Adult Influence in the Development of Self-awareness in Children Essay

An individual who has an awareness of who he/she is as a person are said to be happier than those who don’t. Having a strong sense of self enables us to make decisions about how we want to live our lives and pursue our dreams and ambitions. But how does one achieve self-awareness? Self-awareness is a life-long process, it is essentially being able to discover our individuality and come to terms with who we really are. The development of self-awareness is not a one-man show; rather our parents, teachers, peers and the media, constantly influence us. It is my belief that parents and teachers more than any other factor has the greatest influence in the development of our awareness. Thus, parents and teachers help and hinder the development of a child’s self-awareness. Parents and teachers provide the guidance and nurturing that children need to develop their sense of self. On the other hand they can also hinder the child’s quest for awareness if they insist that their child become what they could not be and to expect them to adopt their own worldviews. Read more:  Influences that affect children’s development essay An equal amount of guidance and rootedness will prove to be the best formula for a child to realize who they are as persons. Guiding children in their lives and nurturing their well-being can help children develop their sense of self. When parents and teachers guide children in the decisions they make in their lives it teaches children that they are persons of worth who can make their own decisions. Franeck said that if his parents did not push him to look for a job and live on his own, he might sill be living with his parents and would have become a failure. This shows us that young adults need to be prodded and to be challenged to take that step to live their own lives. Without this gentle prodding they might just stay in the dug-out indefinitely like the so called Importance of adults to a child’s growth to awareness Page#2 â€Å"boomerang kids† who are well-educated young adults and are living at home because they are broke and underemployed (Franeck, ). Teachers also guide children in their own way. They can help children realize who they want to be in the future. Success and achievement contributes to the child’s perception of who he/she is. When teachers tell their students that they are good at what they do, it builds their self-esteem and leads to increased awareness. Malcom X in his autobiography said that his teacher Mr. Ostrowski made him think about his future and what society had to offer him, which led to his awareness of his station in life and the desire to do something about it (The first major, ). Why do parents and teachers’ guidance and nurturance matter? Parents and teachers are the significant adults in every children’s lives thus, children see them as authority figures and what they say or do can leave lasting impressions in a child’s psyche and therefore affects the way he/she thinks of himself/herself. In contrast, when parents become too controlling and expect their children to espouse their own way of life and views without considering their child’s individuality they hinder the development of self-awareness. Likewise, when teachers become judgmental and do not treat his/her students the same way, then he/she hampers self-awareness. Controlling parents are those who impose their own value systems to their children and expect them to behave accordingly. This hampers the development of self-awareness because children are not able to think for themselves, they are not allowed to explore and deal with their individuality. Children become a reflection or a puppet of their parents and they cannot be expected to become mentally healthy and fully functioning individuals. Caroline Hwang (1998) had battled with the anguish of Importance of adults to a child’s growth to awareness Page#3 pleasing her parents and pursuing her dreams because she knew that her parents had sacrificed a lot for her and she was undoubtedly indebted to them, she knew she owed them the fulfillment of her parent’s dreams for her. As an adult, she still has not been able to establish her own identity, is not sure of her future and has not had a real intimate relationship. In the same way, Emilyn Lat’s (1991) experience also portrays how parents can impede a child’s growth of awareness. Lat had parents who did not want her to be Americanized, they dictated what she should and should not do with her social life. She grew alienated from her parents and looked to the government for help, but sadly was frustrated. Her parents threw her out because she refused to be turned into someone she did not want to be. Emilyn realized that society views children as an extension of their parents and not a separate person, thus her growing awareness of her self was painful and traumatic instead of having a healthy sense of awareness of who she is as a person. Teachers who are judgmental also encumber a child’s awareness of himself/herself. Teachers who do not treat their students equally especially if based on prejudice, perpetuate the culture of racial discrimination. To be able to have a sense of self, children should be able to believe in their selves their talents and abilities, when teachers tell them otherwise, it destroys them. Children come to think that they are not good enough, not smart enough to dream and aspire for something in the future. Consequently, when they grow up they become failures because they come to believe what their teachers told them. Then what are the best conditions for a child’s healthy sense of self-awareness? I believe that an equal amount of nurturing, guidance and cultural awareness would be the best provisions Importance of adults to a child’s growth to awareness Page#4 for self-awareness. Children who are guided by their parents, who are acknowledged and given the opportunity to explore their individuality, will grow to have a healthy sense of who they are. In the same way, when children know their roots and their cultural heritage they are more able to become who they want to be. If Emilyn had the same parents like Caroline’s and she had the same tenacity and courage of Emilyn, then both of them would have become the best of what they can be. It is without a doubt that significant adults play a major role in our lives and in developing our sense of self. Parents who are supportive and nurturing communicate the idea that the child is valuable and worthy of such treatment. Parents should be able to raise children by giving them love, the kind of love that helps them develop a positive self-concept and a sense of their worth. Teachers who are responsive to their students also tell children that they are persons who have the capability to achieve their dreams. It is important for each one of us to be able to develop a positive sense of self-awareness for it will help us better understand why we feel what we feel and behave as we behave. This understanding then gives us the opportunity and freedom to change and create the lives that we want. If we do not have the awareness or clarity of our being we will continue to get caught up in our internal dramas, irrational beliefs and negative perceptions of ourselves undermine the way we live our lives. The great Tao Tzu has this to say about self-awareness â€Å"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment†. References Franek, Mark. Parent’s of twixters are at fault (publication details) Hwang, Caroline. The good daughter. Newsweek September 21, 1998 p16 Lat, Emelyn. Emancipated in American Families: Images and Issues (publication details) pp 244- 246 (year) Malcom X. The first major turning point in Emerging Voices: Readings in the American Experience (Publication details) pp 150-152 (year)

Crisis in Movies Assignment Essay

1. Identify precipitating event(s). (10 pts.) The movie I chose to watch is Courageous. The precipitating event in this movie is the car accident that takes the life of Emily Mitchell. Her father, Adam Mitchell, and the rest of her family are traumatized by the sudden death of their 9 year old daughter/sister. In thinking about information that would be gained in the first contact with Adam Mitchell, one thing that stands out about his previous state of mind/functioning is that he was somewhat uninvolved with his children, taking them for granted. This fact can also be a trigger for how he processes this event, causing a crisis for him as he realized his young daughter is now gone. In another scene, Emily’s brother, Dylan Mitchell, shares that he feels guilty that he wasn’t a better brother. Both of these relational states prior to Emily’s death can be a precipitating factor in how they process this trauma – influencing whether they get stuck in crisis of guilt, depression over lost time, etc. or whet her they see this as an opportunity for change in the way they handle relationships from now on. 2. Identify the type of crisis (Situational, Developmental, Existential). (10 pts.) This crisis is a situational crisis, in that it is brought about by the sudden death of Emily. However, it can also produce developmental and existential crises in the lives of this family, as they process their loss. A traumatic event is known to potentially create problems in the future development of the individual or family, and it is certainly known to create existential crises, as the individual’s core beliefs about self, others, and the world are extremely challenged during crisis. Beliefs about meaning, purpose, and the existence of God are often questioned after major tragedy. 3. Identify the material, personal, and social resources available to the individual. (10 pts.) The material resources available to this family were that they were a middle class family, with a stable home, and no financial worries that were evident to complicate their loss. The personal resources of the family were that they seemed to be a fairly strong, intact family prior to the crisis. They were clearly a family of great faith in God, and this personal resource literally becomes what carries them through the crisis. As a result of their involvement in church and community, they had the social support of their friends/church members in the early days following the loss. Adam Mitchell also has the ongoing counsel of his pastor, who walks through the process with him, comforting him yet challenging him to grow and not get stuck. 4. What were the differing perceptions of the crisis? (the client, family, community, friends, legal perspectives) (10 pts.) The perspectives within the family are the most obvious. Adam led his family to accept the tragedy as God’s will for their lives and to trust Him with their pain and healing. He seemed to grieve for a while and then dive right in to trying to be a better dad. The mother is shown grieving, and then l ater supporting him as he sought to change his parenting; therefore, her perception seemed to be a fairly healthy one. The brother, Dylan, did not seem to do as well at first. He isolated for a while, but the reason came out one night at the dinner table when he cried, saying he should have been a better brother. The guilt had obviously been causing him to withdraw, but when he finally talked about his real feelings, he is seen making improvements. 5. Briefly, how was the crisis handled by the protagonist? (10 pts.) The protagonist in this movie was Adam Mitchell, the father of Emily who died in the car crash. Adam handled this crisis very well, as it became a catalyst for growth for him. In one session, he is talking with his pastor after a few scenes that have shown him grieving, his wife grieving, and his son beginning to isolate from the family. It is at this time that Adam has a choice in how he handles his opportunity to move forward or stay stuck. He tells his pastor that he does not want to get stuck and bitter, that he wants to heal and he wants his family to heal. It is at this point in the movie that Adam begins to pour himself into studying what God’s word has to say about being a father. After discovering that he was only doing a small portion of what God required of him as a dad, he makes a resolution to change that. Indeed, he does so and brings several other men along with him as well. By choosing to grieve in a healthy way, Adam allowed his crisis to make him a better father and to develop his relationship with his wife and son to a stronger place than it had been even before his daughter’s death. 6. Suggest several steps for your client that could be used to handle the crisis. (10 pts.) Since this crisis did not put Adam, or anyone else in his family, in direct danger, I would take on the role of a facilitator. As a facilitator, I would collaborate with Adam to set some goals for himself. An important thing to remember would be to help him survive and rebuild. This ultimate goal can be accomplished through smaller goals that center on bridging the past, accepting and living with the present, and finding a new path for the future. Practical steps for Adam in processing his loss would be to suggest that he remain connected to his support system, gently guide him to face his pain versus repress it, and have him identify secondary losses and unfinished business due to his daughter’s death. One poignant example of resolving unfinished business in the movie is when Adam goes and pretends to dance with his daughter in the place where he had rejected her invitation a few days before she died. While we can’t always recover secondary losses, we can allow the secondary losses to teach us about how to handle relationships differently in the future. This information can be used in finding a new path. Lastly, if my client was a Christian and I could talk openly about God, I would help to reframe their understanding based on a biblical perception of how God promises to use crises for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Lastly, considering that this was a sudden and traumatic death, I would likely suggest a grief support group for the family. 7. Suggest steps for teaching coping skills and developing resiliency (preventing the crisis from reoccurring). (10 pts.) It’s hard to keep a death from reoccurring, but a client can be strengthened so that they do not move into active crisis each time they fear a new loss. In the case of sudden death of a loved one, a sense of fear over a new loss can almost cripple a client. I have had personal experience with this myself after losing my son in a drowning accident. Therefore, I would immediately want to help the client frame healthy perceptions about the event so that fear patterns do not get locked into the brain. Therefore, when it comes to re-traumatization after an initial trauma, early intervention is critical. Crisis debriefing can help to prevent trauma loops from being formed in the brain, which would contribute to possible crisis reoccurrence. As far as resiliency is concerned, I would suggest that the client remain connected to social support and remain connected to God. Trusting Him in crisis can help tremendously toward a healthy outcome. 8. What referral sources would be available to the client if he/she lived in your area? (specific names of organizations in your area to which you might refer your client. You might have to research your area for this.) (10 pts.) Grief Share groups at several churches in the area (i.e. Hebron Baptist), Cornerstone Counseling (provides trauma recovery services), Paraclete Counseling Center, Robbie Sherrill, LCC 9. Discuss a Biblical worldview or principal related to the crisis. (10 pts.) Anytime there is a tragedy or loss, one might be tempted to question the goodness of God, or even the reality of God. However, God is in control and never surprised by tragedy. A good principle to remember when God does allow suffering is to trust that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Also, Scripture makes it clear that God uses suffering to refine us. Therefore, processing tragedy by asking â€Å"what can I learn from this† is healthier and more biblical than seeking to know why. God knows the end from the beginning, and even though we may not know why while on earth, we can know the peace that comes from trusting Him to bring good from our suffering.

Gift Exchanging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gift Exchanging - Essay Example What actually this gift is It's a transfer or exchange of something voluntarily usually give to express one's love, solidarity, to express gratitude etc on any special occasion i.e. wedding, birthday, Christmas, anniversary, birth, father's day, mother's day etc The basic purpose behind this exchange of little things is to make your loved ones feel special and to make them feel that you care for them. But according to some people they are important in insecure relations. According to Caplow, Theodore. 1982. Christmas gifts and kin networks. Sociological Review, "What the ethnographic literature on gift giving does suggest is that ritual gift giving in any society is a method in dealing with relationships that are important bur insecure"1 Well now the culture has become advanced and as a result the gift exchange is no more a one way process but has taken the form of cycle which involves obligations to give, to receive, and to return. Endorse may exist to induce people to give, disapproval or loss of prestige resulting from a failure to do so. We can call it a moral norm but it varies from country to country for instance in Taiwan gifts like gold pen, imported liquor, gifts related to base ball, perfume, magazine subscription and anything high-tech is appreciated . In western world exchanging gifts in holiday seasons is a custom and if you become fed up of exchanging gifts people will suppose that you are a selfish person. Christmas gifts are other important features of American society. According to Caplow, Theodore, 1982 " Relationships with kin being more valued then other affiliations, it is not surprising that so much efforts goes into reinforcing them by ritual gift giving"2.. (Christmas gifts and kin networks. Sociological Review) In Japan you have to give a gift to a person in order to show respect, friendship or appreciation and in case you are meeting a person for the very first time it is necessary to exchange gifts. Moreover it is considered a rude behavior to give a gift to an individual in a group and ignore others. Another interesting fact about Japanese gift exchanging culture is that they avoid giving gifts in sets of four as the word "four" in Japanese is "shi," which is also associated with the word for death and pens are considered to be the very appropriate gift for your colleague. In Korea gifts between business associates are considered as the symbol of appreciation and the presenting expensive gift is a custom but don't present an expensive gift if the receiver is not financially strong enough to return the gift of same worth. 4 numbers is considered unlucky in Korea as well. Koreans Give and receive the gifts with both hands. Korean opens the gift in the presence of the one who presented them the gift. Chinese people often avoid exchanging expensive gifts. They avoid giving gifts in odd number as they relate it to loneliness and separation. Umbrellas and Clocks are also not considered as good gifts in Chinese civilization. Taiwan had even more interesting custom that is they avoid giving gifts with a label "made in Taiwan". They also avoid giving clocks, sweat cakes, umbrellas, scissors, mirrors, fans and hand towels as well. Business gifts are also very popular in Taiwan's culture. Moreover it is customary to reciprocate a gift with one of similar value. Numbers also play an important role in selecting gifts for example: in china 8 and

Encouraging Communication Channels Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Encouraging Communication Channels - Assignment Example However, Hentry Fayol added three more functions, co-ordination, motivation and communication (Reddy, 2004). This present essay is going to examine specific aspects of management in relation to construction industry. Young Engineering and Construction Company (YECC) is a medium sized company that deals in engineering works as well as construction works, it is located in New York City where it carries out its operations. The company has undertaken several works and it is reputed for its good work, though it is still yet to undertake major works. Observation was made about the working environment the company for a period of five days. The aim of the observation was meant to record and examine the way the communication is carried out in the company. The observation made, resulted in the following findings. Communication is a very important instrument in any organization. It is even more important in the in the construction industry as clear messages have to be send and received to avoid miscommunication that can be very costly. Murray and DiCroce (2003) notes that for a company to be successful the management structure has to have very effective communication strategies, this relate to employee in the organization. Good organization working environment calls for a high level of effectiveness in the communication. When communication is rightly used in an organization it motivates the employees. However when communication is poor it will always demoralize the workers. It was observed that the company uses various approaches of communication, for instance, it uses written notices to pass information about impending meetings that the company holds regularly.

British Indirect Rule in Ghana, Kenya and S. Africa Essay

British Indirect Rule in Ghana, Kenya and S. Africa - Essay Example This authoritarian nature of the indirect rule by the British often made chiefs in Africa abuse power in a way that was never possible in a traditional system and there was no innovation or conservation of traditional elements in the indirect rule. Significantly, a "type of indirect governance was found in early toeholds in West Africa, notably Cape Coast Colony in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) These colonies had Legislative Councils with nominated, non-official members who regarded themselves as a loyal opposition, as well as newspapers critical of governmentYet another version of Indirect Rule developed with respect to the loosely organized, so called stateless peoples of Southern Nigeria, Kenya, or Tanganyika, whose political institutions had either remained rudimentary or been destroyed by European military action. Here 'foreigners' or relatively unimportant individuals (such as the warrant chiefs in East Africa) were imported or raised above their former stations." (Louis, Brown, L ow, and Canny 1999 P. 239). These colonies had Legislative Councils with nominated, non-official members who regarded themselves as a loyal opposition, as well as newspapers critical of government†¦Yet another version of Indirect Rule developed with respect to the loosely organized, so called stateless peoples of Southern Nigeria, Kenya, or Tanganyika, whose political institutions had either remained rudimentary or been destroyed by European military action.(Louis, Brown, Low, and Canny 1999 P. 239)...One of the major consequences of the 'indirect rule' by the British in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa was the establishment of traditional rulers in these countries who wanted to conserve culture and tradition. The emphasis on traditional ruler vs. educated elite had an important impact on the nationalization process of these nations. In a profound analysis interrogating the reasons for the failure of African nationalism in the post-independent period, which is a challenging task, the impact of 'indirect rule' of the British on ethnicity and nationalism of the African countries becomes palpable. Significantly, the workings of imperialism in West Africa indisputably enhanced social cleavages between rural and urban classes, the elite and the masses, and made it difficult to form bonds that would survive the immediate transition to independence. While the manipulation of the communist threat turned aside the just grievances of the masses, cultivation of the moderate, bourgeois elite secured a constant base for Western financial interests. "The manipulation of ethnicity and 'tradition' under colonial rule also had important consequences. As the masses had been excluded from modernity under indirect rule, the nationalist intelligentsia appeared to ethnic as well as pan-African consciousness in building nationalist movements. The attraction of ethnic identity was that it cut across class lines and prioritized culture and 'traditional values' in a time of change. E thnicityis dynamic, not static, and thus may also be viewed as 'another form of popular consciousness' which emerged with the political struggles against colonialism." (Bush, 1999, P. 125-6). However, according to the progressive imperialists, such 'ethnic consciousness' or

Contemporary Hero's Quest - Harry Potter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Contemporary Hero's Quest - Harry Potter - Essay Example In spite of them being from the wizarding world just like Harry, their efforts unfortunately, cannot match that of Voldermort’s powers. They, therefore, give up and later earn his trust and further help and prepare him for the journey to the unknown world to seek help (Campbell, 2003). In the initiation, the hero experiences trials on the way that makes him weak and vulnerable to the evil forces. He undergoes a change where he discovers a new self with divine supernatural ability. The hero meets two goddesses; the first enlightens him of his new adventure while the second tries to mislead him to give up his quest. Through separation, the hero becomes aware of the new forbidden wizarding world. He enters a threshold-entrance to the wizard world of his destination. Transformation occurs after he crosses the threshold, moves into the world of darkness where he undergoes a rebirth and his old self-dies (Campbell, 2003). He eventually receives a prize he has longed for and reluctantly returns with his new found powers and wisdom from forbidden world. He encounters a chase by the evil forces on his way back, but he quickly adapts to his new self and survives the chase crosses the threshold back to the new world. The power that the hero returns with eventually saves the world from the evil forces (Campbell,

Growing of the Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Growing of the Business - Essay Example You should then summarise, in a short paragraph, which parts of the business you need to strengthen. Madhu’s, an Indian restaurant, as well as the catering and ready meal businesses owned by Sanjay Anand, is a relatively successful organization that makes ?5m sales. However, as the external environment of the company is changing, it is facing some challenges. In particular, while the sales are stable, the profit has decreased to ?300,000, down from ?500,000 in the previous year. Therefore, it is necessary to determine which aspects of organizational functioning can be improved in order to improve performance. A SWOT analysis of the human resource management, accounting and finance, and marketing functions of the company should be conducted for this purpose. Human resource management Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Most of Madhu’s chefs are professionals in cooking traditional Indian meals. They are brought from India and taught additional skills, such as, for instance, hygiene standards. New British immigration laws do not allow Sanjay to hire people from India. There is no strategy for finding non-Indian chefs. It is possible to hire Europeans and then teach them. This requires organizing special courses. It might be problematic to find people willing to train new employees. In addition, training unskilled people will call for additional expenditures. Other aspects of business operations may suffer. So, it is clearly seen that the hiring strategy of the company is not efficient under the new conditions of the external environment. The new legislation requires Madhu’s to introduce new strategies and tactics for finding, recruiting and training employees. The company should reconsider its whole mode of operations in order to determine how to implement new strategies at the lowest cost and with the greatest advantage. Accounting and finance Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Much attention is devoted to financial position o f the company, performance is evaluated regularly. The owner is not willing to risk and increase prices as the external conditions change. Financial resources are limited. Cut spending for some aspects of operations in order to finance new activities. Reduced financing of some company’s functions may negatively impact the overall performance. Since Madhu’s has limited financial resources to be invested into business development, it might be reasonable to consider some alternative sources of financing. Additional capital can be received from banks or external investors, for instance. Marketing Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats The company has a number of loyal and returning customers, as well as good reputation in the market. The products are well-positioned and reasonably priced. Promotional campaigns for catering services target mostly weddings, thus not covering other groups of potential customers. As an option, distributing Madhu’s ready meals in sup ermarkets will allow to strengthen the brand and make it more recognizable by the clients. If not designed correctly, marketing programs for the new services will, while call for expenditures, bring low results, forcing the company to withdraw the promoted service or product from the market. Though the brand is well-established and quite recognizable, it is possible to increase sales by means of providing alternative services and products to other customer groups. Diversification might be a good alternative that will help to cover wider audience and strengthen the brand, thus making even corporate clients, such as supermarkets, for instance, willing to cooperate with Madhu’

Financing Health Care In The US Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financing Health Care In The US - Term Paper Example Health insurance can actually be availed through an employed individual’s employer or through the employers of either the spouse or parents’, as applicable. Health insurance can also be purchased individually depending on one’s capacity or financial status, and the required scope and contents of health insurance coverage. The problem is eminently evident for those Americans who are unemployed and could not afford to purchase health insurance coverages. Further, those who are employed also opt to drop insurance coverages because of two reasons as proffered by Siegel, Mead and Burke (2008), to wit: (1) the number of employers offering health insurance benefits to their personnel (including beneficiaries) have significantly declined; and (2) those employers who offer health insurance benefits have opted to require increasing amounts of employee participation in premium payments, which are deemed by employees as virtually unaffordable. With increasing number of peopl e who opt to waive availment of health insurance coverages, more unemployed and employed people without health coverages opt to tap the government’s health packages for Medicare and Medicaid, thereby increasing the need for more financial resources to support and sustain the expenditures for this sector. Components of Health Care Sector Expenditures The paper written by Seshamani, Lambrew and Antos (2008), one of the most significant revelations was that the increasing cost in health care expenditure is accounted for by tax subsidies shouldered by the federal government from the health insurance premiums and related costs declared by employers. As indicated, the cost of tax exemptions from contributions made by employers and employees are... A more structured and plausible approach was recommended by Flier, who suggested that accurate and effective reforms could only provide the needed solution to the health care dilemma when the root causes are truly identified. In his article, the root causes were identified as: the unjust employer-based tax advantaged system, restrictions and overregulated health insurance market, and the presence of both Medicare and Medicaid programs. In this regard, Flier recommended the following: a restructuring of the tax shelter system; to encourage increased players in the delivery of both health care and insurance to decrease the exorbitant health care costs; and to evaluate and closely review the possibility of reforming both Medicare and Medicaid programs in terms of the kind and quality of expenditures, as well as closer screening of the beneficiaries to determine alternative options for cost reduction and the use of cost effective interventions, in the long run. The objective of the essay to proffer relevant and critical issues pertinent to financing and the delivery of health care services in the U.S. was hereby accomplished through provision of the current status of health care in the U.S. prior and by determining the significant components in health care expenditures that are the real culprits of the health care dilemma.  The proposed measures to reform the health care system in the US using strategies and plans should encompass policies and regulations that have the ultimate welfare of the population in mind.

Essay about the the movie ( A Perfect Passion - Gail Currie (2008) )

About the the movie ( A Perfect Passion - Gail Currie (2008) ) - Essay Example It is clear from the documentary that the Hopak dance is a great medium that the Ukrainians use to pass their messages across to other Ukrainians non-verbally. Thus, dance has a great value in giving people information without speaking any word. The Hopak dance was seen as an energetic and flamboyant folk dance of the Ukrainian people as it reflected their rural lifestyle. The message of this documentary is clear as it could be deduced from this dance style that the lifestyle of the Ukrainians is in line with the Cossack lifestyle (Dancers). Thus, the dance was used by the director to trace the origin of the Ukrainians and teach lessons of history. Thus, dance is also a way of teaching people their history non-verbally without having to read history books into their ears. The dance described in A Perfect Passion has no fixed pattern of steps and the dance is done according to the mood of the dancers and it helps brings matters that happen in the community to the fore. Thus, dance is seen as a way of spreading information about the society that the dance was performed and this is a non-verbal means of spreading information to the people (Dancers). Thus, dance is also a great means of spreading information to people about current events non-verbally without having to listen to the news. Dance in A Perfect Passion is also a means of spreading messages of love and folktales as lovers perform this dance in order to spread message of love to the people. The dance of couples is a beautiful dance that is used in the documentary to preach love and the sustenance of relationships. The improvised steps by the male dancers are just ways that have been devised to spread some specific messages without uttering any words (Dancers). Men and women dance differently in the Hopak dance style. The squatting kicks, high leaps and turns that are performed competitively by men and the simple dance steps, sways and claps that are performed by women are just ways

Environmental problems Essay Example for Free

Environmental problems Essay There are numerous environmental problems facing our planet at the moment. Economic globalisation is causing destruction of rainforests in South America while boring a hole through the ozone layer, global warming occurs because of the increased emissions by transport and industries, melting of polar ice-caps is threatening low-lying coastal areas, damage of marine resources through overfishing is taking place, acid rain and pollution of soil and groundwater resources results from using chemicals and artificial fertilisers to boost crop output, incidence of hurricanes and other natural disasters is increasing. There is little consensus within both academic and lay circles as to whether the nature is able to cope with the environmental problems itself. In my opinion, ecosystems have a great potential of restoring the state of natural balance; however, the devastating influence of the humankind has significantly undermined this ability. At the dawn of the 21st century, environmental problems are looming large, and many processes are already irreversible. For instance, species that became extinct due to man’s activity could have been essential elements of certain food chains and habitants. The frequency of large-scale natural calamities, especially in the places that have been for a long time considered relatively safe, is a telling manifestation of the inability of nature to sustain its balanced state. Yet the film argues that today is exactly the day when the humanity can redeem its attitude to nature and prevent a global catastrophe. Therefore, the need for a different approach to the relations between the mankind and environment is necessary. It is imperative to carry on conservation and purification activities coupled with a persistent effort by both businesses and individuals to reduce (and, under the dream scenario, to stop) their environmentally damaging activities. Both individuals and corporations can make a considerable contribution to stopping (or at least slowing down) the degradation of the environment. In fact, many individuals seldom realize how their consumption patters are contributing to the aggravation of the situation. The culture of consumerism that constitutes the underlying philosophy of the West fuels unnecessary overproduction: reconsidering one’s consumption pattern can be the first step on the long way of saving the Earth. As Hertsgaard (2000) argues, the adoption of Western consumerist lifestyle by developing nations poses great dangers and has to be stopped before it firmly catches on. Such an approach implies not only reduction in consumption of non-essential goods and services but also buying from companies that are known to use environmentally-benign technologies in the process of production. The question as to who will suffer first, the Earth or the humans, is incorrect in its essence. Such thinking about the environment is the root cause of the imminent crisis. It is a fatal mistake to think that man is the king of nature. Indeed, our disconnection from the nature resulted in the great degree of alienation and ignorance. While human species is an inherent part of the Earth’s global ecosystems, men prefer to view themselves as ‘outsiders,’ superior to other species. Such approach brought about the overexploitation of the Earth’s resources, considerable environmental damage, and global warming. As Hertsgaard (2000) argues, in many countries, like in Sudan, environmental problems are inherently and explicitly linked to survival through the supply of food and drinking water. In China, pollution at factories equally harms humans and nature. The future of our planet in 50 years is solely dependent on the measures the humankind implements now to prevent the imminent crisis. Hertsgaard (2000) associates hopes with new environmentally friendly industries such as solar power. Given the changing attitudes towards environmental problems, growing awareness, and public policy commitment to betterment of our natural habitat, the outlook for the Earth is not as grim as some doomsayers think.

Strategic Analysis and Strategy Formulation of Tesco

Strategic Analysis and Strategy Formulation of Tesco Jack Cohen founded Tesco in 1919 when he began to sell surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. His first days profit was  £1 and sales  £4. The Tesco brand (Tesco Tea) first appeared in 1924. The name comes from the initials of TE Stockwell, who was a partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jacks surname. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak in North London, and Tesco was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1947 as Tesco Stores (Holdings) Limited. Nowadays its market capitalisation is about  £35 677 billions, which rank it at the 10th position. The first self-service store opened in St Albans in 1951 (still operational in 2009 as a Metro), and the first self-service supermarket in Maldon in 1956. Originally specialised in food and drink, it has gradually diversified into areas such as clothing, consumer electronics, financial services, telecoms, home, health and car insurance, dental plans, as well as retailing and renting DVDs, CDs, music downloads, Internet services and software. The principal activity of the Group is retailing and associated activities in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, China and the US. The Group also provides retail banking and insurance services through its subsidiary Tesco Personal Finance. Tescos net sales excluding VAT reached  £62.5 billion (US$95 billion) in the financial year to February 2010. Tescos revenues are considerably smaller than Wal-Marts, which reached US$405 billion for the financial year ending January 2010, up by 1% , but they are comparable to Carrefours, whose turnover reached EUR 85.9 billion in 2009 (US$114 billion), down by 1.2%. The Groups selection, training, development and promotion policies ensure equal opportunities for all employees regardless of factors such as gender, marital status, race, age, sexual preference and orientation, colour, creed, ethnic origin, religion or belief, or disability. All decisions are based on merit. Internal communications are designed to ensure that employees are well informed about the business of the Group. Employees are encouraged to become involved in the financial performance of the Group through a variety of schemes, principally the Tesco employee profit-sharing scheme (Shares in Success), the savings-related share option scheme (Save As You Earn) and the partnership share plan (Buy As You Earn). 2. Strategic analysis 4 pillars sustain Tescos strategic positioning in any region of the world SWOT Strengths Supermarkets/hypermarkets, steady growth Private label Established position gives buying power and economies of scale Weaknesses Customer service Relatively small overall market share (just over 3%) Opportunities Different store concepts Room to increase market share Growing demand for premium/imported/organic stuff Car insurance and other non-food products Online shopping Threats Competition intense Saturation: hypermarkets 5 forces: Industry rivalry Very strong Fragmented and competitive market (consumers have wide choice) International retailers and smaller local rivals Threat of substitutes Also supply products (mainly private label) at discount Online retail (new and underdeveloped opportunity) Threat of new entrants Low, saturated, relatively high barriers to entry If large retailers were to start buying up smaller domestic rivals it would be a threat They would be bigger more economies of scale Bargaining power of suppliers Low As the market becomes less fragmented, will get even lower Customers such as Tesco represent large % of their revenue, so Tesco can dictate to suppliers Margins and prices lower with increase in private labels The retail business is very competitive and Tesco is fighting against several different competitors around the world to remain as one of the biggest retailers. A ranking of the different competitors shows that Tesco arrived at the 3rd place, distanced by Carrefour and Wal-Mart, which is much bigger in comparison of all other opponents. We will cast a glance to four main competitors: Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Schwart Beteiligunfs and Seven and I holdings. Wal-Mart is a giant in comparison of other, and that retailing share are slowly improving, around 0,1%, except for Wal-Mart which has a 0,3% growth. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wal-Mart (New York Stock Exchange) is an American retailer founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. In less than two decades the company was the dominant player on the American market and is nowadays, seen as a titan among other retailers. Its world retailing share is impressive and rose from 3,5 to 3,9% between 2008 and 2009. They had a profit of more than $ 13,4 billion for the year 2009, it is an increase of 5% in a difficult financial context, far ahead of Carrefour and Tesco. Moreover they have a cash flow of more than $ 11 billion, and we can easily imagine that they will be able to easily continue their expansion abroad. They are the main player on the American market and have different size of store : Hypermarkets, supermarkets, discounters, variety stores, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, clothing and footwear specialist retailers, internet retailing. Sales are still improving in the US market, probably because of the always low prices policy. A basic SWOT analysis shows: Strengths: Sales and profit, rivals are dwarf in comparison Performance in Latin America: they implemented with success in Brazil and Mexico Weaknesses: Saturation of the large format in the USA. They built as many supercenter as possible, and now have to target a new kind of hypermarket. Dependence on home market: the USA still remains Wal-Marts core activities, and it is quasi impossible to increase significantly its market share in this country. Opportunities: New concept of small stores: until now Wal-Mart is known for its supercenter, which are closer from a warehouse than a supermarket. They tried to developed new types of store, smaller to attract more clients from cities. Existing presence and future in emerging market. Wal-Mart is targeting expansion in Russia, but has a strong presence in Mexico and Brazil. Threats: Corporate image: this is probably the major threat for Wal-Mart. Dozens of articles were published, several movies and books as well to highlight how employee are treated. The company has a very bad image, and an anti union policy. This policy explains the failure of Wal-Mart in Germany. Sources: www.euromonitor.com Carrefour S.A Carrefour (Euronext) is a strong number 2 in the retailing sector, and Tesco clairly explained that its main objective was to take its seat. Even if in comparison of Wal Mart, Carrefour remains a dwarf, it is still far ahead of Tesco. Its world retailing share is between 1,1% in 2008 and 1,2% in 2009, its total net sales reached $ 144 billion in 2008, and those of Tesco were of $ 99 billion. However, Tesco had greater profits, but only in 2009 and due to the fact that Carrefour is facing difficult issues in emerging markets. They recently acquire several competitors in emerging markets, and their integration takes time and is quite costly. But the company will soon see its profit increasing. A SWOT analysis highlights: Strengths: Brand awareness and large size group: the group is well known and has the advantage to be very diversified, they are present on every segment: from the small to giant retailer. International and multi format reach: Carrefour is present in more than 30 countries, among retailing firm it is the one with the strongest presence abroad. Weaknesses: Low margins: they faced price pressure from Tesco abroad and Leclerc in the home market (France). So they are force to reduce their margin. Reliance on Western Europe Market: the company is still using western markets as its main cash cow, the development abroad has been very costly and is still not very profitable. But it is mainly due to a transition period. Opportunities: Recent and future new market entries: recent entry in Russia and Bulgaria will increase profits. The group is also targeting India. Re branding to bring more synergies: until now a lot of shops still had their own names like Champion, Shopià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There is a new policy of rebranding all shops to gain in visibility. Threats: Challenges from the two largest discounters: Aldi and Schwartz are implementing Carrefours home market: France. There is a growing pressure on prices. Unfavourable economic conditions: even with a catch up of the world economy, some of Carrefour main markets like France, Italy or Spain are likely to have a weak economic growth which could have a negative impact on sales. Sources: www.euromonitor.com Seven I Holdings Co Seven I is the main retailer in Japan, far ahead in front of its main competitor AEON and a world retailing share of 0,7%. Profit for 2008 reached $892.3 million, down by 29% due to difficulties in the Japanese economy. SWOT analysis: Strengths: Brand awareness and efficiency: they are very present in Japan. Global presence, especially in Asia: this company is operating in 17 countries, with special focus on Asian market like South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan. Weaknesses: Under performance in non grocery retailing: in its store non grocery items represent 32% of sales, and this kind of product make the group more vulnerable. Heavy reliance on Japan: the group is in a tight corner, Japan remains its main cash cow and they need to diversify their funding sources. Opportunities: Growth opportunities in emerging market: the presence in China might be increased if they receive an authorization for franchising. They also have expansion plans in Thailand, but nowadays it might be risky due to political trouble. More synergy and economies of scale : among all its subsidiaries they can still improve economies of scale between brands and internet retailing. Threats: Price battle: there is an intensive price battle in Japan. AEON and Wal Mart developed aggressive pricing strategies, and forced Seven to reduce its margin. Japan might face demographic and economic difficulties. There is an ageing population and it could turn as a threat for this retail firm. Sources: www.euromonitor.com Schwarz Beteiligungs Gmbh Schwartz is a German firm mainly active in the hypermarket and discounter business. It is mainly known for its discount branch Lidl. It ranked 8th among global retailer, with a constant world retailing share of 0,6%, but it is the first discounter. Its main competitor is Aldi, ranked at 10th place. It is a family group and has a secret policy, so they do not release publicly the profit results, but the group cash flow reached $ 1,7 billion for 2008. SWOT analysis: Strengths: Group ownership and store concept: the group remains the propriety of one family, so they are well protected from takeover threats and shareholder pressure which could affect a long term strategy. Broad presence in Easter Europe: there is an important presence of the company in eastern Europe with two different brands, far ahead from its competitor Aldi, but still far behind other important competitors like Tesco or Carrefour. Weaknesses: International development confined in Europe: the group is present in Europe, but has no presence in any emerging market like BRICS. Bad corporate image: accused of spying its employee in Germany in 2008. Opportunities: New store formats and internet retailing: the group can develop new format in Europe which are saturated market. Extend presence in Easter Europe: expansion in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria could generate important profits increase. Threats: Price wars: most of the discounters are engaged in a price wars to gain more and more customers, it could be a important threat because they are force to reduce their margin. Intensive competition among discounters. Sources: www.euromonitor.com Tesco is present in numerous different markets. We couldnt present all of them. So we choose the most strategic for the company in term of sales and profit, and we also add China and the USA because they are two giants market. We didnt show Tescos market share in Japan, because its present is not very important, the company is not in the top twenty retailers, the market is strongly dominated by Seven and AEON. A rapid overview of the table shows that Tesco expansion abroad is very successful. Indeed, in most of the case Tesco is number one in term of market share (Hungary, Czech Republic, Thailand), or number three (Poland and South Korea). Furthermore, in its home market Tesco is an unquestionable leader with more than 13,4% of market share. Abroad Tesco met its goal; the abroad expansion was always leaded by the motto abroad expansion is only justified to become number one, and in several markets like Czech Republic and Hungary, Tesco beneficiated of the first mover advantage. Tesco is definitely the most influent retailing firm in CEE countries, even if in Poland retailers like Biedronka or Carrefour are serious competitors. In comparison, results in China and in the USA might be seen as counter performance, but we have to adopt a relativist posture. China is a very competitive market, the market leader is GOME Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd, and has only 0,9% of market share. The first European firm is Auchan China, ranked at the 4th place and with 0,8% of market share. All competitors are in a tight corner, and no one can dominate the market. In the United State, Wal Mart dominates the market, and all others are dwarf in comparison. Becoming the market leader in the USA is an unrealistic goal. 3. Strategy formulation Tesco has a well-established and consistent strategy for growth, which has allowed them to strengthen their core UK business and drive expansion into new markets. The rationale for the strategy is to broaden the scope of the business to enable it to deliver strong, sustainable long-term growth by following the customer into large expanding markets at home such as financial services, non-food and telecoms and new markets abroad, initially in Central Europe and Asia, and more recently in the United States. The strategy to diversify the business was laid down in 1997 and has been the foundation of Tescos success in recent years. The objectives of the strategy are: To be a successful international retailer To grow the core UK business To be as strong in non-food as in food To develop retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and tesco.com To put community at the heart Their long term strategy is pictured in this Steering Wheel scheme: Source: Tesco Annual Report 09 Tesco is implemented in 14 countries, employing 470,000 people and has 4  331 stores worldwide. Source: Tesco Annual Report 09 First, in order to increase sales, Tesco needs to sell more products to existing customers in existing stores. In order to do so, the company has divided its offer into two main streams: products and services. Food and non-food products (fuel, closing, household, health beauty and entertainment goods) are leveraged by private labels programs. Customer segmentation was enhanced by the introduction in 1995 of the companys loyalty card, Tesco Clubcard, which provides benefits and discount to the firms regular customers. In addition, it provides a solid database on the customers needs and profiles. This substantial database is currently used to target identified customers segments by launching private labels which are sub-brands. Tescos Corporate Strategy can be summarized with this statement: Tesco has pulled off a trick that as no any other retailer. That is to appeal to all segments of the market. Tescos Private labels targeting identified segments: Source: Tesco: A case of retailing excellence-Coriolis Research On the other hand, services were expanded into four kinds: Tesco Financial Services named Tesco Bank which is 50/50 joint venture with Royal Band of Scotland. Products on offer include credit cards, loans, mortgages, savings accounts and several types of insurance, including car, home, life and travel; Travel Services: Focused on low-cost packages and travel deals. Joint-venture with Travelcare (UKs largest independent travel agency); iVillage.com: Shopping and information website for women in the UK. Tesco initially acquired a 50% stake and later 100%. It expanded the brand into magazines and books. Tesco Telecom: Home telephone and Internet services offering lower prices than British Telecom. Moreover, they launched a 50/50 Joint Venture with O2 to provide mobile phones services. A similar service has since been launched in Ireland and Slovakia. However, Tesco has not purchased or built a telecoms network, but instead has pursued a strategy of pairing its marketing strength with the expertise of existing telecoms operators. Second, Tesco developed new store formats to capture more customers. It was designed in order to suit varied shopping patterns of their customers. Its store portfolio was splitted into four different store formats: Express: Tesco Express stores are neighbourhood convenience shops, stocking mainly food with an emphasis on higher-margin products (due to small store size, and the necessity to maximise revenue per square foot) alongside everyday essentials. They are found in busy city centre districts, small shopping precincts in residential areas, small towns and on petrol station forecourts. Metro: High street store/shops in large city centre shopping areas aimed at workers, shoppers and local residents. Tesco Metro stores are sized between Tesco superstores and Tesco Express stores. The first Tesco Metro was opened in Covent Garden, London in 1992. Superstore stores offer a full range and many non-food products. These are standard large supermarkets, stocking groceries and a much smaller range of non-food goods than Extra stores. Extra hypermarkets are very large stores offering the maximum food and non-food range situated mainly out-of-town. Their number of these is now being increased by about 20 a year. Newer Tesco Extra stores are usually on two floors, with the ground floor for mainly food and the first floor for clothing, electronics and entertainment. Older stores have all sales on one floor and a cafe on a large upper balcony. In addition, Tesco became the world leader in e-grocery. Tesco has operated on the internet since 1994 and was the first retailer in the world to offer a robust home shopping service in 1996. Tesco.com was formally launched in 2000. It also has online operations in the Republic of Ireland and South Korea. Grocery sales are available within delivery range of selected stores, goods being hand-picked within each store. Third, Tesco expanded on global level. By the mid-90s Tesco realized that the UK retail market was saturated and the growth opportunities would be few. This necessity to expand its business, which was financed with its UKs operations profits, has to be leveraged by 5 prerequisites framing the market. It has to be a large market meaning that it must add significant scale to existing U.K business; The market has to be growing in order to participate in strong organic growth; Retail market has to be underdeveloped which means that there would be an underdeveloped competition and a large availability of premium location store; Opportunities for mass merchandise have to be high in order to use hypermarkets as the vehicle for growth, and thus skip the supermarket phase; Tesco seeks a direct market-leading position usually associated with higher returns. By the mid 90s, Tesco realized that the UK market is saturated and it would offer few opportunities for growth. To continue its success in the retail business, the company recognized the necessity to expand its retail business in the international markets. First, it has targeted the developing markets in Asia and Central-Eastern Europe. Then it decided to enter some developed market such as Japan in 2003 and the United States in 2007. After selling its operations in 1986, Tesco re-entered the Irish market in 1997 after the purchase of Power Supermarkets Ltd. Now it operates from 101 stores. They offer a home delivery shopping service as well as petrol, mobile telephone, personal finance, flower delivery service and a weight-loss programme. Also available is Tescos loyalty programme, the Clubcard. Tesco is now the grocery market leader in the Republic of Ireland. Tesco Ireland also claims to be the largest purchaser of Irish food with an estimated à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5 billion annually. Tesco opened its first store in the Czech Republic in 1996 and now has over 84 stores, with further planned. Tesco opened its first stores in the Czech Republic by buying Kmarts operations for  £79 millions and converting them into Tesco stores. The retail sector in Czech Republic was highly fragmented which attracted Tesco to implement in this country (50 retailers covering about 20% of the total market). Tesco is also keen to expand non-food items and has already opened petrol stations and offers personal finance services in the Czech Republic. In 1995 Tesco launched in Hungary its first operation abroad, after purchasing US Kmarts operations. It also opened its first hypermarket in Hungary in the same year. Tesco operates through 101 stores in Hungary with further openings planned. Tesco offers its value, standard, healthy living and finest range in its stores. Tesco Hungary also offers a clothing line and personal finance services. Tesco entered the Polish market also in 1995. It currently operates from 334 stores. Tesco Poland offers the value, healthy living and own branded line of products as well as regional produce, petrol, personal finance services and on-line photo processing. In 1996 Tesco expanded in Slovakia. Now days there are 48 stores. They plan to introduce Tesco Express like local stores. Tesco Slovakia has recently put great emphasis on organic products. However, Tesco Slovakia caused controversy amongst the Slovak government when it was found to have come foul of food safety laws in 2006. In the year 2010 were in Tesco Extra in Bratislava opened the first self-service cash flow, which is also the first of its kind in Central Europe. Tesco entered Turkey in November 2003 by acquiring 5 hypermarkets of Kipa. Tesco remains focused on building infrastructure in Turkey to complete its expansion plans and has already introduced the Tesco Express format. There are plans to increase the rate of expansion as basic infrastructure is built. Lets just remind that Tesco has a small outlet in Calais, France since 1992. It is selling wine, beer and spirits in a single store of 1  400 m ². In 1999 Tesco bought 51% stake in the supermarket retailer Homeplus, which is a part of Samsung, to enter South Korea. The company had focused its location around Seouls developed region in order to become the countrys leading food retailer. Currently Tesco holds 94,6% of the shares in the venture. It operates hypermarkets as well as a home delivery shopping service. It is the second largest retailer in South Korea, just behind Shinsegae Group. On 14 May 2008, Tesco agreed to purchase 36 hypermarkets with a combination of food and non-food products from E-Land for $1.9  billion ( £976  million) in its biggest single acquisition, making Tesco the second largest in the country. The majority of the E-Land stores formerly belonged to French retailer Carrefour before 2006 and most of the stores will be converted to Tesco Homeplus outlets. Tescos South Korean discount store chain, Home Plus, currently has 66 outlets. Tesco entered China in 2004 by acquiring 50% ownership of Hymall, a Taiwan based hypermarket operator. In December 2006 it raised its stake to 90% in a  £180  million deal. Most of Tesco Chinas stores are based around Shanghai. However, Tesco plans to equip the business to expand more quickly and in different areas and take advantage of one of the largest market in the world. Tesco has been increasing its own brand products into the Chinese market as well as introducing the Tesco Express format. Tesco entered Japan in 2003, even though it is the second biggest food market after the US. In fact, the company considered that Japanese market has a strong potential, as it consisted of large number of consumers with high disposable income. Thus, they bought 78 stores of C Two stores for  £139  million in July 2003 by a buy-out. Later on April 2004 they bought stores from Frec. Tesco has adopted an approach which focuses on small corner shops operating similarly to its Express format rather than opening hypermarkets. It has also launched its range of software in Japan. Tesco opened its first store in Malaysia in May 2002 with the opening of its first hypermarket in Puchong, Selangor. It bought a 70% stake of Sime Darby, Malaysias oldest industrial group, to form Tesco Stores. Tesco Malaysia currently operates 32 Tesco and Tesco Extra stores. One third of total shops are in Selanagor with 11 stores. Tesco also acquired Makro, a local wholesaler which was rebranded Tesco Extra and provides products for local retailers. Tesco Malaysia offers a value range; own branded range, electronic goods, the loyalty clubcard and clothing. Tesco Malaysias clubcard introduced Green ClubCard Points in 2007 making Tesco Malaysia to be the first Tesco international business to introduce the scheme. Tesco entered Thailand in 1998 and operates through 380 stores as part of a joint venture with Charoen Pokphand and named the operation Tesco Lotus. This partnership was dissolved in 2003 when Charoen Pokphand sold its shares to Tesco. Tesco Lotus sells a diverse range of products from value food products to electronics to personal finance services. The company is keen to promote its green values and has partnered with the UNEP. Tesco Lotus claims to serve 20 million customers every month and that 97% of its goods are sourced from Thailand in order to fit local needs. In December 2000, Tesco acquired shops of Mackro Asia and entered Taiwan market. It offered special value lines targeting specific customer segments. However, in September 2005 Tesco announced that it was selling its operations to Carrefour and purchasing Carrefours stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both companies stated that they were concentrating their efforts in countries where they had strong market positions. In February 2006, Tesco announced its intention to move into the United States market, opening a chain of grocery convenience stores on the West Coast (Arizona, California and Nevada) in 2007 named Fresh Easy. Tesco purchased a 130,000  square metres (1,400,000  sq  ft) distribution centre in Riverside Country. The company established its U.S. headquarters in El Segundo, California. The first store opened in November 2007 with 100 more expected in the first year. They plan to open a new one every two-and-a-half days in the United States, to mimic the successful expansion of pharmacy chains such as Walgreens in the U.S. Currently Fresh Easy operates 135 stores in the United States. The company announced plans to open stores in wealthy suburbs of the Pakistans capital cities, Islamabad and Karachi. These new stores will be wholesale cash-and-carry businesses. They will compete with Makro and Carrefour who already operate in Pakistan and have done so for many years. Tesco have not yet ruled out plans to open stores in an Express format, though this format would cater more towards the countrys growing middle class. In addition, the project of implementing in Croatia is under construction. In 2009, Tescos International business delivered a very strong performance, helped in part by favourable exchange rate movements during the year, and excluding the United States contributed 51% of the growth in Group sales and 45% of the growth in Group trading profit. Total International sales grew strongly by 30.6% at actual exchange rates to  £17.9bn ( £13.7bn in 2008) and by 13.6% at constant exchange rates. Sales growth slowed in Europe during the second half, which reflected deteriorating economic conditions in a number of markets. In contrast, sales growth in Asia accelerated, driven by the acquisition of the 36 Homever stores in South Korea at the start of the second half. Finally, we can notice in this Group Sales/Space by Region chart that Tesco keep UKs market as their core business Source: Tesco Annual Report 09 4. Recommendations for long term strategic positioning for Tesco in Poland Be as strong in non-food as in food Develop retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and tesco.com Develop online shopping Improve customer service Acquire domestic small chain from traditional trade to reach consumers in small towns Open more Tesco Express in the cities for people looking for proximity Open delicatessen like stores Open small inside restaurants in the supermarkets