Sulas Wines Essay Example for Free

Sulas Wines Essay Question 1: The Indian wine industry presents some interesting characteristics that can be analysed using the Porter’s five forces framework to understand to what extent it is a profitable one, and why it is attractive or not. Let us get started with Rivalry: here it is important to differentiate between the Indian and the global market. In fact, at the time the case was written, the Indian market was expanding so rapidly (25/30% per year) that business opportunities were flourishing and all the existing participants could easily sell their products without the need to attack others’ customer base. However, if we broaden our point of view to the global industry, rivalry is way fiercer and exports are likely to be a less profitable business than the domestic one. Overall, LOW/MODERATE. Buyers’ power: in this industry, it is incredibly difficult to â€Å"lock in† a solid customer base made of individual consumers that face virtually zero switching costs and have different tastes for wine. Additionally, wholesalers and retailers can exert significant pressure on wine producers for what concerns shelf space and wine selection. Therefore, it seems that buyers’ power is HIGH compared to producers’, thus lowering profitability. Suppliers’ power: if we think in terms of the raw materials needed to produce wine, i. e. grapes and juice, we can state that, being them commodities, these are subject to the seasonal fluctuations in price, quantity and availability typical of agricultural products. In periods of excess supply, high quality grapes could be purchased for lower prices and vice versa. Also, regulatory changes in 2001 reduced both sales taxes and the costs of imported bottling items, thus increasing profitability. However, India has a major issue that turns out to be of crucial importance to farmers and producers, i. e. he lack of stable electricity supply; this could in principle give some bargaining power to suppliers of diesel and generators. Thus, suppliers’ power is LOW/MODERATE. Threat of substitutes: although the Indian government has recently granted several concessions and liberalizations for both sale and consumption of wine, the threat of substitutes is still HIGH, especially for cultural reasons whereby whiskey, for instance, is traditionally preferred by the majority of Indians to wine. However, given the rapid expansion of the industry, there seems to be more than a hope that this mind-set will change in the near future. Barriers to entry: wine is definitely no easy business to start. There are several reasons to justify this point; first of all, as Sula’s case clearly shows, it takes time to obtain the various licenses; also, the knowledge and know-how required are extremely sophisticated and specific; additionally, wineries are capital intensive businesses and the initial investment to set them up is substantial. However, as we can see from the case, the Indian wine industry has benefited from governmental liberalizations that have encouraged many new wineries to enter the business. We can conclude that BTE are MODERATE/HIGH. The Porter analysis provides us with a moderately profitable scenario, in which it is not easy to start a successful business unless the exact skills and capabilities needed are present. In the following answer, these resources will be analysed in the context of Sula’s activity. Question 2: The biggest challenge that Samant faced when he returned to India to produce wine was that of changing the â€Å"alcoholic tastes† of consumers. To do so, he had to rely upon a strategy that would leverage on the core resources and competencies he had brought back from California. Also helped by a specialized consultant friend, Samant meticulously configured his piece if land in order to exploit the good potential of its location; additionally, he successfully realized that an unconventional growing/harvesting schedule had to be adopted if they wanted to take advantage of the seasonal characteristics of the weather, such as monsoons. He managed to earn a solid and valuable reputation, refusing to bribe officers to obtain the necessary licenses and took care of promoting its products, through marketing campaigns and wine tasting events, in the attempt of changing Indians’ culture towards wine. For what concerns the type of wines to start production with, Samant successfully identified those that could best accompany the spicy flavours of the Indian cuisine and, subsequently, he diversified the firm’s portfolio by introducing more varieties of white and red wines. Finally, he has secured the unique and valuable expertise of some of the brightest players in the financial sector, who have enthusiastically joined him in the firm’s activities. This combination of factors have allowed Samant to put Sula’s Vineyards in a very comfortable position to exploit the huge growth that everyone expects from he Indian wine market; right now, the firm seems to have a competitive advantage to further develop in the near future, if the right strategy will be pursued. Question 3: Looking at the numbers, Sula has been extremely profitable in 2007, with net profits that increased more than six fold since the year before; also, sticking to market forecasts, it seems that an explosive growth has just begun in India, an opportunity that should definitely be exploited. Now that the business is well established and generates a steady stream of revenues, Samant may consider to raise additional debt to finance the long-term challenge of producing premium red wines in a separate winery, something that, if successful, would give Sula’s business a major boost both in sales and in reputation. In the meantime, revenues from national sales would provide the capital necessary to feed the already existing business. Moreover, it could also be worth it to â€Å"attack† the global market with initially lower prices to gain some market share also in Europe and in the U. S. at first, relationships with touristic targets such as hotels and restaurants would be established and, if this strategy worked out, then Sula would face an ever-growing demand for its products, at least for the next 10 years, that could be met by working together with other local producers of premium wine. The idea of a â€Å"consortium† of Maharashtra firms could be attractive for many reasons, among which a significant increase in bargaining power towards the government when it comes to requesting the necessary improvements of regional infrastructures, such as roads, electricity supplies, etc.

Big Brother is Watching :: Essays Papers

Big Brother is Watching Privacy in the Information Age. Have you sat down to eat dinner, just as you put that first bite into your mouth the phone rings. You know better than to answer it, but you do any way. To your dismay you find out that you were right Tele-marketers? As you hang up you wonder how did they get my number? How do they know what are your interests, likes, dislikes? You hand the cashier a plastic card with a magnetic strip which contains your name and address. All of your purchases are recorded and a few days later you receive discount coupons for a new product you might like in the mail. You think that targeted marketing in the information age really works! A woman feels she may be expecting, she goes to the pharmacy to purchase a home pregnancy test. Without thinking, she hands her â€Å"bonus card† to the cashier and a few days later she receives mail from baby product manufactures. She is thinking that she is living in an information age nightmare. Information technology, and particularly the internet and the World Wide Web, can provide benefits that were only dreamed of a decade ago. These new opportunities, however, raise questions about potential threats to personal privacy that are just now starting to be understood. Consumers, for example, like â€Å"one on one marketing† at Miscellaneous Web sites which allows them to browse various selections recommended based on previous purchases and their personal profile. They are much less sure about the site’s developing real time profiles of users based on demographics or psychographics. Similarly, workaholics are attracted to internet dating services that promise to find high achievers their ideal mate; They gladly spend thirty minutes completing the extensive introductory questionnaire. They are less thrilled when they later find that â€Å"E-Mate† has been acquired by another company specifically for its extensive data base of personal information. Our concern is the privacy of personal information in a digitally networked world where personal data can be input, stored, sorted, analyzed, mined, transmitted and exchanged globally with increasing ease and decreasing cost. There is growing concern about data privacy, especially on the Net which is accompanied by marked disagreements about what can, and should be done. These differences are exacerbated by very real cross-cultural and cross-national differences in values, history and economic philosophies. Where national borders are not even speed bumps on the information superhighway.

Job Description Essay

In today’s job market there are a lot of demands from employers. The business environment is constantly changing. Your knowledge, skills and abilities have to be able to meet the demands of the job market. Showcasing yourself and the familiarity and the experience with the procedure detail of the job is very important The Job Analysis. Goes hand in hand with a job description. A job description identifies characteristics of the job to be performed in terms of the tasks, duties and responsibilities to be fulfilled. (Youssef, 2010). It is basically a â€Å"snapshot† of a job. The job description needs to communicate clearly and concisely the responsibilities and tasks. (Lindenberger,2011) There are a lot of people competing for the same job. Ultimately who gets hired depends on the most qualified applicant. I would use a job description to make sure I get the most qualified person for the job. The person job fit has to be right has to definitely be compatible. Your skill highlights and the ability to successfully perform the job is a key factor. I would use a competency-based analysis. The potential employee definitely has to be competent enough to perform the qualities and requirements needed to effectively carry out a job like mines. My job description was to me very detailed. It was somewhat intimidating at first but once I got hired, I understood why. I am currently working as Assistant payment worker for the State of Michigan. The tasks and responsibilities is what my job duty requires of me from day to day. Which was very much detailed. It is assisting clients with getting the help they may need and providing resources for them. I assist client’s help with Food, Shelter and medical resources. I often go above and beyond what my tasks and responsibilities that are required of me, because of my human character I often feel sorry to see what people have to go through in this world. Sometimes in the job description you will see what the responsibilities include but are not limited too. So I would want someone dedicated to what there job is, but also a team player and don’t mind going the extra mile. In the end it’s all about customer service. The tools and technology used are also a key factor. Most jobs often require training once hired. But you at least need the basic skills of using computer software. Educational requirements would also be very important on a job analysis. A degree is preferred most of the time when applying for any job in the business field. If not a degree it is important to me, to at lease have a certain amount of college credits. Which is what needed to obtain my job. In order to gain some valuable information about candidates, there are different selection methods that should be used. Selection methods can narrow down potential candidates. (Youseef,2010) The approach and selection method I would use is testing, I think is a good method to use, especially when there are so many applicants applying for the same position. Testing will help to eliminate clients that are not qualified for the job. Testing will reveal how much knowledge a person has with general competency and knowledge needed for the job. The scores will tell it all. The Interview method is also another good method I would consider. Almost any job you apply for, you will have to have an interview, weather its in person or over the telephone. I have to interview clients everyday at my current job, to see if the fit the qualifications of receiving assistance. Being able to look at a person, and have direct interaction is important. When questions are being asked it will sometimes portray how honest a person is. You can tell by the body language or sometimes how directly a person answers a question if they are being truthful or not. It will show confidence. However there are different types of interviews. The one I would use is a panel discussion interview, which is having several interviewers asking questions. That can sometimes make a person really nervous. I know I was, but again if you have the skills and knowledge to prove it, then it shouldn’t be a problem A job description is just what it says, it describes the job. As a competitive employee, make sure you fit that description the best you can.

Arrhenius Equation Formula and Example

In 1889, Svante Arrhenius formulated the Arrhenius equation, which relates reaction rate to temperature. A broad generalization of the Arrhenius equation is to say the reaction rate for many chemical reactions doubles for every increase in 10 degrees Celsius or Kelvin. While this rule of thumb isnt always accurate, keeping it in mind is a good way to check whether a calculation made using the Arrhenius equation is reasonable. Formula There are two common forms of the Arrhenius equation. Which one you use depends on whether you have an activation energy in terms of energy per mole (as in chemistry) or energy per molecule (more common in physics). The equations are essentially the same, but the units are different. The Arrhenius equation as its used in chemistry is often stated according to the formula: k Ae-Ea/(RT) k is the rate constantA is an exponential factor that is a constant for a given chemical reaction, relating the frequency of collisions of particlesEa is the activation energy of the reaction (usually given in Joules per mole or J/mol)R is the universal gas constantT is the absolute temperature (in Kelvins) In physics, the more common form of the equation is: k Ae-Ea/(KBT) k, A, and T are the same as beforeEa is the activation energy of the chemical reaction in JouleskB is the Boltzmann constant In both forms of the equation, the units of A are the same as those of the rate constant. The units vary according to the order of the reaction. In a first-order reaction, A has units of per second (s-1), so it may also be called the frequency factor. The constant k is the number of collisions between particles that produce a reaction per second, while A is the number of collisions per second (which may or may not result in a reaction) that are in the proper orientation for a reaction to occur. For most calculations, the temperature change is small enough that the activation energy is not dependent on temperature. In other words, its usually not necessary to know the activation energy to compare the effect of temperature on reaction rate. This makes the math much simpler. From examining the equation, it should be apparent the rate of a chemical reaction may be increased by either increasing the temperature of a reaction or by decreasing its activation energy. This is why catalysts speed up reactions! Example Find the rate coefficient at 273 K for the decomposition of nitrogen dioxide, which has the reaction: 2NO2(g) → 2NO(g) O2(g) You are given that the activation energy of the reaction is 111 kJ/mol, the rate coefficient is 1.0 x 10-10 s-1, and the value of R is 8.314 x 10-3 kJ mol-1K-1. In order to solve the problem, you need to assume A and Ea dont vary significantly with temperature. (A small deviation might be mentioned in an error analysis, if you are asked to identify sources of error.) With these assumptions, you can calculation the value of A at 300 K. Once you have A, you can plug it into the equation to solve for k at the temperature of 273 K. Start by setting up the initial calculation: k Ae-Ea/RT 1.0 x 10-10 s-1 Ae(-111 kJ/mol)/(8.314 x 10-3 kJ mol-1K-1)(300K) Use your scientific calculator to solve for A and then plug in the value for the new temperature. To check your work, notice the temperature decreased by nearly 20 degrees, so the reaction should only be about a fourth as fast (decreased by about half for every 10 degrees). Avoiding Mistakes in Calculations The most common errors made in performing calculations are using constant that have different units from each other and forgetting to convert Celsius (or Fahrenheit) temperature to Kelvin. Its also a good idea to keep the number of significant digits in mind when reporting answers. Arrhenius Plot Taking the natural logarithm of the Arrhenius equation and rearranging the terms yields an equation that has the same form as the equation of a straight line (y mxb): ln(k) -Ea/R (1/T) ln(A) In this case, the x of the line equation is the reciprocal of absolute temperature (1/T). So, when data is taken on the rate of a chemical reaction, a plot of ln(k) versus 1/T produces a straight line. The gradient or slope of the line and its intercept can be used to determine the exponential factor A and the activation energy Ea. This is a common experiment when studying chemical kinetics.