Logical Analysis

Logical Analysis Introduction Knowledge and understanding are two ways through which humans gain information and experiences about life. By gaining information and experiences, a person accumulates wealth of knowledge, while understanding enhances rational utilization of information and experiences.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Logical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hence, it suffices to say that knowledge is necessary because people require information and experiences for them to utilize their lives and environment optimally for the benefit of humanity. Likewise, understanding is essential for people to formulate theories and concepts about their lives and environment. Thus, by definition, knowledge is the amount of theoretical information and empirical skills that one gains through education and experiences of life. In contrast, understanding is the ability of a person to conceptualize information and experiences rati onally. Since both knowledge and understanding are important in learning, philosophers have differed as to which is the preferable way of learning or thinking. Therefore, based on the reading, thinking, and writing, this essay argues that the preferable form of critical thinking is the understanding because it allows people to conceptualize things rationally. Socrates Understanding is the preferable way of thinking because it helps people to rationalize and conceptualize what they perceive in their environment. In the Allegory of the Cave, Socrates describes how the prisoners have knowledge about what they see yet they do not understand how shadows appear on the wall (Cohen 1). Since prisoners have lived in the cave for a long time, they have gained enough information and experiences about shadows that they see on the wall. Despite the fact that they have enough knowledge about their cave, they are unable to differentiate real images from shadows because they do not understand how t hat how they occur. Hence, lack of understanding makes the prisoners unable to conceptualize what they see on the walls. Although the prisoners can identify activities that the shadows on the wall perform, they do not understand how puppeteers generate them. The prisoners can identify activities that shadows perform such as walking across the wall, carrying luggage, and doing construction (Cohen 1). The prisoners are right in identifying the activities for they have knowledge; however, they do not understand that they perceive shadows as real images. According to Socrates, the prisoners have knowledge about different forms of human activities because they can attribute all images that they see on the wall to certain objects or activities. Through experience, the prisoners have learned that the images on the wall depict people when performing different activities. However, they fail to understand that they perceive shadows of real activities taking place behind the scenes.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More David Foster Wallace According to Wallace, knowledge does not provide an effective way of learning or critical thinking because it increases ignorance and delusion (8). For one to gain knowledge, one must collect information and derive meaning from it. Hence, the process of reading and deriving information eventually results in confusion and ambiguity. Too much knowledge without understanding of how it occurs increases ignorance and delusion. In essence, knowledge does not support critical thinking because one collects massive information, which ultimately confuses and increases ignorance. Essentially, the process of gaining knowledge is a passive one because one literally takes face value of the available information without considering whether it is real or imaginary. The amount of knowledge that people have gained over a long period signifies the ex tent of their ignorance since they rely on information without necessarily reflecting on its importance. Wallace also asserts that getting informed and increasing literacy enhance stupidity as they make one to over-rely on the information (8). In spite of the fact that knowledge enhances the intellectual capacity of the people, it deprives them of the ability to think critically about the information that they have amassed. Contrastingly, understanding enables people to use their basic knowledge about a given phenomenon in conceptualizing ideas and theories. Thus, understanding is the preferable form of critical thinking and learning. Education as Maturity Knowledge gained through education enables people to mature and comprehend the essence of life. In the Education as Maturity, Overstreet states that a born baby is very ignorant, but he/she has an innate knowledge of suckling breasts (38). The innate knowledge emanates from the fact that a baby feels hungry and understands that su ckling is a way of satisfying the hunger. Moreover, without knowledge, a baby can also register discomfort when exposed to temperature conditions such as cold or hot. This means that babies understand the environment and make appropriate responses for them to survive, despite having the limited knowledge possible. Since the creation of humanity, knowledge has increased tremendously because new fields of knowledge have emerged across centuries. In modern society, although different fields of knowledge exist, it is impossible for a person to be an expert in all the fields.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Logical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Specialization is relevant as it differentiates people according to their knowledge; however, understanding is necessary for people to appreciate the importance of knowledge in various fields. One can be a rocket scientist, but understands life as a gardener. In this p erspective, education enables both the rocket scientist and gardener to mature in their perception of different fields of knowledge. Therefore, understanding is essential for one to comprehend different fields of knowledge. The Matrix The Matrix is a movie that depicts how people with knowledge live under an illusionary world where they exist in a simulated computer matrix. The computer matrix creates illusions that confuse and prevent people from perceiving the reality. Neo is the main character in the movie as he transitioned from the illusionary world to the real world. In the movie, Neo is a computer hacker who has lived under illusionary world despite having such an enormous knowledge of computer programming. The knowledge of computer programming did not help Neo to understand that computer matrix was an illusion created by immense computer system. Hence, Neo lacked understanding for he failed to conceptualize that the matrix system was an illusion. However, when Neo swallowed the red pill, he exited the illusionary world and entered into the real world where he realized that the computer matrix system is an illusion. Before swallowing the red pill, Neo thought that the illusionary world of the matrix system was the real world. Consequently, after realizing that the matrix is an illusion, Neo began to learn many things about the real world. Therefore, the Matrix is a fictional movie that depicts illusion and reality as variables that are dependent on the understanding of a person. From this movie, it is evident that understanding is the preferable way of critical thinking and conceptualizing reality. Conclusion Understanding is the preferable form critical thinking as it permits people to conceptualize what is happening in their lives and environment. The Allegory of the Cave effectively illustrates how prisoners have gained knowledge about their cave, yet they do not understand that they live under a delusion. Additionally, other philosophers argue that too much knowledge and literacy deprives people of their critical thinking ability, and thus decrease their understanding. Therefore, understanding promotes critical thinking and enhances conceptualization of knowledge.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cohen, Marc. The Alegory of the Cave. 2006. Web. http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm Overstreet, Harry. â€Å"Ideals and problems: Education as Maturity.†A College Treasury:  Prose, Fiction, Drama, Poetry. Eds. Paul Jorgen and Frederick Shroyer. California: The University of California, 1956. 38-39. Print. Wallace, David. Decideration 2007: Special Report. 2007. Web. http://neugierig.org/content/dfw/bestamerican.pdf

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Economics - Essay Example In micro-economic theory, the supply and demand model attempts to describe, explain and predict the price and quantity of goods sold in competitive markets. This model assumes that markets are perfectly competitive i.e. there are many buyers or sellers, none of whom have the capacity to influence the price of goods or services on offer. A simple supply and demand model is as shown below. The slope of the demand curve indicates that a greater quantity will be demanded when the price is lower. Similarly, the supply curve shows that as prices rise, firms will produce more goods or offer more or better services. The point where these curves meet is the equilibrium point. A market is said to be in perfect competition when no producer or consumer has the market power to influence prices. In such a market, prices of goods would instantly shift to the point of equilibrium as illustrated in the supply and demand graph. In competitive market economies, actual prices tend to the equilibrium prices at which demand equals supply. At the point of equilibrium there is no incentive to change either the price or the quantity. (Stiplitz J & Drifill J, 1993, p 73). Since the price is fixed as the result of interaction of supply and demand, nothing producers can do will aff... that there is no product differentiation. Perfect and Complete Information - all firms and consumers know the prices set by all others. Equal Access - all firms have access to production technologies, and resources are perfectly mobile. Free Entry - any firm may enter or exit the market as it wishes. Since the price is fixed as the result of interaction of supply and demand, nothing producers can do will affect the price and for every unit that sells results in a marginal revenue. They are in a perfect competition, price = marginal revenue = average returns (Whitehead, p 105). Demand has a very direct and immediate effect of prices since the supply factor will always have some lead time, i.e. till adequate stocks are built up or surplus stocks disposed off. This temporary shortage or excess has a bearing on prices. A temporary shortage has the effect of boosting prices, and under the influence of these profits there is an increase in production until supplies one again catch up with demand and until a new equilibrium point is reached, as shown in the figure below. Conversely a drop in demand lowers prices and eventually leads to decreased supply. Thus competition results in a higher output at a lower rice. Monopoly A monopoly is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one producer of a particular product or service. They are characterized by a lack of economic competition for the goods or services provided including the lack of viable substitutes. As per the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, the primary characteristics of a monopoly are as follows: Single seller - single firm is the sole producer of a product or service. No close substitutes - the product or service is unique. Price maker - a single firm

Cajun Food in South Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cajun Food in South Korea - Essay Example Target country for this case is South Korea. South Korean people are very much attracted towards the sea food items. That is why the country is an automatic choice for this business expansion. Food habits of South Korean people are significantly suitable and at par with the Cajun Food item. High level of seafood affinity from Korean people has made this place absolutely suitable for the particular food item. Availability of seafood items has made Korean peninsula an attractive destination for Cajun Foods. The aim of the project is to expand the idea of Kajun food into the market of South Korea by removing its competitor â€Å"The Boiling Crab and Cajun Restaurant Pier 17†. Another way it can deal with it is to start a joint venture with its competitor. Kajun has the motive to explain & elaborate the present trend in the ROI market. The food under consideration originated from the deepest part of Louisiana and Mississippi. The flavors of the food consist of an amalgamation of sea foods with spices. The availability of sea food is ensured by the bordering Japan Sea and Yellow Sea. Sea food always forms a major item of the people living in the boundaries of Eastern Asia. The study confers to expansion into the markets of South Korea. The brand name of this company is Cajun. This brand overcomes the cultural barriers. It gives a youthful perception and tries to increase the frequency of the purchase. This brand delivers a common message to all of its customers. Kajun aims to offer a new taste to the western world with the slogan that the south has risen following Kajun’s lifestyle. The packaging can be done in tinned containers for export purpose. Such packaging system will keep the food fresh. The customers can buy frozen fresh Cajun food. For instant serving the food can be served on platters. The mission of the company is provide best quality food to the customers and so it is advised to make the packaging

Environmental analysis Essay Example for Free

Environmental analysis Essay Rivalry Competition in the US video rental industry is fierce. There are actually several different segments of players within the industry, like rentals who establish physical store locations and rentals who serve mail-orders, but these different segments are competing to gain the same market share. Blockbuster reveled that the business actually has a small profit margin, due to the high cost of building and equipment maintenance. Furthermore, the movie rental industry has a stagnant market condition, or in simple words, the market does not reveal any meaningful growth within the years. This means the only way to grow is by taking away a piece of competitors’ market share. Thus, competition is s serious issue for Blockbuster because in one hand, the company cannot afford to loose more market share due to its minimum profit margin, and in the other hand, Blockbuster would also need to experience some kind of revenue growth. Ironically, competitors of Blockbuster also possess the same obsession. As a result, price war is the only way to determine which player would lead the market. Unfortunately, most of the players in the industry has already sustain heavy operational and maintenance that they cannot afford to reduce rental prices. In addition, most of these players have also minimum promotion budget because of the small profit margin. Today, competition industry enters a stage where all the players are stagnant in most of its departments (Brem, 2002). Not all movie rental industry can survive in a long term, especially if the industry is online. With the recent tightening in the market, some executive and investor are challenging Blockbuster.com to show some results: higher revenues, more customers, perhaps even a profit. This is should become tough news for Blockbuster. com who have spent most of their money on expensive advertisements, PR campaigns, or websites that look attractive. The full integration of Blockbuster. com online and in-store programs planned for next year will enable them to provide their customers, young and old, with unmatched convenience, service, selection and value. If a customer is in their store and wants to return a movie they rented online, Blockbuster.com will be able to accommodate them. If a member rents primarily in-store, but wants a hard-to-find title Blockbuster. com does not typically carry in store, they will be able to go online and get it. It is a matter of maximizing convenience and choice (â€Å"About Blockbuster. com†, 2006). Blockbuster has not been watching these developments lazily. It has launched its own online rental service in response to the competition, despite the set-up costs and the fact that it could take revenue away from its retail operation. It has also introduced a number of initiatives, such as a part-exchange deal on VHS tapes, and is currently exploring offering an in-store download service. †¢ Buyer Power Due to the stagnant market and the need for huge economies of scale to reach profit, buyers of the video rental industry has quite an influential power. In a nutshell, by choosing to go to which rentals, buyers will determine which one will reach profit within the financial period and which one will fall below targets. The increasing use of Internet becomes the power of buyers that soon force Blockbuster to provide online services. To change itself from a zone of movie rental store into an â€Å"anywhere-anytime† entertainment destination that eventually will enable customers to rent, buy or trade movies and games, new or used, in-store and online, Blockbuster initiatives to continues their accomplishment as the online rental service company (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). Blockbuster. com becomes the business through information technology (I. T. ) marketing. Because of the online marketing Blockbuster can live and breathe. They can get more competitive, lower their costs, and provide better service through continuous improvement of the I. T. marketing (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). However, as online retail, marketing efforts of Blockbuster. com could be even more effective if they asked the consumer for a dash of personal information. So far, businesses were hoping that personalization technology would serve as the equivalent of a best friend who just happened to have all the same tastes in products and services. More consumers are choosing to rent online, which has no late fees and have the movies mailed to them. It makes Blockbuster. com has increased their membership (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). The only way for movie-rental stores to continue operations is to rise to the challenge and shift their business model to stay practical. To develop a substantial share of the online rental business by the end of next year, Blockbuster. com is providing rental plan and their practical understanding marketing. It should help Blockbuster. com to be more successful in the next period. Movie distributors and the large chains, such as Blockbuster, Inc.directly negotiate revenue-sharing agreements covering most titles distributed by the upstream (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). Personalization and community features are very important. Blockbuster. com should allow film fans to rate films and write reviews to help inform other users. In addition, Blockbuster. com need to have a management team with bags of expertise, which they believe differentiates us from the competition. †¢ Supplier Power Suppliers of the industry generally have little power over the Blockbuster. The prices of inputs are nearly identical for most suppliers and there is no price discrimination because of the widely available substitutes. †¢ Threats of Substitutes The video rental industry is actually facing quite significant threats from various substitutes. Examples of substitutes are: pay-per-view, video-on-demand, streaming on-line videos, etc. All of these alternatives are delivering the same product in a quite similar quality, which means that they contribute notably to the tension within the video rental industry (‘Videotape Rental’, 2004). Barriers of EntryAnalysis of the industry indicated that Blockbuster is actually enjoying significant level of entry barriers. First, as mentioned earlier, the industry generally has a small profit margin, which means that a huge economic of scale is required to create a profitable business. This is caused by the high operational and maintenance costs, profit sharing agreement with studios, etc. Second, Blockbuster enjoyed a positive image due to its long-time presence and its popularity within the US market. Both of these factors ensured the triumph of Blockbuster against any newcomer. Most of these conditions however, are now becoming obsolete. This is true partly due to the presence of internet. As internet shopping becomes more popular, mail-order rentals like Netflix gain notable attention from the market. In addition, Blockbuster made the mistake of not providing enough copies of popular and recent movies, which ultimately get customers to think of going to alternative rentals. Another factor that reduces the entry barrier is the popularity of DCDs over the old VHS which no longer require negotiating revenue gain agreements with studios (Brem, 2002; Wagner, 2003).

Free Essays - Analysis of the Maltese Falcon :: Movie Film Essays

I  don’t recall if Gutman said it in the movie about the Falcon being coated by lacquer to obfuscate that it’s really made of gold and jewels. I think it was implied that nothing is what they really seem to be. This is what I believe Dashiell Hammett was trying to communicate through his novel, ‘The Maltese Falcon.’ In this paper I will write about why I believe what is Hammett trying to convey through his cast of characters. These characters are unlike the image and stereotype cast upon their roles.   Sam Spade isn’t exactly the typical (stereotypical?) main character or rather a detective character (I think for any main character.) By his looks/appearance, â€Å"He [Spade] looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan† (p. 3). Suggesting he is not angelic looking like lets say Humphrey Bogard (an indication that the movie isn’t true to the novel). The film ruined the ironic un-charming hero concept the novel have and so do I as one of my first example of the â€Å"things-are-not-what-they-seemed-theory-for-Hammett’s message.† Spade is callous, avaricious, and shares a similarity with Mike from ‘The House of Games.’ Why I think Mike and Spade are similar? For one thing Brigid   O’Shaughnessy gave Spade a talk/speech about him using her pretty much the same thing Ford asked Mike in the airport.   Brigid’s comment (p. 211-212) â€Å"You’ve been playing with me? Only pretending you cared-to trap me like this? You didn’t-care at all? You didn’t-don’t-I-love-me?† Ford’s â€Å"You used me...† speech is strikingly similar to Brigid’s including the reaction from Mike/Spade. The two men both refused to show sympathy and they did both had sex with their respective victims ...er women except Mike ends up dead and Brigid ends up in jail. Ford and Mike and Spade and Brigid share many similarities from the two women being used and the men conning these women. We know what Mike did already and Spade used his devilish charm to get Brigid to solve the case. He conned her into giving him money, win his trust, and played with her feelings. The comparison between Mike and Spade is to show that Spade is more of a con men than a detective which I hope are (usually) depicted as law-abiding, straight-arrow, gentlemen. Spade is a proto-badass character. I think Hammett is trying to convey that heroes aren’t always good.   Brigid O’Shaughnessy (whom I will refer as Brigid because her last name is long) is a complex character in which that she appears to be a typical damsel-in-distress but suppose to be   â€Å"a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime.

Costcp vs Sams Club

Sol Price’s Price Club emerged as the unchallenged leader in member warehouse retailing, with stores operating primarily on the West Coast. Although he originally conceived Price Club as a place where small local businesses could obtain needed merchandise at economical prices, Sol Price soon concluded that his fledgling operation could achieve far greater sales volumes and gain buying clout with suppliers by also granting membership to individuals—a conclusion that launched the deep discount warehouse club industry on a steep growth curve. Price Club was eventually merged with Costco in 1984.The same year, Walmart adopted the Warehouse Club concept and launched its first Sam’s Club stores. The Club warehouses typically have concrete floors, sparse decor, and goods displayed on pallets or simple wooden shelves. The Warehouse floor plans are designed for economy and efficiency in the use of selling space, in the handling of merchandise, and in the control of invent ory. Warehouse Business Model Warehouse Clubs are â€Å"big box stores that sell groceries as well as general merchandise at lower costs† The basic model is to maintain very low prices, sell high volumes, and maintain very high Operating efficiencies.The business idea is that low prices on a limited selection of national brand merchandise and selected private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories produce high sales volume and rapid inventory turnover. All current warehouse Clubs operate under the following model: (Refer Figure 1): * low Profit margins. * Low prices * Limited selection (around 4000 items) * Wide range of merchandise categories (tires to baby wipes) creates the rapid inventory turnover. * Volume purchasing * efficient distribution * reduced handling of merchandise * no-frills warehousesWarehouse Clubs comprise a very big business opportunity and a current market of 500B+ (including Costco $71B, Sam’s Club $54B, BJs $11B and Walmart Sup erCenters – $390B. ) There is a combined Membership base of more than 130 million paying members across the existing warehouse clubs who pay membership fees in exchange for the privilege of shopping at the warehouse clubs. The typical sales for each SKU is $12M per SKU at Costco and $10M per SKU. This allows them to order massive amounts from manufacturers. Bulk packages sell larger quantities to consumers. The huge warehouse clubs eliminate the need for actual warehouses.At the same time, they reduce the need for handling. This greatly enhances distribution efficiency. Their large-scale membership base makes them strong. Figure 1 Warehouse Clubs are very popular with households with higher incomes(Refer Appendix C). Costco – Background Costco was founded by Jim Sinegal and Seattle entrepreneur Jeff Brotman. The first Costco store began operations in Seattle in 1983. Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco), with its subsidiaries operates membership warehouses that offer its members low prices on a limited selection of branded and selected private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.By offering quality merchandise at a low price, they attract mostly affluent shoppers. Its typical membership profile is a relatively well heeled customer with an average yearly income of $75K. Costco’s Strategy is to sell quality items at low prices and to create a treasure hunt like atmosphere with a set of variable famous brand items available at low prices each week that Its buyers had been able to procure. Costco's warehouse format averages approximately 141,000 square feet. Its warehouses operate on a seven-day, 69-hour week.It carries an average of approximately 3,600 active stock keeping units (SKUs) per warehouse in its core warehouse business. Many consumable products are offered for sale only in case, carton, or multiple-pack quantities only. It operates warehouses worldwide including countries such as Mexico, UK, Japan, Taiwan, Korea an d Australia. Costco and Sam’s Club are more similar than different. They have the same model. Costco is known as an Upscale Sam’s Club. Figure 2 Costco and Sam’s Club Comparison Memberships Offered: Costco offers memberships in the following formats. Gold Star Member = $ 55 Business Member = $ 55 Executive Member = $ 110Membership fees combined with its high member count (64M), allow Costco to maintain low prices. Sam’s Club Background Sams Club is part of the 3700 stores Walmart Chain. Walmart followed Costco into the warehouse club business and the first Sam’s Club store was opened in 1984. Sam’s Club has more products than Costco, but is smaller than Costco in total revenues. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Walmart) operates retail stores in various formats around globally. Everyday low prices (EDLP) is the Company's pricing philosophy under, which it price items at a low price everyday. The Company's operates in three business segments: the Walma rt U.S. segment, the Walmart International segment, and the Sam's Club segment. Its Sam's Club segment consists of membership warehouse clubs operated in the United States as well as countries such as Africa, Brazil, China and Mexico. Sam’s Club primary focus was Small Businesses until 2006. Currently, it targets all consumers, including small business. Many Sam’s Club locations are adjacent to Wal-Mart Supercenters. The concept of the Sam’s Club format is to sell merchandise at very low profit margins, resulting in low prices to members. Membership Offered: Advantage Member = $35 Business Member = $ 40 Plus Member = $ 100Membership cost less than Costco. Sam’s also has less members (48M versus 64M) Competition and Market Position of Rivals Sam’s Club has slightly more locations than Costco, but has overall lower revenues. This is due to Costco’s larger number of members and higher sales per customer per location. Costco maintains low margin s of less than 15% on each item as a strategy, to offer low prices to its members. In the discount warehouse retail segment, there are three main competitors—Costco Wholesale, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club. At the end of 2012, there were just over 1,200 warehouse locations across the United States and Canada.Figure 3 Market Positions of rival Warehouse Clubs Key Ratios Inventory turnover is an important metric in the wholesale club industry. Costco has the highest inventory turnover, but Sam’s Club and BJ’s, both are close. Costco has the lowest profit margin, due a combination of factors, including the high pay and benefits, it offers its employees. Figure 4 Key Ratios Comparison across Functional Areas We believe Supply Chain cannot be looked in isolation and it involves human capital, use of Information technology and Marketing. We compared Costco and Sam’s Club across 5 broad functional areas. We did not go deeply into the Finance a rea.Broadly, we found that warehouse clubs including Costco and Sam’s Club preferred to buy the real estate and buildings rather than lease it. 1) Human Capital Both warehouse clubs chose to * Promote from within * Empower Warehouse Manager. 2) Information Technology. Both warehouse clubs leverage technology to drive efficiencies and lower cost 3) Distribution and Supply Chain Both clubs broadly try to optimize and drive efficiencies in their distribution and supply chain processes. * Cross-dock, Planning and Forecasting, VMI. 4) Marketing Both do not spend as much on marketing. * Little to No marketing 5) Finance Own versus Lease of real-estate and buildings Even though the warehouse clubs are more similar than they different, differences do exist We will go through each functional area in more detail. 1) Human Capital Costco Employees are the highest paid in the industry with good benefits. They are well treated and are highly motivated. Costco covers 82% of its employers f or health insurance compared to only 47% by Sam’s Club Human Capital Advantage Costco: Costco is able to derive more benefits from keeping its employees happy. Costco has a higher sales per employee, Higher sales per store as well as a higher sales per SKU than Sam’s Club.This is clearly due to its highly motivated workforce. 2) Information Technology Both the warehouse Clubs are able to derive benefits of tracking membership information and sales associated with members through the use of their IT systems. This allows them to effectively track and predict/forecast seasonal demand information. Since all customers must swipe card when checking out, clubs know exactly who is buying what. Costco uses information technology to connect all its warehouse locations to corporate HQ. It provides real time information and the effective use of its inventory and control systems.It has outsourced 75% of its IT department to an India location and built effective interfaces from Cost co. com to UPS and Fedex to facilitate shipping. Costco has also tried to reduce operating costs through reduction in energy consumption. It has incorporated skylights in all warehouses and solar panel in 40 of the warehouses. It has also incorporated an extensive Recycling Program. Sams Club uses information technology more effectively due to Walmart’s support. It is able to leverage Walmart’s size and scale to its advantage. It uses a satellite system to collect data and observer merchandize flow.Wal Mart’s satellite network sends point of sale (POS) data directly to 4,000 vendors. It also has very strong system that support the CPFR process and allow for collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment with its suppliers. Information Technology Advantage: Walmart Sam’s Club Figure 5. CPFR process(Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment 3) Distribution and Supply Chain Costco and Sam’s Club both use Cross docking (Refer figure 6 below) to derive efficiencies. Merchandise is shipped directly from manufacturers to Warehouse. This allows them to eliminate multi-step distribution channels and thus lower costs.Goods in depot are distributed within 24 hours. Merchandise is placed right on the sales floor, typically above. Both leverage their large scale operations to get lowest prices from Manufacturers / Suppliers. Warehouse Manager has decision making to run each individual warehouse as a Investment Center. No one manufacturer supplied a significant percentage of the merchandise that warehouses stocked and management believed that if one or more of its current sources of supply became unavailable, the company could switch its purchases to alternative manufacturers without experiencing a substantial disruption of its business.Costco Supply Chain Costco has 9 cross-docking distribution centers and has direct buying relationships with many producers of national brand-name merchandise (including Canon, Casio, Coc a-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Fuji, Hewlett-Packard, Kimberly-Clark, Kodak, Levi Strauss, Michelin, Nestle, Panasonic, Procter ;amp; Gamble, Samsung, Sony, KitchenAid, and Jones of New York) and with manufacturers that supplied its Kirkland Signature products. Sam’s Club Supply ChainApproximately two-thirds of the merchandise at Sam’s Club was shipped from the division’s own distribution facilities and, in the case of perishable items, from some of Wal-Mart’s grocery distribution centers; the balance was shipped by suppliers direct to Sam’s Club locations. Like Costco, Sam’s Club distribution centers employed cross-docking techniques whereby incoming shipments were transferred immediately to outgoing trailers destined for Sam’s Club locations.The Sam’s Club distribution center network consisted of 7 company owned and operated distribution facilities, 13 third party owned and operated facilities(3PL’s), and 2 third par ty owned and operated import distribution centers. A combination of company owned trucks and independent trucking companies were used to transport merchandise from distribution centers to club locations. Sam’s Club has Vendor Managed Inventory(VMI) relationships with many of its large suppliers such as P;amp;G, GE and Wrangler. Sam’s Club due to its relationship with Walmart is very strong in the Distribution and Supply Chain and is very efficient.It also has a practice of dealing with only Manufacturers. * Costco Strengths * Buyers scour the business world to find overstock brand items that can be sold at a discount to create a Treasure Hunt atmosphere. * Sam’s Club Strengths * leverages large Walmart Hub and Spoke Distribution Network. * Vendor Managed Inventory(VMI) relationships with many suppliers such as Wrangler, P;amp;G and GE. * Deals only with Direct Manufacturers. Supply Chain systems Advantage: Walmart Sam’s Club. What is cross docking?Cross-d ocking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or railroad car and loading these materials directly into outbound trucks, trailers, or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins into transport vehicles (or containers) with the same, or similar destination. â€Å"Hub and spoke† are arrangements, where materials are brought in to one central location and then sorted for delivery to a variety of destinations.Figure 6 Cross-docking What is Vendor Managed Inventory(VMI) Vendor Managed Inventory(VMI) is a means of optimizing Supply Chain performance in which the manufacturer is responsible for maintaining the distributor’s inventory levels. The manufacturer has access to the distributor’s inventory data and is responsible for generating purchase orders. Please refer Figure 7 To further define it, let’s look at 2 business models (Refer Figure 8): Under the typical business model (Purchase Order driven): When a distributor needs product, they place an order against a manufacturer.The distributor is in total control of the timing and size of the order being placed. The distributor maintains the inventory plan. Vendor Managed Inventory model (Demand driven): The manufacturer receives electronic data (usually via EDI or the internet) that tells him the distributor’s sales and stock levels. The manufacturer can view every item that the distributor carries as well as true point of sale data. The manufacturer is responsible for creating and maintaining the inventory plan. Under VMI, the manufacturer generates the order*, not the distributor. Note: VMI does not change the â€Å"ownership† of inventory. It remains as it did prior to VMI. Figure 7 Vendor Managed Inventory Figure 8 Demand driven (Vendor Managed Inventory) versus Purchase Ord er driven system. 4) Marketing – Advertising Costco limits its advertising to cut marketing cost. Both warehouse clubs are engaged in direct mailing to potential and current consumers But Costco does not have a PR department and believes the most effective advertisement is â€Å"Word-of-Mouth†. Sam’s Club does advertise and through television and Cable media.Marketing Advantage: Costco Known for its great customer satisfaction and service. High Customer Loyalty(87% renewal rate. ) Vertical Integration and Alternative Sales Channels Both the warehouse have created their own private labels and rely on other manufacturers and suppliers to manufacturer their products and provide top quality at a low price. Costco’s private label is branded under the â€Å"Kirkland Signature† brand which is considered as a quality brand. Sam’s Clubs have several private labels such as Member’s Mark, Artisan Fresh, Daily Chef and Simply Right.Costco and Sam ’s Club , both have websites, which allow them to sell products that are typical not in the warehouse. It also allow them to sell services such as insurance and travel which leverages the companies information technology rather than the physical supply chain. Alternative services offered * Consumer Services * Travel * Optical * Automotive * Financial Services * 401(K) * Loans * Insurance * Pharmacy * Recycle electronics Conclusion Costco Wins Round One , but the Battle Continues. Costco has 64 million very loyal members and is known as a provider of top quality merchandise at low prices.Its buyers are able to scour the world to get acquire overstocked premium goods at low prices to create a treasure hunt atmosphere in its warehouses. It private label is considered a premium branded product that has top quality. Its employees are exceptional and Costco has a high performance workforce. * Best-Cost Provider * 64 million very loyal members * Top-quality merchandise * Low price * Treasure-hunt items * Kirkland Signature * Top-quality in-house brand * Exceptional employees * Economies of Scale Appendix A – Savings for Members Warehouse Clubs offered low prices in comparison to supermarkets.A sample comparison of frequent buys at Costco versus a local grocery store is attached. Costco price for the list is $171. Grocery Store price is $538, a savings of $367. Appendix B – Porter’s Five forces (Warehouse Clubs) Appendix C – Warehouses Popular with families with higher income Appendix D – Costco derives value from paying its employees more Appendix E – Costco and Sam’s Club Websites Appendix F – References WAL MART STORES INC (Form 10-K). † WAL MART STORES INC (Form 10-K, Received 03-27-2012) COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP -NEW (Form 10-K, Received 10-14-2011) Costco Deploys EnFlexA? EWebConnect for Enterprise Facility Information Management – EnergyVortex. † Costco Deploys EnFlexA? s EWebConnect for Enterprise Facility Information Management. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www. energyvortex. com/pages/headlinedetails. cfm? id=1003>. Standard&Poor(S&P) Report on Costco and Walmart Corporation. Reuter’s Report on Costco and Walmart Corporation â€Å"Distribution: Channels and Logistics. † Distribution: Channels and Logistics. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www. consumerpsychologist. com/intro_Distribution. html>. Consumer Reports – Costco and Sam's Club. Received 10-27-2011

A Raisin Of The Sun S Portrayal Of Twentieth Century Racism

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