Loblaw Companies Limited: Preparing for Wal-Mart Supercenters

Case 16 1. The grocery industry is a commoditized industry, which makes it difficult for grocers to sustain through differentiation. Buyer power is high and thus, cost leadership and operational efficiencies are critical. There is fierce competition amongst various grocery stores, with the main players such as Loblaw and A&P holding multi-banner stores in various market segments. Traditional grocery stores also lose some of their market share to drug stores, convenience stores and other retailers who have entered the industry. Threat of substitutes from fast-food and take- away outlets is not as prevalent, since many grocery stores have started stocking ready-to-eat meals and have deli services available for consumers. Competitive pressures are increasing in the industry with the potential entry of Wal-Mart and new delivery methods such as the internet. 2. grocery store industry witnessed a lot of changes. Competitive pressures in the industry are increasing and several new competitors including wal-mart are entering the market. New methods of delivery such as the interned are making it difficult and challenging for traditional based stores to comply. Customer preferences are diversifying and different demands are increasing. In addition to the price war that strike the markets. The maturity of the industry, characterized by flat demand combined with the growth aspiration of the dominant suppliers makes the industry a competitive battleground. Competitors work toward driving costs down while responding to swiftly changing consumer tastes. Grocery managers therefore are challenged to provide the marketing mix of tomorrow, emphasizing speed, flexibility, and early identification of trends directed at segmented and rapidly evolving markets. The mass consumer market has been replaced by hundreds of highly diversified mini-markets for which grocery companies have to design custom made solutions. 3. Key Success Factors of the grocery industry include the following: Low cost operations; leading to lower prices Convenient locations and large stores Wide product ranges; good quality Value added services; customer loyalty programs Cutting-Edge technology, both front-end and back-end Looking at the above factors, there are many opportunities for Canadian grocers to improve on their services such as vertical integration as supplier/distributor, innovative technologies like RFID, and global expansion Loblaw's unique tangible resource is that they own 63% of their corporate stores real estate properties. As mentioned above, the grocery industry is heavily commoditized and competitive. The Canadian market leader, Loblaw, serves a broad target market and integrates a low cost strategy with product and process differentiation. Through their multi-banner approach, they leverage their core competencies across multiple businesses. The biggest winner for the company had been the multi format approach. The company also holds about 60% of the real estate where they operate giving the benefit to change. The company refurnish the stores every 5 years when the industry norms are 7 years. 4. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths: Strong Market Share Broad Product Portfolio Diversified Store Format Low prices with good quality items at all franchises Great customer service/customers have a say in the company Noticeably friendly workers Constantly looking for areas of improvement Array of services Canadian unlike foreign competitors like wallmart Weaknesses: Low Online Operations Limited Geographical Presence Opportunities: Rise in Demand for Private Labels Strategic Plans Rising Demand for Organic Products Opening new stores helps them become more competitive The unfortunate economy will create a new wave of customers looking for cheaper prices Threats: Expiry Of Agreement With Labor Union Highly Competitive Market Wal-Mart Business Partnerships Higher prices on certain items makes them less competitive in those areas (electronics and household furniture). By the above S. W. O. T analysis, one can see that Loblaw’s KSF’s are on track and that they are headed in the right direction to bring them back on top. There is of course still work for Loblaw to do with their pricing, however that will come with time because when the company is doing better, they will be able to lower their prices even more. They are putting up a good fight though! Loblaws prices for certain items were only a mere 10-15 cents higher than that of Wal-Mart which demonstrates that they are climbing the ranks and will eventually pose as a threat to WalMart. Being pure Canadian company is also a core competency because many people enjoy supporting their country even if it means spending an extra 10-15 cents. These key factors (low prices, better quality products, great customer service, and being Canadian) will help Loblaw rise to the top again. 5. Lederer's plan to combat the threat of  Wal-Mart  Supercentre grocery stores turned bad on the company Consolidating its distribution centres, which supposedly made the supply chain more efficient, resulted in the departure of many of the chain's general merchandise buyers who were unwilling to move. There were numerous delays and coordination problems as suppliers had trouble shipping their goods to stores on time, and Loblaws was forced to mark it down in order to liquidate excess inventory. Expanding its inventory to general merchandise, supposedly to make a one-stop location like Wal-Mart Supercentres, was considered by many customers to be below the standards of Loblaws. Lederer stopped investing in its convential supermarkets and focused on building its major discount format, the real Canadian superstores. He spent 25 million dollars to motivate old employees to retire early as he turned traditional old stores into superstores. . This is a significant evaluation, because Loblaw is Canada’s largest food distributor, as well as one of the largest private sector employers. Loblaw operates under names such as The Real Canadian Superstore, Fertinos, Provigo, SuperValu, Zehrs, Atlantic Superstore, Loblaws, and Your Independent Grocer. Along with food and household products , Loblaw provides consumers with other services, such as banking, gas stations, pharmacies, photo developing, dry cleaning, and fitness centers. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of Loblaw was conducted through secondary research, using both internal and external sources. This report focuses on the goods distribution and marketing aspects of Loblaw, by exploring its history, primary products, social responsibilities, and financial position. Ratios of the past and present will be taken into consideration when researching and making recommendations. History Loblaw Companies Limited was incorporated in 1956 and it now employs over 122 000 part-time and full-time employees throughout its 990 branches. As a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, it has supplied the Canadian market with innovative products and services for more than 45 years. The superstore idea was first introduced to Western Canada in 1979. Loblaw operates in a highly competitive industry, challenged by many other supermarkets, such as Safeway. Organizational Structure The organizational structure of Loblaw Companies Limited is classified according to the functions of each department. Areas of specialization include: auditing, governance and compensation, pensions, environment, health and safety, and executive. Committee and team authority govern this tall, hierarchical organization, where individuals within the several layers report back to their superiors in the chain of command. Ultimately each senior vice-president reports to the executive vice-president, who in turn reports to the president of the company, who is responsible to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors itself is divided into five committees, which represent each area of specialization. Social Responsibility Loblaw demonstrates its social responsibilities in the following areas: Environment: Loblaw has various company policies concerning the environment, one of which demands that various operating sectors develop and implement waste reduction. Reports are given to the environmental committee operated by a sect of board of directors who are not directly employed by Loblaw. Attempting to project an environmentally friendly image, Loblaw announced in 2002, that all of their garden centers would be pesticide free by 2003. Their waste reduction initiative has seen positive results, as was the case in 1999, when it reduced solid waste by 75%, organic waste by 60% and water waste by 38%. Use of underground tanks has been decommissioned; in addition PCB’s and asbestos have been removed from company operatives. Employees: The philosophy that a company’s success is directly affected by the attitude of the employees, is put into action when Loblaw concentrates on coordinating positive relationships with their employees. Employee benefits include life or health insurance, dental insurance, and a pension plan. A stock option plan and an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP), which are administered through a trust, are also available. This allows employees to make five percent deductions from their regular earnings; Loblaw then contributes 15% of each employee’s contributions to the ESOP plan. Recruiting, hiring, and training are all done on a store-by-store basis. Loblaw maintains health and safety programs in its stores to address health and workplace safety. This system is also subject to compliance audits. Community: Charities such as Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, President Choice Children’s Charity, Easter Seals, the Canadian Merit Scholarship and many more benefit from Loblaw’s donations. Loblaw has purchased Maple Leaf Gardens, further developing its roots in the city of Toronto. Customers: Loblaw strives to have a good relationship with ts consumers through feedback, quality customer and product services. Programs such as the President’s Choice Financial MasterCard allow consumers to collect points, which are redeemable for goods within the store. Loblaw also attempts to get feedback from consumers through focus groups and surveys. However, Loblaw fails in the area of consumer responsibility by not allowing supplie rs to indicate whether or not their products are genetically engineered. The company goes as far as to demand that companies selling genetically engineered goods avoid proclaiming so on their labels. Investors: Loblaw is working towards being socially responsible to their investors by keeping them informed by releasing online annual reports and mailing them out. The company provides sustainable returns through dividends by reinvesting cash flow into the firm’s real estate and land. 7. loblaws was the largest supermarket chains in Canada. they opened a series of the real Canadian superstores in Ontario, where they expected wallmart to open their first food superstores. These were built as low-cost, one stop shopping destinations. The real Canadian superstores were as the size of two football fields and sold a combination of groceries and non-food items. Lederer consolidated the the companies distribution centers from 32 to 26 facilities, in order to increase the efficiency of the supply systems. He closed old warehouses and opened new ones in Brampton Ontario. Real Canadian superstore were located along walmart supercenters as if facing at war. Geographically wise they were allocated at same areas and when it comes to goods and commodities, the both handled non food items along with their usual groceries. The war did begin. 8. Galen Weston Jr. as supposed to rescue the company by fixing the broken delivery system. He started by managing a pilot online grocery business in Ontario. Galen along with his team outlined a new business plan. He studied the problems and found out that they have a big delivery problem and that they are still over-priced. He aimed to increase sales and earnings by cutting prices, offer ing more products, and improving customer service. Galen started working on investors and opening up in idols such as the maple leaf stadium in downtown which he turned into a grocery store as to gain people due to their passion to the hockey team which was a symbol at the ountry. Moreover he succeeded in becoming number one again. 9. Recommendations for Loblaw: A private label: a store like Loblaw’s needs a particular way it can standout the competition. They could approach the strategy of having private labels in store. Cut down on general merchandise: they should reduce low quality goods and focus on selling people groceries with good quality plus they should concentrate on groceries rather than electronics because too much diversity infects being the best at a certain field. Make the store attractive to the customers eyes: try to beat wal-mart by obtaining a store that is clean, decorated, high ceilings, no open boxes, attractive lighting and displays. Make the stores easy to roam and let commodities that are of the same interest be on a route that customers don’t pass by unwanted goods. Let people say this is the store I want to buy from. Supply chain management: its clear that the supply chains logistics used by Loblaw’s should be changed. Empty shelves phenomena should become extinct because it makes good stores look cheap and unreliable. Increase marketing: marketing and advertisement should be extreme and excessive especially when change happens, prices differ, and news are there. Promotions should reach customers well enough to gain or even regain their loyalty. People should know that the company recognized their mistakes and problems and solved them out. Downsize: close unprofitable stores, this will reduce payroll and increase the funding to solve damaged issues. Off coarse this is the last measure companies look at but its helpful at the long run.

Chris’s major flaw in Horses of the Night

Imagination limits reality. In â€Å"Horses of the Night†, Margaret Laurence suggests that attempts to live unconstrained by an uncontrollable circumstance using imagination as an escape can prove insufficient and detrimental. Chris, the protagonist, is born into the Great Depression, has a dream that cannot come true. Chris attempts to escape this circumstance to realize his dreams. These attempts at escape leave Chris in a broken psychological state. Chris has a dream of becoming an engineer but his environment prohibits him.He is a hopeful young man who moves into Manawaka to attend high school. The relationship between Chris and Vanessa offers insight into Chris’s inner most thoughts and motivations. He says, â€Å"What I am going to be is an engineer, civil engineer. (287)† This statement is juxtaposed with â€Å"The Depression did not get better, as everyone had been saying it would. It got worse, and so did the drought. (288)† This contrast is used to establish the central conflict of the story, Chris’s unachievable dream. The Depression is Chris’s inescapable circumstance that he has no way of overcoming.Although he is innovative and hardworking there is nothing he can do about his environment. Throughout the exposition, of the story Grandfather Connor acts as a reminder of Chris’s reality. He references Chris’s deceased father by mocking Chris for chasing his dreams. â€Å"Wilf wasn’t much good, even as a young man†¦ If the boy takes after his father, it’s a poor lookout for him. (285)† This quote not only foreshadows the inevitability of Chris’ failure, but also reminds him of his hopeless reality. The Depression is described by Vanessa as an uncontrollable force brought upon the people by a malevolent God.An allusion to the Bible is made when Vanessa describes the depression’s effect on Manawaka as â€Å"Children of Israel being afflicted by Jehovah but n ever in real danger of annihilation(288)† this again reaffirms the circumstance of Chris’s environment are unchangeable and unaffected by human means. Chris’s dream is pure and full of good intentions but the timing of his existence did not benefit him. But in turn prohibits him from ever achieving his dream. Chris surrounded by pessimism, grief and depression uses imagination to escape.Chris uses false hopes to fulfil his dream of becoming an engineer by using imagination to escape reality . He fabricates the reality around him in order to escape using imagination. When Vanessa asks him about Shallow Creek, Chris weaves a fantastical story. These fabrications serve as an insight to Chris’s primary escape: imagination. Chris understands that his situation is inescapable but he will not accept that his dream cannot be achieve. Furthermore, when Chris faces negativity or confrontation he removes himself to his surroundings mentally. This trait is shown thoug h his conflicts with Grandfather Connor.When Grandfather Connor bludgeons Chris with harsh words, Vanessa comments â€Å"he gave no sign of feeling anything(285)† and â€Å"He would not argue or defend himself, but he did not apologize, either. He simply [appears] to be absent, elsewhere. (286)† Whenever he faces resistance or any form of reality, he escapes to his imagination. By ignoring the negative aspects of his life he cannot understand the fragility of his unachievable goal. The night before his departure Chris explains that â€Å"anybody can do anything at all, anything, if they really set their minds to it.(290)†The action Chris takes prohibits the realization of his dream while his constant escape from an undesirable circumstance is disconnecting him from reality. Vanessa was an optimistic girl that bought into all of Chris’s tales and believed in all of Chris’s strange fantasies and unreachable dreams. But as the story progresses and the description of the effects of the great depression worsen, she becomes less naà ¯ve to the destructive reality of her circumstance. This is unlike Chris who is still seemingly optimistic about his situation.By persisting and working hard Chris’s only companion through his journey to realize his dream is his imaginative false hopes. It drives Chris forward motivating him to never stop believing and focus on the end goal. Although he is innovative though his business ventures it still cannot overcome the fact that his circumstance I far too much for him to handle. The reality of the great depression cannot be overcome by even the most hardworking because the circumstance surrounding Chris is an unstoppable force that will inevitable crush Chris’s dreams.Even though Chris persistently tries to realize his dream the reality of his circumstances could not be escaped. Imagination although motivating Chris’s escape from reality, using imagination, not only destroys h is dream but also his mind. Chris is cynical because he realizes that his once hopeful theory is now crushed by reality. He says â€Å"To believe in a God who is brutal. What else could He be? (298)† Chris, although, did all he could to achieve his goal, his circumstance, or the will of God, is prohibiting him.For Chris there is nothing more  disappointing than to persevere to acquire his dream but to lose it all because of an uncontrollable force. When Chris talks about the war, he mentions â€Å"What kind of God would pull a trick like that? (298)† Chris understands the detriments of war yet he still feels the need to leave his current circumstance of Shallow Creek. Ironically, Chris escapes the reality of his circumstance by facing the reality of war. Even though he escapes so many times he cannot physically escape the reality of war. Chris comes home, insane and hospitalized.This implies that Chris escapes into his imagination, going insane. Chris never faces rea lity. When reality is all around him there is no way to ignore it. Before he could merely shut himself off to the world, but in war there is nothing you can escape to, only insanity. Chris’s attempts to escape the reality of his circumstance, be it through imagination or false hopes prove, futile and fatal. Dreams need to be grounded within the boundaries of circumstance or else they will never come true, because reality will trample over imagination. Chris’s major flaw in Horses of the Night Imagination limits reality. In â€Å"Horses of the Night†, Margaret Laurence suggests that attempts to live unconstrained by an uncontrollable circumstance using imagination as an escape can prove insufficient and detrimental. Chris, the protagonist, is born into the Great Depression, has a dream that cannot come true. Chris attempts to escape this circumstance to realize his dreams. These attempts at escape leave Chris in a broken psychological state. Chris has a dream of becoming an engineer but his environment prohibits him.He is a hopeful young man who moves into Manawaka to attend high school. The relationship between Chris and Vanessa offers insight into Chris’s inner most thoughts and motivations. He says, â€Å"What I am going to be is an engineer, civil engineer. (287)† This statement is juxtaposed with â€Å"The Depression did not get better, as everyone had been saying it would. It got worse, and so did the drought. (288)† This contrast is used to establish the central conflict of the story, Chris’s unachievable dream. The Depression is Chris’s inescapable circumstance that he has no way of overcoming.Although he is innovative and hardworking there is nothing he can do about his environment. Throughout the exposition, of the story Grandfather Connor acts as a reminder of Chris’s reality. He references Chris’s deceased father by mocking Chris for chasing his dreams. â€Å"Wilf wasn’t much good, even as a young man†¦ If the boy takes after his father, it’s a poor lookout for him. (285)† This quote not only foreshadows the inevitability of Chris’ failure, but also reminds him of his hopeless reality. The Depression is described by Vanessa as an uncontrollable force brought upon the people by a malevolent God.An allusion to the Bible is made when Vanessa describes the depression’s effect on Manawaka as â€Å"Children of Israel being afflicted by Jehovah but n ever in real danger of annihilation(288)† this again reaffirms the circumstance of Chris’s environment are unchangeable and unaffected by human means. Chris’s dream is pure and full of good intentions but the timing of his existence did not benefit him. But in turn prohibits him from ever achieving his dream. Chris surrounded by pessimism, grief and depression uses imagination to escape.Chris uses false hopes to fulfil his dream of becoming an engineer by using imagination to escape reality . He fabricates the reality around him in order to escape using imagination. When Vanessa asks him about Shallow Creek, Chris weaves a fantastical story. These fabrications serve as an insight to Chris’s primary escape: imagination. Chris understands that his situation is inescapable but he will not accept that his dream cannot be achieve. Furthermore, when Chris faces negativity or confrontation he removes himself to his surroundings mentally. This trait is shown thoug h his conflicts with Grandfather Connor.When Grandfather Connor bludgeons Chris with harsh words, Vanessa comments â€Å"he gave no sign of feeling anything(285)† and â€Å"He would not argue or defend himself, but he did not apologize, either. He simply [appears] to be absent, elsewhere. (286)† Whenever he faces resistance or any form of reality, he escapes to his imagination. By ignoring the negative aspects of his life he cannot understand the fragility of his unachievable goal. The night before his departure Chris explains that â€Å"anybody can do anything at all, anything, if they really set their minds to it.  (290)†The action Chris takes prohibits the realization of his dream while his constant escape from an undesirable circumstance is disconnecting him from reality. Vanessa was an optimistic girl that bought into all of Chris’s tales and believed in all of Chris’s strange fantasies and unreachable dreams. But as the story progresses and the description of the effects of the great depression worsen, she becomes less naive to the destructive reality of her circumstance. This is unlike Chris who is still seemingly optimistic about his situation.By persisting and working hard Chris’s only companion through his journey to realize his dream is his imaginative false hopes. It drives Chris forward motivating him to never stop believing and focus on the end goal. Although he is innovative though his business ventures it still cannot overcome the fact that his circumstance I far too much for him to handle. The reality of the great depression cannot be overcome by even the most hardworking because the circumstance surrounding Chris is an unstoppable force that will inevitable crush Chris’s dreams.Even though Chris persistently tries to realize his dream the reality of his circumstances could not be escaped. Imagination although motivating Chris’s escape from reality, using imagination, not only destroys his dream but also his mind. Chris is cynical because he realizes that his once hopeful theory is now crushed by reality. He says â€Å"To believe in a God who is brutal. What else could He be? (298)† Chris, although, did all he could to achieve his goal, his circumstance, or the will of God, is prohibiting him.For Chris there is nothing more  disappointing than to persevere to acquire his dream but to lose it all because of an uncontrollable force. When Chris talks about the war, he mentions â€Å"What kind of God would pull a trick like that? (298)† Chris understands the detriments of war yet he still feels the need to leave his current circumstance of Shallow Creek. Ironically, Chris escapes the reality of his circumstance by facing the reality of war. Even though he escapes so many times he cannot physically escape the reality of war. Chris comes home, insane and hospitalized.This implies that Chris escapes into his imagination, going insane. Chris never faces re ality. When reality is all around him there is no way to ignore it. Before he could merely shut himself off to the world, but in war there is nothing you can escape to, only insanity. Chris’s attempts to escape the reality of his circumstance, be it through imagination or false hopes prove, futile and fatal. Dreams need to be grounded within the boundaries of circumstance or else they will never come true, because reality will trample over imagination.

Percentage of Water In Popcorn Essay

The purpose of this lab was to find the percentage of water in each sample of popcorn in order to determine which brand of kernels: beta, gamma, or delta, all with different amounts of water, produced the best-popping popcorn. The amount of water in the popcorn affects the quality of the popcorn. When the water inside the kernel is heated above 100à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, the water turns into gas which causes the pressure inside the kernel to increase. The pressure of the gas expands the kernel, which causes it to pop. Quality was judged on the basis of the rate of the pops, the size of the popcorn, and how easily the popcorn burned. Each technique of popcorn was divided up into three piles in order to conduct three trials on each technique. A group of kernels was massed and then placed into a beaker, which was also massed. Then just enough oil was poured into the beaker to cover the bottom of the beaker with a thin film of oil. A piece of foil with tiny holes was placed over the beaker, and the beaker with the foil, oil, and kernels was massed. The kernels in the beaker were heated using a Bunsen burner. (See Figure 1 – Setup Diagram) While the kernels popped, the beaker was shaken in order to prevent the popped popcorn from burning and to shake the unpopped kernels to the bottom. Once all the kernels had popped, the beaker was removed from the Bunsen burner and set to cool. After it had cooled, the beaker with foil, oil, and kernels were massed again. The same steps were repeated for the rest of the samples and qualitative observations were made throughout the experiment. Multiple trials were used in this experiment to increase the chances of accuracy and to determine which data is reliable. If there were not multiple trials, then there is no way of knowing whether the data collected by one trial is accurate or completely inaccurate. To find the amount of water in each kernel, this formula was used: mass of unpopped popcorn – mass of popped popcorn à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 = % of water in unpopped popcorn mass of unpopped popcorn The mass of the unpopped popcorn in the numerator was the mass of the kernels before they were popped added to the beaker, foil, and oil. The mass of the popped popcorn was the mass of the popped kernels added to the beaker, foil, and oil. The mass of unpopped popcorn in the denominator was the actual mass of the unpopped kernels massed alone. The beta kernels hold 11.1%, 11.3%, and 10.9% water for trials 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The gamma kernels are composed of 16.7%, 15.7%, and 14.8% water, while the delta kernels contain 19.4%, 17.0%, 19.0% water for trials 1, 2, and 3 respectively. (Refer to appendix for original data and calculations). See Table 1 – Percentage of Water in Popcorn Beta, Gamma, and Delta The data for beta was the most precise among the three different techniques. The data for delta fluctuated the most and was the least precise. According to my data, the delta kernels had the highest percentage of water and the beta kernels had the lowest percentage of water. The gamma brand was in between the two. In my qualitative observations, I observed that the gamma kernels popped the fastest, smoothly, and produced the largest popcorn. I observed that the delta kernels produced the medium-sized popcorn, and the beta kernels tended to burn very easily and produced the smallest popcorn. Basically, the beta brand of kernels was the worst popping popcorn, while the gamma brand of kernels produced the best popping popcorn. These results convey that too little water within kernels make bad popcorn, and too much water produces just medium-sized popcorn. From the overall calculations and averages, it can be concluded that 15-16% water in a kernel produces the best popcorn. To find the theoretical amount of water in the popcorn, the most accurate data of the class were added together and averaged. When compared to the class average, the average of my data was rather accurate. To find the percent error, this formula was used: Percent Error = ? theoretical value – actual value ? à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 Theoretical value My percent error for beta, gamma, and delta kernels was 0.90%, 4.46%, and 13.5% respectively. (See calculations in appendix) See Table 2 – Percent Error This percent error could have occurred while massing. Since there were several balanced used instead of just one, the masses could have differed. One balance was used for the kernels, while the beaker mass was found using a separate balance. The different balances could have lowered the accuracy of the masses. Another place where mass could have been inaccurate was when the popcorn was popped. Sometimes the popcorn was burned, while other times the popcorn was popped perfectly. If the popcorn was burnt, the mass was lowered by the release of CO2. Also, the duration of the heating of the popcorn was inconsistent. Since the popcorn of the same technique would still pop at different rates, it is impossible to control the time of the heating. But the longer the beaker is heated, the longer the oil inside is also heated and evaporating. So the longer the beaker is heated, the more gas escapes and the lower the mass will be, which will increase the percentage of water in the popcorn. Also, while the beakers were cooling off, some of the moisture could have been collected back in the beaker since the foil was not always taken off immediately. This would have added to the mass and lowered the percentage of water. To improve this lab, only one lab balance should be used during the entire experiment. Also, more care should be exercised when popping popcorn so that the popcorn does not burn. This could be done by lowering the heat and shaking the popcorn inside the beaker. Also, the foil on the beaker should be removed immediately after heating. In this lab, I discovered that more water in a kernel does not necessarily mean that it will produce larger popcorn, as I had initially had predicted. Ultimately, based on my data and the class average (theoretical value) 15-16% water in a kernel produces the best popcorn. I learned that the amount of water in the kernel affects the rate at which the kernel pops, more than it affects the size of the popped corn.

Globalization Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Globalization - Coursework Example Additionally, its E-commerce website caters to over 10 countries, employs 2.2 million workers, caters to over 245 million customers on a weekly basis, its sales amount is close to $450 billion annually and is now ranked by the Fortune 500, as the best in the retail chain sector. Callahan argues that, its global outlook and its unrivaled pursuit of low prices for their products, have led to its management adopting information systems that have made it a leading innovator. Its innovations include TPS and DSS systems that aid in tracking products, restocking the inventory that cut costs that are passed as savings to the customers. This has enabled Walmart to be considered successful in the concept of supply chain management. Recently, Walmart began embarking on establishing a global information technology system that will lead to the elimination of conventional reliance on local IT which curtails the growth of firms in the US (Callahan, 2011). According to Kizza, some of the obstacles curtailing the full implementation of a global information system include, shifting to an external software package, since most organizations have an in-house IT departments to spearhead such developments. Some of the solutions to this problem include the RFID wireless solution and the development of a global E-commerce platform that connects all the systems used in recent online operations in Europe and the US (Kizza,

Valid Arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Valid Arguments - Essay Example If Christ the messiah was not a great person, why does history refer to him in the counting of the years using BC for years before Christ and AD for years after Christ? The challenge of the atheist is not the existence of God but on the reason why they should believe in his existence. Events in the world do not occur as successions or fate but appear to be arranged in a sequential order. For instance, the existence of related species such as the Donkey and the Zebra defies the philosophy of the atheists of the survival for the fittest and the extinction of the species as a result of non-conformity. In actual sense, all creature sin the world appears to be very unique and complex defying the evolution theory by Darwin. The evolution theory by Darwin states that organism evolved from simple to complex but biology has proved that even the simplest organism or organelle such as flagella is complex in its composition and operations (Narelle 56). According to Christians, fate is a circumstance through which God performs a miracle and remains anonymous. The events in the world are complex such as a baby surviving a plane crash while in actual sense he or she cannot even walk or save her. Such event illustrate that there is a force in the universe that one cannot recognize or accept easily if not by faith. Faith is the substance that creates an atheist and a Christian. To believe in the existence of God faith comes into play while to believe that god does not exist, faith comes into play. Therefore, it is evident that the existence of God is directly linked with the personal faith and choice. When evaluating the existence of God, it is important to understand the occurrence of events and the link with what atheists believe is fate. If its fate only, why does the fate occur in certain circumstances and not all the cases. Such occurrence proves that there is a supernatural force that control

Course Management Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Course Management Systems - Essay Example They can also assist instructors with furthering their Internet class options through the use of features like discussions, Emails, and quizzes (Cole and Foster, 2007). A teacher can also store a syllabus, lecture notes, and other information on a server, if desired. Another beneficial feature is the use of the open forum discussion, which allows for asynchronous classroom participation; thus, this makes it much easier for both professors and students to find the time to interact (Cole and Foster, 2007). Synchronous tools include the chat feature, which some instructors like to use to setup office hours with their students, or question and answer sessions via an appointment (Cole and Foster, 2007). Assignments in Moodle are particularly easy to grade, as the CMS uses a dropbox feature for written assignments, and this information, when graded, goes right into the gradebook, and can be privately viewed by the student, thus keeping the school in line with FERPA guidelines (Moodle Docs, n.d.) Moodle has an extreme advantage over some other online platforms because it is relatively inexpensive. For instance, one can actually sign up for a free trial, meaning that Moodle is an open source (Cole and Foster, 2007). ... Since online technology is becoming more and more important in education as online education becomes increasingly popular, Moodle allows individuals to be able to do several things in an online or traditional course via the Internet that were not possible less than a decade before. Educators throughout the country are still debating about how to combine technology for both online teaching, face-to-face meetings, and classes that use both online and face-to-face meetings, designated as hybrid courses. Hybrid courses generally utilize both solid aspects of face-to-face learning with the Internet software available to give students a credible learning experience overall, especially if the students still require some face to face interaction.Furthermore, Moodle is a very effective tool as far as Social Constructionist theory is concerned. Social Constructivism states that an individual or group will learn best when he or she or they are experiencing a social process of constructing ideas through the act of constructing an artifact for others (Cole and Foster, 2007). Therefore, in order to effectively learn, one most place oneself in the process of negotiating meaning in a culture of shared artifacts and symbols. The use of Moodle software effectively offers this, because it allows for the individual to be able to learn in a variety of ways; through chats, through discussions, via Email and assignments, through feedback from the instructor, through interaction with peers, and, if a traditional or hybrid course, through face to face learning (Cole and Foster, 2007).Another reason to consider Moodle is the fact that it holds up

The Routines of Decision Making Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Routines of Decision Making - Math Problem Example 2. The maximum purchase price for the pair of bindings is $10.00, as this is the cost of production that differs between the alternatives. In case if the price is higher, the company will be realizing a loss. 3. If the production increases from 10.000 units to 12.500, the fixed costs that change between the alternatives allocated to a pair of skis would be the following: 10.000 / 12.500 = $0.8. The fixed cost of 100.000 should be considered when making the decision, as it does not differ between the alternatives. Since all the rest of the production costs remain unchanged, we can simply add the net change in fixed cost from the total cost of production that varies between the alternatives in order to receive the cost of production for a pair of bindings under the new circumstances: 10.00 + 0.8 = 10.80. When considering the long run (30,000 sales form by the end of the third year), the fixed overhead that varies between the alternatives per pair of bindings is only $0.33 (10.000/30.000). Under this sales volume the company should produce the bindings itself.