Lincolns Battle With His Cabinet Essays - , Term Papers

Lincoln's Battle With His Cabinet Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many historians as the greatest president ever to stand at America's helm. This reputation is extremely well deserved, as Lincoln was able to preserve the Union and gain victory in the civil war, despite his fighting an uphill battle against his own presidential cabinet. Had he not been struggling against this divided government, President Lincoln could have achieved victory with extreme efficiency and a minimum of wanton bloodshed (Angle 659). After Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, he was forced to battle a split cabinet because of campaign promises made to various Republican factions, which made it almost mandatory for certain individuals to be appointed to cabinet posts. He ruled his cabinet with an iron hand, and often acted without cabinet consent or advice. Although his opponents called his method of rule "dictatorial" and "unconstitutional," it was the only effective way to get anything done (Simmons 142). In the beginning, Lincoln's secretary of state, William H. Seward, clearly considered himself the President's superior, and blandly offered to assume the executive responsibility. He entered the cabinet with the thought of becoming the power behind the Presidential chair and openly opposed Lincoln's control of the Union. This made Lincoln's position as Chief of State exceedingly difficult and hindered his communication and control of the military. As time passed, however, Seward recognized Lincoln's capabilities and gave him complete loyalty (Simmons 174). This could not be said of Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln's first secretary of the treasury. Blinded by an inflated ego, Chase pursued his own presidential aspirations. He was in constant conflict with Seward, and in general opposition to Lincoln, particularly over the issue of slavery. Chase has been described as "jealous of the President," and "overly ambitious." Lincoln's personal secretary, John Nicolay, wrote, "There is enough in Chase's letters abusing Lincoln behind his back for quite a scorcher." He grew so furious with the President's capable rule that he finally resigned his position (Williams 202). Another weak link in Lincoln's cabinet was his first secretary of war, Simon Cameron. He was considered an honest politician, being that he "would stay bought when he was bought." His reputation as a swindler caused dissent among the cabinet, and he permitted so much inefficiency and corruption in his department that Lincoln welcomed an excuse to relieve him of his post (Angle, 660). Cameron's successor, Edwin M. Stanton was a man who shared Seward's initial opinion of the President, but who made an excellent secretary of war. Prior to his appointment, Stanton had strongly criticized Lincoln, and mistrusted his motives. In fact, he was later accused of masterminding the plot to assassinate Lincoln. Although no proof was found to substantiate the charge, many historians today lend credence to the accusation. Stanton's rudeness and intolerance made him many enemies in the cabinet, and one of his most bitter foes was Gideon Welles, secretary of the navy. This lead to many heated debates within the cabinet which obstructed the efficiency of the organization (Simmons 181). Welles' performance as a member of the cabinet was unmatched by any of the others, but he was frequently squabbling fiercely with Stanton. Welles opposed Stanton's every move and therefore, strategic progress was slow (Williams, 212). And thus, in the face of staggering odds, and playing with a deck stacked against him, Lincoln emerges gloriously triumphant. His good acts have been magnified and his opposition overlooked in the passage of time. Even so, Lincoln, against all odds, looms as the greatest of Presidents. Works Cited Angle, Todd. "Abraham Lincoln." Collier's Encyclopedia. 1986. Simmons, Henry E. A Concise Encyclopedia of the Civil War. New York: The Fairfax Press, 1986. Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1952.

Principle of Marketing Essay using SWOT Example

Principle of Marketing Essay using SWOT Example Principle of Marketing Essay using SWOT – Essay Example 1-Develop a SWOT for this new product. Make sure to have at least two items under each section. Strengths: Advantages from new design proprietary know-how First mover advantages Weaknesses: High business start-up costs Untested market demand Opportunities New product attracts investors who can boost your cash flow, production capacity, and marketing budget and so on. You can surprise competitors Threats Vulnerable to reactive attack by major competitors Emergence of substitute products 2. After you complete the SWOT, what two additional forms of research should you do, and why? a) Porter’s five forces analysis: This will help you analyze the kite-making industry so that you can be able to stake out a position that is more profitable and less vulnerable to attack from competitors (Porter, 2008). b) Value chain analysis: This helps the firm identify its core competencies and the activities in the value chain that it can do to create a sustainable competitive advantage either through cost advantage or differentiation. 3. Based on your SWOT, who might two target audiences be for your new kite? Advertising firms that use kites as moving billboards Traditional kite consumers 4. What would be two marketing objectives you develop for your plan? To build a customer database of at least 200,000 in the next 12 months. To achieve a return on investments (ROI) of at least 20 % 5. Define and explain the four elements of the marketing mix that you would suggest for this new product. Base your answers to 1, 2, 3, and 4 above. a) Product: The product is the tangible kite that will be offered for sale. Kites are generally multi-shaped and multi-colored thus we shall give a provision for mass customization of the kites based on customer taste. We shall accommodate for common shapes for small orders and be more flexible for larger orders so as to maximize on economies of scale. b) Price: This determines the products profit margins. We shall commence with a skimming price strategy so as to maximize on profit margins before competitors come up with substitute products. We shall give discounts for large purchases and for advertising firms so that they can increase the buzz about our product. c) Promotion: this determines how we shall spread the word about our product to increase consumer interest and eventual sales and market share. Our first strategy would be to issue discounts to advertising firms so that they use our kites as mobile billboards. We shall also participate in town fairs, festivals and set up spots around parks and beaches to gain both visibility and sales. d) Place: this determines where we shall make the kites and how we shall distribute them to the final consumer. In this case, we shall only have one manufacturing site and utilize the internet as a retail store. We shall partner with a courier service to deliver orders around the country. We shall not venture abroad in the first few months to reduce logistics costs. 6. Explain two ways you can evaluate the success of your plan (based on your objectives). After 12 months we will look at the number of customers we have in our database. If the number slightly exceeds 200,000 then we have succeeded. If the numbers have exceeded by 100,000 or more then we had done poor evaluations. If the number of customers is less than 200,000 then we have failed in our plan. We will use a similar criterion to the one above to evaluate our success based on the ROI. 7. It has been one year, and you are finally making a few dollars. You realize that an important part of your marketing plan is going to include corporate social responsibility. Keeping in mind your product, give at least two specific examples of what you can do, and two specific reasons why your company would benefit. a) Firstly, we will sponsor an event named â€Å"Keep kids outdoors†. This will be an outdoor summer festival for children where they will compete on designing, making and flying kites and other outdoor activities. This will benefit our company in three ways: (1) encouraging kids to play outside will increase the demand for our kites; (2) promoting a healthy lifestyle will increase our brand image in the minds of the purchasers who are mostly parents and guardians; and (3) the more healthy kids there are the bigger the market for our products. b) Secondly, we will start producing kites made of bio-degradable materials. The benefits of this will be: (1) we get lee-way to charge a premium price for our products, and (2) we improve our brand image as an eco-friendly brand. 8. It has been three years, and you are a success! You decide to expand beyond the US. Discuss two marketing issues you would need to address if you decide to sell your kite globally, and how you could avoid them. a) In marketing abroad the two major issues will be product and distribution. In product certain cultures abroad may abhor how we are currently packaging or presenting our products e.g. a culture may prohibit flying of black kites. To tackle this we will engage a marketing consultancy with a regional strength to give us guidance on the cultural norms of the new target market. b) On the other hand, distribution will also be a challenge because the costs of production and dispatch across the seas may be either too costly or take too long before the product arrives at the destination. However, since ours is still a proprietary technology we will partner with a local manufacturer who will be issued with pre-packed materials so that all that they do is to assemble the kite into the desired shape. 9. You become a huge success selling directly to consumers. You are approached by WindWing, an international kite manufacturer. They would like to purchase your kites to resell as part of their kite line. What will be the similarities and differences between selling to WindWing (an organizational buyer) and directly to the ultimate consumer? Name at least two similarities and two differences. Similarities: In both instances we have to provide excellent after sales service and customer support. They both require well-crafted, targeted marketing that will communicate our companies value-proposition eloquently. Differences In selling directly to consumers we simplify the buying process to a single step while in selling to WindWing the process may have several steps to accommodate for credit facilities, reverse-auctions and so on. In selling directly to customer we maximize on the value of the transaction since it may be one-time whereas in selling to WindWing we maximize on the value of the relationship so as to make it long-term. References Porter, M. E. (2008). The Five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review Online, R0801E, 1-18. 

How To Avoid Costly Mistakes In Influencer Marketing With Shane Barker

How To Avoid Costly Mistakes In Influencer Marketing With Shane Barker Did you do a lot of stupid things when you were a kid? Did you get caught and yelled at? Was your #1 go-to argument: Well, my buddy was doing it first only to be told, â€Å"Well, if your friend jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?† As a kid, there are certain people who influence and inspire you. As you get older, that doesn’t change. About 92% of consumers trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends and family, more so than any other form of advertising. The result: Influencer marketing. Today, we’re talking to Shane Barker, a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing. He shares the top three things needed to execute a successful influencer marketing strategy, as well as pitfalls to avoid. Influencer marketing is the practice of using social media influencers to promote your brand, Website, or products Social media influencers have some type of influence over their followers, who trust and believe in them for information and guidance Don’t look at the follower count; number of followers incentivizes who is an influencer, but fake followers are used to make that happen Brands that use influencer marketing successfully include LinkedIn and LikeToKnowIt Software can be used to find influencers consider engagement rates and profiles, not â€Å"likes†; conduct research to build a long-term relationship Pitfalls to Avoid: Don’t go after the influencer with the largest following and spend time selecting and setting expectations for an influencer Measure success of influencer marketing via affiliate codes/links, Website/landing page traffic, brand mentions, engagement rates, etc. Future of Influencer Marketing: How to scale this type of marketing, develop a win-win strategy, and educate brands on how to find influencers Links: Shane Barker Shane Barker’s Email Content Solutions Global Trust in Advertising and Brand Messages LinkedIn The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to LinkedIn Liketoknow.it Grin Influence.co Fiverr Send suggested AMP topics and guests If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Shane Barker: â€Å"Influencer marketing is essentially the practice of using social media influencers to promote your brand, Website, or products.† â€Å"These people have some type of influence over their following.† â€Å"Not all engagement is good engagement. Is that an influencer you want to have your name associated with?† That’s one of the big questions is like, Oh, what do I pay an influencer? Well, it really depends. It really depends on the influencer because each one of them run their business differently.

Farming societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Farming societies - Essay Example In simple farming societies economic activities are not separated from religious, political and social aspects (Walrath and Prins 51). The economic system of a farming society largely depends on production, distribution and consumption of goods. However, there many types of economic systems which include: traditional and modern, industrial and non-industrial, and small scale and large scale economies. In the small scale societies that are non-industrial, land and other valuable resources are usually controlled by groups of related people and individual ownership of land is rare to find. The division of labour is done according to gender and age of the members of the society. Simple farming societies also practice specialization of arts and crafts, although, production is carried out only for the quantity required at that moment. Most of the goods produced are consumed by those in the group that produces them. This is different from the economic organization of large scale industrial and post industrial societies (Walrath and Prins 59). ... The exchange of goods and services is also done as a ritual or for prestige purposes (Walrath and Prins 86). This is where distribution of goods is done by the governments or the religious elite who collect and allocate resources. Locations of exchange of goods and services are designated in certain areas. Here, people meet friends and strangers, find entertainment and trade goods. However, in industrial societies, exchange is indirect, impersonal and mediated through money or capital assets in form of shares and stocks. Moreover, in the digital age, trade can be conducted on the internet with personal contact. The major characteristic among farming societies is Cooperative work groups regardless the society’s industrial capability. For instance, in cases the work group involves the whole community a festive mood permeates the work. In most societies, cooperation basically starts at the household level. Through cooperation, farming societies are able to allocate duties of prod uction and distribution, as well as, allocation of goods and resources. There is great diversity in the types of specialized tasks that are performed. However, although specialization has increased in the farming societies, modern technologies have influenced them such that division of labor on the basis of gender has become less relevant. In modern farming societies, each member is knowledgeable on all aspects of work although specialization is still maintained (Walrath and Prins 43). According to Walrath and Prins, Simple farming societies are firmly rooted in the cultures of people in their communities (101). This culture is passed on from the older generation to the younger generation. By doing this, the younger members of the farming society,

Educational Institutions and ProcessesMarginality Essay

Educational Institutions and ProcessesMarginality - Essay Example The societal structure is more concerned with such human elements as religion, demography, social structure and culture. In addition, the structure is also concerned with the connection between politics and economics with regard to group or individual access to resources. As such, the societal framework tends to stress on the consideration of those fundamental causes of inequality, exclusion, social injustice, as well as the spatial isolation of the populace (Brodwin, 2003). On the other hand, the spatial element of marginality is chiefly based on physical setting and space from centre of development, lying at the periphery of a poorly incorporated society (Larsen, 2002). With this notion, it is anticipated that an insight into the physical locations and space on individuals and groups livelihoods shall be gained.From these meanings, one can undoubtedly observe that marginality is a progression that emerges and evolves gradually in a variety of scales and types under geo-political and socio-economical settings. As such, marginality supports and replicates that state of marginalization to a large extent. It is worth noting that the interpretation of societal marginality stems from social conditions. The apparent disparities in a social institution such as a school will often be as a result of exclusion from the 'mainstream'. At this point, the state and scale of economic, social, and political inequalities linking the mainstream and the marginalized ought to be assessed from the perspective of legitimate and equitable access to decision making procedures and resources. By and large, educational marginality is often revealed by the underlying state of people. The state could as well be represented by such poor living options as a lack of opportunities, resources, and skills. Further, such a state can also be reflected by either a limited or reduced contribution in the making of public decisions, and low self esteem (Brodwin, 2003). In the educational institutions, marginalized students are normally stigmatized, singled out, ignored and mostly repressed on age, gender, culture, race, ethnicity, religion, occupation, economy, and education basis by the mainstream (Larsen, 2002). Marginalized groups in existing schools situations McCready (2004) has suggested a multidimensional structure that considers the multiple forms and differences of oppression , with a view to understanding and suggesting possible options for gay as well as for the gender non-conforming African American male students attending urban schools. The author has indicated that such students experience a certain kind of marginalization, and which is almost recognized by almost everybody who knows about the sexual orientation of this group. In addition, the author has also indicated that in a majority of the cases, such gay students have feelings that they are usually being marginalized by the mainstream society in school. The sad situation that this book brings out is that in certain instances, such students will normally experience marginalization, yet they fail to admit it. It has often been argued that from a school perspective, marginalization tends to be a multifaceted and complex process. For this reason, it is important that the

Comparison of Nandos and KRR

Comparison of Nandos and KRR KRR is a rotisserie chicken restaurant that was founded in 1991 by country music singer Kenny Rogers and former Kentucky CEO John Y. Brown, Jr. More consumers are concerned about the healthy lifestyle and foods thus Kenny Rogers used this opportunity to start up the first restaurant that served healthy yet delicious foods in Coral Spring, Florida, August of 1991. As the first mover in the market, KRR had extended and franchised over 350 restaurants around the world, such as Middle Eastern countries, Canada, Asian countries such as China, Philippines and Malaysia. Initially, the menu offered mainly on wood-fired rotisserie chicken but later on had introduced more variety such as turkey, seafood, ribs, home-made muffins, jacket potatoes and vegetable salads. Due to economic downturn in 1999, KRR went into bankruptcy. Nathans Famous Inc. had bought it and initiated downsizing of their locations offered. With the words of consumers see, we localize; consumers dont see, we globalize, KRR now operates entirely outside of the USA and operates primarily in Asia. The franchise holder for KRR in Malaysia is Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn. Bhd. In 1994, Berjaya Group Berhad had wholly owned subsidiary and incorporated. In 2008, Nathans Famous divested itself and selling it to Asian franchiser, Berjaya Group Malaysia. At the time, only one outlet was still operating in United States. The franchise holder of KRR in Malaysia, Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn. Bhd. operates 60 restaurants in West and East Malaysia. Besides that, the executive director of the company decides to expand six to eight new outlets in year 2010. The vision of restaurants is Roasters stands for real food and high quality service that bridges the gap between quick service restaurants and casual dining. Nandos Nandos is a Portuguse-style chicken restaurant that founded in 1987 and originating from South Africa that specialized in flame-grilled chicken and hot sauces. Nandos went global and operating in more than 30 countries such as Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Pakistan, Israel and Malaysia. Nandos originally named as Nandie in 1975 after the name of the son of Fernado Duarte, a Portuguese living in South Africa. He bought a restaurant in Rosettenville, Southern Johannesburg and collaborated with his friend naming it Chickenland in 1987. That was when the first Nandos restaurant appeared. Consumers love Nandos flame-grilled peri-peri chicken and the unique sauces as it is very delicious. Nandos offered variety of flavor such as lemon and herb, mango and lime to satisfy the different needs and wants of consumers. Peri-peri choices are mild, hot and extra hot peri-peri marinades. Nandos ensures the demand is always available by tailoring their selection of location to suit the consumers. Currently, there are 32 outlets in Malaysia located in Selangor, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Pulau Pinang and Kuala Lumpur. Their vision is Our vision is to be the premier provider of chicken to our consumers with superior product outstanding services, while their mission is To be the best chain in the world by offering a world class chicken experience at affordable prices with consistent quality, value and commitment to its customer base. Segmentation and Target Market The themes for both companies which are Peri-peri and Less fat. Less salt. Less Calories have determined their way of segmenting their market. Both have used a few segments to target. Both identified their consumers needs and serve them with differentiated food selection. Food is also defined as physiological needs according to Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. Nandos Benefit. Nandos is targeting consumers who crave for tasty food. The varieties for consumers who crave for spiciness are extra hot peri-peri, hot peri-peri and mild peri-peri. Meanwhile, the non-spicy consumers are left with lemon and herbs flavour. Besides that, the flame grilled chickens are offered for healthy concern consumers. Geographic. Nandos outlets are located in over 20 countries worldwide including Australia, Malaysia and Canada. KRR Benefit. It focuses on targeting consumers who are more health concern, where some consumers insist on having balanced meal while parents are concerned about their childrens nutrition. KRR used this opportunity to serve a balanced meal of roasted chicken with low calories, low fats and less oil and other sidelines such as vegetable salad, fruit salad, mashed potatoes and rice. KRRs philosophy is weaved on preparing wholesome, hearty and well-balanced meal which mirrors todays discerning consumers changing attitude towards healthy eating lifestyle. KRR also has daily food guide pyramid which enhances their products reliability (Appendix I). Demographic. KRR meal is tailored to consumers of all ages. Senior citizens can enjoy the roasted chicken without the fear of high calories and high cholesterols. Consumers of all income levels can enjoy a well-balanced meal by paying only RM14.90 for a quarter roasted chicken meal with three sidelines (Appendix II) Geographic. There are numerous of KRR located in 6 countries: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. It is very obvious that they are more focused in Asian countries where there are already over 64 stores alone covering West and East Malaysia. In the metropolitan area of Klang Valley, there are 32 stores because the density of population is higher. In-Store Atmosphere Survey Methodology In-store atmosphere observations were conducted at one of the outlets in Central Malaysia for each company by two of our members (Appendix III). This method serves us the primary survey that allows us to have the direct in-store experience. During the observation the elements of perception are put into the test such as sensation. In addition, we also had a simple evaluation of the in-store atmosphere (Appendix IV). Schiffman et. al. mentioned that consumers often judge the quality of products base on intrinsic and extrinsic informational cues of the product. Thus, the observation details below are a mixture of both, explained in chorological order of our observation journey. Nandos [Nandos Chickenland (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Mid Valley)] Entry. At the moment we have arrived to the outlet, there was already a waitress standing by the menu stand. Immediately, she gave a tight-lipped smile and ushered us to our tables after confirmation of number of person dining. There aroma from the closed kitchen was not ventilated to the dining area. Table. When we were seated on the dining area, the menu is immediately given by the waitress. After that, we were left unattended for about five minutes as we were selecting our choices of meal. A simple hand gesture to signal the waitress to take order was acknowledged and the taking order process began. There were not any recommendations of highlights. The drinks are served within five minutes while the meal is about ten minutes upon ordering. Environment. Although there was not any music during our survey yet our previous experience is vice versa. The lightings were warm and comfy. The hard seats are made of wood. The overall decorations were well blended with their Peri-peri concept. The air is moderately ventilated with decent temperature. Exit. The time taken for bill payment services is less satisfied. A simply gratitude was given by the waiter. However, the waitress standing by the menu stand did not. KRR [Berjaya Roasters (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Mid Valley)] Entry. Despite waiting in-line for 10 minutes at the menu stand, a waitress keeps taking order to reduce the line congestion while another ushered the consumers to their available seats. There is a muffin display area located beside the menu stand that gave attraction to us while waiting. We did not order at the stand as there is a two-seated table available. Table. The menu is given as soon as we are seated. We were left a few minutes to decide our order until we signal the waitress to take order. Similarly, there were no recommendations of highlights. However, the menu is rather attractive as it is covered in leather and the overall menu presentation is informative, providing food guide pyramid and nutrition information (Appendix V). Environment. The lightings are too bright and created a warmer environment (Appendix V). The surrounding walls are displaying the photos and album of Kenny Rogers. Exit. The bill payment service is less satisfied as it takes longer time. The entry and exit point are overcrowded with consumers queuing-up. We found it difficult to make an exit from the outlet. Store Image/Positioning Both the restaurants positioned their store image differently in terms of product selection, interior and exterior design, fixtures and fittings, lighting and pricing. Product selection can be further refine for food industry to theme selection. Nandos is using Peri-peri as their theme which is a term describing the African birds-eye chili. Thus, the degree of taste and spiciness of the food are emphasized. The degree includes mild, hot or extra-hot peri-peri for those craving for spiciness whereas lemon and herb are for others. In contrast, KRR used the theme of Less fatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Less saltà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Less caloriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to attract healthy conscious consumers to consume roasted chicken in a more healthy way. Nandos chose its origin country as the base of its interior and exterior design. It created an African feel throughout the outlet with wooden based furniture and African-like ornaments. Moreover, the music broadcasted is also emitting African environment. Part of their uniform is to wear a scarf which resembles the African scarf. On the other hand, KRR used the theme of its entrepreneur, Kenny Rogers. The interior mostly consists of pictures and records of him. Furthermore, the famously homemade muffins are displayed at the entrance of the outlet to further attract consumers. The displaying at the entrance is part of the fixtures and fittings placement strategy as the visibility and aroma of tempting foods generated greater consumption (Schiffman, Bednall, OCass, Paladino, Ward, Kanuk, 2008). Through our observations and direct experience, we found that KRR offers more comfortable and family-oriented environment whereas Nandos provide more variety for 3-4 persons with Makan-makan together, riang riang forever!. The seatings are the main comparison of comfortable environment: Nandos wooden seats and KRRs cushion seats. In terms of family-oriented environment, KRR provides more seating for group consumers (more than 4) in contrast with Nandos seating availability of 2-4 seaters assuming it is static. Although both provide group meals but their target perspectives are slightly different where KRR confined to family while Nandos targeting 3-4 persons. Despite the comparative lower prices of Nandos with higher prices of KRR yet both have distinctive pricing strategy. Take the quarter chicken with sidelines as example; Nandos  ¼ chicken with 2 sidelines is at RM14.95 but KRRs RM15.90  ¼ chicken meal comes with 3 sidelines and a muffin (Appendix II). According to Schiffman et. al., if the absence of direct experience or other information, consumers will likely take price as an indicator of quality. However, the store images and brand names are likely to be known to consumers assuming that they have paid their first visit or heard it from their peers. Thus, pricing factor to perceive quality of the products is lowered. SWOT Analysis and Marketing 4 Ps By examining their SWOT (Appendix VI) and 4 Ps, the list of advantages and disadvantages are able to be generated. Marketing 4 Ps Product Both Nandos and KRR are fast food industries. Both of the main courses are served with chicken and some sidelines. Nandos chicken is emphasis on the taste and spices so that consumers can choose the degree of spiciness they want, ranging from lemon and herbs, mild peri-peri, hot peri-peri and extra hot peri-peri. While KRR emphasize on healthy concern; low on calories, cholesterols, oils and fats. KRR also offers consumers with their famous home cooked muffins. Both restaurants soft drinks are refillable. Promotion The website of Nandos is more attractive than KRRs. Customer can purchase Nandos peri peri sauces online in Australia, United Kingdom and USA. Those who ate at KRR and spent a total of rm60 above are entitled to get one roasters reward card, which have a chance of winning up from RM2-RM1000. Nandos is a partner of United against Malaria, which raise fund for the malaria victims by create and selling specially-commissioned beaded African bracelets. The sale of each bracelet will be used to help United against Malarias programmes to eradicate malaria in Africa. This is the social responsibility of Nandos. Place Nandos operates more than 26 countries and in five continents Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, Fiji, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, South Africa, Swaziland, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, USA, Zimbabwe, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and others more. Nandos is more towards globalization. While KRR only operates in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines and Australia, which is almost 4 time lesser than Nandos market. Price The overall prices of Nandos are lower than KRRs. However, KRR is providing a noticeable additional proportion than Nandos (Refer to Appendix). Competitive advantages disadvantages One of the competitive advantages of Nandos is the homepage of Nandos. It is more interesting and attracting than KRR. Nandos provides a few recipes at the homepage for customer to click and learn, and online purchases for peri-peri sauces; while KRR does not provide any recipes and online purchase either. In term of market development, Nandos outlets operate in more than 27 countries worldwide. The disadvantage of Nandos is not well-known in Malaysia, because there is no advertisement in television, therefore less consumers know about Nandos. Nandos needs to face with different government policies in different countries thus need to go through a lot of agreement and documentation. Adapting to another country cultures and values consumes a lot of time and resources. KRR provides food which low in calories, cholesterol, oils and fats have competitive advantages in capturing healthy conscious consumers, where more and more consumers are more health conscious in the future. This is an opportunities for KRR. The brand name of KRR is more well-known to consumers in Malaysia because of advertisements in the television. In our opinion, the disadvantage of KRR is less youngster local consumers, where they prefer strong taste and spicy food. Conclusion Without proper in-store atmosphere that can compliance with their themes, food alone will not make heighten the brand image. Understanding the consumers needs and wants provide better information for an improved marketing strategy thus better competitive advantages. The changing trends of needs and wants need to be evaluated from time-to-time so that companies can reposition themselves in the eyes of consumers. Recommendations The actual quality of service can vary from day to day (Schiffman et. al., 2008) thus standardization of services is important to improved quality. A daily briefing prior to opening hours can be done to improve the standardization and morale of service employees. As such, mentioning the motto of Customers are always right can be a good way to remind the employees about the quality service should be delivered everyday. A good non-verbal language should also be conveyed such as a warm and shiny smile to greet the consumers. Schiffman et. al. also mentioned that services are normally perishable thus it is good to distribute the service more equally over time. Assume that consumers will usually have their dinner from 7-8p.m., the seatings will mostly be full. Thus, offering a less expensive early bird dinner at 6p.m. can shift the customers from peak hours. Often during peak hours, the quality of services will decline due to insufficient service employees. KRR excelled at providing positive effect while customers waiting in-line. Whereas, Nandos only provides a menu stand that can be considered insufficient to give positive effect. Therefore, by replicating KRR strategy at the entrance can further enhance the effect such as displaying the peri-peri sauces and give consumers a try on the level of spiciness. Evaluating the delivery services done by Nandos is a must since there are several dissatisfied consumers with the service provided. If the evaluation seems to show that the profit margin generated is less than expected yet it is hurting the image of store by not delivering on time, then it is better off to focus on the restaurant rather than providing this services. Since food industry is a mixture of products and services thus food quality and image must be improved in differentiating the service from competitors. A constant feedback form from consumers can tell the restaurant whether they are satisfied or unsatisfied about the food and services. From the feedback generated, the management can focus on specific improvements.

Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese”

The gentle, tone in Oliver’s poem â€Å"Wild Geese† is extremely encouraging, speaking straight to the reader. In this particular poem, the lines don’t rhyme, however it is still harmonious in not only rhythm but repetition as well. Take note of the rhythm in the lines starting with the word â€Å"You†: â€Å"You do not have to be good,† â€Å"You do not have to walk,† â€Å"You only have to let. † This rhythm is also heard in the lines starting with the word â€Å"Meanwhile†: â€Å"Meanwhile the world goes on,† â€Å"Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles,† â€Å"Meanwhile the wild geese. The reiteration of the words â€Å"You† and â€Å"Meanwhile† presents a soft rhythmic element to the writers expression. It attracts readers with its tenderness while also inspiring the understanding with what this poem really means. The metaphors Oliver uses are hardly ever unexpected. She uses a comprehensible d ialect in its place. It may not seem too convincing, yet it makes an absolute piece become meaningful and worthwhile. It is not complicated to picture wild geese flying across the atmosphere.However, it is flattering when sitting alongside the scenery of sun and rain â€Å"moving across the landscapes over prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. † Oliver uses this identical representation in order to illustrate humanity reaching out to those that are feeling completely alone. Once more, this is not very complicated, but a fascinating metaphor. Oliver may be considered a poet of irony; however there is no way her work can be considered to be â€Å"boring. Her established word choice contains traditional gracefulness while at the same time adding modern thoughts about both nature and the human race. I feel the first line in the poem â€Å"Wild Geese† is probably the most memorable and intentional of the entire sonnet. The second and third line seems t o prove this by maintaining the perception that one can choose whether they want to be a â€Å"good† person. The second line â€Å"you do not have to walk on your knees,† gives meaning to one exhibiting worshiping.The third line â€Å"for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting† is implied as the agony along with the motivation to be penalized for their corrupt actions. The fourth and fifth lines â€Å"you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves,† include the opening association of man to nature. While the first three lines tell you what you do not have to do, these two lines explain what you only have to do. The sixth line draws readers especially into this poem. The words â€Å"tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine,† make an exceptionally moving demand.This calls attention to human desolation and displays strong enthusiasm to share stories of it with predominantly the reader. The lines seven to elev en imply that anguish is precisely a human characteristic. The seventh line explains that while mankind may wait around and mourn their misfortune and discouraging situations, â€Å"the world goes on. † The â€Å"world† here, nevertheless, belongs to the environment. The eight through eleventh line tell us that â€Å"meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. The eleventh and twelfth lines say, â€Å"Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. † So far, the poem has addressed the environment in somewhat broad expressions, but in these lines, a specific animal is identified. Like the sun, rain, and landscapes, the wild geese are going about their business, unconscious to man’s desolation. The representation of geese flying â€Å"high in the clean blue air† is a pleasing setting. If we paid more attention t o everything that is going on in nature, humankind could greatly benefit from this.Line fourteen states â€Å"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,† is directed towards the reader. Although most of the time Oliver may not personally know her readers, she says that â€Å"whoever you are,† if â€Å"you† are lonely and despairing, this poem is for â€Å"you. † Lines fifteen and sixteen state, â€Å"the word offers itself to your imagination, calls you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting. † Even though, the word â€Å"harsh† usually refers to a negative implication, here it seems to imply simply piercing and firm.In these two lines, Oliver uncovers the process by which individuals relate to the environment. The concluding lines, seventeen and eighteen, state â€Å"over and over announcing your place in the family of things,† this assures the readers that they are not all alone in their lonesomeness. Oliver entails that our world is u nyielding about welcoming people to it. Here the â€Å"family† is made up of all of nature—the sun and rain, rivers and mountains, and every member of the animal kingdom. One needs only to have an interesting imagination in order to fit in with society.