Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 19

Research Paper Example They also serve to secure internet traffic. Just like a Wide Area Network, it connects multiple sites and servers over a long distance. The most important aspect of a virtual private network is its emphasis on privacy, because when a client computer connects to the internet through a VPN, its initial IP address is replaced by the one provided for by the VPN providers. For Example, a person’s physical location is Washington, but while using a virtual private network he appears to live in Brussels, this clearly shows that users obtain IP addresses from the area the VPN provides (Stewart 2011). In order to get access or connection into a virtual private network, one must have a username and password, mostly provided for by the service provider. On a computer, a VPN client is normally used, or you can access a special website, you enter your correct authentication details, then the computer exchanges information with the remote servers and once verification has taken place, connection happens and all the information and internet data is encrypted and secured from on lookers. Software developers have also developed applications for smart phones to also take advantages of accessing the internet safely through a VPN, by using certain protocols such as PPTP and L2TP/IPSec. Computers also uses PPTP VPN connections, OpenVPN and L2TP/IPSec protocols use an open source software known as OpenVPN client and authentication details configured into a certificate that you download and run on the client (Yuan & Strayer 2001). A virtual private network has many protocols of which can be utilized to secure the flow of information over a public network with the only difference between these protocols being how each keeps the data safe and secure (Geier 2014). IP Security protocol (IPSec), is one of the major protocols used to obtain a secure connection over the internet, it is a combination of many

Impacts of Culture on Learning and Epistemology Essay

Impacts of Culture on Learning and Epistemology - Essay Example As our class readings have explained, even the way that knowledge is acquired in the first place can have a profound effect on how that knowledge is understood, transmitted, retained, passed on, and applied in the future. For instance, in certain Asian cultures questioning the author, the text, or the instructor is considered unconstructive and/or rude (Lei et al, 2011). As such, this type of learning environment deeply affects the extent to which constructive skepticism takes place and may retard deductive reasoning abilities of the student to a certain degree (Zhu et al, 2010). This is not to pick one culture out from the group and point out its shortcomings; rather, the intention is to show that on aggregate, every culture has attributes that directly affect the way we perceive, understand and apply knowledge. Likewise, with respect to intellectual property and original ownership of a set of ideas, cultural differences allow for a wide array of interpretations. What would be consi dered cheating in many Western universities or institutes of higher education is not necessarily frowned upon elsewhere in the world as it is perceived that a positive benefit of learning is synthesizing other people’s work (even without attribution) into one’s own. Likewise, research methodology, argued by some to be an exact science which has withstood the test of time and continues to be a determining factor of success for many students, can perhaps be seen as the crux of the matter as it relates to knowledge, learning, and the cultural influences that benefit and inhibit each one of us (Kinasevych, 2011). For instance, while performing research within the rubric of a formalized research methodology, a student may have fewer inhibitions regarding liberally borrowing the work of another without proper attribution as this would be seen as a net positive and not necessarily a serious infraction of academic integrity (Jorge, 2011). Likewise, a student with a particular cultural background might be very hesitant to choose a thesis topic that would likely have a contesting view of that of their advisor. Again, none of these situations explain an absolute; instead, they are simply extant to remind the reader that cultural influences in the way we learn, maintain, question, and use the knowledge provided us have a major impact on how we view the world and interact with it. As has been evidenced through the course readings and lecture notes, culture and the way one learns so intimately affects the way in which one presents and understands information as it cannot be rightly overstated. Whether it is the particular/peculiar method of learning, differentiated attitudes towards borrowing of ideas (plagiarism), or the compound impacts of culture on formalized research methodology have a profound impact on how we view the world. As is the case with this author, I have grown up attending Western schools and learning Western concepts of how to attain, apply, and question knowledge from my earliest years. As such, I would be remiss if I did not discuss the most serious drawback that I see in my own cultural learning experience; the attitude towards plagiarism. Although it is inarguable

Home Homeless Housing

Home Homeless Housing This essay will begin by defining homelessness and who it affects. Following this will look at the National Assistance Act 1948 followed by The Housing (Homeless Persons Act) 1977 which imposed a duty on authorities to tackle the problem of homelessness. The Housing Act 1996 will be discussed and also various statistics given. The Homelessness Act 2002 will also be discussed and finally how the prevention of homelessness is seen as a priority for the government and the strategies which they have implemented to house the homeless. Most poor people live in some sort of home or permanent shelter. However, those who do not, the homeless, have become very visible in the streets of cities over the past twenty years (Giddens, 1997). According, to Giddens (1997), â€Å"Like poverty, homelessness isnt as easy to define as we might imagine. Two generations ago, most people still thought of ‘home as the family home. Homeless people were seen as individuals who lived in hostels on skid row. They were called homeless because they lived alone and rarely saw their families or kin†. Over the past 30 years, much more people have come to live alone by choice and therefore the homeless have become defined as people who have nowhere to sleep, and who either stay in free street shelters on a temporary basis or sleep in places not meant for habitation, such as doorways, on park benches, in railway stations or in derelict buildings (Giddens, 1997). Most of the homeless according to Giddens, (1997) â€Å"are people who find themselves on the streets because they have experienced personal disasters, such as parents or relatives and friends no longer able or willing to accommodate, breakdown of relationship with partner, mortgage default or rent arrears and loss of private rental dwellings and loss of service tenancy or other reasons†. Meanwhile, according to the housing action group Shelter, homelessness had grown by 300 per cent between 1978 and 1992 (Giddens, 1997). Local authorities in England and Wales registered 450,000 people as living without a semi-permanent residence during 1995 (Haralambos et al; 1995). Furthermore, according to Haralambos et al; (1995), â€Å"Shelter estimated there were a further 1.7 million unofficial homeless. These consisted of about 8,000 people sleeping rough, approximately 50,000 unauthorised tenants and squatters, 137,000 single people in hostels or lodgings, 77,000 insecure private tenants and about 1,200,000 people living with friends or relatives who needed a home of their own†. Although, not all of these groups would be left out from statistics on Low Income Families, but nevertheless, the rise in all types of homelessness would make a huge difference to the figures if the homeless were included. By this, it can be argued that some of the homeless are suffering from absolute poverty since they do not even have adequate shelter (Haralambos et al; 1995). The provision of more adequate forms of housing is of key importance in tackling homelessness, whether the housing is directly sponsored by the government or not (Giddens, 1997). According to Giddens, (1997) â€Å"regardless of why people are on the streets, giving them a place to live that offers a modicum of privacy and stability is usually the most important thing we can do to improve their lives. Without stable housing, nothing else is likely to work†. The National Assistance Act 1948 ended the Poor Law structure which supported the poor. However, it did not clearly deal with the homeless. For those who were without roofs over their heads they were dealt with by the social services departments (Walsh et al; 2000). As the housing departments felt they had no obligations to house homeless people, and with approximately 2 million people with inadequate or no housing at all after the Second World War (Walsh et al; 2000). By the late 1940s Britain witnessed some of the most serious civil disobedience towards the government, when thousands of people decided to squat on disused military bases and in empty properties (Walsh et al; 2000). Furthermore, the government ignored the problem of homelessness right through the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s (Walsh et al; 2000). Successive governments either denied there was an issue with homelessness, or they saw the homeless, as people who had brought this condition upon themselves (Walsh et al; 2000). Meanwhile, families who were taken as being homeless by the local authority social services department were housed in temporary or emergency accommodation until they could solve their own housing situations. Furthermore, after a period of time, if their situation had not improved and suitable accommodation found, children were at risk of being taken into care (Walsh et al; 2000). However, in 1977 a private members bill was passed by parliament which recognised homelessness, and set up a supporting structure for dealing with the problem. The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 was an important way forward to accepting the problems which poor people faced in obtaining housing (Walsh et al; 2000). According, to Carnwath, (1978), â€Å"The words ‘homeless and ‘homelessness, have been used in widely different contexts. They are sometimes used to include all those living in unsatisfactory conditions. Too wide a definition of homeless could tend to obscure the pressing needs of those who are literally without shelter, or are likely to lose in the immediate future what shelter they have†. Furthermore, Carnwath, (1978), The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 â€Å"transfers statutory responsibility for the homeless from social services authorities to housing authorities. It has become widely accepted over recent years that homelessness is primarily a housing problem, and the primary responsibility for dealing with it should therefore lie with housing authorities, who are naturally better equipped than social services authorities to provide a permanent solution. The effect of the Act will be to ensure that dealing with the problems of homeless will rightly become a normal part of day-to-day housing activities of every housing authority in the country†. The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 according to Walsh et al; (2000) â€Å"imposed a duty on local authorities to provide permanent accommodation for homeless families who were defined as belonging to ‘priority groups and to give ‘advice and assistance to other homeless people. A person or family was defined as homeless if they had no legal right to housing or if threats of violence prevented them from exercising that right†. Furthermore, Walsh et al; (2000) â€Å"In defining homelessness, the quality of housing was not taken into account, so people living in overcrowded housing, or even accommodation that was injurious to health, were not counted as homeless. The priority groups that had to be provided with permanent housing were, families with children, pregnant women and people sharing their households which could include a male partner, disabled people and elderly people†. In order to obtain housing, the priority groups had to prove to the authorities that they were not deliberately homeless. There was also concern that the Act was being manipulated by people in order to be placed on the ‘priority list (Walsh et al; 2000). This affected the chances of people on the ‘ordinary waiting list and who were living in poor conditions from being considered for housing as their conditions were not grounds for obtaining housing (Walsh et al; 2000). As a consequence of this a tightening-up of the provision of housing for the homeless was introduced (Walsh et al; 2000). Although more attention was being directed towards the young, single mothers who were jumping the housing lists and given priority, less notice was given to the volume of council houses being purchased by existing tenants in the 1980s and the fall in local-authority house-building, resulting in less properties available for rent (Walsh et al; 2000). The properties which had not been purchased and available for rent were on less desirable estates, and often the homeless were placed there (Walsh et al; 2000). By 1996, over 42% of all new local authority tenants were being attracted from the priority homeless groups (Walsh et al; 2000). By the mid-1990s there was strong disagreements to the 1977 and 1985 Acts and the Conservative government introduced the Housing Act 1996 (Walsh et al; 2000). The new Act according to Walsh et al; (2000) â€Å"introduced some very significant changes which made it more difficult for the homeless to be housed permanently. The definitions of homelessness and priority groups were largely retained, but instead of permanent accommodation, local authorities were only obliged to provide temporary accommodation for two years†. During that period, the persons or families in question had to make satisfactory attempts to re-house themselves, as the local authority were not required to provide continuing accommodation (Walsh et al; 2000). Furthermore, according to Walsh et al; (2000), â€Å"the accommodation that the local authorities would provide on a temporary basis was largely to be outside the local authority housing stock. The homeless were therefore to be housed in the private for-rent market, if that was possible, or in hostels, or in housing association properties†. With the decrease in size of the local authority housing stock and the governments Homeless Initiative of 1989 which allocated an extra  £250 million to reduce homelessness in England over a two year period, was directed at London and the South East, which were the main problem area (Balchin, 1995). Of this sum  £177 million went to local authorities to repair their empty properties and lease houses in the private sector for short term housing, and  £73 million to the housing associations for the same purpose (Balchin, 1995). Furthermore, voluntary groups were given grants to help the homeless, which totalled  £2 million in 1990-91 and  £6.1 million in 1992-93 (Balchin, 1995). A rough Sleepers initiative was started in June 1990 with an allocation of  £96 million over a period of three years, with a further  £86 million in 1992 to further the initiative until 1996 (Balchin, 1995). The funds provided hostel spaces and created more permanent move-on accommodation for peop le leaving hostel accommodation. More money was given to local authorities to increase the total number of places for former rough-sleepers in housing leased from private owners (Balchin, 1995). According to Balchin, (1995) â€Å"By mid-1992, the Rough Sleepers Initiative had provided about 850 places in hostels and over 1,200 in move-on accommodation, and a further 1,300 permanent places by December 1993. It is probable that the initiative was largely responsible for reducing the number of people sleeping rough in Central London from 1,046 in January 1991 to 440 in March 1992†. However, with the improvements success, the initiative had only a slight effect on the total problem of homelessness. At the time of its launch, Shelter, according to Balchin, (1995) dubbed it a â€Å"sticking plaster over the wound of Britains growing housing shortage, while the Institute of Housing said that the initiative was ‘calamine lotion to cover the spots†. In December 1989 extra measures to tackle homelessness was announced in Wales. To use the Homelessness Reserve of over  £4 million in an effective way, local authorities were encouraged to submit offers involving partnership schemes with housing associations, and support for voluntary organisations was increased to  £580,000 in 1992-93 (Balchin, 1995). A three year programme to help young single homeless people in Cardiff to find and retain permanent accommodation was started worth  £800, 000 (Balchin, 1995). Meanwhile, in Scotland  £15 million was allocated in the early 1990s to fund projects to tackle homelessness (Balchin, 1995). In 1992-93,  £7.5 billion was spent funding 44 projects which included the supply of emergency hostels, follow-on accommodation, and furnished tenancies in Edinburgh and other places, which provided accommodation for 700 homeless people. Other measures to deal with homelessness included the Flats over Shops Initiative and a system to use homes repossessed by mortgage lenders for accommodating homeless families (Balchin, 1995). However, according to Balchin, (1995), â€Å"The policy measures involved comparatively little public expenditure. The largest of these, the Homeless Initiative, involved expenditure of only  £250 million ‘a paltry sum when measured against the scale of the problem, it was clear that the government was ‘skimming the surface of the problem, instead of tackling the root cause by investing more money in housing†. The Homelessness Act, (2002) which forms the main part of the governments plan for dealing with homelessness in England and Wales, gives more protection to those who are in priority need for housing, such as families, and gives people more choice in the housing they are allocated. The Act furthers the list to include 16 and 17 year olds and 18 to 21 years old who are care-leavers, as well as people who are vulnerable as a result of fleeing violence. Local authorities have a duty to carry out a homeless review, and develop a homeless strategy for the area to prevent homelessness, and provide accommodation and support to people who are or may find themselves homeless. Furthermore, the Homelessness Act, (2002) is considered to be the most important piece of government legislation introduced on housing and homelessness since the Housing Act 1996. Under the Housing Act 1996 (Part VII) and the Homelessness Act 2002 councils must make enquiries to decide what legal housing obligations they have towards a person, and what other help they are entitled to receive as a result of their homelessness application. According, to Communities and Local Government, (2008) â€Å"An extra  £9.6 million to help rough sleepers make a permanent move away from the street was announced by Housing Minister Caroline Flint. The funding will support an additional 11 projects and 2 existing ones to improve and build new hostels and homelessness services across the country, helping homeless people back into independent living by giving them new skills and training†. Furthermore, according to Communities and Local Government, (2008), â€Å"It brings the total investment under the Governments Places of Change Programme to  £80 million over the next three years which will deliver 80 schemes, transforming hostels and homelessness services†. The Housing Minister visited the newly refurbished St. Mungos Endell Street Homeless hostel, which was given  £3.24 million under the previous round of programme, to find out from the residents how the centre had made a difference to their lives (Communities and Local Government, 2008). According to Balchin, (1995) â€Å"It is therefore important to increase the supply of low-cost housing by putting empty houses back into use and to embark upon new house building programmes. Outside of central government, there have been several initiatives taken to reduce the number of empty dwellings. Funded by voluntary organisations, the Empty Homes Agency was set up in 1991 in an attempt to accommodate homeless families in some of the countrys then, 760,000empty houses and flats. The agency aimed to put the owners of empty houses in touch with housing associations subsequently letting them to homeless people nominated by local authorities†. Homelessness acceptance figures show that they have gone down gradually from 35,770 in the third quarter of 2003 to 15,240 during October and December 2007. This is due to effective homelessness strategies and prevention methods implemented by Local Authorities in England (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Statutory Homeless Statistics for 0ctober to December 2007 were down 12 per cent in acceptances compared with the same period the previous year (Communities and Local Government, 2008) Furthermore, the number of people living in temporary accommodation has gone down since the end of 2005, after a time when the figure had stayed the same at around 101,000 and was below 80,000 at the end of December 2007 (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Other statistics show that 87 per cent of households were in self-contained accommodation, 66 per cent in private sector accommodation, 20 per cent in accommodation by social landlords and 9 per cent were in hostel accommodation and womens refuges. Just 5 per cent of households in temporary accommodation were in bed and breakfast accommodation (Communities and Local Government, 2008). And also, 76 per cent of households in temporary accommodation included dependent children and 92 per cent of these were in self-contained accommodation. (Communities and Local Government, 2008) As the prevention of homelessness is a priority for the government they aim to reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation to 50,500 by 2010 (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Since July to September 2003 the figure of households accepted as homeless under the homelessness legislation has gone down by 54 per cent and the number of households in temporary accommodation has fallen below 83,000, the lowest level since July 2002 (Communities and Local Government, 2008). These achievements are due to huge Government investment in services to prevent homelessness and also by continually supporting local authorities and voluntary sector agencies (Communities and Local Government, 2008). The Governments funding for local authority homelessness grants has increased by 23 per cent from  £60 million in 2005-06 to  £74 million in 2007-08, thus bringing the total investment in prevention to  £200 million over three years (Communities and Local Government, 2008). In conclusion, there have been significant policies implemented across the UK to deal with homelessness in recent years, and with legislations from the government and strategies from authorities to tackle homelessness the governments target of reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation will be achieved by the date set. References Balchin, P. (1995). Housing Policy an introduction, Routledge, London Carnwath, R. (1978). A Guide to the HOUSING (Homeless Persons) ACT 1977. Charles Knight @ Company Ltd. London Communities and Local Government, (2008), Housing. ‘Tackling and Preventing Homelessness. Available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/tacklingpreventing/ Communities and Local Government, (2008), Housing. Homelessness trends, Homelessness ‘Acceptances. Available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/homelessnesstrends/ Giddens, A. (1997). Sociology. Polity Press: Cambridge Haralambos, M; Holborn, M. and Heald, R. (1995). Sociology Themes and Perspectives, Collins Educational, London Homelessness Act, (2002). Available at: http://homelesspages.org.uk/kwds/keywords.asp?kwid=291 Walsh, M; Stephens, P. and Moore, S. (2000), Social Policy and Welfare. Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd. Cheltenham

Essay --

La’Shya Bradford November 10, 2013 Eng 102-H1 Dr Amy Carmines Double Standards â€Å"I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.† – Muhammad Ali African American women in the workforce have been seen as the lowest percentage in many companies. Corporate America is the toughest for women of color, due to the culture of companies and the value of women to many leaders of these companies. Today I will specifically be talking about Pepsi Corporation and how they could help turn this stereotype around and open the doors to many more African American women. The Pepsi corporation should expand their corporate leaders by increasing the African American women population as an attempt to diversify and highlight to many the value of women of color in corporate America. The history of women has been defined as lower positions of life for ages. Having to take the back seat to male figures has been the way of life for women in general. Since before we could even think back Greeks had the same view of women as we did and still do to some extent. For instance, let's refer to Greek mythology such as The Odyssey. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and the mother of Telemachus And even though she is queen of Ithaca she has to play the back seat to all men. Even her own son whom she lives with and by his rules due to the absences of her husband and her son age approaching a mans. On page 89 in Homer: The Odyssey Telemachus demonstrates his authority. He says â€Å"So mother, go back to your quarters. Tend to your own task, the distaff and the look, and keep the women working hard as well. As for giving orders, men will see that, but ... ...effective organizational knowledge.. Bring solutions by offering lighter, more diverse ways to help better understand customers. Take steps to ensure that staff is attempting to share useful knowledge that’s relatable and nurturing to the customers. Pay attention to what your employees learn from customers. The Pepsi corporation should expand its corporate leadership by increasing the African American women population as an attempt to diversify and highlight to many about the value of women of color in corporate America. This will help them take away from this stereotype of African American women in the workplace and the value of women in general. This routine can also help Pepsi stay true to its company culture as one of the first companies to open doors for African Americans and the women's community. Their position values will be more respected and recognized.

Godiva Hong Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan for GODIVA HONG in the Netherlands GODIVA HONG Chocolate therapy   Introduction This report consists of a situational analysis and a potential market analysis of Godiva Hong. This report is prepared by the RBS Marketing Consulting Firm. RBS is the only authorized marketing strategic partner of GODIVA in Europe.The purpose of this report is to attain insight into the success-increasing factors (strengths) and the value-decreasing (weaknesses) factors of introducing Godiva Hong to the Netherlands, and produce a feasible marketing strategy with which the product can be introduced. The analysis is done with the help of a SWOT-analysis. The market environment consists of both the macro environment and the micro environment. The structure of this marketing plan is based partly on the structure presented in Export business plan The Netherlands (2009). 2] Other academic books referenced for this report’s structure and data will be stated in the reference. 1. Profile 1 . Company Profile The Godiva Company was founded in Belgium in 1926 for the production and retail confectionary products. The company was founded by Joseph Draps and was named after Lady Godiva; â€Å"a woman of great generosity and beauty left an indelible impression upon the people she reigned over in Coventry† (Godiva: 2012). [3] Since its inception the company has kept to its tradition of making chocolates with â€Å"a unique formula of rich chocolate with unparalleled smoothness† (Godiva: 2012). 3] The company has maintained its image of confectionery excellence by paying careful attention to quality, innovation and design, evidence of the latter can be seen through their exquisite European-style gold ballotins and handcrafted seasonal packaging. Till date the company owns and operates over 450 retail shops and boutiques worldwide and issues out six seasonal mail order catalogs yearly (Godiva: 2012). [3] 2. Company Product Godiva offers a wide range of products fr om chocolate assortments and truffles; chocolate bars; chocolate treats; biscuits, coffee, and cocoa; dark, milk, and white chocolate gifts to baked desserts.The company just recently started producing a line of cocktails called Godiva Liqueur (Godiva: 2012). [3] The company Godiva, plan on introducing a new line of chocolates onto the Dutch market in 2012. The new product is called Godiva Hong. The product is a special blend of Chinese red bean paste with a rich dark chocolate coating. The product seeks to blend the traditional exquisite look, smell and delicious taste of Godiva chocolates with an equally tasty red bean paste that has health benefits. The name â€Å"Hong† was given to give the product an oriental feel. Hong means red in Chinese and the color symbolizes luxury and joy. 3.Company Mission â€Å"A passion for innovation and luxury combined with a truly memorable experience contained in each mouthful has made Godiva legendary. † (Godiva 2012) [3] 2. DESTEP analysis 1. Demographic Analysis: According to CBS, the Netherlands is the 27th most densely populated country in the world. The 16 million Dutch men and women are concentrated on an area of 41, 52 km?. This means that the country has a population density of 397 per km?. The emigration rate in the Netherlands is high, for this reason the population growth is expected to decrease while the aging of the population is expected to increase. Education levelAccording to the OECD Health data, the Netherlands has a relatively the high education rate compared to other countries in Europe. 21 % of the educated population has university degrees. Eating and buying habits Dutch consumers have diverging eating and buying habits, consumers are paying more and more attention to having a healthier lifestyle. They are eating healthier, exercising more and as a result of globalization are welcoming healthy foods and trends from other cultures (Terry B. , 2012) 2. Economic Analysis. The economical str ucture of The Netherlands is characterized as open, outward-looking and thinking out of the box.The Dutch economy has a strong international focus, as the Netherlands is one of the European Union's most dynamic centers of trade and industry. Owing largely to its favorable location by the North Sea, it plays a key role as a main port and distribution centre for companies operating worldwide. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is one of the largest airports in Europe. For these reasons the Netherlands is often called, the Gateway to Europe. (Diane L. , 2011). [3]On the other hand economic growth declined in by 0. 9% in the 4th quarter of 2008. According to CBS, the economy declined a further 3. 50 % in 2009 and another 0. 5 % in 2010. (Svend H. , 2008) Purchasing power In figure 1 shows a chart of consumer purchasing power in the Netherlands. It can be observed from this chart that before the recession consumers had a high purchasing power. (Terry B. , 2011) Fig. 1 Purchasing power of consu mers in the Netherlands | |Purchasing Power developments | |Periods |% | |2004 ~ 2005 |-0. | |2005 ~ 2006 |3 | |2006 ~ 2007 |3. 1 | |2007 ~ 2008 |0. 3 | |2008 ~ 2009 |1. | |CBS, 7-12-2009 | | 3. Social and environmental Analysis Dutch people are open-minded; they are adaptable and welcome or often embrace new cultures from all over the world. (Diane L. , 2011). [2]Majority of the people in the Netherlands speak English and more often than not other European languages. Dutch people tend to be very private; this however does not mean they are not welcoming simply value their privacy and respecting the privacy of others.The Dutch are also not known for their display of wealth for this reason it is very hard to distinguish between the well to do and poor in the Dutch society. 4. Technological Analysis Modern technology has been a major cause of the change in living standards in most countries. The Netherlands like many other developed countries has taken full advantage of this phenomeno n to create a seemingly comfortable life for its citizens. One of the key tools that have played a monumental part in this transformation has been the internet.Since the creation of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s, the Internet has been transformed from a mere communication tool into an undeniably incredible technology. The internet has since single handedly managed to revolutionize the way communication, business is done in today’s world. Since its inception, many tools have been developed to enable the conduction of business through the internet; one of which is e-commerce. E-commerce is a collective term used to describe the various methods of making online payments. E-commerce makes trading convenient and substantially reduces the costs involved in making trades. . Ecological Analysis The ecological rules for doing business in the Netherlands have been tightened in recent years; environmental health and safety have become very important. Businesses that wish to oper ate in the Netherlands have to adhere to these strict rules (HACCP rules) or face sanctions and fines. The ISO standard was introduced in the Netherlands in 2005. The ISO standards have a lot of requirements for management systems for the food industry in the Netherlands, these help to ensure safety in food chains. Alternative packagingAlternative packaging is a hot topic in the fast consuming goods industry. Paper, tinned paper, paper box and plastic box are still frequently used in chocolate industry. However, in recent years, moves have been made to replace paper with PP material, which is cheap and excellent at protecting chocolate from heat. On the other hand PP material ages easily and has a tendency to break in low temperatures. 6. Political The Dutch government is what one calls a â€Å"monarchical government†, meaning that it is not only comprised of the ministers and the state secretaries, but also the monarch, Queen Beatrix.Another term for describing this is: a co nstitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, whereby the constitution has determined how the powers are divided between the Queen and the other institutions of the government. (Holland Handbook, 2011) [2] The cabinet’s responsibilities are: preparing and implementing legislation, overseeing the local government, carrying out the day-to-day business of government and maintaining international relationship. There are two houses (the Lower House and the Upper House) in the Parliament.The Lower House is elected directly by people and the Upper House are elected by the members of the provincial councils. The two Houses of Parliament have been given 4 rights: the right to set a budget; the right of interpellation; the right to put questions to ministers and state secretaries; and the right of inquiry. Furthermore, the Lower House has been given two additional rights: the right of amendment and the right to propose legislation. (Holland Handbook, 2011)[2] The Netherlands not o nly has a central government, but also provincial and municipal government and the water boards.The central government is responsible for national interest. The provincial government concerns social work, cultural events, environmental management, energy and sports. The municipal governments occupies traffic, housing, social services, health care, water supply, education and recreation. In order to secure these activities, the provincial government and the municipal government receive fund from the central government and levy tax. The aspect is deserve to be noticed before launching a marketing plan is the Netherlands operates the same taxation system as all European countries.Currently, the standard VAT rate is EU is 19% with a reduced rate of 6% only applying for certain goods and Service. (Government Profile: 2011) Upon business-based aspect of Dutch politics, a change of government does not usually impact domestic and international business dramatically. All in all, the Netherla nds, as a the gateway to Europe, the government protects and supports its development by emphasizing strongly on tax law, health, labor, company , commercial, civil, environment and intellectual property matters. 3. Competitive Analysis-Applying Porter’s five forces . 1 Threat of new entrants The threat of new entrants to Godiva can be analyzed from the following aspects: Supply-side economies of scale; Godiva chocolates are produced in Belgium and the USA to satisfy demand worldwide. However, the company’s products which are specialty goods are not produced on a large scale, this results in the fixed costs per unit being relatively high. A new entrant could use this to their advantage by producing relatively more and competing on price. Capital requirement; a large sum of money is needed to establish a complete producing line.A new entrant will have to fund, fixed costs such as factory and machines, variable costs such as raw material, labor force, and advertisements. In addition, chocolate distribution is not easy. Special considerations like the temperature, and damage during transportation, will need to be taken into consideration. This will demand more requirements from a Third Part Logistics provider which will result in a high distribution fee. When all these factors are considered, the threat of new entrants to Godiva is not high. 3. 2 Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of Godiva’s supplier is high.The reasons are numerous. The key raw material for the production of chocolates is cocoa beans; these are grown in South America, Africa, and Middle East Asia. However, Godiva uses only high quality cocoa beans in the production of its chocolates and these are hard to come by, so once a supplier is selected, a corporative relationship is cultivated in order to maintain a long business relationship. The bargaining power of raw material supplier is therefore high; since the supplier can easily decide to sell his cocoa beans to Godiva’s competitors. 3. 3 Bargaining power of buyersThe diversity and highly differentiated chocolate products of Godiva keep the bargaining power of customer at a low level. As one of the most famous Belgian chocolate producers with loyal customers worldwide, when buyers think of buying chocolate with wonderful flavors and elegant packaging, they think Godiva. Same as Victoria’s secret and Starbucks, Godiva mainly focus on creating surprise, passion, and excitement around its brand (Philip Kotler, 2008). [9] It is also difficult for buyers to integrate forwards into Godiva due to its special handmade product line.The bargaining power of buyers is therefore low. 3. 4 Threat of substitutes Although current market full of hundreds of chocolate producers with very competitive products, Godiva still has a stable market share. Godiva achieved this by positioning its self away from mass markets and associating its brand with other luxury brands like Armani Exchange, Vic toria’s secret, Bose, Tiffany & Co, Coach, and so on. These companies share common characteristics, such as portrayal of desirable luxury in their product design or taste and their high, but not too expensive price range.Godiva does not consider mass market products like Mars and Snickers its substitutes but rather luxury gift items like champagne, expensive jewelry or products from other high-end chocolate brands like Guylian, Neuhaus, and Leonidas, when these other product are considered the potential threat is high. 3. 5 Industry competitors The industry competitors at the same level as Godiva are few. However, Godiva’s product assortments are more deeply differentiated than that of the others. The cost of switching from other brands to Godiva for a customer is relatively low.Godiva spreads its fixed costs per unit by producing large quantities compared to its competitors; because of this Godiva’s prices have remained competitive. In addition, Godiva has over 450 special stores and more than 1000 retail shops, which have already taken up a sizeable market share. All these factors considered makes Godiva’s, exit barrier relatively low. However, rivalry is expected to intensify when competitors launch marketing strategies such as price changing, publishing new products, and improving customer service.Especially during special holidays like Easter, each company will launch new product to attract more market segments. 4. Competitor’s analysis Among the competitor’s list, the strong competitors of Godiva in the Netherlands are: Neuhaus, Leonidas and Guylian 1. Competitor one: Guylian Guylian chocolates are sold in over 100 countries across Europe, Asia, Australia and America. It is one of the top ten best selling boxed chocolate brands, and often seen on  Valentine’s day, Mother's day, Easter, Christmas and other popular holidays. 17] Products: Guylian's chocolates range includes the world famous chocolate Sea S hells, truffles, assorted pralines, bars and many other gourmet creations. All made in  Belgium with the finest Belgian chocolate. Strengths: †¢ Strong brand names; †¢ High quality chocolate made by pure cocoa butter; †¢ Highly distinctive chocolate like Sea shells and sea horse, sugar-free dark chocolate ; †¢ Available in most major high street retailers, including supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, specialty food stores, petrol stations, duty free shops. Weaknesses online-shop are not available Marketing strategy: †¢ Constantly launching new accessories to meet customer’s special requirement. Special holidays, for instance, Guylian designed new greeting cards and chocolate boxes to enrich their product display. †¢ Enhance product line by producing luxury sea shells and sea horse chocolate. †¢ Enhance public realization through taking part in different product exhibitions and social activities. 4. 2 Competitor two: Neuhaus The Neuhaus group is an independent manufacturer of pralines and other chocolate delicacies in the luxury chocolate sector.It is established in over 50 countries with 1500 sales outlets. [10] Products: Neuhaus’s chocolate products consist of Pralines, Ice Cream, Confectionery, Boxes, and other chocolate. Strengths: †¢ Very strong brand name which has over 100 years Belgium Royal chocolate; †¢ Deeply differentiated product line; Concentrated on their core products; †¢ Neuhaus products are available in many boutiques, department stores, shopping centers, airports and online-shopping center. †¢ Favorable access to distribution networks; Well organized online customer service Weakness: †¢ Fewer specialty stores in the Netherlands. †¢ Price is comparatively high. †¢ Niche market share Marketing Strategy: †¢ Focus on their core business; †¢ Special customer service: offer corporate discounts starting for order of $1000 or above; Provide fre e customize gift card with logo ; †¢ Use newsletter to receive customer’s feedback and improve their products. Guarantee customer’s buying chocolate will be delivered next morning. 4. 3 Competitor three: LeonidasLeonidas is a world-renowned chocolate maker. It is famous for its freshness, generosity and traditional taste. It’s selling over 100 different kinds of Belgian chocolate through 1,400 outlets around the world. [11] Product: Butter cream chocolates; Special cream chocolates; Ganache chocolates; candied fruit; Marzipan; Liqueur cream chocolates; Cream caramel chocolates; Pralines; Plain chocolate Strengths †¢ Clarify assortment of products according to ingredients, design, occasions and taste. †¢ Good reputation among customers With 250 specialty stores in the Netherlands, customers can buy their products at any city †¢ Price is acceptable even for personal consumption Weaknesses †¢ Online shop is not available; †¢ European m arket too saturated Marketing Strategy †¢ Launched a new premium product line â€Å"L†, smaller and more refined chocolate, similar to Godiva’s ‘G’ collection (Chang Sub Kim, Deyeon Kim, March, 2008) †¢ Clear organization mission: A century of freshness, generosity and tradition †¢ Large number of shops to create a sense of â€Å"A word of chocolate is closer than you think† for customer . SWOT ANALYSIS | |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Environme| | | |ntal | | | | | | | | |.Efficient and effective distribution channels and | ·New taste | | |systems | | | | ·High-quality product | | | | ·Healthy product | | | |. High market share | | | |.Unique taste | | | |. Unique design | | | |. Product specialty | | | |. Existing marketing policy | | | |. High market share | | | |.New Marketing policy | | |Organizat|Opportunities |Threats | |ional | | | | | | | | | | | | | ·Expanding the market |.Substitute product | | |. Product Diversification |. Competitors | | | |. Product extension | 5. 1 Strength: Healthy product: Godiva Hong is has health benefits; according to Chinese medicine the red beans that we will used in the new chocolates have health improving effects. Scientific research has proven that the red beans are a good source of protein, soluble (and insoluble) fiber, folate (vitamin B12), magnesium, potassium and a number of other health promoting nutrients.The researchers concluded that it reduces heart attack by more than 80% [16]. According to USDA researcher Ronald Prior, red beans contain even more proanthocyanidins than blueberries, cranberries, and small beans [16]. So it is one of our most important strong points that we will be providing health with taste. High quality: Godiva is already famous for its high quality products. Godiva Hong, will offer customers the same quality in taste and exquisite design of its packaging. Godiva considers its quality as one of its strengths because it already has a satis fied amount of targeted consumers; its experience in this field becomes its strength.Efficient and effective distribution channels and systems: Godiva has a very efficient and effective distribution system. Godiva Hong can be ordered online from Godiva’s official website or other websites. It can also be ordered via telephone. Existing marketing policy: Godiva has various strategies for marketing its products. The company has its own website that has a web shop, they also have a catalogue system; their catalogs are released usually in the fall, holiday, Valentine's Day, Easter, spring, Mother's Day and summer periods. During the holidays 10 million books are circulated. Godiva's most recent data card lists 35,200 catalog buyers from the last 12 months.They are also well equipped with seasonal promotional offers and strong media coverage policy. [13] This existing marketing policy will be used to help promote Godiva Hong. Unique taste: The new product has a rich chocolate coat ing outside with traditional Godiva flavor and a red bean paste inside. It will have an aroma that evokes interest, curiosity. The product will merge the unique taste of sweetened red bean with the traditional rich taste of Godiva dark chocolates. Unique design: The packaging for Godiva Hong will be an elegantly designed bamboo box covered in red silk. In Chinese tradition the color red symbolizes warmth, passion and luxury.The design and color of our package is to stir up these feelings in our clients. The use of Chinese materials in the packets of Godiva Hong will give it a unique texture [pic] Product specialty: The color and all other materials that will be used for Godiva Hong will represent the brand’s luxury and excellence. Color, design, materials of Godiva Hong will be a perfect representative of Chinese culture also. High market share: According to the annual report of 2006 Godiva’s market share is in good position and its increasing [15]. So it is a strong p oint for the new product. Well organized Godiva boutique established its image as a luxury good; it attracts a huge amount of customer.We will make it stronger using our effective marketing policy. New Marketing policy: Godiva has media plans including image and tactical print in various magazines such as Vogue, In Style, Harper's and Vanity Fair, and also regional newspapers during the holidays. Direct mailing is done to support some product launches [13]. Exhibitions will also be organized in several shopping centers and our boutiques, free samples will be given to current customers when they visit our boutiques to buy our other well-known products. Godiva Hong will also use product placement and sponsorship to meet its objectives. 5. 2 Weakness New taste: Our main weakness is the new unfamiliar taste.This taste is familiar with Chinese people but for European people it will be a totally new taste. It is a weakness that we need to overcome by promoting this new taste in an attract ive manner: Well organized promotion, attractive packaging and designing. We will also maintain and combine the existing taste with the new product and also the same aroma so that the existing customer can identify this new product as a part of Godiva. 5. 3 Opportunities Expanding the market: After Godiva Hong has gained enough recognition with the current customers of Godiva, the target market will be expanded to include young customers (20-30) to expand our customer segment. Product Diversification:We will diversify our product portfolio in future by promoting more new taste inside Godiva chocolate. This will open an opportunity for us to enrich our market share. Product extension: In future we will look forward to extend our product to more diverse product line. We will make Ice-cream Hong, Candy Hong and more. 5. 4 Threats Substitute product: Godiva Hong is a luxury product, the company considers other luxury products like Champaign or flower bucket its substitute. The relative price and performance of these substitute products are a threat. Still we can overcome this threat by maintaining our customer oriented marketing policy. Competitors:In Netherlands competitors like Neuhaus, Leonidas and Guylian are able to cause great threat to Godiva because of their brand positioning and quality production. Still we can overcome this threat by establishing the uniqueness of the new chocolates with the new unique taste and its strong brand positioning policy. 6. Marketing Strategy 6. 1Marketing Objective 6. 1. 1 Awareness Objective In 2012, Godiva will embark on a campaign to introduce its customers in the Netherlands to a new line of oriental themed chocolates called Godiva Hong. 6. 1. 2 Sales Objectives †¢ Increase overall brand sales by 3% with the introduction of Godiva Hong by the second quarter of 2014. Widen target market for Godiva Hong by focusing mainly on young adults (ages 20 – 30) by 2016. 6. 2 Marketing Strategy Since Godiva Hong is a new product, creating awareness for it will take a front seat in the company’s promotional activities. The product will be introduced through Advertisements, Exhibitions and Social Media. The product will primarily be introduced on the company’s website and its customer catalogs. The advertising for Godiva Hong will focus on staying true to Godiva’s position as a high end chocolate brand that is unique and glamorous. The adverts will appeal to the customer’s emotions by branding the product as a luxury treat.The adverts will be telecast on all major Dutch television channels at prime times. There will also be adverts about Godiva Hong placed in luxury magazines the company already advertises in; they include Vogue, Forbes, In Style, Harper's and Vanity Fair. The company will strike a deal with KLM to distribute free samples of Godiva Hong to their first class passengers. A similar deal will be struck with some 5 star hotels in the Netherlands to put free samp les of Godiva Hong in welcome baskets. Exhibitions will also be organized in several shopping centers and our boutiques, free samples will be given to current customers when they visit our boutiques to buy our other well known products.These exhibitions will also be used to attract new customers, and will give the company the opportunity to get feedback from our customers on what they think of the new product. The sales objective will be achieved with the aid of social media. Through data and tests conducted in the past the company has managed to form a very good picture of who its current customers are. Through these tests they know demographic figures such as, 75% of our current customers are over the age of 32, 60% have children; more than 85% have completed college. They also gathered some psychographic information such as these customers love to indulge but are still health conscious.With the aid of this data, the company will communicate individually with these clients through social media (Face book, Twitter and blogs). The new product Godiva Hong will be introduced to them, as a treat with exquisite taste, the health benefits of the new product will also be emphasized while asking them questions and using their responses to improve on the marketing strategy. Godiva will also use product placement and sponsorship to meet its market expansion objectives. The company will hire the services of popular Dutch celebrities like artistes Nick and Simon by placing the new Godiva Hong in some of their videos. This strategy is to help make Godiva Hong attractive to young adults.These are the tools Godiva will use to meet its marketing objectives for Godiva Hong. The company will focus first on its current clients and when enough attention has been created on the product in that domain it will widen its target market to include young adults. 6. 3 Target market and Positioning The people of Netherlands like other European countries will continue to embrace the consu mption chocolates in search of indulgence. In recent years, chocolate consumption is being enhanced by a growing demand for healthier, higher quality products that incorporate new tastes. These circumstances in the Dutch market offer a good opportunity for confectionery products like Godiva Hong.When Godiva Hong is introduced its primary target market will be the current customers of Godiva products in the Netherlands. After the product has gained recognition and acceptance from the current flock of Godiva customers the target market will then be widened to include young adult (people between the ages of 20 and 30 who have just started working careers). Godiva Hong like all other Godiva products is an upscale luxury product, and like the other products will be positioned as such. The aim is to strengthen the products position as a high-end product that customers will be proud to buy. 7. Marketing action plan 7. 1 Description of productGodiva Hong is an oriental themed chocolate with sweetened red bean paste and a rich dark chocolate coating. Instead of traditional nut, alcohol, walnut or jam filling, GOVIDA is going to use sweetened red bean paste. It is a healthy traditional Chinese filling in Baozi, Zongzi, Yuanxiao, moon cakes and other snack. It is sweet, soft and melts smoothly in the mouth. The packaging for Godiva Hong is an elegantly designed bamboo box covered in red silk. 7. 1. 1 Product Classification Godiva already has several different product lines: chocolate assortments and truffles; chocolate bars; chocolate treats; biscuits, coffee, and cocoa; dark, milk, and white chocolate gifts; and baked desserts.Godiva Hong is a new product with a brand extension strategy that appeals to existing market. It is a new product in the chocolate collections& treats product line. In addition to chocolates, Godiva also sells truffles, coffee, cocoa, biscuits, dipped fruits and sweets, chocolate liqueur, shakes, wedding and party favors and other items arranged i n gift baskets. Godiva's signature package is the Gold Ballotin (French for â€Å"small, elegant box of chocolates†). Godiva also produces seasonal and limited-edition chocolates with special packaging for all major holidays. Godiva also has license for the production of ice cream, cheesecake, coffee pods and liqueur that comes in several chocolate-related flavors. (Godiva, 2012) 7. 1. Package Because the target market of Godiva Hong is middle and high class people, the packaging was designed to unique and elegant in order to evoke a sense of luxury. Chinese elements were added to the design in order to give an inclination to the origin of the product: †¢ On the wrapping paper or baskets, the Chinese knotting will be presented. †¢ Also environmentally friendly, materials such as bamboo will be used in the design for the packaging †¢ So our traditional package for present product line is better changed as red for main color. 7. 1. 3 Service Several special servi ces are provided as follows: †¢ Online and telephone order.Customers can order Godiva Hong online or via telephone, due to a standing contract the Godiva company has with UPS they can be assured of a timely delivery. †¢ Gift card. Beautiful gift cards and exquisitely-designed packages can be sent with every order at the customers’ request. †¢ Unique design. Customers can get involved in the production of their chocolate orders by designing the chocolate shapes themselves with the aid of our chocolate design software online. †¢ Name and blessings. Names and blessings can be carved into the chocolates or the packaging upon the customer’s request. 7. 2 Price The main purpose of price strategy is to price Godiva Hong at an acceptable level, while aiding in the promotion of the product 7. 2. 1 Pricing strategy for GodivaGodiva Hong seeks to attract customers who are willing and proud to pay a little more for high quality product. Our target customers are the current Godiva customers; mainly middle and high class people who are looking for high quality chocolates as gifts for birthday, wedding, special events and business purposes. The price of Godiva products has stayed stable over many years. This proves Godiva has a strong brand image that does not compete on price. 7. 2. 2 Pricing for Godiva Hong Godiva Hong is a new product with a brand extension strategy that appeals to existing market. So, the price of our new product will be set to meet the consistency of existing product in the chocolate collections& treats product line.Price for Godiva Hong |Beaded Easter Egg |â‚ ¬25 | |Enchanted Easter Gift Basket |â‚ ¬90 | |Signature Chocolate Truffle Assortment |â‚ ¬40 | |Gift Box |â‚ ¬30~â‚ ¬70 of different sizes | |Delights Gift Basket with Spring |â‚ ¬75 |Price for Godiva Hong and competitors (cooperation as small size gift box) |Godiva Hong |â‚ ¬40 | |Neuhaus |â‚ ¬48 | |Leonidas |â‚ ¬36 | |Guylian |â‚ ¬ 20 | [10][11][17] 7. 3 Place The main purpose of our place strategy is to choose the best distribution channels to sell Godiva Hong. 7. 3. 1 Traditional distribution channel:local malls Thanks to our existing local malls which provide maturity distribution channels, Godiva Hong can be bought wherever and whenever the customers want to purchase it. 7. 3. 2 New distribution channel: online and telephone orderIn recent years, online and telephone orders have attracted a lot of attention. According to Godiva’s last marketing report, the quantity of orders through these two new distribution channels is increasing year by year. So, it is a good choice to sell Godiva Hong also through these two new distribution channels. The customer can just log in our online order website to buy chocolate as the follow: http://www. godiva-online-store. eu/index-en. htm. Due to the contract with UPS a timely delivery is assured. Other services provided on the website are gift cards. The customers c an just buy it on the website. It has â‚ ¬30, â‚ ¬50, â‚ ¬100 different choices. 7. 3. 3 New distribution channel: co-worker websiteThe customers can also buy Godiva Hong on other websites as follows: †¢ Gift for euro †¢ Pick up flowers †¢ Gifts n ideas These website are co-operating with our company. So the customers can buy Godiva Hong from these websites when they buy some other gifts and flowers. 7. 3. 4 New distribution channel: Fashion event& business press release Godiva is co-operating with event organizers for fashion shows and business press releases. Association with these events is to aid in the extension of Godiva Hong’s the popularity as a luxury brand. Also, the patrons of these events make up our core clients so, sales could also be generated by selling Godiva Hong at these events. 7. 4. PromotionThe main purpose of our promotion strategy is to introduce Godiva Hong to existing customers and potential consumers. 7. 4. 1 Marketing channe l: advertisements Advertising is Godiva’s traditional marketing channel. Advertisements have had tremendous impact on sale of Godiva products. So we will still adapt this marketing channel. The commercial advertising will be concentrated in following Medias: †¢ Television. The period of time that we will advertisement will be related to special event such as Easter, Queen's Day. †¢ Magazine. The magazines that we will consider are included Vogue, Forbes, In Style, Harper's and Vanity Fair this kind of high-fashion magazines. †¢ Internet including social media.Social Media channels such as face book or twitter will be used to communicate to our clients individually on the merits of Godiva Hong. 7. 4. 2 Marketing channel: The shopping center exhibition Promotional exhibitions are also an important marketing channel for Godiva. It is soon April. Several holidays, such as Easter, Queen's Day, are in the April. We will have promotional events in shopping centers whe re our shops exist. The customers can have tasting sessions for Godiva Hong in our shop for free. Feedback will be gathered from them on how to further improve the product or its marketing strategy 7. 4. 3 Free sample delivery Several main strategies are implemented to improve the popularity of Godiva Hong for the first three months. Strategy one:Existing customers, who will buy our traditional products, will have a small Godiva Hong sample for free. Strategy two: According to the last six months order records, the Godiva Hong sample will be sent to those customers as a gift, who ordered other products of chocolate gift baskets, seasonal gifts, gifts by occasion and business gifts product lines. Strategy three: In the airport, the Godiva Hong sample will be provided in the first class of KLM. Strategy four: In some international 5-star chain hotels, the Godiva Hong sample will be provided as a gift in the welcoming basket. Bibliography and References [1] Cougar, 2005, Godiva Case St udy, Strategic Issues, Problems, and Opportunities, [online], http://www. oppapers. om/essays/Godiva-Case-Study/65561, [accessed 15th Mar. 2012] [2] Diane L. , 2011, Holland Handbook, 2nd, EXPT Media,, Rotterdam, Netherlands [3] Godiva, 2012, Godiva Chocolatier Inc, [online], http://www. godiva. com/category/chocolate-collections-treats/id/131. gdv, [accessed 15th Mar 2012] [4] Ilhantek, 2006, Godiva Europe, Problems, [online], http://www. oppapers. com/essays/Godiva-Europe/90574, [accessed 15th Mar 2012] [5] Lofthouse, R. 2007. Luxury chocolate is piling on the pounds as Godiva becomes the latest to tempt buyers. The Business. [online]. [Published 18 August 2007]. Available from: http://www. factiva. com [accessed 15th Mar 2012]. [6] Milmo, C. 2007.The capital gains: London is the new plutocrats’ paradise. The Independent. [online]. [Published 8 February 2007]. Available from: http://www. factiva. com [accessed 15th Mar 2012]. [7] Moskow, R. & Aquino, P. 2007. Campbell Soup Company: Godiva may gallop off. Credit Suisse Equity Research, [accessed 15th Mar 2012]. [8] Wikipedia, 2012, Godiva Chocolatier, [online], http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Godiva_Chocolatier, [accessed 15th Mar 2012] [9] Philip Kotler and Gary Armsrtong (2008), Principle Of Marketing 12th Ed, P232, Pearson Education. New Jersey 07458, U. S. A Chang Sub Kim, Deyeon Kim, Han Seo, Wendy Shin, Minkyung Suh, (March 2008). Godiva Chocolatier in North

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 24

Chapter 24 I've finally finished reading these stories by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These guys make the whole thing seem like an accident, like five thousand people just showed up on a hill one morning. If that was the case, getting them all there was the miracle, let alone feeding them. We busted our asses to organize sermons like that, and sometimes we even had to put Joshua in a boat and float him offshore while he preached, just to keep him from getting mobbed. That boy was a security nightmare. And that's not all, there were two sides to Joshua, his preaching side and his private side. The guy who stood there railing at the Pharisees was not the same guy who would sit around poking Untouchables in the arm because it cracked him up. He planned the sermons, he calculated the parables, although he may have been the only one in our group that understood any of them. What I'm saying is that these guys, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they got some of it right, the big stuff, but they missed a lot (like thirty years, for instance). I'll try to fill it in, which is why, I guess, the angel brought me back from the dead. And speaking of the angel, I'm about convinced that he's gone psycho. (No, psycho isn't a word I had back in my time, but enough television and I'll have a whole new vocabulary. It applies. I believe, for instance, that â€Å"psycho† was the perfect term for John the Baptist. More about him later.) Raziel took me to a place where you wash clothes today. A Laundromat. We were there all day. He wanted to make sure I knew how to wash clothes. I may not be the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but it's laundry, for Christ's sake. He quizzed me for an hour about sorting whites and colors. I may never get this story told if the angel keeps deciding to teach me life lessons. Tomorrow, miniature golf. I can only guess that Raziel is trying to prepare me to be an international spy. Bartholomew and his stench rode one camel while Joshua and I shared the other. We rode south to Jerusalem, then east over the Mount of Olives into Bethany, where we saw a yellow-haired man sitting under a fig tree. I had never seen a yellow-haired person in Israel, other than the angel. I pointed him out to Joshua and we watched the blond man long enough to convince ourselves that he wasn't one of the heavenly host in disguise. Actually, we pretended to watch him. We were watching each other. Bartholomew said, â€Å"Is there something wrong? You two seem nervous.† â€Å"It's just that blond kid,† I said, trying to look in the courtyards of the large houses as we passed. â€Å"Maggie lives here with her husband,† Joshua said, looking at me, relieving no tension whatsoever. â€Å"I knew that,† said Bart. â€Å"He's a member of the Sanhedrin. High up, they say.† The Sanhedrin was a council of priests and Pharisees who made most of the decisions for the Jewish community, as far as the Romans would allow them, anyway. Aside from the Herods and Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, they were the most powerful men in Israel. â€Å"I was really hoping Jakan would die young.† â€Å"They have no children,† Joshua said. What Josh was saying was that it was strange that Jakan hadn't divorced Maggie for being barren. â€Å"My brother told me,† I said. â€Å"We can't go see her.† â€Å"I know,† I said, although I wasn't sure why not. We finally found John in the desert north of Jericho, preaching on the bank of the Jordan River. His hair was as wild as ever and now he had a beard that was just as out of control. He wore a rough tunic that was belted with a sash of unscraped camel skin. There was a crowd of perhaps five hundred people there, standing in sun so hot that you had to check road signs to make sure you hadn't accidentally taken the turnoff to hell. We couldn't tell what John was talking about from a distance, but as we got closer we heard him say, â€Å"No, I'm not the one. I'm just getting things ready. There's one that's coming after me, and I'm not qualified to carry his jockstrap.† â€Å"What's a jockstrap?† Joshua asked. â€Å"It's an Essene thing,† Bartholomew answered. â€Å"They wear them on their manhood, very tightly, to control their sinful urges.† Then John spotted us over the crowd (we were on camelback). â€Å"There!† said John, pointing. â€Å"You remember me telling you that one would come. Well, there he is, right there. I'm not kidding, that's him on the camel. On the left. Behold the Lamb of God!† The crowd looked back at Josh and me, then laughed politely as if to say, Oh right, he just happened along right when you were talking about him. What, we don't know from a shill when we see one? Joshua glanced nervously at me, then at Bart, then at me, then he grinned sheepishly (as one might expect from a lamb) at the crowd. Between gritted teeth he asked, â€Å"So am I supposed to give John my jockstrap, or something?† â€Å"Just wave, and say, ‘Go with God,'† Bart said. â€Å"Waving here – waving there,† Josh mumbled through a grin. â€Å"Go with God. Thank you very much. Go with God. Nice to see you. Waving – waving.† â€Å"Louder, Josh. We're the only ones who can hear you.† Josh turned to us so the crowd couldn't see his face. â€Å"I didn't know I was going to need a jockstrap! Nobody told me. Jeez, you guys.† Thus did begin the ministry of Joshua bar Joseph, ish Nazareth, the Lamb of God. â€Å"So, who's the big guy?† John asked, as we sat around the fire that evening. Night crawled across the desert sky like a black cat with phosphorus dandruff. Bartholomew rolled with his dogs down by the riverbank. â€Å"That's Bartholomew,† Joshua said. â€Å"He's a Cynic.† â€Å"And the village idiot of Nazareth for over thirty years,† I added. â€Å"He gave up his position to follow Joshua.† â€Å"He's a slut, and he's the first one baptized in the morning. He stinks. More locusts, Biff?† â€Å"No thanks, I'm full.† I stared down at my bowl of roasted locusts and honey. You were supposed to dip the locusts in the honey for a sweet and nutritious treat. It was all John ate. â€Å"So this Divine Spark, all that time away, that's what you found?† â€Å"It's the key to the kingdom, John,† Josh said. â€Å"That's what I learned in the East that I'm supposed to bring to our people, that God is in all of us. We are all brothers in the Divine Spark. I just don't know how to spread the word.† â€Å"Well, first, you can't call it the Divine Spark. The people won't understand it. This thing, it's in everyone, it's permanent, it's a part of God?† â€Å"Not God the creator, my father, the part of God that's spirit.† â€Å"Holy Ghost,† John said with a shrug. â€Å"Call it the Holy Ghost. People understand that a ghost is in you, and they understand that it goes on after you, and you'll just have to make them believe that it's God.† â€Å"That's perfect,† Joshua said, smiling. â€Å"So, this Holy Ghost,† John said, biting a locust in half, â€Å"it's in every Jew, but gentiles don't have it, right? I mean what's the point, after the kingdom comes?† â€Å"I was getting to that,† said Josh. It took John the better part of the night to deal with the fact that Joshua was going to let gentiles into the kingdom, but finally the Baptist accepted it, although he kept looking for exceptions. â€Å"Even sluts?† â€Å"Even sluts,† Joshua said. â€Å"Especially sluts,† I said. â€Å"You're the one who is cleansing people of their sins so they will be forgiven,† Joshua added. â€Å"I know, but gentile sluts, in the kingdom.† He shook his head, assured now by the Messiah himself that the world was going to hell in a handbasket. Which really shouldn't have surprised him, since that had been his message for over ten years. That, and identifying sluts. â€Å"Let me show you where you'll be staying.† Shortly after I had met him on the road to Jerusalem, John had joined the Essenes. You couldn't be born an Essene, because they were all celibate, even in marriage. They also refrained from intoxicating drink, adhered strictly to Jewish dietary law, and were absolutely maniacal about cleansing themselves, physically, of sin, which had been the big selling point for John. They had a thriving community in the desert outside of Jericho called Qumran, a small city of stone and brick homes, a scriptorium for copying scrolls, and aqueducts that ran out of the mountains to fill their ritual baths. A few of them lived in the caves above the Dead Sea where they stored the jars that held their sacred scrolls, but the most zealous of the Essenes, which included John, didn't even allow themselves the comfort of a cave. He showed us accommodations near his own. â€Å"It's a pit!† I screamed. Three pits, to be exact. I suppose there's something to be said for having a private pit. Bartholomew, with his many canine pals, was already settling into his new pit. â€Å"Oh, John,† Josh said, â€Å"remind me to tell you about karma.† So, for over a year, while Joshua was learning from John how to say the words that would make people follow him, I lived in a pit. It makes sense, if you think about it. For seventeen years Joshua had spent his time either studying or sitting around being quiet, so what did he know about communicating? The last message he'd gotten from his father was two words, so he wasn't getting his speaking skills from that side of the family. On the other hand, John had been preaching for those same seventeen years, and that squirrelly bastard could preach. Standing waist deep in the Jordan, he would wave his arms and roll his eyes and stir the air with a sermon that would make you believe the clouds were going to open and the hand of God Hisownself was going to reach down, grab you by the balls, and shake you till the evil rattled out of you like loose baby teeth. An hour of John's preaching and you were not only lining up to be baptized, you'd jump right in the river and try to breathe the bottom muck just to be relieved of your own wretchedness. Joshua watched, and listened, and learned. John was an absolute believer in who Joshua was and what he was going to do, as far as he understood, anyway, but the Baptist worried me. John was attracting the attention of Herod Antipas. Herod had married his brother Philip's wife, Herodia, without her obtaining a divorce, which was forbidden by Jewish law, an absolute outrage by the more severe laws of the Essenes, and a subject that fit well into John's pervasive â€Å"slut† theme. I was starting to notice soldiers from Herod's personal guard hovering around the edge of John's crowds when he preached. I confronted the Baptist one evening when he came out of the wilderness in one of his evangelical rages to ambush me, Joshua, Bartholomew, and a new guy as we sat around eating our locusts. â€Å"Slut!† John shouted with his â€Å"thunder of Elijah† voice, waving a finger under Bart's nose. â€Å"Yeah, John, Bartholomew's been getting laid a lot,† I said, evangelizing for sarcasm. â€Å"Almost,† said Bart. â€Å"I mean with another human being, Bart.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry. Never mind.† John wheeled on the new guy, who put his hands up. â€Å"I'm new,† he said. Thus rebuked, John spun to face Joshua. â€Å"Celibate,† Joshua said. â€Å"Always have been, always will be. Not happy about it.† Finally John turned to me. â€Å"Slut!† â€Å"John, I'm cleansed, you baptized me six times today.† Joshua elbowed me in the ribs. â€Å"What? It was hot. Point is, I counted fifty soldiers in the crowd today, so ease up a little on the slut talk. You're backed up or something. You really need to rethink this no marriage, no sex, no fun, ascetic thing.† â€Å"And the honey-and-locust living-in-a pit thing,† said the new guy. â€Å"He's no different than Melchior or Gaspar,† Joshua said. â€Å"They were both ascetics.† â€Å"Melchior and Gaspar weren't running around calling the provincial governor a slut in front of hundreds of people. It's a big difference, and it's going to get him killed.† â€Å"I am cleansed of sin and unafraid,† said John, sitting down by the fire now, some of his verve gone. â€Å"Yeah, are you cleansed of guilt? Because you're going to have the blood of thousands on your hands when the Romans come to get you. In case you haven't noticed, they don't just kill the leaders of a movement. There's a thousand crosses on the road to Jerusalem where Zealots died, and they weren't all leaders.† â€Å"I am unafraid.† John hung his head until the ends of his hair were dipping into the honey in his bowl. â€Å"Herodia and Herod are sluts. He's as close as we have to a Jewish king, and he's a slut.† Joshua pushed his cousin's hair out of his eyes and squeezed the wild man's shoulder. â€Å"If it be so, then so be it. As the angel foretold, you were born to preach the truth.† I stood up and tossed my locusts into the fire, showering sparks over John and Joshua. â€Å"I've only met two people whose births were announced by angels, and three-quarters of them are loony.† And I stormed off to my pit. â€Å"Amen,† said the new guy. That night, as I was falling asleep, I heard Joshua scrambling in the pit next to mine, as if a bug or an idea had roused him from his bedroll. â€Å"Hey!† he said. â€Å"What?† I replied. â€Å"I just did the math. Three quarters of two is – â€Å" â€Å"One and a half,† said the new guy, who had moved into the pit on the other side of Josh. â€Å"So John's either all crazy and you're half crazy, or you're three-quarters crazy and John's three-quarters crazy, or – well – actually it's a constant ratio, I'd have to graph it out for you.† â€Å"So what are you saying?† â€Å"Nothing,† said the new guy. â€Å"I'm new.† The next morning Joshua leapt out of his pit, shook off the scorpions, and after a long morning whiz, kicked some dirt clods into my pit to thunk me from my slumber. â€Å"This is it,† Joshua said. â€Å"Come down to the river, I'm going to have John baptize me today.† â€Å"Which will make it different from yesterday in what way?† â€Å"You'll see. I have a feeling.† And off he went. The new guy prairie-dogged up out of his pit. He was tall, the new guy, and the morning sun caught on his bald scalp as he looked around. He noticed some flowers growing where Joshua had just relieved himself. Lush blossoms of a half-dozen vibrant colors stood surrounded by the deadest landscape on the planet. â€Å"Hey, were those there yesterday?† â€Å"That always happens,† I said. â€Å"We don't talk about it.† â€Å"Wow,† said the new guy. â€Å"Can I tag along with you guys?† â€Å"Sure,† I said. And thus did we become four. At the river, John preached to a small gathering as he lowered Joshua into the water. As soon as Joshua went under the water a rift opened across the desert sky, which was still pink with the dawn, and out of the rift came a bird that looked to be fashioned from pure light. And everyone on the riverbank said â€Å"ooh† and â€Å"ahh,† and a big voice boomed out of the heavens, saying, â€Å"This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.† And as quickly as it had come, the spirit was gone. But the gatherers at the riverbank stood with their mouths open in amazement, staring yet into the sky. And John came to his senses then, and remembered what he was doing, and lifted Joshua out of the water. And Joshua wiped the water out of his eyes, looked at the crowd who stood stunned with mouths hanging open, and he said unto them: â€Å"What?† â€Å"No, really, Josh, that's what the voice said, ‘This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.'† Joshua shook his head and chewed a breakfast locust. â€Å"I can't believe he couldn't wait until I came up. You're sure it was my father?† â€Å"Sounded like him.† The new guy looked at me and I shrugged. Actually it sounded like James Earl Jones, but I didn't know that back then. â€Å"That's it,† said Joshua. â€Å"I'm going into the desert like Moses did, forty days and forty nights.† Joshua got up and started walking into the desert. â€Å"From here on out, I'm fasting until I hear something from my father. That was my last locust.† â€Å"I wish I could say that,† said the new guy. As soon as Joshua was out of sight I ran to my pit and packed my satchel. I was a half day getting to Bethany, and another hour asking around before someone could direct me to the house of Jakan, prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin. The house was made of the golden-tinged limestone that marked all of Jerusalem, and there was a high wall around the courtyard. Jakan had done very well for himself, the prick. You could house a dozen families from Nazareth in a house this size. I paid two blind guys a shekel each to stand by the wall so I could climb on their shoulders. â€Å"How much did he say this was?† â€Å"He said it was a shekel.† â€Å"Doesn't feel like a shekel.† â€Å"Would you guys quit feeling your shekels and stand still, I'm going to fall.† I peeped over the top of the wall and there, sitting under the shade of an awning, working at a small loom, was Maggie. If she had changed, it was only that she'd become more radiant, more sensuous, more of a woman and less of a girl. I was stunned. I guess I expected some sort of disappointment, thinking that my time and my love might have shaped a memory that the woman could never live up to. Then I thought, perhaps the disappointment was yet to come. She was married to a rich man, a man who, when I knew him, had been a bully and a dolt. And what had always really made Maggie's memory in my mind was her spirit, her courage, and her wit. I wondered if those things could have survived all these years with Jakan. I started to shake, bad balance or fear, I don't know, but I put my hand on top of the wall to steady myself and cut myself on some broken pottery that had been set in mortar along the top. â€Å"Ouch, dammit.† â€Å"Biff?† Maggie said, as she looked me in the eye right before I tumbled off the shoulders of the blind guys. I had just climbed to my feet when Maggie came around the corner and hit me, full-frontal womanhood, full speed, leading with lips. She kissed me so hard that I could taste blood from my cut lips and it was glorious. She smelled the same – cinnamon and lemon and girl sweat – and felt better than memory could ever allow. When she finally relaxed her embrace and held me at arm's length, there were tears in her eyes. And mine. â€Å"He dead?† said one of the blind men. â€Å"Don't think so, I can hear him breathing.† â€Å"Sure smells better than he did.† â€Å"Biff, your face cleared up,† Maggie said. â€Å"You recognized me, with the beard and everything.† â€Å"I wasn't sure at first,† she said, â€Å"so I was taking a risk jumping you like that, but in the midst of it all I recognized that.† She pointed to where my tunic had tented out in the front. And then she grabbed that betraying rascal, shirtfront and all, and led me down the wall toward the gate by it. â€Å"Come on in. You can't stay long, but we can catch up. Are you okay?† she said, looking over her shoulder, giving me a squeeze. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I'm just trying to think of a metaphor.† â€Å"He got a woman from up there,† I heard one of the old blind guys say. â€Å"Yeah, I heard her drop. Boost me up, I'll feel around.† In the courtyard, with Maggie, over wine, I said, â€Å"So you really didn't recognize me?† â€Å"Of course I recognized you. I've never done that before. I just hope no one saw me, they still stone women for that.† â€Å"I know. Oh, Maggie, I have so much to tell you.† She took my hand. â€Å"I know.† She looked into my eyes, past my eyes, her blue eyes looking for something beyond me. â€Å"He's fine,† I said, finally. â€Å"He's gone into the desert to fast and wait for a message from the Lord.† She smiled. There was a little of my blood in the corners of her mouth, or maybe that was wine. â€Å"He's come home to take his place as the Messiah then?† â€Å"Yes. But I don't think the way people think.† â€Å"People think that John might be the Messiah.† â€Å"John is†¦He's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He's really pissing Herod off,† Maggie offered. â€Å"I know.† â€Å"Are you and Josh going to stay with John?† â€Å"I hope not. I want Joshua to leave. I just have to get him away from John long enough to see what's going on. Maybe this fast†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The iron lock on the gate to the courtyard rattled, then the whole gate shook. Maggie had locked it behind us after we'd entered. A man cursed. Evidently Jakan was having trouble with his key. Maggie stood and pulled me to my feet. â€Å"Look, I'm going to a wedding in Cana next month with my sister Martha, the week after Tabernacles. Jakan can't go, he's got some meeting of the Sanhedrin or something. Come to Cana. Bring Joshua.† â€Å"I'll try.† She ran to the closest wall and held her hand in a stirrup. â€Å"Over.† â€Å"But, Maggie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't be a wuss. Step, hands – step, shoulders – and over. Be careful of the pottery on top.† And I ran – did exactly as she'd said: one foot in the stirrup, one on her shoulder, and over the wall before Jakan could get in the gate. â€Å"Got one!† said one of the old blind guys as I tumbled down on top of them. â€Å"Hold her still while I stick it in.† I was sitting on a boulder, waiting for Joshua when he came out of the desert. I held out my arms to hug him and he fell forward, letting me catch him. I lowered him to the rock where I had been sitting. He had been smart enough to coat all the exposed parts of his skin with mud, probably mixed from his own urine, to protect it from burning, but in a few spots on his forehead and hands the mud had crumbled away and the skin was gone, burned to raw flesh. His arms were as thin as a small girl's, they swam in the wide sleeves of his tunic. â€Å"You okay?† He nodded. I handed him a water skin I had been keeping cool in the shade. He drank in little sips, pacing himself. â€Å"Locust?† I said, holding up one of the crispy torments between my thumb and forefinger. At the sight of it I thought Joshua would vomit the water he had just drunk. â€Å"Just kidding,† I said. I whipped open the mouth of my satchel, revealing dates, fresh figs, olives, cheese, a half-dozen flat loaves of bread, and a full wineskin. I'd sent the new guy into Jericho the day before to bring back the food. Josh looked at the food spilling out of the satchel and grinned, then covered his mouth with his hand. â€Å"Ow. Ouch. Ow.† â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Lips†¦chapped.† â€Å"Myrrh,† I said, pulling a small jar of the ointment from the satchel and handing it to him. An hour later the Son of God was refreshed and rejuvenated, and we sat sharing the last of the wine, the first that Joshua had had since we'd come home from India over a year ago. â€Å"So, what did you see in the desert?† â€Å"The Devil.† â€Å"The Devil?† â€Å"Yep. He tempted me. Power, wealth, sex, that sort of thing. I turned him down.† â€Å"What did he look like?† â€Å"He was tall.† â€Å"Tall? The prince of darkness, the serpent of temptation, the source of all corruption and evil, and all you can say about him is he was tall?† â€Å"Pretty tall.† â€Å"Oh, good, I'll be on the lookout then.† Joshua said, pointing at the new guy. â€Å"He's tall, too.† I realized then that the Messiah might be a little tipsy. â€Å"Not the Devil, Josh.† â€Å"Well, who is he then?† â€Å"I'm Philip,† said the new guy. â€Å"I'm going with you to Cana tomorrow.† Joshua wheeled around to me and almost fell off his rock. â€Å"We're going to Cana tomorrow?† â€Å"Yes, Maggie's there, Josh. She's dying.†

The Boston Tea Party essays

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The 5 Best Schools to Earn a Human Resources Degree + What You Can Do With It

The 5 Best Schools to Earn a Human Resources Degree + What You Can Do With It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you hear the term â€Å"human resources† or â€Å"HR,† what do you think of? You’ve probably heard it quite a few times, whether that’s from your business courses, the news, or even as you’ve researched potential majors. One of our favorite examples of someone who works in human resources is the character Toby fromThe Office. Toby’s job was to keep Michael Scott, Dunder Mifflin’s off-the-wall regional manager, in check. (If you’ve ever seen The Office, you know that was an impossible order!) And if you remember Toby, you’ll also recollect that he was also considered a wet blanket and no fun. But despite its portrayal in The Office, working in human resources is actually an excellent fit for anyone who enjoys working with people and shaping a company’s policies. This article will not only introduce you to the human resources degree, it will also give you a peek at the doors it can open for you. What Is Human Resources? So if human resources isn’t the snooze-fest that The Office makes it out to be, then what is human resources, exactly? Human resources is the department in a company or business that â€Å"is focused on activities relating to employees.† In other words, the human resources team’s whole job is to handle any organizational, policy, or staffing issue as it relates to the people who work at a company. That means that human resources is a vital part of any healthy business! The duties of a human resources department vary depending on the size and structure of a company, but in general, it handles all the personnel (or employee) issues for the business. This includes things like hiring employees, training new team members, implementing new employee-oriented programs, managing employee benefits, protecting employees’ legal rights, helping employees advance in their careers, keeping everyone motivated, and establishing/maintaining the company’s culture. It might make more sense if you think of a business like a car. If executives are the drivers and employees are the engine, then people who work in human resources are mechanics. They help make sure that the car is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible! What Does a Career in Human Resources Look Like? The human resources field is robust and offers people career opportunities in an incredible variety of sub-fields that range from personnel management to corporate training. Here are four human resource jobs that you might not have known existed! HR Specialist Median annual salary: $60,350 If you get a degree in human resources, you’re qualified to enter a company as an HR specialist. HR specialists handle a wide variety of human resources tasks, especially when it comes to recruiting, interviewing, and hiring employees. Because this isn’t an entry-level position, HR specialists often deal with more complex HR issues, like administering benefits, addressing internal problems, and developing company strategies, too. Training and Development Manager Median annual salary: $87,700 An HR Training and Development Manager is in charge of all the education, training, and career development for employees within a company. Often, they develop unique training sessions, classes, and workbooks specific to their company and its needs. People who excel as a training and development manager enjoy helping people learn and grow. Their job is to make sure that everyone has access to the materials and knowledge they need to have great careers! Executive Recruiter Average annual salary: $78,785 Executive recruiters are talent scouts for companies. Their job is to help large companies and corporations fill empty leadership positions with the best and brightest people. Executive recruiters have to be insightful and persuasivenot only do they need to understand what the hiring company needs, they have to convince executives to take a chance on a new role, too. (Many times, executive recruiters are courting people who already have jobs at other companies.) Additionally, some executive recruiters have the potential to earn financial bonuses for successful hires...so this job can be a lucrative one! Labor Relations Specialist Median annual salary: $83,298 A labor relations specialist serves as the intermediary between labor unions and a company. Not only do they negotiate with unions, they also help draft contracts, too. It’s important for a labor relations specialist to understand local, state, and federal labor laws. It’s also their job to make sure their company complies with all the important labor regulationsso this is a great position for anyone interested in working in a legal field! Operations Manager Median annual salary: $63,708 Becoming an operations manager isn’t strictly a human relations job, but it’s a common career path for people who start off in a human relations field. Operations managers’ job is to make sure all of the operational aspects of a company are running smoothly. This includes overseeing product development and manufacturing, making sure deliverables make it to clients on time, and working to keep projects on budget. In bigger companies, operations managers also serve as important members of the leadership team! This job is a fantastic fit for highly organized people who like jobs with lots of variety. What Is a Human Resources Degree? A human resources degree program is a specialized course of study that prepares you for a career as a human resources professional. It combines classes in general businesslike business management and strategywith others designed to help you manage the personnel issues a business might face. Unlike some fields, you can earn a human resources degree on four different tiers: the associate level, the bachelor level, and the master level, and the Ph.D. level. Associate’s Degree Some community colleges offer associate’s degrees in human resources. These are normally two-year degrees that you complete on a community college campus in your city or through a distance learning program associated with a community college in your state. People who have associate’s degrees in human resources are often considered generalists, meaning they don’t specialize in a specific field of human resources, like benefit management or training. That means their degree will qualify them for entry-level positions, like human resource clerk or assistant recruiter. Some companies offer people with associate’s degrees on-the-job training so they can advance into more specialized, higher-paying roles as they grow their career. So an associate’s degree in human resources is a great option for anyone who isn’t a good fit for a four-year degree but still wants to enter a job field with the potential for advancement! Bachelor’s Degree The bachelor’s degree is by far the most common human resources degree. Most large universities offer a human resources program, which is usually run through an institution’s business school. These four-year programs offer a comprehensive business education that includes overviews of business management, practices, and finance. But more importantly, bachelor’s programs provide a comprehensive education in the field of human resources, and they equip graduates to start their careers in a variety of different business environments ranging from small, local companies to national non-profits. Additionally, some bachelor’s programs allow students to specialize in a specific sub-field of human resources, like organizational development or human resources management. This allows students to find better, higher paying jobs right out of school (and qualify for general HR positions, too). Master’s Degree People who pursue master’s degrees in human resources have their sights set on leadership positions. Earning a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree with an emphasis in human resources can lead to roles like directorships, or even becoming the vice president for human resources at a larger company. In general, an MBA in human resources takes two years to complete. The MBA in human resources is even more concentrated than the bachelor’s degree, meaning that students will take more rigorous, more in-depth courses about human resources and the future of the field. Consequently, that means there’s no standard course load for this type of degree. Each program is different, so you’ll want to do your research before committing to a specific university. PhDDegree A PhD is the highest degree you can earn in any field, and the PhD in human resources is no different. People who pursue a PhDare preparing themselves to enter academia (as a professor) or related research fields. Unlike other degree programs which focus on the practical application of human resources principles, PhD programs are designed with research in mind. Students work with faculty advisors to undertake new, unique research projects related to human resources. A PhD in human resources can take anywhere from four to seven years to complete. Online Degree As education has moved into the digital age, so have degree programs. Schools across the United States offer online-only human resources degree programs...which means you can earn an associate’s, bachelor’s, or even master’s degree from the comfort of your own home! Online degree programs have the added benefit of letting you learn at your own pace, so if you’re a working student, this could be an excellent option for you. One word of caution, though: the online education space is rife with potential scammers. Make sure that you’re signing up with an accredited, non-profit university! You should research both the program and school so that you know you’re participating in a legitimate program. A picture of Cornell University in Ithaca, New YorkMaeshima Hiroki/Wikimedia Top 5 Human Resources Programs in the United States If you want to get a human resources degree, you have lots of schools to choose from. We looked through programs from across the nation to put together our best-of-the-best list. #1: Cornell University Cornell takes the top spot on our list because a) it’s one of the best schools in the nation and b) it offers human resources degrees on the bachelor, master, and Ph.D. level. That means that Cornell boasts some of the best professors in the United States, so you’re guaranteed to get a great education. Additionally, Cornell’s ILR School offers a unique approach to the undergraduate degree. Not only does it offer state-of-the-art human resources education, it also boasts an interdisciplinary program that lets students stretch their studies into other related fields like law and social justice. This program is great for curious students who want to take their human resources career to new heights. #2: University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska offers a human resources management undergraduate degree, which is a great fit for anyone interested in moving into a management or director role during the course of their career. Because the program focuses on leadership, the College of Business offers students tons of networking opportunities through student organizations like Enactus and Alpha Kappa Psi. The school also gives students access to the Center for Entrepreneurship, which connects students to alumni and business partners around the state. This gives students who may want to start their own human resources businesses or consultancies a leg-up before they ever graduate. #3: Rutgers University Rutgers University snags the number three spot on our list because of its balance between degree offerings and course selection. The school offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in human resource management, but it also offers an online program and minor programs, too. Students have lots of options, so they can choose the HR program that’s right for them. Additionally, the School of Management and Labor Relations takes an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Students studying human resources also learn about business strategy, psychology, economics, and sociology while engaging in cutting-edge research in the HR field, too. Students with HR degrees from Rutgers are ready to succeed in multiple business arenas as soon as they graduate. #4: Michigan State University Unlike some of the universities on this list that roll their human resources degrees into their business programs, Michigan State University has a whole school dedicated to studying human resources. The School of Human Resources and Labor Relations prides itself in making sure their students get a robust educational experience while preparing for the workforce. It’s one of the only HR-specific schools that also offers a study abroad program, which is great for anyone interested in entering the international human relations field. But more importantly, when you graduate with a degree in human resources from Michigan State, you’re practically guaranteed success. In fact, 98 to 100 percent of students land a paid internship while in school (at companies like Boeing and Microsoft!), and 98 percent of students will have a job by the time they graduate. #5: Purdue University Purdue is not only one of the top universities in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report, but it also has a top-tier human resources program, too. Students who decide to pursue a human resources degree will enter a rigorous program that fully integrates with the Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) exam, which is the industry-leading certification program for HR professionals. In addition to taking incredible classes, students also have the opportunity to gain experience in working with big data through Purdue’s state-of-the-art Analytics lab. The program even offers a combined minor in business management to prepare students for business leadership positions! What’s Next? If you’re reading this article, you might be struggling to pick a college major. And you’re not alone! The process is really hard, especially for people who are interested in lots of things. Here’s a guide that can make the process a little easier. If you really can’t narrow your choices down, you might be a good candidate for a double major. But what is a double major, exactly? Here’s an expert guide that tells you everything you need to know about double majors and the double majoring process. But the first step to majoring is getting into college. If you want to go to the school of your dreams, you need to get great test scores. You can learn what constitutes a good score on the SAT by clicking here. (More of an ACT person? We’ve got you covered, too.)