Moneyball: Billy Beane Masculinity Essay

In an ever-increasing technological world, we are presented with many different concepts of what it is to be a ‘man’. Television, film and other forms of new media in particular are no strangers to the depiction of a variety of masculine stereotypes. However, since the popularisation of film in the late 1930’s, there has been one male stereotype that has been most commonly portrayed; the alpha male. One such character that this stereotype encapsulates is Moneyball’s (2011) Billy Beane, portrayed by Brad Pitt. Based on a true story, Moneyball, directed by Bennet Miller, depicts the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 Major League Baseball season, and the struggles of manager Billy Beane to take a low-budget team to success. The director’s discerning choices of narrative, symbolic and technical elements help to compose the alpha male stereotype that Billy conforms to. These elements give viewers an invited reading of Billy as an authoritative manager, who b ehaves and treats others with superiority, yet acts with a sense of individuality both around others and in a work environment, and openly shows emotion. Through Billy’s body language and mannerisms, and dialogue, the director consistently foregrounds Billy’s superior behaviour around others. As a result of Billy’s body language and mannerisms, we come to understand that due to his lack of relationships he cannot relate to players and thus treats them with a sense of inferiority. For instance, Billy always acts dominantly when in conversation, chewing tobacco, mimicking and talking over others and rarely sitting to display this authority. This body language is most evident when Art Howe, the team coach, attempts to intimidate him while negotiating his contract; Billy brushes him off despite Art clearly presenting the better argument. From there Billy proceeds to a scout meeting where he chews tobacco and indicates to Peter Brand when he is allowed to speak, with a snap of his fingers. This clearly demonstrates his use of body language around others to exercise his dominance. Bennet Miller further uses Billy’s dialogue to foreground his superior attitude and treatment of others. Billy rarely concedes to anyone, being particularly frank and straightforward, sure in his belief that he doesn’t have to explain himself to others. A  strong example of this is when Billy advises Peter Brand that, â€Å"It’s a problem you think we need to explain ourselves. Don’t. To anyone.† This mentality further reflects his display of superior behaviour and treatment of others, however, Billy remains quite individualistic both around others and at work. Bennet Miller uses the technical elements of lighting and camera work, and the narrative element of the plot to emphasise the individualistic orientation of Billy, both socially and at work. In spite of his behaviour and body language, throughout the movie Billy is portrayed as an individualist with few notable or intimate relationships. In many ways not only is Billy an individualist in the social sense but also in a work perspective, going against the grain of what baseball managers have done for the last 80 years; essentially he is a trailblazer. When we are first presented with Billy, we see him alone in a dark room lamenting the Oakland A’s playoff loss from the previous season. Through the use of lighting in this one shot we are presented with a recurring idea for Brad Pitt’s character, the haunting memories of loss and failure. Throughout the film we come to realize that the use of limited lighting and close up shots are used to highlight Billy’s social isolation. Furthermore, the underlying narrative is used to extend this idea, this time however in a work sense. The focal point of this movie is not baseball, but rather the way in which Billy defies the way in which players were picked for baseball teams. Instead of selecting players solely on their technique and precision, Billy opts to select players based on statistical merit. This important plot point is the basis for Billy’s determined approach to work; he works in a unique way, and is therefore considered by many to be ‘individual’ from other baseball managers. It takes great courage to defy what is widely accepted, and this action not only reinforces Billy’s alpha male status, but also reveals much about his discourse, especially his use of emotion, something uncommon to his stereotype. The elements of narrative and dialogue are effectively used by the director to underline Billy’s use of emotion, something uncommon of the alpha male  stereotype. With new depictions of masculinity rising due to technology, it has become accepted for more ‘manly’ stereotypes to show emotion. Billy is often seen throughout the film displaying his anger, frustration or satisfaction. The director’s use of narrative gives several examples of such sentiment: Billy throwing his tape away after hearing the A’s lose, upturning a table after a disagreement with the scouts and celebrating with a fist pump when he learns of his success in signing Ricardo Rincon. We grow to learn throughout the film that Billy didn’t play, and doesn’t coach baseball for the money, but rather for the satisfaction of winning. In fact, it is his deep emotional connection to failure, insecurity and lost potential that causes Billy to openly show sentiment. The director’s use of dialogue is key in understanding Billy’s overall discourse and in particular his use of emotion. An example of this effective use of dialogue is when Billy discusses the Oakland A’s 20-game winning streak with Peter Brand, â€Å"I’ve been in this game for a long time. I’m not in it for a record.† This suggests that Billy’s alpha male stereotype is more complex than it first seems, instead of being solely focused on the glory that can come with baseball, Billy shows us that satisfaction taken from exceeding expectations is most often greater. For many, emotion is not a characteristic commonly exhibited by an alpha male, yet Mill er manages to successfully weave this trait into Billy Beane. Bennet Miller has created a three-dimensional character in Billy Beane, who, while fitting the alpha male stereotype, adds emotion to a masculine depiction generally averse to showing sentiment. The invited reading created for Billy is that of a manager who acts with a sense of superiority around others, yet one who acts individually and openly shows emotion. Miller has achieved this invited reading through the selective use of narrative, symbolic and technical elements, including Billy’s dialogue, the film’s plot, and the use of lighting and camera angles. Ultimately, the film’s ability to present a common masculine stereotype and then challenge the discourse that defines this stereotype, positions viewers to realise that emotion is not an affliction of a male personality, rather it is something that defines the character of a ‘man’.

Reducing Minimum Legal Drinking Age to Decrease Alcohol Related Consequences Among Youth

Angel Gallegos Source Analysis Essay Rhet 104 Drinking Age At 18? How do we react when young adults are acting obnoxious and completely out of control due to extreme alcoholic consumption? Over the years tensions and arguments have risen to many peoples understanding about whether or not the minimum drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18 years old. This major topic has popped up in the heads of many U. S citizens over the years due to the facts that have popped up by many science based and informational research programs. Where has most of the illegal age drinking been taking place?According to the two authors of the scholarly reviewed article, â€Å"Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking And Related Consequences Among Youths? † Henry Wechsler and Toben F. Nelson, they state that in college is where most young adults take on the role of binge-drinkers and take a major advantage of their ability to consume alco hol illegally. The real question here is, â€Å"should the drinking age be lowered? And why? † and we will see the methodology of both authors in their opinions on towards lowering the drinking age.Both authors’ main argument in the reviewed article is obviously to lower the drinking age. To lower the drinking age would mean so much to the nation in their opinion because of the facts that have been showing up in the U. S. According to the authors based on research that has been made, alcohol tops the list of causes for deaths and injuries in young adults. It is sad to see that this information is very true up to this day and both authors prove it very well by showing images of the information they are stating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System.This image in the article seems credible because its coming from a administration in which they strictly focus on the fatalities caused by underage drinking over the past 20 -30 years and it is clearly visible that back when the drinking age was set at 18 years there were fewer deaths then when it was raised to 21 years and so since then only assumptions and arguments have been made to why those facts pop up. This evidence is effective to us the readers because if we were really interested in the topic we would be able to see the facts on the image shown on the article and be able to argue the age differences in the drinking ages.The authors give information on how in college is where the heavy binge drinking takes place for most of young adults. Based on a national survey, stated by the authors, found out that 1 out of every 10 students that consumed alcohol illegally underage reported experiencing any bad consequences for breaking the liquor/alcohol policies given at their respected schools. I believe that this is ineffective in a way because if the government is imposing the drinking age to be at 21 then why aren’t they acting upon all the und erage drinkers.It’s not like they don’t know how much alcohol consumption takes place at colleges. This is where their next argument arose and gave the knowledge about the â€Å"The Amethyst Initiative Argument†. They give reference to this petition, which involves presidents and chancellors of over 135 colleges in the signing of lowering the drinking age to 18 years of age due to various college drinking experiences. I find this petition to be really interesting to me because of the way they use their words to argue that the drinking age should be lowered.The authors use words like â€Å"not working† to target the fact that the drinking age at 21 is not â€Å"preventing† young adults from consuming alcohol illegally. The credibility in everything they say can be easily accounted for but overall there could be some authorial bias coming from the presidents and chancellors of these colleges because of the fact that it is hard to reasonably support t he overall position of drinking but overall it does not seem to carry over the authors themselves because they are simply stating the information given by the presidents and chancellors.In this petition they state that 18 year old through the age of 20 year olds have driven underage drinking underground in unmonitored areas and it is bad to for the nation because only the underage drinkers are aware of what is going on but in reality they really don’t know what can be the outcome of the night because they have as much access to as much liquor they would please. They argue how the government wants to reduce fatalities in the nation and underage drinking so why not lower the drinking age to 18 and let young dults do wise decisions on their own while still being able to come out to the bars and drink responsibly in a more protected and controlled environment as oppose of their unmonitored areas. Lastly in the petition they say a sentence that caught my attention over all in whic h I believe they could evaluate more as authors to the article and this sentence basically showed the comparison of Western Europe’s young adults ranging from 18-20 year olds drink more responsibly and they make that assumption because the drinking age in Europe is lower then the drinking age here at the United States.I feel that both authors could’ve made an effort to support this assumption better by going to other resources and getting information in where they show some type of facts that can be used to argue this statement against the drinking age and not only in comparison to Europe but to all the other countries as well, but other then that the authors have cited and backed up their information well even though a bias point of view can be seen because maybe other people view the idea of consuming alcohol completely different. In reflection to the article I believe I stand with the opinion or views of those who want to lower the drinking age.Not because I am unde rage and just view it as I want to legally buy drinks faster but I see it as a completely different way. I think that if the United States government is able to give drivers licenses to young adults, why not be able to give them the choice to drink as well. Driving is a big responsibility in which any person has to take on and I believe that if they trust a young adult by making a choice to drive a vehicle and place their life in danger every day they do it then why not give them the trust to drink responsibly as well.I feel that given that right it will ultimately lower binge drinking because they wont be doing it illegally. I support the views of the authors as well because even though it might come in a bias way at the end of it, it really does not because we see that they will never be able control alcohol related problems but there are always ways to try and prevent more from breaking out. http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=4&sid=8db21b3f-0745-49b5-b020-7285e730bd01%4 0sessionmgr114&hid=128&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=50616981

Comparison of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X Essay

They were black men who had a dream, but never lived to see it fulfilled. One was a man who spoke out to all humanity, but the world was not yet ready for his peaceful words. â€Å"I have a dream, a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed†¦ that all men are created equal. † (Martin Luther King) The other, a man who spoke of a violent revolution, which would bring about radical change for the black race. â€Å"Anything you can think of that you want to change right now, the only way you can do it is with a ballot or a bullet. And if you’re not ready to get involved with either one of those, you are satisfied with the status quo. That means we’ll have to change you. † (Malcom X) While Martin Luther King promoted non-violence, civil rights, and the end to racial segregation, a man of the name of Malcom X dreamed of a separate nation. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the conscience of his generation. A Southerner, a black man, he gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to free all people from the bondage of separation and injustice, he wrung his eloquent statement of what America could be. (Ansboro, pg. 1) An American clergyman and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, he was one of the principle leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement and a prominent advocate of nonviolent protest. King’s challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950’s and 1960’s, helped convince many white Americans to support the cause of civil rights in the United States. After his assassination in 1968, King became the symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice. (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr. ,† pg. 1) In 1964, Malcom X founded an organization called â€Å"The Muslim Mosque, Inc. In an interview conducted by A. B. Spellman on March 19, 1964, Malcom speaks of his goals for this organization. â€Å"The Muslim Mosque, Inc. will have as its religious base the religion of Islam, which will be designed to propagate the moral reformations necesary to up the level of the so-called Negro community by eliminating the vices and other evils that destroy the moral fiber of the community. But the political philosophy of the Muslim Mosque will be black nationalism, as well as the social and economic philosophies. We still believe in the Honorable Elijah Muhammand’s solution as complete separation. The 22 million so-called Negroes should be separated completely from America and should be permitted to go back home to our native African homeland. † (Breitmaned, pgs. 5-6) Perhaps the key to these two African-Americans leaders opposing goals lay within their very different pasts. Malcom X was born in Omaha as Malcom Little. Malcom’s faith, a Baptist minister was an outspoken follower of Marcus Garvey, the black nationalist leader of the 1920’s. The family moved to Lansing, Michigan, and when Malcom was six years old, his father was murdered after receiving threats from the Ku Klux Klan. Malcom’s mother suffered a nervous breakdown and her eight children were taken by the welfare department. Malcom was sent first to a foster home and then to a reform school. After 8th grade, Malcom moved to Boston where he worked various jobs and eventually became involved in criminal activity. (Malcom X, pg. 1) In 1946, he was sentenced to prison for burglary. While in prison, Malcom became invested in the teachings of Elijah Muhammed, the leader of the black Muslims also called the Nation of Islam. Malcom spent his time in jail educating himself and learning more about the black Muslims, who advocated racial separation. When Malcom was released in 1952, he joined a black Muslim temple in Detroit and became the most prominent spokesperson for the Nation of Islam by the early 1960’s. It was then that he took the name of Malcom X. (â€Å"Malcom,† pg. 1) Martin Luther King was born in Alanta, Georgia, the eldest son of Martin Luther King, Sr. a Baptist minister, and Alberta Williams King. King attended local segregated public schools, where he excelled. He entered nearby Morehouse College at age 15 and graduated with a bachelors degree in sociology in 1948. After graduating with honors from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania in 1951, he went to Boston University where he earned a doctoral degree in systematic theology i n 1955. (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr. ,† pg. 1) Throughout King’s education, he was exposed to influences that related Christian theology to the struggles of oppressed peoples. At Morehouse, Crozer, and Boston University, he studied the teachings on nonviolent Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi. King also read and heard the sermons of white Protestant ministers who preached against American racism. He was married in 1953, and in 1954, he accepted his first pastorate at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, a church of well-educated congretions that had recently by a minister who had protested against segregation. (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr. ,† pg. 1) Where as King was full of love, peace, respect, and compassion for his fellow white brother, Malcom X was full of hate, anger, and vengeance. He was a dark presence, an angry, cynical, implacable man whose good will or forgiveness or even pity the white race could neither earn nor buy. â€Å"Coffee,† he once remarked in an interview, â€Å"is the only thing I like integrated. † He also pleasantly mentioned that whites were inherently enemies of the Negroes and that integration was impossible without great bloodletting. Nonviolence was as he put it, â€Å"a mealy-mouth, beg-in, wait-in, plead-in kind of action,† and it was only a device for disarming the blacks. He also believed that everything we had heard to the contrary from the Martin Luther Kings and the Roy Wilkinses and the Whiteny Youngs was a deadly dangerous pack of lies. â€Å"That’s etiquette,† he said. â€Å"Etiquette means to blend in with society. They are being polite. The average Negro doesn’t even let another Negro know what he thinks, he’s so mistrusting. I’m black first- my whole objectives are black, my allegiance is black, my whole objectives are black. By me being a Muslim, I’m not interested in American, because America has never been interested in me. † (Goldman, pg. 5) Black blood, claimed Malcom X, is stronger than white. â€Å"A person can have a teaspoon of black in him, and that makes him black. Black can’t come from white, but white can come from black. That means black was first. If black is first, black is supreme and white is dependent on black. † He meant to haunt whites, to play on their fears and quicken their guilt and deflate their dreams that everything was getting better- and he did. â€Å"America’s problem is us. † Malcom X told whites that if they argued that the sins of the past ought not to visited on them, he would reply: â€Å"Your father isn’t here to pay his debts. My father isn’t here to collect, but I’m here to collect, and you’re here to pay. † (Goldman, pgs. 6-9) Martin Luther King is known for his key role as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), the oganixation that directed the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery’s black community had long standing grievances about the mistreatment of blacks on the city’s buses. Many white bus drivers treated blacks rudely, often cursing them and humiliating them by enforcing the city’s segregation laws, which forced black riders to sit in the back of busses and give up their seats to white passengers on crowded busses. By the 1950’s, Montgomery’s blacks discussed boycotting the busses in an effort to gain better treatment- but not necessarily to end segregation. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a leading member of the local branch of the NAACP, was ordered to give up her seat to a white passenger. When she refused, she was arrested and taken to jail. Local leaders of the NAACP, especially Edgar D. Nixon, recognized recently arrived King’s public speaking gifts as great assets in the battle for black civil rights in Montgomery. King was soon chosen as president of the MIA, the organization that directed the bus boycott.

International Banking and Comercial Payment Essay

International Banking and Comercial Payment - Essay Example Direct export, export through an agent, or export by the establishment of branches and subsidiaries are ways in which firms export. 2 Risks of fraud, political risks, exchange risks and risks associated with recovering payment are but a few of the risks that confront exporters and importers. Thus, it is important to organise judiciously an export operation and to consider carefully international payment terms in an attempt to present smooth operations to minimise risks for exporters. 3 Although exporters may choose from open account, document collection, letter of credit or cash in advance as payment methods to optimise risks while ensuring that they give effect to an export transaction, it makes sense to exercise presale due diligence and to consider all risks carefully, including country specific risks. 4 It is possible for international trade transactions to present great dramas that may lead to disputes requiring expensive and time consuming dispute resolution procedures or expen sive litigation in courts of several countries. 5 The case presented in Appendix A, below, describes an interesting situation involving the unauthorised removal of a bill of lading included with the documents for a document collection export transaction presented by Wyevale Ltd, located in the UK for Asian Traders Inc., as buyers, located in the Philippines. The discussion presented below focuses on an analysis of the facts and the legal issues related to the previously mentioned case of Wyevale Ltd exporting to Asian Traders Inc. An Analysis of Facts of the Question The situation described in the case presented in Appendix A is a typical DA (Documents against Acceptance) collection procedure for export in which the buyer is required to indicate acceptance of bill of exchange prior to the Import Bank releasing title of the goods in the form of bill of lading to the buyer. 6 7 It is important to understand that making, altering, negotiating or transferring a bill of lading with the i ntent to defraud is a criminal offence. 8 However, the managing director of Asian Traders Inc. may have inadvertently left the Import Bank with the bill of lading on his person without realising this, and that he had then proceeded to take an opportunity to sell the goods consigned to his firm to a third party based on possession of the bill of lading. Because the exporter, Wyevale Ltd of the UK will have a record of the correspondence with Asian Traders, and the banks will have their testimony, it is not possible for the managing director of Asian Traders to escape litigation and simply walk away without paying the exporter because he has in his possession a bill of lading. 9 However, the Import Bank employee should have been more careful. In any case, the importer, Asian Traders Inc. has five days in which to effect payment. Because Asian Traders has the bill of lading, and it has sold the goods consigned to a third party, which has paid to Asian Traders Inc., there is no reason w hy Asian Traders should not pay in due course, unless an intention exists to deviate from acting in good faith. Even if a bill of lading has passed on to an importer, this will not mean that the importer is in a position to take physical delivery of goods because the ship on which the goods were consigned may not have arrived in port or released its cargo. 10 Thus, it will

Data Protection Regulation and control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Data Protection Regulation and control - Essay Example The universal declaration of human rights article12 states that: "there should be no interference with a person, family, home etc. or attacks upon their reputation" (Lloyd1998.58-60). The company has the duty of finding out the stipulated rules and regulation in the various legislative acts that address data protection. The law for example, requires the firm to get registered and get authorization from information commissioner (Carey, 1998.16-31). It is the responsibility of the company to develop policies and procedures that protect customer information using the knowledge so gained. The company then needs to institute the office of a data controller who is the person who, either alone or with others, directs the content and use of personal data (ILO, 1997.14-67). The company, through the office of the data controller has the responsibility of ensuring that personal information collected from client is relevant and secure and its uses in an appropriate manner (Hornberger, 2001.21-49). The company has a duty to keep updating themselves on amendments on data protection acts inorder to maintain relevant policies. It is thus their responsibility to keep in touch with the concerned regulatory bodies or any the media houses that highlight such changes or amendments. To improve this privacy and security, the company should prohibit the use of social security numbers or social insurance numbers as

Policy and Issues in Public Health Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Policy and Issues in Public Health - Article Example This journey had witnessed an evolution, and government involvement in active policy making is attempting to harvest the fruit of current knowledge in this area. The most important paradigm shift has perhaps resulted from the increased emphasis on the role and contribution of individual behaviour and lifestyles to disease causation. Consequently, the public health programmes follow the policies and strategies to modify them at the community level, where both population and individual interventions are being increasingly practiced. Obviously, there would be sociopolitical critiques of such policies. Eventually, enhanced research leading to greater understanding of different factors on specific public health problems has revealed that socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors may influence health-related behaviour and thus may affect health status (Hunter, 2002). Public health policy relates to several areas of intervention. The health administration and planning processes must recognise these levels since resource allocation would depend on the gravity and level of the problem. Community health and health protection is an important level that deals with people in their social and environmental contexts. It is now known that people's health is determined by not only personal characteristics, biological and genetic endowments, but also environmental influences of physical nature. Some of these influences originate in the community and work through the influence on their behaviour and coping strategies. In the context of the current UK public health scenario, the government is demonstrative of its anxiety to fulfill its commitment to preventative health through different public health policy agenda. Hunter (2005) has indicated that public health and related policies are of central importance. One of the reasons for this growing interest in pub lic health and community intervention strategies is the new knowledge that many preventable chronic diseases, due to lack of definitive public health policies have assumed epidemic proportions. Moreover, these diseases once established would add up to the mounting costs in healthcare services. This led to the need of change of approach towards prevention of these diseases and health improvement of the population. Strong et al. (2005) stated that a low-budget preventive approach would balance the resource allocation in such a manner that the healthcare cost demands might be managed more effectively, and absence of preventative strategies would lead to demise of publicly funded health systems. Although it may appear from this statement that public health interventions and policy changes have brought about the desired changes, in reality there exists a widening gap between the need of chronic disease prevention measures and government responses of implementation. This indicates there a re needs of specific action plans and rigorous implementation measures against these problems (Strong et al. 2005). All these are indicative of the fact that during the second half of the twentieth

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To Kill A Mockingbird - Essay Example Dill lives in Mississippi but he his vacations in Maycomb. Atticus is the main character of the story. He is a man of strong moral value. He had great sense of patriotism. He was against the custom of racism which existed in his society. He instilled in his children great sense of equality. He set an ideal example for them by fighting the case of black man for which he had to stand against his own society in order to support justice and truth. He was a great guide and teacher for his children and an extraordinary human being as well. â€Å"There goes the meanest man that ever took a breath of life† The story seems to say that Atticus is Atticus because of Maycomb. "He liked Maycomb, he was Maycomb County born and bred; he knew his people, they knew him. . . ." Later, when Atticus is striving to console Jem about the culpable judgment in the Tom Robinson case he tells Jem that they are going to live in Maycomb after the case is over. Though so, Maycomb is no ecstasy; no paradis e on the hill, no place one can celebrate without worries and melancholy. It is living in Maycomb, working at law there, that we see Atticus as the man that he is.

Application project 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Application project 1 - Essay Example Advertising actually can help them to choose the right thing. How otherwise you would learn what toothpaste to choose. Do you have enough time and money to try all the products? Moreover, new products appear daily, and the task of advertisement is to inform buyers of these changes and improvements. That is why advertising helps you to buy exactly what you need. Speaker 1: Or it helps you to buy what you did not need at all and, moreover, could not afford, but advertisement made you buy it! That is what I am talking about. Before Apple appearance nobody thought that telephones can be a part of image, and nobody would believe that a schoolgirl can save money for lunches to buy IPhone just because she believes that it will make her look cooler in the eyes of her peers. And that is due to advertising which does not inform but persuades buyers with psychological mechanisms. That is consumerism, when people stop choosing consciously but get under the influence of the power of brand which is created with the help of advertisement. Speaker 2: Look, market has appeared as soon as the civilization appeared. Before Internet and TV era people were selling their products with the help of bright signs which were substituted by TV and Internet commercials. It is a simple evolution. And nevertheless people bought the products which appealed to them most and were relevant to their understanding of quality. The girl with IPhone watches the rest of the telephones` ads, and has a free choice which one to buy. It is just that Apple sells products of high quality that are a little bit expensive for students, but the interdependence between quality and price is absolutely normal. Speaker 1: I understand your point, but the thing is that before bright commercials people did not realize how many things they need! Have you seen these ads of cosmetics, clothes, gadgets with young and gorgeous models? Advertising makes people think that

Environmental Science Lab Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Science Lab - Essay Example ts saw replacement with by CFLs, water conservation fixtures replaced outdated technology, interface recycled-content carpeting was used throughout the building, and modern solar array was put on the roof. Truly, all these were geared towards reducing the building’s impact on the environment. Secondly, before the opening of the centre, a HVAC system was installed, which is a combination of an electric resistance heat and the old and air conditioning system. Windows have poor thermal qualities and a plan is underway for completion of an integrated design via renovation. Other buildings can emulate Alliance centre, whereby they cater for environment in designing of buildings. An architect’s decision to put CFLs, water conservation fixtures, recyclable carpeting, and windows of thermal qualities would take care of the environment. A decision to renovate rather than demolish existing buildings would be friendly to the environment. Additionally, if a demolition must be done, recycling of materials is necessary for a sustainable environment. Alliance for Sustainable Colorado. â€Å"Advancing Sustainability through Collaboration: Designing the Future† 2012.Web 2 March 2012. http://sustainablecolorado.org/blog/energy/alliance-center-designing-the-future Natural gas is the cleanest-burning conventional fuel, producing lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions than heavier hydrocarbon fuels such as coal and oil. Energy has many uses like transportation, cooking, lighting, and turning engines. Efficiency, affordability, and environmental conservation are some of the factors we consider in analyzing a good source of energy. My main source of energy is the natural gas. Natural gas comes from Denver Colorado. Since its establishment in 1997, the Colorado Natural Gas, Inc. provides natural gas services for commercial and residential customers with an aim of promoting efficient use of affordable and environmental friendly natural gas. Denver has been in the frontline in solar

The World That We Live in Essay Example for Free

The World That We Live in Essay Not long ago the law of the jungle prevailed â€Å"kill or be killed†. Barbarism was at its heinous best. Darwin’s theory of â€Å"survival of the fittest† was apt for those times. The smaller animals were at the mercy of the bigger ones and the latter were at the mercy of the biggest and so on. Evolution continued and finally we are today at a position of being called the ultramodern man who has lots and lots of knowledge and education, robots and gadgets to assist him. He has every comfort that one can think of ! He can traverse the longest of distances in minutes, view matches and ceremonies being conducted thousands of kilometres away in his bedroom and so on because the list seems endless. But I have a serious concern†¦.i sometimes wonder whether we are still in the same precarious situation as our ancestors were? Is there any similarity between those times and the era that we live in? And my answer would unfortunately be â€Å"yes†. I have come to the conclusion after long hours of brainstorming and analysis. There is ample proof of this in our daily newspapers and television’s breaking news! How else do you justify the acts of crime and violence in the name of sex, caste, religion, panchs, fatwas, state, country, political parties etc. Hooliganism in any form for any cause should not be tolerated but it is being given wings to fly in our present day society. Everyday we have some slogans by our leaders (religious and political) which vent venom at somebody else and we are misguided. Everyday a son kills his parents or a girl is tortured for dowry. Everyday we find a minister being charged of fund misappropriation worth many crores. Everyday there are stories of gang war and shootouts for â€Å"supari†. We are living in a very dangerous era where this ugly problem is gathering tremendous momentum as it is sliding downhill and is threatening to wipe out the very progress made by man since existence. Hence I am very scared as a child. My fear is will man destroy himself? Will this world come to an end because of man’s inner insecurity and his own undoing? What is the need to develop nuclear warfare? What is the need to spread religious hatred and communal disharmony? Can’t we live in peace and harmony with a sense of eternal brotherhood? I pray god almighty to make every human sane enough to understand the motto of life and to lead it peacefully with love for others. Life is precious. We have made enough progress and we are making too. So let us not destroy ourselves,  rather live together and make this world a better place to live in.

Four Functions of Business: Case Study of Asda and Kwik-Fit

Four Functions of Business: Case Study of Asda and Kwik-Fit Functional areas of business operation Introduction This paper studies four distinct functions of business and how they interrelate. The chosen areas are human resources, distribution, marketing and customer services. Human Resources The function of human resources is to provide a focus and strategy for the efficient management of business employees. Employee management is a primary task of modern corporations. If not dealt with appropriately, employees can have an adverse effect upon the success of the business (Alan Price 2003). Employee satisfaction affects all areas of the business. For example, if an employee is happy at work it will show in the customer service they provide. It also helps promote the business, justify the marketing and promotion message and ensure the smooth running of the distribution function. Distribution Distribution is the function by which the product or service is moved from the manufacturer to the end user (P. Kolter 1991), ultimately the consumer. This can be represented by physical methods, such as transportation and storage or, in a service industry, the method by which that service is packaged and delivered. A breakdown in the distribution process affects customer services, as the business may not be able to deliver the product or service required. The marketing function would be undermined, as promises made cannot be kept. Ultimately, this situation would de-motivate employees, as they are the ones receiving consumer complaints. Marketing Effective marketing and promotion is essential as a method of ensuring the message regarding products or services attracts the attention of the consumer. (George Belch 2004). The marketing function is to deliver a message that is seen, believed and remembered. A successful marketing campaign is heavily reliant upon the efficiency of other business functions. If the business cannot deliver the goods, customers will stop listening to the promotional message. Similarly, if the employees have not received training in customer care, a marketing campaign suggesting consumer care is paramount will not be believed. Customer Services Delivery of customer services is probably the most crucial function. The consumer adds value to the success of the business by purchasing their product or service (Sean Kelly 2005). Therefore, every business has to build and maintain a close relationship with consumers. They have to deliver what the customer needs at a quality and price that meets their requirements. In a competitive marketplace, the correct level of customer service is essential if a business is to achieve a growth in market share. Two organisations, Asda Plc., and Kwik-Fit Insurance Services have been chosen to demonstrate how these functions work in practice. Asda The Asda supermarket chain is a subsidiary of the American Wal-Mart retailer, one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains, with over 150,000 employees. Human Resources Asda’s HR strategy is built on the basis that every employee (All about Asda, 2006) â€Å"plays a part in making the business a success.† To achieve employee satisfaction, retention and succession, Asda runs a programme that provides training covering every area of the business, including in-store and external processes, as well as company policy and customer care. The business is committed to achieving in house succession and to promote this aim, it includes management training as part of its HR programme (See Asda Website Training page). Understanding the need for employees to feel an affinity with the business, Asda encourages staff to take an active part in work meetings, which take place in-store, regionally and nationally, where views can be expressed and discussed. The core of its HR function is to gain the best from employees by encouraging involvement with the business at all levels. Distribution Asda works closely with suppliers to maintain efficient distribution services. This ensures levels of goods required are fed through warehousing centres and to individual stores in a manner that maintains consistent product availability for customers. To allow for regional variances, the business delegates an element of the distribution decision-making process to local store management. Marketing Faced with changing consumer demands (Sean Kelly 2005), Asda now focuses its marketing and promotion on the dual aspect of quality at the right price. This has enabled the business to achieve second position within the grocery industry. Customer Services Asda has consistently sought to improve its customer services. In addition to staff customer care training Asda has expanded the product range throughout its stores. Internet shopping and expansion of till services, including self-service options, are other areas of the business where customer service improvements have been introduced. Kwik-Fit Insurance Services KFIS is an insurance call centre based in Glasgow. Although it was founded with the view to concentrating on the motor industry insurance, the business has expanded into more general areas of insurance. Human Resources To compete with other local call-centre operations, KFIS had to completely revise its HR strategy. This was partially achieved through improving the working environment. Like Asda it introduced training programmes to improve employee standards and encourage involvement. In addition, KFIS operates a â€Å"guardian angel† scheme (Jill Boulton, 2004), where existing staff act as mentors to new recruits. It also appointed a â€Å"minister of fun,† to organise staff social activities. The success of these measures has been reflected in business results. Distribution Unlike Asda, KFIS does not have a need for a physical distribution function. The distribution element here is to ensure the insurance products offered are designed to match consumer requirements. As the service KFIS offers is distributed through call centre operators, the importance of staff and producer knowledge levels is essential in distributing the correct range of products to the end user. Marketing Whilst much of its marketing is directed through Kwik-Fit auto centres, and dependent upon the quality of their service, a significant proportion of promotion is undertaken through advertising and the call centre operators. For example, when engaging with a customer an operator may attract them to other insurance products. In this business the interaction between employee and customer is an integral part of the marketing process (George Belch 2004). Customer Services The customer service aspect of KFIS is more directly linked to the reaction of the employee than with Asda. In a call centre situation consumers instantly judge the services they are receiving by their perception of the operator. The operator’s reaction, explanation and provision of the most appropriate product, and efficiency of service, will determine whether the customer is satisfied and will remain loyal to the business. HR director (Keren Edwards 2006) believes that the strategy in place in the business is contributing to the success in terms of customer retention. Conclusion From the information within this paper it is clear that every function described is dependent upon, and influenced either positively or adversely by the others. If one function, for instance, customer services, does not perform at its most efficient, the result will affect the other functions. Customers will stop believing the marketing, resulting in fewer products sold, parts of the distribution function becoming redundant and a reduction in employee moral and efficiency. References All about Asda (2006). Asda People. Asda Plc. Retreived 19 January from http://asdacares.gpalm.co.uk/people/people_load.html Armstrong, Michael (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Kogan Page. UK. Price, Alan (2003). Human Resource Management in a Business Context. Thomson Learning, UK. Kotler, P. (1991). Marketing Management. FT Prentice Hall, 7th Ed. UK Belch, George. E (2004) Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. McGraw-Hill Inc. U.S. Kelly, Sean. (2005) Customer intelligence From Data to Dialogue. John Wiley Sons Ltd., UK Boulton, Jill (2004). Kwik-Fit hires fun guy to keep staff smiling. The Scotsman, Friday 21 May 2004. Edwards, Keren (2006). Keep Fit Scheme. People Management Scheme. UK. 6th April 2006. Caffà ¨ Nero: Strategy and Balanced Scorecard Caffà ¨ Nero: Strategy and Balanced Scorecard Introduction The aim of this essay is to design a strategy and two balanced scorecards for a coffee shop company called Caffà © Nero to compliment their mission statement. This will be done after conducting extensive secondary research to gain a clear insight into what a balanced scorecard involves as well as looking into how Caffà © Nero operates. This will hopefully provide knowledge of potential benefits and difficulties to consider when attempting to successfully implement scorecards for both Headquarter and Store Levels for Caffà © Nero. In addition to this, for each scorecard, a strategy map is used to demonstrate how each key performance indicator (KPI) contributes to the overall vision of the company. Finally both levels are then assessed on its contributions to Cafà © Neros strategy and a conclusion is drawn on the main points outlined throughout the essay. What is the Balanced Scorecard? Kaplan introduced the balanced scorecard in 1992 with the aim to translate strategy into action, he stated, The balanced scorecard translates an organisations mission into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for implementing its strategy. (Kaplan Norton, 1996: p88). Having understood an organisations vision and strategy, the balanced scorecard aids to develop creative objectives to help measure performance. These objectives can be split into four main perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process and Learning and Growth all of which link together to form a strategy map. Implementation of the Balanced Scorecard Benefits and difficulties Bourne Bourne (2007) presents reasons to why once implemented the balanced scorecard can fail. It is beneficial for Caffà © Nero to be conscious of potential problems that may arise in the near future when implementing their balanced scorecards. Looking at the difficulties and problems portrayed by theorists and other organisations experiences should present Caffà © Nero with a competitive advantage. The opportunity of being able to use other organisations failures and theorists advice to overcome the issues presented is valuable. It is particularly important as large amounts of time and money from the company are being invested into this performance management tool. One potential problem is the complexity of the system, resulting in unachieved objectives which will affect the overall vision and strategy of Caffà © Nero. Organisations are faced with de-motivated staff as they steer away from the main objectives that are originally assigned. Although, this is a common problem for the majority of companies when introducing the scorecards, Caffà © Nero is aware of this problem and can therefore take this into consideration throughout the design stage. In particular consideration would be beneficial, in terms of the strategy map when linking the objectives together, so that they are easy to follow and comprehensive for the whole company. As for overcoming the complexity issue, Caffà © Nero can focus on their employees with training, conferences, group and one to one meetings to ensure that every employee within the organisation fully understands what a balanced scorecard is. Their objectives and how they are being measured as well as how each pers pective interlinks in achieving Caffà © Neros strategy. Drury (2004) suggests another difficulty with the scorecard, he identifies that the assumptions of the cause and effect relationships are being excessively vague as well as lacking empirical support. Further research has concluded that is it difficult to link non financial data with future financial performance if at all. Caffà © Nero needs to consider this, as their main objective is to achieve future revenue growth both within the UK and internationally. So perhaps with measures and objectives that are assigned, should be more focused around revenue and financial aspects where possible. An additional difficulty concerning the perspectives shown within the management tool is that it does not factor in other aspects of the business to incorporate customers, employees, suppliers and other environment perspectives. Although Caffà © Nero is not restricted to adding additional perspectives, it could complicate the scorecard further making it difficult to achieve all objectives assigned and some may overlap with existing objectives. Traditionally, when implementing a scorecard the assumption is, the decisions sit with the senior management throughout the design stage as they fully understand the ins and outs of the organisation. Although this may be the case, it is not always in the best interest of the organisation to design a scorecard that only looks at all levels of the business from a top heavy approach. To overcome this Caffà © Nero can be smart and ensure that all functional representatives of their hierarchy from store-level to headquarter level are included within the design. This in turn will show teamwork in working together to understand where each individual fits in to the overall strategy in order to meet the companys objectives. Although the scorecard demonstrates various difficulties that Caffà © Nero should be aware of. Not all is bad; the on-going popularity of the balanced scorecard from other organisations makes it extremely hard to not notice some of the benefits of this management tool. One important trait of the scorecard is its use of effectively combining all the separate elements of the company into one simple model, with help from the strategy map. The tool is also able to help employees and the company to understand how everything interlinks and contributes to the overall strategy. For example, looking at how employees from Caffà © Nero store-level are able to contribute and work with headquarters objectives by improving customer service at store-level in aid to reduce customer complaints for headquarter level at the other end. This management tool is also enabling managers to consider all objectives and measures together as a whole by looking at the bigger picture. Therefore Caffà © Nero can take advantage of these benefits and make necessary improvements to the costs of the company with cost reductions at headquarter level. Lynch (2009) comments that the real benefit of the scorecard is the linkage between strategy and implementation. Most theorists argue that the main goal of the majority of organisations is a form of shareholder value added. Caffà © Nero should consider this when implementing both scorecards. By looking into both quantitative and qualitative measures within the strategy, they should hopefully determine the expectations of their shareholders within performance measures in their strategy and scorecards to achieve growth in shareholder value. Caffà © Nero Strategy Grant (2008) outlines various strategies an organisation can adopt when trying to achieve growth. Having viewed this, Caffà © Nero is more geared towards a business strategy, as it concerns the company with competing within a particular coffee shop market. To prosper within this market it is important to concentrate on establishing a competitive advantage over rivals. To support this Caffà © Nero should base their strategy around product differentiation, by providing customers with quality ranges of espresso that is exclusive to Caffà © Nero stores, will only contribute to concreting a competitive advantage for the company. It also works on shielding Caffà © Nero from their prices being levelled down to the bottom part of the price spectrum, due to potential competitive price wars of the same product between their competitors. This is an important strategy to implement as due to the increase of popularity of coffee shops it is likely for these price wars to occur. As a result, Caffà © Nero can look to improve further, with the quality of their products as well as launching new products in the future as part of their strategy. This can be achieved with product innovation to cater to larger consumer base within the market, hopefully contributing to the growth in both revenue and size within the UK and internationally. Cafà © Nero is well known for its acquisition of Aroma which increased the amount of sites they owned to 106 by 2002; this made them the largest independent owned coffee shop. The company now has 400 stores operating in various locations within the UK, Turkey and the Middle East. Caffà © Nero should now look towards the future of the company, by expanding the number of sites owned. Therefore it is important that part of the strategy should reflect in achieving expansion both internationally and UK based. Caffà © Nero will incorporate this in the scorecard within the financial perspective at headquarter level, as Kaplan and Norton (1996) states that the designing of the strategy of the company is combined with the process of the balanced scorecard. However Caffà © Nero may be faced with great difficulty with trying to implement their strategy due to the diversity of locations they operate in. As it is harder to standardise a scorecard for all site levels throughout the business internationally, as culture and expectations of customers and employees may be different throughout locations. This can be said the same about different locations within the UK. For example Londons objectives may incorporate a faster pace of service to compliment their busy, on the go customers in comparison to another site in a quieter location that may prefer much more of a mellow approach, at a slower pace and friendlier atmosphere where everyone is a community. Caffà © Nero tries to incorporate all of these elements within the overall strategy. Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map The following models demonstrate Caffà © Neros scorecards for both headquarter level and store-level. As well as strategy maps to illustrate how each objective will link together. It is important to note that although the scorecards produced are for the same company, they may differ in objectives for each level, to incorporate all personnel throughout the company. Objectives of headquarter level will focus more on the overall performance of the company, in terms of how they can grow in revenue, size and customers. The model will also focus on innovating products and retention rates of employees and customers. Where as, with the store-level objectives will be more centred around individual stores in terms of customer service, delivery times and empowering and motivating staff with training and incentive programmes. Once the following scorecards have been implemented for Caffà © Nero, it is then important to ensure that everyone throughout the company understands the balanced scoreca rd and where they are contributing to achieving Caffà © Neros vision. As well as considering how all of the objectives from each level will interlink between the two scorecards. This can be done through training centres, conferences and meetings. Scorecard Evaluation Having designed both scorecards (Figure 1 and 2) an evaluation will be conducted to explore both the similarities and differences presented within each models. Additional to this, supporting evidence will add weight to justify reasons for selecting objectives and indicator to contribute to Caffà © Neros overall strategy. Financial Perspective The first objective shown in the financial perspective (figure 1 2) is revenue growth this relates to achieving an increase in growth in some form or another. To drive revenue growth Caffà © Nero objectives concentrate on diversifying into new markets internationally and within UK. As well as branching out into new customer markets and increasing the number of stores owned by Caffà © Nero. Each of these objectives chosen all tie in with Caffà © Neros overall strategy of expansion of the business in the near future. The key performance indicators incorporated into this perspective help to measure each objective for the company. The main similar measure here is (F1 F4) percentage of increase in revenue growth in the overall company and individual store-level (F5). To achieve these objectives they would have to be based upon implementing bonus and incentive schemes for employees so that they are motivated to achieve targets set. They would also need to target larger segments of new customer markets by advertising in new locations such as near to universities to appeal to students or offices to appeal to the working customers. However a drawback of this measure is due to the population suffering from the effects of the recession and the economy resulting to a decrease in disposal income. Meaning growth in revenue for Caffà © Nero will be delicate as new potential customers may not be as opened to trying new coffee shops then their norm as well as lifestyle changes that will affect the amount of r evenue that each store generates. This is why a mark up % was not included in aid to limit other problems such as the affect on shareholder value, as incorporating percentages would put further pressure on the company in case they were unable to achieve resulting to shareholders expectations to decline. Another important objective within the financial section is (F6) improve operational efficiency, which is reducing wastage costs for the business. It is important to achieve this objective as it saves the company money and better for the environment. This can be done by providing more awareness of how to reduce wastage i.e. not leaving taps of water on just for the convenience element for coffee shops. Being aware of waste problems presents benefits as in turn this will maintain the companies overall brand image, which links in will the customer perspective (C3 figure 1) of maintaining brand image. Customer Perspective It is important to measure this objective (C3), as it involves the public with collating feedback and results in reference to how the general public perceive Caffà © Nero as a company. This objective also gives the company an opportunity with participating in charity and environmental work that will help several organisations as well as portraying a better image for the company. This is with the intention to increase in revenue and customer satisfaction, as customers like to be involved in supporting good causes. This is why it was important to incorporate this within the headquarter scorecard. Figure 2 also looks at customer retention (C5), customer satisfaction (C6) and customer profitability (C4) as main objectives to achieve. Each of these objectives link with each other, for example if the customers are satisfied with the service and products offered by staff then they are likely to come back time after time. Creating customer loyal will result in increasing customer retention rates hopefully leading to customer profitability. Therefore ensuring customers are provided with great customer service and high standards of quality products will cement this relationship with customers and employees. Where the employees are concerned this is incorporated into the internal process and learning and growth perspectives. It is significant to note that both levels differ in objectives as the store-level is more involved with direct customer improvement as they adopt a more personal approach with more of a face to face relationship. Therefore objectives will be focused around the service element. In comparison to the headquarters that will look more to indirectly improving service by site quality, reducing complaints and activities involving improving brand image. However one similarity between them is that they are measured by customer feedback in one form or another. Internal Business Processes Perspective The first objective presented in figure 1 is (IP1) innovating products involved, this objective is important for businesses to maintain as their strategy and brand image pride themselves on producing unique high quality products in espresso and food. Therefore it is important for Caffà © Nero to innovate new products in order to compete within such a popular market. To measure this objective Caffà © Nero will look at increase in sales from new products in order to measure if they are successful or not. For that reason employee should be aware of the new products that are available by offering them at pay out areas in order to advertise new products, which links into objective (IP4) developing internal product knowledge. This will be achieved by daily staff meeting and work booklets to test staffs knowledge. Again, this perspective demonstrates some similarities between figures 1 2. Objectives are set to improve on delivery times for customers (IP2 IP5), this is aid of achieving h igh quality of service to link to customer satisfaction (C6), retention (IP3) and profitability (C4). If customers are dissatisfied they will go elsewhere which will affect growth in revenue (F1). To measure delivery times, focus as obtain comparing where Caffà © Nero are in terms of the market, as customers will have a certain level of expectations. However if Caffà © Nero are able to excel over this, it will create customer satisfaction which in theory will lead to more business from that customer. Also by ensuring there is a balanced customer to employee ratio in each site helps to improve delivery and customer service for customers as waiting times will decrease. Learning and Growth Perspective This area focuses on employees in terms of creating objectives to maintain training, in aid of retaining employee loyalty (LG1), improving both job and employee satisfaction (LG2), increasing employees capabilities in skills (LG4) as well as motivating and empowering employees (LG5). In theory these objectives should participate to maintaining a customer centric focus (LG3). Within this perspective, there are many differences between the scorecards as store-level focus on individual needs of employees to drive employee satisfaction. In comparison to headquarters which looks at overall achieving programmes to assist employee satisfaction, presenting a common objective in both scorecards. To measure these objectives appraisal and one to one meetings are used to assess their performance and how to improve in growth in revenue for the business. Each level is assessed by individual employees at store-level and individuals stores for headquarter level. Olve (2003) looked into how incentive and reward programmes can be aligned with scorecards in order to promote realization of intended strategy. This has been incorporated into the learning and growth stage of the scorecards. In aid to attract employees attention, to perform well at store level, contributing to the overall objective of increasing revenue growth for the company. Although there are many differences between the models as each scorecard targets a different audience, it is important to note that they both interlink to together to achieve Cafà © Neros objectives. As store-level focuses on direct customer service it is important that they get it right to achieve sales, retention as well as maintain a happy working environment for staff as getting these objective help to achieve objectives set for headquarter level. In terms of employee retention, training programmes, customer profitability and satisfaction as well as product innovation Conclusion To summarise the main points of this essay, it is essential to consider the information available in order to successfully design and implement a scorecard for a company. As statics show that 70% of balanced scorecards fail due to lack of research within their own individual company and the scorecard. The second point was to fully understand what Caffà © Nero wanted to achieve in regards to their strategy, as it is vital to not incorporate everything as this will only present more problems then benefits. Thirdly, when designing the scorecards for Caffà © Nero, it was crucial to ensure that they were easy to follow for all members of the organisation, as every objective interlinks and filters up the model in a form of a chain. If one objective is not met then this will affect the rest of the model creating a cause and affect relationship throughout the scorecard. For example consequences may lead to losing customers due to bad customer service, lack of high quality products and product knowledge due to limited training. As to measurements within the scorecards Caffà © Nero tried to be realistic so that they are able achieve their strategy as unrealistic measurements can disadvantage a business, as the costs of implementing balanced scorecards is a large investment to make as large amounts of money and time is needed. It is also important that Caffà © Nero adopted a trial and error approach so they could keep reviewing their scorecards to ensure they were aligned with their strategy. Overall a balanced scorecard is an affective management tool to translate strategy into a vision. Word Count: 3299