Thursday, October 31, 2019

The social perception of hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic Research Paper

The social perception of hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic - Research Paper Example The Weimar Republic’s condition was an exceptional case not only due to the then reparation cases after war but also worsened by decisions made by economists and those who were in power to contain the situation. Hence, leading to indescribable suffering to the then citizens where prices based on studies so far contacted seemed to change on hourly basis. Weimar Republic’s fiscal decisions during then meant to curb the situation not only aroused intense debates shortly afterwards as evident from scholars who based on their financial knowledge criticized them even to date. This is according to the way in which the then economists without keenness of the upcoming results decided to print more money for public’s use. According to Widdig, this was through the â€Å"policy of easy money†, which entailed the government to embark on excessive printing of more money without adjusting inflation and interest rates (Ferguson 270). Hence, contributing to the hiking of g oods’ prices at an extremely alarming rate, which in turn yielded to varied mixed reactions not only among the then few economists who knew the end results but also other scholars afterwards. During then, economists of the day seemed to suffer from myopic state in terms being unable to ascertain what will befall the state if they advised the government to print more money with the intention of clearing its internal debts. This study seeks to address the following two key questions, 1. How contemporaries experienced and understood hyperinflation; is a very interesting one. 2. How contemporary perception compare to the retrospective analysis of historians and economists only at the end. Between 1921 and 1923, citizens based on their mode of payments, expressed mixed reactions concerning the then depreciating paper currency besides universal woes that faced Germany’s economy. Those who relied on fixed payment like monthly salaries due to the then escalating prices of good s in relation increasing paper notes experienced utter desperation. This is because after payment most of them were unable to purchase what they needed whereby upon receiving after receiving their salaries or wages rushed immediately to a nearby shop to buy what they could afford before money started to depreciate (â€Å"BBC†). Those who were in short term payment terms like wages seemed to enjoy the deal because they were capable of negotiating their wages on daily basis or based on hourly intervals to be able to cater for their expenses as well as purchase what they needed (â€Å"BBC†). Despite wage mode of payment benefiting a few people during then although through struggling, the state of hyperinflation was evident not only among those contended to be on investment spree but also the entire state (Ferguson 10). The latter according to Ferguson (10) included industrial sector, which tried its best to produce more goods meant for the public who had money but kept on depreciating due to the hiking of goods. Hence, increase the demand of goods that turned out out to be extremely high among the people who despite having money could not afford to acquire them because prices were changing spontaneously and within very short time. For instance, a certain father according to BBC news headed to Berlin to purchase a pair of shoes for his son but on his arrival, he could only purchase a cup of coffee and save the remaining to cater for his bus fare (â€Å"BBC†). In addition, numerous citizens who had for long worked hard to

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Techniques in Immunocytochemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Techniques in Immunocytochemistry - Essay Example After that, both slides were incubated in a medium containing diaminobenzidine (DAB). The sections were mounted with a minimal volume of the aqua mount and were then visualized under a light microscope. The tissue that was incubated with primary antibody was given a blue nucleus with a brown colored background; this indicates the presence of the target antigen (Griffins, 2011). Immunocytochemistry is a common laboratory technique that makes use of antibodies to target specific antigens in a cell via specific epitopes (an epitope is the part of an antigen that is recognized by antibodies). These bound antibodies can then be detected by using many different methods. The antigen is bound by a primary antibody, which is then amplified by use of a secondary antibody. The secondary antibody can be an enzyme that is conjugated. Immunocytochemistry binds antibodies that are specific reagents and allow unique detection of proteins and molecules. It is a valuable tool for the determination of cellular content from individual cells (Gillian et al., 2011). The tissue sections of the cardiac myosin were cut and fixed in acetone. After this, the slides were unwrapped and each slide was placed in a plastic petri-dish. The two plastic Petri-dishes were labeled; one was the control and the other the antibody. A piece of paper was put underneath each slide to form a humidity chamber. The tissue sections were blocked by adding two drops. A PBS buffer containing three percent BSA was introduced and then the tissue incubated at room temperature for five minutes. After that, the excess medium was tipped and the zone around the tissue section was wiped dry with paper toweling.  

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Nestle International Business Management

Nestle International Business Management The rapidity of global assimilation has been dramatically changed in recent years. Rapid and improved changes in the communications, technology and transportation have provided the process a new momentum and have made the planet more co-dependent than ever (Global Policy Forum, 2010). The multinational organizations manufacture their products in a number of countries and sell to the consumers around the globe (Global Policy Forum, 2010). Raw materials, Money, technology and human resources have started moving across nations more swiftly than ever. Along with that the products, finances, cultures and ideas circulate more easily (Global Policy Forum, 2010). As a consequence, the legal, social and economics movements have been forming in International level. It is the time to have globalization in every aspect; globalization of economics, globalization of culture and legal environment (Global Policy Forum, 2010). Nestle is one of the most respected brand name in the global food and beverage industry. The company promotes its products in around 130 nations across the globe (Nestle, n.d.). Some of its well known global brands include Maggi, Nestea, Nescafe, Friskies and Nestle. Apart from its own products the company owns around 52% of shares of Alcon Inc and about 30 % of the cosmetic giant, LOreal (Hoovers, 2010). Such diverse range of products makes it a leading brand not only in the world of food and beverages but attempts to elevate it to greater heights. This part of the report has been based on the tactical theories, written by renowned authors on international strategy. Competitive advantage emerged from the differentiation among different firms in any of the attributes as well as the characteristics. These attributes and characteristics are supposed to let one firm to create customer value and do something analogous better than its competitors. The common sources of competitive advantages include possession of better assets, access to well organized distribution and supply networks and better talent pool, productive operations (Tallberg, Adhikari Helsinki, 2007). Firms, which have decided to enter into the foreign markets, have to face a challenge while deciding on the right entry mode to enter into the market. This is a quite influential decision as it may have a continual impact on the firms global business performance. Two major modes which have been considered more often is the export of products and services and through the usage of foreign direct investment. Firms, adopting the very first one, try to make their existence in foreign markets by exporting to those regions. After having knowledge to that country they go for having their own operation facilities in those regions. Firms using the second one use the foreign direct investments to make their existence in foreign markets (Chung Enderwick, 2001). Competitive Advantage Nestle has described themselves as the food, health and wellness company. The Nestle Nutrition was established with the purpose of strengthening their focal point, i.e. their core nutrition business. Attaining leadership in this market is one of the primary aims in their well defined corporate strategy. Modern day consumers are more influenced by the claims that the company make regarding the nutritional contents of their products and the customer while making his purchase decision makes it his primary motivation. The establishment of Nestle nutrition as an independent business unit was with the aim to reinforce their competitive advantage in this area. The unit was given the responsibility of looking after its operations in the business of health care nutrition, infant nutrition and performance nutrition. The aim was to confirm a superior performance by providing products which are enriched with consumer trusted and scientifically approved nutritional components. The corporate wellness unit has been responsible to integrate nutritional value in their food and beverages worldwide. Its responsibility includes coordination of horizontal as well as cross functional activities that properly address existing customer concerns and at the same time anticipate consumer trends in future. In simple terms the unit is meant for aligning the research and development expertise of Nestle with customer benefits. The research and development division is one of its strong footholds, because of which the company has been able to make its presence felt in the global market. It has its well-built innovation heritage with a comprehensible visualization of the future (Bauer, n.d.). The resources required to build up their business are readily available. Nestle has got access to a pool of experienced suppliers who are aligned with Nestlà ©s assurance for innovation and excellence. Quality is surely one of the competitive advantages that Nestle has. Better quality products and services at reasonable prices is what Nestle strives for. From the above, it is apparent that the company operates on product differentiation with preference being given to better quality. The suppliers, employees, processes, business units and the research and development divisions have all contributed to make this happen. It can be deduced that Nestle has achieved its market leadership on the base of its cost effectiveness and innovation. Nestle has a well built economies of scale which helped it to attain low cost of reduction. Another important factor which contributes to the success of Nestle is their knowledge about the consumers in the market. To meet the varied customer needs Nestle prefers to blend their product mix with that of their local ingredients. Nestle has a well established transportation system for its distribution network. This helps the company to transport products in bulk to different factory outlets. Infrastructural development is another major concern of Nestle. (FAO, n.d.). Nestlà © has shown such an example in China. In China they had developed roads to carry out their distribution process smoothly. Mentioned above are some of the factors which have collectively assisted the company to excel in innovation and customer services. Foreign market entry strategy As the markets are getting more competitive as well as more flat, it is very much apparent that Nestle would be looking towards other new markets from the growth perspective. Successful implementation of strategies for market development requires more flexibility, ability to adapt to an unforeseen market conditions and the vision to achieve long term goals. Nestle has been relied on the foreign direct investment for entering into different foreign markets (Rao Murthy, 1999). Nestle, being the first mover, tries to enter the emerging markets in an early stage. Nestle is not generally inclined to go through the expensive process of setting up its brand name in the prospective markets; rather the company prefers to acquire local companies which are known in the indigenous market. This actually helps Nestle to overcome the cultural hurdles and consumer resentment to the foreign brands. Nestle first used this policy to start its business with the basic consumer needs like infant food; an d after that they expanded their business in the upscale market segments of chocolate , soft drinks, instant food and beverage items as per customer needs. The strategy is quite simple but strong. The strategy is to start from a basics and then only move to the more niches with the rise in demand. Sometimes they connect their expansion plan with other brands as per the rising income of the population present there. The company provides some 8500 product brands; but only around 750 are registered in multiple nations and only about 80 are registered in over ten distinct countries (Nestle, n.d.). Nestle uses this approach as it is easier to reach the consumers with local brand names because of their attachment to these local names. Consequently the marketing becomes easier in such a situation as the local company has its own distribution channel, reputation and its own customer base. With due course of time, Nestle starts the marketing of its own products. In such a situation Nestle ca n very well concentrate on enhancement of the product line as well as process innovation. Nestle must evaluate their basic entry strategy before entering into a new country. The company is supposed to make choices based on the long run profitability of different foreign markets. The strategy is all about balancing the cost, benefits, innovation and excellence. Nestle matures by acclimatizing food components and processing technology in local environment; it is mostly done by employing the appropriate local brand name. For an instance, in many countries in Europe, Nestle introduced few dairy products under the brand name of Sveltesse (Nestle, n.d.). In Asia, the strategy was mainly to acquire the local companies present there. This is mainly done with the motive to structure an assembly of independent regional managers since they know the local cultures and markets better than the foreign employees. The companys strong cash inflow as well as its powerful debt equity ratio gives Nestle with ample power to venture into acquisition and consolidation. Nestle has been using a broad strategy for Asian market. The strategy is to produce different products in distinct countries to be supplied to the entire regional market. For an instance, Nestle produces soya sauce powder in Singapore (Nestle, n.d.), cereals and coffee in Philippines (Nestle, 2008). All these products are produced to serve the regional market. Market enhancement strategies Market enhancement strategies are primarily divided into four major parts. Market penetration and development of the existing market are done by Nestle in two ways; either by marketing the existing products in the existing market or by introducing new products in the existing market. Nestle, during the early stages of its initiation only marketed the milk products, a sort of infant food. In the year 1905, the company merged with Anglo Swiss Condensed milk to enhance and broaden the milk product line (Nestle, n.d.). This acquisition helped Nestle to penetrate further into the market thereby enabling it to enhance its existing products already present in the market. The risk is considerably reduced as the market is already aware of the existing product line. The small market size of Switzerland forced Nestle to explore other regions for their long term growth perspective. Consequently, Nestle established its milk products and infant food processing plant in Asia, Africa, Britain and America (finntrack, n.d.). This is an example of market development strategy where Nestle used its existing product lines to enter into the new regional markets. Nestle had certain inherent risks, the primary being, the unfamiliarity with the market and the absence of customers awareness regarding the product. In such a case, most of the times, they start with some local brands of the local companies which are readily recognized by the local consumers. In such a course the products are more readily accepted by the regional consumers. In the year of 1929, the company moved into the chocolate business. This happened when the company acquired the Swiss chocolate maker. The next product was one of the most revolutionary one, Nescafe, the first soluble coffee powder of the world (finntrack, n.d.). In coming years, Nestle moved its business to other segments, primarily through a number of acquisitions which included Maggi, Findus, Cross Blackwell and Perrier (finntrack, n.d.). The entry of the new products in new markets diversified its range of acquisition. For most of the market enhancement techniques, Nestle had used either acquisition or consolidation. Be it the existing market or be it the new market, Nestle has always strived for innovation and brilliance. Global and local strategies Nestle is one of the renowned global organizations. So it is not surprising that the international strategy would be at the core of its tactical focus. Nestle is a decentralized company with the operational responsibilities spread out among the local units. The local units enjoy autonomy in regards to pricing, marketing, distribution etc. For an example, in Nigeria, Nestle has done away with its traditional distribution procedure of operating from a central warehouse because of Nigerias poorly developed road system. Instead Nestle has constructed several small warehouses around the country. This shows that the companys responsiveness to diverse local conditions. Nestle even employs local staffs for their regional offices as they are better equipped to handle the business procedures and customers. This in turn helps the organization to respond to the local demand more effectively and efficiently; resulting in increased market share and profitability for the company. The adaptation procedure embraced in China is another example of the companys focus on long term goals. After some 13 years of discussion, Nestle was finally invited to China in the year of 1987 by the government (finntrack, n.d.). Nestle started by opening of a powder milk producing farm in 1990; but soon after that the company realized that transportation infrastructure over there was inadequate to carry on the process. The infrastructure used to inhibit the accumulation of milk and delivery of the finished products. Rather than putting up with the existing infrastructure, Nestle made a plan to build up its own road for the transportation of milk and other finished products. Farmers used to bring the milk to the centers where it was weighed and checked for quality. Nestle used to pay the farmers on time. That acted as an incentive for the farmers and they increased the production of milk. This resulted in an increased number of cows in the district. After a period it became the res ponsibility of the area managers to organize the delivery of the milk to the factory centers. Although initially the whole procedure seemed very costly; but Nestle had the vision to see its long term profitability. This paved the way for the companys success in China. Another example which shows that Nestle inclination to adapt local products is its operation in Syria. In Syria there is a huge demand for tomato and its related ingredient. The company used it to boost their sales. By using local ingredients and concentrating on the local demand, the company has earned a good rate of return in those regions. However this is not the case everywhere. Nestle had faced severe problems in Japan. Failure to make its coffee brand compatible to the weather condition, forced Nestle to lose its significant market shares to Coca Cola (finntrack, n.d.). Organizational Structure Nestle has seven different strategic business units worldwide. Now, these units have the responsibility to make strategic decisions as well as to look after the overall development of the business, which even includes consolidations and other market ingress strategies. Apart from this structure, a regional organizational structure operates almost parallel to the previous one. This structure divides the whole operating zone into five foremost geographical regions, including North America, Europe and some others. These regional divisions are in charge to make the development strategies for their individual regions, hence contributing towards the overall tactical decision making. Local units are responsible for local operating decisions; the tactical business units or the regional heads have nothing to do with their decision making. Nestlà © makes exhaustive use of their local managers, to connect its diverse operations through out the world. They also make their managers move from one country to another. These managers are mostly selected on the basis of their characteristics, their inclination towards such kind of lifestyle and their working ability. This company also uses its management program to enhance optimistic energy level among their employees. The reason behind carrying out such kind of workshops is to provide them knowledge about Nestlà ©s strategy and the culture. One of the most important departments, in this company, is its research and development division. Nestlà ©s global network is spread around 17 research and development centers and are enriched with about 3500 qualified and experienced people from more than 50 countries; the main think tank being the Nestle research centre at Switzerland (Nestle, 2006). Nestle research division is expected to become bigger and better with time in its attempt to attain higher degree of innovation. Recommendations The company should work further to make better quality products. It needs to be aware of the fact that the incident happened in melamine in Chinese made infant food should not get repeated again (redOrbit, 2008). Situation can turn adverse for Nestle if these would happen again. The company must try to make its product differentiation by enhancing the quality of food and beverages (redOrbit, 2008). Conclusion Nestle has been able to make its presence felt as the worlds largest food company. Since its inception it has been able to increase the market share by implementing successful growth strategies. This indicates that the overall tactical practice of Nestle has been quite effective in the regional markets they have entered into. In conclusion it can be said that the key reason behind the companys success is their amalgation of customization with globalization. It would be wrong to say that the country has marked its sign with the help of globalization. For an example, the company had entered into the China market as part of globalization efforts; but it was a success in that country because of the alignment of products and services with the consumer demands over. Despite having inferior infrastructure, Nestle was able to increase the production of powdered milk by a large amount. This actually showed the triumph of their strategy and flexibility. The reason behind companys success in ex panding into prospective markets can be attributed to the organizational structure as well as its core corporate strategy. Two significant reasons behind this success have been its flexible response towards the environmental change as well as its willingness to learn about the new culture. Despite the recent downturn Nestle has been able to maintain a continuous growth, even in the new markets, with the help of skillful market enhancement strategies. This excellent performance is facilitated by the execution of its unique strategy in building up bonds with customers through the local employees and managing the entire process using a very distinct approach. With most of the marketing strategy in its favor Nestle is expected to continue making profits and increase its market share but it also has to take certain factors like economical, cultural and into account while pursuing the strategy to ensure an all around development of the company.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Atticus as a Wise Father in To Kill a Mockingbird :: Character Analysis, Literary Analysis

Lastly, I think that as a father, Atticus is extremely wise. Atticus’s wise parenting ultimately wins his children’s respect and trust, and their devotion to him runs deep. Atticus way of parenting is not typical, such as scolding and punishing. Instead, he parenting style is unique, different from other fathers and he is able to help the children learn from their experiences and thus they progress through levels of morality until they develop the compassionate ability to consider from others’ perspective and views . For example, when scout takes up cussing, Atticus does not deal with the situation directly by reprimanding and chiding her. Instead, he leaves her to cuss, knowing fully that it would just make her swear more. However in time, Scout realises on her own that it is not a right thing to do. I feel what Atticus did was intelligent as Scout may choose to rebel if Atticus interfered too much, and she might even hate him. However by letting her realise her own mistake, she will tend to mature as an teenager and be a better person. Atticus’s lessons are also taught by setting good examples for his children. By acting the same way that he wants his children to act, he is the perfect role model for them. He is wise as he is able to set ideal examples for his children by his actions such as defending his clients and treating others. By using this method of teaching, he is able to quietly and subtly pass on wisdom to his children about life, moral values and other virtues. Instead of talking more, he prefers to show.(EVIDENCE, ELABORATE) Also, Atticus is not a type of father who would love his children dearly all the time. At times, he will be firm and teach them harsh lessons about life when necessary. This is evident when he took Jem along with him to tell Helen Robinson about Tom Robinson’s death. This way, Atticus allows Jem to learn lessons about prejudice and other principles in life. Also, throughout the novel, Attic us works to develop his children’s respective consciences and character, through teaching vital lessons with objectives, such as though humanity has a great capability of evil and wrong doings, it also has a great capacity for good. Also, the evil can be looked upon as good, if one approaches things with an outlook of compassion and understanding, instead of hatred, thus his objective is to teach them to be more compassionate and gracious towards others in life.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Personal Expectations Essay

For many years I have set goals for myself, but did not totally accomplish all of them. So this time I decided to make up a philosophy that will motivate me. My philosophy is: Never sell myself short. If I make an effort I can achieve my goals. Success is not going to knock on my door. I have to go out and get it. Especially since I was raised in a family that has so much ambitions and talents. I’m constantly being advise that I need to follow the family traits that have lead them to an road of being financially stable. That’s another theory that also helped motivate my return to higher education at the University of Phoenix. Since I have made such a tremendous step to learn online. I must now focus on what types of expectations/achievements that I want for myself, that will guide me to the end of my undergraduate degree at University of Phoenix. Well my first expectation is to find a way to adapt to my everyday routines including school. It’s been so easy in the past when I first attended college because I didn’t have so much on my plate. But now since I been joggling work, school, and most importantly my son, in a twenty-four hour day, it’s been very hard. Considering how hard it is, I must say I’m very blessed to have the strength to go through each day. I definitely think I am a well-rounded person who has the prudential to achieve the courses that will better my knowledge for a better future. I think if I start analyzing a daily schedule I will have the time to be more relaxed and focus when it comes to school time. I want to be able to concentrate on my assignments, by making sure they are always decent and deadlines are meant. I also want to be able to understand and take heed on what I’ve learn when the course is over, because that will allow me to applied all area’s of study together which will result in how much I have learn. I also want to be able to look back at my results ten years from now and see if all my goals were achieved. My second expectation is to go beyond and above my expectations, by producing a high GPA at University of Phoenix and to achieve those goals I need to be able to find a style of studying. I know this is the most difficult issue I have stumbled with in previous times. I never actually took the time to sit down and sort out what my weaknesses were. But I now have to be stern with  myself and realized that time and money is at hand. The first step I think I need to take is what is the best time of the day for me to study? And how can I make myself understand the concept of the material in the course? Thanks to GEN101 discussions assignments I found the best time for me to study was in the evening, when I can forget about all the papers on my desk and put my son to sleep. For my second answer, which I gained from GEN 101, is that I can learn to understand a lecture by relating my own issues. These concepts will be a tremendous help with my further courses that I look forward to overpow er. The third expectation is to graduate from the University of Phoenix and sell my potential’s to Corporate America. I want to be able to stand out and be seen as one of University of Phoenix global achiever’s. I want to know that I am well qualified to make an educated decision in my future company. I also want my educated background to have a significant impact on others that are willing to learn. Finally, if I follow the milestone that I set for myself I will be a successful woman. I will not be excluded from job promotions and raises. Never the less settle for less than I’m worth. I can then look back at these expectations/achievements and wonder how life would have been if I didn’t go back to college. Also I can save these examples for my children to reflect upon and in courage them on what education has to offer. My family will also be content and excited with my accomplishments. They will then realize that I am ready to encounter what life has to offer.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Groupon Essay

Groupon gets commissions from the product and service providers. The providers are able to promote their products and gain benefits from the large quantity of orders. It is a model that can satisfy all the people: the customers, product sellers and the Groupon company. However, this business model is easy to imitate. It does not required high technology or unique skills to set up the business. Many internet companies, such as Google and Amazon, have stepped in this market. They have established similar business services. Those competitors are attempting to grab market share from the leader, Groupon. For example, Google has set up its own online group buying websites, Google offer, and released more attractive offers by lowering the price than the similar products or services on Groupon. Therefore, customers have more choices of online group buying providers. Customers are able to find better products from Groupon’s competitors. With intensive competition, Groupon needs to consider how to maintain its market share and how to improve its services to attract more return customers in the short run. In the long run, the company needs to think about how to improve the business model to make it more competitive. Alternatives Groupon could start a customer loyalty program to cultivate a high loyalty customer group. The company could build an award system for the program. The customers could earn certain points when they purchase the products. If they have achieved enough points, they could redeem those points to purchase new deals. The customers would spend more using this incentive because the customers could get more benefit if they shop more. The company could encourage its customer to keep shopping on its website and maintain the market share. But the reward system is easy to copy. Finally, the company has to choose whether to give more rewards than its competitors. Groupon could lose profits by giving away more benefits to the customers. Groupon could differentiate its service by sending customized offers. The company could require its customers to fill out preference information when they sign up for the website. The customers could get the customized deals regularly by emails. This strategy could periodically provide the customers with discounted services and products that they are interested in. But the process for the personal information may make the customers uncomfortable with it. Plan of action The company should choose the second alternative. By collecting the personal information, the company is able to analysis its customers’ needs in a more precise way. The company can build huge customer data base to find right products for the customers. The company could give special discount if the customer s can submit their preference information.