Gourmet Pasta Brand Analysis

Gourmet Pasta Brand Analysis Name- Charanjot Sethi Introduction:- As I have done in the first assessment how to prepare the audit for gourmet Pasta and in this assessment I am going to do conduct a audit to see progress of that business and I would use all this sales records and their financial records that has been increase or decrease by the last one year or two years. The many types of pasta in your kitchen have traveled a long road. Soon after early man began to plant grain, woman began to grind flour; shape or cut lumps of dough, and throw them in the soup. Thus was pasta invented at different times and in different parts of Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean Scholars and others have traced-and imagined-lines of migration and influence, but they look more like fussily than spaghetti. Along the journey from prehistoric dumpling to tagliatelle al ragà ¹, neat timelines are few; the most rewarding route will be a tour of scattered highlights. Conduct an external audit:- Data and information is classified as their qualitative or quantitative. As that gourmet Pasts Company was using flyers in local letterbox but that was only junk mail anyway. It can be easily to measured and analysis to determine quantity or extent of factors being investigated. Quantitave data is focused on words and observation not numbers. as that pasta company gives us their sales records for that year of 2009 which are showing that how was their sales going on into that time in the market. External audit:- EXTERNAL AUDIT is an audit conducted by an individual or firm that is independent of the company being audited. These independent auditors audit the books of a company generally once per year after the completion of the companys fiscal year. Their role is to give an opinion of the financial statements reflection of the status and operations of the company being audited. Based on what they witness during the audit they will also produce, for management and board utilization, a management letter. Although a financial statement audit is the most common type of external audit, external auditors may also conduct special purpose audits which might include; performing specific tests and procedures and reporting on the results, a less intensive review, and compilations. An external marketing audit covers issues such as economic factors, demographic factors, technology factors and legal factors. Economic factors: gourmet pasts company thinks about their sales that has a big change from last years and they are not having a up to date staff that who could provide all the information as they mentioned in the case study one of their staff member do not know how to attended phone call for the take away orders and that effects the business most. They are not achieving short, medium and long term expectation of their business in regards of their staff and their credit availability. Demographic factors: according to the demographic that area has most of the people between age group of 25-50, and young professional who live close to the location and their income over $60000. I think they have to be careful because they are getting trouble with their competitors that next to them and they all are busy all the time that affects a lot on gourmet pats restaurant. Technological factors:-gourmet pasta have problem about their parking area that have big impact on people having access to the restaurants at night. They should provide new products and they could change their names according to their types. They could start doing online services and need to update their business and services that they are providing to the customers. Legal factors:-according to me they have to follow the rules and regulation according to the government if they changing their price list they should mentioned in advance to their regular customers because it impact the business lot. They have to keep in mind what are the new rules and make sure they are following them according to the government. External micro factors:- those factors that meet audit requirements include:- Market characteristics:-  that is the trend of market for restaurants is headed towards a more sophisticated customers. The restaurants patron today relative to yesterday is more sophisticated in a number of different ways. As now days the preference for high-quality ingredients is increasing as customers are learning to appreciate the qualitative differences. Customer need:- sartos pasta is providing with a wide selection of high-quality pasta dishes that are unique and pleasing in presentation and utilize top-shelf ingredients. Sartos gourmet pasta seeks to fulfill some benefits that are important for their customers. Competitors factors: as the owner of pasta restaurant explained that their competitors, had built a large 30 seat outdoor eating area and that it seemed to be full every time he went past and looked in and also one of the franchise chains, pasta bite, had opened up in the adjacent suburb giving the local customers greater options in pasta. Conduct internal audit: Internal audit is a dynamic profession involved in helping organizations achieve their objectives. It is concerned with evaluating and improving the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes in an organization. To do this, internal auditors work with management to systematically review systems and operations. These reviews (audits) are aimed at identifying how well risks are managed including whether the right processes are in place, and whether agreed procedures are being adhered to. Audits can also identify areas where efficiencies or innovations might be made. Internal audits are organized under an ongoing program of review and advisory activity this is based on the strategic needs of an organisation. In the course of their role, internal auditors work across all areas of an organisation. In addition to core areas of financial control and IT, they review the tangible aspects of operations, such as an organizations supply chain or IT systems; as well as more intangible aspects such as organizational culture and ethics. In fact, any system that has an impact on the effective operation of an organisation may be included in internal audits scope. The criteria to be used:-in the internal audit we are focusing on sales analysis, SWOT analysis, product development, profitability and efficiency. they all are mentioned below:- SWOT analysis:-a swot analysis examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the business. As we strengths and weaknesses are factors that are able to control by the business. They both need to be consider from the perspective of the customers and should only be assessed based on their ability to assist or prevent the business in meeting market needs. Opportunities and threats exist independent of the business and are often beyond its control. Pasta company owner has to match internal strengths with external opportunities to create the best competitive advantage. Sales record:-as the company financial record staff member gave me the detail about the actual sales of 2009 which is below:- Segment Budget-2009 Actual-2009 individuals 120,000 121,000 families 150,000 112,000 Take away 180,000 203,000 Total 450,000 436,000 Functional efficiency, internal interface and:- Gourmet pasta restaurants owner need to make sure that their relationship between sales and marketing are good and they are working effectively or he need to bring some changes in. to make sure everything working properly he need to check all the service are up-to date and products and their technological skills are changed according to the new time basis. He should know that their staff members know all the service how to answers on the phone and how to serve people with reasonable manners and that would impact his business with positive way. He should know about all the problems that are happening into the business and he need to consternate on them and they need to be fixed such as manufactured, fiancà ©, purchasing and new product development. Marketing system:- Marketing system is a set of procedures and methods designed to generate, analyze, disseminate, and store anticipated marketing decision information on a regular, continuous basis. An information system can be used operationally, managerially, and strategically for several aspects of marketing. A marketing information system can be used operationally, managerially, and strategically for several aspects of marketing. We all know that no marketing activity can be carried out in isolation, know when we say it doesnt work in isolation that means there are various forces could be external or internal, controllable or uncontrollable which are working on it. Thus to know which forces are acting on it and its impact the marketer needs to gathering the data through its own resources which in terms of marketing we can say he is trying to gather the market information or form a marketing information system. This collection of information is a continuous process that gathers data from a variety of sources synthesizes it and sends it to those responsible for meeting the market places needs. The effectiveness of marketing decision is proved if it has a strong information system offering the firm a Competitive advantage. Marketing Information should not be approached in an infrequent manner. If research is done this way, a firm could face these risks: Opportunities may be missed. There may be a lack of awareness of environmental changes and competitors actions. Data collection may be difficult to analyze over several time periods. Marketing plans and decisions may not be properly reviewed. Data collection may be disjointed. Previous studies may not be stored in an easy to use format. Time lags may result if a new study is required. Actions may be reactionary rather than anticipatory. And the owners of that business have to control all those kind of risk and problems that affect the business. Marketing productivity:- Measuring too much can be as bad as no measurement at all. ECI will assist you in navigating through the data and research maze of marketing analytics. The result of our data architecture audit is clearly defined key performance indicators that explain and clearly correlate to long- and short-term marketing and business success. To secure transparency and up-to-date overviews of your marketing performance we will support you in the implementation of extranet and dash-board solutions. Technology will not only increase productivity in the day-to-day marketing process, but also secure ownership of information and models related to your significant marketing and media investments. The system will track your investments from allocation of funds for marketing all the way to the profit and payback. The output of the process will be clear input to future briefings.

Life Experience Growing Up Essay

It is hard to explain to most people the reason why even though I was born in the United States of America and had a complete set of parents at the time of my birth, I was still sent to Haiti to be raised by a surrogate family. Not everyone understands the crazy things that parents do when their marriage is failing and the family is falling apart, as my parents chose to do. I do not remember much about my childhood in the USA because I left when I was seven years old. All that I could remember about that time was that my mother came home one day really sad and she asked my two sisters and I to pack up our things because we were going on an airplane ride. When I asked her where we were headed, thinking that we were probably going to Disneyland or something, she told me that we were going to take a vacation at her sister’s house in Haiti. This did not strike me as strange at the time because I had never met my mother’s sister at that point in time so I was excited to meet her. Mom told us that we had cousins in Haiti and we would get to meet them for the very first time during this trip. When I asked my mom if Dad would be joining us on this trip, she said that he was too busy at work to come along but that he loved us and wished us a safe trip. So it happened that I left my country of birth in 1973 to embark on a life that was thrust upon me without a choice nor a reason why I had to live it. Our mother spent a whole month with us in Haiti. I have some vague recollection of my mother sitting at the dining table at night with her sister, crying and in need of consolation. At the end of the month, I remember seeing my mother packing her suitcase. I thought it was time to go home and that she had simply forgotten to tell my sisters and I to pack up our things. So I began doing so without being instructed to. When mom saw what I was doing, she asked me to stop and come out to the backyard to have a talk. We sat on the swing in the small backyard of my aunt’s house as my mother explained what our new family situation was. She asked me if I remembered how she and dad had been fighting a lot lately and sometimes he would not come home for days because of the arguments. I recall that at the time I had vague recollections of my parents voices breaking through the bedroom walls at night when they thought we were already asleep. Slowly, mom explained to me that the marriage was in trouble and that the family was falling apart. She assured me that they both still loved us more than life itself but that they felt it would be best if we stayed n Haiti while they finalized the divorce and they both tried to get back on their feet after. It hurt me a lot to be indirectly told that my sisters and I had no place in our parents lives anymore. I felt abandoned and betrayed by both my parents. I was angry that even though I was just a little girl, I would have to find a way to explain what was going on to my sisters and make sure that they would be able to adjust to a life without our real mom and dad. We were all born in New York City and were accustomed to its lifestyle and culture. O when we were forcibly left in Haiti by our mom, we had to overcome the culture shock and social difficulty of having to live in a different environment from what we were used to. My sisters and I also had to lowly began to adjust to life with our surrogate parents. That is, our aunt and her husband. We had surrogate siblings as well because they eventually had their own children. We were a large, convoluted, extended family. As time passed, we became less American and more Haitian. French became our mother tongue and English was a stranger to us. We were happy and well adjusted kids who saw no difference in the way we were treated by our guardians who loved and treated us as if we were their own flesh and blood. Our parents? We spoke to them separately over the phone 4 times a month. We were strangers who did not really know anything about each other and did not have much to talk about over the phone. Those times were more like mandatory duties that our aunt and uncle made sure we accomplished without fail.

Animal use in Medical Research

The use of animals in medical researches has saved and also improved the quality of lives of many people and animals as well. Medicines, techniques and procedures currently used in diagnosing and curing diseases have been made easier by using animals in research.This has greatly helped to understand how the body works. Most of these researches are conducted in universities, hospitals and other institutes to find cures that reduce the death of human beings and at the same time the animals themselves (Understanding Animal Research, 2010).Initially, most deaths were occurred as a result of infections and diseases and it was not until 1900 that developments were made to put an end to the deaths due to the introduction of animal testing (Understanding Animal Research, 2010).Major medical breakthroughs such as the discovery of anesthesia, artificial respiration, germ theory and the discovery of the AIDS causing virus have been arrived at as a result of animal testing (Understanding Animal Research, 2010). Medical research that uses animals should be continued as it aids in saving lives.Use of animals for medical research is cruel and immoralDissection of animals is also known as vivisection which can either be done either in part or completely and later the findings used in medical research (Monamy, 2000).Alternatively, animal reactions to different substances can be monitored from their behavior. In his research, Monamy recognizes the use of animals in conducting experiments in medicine fields such as psychology, physiology, biology and improvements in medical technology.However, animal rights activists consider actions inflicted to animals in the process of research as a form of cruelty, terming the actions as against the moral obligations of human beings to animals. Animal rights campaigners claim that animals possess moral rights and thus it is wrong for human beings to use them for experimental purposes (White, 2008).The findings of investigation on the morality of animals shows that a morally considerable creature as one that can be morally wronged. This is a capability that is generalized to be possessed by human beings despite there being no clear proof of any other animal with the same ability (Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, 2003).According to Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, a claim that human beings are more morally competent than animals grants them the ability to make decisions that affect both animals and human beings (2003). Also, this makes the human beings responsible for activities that enhance the dignity of all forms of life on earth.It has led to the development of processes and substances that ensure that life is habitable for both human and non-human beings. In the light of this view, proponents of animal testing have continued to cite this as a reason for the execution of animal testing.In contrast, there has been a revelation of animals exhibiting feelings, especially primates. They have social ties with each other. This was discovered by their abilities to show emotions when one of them died after being depressed (2003). Other animals too have been proven to demonstrate high degrees of mental sophistication (White, 2008).In his book, Contemporary Moral Problems† White claims that this argument accords them the moral right to be respected and not to be used in experiments. Birds such as parrots, mynahs and magpies are seen to be mentally competent (2008, pp. 347).More supporters of animal rights claim that animals have inherent value. Thus, they believe that every creature has the will to live its life free from pain or suffering like the one that may be caused by medical tests (Singer, 1975).All beings are entitled to similar considerations in view of their capacity to be alive (Singer, 1975). In his book named â€Å"Animal liberation: a new ethics for our treatment of animals† Singer explains that the capacity of some animals of the group of higher vertebrates to feel pain must not be ignored. He relates it to the ability of human beings to feel the same and hence the need to respect moral rights of animals.According to Singer, the fact that human beings continue to accord moral respect to retarded human beings and those considered to have lost their capacity for what is considered moral rights, is being unfair to animals. He adds that â€Å"lack of moral rigths† has led to animals being slaughtered for food and continously used in medical experiments (1975).

The Impact Engel v. Vitale Had On Prayer in Schools

What authority, if any, does the U.S. government have when it comes to religious rituals like prayers? The Engel v. Vitale Supreme Court decision of 1962 deals with this very question. The  Supreme Court ruled 6 to 1 that it was unconstitutional for a government agency like a school or government agents like public school employees to require students to recite prayers. Heres how this ultimately important church vs. state decision evolved and how it ended up before the Supreme Court. Fast Facts: Engel v. Vitale Case Argued: April 3, 1962Decision Issued:  June 25, 1962Petitioner: Steven I. Engel, et alRespondent:   William J. Vitale, Jr., et alKey Question: Does recitation of a nondenominational prayer at the beginning of the school day violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Warren, Black, Douglas, Harlan, Clark, and BrennanDissenting: Justice StewartRuling: Even if the prayer is not nondenominational nor is participation mandatory, the state cannot sponsor prayer in public schools. Engel v. Vitale and the New York Board of Regents The New York State Board of Regents, which had supervisory power over New York public schools began a program of â€Å"moral and spiritual training† in the schools which included a daily prayer. The Regents themselves composed the prayer, in what was intended to be a non-denominational format. Labeled the â€Å"To whom it may concern† prayer by one commentator, it stated: Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country. But some parents objected, and the American Civil Liberties Union joined with 10 of the parents in a suit against the Board of Education of New Hyde Park, New York.  Amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs were filed by the American Ethical Union, the American Jewish Committee and the Synagogue Council of America supporting the lawsuit, which sought to remove the prayer requirement. Both the state court and the New York Court of Appeals allowed the prayer to be recited. Who Was Engel? Richard Engel was one of the parents who objected to the prayer and filed the initial lawsuit. Engel has often said that his name became part of the decision only because it came ahead of the other parents names alphabetically on the list of plaintiffs. Engel and the other parents said their children endured taunting at school because of the lawsuit, and that he and other plaintiffs received threatening phone calls and letters while the suit made its way through the courts. Supreme Court Decision in Engel v. Vitale In his majority opinion, Justice Hugo Black sided substantially with the arguments of the separationists, who quoted heavily from Thomas Jefferson and made extensive use of his â€Å"wall of separation† metaphor. Particular emphasis was placed upon James Madison’s â€Å"Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments.† The decision was 6-1 because Justices Felix Frankfurter and Byron White did not take part (Frankfurter had suffered a stroke). Justice Stewart Potter was the sole dissenting vote.   According to Blacks majority opinion, any prayer created by the government was akin to the English creation of the Book of Common Prayer. The Pilgrims came to America originally to avoid exactly this type of relationship between government and organized religion. In Blacks words, the prayer was â€Å"a practice wholly inconsistent with the Establishment Clause.† Although the Regents argued that there was no compulsion on students to recite the prayer, Black observed that: Neither the fact that the prayer may be denominationally neutral nor the fact that its observances on the part of students is voluntary can serve to free it from the limitations of the Establishment clause. What Is the Establishment Clause? This is the portion of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which  prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress. In the Engel v. Vitale case, Black wrote that the Establishment clause is violated regardless of whether there is any â€Å"showing of direct government compulsion...whether those laws operate directly to coerce non-observing individuals or not.† Black pointed out that the decision showed great respect for religion, not hostility: It is neither sacrilegious nor antireligious to say that each separate government in this country should stay out of the business of writing or sanctioning official prayers and leave that purely religious function to the people themselves and to those the people choose to look to for religious guidance. Significance of Engel v. Vitale This case was one of the first in a series of cases in which a variety of religious activities sponsored by the government were found to violate the Establishment Clause. This was the first case which effectively prohibited the government from sponsoring or endorsing official prayer in schools. Engel v. Vitale got the ball rolling on separation of church and state issues in the latter half of the 20th century.