Baskin Robbins Franchise Essay Example

Baskin Robbins Franchise Essay Example Baskin Robbins Franchise Paper Baskin Robbins Franchise Paper Baskin Robbins Franchise Started in 1945 by two brothers-in-law Irvine Robbins and Burton Baskin, Baskin-Robbins has developed from two separate stores owned by the two entrepreneurs to one of the biggest ice cream franchising companies in the United States of America. They officially named the company Baskin-Robbins in 1953 and merged to introduce different flavors for each day of the month. Presently, the company has its headquarters in Massachusetts and is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. There are plans to expand the company’s outlets across the United States and internationally (Liebenson, paragraph 6). Baskin-Robbins has over 5500 stores globally with 3,358 of these within the United States of America. In these other countries, the company specializes in local flavors that the consumers there will easily enjoy. Baskin-Robbins came up with the franchising project many years ago, a model that has proven to be successful over the years looking at the amount of successes the company has achieved. However, it is important to note that the company does not offer sub-franchising terms to possible franchisees. To counter this restriction, the franchisees are allowed to grow other outlets within their prescribed territories. There are preferred types of locations where franchisees are advised to build their outlets. These include regional malls, free-standing buildings and strip centers. This franchising initiative has enabled many growing entrepreneurs to associate themselves with a successful company over the years, and see how their input has developed the company. Where the franchisee needs financial aid in making his dream come true, the company has developed several mechanisms in collaboration with some financial institutions to provide loans for franchisees. Examples of the types of loans on offer are equipment loans, real estate loans and business acquisition loans (Baskin-Robbins.com paragraph 49). Name: : Lab Number: Summary Franchise Form Name of Franchise: Baskin-Robbins Franchise Ownership of Franchisor: Publicly Traded? : Yes Stock Exchange: Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Stock Price in $: on February , 2013. Franchise Locations: Regional: 554 National: 3,358 International: 6000 How Many Locations: 8600 Any Locations in Billings? Yes If Yes, How Many 2 How Does One Become An Owner Of A Franchise (Franchisee)? Explain Briefly: Costs: Least net price of $ 300,000. Cash Input of $ 100,000. Mean total input of $ 250,000. Royalties: 5-5.9% Other fees: First franchise contribution: $ 40,000 Mean franchise contribution: $40,000 Advertising charge: $ 5% Estimated Annual Income for a franchisee site: $290, 554 Territory Exclusion? No. Explain: This is to encourage competition between the different outlets as they promote company products. Are You Doing Your Presentation On An International Franchise? Yes Country: Unites States of America. City: Massachusetts, Canton BaskinRobbins. Franchise Opportunities. In BaskinRobbins.com. December 2013. Web. February 18, 2013. Chaudhuri, Saabira. Gasparro, Annie. Dunkin’ to Expand to California. In Wall Street Journal Online. January 16, 2013. Web. February 18, 2013. Horovitz, Bruce. Holiday Flavors Keep Getting Weird. In Usatoday.com. November 18, 2012. Web. February 18, 2013. Liebenson, Donald. Business profile: Baskin Robbins in Deerfield. In Chicago Tribune. February 5, 2013. Web. February 18, 2013. World of Franchising. Baskin-Robbins. World of Franchising.com.2012. Print. February 18, 2013.

Mission Vision paper Example

Mission Vision paper Example Mission Vision paper – Essay Example Sears: Vision and Mission, from Tears to Changes without Fears March 28, Sears has been under intense criticism, especially Sears Holdings Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Edward S. Lampert, for not doing enough to turnaround Sear’s dismal performance, since Kmart acquired it in 2005 (Hartung, 2013, para.1; Jacobs, 2008). Sears is an integrated retailer that sells diverse merchandise and related services. It sells apparel and hard line goods, such as tools and appliances, and others. Sears sells its merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com and specialty catalogs. The vision of Sears is to â€Å"create lifelong relationships built on trust.† Its mission is to â€Å"work for †¦families by providing products that are innovative and fashionable, quality that is trusted and affordable, and service that is reliable and instils confidence.† The challenges to Sears are internal and external. The internal problems are management issues and poor r evenues, while the external threats are competition and changing market dynamics. Based on these challenges, the vision and mission statements of Sears must be changed. References Coghlan, D., & Rashford, N.S. (2006). Organizational change and strategy: An interlevel dynamics approach. New York: Routledge. Hartung, A. (2013, July 18). Learn from Lamperts BIAS so you do better than Sears. Forbes.com. Retrieved from forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2013/07/18/learn-from-lamperts-bias-so-you-do-better-than-sears/ Jacobs, K. (2008, February 4). Sears big challenge: Change to survive. Reuters.com. Retrieved from reuters.com/article/2008/02/04/us-searsholdings-idUSN0455992320080204 Sears. (2014, February 27). Sears Holdings reports fourth quarter and full year 2013 results. Retrieved from searsholdings.com/invest/ _____. (2014). Vision, mission, values. Retrieved from sears.ca/content/corporate-info/about/vision-mission-values Sears Media. (2014). About Sears. Retrieved from searsholdings.com/about/sears/

Environmental Geology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Environmental Geology - Assignment Example Sulphides have a simple formula, and show properties exhibited by metals, like luster and conductivity. Sulfides are identified by the anion –S-2 (Britannica). Like Sulphides and sulphates, carbonates are also non-silicates. The carbonates are one of those minerals which are not localized and found in abundance and are distributed far and wide (GeoSci). When a carbonate ion, CO32- , is present in any mineral family it s referred to as a carbonate mineral. Iron sulphide, also known as pyrite has the chemical formula FeS. More commonly it is also referred to as the Fool’s Gold (GeoSci). It is found in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Grant county (Galleries). Q. 2. There are a number of mines which have been developed in different parts of the world which now release acid mine drainage (AMD). For the following three mines or mine districts, 1) Iron Mountain Mine in Shasta County, Redding, California, 2) Britannia Mine in Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada, and 3) the Rio Tinto mining district near Huelva, Spain, describe the years of operation, the type of ore mined, and the scale and nature of wastes generated from the mining activities. 1. Iron Mountain Mine in Shasta County, Redding, California: iron, gold, silver, zinc, copper and pyrite were mined. The mine operated from the 1860’s up to 1963. The mine generated cadmium, copper, zinc, copper compounds, zinc compounds as wastes, which contaminated the Sacramento River. Richmond mine has the highest acidic mine water; with pH values as low as -3.6, metal concentrates 200g/L, and sulphate concentrates 760g/L. 2. Britannia Mine in Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada: was a copper mine, which operated from 1900 to 1974. It also generated zinc sulphide and pyrite (Mills). Intertidal discharge from the mine resulted in sub-aqueous deposits in Howe Sound, which was in excess of 44 million tones. Also 980 mg/l

Managerial Accounting and Organizational Controls Assignment

Managerial Accounting and Organizational Controls - Assignment Example At $10.5 per pair the cost, the company will purchase the 10,000 bindings at $105,000. Adding this, we get $110,000 allocation for the bindings for the supplier so that making and outsourcing are the same. Dividing this by the annual number of pairs will yield $11 which is the ceiling price that Minnetonka can be charged for ski-bindings. 3. Tables 3 and 4 shows the calculation if the new sales volume rise to 12,500 and the new expense of $10,000 is allocated to equipment rental. In this situation, the company could still save if it chooses to outsource its bindings as it will not be bothered by the incremental allocation for equipment. Usually, these suppliers are affected as outsourcing the assembly of components will mean cutting back on orders. The company should also look at the willingness of its workforce. Outsourcing may mean terminating employees which could trigger resentment in the human resource. Also, the company should ensure that the company to outsource the ski binding meets the quality requirements of Minnetonka. A balanced scorecard is a new approach to strategic management developed by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton to provide a clear description of the aspects that companies should measure to balance the financial perspective. According to them, the balanced scorecard is a "management system (not only a measurement system) that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action" (Balanced Scorecard Institute 1). It works by providing significant feedback around both the internal business processes and external outcomes in order to continuously improve strategic performance and results.  Ã‚  

Liberty in the United States during the late 19th century Essay

Liberty in the United States during the late 19th century - Essay Example Great philosophical liberal thinkers like John Locke fought for the rule of law, and that individuals had a basic right to life and liberty. Patriotism from a contemporary point of view makes citizens of a nation to neglect their self-worthiness, become irrelevant by their own acceptance and be compliant to governments and their country (Emma Goldman 145). The thesis of this paper therefore is that American patriotism has downplayed the American liberty, abandoning principles and beliefs on which the country had been founded in the 19th century. Patriotism; a great menace to liberty. Several theories and arguments have been advanced by various scholars to unravel patriotism, â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.it is more like superstition, one not quite far from inhuman acts and brutal.† Leo Tolstoy defines patriotism â€Å"†¦..as principle that tends to justify the making of a whole nation of murderers.† In justifying these statements, Goldman (1917) argues that patriotism is a created artificial force that is maintained through host of lies; it is a system that tends to rob citizens of their dignity while promoting their level of ignorance. This is a complete opposite of what the revolutionary liberty. (Emma Goldman) Law, Denial to liberty. As a formal court proceeding put it in 1927, â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Law performs all that is required when it can do all that it can†¦..†(Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200). This was by then the classical argument advanced in the Supreme Court in Virginia at a determination case when a court order was given for the operation concerning salpingectomy. Giving such a ruling, the court emphasized that it was potentially probable that the offspring would have been afflicted and thus a case detrimental to her own health and that of general society, thus sterilization considered as an option. This is a case of law being applied to determine the lives of individuals, perhaps one would ask if liberty holds the same principles for people. Act intended to

Social Identities and Subcultures

Social Identities and Subcultures Social Identity, Subcultures and Style Social identity is often tied to the concept of â€Å"subculture,† the members of which generally advertise their allegiance by making distinctive and symbolic choices in such things as clothing, hairstyles and footwear. Other elements, including common interests, slang and dialects, musical genres and meeting places are also important factors. Subcultures offer participants an identity outside of the ones ascribed by social institutions such as work, family, home and school. What follows will be an exploration of the role subcultures play in shaping social identity, with a particular emphasis on fashion. Youth subcultures can be defined as â€Å"meaning systems, modes of expression or lifestyles developed by groups in subordinate structural positions in response to dominant systems, which reflect their attempt to solve structural contradictions rising from the wider societal context† (Brake, 1985). The term can also refer to specific subsets of a subculture, that is, sub-subcultures, or â€Å"scenes,† which are largely geographical, such as the London goth scene or the American drum and bass scenes. Scenes tend to be volatile, purposely marginal and tribal, with some members acting elitist towards those considered to be less fashionable, and with an overall oppositional attitude towards the culture at large (Thornton, 1995). Many subcultures define themselves as being against the mainstream,† or the commercialised culture promoted by the media. This dichotomy, the subculture versus the mainstream, is often more of a way of maintaining individuality than an actual social distinction (Grà ¶nlund and Holme, 2004). For what is the mainstream, really, but a set of subcultures? And how do the most obscure subcultures find their way into the minds (and wardrobes) of young people, if not through the media, which is essentially the mouthpiece of the dominant culture? The truth is that there is much overlap between cultures, both big and small, both prevalent and obscure, and this back-and-forth exchange of ideas is crucial in identity formation, no matter what the source or overall outcome. Subcultures may last for extensive periods, like the punk or hip-hop movements, or fade away almost as soon as they are born. They may be centred around sports (such as the surf or skateboard culture), literature (such as the Beat generation), fashion or religion (Rinehart and Sydnor, 2003). To look at a a subculture is to examine the ephemera associated with the group clothing, music, politics, etc. and also the ways in which these symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture (Straw, 1991). Each subculture has a distinct individual style, with certain ways of dressing (clothing, shoes hairstyles), speaking (slang) and gathering (ravers at dance clubs, bikers at bars, etc.). Subcultures are continually combining and recombining old symbols in new ways, in a sort-of kaleidoscope of youth lore and culture. Youth identity itself shifts in concert with these genre transformations (Damrell, 1978). Punk, for example, embraced a variety of accoutrements that, worn all together, appeared almost as a uniform. As seen in the photograph below, these include ripped, modified or distressed clothing; studded bracelets and necklaces; tattoos, piercings and other body modifications; spiked, dyed and eccentric hairstyles; etc. But what do these clothing choices mean? What do these symbols represent? One way to analyze the punk aesthetic is to contrast it with its predecessor, the Teddy Boy revival. While the â€Å"’Teds’ revived cultural accoutrements in order to effect a magical return to the past, or an authentic stylistic aesthetic, punks deliberately assaulted meaning entirely, mocking not only those ascribed by persons outside their group, but those they developed themselves, in an attempt to evade closure on meaning of their emblems† (Hebdige, 1979). The punk adoption of the swastika, for example, was a somewhat contradictory signifier in the negotiation of punk subculture. While it was adopted as a symbol of opposition, as an effective way to inspire anger, the punks themselves were not fascists whatsoever, but the opposite, aligning themselves with the Labour party, anti-poverty activists and the radical left (Brake, 1985). Wearing a swastika, therefore, became a symbolic opening, an invitation to negotiate meaning. In contrast, while the Teddy Boy revivalists of the early seventies developed a style based on nostalgia, made up of long coat tails, bouffant hairstyles and rockabilly music, all in an attempt to hark back to a bygone era, the group was symbolically closed†¦meanings ascribed to their symbolic adornments were fixed, and the same whether viewed from inside or outside the group† (Hebdige, 1979). While historically memorable, subcultures like punk are highly unstable, and vulnerable to co-option from the outside. There is a similar process of identity and style negotiation in the case of hip-hop culture: Hip–hop artists use style as a form of identity formation which plays on class distinctions and hierarchies by using commodities to claim the cultural terrain. Clothing and consumption rituals testify to the power of consumption as a means of cultural expression† (Rose, 1994). Identity and style negotiation in the hip-hop community are often one in the same, as can be evidenced by self–naming in rap music, â€Å"branding† the streets by way of personalized graffiti tags, and the intense confrontations between freestyle competitors, breakdance crews and graffiti artists. Like punk, hip–hop’s opposition is directed outward, toward the dominant structure, or â€Å"the man.† Dominant, mainstream culture is mocked via symbolic assemblages which can reach ridiculous heights. As seen in the pictures below, these may include gaudy collages of jewelry or â€Å"bling;† enormous designer patches stitched onto clothing and other accessories; and a variety of other cultural accoutrements, from gold teeth and sports uniforms to fancy cars and champagne. This all acts as kind of a â€Å"sartorial warfare against Fifth Avenue haute couture, for teenagers who understand their limited access to traditional avenues of social status attainment† (ibid). Both hip-hop and punk, along with other subcultures, are subject to transformation and negotiation, much of which centers on notions of authenticity (Gunn, 1999). For example, in the â€Å"goth† genre, popular music may be defined or re-defined in terms of canonisation: Canonising simultaneously broadens and fixes generic boundaries, making room for the inclusion of new music in reference to the old. The logic here operates metonymically by fixing previously recognized bands of historical significance as the originators of a given musical genre, so that future musical acts with similar sounds may expand generic boundaries with the legitimate value of difference† (ibid). The important factor here is authenticity. An inauthentic goth song or group would not fit comfortably within the subculture. Fashion functions much in the same manner. For example, a true goths uniform is generally black, which includes black nail polish, eyeliner and lipstick, along with belts, bracelets and the like. This is often paired with a ghostly, pale face, with the entire ensemble evoking something out of a fairy tale, or even the Gothic period itself. Some of these various choices can be seen on the group below. However, goth style, in addition to punk, have both become absorbed by the mainstream. Nowadays, any teenager can go to a local Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters or similar retailer, that specializes in punk, goth, retro, rock n roll or alternative styles, and try on the aesthetic. The notion of authenticity sheds some light on our understanding of the negotiation of identity within various subcultures. Genre can be very territorial because of the degree to which self-conception is tied to a particular group. Rivalries over new styles, artists and lingo, and whether or not to include or exclude them, express the competition between unlike identities in what might be called a canonization of selves. (Damrell, 1978). One can often distinguish youths from adults, not only by their age, but by their clothing, gait, posture and words. And in the West at least, prosperity has postponed the entry into adulthood, which has increased the importance of youth subcultures in terms of a search for identity. Subcultures allow a tangible way not only to view the world, but to be in it, providing, for the most part, a positive function in easing the transition from childhood to adulthood. And while the majority of practitioners leave these youth subcultures at some point, shedding their counter-culture personas for those of the mainstream, there will always be lingering reminders of one’s old allegiances, whether they be photographs, tattoos, or simply memories. And in this way, ones connections to youth culture, along with the sources of identity that go with it, never fully fade away. Bibliography Brake, Michael. Comparative Youth Culture: The sociology of youth culture and youth subcultures in America, Britain and Canada. London: Routledge, 1985. Damrell, J. Search for Identity: Youth, Religion and Culture. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1978. Frith, S. The Sociology of Youth. Lancashire: Causeway Press Ltd., 1996. Gronlund, A., and Holme, P. Networking the seceder model: Group formation in social and economic systems. Physical Review 70, 2004. Gunn, J. Gothic music and the Inevitability of genre. Popular Music and Society, volume 23, number 1, 1999. Hall, Stuart, and Jefferson, Tony. Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-war Britain. London: Routledge, 1993. Hebdige, D. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London: Methvan Co Ltd., 1979. Rinehart, R., and Sydnor, S. (eds.) To the Extreme: Alternative Sports, Inside and Out. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2003. Rose, T. A Style nobody can deal with: Politics, style and the postindustrial city in Hip Hop. in: Ross, A., and Rose, T. (eds.) Microphone fiends: Youth music and youth culture. New York: Routledge, 1994. Straw, Will. Systems of Articulation, Logics of Change: Communities and Scenes in Popular Music. Cultural Studies 5, 1991. Thornton, S. Club Cultures: Music, Media and Subcultural Capital. Cambridge: Polity Press. 1995.

College Admissions Essay: Making the Connections :: College Admissions Essays

Making the Connections    The human race is immortal.   There is nothing that forces us to decay into old age and die, this is merely our body destroying itself once our purpose ( reproduction ) is complete.   Evolution not only did not bother to select against genes that kill off people past 40, but to some degree selected for such genes: the faster we go through generations, the faster we evolve.   If the genes that cause the changes we associate with old age were suppressed in some chemical way, we would be capable of eternal life.   Another way to immortality would involve the building of a biomechanical body of some sort, something right out of a Terminator movie, that would support the brain with only the chemicals necessary to survival ( if we could determine which those are ) and thus avoid the effect of aging genes.   All of this genetic, biochemical and hydraulic research would be based on knowledge gained in college.   One other thing: we've all heard of cults that claim they have disco vered immortality in some way, which supposedly have members who've lived 200 years.   If there's even a shred of truth in any of that, my guess is that these 200 year veterans have managed to order their minds in some way ( through some arcane style of thinking perhaps ) that erased the biological clock.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, immortality is only one small thing that humans might be capable of.   The strange abilities seen in autistic people, like incredible number crunching speed, really are not unique to autistic people.   These abilities are buried deep in everyone's subconscious, and it is just a matter of our minds letting us use them or not.   In fact, I think that along with those mathematical abilities are buried many more abilities.   I feel sure that among them is perfect coordination, and there might be some really strange psychic or time-related abilities as well.   The subconscious is driven by its creator, evolution.   It is only concerned with reproduction.   Evolution has erected a barrier between ourselves and our potential, and lets ability seep through to those who have desirable traits and are intended to reproduce. College Admissions Essay: Making the Connections :: College Admissions Essays Making the Connections    The human race is immortal.   There is nothing that forces us to decay into old age and die, this is merely our body destroying itself once our purpose ( reproduction ) is complete.   Evolution not only did not bother to select against genes that kill off people past 40, but to some degree selected for such genes: the faster we go through generations, the faster we evolve.   If the genes that cause the changes we associate with old age were suppressed in some chemical way, we would be capable of eternal life.   Another way to immortality would involve the building of a biomechanical body of some sort, something right out of a Terminator movie, that would support the brain with only the chemicals necessary to survival ( if we could determine which those are ) and thus avoid the effect of aging genes.   All of this genetic, biochemical and hydraulic research would be based on knowledge gained in college.   One other thing: we've all heard of cults that claim they have disco vered immortality in some way, which supposedly have members who've lived 200 years.   If there's even a shred of truth in any of that, my guess is that these 200 year veterans have managed to order their minds in some way ( through some arcane style of thinking perhaps ) that erased the biological clock.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, immortality is only one small thing that humans might be capable of.   The strange abilities seen in autistic people, like incredible number crunching speed, really are not unique to autistic people.   These abilities are buried deep in everyone's subconscious, and it is just a matter of our minds letting us use them or not.   In fact, I think that along with those mathematical abilities are buried many more abilities.   I feel sure that among them is perfect coordination, and there might be some really strange psychic or time-related abilities as well.   The subconscious is driven by its creator, evolution.   It is only concerned with reproduction.   Evolution has erected a barrier between ourselves and our potential, and lets ability seep through to those who have desirable traits and are intended to reproduce.