Five Forces Analysis on Indian Retail Industry

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis on Indian Retail Industry An analysis of the structure of the industry should be undertaken in order to find effective sources of competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Therefore, in order to analyse the competitive environment of Tesco, Porter’s five forces analysis has been used by the researcher as follows: Threat of substitute products and services The threat of substitutes in the grocery retail market is considerably low for food items and medium to high for non-food items. In the food retail market, the substitutes of major food retailers are small chains of convenience stores, off licenses and organic shops which are not seen as a threat to supermarkets like Tesco that offer high quality products at considerably lower prices (Financial Times, 2009). Moreover, Tesco is further getting hold of these shops by opening Express stores in local towns and city centres creating a hurdle for these substitutes to enter the market. However, the threat of substitutes for non-food items, for instance clothing, is fairly high. It should be noted that so long as the economic recession prevails, customers will be inclined towards discounted prices hence Tesco is a threat to the speciality shops. Threat of entry of new competitors The threat of entry of new competitors into the food retail industry is low. It requires huge capital investments in order to be competitive and to establish a brand name. Major brands that have already captured the food retail market are Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and they account for 80% of all shopping in the UK (Mintel, 2010). Therefore, new entrants have to produce something at an exceptionally low price and/or high quality to establish their market value. Gaining planning authorisation from local government takes a considerable amount of time and resources to establish new supermarkets and this is therefore a considerable barrier to new entrants. Intensity of competitive rivalry The intensity of competitive rivalry in the food and grocery retail industry is extremely high. Tesco faces intense competition from its direct competitors, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, which are ompeting with each other over price, products and promotions intermittently. It should therefore be highlighted that Asda is one of the key competitors in this segment with an increase of market share from 16. 6% to 16. 8% during the fiscal year 2010/ 09, while Sainsbury’s has shown an increase to 16. 1% from 15. 8% and Morrisons to 11. 6% from 11. 3% through the same period (Euromonitor, 2010). The slow market growth essentially means that these increasing market shares from competitors have intensified the market rivalry, which is threatening Tesco’s market leadership position. In rural areas where the nearest superstore can be some distance away, some primary consumers are attracted by retailers like Somerfield and Co-op . Hard discounters like Aldi and Lidl have taken over the market in times of recession. During 2008 they recorded a growth of sales of over 25% (Keynote, 2010). Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers is fairly high. In cases where products have a slight differentiation and are more standardized, the switching cost is very low and the buyers can easily switch from one brand to another. It has been proposed that customers are attracted towards the low prices, and with the availability of online retail shopping, the prices of products are easily compared and thus selected. Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is fairly low. It should be noted that the suppliers are inclined towards major food and grocery retailers and dread losing their business contracts with large supermarkets. Hence, the position of the retailers like Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s is further strengthened and negotiations are positive in order to get the lowest possible price from the suppliers.

The Hobbit

‘The Hobbit’ is a beautiful story written by J. R. R Tolkien, and is full of happy, emotional quotes and lovely characters. Tolkien gives detailed descriptions of his characters using humour and often captures his young readers’ attention with short poems. For example, he begins his story with the sentence ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and continues it, which then becomes a legend! Tolkien has spun a fascinating tale with adventure involving dragons, magicians, hobbits, dwarves and skin-changers etc. The protagonist, Bilbo Baggins with his heroism, self-esteem, courage and quirks like stealing skills, is an adorable character. Although he is a figment of the author’s imagination, his kindness and poignant insights infuse him with qualities akin to the best of humans. The author had started this story as a way of entertaining his own grandchild, and true to this, the book adheres to a conversational style of story-telling. For example, he writes ‘The mother of our particular hobbit- what is a hobbit? and starts describing the hobbit before describing Belladonna Took, the hobbit’s mother. The poetic quotes throughout the course of the story also reveal the writer’s style, which tells it apart from other legends, for example – ‘Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away, ere break of day, To find our long-forgotten gold’ The author’s use of foreshadowing makes the plot very interesting and keep the reader’s interest alive. For example, Thorin’s key and map are revealed to be an important part of the story towards the end. Readers love these unexpected turn of events and surprises in the story! Another example of foreshadowing is when Bilbo gets the power and courage to overcome hurdles and fear in the battle of the five armies, which he could only access after he got the ring. The author has used a novel way of capturing his young readers’ attention by introducing a chapter full of riddles between Gollum, the goblin and Bilbo, in the Misty Mountains. Using riddles, Tolkien has not only successfully heightened the interest of his readers, but also given glimpses of all aspects of the story! The interesting twists in the story and Bilbo’s good luck at narrowly escaping death or loss at crucial times in the story also have a gripping effect on the readers. Children love to see the arrival of Gandalf, the magician, when Bilbo is in need, as they also delight in his escape from the clutches of the goblins and the elves in barrels after he steals the ring, and his courage and skill in getting out of the giant spider’s trap. I also like the Greek term exemplified in Gandalf’s rescue in the Misty Mountains, which is ‘deux ex machina’, which means a God given man for help. Again, due to sheer luck, Bilbo is able to get away from the dragon’s lair. But a sad part of the story is the destruction of Laketown by Smaug, the dragon. The readers are relieved when Bard slays Smaug. Bilbo and his group get a further taste of adversity when the goblins and wargs, who have also heard about Smaug’s death, come looking for their share and cause the battle of the five armies. Thorin becomes a martyr for their group, while Bilbo is struck with a rock and loses consciousness. The author reveals Bilbo’s wise and compassionate side when Bilbo gives the Arkenstone to Bard in an attempt to stop conflict between Bard and Thorin before the battle. I liked the last part when Bilbo returns back with Gandalf and Beorn, who help their group win the battle of the five armies as well as many skirmishes in Mirkwood before that. The enjoyable part here is that Bilbo gets amused by seeing an auction going on at his place! I love the story and also its moral that we should not let our fears get in the way of what we want to do or be in life. The cheerful quotes and poems provide a lot of fun to the readers as well! The Hobbit This summer I read the book, â€Å"The Hobbit†, by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was a really interesting book with ups and downs just like any other. It was an adventure about a little hobbit named Bilbo who slowly discovers how brave and courageous he is. He is accompanied by 13 dwarves and occasionally a wizard named Gandalf. Together they face Goblins, Trolls, giant Spiders, Elves and even a dragon. There were things that I really enjoyed watching lay out and things that I felt brought the story line down. Throughout the book, I noticed that Gandalf had great confidence in Bilbo. I love the way that he knew Bilbo had potential and wouldn’t let anyone say differently. Bilbo was a weak and timid little hobbit who had no idea what the world was like and what dangers were ahead of him. Gandalf could see the adventurous heart in Bilbo when no one else could. He had chosen him to be the fourteenth member of the team and was not going to be moved by any creature. In the beginning of the book, Bilbo is flabbergasted when Gandalf tells him that he will give him what he asked for. â€Å"I beg your pardon, I haven’t asked for anything! † (Tolkien 7) He was so scared to think that he would have to go on such a perilous journey. He had never been past the safe comfort of his hobbit-hole and was not ready to cross that line. Gandalf somehow knew that deep down Bilbo was longing for adventure. â€Å"In fact I will go so far as to send you in this adventure,† (Tolkien 7) He had an incredible faith for him that showed up quite a few times. Even though Bilbo did mess up, he would still stand up for him â€Å"Let’s have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you† (Tolkien 19) â€Å"I brought him, and I don’t bring things that are of no use. †(Tolkien 85) Bilbo was extremely unsure of himself and didn’t know how he could be of help. Because of this, the dwarves assumed that he had no significance on their expedition and that he was even a weigh down. â€Å"You! You! You miserable hobbit! You undersized burglar! † (Tolkien 247) They would persistently put him down, but Gandalf always took little Bilbo’s side. It was so fun to see Bilbo become the courageous, sneaky and cunning conqueror that he really was inside. He thought that he would never be able to do the things that he did. Every now and then he would start to warm up to the idea of danger but then catch himself and hide once again. It took quite a while for him to see how brave he was, but he got it in the end. Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. † (Tolkien 7) Later he fights giant spiders and out-talks Gollum. He turns out to be the bravest one on the expedition! He was the most valuable person and they would not have completed their quest without him. One thing that I really didn’t like was when the dragon came along. The whole book they talked about how the dragon would be the most difficult to handle. When they finally get to the mountain, all the dwarves can think about is the dragon. They have to hide by the secret door and be totally silent so that they don’t wake it. Bilbo sneaks into the mountain to spy around. He finds the dragon and makes it so upset that it tries to destroy everything in its path. The dragon is the only thing holding them back. The thought of the battle they were going to have was exciting. They left you in the suspense of who was going to fight it and who would get hurt and still give everything. As the dragon is rampaging through Esgaroth, Bard shoots it with one arrow. The dragon falls dead. That’s it? I was definitely hoping for something more than that. I felt like they led up to it really well and then didn’t even have anything happen. The way that the characters spoke really reflected who they were. Gollum, for example, called himself â€Å"my precious† and never spoke to anyone but himself. It was almost like his trademark. Gandalf was ‘the wise one’. His word choice made him seem mysterious like an old wizard should be. â€Å"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on? † (Tolkien 5) On page 41, however, I feel like he ‘lost his cool’ when he yelled at Bilbo for asking an acceptable question. It seemed to make him less wise and more†¦ cranky. Bilbo of course talked of his hobbit-hole and how he wished for food and warmth. The dialogue of the character seemed as if it was their own. I think that they made Bilbo too old for the way he acts. He is always curious to know about things but so scared. He is never ‘just there’. Like a younger person, he is always alert and ready to see what is happening next. He is good at sneaking around and is very clever and active. T he book was very interesting, and I enjoyed reading it, but the speeds changed too much. You couldn’t feel the suspense as much because the same thing happened over and over, and they didn’t go on very long: they would get captured and then they would escape. It was all very creative but I would have liked to be able to get into the moments more. After they get their share of money and fight the Goblins, nothing happens. That should be extremely close to the last page of the book. The story line is over, which leads to the conclusion. When Bilbo and Gandalf go back to the Hills, it is excruciatingly laid out. The next whole chapter was on their slow journey back. The overall theme was that you can think that there is nothing to you, like Bilbo thought about himself, and think that you are small, weak, and afraid, but that is all in your head. When you set your mind to it, you can ‘get it done’, no matter how big or strong you are. â€Å"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected,† (Tolkien 4) â€Å"He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce,† (Tolkien 18) All of his fear was conquered and then came the confidence. â€Å"He soon realized that if anything was to be done, it would have to be done by Mr. Baggins, alone and unaided,† (Tolkien 158).

Plan and Design a Small System Project Research Paper

Plan and Design a Small System Project - Research Paper Example ut at the center the System Development Life Cycle is resilient in its testing and implementation in the business, government and industry architecture. Actually, the System Development Life Cycle has been termed as one of the two dominant application development techniques in today’s world together with prototyping. Thus learning about System Development Life Cycle is still very crucial to students of all centuries. This article outlines System Development Life Cycle application in a real world health care environment entailing a core component of a sectional hospital care facility. The article may be used as pedagogical equipment in system analysis and design course, or even in an upper division or graduate course as a scenario of implementation of the System Development Life Cycle in practical application. Several aspects have been discussed that include the entire System Development Life Cycle in health care setup. SDLC has always been part of the information Technology family since the inception of modern digital computers (Wager, Lee, Glaser & Wager, 2009). Systems Analysis and Design course is requisite in various Management Information Systems application programs. Even though such lessons avail an overview of several means of acquiring or developing a software application, at their core such applications still contribute a significant amount of time to System Development Life Cycle as they ought to. As this paper will demonstrate, chronological steps and phases adherence is still an acceptable way of insuring the successful software development. Generally, SDLC has really evolved but at its core it still remains a vast technique used for developing software applications. Early dissertations of the SDLC upheld the arduous delineation of vital steps or stages to adhere to for any type of software development project (Loretz, 2005). The Waterfall Model is one of the common well-recognized forms of development. In this classic architecture, the technique

UK Home Shopping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK Home Shopping - Essay Example 15-13 weeks Further background research based on material collected, i.e. examine Tesco Access site for visually impaired; explore Sainsbury's success in the wine market; find positive input on Asda. Compare different incentives to buy online by these companies as compared to smaller companies. Analyse results of research. With 80 percent of general cargo now being shipped internationally by containers, the successful implementation of information technology is vital to the future of such a business. Containers offer a fast, safe and cost effective means of transportation in exporting and importing commodities; they are easily transferred from one mode of transport to another; they enable operators to offer door-to-door and land-sea services, with predictable delivery times. This dissertation will be addressing the logistics of container companies in the UK: OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line) and Dragon Logistics and Transport, Ltd., as well as InBulk Technologies, Ltd., a fairly new company offering innovative shipping containers, and Lendel Containers, Ltd., one of the few companies offering rental of new and used ISO shipping containers. Have these companies been innovative in their online services, do they interlink Is consolidation of services a viable option or is it more beneficial to keep s ervices separate but linked to each other Should OOCL and Dragon Logistics work together or should they be more competitive, since they seem to be leading the market in shipping containers 3. Workplan: (dates for completing the various stages of the dissertation) The Timeline for this dissertation will be from May to September, as follows: 18 weeks Review submission requirements. 17-15 weeks Outline with preliminary research questions, topic and approach, as well as a statistical study

Emotional Intelligence and Global Leadership Essay - 1

Emotional Intelligence and Global Leadership - Essay Example Leaders now have to deal with different cultures in achieving business strategies and goals. Emotional intelligence is a concept developed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer. They talked about a politician who is both smart and dumb (Goleman, 1998 cited in Robertson, 2007, p.15). They argued that IQ is not enough to make a person truly â€Å"smart,† and they coined emotional intelligence or EQ (Robertson, 2007, p.15). For the next fifteen years, from being a virtually non-studied concept, EQ has received significant academic attention and applications in the development of numerous fields, such as leadership, communication, self-improvement, child raising, education, health care, and corporate development (e.g., Caruso & Salovey, 2004 cited in Robertson, 2007, p.15). EQ has become critical to developing effective leaders. Even with development in literature, there is no single definition of EQ, particularly since it is still a budding concept with different measures and with dive rse validity test results (Pat & Groves, 2006; Matthews, Roberts, & Zeidner, 2004). Many scholars agree that EQ pertains to the ability to distinguish, understand, and control one’s emotions and the emotions of others, and to use these emotions in successfully managing interpersonal relationships (Salovey & Sluyter, 1990, cited in Robertson, 2007, p.15). Emotional intelligence is also emphasized as vital in understanding the tacit messages that are decisive to interpreting the entire message of the speaker and will also advance how the listener will react to the communication process. Emotional intelligence affects global leadership  through enhancing soft skills in strategic management (Marques et al., 2008). In the article â€Å"Linking quality management and emotional intelligence to workplace spirituality,† Marques et al. (2008) linked the concepts of quality management, emotional intelligence, and workplace spirituality.  

Write an essay in which you explain J.K.Rowlins position on monsters

Write an in which you explain J.K.Rowlins position on monsters - Essay Example Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood are all heroes in Potterverse. They are the people who helped Harry to fight against evil powers. The heroes are the ones who can favor goodness and led a helping hand to people in extra – ordinary situations. I think for JK Rowling monsters represents the horrendous power of evilness in nature which is not easy to overcome.( Thesis) Potterverse is the magical fantasy adventure of JK Rowling where her heroes and monsters fight with each other. The monsters of potterverse are a threat to the wizards of the fantasy stories and have supernatural powers. The Hero Harry potter being a wizard fights for goodness and confronts monsters of horrific nature. In the potterverse, the heroes and monsters possess superficial powers, however their nature is opposite. The dark lord like Lord Voldemort is lord of death and attempts to murder Harry having killed his parents. He is the monster with evil wizard powers and utilizes it for the destruction of goodness. So in potterverse monsters resemble evilness and heroes are keepers of goodness. The Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy all represent the monsters of the potterverse. They have a vicious character and wants to destroy harry potter and people surrounding him. Lord Voldemort being the main monster in the series is an evil doer and is a dark wizard. He wants to take over the wizard world and wants to kill harry as he possess wizard powers. Severus Snape is a potion teacher and is a double agent who was abusive and unfair. He had exceptional skills with potion making and had vast magical abilities. Draco Malfoy is another major antagonist in the novel, who is self centered, bully and death eater. The classic hero of the potterverse is Harry Potter who is a wizard and is fighter of evil. He is courageous, intelligent and works for social justice. The heroes in the pottervese fight against racism and for social justice against

Dam paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dam - Research Paper Example Remediation of Gorge Dam will involve; revitalizing its catchment area, that is the river Cuyahoga to ensure constant supply of water to the dam and reduce the flow of sediment. The decision to remediate a dam is based on various ecological, economical and human considerations in terms of impacts and risks associated with it. According to the American White Water organization, the Gorge Dam is roughly 57feet tall (approximately 17.4 meters), with a current average flow rate estimated at approximately 522 cubic feet per second (approximately 14.8 cubic meters per second). Remediation processes in the United States are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and it is executed in stages. The Gorge dam was built in 1912 on the Cuyahoga River between Cuyahoga Falls and Akron Ohio. Vast deposits of metal waste from industries were dumped into the Cuyahoga River between 1912 and 1926, which over time have converted into free flowing sediment. Also from 1926 to 1978, coal combusted products were also laid in the river as waste. The dam was built for the generation of hydroelectric power for the local street car public transportation systems and to provide cooling water storage for a local coal burning power plant. Removing the dam will cost approximately 50 to 70 million dollars and over a year to finish the process depending on how the funds are distributed and consumed. With these figures, it’s better to leave the dam alone since in removing or ignoring the dam doesn’t solve the problem of pollution as the sediment has to be removed even after the dam is removed. Sediment is a naturally occurring material produced by the forces of erosion and weathering and is transported downstream through the water. After removal of the dam, the large amount of polluted sediment on the base of the dam and the river also needs to be taken out to avoid allocating itself downstream. The operation is a major component of the cost consideration and time taken in removing the dam. Ignoring the dam means continued build up of sediment and water quality declination. The solution for the dam is remediation. Currently, the dam has a potential of generating approximately 2526 kilowatts. Considering its situation, this is a good amount of power and this means once the dam is remediated, power generation efficiency will increase. The generated power will be viable for feeding into the national grid. The cost incurred in remediation and upgrading the hydroelectric plant will be recovered in a few years, which is better than spending 50 to70 million dollars in removing the dam and over a year to do so, or incurring an annual expense of 1224 dollars in ignoring the dam to maintain it without any economic benefits. From the calculations in the appendix, Gorges dam can generate up to 2021017 watts of power assuming its efficiency is 80%. Hydroelectric power generation of a typical dam ranges from 70-90 %. When remediated, the fountainhead of the dam wil l be increased and a higher head implies more potential to generate power. The result is a cheap and readily available power for factories and to the local communities. Cheap and readily available power encourages local investment. Industries will develop which will create employment, and improving the standards of living. Remediating the dam removes the sediment accumulated over the years