Greater London Authority

This business report aims to investigate the policies affecting the environment in London. A review will be made into the responsibilities of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the mayor. A critical evaluation of the evidence will be provided. A survey of opinions amongst GSM students will be presented and a conclusion drawn on the effectiveness of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Mayor in tackling key issues which relate to the environment. It has been estimated that London, the capital of England, has a population of more than eight million (www. tandard. co. uk). With a 0. 7% fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2012 (GLAEconomics, 2012) the Mayor of London (MoL) plays an important role in ‘improving London for all’ (london. gov. uk). The Greater London Authority (GLA) is a top-tier administrative body for London (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Greater_London_Authority) which consists of an elected mayor, the London assembly and permanent members of GLA staff who collaboratively work towards design a better capital (www. london. gov. uk/who-runs-london/greater-london-authority).The MoL is responsible for the economic, environmental, social enhancement of the city (www. london. gov. uk/who-runs-london/mayor/role). Plans and policies are developed to tackle the issues effect London such as transport, housing, health inequalities and environmental issues (www. london. gov. uk/who-runs-london/mayor/role). Environmental issues can be defined as the overuse of natural resources (Fransson and Garling, 1999) and can be categorised into air, water, radiation and odor pollution (http://www. environment-agency. ov. uk). The United Kingdom (UK), ranked eighth in the world for emit the highest carbon dioxide emissions (http://www. ucsusa. org). The UK generates 586 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Even though significant efforts are being made to reduce our carbon footprint such as building the world's largest wind farm, pollution due t ransportation however still remains a major problem in the UK (http://www. actionforourplanet. com). Environmental concern has risen on the political agenda since 2003. Various olicies have been introduced since then, relating to the environment. In 2009, a document entitled ‘Leading to a Greener London’ was published setting out the aims for London to reduce its carbon foot print and become ‘one of the worlds greenest cities’ (https://www. london. gov. uk/priorities/environment/vision-strateg. The Mayors Municipal waste strategy (2011) sets out to improve the life of Londoners by retrofitting London, greening London and cleaner air for London (http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/Municipal%20Waste_FINAL. pdf).Retrofitting or mordenising our homes and workplaces to be more energy efficient is considered to be a vital action, as this accounts for nearly eighty percent (80%) of the cities emissions. Greening London consists of increasing Londonâ₠¬â„¢s tree coverage and green spaces in order to improve air quality, reduce the impact of extreme weather conditions and increase the vibrancy of the city. The mayor has already made various steps towards achieving cleaner air for London which includes introducing new cleaner hybrid buses (http://www. london. gov. k/priorities/transport/green-transport/hybrid-buses), charging points for electric cars (https://www. sourcelondon. net) and barlays cycle hire is due to be expanding to south west London in 2014 (http://www. tfl. gov. uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/25711. aspx). Nevertheless, evidence shows that air pollution in our capital has exceeding EU limits and proves that London has a long way to go to improve emissions (http://www. london. gov. uk/media/press_releases_london_assembly/new-figures-reveal-limits-harmful-air-pollution-breached-across-capital).The business waste Strategy (2011) sets out to direct the management of business waste. London currently produces 20 m illion tones of waste a year. With London growing, this amount is due to increase. The aim of this policy is to educate and encourage Londoners to reduce, reuse and recycle their household and support business’s to dispose of their waste more efficiently and effectively (http://www. london. gov. uk/priorities/environment/vision-strategy/waste). These policies have filtered down to local councils and a proposal has been drawn in the borough of Croydon to target those who persistently refuse to recycle with a fixed penalty of ? 0 (http://www. croydon. gov. uk/environment/rrandw/recycling-rates/). However, even with the governments increasing efforts to try a reduce waste and encourage recycling, there are many areas in society where this is not happening. For example, the government’s voluntary scheme to cut the use if throwaway bags issued by supermarkets has been a disappointment. The use of plastic bags has increased for the second year running (http://www. guardian. co. uk/environment/2012/jul/05/plastic-bag-use-rise-supermarkets). In response, a proposal making it mandatory to charge all single use carrier bags may be enforced (http://www. ondon. gov. uk/media/press_releases_assembly_member/news-jenny-jones-am-calling-charge-all-single-use-carrier-bags). In conclusion, government will always make proposals and draw up policies however sometimes implementing these policies at a local level is very challenging. Even though the GLA want to see improvements and continuously demand, support needs to be made at a local level to help guide local authorities through continuous changes enforced upon them. REFERENCING FRANSSON, N. GARLING,T. (1999) ENVIRONMENTALCONCERN: CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS, MEASUREMENT METHODS, AND RESEARCH FINDINGS.Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19 (4) pp 369–382 http://www. actionforourplanet. com/#/top-10-polluting-countries/4541684868 http://www. london. gov. uk/media/press_releases_london_assembly/new-figures-reveal -limits-harmful-air-pollution-breached-across-capital http://www. london. gov. uk/priorities/transport/green-transport/hybrid-buses http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/Business%20Waste_FINAL. pdf). http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/Business%20Waste_FINAL. pdf http://www. london. gov. uk/sites/default/files/londons_economy_today_no119_26071

International Marketing

In addition, the celebrations. Com we Bessie informs that there now exists a huge gap between the rich and the poor in BRB jail, which would lessen when poor people have access to education and the opportunity to develop reading skills. In a recent article dated October 1 , 2013, the www. Goalposts. Com website reports that Brazil now experiences disappointing economic growth. Despite President Dilemma Recourses efforts to revive the economy with stimulus packages and TA x cuts, the GAP grew only 0. 6 percent and both stock market and currency rates plume Ted.Other economic problems in Brazil include: â€Å"high salary costs, falling productivity, an d terrible 2 logistical bottlenecks that Rousseau has not yet addressed† ( l). In addition, Humblers Barbara, president of BEANIE, a lobby group for the elect Nils industry, predicts that unless infrastructure resolves its problems, industry will I continue to suffer ( 1 The website also informs that household consumption grew jus t 0. 1 percent due to inflation which adversely affected the purchasing power of consumers. In order to combat the problem of high inflation Brazil has increase seed interest rates.Brazier's business leaders have also encore raged Rousseau to reform tax a ND labor costs â€Å"so factories can regain their competitiveness at home and abroad† ( 2). Although Brazil now experiences these problems, the article states that Brazier's economy still flourishes in some areas. These areas include: low unemployment, strong foreign investment levels, Recourses approval rate of 80 percent, and a strong harvest and increased agricultural activity. In addition, Guide Ma enter (Brazier's Finance Minister) asserts that the investment growth trend will contain u.The article concludes with David Reese' (an economist for Capital Economics in Loon don) suggestion that Brazil should rebalanced the economy towards investment in 0 order to create growth rates of five percent, which investors want to see ( 3). A recent article in The Economist titled ‘ ‘The Price is Wrong,† and dated September 28, 2013 reports that â€Å"Brazil offers appalling value for money† ( www. Economist. Com 1). The article states that a pizza in Brazil costs 530 and also that a cheap, windowless hotel room in ROI costs $250/ night.The article also reports that 3 payroll taxes are 58% Of salary, that a Broadminded car costs 45% less in Mix than in Brazil, that a smartened costs 50% more than in the US, and that large domestic appliances and cars cost 50% more than in other Mendocino coo entries. The article presents the following reasons why these problems exist in Brazil: or infrastructure, high crime rates that necessitate an army of 650,000 security g awards, expensive office rents, expensive credit, decreased household consumption, a decreased exports of manufacturing goods.The article explains that the Brazil liana people go on foreign shopping sprees in order to make more e conomical purr chases and to avoid the â€Å"Custom Brazil† which â€Å"refers to the increased operational costs ass associated with doing business in Brazil, making Brazilian goods and services more expel noise compared to other countries† ( www. Economist Another recent article in , titled â€Å"Stuck in the Mud,† and dated June 8, 201 3 describes the current economic growth of Brazil as feeble limited.The article informs that Brazil now experiences a trade deficit, a shrink king primary fiscal surplus, and growing government debt mainly due to domestic rigidities. The article also discusses Dilemma Recourses efforts to â€Å"stimulate growth by hike Eng public spending and the minimum wage, and forcing starters banks to lend more† ( 2). Again, despite these efforts, consumer confidence continues to suffer, which greatly impairs economic growth.The government (the Centre al Bank) has responded by increasing base interest rates to 8% in addition to elim inate g a tax on foreign purchases of bonds in order to increase currency inflows and to â€Å"slow the weakening Of the real† ( 2). The government has also attempted to 4 solve these problems by encouraging investment and discouraging consumption Ion. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful for the steamrollered oil giant p terrors, for the grandmotherly industry, and for the electricity and banking industry sees.Other attempts to correct the dismal situation include: investments in the oil industry Y, the government's attempts to attract bidders to its road and rail concessions, and stimulating sales to increase business confidence. However, the challenging a ND diverse political landscape in Brazil, as well as Recourses inability to be diploma attic, will most likely cause further corrective actions to be unsuccessful. Http://Brasilia. Com/economy/ http://www. interdependence. Com/Brazil/economy. HTML http://www. celebrations. Com/bristlecone. HTML http://www. Goalposts . Mom/dispatch/news/thunderstorms/131001 / barometrically http://www. Economist. Com/news/ species Loretta/21 586678whybrazi I paraprofessional's Americas/21579048feeblegrowthhasforcedchange c b. Demographics As of July 2012, Brazil had a population of 199,321,413 people, with the majors y being in the 2554 age range. The majority of their population (87%) resides in urban areas. The largest city in Brazil is SAA Paulo with about 20 million residents. Ri o De Jeanine, where the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held, is the second largest c tit with about 12 million residents.In terms of diversity, over half of Brazier's residents are Caucasian and the sec 5 largest group is mulatto (mixed), making up almost 40% of the total population n. The official and most widely spoken language is Portuguese. The largest religious group IS Roman Catholic, with almost thirds of the demographic. A vast majority of Brazilian are literate with 89% of the population fifteen years old and over be inning a ble to read and write. ( http://www. Undermine. Com/Brazil/demographics_profile. HTML ) c. Cultural information Sports are very popular and important in Brazil.Most citizens regularly follow participate in various sport activities. The most popular sport in Brazil is foot all (American soccer). It is said that football â€Å"†¦ Is in the blood of the people of Bra Brazier's tropical climate is excellent for playing and practicing football. Brazil is also the only country to have participated in and qualified for all of the Football World Cups to date. The Brazilian soccer team is known all over the world for their brilliant Pl areas. Everyone in Brazil, from small villages to large cities, is known to go crazy for t heir country during the World Cup.Brazilian are known for the pride they feel for their country during sporting events. Brazil holds the most wins for the World Cup with five wins, known to Brazilian as the â€Å"Pentane†. The most dollied Brazilian soccer P l areas are Cafe, Aid, Ronald, and Reinhold. Sports such as sailing and golf are considered to be for the high class and are not accessible to the general public. Brazilian also enjoy footloose, basketball l, tennis, auto racing, and volleyball ( http://www. Mayflowers. Com/Brazil/sports/ Women's football has gathered an increasing share of interest in Brazil.The country's SST ring of successes in volleyball since the midnight century have made it Brazier's second most 6 popular sport. Municipal governments often provide volleyball courts and 10th recreational equipment for the country's beaches, including ROI De Jeaneries FAA moss Copernican and Panama. Brazier's beaches are gathering places for young pee people, the more athletic of which play football and various racket games. Brazilian chasm pincushion of beach football and volleyball draw thousands of spectators and television.Brazil has competed in every Olympic Games since 1920, except the 1 928 Summer Games in Amsterdam. It has been successful in many events, include Eng transfixed, swimming, yachting, and such team sports as football, volleyball l, and basketball. In 2009 the International Olympic Committee selected ROI De Jeanie or as the site of the 201 6 Summer Games. It was the first city in South America to be chi seen to host the Olympics. Http://www. Britannica. Com/Checked/topic/781 01 ‘Brazil/25115/ Superconductivity II.Background on Underarm (Mary Kate) under Armor, a relatively new company was established in 1 998 by a former University of Maryland football player, Kevin Plank, who was sick of repeatedly changing his sweat soaked Theists during football camp and took it upon him elf to invent a new type of This that would keep athletes cool, dry and light by rep ailing moisture. Under Armor has come a long way from young Kevin Plank selling Theists along the east coast out of his grandma's basement-?on November 18, 2005 Under Armor went public and became the first Seabed initial publi c offering to do blew on the first day in five years.Over the years the company began to expand its pr duct line to providing clothing for different weather temperaments, creating equipment t for various 7 sports fields, as well as developing lines for women and children. They have e expanded from the clothing collegiate sports team and now sponsor numerous professor Anal sports teams and world's athletes which include Olympian, national champions, etc. They have expanded in a global scale to Europe, China, Canada, Japan, parts of LATA America and are known as a global leader in performance footwear, apparel, accessories.Today, Under Armor has revenues approaching $2 billion dollar s and continues to maintain its mission to â€Å"make all athletes better through passion , design, and the relentless pursuit for innovation by creating exchanging products t hat provide an advantage for athletes. † Under Armor takes its corporate responsibility very seriously. As outlined on its companies website, AU operates under the core values with which the comma NY was established: innovation, inspiration, reliability, and integrity.They only seek to do business with third parties that operate under these values as well. Under Ar ours products are made by thirdly manufacturers: consequently, they hold these e third parties to the high standards in which they hold themselves. AU will not do buy seines with any companies that use any form of forced labor, child labor, or harass .NET/abuse on their employees. The CIA suppliers and subcontractors must provide their employees with a safe and healthy working environment and comply with all laws and re solutions.AU must provide employees with at least legally mandated minimum wage an d benefits. The employees of CIA and its suppliers or subcontractors are not forced to woo ark more Han 48 hours with 12 hours overtime and countries that have no limit on how RSI worked must provide one day Off out Of every seven days Of work. CIA complies with a 8 environmental regulations, rules, and standards as well as making all subsonic reactors and contractors comply with all local, state, federal, national, and international I laws, rules, and regulations in the company of manufacture.The suppliers and sub contractors are regularly monitored by ALGA internal employees and third party contractors . As well as taking corporate responsibility seriously, CIA prides itself on its community involvement. They created CIA Giveback which partners with prior ms that are dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, environmental sustainability , supporting military and law enforcement, and empowering youth athletes. From a marketing perspective, Under Armor target athletes of all ages as we as fans as they have entered into the collegiate and professional sports appear el market.Internationally, this is an asset to the company as well as having lines of cloths Eng for all ages and genders. AU has unique temperature specifi c clothing that can cater to the specific temperaments as they expand on a global level. However, it appears as if Under Armor is heavily rooted in its football background in America which el eaves room to question the company's success on an international level as it tries to break free of its American football image in countries where the sport is nearly nonexistent. International Marketing In addition, the celebrations. Com we Bessie informs that there now exists a huge gap between the rich and the poor in BRB jail, which would lessen when poor people have access to education and the opportunity to develop reading skills. In a recent article dated October 1 , 2013, the www. Goalposts. Com website reports that Brazil now experiences disappointing economic growth. Despite President Dilemma Recourses efforts to revive the economy with stimulus packages and TA x cuts, the GAP grew only 0. 6 percent and both stock market and currency rates plume Ted.Other economic problems in Brazil include: â€Å"high salary costs, falling productivity, an d terrible 2 logistical bottlenecks that Rousseau has not yet addressed† ( l). In addition, Humblers Barbara, president of BEANIE, a lobby group for the elect Nils industry, predicts that unless infrastructure resolves its problems, industry will I continue to suffer ( 1 The website also informs that household consumption grew jus t 0. 1 percent due to inflation which adversely affected the purchasing power of consumers. In order to combat the problem of high inflation Brazil has increase seed interest rates.Brazier's business leaders have also encore raged Rousseau to reform tax a ND labor costs â€Å"so factories can regain their competitiveness at home and abroad† ( 2). Although Brazil now experiences these problems, the article states that Brazier's economy still flourishes in some areas. These areas include: low unemployment, strong foreign investment levels, Recourses approval rate of 80 percent, and a strong harvest and increased agricultural activity. In addition, Guide Ma enter (Brazier's Finance Minister) asserts that the investment growth trend will contain u.The article concludes with David Reese' (an economist for Capital Economics in Loon don) suggestion that Brazil should rebalanced the economy towards investment in 0 order to create growth rates of five percent, which investors want to see ( 3). A recent article in The Economist titled ‘ ‘The Price is Wrong,† and dated September 28, 2013 reports that â€Å"Brazil offers appalling value for money† ( www. Economist. Com 1). The article states that a pizza in Brazil costs 530 and also that a cheap, windowless hotel room in ROI costs $250/ night.The article also reports that 3 payroll taxes are 58% Of salary, that a Broadminded car costs 45% less in Mix than in Brazil, that a smartened costs 50% more than in the US, and that large domestic appliances and cars cost 50% more than in other Mendocino coo entries. The article presents the following reasons why these problems exist in Brazil: or infrastructure, high crime rates that necessitate an army of 650,000 security g awards, expensive office rents, expensive credit, decreased household consumption, a decreased exports of manufacturing goods.The article explains that the Brazil liana people go on foreign shopping sprees in order to make more e conomical purr chases and to avoid the â€Å"Custom Brazil† which â€Å"refers to the increased operational costs ass associated with doing business in Brazil, making Brazilian goods and services more expel noise compared to other countries† ( www. Economist Another recent article in , titled â€Å"Stuck in the Mud,† and dated June 8, 201 3 describes the current economic growth of Brazil as feeble limited.The article informs that Brazil now experiences a trade deficit, a shrink king primary fiscal surplus, and growing government debt mainly due to domestic rigidities. The article also discusses Dilemma Recourses efforts to â€Å"stimulate growth by hike Eng public spending and the minimum wage, and forcing starters banks to lend more† ( 2). Again, despite these efforts, consumer confidence continues to suffer, which greatly impairs economic growth.The government (the Centre al Bank) has responded by increasing base interest rates to 8% in addition to elim inate g a tax on foreign purchases of bonds in order to increase currency inflows and to â€Å"slow the weakening Of the real† ( 2). The government has also attempted to 4 solve these problems by encouraging investment and discouraging consumption Ion. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful for the steamrollered oil giant p terrors, for the grandmotherly industry, and for the electricity and banking industry sees.Other attempts to correct the dismal situation include: investments in the oil industry Y, the government's attempts to attract bidders to its road and rail concessions, and stimulating sales to increase business confidence. However, the challenging a ND diverse political landscape in Brazil, as well as Recourses inability to be diploma attic, will most likely cause further corrective actions to be unsuccessful. Http://Brasilia. Com/economy/ http://www. interdependence. Com/Brazil/economy. HTML http://www. celebrations. Com/bristlecone. HTML http://www. Goalposts . Mom/dispatch/news/thunderstorms/131001 / barometrically http://www. Economist. Com/news/ species Loretta/21 586678whybrazi I paraprofessional's Americas/21579048feeblegrowthhasforcedchange c b. Demographics As of July 2012, Brazil had a population of 199,321,413 people, with the majors y being in the 2554 age range. The majority of their population (87%) resides in urban areas. The largest city in Brazil is SAA Paulo with about 20 million residents. Ri o De Jeanine, where the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held, is the second largest c tit with about 12 million residents.In terms of diversity, over half of Brazier's residents are Caucasian and the sec 5 largest group is mulatto (mixed), making up almost 40% of the total population n. The official and most widely spoken language is Portuguese. The largest religious group IS Roman Catholic, with almost thirds of the demographic. A vast majority of Brazilian are literate with 89% of the population fifteen years old and over be inning a ble to read and write. ( http://www. Undermine. Com/Brazil/demographics_profile. HTML ) c. Cultural information Sports are very popular and important in Brazil.Most citizens regularly follow participate in various sport activities. The most popular sport in Brazil is foot all (American soccer). It is said that football â€Å"†¦ Is in the blood of the people of Bra Brazier's tropical climate is excellent for playing and practicing football. Brazil is also the only country to have participated in and qualified for all of the Football World Cups to date. The Brazilian soccer team is known all over the world for their brilliant Pl areas. Everyone in Brazil, from small villages to large cities, is known to go crazy for t heir country during the World Cup.Brazilian are known for the pride they feel for their country during sporting events. Brazil holds the most wins for the World Cup with five wins, known to Brazilian as the â€Å"Pentane†. The most dollied Brazilian soccer P l areas are Cafe, Aid, Ronald, and Reinhold. Sports such as sailing and golf are considered to be for the high class and are not accessible to the general public. Brazilian also enjoy footloose, basketball l, tennis, auto racing, and volleyball ( http://www. Mayflowers. Com/Brazil/sports/ Women's football has gathered an increasing share of interest in Brazil.The country's SST ring of successes in volleyball since the midnight century have made it Brazier's second most 6 popular sport. Municipal governments often provide volleyball courts and 10th recreational equipment for the country's beaches, including ROI De Jeaneries FAA moss Copernican and Panama. Brazier's beaches are gathering places for young pee people, the more athletic of which play football and various racket games. Brazilian chasm pincushion of beach football and volleyball draw thousands of spectators and television.Brazil has competed in every Olympic Games since 1920, except the 1 928 Summer Games in Amsterdam. It has been successful in many events, include Eng transfixed, swimming, yachting, and such team sports as football, volleyball l, and basketball. In 2009 the International Olympic Committee selected ROI De Jeanie or as the site of the 201 6 Summer Games. It was the first city in South America to be chi seen to host the Olympics. Http://www. Britannica. Com/Checked/topic/781 01 ‘Brazil/25115/ Superconductivity II.Background on Underarm (Mary Kate) under Armor, a relatively new company was established in 1 998 by a former University of Maryland football player, Kevin Plank, who was sick of repeatedly changing his sweat soaked Theists during football camp and took it upon him elf to invent a new type of This that would keep athletes cool, dry and light by rep ailing moisture. Under Armor has come a long way from young Kevin Plank selling Theists along the east coast out of his grandma's basement-?on November 18, 2005 Under Armor went public and became the first Seabed initial publi c offering to do blew on the first day in five years.Over the years the company began to expand its pr duct line to providing clothing for different weather temperaments, creating equipment t for various 7 sports fields, as well as developing lines for women and children. They have e expanded from the clothing collegiate sports team and now sponsor numerous professor Anal sports teams and world's athletes which include Olympian, national champions, etc. They have expanded in a global scale to Europe, China, Canada, Japan, parts of LATA America and are known as a global leader in performance footwear, apparel, accessories.Today, Under Armor has revenues approaching $2 billion dollar s and continues to maintain its mission to â€Å"make all athletes better through passion , design, and the relentless pursuit for innovation by creating exchanging products t hat provide an advantage for athletes. † Under Armor takes its corporate responsibility very seriously. As outlined on its companies website, AU operates under the core values with which the comma NY was established: innovation, inspiration, reliability, and integrity.They only seek to do business with third parties that operate under these values as well. Under Ar ours products are made by thirdly manufacturers: consequently, they hold these e third parties to the high standards in which they hold themselves. AU will not do buy seines with any companies that use any form of forced labor, child labor, or harass .NET/abuse on their employees. The CIA suppliers and subcontractors must provide their employees with a safe and healthy working environment and comply with all laws and re solutions.AU must provide employees with at least legally mandated minimum wage an d benefits. The employees of CIA and its suppliers or subcontractors are not forced to woo ark more Han 48 hours with 12 hours overtime and countries that have no limit on how RSI worked must provide one day Off out Of every seven days Of work. CIA complies with a 8 environmental regulations, rules, and standards as well as making all subsonic reactors and contractors comply with all local, state, federal, national, and international I laws, rules, and regulations in the company of manufacture.The suppliers and sub contractors are regularly monitored by ALGA internal employees and third party contractors . As well as taking corporate responsibility seriously, CIA prides itself on its community involvement. They created CIA Giveback which partners with prior ms that are dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, environmental sustainability , supporting military and law enforcement, and empowering youth athletes. From a marketing perspective, Under Armor target athletes of all ages as we as fans as they have entered into the collegiate and professional sports appear el market.Internationally, this is an asset to the company as well as having lines of cloths Eng for all ages and genders. AU has unique temperature specifi c clothing that can cater to the specific temperaments as they expand on a global level. However, it appears as if Under Armor is heavily rooted in its football background in America which el eaves room to question the company's success on an international level as it tries to break free of its American football image in countries where the sport is nearly nonexistent. International Marketing INTRODUCTION TO THE REPORT & THEME The basic objective of this report is to study about the Global market opportunities for Kandos chocolates & prepare a Strategy to capture it. I would like to take this opportunity to gratefully the Chairman & Board of Directors to give a excellent Opportunity work as International Marketing Manager & I would really enjoying to take the challenging task, which has been mentioned in this whole report. BUSINESS PROFILE 5th May 1962 was an evolutionary day for Sri Lankan confectionery industry due to the commencement of Ceylon Chocolates Ltd.Prior to the establishment of Ceylon Chocolates Limited Sri Lanka was 100% relaying on imports for Chocolates. The main objective behind the pioneering activity of producing chocolates locally is to gain certain advantage on foreign exchange by increasing the local production as well as controlling the imports. In 1970 Kandos became one of most popular brand among the consumers. On the same year the millionaire ind ustrialist Philip Upali Wijewardene acquired full control of Ceylon Chocolate Ltd.During this time Delta confectioner products manufactured by Ceylon sugar company Ltd which was started by Upali Wijewardene1 in 1962 was the leader in sugar confectionery. In 1970 both these companies were amalgamated and the production of Kandos Chocolates and the Delta toffees were merged and started operating as Ceylon Chocolate Ltd. As the next avenue Kandos emerged into global market. Kandos became very successful brand in South East Asian Region. As a result of the above successes in order to take the business towards another step forward Mr.Upali Wijewardena formed Upali Group of Companies and Ceylon Chocolate Limited became one of the subsidiaries. Upali Group of Companies established them as one the large conglomerate and also as a key diversified business enterprise in South East Asia. It was leading in the products such as Chocolate, confectionary, beverages, soap & detergents and also moto r cars, Aviation, Electronics, newspapers, plantation became their key business. From the inception Kandos products were locally distributed by M/S Shaw Wallace & Hedges Ltd. In 1991 Ceylon chocolate Ltd had a mile stone of stepping into their own distribution channel.The head office is located in Colombo & The factory and main stores are located in Kundasale. Another small warehouse is located at Homagama, in order to distribute the chocolates demand of the Colombo city and suburbs. At preset it has 68 Distributors island wide and also it has Delta Toffee plant, Wafer Biscuit manufacturing plant & Pudding manufacturing plants as well. There are two chocolate outlets which are named as â€Å"Kandos Shop†, which produce varieties of products using chocolates and there our plans for future developments as another trade mark operation. Product RangeChocolates are categorized as dark, milk, compound, flavored, filled chocolates and couverture. There are many sub brands under thes e categories with different varieties. Basically the chocolates are classified as Cocoa butter chocolates (CB) and Non Cocoa Butter chocolates (NCB). In NCBs cocoa butter substitute (Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil) is used instead of cocoa butter. CB chocolates include Couverture-A, Super Blend, K-21 Collection, Milk and Fruit & Nut, Classic milk, while NCB chocolates include Super-10, Crispy, New Gen, Tak Tik, Kiddies, Super car and Couverture-B.Each category has different varieties. PHASE 1: GOAL SETTING Vision To be the leader in our chosen field in the confectionery industry in Asia. Mission To be the leader in manufacturing & marketing best quality chocolate & confectionery products maintaining the highest brand values in a profitable manner to satisfy the needs of consumers. Long Term Objectives 1)To be the market leader in chocolate industry in Sri Lanka in year 2015. 2)Diversify the Business in to biscuits range, adding varieties of toffees & other confectionaries such as pudd ing, beverages etc in year 2020. )Re-brand Kandos in globally in year 2013. 4)Go to Cocoa Plantation through vertical Integration of Supply Chain Management in Sri Lanka in year 2012 & extend to overseas by year 2016. (China, Malaysia & Indonesia) 5)Re-build new manufacturing plants in China, Malaysia & Indonesia by year 2018. 6)Start Exporting of Biscuits & toffee range in year 2018. 7)Capture the Asian Market by year 2035. (Achieving 60% of Asian market) As go with company Vision, Mission & Long Term Objectives as an International Marketing Manager, I & my division also have following goals. )Execellarate Export market & do the preset Export Orders in effective & efficient manner. b)Re-branding as an International Brand in tourist countries such as Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong & Dubai from year 2013 as a Joint Venture agreement with respective local agents. Planning to capture 40% market share by year 2018. c)Gradually Increase the small Export O rders to countries such as India, Malaysia, Pakistan, China, Japan & Middle East countries by year 2013 onwards. Strategic approach to capture 20% market share by year 2025) d)Go beyond from Exporting & check feasibility of establish own plants from countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia or Pakistan to act as true global player by year 2014. e)Capture 25% market share by year 2018 & increase up to 50% in year 2025 from above selected country, which we establish a plant. f)Using the same strategy & builds own manufacturing plants in selected countries, based on prevailing situation in the Asia. Year 2020 & beyond) g)Plan to capture 25% of market share in above mentioned countries in year 2025. h)Gradually positioning the Kandos brand in other Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Myanmar, & other Asian countries i)Ultimately we strategically approach to capture 50% of Asian Countries. Functional Strategies Business Strategy: Vision, Mission & Long Term Objectives’ of the Kandos as stated above. Marketing Strategy: How sales, marketing effort will support firm’s Business Strategy.Operation Strategy: It support Business Strategy through specifies the policies & plans for using organizational resource. Strategic Decisions in operation involves products, services, process & technology, capacity, supply chain management, Product Design, Layout Planning & quality etc. Finance Strategy: Develop LT finance plan in order to support Business Strategy. In a simple term, corporate strategies are essentially about what the business wants to achieve. Strategy is about making high-level decisions & forms the management game plan for †¦.. †¢Satisfying customers (meeting customer needs) Running the business (organizing resources in the most efficient & effective way) †¢Beating the competition (strategies $ tactics to gain competitive advantage) †¢Achieving corporate objectives. Corporate business object ives are set at the high level & are quite distinct from any more detailed functional objectives set for the functional areas of a business. The position of corporate objectives in the hierarchy of business objectives can be illustrated as follows; BCG Matrix2 & Ansoff growth matrix2 can be used to explain how corporate objectives achieved through strategy as follows.As far as International market is concern, Kandos is at Growth stage at the Product Life Cycle, since they are in the Export market. We have to decide the place in the BCG Matrix in accordance with stage in the Product Life Cycle. Only Coco Butter ranges chocolates that we are going to market, then we are in Stars level at the Local market. When we consider International market it is in cash cow level, we need to build up strategies to become Star level. GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR KANDOS IN ANSOFF MATRIX 1)Market Penetration – An existing product in an existing market.Therefore to penetrate the market, the company will have to consider the following. †¢Offer competitive prices. †¢New minor changes – Improved taste, different tastes (such as 3 layer chocolates) †¢Sales promotional Activities & advertising. (Push & Pull Strategies’) †¢Positioning in alternative usages. (Gift packs, gift for lovers, promises chocolates) †¢Change the packaging. 2)Product Development – New Product to the Existing Market. †¢Develop white chocolate, Dark Chocolate. †¢Chocolate cake for wedding. †¢Re-launch Coco Powder packet for households. 3)Market Development – Existing Product in a new market. Presence in the global market. †¢Increasing the Chocolate consumption of the elders. 4)Diversification – New Product in a new market †¢Pure Coco Chocolate Biscuit to Middle East. †¢Energy Cocoa Drink. PHASE 2: MARKETING AUDIT FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKET & ASSUMPTIONS The marketing audit3 is a fundamental part of the marketing planning process. It considers both internal internal & external influences on marketing planning, as well as a review of the plan itself. Therefore it’s not involving at the beginning of the process, but also at a series of points during the implementation of the plan.SWOT Analysis, PEST Analysis, Porters Five Forces Model & Value Chain Analysis are most widely used as a tool to marketing audit. In many ways the marketing audit clarify opportunities & treats, and allows the marketing manager to make alterations to the plan if necessary. In this phase as a International Marketing Strategy, and introduces a marketing audit checklist. The checklist is designed to answer the question, what is the current marketing situation? Lets consider the marketing audit under three key headings4; 1)The Internal Marketing Environment. 2)The External Marketing Environment. )A Review of our Current Marketing Plan. The Internal Marketing Environment. What resources do we have at hand? (i. e. Five â€Å"M†s5 ) I. Men (Labour) II. Money (Finance) III. Machinery (Equipment) IV. Minutes (Time) V. Materials (Factors of Production) †¢How is our marketing team organized? †¢How efficient is our marketing team? †¢How effective is our marketing team? †¢How does our marketing team interface with other organizations & internal functions? †¢How effective are we at Customer Relationship Management (CRM)? †¢What is the state of our marketing planning process? Is our marketing planning information current & accurate? †¢What is the current state of New Product Development? (Product) The External Marketing Environment. As a market oriented organization, we must start by asking – What is the nature of our ‘customer’? Such as; †¢Their needs & how we satisfy them? †¢Their buyer decision process & consumer behavior. †¢Their perception of our brand, and loyalty to it. †¢The nature of segmentation, targeting & positioning in our ma rkets. †¢What customers ‘value’ & how we provide that ‘value’? What is the nature of competition in our target markets? Our competitors’ level of profitability. †¢Their number/concentration. †¢The relative strength & weakness of competition. What is the cultural nature of the environment(s)? †¢Beliefs & religious. †¢The standards & average levels of education. †¢The evolving lifestyles of our target consumers. †¢The nature of consumerism in our target markets. What is the demography of our consumers? Such as average age, levels of population, gender make up, & so on. How does technology play a part? †¢The level of adoption of mobile & internet technologies. †¢The way in which goods are manufactured. Information systems. †¢Making communications uses of technology & media. What is the economic condition of our markets? A Review of our Current Marketing Plan. †¢What are our current objectives for ma rketing? †¢What are our current marketing strategies? †¢How do we apply the marketing mix? (Including factors covered above in (a)) †¢Is the marketing process being controlled effectively? †¢Are we achieving our marketing budget? †¢Are realizing our SMART objectives? †¢Is our marketing team implementing the marketing plan effectively? †¢Levels of staffing. †¢ Staff training & development. Experiencing & Learning. 1)SWOT Analysis STRENGTHWEAKNESSES †¢Brand Value †¢50 years presence in market †¢Good Rapport with Super market †¢Good Rapport with Government †¢High Quality †¢Loyal Employees†¢Did not change with Environmental changes †¢High Cost of Production, sp. Labor †¢Less Advertising & modern marketing approach †¢Problems in Distribution Channel, cause by above matters †¢Failure of facing competition †¢Slowly emergent of Quality issues OPPORTUNITIESTHREATS †¢High growth rate in co untry †¢Consumer pattern is changing for better in confectionary industry †¢Export pportunities, including Maldives, Middle east & Pakistan(SLPFTA) etc †¢Agricultural Economy is enhancing worldwide useful for cocoa plantation. †¢Emergent of New technologies†¢High competition(within other brand & industry in Local & Global brands) †¢Increasing trend of RM prices (Cocoa etc due to inflation, Exchange rate) †¢Encourage to new Entrants (Global through Free Trade Agreements, Horizontal integration of Super Market channel. Ex. Cargill’s have Kist, Cadbury) †¢Rules & Regulations in Food Industry 2)Porters Five Forces Analysis6 of the Kandos Bargaining Power of Suppliers’ )As an industry bargaining power of suppliers are very high, & as per the company it is also high. Examples are as follows. †¢Sugar Industry. Monopolies in the market in worldwide, new entrants are not possible at all. †¢Our Production is comparatively low; he nce bargaining power is less possible in a world market as well as locally to some extent. Ex : Cocoa consumption is very low, considering world market. Coco Butter Substitute usage is low, compare with Ritzbery & Edna. Ritzbery has more bargaining power in Milk powder & Sugar with a synergy effect. )Price determination is high in local Coco beans suppliers; hence it is very price sensitive market. The risk is high comparatively since only Cocoa Beans processing Chocolate Company in Sri Lanka. 3)Packing materials are also playing major role, therefore Edna is doing it their under own control. Ritzbery’s strategy is concerning core business & outsources supporting activities as much as possible. We have waste experience is printing industry & we have to upgrade it to present culture. 4)Direct buying is widespread concept in Food industry, examples are as follows. Elephant House is doing their own Vanila plantation for Ice Cream & Ginger for ginger bear. -Munchee is buying igur u for Samaposha,soya for soya meet. 5)Continually conducting R & D for alternative suppliers & RM. -Ritzbery is doing continuously R & D for alternative suppliers for CBS & other RM too. -Producing Rice cookies, Kurakan biscuits. (by munchee) -Sweet treat (by Kandos) Bargaining Power of Customers’ 1)There is considerable bargaining power of customers in the world market & local since there are few operators are in the chocolate industry.Further switching cost is almost nil, and customers consider taste, quality, attractiveness of packing, advertising & pricing. 2)Generally Sri Lankan consumers are very much price sensitive, so it is obvious all competitors are tend to price competitive, in that condense Customer bargaining power is very high. Ex: Offer product at Rs 5, Rs 10. 3)As a norm Producers are changing customers mind through introducing new Products. Munchee is introducing new Biscuits in regular basis. Ritzbery also doing New Product Development. 4)Advertising also t ool to reduce customer bargaining power & maintain Brand & product Loyalty.Ex : Cream cracker for small hungry. Elephant House ice Cream is new method of giving gifts. New Colours of Lovers, blue (by Ritzbery) Novel way to lovers’ gift, tropica coconut based chocolate by Ritzbery 5)Doing continually market research is helpful to identify customers mind & their consumer pattern changing. Threat of New Entrants 1)Chocolate industry is somewhat challenging industry, therefore there is limited chances to entering this market. Nevertheless there is trend to import & distribute in Sri Lanka, since it has less Business risk. )Diana is latest newcomer to the market & there is trend to enter this market by following Companies in Local & global. -Cargills. They are going to vertical integration Strategy & sell their own brands. Therefore there will be high probability to entering Chocolates market in the future. Ex : Kist, Walls Ice cream,Diana Biscuits (Kist Biscuits) , 3 Coin Beer co mpany,Cargills meet balls, Kothmale Milk Products, Cargills detergents etc -Other players in the super market Industry are also following Cargills. Ex : Keels going to acquire Rich Life MilkArpico is selling their own brands Laufgh Sun up is going to start their own brands. -There is high probability to enter world class Chocolate in to Sri Lanka, since we are booming economy in the region & world, changing consumer patterns & emergent tourist industry etc. -There is also probability to enter chocolate market by confectionary manufacturing Companies as Diversification strategy. Ex : Nestle, Hemas, Maliban,Rigam, Daintee, Cherish etc Threat of Substitute Products 1)In Sri Lankan culture, most of the confectionary products are buying to give as a gift.Therefore following products are competing with chocolate products such as Biscuits, Ice Cream, Gift Vouchers, Sugar, fruits, Fruit Drinks etc. 2)Further there are more products to be chosen by consumers as alternative to eat as a desser t or as snacks. These Products are also including Biscuits, Ice Cream, fruits, Fruit Drinks, Yogurt, Milk packet, Chocolates & many more. 3)As the result of that there is numerous treat to Chocolate industry, & we must focus on increasing chocolate consumption of the general public in order to hike Sales. Ex : Biscuit Consumption per Person has been increased due to advertising & competition.Elephant House Ice cream has increased their sales volume through market development through branding it as â€Å"new method of giving gifts ’’. Sunquick also tried to do market development through branding it as â€Å"new method of giving gifts †. Cream crackers is re-position as â€Å"small hungry† Samahan is positioned to use daily prevents from cold. 4)Knowing culture & consumer pattern through effective market research, we can create delighted customers rather than satisfying customers. Competitive Rival within Industry 1)Price competition is done by Edna, Ritzb ery is compete through heavily advertising. )We mainly use our unmatched quality as a core competence to compete in the local market. 3)We are focusing to prevail in the market as a leader. 4)Growing global chocolates brands will be treat to Kandos. 5)Vertical & Horizontal Integration strategies used by the competitors to survive in the market. 3)Porters Generic Strategy7 of the Kandos In Sri Lankan Chocolates markets, the above categorization is as follows, according to Brands. Cost Leadership Differentiation †¢EDNA †¢RITZBERY †¢KINDER JOY Focused Low Cost Focused Differentiation †¢DIANA †¢DAINTEE †¢CADBURY †¢TOBLERONE FERRARI †¢KIT KAT Kandos does not have any particular strategy, hence theoretical it is categorized as Best Cost Provider &/or Stuck in the Middle. Because Kandos is not cost focusing, focusing differentiate a products to some extent & catering whole market, same as Edna & Ritzbery. SWOT FOR MARKETING OFFER A detailed SWOT anal ysis is to be carried out for the marketing mix8 of the company as shown below and the recommendations made in each component of the marketing mix will lead to formulation of a better comprehensive marketing strategy. ?SWOT for PRODUCT – Done for Coco Butter range in Singapore, Malaysia & ThailandStrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats Was there in 1980’s & have prior experience. Working capital problems. Emerging economies of the selected countries for chocolates. Already there is a presence of multinationals. Be in a market as unmatched quality of Coco Butter Chocolates’ in the Asian region. Difficult in Product adaptation in ASEAN region. There’s a lot of room to do value additions & product development in Chocolates’. High Competition. Excellent sales staff with a strong knowledge of existing productsNon Coco Butter Products are popular in those countries.Trade Barriers for global companies. Recommendations ?Market penetration ?More product ada ptation ?More value additions ?New product development ?SWOT for PRICE N/A ?SWOT for PLACE StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats Excellent R&D staff with a strong knowledge of existing products for Local marketControlling issues in overseas operationDistribution systems are good enough compare to other Asian countriesMultinationals have more bargaining power in the Distribution channel Have prior experience in Overseas DeliveryHaving own distribution mode will be more costlyCultural difference Recommendations Change distribution channel & outsource distribution ? Offer more sales commission to Agents ?Implementing Intensive strategy ?SWOT for PROMOTION StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats Promotion for just remind the customer mind towards Kandos brand. Less experience of handling promotional campaign in the selected countriesThe use of latest technology to develop advertisementsMultinational Companies Promotional Budget & effort is very competitive. The use of social media lik e facebook for online advertisingThe high costs to be spent for promotions in the selected countries compared to Sri Lanka Read also: Reed Supermarkets: a New Wave of Competitors International Marketing In addition, the celebrations. Com we Bessie informs that there now exists a huge gap between the rich and the poor in BRB jail, which would lessen when poor people have access to education and the opportunity to develop reading skills. In a recent article dated October 1 , 2013, the www. Goalposts. Com website reports that Brazil now experiences disappointing economic growth. Despite President Dilemma Recourses efforts to revive the economy with stimulus packages and TA x cuts, the GAP grew only 0. 6 percent and both stock market and currency rates plume Ted.Other economic problems in Brazil include: â€Å"high salary costs, falling productivity, an d terrible 2 logistical bottlenecks that Rousseau has not yet addressed† ( l). In addition, Humblers Barbara, president of BEANIE, a lobby group for the elect Nils industry, predicts that unless infrastructure resolves its problems, industry will I continue to suffer ( 1 The website also informs that household consumption grew jus t 0. 1 percent due to inflation which adversely affected the purchasing power of consumers. In order to combat the problem of high inflation Brazil has increase seed interest rates.Brazier's business leaders have also encore raged Rousseau to reform tax a ND labor costs â€Å"so factories can regain their competitiveness at home and abroad† ( 2). Although Brazil now experiences these problems, the article states that Brazier's economy still flourishes in some areas. These areas include: low unemployment, strong foreign investment levels, Recourses approval rate of 80 percent, and a strong harvest and increased agricultural activity. In addition, Guide Ma enter (Brazier's Finance Minister) asserts that the investment growth trend will contain u.The article concludes with David Reese' (an economist for Capital Economics in Loon don) suggestion that Brazil should rebalanced the economy towards investment in 0 order to create growth rates of five percent, which investors want to see ( 3). A recent article in The Economist titled ‘ ‘The Price is Wrong,† and dated September 28, 2013 reports that â€Å"Brazil offers appalling value for money† ( www. Economist. Com 1). The article states that a pizza in Brazil costs 530 and also that a cheap, windowless hotel room in ROI costs $250/ night.The article also reports that 3 payroll taxes are 58% Of salary, that a Broadminded car costs 45% less in Mix than in Brazil, that a smartened costs 50% more than in the US, and that large domestic appliances and cars cost 50% more than in other Mendocino coo entries. The article presents the following reasons why these problems exist in Brazil: or infrastructure, high crime rates that necessitate an army of 650,000 security g awards, expensive office rents, expensive credit, decreased household consumption, a decreased exports of manufacturing goods.The article explains that the Brazil liana people go on foreign shopping sprees in order to make more e conomical purr chases and to avoid the â€Å"Custom Brazil† which â€Å"refers to the increased operational costs ass associated with doing business in Brazil, making Brazilian goods and services more expel noise compared to other countries† ( www. Economist Another recent article in , titled â€Å"Stuck in the Mud,† and dated June 8, 201 3 describes the current economic growth of Brazil as feeble limited.The article informs that Brazil now experiences a trade deficit, a shrink king primary fiscal surplus, and growing government debt mainly due to domestic rigidities. The article also discusses Dilemma Recourses efforts to â€Å"stimulate growth by hike Eng public spending and the minimum wage, and forcing starters banks to lend more† ( 2). Again, despite these efforts, consumer confidence continues to suffer, which greatly impairs economic growth.The government (the Centre al Bank) has responded by increasing base interest rates to 8% in addition to elim inate g a tax on foreign purchases of bonds in order to increase currency inflows and to â€Å"slow the weakening Of the real† ( 2). The government has also attempted to 4 solve these problems by encouraging investment and discouraging consumption Ion. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful for the steamrollered oil giant p terrors, for the grandmotherly industry, and for the electricity and banking industry sees.Other attempts to correct the dismal situation include: investments in the oil industry Y, the government's attempts to attract bidders to its road and rail concessions, and stimulating sales to increase business confidence. However, the challenging a ND diverse political landscape in Brazil, as well as Recourses inability to be diploma attic, will most likely cause further corrective actions to be unsuccessful. Http://Brasilia. Com/economy/ http://www. interdependence. Com/Brazil/economy. HTML http://www. celebrations. Com/bristlecone. HTML http://www. Goalposts . Mom/dispatch/news/thunderstorms/131001 / barometrically http://www. Economist. Com/news/ species Loretta/21 586678whybrazi I paraprofessional's Americas/21579048feeblegrowthhasforcedchange c b. Demographics As of July 2012, Brazil had a population of 199,321,413 people, with the majors y being in the 2554 age range. The majority of their population (87%) resides in urban areas. The largest city in Brazil is SAA Paulo with about 20 million residents. Ri o De Jeanine, where the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held, is the second largest c tit with about 12 million residents.In terms of diversity, over half of Brazier's residents are Caucasian and the sec 5 largest group is mulatto (mixed), making up almost 40% of the total population n. The official and most widely spoken language is Portuguese. The largest religious group IS Roman Catholic, with almost thirds of the demographic. A vast majority of Brazilian are literate with 89% of the population fifteen years old and over be inning a ble to read and write. ( http://www. Undermine. Com/Brazil/demographics_profile. HTML ) c. Cultural information Sports are very popular and important in Brazil.Most citizens regularly follow participate in various sport activities. The most popular sport in Brazil is foot all (American soccer). It is said that football â€Å"†¦ Is in the blood of the people of Bra Brazier's tropical climate is excellent for playing and practicing football. Brazil is also the only country to have participated in and qualified for all of the Football World Cups to date. The Brazilian soccer team is known all over the world for their brilliant Pl areas. Everyone in Brazil, from small villages to large cities, is known to go crazy for t heir country during the World Cup.Brazilian are known for the pride they feel for their country during sporting events. Brazil holds the most wins for the World Cup with five wins, known to Brazilian as the â€Å"Pentane†. The most dollied Brazilian soccer P l areas are Cafe, Aid, Ronald, and Reinhold. Sports such as sailing and golf are considered to be for the high class and are not accessible to the general public. Brazilian also enjoy footloose, basketball l, tennis, auto racing, and volleyball ( http://www. Mayflowers. Com/Brazil/sports/ Women's football has gathered an increasing share of interest in Brazil.The country's SST ring of successes in volleyball since the midnight century have made it Brazier's second most 6 popular sport. Municipal governments often provide volleyball courts and 10th recreational equipment for the country's beaches, including ROI De Jeaneries FAA moss Copernican and Panama. Brazier's beaches are gathering places for young pee people, the more athletic of which play football and various racket games. Brazilian chasm pincushion of beach football and volleyball draw thousands of spectators and television.Brazil has competed in every Olympic Games since 1920, except the 1 928 Summer Games in Amsterdam. It has been successful in many events, include Eng transfixed, swimming, yachting, and such team sports as football, volleyball l, and basketball. In 2009 the International Olympic Committee selected ROI De Jeanie or as the site of the 201 6 Summer Games. It was the first city in South America to be chi seen to host the Olympics. Http://www. Britannica. Com/Checked/topic/781 01 ‘Brazil/25115/ Superconductivity II.Background on Underarm (Mary Kate) under Armor, a relatively new company was established in 1 998 by a former University of Maryland football player, Kevin Plank, who was sick of repeatedly changing his sweat soaked Theists during football camp and took it upon him elf to invent a new type of This that would keep athletes cool, dry and light by rep ailing moisture. Under Armor has come a long way from young Kevin Plank selling Theists along the east coast out of his grandma's basement-?on November 18, 2005 Under Armor went public and became the first Seabed initial publi c offering to do blew on the first day in five years.Over the years the company began to expand its pr duct line to providing clothing for different weather temperaments, creating equipment t for various 7 sports fields, as well as developing lines for women and children. They have e expanded from the clothing collegiate sports team and now sponsor numerous professor Anal sports teams and world's athletes which include Olympian, national champions, etc. They have expanded in a global scale to Europe, China, Canada, Japan, parts of LATA America and are known as a global leader in performance footwear, apparel, accessories.Today, Under Armor has revenues approaching $2 billion dollar s and continues to maintain its mission to â€Å"make all athletes better through passion , design, and the relentless pursuit for innovation by creating exchanging products t hat provide an advantage for athletes. † Under Armor takes its corporate responsibility very seriously. As outlined on its companies website, AU operates under the core values with which the comma NY was established: innovation, inspiration, reliability, and integrity.They only seek to do business with third parties that operate under these values as well. Under Ar ours products are made by thirdly manufacturers: consequently, they hold these e third parties to the high standards in which they hold themselves. AU will not do buy seines with any companies that use any form of forced labor, child labor, or harass .NET/abuse on their employees. The CIA suppliers and subcontractors must provide their employees with a safe and healthy working environment and comply with all laws and re solutions.AU must provide employees with at least legally mandated minimum wage an d benefits. The employees of CIA and its suppliers or subcontractors are not forced to woo ark more Han 48 hours with 12 hours overtime and countries that have no limit on how RSI worked must provide one day Off out Of every seven days Of work. CIA complies with a 8 environmental regulations, rules, and standards as well as making all subsonic reactors and contractors comply with all local, state, federal, national, and international I laws, rules, and regulations in the company of manufacture.The suppliers and sub contractors are regularly monitored by ALGA internal employees and third party contractors . As well as taking corporate responsibility seriously, CIA prides itself on its community involvement. They created CIA Giveback which partners with prior ms that are dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, environmental sustainability , supporting military and law enforcement, and empowering youth athletes. From a marketing perspective, Under Armor target athletes of all ages as we as fans as they have entered into the collegiate and professional sports appear el market.Internationally, this is an asset to the company as well as having lines of cloths Eng for all ages and genders. AU has unique temperature specifi c clothing that can cater to the specific temperaments as they expand on a global level. However, it appears as if Under Armor is heavily rooted in its football background in America which el eaves room to question the company's success on an international level as it tries to break free of its American football image in countries where the sport is nearly nonexistent.

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Adjusting to Terrorism - Essay Example The U.S Department of Defense defines terrorism as the â€Å"unlawful use of force or violence against person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (Levine, 2001). In the context, it is suggestive that the goal of terrorism may vary, including the possible take over of the terrorists in the administration. The September 11 attack dubbed for serious threat in humanity of the harm those terrorists able to do. Bush administration proposed doctrines in the U.S. Foreign Policy. However, the continuous social mishaps brought by terrorists in certain parts of neighboring countries deny the effectiveness of the policy, which also raised serious questions of its reliance (Eitzen and Zinn, 2004). Proposals to Combat Terrorism Through numerous filed case of terrorists’ attacks, in addressing this issue, could already lead the intellects to come up with the possible strategies and proposal for its combat. Islamic extremists is one of the many possible sources of terrorism, it is suggestive to concentrate on this substance, as to neutralize its current threat. In this type of cold war, military strength and missile shield are not the answer. Overwhelming military and economic dominance did not guarantee protection from nineteen men who hijacked four planes with plastic knives, and turned them into guided missiles (Eitezen and Zinn, 2004). Responding to the similar violent attacks would not benefit any of the fighting forces, but most like likely it will just resume to never-ending violence. In a strict strategic of terrorists, the savage response could be their anticipation to win sympathy and converts to their cause (Lewis, 2001). The most effective way to deal with terrorism is to address its root causes. Social scholars like Stanley Eitzenn and Maxine Baca Zinn, through their work Social Problems, Ninth Edition, (2004) suggested that it’s about time for

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Proposal Case Study

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Proposal - Case Study Example A description of Brain Freeze’s existing â€Å"legacy† information systems Brain freeze ltd, it still relies on information systems that are not current and not able to accommodate the growth rate of the company. The company relies on an outdated financial accounting system known as solution 7. Solution 7 financial accounting system does not have a manufacturing module and does not support sales and marketing of the products. BrainFreeze Pty Ltd also uses excel spread sheets to record the warehouse inventories and track the distributions channels and record the different transactions. The company also relies on manual methods for the production and packaging operations. The tracking of data required for production is done using the available clipboards. The tracking of raw materials is facilitated by a pear tree module that is not adequately reliable as payments are made through the accounting system. Business processes One of the most common business processes at BrainFreeze Pty Ltd is the order management process where the customer’s order the products on phone. This process involves the set of actions that BrainFreeze Pty Ltd takes to ensure that they deliver the goods ordered by the customer. Some of the main steps include processing the order, production of the goods and delivery of the goods to the client. The production of the goods is done in case they are not available in the companies’ warehouse or if the customer makes the order according to their own preferences. Additionally to ensure customer satisfaction, the management of the orders is closely related to the Customer Relationship Management. The parties involved in the order management process include; the customer (orders the products on phone), the manufacturer (BrainFreeze Pty) and the shipping service process. Below is a flow chart for the ordering process; Another common business process at BrainFreeze Pty Ltd is t he accounting process that involves the recording of all sequential activities of how cash is received and how it is paid out. The accounting process is done through recording of various financial statements such as journals, ledgers and trial balance. Below is a flow chart for the current accounting process; The human resource management process is also common at BrainFreeze Pty Ltd. The human resource department in the organization is responsible for recruitment of new staff, management of the staff within the organization and providing direction for the staff members. The human resource management as a business process involves both the human resources department and the management. The human resource management process is also concerned with evaluating the staff’s performance, qualifications and their safety among others. This process also involves moving away the traditional staff members. The main goal of human resource management at BrainFreeze Pty Ltd is to enhance st rategic utilization of the staff members to influence the business in as beneficial way. Below is a flow chart for the human resource management process of staff hiring; How the proposed ERP streamlines the business processes This system is likely to eliminate most tedious tasks that are considered to be time consuming; therefore, the management of BrainFreeze Pty Ltd becomes more effective. Some of the benefits of the use of the modern improved systems include easier control over the different processes, clearer monitoring of operations, streamlining the supply chains and more efficient storage and retrieval of information. The system will give the managers a better view of the operation of the organization by easily accessing all the

Connexin Degradation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Connexin Degradation - Essay Example This essay seeks to explain in details, the connexin degradation mechanisms of three pathways. These pathways to be discussed are: lysosomal, ubiquitin/proteasome and autophagy. Lysosomal pathway Participation of lysosomes and endocytosis in the deprivation of gap junction plaque was planned 20 years ago. This was after the examination of intracellular vesicle-like configurations which are double-membrane, similar to gap junctions in conduction of electron micrographs. This is a research which was carried out to check on how lysosomes can be a pathway to connexin degradation. This was done by looking at the effect to the half-life of the connexins in order to find out how and to which degree they do cause degradation of connexin. These structures were referred to as annular gap junctions. The first descriptions of these structures were made available by Bjorkman from the granulosa units of life of the ovarian follicle. These gap junctions have been experimented in several dissimilar cell types. They have spacing between their particles which are clearly observed in the gap junctions. They can as well be decked out with antibodies that are anti-connexin. Various approaches have been used for verification that some of these annular gap junction outline correspond to gap junctions who are internalized instead of the cross-sections of invaginations or interdigitations of gap junction plaques. The interdigitations of gap junction plaques include sequential sectioning or lack of classification of the intercellular gap by lanthanum and freeze-fracture replicas. Research also suggests that Tyr286 is as well involved in targeting Cx43 for the process of connexin degradation by the lysosomal pathway Ubiquitin/proteasome pathway Investigation on this pathway was first done by James and Eric where they give explanation on how it relates to degradation of connexins. They carried out research on degradation of the protein connexin43 in cardiomyocyte-derived cells and the E36 Chinese ovary cells. Results from the tests show that lysosome plays a minor role in the proteolysis of connexin43 while ubiquitin antibodies play a major role in the degradation of connexin43 (Laing and Beyer, 10-13). This is because when the two tests were done, it was found out that the lysosome contributes in increasing the half-life of the connexin. This gives a clear impression that lysosome helps to increase the formation of gap junction which is significant in formation of family proteins required in the body. Ubiquitin on the other hand, reduces the half-life of the connexin. This gives a clear impression that it contributes in reducing the formation of gap junction. The reduction in this case, in turn reduces the amount of family proteins formed, making it impossible for physiological processes to take place in the body as expected. Autophagy pathway This is a degradation pathway which is known to have been implicated in a number of diseases and may be stimulated by cellu lar stresses for instance starvation. Research shows that connexins that are cytoplasmic are cup-shaped or ring shaped and are enclosed by structures that contain autophagy-related protein which is the LC3. There are other connexins colocalized with p62, a protein that may as well serve as a freight receptor for autophagic deprivation. Starvation is one of the situations which lead to reduction of connexins.

Environmental Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Management - Essay Example In years 2002 and 2003 approximately 333 million tonnes of waste was created in the UK. This amount does not include the agricultural waste. even though out of this household wastes is only around 30 million tonnes, it is approximated that for every tonne discarded an additional 5 tonnes waste is produced at the manufacturing phase, and 20 tonnes at the level where the unprocessed material is pulled out (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). The Environment Agency calculates that over 90% of the resources we exhaust are either cast off as waste or emptied into the surroundings as waste matter or air expelling. Â  40% of the recyclable material is plastic bottles, glass, cans and textiles or paper. Vegetable shedding and other unprocessed material is about 38%. In spite of the possible 60% waste which can be recycled or converted, presently below than one quarter of the total waste contents are now recycled (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). Waste management in the UK is actually a state approved industry, but still it has to face full competition from private sector investments. Decisions with regard to plans are actually set by the local government based on advises received from the central government. The Government and dropped governances are presently surveying their waste schemes (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). The more waste generated the more disposal methods have to be invented. Some modes of disposing of waste actually liberate air contaminants and greenhouse gases into the environment. Waste recycling is one way to reduce the effect of waste discarding into the atmosphere, but availability of other methods which are more environ friendly can be adopted. The most general removal methods, in the UK, are landfill and to a small degree incineration. Every year roughly 111 million tonnes of checked waste that is household, industrial and

Joseph Nyes Rise of Chana and American Power Coursework

Joseph Nyes Rise of Chana and American Power - Coursework Example In brief, the good relationship dipped since the people of China perceived the recession as a decline of USA and their subsequent rise therefore they ascended to super power position. Absolute decline refers to a situation where there is decay or complete exhaustion while relative decline in its part is where the resources present in another country are used more efficiently and effectively. He mentioned that Asia and China in the past housed close to 70% of world population thereby contributing to the market. In recent years, most of the world population still live in Asia and China yet approximately 20% of world products come from Asia. Thus, it is a return because Asia and China seeks to meet its past contribution to the market by balancing it population and ability. He mentions that too little power like calories is wrong since t can make one to expire or perish. On the other hand, too much power does not represent goodness just like calories in human

Agreed-Upon Values that Are Lived by the Team in Twelve Angry Men Essay - 1

Agreed-Upon Values that Are Lived by the Team in Twelve Angry Men - Essay Example The team unanimously believes in this value and for that reason, it does share one aspect of a high performing team. It is expected that the team would perform well because all members agree that if the boy has committed the murder of his father, then he should be punished. However, the jury in order to punish the offender has to reach a unanimous decision. The vote of all the jurors should be either in favor or in disfavor of the death sentence. As a team, they need to reach one decision. Yes. The team does have a clear and attainable goal. The goal is to reach a vote where the tally is 9-0 and for this, they fight the entire story. For well-performing teams to function efficiently, they need to have the same vision and goal. While the vision of the team is the same and that is to reach the right decision. However, the team it seems is prejudiced from the beginning. Were it not for the case of reasonable doubt raised by Juror 8, the whole team would have reached the wrong decision. Hence the conflict raised by Juror 8 allowed the team to perform their duty with more responsibility and care. Otherwise, they would have reached the conclusion of awarding the boy a death sentence based on his background. The team does not have the skills and willingness to deal with the situation. They were ordinary members of the society and they have probably never given jury duty before. Most of them are also not willing to deal with the conflict. They want to reach the verdict as soon as possible because they want to resume their own normal life after the verdict. Because of the conflict created by Juror 8, the team members are quite willing to speak their mind. They openly criticize each other and at one point they even resort to personal criticism. They openly discussed the case and even play-acted the situation. However, this is unusual as the team had been formed for a short period of time.

How to Make Your Website Work for You Essay Example for Free

How to Make Your Website Work for You Essay Website Introduction                   A website refers to a collection of webpage like documents that are accessed via the internet. A web page is what you view on your PC screen when you key in a web address, click on a link, or put a question/ query on the search engine. Any information can be contained in a webpage, including color, texts, graphics, sound and animation.                   When somebody gives you their web-address, it actually directs you to their website home page, that introduces you to what that particular site offers in terms of services and other information. From website home page, you can click on the links to reach other subsections of the site. A website can be composed of a single page, or multiple pages depending on what the owner of the site is trying to accomplish. A website can be public or private. Public websites consists information, which are viewed by anybody in the public while private websites are owned by organization for their own purposes e.g. advertising. Web-design                   Web design refers to the design art and the process of merging individual element and aspect of design including shape, line, texture color, etc. into a simple pleasant arrangement. In short, web design is the process and art of creating single web page or the entire websites and may involve both the mechanics and the aesthetics of a website functions though it focuses primarily on the feel and look of a website. All these combined are called the design element. Some of the features combined included in the web production and the web design are animations and graphic creation, font selection, content creation, navigation design, XML/HTML authoring, ecommerce development, and JavaScript programming. A web design is a type/form of electronic publishing. Web Development                   This refers to the creating, building, and maintaining the websites. It encompasses features such as web publishing, web design, database management, and web programming. While the term web designer and web developer are used synonymously, they do not have the same meaning. Strictly, a web designer interfaces by use of CCS and HTML (Harad, 2013). A website developer may involve the work of designing a website, but also may write a web scripts in the languages such as ASP and PHP. Moreover, a developer of website may help maintain and also update a database that is used by a dynamic website. Web Hosting and administration                   According to Harad (2013) Web hosting refers to a type of service in which one computer is set up and configured as an internet server and offers a part of, or its entire resources, for the use in the exchange for various rental fee. One or multiple users can gain access to the information, content or services located on this server by use of another computer called the client computers. The client computers uses the internet to connect with the server computer and displays the content desired to the user.                   On the other hand, web administration is the act of keeping your website well and running. The practice involves the following tasks. Web server administration: keeping the website running. Web software: installing web software. Web security: ensuring server security User accounts: setting up user account. Website builder                   This refers to website creation software, which is full of features, and the widgets, which aids in the creation of the website that you want (Baga, 2013). A website builder allows someone to build the website without the need of the technical knowledge at all. A website builder, also called a website creator, a web builder or online CMS, is a unique kind of a content management system (CMS). While the traditional website content management systems were then designed to administrate a huge website, while the website builder are concerned with the small websites in the small project mind. This implies that the user does not need any programming knowledge or other technical knowhow to install a CMS, create a database or apply a template. Website templates                   A website template is a predesigned webpage or a set of HTML WebPages that anybody can use to plug-in-their personal/own texts and image content into (Peterson, 2009). Generally, they are built with the CSS and HTML code. The website template permits anyone to configure or set up website without having to get somebody who is a professional web designer, or developer, though, many developers usually use this website template to build sites for their own clients. This makes anybody to create a reasonably personal or business website that can be listed in the search engines when the users search for your topic. How to make a website Below are the steps to make a website (Harad, 2013) Get your domain name Get web host and sign up for an account Design your WebPages Testing your websites Collecting credit card information Getting noticed Disadvantages of free websites                   According to Barger (2012) these are the totally free can never deliver any good value and always there is a catch when someone gives you something freely. If you are not paying any cost to the website hosting, probably you are going to pay them in some ways. Not your personal domain. Signing up for free website, you do not get a domain name. The search engine would not rank your website. There is little functionality to your website. Poor support of your website. There is no free advertisement. The website is unprofessionally designed. References Pablos, P., Damiani, E., Lytras, M. D. (2009).  Web 2.0 : The Business Model. New York: Springer. Otonomic Debuts as Website Builder. (2014).  Entertainment Close-up, Peterson, K. (2006). Academic Web Site Design and Academic Templates: Where Does the Library Fit In?.  Information Technology Libraries,  25(4), 217-221. Harad, K. C. (2013). How to Make Your Website Work for You.  Journal Of Financial Planning,  26(8), 18-20. Baga, J., Hoover, L., Wolverton Jr., R. E. (2013). Online, Practical, and Free Cataloging Resources.  Library Resources Technical Services,  57(2), 100-117. Source document

Sector Matrix Essay Example for Free

Sector Matrix Essay In buyer-driven commodity chains retailers, branded manufacturers and branded marketers which usually operate in labor-intensive consumer goods industries (e.g. footwear, toys, and consumer electronics) play key parts in setting up decentralised production networks in a variety of exporting countries. In producer-driven commodity chains, however, large manufacturers usually operating in capital and technology-intensive industries (e.g. automobiles, aircraft, and computers) play pivotal roles in managing production networks, usually in developed countries. Global Commodity Chains overlooks important concepts known as demand substitution and supply interaction, which occur in the motoring sector when lower income consumers rather purchase more affordable second hand automobiles from car dealerships than new automobiles from manufacturers e. g. when second-hand cars dilute the automobile market. Competition is thereby oversimplified by Gereffi’s framework as a process that takes place within an industry of firms using similar technologies to produce competing products. Furthermore, complementary goods e.g. spares and parts, repairs and servicing, fuel, tax and insurance, and finance generates a high percentage of revenue in the motoring sectors. Thus to maintain competitiveness within a sector, managers need to be familiar with the concept of demand complementarity. Gereffi, similarly to Porter, overlook the strategic importance of complementary goods, envisaging the processes that bring a commodity to the final product market. The sector matrix analysis mentioned by Froud (2006) fills these limitations; it constructs the demand side in terms of complementary and competing demands made by end users, and the supply side in terms of corporate consolidation of surplus from different activities inside and outside a specific demand matrix. Taking into account the weaknesses of Porter and Gereffi’sframework, Froud argues a need to abandon product-specific analysis for an alternative way of thinking, arguing that the firm should be seen as a unit t hat consolidates financial surplus from diverse sources of profit inside and outside an activity matrix. Rather than constructing the demand side in terms of substitutable end-products (e.g. new cars versus new cars), the Sector Matrix approach captures demand complementarity (e.g. new cars + services) and demand substitution (e.g. new cars versus used cars). Therefore, thesector matrix approach gives a better understanding of the automobile product market than the concepts of Value  Chains and Global Commodity Chains in that it captures the strategic importance of complementary services, simultaneously redefining competition. Solely manufacturing cars is financially unrewarding due to the problems associated with saturation in the automobile markets e.g. fierce competition due to competitor ability to manage product development and technology processing. For example, Ford understood that in order to continue to achieve superior shareholder returns they must sharpen consumer focus, that why their vision is to be the world leading consumer company that provides automotive products and services not just the world leading automotive company.Under this downstream vertical integration strategy, Ford purchased UK-based car-servicing company Kwik-Fit, broadening their subsidiary portfolio; already consisting of car rental company Hertz, and fi nancial services company Ford Credit. Furthermore, the Sector Matrix approach does not confine competition to the group of firms producing similar products; it extends the business relation to all the other firms that aspire to positions in the matrix. So, redefining competition may be a necessary exercise in order to effectively analyse the product market. Albeit useful, the applicability of Sector Matrix can be debated amongst academics, however. Froudrecognise that many industries (e.g. trainers and shirts) cannot be reworked as sectorsdue to their simple infrastructure. Other more complex industries e.g. health care are difficult to visualise in a sector matrix diagram due to vague demand function. Hence, while the Sector Matrix approach works well in the case of automobile industry, the universalism the framework is debatable.

Public Health Awareness Of HIV Health And Social Care Essay

Public Health Awareness Of HIV Health And Social Care Essay Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has killed more than half a million people in the United States, a comprehensive public health approach that has stopped other epidemics has not been used to address this one. When HIV infection first emerged among stigmatized populations (homosexual men, injection-drug users, and immigrants from developing countries), the discriminatory responses ranged from descriptions of AIDS as retribution to violence and proposals for quarantine, universal mandatory testing, and even tattooing of infected persons. This response led to HIV exceptionalism, an approach that advocated both for special resources and increased funding and against the application of standard methods of disease control.1 The need for extra resources remains essential, but the failure to apply standard disease-control methods undermines societys ability and responsibility to control the epidemic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now, given the availability of drugs that can effectively treat HIV infection and progress on antidiscrimination initiatives, perhaps society is ready to adopt traditional disease-control principles and proven interventions that can identify infected persons, interrupt transmission, ensure treatment and case management, and monitor infection and control efforts throughout the population (Table 1). Doing so will have political and economic costs. The political costs include offending both sides of the political establishment: conservatives who oppose the implementation of effective prevention programs, including syringe exchange and the widespread availability of condoms, and some HIV activists who oppose expansion of testing, notification of the partners of infected persons (also known as partner counseling and referral services), and what some see as inappropriate medicalization of the response to the epidemic. The economic costs, particularly to improve population-w ide case management and notification of partners, would be substantial. But the human and economic costs of failing to adopt a comprehensive public health approach are much higher.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Table 1. Comparison of Public Health Approach to HIV Infection and Other Infectious Diseases.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have identified and elucidated the biology of the virus, established and improved diagnostic tests, and created effective drugs and care systems that have reduced the number of deaths from AIDS in the United States by 70 percent since 1995.2 However, 25 years into the epidemic, progress is stalled. The number of deaths among people with AIDS has not declined since 1998, and the number of newly diagnosed cases is rising slightly.2 Disease transmission continues at the same or, possibly, a slightly higher rate.3 High-risk behavior remains common and is increasing in some groups. Late diagnosis of infection is common.3 Notification of the partners of infected persons is rare.4 Black and Latino patients are less likely than white patients to receive optimal care.5 Few patients in care receive counseling about preventing transmission of the virus.6 All these trends are apparent in New York City, which is home to one in six of all U.S. patients with AIDS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Case Finding and Surveillance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When HIV testing became available 20 years ago in the absence of treatment and in the context of discrimination, the use of prescriptive regulations mandating counseling and separate written consent, based largely on the genetic-counseling model of testing for untreatable conditions, was reasonable. Today, the existence of these regulations and the separation of counseling and testing from routine medical care result in missed opportunities to diagnose, treat, and stop the spread of HIV infection. Nearly half of black men tested in public venues where men who have sex with men congregate (e.g., bars, bathhouses, and parks) in 2004 and 2005 were HIV-positive, and two thirds of those who were positive were unaware of their status.7 Our outdated approach to HIV screening means that we not only fail to identify infected patients promptly and thus allow the epidemic to continue to spread, but we may also perpetuate HIV-related stigma by targeting screening only to those pe rceived to be at risk. Routine, voluntary HIV testing in health care settings, although advocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more than a decade,8 widely recommended,9 and cost-effective,10 has not occurred. In New York City in 2002, only one third of adults who had had three or more sex partners in the preceding year and only half of men who had sex with men who had had three or more partners had been tested for HIV in the previous 18 months.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early diagnosis is essential both to link patients to effective care and to prevent the spread of infection. The CDC estimates that more than half of new HIV infections are spread by HIV-positive people who are unaware they are infected.11 In nearly 40 percent of persons who received a diagnosis of HIV infection, AIDS either was concurrently diagnosed or developed within a year.3 They had been infected with HIV for about a decade; health care and other institutions missed many opportunities to diagnose their infection. As a result of delayed diagnosis, such patients are sicker when they begin to receive care and will thus die sooner than those whose infection is diagnosed promptly. Many unwittingly spread HIV to their spouses, partners, and others. Once they know their diagnosis, people infected with HIV reduce their practice of high-risk sex by about half,12 and the risk of heterosexual transmission, at least, is further reduced by treatment that decreases the viral load to below 1500 copies of HIV type 1 RNA per milliliter.13 Voluntary HIV screening and linkage to care should become a normal part of medical practice, similar to screening for other treatable conditions, such as high cholesterol levels, hypertension, diabetes, and breast cancer. Screening and linkage to care are especially important in communities with a high prevalence of HIV infection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The partners of more than two thirds of people with newly diagnosed HIV infection do not receive organized partner notification, and when contact is attempted, the rate of success varies greatly.4 The notification of partners by public health counselors is more effective than notification by individual patients,14 but this approach is rare in most areas. As a result, most partners are not notified of their exposure or offered testing, contributing to late diagnosis and continued spread of HIV. Of 4312 persons with newly diagnosed HIV infection in New York City in 2003, information on these persons partners was available for less than a fifth and testing results were confirmed for fewer than 200 partners. In addition, the policy of offering partner notification only at the time of diagnosis ignores the continuing high-risk sexual behavior of many HIV-positive persons. Systematic notification of partners by public health personnel and the use of newer antibody or nuclei c acid-amplification tests in addition to traditional methods could identify social networks and acute or early HIV infections and could potentially stop clusters of transmission.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interrupting Transmission   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The application of the public health principles of near-universal screening and treatment has all but eliminated transfusion-related and perinatal transmission of HIV.3 Among injection-drug users, syringe-exchange programs and widespread voluntary screening for the virus reduced the rate of transmission by 50 to 80 percent.15 Further progress in preventing HIV infection is possible interventions to change behavior work16,17,18,19 but reducing sexual transmission is challenging. Evidence-based ways to reduce high-risk behavior include promoting the use of condoms and making free condoms widely available,16,19 including in schools20; making clean needles readily available to people who inject illicit drugs21; and community interventions.19   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Condoms, which can substantially reduce transmission,16,22 are not widely available nor is their use strongly promoted, and they are still used infrequently in high-risk sexual encounters.23 Most injection-drug users in the United States continue to use nonsterile needles.24 Until recently in New York City, condom-distribution programs were limited, even in high-risk settings, and several neighborhoods in need of syringe-exchange services were not served by these programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Systematic Treatment and Case Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Standard public health approaches that have either not been applied or been applied inconsistently to HIV prevention and control efforts include public health monitoring to ensure that all HIV-infected patients receive quality care, providing public health support through referrals and outreach for patients who are not receiving effective treatment, monitoring of CD4 cell counts and viral loads to identify patients who may be candidates for treatment or who are lost to care, and assisting clinicians with outreach and partner notification. Although HIV infection remains incurable, AIDS is now a chronic disease for those fortunate enough to receive effective treatment. The use of effective treatment that incorporates risk-reduction counseling,25 including distribution of condoms, promotion of the use of condoms and clean needles, and treatment for substance abuse and mental health conditions, would improve individual treatment outcomes and reduce disease transmission, b ut it is uncommon.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Case management is prominent in the HIV service delivery system, yet few if any jurisdictions ensure that every patient is offered effective treatment and prevention services. Public health interventions to monitor and improve HIV case management can be effective26 but are rare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Population-Based Monitoring and Evaluation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It took nearly two decades to make HIV reportable throughout the United States, and named reporting is still not universal. Although information on CD4 cell counts and viral loads is collected in most jurisdictions, monitoring these data to determine patients progress is rare. Surveillance for drug-resistant strains of virus in patients who have never been treated is generally not conducted. Information on viral loads, CD4 cell counts, and drug resistance recently became reportable in New York State, thus making it possible to identify patients who are not receiving effective care, monitor trends in drug resistance, potentially identify clusters of disease, and potentially provide physicians and their patients who are not receiving care with more intensive services. Publicly funded case management, treatment, and service systems are not effectively coordinated to ensure a continuum of care. Effective population-based monitoring and evaluation would track not only the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV infection, but also indicators of the interruption of transmission, such as the use of voluntary testing, proportion of partners notified, linkage to care of those who test positive, and success at reducing viral load when treatment is clinically indicated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The spread of HIV could be reduced substantially if newly infected people promptly learned of their status, reduced high-risk behaviors, and when clinically indicated, began and continued treatment that suppresses viral replication. But few if any jurisdictions even attempt to monitor whether all HIV-infected people receive effective treatment, let alone intervene to provide additional support when patients do not start, discontinue, or do not respond well to treatment. New York City, which has one of the nations strongest case-management infrastructures, has no systematic citywide information available on whether patients have begun, are continuing, or have a virologic response to treatment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proven interventions, such as the use of condoms, clean needles, and expanded voluntary screening, and linkage to care, could prevent most HIV infections.27 Improving community-based efforts and counseling of individual patients to prevent transmission, supporting patients to facilitate their return to care, and improving the availability of effective treatment could further reduce transmission. But 25 years into the epidemic, we do not consistently apply these proven strategies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cost-effective programs include mass-media education campaigns, efforts to make condoms widely available, and interventions to change high-risk behavior in groups with a high prevalence of HIV infection.19 Routine, voluntary screening for HIV is indicated on the basis of clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness,10 and the cost is moderate, as compared with that of many other health interventions. Notification of an infected persons partners after counseling and testing prevents infections and probably saves money.28   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using the current CDC estimate of 40,000 new HIV infections per year, the potential to prevent half to two thirds of these infections, and the current average lifetime cost of care for a patient with HIV infection of $200,000,29 more effective epidemic control would save between $4 billion and $5.4 billion per year. Widespread availability of condoms, syringe-exchange programs, public health notification of the partners of infected persons, and improvement of case management and monitoring systems would be unlikely to cost more than an additional $1 billion to $2 billion per year nationally two to three times the current CDC funding for HIV prevention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Controlling epidemics is a fundamental responsibility of the government, working in concert with physicians, patients, and communities. There is a delicate balance between protecting the public and the individual right to privacy. Until we implement prevention programs with proven efficacy more widely, make voluntary screening and linkage to care a normal part of medical care and expand screening in community settings, and improve treatment, risk reduction, monitoring, and partner notification, we will continue to miss opportunities to reduce the spread of HIV infection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some religious and political groups oppose the use of effective prevention measures. Some advocacy groups oppose expansion of screening and funding of government programs for prevention and control of HIV infection. Some doctors, health care facilities, and organizations will oppose increased monitoring of treatment efficacy; moreover, this cannot be accomplished without additional resources. There are few models for this approach, although Malawi has begun to apply public health principles to testing, treatment, and monitoring.30 Although stigma and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation continue, advocacy has resulted in substantial progress, including antidiscrimination statutes in many states and increasing numbers of jurisdictions that recognize the rights of domestic partners. The world has changed in the past 25 years, and approaches to HIV prevention must also change. If we fully apply public health principles to the HIV epidemic, we can improve the health of people living with HIV infection and prevent tens of thousands of people in this country from becoming infected with HIV in the next decade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We are indebted to Drew Blakeman for assistance in the preparation of the manuscript and to Colin McCord and Mark Barnes for helpful comments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Source Information   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York.