Thursday, January 30, 2020

Aqua Fish Canada Inc Essay Example for Free

Aqua Fish Canada Inc Essay May 2007 to April 2009 Update Over the past two years, AFC has faced more intense competition, particularly from aquaculturists in Chile. In addition, Chilean output has increased the supply of salmon and the Canadian dollar has strengthened in relation to the U. S. dollar. As a result, AFC has been unable to meet its budgeted revenue targets. Stocks of unsold harvestable fish have increased, as well as the corresponding cost of maintaining the fish, and the company barely made a profit in fiscal 2009. In January 2009, AFC lost one of its largest retail customers, SF Seafood, to a new salmon aquaculture firm, Nu-Farm Inc. This new competitor uses a sophisticated, computerized system for supply chain and product distribution functions. The system allows Nu-Farm to establish web links with customers, such as SF Seafood, and to manage orders and deliveries directly for each of the customer’s retail outlets. This has eliminated the need for customers to make separate arrangements to receive and warehouse fresh fish, and to ultimately distribute the fish to their retail locations. In February 2009, 2,000 kilograms of fish from Site 4 were rejected by three important customers, two of which are located in the United States. An internal investigation revealed that two employees at Site 4 had neglected to follow established procedures and failed to reject some fish that did not meet quality standards and were not certified by the staff veterinarian. In April 2009, employees neglected to secure some of the net-pens at Site 3. During a storm, more than 300,000 kilograms of young fish escaped from these net-pens and most were subsequently lost to predators. Although the company’s property and liability insurance covers criminal theft of fish, it does not cover the loss of fish from disease, parasites, escape, or predators. In addition, there is no liability coverage with respect to food poisoning or diseases caused by the salmon, or environmental damage caused by the farm’s operations. The lost salmon had a book inventory value of $690,000, which was written off in fiscal 2009. The ultimate sales value of the lost fish had they grown to harvestable weight is approximately $1. 5 million. It will cost $200,000 to repair the damaged pens. Domestic and Export Markets Guy Mills is dissatisfied with the company’s geographic sales distribution, which has not changed since 2006, and would like to increase overseas sales. He has requested Juliette Maise to investigate the possibility of opening an overseas sales office. Experts predict that demand for all forms of salmon will grow at a record pace in overseas markets, particularly in developing countries. It is expected that Canada’s international reputation for salmon and other fish will remain high. A market analysis by a respected source, published in May 2009, indicates that the market for fresh salmon is maturing very rapidly in Canada and the U. S. , as consumer tastes become more sophisticated and demand begins to shift to shellfish and various exotic, imported fish. New packaging methods have been developed for mussels, which has enabled live fresh mussels to be exported to markets at greater distances from the farms. The wholesale market price for Canadian mussels has remained stable at about $1. 40 per kg, but is expected to increase to $1. 0 over the next few years. In the past few years, global supplies of American oysters have decreased after hurricanes destroyed a significant percentage of the oyster farms in the southern U. S. At the same time, the popularity of these oysters by consumers in North America and Europe has been increasing. As a result, the market price for American oysters farmed in Canada significantly increased from $1. 80 per kg in 2006 to $2. 70 per kg in 2009. The re-established farms in the southern U. S. are expected to have their first new harvests in another year or two. New Strategic Goals The board of directors met in May 2009 after receiving the financial statements for 2009. Guy Mills provided the board with a summary of selected site and segment data (see Appendix 1), and reported that the decreased profits in 2009 were caused by the Site 3 problems, the decrease in market value, the strengthening Canadian dollar versus the U. S. dollar, and the increased feed costs. He also indicated that he expected the four sites to yield an average of 3. 8 million kilograms (950,000 kilograms per site) of harvested fish per year, assuming that no further unusual losses were incurred. Given the current market conditions and the risk of having to decrease prices or lose export sales to the U. S. , the board decided that the company should move into other markets and diversify into shellfish farming. No dividends would be paid for the next year or two to free up some cash to invest in new projects. The board directed Mills to investigate establishing shellfish aquaculture sites and develop a business strategy for increasing the profitability of the current salmon operations. They indicated that any proposed investment should generate a minimum after-tax return of 10% within five years. Shellfish Aquaculture Opportunity Mills explored opportunities for diversifying into shellfish aquaculture. He found two potential opportunities (a mussel farm and an oyster farm) and wondered which one should be pursued or whether both should be pursued. A summary of the costs and yields for establishing these farms is provided in Appendix 2. Project Blue Wave Over the past two years, Dr. Lily Stern has been investigating what makes some salmon in an aquaculture environment grow more quickly than others, have better disease resistance, and develop higher-quality flesh. Her studies have led her to submit a proposal for Project Blue Wave (see Appendix 3), which would use leading-edge genetic engineering to develop a strain of Atlantic salmon with superior qualities specifically suited to aquaculture. Dr. Stern insists that this is a new approach to finfish aquaculture and feels that it would revolutionize the industry. Executive Meeting – June 15, 2008 Mills suggested that AFC could increase revenues by pursuing overseas markets more aggressively. He also indicated that the company should find ways to decrease operating costs. He presented the two options for expanding into shellfish aquaculture and Dr. Stern’s Project Blue Wave proposal for discussion and asked for any new ideas to achieve the board’s goals. Mills also reported that residents in the vicinity of Site 3 were investigating the possibility of launching a lawsuit against AFC if they could gather enough evidence to prove that the escaped fish were causing environmental damage and contaminating the wild fish. In the past, similar lawsuits have had a 10% success rate with damages amounting to $10 million. Vanic questioned the wisdom of establishing a mussel farm in PEI. He indicated that many such farms become infested with an invasive parasite that attaches itself to the growing mussels. The parasites do not have a significant impact on the growth period or meat yields of mussels; however, maintenance, harvest and distribution costs are significantly increased (20% more variable production, 10% more fixed production, and 14% more variable distribution costs). Employees also dislike handling mussels infested with the parasite. Egin indicated that only about 25% of mussel farms get infected with the parasite. He was more interested in the Project Blue Wave proposal and suggested that it had a very good chance of realizing greater than market returns. He indicated that the RD department had been conducting some preliminary research on genetic engineering and the scientists believe they are on the brink of delivering results, if supported with a little more investment. Jacques Dubois wondered whether the chances of successfully developing a fastergrowing salmon were much lower than Egin or Dr.  Stern realized and that a much larger aquaculture organization, or the government, would be doing this research if it were a project worth pursuing. He felt that too much money had already been spent on RD and not enough on operational efficiencies, supply chain management, and technologies. Dubois also wondered whether AFC should consider adopting IFRSs for financial reporting and, if so, what the major implications of the conversion would be. After the meeting, Mills directed Adam Rice, Controller, to review the company’s strategic options and operational issues. Other Information Rice began by interviewing various staff members, and made the following notes: 1. The variability of the fishing industry has made banks very cautious. Consequently, the Eastern Bank of Canada would be willing to provide a loan of no more than $3 million at an annual interest rate of 8%, on the condition that AFC maintain a gross profit margin of at least 20%. 2. Maise has determined that Paris, France would be an ideal location for an overseas sales office. Space could be leased for CDN$5,000 per month and a local salesperson could be hired for an annual base salary of CDN$20,000 plus a four percent sales commission. Maise estimates that this office could generate annual sales of up to 500,000 kilograms of fresh whole salmon. She also indicated that there is a strong market for oysters in France, if they could be transported in an economical manner. 3. Rob Vanic predicts that world fuel prices will continue to increase and that the risk of spoilage of fresh seafood shipped overseas will double. In fiscal 2009, two percent of overseas shipments of salmon were lost or spoiled before reaching the customers. 4. An investigation of the variable cost variances at Sites 3 and 4 revealed that the employees were overfeeding the fish, resulting in an excess amount of feed falling to the ocean floor. At Sites 1 and 2, the employees are well trained and experienced. 5. In June 2009, an important, high-potential overseas customer asked an AFC salesperson to ship crates of fish purchased for US$6,000 with documentation that stated the value as US$2,000. Apparently, this request was for customs purposes. The salesperson consulted Maise, who indicated that the company’s policy to please the customer applied in this and all other cases. The salesperson brought the matter to Rice’s attention. 6. Costs of preliminary research on genetic engineering have been expensed in the year incurred. 7. Genetic engineering is a common practice in the agriculture and livestock industries. Proponents of organic and natural foods have increasingly complained about the ethical issues surrounding genetic tampering. 8. A discount rate of 10% after taxes is used for evaluating capital investments.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Scientific Materalism v. Crime and Punishment Essay examples -- Litera

Author of Crime and Punishment, Feodor Dostoevsky, uses the text to subtly exhibit factors which aid in disproving the idea of scientific materialism. He aims to prove that there must be another explanation for our complexities, unlike the opposing one in which everything is believed to be made or conducted by matter. Regardless of extensive scientific experimentation, there are still many aspects of the human mind and body that remain unclear. Crime and Punishment relays some extreme qualities possessed by humans which are argued by many to be valid proof of our creation by a higher power. The fact that humans are emotional beings and that emotions are not classified as matter creates the opportunity for philosophical debate. Dostoevsky feeds on this uncertainty and assists in the argument of refuting scientific materialism by providing examples of human emotions such as shame, pity, compassion, love, and guilt. He also attempts to refute scientific materialism by suggesting the existence of a human conscience, free will, self sacrifice, and pure evil. Crime and Punishment revolves around main character, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, and the physical, mental, and spiritual repercussions he endures after he commits murder. In other words, â€Å"the whole novel is built around the unique process of disintegration in the hero's soul† (Bem 2). When we first meet Raskolnikov, we learn he is a relatively young ex-student who has fallen into the poverty stricken slums of St. Petersburg, Russia. He has become unhealthily anti-social and bitter towards humanity and is now trapped within and tortured by his own thoughts. It is revealed that he is struggling internally with the idea of murdering a pawnbroker, Alena Ivanovna, with... ...ter. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. "Crime and Punishment." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 167. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Dostoevsky, Feodor. Crime and Punishment. Ed. George Gibian. Trans. Coulson. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1989. Print. Leatherbarrow, William J. "Chapter 4: The Principle of Uncertainty: Crime and Punishment." Fedor Dostoevsky. William J. Leatherbarrow. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1981. Twayne's World Authors Series 636. The Twayne Authors Series. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. Santangelo, Gennaro. "The Five Motives of Raskolnikov." Dalhousie Review 54.4 (Winter 1974): 710-719. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 167. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. Scientific Materalism v. Crime and Punishment Essay examples -- Litera Author of Crime and Punishment, Feodor Dostoevsky, uses the text to subtly exhibit factors which aid in disproving the idea of scientific materialism. He aims to prove that there must be another explanation for our complexities, unlike the opposing one in which everything is believed to be made or conducted by matter. Regardless of extensive scientific experimentation, there are still many aspects of the human mind and body that remain unclear. Crime and Punishment relays some extreme qualities possessed by humans which are argued by many to be valid proof of our creation by a higher power. The fact that humans are emotional beings and that emotions are not classified as matter creates the opportunity for philosophical debate. Dostoevsky feeds on this uncertainty and assists in the argument of refuting scientific materialism by providing examples of human emotions such as shame, pity, compassion, love, and guilt. He also attempts to refute scientific materialism by suggesting the existence of a human conscience, free will, self sacrifice, and pure evil. Crime and Punishment revolves around main character, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, and the physical, mental, and spiritual repercussions he endures after he commits murder. In other words, â€Å"the whole novel is built around the unique process of disintegration in the hero's soul† (Bem 2). When we first meet Raskolnikov, we learn he is a relatively young ex-student who has fallen into the poverty stricken slums of St. Petersburg, Russia. He has become unhealthily anti-social and bitter towards humanity and is now trapped within and tortured by his own thoughts. It is revealed that he is struggling internally with the idea of murdering a pawnbroker, Alena Ivanovna, with... ...ter. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. "Crime and Punishment." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 167. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Dostoevsky, Feodor. Crime and Punishment. Ed. George Gibian. Trans. Coulson. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1989. Print. Leatherbarrow, William J. "Chapter 4: The Principle of Uncertainty: Crime and Punishment." Fedor Dostoevsky. William J. Leatherbarrow. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1981. Twayne's World Authors Series 636. The Twayne Authors Series. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. Santangelo, Gennaro. "The Five Motives of Raskolnikov." Dalhousie Review 54.4 (Winter 1974): 710-719. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 167. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.

Monday, January 13, 2020

A Sense of Belonging Essay

â€Å"Ð  sense of belonging† is a book that nobody should miss! It provides students with the opportunity to examine different writing models and techniques while raising their awareness of different issues such as racial discrimination and racial abuse. Many of my friends found it interesting to read and could not stop reading the whole book although we were told to finish only four stories and only stopped flipping and reading till the last page! I personally find the book worth a read and would like to recommend it to all the secondary 3 and 4 students. Stories in the book include â€Å"a sense of belonging† and â€Å"The Test† which are about racial differences and a lady that was very mindful of her race. It does not merely elaborate on racial discrimination which can be very common but also tells us to be more sensitive towards other people and to be aware of our actions, as our words have the ability to hurt others. This is especially applicable to students of our age as we often meet friends of different races in school, and it reminds us that we should be considerate to others â€Å"The limits of trooghaft† highlights the plight of animals as humans are being treated the way we treat animals during the period of time we dominated the world. It serves as a reminder for us to put ourselves in others’ shoes and also consider the fact that animals have feelings and should not be abused like the way many are being treated now because animals have their own rights. This is a relatively important value in life that people need to constantly reinforce, so that we do not end up treating other people the way we do not want them to treat us. â€Å"a sound of thunder† talks about small mistakes leading to dire consequences and reminds us not to neglect the small details in life, because they can be important as well. After reading the book I personally found these four stories very inspiring and interesting. They allowed me to understand more about the common issues and problems faced, while learning moral values and reflecting on my daily life as we can easily relate to some of the stories in the book The important messages and lessons I learnt were invaluable to me and will accompany me for the rest of my life. Therefore I would strongly recommend this book to all upper secondary students as it can help them approach then own writing with more confidence and understanding, while teaching them life values at the same time.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Junk Food Advertisements During Childrens Programs Essay

It has been recently reported by the Martens and Schneider (Guardian, 2009) that billions of pounds are spent every day by the junk food companies on persuading children to consume their products. In addition, an American study shows that during Saturday morning, when children are more likely to be watching, one food commercial is shown every eight minutes and which considered an alarming rate (Bell, 2009). Should government allow these companies to advertise their products on television during children’s shows? Some people agree that these companies should be allowed to do that as it is one way of making profits and is completely legal. However, a large proportion of people believe that allowing these companies and firms to advertise†¦show more content†¦In addition, some countries which have already banned these advertisements show an improvement in the field of childhood health. For instance, the Canadian province Quebec which banned this way of marketing has shown a lower rate of childhood obesity in comparison with other surrounding regions (ibid). Regulations and banning should cover all commercials that target children. Although many countries have already applied partial regulations on this issue, several health organisations state that these rules are not enough to prevent young people from obesity. Nathanson (as cited in BBC NEWS, 2006), states that many nations are facing obesity epidemic and if officials did not response to this problem, the next generations would be the most obese in history. Therefore, banning firms from promoting fast food would result in a noticeable improvement in children’s health. The second reason that firms and companies should not be allowed to market their convenience food during children’s shows is the fact that these commercials have a significant negative influence on young people’s eating habits. A large number of children seem to trust the content of commercials. Atkin (as cited in Rossiter, 1980) emphasised this by stating that 60% of young people who are in the first grade show an extreme trust on all commercials. Moreover, it is known that most of the products promotedShow MoreRelatedThesis: Junk Food Consumption by Children During TV Watching921 Words   |  4 Pagesteachign program to inhibit junk food consumption by children during TV-watching Submitted by: Dr. John Doe Title: Fast food advertisements should not be shown during TV shows for children Topic: Fast food advertisements should not be shown during TV shows for children Research Classification: Applied Objective: to structure an instructional program that would inform paretns about the hazards of fast food advertisements during TV shows for children and how to control childrens eating junk foodsRead MoreObesity : Obesity And Obesity1637 Words   |  7 Pagesincrease in obese youths. A possible contributing factor is food advertisements that contain poor-nutrient food and are targeted at children. Children and adolescents are constantly exposed to various advertisements on a daily basis. Many studies have suggested that there would be an overall reduction in obesity and overweight rates with the ban or reduction of nutrient-poor food advertisements. The combination of advertisements of poor food choices, with increased technology use, along with less timeRead MoreCorporate Responsibility Stakeholder Perspective Essay1236 Words   |  5 PagesCorporate Responsibility (2) Stakeholder perspective Obesity and fast food Use the stakeholder analysis to look at the impact of fast food (eg MacDonald’s) on each stakeholder group. Should the sale/marketing of fast food be regulated/ restricted? If so why? If not, why not? Childhood obesity has been labeled one of the most serious public health issues if the 21st century. 42 million of the children under five years old are overweight all over the world, inRead MoreAnalyzing Publicity Aimed at Children under 121835 Words   |  7 PagesToday, many marketers are aiming their advertisements at children under the age of twelve. Organizations and companies target young children through advertisements to influence their parents purchasing decisions. The industry consists primarily of apparel, toys, and food. Areas of concern arise when the advertisements of these products influences children’s perceptions and desires for fast food, alcohol and tobacco, sex, and purchasing in general. The estimated $500 billon industry is a lucrativeRead MorePrevention Plans for Obseity3310 Words   |  13 Pagesprojected to eating behavior of adulthood. Numerous factors are responsible for childhood obesity, comprising lack of physical activity, the wide availabi lity of nutritionally poor foods, and advertisement that promotes unhealthy foods. Out of multiple factors that influence the eating choices of children, food advertisement is one of the most debated and potential factor. At present, children are susceptible to multiple types of media; that are television, computer, game screens, etc. and spend moreRead MoreShould Banned Be Banned For Minors? Essay1739 Words   |  7 PagesNumerous avenues are often used for marketing different products to children using television, radio, internet and print media. Selling food products carry over a large space of these media and generally concentrating on junk food products. Recently, more and more children between four and eleven years old are bombarded with unhealthy food advertisements during watching television or running online games which earn a legitimate worry for the government agencies. Such products should be banned forRead MoreObesity Among Children Are Lack Of Exercise And Bad Eating Habits Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagesof exercise and bad eating habits. Americans need to stop blaming fast food companies and take their own responsibility for providing a healthy nutrition diet for children. Obesity is a very common disease in America that can one day lead to death. Parents need to help their children choose what is healthy for their body to consume. To help them realize that it is not okay to always eat junk food and fattening foods that can harm their body. As a family they must work together to create a betterRead MoreEssay about Advertising and Childhood Obesity2520 Words   |  11 Pagesand thus, thin, how are these children getting so large? Advertisements. The news has been attacking advertisements aimed at children, and rightfully so, they are showing unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits in a socially acceptable way. Children watch cartoons. Simply put, this statement has held truth for many, many years. Saturday morning cartoons have been a staple in the American household for a while now, and in between these programs, at a time when children are known to be viewing, a spreadRead MoreThe Causes And Implications Of Childhood Obesity873 Words   |  4 Pagesespeci ally in the 21st century. It has the ability to affect a child in many ways, including physically, mentally, sociologically and psychologically. Childhood obesity is a serious health concern that is partially causes by the careless decisions about food intake, physical activity and lack of parental concerns and knowledge towards a child’s health. According to World Health Organization (WHO) childhood obesity is defined as a serious medical condition where a child has abnormal amount of body fat,Read MoreEssay on Advertising Fast Food to Children Under The Age of 12 2036 Words   |  9 PagesHow much do the fast food companies spend for advertising to children in the United States? In 2009, â€Å"The Fast food companies spent over $ 4.2 billion in the fast food industry alone to market on television, the internet, social media sites, etc† (Brownell, 2009). This amount of money demonstrated that advertising to children is big business for companies, but it affects chil dren directly, who are innocent of future generations. The purpose of this essay is to convince legislators to consider banning

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Friday, December 20, 2019

Essay on Religious Themes of Goblin Market and The Eve of...

One of the most alluded works in the history of literature would definitely be the Bible. The Bible has given insight to most of the great authors through out time as either inspiration or a source of parody. The number of Biblical quotes and related symbols could be almost endless to list. Parodies and symbolic reference to the Bible in literary works, serve as an expression of the authors and times religious view points. The Romantic view of religion was more concerned with human religious experience than with divinely revealed truths. Religion for the Romantics created the want to escape the physical world and its perceived limitations. These writers believed in religion to a great extent, but thought the religious†¦show more content†¦Rossetti spent most of her life by strict religious principles. She gave up two engagement commitments due to religious factors. Rossettis religious compassion in her work was no secret. A well known Rossetti critic, Jerome McGann, says, nearly all her poems contain important allusions to and quotations from The Book of Common Prayers and the Bible. (McGann 211). Keats, however, chose to use religious topics to inspire his works in other ways. Robert Ryan says, Keats decisively repudiated the Christianity of their time as incorrigibly dishonest and pernicious. (Ryan 5). Ryans statement along with the symbolism in The Eve of St. Agnes makes me believe Keats to have preferred the old religion over the new. One religious interpretation of The Eve of St. Agnes was brought about by Jack Stillinger in his book The Hoodwinking of Madeline. Stillinger relates Madelines dream on the Eve of St. Agnes to that of Adams while he is dreaming of the creation of Eve. Madeline was dreaming of her future husband, and when she awoke she found Porphyro in her bed. This thought of imagination turning to truth is the same case of when Adam awakes from his dream, and he finds his dream has come true. The difference between the two dreams lies in the fact Adam is happy when he awakes and sees Eve, but Madeline does not feel as pleased. She seems scared of what she awakens to by saying, No dream, alas! Alas! And woe is mine! (Norton

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Operation Management of TESCO Sample for Students-Myassignment

Questions: 1.How Can TESCO achieve its Smart Objectives? 2.How Can Villa Maria Winery Optimize its Operational Processes? Answers: 1.Following are the SMART goals that TESCO is aimed at achieving within the next financial year: Identification of the target customers and developing mechanisms for encouraging them to by TESCO products Identification of the products that are highly popular among the customers and emphasize on the production of the same Understanding the specific needs of the target customers and making such products available to them that go along with their requirements. TESO had already started working on achieving the above mentioned strategies, as indicated by the story published in www.businesstoday.in, which report the initiative taken by TESCO in developing virtual stores in South Korea. In the following sections of the report, several other strategies would be discussed that TESCO might undertake efficiently, so as to achieve its SMART objectives. Identification of target customers and developing mechanism for reaching them: The very first step that TESCO should undertake to increase their sales is to identify their target customers and to develop appropriate strategies for gaining their attention (Talk, 2016). TESCO has made one such approach towards the development of virtual stores in South Korea. The said nation is considered to have one of longest working hours, which does not even provide the young executives of country with the time required to go to brick and mortar shops for grocery shopping. TESCO has thus developed virtual stores at busy train and bus stations, at which the tech-savvy generation can have an idea of the products available at the nearest TESCO stores and place orders for the same through their smart phones. The idea has been acknowledge massively in South Korea, which is only indicative of the fact that such virtual stores would also be successful in other metropolitan cities of the world. TESCO can also consider the development of mobile applications that would allow the elderly people to conduct their grocery shopping from home. Identification of popular products and emphasizing on their production: In order to increase the sale revenue of the organization, TESCO should emphasize on making only those products available to the customers that they ask for (and not any TESCO alternative) (Smith, Maull CL, 2014). Although TESCO claims that their in-house products match the quality and standards of all leading brands, overstressing on the same has resulted in a sharp decline in the total revenue generate in the last few years. Thus, at this point of time, TESO should allow customers to choose from a wide range of grocery products of other popular brands, and continue the production of those products that are popular among the consumers. Understanding the specific needs of the target customers: With a aim of understanding the dynamic needs of their customers and making healthier grocery products available to them, TESCO has already removed 2500 tons (approximately) of soaked fat items and 3000 tons (approximately) of food items containing huge quantities of salt from their stores since 2005. Continuing with such efforts would indeed allow the organization to increase its brand name and value, which in turn would facilitate the process of increasing the total sales revenue of the retail chain (Marshall, Metters Pagell, 2016). An illustrative demonstration of the ideas presented in the section above would be mad in the mind map given below. The mind map is being incorporated in this section of the report as to highlight the manner in which the above mentioned strategies would help TESCO in meeting its SMART goals. Mind map: Figure: Mind map depicting the strategies that can be utilized for meeting the SMART objectives of the project. (Source: Developed by author) As depicted in the diagram above, the identification of the target customers of TESCO would allow the retail chain to develop the appropriate mechanisms for reaching the target customers, thus encouraging more customers to make purchase from the retail chain. On the other hand, the identification of the TESCO popular TESCO products would allow the organization emphasize on the production of these products only, while provisions can be made such that the customers can also buy other grocery items produced by leading brands from TESCO outlets only. Last but not the least, TESCO can also identify the products that their target customers are not interested in purchasing, thus leading to the removal of the same from the store shelves. It is expected that the implementation of the above mentioned strategies would allow the TESCO to meet its SMART objectives. 2.The SMART objectives that Villa Maria Winery is currently aimed at achieving are being stated in the section below: Improving the quality of the wine: At present, Villa Maria Winery is experiencing certain issues with their sales figure, typically due to the fact that the quality of the product developed by the winery are of no match with the products being delivered from North America and china. On the other hand, speculations of the entire vineyard being infested with mushrooms have also reached the customers, which have led to a further decrease in the total decrease in the sales revenue. Therefore, the very first SMART objective that the winery aims to achieve is to improve the quality of the products of the Winery, such that it matches the quality of the products currently produced by the rival organizations (Walker, et al. 2014) Bringing in drastic changes in the branding policy of the organization: As identified in the previous assignment, the organization is experiencing issues with increasing the total sale as it is experiencing rising rivalry from other wineries, the market conditions are changing drastically and the marketing and/ or promotional activities under taken by the organization have not been successful at improving their goodwill. Therefore, the second smart objective is to improve the branding strategies of the organization (Bromiley Rau , 2016). In order to meet the above mentioned objectives, the Villa Maria Winery can utilize the under mentioned strategies: Lean Management: Researchers Martnez-Jurado and Moyano-Fuentes (2014) are of then opinion that the lean production, lean manufacturing or the lean production model is that aimed at adding additional values to any product, besides reducing the cost associated with the development of the same, along with the elimination of wastage The owners of Villa Maria Winery can effectively utilize the lean management approach for the identification of the values that the customers expect from the products (thus improving the quality of the product from their perspective) and make efforts towards incorporating the same. The utilization of the lean management strategy would not only allow the organization to increase the sale of their products, but would also facilitate the process of organizational wastage. Business process reengineering: Researcher Tnnessen (2014) is of the opinion that business process re-engineering can essentially be defined as a management strategy that includes the analysis of the current situation of the business and include changes in the existing workflow of the organization (based on the results of the analysis). One of the major issues that the Villa Maria Winery currently experiences is that the market demand for their products has reduced drastically. Besides this, the promotional and branding policies undertaken by the organization in the past, have failed drastically. Thus, the owners of Villa Maria Winery can utilize business process reengineering methods to identify the factors that have lead to the reduction in the market demand of their products, along with the identification of the strategies that can be utilized for changing the scenario. The business process reengineering method would also lead to the identification and incorporation of changes in the workflow of the organization, thus allowing them to increase the supply of products to the market. Potential barriers to optimization of operational processes In the following section of the report, discussions would be made on the identification of the factors that might act as barriers to the optimization of operational processes of the Villa Maria Winery. Conceptual barriers: The very first factor that might act as a conceptual barrier to the process of optimizing the operational activities of the winery is the inability to understand the concepts being utilized for doing the same. According to researchers Bori?, Stanisavljev and Zakin (2016), the inappropriate understanding of the approaches utilized for enhancing business processes often leads to the inappropriate identification of the scope of the entire task, thus leading to its failure. Financial barriers: According to researchers Par et al. (2014), the primary barrier to all organizational processes aimed at the optimization of workflow processes is the financial investment required to do so. As mentioned in the case study of Villa Maria Winery, the financial condition of the organization is not stable at this point of time, courtesy to the reduction in sales volumes and the inability of the owners to manage the finances. Thus, it can be concluded that the owners would indeed experience issues with arranging for the budget required to implement the Business process reengineering and Lean Management processes. Technical risks: Both Lean Management processes and Business process reengineering methods involve the implementation of technological methods and equipments. Needless to say, any issues with the identification, development and implementation of the technological systems and equipments would essentially affect the success of the optimization process itself (Herrmann Guenther, 2017). Organizational resistance: According to Aarons et al. (2015), the greatest barrier to the implementation of any new process or method within an organizational environment is the resistance that the resources currently associated with the work environment pose towards the same. In case of the Villa Maria Winery, the owners have been advised to utilize the Business process reengineering and Lean Management methods for improving the operational processes of the organization. Needless to say, both the methods would lead to the automation of certain operational activities of the organization which in turn would lead to the job loss of some employees. Therefore it is only natural that the employees of the Villa Maria Winery resist the implementation of operational process optimization technique within the winery. Researchers Bori?, Stanisavljev and Zakin (2016) are of the opinion that apart from the above mentioned barriers, the general risks and barriers associated with all organizational projects (eg: time barrier, unavailability of human resources etc) are also associated with those projects that are aimed at the optimization of operational processes . Use of Kaupapa Maori Approach for the issues: The use of the cultural approaches had been helpful for providing the benefit of system development and implementation of the plan and operation. The Maori people had been facing issue of lack of integrated approaches for sorting the planning and development of the organization. According to Pihama (2015), Kaupapa Maori is an approach that is helpful for supporting the development, modification and development of the universal organization for the influential development of Maori at the place. The Kaupapa Maori had been continuously helpful for implementing and developing the plan of operations. The benefits of the use of Kaupapa Maori Approach for planning, organizing, leading and controlling the operations of Maori are, Positive Outcomes- The approach of Kaupapa Maori is helpful for supporting the positive outcomes from any set of operations (Hayward et al., 2017). The people can use the positive outcome from the system to develop better and more effective planning and implementation of the lateral operations. The development of the ongoing operations would be helpful by the use of positive outcomes of the operations in the Maori place. Influential development of planning, organizing, leading and controlling would be helped and assisted by the use of approach. Holistic Development- According to Hayward et al. (2017), Kaupapa Maori provides a holistic modification of the implemented system. The use of system defined theories and knowledge accumulated by the scholars had been helpful for supporting the increment of the approach. The development of the ongoing culture and civilization of the people of Maori can be represented by the use of the Kuapapa approach. The operations of the development would be eased by the use of the approach and it would help in infusing the incorporation of the tools for modification of the organization. Reflective Evaluation- the Kaupapa Maori approach is useful for providing the benefit of self evaluation of the processes and organization (Pihama, 2015). The use of Kaupapa Maori is helpful for depicting the development of planning and modification of the ongoing process in the operations of Maori. The reflective evaluation had been helpful for the modification of the involved community by the deployment of the constructive feedbacks of the people. The influence of the self evaluation had been helpful for modifying the legislative and procurement of the information used for modifying the system tools. The individual self assessment had been helpful for modifying the position of the development tools for the secular informative functions. Deployment of role models: The Kaupapa Maori provides the benefit of deploying role models for influencing the self evaluation of the process. Pihama and Southey (2015), have pointed out that it is crucial for the deployment of the role model for testing the systematic and influential development of tools and organization. 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