Nucor – Porter’s 5 Forces

NUCOR AT A CROSSROADS CASE ANALYSIS NUCOR’S SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE RECORD PORTER’S 5 FORCES ANALYSIS †¢ Supplier Power: With the eventual exit of integrated steel companies from buying scrap, the options available with suppliers to sell, reduced. Nucor started several small plants that were close to suppliers ; customers, thereby reducing transportation costs. Also, the sites chosen had inexpensive electricity. Their employee-centric policies resulted in them having lowest attrition levels ; a steady supply of new employees. Thus the supplier power was moderate-low. Buyer Power: Although Nucor employed the latest technology ; competitive prices, with imported steel available, the buyers had more options to choose from. However, Nucor’s customer service was a differentiator that buyers were willing to pay for. Hence, the Buyer power was mildly unattractive. †¢Barriers to Entry: Minimill business was a capital-intensive business for a new player. Also, for existing integrated steel makers, their reluctance to adapt to newer technology ; smaller scale discouraged them to get into the market of the minimills. Thus it was mildly attractive from Nucor’s point of view. Threat of Substitutes: With wide availability of substitutes such as aluminum, plastics ; advanced composites, the demand for steel had stagnated. Hence, the threat of substitutes in the future was highly unattractive. †¢ Degree of rivalry: The integrated steel makers didn’t threaten Nucor’s business. Nucor always had the cost advantage ; efficiency coupled with superior technology ; innovation. However, this was challenged by the global steel makers which resulted in lowering of prices ; lower margins. The only differentiation for Nucor was its highly sought-after customer service.Thus the degree of rivalry was high. Thus overall, Nucor had sustained performance so far, due to its technology innovation, lean operations, high efficiency, strong emp loyee relations ; superior customer service. However, going ahead, with availability of substitutes ; growing threat of equally good foreign steel makers, the sustainability is in question unless Nucor innovates ; strategically aligns itself to the changing demands of its customers. FUNCTIONAL FIT †¢ Low Cost Focus Strategy: Nucor adoption of organic growth helped in bridging the gap between the company and its customers.Mills were set up near the Vulcraft operations and Vulcraft in turn ensured speedy delivery of the products to its customers. The company was also able to bring down the fixed order processing costs by using computerized order entry and billing systems. With the help of competent distribution and other measures, the company was successful in raising the willingness of the customers to pay even if the price was increased. Also, the company focused on the low end segment. †¢ Organizational systems / Procedures: Nucor had a flat organizational structure. They decentralized the plant-level decision making to the respective plant managers.This led to a lot of autonomy ; faster decision making thus providing them an advantage over the competitors. The performance measurement was more quantitative in nature for the plant managers, where they had to meet specific revenue targets. The Nucor management supported creativity ; risk taking as they firmly believed in innovation ; improvisation. There was a relatively high degree of inter-plant communication vis-a-vis consolidation of orders, sharing of deliverables, etc. Thus the plants didn’t entirely work in isolation, although the structure was decentralized.At the plant level, there were conscious efforts to treat all levels of employees at par ; make all of them feel equally important ; relevant to the organization. †¢ Performance Measurement: The performance of the plant manager was more quantitative in nature. However for those of the other employees, it was a mix of qualitative as well as quantitative. This is because of their emphasis on productivity ; quality. The reward / compensation were more group based rather than individual based, encouraging teamwork. †¢ Values / Culture Review: Employee focus was the hallmark of Nucor.They encouraged risk taking, creativity ; innovation. Their policies didn’t allow for much differentiation between different cadres. Their flat structure had decentralized decision making, they provided employees a sense of belonging / ownership with the organization. The all-cash incentives were regularly doled out ; were directly performance linked – quality ; quantity-wise. Their strong employee-bonding started right from the time the plant was constructed, till retirement. They didn’t believe in firing ; during lean times, would rather cut back on working hours, than fire people.The end result was that they not only had a highly productive, motivated, experienced ; non-unionized work force, but their e mployee turnover was much below the industry average ; they had many people willing to work for them. Their high human capital was a clear differentiator ; advantage over the competition in the steel industry. Thus, Nucor’s approach of controlled growth, focus on technology ; innovation, high employee productivity coupled with a dedicated workforce, decentralized ; quick decision making, have resulted in a sustained growth ; success of Nucor.For sustainability in the future, Nucor will have to continue to focus on technology ; innovation as it has been its point of differentiation among its competitors. TETRA-THREAT FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSIS: Threat of Imitation: †¢ The advantage it derived from a flatter decentralized structure ; a motivated workforce, was hard to imitate, as it would mean reorganizing the organization ; it would take much longer to be effective. †¢ Nucor constantly innovated ; used latest technology. Hence, even though a competitor cop ied its technology, it would take time for it to implement it ; in that while, Nucor would have moved n to a newer technology. †¢ Costs of imitation in this case are the capital investments that would have to be made ; the economies of scale that will have to be achieved. Threat of Substitution: †¢ The internal threat of substitution by means of resource substitution is very little, as the employee attrition rate is very low compared to industry level ; the services offered to customers is of high value for the customers. †¢ External threat of substitution is high due to emergence of aluminum, plastics, etc as cheaper substitutes for steel.But as Nucor is focused on innovation, it can counter this by itself moving towards these substitutes or coming up with further innovative ways to make steel which can compete with the substitutes. However this would mean further investments in technology ; infrastructure ; training of employees. Threat of Holdup: †¢ Nucor has a strong vertical integration ; the market for the suppliers is limited as the integrated steel makers are no longer in its market. So threat of holdup from suppliers is low. †¢ It also adds value with superior customer service, which the buyers are willing to pay for.But the buyers do have option to opt for imported steel. Thus, Nucor will have to sustain the additional value it generates for its buyers. Threat of Slack: †¢ Nucor has optimized the technology that is available for manufacture. It also has a dedicated skilled workforce. However it has not fully exploited these to venture into newer steel markets or into a Joint Venture with foreign steel makers who could provide newer technology. However its organizational structure ; policies are suited for sustained growth. UNCERTAINITIES AND RISKS ASSOCIATED 1.Technological threat: CSP would become obsolete in 10-12 years time, as new technology of casting even thinner slab was already under way. This posed risk and unce rtainty to Nucor’s heavy investment in CSP, but adoption of this technology could give it the first mover advantage also. 2. Quality: SMS’s pilot plant ran only 7 minutes and produced 12 tons per charge due to space constraints. It wasn’t clear if it could take the load from continuous operations and sustain the wear and tear. The components had to operate with more than 96% reliability for it to be cost-effective. 3.Raw Material: Nucor used scrap as its raw material, and the uncertainty of the scrap prices could make the project not viable. If scrap prices rose above $ 140 per ton, Nucor might have to shift to Direct Reduced Iron as raw material which would require major changes in facility and operations. 4. Competition: Other minimills will also adopt CSP in a few years and hence Nucor may not be able to bask in the glory of first mover advantage. It wasn’t even clear if first mover advantage would offset the huge costs this project entails. 5. Company : They didn’t have the expertise in flat rolled products which had to be acquired.Integrated mills adopting CSP were a major threat as they already had the expertise in flat rolled production. 6. Operations: CSP plant was very large and more complex. It couldn’t have been located in rural areas, where Nucor have till now established their plants, hence would require new strategy to cater to these plants. 7. Growth: Nucor was concerned that it would have to enter the high end market if it plans to build more plants with CSP technology and that would require products with superior quality ; reliability of delivery, which CSP did not guarantee for such products.Moreover the high end market demanded relationship based marketing which involved the customers at early level of development of product, which would be difficult. 8. Resources: If Nucor pursued both the projects i. e. CSP and joint venture with Yamato Kogyo, then it would have to stretch its financial resources an d raise equity or debt for huge capital expenditures for the initial years. But, according to its policies, Nucor restricted its debt/equity ratio to less than 30 % and did not issue new stock. So the problem of raising funds for the two projects is a matter of concern.PROJECT FEASABILITY ? Financial Decisions Assumptions: †¢ The new project technology will become obsolete in 10 to 12 years of time, so assuming that this project will last for 12 years of time including 2 and half years of startup time and two years for full capacity utilization. Assumed that 50 % of capacity will be utilized in 3rd yr, 80% in 4th yr and full from 5th yr onwards. †¢ The capital expenditure of $280mn takes place in phase wise manner with $70mn today, $170mn in first year and $40mn in second year with additional $30mn in second year for startup cost.Working capital of $30mn will also be divided in 3 years based on their capacity utilization. †¢ The revenues and costs are adjusted with an inflation of 3. 5% each year. †¢ The rising scrap prices are also taken into consideration. †¢ Assuming that reduction in labor costs and savings in energy will be absorbed by inflation. †¢ Depreciation taken around 13% w. r. t. given data (Done by WDV method). †¢ Tax rate taken around 44%. †¢ Assume salvage value equal to the book value at the end of the project life. †¢ As the industry is stable, so taken beta value (=0. 95) around market beta (=1). Keeping the Debt/Equity ratio to be around 15%, according to existing capital structure policies. The Capital budgeting of the project leads to the following analysis: IRR=11. 8%, NPV =$18mn and ROC=26. 5% The Expected rate of return of the project is more than the WACC (10. 19%) and NPV;gt;0, though it is not very high. The project is therefore financially viable and can be adopted. ? Industry Opportunities: †¢ As the market for low end products was beginning to reach saturation, CSP was a great opp ortunity for Nucor to enter into flat rolled products.It could easily enter into the low end of the flat sheet market, consisting mostly of construction applications, where low price was key differentiator. †¢ Its internal sales (Vulcraft division) could be 100,000 tons of flat sheets each year to produce steel deck. †¢ Moreover, it could enter into the high end market after some years by expanding its capacity, which will make it possible for Nucor to compete with US integrated mills and capture their market share. †¢ The threat of ocean freight imports could be mitigated by the reduced costs. Construction industry offers good opportunity as it takes high priced products from the integrated steel mills and CSP will give Nucor the cost advantage to charge lesser price and hence be able to sell its products. ? Operations: †¢ CSP would lead to savings in casting operations, labor costs and energy costs. †¢ Nucor would be able to achieve economies of scale at a reduced output as compared to the US integrated mills. The yields will be higher and the operating costs will reduce. ? Technology: †¢ Nucor had the drive to embody technological advances.It invested heavily in upgrading its capacity. Its investment levels were 2. 9 times its depreciation charges, wherein the three largest integrated firms had a ratio around 1. 6. Through CSP, Nucor will gain the first mover advantage for atleast a few years. †¢ Hazelett Caster wasn’t as effective as CSP. Also, there were some operational constraints with Hazelett approach like expensive conveyor belts, reduced product quality and increased maintenance costs. Conclusion: Taking all the business and financial aspects into consideration, Nucor should go ahead with this technology.

Once Were Warriors Essay

â€Å"Forget the big players in the world; it is the people in the margins of our society whose stories are most compelling. † To what extent do you agree with this statement? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more text(s) you have studied. The Heke family that feature in the ground-breaking New Zealand film from 1994, ‘Once were warriors’ directed by Lee Tamahori are clearly a family living on the margins of society. They live in a state house next to a busy and noisy motorway in South Auckland, New Zealand. Their story is undoubtedly a compelling one: an abusive husband with a love of beer drinking and parties who gains respect from the use of his fists at the local pub; a long-suffering wife who has somehow managed to hold the family together through an obviously tumultuous 18 year marriage; a disillusioned older son who flees the dysfunctional household to join a gang; a pubescent daughter who is the de-facto mother of the family; another son who has gotten in with the wrong crowd and is committing petty theft and two younger children, Polly and Huata. Director Lee Tamahori uses a range of camera and sound techniques, dialogue and compelling themes to teach us about the dangers of excessive alcoholism and moving away from our ancestral connections. Jake ‘the muss’ Heke is a compelling protagonist. After being laid off from his job, he uses his redundancy money to bring home seafood for his family. We are initially positioned to see him as a loving and caring family man, that is until his wife Beth discovers he has been laid off and sees her dreams of buying their own home go out the window. Jake is a man of excuses who sees the dole as being â€Å"only 15 bucks a week less than my wages† and bursts into a tirade of abuse when his wife Beth resists his sexual advances after discovering the truth. Jake also excuses his own propensity for violence when he says, â€Å"Look when I get like that, get out of my way, but you’ve got to get all lippy on me. Sure I’ve a temper, but who hasn’t? † It is apparent that Jake has an inferiority complex dating right back to his courting days of Beth saying â€Å"I was never bloody good enough† and that he descends from a â€Å"long line of slaves† unlike Beth who originates from more upper-class Maori roots. What this highlights is that domestic violence, while inexcusable can often have its origin in insecurities from years beforehand. This is why men in particular need to seek help when they are struggling with issues instead of resorting to excessive bing-drinking to numb emotional pain. Jake’s wife, Beth is also on the margins of society as we see her struggling to raise her family amidst all the physical and verbal abuse around her. Gradually the low angle shots of Beth become more prominent as her courage to stand up to her abusive husband increases as also seen in her dialogue. I won’t have any more of these parties or your bloody ugly mongrel mates coming over. † Tragically, Beth’s surge in power in response to Jake’s failure to take the family to see Boogie in the Boy’s home comes too late, as unbeknownst to her, Uncle Bully has raped her daughter, Grace sending her into a downward spiral which culminates in her suicide. Beth’s cou rage in standing up to Jake and restoring the family without him is compelling. It must have inspired many women across New Zealand and indeed the world to leave behind dysfunctional and violent domestic set-ups. The fabulous low-key lighting and low angle shot of Beth at the end as she calmly informs Jake that ‘from now on I make the decisions for my family’ is inspirational and reminds us of the ‘mana, pride and spirit’ that many Maori have. She finally goes ‘home’ to her Maori ancestral roots as well as literally home to restore her devastated family in the wake of Jake’s departure. Perhaps the most compelling story of hope in the film is that of younger son, Boogie who is ‘sent into welfare’ after the state decides his family can no longer control him after his mother, Beth fails to accompany him to a court hearing (due to suffering a beating and rape at the hands of Jake) as a result of a string of petty crimes. Boogie finally gets the tough love he needs from Maori man, Bennett a distinguished tane who teaches Boogie to use ‘his taiaha on the inside,’ instead of on the outside. Boogie learns that true mana is found by using your mind and developing the inner-strength and resolve to solve problems instead of resorting to violence. Bennett, initially called a ‘black bastard’ by Boogie despite being Maori trains Boogie to reconnect with his maori tikanga and culture which effectively clears up Boogie’s confusion about his Maori identity and that this can be a source of pride. This shows that with the appropriate guidance, initially wayward youth can have a chance to redeem themselves, although this is a job parents and to a lesser extent teachers need to be doing. State foster homes should only be a last resort. In conclusion, ‘Once Were Warriors’ left an indelible mark on the psyche of many New Zealanders with its brutal violence and depiction of problems such as binge-drinking and poverty that previously were swept under the carpet. Only by examining characters on the margins of society can we truly learn how easy it is to get there ourselves if we do not value our families, our education or seek help when we are struggling with issues from our past. The story of the Heke family is a compelling one and a story we would do well to consider seriously.

Charles Mingus

Charles Minus Charles Minus is a very important and influential name in Jazz; however he is left out by many historians when talking about the history of Jazz. The main reason he is left out by so many historians, Mark Griddle in particular, is because of his attitude and ego. He Is clearly not the most pleasant person, and he surely does not display how a real Jazz musician should act, at least according to most historians.The way he acts during performances can be quite startling at first, If you are not familiar with is ways and methods of playing. For example, he was known for using profanity during performances, either geared at the audience if they were being too loud or the sound operators if the sound wasnt up to Minings expectations. That being said, Minus Is a great musician, and Just because he doesnt display the best of etiquettes while performing, doesnt mean he should be left out of the history books. Minus also has a very long list of accomplishments In his life. As a growing musician, he was most inspired by Duke Longtime, and he even got the chance to play side him at one point, even if only for a very short amount of time (Due to his demanding and not very pleasant attitude). Not only was Minus a very accomplished bassist, but he also went on to be one of the best and most known band leaders and composers in all of Jazz, with such an enormous amount of variety in his music.That being said, the only real reason historians have for choosing to exempt him from Jazz history books was because of the way he acted. If I were to alter Mark Griddles Concise Guide Tacoma, I would include Charles Minus in chapter 8, Hard Bop. Although Minings styles vary so much that it is hard to place him into one chapter, I feel like this chapter includes the most variance to do so in such an acceptable and correct way.This chapter includes many jazz sounds that spin off of many of the cool styles, as well as bop, bebop, hard bop, funky Jazz, mainstream, post-bop, and soul Jazz. These are all elements that Minus has displayed at one time or another during either his composing or bassist career. Another chapter I would also include him in would be Chapter 5, How Swing Differs from Early Jazz. I would include Minus in this chapter as well because it talks so much of his most influential Jazz artist, and at one point fellow band mate, Duke Longtime.I feel like Minus truly does have enough variance in his music to help point out and draw the flee line between early Jazz and the newer swing Jazz. The mall differences between these two categories of Jazz are that In early Jazz, you were a lot less likely to have the big ban d feel to the music, and soloist played a more important role in early Jazz, whereas in the swing era, you were introduced to more FAA variety of instruments as well as new techniques on how to play them. Minus puts out good examples and songs/performances that clearly display how things transitioned from early Jazz to swing, and then onto other evolutions of jazz as well. After learning and hearing many of Charles Minings music, I definitely feel It Is book writers to come take note of Minings accomplishments, and start to include him in the history books right up there with Duke Longtime, Miles Davis, and Louis Armstrong. It is only fair to him and his fellow band mates, however, only time will tell.

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Argumentative Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Argumentative Paper - Essay Example How dissimilar is it to coerce her to remain pregnant and eventually become a mother merely due to attempts at birth control by accident failed? From her perspective, the pregnancy is unwanted. From the point of the view of the unborn child, how the pregnancy comes about definitely makes no difference. If obliging a woman to go on with a pregnancy that will almost surely kill her is unacceptable, how different is it to force her to carry on with a pregnancy that will most likely abbreviate her life or a pregnancy that will make her life miserable? Of all the false notions concerned in the abortion debate, none is more relentless than the idea that science has not yet established when life starts. This mistaken belief is well-known but completely unbelievable. For centuries, biologists have already known that an unborn child is living for the duration of the pregnancy. It is the unavoidable conclusion of a principle as fundamental to â€Å"biology as gravity is to physics or the heliocentric solar system is to astronomy† (Marianna, 2002, 83). The main theological subject matter created by the abortion discourse focuses on the personhood of the unborn child. Evangelical Christians who are laboring for a legitimate human existence modification to prohibit abortion claim that the Bible preaches, namely, that the unborn child is a person and that abortion is undoubtedly an act of murder. According to Harold Brown, â€Å"The Bible prohibits the taking of innocent human life. If the developing fetus is shown to be a human being†¦ (or) if human life has begun, then abortion is homicide and not permissible† (Segers, 1995, 102). Although the opening statement is apparently different, Brown’s argument is in fundamental accord with that of the statement of Pope Pius XII: â€Å"Innocent human life, in whatever condition it is found, is

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New Business Development - Essay Example Various strengths and weaknesses of the organization have been identified which are internal to the organization’s environment. The opportunities and threats which are probable to appear in near future have also been identified through analytical processes. These opportunities and threats are external to the organization’s environment. The management and operational plan of the organization has been developed considering all of the essential aspects which are required under the respective plans. To give proper attention to the financial aspect of the business proper financial planning has been provided which describes the initial costs which are required to initiate the business operations. To keep the business operations on a safer side and to resist the failure of the plans additional contingency plan has also been developed through a critical analysis of all the aspect of the business and its environment. Proper appendices have been provided in the end of the report to support the analytical approach for the development of the business plan. Perfect Cleaning and Shopping (PCS) is involved into the business of providing quality services of cleaning and shopping assistance to its customers. The company mainly focuses on providing cleaning services which is considered as the primary service offered by the company. Additionally the company also includes innovative service of providing assistance in the shopping to its customer at flexible service hours of the company. The company Perfect Cleaning and Shopping is a sole proprietorship company with a centralized ownership structure. The company has a future plan to bring out its public offerings provided the company achieves its predetermined milestones which will support the organization in further expansion activities. The company has a hierarchical organizational

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare Essay Shakespeare is widely regarded as the world’s greatest playwright, and there’s no real reason to dispute that. People are still seeing his plays 400 years after he wrote them, not because it’s â€Å"trendy† or â€Å"hip,† but because they’re so good. His insight into the human spirit has never been equaled. This paper is a brief biography of Shakespeare and a discussion of the times in which he lived. Discussion His life: It’s somewhat difficult to find factual information about Shakespeare, because the â€Å"first attempts at biographical research were not begun until over half a century after Shakespeare’s death† (Best, 2005). In addition, there were few biographies written of important persons at this time, especially dramatists, since plays were not considered â€Å"serious literature† (Best, 2005). In addition, the Puritans closed the theaters in 1642, and many manuscripts and other records were lost (Best, 2005). It also doesn’t help that there are numerous spellings of his name. Nevertheless, scholars have pieced together a fairly complete picture of his life, and where facts are not known, they have drawn reasonable inferences (Best, 2005). However, the fact remains that much of what we know is based on indirect information. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon some time in April, 1564, the son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden (Hanna Life). Although there is no record of the exact date of his birth, there is a baptismal record at the church, so most scholars put his birthday as the 23rd of April, 1564 (Hanna Life). John Shakespeare was a â€Å"prominent and prosperous alderman† in Stratford, and was â€Å"granted a coat of arms by the College of Heralds† (Hanna Life). Little is known of Shakespeare’s boyhood but it is believed that he probably attended the â€Å"Stratford Grammar School† (Hanna Life). There is no record of him having gone on to either Oxford or Cambridge, both of which were well established by his time (Hanna Life). Shakespeare’s name turns up next in 1582 when he marries Anne Hathaway, some eight years his senior (Hanna Life). Their daughter Susanna was born in 1583 and twins, Judith and Hamnet, were born in 1585 (Hanna Life). Once again Shakespeare disappears from the records and doesn’t turn up again for seven years, by which time he is â€Å"recognized as an actor, poet and playwright† (Hanna Life). His recognition comes in the form of an insult from a rival, Robert Greene, who calls Shakespeare â€Å"an upstart crow† in his (Greene’s) play, A Groatsworth of Wit (Hanna Life). It’s thought that at about this time (1592) Shakespeare joined an acting troupe known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, one of the best in London (Hanna Life). The troupe leased the theater (named, unoriginally, â€Å"The Theatre†) where they performed; they lost the lease in 1599 (Hanna Life). By this time, though, the troupe had enough money to build their own theater, across the Thames on the less fashionable South Bank; this new theater was, of course, The Globe (Hanna Life). The Globe opened in July, 1599, with some of the old timbers salvaged from The Theatre used in its construction (Hanna Life). The Globe featured â€Å"Totus mundus agit histrionem (A whole world of players)† as its motto (Hanna Life). When James I ascended the throne in 1603, the company changed its name to the â€Å"King’s Men† or â€Å"King’s Company† (Hanna Life). The company’s instructions, conveyed to them in Letters Patent, told Shakespeare and eight other company members specifically to â€Å"use and exercise the art and faculty of playing Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Interludes, Morals, Pastorals, stage plays as well for recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure (Hanna Life). Things went well for the newly-christened King’s Men for another ten years, until 1613 (Hanna Life). Then, on June 19, a cannon fired from the theater’s roof during a â€Å"gala performance of Henry VIII† set the Globe’s thatched roof on fire and the theater burned to the ground (Hanna Life). The audience was so absorbed in the play that at first they ignored the fire, but when the walls and curtains went up, they surely must have run (Hanna Life). By some miracle â€Å"there were no casualties, and the next spring the company had the theatre ‘new builded in a far fairer manner than before’ (Hanna Life). Shakespeare â€Å"invested in the rebuilding† effort, but by that time he had retired to Stratford, to the â€Å"Great House of New Place† that he’d bought in 1597 (Hanna Life). There were considerable land holdings associated with the house, and Shakespeare remained there, where he continued to write, until his death in 1616 (Hanna Life). Ironically, he died on his alleged birthday, April 23 (Hanna). He was 52. Although he died at what we would consider a young age, he left behind a body of work that has made him immortal, and continues to light up theaters around the world. His Times: The world 400 years ago is often seen as romantic and noble, but it was brutal, unsanitary and often terrifying. We’re familiar with a lot of the history of the time through films and TV shows; a movie about Elizabeth I was released recently. Shakespeare lived at a time of political upheaval and court intrigue, as well as a time of exploration. For example, a man named John Hawkins sailed to the New World a second time in 1561 (Hanna Times). Trips like this were dangerous and daring, but also yielded treasure and more importantly, lands for the Crown. From 1577-1580 â€Å"Francis Proke sailed around the world† (Hanna Times). In 1586 when he was 22, Mary Queen of Scots was tried for treason and executed the following year (Hanna Times). And in 1588 one of the greatest events in English history took place: the English under the command of Queen Elizabeth I defeated the Spanish invasion fleet known as the Armada (Hanna Times). Unfortunately, this was also the time of the great plagues; plague swept through London in 1592-93, necessitating the closure of the theaters; plague struck again in 1603 (Hanna). This was also the year that Elizabeth I died and James IV, King of Scotland became James I of England (Hanna Times). It was at this point that the â€Å"Lord Chamberlain’s Men† became the â€Å"King’s Men†; James I liked the theater and was a writer himself, publishing works on such subjects and witchcraft and â€Å"the divine right of kings† (Best-James I, 2005). In 1605, the â€Å"Gunpowder Plot† was hatched and Guy Fawkes lead a group of Catholics in an attempt to assassinate James and blow up Parliament (Hanna – Times). The English still celebrate â€Å"Guy Fawkes Day. † As we saw, the Globe burned down in 1613 by which time Shakespeare had returned to Stratford. He lived only another three years.

Freuds Concept of the Unconscious Hitchcocks Psycho

Freuds Concept of the Unconscious Hitchcocks Psycho In this essay I have analysed the famous Hitchcock film psycho using Freuds concept of the unconscious. The bleak, monochrome film is made more effective by Bernard Herrmanns sparse, but driving, recognisable score, first played under the frantic credits. The criss-crossing patterns, like mirror-images, are correlated to the split, schizophrenic personality of a major protagonist. The initial usage of staccato chords immediately provides us with a hint of detachment of a character to be involved, this along with the titles created by Saul Bass, (who was known for his style reminiscent of 1920s Soviet poster art) immediately provide the audience with apprehension. The screech of the violins is representative of birds, which we later see depicted throughout the film. Many of Hitchcocks recurring images are important in Freudian dream interpretation. It is apparent right from the beginning what lies ahead is no ordinary story, and a strange feeling of anxiety swells with the visual and musical intro. Screenwriter Joseph Stefano adapted Robert Blochs novel Psycho into what would become one of Alfred Hitchcocks influential works and one of the classic films of all time. We are led to believe Psycho is a film about cloak-and-dagger affairs, misappropriation, murder, secrets, and mental struggle; although in the darkness, there lies an examination of the temptations of wealth, sexual identity, gender roles, sexual expression, it depicts the appalling events which can occur with the departure of normal advancement. Psycho reiterates to its viewers that people sometimes provide a visual falsity of who they are and stories we have read as children of a bad person visually representative of their character traits in life are not often the case, and when the personal development has not reached an expected level that immoral crimes may occur. Sigmund Freud wrote about the human psyche in the 1920 essay Beyond the Pleasure Principle, and fully elaborated upon it in The Ego and the Id (1923). Freuds theory of the subconscious consists of three parts, the Id, the Ego, and the Super Ego and the interaction between them all. The Id is considered to be chaotic, the center for animalistic impulses, and is governed by the pleasure principle, otherwise known as instant gratification. It is also the location of the libido, which is our life force or our sexual drive. The Ids driving instinct is for self-preservation. The Ego is quite different from the Id, it is the broker between the Id and the Super Ego. The Ego is also the personality we show others, founded upon the reality formula. The Super Ego represents our conscience or moral standards, ideas of right and wrong which are permanently instilled in our minds by our parents or other authority figures. Freud regarded the mind to be like an Iceberg (see Figure 1) where the uncon scious lies below the surface, and the conscious above. To conclude: the Id demands gratification, the Ego responds to reality (civilization), and the Superego which is our moral code and also is dictated by the demands of society. The storyline of this film involves a young woman who through the pleasure principle of the id steals $40,000 from her employer. Marion is motivated by her desire to settle down and have a family with her lover Sam and to have financial freedom. Her super ego and the moral side have been outbalanced by her personal desires to live the perfect life with her lover. She ends up on a personal odyssey towards terror when she encounters a disturbed young hotel proprietor who is dominated by his mother. Throughout the film is a parallel to psychoanalysis as it attempts to piece together limited parts to understand as a coherent whole. Even the films cinematographic techniques reinforce individual images as being composed of fragmentary pieces. Part of Psychos visual appeal comes from Hitchcocks use of montage. James Naremore quotes Hitchcock describing montage as puttinglittle bits and pieces of film together Marion drives to her lover and a curtain of rain leads her to check into the Bates Motel. Paths and steps and roads are prevelant in Pyscho , the path between the motel and house which symbolises a path between the normal and the insane, in Psycho stairs lead to madness. In his documentary The PervertHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perverts_Guide_to_CinemaHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perverts_Guide_to_Cinemas Guide to Cinema, Slavoj Ã…Â ½iÃ…Â ¾ek remarks that Norman Bates mansion has three floors, paralleling the three levels that psychoanalysis attributes to the human mind: the first floor would be the superego (Figure 2a), where Bates mother lives on; the ground floor is then Bates ego (Figure 2b), where he functions as an apparently normal human being; and finally, the basement would be Bates id (Figure 2c). For Freud, most repressed memories relate to sexuality. One type, for example, derives from the primal scene, where the child witnesses his parents having sex, then represses the memory of the scene. In Psycho, Norman Bates is said to have murdered his mother and her lover after finding them in bed together. Freud identified the tendency of a person who has experienced a traumatic event to re-live the negative event over and over, in action, in memory, or in dreams. A key aspect of the theory is the urge to put oneself into situations where the traumatic experience is likely to recur. Some forms of sexual dysfunction are interpreted as examples of repetition compulsion for example, an individual spanked as a child may seek out masochistic sexual experiences The best known of Freuds theories about childhood sexuality is named from the mythological king Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother. As Freud described the complex, a young boy is sexually attracted to his mother, and as a result desires to kill his father in order to possess the mother. This forbidden desire is then repressed, only to return later in neurotic form. In popular Freudianism, mothers are often seen as encouraging the Oedipal complex through possessive or flirtatious behavior toward sons. As Norman Bates tells Marion Crane, a boys best friend is his mother. (But also: A son is a poor substitute for a lover.). Freud believed the purpose of psychoanalysis is to recover these repressed memories so that the patient can deal with them in the conscious mind. In Freudianism, a successfully integrated personality is under control of the Ego. We see Norman engage in a discussion with Marion in the parlour where he reveals a desire to escape from mothers tyrannical grip, but cannot gain the will to do so. Norman fails to achieve the self-mastery which Freud claimed psychoanalysis may provide. At this stage Marion retires to her room and decides to return to her old life. In the parlour adjacent to Marions room we see Norman remove a painting to reveal a spy-hole. The audience is forced into Normans secret world as he watches her undress. Normal develops masculine and sexual feelings towards Marion. Bates alter ego of his mother is not happy about the prospect of an attractive young woman disrupting the love affair between mother and son. He even holds conversations with himself thinking hes speaking to his mother. While dressed as his mother, Bates with knife in hand murders Crane while she is taking a shower in one of the Bates motel rooms. During the shower scene the piercing violin strings play a large part in creating sheer terror during the horrific scene, screaming begins before Marions own shrieks. The murder during the shower scene destabilises the audience as the blade is pointed at her abdominal womb area, attacking the site of motherhood is perhaps a gesture to prevent her giving birth to men like himself see Figure 3a and 3b. From Freud we learn Normans id becomes the core of the psyche and determining force causing the mother half of Norman Bates to commit murder. Normans psyche represses this information causing the fear of reappearance. The compulsion to repeat is a manifestation of the power of the repressed (Freud, 1920), illustrating the strength of the influence of the repressed and the unconscious.ÂÂ   After the murder of Marion and Norman disposing of her in the swamp next to the house, the spectators turn to Norman to replace Marion as its main focus in its subjective role. Later on, when Sam and Lila search for evidence regarding Marions disapparance, Sam Loomis distracts Norman as Lila quietly walks up to the house to talk to Normans mother. She finds in the lower floor Normans mothers dead body which has been removed from its grave and preserved. At this point we realise Norman is two people. Norman is metamorphosised and revealed as his Mother when as he attempts to kill again his disguise is stripped away and ripped off. The Norman self completely dies, while his macabre Mother self is brought to life, shown by his mothers hysterically-laughing face, animated and resurrected by the light. Normans restricted personal growth this can be linked with the Oedipus complex. During the development of the Oedipus Complex the child develops a strong sense and powerful urges for sexual possession of the opposite sex parent. This urge gives rise to serious problems. The boy identifies with his father, and in doing so, internalises the fathers moral standards consequently the boy takes on the morals from his father, forming the superego. In Normans case, the absense of his father has resulted in an unresolved oedipus complex which results in a weak superego. Perhaps its this reason why he struggles with identity disorder as he houses his mothers superego in attempt to compensate for the one which he never developed as a result of his fathers absence. At the end of the film the psychiatrist explains: When reality came too close, when danger or desire threatened that illusion, he dressed up, even to a cheap wig he bought. Hed walk about the house, sit in her chair, speak in her voice. He was never all Norman, but he was often only Mother. Freud believed that traumatic events, usually from childhood, are repressed by the conscious mind. However, these destructive memories remain in the subconscious, where they are the source of neuroses and psychoses. The purpose of psychoanalysis is to recover these repressed memories so that the patient can deal with them in the conscious mind. The audience, although they had received an explanation for Normans actions, is left terrified and confused by the last scene of Norman and the manifestation of his split personality. Faced with this spectacle, Hitchcock forces the audience to examine their conscious self in relation to the events that they had just played a role in. Psycho creates a fear not necessarily from the brutality of the murders but from the subconscious identification with the films characters. To conclude, Hitchcock enforces the idea that all the basic emotions and sentiments derived from the film can be felt by anyone as the unending battle between good and evil exists in all aspects of life. The effective use of character parallels and the creation of the audiences subjective role in the plot enables Hitchcock to entice terror and convey a lingering sense of anxiety within the audience through a progressively intensifying theme. Freuds concept of the unconscious is so explicitly mirrored throughout the film. We have a seemingly normal woman whose balance is offset by a desire and which drives her to commit a financial crime. At the other end of the spectre we have again a man who most would think was harmless enough but due to his childhood and developmental restrictions has for other reasons allowed his unconscious to take full control of his conscious. According to Freud the essence of repression lies simply in the turning something away, and keeping it at a distance f or the conscious; Freud believed traumatic memories usually of childhood events are repressed as a defence mechanism which keeps the ego free of conflict and tension, however something can induce the momentary retrieval of a repressed memory and in the case of Norman Bates this triggered a psychotic in his mother psyche episode.

Sustainability Asset Management (SAM)

Sustainability Asset Management (SAM) Introduction The concept of Sustainability currently is been paid more and more attention. The idea of Triple Bottom Line (TBL) which Economic, Social and Environment or Profit, People and Planet (PPP) are concerned not only from societies or non-government organization (NGO) but also from all stakeholders; shareholders, investors, employees, customers, etc.. As there are many studies on corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility which many of them shown positive outcome or positive relation between corporate sustainability and corporates performances or outcomes in either in monetary or non-monetary term or both (Groot Churet, 2009; Peters Mullen, 2009; Samy, Odemilin, Bampton, 2010). Monitoring system has been developed to make business more sustainable by supporting corporation to measure, indicate, monitor and report their operation or sustainability activities and performance for their performance improvement overtime. A characteristic of monitoring system should be accurate, balance in performance accounting, comparable, easy to understand and match to firms activities plan (GRI, 2010) which also mean monitoring system should able to assess sustainability performance respect to the legislation, norm, code, and standard with accountability, be able to continuous developed according to the expectations, be able to interpret and understand the positive and negative impact to the firms, comparability over companies, over time that can support organization to make decision for organization strategy, implementation plan, outcome and continuous improvement (GRI, 2010). One of the most well-known monitoring systems is Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) which will expl ore further detail in this report. This report will briefly introduce the history and the development of sustainability accounting and reporting following by the overview concept of SAM Sustainability Asset Management, Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as monitoring systems. Then review and analyze a selected company, Nestle as a leader multinational food Producer Company in which their vision and mission are concerning not only on economic but also environment and social as their hope to be a part to shape the world for more sustainable (Nestle, 2010). Furthermore its relevant sustainability dimensions will be identified and described on the boundary implemented in its operation, including the indicator measured and results reported to the publics, its limitation, challenges and how will it use those indicators for company performance improvement. Literature review history and development One of the literatures of sustainability accounting and reporting development reviewed from Burritt and Schaltegger (2010) which aim to classify paths and the future of sustainability accounting and reporting assessment mentioned that there are two main developing tracks. The first one is a viewpoint of a critical theory which seen sustainability accounting development as a cause and source from corporate sustainability problems which may not reach the purpose of firms sustainability information disclosure and can be seen as a fashionable which may fade out after sometime. While another path looks sustainability reporting as a tool for management to support and make different decisions and actions according to those information. In the critical path sustainability accounting development, the Bruntland Report, World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), was published in 1987 and seemed to pull attention from the public for the global need of sustainable development but because insufficient understanding of sustainability this corporate sustainability report was not well defined and been abandoned (Burritt Schaltegger, 2010). Even the sustainability accounting process and reports was not clear though some companies still use sustainability reports caused by the pressure from both internal stakeholder managers and external stakeholder publics, media, societies to gained competitive advantage as reputation, market opportunities and to perceived from others perception on sustainability (Bebbington et al. as cited in Burritt Schaltegger, 2010). Another sustainability accounting development, managerial path, by comparing the financial accounting, the management reports were designed to meet the need of firms managers for decision making, planning and controlling while financial statements e.g. balance sheet, financial performance reports were designed for external stakeholders in which the first sustainability reports tried to linked with these accounting reports by integrating economic, social and environment aspect to support management decision and other stakeholder decision. Burritt and Schaltegger (2010) proposed three approaches for sustainability accounting which are inside-out, outside-in and twin-track. For the first approach inside-out, it is an approach for a company to define its business strategy, implementation plan and make decision from sustainability performance measurement and reporting that trying to contribute to social and environment together with economic to strengthen their market position, gain competitive advantage from good reputation or value added to customers and even in monetary term from new technologies concerning with triple bottom line or innovated process that reduced waste, energy saving, emission reduction which decrease operational expenses and increase profit for the firm. Secondly, the approach of outside-in is an approach from external organization such as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) that supply guideline for a company for sustainability reporting and can be used as a driven forces for management consideration of how can the firm contribute to sustainable development and meet expectation from stakeholders. In which GRI is one of the best well-known sustainability reporting guideline (Brown et al. as cited in Burritt Schaltegger, 2010). Also, the way to measure, indicate, monitoring and reporting had taken into account as the study on the market reaction to the first-time release of corporate sustainability reports (Guidry Patten, 2010) in which they examined from US firms report according to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) found that even there were no significant market reactions from the corporates sustainability released announcement but the it is positive significant to the quality of the reports in which the more market reaction to the highest quality report than lower quality report. Those evidences could implicate that people (investors in this study) are more concern in the detail or quality of the sustainability not only to have or simply mention corporate social responsibility in the annual report (Erusalimsky et al. cited in Guidry Patten, 2010). Monitoring System: SAM Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes and Global Report Initiative One example of monitoring system that has been develop as the important of corporate sustainability and increased interested from organizations stakeholders consist of societies, media, customers, employees, NGO, investors etc. reviewed earlier, an asset management company in Switzerland, SAM; Sustainable Asset Management, specializing in corporate sustainability investments has founded in 1995 and turn to be one of the worlds leading investment groups, looking for and identify the leading companies base on sustainability criteria using one of the largest sustainability corporation database by cooperated with Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) in analyze companies all over the world in yearly basis (SAM, 2009). In 2009, from 2,500 largest companies according to Dow Jones Wilshire Global index had been analyzed and only 15% 367 companies in 57 different sectors were qualified which classified in three different level; SAM Gold Class scored more than 75%, Silver Class scored 70-75% and Bronze Class scored 65-70%. The scores were measured across all three perspectives economic, social and environment. As mentioned the SAM collaboration with DJSI. DJSI is one of the biggest and longest datable that has been launch in 1999 provided reference point for corporate sustainability assessment by measuring and indexed base on economic, environment and social criteria of the firms. The assessment processes are conducted annually by SAM using different weighted criteria in general and specific-industrial to assess companies according to firms opportunities and risk from their sustainability trends. The assessment are the response from the companies based on SAM questionnaire including companies document and from others third-party. This assessment report then will assure by Deloitte defining rules. The dimension, criteria and weighting are shown as diagram below: Source: Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, 2010 Another example of monitoring system is GRI Global Reporting Initiative which has developed in 1997 from the idea to disclosure sustainability information framework by CRES, non-profit organization in Boston, the pioneer of environmental reporting framework since early 1990s. The first GRI version of sustainability report guidelines, G1 guideline, had released in 2000 following by the G2 Guideline in 2002 and the recent version of GRI, G3 Guideline launched in 2006 (GRI, 2010). The GRI Guideline aim support an organization to what it has to report and how to report. The overview concept can be explained by the figure: Source: Global Reporting Initiative: G3 Framework and Executive Summary (GRI, 2010). In how to report, the GRIs Principle Guidance and Protocols are provided to ensure that the report is focused to both internal and external stakeholders value. In the principle and guidance part the processes are first, to define the report content relating to core component, stakeholder comprehensiveness, sustainability perspective and completeness. Secondly, make sure the report quality by concerning with accuracy, balance, comparable, easy to understand, timely and reliable of the report. Third, set the report boundary by determine the organization unit, function or process to be include in the report. Another part on what to report Standard Disclosure, Sector Supplements and National Annexes are provided and using three different measurements which are: Profile to express strategic approach and governance, Second, Management Approach to explain the sustainability goals and management used and Third, Performance Indicators which accountable on economic, environment and social performance. Company Description: Nestlà © was established in 1867, Switzerland by Henri Nestlà © (Koese, 2008). The meaning of Nestlà © is little nest (Nestlà ©, n.d.). The first product of Nestlà © was FarineLactee Nestlà © for children who mother cannot feed them with the breast. The current product line including chocolates, soups, instant coffee, cornflakes, frozen foods, seasoning and mineral water as well as they expanded their products to pet foods, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics (Sefcik, n.d.). Nestlà © accomplished with the innovative and business acquisitions to become the world largest Food Company in term of sales which has factories in 83 countries globally. The vision of Nestlà © is known as the leading in Nutrition, Health, and Happiness company (Nestlà ©, 2010; Mali, Ali, Rana, Ilyas Khan, n.d.). According to Nestlà © (2010) stated that Our mission  of Good Food, Good Life  is to provide consumers with the best tasting, most nutritious choices in a wide range of food and beverage categories and eating occasions, from morning to night. With it vision and mission, Nestlà © focuses on 5 areas namely the consumers, human rights and labour operations, human resources, supplier and customers, and environment (The Nestlà © Corporate Business Principles, 2010) using 10 principles on its business operations consist of: Consumers Nutrition, health, and wellness is the first principle that company needs to increase the quality of consumers daily life by adding more tastier and healthier to their products. Quality assurance and product safety provides the safe and high quality to consumers. Consumer communication, the company provide responsible to consumers to reach consumers need such as infant foods. Human rights and labour operations Human rights in our business activities is the fourth principle which emphasizing providing and supporting good real situation of human right and labour performances via business activities. Human resources Fifth principle is leadership and personal responsibility by respecting and reputing to all staff as well as motivating and providing opportunities to develop themselves in management and leadership. Safety and health at work is the sixth principle of business operations that concern with obviating the hazard, harm, and sickness from work. Suppliers and customers The seventh principle is suppliers and customers relations by expressing the reliability and equality to contractors and clients. Agriculture and rural development, the company provides the advancement in the production, community, and financial to farmers and rural people as well as create environmentally friendly in term of sustainability. Environment Ninth is environmental sustainability. The company takes the sustainability in environmentally friendly into action through business activities as well as product life cycle by using the resources efficiently. The last principle is water due to the company create the sustainable of water as well as development in water systems by managing as the confining resources. Sustainability dimensions most relevant to Nestlà © Nestlà © is responsible for creating the corporate achievement in long term in term of creating shared value. (Nestlà ©, 2009) The company follows the highest standard of business activities and environmental sustainability which concerns in various areas of sustainability such as socio-cultural, economic, and environmental. Refer to the companys objective is known as the leader in Nutrition, Health, and Wellness; it relates with the sustainable in triple bottom lines such as financial, social, and environment issues (Nestlà © Oceania, 2009). Nestlà © believes their business activities in term of sustainability can create environmentally friendly for future. (Nestlà ©, 2009) Regarding to sustainable development to Nestlà ©, it can define as the expansion that reach the need in the present by using the fully ability to satisfy individuals need of next generation. Description: CSV Conversely, the company makes business profit in long term by going beyond cooperation and sustainable to create value for investors and society. In addition, Nestlà © emphasizes on the global environmental issues such as nutrition, water, and rural development as well as these issues can create strong business strategy and competitive advantage to increase the shareholder value and attain the socials requirement (Nestlà ©, 2009). The dimensions relevant to Nestle are categorized as: Socio-cultural dimensions First of all, nutrition is one of the relevance of Nestlà ©s sustainability due to the company focuses on helping people and society healthy (Nestlà ©, 2009). The company creates the nutrition aim to improve health and provide more choice to consumers as well as adding up quality of life. In addition, the company also focuses on the lowest impact with environmental problems. Moreover, the company needs to provide knowledge and understanding in the consumers. The company tries to develop and improve their products with high quality of foods to support low-income consumer as well as pursuing with World Health Organizations regulation. Furthermore, Nestlà © renovates products by providing the nutrition labelling and descriptions on the packaging as well as develop nutritional knowledge and training in infant formula marketing employees (Nestlà ©, 2009). Nestlà © has several aspects that make corporate sustainability. For instance, the research and development is one of factor that concern for the social sustainability. The RD needs to have well planning to drive the company achievement in the consumers needs. The company also provides diversify of products to improve branded active benefits for health benefits to customers. However, there are some problems that Nestlà © faces such as the increasing rate of obesity in the developing countries (Nestlà ©, 2009). Second, rural development is one of aspects that Nestlà © concerns due to the company works directly with the farmers. Most of them live in the rural areas and work as agriculturists. Nestlà © creates sustainable by supporting them to have better standard of living, increasing in productivity, and protecting the environment. The company also has the high quality of raw material to support the consumers and make more profit because they reduce the intermediaries. Nestlà © supports social sustainability by providing the knowledge, loans, rural employment, and training as well as technical assistance to rural people. The company also manages the relationship with suppliers to save the distribution costs and obtain high quality of raw materials. Moreover, the company can create shared value via supplier development by providing training and knowledge as well as reach high standard of the company (Nestlà ©, 2009). Last are human resources that focus on the sustainability and stability in work life as well as the employees satisfaction. Nestlà © aims to invest for professional training and development in quality of staff as well as provide the job opportunities and environmental in the workplace. The company also needs to create the respect and parity at all level within the company (Nestlà ©, 2009). Health and safety is one of the important factors that can create the sustainability in organization such as the zero accident during work. Employees need to work in the secure and comfortable place which can create more productivity. The relationship within employee is emphasizing on the human rights, culture and equity which can connect to the sustainable in corporation. Moreover, Nestlà © concerns in the gender balance in term of multicultural diversity within the company. Training and learning are necessary to create business success by staffs need to understand their job and use effectively skills as well as the company provides the management training and leadership development to their employees. In addition, Nestlà © creates in employee engagement and workplace wellness to build corporate sustainable (Nestlà ©, 2009). Environmental dimensions Nestlà © concerns in water and environmental sustainability which improve production process and environmental performance as well as they produce goods with lowest environmental effect. The company launches the environmental sustainability programs to reduce use in water and natural resources as well as develop the packaging to maintain environmentally friendly. Moreover, company promotes more sustainable in supply chain management in water. Nestlà © is continuing to improve the environmental performance such as water resources and reduce the energy consumption as well as renovate energy sources (Nestlà ©, 2009). Nestlà © has environmental management to improve the sustainable development in order to business activities. The company is also responsible for engaging stakeholders performance and capture leadership role. The company also creates the environmental sustainability in product life cycle by focusing on the environmental impacts such as production process, conveyances, a nd consumption. Water is the natural resources that an essential for Nestlà © due to the company uses water for agriculture. (Nestlà ©, 2009) Therefore the company manages the water resource as main factors of creating shared value. Another factor is climate change, Nestlà © concerns for the greenhouse gas emanation by improving energy, and converting to cleaner fuels as well as renewal of energy. Moreover, transport and distribution, the company works on the environmental impact to reduce the environmental issues. The company also reduces the waste and recovery of by-products and increases the reprocess of by-products as well. In addition, Nestlà © emphasizes on the packaging due to it is necessary for food safety by providing the nutritional information to consumers. Hence, the company focuses on the innovative of packaging that makes from natural resources such as plastics as well as motivates consumers to reuse plastic bottle (Nestlà ©, 2009). Economical dimensions Nestlà © provides the economic sustainability through the principles and policies which concerns in management approach. (Nestlà ©, 2009) Nestlà © also indicates the economic sustainability into risk and opportunities in climate change. Nestlà © create sustainability in core strategy in term of rural development due to the company provides knowledge training to communities as well as develop the rural areas. Moreover, the company provides long term micro financial loans to farmer as well as employment. Nestlà © has project to invest and develop in term of agriculture activities such as growing and improving coffee quality and sustainability. Nestlà © also shares the Creating Shared Value and supply chain in order to consumers, suppliers and distributors, industry, employees, government, and shareholders which sharing as consumer surplus, suppliers of raw materials and packaging, price and cost of company productivity, job and revenue of staff, taxes, and enhance in share-holder value. Analysis of Nestle indicators From Nestle company perspective, they believed that Creating Shared Value for societies that go beyond regulations, business principle, code of conduct compliance and sustainability to protect the future concerning with all stakeholders can create long-term value for their shareholder and company value in the term of economic, innovation, social and environment too. They are support UN Global compact and committed business principle base on sustainability and had developed conceptual framework measured the impacts on all stakeholders which depict as the figure below. Apart from the stakeholders impact matrix mentioned, they also looked in to materiality issues and analyze on their value chain which concerning from stakeholders and identified key performance index, focused area and prioritize according to degree from low to high of the impact and the interest of society that helped the company to utilize resources allocation, clearly goals setting and proper action plan in each focused areas. Source: Nestle Creating Shared Value, published on www.nestle.com, 2010 Analyzing to the Nestle monitoring system, their recent indicators are measured and reported in the form of United Nation Global Compact Principles which are Economic, Nutrition, Water, Environment Sustainability, Rural development, Suppliers, People and in addition with external assessment from SAM using Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) and Bureau Veritas assurance for Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). This report will describe and evaluate indicators from the dimensions of Socio-Cultural, economic and environment by using DJSI and GRI for analysis. Overall, results of performance indicator by SAM, Nestle been classified in to SAM Gold Class and ranked second leader in Food Producers Sector according to SAM methodology and assessment as shown in figure below. Source: SAM Sustainability Yearbook 2010 The performance indicators measured were weighting across Economic 34%, Environment 29% and Social Dimension 37% which can been seen that it got highest score in Social Dimension and almost highest in Environment Dimension that match with the firm focused areas on Nutrition, Rural development Our people as Social and Water Environment Sustainability as Environment Dimension as shown in table below. Source: SAM Company Benchmarking Scorecard, Corporate Sustainability Assessment, 2010 Looking into another indicator, GRI, Nestle GRI report shown its application level on B+ which mean they met criteria requirement in level B shown below and the report assured by external auditor Bureau Veritas. The reasons Nestle not met level A are because the reports did not respond to core G3 version and Sector Supplement Indicator; Nestle are categorized in Food Producers Sector. Source: GRI Application Levels version 3.0, 2010 The detail indicator analysis according to different dimension will explain in the following section. Economic Dimension DSJI Sustainability Assessment in economic dimension In DJSI Economic Dimension, it evaluated in 6 criteria indicators using the Sustainability Assessment questionnaire responded from the company, Nestle, consist of Corporate Governance Risk Crisis Management Code of Conduct / Compliance / Corruption Bribery Innovation Management Health Nutrition Strategy for Emerging Markets The DJSI report of Nestle Company evaluated by SAM can be seen as table below: It can be seen that Nestle Score are more than average in every area that evaluated by the answers responded from the questionnaire. For example: In corporate governance, it reported Checks Balance of the Board structure using two-tier system with supervisory board from non-executive and independent directors of total 14 persons compared to 13 from management board from executive management and the role of CEO is split from Chairman. It reported formal corporate government statement. There are 3 women in board for gender diversity. Board owned the company stock to align with long-term interest of shareholders. Another example in Risk Crisis Management including water and climate which Nestle got the best score shown that it assigned specific management staff Head of Group Risk Management, to response and report in this area, it using risk analysis tool such as HACCP, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), etc. and correlated analysis all this risks to business and financial risk including sensitivity and stress test such as change in carbon pricing, water quality. It has contingency plans using Nestle Environmental Management System (EMS) including ISO14001. More detail questionnaire answers can be seen from SAM Research Corporate Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire, DJSI Sustainability Assessment 2010, NESTLE SA/AG. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for Economic dimension measuring in 3 performance areas as Economic performance, 4 indicators: EC1, EC2, EC3 and EC4 Market presence, 3 indicators: EC5, EC6 and EC7 Indirect economic impacts, 2 indicators: EC8 and EC9 For example: Nestle reported EC1: Direct economic value generated and distributed as below figures: It reviewed that the group achieved organic growth of 4.1% but because of Swiss franc currency weakness, it reported sale down to 107.6 Billion CHF. While the EBIT margin is increased to 14.6% and also dividend per share are increased 14.3%. The profitability is increased because of the cost saving target from Nestle Continuous Excellence (NEC) program. Also it increases its RD investment by 1.9% of sale for long-term brand building and investment. Another example of EC2 Risks and opportunities due to climate change: It can be seen that Nestle has improve energy efficiency and renewable energy expansion use over year such as it reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 3.1% from 2008. Environmental Dimension DSJI Sustainability Assessment in environmental dimension The score are measured in 8 different sub dimensions and Nestlà ©s score are shown in below table: Nestlà ©s all scores are above the average and some of them get the best score. Those score achieved by the company performance, for example in Environmental Policy / Management System, Nestle has adopted environmental policy which committed to environment since publish global policy on environment in 1991 where preserving natural resources and reduced wasted are in its operations which include the reduction use of water per kilo of food and beverage produced, signed UN Global Compact, improved environment through SAI-platform (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative), participated Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), shared knowledge through Greening the Supply Chain (CGS) program which help suppliers to develop their EMS (DJSI, 2010). Nestle EMS verify by ISO14001. Another indicator in Operational Eco-Efficiency, reported that the EP- Direct Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2009 was 3976158 Metric ton CO2 equivalent compared to 4104488 in 2008, also Indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy purchased, Water consumption, Waste generation were reduced from the previous year. Additional example of Packaging indicator, Nestle policy is integrated with environmental aspects which applied to holistic life cycle farm to consumer to reduced weight and volume of materials, Packing reduction, recyclable packaging, use recycled materials, biodegradable packaging, recovered energy from used packages in which all detail reported can be seen from Nestle publications, eco-design and by invested in RD Sustainability Council to ensure that sustainability is taking in to account in all development products. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in Environment Dimension are measured in 9 different areas as Material: 2 indicators EN1 and EN2 Energy: 5 indicators EN3 to EN7 Waster: 3 indicators EN8, EN9, EN10 Biodiversity: 5 indicators EN11, EN12, EN13, EN14 and EN15 Emissions, effluents and waste: 10 indicators EN16 to EN25 Products and Services: 2 indicators EN26 and EN27 Compliance: 1 indicator EN28 Transport: 1 indicator EN29 Overall: 1 indicator EN30 At Nestle, for example in Material EN1: Materials used by weight or volume, it shown that it reduced 58,995 tons of materials weight from 21.43 million tons in 2008 to 21.18 million tons in 2009 as table below: Next example of Energy EN3: Direct energy consumption by primary energy source. It can be seen that Nestle had reduced energy consumption and move toward renewable energy sources. Additional example of Water EN8: Total water withdrawal by source in which Nestle aim to be the most efficiency water user and they can reduced 143 million cubic meters in 2009. Another example of Emissions, effluents and waste EN16: Total direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by weight reported reduced in 2009 compared to 2008. Further example of Products and Services EN26: Initiative to mitigate environmental impacts of products and services, and extend of impact mitigation. Nestle conducted Life Cycle Assessments to determine the impact to environment from its product such as coffee products and used those information for RD and share among communities for further improvement as shown in figure below: Social Dimension DSJI Sustainability Assessment in social dimension SAM was assessed in 7 main area indicators which Nestle assessment score are shown as below table: For example in Labor Practice Indicators, Nestle reported that it has a strict policy of non-discrimination base on gender, ethnic, nationality, religion and performance characteristic which from the Labor KPI as Non-Discrimination / Diversity shown 33% of women in the workforce and 27% in management position and the diversity distribute among 33.9% in Europe, 38% in America 28.1% in Asia, Oceania and Africa. Also for the safety in the workplace it used international standard of OHSAS 18001 as safety work indicators in which only 0.23 in

Automobile Dependency and the Working Poor Essay -- Poverty

Automobile Dependency and the Working Poor David Shipler briefly mentions in The Working Poor that lack of access to a car is one of the factors that make finding and holding a job difficult. A person in need of a job may be unable to afford a car, since car ownership is so expensive, but they may need a car because of urban sprawl and inadequate public transit networks. But just how serious is the burden of car ownership, and how exactly does under funded public transit and urban sprawl contribute to the need to take on this burden? The costs of car ownership concern motorists greatly, so it isn't difficult to find information. AAA releases an annual brochure and report called "Your Driving Costs." Their 2004 brochure reports a composite national average cost of 56.1 cents per mile over 15,000 miles of driving annually. This amounts to an annual cost of $8,415. Americans spend more of their income on their cars than they do on anything else except for shelter. A reliable car that has been paid for in full may cost $4,000 annually, but the upfront cost of a car is still great, and few Americans can afford to buy a car outright. This picture is complicated by the fact that few low-income families are able to afford a new car, which reduces the cost of financing, but these families are also likely to have poor credit which has the opposite effect. The used cars that they buy are also likely to be less reliable than the average, which increases repair costs. Clearly, owning a car is a huge financial burden. Why take it on? The problem is an urban and suburban infrastructure designed to accommodate cars at the expense of non-automotive mc and a lack of well-designed, well-funded public transit services. In the yea... ...s Amherst. 26 Feb 2006 . Ewing, et al. Measuring Sprawl and its Impact. 2002. Smart Growth America. 10 April 2006. . Oppenheimer, Laura. "Portland, Ore., Ranks Among Least Sprawling Communities in Country." Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. 18 October 2002. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. Univ Mass Amherst. 26 February 2006 . Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. 2004. New York: Vintage-Random, 2005. Sinha, Kumares C. "Sustainability and Urban Public Transportation." Journal of Transportation Engineering 129.4 (Jul-Aug 2003): 331(11). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Univ Mass Amherst. 26 February 2006 . Your Driving Costs. 2006. AAA Exchange. 26 February 2006. . Automobile Dependency and the Working Poor Essay -- Poverty Automobile Dependency and the Working Poor David Shipler briefly mentions in The Working Poor that lack of access to a car is one of the factors that make finding and holding a job difficult. A person in need of a job may be unable to afford a car, since car ownership is so expensive, but they may need a car because of urban sprawl and inadequate public transit networks. But just how serious is the burden of car ownership, and how exactly does under funded public transit and urban sprawl contribute to the need to take on this burden? The costs of car ownership concern motorists greatly, so it isn't difficult to find information. AAA releases an annual brochure and report called "Your Driving Costs." Their 2004 brochure reports a composite national average cost of 56.1 cents per mile over 15,000 miles of driving annually. This amounts to an annual cost of $8,415. Americans spend more of their income on their cars than they do on anything else except for shelter. A reliable car that has been paid for in full may cost $4,000 annually, but the upfront cost of a car is still great, and few Americans can afford to buy a car outright. This picture is complicated by the fact that few low-income families are able to afford a new car, which reduces the cost of financing, but these families are also likely to have poor credit which has the opposite effect. The used cars that they buy are also likely to be less reliable than the average, which increases repair costs. Clearly, owning a car is a huge financial burden. Why take it on? The problem is an urban and suburban infrastructure designed to accommodate cars at the expense of non-automotive mc and a lack of well-designed, well-funded public transit services. In the yea... ...s Amherst. 26 Feb 2006 . Ewing, et al. Measuring Sprawl and its Impact. 2002. Smart Growth America. 10 April 2006. . Oppenheimer, Laura. "Portland, Ore., Ranks Among Least Sprawling Communities in Country." Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. 18 October 2002. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. Univ Mass Amherst. 26 February 2006 . Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. 2004. New York: Vintage-Random, 2005. Sinha, Kumares C. "Sustainability and Urban Public Transportation." Journal of Transportation Engineering 129.4 (Jul-Aug 2003): 331(11). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Univ Mass Amherst. 26 February 2006 . Your Driving Costs. 2006. AAA Exchange. 26 February 2006. .

Herman Melville Essay -- Biography

Many American novelists appeared during the harsh times that slavery existed. Herman Melville was one of them. Dying as one of the most unknown authors, his works came again and had major success. Despite not gaining major success during Melville’s time and receiving harsh criticism as well, Herman Melville remains one of the most important American novelists for his use of reoccurring themes and discrete symbols within his works. Born in New York in August 1819 (Szumski 13), Melville was full of imagination and his father’s treasures added to his creative mind (Robertson 33). Melville’s father was extremely successful, therefore giving Melville an advantage in life at an early age (Szumski 14). When his father passed shortly after the downfall of his company, Melville got multiple jobs to provide for his poor family (Szumski 14). Melville was just 12 when his father had passed away (Szumski 13). He felt even more pressure due to his older brother’s achievements as he already struggled with the desire to gain acceptance (Robertson 34). Herman Melville attended a strict New York Male High School and, ironically, struggled at a young age to read and write (Bengtsson). He had difficulty gaining approval of family members and his father once said, â€Å"Your little protà ©gà © Herman, although a monitor at the High School, is rather indisposed this evening.† (Robertson 35). Regardless of the negative feedback towards Melville himself, he never gave up trying to win the acknowledgement and acceptance of his family (Padilla). At just 20 year old, Melville went on his first journey across the sea; this was the start of his significant inspiration for years to come (Robertson 34). Sailing from New York to Liverpool would begin t... ...layed out in his lifetime (Spark notes). Some say that Benito Cereno is expressing Melville’s apprehensiveness on the topic of slavery and slavery itself (Spark notes). People overall felt great rigor in his works with the way Melville presented his characters and the motives of those characters (Bloom 33). They had a good idea that the readers of Melville were represented as the lawyer in Benito Cereno. Many of his readers noted that many of the characters had multiple sides to themselves which made it difficult to follow along. Although some found it hard to keep up with, they still pointed out many uses of Melville as a hidden symbol (Bloom 34). Although Melville went through troubling times and received harsh criticism, his works will remain some of the best novels ever written because of their unique structure, basis, and inspiration for his stories.

To put on their clothes made one a sahib too: Mimicry and the Carnivale

To put on their clothes made one a sahib too: Mimicry and the Carnivalesque in Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable The character of Bakha, in Anand’s Untouchable, is drawn from the lowest caste in Indian society, that of sweeper, or cleaner of human ordure. Despite his unpromising station in life, the central figure in the novel operates at a variety of levels in order to critique the status quo of caste in India. Well aware of his position at the nadir of Indian society, Bakha is able-via his untouchability-to interrogate issues well above his station in life, such as caste and its inequities, economics and the role of the colonizer. Due to the very characteristics of the character's position, Anand is able to examine issues such as society’s revulsion at untouchablility; some local, innate societal sympathy for Bakha's plight, and the fact that in the 1930s Gandhi used his Harijans-untouchables-as a symbol for change in Indian society. This essay examines the modes by which Anand deploys mimicry and the carnivalesque to critique Indian society in the 1930s. The author has constructed a mimic-man, fundamentally carnivalesque in the Bakhtinian sense, who is simultaneously parodic and subversive. Indeed, the linguistic similarity Bakha/Bakhtin is in itself superficial yet tempting. For Bakhtin, "Carnivalesque literature uses elements of parody, mimicry, bodily humour and grotesque display to achieve the ends of carnival, that is, to jostle ‘from below’ the univocal, elevated language of high art and decorous society". During the course of his day, Bakha causes widespread unease, not merely at his physical presence. Although he is aware of the "six thousand years of racial and class superiority"(16) that bears down on him, as he... ...remarkable breadth of issues, and it is only to be hoped that one day this text will be regarded as a useful tool in a past campaign, rather than as part of a continuing and unfinished project. Useful links: Dalit Liberation Education Trust: http://www.pcsadvt.com/dlet The Imperial Archive. http://www.qub.ac.uk/english/imperial/imperial.htm India Survey, Biography: http://www.indiasurvey.com/biodata/mulkrajanand.htm Literature in English of the Indian Subcontinent in the Postcolonial Web: http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/india/anand/anandov.html Bibliography Anand, Mulk Raj Untouchable London: Penguin Books, 1940 Ashcroft, Bill, Griffiths, Gareth, and Tiffin, Helen. Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies. London: Routledge, 1998. Ashcroft, Bill, Griffiths, Gareth, and Tiffin, Helen. The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. London: Routledge, 1995.