Boston Beer Company Essay Example for Free

Boston Beer Company Essay 1. Evaluate the attractiveness of the craft beer segment relative to the market space occupied by the traditional Big Three. (tip: use the Five Forces framework). a. High Threat of new competition: over 600 of specialty beer companies were founded over the past five years, approximately 40% growth each years. In addition, the existence of contract brewing companies lead to low entry cost. b. High substitution: The attractiveness of craft brewing industry are majorly based on unique styles and flavors of beer. there are many different brands and styles of beer so the actual threat of substitutes is high. c. The intensity of competitive rivalry is also high: while there is a major growth of new entry, the market size shows little growth. This creates tremendous competitive pressures among the industry. d. Bargaining power of buyers: Switching cost for buyers are low, as there are many different substitution and options. companies has to consistently maintain high quality in order to retain customers. e. Bargaining power of suppliers: switching cost for suppliers are high for the traditional Big Three, as their supplies are tied to their own brewies. Craft brewing companies has the option of switch breweries in a relatively low cost, as the suppliers know they have options to supply other breweries. This allows them to charge higher prices than the big three. 2. Evaluate Boston Beers business model relative to Redhook and Petes, comparing their business models with respect to specific activities such as procurement, brewing, distribution, and marketing. BBC’s strategy of producing the highest quality of products, the company pursued four initiatives: high quality standards, contract brewing, intensive sales and marketing, and product line innovations. Unlike BBC and Pete’s, redhook relies on its own breweries. Redhook also established a strategic alliance with Anheuser-Busch whereby Redhook products were sold through the nation-wide network of 700 distributorships in exchange for a 25% equity stake in the company. \Similar to BBC, Pete’s operates on a contract brewing basis and stress heavily on marketing. In retrospect, BBC intended to remain a contract brewer exclusively, capitalizing on lower overhead and transportation costs while continuing to invest heavily in its branded products. Redhook believed that its long-term growth and profitability were best served by assembling the largest company-owned production capacity of any domestic craft brewer, guaranteeing production capacity in more than one geographic region of the United States. Redhook also made a substantial investment in distribution, gaining access to Anheuser Busch’s nation-wide network of resellers. Pete’s, on the other hand, appeared to be following a combination of these two strategies by producing its products at both company-owned and third-party breweries. 3. How realistic analysts long-term growth forecasts (25% to 40% for the craft-brewing segment)? Based on the porter five forces analysis, the craft brewing segment has many advantages over the traditional big three, which explains the 40% growth rate. However the large number of new entries companies has already created a tremendous amount of competitions among its own, which retard the long term growth in my opinion and makes the forecasts of 25% to 40% seem unrealistic. 4. What do you recommend to Boston Beer? a. While the US market size remains somewhat stable. By exporting globally, will introduce BBC to new markets and additional sales b. Forming strategic alliance will help combat the increasing competition among industries.

Nike Sweat Shops Essay -- essays research papers Business

Nike Sweat Shops I am writing this letter to express my concerns over Nike's labor practices in Asia. There has been much debate and controversy recently concerning Nike's Asian labor practices. It is very difficult to determine which side of the argument to defend, as both acknowledge the problems yet put a completely different spin on the facts. I will try to show that Nike has created a cloud of smoke in Asia that the public cannot see through. Nike does not own any of the factories that produce its products in Asia, and subsequently they do not directly employ the workers or management. They contract out work to factories that make all of the products and run all of the factories. They have a massive amount of leverage when dealing with these factories because of the huge contracts they supply. To ensure good labor practices, Nike has a Code of Conduct that every contractor must agree to in order to receive a contract. The Code of Conduct in theory condemns and prohibits child labor, requires that workers be paid fair wage, imposes caps on the days and hours that a worker can be forced to work, prohibits mistreatment or discrimination of workers in any form, and states that factories must implement programs that benefit worker?s health and safety. There are 1000 Nike employees worldwide monitoring operations across the globe. The most consistent criticism of Nike is that the workers in the factories are not aware of the Code of Conduct that was agreed upon, espec...

American Idol and the Presidential Elections

The industry of broadcasting has long been taking its toll to the mindset of the general population. For the very long time, media outputs have played a vital role in providing its patrons the kind of entertainment they intentionally or non-intentionally introduce. However, due to the fact that media is almost always represent the popular culture of the people, it can’t be denied that the whole reflection of the social function of a nation can be seen clearly in any forms of media communication. The creation of the popular reality program American Idol has changed the way viewers portray the role of an ordinary observer.The program has provided a fresh new outfit of correspondence where the interaction of the viewers is as valuable as the program itself. Apparently, because of the increasing number of communication device options in the market today, it is now very easy to take part in any media event with just a click of a button. This event has prompted many television netwo rks to tap the marketing capability of communication devices to increase the so-called advertising revenue. The American idol was able to use this strategy by introducing the electronic voting system for the viewers.They have designated the use of a phone or mobile device, which serves as a medium to participate in the casting of votes for the contestants. The release of statistics that reflected the number of voters in American Idol has somehow stirred a relatively significant concern when it reflects out that it has outnumbered the actual number of votes in the presidential elections. This scenario has lead to a good argument whether the government system is really at the verge of being disgusted or if the data is merely a raw commodity that has not yet reached the maturity of analysis.Somehow, there has been a feeling of disgust that currently manifests in the world of politics. Some of the attributes in the elections provide a rather inconceivable effect of aversion among the pu blic. This is because politics are only very much concerned on how it will project its image rather than how it will serve the public. Just pondering the billions of dollars spent in a presidential election would make an individual squirm because of the fact that the money, wherever it came from, only the advertising component will benefit form it.Even though, we cannot readily say the electoral process system is broken just for the simple fact that the public is not interested in politics at all. We can look at the statistics about the voting numbers of the American Idol as against to the presidential election but being as a critical thinker. If in any case there is still a large discrepancy based on factor analysis, then that would be the only time when assumption of massive hatred in that politics have resulted to the public’s apathy and have fallen apart from its grip of public trust.The American idol voting system is practically very attuned to the convenience of the par ticipants while on the other hand, the presidential elections needs a specific format process to address the standard requirements in casting a political vote. For American idol, landline phones and mobile phones give instant results of the voting with a simple keypad button sequence while you have to register and be at least 18 years old to vote for America's leader. In the television program, you just have to dial a phone to vote for the next American Idol.You don't have to be 18; you don't have to â€Å"register,† and you aren't limited to one vote; you're limited to two hours. You don't have to use gas to get to the polls, and you don't have to decipher any ballots; you just pick a person and dial a phone (Falk, par. 2). This might have been the very reason why number figures favor much of the data in the American Idol voting compared to the presidnetial elections. Of course it is not possible to compare the numbers since they were acquired in two very different modes.As a matter of fact, the voting system has some serious voting problems were tens of millions of votes were lost (Seibel, par. 3). Even though this is the case, the problem of people diverting away from their interest in politics will still have a very large negative impact. The principles employed in the political advertising arena makes it a very unrecognizeable aspect of social function. People will just find a more appealing and more realistic system such as the American Idol where they see and feel the actual results almost instantly.There is not much that politics can do to acquire back the interest of the public whether they do good or not. Ploticians will always be embarked on the unusual activities of advertising their platforms to gain the public’s approval of their competnecies. However, the media has the responsibility to provide the most realisitc analysis of true representation of what is actually happening in the society. In the case of the American Idol being mor e popular than the national electoral process, it can readily define how people preceive the actual dilemma of the community, more of a nation.This attention and preference discrepancy can only be resolved if there is a complete transparency in disseminating info coming from both sides. The American Idol should exemplify the actual process of voting and its statistics while the presidential electoral institution should clearly present their advocacy in their politcal ads. Works Cited: Falk, Michael. 17 May 2006. Seibel, Deborah. 17 May 2004.

Elementary Level Syllabus for Beginning English Courses

This syllabus was written for teachers of false beginners in a business English setting. The focus here is therefore mainly on the workplace. However, the basic structures that are introduced should be the same for any type of class. You can vary the content of your lessons to make sure they fit your and your students learning objectives. Syllabus: Lesson 1 Theme: Introductions Your first lesson focuses on the verb to be, which will help students to begin discussing basic questions. Possessive adjectives such as her and his will encourage students to discuss what they learn from other students, and learning nations and national adjectives can help them talk about their own countries. The revised language items will include: The verb to beRevision of possessive adjectives: my, your, her, hisBasic greetings The new language items introduced will include: The use of names of countriesExpansion of lexical set: basic greetingsExpressions including countries and nationalities Syllabus: Lesson 2 Theme: The World Around Me This lesson focuses on objects that can be found both in and out of the classroom. It might be a good idea to take the class on a short walk around your school to help them become familiar with the concept of here/there, this/that. Working on basic adjectives in opposite pairs (big/small, cheap/expensive, etc.) will help students begin describing their world.   The revised language items will include: Spelling skillsRevision of letters of the alphabet The new language items introduced will include: The use of questions and negatives with the verb to beThe use of determiners: this, that, those and theseThe use of articles: a and anExpansion of lexical set: everyday objects (singular and plural)Expressions including basic opposite adjectives Syllabus: Lesson 3 Theme: My Friends and I This lesson helps students begin discussing schedules, meetings, and other responsibilities. The focus is on numbers, time, marital status, and other personal items that require students to give information involving numbers and spelling.   The revised language items will include: Singular and plural nounsNumbers 1–100, phone numbersThe use of the verb to be for giving personal information The new language items introduced will include: Giving personal information: name, marital status, phone number, address, ageAsking for and telling the time, prepositions used for telling the time at, past, toExpansion of lexical set: jobs Syllabus: Lesson 4 Theme: A Day in the Life of†¦ The big focus in this lesson is the use of the simple present tense to speak about routines, habits, and other daily tasks. Make sure to help students learn the differences between the verb to be and all other verbs. This will require a special focus on the helping verb to do in questions and negative sentences.   The revised language items will include: Times of the day, the 12-hour clock—a.m. and p.m.Revision of basic verbs used to describe daily routines The new language items introduced will include: The use of the present simple (1)The use of the first, second, and third-person singular in the present simpleExpansion of lexical set: daily routinesExpressions including verbs and nouns that go together, prepositions used for times of the day—in the morning, afternoon, evening/at night Syllabus: Lesson 5 Theme: The Workplace In this lesson, you will expand on the present simple by introducing adverbs of frequency such as usually, sometimes, seldom, etc. Move from discussions focusing on I to talking about others with he, she, we, etc. Its a good idea to ask students to write up questions, interview other students, and report back to class to help students recognize and begin using different pronouns. The revised language items will include: Continuation of the present simple (2)Revision of basic verbs used to describe work tasks The new language items introduced will include: The use of negative and question forms in the present simpleThe use of the first, second, and third-person plural in the present simpleThe use of adverbs of frequencyPrepositions of place and movement: to, in, atExpansion of lexical set: daily work routinesExpressions including asking for help and asking someone to repeat Syllabus: Lesson 6 Theme: Talking about Work Continue exploring the work world while discussing a larger time frame when introducing days of the week, months, and seasons to the class. Have students discuss typical activities for each time of the year, day of the week, or month.   The revised language items will include: Greetings and informal discussion about work tasksRevision of seasons, months, and days of the week The new language items introduced will include: Expansion of lexical set: means of communicationExpressions including terms used for talking about the relationships between people in an office Syllabus: Lesson 7 Theme: The Ideal Office Drill down into the office world by focusing on office equipment. Ask students to discover what other students workplaces look like by working with any and some (i.e., Are there any tables in your office?, We have some copiers in our office, etc.). The revised language items will include: Revision of lexical set: things in the officeRevision of daily work tasks The new language items introduced will include: The use of there is and there are for descriptive purposes and in the interrogative formThe use of some and any in the positive, negative, and interrogative formExpansion of lexical set: furniture to include items commonly found in an officeExpressions including prepositions of place including: on, in, near, next to, in front of, and between Syllabus: Lesson 8 Theme: The Interview Finish up this first section of the syllabus by expanding students vocabulary skills with common workplace collocations. Use mock interviews to introduce the modal can to speak about abilities. The revised language items will include: Verbs expressing skills and abilitiesRevision of expressions used for asking and giving personal information The new language items introduced will include: The use of can to express abilityThe use of to haveExpansion of lexical set: skills and abilitiesExpressions including verb-noun collocations (words that go together) Syllabus: Lesson 9, Check Module I The revised language items will include: introductions, numbers and letters, skills and abilities, telling the time, describing your daily work routine, numbers and letters, means of communicationGrammar Revised: The use of the verb to be in the present simple, possessive adjectives, the use of the present simple, the use of articles, singular and plural nouns, the use of basic prepositions of movement and place, the use of some and any, the use of there is and there are, the use of adverbs of frequency, the use of can to express abilities, the use of to have, the use of determinersVocabulary Revised: Countries and nationalities, telling the time, jobs, work routines, objects in an office, months, seasons, and days of the week, asking for help and repeating, relationships at work At this point, its a good idea to assess students comprehension with a quiz. The test should not be long but should include each element of the first eight lessons.