Panera Bread Essay

In this paper I will be discussing the company Panera Bread, its history, and how they decided on the business strategy that the company uses. I will also give a description of Panera’s strategic vision and how its stakeholders enable the success of Panera. Panera was built by Ron Shaich and originally started out in 1980 with a little store that used to be called the Cookie Jar. After three decades, a merger, and an acquisition later, Shaich’s empire turned into what we now know and love as Panera Bread. (Kowitt, 2012). Shaich started this bread empire when he was attending Clark University and was kicked out of a convenience store that didn’t cater to college students. So Shaich, who was the treasurer of the student body, decided that the college should make their own store, and that is exactly what they did. After running this store for the college, Shaich loved it so much that he decided to open his own store called the Cookie Jar, and in an effort to expand his offerings he became a licensee of the French bakery company, Au Bon Pain, whom later on merged with his company. Kowitt, 2012). Later Shaich stated that â€Å"[he] was worried because the French baked goods we sold at our half-a-dozen stores were becoming pedestrianized. We decided to use the croissant and bread as a platform to sell soups, salads, and sandwiches† (Kowitt, 2012). This is where they started becoming the store we are familiar with, however they had one more change to go through before they evolved into their current format. In 1993 Shaich purchased a small lunchtime soup, salad, and sandwich chain called St. Louis Bread Co. Shaich soon realized that this is where the gem of his business was located, so he changed the name to Panera, changed the environment to encourage people to gather, and sold off the other portions of his company such as Au Bon Pain. (Kowitt, 2012). This was the turning point for the company where Shaich decided to make the full business strategy for Panera to be that of the bakery cafe set up. With a vision of providing good quality breads and foods, with excellent customer service, this is key for while other companies have cut back due to the economy. Panera has continued their game plan to ensure the greatest experience for their customers. If you walk into other companies restaurants you will see longer lines, waits, and dirty tables due to those companies cutting back, whereas Panera continues to invest in labor in their cafes and the quality of their workers, as well as in the quality of their food. (â€Å"How panera bread,† 2010). This is their long term strategy and what I believe is the key to their success and the most important part of their strategy. They put emphasis on the quality of their food and the dining experience; this has really won over the customers that want a fast, clean, and healthy dining experience. This business plan of taking care of the customer first is due to the fact that the stockholders, and Shaich, who is the largest stockholder, allow Panera to remember that they started the company to provide quality service to customers, not to make money. Realizing that the stock price is a byproduct of them ensuring the customers are happy, and not the whole point of the company. A lot of companies think only of profits and hitting the bottom line, whereas Panera views their role as delivering a valued service to their customers. (Shaich, 2011). Shaich states that â€Å"We have to spend less time figuring out how to extract economic value from our stakeholders and more time creating what is valuable to them. Doing so is what ultimately creates long-term value† (Shaich, 2011). Arguing the fact that if you make sure the service you are providing is great then the customers will come, and your stock value will rise. Just like the old adage â€Å"if you build it they will come† this is the same thing, if you build a clean friendly restaurant with quality food, then the customers will come and spend money, and this is exactly what Panera has done and why they are so successful. My recommendation to Panera is to continue doing what they are doing, ensuring that the food and service quality at their restaurants stays at the high level that they already are. Never forgetting that this is what brings them long term profits, and to always keep that goal in view, instead of stripping down their services to create vast short term profits, but hurting customer loyalty and future sells. In conclusion we can see that Panera was able to start from a small little cookie store and transform into the huge restaurant chain it is today by focusing on taking care of their customers and not just looking at the bottom line of a balance sheet.

Final writing exercise Essay

There are three phases whereby each has a different crystal structure at three different temperatures. At room temperature (298K), Phase III is present whereby Cs3H(SeO4)2 has a crystal structure of a monoclinic with a space group of C2/m. At 400K, Phase II is present whereby Cs3H(SeO4)2 has a crystal structure of a monoclinic-A2/a symmetry. At 470K, Phase I is present whereby Cs3H(SeO4)2 has a crystal structure of a trigonal with a space group of R3-m. In Phase III, as we can see in Figure 2(a), the positioning of the tetrahedrons is parallel to the a-axis, and in between these SeO4 tetrahedrons are the hydrogen bonds. Looking at a 2dimensional perspective, we can also see that there is a translation movement of the SeO4 tetrahedrons along the a-axis; hence the symmetry operator would be a glide line parallel to a-axis. In a 3-dimensional perspective, we can see that Phase III has a 2-fold rotation axis and contains glide planes. In Phase II, from Figure 2(b), we can see that the positioning of the SeO4 tetrahedrons are along the approximate direction [310]. Observing the schematic of the crystal structure in Phase II, we can see that there is a vertical mirror line in between the SeO4 tetrahedrons. There is also an a-glide reflection vertically. In Phase I, from Figure 2(c), the positioning of SeO4 tetrahedron is similar to that of Phase II, however the difference is the crystal structure and the hydrogen bonding. Comparing both Phase II and Phase III crystal structures of the compound, Phase II contains two-fold screw axis, inversion center and a two-fold rotation axis, which is the sole reason for Phase II to be twice of that of Phase III in terms of geometrical  arrangement of hydrogen bonds. From the above analysis of the symmetry of the crystals structures in different phases, we can tell that Phase III has the most symmetry operators and hence achieving the highest crystal symmetry generating a low geometrical arrangement of hydrogen bonds. Due to the low geometrical arrangement of hydrogen bonds, the mobility of protons decreases giving the result of ferroelasticiy. The drastic change from superprotonic conductivity to ferroelasticty happens when there is a change from Phase II to Phase III. The major difference between theses 2 phases is the hydrogen bond arrangement. Paragraph 2 Under the optical microscope, we can observe that the polymorphic domains will alter at each phase transition to a different extent. We can see in phase III that the domains in the Cs3H(SeO4)2 crystal are made up of polydomains separated by two kinds of domain boundaries. The two kinds of domain boundaries are categorized as the planes of {311} and {11n}, where n is determined by the strain compatibility condition. The domains at the sides of each domain boundary are related to the reflective symmetry or the rotational symmetry on that boundary itself. Furthermore, we can observe that the angle between any domain and its neighboring domains is approximately 120 °, which is very close to the theoretical values calculated using the lattice parameters. As we move on from phase III to phase II, we can observe that the domain structure alters slightly by the phase transition of TII–III. Similarly, the reflective symmetry and rotational symmetry also changes at the same phase transition. However, the kinds of domain and domain boundary remain the same as those in phase III despite a change in domain pattern. This could be due to the slight change in alignment of hydrogen bonding between the SeO4 tetrahedrons when the existing hydrogen bonds were broken to form new weaker  ones. This might explains why their lattice parameters a and b do not really change appreciably. Compared to phase III previously, the angle between any domain and its neighboring domains in phase II is also approximately 120 ° and is justified by the theoretical values determined from the same equation we used for phase III. Hence, this suggest a slight change in the Cs3H(SeO4)2 crystal structure at the phase transition of TII–III. From phase II to phase I, the domain boundaries is observed to have disappear just before the curie temperature of the phase transition of TI–II and the crystal structure changes from  optically biaxial to optically uniaxial. This could be due to an external stress caused by the atomic rearrangement of the SeO4 tetrahedrons in the Cs3H(SeO4)2 crystal as a result of breaking the hydrogen bonds between them. Paragraph 3 Higher temperatures for most material will enable atoms to move to low energy sites, fitting into a perfect crystal symmetry. Cs3H(SeO4)2 however behaves differently. As the temperature increases (above 396K), its crystal symmetry decreases when it changes phase from III to II. The orientation of the hydrogen bond for phase II and III differs. For phase II, the orientation is along [310] and [3-10] direction whereas for phase III, it is parallel to the aaxis. As the transition from phase III to II occurs, the precursor of the superprotonic conductivity is observed. In order for movement of proton to occur, the breaking and then recombination of hydrogen bonds are required. For phase III, in order for the movement of one proton, the breaking of 2 hydrogen bonds is needed. The reason as to why 2 hydrogen bond is needed to be broken and recombined again is because for the movement of one proton to occur, it must break the hydrogen bond it resides in and then change its orientation, recombining at another site; the mirroring effect of opposite hydrogen bond is required to maintain the crystal symmetry i.e. to say that the another hydrogen bond parallel to the previous hydrogen bond site needs to be broken and recombined at other site parallel to the newly  recombined hydrogen bond. In this way, in phase III, the recombination of two hydrogen bonds is simultaneously needed for one proton transport. Phase II however, behaves differently. The movement of the proton is independent of the other protons at other hydrogen site. The crystal structure allows for this flexibility of the proton motion, which the superprotonic conduction takes place. The mechanism in which proton transportation occurs in the polymorphs is by the diffusion of protons through a hydrogen bond network, by the cleaving and formation of the hydrogen bonds. However, in certain phases, the cleavage and formation of the hydrogen bond might differ. The fuel cell works on the basis of the movement of protons. The movement of electrons should be disallowed as it would short circuit the fuel cell. Hence, a membrane is used to allow only the movement of protons across and not electrons and gases. On top of that, in order for a superprotonic effect to occur, the flexibility for proton motion must be allo wed. Hence, the lesser symmetrically patterned the phases the protons reside in, the higher this flexibility.

Parle G

Parle G The following case study is from the Richard Ivey School of Business. It is about the development of a leading Indian biscuit manufacturer, called Parle Products Pvt. Ltd. Company overview The company was found in 1929 as a candy manufacturer and started producing biscuits in 1939. At this time only few processed and ready-to-eat food items were available. Parle G are glucose biscuits and the company’s flag brand. It became the largest selling biscuit brand by volume in 2002.The company was using a mass market strategy which is why the price of the Parle G biscuits has maintained 1$ per Kilo since 1990. In 2009 the company had 74% of the market shares of the Indian glucose biscuit category. The biscuits were sold in 2. 5 million outlets. Other brands of Parle Products Pvt. Ltd. are Marie in the tea time category and Hide n Seek and five other brands in the premium category. In 2008/2009 the company recorded sales revenues of INR35 billion. 68 percent came from Parle G. The company is known all over India for offering high value for a low price (value for money).The products are available in India, Bangladesh and South Africa because the company had adopted a â€Å"follow the costumer† strategy in order to maintain low marketing costs. The two main target groups are 5-14 year old children and their mothers next to institutions. Until 1992 there was only little competition in the sector when Surya Food & Agro Limited entered the market. From 1999 on several companies such as Britannia Industries Ltd. and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. also entered the market because of the high potential in the premium category due to the change of income in Indian households.Problem statement Since 2004 the company had to deal with rising costs of the two main raw materials – sugar and wheat. In 2004 the company tried to raise the prices of its most popular product the 100g packet by 12. 5%. Within 6 month the sales dropped by more than 40%. In 2008 the raw material prices raised again. The management decided to do a hidden raise in price by reducing the weight of the 100g package slowly to 82. 5g without losing high sales. In 2009 the margin from Parle G had fallen from 15 to 10% of the revenue within the last 18 years, which is why Parle G needs a new strategy.The consumers’ perception was rooted so strongly in the low price that it was undermining other product attributes such as quality and taste. This made it impossible to raise the price. The company tried to deal with this problem by changing to a cheaper packaging material and dealing directly with the raw material deliverers. Alternatives There are several approaches to restore the margins to minimum 15% of the revenues again. To evaluate the different strategies two criteria have been selected – costs and time.One approach would be repositioning the brand as a qualitatively high and tasty product for which the costumers do not mind spending more money on. This strategy would be cost intensive and would take at least 12 – 18 month to see the first results. The brand also exists since 1939 which is why it would be very difficult to change people’s prescription of the brand. Therefore it is not the best strategy at this moment. The second strategy could be introducing product variations like for example with different flavours which can be sold for 20 – 25% more expensive than the normal Parle G.The costs for this would be high because of the different researches that have to be conducted, the increasing production costs and the upcoming marketing costs. It would take 6 – 12 month to introduce a new product. This is why this strategy is also not ideal. The third strategy is offering one more brand in the premium category because of the increasing demand in this sector. The fact that Parle Products Pvt. Ltd. already offers 6 brands in the premium category, as well as the high costs of research, production and marke ting are the reason to dismiss this idea.It would also again take 6 – 12 month to introduce the new product which is why a better strategy needs to be found. Plan of Action Another approach would be offering only 4 or 5 instead of 12 different price categories to safe packaging costs. The costs for this action would be very low compared to the other strategies. The time this strategy needs would also be short which is why this a very good short term approach. In order to also find a long term strategy the idea of exporting into more than 2 countries should be reconsidered. A brand can only grow to a certain point f it does not become an international brand. Parle G is at the point where it is no longer enough to only sell within India, Bangladesh and South Africa. The company has to expand in countries with a high amount of Indian citizens, low competition and an increasing demand in biscuits. Therefore several researches have to be conducted because this measure is very cost ly and also very time intensive. But it is necessary for Parle Products Pvt. Ltd. to become a global player in order to restore the margins to minimum 15% of the revenues again and to secure company growth within the next 15 – 20 years.Therefore both criteria time and money can be neglected. The best course of action is changing the offers from 12 to 4 price categories starting within the next 10 – 14 days as a short term plan. The long term plan is exporting Parle G into at least 3 different countries within the next 15 month and 10 countries within the next 3 years. The company should try to conquer the institutional sectors first by offering at least 5-7% discount on bulk purchases at the beginning and create a demand within the rest of the population (pull-concept).

Human imperfection Essay

There is a substantial debate among artists, critics and connoisseurs regarding the purpose of art. If views of painters like John Ruskin, writers like Robert Browning and art critic like Walter Pater are taken into account then it could be seen the perspective of the significance of art varies from person to person and school to school. Generally, the human race considers art as something that is pleasing to the eye or invokes certain emotions when viewed. And what many artists consider to be art is something which you can do and enjoy and in the end, produce something that gives a feeling of success. There are many different ways to express one using the concept called art. The most common style of art which most people think of when they think of art is the painting. The painting is usually just some form of paint media, whether oil or watercolor or whichever style it is, and the paint is then placed on some form of canvas. There are, however, literally hundreds of styles of art within the world. They range from the painting, which although never simple, isn’t necessarily the most complex way to express yourself. Art can even be considered in simple writing, usually in the form of poetry. The spoken word can have a more profound effect than physical art. A simple poem can invoke a range of emotions rather quickly. If a poem refers to someone who is close to the author, the author may feel overwhelmed when viewing their own artistic expression. But a painting can just as easily invoke the same feelings as a written piece of art. And a simple sketch has the chance of being just as profound. (Lamb, 243-245) In this context Ruskin’s point of view should be taken into account as he pointed out that the primary purpose of art is to evoke the value of god by showing the detrimental side of the human nature. He advocated this thesis with high degree of indulgence in his text ‘Modern Painters’. On the other hand Browning’s views of art were different from that of Ruskin but was not contrasting as he believed that perfection is what that all mattered in art. According to his views art should cover up the human imperfection and present a faultless, great and ideal image of the human being. His point of view on art was mostly presented through the characters Andrea del Sarto and Fra Lippo Lippi. It could be assumed that according to Browning art resembled whatever that was beautiful and faultless. In sharp contrast the point of view of Walter Pater completely rejects the previous two ideas. According to Walter Pater art should always be sensual and provoking. His idea of art completely ignores the aspects of spiritualities and sentiments along with any relation to emotion and theology. According to him any art that fails to evoke sensual feeling or satisfies the erotic feelings of the audience could well be labeled as failed art. In this context it would be relevant to quote Sir Kenneth Clark from his text ‘The Nude’. He mentioned that â€Å"no nude, however abstract, should fail to arouse in the spectator some vestige of erotic feeling, even though it be only finest shadow-and it if does no do so, it is bad art and false moral†. (Clark, 79) However, it can be stated that Art could be considered something as simple as an action someone has done for a cause or for somebody. If someone holds the door for somebody else, it could be their art to be generous and gentlemanly. Even acts of crime can be considered forms of art. In many thieving circles, the method of breaking and entering or robbing places is merely called the â€Å"Art of Theft†. Thus one can never really limit art to one thing. Rather, it is a wide arrangement of things. And one can never truly crack down and say that something is only artistic if it is of some particular kind of medium, because somebody else will disagree. It can be stated that Art is basically anything that anyone does which has a profound effect on somebody or something else. From a simple act of kindness to a masterpiece painting that took years out of somebody’s life. Some art can be considered more complex, and some art can be considered simpler in contrast. But, the fact of the matter is, in the eye of the beholder, art could be anything. So is it really possible for us to define what art is or can we really set any realistic guidelines as to what’s art and what isn’t art? It is always possible to create guidelines, but it is often considered an art-form in itself to break said guidelines. Similarly, the aesthetics of art could well be beyond the definition set by rigid guideline and logically thus the significance or purpose of art remains a relative concept. But defining what is aesthetic and what isn’t can also be quite an undertaking. Simply put, something that is aesthetically pleasing is something that appeals to the senses. For instance, flowers give a nice aesthetic sense of smell by offering their pleasant odors. A nicely painted picture can give off a nice aesthetic sight for somebody to enjoy. Often it is difficult to create something aesthetically pleasing, as there are many ways to easily offend peoples’ senses. For instance, if you wanted to create a painting to give off an aesthetic feeling of hope, you probably wouldn’t use an over abundance of dark colors. Dark colors are often used to show calmness or even more commonly, something sad and depressing. Also, when painting, if you use wider and more circular strokes with a lighter press on your brush, you’ll give off more depressing tones and colors. So, it would be more advisable to use lighter colors and more agile handling of the brush. Lighter colors often give off a feeling of warmth and happiness, which is something that you would like to be doing if you would like to create something hopeful. (King, 126) However, it can be stated that it doesn’t really matter whether or not we can define the significance of art, because art is just an expression. It is a method for human beings to get out their emotions and share them with the rest of the world. It helps to describe what cannot be spoken. A picture is worth a thousand words, but even those thousand words can yet again produce a thousand additional pictures. And in this method of thought, the significance of art has an infinite number of possibilities and an infinite number of ways to influence the lives of others. Thus the significance or the purpose of art lies in its spirituality, humane approach, sense of beauty and even sensuality all at the same time and there should not be any rigidity in this context. References: Clark, Kenneth; The Nude; (Alliance Publishers. 2002) King, H; Aesthetic Today (HBT & Brooks Ltd. 2005) pp 126 Lamb, Davis; Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata. (National Book Trust. 2004) pp 243-245.

Key Issues in the Development E-Business Strategies Relating To the Essay

Key Issues in the Development E-Business Strategies Relating To the Education Sector in UK - Essay Example The researcher states that an internal audit and competitor analysis would help evaluate the stand that Conde Nast has taken. This can be through SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis. SWOT analysis reveals the internal strengths and weakness which helps the organization evaluate the opportunities that the market presents. It also makes the organization cognizant of its weaknesses which can help it revise its strategy. Enjoys excellent reputation and authority of the brand which puts them in a strong position to teach and inspire the fashion and decorating talent of the future. The college principal designate is the editor of Easy Living and has been the deputy editor of Vogue for five years. The editor-turned teacher would be a valuable connection for the students as they would receive practical knowledge of the industry. Because of their links with the fashion world, they would be able to offer unique insights into the industry. The group creates and develops lifes tyle and business brands online. They have a stronghold in the fashion industry. They also have online and e-commerce experience because of their base unit – publishing. Conde Nast has no prior experience in the field of education. A major lifestyle and publishing house getting into education is something that may not be very attractive to the prospective students/fashion designers. The editor, named as the Principal, has no teaching experience. They may have problems securing internships for their students because of lack of educational background and especially in the field of fashion. They have yet to find a director with experience in the field to run the school. They have been losing revenue in their publishing as there has been a shift from traditional advertising to digital advertising. They need to have collaboration with a University of repute to be able to award degrees. They intend to offer a ten-week intensive course as well as a one-year fashion foundation course . By using the editors as teachers the Group also ensures they get the designs they want to feature in their magazine.

Market Equilibrating Process Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Equilibrating Process Paper - Essay Example However, I will argue that this may be the case at present but the product is at risk in the long term for several reasons. This can be reflected in the gradual shift in the supply and demand equilibrium. Successful branding and Apple innovation have ensured the current demand for iPhone. The product has been the first to usher in the era of "touch" smartphones and this has been displayed by the array of competitors emulating the product even until now. So for a time it has enjoyed leadership and dominance due to the scarcity of such product given the limited options and demand choices for consumers. Things are changing, however, because of the increasingly competitive market and the increasingly sophisticated requirements of the consumers. The development of the Googles Android operating system has launched the success of many smartphone manufacturers that collectively led to a viable and sophisticated alternative to the iPhones IOS. The Android phone and the iPhone became substitutes: as the price of the other increases, the demand for the other increase (p.50) Recently, a research by the firm IDC placed the market share of Android to about 68 percent whereas Apple claims only 16.9 percent (AP 2012). Of course, Android is fragmented into several phone manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC. But the trend signals an interesting shift in the market, which bring together buyers and sellers (p.46). This year Samsung toppled Apple as worlds leading phone manufacturer. As more and more people are exposed to many choices, they are able to expand the variables that inform the cost-bene fit analyses that drive their purchase decisions. In this instance, price and quantity are no longer the sole drivers of the market. The so-called other â€Å"determinants of demand† assume equal importance in the pattern of market demand (p.48). Moreover, increased competition aggravates the principle of "diminishing marginal utility", which argues that "for a

Employment Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment Relations - Essay Example This shortage can be short term or long term, although it depends on the lengthy of the deficit. Due to its current state of deficiency of skilled labour, many immigrants shift to New Zealand to seize the employment opportunities (Palffy, 2008). Adversely, the country may have many skilled labourers who are not willing to fill the available vacancies. This investigative paper will seek to discover the causes of inadequate skilled labour supply in New Zealand. It will also suggest possible control measures that can correct the situation in New Zealand’s labour market. Causes of skills shortage in New Zealand Skills shortages can vary from their nature to the cause. Genuine skills shortage occurs when an employer finds it difficult to get enough skilled job seekers to fill the vacancies available in the organization. For example, if there are tailors to fill vacancies in a textile company but only very few tailors with these skills are unemployed and looking for a job. Recruitme nt and retention difficulties also cause skill shortage. This is whereby a skilled job seeker is available, but chooses not to work due to the unfavorable working conditions and low wages. In New Zealand, there exist several causes for the shortages (OECD, 2008). However, the commonest include global labour market, which happens when people with the necessary skills move from New Zealand to other countries. They may migrate due to change of citizenship or carry on other personal interests. Low and inflexible wages is also a contributor to the shortage. This is because when wages are low, and employers are not willing to increase it, job seekers may decide not to look for a job since there is no motivating reward (Sunley, Martin, & Nativel, 2011). Cohem & Zaidi (2002) argue that technological changes and development also pose a threat to the labor market. When technology advance, initially a few people have the advanced skills. Additionally, it is natural that people resist change. T herefore, very few people will be willing to train with the new technology. Growth of the economy is another contributing factor to skills shortage. This is because when economy grows, new opportunities are evident and the country may suffer from short-term lack of skills. Ageing population cause shortage since when people with the necessary skills retire from their work, a gap is present. The employers will need to train other employees in order to feel the gap. Low skilled workforce is another challenge to labour market (Palffy, 2008). This is because if the employees posses only the basics of a job requirement, they may not be able to perform an advanced job requirement, therefore, making themselves obsolete from time to time. Labour market barriers also contribute to skills shortage. This may occur when a job vacancy specifies other requirements for the potential employee rather than the skill. The vacancy may state specific age, height, or even knowledge of a specific geographi cal region. Consequently, even if an individual has all the necessary skills but lacks any of the additional condition, does not meet job expectations. This is a challenge since there may be very few people with both the conditions and the skills (Bruk et al., 2012). Poor management and leadership in organizations in New Zealand have discouraged job seekers from working in some firms. Even if one has the necessary skills, may not be willing to work in an organization with