Friday, August 21, 2020

The Marine Corp Memorial Essay Summary Example For Students

The Marine Corp Memorial Essay Summary On February 19, 1945 five Marines and one Sailor took part in an occasion that would perpetually change the course of occasions for the Marine Corps. Without a doubt one of the most remarkable pictures of the twentieth century is the banner raising on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. The banner raising caught the fortitude, responsibility and respect that these Marines held as they arrived at the top. These people were just doing what they were told to do, however it was the Pulitzer Prize winning photo that was taken by Joe Rosenthal that transformed this war time occasion into an overall authentic occasion. Behind the falcon, globe and grapple, the banner raising has appeared as a second insignia for the Marine Corps. Felix de Weldon was at the hour of the banner bringing up in the United States Navy. Felix was at that point a world-disavowed artist. At seventeen years old he won a stone worker challenge in his local Austria. He concentrated in France, Italy and Spain and in the end examined antiquarianism at Oxford. After showing up in the United States he began to look all starry eyed at this nation and its way of life. He joined the U. S. Naval force as a Seabee. Felix de Weldon has been alluded to as the craftsman to the presidents and rulers. Felix was so moved by the photo that he developed a scale model and afterward an actual existence size model of it. Gagnon, Hayes, and Bradley, the three overcomers of the banner raising postured for the stone carver. The first sculpture which was thrown in mortar went in plain view before the Old Navy Building in Washington D. C. from 1945-19 46. It was utilized to advance war bonds around the nation. In 1946 General Vandegrift was so moved by the sculpture that he had Felix de Weldon moved from the Navy to the Marine Corps and appointed him to deliver the commemoration we see today. The remembrance like some other in Washington was met with debate. The essential question originated from the National Sculpture Society. This general public had done the entirety of the large remembrances in Washington and didn't what to be forgotten about on this one. The Governments Commission of Fine Arts likewise participated in the endeavor to stop the dedication. The commission designated by the president, was an assortment of tasteful advisors that had ward over craftsmanship set on government property in the capital. The fight was not between the Marines and the post war innovator yet a battle among the promoters of customary illustrative workmanship. The commission needed the Marine Corp class to drop de Weldon and go with a craftsman through open rivalry. The Marines knew de Weldons adaptation of the sculpture and that was the sculpture they needed. Ten teachers from American University all things considered excused de Weldons form as average quality and called it customary, inadequate, and unsculpturesque. Donald De Lu leader of the National Sculpture Society expressed that: Instead of deifying the fearless Marines who have given their lives for their nation, the proposed plan, whenever allowed to be done would be just a wellspring of unpleasant hatred, vicious analysis, and disparagement. William Wheeler, later to turn into the President of the Sculpture Society, submitted as letter to Secretary of State Forrestal asserting various wrong doings by de Weldon. These charges went from obscure strategic approaches, lapsed visa, distorting craftsmanship, and delivery busts that were as yet wet and the suing for harms when they showed up harmed. In late 1947 the landmark got another mishap. The Commission of Fine Art, which has the stylish endorsement of all landmarks put in the Washington territory, dismissed the commemoration due to its size and the area that was chosen. Later that equivalent year the Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation was framed with General Denig as president and Harry Dash as head of money. .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 , .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .postImageUrl , .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .focused content region { min-tallness: 80px; position: relative; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 , .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:hover , .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:visited , .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:active { border:0!important; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 { show: square; progress: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-change: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; mistiness: 1; change: murkiness 250ms; webkit-progress: obscurity 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:active , .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:hover { darkness: 1; change: haziness 250ms; webkit-progress: darkness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .focused content territory { width: 100%; position: rela tive; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: intense; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content adornment: underline; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; outskirt sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: striking; line-stature: 26px; moz-outskirt range: 3px; content adjust: focus; content improvement: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/basic arrow.png)no-rehash; position: supreme; right: 0; top: 0; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .u265b0d0fe 68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198 .focused content { show: table; stature: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u265b0d0fe68ede2ee10153d07cbe1198:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Causes And Effects Of Earthquakes EssayIt was later found that Harry Dash was stealing reserves adding up to over $100,000 of the commitments. This difficulty nearly shut down the commemoration yet however the relentlessness of a Marine General practically the entirety of the assets were recouped and development on the remembrance continued. On the 176th birthday celebration of the Marine Corps November tenth, 1954 the commemoration was uncovered and for the individuals who saw the revealing this was another sort of landmark, which was stuck in precision and authenticity. On the base of the Memorial is engraved all the fight s that were battled in which Marines gave their lives. Another engraving read Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue likewise recorded was the names of the six people who the remembrance delineates. Three of the six could never realize that they were deified forever; they passed on before the finish of the war. A forward kicked the bucket soon after the commitment. A straightforward demonstration of pride changed these people into national saints, deified forever in bronze. As in any figure, painting, or show-stopper, line is significant, lines decide the start and the end, and it permits different items to be isolated. The lines in this figure are utilized with such authenticity that it is anything but difficult to see the individual bits of the model however to evacuate any of the pieces would expel the genuine importance of the figure. Felix de Weldon duplicated a valid, past sensible duplicate of the first photograph in this manner permitting the watcher to asses there own emotions or thoughts as what went on the morning of February 19, 1945. There are a large number of drawings, sculptures and duplicates of the first photo and you will locate that huge numbers of them have little however irrelevant contrasts. It isn't the trouble of the procedure of generation that causes the distinctions. The distinctions lie in the generation of the thought on which the photograph speaks to. The commemoration is colossal in size; each figure alone is 33 feet high and is molded in obvious 3 dimensional structure. With its size and its mind blowing point of interest, this renders the commemoration as a genuine helpful occasion. The minor size alone prompts the unselfish significance of this verifiable occasion. The commemoration is found outside on the eastern edge of the Arlington National Cemetery in an open field of around 4 sections of land. To be really propelled by this remembrance it ought to be seen around evening time. The lighting was structured with such precession that minor words can't communicate the extent of the occasion. The commemoration is a solidified second in time, when the world was at war in pretty much every corner. The photo by Joe Rosenthal deified this occasion so all children could see and ideally feel equivalent to he did on that day. The main piece of the landmark that isn't solidified in bronze is the American Flag. The genuine banner adds to the oddity existing apart from everything else. If you somehow managed to evacuate the external skin of the remembrance all you would discover is a useful edge comprised of latters, cranes, brackets and winches, wires and links. The commemoration was a triumph of association as much as a show-stopper. Using projective pictures de Weldon had the option to transform a photograph into a mind blowing masterpiece. The main change that was produced using the first photograph was one of the Marines at the base of the banner was turned internal to include a progressively tasteful appearance. The meeting was with a Marine housewife who has a few individuals from her family that were or are in the military. She saw the dedication as an image of solidarity for our country. To her the dedication is pride in our country and our lifestyle. The commemoration represented a triumphant country. She additionally remarked on the way that the dedication was structured so as to bring out various feelings from every person who sees it. The remembrance represents a wartime country as well as a peacetime country too mind

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

How to Create the Perfect GTD Workflow with MeisterTask

How to Create the Perfect GTD Workflow with MeisterTask GTD is a productivity technique developed by David Allen and described in his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. It’s a methodology that encourages people to get all of their to-dos on a central list and process those to-dos weekly in order to stay on top of outstanding tasks and accomplish more. To succeed with GTD, it’s important to use the right tool for collecting and organizing your to-do list, and while we’ll admit we’re a little biased, we think MeisterTask is the perfect tool. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to use MeisterTask for GTD by showing you both a simple approach for GTD beginners and a more advanced approach for GTD masters who want to take advantage of some of MeisterTask’s automations. Simple GTD with MeisterTask GTD is an incredibly scalable system that can be as simple as you want it to be or as complex as you need it to be. But if you’re just getting started with the technique, it’s probably best to keep things relatively simple and get the hang of collecting and processing your to-dos before introducing increasing levels of complexity. With that in mind, here’s how you can take a simple approach to GTD using MeisterTask. Create an effective GTD workflow Try MeisterTask Its free! Try MeisterTask Step 1: Create a GTD project in MeisterTask The first step you need to take is creating a GTD project in MeisterTask. Sign up for a free MeisterTask account or sign in to your account if you already have one. Then, click the plus sign next to “Projects” to create a new GTD project. Give your project a name and, if needed, adjust your sharing settings, then click “Create Project.” Step 2: Set up your capture lane One of the core tenants of GTD is that you have to collect all of your outstanding to-dos in a central system. That means getting all of your to-dos out of your head, your email inbox, your phone, etc. and getting them onto a single list. If you’re using MeisterTask for GTD, you can set up the first lane on your board as your capture list. Click on the text that currently says “Open” and give the lane a new nameâ€"something like “Inbox,” “Capture,” or “To Process.” This is the lane where all of your unprocessed to-dos will live. There are a number of different ways to get your to-dos into this MeisterTask lane. Add new to-dos manually If you’re transcribing your to-dos from a handwritten list or just doing a brain dump of the outstanding tasks in your head, you can add a new to-do manually by clicking the plus icon in your capture lane. Give your task a title, then repeat the process until you’ve added tasks for all of your to-dos. Email to-dos to your MeisterTask lane If you have to-do items in your email inbox, you can forward them to a specific email address to add those tasks to your capture lane. Click the down arrow in the right corner of your lane, then select “Automations.” You’ll see an email address at the bottom that you can forward emails to in order to get them to appear as tasks in your capture lane. Copy that email address and add it to your address book so you can start forwarding any existing and new to-dos to MeisterTask to get everything into your capture lane. Gmail users can also use MeisterTask’s Gmail add-on to add tasks to MeisterTask without forwarding emails or leaving the Gmail interface. The same goes for users of Outlook or Spark. Add to-dos from other tools To add to-dos to your MeisterTask collect lane from other applications, you can use one of our Zapier integrations. This allows you to do things like: Create MeisterTask tasks from Evernote notes. Create MeisterTask tasks from Google Calendar events. Add Google Sheets rows to MeisterTask as tasks. Create tasks in MeisterTask from Slack messages. Zapier lets you connect MeisterTask to more than 1,500 other apps, so you can use its automations to make sure your to-dos in any app are added to your collect lane. And if you’re an IFTTT user instead, you can also use our IFTTT integration to build custom workflows for adding your to-dos to your capture lane. Migrate tasks from Trello or Asana If you’ve been using Trello or Asana and want to switch to MeisterTask, you can import your Trello boards or Asana projects with just a few clicks to save yourself the time of manually copying and pasting all of your to-dos between the two tools. Step 3: Create your processing lanes Once you have all of your outstanding tasks in your capture lane, it’s time to make some decisions about how you’ll organize and process your to-dos. GTD recommends a variety of lists you may want to consider adding, but for a simple approach, we recommend the following: Next Actions: Tasks you need to complete Projects: To-dos that represent larger bodies of work and multiple tasks Tickler: Things you need to do in the future but cannot begin on yet Someday: Things you’d like to do one of these days but aren’t priorities Done: Tasks you’ve completed You can edit any existing lanes on your GTD board to give them the appropriate titles by clicking on the text of the current lane name, and you can add new lanes by clicking “+ Add Section.” You can also change the background color of any lane header by clicking the down arrow in the right corner of the header and selecting a different background color. Finally, once you’ve created all of your lanes, you can simply click on the icon in any lane’s header and drag and drop it to the appropriate spot to order your lanes as desired. Step 4: Start processing your to-dos Once you have all of your lanes set up, you’re ready to start processing your to-dos as part of your weekly review. Go through each item in your capture lane and drag them to the appropriate lanes: If a task will take you less than two minutes to complete, just go ahead and do it, then drag it into your “Done” lane. If a task will take you more than two minutes to complete, drag it into whichever lane is appropriate: Next Actions, Tickler, or Someday. If a task is very large and needs to be broken down into multiple subtasks, drag it into the “Projects” lane. When you’re finished, your capture lane should be empty. All of your tasks should be in the other lanes on your board. During your weekly review, you can also start breaking down your projects using MeisterTask’s checklist feature. Click on a project task to open it, then select “Add Checklist Item.” Enter the tasks you’ll need to complete as part of that project. When you’re ready, you can turn these checklist items into their own tasks. For time-sensitive items in your “Next Actions” and “Tickler” lanes, you can add due dates to your tasks to make sure nothing gets overlooked. Just click on a task to open it, click “Due Date,” and select a due date. You can also filter your board to only show items that are due today, tomorrow, within a week, within two weeks, within a month, or in the past. To filter your board, toggle the switch in the right navigation menu to open it, click the filter icon, click the dropdown next to “Due date” and select the desired timeframe. If you select “Due today,” for example, your board will update to only show tasks with due dates set for today. Finally, you can also prioritize any of the items in your list by dragging and dropping your task cards into the order you plan to/need to complete them. Step 5: Start getting things done Now that you have your project set up, your lanes created, and your tasks consolidated and organized, you can start getting things done. Just work from your “Next Actions” lane, review the tasks in that lane daily, capture your to-dos as they come in, and process your capture lane once a week. Advanced GTD with MeisterTask If you’ve gotten the hang of the basic GTD process and are ready to take things a step further, MeisterTask can help with that, too. For example, in David Allen’s “Engage” step of the GTD workflow, he recommends further organizing your tasks by context (i.e. work vs. home), time available (how long will it take), energy available (how much energy do you need to complete the task), and priority (how important is it to complete the task). Assigning categories to tasks not only helps you keep your tasks organizedâ€"i.e. you can have separate lists for work to-dos and personal to-dosâ€"but it also helps you make better decisions when you need to choose what to work on next. For example, you can choose tasks you categorized as low-energy when you’re feeling tired or tasks you decided would only take a few minutes when you’re strapped for time. And since you made these decisions while you were processing your tasks, you don’t have to think through all of those details in the decision-making moment. If you want to engage in more advanced GTD with MeisterTask, you’ll need to create another project. Here’s how to do it. Step 1: Create a new capture and categorize project This new project will serve as both the place you capture your to-dos and the place where you add context to those to-dos. Start by creating a new project in MeisterTask. Name your project something like “GTD Inbox.” Once your project is created, add the lanes you need to add context to your tasks. For example: You may want a lane for “Home” and a lane for “Work” to categorize the things you need to do by where you need to do them. You may want lanes for timeframes like “30 Minutes,” One Hour,” “Two Hours,” “Four hours,” and “One Day” to categorize tasks by how long you think they’ll take to complete. You may want lanes for “High Energy,” “Medium Energy,” and “Low Energy” to categorize tasks by how much energy they’ll take to complete. You may want lanes for “High Priority,” “Medium Priority,” and “Low Priority” to categorize tasks by their importance. Add lanes for any of the categories you want to use to the left of your capture lane in MeisterTask. Step 2: Create tags for each of your categories Now, we want to create tags for each of our categories. This will let us see each task’s categories at a glance. Open any one of your tasks by clicking on it, click “Tags,” and select “Manage.” Click “Add Tag,” then type the name of your first category. Repeat this process until you have one tag for each of your categories. You can also change the color of your tags if you want by clicking any tag and selecting a color. Step 3: Create automations to automatically apply tags to tasks Next, we want to set up automations that tag cards with their categories as we put them into the right lanes. Start with your first category lane. Click the down arrow in the lane’s header and select “Automations” “Add Automation.” On the automation selection screen, select “Update Tags.” On the “Add Automation” screen, select the “Add these Tags” radio button, select the appropriate tag for the category, check the box next to “Run this action on all existing tasks in this section,” and click “Done.” Repeat these steps for each of your categories. When you’re finished, dropping any card into a category lane will automatically add that category’s tag to that task. This lets you move cards into each category group (context, time available, energy available, and priority) to add the tags you’ll need later to make decisions about which tasks to pick up. Step 4: Create an automation to move your cards to your main GTD board Since this board is just for capturing tasks and categorizing them, we need a way to get our captured and categorized tasks onto our main GTD board. We can do that automatically by creating a final “Move” lane on our GTD Capture board and creating another automation. Once you’ve created your “Move” lane, click the down arrow in the lane’s header and select “Automations” “Add Automation.” Select “Move Task.” Click the dropdown under “Move to” and select your main GTD project. Select your capture list’s name under “Sections.” Finally, check the box next to “Run this action on all existing tasks in this section,” then click “Done.” Now, when you’re finished categorizing your tasks, you can drop your tasks into the “Move” lane to automatically send them to your main GTD project’s capture lane. Step 5: Start categorizing your tasks When you do your weekly review, start with your capture and categorize board. Drag each task into the appropriate lane to add its tag. When you’re finished, drag the task into the “Move” lane to automatically send it to your main GTD board. After that, you can use your main GTD board to make decisions about how to organize and complete your tasks. And you can even filter your board to show only tasks tagged with certain categories (e.g. only work tasks or only tasks that will take less than 30 minutes to complete) to make decisions more quickly. Other Ways MeisterTask Helps With GTD In addition to the workflow recommendations we’ve shared, there are a lot of other features in MeisterTask that you can use to GTD better: Need to delegate some of your tasks? You can add employees, coworkers, or even a spouse to your MeisterTask project to delegate tasks easily. Need to track the time you spend on tasks? Enable time tracking for your project to keep your tasks and your time records in the same tool. Need to see your task list while on the go? Download our Android or iOS apps to quickly access your tasks from anywhere in the world, even when you’re not connected to the internet. If you use MeisterTask with GTD and have a tip we didn’t cover in this post, we’d love to hear more about it in the comments below! Create an effective GTD workflow Try MeisterTask Its free! Try MeisterTask How to Create the Perfect GTD Workflow with MeisterTask GTD is a productivity technique developed by David Allen and described in his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. It’s a methodology that encourages people to get all of their to-dos on a central list and process those to-dos weekly in order to stay on top of outstanding tasks and accomplish more. To succeed with GTD, it’s important to use the right tool for collecting and organizing your to-do list, and while we’ll admit we’re a little biased, we think MeisterTask is the perfect tool. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to use MeisterTask for GTD by showing you both a simple approach for GTD beginners and a more advanced approach for GTD masters who want to take advantage of some of MeisterTask’s automations. Simple GTD with MeisterTask GTD is an incredibly scalable system that can be as simple as you want it to be or as complex as you need it to be. But if you’re just getting started with the technique, it’s probably best to keep things relatively simple and get the hang of collecting and processing your to-dos before introducing increasing levels of complexity. With that in mind, here’s how you can take a simple approach to GTD using MeisterTask. Create an effective GTD workflow Try MeisterTask Its free! Try MeisterTask Step 1: Create a GTD project in MeisterTask The first step you need to take is creating a GTD project in MeisterTask. Sign up for a free MeisterTask account or sign in to your account if you already have one. Then, click the plus sign next to “Projects” to create a new GTD project. Give your project a name and, if needed, adjust your sharing settings, then click “Create Project.” Step 2: Set up your capture lane One of the core tenants of GTD is that you have to collect all of your outstanding to-dos in a central system. That means getting all of your to-dos out of your head, your email inbox, your phone, etc. and getting them onto a single list. If you’re using MeisterTask for GTD, you can set up the first lane on your board as your capture list. Click on the text that currently says “Open” and give the lane a new nameâ€"something like “Inbox,” “Capture,” or “To Process.” This is the lane where all of your unprocessed to-dos will live. There are a number of different ways to get your to-dos into this MeisterTask lane. Add new to-dos manually If you’re transcribing your to-dos from a handwritten list or just doing a brain dump of the outstanding tasks in your head, you can add a new to-do manually by clicking the plus icon in your capture lane. Give your task a title, then repeat the process until you’ve added tasks for all of your to-dos. Email to-dos to your MeisterTask lane If you have to-do items in your email inbox, you can forward them to a specific email address to add those tasks to your capture lane. Click the down arrow in the right corner of your lane, then select “Automations.” You’ll see an email address at the bottom that you can forward emails to in order to get them to appear as tasks in your capture lane. Copy that email address and add it to your address book so you can start forwarding any existing and new to-dos to MeisterTask to get everything into your capture lane. Gmail users can also use MeisterTask’s Gmail add-on to add tasks to MeisterTask without forwarding emails or leaving the Gmail interface. The same goes for users of Outlook or Spark. Add to-dos from other tools To add to-dos to your MeisterTask collect lane from other applications, you can use one of our Zapier integrations. This allows you to do things like: Create MeisterTask tasks from Evernote notes. Create MeisterTask tasks from Google Calendar events. Add Google Sheets rows to MeisterTask as tasks. Create tasks in MeisterTask from Slack messages. Zapier lets you connect MeisterTask to more than 1,500 other apps, so you can use its automations to make sure your to-dos in any app are added to your collect lane. And if you’re an IFTTT user instead, you can also use our IFTTT integration to build custom workflows for adding your to-dos to your capture lane. Migrate tasks from Trello or Asana If you’ve been using Trello or Asana and want to switch to MeisterTask, you can import your Trello boards or Asana projects with just a few clicks to save yourself the time of manually copying and pasting all of your to-dos between the two tools. Step 3: Create your processing lanes Once you have all of your outstanding tasks in your capture lane, it’s time to make some decisions about how you’ll organize and process your to-dos. GTD recommends a variety of lists you may want to consider adding, but for a simple approach, we recommend the following: Next Actions: Tasks you need to complete Projects: To-dos that represent larger bodies of work and multiple tasks Tickler: Things you need to do in the future but cannot begin on yet Someday: Things you’d like to do one of these days but aren’t priorities Done: Tasks you’ve completed You can edit any existing lanes on your GTD board to give them the appropriate titles by clicking on the text of the current lane name, and you can add new lanes by clicking “+ Add Section.” You can also change the background color of any lane header by clicking the down arrow in the right corner of the header and selecting a different background color. Finally, once you’ve created all of your lanes, you can simply click on the icon in any lane’s header and drag and drop it to the appropriate spot to order your lanes as desired. Step 4: Start processing your to-dos Once you have all of your lanes set up, you’re ready to start processing your to-dos as part of your weekly review. Go through each item in your capture lane and drag them to the appropriate lanes: If a task will take you less than two minutes to complete, just go ahead and do it, then drag it into your “Done” lane. If a task will take you more than two minutes to complete, drag it into whichever lane is appropriate: Next Actions, Tickler, or Someday. If a task is very large and needs to be broken down into multiple subtasks, drag it into the “Projects” lane. When you’re finished, your capture lane should be empty. All of your tasks should be in the other lanes on your board. During your weekly review, you can also start breaking down your projects using MeisterTask’s checklist feature. Click on a project task to open it, then select “Add Checklist Item.” Enter the tasks you’ll need to complete as part of that project. When you’re ready, you can turn these checklist items into their own tasks. For time-sensitive items in your “Next Actions” and “Tickler” lanes, you can add due dates to your tasks to make sure nothing gets overlooked. Just click on a task to open it, click “Due Date,” and select a due date. You can also filter your board to only show items that are due today, tomorrow, within a week, within two weeks, within a month, or in the past. To filter your board, toggle the switch in the right navigation menu to open it, click the filter icon, click the dropdown next to “Due date” and select the desired timeframe. If you select “Due today,” for example, your board will update to only show tasks with due dates set for today. Finally, you can also prioritize any of the items in your list by dragging and dropping your task cards into the order you plan to/need to complete them. Step 5: Start getting things done Now that you have your project set up, your lanes created, and your tasks consolidated and organized, you can start getting things done. Just work from your “Next Actions” lane, review the tasks in that lane daily, capture your to-dos as they come in, and process your capture lane once a week. Advanced GTD with MeisterTask If you’ve gotten the hang of the basic GTD process and are ready to take things a step further, MeisterTask can help with that, too. For example, in David Allen’s “Engage” step of the GTD workflow, he recommends further organizing your tasks by context (i.e. work vs. home), time available (how long will it take), energy available (how much energy do you need to complete the task), and priority (how important is it to complete the task). Assigning categories to tasks not only helps you keep your tasks organizedâ€"i.e. you can have separate lists for work to-dos and personal to-dosâ€"but it also helps you make better decisions when you need to choose what to work on next. For example, you can choose tasks you categorized as low-energy when you’re feeling tired or tasks you decided would only take a few minutes when you’re strapped for time. And since you made these decisions while you were processing your tasks, you don’t have to think through all of those details in the decision-making moment. If you want to engage in more advanced GTD with MeisterTask, you’ll need to create another project. Here’s how to do it. Step 1: Create a new capture and categorize project This new project will serve as both the place you capture your to-dos and the place where you add context to those to-dos. Start by creating a new project in MeisterTask. Name your project something like “GTD Inbox.” Once your project is created, add the lanes you need to add context to your tasks. For example: You may want a lane for “Home” and a lane for “Work” to categorize the things you need to do by where you need to do them. You may want lanes for timeframes like “30 Minutes,” One Hour,” “Two Hours,” “Four hours,” and “One Day” to categorize tasks by how long you think they’ll take to complete. You may want lanes for “High Energy,” “Medium Energy,” and “Low Energy” to categorize tasks by how much energy they’ll take to complete. You may want lanes for “High Priority,” “Medium Priority,” and “Low Priority” to categorize tasks by their importance. Add lanes for any of the categories you want to use to the left of your capture lane in MeisterTask. Step 2: Create tags for each of your categories Now, we want to create tags for each of our categories. This will let us see each task’s categories at a glance. Open any one of your tasks by clicking on it, click “Tags,” and select “Manage.” Click “Add Tag,” then type the name of your first category. Repeat this process until you have one tag for each of your categories. You can also change the color of your tags if you want by clicking any tag and selecting a color. Step 3: Create automations to automatically apply tags to tasks Next, we want to set up automations that tag cards with their categories as we put them into the right lanes. Start with your first category lane. Click the down arrow in the lane’s header and select “Automations” “Add Automation.” On the automation selection screen, select “Update Tags.” On the “Add Automation” screen, select the “Add these Tags” radio button, select the appropriate tag for the category, check the box next to “Run this action on all existing tasks in this section,” and click “Done.” Repeat these steps for each of your categories. When you’re finished, dropping any card into a category lane will automatically add that category’s tag to that task. This lets you move cards into each category group (context, time available, energy available, and priority) to add the tags you’ll need later to make decisions about which tasks to pick up. Step 4: Create an automation to move your cards to your main GTD board Since this board is just for capturing tasks and categorizing them, we need a way to get our captured and categorized tasks onto our main GTD board. We can do that automatically by creating a final “Move” lane on our GTD Capture board and creating another automation. Once you’ve created your “Move” lane, click the down arrow in the lane’s header and select “Automations” “Add Automation.” Select “Move Task.” Click the dropdown under “Move to” and select your main GTD project. Select your capture list’s name under “Sections.” Finally, check the box next to “Run this action on all existing tasks in this section,” then click “Done.” Now, when you’re finished categorizing your tasks, you can drop your tasks into the “Move” lane to automatically send them to your main GTD project’s capture lane. Step 5: Start categorizing your tasks When you do your weekly review, start with your capture and categorize board. Drag each task into the appropriate lane to add its tag. When you’re finished, drag the task into the “Move” lane to automatically send it to your main GTD board. After that, you can use your main GTD board to make decisions about how to organize and complete your tasks. And you can even filter your board to show only tasks tagged with certain categories (e.g. only work tasks or only tasks that will take less than 30 minutes to complete) to make decisions more quickly. Other Ways MeisterTask Helps With GTD In addition to the workflow recommendations we’ve shared, there are a lot of other features in MeisterTask that you can use to GTD better: Need to delegate some of your tasks? You can add employees, coworkers, or even a spouse to your MeisterTask project to delegate tasks easily. Need to track the time you spend on tasks? Enable time tracking for your project to keep your tasks and your time records in the same tool. Need to see your task list while on the go? Download our Android or iOS apps to quickly access your tasks from anywhere in the world, even when you’re not connected to the internet. If you use MeisterTask with GTD and have a tip we didn’t cover in this post, we’d love to hear more about it in the comments below! Create an effective GTD workflow Try MeisterTask Its free! Try MeisterTask

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Friendly Letters - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 905 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/09/11 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Friendly letters have five parts:  Ã‚  Ã‚ ¦ The Heading:   The heading can include your address and the date. In casual, friendly letters your address is not necessary. The Salutation (greeting): This usually begins with Dear_________. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Friendly Letters" essay for you Create order The blank is for the name of the person you are writing. After you write the persons name you put a comma ( , ) . The Body: The body of the letter is the information you are writing in your letter. The Closing:   In the closing the first word is capitalized and you put a comma after the last word. The c lassic friendly letter has five parts as follows: 1. Address Block Includes your return address and the date of writing the letter. This block is usually right-justified. 2. Opening Salutation This is the opening greeting; typically Dear John. These days, in a letter to a close friend such informal greetings as Hey John, are also acceptable. Left-justify this block. 3. Body Block This is your actual letter content. It can be anywhere from a few paragraphs in length up to multiple pages. There is no hard or fast rule for the length of a friendly letter. Make it as long as you like, or as long as you think your friend would find acceptable to read. The body paragraphs should be left justified. 4. Closing Salutation This is where you say goodbye. Typically, closing salutations for friendly letters include such phrases as: Yours truly,, Your friend,, All the best,, Take care,. These days, more informal closing salutations are also acceptable, such as: See you soon,, Dont be a stranger,, etc. Left-justify the closing salutation. 5. Signature Block Since it is a friendly letter to someone who knows you reasonably well, just sign your first name. Also left-justify this block. Traditionally, a friendly letter would he hand-written and then sent by regular snail mail. This is something I still recommend when possible, because it really gives it a personal touch. However, in these days of software word processors, friendly letters are often created in typed form and appended to an e-mail as an as an attachment. This is acceptable, considering it is still more personal than a typical impersonal e-mail. IMPORTANCE Nevertheless, for those who still like to communicate the old-fashioned way, a sincere friendly letter is a nice personal touch. For the receiver, its definitely a lot more pleasant to receive a traditional friendly letter than it will ever be to receive an e-mail or an instant message. For the sender, it makes them appear as if they really care since they have gone to the trouble of writing an actual letter. It is a method of communication that can be used by one to send the messages to ones dear ones. There is a complete procedure that has to be followed after the letter is posted in order to reach the destination. The importance of letters is now reducing because of the emails as this is more efficient and quick method of communication then the letters. But there are certain situations when the use of letters is preferred to the emails and the method of the letter is chosen mostly by the companies for official purposes. To write a letter is easier than the emails because there is no need of any specific device while writing a letter and everyone can use this facility very easily. Same is the case with the receiver because no specific device is required to access the letter as everyone has a home. Another biggest advantage of the letters is that the recipient of the letter can maintain the physical record of all of his mails. One does need to take pain of switching on the computer in order to read the mails or the letters of the beloved ones. We can express our feelings in a manner. We can write everything what had happen ,but we cannot write in emails ,fax,messages. The advantages of the letter is that it provides a written communication, it can range from one to many pages, it does not use any output devices so it much cheaper, the written letter can be recorded, letters are good when people do know how to use internet facility and also it helps long distance relationships. Letters can be good for this hotel because it keeps the record of what they have sent to the customers and it will give them a good relationship with the customers. A letter can be sent out to arrange some meetings, give ideas or to confirm an agreement. not every one has he time to switch on the computer and then write message so Purpose of Writing a Friendly Letter The purpose of writing a friendly letter is simple, to keep in touch with other people, like friends and relatives. Before the invention of modern communication modes and methods, people depended mainly on letters to keep in touch. Old people always comment that there is a certain feeling of satisfaction that they experience on receiving a hand written letter of a near relative or friend. I experienced a similar feeling, when my father, who was in Spain at that time, wrote me a letter describing the features of a very old chapel. Even though we have the most up-to-date technology to facilitate communication, I always feel that we should indeed be connected to our near and dear ones, by the way of emotions poured out in ink on that simple piece of paper.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The On The Streams Model Essay - 916 Words

The streams model was developed John Kingdon in 2003. It is a powerful tool in understanding policy process. It consists of three parallel processes: problem streams, policy streams, and politic streams (Knaggard, 2015). These three parallel process can also go under multiple different names. Problem streams refers to policy problem that requires attention; issues that capture everyone’s attention (Howlett, Ramesh and Perl, 2009). Policy streams, also known as solution streams, pertains to many potential policy solutions that originate from communities of policy experts, also known as, ‘policy primeval soup’ in which policy ideas and solutions are formed, rejected, and selected (Howlett et al.). Lastly, political streams refer to social and political factors such as public opinion, election results, and demands of interest groups (Howlett et al.). Kingdon states that when the three streams joined at a critical moment, it would constitute a policy window (Chow, 20 14). When this window opens, the issue becomes part of the policy agenda and policymaking steps will follow (Chow). The convergence of streams is determined by the presence of policy windows and the actions of policy entrepreneurs (Chow). Policy entrepreneurs, actors who introduce and promote ideas, will the spend time to increase their chances of getting an idea placed on the decision-making agenda (Chow). Strengths of Streams Model Streams model is an enhanced version of the Garbage Can model developed in 1971Show MoreRelatedUsing Kingdon s Policy Streams Model1199 Words   |  5 Pagesone must have in wording the issue. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a problem that has been identified. Background on the problem will be provided, the significance will be examined, and a discussion of the problem using Kingdon’s Policy Streams Model will be delivered. Identification of Problem Immunization via vaccines has been a hot topic of debate in recent years. As with many issues advocates for and against vaccines can be found. The problem that has been identified is that Nevada isRead MoreClassification And Novel Class Detection Approaches Of Feature Evolving Data Stream1716 Words   |  7 PagesEvolving Data Stream Abstract: The classification of data stream is challenging task for data mining community. Dynamic changing nature of data stream has some difficulties such as feature evolution, concept evolution, concept drift and infinite length. As we know that the data streams are huge in amount, it is impractical to store and use all the data for training. Concept drift occurs when underlying concept changes. Concept-evolution occurs as a result of new classes evolving in the stream. AnotherRead MoreStormwater Management Staff On The Four Mile Run Watershed Model793 Words   |  4 PagesFour Mile Run Watershed Model Oct 26, 2017 Meeting Notes In Attendance: Sayedul Choudhury, Riyam Alobaidi, Elizabeth Thurber and Guosheng Qui Sayedul provided an update on the Four Mile Run SWMM5 Model. A model summary and a map of model components (see attached) were handed out. The Four Mile Run SWMM5 Model results were found to match observed flows at the Shirlington gage, especially for large storms (5,000 cfs or larger). However, for the tributaries, small streams and upper Four Mile Run segmentsRead MoreThe Responsibility Of The Right Holders1383 Words   |  6 Pagesincrease the power of those who are vulnerable. Kingdon’s Policy Streams Model John Kingdon’s policy streams model is a theoretical framework that can be used to examine the issue of First Nations communities’ water crisis and how there is a need for the issue to be addressed by the government. 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The approach at high-level consists of four major steps: Value stream mapping – Mapping the existing process workflows Future state value stream mapping – Identify the immediate goals and visualize the optimized value stream map Execution – Incremental approach towards the implementation Retrospection – Review and learn Ok, let’s get started! Value Stream Mapping Value stream mapping is a lean improvement strategy that maps the processes and information flows of a productRead MoreReflux Ratio, Higher Is The Purity Of The Distillate And Bottom Stream1561 Words   |  7 Pagesof the distillate and bottom stream [4], [19]. Depending on the bubble point of the vapor at the top of the column and the economics of the process, the distillation column may be equipped with a total condenser or a partial condenser [20]–[22]. A total condenser condenses the entire vapor at the top of the column into liquid which is then split into distillate stream and reflux stream. If a column has a total condenser then there would be no ‘vapor distillate’ stream in Figure 1.2. A partial condenserRead MoreData Stream Mining Addresses Research Issues Addressed by the Data Mining Community912 Words   |  4 PagesData stream mining is a stimulating field of study that has raised challenges and research issues to be addressed by the database and dat a mining communities. The following is a discussion of both addressed and open research issues [19]. Handling the continuous flow of data streams This is a data management issue. Traditional database management systems are not capable of dealing with such continuous high data rate. Novel indexing, storage and querying techniques are required to handle this nonRead MoreThe Effects Of Ddt On The Environment1252 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween 2003-2014. WSDA staff collected weekly water samples in four to six salmon-bearing streams that were located near agriculture land all across Washington State. Basins that were sampled included the Nooksack and Lower Skagit basins (Northwest region of the state), the lower Yakima basin (Eastside region) and the Wenatchee basin (Central Washington region). The WSDA staff also sampled two salmon-bearing streams on the west side of the cascades that were located in urban environments. Washington StateRead MoreWe Propose A Novel Framework For Tweet Segmentation1030 Words   |  5 Pageslocal context). For the latter, we propose and evaluate two models to derive local context by considering the l inguistic features and term-dependency in a batch of tweets, respectively. HybridSeg is also designed to iteratively learn from confident segments as pseudo feedback. As an application, we show that high accuracy is achieved in named entity recognition by applying segment-based part-of-speech (POS) tagging. Index Terms-Twitter stream, Tweet segmentation, Named Entity Recognition, Linguistic

Accountability Issue of Petronas Free Essays

Accountability issue of PETRONAS-Transparency 1. According to the article written by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, a politician from Sabah who was a Vice President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat when he wrote this article. He said that Petronas agreements have been classified as secret. We will write a custom essay sample on Accountability Issue of Petronas or any similar topic only for you Order Now The clauses in the agreement are shielded from public scrutiny, this leads to transparency issue arise and making it an organization without public accountability. For example, 80% of the oil produced by Petronas is not sold directly to the world market but is channeled through six ‘option holders’ who obtain the supply from Petronas at below market prices. Only 20% of the oil produced by Petronas is sold through direct open bidding. Because of this arrangement, Petronas is not maximizing its revenue by dealing direct with the open world market. Instead, it has been incurring incalculable losses for the nation and for the people. How much this huge loss is, we will never know. It is understood that this supply through the option holders is sold by contracts with a binding agreement for 20 or 30 years, causing huge losses for Petronas when oil price increases, as Petronas would then have to continue selling at the old agreed price. Because of the agreement (contract) is not disclose to the public, thus, the public do not know who these option holders are and why they are in the first place. Besides, the public also wondering that are these people representing certain private interests? Because of the non transparent of Petronas agreements, many questions have been raised and the public think Petronas is a huge organization which is not accountable and secretive. 2. The annual report of Petronas is not in detail. For example, we can make a comparison between the 2011 annual report of Shell and 2011 annual report of Petronas. As we can see from the picture below, the related party disclosure of Shell is more detail than Petronas. Shell discloses the company name that where the sale to and where the purchase from, however, Petronas just disclose the sale and purchases in general. This also means that Petronas annual report lack of transparency. In addition, Shell annual report also provides a detailed information of company properties, whereas, Petronas did not provide this information in annual report. | | How to cite Accountability Issue of Petronas, Essay examples

Friday, April 24, 2020

John Calvin and Martin Luther free essay sample

Martin Luther and John Calvin were two religious reformers who were similar in that they both believed that religious authority rested in the Bible. But, they had different views of sacraments and religious doctrines. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Lutheranism and Calvinism began to gain a lot of attention. Both these men were leading influences of the Protestant Reformation, which was a time period when people began to question the church and how government and society should be adhered. The Reformation emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. As religious reformers, Calvin and Luther wanted to stop the abuses of the Catholic Church and return to a more spiritual Christianity. Although they followed two different religions, Lutheranism and Calvinism, they still had similar attitudes about political authority and social order. They both denied the political power of the pope. We will write a custom essay sample on John Calvin and Martin Luther or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They denounced the Pope and said that he was not infallible. They also believed in following the words of the scriptures because they believed that the scriptures were the original basis of Christianity. They also believed in regional ecclesiastical autonomy. They didn’t want the pope to rule each region but they did want each region to have independence over what religion they wanted to practice. Although they agreed about some things, they also disagreed about many other things. Luther believed in political and religious autonomy of the state. He also did not want to alter the political structure of the government. He wanted the monarchy to remain as the form of government. This was because Luther was accused of heresy by Emperor Charles V and would have been put to death but Prince Fredrick III helped him out, saving his life. Therefore he wanted to keep the monarchy as the political authority over the state. But he also encouraged German princes to reform the Church in their states and advertised the idea that the Church was not subject to the pope’s interpretation. However, John Calvin believed that church and state should be one and that political authority should be changed from monarchy to the reformed church. Calvin and Luther also had their own set of social orders which they believed in. Luther believed that all people were equal in God’s eyes. He also believed in salvation. He held that salvation comes by faith  alone. He emphasized that all people were saved only by the decision of God. Luther also rejected the idea that the Church and priests held special powers. Martin Luther believed in consubstantiation which is the belief that the body and blood of Christ are present and exist along with the elements of bread and wine. However, John Calvin believed that the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present in the bread and wine but not physically present. Calvin also believed in the doctrine of predestination, which is the belief that all events have been decided by God. He enforced this concept because he believed that specific people were chosen as God’s â€Å"elect†, or the ones favored by God for salvation.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Thorntons chocolate Essays

Thorntons chocolate Essays Thorntons chocolate Paper Thorntons chocolate Paper 2.0 SWOT Analysis 2.1 Strengths 2.1.1 Manufacturing Thorntons Plc conducted their key manufacturing and selling activities in house. The ability to monitor the process of the boxed chocolate selection provides them with greater control over the manufacturing process. This has enabled them to protect the recipe of their core products. In addition, years of manufacturing in the chocolate industry has also helped to develop their manufacturing expertise. Review has also shown that Thorntons was the only possible manufacturer for 70% of its product lines. This will give them competitive advantage over other chocolate producers. 2.1.2 Quality The use of quality ingredients assured the quality of the boxed chocolate selection. It has enabled them to differentiate themselves from other chocolate producers. The company owned retail outlets provided a good quality of service by providing personalized messages on icing during special occasions. Thorntons chocolates freshness is a distinctive feature of their product. Using more cocoa butter instead of vegetable fat has also shown the quality in their products. The company has maintained the customers experience by selling fresh and quality products. 2.1.3 Brand Name Thorntons has become a well known brand to the consumers. Research survey has shown that consumers ranked Thorntons in the 5th place in their typical UK high street products. Their shops have also become part of the UK high street. 2.1.4 Products In 1925 a recipe for Special Toffee gave the business an outstanding product. Walter Willen created the original recipes for Thorntons Continental chocolate range, which became the largest selling specialist assortment of chocolates in UK. Furthermore, since these products are still around until the present day, it shows Thorntons have expertise in chocolate making. New development of French dark chocolate and Belgian milk and white chocolate selection has also been added to the Continental range. In addition, products were also expanded to include gifts for every occasion, which included chocolate scented t-shirts and New Easter eggs. With the continuous innovation of producing new products, Thorntons can overcome the problem of seasonal goods. It helps them to increase sales during peak and off peak season. 2.1.5 Technology In 1998 the company had started to install EPOS in the shops. Electronic Point of Sales will allow them to increase efficiency and have more timely performance information. It will also help them to reduce losses in the future with up to date performance information. 2.1.6 Wide Distribution Channel Thorntons have their own shops to sell their products. Besides that, they have collaborated with other retail outlets such as Marks and Spencer, Tesco and also other grocers in order to widen and strengthen their market distribution channel. Moreover, they also sell their chocolate to pubs and restaurants to broaden their market share. 2.2 Weaknesses 2.2.1 Short Lifespan of Product Thorntons chocolate does not have a long shelf life and is often unsuitable for sales in many retail outlets, corner shops, garages and some of the supermarkets. 2.2.2 Fluctuations of Demand The company faces a lot of pressure and fluctuations of demand due to strong seasonal pattern. During festive season such as Christmas and Easter, business can increase tenfold within a few days. This will lead to the inefficiency of labor and production of chocolate. 2.2.3 Extra Cost of Labor To meet seasonal demand packing staff requires the increased use of casual workers, which will lead to a fall in efficiency. Furthermore, seasonal demand also requires the use of temporary staff in retail outlets. Temporary staff often do not often have the quality and experience needed, which could lead to unsatisfied customers. In addition, the need for casual workers will also increase the cost of the company. 2.2.4 Packaging The chocolates are enrobed in chocolate rather than molded. Thus, their hand made appearance makes the packaging process less open to automation because the chocolates are not in uniform sizes. 2.2.5 Customers Expectation Franchising did not provide the customer with the same experience as shopping in a Thorntons-owned shop and occasionally it could be difficult to maintain standards. As a result of this, Thorntons could end up losing customers because they cannot meet the customers expectation. 2.2.6 Drop in Perceived Value Thorntons have made progress to develop the companys commercial customers and have broadened the range of chocolate products to suit supermarket shelves. These newly developed products to suit the commercial customers were different compared to those sold at Thorntons own outlets. They differed by style and recipe and regular customers could not be sure if they were made by Thorntons. As a result of this, it may lead to a drop in the regular customers perceived value and Thorntons itself losing their identity. Thus, they may end up losing regular customers. 2.2.7 Lost Focus in Initial Objective In 1998, Thorntons have introduced another 132 new and updated products and have widened the product range to place emphasis on count lines, which acted as a snack or impulse buy. This has attracted a wider range of customers but it also brought them into competition with products of such companies as Nestle and Cadburys. Here it shows that they have already lost focus, because they should not be competing with brands such as Nestle and Cadburys. Thorntons should have focused on their box chocolates and use their competitive advantage over others. 2.3 Opportunity 2.3.1 Use of Technology Thorntons have also made use of the internet to let customers place their orders or make online purchases, retain existing customers and also attract new customers. Besides that, online purchases can allow them to receive information quickly and determine whether certain products are favorable or unfavorable to the consumers. Furthermore, online purchases can give them time to make the chocolates and let them know how much they need to produce for the online customers. 2.3.2 Penetration to European Market Thorntons expanded their business thorough the acquisition of Gartner in Antwerp, which was their first European acquisition. After that, they used Gartners products trough Thorntons retail network well as selling its own confectioneries to the Belgium companies customers. Consequently, they acquired 2 French confectionery retailers, Candice-Martial SA and Societe Nouvelle de Confiserie. Thus, Thornton made use of the opportunities for growth through acquisitions in Europe. 2.3.3 Seasonal Sales Thorntons chocolate are highly dependable on seasonal festivals. This way, when festive seasons arrive, the sales will boom and will increase the profits. The differentiated product range suits the various demand of customers during different festive seasons. 2.3.4 Export to Other Foreign Markets Thorntons began to develop sales outside UK by exporting to Europe and Australia which had reached 300 thousand pounds. Export to these foreign markets will increase production and could achieve economies of scale. 2.4 Threats 2.4.1 Competition Against Established Companies When Thorntons wanted to attract a wider range of customers, they entered into the middle range market. The expansion of the target market has lead them into competition against established companies such as Nestle and Cadburys. Since Nestle and Cadburys are already well known in this market segment, they have already created a high barrier for Thorntons to enter. Moreover, by entering the middle range market, Thorntons which is not used to automation and mass production will lose its competitive advantage if they are in the middle range market. In other words, Thorntons will not be able to use their existing resources and advantages to compete with Nestle and Cadburys. 2.4.2 External Factors During Easter 2003, Thorntons sales was affected by the hottest summer in 30 years. In June 2003, it revealed that the companies own stores sale had increased by only 0.9%. This shows that the sales of Thorntons will be affected by external forces such as weather. 2.4.3 Other Substitutes Thorntons competed with a wide range of products ranging from 5 to 10 pounds. Specialist retailers such as Body Shop and KnickerBox provided gifts in the same price range. Besides, postal gifts such as flowers and wine were also addressed to the same market. This way, instead of choosing from Thorntons, consumers will have more choices to choose from the market and in this particular price range. 3.0 Porters 5 forces Analysis on the Chocolate Industry in UK The five forces framework helps identify the sources of competition in an industry or sector. (Johnson Scholes 2002, pg 112) 3.1 Threat of Entry There are many factors which will lead to the threat of entry. These factors are economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, cost advantages of independent size, access to distribution channels and government regulations. 3.1.1 Product Differentiation In this case, it is mentioned that the UK confectionery market is highly competitive with a great deal of product and packaging innovation. In addition, the chocolate market has many sub-sectors. This shows that the chocolate industry in UK has manufacturers who place great focus on product differentiation. When these chocolate manufacturers differentiate their products, it creates a wider choice for chocolate lovers and this will discourage new entries from new manufacturers. 3.1.2 Huge Capital Requirement/Economies of Scale Furthermore, in order to compete among the existing competitors in the chocolate market, those new comers will need huge capital requirement. This is because great economies of scales have already been achieved by those existing ones. In summary, the threat of entry to the chocolate industry in UK is very high. New potential chocolate manufacturers will need huge capital requirements in order to differentiate their product and to compete with the existing manufacturers which have already achieved a high economy of scale. 3.2 The Power of Supplier 3.2.1 Product Differentiation In this case, the suppliers are the ones who supply raw ingredients for those chocolate manufacturers to make chocolates. They are more powerful when they supply differentiated products, which make switching among other suppliers difficult. In this industry, the main raw ingredients such as cocoa beans are not differentiated. Thus, the buyers have the choice to switch among other suppliers because cocoa beans are not differentiated. Therefore, the suppliers do not have as much power as the buyers. 3.2.2 Substitutes In addition, when there are few substitutes among the suppliers, the supplier will be more powerful. In this case, there are a number of suppliers in the chocolate industry which will make switching among suppliers easier, making them less powerful. Examples of cocoa producers are Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia and other countries. (Refer to appendix A) If one of the suppliers increases the price of raw ingredients, chocolate manufacturer like Thorntons can easily switch to other suppliers. This shows that the suppliers have less power in this case. 3.2.3 Suppliers Revenue Suppliers have more power when the industry represents a small portion of suppliers revenue base. In the chocolate industry, the suppliers could not afford to lose the buyers as the purchases of the buyers represent a substantial portion of their revenue. This explains that the suppliers have less power in this industry. 3.2.4 Forward Integration Suppliers are powerful when they have the capability to integrate forward. In this case, since most of the suppliers revenues are from the established chocolate manufacturers such as Cadburys, Nestle and Throntons, it is extremely difficult for the suppliers to acquire these established companies. Therefore, suppliers are not as powerful as the buyers. 3.3 The Power of Buyer 3.3.1 Product Differentiation According to Porter, backward integration can allow the firm to enhance differentiation by gaining control over the production of key inputs to be able to differentiate its products better. (Porter 1998, pg 318) In this industry, Thorntons and other chocolate manufacturers are the buyers. Buyers have power when the product is not differentiated making it easier to switch. In this case, the raw materials used to produce chocolate are such as cocoa beans, eggs, cream butter, vegetable fat and sugar. All these raw materials are usually not differentiated for the production of chocolates. 3.3.2 Buyers Purchase Moreover, buyers have more power when the buyers purchase represents a substantial portion of sellers revenue. In this case, well established companies like Nestle, Cadburys and Thorntons purchase large amount of raw ingredients from the suppliers to produce the many different types of chocolates. These purchases represent a substantial portion of the suppliers revenue. 3.3.3 Backward Integration Furthermore, buyers will be more powerful when they have the capability to integrate backwards. In this case, Thorntons has the capability to make European acquisition such as Gartner and Candice-Martial SA and Societe Nouvelle for a total of 8.65 million pounds. This shows that Thorntons has the potential and ability to integrate backwards by taking over their supplier of raw chocolate ingredients. 3.4 Substitutes There are many substitutes for the consumption of chocolates such as other confectioneries and snacks. As a gift, consumers can choose substitutes other than chocolates. For instance, in the 5 to 10 pounds price range, consumers can choose from Thorntons, Body Shop and Knickerbox. Also, during festive seasons such as Valentines Day and Mothers Day, consumers have a variety of choices to choose from like flowers, cards, CDs and soft toys. This clearly illustrates that chocolate indeed has a number of substitutes. 3.5 Rivalry When an industry has a large number of competitors and they are of similar size and power; or has high fixed costs and also high barriers of exit, it means that the rivalry is strong. 3.5.1 Number of Competitors In this case, there are many strong competitors in the UK chocolate industry such as Masterfoods, Cadbury, Nestle Kraft and Jacob Suchard. These big fours contribute more than half of the UK box chocolate market, which is 72% of total value of sales which account to approximately 503 million pounds. (Refer to appendix B) Besides the big 4, they also faced competition from other small chocolate retailers and owned labels which account for 14% of total value of sales which is approximately 98 million pounds. Furthermore, smaller more specialist chocolate brands such as Elizabeth Shaw also compete with Thorntons. On the other hand, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury Taste the Difference who have high quality images that support the sale of own-labeled box chocolates would intensify the rivalry in the industry. 3.5.2 High Fix Cost/High Exit Barrier Furthermore, chocolate manufacturers incur high fixed cost. Any new entrants who wished to compete with those established brands in the industry will incur a high cost to purchase the machineries and facilities to produce chocolate. When they have invested such high capital in buying machineries, product differentiation and advertising, it will be very expensive for them to leave the industry. Hence, the rivalry of the chocolate industry is intense. 4.0 Strategy Implemented by Thorntons Thorntons uses the product differentiation strategy. Johnson and Scholes (2002, pg 322) states that differentiation strategy seeks to provide products or services unique or different from those of competitors in terms of dimension widely valued by buyers. Many other manufacturers make greater use of vegetable fat which results in a shelf life of over a year. However, Thorntons uses more cocoa butter in their products in order to maintain the customers experience of the fresh product. This shows that their products are different from others. Thorntons chocolates are enrobed in chocolate rather than moulded unlike other brands such as Nestle and Cadburys where they mass produce the chocolates. In other words, due to the hand made process, the chocolates represent luxury and high end if compared relatively to chocolates mass produced by Nestle and Cadburys. The creation of Special Toffee, based upon cream butter and eggs in 1925 shows that Thorntons has been applying the differentiation strategy since its humble beginning. In addition, it has self manufactured Easter Eggs, which included names and messages that added to the range of freshly made and fresh tasting confectioneries. The innovation of adding names and personal messages through the sale of easter Eggs shows that Thornton indeed tried to differentiate their products in order to enhance the quality of their service. (Generic Strategies: Michael Porter 2006) Walter Willen, the creator of Thorntons Continental chocolates became the largest selling specialist assortment of chocolates in the UK. Likewise, the continental range included a French dark chocolate and a Belgian milk and white chocolate selections. Also, in order to top the product range, a new classic traditional assortment and a Premier Selection of hand-finished chocolates were established. In other words, this shows that by differentiating the chocolates, Thorntons chocolates have became more welcomed and loved by the consumers. At Thorntons, great importance is given on product development. For instance, Thorntons repackage and re launched the classic range, adding Swiss and Austrian selection to the core Continental range and introducing an awesome American range in order to differentiate the range of its chocolates. In addition, 27 new countlines were introduced providing a five fold increase in the available range. By differentiating its products, Thorntons will broaden their target market which ranges from children to adults. Target market consists of a set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve. (Kotler et al. 2003, pg 230) This can be seen by the introduction of the childrens themes including dinosaur eggs, fossils and Dalmatian spots. Furthermore, Thorntons introduced further 132 new and updated products which place emphasis on countlines to act as a snack or impulse buy. In other words, when product is differentiated, different segments of the market will then be targeted and thus increasing the popularity of Thorntons in the mind of young and old. Thorntons continued differentiating their products by adding additional items to their core product such as chocolate scented T-shirts and underwears; and Easter eggs on sticks that could be hidden in the garden. Furthermore, they relaunched the best selling continental selection for Christmas 1999 and a chocolate champagne bottle designed for the millennium celebrations. Not only that, they have adult eggs and novelty eggs which contained a CD when purchased. Product differentiation continues when Thorntons repositioned many of their products so that they could be associated with every occasion such as birthdays, success, exams or job changes and not only festive seasons. Additionally, the company directed towards younger women by introducing Eden, which combine exotically named flavors such as Forbidden Fruit, Grand Passion and All About Eve. With its chic packaging, it shows that packaging was also differentiated to attract this market segment. All these years, Thorntons has tried its best to differentiate its chocolates and have achieved unbelievable results. For instance, Thorntons was the only possible manufacturer for 70% of its product line due to product differentiation. Therefore, we strongly recommend Thorntons to continue and focus on the product differentiation strategy.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Spotlight on Appalachian Author Cynthia Rylant

Spotlight on Appalachian Author Cynthia Rylant Cynthia Rylant has written more than 60 childrens books since her first book was published in 1982. Her work has been honored with numerous awards, including a Newbery Medal. Rylant writes both picture books and novels for older readers. In a few cases, she has also illustrated her own books. Cynthia Rylants Early Years Cynthia Rylant was born in Virginia. After her parents divorced, Cynthia went to live with her grandparents in Cool Ridge, West Virginia, while her mother attended nursing school. When Cynthia was eight, she and her mother moved to Beaver, West Virginia. Although she went on to college and graduate school, ultimately earning a masters degree from Kent State University in Ohio, her early years had a great impact on her writing. The Appalachian Influence Cynthia Rylants first book, When I Was Young in the Mountains, is based on her life with her grandparents in the 1950s. The family lived simply, with no electricity or running water but enjoyed living in the country. The book was designated a Caldecott Honor Book for the quality of the artwork by Diane Goode that so effectively illustrated the text. The Relatives Came, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, was also a Caldecott Honor Book. It was published in 1985. Rylant went on to write other books that were set in Appalachia. Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds benefits from the fact that the illustrator, as well as the artist, grew up in Appalachia. Barry Moshers watercolors help to bring Rylants words to life. The book was published in 1991. In 1996, Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story was published. Most Popular Characters If you didnt immediately recognize Cynthia Rylants name, you will probably recognize some of the characters she has created. Four- to eight-year-olds love Poppleton, Henry and Mudge, and Mr. Putter and Tabby. Poppleton is a very large pig who has wonderful adventures in a series of books for beginning readers. Mr. Putter is an old man who adopts an old cat, Tabby. The most popular characters of all are Henry and Mudge. There are over 20 Henry and Mudge books. They are excellent for young readers in grades 1-3. Younger children enjoy them as read-aloud books. Henry is a little boy, who has no one to play with until he gets a dog. Mudge grows from a tiny puppy into a 180-pound loveable companion. While the books have illustrations like picture books, they are divided into several chapters, creating a nice transition for young readers ready for something more than picture books. Books for Children Ages 9 to 12 Cynthia Rylants books for children in grades 5-8 have also won acclaim. The topics tend to be more serious than many of her picture books. Rylant was honored with a Newbery Medal for Missing May, a story of love and coping with the death of a loved one. A Fine White Dust was also a Newbery Honor Book. Rylant now lives in the Pacific Northwest and her haunting novel The Islander is set on an island off of British Columbia.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Solar energy and environmental impacts Research Paper

Solar energy and environmental impacts - Research Paper Example Solar energy is copious in the earth and it suggests important potential for the alleviation of climate change; therefore, it is desirable due to its inherently small burden on the environment and has opportunities for positive social impacts. This is further helped by the fact that the cost of solar technologies has been reduced to significant proportions and technical advances coupled with favorable public policies that has resulted into reduction of costs. The use of solar technologies has the advantage of having low lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other forms of fossil fuels. This is because the production of solar energy through the photovoltaics (PV) emits no pollution nor does it emit greenhouse gases (Fell, 2012). Moreover, it has the effect of improving the health and livelihood of most of the world’s poorest neighborhoods as it addresses the gaps that is not filled by the available modern energy services (IEA, 2010). Environmental Impacts A report by The Wall Street Journal stated that the development of solar on lands that are deemed desert by disturbing the caliche deposits found underground leading to the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A similar study has equally found that the development of a solar plant could cause emission of about 6000 metric tons of carbon each year from the disturbance caused by the plant (Wall Street, 2010). Forests play a crucial role in the life of both plants and animals and hence any form of deforestation hinders the proper functioning of these species thus damaging the atmosphere. The role played by forests in human life cannot be gain said and therefore when they are cut to create room for solar plants, the absorption of carbon dioxide ceases or the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere when the tree is left to rot or is burnt. This has the overall effect of occasioning carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere that eventually leads to climate change. This is what happens during the installation of large-scale solar-power projects as ecosystems are interfered with when huge tracts of land are put in use. Forests have to be cleared to prevent shading of solar panels and allow for easy installation of solar posts. The removal of the forests thereafter leads to a change in the natural carbon sequestration rate that thereafter affects the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere. It is important to note that land use will ultimately affect the climate of a place including the local climate, microclimate and the temperature of the surface of land. Therefore, when solar panels which usually have low reflectivity and utilizes or converts large amounts of solar insulation into heat, there is the likelihood it may affect the global climate or the climate of a particular place. To minimize the effects that come about because of land use, it is important that when a solar installation is to be put in place by any stakeholder, the land selected should be in areas with low population density that translates into a low environmental sensitivity. Solar Energy and Climate Change The use of solar energy has an advantage in the sense that carbon savings derived from the use of solar energy outweighs the development of this form of energy. This means that a solar plant can save nearly 560, 000 metric tons of carbon per year (Wall Street, 2010). There is therefore a need to expand the solar power potential in order to meet the climate

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Manage oh$s task 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Manage oh$s task 3 - Essay Example ent and policy, planning, implementation, measurement and evaluation, and management review of the health and safety systems in order to ensure continuous improvement to the plan. The plan covers employees, visitors to the department, contractors and suppliers, and to a limited extent, students. This policy recognises that the ADMC is responsible for the health and safety of all employees in the workplace. In fulfilling this responsibility the management of ADMC has a duty to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. To meet the objectives of this policy checks should be made regularly to ensure that the following is adhered to: State (Y/N) A successful OHSMS is based on continuous improvement of the cycle. Continuous improvement is about doing things, reviewing them and improving them where possible. The Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) strategy can be used to ensure continuous improvement. This is discussed in the following sections. 15.5 Act - If checks carried out reveal that things are not going according to plan then the process has to be reviewed. Even if checking reveals that things are working well it is still important that some improvements are made to the process on a timely basis. This challenges the Safety Manager to think outside of the box. The actions need to also be integrated into other aspects of the operations. Provision of biological and sanitary waste bins, encourage staff to wash hand after using rest rooms, advise pregnant women if case exists, infected persons to be referred for medical treatment, provide information on signs and symptoms of communicable disease, sterilise contaminated areas, sanitation and cleaning schedule, workplace inspections, provide gloves, safety goggles to cleaners buy less or non hazardous substances, store hazardous substances in flame proof cabinets and locked storage rooms, install fire detection systems and fire extinguishers, carry out emergency evacuation

Friday, January 24, 2020

Physics of a Car Essay -- Physics Car Driving machine Essays

Physics of a Car The average driver doesn’t think about what keeps their car moving or what keeps them on the road, but that’s because they don’t have to. The average driver doesn’t have to worry about having enough downforce to keep them on the road or if they will reach the adhesive limit of their car’s tires around a turn. These are the things are the car designers, professional drivers, racing pit crews, serious sports car owners, and physicist think about. Physics are an important part of every sports and racing car design. The stylish curves and ground effects on sports cars are usually there not just for form but function as well allowing you to go speeds over 140 mph in most serious sports cars and remain on the road and in reasonable control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aerodynamic efficiency is the single most important element in designing a competitive car for professional racing or getting the car model on the front of a Car and Driver or Motortrend. Aerodynamics is the study of the motion of gases on objects and the forces created by this motion. The Bernoulli effect is one of the most important behind car design. The Bernoulli Effect states that the pressure of a fluid, in gaseous or liquid state, varies inversely with speed or velocity and a slower moving fluid will exert more pressure on and object than the same fluid moving slower (Yager). The goal of car designers is to make the air passing under a car move faster than the air passing over the car. This causes the air passing over the car to create more downforce than the air passing under the car creates upforce creating a force additional to the car’s weight pushing the car to the road. Large amounts of downforce are needed to keep light cars grounded at high speed and keep to cars from sliding around turns at high speeds. The Venturi Effect is also an important in aerodynamic design. The Venturi Effect states that as a fluid, in gaseous or liquid state passes through a narrow space its speed increases (Yager). This is the reasoning behind keeping cars as close to the ground as they can be safely. The narrow space between the car and the ground increases the speed of the air flowing beneath it causing a decrease in pressure to do the Bernoulli Effect and increase in downforce. The Venturi Effect is the reason for front ground effects, which feature small air ducts or venturi tunnels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ...both worlds for its purpose, the dragster. The Dragster has extremely wide rear tires for acceleration and to keep it going straight. The dragster has extremely thin tires in the front to reduce rolling resistance and because handling is not a concern the car goes in a straight line it does not need to turn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to have a fast and efficient car all these things I have discussed need to be taken into consideration. A fast car should be designed with aerodynamic surfaces for a balance of maximum production of downforce and minimum drag creating surfaces. It should have as small an engine as possible to reduce mass and reduce the necessary size of the frontal area, but a large enough engine to be able to produce enough horsepower to be able to create more force than the resistance the car faces to accelerate and enough to balance with those forces at high speeds. The tires should be wide enough for fast acceleration and good cornering but not so wide it creates large amounts of rolling resistance. Your overall best example of such a car would be formula one races or Indy cars because they have to have good handling, fast acceleration and reach and maintain high speeds.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Rural Marketing in India

RURAL MARKETING IN INDIA: In a market where life has revolved around deep rooted community values, joint families, and social customs and taboos (women, for example, are not allowed to wear trousers), marketers realize that the traditional routes of market entry and brand building employed in urban India are often not feasible. As Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group, says, â€Å"The challenge [for brands] is to understand the [psyche] of the rural consumer, create better distribution, and [appreciate] the heterogeneity. In recent times, rural India has witnessed a wave of change. Dinesh Malhotra, general manager of Linterland (rural arm of Lintas), points out, â€Å"With media exposure and increasing literacy levels, people in rural India are now demanding a better lifestyle. † The educated â€Å"rural yuppie† (males in the 15-34 age group) is moving out to work in nearby towns and cities, and sending money home to his family. This has created an indirect increase in disposable incomes and a surge in demand for consumer goods. The rural youth are slowly evolving as â€Å"opinion leaders† in influencing brand and product decisions in a market that was swayed by village elders for centuries. When building a brand in rural India, word-of-mouth is a huge motivator. Focused brand-building initiatives—like participation at community events such as â€Å"melas† (village fairs), â€Å"haats† (markets), street theater, van campaigns, and puppet shows—generate positive word-of-mouth and influence buying decisions Cholayil Ltd. , a purveyor of the herbal soap â€Å"Medimix,† campaigned in mobile vans to promote its brand. We run a van campaign which visits the interior villages where there are no distributors. We halt the van at specific points [where village folks congregate and watch videos shown on these vans] and give out product samples. † However, contrary to claims of Medimix’s success, Malhotra believes that â€Å"van campaigns can be very expensive. [Al ternatively, promoting one’s brand] in large congregation points like village markets and fairs has a far wider reach, and is more cost effective. † Direct media promotions have helped build knowledge of product categories and change long-entrenched living habits. Colgate-Palmolive, a leading oral hygiene product manufacturer, entered the rural market at a time when â€Å"Neem† twigs (the Neem tree has herbal properties) and non-dentifrice products like ash, charcoal, or salt were the norm for brushing teeth (in fact in some rural pockets, this tradition still continues). In 2001, Colgate-Palmolive launched â€Å"Operation Jagruti† to educate villagers about oral hygiene and its benefits vis-a-vis traditional products like â€Å"Neem. † Through product trials and free samples, the company was able to generate awareness in this new market. On a similar note, CK Ranganathan, managing director of Cavin Kare, notes, â€Å"When we entered the rural areas in South India, people used to wash their hair with soap. When we launched the ‘Chik’ brand of shampoo we educated the people on how to use it through live ‘touch and feel’ demonstrations and also distributed free sachets at fairs. This strategy worked wonders in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh—two important states in India. Colgate and Cavin Kare have shown that communication is key when it comes to building brands in rural markets. As R. V. Rajan, managing director of the Anugrah Advertising Agency, adds, â€Å"To communicate effectively, it is important to understand the fears, aspirations, and hopes of the rural consumer. † Not to mention the traditions and stereotypes that have governed their lives for centuries. While communicating the brand message, marketers must realize that language plays a prime role. Though a large part of urban India is well versed in English (thanks to the British and modern television), in rural India, heritage plays a powerful role and regional languages are predominant. There are 15 regional languages, and 1600 dialects in India, and as one moves into the countryside, English is replaced with regional tongues. V. S. Sitaram, Dabur India executive director, explains, â€Å"Often people treat India as one big market, but the reality is that India is more like the European Union—a mix of different cultures, habits and languages. † Dabur is also considering the use of South Indian celebrities to propagate the brand message in South India. Marketing companies not only need to customize their communication, but in some cases they must also change their product names to match regional differences. Take toothpaste, for example: â€Å"Dabur’s Lal Dant Manjan† (red toothpowder in Hindi) was rechristened as â€Å"Dabur Sivappu Pal Podi† (red toothpowder in Tamil, the local language) for the South Indian market. Affordability of the product is also a critical success factor when building brands. A spokesperson from Tata Group, which retails the Sonata brand of watches to rural India, says, â€Å"[rural folks] think of a purchase in terms of how it serves their needs and how well its suits the family, rather than the individual. Products must be affordable and immensely practical. Furthermore, since the rural consumer often survives on daily wages, he engages in daily purchases. Several companies like Cavin Kare, Godrej, and Dabur adopted the â€Å"single use† sachet strategy, which has worked in their favor. As Byas Anand, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Dabur India, claims, â€Å"We introduced one-rupee sachets (2. 5 cents) for Dabur Vatika shampoo which resulted in doubling of volumes in the rural market. † Though pricing is important, rural consumers favor quality as well. For rural consumers, a purchase is a bigger investment than it is for the urban, veteran consumer. Hence, a particular brand will be rewarded only if it earns the rural consumer’s trust through consistent product quality. As R. V. Rajan says, â€Å"the rural consumer is conscious of value for money, and it might be difficult to convert him to a new brand. However, once converted he is fiercely loyal to the brand. † This issue will be a challenging one for corporations when they strategize their brand entry and decide how to balance pricing with brand quality. The challenge doesn’t end with just building brand awareness. While television and direct marketing activities help rural consumers learn about different brands, ensuring product availability is even more critical. Marketers in rural India claim that setting up a supply chain that reaches the remotest rural areas is extremely arduous given the infrastructure in the country. According to Harish Manwani, chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), â€Å"The rural market [centers] are scattered over large areas and [their] connectivity to the urban centers is poor. To overcome the distribution challenge and increase penetration in rural hinterlands, HUL launched a unique operation called Project Shakti in 2001 (â€Å"Shakti† is a Hindi word which means â€Å"strength†). The project targeted rural women from existing self-help groups to work as â€Å"direct-to-home† distributors for HUL products, and helped the company break into a market they were unfamili ar with. Malhotra (Linterland) believes that, â€Å"While Project Shakti might have worked for HUL, it is not an established channel. Reasons like relatively high capital investment, gender roles, and taboos could present an upper limit to those sales numbers. According to Malhotra, a â€Å"hub and spoke† model of distribution is the â€Å"future. † As he explains, â€Å"We successfully adopted the hub and spoke model for Dabur India and it has worked very well. Here, feeder towns, primarily on the highways serve as hubs, where companies can rent a warehouse and stock their products. [Spokes are comprised of] ‘cyclist salesmen’ [who] then distribute products to small retail outlets in nearby rural pockets. † In short, customized and affordable products, effective distribution, and focused marketing initiatives are essential factors in building credibility for a brand in rural India. Brand awareness and trust will play a key role in combating the blitz of local copycat brands that are formidable competition. If marketers tailor make their brand building initiatives according to the dynamics of the rural market, it may no longer come as a surprise to see the rural Indian consumer sitting before a Samsung television, enjoying a bag of Frito-Lay potato chips, and drinking a bottle of Coke.