A NATIONAL FARMING CRISIS :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Towards the end of the nineteen twenties and through the nineteen thirties of the twentieth century the United States was struck with the largest economic dilemma; the Great Depression. Throughout the Great Depression president’s Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt tried their hardest at reconstructing the nation’s economy so that it would be able to continue it’s path to becoming the world’s greatest nation ever. However, it was a long and several times unsuccessful road which would come to see more than two decades when traveling down it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During this great depression the farmers of America were greatly effected, maybe more than any other single group of persons in the nation (Bubble Bursts, 133). What came to be known as â€Å"Hoovervilles† popped up across the country, composed primarily of unavailing farmers and their families. In the central area of the United States is where most farmers were affected as it was made of mostly plains and open dirt roads. It was here in central America that farmers gained their most known name used throughout the Depression, â€Å"okies†. These, simply, were the farmers which harshly suffered during the economic downfall. Through times of terror and hardship, when the nation’s economy bottomed out, America’s farmers were faced with the most complex quandary ever; the national farming crisis of the Great Depression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is overt to all persons that when materials are grown or produced for sale that a profit is to be made so that money is made back. Between the years of nineteen fifteen and nineteen-nineteen many farmers in the United States actually prospered very well (Baughman, 89). This acute onset of â€Å"good times† was a direct result of European agriculture being temporarily destroyed by World War I (89). As Europe looked to rebuild domestic agriculture they simultaneously looked at nations afar to ephemerally support them. The United States was one of these nations which was looked to for help. Using the supply and demand theory American farmers increased and expanded their supply of crops in order to meet the short-term demand of Europe. This proved to be detrimental to the farming economy of America just several short years later (89).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eventually, â€Å"†¦Europe was recovering and beginning to rebuild its agricultural sector, it no longer needed to import huge amounts of farm products from abroad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Baughman, 89). It was at this time in the early nineteen twenties that the economy of American farming began to plump downward.

Is The Statue of Liberty a Lie? Essay -- Essays Papers

Is The Statue of Liberty a Lie? The issue of immigration has shaped the history of the United States throughout the years of its existence. People from numerous different countries have immigrated to America in search of a better life and new opportunities. While Americans often ponder whether immigration is a benefit to society, legislators have recently enacted many anti-immigration laws which have been enforced to keep control over illegal immigration. Many different positions exist concerning illegal immigration in the United States. Advocates for Proposition 187 would suggest that illegal immigration is greatly increasing the population of the country, crowding schools, and denying many basic rights to citizens. Opponents indicate that immigration laws are discriminatory and that there are simple solutions to the overall issue. Every different stance that is taken on the issue is bound to have consequences; therefore impossible to reach a consensus. Illegal immigrants have been a concern in the United States for many years. As the population grows larger, less space is available, particularly in California. Citizens from countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador flee to America with hopes of finding a stable job and a new home, but they are not always welcome. As more illegal aliens cross the borders, less jobs and educational opportunities are available for citizens of the United States. Some may argue that the rights of Americans should be served before those who enter this country illegally. In 1994, in the state of California, Proposition 187 was passed to ensure the security of America’s citizens. Proposition 187 denies public social services, publicly-funded health care, and public educati... ...f immigration into the country. While immigration into America is encouraged and legal, the ever-present factor of illegal immigration is beginning to take its toll across the nation. Some states, such as California, believe strong measures must be taken in order to counteract the negative effects commonly associated with illegal immigration. However, such actions may not necessarily solve this ongoing problem in the United States, in fact, no permanent solution may exist. Perhaps a more reasonable solution may surface when legislators truly embrace the ideals set forth in the founding of our nation. Works Cited 1. Documentary = â€Å"Fear of Learning at Hoover Elementary† 2. Ono, Kent, and John M. Sloop. Shifting Borders. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002. 3. â€Å"Bring Back Proposition 187.† Human Events 19 Aug. 2003: Vol. 59 Issue 28 Is The Statue of Liberty a Lie? Essay -- Essays Papers Is The Statue of Liberty a Lie? The issue of immigration has shaped the history of the United States throughout the years of its existence. People from numerous different countries have immigrated to America in search of a better life and new opportunities. While Americans often ponder whether immigration is a benefit to society, legislators have recently enacted many anti-immigration laws which have been enforced to keep control over illegal immigration. Many different positions exist concerning illegal immigration in the United States. Advocates for Proposition 187 would suggest that illegal immigration is greatly increasing the population of the country, crowding schools, and denying many basic rights to citizens. Opponents indicate that immigration laws are discriminatory and that there are simple solutions to the overall issue. Every different stance that is taken on the issue is bound to have consequences; therefore impossible to reach a consensus. Illegal immigrants have been a concern in the United States for many years. As the population grows larger, less space is available, particularly in California. Citizens from countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador flee to America with hopes of finding a stable job and a new home, but they are not always welcome. As more illegal aliens cross the borders, less jobs and educational opportunities are available for citizens of the United States. Some may argue that the rights of Americans should be served before those who enter this country illegally. In 1994, in the state of California, Proposition 187 was passed to ensure the security of America’s citizens. Proposition 187 denies public social services, publicly-funded health care, and public educati... ...f immigration into the country. While immigration into America is encouraged and legal, the ever-present factor of illegal immigration is beginning to take its toll across the nation. Some states, such as California, believe strong measures must be taken in order to counteract the negative effects commonly associated with illegal immigration. However, such actions may not necessarily solve this ongoing problem in the United States, in fact, no permanent solution may exist. Perhaps a more reasonable solution may surface when legislators truly embrace the ideals set forth in the founding of our nation. Works Cited 1. Documentary = â€Å"Fear of Learning at Hoover Elementary† 2. Ono, Kent, and John M. Sloop. Shifting Borders. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002. 3. â€Å"Bring Back Proposition 187.† Human Events 19 Aug. 2003: Vol. 59 Issue 28

Code of Ethics Essay -- Ethical Issues, Good Ethics

This essay will discuss the following main statement; the adoption of a proposed new look Code of Ethics, based on the international Federation Accountants’ code, will ensure that New Zealand Charted Accountants meet their ethical responsibilities. Within this essay an adverse position will be taken towards the previous statement. The international Federation of Accountants (IFAC) states that, professional standards and the code of ethics form important benchmarks that should be met by practicing accountants. Accountants should understand and apply them when conducting any type of work (Pickett 2005). The New Zealand Institute of Charted Accountants (NZICA) is a member of IFAC, as part of its member obligations NZICA has to apply the same standards as IFAC (nzica) . This is how the previous statement arises, due to IFAC recently going through a major revision of the code in the area of independence. (nzica) .This essay will appoint different issues and concerns about adopting a new code of ethics and how this change will actually affect the society. Such points are; personal moral judgment, ethical education being a factor of ethical responsibilities and unclear types of enforcement and points of the Code of Ethics. â€Å"Good ethics, whether at work or home, demands self-knowledge, Whereas some groups want to see ethics as a skill or a particular part of organizational transformation, practising good ethics ultimately comes down to you and how you make decisions.†(6). Moral judgment is unique to any individual, adjustments to the NZICA Code of Ethics will not provide a higher rate of success in ethical decisions by professional accountants this is stated in certain studies .Such studies show that moral judgment is not affected ju... ...de of Ethics show the problem is far more extensive than just a few overlook of the previous code. To ensure that New Zealand Charted Accountants act ethically there is need of bigger changes. Ultimately , this essay discussed why the statement; the adoption of a proposed new look Code of Ethics, based on the international Federation Accountants’ code, will ensure that New Zealand Charted Accountants meet their ethical responsibilities, is not essentially right. Throughout the essay with the aid of journal articles, books and other resources a point of agreement that the previous statement is not correct has been achieved. Three different points were arise, personal moral judgment, ethical education being a factor of ethical responsibilities and unclear types of enforcement and points of the Code of Ethics to prove that the previous statement was not correct.

Marketing Plan for our adventure club

This Is because If we focus on Increasing the market share then we end up focusing on our needs and wants. However, through our offering, we focus on meeting the customer†s wants and needs, by designing services accordingly. Type of product: Ours is a high involvement, experiential product aimed to be marketed as a hedonistic product. To put it in a nutshell, the product is the experience one can feel or understand only after participation. Core Product: The experience of participating In adventure sports like: Trekking, Camping, Paragliding, Bungee Jumping and horse riding Is what drives our product.While some of the adventure sports offered by us are also provided by our competitors, still we are the only one offering all of them together and that too in the lush green lap of nature. Core Benefits: When an individual â€Å"buys† the product he signs up to enjoy the core benefits of thrill, adrenaline rush, feeling of victory over fear and the feeling of Independence th at he gets while participating In the sports activity he has â€Å"bought†. To top It all, the discerning adventurer gets a feel of multiple sports. All at one location.Thus, some of the key core product attributes are: meets the adventure interests of urban customers * provides adventure in natural peaceful surroundings with no space constraints * Sports/ Adventure Experiences Offered: provides each customer with a basket of varied experiences under one roof * within 50-75 km from the city * Real time experience as compared to virtual gaming worlds The Augmented Product: As is evident from the interviews, reports in the media and the results of our survey, the adventure seeking college goers and unmarried professionals are interested in the core benefits of adrenaline rush and feeling of independence.Therefore Adventure', apart from offering these core benefits, also aims at providing the customers the enhanced benefit of spending quality time with the family while out on an adventure trip. Based on favorable responses to our focused questions during our interview, the augmented product entails the following: a. Camping as a non-adventure family experience to be accompanied by bonfire. This would be marketed as a stand-alone experience. B. A Family Pack including adventure sports and relaxation, a weekend away from the hectic life, all together at a single place, thereby, providing value to everyone c.Special product designed for large choice. Trekking, camping along with fun filled outdoor games can be excellent team building activities. Augmented product Attributes: * 2 day 1 night package for long term thrills * Complete family puller * Catering to all individuals and groups like students, professionals and corporate. Key Product Quality: Value for money with international adventure sports standards. Customization Offered: Pick and choose from among the various adventure sports packages offered.Reliability: All adventure sports performed under the s upervision of World class professionals Greatest focus within our service quality would be to ensure highest standards of safety. This would be done through rigorous third party audits and continuous assessment of safety systems in place. Branding: Adventure : Discover Yourself! Perceived Product Value with Price: Middle Market Service point of view: A. People: * Employees: The employees are a bunch of young and dynamic professionals who are refreshingly informal while approaching the different customers. Punctuality: Employees are always available on time for the customers 24*7 * Training: Employees at our club are people with a relevant degree in a course which links an understanding of industry provisions, social and psychological aspects of adventurous and extreme sports. As part of the course they must have gone through an integral residential field trip. Our staff is experienced and highly qualified in their respective fields. * Motivation: The employees are constantly motivat ed through a flat structure at our adventure club and given performance based rewards.Feedback is collected from the customers and incentives are given to the employees preferred or recommended by the customers. * Teamwork: World class certified professionals competent enough to be able to handle emergencies faced. They are well trained to teach the outdoor adventure skills and risk management techniques with organizations like NOELS (USA), Outward Bound (I-J), along with a number of adventure schools of India like HIM, MIM. * Culture: All the employees are treated as the members off Family. All the success or failures are shared together as a team.B. Physical Evidence: * Equipment: The entire range of equipments required for our adventure sports is mostly manufactured outside India. We plan to import good certified equipments manufactured in compliance with the International Safety Standards from best laity distributors e. G. The entire range of equipment for paragliding is importe d from Supper, which is the most trusted brand in paragliding equipment industry. Also, bungee Jumping equipment is imported from Nanning Quenching Amusement amusement equipments. Facility design: We are located in a site in the north zone of Bangor, which is known for its lush green natural surroundings. The site is easily accessible through public transportation. We have adequate parking space, roads have been paved to our club from the main road, and our site is free from the pollution and noise of the traffic in the city. Our facility development partners have helped us with the best site for each sport, safety incorporation such as a bounded fence for some exclusive sports like bungee Jumping.We also have relaxation zones where a family can have a great time together. Bounded Fence for Safety Relaxation Private zones for Family * Signage: The entire surrounding is marked with legible indications and signboards which help in identifying the location pertaining to each sport and also for food and stay areas. Support staff is available at designated points after intervals to help people get familiarized with the zones. Areas specially designated for sports bear instructions specific to sport along with actions needed when faced with emergency. Employee Dress: Our entire team is easily approachable for any kind of guidance or help during the process, because of the informal but common dress code that is in place. The outstanding color of the t-shirts helps as a quick clue for identification. * Reports/Statements/Guarantees: Annual feedback service reports to be emailed to all customers who have availed our services in the last one year including families, friends, corporate groups and individuals. C.Process: Customization is the undercurrent of all our offers, which allows groups to interact with us about their interests and also seek help in identifying the best package which suits them. One of our assisting staff is assigned to each group to help them for t he entire period of stay, for both single-day and weekend packages. 1) The simple sequence of steps involved in the process is as listed below: * Availability check: Enquire for availability of accommodation for the group by mentioning the size and probable time of arrival- This can be done through our website, www. Adventure. Com or through our telephone service.There is an option of selecting the suitable package by talking to our control team employees, who have the expertise to offer the best package in line with the group's interest, demographics and any constraints. * The price for the entire package can be enquired at this time or after arrival, and the choice should be intimated to our personnel. * Arrival at Adventure, followed by indulging in the unique facilities offered * Excitement and fun while engaging in the sports * Go home with a lingering thrills Quality: All our activities are accredited by adventure activities licensing authority Pricing:We shall introduce the p roduct, Adventure, with a penetration pricing. Considering the nature of our venture, it is important that we achieve the following: * Attract the innovators and enable trial of the experiences and services. * Ensure maximum capacity utilization. * Deter existing players from adding capacity and offering the sports not yet offered. * Reducing the per customer cost of providing expert supervision and considering the high capital investments required in the project.Pricing method to be followed: We have decided to price our offering on the principles of perceived value pricing. The perceived value of our offering was arrived at by a survey conducted in which various price points were offered to be chosen amongst. It is our endeavourer to ensure that there is a gradual increase in the customer perceived value through focused promotional activities, which are being discussed below. The going price, offered by substitutes and competitors was also closely studied before arriving at the pr ice points.

Marketing Techniques Are Used to Market Products Essay

P1 – describe how marketing techniques are used to market products in two organisations’ Marketing is the activity and process for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchange a product or service; which has values for the customers/clients. Overall it is an integrated process which builds customer relationship and creates an identity for their customers and themselves. However, marketing can be separated into submarkets – Business to Consumer marketing and Business to Business marketing. Business to Consumer Marketing: This is the process by which companies create a value for customers and build a strong customer relationship. Importance of creating a customer relationship is for the business to capture a return value from the customer; (e.g. Newsagent to Consumer). Business to Business Marketing: This is creating a value, solution, and relationship either for a short term or a long term with a business or a brand. This process generates a strategy that motivates sales techniques, business communication, and business developments; (e.g. Wholesalers to Newsagents). †¢A business with an aim is the goal the business wants to achieve (Long Term). Primary aim for all business organisations is to add value to the product or service they are providing and some businesses involve in making some profit. Some other aims include more strategic options like expansion, market leadership/increase in market share and brand building. †¢Business objective is more of step by step plan to take in order to achieve a stated aim (Short Term). To know the progress made by the business to achieve the objective, SMART plan used: Private Sector: Businesses in the private sector are owned by private individuals or groups. The main aims and objectives of a private sector business are to make profit and survive. Examples are: Ford, Nokia and Armani. Public Sector: Businesses in the public sector are owned or controlled by the government or regional authorities. Public sector businesses aims and objectives are not necessarily aiming to make a profit; most of their money comes from funds that are acquired through tax revenue. These types of business organisation for example are: NHS, Fire Services and State Schools. Voluntary Sectors: Businesses in the voluntary sector raise money to support particular cause or provide a service to those in need. Even though voluntary sector businesses do not aim to make a profit, they do aim to make a surplus after all costs have been covered. Another aim voluntary sector businesses may have is to increase service provision. Examples of this type of business are: Save The Children, Cancer Research UK, RSPCA. However, public and voluntary organisations have similar aims to the private sector; which is to run efficiently. The three sectors can plan their objectives by using SMART: Specific – making sure the objective is clear and readable. Measureable – for example, the data can be quantified. Achievable – if the objective is possible to be attained. Realistic – make sure the objective is real depending on the current stature of the business. Time Bound – making sure the objective can be achieved in an associated time period. Marketing strategies define objectives, plan and produce the way the business is going to satisfy customers in the chosen market. Using market strategy, businesses set marketing goals, define target markets and describes how the business should work to achieve the positioning to have an advantage over its competitors. The process used for marketing strategy has three steps, which are shown below: 1.Research and Planning During this period, the business/organisation first develops an understanding and gathers a clear picture of their target customers. As well as understanding the customers, the firm also analyse their market and competition. This gives them a view of what the markets are wanting and what the market needs and also they can follow the steps of the competitors. With this information they can then plan and start developing their market strategy. 2.Developing The Market Strategy This is the next step after collecting data from analysing the market and competition and also understanding the market’s needs and wants. Next steps are to refine the distribution; so what would be the best way to deliver the product or service to the target customer. The firm at this point identify their objectives and choose the right path to exploit any opportunities seen during the research stage. 3.Determining Actions and Controls Final stage is when you implement the strategy. So to implement the strategy; the organisation has to analyse the financial costs by creating a budget and evaluate the costs. After having this data calculated, the marketing strategy is then put into action and during the period of the activation of the strategy the firm will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy and either start planning for a new one or extend if there may be any faults in the recent strategy. Now looking at the two businesses given; Brodie’s Beer and Cadburys plc; they both are private sector businesses with Brodie’s Beer having aims to survive and maximising profit and Cadburys plc’s aims is to increase growth in market share and maximising profit. Cadburys Plc One of Cadburys’ products called Fuse was being developed and Cadburys had an objective set while working on their new product. Their objectives were: To grow the market for chocolate confectionary. To increase Cadburys’ share of the snacking sector. So when developing the product, the objective â€Å"increase Cadburys’ share of the snacking sector† was set to make sure that when Cadbury launched another product; it had a USP (Unique Selling Point. Fuse is a snacking and chocolate bar and was developed to bolster the position of Cadburys against the consumer trend towards snacking. Cadburys had a target market of ages from 16-34 when launching the fuse bar and had launched a ‘Fuseday’ campaign for the release of the chocolate/snacking bar Fuse. They had used Direct Marketing by having sponsorship from the Daily Mirror and Live TV and also Public Relation campaign involving national TV, radio and press coverage. The product Fuse; was the first national product launch from Cadburys in over 20 years and due to the high marketing commitment; over 40 million bars were delivered to trade in the first week of launch. Branding technique was used for all the marketing of the Fuse bar and the campaign called ‘Fuseday’ – it produces a positive image and presents an awareness of the product and company through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. There are also other marketing techniques that are used for new or existing products in a new or existing market, these techniques are: growth strategies, survival strategy and relationship marketing. Brodie’s Beer Ltd Brodie’s Beer is a private limited company in the private sector. They brewer their own beers and also sell them. One of the beers they have is: Stillwater, Premium 45, 8.5% – Belgian Malt Liquor. 50% Corn and Massive dry hops of Galaxy, Citra, Kohatu Brodie’s Beer market their products by launching an event which allows the public to examine and ponder round in the brewery looking and tasting the different types of beer – free samples. This is one sort of relationship marketing and giving away free samples is an attractive way to advertise their products and the business itself to the open public. This allows customers to have a ‘test drive’ of the products that the businesses want to promote. The long term of free samples is that the customers will remember this act and will start purchasing the products. Free samples also bring in new customers and new products into the market and this gives Brodie’s Beer the opportunity to gain new loyal customers – which is the benefit of relationship marketing. The only drawback to this is the financial investment. All the money spent in brewing the alcohol and then giving most of it as tasters is a drawback as the time and money spent can go to waste if those customers are not going to purchase any beer in the future. However giving away free samples is a win-win strategy for the business as well as the consumers.

Birthday Party

A birthday is a very wonderful day. Everybody likes to celebrate it. It is a good opportunity to spend time with friends, parents, relatives. My 17th birthday party last year was a really memorable occasion. I celebrated it at home in the evening. All my friends came and we had a lot of fun. Preparations began a day before the celebration. My mother and I cleaned the house. Many delicious dishes were cooked, the rooms were decorated with balloons and steamers. In the morning of birthday party day my father went shopping and bought everything we needed.All the invitations were sent one week before the celebration. In the morning on my birthday my parents put the presents near my bed. So, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my presents. My mom and daddy and my little brother came to my room to congratulate me and to sing ? «Happy Birthday? ». By the evening food was cooked, the table was laid. We put on evening suits and dresses and waited for the guests. The flat looke d nice and cosy. I was very glad to meet my guests. I got a lot of flowers, presents and Birthday cards.We had an abundant dinner on this day. My mother bought in the birthday cake and I blew the candles out. We danced and sang songs, played games and laughed, Joked, told funny stories, listened to the music. I think that my birthday is one of the best days in a year. The entire evening was a huge success and everyone agreed that we had a lot of fun. It certainly was the best party I have ever had, because of the great pleasure it gave me to see so many of my friends and relatives together in the same place. I think I shall remember my party for a long time to come.A birthday is a very wonderful day. Everybody likes to celebrate it. It is a good opportunity to spend time with friends, parents, relatives. My 17th birthday party last year was a really memorable occasion. I celebrated it at home in the evening. All my friends came and we had a lot of fun. Preparations began a day befor e the celebration. My mother and I cleaned the house. Many delicious dishes were cooked, the rooms were decorated with balloons and steamers. In the morning of birthday party day my father went shopping and bought everything we needed.All the invitations were sent one week before the celebration. In the morning on my birthday my parents put the presents near my bed. So, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my presents. My mom and daddy and my little brother came to my room to congratulate me and to sing ? «Happy Birthday? ». By the evening food was cooked, the table was laid. We put on evening suits and dresses and waited for the guests. The flat looked nice and cosy. I was very glad to meet my guests. I got a lot of flowers, presents and Birthday cards. We had an abundant dinner on this day.My mother bought in the birthday cake and I blew the candles out. We danced and sang songs, played games and laughed, Joked, told funny stories, listened to the music. I think tha t my birthday is one of the best days in a year. The entire evening was a huge success and everyone agreed that we had a lot of fun. It certainly was the best party I have ever had, because of the great pleasure it gave me to see so many of my friends and relatives together in the same place. I think I shall remember my party for a long time to come. Birthday Party By marusks05

Rfid at the Metro Group

RFID at the Metro Group Mierdorf and Wolfram are preparing their report to the RFID steering committee next month and they have three options to recommend. They can: * Expand the scope of the current pallet level RFID rollout * Move to case level RFID tagging with the manufacturers currently engaged in pallet level rollout * Stop the expansion of the RFID and focus on traditional process improvement opportunities Given the facts in the case and as outlined in more detail in this case study, it is our recommendation that Mierdorf and Wolfram move to the case level RFID tagging process.The improvements up and down the supply chain in accuracy, inventory control, reduced labor costs are enough to at least continue with the RFID rollout at the pallet level. However, there is ample financial data that supports quite forcibly the added benefits of RFID at the case level. Now, with any initiative as bold and challenging as this as far as logistics between manufacturers, distribution centers , and retail stores, implementation of technology that is emerging almost daily, and not to mention the substantial capital expenditures has its inherent risks.We identify those risks later in this study. However, we contend that despite the obstacles that lie ahead, the benefits for this initiative are overwhelming. The potential for this technology given the reporting capabilities, the versatility of product specific inventory levels, and the opportunity to make the RFID tag universal worldwide are endless. Furthermore, as more manufacturers, retailers, shippers, distribution centers, etc. incorporate RFID into their supply chain the more cost effective it becomes for the entire industry.In this study, we examine the process flow of the supply chain; the financial analysis of both pallet level and case level tagging; the risks associated with RFID tagging at both levels; and conclude with a timeline chart starting from the beginning of the project up to this juncture. Process flow of the supply chain Pallets are assembled at the manufacturer’s plant after the production line. These pallets are either stored at the manufacturer’s warehouse or shipped to a distribution center (DC). From here, the pallets are either shipped to one of Metro’s DCs or directly to a Metro store.Commonly, pallets at the Metro DC are unbundled and repackaged as mixed pallets. Pallets sizes can range from 60 to 80 cases per pallet and in extreme situations as much as 900 cases on a pallet. One can imagine the labor force required to receive a pallet from a manufacturer, check it in, break in down and reassemble and then ship it out to a retail location who then must receive it, check it in and break it down into the cases. At this point, the stockroom must determine how much of the product can be moved directly to the sales floor and how much was to remain in the stock room.It was common to have to return product marked for the sales floor back to the stock room d ue to lack of display space. Furthermore, products would be moved within the sales floor for promotional events which necessitated handling the product again. A retail store could receive shipments directly from the manufacturer or from a variety of Metro DC’s. The shipments from the manufacturer or Metro DC varied from week to week and store to store. This made it difficult for the stores to anticipate what would be delivered on a day to day or week to week basis.In addition to the various locations the shipments originated, the pallet sizes, the pallet mix, the randomness of the delivery schedules, and the number of times it took to handle the pallets, there were also the times when the product had to be returned for quality issues or product damage. Process Flow Chart without RFID – Manufacturer Process Flow Chart without RFID – Metro DC Benefits of RFID In general the benefits for implementing the RFID process would be labor productivity, accuracy of invento ry count, improved product availability, and reduced costs.More specifically, the case study identified three areas that would benefit from the implementation of the RFID tagging process. Benefits of RFID at Pallet Level At the pallet level the RFID tagging would make the shipment from the manufacturer more accurate and efficient. With RFID, all pallets could be scanned while being loaded onto the truck. The need for manually scanning the pallets was eliminated and now the truck driver can monitor the pallets being loaded on his truck. Furthermore, the forklift drivers would no longer need to preassemble the pallets and store them in the shipping area in advance of the delivery trucks’ arrival.This greatly reduces the need for supervision over the forklift driver. Metro estimated a cost savings to the manufacturer of approximately â‚ ¬0. 20 per pallet shipped. Benefits of RFID at the Case Level At the case level there were two significant areas of improvement. One had to d o with the mixed pallet picking at the Metro DC and the other was improving the shelf restocking at the stores. At the Metro DC, pickers were used to reassemble a mixed pallet. The pickers used a hand held scanner to track what cases were picked for the pallet.Metro estimated that the picking errors amounted to . 05% of the cases that were picked. Using RFID tagging, the process would be automated by the forklift drivers. The RFID could alert the picker if they had too many or too few of the proper cases or if they had picked the wrong case altogether. With these controls in place, the need for additional supervision and rechecking were virtually eliminated. Between the time savings of automatically scanning the picked cases and the elimination of rechecking the 1% cases, Metro estimated a combined savings of about â‚ ¬. 2 per case which amounts to a total savings of â‚ ¬ 511,000 per year. In addition, Metro estimated that with the increased accuracy of the cases shipped to th e stores it would greatly reduce if not eliminate the need to send product back to the DC or worse, throw it out. Another beneficiary of the RFID tagging at the case level would be restocking at the stores. Due to the lag between products being received in the stock room in the mornings and the sales floor being restocked at night, the chances that the store would be under stocked were great.Using an RFID reader in conjunction with point of sale data, the store personnel would easily track inventory levels and restock more efficiently. The restocking efficiency was estimated to boost gross sales by . 05% which would result in an increase in gross profit of â‚ ¬. 05 per additional product sold. Financial Benefits The details and comprehensive analytics are within attachment #1. The attachment describes three main topics: 1. Hardware, Software, and Maintenance Expenditures 2. Pallet RFID Program Analysis 3. Case RFID Program AnalysisWithin those analytics it provides much of the de tail analysis that supports our recommendation. We will provide the following highlights; Hardware, Software and Maintenance Costs, Productivity and Shrinkage Savings, and NPV/IRR calculations. Initial Hardware and Software Costs | Pallet Costs Per Store| Case Costs Per Store| Hardware Costs| â‚ ¬ 8,500. 00| â‚ ¬ 14,045. 00| Software Costs| â‚ ¬ 17,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 28,090. 00| Total Costs| â‚ ¬ 25,500. 00| â‚ ¬ 42,135. 00| Annual Maintenance for Full Rollout| â‚ ¬ 3,400. 00| â‚ ¬ 5,618. 00| Total Hardware and Software Costs| â‚ ¬11,118,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 18,370,755. 00| Total Maintenance for Full Rollout| â‚ ¬1,482,400. 0| â‚ ¬ 2,449,434. 00| Full Rollout Total Costs| â‚ ¬ 12,600,400. 00| â‚ ¬ 20,820,189. 00| When comparing the initial costs for both implementing the pallet or case RFID program the pallet option shows less initial hardware, software, and maintenance cost compared to the case option. The below information will provide further detail of the initial costs. These costs take into account that each retail store (436 initial stores plus an annual increase 1. 5% stores year over year) of under the pallet RFID program would need one portal per store and the distribution centers would need two portals.Whereas, under the case RFID program each store would need the same amount of portals as the pallet program but would require 872 readers at the stores and 50 readers at the DC’s. The cost of the software is twice the amount of the hardware costs and the maintenance cost is 20% of the software costs. The distribution centers costs calculations are further detailed below. | Pallet Costs Per DC| Case Costs Per DC| Hardware Costs| â‚ ¬ 17,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 30,862. 00| Software Costs| â‚ ¬ 34,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 61,725. 00| Total Costs| â‚ ¬ 51,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 92,587. 00|Annual Maintenance | â‚ ¬ 6,800. 00| â‚ ¬ 12,345. 00| Total Hardware and Software Costs| â‚ ¬ 510,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 925,869. 00| Total Ma intenance for Full Rollout| â‚ ¬ 68,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 123,449. 00| Full Rollout Total Costs| â‚ ¬ 578,000. 00| â‚ ¬ 1,049,318. 00| The entire hardware, software, and maintenance expense for both the retail stores under the pallet RFID program is â‚ ¬13,178,400 and under the case RFID program is â‚ ¬21,869,508. While the initial investment of each program are substantially different the costs outlay is only part of the overall evaluation of the program.Productivity and Shrinkage Cost Analysis One of the more interesting items within the analysis is how each program would affect productivity and shrinkage. Under the pallet RFID program the analytics the program would experience the following over a 5 year period: * Total Shrinkage savings of â‚ ¬ 14,214,946. 52 * Total Productivity savings of â‚ ¬ 568,214. 400 Under the case RFID program the analytics the program would experience the following over a 5 year period: * Total Shrinkage savings of â‚ ¬65. 02MM * Tot al Productivity savings of â‚ ¬23. 11MMThe productivity and shrinkage savings is the main driver as to why the net present value and IRR should be used in determining the best options for Metro. Below are the final NPV and IRR calculations for each of the options. Pallet RFID Program | Pallet| IRR| NPV sum PV| (â‚ ¬5,507,634. 51)| -8%| NPV excel| (â‚ ¬5,006,940. 46)| -16%| Case RFID Program (In millions) | Case| IRR| NPV sum PV| â‚ ¬ 9. 60 | 21%| NPV excel| â‚ ¬ 8. 73 | 10%| It is evidenced in the analysis that implementing the case RFID program would result in both a positive NPV and a higher rate of IRR.Whereas, implementing the pallet RFID program would result in a negative NPV and a negative IRR. From a Metro perspective it would be advisable to implement the case RFID program over the pallet program. Risks associated with RFID technology RFID tags were still undergoing development and testing. The first generation tags had problems with country-specific frequenci es and power regulations and were not compatible with the existing ISO standards. The second generation tags, Gen 2, were not due to be released until 2006.The Gen 2 tags were meant to become a global standard that were more in line with ISO standards. However, analysts predicted it would take years, possibly even a decade, of testing, implementation, and running systems in parallel with bar codes before RFID would take over as the primary means of product identification. The risks associated with the RFID tag technology manifested into problems for Metro during the initial rollout of pallet level tagging. Suppliers, trying to save money, often purchased tags that would not meet Metro’s high quality requirements.Also, because suppliers were not formally bound to any brand of tag, tags of low quality or wrong frequency made them unreadable. To minimize these risks Metro planned to move to the Gen 2 tags in the second phase of the RFID initiative. These new tags would have one global standard, offered improved read rates, and were less expensive. Risks associated with case level tagging Metro knew that RFID implementation at the pallet level would involve significant upfront costs for all parties involved. Suppliers would have to purchase RFID tags and printers and create a process of attaching the tags to the correct locations on the pallet.Metro would have to purchase additional hardware called portals that are equipped with RFID readers and antennae. In addition Metro would need to design middleware, or software, that would filter the reader’s data and send it to the enterprise application. Essentially, both Metro and its suppliers would have to invest in a RFID infrastructure, process design, and training. Moving to the case level would increase costs for the suppliers as they would have to buy more tags and make significant process changes. Metro would have to make changes o its IT systems in order to distinguish between backroom and selling f loor inventory. This data would also have to be combined with point-of-sale data to alert store employees to replenish floor stock from backroom inventories. During the initial rollout of the first phase many suppliers could not participate because of the strict process requirements. Problems of tag placement or missing tags would be compounded at the case level. Also, with the move to the Gen 2 tags Metro would have to replace the old readers with new ones compatible with the new tags.The risks associated with case level tagging could be minimized by moving forward with the major suppliers already involved at the pallet level. These suppliers would have already invested in the RFID technology and processes so would likely be more receptive and better equipped to continue on to the next phase. Project Strategy Metro’s strategy of the project is one of leadership and offense. In 2004 when Metro announces its RFID rollout other major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Tesco, hav e made it clear that they believe RFID technology could significantly improve the supply chain.Since 1999 Metro has taken a lead role in the development of RFID systems. They are a founding member of Global Commerce Initiative (GCI) whose objective is to enhance global commerce and improve international supply chains. Mierdorf, Metro’s CIO, is a co-chairman of GCI and is actively involved with the EPC working group that is designing the Gen 2 tags. GCI is a strong supporter of RFID implementation using the EPC standard. Clearly the actions and involvement of Metro senior management in the development and implementation of RFID technology demonstrate a company that is focused on an offensive and leading strategy.Productivity levers The productivity levers that the project primarily focuses on are a reduction or complete elimination of manual processes and improvements in labor productivity through automating processes. Existing processes are replaced with more efficient ones. These productivity levers will affect both Metro and their suppliers and include the following: reduced supervision time of trucks being loaded at manufacturers, reduce picking errors at Metro DCs, increase in-stock rate resulting in increase of store sales, and transmission of point-of-sale and inventory data to the suppliers.Timeline The following outline places in order the events that lead up to the current status of RFID practices adhered to by the METRO group and their RFID partners. These events lead into the recommendation from our analysis of the direction the Metro group should move toward in future RFID practices. In addition to the summary of historical business decisions made by the Metro group through 2005 there is also included in the introduction a brief outline referencing to the development of RFID technology and its associated protocols.In the 1930’s remote identification was born with the invention of Radar ID and British aircraft transponders. The develop ment of this technology continued through to the 1970’s where the work of American entrepreneurs on passive transponder identification helped it take a large step forward. By the early 2000’s the stage was set for the use of first generation RFID technology in the commercial and retail industry. RFID technology improvement continued to be made from early versions to more standardized specifications and by early 2004 EPC global began developing a new electronic product code protocol called â€Å"Gen2†.In Dec of 2004 the â€Å"Gen2† standard was released. ISO required additional changes to the â€Å"Gen2† and changes weren’t complete until late 2005. After all the improvements, standardization and development some analysts have still speculated that it could take close to a decade before RFID would be the sole source of product identification. The Metro group has taken an active role in forging ahead to accelerate the schedule on this technolo gy and drive innovation and implementation. The Metro group, which started back in 1965, was a local wholesale business serving commercial customers in Germany.By the 1970’s the Metro group had moved into Europe for a boarder market and retailing as a larger scope of its business mission. By 2005 the Metro group had become the world’s third largest retailer with sales of â‚ ¬36. 4 billion and had developed some major clout in swaying industry practices with regards to adoption of the RFID technology. Moving back to 1996 we see that Zygmunt Mierdorf, Metro‘s CEO, helped create the Metro group information technology IT subsidiary. Then in October of 1999 the Metro group became a founding member of the global commerce initiative or GCI.Metro’s CEO Mierdorf became the co-chairman of GCI and appointed MGI’s managing director, Dr. Gerd Wolfram, to co-chair GCI’s intelligent tagging working group. Three years later the Metro group launched the Fu ture Store initiative. Wolfram was the executive project manager of the FSI and by 2003 the initiative had been joined by over 40 partners. In early 2004 Metro announced that by Nov 2004 100 Metro suppliers would be using RFID on pallets delivered to 10 warehouses and 250 stores.During the period of time from announcement to roll out on pallet tagging the Metro group deployed RFID readers and associated infrastructure. It develop middleware, created RFID-enabled processes, select suppliers, found internal candidates to help roll out the implementation and helped train the associated parties and partners. For instance in July of that same year the Metro group opened an innovation center to support partners with RFID implementation.Also during this time period a 12 person steering committee was developed to help oversee all issues related to the RFID roll out. By November of 2004 Metro began deploying RFID at the pallet level to most but not all of its announced stores and distributio n centers. Between Nov of 2004 and July of 2005 Metro’s read accuracy increased from 30% to 90% which improved the confidence in the technology. By mid 2005 Metro began seeing other benefits including immediate verification of incomplete shipments and truck unloading cut down by 20 min from the old process.Following this first rollout and implementation Analysis was under taken to understand what the next direction would be. After evaluation of the current options both financial and operational it was determined that moving forward with case-level RFID tagging was optimal and a positive NPV project. Wolfram and Mierdorf would next be meeting with the management steering committee on December 13th where they would present the findings with recommendation that Metro should proceed with case-level tagging.