C ivil rights movements Essay Example for Free

C ivil rights movements Essay This is a two-page, APA formatted paper that summarizes the purpose of Leonard Crow Dogs, the purpose of the Ghost Dance and how the U. S. government works to undermine Native American communities. It is based on a true story and is in relation to the novel â€Å"Lakota Woman† by Mary Crow Dogs. The story speaks about the hardship of Mary and the Lakota Indians. Leonard Crow Dog was a very important character in the novel, â€Å"Lakota Woman. † He was Mary’s husband and also a spiritual leader as well as a political leader of the American Indian Movement of 1960s and 70s. His purpose was to help build Mary’s self-esteem. Through Leonard’s support, Mary was able to rebuild her self esteem by performing speeches and by supporting the American Indian Movement. Leonard gave her a way to do her own spiritual rituals which she believed helped strengthen her. Because of Leonard’s leadership participation in the AIM Movement, his son was raised freely in the traditional way of his Indian culture. Leonard was also the one who restarted the Ghost Dance even thought it was previously forbidden. Due to the oppression from the Whites, Indians started a spiritual dance which they believed would deliver them from the oppression of the white men. They called it the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance was a way to relieve the American Native Indians from their extreme poverty, suffering and from the other hardships they encountered. They believed that the Ghost Dance would bring a messiah to them that would soon return the lands to the Indians, resurrect their dead ancestors, and restore their former ways of life (Richard P. Muniz 2006). White people feared the Ghost dance traditions believing that the dance was not proper and that the Indians would practice witchcraft on them. Therefore, the Ghost Dance was outlawed. The U. S. Government undermined the Indian communities through reservations. Indians were required to live a segregated life. They were treated as second class citizens and to make them â€Å"perfect† for the American’s way of life, the government forced their beliefs onto them. The government greatly attacked the Native American community way of life through sending the Native American children to an institution to break their ways of beliefs with the intention of molding them into a â€Å"respectful† American citizen of the white class. Using these schools were a great means to fix the Indian’s way of life. The government really believed that the schools were civilizing the Indian children and offering them a great opportunity for them to evolve into the white culture and Christianity. These schools were supposed to help them to become â€Å"first class† citizens instead of â€Å"second class. † However, the government did not understand that this was not the proper way or means to help the Indian children or Indian people at all. They were already oppressed by Indian Reservations and then placed into a school system to strip them of their cultural beliefs and then forced to accept customs that were not known to their forefathers. Mary describes the government as civilizing them with their stick or another way to say this is with discipline. Mary states that, â€Å"children were like the victims of Nazi concentration camps† (pg. 28). The Indian Sun Dance which is another common tradition of the Indian culture and their community was outlawed by the government as well as the Ghost Dance. The Government forced many Indians into slum housing after taking their tribal lands. These slum homes had no electricity, plumbing, or technology. Most of them would have to live in the dark and in small cabins. Their way of living was very limited unlike the White Americans who had electricity and plumbing. They were unable to find employment due to racial restrictions from white people which resulted in high unemployment for the Indian culture. Many Indians were killed due to being accused for murderers they didn’t commit. Mary mentions in the story that many Indian family members were killed. In addition, many Indian families were punished by the government for having civil rights movements with attempts to help their community to become strong. Mary’s husband was also one of the unfortunate one’s who was thrown in jail many times for his radical civil rights movements. References Dog, M. C. (1990). Lakota Woman. New York: New York.

Platoon Plot Essay -- essays research papers

Platoon is a story of a soldier’s perspective of the Vietnam War. The movie is for the most part told out of the eyes of members of one platoon of the 25th Infantry Division. It is a movie dedicated to all of the people who fought in the Vietnam War. In the movie, Chris Taylor is a young man from a wealthy family, but while in college, chooses to help his country and do his duty in the Vietnam War. He is sent to Vietnam gets put in the 25th Infantry Division. Chris first has some rough times while over there. He gets bitten by ants while traveling through the jungle, and gets blamed for falling asleep while he was on watch. The North Vietnamese tried and were unsuccessful at ambushing them. However, it was not Chris’s fault (It was a soldier named Junior who fell asleep). Chris starts to miss home after some of these events happen. After being put on light duty, he gets mixed up in what some of the other soldiers were doing to deal with their depression - drugs and alcohol. He also meets some nice people such as King and Big Harold in the process. The Platoon soon sets out again, patrolling the jungle. They discover a Vietnamese bunker complex and soon after discover something else: Manny, one of their soldiers is missing. The soldiers go through all of the fortified area, and two of them set off a mine. Lieutenant Wolfe then gets word to move his men to a nearby village, which was thought to have Vietnamese soldiers in hiding. On their way, they discover Manny dead, tied t...

Competition Bikes, Inc. Costing Method and CVP Report Essay

A1. Costing Method Recommendation This report has been prepared to analyze the current costing method at Competition Bikes, Inc. (CBI) and provide a recommendation for improvement. To support this analysis, the differences between traditional based costing and activity based costing will be examined, along with the benefits and drawbacks for each method. A cost-volume-profit evaluation with break-even analysis for both sales units and sales dollars for the CarbonLite and Titanium bike lines will also be provided. The main differences between activity-based costing and the traditional costing: Traditional costing includes both direct and indirect components. Indirect costs (overhead) are grouped together. There’s only one cost driver (such as direct labor hours) used to calculate costs regardless of what they are. Activity-based costing breaks down the overhead costs into activity cost pools. All overhead costs are then allocated into these activity cost pools. This method of costing does require more time to c ompute the cost to the activity yet it earns that money back plus dividends by having a more accurate forecast of the true costs that are associated with each activity. In addition to a better understanding of costs, implementation of activity-based costing can drive improved financial results in the long run. By looking at each product and what drives its specific costs, management can have a much more detailed sense of the true costs involved in producing each product. They can then compare the activity-based costs with the costing system they have been using to discover what products they may be overpricing, or underpricing for sale in the market. They can also spot potential money wasting activities in their manufacturing process, and work to make those activities more efficient. If management has a better understanding of costs, they can present a stronger business case to get future capital projects funded. The downside to activity-based costing is that it requires a substantial commitment of personnel and financial resources up front. Management must be willing to examine their operations rigorously and the data that is gathered may be difficult to accept, particularly by those who are believe the current costing system is just fine and are resistant to change. Traditional costing, on the other hand, is much easier to calculate than activity-based costing, and this makes manager’s jobs easier. However, traditional costing is so generally calculated that it may be hiding inefficiencies in the supply chain. Products may be overpriced or underpriced, and this can negatively impact the company’s bottom line in the long run. By moving to the activity-based cost system, CBI could pinpoint if they have been overpricing items, losing market share to competitors. On the flip side, if they underprice an item, they are likely losing money as the price may be lower than what it costs to produce the bike. They would lose potential revenue to further fund research and development to improve the product for the future. If prices are significantly lower than those of the competition, customers may even hesitate to purchase the product, as they could wonder why the bike is priced so much lower than all the others in the market and have a perception that sub-par materials or manufacturing processes have been used. Since these bikes are a specialty product built to order, customers are generally not as price sensitive as shoppers looking for ready-made bikes. By switching to the activity based costing (ABC) method, CBI is also taking advantage of the in-depth knowledge of costs that will result in savings for the company. In the overhead analysis, six manufacturing overhead items and their cost drivers are identified, with a comparison provided between ABC costing, and Traditional costing assuming 900 units produced for the Titanium line, and 500 units produced for the Carbonlite line. The cost driver for manufacturing overhead using the traditional method is not identified, but the totals are given in the Competition Bikes spreadsheet and are reflected below. Traditional costing method -Titanium line manufacturing overhead cost: $239,020 -Carbonlite line manufacturing overhead cost: $232,380 Total traditional manufacturing overhead cost: $471,400 ABC costing method -Titanium line manufacturing overhead cost: $188,415 -Carbonlite line manufacturing overhead cost: $282,985 Total traditional manufacturing overhead cost: $471,400 It’s important to note that the manufacturing overhead totals are identical when calculated using both traditional and ABC methods. This is because it’s not a difference in overhead, but instead a change in where the overhead is allocated. In the case of CBI, the allocation is quite different between methods. For the Titanium line, the total manufacturing overhead cost with ABC costing is $50,605 lower than with traditional costing – a difference of 21%. In other words, CBI has overestimated manufacturing overhead for the Titanium line by 21% using traditional costing. Looking at unit costs, the traditional method per unit cost is $713, while the ABC unit cost is $656. The higher unit cost in the traditional costing method makes sense given that the allocation for manufacturing overhead was higher. CBI may be overpricing this bike, which could result in a negative effect on sales. If they could lower the price to a number closer to the true unit cost, they will likely see sales rise. For the Carbonlite line, the total manufacturing overhead cost with ABC costing is $50,605 higher than with traditional costing. CBI had underestimated manufacturing overhead for the Carbonlite line by 18% using traditional costing. Looking at unit costs, the traditional method per unit cost is $1,359, while the ABC unit cost is $1,460. The unit cost calculated using ABC costing was higher than CBI had realized; they are likely underpricing this bike, losing out on potential revenues. A review of competitors’ prices may be in order, to evaluate what the market will bear, as well as an analysis of the impact of raising prices and how that affects sales. Once they have this data, CBI management can make an informed decision whether or not to adjust the Carbonlite sales price, and by how much. A2a. Cost-volume-profit and break-even point evaluation: Current scenario CVP Analysis: Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis is a tool that managers and businesses often use to estimate future levels of operational activity needed to avoid financial losses, to break even, and to generate a profit. This analysis also helps to target future revenues. CVP analysis can also be used to estimate production levels needed to generate revenues sufficient to recoup capital expenditures such as operational expansion. CVP analysis examines changes in profits in response to changes in sales volumes, costs and prices. The basic CVP equation is sales minus variable costs = contribution margin. Sales revenues per unit for the Titanium product are set at $900. The variable cost per unit (costs that vary directly with volume) for the Titanium product is $679. Based on these numbers, the resulting contribution margin (sales revenue minus variable cost) per unit is $900 – $679 = $221. Contribution margin is the amount of profit left after variable costs are subtracted; therefore they c an be considered the ‘contribution’ to profit for each unit sold. For the Carbonlite product, the sales revenue per unit is higher at $1,495 due to the specialized materials and increased amount of labor required to manufacture the product. Variable cost is $1,384. The resulting contribution margin per unit is $1,495 – $1,384 = $111. It’s worth noting that the contribution margin for this product is much smaller than that for the Titanium line. A smaller contribution margin generally means the product is not as profitable. When multiple product lines are included in the analysis, to calculate total break-even sales units, a weighted average contribution margin (WACM) must be calculated. This is important because various products in the sales mix contribute different amounts of profit. The WACM is calculated by multiplying the unit contribution margin by the percentage of the total sales mix for each product. Expressed as a formula: WACM = Product one unit contribution margin (product one sales mix percentage) + product two unit contri bution margin (unit two contribution margin percentage) Incorporating the CBI data, with the sales mix proportion of 9 units of Titanium for every 5 units produced of Carbonlite, the WACM is calculated as 221 (.643) + 111 (.357) = $181.71. This number is what the average unit  contributes to CBI’s profit on a per unit basis. When the WACM is known, the Total Contribution Margin Dollars can be calculated. This is the amount of money that the company has to pay fixed costs. Any money left over after fixed costs are paid is profit. If total contribution margin dollars equal fixed costs, the company is at break-even. If total contribution margin dollars are less than fixed costs, that represents a loss for the company. The equation for this figure is: Total Contribution Margin Dollars: Units sold multiplied by the WACM Break-even analysis Break-even sales units can be calculated if the WACM and Total Contribution Margin Dollars needed to break-even are known, as follows: Total Contribution Margin Dollars/WACM. To calculate sales units and sales dollars required for break-even, a few steps are required. The first step is to calculate the break-even point in units of sales mix. Break-even point in units of sales mix = Total fixed cost/WACM per unit For CBI, break-even point in units of sales mix is $400,000/$181.71 = 2201 The next step is to calculate the number of units of Titanium and Carbonlite units at the break-even point. The equation is as follows: Number of units at break-even point = Sales mix ratio (total break even units) Break-even point in units for Titanium: 0.643 (2201) = 1415 Break-even point in units for Carbonlite: 0.357 (2201) = 786 The last step is to calculate the break-even point in dollars. The equation is as follows: Break-even point in dollars = Product units at break-even point (sales price per unit) Break-even point in dollars for Titanium: 1415 (900) = $1,273,500 Break-even point in dollars for Carbonlite: 786 (1495) = $1,175,070 Total sales needed to break-even: $1,273,500 + $1,175,070 = $2,448,570. To summarize, CBI would need to sell 1415 units of Titanium and 786 units of Carbonlite, generating sales revenues of $2,448,570 to break-even (revenues and costs are equal). A2b. Cost-volume-profit and break-even point evaluation: Variable and fixed cost increase scenarios Suppose management needed to increase the cost of direct materials by 10% as well as add  $50,000 in fixed costs to the production facility. What effect would this have on the break-even point? Because the equations are based on the contribution margin as well as the WACM, an increase in the cost of direct materials (variable costs) by 10% will have a significant impact. Let’s first examine how cost-volume-profit and break-even point would be impacted if management needed to increase direct materials cost by 10%. I will analyze the $50,000 fixed cost increase separately. Variable cost increase (10% direct materials increase) scenario CVP Analysis: Contribution Margin per unit for Titanium: $900 – $709 = $191 Contribution Margin per unit for CarbonLite: $1495 – $1451 = $44 The contribution margins for both product lines decreased. Titanium decreased by 13%, and of particular note is the whopping 60% reduction in contribution margin for Carbonlite. This makes sense given that Carbonline has a higher variable cost and lower volume, so a percentage increase in variable cost has a greater impact. This product is even more expensive to produce in this scenario, and generating very low profits for the company at this point. With the sales mix proportion of 9 units of Titanium for every 5 units produced of Carbonlite, the WACM per unit is calculated as 191 (.643) + 44 (.357) = $138.50. CVP Summary: the 10% increase in direct materials resulted in a 24% decrease in WACM per unit. The bikes are contributing 24% less profit towards profits. Break-even Analysis: Break-even point in units of sales mix is $400,000/$138.50 = 2888 Break-even point in units for Titanium: 0.643 (2888) = 1857 Break-even point in units for Carbonlite: 0.357 (2888) = 1031 Break-even point in dollars for Titanium: 1857 (900) = $1,671,300 Break-even point in dollars for Carbonlite: 1031 (1495) = $1,541,345 Total sales needed to break-even: $1,671,300 + $1,541,345 = $3,212,645 Break-even summary: the 10% increase in direct materials cost resulted in a reduced contribution margin per unit for both products. Given that fixed costs in this example were unchanged at $400,000, it makes sense that an increase in variable costs would require an increase in the break-even point to cover the additional expense. In this scenario, the break-even point in units and total sales need to break-even increased by 24% from the current scenario. It’s clear that an increase in variable costs can have a disproportionate impact on profits and the break-even point. Fixed cost increase ($50,000) scenario For this scenario, I assumed that variable costs remained unchanged from the current scenario (no 10% increase in variable costs) and that fixed cost for the production facility increased from $400,000 to $450,000. CVS Analysis: Contribution margin per unit for Titanium: $900 – $679 = $221 Contribution margin for per unit for Carbonlite: $1,495 – $1,384 = $111 With the sales mix proportion of 9 units of Titanium for every 5 units produced of Carbonlite, the WACM per unit is calculated as 221 (.643) + 111 (.357) = $181.71. CVS Summary: Since variable costs did not change in this scenario, the contribution margin per unit and weighted average contribution margin/unit are at the same level as the original example. Break-even Analysis: Break-even point in units of sales mix is $450,000/$181.71 = 2476 Break-even point in units for Titanium: 0.643 (2476) = 1592 Break-even point in units for Carbonlite: 0.357 (2476) = 884 Break-even point in dollars for Titanium: 1592 (900) = $1,432,800 Break-even point in dollars for Carbonlite: 884 (1495) = $1,321,580 Total sales needed to break-even: $1,432,800 + $1,321,580 = $2,754,380 Break-even summary: Compared to the current scenario, the $50,000 increase in fixed costs (11% over the $400,000 example in the current scenario) had an impact of increasing the break-even point in units of sales mix by 275  units, or 11%. Since the contribution margin was unchanged in this example, the increase is less than in the scenario with 10% increase in direct materials. The break-even point in dollars also increased by 11%. The fact that the increase in the break-even point exactly matches the increase in fixed costs illustrates that as fixed costs rise, the break-even point will rise in proportion assuming the sales mix remains unchanged. Comparing all three scenarios, the CVP and break-even analysis provides insight on how increases in variable and fixed costs affect contribution margins and break-even numbers. Variable cost increases have a disproportionate impact on increasing margins and break-even numbers, while the fixed cost increases result in a proportionate impact on increasing these measures. CBI’s management should consider these impacts when considering cost increases for their product lines.

Changing from Base 10 to Base 2 in Mathematics

Suppose we have a number in base 10 and want to find out how to represent that number in, say, base 2. How do we do this? Well, there is a simple and easy method to follow. Let’s say I want to write 59 in base 2. My first step is to find the largest power of 2 that is less than 59.So let’s go through the powers of 2: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. Okay, 64 is larger than 59 so we take one step back and get 32. 32 is the largest power of 2 that is still smaller than 59. How many â€Å"whole† (not partial or fractional) times can 32 go into 59? It can go in only once because 2 x 32 64 which is larger than 59. So, we write down a 1. 1 Now, we subtract 32 from 59: 59 – (1)(32) 27. And we move to the next lower power of 2. In this case, that would be 16. How many full times can 16 go into 27? Once. So we write down another 1 and repeat the process. 1 1 27 – (1)(16) 11. The next lowest power of 2 is 8.How many full times can 8 go into 11?Once. So we write down another 1. 111 11 11 – (1)(8) 3. The next lowest power of 2 is 4.How many full times can 4 go into 3?Zero.So, we write down a 0. 1110 3 – (0)(4) 3. The next lowest power of 2 is 2.How many full times can 2 go into 3?Once. So, we write down a 1. 11101 3 – (1)(2) 1. And finally, the next lowest power of 2 is 1. How many full times can 1 go into 1?Once. So, we write down a 1. 111011 1 – (1)(1) 0. And now we stop since our next lowest power of 2 is a fraction.This means we have fully written 59 in base 2. Exercise Now, try converting the following base 10 numbers into the required base 16 into base 416 into base 230 in base 449 in base 230 in base 344 in base 3133 in base 5100 in base 833 in base 219 in base 2 Solutions 1001000013211000110101122101314410000110011

Who Is A Wealthy Person - 1047 Words

American Money Opulence or success of any kind is usually accrued over many years utilizing the American capitalist system as a means to an end. We desire monetary gain – like nothing else – we love the dopamine rush of feeling tangible, influential power in paper form. Wealth is, after all, an extremely attractive reward for dedication or hard work. And in America at least, you have a better shot at realizing it than anywhere else. However, this essay will not tell you how to achieve wealth, or give you the thrill of being wealthy. If I was capable of manufacturing that sensation with words, I believe I would write only for myself. What you can find is this: What is wealth really? What does it mean for a person to be wealth in today’s terms? Who is a wealthy person? Could you point one out if you saw one? All this and more, we will cover in this essay. How much wealth do you have? Or would that be too generous a term? Well the average net worth of an adult in Am erican in 2014 was $301,000. If only. This number is as misleading as it is exorbitant. If you are a middle class American, you might have about $53,657 in the bank - the median wealth of an American adult. But this number is only calculated after combining the sad collection of numbers that represent our economic reality. Middle class white Americans have $60,256 on average; Hispanics of the same category have $42,491; And Blacks are left with just $35,398; With Asian Americans topping them all withShow MoreRelatedWhat{s the Difference between a Whealthy Person and a Poor Person?1064 Words   |  4 Pagesthat they think†-Unknown We see the clear seperation between the rich vs the average person, but have never really challenged the true cause of why that is the case. What is the difference between a wealthy person and an average person aside from money? The most wealthy and influential people in history all have one thing in common. 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The Different Business Practices of Andrew Carnegie and...

Michael Callicutt Dr. Claude Black HY 273 15th November 2011 The Different Business Practices of Andrew Carnegie John D. Rockefeller Two of the most well-known and successful companies of the Industrial Revolution were the Standard Oil Company, and the Carnegie Steel Company. Both were exceedingly successful in virtually removing all competition in their respective fields of business and controlling almost all of the production capacity of their respective products in the United States. Their founders, John D. Rockefeller of the Standard Oil Co., and Andrew Carnegie of the Carnegie Steel Co. conducted business practices that were different from one another in how they dealt with competition as seen in the undercutting or cheap type†¦show more content†¦While Standard Oil did come to basically control the price of oil in the United States, it never engaged in predatory, or deep and unnecessary price cutting to push out its competitors. John McGee states this about how Standard Oil accomplished this by other means: â€Å"It is correct that Standard discriminated in price, but it did so to maximize profits given the elasticities of demand of markets in which it sold. It did not use price discrimination to change those elasticities. Anyone who has relied upon price discrimination to explain Standards dominance would do well to start looking for something else. The place to start is merger† (McGee 168). Carnegie on the other hand preferred to buy out all competitors that were in the same area of production as he was, and consolidate. Through consolidating most steel mills in the Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania area, he was able to control that particular step of the production process in the steel business, therefore maximizing his profits like Rockefeller, but in a different way. 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Marketing Strategy for Purpose and Direction- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theMarketing Strategy for Purpose and Direction. Answer: Introduction Strategy is defined as the way or the means with the help of which organizations are able to achieve their desired objectives and goals. Strategies act as a guiding framework for the organizations, which help them in accomplishment of organizational goals. According to Wordsmyth dictionary, strategy is defined as a plan, series or method of actions which are designed with the objective of achieving a goal, objective or effect of the organization. (Foundations of Strategy, 2017). Businesses need strategy with common reasons like to give purpose and direction, effective deployment of resources and coordinating decision- making. Strategy is formulated keeping in mind certain objectives like creating advantage, renewing advantage and sustaining advantage with the objective of producing superior value of business ecosystem. Likewise, the theories of strategy try to explain some underlying forces responsible for producing this advantage or primary factors which can be considered in produci ng advantage. Some of the theories of strategy are classical, evolutionary, systematic and processual theories of strategy (Managing Research Library, 2017). Strategic thrusts are the initiatives which are at high level and they arise out of the strategic vision of the company and also serve as a guideline for the action plans with the objective of attaining some over-arching goals. It helps the company in deriving maximum information from the companys resources for the purpose of gaining competitive advantage (MBA Skool, 2017). The report will talk about a specific business unit of a company and what role does it play in the organization. Before going towards the next section, there is a need to understand the role of Strategic Business Unit (SBU) within the business. A strategic business unit also known as SBU is the functional unit of business having its own directions and vision. SBU acts and operates like separate entity or business unit having a considerable importance within the company. SBU reports its operational status to its headquarters. It acts independently giving its own of performing actions and target market. SBU has its own business functions such as HR, training sessions etc. and holds several benefits of having SBU within a business. (The Economic Times, 2017). Role of SBU within business is that SBUs make a business organized, things can be micro managed, segmentation, targeting and positioning can be done easily, helps in decision- making and also contributes to the profitability of the business (Bhasin, 2016). The company discussed in the report is Myer, founded by Sydney Myer. Myer is the largest department store group of Australia been consistently synonymous with their style and fashion for 100 years. The company is having 67 stores in the most prominent retail locations of Australia with their well-recognized name along with having a huge support from their new online portal enhancing their digital presence. This creates an Omni-channel experience for the customers from which they choose from. The company provides inspiration to the customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and communities. The merchandise offered by Myer are divided into 11 product categories viz. Menswear, womens wear, Intimate apparel, childrens wear, cosmetics and fragrance and beauty products. It also offers electrical goods, footwear, accessories, handbags, toys and many other types of general merchandize. So the company is the leader in Australias retailing industry and is Australias largest department store group. It is a heritage build on market innovation and involvement of community (Myer, 2017; Myer, 2016). Discussion The Strategic Business unit that we will be taking in this report is the Womens clothing of Myer. It is separate unit of Myer having its own ways to operate the business and standing as a single separate business unit. It operates separately within the name of Myer and reports its operational status to the Myer, which is the parent company. The SBU and the company, focuses on providing fresh and trendy fashion for professional, off-duty and normal wear. The company is committed for hitting fresh arrivals on the wardrobe with these sartorial staples. They provide for work-wear, off duty chic with blue jeans and slouchy tees. The womens wear SBU of Myer provides a range of products such as dresses, coats, jackets, tops, t-shirts, singlets, jumpers, shirts, blouses, pants, leggings, skirts, activewear, jeans, workwear, jumpsuit, shorts, swimwear, petite size and plus size (Myer, 2017). Market Strategy The strategy at business unit level is determined on the basis of three Cs- customer, competition and company. Based on the experience of different companies it is evident that the strategy of the business units can be formulated by placing them on two-by-two matrix including industry maturity and competitive position. Industry maturity or attractiveness can be studied with reference to the industry life-cycle stage. Factors that can be considered in determining industry maturity are growth rate, breadth of product line, perspectives regarding market share, ease of entry, industry potential, and number of competitors, customers purchasing pattern and technological developments. There are four stages in industry maturity viz. Embryonic, growth, and maturity and aging stage. In embryonic stage, there is a narrow product line and changes are done frequently to meet customer needs. In growth stage, there is a rapid proliferation of the product lines. At maturity stage, it is attempted to orient products according to specific segments and in the aging stage, there is shrinkage of product lines. After analyzing the industry on the above mentioned factors, it is found out that the company is experiencing rapid expansion of sales because of the market development. It is seen from the analysis that the shares, technology and customers of the company are better known and it will be difficult for the new market entrants to enter the industry. Therefore, it is clear that the industry is in the growing stage. Competitive position is another matrix for formulating the strategy at business level. Competitive position of the business does not merely depend on its market share but, other factors like capacity utilization, degree of integration, management strength, current profitability and distinctive product advantages. There are four competitive positions viz. dominant, strong, favorable, tenable or weak. From the analysis it is drawn that the SBU can take independent actions without any danger to its long -term position and the SBU manages to maintain its long- term position in light and face of the competitors action. Therefore, it is concluded that the competitive position of SBU is deemed strong. Therefore, in short, it can be said that the industry is in the growing stage and the SBU is deemed strong as the brand name supports the positioning of the SBU and Myer is the largest department store group of Australia and have a competitive advantage as it is the largest among all and also, the industry is in growing phase (Jain, Haley, Voola, Wickham, Osbourne, 2011; Young Burgess, 2015; Marketing Teacher, 2017; Denny, 2017). There are three types of core marketing strategies that a company may use which are operational excellence, customer intimacy and product leadership. The most viable approach for the womens clothing SBU of Myer will be operational excellence. The strategy of operational excellence includes middle off the market product offerings at the best affordable prices along with least inconvenience. This strategy involves least customer proposition it also includes low prices and hassle free services or a combination of both. In order to get better results after final selection of core strategy, supporting strategies should be delineated. This is because a mix of core and supporting strategies will help in coordinating with the needs of the market place, the vagaries of the competition and the skills of the company. The strategy of operational excellence is the most viable for the womens clothing SBU as it includes convenience in services with low affordable prices, which will help the busines s unit in penetrating into the market, with increased sales and profit shares under a reputed and well established brand name. The company can pair its core strategy of operational excellence with supporting strategies like product, distribution and promotion in order to get better results. It is the most viable for the business unit as it provides no-hassle services, sharpen distribution systems. In addition to this, it is profitable for organizational arrangement as it includes strong central authority and finite level of empowerment. The strategy also believes in one size fits all and acts in a predictable manner. The strategy also helps in developing and maintaining standard operating procedures. Because of the above stated reasons, the core strategy of operational excellence will be best suited for the SBU. In addition to this, operational excellence helps in achieving cost leadership. As the customers of the business unit are price sensitive this strategy will be most feasible as the cost leadership acts as a path towards continued growth (MaRS, 2013; Jain, Haley, Voola, Wickham, Osbourne, 2011). Portfolio Analysis The portfolio analysis tool which is applied here is the Product life cycle. Every product goes through certain stages in their life cycle in which each stage is affected by different competitive conditions. At different stages, there is a need to apply different marketing stages with best suited for the product at that particular stage. This is done in order to realize the sales and profit in a more efficient manner. The life cycle of the product is depicted using an S-shaped curve which is divided into four stages- introduction, growth, maturity and decline. The introduction stage is the initial phase of the product life cycle when the product is just introduced in the market and experiencing slow growth. In the growth stage, the survivors of the introduction stage come in and enjoy rapid growth and improved profits. In the maturity phase, the product gets stable and gains maturity including intense rivalry in a mature market. The last one is the decline stage, where the product fa ils to manage its profit and there is a decline in sales leading to the decline of the product in its life cycle. The main products of the SBU which is workwear, off duty and slouchy tees are significantly in demand. The workwear product of the SBU sits at the maturity stage as it is the only product of the SBU which is at the highest peak of its sales, providing low cost per customer, earning higher profits and have majority of customers. The off duty clothes are at the growing stage as they are experiencing rapidly rising sales, providing average cost products as per customer, managing rising profits with growing number of competitors and early adopter customers additionally. The slouchy tees are at the introductory stage as they have been launched recently and have low sales and negative profits, providing products at high cost per customer, have innovative customer segment and a few customers (Jain, Haley, Voola, Wickham, Osbourne, 2011; Ã… ½ic, HadÃ… ¾i?, Ikoni?, 2009; Jblear ning, 2017) (Ã… ½ic, HadÃ… ¾i?, Ikoni?, 2009). Strategic Development Tools In order to formulate strategy, there is a need for systematic procedures which can help an organization in developing strategies. Therefore, there are some selected tools and models which help in strategy development. Model is defined as the instrument which is directed towards helping in searching, screening, analyzing, selecting and implementing a particular course of action. There are eight models which can be applied directly to marketing strategies and they are- the experience curve concept, value based planning, the Delphi technique, Cross impact analysis, the profit impact of marketing strategy model, game theory, trend impact analysis, and scenario building. Two of the above stated strategy development tools are discussed as below- Experience Curve Concept It is proven fact that practice makes perfect and leads to better results. It is commonly known that beginners are slow and clumsy but, with practice, beginners grow and improve to the point where their own permanent level of skill is being reached. Anyone who owns a business will be very known by the fact that the initial times in a business venture does not turns out to be profitable immediately. A successful business person states that learning and experience will lead to improvement. Afterwards it was observed that the experience curve is not only limited to the production units but, it embraces all areas of business. The importance of experience curve is worldwide but it fails when it comes to marketing objectives and pricing decisions. It is said that all the costs will go down with the increase of experience. Thus, in case a company will acquire high market share cost will decline and it will lead to reduced prices. With its effect, lowered prices will still somehow manage to acquire higher market share. In the time of growth, a company continues to make profit but with the objective of growing it, the company needs to reinvest the accumulated profits. Thus, the experience effect has been used in most of industries but this concept is least applicable in marketing. Some of the benefits of this concept are- It provides an accurate description of the relationship between cost and volume. The accumulated experience from the first product can help in providing extra advantage to the company in reducing the prices. Gaining of experience with time will help in setting the business in long run as the situations are best handled with good experience. Experience leads to accelerated business activities and, therefore, tasks can be completed with much greater efficiency. The concept of experience is not limited to production alone instead it is applicable in almost all cost areas of business. (The Economist, 2009; Henderson, 2017) Delphi Technique Delphi technique is a method which involves making forecasts and future decisions on the basis of expert opinion. It helps in forecasting future trends and preference shifts and their significant impact on future strategic environment and needs. The Delphi method was formulated for overcoming the issues and weaknesses of the committee method. The Delphi method is becoming more prominent and increasingly significant in forecasting the future events and it is used by most of the organizations with the objective of long rage forecasting. Some of the benefits of Delphi techniques are- Efficient way to gain information from the experts. Involves less effort at the part of respondents in answering any questionnaire. It includes use of systematic procedure which leads to productive outcomes. It includes more accurate forecasts when compared to traditional statistical techniques. By seeing the responses of such knowledgeable persons, it can turn out to be a motivating factor for group of experts. (Thangaratinam Redman, 2011) Summary The approaches stated above plays a significant role in the strategic planning and implementation process such as it contributes in measuring the strategic performances and achieving strategic planning effectiveness. Strategy tracking and progress evaluation of the established objectives is one of the most important tasks in strategy implementation. The three basic considerations- selecting measure for performance, setting standards for performance and designing reports is put together in performance management system. The selection of performance measure is done with the help of the above adopted strategies. The measures which are relevant to the adopted strategies by SBU is being chosen. Further the performance standards, expected values and targets are established in coordination with the strategies selected and the strategic position of the business unit. Therefore, the above stated strategies help in measuring strategic performances. References Bhasin, H. (2016, December 2). 6 Reasons Strategic business units are important. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Marketing91.com: https://www.marketing91.com/6-reasons-strategic-business-units-important/ Denny. (2017). Stage of Industry Maturity and Relevant Competitive Position. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Yourarticlelibrary.com: https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/industries/stage-of-industry-maturity-and-relevant-competitive-position/43552/ Foundations of Strategy. (2017). The concept of strategy. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Foundationsofstrategy.com: https://www.foundationsofstrategy.com/files/4914/2901/0015/c01.pdf Henderson, B. (2017). The Experience CurveReviewed (Part I). Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Bcgperspectives.com: https://www.bcgperspectives.com/content/Classics/strategy_supply_chain_management_experience_curve_reviewed_the_concept/ Jain, S. C., Haley, . T., Voola, ., Wickham, M., Osbourne, P. (2011). Marketing planning and strategy. Australia: Cengage Learning. Jblearning. (2017). Product development and portfolio analysis. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Jblearning.com: https://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763763276/63275_CH01_Fortenberry.pdf Managing Research Library. (2017). Strategy - Theories. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Managingresearchlibrary.org: https://managingresearchlibrary.org/glossary/strategy-theories Marketing Teacher. (2017). The Arthur D Little (ADL) Strategic Condition Matrix. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Marketingteacher.com: https://www.marketingteacher.com/the-arthur-d-little-adl-strategic-condition-matrix/ MaRS. (2013, December 6). Competitive strategies in operational excellence, customer intimacy and product leadership. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Marsdd.com: https://www.marsdd.com/mars-library/competitive-strategies-in-operational-excellence-customer-intimacy-and-product-leadership/ MBA Skool. (2017). Strategic Thrusts Wiseman. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Mbaskool.com: https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/2050-sssstrategic-thrusts-wiseman.html Myer. (2016). Annual Report 2016. Myer. Myer. (2017). Myer Today. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Myer.com.au: https://www.myer.com.au/p/about-myer/the-company/about-us/content-myer-today/ Myer. (2017). Women's Clothing. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Myer.com.au: https://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/women/clothing Thangaratinam, S., Redman, C. W. (2011). The Delphi technique. The Economic Times. (2017). Definition of 'Strategic Business Unit'. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/strategic-business-unit The Economist. (2009, September). The experience curve. Retrieved may 22, 2017, from Economist.com: https://www.economist.com/node/14298944 Young, L., Burgess, B. (2015). Marketing Tools and Techniques. John Wiley Sons. Ã… ½ic, S., HadÃ… ¾i?, H., Ikoni?, M. (2009). Portfolio Analysis A Useful Management Tool.