Developing Business Processes and Operations at Ikea Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Ikea has a lean culture where its people are respected and rewarded; it also enables the company to reach those goals which made Ikea the leading manufacturer of furniture in the world. While Samson and Singh (2008) define lean operation as a flow of product and services to be delivered in accordance with what the customers need, Ikea is the best example that shows how its lean culture works for the company s success. Lean operations use a little time, inventory and supplies and work in order to develop a dependable product. Lean manufacturing comprises processes, techniques, strategies, and initiatives that if successfully implemented, bring companies a reduction of unnecessary and unproductive tasks and behaviors in the working environment (Melton, 2005). In the context of Ikea, the company asserts its lean operations regarding its success. That is, Ikea optimizes the business operations of its delivery of the flat-packed furniture to the customers. The concept of lean operations is also applied to the process of product development and standardization production. Costs are cut by the process of decomposition and assembly. Besides, the company also uses the principle of design of manufacturability and design for logistics that takes into account product assembly, transport and packaging. We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Business Processes and Operations at Ikea or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page This creates greater risks for Ikea with its mass production of goods.

Pollution In Monterey Country - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2104 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/04/15 Category Ecology Essay Level High school Tags: Pollution Essay Did you like this example? Abstract The Monterey Bay, situated on Californias central coast, is home to a plethora of marine animals, tourism and leisure activities. With a global demand for production of plastics, a great quantity of the earth is thriving with pollution. Ranging from our landfills, streams, rivers, and oceans, the remnants of plastics have been found anywhere human life prevails. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Pollution In Monterey Country" essay for you Create order This debris produced by people worldwide has imploded great amounts of damage to marine life and potential human health risks. Utilizing the expertise of Kimberle Herring, Public Education, and Outreach Coordinator at the Monterey Regional Waste Management District, along with many environmentally-focused organizations, the causation behind pollution is addressed along with the destination of our waste. When examining the main factors of marine endangerment, evidence of death by consumption of plastic pellets becomes increasingly notable especially in sea animals such as birds, who ingest this waste by mistake and cause hindrances in their digestive systems (Rosevelt, Huertos, Garza, C., Nevins, H.M. (2013). Consequences that emerge from marine species consuming plastic particles include potential human health risks, marine endangerment, and ecological decay. In order to avoid further impediments to the ecosystems well-being, citizens must support laws in favor of oceanic conservation and provide public participation by cleaning beaches, refraining from plastics, and reducing their waste. Keywords: waste, pollution, plastics, marine, Monterey, health HUMAN WASTE AND POLLUTION With the exponential increase in the worlds plastic production, exposure to toxic substances has become increasingly common among seafood consumers, animals, and ecosystems, resulting in various illnesses and marine animal endangerment. Debris such as plastic microbeads and microfibers continuously plague marine life in the oceans of Monterey County and are the main cause of death in most of these marine organisms, including birds. Hindrances to marine environments are shown to have increased with the production of plastics, which in turn result in wildlife fatalities. From seafood to some effects on atmospheric air, these pollutants have been increasingly present both on ocean and land, and outnumber the amount of most marine species on the planet. Along with plastic bags and other consumer plastics, an immense amount of debris from around the globe gathers in tremendous amounts in different areas after strong ocean currents emerge. Consequently, these large patches of debris remain in place and collect new garbage that enters areas from different parts of the world. With the abundance of tourism, debris tends to wash ashore and take part in ecological damage as well as pose as potential health risks. Data gathered by coastal managers suggests necessary information that effectively concludes the origin, quantity, and their long-term impacts on the oceanic life. The conjoined efforts of many citizens, scientists, and environmentalists to impede the effects of pollution are considered rather futile as laws placed in the Monterey County do not prevent pollution from occurring at a massive rate. The inadequacy of these laws, when expected to properly cope with the increasing issue of marine pollution, is a recurring problem with solutions towards this prevalent epidemic. Despite the emergence of these laws, there remains a study rise in pollution by chemical and plastic waste in the oceans and damage to the ecologic al system. Discussion of Research The Fate of the Trash We Produce The increased rate of global dependency on disposable products has caused an abundance of trash that is discarded away from the view of most citizens. The average American generates four to five pounds of trash daily (Brain, 2008). Despite seemingly minuscule, this number contributes to a majority of the yearly global trash production of 220 million tons (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, n.d.). The United States alone generates over 30% of the planets trash pollution (Bradford, Broude, Truelove, 2018). When such an abundance of waste is produced in the fastest rate recorded in years, where does it all go? Trash is typically meant to be disposed of in landfills, resource recovery facilities or recycling centers. However, more often than not, this waste consistently finds its way into our oceans, lakes, and streams-leading to undesirable environmental consequences. Within a world dominated by the commercial production of waste, it is almost inevitable to avoid pollution. A self-administered interview with Kimberle Herring, Public Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Monterey Regional Waste Management District, demonstrated that as of 2017 and 2018, out of 175,395 tons of trash were produced, the City of Salinas landfilled 131,959 tons(Appendix A). The majority of the trash generated in the city of Salinas is situated in landfills, specifically that of the Johnson Canyon Landfill in Gonzales. The daily load of waste sent into these facilities provides an overwhelming amount of trash for management. The Johnson Canyon Landfill receives waste from places such as unincorporated areas of the Monterey County within the Salinas Valley Region (Appendix A). The conjoined waste of each region gathered around 298,757 tons of waste and 212,441 tons of this trash was sent to the landfill. With this abundance of waste, 27% of this trash is either not properly managed or directed away from the landfill (Appendix A). Despite the advantage that landfills pose by allowing a location for non-organic materials, Kimberle Herring states that they may also pose as an impending danger. Herring explains that landfills are a hotspot for methane gas (Appendix A), a gas known for its contribution to global climate change. Landfills have a potential risk of providing the environment with irreversible damaging effects, which proves that they should be a last resort for disposing of waste, as Herring (Appendix A)stated. Plastic Pellets in our Oceans and Diets The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration addresses the overwhelmingly massive island of garbage that circulates the Pacific Ocean and has been continuing to grow over the years. This gyre of human waste is composed of concentrations of plastics and its constituents gathered from across the globe. Along with bags and other consumer plastics, strong ocean currents pull the remnants of waste that were washed ashore in different parts of the world. Consequently, these large patches of debris remain in place and collect new garbage every time ocean currents flow, which in turn hinders the environments of marine mammals. When encountered with marine debris in this region, organisms may confuse these substances for food and consume them, resulting in choking, starvation, and other impairments (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2018). Factors such as tourism, recreation, and debris tend to wash ashore and take part in ecological damage as well as pose as potential health risks. Data gathered by coastal managers suggests necessary information that effectively concludes the origin, quantity, and their long-term impacts on the oceanic life. With an estimated amount of 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing some 269,000 tons (Seltenrich, 2015) Since marine animals, such as tuna, typically consume smaller objects, they often end up digesting harmful pollutants stemming from human commercial consumption. Plastic debris emerges in marine animals when they mistakenly digest these particles instead has on human health by imposing particles of plastics, as well as any other harmful constituents, into the diets of many unsuspecting citizens. With the exponential increase in the worlds plastic production, human exposure to harmful toxic substances has become common among seafood consumers, resulting in various illnesses and marine animal endangerment. When consuming plastics, the hosts digestive system is disrupted and loss of appetite occurs, resulting in stomach illness and in some cases, death (Abraham, K., Coggin, B., Magdalena, M. (2015, September 03). Political and Social Efforts Against Pollution The preeminence of plastics on the ocean floor usually by popular products consumed by citizens on a daily basis. Debris such as plastic microbeads and microfibers continuously plague marine life in the oceans of Monterey County and are the main cause of death in these animals. In efforts to learn how to avoid common practices that lead to pollution, Sarah-Mae Nelson, Monterey Bay Aquariums conservation interpreter, displays her journey to achieve a plastic-free lifestyle. Nelson follows more conscious footsteps such as avoiding the use synthetic fibers, plastic packaging, and any disposable/single-use items (Abraham, K., Coggin, B., Magdalena, M. (2015, September 03). Along with Nelsons efforts, brand such as LUSH Cosmetics?„, Johnson Johnson, Proctor Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, LOreal and The Body Shop have entered the realm of eco-friendly lifestyle by imposing organic ingredients as a replacement to plastic microbeads-an emerging problem in ocean pollution(Abraham, K., Co ggin, B., Magdalena, M. (2015, September 03). The changes being adopted by these prominent figures not only ensure the lives of many sea creatures but free the globe of more debris, thus diminishing degrades to the ocean environment. Avoiding hindrances in marine environments is essential for maintaining a balanced food chain cycle. Boyle dates back to the earliest laws against pollution and verifies the inadequacy of these laws when expected to properly cope with this increasing issue. Despite the emergence of laws such as the Articles of the High Seas Convention, there continued to be a study rise in pollution by chemical and plastic waste in the oceans and damage to the ecological system (Boyle, A. ,1985). Along with these conclusions, Boyle discusses the urgent need for regulatory laws which abide in solving or reducing the issue of marine pollution. Currently in Monterey County, the organization 5 Gyres, is aiding to propose a state bill that would prohibit microplastics in non-prescription, rinse-off personal care products sold in California by 2020.(Abraham, K., Coggin, B., Magdalena, M. (2015, September 03). This bill, known as AB 888, serves the purpose to reduce the effects of trash in the ocean. Personal Bias Growing up in Monterey County, I have experienced the rise of marine endangerment and pollution first-hand. Most notably, the trash situated in the shores of the Monterey Bay and surrounding areas. From plastic caps, water bottles, plastic bags, and even shoes, the amount of waste that is consistently being left behind or uncared for is incredibly massive, and there is little action being taken in order to solve this issue. Trash has demonstrated the ability to not only destroy marine environments, but also endanger species. Recently, I went on a beach clean-up with a group of students and encountered a plethora of problems. We collectively gathered around 50 pounds of trash composed of plastics, styrofoam, and other means of packaging in a 30 minute period. Shockingly, the corpses of 6 dead pelicans were spread across the beach and appeared to have no injuries but demonstrated signs of plastic consumption. The effects of human waste are causing marine animals to perish at an alarmin g rate. Implications for the Future Making sure that we are not disrupting natural ecosystems by limiting human waste pollution in the ocean is essential for maintaining a healthy environment. By eliminating the deleterious habits of citizens, a community as a whole can contribute to change. Estela Gutierrez, Resource Recovery Technician at Salinas Valley Recycles, suggests that every citizen should refrain from using materials that are unnecessary, reduce the amount of waste that is produced, reuse items as much as possible, recycle products, and rot food products to impede waste from going in the ocean (Appendix A). Sarah-Mae Nelson, who is an influential figure in Monterey County, serves as an example for people to heed in order to support the preservation of marine life. Nelsons eco-friendly lifestyle restricts the use of plastics and single-use items. Supporting brands that limit their packaging and sponsor ocean conservation organizations, such as LUSH Cosmetics, can lead to significant contributions in building a foundation of future businesses of this type. Along with making sure that waste is managed properly, citizens should be actively involved in the passings or propositions of new laws/regulations that ameliorate litter pollution. Reflection When exploring the quantity, origin, and production of waste, finding data on these topics was relatively simple. Finding research on the abundance of litter produced by cities in this region provided was a great way to dictate the whereabouts of most waste. There were numerous amounts of published facts and figure of marine pollution published by renowned organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Deciding on what information to acquire was not difficult as I had prior knowledge of the effects and causes of pollution from living in Monterey County. Nonetheless, despite an abundance of accessible research, most of the data was redundant, as there were multiple repetitions of facts and discussion points. Local accounts of marine pollution we also easily acquired as the Monterey Community thrives with efforts for environmental well-being. I should have included more examples of the solutions and problems with pollution at a global scale, rather than solely focus on California and the Monterey County. This would have established a connection between the efforts of each community to solve this issue and the progress being made in each region.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty Free Essays

Eddard Eddard Stark rode through the towering bronze doors of the Red Keep sore, tired, hungry, and irritable. He was still ahorse, dreaming of a long hot soak, a roast fowl, and a featherbed, when the king’s steward told him that Grand Maester Pycelle had convened an urgent meeting of the small council. The honor of the Hand’s presence was requested as soon as it was convenient. We will write a custom essay sample on A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"It will be convenient on the morrow,† Ned snapped as he dismounted. The steward bowed very low. â€Å"I shall give the councillors your regrets, my lord.† â€Å"No, damn it,† Ned said. It would not do to offend the council before he had even begun. â€Å"I will see them. Pray give me a few moments to change into something more presentable.† â€Å"Yes, my lord,† the steward said. â€Å"We have given you Lord Arryn’s former chambers in the Tower of the Hand, if it please you. I shall have your things taken there.† â€Å"My thanks,† Ned said as he ripped off his riding gloves and tucked them into his belt. The rest of his household was coming through the gate behind him. Ned saw Vayon Poole, his own steward, and called out. â€Å"It seems the council has urgent need of me. See that my daughters find their bedchambers, and tell Jory to keep them there. Arya is not to go exploring.† Poole bowed. Ned turned back to the royal steward. â€Å"My wagons are still straggling through the city. I shall need appropriate garments.† â€Å"It will be my great pleasure,† the steward said. And so Ned had come striding into the council chambers, bone-tired and dressed in borrowed clothing, to find four members of the small council waiting for him. The chamber was richly furnished. Myrish carpets covered the floor instead of rushes, and in one corner a hundred fabulous beasts cavorted in bright paints on a carved screen from the Summer Isles. The walls were hung with tapestries from Norvos and Qohor and Lys, and a pair of Valyrian sphinxes flanked the door, eyes of polished garnet smoldering in black marble faces. The councillor Ned liked least, the eunuch Varys, accosted him the moment he entered. â€Å"Lord Stark, I was grievous sad to hear about your troubles on the kingsroad. We have all been visiting the sept to light candles for Prince Joffrey. I pray for his recovery.† His hand left powder stains on Ned’s sleeve, and he smelled as foul and sweet as flowers on a grave. â€Å"Your gods have heard you,† Ned replied, cool yet polite. â€Å"The prince grows stronger every day.† He disentangled himself from the eunuch’s grip and crossed the room to where Lord Renly stood by the screen, talking quietly with a short man who could only be Littlefinger. Renly had been a boy of eight when Robert won the throne, but he had grown into a man so like his brother that Ned found it disconcerting. Whenever he saw him, it was as if the years had slipped away and Robert stood before him, fresh from his victory on the Trident. â€Å"I see you have arrived safely, Lord Stark,† Renly said. â€Å"And you as well,† Ned replied. â€Å"You must forgive me, but sometimes you look the very image of your brother Robert.† â€Å"A poor copy,† Renly said with a shrug. â€Å"Though much better dressed,† Littlefinger quipped. â€Å"Lord Renly spends more on clothing than half the ladies of the court.† It was true enough. Lord Renly was in dark green velvet, with a dozen golden stags embroidered on his doublet. A cloth-of-gold half cape was draped casually across one shoulder, fastened with an emerald brooch. â€Å"There are worse crimes,† Renly said with a laugh. â€Å"The way you dress, for one.† Littlefinger ignored the jibe. He eyed Ned with a smile on his lips that bordered on insolence. â€Å"I have hoped to meet you for some years, Lord Stark. No doubt Lady Catelyn has mentioned me to you.† â€Å"She has,† Ned replied with a chill in his voice. The sly arrogance of the comment rankled him. â€Å"I understand you knew my brother Brandon as well.† Renly Baratheon laughed. Varys shuffled over to listen. â€Å"Rather too well,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"I still carry a token of his esteem. Did Brandon speak of me too?† â€Å"Often, and with some heat,† Ned said, hoping that would end it. He had no patience with this game they played, this dueling with words. â€Å"I should have thought that heat ill suits you Starks,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"Here in the south, they say you are all made of ice, and melt when you ride below the Neck.† â€Å"I do not plan on melting soon, Lord Baelish. You may count on it.† Ned moved to the council table and said, â€Å"Maester Pycelle, I trust you are well.† The Grand Maester smiled gently from his tall chair at the foot of the table. â€Å"Well enough for a man of my years, my lord,† he replied, â€Å"yet I do tire easily, I fear.† Wispy strands of white hair fringed the broad bald dome of his forehead above a kindly face. His maester’s collar was no simple metal choker such as Luwin wore, but two dozen heavy chains wound together into a ponderous metal necklace that covered him from throat to breast. The links were forged of every metal known to man: black iron and red gold, bright copper and dull lead, steel and tin and pale silver, brass and bronze and platinum. Garnets and amethysts and black pearls adorned the metalwork, and here and there an emerald or ruby. â€Å"Perhaps we might begin soon,† the Grand Maester said, hands knitting together atop his broad stomach. â€Å"I fear I shall fall asleep if we wait much longer.† â€Å"As you will.† The king’s seat sat empty at the head of the table, the crowned stag of Baratheon embroidered in gold thread on its pillows. Ned took the chair beside it, as the right hand of his king. â€Å"My lords,† he said formally, â€Å"I am sorry to have kept you waiting.† â€Å"You are the King’s Hand,† Varys said. â€Å"We serve at your pleasure, Lord Stark.† As the others took their accustomed seats, it struck Eddard Stark forcefully that he did not belong here, in this room, with these men. He remembered what Robert had told him in the crypts below Winterfell. I am surrounded by flatterers and fools, the king had insisted. Ned looked down the council table and wondered which were the flatterers and which the fools. He thought he knew already. â€Å"We are but five,† he pointed out. â€Å"Lord Stannis took himself to Dragonstone not long after the king went north,† Varys said, â€Å"and our gallant Ser Barristan no doubt rides beside the king as he makes his way through the city, as befits the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.† â€Å"Perhaps we had best wait for Ser Barristan and the king to join us,† Ned suggested. Renly Baratheon laughed aloud. â€Å"If we wait for my brother to grace us with his royal presence, it could be a long sit.† â€Å"Our good King Robert has many cares,† Varys said. â€Å"He entrusts some small matters to us, to lighten his load.† â€Å"What Lord Varys means is that all this business of coin and crops and justice bores my royal brother to tears,† Lord Renly said, â€Å"so it falls to us to govern the realm. He does send us a command from time to time.† He drew a tightly rolled paper from his sleeve and laid it on the table. â€Å"This morning he commanded me to ride ahead with all haste and ask Grand Maester Pycelle to convene this council at once. He has an urgent task for us.† Littlefinger smiled and handed the paper to Ned. It bore the royal seal. Ned broke the wax with his thumb and flattened the letter to consider the king’s urgent command, reading the words with mounting disbelief. Was there no end to Robert’s folly? And to do this in his name, that was salt in the wound. â€Å"Gods be good,† he swore. â€Å"What Lord Eddard means to say,† Lord Renly announced, â€Å"is that His Grace instructs us to stage a great tournament in honor of his appointment as the Hand of the King.† â€Å"How much?† asked Littlefinger, mildly. Ned read the answer off the letter. â€Å"Forty thousand golden dragons to the champion. Twenty thousand to the man who comes second, another twenty to the winner of the melee, and ten thousand to the victor of the archery competition.† â€Å"Ninety thousand gold pieces,† Littlefinger sighed. â€Å"And we must not neglect the other costs. Robert will want a prodigious feast. That means cooks, carpenters, serving girls, singers, jugglers, fools . . . â€Å" â€Å"Fools we have in plenty,† Lord Renly said. Grand Maester Pycelle looked to Littlefinger and asked, â€Å"Will the treasury bear the expense?† â€Å"What treasury is that?† Littlefinger replied with a twist of his mouth. â€Å"Spare me the foolishness, Maester. You know as well as I that the treasury has been empty for years. I shall have to borrow the money. No doubt the Lannisters will be accommodating. We owe Lord Tywin some three million dragons at present, what matter another hundred thousand?† Ned was stunned. â€Å"Are you claiming that the Crown is three million gold pieces in debt?† â€Å"The Crown is more than six million gold pieces in debt, Lord Stark. The Lannisters are the biggest part of it, but we have also borrowed from Lord Tyrell, the Iron Bank of Braavos, and several Tyroshi trading cartels. Of late I’ve had to turn to the Faith. The High Septon haggles worse than a Dornish fishmonger.† Ned was aghast. â€Å"Aerys Targaryen left a treasury flowing with gold. How could you let this happen?† Littlefinger gave a shrug. â€Å"The master of coin finds the money. The king and the Hand spend it.† â€Å"I will not believe that Jon Arryn allowed Robert to beggar the realm,† Ned said hotly. Grand Maester Pycelle shook his great bald head, his chains clinking softly. â€Å"Lord Arryn was a prudent man, but I fear that His Grace does not always listen to wise counsel.† â€Å"My royal brother loves tournaments and feasts,† Renly Baratheon said, â€Å"and he loathes what he calls ‘counting coppers.’ â€Å" â€Å"I will speak with His Grace,† Ned said. â€Å"This tourney is an extravagance the realm cannot afford.† â€Å"Speak to him as you will,† Lord Renly said, â€Å"we had still best make our plans.† â€Å"Another day,† Ned said. Perhaps too sharply, from the looks they gave him. He would have to remember that he was no longer in Winterfell, where only the king stood higher; here, he was but first among equals. â€Å"Forgive me, my lords,† he said in a softer tone. â€Å"I am tired. Let us call a halt for today and resume when we are fresher.† He did not ask for their consent, but stood abruptly, nodded at them all, and made for the door. Outside, wagons and riders were still pouring through the castle gates, and the yard was a chaos of mud and horseflesh and shouting men. The king had not yet arrived, he was told. Since the ugliness on the Trident, the Starks and their household had ridden well ahead of the main column, the better to separate themselves from the Lannisters and the growing tension. Robert had hardly been seen; the talk was he was traveling in the huge wheelhouse, drunk as often as not. If so, he might be hours behind, but he would still be here too soon for Ned’s liking. He had only to look at Sansa’s face to feel the rage twisting inside him once again. The last fortnight of their journey had been a misery. Sansa blamed Arya and told her that it should have been Nymeria who died. And Arya was lost after she heard what had happened to her butcher’s boy. Sansa cried herself to sleep, Arya brooded silently all day long, and Eddard Stark dreamed of a frozen hell reserved for the Star ks of Winterfell. He crossed the outer yard, passed under a portcullis into the inner bailey, and was walking toward what he thought was the Tower of the Hand when Littlefinger appeared in front of him. â€Å"You’re going the wrong way, Stark. Come with me.† Hesitantly, Ned followed. Littlefinger led him into a tower, down a stair, across a small sunken courtyard, and along a deserted corridor where empty suits of armor stood sentinel along the walls. They were relics of the Targaryens, black steel with dragon scales cresting their helms, now dusty and forgotten. â€Å"This is not the way to my chambers,† Ned said. â€Å"Did I say it was? I’m leading you to the dungeons to slit your throat and seal your corpse up behind a wall,† Littlefinger replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. â€Å"We have no time for this, Stark. Your wife awaits.† â€Å"What game are you playing, Littlefinger? Catelyn is at Winterfell, hundreds of leagues from here.† â€Å"Oh?† Littlefinger’s grey-green eyes glittered with amusement. â€Å"Then it appears someone has managed an astonishing impersonation. For the last time, come. Or don’t come, and I’ll keep her for myself.† He hurried down the steps. Ned followed him warily, wondering if this day would ever end. He had no taste for these intrigues, but he was beginning to realize that they were meat and mead to a man like Littlefinger. At the foot of the steps was a heavy door of oak and iron. Petyr Baelish lifted the crossbar and gestured Ned through. They stepped out into the ruddy glow of dusk, on a rocky bluff high above the river. â€Å"We’re outside the castle,† Ned said. â€Å"You are a hard man to fool, Stark,† Littlefinger said with a smirk. â€Å"Was it the sun that gave it away, or the sky? Follow me. There are niches cut in the rock. Try not to fall to your death, Catelyn would never understand.† With that, he was over the side of the cliff, descending as quick as a monkey. Ned studied the rocky face of the bluff for a moment, then followed more slowly. The niches were there, as Littlefinger had promised, shallow cuts that would be invisible from below, unless you knew just where to look for them. The river was a long, dizzying distance below. Ned kept his face pressed to the rock and tried not to look down any more often than he had to. When at last he reached the bottom, a narrow, muddy trail along the water’s edge, Littlefinger was lazing against a rock and eating an apple. He was almost down to the core. â€Å"You are growing old and slow, Stark,† he said, flipping the apple casually into the rushing water. â€Å"No matter, we ride the rest of the way.† He had two horses waiting. Ned mounted up and trotted behind him, down the trail and into the city. Finally Baelish drew rein in front of a ramshackle building, three stories, timbered, its windows bright with lamplight in the gathering dusk. The sounds of music and raucous laughter drifted out and floated over the water. Beside the door swung an ornate oil lamp on a heavy chain, with a globe of leaded red glass. Ned Stark dismounted in a fury. â€Å"A brothel,† he said as he seized Littlefinger by the shoulder and spun him around. â€Å"You’ve brought me all this way to take me to a brothel.† â€Å"Your wife is inside,† Littlefinger said. It was the final insult. â€Å"Brandon was too kind to you,† Ned said as he slammed the small man back against a wall and shoved his dagger up under the little pointed chin beard. â€Å"My lord, no,† an urgent voice called out. â€Å"He speaks the truth.† There were footsteps behind him. Ned spun, knife in hand, as an old white-haired man hurried toward them. He was dressed in brown roughspun, and the soft flesh under his chin wobbled as he ran. â€Å"This is no business of yours,† Ned began; then, suddenly, the recognition came. He lowered the dagger, astonished. â€Å"Ser Rodrik?† Rodrik Cassel nodded. â€Å"Your lady awaits you upstairs.† Ned was lost. â€Å"Catelyn is truly here? This is not some strange jape of Littlefinger’s?† He sheathed his blade. â€Å"Would that it were, Stark,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"Follow me, and try to look a shade more lecherous and a shade less like the King’s Hand. It would not do to have you recognized. Perhaps you could fondle a breast or two, just in passing.† They went inside, through a crowded common room where a fat woman was singing bawdy songs while pretty young girls in linen shifts and wisps of colored silk pressed themselves against their lovers and dandled on their laps. No one paid Ned the least bit of attention. Ser Rodrik waited below while Littlefinger led him up to the third floor, along a corridor, and through a door. Inside, Catelyn was waiting. She cried out when she saw him, ran to him, and embraced him fiercely. â€Å"My lady,† Ned whispered in wonderment. â€Å"Oh, very good,† said Littlefinger, closing the door. â€Å"You recognized her.† â€Å"I feared you’d never come, my lord,† she whispered against his chest. â€Å"Petyr has been bringing me reports. He told me of your troubles with Arya and the young prince. How are my girls?† â€Å"Both in mourning, and full of anger,† he told her. â€Å"Cat, I do not understand. What are you doing in King’s Landing? What’s happened?† Ned asked his wife. â€Å"Is it Bran? Is he . . . â€Å"Dead was the word that came to his lips, but he could not say it. â€Å"It is Bran, but not as you think,† Catelyn said. Ned was lost. â€Å"Then how? Why are you here, my love? What is this place?† â€Å"Just what it appears,† Littlefinger said, easing himself onto a window seat. â€Å"A brothel. Can you think of a less likely place to find a Catelyn Tully?† He smiled. â€Å"As it chances, I own this particular establishment, so arrangements were easily made. I am most anxious to keep the Lannisters from learning that Cat is here in King’s Landing.† â€Å"Why?† Ned asked. He saw her hands then, the awkward way she held them, the raw red scars, the stiffness of the last two fingers on her left. â€Å"You’ve been hurt.† He took her hands in his own, turned them over. â€Å"Gods. Those are deep cuts . . . a gash from a sword or . . . how did this happen, my lady?† Catelyn slid a dagger out from under her cloak and placed it in his hand. â€Å"This blade was sent to open Bran’s throat and spill his life’s blood.† Ned’s head jerked up. â€Å"But . . . who . . . why would . . . â€Å" She put a finger to his lips. â€Å"Let me tell it all, my love. It will go faster that way. Listen.† So he listened, and she told it all, from the fire in the library tower to Varys and the guardsmen and Littlefinger. And when she was done, Eddard Stark sat dazed beside the table, the dagger in his hand. Bran’s wolf had saved the boy’s life, he thought dully. What was it that Jon had said when they found the pups in the snow? Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord. And he had killed Sansa’s, and for what? Was it guilt he was feeling? Or fear? If the gods had sent these wolves, what folly had he done? Painfully, Ned forced his thoughts back to the dagger and what it meant. â€Å"The Imp’s dagger,† he repeated. It made no sense. His hand curled around the smooth dragonbone hilt, and he slammed the blade into the table, felt it bite into the wood. It stood mocking him. â€Å"Why should Tyrion Lannister want Bran dead? The boy has never done him harm.† â€Å"Do you Starks have nought but snow between your ears?† Littlefinger asked. â€Å"The Imp would never have acted alone.† Ned rose and paced the length of the room. â€Å"If the queen had a role in this or, gods forbid, the king himself . . . no, I will not believe that.† Yet even as he said the words, he remembered that chill morning on the barrowlands, and Robert’s talk of sending hired knives after the Targaryen princess. He remembered Rhaegar’s infant son, the red ruin of his skull, and the way the king had turned away, as he had turned away in Darry’s audience hall not so long ago. He could still hear Sansa pleading, as Lyanna had pleaded once. â€Å"Most likely the king did not know,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"It would not be the first time. Our good Robert is practiced at closing his eyes to things he would rather not see.† Ned had no reply for that. The face of the butcher’s boy swam up before his eyes, cloven almost in two, and afterward the king had said not a word. His head was pounding. Littlefinger sauntered over to the table, wrenched the knife from the wood. â€Å"The accusation is treason either way. Accuse the king and you will dance with Ilyn Payne before the words are out of your mouth. The queen . . . if you can find proof, and if you can make Robert listen, then perhaps . . . â€Å" â€Å"We have proof,† Ned said. â€Å"We have the dagger.† â€Å"This?† Littlefinger flipped the knife casually end over end. â€Å"A sweet piece of steel, but it cuts two ways, my lord. The Imp will no doubt swear the blade was lost or stolen while he was at Winterfell, and with his hireling dead, who is there to give him the lie?† He tossed the knife lightly to Ned. â€Å"My counsel is to drop that in the river and forget that it was ever forged.† Ned regarded him coldly. â€Å"Lord Baelish, I am a Stark of Winterfell. My son lies crippled, perhaps dying. He would be dead, and Catelyn with him, but for a wolf pup we found in the snow. If you truly believe I could forget that, you are as big a fool now as when you took up sword against my brother.† â€Å"A fool I may be, Stark . . . yet I’m still here, while your brother has been moldering in his frozen grave for some fourteen years now. If you are so eager to molder beside him, far be it from me to dissuade you, but I would rather not be included in the party, thank you very much.† â€Å"You would be the last man I would willingly include in any party, Lord Baelish.† â€Å"You wound me deeply.† Littlefinger placed a hand over his heart. â€Å"For my part, I always found you Starks a tiresome lot, but Cat seems to have become attached to you, for reasons I cannot comprehend. I shall try to keep you alive for her sake. A fool’s task, admittedly, but I could never refuse your wife anything.† â€Å"I told Petyr our suspicions about Jon Arryn’s death,† Catelyn said. â€Å"He has promised to help you find the truth.† That was not news that Eddard Stark welcomed, but it was true enough that they needed help, and Littlefinger had been almost a brother to Cat once. It would not be the first time that Ned had been forced to make common cause with a man he despised. â€Å"Very well,† he said, thrusting the dagger into his belt. â€Å"You spoke of Varys. Does the eunuch know all of it?† â€Å"Not from my lips,† Catelyn said. â€Å"You did not wed a fool, Eddard Stark. But Varys has ways of learning things that no man could know. He has some dark art, Ned, I swear it.† â€Å"He has spies, that is well known,† Ned said, dismissive. â€Å"It is more than that,† Catelyn insisted. â€Å"Ser Rodrik spoke to Ser Aron Santagar in all secrecy, yet somehow the Spider knew of their conversation. I fear that man.† Littlefinger smiled. â€Å"Leave Lord Varys to me, sweet lady. If you will permit me a small obscenity—and where better for it—I hold the man’s balls in the palm of my hand.† He cupped his fingers, smiling. â€Å"Or would, if he were a man, or had any balls. You see, if the pie is opened, the birds begin to sing, and Varys would not like that. Were I you, I would worry more about the Lannisters and less about the eunuch.† Ned did not need Littlefinger to tell him that. He was thinking back to the day Arya had been found, to the look on the queen’s face when she said, We have a wolf, so soft and quiet. He was thinking of the boy Mycah, of Jon Arryn’s sudden death, of Bran’s fall, of old mad Aerys Targaryen dying on the floor of his throne room while his life’s blood dried on a golden blade. â€Å"My lady,† he said, turning to Catelyn, â€Å"there is nothing more you can do here. I want you to return to Winterfell at once. If there was one assassin, there could be others. Whoever ordered Bran’s death will learn soon enough that the boy still lives.† â€Å"I had hoped to see the girls . . . † Catelyn said. â€Å"That would be most unwise,† Littlefinger put in. â€Å"The Red Keep is full of curious eyes, and children talk.† â€Å"He speaks truly, my love,† Ned told her. He embraced her. â€Å"Take Ser Rodrik and ride for Winterfell. I will watch over the girls. Go home to our sons and keep them safe.† â€Å"As you say, my lord.† Catelyn lifted her face, and Ned kissed her. Her maimed fingers clutched against his back with a desperate strength, as if to hold him safe forever in the shelter of her arms. â€Å"Would the lord and lady like the use of a bedchamber?† asked Littlefinger. â€Å"I should warn you, Stark, we usually charge for that sort of thing around here.† â€Å"A moment alone, that’s all I ask,† Catelyn said. â€Å"Very well.† Littlefinger strolled to the door. â€Å"Don’t be too long. It is past time the Hand and I returned to the castle, before our absence is noted.† Catelyn went to him and took his hands in her own. â€Å"I will not forget the help you gave me, Petyr. When your men came for me, I did not know whether they were taking me to a friend or an enemy. I have found you more than a friend. I have found a brother I’d thought lost.† Petyr Baelish smiled. â€Å"I am desperately sentimental, sweet lady. Best not tell anyone. I have spent years convincing the court that I am wicked and cruel, and I should hate to see all that hard work go for naught.† Ned believed not a word of that, but he kept his voice polite as he said, â€Å"You have my thanks as well, Lord Baelish.† â€Å"Oh, now there’s a treasure,† Littlefinger said, exiting. When the door had closed behind him, Ned turned back to his wife. â€Å"Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover under my seal. They are to raise a hundred bowmen each and fortify Moat Cailin. Two hundred determined archers can hold the Neck against an army. Instruct Lord Manderly that he is to strengthen and repair all his defenses at WhiteHarbor, and see that they are well manned. And from this day on, I want a careful watch kept over Theon Greyjoy. If there is war, we shall have sore need of his father’s fleet.† â€Å"War?† The fear was plain on Catelyn’s face. â€Å"It will not come to that,† Ned promised her, praying it was true. He took her in his arms again. â€Å"The Lannisters are merciless in the face of weakness, as Aerys Targaryen learned to his sorrow, but they would not dare attack the north without all the power of the realm behind them, and that they shall not have. I must play out this fool’s masquerade as if nothing is amiss. Remember why I came here, my love. If I find proof that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn . . . â€Å" He felt Catelyn tremble in his arms. Her scarred hands clung to him. â€Å"If,† she said, â€Å"what then, my love?† That was the most dangerous part, Ned knew. â€Å"All justice flows from the king,† he told her. â€Å"When I know the truth, I must go to Robert.† And pray that he is the man I think he is, he finished silently, and not the man I fear he has become. How to cite A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty, Essay examples

A KFC free essay sample

If one international brand must be selected as the most favourite one for Chinese consumers, it would be Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC as it is known more commonly. According to questionnaire survey conducted by the globally-renowned marketing researching company AC Nielsen in 30 China cities in 1999, KFC was accepted by Chinese consumers as â€Å"the most popular brand† and ranked as the No. 1 among top ten international brands in China. With the increasing abundance of managerial experience, the expanding number of staffs and the gradually impeccable management system, KFC accelerates its velocity of development since entering the Chinese market in 1987. Up to now, there are over 3,200 outlets in more than 700 cities across China and the number keeps growing rapidly, which makes China the largest overseas market of KFC. It cannot be denied that KFC has achieved great success in China and the prosperity cannot be separated from its effective international business development roadmap for the Chinese market. Mode of Entry In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when KFC entered China joint ventures were the only viable option for mode of entry due to government regulation. Initially KFC China formed joint ventures with local partners chosen by the government. The first joint venture was with the Government Poultry Department but this faced problems. Afterwards, KFC successfully partnered with the Tourist Department to form a joint venture because they had sufficient funds. This model was successfully replicated with many local partners across China. It effectively leveraged the tangible and intangible local resources of the joint venture partners, over time transferring them to KFC. Once joint ventures were no longer required by the government in the mid 1990’s KFC began buying out its partners and refrained from entering into new joint ventures. This gave KFC control and avoided disagreements commonly associated with joint ventures. KFC initially chose a regular chain model, rather than franchising as the mode of entry to the Chinese market because of a lack managerial skills and fear of losing their secret recipe. In 1992 after the fast food market matured, they introduced franchise method which helped KFC to expand faster. The first franchise territory was centred on the ancient Chinese city of Xian in 1993; however this produced mixed results and no more franchises licenses were issued until the year 2000. In early 2008 there were only a few dozen franchise stores out of over 2000 in China. In 1987 KFC opened its first outlet near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Since then they have opened over 3,200 outlets in more than 700 cities across China. It is believed that a vital ingredient to KFC’s early success was its leadership team at the time. The pioneering team known as the ‘Taiwan Gang’ collectively had decades of fast-food industry experience prior to landing in China. Many of the team were from Taiwan or other South East Asian countries and understood Chinese culture. This meant that they knew how to manage relationships with government and joint venture partners, and also which strategies would be successful in the Chinese market. International Alliances At the time KFC entered China Joint Ventures were a necessity. In the late 1980s many businesses in China were at least part, if not wholly owned by the government. This meant that choosing the right partners was of vital importance for KFC as this would ensure business and political connections and help to build guanxi. Overall KFC chose the right Joint Venture partners in China. This was a complex process, and in each city KFC worked with different partners. There were often multiple partners within each city. For example partners in Beijing included a state owned bank and a food distributor/retailer. In Shanghai the New Asia Group led the Joint Venture partners. This was later merged into a hotel and catering group that remains affiliated to the Shanghai Municipal Government. These alliances and Joint Ventures proved pivotal to KFCs early success, guiding them through Chinas government regulatory and licensing hurdles. It helped that the partners were either pseudo-government enterprises, or already involved in the food distribution/retailing industries. However these alliance and joint venture relationships have often been complex, with many examples of disagreements. One of the most common areas of disagreement was against KFCs drive for system standardisation and centralisation to build a more efficient supply Chain. This disagreement was based around self-interest, as many of KFCs partners had established supply relationships with local partners outside of the KFC system, and to withdraw from those would mean a loss of guanxi. Other disagreements stemmed from a difference of short term and long term goals and business strategy. The nature of KFCs alliances in China has changed since the mid-1990s as the government has relaxed its stance on FDI and foreign ownership. As explained earlier KFC has also begun to franchise in China, with mixed levels of success. Human Resource Management One of the factors of the success of KFC comes from the outstanding managing group. Most of the managers they hired are from Taiwan which they called â€Å"Taiwan Gang† in 1990s. They have at least ten years’ experience in fast food industry, and some of about them have 15 to 20 years. Some of them even have working experience in McDonald’s. There are two reasons why Taiwanese dominated the leadership in KFC. First, the population of 23 million which is three to five times than Hong Kong and Singapore is one of the advantages. The fast food industry had been operating in Taiwan since the beginning of 1990s. Therefore, there are more restaurant management talents in Taiwan. Second, the education in Taiwan is highly related to Chinese culture, history, literature†¦etc. Thus, these Taiwanese have better understanding about Chinese culture even though they were studied in the West. Therefore, they have better understanding for the Chinese market. Also, Taiwanese can speak and write Mandarin better than managers from Hong Kong or Singapore. KFC also spent a lot of money and effort on training their employee in different aspects with systematic and scientific method. This not only enhanced the skilled of the employees but also built the culture of the company step by step. KFC provides good incentive strategies to their employees. For instance, they rate the best worker of the month and reward them. They also held competitions for employees such as â€Å"Champion of new product promotion†, â€Å"Master of chicken cooking† etc†¦ Through these kinds of competitions, KFC creates the competitiveness between different restaurant and increase the proficiency of their workers. KFC also emphasize on individual ability. Hence, as long as the employee has good skill and ability, it is very easy for him to get promoted. Unlike other companies, there is less of a bureaucracy problem in KFC. They convey the idea of â€Å"working in a big family† which means your colleges or even boss are like family and friends. Every employee will get a card with all the blessing from their colleges on his birthday. KFC wants their employees to know that they never forget their birthdays and increase the cohesion of their workers. KFC’s marketing strategy KFC has found the recipe for success in China. China has become the highest-growth market of KFC. There’s no doubt that KFC has well understood the Chinese consumer. KFC’s success can be attributed to context, people, strategy and application. Its core strengths are its marketing action and its high level of understanding in consumers’ habits and needs. KFC has achieved such dominance even over McDonald’s in China. This marketing strategy section will, first, develop a brief analysis of the fast food market and its consumers. Then, we will focus our study on the internal analysis. Therefore, we will analyse the marketing mix of KFC through the 5 P’s: product, price, promotion, place and people. External analysis With an average growth of 8% in GPD per year and a population of 1. 3 billion people, China remains to be a real great growth opportunity for both international and domestic brands. The Chinese fast food industry knows a huge growth, around 25% (between 2008-2010). Consumers’ habits are changing; Chinese urban consumers have a busier life, they belong to a fast emerging middle class, their average income is growing fast Indeed, in the last years, the changing in Chinese lifestyles and eating habits have created a real boom in fast food chains industry. The consumers considered here, are essentially those who live in large urban areas. Western-style foods have been more and more accepted as a way of eating in China. Therefore, China is now considered as the 5th largest fast food consuming country in the world. KFC has played an important role in the acceptance of fast food restaurants in China. Particularly, the market which is at stake here is the Chicken fast food restaurant’s one. The Chinese market is a great opportunity for chicken fried food. Food habits across China vary a lot, but, generally speaking chicken is the most preferred meat after pork. The fast food industry in China faces more and more players such as: KFC, Mc Donald’s, Dairy Queen, Burguer King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Kungfu, Little Sheep, Quanjude * Internal analysis Market segmentation and positioning Over the last few decades, KFC has become the most popular fast food chains among Chinese consumers. Yum is now the biggest restaurant group in China with annual sales in China over US$2 billion in 2008 (the New York Times 2008). Originally, the main KFC target was both children and youth. Both targets offer great opportunity of development for present and future. Youngsters have a real influence among society; they can exert it on relatives for generations to come. These groups are easier to convert to western eating habits than older age groups. Targeting young people is usually the best way of influencing the whole family decision; in fact, in many countries the children are the trendsetters and are always willing to adopt the latest trends. In China the one-child-policy plays an important part in reinforcing this phenomenon. Then, the launch of the â€Å"Family Bucket† product is a new step in KFC’s strategy since it targets the whole family and focuses on the Chinese value of sharing. The Segmentation of Chinese food market is not easy to define since you have to take into account the differences in: geography, economic classes, occasions, local habits†¦ Therefore, the easier segmentation to take into account here is the rural and the urban one. First, KFC targeted urban people; they are those who face western brands, those who can afford it. Consumers of KFC are looking for quality, price, flavor, speed, quality service†¦ From now on, KFC opens new restaurant in rural cities. These openings are considered as huge events. In other words, KFC is the more Chinese of the western fast food chain restaurant who knows how to combine fast food values and Chinese traditional values. KFC’s Positioning: An American Brand with Chinese characteristics and values for all the family * The 5 P’s * Product KFC benefits from Chinese consumer preference for chicken. It remains to be a great opportunity for them. KFC’s strategy focuses on a strategy of localization and adaptation to consumers’ habits and needs. This strategy is a huge part of KFC’s success. With a market such as China with a longstanding tradition in food market, KFC has no choice than adapt its offering and its menus to traditional Chinese meals. KFC couldn’t distribute the same product, it should adjust its product; therefore, KFC should fit their products to Chinese culinary taste. KFC highly localizes its offer and continuously launches new products such as: Chinese-style porridge for breakfast, rice, Beijing Chicken Roll served with scallion and seafood sauce, Spicy Diced Chicken, Sichuan-style dish, Mushroom chicken congee, tomato egg drop soup†¦ KFC Chinas frequent introduction of new and localized product is one of the core strengths of KFC and a direct result from its quick adaptation ability. RD teams are really close to the real consumers’ world. All of this product strategy leads to a real differentiation from competitors. KFC is turning into a real Chinese fast food chain. P172 * Price The KFC’s pricing strategy was globally a skimming strategy. They, first, focused on middle class to upper class people with high price. They, gradually, cut down on prices so as to also target the middle to lower class people and to answer to the competitive pressure. It’s a good way of entering both sides of the market. KFC proposes better marketing operations such as vouchers to cut down on prices, which is very important for most of Chinese people. It reinforces customer loyalty. Nonetheless, KFC is considered as a trustful fast food chains, therefore, the firm has to pay attention to such promotion since Chinese consumers demand a lot of KFC about trust, respect for consumer and promotion. There were few scandals which damaged KFC’s image, such as the fake promotional coupons on April 2010. * Promotion KFC’s localization strategy is not only focused on product but also on promotion. In fact, KFC adapts its promotion and advertising to Chinese values and Chinese symbols. KFC benefits from a good brand image thanks to its brand symbols. Actually, Colonel Sanders is the image of elderly, wisdom and good fortune. Through centuries, Chinese people respect and honour old people as a symbol of wisdom, affection, trust and benevolence. Therefore, KFC uses in its promotions this image of benevolent grand-father to target family instead of individuals. The Colonel plays an important role in enhancing and building a strong positive image to KFC among all age brackets. Moreover, in its promotions, KFC uses important values for Chinese people: tradition, family, sharing Most of the time, each region proposes local thematic promotions, local sponsorship involvement and local charity actions. For its promotion, KFC uses many different Medias to promote both brand image and values and products such as television, radio, the internet, street marketing, sponsorship, vouchers, charities, co-branding * Place As we have seen before, KFC matches franchising and fully owned restaurants. Most restaurants are located downtown. The average restaurant in China is quite different from US’ ones due to a bigger transaction volume per restaurant. Indeed, they benefit from a larger dining area, they have greater frying equipment in kitchens and they have larger volume equipment required behind the counter. * People The management is a front-line centred and customer focused. Maintaining a high quality service standard is really important within KFC’s strategy. This system is called CHAMPS: Cleanliness, Hospitality, Accuracy, Maintenance, Product quality and Speed. Those 6 values are shared by all the supply chain’s employees. Achieving such an excellence in quality service requires a well-trained and motivated workforce guided by a well-tested system. * SWOT Strengths| Weaknesses| * Chicken preference of consumers * Localization Product strategy * Localized promotion * KFC’s Symbols * CHAMPS| * Problem of trust in pricing (vouchers-misleading advertising) * Censured Advertising * Failed launches| Opportunities| Threats| * Growth in potential consumers * Chicken high consumption * Good supply in chicken| * High competitive pressure * Saturation risk| Yum Brands Negotiation for Startup Yum Brands Inc. based in Louisville is the worlds largest restaurant company with nearly 38,000 restaurants in over 110 countries and territories and more than 1 million associates. Yum brands are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and they had to carry out the negotiation at the start up in China. Yum tried to use the western negotiation approach at the beginning but this approach in the negotiation proceedings was always hampered by the Chinese way of operating and YUM been a western capitalistic business that required a profit, time was always money but that was not the case for the Chinese. The Chinese had the option of sitting back and either waiting for a better deal to arrive from Yum or waiting for another restaurant business to come along that required access to the poultry industry. KFC Supply Negotiation Method KFC adopted a competitive bidding as its negotiation scheme for its supply chain. During 2000, in a continuous drive to reduce cost of goods sold, it used bidding process. The original method called for an open, fair and competitive bidding process that takes place every 6 months, but this method was tough and too demanding until they developed a new way by bidding price from the lowest X to the highest, each qualified supplier Y and they match the price X in other to protect Y’s volume purchased by KFC. If Y matched the price X, the sellers purchase volume was protected for the next 6months. If Y refused to match the price X, Y’s volume was awarded to X unless X’s maximum production capacity of KFC’s internal guideline threshold to avoid single-supplier risk was reached. Six months later, this biding process repeated itself. The adoption of this method helped KFC in China to continue to reduce cost of goods sold. Before any negotiation is attempted, it makes good sense to develop a BATNA. A BATNA is short for the ‘â€Å"Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement†. BATNA is a dynamic option that remains open for modification should any significant event occur during the negotiation proceedings. The application of BATNA had to be modified during the negotiation with the Chinese government because Yum needed to wait for the Chinese government and business sector to come up to speed to support the necessary quick-service food supply chain needed to sustain the growth demanded by Yum upper management and stockholders. Educating the company’s management division about the Chinese customs and the cultural differences also enabled them to negotiate more effectively because contract negotiations in China are still considered a work in progress, even when an agreement has been established there are modifications based on post settlement agreements. Conflict Faced Many of the conflicts YUM faced in China were directly correlated to the cultural differences and philosophies that exist between the Western and Eastern countries. When YUM entered the Chinese market the idea of bringing western ideologies to China were considered exciting. However, the fad seems to have worn off and the Chinese are more concerned with their ideals and beliefs. Therefore YUM brand Inc. will be required to continue negotiations with the government and maneuver through the complex legal system in order to continue the development of supply and distribution channels necessary for more growth. Guanxi Define the term ‘Guanxi’. Guanxi can be translated as relationships and connections. In all the Chinese dominated societies in Asia, people use the word Guanxi to speak of someone who knows lots of people, who is well connected, and gets things done, not necessarily through formal channels. Thus Guanxi is a social dimension and a human factor. What are the main theoretical explanations for Guanxi? There is an opportunity to link the two concepts, where relationship marketing is a formal legal contract defined and protected by the institutional framework, and guanxi is an informal interpersonal relationship involving mutual trust which is not stated explicitly in the legal contracts. How important are Guanxi in business relationships between Chinese and Western companies? To what extent should MNCs consider building Guanxi as part of their business strategy? In the west, they would like to make a deal by signing contract. In China, they would like to make a deal by Guanxi. In case of KFC, it gets successful because it picked the right joint venture partners in china. There were two JV partners of KFC, state-owned bank and a food distributor. They helped KFC a lot because they are government enterprises, which had a good relationship with government. It may help KFC to get the license quickly and prevent the regulatory hurdles. The other JV partner is already in the food distribution industry; its experience can help KFC to run business in China. They contribute read-to-use physical assets and Guanxi of various categories to KFC. Therefore, they facilitate KFC relatively smooth start-ups and early business success. To conclude, a right local partner is important for MNCs to setup their overseas company. For MNCs running business in China, we know that China has lacked a strong rule of law. Because the law has not often been able to provide the legal protections which it does in the west, Chinese people needed to develop another means of ensuring trust amongst themselves in personal and business matters. Maintaining face, or reputation, among people within one’s own network is also an important characteristic of Chinese culture. Because of the importance of maintaining face, Chinese people will usually not take advantage of a person with whom they have guanxi. This is true because if they develop guanxi with them and they were to take advantage of them, all of the people in their network would know what they had done and they would lose face with this network. By losing face they would also lose the respect of others in the group and potentially lose their connection with their network. Therefore guanxi has become a means of building trust that law cannot always provide for Chinese people in personal and business matters. For these reasons, a Chinese company will feel far more comfortable doing business with a company which they have strong guanxi because they believe it will make it far easier for them to trust their business counterpart Suggest strategies for MNCs to create and maintain Guanxi relationships. There are a number of online networking sites where you can make business contacts. If you are a trader (importer/exporter), you are probably already a member of Alibaba. Use the site to begin communications with your China contacts. For consultants, entrepreneurs and business people, Dragon China Business Network is a place to meet new China contacts. Professional networking sites like Linkedin and Xing, although they are not China-focused, have Chinese members and China groups. Keep in mind that online networking is just a starting point. Eventually, face to face meetings will be necessary to take these relationships to the level where there is mutual trust between both parties. Also, dont confuse guanxi with the style of business networking you may be accustomed to in North America or Europe. Guanxi goes beyond basic business networking. It takes longer to develop but in the end is more powerful. While developing guanxi is important to doing business in China it is not necessarily easy to develop, especially for a foreign company. Having a full-time, long-term presence in China is essential to developing and maintaining guanxi. In addition, to effectively develop guanxi your company it will be helpful to have a native-born Chinese person to be responsible for developing these relationships. A native Chinese person will be familiar and comfortable with the cultural niceties of developing guanxi in China. Your local Chinese staff or representative should meet regularly, in both formal and informal settings, with potential and current customers and relevant government agencies to develop strong relationships on behalf of your company. If government relations are important to your business your company may also want to consider hiring someone experienced working with the Chinese government on a full or part-time basis to leverage their contacts and experience with the government on your company’s behalf.