Odysseus And His Actions Of A Biblical Perspective

Odysseus and His Actions in a Biblical Perspective Jesus taught us what righteousness meant. Jesus taught us how to serve one another. He taught us that He was and forever will be married to the church. He did all these things by example and action. In The Odyssey, Odysseus too teaches these biblical qualities through example and action. He teaches his military righteousness. He teaches his son loyalty and how to serve. He shows faithfulness to his wife. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus showed his amazing qualities as a military leader through numerous situations. One of these situations was a battle against the suitors that were wrecking Odysseus s house and family. Odysseus was devoted to his fellow warriors and also to the elders. He did not want one man to be abandoned behind. As a warrior himself, Odysseus had worthy tactics and fought with righteous motives. After Odysseus and his men killed the suitors, Odysseus told his men: â€Å"Keep your joy in your heart, old dame; stop, do not raise up the cry. It is not piety to glory, so over slain men. These were destroyed by the doom of the gods, and their own hard actions (The Odyssey, book 22, 411-413). Odysseus is telling his son and two loyal men not to be gleeful for the suitors death. They were glorifying themselves for their works, but it was actually the gods who killed the suitors and kept the men safe from wounding. Odysseus was a humble servant to the gods and he showed his men how they should actShow MoreRelated Contrasting the Gods in Homer’s Odyssey and the Biblical Book of Exodus2494 Words   |  10 PagesContrasting the Gods in Homer’s Odyssey and the Biblical Book of Exodus Many authors have employed the religious beliefs of their cultures in literature. The deities contained in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Biblical book of Exodus reflect the nature of the gods in their respective societies. Upon examination of these two works, there are three major areas where the gods of the Greek epic seem to directly contrast the nature of the God of the Israelites: the way problems are solved, the prestigeRead More The Role of Women in Fuenteovejuna Essay1487 Words   |  6 PagesVega incorporates his understanding and his own personal view on how the world should be viewed. He uses the peasants and how they interact with one another to describe this ideal and way of living. Through their words he understands humans shouldn’t disregard one another due to class or wealth but instead it should be based off of a person’s actions and their personalities. This is just one example of how he felt about the society at the time and how it could benefit from his idea of loyalty andRead MoreIntro of Hospitality Industry2586 Words   |  11 Pages | |1 history of Hospitality | |2 Contemporary usage | |3 Hospitality around the world | |3.1 Biblical and Middle Eastern | |3.2 Classical World | |3.3 Hospitality in Celtic Cultures | |3.4 Hospitality in India Read MoreHow to Read Literature Like a Professor Outline Essay3160 Words   |  13 Pagespoet reciting epics with a particular oral tradition and he is never the same in each piece of literature. Every ear recreates Shakespeare’s work. Shakespeare’s work is so widely known, that you don’t have to read most of his plays to know the plot or even the quotes from his plays. The interplay we recognize become partners with play writers in creating new meaning that reliance allows to say with less direct statements. Imagination is both the writer’s and reader’s job. Foster implies thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Reflections On Violence 4050 Words   |  17 Pagesbeen negligent in her reading of Fanon’s work, wherein he describes in detail his own experiences, not just as a black man in an essentially racist European society, but as a medical professional confronted with the psychological scars of the daily violence inflicted by the French, not just on the people of Algeria, but their own colonial agents as well. More importantly, the psychiatric lens through which Fanon grounds his analysis, rooted in the everyday human experience of violence, shows clearly

The Souls Of Black Folk - 1466 Words

W.E.B DuBois wrote the book titled The Souls of Black Folk in 1903 as a response to the condition of black people in America. The book predates the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, but can be viewed as a precursor to the New Negro Movement. Prior to 1903, blacks lived primarily in the South, but by the 1920s the black population in New York City rose by 115 percent. The movement of blacks from the South to the North occurred for various reasons; discontent with life in the Jim Crow South, widespread violence against blacks and the opportunity for jobs in the North due to WWI. The Souls of Black Folk is the written anthem for the Harlem Renaissance; the book voices the condition of blacks in 1903 and aims to celebrate African-American culture, to strive for equality and break with the philosophy of Booker T. Washington. DuBois was born in Massachusetts in 1868 and was educated at prestigious institutions like Fisk and Harvard. DuBois was an intellectual black Northerner who had had many o pportunities, but was far removed from the condition of blacks in the South. Yet his teaching positions at rural schools in Tennessee and Southern black colleges would have given him an understanding of black life in the South and would have inspired him to write The Souls of Black Folk. Through his experiences in the South, DuBois obtained a clearer picture of where blacks stood in society. DuBois was part of the older generation of prominent African Americans that became the inspiration forShow MoreRelatedThe Souls Of Black Folk1141 Words   |  5 PagesRace is simply black or white, or simply light or dark, which plays into internalized or reverse racism. Personally I believe that African Americans struggle with race more than any other ethnicity because they struggle with both internal and external racism. W.E.B. Dubois as well as Glenn Loury spoke about the African American struggle in their works. W.E.B. DuBois wrote The Souls of Black Folk. In this work DuBois talks about life behind the shadow of race. In The Souls of Black Folk, DuBois makesRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk938 Words   |  4 Pages The reading that I found most compelling to me was W.E.B DuBois excerpt titled â€Å"The Souls of Black Folk†. I find this reading compelling because DuBois was a huge advocate on togetherness and that people were being treated equal. During time that this reading was created, there were many obstacles African Americans were facing in that era that was not so promising for a bright future. The struggles they faced were, racial biasness, lack of representation and lack of educational attainment. DuBoisRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk1236 Words   |  5 Pagesmind. Du Bois argues in his book The Souls of Black Folk, that the gap between being black and American is far too wide. This is not an unjustified view especially in his time period, where laws were set in place purposely to prevent equality of the freedman. But even today, where those laws are no longer in place, a non-white American is too ethnic to be American and is simultaneously too American to be ethnic. Du Bois en tertains the idea of a Negro being both black and American but unfortunately hisRead MoreThe Souls of Black Folk1595 Words   |  7 Pagesthe text of The Souls of Black Folk embodies Du Bois experience of duality as well as his peoples. In Du Bois Forethought to his essay collection, The Souls of Black Folk, he entreats the reader to receive his book in an attempt to understand the world of African Americans—in effect the souls of black folk. Implicit in this appeal is the assumption that the author is capable of representing an entire people. This presumption comes out of Du Bois own dual nature as a black man who has livedRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk1048 Words   |  5 Pages The Souls of Black Folk is Written by W.E.B Du Bois and was published in 1903. This book is a collection of essays put together in a single book. Each essay is not the same, but revolve around the central idea of â€Å"the veil†. Another thought it revolves around is about segregation, and the lives of an average African American. The setting of this book takes place in the 19 20th century of the United States of America. Let me begin by explaining W.E.B Du Bois’s thinking of â€Å"the veil†. The veilRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk780 Words   |  4 PagesAfrica, in America and the islands of the sea† (W.E.B DuBois). This is part of the theme in the novel The Souls of Black Folk, which is based on an actual story/ autobiography of an African American leader, W.E.B DuBois. The narrator DuBois writes about race relations in the United Sates distributing the color-line. The color-line is the fundamental issue of racial conflict between the blacks and whites. It deals with the inequality and disparity of living in America as an African American. W.E.BRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folks958 Words   |  4 PagesThe Souls of Black Folks â€Å"The Songs† The Songs sited in each chapter of this book was put together to deliberately guide the reader’s cerebration process in scrutinizing the context to identify with DuBois of how these events described effected Black people during this era in our history. Each example was directly associated with the subsequent chapter and solidified the arguments from DuBois’ perspective. It was translucently clear that the deliberate specimens of the song segments and the essaysRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk864 Words   |  4 Pagesabout a veil. However, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers another definition: â€Å"something that covers or hides something else.† I believe that this definition is more closely related to the veil that W.E.B. DuBois discusses in this book, â€Å"The Souls of Black Folk.† The first time Dubois brings up the idea of a veil, it is when he is describing an experience from his past that made him feel as though he was different from other pe ople. He uses the idea of a veil to emphasize separation he felt from theRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folks1486 Words   |  6 Pagescertain knowledge, and we have people in our lives who fit into our unaware identity with us. Then, we have our aware life in which we know about the unsuspecting self and can look at things in a more critical way. Double-Consciousness In the Souls of Black Folks, DuBois writes about a ‘double consciousness . This term suggests African Americans perceive the world through two competing lenses. The first lens views the self as pushing forward from the social position of a marginalized other. TheRead MoreThe Black Music : The Soul Of Black Folk1855 Words   |  8 Pagespopular culture was created or directly influenced by Black music. Through the history of Black musical forms, each style represented a reality of the Black community, whether regionally or based on the time period and politics. Before enslaved Africans had the education to write their stories, they were told orally, often set to music. Highlighting the genius of a people, when there were ideas and stories that were adverse to those in power, Black people were able to hide their true messages in a

Communication Is Integral In Organisation †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Communication Is Integral In Organisation? Answer: Introduction Communication is integral in any organisation, hence it becomes crucial to determine and assess its style and methods(Shockley-Zalabak, 2011). Various communication styles and methods are used across organisations for determining effectiveness of work procedure. In order to become successful in an organisation it is essential that one evaluates and understands his own existing levels of communications. For applying appropriate communication skills and methods, it is critical that all methods and procedures are well learned. Learning of various styles of communication is not sufficient for determining effectiveness, its proper application also needs to be learnt. Evaluating various types and styles of communication provides that assertive style of communication is most applicable across all organisations, where thought processes are adequately communicated(Wood, 2015). The scope of this current report is a reflective analysis of communication styles and methods adopted. Post self-diag nosis there are ways included as well that can allow overcoming deficiencies and improve oneself in relevant skills of communications. Self-Diagnosis Globalisation has impended creation of a large role for communication, especially with emergence of diversity in customers, suppliers as well as in employee base. Challenges in communication have been mounting with rising complexity of multi-cultural communication(Eder, 2007). Though multi-cultural communication is one thing, major challenges in communication is faced mostly in balancing between verbal and non-verbal communications. While role verbal and non-verbal communication is critical it becomes important that verbal communication techniques are managed well. In cases of business communication appropriate verbal communication techniques are critical for enabling a positive role in the organisation. There are various types of verbal communication techniques as assertive, passive and aggressive, of which most effective one being assertive communication. Assertive communication style is most effective as it allows transfer ones ideas and thought processes effectively. In my curren t course there is immense transfer of knowledge that has taken place(Fook, 2007). My course content and professor has been guiding me through the several procedure and techniques in communication. I have learnt lot of ideas regarding ways and means to apply assertive communication skills. But while evaluating my practical application knowledge, I felt I lagged in various areas or domains in the same. For self-evaluation and analysis I have adopted various tools and techniques. The Big Five Questionnaire method, ESCI, Johari Window are certain tools that I adopted to gain insights regarding myself from my own ideas as well as from my colleagues(Boud, 2013). From analysis tools of these questionnaire and personality techniques I understood that I am an introvert person, hence I cannot easily express ideas as is required in Assertive style of communication. I lack in capabilities to easily interact with people and then consecutively expressing my ideas to them. I do not possess knowled ge as to how to easily start a conversation with a person and then take such conversation ahead. Hence, I need to practice mingling with people and making a large social circle such that I develop the habit to interact and follow on with a discussion. In my course there has been various classes in ways to make verbal communications effective, one of which is by effective non-verbal communications(Elliott, 2008). I have not been able to learn techniques of non-verbal communications effectively such that I will apply its skills. I lack in skills of effective non-verbal communication and in generating a positive gesture. I am an extremely shy person and unable to put forward a positive gesture towards persons I am interacting with. This has often hampered my unofficial communications as well. As people easily mistake me for a person who is ill-confident and lacks motivation. Though I am a motivated hard-working person with lot of confidence yet I have not been able to effectively express the same through my gestures(Govaerts, 2010). I need to do away with my negativity and apply positive body language which will help enhance my verbal communication skills as well. Though I have an English background and am well-conversant with the language yet being a student of management I lack knowledge of exquisite English words. I feel I have a limited vocabulary due to which I am not been able to write letters or memo in a fancy manner using lot of words that students of English easily can. I lack technical expertise in writing of letters, memos and other documents as well due to which I have low confidence in this regards(Welch M. ., 2007). I need to increase my vocabulary skills for the purpose of enhancing my professional career as later in my life I will need to document several letters and memos. My lack of confidence in the domain has created hurdle for me such that it has almost become impossible for me to exert the application of the subject. Though I am lagging behind but I can easily enhance my skill and become an effective personal in this domain. Self-Improvement Analysis of own self reflects several challenges faced that needs to be overcome. These lag areas highlighted in analysis portion needs to be overcome as they will allow establishing myself as an effective person in communication. I have designed a plan and technique for overcoming the challenges faced by the following recommendations(Welch M. , 2012). Overcoming the lag areas will be enhanced once I am able to get feedback from my professor regarding the steps that I need to follow for improvement. My professor in communication will be the best person who will guide me and provide me insights into ways in which these lag areas can be succumbed to. I will resort to self-help books from the library that can help overcome relevant challenges in communication. These books have been developed taking into account several case study analysis and includes materials from organisations around the globe. Case study books can also function as an essential tool that can guide development of comm unication skills that can be applied in business cases. These case studies provides valuable insights highlighting several challenges that had been faced previously(Zerfass, 2008). Methodology in overcoming them can provide a basis for development of myself. I have planned to take help from seniors and people who have passed from our university and are working in organisations. They will be able to guide me in a more practical and effective method for practicing ways and means to enhance communication techniques. Apart from all procedures to chart my plan for improvement and development, I will maintain a self-help journal. This journal will include my skills in business communication from time to time. I will obtain feedback regarding myself from friends, colleagues and professor and fill them in the journal and later review them. This updating of my self-reflection journal will allow me to trace my chart for development and advancement. In case these plans functions effectively th en I will be able to establish myself as a successful professional in business otherwise I have another plan to improvise myself in this field. In case after self-improvement also there remains areas in which I need to improve then I will take up a professional course in communication(Qian, 2008). A professional course in communication is available at our University and it will help me enhance my skill levels to highest possible levels such that I can emerge to a successful professional in the field. I will attempt to self-improvise in a serious manner as it is the only method in which I will be able to become a successful professional in business organisations. Conclusion Analysis of the above reflection in communication regarding self provides that there are many areas for improvement. While I have attended classes and undertaken several lectures as well as sessions in business communications, I feel that I can only overcome my application skills by gaining experience. No amount of knowledge can match up to the practical experience that I will gain in communication. Further improvising my skills with respect to communication will enhance my chances of becoming a successful professional in the field. In any business scenario, the first and foremost way to success is through application of appropriate skills to communicate. Hence, communication will help not only to enhance my professional career but will also allow me to establish myself as a confident and effective person in business. Reference Lists Boud, D. K. (2013). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. Routledge. Eder, M. K. (2007). Toward strategic communication. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (ARMY) WASHINGTON DC. Elliott, I. . (2008). Independent self-construal, self-reflection, and self-rumination: A path model for predicting happiness. Australian Journal of Psychology, 127-134. Fook, J. . (2007). Challenges of critical reflection:Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Social Work Education, 520-533. Govaerts, S. V. (2010). Visualizing Activities for Self-reflection and Awareness. In ICWL, 91-100. Qian, Y. . (2008). A communication model of employee cynicism toward organizational change. . Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 319-332. Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2011). Fundamentals of organizational communication. Allyn Bacon. Welch, M. . (2007). Rethinking internal communication: a stakeholder approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 177-198. Welch, M. (2012). Appropriateness and acceptability: Employee perspectives of internal communication. Public Relations Review, 246-254. Wood, J. T. (2015). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. . Nelson Education. Zerfass, A. (2008). Corporate communication revisited: Integrating business strategy and strategic communication. In Public relations research. VS Verlag fr Sozialwissenschaften., 65-96.

Persepolis Essay Example

Persepolis Paper Effects of Violence on Marli Although violence is intended to harm someone, there can be positive effects in certain situations. In MarJane Satrapis personal memoir, Persepolis, it is shown that Marli is exposed toa large amount of violence in her life, and in turn, it has affected her in many ways. The negative effect on her life include the emotional scarring that entails deaths from violence and also her increased violent tendencies. A positive effect of violence on MarJis adolescence is that she becomes more mature and is able to stand up for herself. MarJis exposure to the difficult times around her define ho she is as an individual, how she behaves, and how she matures. As a child is growing up, the people around them affect them greatly, and the violence around Marli and her life is emotionally scarring to her. Her Uncle Anoosh was executed for being a Russian spy, and she cared for him greatly. After she receives the news, she is visited by her image of God, and during this brief appearance she shouts at him, saying, Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! (Satrapi 70). We will write a custom essay sample on Persepolis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Persepolis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Persepolis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This quote is quite strong for MarJi; it is shouted in a iolent manner that is fairly unusual for her. She is very torn up about the situation that is at hand, which in itself is aggressive, and she is trying to cope. Usually this God is a comforting friend, a figment of her imagination that she created to try to understand the world around her. In this case, she feels that it is his fault that her uncle was executed. She tells him to leave because she doesnt trust him, especially since she is in a unstable, mourning condition. In the image Marli is standing on her bed, pointing to guide God to leave her. God looks sad or disappointed, but almost ike he expected it, and is accepting of his banishment, which could translate to him feeling guilty about the situation. The blackened background gives the impression that the main idea is her and God and also that she is starting to feel lost in her sadness and the enormity of the fact at hand. The way she is standing on the bed gives her power when she is possibly weak, making her seem taller and steadier. Another more graphic case of violence in MarJis life was the bombing near her house. Her neighbors house was bombed, and it is inferred that they were killed. After seeing what she believes is a hand, she explains, No scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my anger (Satrapi 142). She was friends with her neighbor and is very difficult to have such a harsh visual in front of her. It was especially traumatizing for Marli because it was so close to her home and she must have thought of the possibility of that being her family. The panel for this phrase is just darkness, which expresses MarJis grief and her emotions clouding her thinking. She cant think of anything other than mute blackness because of the shock she feels. In both of these situations, someone close to Marli has been brutally killed, whether it be by assassination or bombing. Marli has been through a lot in her life, but deaths like this will stay with her forever and affect the weight of her memories. Prolonged exposure to certain behaviors can lead to slight mirroring of these habits which applies to Marli and her violent tendencies. She is susceptible to the of being fierce, threatening, and occasionally rude. For example, when Marli is very young, she hears that her friend Ramins father killed thousands of people, and creates a plan to punish him. She explains that her idea was to put nails between our fingers like American brass knuckles and to attack Ramin (Satrapi 45). Marli clarifies that she got the idea from hearing about American brass knuckles, something that should not be conveyed to young children. She came to the conclusion that Ramin should be punished very easily, only discovering it from word of mouth. According to Ramin, his father only killed evil communists. Based on this information, it can be inferred that Marli acted severely and irrationally, and effect of her exposure to the issues around her. In the image, Marli and a few of her friends re stomping through the streets, looking for Ramin, who is hiding behind a tree, looking very scared. The expression MarJis face and her stance is very similar to the panels that show protests and demonstrations. The tree that Ramin is hiding behind has only a single leaf on its otherwise bare branches, which could show the lack of protection Ramin has. Marli is very strong willed and opinionated and this is shown through her actions, such as when she is influenced by violence and destruction around her. After she learns that Iraqi bombs were dropped on Tehran, she reacts uickly, exclaiming, The Iraqis have always been our enemies. They want to invade us We have to bomb Baghdad! (Satrapi 81-2). Marli has been exposed to the bombings around her and she immediately wants to respond in a negative way, by fighting fire with fire. For an adolescent, these are strong topics to be dealing with and her voice on the matter is very aggressive. She is very adamant about the decisions she makes, even if she doesnt know all the information. Marli has a habit of being determined about a subject to show confidence and it also works to cover he fact that she might not know all the information. In both these images, Marli is angry and she seems to look like she believes that these behaviors are the obvious answers. She is very strong in her posture and she is defying her father in the first image, showing that she believes she is right and needs to show him that. In the second image, she is saying it in a matter of fact tone, and she has her feet on the table, a symbol of rebellion and confidence. She thinks that she knows they answer and wants to be strong willed about it. Although violence has a negative connotation, it does have the positive effect of ausing Marli to mature and act older than her true age. Ever since she was young, Marli has been fairly independent and opinionated. In her school life, she has talked back to her teachers multiple times. For example, when she wears her bracelet after a warning from the principal, she exclaims, With all the Jewelry you steal from us, you must be making a pile of money (Satrapi 143). This response is followed by Marli hitting the principal and being expelled. This may seem like a bad thing for MarJi, and it is, but it also shows her willingness to stand up for what she believes in. She showed that she is confident and doesnt want to listen to authority figures with whom she doesnt agree. She is an independent young women and her ability to stand up for herself will be useful as she grows up. I think MarJis expression in this panel is key. She looks angry, surprised, and almost disgusted. She knows what she believes is right and she doesnt want anyone to tell her otherwise. The principal is which almost Justifies MarJis action to hit her. Afterward, she apologizes to the principal, because of her natural instinct to try to lessen the severity of a situation. I hink she acts irrationally in this instance because she has learned that in dangerous or violent situations, she needs to act in a way that exerts her confidence and dominance. I believe that the formation of these behaviors is due to Marli toughening her personality to deal with the brutality surrounding her. Another example of MarJis maturing behavior is the cigarette she smokes. As she tried her first one, she said With this first cigarette, I kissed my childhood goodbye (Satrapi 117). She was using the cigarette as an act of rebellion against her moms dictatorship, but this is eflected with the executions of the regimes oppositions and the violence around her in general. Marli feels the need to rebel because she sees her mother as the dictator of the household and rebelling against her is correlated with rebelling against the revolution. It is well know that cigarettes are incredibly destructive to your health and they represent the violence to which Marli is exposed. She sees this act as her development into a grown-up. Being mature in her society is necessary because otherwise it is difficult to support yourself. As it turns out, Marli had to move away rom her family so her independence and growth will help her in her new life. In the final panel, where she dismisses her childhood, Marli looks confident and sure of herself and her decisions. The black background shows that this is an intense situation and all the attention should be focused on Marli and her actions. In the panel before, Marli was crying due to the cigarette but also due to the ideas entailed with smoking a cigarette and the loss of her childhood. She stopped crying for the last panel to show that she isnt afraid and she is ready for what adulthood could try o throw at her. In conclusion, violence has both negative and positive effects on MarJi. There is expected emotional scarring from the visual violence around her and as an individual, she develops a few violent behaviors. On the other hand, Marli has become more independent and grown-up, almost forcefully, from her exposure to the violence around her. Marli was living in a life surrounded by turmoil and destruction and she had nearly no choice but to endure the difficulties around her and work through them, leading to her growth into a stronger individual.

Columbus and Genocide 2 essays

Columbus and Genocide 2 essays Recently many American families came together to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. Many Americans observe this holiday as a reminder of when Columbus discovered America. For centuries, Columbus has been hailed as a brave explorer whose daring, perseverance, and navigational knowledge led to the "discovery" of America. In grade schools across America children are taught that Columbus is a hero for discovering America. Although, what most schools in the past have not informed their students of, is the fact that Columbus did a great deal more that discover America. The fact is however that Columbus was no more the discoverer of America than Pocahontas was the discoverer of Great Britain. Native Americans had built great civilizations with many millions of people long before Columbus wandered lost into the Caribbean. Columbus never set foot on North America, nor did he open it to European trade. Scandinavian Vikings already had settlements here in the eleventh century. The first European explorer to thoroughly document his visit to North America was the Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto, who sailed for King Henry VII of England and became known by his anglicized name, John Cabot. Caboto arrived in 1497 and claimed North America for the English sovereign while Columbus was still searching for India in the Caribbean. After three voyages to America and more than a decade of study, Columbus still believed that Cuba was a part of the continent of Asia, South America was only an island, and the coast of Central America was close to the Ganges Ri ver. So not only did he not discover a new continent, he did not realize what he had found (McKay, Hill, Buckler, and Ebrey, 2000) Also, contrary to popular legend, Columbus did not prove that the world was round; educated people had known that for centuries. The Egyptian-Greek scientist Erastosthenes, working for Alexandria and Aswan, already had measured the circumferen...

Romantic Gestures for Long-Distance Relationships

Romantic Gestures for Long-Distance Relationships Dealing with a long-distance relationship? Wish you could do something that, despite the distance, lets your significant other feel like youre right there beside them? Check out these 5 places to start. Send flowers. It sounds old and cheesy, but it works. And you dont have to be sending flowers to a girl to make it work, either. Practically everyone including guys loves receiving flowers, and most florists offer arrangements specifically for the masculine type. An unexpected bouquet can cheer up someone and make them feel loved and appreciated for days on end.Send a care package. Who in college doesnt love a care package? It can be baked goods, music, or special mementos that celebrate your relationship. But no matter what it is, a care package is guaranteed to let someone know how you feel about them.Make and send a video. It can be sappy. It can be funny. It can be a video of you talking. It can be a video of things you guys have done together. It can even be a montage of photographs of the two of you over the course of your relationship. Regardless, it will be appreciated and cherished.Make a good, quality phone call. Amidst all you both have to do, spending a solid hour (or m ore!) on the phone, without distraction, can do wonders for your relationship. Making the time to have a phone date of sorts just may be enough to feel like youre not so far apart after all. Plan a surprise visit. It doesnt have to be for this weekend, and it may be months away. But knowing that a surprise visit is coming will warm your heart in the meantime and mean everything to your boyfriend or girlfriend when you arrive. (If you do go last minute, however, make sure you know how to get the best deals for college students.)

Global Music Series Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Global Music Series - Essay Example Music is an inevitable part of any society’s culture and hence is often found deeply rooted in its culture and traditions. It is a common bond that engulfs people from diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities across the globe. It is a bond that separates the identities of the people as well unites them. According to De Nora2 (2001), Music is holds greater significance than a mere object of entertainment – it is also an inevitable tool that assists in regulating our affective states. The ideas and thoughts expressed through music are specific and peculiar to all cultures that carry specific meaning that is understood by the people of that particular community since it is associated with its past history. The world music is highly characterized by authenticity and exotic hybridity which has a peculiar touch of global aesthetic sense. This helps in transforming and reshaping the interrelations between music and ethnic identities of people irrespective of the limitations of geographical boundaries since world music is truly global in nature. The global music undoubtedly deals with the issues of culture and identity and is generally found to be involved or adopted by urban circles to be understood and analyzed from social, economical and political point of views. The ideas and thoughts that endure global music as a function of a ‘genre culture’ involves the policies and procedures of the industry and describes the manner in which the musicians and artists depicted here ensue to adapt and acquaint their music (Negus, 1999)

Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Reflection - Assignment Example Ideally, holographic evidence enhances the decentralization of understanding, which has no center of control (Morgan, 2006). However, the author notes that the brain is holographic and specialized. For instance, according to split-brain research, the right and left-brain hemispheres specialize on certain aspects but also participate in any given activity (Morgan, 2006). This manifests in our organization where I specialize on advanced nursing but also offer healthcare to all women and infants under 1 year old. Indeed, it is through understanding that patterns and order emerge in an organization just as in brains. More so, organizations just like brains, involve information processing and understanding. Indeed, organizations are information-processing brains (Morgan, 2006). Additionally, we can also translate the results of the modern brain into established learning organizations, which defines understanding of ideas. We can also see how modern technology develops advanced understanding in global and local organizations. Indeed, modern technology affects understanding by offering powerful images to create organizations that suit the digital age. At the same time, organizations and brains require the freedom to evolve for them to gain autonomy and derive advanced understanding (Morgan, 2006). The author equally reckons that for any organization to self-organize, it must have valuable capacity/ free space to support innovation. As such, an understanding of the brain would help us to understa nd our organization. This leads us to the discussion question, which seeks to establish how organizations self-organize and regenerate themselves without losing their effectiveness. More so, we can derive another discussion question, which will address how a holographic organization distributes its capabilities, control, and intelligence for purposes of ensuring that every single unit is significant to the overall operations of an

Michael Smyth vs. Pillsbury Company. Essay Example for Free

Michael Smyth vs. Pillsbury Company. Essay STYLE: Michael Smyth vs. Pillsbury Company. COURT: United States District Court of Pennsylvania. CITATION: 914 F. Supp. 97; 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 776; 131 Lab. Cas. (CCH) P58, 104; 11 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 585. ISSUE: Can an employer be accused of violating public policy, tortuously invading privacy and subsequently be estopped from firing or discharging an at will employee, if for the purpose of company’s interest, it monitor an employee’s email communications over the company’s email system just to find them contrary to company’s interest? FACTS: Plaintiff, a manager at defendant’s company had work email account with access from home. Plaintiff was assured by defendant that email communication is private and confidential with no messages being intercepted and used employment termination. Plaintiff in reliance to promise to its detriment used work email system to make threatening email comments with supervisor was intercepted and employment was terminated. Court ruled in favor of Defendant as it was not evident if termination threatened or violated a clear mandate of public policy or Plaintiff’s common law right to privacy. HOLDING: An employer cannot be accused for violating public policy, privacy and/or discharging an employee according to restatement definition of tort of intrusion upon seclusion. LAW: Restatement (Second) of Torts  § 652B: Liability only attaches when the intrusion is substantial and would be highly offensive to the ordinary. Unless an employee identifies a specific expression of public policy violated by his discharge, it will not be labelled as wrongful and within the sphere of public policy†. EXPLANATION: The clear mandate of public policy must strike at the heart of a citizen’s social right, duties and responsibilities. Plaintiff was not fired for serving on jury duty, for prior conviction or for reporting violation of federal regulations to NRC. Plaintiff’s alleged unprofessional communication over email system utilized by entire company diminishes expectation of privacy. Plaintiff was not asked to disclose personal information by defendant. JUDGEMENT: The motion of the defendant to dismiss was granted. The complaint was dismissed with prejudice

Book Report on Clara Barton :: Papers

Book Report on Clara Barton Clara Barton attacked many social problems of the 1800’s. From creating a free school, to being on the front lines helping soldiers in the Civil War, to creating the American Red Cross, Clara Barton was a humanitarian. She fought for what she believed in and because of her never-ending fight for people, the world is a different place. Clara Barton was born during 1821 in Massachusetts. As a young child, Barton learned a great deal of schooling from her older siblings; she learned a wide variety of different subjects. She seized every educational opportunity that she was given and she worked hard to receive a well rounded-education. Clara Barton would later use her education to create her own school and eventually help start an organization that is still used today. As a young child, Clara was extremely shy; nevertheless, after many years she was able to overcome this. Even as a young child Clara thrived helping others. She tended to her sick brother who was severely injured by a roofing accident on a regular basis. The skills she learned from helping her brother proved to be used again when she was on the front-line of the Civil War helping wounded soldiers. At the age of 18, Miss Barton became a schoolteacher. She taught at numerous different schools around Massachusetts. Clara noticed in one particular town that many of the students did not attend school that greatly distressed her. She wanted all children to have the same educational opportunity that she had when she was growing up. Eventually, Barton started her own school. It was free. However, she did not stay there for a long period of time. Clara only taught for a matter of ten years, teaching had exhausted Barton and she longed for a change in her life. She left the teaching field to move onto another field. Barton moved to Washington DC and she became a clerk in the US Patent Office. When the Civil War broke out, Barton chose to resign from her position in the US Patent Office. She started working on the battlefield as a volunteer. At first her basic job was to distribute bandages and war supplies to the wounded soldiers. Barton took her job to another extreme.

Macro and Micro Environmental Analysis of Waitrose Supermarkets

WAITROSE ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING MARKET RESEARCH CONTENTS INTRODUCTION —————————————– MACRO ENVIRONMENT POLITICAL ———————————————- ECONOMICAL ——————————————- SOCIAL ————————————————- TECHONOLGICAL—————————————- ENVIRONMENTAL—————————————- MICRO ENVIRONMENT SUPPLIERS———————————————- IN TERMEDIARIES—————————————- FINANCIAL———————————————– GOVERNMENT——————————————– THE COMPANY——————————————- EMPLOYEES———————————————- CUSTOMERS——————————————— COMPETITORS——————————————- MEDIA—————————————————- PUBLICS————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- SWOT ANALYSIS—————————————– CONCLUSION——————————————– APPENDIX———————————————— BIBLYOGRAPHY—————————————— INTRODUCTION The food retail industry in the United Kingdom is an extremely competitive market. The major players in the industry all have tremendous purchasing power and are constantly fighting to increase market share. Like any other industry though they are affected but factors which are both within their control as well as outside. In this report we will first be focusing on the macro environment of the UK supermarket industry where we will review external issues such as politics, economy, technological, social/demographic and environmental factors. From this analysis we can gain insight into how supermarkets react to changes that are beyond their control and how they can often turn these changes into business opportunities. The second part of this report will be looking at the supermarket chain Waitrose. Through this we analyse the micro environment whereby we look at factors such as suppliers, intermediaries, financial, government, the company, customers, employees, competitors, media, and publics. The micro environment is what makes up a company and all aspects must run efficiently and effectively for a business to succeed. Based on the findings of the Waitrose micro environment we are then able to evaluate the companies strengths and weaknesses as well as their opportunities and threats. MACRO ENVIRONMENT Political The supermarket industry is affected by many varying political factors. New legislation and decisions from Governing bodies that regulate the industry aim to ensure that all business within the sector is conducted fairly and with the economy suppliers and consumers best interest in mind. Most legislation on food standards originates from the European Commission which consolidates legislation across the EU. The Competition Commission, a non departmental governing body, are responsible for investigating mergers, markets and inquiries related to regulated industries under competition law (Competition Commission No Date),. Competition Law which was introduced in 1998 promotes healthy competition, and bans anticompetitive agreements between firms such as agreements to fix prices or to carve up markets, and it makes it illegal for businesses to abuse a dominant market position (Office of Fair Trading, 2007). In 2009 the Competition Commission issued an amended and improved Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) with hopes of providing greater security to suppliers. To help regulate legislation and the GSCOP an independent financial ombudsman was established in 2010 to resolves problems between retailers and suppliers (Sourceuk 2009). When a supermarket wishes to build or extend a site a ‘competition test’ would be carried out on the retailer and an assessment made to ensure that local shops don’t lose out to the large chain supermarkets domination an entire area (Competition Commission 2009). Price fixing is illegal under the competition act of 1998. When participants on the same side of the market (such as the big 4 in the UK supermarket sector) agree to sell a service, product or commodity at a fixed price it’s the consumers who must pay while retailers and suppliers reap the benefits. There are extremely heavy penalties for price fixing in the UK You can be fined, disqualified from being a director – or even sent to prison (Business Link No Date). Minimum wage laws will always affect supermarkets as generally many of their staff would be paid minimum wage. Under the National Minimum Wage Act of 1998 all employers must pay their employees a certain amount per hour as set by the UK Government. The main rate of National Minimum Wage which applies to workers aged 22 and over and is currently ? 5. 80 per but will raise ? 5. 93 in 2010 (Directgov 2010). There are many laws in the UK and EU which are designed to protect the environment. However there are two main Acts which were made to consolidate as many issues as possible, these are the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Environment Act 1995 (Hartshorne. J,1996). DEFRA is the UK government agency which is responsible for setting legislation and guidance on a number of environmental issues (DEFRA, No Date). Some important legislation which applies to supermarkets include laws on waste and recycling, genetic modification, and Climate Change which are all covered under these acts. Office of Public Sector Information No Date) Economic The economic situation at any given time will always affect market conditions. As the economy continually fluctuates between periods of economic growth and periods of relative stagnation (also known as an economic cycle) factors such as changes to interest rates, exchange rates, inflation and purchasing power will directly and indirectly affect th e supermarket industry (Tutor2u, No Date) In 2008 the UK had entered the recession stage of the economic cycle. Interest rates dropped from 5% to 0. % in an effort to increase consumer spending (Mintel 2009, Market Re-forecasts – Food – UK). And while this would initially appear to be a gain for supermarkets, other factors of the recession such as wide spread unemployment and bankruptcies saw this sector of the market having to revise their marketing strategies in order to weather these changes to the economy (Mintel 2009, Market Re-forecasts – Food – UK). In 2009 trading was down with consumers eating less ready meals and opting for own brand rather than premium products (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – Broader Market Environment). This is just one of the many changes to consumer purchasing that changed and will continue to change as the economy tries to recover. According to The Office of National Statistics (2010) unemployment dropped by 33000 since then end of 2009 and the economy grew by 0. 1% a possible indication of the UK slowly emerging from the recession (BBC News 2010). However this will be the beginning of a recovery which could take at least another two years. As interest rates still remain at an all time low of 0. % (BBC News 2009) supermarkets will start to see an increase in spending from consumers as their confidence in the market returns (Mintel 2009, Market Re-forecasts – Food – UK). Inflation has only become a recent issue in the UK economy. Rising fuel prices, a few poor harvests and the weakness of the sterling has seen inflation accelerate between 2006 and 2008 (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – Broader Market Environment) (Appendix 1). The implications of this for supe rmarkets are that it erodes the purchasing power of money which in turn means the price of imported good will rise. However a positive result of rising inflation, which at times reached over 10% also, meant that food price increases boosted sales value (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – The Market In Context). A trend for customers trading down rather than reducing quantity enables sales value to rise fast enough to cover cost growth (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – Sector Size and Forecast). The recession as a whole has had a very mixed effect on the supermarket industry. At the beginning of the recession in 2008 consumers drastically cut back on purchases from retailers such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. However by December 2009 Waitrose was the fastest growing supermarket chain while Aldi was on the decline. This is believed to be due to more expensive supermarkets introducing own brand products into their stores and selling them at a lower price to their standard products (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – Industry Overview). Social It is essential for supermarkets to understand the current sociocultural environment as any changes will affect their customers’ needs and wants. (Brassington & Pettitt 2006) According to Mintel (2009) the ageing population will have a negative effect on the supermarket industry with there already being more retired people than children, with this level set to increase (Appendix 2). This will affect the industry as older people tend to eat and drink a lot less than their younger counterparts but also treat themselves less as well. This decline in basket size will have long term effects for the industry over time as they are less efficient to service and require more staff (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing – Broader Market Environment) A worrying trend which has emerged in the last several years has been the increase in obesity among children and adults in the UK with 60% of the UK population being overweight (Office of National Statistics, Health and Social Care, 2010) Poor quality convenience foods, labour-saving technology, increased car use and more people doing sedentary jobs are just some of the reason the country is getting bigger. However despite this increase in obesity the U. K population on a whole is far more health conscious than in previous years (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – Industry Overview). There has been a trend away from genetically modified foods towards organic foods and an increased the customer desire for healthy alternatives. The government and other health organisations are working with supermarkets and manufacturers to help consumers make healthier choices when shopping. (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – PEST Analysis). According to the National Office for Statistics (2010) The UK population is increasing at an alarming rate with figures showing the population of the United Kingdom to be at 61383000 in 2008. This is up 0. 7 per cent since mid 2007. Increases in births, decreases in death and a sharp rise in migration to the United Kingdom have all contributed to the change in population (Office of National Statistics, Population Estimates 2010) Statisticians have said that at least 70 per cent of the population rise over the next 20 years will be attributable directly to immigration (Office of National Statistics, Migration 2010). The supermarket industry needs to reflect the needs of the changing population. With more people with different cultural backgrounds residing in England it is essential that the needs of these new consumers are being met by supermarkets in order to retain market share (Keynote, Food Retailing – UK 2009) The over powering proposition of the â€Å"everything under one roof† format has been a major factor in the demise of the small independent grocer, butcher and green grocer in recent times thus replacing the high street as the focal point of community life (IGD 2009, Non-Food Retailing). Declining meal preparation consequent to demographic changes such as an increasing number of single-person households and working women is forcing UK retailers are to focus on added-value products such as the booming ‘food-to-go† sector (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – PEST Analysis).. These demographic changes have also affected consumer work patterns with retailers modifying aspects of the customer shopping experience to accommodate changing lifestyles. Supermarkets are now flexible in opening hours as well as adding extras such as Thursday late night shopping and free parking facilities (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – Industry Overview). The recession in the UK has changed the population’s attitude towards the foods they purchase. Britons have developed a sophisticated customer preferences and demands for greater choice and comfort in the shopping experience but for lower prices. Supermarket own brand products have been on the incline as their ranges often offer great value for quality products. (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – PEST Analysis). Technological Recent technological advances have enabled supermarkets to provide customers with a quicker, easier and more enjoyable shopping experience. In recent years we have seen the introduction of online shopping, self check outs, product scanning and forecast technology which has changed the dynamics of how people shop. One of the most influential technological changes to happen to the supermarket industry in the past few years has been the introduction of internet shopping. The online grocery market is currently worth ? 4,4 billion having doubled in the past 4 years (Mintel 2009 – Online Grocery Retailing) and is set to reach ? 7. 2 billion buy 2014 according to research industry analyst IDG (Appendix 3). This is a major new opportunity for retailers and the UK offers a good market for this with the highest percentage of people online across the EU (Just Food 2009). New scanning device designed to be used by shoppers to scan products as they shop and then simply paying at a self serve checkout using the scanned date are a new introduction to the industry. Scales are then used at point of payment to weigh shopping against weight data which is provided when the product is scanned. This ensures much shorter queuing times for customers (Waitrose 2010) New communication technology such as the introduction of scanners which provide price labels and barcodes for any stock that needs to be reduced has enabled more sophisticated store management. The scanners minimise unsold food as well as check out productivity, which saves time and reduces waste. (Retail Systems 2010) Advances in forecasting software such as that developed by SAS and purchased by Waitrose in 2006 will help forecast demand for product based on the history of the item, casual variables, events and holidays. (SAS 2006) The introduction of self check outs into supermarkets has bought many advantages to both the supermarket sector and its customers. This technology allows customer to scan barcodes on their won items thus eliminating interaction with supermarket employees. While they are a relatively new concept, having only become wide spread in 2003 they have been accepted as a faster, more efficient and private way to shop. Through self check out systems supermarkets are also able to reduce staff requirements and save money (Goliath 2005) Environment With the environment becoming an important topic over the last several years it has been essential for supermarkets to meet the demands of both the Government and their customers with regards to addressing environmental issues. This has proved to be both a challenge as well as a business opportunity for the major players in the industry, who strive to try and reposition themselves as leaders in responsible sourcing, sustainability, climate change issues and recycling (Donohue. A 2007). Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. The UK government has a long term plan to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 (Department of Energy and Climate Change – A Low Carbon UK 2008). The Climate Change Bill and the Committee on Climate Change influence have raised consumer awareness of climate change which put pressure on the supermarket industry to meet their environmental obligations (Department of Energy and Climate Change – Legislation 2008). Many UK supermarkets are now part of a government initiative known as the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP works with the food industry is an effort to reduce food and packaging waste. Retailers who have signed the Courtauld Commitment (a voluntary agreement between companies and WRAP) agree to have absolute wastage reduction by 2010 (WRAP No Date). The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) with its green agenda for food and drink manufactures also play a key role in helping companies reduce emissions and waste as well as cutting the amount of packaging that reaches households (FDF No Date). The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) works with the government and consumers in an effort to reduce waste through recycling and composting of household waste (DEFRA No Date). This has created more consumer awareness and this new found awareness puts pressure on food retailers to meet waste reduction targets (Appendix 4). Waitrose currently puts into practice the use of the three R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) to divert waste away from landfills (Mintel 2008 – Ethical and Green Retailing) Sustainable sourcing has become a very real issue with consumers over the past few years with a demand for supermarkets to ensure that their produce such as fish and meat are from sources that can be replenished. Another form of sustainable sourcing is for supermarkets to source their produce locally rather than importing from overseas. This has a huge impact on carbon use as well as a significant impact on creating sustainable economies in our local communities (Mintel 2009 – Influence of the Environment on Food Shopping). MICRO ENVIRONMENT Suppliers Behind its 18,000 different products, Waitrose is supplied by 2500 firms in over 60 countries. The majority of them are small scale and regional producers. Waitrose’s main aim, to offer high quality product, is the base of its plan to source goods from the areas where it trades. For example, that will show the real taste of British food with its regional variety. Furthermore people will have easy access to buy local food and support its local economy. Regardless of the small or big producers, Waitrose aim to work with decency and respect in long term with its suppliers. It wants to help its suppliers to reach their objectives by ensuring them that it will keep the integrity or quality of the suppliers’ product. For this reason, Waitrose wants its producers to use recognisable and with the best quality ingredients for the food, not a list of chemicals such as stabilisers or preservatives. Waitrose. com. â€Å"The Waitrose Small Producers Charter†) To succeed in that approach, the company presented a new Waitrose Locally Produced range, which will aim to offer the best local quality food and great customer service to its customers. The difference between Waitrose and the other UK retailers is the co-ownership of company by its staff, not the publ ic shareholders who only demand for quick and profitable return of their investments. It allows it to make long term growing plans and continuing relationships with its producers in order to face its great customer’s expectations. Waitrose. com. â€Å"The Waitrose Small Producers Charter†) In order to prove their support for small local producers, Waitrose teamed up with The Times to create â€Å"The Small Producers Awards† in 2001. For example, its first year category winners will receive ? 7,000 in cash, plus access to Waitrose business and marketing expertise. (Waitrose. com. â€Å"The Waitrose Small Producers Charter†) Moreover, in relation to the UK Recession, followed by the consumer downturn, Waitrose asked 1000 suppliers to cut their prices with 2%. The request was addressed mainly to suppliers of branded food and farmers in UK. The managing director Mark Price explained company’s decision with the fall in commodity prices, which makes suppliers’ raw material cheaper. Furthermore he states that the Waitrose’s market growth will lead the suppliers to sustain profit, which they should share with their biggest buyer. Moreover John Lewis Partnership’s decision was forced by the annual report of the company, which unveiled 26% fall in pre-tax profit for 2008 to ? 279. 6m. (Telegraph website, 12/03/09) Intermediaries By rewarded as the UK’s favourite retailer for 2007 and 2009, Waitrose main aim is to sustain its loyal and respectful relationship with its suppliers and partners. It is the main intermediary of its own branded goods. Furthermore, Waitrose nurture long-term relationships with its suppliers, paying the fair price and helping them to reinvest in their business. It is the most established local sourcing initiatives in its sector. All Waitrose shops have a regional offering, which covers in excess of 465 producers supplying over 1,400 product lines. In order to ensure its support for UK suppliers and in response to customer feedback, Waitrose has developed new shelf-edge ticketing, which emphasise the county, origin and unique qualities of each product. (JLP annual report 2009) Moreover, Waitrose cooperate with other intermediary companies in order to transfer the produced goods from its supplier to the customers. Its main distributor is the online supermarket delivery company Ocado. It operates mainly in Greater London, covering over 3 million households. Their relationships evolved in 2002 when John Lewis Partnership bought 29% of Ocado’s shares. In addition, their contract will expire in 2013. Apart from Ocado, Waitrose has established an own online delivery in over 100 stores. (JLP annual report 2009) Financial In difference from the other UK retailers, Waitrose isn’t owned by public shareholders and the City. In stead of cruel shareholders, whose fixed idea is to gain profitable quick returns, Waitrose is a part of John Lewis Partnership, which is owned by its workers. Each year, every partner share company’s profits, which in others retailers go to the shareholders. This organisational system makes extraordinary commitment and loyalty amongst its labour. Furthermore company could praise itself with partners who worked with it for many years. This system makes its workers to be interested in what they are doing and selling. For that reason the often good remarks of the customers about the customer service are not surprising, because every worker in the local store do in fact own the store. (Waitrose website. â€Å"The Waitrose Difference†) Moreover, an interest public fact is that Waitrose holds a Royal Warrant with Her Majesty The Queen. This means that company is chosen to supply the Royal Family with goods for five years. Moreover, Waitrose held the long-lasting Warrant with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. That is a significant evidence for the great quality that Waitrose has been offering through the years. (Waitrose website. â€Å"The Waitrose Difference†) Government As an established responsible and reliable retail company, Waitrose aim to consider and follow government policy. It is in a consistent relationship with any local government, discussing key issues which affect its partners, customers and communities in which it operates. Furthermore it is an active member of government policy advisory groups, such as Climate Change Leaders Group, British Retail Consortium and Retail Energy Forum. (John Lewis Partnership website, â€Å"Engaging our stakeholders†) Moreover, Waitrose cooperate with local authorities during planning and construction of all its new shops. It wants to ensure that its new stores are built responsibly and will operate sustainably in order to diminish its impact on the environment and the local community. (John Lewis Partnership website, â€Å"Engaging our stakeholders†) Lastly, Waitrose and its parent John Lewis Partnership work closely with regulators such as â€Å"Environment Agency† and â€Å"Health & Safety Executive† to inform that the Partnership do all its best in compliance with the law. In any case of legal issue occur, it respond immediately, and cooperate with the local regulator to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. (John Lewis Partnership No Date, â€Å"Engaging our stakeholders†) The Company Waitrose stems from a small grocery shop called ‘Waite. Rose & Taylor’ founded by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor; the small grocery shop opened for business 1904. Four years on the founders decided to rebrand the company in 1908 by changing the company name to ‘Waitrose’, which is a combination of two of the founders’ surnames. The Waitrose Company desired changed once again so joined ‘The John Lewis Partnership’ 1937, whereby 160 Waitrose employees became ‘partners ‘or co-owners of the business (Waitrose No Date – The Company). The John Lewis partnership is formed by 70,000 partners (staff) who co-own John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets, an online and catalogue business (John Lewis Direct-johnlewis. om), a direct service company (Greenbee), three production units and a farm. (The John Lewis Partnership No Date) (John Lewis Partnership CSR Report 2009, Page 5) ‘The Waitrose difference’ Waitrose focuses operation around offering the best quality goods and have adapted their daily producers, to make shopping easier to suit all by offering a distinctive service; such as packing at checkouts, carry to car service and assists to those that required it; it is this that they believe gives them the edge over other supermarkets (Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference) Waitrose has an exceptional return policy whereby customers will receive their full money back, if they genuinely pursed t a product they didn’t require or a customer is not one hundred percent happy with the product. It is this edge that provides Waitrose with long lasting loyal customers that trust the supermarket they shop in. As well as food products Waitrose offers ‘Branch Extras’ at selected stores; enabling customers to rent wines glasses, beer glasses and fish kettles free of charge as a friendly jester(Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference). Waitrose commitment to provide outstanding produces and services has been credited with a Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen; Which is a mark of recognition of those that supply goods or services to members of the Royal Family for at least five years(Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference). Employees Waitrose employees are also co-owners and form part of the John Lewis Partnership; the John Lewis Partnership aims to employ exceptional staffs that are dedicated to putting the consumers’ needs first whilst delivering excellent customer service. The John Lewis Partnership aims to keep the happiness of its employees at the heart of the partnership and uses a blend of five key elements to do this: †¢Work/life balance – employees are encouraged to keep a equal balance of work and play to support this the partnership offers ; flexible hours, career breaks, long leave, a flexible retirement policy . †¢Competitive pay and benefits – the partnership aims to maintain a pay policy which is competitive while being fair to all partners and offers a range of partners benefits from discounts and bonus to life insurance. Filling potential – the partnership gives all their employees the chance to reach their full potential and required all employees to ender go compulsory training. There partnership also allows employees the opportunity for promotion and career development programs. †¢Fair treatment – the partnership treats all its employees fair and provides equal opportunities for all, regardles s of age, gender, ethnicity, social background, religion and disability or sexuality. Powered by our Principles (PboP) – these are six principles sets out to inform employees of what is expected from all them; be honest, give respect, recognise others, show enterprise, work together and achieve more (Waitrose No Date – Our Employees) Customers ‘The John Lewis Partnership aims to deal honestly with customers, securing their loyalty and trust by providing outstanding choice, value and service. ’ (John Lewis Partnership CSR Report 2009, pg 4) Waitrose dominates a niche market were its target customers are believed to be affluent with a more flexible disposable income. They are associated with the middle classes along with high class food and fantastic customer service. Their repeat custom is formed, as the consumer seeks a well established supermarket they can trust and complete their weekly shop in a supermarket that’s driven by high quality fresh food. (Mintel 2009 – Food Retails Waitrose) A loyal Waitrose customer will complete their weekly shop unconditionally every week in there local Waitrose store; however if they need a product unexpectedly they will use a convenient store as a one off it is it nearer in location. Typical Waitrose customers are considered to be; affluent with a more flexible disposable income, middle to high classes, working professionals and health focused consumers (Mintel 2009 – Food Retails Waitrose). In addition another important factor that adds to ‘the customer’ that shops at Waitrose supermarkets is the location of the stores; as Waitrose stores are based more South/East England and areas that are frequently referred to as ‘posh’, where people are financially comfortable (Mintel 2009 – Food Retails Waitrose). Waitrose strive to maintain exceptional customer service and are always constantly evaluating their services to unsure they are fulfilling their consumer needs. Waitrose uses a range of formal methods of research and feedback, such as customer surveys, panels, focus groups, online feedback forms and regular mystery shopping to gather sufficient evidence to monitor their customer service and performance necessary action if required (John Lewis Partnership No Date – Customer Service) Competition Waitrose occupies up to 4% of the UK grocery market, this compares with the largest food retailer in England today is which is Tesco’s who hold a massive 30 % share of the market. In the UK today every ? 1 in every ? 7 of consumer spending is spent in one of Tesco’s stores. Tesco specializes primarily in food and drink with its Value and Finest ranges that we all know well, but it has also become a major player in a range of non-food markets including consumer electrical, clothing, financial services, telecoms, fuel and internet services amongst others. In 2008, Tesco launched a new ‘Discount Brands’ range, which is geared towards consumers seeking to trade down but not ready to compromise on quality. The new range appears to have halted the drift of customers to Aldi and Lidl. Tesco’s sheer scale means it has been able to lower prices on the back of large volumes. Tesco’s has different types of stores every one of them targeting different consumers, tesco express for example, the smallest one in the range, is designed to be a convenience shop where the costumer can Top-up (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail Tesco). Other major players are Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons with Asda taking up to 17% of the market. Asda has a similar range of product to Tesco but opened up the clothing market in supermarkets but presenting its own brand known as George at Asda. Asda, part of Wal-Mart, directs its main focus on price, primarily targeting the lower end of the mass-market although the current climate is increasing demand for discount items from a variety of consumer groups. In terms of consolidated sales, in 2008 the company was the third largest grocer in the UK although when fuel sales are removed Asda moves into second place behind Tesco but above Sainsbury. What has really set Asda apart from its rivals in the food sector in the UK has been its lack of convenience store activity. While Tesco and Sainsbury’s have attacked the c-store sector very aggressively, Asda has been happy to maintain its larger big-box stores enabling them to maintain a presence out of town. (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail) Waitrose occupies a relatively small but nevertheless very strong portion of the market with its closest supermarket being Marks and Spencer. Both of these supermarkets aim at a quality rather than quantity market with prices generally being higher than the larger supermarkets Marks and Spencer holds approximately 3. 9% of the grocery market. The main differences between of the two chains is that Waitrose holds 18% of organic food ranges and sells none Waitrose brand products whilst Marks and Spencer sells just its own made brand. Marks & Spencer is the UK’s leading non-food retailer, but food has long been a part of its heritage. The company trades from a premium positioning, emphasising quality and value. Dry groceries are only a small part of the offer, with the company instead focusing on ready prepared meals, fresh items and foods for special occasions. The food range is available from specialist Simply Food convenience stores as well as the larger general merchandise outlets. (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail – Marks & Spencer). In the food retail industry we find that there are two different orientated companies, price orientated and customer orientated. Waitrose aims at the customer orientated market and this has generally held them in good stead. The recent recession was a testing time for the company but their strong brand name appears to have weathered the storm and it has successfully retained its position. Media Waitrose takes its promotion and advertising seriously and has a very organised and wide range of media publicity. On they own website they have options to find press releases and press packs and it is optional to sign up to receive daily updates regarding Waitrose. They have affirmed their commitment by appointing Grand Union as the lead digital agency for Waitrose. The agency will relaunch the brand's website Waitrose. com, as well as produce digital marketing for Waitrose Deliver, the brand's online grocery shopping service. Waitrose uses television and advertising extensively to promote its products and services and has announced recently that celebrity chefs Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal will join forces in a collaboration that will see them appear in TV, press and online advertising for the grocer (Waitrose 2009) The company website now provides an option to find all the recipes that have been used on the show. In addition John Lewis, the stores sister brand, has launched a glossy customer magazine, which will be made available in all Waitrose stores, with an initial print run of 500,000. The launch is backed by an in-store marketing campaign (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail).. Publics The company takes its public and social responsibilities very seriously and its basic philosophy is as follows:- â€Å"As a responsible retailer, owned beneficially by our employees, we believe that the long-term future of the Partnership is best served by respecting the interests of all our stakeholders: Partners, customers, suppliers and the wider community. We look actively for opportunities to improve the environment and to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities in which we trade. (Waitrose Feb 2010 – Press Centre) In 2008, Waitrose was the first UK food retailer to begin using Anaerobic Digestion (AD), a process which eliminates the need to send waste food to landfill sites. (Waitrose Feb 2010 – Press Centre). Waitrose commits at least 1 per cent of pre-tax profits to charitable and community projects. They are also committed to providing support to overseas disasters through the British Red Cross and are involved in over 100 projects involving 16,000 people in South Africa; rolled out to Ghana and Kenya. Their target is to increase activities in the field referred to above and to actively encourage participation in Sport and physical exercise in the UK. They have already diverted 50 per cent of their total operational waste food away from landfill and their goal is to divert 95 per cent by 2013. Waitrose is set to launch an environmental initiative inviting customers to suggest eco ideas that it can implement into the business. â€Å"Your Green Idea† was launched on 15 March 2010, following a soft launch of the website. It is clear that Waitrose is very committed to its social and public responsibilities and have a proven track record to support their mandate SWOT ANALYSIS Internal Strengths Waitrose was one of the first retailers to develop own brands (after Mark’s and Spencer). Their own brand line carries over 18000 products including 117 lines in their ‘Perfectly Balanced’ range which promotes a fresh and healthy lifestyle for their customers (Mintel 2009, Food Retail UK – Waitrose). Waitrose differentiates itself strongly from other supermarkets. They have a more defined range of products with focus on high quality food and up-market products. They are extremely customer orientated and place great emphasis on customer service as one of their unique selling points (Mintel 2009, Food Retail UK – Waitrose). According to a survey by Which Waitrose is the leading supermarket chain in food quality and range. Only ASDA was rated better than Waitrose for value for money (Which 2008) Having owned their own farms for over 70 years Waitrose prides itself on working with its farmers, growers and suppliers directly to ensure that only the highest quality food from the most ethical and environmentally friendly sources reach they consumers. This is supported by its own inspections and farm assurance schemes (Waitrose No Date – Origin of our Food). Waitrose was the first ever winner of the title Organic Supermarket of the Year and have over 16 awards for wine purchasing and retail. These are just some of the many awards that have been claimed by Waitrose over the past several years (Waitrose Various Dates – Press and Awards). Waitrose also holds a Royal Warrant with Her Majesty the Queen to supply goods to members of the Royal Family (Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference). Waitrose was the first to introduce self-scanning (Quick Check) in some stores, which demonstrates a willingness to innovate and offer a high service and reducing costs. Recent technological innovations that have been introduced in stores include: printers which provide price labels and barcodes for any stock that needs to be reduced and hand held devices available to shoppers to use as a self scanning system. (Thompson. S 2010). The partnership with John Lewis gives Waitrose tested supplier links and economies of scale. Waitrose would struggle to achieve the success it has today without the help of the partnership. The partnership also functions as a conglomerate therefore diversifying risk. The association with John Lewis improves Waitrose’s reputation (John Lewis Partnership No Date). Waitrose has a strong culture of co-ownership due to the fact that it’s not owned by shareholders but owned by everyone who works for the partnership. Their staff are generally well motivated because they are partners and profits ultimately come back to them. Various other benefits (such as pension schemes) are what make Waitrose a good employer, with satisfied employees. Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference) Internal Weaknesses The distribution of the Waitrose stores is quite weak, especially in certain areas such as the south west of England, Wales, North-West of England, and Scotland. However their acquisition of 13 Somerfield stores has lead to an expansion of distribution into the North of England and Wales (Chesters. L Property Week 2009) Own labels are the main segment within th eir product mix. Waitrose is very dependent on this product range with a majority of sales coming from its own brand. Larger diversification would be helpful to gain better strength in the market (Mintel 2009 – Brands: Are Supermarkets Squeezing Out Brands) Waitrose also has the weakness of only supplying high quality, high price products. This could be seen as a negative factor due to the exclusion of an entire demographic of people in the lower class of the population who could be potential customers. However they have recently made attempts to increase their target demographic through the introduction of an economy range branded as Waitrose Essentials. This shows they have recognised a potential for expansion and this can lead to further developments in the future (Finch, J March 2009) External Opportunities Further expansions throughout the UK would be useful to raise the importance of the firm, gain market share and, weaken the competitors buying their own branches and improving e-commerce. Also further acquisition of competitor stores such as the Somerfield stores purchased by Waitrose would lead to increased market share (Chesters. L Property Week 2009). Waitrose has an elaborate online shopping facility in place; however, this as well is subject to regional limitation. Expansion of distribution channels for online shopping facilities would help Waitrose get their products to customers who live outside areas where branches are located. Setting up new partnerships with other companies will grant higher incomes because both companies could be able to buy larger amount of products with cheaper prices. New Partnership could also help Waitrose to diversify into other non-food products other than those that John Lewis already offers. Waitrose has recognised this opportunity (All Business, No Date) External Threats A major part of Waitrose strategy on sales has been built on the sale of premium own brand products. Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have identified the sales of premium own brands as a lucrative segment with high margins and all three have a wide selection of premium products in store. Tesco and Sainsbury’s advertise on price which gives the perception of their products still being of a lower quality than those sold at Waitrose (Mintel 2008 – Premium Foods – UK) The recession while perceived to be coming to an end still has the potential to generate many problems for Waitrose. When interest rate rise this year people will have less disposable income and may start to buy cheaper products and so shifting from Waitrose to other cheaper retailers. This could result in a loss in consumers’ loyalty and this would give direct advantages to competitors (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail) Also due to the weakened sterling there is a possibility that overseas groups could enter the market and increase competition generating the reduction of incomes and market share for each player (Keynote 2010 – Food Industry) CONCLUSION The supermarket industry has gone through some important changes over the past few years. From our analysis of the macro environment we can see some main issues have affected the food retails sector. Environmental issues are now at the forefront of everything companies do, with consumers not only demanding more for their money but more for the environment as well. Technology has seen the internet open up a whole new way of shopping and while it’s still the early stages there is great promise for the internet as a medium for food purchases. Society is changing in a way that will affect how people shop in years to come. Now with more people from different cultural backgrounds residing in the UK than ever before supermarkets must act fast to meet the new needs of a changing society. New legislation has stopped many key players in their tracks with plans for expansion as a new financial ombudsman now has the last word on whether a supermarket can expand in a certain location. The recession has had a major impact of the supermarket sector over the past couple of years. It has been the driving influences to a lot of changes which have been occurring in most of the major food retailers. While the supermarket industry is relatively ecession proof their customers are not and this has seen consumer trends of trading down and buying less. An analysis of the internal structure of Waitrose shows us a very strong company with high moral grounding and a passion for customer service. They may not have such large market share as the ‘big four’ but they are growing at a rapid pace and with the addition of their new ’Essentials’ range to their portfolio they are preparing to enter a whole new main stream market. They pride themselves on having great relationships with employees and suppliers and are at the forefront of environmental issue such as sustainable ethical sourcing. Waitrose is a company that is heading in the right direction and while they are not without their weakness’s, distribution being a key factor, they are adept at recognising where improvements can be made and building towards a higher market share. APPENDIX Appendix 1 – http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=496165? select_section=496166 Appenix 2 – http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=496166? select_section=496167 Appendix 3 – http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&sort=relevant&access=accessible&archive=hide&source=non_snapshot&list=search_results/display/id=418439/display/id=480340? select_section=480342 Appendix 4 – http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/sear ch_results/show&/display/id=394656/display/id=442497? select_section=442498 BIBLYOGRAPHY MACRO ENVIRONMENT Social Brassington. F and Pettitt. S (2006), Principles of Marketing 4th Edition, Pearson Education Ltd, London Office for National Statistics (2010), Population Estimates, Available: http://www. statistics. gov. uk/cci/nugget. asp? ID=6. , [27th March 2010] Office for National Statistics (2010), Migration, Available: http://www. statistics. gov. uk/cci/nugget. asp? id=260, [28th March 2010] Keynote (2009), Food Retailing – UK Market in Brief, Available: http://0academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621, [16th March 2010] Office for National Statistics (2010), Health and Social Care, Available: http://www. statistics. gov. uk/CCI/nugget. asp? ID=1268&Pos=6&ColRank=2&Rank=208, [20th March 2010] Keynote (2010), Food Industry – Industry Overview, Available: https://www. keynote. co. uk/market-intelligence/view/product/2360/food-industry/chapter/3/industry-overview [6th April 2010] Keynote (2010), Food Industry – PEST Analysis, Available: https://www. keynote. co. uk/market-intelligence/view/product/2360/food-industry/chapter/4/pest-analysis? highlight=food industry [5th April 2010] Mintel (2009), Food Retailing UK – Broader Market Environment, Available: http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/sear h_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=496166? select_section=496167 [10th March 2010] IDG (2009), Non-Food Retailing, Available: http://www. igd. com/index. asp? id=1&fid=1&sid=17&tid=0&folid=0&cid=90, [6th April 2010) Economic Tutor2u (No Date), Business and Trade Cycle, Available: http://tutor2u. net/economics/gcse/revision_notes/big_picture_business_cycle. htm, [29th March 2010] Mintel (2009), Food Retailing UK – Sector Size and Forecast, Available: http://0academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=496169? elect_section=496171, [17th March 2010) BBC News (27th January 2010), UK Economy Emerges from Recession, Available http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/8479639. stm, [28th March 2010] Office for National Statistics (2010), Employment, Available: ]http://www. statistics. gov. uk/cci/nugget. asp? id=12, [1st April 2010] Mintel (2009), Food Retailing UK – Broader Market Environment, Available: http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=395621/display/id=496166? select_section=496167, [17th March 2010] BBC News (10th December 2009), UK Interest Rate Remains at 0. %, Available: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/8405543. stm, [19th March 2010] Mintel (2009), Market Re-forecasts – Food †“ UK – March Introduction, Available: http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/sear ch_results/show&/display/id=445314/display/id=447574? select_section=447575, [12th March 2010] F. Kastner (2009), Supermarket Anchored Centres – Are they Recession Proof? , ICSC Certified Professionals Newsletter, Available: http://www. icsc. org/srch/education/newsletter/CPNews0309/15_Supermarket_Anchored. pdf, [26th March 2010] Keynote (2010), Food Industry – Industry Overview, Available: https://www. keynote. co. uk/market-intelligence/view/product/2360/food-industry/chapter/3/industry-overview? highlight=food industry, [6th April 2010] Political Business Link (2009), Business Links Cartels and Monoplies, Available: http://www. businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/layer? topicId=1074014670 Business Link (2009), Understanding National Minimum Wage Law, Available: http://www. businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/layer? topicId=1074402393 Directgov (2010), News Room, Available: http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_178175, Office of Fair Trading (2007), A Quick Guide to Competition and Consumer Protection Laws that Effect Your Business, Available: http://www. oft. gov. uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/general/oft911. pdf, [6th April 2010] Hartshorne. J, Naturenet, (1996), UK Law and the Environment, Available: http://www. naturenet. net/law/envlaw1. html [6th April 2010] Sourceuk, (2009), Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP), Available: http://www. sourceuk. net/article/12/12940/groceries_supply_code_of_practice_gscop. html, [3rd April 2010] DEFRA (No Date), Legislation, Available: http://www. defra. gov. k/environment/policy/enforcement/project/index. htm, [27th March 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (No Date), Environmental Protection Act 1990, Available: http://www. opsi. gov. uk/ACTS/acts1990/ukpga_19900043_en_1, [2nd April 2010] Office of Public Sector Information (No Date), Environment Act 1995, Available: http://www. opsi. gov. uk/acts/acts1995/ukpga_19950025_en_1, [2nd April 2010] DE FRA (No Date), About Defra, Available: http://www. defra. gov. uk/corporate/index. htm, [2nd April 2010] Competition Commission (No Date), About Us, Available: http://www. competition-commission. org. uk/about_us/index. tm, [14th April 2010] Competition Commission (2009), Competition Test, Available: http://www. competition-commission. org. uk/press_rel/2009/oct/pdf/46-09. pdf, [13th April 2010] Environment, Mintel (2008), Green and Ethical Retailing, Available: http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=280622/display/id=416224? select_section=416223, [23rd March 2010] Ethical Consumer (2010), Ethiscore, Available: http://www. ethiscore. org/, [3rd April 2010] Mintel (2009), Influence of the Environment on Food Shopping, Available: http://0-academic. intel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=394656, [19th March 2010] Donohue. A, (October 2007), Brand Republic, Availa ble: http://www. brandrepublic. com/News/744863/M-S-Sainsburys-Waitrose-top-green-supermarkets-study/, [28th March 2010] Department of Energy and Climate Change (2008), A Low Carbon UK, Available: http://www. decc. gov. uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/lc_uk. aspx, [12th April 2010] Department of Energy and Climate Change (2008), Legislation, Available: http://www. decc. gov. uk/en/content/cms/legislation/legislation. aspx, [6th April 2010] WRAP (No Date), About Us, Available: http://www. wrap. org. uk/wrap_corporate/about_wrap/index. html, [6th April 2010] Food and Drink Federation (No Date), About FDF, Available: http://www. fdf. org. uk/about_fdf. aspx, [6th April 2010] Technology Mintel (2009), Online Grocery Retailing, Available: http://0-academic. mintel. com. emu. londonmet. ac. uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&/display/id=418439, [27th March 2010] Just Food (2010), UK Online Grocery Shopping to Double in 5 Years, Available: http://www. just-food. com/article. aspx? id=109468&lk=s, [18th April 2010] SAS (August 2006), SAS Chosen by Waitrose to Forecast Customer Demand, Available: http://www. sas. com/offices/europe/uk/press_office/press_releases/august2006/waitrose. html, [29th March 2010] Goliath (2005), Check out self-checkout: supermarket chains that fail to offer this customer convenience in the right stores are sure to disappoint many of their shoppers, Available: http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-4976992/Check-out-self-checkout-supermarket. html, [12TH April 2010] Retails Systems (2010), Zetes renews Quick Check scanners for Waitrose, Available: http://www. retail-systems. om/rs/Waitrose_Zetes. php, [19th March 2010] MICRO ENVIRONMENT – Suppliers Intermediaries, Financial Government, Waitrose (No Date), The Waitrose Small Producers Charter, Available: www. waitrose. com, [19th March 2010] Hall. J, Telegraph (March 2009), Waitrose asks 1,000 suppliers to cut prices, Available: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/4976976/Waitro se-asks-1000-suppliers-to-cut-prices. html, [9th April 2010] John Lewis Partnership (2009), John Lewis Partnership annual report and accounts 2009, Available: http://www. johnlewispartnership. co. uk/Display. aspx? MasterId=3a870a7d-6317-4f49-9ede-138f44473e9e&NavigationId=578, [20th March 2010] Waitrose (No Date), The Waitrose Difference, Available: http://www. waitrose. com/ourcompany/thewaitrosedifference. aspx, [20th March 2010] John Lewis Partnership (No Date), Engaging Our Stakeholders, Available: http://www. johnlewispartnership. co. uk/Display. aspx? MasterId=374bc5fc-f941-432c- 829531c505f15e37&NavigationId=607#gov, [20th March 2010] MICRO ENVIRONMENT – The Company, Employees, Customers Jonhlewispartenrship (2010) About us[online] Available from: http://www. johnlewispartnership. co. uk/Display. aspx? &MasterId=768e29e8-41a