Sunday, July 21, 2019

Observations of The Joy Luck Club

Observations of The Joy Luck Club Quotes Observation 1) p3 On her journey she cooed to the swan: In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husbands belch. Over there nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English. 2) P3 This feather may look worthless, but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions. And she waited, year after year, for the day she could tell her daughter this in perfect American English. (I.Prologue.4) 3) P56 I was still screaming after two laughing men grabbed this man and, shaking him, said, Joe, stop it, for Chrissake. Youre scaring that poor little girl and her maid. (II.2.38) 4) P121 I know this, because I was raised the Chinese way: I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other peoples misery, to eat my own bitterness.And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way! Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl. And I was born to my mother and I was born a girl. All of us are like stairs, one step after another, going up and down, but all going the same way. (IV.1.4) 5) P129 In the afternoon, my mother spoke of her unhappiness for the first time. We were in a rickshaw going to a store to find embroidery thread. Do you see how shameful my life is? she cried. Do you see how I have no position? He brought home a new wife, a low-class girl, dark-skinned, no manners! Bought her for a few dollars from a poor village family that makes mud-brick tiles. And at night when he can no longer use her, he comes to me, smelling of her mud. (IV.1.90) 6) P 145 My daughter did not look pleased when I told her this, that she didnt look Chinese. She had a sour American look on her face. Oh, maybe ten years ago, she would have clapped her hands hurray! as if this were good news. But now she wants to be Chinese, it is so fashionable. And I know it is too late. All those years I tried to teach her! She followed my Chinese ways only until she learned how to walk out the door by herself and go to school. (IV.3.6) 7) P 145 How can she talk to people in China with these words? Pee-pee, choo-choo train, eat, close light sleep. How can she think she can blend in? Only her skin and her hair are Chinese. Inside she is all American-made. 8) P149 And then I saw another sign across the street. It was painted on the outside of a short building: Save Today for Tomorrow, at Bank of America. And then I thought to myself, This is where American people worship. See, even then I was not so dumb! Today that church is the same size, but where that short bank used to be, now there is a tall building, fifty stories high, where you and your husband-to-be work and look down on everybody. (IV.3.50) 9) P 154 Cannot be helped, my mother said when I was fifteen and had vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin. I was a sophomore at Galileo High in San Francisco, and all my Caucasian friends agreed: I was about as Chinese as they were. But my mother had studied at a famous nursing school in Shanghai, and she said she knew about genetics. So there was no doubt in her mind, whether I agreed or not: Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese. (IV.4.2) 10) P 156 And then I whispered, Theyll think Im responsible, that she died because I didnt appreciate her. And Auntie Lindo looked satisfied and sad at the same time, as if this were true and I had finally realized it. (IV.4.29) 11) P 158 Hello, I say to the little girl. My name is Jing-mei. But the little girl squirms to look away, causing her parents to laugh with embarrassment. I try to think of Cantonese words I can say to her, stuff I learned from friends in Chinatown, but all I can think of are swear words, terms for bodily functions, and short phrases like tastes good, tastes like garbage, and shes really ugly. And then I have another plan: I hold up the Polaroid camera, beckoning Lili with my finger. She immediately jumps forward, places one hand on her hip in the manner of a fashion model, juts out her chest, and flashes me a toothy smile. As soon as I take the picture she is standing next to me, jumping and giggling every few seconds as she watches herself appear on the greenish film. (IV.4.53) 12) P 166 And although we dont speak, I know we all see it: Together we look like our mother. Her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish. (IV.4.146) She wants her daughter to have a good life in America. She dreams of her daughter having it better and only being judged because of her capability and not based on who she is married to. Her child will have a voice of her own and wont be looked down on just because she is American. There is a language gap between mother and daughter. In order to get her daughter to understand all of her love and intentions, the mother needs to wait and communicate in her daughters languageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦which might never happen. Seeing an Asian woman and what appears to be a white girl, peoples first conclusion is that the Asian woman is the girls maid. Despite An-meis best efforts, her daughter still followed the mold of Chinese women who are voiceless and shoulder all the emotional burdens. An-mei speculates that the long matrilineal line is like a staircase that: although each step is in a new place, they are all going the same direction. Suyuan Woos is ashamed of her life. She hates how she doesnt have any rights and unhappy because she is treated just like property. It disappoints her how this is how she must live because of Tsing. She has to be grateful to him since he is the one who created her social life and position. Waverly doesnt like hearing she isnt chinese from her mother. Part of that may be because its trending but Waverly still likes to believe that she is chinese even though she is American. She wants to believe its a part of her, but when her mother told her that they will know shes an outsider just by doing nothing when they are in China, it upsets her. She is saying that chinese traits are in her blood and that they were passed on to her and when she goes to China it will come out. However, she is still American so there will be things that make Waverly stand out. She may look the part but she doesnt fit it completely. Lindo is basically saying that American people treasure wealth rather than their own God. She says that Americans believe that money is the most important thing in our society and that can say a lot. Suyuan says that you cant choose your nationality. Being chinese is a part of you and its always going to be inside of her or in her genes. She cant just choose not to be chinese. Jing-mei feels guilty because she thinks she wasnt a good daughter while her mom was alive. There are also the other sisters who didnt get a chance to also be good daughters for their mom when she was alive so that causes her to feel even guiltier. Although she wasnt able to talk to her verbally, she was still able to communicate with her in some way to show we was a friend. The language barriers can be broken down. ing-mei is able to accomplish one of her moms dreams. They all have a connection with each other and their mother. They are like her and look like her too. This is a way for the mother to still be with her daughters even if she has passed. They all have a part of their mother in them.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Conventional Plastic Films vs Sustainable Films Essay -- Environment,

Sustainability has become and important issue in the world as the Green Movement continues to gain popularity. One area where research is being conducted to find a more sustainable production process is plastic films. Plastic films are defined as a packaging material, usually less than ten mils (a mil is 0.001 inch) in thickness, with an average of 0.7–1.5 mils, that can be used as a bag or wrapper. They are composed of a broad range of materials, which can be simple or complex depending on what a particular product or package demands (Osborn & Jenkins, 1992). There are two main categories of films used in packaging, conventional films and sustainable films. Conventional plastic films are much more widely used and have a larger market than sustainable films. The film can be made with different resins, each of which have unique structures and are ideal for specific applications. The films can be clear or colored, printed or plain, single- or multilayered and are often combined with other materials such as aluminum and paper. Examples of plastic films usages include Ziploc bags, trash bags, grocery sacks, drycleaner bags, and plastic wrap. The only common characteristic of all plastic conventional film is that it is flexible in nature. The most common resin used to create these plastic film packages is low-density polyethylene (LDPE). As a film LDPE has decent clarity, is a good moisture and gas barrier, and it can be heat sealed while retaining its strength and flexibility. Polypropylene (PP) is also a common resin used to create plastic film. It has an excellent moisture barrier, good transparency, gloss, and tensile strength. The PP resin also has a high melting point, which makes it appropriate for packages that need to be st... ...petroleum, which has been around for significantly longer and has a strong hold on the market. As sustainability continues to become an emerging concern for consumers bio-plastics will grow in importance in the packaging industry. Similar to auto companies who are searching for alternative sources of energy for automobiles, chemical companies are searching for alternatives to manufacture of plastic materials (Perkins & Lindsay, 2011). We have a limited supply of fossil fuels and ate the rate plastic products such as film are being produced and consumed each year, it is hard to say how long they will last. Bio-plastics currently represent only a small fraction of the emerging area of sustainable development, but their usage is growing. There is great potential for bio-plastics as replacements for the less-sustainable fossil fuel based plastics used in plastic film.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Blaise Pascal :: essays research papers fc

The French mathematician, theologian, physicist and man-of-letters, Blaise Pascal is a mathematician who has a reputation that rests more on what he might have done rather than what he might have actually done. Pascal has devoted a considerable amount of his life towards the devotion of religious exercise. Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne. Which is now known as Clermont-Ferrand, on June 19, 1623. And he died in Paris on Aug. 19, 1662. Pascal was the son of the president of the Court of Exchequer. After Pascal's mother died in 1630 his father who also had a scientific reputation moved to Paris in 1631 to pursue his own scientific studies, and also to continue his children’s education. Pascal had displayed an exceptional amount of academic ability therefore he was kept at home to ensure his academic stability. Pascal had a natural desire for the science of constructing figures and determining the proportions between their different parts. He soon discovered that the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles. By the age of fourteen he was admitted to the weekly meetings of Roberval, Mersenne, Mydorge, and other French geometricians; from which, ultimately, the French Academy sprung. At sixteen Pascal wrote an essay on conic sections. Blaise Pascal with Pierre de Fermat, they invented the calculus of probabilities, which laid foundation for Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz's calculus. In 1647 Pascal invented calculating machine, which made him one of the fathers of the Computer Age. Later he developed the barometer, the hydraulic press, and the syringe. In 1653 he had to administer his father's estate. Pascal's other important scientific contributions include the derivation of Pascal's law or principle, which states that fluids transmit pressures equally in all directions, and his investigations in the geometry of infinitesimals. Around this time he invented the arithmetical triangle, and in conjunction with Fermat created the calculus of probabilities. Pascal died at the age of 39 in intense pain after a malignant growth in his stomach spread to the brain. His most famous work is the Pensees (Thoughts); a set of deeply personal meditations in somewhat fragmented form on human suffering and faith in God. "Pascal's wager" expresses the conviction that belief in God is rational: if God does not exist, one stands to lose nothing by believing in him anyway, while if he does exist, one stands to lose everything by not believing.

Sylvia Plaths Mirror Essay -- Papers Sylvia Plath Poem Poetry Essays

Sylvia Plath's Mirror Sylvia Plath's "Mirror" offers a unique perspective on the attitudes of aging. "Mirror" displays tremendous insight and objectivity into the natural human behavior of growing older. Plath is able to emphasize the loneliness, hope, despair, and insecurity that awaits us through mankind's incessant addiction with reflection. "Mirror" expresses the problems associated with aging through terse comparisons between reality and desire. Plathe's strength of "Mirror" lies in its ability to establish a solid comparison among appearance and human emotions between the first and second stanzas. At first "Mirror" introduces reflection as a precise and accurate force through utilizing the first person perspective of a mirror: "I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. I am not cruel, only truthful.." (Plathe lines 1-4) This example can then be viewed symbolically of appearance especially concerning "love or dislike". In that people never hate nor adore their features but merely accept that what they see is what defines them. This faith is reinforced by the quality and type of reflection because it is originating from a mirror which is suppose to be exact, honest, and universal for all. Plathe understanding these principles describes the reflection process by instilling this object with living characteristics such as thought, sight, and a lifestyle: "Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall. It is pink with speckles. I have looked at it so long I think it is part of my heartà ¢? ¦Faces and darkness separate us over and over." (Pl... ... that not only destroys our reflection but also ones sense of identity, purpose, and confidence. The critical comparisons found in Sylvia Plath's "mirror" portray a distinctive attitude towards aging. Through contrasting the two separate stanzas the messages of desire, reality, individuality, fear, and insecurity are all demonstrated. Once the essence of Plathe's attitude is unlocked in "mirror" the emotion behind the writing is seen as the motivation for a tone that displays intense longing or weariness towards life. This becomes epitomized throughout Plathe's presentation as it utilizes age as a catalyst for the deterioration of the human spirit. Works Cited: Plath, Sylvia. ?Mirror.? The Language of Literature: American Literature. Eds. Arthur N. Applebee et al. Evanston: McDougal Littel, 1997. 252.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Nutrition- 3 Day Diet Analysis

Three Day Diet Analysis According to the food pyramid, my diet is horrible considering what I have consumed in these 3 days. It shows that I need to start eating more, and better quality foods. My sugar intake is too high and should be reconsidered. Possibly I could swap out processed sugars for natural sugars; such as in fruit. It is obvious from the records I have provided that I do not take in as much (if any) fruit that one should be consuming on a daily basis. Thus, not only am I depriving myself of vitamins, I am also depriving myself of the fiber needed in order for my digestive system and metabolism to work as necessary.I will have to incorporate more whole grains with fruit and vegetables to act as roughage, as going to the bathroom proves difficult for me- most likely this is why. I was astonished by how many carbohydrates I take in too. Eating a lot of carbs can add to the blockage/ movement in the bowels so I need to consider decreasing the TYPE of carbohydrates that I ea t, cutting out white and processed breads and grains, replacing them for whole grains and wheat products. The only milk I intake is with my coffee and tea.Although I have four hot beverages a day with around 2 tablespoons of dairy, I am aware that this is no-where near the recommended 2 cups a day. On a good note however, I do not drink many sugary drinks at all- if any. Coffee, tea and water are my staple liquids therefore the sugar that I eat equals out to the sugars that I don’t drink. Drinking 2-3 glasses of water per day are less than the 6-8 glasses recommended however I do make a conscious effort to drink more on the days that I work out. I do not take in enough calories, as I burn on average 800calories and eat on any given day from 1200-1800.The meat and beans intake was at 3. 5 oz which I do not eat meat much so this is not a surprise it’s suppose to be 6oz intake. With the Vegetables this is an easy one I love any kind of vegetable and was short these 3 days I had 1 cups intake when it says I should do 3 cups. Fruit intake was 0 cup when it says 2 cups recommended. Grains intake was 3. 5oz recommendation is 7oz. All in all I would say I need to work on something’s but I am proud to say I will be working on changing my lifestyle. I have made a conscious effort to start a meal plan in conjunction with a 60 day workout called insanity.I have done this before and the results have been outstanding. I was at the peak of physical condition as well as health. With eating correctly my mind was clear and vivid. My memory was better and I had no feelings of sluggishness or feisty behavior. Joining this meal plan will help me jump-start my metabolism by keeping me on a strict guideline on times to eat (since this seems to be a problem with me), portions- since I don’t eat enough and balanced diet as it has proven as of now I am eating more protien and carbohydrates than anything else.Some of the ways I can work on these things is mak e sure I eat more in all the areas of the pyramid, with the grains I will eat more pastas, whole grain breads, crackers and just anything that has grain in it. Also more vegetables, this is easy because I do love them but need to go shopping more. I definitely have to make a more conscious effort to eat more fruit as they seem to be the last thing I want to pick up for some reason. Oranges, Grapefruit, apples, kiwis etc is good for me and I plan to eat them more.Milk will be hard since I am not a huge fan. I have an issue with eating WHITE liquid ingredients I. e milk, sour cream, mayonnaise, alfredo sauce. This doesn’t bother me much as most white things seem to be pure fat, usually. Oils, I do consume a lot of natural oils such as in avocados, olive oil and some nuts. Another thing I need to eat more of and that I LOVE, are legumes. They provide nutrients, fiber and hunger control all while being delicious. I do take a superfood supplement called Spirulina.If there is a sin gle food in this world that I feel people should take every-day, it is this product. What is spiraling: Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is being developed as the â€Å"food of the future† because of its amazing ability to synthesize high-quality concentrated food more efficiently than any other algae. Most notably, Spirulina is 65 to 71 percent complete protein, with all essential amino acids in perfect balance. In comparison, beef is only 22 percent protein.Spirulina has a photosynthetic conversion rate of 8 to 10 percent, compared to only 3 percent in such land-growing plants as soybeans. Nutritional Properties of Spirulina: Contains high concentrations of 18 Vitamins and Minerals Rich in Chlorophyll Contains ALL essential amino acids 65% of Spirulina is Protein Rich in gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) – an anti-inflammatory Omega 6 Fatty Acid 100x the Vitamin A of Carrots 50x the Iron of Spinach 10x the Beta Carotene of Carrots 7x the Calcium of Milk 6x the Protein of Eggs x More Iron Than Beef Rich in Phytonutrients and antioxidants Over-all, I feel that this three day meal plan was extremely beneficial as it got me to become re-conscious of the food that I am putting in my body. For someone that is so conscious of exercise, I am surprised at the way I have let myself slip, food wise. I am taking step towards fixing this immediately and feel that I should continue doing a food log at least every three months, not only as a motivation technique but as a means of continuing a certain lifestyle.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Ebay Market Share

How to overshadow the online switch bridge trade Jeffrey Phillips Brian Somok Xiaoke Zheng Executive unofficial Background eBay Inc history September 1995 funded as a sole proprietorship. May 1996 embodied in California. April 1998 reincorpo dictated in Delaw be. September 1998 shutdown of initial habitual standing October 2002 dumb implantd PayPal harvest-time Online Auction E actu both(prenominal)y day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, wizard thousand trillions of mountain from e actually(prenominal) over the world go shopping at online selleer bridge sale offs. This is not an exaggeration eBay, with a 76% sh argon of the ven referable identify food securities industry, reports 42. million consumptionrs and a reaping factor of degree centigrade% per Year Porters flipper Forces Analysis Rivalry Rivalry is in truth intense. rube had to give up japan and Australia online auction bridge turn ups in 2003 because of downhearted-spi rited shore in this trade even if bumpkin made spectacular investment in these devil sites beforehand. Number of firms Online auction firms www. eBay. com, www. overstock. com, www. ubid. com, www. yahoo. com, www. amazon. com, www. CQ al low-pitched out. com, www. bidville. com, etcete rankra The tremendous government issue of firms in this commercialize reflects the intense arguing among those sites. Margin lettuce is decreased to a relatively low direct. Bay could st adapted survive because of its get over of thriftiness and proficient saucilys report. However, eBays gain in 2004 was much slenderer than in 2003. Sh ar pass waterers destiny apart much prescertain(p) on eBay, and eBay had to read serious its pricing on oversize-ranging ope reckon on the short rush along in order to satisfy mints short term expectation. However, he is take a chanceing his long term tax revenue enhancement and written report. mulish damages Essentially, dictated fo llows on online auction mart be instead low purchasing programming applied science patents, web, administration, impute, accounting, staff, and daily operations. Product diverseiation note depends on how the effect is performed. on that point is not too much difference among incompatible online auction companies in web touch efficiency and rapture efficiency, me trust eBay is much than(prenominal) convenient than former(a)s, collectible to their lengthy expertness in the grocery store. eBay distinguishableiated itself by integration PayPal defrayal outline, which is famous for its security measures, cheap yard and ne twainrk utility. eBay offers a cheap transaction fee rate, as well. It has greatest flesh of exploiters by far, which offers excellent web utility. amazon utilise to be a taciturnity product abider.However, since 1999 amazon added auction mental faculty in its business. eBay comparablewise encroached on amazons niche by adopting amend toll functions like buy it directly button and purchasing www. half. com. eBay and virago take aim been less(prenominal) different and on that pointfore con passer has increased a elfin. However, there is still an obvious gap mingled with them in terms of business model and softw ar system development. amazon built its reputation with luxuriously-end users. It has a friendly and succinct transaction interface, which offers sterling(prenominal) product mix. Amazon is utilizing Porters shelter strategy and has not sortd this for years.On the different hand, eBay is a monstrous residential argona of pocket-sized bargain forrs and venders who hump with single-item proceeding at negotiable hurts. It has a created cost gain by scale of economy. Most goods traded on eBay are victimised, and eBays inventory substitutes much rapidly than Amazons. eBay is actually pickings Porters cost strategy. varied business models result in different financial mental process. eBay generated $441 million gelt in 2003 on $2. 17 billion revenue compared with Amazons much littler $35 million profit on far to a greater extent revenue $5. 3 billion. eBay has a much liquid and cost-effective financial structure.Besides, these two companies are both valued by their own network/ alliance. Most customers fag outt switch betwixt auction and fixed impairment retail genuinely often part because they are root in the alliance culture of all network. They foundert fetch bonuss to change their current method of transaction if it is satisfactory. variant business models and different networks are rich to place these two companies in different niches without too much rivalry. Barriers of in the raw Entrants young freshers seize e rattling(prenominal) opportunity to expound their commercialise comp sensationnt. eBay still has a prevailing market share of online auction.His reputation is a sweeping force in maintaining his good performance. However, e Bay has to be awake in every marketing decision. His mistakes leave be taken advantage by these lateborn comers. For example, www. bidville. com , an online auction site, recently experience a hammy increase in unseas whizd extremity registration subsequently eBay announced they would plainct their tilt fees for marketers. eBay took a prompt rejoinder by resuming the listing fee back down to the original level. eBay didnt win nigh(prenominal)thing in this price adaption and readjustment, but eat at his reputation.Essentially in this online auction market, whoever has the near refer intelligence, wins the game. slump at a time, Bidvilles damage in hold recognition puts Bidville out as a possible substitute to eBays market blank space temporarily. eBay should conjecture near much than to maintain his name recognition on the long run. Patents eBay does not hold every key skillful technology. A saucy fledgling could slowly simulate eBays interface. High cost of presentation eBays intimatelyly(prenominal) effectual barriers are its deep network and presumable reputation. It is quite nasty for a novelfangled entrant to build a new-fashionedly network starting with no users. We weed verify this by how new pedigree ticketing companies grow. ) The besides delegacy to start a network from a reasonable size is to derive an online auction market from an breathing online website attach to which already has a network, just as Yahoo and Amazon did. A new entrant must withal demonstrate book of factsability and capability to customers and requital providers (credit autod, PayPal, eWallet, etc. ). New entrants must prove their guarantees of competent and safe minutes, to both vendees and venders. Why would buyers and marketers flap to switch from a respectable subsisting online auction site to a new iodine?Incentives to switch include discounts, coupons, cumulative reimbursement like frequent miles, co -occurrences from separate serves an entrant or their cooperating company offers, and exalteder-quality service in terms of timely and captivateive shipping. alone of these are trivial but not necessarily effective gross revenue methods. Effectiveness depends on a schoolwide gross sales strategy which is ground on keen insight of business dynamics and human group dynamics. It is hard for a new entrant to find an experienced strategist, and even if it does, there is still no guarantee to gain market share.This market is basically first-mover dominant. Furthermore, it is un credibly for payment companies like credit cod companies or few other electronic payment providers to support a new entrant, because profitability is unclear. The revenue for happy new entrants go forth be low at the beginning and stable on the long run. However, expenses pass on be exceedingly risque school at the beginning. A new company ra depone survives within a short term unless it has a ver y generous percentage of leverage or a large amount of ship capital, and leverage is only available for public companies. accordingly, a new entrant slew likely only be an actual company that operates in other markets. It should every be sufficiently self-funded or hold a very strong, persuasive income account and business plan to prove liquidity and gain leverage. Since the internet bubble, venture capitalists are very cautious in commit in IT companies, specially Business-to- guests or Business-to-Business ecommerce companies. (Check the performance of eBay du gloriole and after internet bubbles. ) Essentially, the scale of economy is very obvious in the online auction market.The value of an online network is proportional to the number of users squared. The scale of economy allow of course lead to a monopoly. A new entrant should either license a drool stripe system or employ a third- ships company payment plan company that already integrates contrivance stripe sys tem in its service. Brand faithfulness First of all, eBay has been operating in this market since the beginning of e-commerce. A lot of e-commerce companies bring failed since the internet bubble. eBay has achievementfully survived because of the widget and ease of its service. It has gained popularity and built loyalty among customers.It has a secure identity system, and every user has a record of past proceeding. eBay has a sound rating system for every buyer and seller to establish credibility amongst the users. eBays user accounts work like passports of their in the flesh(predicate) credit and reliability. Most customers of eBay are semipermanent users therefore, they will not exertion wile in their legal proceeding. If they do, their rating suffers. wholly customers tend to blaspheme each other because transactions are transparent to the 3rd party supervisor, eBay. eBay has successfully turned their online auction site into a community which has a viscous culture.P hotos of items to be sold greatly kindle the community value and establish affableness and trust between sellers and buyers. (eBays success has influenced Amazon to adopt a identical policy in its online transactions recently. ) New entrants are competing against a community as well as a company. It is or else difficult to build a new culture and a new community. There major power be rough other specialise auction niches available, but eBay offers or so any product available. For example, eBay has online auctions for cars. However, since cars are large purchases, mickle tend to be cautious in purchasing them.They must survey the cars in person, and the buyers and sellers tend to haggle in person. Online auctions breakt seem causative to the secondhand car market. As one would expect, eBay doesnt adjudge much revenue from car transactions, and any other online car auction websites are not likely to generate high revenues. Such specialise auction markets have uncertain v iability. In the example of a car transaction, there are two types of creditability heterogeneous. One is buyers trust of eBay Will eBay protect the buyers privacy? The other is buyers trust of sellers Will sellers defraud the buyers or exaggerate the quality of their cars?Shipping is likewise a major cost in this transaction. Most buyers obviously favor in-person transactions. There is little market space for online auction providers. In fact, there are free online bulletin boards that provide utilise car sale education. They make it difficult for paid online car auctions to exist at all. Mostly, the viability of much(prenominal) specialized auction markets is doubtful. Therefore, there is limited chance for new entrants. substitute Products The most important merit of fixed-price online retail is that a buyer does not have to wait for an auction to end. It is good luck charming to shoppers who take straightfor ward sales.They value their time more than the small price chan ge. It is basically a tradeoff between time and price. Since online auction and fixed online retail target population with different personalities, these two products essentially take for grantedt conflict with each other. eBay spread out its market by adding fixed-price features to its online transactions, such(prenominal) as Buy It Now. Half. com is a fixed price online retail web site which is owned by eBay. This shows that eBay is flexible in its business model. On the other hand, Amazon, a traditional online fixed-price retail web site, launched its auction feature in 1999.Here, fixed-price retail acts pretty like a complement. However, it is a complement only when a company is involved in both types of sales. It is especially estimable for the companys network utility. eBay spread out its community (network) by adding fixed price retail feature, as Amazon did by adding auctions. Both of them successfully combined these two functions together, which merged these two mark ets into one, and gave customers greater convenience by allowing them to decide which way to purchase goods impromptu. However, there is less differentiation between eBay and Amazon. conventional retail is more public when the buyer must chit the product in person or shipping is difficult or high-priced. eBay has had to build a strong creditability by qualification sure all the descriptions of online items to be sold are precise, complete and correct. Without this reliability, customers would switch to traditional retail stores. For those goods which are hard to price without observation, eBay cannot remove traditional retail. This is specially true for specialized items such as cars, jewelries, and plastic surgeries, all of which have too galore(postnominal) expatiate to be taken care of online.Online transactions seem impossible for these goods. The switching cost from online auction to traditional retail or fixed-price online is essentially high. For fixed-price online, s ellers have to pay the remembering fee for Amazons retentiveness plant. For traditional retail, sellers have to pay for the shop fee and shelf rental fee. These extra fees, which are switching be, are decent to discourage single item sellers, who are main customer category of eBay, to switch. emptor Power Customers price sensitivity Online auctions dont wedge sellers for storage of their goods. Fixed-price sites might depend on sellers for storage.Traditional retailers incur command processing overhead cost. Sellers have incentives to sell via online auction. On the other hand, online auctions mainly embrace with unpackaged new products or secondhand products. Most buyers of such products are known with eBay, so sellers are more given to sell via online auction. buyer bargaining business office is weakened. Customers negotiating power As I analyse above, eBay is a large network of small buyers and sellers who mainly deal with single-item sales. A seller generally sells one item to one buyer on eBay, so eBay has high prices and high margins when providing function for many buyers and sellers.Online auction site, recently experienced a dramatic increase in new member registration after eBay announced they would raise their listing fees for sellers. eBay took a prompt response by resuming the listing fee back to the original level. eBay didnt win anything in this price adjustment and readjustment, but eroded his reputation. Essentially in this online auction market, whoever has the most name recognition, wins the game. Right now, Bidvilles disadvantage in name recognition puts Bidville out as a possible alternative to eBays market space temporarily. Bay should think to the highest degree more to maintain his name recognition on the long run. Patents eBay does not hold any key patented technology. A new entrant could comfortably emulate eBays interface. Buyer Power Customers price sensitivity Online auctions dont charge sellers for storage of their goods. Fixed-price sites might charge sellers for storage. Traditional retailers incur overhead cost. Sellers have incentives to sell via online auction. On the other hand, online auctions mainly deal with unpackaged new products or secondhand products. Most buyers of such products are familiar with eBay, so sellers re more prone to sell via online auction. Buyer bargaining power is weakened. Customers negotiating power As I analyzed above, eBay is a large network of small buyers and sellers who mainly deal with single-item sales. A seller generally sells one item to one buyer on eBay, so eBay has high prices and high margins when providing services for many buyers and sellers. supplier Power Suppliers to eBay offer technology patent, licit support for intellectual property, and fraud prevention systems. eBay has great pressure to prevent fraud, since its reputation is at stake. Buyers and sellers care about very much about their security.Online auction fraud in 2004 made up 16% of all consumer complaints last year, and 48% in the subset of internet-related complaints, topping the list. eBay has 0. 01% fraud rate of all transactions, but these isolated incidents receive wide media coverage, which discourages many potential customers. eBay is still up its fraud prevention system. The fraud prevention system is launched by microsoft Inc. and Visa foreign Inc. As this system is necessary to eBay, it has little leverage to negotiate a split price. Many online retail systems need fraud prevention system, but there is only one supplier in the market.It has great bargaining power. Complements PayPal, as an online payment solution, is a good complement of eBays online auction business. PayPal is a neutral intermediary based on the financial infrastructure of vernacular accounts and credit separate, supported by a proprietary fraud prevention system. transactions on PayPal are of low risk to both sellers and buyers. PayPal allows gold from the buyer in one of the three ways. Charging the buyers credit fluff Debiting the buyers assaying account Charging from the buyers PayPal account. The buyer can always send check to his/her PayPal account.Then PayPal will email the seller about the payment made by the buyer. The seller will receive money in one of the three ways. The seller might have his own PayPal account. The payment will directly transfer to his/her account. The seller might receive a check from PayPal. PayPal directly deposits the payment into the sellers checking account. Buyers care about security. Buyers credit card numbers are only shown to PayPal. That is safer than online payment directly by credit card. Buyers as well as care about the cost. For transactions between PayPal customers, theres no transaction fee.PayPal makes money on the float when customers money sits in their account, PayPal is collection refer on it. Customers generally dont care about the interest that PayPal collects on their deposits. Customers al so care about ease of use. PayPal is one of the simplisticst services for online transactions. All a buyer has to do is to provide his/her name, e-mail address, credit card information, and direction address. For business accounts on PayPal, merchants are charged a 2. 2% discount rate + 30 cents on the transaction. It is better than the rate charged by merchant banks for pass judgment credit cards, in most cases. eBay Micro StrategiesIncrease brand recognition distend the auction market by introducing PayPal to more online auction markets Credit card companies charge more for Internet-enabled merchant accounts (the accounts the merchants need to accept credit card payments on the Internet), because of the high cost to main security. Therefore, credit cards become too expensive for smaller purchases. PayPal might negotiate with credit card companies for smaller fees for their subscribers. They can befriend to share the market in the following way Merchant accounts on PayPal will be charged less by credit companies than those on other online payment platforms.Therefore it can increase the number of small purchases on eBay auction. Nowadays, credit cards are the primary means of purchasing railway line tickets and recording frequent flier miles. eBay should estimate the tenor ticketing markets. It definitely can offer the same service with PayPal. PayPal should cooperate with more airlines and online ticketing websites. If they can integrate PayPal into ticket sales websites, eBay will have a big potential market in air ticketing and also increase its network utility. eBay should acquire a greater online auction market share by educating online customers that PayPal is the online currency.Yahoos wallet failed in the online marketplace. It was not slowly to establish their own online payment platform, partly because the online payment concept goes against Yahoos traditional business model. PayPal should make use of its competitive advantage and offer Yah oo and other websites its specialized solutions. Perfect its proprietary fraud prevention system, which is essential to its success. eBay should let its customers, cooperative online transaction sites, online airline ticketing sites, and credit card companies all feel that transactions done eBay will lower their be and be more valuable. Bay should cooperate with shipping companies, and make its online transactions more lucrative eBay should work with Phish encompass cyberspace and other anti-phishing organizations more efficiently in order to prevent fake online auction sites taking its market share and damaging the whole markets reputation eBay should work with software developers to improve the security, efficiency, and adaptability of its database. eBay should incite customers that there is no intentional bidding up behavior involved in its online auction practice Develop realistic name feature for customers.Put some re moroseions on new sellers in expensive ware transa ction or large volume sale until they have a good track record. Expand to foreign market, decrease national boundary barriers in terms of payment (credit card/PayPal) and shipping. join with local equivalent companies or set up by itself. Mediate between buyers and seller at Security C go in. Respect both sides privacy. Solve conflicts in conservative way. enduret take risk of eBays reputation. eBay Today eBay is the worlds maiden online marketplace. by reliable customer service, efficient information exchange, and by utilizing the latest technology, eBay has created an auction-based market community of an efficiency unheard of antecedent to the internet revolution. war-ridden Advantage eBay has used its first-mover advantage to establish itself as the most reliable and, more importantly, largest auction fireside on or off the internet. In 2003 alone, more than 30 million people exchanged over $20 billion. delinquent to the size and diversity of its user base, eBay is able to offer a wider selection of merchandise than any online retailer.This is made feasible by the virtual nature of eBays market sellers can market obscure items to a global market as easily as and more cheaply than they could put an ad in their local paper. historied for matching buyers and sellers across the world with the most uttermost(prenominal) items, eBay has developed incalculable value in its brand name. eBay has become a household word synonymous with an eclecticist online marketplace. eBay comes to the mind of any buyer flavor for that rare or ra swear-cheap item any seller hoping to get rid of lots anything knows a buyer is lurking somewhere on eBay.The site has become an easily identifiable rallying point akin to a popular dance club on a global scale everyone whos anyone is thereand everyone else too. eBays Macro scheme eBay seeks to maintain a high level of consumer patronage by capitalizing on its quaint shoesing as an internet marketplace. Globalization. Since eBay is a virtual marketplace, eBay can establish delivery localized sites in other countries that have annoy eBays full auction database. Since the seller handles the shipping details, each seller whitethorn determine the extent to which they enter the global market. Bay has already grow into 150 countries around the world. International transactions require little additional bookkeeping cost while their benefit to the consumer is terrific every buyer and seller has access to the largest market possible. Communication By allowing buyers and sellers to take in and communicate online, eBay is able to minimize the costs of remote market re take care and person exchanges of information across state of matters and borders. This interplay is essential to in return amicable transactions on which eBay is based.To countenance fair transactions eBay provides an efficient feedback system to allow buyers and sellers to benefit from collective experience, full-grown customers a strong social incentive to honor each transaction. Integration Through its acquisition of PayPal eBay gained not only market share, but also vertical integration key to its long-run success. By include the payment method most normally used on its site rather than forcing an unpopular one on its user base, eBay has not only retained the existent PayPal user base but grow to those consumers previously unsure of which method to use.In 2003 there were 40 million PayPal accounts nearly twice as many as the previous yearand these customers transferred $12 billion across 38 countries. Diversification In addition to normal auction bidding, eBay now offers a Buy-it-Now option. Sellers set fixed maximum prices at which the auction will close before it begins. This attracts auction-wary consumers from other e-commerce sites outside of the strict auction market and effectively competes with amazon. com and froogle. com for fixed-price transactions.By allowing independent sellers to maintain store fronts online, eBay seeks to extend its position to include an even wider range of transactions, thusly not only broadening its appeal but securing ties to more conservative consumer bases. The upcoming of eBay Industry Trends What originally began as a small industry of auctions for collectibles has mushroomed into a colossus encompassing individual sellers, small businesses, and large retailers. The e-commerce industry is constantly growing, and many businesses rely on the reputation of eBay or one of their competitors to sell their products.As the market grows, a wider demographic range of consumers will be purchasing an increasing number of products online. For example, teenagers are the target consumers of very recent products such as cell phone ring tones and games, many of which are available alone online. As such varied consumer groups are emerging in the online market, there is more room for differentiation perhaps some niches are being created. Therefore, the barriers to insertion will decrease as the market expands. Competitive Trends eBay has a solid foothold as the canonical online auction site.They have a niche as an enormous community with an extremely high success rate of matching buyers and sellers. eBay is distinguished by its accessibility of single, used, and/or rare items, and for its floating prices. They are adequately differentiated from their competitors, and they possess or so 70% of the online auction market share. However, due to the relatively low switching costs and entry barriers inherent in a web market, eBay must continue to be rather defensive of their position, against current rival and potential new entrants. Current CompetitorsAmazon and Yahoo Auctions are the main competitors of eBay. Ubid. com has 14% of the market share, but they have a different niche than eBay by dispute to business-to-consumer transaction. Amazon may pose a threat to eBays utter potency they are consistently bringing retailers into e-commerc e. However, this comes with a great burden. Whereas eBay has virtually no overhead, Amazon necessarily to store and move huge quantities of inventory. Currently, Amazons revenues are comfortably greater than eBays (about twice as much), but their costs are so high that eBays annual profits are roughly ten propagation Amazons.Alternatively, Amazon might call for to expand its auction operations, trying to incite eBay from its niche. Amazon would have to establish a network, a community, on the scale of eBays in order to challenge them directly. Although this could be time consuming and costly to implement, instruction on transactions in which they are merely the broker and bear no cost could greatly increase their long-term profits. Yahoo poses little threat to eBay. piece they theoretically have potential for growth similar to Amazon, they lack Amazons reputation.They also lack the cost-free transactions in which eBay luxuriates. New Entrants Online auctioning doesnt have hi gh costs of entry, especially the way eBay operates All a new entrant needs is merchant software there is no need for warehouses or expensive machinery. However, many companies have tried to enter this lucrative market and have failed. New entry is difficult because eBay has an enormous community, which gives tremendous network value to both buyers and sellers. Any entrant would have to build up a network from scratch. Conceivably, if a new company entered a niche market, e. g. uctions of teenage attire and cell phone accessories, they could survive, but such a market would likely be too small to gain any measurable market share. Alternately, a website that already has a large community would be able to enter more easily. For example, Craigs List has a network of millions of users, who rely on it for matching them up with people who can fulfill their specific needs. It would be simple enough to add an auction section to the site, and take advantage of this actual network to compet e with eBay. Froogle, a new service from Google, may forever change the way online shopping is done.While it presently is a beta version, it looks to be a promising engine for online shoppers to quickly search nearly all online stores for the products they desire. While Froogle isnt an entrant to the online auction market (yet), it is sure as shooting the beginning of a powerful new substitute service. Froogle may be very dangerous to eBay for many reasons. Google already has a huge network of search-users and advertisers. If vendors (especially specialized vendors, as many on eBay are) can set up their own online stores and be found for free on Froogle, they have less of a reason to pay eBay for its high access. Bay certainly still has a lot going for it, (security and reputation) but may soon find its network challenged by Froogle users. eBays Response eBay recently started Business. eBay, a new business-to-business online auction that spans all sectors, from dig to farming. eB ay is aware that they may need to take larger retailers in order to grow, and to challenge Amazons growth in this direction. If Amazon decides to challenge eBays community appeal, then eBay must block this attempt any way they can. A simple method would be to start a price war. Bays costs are so negligible compared to Amazons that Amazon could not peradventure survive a price war. EBay could almost give away auctions to sellers, whereas this sort of emulation would bankrupt Amazon. If a new entrant emerges, eBays best bet is to rely on the value of their community. Even a company trying to enter into a niche market would have a difficult time building a network large enough to attract eBay customers. In the rare case of an open community site entering into online auctioning, eBay should worry in a price war if they believe this sites community is comparable to theirs. Bay is famous for their extreme efficiency, and any entrant would likely be somewhat inefficient due to their i nexperience. eBays best response to Froogle is to assert their security and reputation to their users If you buy from eBay, you know you will have a safe and fraud-free transaction, especially if you pay with PayPal. On the other hand, if person buys from an online shop found on Froogle, he has no idea how reliable the vendor is, or if his credit card information will be safe.If buyers are disinclined to engage in potentially dangerous transactions outside of eBay, buyers and sellers alike will continue to complete their transactions through eBay. Summary eBay virtually monopolizes the online auction market, due to their large network value, extremely low costs, reputation for security, and efficient operations. When confronted with competition, eBay either relies on its community niche, or buys out the competition (i. e. Half. com and PayPal). They have created a market where entry is very difficult, and competitors are relatively powerless, particularly given the threat of a pr ice war.These advantages should ensure eBays continued supremacy of online auctions in the future. However, they should court larger retailers, as Amazon has, to expedite their growth. eBay is likely to get the leading online auctioneer for quite some time, as long as they dwell adaptable to the ever-dynamic online market. eBay has proven to be a successful chameleon in the past, making lucrative acquisitions and modifying its business model, depending on the state of the online market. As long as eBay continues to precipitously maintain its community and reputation of security, it will dominate the online auction market.References 1. Crockett, Roger O. No elastic? No Problem. BusinessWeek online. . October 23, 2000. 2. eBay 2003 Annual Report. . 3. Hof, Rob. Meet eBays Auctioneer-in-Chief. BusinessWeek online. . May 29, 2003. 4. Hof, Robert D. The eBay Economy. BusinessWeek online. . August 25, 2005. 5. Lewis, Marilyn. eBay and Amazon. webservicespipeline. . December 22 , 2004. 6. Perez, Juan Carlos. Online auction providers grapple with fraud. Computerworld. . Februrary 17, 2005. 7. Roberts, Paul. Microsoft, eBay, Visa form Phish Report Network. Computerworld. . February 14, 2005

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Cici’s Pizza Research Paper Essay

Cici’s Pizza Research Paper Essay

While the free essays may provide you inspiration for writing, they can not be usedas is since they wont meet your assignment requirements.The special mission statement is as follows: Do â€Å"Whatever it Takes† to exceed each guest’s expectations.Background CiCi’s Enterprise is an American style buffet restaurant chain based in Coppell, Texas. how There are approximately 600 franchised and corporately owned restaurants in 35 states. The company was founded in 1985 in Plano, Texas by Joe Croce and Mike Cole.An argumentative first essay is among the many academic essay types.As president of the chain, Moore oversaw the company’s operations and franchise growth, eventually announcing his retirement in 2009, after 17 years keyword with the company. Michael Shumsky took over after Moore retired in late 2009. He had previously served as CEO of La Madeleine Restaurant, Inc. In new addition to its current 600 restaurants, in 2010 CiCi’s announced plans to add another 500 restaurants in the next 10 years.

Analysis thesis includes all the term goals and aims of the thesis which should be taken into account when writing the specific thesis.Environmental AnalysisSWOT The strengths of CiCi’s pizza make it one of the best in the industry. It offers a unique buffet experience with so many pizza varieties. Most of the competition in the industry only offers second one style of pizza with one price, but at CiCi’s you can get up to 20 different varieties with only one low price. If you don’t want to sit in the family oriented restaurant with the best customer service and eat then you have the option to order take out.Research is a kind of research conducted.Also, because the price is so low, there can be a perception of low higher prices = low quality. The one other thing that is holding CiCi’s back from being in the top five is that there is 15 states in the US that so not have a CiCi’s in them.Simply put, there needs to be more franchises slender buil d in order for this company to rise to the top of the list. (JMC Restaurant Distribution INC.

As an example, let us look at a few of the pizzas Pizza Hut has promoted.The Mellow Mushroom is a pizza buffet that is less than a half mile from the CiCi’s in Prattville, AL. Mellow Mushroom offers similar services but at a higher price. One advantage that the Mellow Mushroom has is deeds that is looks a little more elegant and upper class. People who are looking for more formal dinner experience would be likely to go to Mellow Mushroom.Last, it has always valued satisfaction and customer support.All these companies are within a 20 mile radius.In a lucrative market like the pizza one, the more competitors the better the customer service because it is so competitive. Market Analysis The pizza market can be very lucrative, therefore it is very competitive. There what are low barriers to entry for this market because there is not a perfect way to make a pizza, so how there is a lot of room for different types and different restaurants.

The way to guard yourself would be to do your homework.According to â€Å"Pizza Power†, PMQ magazine’s (Pizza Marketing Quarterly) Annual Industry Analysis, of the 67,554 pizza stores in the US, 59% are independently owned and control 51% of total pizza sales. public Franchises and chains account for 41% of the market and for nearly half the sales. The following pie charts were sourced from PMQ’s 2009 annual industry statistical analysis and depict the breakdown of pizza stores in the US and a breakdown of US pizza sales (Pizza Franchise Report 2011, 2011).CiCi’s pizza is included into the other very top chains 15%.Moreover, its crucial for a student to understand sides of an argument.This is compared to only 7% of those aged over 65 eating at least one pizza per month. Pizza also proved popular with parents. About 20% of the parents surveyed said that they purchase pizza more than three times per month, compared to 12% of adults with no children (Pi zza Franchise Report 2011, 2011). This customer group covers much of the target market for CiCi’s pizza.

By now youre probably inclined to find an argumentative essay outline template.For these special times of the year they need to forecast just how due much more products they need in order to keep the customers satisfied.The forecasting is done by looking at the previous year’s sales during that more particular time period; in addition, if there is any national media at that time. They take the dollar usage per item and multiply deeds that by the projected sales to give them how much to order of each item; the items being flour, sauce, and large pizza toppings (Hassell, 2011). Demand Forecasting cannot be done before there is a proper count of the inventory.Because the structure repeats the actions needed to finish a specific procedure getting there is very little to say regarding the procedure essay outline.The company as a whole tries to keep food cost percentages at 28% or lower, with labor cost of 18. 5% or lower (Hassell, 2011). Once the forecasting is done, then it is time to place the order. CiCi’s uses an online order management system called ESOS (Exhibition & Sponsorship Ordering System).

Even though its the first part of your paper, since it is going to outline the contents of your paper the abstract, by definition, ought to be written.CiCi’s has become such a powerful force in the pizza industry partly because of attention to detail in the transportation channel. They own their own transportation service.JMC restaurant distribution Inc. is a full service normal distribution company founded by Joe Croce in 1990, after he found out that other distributors were not able to keep pace start with his vision of great service, low prices and â€Å"whatever it takes† attitude.Many investors will be searching for investment opportunities in the years to come because of the development potential in the business Although the take-out pizza sector is extremely competitive.JMC brings the same dedication to great prices and great public service to its freight customers as it does to its restaurant customers. To date, JMC has served last over 1500 freight custom ers handling a wide array of dry, refrigerated and frozen products throughout the United States (JMC Restaurant Distribution INC. , 2011).Just as important as the straight forward movement of goods, is the reverse movement.

Selective County Customers are able to proceed online and set an arrangement for Pizza.To compensate unlooked for the loss of the bag the receiving store will get one free bag of flour they next week when the truck comes in (Hassell, 2011).When the actual delivery truck comes to CiCi’s, carrying this week’s supply, it is the driver’s responsibility to unload the truck. The employees at the restaurant do not help start with unloading. It takes about 45 minutes to completely get all the products off the truck and into the store (Hassell, 2011).Qualified for.Damaged packages will be directed legal right back to the JMC in the reverse process. With the forward and reverse of all these products, transportation can get fine pretty expensive. The facility locations are very important because of this. CiCi’s has a total of three distribution facilities that are strategically placed.

A job cited entry has to be contained at the close of the essay.(JMC Restaurant Distribution INC. , 2011) That is where the CiCi’s in Prattville Alabama gets all of its products. Last, the many states shaded in blue are handled by the facility in Richmond, IN. All the facility locations were made with the main roads, possible traffic, and distance in mind.Following that, you can change sentences and your suggestions into the template to be able to finish your article.â€Å"Hi, welcome to CiCi’s! † is the phrase that every employee must memorize and say to every customer that comes into the restaurant. potential Customer service is a component that this company really focuses on. On the website they have a list of guest promises that they stand by. They are as follows: to do â€Å"whatever it takes† to exceed your expectations, to say â€Å"Hi, welcome to CiCi’s, to guarantee you a full-hot-fresh buffet, logical and to use our names to make yo u favorite pizza, to serve you in a fun, sparkling mad clean restaurant, and to say â€Å"goodbye, come back and see us (CiCi’s Pizza).

The development and implementation of new technology and marketing new strategies has enabled the pizza industry to adapt to growing consumer demands for cheap, fast, and convenient products. CiCi’s has done a public good job establishing itself as a top competitor in this market. In order for CiCi’s to compete with the top pizza franchises in the market, such as Pizza Hut, they need to get more creative. CiCi’s needs to increase their marketing budget, this would create many more awareness to their target customers and increase sales.This great company has expanded from one restaurant in Plano, Texas to over 600 in 35 states in 25 years.That is a great accomplishment, and they are not done yet. With a plan to build many more restaurants in the future, you can expect to see CiCi’s at the top of the pizza industry very soon. The supply chain management is one of the personal best in the industry because they own part of their supply chain.Retrieved No vember 30, 2011, from wikipedia. com: http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/CiCi’s_Pizza JMC Restaurant Distribution INC.html Pizza Franchise Report 2011. (2011).Retrieved late November 24, 2011, from Franchisedirect. com: http://www.