Friday, January 24, 2020

Asian Crisis Essay -- essays research papers fc

The beginning of the Asian financial crisis can be traced back to 2 July 1997. That was the day the Thai Government announced a managed float of the Baht and called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 'technical assistance'. That day the Baht fell around 20 per cent against the $US. This became the trigger for the Asian currency crisis. Within the week the Philippines and Malaysian Governments were heavily intervening to defend their currencies. While Indonesia intervened and also allowed the currency to move in a widened trading range a sort of a float but with a floor below which the monetary authority acts to defend the currency against further falls. By the end of the month there was a 'currency meltdown' during which the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir attacked 'rogue speculators' and named the notorious speculator and hedge fund manager, George Soros, as being personally responsible for the fall in value of the ringgit. Soon other East Asian economies became involved , Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and others to varying degrees. Stock and property markets were also feeling the pressure though the declines in stock prices tended to show a less volatile but nevertheless downward trend over most of 1997. By 27 October the crisis had had a world wide impact, on that day provoking a massive response on Wall Street with the Dow Jones industrial average falling by 554.26 or 7.18 per cent, its biggest point fall in history, causing stock exchange officials to suspend trading. Countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have embraced an unusual policy combination of liberalisation of controls on flows of financial capital on the one hand, and quasi-fixed/ heavily managed exchange rate systems on the other. These exchange rate systems have been operated largely through linkages with the United States (US) dollar as their anchor. (1) Such external policy mixes are only sustainable in the longer term if there is close harmonisation of economic/ financial policies and conditions with those of the anchor country (in this case, the United States). Otherwise, establishing capital flows will inevitably undermine the exchange rate. Rather than harmonisation, there seems to have actually been increased economic and financial divergence with the US, especially in terms of current account deficits, inflation and interest rates. The... ..., 'Crisis into Catastrophe?' Financial Times (London), 31 October 1997, p. 15. 8.Max Walsh, 'Aid Parcels to Japanese Banks', The New Zealand Herald, 18 November 1998, pp. 25-26; Max Walsh, 'Time for Japan to Save the World', The New Zealand Herald, 21 November 1998, pp. 29-30. 9.John McBeth, 'Big is Best: Indonesia's Rescue Package Draws on the Thai Experience', Far Eastern Economic Review, 13 November 1997, pp. 68-69; Greg Sheridan, 'The Asian Malaise is Curable', 28 November 1997, p. 13. National Business Review 10.Charles Lee, 'The Next Domino?' Far Eastern Economic Review, 20 November 1997, pp. 14-16. 11.Eric Ellis, 'Kim Inspects Mouth of IMF Gift Horse', Australian Financial Review, 24 November 1997, p. 12. 12.Teresa Wyszomierski and Christopher Lingle, "Fortress Japan Under Siege', Australian Financial Review, 19 November 1997, p. 20. 13.Ian MacFarlane, Forbes Magazine Business 1998, pp24-27. 14. Forecasts Lowered', The New Zealand Herald, 20 November 1998, pp. 29-30. 15.Reserve Bank of New Zealand, semi-annual Statement on Monetary Policy, November 1997, pp. 2-13. 16 A New Revolution by Peter Smith As published in NZBUSINESS, August 1998, PP

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Chik-Fil-a

Chick-fil-A is one of the most successful fast food restaurant establishments in the country. With over 1,300 locations in 37 states in the Southern U. S. , they continue to grow the brand by expanding to new territories (Chick-fil-A Company, 2009, para 1). In 2008 Chick-fil-A has seen a 12. 17 percent sales increase over the chain’s 2007 performance and a same store sale increase of 4. 59 percent (Chick-fil-A Company, 2009, para1). Throughout the years Chick-fil-A has come up with many innovative ideas to continue expanding business and satisfying their loyal customers. One of the ideas was to offer different types of restaurant set-ups to cater to customer’s needs. The different restaurant set-ups include mall/in line, stand-alone, drive-thru only outlets, dwarf houses, Truett’s grills, licensed non-traditional outlets (franchises) and satellite/lunch-counter. After proper research of different geographical locations the writer has decided to buy into a chic-fil-A franchise zoned in the Columbia County, Grovetown area. Executive Summary Chick-fil-A’s mission is â€Å"to be America's best quick-service restaurant at winning and keeping customers† (ChristiaNet, 2009, para 2). We will strive to be the premier fast food franchise of its kind in the North East market with future goals of expanding into our European territories. Our goal is to keep one step ahead of the competition by offering a clean environment, dynamic customer service, and overall quality products and services. Chick -fil-A's purpose statement reveals the heart of the company: â€Å"That we might glorify God by being a faithful steward in all that is entrusted to our care, and that we might have a positive influence on all the people that we might come in contact with† (ChristiaNet, 2009, para 2). We want our customers to experience the highest level of satisfaction there is to offer during their visit at our franchise. We will deliver a quality controlled atmosphere with efficient state-of-the art appliances, and provide extraordinary customer service so that every customer will benefit from our success. Identify the marketing segment for the product and explain why this segment was selected; The location selected to launch the Chik-fil-a franchise will be in Columbia county centrally located in Grovetown. This area was selected because of its potential profitability. Potential profitability is a function of the current market size, its anticipated growth, current and anticipated levels of competition, and customer behavior and expectations (lacobucci, 2010 ). Columbia County’s rapid growth has transformed this county from a rural neighbor of Augusta to the major suburban county in the second largest metropolitan area in Georgia (Columbia County, 2009, para 1). There a re many reasons for their rapid growth – a growing and diversified job market, a premier school system, affordable land, open spaces lending an air of the countryside, and a stable, conservative county government. Columbia County is predominantly residential and includes a highly-skilled workforce. According to Federal census figures released over the past decade, Columbia is the region's fastest growing county. However, there are still some improvements needed for the revolving community. As stated above Grovetown is a city on the move, constantly reinventing itself to appeal to a variety of residents. However, there are improvements needed that would make the Grovetown area more marketable. Currently there aren’t enough eating places in close proximity to residents living west of the county which is considered Grovetown. There is only one Mexican and Chinese restaurant, a McDonald’s, Subway, and KFC in the community. Surrounding areas offer a larger variety of fast food and dining restaurants but the closest Chic-fil-A is about 10 miles away from the Grovetown area. There are currently only six chik-fil-A locations throughout the city of Augusta which is not considered many at all. That is going to give the entrepreneur a huge advantage at start-up that there is not many other chik-fil-A’s close by and throughout the city. Being that Chick-fil-A is America’s number one choice of fast food, the others don’t stand a chance. Discuss the target market and why these customers will be targeted; The target market will include residents living in the Grovetown/Harlem area and also the army base, Ft. Gordon located approximately 2 miles from the Gate 2 Grovetown entrance. Military personnel make up the vast majority of residents living in the Grovetown area. Ft. Gordon also serves as a training base for new soldiers coming into service so there is a large market segment being targeted. Ft. Gordon only has a Blimpe’s, Popeye’s, Burger King, Godfather’s pizza, Chinese, and Huddle House. Based on the current market, Chik-fil-a will have a huge competitive advantage. With sickness rapidly attacking the bodies of young and older adults healthier alternatives are taken into consideration. Exercise with a combination of healthier diets is now a priority of much of America. Chik-fil-a will be one of the healthier alternatives that Grovetown will welcome hole-heartedly. What’s better than to start your morning with a custom cup of coffee and a low calorie breakfast sandwich? Adding the franchise here will attract morning employees heading to work, 3rd shift workers heading home from work, and many customers in between are most likely to choose Chick-fil-A over McDonald’s and Subway on any given day. Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities and treats) analysis for the company; SWOT Analysis Chick-fil-A is a unique position of competition. We compete against neighborhood fast food chains such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Subway. However, there is really no threat against America’s preferred fast food restaurants, Chik-fil-a. Offering numerous low calories, fat free items, Chick-fil-A has the best competitive advantage. The benefits and drawbacks of each of our competitors as compared with the services we offer are hardly a match in quality and price. When it comes to nutrition, McDonald’s falls short of the victory over Chick-fil-A. However, McDonalds wills serve as our most stiff competition. In addition to hamburgers, fries, and soft drinks, McDonalds offer grilled chicken sandwiches, an array of salads, Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfaits, Apple Dippers with Low Fat Caramel Dip, juice, 1% low fat milk, and, at many restaurants, soups (McDonalds Nutrition, 2009, para 5). It has helped McDonalds tremendously; however, Chik-fil-A’s healthier choices are a bit more pleasing to the taste buds. On the other hand, Subway has proven to have a nutritional advantage over Chick-fil-A but the quality of service or product does not add up to exceed it’s customer base. KFC has surely stepped up their competitive edge by comparing their items to its competitor analyzed by its calorie value. If you go to the KFC website it displays the meal choices and calorie values of McDonalds, Subway and Dunkin Donuts against its new grilled chicken meal. Chick-fil-A was not one of the selected fast food components that KFC could compare itself to. Chick-fil-A’s main strategy is to focus on providing a quality controlled tmosphere for the customer with extraordinary customer service while gaining loyal customers. McDonald’s is focusing on growing market share with a disciplined pricing strategy to provide great tasting food at an affordable price (McDonalds Media Center, 2009, para 3). Chick-fil-A understands that the customer drives the business and that most important is to satisfy the customer through superb customer service by offering extensive training to their employees. The writer can attest that competitor’s such as McDonalds, KFC, and Subway can all use improvement in this area. Another competitive edge is our involvement within the community. We will always oblige to be a sponsor for any charitable activities going on in our community. Chick-fil-A and McDonalds are heard more in the media providing programs and sponsorships for their employees and charity events. The residential outlets are continuing to grow tremendously in Columbia County offering Chik-fil-a great opportunities and sponsorship possibilities. Describe the market position for your product and service. A quality that distinguishes chik-fil-A from there fast food competitor’s is it’s commitment to the customer and as a result they have been honored with three Customer service based awards. Product quality is another area that has an effect on the volume of business. If customers are accustomed to receiving quality produced products they are motivated to buy from the supplier because they know what they can expect each time. That is important element in fast food chains. Who wants to drive away from the restaurant with cold food? Complete turn off for the customer and it is sure to leave a bad taste in their mouth for this particular restaurant. In surveys conducted by Marketing and Research Counselors, Inc. Chick-fil-A’s core menu products, including the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets and Chik-fil-A Chick-n-Strips, have consistently ranked number one in their respective categories (Chick-fil-A: Food, 2007). So chik-fil-a will provide the market with products that are favorable by much of America. The â€Å"Eat Mor Chikin† campaign has increased the chain’s sales five-fold. The chain has turned the theme into a fully integ rated marketing program, which includes store point-of-purchase materials, promotions, radio and TV advertising, and clothing and merchandise sales (Chick-fil-A: The Cows, 2007, para 1 ). Chick-fil-A’s marketing presence is here to stay. The company currently has more than 1,380 restaurants in 37 states and Washington, D. C. and enjoyed an aggressive expansion year, opening 80 new restaurants in 2007 (Chick-fil-A Company, 2007, para ). It’s just a matter of time before this company takes its business global and leaves its competitor’s in the wind. Product/Services America loves Chick-fil-A because it can fit into almost any healthy diet through moderation and balanced menu choices. The Chick-fil-A menu offers 10 menu items with 10 or fewer grams of fat. Foods are also cooked in 100 percent refined peanut oil which is naturally trans-fat and cholesterol free (Chick-fil-A: Food, 2007). So not only are the â€Å"eat mor chikin† products delicious, but nutritious as well. Chick-fil-A’s current marketing plan is a huge success. Chock-full a sponsors many events including the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Atlantic Coast, Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences and Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America sponsorships have introduced new audiences to the brand (Chick-fil-A, 2009, para 6). The company participates in many charities around town and always seen in the community volunteering time and making a difference. For the most part prices do not change within a 12 month period. Products offered coincide with all Chick-fil-A locations, however, services vary. We take pride in offering our customers the best service so we will honor product prices that are currently held at the corporate offices.ReferencesChristiaNet. (2009) Chick-fil-A CEO, S. Truett Cathy. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://christiannews.christianet.com/1097585115.htm Columbia County. (2009) Columbia County Georgia General Information . Retrieved December 5, 2009, from http://www.columbiacountyga.gov/ Hoovers Inc. (2009) Chick-fil-A, Inc.- Overveiw. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://www.hoovers.com/company/Chick-fil-A_Inc/hrfkki-1.html Iacobucci, D. (2011). Marketing management: 2010 custom edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. McDonalds. (2009) McDonalds Media Center . Ret rieved December 9. 2009, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat.html McDonalds. (2009) McDonalds Health, Fitness, and Nutrition . Retrieved December 9. 2009, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat.html Waiter on the Way. (2009) Chick-fil-a Southwest. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.waiterontheway.biz/Chick-fil-a%20Southwest

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner - 1326 Words

A Rose For Emily Fiction Analysis English Literature Essay In A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner tells the story of an old and lonely lady stuck in her own timeframe. Her controlling father died some thirty years ago and she has never quite found her own ground. Her house has become the most hideous looking home on the once most select street in the city. Previously elegant and white with scrolled balconies, it was now encroached with dust and decay. The people in Miss Emily s city gossip about her and pity her lost soul. She soon begins dating a young bachelor by the name of Homer Barron, whom is part of the construction company paving sidewalks on her street. They begin taking buggy rides together, and townspeople talk more, and pity Miss Emily more. Things change quickly though, as Miss Emily is seen less with Homer, and is witnessed purchasing arsenic from the local drug store. Eventually no more is seen of Homer, and Miss Emily dies at age seventy-four. After Miss Emily s death the townspeople breakdown her upstairs room that had been s ealed shut for some forty years. They find Homer s dead decaying body, an imprint of another body beside it, and a single grey strand of hair. A Rose for Emily tells the story of tradition versus nontraditional and old versus new, which is brought to light through the story s plot, characters, and setting. Right the beginning of the story it is clear that it will be about old versus new. The writer begins by describing Miss EmilyShow MoreRelatedA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner923 Words   |  4 PagesA Rose for Emily; A Tale of The Old South William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi in 1897 but lived most of his life in Oxford, a small town nearby. After dropping out of high school then briefly joining the Canadian Air Force, he returned home and completed three terms at the University of Mississippi (Fulton 27). During his early twenties Faulkner spent time in New Orleans and Europe before returning to Oxford and publishing his first book of poems. In 1929 he married Estelle FranklinRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1729 Words   |  7 PagesJune 24, 2015 â€Å"A Rose for Emily† In every neighborhood there is always that one house that is a mystery to everyone. A house that everyone wants to know about, but nobody can seem to be able to dig up any answers. It’s the type of place that you would take any opportunity or excuse to get to explore. The littler that is known, the more the curiosity increases about this mysterious place or person. In the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, this mysterious person is Emily Grierson, andRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner949 Words   |  4 PagesIn William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† it is clear how Emily’s gender affects how the individuals in the town perceive her. Emily’s gender particularly affects how men understand her. Throughout the whole piece Emily is seen as a helpless individual who is lonely and has suffered losses throughout her life. When the reader reaches the end of the story the actions that Emily has taken is unexpected because of the way she is perceived by the narrator. In the beginning of the story, when the wholeRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1577 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"A Sarah Markins Dr. Bibby ENG 107 February 11, 2015 â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, written by William Faulkner in 1931, follows a series of peculiar events in Miss Emily Griersons life. Written in third person limited, Faulkner utilizes flashbacks to tell of the period between the death of Emily’s father and her own passing. Split into five short sections, the story starts out with the townspeople of Jefferson remembering Emily’s legacy and how each new generation ofRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1552 Words   |  7 PagesRyan Dunn Mrs. Williams English 11 March 11, 2016 In the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, the reader is given a glimpse of the internal conflict of the main character, living in the past, and the involvement of an over involved society causing the reader to look into the consciousness of an individual haunted by a past and lack of a future. The story is set in a post-Civil War town in the South. He is able to give the reader a glimpse of the practices and attitudes that had unitedRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1507 Words   |  7 Pages1897, William Cuthbert Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi. He stands as one of the most preeminent American writers of the twentieth century. His literary reputation included poetry, novels, short stories, and screenplays. Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a short fascinating story written by William Faulkner and it was his first short story published in a national m agazine. The story involved an old woman named Emily GriersonRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner883 Words   |  4 PagesIn the timeless classic, â€Å"A rose for Emily† by William Faulkner we are introduced to Emily Grierson, a matured sheltered southern woman; born to a proud, aristocratic family presumably during the American Civil War. Through out the short story William Faulkner uses many literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors and allegory to play with â€Å"time† and how time reflects upon his main character Emily Grierson. Emily being one who denies the ability to see time for what it is linear and unchangeableRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1270 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† thoroughly examines the life of a strange woman name Emily Grierson who lives in the town of Jefferson. If we examine â€Å"A Rose for Emily† in terms of formalist criticism, we see that the story dramatizes through setting, plot, characterization, and symbolism on how Miss Emily’s life is controlled by a possessive love she had for her father and lover. William Faulkner uses Emily’s life as the protagonist to examine from a formalist aspect. In orderRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1780 Words   |  8 PagesIn 1930, William Faulkner wrote a five-part story entitled â€Å"A Rose for Emily† that follows the life of a young woman named Miss Emily Grierson. Faulkner sets his story in the Old South, soon after the ending of America’s Civil War, and represents the decaying values of the Confederacy (Kirszner Mandell, 2013a, p. 244). One of these values which the text portrays quite often in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, is the patriarchal custom of society viewing men as having more importance than their female counterpartsRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner1277 Words   |  6 PagesMiss Emily Grierson, the main character in the strange short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† written by William Faulkner. It would be best to examine her in a mental capacity as well as the circumstances that may affect her. Throughout the story, Miss Emily’s unpredictable and eccentric behavior becomes unusual, and the reader, like the townspeople in the story, is left to speculate how Miss Emily has spent years living and sleeping with the body of Homer Barron. An important quote from the story was that