British policies that have taken place since the end of the Second World War

In this essay I am going to be looking at British policies that have taken place since the end of the Second World War. The government have used a mixture of private and public welfare up until today; I am going to be looking into what ideologies influence the policies that have been put into place. Also throughout the essay I will explain how ideologies and policies have an effect on certain social groups in society. The term ideology is the ideas and beliefs of an individual or a group about how the world should be. There are lots of different political ideologies; the main two I will be looking into are Liberalism and social reformism. However both of these ideologies overlap with Marxist and conservative views which I will look at broadly. The first ideology I am going to look at is Social reformism also known as social democracy. This emerged from the late 1800’s and was set up from the trade unions and non conformist churches such as Methodist in Britain. This ideology has very strong values in helping and supporting people who are worse off than their selves. They believe that the government has a duty to look after the worse off in society, and they try to do this through the welfare state. They believe that democratic change is the way forward to succeeding in society, this usually means voting will be used to determine what changes are made. Social reformism believes that the government should interfere with the running of society and that the large industries should all is state owned. Another one of their ideas is for everyone to have equal opportunities, also a part of this is the belief that if you have a big income that you should be taxed according to this. Read also Analyze the Ways in Which British Imperial Policies This means that the rich will be getting taxed more than the poor which will mean the money will be put into the state to help the worse off, to help everyone become more equal and have equal chances in life. The second ideology I am going to look at is Liberalism which is the philosophy of john Locke, Adam smith and John Stuart Mill. This ideology mainly started in the 1600’s as a movement against the power of the monarchy however became more dominant in the 1800’s. The Liberalists stand for freedom and protection of people’s rights and equality between everyone. Liberalists believe that the government should have none or very little involvement with the running of society. This includes limiting the state owned businesses and government powers over industries. From a economics point of view Liberalism believes that we should have a free market and free enterprise over the world. They encourage free trade so much in order to move forward towards being a more successful capitalist society. Liberalism does not want the state involved in the economy ect, as they believe it works best without any political input from the government. However as the liberalists believe in the protection of human rights they accept input in policing, courts, and the military as these are provided to protect individuals. The next ideology I’m going to look briefly at is Marxism also known as socialism. Marxism was first introduced by Karl Marx who believed in having a classless society in the 1600’s. Marxists believed that there were two main groups who were relevant in making the economic system worked. He called them the Bourgeoisie who are the owners of industry, and the proletariat who are the working class.Ap World History Units 1-3 Study Guide The Marxist idea is that the owners of industry exploit the working class to make as much profit out of them as possible. The Marxists notice this and have a view that a revolution should take place which would let the working class rise against the ruling class. Marxists believed that the state should be fully involved in society such as owning industries, and have control over health care, housing and a good welfare system to ensure everyone has equal opportunities at having a good life and a good standard of living. The last ideology that was mainly used was conservatism which emerged at the time of the French revolution 1789. Conservatism has a very traditional approach and believes in maintaining the status quo or having very little slow change. This ideology believes that the class system in our society works. They believe that having an upper class, middle class and working class is a functional way to live. They believe that we should be able to help the poor but not too much that they get dependent on societies input into helping them. In 1939 was the beginning of World War 2, where Britain took place in one of the toughest wars known to history. The war affected everyone in the country as individuals, businesses and families. Neville Chamberlain was the Prime minister of Britain at the beginning of World War 2, however in 1940 Chamberlain decided to resign and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. Post war governments throughout 1945-1975 steered the economy and all the political parties to continue and to further support the welfare state. This time is also known as the kaynesian and Beveridgian period. William Beveridge was a social reformist who was asked to carry out a a report which was released in 1942. He believed that the government should pay to provide basic welfare, and take responsibility for helping the unemployed and people in poverty. In his report he said that the government should be able to tackle the â€Å"5 evil giants† Which are Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. The Beveridge report is such an important part of history because the Beveridge report helped produce the welfare state. Kaynes was an economist which argued that in times of recessions the government should invest into the economic system to help create jobs for people. This would be a good idea because as people now have jobs they will then be able to pay their money slowly back into the economy. However when the economy is booming the government should be able to have the power to be able to slow down the economy by introducing more taxes, this is so people don’t demand more goods as this may lead to inflation. Around the time just after the war there were a lot of social reformist approaches. Firstly The National Health Service Act (1948) was introduced. This act was established to give people a right to a free health service and free medical treatment for everyone. However when this Act was first mentioned GP’s were not fond of the idea and didn’t want to join. However this Act has affected many people throughout Britain For years such as Working Class Families. This Act has given them the opportunity to have free health care where as they may not have been able to afford medical treatment before which means we as a country are saving more lives through the NHS. The next Act i am going to look at is the National Insurance Act (1946). At this stage when the Act was first introduced everyone had to pay into it (employer, employee, and the government) which entitles you to sick pay and a pension. The next Act was the Children’s Act (1948), this gave the government responsibilities for looking after children in Britain and having the main power for the Childs Protection . Throughout 1946-1948 housing Acts were also introduced to help people get a better living standard. Between 1950-1975 we currently had nationalised industries. This meant that the government owned most of the large industries such as Coal, gas and electric. Within this time period the government also decided to get rid of the Grammar schools which meant also scrapping the 11+ exam and introduce comprehensive schools, which was also a social reformist idea. However they did decide not to abolish private schools which meant this also had a sense of a conservative approach. This is because keeping the private schools is only keeping the class difference the same of if anything making the gap larger. In the late 1970’s family income support was introduced. This policy was pretty much the same as working tax credits however this meant that your income was supplemented to a good living standard. This was introduced to try and not let people get into the poverty cycle, people went through a means testing processes which the government believed was done very fairly and reached out to help a lot more people who were struggling or maybe not entitled to the original benefit. From 1979-1997 lots of changes were being made to society when the conservatives where in power. Margret Thatcher a conservative, re introduced a Liberalist approach into society. Even though Thatcher stood for the conservative party she introduced a lot of Liberalist ideas into the policies between 1979 and 1997. This idea of a new liberalist approach was known as The New Right. Thatcher believed that the state was being used too much and was too involved in people’s lives. This era is known as the welfare break up, as Margret Thatcher was very Anti welfare state and in favour for lowering the income tax. Thatcher decided to start De nationalising industries because she believed they were inefficient and there were way too many people employed. The railway, coal, BT and parts of the NHS were a few industries which where effected who were put into the hands of the private sector rather than the government meaning a lot of people loosing their jobs which is also a Liberalist approach. At this time the conservatives also tried to cut the welfare benefits; however did not successes with this due to the government worrying about riots because unemployment was at its highest at 4million which would leave a lot of people fending for them selves. However slight changes were made to the welfare system where they cut 16-18 year olds being able to get welfare benefits. This was because they wanted too push teenagers to go and get a job or go into education, this is where the government intruded the youth training system to help young people. In 1997 Labour won the election by a landslide victory making Tony Blaire MP. In the 1980’s before Labour were elected socialists argued with social reformists within the labour party. This made some of the MP’s leave the labour party who chose to create a social democrat party, which has now formed into the Liberal democrat party. He also decided to change the name to ‘New Labour’ as apposed to ‘Old Labour’ as they had removed some of their socialist ideology. They came up with an idea of a ‘third way approach’, this meant that they were able to take bits of ideologies and put them together to win votes. One example of this is labour not changing some of the privatisation of the NHS which would win over voters from more of a conservative background. Through 1997-2010 there were lots of policies introduced by the Labour government. Some of the policies took a very Liberalist approach and some took a Social reformism approach. I am firstly going to look at the policies which were introduced by social reformism under Labour government. The first Policy i am going to look at is the National Minimum wage. This was introduced so that people were able to only sell their labour for a good standard amount of money. This is also to helps people (especially working class) not to fall into poverty as they will be guaranteed a ‘liveable’ wage. The minimum wage has changed since it was first brought in, as the minimum wage now stands at ?6. 08 for workers over the age of 21. Also to be re introduced was Working family tax credits, which Labour increased the amount of money people where able to get to supplement their income which reached out to working class families to help them have a better standard of living. The government were also very fond of trying to tackle child poverty. They did this by injecting money in to schools in low income areas to help the children get a better education in that area, and also supplying children with after school clubs and breakfast clubs to help families struggling financially. Another major policy brought in by Labour is Job seekers allowance. This was introduced to help people get back into work and to support them financially whilst doing so. Most of these policies introduced by social reformism under Labour government are there to help families with low income living in low income areas. Labour also had policies which were introduced by Liberalism. Firstly Labour continued to slowly de nationalise industries and introduce agencies to run the government department. Therefore this Liberalist view is mostly advantaging the Upper/middle class. This is because if Labour are still privatising parts of the welfare state for example social care the working class are going to be unable to pay for these services due to low income. Gordon Brown was elected for Labour in 2007 where Britain fell into a economical crisis. He then went to nationalise the banks which meant the government had to buy shares or all parts of the banks to ensure they didn’t go under, which is a socialist idea. In 2010 the Coalition government came into power which consisted of the Liberal democrats and Conservatives. There aims for Britain are to be able to reduce government spending by cutting back on the welfare, education and local government services which is based on Liberalist Ideology. Up to the present day to day Britain is still struggling to get back on its feet after the recession however things are improving.

Are Musicians Born or Made?

For nearly 2,000 years philosophers have wondered whether artists are born or made. In the case of musicians, the existence of thousands of music schools would seem to argue that musicians can be made, like engineers. Arguing against the importance of all that activity are the curious exceptions: famous musicians who cannot even read music. The latter include the most famous male pop singer of the 20th century and one of that century’s most famous orchestral conductors.The earliest important discussion of this question presents the problem well, found in a treatise, â€Å"On the Sublime,† is by a 1st century AD writer named Longinus. Nothing else can be documented about the man, but this treatise was well-known through the Renaissance and deeply influenced such writers as Dryden and Pope. Longinus begins by emphasizing the importance of learning. First of all, we must raise the question whether there is such a thing as an art [craft] of the sublime or lofty. Some hold t hat those are entirely in error who would bring such matters under the precepts of art. A lofty tone, says one, is innate, and does not come by teaching; nature is the only art that can compass it.Works of nature are, they think, made worse and altogether feebler when wizened by the rules of art. But I maintain that this will be found to be otherwise if it be observed that, while nature as a rule is free and independent in matters of passion and elevation, yet is she wont not to act at random and utterly without system†¦. Moreover, the expression of the sublime is more exposed to danger when it goes its own way without the guidance of knowledge, — when it is suffered to be unstable and unballasted, — when it is left at the mercy of mere momentum and ignorant audacity. It is true that it often needs the spur, but it is also true that it often needs the curb.1However, in another place, when he is thinking of the great gifts of the orator, Demosthenes, he wonders if such a great performer can be the result of learning. There are some, he seems to conclude, whose success can be explained only by a God-given ability. But Demosthenes draws — as from a store — excellences allied to the highest sublimity and perfected to the utmost, the tone of lofty speech, living passions, copiousness, readiness, speed (where it is legitimate), and that power and vehemence of his which forbid approach.Having, I say, absorbed bodily within himself these mighty gifts which we may deem heaven-sent (for it would not be right to term them human), he thus with the noble qualities which are his own routs all comers even where the qualities he does not possess are concerned, and overpowers with thunder and with lightening the orators of every age. One could sooner face with unflinching eyes a descending thunderbolt than meet with steady gaze his bursts of passion in their swift succession.In the end Longinus retreats from having to make a choice between a st udied craft, which he calls â€Å"art,† and that talent which is a gift of nature. The highest achievement, he reasons, requires both. Since freedom from failings is for the most part the successful result of art, and excellence (though it may be unevenly sustained) the result of sublimity, the employment of art is in every way a fitting aid to nature; for it is the conjunction of the two which tends to ensure perfection.When the Church defeated Rome and began its process of reinventing, so to speak, the Roman citizen, it began by attempting to eliminate as much of the pagan world as possible, in the process burning the books of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, etc. The church also attempted to remove emotion from the life of the Christian and as a subordinate part of that idea they warned the Christian about being enthusiastic about art.The rationale of the Church was: God created the artist, therefore you should love God and not the artist, much less the art object. Because of thi s position, during the long Church dominated period we call the â€Å"Dark Ages,† books which discuss art and the artist are rare. With the Renaissance, however, this subject is widely discussed, beginning with the important 16th century treatise, the Dodecachordon of 1547, by Heinrich Glarean. Glarean (1488 – 1563) of  Switzerland was a man of many talents as is testified to in numerous letters by Erasmus, who gives the impression that he was unusually proficient in all the Liberal Arts. In letters of recommendation, Erasmus calls Glarean a mathematician, meaning four branches of the Liberal Arts.It was from this perspective that Glarean was interested in music3 and our guess is that he probably did not think of himself as a performing musician, although on one occasion he so impressed Maximilian I in his singing of a poem that he was made poet laureate. Such a widely talented man is never universally popular and in the fictitious, satirical â€Å"Letters of Obscur e Men,† of 1515, by Crotus Rubeanus and Ulrich von Hutten, Glarean is described as, very headstrong man†¦. A terrible man, a choleric, for ever threatening fights — and he must be possessed of a devil.Glarean first clearly frames the question: who should receive the higher praise, the composer who has his gift through birth or the man who has studied counterpoint and who composes multi-part music upon the original melody?As we were hastening to the end of this very toilsome book, this not entirely inconsequential thought came to our mind about a matter which I say has been considered in doubt a long time now among men of our times, that is, which is more deserving of praise, the invention of a theme or the addition of several voices; namely, so that the uninitiated may also understand, whether it is of more value if one can invent a natural tenor, which affects all minds, which takes hold of a man’s heart, in short, which so clings to our memory that it ofte n steals upon us without our even thinking, and into which we break as if awakened from sleep, as we commonly see concerning many tenors; or if one adds three or more voices to the tenor invented in the aforementioned way, which voices, so to speak, embellish it with imitations, canons, changes of modus, tempus, and prolatio†¦.Having presented the question, Glarean’s own view seems to be that talent comes with birth, not study. It is interesting that he mentions the factor we have pointed out at the beginning, the success of untrained artists. He concludes by presenting the subordinate questions which he implies are necessary to answering the main question. Here is an example of this matter, so that one may comprehend so much the better what we say. Whoever first  invented the tenor Te Deum laudamus or any other as Pange lingua, may he not be preferred in talent to one who afterwards composed a complete Mass according to it? First, indeed, to say as a preface, we canno t deny that this happens to each through the power of his talent, and through a certain natural and native capacity rather than through art.The reason for this seems to be that very frequently those who are untrained in music are also surprisingly proficient in inventing tenors in our vernacular, whether Celtic or German, and further, that many who are proficient in adding voices likewise have learned music badly, to say nothing of other disciplines. Therefore, it is clear that neither talent is really possible for a man unless he is born to it, and, as it is commonly said, unless he received it from his mother.This is likewise true of painters, also of sculptors, and preachers†¦, in short, of all works dedicated to Minerva†¦. But indeed, if as Aristotle asserts, a man is truly deserving of praise who discovers the principles of any discipline, for it is very easy to add the rest (he says), I do not see why the first artist, the simple creator of a simple melody (now calle d a tenor) ought to be inferior to one who does not invent as easily as he adds to what has already been invented. Indeed, we see in the various disciplines that the first inventors always have merited the most praise. Thus Hippocrates is considered superior to Galen, even though Galen surpassed him with a thousand books†¦. Let everyone direct his attention to the following points as the most worthy of our consideration, namely, which of the two is older, which is more useful, and, finally, which yields to the other.In a letter sent to his publisher, Giraldi Cinthio,6 he indicates that he wrote his treatise, Discorso intorno al comporre dei romanzi of 1549, to refute attacks on Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, which he considered a great heroic poem. While his treatise is thus about the 16th century heroic poem in general, which he calls the Romance, Giraldi is equally concerned with establishing poetry as an art. In so doing, he presents one of the most important treatises on Beauty to be found in the 16th century.7 He begins by stating the all men have the genetic materials necessary to fine writing. But, he follows this by writing that â€Å"Nature produces the poets, but art makes the orators,†8 His point apparently is in attempting to make a  distinction between genius and (learned) skill. By â€Å"elocution,† Giraldi means the manner of expressing with fitting words the thought which the poet has in mind. Here he presents a unique and curious analogy.Since elocution has the same place in composition as the skin does in the human body, the poet ought to put his effort on this part, under which stand all the others, as nature does on the skin of the body. Just as nature, a judicious creatress (by virtue of the intelligence which rules her) of that which she produces, took great care to make the skin soft, pliable, and delicate, and to give it the grace of proper colors so that it appears pleasing to our eyes and makes delightful all t hat is under it, so the poet should put much talent and study on everything pertaining to words. Since they clothe our ideas and carry them from the intellect to the eyes, they ought to be adorned with all the beauty that the industry of the writer can give them.Although in this, no less than in other particulars, one ought to shun such superfluous diligence, lest what one would make good becomes bad, and lest excessive desire to embellish results in fastidiousness. Negligence neatly practiced is sometimes better than too much diligence.9This last sentence requires a note of explanation. For the Italian Renaissance (upper class) man, one of the personal characteristics held to be important was that he never exhibit effort. â€Å"Studied negligence† was the goal. This can be easily understood in the example of chess playing, where it was held that the gentleman could play but that he should not appear to be very good, for if he were good it implied study, practice and work, al l of which were not appropriate to the gentleman. Giraldi contends that epic poetry must be in rhyme. This is only fitting for heroic matter and â€Å"it carries in itself the sweetness of sound and gravity with measure and with the other qualities that belong to the sublime.†10 Later he adds that words must not only convey thoughts, but in themselves, â€Å"pleasurable beauty.† It is interesting that he warns the poet to remember that his goal is to find words for the thoughts, and not thoughts for the words. He pauses to comment on the ancient question of the relationship of learned Art and genius which is a gift of Nature. Here concludes that both are necessary. Of these two, however, the one so needs the other that each is of little value alone. Indeed, art without nature produces such impoverished verses  that they seem to have suffered for ten years from the hectic fever. Nature without art makes them like fat peasants who are of good color and health but witha l have no gentility.Therefore, he concludes, that poet who has as his guide both Nature and Art cannot help but succeed. His definition of Art which follows consequently focuses on both Beauty and Nature. By art I mean here not the intricacies and the entanglements of which I spoke above, which with metaphors, enigmas, and monstrosities would turn authors into alchemists; which precepts can make it appear that a man has seen and read much, but are not likely to teach; but that which gives us light, not shadow; makes our way pleasant, not painful; easy, not intricate; level, not steep; that which leads us not through briars but through flowering meadows; that which teaches us without so much tortuousness and such monstrosities of words and images. Like arranged flowers, after we have chosen them from the green fields of poesy, our compositions ought to be set in order with marvelous beauty.Marco Girolamo Vida was born in Cremona some time before the beginning of the 16th century, at which time his first poems appear, and died in 1566. His poem on chess (Scacchiae Ludus) brought him to the attention of Leo X. After the death of Leo X, Vida remained in the papal court of Clement VII, who made him Bishop of Alba in 1532. Holding this office, Vida participated in the council of Trent. In his treatise on poetry, De Arte Poetica, of 1561, Vida has observed that there are some who fervently desire to be poets, yet, in spite of all, are not successful. They, apparently, have the training, but not the gift. These men, he recommends, might find a suitable career as lawyers! How oft the youth, who wants the sacred fire,Fondly mistakes for genius his desire, Courts the coy Muses, though rejected still, Nor Nature seconds his misguided will! He strives, he toils with unavailing care, Nor Heaven relents, nor Phoebus hears his prayer. He with success, perhaps, may plead a cause, Shine at the bar, and flourish by the laws.One of the important Italian Renaissance writers, Pietr o Aretino (1492 – 1556), was much concerned with respect to the character of the artist. He also considered the question of the nature of Art and the artist, he concluded that the essential gift is one of genetics and not instruction. The truth is that art is an innate gift for considering the excellencies of nature that comes to us when we are babes in swaddling clothes. That which is learned later may be called art, but it is not legitimate, whereas you could not call that art bastard which the spider uses in weaving his web.We might note that to another correspondent he states that neither the gift nor the skill is of any importance without heart.To GiorgioVasari (1511 – 1574) we are indebted for his revised Lives of 1568, which provides important biographical information regarding 16th century artists. Vasari summarizes his views on our subject of whether the artist is born or learned by declaring, Very great is the obligation that is owed to Heaven and to Nature b y those who bring their works to birth without effort and with a certain grace which others cannot give to their creations either by study or by imitation.With the Baroque Period we begin to find German commentary which is related to our question, that is are musicians the product of training or Nature? One philosopher that we appreciate was Johann David Heinichen (1683 – 1729), a composer in Dresden. In his mind, there was a natural connection between the learned rules of music and the talent which comes from Nature, for he believed the important rules were all drawn from Nature herself.All arts and sciences have rules and must be learned through rules, if we do not wish to remain simple naturalists, ie., half-ignorant. But we must not err excessively on the side of rules; furthermore, we should not accept so crudely the equivocal word: Rule, as if we would serve as high sounding rule makers, prescribing laws even to Nature, according to which she must limit herself to aucto ritate nostra. No! All of our useful rules must be derived from Nature; and we must investigate on all levels the will, preference, and character of this mistress and learn from her cum submissione.Heinichen conceded the importance of that which is learned about music, believing that the essential abilities needed for successful composition include natural aptitude and diligence, as well, of course, as knowledge of the basic conceptual information on writing music. However, as he quotes Andreas Werkmeister, rules alone do not suffice.18 If one has no musical aptitude 1,000 rules could be illustrated with 10,000 examples and still the purpose would not be achieved.We have seen above Heinichen’s contention that all useful rules must be derived from Nature. But he seems hesitant to take on the burden of discussing the full dimension of Nature’s contribution. For one reason, while he finds Nature’s gifts unquestionably important, he finds that these gifts vary from composer to composer. One can as little describe the differences in musical talent as one can describe the differences between all ingenuities. Generally, however, one can say that the good talents of composers differ only in degree. For Nature gives to one an animated, clear, burning spirit, but to another a tempered, modest, or even affective nature. The latter is better suited to to the devout church style, the former, however, more to the theatrical†¦.Another very important German writer took a similar position. Johann Mattheson not only found that the gifts of Nature varied from man to man, but that sometimes Nature left her gifts incomplete! One sometimes encounters fine minds without true desire and love for it; thus one encounters nothing more seldom than the required diligence and necessary, untiring industry, joined together with these two things, natural ability and real desire: because commonly not a little laziness and idleness, lasciviousness, comfortableness, and the like, tend to go side by side with innate gifts and inclinations. A so-called natural disposition without ambition or love is like a buried treasure†¦. Desire and diligence without natural ability is really the worst of all†¦.This partiality which Nature demonstrates in passing out her talents led Mattheson, in another place, to comment on the treatment of students.Natural stupidity or innate simplicity is among the failures of the intellect which no one can rightfully punish, though it can be deplored or at best ridiculed. Desiring to make youngsters intelligent with thrashing is not only futile, but godless. Many examples verify that beatings make heads ten times more dumb than they were previously. This is and remains abysmally characteristic of education in almost every guild and apprenticeship.The great German composer, Georg Telemann (1681-1767), found that of the poets he worked with, some were talented but lacked the learning to successfully complete their ass ignment. Just as not everyone is born a poet, so every poet cannot write texts adaptable to music, and especially sacred music. It would be desirable for experts to explore this question.Another German writer of the Baroque, Johann Birnbaum, placed more importance on the learned facet of the artist. Indeed, his was a rather unique opinion that one of the fundamental roles of the artist was to perfect and shape Nature into its most ideal state. If art imitates Nature, then indisputably the natural element must everywhere shine through the works of art. Accordingly it is impossible that art should take away the natural element from those things in which it imitates Nature — including music. If art aids Nature, then its aim is only to preserve it, and to improve its condition; certainly not to destroy it.Many things are delivered to us by Nature in the most misshapen states, which, however, acquire the most beautiful appearance when they have been formed by art. Thus art lends N ature a beauty it lacks, and increases the beauty it possesses. Now, the greater the art is — that is, the more industriously and painstakingly it works at the improvement of Nature — the more brilliantly shines the beauty thus brought into being.The opposite view was taken by the great French philosopher, Marin Mersenne (1588-1648). He studied mathematics, physics, the classics and metaphysics at the Jesuit College of Le Mans. After becoming a Jesuit priest, and a member of the Minorite friars, Mersenne began teaching Hebrew, philosophy and theology at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1619. His residence became a  required stopping place for every intellectual visiting Paris, which, together with his correspondence with persons throughout Europe, including Galilei, Huygens and Descartes, made him a virtual one-man academy. His studies and experimentation in music resulted in his Harmonie universelle (1636), a work of encyclopedia proportion organized in five treatises.It wa s the conclusion by Mersenne that composers are born and not made through â€Å"Art.† Whatever rules we could give for composing fine and beautiful melodies on all kinds of subjects and texts, it appears that they cannot bring this to pass until we are induced by the favorable genius and natural inclination of those who write excellent ones without having learned or established any other rules than those which their imagination furnishes†¦. I shall be of the opinion of those who say that the genius of music is like that of the poet, the painter, the orator, and of several other craftsmen, to whom nature, or rather the Master of Nature, has dispensed certain gifts to which art cannot attain.He was also of the opinion that to some degree the beautiful singer is born and not made. This should be ascribed to the order of Divine Providence, which makes use of all kinds of conditions, as it does of as many voices, to compose the great concert of this universe, whose beauties a nd charms we will never understand except in Heaven.Franà §ois Marie Arouet (1694-1778), known as Voltaire,27 was the son of a successful attorney and a lively and intelligent woman who hosted a minor salon in Paris. His father advised him, â€Å"Literature is the profession of the man who wishes to be useless to society and a burden to his relatives, and to die of hunger.† The son responded by becoming one of the most prolific writers of the Baroque, supporting his family and dying wealthy.Voltaire arrived in Paris in 1715 as France was in transition from the era of Louis XIV to the regency for the young Louis XV. His brilliant wit, and sharp tongue, soon brought him to the attention of high society and earned him several visits to the Bastille. One comment remembered from this time followed an announcement that the regent, for reasons of the economy, had sold half the horses of the royal stables. Voltaire suggested it might have been better if he dismissed half the asses a t court!In one place Voltaire  seems to take the position that learning must be everything in the artist, for the reason that Nature has rendered all men equal physically. Yet all nations†¦, even the Hottentots and Kaffirs, pronounce the vowels and consonants as we do, because the larynx in them is essentially the same as in us — just as the throat of the rudest boor is made like that of the finest opera-singer, the difference, which makes of one a rough, discordant, insupportable bass, and of the other a voice sweeter than the nightingale’s, being imperceptible to the most acute anatomist; or, as the brain of a fool is for all the world like the brain of a great genius.In another place, however, he takes the position that those with real individual genius in the arts possessed something beyond learning or emulation. It must be confessed that in the arts having genius as their basis, everything is the product of instinct.By â€Å"instinct† here, Voltaire apparently meant that the true genius is born and not made. Here he seems to suggest that â€Å"learning† is replaced by â€Å"taste.† We use the word â€Å"genius† indifferently in speaking of†¦an artist, or a musician†¦. Now an artist, however perfect he may be in his profession, if he have no invention, if he be not original, is not considered a genius. He is only inspired by the artists his predecessors, even when he surpasses them†¦.Poussin, who was a great painter before he had seen any good pictures, had a genius for painting. Lully, who never heard any good musician in France, had a genius for music†¦. Genius, conducted by taste, will never commit a gross fault†¦. Genius, without taste, will often commit enormous errors; and, what is worse, it will not be sensible of them.30In another place, he adds,The gift of nature is an imagination inventive in the arts — in the disposition of a picture, in the structure of a poem. It cannot exist without memory, but it uses memory as an instrument with which it produces all its performances.The primary characteristic of this â€Å"gift of nature,† that the artist is born with, Voltaire finds to be the quality of his imagination. Active imagination, which constitutes men poets, confers on them enthusiasm, according to the true meaning of the Greek word, that internal emotion which in reality agitates the mind and transforms the author into the personage whom he introduces as the speaker; for such is the true enthusiasm, which consists in emotion and imagery†¦. In general, the imaginations of painters when they are merely ingenious, contribute more to exhibit the learning in the artist than to increase the beauty of the art†¦. In all the arts, the most beautiful imagination is always the most natural.Two examples from English literature take the position that the successful artist is the product of both birth and art (learning). We have an interes ting poem in honor of Shakespeare by Ben Jonson, in which the poet observes that â€Å"though the matter of poets be Nature,† it is the art of the poet which must shape it. In a reflection on Shakespeare’s own labor, Jonson notes, For a good poet’s made, as well as born.And such wert thou.33A similar reflection is made by Robert Herrick (1591 – 1674). Man is composed here of a two-fold part; The first of Nature, and the next of Art: Art presupposes Nature†¦.34And now, it might be interesting to consider what some of the great composers have written on this subject. First, there are some isolated thoughts from the diary of Robert Schumann, which has been dated about 1833. It is the curse of talent that, although it labors more steadily and perseveringly than genius, it does not reach a goal; while genius, floating on the summit of the ideal, grazes from above, serenely smiling. †¦..It is not a good thing to have acquired too much facility in any occupation. †¦.. The youthful works of masters who have become great, are looked upon with very different eyes than are the works of composers who promised as much, but did not keep their word. †¦.. Dare talent permit itself to take the same liberties as genius? †¦.. Talent labors, genius creates. †¦.. Few strikingly original works of genius have become popular.These comments on talent as opposed to genius by Schumann remind us of one of Wagner’s essays where he quotes Schopenhauer, Talent hits a mark we all can see, but cannot lightly reach; whilst Genius attains a goal we others do not even see.35Our original question was, â€Å"Are musicians born or made?† When you look at the sketch books of Beethoven, it is perfectly obvious that even so great a composer as he had to go to great efforts to â€Å"make† his compositions. In looking at these sketches one sometimes feels that if he had a gift, it was the gift of knowing what to reject. His b irth gift was Taste, not counterpoint. Mozart is another matter. As Schumann pointed out one time, the only way you can be a Mozart is to be born a Mozart.36 But, if you have to be born a Mozart, then what is going on in all those thousands of music schools around the world? It is an interesting question.It is even a more interesting question from the following perspective. You go to hear, let’s say, a piano recital. You are moved, you are inspired, and you say, â€Å"That was really musical.† What you are referring to in that moment is not taught in those music schools. What then is being taught in all those music schools? In our view most of this activity is centered in two areas: [1] A great amount of time is spent by music schools in the teaching of grammar. In no other field and in none of the other arts is such a disproportionate amount of time spent on grammar as opposed to meaning and purpose.Can one imagine, for example, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Fonda at the Lee Strasberg Actors Studio in New York sitting around discussing grammar? In what music school is there even one comprehensive course in aesthetics? In what music school is there discussion on what music meant to Beethoven? Who will talk about music and character development? Who tells students why classical music is important and popular music is not? Who explains to students the difference between inspired  music and educational music? Who takes on the responsibility for explaining to students that music education is about commerce, but not art? [2] The other great field of activity in music schools is the instruction of students on how to become players of instruments, including the vocal instrument.But what studio teacher, as a part of the necessary technique, explains to the student how to move the emotions of the listener? In how many studios is the word â€Å"listener† even mentioned? What studio teacher brings up the subject of earning a living? One day students will ask that question and the house of cards will collapse. To conclude, surely everyone understands that one cannot learn, in any music school anywhere, to become a Mozart. That is not only a gift of God, but a gift God rarely dispenses. But there are other gifts, some of which are genetic, gifts of God to everyman. First and foremost among these is the ability to understand music as a listener without going to those music schools. And then there are the gifts which come from participation in music.Surely anyone whose means of making a living includes the performance of music, whether professional, community or school, must feel a recipient of a gift of the gods. You could be a dentist! How much would they have to pay you to stand and look into other people’s mouths all day? And finally there are those people who may not have the opportunity to perform, but understand the importance of music to society and give of themselves to make it happen. It was of them that Mendelssohn once wrote, The smallest real service to art†¦seems a blessing sent by God.

Epistemological and Methodological Approaches Essay - 2

Epistemological and Methodological Approaches - Essay Example According to the research findings, virtually epistemology in research means the rule of sciences that derive conclusions based on the information and arguments that are derived from the research study. It includes only those information that can be tested by various means. The ontology of research, on the other hand, involves the worldview with which the researcher progresses towards the study. The epistemological approach involves a conceptualizing process which shows how theory involves and how the theory is revised by varying degree. The epistemological approach involves the development of a qualitative approach and the qualitative approach gets validated by the quantitative methods. The quantitative method always has its origin in the qualitative methods because it is not possible that any quantitative derivation can be made without a qualitative basis. The major methodological positions that are involved in a research design are the positivist approach that is the quantitative approach. The positivist approach can also be called a scientific inquiry that emerges from the metaphysical reaction. Positivism is closely related to empiricism that refers to the scientific methods the aim of which is to establish the truth. The idealistic approach is primarily the qualitative approach. According to idealism reality is not separate from the individuals it is created by the individual mind. The positivist approach combined with the idealist methods can produce a good research design. The first study which we will discuss in the paper is based on the fire setter children and the analysis has been given to justify the behavior of those children. Various causes have been put forward as to why the children behave in such an aggressive manner. The study has also taken into account the difference in attitudes between the fire-setter and non-fire setter children. The second study has discussed the role which the disturbed social relations play in making an individual dev iant in nature.

Smoking cigarettes and the strenghts and weakness of the theory of Essay

Smoking cigarettes and the strenghts and weakness of the theory of planned behaviour in explaining this behaviour - Essay Example This is a habit and people become addicted to these kind of things very quickly. Among the addiction of things the addiction of cigarette smoking is very common and popular. A approximate number of adults smoking in United States is about 44.5 million. 23% of the high school students are current smokers. The rate of persons who start smoking is more in students than in adults. This is the major point of concern for the health organization to reduce this rate. Some people smoke to make their image glamorous and effective. The person falling in these categories are most from the reel life persons or star personalities. Military also advertises smoking as glamorous part of life and society. This is a kind of irrational behavior of man that forces him to get addicted to such things in life that are harmful to him. He knows that these are harmful but enjoys the addiction. The irrational behavior is the abnormal behavior of person that is related to his addictions. They do not know how to act at some instance. When they are addicted to something they get unconscious in the absence of it. Who is responsible for this kind of action or behavior the person or the environment around him. About the first cigarette every person thinks that he will not be addicted of it but soon when he is used to the smoking environment he starts it slowly and occasionally. The first cigarette offered to him is just the initialization of his irrational behavior. Smoking for the first time is due to the curiosity of the feeling that something is missing in life and that must be filled by smoking. Smoking is also done to equalize his standard with others of his age. They think that smoking creates a glamorous and mature image. Even in the early stage of smoking majority hates the taste of cigarette but due to the irrational behavior of smoking it makes them feel satisfied of smoking. With first few cigarettes one thinks he would not get addicted to smoking since he is smoking only one or two in couple of days but then sitting in the environment it gets doubled and the person becomes addicted to it very soon. Even then he tries to quit smoking that becomes difficult for him. Then if someone offers you a cigarette you cannot stop yourself from smoking. This forces a person for irrational behavior of smoking and makes him addicted to the heinous act of smoki ng. Smokers have a basic habit of smoking at certain interval or at certain time like in the morning of after having dinner or such time. This makes him slave of cigarette and cannot quit at these times. In early stage of smoking person smokes in group but then individually needs cigarette at certain interval. He becomes dependent on smoking or cigarette. At

Retail Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Retail Strategy - Assignment Example There is clearly no point designing a product which no one demands of. Therefore it is essential that that it should have the features which are valued by and attract the consumers, for example, it must be of good quality, work perfectly and look good. Price is the second most essential part of a retail strategy. The price must be set in such a manner that it not only depicts the value of the good produced but takes care of the market conditions and see how much customers are willing to pay for such goods. The third P of retail strategy is place. There is clearly no point in making a product if we cant get to a place from where we can get it across to the customer. Therefore making sure that the goods are present on the right time and at the right place is a very essential. The fourth and final P of a successful retail strategy is promotion (Tellis, 1997). Promotion refers to letting our prospective buyers know about the availability, existence and feature of our product. Successful promotional or marketing strategies play a very essential role in the success of a product and this is the reason why companies spend huge sums on money on promotional

The VDOT Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The VDOT Management - Assignment Example Theory X is a concept of inspiration, which assumes that the workforce does not like certain tasks, or change, but can complete the tasks effectively under the high control of the management. The theory’s management method can be soft or tough. For example, when using the hard approach, the VDOT managers must coerce, control, and threaten the staff in order to augment the job performance. To use the soft method, the leaders should be lenient and seek unity, and this will motivate the workers to be cooperative. The hard approach is usually not very helpful since it can lead to low outputs and hostility. The soft way augments the workforce desire for higher incentive in exchange for lower work performance (Lauby, 2005). The organization can also use goal-setting theory. The VDOT should involve the staff in goal setting. This theory implies that the workers can be inspired to realize the goals that they sett together with their supervisor. This will motivate personnel to work tirelessly to meet the set goals (Pride, Hughes, & Kapoor, 2011). Previously, VDOT was famous for its innovations in the engineering field and perfectly conducted researches. However, with the progress of time, the VDOT employees lost self-esteem in work therefore, they decided to introduce the management theories to improve the organizational configuration together with management. Firstly, VDOT helps the managers in rectifying the appearance and efficiency of dissimilar departments at the workplace through the provision of their management theories. In doing this, VDOT ensures the provisions of funds, technology, equipment’s and manpower which are planned, organized, motivated and controlled to enhance good productivity within an organization (Gluck & Lorenz, 2010). Secondly, VDOT is vital to managers in solving their management problems because it has a function of fostering the business plan processes. Therefore, it identifies and resolves the most critical issue that might affect a business plan before  its implementation.  

Plan before going to camping(Proposal) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plan before going to camping(Proposal) - Essay Example The car company assured that there will be a 14-seater car available for us on the aforementioned days. The group should meet at exactly four o’clock in the afternoon on June 7, 2013 at Yazed’s house for instructions and last-minute reminders. In this meeting, the participants will be reminded that they are supposed to think about safety first at all times and should be responsible enough not to let their group mates worry about their whereabouts. Therefore, each participant should take note of the necessary measures that are to be observed to keep the trip safe and enjoyable. For instance, everyone should have acquired medical clearances, making sure that each camper is fit for the activities set because it is expected that there would be exhaustive activities. Moreover, maps will be distributed and the legends will be discussed for easier understanding in case some of the facilities or services need to be sought. Each should make sure to stay with the group for the wh ole duration of the camp to avoid unfavorable circumstances. In case of emergencies, the number to call is 905-336-1158. The group starts travelling from Yazed’s residence at five o’clock and we are expected to arrive at Hilton Falls Conservation Area one hour and a half later. Each member is given an hour to fix his/her things and be ready for barbecue. We will start grilling by half past seven and each should do his/her assigned task. As agreed by the group, Ali and his group will take care of the barbecue, Faisal and company will prepare the drinks, Kahlid and his friends will be in charge of the games while Yazed and the others will make sure that every other thing that may have been overlooked will be acquired when necessary. Therefore, it is expected that each one should be at his/her designated post to perform the responsibilities assigned to him/her. One goal of the camp is for stronger camaraderie to be developed among us so everyone is expected to actively pa rticipate in all the activities. It should also be noted that the activity for the night should only last until 11:30 so that we can be well-rested for the next day. Yazed will check attendance before we all get off to bed and he will do the job as well in the incoming activities, wherever we will be bound to. On June 8, everyone should be ready for breakfast at 7:30. Assigned groups are expected to accomplish their responsibilities in time for breakfast so that all should be ready to walk by 8:30. There is approximately four kilometers to Hilton Falls for us to walk so we could perhaps allot 60-90 minutes for the trip. There, we will picnic, fish and enjoy the view. Tasks should be accomplished accordingly as planned. We will have to move out at 8 o’clock in the evening to walk back to our camp to get well-rested for the following day. On the 9th, everyone should help each other to prepare our food and make sure that everything and everyone is ready for the hike. Since the a ctivity is expected to be exhaustive, each one of us should make sure that s/he is physically capable to walk the long distances. In addition, there should be no delays in the preparations so that we could start early for us to be able to complete the hike just in time. A heavy meal is recommended for each participant and each should make sure to carry enough

Guest Worker Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Guest Worker Program - Essay Example It contains no stipulations for either a new temporary worker program or citizenship (Espo, 2006). The proposed Senate legislation allocates additional funds to better enhance border security, provides for a ‘guest worker’ program and gives an estimated 10 million immigrants amnesty by putting those who are currently in the country illegally on the fast track to citizenship. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. was skeptical about the legislation saying, â€Å"This bill will not secure our borders† (Kiely, 2006). The complaint regarding the guest worker program is that it is, in effect, amnesty. It has been estimated that the added cost to the federal government will be in excess of $15 billion per year when the present illegal aliens, working legally in the U.S., put a drain on the health care then when they eventually become citizens, will begin collecting welfare benefits. The highly debated immigration bill, endorsed by both the Senate and the Bush administration, would have added greatly to this number because it will encourage a new surge of low skilled workers through its guest worker program. Traditionally, immigrants to the U.S. were less likely than those born in America to collect welfare. This historic arrangement has radically changed over the past three decades. Today, immigrant families are at least 50 percent more likely to receive federal benefits than those born in this country. Additionally, immigrants are more likely to adapt their lives to rely on the welfare system and studies have shown the longer immi ­grants stay in the U.S., the more likely they are to be on welfare. To further aggravate the situation, when an illegal immigrant becomes a citizen, he can legally bring his parents who also have the right to become citi ­zens. The estimated long-term cost of overall federal benefits could exceed $50 billion per year for the parents of the 10 million beneficiaries of

Terrorist Techniques - Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terrorist Techniques - Strategy - Assignment Example Therefore, based on the terrorist scenarios, the most applicable and relevant objectives are attrition and threat elimination. Terrorist groups use attrition against a state in an attempt to destroy its resources, leaving the government weak and ineffective. Specifically, this motive is aimed at liberating a territory from the control of the state or acquiring a particular position within the society either politically or geographically (Kydd & Walter,  2006). In particular, attrition is a war based on longevity and the team with the most resources to assume the costs of attacks wins. The conflict between Sri Lanka and the terror group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) utilized this strategy. Specifically, throughout the year 2000, the LTTE employed the attrition war model to suppress and weaken the government with a series of attack on the government, the public, and the military (Kydd & Walter,  2006). However, the application of this strategy by the Tamil Tigers was due to their financial disability that curtails them from a direct involvement in the war with the government. In their attacks, t he terrorists aim at persuading the enemy that it has the financial strength to inflict high-cost tests in order to achieve its desires. As argued by Robert Pape, terrorists use bombing as an attrition strategy due to their financial constraints. Terrorist groups success lies in their ability to influence the behavior of their target group. Specifically, the success of their actions is embedded in threat elimination by attacking the government and any other relevant authority or individual whose influence will aid in the realization of their objectives (Kydd & Walter,  2006). Risk avoidance is a form of intimidation that suppresses target group. According to Drake (1998), the psychological fear or threat created by a terror group helps in the

Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management Essay Kopanang Batho Cooperation Services is a company that distributes water to all parts of the urban and peri- urban societies. Its vision is to strive to provide clean water services to all stakeholders and the mission is to provide quality water through highly motivated and professional staff. Ogbor (2009:283) believes that, â€Å"a business is not defined by its name, status or articles of incorporation. Rather it is defined by what it offers, to whom it is offered and how it is offered. † In this assay discussed are the factors affecting human resource management in global organisations and how they affect human resource management. Firstly described, the economic factors; secondly, the political- legal system, thirdly, education and technology and then culture, how each affect the practice and theory of management. Firstly, the economic factors it is all about the change about the new developments in the wealth that managers need to be aware of. The changes brought about these factors require managers forward thinking and who can handle and adapt to change. According to Kynhans et al(2009), â€Å"All these things show how healthy the country is, in other words, how well the country is doing economically†. Today’s organisations are operating in a global environment, the extents has become exceedingly complex and creates enormous uncertainty for managers. For example, some countries are prepared by the idea of free enterprise, that is people turn to find ways of doing things themselves in order to save costs and companies tend to loose clients due to that fact. Moreover, there are differences in requirements for severance pay and vacation days allowed to workers. Again, human resource management practices tend to change so as to prevent unemployment even at the cost of sacrificing productivity; this means some organisations go to the extent of losing productivity so as to spare its employees’ jobs. Secondly, the political legal system, which involves the rules and the regulations at local and national level, as well as the activities that influence the company behaviour affect the human resource management. Legal factors vary from country to country ant the rules and regulations enforced by a legal system can strongly affect human resource management as it states clearly the conditions for certain human resource management practices such as layoffs, hiring, training and compensation. Kynhans et. al cites, â€Å"every organisation is run according to the laws and regulation of that country’s government.† This means every organisation in a particular country is ruled by the laws of that country and they can affect that particular organisation. For example, in other counties it is simple to hire and fire employees while in other countries there are procedures to be followed to do both processes. Thirdly, education can also affect human resource management. â€Å"An organisation’s potential to find and maintain a qualified workplace is an important consideration in any decision to expand into a foreign market.† describes Sims (2010). This means that organisations consider educational background while selecting their employees and such organisations try all efforts to keep such candidates in the organisation. For example, some organisations prefer hiring people who studied full time. Again, other companies prefer hiring candidates form certain well know schools around the world. Again, the technological environment in which a business operates also brings change within the organisation, either processes of production or the type of employees required. â€Å"Many organisations realise they need to start using new technologies to be able to compete with other business. This can have either a positive or negative effect on the people working in that organisation but companies still need to keep up to date with the latest technology developments to stay ahead of the competition,† cites Kynhans et al (2009:23). For instance, if a company needs to change technology, it might not be easy for other employees to adapt and that might delay production. Introducing new products also can affect the organisation in a sense that other old working practices might change and be replaced by new practices and the advancement of technology doesn’t affect countries all at the same time thus some countries are not technologically advanced like others and that can affect the human resource management practices especially when it comes to job evolutions. Also culture can determine the other factors affecting human resource management in the marketplace. â€Å"Differences in culture cause a great challenge in HRM,† stresses Francis (2010). Culture often determines the effectiveness of various human resource management practices, for example, a benefit valued to be important in one country can be comparatively worthless in another country and that can affect the HRM practice as the rules or regulations will have to differ from country to country. In conclusion, it is very important for managers to consider the numerous factors of doing business in different countries and organise the work in different nations. As the world is becoming one village, rules and regulations must at least be more or less the same so as to make it easier to run companies globally. For example, globalise the laws regulating employment so as to make it easy to run companies globally. REFERENCES Francis, C International Business: Text And Cases.2010(5th Edition).New Delhi: PHI Learning Private Limited John, O. (2009). Entrepreneurship in Sub Zaharan Africa, A Strategic Management Perspective Mitras, D, Shrly .K (2009).Technology, Values and Social Forces in Technology Change Markham, M W. et al. (2009). Human Resource Management: Fresh Perspectives Sims, R, R. (2007). Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues and Opportunities. USA: Information Age Publishing. Inc.

Marketing Report on Cadbury India ltd

Marketing Report on Cadbury India ltd Cadbury India ltd. began its operations in India 1948 by importing chocolates. After 62 years of existence in India Cadbury enjoys a value market share of over 70 %- the highest Cadbury brand share in the world. The research looks after the various types of analysis such as PEST analysis and SWOT analysis and also contains the Marketing mix of various aspects of the organization. A strategic recommendation is also recommended to the company to increase its sales and to increase its profits and the conclusion it concludes the result of the analysis and its result as recommendation. Cadbury India Limited is a fully owned subsidy of Kraft Foods Inc. with approximately $50 billion, on 2nd February 2010 Kraft foods has sealed its takeover over Cadbury, the combined company is the worlds second largest food company making delicious food products for billions of its consumers in more than 160 countries and employ approximately 140,000 and have operations in more than 70 countries.(bbc,2010) In India, it began its operation in the year 1948 by importing chocolates initially. Today the company has five company owned manufacturing facilities at Thane, Induri(Pune) and Malanpur (Gwalior), Bangalore and Baddi(Himachal Pradesh) and four sales units spread across the country. Presently the company operates in four categories namely Chocolate confectionary, Milk Food Drinks, Candy and Gum category. In the chocolate confectionary business, Cadbury has been the undisputed leader over the years because of its popular key brands like Dairy milk, Perk, 5 star, etc. In the Milk fo od drinks business the companys main product is Bournvita. In the candy segment Halls is the companys product and in the gum segment the product is Bubbaloo. Today with an unmatched portfolio in confectionary, snacking and quick meals it is worlds no.1 Confectionary company (Cadbury India Limited n.d., 2010). The Indian Confectionary Market: The Indian Confectionary Market is estimated at around 223500 tons which is valued approximately at Rs. 41 billion. This market sees a steady growth of 11.5% annually. The market can be segmented into chocolates, sugar boiled confectionary, chewing gums and mints. Cadbury is the undisputed market leader and has a market share of 68% and Nestle being its immediate competition has a market share of 22%. Cadbury Indias market share in cocoa based products is 35% with Dairy milk solely accounting for 30% (Pandey 2006, p.212). The other competitors apart from Nestle are confectionary companies like Amul, Wrigleys, Lotte, etc; however these companies have a comparatively small market share. Industry Trends: Since Chocolate and Confectionary are mainly consumed in the urban areas, hence the industry witnesses a 73% skew towards the urban market, 27% towards the rural market. Overall industry growth is estimated at 23% in the chocolate segment and a decline of 19% in the sugar confectionary segment (Cadbury India Limited n.d.). With emerging trends and lifestyle changes, chocolate and confectionary nowadays arent only consumed by children. All confectionary companies have shifted their focuses to Adults as well; this shift explains the reason to the large variety of flavor variants, pack and size variants. According to a consumer research, 42% of adults stated they purchased confectionery to eat straightaway when on the move, 57% of those working full time eat chocolate bars while at work and 49% of people having nuclear families said that they prefer to munch on a chocolate bar when relaxing at home (Keynote 1999). Hence due to lifestyle changes the chocolate/ confectionary market has ex perienced a steady growth over the recent years.(confectionary, 2009) PEST Analysis: PEST analysis involves assessment of the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological. (Kitchen Proctor 2001). Political: According to the Safe Food Guide released by Greenpeace, the food products of Cadbury contained certain genetically modified crops which proved to be hazardous to health (Press Trust of India 2007). However, the company escaped out of these political implications when CRISIL gave an AAA rating to the company (Cadbury India Limited 2009), the company also got a clean chit from the FDA after the worm controversy. Economic: Many MNCs and Companies had to bear the wrath of the global recession. Surprisingly, at the time of global recession the sale of Cadbury chocolates had gone up by 7% in countries like India, Britain and South Africa. Cadburys CEO Todd Stitzer was confident that he would be able to achieve the 2009 sales target and he also quoted that since the recession has given rise to the stay-at-home culture, people prefer to buy chocolates and confectionary as these are affordable luxuries and act as a mood enhancers in bad times (Press Trust of India 2009) (Appendix 1). Social: Cadbury India set up non-formal schools for the children of migrant workers in Baddi, the company also tied up with Bharti and Walmart to support education needs of underprivileged children. The Sarvam programme catered to the victims of the Asian Tsunami in 2004 (Cadbury India Limited 2005b). These are just a few ways in which the company proves itself to be a socially ethical organization. Technological: The pappu pass ho gaya ad campaign proved to be an instant hit with the masses, however in 2005; the companys task was to increase Dairy Milks customer franchise. The main idea was that children should celebrate the joy of passing their exams with a Cadbury Dairy Milk, this eventually led to the tie -up with Reliance web world, wherein students across 66 examination boards in the country could access their results on R-world through Reliance mobiles. If they passed a message congratulating them on their moment of delight from Dairy Milk was displayed. This was an extremely innovative way of using technology and various marketing communications. This effort was awarded the Bronze Lion at the Cannes Media awards in 2005 (Cadbury India Limited 2006) Table: SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Strong market position Wide geographic presence Robust revenue growth Declining profitability Product recall Opportunities Threats Inorganic growth Demerger of Americas beverages business Increasing health consciousness Industry consolidation Increased competition from private labels Increasing distributor costs Source:( Datamonitor,2009) Strengths :- 1. Strong brand equity in India 2. due to 54 years of presence in India has deep penetration- 2100 distributors; 450,000 retailers, 60 mid urban (22%) customers . 3. low cost of production due to economic of scale. That means higher profits, better market penetration. 4. Second best manufacturing location throughout Cadbury Schweppes. 5. Strong global market position The companys Indian business has a leading presence in chocolate with 71% market share. The company acquires leading market share in Thailand in gum and candy, at 63% and 31% respectively. In Malaysia, it has a number one market share in chocolate at 29%, and in gum it has a number two position with a 19% market share. In Australia as well the company has a number one position in chocolate (53% market share) 6. Wide geographic presence The company operates along with its subsidiaries in the UK, the eurozone, the US, central and southern America, Australia and other parts of Asia pacific. Wide geographical presence enables the company to cater to diversified markets and thus reduce its business risk.(anonymous, 2010 ) Weakness :- 1. Poor technology in India compared to current international technologies (Godiva, Mozart, fazer,dint,naushans,etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..) 2. ltd. Key products, only one central brand (CDM). Pralines range totally wising in india 3.Make in India tag once the economy opens up wore and imports rush in 4. Declining Profitability The operating profit of the company declined at a rate of 13.3% compared with 2006 to reach 788 million pounds during FY2007. Declining profitability will adversely affect the operations of the company. (Anonymous, 2010) Opportunities :- 1. Tremendous scope for per capita consumption (160gms of 8-10kg) 2. Increasing per capita national income resulting in higher disposable income. 3. Growing middle class and growing urban population 4. Increasing gifts cultures 5. Increasing health consciousness Consumers are increasingly aware of the risks associated with obesity and poor dietary habits. The companys wellness (including products like sugar-free and fat-free products, and medicated candy) sub- category, accounted for around 30% of confectionary revenue in 2007. The company thus is well positioned to benefit from the rising demand for healthy foods worldwide. (Anonymous, 2010 ) Threats:- 1. Industry consolidation 2. Increasing distribution costs Higher fuel prices are likely to have a direct impact on the companys distribution cost and may directly affect its margins. 3. Increased competition from private labels Private-label goods generally lower priced products sold under a stores own name, are a constant threat to other brands goods, especially during times of economic weakness with increasing popularity of these private labels combined with the depth of their penetration in local markets, Cadbury may see the erosion of its market share in certain geographies and is likely to face a bigger challenge from these private labels in future. (Anonymous, 2010 ) Marketing Mix 4 PS of Marketing 1- PRODUCT The average company will compete for customer by conforming to his expectation consistently, but the winner will surpass them by constantly exceeding his expectation, delivering to his door step additional benefits which he would never have imagined. Cadburys offer such product. The wide variety products offered by the company include:- Chocolate Confectionary Dairy Milk Fruit Nut 5 Star Break Perk Gems Éclairs Nutties Temptation Milk Treat Food Drinks Bourn vita Drinking chocolate Cocoa 2. Price:- Second P of marketing is not another name for blindly lowering prices and relying on this strategy alone to increase sales dramatically. The strategy used by Cadbury is for matching the value that customer pays to buy the product with the expectation they have about what the production is worth to them . Cadburys has launched various products which cater to all customer segments. So every customer segment has different price expectation from the product. Therefore maximizing the returns involves identifying right price level for each segment and then progressively moving through them. Dairy milk Rs. 15 Perk Rs.10 5 Star Rs.10 Fruit and Nut Rs.22 Gems Rs.10 Break Rs.5 Nutties Rs.18 Bournvita(500gm) Rs.104 Drinking chocolate Rs.50 PLACE:- Distribution Equity: It takes much more time and effort to build, but once built, distribution equity is hard to erode. The fundamental axiom of Indian consumer market is this; You can set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, hire the hottest strategies on the block, swamp prime television with best Ads, but the end of it all, you should know how to sell your products. The cardinal task before the Indian market in managing is to shoe-horn its product on retail shelves. Buyers are paying for distribution equity not brand equity and market shares. Why does the company need distribution equity more in India? In a product and price parity situation, the brand that sells more is the one that reaches the highest number of customers. India 1 billion people, 155 million household has over 4 million retail outlets in 5351 urban markets and 552725 villages, spread cross 3.28 million sq. km. television has already primed and population for consumption, and the marketer who can get to the consumer ahead of competition will give a hard-to-overtake lead. But getting their means managing wildly different terrains-climate, language, value system, life style, transport and communication network and your brand equity isnt going to help when it comes to tackling these issues. Own distribution network consist of clearing and forwarding (cf) agents distribution stockiest. This network of distribution can either contact to the retailers directly. Once the stock product reaches retailers, the prospective customers can have access to the product. Cadburys distributes the product in the manner stated above. Cadburys distribution network has expanded from 1990 distributors last year to 2100 distributors and 4,50,000 retailers. Beside use of TI to improve logistics, Cadbury is also attempting to improve the distribution quality. To address the issue of product stability, it has installed visi colors at several outlets. This helps in maintaining consumption in summer when sales usually drops due to the fact that the heat affects product quality and thereby off takes. The increase in distribution is going to be accompanied by reduction in channel costs. (Anonymous, 2010 ) Promotion:- Effective advertising is rarely hectoring or loudly explicit..,it often both attracts and generates arm feelings. More often than not, a successful campaign has a stronger element of the unexpected a quality that good advertising shares with much worthwhile literature. To penetrate into the inner recesses of customer memory, communication must first ensure exposure, grab his acceptance and then extract retension competing with thousands of other units of communication trying to do the same. Thereafter it was the job of the advertising to communicate customer the wonderful feeling that he could experience by re-discoursing the careful, unselfish conscious, pleasure- seeking child within him and graft these feeling into Ad campaign like Khane Walon Ko Khane Ka Bahana Chahiye for CMD and Thodi Si Pet Pooja Kabhi Bhi Kahin Bhi for perk have been sure shot winner with the audience. The next round of activity will include the wafer-chocolate Perk and the Picnic bar, which has faced problems with its taste, because of the peanut it contains. Milk treat has also been launched in a module bar form, just in time of Diwali gifting market. Éclairs has got potential for much wide distribution, in a small sweets that airlines, hostels, and up market retail outlet offer to guest and customers. Ad spend in 2000 was about 14% of sales and the management said that plans to maintain as spend at this level in the current year also. Its a combination of spiffing up its key brands, researching and improving the newer products that havent taken off, supported with high ad-spends that Cadbury hopes will see it emerges stronger after the current slowdown, as well as expand the market. (Anonymous, 2010 ) Critical analysis of Marketing mix:- Product is a output of the company, Being a market leader the level of expectation from the company is at a very high level and thus it is important for the company to maintain its Products quality, shelf life and freshness of the product are the most important factors for the company. Product is the life of the company and is the most important factor. In 2003 Cadbury India had to face the plight of the worms controversy. After receiving complaints from various states across the nation, the Food and Drug Administration of India took action against the firm, confirmed reports of worms being found in Dairy Milk chocolates. The FDA officials werent certain if the manufacturing was to be blamed for the infestation but they were sure that there was some problem in the packaging, meanwhile the company assured the FDA that it will change the packaging and come up with a tamper-proof seal packing (Kamdar 2003). Shortly after, the company came up with the purity sealed packaging and stored the chocolates in cool dispenser units to prevent melting of chocolates. The companys GM for marketing Mr. Sanjay Purohit in a press conference stated that We have regained 90 percent of the sales levels (Mathur 2004). Pricing is also an important factor, Factors like competition, internal costs, and the positioning and corporate objective of the company need to be taken into consideration by a company before pricing a product. Premium pricing(relative to the competing brands) with special emphasis on taste and quality is recommended. The premium pricing does not suggest that the offering is made unaffordable to the target consumer. A high price would accompany a promise for a better taste and quality. Therefore, the brands, taste quality needs to justify the high price. As seen in the table below nestle and Cadburys are pitted against each other and Amul is the cheapest brand in the market Considering the above, a premium pricing strategy, with the assurance of good quality and better taste, in a market that is not high on price sensitivity may prove to be a success. Cadbury dairy milk is priced at Rs.15/- for 40 gms Nestlà ©s Milk chocolate at Rs.13/- for 40 gms Amul is priced at Rs.10/- for 40 gms(Kevin jacob,2007) Place Positioning is simply concentrating on an idea or- even a word defines that company in the mind of the consumer. It is more efficient to market one successful concept to one large group of people than 50 product or service ideas to 50 separate groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ repositioning is a must when customer attitude have changed and product have strayed away from the consumers long standing perception of themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Cadburys is an anchor in sea of confectionary products. as a variety of competitive claims assails her senses, today customer uses complicated decision making process to assess the alternative before making a purchase. Since cadburys is more clearly associated with a particular set of attributes in terms of benefits and prices, the quicker becomes its search process. Promotional activities like Dil ko jab khushi choo jaaye, kuch meetha ho jaaye In the early 90s, chocolates were perceived as being meant for kids. However in the mid 90s, Cadbury repositioned itself, and shifted its focus, became a chocolate for the kid in all of us. This communication is aimed at all age groups from Children to the Youth and even Adults. The main objective behind this commercial was to make people realize that every little or big happy moment was to be celebrated with a Dairy milk. The communication also aimed at making chocolate consumption a habit (Pandey 2006, p.215). The audiences were expected to make Dairy milk a part of their lives. Every moment of happiness like passing the exams, meeting a celebrity, winning a game of cards, etc was meant to be cherished and celebrated by eating Dairy milk. This chocolate was meant to be a Celebration of Life and its happiness. The commercial was a simple, sweet and effective piece of communication. It had a very simple approach of celebrating joyous moments of life with Cadbury. The feelings, expressions, emotions portrayed by the actors in the commercial were enough to hit the emotional chord of the audiences. The ad was simple and direct in its content and visual presentation. The emotions displayed brought out the life and depth of the commercial. The brand also shifted its image from being only for kids to being a chocolate for all age groups. The punch line became extremely popular with the masses and people began to associate the chocolate to every happy moment. Strategic recommendation:- Cadbury India is a very experienced player in its field and is going well on its business in India but a bit of concern is its pricing of the confectionary products which is a bit high as compared to its competitors this is a place where the company is facing challenges from its competitors, The company also vouched this problem and in 2008 started a programme home grown supply where it started the production of cocoa in India. (Business India intelligence,2009) Cadbury is also hoping to change its dependence on imported cocoa. A 30% import duty on cocoa beans, which are mostly grown in Ghana and the Ivory coast markets that are also less politically stable than India- has led Cadbury seek to source more beans domestically. In a venture called the Cadbury cocoa partnership (which also operates in Ghana, Indonesia and the Caribbean), it hopes to persuade 20% of Indian coconut farmers to include cocoa trees in their plantations. It is pursuing this goal by giving farmers saplings and providing technical expertise. Last year 5m cocoa saplings were planted another 7.5m in 2009, ultimately making India self-sufficient in cocoa production by 2015. Thus, it is hoped, can be achieved with a little disruption as possible. One of the advantages of cocoa seedlings is that they can grow alongside coconut palms in southern India and do not require the clearing of forests for plantation. Although this programme is not being exposed as it could have been used.(Business india intelligence,2009) Recommendation:- The recommendation for the company is to work on the cocoa production in India as in India major group is farmers but they are not aware of the benefits of this cultivation, if the company promotes the cultivation and get good production from India then this can result in resuming the issue of high price of the products like chocolates, snacks etc. the company then can control its prices and could be competitive with its competitors which is its biggest problem in the market and also the company can Increase its profits by the use of this practice as the company has to pay 30% duty on imports of the cocoa from other countries like Ghana and Ivory coast and if they can get the same crop from the domestic region than they can get a good return on their Profit sharing ratio. (Business india intelligence,2009) To meet the increasing demand of cocoa seeds increasing number of farmers are taking cocoa cultivation as an inter crop along with the coconut to double their incomes .The industrys graph is slated to shoot up as the demand for cocoa seeds has sharply rised in India and in foreign markets as well for exports. Tamil nadu and the southern regions of India have the most favorable environment for the cultivation of cocoa. The present production of India is around 10,000 tons meeting only half of the total demand of around 20,000 tons. (jaya kumar,2008) Indias Cocoa Development board is also understood to have undertaken a similar initiative to increase the production to 16,000 tons in two years time. Indias annual consumption of the beans is about 20,000 tons and more than 40 percent of its total requirement is still met through imports .(jose roy,2009) According to Cadburys India forecast, cocoa demand is growing around 15 percent annually and will reach about 30,000 tons in the next 5 years. Industry observers said India through public- private partnership was attempting a cocoa revolution once again in the country to become a bellwether state of the beans in the region. (jose roy,2009) Conclusion:- This Report demonstrates Cadbury Indias hold in the Indian market and shows its position in the Indian market it also describes the various analysis like SWOT and PEST which describes various features about the company and the marketing mix which shows its marketing abilities and its strategies, the recommendations are also given to improve its position in the Indian market and to increase its profits. The Chocolate industry remained unaffected by the recent economic changes in the world and since Cadbury is the market leader its growth rate, marketing strategies are ever changing keeping the current industry trends in mind. All Cadbury commercials also have been extremely effective and popular with the masses. This report Clearly states the companys hold and experience in the target industry and gives suggestions though which it can indorse its strong potential to continue to do well.

Louisa May Alcott and Her Work Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Louisa May Alcott and Her Work      Ã‚   Louisa May Alcott was a great writer of her time and is the perfect example of how mixed messages during the American Renaissance affected the lives of young women everywhere. In the book Little Women Louisa gives Marmee the appearance and attitudes of her own mother, Abba Alcott. Her mother once wrote women should assert their, "right to think, feel, and live individually ·be something in yourself." In contrast, Louisaà ¢s father, Bronson Alcott, felt that Louisa was more of a challenge because she was willful like her mother and should be taught to control her impulses. The American Renaissance had a profound effect on Bronson Alcottà ¢s educational theories and this in turn affected the life and writingà ¢s of his daughter Louisa May Alcott.    Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832 to Bronson and Abba Alcott. Abba Alcott was the daughter of Colonel Joseph May who was a supporter of womenà ¢s rights and abolition. Louisa was somewhat spirited, and she came by it naturally, so her father blamed her mother for this. Her father was a transcendentalist, and he believed that his lighter coloring betokened a deeper spirituality and closer connection to divinity (Saxton 205). Bronson felt Louisa could not control herself because she was born with dark hair like her mother. He referred to her as the "possessed one" "pathetic" and "bound in chains ·which she could not break"(Sanderson 43). This somewhat clashed with his other belief that children were considered blank slates, or tablulae rasae. This theory simply states that the mind is in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state befo... ...ffered her much time to think about schooling and childrearing. So her book Little Women is almost an autobiographical account of her own life as well as a critical study of characters and events during the American Renaissance period.                      Works Cited:    Alcott,Louisa May. Little Women. New York: Signet, 1983.    Elbert,Sarah, A Hunger for Home: Louisa May Alcott and Little Women (Philadelphia: Temple,1984), 86.    Russett, Cynthia Eagle. Sexual Science: The Victorian Construction of Womanhood. Cambridge: Harvard U P, 1989.    Sanderson, Rena. "A Modern Mephistopheles: Louisa May Alcottà ¢s Exorcism of Patriarchy." American Transcendental Quarterly 5 (1991): 41-55.    Saxton, Martha. Louisa May Alcott:A Modern Biography. New York: Noonday Press, 1995.

Oscar Wilde :: essays research papers fc

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin Ireland on October 16, 1854. He is one of the most talented and most controversial writers of his time. He was well known for his wit, flamboyance, and creative genius and with his little dramatic training showing his natural talent for stage and theatre. He is termed a martyr by some and may be the first true self-publicist and was known for his style of dress and odd behavior. Wilde, 1882 His Father, William Wilde, was a highly accredited doctor and his mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a writer of revolutionary poems. Oscar had a brother William Charles Kingsbury along with his father’s three illegitimate children, Henry, Emily, and Mary. His sister, Isola Emily Francesca died in 1867 at only ten years of age from a sudden fever, greatly affecting Oscar and his family. He kept a lock of her hair in an envelope and later wrote the poem ‘Requiescat’ in her memory. Oscar and his brother William both attended the Protora Royal School at Enniskillen. He had little in common with the other children. He disliked games and took more interest in flowers and sunsets. He was extremely passionate about anything that had to do with ancient Greece and with Classics. Wilde during school years In 1871, he was awarded a Royal School Scholarship to Trinity College in Dublin and received many awards and earned the highest honor the college offered to an undergraduate, the Foundation Scholarship. In 1874, he also won the College’s Berkley Gold Medal for Greek and was awarded a Demyship to Magdalen College, Oxford. After graduating from Oxford, Oscar moved to London with his friend Frank Miles, a well-known portrait painter of the time. In 1878 his poem Ravenna was published, for which he won the Newdigate poetry prize. In 1881, he published his first collection of poetry ‘Poems’, which was well liked by critics. In late 1881, Oscar left to travel across the United States and deliver a series of lectures on â€Å" the aesthetics†, the belief that to create a sense of beauty was more important than anything else. The trip was only planned to last four months but instead lasted nearly a year with Oscar giving nearly three times as many lectures as planned. He met Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Walt Whitman, on which he made a good impression. During this time he arranged for his play Vera to be staged in New York.

Free Essays - The Title of The Catcher In The Rye :: Catcher Rye Essays

The Title of The Catcher In The Rye The title of the novel The Catcher In The Rye, by JD Salinger, has a substantial connection to the story. This title greatly explains the main character, Holden Caulfield, and his feelings towards life and human nature. In society he has found enormous corruption, vulgarity, harm and havoc. He knows that the children of the world are ruined by the corruption of adults around them and, he states later in the novel, his new purpose in life will be to help save the children from this vulgarity. Holden wants to be a "Catcher in the Rye." We first hear the title of the novel being used in chapter 16, and in chapter 22 we have the full explanation of this title. Human dignity is vital to Holden's existence and the only way to guarantee this on a long term basis is to assist children in maintaining their innocence from the dangers of adulthood. In chapter 16 we have the first reference to the meaning of the novel's title, The Catcher in the Rye. Holden hears a little boy singing to himself a verse which makes Holden very happy: "If a body catch a body coming through the rye," (Page 115). It is difficult to understand why Holden is made happy by the little boy's singing unless one has an idea of what the song means to Holden. The little boy is described by Holden in gentle caring terms: "The kid was swell. He was walking in the street, instead of on the sidewalk, but right next to the curb. He was making out like he was walking a very straight line, the way kids do, and the whole time he kept singing and humming." (Page 115). Holden notes that the child's parents pay no attention to him. To Holden this child represents innocence and youth unspoiled by adult immorality. Holden wishes to serve humanity by safeguarding the innocence and purity of children, by protecting them from the evils of life. His little sister, Phoebe, asks him what he would like to be and he answers: " I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of

Sales Report Hema

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION3 COMPANY ANALYSIS (external + internal + SWOT)4 INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ANALYSIS4 HISTORY OF THE COMPANY4 HEMA’S STRUCTURE4 VISION OF THE COMPANY4 MISSION STATEMENT5 TARGET GROUP5 HEMA’S STRATEGY & POSITIONING6 FINANCIAL POSITION & COMPETITION7 PRODUCT-MARKET COMBINATION8 MARKETING MIX8 TRENDS IN RETAIL9 SWOT ANALYSIS10 STRENGHTHS:10 OPPORTUNITIES:11 THREATS:12 MARKET RESEARCH13 THE 7C’S OF EFFECTIVE WEBSITE DESIGN13 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH15 SALES PROPOSAL17 Executive Summary17 Our understanding17 YOUR COMPANY17 YOUR NEEDS17 DESCISION CRITERIA18Our Solution19 FOOD SECTION CLEANLINESS IMPROVEMENT19 PRODUCT RESTOCKING19 Conclusion19 COST AND BENEFIT ANALYSIS20 REFERENCES23 MYSTERY SHOP REPORTS24 NATALIA ROJAS24 VICTORIA TORRES24 MAIKE BOUWER24 ANNA ZAJAC25 CELIA BAUMGARTNER26 ANOUK VAN NULAND26 INTRODUCTION In September 1926, the dream of  two Jewish entrepreneurs  Arthur Isaac and Leo Meyer  opened their first store on the Kalverstra at. The company became a part of the Maxeda group, which renamed from Vendex KBB. It owns Bijenkorf, Hunkemoller, V&D, Praxis, Plan-it and Brico, Dixons and many other stores.In 2007 Maxeda sold HEMA to a British company called Lion Capital LPP. The company primarily focuses on leveraged buyout  investments in Europe. HEMA has expanded into other European countries, with stores in  the  Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and France. In this report we made a sales analysis of the Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam, HEMA. HEMA is a Dutch discount retail chain that is characterized by relative low pricing of standard housewares, which are mostly made by the chain itself in beautiful and innovative designs.HEMA offers a very wide variety of products, from books and housewares to food. HEMA is located all around the Netherlands, with in total 445 branches and thousands of employees by March 2011. We analyzed HEMA from different standpoints; we analyzed the ho usewares product section and also the food section. We visited in total 12 different stores all in different locations of the Netherlands from Amsterdam to Maastricht and we did qualitative research by analyzing the company’s external and internal environment. The goal of this report was to find out what HEMA can do to improve sales.COMPANY ANALYSIS (external + internal + SWOT) * INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ANALYSIS HISTORY OF THE COMPANY HEMA is a company with long tradition. The first store was opened on Kalverstraat on 4th of November 1926. Two Jewish entrepreneurs, Arthur Isaac and Leo Mever who have witnessed the hardest economic crisis of that century, conceived the idea. They have seen a lot of people struggling and having difficulties to make ends meet so their concept was to create a shop with different household items of affordable price but still maintaining a high quality.Thanks to Alfred Goudsmit, the director of Amsterdam-based Bijenkorf, this dream became reality and H ollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam (known better as HEMA) was set up. The formula was so successful that recently new stores were opened in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Additionally, in 2007, HEMA was sold to a British company called Lion Capital LPP. * HEMA’S STRUCTURE HEMA’s structure has changed over the years, as two different groups have owned it, and each one of them had a different way of handling their operations.The Dutch company identifies itself as an adapter, because wherever they open a new store they try to fit into the new environment and implement products that are applicable for the target audience they are pursuing. Additionally, the CEO  and shareholders play an important role in all forms of decision making for the company’s processes and changes, being constantly informed of any new ventures being pursued. * VISION OF THE COMPANY HEMA has clearly stated that what drives them toward attaining goals is the need to adapt to what consumers really want, in this constantly changing environment. We are driven by our business goals in everything we do. Consumers’ needs are changing and we continually adapt to those needs†. Over the time HEMA has been developing its brands, and now have more products than what they had when they opened their very first store. MISSION STATEMENT According to official website, HEMA’s mission statement consists of the following: â€Å"The HEMA style can be summarized in two words: ‘exceptional simplicity’, by which we mean that our products are both simple and exceptional. Long before the term ‘home brand’ was invented, we were creating and manufacturing our own products†.This concept should be applied not only to products they offer but also to services. HEMA’s mission is to turn day-to-day products into something exceptional and yet affordable. Another aspect is to recognize the continuously changing customer s’ need and satisfy them. TARGET GROUP Originally, HEMA's market segment was mainly the middle-low class with its consequent medium range income. However, over the years HEMA has attracted more individuals with a higher income, due to the guaranteed quality their products offer at a very affordable price.HEMA states that its target group are men and women of all ages and socio-economic classes as everyone can find there something for himself. However, different surveys have shown that the majority of the audience  is mainly  between the ages of 14-32, identifying young  parents,  and students as part of this segment. Lately we can note HEMA’s tendency to focus more and more on younger customers by different promotion techniques and actions. For example, they recently made a contest for students that were studying any form of design, inviting them to create a new HEMA product with their own fresh ideas.In this digital age, all companies must be aware that if the y truly want to succeed they must reach their target group through up-to-date methods. Therefore, HEMA reaches most of its customers through TV commercials, Internet, magazines and even direct mail. The most important of these, in this modern time and age, has to be its main website, which not only allows customers to shop online but also provides all the information necessary on current promotions and activities. HEMA’S STRATEGY ; POSITIONING As said above, HEMA’s aim is to make people’s life a little more convenient, independently of where they live.That is why the company is planning on expanding across Europe and probably also further. HEMA’s executives believe that the formula they offer is a good product and could go global. The company’s strategy is to captivate new trends and adapt to customers. To be so successful it is essential to have motivated and dedicated staff. To achieve it the relationship of trust and commitment must be created. That is why all decisions, which are being made, are based on belief that all employees are entitled to respect for dignity, individuality and diversity.The positioning of HEMA is based on the distinctiveness of its designs, which are done in-house by HEMA designers, and all the products at HEMA are HEMA branded (in most cases), which makes it stand out in the market by being immediately recognizable to customers. The competent price is another factor HEMA sells as a positioning point, although competition has made its low prices seem relative in comparison to all the other options now offered at the same price range or at even lower prices. HEMA often underlines its will to act with social responsibility.Thus, also the way of producing and delivering goods to customers is of high importance. The corporation uses a â€Å"naturally HEMA’’ approach to protect the environment. Whenever it is time to change the uniforms of their employees, they recycle and use them for so mething else, instead of throwing them into the garbage can. Moreover, in each one of their stores they practice a recycle culture and waste collection programs. FINANCIAL POSITION ; COMPETITION HEMA has been one of the most favourite Dutch stores in the Netherlands, and gradually is gaining hearts of other markets abroad.In the Dutch market, HEMA has 445 stores, in Belgium 62, Germany 8, Luxembourg 3 and France 7. In total HEMA has 10,000 employees, of which 80% are women and the remaining 20% are men. Currently the company is participating in a project called â€Å"return to sender†. However, it does not seek to make a profit by selling these products; it rather strives to support fair trade in third-world countries making sure that profits return to the manufacturers by means of development projects and education in the regions of origin.Hema achieved quite good results in the year 2011 especially if we take into consideration the challenging conditions. It had to face dec lining non-food retail spending, increasing competition, higher raw material prices as well as declining consumer confidence. Compared to 2010 (loss of 18. 3 â‚ ¬mln), net sales increased by 3%, and so did the net profit rising with â‚ ¬11 mln, mainly because of lower financing costs. According to the statements released by HEMA, the share in all categories improved. The company continues on investing, in 2011 spending â‚ ¬57 mln (amount comparable to 2010).However, the profit margin suffered (0. 5% lower in comparison to 2010) due to increase in price of oil, coffee and cotton. Total capital after the acquisition by Lion Capital is estimated on â‚ ¬1. 4 billion, of which 35. 4% is financed by shareholders. As far as competitors go, HEMA has found its largest competition against Jumbo Groep Holding B. V and Koninklijke Ahold B. V. , which comprises itself of Albert Heijn, Etos, and Gall ; Ga. , among others. Additionally, other competitors in retail include Kruidvat, D;A , and Zeeman. PRODUCT-MARKET COMBINATIONHereby is sum up of the best and the worst of HEMA's products, according to each box/category of the matrix: STARS-â€Å"Le Lapin† tea kettle| QUESTION MARKS-HEMA Beauty| CASH COWS-Sausage (worst)| DOGS-| MARKETING MIX Price Based on an overview of the online website, www. hema. nl, the price of products ranges from as little as . 50 to as much as 250 euros, specifically for the bicycles. However, most products range under the 20 euros or less mark, especially when it comes to its office supplies, cosmetics, beauty products, and foods & beverages.They also use many discounted product prices to boost sales. Product The products offered at HEMA are of a great and wide variety, and are divided into clothing, accessories, cosmetics, skincare products, office/school supplies, domestic appliances, home items, textiles (curtains, duvets, etc. ), food & beverages, and finally, its photo printing service, exclusive to only some HEMA stores. Acco rding to the principles of its product mix, the products themselves are not necessarily all consistent with each other, as their diversity is large.The depth of some of the products is also not as varied, though HEMA tries to have in most cases at least two different variations, mostly in price range/quality or color presentation, of the same product. Promotion HEMA is avid in its promotion of products, especially those that are discounted from week to week and new to the store. They use, as mentioned above, TV advertisements, billboards, employ the use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google+ and Pinterest, and as well as Internet advertising through their online website. Place HEMA products are sold at HEMA stores and online at www. hema. nl.There are several variations of a HEMA store, ranging from very large warehouse style to small outlets in train stations and airports. Also, specialized stores are popping up recently, such as HEMA Foto’s, HEMA Beauty , and a HEMA with only its ready-made food, in a similar â€Å"to go† style as its competitor Albert Heijn. The products are sold directly, passing on from HEMA's own suppliers in Hong Kong and Shanghai to the stores for selling. TRENDS IN RETAIL For 2012, several trends were present in the retail business in general. Firstly, the investment in mobile applications and services has increased enormously over the past year.Customers are now able to find store locations, prices, customer reviews and eventually order said products all through their mobile phone. With the continued modernity of cellphones, it is no doubt this trend will keep on climbing and showing its importance in the retail business. Another trend this year has been the stagnant sales due to the low economy in recent times. Customers are spending more on necessary products rather than retail, and it is of great importance for retail companies to find a way to demonstrate the added value and worthiness of the pro duct they are selling, as well as placing it in a competitive price range.Additionally, globalization has taken over the world and influenced greatly on retail. More and more retail companies are encouraged to expand themselves abroad, giving them the competitive edge they need to succeed. Lastly, another trend related retail is that economic times and high prices are forcing stores to become more compact, which has actually been well received by customers, who do not wish to wander in a thousand square meters to get the one product they need. SWOT ANALYSIS * STRENGHTHS: Dutch citizens have been acquainted with HEMA since 1926, which means that a large quantity of the population is attached to their brand. They have one of the most important  advantages that a company can have: loyal customers. * HEMA can be proud of its customer-oriented and committed staff, people who do their best every day achieving at the same time high customer satisfaction. * Contrarily to majority of retai lers, HEMA sells its own original brand. The company has its own design department, where highly educated employees come up with new ideas and improved products.What is more, HEMA involves its customers, among them, young talented design students who are given chance to participate in new-product creation. * Own laboratory where all the products are being strictly tested before arriving on store shelves. * Highly creative marketing team often coming up with interesting actions and promotions attracting new customers and retaining the old ones. * Good advertising and multi channel communication with customers. HEMA broadcasts its own TV commercials, distributes leaflets, sends e-mails, newsletters and of course has a well organized website where web shopping is available 24h/24. Ability to track new tendencies and adapt them in a short period; introduction of innovative fashion or an incorporation of a cafe/restaurant into stores is one of many examples. * HEMA takes into considerati on the environment during production and logistics processes. It strives to reduce amount of energy used for transportation as well as production, limits packaging to minimum, takes care of material used and the possibility of their recycling. * Offers a great diversity of household products at quite affordable prices. * Great attention toward a customer and putting his satisfaction first.Thus, each customer that is not satisfied with service provided can claim for refund. * HEMA stores expand with a high rapidity, even monthly. * Demonstrated support for various initiatives such as FAIR TRADE, Return to Sender etc. WEAKNESSES: – Although HEMA claims to produce its products in an ecofriendly manner, still a considerable number of products are made of hardly recyclable material. This aspect should be reviewed by HEMA departments and new solutions should be implemented and comply fully to company’s mission of social responsibility. Based on the market research made, HEMA product quality is not the highest in most cases, especially if comparing it to other products with the same price tag. – HEMA is currently in the process of suffering from the so-called â€Å"commodity trap†, in which its fellow competitors are selling the same comparable products HEMA does, at lower prices. – In reference to our surveys, the cleanliness and neatness of the HEMA stores can be improved upon, as well as a better control of restocking products that are being sold. HEMA’s great range of products, though a great strength, is also a great weakness, as the management of all these products can become overpowering, and the previously mentioned quality and cleanliness control become more difficult to handle. * OPPORTUNITIES: – Its current owner, the London-based private equity firm Lion Capital, has been trying to sell the company since 2011, but there are still plans to, in a year or so, retry its selling proposal. The main stakeholder in this would be Royal Ahold NV, who currently is the owner of the biggest chain of supermarkets in the Netherlands, Albert Heijn, amongst other investments.Pairing up AH and HEMA to sell their products together could prove itself as an incredibly profitable business synergy of brands. -As mentioned before in the retail trends, HEMA could take advantage of the recent mobile phone apps boost, and include an app version of their online store for mobile users to buy the products directly on the go. They already offer their HEMA Photos services online, but could work more on this growing trend to improve sales. -Even though HEMA has a claim on the Corporate Social Responsibility as a company, they could move even further with their actions by actively timulating sustainability amongst their suppliers. Not only does this actively pursue good, it provides a new selling point for customers who believe in sustainability as an added value to a product purchase. Sustainability in companies itse lf is a growing trend, considering all the education new generations have had over global warming and the threat of the carbon footprint. * THREATS: – With the recent economic crisis in 2012 with the European Union and the budget cuts, retailers in general in the Netherlands, with HEMA included, are suffering from these cuts.The Dutch government will boost the highest value added on consumer goods to 21% from 19% before the austerity measures were in place. This will affect most businesses who handle goods that are not foods or beverages, and even though HEMA does have a part of its business focused on that, it is mostly a mixed retailer. – Dutch consumer confidence has hit an all-time low since 2003, notably dropping 1. 3% in February 2012. – Due once again to the austerity, Dutch households are facing stagnant salaries with higher retail prices, which means the consumer spending will be reduced. As mentioned before in the opportunities, its current owner, Lion Capital, has been trying to sell the company since 2011 but has so far been unsuccessful to reach its desired 1. 5 billion euro asking price. There are still plans to, in a year or so, retry its selling proposal, which would provide instability within HEMA due to the change of ownership. Of course, it can not be determined whether this change will be beneficial or not, but it most certainly would be an adjustment to the company, and sales might suffer from it. MARKET RESEARCHThis section consists of an extensive and thorough market research analysis of HEMA, a multinational retail chain that caters several products in different areas of Europe. The report begins an explanation of its target group. Consequently, there is an analysis of the 7 C’s of web, and a final conclusion is provided. The overall objective is to obtain a full understanding on the views, and behaviors from HEMA’S customers, and how these influence within their purchasing decisions. TARGET GROUP Orig inally, HEMA's market segment was mainly the middle-low class with its consequent medium range income.However, over the years HEMA has attracted more individuals with a higher income, due to the guaranteed quality their products offer at a very affordable price. The audience  is mainly  between the ages of 14-32, identifying young  parents,  and students as part of this segment. HEMA is focusing more and more on younger customers by different promotion techniques and actions. For example, they recently made a contest for students that were studying any form of design, inviting them to create a new HEMA product with their own fresh ideas.Moreover, they are also reaching youngsters through their parents, personalizing their own product is a key advantage to them. In this digital age all companies must be aware that if they truly want to succeed they must reach their target group through up-to-date methods. Therefore, HEMA reaches most of its customers through TV commercials, I nternet, magazines and even direct mail. The most important of these, in this modern time and age, has to be its main website, which not only allows customers to shop online but also provides all the information necessary on current promotions and activities being organized. THE 7C’S OF EFFECTIVE WEBSITE DESIGN In order to look into the 7 C’ S, a required observation of HEMA's main website (http://www. hema. nl) was necessary to regard how each one the forms of effective design were implemented. Context- The site's layout and design is dynamic, very colorful and appealing to the senses, making it an effective tool for marketing. Content- Varied is the most proper way to describe their content. Community- HEMA allows customers to interact with each other by participating in contests, activities and promotions, as well as allowing them to voice their suggestions and complaints.Customization-Since customers can subscribe themselves and create themselves an account, it is possible to have their own customized web page, because the web site will display their most recent purchases and tailor itself automatically each single time. Communication-Their web page uses a two-way communication Connection-The site is linked to other web pages, such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. This enables the user to check HEMA’s account in these 3 web sites and to show their most recent acquisitions by uploading pictures of the items. It creates a special bond between the customer and the corporate.Commerce- When there is a purchase of items, the options on payment are several, and allowing the customer to decide what is his or her best option. In acknowledgement of the before stated reasons, HEMA does make a full use of the 7 c's. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH SURVEY ANALYSIS The questionnaire will probe the following 9 questions: 1-Do you ever shop at HEMA? 2-If yes, how often? 3-Do you like HEMA, neither like it nor dislike it, or dislike it? 4-How clean are HEMA sto res? 5-Compared to its competitors are HEMA’S prices more reasonable, less reasonable or about the same. -In terms of quality, how good are HEMA’S products 7-Description of HEMA in 3 words 8-On a scale from 1-10, which overall grade would you give HEMA 9-In a maximum of 3 words, please tell us on what you would like HEMA to improve After a survey collection and thorough analysis took place, the results were the following: 1-Do you ever shop at HEMA? 95. 2% of the people interviewed admitted to have ever shopped at HEMA. 4. 8% had never shopped at HEMA before. 2-If yes, how often? From the 95. 2% whom claimed to have ever shopped at HEMA, had 94. % purchase goods at the store once a week, the remaining 5. 6% went to the store at least 3 times a week. 3-Do you like HEMA, neutral, or dislike it? 19% of the interviewees likes HEMA a great deal, 47. 6% like it a moderate amount, 14. 3% like it a little, 19% are neutral 4-How clean are HEMA stores? 19% believe the stores are clean, 61. 9% say they are moderately clean, 14. 3% state that it is slightly clean, and 4. 8% think it is not clean at all. 5-Compared to its competitors are HEMA’S prices more reasonable, less reasonable or about the same? 47. 6% believes the prices are reasonable, and a 52. % that they are less reasonable than the ones of the competitors. 6-In terms of quality, how good are HEMA’S products *90. 5% said the product quality was good, a 9. 5% said they were awful. * QUALITATIVE RESEARCH For the qualitative research, we went on a field trip to several HEMA’s to get a few in depth interviews with their customers. At the quantitative research, we mostly ask fixed answer questions to get structured answers and get clear statistics from it. The qualitative is quite the contrary, we ask open question thus not trying to persuade the customers by giving them several options as answers.We asked the following questions that are relative to the marketing research: 1. What are your experiences when shopping at HEMA? The majority of the interviewees were more than positive about their experiences. Not one had a negative experience at one of the HEMA’s. One claimed that they even have everything in the little HEMA’s in the small villages outside of the big city: â€Å"It is unbelievable (and quite scary) how accurate they know us, costumer! † Another costumer: â€Å"The employees are always friendly and helpful, even though they cannot satisfy our needs as costumers. † 2.How would you describe the quality of the products? Here again, the majority is very satisfied about the quality of the products. â€Å"The price/quality ratio is fairly good. I know what to expect from the products. Let’s take a their china for example, I know their bowls won’t last a lifetime. If I want bowls that last a lifetime I will shop at Georg Jensen. This way I can change my china more often and get a fresh new look in the kitchen. à ¢â‚¬  All the interviewees were satisfied with the products bought, though most of them take inconsideration that the products are not the best on the market. 3.What is your opinion about the tidy/cleanness of the stores? Positive feedback: â€Å"The stores look clean†, â€Å"Well organized†, â€Å"Good structure of the placement of the products† Negative feedback: â€Å"Too many products cramped into too little space†, â€Å"Quite mess at the sales shelves†, â€Å"The floors are dusty, though this problem appears in most shops†. The opinions on this question are fairly divided. The bigger shops seemed to have more negative feedback, due to its large variety of products. The overview was lost and the employers were having troubles keeping the shelves organized and the store clean.Response Summary Criteria-8 people were individually interviewed for more in-depth findings, and 40 answered a survey. SALES PROPOSAL * Executive Summary For HEMA a Dutch discount retail chain, which is characterized by relative low pricing products mainly made by the company itself, the customer’s opinion and view about the company is the most important. Time by time, the company has been including new products and ideas to the company trying to make it more attractive to buyers, and then is when the food section came to HEMA becoming its pride with products such as â€Å"rook worst’, Tompouces and pies.However, after having done some research in different locations of HEMA, we found out that even though customers like the food of HEMA, most of them think that the cleanliness of the food section is not positive. Another fact is that since HEMA is characterized by having all kind of self developed articles concentrated on daily necessities, people like to go there whenever they need something especially â€Å"urgent†. According to our research, it happens often that products are not being restocked frequently. This leave s the client with a sense of emptiness after having travelled the whole store in search of that needed product. Our understanding YOUR COMPANY HEMA is a company that makes life fun and easy in an inexpensive way. In HEMA you will find the remarkable combination of â€Å"only the best items for everyday life, with its own especial design, for surprisingly low prices† and with a staff that is always ready to help you with pride, commitment and with love for their company. YOUR NEEDS HEMA is a store where customers go mostly when they need to find something in particular, for example house ware products, school accessories or to have the 1euro breakfast. Customer who go to HEMA, mostly know what they are looking for and what they can find at HEMA.Therefore, HEMA needs to be always prepared to receive these customers, by knowing and having in advance what they are looking for. HEMA needs to create an especial importance to restocking of products. Since most HEMA’s is a lar ge store, where you mostly spend more time than in a particular store, clients do not like to go there, looking for something they know HEMA provides and not finding it because of restocking issues. Makeup, stationery, and house ware tools are some of the sections that have to be always filled. HEMA has a rather small food section, however it is famous for the good taste and low price of their products.The 1euro breakfast, the famous worst and the pastry attract fixed buyers day by day to the store. However, after our research we found out that clients were not especially happy with the cleanliness of this section. Most of the time workers who receive money are the same ones that fixed or deliver the food, this without changing or wearing hand gloves. There must be in HEMA a clear differentiation between the person who is handling the cash and that who is touching the food. In the case that this is the same person there should be a imminent use of hand gloves for each of those actio ns. Prioritized list of needs: More frequently restocking of HEMA products. * Improvement of cleanliness in the food section. DESCISION CRITERIA Key Decision Criteria| Importance(High, Med, Low)| 1. Product Restocking| Med| 2. Food Section Cleanliness Improvement| High | * Our Solution FOOD SECTION CLEANLINESS IMPROVEMENT * For the food section the solution is the implementation of gloves for all employees; enough gloves to be changed after a certain amount of time. Another solution is the distinction of the person working at the register and the person handling and preparing the food. There should not be one person who can use cash and prepare food at the same time.If necessary and for the variation there could be shifts so the employees can also perform different activities, however for one employee the shift should not chance more than once daily. Example: Natalia receives payments from 9 to 12 and then from 12 to 5 she prepares food. PRODUCT RESTOCKING * For the restocking probl em, there could be more frequently revisions of the products that need to be restocked, maybe once a week. Then the making of a product criterion should be made, recognizing which products are the most sold and therefore have to be always available.After the identification of those products, there should be made an agreement that within certain time (for example 2 weeks) those products will be delivered to the store, regardless of the already in store stock of that product. * Conclusion Our group chose HEMA as company for the importance of the store to the Dutch market. HEMA is a story with many years of experience and long trajectory in the market where customers go to purchase good quality products, with personal and innovative designs all for average low prices. Even though we did not find almost any negative points of the company and we were very leased with many aspects of HEMA such as the employees treatment towards customers or the large scale of products they offer, we all a greed on the fact that there are many times that the desired product by the customer is not in stock or the low use of gloves and cleanliness when attending the food section. These two are aspects that are rather easy to improve and that could increase the customers experience and loyalty for HEMA, of course also growing sales of new and fixed clients. COST AND BENEFIT ANALYSIS Last year HEMA obtain great results in an downsizing economie.It has maintained their position within the retail industry by winning the ‘best retail yearprice by ING’ again! Ronald Putting, CEO: â€Å"I am very proud that I can tell you that we, despite a tough economic year, have been continuing our strong line of growth. During the past year HEMA celebrated its 85th anniversary! Thus we have the recent openings of Gare du Nord and Gare Saint Lazare and next to those we already have several successful stores in France. HEMA has grown into an international retail company that continues to grow, with a strong brand that is appreciated by our customers both at home and abroad.This appreciation was once more when the consumer Netherlands HEMA in 2011 chose to best store. In 2011, market conditions were challenging and are expected to deepen the crisis in 2012. Consumers will have more need of a shop where they can rely and which also continues to surprise. A shop where the staff is ready to help consumers with special designed products of good quality and for a low price. So every day we try to make the daily lives of our customers a little bit more fun and easier. † A few figures of the year 2011 – Consumer sales went up to EUR 1. 02 million – Net sales increased just as in 2010 by more than 3% to EUR 1,150 million – The market share of HEMA in all categories improved – The operating result (EBITDA) remained virtually unchanged (euro 155 million) – 47 new stores were opened: 33 in the Netherlands, 8 in Belgium, 2 in Germany and 4 in France. Improvements that can be made In our sales proposal you can read that the most important thing we think that HEMA can improve are: 1. Product restocking 2. Food section cleanliness improvement Lets start of with the product restocking.To sum up the stocks in the store are not at neat as it should be. Some products are placed in the middle of the corridor, which gives a messy appearance of the whole store. In our opinion the manager who is responsible for the product division and visual standards should be educated about this particular subject. HEMA could decide to give those managers some extra training. For improvement of the HEMA food section employees can be trained by a dutch company called HACCP Direct. This will cost HEMA â‚ ¬69,- per store and they will receive a HACCP certificate that is needed to sell food in Holland.Because HEMA is already licenced to sell food the certificates are not necessary to obtain again. But we do think that some extra training is neede d and can be obtained by following an online course. This course will obtain the following subjects: 1. The importance of hygiene and the HACCP method 2. Personal hygiene 3. Cleaning, waste and vermin 4. Temperature Control 5. Furnishing of business premises 6. Purchasing, Storage and shelf life 7. (For) preparing, presenting and serving After these two points of improvement we believe that HEMA is right where they want to be, HEMA wants to be number one.The best in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, France and beyond. HEMA believes that the traditional Dutch success formula of special simplicity with everyone. Anywhere in the world: from city to countryside, from Amsterdam to Tokyo. ING Retail Year price HEMA was chosen by the public overall winner and may have a year long Retailer of the Netherlands'. With an average score of 7. 50 won HEMA in October 2011 even though the audience in the category Baby & Children. HEMA scored during the first round of the high aspect Va lue (7. 92) and Price level (7. 83).During the second round of voting – where the public could vote only on the 26 category winners – HEMA earned fifteen percent of the total number to earn points. HEMA won this award in 2003 and in 2008. In 2005 won the Jury HEMA Price Retail. Special HEMA Beauty shops HEMA opens two beauty shops named HEMA Beauty. HEMA Beauty has been opened the 12th of October 2012 in Amsterdam's Kalverstraat and the day after the opening of the HEMA beauty store in the Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem took place. Now HEMA customers can come in for all their makeup, skincare, inspiration and personal advice. REFERENCES ttp://www. hema. nl/hema/over-hema. aspx http://www. hema. nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/HEMA_corporate_EN. pdf http://www. hema. nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/HEMA_corporate_EN. pdf http://www. hema. nl/hema/about-hema. aspx http://www. hema. nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/HEMA_corporate_EN. pdf http://www. returntosender. nl/en/about/partners htt p://www. hema. nl/hema/voor-de-pers/persberichten. aspx http://www. retail-business-review. com/companies/hema-b http://www. sas. com/news/sascom/2012q1/industry_spotlight. html http://berenschotstrategies. wordpress. com/2011/04/06/hema-in-de-commodity-tra/ ttp://www. marketwatch. com/story/dutch-retailer-hema-no-longer-on-block-sources-2011-06-22 http://edepot. wur. nl/167998 http://www. bloomberg. com/news/2012-05-08/dutch-retailers-face-profit-blow-as-taxes-chill-spending. html http://www. hema. nl/hema/over-hema. aspx http://www. psbydila. com/hema-beauty http://www. haccpdirect. nl/haccp-cursus/ http://perssupport. nl/apssite/persberichten/full/2012/03/27/HEMA+rapporteert+positieve+resultaten+2011 * MYSTERY SHOP REPORTS NATALIA ROJAS Maastricht and Leiden Comparing the two HEMA stores that I visited, I came to different conclusions.First it was appealing to me that both stores were clean and were being cleaned at the moment, so in both cases was the cleaning good. In the food counter in Leiden, even though I bought a closed product, which is a bottle, I did not see any of the employees wearing gloves at any moment, at Maastricht I passes by the food counter as well in the breakfast hour, but I did not see anybody with gloves either. That means in both Leiden and Maastricht the employees were not clean enough in terms of food. In Leiden I was looking for a whiteboard, I asked a girl if they had it, and she said that not in the moment.She knew about what I was talking about so she was acquainted with the store products which is good. the product I was looking for was not there but they had a similar option. In Maastricht I bought a blanket and in the casa I asked the girl if she knew if the blanket was good enough for the Winter to which she responded good enough saying that it has a level 3 which means that it is pretty good for pretty much all seasons, so I was satisfied with my blanket. In Maastricht though the girl in the casa was trying to get rid of people fast because it was pretty much a rush hour and there were a lot of people on the line.However I was satisfied with the product information and personal service at both locations. In conclusion I would say that HEMA employees are well trained and know enough about the products and the store, even though all the products that I needed were not there that is something that can happen everywhere. However probably the cleaning in the food section should be improved at all times and everywhere. VICTORIA TORRES Kalverstraat and hemareguliersbreestraat After analyzing patterns from one HEMA to another, we conclude that; hygiene should become more of a priority.Both locations shared the same pitfall, which was not wearing gloves when in contact with food nor when touching money from the customer. However, employees are well trained and able to answer questions about their product line, for instance the materials used to fabricate such product or its’ origin. Moreover, the answ ers were quite well formulated in acceptable English, bearing in mind that this is not their mother tongue. In a nutshell, the personnel are competent enough, yet sanitization is not as efficient as it should be. MAIKE BOUWER Vleuten and Utrecht Vleuten is a small town right outside Utrecht.Only recently it has opened a HEMA store where the basics are being sold. There were two employees working in the store when I entered. The first one greeted me right when I entered the store. The second employee was busy filling the shelves but still managed to say good morning when I passed by. Both staff members were wearing a HEMA shirt with black pants. The first employee helped me find the duvet covers, knew exactly where they were placed and which one I needed. Though observing the first employee helping another customer at the ‘food section’ she did not wash her hands, neither was the use of cloves involved.Overall the HEMA in Vleuten is a neat store where everything is in pl ace and the employees are friendly. They know the store very well, reasoning that the store is fairly small and has fewer products than the big stores in large cities. The food section, which one hardly can call a section, was not very hygienic. HEMA could improve their hygienic matters by using cloves or wash their hands before touching the food products. Though the employee used a tang to take the sausage and did not get in contact with the sausage self. In general, the small HEMA in Vleuten is a well-organized store with well-trained staff.In comparison with the HEMA in Vleuten, the HEMA in Utrecht is huge. The store is two stories high and is very elaborated. While walking around for a while through the shelves, none of the employee bothered to greet me. Even though I had not received a good morning, the employees looked neat and were all wearing the same outfit. The food section in Utrecht is quite large though the hygiene is not well thought through. No cloves were used when I ordered my sandwich. Wondering if it was a coincidence, I stayed around the food section to observe the others ordering their food.None of the employees washed their hands in my time of observing. The other sections of the store were clean and organized however the food section is certainly a weakness. They could improve by wearing cloves and changing them regularly. Another advice I would give HEMA is to introduce freshly prepared food instead of pre-rolling sandwiches. ANNA ZAJAC Amstelveen and Schiphol The HEMA stores I decided to visit are situated in two different places. One is Amstelveen, peaceful outskirts of Amsterdam and the other, International Airport – Schiphol. I was curious if there could be a difference in service delivered by the employees.As my report demonstrates, I have encountered a major interest, help and friendliness in the store situated in Amstelveen. In both situations the employees were kind and eager to help me. The first one helped me to find a model of a product I was searching for while the other prepared something that I probably should have done on my own. Both had no problem with speaking English with me and made me feel comfortable from the first moment. What is more, I was surprised by a discount I got at the checkout. The store overall was rather clean and kept in order. When it comes to the second store my impressions are a little less positive.The stuff was less cheerful and in some cases they could not answer my questions at all! The level of English was surprisingly lower than that of Amstelveen’s employees. It should be other way around considered that every day thousands of tourists pass through Schiphol Airport. Aspects I would like to seen improved are the employees’ awareness of the products they sell (FairTrade, for example), their readiness to deal with the customer and nicer attitude as well as better command of foreign language. There should be more pressure on keeping food fresh (it coul d be kept in special containers or coverages). CELIA BAUMGARTNERBijlmer Arena and Ferdinand Bolstraat The HEMA chain and concept is a wonderful idea that has spanned great success overtime. However, there are some points that could be worked on based on the day-to-day administration at their shops. The store has a very self-serviced mindset, but perhaps if they worked towards improving their availability to customers, they would be able to improve their sales even more. Also, training employees is of great importance, and it would be nice to see a consistency in the quality of employees working at HEMA, considering it is rather jarring to have good and bad experiences from the same brand store.Product placement is ideal, and we know HEMA is aware of this, as they go to great lengths to display products on â€Å"discount† (they simply happen to be that price the whole time, but they make the customer feel as though they are buying something less expensive). It would be greatly improved if they would work on becoming more neat in their display arrangement, and once again, have more staff on hand to do all the arrangements, the same way AH is always stock full any time of the day.Not only would the displays look more lively and inviting, but it would give HEMA a greater opportunity to sell if their products are actually there to purchase. ANOUK VAN NULAND Kinkerstraat and Nieuwendijk I have visited two stores one in the Oud-West area of Amsterdam and one in the city center. To start of when I entered the store there was nobody to great me. They were all busy with doing their own tasks and were focused on that and on talking with each other. Even tough that’s not what you expect when you come in to a store, in store like this it is fine by me.It just a feeling you get when you are in a store they are very friendly when you ask something and they enjoy their job. I think that’s the most important thing there is. Next to the atmosphere in the st ore there are some practical things I would like to point out. The division of the stores is not really practical. Some large articles do deserve a bit more place and in the middle of the walk there were lots of items on display which gives the stores a messy appearance. The foodarea of the HEMA in the Kinkerstraat was a bit messy. Different kind of ingredients on the same work plate.Nevertheless the food tasted fresh and with good ingredients. The sales person was wearing plastic gloves when she picked up the food, but unfortunately she also received my money with that same hand. 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