Sunday, January 26, 2020

Corporate Marketing Philosophies: Pros and Cons

Corporate Marketing Philosophies: Pros and Cons 1.1 Introduction This essay will critically discuss the philosophies and pros cons of corporate marketing making references to the work of Balmer and Geyser. The essay will also examine the historiography or the phases through which the corporate marketing has passed through over the few decades. Before understanding the concept of corporate marketing, we should first try and understand the reasons for the evolution of the term corporate marketing. According to Balmer 1998, corporate image is interpreted in numerous ways by different writers. The concept has negative association and the literature work in the field has shown that the image association can be perceived differently by groups of stakeholder. The concept of corporate image management has been challenged by many writers and many literary works suggest that the stakeholders are not always important for the organization. The other concept corporate branding is useful but many companies have failed to develop a corporate brand. Therefore the term is ruled out. Visual graphics has been given more emphasis in corporate identity making it a debatable topic. Thus these concepts can be considered as the building blocks of corporate marketing which can be the umbrella title for this era. 1.2 Understanding Corporate Marketing The term corporate denotes that the area of concern is strategy. Its importance is that the CEO and the board of directors are familiar with the strategies within the organization. The basic principle of the term marketing has been the diverse perspectives. The term marketing has been related with corporate earlier also and few related concepts have already been accepted widely for example IMC, green marketing etc. So what is the difference between Marketing and Corporate marketing? The profitable exchange relationship will remain one of the main features of corporate marketing but the emphasis will be on multiple exchange relationship and the corporation will be less concerned with the ownership; they will see themselves as a part of a network. (Balmer and Greyser, Epilogue, Revealing the corporation, pg348 to 350). So to put it in a nutshell, Corporate Marketing is a group of corporation which has a single corporate ethos, aim and values (philosophy) that binds the company and its image, branding, reputation, identity, communication, customers and stakeholders. 1.3 Pros and cons of corporate marketing The works in the field of corporate marketing can provide meaningful insight to thinking on the larger corporate-level area. The area of concern is strategic therefore it importance is such that the CEO and directors are familiar with the scope and significance on a regular basis. Communication, image, reputation, and branding are key concepts within the marketing domain, although marketing scholars and practitioners frequently incorporate others, such as identity but these concepts are conceived in context of the product or brand rather than the corporation but corporate marketing will help to view all the above concepts as one. The term corporate marketing is not a new term. Kotler and Levy (1969) had recommended that the marketing concept should be broadened so as to cover any organisation and that it should be able to be applied to all areas of business and not just product-dominated organizations. The corporate marketing is a very wide term so it is not possible for a head of a department to handle it. It requires a senior board position such as Deputy chief executive. The person should be highly qualified with the knowledge in the fields like planning, organizational behavior and communications etc. The area is also too wide to be covered in a single degree course and the area will require inputs from non- management courses such as philosophy. Finally, the consultancies are still not familiar with new insights in corporate identity. They occupied in producing systems of visual identifications for organizations. (Balmer and Greyser, Epilogue, Revealing the corporation, pg348 to 350) (Balmer, Journal of Marketing Management, pp. 963-996(34)) 1.4 Historiography of corporate marketing According to Balmer and Greyser the corporate marketing have passed through several eras before reaching the present though the focus has always been the customers as correctly said by Frank Taussig, a former President of the American Economic Association stated back in 1912 that, We must accept the consumer as the final judge (The Economist, 2006). 1950-1970- Corporate Imaging There was more stress on the concept of corporate image in the period of 1950 to1970. Corporate image is the consumer perception of the corporate entity behind a brand. In a few cases, the corporate entity is known and the image has a positive influence on brand sales, such as Apple. In other cases, the corporate image acquires negative connotations such as BP did following the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico. According to Balmer (1998), there are three paradigms to corporate imaging. These are Psychological Paradigm- Use of symbolic relation eg logos (Bromley, 1993; Grunig, 1993). Graphic Design Paradigm- Use of visual graphics for companies philosophies, values etc to make it fashionable. (Balmer 1995). Marketing and Public Relation Paradigm- An understanding of the experiences, beliefs, feelings about and knowledge of an organisation, as held by an individual, group, or groups (Bernstein, 1984, cited in Balmer 1998) (Balmer, Journal of Marketing Management, pp. 963-996(34) 1970-1980: -Era of Corporate Identity and Corporate Personality Corporate Personality can be defined as the view and opinion of the personnel within the organisation. By this time it was imperative for the companies to understand that the most their own staff were an important part of the organisation. The companies understood that it was necessary to train their staff and make sure that they were in line with the companys philosophy, mission and values. The concept of corporate identity is still debatable. According to Balmer (1998), there are groups which consider the Latin meaning of the word identity i.e. same and connect it to logos, images and visual branding. Whereas there are other groups which use the word identity when referring to the distinct attributes of an organisation, i.e. what it is. Balmer 1995, cited in balmer 1998. There are few instances when the corporate identity, image and reputation are not in synchronization with each other this usually happens due to bad corporate communication. Therefore the companies need to have a good corporate image in the eyes of the stakeholders and a favorable corporate reputation. According to Balmer and Greyser (revealing the corporation Pg 42), Identity can be regarded as Triquadri Orbis. Visual identification Staff identification Distinct attributes of the organisation (who are we, what are we). Mid-1980s-mid-1990s This era was the dawn of corporate communication and corporate reputation. Corporate reputation A corporate reputation is a set of attributes ascribed to a firm inferred from a firms past actions. (Weigelt and Camerer (1988 pI), cited in Balmer 1998) Fombrun and Van Riel (1997) have identified six distinct academic literatures in relation to Corporate Reputation. This is shown in Figure 2. Discipline Categorization of Reputation Economics Reputation viewed as traits or signals. Perception held of the organisation by an organisations external stakeholders. Marketing Viewed from the customer or end-users perspective and concentrates on the manner in which reputations are formed. Organisational Behaviour Viewed as the sense-making experiences of employees or the perception of the organisation held by an organisations internal stakeholders. Accountancy Reputation seen as an intangible asset and one that can or should be given financial worth. Sociology Viewed as an aggregate assessment of a firms performance relative to expectation and norms in an institutional context Strategy Reputation viewed as assets and mobility barriers. Figure 2. Categorization of Corporate Reputation According to Various Literatures Source: Balmer 1998, cited in Fombrun and Van Riel (1997). Figure 3 Defining corporate reputation (Manto Gotsi, Alan M. Wilson, (2001) Corporate reputation: seeking a definition, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 6 Iss: 1, pp.24 30) Thus corporate reputation is the perception that is build up over the period of time considering the past action of the company. Since Fombrun research, lot of studies has been done on corporate reputation which is been greatly helpful in expanding the knowledge on this concept. Corporate communication In the mid 1990s companies realized that the corporate communication strategies are not only useful from customers point of view, but it is also very important from shareholders perspective. According to Balmer (2009), the Dutch scholar Van Riel (1995) argues that there are three stands of communication; management communication (employee focus), marketing communication (customer focus) and organizational communication (stakeholder focus). The work of Stephen Greyser, Harvard Business School Professor, has been the greatly acknowledged in the field of corporate communication. He even started a course in corporate communication in Harvard Business School. Mid 1990s till Present Corporate Branding and the dawn of corporate marketing Corporate Brand is the covenant or a promise between an organization and the stakeholders or the customers. It conveys what the company can deliver in terms of product, or customer experience. It can be aspirational, for example, apple promises innovation and quality to the customers. To get a better picture let us try to understand corporate brand covenant. It is a promise or a pledge made by business organisations to stakeholders. These promises, no matter how minute they may be, are binding upon business organisations and they are seen as the parameter upon which corporate brand performance is measured. The notion of promise can be stated in four stages: God/firm Level God has a personality so does a firm. A firm presents themselves like a god who knows everything within their business area. Message Level- Gods presents its covenant to man in the form of a message which is irreversible. The firm also conveys its personality or identity to the stakeholders through corporate communication which is in a way a promise to the stakeholder to remain in the business. The man/stakeholder level and reputation levels- The gods covenant is interpreted by man which then develops the reputation of God. Similarly the corporate personality conveyed by the firm is interpreted by the people concerned with the organisation which then develops positive or negative reputation. Source: Olutayo Otubanjo, Temi Abimbola, Olusanmi Amujo, (2010) Conceptualising the notion of corporate brand covenant, Journal of Product Brand Management, pp.410 422 Figure 4: comparison of biblical and marketing notion of covenant Source: Olutayo Otubanjo, Temi Abimbola, Olusanmi Amujo, (2010) Conceptualising the notion of corporate brand covenant, Journal of Product Brand Management, Vol. 19 Iss: 6, pp.410 422 According to Balmer (1998), several distinct concepts have evolved since 1950: perception of the company by external environment, visual identification and symbolic relationship between the company and the people, corporate personality and identity, how it is perceived by the stakeholders and corporate branding. Corporate branding is closely linked to marketing and the various aspects of the business therefore this theory could lead to the advent of corporate marketing. 1.5 Conclusion Till date the concept corporate identity and corporate marketing has been vague but it is very clear that though there has been emphasis on different concepts in different phases, the organization needs to understand that the key to good image and reputation is through corporate identity. It is possible that corporate identity will evolve into a broader term called corporate marketing which will encompass the various management concepts used till date. Corporate marketing will be an organization wide philosophy which would keep in mind that the stakeholders are as important as the customers. It is like a super term wherein the key management concepts like corporate -identity, branding, communication and reputation are combined together to form a single organizational philosophy. Corporate Marketing I future will be applied to the areas where there is a relationship between the organization and the various stakeholders PART (B) 2.1 Introduction In the second part of the essay I will be critically analysing Balmers Marketing Mix and Balmers 6C making reference to his work. It is very clear that marketing is undergoing through paradigms shifts which are evident from ascendancy of the management concepts. The focus on various stakeholders is as important as the customers, therefore Balmer extended the original 4 Ps to 11Ps. The new marketing mix shifts the focus from the product to organisation as a single entity. Balmer then later simplified the 11Ps to 6Cs which can be used by seniors executives to follow the mission of the organisation. 2.2 Balmers Marketing Mix (1998) The original Marketing Mix was given by Borden which was simplified by Mcarthy to 4Ps, which is easier to remember and recall. In 1998, Balmer extended the marketing mix to 10 elements to articulate the new Marketing Mix. He later added an eleventh P so as to take account of corporate brand. Product What the organisation sells or does Perception The reputation held of the organisation Philosophy and Ethos What the organisation stands for, the way it undertakes its work and activities. Price The valuation its brands (corporate, services and product). What it charges for its products and services. 11 Ps of marketing mix People In addition to customers: the organisations internal and external constituencies and communities Place Selling and distribution of products and services.(Franchising, outsourcing, licensing). Promise The expectations associated with the corporate brand and the promise underpinning the corporate brand Performance Quality of products and services. Standards vis a vis issues of governance, ethics and social responsibility Promotion Co-ordinated corporate communications (Corporate advertising, corporate PR, visual identification etc.) Positioning The organisations position relative to its competitors Personality The critical role of personnel vis a vis corporate marketing activities. Figure 1: The 11 Ps of Corporate Marketing Mix Explanation (Balmer 1998) Source:- Balmer and Greyser, Epilogue, revealing the corporation, pg 348-355 2.3 Merits and Demerits of Corporate Marketing Mix The focus of 4Ps been in terms of products and services rather than corporation. Balmers 11Ps can be orchestrated to underpin the new gestalt of organisations. The 11Ps are not only profit orientated but also focuses on the survival of the business. One of the major component of corporate marketing is coordinated organisational activities therefore the corporate marketing mix helps to understand the present needs and wants of the stakeholders The corporate marketing mix also tries to balance the current shareholders demands and the societal needs with those of the future. Since the Marketing mix are extended to 11Ps, the communications mix will need to be extended in order to encompass the many stakeholder groups which are of importance to organisations, as well as taking into account the numerous channels of communication. Corporate Marketing Mix given by Balmer has the similar problem as Bordons marketing Mix; it had the difficulty of remembering and recalling. Therefore Balmer simplified the mix to Balmers 6C. (Comprehending Corporate Marketing and the Corporate Marketing Mix J.M.T. Balmer Working Paper No 06/08 March 2006 and Revealing the corporation), (Balmer and Greyser, revealing the corporation, pg 349-355). 2.4 The Six Dimensions of the revised Corporate Marketing Mix The 6Cs CHARACTER Corporate Identity: What we are It is the factors that differentiate or one entity from another. The distinct feature can be tangible and intangible such as corporate ownership and structure, corporate philosophy and corporate history CULTURE Corporate Culture: what we feel we are It is the views of the staff about the organisation.. These beliefs are derived from the values, beliefs, and assumptions about the organisation and its historical roots and heritage. CONSTITUENCIES Corporate Governance: Whom we seek to serve The philosophy of corporate-marketing depends on the needs and wants of the stakeholders such as employees, investors, local community etc) because without their support it will be difficult for the organisation to exist. CONCEPTUALISATION Corporate Image and Corporate Reputation: How are we seen? It is the perceptions of the corporate brand held by customers and other key stakeholder groups. COMMUNICATION Corporate Communications: What we say we are Corporate communications is the controlled message from the organisation to the customers and the stakeholders. COVENANT Corporate Brand: What is promised and expected A corporate brand is like a contract, which can be compared to a covenant holder groups often have a religious-like loyalty to the corporate brand. Failure to acknowledge the contract could lead to bad reputation and identity. 2.5 Merits and Demerits of Balmers 6C. Balmers 6c is the revised version of rather than a mix collected together for a department. The importance components of the six dimensions Balmers 11Ps so it easier to remember and recollect. It is a organisation wide philosophy are cleared by the questions underpinned with each element. It provides the senior executives key elements that inform corporate marketing paradigms. However the dimensions are aligned symmetrically, therefore the relationship of each element should be taken in a broader aspect. The senior executive should not follow the same structure of the elements as it is not attainable. They should view the dimensions in a broader perspective and a dynamic alignment because identities are always in the making. A rigid alignment of the elements could be hazardous. (Corporate marketing: apocalypse, advent and epiphany, J. Balmer, pg 544-572) (Comprehending Corporate Marketing and the Corporate Marketing Mix J. Balmer Working Paper No 06/08 March 2006) 2.6 Comparison of Balmers Marketing Mix and Balmers 6C 6C is basically the shortened version of marketing mix. Balmer revised is so that it will be easier to remember and recall. Philosophy (what company stands), Product (what company does), Price (what it charges for the products), Place (distribution), Performance (quality) and Personality (organisations position relative to its competitors) from Balmers marketing mix is combined together to form Character which is one of the Cs. Personality (what the staffs perception about the company) similar to culture Promotion (advertising, pr etc at corporate level) similar to communication People (internal and external communities) similar to constituencies Perceprtion(perception of the stakeholders) similar to conceptualisation Promise (expectation associated with the brand) similar to covenant. 2.7 Conclusion

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Omnivores Dilemma Essay

Learning Objective: The goal of this two day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they’ve been practicing on a regular basis to unpack Pollan’s investigative journalism of industrial farms. By reading and rereading the passage closely combined with classroom discussion about it, students will identify why and how farming practices have changed, as well as identify Pollan’s point of view on the subject. When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will begin to appreciate investigative journalism, as well as question from where their food is coming. Reading Task: Students will silently read the passage in question on a given day—first independently and then following along with the text as the teacher and/or skillful students read aloud. Depending on the difficulties of a given text and the teacher’s knowledge of the fluency abilities of students, the order of the student silent read and the teacher reading aloud with students following might be reversed. What is important is to allow all students to interact with challenging text on their own as frequently and independently as possible. Students will then reread specific passages in response to a set of concise, text- dependent questions that compel them to examine the meaning and structure of Pollan’s reporting. Therefore, rereading is deliberately built into the instructional unit. Vocabulary Task: Most of the meanings of words in the exemplar text can be discovered by students from careful reading of the context in which they appear. Teachers can use discussions to model and reinforce how to learn vocabulary from contextual clues, and students must be held accountable for engaging in this practice. Where it is judged this is not possible, underlined words are defined briefly for students to the right of the text in a separate column whenever the original text is reproduced. At times, this is all the support these defined words need. At other times, particularly with abstract words, teachers will need to spend more time explaining and discussing them. In addition, in subsequent close readings of passages of the text, high value academic (‘Tier Two’) words have been bolded to draw attention to them. Given how crucial vocabulary knowledge is for academic and career success, it is essential that these high value words be discussed and lingered over during the instructional sequence. Sentence Syntax Task: On occasion, students will encounter particularly difficult sentences to decode. Teachers should engage in a close examination of such sentences to help students discover how they are built and how they convey meaning. While many questions addressing important aspects of the text double as questions about syntax, students should receive regular supported practice in deciphering complex sentences. It is crucial that the help they receive in unpacking text complexity focuses both on the precise meaning of what the author is saying and why the author might have constructed the sentence in this particular fashion. That practice will in turn support students’ ability to unpack meaning from syntactically complex sentences they encounter in future reading. Discussion Task: Students will discuss the passage in depth with their teacher and their classmates, performing activities that result in a close reading of Pollan’s text. The goal is to foster student confidence when encountering complex text and to reinforce the skills they have acquired regarding how to build and extend their understanding of a text. A general principle is to always reread the passage that provides evidence for the question under discussion. This gives students another encounter with the text, helping them develop fluency and reinforcing their use of text evidence. Writing Task: Students will paraphrase different sentences and paragraphs of Pollan’s text and then write either a compare and contrast essay illustrating the differences between the traditional farm and the factory farm or an argument against the factory farm. Students might be afforded the opportunity to rewrite their essays or revise their in-class paraphrases after participating in classroom discussion, allowing them to refashion both their understanding of the text and their expression of that understanding. Text Selection: This selection, taken from the young readers edition of Pollan’s bestseller, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, asks students to consider how their food is grown today and why and how that has changed. This brief history and science of United States farm ecology offers students diverse opportunities for exploration and close reading. Outline of Lesson Plan: This lesson can be divided by the teacher into two days of instruction and reflection on the part of students and their teachers, with the option of a written homework assignment after Day 1 and the possibility of adding an additional day devoted to peer review and revision of the culminating writing assignment. Standards Addressed: The following Common Core State Standards are the focus of this exemplar: RI. 7. 1, RI. 7. 2, RI. 7. 3, RI. 7. 4, RI. 7. 5; W. 7. 1, W. 7. 2, W. 7. 4; SL. 7. 1; L. 7. 4, L. 7. 5 The Text: Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat (Chapter 3: From Farm to Factory) Rule or order A substance that kills insects Corn grown from seeds with different traits DNA is the chemical name for genes. Genes give all organisms their traits such as how fast they grow Animal dung used for fertilizing land Relating to energy from the sun Branch of science concerned with the relationships between living things and their environment Grassy fields where animals can graze A basket Exemplar Text Vocabulary That’s around seventy-five gallons of oil per acre of corn (Some estimates are much higher. ) Here’s another way to look at it. Calories, like the calories in food, are units of energy. On the industrial farm, it takes about ten calories of fossil fuel energy to produce one calorie of food energy. That means the industrial farm is using up more energy than it is producing. This is the opposite of what happened before chemical fertilizers. Back then, the Naylor farm produced more than two calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil fuel energy invested. In terms of energy, the modern farm is a losing proposition. It’s too bad we can’t simply drink the petroleum directly—it would be more efficient. The factory farm produces more food much faster than the old solar-based farm. But the system only works as long as fossil fuel energy is cheap. A plan of action oil; more productive and less wasteful Day One: Instructional Exemplar for Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Young Reader’s Edition) Summary of Activities 1. Teacher introduces the day’s passage with minimal commentary and students read it independently (5 minutes) 2. Teacher or a skillful reader then reads the passage out loud to the class as students follow along in the text (5 minutes) 3. Teacher asks the class to discuss the first set of text-dependent questions and perform targeted tasks about the passage, with answers in the form of notes, annotations to the text, or more formal responses as appropriate (40 minutes) Text Under Discussion Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students It may seem that I’ve given corn too much credit. After all, corn is just a plant. How could a plant take over our food chain and push out almost every other species? Well, it had some help-from the U. S. Government. [read the intervening paragraphs] Then in 1909 a chemist discovered a way to take nitrogen out of the air. This nitrogen could be used for fertilizer. However, making nitrogen this way takes enormous amounts of energy, energy that we mainly get from fossil fuels. Not only that, it uses a lot of hydrogen that also comes from gas and oil. With chemical fertilizer, farming went from being solar powered to being powered by oil, coal, and gas. 1. Introduce the text and ask students to read independently Other than giving an initial gloss to words students would likely not be able to define from context (underlined in the text), teachers should avoid giving any background context or instructional guidance at the outset of the lesson while students are reading the text silently. This close reading approach forces students to rely exclusively on the text instead of privileging background knowledge and levels the playing field for all students as they seek to comprehend Pollan’s words. It is critical to cultivating independence and creating a culture of close reading that students initially grapple with rich texts like Pollan’s without the aid of prefatory material, extensive notes, or even teacher explanations. 2. Read the passage out loud as students follow along Asking students to listen to Pollan’s text exposes students a second time to the rhythms and meaning of his language before they begin their own close reading of the passage. Speaking clearly and carefully will allow students to follow Pollan’s narrative, and reading out loud with students following along improves fluency while offering all students access to this complex text. Accurate and skillful modeling of the reading provides students who may be dysfluent with accurate pronunciations and syntactic patterns of English. Text Under Discussion Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students It may seem that I’ve given corn too much credit. After all, corn is just a plant. How could a plant take over our food chain and push out almost every other species? Well, it had some help-from the U. S. Government. At the heart of the industrial food chain are huge businesses, agri-businesses. The same businesses that create new seeds provide farmers with the tools and fertilizer they need to grow lots of corn. Agribusinesses also need cheap corn from which they make processed food and hundreds of other products. To get the corn flowing and keep it flowing, agribusiness depends on government regulations and taxpayer money. The government started seriously helping corn back in 1947. That was when a huge weapons plant Muscle Shoals, Alabama, switched over to making chemical fertilizer. How can a weapons plant make fertilizer? Because ammonium nitrate, the main ingredient in explosives, happens to be an excellent source of nitrogen. And nitrogen is one of the main ingredients in fertilizer. After World War II, the government found itself with a tremendous surplus of ammonium nitrate. There was a debate about what the government should do with the leftover bomb material. One idea was to spray it on forests to help out the timber industry. But the scientists in the Department of Agriculture had a better idea: Spread the ammonium nitrate on farmland as fertilizer. And so the government helped launch the chemical fertilizer industry. (It also helped start the pesticide industry, since insect killers are based on poison gases developed for the war. ) Rule or order Substance that kills insects 3. Guide discussion of the first half of the essay with a series of specific text- dependent questions and tasks. As students move through these questions, be sure to check for and reinforce their understanding of academic vocabulary in the corresponding text (which will be boldfaced the first time it appears in the text). At times, the questions provided here may focus on academic vocabulary. (Q1) Ask students to define â€Å"agribusiness. † It is important for students to understand that agribusinesses are not farmers. Some students might need clarification here. Teachers should discuss the following sentence: â€Å"Agribusinesses also need cheap corn from which they make processed food and hundreds of other products. † Agribusinesses are large companies that manufacture farming equipment, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, processed foods as well as provide services to farmers. Sidebar: Website listing many different types of products made from corn. If students are intrigued to learn all the different types of products made from corn, have them view the graphic web on pages 68-69 of Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Young Reader’s Edition) or examine the following website: http://www. ontariocorn. org/classroom/products. html#Products%20that%20 use%20Corn (Q2) How did the U. S. government help launch the chemical fertilizer industry? The U. S. government sprayed their WWII surplus of ammonium nitrate on farmland. Ammonium nitrate was manufactured for weapons during the war. After the war, the U. S. government needed to do something with the remaining bomb material. It must have worked well as a fertilizer because after that the chemical fertilizer business took off, and many farms began using it to grow crops. Text Under Discussion Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students Chemical fertilizer was needed to grow hybrid corn because it is a very hungry crop. The richest acre of Iowa soil could never feed thirty thousand hungry corn plants year after year without added fertilizer. Though hybrids were introduced in the thirties, it wasn’t until farmers started using chemical fertilizers in the 1950s that corn yields really exploded. Plants and Nitrogen Plants and all living thing organisms need the element nitrogen. Without nitrogen, cells cannot make proteins or DNA. For thousands of years, farmers added nitrogen to their soil, even before they knew what nitrogen was. They fertilized their crops with manure from their animals. They also rotated crops. That means they never grew corn in a field more than two years in a row. Then they would switch that field to soybeans or some other legume. Legumes such as beans add nitrogen to the soil with the help of friendly bacteria that live on their roots. Then in 1909 a chemist discovered a way to take nitrogen out of the air. This nitrogen could be used for fertilizer. However, making nitrogen this way takes enormous amounts of energy, energy that we mainly get from fossil fuels. Not only that, it uses a lot of hydrogen that also comes from gas and oil. With chemical fertilizer, farming went from being solar powered to being powered by oil, coal, and gas. Corn grown from seeds with different traits DNA is the chemical name for genes. Genes give all organisms their traits such as how fast they grow Animal dung used for fertilizing land Relating to energy from the sun (Q3) Why are chemical fertilizers so important and necessary to agribusinesses? Students should remember from (Q1) that agribusinesses rely on corn to produce many of their products. The type of corn being grown, hybrid corn, needs very fertile soil. Chemical fertilizers are necessary to create this fertile soil especially because of the quantity (thirty thousand hungry corn plants) being planted. (Q4) Ask students to describe in writing one cause and effect relationship they have read about thus far. Possible answers should include the U. S. government’s surplus caused the chemical fertilizer industry to take off or that corn farming exploded as a result of the chemical fertilizers. (Q5) What is the natural way to fertilize crops? The natural way to fertilize crops is by planting different crops every couple of years in addition to spreading animal manure on the fields. (Q6) What are fossil fuels? What might be some problems with using fossil fuels to produce chemical fertilizers? Fossil fuels are natural sources of energy such as oil, coal, and gas. Teachers should point out why â€Å"fossil† appears with â€Å"fuel† (because these types of fuels are derived from the organic remains of prehistoric plants and animals). Students might recognize that â€Å"making nitrogen†¦takes enormous amounts of energy† and fossil fuels are not free, thus raising the cost of chemical fertilizer. Students might also cite the environmental costs (using their own prior knowledge) of using fossil fuels. Day Two: Instructional Exemplar for Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Young Reader’s Edition) Summary of Activities 1. Teacher introduces the day’s passage with minimal commentary and students read it independently (5 minutes) 2. Teacher or a skillful reader then reads the passage out loud to the class as students follow along in the text (5 minutes) 3. Teacher asks the class to discuss the first set of text-dependent questions and perform targeted tasks about the passage, with answers in the form of notes, annotations to the text, or more formal responses as appropriate (40 minutes) Text Under Discussion Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students Then in 1909 a chemist discovered a way to take nitrogen out of the air. This nitrogen could be used for fertilizer. However, making nitrogen this way takes enormous amounts of energy, energy that we mainly get from fossil fuels. Not only that, it uses a lot of hydrogen that also comes from gas and oil. With chemical fertilizer, farming went from being solar powered to being powered by oil, coal, and gas. [read the intervening paragraphs] The factory farm produces more food much faster than the old solar-based farm. But the system only works as long as fossil fuel energy is cheap. 1. Introduce the text and ask students to read independently Other than giving an initial gloss to words students would likely not be able to define from context (underlined in the text), teachers should avoid giving any background context or instructional guidance at the outset of the lesson while students are reading the text silently. This close reading approach forces students to rely exclusively on the text instead of privileging background knowledge and levels the playing field for all students as they seek to comprehend Pollan’s words. It is critical to cultivating independence and creating a culture of close reading that students initially grapple with rich texts like Pollan’s without the aid of prefatory material, extensive notes, or even teacher explanations. 2. Read the passage out loud as students follow along Asking students to listen to Pollan’s text exposes students a second time to the rhythms and meaning of his language before they begin their own close reading of the passage. Speaking clearly and carefully will allow students to follow Pollan’s narrative, and reading out loud with students following along improves fluency while offering all students access to this complex text. Accurate and skillful modeling of the reading provides students who may be dysfluent with accurate pronunciations and syntactic patterns of English. Text Under Discussion Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students Then in 1909 a chemist discovered a way to take nitrogen out of the air. This nitrogen could be used for fertilizer. However, making nitrogen this way takes enormous amounts of energy, energy that we mainly get from fossil fuels. Not only that, it uses a lot of hydrogen that also comes from gas and oil. With chemical fertilizer, farming went from being solar powered to being powered by oil, coal, and gas. THERE GOES THE SUN When George Naylor’s father spread his first load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, the ecology of his farm underwent a quiet revolution. Until then, the farm’s nitrogen had been recycled in a natural loop. Legumes used the sun’s energy to fix nitrogen in the soil. Other plants used the nitrogen to grow. Animals ate the plants and the farmer recycled the nitrogen by spreading the animals’ manure on the soil. But now the Naylors didn’t need to produce their own nitrogen—they went out and bought it. The nitrogen for the fields would no longer be made with the sun’s energy but with fossil fuels. Farming was no longer an ecological loop—it was more like a factory. The farmer bought raw materials (seed and fertilizer) and turned it into a finished product—corn. Since there was no need for legumes to fix nitrogen, farmers could plant corn in every field, every year. Animals and their pastures could be eliminated. Farming became much simpler. Like a factory, the industrial farm produces just one product (or at most, two. ) Relating to energy from the sun A branch of science concerned with the relationships between living things and their environment Grassy fields where animals can graze Ask students to write a paragraph explaining the last sentence of the text box (â€Å"With chemical fertilizer, farming went from being solar powered to being powered by oil, coal, and gas. †) Answers might sound like this: The traditional farm fertilizes its soil with animal dung and by rotating its crops. The crops such as corn and beans grow from the sun’s energy. Crop rotation allows the soil chemistry to change and become more fertile. Alternatively, chemical fertilizers treat the soil without the use of the sun. Chemical fertilizers are manufactured in a factory and transported to farms by machines powered by fossil fuels. (Q7) What does the author mean when he wrote, the â€Å"ecology of his farm underwent a quiet revolution†? Students should recognize that the natural order of fertilization described in the first paragraph was dramatically altered when Naylor’s father began using chemical fertilizer. It was a â€Å"quiet† revolution because nothing in this natural world protested the change. (Q8) Cite textual evidence for the claim, â€Å"Farming was no longer an ecological loop—it was more like a factory. † Teachers should highlight the connection in meaning to â€Å"loop† and â€Å"revolve/revolution. † Students will cite textual evidence such as: â€Å"The farmer bought raw materials (seed and fertilizer) and turned it into a finished product—corn. † â€Å"†¦farmers could plant corn in every field, every year. † â€Å"†¦the industrial farm produces just one product (or at most, two. )† â€Å"†¦the industrial farm, is powered with fossil fuels. † Text Under Discussion Directions for Teachers/Guiding Questions For Students And like most factories, the industrial farm, is powered with fossil fuels. There’s natural gas in the fertilizer and the fossil fuel energy it takes to make the pesticides, the diesel used by the tractors, and the fuel needed to harvest, dry, and transport the corn. Add it all up and you find that every bushel of corn from an industrial farm requires about half a gallon of oil to grow. That’s around seventy- five gallons of oil per acre of corn (Some estimates are much higher. ) Here’s another way to look at it. Calories, like the calories in food, are units of energy. On the industrial farm, it takes about ten calories of fossil fuel energy to produce one calorie of food energy. That means the industrial farm is using up more energy than it is producing. This is the opposite of what happened before chemical fertilizers. Back then, the Naylor farm produced more than two calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil fuel energy invested. In terms of energy, the modern farm is a losing proposition. It’s too bad we can’t simply drink the petroleum directly—it would be more efficient. The factory farm produces more food much faster than the old solar-based farm. But the system only works as long as fossil fuel energy is cheap. A basket Suggested plan of action; oil; more productive and less wasteful (Q9) What fossil fuels are needed to power the industrial farm? Students should highlight phrases such as: â€Å"natural gas in the fertilizer† and â€Å"the diesel used by the tractors, and the fuel needed to harvest, dry, and transport the corn. † (Q10) What does Pollan mean when he writes, â€Å"†¦the modern farm is a losing proposition†? This question will determine if the students understand the author’s purpose in writing this passage. It asks students to determine the importance of certain phrases and identify the central theme of this section. Students might cite the following phrases in their answers: â€Å"the industrial farm is using up more energy than it is producing† and â€Å"the system only works as long as fossil fuel energy is cheap. † Students should recognize the traditional farming methods produced more with less fossil fuel energy than the industrial farm. Students can also extract information from the bar graph found in the exemplar. Explanatory Writing Assignment: Directions for Teachers and Students / Guidance for Teachers Choose one of the following writing assignments based on the excerpt from Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Young Reader’s Edition): Write an essay comparing and contrasting traditional farming methods with those of an industrial/factory farm. Write an argument against the industrial/factory farm. Support your argument with textual evidence. Reread the last three paragraphs of the exemplar and examine the bar graph. In your own words, describe the author’s opinion of the industrial farm. Support your ideas with particular words or phrases that highlight the author’s opinion. Supporting details for a compare and contrast essay might include: Traditional Farm Factory Farm fertilizes soil with manure (needs animals) rotates crops every couple of years solar powered produces more food energy than it uses to grow crops exists as a cycle â€Å"The farmer bought raw materials (seed and fertilizer) and turned it into a finished product—corn. † â€Å"†¦farmers could plant corn in every field, every year. † â€Å"†¦the industrial farm produces just one product (or at most, two. )† â€Å"†¦the industrial farm is powered with fossil fuels. † â€Å"industrial farm is using up more energy than it is producing† Not a cycle Textual evidence for an argument against the factory farm might include: â€Å"factory farm produces more food much faster than the old solar-based farm. But the system only works as long as fossil fuel energy is cheap† â€Å"the industrial farm is using up more energy than it is producing† â€Å"†¦ the industrial farm, is powered with fossil fuels. There’s natural gas in the fertilizer and the fossil fuel energy it takes to make the pesticides, the diesel used by the tractors, and the fuel needed to harvest, dry, and transport the corn. † Factory farms need chemical fertilizers to grow hybrid corn Guidance regarding an essay about the author’s point of view: Asking students to identify the author’s opinion or point of view (â€Å"the modern farm is a losing proposition†) forces them to synthesize the whole text. Students might notice the author’s ironic tone in the sentence, â€Å"It’s too bad we can’t simply drink the petroleum directly—it would be more efficient. † Teachers should point out that this type of emotional language often signifies an author’s point of view. Additional Reading Passages from The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat (Young Reader’s Edition) 2009; pp. 48-52 CAFO-Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation The old-fashioned way of raising cattle, like the old-fashioned way of growing corn, was on the small family farm. Cattle were raised in pastures, eating grass and hay—the food they naturally eat. But as corn took over the family farm, cows and other animals were pushed out. Cattle are now raised in densely packed animal cities like Poky’s. These places are called CAFOs—Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. Farmers gave up raising cattle because, as strange as it might seem, it costs a farmer more to grow feed corn than it costs a CAFO to buy it. (Thanks to those government subsidies. ) Eating meat used to be a special occasion in most American homes. Thanks to CAFOs, meat is now so cheap that many of us eat it three times a day. Of course, the American taxpayers have already paid part of the cost by subsidizing corn. But there are other costs involved in raising cattle this way, costs that shoppers don’t see when they buy a steak at the supermarket. On the old-fashioned farm, there is really no such thing as waste. Animal manure goes back into the fields as fertilizer. But the waste from CAFOs is a huge source of very toxic pollution. Tons of animal manure are produced with no good way of disposing of it. The feedlots are also breeding grounds for new and deadly bacteria. Some of these bacteria are finding their way into our food. And there is another cost to raising cattle on CAFOs, one that’s even harder to see. These animals have evolved to eat grass. But in a CAFO they are forced to eat corn—at considerable cost to their health, to the health of the land, and ultimately to the health of us, their eaters. (†¦) Cows and Grass—A Partnership Cows have evolved over millions of years to eat grass. It’s not a one-sided deal. At the same time, grasses have evolved over millions of years to be eaten by cows. This partnership is one of nature’s wonders. When a cow eats grass, it doesn’t kill the plant. Grasses have evolved so that they can survive being eaten very well. (As long as the cows give them a chance to recover. ) In return for being chewed on, the plants get help from the cows. The cow protects the grass habitat by eating young trees and shrubs that might compete with grasses. The animal also spreads grass seed, plants it with his hooves, and then fertilizes it with his manure. Only certain animals, including cows, sheep, goats, and bison, can make a meal out of grass. They can do this because they have a specialized second stomach called a rumen. (That’s why these animals are called ruminants. ) The rumen is like a twenty-five-gallon fermentation tank. Here is where the cow gets some help. Inside the tank lives a type of bacteria that dines on grass. The bacteria break down the cell walls of the grass and allow the cows to get at the protein and carbohydrates within. On the plains of the American west, where steer 534 was born, bison and the prairie grasses lived together in partnership for thousands of years. (I guess we should include the bacteria in that partnership, also. ) It was a natural, solar-powered loop. The plants used the sun’s energy to make food. The bison (with the help of bacteria) ate the grass and in return planted it, fertilized it, and defended its territory. It was a successful ecological system. A rumen has evolved into the perfect organ for digesting grass. But it is not good at digesting corn. So then why is steer number 534 forced to eat corn instead of grass? The answer is one word: speed. Cattle raised on grass simply take longer to grow than cattle raised on corn. â€Å"In my grandfather’s time, cows were four or five years old at slaughter,† Rich Blair explained to me. â€Å"In the fifties, when my father was ranching, it was two or three years old. Now we get there at fourteen to sixteen months. † What gets a steer from 80 to 1,100 pounds in fourteen months is tremendous amounts of corn, food supplements, and drugs. Fast food indeed. This work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Friday, January 10, 2020

Hercules in the Classical and Post Classical Depiction

In the classical depiction of Hercules, key themes of Redemption and suffering go hand in hand and are present throughout. When Hera (Zeus’s wife) drives Hercules to madness she sends him to brutally murder his own wife and sons. Hercules is overwhelmed with a sense of ‘blood guilt’ and suffering and condemns himself to exile. He then seeks the Delphic Oracle’s help, she tells him that he is to complete 10 labours for King Eurystheus in order to redeem and rid himself of the blood guilt and suffering and become an immortal (APOLLODORUS, LIBRARY 22. . 12. ) The idea of suffering makes heroes like Hercules relatable to the mortal audience and whilst Hercules is a demi god making him faster, stronger and more agile than any other hero- he remains human in character. No task of Hercules is an easy one but he is willing to go through these taxing adventures in order to redeem himself and set things right. In the post classical depiction- Disney’s 1997 mov ie Hercules- those themes of redemption and suffering are not so present instead themes of selflessness and true heroism are strong.Hercules is presented as Zeus AND Hera’s son and is a full god- until Hades poisons him, taking all but his strength. He is deemed mortal and lives with his adopted family in Thebes. Hercules begins the 10 labours in order to regain his immortality and live on Mt Olympus with the other gods. As Hercules begins attempting and completing the labours he becomes somewhat of a celebrity with the mortals and they begin to worship him.But the labours alone are not enough to make him immortal, he needs to show true selflessness and be willing to sacrifice himself in order to save another. When Hercules dives into the pool of spirits in Hades’ underworld to bring Megara back to life he risks dying to do so and only this is enough to be a true hero and regain him his immortality. Aspects of Hercules’ story have been modified to suit the viewe rs and be age appropriate but the theme of heroism has been dominant in both depictions and that is because Hercules himself was a true hero.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Business Plan of Nestle - 6523 Words

NESTLE PAKISTAN (nestle pure life) BUSINESS PLAN NESTLE PAKISTAN 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Name and Address: Nestlà © Pakistan Limited 308 – Upper Mall, Lahore - 54000, Pakistan PABX: (042) 111 637 853 Fax: (042) 35789303-4 Email: info@pk.nestle.com Corporate Office Annex: 304, 309 – Upper Mall, Lahore, Pakistan. Board of Directors: Mr. Syed Yawar Ali Chairman (308-Upper Mall, Lahore, Pakistan) Mr. Ian J. Donald Managing Director (308-Upper Mall, Lahore, Pakistan) Mr. Giuseppe Bonanno Director (308-Upper Mall, Lahore, Pakistan) Mr. Edouard Simond Director (308-Upper Mall, Lahore, Pakistan) Mr. Pierre Schaufelberger Director (Avenue Nestlà © 551800 VeveySwitzerland) Mr. Syed Babar†¦show more content†¦2005: Nestlà © Waters further develops its business on the African continent, via the launch of Nestlà © Pure Life in Nigeria and the creation of a partnership in Algeria 2006: Aligned with the Nestlà © Group strategy on nutrition, health and wellness, Nestlà © Waters makes a strategic move towards added value drinks * NESTLE PAKISTAN: Since Pakistan is the fifth world’s largest milk producing country therefore nestle deals mainly in dairy products. Moreover it also sells juices, chocolates, prepared food like noodles, baby food, infant formula milk and breakfast cereals in Pakistan. Nestle is a low cost leader with its efficient operations hence it provides its customers with high quality products and sells them at a premium price. Therefore it is earning good profits. Nestle has set its manufacturing plants at in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Kabirwala. The milk processing plant at Kabirwala district is the Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s world largest milk processing plant. When nestle introduced itsShow MoreRelatedNestle s Corporate Social Responsibility Essay1190 Words   |  5 Pages Nestle corporate social responsibility Introduction: - Nestle was established by Henri in 1866 and its central command are in a city called Vevey arranged in Switzerland. As it’s a multinational company it spread worldwide in numerous nations like India, South Africa and so on. Under the mission of great sustenance, great life they are giving extensive variety of nourishment items with the best tasting and brimming with nourishment. 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