Microbial Analysis of Soil Essay Example for Free

Microbial Analysis of Soil Essay Abstract: soil samples were collected fortnightly from area near Dahisar River, A river in suburb of Mumbai. laboratory analysis started from July 2010 to September 2010. Total bacterial and fungal count were estimated by standard spread plate isolation. Isolated bacteria were subject to colony characterization and were estimated by their morphological and biochemical characters. As being a monsoon the occurrence of variation of different species were high. The microorganisms isolated from the soil were of staphylococcus strain and were gram positive, aerobic, coccus shaped bacteria. The fungal species were also identified, of which Aspergillus and Penicillium were dominant, followed by mucur, as sub dominant .This project aims to find out the water and soil quality of River and as it is flowing through an industrial area, to find out if it is getting affected by the Industrial pollutants. Introduction: Soil is the region on the earth’s crust where geology and biology meet, the land surface that provides a home to plant animal and microbial life (Pelczar et al., 1993). Soil teems with microscopic life (bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses) as well as macroscopic life such as earthworms, nematodes, mites, and insects, and also the root systems of plants. The numbers and kinds of micro- organisms present in soil depend on many environmental factors: amount and type of nutrients available, available moisture, degree of aeration, pH, temperature etc (Prescott et al., 1999). Soil bacteria and fungi play pivotal roles in various biochemical cycles and are responsible for the recycling of organic compounds (Wall and Virginia, 1999). Soil microorganisms also influence above- ground ecosystems by contributing to plant nutrition, plant health, soil structure and soil fertility (O’Donnell et al., 2001). Soil is generally a favorable habitat for the proliferation of microorganisms, with micro colonies, developing around soil particles. Numbers of micro organism . In soil habitats normally are much higher than those in fresh water or marine habitats (Atals and Bartha, 1998). Bacteria make up the most abundant group of micro- organisms in the soil (3.0 x 106 – 5.0 x 108) per gram of soil, followed by the actinomycetes (1.0 x 106 – 2.0 x 107), fungi (5.0 x 103 – 9.0 x 106), yeast (I.0 x 103 – 1.0 x 106), algae and protozoa (1.0 x 103- 5.0 x 105) and nematodes (50 – 200) counts per gram of soil are wide differences in the relative proportions of individual bacteria genera found in particular soils (Atals and Bartha, 1998). Soil fungi may occur as free-living organisms or in mycorrhizal association with plant roots. Fungi are found primarily in the top 10 cm of the soil and are rarely found below 30 cm. They are most abundant in well-aerated and acidic soils (Domsch et al., 1980). Most fungi in soil are opportunistic (zymogenous). They grow and carry out active metabolism when conditions are favorable which implies adequate moisture, adequate aeration and relatively high concentrations of utilizable substrates (Postage, 1994; Miyanoto et al., 2002). In this research we isolate culturable heterotrophic bacteria and fungi from different top soil samples MATERIALS AND METHODS Laboratory analysis Preparation of materials The materials needed for this experiment include; glass wares (conical flasks, bijou bottles, pipettes, petri-dishes) and they were washed with detergents. These glass wares were rinsed thoroughly with clean distilled portable water and left to air dry before sterilizing them in the autoclave at 15ââ€" ¦C for 1 hour. Also, the laboratory cabinets on which the work would be carried out was swabbed with cotton wool soaked in methylated spirit to sterilize it before any microbiological analysis was carried out to avoid the growth and isolation of other organisms not present in the samples. After sterilization, the plates were allowed to cool to about 45 degrees before they were used. Microbiological evaluation Ten (10) grams of the soil sample for microbiological evaluation was weighed into 9ml of sterile water. Preparation of serial dilution goes thus: 1ml of the original stocks solution was poured into 9ml sterile distilled water and mixed thoroughly to give 10-2 of the original sample and this was done for each sample and the bottles labeled according to date of collection Isolation and Enumeration of Micro-organisms. 1gram of the samples was homogenized in 9mls of distilled water to obtain a ratio of 1:9 and the second diluted of each sample was plated using the pour plate technique. Sterile molten nutrient agar (NA), potato dextrose agar (PDA), macconky’s agar,(MA) manitol salt agar (MSA) and deoxycholate astrate agar (DCA) were used{the potato dextrose agar (PDA) was acidified). These agars were then added and left to solidify undisturbed. These plates were incubated 37oC for 24hours (incubation was aerobic) and the procedure was repeated using 10-2 finally the number of colonies per plates were counted and recorded. The acidified PDA was incubated at 25C for 3-7 days for microbial growth. Total Bacterial counts (Cfu/g) The total bacteria count for each sample was determined with the pour plate techniques using nutrient agar. The plates were incubated between 24hours at 370C and all colonies appearing on the end of the incubation period were counted using digital unlimited colony counter and the counts were expressed in colony forming unit per gram {CFU/g} of the sample. Colonies of bacteria developing on the plates were observed, isolated and reisolated on a fresh media until pure culture was obtained. Preparation of Pure Culture It is necessary to isolate organisms in pure culture before studying and identifying them because a pure culture originates from one cell. Characteristics colonies from the original culture on the plates were picked with a sterile wire loop (using surface streaking method) and this loop was used to make streak of the colony on the surface of newly prepared sterile agar plates of NA,MA MSA. These streak will space out the inoculants and discrete colony of a particular specie of organism and then incubated at 35-37oC for 24hours to enhance microbial growth. Distinct colonies were re-inoculated on another fresh agar plates in order to obtain a pure culture. The isolates were picked with sterile loop and streaked into prepared agar slants, labeled and incubated for growth after which they were kept in the refrigerator for future use and identification. Identification of Isolates These isolated bacteria were identified using both morphological culture characteristics (i.e. the color, shape, elevation, capacity, consistency, edge) and biochemical test (i.e. citrate, oxidase, indole, sugar fermentation, test etc.)and the bacteria were identified based on the results obtained from the above mentioned biochemical characterization results and the procedures include. Grams Staining Techniques A drop of distilled water was placed on a clean glass slide. The inoculating wire loop was sterilized by flaming until it was red hot (this is to prevent the invasion of unwanted micro- organisms that might be inhabiting the wire loop) in the blue flame of a Bunsen burner. The loop was allowed to cool and the small portion of each colony of microorganisms to be gram stained was picked and smeared in the drop of water (distilled) on the glass slide and then spread into a thin smear along the slide. The smear was air dried and passed through the blue flame. The smear was stained with 1%crystal violet and left for 1minutes (60secs) and then washed with running distilled water it was then stained again with Lugols iodine for another 60secs and also washed with running distilled water. The slide was decolorized rapidly with 75% alcohol in order to present the organism from having the color of the primary reagent and it was washed immediately with distilled water. The slide finally was flooded with a counter stain safranine (a secondary stain) for 60secons and also washed off with distilled water and allow to air dry. The slide was covered with a cover slide and observed under the microscope using oil immersion x 100 objective lens with immersion oil. The gram reaction of the isolated arrangement and the shape of the cell were observed and recorded. Gram positive (+ve) bacterial were characterized by a purple color (i.e. the primary stain) while the gram negative (-ve) bacteria were characterized by red color (i.e. the secondary stain) .This procedure is actually used to ascertain the component of each organisms cell wall. Motility Motility was determined by hanging drop techniques. Using loop, a little part of the colony of the organisms were grown in peptone water for 18hours and then placed in the grease free slide and covered with a Vaseline bound cover slip and then observed under x100 objective lens. A motile organism is then seen moving in the drop of liquid. Identification Of Mold Isolates Mold isolated was identified using cultural and morphological characteristics and according to (Fawole and Oso, 2001), microscopic observation was carried out using lacto phenol blue stain. Procedure for Mold Staining A drop of lacto phenol blue stain was dropped on a clean grease free sterilized glass slide and after this a sterile inoculating wire loop was used to pick the mycelium unto the glass slide from the mold culture .The mycelium was spread evenly on the slide. Teasing was carried out to separate the mycelium in order to get a homogenous mixture and the mixture was then covered with cover slips gently and then allowed to stay for some seconds before observing under x40 under the microscope. The microscope examination of actively growing mold was on the basis of structures bearing spores, presence or absence of septate. BIOCHEMICAL TESTS Catalase Test Catalase test demonstrates the presence of catalase enzyme by aerobic microorganisms. Catalase is an enzyme that catalysis the release of oxygen from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). To test for catalase, a drop of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution was added to a slide and the organism to be tested for catalase production is brought in contact with the hydrogen peroxide. The production of gas bubbles however indicates a positive reaction and this shows that catalase enzyme is produced.(FawoleOso, 2001) Oxidase test This was carried out by placing a clean filter paper on the working bench or petri dishes and 2-3 drops of freshly prepared oxidase reagent was added to the isolate using a sterile inoculating wire loop. After this, a few quantity of oxidase reagent was added and a purple coloration was observed within 10-15minutes which indicated that the organisms is oxidase positive and according to Olutiola et al, 1991, a positive reaction is dependent on the presence of cytochrome. This test is also useful for the separation of Neisseria in mixed culture and in differentiating Pseudomonas from enteric bacteria. Indole test Olutiola et al, 1991, describes the test as one which is important in the differentiation of colonies and it depends on the production of indole from tryptophan by the organism. An inoculating loop was used to inoculate the organism into a test tube containing decarboxylase medium becomes violet. An uninoculated test tube serves as a control (i.e. remained yellow) Sugar fermentation test The ability of the isolates to utilize certain sugar as energy source was tested. If the organism does ferment a particular sugar, acid will be produced and gas may be produced or not. Acid production is indicated by color change of the medium from red to yellow and acid presence could also be detectable with a ph. indicator in the medium while the production of gas is indicated by a void produced in a Durham tube. The fermentation medium was prepared by 0.1g of sodium chloride and 0.1g of fermentable sugar (glucose) in 10ml of distilled water. An amount of 9ml of the medium was pipette into a test tube containing Durham’s tubes in replicates. 5ml of phenol red indicator was immediately discharged into the test tubes. The test tubes containing medium were sterilized in an autoclave at 121 o for 15minutes.After sterilization, each isolate were incubated in glucose Medium. An uninoculated test tube was also incubated for glucose to serve as a control. The test was also carried out using maltose, lactose, galactose, manitol, sucrose, fructose and mannose.(Olutiolaet al., 1991) Discussion: The abundance of bacteria and fungi in this study were typical of environment with high species richness and functional diversity. Despite the fact that it is possible that a number of bacteria and fungi may be missed in this study, the isolates could be readily assigned dominant (e.g. Bacillus sp, Aspergillus sp) or transient/succession roles in the isolation of organisms form different seasons, which form the basis of this study. In additions to the implications of the determination of the number of microorganisms during soil sampling, one should consider the qualitative aspect of the preservation of important species and groups of microorganisms and of the changes in these biochemical characteristics resulting from the variations in these counts. Although the results of this study would not be considered to be exhaustive, as it was done within the limits of facilities available in the laboratory, an insight into the population dynamics and distribution of culturable aerobic bacteria and fungi diversity has been elucidated. This is without prejudice to the possible influence which a substantial proportion of bacteria and fungi that are not culturable in vitro could have on the overall picture of event. It would require more modern technology (nuclei acid probes) to obtain such detailed overview of microbial diversity. This should be a subject of extension of this investigation in future. Conclusion Through this project, if emphasis is made on public health, the observation and findings show striking predominance of Salmonella typhi. And E.coli. E.coli being an enterobacter cause dysentery and S.typhi poses a great risk of typhoid. Health inspector and municipal authorities should look into this matter for further investigation and if possible improvement Acknowledgement Investigators are grateful to the Principal Management of S.V.K.M’s Mithibai College for constant encouragement support. And head of department of zoology Prof. V.V. Dalvie for providing me opportunities and Prof. Radhika D’souza, under whose guidance the project was successfully completed References 1 .Atals RM, Bartha R (1998). Microbial Ecology: Fundamentals and Applications. 4th Edition. Benjamin Cummings Publishing Company Inc. Addison Wesley Longman Inc. pp. 300 – 350. 2. Miyanoto T, Igaraslic T, Takahashi K (2002). Lignin–degradation ability of litter decomposing basidomycetes from picea forest of Hokkaida Myco.sci. (41): 105 – 110. 3. Domsch KH, Gaws W, Anderson TH (1980). Compendium of soil fungi 4. O’ Donnell AG, Seasman M, Macrae A, Waite I, Davies JT (2001). Plants and Fertilizers as drivers of change in microbial community structure and function in soil. Plant Soil (232): 135 – 145. 5. Pelczar MJ, Chan ECS, krieg NR (1993). Microbiology: Concept and Application International edition McGraw-Hill, USA. Pp 281-324. 6. Wall DH, Virginia RA (1999). Controls on soil biodiversity insights from extreme environments. Appl. Soil Ecol. (13): 137–150. 7. Fawole and Oso, 2001

Evaluation Of Business And Strategy Analysis Burberry Group Marketing Essay

Evaluation Of Business And Strategy Analysis Burberry Group Marketing Essay INTRODUCTION: BURBERRYS STRATEGY: The groups strategy is marked by leading market position combined with strong franchise in established countries along with usage of emerging countries platforms to drive earnings growth and volumes. The group also focuses on meeting ever changing consumer demands through continuous innovation and expand the product portfolio, directly operated stores network, selective wholesales distribution channels and enhance operational capabilities, which resulted in healthy growth in the recent years. Groups is in a better position to optimize the high growth prospects in Asian regions for that reason Group announced an amendment to its apparel licence in Japan. Group is continued to evolve and enhance its products and brand span over all consumer-facing platforms. In stores, the Group continued to roll out the Burberry Experience, a comprehensive sales and service programme. Group strategy is to bring greater clarity to the brands segmentation and focus on operational improvements, which has allowed greater speed and responsiveness in delivering products to consumers, pointing the way to a further evolution of the Burberry business model that will provide fresh merchandise to stores and online with greater frequency. Groups strategy to involve in digital and web world like live streaming and social media where its gets social platform, successfully creating the new communities of interest. The core purpose of the Burberry brand is to protect, explore and inspire which are at the heart of Burberry, its culture and behaviour as a company. Group is now Shift company culture and processes from a static wholesale model to a dynamic retail model. Retail-led growth refers not only to the operation of Burberrys own stores, but also to a fundamental shift in the Groups operating structure. Burberrys strategy formulation under Resource Based Theory: The resource based theory advocates the efficient and effective use of resources and capabilities. One of many facets of this view is the acquisition of already working entities in the regions in which the company is planning to enter (Jay B. Barney, 2007). In a resource-based view, Burberry has strong excellent world-class talented people worldwide. As the business grows and the demand for expertise and ability across the organization increases, Burberry is ensuring that it develops a robust pipeline of talent throughout the Group. Burberry unique brand have more than 150 years history which broad consumer appeal across genders and generations; a unique demographic positioning within the luxury arena; and broad global reach that allow Burberry to charge premium prices gives Burberry a competitive advantage. Burberry rare activities which doesnt follow by their competitor is everything the consumer sees is developed centrally under Chief Creative Officer, Christopher Baile. It is actively embracing digital and social media to extend the reach and appeal of the brand, especially to the luxury customer of the future. Besides resource based theory, the strategic capabilities of Coca Cola Hellenic may also be evaluated through PEST analysis. PEST analysis of Burberry to evaluate strategic capabilities: The PEST analysis looks into the Burberrys exposure to Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors, which may affect its strategy formulation capabilities. The following factors may be considered in this regard (Wetfeet, 2008): Political: (Kluyver, 2010) The Group operates in many countries including the emerging markets. These countries subject to changes in laws and regulations, including accounting standards, taxation, (tax rates, new and tax laws) and environmental laws in domestic or foreign jurisdictions particularly in times when public sector debt is high and tax revenues are falling. Burberry faces intense competition from developing countries due to cheap copies of his brand where no copyright law exist. Political conditions like civil unrest, unstable governments historically and have been subject to political instability and restrictions on the ability to transfer capital across borders. Ability to penetrate developing and emerging countries, which also depends on economic and political conditions, and how well they are able to acquire or form strategic business alliances with local fashion trends and make necessary changes which also affects the luxury brand of Burberry The Burberry has strong luxury brand, which is only feasible in some geographic environments and demographics. Economical: (Griffin, 2006) The global economic downturn affected the level of consumer spending on discretionary luxury items. Increased regional competition by other international as well as local brands. Customers (in particular Middle Eastern, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian customers) who purchase products while travelling either overseas or domestically generate a significant proportion of the Groups sales. As a result, shifts in travel patterns or a decline in travel volumes could materially affect trading results. As economies develop, is for staple items such as food and clothing to lose their relative importance in the typical household. Social: (Grant, 2005) Social environment of countries also affect the Burberry because different cultures, different lifestyles. Dress codes have reflected social attitudes of people .Dress are integral to how they regard themselves. Technological: (W. Glenn Rowe, 2010) The effectiveness of company is advertising and marketing is crucially changed due to latest technological trends in advertising. New uses of internet and television that incorporates special effects for advertising may make some products look more attractive to consumers. Introduction of digital world and web in the world effect the way of doing business. Burberry live streaming allowed consumers to purchase runway items for expedited delivery -another first for the luxury sector Through use of technology Burberry, creating a platform of social media, which helps in, opens new ways of communities of interest. Group also launched artofthetrench.com; a social media website that introduces the iconic trench coat to the digital generation and is attracting the new, younger luxury customer to the brand may give a competitive advantage. SWOT analysis of Coca Cola Hellenic: Strengths: (Bohm, 2009) Strong brand: Burberry has iconic of trench coat, which linked to Authentic British heritage and its Unique democratic positioning within the luxury arena .This gives the company a strong brand standing. Globally recognized icon portfolio: the trench coat, trademark check and Prorsum horse logo. Burberry stores are among the best vehicles to communicate the full brand message to consumers. Global Reach: Burberry has broad geographic portfolio including Europe including Spain accounted for 44% of sales, Americas 27% and Asia Paci ¬Ã‚ c 24%. Emerging Markets, which spans across all regions and includes China, India, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, contributed 10% to retail and wholesale revenue. Multi-category competency: womenswear, menswear,non-apparel and childrenswear with innovative outerwear as the foundation. Channel expertise in retail (including e-commerce),wholesale and licensing. Burberry as the leading employer in the luxury sector Weaknesses: (Fine, 2009) Lack of expertise in the field of supply chain in the target market Local competition and lack presence in particular areas of the world. High luxury brand The product segmentation of Burberry is weak between men,s and womens appral lines. Opportunities: (Fine, 2009) Group has the opportunity to amend its largest license agreement in Japan market where challenging consumers conditions available. There are opportunities for Burberry group in the heritage menswear business; the young children swear division, or quickly developing shoe category. While emerging markets such as China offer great excitement, excellent potential remains in all geographic regions. Burberry have opportunity in Spain integrating the market with global Burberry is in the long-term best interests of the brand. Non-apparel continues to be a key driver of growth for the Group and have more potential to grow. Strengthening of brand image through advertising. Threats: (Nadine Pahl, 2009) Competition from local brands. Imitation: Cheap copies of brand are available in the developing countries. In developing countries where customers are getting more sophisticated and price conscious. This may shift the demand from luxury products to cheap products, which is not the core product of Burberry. Politics and economies are primary sources of threats to a brand in the fashion industry. Number of key product categories Burberry is reliant on a small number of suppliers which threat to its brand. APPRAISAL OF PERFORMANCE SINCE 2009 The global luxury goods market had grown by around 8% per annum before the great economic downturn in l2008. In 2009, it is estimated that the global luxury market declined by around 9%, as consumer confidence and buying powers of peoples fall. Industry analysts expect the sector to show some recovery in 2010, although not as high as the 8% seen prior to 2008. The deteriorating economic environment and unemployment rates have their impact on aggregate demand throughout fashion industries. Sales revenue has been increase by 7% from 2009 to 2010 in a highly uncertain consumer-spending environment, which shows a remarkable achievement of the management of Burberry. In 2009/10, the dramatically slowed consumer environment pressured both gross margin and expense structure with a management entered the year emphasizing profitability over revenue growth. In a luxury market, Burberry achieved revenue of  £1.3bn, 7% reported. Operating profit increased 22% to  £220m, Retail/wholesale gross margin increased from 52.1% in 2008/09 to 59.7% in 2009/10.while diluted EPS increased 16% to 35.1p. After-tax return on capital remained strong at 28. The Group generated  £254m of cash, resulting in a  £262m year end cash balance. Relative to luxury products Burberrys performance was among the best in the sector during 2009/10 The Greek Economic Crisis: The Greek economic crisis had a massive impact on Coca Cola Hellenics results. Lower customer confidence, rising unemployment rate (15% at the end of June 2010) and pressure on the tourism sector are still deteriorating Hellenics volume and channel mix in Greek markets (which accounted for approximately 8% of the groups total volume during 2009). As a response to higher pricing competition, Coca Cola Hellenic has increased its promotional and marketing activity in the country, which will have a resultant negative impact on the groups profit margins. Management expects this steep trend to persist until at least towards the mid of 2011. Additionally, the Greek government has initiated austerity measures, which are impacting negatively on consumers wages (the government is currently considering increasing VAT on soft drinks to 23% from 11% and/or increasing excise duties) and affecting Hellenics results. Among these government measures was the implementation of an Extraordinary Social C ontribution Tax which led to a charge of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬21 million in 2010 and which the government has indicated will prevail until the end of 2012. Meanwhile, the government is also considering a new tax on distributable profits of companies operating in Greece, which may force Hellenic to provide shareholder returns via means other than dividends (Yasmina Serghini-Douvin, 2010). Exposure to Currency Movements: Due to diverse internal market, Burberrys profits are highly exposed to foreign currency rate exposures. The Group has the Group has a policy of hedging foreign currency denominated transactions by entering into forward foreign exchange contracts , resulting in a  £7.3 million negative impact on its 2010. Overall, Burberrys Gross margin in 2010 was 59.7%, which higher as compared to the 52.1% in 2009, the groups operating profit margin increased from 9.8% to 11.6%, largely due to gross margin benefits and savings from the global cost efficiency programme (Yasmina Serghini-Douvin, 2010). Returns to Shareholders: The financial structure of Burberry comparatively stable over recent years Board has recommended a 17% increase in the full year dividend to 14.0p worth  £52.5 million at the end of 2010. Porters generic forces Cost Leadership: It explains gaining of competitive edge by having the lowest cost in the market. Burberry not a following cost leadership because its deals in luxury items. Differentiation: Burberry luxury brand has iconic figure in the fashion world which show company follows the differentiation strategy. There may be several approaches to differentiation: Different design Brand Image New technology Number of features Product Quality Focus or Niche Strategy: Burberry may as well get into niche of focus markets. Such move may result in firm growth in those particular niches. Burberry and Ansoff Matrix: Ansoff matrix describes various moves a company can adopt in the market to gain a competitive advantage. It describes four different situations which are enumerated in the form of a table as follows (Griffin, 2006): Existing Product New Product Existing Market Market Penetration Product Development New Market Market Development Diversification Market Penetration: Market penetration can be achieved by Burberry in three ways: by getting competitors customers, improving the product Attracting new users or persuading current users to use more through marketing etc. For example, Management successfully executed the  £50m cost efficiency programmed announced in 2008/09. Approximately half of the gains were driven by supply chain and corporate process efficiencies. Cost reductions, including rationalization of internal Manufacturing, showroom closures and intensive expense and headcount management, accounted for the remainder.The company plans to re-invest these savings to assist future growth in market share in recent years to come. Market development: Market development is defined as opening up new markets for products .For Burberry; these consist of China, India and the Middle East. All distribution channels (retail, wholesale and licensing) are used to optimize these opportunities. Burberry added a net 20 stores in Emerging Markets, of which 13 stores were in China and six were in the Middle East. Of the total, 97 are operated under franchise, 12 by the Burberry Middle East joint venture, and two by the Burberry India joint venture. In North America, which Burberry has also identified as an underpenetrated market, underlying retail and wholesale revenue increased by 2% in 2009/10, with an improved performance in the second half (up 10%).Japan non-apparel joint venture is established to build the brands non-apparel business in Japan, the worlds largest accessories market, the joint venture became fully operational during the year. Product development: Product development means launch of new products in existing markets. This may help to maintain consumer awareness, drive growth and increase profits and its only beneficial when company have strong brand name, strong research and development and strong design team. As an example, Burberry focus on and invest in under-penetrated non-apparel categories to further leverage Burberrys unique positioning, design and merchandising expertise and iconic branding through investment in product development, marketing and supply chain. Non-apparel continues to be a key driver of growth for the Group. For the third consecutive year, it was the fastest-growing product area within Burberry, and continues to offer scope for further gains across a number of under-penetrated categories like (Large leather goods, mens non-apparel, Soft accessories and Shoes). Burberry continues to grow outerwear by continued product innovation. Diversification: Diversification means selling new products in new markets. There are two types of diversifications are related or horizontal diversification and conglomerate diversification (non related). Both diversifications are achieved trough acquisitions. We have already seen that Burberry has a rich history of entering new markets and introducing new products. Burberry also benefits from a great degree of product and brand diversity, Diversified offering which leads the Burberry brand has broad consumer appeal. The business is balanced between non-apparel (36% of 2009/10 revenue), womens wear (35%), menswear (24%) and the smaller but high potential childrens wear division (5%). Outerwear, which is the core of the apparel offer at over half of sales, is the category in which Burberry is top of- mind among consumers. Another key strategy is to grow non-apparel where revenue increased by 10% underlying in 2009/10. BCG Matrix (Kluyver, 2010) Stars: Stars are those products, which have a high relative market share and high market growth. It is market leader In case of Burberry, Growth has been primarily due to in non-apparel products, now the largest product category, increased by 10% underlying, with good growth across all product categories. Large leather goods accounted for half of non-apparel retail sales and grew by 30% in retail, with particular strength in Asia. Further design and product development expertise benefited shoes. Cash Cows; these products have high market share but low growth market possibly going into negative. Because it have high market share it is the market leader, which help him to earn cash. In the case of Burberry their women wears have strong market share with but have little growth Burberry will use his higher full price sales and increased awareness driven by artofthetrench.com. Question marks: Those products that have relatively low market share in high growth markets. Childrens wear grew by 37% on an underlying basis, which is 5% of the revenue but have high potential market. Burberry aims to drive children swear to 10% of total Group sales over time. Dogs; these products have low market share in low and static market that is not a market leader. Dogs might lose money and more cash used to earn something. In the case of Burberry Mens wear have low and decaling market share with low growth it benefited from benefited from continued innovation in styles, fit and fabric. In retail, the relabelling of Burberry Brit contributed to good volume and value growth in all product categories, especially in Asia. POTENTIAL FUTURE STRATEGY: Agreements: In October 2009, the Group announced an amendment to its apparel license in Japan which gives better positions to optimize its presence in Japan and the high-growth Asian region over the medium term. The restructuring of the Groups business in Spain integrating the market with global Burberry is in the long-term best interests of the brand. This arrangement would help to support the strategic and operational alignment, and would provide a stable shareholding base in the coming years. Porters Diamond: (Griffin, 2006) Factor conditions: Burberry should look into different markets to gain the advantage of demand factors like cheap pool of labour with skills in industry, government subsidies, low cost raw material etc. Burberry has favourable factor conditions like excellent network of transports and telecommunications in UK. In Japan the conditions is not favourable for Burberry because of shortage of land which leads companies to develop just in time system. Demand conditions: In developing and emerging counties, the higher level of competition affected by lower-value cheap brands. A new joint venture in India was announced in November 2009, combining the strengths of the Burberry brand and organisation with the expertise of a local partner to address this young, exciting luxury market. Burberry is in fashion market where customers expectations and demands always high which forced to create new brands and innovative fashion lines. Related and supported industries: the existence of large number of related industries edge should be sought in the future like purchase raw materials and fabrics from developing countrie.high quality RD strong links with firm gives Burberry innovation in the field of production which also very supportive in UK. Firm strategy, structure and rivalry: Burberry is highly exposed to developing and emerging territories. At the highest level, the Groups primary objectives are the continued elevation and building of the Burberry brand, and ensuring the Company remains firmly on a path of sustained. Burberry faces a strong competition from their rivals because the fashion industry ever changing environment where every time new things come to the market. However, the wide range of countries in which Burberry operates lessens the underlying associated risk.

Crusades :: Crusades Research Papers

Crusades The chapter on The Crusades gives the proper dates of the Holy War, yet does not discuss in detail the information it has. The text is watered down for the grade level and it is written from a Western European viewpoint. A viewpoint that never discusses the feelings and motives of those who were being attacked. The chapter emphasizes the Christian's motives for starting The Crusades as a way to defend their territories and to "free the Holy Land from the Muslim infidels" (Armento, 296). The text never discusses the underlying reasons such as "the ambition of princes' to carve a principality in the far East, [the] interest of Italian towns to acquire the products of the far East more directly and cheaply, and thousands [of people's] hope of acquiring [spiritual enlightenment]" (Barker, 11) by participating in The Crusades. Many of the leaders wanted to be known and many of the people were interested of the spices, silks and luxury items that could be found only in the Far East. The Holy Wars were meant to "reestablish the Roman Catholic Christianity in the Eastern Mediterranean basin, [but] The Crusades [were in reality] wars of European expansion" (Bentley, 474). Not only did believers feel that the Holy Land must be returned to them but in the process other territories would be conquered i n the name of the Roman Catholic Christianity. The text refers to the Crusades as "eight wars Europeans fought to free the Holy Land from the Muslims"(Armento, 296) and only communicates the Western European viewpoint. No other viewpoint is brought into the text to show both sides of the story. The text does not inform the reader about the Crusades as "eight wars the Muslims fought to defend Jerusalem." In Across the Centuries, Saladin is given power as ruler by the caliph. According to Elizabeth Hallam, "[Saladin] abolished the Fatimid caliphate and brought Egypt under the rule of the powerful sultan, [and when Nur ad-Din and his son died], Saladin made himself uncontested ruler of a unified Muslim Levant"(156). The information of how Saladin rose to power came incorrect from the lesson. There is not much said in the lesson about Saladin and none of his background is mentioned in the text. Once again the only the Western European viewpoint is portrayed to the readers. Not only is the text based only on the Western European viewpoint, but also omits information.

Beowulf narrative essay :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Beowulf is a very brave hero, he has fought and killed many creatures before, but this battle was different. He knew this battle was of great importance to everyone, and that made him that much more nervous. This creature was fierce and had been tormenting their village for as long as they could remember, so her death would be a huge victory for Beowulf and it would be an even bigger relief for the villagers. All of the people in the village were cheering for Beowulf as he walked away headed off to the greatest battle of his life. As the battle began Beowulf was dripping with sweat, he knew he had a difficult task ahead but he was ready for what ever happened. Grendel’s mother and Beowulf stood for a moment and looked to each other’s eyes and imagined the battle that was ahead of them. She swung her sword at his waist but he quickly moved out of the path. He swung his sword aiming for her neck, but she was quick and blocked the swing. Beowulf swung again and again nervously trying to kill the beast. Beowulf slowly became mad with himself for taking so long to slay her, so he began to try even harder. His heart was pounding and the sweat was dripping from the tips of his hair down to his face. He swung the sword with perfect precision and hit Grendel’s mother in her throat. Nothing had happened, she was not injured. This greatly confused Beowulf as he began to swing as hard as he could and stab her with every chance he had. Still he was not injuring her at all. Beowulf had discovered that his man made weapons were of no match for Grendel’s witchy mother. Beowulf looked over on the wall next to them and saw a magnificent sword hanging on the wall adorned with beautiful carvings, it was blessed with magic. No normal man could ever have lifted that sword, but Beowulf was no normal being. He waited for the right moment to go and retrieve the sword, and when he found the perfect opportunity and he ran straight towards the wall. He pulled the sword down with great force and began running towards Grendel’s mother. Beowulf took in a deep breath as he leaned back and heaved the sword forward. Beowulf had sliced straight through Grendel’s mother’s scaly neck, blood began to pour everywhere and he heard her bones cracking as the sword passed through her.

The Vietnam War Essay -- essays research papers

This essay is about talking and analysing the Vietnam War. This civil war was between the Communist North and the Democratic South because of the fear of communism spreading to the South. Other Western countries also helped in this war because they too were afraid of communism spreading, and so they sent money and troops to aid South Vietnam. Some of these countries included America, Australia, and New Zealand. This war was one of the most divisive events in history and I am going to talk about why this is so. For most of Vietnam?s history the country has been under foreign rule, primarily by the Chinese. Domination of the region by the French began in 1860, and by the late 19th century they had colonised a number of places around the Gulf of Tonkin. In World War II, however, the Japanese government took control of much of the area, and set up a puppet regime that was eventually forced out by the Vietnamese at the end of the war in 1945. After the war, France fought hard to regain their former territories in the region, but because they had a poorly organized army and little determination amongst its troops, their plans soon collapsed. The North Vietnamese tried to take over the government in South Vietnam between 1955 and 1960, and in 1964, with the help of China and Russia, North Vietnam began a large scale drive to conquer the whole country. This is when the Vietnam War really began. The Vietnam War started around the 1950?s, a time when communism was gradually spreading across the world. By 1954, Vietnam was separated into two parts, the democratic South Vietnam and the communist North Vietnam. Soon violence began to break out and tensions began to rise even more between the two. This was because the South was scared ... ...help for the stress they felt. It was only on the 3rd of October 1987, fifteen years after the veterans had returned from the war, that a ?Welcome Home? parade was finally held for them. This was when attitudes towards the people who had participated in the unpopular war began to change. Today Vietnam veterans can enjoy respect coming from their community but many still feel the bitterness over the impact the war had had on their lives. In conclusion, we can say that the Vietnam War was one of the most violent and divisive wars of all times. This battle of ideology and false fear of being dominated by principles dissimilar to the Western capitalist value system, led to the death of many innocent people and destruction of property that could have been spared otherwise, with a bit of benevolence in the heart of the politicians who were responsible for the war.

Immanuel Kant Essay

Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Natural Rights Theories, and Religious Ethics A â€Å"utilitarian† argument, in the strict sense, is one what alleges that we ought to do something because it will produce more total happiness than doing anything else would. Act utilitarianism (AU) is the moral theory that holds that the morally right action, the act that we have a moral duty to do, is the one that will (probably) maximize â€Å"utility† (happiness, welfare, well-being). AU is not to be confused with egoism. The egoist really only cares about his own happiness. AU says that everyone’s happiness counts equally. Suppose that executing Joseph would in the long run produce more total happiness than letting him live would. Then according to AU, we ought to execute Joseph. Now if Joseph is a convicted serial murderer who would probably escape and commit more murders if we tried to incarcerate him, then it’s reasonable to think that executing him would be the right thing to do. But what if he has committed no crime? What if he is simply an extremely irritating person with no friends or loved ones, and the many people with whom he has contact in his life are very sensitive and dislike him intensely? Since more total happiness is produced if Joseph dies (the increased happiness of the many who no longer have to endure him outweighs his unhappiness about dying) than if he lives, AU says that it’s right to kill him. This example illustrates what is probably the main objection to AU: it tells us to violate rights/commit injustices when doing so is necessary to produce the greatest total amount of happiness. A â€Å"utilitarian† argument in a looser sense is one that alleges that we ought to do something because of its â€Å"good consequences† (or not do something because of its â€Å"bad consequences†), where good/bad consequences needn’t be limited to what increases or decreases happiness, but might include other things that a strict utilitarian theory attaches no positive or negative intrinsic value to. — An example: â€Å"the FDA shouldn’t approve the ‘morning after’ pill, because it will only promote out-of-wedlock sex. † This argument assumes that out-of-wedlock sex is something that is per se bad, and that the risk of unwanted pregnancy and babies will deter at least some, perhaps many, from engaging in it, thereby reducing the total amount of it. The strict utilitarian rejects the idea that such sex is an intrinsic moral evil, holding instead that if such sex is bad, it is bad only insofar as it causes bad consequences like unwanted pregnancy and babies. — This argument for why the FDA shouldn’t approve the ‘morning after’ pill is better described as â€Å"consequentialist† rather than â€Å"utilitarian. † All strictly utilitarian arguments are consequentialist, but not all consequentialist arguments are strictly utilitarian. The important point is that one needn’t believe that utilitarianism is the correct moral theory in order to believe that consequentist arguments of either the strictly utilitarian kind or other kinds provide good reasons. We can admit that the increase in the happiness to others is a good reason to execute Joseph. But we can say that the fact that it would violate his right to life is an even better reason not to do it. Respect for rights â€Å"trumps† maximizing utility. Suppose that we want to build a highway that connects two cities. The shorter route would require destroying some scenic wilderness that is enjoyed by some nature lovers. The longer route avoids that but entails a longer driving time for people who commute between the two cities. Which route should the highway be built on? Here it’s plausible to think that we should make the decision on the basis of utilitarian considerations. We look at all the costs and benefits of both alternatives and pick the one with the most favorable benefit to cost ratio. The other three views—Kantian ethics, natural rights theories, and â€Å"religious ethics†Ã¢â‚¬â€all agree that there are many circumstances when maximizing utility would be wrong. Perhaps the strongest objection to AU comes from the natural rights theory: AU is false, because it tells us to violate people’s rights when that’s necessary to maximize utility. The example of Joseph illustrates it, but here’s another example. A surgeon has I healthy and 5 sick and dying patients. Each of the sick and dying patients needs a new organ— one a new kidney, another a new liver, the third a new heart, etc. —and would fully recover if he received it. It so happens that the 1 healthy patient would be a suitable organ donor for all of them. If the surgeon kills the 1 and redistributes his organs, he saves 5. If he does nothing, then 1 is alive and 5 are dead. On the assumption that all six are equally happy, loved by others, and productive of utility for others in society, then the way to maximize utility is to kill the 1. But if he won’t consent to being killed and having his organs transplanted (he doesn’t believe in utilitarianism), then killing him would violate his right to life. The objection is simply that it would be wrong to violate his right even if it’s the way to maximize utility. Kantian ethics is based on what Immanuel Kant claimed is the supreme principle of morality, the Categorical Imperative. Kant claimed that there were a few different but equivalent ways of stating the Categorical Imperative. The first, the Universal Law Formula, says that we should act only on principles that we can will to be a universal law that applies to everyone. The idea here seems to be that when people act immorally, they want everyone else to obey â€Å"the rules† but want to make an exception for themselves. Another way of stating the Categorical Imperative, the one we’ll focus on, is the Principle of Humanity. It says that whenever we act we must be sure always to treat all â€Å"persons† (both ourselves and others) as â€Å"ends† and never as â€Å"mere means. † â€Å"Persons† in Kantian ethics refers to any being with the capacity to make moral judgments and conform to them (where that often requires that one resist various urges, inclinations, and temptations to act against them). Persons have free will and reason. Babies are not yet persons, and cows and pigs never will be. Kant’s Principle of Humanity implies that it is only persons who possess â€Å"dignity† and must be treated as â€Å"ends. † Animals only have a â€Å"use value† and may be treated as mere means or resources. Animals may be used in experiments to test new drugs, but â€Å"persons† may be used in such experiments only with their â€Å"informed consent. † Kantians agree that killing the 1 healthy person in the above example is wrong, even if it maximizes utility for society as a whole. It is wrong because it treats him as a â€Å"mere means. † Kant held that if one commits suicide because one believes that the remainder of one’s life will be filled with more discomfort than pleasure, then one fails to treat oneself as an â€Å"end. † So long as one retains the capacities that make one a person, then one has dignity and one ought to respect this dignity. To think that life is worth living only if it is pleasant is to fail to respect this dignity. Another objection that Kantians have to AU, especially the hedonistic version, is that it is a degrading to humanity to think and act as though pleasure were the point of life. Kantians think that the point of life is the exercise of one’s personhood capacities in moral deliberation and choice. This does not mean that Kantians must oppose all suicide and euthanasia. They support it in cases where people have permanently lost the capacities for free will and reason (e. g. PVS patients like Terry Schiavo). Euthanasia in these cases provides a dignified death. Of course sometimes when people talk about â€Å"dying with dignity† they’re assuming that it’s the need to be cared for by others (e. g. to wear Depends diapers and have them changed by others) that’s â€Å"undignified. † A Kantian has to say that those people have mistaken views about the basis of human dignity. It’s personhood, not the ability to care for oneself without assistance from others, that gives human beings their dignity. Another implication of the Principle of Humanity is that lying is typically wrong. A woman who persuades me to sell her my new car at a low price by telling me a lie that I believe (â€Å"males who drive your model of car are 20 times more likely to develop testicular cancer than males who don’t†) treats me as a mere means. She manipulates me in a way that I would not consent to if I were aware of what her purposes are. What many people have criticized in Kant is not his claim that lies like this one are wrong, but his view that lying is always wrong. In the case where lying to evil people will help to thwart their evil aims (e. g. someone intent on committing murder asks me the whereabouts of his intended victim) Kant held that lying remains wrong. Instead of lying, I should simply not say anything. The main problem with the Principle of Humanity is that it’s not entirely clear what it means to treat another person as an â€Å"end. † It’s been claimed that it means you must treat others in ways that they would not object to if they were morally reasonable, thinking clearly, and well-informed about relevant factual matters. When society puts a thief in prison, it’s treating him as an end, because even though he might object to being incarcerated, he wouldn’t object if he were morally reasonable; he would admit that thieves deserve to go to jail. One problem with this interpretation of the Principle is that it assumes some other, independent standard of what’s â€Å"morally reasonable. † Wasn’t the Principle of Humanity itself supposed to provide that standard? Another problem is that it probably cannot support Kant’s judgment that lying is always wrong. After all, if the morally reasonable thief must admit that he deserves a loss of liberty as punishment for his crimes, shouldn’t a morally reasonable person agree that lying to him is okay as a means of preventing him from committing murder? The Principle of Humanity is sometimes interpreted as supporting the Principle of Autonomy. The Principle of Autonomy says that everyone has the right to live his/her life in accordance with his/her own views about religion, the meaning of life, the moral virtues, dignity and honor, etc., so long as one doesn’t infringe on the right of others to do the same. (Since this principle asserts the existence of a certain moral right, certain natural rights-based moral theories might also support it). You violate my autonomy if restrict my liberty for my own good on the basis of values that I reject. Consider two examples. First, you knock a cup of coffee out of my hands before I can drink from it. I object, but only because I assume, incorrectly, that there’s nothing wrong with the coffee; in fact, it contains poison. You have not violated my autonomy, because your interference can be justified by an appeal to my own values. Second, a competent, adult Jehovah’s Witness refuses to consent to a blood transfusion because it’s against his religion, but his friends force him to have one anyway, because they are convinced that he has misinterpreted the Biblical passage that forbids the â€Å"eating of blood. † In this case the Principle of Autonomy is violated. I think that the Jehovah’s Witness is better off having the life-saving transfusion. The Principle of Beneficence tells doctors to do what is in their patients’ best interests. Hence, this Principle supports ignoring the JW’s wishes and giving him the transfusion. This is a case in which the Principle of Autonomy conflicts with the Principle of Beneficence. I agree with the AMA that the doctor may not treat the JW without his â€Å"informed consent. † Hence, in this sort of case the value of respecting autonomy trumps the value of doing what’s best for the person. Are there any cases where the two principles conflict but beneficence overrides respect for autonomy? Our textbook correctly mentions libertarianism as one natural rights based moral theory. (Natural rights are supposed to be moral rights that exist whether or not the government recognizes and protects them. They are not to be confused with legal rights). Let me make a two points about libertarianism. It holds that our basic human rights include rights to life, liberty, and private property. The right to life is only a â€Å"negative† right (a right not to be killed by others), not a â€Å"positive† right (a right to be provided by one’s society the minimum nutrition and other goods that one needs to stay alive, if one cannot obtain them oneself). Other natural rights theorists disagree with the libertarian, holding that we have â€Å"positive† as well as â€Å"negative† natural rights. A right to decent, affordable health or to free health care if one is poor is an example of a â€Å"positive† right. Second, in saying that someone has a natural right to do x, we’re not necessarily saying that it’s morally permissible to do x. All we’re saying is that others do not have the right to interfere, to use coercion to prevent him from doing it. Consider a racist giving a public speech in which he advocates denying black people the right to vote. To say that he has a natural right to free speech only means that others (especially the government) are forbidden to step in and prevent him from speaking. It doesn’t mean that there’s nothing morally wrong with his speech. There obviously is—promoting racism is immoral. And in saying that we think his speech is immoral we don’t violate his free speech rights. We exercise our own. There are many different varieties of religious ethics, but we should focus on three religious ethics ideas often introduced into biomedical ethics controversies in this country. They are: i) The â€Å"sanctity of life† doctrine—it is absolutely forbidden either to perform or fail to perform some action with the aim of causing or facilitating the death of any innocent human being (oneself or another), whether or not the person to die consents to the act or omission, and whether or not he is better off with a quick and painless death. Hence, euthanasia (voluntary or not) is forbidden. The taking of innocent human life is God’s prerogative, not man’s. No human being has the right to â€Å"play God. † On the basis of the â€Å"sanctity of life† doctrine many religious people oppose the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. (They usually have other objections to legalization not based on this doctrine). ii) â€Å"Unnatural† acts are wrong. Though in-vetro fertilization and surrogate birthing are both wrong for this reason, the use of fertility drugs by a couple that has had difficulty in conceiving is not. iii) (Roman Catholicism only) The Doctrine of Double Effect– It is permissible to perform an act the evil consequences of which one foresees but does not intend (e. g. the death of an innocent human being), so long as the intended good consequences of the act outweigh or justify the unintended but foreseen bad consequences. It is permissible to perform an act with such consequences, even though it would be impermissible to perform it if the evil were intended as an end or as a means to bringing about some other end. — The â€Å"craniotomy† and â€Å"hysterectomy† examples and RC moral theology’s rejection of consequentialism. The craniotomy is supposed to be wrong, because the baby’s death is intended as a means to saving the mother. (It is supposed to be wrong, even though both mother and baby will die if the craniotomy is not performed). The hysterectomy is supposed to be permissible, because in that case the baby’s death is a foreseen but unintended side-effect of the hysterectomy. The claim that people who condemn homosexuality, masturbation, surrogate motherhood, reproductive cloning, etc. as wrong because â€Å"unnatural† are relying on religious ideas is controversial. Contemporary Roman Catholic philosophers who defend the natural law theory of morality (e. g. John Finnis) deny that their view presupposes a belief in God and God’s purposes (though it is certainly compatible with such a belief). They hold that we can know by means of unaided reason that these things are wrong. The natural law theory, they claim, is different from the â€Å"divine command theory of right and wrong. † According to the latter, what makes an act wrong is that it violates a divine command. So to know that homosexuality, for example, is wrong, we would have to know that the Bible, or Quran, or whatever, is the revealed word of God and read it to see if it includes a prohibition on homosexuality. Since the belief that the Bible or whatever is the revealed word of God rests on religious faith, it follows that a condemnation of homosexuality based on the divine command theory likewise depends on faith.

Investigacion Suavizantes

INVESTIGACION COMERCIAL SUAVIZANTES INDICE: Suavizantes: ?Por que este producto? El hecho de escoger este producto para realizar una investigacion comercial acerca del mismo se debe a varias circunstancias: hace anos quizas nosotros no teniamos en cuenta la manera ni los medios de como realizar las tareas domesticas. Pero si teniamos claro que el frescor y el olor de la ropa que nos lavaban en casa nos reconfortaba, nos daba sensacion de limpieza y sensacion de estar cerca de nuestro hogar. Despues de haber vivido algunos anos en residencia y haber sentido que nuestras prendas no nos aportaban las sensaciones que nos aportaban cuando estabamos en casa y una vez viviendo en piso nos preocupamos por la eleccion de los productos de limpieza. Ademas ahora somos nosotros quien nos realizamos estas labores. El suavizante es un producto que ademas de ser imprescindible para conservar la ropa nos podemos decantar por el por el olor que nos ofrecen, la sensacion de frescor y limpieza y la facilidad que este producto nos aporta a la hora de encargarnos del planchado. Puesto que el suavizante ayuda a que las arrugas de la ropa sean menores que las que tendriamos en las prendas de ropa si no utilizaramos este producto. A continuacion vamos a realizar un analisis del suavizante. Investigando las marcas que podemos encontrar en este mercado, los establecimientos que lo ofrecen y como se comportan los consumidores al adquirir este producto. El producto: Un suavizante textil es un producto que se utiliza comunmente en el proceso de lavado de ropa. El suavizante se comercializa disuelto en agua y se anade en forma liquida a la lavadora. Los ingredientes mas importantes de los suavizantes son los tensioactivos cationicos, habitualmente del tipo amonio cuaternario. Estos tensioactivos se adhieren a las fibras del tejido, proporcionando suavidad. Proporcionan tambien volumen, esponjosidad y otorgan propiedades antiestaticas. Hacen que las prendas sean mas faciles de planchar y ayudan a reducir la aparicion de arrugas. Por ultimo, pero no menos importante, los suavizantes aportan a la ropa una agradable fragancia. Un reciente estudio ha puesto de manifiesto que los suavizantes previenen la aparicion de arrugas y facilitan el planchado, pero no todos aumentan el volumen respecto a un lavado sin suavizante. La industria de los suavizantes esta concentrando sus productos cada vez mas. Los suavizantes concentrados tienen un mayor porcentaje de tensioactivos cationicos. En la actualidad los suavizantes textiles se comercializan con una concentracion de tensioactivos cationicos que oscila entre el 8 y el 15%, en contraposicion con los suavizantes diluidos comercializados durante los anos 90, que tenian una cantidad de materia activa proxima al 5%. Los suavizantes concentrados requieren dosis mas pequenas, ocupan menos espacio, es necesario menos plastico para su envasado y al caber mas unidades por camion, emiten menos dioxido de carbono a la atmosfera. Cualidades basicas: -Frescura -Suavidad -Reduce y facilita al planchado Estas son las cualidades basicas que caracteriza a los suavizantes. Son las cualidades que el consumidor pone como requisito para adquirir el suavizantes adecuado. ?Por que se debe utilizar suavizante? En la lavadora, lavado tras lavado, las fibras de los tejidos pierden algunas de sus propiedades mecanicas e integridad como consecuencia del intenso estres mecanico al que se ven sometidas y de los efectos quimicos de la dureza del agua. Con el paso del tiempo, las fibras de los tejidos se vuelven asperas y se enredan. Al no usar suavizantes, las fibras permanecen enredadas mientras se secan y las prendas se vuelven mas rigidas. El uso de secadoras de aire inducido ayuda a suavizar la ropa, pero con frecuencia las fibras sinteticas se cargan de electricidad estatica lo que provoca atraccion electroestatica. Resultados: Si se usa un suavizante en el ciclo de aclarado, sus agentes ayudan a mantener la suavidad de las fibras de los tejidos. Esto reduce la friccion de las fibras entre si y de las fibras con la piel del usuario. Cuando las fibras se mueven con mayor libertad, las prendas tienen una mayor suavidad y sufriran un desgaste menor con el paso del tiempo, especialmente las partes con un grado de estres mas alto, como cuellos, codos y punos. La ropa se arruga menos al secarse y resulta mas facil de planchar. Si se usan secadoras, las prendas sinteticas tendran una menor atraccion electroestatica al extraerlas de la secadora. La reduccion de la friccion en la piel y la suavidad de las prendas proporcionan una sensacion general de comodidad al usuario. Una caracteristica adicional de los suavizantes para la ropa es que dejan un olor agradable en las prendas lavadas. Los estudios sobre el consumo indican que el olor es con frecuencia el motivo por el que los consumidores eligen una variante o marca determinada frente a otras. Establecimientos: TipoSociedad Anonima Fundacion1963 SedeAvenida Raymond Poincare 6 Paris, Francia AdministracionLars Olofsson Ceo IndustriaMinorista Ingresos97,6 billones â‚ ¬ (2009) Empleados430. 000 FilialesChampion, Ed Shopi, GB, 8 a Huit, Dia Sitio webwww. carrefour. com Datos Relevantes: Carrefour S. A. es una cadena francesa internacional de hipermercados. En el 2009, el grupo poseia 15. 5000 almacenes en 35 paises, tenia mas de 495. 000 empleados Sus ventas consolidadas alcanzaron 108. 629 millones de euros. Su actividad se centra en tres mercados: Europa, Asia y America Latina. Siendo de origen frances, el 56% de su negocio se produce fuera de Francia. El grupo se centra en mercados de gran expansion: China, Brasil, Indonesia, Polonia y Turquia. Historia: Fue en un seminario de Bernardo Trujillo en los Estados Unidos, donde a Marcel Fournier y Denis Defforey les vino la inspiracion. La sociedad Carrefour fue creada en la Alta Saboya en 1959 por las familias Fournier y Defforey. En 1963, Carrefour invento el concepto de hipermercado, abriendo el primero en la Isla de Francia en Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. La sociedad se establecio en Belgica en 1969, en Espana en 1973 y en Brasil en 1975. La sociedad Promodis (futura Promodes) se creo en 1961 tras la fusion de las empresas de dos familias normandas de mayoristas dirigidos por Paul-Auguste Halley y Leonor Duval-Lemonnier. El nombre de Carrefour significa â€Å"cruce de caminos†, ya que el primer hipermercado estaba precisamente ubicado en un cruce de caminos. Carrefour y Promodes se fusionaron en 1999 para dar lugar al primer grupo europeo y al segundo grupo mundial de distribucion, despues de Wal-Mart. Dirigida por Jose Luis Duran entre 2005 y finales de 2008. Desde el 1 de enero de 2009 Lars Olofsson, pocedente del grupo Nestle, es el director general. Es posible que el gigante de la distribucion se desprenda de su filial E. D. y Dia (Espana y Portugal), por un importe cercano a los 5 millardos de euros (5. 00. 000. 000 â‚ ¬). En 1976, lanza una gama de productos la marca de su distribuidor, con un empaquetado muy sobrio y una promocion orientada hacia la composicion con precios permanentes. En 2006 Carrefour cambio la imagen de su marca, la cual tomo un diseno mas atractivo, con envases disenados con colores suaves como el azul, y faciles de identificar. Los nuevos envases cuentan con el logotipo de la empresa, mas grande que antes cuando solo aparecia el nombre Carrefour en una fina banda en la esquina inferior derecha. Bajo el mando del nuevo presidente ejecutivo, Lars Olofsson, la empresa se esta concentrando en cambiar la reputacion del minorista enfocandose en los precios bajos, ya que la cadena es percibida por los consumidores como demasiado cara. Actualmente el grupo Carrefour ocupa el numero 1 en distribucion europea y el 2? del mundo. Cifras : En enero de 2004, las principales insignias del grupo son: †¢Hipermercados (5. 000 a 20. 000 m? ): Carrefour †¢Supermercados (1. 000 a 2. 000 m? ): Champion, Carrefour Express, barrio , Supermercados GS, Norte, Supermercados GB †¢Maxidescuento (200 a 800 m? : Supermercados Dia, Ed †¢Comercio de proximidad: Shopi, Marche Plus, 8 a Huit, Di per Di, Proxi El grupo en el mundo : El grupo Carrefour cuenta con establecimientos en 35 paises de Europa, Asia y America Latina. Espana : El grupo Carrefour se establecio en Espana en 1973 con los supermercados Pryca. En el 2000 los establecimientos de Continente y Pryca pasaron a formar parte d el grupo Carrefour, fusionandose. Los hipermercados de estas empresas pasaron a llamarse Carrefour, los supermercados se pasaron a llamar Champion y en 2005, Maxi Dia y Carrefour Express pasando a desaparecer la denominacion Champion. El Grupo Carrefour tambien posee tiendas pequenas en barrios llamados Dia. Algunos Dia ahora son Maxi Dia (los grandes) y Dia Market (los pequenos). Se encuentran repartidos por toda la geografia espanola: Andalucia (Malaga,Cadiz,Granada,Los Barrios,Estepona,Marbella)Madrid,Valencia,etc. Estan presentes en la mayoria de las ciudades espanolas de las 17 Comunidades Autonomas y forman parte del paisaje comercial de vanguardia. Son el banco de pruebas del desarrollo industrial y cuentan con el apoyo de los consumidores espanoles de varias generaciones. Cumplen mas de 36 anos en Espana, y son referentes del formato en la distribucion moderna. 008 cierra el ejercicio con 168 centros bajo la ensena Carrefour. La dimension del area de ventas de los centros abarca desde los 2. 500 m2 de los mini-hiper hasta los mas de 10. 000 m2 del concepto clasico de hipermercado. Motor de los entornos socioeconomicos: Dinamizan sus zonas de influencia y agrupan en su rededor polos de atraccion junto con e l comercio, la restauracion y los servicios mas vanguardistas de la region, configurando pujantes areas comerciales. Conveniente en precios y surtido: El modelo de Carrefour es aceptado por ofrecer el mayor surtido de calidad a los mejores precios. La libertad de eleccion de productos, marcas y precios convence a los consumidores. Mas de 100. 000 referencias de articulos regionales, nacionales e internacionales, configuran una rica opcion, innovadora y conveniente. Los servicios complementarios de las filiales optimizan el acto de compra. Una atractiva vida comercial en el ano: Su amplio desarrollo de alimentacion, bazar, textil y una marcada estacionalidad, convierten el acto de compra en un acontecimiento familiar ludico. Mas de treinta actividades diferentes conviven entre si de manera natural, animadas. SedeCalle Hermosilla n? 112 AdministracionIsidoro Alvarez, Presidente IndustriaGrandes Almacenes, Turismo, Servicios ProductosTextil, alimentacion, drogueria, perfumeria, complementos. Agencia de Viajes. Correduria de seguros. Servicios y productos informaticos. MarcasEl Corte Ingles (Alimentacion y Bazar, Cesta estandar), Hipercor (Alimentacion y Bazar, Cesta estandar), Aliada (Cesta basica). Ingresos17. 362,53 millones â‚ ¬ (2008) Beneficio Neto382 millones â‚ ¬ (2008) Empleados97. 389 (2008) FilialesHipercor, Bricor, Supercor, Opencor, Viajes El Corte Ingles, Informatica El Corte Ingles. Sitio webelcorteingles. es hipercor. es El Corte Ingles es el primer grupo espanol de distribucion y uno de los lideres mundiales de grandes almacenes. Con mas de 70 anos de experiencia, el Grupo ha mantenido desde sus origenes una politica de servicio al cliente y un constante interes por adecuarse a los gustos y las necesidades que demanda la sociedad. Esto le ha llevado a una politica de diversificacion y a la creacion de nuevos formatos comerciales. Ademas de los grandes almacenes El Corte Ingles, el Grupo cuenta con otras cadenas como Hipercor, Opencor, Supercor, Sfera, Telecor, Viajes El Corte Ingles, Bricor, Optica 2000 e Informatica El Corte Ingles, entre otras. El Corte Ingles es hoy uno de los lideres mundiales de grandes almacenes con una fuerte implantacion en el mercado espanol y con presencia en Portugal. Desde que en 1935 el fundador de la compania, Ramon Areces, adquiriera una sastreria denominada El Corte Ingles, la empresa ha mantenido un continuo crecimiento. La politica comercial de la cadena esta basada en cinco grandes pilares que se han hecho extensivos al resto de las empresas del grupo: calidad maxima, servicio, surtido, especializacion y garantia. La oferta de los grandes almacenes incluye un amplio abanico de productos y servicios que van desde articulos de ocio y cultura a mobiliario, moda y complementos, electronica de consumo, jugueteria, decoracion, alimentacion, joyeria. Los centros comerciales estan pensados para satisfacer al cliente con una amplia gama de surtido y especialidades, y con la mayor concentracion de oferta de moda femenina, masculina e infantil del mercado. Mas de un millar de firmas presentan cada temporada en los establecimientos sus nuevas tendencias y propuestas. Las mas conocidas marcas nacionales e internacionales, en algunos casos en exclusiva para El Corte Ingles, asi como las firmas de numerosos disenadores y modistos que cuentan con sus propios corners, convierten a El Corte Ingles en una enorme avenida que destaca por la variedad de oferta, la dimension del espacio y la calidad del producto. Clientes: El modelo de venta expresado anteriormente sigue siendo valido hoy. Asi en su documento de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial se senala que los cinco pilares de compromiso con el cliente son: †¢Calidad †¢Servicio Surtido †¢Especializacion †¢Garantia Estos cinco pilares han producido una fidelizacion importante de sus clientes y en 2008 sus centros recibieron mas de 600 millones de visitas. Esta fidelizacion se ha producido a pesar de ofrecer precios superiores al resto de competidores, aunque suple este inconveniente mediante la realizacion de ofertas, la induccion a la demanda mediante el esfuerzo publicitario mas gra nde que realiza cualquier empresa espanola, la carencia en el pago de compras y un amplio programa de financiacion automatica para la compra de sus articulos. Entre lo anterior cabe destacar que la Tarjeta de Compras de El Corte Ingles sea una de las mas populares en el bolsillo de los espanoles, con mas de 10,8 millones de tarjetas activas en 2008 y con un crecimiento constante desde su introduccion en 1968. Los titulares de la tarjeta de compras se benefician de una carencia automatica de un mes en el pago de la liquidacion mensual y la posibilidad de aplazar sin intereses los pagos a tres meses, o con bajos intereses hasta 36 meses. Ademas se benefician de al menos dos horas gratis en aquellos aparcamientos de pago de los centros y con la tarjeta se permite comprar cualquier producto que se venda en los centros pertenecientes al grupo El Corte Ingles inclusive productos estancados como Tabacos. Desde 2006 la tarjeta tambien permite el pago de compras en las estaciones de servicio del grupo Repsol. No obstante lo anterior el factor precio comienza a resultar importante para el cliente, sobre todo en lo referente a la compra de alimentacion con una fuerte competencia. Para evitar que esto suponga un problema y cambiar la percepcion de los clientes El Corte Ingles ha lanzado una marca blanca de cesta basica, Aliada, y ha iniciado una campana de publicidad para intentar cambiar esta percepcion sobre sus marcas. Grupo Eroski es una empresa cooperativa espanola de distribucion con sede en Elorrio, (Vizcaya). Fundada en el Pais Vasco en 1969, hoy cuenta con unos 20. 000 trabajadores repartidos por toda Espana. La empresa cuenta con alrededor de 2. 00 establecimientos de diferentes marcas, entre las que se incluyen los hipermercados â€Å"Eroski†, supermercados â€Å"Eroski City† y â€Å"Eroski Center†, supermercados â€Å"Aliprox†, supermercados â€Å"Cash Record†, supermercados â€Å"Caprabo†, supermercados â€Å"Familia†, â€Å"Viajes Eroski†, â€Å"Opticas Eroski†, â€Å"Perfumerias IF†, â€Å"Tiendas de Deporte FORUM† y â€Å"Tiendas de ocio y cultura ABAC†. El Grup o Eroski, es un conglomerado de sociedades de diferente realidad juridica y distinta composicion accionarial, pudiendo encontrar desde Sociedades Cooperativas (la matriz Eroski S. Coop. ) hasta SAs con porcentajes de participacion accionarial diferentes (ej Caprabo 70% o Vegalsa 50%). Es parte de la Corporacion Mondragon en la division de distribucion. El nombre Eroski es una contraccion de las palabras en euskera â€Å"erosi† (comprar) y â€Å"toki† (lugar), traducible como â€Å"lugar donde comprar†. Dos aspectos son relevantes: 1. La primera es la propiedad, de la que son depositarios en igualdad de condiciones unos 9. 000 trabajadores, con una persona un voto en la Asamblea General. . Actua desde su origen con la reinversion permanente de sus beneficios y destina el 10% de los resultados para el desempeno de Fundacion Eroski, que vertebra su accion social en favor del consumidor y la informacion, el desarrollo sostenible y la solidaridad. Consumidores socios : Son unos 450. 000 ciudadanos asociados como consumidores a este grupo cuyos representantes participan en el gobierno de la empresa. A la par, unos 100. 000 ciudadanos son Amigos de Fundacion Eroski. Todos ellos participan de modo voluntario en las acciones formativas que Idea Sana Eroski desarrolla con asiduidad sobre materias de interes del ciudadano, desde aspectos relativos a la salud como iniciativas de solidaridad en colaboracion con diferentes ONG. Iniciativas sociales: La Fundacion Eroski promueve igualmente iniciativas de cooperacion internacional para proyectos de desarrollo sostenible en paises necesitados. La Fundacion COPADE, la Fundacion AKWABA y la Federacion Espanola Religiosos Sanitarios F. E. R. S. ueron los utimos protagonistas al ser elegidos sus proyectos. En sus cuatro ediciones anteriores, la Fundacion EROSKI ha financiado los proyectos de las entidades que se mencionan por un importe que asciende a 536. 400,70 euros. En anteriores ediciones fueron beneficiarios los proyectos de Fundacion C. E. A. R. , Fundacion Intermon-Oxfam y COCEMFE, en 2003. Fundacion Ayuda en Accion, Fundacion Save The Children y Cruz Roja en el 2002. En 2001 fueron elegidos los proye ctos de Fundacion Vicente Ferrer, Fundacion Inter Red y Setem Cataluna. Su labor se ha visto reconocida durante el ejercicio 2004 con el Premio Europeo de Medio Ambiente a la empresa. El premio, otorgado por la Fundacion Entorno y respaldado por la Comision Europea, el Ministerio espanol de Ciencia y Tecnologia y la Sociedad Espanola de Participaciones Industriales, reconoce los esfuerzos de Grupo Eroski para el logro de un desarrollo compatible con la preservacion del entorno y el aumento del bienestar social. Asimismo, Grupo Eroski ha editado su Memoria de Sostenibilidad siguiendo las normas dictadas por Global Reporting Iniciative y AENOR. La Memoria es la primera publicada por una empresa de distribucion en Espana y ha sido elaborada conforme a la metodologia GRI2002, que ofrece una vision economica, social y medioambiental de la actividad de la empresa. Red comercial : La red comercial de Eroski en Espana, en noviembre de 2007 la formaban: †¢115 hipermercados â€Å"Eroski†. †¢1. 042 supermercados â€Å"Eroski Center†, â€Å"Caprabo† y â€Å"Eroski City†. †¢El Supermercado â€Å"Eroski Online†, su servicio de compra online de alimentacion. †¢280 oficinas â€Å"Eroski Viajes†. †¢52 gasolineras. †¢44 tiendas de deporte â€Å"Forum Sport†. 310 perfumerias â€Å"If†. †¢5 tiendas de ocio y cultura â€Å"ABAC†. †¢28 plataformas de distribucion. †¢Operador de Telefonia Movil (â€Å"Eroski Movil†). A esta red se le suman 584 autoservicios franquiciados. En Francia, Eroski cuenta ademas con 4 hipermercados, 16 sup ermercados y 17 gasolineras. En mayo de 2007 adquirio el 75% del Grupo Caprabo, ensena que se ha mantenido en mas de 300 tiendas en Cataluna y Madrid. Desde esa fecha los supermercados Caprabo comenzaron a sustituir sus productos de marca Caprabo por productos de la marca Eroski. Asi mismo, tambien se asocio con el grupo frances Intermarche, tambien conocidos como â€Å"Los Mosqueteros†, y EDEKA (Alemania) creando una Alianza Internacional para la negociacion y compra conjunta. Desde finales de 2007, Eroski participa en el negocio de la telefonia movil, actuando como operador movil virtual (OMV) con la marca Eroski Movil. Marcas : †¢Eroski: general †¢Eroski selectia: productos de alimentacion selectos †¢Eroski natur: productos de alimentacion naturales (carne, pescado, fruta) †¢Ecron: electrodomesticos †¢Berthen: electrodomesticos †¢VistoBueno: textil †¢Romester: productos deportivos Los productos de las marcas Eroski tienen como una de sus caracteristicas el incluir su nombre y diversa informacion aparte de en castellano, en euskera, catalan y gallego. Es una compania de distribucion, integrada dentro del segmento de supermercados, de capital 100% espanol. Su presidente ejecutivo es Juan Roig. A nivel nacional, esta presente en 46 provincias de 15 comunidades autonomas con una red de 1. 266 supermercados (25/02/10). Durante el 2007, alcanzo una facturacion de 13. 986 millones de euros, un 15% mas que en 2006. Sus instalaciones y clientes son atendidos por mas de 62. 00 personas en toda la cadena, de las que el 100% estan en situacion de fijos. Los supermercados, con una sala de ventas de unos 1. 300 metros cuadrados de media, responden a un modelo de comercio urbano de proximidad, con un amplio surtido en alimentacion (fresca y seca), drogueria, perfumeria y comida para animales domesticos. Desde1993, Mercadona se inicio en la filosofia de Calidad total. Esta de cision ha llevado a la compania a realinear sus objetivos instaurando el siguiente orden: Cliente, que internamente es conocido con el apelativo de â€Å"El Jefe†, Trabajador, Proveedor, Sociedad y Capital. Recreacion de secciones de Tienda â€Å"por ambientes†En grandes lineas esta filosofia tiene los siguientes efectos: Comercial: La estrategia comercial desarrollada por la empresa desde 1993 se denomina S. P. B. (Siempre Precios Bajos). Ademas, se esta trabajando sobre el aseguramiento de la calidad intrinseca de los productos impulsando la estrategia del Principio de Vida Recursos humanos: El modelo de Calidad total nos ha llevado a considerar al trabajador como segundo objetivo de la empresa. Ejemplo de ello es que el 100% de las mas de 62. 000 personas que componen la organizacion son fijos. Tambien es de destacar el pago del 100% del sueldo en caso de incapacidad laboral, disfrutar de unos sueldos minimos que superan la media del sector, asi como la formacion en Calidad total a las mas de 62. 000 personas en cursos especificos de 70 horas/ano por trabajador, entre otras. Mercadona es una compania espanola de distribucion con sede y origen en la ciudad de Valencia. Su nombre proviene de la fusion de las palabras en valenciano â€Å"Mercat† (Mercado) y â€Å"Dona† (Mujer). Los Supermercados Mercadona, con una sala de ventas de una superficie media de 1. 00 m? , responden a un modelo de comercio urbano de proximidad, y mantienen un surtido en alimentacion, drogueria, perfumeria y complementos que se caracteriza por potenciar la presencia de sus propias marcas blancas y reducir la oferta de aquellas marcas externas que no mantengan un minimo de rotacion. Origen e historia: Mercadona S. A. nace en 1977, dentro del grupo Carnicas Roig, propiedad de Francisco Roi g Ballester y su esposa Trinidad Alfonso Mocholi, con el objetivo de ampliar la comercializacion de carnes y expandirse al negocio de ultramarinos. En 1981 Juan Roig, uno de los hijos del anterior, compra a sus padres la empresa, que en ese momento cuenta con 8 tiendas de ultramarinos en Valencia, con el apoyo de su esposa y de sus hermanos Francisco, Amparo y Trinidad. Siendo nombrado su presidente ejecutivo, cargo en el que permanece hasta hoy, transforma los primitivos ultramarinos en una pequena cadena de supermercados que pronto se extenderian dentro de la Comunidad Valenciana. Aprovechando los parametros de crecimiento del sector de la distribucion durante los anos ochenta: modernizacion del sector e incorporacion masiva de la mujer al mundo laboral, Mercadona comienza una expansion que se va a ver limitada por la introduccion en el sector del capital frances lo que va a producir una concentracion importante del sector de distribucion alimentaria y, debido a su potencia, una presion sobre los proveedores para abaratar el producto que dificilmente podia llevar a cabo Mercadona en ese momento. La estrategia de expansion se realiza en un primer momento mediante la adquisicion de otras empresas de su sector que comienzan a acusar la presion del capital frances y asi se hace en 1988 con la adquisicion de los 22 supermercados de Superette, en 1989 con la adquisicion de las empresas Cesta Distribucion y Desarrollo de Centros Comerciales, en 1991 con la adquisicion de Dinos y Super Aguilar y en 1998 con la adquisicion de las cadenas catalanas de Almacens Paquer y Supermercats Vilaro. Tambien se firman alianzas como la alcanzada en 1997 con Almacenes Gomez Serrano para introducirse en el mercado andaluz. La concentracion mencionada coloca tambien a Mercadona en una situacion dificil en aquella epoca pero, a pesar de jugosas ofertas de compra de la empresa, Juan Roig decide mantenerla y explorar modelos de gestion que le permitan su crecimiento. En 1990 Juan Roig junto a su esposa Hortensia, se hacen con la mayoria del accionariado de la empresa. Como primera reaccion a esa concentracion Mercadona realiza una politica de ajuste de precios con los proveedores e invierte fuertemente en publicidad y en la realizacion de ofertas gancho, en las que se publicitan productos con un precio extremadamente atractivo compensandose el margen perdido con otros productos, pero pronto se ve que los resultados no son los esperados y se decide replantear la situacion mediante una estrategia nueva que vera la luz en 1993. Esta estrategia se realiza aplicando el modelo de Gestion de Calidad Total (GCT) que se constituye desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar e integradora que conjuga aspectos logisticos, fisicos, humanos y de liderazgo y cuyo fin es la creacion de valor para todos los grupos intervinientes en el negocio: clientes, proveedores, recursos humanos y capital. Conforme su memoria durante el ano 2009, los Supermercados Mercadona alcanzaron una facturacion de 15. 05 millones de euros, y un beneficio neto de 270 millones de euros con un EBITDA de 725 millones de euros. Su cuota de mercado en la distribucion alimentaria es del 12,8% con presencia en 46 provincias y 15 de las 17 Comunidades Autonomas de Espana, no presente unicamente en el Pais Vasco y en Navarra, a traves de sus 1. 264 establecimientos. Su plantilla esta compuesta de 62. 000 empleados de los que el 67% son mujeres y la totalidad de la contratacion es indefinida. El capital de Mercadona es mayoritariamente familiar y en 2008 su Consejo de administracion se componia de las siguientes personas: Modelo de gestion: El crecimiento y expansion de Mercadona es considerado como un exito que ha llamado la atencion a estudiosos del sector. Durante el periodo 1998-2003 el crecimiento de su volumen de ventas supero el 25% anual cuando el ratio normal del sector no suele superar el 9% siendo superada en crecimiento unicamente por Wal-Mart y consolidandola como la decimocuarta empresa de distribucion a nivel mundial. Segun Family Business Magazine esta entre las empresas familiares mas grandes del mundo, en el puesto 85 entre 250, siendo la numero 2 de Espana despues de El Corte Ingles. Segun su presidente Juan Roig, su estrategia central se ha resumido en la union de buenos salarios junto con una alta productividad, aplicando un modelo de gestion enfocado en el cliente denominado Gestion de Calidad Total (GCT). El modelo GCT en Mercadona fue adoptado en 1993 con el objetivo de defenderse ante la turbulencia que vivia el sector y establecer un modelo que ofreciera estabilidad en precios, proveedores y trabajadores que permitiera conseguir una clientela fija. Aunque los dos primeros anos tras la adopcion de la estrategia no se consiguieron resultados visibles a partir de 1995 se empiezan a cosechar los frutos de esta estabilidad y es a partir de este momento cuando comienza su crecimiento imparable. El modelo de Gestion de Calidad Total de Mercadona se enfoca en cinco aspectos de satisfaccion que por este orden son: †¢Satisfaccion del cliente (El Jefe en la terminologia de la empresa) mediante la estabilidad en los precios, los cuales siempre son atractivos, Siempre Precios Bajos, desechando la realizacion de ofertas gancho. †¢Compromiso de los empleados ofreciendoles estabilidad en el puesto de trabajo, homogeinizacion de niveles y responsabilidades, formacion continuada, incentivos sobre objetivos y unos salarios ligeramente por encima de la media del sector. Vinculacion con los proveedores basada en la confianza, relaciones a largo plazo, estabilidad y colaboracion. La compensacion en el ajuste del precio se le compensa mediante una relacion a largo plazo, plazos de pago mas cortos que la competencia, la transformacion de la marca propia a marca blanca y ayudas en mejoras productivas. En 1998 se crea la figura del Interproveedor productor que fabrica en exclusiva pa ra Mercadona y comercializa a traves de las marcas de esta. En 2008 el numero de Interproveedores alcanza los 100 de los mas de 2. 00 proveedores existentes. †¢Compromiso etico con el desarrollo y proteccion de la sociedad. †¢Vinculacion con el Capital, al cual, mediante la satisfaccion de los elementos anteriores, se le satisface mediante un aumento de la productividad y una constancia en los beneficios. Este Modelo ha recibido no obstante criticas de la mayoria de los actores implicados. Asi la desaparicion de marcas externas y la preeminencia de las marcas blancas de la propia distribuidora ha provocado quejas de consumidores y de proveedores. La politica social, que segun la empresa es parte integrante de su Modelo de Gestion mediante contrataciones indefinidas de la totalidad de la plantilla, acciones tendentes a la conciliacion de la vida laboral con la no apertura en festivos, apoyo a la natalidad con un mes mas de licencia por embarazo y el reparto de un porcentaje del beneficio entre los empleados que alcancen los objetivos propuestos ha sido tambien cuestionada en especial por el sindicato CNT que desde 2004 mantiene un conflicto laboral que fue dado a conocer por los propios empleados de la compania. Actualmente, el conflicto entre CNT y Mercadona sigue abierto, y se han presentado nuevas denuncias por acoso laboral y malos tratos hacia los trabajadores. En cuanto a los proveedores, ademas de las quejas de aquellos que fabrican marca propia por la retirada de sus productos, se han anunciado presiones excesivas de Mercadona a aquellos que fabrican sus marcas blancas, los conocidos por la empresa como Interproveedores, que limitan su libertad de accion, pretenden aduenarse de toda la cadena productiva o trasladar los costes de distribucion por expectativas no alcanzadas. Respecto a la acusacion de concentracion vertical cabe destacar la creacion por la familia Roig de Sociedades de Capital Riesgo como Angels Capital y Atitlan Alpha Capital que intervienen de forma prioritaria en las relaciones con los interproveedores. Marcas: †¢Hacendado – alimentacion †¢Deliplus – perfumeria en general †¢Compy – comida para animales †¢Bosque Verde – drogueria †¢Como tu – perfumeria mujer †¢9,60 – perfumeria hombre †¢El cafetal – cafe †¢Entrepinares – lacteos solidos Presencia geografica : Mercadona posee 8 bloques logisticos con mas de 600. 000 m? en Valencia, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Tenerife, Madrid y Gran Canaria. Tiene previsto abrir 3 nuevos bloques logisticos en Leon, Granada y Zaragoza y dispone de 2 almacenes satelites en Leon y Baleares. En cuanto a superficies de venta Mercadona dispone de 1. 264 supermercados en Espana. OpenCor es una cadena de Tiendas de Conveniencia, lo que supone abrir los 365 dias del ano durante 18 horas. Pensadas para dar servicio al cliente y satisfacer sus necesidades de cada dia, la compra de ultima hora o cualquier olvido, los establecimientos OpenCor ofrecen una nueva forma de comprar, rapida, proxima, comoda y con la mejor garantia de calidad. Cuenta, ademas, con la ventaja de pagar con la tarjeta de compra de El Corte Ingles. OpenCor vio la luz el 18 de mayo de 2000, con la inauguracion del primer establecimiento en Majadahonda (Madrid). Desde entonces ha experimentado un rapido crecimiento con la apertura de tiendas distribuidas por toda Espana. Gracias a que su superficie de venta es inferior a 500 metros cuadrados, el formato permite gran flexibilidad para ubicarse en las principales capitales de provincia; A Coruna, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Castellon, Cordoba, Gerona, Granada, Las Palmas, Lerida, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Pontevedra, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sevilla, Tarragona, Valencia y Zaragoza. Desde noviembre de 2008, es tambien la marca de referencia en las Estaciones de Servicio fruto del acuerdo entre El Corte Ingles y Repsol (hasta ahora como conocidas como Repsol-Supercor. La Superestacion). De esta forma, bajo la marca comercial OpenCor, encontraremos dos formatos de establecimientos: – Mas de 183 tiendas de conveniencia repartidas por todo el territorio nacional – Mas de 34 tiendas ubicadas en las Estaciones de Servicio Respsol- OpenCor. La Superestacion, adaptadas a las necesidades actuales, donde el cliente, ademas de repostar carburante, puede realizar su compra comodamente en una superficie de mas de 150 metros cuadrados . Se trata de una de las ensenas del grupo con mayor potencial de crecimiento. Los centros OpenCor ofrecen mas de 8. 00 articulos, que comprenden una amplia gama de articulos de alimentacion, drogueria, perfumeria asi como pan recien hecho, prensa y revistas, musica, peliculas, libros, juguetes, videojuegos y regalos. Ademas, en estas tiendas el cliente puede recargar su movil, revelar sus fotografias y realizar fotocopias. Las tiendas de OpenCor ofrecen una amplia y equilibrada gama de productos de alimentacion, perfumeria, regalos, ocio y prensa, ademas de otros servicios . Dentro de los planes de diversificacion de la compania, la ensena OpenCor represento un reto. El termino â€Å"OpenCor† se selecciono entre muchos, pues representaba perfectamente la vocacion con la que se creaba la nueva linea de negocio del grupo. El conjunto del termino, que unia la palabra del ingles â€Å"open† y â€Å"cor† resaltaba, por un lado, la importancia de que fuera una tienda siempre abierta y, por otro, la ventaja de contar con el respaldo y la garantia del lider. Datos de la Empresa: OpenCor es una cadena espanola de tiendas de conveniencia perteneciente al grupo de empresas El Corte Ingles, cuyo presidente es Isidoro Alvarez Alvarez y su director general Victor del Pozo Gil. Constituye un nuevo concepto de cadena de tiendas abiertas los 365 dias del ano durante 18 horas, pensadas para satisfacer las necesidades de cada dia, la compra de ultima hora, o cualquier olvido. Las tiendas Opencor presentan secciones de productos de primera necesidad (alimentacion, drogueria, y similares) asi como articulos de ocio (discos, peliculas, videojuegos, etc. ), regalos y otros productos. Opencor se inauguro el 18 de mayo del ano 2000 a traves de su centro de Majadahonda en Madrid. Las tiendas Opencor existentes en las estaciones de servicio de Repsol se denominan Repsol-Opencor y se gestionan por la sociedad Gespevesa,1 cuyo accionariado se reparte a partes iguales entre El Corte Ingles y Repsol. Previamente a esta denominacion se denominaron Repsol-Supercor desde 1998. Distribucion geografica: Opencor (Tiendas de Conveniencia S. A. ) y Repsol-Opencor (Gespevesa S. A. ) disponen de 187 tiendas en Espana: †¢58 en Madrid †¢40 en Andalucia †¢39 en Cataluna †¢32 en la Comunidad Valenciana †¢9 en Galicia †¢4 en Aragon †¢3 en Canarias †¢2 en Murcia Tienda tradicional: La tienda tradicional es un negocio en el que la gente puede adquirir bienes o servicios a cambio de una contraprestacion economica. Se trata de establecimientos pequenos con atencion directa por parte de un vendedor o dependiente, en el caso de algunas tiendas podemos encontrar mas de uno. Tambien le caracteriza la existencia de un mostrador que separa la sala de venta de los articulos de venta. En este tipo de establecimientos el cliente es asiduo y cercano al comerciante lo que hace que el trato y la atencion sea mas directo que en otro tipo de establecimientos como las grandes superficies. El dependiente suele conocer al consumidor y sus gustos, lo que le ayuda a saber como venderle y que venderle. El surtido suele ser limitado. Suelen tener poca variedad de cada producto, dos o tres marcas aproximadamente. Aunque son establecimientos son pequenos vende por su proximidad y cercania. Su tamano varia entre 15 y 50 metros de superficie. Este tipo de tiendas estan desapareciendo cada dia mas debido al asentamiento de las grandes superficies en las ciudades o nucleos urbanos y a la cercania de los supermercados. Lo que ha provocado el cierre de muchos de estos comercios en los ultimos anos. Tienda Tradicional 54 dosis cielo,azul, delicado 2,69â‚ ¬ Sensual 2,86â‚ ¬ La Toja (2,69)72 dosis cielo azul, delicado y frescor 3,90â‚ ¬ crystals azul, floral 3,99â‚ ¬ 480 gr36 dosis cielo azul y delicado 2,59â‚ ¬ 60 dosis 4,15â‚ ¬ Vernel Crystals 4,02â‚ ¬ 54 dosis azul 3,20â‚ ¬ Crystals 3,52â‚ ¬ 45 dosis azul, oceanico 2,69â‚ ¬ Marsella 2,86â‚ ¬ Relax 40 dosis 2,86â‚ ¬ 72 dosis Oceanico 3â‚ ¬ Colonia, Marsella, Rosa Hidratante 3,2â‚ ¬ Relax 64 dosis 3,2â‚ ¬72 dosis 3,30 144 dosis 5,70 essentis relajante de 64 dosis 3â‚ ¬45 dosis azul, oceanico, Marsella y rosa hidratante, 2,8572 dosis Azul 3 â‚ ¬ 750ml 3,67â‚ ¬ Azul y caricias. azul y caricias 4 â‚ ¬ 45 dosis Marsella y Aloe vera. 2,86â‚ ¬ 45 dosis 2,82â‚ ¬ azul, caricias, aloe vera 72 dosis 3,90â‚ ¬ azul, caricias y aloe vera4 litros 4,95 oferta, antes a 6,42 45 dosis Caricias 2,59â‚ ¬ Aloe vera 2,85â‚ ¬ 72 dosis 3,41â‚ ¬ Azul y flores72 dosis el 2,40â‚ ¬ flores blancas y brisa suave. 72 dosis es de 1,7â‚ ¬ colonia, aire rocio, aire prima, aire Marsella, aire pasion, aire verano, aire colonia. 2 litros 1,15â‚ ¬ 4litros 3â‚ ¬ 2 litros azul 2,15â‚ ¬72 dosis azul, spa, colonia, talco 1,60 â‚ ¬ 1,5 litros azul 2,15â‚ ¬ Conclusion: Empresas de suavizantes: UNILEVER Desde mediados del siglo XX, Unilever opera en Espana a traves de marcas presentes en la vida diaria de los espanoles. La presencia de Unilever en Espana se remonta a 1948. Desde entonces, ha experimentado un proceso de crecimiento similar al de la compania a nivel mundial. Actualmente, aproximadamente 1. 200 personas trabajan en nuestro pais, donde Unilever dispone de sus oficinas centrales en Barcelona y dos plantas industriales en Leioa (Vizcaya) y Aranjuez (Madrid). Ademas de una red comercial distribuida por todo el pais. En 2005, el grupo lanzo el programa One Unilever, con el que quiso reforzar su imagen corporativa. Mimosin es una marca emblematica en la categoria de suavizantes. De gran tradicion, siempre ha sido sinonimo de suavidad y caricia, ahora tambien incorpra fragancias para dejar en la ropa un agradable y fresco aroma. Mimosin esta presente en nuestros hogares desde hace varies generaciones y con una enorme notoriedad gracias a la presencia entranable de su icono: el osito de Mimosin. AC MARCA Notit pertenece al GRUPO AC MARCA, es un grupo internacional que tiene filiales en Portugal, Francia, Republica Checa, Mexico, Hungria, Rumania, Chile, Republica Eslovaca. Exporta a mas de 50 paises en todo el mundo. AC MARCA es la empresa que engloba las marcas enfocadas al cuidado del hogar: detergentes, limpiahogares, insecticidas†¦Sus marcas consolidadas y lideres en su segmento de negocio como NORIT, ALEX, YAK, ORION, GIOR e IBERIA estan en constante evolucion para ofrecer mejores soluciones adaptadas a las necesidades del consumidor del S. XXI. NORIT: NADA LAVA CON MAS CUIDADO. La marca lider en el cuidado de las prendas delicadas, ha evolucionado igual que sus consumidoras y hoy ofrece una amplia gama de productos para el cuidado de la ropa. Norit bebe (hipoalergenico), Cuidado delicado (a mano y a maquina), Pieles sensibles, Prendas modernas, Suavizante†¦ En 1944 nace la marca Norit, el primer detergente para lavar lana y seda, con su emblematico borreguito. En 1974 Norit crece con las versiones en liquido para lavado a mano. En 1995 se inicia la expansion internacional del grupo. HENKEL Henkel – A Brand Like a Friend – Este lema sintentiza la vision de hacer la vida de las personas mas facil, mejor y mas agradable con nuestras marcas y tecnologias. Con sede central en Dusseldorf (Alemania), Henkel cuenta con 52. 000 empleados en todo el mundo y es una de las empresas alemanas con mas presencia internacional en el mercado global. Consumidores de 125 paises en todo el mundo confian en las marcas y tecnologias de Henkel. El grupo aleman se instalo en Espana en 1960 tras comprar la empresa espanola Gota de Ambar, S. A. Actualmente Henkel Iberica cuenta con una plantilla de unos 1. 550 empleados. En 2008 la filial alcanzo unas ventas a terceros de 639 millones de euros. Henkel cuenta con 4 centros de produccion y distribucion en la Peninsula Iberica: Montornes del Valles, Sant Adria de Besos, Abrera y Sevilla, ademas de 3 centros de distribucion adicionales en Azuqueca de Henares, Castellbisbal y Sant Andreu de la Barca. Henkel opera en tres areas de negoci Vernel es la marca de suavizantes para la ropa que no solo suaviza tus prendas, sino que las deja con una agradable fragancia que permanece por mas tiempo. ?Caracteriscas del producto: Un frescor de ensueno Pieles sensibles Aromaterapia