Illegal Immigration Claims Making Analysis Free Essays

string(99) " attempt to have balance because they are written about a very controversial issue \(Best, 2008\)\." I. Introduction and Background Illegal immigration from Mexico to the United States is a social problem that has caused a great deal of debate. There are several pros and cons to having illegal immigrants in the U. We will write a custom essay sample on Illegal Immigration: Claims Making Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now S., and many people have very strong opinions on the topic. From traditional news organizations to members of special interest groups, there have been a great deal of news articles published on this issue. I chose this topic because it has recently become a very popular social problem in California, which is where I currently reside. Particularly in my hometown of San Diego, illegal immigration from Mexico is very prevalent. I grew up seeing illegal immigrant workers outside of home depot, working in small taco shops by the beach, and doing various low paying jobs. Illegal immigration into the United States is a topic that is frequently discussed and covered by the media, and I thought it would be interesting to explore the different ways illegal immigration claims are covered and packaged by traditional news sources and members of special interest groups. Many individuals consider illegal immigration to be a social problem for various reasons. To start, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), it is believed that illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year. Money the government has received in the form of taxes is used to pay for illegal immigrants’ medical care, education in public schools, and imprisonment (FAIR, 2011). Also, illegal immigrants take jobs that could be occupied by unemployed American citizens. Due to the fact that these immigrants do not need to be paid minimum wage, employers are able to pay them much less than people living legally in the U.S. Another reason illegal immigration is considered to be a social problem is because it is often linked with identity theft. Finally, illegal immigration is considered a problem because many of these aliens commit serious crimes and endanger US citizens. According to Liberty Pundits, â€Å"In the population study of a sample of 55,322 illegal aliens, researchers found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien,† (Liberty Pundits, 2010). For these reasons, many people consider illegal immigration in the United States to be a serious social problem. The news articles that I have selected to analyze for this paper come from a variety of sources. Half of them are from traditional news sources including ABC News, the Union Tribune, the examiner.com, buzzle.com, and darwinsmoney.com. I chose the articles from these sources because for the most part they presented the social problem without making a clear argument on the topic for the most part. In general, these news sources presented the social problem of illegal immigration and showed both the pros and cons. The main focus of these articles is to draw attention to the claim. The rest of the articles are from special interest group members such as Liberty Pundits, FAIR, and three different blogs. I selected these articles because the authors had a very strong opinion on the social problem of illegal immigration. As a whole, the target audiences of these articles are very similar. The middle and lower classes are the main target audience because they are the ones who are most directly affected by illegal immigration. The middle and lower classes are losing jobs, paying to support, and dealing with the crime of illegal immigrants in the United States. While the lower and middle classes are the target audience, many of the news sources also attempt to grab the attention of a much larger group, all U.S. citizens. By saying that illegal immigrants are costing all taxpayers lots of money and committing many crimes, some of these sources target the entire U.S. population. In my paper, I will analyze the different ways by which these articles present the social problem of illegal immigration. From the book â€Å"Social Problems† by Joel Best, I will specifically be talking about statistics used, domain expansion, balance, and the use of counterclaims (Best, 2008). Even though these articles all cover illegal immigration in the United States, the way the topic is presented and covered by each source is different. II. Traditional news articles Overall, the traditional news articles tend to bring up and draw attention to the claims without giving their input or personal opinion on the topic. While certain articles may make it seem obvious that illegal immigration is a social problem by stating some of the downsides, they never outright say that something needs to be done. In fact, a couple of the articles not only state the claims, but also illustrate the counter claims as well. These articles are simply stating the facts in a way that draws the most possible attention from the target audience. The ABC editorial â€Å"Expensive Aliens: How Much Do Illegal Immigrants Really Cost?† is a perfect example of an article that brings up a claim about illegal immigration, but also recognizes the counter argument. Instead of simply stating that illegal immigrants are costing the â€Å"U.S. taxpayers more than $100 billion each year,† this article also recognizes the positive economic impact that they have on our country (Fahmy, 2010, p. 1). By addressing both sides of this debate, ABC is able to capture a much broader audience. People on both sides of the social problem, as well as people who do not know much about this claim will be interested in reading the article. The article posted on Darwin’s Money is very similar to the ABC article in many respects. The article starts out by saying, â€Å"There are two sides to every story†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and states that the article will attempt to be as objective as possible. The purpose of this article is to address both sides of the illegal immigration dispute and make the audience aware of this social problem. As stated in Best’s book â€Å"Social Problems,† these two articles attempt to have balance because they are written about a very controversial issue (Best, 2008). You read "Illegal Immigration: Claims Making Analysis" in category "Essay examples" The articles want to address and bring up a problem without upsetting anyone in an effort to keep the largest possible audience. My next article from a traditional news source, â€Å"Illegal Immigration Problems,† takes a slightly different approach. All but the last paragraph of this editorial are focused on the problems with illegal immigration. What Best calls domain expansion is used to draw attention to the fact that illegal immigration is a problem (Best, 2008). In this article, the problem is expanded to include disease, crime, deprivation of rights, and insufficient recourses. However, at the end of the article, the author says, â€Å"Is there a need to solve the issue of illegal immigration or are there illegal immigration pros and cons? Is it right to take immediate action about illegal immigration?† (Borkar, 2010). These questions imply that illegal immigration might not be a problem at all. By doing this, the writer acknowledges the counterclaims and adds balance to the article. Although this editorial does not completely recognize illegal immigration as a social problem, it does spend the majority of the time discussing why illegal immigrants are such a problem to the United States. The final two articles from traditional news sources are written in a much different way. These two articles believe that illegal immigration is a problem, and fail to mention anything about counterclaims. The article in the Examiner, written by Joe Campana, focuses on the claim that, â€Å"There is an insidious connection between illegal immigration and identity theft,† (Campana, 2010) This tactic of using domain expansion helps to attract a wider audience of people not only interested in identity theft, but also illegal immigration. The Union Tribune article, â€Å"The human, financial costs of illegal immigration,† also makes it much more clear to the audience that illegal immigration is a problem. The reason the Union Tribune is able to write about how terrible illegal immigration is for our country is because the audience of this newspaper is comprised mostly of people living in San Diego, where illegal immigration has many negative affects on the people. In San Diego, many individuals have lost jobs due to the recent economic downturn, and the high prevalence of illegal immigrants gives the unemployed someone to blame. Domain expansion and statistics, specifically, are used in this article to help show the negative effects of illegal immigrants on the people of San Diego. By saying that uncompensated emergency room costs alone are around $154.9 million a year, it makes people upset that they must pay this money in the form of taxes (Bilbray, 2011). It almost creates resentment towards the illegal immigrants. The domain expansion is also exemplified by bringing in job loss and unemployment and saying that at least part of it is caused by illegal immigration. III. Special Interest Articles Special interest articles tend to use a much different approach than traditional news articles when writing about the social problem of illegal immigration. In general, special interest articles are likely to be much more radical in the way that they address the social problem. Rather than just stating a problem and trying to gain attention, they also attempt to persuade the audience that something must be done to fix the issue or there will be negative effects on society. The articles written by Liberty Pundits and FAIR use crime and public safety as a way to convince people that something must be done to stop illegal immigration. FAIR even calls illegal immigrants a, â€Å"public safety issue,† in the article (FAIR, 2011). By using domain expansion, the articles are able to gain a larger audience by instilling fear in the U.S. citizens who read this article. Saying that illegal immigration causes crime will make people want to get rid of illegal immigration because it will make them feel as though their safety is being jeopardized. FAIR also makes the audience scared that illegal immigrants cause danger and crime by giving a very long list of crimes that illegal immigrants have committed. Liberty Pundits also uses statistics to convince the audience that illegal immigrants, as a whole, are mostly criminals. In a study of 124 alien arrests, Liberty Pundits reports that 103 had prior arrests, 85 of the 103 had a felony, and 49 of those had multiple felonies (Liberty Pundits, 2010). Although these statistics may not be a good representation of all illegal immigrants, to the average reader these statistics seem very convincing and makes it seem as though almost all illegal immigrants are dangerous. In these ways, the two articles cause people to believe illegal immigration must be stopped, which also causes some of the audience to become activists on the issue. By using statistics and domain expansion, the blogs â€Å"Where Do All the New Jobs Go?†, â€Å"Economic costs of illegal immigration†, and â€Å"Illegal Immigration† attempt to convince its audience that illegal immigration needs to be stopped. The article â€Å"Where Do All the New Jobs Go?† use statistics to show how illegal immigration almost doubles the number of jobs that need to be created to support the number of people in the labor force. Two million jobs need to be created to support U.S. born labor force entrants, 5.7 million jobs must be created when legal immigrants are added to that number, and a staggering 10 million jobs need to be created per year when we add illegal immigrants to that number (Stop Illegal Immigration Now, 2007). The article â€Å"Economic costs of illegal immigration† states that, â€Å"An estimated 1,880,000 American workers are displaced from their jobs every year by immigration,† (The American Resistance, 2003). Along with piggybacking the social problem of unemployment, these statistics are intended to magnify the number of jobs illegal immigrants are taking from U.S. citizens. Expanding the domain by piggybacking the social problem of unemployment helps to gain the support of the unemployed and those whose jobs are threatened by illegal immigrants. In addition, it is interesting that the blog â€Å"Where Do All the New Jobs Go?† not only attempts to gain support on the issue of illegal immigration, but also attempts to gain activists by saying, â€Å"Ask your Congressman and Senators and local elected officials exactly what they are doing to stop our problem with illegal immigration and vanishing borders.† (Skymail, 2010). Unlike the traditional news sources, this article makes its views on illegal immigration clear and states that people need to do their part to fix the problem. IV. Comparison, Analysis, and Conclusion Traditional news sources and articles written by activists had many similarities and differences in the way that they discuss the issue of illegal immigration. While traditional news articles tend to simply bring up an issue to the audience and let them form their own opinions, the blogs and articles written by activists not only attempt to spread information about the issue, but also try to convince people that something needs to be done and to get the audience more involved with the problem. The goal of the activists is to gain support on an issue, and ultimately to have something done to eliminate the problem. On the other hand, the goal of traditional news articles’ goal is simply to find and write about interesting stories that will appeal to the largest possible audience. These articles often have balance and discuss both sides of the problem. Instead of just saying that illegal immigration is an issue and it must be solved, traditional news articles also talk about the positives that illegal immigrants bring to our country. On the other hand, the two types of articles also had many similarities. For example, both traditional news sources and articles written by activists used domain expansion and statistics. Both types of articles attempted to use these techniques in order to show the magnitude of this social problem and to gain the audience’s interest. By using domain expansion, both types of articles are able to relate the problem to a larger group of people on a much more personal level. By doing this, the editorials gain the interest of a much bigger audience, which is equally important to both types of articles. In addition, both traditional news articles and articles/blogs written by activists have similar audiences. Illegal immigration most directly affects the lower and middle class, therefore those are the people that these articles attempt to attract. Traditional news articles and articles written by activists also shape the public perception of illegal immigration. For articles written by activists, shaping the public perception is very important. The goal of these articles is to make the audience believe that illegal immigration is a serious problem and something needs to be done to stop it. By using various methods, the activists shape the public’s opinion about the issue and convince them that illegal immigration is a serious problem. On the other hand, traditional news articles tend not to do the same. These articles present the issue, and let the public form their own opinions on the problem. Overall, it is clear that the way in which social problems are constructed directly relates to the writer of article. While activists attempt to gain support for their cause and beliefs on an issue, traditional news sources simply attempt to present an issue and captivate the largest possible audience. Even though articles written by various sources may cover the same topic, the way the issue is constructed is generally very different. How to cite Illegal Immigration: Claims Making Analysis, Essay examples

Ethics in Accounting and Reliability

Question: Discuss about the Ethics in Accounting and Reliability. Answer: Introduction Financial failure of a corporation does not affect only its shareholders but the entire economy. The stakeholders other than the owners such as lenders, suppliers, government, society, and the environment are affected adversely at large by the failure of a company. Thus, it becomes crucial to analyze and evaluate the default risk of the firms and take corrective measures timely so that the situation of financial distress could be avoided. In this regards, the analysis of financial statements has been referred to as the essential tool. The analysts have been using financial statements to analyze the default risk of the firm since long (Otalor and Eiya, 2013). However, in the recent years, the discloser of many corporate scandals such as Enron (2001), WorldCom (2002), and the recently one of Wells Fargo (2015), has put the reliability of the financial statements into a questionable situation (Accounting-degree, 2017). The discloser of these scandals reveals that evaluation of the defau lt (bankruptcy) risk through analysis of the financial statements may not reliable. Therefore, there arises a need to perform alternative procedures to measure the default risk of the firms. In this context, the essay presented here analyzes the thesis that, Whether the analysis of financial statements to evaluate the default (bankruptcy) risk is appropriate or not. The default or bankruptcy risk is the risk that the firm may not be able to meet its debt commitments on time leading to insolvency. The insolvency of the firm means end of the business operations of the firm. When the firms debt rises so high that its assets are not able to cover it up, the situation of bankruptcy arises. The firm goes into liquidation after being declared insolvent and sells its assets to pay the debt lenders and creditors. This process brings the entity to an end. Reliability of the Financial Statements in Measuring the Default Risk The information presented in the financial statements is used to analyze the financial performance and financial health of the firm. In measuring the default risk, one requires to closely analyze the debt position of the firm. For the purpose of analyzing, the debt position of the firm, the information pertaining to long term debt, interest expense, supplier dues, total assets, equity, and profitability is important (Lucic, 2014). The information in relation to these items can be extracted from the financial statements of the firm which majorly comprises the statement of income, balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows. However, the information presented in the financial statements is based on the historical data. Thus, the analysis of financial statements provides view of the historical and current financial performance and position of the firm. The analysis of historical trend and the current conditions in regard to financial performance is crucial to measure the default risk (Lucic, 2014). Thus, it could be inferred that the analysis of the financial statements is necessary to assess the default risk and predict the future performance. However, the reliability of the information presented within the financial statements becomes a measure issue in this regard. As has been observed in the many cases of corporate scandals, the financial statements were manipulated (Abdullah, Almsafir, Al-Smadi, 2015). The information presented in the financial statements of Enron was misleading. Further, the accountants also played with the ethical standards in certifying the fake accounts of Enron. The management presented manipulated information in regard to financial performance and position of the company, which laid wrong evaluation of the bankruptcy risk. According to the views of the analysts, the company was financially sound and well versed immediately before being declared involvement (Li, 2010). Kindly refer to the chart given below: A big deviation in the value of assets and revenues could be observed before and after declaration of insolvency. The total assets were $65.50 billion in 2000 that is before declaration of insolvency which dropped significantly to $47.30 billion in 2001 after declaration of insolvency. Further, the revenues dropped from $100.60 billion to $-0.60 billion (Li, 2010). This shows that the company reported fake revenues and assets in the financial statements. The use these fake figures in assessing the default or bankruptcy risk can present only deceptive picture resulting into an inappropriate analysis. Thus, it could be inferred that in order to assess the risk of bankruptcy of the firm, the analysts need to opt for additional measures apart from the analysis of financial statements. The analysis of financial statements alone may not be sufficient to uncover all the aspect related to bankruptcy risk (Li, 2010). Need for Other Approaches to Measure Default Risk It has been observed that the financial statements may not present the true picture of the business of firm. The financial statements may be misleading in certain cases leading to wrong evaluation of the default risk. Thus, it is quite necessary that the analysts use other approaches along with the analysis of the financial statements (Altman and Hotchkiss, 2010). The use of only the financial statements analysis in assessing the default or bankruptcy risk will not be sufficient. Therefore, the analysis of financial statements should be supported by the analysis of other reports, documents, and processes of the firm. In the recent years, there have been observed common trend in the financial market in regard to use of reports of independent body on the borrowing firms financial worth. Further, the lenders also require reports of credit rating agencies to ensure that the borrowing firms are financially capable to pay back the debt (Altman and Hotchkiss, 2010). Further, the other approaches which may involve evaluation of corporate governance of the company and the stewardship of the directors. The lenders are putting much emphasis on the compliance with the corporate governance aspects in considering the lending decisions (Wang and Lin, 2010). In order to control and reduce the risk of default, it is important for every organization to maintain stringent corporate governance environment. The regulators around the world are also taking measures to make the corporate governance a crucial part of the organizations operations. Further, the companies are also required to prepare and submit to the regulators the report on compliance with the corporate governance rules and regulations. The analysis of corporate governance report also plays an important role in assessing the creditworthiness of the borrowers and evaluating the default risk (Wang and Lin, 2010). Conclusion The discussion in this essay resolves around the issues that whether the financial statement analysis is a reliable approach to measure the default or bankruptcy risk and whether is it needed to adopt other approaches to analyze the default risk. From the discussion in this essay, it can be concluded that the assessment of default risk based on the analysis of financial statements alone could be misleading. Therefore, there is a need to adopt other approaches so as to make the assessment of default risk more meaningful and effective. From the revelations of many corporate scandals, it has been observed that the financial statements of the firms may be manipulated and thus, the assessment of default risk based on the manipulated financial statements would be inappropriate. References Abdullah, Z., Almsafir, M.K., Al-Smadi, A.A. 2015. Transparency and Reliability in Financial Statement: Do They Exist? Evidence from Malaysia. Open Journal of Accounting, 2015(4), pp. 29-43. Accounting-degree. 2017. Top 10 Accounting scandals of all times. [Online]. Available at: https://www.accounting-degree.org/scandals/ [Accessed on: 15 March 2017]. Altman, E.I. and Hotchkiss, E. 2010. Corporate Financial Distress and Bankruptcy: Predict and Avoid Bankruptcy, Analyze and Invest in Distressed Debt. John Wiley Sons. Lemus, E. 2014. The Financial Collapse of the Enron Corporation and Its Impact in the United States Capital Market. Global Journal of Management and Business Research: D Accounting and Auditing, XIV(IV), pp. 1-50. Li, Y. 2010. The Case Analysis of the Scandal of Enron. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(10), pp. 37-41. Lucic, L. 2014. Financial ratios in the function of business risk assessment. Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management, 2(3), pp. 21-34. Otalor, J.I. and Eiya, O. 2013. Ethics in Accounting and the Reliability of Financial Information. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(13), pp. 73-81. Wang, C.J. and Lin, J.R. 2010. Corporate Governance and Risk of Default. International Review of Accounting, Banking, and Finance, 2(3), pp. 1-27.

Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. Essay Example

Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. Paper CONTENTS PAGE 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 2. INTRODUCTION 2 2. 1 Picard overview 4 2. 2 Picard? s corporate strategy 5 2. 3 SWOT analysis 6 3. PEST ANALYSIS 6 4. PORTER? S FIVE FORCES Analysis of entering the UK Market 7 5. CONCLUSION 11 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 12 7. APPENDICES 13 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of this report is to analyse Picard? s market performance as well as challenges in its operating market using the PEST analysis tool, in order to identify if the company has prospects of entering and succeeding in the UK based on Porter? s five forces model. Picard is a French frozen food retailer focusing exclusively on its own brand product lines. The company has grown to be France? s leading frozen food specialist capturing 20% market share with a network of over 800 stores, and it is also the largest specialised network of frozen food in Italy. Picard also offers a leading home delivery service from internet and telephone orders, including in other countries such as Spain, Luxemburg and Belgium. The retailer? s overall strategy is characterised as a premium proposition with a vision of convenience, quality and innovation, firmly positioning itself on the high end of the market. We will write a custom essay sample on Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Picard currently aims to continue opening approximately 50 new stores per year given its successful and consistent performance, allowing the company to potentially expand further overseas. Using the PEST analysis tool it was identified that Picard? s major challenges in its operating market are the increased competition with other retailers in the convenience sector, the extent to which the products are adapted for each country, the frozen food quality perception and association to a premium offering, and the lack of a loyalty card scheme. It was identified in this research that the level of competition in the UK frozen food sector was intermediate given Picard? s differentiated premium frozen food advantage against competitors such as Iceland and Tesco, however there are several barriers to enter the market owing to powerful large supermarket chains, building a challenge to establish a brand name in the UK. In addition to this supermarkets are increasingly developing their own label range and investing further in the convenience format. On the other hand Picard? vertically integrated supply chain and close geographical location to the current distribution network is considered a significant advantage. Furthermore UK consumers are the one of the largest frozen food buyers globally and Picard has a leading home delivery channel already established in 6 countries from online and telephone orders. It is therefore concluded that the UK is an attractive proposition for Picard. 2. INTRODUCTION In these straitened economic ti mes, frozen food is a sector that is growing as consumers recognise two main factors. Firstly it offers value for money, and secondly it helps to reduce food waste. The UK frozen food market is worth around ? 5. 1 billion a year and accounts for 8% of the UK Grocery Industry (Kantar Worldpanel, 2010). Although in 2010 the market remained flat, it has shown 11. 3% value growth between 2007-2010, with indication that the market will continue to grow this year. [pic] Souce: Kantar Worldpanel, September 2010 Convenience is driving the frozen market sales globally as consumers are looking for healthy and less time-consuming meals (Seth and Randall, 2011). Private label is performing extremely well, consistently increasing its share creating a challenge for major brands in the current market. Additionally as recession kicked in the UK, the frozen food chain Iceland reported double-digit sales growth while another supermarket seeing incredible growth in the freezer aisles today is Waitrose, revealing two contrasting retailers market positioning. Chart 1: Manufacturer? s frozen market share [pic] Source: Kantar Worldpanel. Data to 12th June 2011 Chart 2: Retailer frozen market share [pic] Source: Kantar Worldpanel. Data to 12th June 2011 Combining the growth in the frozen food market, the over performance of private label and the trend towards convenience, this research will focus on this particular market sector and analyse Picard, a premium French frozen food retailer, and its potential to expand internationally into the UK. 1. Picard overview Picard is a limited company (SA) owned by Lion Capital, a private equity investment firm, and it is today the number one frozen food retailer in France, with a product range that covers over 1,100 SKUs across nine product categories, from starters to desserts and from raw ingredients to prepared meals. Picard has distinguished itself through a commitment to high quality and innovation with over 98% of its products developed in-house exclusively for the company, and sold under the Picard brand. Picard also has retail stores in Italy and offers a home delivery service from Internet shopping and telephone orders to other countries such as Luxemburg, Belgium and Spain. | | |Chart 3: Picard La part de marche de Picard de 2004 a 2009? market share in France from 2004| |to 2009 | |[pic] | |Source: www. Picard. fr | | | |Chart 4: Picard Total Store Number from 2000 to 2010 | [pic] Source: Syndigel, Kantar Consumer Panel 2. Picard? s corporate strategy Picard? focus on a single segment of the market has positioned the company as the market leader in frozen food in France, with the vision of convenience, innovation and quality at affordable prices to everyone. Following this defined marketing strategy Picard management developed their position from 12. 5% market share in 2002 to 20% in Fran ce today (Picard. fr, 2010), running approximately 800 stores and a plan to continue to expand, opening around 50 stores per year. Almost a million households buy frozen food from Picard with a wide audience ranging from large families to pensioners, students and foodies. In Italy, â€Å"Picard i Surgelati† is the largest specialised network of frozen food sales, with a portfolio of 700 SKUs tailored to its market needs, selling mostly frozen raw products, differently to the wide range of dishes in France. Picard? s main values here are proximity, quality and service, and the market is identified as growing with plans to continue opening new stores and expanding geographically (Picard. it, 2011). In 1999 the company bought the Italian subsidiary Gel 2000 to open its 28 stores in Italy, using a strategy of internationalization through acquisition. Picard overall price strategy is characterised as a premium proposition. The retailer is known to offer high quality and services to customers, firmly positioning itself on the high end of the market. Picards high-end range includes sashimi, foie gras and rooster with truffle shavings, alongside standard frozen fare like pizza and fries. The company promotes about seventy products as the selection of the month with up to 15% off with the aim to encourage customers to try new items and to reinforce the value brand image. 3. SWOT Analysis [pic] 3. PEST ANALYSIS In this section, it will be outlined the challenges Picard currently faces using the PEST analysis which is concerned with the key external environmental influences on the business, identifying and evaluating the Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors summarising the external environment in which the business operates, mostly focusing on its domestic market in France and other operating countries. Political †¢ The convenience sector in France has offered great opportunities to retailers following President Nicolas Sarkozys liberalisation of the retail sector in June 2008 (Hall, FT. om, 2008), aimed to break down barriers to entry and to remove price regulation, consequently allowing the German discounters in, such as Aldi and Lidl. This has led to increased price competition and Picard must highlight their differentiation message to all consumers to win in the convenience sector. †¢ The labour regulations are many in France, and the society emphasizes the wel l being of the workers. The French â€Å"work to live† and appreciate time to spend with their family. They have a legal system set forth by the French labour code (Code du Travail) that is built to protect the workforce rather than the enterprises (Global Politics, 2009). Nonetheless the company is affected by the civil unrest and sense of economic hopelessness by the population, and Picard is currently under pressure by the Union on wage level. Economic †¢ As noted at the latest IGD France country presentation (June 2011), France? s GDP growth is projected to pick up slowly towards an annualised pace of 2% by 2012, led by business investment and exports. The unemployment rate has peaked but is set to decline only slightly, while price pressures will remain subdued, with underlying inflation at about 1% per year. In Picard? s case the downturn time represented an opportunity and the challenge now is to keep the momentum going and through a potential economic recovery. †¢ Picard is present in countries member of the European Union which is both a free trade area and a customs union, which means trade is neither restricted nor subdued to customs duties. Its distribution network is therefore made easy to countries such as Italy, Luxemburg, Belgium and Spain where a home delivery service is available, however consumer confidence and inflation rates are contrastingly different and Picard does not adapt the price of products to reflect each country economic factors. Social †¢ The type of goods and services demanded by consumers is a function of their social conditioning and their consequent attitudes and beliefs. Consumers’ attitude towards food in Europe is constantly changing as they have become more health-conscious and concerned about sustainable production methods (Lancaster Reynolds, 2005). However it is still a barrier for Picard that only 38. 2% of adults consider frozen foods as being as good for you as fresh food, although this figure has increased from 28. 7% in 2005 (Mintel, September 2010). †¢ The demographic changes such as the aging population is discouraging for the food retailers as older people tend to eat less, have a tighter food shopping budget and are also less likely to visit shops on a regular basis. To overcome this, Picard supply products with suitable portion sizes to meet the consumer needs, in addition to providing a home delivery service not only from internet but also from telephone orders, representing a total of 2,5% of Picard’s sales from all operating countries (Picard. fr, 2011). Technological †¢ One of the key macro-environmental variables that have directly influenced the supply chain, operations and processes of grocery and food retailers is technology. The share of households with broadband internet access has doubled since 2006 (eGovernment Resource Centre, 2010). Picard currently has a website with its entire range available to be ordered and delivered within 48 hours, accounting for 20% of its total sales, however the website is only in French and Italian, limiting customers to use and understand the website to shop. †¢ Loyalty cards provide an important route through which to differentiate offers from those of the completion and this is a growing feature of the grocery retail market (IGD, 2011). In France most retailers have adopted this as a promotional strategy however Picard has not yet shown signs of a scheme. This is nowadays an important element in the wider promotional mix and is a competitive disadvantage for Picard. 4. PORTER? S FIVE FORCES – Analysis of entering the UK Market Porter’s Five Forces Model (1980) holds the purpose to analyse an industry in order to determine the level of intensity regarding the competition and attractiveness of the industry, in this case the UK. They consist of those forces close to Picard that affect its ability to serve its customers and make a profit. The nature of competitiveness of Picard in the UK industry can be viewed as a combination of the following five forces: [pic] Figure 1: Porter? s Five Forces Competitive Rivalry The intensity of competitive rivalry for Picard in the UK frozen food retail sector is medium. There is a constant battle between firms competing in the same industry in order to win customer share (IGD, 2011). There are many significant firms in the UK supermarket industry with the five most dominant in the frozen food sector being Tesco, Asda, Iceland, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s (see chart 2). This highly competitive market has fostered an accelerated level of development, resulting in a situation where Picard has to be innovative to build market share. Picard? strategy is focused on quality and innovation therefore its key competitor would be Waitrose, with an increasing number of convenience stores in the UK. According to Seth and Randall (2011), grocery trading margins in the UK have been markedly higher than in Europe currently, they are on average three times higher than in France, for example. UK consumers have been p repared to pay for the difference and the quality of the shopping experience in the best UK superstores. Thus Picard premium frozen food shows an advantage against potential strong competitors such as Iceland and Tesco where the focus is value and volume drivers. Threat of Potential New Entrants There are numerous barriers and challenges for Picard to enter the UK frozen retail industry, resulting in a high threat to enter and compete against existing players. Over the last 30 years, the grocery market has been transformed into the supermarket-dominated business, according to Ritz (2005). Most of the large chains have built their power due to operating efficiency, one-stop shopping and major marketing-mix expenditure. The industry now possesses a strong barrier for new entrants, being a significant disadvantage for Picard to establish a brand name in the UK. It makes it rather difficult for Picard to raise sufficient capital, especially being a private company, because of large fixed costs and marketing communications necessary to set up the brand? s success. Another likely disadvantage of entering the UK market is the cultural barrier. The nature of French cuisine is very different to that expected by the UK market, making it difficult for Picard to charge a premium for its frozen products, a channel that until now has sat firmly in the discount and value areas of the market. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes in the specific frozen retail market is low to medium. Given the current consumer trends of increased eating at home and a desire for reduced wastage and better value for money in the UK (BFFF, 2011), Picard? s broad range of more sophisticated products fits perfectly with the trend of dinner parties in addition to providing a long shelf-life, proving an alternative to restaurants. In the food retail market, the substitutes of Picard would be convenience stores, particularly in local towns and city centres, creating a hurdle for Picard to enter and succeed in the market. Picard? s innovative store format with high quality frozen products is a differentiated approach which stands a competitive advantage against all retailers in the UK. On the other hand existing supermarket chains are increasingly developing and promoting their premium own label product range with a noteworthy value message, though it still lacks the assortment of raw products and innovative dishes sold in Picard. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is low. Picard? s strategy is a vertical integration supply chain as it is currently implemented. According to Scott (2011) this offers great bargaining power over suppliers, consistent quality and reduced risk of supply disruption. However, it can also reduce operational flexibility and limit access to the best suppliers. The company currently uses over 200 suppliers of which approximately 70% are French to manufacture its own label range which represents 98% of products sold in stores. The geographical location and continuing service of current suppliers is therefore a significant advantage for Picard? expansion in the UK. Suppliers are still expected to comply with strict quality standards and to meet increased demand as required, consequently meeting greater economies of scale and gaining greater margins, being able to offer more competitive prices to consumers. Bargaining Power of Customers The bargaining power of buyers is low to medium. Customer power also acts to force prices down (Porter, 1980). If chips are too expensive in Picard, buyers will exercise their power and m ove to Iceland. However Picard? premium range is unseen in any other retailers in the UK, so customers will not be able to find a frozen Japanese dinner party set of quality frozen food anywhere else for example. In customising its service with better and innovative choices, Picard has the advantage to control and retain a customer base. In the UK there is a growing tendency of shoppers to use a wider repertoire of formats to support their grocery shopping needs, with convenience outperforming the market (IGD, 2011). This is an advantage to Picard as their target is urban areas mostly city centres within walking reach. On the other hand Picard is unable to compete with larger format stores in the UK where shoppers can find a wide range of products from chilled to non-food items, possibly satisfying their shopping needs in one go. Online is another channel to meet different aspects of shopper demand for more convenient shopping solution. IGD forecast the online channel in the UK to grow by 14. 4% from 2010 to 2015, becoming 5. 2% of the total grocery market. Picard would appear to have an advantage over the UK market as online shopping already accounts for 20% of its total sales in current operating countries. pic] 5. CONCLUSION In the light of the above analysis, it can be concluded that Picard? s lean operations, successful business model and differentiated approach allows potential for the company to expand into the UK. The â€Å"hit-and-run† gastronomy concept would re-invigorated the UK frozen food market and become a strong competitor in the convenience sector, but to succeed Picard mus t spend heavily on opening stores focused in urban areas and on advertising to gain levels of brand awareness. 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. BFFF (2011, 20 April). British Frozen Food Federation. Retail Frozen Food Statistics Year on Year to 20 March 2011 2. eGovernment Resource Centre (2010, 21 December). Internet usage in 2010 Households and Individuals 3. Hall, B. (2008, 23 January). Sarkozy backs liberalisation plan. Financial Times, FT. com 4. IGD (2011); The Food and Grocery Industry. Unit 1 5. IGD (June 2011). France Country Presentation. IGD Retail Analysis 6. Kantar Worldpannel (2010, September). Retail Frozen Market till roll 7. Lancaster, G. Reynolds, P. (2005). Management of Marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann Publication. Oxford, UK. 8. Marian, P. (2010, 27 July). Analysis: Will Picards unique proposition translate abroad? Just-food. com 9. Mintel (2010). Chilled and Frozen ready meals UK- May 2010 10. Picard. it (2011) Available at: http://www. picard. fr/ [Accessed 4th – 10th July] 11. Picartd. fr (2011) Available at: http://www. picard. it/picard/index. php [Accessed 4th – 11th July] 12. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. Free Press. New York 13. Ritz (2005) Store wars, Business Review, Vol. 11, April, pp. 22-23 14. Scott, C. , Lundgren, H. Thompson, P. (2011) Guide to Supply Chain Management. Springer 15. Seth, A. and Randall, G. (2011). The grocers: the rise and rise of the supermarket chains. 3rd edition. London, UK 7. APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 Picard: |Criteria |Characteristics | |Home Country |France | |Total Sales (â‚ ¬mn), and year-on-year growth (%) |â‚ ¬1,285m, 4. % | |Total operating profit (â‚ ¬mn), and year-on-year growth (%) |N/A* | |Number of countries in which present |5 | |Home market as a % of total sales |95% | |Price positioning (1-5, where 1=value and 5=premium) |3-4 | |Quality positioning (1-5, where 1=low and 5=high) |4-5 | |Main price/promotion strategy (EDLP, Hi-Lo, combination) |Premium | |Non-food as a % of total sales |0% | |Number of different store formats |1 | * Data not published APPENDIX 2 Photographs Picard? s product examples: [pic][pic][pic] [pic] [pic][pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Store: [pic]

documentary Super-Size Me

Oppinion paper on the film/ documentary Super-Size Me The movie "Supersize Me" portrayed some astonishing results on the individual performing his "experiment." It gave some definite ideas as to why the United States is currently the "fattest" country in the world. However, when one takes into account this mans dietary habits and exercise habits before beginning the experiment, and realizes that all this fattening food and lack of exercise was completely out of character for him, it seems obvious that he would gain an astonishing amount of weight.The drastic change of diet and exercise (from an almost vegan diet and strict workout routine to no work out routine and all high fat, high calorie foods) was a shock to his metabolism, his brain, his kidneys, his liver, his stomach, and I am sure a variety of other bodily organs that one couldn't even begin to imagine. One could liken it to a person who leads a very healthy active life and who has never taken an alcoholic drink in their lifetimes.Franà §ais : Un MacDonald's, un KFC et un Pizz a Hut...When someone of this caliber is persuaded to drink they immediately feel the worst effects of the alcohol, and if drinking in excess this one time may even experience alcohol poisoning. As with suddenly changing your diet to nothing but McDonald's food, the person would have to tolerance to this type of thing, and would be more at risk of getting sick and possibly even developing dependence then someone who had been eating over a lifetime.Another striking notion of this movie to me was the idea of suing a fast-food company because the food has made people sick. Fast food is not like cigarettes in the aspect that the public was unaware of the dangers from the beginning. Fast food restaurants have never claimed that their food was healthy, nor have they denied...

Research the writings of Robert Skidelsky and Paul Krugman and Essay

Research the writings of Robert Skidelsky and Paul Krugman and summarise their explanations and remedies for the recession, drawing comparisons as appropriate, to Keynesian theory about recession - Essay Example By avoiding a fall in aggregate demand, the government avoids excessive and wasteful supply, controls unemployment and shields the public from unprecedented fluxes in prices of consumer goods. The free market masterly of consumer behaviour and its application in determining the performance of the economy is an important element of the private sector. Reaction of the market to unwanted effects can create general glut or recession by avoiding the burden, but the government chips in to rescue the national economy by jump-starting the appropriate response as a public protection outfit. In Keynesian theory, government spending and involvement in the economic equation are therefore incorporated into the classical explanation of how the economy responds to the free market forces of demand and supply (Tucker, 2008, p221). Recession can therefore be avoided by government intervention through fiscal and monetary policies according to the theory. Robert Skidelsky position observed in several pieces of his work demonstrates the common knowledge that private and public sectors are equally important in the economy (Skidelsky, 2010, p1). The author points at the importance of harmonising government intervention with recovery of the private sector towards deficit reduction. It is evident that sustained recovery can only be realized through budget regulation, employment growth and economic growth on government input. Government policies mentioned in Keynesian theory are also revisited by the author in explaining how a well coordinated plan to tackle recession is developed. In Kennedy and Skidelsky (2010, p1) there is a direct link between the need to mobilize government involvement in preventing total spending to sustain recovery from the recent recession. To consolidate recovery from recession, there must be a balance between public and private spending through involvement of the government. In the reduced spending of a recessed economy, the government can induce

Follow a method similar to that which we've been discussing. FLUSSER Essay

Follow a method similar to that which we've been discussing. FLUSSER - Essay Example Gestures are often recurrent by the same people and also other partakers. By starting from an inclusive viewpoint, for instance, watching a live debate on television or the succession of narration in any interaction that occurs naturally, one can easily observe that distinctive partakers are always bound to produce similar gestures and these gestures are to ensure that there is an overall collaborative consistency. These gestures are not just merely meant to produce consistency, but to develop the unity of sequences and the stories of the various actors. The analysis of gestures, in this case, will emphasize on its binding practices. The most mutual characteristic of such gestures is that they happen in activities where the partakers show an orientation in securing and developing a mutual thought. From a perspective that is narrower, it will be obvious that such gestures are part of an turn organization or turn construction and they can join various turns together. Before making an analysis of gestures, I will mention some general info regarding unity and consistency in communication. One fundamental supposition regarding unity/coherence a turns, which are adjacent to each other, will be comprehended in relation to another turn. For example, a speech is always considered to be unified even when it may not be consistent. The placement of words and a turn is important in developing an interactive coherence. The partakers in an interaction often apply precise techniques in developing consistency and cohesion. Some of the most commonly applied techniques include the applications of disjunction and pronouns. Coherence may exist in various levels. One may mention coherence at a realistic level, whereby the main idea is if the correlation of distinct interactive action is coherent and relevant. The normative coordination of the partakers to the organizational sequence is a good example whereby the partakers

Analysis Of Britannia Industries Limited Marketing Essay

Analysis Of Britannia Industries Limited Marketing Essay An Analysis On The External Factors Affecting The Company And The Role And Importance Of Stakeholders Britannia Industries Limited (BIL), formerly known as Britannia, was established in the year 1892. Britannias business was flourishing. In 1910, Britannia mechanized its operations, and in 1921, it became the first company east of the Suez Canal to use gas ovens. In 1979 it was renamed to Britannia Industries Limited, with an Indian shareholding of more than 60%. After few years, in 1997, Britannia made its debut in the dairy products market. Britannia is not only known for the quality of its products but also for the innovative approach towards them and the marketing. In 2002, Britannias New Business Division formed a joint venture with Fonterra, the worlds second largest Dairy Company, and Britannia New Zealand Foods Pvt. Ltd. was born. Britannia was rated One amongst the Top 200 Small Companies in the World (200 Companies for 2002 (2002) Forbes.com) and was awarded The Economic Times as The Second Most Indias Trusted Brands (Dettol is most trusted brand (2002) The Times of India ). Britannias market is not only limited to India but also extends to few countries in Middle East, Seychelles, Singapore, Ghana and USA. Today, the company is operations extend from manufacturing bakery products like biscuits and breads to the production of dairy products like cheese and butter. Aim of the Report To analyse the macro and micro external environment with the help of tools like PESTEL and Porters Five Forces respectively. To role of stakeholders and the importance of stakeholders in influencing the strategies with reference to Corporate Social Responsibilities. Macro External Environment Analysis Macro external environment here includes the factors such as issues related to politics, economical reforms and achievements, social behaviour, technological enhancements and inventions, environmental changes and environmental concerns and legislation and legislative changes. All these factors bear a significant effect on any industry and business. A business has take into consideration all such effects and then formulate its strategies and policies to work along with them and prosper. PESTEL analysis tool helps in determining the effect of all such factors on an industry and businesses. With the help of PESTEL analysis we will be seeing the affects of such factors on Indian Bakery and Dairy Industry. PESTEL analysis is a technique for identifying and listing the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors in the general environment most relevant to an organisation. (Boddy, D (2005). Management An Intoduction. 3rd ed. UK: Pearson Education. 88.) Type of Factors Effecting Factors Political Economical Social Technological Environmental Exemption on Customs on Sugar Raw Material Import Shortage of Milk Need for Healthy Eating Habits Cloning of Livestock Change in the Climatic Conditions VAT on Biscuits Rise in Sugar Production and Duty Free Sugar Imports Problems with Cloned Livestock New Age Packaging Removal of Import Duty on Dairy Products Globalization Incentives to Build Cold Storage Facilities Requirement for Logistics Political Exemption on Customs Duty on Sugar Raw Material Import Due to the shortage in the production of sugar the deadline for the exemption on customs duty on raw sugar imports has been extended by the government to April 1, 2011 (Dey, A Jha, Dilip K (2010) Duty-free sugar imports extended till April 2011, Business Standard). Since sugar is a major input in the bakery, the price of sugar highly influences the price of inputs of the bakery industry. Exemption on customs duty will help in purchasing sugar at lower cost, which in turn will control the cost of production. VAT on Biscuits The VAT of 12.5% on Biscuits, being the only processed food item to attract such high VAT rates, will affect the pricing of the product (Bhushan, R (2009) Biscuit prices to rise by 10%, The Economic Times). Price of the biscuits might need to be increased due to the high VAT rates which may result in switch of brands due to the highly competitive market. Removal of Import Duty on Dairy Products The whole-sale price based inflation indicates that the milk prices have moved up by 14.73% over the last year. Worried about the rising prices government announced the removal of duty on Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) and other dairy products (Govt removes import duty on dairy products (2010), Business Standard). The imports at cheaper rate would help in reduce the cost factor for dairy products. Incentives to Build Cold Storage Facilities Wastage of food items due to lack of cold storage facilities lead to a loss of Rs. 500 billion every year. The government announces schemes and incentives to attract investments in cold storage warehousing (Union Budget 2010: Cold-storage incentives to attract fresh funds (2010), The Economic Times). Increase in the number of cold storage facilities would help in preserving products better and reduce the wastage cost. Economical Shortage of Milk Even though the milk production has risen by 4.6% compound annual average growth rate, it still cannot match up with the increasing demand. The demand for milk has been growing at a faster rate than the growth rate of milk production resulting in the shortage of milk supply (Milk output would stagnate (2010) The Economic Times).   India cannot meet its expected demand if the demand and supply rise at the same rate. For the same the reason, the milk prices are on a constant rise. Price of milk increased by 12.6% to 13.6% (Goyal, K (2010) Indias Food-Price Inflation Holds Near 11-Year High- Business Week). This can cause an increase in the input cost for the dairy products and which in turn can lead to hike in price or lower profit margins. If the company increases the price of its products, it may affect the sales as it might lose on consumers. Rise in Sugar Production and Duty Free Sugar Imports The total sugar production in the first six months ending September 2010 is expected to be 22% more than the output in the unchanged phase last season, the total production expected is at 16.7 million (Press Trust India (PTI) (2010) Sugar output rises 22% in first half of 2009-10, Business Standard). Due to the shortage in the production of sugar the deadline for the exemption on customs duty on raw sugar imports has been extended by the government to April 1, 2011 (Dey, A Jha, Dilip K (2010) Duty-free sugar imports extended till April 2011, Business Standard). The increase in sugar production and the duty exemption on raw sugar can help in purchasing sugar at lower prices and this in turn can help in producing goods at lower prices. Globalization Globalization a universal phenomenon is affecting each and every industry. The world is coming closer, the communication gap is closing and the businesses are going global. This can serve as an opportunity to expand the business to a global level but on the other hand there is a threat of new entrants from international market. Requirements for Logistics Logistics in India suffer due to the poor infrastructure and other limitations. There is a high demand for sophisticated third party logistics so the domestic logistics service providers are trying to improve their service. International participation is also expected in the logistics industry (Pandey, S Basu, A (2010) Logistics cos ramp up supply chain to meet rising demand, The Economic Times). Sophiscticated logistics system will help in proper supply chain management and on time delivery of goods, which help in maintaining the shelf life of goods on meeting the demand on time. Social Need for Healthy Eating Habits Studies say that Indians are more prone to Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), which is the major independent risk factor causing Cardiovascular diseases, due to the smaller calibred arteries found in Indians (Isalkar, U (2009) Indians more prone to heart disease, The Times of India). This suggests that Indians should move towards more healthy food and diet. This could be a new area to explore for Britannia with its new health associated products like Nuti-Choice biscuits and Actimind flavoured milk. Problems with Cloned Livestock Cloned animals are supposed to be suffering from large-offspring syndrome. The mother cows face a problem in giving birth to the cloned animals as they are larger than normal. Also these cloned animals suffer from health issues (Gogoi, P (2007) The case against cloning, BusinessWeek). It is morally wrong to clone animals as they cause problems to the mother during the birth and moreover the cloned livestock suffer from health issues which might make unsafe to consume the produce from them. Technological Cloning of Livestock India, a late entrant in cloning research, is now moving with a great pace in cloning technology. Hand guided cloning technique, a technique very different from the conservative cloning practice has been a successful venture (Mahalakshmi, BV Chowdhary, S (2009) Cloning Glory, The Financial Express). New Age Packaging The new packaging systems help in protecting food from micro-organisms by creating shelter layer. It uses new technologies like oxygen scavenging function, atmosphere control, biodegrability etc. and is low cost (Han, J Packaging Innovations, Bakers Journal). The packaging technology helps in preserving food for longer by protecting them from micro-organisms with the help of new technologies, thus resulting in longer shelf life of the food. The advantage of low cost packing and longer shelf life could be very beneficial for the company in increasing its profit margin. Environmental Change in the Climatic Conditions Climate plays an important role in the agriculture process. The change in the rainfall pattern has been a matter of concern now in India. The agriculture sector in areas which are monsoon dependent suffered badly due to the change in the rainfall pattern. The sector suffered a huge loss in terms of total output (Bhosale, J (2009) Farmers worried over climate disturbances, The Economic Times). The loss in crop will affect the input supply and this might delay or cause problems in the production. So the industry might not be able to meet the demands resulting in the loss of customers. Legal Raising the Norms for the Probiotic Food There is a need for setting the standards for probiotic food. Clinical tests should be conducted on the probiotic foods before they could reach the market for sale. The Indian Council of Medical and Research has submitted the proposal for the same to the government (Das, S (2009) Probiotic food likely to come under clinical trial ambit, The Financial Express).  Strict norms will help in raising the quality standards but on the other hand the cost and time of production might subsequently increase. Micro External Environment Analysis Factors that influence the micro external environment are Competitor Rivalry, Threat of New Entrants, Threat of Substitutes, Buyers Power and Suppliers Power. These factors play a vital role in determining the current situation of the business and to plan strategies accordingly. With the help Porters Five Forces we will be analysing these factors and their immediate effect on the company. Five forces analysis is a technique for identifying and listing those aspects of the five forces most relevant to the profitability of an organisation at that time. (Boddy, D (2005). Management An Intoduction. 3rd ed. UK: Pearson Education. 83.) Competitor Rivalry: BIL has a market share of 38% and has been growing at 27%, compared to the industry growth rate of 20% (Saxena, R (2007) Battle-scarred Britannia on expansion spree, Business Standard) and has many competitors based on the nature of product. Parle and ITC (Sunfeast) pose a great competition to BIL (Biscuit Industry: India (2010), Market Research India). BIL earning major of its income from the biscuits (Britannia Annual Report 2007-08 (2008)), and Parle and ITC are the other major players in biscuit market. BIL is also into the production of dairy products, where the two major players in market are Amul and Nestle. Amul is the leader in the dairy industry. There is also a high level of competition from the unorganised baking sector. Overall rivalry is high. Threat of New Entrants: The entry on a small scale dairy industry and in the unorganised baking sector is easy. But on the other hand to enter the large scale dairy industry and organised baking sector a huge amount of investment is required in terms acquiring assets and to establish supply and distribution chains. Government regulations pertaining to food norms and others may also seem to be unattractive. Looking at the latest trends, the bakery industry is expected to earn huge revenues which might attract new entrants (Vijay, N (2008) Indian Bakery sector foresees high growth and increasing interest in product offering, FnBNews.com). So the threat of new entrants is moderate. Threat of Substitutes: Savoury snacks, crisps, cereals, fruits and other fast food can be substituted for biscuits. Dairy products are dubious to be replacing with other products as they key ingredients of majority of peoples diet. So the threat is a very moderate threat of substitutes. Buyers Power: The buyers of these products could be a retailer or the consumer. Both the dairy and bakery industry are price sensitive, so a little increase in price might lead the consumer to shift other brand or product. So the buyers power is calculated to be very strong. Suppliers Power: The major supplies for a bakery industry include wheat, sugar and other agriculture products. And the major supplies for dairy products are milk. Its difficult to bargain with the suppliers of the above mentioned inputs as the price of these inputs is majorly influenced by the production of these inputs. The prices tend to be high as the demand for these products is rising at much faster rate than supply. The secondary supplies include the packaging material. The secondary supplies can be easily substituted with the low-cost ones to save on cost. Overall the suppliers power is assessed to be moderate. Conclusion of Five Forces Analysis: There is an existence of major players in the market with a moderate level of threat of new entrants and substitutes. The suppliers power is moderate but the buyers power is measured to be strong. So the rivalry is suggested to be high. Stakeholders and Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) Freedman (1984) defines a stakeholder as any individual or group who can affect, or is affected by, the achievement of the organisations objectives. Further in addition to that, Clarkson (1995), stated that the government and the other communities that effect the working of the business and the market also form as a part of stakeholders. Stakeholders, except the employees, have a high power over the strategic change ideas (Hayes, J (2007). The Theory and Practice of Change Management. 2nd ed. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. 153). Internal Stakeholders The internal stakeholders are the ones associated with the company internally. For BIL its internal stakeholders would be: The Shareholders The Board of Directors, and The Employees Currently, nearly 51% of shares are held by Corporate Bodies and the rest 49% is held by the public (Statement showing shareholding pattern (2009), Britannia Industries Limited). The board consists of 11 members (Company Overview, Britannia Industries Limited) and employees nearly 2000 people (Britannia Industries Ltd. Overview, MarketLine). External Stakeholders The external stakeholders are the ones who are not immediately associated with company but influence the decision making of the company. To BIL the external stakeholders are as follows: Customers Suppliers Contractors Government Regulatory Agenices (like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, etc.), and Society Britannia being the leader in the baker industry of India has a huge amount of customers to cater. Britannia has to keep up the tastes and quality preferences of its customers. The government plays an important in influencing the market by creating and changing the policies. BIL has to adhere to the rules and regulations formulated by the regulatory agencies. The suppliers and contractors form an important part of a business. Britannia completely relies on its suppliers and contractors for its raw materials. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) For years corporate entities followed the practice of providing goods and services and maximizing wealth. But the trends have changed over the period of years. The companies are now expected to be more socially responsible. The company now has to be responsible to the stakeholders, society and environment. They are expected to pay back to the environment and society for all the affects that are caused due to its operations (Idowu, S Filho, W (2009) Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility. Berlin: Springer. 1-2). BIL believes in working with the society and the culture. It gives a premier importance to the nation and its policies. It believes in being a good corporate citizen by not just adhering to the rules and regulations but also by helping the community to improve the quality of life. BIL involves itself in initiating and providing support to community health and family welfare, water management, vocational training, educating people and encouraging the application of modern techniques and technologies. BIL believes in ethical behaviour (Code of Conduct, Britannia Industries Limited). BIL is taking steps toward conserving the environment by employing new process and upgrading the technology. It is trying to reduce its carbon footprints by recycling the waste heat. It has now filed for carbon reduction benefits (Britannia Annual Report 2007-08 (2008)). BIL has taken steps towards helping the society by joining the nutrition program with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Nandi Foundation. Along with these organisations BIL will is providing mid-day meals in schools and provide nutrition to the deprived (Britannia Annual Report 2007-08 (2008)).