Analysing Structure Of Stories Literature Essay

Analysing Structure Of Stories Literature Essay This chapter focuses on the structure of stories in different mediums. Storytelling and the development of media have alternately influenced each another, and each new medium has established a new kind of storytelling. A story is more than actions and events. The sequence of actions and events according to a meaning creates a specific kind of structure. A storys structure is not the meaning of a fixed order but more the rules and the ways of combinations of events that creates a meaning. Therefore, understanding a storys structure is important in the narrative development process. Transmedia storytelling The structure of each medium allows for a different performance and affects how the meanings of stories are created and shared. Performativity need not be solely on the stage. Auslander stated that we live in a mediatized world, and that performance has spread across media, infecting the other media with performative spontaneity from both performers and audiences (Auslander, 1994). The stories we have heard, seen and read in a single medium have not lacked impact, but incorporating several media offers a whole new experience as Jenkins mentioned about transmedia. Transmedia is a term coined by Henry Jenkins to describe how stories can be told across media in such a way as to take advantage of what each medium do best. As Jenkins stated, Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story. (Jenkins, 2007) With transmedia experiences, where it is basically impossible for someone to have expertise in every medium, we may actually see a strengthening in the individual media as authors and artists focus on their expertise and return to specializing and mastering their medium of choice (Davidson, 2008). This means that the choice of media is not by content of the story but more by the expertise. Although the term transmedia emerged in the 21st century, the characteristics of transmedia can be identified in the wayang tradition. Mrà ¡zek stated that the media or the arts are more like artistic techniques than materials, or more like musical instruments than sound waves. He stated that the media in wayang narration, dialogue, puppets and puppet movement and their particular ways of working and functioning are creations of an artistic tradition, rather than universal, pre-existing categories (Mrà ¡zek, 2005). Puppet movement and puppet compositions, narration, dialogue, and music are combined and used to build the whole of the performance. Narration and dialogue appear to be in a class apart because they both use verbal language; but the case is not as simple. During both of them, the puppets are on the screen, and both the narration and the dialogue closely interact with the images. In the case of the dialogue, this is immediately obvious: it is the characters, acted by pu ppets on the screen that are represented speaking; the voice and the words are fused with them. In the case of narration, the interaction with the visual image is also close; the narration describes the scene and the characters and their actions, and is always closely juxtaposed to the visual images. Dialogue and narration are never quite purely verbal media they are connected to the visual images and constantly interact with them. However, if we want to see the separation between the media more clearly, we can look at the structuring of the performance in time. There is a very clear separation into three kinds of moments that what could be called: Narration moments Dialogue moments Puppet-movement moments During the puppet-movement moment the opening of the audience is represented in the medium of puppet movement, and there is no dialogue and no narration; then the dalang or the puppeteer narrates (the puppets are immobile, arranged into pictorial composition), and then comes the dialogue, during which the dalang only moves the hands of the puppets. The moments are represented by periods of music. In each of the moments, one medium comes to the fore, even though it is not necessarily in any pure form, that is, the other media may play a minor function. The media themselves are rarely clearly separate, but the different moments (in each one medium predominates) are (Mrà ¡zek, 2005). In this study, the web is used as a medium to revive traditional storytelling with puppets. Virtual worlds cannot substitute the rich experience of performing with real puppets and a face-to-face audience. But instead this study wants to ponder the potentials of the web and its design for this field. This study is also inspired from statements from Brenda Laurel. The performative nature of the web, one type of hypertext and hypermedia on computers, has led Brenda Laurel to look at computers as theater. For Laurel, computers have the capacity to represent action in which humans could participate (Laurel, 1993, p. 1). The readers are performers within the hypertextual narrative, shaping the actions and outcomes by the choice they make. A part of this study also focuses on the structure and process of narrative in hypermedia, in particular the web, and explores the potential application to support telling stories. Hypermedia refers to dynamic multimedia objects that have hypertextual aspects. As Landow and Delany stated, hypermedia is a multimedia extension of hypertext that is more complex and interactive, integrating visual and auditory experiences as well as text and links to give more contextual synthesis of the information explored (Delany Landow, 1994). For example, a web page with java scripting and interactive graphics, videos and sounds is a hypermedia object (Davidson, 2008). A characteristic of hypermedia is non-linearity structure, which allows us to navigate through an information space using associative linking. This leads to idea of intertextuality as we describe in the next section. Intertextuality Intertextuality refers to the numerous implicit references in each text to other texts. No text is written completely isolated from other texts and can stand entirely by itself. Hyperlinks in hypertexts and hypermedia documents emphasize such intertextuality in a way that is impossible in printed texts: they can lead directly from the hyperlinked terms, phrases or images to other contexts in which the same terms, phrases or images are meaningful, whether inside or outside the given hypermedia work itself (Delany Landow, 1994). Intertextuality can also be understood as the process of drawing on ones experience with multiple texts and making connections between these various texts and the present text being experienced (Davidson, 2008). Long and Strine illustrated how the process of experiencing a text necessitates that the audience brings an intertextuality to bear in order to understand the text being experienced (Long Strine, 1989). When we read a book, we bring our intertextual experiences of all the other books we have read to play with the current text itself, and from this playfulness, we assemble a deeper meaning of the text(s) involved. The appreciation of traditional textual objects, such as novels and films, is dependent to a certain measure on the decoding of intertextual references to other media in these texts. Thus, the pleasure of consuming these texts can be seen to be contingent to a certain extent on the users ability to identify and decode these allusions. This intertextual element also exists in new media, especially since media content is increasingly brought to the consumer through different channels simultaneously. Intertextuality can be found in wayang tradition also. For example, a character is used not only in one story; he or she can appear in different stories with different meanings and actions. A story is a part of another story or a story is a biography of an actor from another story. For this study, we want to use this characteristic in the system to provide a suggestion to children when they want to combine or connect stories. A theme of a story or actors in a story will be proceeded to bring out suggestions. With this kind of suggestion, the process of story-building is expected becomes simplified. Structure of a story Stories impose a structure on the events that we narrate so that listeners (including the storyteller) can understand them, and thereby gain some particular perspective on the events (Polanyi, 1989). A schema of narrative composed of four characteristics: setting, character, theme and plot (Davidson, 2008). Event schemas or scripts are knowledge structures which even very young children use to organize their general knowledge about events. Scripts also guide childrens comprehension and their recalling of stories about familiar events (Hudson, 1988). A storys structure as a topic of education fosters the ability to detect a meaning by reading. Models for developing good stories have been proposed for thousands of years. Around 2300 years ago Aristotle wrote his treatise called Poetics, in which he focused on tragedies, or serious drama. Many aspects of poetics are useful for authoring multimedia stories as well; the most important being the plot. According to Butcher, Aristotle said that [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] for by plot I here mean the arrangement of the incidents [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] But most important of all is the structure of the incidents [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] so the plot, being an imitation of an action, must imitate one action and that a whole, the structural union of the parts being such that, if any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed.; and every story must have a beginning, middle and end (Aristotle, 2008; Lee, 2001). In the next section, a structure of a dramatic work such as a play or film, focusing on Gustav Freytags analysis of ancient Greek and Shakespearean drama is discussed. The discussion continues by analyzing the geometric structure variations of stories. Freytags Pyramid Freytags Pyramid (see Figure 3.1) is a way to analyze a plot that consists of five elements in an ascending and descending manner, introduction (exposition, inciting moment) rising action climax falling action denouement (catastrophe, resolution) (Freytag, 1900). In the introduction, the plot, characters, and complications are introduced. This leads to the rising action, or the events that lead to the climax of the plot. At the point of highest dramatic tension, or at a major turning point in the plot, the audience finds the climax. This decisive moment in the narrative is when the rising action is reversed to falling action. The falling action, then, is made up of the events that follow the climax and lead to the denouement. The final outcome, result, or unraveling of the main dramatic complication is called the denouement. The denouement may involve a reversal in the protagonists fortunes, usually as the result of a discovery (recognition of something of great importance previo usly unknown) by the protagonist. Figure 3.1. Frytags dramatic pyramid Frytags dramatic pyramid can be used to analyze the dramatic structure of wayang performance. Wayang performance in general has three acts: Pathet Nem, Pathet Sanga, and Pathet Manyura. The performance usually starts at 9.00 pm and will be end at 4.00 am. The following part describes the structure of a wayang performance in detail: Act One (Pathet Nem) Pathet nem is symbolizing childhood, performed from 9 pm until midnight, and consists of 6 scenes: Jejeran Raja: symbolizes that the baby begins to be accepted and nurtured by his mother. Paseban Jawi: symbolizes a child who is already getting to know the real world. Jaranan: symbolize the immature nature of children. Perang Ampyak: symbolizes a child who has begun to mature. Sabrangan: symbolizes a child who has grown but his character is still dominated by emotions. Perang Gagal: symbolizes a person who does not yet have a definite purpose in life. Act Two (Pathet Sanga) Pathet sanga is symbolizing adulthood, performed at midnight until 2.00 am, and consists of 3 scenes. In this act, the hero is thinking about problems, and subversive clown figures enter and dispense wisdom and ribald humor. Bambangan: symbolizes a person who has begun to obtain knowledge. Perang Kembang: symbolizes a growing adult. Jejer Sintren: symbolizes a person who has set a goal in his life. Act Three (Pathet Manyura) Pathet manyura is symbolizing seniority, performed from 2.00 am until 4.00 am, and consists of 3 scenes. This act contains resolution of conflict/problem with many battles. Jejer Manyura: symbolizes a person who already knows the purpose of his life and is close to achieving his dreams. Perang Brubuh: symbolizes a person who has reached his life goal. Tancep Kayon: symbolizes a person who has died. In this study, it is of interest to look at the process of performance of the wayang story rather than at the dramatic structure of wayang stories. The story of wayang is performed in a linear process, always starts from act one, continues with act two and ends with act three. But there is still a possibility to change the storys sequence for some stories. In wayang there are four types of play or Lakon: Standard play (Lakon Pakem) is played strictly following rules from the book. Improvisation play (Carangan) is played following the rules with improvisation. Contemporary play (Sempalan) is played completely out-of-the-book. Biography play (Lakon Banjaran) is played covering a biography of a certain figure. Wayang stories besides having the linear structure also have a non-linear structure, e.g., a contemporary play. This situation gives us an opportunity to perform wayang stories in a medium that supports non-linear structures, e.g., the web. Before the exploration of story structures which are appropriate with the authoring tool is proceeded, the variation of story structures will be discussed in the next section. Geometric design structures of stories Every story has a structure that can be visualized as a process. Linear stories have linear processes; non-linear stories have non-linear processes. Ten geometric structure variations from Samsel and Wimberly is explored in this section: sequential, branching, conditional branching (branching with barriers, branching with forced paths, bottlenecking, branching with optional scenes), exploratorium, parallel streaming, worlds, and multilinear (Samsel Wimberly, 1998). Sequential (Linear) Sequential structure is the basic building block of both interactive and linear media projects as shown Figure 3.2. User navigation follows a strictly defined procedural path one after another. The user cannot jump from node A to node C, for example, without having first traveled across node B. Figure 3.2. Sequential structure Sequential with Cul-de-Sacs Sometimes a linear sequence of nodes can diverge into isolated nonlinear deviations offer the user the choice to step off the procedural path into areas that in no way fulfill the critical objective of the piece. Such digressions are called cul-de-sacs usually puzzles, games, or sidebars that explore the themes of the work, but in no way affect the outcome of the story or objective of the work. The interesting thing about a cul-de-sac is that its entrance is also its exit, as shown in Figure 3.3. This applies to interactive cul-de-sacs as well and is especially important for the software designer who is trying to help us tell an interactive narrative. An interactive corporate training title, for example, might have a node that demonstrates a crucial concept. Several key words or phrases within that node may be hot. Clicking on one of the words might send the user to another node that shows that word, along with its definition. This sidebar or footnote has no impact on the training lesson itself. It is only there to enhance the users understanding of the key words and phrases contained in the material. Once the user has finished reading the definition, he or she has only one option to return to the lesson. Figure 3.3. Sequential structure with cul-de-sac (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.25) Many childrens edutainment CD-ROMs, such as Mindscapes The Animals! use sequential storytelling techniques e.g., a trip to the zoo and link them to archived data (Samsel Wimberly, 1998). A child can travel through the story and click on an object within a scene. This action will transport the child to a cul-de-sac a self-contained node of information such as a video clip of a lion, a photograph of a pelican, an audio clip of a monkey, or a text description of a polar bear. Once the information has been delivered and digested by the child, it can either replay the information or return to the main body of the zoo story. The cul-de-sac simply enhances the user experience. Branching In an interactive program, branching offers the most rudimentary course of extending how users navigate throughout the program. In a typical branching structure, the user is presented with several choices or options upon arriving at certain predesignated Forks in the road. Based on which path the user chooses, the program follows a new node of content. Figure 3.4. Traditional branching structure Branching structures are popular because they easily demonstrate the fundamental concept of interactive theory user choice. Namely, when confronted with a path decision, the user must choose one from several options A, B, or C in order to proceed to the corresponding node, as shown in Figure 3.4. The danger of branching structures is that they can spiral out of control very quickly. Author Neal Stephenson refers to this type of structure as the tree of death, where the story line keeps forking until there ends up being an unmanageable number of outcomes (see Figure 3.5). Figure 3.5. Extended branching structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.26) Conditional Branching: Branching with Barriers A subset of branching is conditional branching, which requires the user to abide by the rules of a predetermined condition along the branch in order to proceed through the program. Often, these conditions are puzzles or other obstacles that are slapped down in the middle of the application. The user is forced to solve the puzzle before he or she can continue (see Figure 3.6). Figure 3.6. Branching with barriers structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.27) Conditional Branching: Branching with Forced Paths Conditional branching often limits user choice in other ways. While appearing on the surface to offer many choices and options, the program will often continue regardless of the users actual choice. In essence, the program offers the illusion of choice without actually allowing the user to alter the program in any way. The validity of interactivity is strictly limited by the choices offered by the writer. Figure 3.7. Branching with forced path structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.28) A branching structure as seen in Figure 3.7 using forced paths or critical paths offers the end-user more options and/or more paths to choose from, but only one solution advances the story. Conditional Branching: Bottlenecking Another type of condition placed on branching structures (especially when the structure is used in an interactive narrative) manifests itself as bottlenecking. Bottlenecking is when various branching nodes are brought back into the spine of the story in order to rein everything in. This is a crucial structural procedure when you consider the exponential possibilities created by traditional branching structure (see Figure 3.8). Figure 3.8. Branching with bottlenecking structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.29) When the various story nodes are folded back so that they converge into a single story spine, the interactive narrative becomes more manageable. This type of design structure has been implemented in a number of popular media games and interactive movies over the past several years, including Origins popular Wing Commander series (Samsel Wimberly, 1998). Conditional Branching: Branching with Optional Scenes Sometimes the user gets to choose between alternative scenes that spin out from and return to the primary spine of the application whether that spine is a story (as in an interactive narrative) or an objective (as in an informational multimedia application such as a training title). Alternative scenes are commonly found in education and training programs, where it is necessary to demonstrate numerous concepts (see Figure 3.9). Figure 3.9. Branching with optional scenes structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.29) Exploratorium Exploratorium is empowering structures that allow the user to pause during the program to explore a world within a world. Many interactive storybook titles utilize exploratoriums from the humorous Living Books titles, Arthurs Birthday and Just Grandma and Me to Disneys Pocahontas Animated Storybook to simulated environments such as Imergy/Simon and Schusters Star Trek Captains Chair (Samsel Wimberly, 1998). The exploratorium structure can be seen in Figure 3.10. Figure 3.10. Exploratorium structure. Letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H are hot spots or entertainment click-ons imbedded into program (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.32). Parallel Streaming Parallel streaming describes many states or paths that exist simultaneously at various levels within the same application. In an interactive narrative, this type of structure allows the writer to create a single linear story, while allowing the user to switch between perspectives, paths, or states. The user can then experience the same series of events from multiple points of view (see Figure 3.11). Figure 3.11. Parallel streaming structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.33) Worlds When two or more environments are interconnected by a common thread be it a theme, goal, mission, or story we have the basis for a world structure. Add to that world series of predefined events or tasks that the user trigger/accomplish in order to move the story or mission forward and you have a design structure that works very well with interactive media programs (Samsel Wimberly, 1998). In a world experience, exploring the surrounding is just as important (and fun) as completing the story or achieving an objective. This poses a unique set of problems for the writer. Figure 3.12. World structure. Notice that the world is in the shape of funnel (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.36) The player is free to roam through an enchanting environment in search of clues to the story. The act of exploration is just as important as the act of discovering the narrative. Each activity has equal merit. The player advances the story by triggering certain author-defined events. Exploring all the worlds, uncovering all the clues, and interacting with all the triggers leads the player to the end of the game (see Figure 3.12). Another way to look at a world structure would be an overhead view, as if looking down into the center of a funnel or cone. The plot points or tasks that user must accomplish are represented by the eight outer nodes. The eight inner nodes in the carousel represent the next set of tasks (see Figure 3.13). Figure 3.13. Carousel entry into a world structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.37) Multilinear or Hypermedia Another type of design structure, known as multilinear (see Figure 3.14), either encompasses every type of user path imaginable or no path at all. The World Wide Web, hypertext fiction, MUDs (multi-user domains), MOOs (Multi-user object-oriented environments), and many simulations are good examples. Multilinear structure demands a different kind of involvement from its user than do puzzles, branching games, or linear narratives. That is because it is the users themselves who must traverse their own unique paths through an environment. The writer sets the boundaries and rules of interactivity, but the users must chart their own course through the material. Hypermedia structures, in much the same way as the World Wide Web or a hypertext fiction title, allow the user to become an interactor a facilitator of the story. While surfing the web, the user decides which homepage to start from and selects which links to follow through the electronic universe. User action determines a pathway through the material. Similarly, hypertext fictions are about the journey as much as they are about the narrative that waits to be pieced together. Figure 3.14. Multilinear and hypermedia structure (Samsel Wimberly, 1998, p.39) Relevance to the research One of the lessons that has been learned from this section is that the sequence of events and actions is important in a story. This sequence leads the reader to follow a dramatic flow of the story. There are causal connections between the events or ideas in the story and these connections tend to be related to the main elements of the story. Through these comprehension processes, readers develop an understanding that extends beyond words and sentences, to reach comprehension of paragraphs and extended text. This knowledge forced the researcher to design a space for children to learn and to practice in building a storys sequence in order to support them their narrative development. A good plot and dramatic story structure of a story will keep the readers curiosity and their emotional engagement. When a user accomplished a task by using a computer, she/he followed a certain sequence process which is offered by the system. The actions and events of the system and user build a kind of story. It is needed to keep the user attention and their engagement with the system in order to reach their goals. Therefore, the researcher found that the knowledge of the storys structure and the dramatic flow can be used to design interaction between user and system. Summary This chapter introduced a conceptual thinking of transmedia storytelling from Jenkins which described how stories can be told across media in such a way so as to take advantage of what each medium does best. The stories we have heard, seen and read in a single medium have not lacked impact, but incorporating several media offers a whole new experience. A schema of narrative composed of four characteristic: setting, character, theme and plot. The four characteristics are the building blocks of narrative. Event schemas or scripts are knowledge structures which even very young children use to organize their general knowledge about events. This chapter has explained the dramatic structure from Freytag and explored ten geometric-structured variations of stories from Samsel and Wimberly: sequential, branching, conditional branching (branching with barriers, branching with forced paths, bottlenecking, branching with optional scenes), exploratorium, parallel streaming, worlds, and multilinear. In wayang tradition, multiple non-linear structures can be found within wayang stories. The audience can follow its own combinations of presented and remembered additional stories according to their own experiences and knowledge. This study focuses on analyzing whether the same character in different stories can enable a similar multiple storylines as well. The concept of intertextuality in this context will be used to provide suggestions for children to help them to build multiple storylines by character.

Speech Recognition -- Technology Computers Essays

Speech Recognition Speech recognition is a computer application that lets people control a computer by speaking to it. In other words, rather than using a keyboard and mouse to communicate with the computer, the user speaks commands into a microphone that is connected to a computer. By speaking into the microphone, users can do two things. First, they can tell their computers to execute some commands such as open a document, save changes, delete a paragraph, even move the cursor, ­ all without touching a key. Second, users can write using speech recognition in conjunction with a standard word processing program. When users speak into the microphone their words can appear on a computer screen in a word processing format, ready for revision and editing. Although many modern speech-recognition programs and devices voice-enable their systems, the terms voice recognition and speech recognition are not synonymous. While both use technology to capture the spoken word, voice recognition and speech recognition have different goals, and run different technologies. Speech recognition is continuous, natural language processing. In contrast, voice recognition uses recordings to determine an individual's identity, a twist on today's social security number and fingerprint. There are two kinds of speech recognition software now available; discrete speech and continuous speech. The older technology, discrete speech recognition, requires the user to speak one word at a time. A newer technology, continuous speech recognition, allows the user to dictate by speaking (at a more or less normal rate). As the user speaks, the software puts one or more words on the screen by matching the sound input with the information it has in the user's voice... ...ms and software for their homes and actually speak to their computers. Although it is still rather new for computers to be able to understand and transcribe the imprecise speech of humans, it is possible and systems are only continuing to improve. Sources Bates, Regis J and Gregory, Donald W. Voice and Data Communications Handbook. Capron, H. L. Computers, Tools for an Information Age, Upper Saddle River: Addison Wesley, 2002. Newman, Dan. The Dragon Naturally Speaking Guide, Berkeley: Waveside Publishing, 2000. Newman, Dan. Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy, Berkely: Waveside Publishing, 2000. . . . .

Hbs: Jetblue Airlines Managing Growth

Analyzing each of these areas we recommend that Getable Implement (A) a new employee selection strategy, (B) a formalized training program, and (C) a reference management system to continue fostering employee autonomy and motivation. II. Analysis Stable's rapid growth presents a potentially costly problem. In terms of strategy, Getable avoids the common airline problem with unions by investing heavily in (1) selection, (2) culture, and (3) systems, areas in which it can grant employee autonomy and foster motivation. While this strategy works currently, these areas do not have the fundamental Institutions to survive the company's growth.People: employee selection and hiring: Currently, Getable constructs highly motivated teams using both n in-depth selection process and role customization. Stable's human resources (HRS) department uses behavioral interviews, where all interviewers reach consensus, to determine applicant cultural fit and value alignment. By closely controlling employee quality and fit, Getable can offer employees significant autonomy and fulfill their higher order â€Å"esteem† needs. In addition, Getable developed customized compensation, benefits, and work structures per role that align with each group's respective desires.The hiring and compensation structures have two main results: 1 ) Jet Blue can attract top talent that matches the organization and (2) the company reinforces overall fairness by tailoring each role. While currently successful, Stable's hiring process is a hindrance to its continued growth as it is not scalable. Getable will Increase its workforce 400% in a limited timeshare to meet Its internal growth targets. The current selection process will fall because Getable does not have the HRS resources or time to personally interview all applicants multiple times.If Getable maintains its current hiring practices, it risks losing quality employees and grunting the fairness and autonomy that it currently offers. Culture throu gh values, employees, and approachability: Stable's value-centric, employee focused, and approachable culture motivates employees, attracts talent, differentiates the firm, and enforces the company's values. First, the company establishes culture by focusing on values. Stable's top management locked themselves in a New York hotel and defined the company's core values that align with Its strategy and culture.These values gulled Stable's hiring, strategy, dally operations, and employee evaluation. Second, Getable focuses on meeting employee needs. Through customized and 1 OFF clear signals that employees are a priority and treated fairly. Third, the management is approachable to all employees. Stories of David Melanin, CEO, working as flight attendant and responding directly to crew member suggestions, or Dave Barge, COO, staying on the plane with his family helping the cleanup crew were famous among employees.These actions reinforce that coaches and teams work in a fair â€Å"find a team solution† environment instead of â€Å"pointing fingers† culture visible in other airlines. The combination of clear values, employee focus, and management approachability gives Getable a culture that motivates employees through visible fairness and clear expectations. While Stable's culture has succeeded, it lacks more formal embedding mechanisms to survive substantial growth and prevent cultural dilution. Stable's current culture practices require a method by which to formally spread and reinforce the norms to all new and existing employees as the company expands.If Getable fails to sustain its culture, it risks compromising employee motivation and, as a result, its mechanisms that prevent unionization. Performance systems: To deliver low-fare airline tickets to customers, Getable uses genealogy to cut operating costs. Stable's â€Å"paperless environment† not only saves paper and resources, but also is a motivating factor. Each pilot's laptop computer al lows him to eliminate monotonous work required for pre-flight checks and further focus on his Job, helping satisfy his need for interesting work.While technological systems help Getable develop a competitive advantage, their employee performance management systems are limited. Currently, Getable â€Å"coaches† review workers' performance informally along the company's five values. Because the company does not have more explicit expectations, the procedures risk Ewing perceived as unfair. As the company grows it must explicitly correlate performance to expectations to continue motivating employees. Ill. Recommendations We recommend a multi-faceted and integrated solution that addresses Stable's scalability problems regarding their people, culture, and systems.First, we recommend that Getable use metrics and refine its hiring process. Second, we recommend that Getable pursue a formal training program. Third, we recommend that Getable construct a formal performance management sy stem. Institute a performance metrics hiring selection process: We recommend using two online tests hat identify interpretable candidates. The first test will use multiple choice and review an individual's personality against Stable's five core values. The second test is role-specific and measures each individual's work skills.Getable will then interview candidates that perform well on both tests only once. Getable can compare test results with career success and identify desirable characteristics from testing. This process will simultaneously (a) speed hiring practices, (b) significantly reduce costs associated with a talent search, and (c) improve employee fit while meeting workforce deeds. This improved efficiency will allow Getable to continue offering employees significant autonomy as the company grows. A potential hurdle is that individuals may attempt to cheat the tests.We contend this will not be a major problem. These individuals will either not pass the interview round, be terminated quickly, or potentially absorb the Getable culture through the training. Construct a formal management and new employees engage in mandatory â€Å"core training. † First, Getable must implement an all roles new hire orientation that focuses on values and the company goals. This will foster a shared company identity and create formal culture embedding. Top management involvement will reinforce that values and culture are universal from CEO to cleanup crew.Second, Getable must offer role specific training where employees are introduced to their coaches. This training will, along with teaching necessary Job skills, outline each role's expectations, how it fits at Getable, and how each coach will help their employees develop. To ensure ongoing success, Getable should survey employees before the training about their expectations along with their feedback afterwards. Getable must then improve the program based on the feedback, further fostering a collaborative team envi ronment.The training program ensures that Getable will reinforce company identity and embed its culture as the workforce grows. Implement a formal performance management system: We recommend that Getable adopt a formal performance management system to properly motivate employees. First, this system must formally outline each role's expectations. This mandates that each role have both specific and accessible expectation by which coaches and peers can evaluate each other. Second, Getable must provide employees tit semi-annual â€Å"360† performance feedback.This feedback will allow both coaches and the employees' peers to review their performance along the company values and role expectations. Third, employees must give formal feedback to both their coaches and Getable. This feedback fosters a greater company identity and helps coaches understand how to help employees. By implementing a more explicit performance management system, Getable can demonstrate fairness across employe es and roles that will continue to motivate workers as the company grows. ‘V. Conclusion Stable's competitive edge comes from its ability to discourage unionization and, s a result, it can keep costs low.Unions fulfill employee needs and culture when the parent company fails to do so. Currently, Getable uses a combination of successful selection, cultural practices, and systems to motivate employees and meet their needs; however, these will not survive Stable's growth. To continue motivating employees through autonomy, shared identity, clear expectations, and fair practices, Getable must implement an improved hiring process, a formal training program, and a performance management system. These changes will help Getable retain its competitive edge as it expands.

Golding’s modern fable “Lord of the Flies” Essay

What gave Golding the inspiration to write the great novel, Lord of the Flies? He wrote the ‘Lord of the flies’ novel soon after the war, which was later published in 1954. So it was soon after the war when he wrote it. So was this where his inspiration came from for the novel. Did seeing children suffering give him ideas? Did the Hitler give him inspiration for jack and Churchill for Ralph? Did the war lead him to write the book at all? We don’t know now, and probably never will do! But we can guess. We can try and work out what made him write this incredible tale of the children gone savages who fight for survival on the island. The children where being evacuated from the war when they crashed. Ralph was the first character to be introduced. He came out the story to be the strong one. The leader who only wanted the best to come of things and to end it all and get home, just like Winston Churchill wanted to win the war. Jack on the other side, turned out to be more evil, more sadistic and much more savage then Ralph. He was being compared to Hitler or Mussolini. The main evil powers in the Second World War. The conch represents the democracy in the play. It could well be related to the democracy between countries, the vote, the councils and the League of Nations. Golding could well of thought of a symbol that was needed to represent this on the island. The only thing stopping them from tearing each other imp from limp. Just like the rest of the world in the war. The conch was there for peace on the island, and the councils were there to stop the world from destroying one another completely. The fire could well represent a piece of the war of mass destruction. The blitz, for example. It destroyed half of London, like the fire destroyed half the island. Londoner’s were getting scared the war would never end, after something so bad happened. Golding incorporated this by using it like the boys on the island, seeing this destruction made them realise, this may never end, and they may all die soon. Once they had been there a little while. They began to turn into savages. Ralph knew this wasn’t going to end soon. They knew things were going to happen, friends and enemies would be made and it would be along time till it ends. This was the case of the war. Hitler and Churchill knew it was a long-term war and they could be there for years. Golding probably noticed during the war, that people tried to be brave. But beneath the skin, they are truly scared. The people who went off to war, had to be brave, to show those they are confident, that they want to win, to set an example for the people at home and the children. Golding sees this, and puts this into his characters. Everyone on the island was scared, Especially the littluns. Ralph and Jack have to be strong. They are scared, but need to put on a brave face for the sake of everyone. People will breakdown without stronger people to support them like Ralph and jack and the bigguns. Golding has again, related his characters to the human beings that took part in the war. He has compared them, and they basically have the same feelings, just shown in different ways and surroundings. Golding also relates the ending to the war. How d-day is the same as the last bit of the Book. However, Ralph was now related to Hitler and Jack, Churchill. This is because, Jack is winning, and he almost has Ralph, almost has him stuck and almost has the end of Ralph. He has him cornered, when it ends. Just before Ralph is about to be killed it all over. The ordeal they have gone through has ended in 5 minutes. Just like, the last day of the war, When Germany is close to loosing, they surrender, and it’s all over. I think the early 20th century was a good source for Golding’s book, ‘Lord of the Flies’. The war was the main thing to happen in the years of Golding writing the book. He saw things first hand and wrote down this in a story, which he changed to make a story, but used the same roots as the war stories. Golding book was a fabulous story of boys, who are stranded, but he hides the fact hat it’s related to the war well. You don’t really notice it, but looking beneath the skin of the book, you actually realise the strong resemblance it has with the war.

Strategic Management of Haigh’s Chocolate

Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary1 2. Current Situation3 3. External Environment4 3. 1 Macro Environment4 3. 2 Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition8 4. Internal Analysis10 Strength10 Weaknesses14 5. Strategic Factor Analysis Summary (SFAS)17 6. Current strategic21 6. 1 Business-level strategic21 6. 2 Functional-level Strategies23 6. 3 Corporate Level strategies24 7. Recommended strategies26 7. 1 Business-level strategy26 7. 2 Functional Strategy28 7. 3 Corporate strategy31 8. Implementation36 Reference List40 Appendix43Appendix A: External Factors Analysis Summary (EFAS)43 Appendix B: Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS)44 1. Executive Summary The following marketing plan forms the basis for achieving Haigh’s company vision of becoming a successful top quality chocolate confectionary provider. The recommendations based on the analysis contained in this report allows us to outline the best strategies to follow for the achievement of the company’s stra tegic goals. The confectionary industry in Australia is dominated by few large players with fiercely high competition.Whilst the target market Haighs plays – targeting consumers seeking high quality premium chocolate, Haighs is one of very few providers, but the quality of chocolate provided for substitutable brands are also reasonably high. Haighs would need to ensure differentiation in their product quality; brand image, brand loyalty and brand awareness to be competitive within the market place. Haighs being a family owned and operated business, their consistent management style ensures its operational control in all areas of business are strategically aligned.In analysing Haigh’s external and internal strengths and weaknesses, operational efficiency and consistency such as efficiency in production process and stringent quality control process are found to be the main strengths whilst risk of easily being substituted with cheaper chocolate confectionary products and lack of diversified management experience due to being family operated business, are stated to be the main determinant in realizing further success for Haighs.Whilst change of management structure in view of introducing wider range of management experience is outside of this marketing plan’s scope, in order to overcome the determinant analysed, there are number of other areas Haighs can look into. In order to improve efficiency, strengthening of relationship with Haigh’s suppliers is recommended. Whilst Haighs has been successfully maintaining high quality chocolate production, this is required to ensure high quality products are continuously delivered for the future. Cross training of staff to increase labor efficiency is also recommended.Through having staff cross trained, Haighs can enjoy use of less employees and savings will arise from it. Active marketing activities are also encouraged. Haighs can look into wholesale supply into large hotels or exclusive dining places to create economies of scale. Through innovation, it would need to further develop its product in accordance with today’s consumer preference. Low fat, low sugar with high quality chocolate is recommended and opening of Haighs branded cafes that will bring new experience to its consumers are suggested.Haighs being the exclusive chocolate brand with high risk of being substituted into other brand, brand loyalty is the key in Haigh’s success. Launching of loyalty program, discount for seniors, and connecting its customers via social network sites are examples of building brand loyalty for Haighs. The report concludes by providing implementation plan to adopt the above recommendation that will help Haighs to remain competitive, sustainable and successful within its chosen market. 2. Current SituationHaigh's was founded in 1915 in Adelaide, South Australia by Alfred E Haigh and has been successfully run by his son, grandson, and great-grandsons, Alister Haigh who is current CEO. It is the oldest family-owned chocolate manufacturing retailer in Australia and one of the very few manufacturing retailers in the world still making chocolates from raw cooa beans and more than half of their chocolates are handmade, using artisan skills that require many years of experience to perfect (Haight's Chocolates). Haigh’s vision is delivering a world-class chocolate experience every time (Haigh's Chocolates).Its value is that they will be caring and considerate of their employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, the community and the environment by showing respect to each other and valuing diversity, working together to achieve a safe, friendly and positive working environment, setting clear expectations, recognising contribution and developing their people, leading by example and taking responsibility for their actions, communicating clearly, inclusively, honestly and in a timely manner, having pride in their product and passion for the business, its heritage and its future and contributing to the community through corporate benevolence and environmentally sustainable practices (Haigh's Chocolates). Haigh’s chocolate currently has over 300 employees and 13 retail stores; six in Adelaide, six in Melbourne and one in Sydney (Haight's Chocolates). They manufacture 200 different products and also produce a number of products whose sales supports various charities. (Soong-Kroeger, 2011)Haigh’s Chocolate provides quality products and service throughout Australia and make sure to produce only the best raw materials from start to finish, and stationing agents in Europe for first pick of the finest imported cocoa beans is only the beginning. They are fairly well vertically integrated. They make chocolates and then transport or arrange for them to be transported to their own retail shops, which mean that they control the whole process to ensure that their customers get the highest quality and freshest products (OrmanSas ha, 2011). 3. External Environment External environment is an uncontrollable element that effects an operation.However, by carefully analyzing external factors that relate to the company’s industry, a company would deal with uncertainty in the market and be able to take appropriate actions to any upcoming events. 3. 1 Macro Environment Political/ Legal Confectionery manufacturers are required to follow significant regulatory restraints especially in relation to food safety, product labeling, occupational health and safety, competition and consumer law, employment law as well as taxation policies. The regulatory requirements are sources of cost increase to manufactures. However, the regulations are necessary in order to guarantee the right for consumers, employees, competition and the quality of products.Failure to follow regulations might lead to significant negative publicity that can damage the reputation and brand of the company. Product safety regulations: Chocolate and c onfectionery manufacturers must strictly follow food and health regulations. The regulations are aimed at maintaining high levels of food hygiene and protecting the consumers against health threats related to unsafe food. Confectionery manufactures are currently regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. This regulatory organization is responsible for the implementation of the Australia New Zealand Joint Food Standards Code (IBISWorld, 2010). The Code also requires industry manufactures to comply with labeling requirements and serving size restrictions.In particularly, agreement with the Code demands manufacturers to supply information on the percentage share of ingredients used, nutritional information or any materials that might cause allergy like nuts. These requirements have been broadly censured for putting extra costs on manufacturers in the industry. However, with consumer groups reinforcing their demands for more nutritional instruction on product labels, the industr y is required to put more attention in implementing the regulation. Besides regulations relating to health and safety or employment, confectionery manufacturers also must conform to environmental regulations set out by the Federal and State governments.These regulations include water usage, energy usage; wastewater disposal and the treatment of waste resulting from manufacture process. Economic At a difficult time of the economic uncertainty in Europe and the USA, Australia continues to have stable and favorable economic growth. The real GDP, which grew by 1. 3% in the first quarter of 2012 over the previous quarter, demonstrates the stability of household consumption expenditure (IBISWorld, 2010). The increase in consumer spending might reinforce sales revenue of the industry. Given that, consumers of Haigh’s chocolate might not need to concern about cutting their spending on premium chocolate products and going for cheaper brands in the market.Raw materials including cocoa, sugar, milk, flavorings, sweeteners and oils represent primary inputs in the production process and any changes in their price affects industry supply. In confectionery industry, sugar is a primary input in the manufacturing process and an increase in the price of sugar will significantly impact production costs. Higher sugar prices recently will reduce manufacturing profitability unless firms can pass these costs on consumers. However, the trading environments in Australia and overseas are highly competitive, there is usually limited opportunity for manufacturers to raise selling price for their products. Moreover, the increases of post-production expenses in advertising and marketing campaigns will also unfavorably affect company’s profitability.As can be seen, the confectionery industry in Australia is highly competitive with a large number of new product lines introduced by various industry players; therefore existing manufactures in the industry need to create more exte nsive promotions and marketing programs. Socio-cultural Two key factors affect domestic demand and consequently determine future consumption structures is lifestyle change especially health consciousness and changing demographic form of the Australian population. The trend of public awareness about health and nutrition for food products is having an adverse effect on demand for sugar-based confectionery products like chocolate. Australians have become more attentive to their consuming food and account for factors such as sugar and fat content, quality of ingredients before deciding on a brand or product.Nutritional factors can affect sales revenue therefore companies in the industry are forced to be more innovative in producing low-sugar products and using organic material to meet the demand of health conscious consumers. Changing demographics of the Australian population also may affect the industry. Ageing population is growing dramatically in Australia as can be seen proportion o f young people will fall drastically while senior citizens will increase by up to 1% per year. Typically, young people tend to consume more confectionery products compared to the elderly, as people tend to develop a preference for savory food with age (IBISWorld, 2010). The result of ageing population’s raising might lead to lower total sales of the confectionery products.In general, an increase in disposable income will force spending on discretionary goods such as confectionery. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the March 2012, national disposable income increased 3. 5% compared to the same period of last year (IBISWorld, 2010). However, a growth in income may also encourage consumers to change to more expensive and premium chocolates rather than increase the volume of confectionery purchased. Technology The introduction and the adoption of new technology have improved cost and operating efficiencies as well as reduced the need for labor for manufacturing, st oring, delivery and distribution. Keeping the basic production process, chocolate manufactures are using new technology to develop their recipe.Automation and computer directed controls also have been used widely in the production process to be more time efficiency and greater quality control (IBISWorld, 2010). The introduction of quality assurance systems such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) has helped the food industry in improving safety standard. Product safety plays an essential role in preserving the industry’s reputation as a healthy and reliable food manufacturer. In regard to marketing and distribution systems, E-commerce is used by manufacturers to improve customer and supplier arrangements and networks, leading to cost savings through better inventory and production planning. The widespread of social network also creates a new way for manufactures in marketing, building brand and reinforcing relationship with consumers.Environmental Raw materials of chocolate production including cocoa, sugar, and milk are natural sources; therefore a change in climate will considerably impact on the industry. Natural disasters like flood, drought might result in scarcity of a resource and force its price to an unfavorable level to manufactures. Moreover, consumers nowadays are more aware of environmental sustainability. They likely prefer to use environment friendly brands or products in order to reduce the negative impacts on the environment. As a result, confectionery manufacturers have been attempting to â€Å"go green† by using recyclable or reusable packages for their products.In particularly, Haigh’s chocolate has committed not to use any plastic bags to reduce the environmental effects of packaging on the environment (Haigh's Chocolates). The company also stated that in order to be energy efficiency, rainwater is collected and stored in large underground tanks, then filtered and converted into steam providing indirect h eat for cooking processes. In addition, their recent factory upgrade was designed to consider energy and water conservation. The major sources of food industry waste include packaging, fats, oils, syrups, nuts, candied fruits, dusts and powders. Manufactures need to reduce environmental impacts associated with waste disposal and consumption of resources by waste management programs.Furthermore, the effort in saving energy also help manufactures in reducing energy costs and minimizing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. 3. 2 Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition Power of Buyers: Medium Australian confectionery producers sell their products to two major purchasing groups: large retail outfits and wholesalers including large supermarket chains (Coles, Woolworth, Big W, Target, Kmart), convenience stores, petrol stations, and department stores (IBISWorld, 2010). However, instead of selling products to large retail stores, Haigh’s chocolate has integrated forward i n the market and have its own retail stores. The main purchasers of the company are individual buyers who have noticed Haigh’s unique quality products and exclusive taste.By having good awareness of the brand and finding it is hard to get this quality products from others, the buyers would not easily switch to other brands therefore it lowers their bargaining power. (Low) Low switching cost due to the buyers can easily switch to other substitutes such as cookies, ice cream, and snack foods. (High) As consumers are more aware of health and nutrition for food products, demand for sweets and chocolate, which have high level of cholesterol and sugar–contained, would reduce. Healthier food might be preferred in consumers’ choices. (High) Large retailers like Coles and Woolworth would be potential threats if they implemented backward integration (Low) Power of Suppliers: LowThe primary materials in manufacturing of chocolate are cocoa, sugar and milk. Referring to sug ar and milk, there are various suppliers of these sources available in the region or country; therefore supplier concentration and differentiation of inputs are low. (Low) There are also various cocoa farms around the world especially in the developing countries; therefore the chocolate manufactures are important purchasers of these suppliers. As a result, the chocolate suppliers’ bargaining power is typically low. Nonetheless, as Haigh’s chocolate requires premium quality of cocoa, which is only produced by a small part of suppliers in the world, the bargaining power of high-quality cocoa beans suppliers will be stronger. High) Moreover, chocolate manufacturers might not avoid the threat of suppliers could vertically integrate forward to take part manufactures’ role. (Low) Threats of New Entrants: Low The threats of new entrants are low due to the barriers to entry are high. Entry into the premium chocolate market would require new entrants a large capital inve stment for branding and product facilities. Furthermore, new entrants also have to face with major players in the market with a long history and success. These dominant companies enjoy high brand and customer loyalty and have significant resources to invest in advertising and promotions to protect and grow their market share.In addition, these companies also have built strong relationship with main suppliers in the industry including grocery stores and supermarkets that would be challenging for new entrants to secure. (Low) Government regulations and policies about food safety and quality of products might be costly and difficult for new entrants to enter in the industry (Medium) Competitive Rivalry: High The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry can create price wars, advertising battles, new product lines, and higher quality of customer service. The Chocolate manufacturing industry is extremely competitive, with the major players aggressively competing for market s hare.Haigh’s chocolate has potential competitors including large-scale or international companies like Nestle, Kraft Foods, Mars, Lindt chocolate, Cadbury as well as several imported brands. In a competitive environment, there is usually limited opportunity for manufacturers to implement selling price increases for their products due to price sensitivity of consumers. Consumers can easily switch their preferences for a premium brand to a lower-priced substitute. Furthermore, it is also hard for Haigh’s chocolate to compete with these huge companies who have distributed their products widely in large supermarkets with cheaper price range for similar products. Substitutes: HighThe chocolate industry must compete with different ranges of substitute products including snack foods, cakes, cereal, and biscuits as well as substitute brands. The large number of substitutes makes manufacturers feel hard to increase their products’ price as consumer can easily switch to c heaper substitutes. In addition, the change in lifestyle of being more health consciousness would switch the spending of consumers in sweet or chocolate products to healthier substitutes. The External Factor Analysis Summary (EFAS) is included in Appendix 1. 4. Internal Analysis The internal analysis process is aimed to point out the sustainable competitive advantages of the company.The advantages can be achieved when a firm has the ability to undertake value-creating activities and use its unique resources and capabilities to create new core competencies. Haigh’s has a long-standing history and has strong resources that create its competitive advantages. Haigh’s resources including tangible and intangible which are analysed to define its capabilities and core competencies in the chocolate market. Strength History ‘Haigh’s chocolates is an Australian brand associated with fine chocolate, premium gifts and outstanding retail experiences. Haigh’s choc olates are predominantly retailed through their own retail network’. Haigh’s prides itself on a long history of premium quality, consistency over its 87 years of operation. It is a privately owned family business.This history of quality and consistency aids to a competitive advantage over a number of other chocolate manufacturers and distributors, and assist in high customer loyalty and increasing profits. Quality Haigh’s targets itself as a premium and quality brand. Their major strength in their market is the quality and consistency of their production and their ability to maintain the level of outstanding quality over the course of its long history. Haigh’s manufacturers their chocolate as a premium chocolate brand. They manufacture their chocolate as a traditional small batch manufacture; therefore it is not mass-produced and has a greater quality and level of control over all products.The ingredients are all high quality local produce including cocoa beans, sugar and milk, which are then manufacturer into premium chocolate. It is an Australian made product with entirely Australian ingredients and packaging, which is another strength to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. Customer Service Haigh’s promotes itself through great customer service, training is provided to all staff members with focus on customer service and product knowledge. Throughout Australia they employ 120 staff members and each staff member is provided with a high level of training upon employment and throughout the duration of their employment in the company. On purchasing a product, customers are handed a chocolate they have not tried with a white glove.This gesture adds to the premium brand image and creates an atmosphere, which customers want to return. Having customers try a chocolate they haven’t tasted increases repeat customers and high customer loyalty. Haigh’s does have limited marketing, its main focus is on in-store mar keting, and therefore this extra service does provide great in-store marketing and creates customers to be aware of products they have known about, and therefore repeat purchases. Control of production and distribution process Haigh’s being a private family run business gives them the strength of having the ability to control the whole production and distribution process.They control the production right through from purchasing raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, and retail to the final end consumer without any other distribution involved. Therefore if Haigh’s chose to outsource some production and distribution services they would loose total control over their products. Having total control and ownership allows them to ensure total quality and consistency over every product manufactured and distributed. Diversification of products and prices Haigh’s product range, ranges from very small packages retailing for a few dollars to large premium packages cost ing over a hundred dollars. It does have products to suit all price ranges.Having this large product range allows them to target a large number of consumer groups. Although they do have a large product range, their primary focus has been on the expensive premium products in previous years. As a result of the global financial crisis sales dropped in the smaller items, however they weren’t greatly affected by the premium products. During this time consumers were still spending on luxury chocolate products. Economic factors During times of economic decline, consumer spending does decrease. However with Haigh’s large product list, it does allow them to focus on products that consumers want to purchase during a period of decline.During the global financial crisis consumers were not spending money the lower cost products, however they were still spending on luxury products and gifts. Therefore during this time a high focus was put on the premium luxury products to maintain p rofit levels. During a time of economic decline Haigh’s does not reduce its prices. This is done to retain their reputable brand image of high quality premium products. Environmental Today consumers are becoming more environmentally aware and trends are rising in this field. Haigh’s understands that they can make a change in the practices. Haigh’s is highly focused on environmental factors and a lot of consideration is involved with the production, distribution and production of their products.Haigh’s has a strong commitment to several environmental issues including sponsorship and financial support for the bilby, a threatened marsupial native to Australia. They were the first ones to produce the bilby for Easter, it is now a continued tradition, and has created extreme awareness about the endangered marsupial. They have a policy of using recycled or recyclable packaging material and have their own internal recycling program, they carefully consider the i mpact it’s packaging and distribution methods have on the environment and on the community. ‘Haigh’s chocolates has long been concerned about the minimization and sustainability of packaging choices.The principles reflected in the Sustainable packaging guideline have been incorporated in the design, selection and planning of their packaging for many years Therefore their action are designed not around changing the processes but more around formalizing the recording and reporting behind these processes (Haigh's Chocolates). Packaging Haigh’s packages their products in a very cost effective manner however still enhancing their premium product model. The majority of products are packaged in white boxes, with brown tissue paper with a Haigh’s sticker. During Christmas and Easter and other major holidays, thick colorful foil is used for eggs and other products, this creates a premium look, it cuts costs from using boxes and they can distribute more for l ess. For premium products and gifts, tins are used. This is costly however these are used for the high end products. Online storeHaigh’s online store is a key strength for their consumer base and their distribution; they currently operate in 3 states with 6 stores. This is highly limiting for consumers in outside regions. The website offers consumers all the facts on their chocolate including company history, the chocolate, and the current products available. It also allows them to purchase the products therefore highly increasing their distribution levels. Brand image Haigh’s focus on quality, consistency and customer service has lead to a very highly trusted and recognized brand in Australia. This has been a major aid in sales increase and customer relationship solidification. Haigh’s marketing and promotion is through in-store and word of mouth marketing.The company does not focus on mass media campaigns and yet the brand has still managed to grow very consis tently. It is the quality of customer experience and product quality, which accelerates the companies growth. It is unsure as to whether increased advertising and promotion would support the brand or whether it would get rid of the exclusivity and luxurious image the brand currently represents. Weaknesses Market Entry To enter into the market it is relatively easy for competitors. It has low costs to set up a retail store, however competing can be difficult and they are up against the high brand image, quality, history, taste and the consistency of competitors’ products.No outside executive team Haigh’s is a private family owned business; therefore there is no outside executive team. The family is in total control, there is no external chief executive that can come and make changes if required, and an outside perspective could possibly enhance and develop the business further. Raising capital As it is a private company, in order to raise extra capital can be very diffi cult. One Product Company Haigh’s is a one-product company selling chocolate, which therefore reduces their target market significantly. Through expanding their product range their could therefore expand their target market thus increasing profits.This extension could be done through related product such as cookbooks, utensils and serving plates. Shop Locations Haigh’s currently operates in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia with 6 stores, therefore they are not a majorly well-known brand in the chocolate industry, and based on industry data they represent only 1. 1% of the total Australian chocolate market. Through expansion of their stores in more states and territories in malls and up market suburbs within Australia could significantly enhance and develop the business, and create greater brand awareness. Marketing Haigh’s marketing is virtually exclusive through the shops, not a well-known advertiser on television, radio or print media generally.Th is as a result saves a lot in marketing costs, however does not highly promote the brand. The cost of not having outside marketing may be overridden through the increase of profits they may receive if they were to further promote the brand. Haigh’s could focus on low cost marketing to support an expansion in the stores, getting their products to the consumers would greatly increase profits. Haigh’s competitive advantages Haigh’s has a number of advantages over competing organization. The main advantages being consistency of product/ their long history and the overall brand image. The brand image is one of premium and luxury products. It portrays to consumers a sense of profit compared to other companies.Seasonal products and collectors items are very expensive, however due to Haigh’s brand name, specific consumers want to purchase the deluxe items offered, which other chocolate companies do not offer. Lindt chocolate used to have a very expensive and prem ium brand name. However now that they have expanded and is readily available and predominantly on sale, the quality theme has disappeared whereas Haigh’s has retained their premium image. Core competencies Haigh’s competencies are that of production and good quality chocolate products. Their major competency is their quality and consistency of production, which has remained at the same level for many decades.The core products remain the same over time; seasonal items such as during Christmas and Easter can change from year to year. At the retail end, their high quality packaging, shop design and product design is a major expertise of Haigh’s, whish high quality and reliability. Their product presentation is consistent; when new products are available there is an expectation that it will match the high quality range. Their tours in Adelaide highly promote the skills and capabilities of Haigh’s, the public see how they make the product range for free, revea ling to the public how good its product capabilities are, especially in Adelaide which is highly competitive and hard to compete. Tangible and Intangible resources and capabilitiesHaigh’s primary activity is the manufacturer, retailer and distributor of high quality chocolates, with retail outlets and distribution across Australia and online. Tangible resources Haigh’s has to majorly rely on their own ability to raise funds though their own capital, which is a pitfall, as if they wanted to expand in order to build their brand it is quite difficult. Their organic and local sourced ingredients are the most important resource to continue the quality and consistency of their products. These ingredients are the core resource for Haigh’s as they are a one-product company. Ensuring the same quality and consistency throughout their products relies heavily on their raw ingredients. Recipes are provided through the shop, highly builds the brand.Recipes for different choco late desserts are complementary for customers. All manufacturing equipment is of high standard to produce the high quality and consistent chocolate. Intangible Haigh’s has a team of experienced chocolate makers and retail staff that bring their knowledge and skills together to build a dynamic company and retail know how. Their innovation towards sustainable packaging and creating awareness about Australia’s endangered animal the Bilby has been a significant resource. Both the tangible and intangible resources all result in helping to promote value adding activities and an overall profitable company with a strong brand image. The Internal Factor Analysis Summary (IFAS) is in Appendix 2 5.Strategic Factor Analysis Summary (SFAS) External Factors| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| Comments| Opportunities| New innovation and advanced technology| 0. 05| 5| 0. 25| Assist the company in production efficiency and reduce costs. | Current stable economic growth in Australia/ consu mers’ confidence| 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| Reinforce the spending of consumers in discretionary goods. | Availability of materials/suppliers| 0. 04| 4| 0. 16| Lower the bargaining power| High demand in Asian market| 0. 03| 3| 0. 09| Open up new market/ expansionary | Threats| Extremely competitive environment| 0. 06| 5| 0. 3| Need to be more innovative| Increase consumers’ health consciousness| 0. 3| 4| 0. 12| Decline the demand of consumers for high sugar, cholesterol, fat products | Various substitutes/Low switching costs| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Decline the sale revenue, brand loyalty| Government regulations| 0. 02| 1| 0. 02| Costly, create limitations| Natural disasters | 0. 02| 2| 0. 04| Effect the price of raw materials| Increase in costs of raw material/ costs of advertisings/ labors | 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| Increase products’ price, the company might have to pass these cost to consumers| Strength| History| 0. 02| 1| 0. 02| Long history of quality and consistency strengthens b rand image and customer loyalty. | Quality products| 0. 05| 5| 0. 5| Uses high quality raw materials to produce the finest chocolate and is very consistent with the level of quality for every product range. | Customer service| 0. 05| 5| 0. 25| Highly trained staff in providing a high level of customer service, enhances brand image and reputation. | Total control over production and distribution| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Allows Haigh’s to ensure total quality and consistency over every product manufactured and distributed. | Diversification of products and prices| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Broadens target market. Ability to attract a large number of consumers. | Economic factors| 0. 02| 2| 0. 04| There is no significant decrease in sales during times of economic decline. | Environmentally sound| 0. 02| 3| 0. 6| High focus on the environment using environmentally friendly products and distribution methods. Creates awareness of the endangered Australian native Bilby. | Packaging| 0. 02| 3| 0. 06| Uses a cost effective approach while still maintaining a premium and luxury brand image. | Online store| 0. 03| 4| 0. 12| Enables distribution of products to reach a broader range of consumers who are not within the vicinity of store locations. | Brand Image| 0. 04| 5| 0. 2| Key to building long lasting customer relationships and for attracting new customers. | Weakness| Market entry| 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| Easy for competitors to enter market, relatively low costs to set up retail store. No outside executive team| 0. 04| 2| 0. 08| Haigh’s being a privately owned family company has not outside team, which may affect decisions and growth. | Raising capital| 0. 02| 2| 0. 04| | One product company| 0. 05| 4| 0. 2| Through expanding their product range their could therefore expand their target market thus increasing profits. | Shop locations| 0. 05| 3| 0. 15| Limited shop locations, limiting the availability to consumers. | Marketing| 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| Marketing is through in-store and word of mouth. Marketing increase could create a larger customer base. | Total weighted score| 1. 0| | 3| | 6. Current strategic 6. 1 Business-level strategicWhen the company has determined its mission and vision, analysed the external environment and recognised internal strengths and weaknesses, management has to select appropriate strategies. To choose strategies should generate a competitive advantage in order to maximise the market value of the existing owners' equity (Hilier et al. , 2009). Business-level strategies, functional-level strategies and corporate strategies are the component in the strategy management. The main focus of Business-Level strategy is deciding which product or service to offer and how to distribute it. It is clear that Haigh’s chocolate focuses primarily on differentiation as its Business-Level Strategy. Own production lineAustralia does not have a viable cocoa growing industry so the beans are imported from overseas. Haigh’s is a family bu siness that is small enough to take delicate care in each process to ensure that they deliver the best quality chocolate. They protect their production line from getting the best cocoa from Europe and using their own chocolate manufacturing before distributing to their own retail stores, making this a good example of product differentiation, hence the higher price. At Haigh’s chocolate store, the differentiated product is the entire service, the quality chocolate and the experience in the store, not just the product directly purchased. Product DifferentiationUnlike cost leadership strategies, product differentiation aims to produce goods and services that customers perceive as being different in important ways. To build a successful product differentiation strategy, it is key to be able to continuously and consistently upgrade the differentiated features. Haigh’s has approximately 250 different product lines that rotate throughout the year (Natalise, 2012). The differe nt stores in different regions have their own preferences and are able to produce their own chocolate flavour according to the differing demands on their customers. Delivery system Haigh’s chocolate also offers delivery, costing an additional amount determinate upon the weight of the chocolate.This can be very convenient for customers as although the cost is quite high, customers are able to choose the Haigh’s product as a gift for others due to the high quality of the chocolate. Haigh’s should look to implement more control over this delivery system with the potential to include dry ice or other temperature controlled delivery vehicles to ensure the chocolate is kept at its high quality during the delivery process. Differentiated customer service To build up customer loyalty to the company, Haigh’s chocolate is able to create a differentiated service for them. We treat everyone with respect whether they are coming in for a $1. 20 chocolate frog or a $100 box of chocolate. We give a world class experience. (Orman, 2012).In addition, around 40,000 customers visited Haigh’s chocolate every year, Haigh’s is able to give a different customer experience centred around the quality of the chocolate and encourage many customers to experience new or different chocolates but offering a free chocolate factory tour with samples. 6. 2 Functional-level Strategies Functional-level strategies consider a company's ability to attain â€Å"superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness† (Hanson et al, 2011). Haigh’s chocolate also implements lean thinking process for the manufacturing strategy which enables to minimise non-productive activity and doing it right the first time. This strategy has been credited as a significant reason behind the recent success. (Austin, 2010) ProductionConsidering the production and due to the large number of products, they are able to spread high fixed costs of warehous ing and delivery to the retail stores around Australia. Moreover, learning effects are stable due to a consistent management, considering the order processing, Haigh’s chocolate is working very efficiently, too. High-quality automated chocolate factory increase the functionality of bringing the product to the end-user immensely Marketing From a marketing perspective, Haigh’s chocolate is the family company but applies a very efficient branding strategy. Good branding strategies are important for a business, because brands represent â€Å"consumers† perceptions and feelings about a product† (Jager, 2010). The company was able to build trust in Australia.Haigh’s chocolate is updated online often and efficiently, on the other hand due to the small number of the retail stores available around different area in Australia, they are given different advertising camping to keep customer loyal and engaged. Furthermore, Haigh’s chocolate also focuses on improving the brand awareness. Customer Responsiveness Customer responsiveness includes knowledge and acknowledgement about what the customer needs (Siegel, 2002). Furthermore, it is important not to compromise long-term profitability. Superior customer responsiveness will be achieved through superior efficiency, superior quality and superior innovation (Hansen et al, 2011).Through Haigh’s website, the design enhances their focus on customer needs and assists the company to detect better ways to satisfy them. Haigh’s chocolate is always looking for a new flavour of chocolate to fill up customer needs, making a variety of chocolate is the way to keep customer keeping coming back. Haigh’s chocolate store is also focused on providing a different theme at different periods to impress the customer in-store experience. Haigh’s chocolate is doing amazing job on their window display to attract customers, such as Sydney CBD store always has an eye-catching displa y to customer who walk past the store. 6. 3 Corporate Level strategiesConcentration on a single business The corporate strategy of Haigh’s chocolate is concentrated on a Single Business. Haigh’s chocolate focuses on its new technology, managerial and customer demand to stay in the strong competitive environment has made the company famous throughout Australia. Haigh’s chocolate makes quality chocolate through new technology introduced in their chocolate factory. The use of only the highest quality ingredients make sure the customer enjoys the best quality chocolate. Haigh’s believes in quality from start to finish. Haigh’s chocolate comes from the first pick of best cocoa beans in Europe and deliver the best raw material from the start.Haigh’s has a large variety of chocolate ranging from small chocolate frogs up to $100 gift hampers, there is a huge range of different chocolate varieties with a great price range to suit all customers budget s. There’s something for everyone in our shops (orman, 2012). Haigh’s produces their own chocolate in their factory located in Adelaide. Through only producing one product it allows the company to heavily focus on its managerial, financial, technological and physical resources in producing only chocolate. Tapered integration Haigh’s chocolate is considered as Tapered integration, for example Haigh’s chocolate imports the raw cocoa beans from overseas.Comprised of a chocolate maker and a transport company to arrange for the transportation to either individual customers in the case of online purchases or to retail shops, therefore the company has control of the whole process to ensure that their customers get the highest quality and freshest products. Using their own company supplier gives better control over the inputs and outputs in the operation. This control ensures that the Haigh’s chocolate family brand maintains a level of quality that it woul d not be able to guarantee if it were using suppliers that were not owned by the company. A strong level of quality control, and as such they can be certain that every part of the production process is line up to the aspect of Haigh’s chocolate.Its vertical integration has built strong barriers to entry, which enables to protect its product quality and make it costly for a company to enter the industry. International strategy Haigh’s chocolate has no international market so far since they have failed get into the Japanese market due to the certain issues such as pricing and developing new products for a different market. A further push from the company is expected in the next few years; however the Japanese mistake did cost the company a lot of money. A push into the Asian market, most likely to China or India, is expected in the next few years due to the high potential of growth in these markets with the potential recovery of the Asian markets. 7. Recommended strategi es 7. Business-level strategy The business level strategy is ‘an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions design to gain a competitive advantage by exploiting core competencies in specific, individual and product markets’. The following recommendations for Haigh’s will effectively exploit their core competencies. (Hanson et al, 2011). The key issues include what products and services to offer consumers, how to manufacture their product and how they are going to distribute their product’. (Hanson et al, 2011). These areas have been effectively obtained by Haigh’s however needs further enhancement and development to improve and grow the brand.From analysing Haigh’s current business level strategies it has been identified that Haigh’s is strongly focused on differentiated products. This has been a major strength for Haigh’s focusing solely on this model, and targeting a specific target market. It is strength howeve r in order to further expand the brand, broadening their selected target market would be highly beneficial and profitable. The implementation of the differentiation strategy has lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. They are one of the highest quality chocolate companies in Australia and need to continue with this strategy in the future to continue with the growing success and profitability of the company. Introduce new cost competitive product lineHaigh’s is a one-product business, therefore making it difficult to expand their target market and reach different groups of customers. Through implementing a larger product range it would be highly beneficial and profitable for the company. The brand image that Haigh’s currently has is one of very high quality. Therefore products need to be introduced that are related and at the same standard. Products that could be introduced into the business would include. Cook books, chocolate cooking utensils and serving plates. Chocolate cook books should be sold which would inspire customers to cook using Haigh’s chocolate. Haigh’s could also release their own cookbook from using the hundreds of recipes they have offered in store over the years.Cooking utensils such as chocolate molds, tempering machines, chocolate kits etc. Through adding these extra products to their product range it would highly boost sales and create a higher consumer interest for the brand. The implementation of these extra products to the line would not be a difficult task as they have most established areas such as distribution, retail outlets and staff. Haigh’s would just need to find suppliers for the products. Differentiated customer service Haigh’s customer service is an area that is highly successful and profitable to the company. Haigh’s creates a differentiated service for customers that is very unique to their company.This area within the company is recommended to remain at that same leve l of quality. Customers are treated with extreme respect no matter what you are spending within the store. They provide a ‘world-class experience’. Upon purchase they are handed a chocolate in a white glove. This encourages customers to experience new or different chocolates. Haigh’s does need to focus on this area as they must ensure the quality and consistency of their customer service remains the same over time, and throughout all stores. It is highly important as this may determine weather or not customers return to a Haigh’s store. Delivery system Haigh’s chocolate does offer delivery, which does cost extra determined by the weight of the chocolate.This is convenient for customers who live outside the region where Haigh’s does not have a store. The additional price of delivery is quite expensive. As Haigh’s chocolate is expensive this extra cost means that it is not a preferred method for consumers and is not a highly profitable a rea for Haigh’s. It is also hard to transport packaged chocolate, due to temperature requirements. Haigh’s currently operates in 3 states in Australia. Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. In the future Haigh’s should look at expanding their retail stores to other states and territories including, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and Australian capital territory.Through having retail stores across every state and territory across Australia it would be highly beneficial. It would expand their brand and customers. In order to become a more profitable business, Haigh’s needs to expand their store locations and introduce a large number of new consumers to the company. This process would initially be very expensive, however upon establishment it would be highly profitable to the company. Their main core competency is that of production and good quality chocolate products. Their quality and consistency of production, which has remaine d at the same level for many decades. At the retail end, their high quality packaging, shop design and product design is a major expertise of Haighs.Haighs needs to focus on their core competencies and effectively advertise to their selected target market to create more awareness about their brand and products. The recommended strategies will exploit Haighs core competencies and will help develop a stronger brand. 7. 2 Functional Strategy * Efficiency Keep practising the lean production Haigh’s chocolate so far has applied well significant strategies to maintain their efficiency in the manufacturing process. As can be seen, Haigh’s has adopted the lean production with the attempt to eliminate waste and to cut down non-productive activity and errors of products (Austin, 2010). The lean production also assists the company in using efficiently resources of labor, materials, space and time.It is recommended that besides continuing to practice the lean production, Haighâ₠¬â„¢s should start to analyze and focus on what they can do best or what product lines have more interest from consumers in order to maximize productivity. Strengthen relationship with supplier of key inputs The price of raw inputs like sugar and cocoa can be highly volatile due to uncertainties in the external environment such as weather, season, industry competitors or global economy. Contracts with suppliers will help the company to guarantee the price and availability of raw materials if any unpredictability events might occur in the market. Start applying the learning effects to improve labor productivity Learning effect will help the company in diminishing the cost of production per unit as more output will be produced per labour unit over the same amount of labour hours’ input.The learning effect not only requires labours but also managers to be involved in the production process. Managers will get used to with the process and be able to use the resources and arrange t he production process more efficiently thus leading to more output for the same amount of input. In order to carry out the learning effect, the company needs to start with comprehensive training program that enables their employees to perform multi tasks within each store such as cashiering, stocking and sales presentation. When staffs are flexible with the tasks they can do, the retail store could reduce the cost of labour. Being more incentive in marketing plans Effective marketing will help the company to seize larger market share.Haigh’s has been carrying out their marketing strategy based on in-store promotion and word of mouth. This strategy assists Haigh’s in saving cost; however, the company has not represented a remarkable market share in the industry. For example, with consumers who live in suburbs of NSW where Haigh’s stores do not exist, they properly are not aware of the brand and are not willing to travel too far to purchase the products that they would get conveniently from local supermarket. The common marketing tools would be applied to kindle new interest in existing product lines including social media and free gifts inside packaging, event sponsorship or taking part in food expos.For distribution channel, Haigh’s also can extend their supply to large purchasers such as up-scale hotels that require high quality products rather than just focus on individual buyers. Haigh’s premium products will be suitable for five-star hotel market. With this channel, Haigh’s will be able to sell larger amount, which would create economic of scale for the company. * Innovation Catch the consumers’ trend Failure to seize the consumers’ trends might lead to failure of the business. Consumers nowadays are having more awareness of health and nutrition in consumption decisions. In order to satisfy that need, Haigh’s need to be more innovative about the low-fat and low-sugar chocolate segment.Furthermo re, Haigh’s also can reduce the portion size of their product lines by producing â€Å"a small version† of original products in order to lessen the calories intake of consumers. It is also necessary for Haigh’s to promote the benefits of cocoa and dark chocolate to health in particularly for heart disease and antioxidant protection. Organic and free trading are also necessary movements for Haigh’s to raise consumers’ interest in the company. Extend into cafes The expansion into cafes might help Haigh’s to create a new product range. The innovation of cafes based on chocolate beverages and desserts will remark a turning point for the business. It not only helps Haigh’s to boost the sales of chocolate but also gives Haigh’s customers a new experience. * Customer responsiveness Building a strong brand loyaltyHaigh’s chocolate has created a great customer service by training staff and offering to them an intensive knowledge about products and branding. However, Haigh’s has not strongly focused on building brand loyalty. It is necessary for Haigh’s to engage and maintain the relationship with loyal customers by providing member cards, discount cards for large purchases. By implementing the loyalty programs, Haigh’s customers will feel they are valued. Moreover, with the discount promotions, customers might consider to buy with bigger amount in order to get more discount; as a result, Haigh’s could increase its sales revenue. Being more conscious of baby boomers segmentAs aging population in Australia is occurring faster, Haigh’s is required to take more actions in meeting the demand of this segment. Discount for senior is one of the options that Haigh’s could apply to attract more elderly people. Getting connected with consumers through social network Haigh’s has been successful in using the widespread of Facebook to engage with their consumers. In their Facebook page, a wide range of products has been introduced and received variety comments and responses from consumers. It is also a great marketing tool for Haigh’s. However, it is needed to exploit more the potential of social network and blogging community in strengthening the relationship with consumers.Haigh’s should set up more surveys and feedback pages in order to know what are best-seller products, what are their drawbacks, what consumers want and how to satisfy their needs. The creation of â€Å"make your own flavour† game would be applied in their Facebook page, which allows browser to create and mix own chocolate flavour. It would be a chance to let consumers knows that the company values their opinions and interests. Moreover, Haigh’s will also have more ideas in developing their product lines. 7. 3 Corporate strategy People always want new, innovative products. There are plenty of similar products existing and new products developed every si ngle day, which gives customers various options to choose. Therefore the company may easily experience change of consumer loyalty, especially for adolescents.Chocolate is an $83 billion a year business, which makes the industry’s value larger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 130 nations on earth (CNN, 2012). While they have expanded its business for almost a century, they only have 13 stores in Australia and have not expanded internationally. Their products are highly known in Australia as being of very high quality. However, Haigh’s Manufacturing represents only a small part of the Australian chocolate market. The Australian chocolate category is clearly dominated by large international players like Kraft Foods, Mars, and Nestle. Haigh’s best estimate based on industry data is 1. % of the total Australian chocolate market by turnover, a smaller portion by volume (A E HAIGH PTY LTD, 2011). In order to expand and grow the company some strategies are suggested: Tapered vertical Integration Vertical integration is commonly used in the firm’s core business to gain market power over rivals. Market power is gained as the firm develops the ability to save on its operations, avoid market costs, improve product quality and, possibly, protect its technology from imitation by rivals (Dallas Hanson, 2011). Since 1915, Haigh’s Chocolate carries out tapered vertical integration as they have controlled the whole process from raw materials to the consumer value chain.This has enabled the business to create the highest quality for its products and enabled them to protect the product quality. The company has built its own outstanding retail network. This strategy needs to keep up to protect its product quality and its long history. However, it will not be able to make continues growth in the long term as new international competitors keep entering into the market and strong international competitors have occupied the markets. Related diversification Haigh’s chocolate does not use related diversification. It is suggested to use related diversification in opening chocolate cafes in Australia, which allows them to grow their market share and reputation faster.Related diversification allows a company to swap complementary skills and create value through economise of scope. Haigh’s Chocolate has considered it but decided against it for now as they believe that is not their strength (Christina, 2011). There are some international chocolate cafes in Australia including Max Brenner, Lindt, Guylian and The Chocolate Room. One of Haigh’s strengths is breadth of its product range available to customers and it is even wider range than those international competitors which run chocolate cafes in Australia as well as worldwide (Christina, 2011). All products can be used at Haigh’s Chocolate cafe like the competitors.To differentiate, one of its current product, dark chocolate coffee beans which 100% Australian grown, for coffee lovers can be used for its coffee at the cafe and the cafe can be operated as a chocolate bar which combines a bar and a shop allowing cusomter to experience purchasing some their products at the chocolate cafe. In addition to this, buidling a solid training system for employees and developing of chocolate products such as chocolate brownie, chocolate cake can be implemented for a long term strategy of chocolate cafes. Moreover, this related diversification helps find out the latest consumer trends and behavior much more easier and also enables to advertise its new products or promotions at lower cost. International StrategyInternational strategy has been suggested as a possibility for further growth of the company. Asia market Europeans account for nearly half of all the chocolate the world eats, according to the International Cocoa Organization. (CNN, 2012) However, barriers to entry are too high in Europe as there are diverse strong competi tors. Although the Asia market is smaller compared to Europe, Asian markets are expected to hold a 20 percent share of the global market by 2016. Chocolate sales in China are expected to rise 19 percent to $1. 2 billion, India expects to see a 7 percent jump to $633 million dollars, and in Indonesia are expected to rise 25 percent to $1. billion dollars, ballooning to nearly 2 billion dollars by 2015 (CNN, 2012). Japan is Asia’s largest consumer market for chocolate confectionery with per capita consumption rate of about 1. 8 kilos (World Cocoa Foundation, 2011). Therefore the Asian market is a sutiable entry for Haigh’s Chocolates. The first entry for Haigh’s Chocolate can be Japan. Transnational strategy A transnational strategy is most suitable strategy for Haigh’s Chocolate as it helps to achieve both global efficiency and local responsiveness. They have not entered international markets since they had failed entering into Japan market due to pricing and developing new products for new market.Therefore, Haigh’s Chocolate needs new products for different markets. For instance, Japanese consumers prefer softer and less sweet products and prefer low-priced individually wrapped products are increasing (World Cocoa Foundation, 2011). Green tea, sesame flavours, individual wrapped products can be developed for Japanese markets. Haigh’s Chocolate’s are rated ‘green’ in Greenpeace True Food Guide, Signifying a clear policy on excluding GE-derived ingredients, including oils derived from GE crops, and animal products from animals fed on GE crops while other competitors such as Nestles have been rated much lower due to some criticism (True Food Network).Consumer awareness of environment-friendly products is expected to grow dramatically in the next five years (Markets and Markets, 2011). The company’s products are considered to be in a higher price range with diverse scale of products in the global market. The company can enter into international market with its clear policy as consumers seek healthier, higher quality of ingredient for health while providing different types of products for different markets for both global standardisation as well as localisation Entry mode: Strategic Alliance Strategic alliances allow companies to share the risks and the resources required to enter international markets.Furthermore, it can facilitate the development of new core competencies that contribute to the company’s future strategic competitiveness (Dal