Buddhism Essay examples -- Papers Religion India Essays Religious

Buddhism Works Cited Missing Buddhism is the religion of about one eighth of the world's people (Gaer 27). Buddhism is the name for a complex system of beliefs developed around the teachings of a single man. The Buddha, whose name was Siddhartha Gautama, lived 2,500 years ago in India. There are now dozens of different schools of Buddhist philosophy throughout Asia. These schools, or sects, have different writings and languages and have grown up in different cultures. There is no one single "Bible" of Buddhism, but all Buddhists share some basic beliefs. Buddhism is a Western word. The religion is known in the East as the Buddha-Dharma, or the teachings of the Buddha (Kelen 10). These teachings, based on his personal experience of Enlightenment, or Awakening, form the foundation of Buddhism. For every Buddhist the religion is both a discipline and a body of beliefs: that is, Buddhists share beliefs about the nature of the world and how to act within it. Budh in the Indian Sanskrit language means "to wake up, to know." Buddha means "the Awakened or Enlightened One," and all Buddhist teachings try to share the Buddha's experience of awakening to truth. Having led an â€Å"indulgent life as a young man,† (Stryk 15) Siddhartha Gautama decided to pursue â€Å"a course of bitter self-denialâ€Å"(Stryk 18). Yet he felt that this brought him no closer to the truth he sought than the rich life he had led. One day he felt close to reaching his truth, and he sat down under a tree now known as the Bo tree. There he attained the bliss and knowledge he had been seeking. Legend has it that, though tempted by evil demons, he sat quietly under the tree for 49 days. This became known as the Immovable Spot. Once Siddhartha Gautama was ... ... have achieved Nirvana, total bliss† (Kelen 90). He is shown as calm and loving, usually with a soft smile and radiant energy ( Kelen 93). Some scenes show the Buddha at key moments of his life, for example, sitting under the Bo tree. Others illustrate his teachings. There is a story that tells of the Buddha offering his body as food for a hungry mother tiger and her cubs because he felt that all life was sacred. This scene is a popular visual theme in the cave temples of China and Japan. Other Buddhist paintings illustrate the sacred writings, as stained glass windows were created to illustrate the Bible in many Christian churches. Since Buddhists believe that anyone can be on the path toward Enlightenment, these visual images of the Buddha along his own path are a helpful addition to the writings that people study. They make the texts more personal and inviting.

Characteristics of the breakfast cereal industry Essay

Brand History Breakfast cereals are not a homogenous product. The ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry may be characterized by relatively low economies of scale and relatively low levels of technology. In other words, the entry into this industry is easy. Between the 1950s and the 1970s there was no entry of new firms in the industry even though all the incumbent firms such as Kellogg, General Mills, General Foods and Quaker Oats, made significant profits. Later however, there was the entry of new low-end companies in the markets and the number of brands sold by these firms also increased substantially from 25 to more than 80, and this number is still on a rise (Cabral, 2000, p. 265-266). Pricing trends For decades the breakfast cereal market was one of the most profitable in the United States. The industry had a consolidated structure dominated by Kellogg, General Mills and Kraft Foods with its Post brand. Strong brand loyalty, coupled with control over the allocation of supermarket shelf space, helped to limit the potential for new entry. Meanwhile the steady demand growth of around 3% per annum kept the industry revenues expanding. Also Kellogg, which accounted for over 40 percent of the market share, acted as the price leader in the industry for years in the industry. Every year Kellogg increased cereal prices, its rivals followed and industry profits too remained high. However, this favorable structure started to change in the early 1990s when the growth in demand slowed and then stagnated as the lifestyle and hence food patterns changed and the market saw the rise of powerful discounters such as Wal-Mart that started promoting their own brand of cereal. As sales of cheaper store-brand cereals began to take-ff, supermarkets no longer were as dependent on brand names to bring in traffic and hence they started to demand lower prices from the branded cereal manufacturers. Initially, the branded cereal manufacturers tried to hold against these adverse trends. However, in 1996 Kraft which was then owned by Philip Morris aggressively cut prices by 20 % for its Post brand in am attempt to gain market share. Kellogg son followed with a 19 percent price cut on two-third of its brands and General Mills quickly did the same. However, this too did not change the consumption pattern the growth rates of which remained flat and revenues then started going down for all the branded cereals (Hill, Jones, 2009, p. 52). The trend continued in 2000s also and the situation worsened with the private-label sales continuing to make inroads, gaining over 10 percent of the market. To top it all off, the sales of breakfast cereals started to contract at 1 percent per annum and the period between 1998-2001 saw the market leader Kellogg sliding down to the 2nd position for the first time in its history since its inception in 1906, by General Mills that continued to launch expensive price and promotion campaigns. To cover the rising cost General Mills raised prices in 2001 and competitors soon followed the trend. However, both Kellogg and General Mills tried to move further away from price competition in the industry by diversifying and focusing on brand extensions such as Special K on the behalf of Kellogg and new varieties of Cheerios. Special K was instrumental and helping Kellogg recapturing its market leadership position from General Mills and this renewed focus on non-price competition halted years of damaging price warfare (Hill, Jones, 2009, p. 52). Target markets The breakfast cereal industry targets several diverse markets but focuses upon two large ones namely the baby boomers and their children. Since a high proportion of the baby boomers are highly educated, health appeals are paramount. Thus many brands have placed emphasis on various types of oat-bran cereal. The other sizeable market, targeted to children is also highly developed. Various brands have successfully used sports personality and trade characters such as Tony the Tiger to attract the children towards their products and retain brand loyalty. The breakfast cereal industry has been adept at target market segmentation and promoting favorable brand images. The strategy of the overall industry especially Kellogg, the market leader, has been to provide a comprehensive assortment for the retailers targeting specific market segments (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 109-111) Competition Breakfast cereal industry faces competition from hand-held breakfast products such as bagels, muffins, doughnuts etc. These have in fact led to a decrease in the growth of the breakfast cereal industry. The industry also faces competition from frozen waffles, pancakes, and French toast brands which have proved to be a concern both in the past and the present. Many analysts consider that the competition is due to the change in dietary habits, though some also say that this has been due to th increase in cereal prices for the branded segment (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 112-113). Advertisements and Promotional activities From the time of WH Kellogg, the breakfast cereal industry has been dependent on marketing strategies and expensive promotions. In fact in 1909 itself the advertisement budget of Kellogg had reached 1 million per annum. Needless to say this is a major problem in the industry which has become price sensitive in present times. This activity has led to a decrease in profits and considering that the market share has not increased since the 1990s, this has become even more of a problem. There were also many insufficiencies generated by coupons and in-store promotions. For instance, more than 95 percent of the cereal coupons were thrown away and not redeemed and approximately half of the promotional expenditures did not reach the consumers in the form of lower prices. Because of these inefficiencies, as well as congressional investigations and competitive treats, the breakfast cereal industry has moved to lower prices. As the returns earned by the cereal manufacturers exceed most other grocery products, there is fierce competition among manufacturers (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 113-114). Factors contributing to success and failure There are a combination of variables that contribute to the successes and failure of the breakfast cereal industry. These variables and strategies include innovation, target-market segmentation, image, physical environment resources, and human resources. Such factors must be combined in various degrees for success. The breakfast cereal industry has shown innovation in product and packaging strategies. In addition to this, breakfast snack bars are a new innovation. The image of the breakfast cereal industry has been positive enough to withstand the assault of private-label brand sot a large extent. Also cereal manufacturers with their successful track records and huge advertisement budgets do not have much difficulty in convincing retailers to give their new product introduction a chance. In 1970s, Kellogg designed shelf space allocation programs for supermarkets. Sophisticated computers and programs developed by members of the breakfast cereal industry now help to allocate shelf space according to turnover. The breakfast cereal industry has also been successful in designing packaging for shipping and for display purposes. To sell their product brands and retain the company brand value, the breakfast cereal manufacturers have developed the strategy that links the brand name to the company name instead to identifying brand products by their individual brand names. For instance, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Special K, as well as General Mills’ Total Raisin Bran and Total Corn Flakes use this strategy. To fend off private brand competition by offering product line depth and high brand identification (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 114-115).

Problems in Management System Essay

Problems in Management system in Bangladesh and way to mitigate them Management problem is a fundamental challenge for the country. It is essential to have efficient cost management if we want to see ourselves as an industrialized nation Problems in the management systems are: 1. Problem of managing fund: The major problem a Business firm faces in its establishment period is the problem for capital or sufficient financing problem. One of the first questions any potential entrepreneur must ask is, â€Å"How do I get the money†? The type of the business may be anything but the money necessary for finance is must. Without necessary fuel (money) no ship (Small Business firm) can run As a new Business, there is very few chance to raises the capital from share market. Only personal and family funds and personal loan from the friends are major source. But in this way it is very hard to raise a sufficient amount of capital. 2. Lack of Govt activities: There is a nonstop echo by the government leaders, ‘Come Sun, Come Rain’; trying to state that there is a constructive and favorable atmosphere for investment in Bangladesh. The authorities are either not working together with the relevant people with adequate response, or they are aware of the reasons for the investors stepping away, however still do not want to resolve problems purposefully with the presumption of ‘ostrich attitude’. ?Administrative coordination problem– Policies and the implementation processes are not materialized simultaneously because of lack of administrative communication and coordination among the government agencies. This situation results in high business costs and hassles for investors ? Good governance – Good governance can be defined as a desired condition of management and operations. Good governance along with efficient leadership is achieved by bringing accountability in politics and bureaucracy. Government has to reform its policies and business practices to attain good governance. Good governance can bring about efficient and productive sized government, necessary reformation of legal and judicial system, Fiscal policy and infrastructural reforms, eradication of corruption, bureaucracy and dishonesty, and many more improvements in the country. 3. Corruption: Culture and society have become corrupted through sick politics. The bureaucrats and regulatory bodies are steeped in corruption. For business enterprise, corruption works as taxation or lubrication cost. This corruption would not go up to such an extent if there were appropriate and strong legal and regulatory controls and motivational salary levels. Many companies regard bribery as just one of the costs of doing business (‘Lubrication Cost’) and show these payments as legitimate business expenses. 4. Political and Social Instability: Political and social instability is another big problem. Whether it is a giant company or a Small Business the success of a business is greatly dependant on the political and social stability of a country. Every business firm is dependant on production or purchasing and selling. In Bangladesh our political and social climate is not stable at all. There is a condition of pre-war between the ruling party and the opposition. Always they are face to face with each other. Very often they call ‘Hartal’ and strikes. Such a loss can not be sustained. According to a UNDP research strike has led to 3-4% GDP losses during the 1990s. In the period of 1991-1996, 173 days of ‘Hartal’ were been called in total. It was 140 in 1996-2001 sessions. This creates immense burden on the business firms as the shops often get vandalized during strike violence. 5. Poor law and order situation: A sound law and order situation help flourish business. But the situation has deteriorated over the years. Recent drive to improve the situation has helped but it has done damage to the business communities’ confidence. 6. Shortage of Power and Utility supply: Electricity, Gas, Water, Telephone etc. are some prerequisites for a business. In Bangladesh only the sufferer know how tough it is to get those connections. You need to pay a handsome amount o bribes to a invisible hand. Bangladesh faces a system loss often more than 40% of the gross power generation probing with the lowest per capita power consumption and network coverage of electrification among developing countries. This creates immense discouragement for investment in the power intensive industries. 7. Communication and Transportation Problem Though Bangladesh is a flat country without many obstacles like hills, but some advantage position with hundreds of river all over the country, still communication and transportation is a big problem here. Water way and Railway is used as easy way of transportation all over the world, but we use road as mostly used way of transportation. This road transportation is expensive and not easy. After the British has left this indo bangle sub-continent we could not expand much our Railway, meanwhile many route and stations are closed. Water ways are almost closed due to filtration and not for proper dredging. 8. Effect of business friendly environment: At present business friendly environment is not present in most of the cases due to: A. Differential treatment : Even though the prevailing regulations provide for equality in treatment of local and foreign investors, certain inequitable conventions are practiced with the foreign investors. Such inequalities are evident in cases of authorization necessities for foreign investment, barriers against capacity expansion, supplier’s credit, etc. B. Back up industry: Garments industry is the main foreign income source of Bangladesh, but we are not in good position as mentioned in above paragraphs. For raw materials of these garments we have to depend on another country, we could not create back up industries for this sector so past decades. So we are always in tension for this sector. C. Monopoly market: Monopoly market is not at all good for business. For example at present China is enjoying monopoly market in electronics and mobile phone market in Bangladesh. Once upon a time City Cell was the only mobile phone company in Bangladesh. Then the use of cell phone was very limited due to high call rate and High package charge. Only few people could afford it. Then came Grameen phone in the Cell phone market, But still then the call charge was quite high 7 taka/min. Then came Bangla link, Warid, Tele talk and Rabi (Alkatel) At that time monopoly market in cell phone market collapsed, people now can use any cell phone of any operator easily at a quite acceptable call rate. And business of all operator is expanding day by day. So competition market is good for business and users end (users have option) 9. Lack of efficient distribution channels: Bangladesh has one of the flattest land structures in the world. The lack of obstacles (hills, desert etc) and presence of cheaper transportation option (waterway) makes the country any supply channel manager’s dream. But unfortunately the real picture is somewhat different. The businesses lose near 40% of the perishable items due to lack of efficient distribution channel. Lack of supply chain management knowledge, a weak transportation system, and corrupt road authorities are some factors that contribute to make the system inefficient. 10. Lack of necessary raw material Lack of necessary raw material is another problem. Everyone need run and run for raw materials. Here we don’t have a definite supply chain of raw materials and the producers. Entrepreneurs are ready to pay necessary money for it but there is no instable supply. Sometimes there is nothing found when necessary, sometimes all are very high in price and sometimes adequate raw materials are in the market and it is more than necessary. 11. Skilled labor: Bangladesh may be the land of cheap labor but they are also unskilled. The training institutions are not sufficient to provide the quality labor force the businesses need. 12. Lack of proper business knowledge: Most of the entrepreneurs of Bangladesh apply the traditional hit and miss approach with their businesses. They have little institutional knowledge and have little access to training as very few organizations offer quality facility. In absence of know-how relating to general accounting, branding, taxation, law etc the businesses tend to miss the opportunity that the regulatory environment offers. Internet can play a vital role here for knowledge dissemination but the access to the net is not that easy. 13. Lack of connectivity: The world has moved on to connect itself to the World Wide Web whereas Bangladesh is lagging far behind. Across the world innovative business are emerging using a clicks and mortar business model. They are leveraging the full potential of the World Wide Web. As the access to high-speed internet connection becoming cheaper by the day around the world the story is quite different for Bangladesh. Businesses have to pay a handsome amount in fact one of the world steepest fees to get access to the web. But the scenario is changing in the consumer front. Consumers now have access to the web through their cell. There is a huge opportunity to cater to the foreign customers by displaying the product in the web. But the high-speed internet connectivity is yet to reach the acceptable standard. 14. Absence of realistic data; For a proper business environment requirement of realistic data is very important. In Bangladesh perspective we are short of that both in public and private sector. For example we do not have data regarding requirement of demand of electricity for which we could not plan for production of electricity. Shortage of data sometime creates abnormal situation in our daily market life and our people can not make a plan for demand and supply. (Example: Price of commodity item, Rice, Oil etc). 15. Human Resource Management (HRM) The goals of HRM should not only be limited to ‘a shoulder to cry on’ for the employees. The HRM of an organization should involve themselves in staffing, training and development, motivation and maintenance of the employees ‘If employers don’t give a chance to the young professionals in this line and if they don’t train them, then HR positions will be taken by other nationalities and thus it would be a big loss . 16. Internal management problems: From any giant company to a cottage shop good management is a must for success. Management people should know all the arts of management. There are some problems in management cases of Bangladesh, and for this reason ?-Cannot identify target market or target customer. -Does not plan. ?-Believes advertising is an expense not an investment. ?-Only primary knowledge of pricing policy and strategy. ?-Cannot identify trading area. ?-Cannot delegate. ?-Believes loan would solve every problem. All these problems are usually created by an unskilled management people. And it is it is more that skilled people are not available in the market. Management problems are: Suggestions: Here we are some suggestions that may be helpful to improve the Management sector in Bangladesh. ?As capital is the major problem for l Business development in Bangladesh special emphasis should be put here. Commercial banks should finance Business by giving loan in low interest and for long term in easy way. ?Government should take proper steps to solve problems in the field of Coordination, Planning, and bureaucratic hassle. Red tapism must be abolished. Corrupted officials need to be punished and replaced. ?Political and social instability should be maintained. Terrorism must be sustained and keep under control. Most of our politicians are business men. So they should come in same platform for the betterment of their business and for the greater interest of the country. Govt should be in hard line to maintain law and order situation in the country at any coast. All politicians should help the Govt to wiped up the so called â€Å"Chadabaz† and â€Å"Mastan† ? For the development of the country there is nothing short cut without improving the utility services, especially in case of electricity. Govt has to plan for next decades not only for next one or two years. ?In the o rganizations there should be proper â€Å"Organizational behavior† to protect labor unrest and unseen problems from the employees. ?Training is a continuous process. It is an end less journey