Nike Case Study - 1890 Words

Nike Presentation of Facts Surrounding Case Background on Football and the FIFA World Cup: Football (Commonly known as Soccer in the U.S.) was and still is the most popular sport in regards to viewership worldwide. In 2006 it was estimated that the sport of football was played by more than 265 million people, and continuing to grow (These estimates were up from 2000, estimated 42 million). Profession leagues exist throughout the world and the most popular teams were in Western Europe. The history of modern day soccer dates back to 1863, although there was early evidence of soccer being played as a sport in China between the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. In China, it was mentioned that people dribbled leather balls by kicking it into a†¦show more content†¦Both can have a devastating impact on a company’s bottom line. The challenge is how to reach the largest number of consumer considering the limited marketing capabilities due to the sponsorship agreement with Adidas. Nikes traditional marketing strategy has relied heavily on televised promotions of its product s and endorsement partnerships with top tier athletes in their respective sports. With television and internet ads being restricted for Nike during the 2010 World Cup, there will be added cost of obtaining skilled professionals who are familiar with the national and local needs of the desired demographic. This will be costly and time consuming. Poor placement and untimely delays could harm brand strength and reputation in the region. The timing of product and endorsement releases will require extensive monitoring. Nike must also focus on how best to reach their target market of 17 year old males. The obstacle faced when trying to reach this demographic without using the internet or television will be difficult but not impossible. There will be issues with making strong relevant connections with their audience if the traditional positioning strategy cannot be implemented. To overcome the 40 year association that Adidas has as the official FIFA sponsor, Nike must make sure that there content and images are not lost in translation. To grow their position within the target market Nike will have to implement a consistent approach to demographic inShow MoreRelatedNike Case Study1004 Words   |  5 PagesRSS Case Study: E-recruitment gets Nike on track Posted by HR Zone in Strategies on Thu, 09/12/2004 - 16:54 0 inShare The Nike employer brand is extremely powerful in attracting potential talent to the business making the process of handling applications and supporting the resourcing process effectively and efficiently critical to business success; implementing e-recruitment was identified as the way to solve this businesses hiring problems. The issue Nike currently receives aroundRead MoreNike Case Study1112 Words   |  5 PagesCase Study- Nike 1. Discuss how Nikes growth can be attributed to its targeting of diverse market global segments. In the 1960’s Nike was only making running shoes. At this point in time not many people knew of Nike or the Nike swoosh. In order to increase brand awareness, they started paying athletes to wear their shoes. However, very soon Nike learnt that in order to be a global brand they needed to appeal to different market segments, not just athletes. Hence, they then decided to tapRead MoreNike Case Study1494 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: This paper is a case study of Nike Inc. I will give a brief overview of the history, products, company goals, company challenges, financial report and sourcing strategies. My main sources of information are internet databases, company annual reports, and financial articles. Company Overview: Nike Nike incorporated, the worlds leading designer and marketer of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activitiesRead MoreCase Study Nike765 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Amanda Merkatz Management 301-02 Case Study 11 11252895 1. How does Nike’s decision to retain an in-house arm of ad agency Wieden Kennedy exemplify the concept of organizational design? The decision to retain an in-house arm of ad agency exemplify the concept of organizational design, makes you look at how both companies interpret organizational design. Organizational design is the process of creating structures that accomplish the company’s missions and objectives. First looking at the textRead MoreCase Study on Nike1252 Words   |  6 PagesCase Study Nike Introduction Good morning ladies and gentlemen and thank for taking the time to meet with us. Nike was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight. The company officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978. Nike has various products which include footwear as well as other apparel that compliment the former. This accounts for 92 percent of the company’s revenue. The other 8 percent comes from equipment and non Nike brand products, such as ColeRead MoreNike Case Study1779 Words   |  8 PagesNike Case Study Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For Master of Business Administration Degree Tiffin University at University of Bucharest Information and Decision Support Course By Ciprian Jitaru Instructor: Prof. John J. Millar Ph.D. Dean Emeritus and Professor of Management Cohort 9 November 06, 2010 1. What external and internal pressures did Mark Parker face when he assumed the leadership of Nike, and how did he respond to this challenges? Read MoreNike Case Study1104 Words   |  5 PagesCase Study- Nike 1. Discuss how Nikes growth can be attributed to its targeting of diverse market global segments. In the 1960’s Nike was only making running shoes. At this point in time not many people knew of Nike or the Nike swoosh. In order to increase brand awareness, they started paying athletes to wear their shoes. However, very soon Nike learnt that in order to be a global brand they needed to appeal to different market segments, not just athletes. Hence, they then decided to tap moreRead MoreNike Case Study899 Words   |  4 PagesCorporation Case Study: Nike What is it? NIKE, Inc. is the world’s leading innovator in athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories. Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two visionary men who pioneered a revolution in athletic footwear that redefined the industry. Nike Employees Nike Employee Networks are designed to help Nike move toward greater diversity. In the U.S., six employee networks focus attention on important communities within Nike. The intendedRead MoreNike Case Study5183 Words   |  21 PagesNike Case Study The US-based Nike Corporation announced that it had generated profits of $97.4 million, around $48 million below its earlier forecast for the third quarter ended February 28, 2001. The company said that the failure in the supply chain software installation by i2 Technologies3 was the cause of this revenue shortfall. This admission of failure also affected the companys reputation as an innovative user of technology. The supply chain software implementation was the first part ofRead MoreNike Case Study1542 Words   |  7 Pagesin the stocks of Nike for the fund that she manages. †¢ Ford should base her decision on data on the company which were disclosed in the 2001 fiscal reports. While Nike management addressed several issues that are causing the decrease in market sales and prices of stocks, management presented its plans to improve and perform better. †¢ Third party sources also gave their opinions on whether the stock was a sound investment. WACC CALCULATION: Cost of Capital Calculations: Nike Inc Cohen calculated

Advantages and Disadvantages That Large Firms over Small...

Enterprise Essay CB 613 Number of words: 1202 a) Explain the advantages and disadvantages that large firms have over smaller firms and vice-versa, in the pursuit of entrepreneurial activity. As an enterprise can be defined as private business, it can thus be separated into two main categories which are small firms and large firms. Within many countries and many industries there are normally a large number of small firms and a smaller number of large firms as can be seen in the United Kingdom where there are only a few thousand large firms and over 4 500 000 small to medium sized firms according to the BERR. This essay will look at both of these categories of firms and will provide information on the factors which set them apart†¦show more content†¦Entrepreneurial culture is a big part of any company as not only does it represent the company’s values along with the values of the founder, but it will also provide a framework as to how the company will be run in the future. This however can change over the course of time which can have very negative effects on the company such as decreased efficiency and performance along with a loss of customers. This es say will look at what is entrepreneurial culture and how it be retained or regained throughout a firm’s existence. Enterprise can be defined as either a private business or the readiness to engage in undertakings of difficulty risk or danger. In other words, enterprise can represent the daring spirit of an individual (Abercrombie amp; Keat, 1999). Inevitably the culture of any venture is influenced, if not created, by this individual who imprints their value on to it. Hence, if founded by a true entrepreneur, the culture of a new venture might be expected to be entrepreneurial. However, the culture of any organization is also determined by the organization’s structure by the means through which the founder delegates authority and divides up responsibilities. It can be concluded that there are cultures that encourage and reward innovation and initiative, and those who discourage it. (Kirby, 2003) At IBM, the culture of the firm not only led to the belief that mainframeShow MoreRelatedWhat Are the Advantages and Disadvantages to a Firm of Operating on a Large Scale?1528 Words   |  7 PagesQ4) what are the advantages and disadvantages to a firm of operating on a large scale? Economies of scale fall under microeconomics and are the cost advantages a business obtains due to expansion. As scale is increased they cause a producers average cost per unit to fall. Microeconomics (from Greek prefix micro- meaning small and economics) is a branch of economics in which you study the behaviour of how the individual firms make decisions to allocate limited resources. Normally, it appliesRead MoreDollar General Industry and Competitive Analysis1629 Words   |  7 Pagesmany segments. DG is in the market segment known as the dollar store category. As a result, competitors such as Wal-Mart are in the same industry but not the same peer group. Comparisons will be made throughout this report to Wal-Mart and other big firms because they tend draw some of the same customers. • Customers Retail merchandise stores attract many different types of people. For example, Wal-Mart targets all income level households, whereas dollar stores such as DG serve need-to shoppersRead MoreSmall vs Large Organisation Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesWhat are advantages and disadvantages of large versus small organisations? Final draft Submited to Sherin White Reading Writing course C Language Learning Unit 03rd Sept 2010 1165 words What are the advantages and disadvantages of large versus small organisations? Porter, Lawler and Hackman (1975) state that organisation is a social entity, existing in order to achieve certain goals, involving specialisation andRead More Economies of Scale Essay1655 Words   |  7 Pagesas the size and output of a firm increases. In other words, they are advantages that large firms have because they are large. As they grow larger in the long-run they manage to raise their output faster than the rise in their total costs. The result is lower long-run average cost. - Marketing economies- Both in buying materials and selling its finished goods a large firm is n a better position than a smaller one. In buying the products it needs, the large firm often pays less for raw materialsRead MoreStrategy And Structure Of International Business Essay1188 Words   |  5 PagesInternational Business (Part 2), summary Firms expand on international level to increase their profitability. In order to maximize that profitability they must adapt their strategy to the structure and business environment. During this unity, I lean haw a firm can be organized and how it can choose the appropriate strategy according to its structure and environment. Also, I lean the different possibility of expansion which a firm can take and the advantages and risks of each possibility. In the paragraphsRead MoreCommon Stock And Preferred Stock931 Words   |  4 Pagesincreases over the amount initially paid for it. The stockholder makes a profit by selling the stock at its current market value after capital appreciation. Common stock share in the company’s profits through increasing dividends and a rising share price. Common shareholders elect the board of directors and vote on broad corporate issues such as mergers. Common stock can reap two main benefits: capital appreciation and dividends. Capital appreciation occurs when a stock’s value increases over the amountRead MoreCompetitive Strategy and Competitive Advantages1176 Words   |  5 Pagesthere is greater market segmentation. 2- Some advantages of technological innovation are: a wider range of products and services can be delivered to people, GDP has increased, people can communicate in every part of the world, the production of food has become more efficient, and it has yield medical treatments to improve medical conditions. The quality of life has improved. It has created new knowledge to solve practical problems. Disadvantages include: harmful pollution to surrounding communitiesRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act ( Sox )1526 Words   |  7 Pages Essay #1- Tax Advantages and Disadvantages of Sarbanes-Oxley Eric Kitts Liberty University â€Æ' Introduction The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 was implemented to deter fraudulent activities amongst companies by monitoring and auditing financial activities as well as set up internal controls to aid in the safeguard of company funds and investor’s interest. SOX also regulates the non-audit tax services (NATS) that can be performed by an auditing firm. SOX was passed by Congress in 2002 in anRead Moretech summary Essay examples1464 Words   |  6 PagesDefine business process management and describe the steps required to carry it out. Business process management: use various tools and methodologies to analyze existing processes, design new process, and optimize those processes and it can never be over for the condition is always changing. The steps are as follows, 1) Identify processes for change: decide what business processes are most important and how to improve them 2) Analyze existing processes: existing processes should be modified by notingRead MoreManaging Financial Resources and Decisions1280 Words   |  6 Pages 1. Business Angels âÅ"“ Small sums (500K) âÅ"“ Expertise âÅ"“ Longer term involvement âÅ"“ High growth businesses (www.bized.co.uk on Mon, 24/05/2004 - 12:00) For Blue Orange Solutions are available next sources of finance for business growth: o Venture Capital in that case Mujtaba can loose control of 50% of his company Advantage Disadvantage o Bank loans Advantage Disadvantage P2) Assess the implication of different

Sadao Border free essay sample

Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration Checkpoint Have you ever been stuck in your car for four hours in slow moving traffic? Without traffic it would take less than twenty minutes. To me this is such a frustration and aggravation. I experience this on frequent bases while crossing the border back and forth from Thailand. I get stuck at the Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam for at least three hours each weekend because it is always jam-packed with people, cars, vans, buses and trucks. With thousands of people and goods crossing the border each week there should be an expansion to both the Thai and Malaysia checkpointsThe Sadao Immigration checkpoint is located in Dannok village, Sadao District, Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. This is where the immigration department checks your travel documents before entering into Thailand by road. The immigration officers would sometimes check your luggage for safety reasons. This crossing is the busiest between Thailand and Malaysia. We will write a custom essay sample on Sadao Border or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The border is the southern end point to Thailands National Highway that runs all the way to Bangkok via Hatyai. Most buses, vans, lorries importing and exporting goods and most commercial activity between Malaysia and Thailand uses the Sadao border.On the Thai side of the border you must park your car and walk up to the immigration booth to get your passport stamped. While entering you must fill out an arrival and departure form with you information and purpose of entering the country, etc. You would normally pay the officers RM 1 to fasten the process. Many tourist from Malaysia and Singapore goes to Dannok and Hatyai for the weekend for shopping, food, and the entertaining nightlife scene before people claims the variety is certainly more interesting than Malaysia and prices are much cheaper. Malaysians come here to stock up with things from durians to underwear.Dannok is a town located right after the checkout. There is not much to see during daytime and becomes vibrant at night. On both sides of the highway many little lanes with karaoke bars, nightclubs, pubs, massage parlors and night markets. The Malaysia Immigration checkpoint is located in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah. Bukit Kayu Hitam translates to â€Å"Black Forest† in English, has few shops located on side roads off the main highway. Bukit Kayu Hitam is the northern starting point of the North-South Expressway, which runs all the way south to Johor Bharu passing through Kuala Lumpur.At Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration has drive-through booth, which means that you do not need to get out your vehicle while getting your travel documents checked. Here you are required to fill the Malaysians arrival and departure form, and to pay highway toll of RM3. 80 before you enter Malaysia. Although there are drive-through immigration booths, security on the Malaysian side seems stricter than Thailand’s, the officer make you open your trunk and search your luggage. Many Thais enters Malaysia for education, Leisure time at Genting Highlands or Cameron Highlands and to conduct business in Malaysia.Between the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint and Dannok Checkpoint is a distance of about 1km between the two checkpoints. In between the two checkpoints is the huge Duty Free shopping complex, located in Malaysian territory. Where you can get good quality and cheap duty free items. Unlike, Dannok, there is not much to see in Bukit Kayu Hitam except for the hordes of people trying to cross into or coming in from Thailand. With so much tourism and commercial activity that goes on at both borders, having beneficial gains for both countries.The current Immigration checkpoints can no longer handle the traffic and congestion. When standing in line to get your passport stamped and it can take up to an hour, is absolutely ridiculous. Their needs to be an innovation and expansion made in both these facilities, both checkpoints need more immigration booths, more lanes for cars and more parking spaces. This will surely smoothen border-crossing experiences, and will bring more beneficial gains in long term because it will encourage more tourism and Export and Imports of goods between the two countries.

Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations Essay Example

Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations Essay Case: Pepe Jeans Pepe Jeans began to produce and sell denim jeans in the early 1970s in the United Kingdom and has achieved enormous growth. The company maintains contact with its independent retailers via group of 10 agents and each agent is responsible for retailers in a particular area of the country. Pepe is convinced that a good relationship with the independent retailers is vital to its success. The survey of the independent retailers indicated some problems. It was felt that Pepe’s variety of styles and quality was the company’s key advantage over the competition. However the independents were unhappy with Pepe’s requirement to place firm orders six months in advance with no possibility amendments, cancellation, or repeat ordering. Some claimed that the inflexible order system forced them to order less, resulting in stock outs. Pepe felt that a change was going to be needed soon. The easiest solution would be work with the Hong Kong sourcing agent to reduce the lead time associated with orders but this was going to increase the cost significantly. Even with the significant increase in cost, consistent delivery schedules would be difficult to keep. Another suggestion was to build a finishing operation in United Kingdom. Pepe was interested to see how system worked at U. S. operations. They found that they would have to keep about six weeks’ supply of basic jeans on hand in the United Kingdom and they have to invest ? 1,000,000 worth of equipment. They also estimated that it would cost about ? 500,000 to operate the facility each year. We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They could locate the facility in the basement of current office building, and the renovations would cost ? 300,000. Today’s operations management many companies outsource. Companies have variety of reasons for outsourcing but primarily the reasons are to reduce costs and create a competitive advantage. Companies tend to outsource in logistics area. This includes complete cycle of material flow; from the purchase and internal control of production materials to the planning and control of work-in-process; to the purchasing, shipping, and distribution of the finished product. Pepe Jeans outsourced in logistics area. Even though the company was successful and profitable doing so, this resulted in inefficient delivery time and unhappy retailers due to the restrictions of the outsourced company asking for six month lead time in ordering products. Now company faced with changing the way the production flow works in order to respond the retailers and independent agents’ complaints. As it indicates at themanager. org companies that rush overseas in search of low production costs may be walking into a strategic trap. Its easy to underestimate the hidden costs in long supply chains and their impact on profitability. Customers in outsourcing transactions face both direct and indirect risks. If your outsourcing vendor fails to perform, you may suffer direct damages in the form of out-of-pocket expenses incurred to perform the function yourself or hire another vendor, and lowered profits caused by lost business and harm to your reputation. Strategically, a main goal of outsourcing has always been to shift risk from the customer to the vendor. But while the risks arising from implementing new technologies and labor markets can be shifted in this way, CIOs know that not all risk can be handed off. A broad spectrum of risks involving finances and goodwill can arise from failures in outsourced functions. Simply put, operational risk always remains with the customer. Youre always responsible to the marketplace for your own performance. As the articles above indicate risks of outsourcing, we see this very example with Pepe Jeans. The restrictions of outsourced company in Hong Kong made it very hard for Pepe jeans to respond customer needs and made them very inflexible to its customers (retailers). It seems like Pepe Jeans may lose its profitability with outsourcing where the initial purpose was to save money. Sourcing company in Hong Kong agreed to shorten the lead time to 6 weeks instead of 6 month, but the company indicated that this would increase the cost significantly. If I was the CEO of Pepe Jeans, I’d look at what is beneficial for my company. I’d try to sit down with the sourcing company to renegotiate the contract to be able to make both sides happy. What I understand from the case study is that there are only couples of options laid out for Pepe Jeans. One is the renegotiating with Hong Kong based sourcing company and it seems like they offered a lead time of 6 weeks but a significant increase in cost but the case does not indicate how much. Other option is to move the finishing operations to United Kingdom. The case indicates that this will be very costly for Pepe Jeans. They will have to invest enormous amount of money for both purchasing the equipment and operating the facility. This will benefit the company in a way that it would reduce the cost by some percentage because the volumes would be higher. The last option is to locate the facility in the basement of current office building which would save Pepe Jeans about ? 200,000 a year. I would definitely suggest keeping the facility in the basement. Thinking out of the box, I would suggest them to use web based ordering system among retailers, agents, and the sourcing company. Having accurate and up to date visibility of stock means that customer orders can be checked on site and processed immediately, significantly improving the overall fulfillment rate. This would enable the real-time visibility of what is available from the customers’ stand point. I think this would be a least costly solution. Of course the cost would involve designing and implementing this IT solutions and also the training the end-users. Another benefit may be cost savings as a result of fewer order entry errors, increased revenues as a result of fewer lost sales due to poor stock visibility. Reference: 1)www. themanager. org 2)www. outsourcing-legal. com 3)www. optimizemag. com Case 2: Wal-Mart There are other secrets to Wal-Marts leverage in the marketplace. One is that, far better than its competitors, Wal-Mart understood the power of information. It revolutionized the retail industry by blazing a new trail with information technology. Wal-Mart exploited the magic of the information hidden in the barcode. This move put Wal-Mart ahead of the curve, and ahead of its suppliers, in terms of understanding exactly what consumers want and are buying. Wal-Mart is known with its supply chain from factory floor to store shelf, insisting on just-in-time deliveries from its suppliers to cut waste and down-time in warehouses. Wal-Mart has great power on manufacturers and suppliers; process of production, movement of the goods, warehousing of the goods, making sure that it arrives at the right place at the right time. This way Wal-Mart has power to play with the price. So they insist that it be done cheaply, it be done accurately, it be done quickly. Wal-Mart knows what it wants, when it wants, and where it wants it. The bar-coding revolution makes this possible. As an example, the company knows what size shirt, what color, long-sleeves, short-sleeves – a precise description of the product. When a store scans an item when it is bought, the information is immediately collected. So Wal-Mart knows where you bought it, the brand name and so forth. When the sales are recorded, an order is generated. An order is automatically generated that evening at midnight, when the home office pulls that information through their data ports. Then that order goes to the distribution facilities throughout the company, and that distribution facility, the warehouse, fills that order, and the order is sitting back on the shelf the next night or the following night. They also know what prices are popular, so they are able to say: We want to sell this at a certain price. You make it at a certain price, or were not going to work with you. This gives Wal-Mart an incredible leverage and buying power in the marketplace and over its competitors. Wal-Mart’s Vice President for Federal and International Corporate explains the company’s success with these words. Sam Walton started the process of saying you dont become successful by creating a process to have larger margins. What you do is you work on supply-chain efficiencies in many ways. You pass those savings on to the customer; you dont put them in your pocket. You pass them on to customers. That volume makes up for the item-by-item lower margin, if you will, and that volume allows you to grow and succeed and prosper. It creates also customer loyalty, knowing they can come to us every time and find the lowest price. And so our global sourcing is not to create higher margins. Thats not what its there to achieve. Its there to achieve having low-priced goods so we can pass those low-priced goods on to our consumers† The cornerstone of Wal-Marts increased efficiency was its trend-forecasting software, which tracked consumer behavior. In 1985, Sam Walton and his chief lieutenant, David Glass, began developing a program called Retail Link. The software, and the hardware that went along with it, took years to perfect, eventually costing $4 billion. This revolutionary system delivered sophisticated information on consumer behavior, drawn from the data imbedded in the barcodes that passed through checkout counters. Wal-Mart shared this revolutionary software with suppliers at no cost, in order to help them meet the retailers needs more efficiently. If vendors wanted their products on Wal-Marts shelves, they had to implement Wal-Marts customized business plans. Each year, the big retailer handed its suppliers detailed strategic business planning packets. Wal-Mart would grade them on weekly, quarterly and annual report cards. And when it came to discussions of price, there was no real negotiation, even for household brands. Thus, Wal-Mart used its buying power and its information about consumer buying habits to force vendors into squeezing their costs and keeping their profit margins low. Over time, some suppliers especially middle-sized and smaller firms were bankrupted; and major firms moved production overseas and increasingly to China. Here are some interesting statistics and facts about Wal-Mart: †¢100 million: The number of people who shop at Wal-Marts 3400 American stores every week. 50 million: The amount of square footage Wal-Mart plans to add this year, including 50-55 new Wal-Mart stores, 220-230 new Supercenters, 35-40 new Sams Club and 130-140 new international stores. †¢1. 2 million: The number of Wal-Mart associates in the U. S. Any full- or part-time Wal-Mart employee, up to and including the CEO, is considered an associate, in Wal-Mart parlance. Internationally, Wal-Mart employs an additional 330,000 associates. †¢600,000: The number of new employees Wal-Mart hires each year. The companys turnover rate is 44 percent close to the retail industry average. †¢1979: The year Wal-Marts sales first top $1 billion. †¢$256 billion : Wal-Marts sales in 2003. In the words of Wal-Mart CFO Tom Schoewe, Wal-Marts sales are equal to one IBM, one Hewlett Packard, one Dell computer, one Microsoft and one Cisco System and oh, by the way, after that we got $2 billion left over. †¢35: The number of Wal-Mart Supercenters in China. †¢$15 billion: The amount of Chinese products Wal-Mart estimates it imports each year; others suggest the number may be higher. $120 billion: The U. S. trade deficit with China in 2003. †¢8 percent: The amount of total U. S. retail sales, excluding automobiles, accounted for by Wal-Mart. †¢$9. 98: The average full-time hourly wage for a Wal-Mart employee. The average full-time hourly wage in metro areas (defined as areas with a population of 50,000 or more) is $10. 38. In some urban areas it is higher: $11. 03 in Chi cago, $11. 08 in San Francisco, and $11. 20 in Austin Reference: 1)Always Low Prices by Sam Hornblower 2)Secrets of Wal-Mart’s Success www. pbs. org 3)http://www. michaelbergdahl. net

What was Goldings purpose in writing the novel, T Essay Example For Students

What was Goldings purpose in writing the novel, T Essay he Lord of the Flies?Golding attempts to transmit the message through his novel The Lordof the Flies. His message meant to alert readers that all mankind possesswithin them the capacity to do evil. This essay will demonstrate howGolding expresses this purpose through his use of setting, plot, charactersand symbols throughout his novel. The Lord of the Flies includes four main characters. Ralph is theattractive, capturing and charismatic natural leader. He represents theconstant fight to maintain good and abolish evil. He bears the weight ofthe responsibility as a leader and the constant struggle to maintain lawand order. We find examples of this throughout the book for example withRalphs winning of the leadership due to his appealing personality and hisgrowing responsibilities as a leader as decivilisation slowly takes place. We will write a custom essay on What was Goldings purpose in writing the novel, T specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now He and Piggy are the only ones trying to maintain law, order and good. Jack Ralphs archrival is a boy with a rigorously strictbackground. He was part of a choir, which later became his hunting group. He represents evil and the darkness of mans heart (The Lord of theFlies, William Golding, page 225). He is cruel, aggressive and sadistic. Jack craves for power and envies Ralph for being the chief on the island. He rouses mob mentality and conceals his violence and blood thirst behindface paints. Many cases are seen in Goldings novel, for example Jacksaggressive and brutal behavior whilst killing the pig and after during there-enact of the slaughter. The face paints are also a way to forget allshame and give in freely to the murderous impulse present in all mankind. Simon was part of Jacks choir and has a tendency to be bulliedbecause of his constant fainting fits- he faints just before the chief isdecided upon; Jack took absolutely no notice of this. He representsinnocence, pureness and the savior when he comes to tell the other boysthat the beast was actually a dead corpse of a parachutist he issensible, has a great mind but a fear to speak he finds it easier to talkto Ralph only than stand up at assembly. He represents hope and becomesthe martyr when he dies bringing the good news that was left obscured. Piggy is a fat, middle class boy with a funny accent and glasses. Heis made fun of and bullied Jack especially takes it out on him by callinghim Fatty. He represents the voice of reason and the constant reminder ofcivilization He is a great counselor to Ralph as things start todeteriorate. He also acts as Ralphs conscience and is an evident victim inthe world of the selection of the fittest. He is the possessor of theglasses that light the fire. The setting was deliberately chosen. It represents in a way theeternal paradise. It corresponds to the Garden of Eden where original sinfirst sprung. Golding believes that all mankind is born with original sin. It also has an intimate connection with the war that is going on beyond theIsland. In the end a warship ironically rescues them. This ship would takethem away from their war into a large-scale war. The island could alsoembody the world and its degradation after a nuclear destruction. The plot develops the themes of progressivedegradationanddecivilisation. The novel starts with Ralph as leader and as time passesJack gains more and more power over the group whilst Ralph loses it and mobmentality increases. Its a gradual near-vanquish of evil over good and apremeditated path from hope toward despairGoldings purpose in writing this novel was perhaps to demonstratehow humanity is not as superior as it wishes to think. We are merely beastsinserted into a society where our bars are our rules and our cages are ourlaws. We are confined in this cage quite happily and of our own free will. .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a , .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .postImageUrl , .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a , .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:hover , .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:visited , .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:active { border:0!important; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:active , .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u963e9d67cf275bf61c4693793004494a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Life Times of Alexander the Great EssayBut if we are let out of our obligations and if civilization abandons us wewill return to our primitive state savagery and original sin. Goldinguses children in this novel to prove that it is not only adults hat havethe capacity to do evil. Children are budding adults and represent thefuture, how frightening may this future be?Golding had been a schoolmaster and had fought during the Cold War. These are some of the elements of his life and experiences, which herelates into his book. His practice as a schoolmaster might be why he choseschoolboys to be stranded on a desert island. He feels that children areinnocent and nave yet potentially sadistic and evil, for adults were oncechildren. William Golding had witnessed much violence, bloodshed and deathduring the War. He saw with his own eyes how mankind could descend so lowand spill blood remorselessly. This and the introduction of atomic weaponschanged a lot of opinions and views of life, death, war and their intimaterelationship. Golding shared the concerns of the people of that time whofelt that the use of atomic weapons could end the world as they knew itwith a single dispute.

What Is NCAA Division 2

What Is NCAA Division 2 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The NCAA, the major governing body for intercollegiate sports, separates its member institutions by divisions. Division 2 colleges are generally smaller and have fewer athletic department resources than Division 1 schools, but Division 2 colleges are larger and more well-funded than Division 3 institutions. While Division 2 schools may not have the money or get the publicity of Division 1 institutions, many Division 2 colleges have passionate fan bases that show enthusiastic support for their sports teams. In this article, I’ll thoroughly explain what makes NCAA Division 2 unique and provide facts about NCAA Division 2 and its member schools. What Is the NCAA? The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, is the major governing body for intercollegiate sports. There is a much smaller governing body for intercollegiate sports with far fewer member institutions known as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or NAIA. Also, the governing body for sports at 2-year colleges is the National Junior College Athletics Association, or NJCAA. The role of the NCAA is to oversee championships and establish and enforce rules for its member institutions. Why Are There NCAA Divisions? The purpose of NCAA divisions is to create parity and a more level playing field in intercollegiate sports. Also, the existence of NCAA divisions gives smaller schools with fewer resources the opportunity to compete for championships. What Makes Division 2Unique? There are about 300 schools and over 100,000 students who participate on Division II sports teams. On average, Division II schools are substantially smaller than Division I schools and have lower athletic budgets. Regional rivalries dominate the schedules of Division II colleges, whereas Division I schools tend to compete more nationally. Division II schools offer athletic scholarships, but fewer than in Division I. Division III schools don't offer any athletic scholarships. The majority of athletes on athletic aid at D-II institutions are on partial athletic scholarships. Division 2Rules The NCAA sets rules for Division II schools to ensure competitive balance, opportunities for all athletes, and gender equity. Division II colleges have to sponsor at least 5 sports for men and five for women (or four for men and six for women), with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport. Football and men’s and women’s basketball must play at least 50% of their games against Division II, FBS, or FCS opponents. There are no attendance requirements for football or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport. Types of Schools in Division2 There are Division II schools in 44 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and British Columbia. There are both public and private colleges in Division II. Examples of Division II private schools include Azusa Pacific University, Rollins College, and Pace University. Examples of Division II public schools include San Francisco State University, University of North Georgia, and Upper Iowa University. Division II Facts Division II has 6 schools with enrollments over 15,000 and 133 schools with enrollments below 2,500. Average enrollment is 3,848. There are 24 athletic conferences in Division II. There is an average of 429 student-athletes at Division II schools with football and 267 at schools without football. All Division II championship finals are broadcast live on national television or live-streamed on NCAA.com. Division II student-athletes consistently graduate at a higher rate than other students at Division II institutions. What's Next? Learn more about the differences between NCAA divisions. If you're interested in participating in college sports, make sure you know about the college athletic recruiting process. For those of you who want to compete in the NCAA, check out the articles on the SAT and ACT scores you need to be eligible. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Introduction Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction Speech - Essay Example I. Main Point #1 – Basic Costa Rica Information A. Location: The Republic of Costa Rica is an interesting country located in the lower middle of Central America between Panama and Nicaragua. It is bordered to the east by the Caribbean Sea and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. It is the only Central American country without a military system. It is known as the â€Å"Switzerland† of Central America. B. The climate ranges widely from mild in the central highlands, to tropical and subtropical along the coastal areas. It has a variety of terrains with coastal plains on either side of a rugged central range. This range, located in the middle of the country, houses most of the farming area as well as a tropical rainforest. C. There are approximately 4.5 million people of various ethnic descents living there. The people are very friendly, laid back, and most speak either Spanish or a Caribbean patois blend of Spanish and Portuguese. II. Main Point #2 – Package Itinerary : The Caribbean Side A. After we arrive at San Jose, we will be picked up at the airport to begin our journey at Tortuguero (Tor-too-ger-o) National Park.