Drug Problem in Russia

â€Å"Illicit drugs destroy innumerable individual lives and undermine our society†(Kofi Annan). The Peoples Republic of China believes that United Nations International Drug Control Program has to immediately attack the problem of drugs on the four fronts: the manufacture, trafficking, and the abuse of illegal drugs, and rehabilitation of addicts. China is a producer of precursor chemicals. The plant Ephedraplant that grows wild in north China can be turned into the precursor chemical ephedrine. The Peoples Republic also exports Potassium Permanganate. It can be legally exported, but is usually exported in bulk by kingpins to cocaine producing countries. Potassium Permanganate is a necessary ingredient in the production of cocaine. In 1998 300 tons of precursor chemicals were seized in China. The production of Methamphetamine is becoming a major problem. We produces limited amounts of opium for domestic consumption. The Peoples Republic monitors all 28-precursor chemicals listed in the 1988 UN Drug Convention. In 1998 there were 540,000 people addicted to drugs in China. The most common addictions were to heroin, opium, stimulates, and depressants. The majority of the problem is with our younger population. 80 percent of the addictions occur with those under the age 35. The Peoples Republic operates 600-drug treatment centers nation wide. These drug centers work on the â€Å"cold turkey† approach to break their drug habits. Illicit drug use was virtually eliminated in the Peoples Republic after a massive campaign launched by the central government in the early 1950s. In the early 1980s when the Peoples Republic ended its isolationism and opened up to the outside world drug trafficking and addiction revived. The death penalty can be handed down to criminals trafficking 10 grams of heroin and 15 years in jail for those caught with 50 grams of opium. The Chinese government has established a Counter Narcotics Bureau in the Ministry of Public Security to aid in anti-drug efforts. In February 1998 the government started a major drug education program aimed at preventing drug use. The Peoples Republic has provided support to the UN sponsored initiative that provides farmers in Burma and Laos seeds, fertilizer, and a constant market to sell their product. This initiative is to encourage Burma and Laos to switch from cultivating opium to producing cash crops and food grains. From what the Peoples Republic has documented, this program has significantly resulted in the decrease in poppy production in observed areas. China is a major transit route for Southeast Asian heroin destined for western markets. The Peoples Republic is located in the â€Å"Golden Triangle†, consisting of the countries Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. Burma's drug traffickers use the 2,000-kilometer border with the Peoples Republic. 90% of the heroin flowing into the Peoples Republic can be tracked back to Burma. Peoples Republic law prohibits the laundering of proceeds from drug trafficking, but banking and legal regulations are usually behind the fast paced progression of the traffickers. Hong Kong, a major Asian financial center, is extremely vulnerable to the use of its banking and financing systems for laundering of drug money. To solve this problem the Peoples Republic suggests that the first step in solving the drug problem is that there needs dialogue with governments. The only lasting progress that can be made to fight drug abuse and trafficking depends on strong commitment to the cause on both regional and worldwide levels. The main key to prevent demand is education. Education has worked for China on the Yunnan province where children in the junior secondary level (age 11-13) conduct educational talks about drugs and do activities. To reinforce the education they bombard the media with public service announcements, documentary dramas featuring real cases of drug addicts for broadcasting during prime time on local television. The second front is the supply of the drugs to the consumers. The main solution is crop substitution. The basis of crop substitution is that the government provides the tools, the seeds, and some fertilizer. Then the government has to provide a market place that they can sell their goods. The main reason this will work that the producers will now be making money off of legitimate cash crops instead of narcotics. The third problem is the trafficking of drugs across many countries borders. The way to solve the problem is to go directly to the source and never let the drugs leave the country. The way to do this is to set up an international task force on drug suppression. With the availability of the internet governments can link information quickly to suppress trafficking. Then governments can collaborate on control missions to stop the drugs from leaving the source countries. The third problem is treatment and rehabilitation. This is less of a worldwide problem then it is a national one. Following what The Peoples Republic has done, the countries of the world could set up national clinics for detoxification and removal of their chemical dependencies. China has 600 clinics suggesting that larger countries have more and smaller countries have fewer centers. The distinguished country of the Netherlands feels that drugs are not the consumer's fault, but the traffickers so they try to prosecute the traffickers. Contrary to their logic drugs are everyone's problems and should be dealt with that way. The distinguished country of Saudi Arabia has a zero tolerance for drugs. The mentally deficient thinking on his or her part that not everyone is entitled to a fair trial is also bad logic. The Peoples Republic allows all the accused to have a trial and China suggests that the world keep this mandate and not just run off and kill some people. The drug phenomenon is a unique problem in the way it plagues out society. It endangers the heath of individuals, political and economical development, and the safety and security of the government. Narcotics are one of the major problems plaguing the world today. This problem must be combated now and with full cooperation of all governments of the world if anyone ever wants to control the drug problem.

Research on Baroda dairy product Essay

Executive Summary This project has been undertaken in order to understand the Customer Perception and liking towards Baroda Dairy Products. The task is to know and measure its effectiveness in terms of Price , Quality , Quantity , Packaging , Product availability, Product delivery, Product maintenance (storage), merits and demerits of the existing distribution chain, areas and scope of improvement and finding ways to make the Product more user friendly and Available. There are various ways to carry out this project and reach desired objectives for e. g. , Expert Opinion, In-depth interview with Customers, primary data collection and analysis etc. but out of all these options available for data collection, the method chosen was primary data collection and analysis i. e. questionnaire based data collection and analysis. The reasons for choosing this technique for project are as under: This method gives the opportunity to directly interact with the Customers and helps in knowing what they actually think of the Baroda Dairy Products. The most reliable source of information from all the other mentioned above. Gives a better insight of Customer perception as compared to other technique. This technique will yield an Unbiased, To the Point and Reliable result. It is best to know from the Customers as to what they think about the Existing Product and Satisfaction Level. From this project I came to know about co-operative sector, dairy industry, distribution and handling of highly perishable product like milk. I also came to know what Customers think of current Products and Services of Baroda Dairy. Customer loyalty to Baroda Dairy and its products. I got to know various merits of the existing distribution channel. I also discovered some areas of distribution channel which if worked upon can yield more profitable gains and can also increase the availability of Products. I critically analyzed the answers that were provided by Customers. In order to get quality information, I used questionnaire as a tool which helped me in this project. After collection of the desired data, the data has been critically analyzed to draw conclusion out of mathematical data. The collected data has been categorized and presented in to the meaningful diagrammatic presentations following its proper classification. All these analytical information is subjected to the conclusions following justified interpretation of the results drawn from the statistical tools. Introduction Dairy industry is one of the growing sectors in the Indian Food Processing Industry. This sector Grew at CAGR of 3. 7 % in the last decade. An everyday useful industry which was into rags during 1940s is now one of the most performing industry in the country, courtesy – White Revolution. But still the market is dominated by unorganized sector which contributes about 80% of the total milk marketing in the country. Thus lies a very large scope for the organized sector to enter in this industry. Dairy contributes to 16% of consumer spend on food – 18% in Urban areas of the country and 15% in rural areas. It is one of the most important and exceptionally well performing industries. Each and every state has its own Federation that governs various co-operatives in each state which are into processing of milk and other milk products and the Governing body for these state federations is National Dairy Development Board. One of the main reasons for the progress of dairy industry in India was the white revolution and the Co-operative movement. Also what has added to its development is the linkage it has created between producers and consumers which has eliminated the middle man. Also strengthening of production, procurement, infrastructure and technology has made dairy farming India’s largest self-sustainable rural employment generator. Also it is notable that dairy sector has gained prominence over the years as it delivers one of the most important food product i. e. Milk and its by-products without which it is really very difficult to live. Thus looking at the current scenario, following things can be analyzed: On the production side: Slow growth in productivity likely to increase demand- supply gap There is a need to promote interventions that would increase production efficiencies. Need to secure availability of fodder and high quality breeds. Promoting entrepreneurship in large herd dairy farming – through PPP. There is increasing interest in Intensive dairy farming – increasing demand & farm gate price. On the demand side: Indian dairy market offers diverse opportunities to tap into. Unique nature of the market requires entrepreneurs to study it carefully before entry. India has the credit of being the largest producer as well as the biggest consumer of milk in the world. It also has the world’s largest dairy herd (comprised of cows and buffalos). In 2010-11, livestock generated output worth INR 2,075 billion (at 2004-05 prices) which comprised 4% of the GDP and 26% of the agricultural GDP. India’s milk production accounts for 16% of total global output. The dairy industry is expected to grow 4-5% per annum. A budgetary outlay of INR 31, 560 Crores is recommended by the working group for 12th Five Year Plan of Planning commission of India for animal husbandry and dairy sector to achieve growth rate of 6%. In the past 20 years, milk production in India has doubled and has reached the 116. 2 million tonnes a year thus becoming India’s No. 1 farm commodity. The current market size of the dairy industry is INR 2. 6 trillion and is estimated to grow up to INR 3. 7 trillion by 2015. The matters relating to livestock production, preservation, protection and improvement of livestock & dairy development comes under Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, GoI. Value-added products like Whole milk powder, Skimmed milk powder, Condensed milk, Ice cream, Butter and Ghee have immense potential for export. As per the latest statistics of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the dairy cooperative network in the country includes 177 milk unions covering 346 districts and over 1, 33,000 village-level societies with a total membership of nearly 14 million farmers. All the statistics given above are indicators of a flourishing dairy sector in India providing suitable opportunities to the industries engaged in the dairy business. India: Milk’s New Horizon A growing population and increased incomes from an economic boom are the driving forces behind a surge in dairy product demand in India. One key to the success of recent consumption trends has been an American standby: the refrigerator. Dairy Demand in an Emerging Economy A new study reports that the demand for milk in India will rise by a compound annual growth rate of about 4% over the next few years (RNCOS, 2012). Research shows that as incomes increase consumption of animal products, specifically milk and dairy products, intensifies (Wenge Fu et al. , 2012). In fact, India’s upturn in demand for dairy products far outweighs the growth in demand for animal products such as meat and eggs. India owes this large demand for milk to its largely vegetarian population. Dairy product demand in India has increased dramatically in both rural and urban sectors. However, as a larger population is emigrating from rural areas to cities an even greater demand may be placed on dairy products. Between 1980 and 2010, India’s level of urbanization increased from 23 to 30 percent of the population. The second largest country in the world, India is projected to grow from 1. 2 billion people in 2010 to just under 1. 7 billion by 2050 with 55% of that population being urban. This increase in buying power allows consumers to purchase durable goods such as refrigerators that enable larger consumption of dairy products than ever before. Moreover, a more urban population also offers the increased opportunity for cultural exchange, leading to increased consumption of meat and dairy products not only in India but across Asia. All of these factors coupled together lead to growing international market opportunities for milk and dairy products in India previously unnoticed in the global dairy industry. India is the world’s largest producer of milk. However, the majority of that milk is buffalo, followed by cow and goat milk as shown in Table 1 (FAOSTAT, 2013). Since 2005, 53% of the fluid milk produced in India has come from buffalo, 43% from cows and 4% from goats. In 2011, India produced 34% more milk than the U. S. up from 19% more in 2005 (Table 2). For dairy cow production, the United States produced 70% more milk in 2011 than India. One study by the OECD-FAO in 2011 suggests that India will have sufficient production to meet demand for milk and its products (excluding butter) through 2020. Nevertheless, as Wenge Fu et al. note, the rapid increase in population and changes in consumption patterns make such estimations difficult. Fluid milk demand is projected to grow at 10. 2% per year, while production is projected to grow by 3. 7% based on 1994 to 2004 growth rates. Competition for land to produce grains and feed products for animal production may limit agricultural growth in all sectors. This pressure on natural resources and its effect on production could lead to a greater reliance on imported dairy products. In the short run, India’s dairy sector is well positioned to accommodate the rapid growth in dairy product consumption. An increasingly urbanized population with a greater disposable income will drive demand leading to opportunities from the global milk market to supply this new generation of Indian consumers. Table 1. India’s Milk Production by Species from 2005 to 2011 in Tonnes (FAOSTAT, 2013) Year Item 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Avg Buffalo Milk (whole, fresh) Production in Tonnes 52,070,000 54,382,000 56,630,000 57,132,000 59,201,000 62,350,000 62,350,000 % of total production 54% 55% 54% 53% 53% 53% 52% 53% Cow Milk (whole, fresh) Production in Tonnes 39,759,000 41,148,000 44,601,000 47,006,000 47,825,000 49,960,000 52,500,000 % of total production 42% 41% 42% 43% 43% 43% 44% 43% Goat Milk (whole, fresh) Production in Tonnes 3,790,000 3,818,000 4,481,000 4,478,000 4,467,000 4,594,000 4,594,000 % of total production 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% Total Production in Tonnes 95,619,000 99,348,000 105,712,000 108,616,000 111,493,000 116,904,000 119,444,000 Table 2. Milk Production in India and the United States from 2005 to 2011 (FAOSTAT, 2013) Year Country 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 All Milk Production in Tonnes India 95,619,000 99,348,000 105,712,000 108,616,000 111,493,000 116,904,000 119,444,000 USA 80,254,500 82,463,000 84,189,100 86,177,400 85,880,500 87,474,400 89,015,200 % Difference between India and U. S. 19% 20% 26% 26% 30% 34% 34% Cow Milk Production in Tonnes India 39,759,000 41,148,000 44,601,000 47,006,000 47,825,000 49,960,000 52,500,000 USA 80,254,500 82,463,000 84,189,100 86,177,400 85,880,500 87,474,400 89,015,200 % Difference between U. S. and India 102% 100% 89% 83% 80% 75% 70% As we have already seen how the production of milk and its consumption have increased over the past decade thus the problem of it distribution and availability also arises. This brings the problem of Effective distribution channel into light. For the same purpose the study has been undertaken in order to Measure the Effectiveness of the Distribution System of Baroda Dairy. Introduction to Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. The GCMMF is the largest food products marketing organisation of India. It is the apex organisation of the Dairy Cooperatives of Gujarat. Over the last five and a half decades, Dairy Cooperatives in Gujarat have created an economic network that links more than 3. 1 million village milk producers with millions of consumers in India. The cooperatives collect on an average 9. 4 million litres of milk per day from their producer members, more than 70% of whom are small, marginal farmers and landless labourers and include a sizeable population of tribal folk and people belonging to the scheduled castes. The turnover of GCMMF (AMUL) during 2010–11 was 97. 74 billion (US$1. 7 billion). It markets the products, produced by the district milk unions in 30 dairy plants. The farmers of Gujarat own the largest state of the art dairy plant in Asia – Mother Dairy, Gandhinagar, Gujarat – which can handle 3. 0 million litres of milk per day and process 160 MTs of milk powder daily. GCMMF is a unique organization which is created by farmers, managed by competent professionals serving a very competitive and challenging consumer market. It is a true testimony of synergistic national development through the practice of modern management methods. GCMMF Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), is India’s largest food product marketing organisation with annual turnover (2012-13) US$ 2. 54 billion. Its daily milk procurement is approx 13 million lit per day from 16914 village milk cooperative societies, 17 member unions covering 24 districts, and 3. 18 million milk producer members. It is the Apex organisation of the Dairy Cooperatives of Gujarat, popularly known as ‘AMUL’, which aims to provide remunerative returns to the farmers and also serve the interest of consumers by providing quality products which are good value for money. Its success has not only been emulated in India but serves as a model for rest of the World. It is exclusive marketing organisation of ‘Amul’ and ‘Sagar’ branded products. It operates through 48 Sales Offices and has a dealer network of 5000 dealers and 10 lakh retailers, one of the largest such networks in India. Its product range comprises milk, milk powder, health beverages, ghee, butter, cheese, Pizza cheese, Ice-cream, Paneer, chocolates, and traditional Indian sweets, etc. GCMMF is India’s largest exporter of Dairy Products. It has been accorded a â€Å"Trading House† status. Many of our products are available in USA, Gulf Countries, Singapore, The Philippines, Japan, China and Australia. GCMMF has received the APEDA Award from Government of India for Excellence in Dairy Product Exports for the last 13 years. For the year 2009-10, GCMMF has been awarded â€Å"Golden Trophy† for its outstanding export performance and contribution in dairy products sector by APEDA. For its consistent adherence to quality, customer focus and dependability, GCMMF has received numerous awards and accolades over the years. It received the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award in1999 in Best of All Category. In 2002 GCMMF bagged India’s Most Respected Company Award instituted by Business World. In 2003, it was awarded the The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award – 2003 for adopting noteworthy quality management practices for logistics and procurement. GCMMF is the first and only Indian organisation to win topmost International Dairy Federation Marketing Award for probiotic ice cream launch in 2007. The Amul brand is not only a product, but also a movement. It is in one way, the representation of the economic freedom of farmers. It has given farmers the courage to dream. To hope. To live. GCMMF – An Overview

Intellectual Property Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Intellectual Property Law - Essay Example This law provides a framework for protection of legal rights of artists, traders, inventors, and writers among other people and institution that create original works. The main purpose of intellectual property law is to encourage inventions, artistic expressions, and new technologies, which are critical ingredients for economic growth. It is informed by the fact that when people know that their creative works will be protected and there is a great possibility of benefitting from their works, they are more likely to enhance their capacities to produce things that develop new technology, create beauty in the world, make processes more effective and efficient, and create jobs.2 This part of the paper will focus on intellectual property law; in particular, it will focus on a scenario that brings out the aspects of copyright which is covered under the intellectual property law. The paper will seek to advise James on various issues that relate to copyright law. James is faced with legal is sues that need to be focused on and appropriate decisions made regarding the issues to ensure that he gets legal remedy and he is rewarded for his creative work. Similarly, the advice will help to make decisions that will ensure that James is not short-changed in any way by the parties involved. Discussion From the facts, it can be gathered that James, who is an employee of Farnon and Farnon, a large veterinary practice, is a charismatic figure and as a result has been chosen by a television producer to talk about animals’ problems in a weekly series â€Å"James on Pets†, which is a popular series. It can also be gathered that while still employed by Farnon and Farnon, James writes a book titled â€Å"The James Pet Book† which concerns basic pet care. Parts of this book are based on guidelines and instructions that had previously been produced and distributed to new veterinary staff at Farnon and Farnon. However, Siegfried, who is Farnon and Farnon’s seni or partner, is claiming that the Animal Care Guidelines that belong to the veterinary practice. It is clear that this claim is founded on the fundamentals of intellectual property law that seek to protect the legal rights of an original author of a book and to ensure that the person who developed it has benefitted from it.3 On one hand, Siegfried wants Farnon and Farnon to benefit from the copyrights of the book as he believes that the Animal Care Guidelines contained in the book belongs to the veterinary practice. On the other hand, this seems like a protracted claim on the part of the firm to deprive James of his copyrights on the book, probably because he may not be conversant with the intellectual property law. Therefore, it is important to put this issue in the legal perspective in order to advise James accordingly to make sure that he is not short-changed. Firstly, it is important to understand what the intellectual property law says about copyright. The James’ situatio n falls under the copyright; a main area under the intellectual property rights. Copyright applies to works which are recorded in some manner: copyright exists in things or items such as dramatic, literary, musical, and artistic works, as well as typographical arrangements, films, and sound recordings. Copyright gives the author particular rights that relate to the work, and prohibit actions that are unauthorized. Besides, copyright allows the

Corporate Team Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Team Building - Essay Example Individual group members are supposed to compete in each of these activities and there is a reward for the winners and the first runners up. The activities are supposed to take place during the weekend with all the participating group members meeting at the office for transportation to the identified location. Each of the group members is supposed to adorn a rock climbing attire of the specific color of the group. There are five different colors for each group to help distinguish each team member from the others. Rock climbing is an interesting venture where the group members have the opportunities for intense and even concentrated efforts to examine the accomplishments of the groups in their work operations (Luebben 232). It is essential in enabling the group members to improve on the aspects of teamwork in the organization thus enhancing total equality and total management of service, which is important in the organization. If employees collaborate in the work experiences, they are able to achieve the best results in enhancing customer satisfaction thus continued amassing of profits for the organization. Moreover, by each team members working together to overcome difficult obstacles in rock climbing, they are able to increase their self-confidence, respecting others, capabilities and an added commitment to the spirit of teamwork in the process of their work. Such members working together are able to understand that there are huddles that they cannot solve on their own despite their career advancements and experiences in such work situations. They require the help of others in the same field to enable them achieve better results within the stipulated time. They are able to appreciate the efforts of other despite how small since such efforts counts in the aspect of achieving high-end results in their work settings. The reason for this choice of location is that coral cliffs rock climbing gym

What is the Threat to the US from North Korea Assignment

What is the Threat to the US from North Korea - Assignment Example Due to this conflict, it is feared that North Korea may be planning to attack the United States directly or indirectly through its everyday developing nuclear program. One of the main threats to the United States from North Korea is that North Korea might soon become capable enough of developing nuclear weapons that can be used against the United States and its allies. North Korea and South Korea have been in continuous conflict over the issue of Korean Peninsula and United States has tried to help South Korea as South Korea is an ally of United States (U.S. Department of State, 2014). The threat is that if North Korea develops nuclear weapons, it may directly attack the South in order to solve and gain victory on the dispute of Korean Peninsula. If North Korea attacks the South, there is the huge possibility of a World War consisting of the use of nuclear weapons taking place. A World War may erupt because the US being friends with the South may help the South, while on the other ha nd China being an ally of North Korea may try to defend them (Schneider, 2014). The United States already owes a huge debt to China and China has the ability to completely destroy the United States and due to this United States may not be able to assist the South in order to protect its own nation. The United States has been fighting the war for peace and the war against terrorism for several years. Due to these several nations such as Afghanistan and militants living in those nations are quite angry with the United States. One reason due to which the United States has an upper hand over the extremist terrorist group is that these terrorist groups do not control nuclear weapons. If North Korea is able to develop its own nuclear weapons, then there is a possibility that North Korea may supply these weapons to the terrorist organizations and the terrorist organizations will then have the ability to attack the United States with nuclear weapons (Snyder, 2013). North Korea is kind of an isolated region which blindly trusts its government and is ready to take any action that may be commanded by their government.  Ã‚  

Freedom Writers Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Freedom Writers - Movie Review Example This movie is realistic even in today’s life whereby in most schools, students often group themselves according to their race or living standards, family backgrounds, and the groups think they are the untouchables of the school. The life events that make it real are the racial groups and classes, the gang fights that break out in schools, students opposing a new teacher and the school and department heads opposing the teaching ways of a new teacher(DeVito, Shamberg, &Sher, 2007). The most important thing that Erin learned about the students is that they only needed someone to understand where they have come from, their feelings, and experiences of being abused, evicted and watching their friends (DeVito, Shamberg, &Sher, 2007). Die the most important thing that the students learned from Erin was that she was not just an ordinary teacher but she was determined to change and reform their behaviors and their way of thinking. The writing of the movie played a very crucial role since it makes it easily accessible. The writing is realistic and many people can benefit from it. The main idea of the movie is to enhance understanding between teachers and students (DeVito, Shamberg, &Sher, 2007). The movie portrays that every teacher has his or her own way to instill discipline and win the trust of the students. I would highly recommend this movie to someone else since it is very educative both to the students and to teachers in order to produce disciplined and hardworking students.

The smartest guys in the room(movie&book) essay

The smartest guys in the room(movie&book) - Essay Example Another form of malpractice that the company participated in is loaning money to itself in order to conceal debts. They also manipulated California’s’ energy supply using its electricity market. The movie elaborates how thousands of Enron employees lost their job in the scandal albeit their loyalty, while their bosses maintained their wealth. In reality, this movie is a criminal documentary that reveals how the executives of Enron, which was America’s seventh largest company, participated in a pansy scheme and got away. Their investors and employees succumbed to great losses while they walked away with billions of dollars (Sterling 22). An ethical consideration is the rights and duties of an entity to its employees, customers and their fiduciary responsibility towards their investors. These considerations assist in maintaining the integrity of a profession by setting out standards. Professionals found in violation of ethical responsibility are subject to sanctions, withdrawal of licenses and charges by law. It is unfortunate that the pioneers of the pansy scheme involving Enron walked away scot free with billions of dollars while their employees and investors made huge losses. The underlying principle in ethics is choosing the right irrespective of the foreseen or unforeseen consequence. Ultimately, unconditional responsibility that surpasses belief and interest is essential for harmony in human interactions. After watching this film, it important to recognize that community support does not determine ethical standing. A company may donate or fund other projects generously but the behaviors that take place behind t he scenes are the most crucial. Enron was the leading financier of George W. Bush 2000 election campaign but they had many hidden issues (Sterling 63). I believe that justice was served in the Enron scandal. The executives associated with the issue faced

Diageo Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diageo Plc - Case Study Example At that time (eighteenth century), it was identified mostly with spirit brands like Justerini, Malts of Scotland such as Talisker, Glenkinchie and Lagavulin. In the nineteenth century, the company introduced Johnnie Walker; one of the most popular whiskies to date. In that same century, there was introduction of Smirnoff and subsequently Bailey's. In the twentieth century, the company started getting associated with Captain Morgan rum and eventually adopted it. Ever since, the company has been characterized by numerous innovations and introductions of new alcoholic drinks the world over. The Diageo Plc Company falls under the food and beverages industry in general and in the distillers sub industry. Therefore all the factors affecting the company will be examined in against the backdrop of this industry. The industry analysis will be done through SWOT and PEST analysis. The former type of analysis is instrumental in identification of the internal and external factors affecting a given company. It is also crucial in identification of the factors impending growth of a particular company. PEST analysis is more useful in determination of the external environment. (United Nations, 2001) The most outstanding feature about Diageo Plc is its brands. Some of the brands it offers have been around for centuries. This implies that the company has been able to secure brand loyalty. These include Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Bailey's. On top of this, the distiller has a huge size with branches all over the world. The advantage of such a large size is that the company can appeal to numerous market segments. Besides this, it can make up for weaknesses in one area with strengths in another country. (Hill, 2005) The Company also has confidence in the fact that it produces good quality beer. This means that sometimes the product 'sells itself' so to speak. It can also pride itself in the fact that it delivers lots of products in an efficient and fast manner. Actually most bars and pubs in the United Kingdom heavily rely on supplies from the company. Such an arrangement is only possible if the supplier has established a name for itself. This is definitely the case with Diageo. Another source of strength is the fact that the company promptly caters for its clients through efficient customer care. Responses to customer requirements and needs are done promptly and most of the time this is achieved through cooperation with the marketing and sales team. The Company has been at the frontline in employment of technological advancements in its production processes. For example, some of its distilleries are up to date in order to speed up the rte of production. On top of this, it is continuously introducing latest bottling technologies. It

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Human Resource Management - Essay Example In a sense, all judgments or assessments which involve the personnel regarding the organization’s HRM activities. Despite the consequences of size (or subsistence attributes) of a recognized HRM or personnel department, the attributes implicated in HRM are convincing all the way through the organization. There are numerous assorted attributes concerned with HRM. Recruitment is in actual fact a method of translating extensive policies into prepared actions. The major task for the method normally rests with the HRM department, even though most duties are collective with line managers. HR managers are in charge for shaping recruitment course of action, making certain EEO observance, and training and appraising the recruiters. In addition numerous organizations for instance Merek, Coca-Cola dynamically engross line managers and employees as recruiters. As illustrated above proficient divergence between line managers and HR managers can take place when their preference differ. For case in point, line managers may be more anxious about confirmatory accomplishment guidelines and appointing objectives or employing with EEO rules. Based on HR plan, the organization has a moderately superior suggestion of its on the whole recruitment or rationalize requirements, on the other hand, this information must be prepared and communicated to others who will be taking the accomplishment (Bernardin and Russel, 1993). Recruitment is a structure that necessitates business standpoint, potential, skill to determine and consider the most exceptional possible applicant for the association, management, advertising skills (because to sell the place to the applicant) as well as thoughtful to line up the employment procedures for the advantage of the business. The Hunan Resource professionals treating the recruitment assignments of the association are continually looking innovative confronts. The most important confront for comparable professionals are to foundation or making

Aida Play Analysis Essay Example for Free

Aida Play Analysis Essay The musical Aida was written by Auguste Mariette based on Giuseppe Verdis Italian-language opera. 2nd Flight Productions using the stage at Chantilly High School performed the musical. The musical was based on the legend of Aida, the Nubian princess who was captured as a slave to Radames, the captain of Egypt. The performance is divided into two acts and it started with Radames fianci , Amneris, as a statue during the present times in a museum. The museum displayed a tomb with the carvings of a man and a woman buried together. Amneriss statue begins to sing and tells the tale behind the tomb. The set for the museum was sufficiently constructed for the story. The tomb was realistic and the background sets of Egyptian writing were appropriate to the feeling and style. However, at first it was difficult to grasp who Amneris was when she sang because she was position center right and maybe a little down right of the stage. There were no other props that clearly indicated that she was part of the museum and that she was a statue. There was a back narrow parallel platform that elevated her separate from the ground. The ensemble members were the museum tourists observing the artifacts. However they were on the ground level and there were no indications of them acknowledging her as a fellow artifact of the museum. Throughout the play, Aida is a strong character who deeply cares about her people. In the plot she hides her identity as the Nubian Princess to save her people. The actress did an amazing job portraying those characteristics. Her voice was powerful and so phenomenal that each song she sung moved me. Every emotion she evoked moved the audience through her acting and her singing. There was moment where the actress belted out a song that described the struggles of being a princess of Nubia. Her body language was like a building wearing away and her facial expressions revealed pain and sorrow. Another moment that was very effective was when she finally accepted her love for Radames. Her body language was playful, her voice was light and her facial expression was soft and more youthful. She was the best and most excellent actress in the play. The lighting had its good effects and bad effects. During serious moments, the lighting was used well and isolated the light towards the main characters. However, when the music became lively, the lighting was in all different colors, similar to a disco lighting, which I found unnecessary and sloppy for a historical musical. The costuming was decent as well but I expected more from a community theatre company. The costumes would be acceptable for a high school production but not a community one. The slave clothes were fine and tattered; however, the fabric was new and it appeared new from stage. Since the setting is in historical times, the fabric must invoke that. The costume for Aida throughout the play was in a shiny fabric that was glittery. This was an anachronism since the setting, again, is in historical times. The ensemble was probably the poorest aspect of the play. In every act they were in, they were never in synch with each other. No one seemed to listen or hear each other. The ensembles made careless mistakes with their hands fidgeting, their eyes not focused and the acting did not seem like acting. In acting, the actor must have a purpose or goal to evoke good acting; however the ensemble did not do that. They moved around with unmotivated movement. Their dance, however, was stronger than their acting. At times they were no in synch but they did decent on their dances. I wished that the ensemble danced with more diverse movements. The dances seemed a little parallel and conformed to the same movements at times. The ensemble men were Radames soldiers in the beginning and did a dance routine that had the characteristics of a march. The performance of the ensemble however, was poor. Their entire routine was not in synch and it was sloppy. In order to portray as soldiers, they should have had more cut and dry movements that were sharp and strict. However, they performed as if they were relaxed and bored. It was more of a casual walk than a march. Towards the end the soldiers did an impressive break dance when the song lifted from its austere melody, however I found it unnecessary. Overall the musical was satisfactory as a community musical. The background music was appropriate, the main actors were excellent in portraying their characters and the songs were sung on key. Although there were many errors in setting, and ensemble members, the director succeeded in telling and portraying the story of Aida in a reasonable fashion.

Coca Cola Companys Growth As A Multinational Corporations Business Essay

Coca Cola Companys Growth As A Multinational Corporations Business Essay Multinational Corporation (MNC) is one of type of potential firm in the world nowadays. A corporation can be categorized as MNC if there are 20% to 50% or more of its net profit from directs investment in one or more in foreign countries. (Iamsam, n.d)[ http://hubpages.com/hub/Multinational-Corporations-MNCs]. MNC are managed from one home country. With well- manage structure and due business firm good performance, it able to expand its products and services to foreign country. The growth of multinational corporations is measured by Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). When business firm make an investment in a second nation, the investment is counted as part of the outward direct investment from the source country. FDI is an investment in foreign firms where the foreign investor owns at least ten percent of the ordinary shares. 1.2. Coca-Cola Company ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s History Coca-Cola is the largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage that establish by a pharmacist, Dr. John Stith Pemberton in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia in 1886 with Coca-Cola syrup. Druggist Asa Candler bought The Coca-Cola Company in 1891. Within four years it was available in all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. The Coca-Cola Company began building its global network in the 1920s. When Asa Candler purchased the recipe and established the Coca-Cola Company, he begins one of the largest franchise in the world. The government expanded the company and built 64 plants overseas in 1929. At the beginning of the World War II, Coca-Cola was bottled in 44 countries. Today, The Coca-Cola Company operates in more than 200 countries, 2400 beverage products are provided worldwide with approximately 1.5 billion serving rate each day. (http://www.just-drinks.com/market-research/the-coca-cola-company-swot-analysis_id92127.aspx) Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s largest marketer, producer and distributor of Coca-Cola products. It ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s operating in 46 U.S. states and Canada, they are the exclusive Coca-Cola bottler for all of Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco and the Netherlands. Coca-Cola Enterprises manages a network of approximately 84,000 suppliers of goods and serveces ranging from large international companies to small local suppliers. Today, With E. Neville Isdell  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s firm commitment, Coca-Cola Company have been revolute into new century, recognized as the world ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s most valuable brand. [http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=164239] 1.3. Management Structure A well structure company is important foundations of outstanding organization. Multinational Company is operating under International division structure. The international unit (parent company) control entire activities of subsidiary company. However, this division structure allows multinational companies to freely explore resources internationally based on geography, product or function. Figure 1 shows the outlook of international division structure. Figure 1 : International Division Structure Coca-Cola Company as a multinational company handles enormous capacity of business with well-organized structure. Coca-Cola has 5 operating geographically segmentation. There are United States, Latin America, European Community, Northeast Europe/Africa, and also Canada and Pacific Coca-Cola Company allows their division to customizing marketing based on Geographic segmentation. For instance, they alter the sweetness of drink according to local taste. Globalization The process of globalization has impacted on the world ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s business operation which is mostly driven by the development of MNCs. According Macmillan Dictionary, term of  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½globalization ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ defines as  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½concept a single economy and culture are developed as a result of advance in technology which easier the communications between two corporation and globalization mostly influence by multinational companies toward economic, financial, trade and communication. ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Besides, the United Development Program (1999) announces globalization is the most important integration of economy, political and cultural phenomenon across nation frontiers. (cited in Kiggundu 2002). [Moses N.Kiggundu, 2002, Managing globalization in developing countries and transition economies: Building Capacities for a Changing World, Praeger,Westport CT][page. 4][ http://www.questia.com/read/101335345]  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Globalization is the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before- in a way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper that ever before, and in a way that is enabling the world to reach into individuals, corporations and nation-states farther, faster, deeper, cheaper than ever before. ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½- Thomas Friedman Coca-Cola is a business which truly international in scope by signifying 67% of total its total net income from non- USD source. [ http://books.google.com.my/books?id=akn1_k1rVMICdq=coke+income+from+non-US+sourcesource=gbs_navlinks_s] (page 9-2) Impacts of Globalization 1.) Establishment of international alliances http://books.google.com.my/books?id=3pTFN8IdRpkCdq=international+alliances+example+on+coca-colasource=gbs_navlinks_s (page 435) The establishment alliances or coalitions which link firms of the same industry based in different countries. MNCs commonly engage in international alliances such as joint ventures and licensing agreements with foreign firms. Coca-Cola formed global joint venture with many industries to strengthen its company buy launching new products. Joint developments allow Coca-Cola to leverage its beverage expertise in connection with certain technology areas key to our business, such as packaging, vending equipment, foundation equipment and water treatment. Historically, these joint developments have led to the development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies for the beverage industry. Coca-Cola also engaged in licensing with companies that are affiliated with food or beverage company but not with companies that compete with Coca-Cola in the non-alcoholic beverage market segment. We do some licensing with suppliers to the beverage industry. Examples of these types of companies are various packaging and equipment suppliers to the beverage industry. We have also licensed with universities around the world where there is a particular expertise with an individual or group of professors or researchers. Coca-Cola has over 300 licensees who sell over $ 1 billion of licensed products each year. It is estimated that Coca-Cola generates over $ 70 million in royalty revenue and billions of incremental impressions from licensed products. Licensing agencies outside of North America which work with us are The Licensing Company in Europe and Redibra in Brazil. The manufacturing system also called  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½The Coca-Cola System ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ by Coca-Cola to license to dist ributors who can incorporate different world markets, resources, and technologies to maximize revenue. http://www.yet2.com/app/insight/insight/20010401_landgraff http://www.goldmarks.net/controvn_lic_exp.shtml These are the few joint ventures for Coco-Cola which doing well and earned huge profit on it. Coca-Cola joint venture buys Philippine drink company San Miguel, the Philippine food and beverage company, and its joint-venture partner Coca-Cola agreed yesterday to pay 14 billion pesos ($269 million) for the Philippines second-largest soft drink company, Cosmos. The purchase, which defeated a bid by PepsiCo, will give the joint venture, Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, a 90 percent share of the Philippines $1-billion-a-year soft drink market. The deal was approved when Cosmoss majority owner, the RMF Corporation, agreed to accept a lower offer after San Miguel discovered that some Cosmos equipment was below Coca-Colas standards. Wayne Arnold (NYT) Joint venture between Coca-Cola and Nestle to tap rapidly growing beverage segments http://www.nestle.com/MediaCenter/PressReleases/AllPressReleases/CocaColaJointVenture-30Jan01.htm Coca-Cola and Nestle Refreshments (CCNR) is their highly successful joint venture formed on 1991 which operates directly in 24 countries and enjoys a strong position in the ready-to-drink tea category. On 30Jan2001, CCNR rename as Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW) function as an entrepreneurial unit dedicated to tapping the growth potential of emerging beverage segments, actively expand into new beverage particularly ready-to-drink coffee, teas and beverages with a healthful positioning. BPW also focus on expanding its geographical with existing products include Nestea and Nescafe and new products inclusive of Tian Yu Di tea and Yang Guag tea businesses undertaking by Coca-Cola. Joint venture of Coca-Cola Company and Illycaffe Spa http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20080327_tccc_and_illycaffe_joint_venture.html They introducing three premium ready-to-drink (RTD) espresso-based coffee products. The products are: Products Description Caffe full-bodied character, real Italian chilled caffe. First ready-to-drink coffee to offer black (no milk) espresso-based coffee. Cappucino intense uplifting aromas of illy espresso, blended with milk and dark cacao. Latte Macchiato smooth fresh illy espresso experience, swirled with milk. The product will be available in stylish premium can to attract the consumer. The RTD first launch in 10 European countries including Austria, Croatia, Greece and the Ukraine as the firm aim of their joint venture. After 1 month, the additional countries in Asia, North America, Eurasia and the Pacific as the expansion of the sales and will be delivered through the Cola-Cola system. The highly profitable RTD coffee category globally is valued at just under $16 billion and has experienced several years of growth that is expected to continue. Globally (excluding Japan), the ready-to-drink coffee category has grown at an average rate of 10.1 percent over the past five years. 2.) Development and Improvement of Technology The improvement of the whole organization in order to address challenges or problems, for in line with the participation in globalization is the increase in the number of problems to be encountered. With this, it can be understood that along globalization is the need to develop, improve, innovate, and adopt new strategies and methods in relation to systems modification to enable adjustment to the changes and challenges being encountered by the organization. Modification and restructuring in the organization is needed because along with the company ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s intention to expand and widen its target market is the need for additional workforce and management processes and styles that would enable the company accommodate the increase in changes. Restructuring and remodeling of the company, thus, serves to be a good way of adjustment. Both the Friedman ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s definition and  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½The Coca-ColaSystem ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ as well discuss stress the importance of integration of markets and innovation of technology. Technology revolution can have important effects on the decisions taken by international business. The improved of technology can transform a firm to become a successful international business. With the current technology, innovation can be done by a firm to develop a new product which can attract the current consumers as well as the new buyers. In the case of health trend and changing taste of the consumers, Coca-Cola responded to this through innovation and change. The primary objectives of product innovation are to create value, to obtain a competitive advantage, and to achieve long-term success through the development and commercialization of new products and services (Sundbo and Fuglsang 2002). Innovation for Coca-Cola Company accomplished through development of new products. A range of products such as the Coca-Cola Zero, Enviga, Diet Coke, Gold Peak,Cherry Coke, Diet Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Coca-Cola with Lime, Coca-Cola with Lemon and other variants of Coke. Below shown some of the products with description: Year New Products Description 2005 No-Calorie Drink (Coke Zero) The introduction of Coke Zero was motivated by the increasing consumer demands for healthier products. Coke Zero offers the same taste as Coca-Cola with no calories First launched in North America 2006 Calorie Burning Tea (Enviga) This product is intended to complement healthy lifestyles. By drinking three cans of Enviga each day, consumers can burn an extra 60-100 calories daily. This innovative product is added with a powerful antioxidant EGCG that speeds up metabolism and increase energy use, especially when combined with caffeine. 2006 Gold Peak A premium ready-to-drink iced tea. It ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s with homemade taste revives the timeless flavour of classic, authentic iced tea. By introducing new products, Coca-Cola aims to strengthen its brand image as the home quality beverages. Besides, Coca-Cola fill the gaps between markets and its products. Coca-Cola Company innovate a range of new products including health concerned products to meet consumer ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s demand that are health conscious. 3.) Renewing Systems and Structures The organisational form of Coca Cola is the Entrepreneurial start-up which is the simplest structure. According to Mintzberg (1992) the structure is described as having a little or no techno structure at all, it only has few support staffers, restrained division of labour, minimal differentiation in the work place, and a limited hierarchy in management. The overall setting is informal because there are no strict rules and regulations except the punctuality and absenteeism. Moreover the behaviour within the organisation, particularly in the convenience store is not that formalised wherein it utilises minimal planning, training and liaison devices. After the impact of globalization, the new organization was formed in Coca-Cola business. As we can see in Hong Kong, it would be Machine Bureaucracy. According to Mintzberg, the machine bureaucracy is an organisational structure wherein there is a clear configuration of the design parameters wherein it consistently held up researches it includes specialised routinely operating procedures, formalised procedures in the centre of operations, propagation of rules and regulations, proliferation of formalised communication throughout the company, dependence on the functional basis for tasks wherein it needs group work, comparatively centralised power for decision-making, and a complexly detailed administrative structure with sharp differences between the line and staff. In this form of organisational structure Coca Cola will be able to monitor the efficiency of the performance of the workers because there would be standard procedures and more elaborate structure of management. 4.) increase in competition among other firms in the same industry Last major impact of globalization is the increase in competition among other firms in the same industry. A global firm may be in a better position to compete with its global rival, as it can enhance its resources globally ( 2003). Being able to participate in its foreign target market makes the global firm more advanced and more developed compared to its rivals in the same industry, for it is able to meet the standards and demands of its foreign customers. From this perception, major suppliers and stakeholders would prefer the global firm to other firms. Due to the impact of globalization, there are some local brands compete with Coca-cola. For example, Big Cola  ¿Ã‚ ½C a brand in South and Central America and it act as a Fast-growing competitor to Coca-cola. Secondly, the Corsica Cola in French island of Corsica which is made by brewers of the local Pietra beer growing fast as Coca-cola also. Furthermore, Breizh Cola is available in the French region of Brittany. Because of the increasing in the competitors, The Coca-Cola Company forced to purchase its brand, a registration of Coca-Cola as their own brand mark in 1999. Globalization brings benefits to The Coca-Cola Company and it also led the company to compete with other big company which is in the same industry in whole world. Pepsi Company (PEP) the major competitor that most people familiar with. Usually, people will take Pepsi as their second choice, but in some certain markets, Pepsi outsells more than Coca-Cola. Another big competitor to Coca-cola is Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS). DPS starting its soft drinks business since 1885 and they compete in terms of the packaging, price, availability and so on. 5.) Global Products Coca-Cola Company need to concern on the languages that they used while doing the advertising, promotion and so on. Respect to the consumer culture is an important things in order to attract them for purchasing the product. For example, The Coca-Cola company has to change the logo and the description on their packaging from common English to Mandarin on Taiwan and China markets. this can help the company launch the product successfully by follow consumer mothers language in their countries. Coca-Cola company have to research on the most suitable flavor on carbonated drinks that did suit the eastern countries like China and Taiwan. This had to be replaced by products such as Asian Tea and fermented milk drinks. This needed a lot of research and development to make sure that the relevant product can suit the market. The following are brief overviews of a few countries where Coca-Cola has used their strategies to help their drinks become globally sell. Year of First Introduced Countries Detail on Coco-Cola Company 1942 Argentina -On the first day the product hit the streets, seven 24-bottle cases were sold, plus eighteen single 185 milliliter bottles. -By the end of 1943, sales in Argentina amounted to 300,000 cases using 20 distribution trucks. -Coca-Cola de Argentina S.A. sells around one thousand times more products annually than first year introduced. 1927 Belgium -Belgium is among the world ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s top 20 countries in terms of per capita consumption of Coca-Cola products. 1933 France -Introduced in the  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Caf ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ de l ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Europe ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in Paris. -Number one soft drink in France since 1966. -Its total sales have doubled in eight years. -Coca-Cola France has created more than 1000 jobs. -Invested more than 3 billion francs in France since 1989. -Today, French consumers drink an average 88 servings of Coca-Cola products each year. 1927 Italy Currently employs approximately 3,000 people. Italian consumers drink an average of 100 servings of Coca-Cola products each year. -There are 12 bottling plants throughout the country, serving more than 500,000 retail outlets, -Producing a wide range of Coca-Cola products, including Fanta, Sprite, Nestea, Kinley Tonic Water, Beverly, Bonaqua and Minute Maid products.

The New Testament :: Bible Religion Christian Christianity

The New Testament I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Primary Source of the Knowledge of Jesus a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proclaims the Incarnation -- the Word made Flesh -- Jesus becomes Man b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fulfillment of the Promise of the Old Testament II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Collection of books (proclaiming the fulfillment of God’s promises through His Son, Jesus) a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gospels i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Written by the evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CCC 125 = Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures as they are the primary source of life and teaching of Jesus iii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Main sources of information about the historical Jesus iv.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faith testimonials announcing the good news of salvation; evangelists are not primarily interested in the historical details of Jesus’ life -- primary interest in the good deeds he performed, the words of salvation he taught, and the meaning of his passion, death, resurrection and glorification v.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not all alike 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mark – suffering servant 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matthew – humanness of Jesus 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luke – Gospel message is for all 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John – emphasizes the symbolisms within Jesus’ life vi.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Synoptic Gospels 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  how Jesus lived 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matthew, Mark and Luke vii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John’s Gospel – what Jesus meant b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acts of the Apostles i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Written about the time following Pentecost (for abt 30 yrs) ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luke’s sequel to his Gospel c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Epistles – letters i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pauline (13 books) – dealt with particular problems faced by the early Church and continued proclaiming faith in Jesus to be its central focus 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 of the books directly attributed to Paul; the others were probably written by disciples of his ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Epistle to the Hebrews – defines the priesthood of Jesus iii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Catholic Epistles – encouraged the universal church to keep the true faith and live Christ-filled lives d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Revelation (The Apocalypse) – another book full of symbolisms written to aid Christians under persecution to remain loyal to Jesus and His teachings. III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How did the writing of the Gospels come to be? – 3-stage process a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The life and teaching of Jesus ------ period of time from Jesus’ birth until his death ------- what he did and taught b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oral preaching about Jesus ------ from Pentecost until the actual written form of the Gospels c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Written Gospels ---- written over a 35 yr period ------ Mark around 65AD, Matthew and Luke between 75-85AD and John during the last decade of the first century. Each evangelist adapted his materials keeping in mind the circumstances of the particular audience for whom he was writing†¦.each had different audiences. i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of what we know about Jesus’ early life comes from Matthew and Luke --- birth, Magi, Flight to Egypt, circumcision, Slaughter of the Innocents, boy Jesus in the Temple, Joseph ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Catholic Church maintains the dogma of the virgin birth --- no brothers or sisters ------ the text that refers to Jesus’ brothers and sisters uses a word that also means cousins

What is property :: essays research papers

What Is Poverty? Jo Goodwin Parker 1. You ask me what is poverty? Listen to me. Here I am, dirty, smelly and with no "proper" underwear on and with the stench of my rotting teeth near you. I will tell you. Listen to me. Listen without pity. I cannot use your pity. Listen with understanding. Put yourself in my pity, worn out, ill-fitting shoes, and hear me. 2. Poverty is getting up every morning from a dirty- and illness-stained mattress. The sheets have long since been used for diapers. Poverty is living in a smell that never leaves. This is a smell of urine, sour milk, and spoiling food sometimes joined with the strong smell of long-cooked onions. Onions are cheap. If you have smelled this smell, you did not know how it came. It is the smell of the outdoor privy. It is the smell of young children who cannot walk the long dark way in the night. It is the smell of the mattresses where years of "accidents" have happened. It is the smell of the milk which has gone sour because the refrigerator long has not worked, and it costs money to get it fixed. It is the smell of rotting garbage. I could bury it, but where is the shovel? Shovels cost money. 3. Poverty is being tired. I have always been tired. They told me at the hospital when the last baby came that I had chronic anemia caused from poor diet, a bad case of worms, and that I needed a corrective operation. I listened politely -- the poor are always polite. The poor always listen. They don't say that there is no money for iron pills, or better food, or worm medicine. The idea of an operation is frightening and costs so much that, if I had dared, I would have laughed. Who takes care of my children? Recovery from an operation takes a long time. I have three children. When I left them with "Granny" the last time I had a job, I came home to find the baby covered with fly specks, and a diaper that had not been changed since I left. When the dried diaper came off, bits of my baby's flesh came with it. My other child was playing with a sharp bit of broken glass, and my oldest was playing alone at the edge of a lake. I made twenty-two dollars a week, and a good nursery s chool costs twenty dollars a week for three children.

Jane english and the Analogy of the Hypnotized Attackers :: essays research papers

For our next paper I plan on discussing abortion as a social issue. I want to do this in the form of a critical paper This seems to be a very sticky subject and is one of the topics we had in our class that was very interesting to me with a lot of room for interpretation as to when it is or is not o.k. to abort the fetus if it should ever be done at all. The argument I plan to discuss is Jane English's analogy of the hypnotized attackers which was not one of our readings, but one I came across in some research I did for this upcoming paper. This analogy has to do with a mad scientist who abducts people, hypnotizes them and has them attack innocent passerbys. A major part of the analogy is realizing that these people who are attacking innocents are themselves innocent and would not be committing the acts of violence that they are guilty of if they were not hypnotized and were able to act on their own volition. They are acting on the will of the mad scientist. He is the only bad person in this whole scenario. The innocent hypnotized attackers are representative of the fetus and the helpless attackee is representative of the woman or women who are victims of the unwanted pregnancy. The analogy is to determine the measure of force that can that can be used by the attacker to protect one'sself from the undesired attack of an undesirable pregnancy depending on what kind of damage the pregnancy may cause. I think that this analogy does a good job in deciding how to deal with the burden of pregnancy during more than just the moment of attack. Her narrative can grasp or deal with a lot of possible situations. Jane English argues that if a fetus is a person, abortion is still justifiable in many cases and if a fetus is not a person, killing it is still wrong in many cases (pg. 4). When I first read this , or heard, this passage I felt that it was fairly wishy- washy. I felt that her argument really did not have a stand, but how can you when you are not truly pro- choice or pro-life. She seems to be saying that there must be a good reason to end a life and not just for the sheer convenience of it. I completely agree. Also, with this argument came the concept of personhood. This concept seems to be what liberals and conservatives are trying to define because it can be stated at that exact moment when a fetus becomes a person and therefore when abortion

Interaction Between Cognition and Physiology Essay

Discuss the interaction between cognition and physiology in terms of behavior †¢Introduction: cognition, physiology, relation †¢Amnesia: retrograde, anterograde †¢Memory: multi-store, division, *amnesic patients, ways of distinguishing types of memory (KC, spiers maguire and burgess, vargha and khadem) †¢HM †¢Clive Wearing †¢Conclusion: cognition, physiology Cognition, as defined by Neisser, is all the processes by which the brain transforms, reduces, elaborates, stores, retrieves, and uses information. Physiology refers to the structures of the human body and brain. The relationship between cognition and physiology is bi-directional, meaning that cognition can effect physiology and vice versa. Every cognitive aspect can be localized to a specific structure in the brain. This close interaction can have an effect on behavior. This essay will study ‘memory’ as the cognition, and ‘amnesia’ as the behavior. Amnesia, simply put, is a loss of memory. There are two types of amnesia: retrograde, where information acquired before the onset of amnesia is forgotten, but new memories can be made, and anterograde, where information acquired after the onset of amnesia is forgotten, making the patient unable to form new memories. Memory is defined by ‘Baddeley’ as an active system which receives information from the senses, organizes and alters it, and stores it away, and then retrieves the information from storage. A model called the ‘multi-store model’ by Atkinson and Shiffrin states that there are 2 stores of memory: short term (STM), and long term (LTM). Information is received by the sensory unit, and then sent to the STM. after this information is rehearsed, it is sent to the LTM. The researchers describe these 2 stores as ‘unitary stores’, which differ in terms of capacity, duration, and encoding. The fact that the stores are ‘unitary’ was refuted by later studies. Later studies of memory prove that the LTM can be divided into 2: explicit, and implicit. Explicit refers to the memories that one can declare, and implicit refers to the memories that are more underlying, like the memories of how to ride a bike. These two stores and further divided. Explicit memory contains episodic (events) and semantic (facts). implicit contains procedural (skills) and emotional (emotions). For amnesic patients, the problem lies mostly with explicit memory. There are three main ways to study the differences between the types of memories. The first is the study of anterograde amnesic patients. For example, the study done by Spiers, Maguire and Burgess. They studied 147 cases of anterograde amnesia with damage to the hippocampus. psychological testing proved that all cases had impaired episodic memory and limitedly impaired semantic. This shows that the hippocampus is responsible for episodic memory. To make the conclusion more reliable, another study was done by Vargha and Khadem, with 3 anterograde amnesic patients, and found the same results, except that the semantic memory was completely intact. They found that semantic memory was localized to the cortices underlying the hippocampus. Another way of studying the differences between the two is by studying retrograde amnesic patients. a retrograde amnesic patient known as KC was studied to find that the damage to his hippocampus impaired his episodic memory, but his semantic memory was still intact. The study of amnesic patients is done in psychology to study the relations between the physiology and cognition, because the damage to the brain can be seen easily, and it’s effects on cognition can also be studied. The third way of distinguishing would be the use of neuro-imaging. Studies using neuro-imaging have concluded that emotional memory relates to the amygdala in the brain, and procedural locates at the striatum and cerebellum. Moving on to a specific study, one was done on a man known as HM. At the age of 9, HM started having uncontrollable epileptic seizures that couldn’t be  controlled by medication at the time. At the age of 27, the doctors removed his medial temporal lobe, to control his seizures. The surgery was successful, but after the surgery, HM suffered anterograde and partial retrograde amnesia. He had a loss of episodic memory, and a limited impairment with semantic and emotional. The medial temporal lobe contained the hippocampus, and some of the cortices underlying it, as well as part of the amygdala. The doctor, John Harlow concluded that the specific types of memory located to the specific structures in the brain that were removed. This method of research, the case study, was ethical because they kept his identity from the media and referred to him as HM. One of the worst recorded cases of amnesia was that of Clive Wearing. He was a pianist and a conductor, and he developed ‘herpes encephalitis’, a brain infection that affected his temporal lobe. He was left with both retrograde and anterograde amnesia. His episodic memory was impaired as well as part of him emotional memory. His procedural memory stayed intact, he could still remember how to play the piano. His name was released into the media only because his wife allowed the researchers to do so, which abides by the ethical consideration of taking consent from one’s caretaker in case of not being able to take consent from the participant himself. The studies showed both the causes and effects of the behavior: amnesia. Since the studies were case studies, they were unique in nature, which gave the researchers a way of understanding the distinction between the types of memories. A disadvantage is that case studies cannot be replicated. The studies, being completely of reality, had high ecological validity. To conclude, in terms of amnesia, it is evident that damage to a specific brain structure can have an effect of the cognitive aspects, which overall has an effect on behavior.

Analysis of Petrarch’s Sonnet 134 Essay

Based on the persona’s love that is unreciprocated by his beloved, the Poet illustrates in this sonnet, an internal conflict in the persona. The wholly bitter tone establishes a holistically integrating theme of being torn apart for love and also an atmosphere of histrionic resentment engorged with Petrarch’s hyperbolized emotions. Divided into an octet and a sestet, which are respectively divided into two quatrains and two triplets, the sonnet follows a strict formula of end-stopped lines and medial caesurae: â€Å"I find no peace || and have no arms for war |† (l. 1); The use of lineation in this sonnet adds to the conflict in the poem as tropic figures of speech that insinuate a sense of paradox are used ubiquitously: oxymora and antitheses are used to contrast ideas separated by the medial caesurae; â€Å"My jailer opens not, nor locks the door,† (l. 5) gives further evidence to the point postulated, how can a jailer not lock yet not open a door simult aneously? The end-stopped lines and the medial caesurae suggest a sense of finality and possibly a disheveled state of emotion as the abrupt pauses break the flow of the recitation and reflect the disturbances in the persona’s emotions, to me the fact that the poem keeps cycling forward as the paradoxical wheel that it is, intimates an anguished continuity. Life is a conflict. That is just the way that it is. The octet pivots into the sestet through a Volta that does not propose a solution to the emotional conflicts but rather states â€Å"why† the Poet must suffer so, and it is proclaimed rather blamefully, that it is â€Å"his lady† who has gifted him with such torment — â€Å"for you || my lady || am I in this state |† (l. 14); the change in syntax here serves to intimate an overtly dramatic tone as well as bring emphasis to â€Å"I†, hinting a bruise to the poet’s ego. It is common knowledge that a Petrarchan sonnet traditionally has the rhyme scheme: abba abba cde cde; but it is clear that this is not the case here. Using an inconsistent rhyme scheme: abab abab cde cde, the Poet corroborates the inconsistent emotions of the persona, wavering towards extremes. The poem is dominated by the rubato iambic pentameter that most sonnets are expected to have. The regularity of the iambic pentameter results in a continuous feeling: it is a meter of acceptance, as the true nature of life is not different, it too is continuous and one must accept it. But it is not without exceptions.

Nike Business Strategy

Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 1 of 29 M-Prize winner This story is one of ten winning entries in the Long-Term Capitalism Challenge, the third and final leg of the Harvard Business Review / McKinsey M Prize for Management Innovation. Story: Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All by Lorrie Vogel – General Manager of Considered Design at Nike Inc. Co-Authored by Agata Ramallo Garcia October 17, 2012 at 1:29pm 18 36 0 Comments 2 Ratings: Overall 4 Innovative 4 Detail SummaryInnovation is a cornerstone of the Nike brand. Our company was founded by two visionaries, Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, who set out to reinvent athletic footwear. Over the past decade, our drive to design and produce better, faster, lighter products has evolved into an even more ambitious agenda – to embed long term sustainability into our business. This broader vision calls for new approaches to design, managem ent, partnership and new tools and metrics to support integration and adoption throughout Nike. Many of Nike’s http://www. managementexchange. om/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 2 of 29 management innovations for sustainable growth started internally, with the Corporate Responsibility and Considered Design Teams. As internal efforts took hold, the focus expanded externally. Nike is now reinventing its supplier, industry and business relationships. It is leading industry efforts for systemic change and pursuing an agenda of truly disruptive innovation. Also you can read  Business Ethics ComprisesNike Dare to Dream video: http://vimeo. com/11680452 Moonshot(s) †¢ Develop holistic performance measures †¢ Make direction-setting bottom-up and outside-in †¢ Retool management for an open world Context NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE subsidiaries include Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Converse Inc. , hich designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Umbro International Limited, which designs, distributes and licenses athletic and casual footwear, apparel and equipment, primarily for global football (soccer). In 2011, NIKE Inc. earned $20. 9 billion in revenues. NIKE Brand Footwear revenues in 2011 represented 55% of total NIKE, Inc revenues, followed by NIKE Brand apparel with 26%, and 5% for NIKE Brand equipment.Approximately 36% of NIKE, Inc. revenues were derived in North America, while the remainder are from across the globe. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 3 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchangePage 4 of 29 After decades of phenomenal growth and becoming one of the world’s top brands (Interbrand 2010), Nike intentionally shifted its strategy to integrate sustainability as a vehicle for growth. We have come a long way , from our association with the discontent of globalization in the late1990s (and subsequently establishing one of the first corporate responsibility (CR) departments), to setting the bar in embedding sustainability into business practice. We no longer view sustainability as option.Rather it is a business imperative, an innovation opportunity and a potential competitive advantage. As CEO Mark Parker notes: â€Å"The age of abundance is over. The definition of business performance is expanding. Innovation is being redefined. Expectations are being redefined. At Nike, we believe the world must innovate faster for growth that is good for all. † Triggers Innovation is our core competency. Starting in 1964, Nike’s founders, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, looked for ways to improve upon the Onitsuka Tiger running shoes they were selling.They weren’t just distributors, they collaborated on design ideas. The legacy of innovation in search of better, lighter, faster prod uct performance evolved and deepened over time. It drives every department, process and person in our company – from the product design process, through production, marketing and distribution. Phil and Bill had a vision that sparked and guided their innovation and approach. While the business has evolved and grown exponentially, that single-minded vision continues to feed innovative thinking, design and business practices today.In addition, several significant events in the 1990’s and early 2000’s prompted a shift in Nike’s vision and approach: the labor crises related to sourcing and manufacturing practices; and scenario planning, which surfaced potential vulnerabilities across the business. The company also went through a reorganization to align more closely to consumers. Within this change, the company moved to embed sustianbility across the company with finance and product teams taking a greater role in the process alongside our VP of CR.In the early 1990s, public reaction to labor practices in factories from which we sourced production triggered innovations in how we oversee and manage our supply chain. We took responsibility and developed stringent standards for our manufacturing partnerships – the Code of Conduct (CoC). While the CoC became a significant priority for us and our business partners, it was clear that there still was more to be done to oversee and manage our supply chain. We formed the CR committee of the Board. We disclosed our factory locations. We took measures o share information about our expectations and our progress against strict operational guidelines. These moves signaled our seriousness about the issue and our desire to move quickly and find solutions. The action with the greatest impact has been transparency. It has enabled us to better comprehend the problems and shape more approriate solutions.. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 2 1/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 5 of 29 We also recognized that corporate responsibility had to be a part of Nike’s business.We consolidated CR functions under the the newly created VP of CR position, led by Maria Eitel, which brought together our labor and environment strategies. By 2001, we established Nike’s Board of Directors’ CR Committee, set long-term environmental goals, and jointly published worker survey findings with the Global Alliance. These two important management shifts – the installment of an internal governance model and formalization of CR Reporting put us in the position to proactively manage our whole sustainability agenda. Nike was embarking on a journey to understand the true power of transparency, collaboration and governance.In December 2004, Hannah Jones, became our second VP of CR reporting to Mark Parker, who was then co-president of the Nike brand. Ma rk Parker soon become CEO of NIKE, Inc. In assuming the CEO position, he brought a passion and commitment for sustainability. Concurrent with these management changes, we entered into an internal cultural shift, recognizing that we cannot solve these challenging issues alone. The commitment to transparent, operation-wide sustainability morphed into embedding sustainability as a future business driver for growth.In 2007, Nike conducted (along with SustainAbility, a consulting firm) a scenario planning on global trends such as water, health, and energy, alongside increasing worldwide concern about climate change. This was not just about our sustainability strategy – it was part of our business strategy. We became acutely aware of our dependence on oil for materials and fossil fuel energy. We were vulnerable, as many companies are, to escalating oil prices and looming carbon restrictions from anti-climate change regulation. The waste production, use of materials and water by con tract manufacturers also posed major risks.All of these issues were deemed significant and highlighted the areas of our value chain and our business that had the most potential for innovation. It eventually led us to our long-term vision to build a sustainable business and create value for Nike and our stakeholders by decoupling profitable growth from constrained resources. The labor crises, the management shifts and the scenario planning exercise were all pivotal moments. Collectively, they triggered a commitment to drive sustainability into every aspect of Nike’s business. We have a new vision; we’ve redefined goals as in Nike terms, there is no finish line.It requires innovation in our design process, our production, our sourcing, our tools and metrics, and our whole team structure. Fortunately, innovation is in our cultural DNA and provides a strong foundation. Even so, embedding sustainability thinking in our strategy and then educating every person and evolving t he process in the company is a challenge that takes time, continual reassessment, and unerring commitment. Early on, we missed some signals and now we have much stronger tools, teams and a culture that is structured to make progress against our bold sustainability goals. It is clear to us that our long -term potential, and the long-term potential of virtually every other major company in the world, will be severely pressured by [these] external factors†, Parker contends. Key Innovations & Timeline Innovation is at the very heart of our culture at Nike. One of the cornerstones of innovation is a willingness and desire to learn. And, while we have learned much from our past and others have learned much from our experience, we believe the next era in the evolution from an industrial economy toward a sustainable economy will teach greater lessons than learned before.This evolution requires us to innovate faster, more radically, more disruptively inside of Nike and throughout out o ur whole ecosystem. It is a top to bottom, bottom to top, inside out and outside in innovation. In 2008, we produced a video for our design team. ‘Considered Design’ lays out a vision for the products we strive to produce. On screen, you see a close up of a runner’s shoes, pacing through puddles and mud. It evolves into a poetic series of athletes in action. Considered Design video: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=1WuyE_x8Vs8 http://www. managementexchange. om/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 6 of 29 The accompanying voiceover: â€Å"This is not a shoe, it is an ethos, a shoe reborn as a tennis court, or basketball or †¦ a better shoe†¦Why do [products] have a shelf life? What if †¦ there was a closed loop cycle? †¦A shoe can’t change the world, but an ethos can. † The video was intended to i nspire. It also set forth a mandate and a vision. How could Nike design products that have no shelf life?How can we reuse and reinvent products? How could we work towards a closed loop vision? This vision was the first important step in driving a new era of innovation. Our CEO Mark Parker has a vision to embed sustainability as an ethos, as a a catalyst of innovation to deliver product and services that deliver superior athletic performance and lower enviromental impact and ultimately drive profitable and sustainable growth for the company â€Å"It’s not about a few people making sustainable products,† says Nike Considered GM, Lorrie Vogel.It’s about making sure that every person in the system adopts a different world view, sense of purpose and approach to their job. † In order to embed sustainability and make it central to our ethos, we have made significant organizational changes, developed new tools and performance metrics, and redefined our relationshi p with suppliers and industry peers. We started with a focus on our own internal capabilities, knowledge and practices – our internal innovation phase. Over time, we have expanded our focus to include suppliers and industry peers – our external innovation phase.Internal Innovation Phase – Corporate Responsibility and The Considered Group In 2004, Nike’s various sustainability initiatives (including environmental responsibility) had not really worked their way into daily business decisions. CR was perceived as a risk management function not a valuable market opportunity. It was isolated from Nike’s business units as an add-on or layer to the business strategy and not as a core driver. The good news was that business unit managers spoke aspirationally about the potential of effective CR.Our team set the conceptual metric of return on investment squared or â€Å"ROI2† as CR’s new strategic compass, emphasizing that business decisions inc luded both financial and corporate responsibility returns – people, planet and profit. If CR delivered ROI2, it was helping the business succeed and improve its social and environmental footprint. We took a strategic approach to CR that emphasized value creation, collaboration with business units and proactive strategic planning. â€Å"We wanted to show how we could help them deliver returns on investment to our shareholders.The end goal for us had to be that businesses institutionalize CR into the DNA of the company so that CR is a living, breathing approach to how one does business. By organizing CR around ROI2, we hoped it would evolve from being seen as a cost to being an intrinsic part of a healthy business model, complete with profitability and sustainable growth. ROI2 is Nike’s measure of creating an exponential return from integrating corporate responsibility into our business. Take waste, for example.In FY05-06 we carefully documented and measured the amount of waste generated across our entire supply chain. In one year, the cost of waste across footwear alone was estimated at $844 million. Everyone is involved in initiatives to reduce our waste across the supply chain: from designers to chief financial officer to business partners. Less waste is better for margins and better for the environment. By using design to reduce our waste, we’re tapping one of our greatest resources – innovation – and fueling other insights and successes.This provided the backdrop to our evolution and to the targets we set over the course of the next five years. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2 %80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 7 of 29 â€Å"Under our CEO’s guidance and influence, the team began exploring where best to start integrating this strategy into Nike’s ecosystem. We focused on our product creation process and honed in on product design as a key intervention point.Due to its position at the beginning of the supply chain, the design function offered great opportunity to design out environmental issues. We wanted to help Nike â€Å"design the future†¦ as opposed to retrofit the past. † According to one of my colleagues the choice to work with designers was natural: â€Å"The designer’s job is to design the future. It’s natural that they would be huge champions of sustainability and they thrive on daunting, new problems. Also, because design is situated at the beginning of the supply chain, the design function is an opportune intervention point. In late 2005, the Considered Design ethos was formally embedded within our business strategy, with a focus on high-performing, aesthetically pleasing greener products. The Considered Group is a think tank, tool box, internal consultancy, competitive catalyst, and an antenna to the outside w orld. It serves as the hub of the Considered design ethos – consider the choices, consider the impacts. Their mandate is to provide inspiration, education, and the tools to drive sustainability best practices deep into Nike’s product creation units and processes.The team’s objectives include helping Nike assess the entire product lifecycle. The whole structure of Considered Design is thoughtfully designed to cultivate innovation. Instead of commanding and controlling how the business units implement sustainability, the team places responsibility for sustainability in the hands of designers. The team is a centralized hub with reach into key Nike functions. The hub’s spokes are product creation units, to which Considered disseminates knowledge, tools, and support. The team has both environmental and product creation expertise and collaborates closely with the related product engines.Considered’s GM, Lorrie Vogel, explained the organizing philosophy: â€Å"If you don’t know how to translate environmental knowledge into products and processes, you’ll always be outside of the product creation engine. † The Considered team was surprised by how difficult it was to create usable metrics for the product teams. They developed a holistic, predictive way to score products at different intervals throughout the development process. After 18 months of extensive work on developing the right metrics for the tools, the Considered Index was introduced in September 2007.The Index provided predictive metrics that would work uniformly across Nike’s varied footwear line. It evaluated a product’s bill of materials (BOM), a roster of all materials specifications for a shoe’s components, using Nike’s Materials Assessment Tool, an abbreviated life cycle analysis for raw materials. The Index scored environmentally preferred materials (EPMs) on multiple criteria including toxic hazard, energy and water usa ge, recycled content, recyclability, and other supply chain responsibility issues. As a learning and motivation tool for Nike’s product teams, the Index included a â€Å"Change Agent† category.Teams could win points for up to three new significant footprint-reducing product or process ideas. Lesser awards were also given to teams that adopted other teams’ recent innovations. The Index was carefully calibrated to reward only those products that performed above Nike’s historical averages, with Bronze representing baseline sustainability and Silver and Gold both qualifying as â€Å"Considered†; the distinction was purely internal. The Considered team planned to toughen the Index’s scoring over time. As one manager noted, â€Å"The intention is that we just keep raising the bar.As we do, business units will have to improve. † The Considered team trained product teams how to use the Index. It built a network of Considered â€Å"super-user s† who served as internal category experts on Considered questions and provided feedback to the Considered team. Through super-users, Considered would provide updates on noteworthy examples of inspirational implementation and innovation. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 8 of 29The Index ran on an intranet calculator. Product teams could self-score their products in a minute by entering their product’s BOM number and clicking checkboxes for design and process options. While teams scored their product at the end of the development process to receive an official Considered rating, many product teams used the Index at interim product gates. The very fact that the information and scoring was public was motivating. It cultivated peer competition and energized the pace of adoption and innovation. From the beginning, the team had visible CEO level support.As Vogel explained, â€Å"CEO Mark Parker believes that sustainability is the future of Nike. He also wanted to see the scores up on the wall so that we could really track and learn from the process. † Since Nike began setting targets years ago, we have learned the greatest opportunity to drive change is in the areas where we have the most impact. Materials create Nike’s greatest environmental impact. Nike also controls the design and became the area of focus to roll out the Considered Design ethos in 2009. This same methodology and rigor has been applied to design sustainability into the way we source and manufacture our products.Nike’s effort to drive further innovation throughout the company and integrate sustainability into the very core of our efforts is multifaceted. We have scripted a new vision. We changed the organizational structure and introduced a whole new department. We provided training and leverag ed technology. And, we encouraged healthy competition and celebrated successes. Even the best strategy comes to nothing without the commitment, people and processes to make it happen. Continuing to integrate sustainability into our business, rather than layering it on top of how NIKE, Inc. nd our brands currently operate, will increase and accelerate progress, drive scale and the proliferation of sustainable innovation, and enable broad employee engagement. At Nike, dedication to and accountability for sustainability begins at the top. In 2001, we formed a Corporate Responsibility (CR) Committee as part of our Board of Directors committee structure. The CR Committee has oversight of environmental impact and sustainability issues, labor practices and corporate responsibility issues in major business decisions.In FY06, we created a management framework to ensure executive accountability for corporate responsibility across the company. The Vice President for Sustainable Business & Inno vation (SB&I) reports directly to President and CEO Mark Parker, and co-manages dedicated teams with business and functional executives to develop and review policies with Board oversight, approve investments and evaluate and refine our approach and direction. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 9 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 10 of 29 The SB&I team acts as a catalyst for sustainability companywide. Made up of about 130 people, the team leads sustainability strategy development; provides content expertise and consulting to teams companywide; collaborates with sustainability specialists in other parts of the organization; drives ustainab ility integration; leads engagement with stakeholders; works to mitigate risk and facilitate compliance; and reports on our progress to scale the impact of sustainable innovation beyond Nike. Our new executive-level Committee for Sustainable Innovation also steers our efforts specific to innovation. In 2011, we launched an executive-level Committee for Sustainable Innovation. This group is chaired by our CEO and oversees our innovation pipeline and portfolio. It helps to fully capitalize on opportunities by accelerating adoption and bringing these activities to scale.Ultimately, the greatest measure of our success can be found in the finer detail of Nike’s culture. The very vocabulary of Nike designers has changed. We now hear team members say ‘ that’s an inconsiderate design’ in commenting on a product that does not meet the new criteria. External Innovation Phase – Materials Sustainability Index, GreenXchange, Sustainable Apparel Coalition As Nike advanced through a company-wide adoption of the Considered ethos, it became clear that for true, holistic change, we needed to focus beyond our own internal operations.To drive adoption and scale at an industry level, to ultimately change the marketplace for the better, Nike recognized the potential benefit in sharing knowledge, information and tools with suppliers, peers and other stakeholders. Four key initiatives show what we are doing to cultivate innovation outside the business: the Nike Material Sustainability Index (MSI), the GreenXchange, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and the DyeCoo waterless dying strategic partnership. Nike Material Sustainability Index (MSI) http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 1/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 11 of 29 The materials in just our NIKE Brand footwear and apparel products come from 900 different materia l vendors (i. e. , supplier companies). We do not source directly with these vendors; they are independent companies that sell materials to our contract finished-goods manufacturers based on our design specifications. To drive sustainability improvements in materials, we focus on the part of the value chain over which we have the most control: product design.Decisions made in the product design phase determine the majority of a product’s environmental impacts. Nike teams design products with very detailed material specifications, and by providing those teams with the information they need to choose better materials from better vendors, we can improve the sustainability of our products. We are now working to take the Considered Indexes to the next level. We have been on a multi-year journey to refine the footwear and apparel Considered Indexes based on feedback from product creation teams.In addition, we have significantly upgraded the materials rating tool embedded in the Ind exes and are calling the new tool the Nike Materials Sustainability Index (Nike MSI). The Nike MSI is embedded in the Indexes that our designers and developers use to assess potential products, and it plays a pivotal role in product design. One major improvement in the Nike MSI is that it rates material vendors in addition to materials themselves, providing strong incentives for the vendors to become more environmentally sustainable.We score material vendors on criteria such as whether they are complying with the Restricted Substance List (RSL) testing requirements and the Nike Water Program requirements; if they take part in materials certification processes, such as the Global Recycle Standard; and whether they have ISO 14001 certification or operate out of certified â€Å"green† buildings. Rating higher on these types of criteria will increase a vendor’s overall Nike MSI score. The Nike MSI does more than rate our material vendors, however. It also scores materials according to (among other things) the chemicals required to make or process them.These scores enable our Nike product-creation teams to make more sustainable, less-toxic choices during product design. It also assigns sustainability scores to materials based on multiple criteria, including how much water is required to produce them and the water stewardship of vendors that process them. The Nike MSI creates a strong incentive for material vendors to enroll in the Nike Water Program and reduce their water-related impacts by recycling process water or implementing innovative low- or no-water coloring processes – as these activities help to increase their MSI scores.Water-efficient materials from water-efficient vendors receive more points on the MSI, and, therefore, stand a better chance of being selected by our product creation teams than other similar materials. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nikeâ₠¬â„¢s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 12 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchangePage 13 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 14 of 29 Materials are a substantial cost, so identifying long-term access to affordable materials that meet our environmental standards is key to our ongoing success and our ability to decouple materials from scarce resources. GreenXchange Over the past ten years of working on sustainability, we have come to understand the value of collaboration and shared knowledge.Without it, companies replicate efforts, reinvent wheels and often only make incremental progress. Nike w orked with the collaboration nonprofit, Creative Commons which also believe in the power of open innovation. Nike and Creative Commons share a vision of creating a digital platform that promotes the creation, sharing and adoption of technologies that can potentially solve important global or industry-wide challenges. GreenXchange, a web-based marketplace we founded with several other companies, was born in conversation leading up to the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2009, and launched in 2010.By using a set of standardized, free, legal tools, patent owners can make portions of their intellectual property portfolio available under a set of terms between the current choices of â€Å"all rights reserved† and â€Å"no rights reserved. † With GreenXchange patent licensing tools, patent owners open up a wide swath of technologies for research, development and innovative commercial uses. Patent users receive the rights they need to innovate, and patent owners receive credi t for their works – as well as the option to receive annual licensing payments.GreenXchange builds on a culture to create common spaces for innovative reuse, as well as standardization efforts for biological materials and scientific data. It also bridges some key gaps in the way that green technologies are developed and utilized. Many active R&D companies create green technologies that are not core to their business: they may represent good practices shareable across a large set of companies – sometimes even including competitors – but lack the business infrastructure to make those patents available for wider use.GreenXchange was our first foray into open innovation with other businesses, set up to allow organizations to collaborate and share intellectual property. We have gained significant insights from this collaboration which continue to inform our strategy to bring sustainability innovations to scale. The very concept of GreenXchange is a management innovat ion. Instead of taking a proprietary, short term approach to developing and controlling important information and sources, we have done the opposite. Nike continues to urge its peers to collaborate, and is leading the way through its own commitments.Sustainable Apparel Coalition Complementing our work to improve factory conditions, Nike is exploring ways to evaluate and communicate the environmental and social performance of individual products. We are doing this in cooperation with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), a group of which we were founding partners. The SAC is an industry-wide group of leading apparel and footwear brands, retailers, manufacturers, NGOs, academic experts and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, working to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products around the world. ttp://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth thatâ⠂¬â„¢s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 15 of 29 The SAC believes a common approach for measuring and evaluating sustainability performance is essential for driving a â€Å"race to the top† in the apparel supply chain. Apparel retailers and brands can compare the performance of products and upstream supply-chain partners, and those partners will have a single standard for measuring and reporting performance to their downstream customers.Eventually, this approach can provide a foundation for reporting to consumers on the environmental and social footprint of the products they purchase. Through multi-stakeholder engagement, the Coalition seeks to lead the industry toward a shared vision of sustainability built upon a common approach for measuring and evaluating apparel and footwear product sustainability performance that will spotlight priorities for action and opportunities for technological innovation. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s vision and pu rpose are based on a set of hared beliefs: †¢ The environmental and social challenges around the global apparel supply system affect the entire industry. †¢ These challenges reflect systemic issues which no individual company can solve on their own. †¢ Pre-competitive collaboration can accelerate improvement in environmental and social performance for the industry as a whole and reduce cost for individual companies. †¢ This collaboration enables individual companies to focus more resources on product and process innovation. Credible, practical, and universal standards and tools for defining and measuring environmental and social performance support the individual interests of all stakeholders. DyeCoo waterless dying strategic partnership Nike recently entered into a strategic partnership with DyeCoo Textile Systems B. V. , a Netherlands-based company that has developed and built the first commercially available waterless textile dyeing machines. By using recycled carbon dioxide, DyeCoo’s technology eliminates the use of water in the textile dyeing process.With no water consumption or auxiliary chemical use, a reduction in energy use, elimination of drying and improving the process, the technology can enhance the quality of the dyed fabric and potentially revolutionize textile manufacturing. Our VP of Merchandising and Product, Eric Sprunk further explains, â€Å"Waterless dyeing is a significant step in our journey to serve both the athlete and the planet, and this partnership reinforces Nike’s long-term strategy and deep commitment to innovation and sustainability.We believe this technology has the potential to revolutionize textile manufacturing, and we want to collaborate with progressive dye houses, textile manufacturers and consumer apparel brands to scale this technology and push it throughout the industry. † Postlude In earlier years, we were about innovating solely to deliver optimal performance to our athletes, and strong financial returns to our stakeholders. We also had to react to risks and constraints in our ecosystem. Organizationally, the initial charge resided with the Vice President of the Corporate Responsibility Group.Over time, we made further changes to support, iterate and integrate the leadership vision thoughout the company. It meant an evolution in our approach. Now, our long-term vision is to deliver growth that is good for all – our athletes, our consumers, our investors, our suppliers, our partners, and the world in which we operate. We are using sustainability to redefine business performance and look to show the industry how we can embed sustainability into our approaches to product and manufacturing, and solve challenges in business and sustainability for the world.To enable adoption, our innovation strategy focuses on utilizing better processes, making better choices and bringing those choices to scale. We develop certain tools, such as the Considered Index, to drive our internal integration. We set targets that align to and support our strategy and have expanded our focus to our supply chain and industry peers. We work to optimize and improve our impact, and, at the same time, we innovate with a focus on changing the future. http://www. managementexchange. om/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 16 of 29 Timeline 1964 Blue Ribbon Sports founded by runners and revolutionaries – Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight -as a distrbutor for the Onitsuka Tiger footwear brand (now ACIS) 1971 Swoosh logo designed for $35. The Nike swoosh the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization Year-end revenues reach $1million. 972 BRS founds Nike late 1970s Nike establishes headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, expansion internationally. 1985 Sock Racer ch ampioned Bowerman’s minimalist values with a breathable four-way-stretch upper, instead of layers of fabric, reducing weight and using less materials. 1988 Launch of ‘Just Do It† campaign and the reputation for unique and inspiring ads. Revenues exceed $1. 2 billion http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2 %80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 17 of 29 990 Niketown stores launched; Labor practices questions 1992 Nike’s first Code of Conduct published to guide practices in contract factories 1993 Nike launched its Reuse-A-Shoe program, allowing consumers to drop off any brand of worn out athletic shoes. Nike grinded the shoes and used the recycled material and manufacturing scrap in new sports surfaces. Since its launch, Nike has recycled more than 25 million pairs of athletic shoes. 1995 Nike began the journey of phasing out volat ile organic compounds (VOCs) or petroleum-derived solvents (PDS) from its footwear production, reducing the use of VOCs 90% in just over five years to 2001.Nike also started to manufacture its shoeboxes with 100% recycled cardboard. 1997 Nike committed to fully phasing out SF6, a global warming gas used in Air-Sole cushioning units. In 2006, Nike completed the phase out of all F-gases in Nike-branded footwear. Nike began to blend organic cotton into a range of t-shirts. 2000 Nike Woven started the conversation about using less adhesives and less waste while maintaining comfort, performance and breathability. The Standoff Singlet worn in Sydney was the first time Nike used 75% recycled polyester in a performance product. 001 CR Committee of Board established. Nike also established its first comprehensive list of restricted substances (RSL) to guide suppliers in the production of safe and legally compliant product. The RSLs were based on the most stringent worldwide legislation and al so included substances that Nike had voluntarily decided to restrict. 2004 Hannah Jones assumes role as VP, Corporate Responsibility. That year, Nike also developed an environmentally preferred rubber that contained 96% fewer toxins by weight than the original formulations.Also, Nike’s first retail introduction of apparel, the Men’s Fitness recycled polyester track suit, was made from 100% recycled polyester in a range of men’s fitness jackets and pants. 2005 Considered Design was formed as an ethos of the company to create products that address environmental impact by reducing waste, increasing the use of environmentally preferred materials and eliminating toxics. Nike introduced the Considered Boot, using a single shoelace woven between the leather parts of the upper, minimizing adhesives and allowing for easier disassembly. 006 Mark Parker becomes CEO 2007 Considered Index introduced. Also, the Nike Long Ball Slip-On was a unique performance-based shoe constr ucted without the use of solvents to hold it together. 2008 Nike launched the AIR JORDAN XX3, incorporating sustainability without sacrificing performance. That same year, the Air Pegasus 25, one of Nike’s most iconic running shoes, was designed to maximize efficiency. 2010 GreenXchange launched and some of the world’s leading football (soccer) players wore the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced jerseys on the pitch. ttp://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 18 of 29 Also, Nike’s EADT software application enabled designers to make the most sustainable choices right at the start of the product creation process, in real time. The tool was created based on Nike’s internal Considered Index, tested and utilized since 2006, and released to the industry to support transparency and collaboration. 2011 Sustainable Apparel Coalition launched.Also, using a new fabric that’s both thick and soft, the women’s Nike Legend Pant was made from recycled polyester, material made from recycled plastic water bottles. The Nike Legacy GS Boardshort brought performance and innovation to the next level for the competitive surfer, while also lowering environmental impact. 2012 Implementation of Nike Materials Sustainability Index began. And, NIKE, Inc. announced a strategic partnership with DyeCoo Textile Systems B. V. , developer and builder of the first commercially available waterless textile dyeing machine. The technology eliminates the use of water in the textile dyeing process.Challenges & Solutions Challenges and Fixes Nike has faced a number of challeges in its efforts to integrate sustainability within product design and innovate a redefined future but it has led to us iterating, innovating and finding new ways to operate more efficiently, effectively and creatively: Uneven adoption of the Index and new vision. Even though corporate leadership held all categories accountable for achieving Considered targets, there was considerable variation in how quickly different groups have integrated the Considered Index and how well they operationalized the tool.Some businesses have faced greater challenges. Some businesses had a more entrenched resistance. Since then, Nike has integrated sustainability principles into its innovation processes, governance and portfolios to generate innovation that delivers products and services that combine performance, innovation and sustainability. Additionally, Nike has set a vision for what changes are needed in innovation, with its people and culture and in the way it works in two areas– in product and in manufacturing – that build on past achievements and on processes established to drive change. ttp://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-a ll 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 19 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 20 of 29 Perfromance risks in the adoption of new materials. There were a number of performance and aesthetic risks that Nike footwear faced in using EPMs such as synthetic leather.There was a potential performance risk, for example, that using recycled content could degrade physical properties like material durability, threatening Nike’s strict quality standards. One of the product creation directors in footwear described that with some EPM synthetic leather alternatives, the options weren’t very attractive: â€Å"Leathers look boardy and dry, and the textiles aren’t very interesting. † Today, rising input costs mean the need for i nnovation and technology has never been greater.Through innovative design, science, technology and process changes, our long term vision is to progressively design out waste, eliminate hazardous chemicals and non-renewable energy consumption. Innovation also allows us to design in new materials and new approaches to products. This vision has been built on years of assessing trends and materiality for Nike and the changes that are impacting our business, our value chain, our consumers and the world. In 2007, we undertook an assessment with SustainAbility some meta trends that have only become more relevant as we’ve shaped and defined our strategy.These meta trends highlight the areas of our value chain and our business that have the most potential for innovation. We use these filters in our work, our assessment of opportunity and the way we approach reporting. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nikeâ€⠄¢s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 21 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 22 of 29 ttp://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 23 of 29 http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 24 of 29 Added complexity. In most cases, Considered made the design process more complex. While designers liked to iteratively find the right design, Considered required thinking about pattern efficiency much earlier in the process.It required more planning, o ften took longer, and it was often harder to find designs that both looked â€Å"cool† and were efficient. â€Å"On most product decisions, it’s not lower in cost, better in performance, and more sustainable,† explained one category product director. â€Å"If it was that easy, that’d be great! So usually on every component of a shoe, there are tough decisions to be made. † A designer within the Cleated category noted, â€Å"We try to make designs look cool first, then run it by other filters like cost and Considered.We design in response to a lot of constraints, like price and performance requirements, and goals like cool looks and feel. More constraints makes the process harder and, maybe, slower. † Different from then, sustainable innovation is now increasingly at the core of the business. To hedge against the complexity, we needed to focus on identifying disruptive solutions in order to manage environmental impact and business risk. So, w hat does this mean in terms of the sustainability of our products? The truth is, it’s a challenge to figure out how to measure that.Rather than working toward a certain percentage of, say, recycled content in a finished product, we have worked to improve our base materials, and we are now creating systems that allow us to better assess the impacts of the resulting products. That said, we do already have some ways to measure our success. For example, over the past five years we have achieved a 19 percent reduction in waste related to the production of footwear uppers. Considered Design contributed to that gain, along with manufacturing process optimization and other best practices. That’s the same as not producing 15 million pairs of shoe uppers over that time period.Our use of Environmentally Preferred Materials (EPMs) – ones that have lower environmental impacts throughout their lifecycles in terms of chemistry, water, energy use and waste – provides ano ther strong indicator of our progress. We also learned that addressing symptoms doesn’t embed change so it focuses in on the earliest stages of the product life cycle. Time Given the extremely fast pace of product development in response to consumer trends and ongoing organizational change efforts, product creation employees didn’t have a lot of time for implementing Considered. We now recognize that ntegration is an imperative to address process changes so we redefined reporting structures, design and sourcing processes and created materials to help us better achieve superior products with lower environmental impact. Higher Costs The potential additional costs for developing greener footwear was another challenge facing Considered. Alongside the increasing cost of petroleum, adding EPMs made Considered design potentially even more expensive. Large product category teams had some success negotiating price reductions based on volume, but smaller categories struggled to overcome margin pressures.Because Nike is a growth copany, sustainability, today, becomes increasingly important to our growth strategy. As we have learned over the years, sustainability is not just a strategy for growth, but a competitive advantage. Supply Chain Partners Some contract manufacturers have been highly responsive to category requests for help implementing Considered, but others, either because of their size, prior capital investments in less-efficient machinery, management focus, or lack of technical capacity, were not able to nimbly and successfully execute the Considered design requirements.Because we now know that early intervention is key, educating factories on why a stable, competitive, well compensated workforce makes good business sense. Nike focuses on training, incentivizing and holding contract manufacturers accountable to its Nike standards and continues to raise the bar with each iteration of the Indexes. Nike’s new rating system, http://www. manage mentexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchangePage 25 of 29 the Manufacturing Index, looks comprehensively at a contract manufacturer’s total performance and includes a deeper look at how a factory approaches sustainability. This Index elevates labor and environmental performance alongside traditional supply chain measures of quality, cost and on-time delivery. Consumers Considered faced several challenges with consumers. For one, many consumers were skeptical that a running shoe made from EPMs would in fact perform as well as a shoe that was not.For example, one focus group initially was very receptive to a Considered running shoe, but after being told it was unusually â€Å"green† started viewing it as a lower performance product. Today, Nike is meeting consumer demands through performance, innovation and sustainability which drive superior product. The Flyknit technology is a good example of where performance meets sustainability. Nike Flyknit, which uses precisely engineered yarn and fabric variations to create a featherweight, formfitting and virtually seamless upper.It’s a new way to knit the multiple pieces of a shoe upper out of what is essentially a single thread. It’s great for the athlete because it is lighter and offers a more custom fit. It’s good for the planet because it drastically reduces waste from the upper production process. And shareholders stand to benefit from the reduced cost of production and potential for increased margins over time as the the innovation grows to full scale. It’s a nascent technology that holds tremendous opportunity.Nike FlyKnit video: http://nikeinc. com/news/nike-flyknit Marketing Nike had not yet figured how to market performance, aesthetics and sustainability in one complete package. There was internal debate as to whether Considered sh ould become its own brand within Nike, or simply a new dimension of the Nike brand. Ultimately, Nike decided that there would be no compromise to performance, no ‘green' line of products and that sustainability should not be a constraint but an innovation challenge for designers.Benefits & Metrics We know where we’ve been, and we know where we want to go. And we know that there is substantial work ahead. We continue to set the bar higher for ourselves and our business. We have evaluated our business model and our impacts across our value chain, have assessed the coming scenarios and challenges, taken account of our progress against past performance, and worked across our business to set targets embedded deeply into the way we operate. Many of the sustainability issues we seek to solve are still ndergoing innovation. Others are firmly in place and moving forward with needed changes. We deliver on our vision in two ways: †¢ Make today better by taking account of our impacts, driving efficiency and optimization †¢ Design the future by unleashing innovation, embedding sustainability into our approaches to product and manufacturing, and solving challenges in business and sustainability for the world Accelerated innovation. Our sustainability vision both inspired and drove us to reinvent our creative process.It accelerated and strengthened innovation as a core competency. http://www. managementexchange. com/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 26 of 29 Abillity to attract the best talent. Our success in pioneering sustainability in a holistic way, and to continue to deliver â€Å"the cool factor† and superior performance means we can attract the very best designers, engineers, strategists and marketers.Brand value and goodwill. After our CR challenges in the late 90s we have not only worked hard to regain the trust and respect of customers and industry peers, we have set forth a strategy to lead. We are proud to be a respected brand, design company, innovator and among those recognized as a leader in sustainability. Reduced costs of sustainable sourcing. By sharing best practices and providing open access to our tools and sourcing information, we are driving industry peers to adopt similar processes, materieals and metrics.This means we have the volumes to drive down the costs of what has been a more sustainable, but more costly source. Lessons Lead with a vision. Every person in the organization must understand and embrace a very specific idea of what the future beholds. Provide a specific example that illustrates the vision and engenders passion and a sense of purpose. As Lorrie Vogel says of the Considered Change video: â€Å" We created a concrete vision of what we wanted to be and we got that in front of every person in the company. † Secure Executive level support.To fu lly integrate changes throughout an organzation, it must be very apparent that the initiative has CEO level support – not just through words, and verbal endorsements, but through the actions and interactions that CEO has inside and outside the company. Set clear targets and metrics to measure success and track progress. Even if the initial measures are imperfect, its important to start to have some means of tracking progress and reinforce the learning. â€Å"If you don’t measure it, it doesn’t happen,† says Lorrie Vogel. http://www. managementexchange. om/story/nike%E2%80%99s-gameplan-growth-that%E2%80%99s-good-all 21/02/2013 Nike’s Gameplan for Growth that’s Good for All | Management Innovation eXchange Page 27 of 29 Provide the tools to facilitate the adoption process Very few individuals and organzations take to change easily. It’s human to be comfortable with what is known and to resist change that challenges the status quo. It is critical to provide the education, training and toolsets to engage people more easily and affect change. We embedded our training and tools within the existing system, leveraging existing processes as much as possible.We provide our product creation teams with extensive training in how to use the Considered Indexes and on the importance of focusing on the sustainability of materials. The teams are given scoring targets for each season of products they design. In the current version of the Considered Indexes, materials make up 35 percent of the score for footwear and 60 percent of the score for apparel, so it’s clear to the design teams that focusing on materials is an effective way to meet their goals. While the Considered Indexes have been sed primarily by the NIKE Brand, our Affiliate brands have also begun introducing and using them to evaluate their product designs and have committed to adopt the indexes by the end of FY15. For example, Hurley International scored select ed apparel designs in FY11. The designers and team members did not need to learn a new system in order to get the information they needed. Celebrate and reward success. The creation of incentives is another critical aspect of driving change. It is very important to incentive the right behaviors to make sure we achieve the change we want to see.Nike assigned innovation points to drive competition, and managed these through a living index, a forum that was pubic and enabled team members to gauge their success. It also fed a healthy competition between teams and efforts. Collaborate with others. Engage outisde experts to help formulate a vision and maintain an objective peer review. As Lorrie Vogel shares: â€Å"We engaged Natural Step to help develop our ‘North Star’. It is in the spirit of transparency and collaboration that we share our journey and hope that the the definition of business performance is expanding.We will constantly need to deliver innovations that evol ve our approach at Nike and share our lessons with the industry to affect the positive change. We hope the world innovates faster than expectations. We cannot achieve our bold goals for sustainability simply by delivering incremental improvements. Sustainability will be the catalyst in transforming business economies and markets, and we will continue to evolve our business to ensure we are able to grow profitably, and to lead. Credits Nike 2011 Sustainable Business Performance Summary: www. nikeresponsibility. om MIT Case Study: Nike Considered: Getting Traction on Sustainability by Rebecca Henderson, Richard M. Locke, Christopher Lyddy, Cate Reavis: https://mitsloan. mit. edu/MSTIR/sustainability/NikeConsidered/Documents/08. 077. Nike%20Considered. Getting%20Traction%20on%20Sustainability. Locke. Henderson. pdf Considered Design video: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=1WuyE_x8Vs8 Nike FlyKnit video: http://nikeinc. com/news/nike-flyknit FY10-11 Sustainable Business Performance Sum mary: www. nikeresponsibility. com Nike Dare to Dream video: http://vimeo. com/11680452