Case Study - Culinarian Cookware Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

- Culinarian Cookware - Case Study Example The company has conducted previous price promotions of 20% discount in the year 2004 (for CX1 Tyro collection line), in the year 2005 (for CX1, DX1 line) and in the year 2006 (CX1 and DX1 line). Vice President of Marketing’s View Vice president of marketing for the company believes there is no need for adopting price promotion because that can hurt the premium brand image of the company. He took help of research report prepared by consulted to show that price promotion in 2004 impacted negatively to the profit margin of the company. The company hired external consultant to analyze profitability of 2004 price promotion. The consultant pointed out price promotion has caused of loss of $469, 489 as contribution during 2004 period. Time series analysis shows that unit sales for DX1 line decreased by 4800 units during price promotion hence external consultant concluded that $99,332 was lost as contribution DX1 product line due to brand cannibalization. Taking support from above men tioned statistics marketing vice president of the company concluded that price promotion for a single product line might increase sales revenue for that particular brand but it would eat the revenue of other brand. Price promotion for a particular product line will encourage customers to switch from purchasing other product lines offered by the company in order to purchase discounted products and as a result total revenue earned by Culinarian Cookware would be decreased. Senior Sales Manager’s View Senior sales manager is in support for price promotion and she pointed out that report of external consultant is apocryphal due to following reasons. Sales revenue for first quarter of 2004 was 24% low in comparison to sales revenue for the same quarter in 2003 hence due to external reasons. She concluded that company should not blame price promotion alone for the low sales volume of second quarter in 2004 and sales data for the year should be judged by lowering the margin by 24%. Inclusion of elements other than labor and raw material in variable cost calculation in the report was questioned by her. Cannibalization cost calculation method was also questioned by her. Industry Trend Research data shows offering gift with purchase is more successful push strategy in comparison to price promotion strategy. Competitors of Culinarian Cookware such as Robusto and Le Gourmand offer gifts with purchase. Multi dimensionality of the condition forced Culinarian Cookware to rethink about implementing price promotion strategy to increase sales revenue. Major marketing challenge for the company is to select a pricing strategy which can help them achieve sustainable growth in near future. Analysis of the Current Situation Strength Culinarian Cookware sells premium range cookware products and also the market leader with 6.5% market share in the premium product segment. They offer four product lines complemented with Tyro Collection (CX1), Classic Collection (DX1), Advanced C hef collection (SX1) and Professional Grade collection (PROX1). Variety of product line helps the company to cater multidimensionality of customer’s demand. Sales and distribution channel for the company is

Ethics of Dignity and Freedom by Kant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics of Dignity and Freedom by Kant - Essay Example The researcher of this essay states that Kant was the first philosopher who proposed the notion of deontological ethics, which is the study of duty. This essay provides a detailed analysis on the topic of ethics as a branch of philosophy that was presented in Kant's works: The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), The Critique of Practical Reason (1787). The researcher analyzed the most important Kant’s criticism of previous ethical theories, that is the most obvious in his theory about symbol. Kant’s ethics is remarkable for the new interpretation of the notion of symbol. The connection between Kant’s ethics and his theoretical philosophy, the genesis of his ethical ideas, formation of his thoughts in frames of study about freedom and ethics, dignity study (the central category of his moral philosophy) – these problems are at the centre of his ethical concept, that was analyzed in the essay. There is one more important issue mentioned in the es say from Kant’s philosophy of dignity and freedom – the connection between freedom and morality. The philosopher insists that person exists in two worlds: the one is the world of physical existence and another is the world of spirit. It is also suggested in the study that Kant’s philosophy of history and the idea of progress are closely connected with the ethical theory. In conclusion, the researcher states that it is worth saying that Kant’s activity had a great impact on the development of modern ethical philosophy and philosophy in general.

Confidence intervals Essay Example for Free

Confidence intervals Essay Confidence Intervals have numerous applications for professional activities. Confidence Intervals have a wide use in defining the outcome of a particular question. The use of confidence levels are used commonly in Health, Business, Politics and Engineering venues. There are three examples that will be recognized as having real world applications regarding confidence intervals. An Empirical Test of the Black-Scholes (BS) Option pricing model exhibited the use of a confidence interval approach. The BS model is a model used to determine price variation over time such as stock options. The utilization of confidence intervals to determine if the BS model was accurate was concluded â€Å"constructing a 95 percent confidence interval for the call option, we found in general that significantly less than 95 percent of the observations fall within the relevant range. † The theory of incorporating a confidence interval into the BS model developed a way for investors to identify what options we better to purchase. (Levy Byun, 1987) In a case study to estimate the confidence in advertising the authors of â€Å"Estimating Confidence Bounds for Advertising Effect Duration Intervals† studied the dynamic effects of current and past advertising on current and future sales utilizing confidence intervals. The study identified how long an advertisement should be displayed depending on the duration interval and the confidence interval that helped managers arrive at proper decisions. Using confidence intervals in this situation enabled leaders to make an informed decision. (Franses Vroomen, 2006) Through the use of surveys in case study â€Å"Mortality rate and confidence interval estimation in humanitarian emergencies† they were able to incorporate confidence intervals. They used confidence intervals to determine the mortality confidence level from surveys in devastated areas. The authors approach enables health officials to identify confidence levels from survey areas to be better prepared for future emergencies. (Sullivan, Hossain, Woodruff, 2010) There is an infinite amount of ways to use confidence intervals in any professional culture. The three examples are only a small sample of what can actually be done to better understand present or past issues. The use of confidence levels can help any leader or manager make decisions that foster an environment of growth. References Franses, P. H. , Vroomen, B. (2006). Estimating Confidence Bounds for Advertising Effect Duration Intervals. Journal of Advertising , 33-37. Levy, H. , Byun, Y. H. (1987). An Empirical Test of the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model and the Implies Variance: A Confidence Interval Approach. Journal of Accounting, Auditing Finance , 355-368. Sullivan, K. , Hossain, S. M. , Woodruff, B. A. (2010). Mortalizty rate and confidence interval estimation in humanitarian emergencies. Disasters , 164-175.

The Language Of Ethics And Preventing Ethical Problems Philosophy Essay

The Language Of Ethics And Preventing Ethical Problems Philosophy Essay What is ethics, and what does it mean to put business and ethics together? What would it mean for a company to do this well? Ethics is a foundation of principles of moral conduct that is based on the philosophies of those involved in a life situation. Therefore, the melding of business and ethics is following these moral guidelines in a business life situation. This can be a slippery slope, as there needs to be an agreement between the moral behavior and the mission of the business, which at times seem to be at odds. It is important to recognize that ethics has a mission it is attempting to accomplish. That mission is not to create the perfect business world but to limit the harm on all stakeholders in their business life situations. What the discipline of business ethics can and must do is to provide an approach for improving the lives of the stakeholders who, with business, live in an imperfect, and sometimes harmful, world. (D. Robin, 2010). So the answer to doing business ethics well requires understanding the possibilities of the harms that could occur for the stakeholders. In order to do that it is vital to understand the stakeholders and their needs through a stakeholder analysis. This is a helpful way for managers to identify the relevant purposes and consequences in a given case (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010). In determining what ethical or moral code of conduct will be employed to eliminate or minimize a harm it is a waste of time to establish a code that does not resolve an issue that for any of the stakeholders. If this arbitrary moral code that has no positive or negative effect on any stakeholders is employed it is meaningless. However, if an issue is identified that applies to one or more stakeholders a meaningful moral code can be establish that is useful to all. So an organization that starts first by understanding their stakeholders through a stakeholder analysis and what their needs are will be able to employ meaningful and useful et hics that will allow them limit the harm and do business ethics well. What are the three traditions of ethics, and how do they provide guidance to help inform your managerial decision-making? The three traditions of ethics according to Business Ethics: A Managerial Approach (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010) are; Actions or means people use to achieve their goals; Agent or persons who are acting in the situation; and Ends or goals that are outcomes of actions. At first glance some comparisons between the traditions would seem to suggest that they are opposites. However, they are really a view of situations from different angles or approaches. They each provide a value in their own right. An actions based approach focuses on the standards that we are using in the decision making process. Is the decision maker following the rules of decency in coming to his moral decision? In an actions based approach it is believed that the means is paramount in the ethical decision that is being made. An actions based approach may be the most useful when stakeholders are going to see the entire process and expect things to be done in a certain way. An Agents based approach does not d eal with how its done nor does it deal with what the the outcome is. Instead it centers on what the decision says about the person making the decision. Does this decision prop up his or her character or does it undermine it? This approach would likely be used when the decision creates a lasting impression that will cause a long term affect of the decision maker or the organization. Finally, an Ends based approach does not look back. It does not concern itself with how it was done or what the decision says about the individual or organization. Instead it looks to the end and assesses the result. Did it yield the positive result that was desired? Focusing on the Ends would be desired when there is little to no harm in how things are done or what the process means but instead what the bottom line becomes. Each of these traditions has its place and its value in providing the guidance to conclude what ethical decision is needed. Before this class discussion in module 1, what was your sense of why organizational ethics like Enron, Arthur Anderson, and Worldcom, happen? I dont like to cast full judgment on people or an organization without completely understanding the entire story. However, I did have a very dim view based on the details of which I was aware. My perspective was that a very large company was taking advantage of the federal government. To mount more trouble on top of it, in the case of Enron, Arthur Anderson who should have held them to a higher standard as an auditor allowed the corruption to continue. The irony of all of this is of course the largest more corrupt offender of all, the federal government, was holding both of these organizations to a standard that they themselves cannot follow in terms of accountability, which is evidenced based on their balance sheet. I certainly did not have an understanding that the 3 traditions of ethics could be applied in this situation. It would seem at some very cloudy level they were applying the Ends tradition. I say this is cloudy in that it brought with it the baggage of corruption to get t o the ends that should have almost obscured the view of it. I would suggest that it would have been more prudent for them to employ the Action, Agent or a combination of these traditions of ethics as it would have likely caused a different outcome. The long term result of this is much more than the harm these organizations caused themselves and their stakeholders. The constraints that often come from harmful situations such as saddling all companies with Sarbanes-Oxley will unnecessarily felt by the business community for years to come. Which factors seem to be most important in diagnosing why bad things happen? What role does the individual, and individual conscience, play in making sure good things happen organizations? To determine within an organization what is the cause of bad ethical decisions it is important to understand the morality and conscience of individuals within the organization and what is driving the decisions that they are making. This includes not only the leadership of an organization but all members from the top down. It can be valuable to look at not only the moral development of the individual but what forces that affect decision making are in play (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010). First moral development, which is postulated by Kohlberg to be progressive, should be looked at and considered. While not all theorists agree with this approach it can be used as a good model for understanding causation of ethical problems. What is the tendency of individuals in terms of moral development? Is there a tendency to make ethical decisions based on the earlier stages of fear or are they at a point of maturity in this process? Knowing where individuals are in this spectrum can help us understand if it is part of the problem (Forsyth, Donelson R, 1992). Also, if the leadership of the organization is at the early point of the moral spectrum they are going to feed this type of decision making down through the rest of the organization. Understanding not only the individuals moral development but also the leaderships moral development all the way through the organization will help in the diagnosis of the problems. Second, we need to look at the forces in play for decision making. In considering each of the forces discussed in the text it can be assumed that it can be applied at the individual level if we want to understand the problems and want to see good decisions within the organization. Attempting to apply these forces at an organizational level becomes abstract and makes it very difficult to see or directly affect individuals. For example, to see how authority is properly communicated in an organization it is necessary to look at specific examples of this. That is, how a particular individual in authority communicates to other individuals in the organization is important in the making of good ethical decisions. Likewise, how an individual responds to that authority will play into it as well. This can be done with each of the other forces, Distance from Responsibility, Tunnel Vision, Rationalization, External Pressure and Communication Breakdowns. Applying individual notions to each of the se will help in both the diagnosis and resolving to better decision making. Therefore the consideration of the individual conscience both in the diagnosis and the resolution of good decisions is a key element. Read the case, Marge Norman and Miniscribe Corporation, pages 58 67 of your textbook. Provide a summary of this case including the ethical dilemmas and how they were handled in this case. Draw on what you learned in chapters 1 2 as part of your response. The case of Marge Norman and Miniscribe Corporation is a good example of some of the central forces that affect the decision making process, chief of which is the authority force (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010). In addition, the findings and results suggest the rationalization played a major role in the decisions that were made within the company that caused the downfall of the corporation. Chronologically, the case begins with a company in a difficult position financially. Initially it appeared as if things were moving in a good direction with new leadership, Q. T. Wiles, being very decisive and with a solid influx of investors. One of the dilemmas that initially showed it head was in the area of communication breakdown, as all information was required to be communicated from the very top. In doing this it can be completely controlled as to what is being communicated. This created a fertile ground to allow the story to become whatever the leader wanted it to be. This also ti es into the central force of authority, which played a major role. With Q.T. Wiles being a strong personality with his 13 disciplines it would appear that the company was being lead in the right direction with strong accountability. From the outside this might give the appearance of a solid ethical foundation ensuring those doing the work are being held accountable. As the case continues and we see in the end that cooking of the books had occurred, this suggests that the authority force did indeed play a major role. In addition, the case states that there were many employees involved in the cover up. To have a large number involved it would require an authority figure guiding them and providing rationalizations in the process. There was also the external pressure force placed on the leadership by the accountability structure to come up with the correct numbers, which has the possibility of causing bad decision making. For the scandal to be this successful it had to cause dilemmas fo r all areas of the company. The accountants had to decide if the numbers forced to them should be used. The sales department always watches the numbers closely and would have had to wonder about the inflated numbers. Even the shipping department, who day to day knew what would be going into the boxes, must have faced a moral dilemma. As lies or deceptions occur within a company there is a need for consistency in the store and an escalation tends to occur (Kidwell Martin, 2005). As deceptive dilemmas began to mount with each bad decision more bad decisions were made until it was impossible to conceal as indicated by MiniScribes 13 successful quarters. Looking back had any of the employees overcome the central forces and employed even one of the rationalization tests earlier in the process, the scandal could have been less severe. Far too late, Marge Norman applied the publicity test in a small way by communicating her findings to her supervisor. Had this been done earlier the story would have been different. Had the leadership put themselves in the place of the stockholders, using the reversibility test, it would have brought to the surface the lack of ethics in the decisions. And certainly, using the generalizability test and comparing the situation even to ones personal finances it would be clear that this situation would eventually be found out. The mounting power of the authority force and rationalization along with a failure to apply any of the rationalization tests to the situation proved to be the down fall of MiniScribe. Sadly, this affected not only the company itself but many others in the process.

Trials and Tribulations of Ariel Dorfman :: Essays Papers

Trials and Tribulations of Ariel Dorfman In the late 1950’s Chile was fighting a political war. Ariel Dorfman wrote many stories and essays dealing with the political oppression. Ariel Dorfman was exiled from Chile because of his writings, and struggled with his writing in Paris. With ambitions to return to his country he became one of the most significant Hispanic writers in the 20th century. Chile was going through a time of change. After the death of President Salvador Allende, Augusto Pinochet took over. Ariel worked for Allende and wrote many not so nice things about Pinochet. In 1973 Pinochet didn’t fire Dorfman, instead he just exiled Ariel from the country. After being exiled Dorfman went to Paris he came down with a case of writers block, which left him poor for a while. He eventually recovered and wrote many famous plays and poems. In one of his poems â€Å"He describes Latin America as an enigma a vibrant, sprawling, messy reality which did not itself know where it was or where it was going†¦a series of half-formed nations trapped in a history not of its own, trying to invent an alternative.† (Former Exiled Writer â€Å"Dorfman† 21) Born on May 6, 1942 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dorfman’s family was well aware of the horrors of war and the pain of exile, his Jewish grandparents fled the pogroms of Eastern Europe. At the age of two his family moved to New York City and he attended grade school there. When he was seven he began writing children’s fiction. He also expressed himself through painting. At the age of twelve he and his family moved to Chile where he completed his education, married, and in 1967 became a naturalized Chilean citizen. He attended graduate school in Berkley California in 1968 and 1969 and then he returned to Chile. As an adult Dorfman worked as an activist, journalist and writer. Dorfman actively protested against political oppression in Chile. When Chile’s democratically elected Allende and his Marxist government were overthrown in a coup by Augusto Pinochet in 1973 he found himself in opposition to those in power. Following Allende’s death, thousands of politicians, intellectuals, clergymen and writers, of which Dorfman was one, were expelled from Chile. Many famous and significant writings came from Dorfman. His writings include Windows, his Memoir Heading South Looking North: A Bilingual Journey, Death and the Maiden, along with many short stories and poems.

The Other Ending To Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

Howling Adventures Amongst Royal Frauds After all the confusion was settled at Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas’ farm, Tom, and Jim and I decided to go down the river to the Indian Territory and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns. So we fixed up a raft and said good-bye. A week later Tom and I ran out of money so we couldn’t buy matches or cornmeal or any of that kinder stuff. So the next town we stopped at (by the name of Hicksville), the rain was pouring down so hard and the wind was a’ howling and whooping and the thunder made you jump right out of yur’ pants, we tied up the raft and found a good dry place to put Jim and keep ‘m hid (right under the dock where the platform reaches the land). Tom and I started to walk up towards the town and he told me about this book he read. It was about two boys who ran out of money whilst traveling down a river so they decide to sell rocks to people telling them that they’re magic. I got the feeling that Tom was trying to come up with ideas to make some money. So I says â€Å"Why don’t we jest steal some money?† And for the first time Tom agreed with me. So we stole some money from a blind man and ran as fast as we possibly could to the dock. Then we almost forgot Jim so Tom ran up to the end of the dock; went under it and told Jim it was all right to come out; we headed down the river, again. As we got further and further down the river, we realized we were in the Indian Territory. We tied up the raft on a tree that had falled down across the river. We set up a lean-to and cut some firewood, and put it in a dry place to keep it from the rain. After we set up camp, Tom and I took our rifles and decided to go hunting. We caught ourselves a rabbit and figer’d we best get back to camp before it got too late. When we got back to camp the lean-to was destroyed and Jim was gone. Well, it started to rain again and it was getting darker by the second. Tom looked over at me and said, â€Å"Injuns!† â€Å"I don’t know.† says I. â€Å"Do you have a plan, Tom?† â€Å"A plan for what?

Persuasive Essay on Curfews Essay

Students under the age of seventeen have a curfew of 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 12 am on Friday and Saturday. The curfew ensures that all students should have no business in a public place or out on the streets late at night. There are obviously some valid reasons why this is enforced and I am completely in favor of this decision. Many dangerous kinds of people come out late at night to see if they can get kids into some kind of trouble. Kids get kidnapped, raped and killed out in the open because its dark and nobody can see it happening. Illegal drug deals happen at night, again, because nobody can tell that they’re happening, and who’s out that late anyway? These times are decent and keep kids out of trouble in the dark. What teen-favorite restaurants are open after curfew time? Not any. The only restaurants and public places that are open after 10pm/12am are very few fast food restaurants and bars. Teens 17 and under aren’t allowed in bars so where would you go that late? There is absolutely no reason why any teen or child would be out late without a parent and/or guardian. Nothing is worse than one extremely worried parent. Personally, if I don’t answer a call or answer a text within 5 minutes of receiving it, they already think I’m doing something wrong. Especially if it’s after the city curfew. Most parents (much like mine) worry dearly for their teenager. At night who knows what runs through a parents mind when their child is having fun with friends. They might think their kids are out doing drugs, having sex(possibility of being on 16&Pregnant), speeding down streets, breaking into stores, sneaking into bars, getting drunk, etc. Although most of us aren’t, they think the worst of us. For the sake of a reassured parent, the curfew is a good thing. In conclusion, the 10 pm weekday, 12 am weekend curfew is a very good choice for the city. Coming from a teenager, whose been yelled at and grounded for being home past curfew, it’s a good thing. Common sense, closing times, the crazy people we have in this world, and our crazy parents are all very obvious reasons why this curfew is good, and should very well be enforced.