ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Procurement in the aviation industry The global aviation industry has grown a lot over the last couple of decades. The most notable growth has been witnessed since the turn of the century, as airline companies strive to integrate the latest technology and management practices into their operations. Due to the effect of globalization, the process of procuring goods and services in the aviation industry has become very complex (Haseman 2013). This phenomenon is highly attributable to the concept of performance-based contracting, which has introduced new and exciting dynamics into the various methods of negotiation during the procurement process. According to the guiding principles of performance-based contracting, the procurement process should focus on securing goods and services that complement the objectives of the planned work (Gransberg 2009). The concept also applies in a manner that gives contractors and employees the freedom to establish the most effective approaches that would apply in meeting their goals. Elements of performance-based contracting that have changed the procurement trends in the aviation industry include the need to achieve maximum levels of quality during delivery, and the provision that remuneration applies only to goods and services that meet the preferred quality levels (Haseman 2013). For example, jet fuel is one of the most essential goods in the aviation industry. Managing a negotiation to buy such a product ought to be guided by the need to acquire a product of the highest quality that will enable the user to meet all the performance goals. Therefore, organizations need to develop effective policies and procedures for integrating performance-based contracting into the procurement processes (Gransberg 2009). This plays a crucial role in keeping up with emerging trends in the industry. Performance-based contract and its associated advantages and disadvantages The performance-based contract refers to a strategy that a business applies to promote its products and services to achieve quantifiable results (Kleemann 2014). Governments and businesses use the management approach to access services using contracts that identify and define the goals to be achieved. The strategy uses performance metrics that create a relation between payment and the level of performance. The effectiveness of the metrics determines the amount of money payable to the person responsible (Kleemann 2014). Some of the commonly used metrics in performance-based contracting include accessibility, consistency, total cost, ability to be supported by other elements, as well as ease of maintenance. The most important role of performance-based contracting in the procurement process is buying performance (Guth 2009). This means that a contractor holds the most responsible about meeting the set goals, while the business is left with the responsibility of identifying and defining the metrics for determining success (Haseman 2013). According to management experts, performance-based contracting is one of the crucial elements that drive the attainment of procurement goals in the aviation indus
Introduction In my opinion, participation in a group consulting project is a very important experience for every business student. I have recently had a chance to take part in one of such projects that included people with different professional and cultural backgrounds. I think that this assignment will help me become a better business administrator who can interact with other professionals. Our group was composed of six people; three of them were international students while three were local residents. Despite these cultural differences, we could successfully work with one another. The team included Student J, Student T, Student N, Student P, Student A, and me. The teacher specifically asked us to work as a team, because such cooperation could be useful to us. This assignment has increased my awareness of the complexities of group work. Despite the fact that we faced many challenges while working on the project, I can say that this experience was of great use to each team member. The diversity of our team Overall, I can first tell that group projects require coordination of people’s efforts because very often they have to do very difficult tasks. More importantly, they have to find ways of reconciling their interests. In some cases, team members may not join the project at the same time. For instance, I missed the first week of the class since I was overseas. It should be noted that team members had different skills. For instance, Student P and Student N major in accounting while Student T studies marketing. Overall, we had to coordinate our efforts and make sure that our skills were used effectively. In contrast, Student A and I major in HR management. So, we had to determine how our skills could be best used. For this assignment, we had to write a report for the client from Inclusion Melbourne. Our task was to develop strategies for their business ventures. In particular, we needed to speak about their business plan, the external environment of their firm, marketing strategies, risk management, and so forth. My task was to discuss the external environment or those factors that could affect the business of our client. Group discussions There are several peculiarities of this project that attracted my attention. First of all, I would like to speak about communication. Scholars emphasize the idea that group projects can be successful provided that team members can openly express their views, make recommendations, and critique the ideas of others. Without it, the work of participants may not be fruitful (McEvoy 1988, p. 144). This is why we organized meetings in order to discuss our strategies and the points that should be inc
Abstract Panera’s restaurants is a well-developed company in the United States of America. However, it experiences challenges due to the rising level of competition and the necessity to comply with the client’s preferences. The overall industry alters due to the growing popularity of limited-service and casual restaurants. Meanwhile, the competitors tend to adapt to the fluctuations by introducing healthy and fresh dishes and communicating with the customers via different means of technology. Financial, SWOT, industry and competitive analysis contribute to the understanding of the key factors, which the company has to pay attention to while redesigning a strategy. In this case, Panera’s restaurants have to focus on the differentiation strategy while utilizing technology to deliver the messages to the customers and engaging them in the interactions and product development. Introduction and Overview of the Case Panera Restaurants is a network of the bakery-cafes, which utilizes franchises, as an operational scheme ( Panera Bread Company : Annual Report , 2015). Its area of operations is vast, and the restaurants tend to be present in 46 states in the United States of America while having its locations in Canada simultaneously ( Panera Bread Company: Annual Report , 2015). Nowadays, the corporation operates under several sub-brands including the Panera Bread, Paradise Bakery and Café, and Saint Louis Bread and Co. ( Panera Bread Company: Annual Report , 2015). Nonetheless, despite to company’s extended geographical coverage, the organization has some issues related to brand recognition and might lose a substantial share of the market to its competitors. In this case, the primary goal of the paper is to propose sufficient recommendations for Panera Restaurants to increase its competitiveness and recognition in the current market. In this case, the industry analysis will be conducted to reveal the other attractiveness of this area of operation. Meanwhile, the competitors’ analysis will have a substantial influence on the understanding of the critical aspects while defining key success factors of the competitors. Simultaneously, the company’s position depicts the features, which require modifications and adaptations. Based on a combination of factors displayed above, critical matters will contribute to the formation of the relevant strategic recommendations while finding the solutions to eliminate the influence of the existing issues. In the end, the conclusions are drawn to summarize the primary findings while emphasizing the most appropriate course of the actions. Analysis Industry Analysis Distinguishing Features of the Industry The overall restaurant industry is represented by various facilities, which tend to provide services to its clients while having an established menu ( Market Realist, 2014). Meanwhile, the range of the restaurant’s subtypes tends to grow due to the positive fluctuations in the employment rat
Stock market volatility and the danger of nations experiencing economic spillovers are increasing as the global financial industry grows more internationally interconnected. However, the opening of trade with emerging nations signaled the start of a new era of low-cost manufacturing based on these countries’ low wages (Samiee, 2019). They also assisted small merchants in importing overseas food and retail items into local grocery shops, and she introduced numerous Asian and Latin American products to U.S. customers. The cheap costs of items available through chains such as Walmart, which imports the majority of its inventory, are driving down the earnings of smaller retailers seeking to compete, according to the owner of a small U.S. retail store (Samiee, 2019). At the same time, international discrepancies can stimulate local markets and producers. This is especially relevant in the domain of economic sanctions when local producers are emulating the items that are prohibited to import because of the sanctions. If local factories manage to grow a substantial level of production, they can expand, thus benefiting the local economy. Exotic items such as saffron, tamarind, and five spices are now available in our local supermarkets, owing to global trade. Due to market volatility, the internal political climate in the nation of origin, and the influence of sanctions policies, the availability and price of these items continue to fluctuate significantly (Samiee, 2019). Due to Iranian sanctions, the best saffron produced in the country is virtually inaccessible or excessively costly in the U.S. Natural calamities like floods and earthquakes may also impair goods supply chains like the earthquakes in Chile in 2010 and Japan in 2011, when numerous items were unavailable for months, had an impact on not just local markets but on worldwide trade. Reference Samiee, S. (2019). Reflections on global brands, global consumer culture and globalization. International Marketing Review .
Introduction A distribution channel is typically perceived as a path in which both goods and services move or flow in one direction, while the payments flows to the other end (from consumer to the seller). Marketing channels refers to diverse activities apposite for moving ownership of products from one point to the point of either production or consumption. The purpose of marketing channels is to link diverse market players such as sellers and buyer. Concerning the distribution aspects of Ralph Lauren it is evident that the distribution channels are intricately correlated to their marketing strategies. This can be linked to the fact that they do employ well developed marketing channels in order to attain their objectives. The manner they advertise and promote their products illustrates that they have a vibrant distribution links. More so, by managing to have their products in other different outlets illustrates that the marketing strategies as well as the distribution are compactly linked. It ought to be noted that Ralph Lauren is distributed in all leading outlets (Stern, 2006). Thus if the marketing strategies are flawed this cannot be effective. Consider that through well developed promotional programs this product is sold across all states. Thus, the core features of the firm’s distribution and marketing policies are connected to selling the brand aggressively and effectively. Distribution Therefore, the organizations objectives are centrally allied to maximizing the current value of their total gains. This objective has been attained by developing a solid and distinctive competency in regard to market evaluation and distribution strategies. Also the financial concept has been considered in order to handle the challenges of competition effectively. Despite that the organization though facing stiff competition has established effective market balance. The purpose of this measure is to ascertain that her essential products are not competing at the similar variables with the rivals (Perreault, 2008). Thus, through well articulated distribution policies the firms has established measures of ascertaining they have new outlets as well as emerging markets. The policy has thus proved to be effective and beneficial to the firm’s objectives in regard to distribution (Lancaster,2000). More so, another essential feature associated with the firm’s distribution strategies concerns the product line objectives. The scope of this measure also plays a central role in enhancing the organizations products as well as market share in regard to distribution. It ought to be noted that the organization core objectives is to have less expenses and a greater income margin. Therefore, the incorporation of product lines have provided the firm with new outlets which are lessening the time and cost of distribution (Kotler,2000). Therefore, the distribution strategies as established by this organization touches on distribution opportunities. This is due to the reason that distribution off
Introduction Human beings exist on a blue planet since the oceans amount to approximately three quarters of the Earth’s surface. Thus, the issue of marine pollution is extremely dangerous as the impact of all the waste floating in the work’s oceans impacts the environment tremendously. This problem is a global concern because it has an effect on all of the countries in terms of their economy, climate shifts, natural disasters, and, most importantly, the health of their citizens. Hence, collective action is required in order to battle ocean pollution. Inter-governmental organizations, private institutions, governments, and other institutions must collaborate to successfully reduce the amount of waste in the world’s oceans. It is apparent that there are many obstacles in the way of implementing effective solutions to the issue. The purpose of this essay is to examine the challenges marine pollution presents to global governance. In addition, this paper focuses on the connection between a consistent Christian worldview and environmentalism. Nature and Scope of the Selected Environmental Issue Marine pollution is a growing global concern, which requires immediate action from the international community. Although there different types of ocean waste, including noise and light contamination, plastic and chemical pollution are the primary ones 1 . Chemical pollution is often referred to as nutrient contamination, which predominantly occurs due to human activities in the agricultural industry. Once the chemicals from fertilizers used in farms runoff into waterways, the possibility of them ending up in the ocean is extremely high. Chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorous 2 lead to the creation of algal blooms that are toxic for both humans and wildlife. It is important to note that apart from the health concerns, chemical contamination often results in economic downturns. Algal blooms can hurt local fishing or cause the decline of tourism in the area, which affects its economic prosperity. As for the plastic pollution, human waste creates marine debris, which are made out of plastic bags, bottles, wrapping, and cigarette butts. Storm winds contribute to the growth of these trash islands. However, poor waste management is the main area of concern when it comes to plastic pollution of the oceans. Plastic waste is particularly dangerous because of how long it takes for pollutants such as shopping bags and food wrappers to decompose. It is crucial to add that the amount of plastic floating in the Atlantic Ocean is now three times as big 3 as it has been in the 1960s. A great visual representation of the problem is the Pacific Ocean’s biggest garbage patch, which is almost 620,000 miles, making it twice as large as Texas 4 . There is no doubt that plastic pollution is a massive issue, which continues to get bigger. The scope of the issue is huge since it affects both a
Distribution Dunkin Donuts is a brand for people on the move. It is a preferred choice for young professionals to provide morning coffee and breakfast to keep them energetic and also for teenagers who consider Dunkin Donuts as a hangout place. Current Distribution Distribution is providing the product or service to the customer directly. Dunkin Donuts’ strategy for distribution includes direct and indirect channels. The direct channels help Dunkin Donuts serve the customer directly and get the feedback instantaneously which is very important in today’s world to improve and satisfy the customer by proving value. The direct channels include the Dunkin Donuts outlets in America which serve the customers most of the 52 products each day (Dunkin Donuts, 2008). The light and warm ambiance is found in each outlet where the customers come in and enjoy the offerings each day. For the global customers of Dunkin Donuts, has opened up the direct channel of online shopping where the customers can order coffee, tea, apparel, coffee equipment and gifts. These items are shipped over to the customer. Likewise, Dunkin Donuts has opened indirect channels through retailing in America. Coffee is available in packages in stores like Wal-Mart, Kroger and CVS. They have made a deal with P&G for their retail distribution with more than 4000 stores lined up to be selling Dunkin Donuts’ Coffee (Jewell, 2007). On a global level, Dunkin Donuts is present in the form of franchises with more than 24 countries on the current list. Also, strategic alliances have been formed with local home décor outlets to open up Dunkin Donuts right next to it. Also in top-notch malls in other countries, the Dunkin Donuts outlet is located right next to another Dunkin Donuts brand, Baskin Robbins. Variations by Target Market As mentioned above, the target market for Dunkin Donuts is divided into Professionals (Adults), Teenagers and Children. Their marketing campaigns are allocated within these segments. However, when we consider distribution, there is almost no segmentation on this basis. The physical outlets and the retail stores are both accessible by all segments and are equally approachable by all. The online distribution strategy is usually availed by professionals who have access to credit cards and online accounts. However this is not Dunkin Donuts’ strategy, rather it is a segmentation that comes naturally due to age restriction. (Dunkin Donuts, 2008) Target Markets Adults          It will include professionals i.e. doctors, bankers, etc., people who generally like to drink coffee Teenagers       It’s a place for them to hang out, have Lattes, donuts, etc.                                         Children        They are targeted for munchkins                                                                       Alternative Methods of Distribution Dunkin Donuts is a brand that can be enjoyed anywhere and at any time. Coffee and donuts are pretty much all seasons sell while sandwiches are items for consumption for snacks. With such diversity in edibles, Dunkin Donuts doesn’t have much of a choice to cater to their customers apart from their
Grow Your Business vs. Destroy Your Business Both Grow Your Business (GYB) and Destroy Your Business (DYB) strategies are essential for companies to understand if they plan to remain in a competitive market long-term. The DYB strategy implies the assessment and evaluation of products offered in terms of their design and price. In essence, the strategy is necessary for identifying existing flaws and, therefore, examining the advantages and disadvantages of a company’s position with regards to whether or not it can sustain its profitability long-term. However, the technique is quite disruptive to business activities because all stages of operation are subjected to scrutiny. Nevertheless, DYB remains a powerful tool that companies can use to realize their faults before it is too late. If comparing DYB with GYB, the latter implies a company uses the information gathered from product evaluations and employs it for introducing various business enhancing practices, while the former cannot recommend any specific actions for improvement. An interesting point to mention is that the GYB strategy capitalizes on relationships with customers through developing a new client base while nurturing the one that already exists. In terms of profitability, staying competitive against rivals, and sustaining the business long-term, both strategies ensure that businesses know their strengths and use them accordingly. However, the DYB strategy is more useful because it encourages companies to identify their weaknesses, stay focused on their achievements, and make any necessary changes in cases when there are significant limitations in their performance. Cannibalization Market cannibalization refers to the adverse impact that a new product introduced by a company has on the performance and sales of already existing products. In this case, a new product “eats” or “cannibalizes” the demand for other products, thus negatively affecting the overall sales of a company, as well as influencing the market share. When a business introduces a product, the demand for which is higher than for any others by the same brand, the bottom line can be drastically affected if this is done unintentionally. With the negative aspect of cannibalization, products’ lives end prematurely due to the shift in demand for a new product. However, there are instances when cannibalization is done intentionally and therefore can have a positive impact on a market share of a business. The cannibalization strategy may facilitate the capturing of a large market share that has previously been occupied by a competitor. In comparing cannibalization to the DYB strategy, it is hard to
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a public health burden, yet the current interventions have inadequate adherence and effectiveness. Davis et al. (2020) suggested two psilocybin administrations produce antidepressant effects in individuals with MDD. The randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Maryland. The study enrolled twenty-seven participants aged 21 to 75 years from August 2017 to April 2019. The researchers administered 20mg/70kg psilocybin in session one and 30 mg/70kg in session two in opaque gelatin capsules using 100mL of water. The study sampled participants randomly to start the treatment or delay it by eight weeks. The study used GRID-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (GRID-HAMD) to measure depression severity. A total of 24 out of the 27 randomized participants finished the week one and week four post-session analysis. The population had 39.8 years as mean age and 22.8 mean baseline GRID-HAMD score (Davis et al., 2020). In the entire sample, 16 partakers in the first week and 17 participants in the fourth week had more than a 50% reduction in GRID-HAMD score. The findings portray psilocybin-based therapy is effective in treating MDD. The research randomized its design and utilized GRID-HAMD as the primary results measure. The strength is that the delayed treatment acted as a control for the trial, screening, and initial follow-up analysis (Davis et al., 2020). The deferred cure controlled psilocybin administration aspects, such as rapport development, post-session integration, and expec