens with Nora entering the home and Torvald’s greeting her shortly thereafter. During their brief exchange, Torvald uses the terms â€Å"little lark,† â€Å"little squirrel,† and â€Å"little spendthrift† in reference to his wife, only bothering to use her name when he is busily chastising her for her many errors in judgment—most of which he attributes to her inability to handle money (Ibsen). Sammy and Torvald are each comfortable with the subordinate role into which they place women; in fact, both characters seem completely unaware that they are objectifying and marginalizing the women around them—it is a matter of their natural make up. Additionally, both men express a clear understanding that women’s brains are a bit empty. Sammy wonders whether or not â€Å"it’s a mind in there or just a buzz like a bee in a glass jar†; Torvald is more direct, calling Nora a â€Å"little featherhead† (Updike 960, Ibsen). There is no doubt that both men are whole-heartedly mocking women as if doing so is part of the reason they exist—part of the world’s natural order. Neither character expects the carefully structured universes over which they each rule to be altered let alone collapse, but that is exactly what happens to both Sammy and Torvald. It never dawns on Sammy, as he is tucked safely behind his register, that the actual power dynamic is the antithesis of what he believes it to be: he is merely a servant to the customers who enter the store. In fact, he operates like a man who can alter the very natures of the customers he helps. The â€Å"bold† move Sammy makes at the end of the story isn’t an act of independence but an act made â€Å"hoping [the girls will] stop and watch [him], their unsuspected hero† (Updike 963). Likewise, Torvald long remains unaware of the debt he owes his wife—a debt physical and financial. Having spent his life smugly satisfied over his wife’s dependence on him and her general ignorance, he is thrilled to gain possession of the letter that contains the forged contract Krogstad held over Nora. In his mind, order will be restored; however, Nora confronts Torvald about her unhappiness and his constantly treating her like a â€Å"doll† (Ibsen). Just as the presence of the bathing-suit-clad women drove Sammy to quit his job in an act of pointless chivalry; Torvald’s actions—actions that were designed to cage his wife—led him to his mistaking â€Å"saving† her for his own good for â€Å"saving† her for her own. The carefully controlled and structured worlds of each has been undone—in both cases by the male character’s own unskilled hands. Sammy and Torvald meet their ends, but not before groveling, and grasping one last time for the control each has let slip away. Sammy’s struggle is relatively private. He exists the A & P â€Å"looking around for [the bathing-suit-clad] girls,† but all he sees are a woman and her â€Å"screaming† kids (Updike 964). There is no one to observe his recent, self-serving act of heroism, and he pathetically mollifies himself by thinking â€Å"how hard the world was going to be [thereafter]† (964). Torvald’s end is a bit more public—much as was his mocking of his wife. Declaring that â€Å"[he has] it in [him] to become a different man,† he is shocked to learn that Nora has long been a different woman, and has neither need nor desire for him to remain a part of her life; his attempt to placate himself is to hang on the words â€Å"the most wonderful thing of all? (Ibsen) It may be that some men wish their women simple, but it is in the simplest things that the greatest truths are most often revealed. The safety some men seek in the weakness of those with whom they surround themselves is often only a pit of quicksand. This was the case for both Sammy and Torvald Helmer. Where Sammy privately observes and judges women he does not know, Torvald is far more obnoxious: he diminishes his wife openly. Whether or not Sammy ages into a Torvald is anyone’s guess, but certainly the potential for it is present. As one man walks out of a grocery store and the other man tries to guess the answer to a riddle, the women have entered the world on their own, presumably to live happily, contentedly, and idependently ever-after. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Ed. E. Haldeman-Julius. 1923. Project Gutenberg. 29 Mar. http://www.gutenberg.org/